Okay so here is Ch. 6.

Also don't worry we will find out exactly what Ashley did to anger Spencer, I'm just not sure when or how yet. =)

As always thanks so much for reading, and all reviews are appreciated. =)

Chapter 6

It was after eight when Spencer walked through her front door wanting nothing more than something to eat and a hot shower. She walked into the kitchen and popped a freezer meal into the microwave. She leaned against the counter rubbing her forehead all cases were tough but today was draining. There were to many similarities to her childhood a drunken mom yelling and cussing, the smell of the house, and Ashley. She had no idea that having her there would affect her as much as it did. She had always been her safe place when things were bad she would run to Ashley's. Even at a young age, she always seemed to know what she needed, whether it was someone to just listen as she talked, a shoulder to cry on, or just being there not talking not touching.

16 years ago; age 10

She hid in the basement rubbing her sore muscles refusing to let the tears fall that were pooling in her eyes; Mother had spent the last 15 minutes kicking and stomping her while she lay on the floor. It was the middle of the afternoon Mother had been drinking since Spencer's dad left for work. Just when she thought she was going to pass out from the pain her dad walked through the door. He had decided to come home early today when her dad walked in and saw Mother kicking her he rushed to pull Mother away from her. Holding her arms while Mother turn to lash out at him, he could smell the alcohol on her breath "Spencer get out of here" he said to the girl while he wrestles Mother to the floor.

She got up and ran as fast as she could down stairs she hid under the stairs, she could hear Mother yelling at her dad, things breaking as they were being thrown across the house. After what felt like forever, she heard the sirens her dad must have called the cops, it's not the first time they have been to the house. She could hear the cops entering the house than Mother crying, telling the cops that dad hit her for no reason. When the cops ask Mother how much she's had to drink, she goes into a blind rage yelling at the cop, trying to hit dad. The cops drag her out of the house, the blonde climbs up the stairs, and goes out the back door. Spencer hides on the side of the house watching the cops tried to wrestle Mother into the squad car. The neighbors are standing on their porches watching as this is not a new scene for them either.

Just as the cops are about to get Mother in the car she turns and looks right at me "Spencer honey tell them it's his fault, you don't want them to take me away." She pleads until the cops close the car door. Spencer is staring at her mom who is glaring back at her from the car while the cops talk to my dad. I overhear my dad saying "I came home early from work, I walked in and she started attacking me." The cop is making notes "Sir did you hit her?"

"No sir, I just pinned her down and blocked her from hitting and clawing me." he shows him the claw marks on his hands and arms. The cops ask a few more questions, take pictures of his arms, and give him the report number so he can press charges. I'm watching Mother as she is now trying crying again "I have to pee, please let me in the house to pee." The cops get her out of the car and set her on the ground "You are not going back in the house if you have to pee you will have to do it here." Mother glares at them and pisses her pants. They pick her up and put her back in the car she tries pleading with Spencer one last time "Spencer baby, you know mommy loves you, let the cops know that." She does not move or say anything the cops get in the car and as they are pulling away Mother sends her a glare she knows the punishment for not saying anything will be bad.

Dad walks around the side of the house and sees her standing there, the pain and sadness in her eyes breaks his heart. He kneels down in front of her not touching her "Spencer, you know why I didn't tell the cops about her hitting you right." She nods her head yes, while saying "They will take me away if they knew."

"Honey I'm going to talk to a lawyer again and see if I can win a custody battle with her okay."

She just nods again, knowing not to get her hopes up, every time he goes to talk to a lawyer the answers are the same, mom will win custody, and you will not be able to see them so he stays married to Mother so that he doesn't lose custody of the kids.

"What do you want Spencer?" he asks holding back the tears

"I want to go to Ashley's house."

"You may go" He wouldn't have refused her anything at that moment seeing the sadness in her eyes. She took off at a sprint heading towards the creek to take the shortcut to her friend's house. She went to the bedroom window to see if the brown-eyed girl was in her room, she didn't want to knock on the front door and have her mom answer. Ashley was sitting on her floor playing Mario Kart on Nintendo 64 she tapped on the window and her head snapped up meeting the blonde's eyes. Ashley knew the second she looked at her that something had happened, she got up, opened the window, and helped her climb through noting the way she moves that she must have received another punishment from Mother.

She ran to the kitchen coming back with an ice pack, she always made sure there were a couple frozen in the freezer. The blonde took the ice pack, placing it on her side "Thanks"

"Wanna talk?"

"No." She got out before the tears that she was holding back broke through. Ashley walked her over to her bed, guiding her sit down so she could remove her shoes, then laying her back on the bed, placing the ice pack back on her side, and then laying down behind her wrapping her arms around the blonde making sure she didn't hurt her. She just laid there holding her while she cried, not saying a word just being there to hold her until her breathing even out and she knew that she fell asleep, and she continued to lay there and hold the blonde falling asleep herself.

The microwave started beeping letting her know that her food was ready, she took her food to the kitchen table and sat down. She still couldn't believe that she had about walked into Ashley's arms after they returned to the office this afternoon. Shocked to find that she wanted to feel the comfort that the brown-eyed girl would always give while Ashley was collecting her stuff she had about walked right into her arms. When the other woman looked up, she saw the love and comfort that were always there when Ashley looked at her. Spencer snapped out of her thoughts when Ashley started to take a step towards her. She sat down at her desk and began to log on to her computer, sliding her chair as close to her desk as she could.

