A/N I've spent the last week fighting a cold that does not want to go away. I promise to respond to your awesome reviews from the last chapter at some point in the next few days. Thanks for being great readers! I'll be back next weekend with another update.

Chapter 18

Spencer could hear this persistent knocking noise and she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. She was getting frustrated. Eventually the blonde's mind clued into the fact that the noise wasn't happening in her dream and was actually someone knocking on her front door.

When Spencer's eyes flew open, the first thing she did was look at her phone to see what time it was. When she saw that it was two thirty in the morning, she wasn't sure if she should be scared or pissed off. She thought of ignoring the nutcase, but clearly they weren't going anywhere. The blonde almost called Sean but decided to figure out if she could see who was at the door first.

Grabbing an old softball bat of hers, she crept downstairs. It was only when she got to the bottom stair that she could hear the knocking was also accompanied by someone saying her name rather loudly.

"Open up, Spencer, I know you're in there!"

She recognized that voice. It belonged to one Ashley Davies.

Maybe I'm not actually awake and maybe I'm having a sex dream, Spencer thought when she went to open the front door.

"There you are!" Ashley exclaimed when she saw the face that she'd been thinking about all night. "I've been trying to wake you up forever!"

"Ashley, be quiet!" Spencer said sternly. The last thing she needed was someone to call the cops because the brunette was making too much noise. "Get in here." She pulled Ashley inside and quickly shut the door behind her. "What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night, scaring me half to death?"

"I'm sorry," Ashley pouted, but she wasn't really sorry at all. "I missed you and wanted to see you."

"At two thirty in the fucking morning?" Spencer asked angrily. She couldn't understand why the other girl was acting this way. It didn't make sense. "You know you woke me up, right?"

"I said, sorry, relax," Ashley replied not caring that Spencer was upset with her. She'd been in a horrible mood, but now things didn't seem so bad because she was finally with the blonde. "I was thinking about what I told you about waiting for my first time to be special and I decided I don't want to wait any longer."

Spencer was so groggy she was sure she hadn't heard correctly. "What are you talking about?"

"I think we should have sex," Ashley said. "I mean, that's what people do all the time right, so we should do that." She move closer Spencer and tried to get the other girl's hand up her skirt. "Come on, Spence, you know you want to."

Spencer could not believe what was happening. She quickly wrenched her hand away from Ashley. It was when the brunette tried to kiss her that she understood exactly what was fueling her erratic behavior. "You're drunk."

"I am not!" Ashley protested a little too loudly. "I am one hundred percent not drunk right now. I'm just in a happy place."

"I can't believe you showed up here drunk," Spencer said more to herself than to Ashley.

"I'm not drunk!" Ashley yelled as her body struggled to stay upright. "OK, maybe I had one or six drinks tonight, that doesn't make me drunk."

Spencer pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to make sense of things. It wasn't working. "You must be kidding me, Ashley. I can't believe you showed up like this to my house."

"No! Don't be mad at me," Ashley pleaded. "I had the worst night ever and all I could do was think about you, but you were busy, which is fine except I wanted to see you and that makes me sound so pathetic."

"Did you drive here?" Spencer asked, suddenly worried.

"No, I took a cab," Ashley hadn't realized the room had started spinning until now. "But the cab has gone now so you have to let me stay."

Spencer was not finding Ashley amusing at all. "You want to stay here?"

"I do," Ashley said, her whole demeanor changing. "And not just because I have nowhere to go."

"What do you mean you have nowhere to go?" Spencer inquired with a big sigh.

"My mom has this date tonight with some guy she's all crazy about and apparently she never informed him that she has a teenage daughter. So I was told I was not welcome at home." Ashley explained. "You had plans tonight so I couldn't come here and I couldn't stay there so I was forced to ask Madison if I could sleepover. She said yes at first but then when Aiden wanted to come over instead she took off from Gray's leaving me behind with nowhere to go."

As mad as Spencer was, hearing Ashley's explanation made her soften her stance a little. She had never liked Christine and found the woman to be a horrible mother. She wanted to ask Ashley why she hadn't told her about any of this before, but didn't think a heart to heart in the middle of the night when the brunette was drunk was a good idea. "Fine, you can stay."

