Flashbacks are in italics. This flashback was taken from Wash It All Away – Chapter 44.1: Sister, Sister Bonding.
A little heartache involved with this chapter. Everyone has a valid point, everyone could be in the wrong or in the right – either way, everyone's feelings are hurt. No worries, I'm cleaning up the mess... eventually. Enjoy! Thank you to the reviewers and readers and those sending me PM's to get my butt in gear! It's all appreciated!
45.2 - Collide
Alex's PoV
It was cold outside, despite the snowfall they had just had the previous night. Ryn opened the front door but stopped me before I stepped foot inside. "Uh," she looked nervously between me, Tracey and the living room, "I really don't know the whole story but don't be surprised if Spencer's not exactly happy to see you."
I looked at the redheaded woman with a raised eyebrow. "I'm aware of that."
She only nodded and let Tracey and I into the warm confines of my sister's house. It was clean, freakishly clean.
"I figured there was a party last night." I turned to face Ryn, who shut the door behind herself.
"We had a dinner but with the snow, we all kind of got snowed in." She grinned and moved to leaned against the large bookshelf.
"Who else is here?" Tracey smiled and made herself comfortable on the chair beside the door. It usually occupied Lucas' hockey equipment.
"Oh uh," Ryn bit her lip, glancing up towards the spiral stairs and then back down towards the end of the hall where "my" bedroom was, "Sammy's here and-"
"Sam?" I raised an eyebrow, delighted to hear her name. "Is she in my room?"
Tracey cast a sideways glance at me and I shook my head. I just wanted to see a friend.
"Yea but really, I think she's sleeping..." Ryn said with a bit of desperation in her voice. I chuckled and waved her off, kicking off my boots and walking towards the end of the hallway, "really Alex, I think you should just-"
"Rise and shine, Sa-" I swung open the door and gasped when I found my ex-girlfriend straddling someone else. My cheeks flushed when her back muscles strained and she turned her head to look at me with a horrific look. "Oh God, I'm so sorry." I mumbled and then I caught a glimpse of the person beneath her and swallowed, my eyes narrowing slightly. I quickly slammed the door shut and glanced at Ryn, who was biting her lip.
"I tried to tell you..." She said quietly and I slowly made my way back towards Tracey and Ryn, standing by the door.
"Who the hell is slamming doors?" I looked up to see Spencer coming down the stairs, pulling her hair up in a ponytail. She stopped at the bottom, our eyes locking for the first time in, what felt like forever.
You could cut the tension with a knife.
"Hey Spence," I waved almost shyly but her eyes never even flinched.
"Alex." She addressed so in a dull voice. "What are you doing here?"
"I missed you." I swallowed and she snorted. I raised an eyebrow and she shook her head.
"Had a funny way of showing it," Spencer hissed as she walked passed the living room and towards the kitchen.
"I didn't know if you'd want to hear from me." I followed her and she spun around, her bluish grey eyes narrowing even more. "What?"
"You're right," she whispered, "I didn't."
"Spencer," I sighed a little too loud for her liking and she held up her hand.
"Don't you dare raise your voice or you'll wake the girls." Spencer looked away and quietly opened up the cupboard, grabbing coffee mugs. "What are you doing here?"
"Alexis." Sammy came into the kitchen, fully clothed. Her eyes looked a little concerned.
"Sam," I nodded and tore my eyes away from her.
"Look, what you saw..." Sammy trailed off when Carmen walked slowly into the same room, biting the side of her cheek as she kissed my sister on the forehead and grabbing something from the freezer.
"None of my business." I snorted. Carmen? Carmen Mandez of all people?
The one who spits out women like last nights leftovers, Mandez? The one who repeatedly tried to get into Spencer's pants, Mandez?
"Not now." Spencer warned me and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Seriously, if you wake up the girls, I will not be happy."
As opposed too...
…wait, girls?
"Dylan?" I whispered. I frowned, figuring that Ashley would've had her daughter in custody again. Right?
"Yea, Dylan and Lucas." Spencer said in a normal tone like it was most natural thing in the world.
I was jumbled up in a tangled web. I had Sammy and Carmen on my mind, I had my sister's coldness on my mind and Dylan wasn't with Ashley. I frowned and took a deep breath.
Then I saw her walk into the kitchen, brown eyes met my own and I swallowed.
Ashley?
I was about to say hi when she turned around and took off back upstairs. Spencer gave me a look and I felt defeated.
Tracey was right, I should've just went to my parents.
"It's really clear that I'm not wanted here," I zipped up my coat and felt myself be tugged back.
"What did you expect?" Spencer glared at me. "A welcome home hug? A parade?"
Well, no.
"I said I was sorry," I said firmly, "I kept something big from you and from Ashley, I know this. It wasn't my place to say anything."
"And I respect that," Spencer laughed rudely, "but once Dylan was with me, you could've given me a heads up."
"But-"
"No!" Spencer hissed. "See? Alex you try and make excuses for everything you do wrong and I'm tired of it."
I hung my head.
"What happened to you?" She asked me softer that time. "Where did my little sister go?"
