Disclaimer:I do not now own South of Nowhere or anything related to the show, nor this story. Story belongs to Kim Pritekel, all the credit goes to her.

A/N:Well here's another one guys. I hope you like this one too. I don't think that this story is going to be very long either, just like the other ones. I'll try to update regularly, that's if school and everything doesn't get in the way of that. Here's chapter one. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Spencer could feel her jaw muscles clenching and unclenching as she read the text on the small screen of her phone:

Y r u being this way? U no I'm not lying 2 u.

"Bullshit," she growled, hitting the reply option on the small phone and quickly began to send off a return message:

Bullshit! I saw ur car at her plce last nite.

With that, the blonde went into her contacts list and promptly erased Carmen's name and phone number, as well as their text-message argument that had been going on for the past half an hour.

She'd heard far too many people talking about all of Carmen's extracurricular activities in their nine month relationship, and then finally seeing Carmen's red Honda in the driveway of another woman, that had done it. It was over.

She decided to tell her soon-to-be ex just that, setting up the phone for another text when she stopped, staring off into the distance of the park where she sat on a bench.

"Shit," she muttered, trying to remember what the hell Carmen's number actually was. It had been stored in her phone since the day they'd met, so she'd never had to remember it. She closed her eyes in concentration for a moment, seeing the ten digits. Satisfied that she had them, she quickly typed them into the phone and then her message:

We r thru. I'm sick of ur lies. I want no part. Tell ur slut she can keep u.

Pressing the send key, she slapped her phone shut and sat back against the hard bench. She'd just finished her five mile jog and had stopped at the park to cool off when she'd gotten the text, Carmen wanting to know why her tires had been slashed. The sound of a car horn honking alerted her that she had an incoming text message. She thought about ignoring it, but decided to see what her ex had to say had to say.

Sorry I pist u off to the point of breaking up w me b4 we even started dating. I think u got wrong #. Sorry ur day is so bad.

Spencer studied the message with drawn brows, glancing at the phone number. "What the hell?"

U playing games, C? Who is this?

Within moments she had a response.

Ashley. Not C. No games. Sorry.

"Shit," Spencer said again. She couldn't imagine Carmen playing a game like this. She tapped the small phone against her chin, looking out over the park, the trees already sprouting the colours of fall. She decided to reply.

Sorry bout that. Got wrong # I guess.

S'kay. Happens. Hope all goes well with C. Hope C stops games.

Spencer smiled.

Thx. Doesn't matter. It's over.

Ouch. Been there. Good luck 2 u.

Thx.

Spencer slapped her phone shut and pushed to her feet. She stretched her arms over her head, then stretched long legs, still nicely tanned from her daily runs throughout the summer.

As she headed toward her small, three bedroom house just off the park's entrance, she thought back to her time with Carmen. In truth, it wasn't much of a shock that things hadn't worked out. She had jumped into things with the cute brunette not six months after ending her long-term relationship with Kathryn. Carmen had basically been to prove to herself that she was worthy of another woman's caring and touch, after the hell Kathryn had put her through.

Even so, it had hurt pretty bad to find out that Carmen had been playing her for a fool the entire time. Digging her keys from the pocket of her mesh shorts, Spencer unlocked and opened her door, letting herself into the quiet, clean house. If Carmen had to come into her life, perhaps it had been for the very simple act of letting Spencer know that she was still alive, and could still care. She knew she should have waited for more time after her four-year relationship ended.

Sighing heavily, she grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and drank half as she headed upstairs, shedding clothes as she did. A nice, hot shower sounded heavenly about now.

Spencer brought the blankets up a little further around her waist. The cool, October night was sneaking into the bedroom, chilling the blonde's skin. Her laptop rested on her thighs, her fingers tapping away at the keys. Her next screenplay was just about finished. A few more scenes would complete the drama. The sudden honking of a car horn brought her cell phone to brilliant light on the bedside table next to where she was wrapped up.

Finishing the scene she was working on, Spencer reached over, grabbing the small phone and flipping it open:

How r u? Did everything go OK with C?

Spencer was shocked to see the phone number from earlier in the day, when she'd accidentally typed in the number wrong. She decided to respond.

She hasn't called, and I obviously don't have her #. I'm ok. Thx 4 asking.

No prob. Were u together long?

9 mos.

Not a lifetime, but still painful.

"Ain't that the truth," Spencer muttered, quickly hitting the reply option:

Ur very nice to check on me. Thx.

I've been where u r. I know it hurts. Mine cheated after being tgthr 6 yrs.

Spencer read the text, then read it again. Old, pain-filled memories made her heart hurt. She had been blind to Kathryn's affair, with a woman who had claimed to be a friend, no less. That same woman had the audacity to ask Spencer if she needed help moving after Kathryn had denied their involvement. Kathryn had always been a coward, and Spencer would always see her as such.

I must b a real asshole or something- last 2 gf cheated on me.

It took a long time for the reply to come in. Spencer thought that maybe Ashley did think she was an asshole, too or something. But, finally her phone honked at her.