"Really?" Ashley squealed, her mood picking back up. "It's going to be awesome! Remember when we'd have sleepovers all the time and that can be us tonight! Just like old times!"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Spencer said before she pulled Ashley upstairs with her. "You are going to get into bed, sleep it off and then tomorrow, when you're sober, you and I have a few things to discuss."

"That doesn't sound good," Ashley observed but she was too happy that Spencer was letting her stay over to really care. "Are we going to have sex? Cause that would be awesome."

"We are so not having sex right now," Spencer replied dryly. Moving the brunette was not going according to plan because Ashley wasn't cooperating much.

"That is the worst news ever." This time Ashley pouted even more. "I think we would have amazing sex. Why don't you want to have sex with me?"

There was definitely going to be pay back involved when Ashley wasn't so out of it. What Spencer had to put up with, especially when she was half asleep, was revenge worthy. "I never said I don't want to have sex with you, I said we are not having sex right now."

When Ashley finally reached the top of the stairs she started a victory dance. "You want to have sex with me! Awesome!"

Spencer couldn't help but start laughing. She wondered how much of this the brunette would remember the next morning. She guided Ashley into her room while holding her hand. Once Ashley was seated at the foot of her bed, she rummaged through her clothes to find the other girl something to wear. "Here," Spencer said as she tossed a t-shirt and shorts at Ashley. "I'm going to turn off the lights downstairs and make sure everything is locked up. Get changed, OK?"

Ashley saluted and then she started to tear off her clothes. "No peeking!" she squealed, but it didn't seem to really mean what she was saying.

All the way down the stairs Spencer was shaking her head. The list of ways to make Ashley pay her back for tonight was starting to form in her head. There had to be some compensation coming her way. When the blonde returned to her room, she found Ashley dressed in the clothes she gave her, which was good. On the other hand, she was now passed out on top of the covers which meant Spencer had to move her.

"You are lucky you're a good kisser," Spencer muttered as she hauled Ashley up the bed and then under the covers. She was going to head down to the sofa to sleep when the brunette's voice stopped her as she was about to leave her room.

"Where are you going?" Ashley asked, her words slurring.

Spencer turned around, her hand on the lights. "I'm going to sleep and you should too."

Ashley sat up then threw her arms down on the bed. "Don't go," she pleaded pathetically. "Can't you sleep with me?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"I'll keep my hands to myself," the brunette promised. "Please, Spencer, please come sleep with me."

Knowing this was a battle she wasn't going to win and the fact that the sofa wasn't particularly comfortable made Spencer relent. "Fine, but if you try and feel me up in my sleep," she paused when Ashley raised her hand in celebration, "well actually, you're always allowed to feel me up."

Spencer had barely gotten under the covers when Ashley launched herself around her waist.

"Yay! Spencer cuddles!" Ashley was beyond excited. She was going to get the chance to spend the night curled up to the girl she was crazy about. "This is awesome."

Spencer kissed the top of Ashley's head, she really was being adorable. "Good night, Ash. I look forward to reliving this with you tomorrow."

As much as Spencer didn't like that alcohol was the reason that Ashley was in her bed, she wasn't going to deny that she was enjoying having her there. About five minutes later the sound of the brunette snoring filled the previously quiet room. "Oh you are in so much trouble," she told a slumbering Ashley. "So much trouble."

When Ashley went to open her eyes the next day, she couldn't figure out why her head was pounding and why she felt like utter crap. She groaned in pain when she attempted to open her eyes. The light in the room she was in was blinding so she quickly shut them again.

"And she's awake."

"Spencer?" Ashley asked her head under the covers. Why was Spencer here and what had happened the night before? And then the events of the night came rushing back at Ashley. "Oh, god, I'm a moron."

"Not going to argue with you there," Spencer said after she had sat down beside the brunette. She had been up for a few hours, but had let Ashley sleep because she was going to need it. "Rise and shine!"

"Why are you so cheery?" Ashley asked feeling the effects of a bad hangover.

"Why wouldn't I be cheery?" Spencer was talking loudly and with more enthusiasm than she normally did. "I got to sleep with you last night!"