I lost her.
Somewhere.
"Alex, you know as far as your career is concerned, I'm proud of you. You went out and followed your dreams and I'm happy you are succeeding. Don't you ever think different," her voice was more of a whisper, "but that doesn't make me want to forgive you."
I wanted to tug at my hair because the situation was frustrating. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness," I finally said, staring at my sister, "I'm just asking you to acknowledge the fact that I get it."
"Do you?" She raised a eyebrow.
Someone cleared her throat and I caught Sammy making her way to my side. "Spence," she said calmly, "I really mean no disrespect in your own house and you are free to tell me if I'm out of line, but I really think ganging up on Alexis like this is unfair."
I blinked.
Tracey blinked.
Carmen's eyes narrowed.
And Ashley came back into the kitchen, her eyes not even looking my way. She was my best friend for years and she couldn't even look at me anymore.
Spencer's eyes shifted from mine and tilted her head towards Sammy. "How?"
"Well," Sammy smiled a little and shrugged, looking at me, "you're treating it as if it's all her fault. Don't get me wrong," she raised an eyebrow, "she can really screw things up, make mistakes and piss people off," I scowled when her attention turned back my sister and Ashley, who was now listening in on the conversation, "but this is not all her doing."
I chewed on my bottom lip and closed my eyes tightly. Why was she defending me? Sammy built a great friendship with Spencer and Ashley throughout the years; I didn't want her to ruin it over me. "Sam, it's okay."
"No," Sammy insisted and stepped away from me but I caught her worried glance that she shared with Carmen and knew right then and there that something more was going on with the two, "I know Alex and I know that she can admit to things she's done wrong. And she has said that she was sorry for keeping Lucas and Dylan from the both of you, but in her defence, it wasn't her news to babble on about." Before Spencer could but in, Sammy continued talking. "I agree, once Dylan was in your care, she should've said something."
"We were best friends," Ashley finally met my eyes, "and I honestly don't want to fight about this because it's so high school-ish and we never fought in high school so why start now?" Her brown eyes flickered slightly before she looked away. "I get why I wasn't informed that Spencer had a child. I knew you thought you were protecting me, but she's your sister, she should've come first."
"I know," I whispered.
"You left me," Spencer frowned, "when I told you I was pregnant, you left me. You ran away," she said in a surprised tone, "you just took off and the next thing I know, you're telling me you're living with Ashley."
I closed my eyes and swallowed. My actions were a little childish.
"What was your reaction when Ashley said she was pregnant?" Her eyebrow rose.
I looked down and played with my fingers slightly. "She didn't sleep with anyone."
"It doesn't matter!" Spencer said and I stepped back. "I am your sister, Aly!"
//
"Sometimes I think you two are a little young to be saying the word 'sex' let alone having it," Paula sighed and moved out of Spencer's way, who went to her own room. "We'll talk about this later, your father and I are running late." She kissed my forehead and before leaving down the stairs she hollered, "no tearing each other apart while we're gone? Wait until we can at least sit back and watch it."
Har har.
"Spencer!" I ran into her room and stopped as she stopped in her own tracks, quickly pushing her music and lyrics under her pillow. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Go away." Spencer blew a few strands of hair out of her eyes.
"Why are you hiding your music?" I asked, stepping closer to her bed.
"Hey," she looked at me and pulled me down onto the bed, "you know that I adore you right?"
Okay. She was avoiding my question. I'd play along with it. For now.
I raised an eyebrow. "Sure?"
"I'm sorry for earlier. I can be a pain in the ass." Spencer smiled softly.
"We wouldn't be sisters if we didn't have moments like that," I confessed. I loved Spencer, she was my best friend. We both grew up fast in the past five months, growing close. Sometimes I found it hard to see that line between friend and sister with her. But she makes me proud to be her sister, even when she was an ass.
At least now she apologized.
"Why don't you like being called Aly?" Spencer finally broke the silence in her room.
My confession and reason would seem like a stupid one. One that I wasn't sure I was ready to share but Spencer asked and I couldn't lie to her. "You'll think it's stupid."
"Alex," she sighed and gave me a reassuring smile, "I promise I won't think that."
I took a deep breath and relaxed a little as Spencer folded her hands in front of her, waiting patiently. "You used to call me Aly when we were little," I looked away from her when I noticed her frown slightly, "Spency and Aly, I remember when we used to play outside together, when you'd let me play with you and Kyla." My eyes darted back to hers and a bit my bottom lip, "then when school started back up, you became a different person. You didn't acknowledge me at school and you'd tell every one I was adopted."
"Alex," She painfully frowned, realization dawning on her, "I'm-"
"Please," I interrupted her, "let me finish. Once you started to get more into hockey, you carried yourself in this confident way. You were a cool big sister. My friends liked you even though they never got to know you. They knew you because you were one of the best hockey player's on their brother or sister's team. I wanted to be you. I wanted to be that girl who got all the attention even from unknown people."
"Al-"
I threw a pillow at her and gave her a warning look to stop interrupting me. "Aly seemed too girly after awhile. You started to call me Alex and I loved it more because, I don't know, it wasn't as girly. It made me feel like you."