Maybe u r too trusting. I've been single for 2 yrs after Caitlin. Hurt too bad.

Spencer was surprised to find she was speaking with a fellow sister. Delighted, she responded:

I hope I haven't brought back bad memories…

No. U r the one suffering here. My pain is over. Now I'm just careful. What is ur name?

Spencer chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, trying to decide if she wanted to answer. Finally she decided it was harmless:

Spencer

Hi, Spencer, and I welcome you 2 the bucket of the dejected. Home 2 many.

Spencer laughed.

I feel honoured and welcome. Do I need a membership card or something?

No. Just look as miserable as u can during meetings. We take a vote on the worst pout after we sing our theme song.

Again Spencer found herself laughing. "You're amusing, Ashley. I'll give you that."

Ur funny.

Made you smile, yes?

Yes.

Then my job is done.

Spencer smiled big, shaking her head. She marvelled at what a nice person Ashley seemed to be. She couldn't help but wonder what she looked like.

Indeed. I'm off to bed. Thx again and good nite.

Nite, Spencer. Sleep well.

Spencer sat in the airport, ready to board the plane that would take her to L.A. so she could have a quick meeting with the director of the latest film featuring one of her scripts. He wanted her to sit through the first read-through with the cast, as the talent typically liked to have access to the writer to help them better understand their characters.

The blonde had sat in on three other such meetings, and was still impressed by the sheer talent that usually surrounded her. And, to top it all off, those extremely talented actors and actresses looked at her as the demigod! She never understood it, but couldn't help but bask in it. She'd been a writer for most of her life, starting as a young child. She'd landed her first gig in television purely by accident, and had moved on to feature film from there. She was slowly making a name for herself in the film industries of Hollywood, as well as the independent market, which she much preferred. L.A. was her bread and butter, but writing for herself in Indies was her passion.

Glancing at the clock, Spencer realized she still had at least forty minutes before the plane began boarding. Rolling her eyes, she sighed, glancing down at the magazine she'd brought with her. No interest in it, she tossed it to the empty seat beside her and removed her phone from the pocket of her jacket. She flipped it open, scanning through her contacts list, trying to decide who could take away her boredom the best. Scanning the list, she immediately rejected about half, knowing that either the person would still be in bed, would drive her crazy, or she just flat out didn't want to talk to them. Then she saw Ashley's name and phone number. She wasn't sure why she'd even kept the stranger in her contact list, but decided to drop her a little message. It had been more than a week since their last text.

Hey, stranger. Thought I'd say hi.

She flipped the phone shut, unsure if Ashley was up, or even around her phone. She opened the phone again, starting anew to scan her list of contacts. She was about to settle for her friend Aiden when the phone honked at her. Surprised, she went to her messages to read the new text.

Well, aren't u the early bird. Hi back at ya.

Spencer grimaced, hoping she hadn't woken Ashley at- she glanced at her watch- seven thirty-three.

Oops. Sorry. Did I wake u? My bad.

Yep. No worries though. I need to get up anyway. Gotta feed the goldfish I'm fish-sitting.

Spencer's brows drew.

Sorry bout that. Fish-sitting?

Yep. It's all the rage this year. The new white- goldfish yellow.

Spencer burst into laughter, making a few of her fellow passengers glance at her.

Wish I could be so amusing in the a.m.

Amusing? No, this is grouchy. I haven't had my a.m. coffee yet. How are you, anyway? Missed u at the Bucket of the Dejected meeting last night. Had a potluck and everything.

Again, Spencer found herself laughing out loud. Oh, yeah. Ashley was just what she needed to entertain her until she could board.

LMAO!! Aw, shucks. Sorry. I'll do what I can to make the next one.

So y r u up so early, anyway?

Sitting at DIA waiting to catch a flight to L.A.

L.A. huh? Gonna catch some sun?

No. Work.

Ah. U should've said something- I would've given u a bottle 2 catch some smog for me.

Spencer smirked.

I'll see what I can do. I'll bring it to the next Bucket of the Dejected meeting.

Smashing idea!

Spencer chewed on her bottom lip, making a decision.

Hey, when I get back, we should get coffee or something.

She waited, hoping she hadn't overstepped her bounds or anything. She was shocked when the phone in her hand began to ring, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries echoing through the quiet early-morning terminal. She smiled an apology at a young man who was startled awake from his nap.

"Hello?" she said, her heart racing as she had saw that it was Ashley calling.

"Well, I figured if you wanted to meet for coffee, the least I could do first was actually introduce myself to you in person. Well, at least in voice, first."

Spencer grinned. Ashley's voice was soft, husky, yet warm and friendly. She sounded young, but her voice carried the confidence of a mature adult. "I think that may be wise. After all, for all you know I'm just some robot over here, spouting out random text messages to folks."

"Hmm, true. But then I guess since you did give the invite for coffee, I could very well be sitting across from HAL 9000," Ashley said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Spencer couldn't help but laugh. "Very true. So, why are you goldfish-sitting? That seems like asking a lot of a person."