Ashley rubbed her temples in an attempt to ease some of the pain that she was in. Her head felt so fuzzy. "Can you take it down a notch, please?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Spencer pulled the covers away from Ashley earning her a loud moan. Definitely not the kind she would have liked Ashley to make in her bed. "You should probably get up anyway, it's past noon."

"No! Stop!" Ashley tried to cover her face with her hands, but the blonde wouldn't let her. "Why are you being so cruel?"

Spencer let out a hearty laugh. "You show up rip roaring drunk at my house in the middle of the night, and you think I'm cruel?"

Ashley turned on her stomach to try block out the light that she couldn't fight anymore. "I'm sorry about that."

"I'm sure you are," Spencer started to take pity on the brunette. She massaged Ashley's scalp earning her a grunt of thank you. "I put a bottle of water and two aspirins beside the bed. You need to eat something so you are going to go take a shower and then meet me downstairs so I can feed your sorry ass."

"I'm not hungry," Ashley said, her voice muffled. The thought of food was making her stomach do somersaults. "Want sleep."

"Well, I wanted sleep last night but you still felt the need to show up at my house and wake me up." There was no harshness in Spencer's tone, she still sounded overly cheerful. "We don't always get what we want, Ash." The brunette made no attempt to move. "I'm going to head downstairs now, if I don't hear you showering in ten minutes I'm coming back upstairs with a bucket of cold water to get you moving."

Ashley was silently cursing Spencer but her grumpiness subsided when the blonde leaned over to kiss her forehead before she left. It was a sweet gesture that Ashley was sure she didn't deserve. When she thought back to how she acted and what she'd done the night before, she was mortified. Not only did she feel awful, she now had to deal with the embarrassment she felt.

With a lot of reluctance Ashley finally got up. Her head was still pounding so she downed the pills that were left for her and almost an entire bottle of water in one gulp. When her eyes came into focus she noticed that Spencer had left her more of her clothes and a towel for her to use. She might not have liked how she acted last night, but she loved having Spencer take care of her. It was such a comforting feeling.

Twenty minutes later, Spencer looked up from the book she was reading to find Ashley standing at the kitchen table. The expression on her face was one of guilt mixed with awkwardness. Spencer had to fight herself from getting distracted by how beautiful Ashley looked. A task that was easier said than done.

"Feeling better?" she asked after putting her book down.

Ashley wasn't sure if she should keep standing or sit at the table. "Not really. My head is killing me."

Spencer motioned for the brunette to take a seat and then she got up. Seconds later she produced a mug of steaming black coffee in front of Ashley followed by a plate of buttered toast. "You really need to eat."

In some ways, it would have been easier for Ashley to deal with the previous night if Spencer was yelling at her. Having the blonde speak to her in a gentle tone was making Ashley's feelings of guilt increase tenfold. "You know, being nice to me is only making me feel worse."

"I know," Spencer replied with a smile. She really did want to make sure Ashley was OK, but at the same time, she had no intention of letting the brunette off the hook either.

"Of course you do," Ashley mumbled even though she knew she had no right to really be upset. She ate the toast – begrudgingly at first – and drank her coffee while keeping her eyes fixated on the kitchen table. She could feel Spencer watching her but she kept her head down.

"Do you want anything else?" Spencer asked the brunette sweetly when she was done her breakfast. "It's no bother at all."

Ashley ran her hand through her hair and then she let out a big sigh. "No, I'm good thanks."

Spencer took Ashley's plate from the table before Ashley could do it herself. She filled up the brunette's mug with more coffee and then sat back down. She waited until Ashley finally made eye contact with her, "How about now? Feel any better?"

"A little, thanks for taking care of me," Ashley replied as clutched the mug in her hand. Her heart was beating rapidly. She wanted to be anywhere but in Spencer's kitchen right then. Not because she didn't want to be with the blonde, but because she didn't want to face the consequences of what she'd done.

"You don't need to thank me," Spencer said, her voice still soft. She got up and moved to the seat right next to Ashley. As much as she wanted to get payback for the inconvenience of the previous night, there really were more important things to take care of first. Spencer could see how nervous Ashley was, so she reached for the other girl's hand. "I'm not really mad at you."

Ashley could sense that there was more Spencer had to say so she stayed quiet. It was taking a lot of effort on her part, but she was determined not to look away from the blonde.