"Butch?" Spencer couldn't help herself and I couldn't help but roll my eyes and smirk.
"I guess," I shrugged, "Spencer's a cool name, you know? Spencer Dylan. I got Alexis Marie."
"That's because they thought I was going to be a boy," Spencer laughed. "They already had the named picked out."
"Still," I blushed, "Alex made me feel closer to you in that way. Aly was someone who you left behind. I didn't want to be her anymore and I still don't."
Spencer nodded and frowned, taking a seat next to me. "If it makes you feel any better, whoever you are or whoever you want to be, I'll always look after you and love you."
I grinned and scratched my forehead. This was such a girly moment.
//
Nothing was that simple anymore.
Aly.
"I'm sorry." I was defeated.
Somehow the argument was spinning in a couple different directions and Carmen moved to put the coffee on that Spencer never even started to do.
"I just want everything to be okay," I finally said after a few seconds of everyone remaining silent.
"Yea well," Spencer trailed of and shrugged, "I just wish you could've trusted me enough to tell me everything."
"It wasn't-"
"-your place, I know." She cut me off.
"Hey," Sammy moved to Spencer and placed a hand on her shoulder, "can I just throw something out there and then maybe we should all just go our separate ways until things cool off?" She watched my sister nod before she looked at Ashley. "You two have very beautiful daughters that love each other very much. You two are amazing parents and no one is saying otherwise. I can only agree with Alex on this because I was in the same boat. I knew about Lucas and I knew about Dylan because I was friends with the both of you. Yet, I didn't say anything because it really wasn't my place."
"It's different." Ashley frowned.
"No," Sammy shook her head, "it's not; because for years, we always considered the six of us family, including Kyla and Aiden. We all stuck our necks out for each other and when things got rough, we were there to pick up pieces – without question."
Silence filled the room once again and I could see Spencer was trying to remain patient.
"You two need to wake up and see that there were other options. The fact that neither of you, at all, asked Alex to even mention the fact that your were both mothers, maybe told her she shouldn't say anything."
I looked at Sammy and felt a little honoured that she was sticking up for me. I chanced a glance back at Tracey who seemed to be nodding at every word my ex-girlfriend was saying.
"She has a point," Carmen spoke up for the first time and gave Spencer an apologetic shrug, "I mean, I'm on your side Spence, you know that. But you could've asked about Ashley, Alex may have surprised you and spilled the beans, or you could've said 'hey sis, maybe one of these days have Ashley call me if she wants'."
"I would've." Ashley whispered and Spencer turned to look at her. "I mean, I should've done the same but I think we were both wrapped up in our own lives that it never even ..." she looked at me briefly, "I'm sorry."
"Baby," Spencer sighed at Ashley and my ears twitched at the term of endearment. I struggled to figure out what exactly I was feeling at the moment.
Baby?
"Baby?" I whispered finally and frowned. Yes, I was happy deep down and I would've jumped for joy but something prevented me from doing so. "You two are together?"
"Alexis," Sammy warned quietly but I shook my head.
"She leaves you broken in high school, your heart shattered and pieces are probably still lying on that ice rink because she broke up with you. Ashley made you cry for weeks on end after she left and I was there for you, Spencer. I was there right beside Carmen, cursing Ashley's name for the fucking pain she put you through..." I had a point. Really. "She comes to town twelve years later and the moment she catches your eye, you're jumping back into a relationship with her?"
"Alex!" Spencer hissed and I shook my head.
"No, don't shut me up this time. It's my turn to speak." I felt a hand on my arm and knew it belonged to Tracey. I tried to calm down. "She broke your heart and she never made an effort to even mend things afterwards, yet I keep something that wasn't even for me to say and you're giving me the third degree? How the hell is that fair?"
"You're such a hypocrite," Spencer whispered harshly and just like my eyes, hers were showing tears forming as well, "Ashley did come back for me. She came back the day I left for Quebec and you never told me. I had no clue cause if I had, I guarantee you those two girls upstairs sleeping, would be raised by the both of us. This house would've been ours and we wouldn't be fighting like this!" She took a deep breath and Ashley winced as her hand was shrugged off Spencer's shoulder. "Ashley and I have a lot to talk about. A lot to consider and we're working on it. It's not easy to look at her and not remember exactly what went on and you're right, you were there for me when I needed you, but you still walked away," her eyes darted towards the stairs where we heard movement, "I can't do this now." She finally said and pushed passed Sammy and Carmen, making her way upstairs.
I couldn't help but notice the hurt look gracing Ashley's face as she watched Spencer walk away.
Well that went over well.
--
Next time in Points Underneath:
"Where's Tracey?"
Alex stopped at the edge of the bed before sitting down and shrugging. "I think she needed to be alone, went to grab us a bite to eat."
I nodded slowly and dropped my card key on the desk and smiled when I glanced at the rose resting perfectly in the makeshift vase.
"You and Carmen…" She started and stopped when I turned around to look at her, raising an eyebrow.