Relieved when she heard the elevator doors shut, knowing that she was alone, she was able to breathe for the first time all day. Spencer did not want to think about her or her reaction to having her near, so instead she immersed herself in her report on Ryan making sure all the facts were correct for the fact-finding hearing, submitting for the clothing voucher, and typing up reunification plan. Working nonstop Spencer only stopped when her stomach growled so loud she was sure the people on the first floor could hear it.

She cleaned up her dinner and headed upstairs to shower to get ready for bed, she wanted to get to work early tomorrow. Tomorrow is the end of the week meeting; Aiden will want updated on all the new cases that we picked up during the week as well as status for some of our older cases. She always arrived to work early anyway, but on meeting days she likes to get there even earlier to make sure all her reports was up to date and correct.

The next morning she arrives to work and begins preparing for the meeting, she finds and opens the email that Aiden had sent out letting everyone know what current cases he wanted updated on in addition to the new cases this week. She had two current cases on her work load that he wanted updates on; the first case was a sibling group of two brothers, one six and the other eight. They have been in foster care for six months; removed from the home after the mother got pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence. The mother completed her 60 days in jail, has been going to all AA meetings, and meeting every other goal agreed upon with the reunification plan. She has been having overnight visits three nights a week as long as things keep going the way they are she will ask the judge at the next court hearing in a month to agree to supervised reunification. The children will move back with their mom, but the mom will still have to continue working on the plan and she will do drop by visits to check how things are going.

The second case was a three-year old girl who has been in foster care for a year and three months. Removed from the home when police got a tip of a meth lab in the home, when the police raided the home they found the girl alone in a room crying. The father is still in prison after admitting the meth lab was his, the mother served six months for child neglect and endangerment. She has been out of now for a year and has not attempted to meet any of the goals agreed upon in the reunification plan. She has supervised visits that she fails to show for, she is not reporting to parenting or drug classes, and she has yet to give a clean drug screen. At the next court hearing in three months she will be asking for termination of parental rights, if the judge agrees than the little girl will be placed for adoption.

Just as she began to check all the cases, making sure the reports were up to date she heard the ding of the elevator she glanced at the clock it was an hour and a half before anyone was scheduled to report to the office she assumed it was Aiden arriving besides her he was the only other one that came in early voluntarily.

"Did you go home last night?"

Spencer spun in her chair to see the brown-eyed girl standing there holding two cups of coffee "yes I did; I just like getting here early." Ashley handed her one of the coffee cups along with a paper sack.

"It's just cream and sugar" she answers when she notices her looking at the sack "I didn't know how you like your coffee."

"I take my coffee black but thank you."

"So just how early what time did you come in here this morning?" she sits down in the extra chair, pulling her notebook out her bag to take notes on.

"I've been here about twenty minutes. Why are you so early?"

"Uh couldn't sleep." She says trying to hide the fact that she wanted to arrive to work before the blonde. Spencer could see the truth on her face and smirked "I don't normally come in THIS early, except on Friday's when we have our morning meeting."

Ashley asked what the morning meeting was for she spent the rest of the time showing her how she gets ready for the meetings, explaining to her what Aiden would expect during the meetings. She updated her on the current cases that he wanted updates on as well as letting her read the report she had completed the night before on Ryan.

"Well I know why he says you are the best; you are very organized in your reports. Do you mind if I keep a copy as a guide for when I'm making my own reports?"

"Sure"

Aiden stepped out of his office "meeting starts in five minutes in the boardroom." The two women started gathering their things heading to the boardroom, as they walked into the boardroom Ashley spotted a coffee pot in the corner of the room "oh thank everything" she went straight to the coffee pot. Having one cup a day was not cutting it as soon as she got her own cubicle she planned on bringing her own coffee maker. Spencer watched as she went towards the coffee pot, she knew Aiden had made that pot and that it would be like drinking tar. She thought about warning her, but decided it would be funnier to watch her reaction. Ashley poured a glass not noticing that every pair of eyes in the room was watching her, to everyone surprised she took a big drink, smiled and let out a very content sigh.

"This sure is a good pot of coffee." she said to the room as she took the seat next to Spencer.

Aiden was beaming from ear to ear "someone who recognizes a good pot of coffee."

Spencer stared at her like she had a third eye "tell me you're joking." she looked at the blonde with such a look of contentment that she knew she wasn't. She was about to say something when Aiden started the meeting. After about two hours Aiden began to assign the new case-loads to case workers, the last case getting assigned was Ryan's. "I will be assigning the Jackson case to you Ashley" hearing her name she looked up from the notes she was writing down. Aiden continued "since Spencer was the one to start the case she will be familiar with it to help you if you need."

"Shouldn't be a problem." She looked at Spencer for confirmation.

"I'm sure that Ashley can handle the case on her own, but I'm here to help." Relieved that the case was assigned to someone else Spencer would have minor involvement with the case helping Ashley but as she had said she believed she could handle it on her own. Normally Spencer would take any case and she would have taken this one as well, never one to turn her back on a child, but now she didn't think she could handle a case that involved a neglected baby and alcoholic parents at the moment.

"Lunchtime, want to go get something to eat?" Ashley said beside her while she was gathering her belongings.

"No."

"Want me to bring you back something?"

"No thanks, I brought my lunch from home." She said as she turns to walk out of the boardroom without looking at Ashley. The rest of the day both women worked lost in their own thoughts and both very relieved that it was Friday.