Hello everyone! Here is Ch. 5, I'm going to try to get Ch. 6 uploaded tonight as well, no promises though. As always thanks for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated. =)

Chapter 5

Ashley walked into her apartment, exhausted she was planning on getting some unpacking done when she got home, but after her run in with the blonde she was exhausted just wanting to shower and get ready for bed. The unpacking will have to wait till later.

She was climbing in bed thinking about Spencer which has been the only thing on her mind since running into the blonde at the ball diamonds. Confused about why the blonde was so angry at her as she has done many times over the last ten years, she thinks back to the last time she had seen her.

10 years ago; age 17

Ashley emptied the remaining contents of her locker into her book bag, it was the last day of school, she was a senior and she was looking forward to summer. She smiled as thoughts of her best friend entered her mind; they were more than best friends. To the world they were best friends, when they were alone, they were well Ashley didn't quite know what they were.

Ashley thought back to the night before, Spencer had spent the night just like almost every night for the last few years. She would sneak into her window at night after her parents were asleep, sometimes she would be so sore from a punishment that her mother felt that she deserved that she could hardly lift herself through the window. She would lie down on the bed not saying a word; the brown-eyed girl would just lie next to her, holding her until she cried herself to sleep.

Spencer would always wake up and sneak back out the window before her parents were awake in the morning about four years ago during breakfast her mom was looking at her "What mom?"

"Tell Spencer to use the door when she comes over."

She stared at her mom "huh, what do you mean."

"Ashley I know that girl has sneaked in and out of your window for almost three years now. I also know that she doesn't have a good home life. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She stares at her mom wishing she could tell, wishing she could help her friend get away from her mother, to stop the pain that she has to go through as much as she wanted to tell her mom she had promised her that she wouldn't tell "No mom, she just doesn't have very good parents. Thanks for letting her stay."

"She is always welcome here Ashley, makes sure she knows that." Her mom hugs her placing a kiss on her head "If you ever need to talk, I'm here." After that morning Spencer has spent most nights at her house always using the front door.

Ashley grabs her bag heading to the parking lot looking forward to meeting the blonde and starting their summer. She knows that summer is not Spencer's favorite time, school is an escape for the blonde it's a break from the games her mother likes to play. This summer however was going to be different, her mom told her this morning that it would be okay for Spencer to stay at their house this summer. That she didn't have to sneak out each morning. Ashley made it to the parking lot walking to her car looking for the other girl they were going to meet at the car. Surprised to find that Spencer wasn't there yet Ashley scanned the parking lot and saw the blonde walking her way; she started to smile and walk to meet her.

Her smile faded when she saw the look on Spencer face the only way she could describe it was hurt and anger "What's wrong Spence." To her surprise Spencer didn't even look at her just walked right past her like she wasn't there. She turned to follow her "Hey Spence" she reached out and grabbed the blonde's hand. Spencer jerked her hand away and spun to face her "Don't touch me." shocked to see the hate in her eyes.

"Spencer what is going on?"

"How could you? I thought I could trust you, I thought you cared about me!?

She just stared at Spencer trying for to figure out what the blonde was talking about "I do care about you more than you know; I don't understand what is wrong."

"Don't try to pretend you didn't say anything, how else would she had known about my punishments, about us?"

"What? Who? She is able to say. Not having any clue what she is talking about. Just then Spencer's brother Glen drives by the blonde waves him down "Hey give me a ride home." He just nods his head as she climbs in "Hey Spence, wait." Ashley reaches out for her again.

The blonde climbs in the car glaring at her "Goodbye Ashley" she turns to Glen "Let's go."

Ashley stands there watching the car leave the parking lot. "What the hell just happened?" She turns and heads to her car planning on going to her as soon as she can to find out what is going on.

Three hours later she is able to go to Spencer's, not able to leave sooner due to her baby sister and her mom arriving home later than planned from work. As soon as her mom is in the door she runs out yelling "Going to Spencer's." Ashley took the shortcut through the creek to get to Spencer's house. She knocks on the door and when Glen answers she says in a rush "Is Spencer home?"

"I don't think she wants to talk to you."

She pushes past Glen "I don't care; I need to talk to her."

"Whatever." he says as he shuts the door.

She goes straight to Spencer's bedroom, she knocks on the door. When she doesn't get an answer she says through the door "Spence it's me." Still no answer, she slowly turns the door knob and pushes the door open. Spencer's room is small and clean compared to the rest of the house. She notices right away that the blonde is not in her room, she walks in looking around when she notices that Spencer dresser drawers are open and most of her clothes are gone and her bedroom window is open. She looks at Spencer's bed and sees a folded piece of paper on her pillow, she picks it up and reads it her heart breaking and tears coming to her eyes. The note is one simple sentence:

I won't be back. –Spencer

That was the last day that she had seen Spencer and to this day she is just as confused about why the other girl was so angry at her, why she disappeared and never contacted her, and why she was still angry.

"What the hell happened?" she says out loud before closing her eyes to sleep not wanting to be late tomorrow.