"But," Spencer's voice faltered, she wasn't sure if she knew the right way to say what she wanted to say. She had no desire to complicate things further with Ashley. At the same time, she needed to get this off her chest. "I know this is probably unfair, Ash, and I understand if you can't deal with it…"

Ashley's stomach tightened when Spencer stopped talking again. She had no idea what the other girl was trying to tell her, but her embarrassment for what she had done the night before was replaced with a worry that things were somehow worse than she thought.

Spencer sighed. There really was no easy way to put this. "I don't think I can be with you if you drink a lot." The blonde's statement hung in the air as both girls remained silent. "Actually, I know I can't." Spencer clarified. "I'm sorry if that's going to be a problem or anything, but I can't deal with having two constantly drunk people in my life."

Ashley let out a gasp when she realized what Spencer was getting at. She never even thought about the impact showing up at Spencer's house drunk would have on the other girl. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself because Spencer had plans, her mom was awful and Madison was a bitch. Shame washed over Ashley.

The silence that followed Spencer's statement made the blonde anxious. Being honest and direct was not something she was used to doing. "I know that probably isn't fair, or realistic, but-"

"Spence, stop," Ashley said, cutting the blonde off. "I'm so sorry about last night. I never even thought about how hard it must have been to see me like that." In the little time she had been exposed to the impact Arthur's actions had on his daughter, she knew enough to realize how Spencer was affected by his actions. She should have thought about that before she got wasted and ended up on the other girl's doorstep in the middle of the night. "I promise you it won't happen again."

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief, but she still wondered if her request was unfair to Ashley. It wasn't the brunette's fault that her dad had a drinking problem. "I'm not saying that you can't have a drink or whatever. Because that's totally unfair, I know, it's just-"

"You don't get it, do you?" Ashley asked a very confused Spencer. She squeezed the blonde's hand and made sure she was looking into the blue eyes she adored. "Being with you is way more important to me than being able to have a drink when I go out."

There was no doubt in Spencer's mind that Ashley meant every word of what she had just said. She was happy that Ashley hadn't found her request off-putting or unreasonable. As cute as the brunette had been the night before, Spencer didn't want to worry that getting drunk was something Ashley did on a regular basis. There were enough things about them being together to have anxiety over, it was a relief not to add to that list.

"OK," Spencer replied, it was now her turn to squeeze Ashley's hand. "But that doesn't mean we're done here." She watched the frown return to the brunette's face. "Why didn't you tell me about your mom kicking you out of the house for the night?"

Ashley had forgotten that she had told Spencer about that in her drunken ramblings. At first she just shrugged in response to the blonde's question but when she saw the look of concern she was getting, she decided to tell the truth. "I was embarrassed and didn't want to seem needy."

Spencer laughed, but quickly stopped when she realized that might appear insensitive. "Ash, I think we've already established that we both know what it's like to have shitty parents, you have nothing to be embarrassed about." She shifted her chair so she was even closer to Ashley. "And asking me for help doesn't make you needy, I promise."

"I'm sorry," Ashley said, feeling ridiculous. She knew that she was wrong for not being upfront with Spencer.

"I'm not looking for an apology," Spencer leaned in and kissed the lips she'd been dying to kiss all morning. "I just want you to know that I can be here for you too."

"I get that now," Ashley reassured the other girl. She still marveled at the affect Spencer could have on her. It was overwhelming and scary, but it was also something she loved feeling.

"Besides, having to spend the evening with Madison and Aiden is punishment enough," Spencer teased, giving Ashley a cheeky smile. "What could be worse than that?"

Ashley smiled back at the blonde. "Touché."

"I don't know about you," Spencer started as she got to her feet. She pulled Ashley up with her and started leading the girl away from the kitchen. "But all these heartfelt talks we've been having take a lot out of me. And I actually have a surprise for you if you're interested." She'd been planning her surprise in the hopes that her conversation with the brunette would go well. It was a pleasant change of pace from always thinking the worst.

"I love surprises!" Ashley squealed. She was so relieved that her conversation with Spencer had not gotten ugly or resulted in a fight.

She gladly followed Spencer out the kitchen to see what the blonde had planned for her.