Ashley is awake, showered, dressed, and out of the house in record time arriving to work an hour early drinking her coffee savoring the smell and taste as the elevator took her up to the office. She wanted to arrive to work early hoping to be there before Spencer even though she wasn't sure why. When the elevator opened she walked off heading towards Spencer cubicle preparing to face her. She rounded the corner and slammed right into someone spilling her coffee down the front of both of them.

"Hot!" Both Ashley and the person she ran into said at the same time, pulling their shirts away from their skin. She looked up and saw the blonde looking back at her with an amused look on her face "Well you always did like to make an entrance."

"Spencer, I'm so sorry" she begins to apologize when Spencer holds up her hand stopping her. "It's no big deal; I have an extra shirt in my desk, I have one that will fit you as well." She turns to walk back to her desk, opening the drawer revealing a dozen or so shirts. She finds a shirt that will fit Ashley and throws it to her. Ashley catches the shirt raising an eyebrow "Do you always keep clothes in your desk?"

"Never know when you are going to need a new shirt, baby spits up, kid throws up, tears, or people coming around corners spilling coffee on you." She starts to apologize again when Spencer walks past her "Follow me to the bathroom so we can change."

They had been working for three hours when Aiden stops by to see how things are going "How are you guys doing?" Spencer answers without taking her eyes off the computer "We're fine." Ashley gives him a nod, he watches for a few seconds "Ashley I have a couple more forms that Human Resources needs you to sign, when you get a minute stop by my office."

"No problem." She goes back to watching Spencer wondering if they are going to talk and stop acting like co-workers who just met. So far Spencer has been nothing but professional with her steering clear of anything personal.

At lunch time Ashley stands and stretches "Lunchtime, want to go get something to eat."

"No" She says without stopping from typing the report she was writing.

"Want me to bring you something back."

"No"

"Do you plan on eating?"

"I brought lunch my lunch from home today."

Ashley decided to sit outside for lunch enjoying the breeze and sunlight, her morning with Spencer has been different than she thought it would be. Spencer has been nice for the most part, answering questions that she may have about the job, explaining things, and even joking. She had tried a couple of times to bring up the subject of her disappearing when they were teenagers, the blonde would get a guarded look, close up, and ignore her so she just stopped bringing it up for now.

She was just getting off the elevator when Spencer was rushing toward the elevator bag in hand. "What's going on?"

"A domestic violence was called in by the police." They are there making the arrest, and called us due to there being a minor. I don't have much information other than it's a one year old. Want to ride along?"

"Definitely let me grab my bag real quick." She hurried off while Spencer held the elevator waiting for her.

The drive across town was a silent one when they arrived at the address she looked at Spencer "I'll just let you take the lead."

Spencer just nodded, taking a deep breath and getting out of the car, she followed. Spencer found the officer who appeared to be in control and introduced herself "Hello, I'm Ms. Carlin from DCS."

The officer looked relieved "Hello, follow me." He led the women into the house, entering the house took her breath, the house was filthy, beer cans and trash everywhere it smelled of booze and stale cigarettes. The sound of a baby crying was coming from the back of the house, when they entered the bedroom there was an officer trying to comfort the baby who was screaming and thrashing around. Spencer looked at her handing her the car keys "Will you go out to the car and in the trunk is a bunch of stuffed bears. Will you bring me one?" she nodded and took the keys exiting the house; she grabbed a brown bear returning to the bedroom.

The blonde took the bear and walked towards the baby talking to him "Hello Ryan I'm Spencer would you like a bear?" They baby looked at her and then at the bear reaching out his chubby hand to grab the bear. She continued to talk to him "You are okay buddy" Ashley stood there amazed when Ryan reached out and went to Spencer laying his head on her shoulder, holding his bear tight, and closed his eyes falling asleep. She just continued to talk to him and rock back and forth.

It was past five when the two women made it back to the office, Ryan was in a foster home, his parents were in jail, and Spencer was able to get all the detail she was going to get at this time. It would be a long and lengthy process before Ryan would be reunified with his parents both drugs and alcohol was involved.

Ashley was busy collecting her things off of Spencer's desk when she looked up to find the blonde staring at her. She recognized the pain and sadness in her blue eyes, Ashley stood there looking back at her debating on whether to take the woman in her arms and hold her like she would when they were kids and Spencer had that look in her eyes. Just as she was about to take a step forward the blonde shook her head coming out of whatever thought she had been in and began to log on to her computer "Spence it's after five it's time to go home."

"Please don't call me that. You can go I just want to finish up on a few things first." she sat down at her desk not looking back at her.

She stood there for a second not sure if she should stay or go; she was to shadow Spencer if she was staying than she thought she better stay too. Just as she was about to put her bag down Spencer spoke up "Ashley you can go home, I always work late, you don't have to stay" never once looking at her. She stood there another few seconds "Good-bye Spence, See you tomorrow." All she said in return was "don't call me that please." Ashley just walked elevator, wondering if she was ever going to tell her what she did to make the blonde hate her.