"Oh, I agree. But, my sister asked, so I must comply. I did tell her, however, that if Grover ends up with Ick, or any other fish-type disease, the vet bill is on her."

Again Spencer laughed. "If this is you grouchy, I'm worried."

"You should be, Spencer. You should be. When I'm not grouchy, I get feisty." There was a short pause. "So, what do you do to be travelling to the City of Angels for work? Or are you moving there?"

"God no! I hate that town. I have to sit in on a table reading for a script," Spencer explained, glancing over through the huge windows to see that their plane had pulled up to the plastic tube. Another look at the clock told her they had twenty minutes until boarding.

"Oh yeah? You write it?" Ashley asked, interest in her voice.

"Yeah. That's what I do for a living." Spencer felt pride fill her at the admission. She always did.

"Wow," Ashley drawled, admiration and surprise in her voice. "That is very cool. Good for you."

"What about you? Oh, wait-" Spencer pulled the phone away from her ear, listening to the announcement made over the loud speaker. Putting the cell back to her ear, she continued. "Hey,

I need to go. They're boarding early."

"Alright. Well, hey, have a safe trip, and give a cute starlet a big kiss for me. Drop me a line when you get home, and you, me and HAL will go have that coffee."

Spencer chuckled. "Okay. Sounds good. Talk to you later." She snapped her phone shut, the grin still on her face as she gathered her carry-on bag.

The production offices were overly chilled from excessive air conditioning. Spencer was glad she'd worn jeans as she strolled down the long hall, heading toward the open door at the end where she could hear voices. Inside the large room was a long conference table, snacks and drinks set up on another table under the sole window.

Bob Keiser, one of the producers, walked over to her, hand extended. "Hey there, Spencer. Nice to see you again. Everyone should be here soon."

"Great. Thanks."

"Help yourself to anything," he said, waving her off toward the food table. Spencer noticed others had helped themselves already. She knew Bob from previous films, but wasn't sure who anyone else was in the room. She noticed the few folks who were obviously talent starting to amble in and get situated. They were too beautiful to ignore. One thing she loved about her job was the eye candy was like none other.

Two hours later, Spencer had been in deep discussions with both talent and production staff alike. Two hours after that, she was back at her hotel, ready to go home. The beautiful people could do without her.

Spencer closed her eyes, waiting for the rough flight to be over. She offered up a silent prayer of thanks as the wheels touched down in Denver. The weather had hit them hard and had bounced the huge plane all over the place. Colorado had gotten hit hard with its first snow early. Typically the first snow hit around Halloween, but that was two weeks away.

Making sure her stomach was where she'd put it at LAX, Spencer got herself and her carry-on together, ready to get off the giant bucket of bolts she'd been tethered to for the past three and a half hours. She hated flying, hated it more than anything. She'd considered moving to L.A. to avoid it, but had dropped that thought pretty much as quickly as it had materialized. She loved Denver, and the normal life she pursued.

Finally it was her turn to step into the aisle, listening to the symphony of cell phones being turned on around her. It suddenly made her very sad to realize she had no one who was waiting for her call to make sure she'd gotten home alright, or to meet her at baggage claim. When she thought of that sort of thing, her thoughts immediately went to Kathryn. Their four years together had been rocky from the start, the playing field littered with penalty flags all over the place that neither of them had wanted to see or admit. When it boiled down to it, they'd been wrong for each other. Rather than having the guts or strength to walk away, Kathryn had done the one thing that insured the end of their relationship, and Spencer's hatred: she cheated on her.

Spencer shook herself out of those painful memories and thoughts, surprised they'd reared their ugly head at all. She hadn't thought of Kathryn since… she'd been with Carmen.

Spencer sighed. Perhaps Carmen had been a good diversion after all.

Plugging her very dead cell into the car charger, Spencer headed for home. The chirping of her phone let her know she had missed messages. She hadn't brought her charger with her for the trip, as she was only gone for a couple days, but her battery needed to be replaced, so the phone had quickly died.

Waiting till she was at a traffic light, Spencer grabbed the little phone and flipped it open, looking at her messages. There was only a single text message awaiting her. She smiled when she saw it was from Ashley;

Undoubtedly ur enjoying a bit of rump bump with some gorgeous starlet. Hope you had fun. Me and HAL are waiting 4 coffee. Have a safe trip back

Immediately she began to respond to the text:

Rump bump, huh? That's new. Trip was good. Blessedly short. I'll call u 2nite to make arrangements. Flight sucked! Hate flying.

Someone's grumpy. I look forward to ur call. Gotta go and b a good grl- at work.

Spencer chuckled, amused. She flipped her phone shut, eager to get home.

She dropped her bag on her bed, quickly unpacking it and stuffing the bulk of the contents in the laundry basket. Spencer hated to check in luggage, always a light packer, never taking anything that wasn't necessary. She put her toiletries away, then climbed into the shower, ridding herself of the lag of travelling.

Freshly washed and dressed, Spencer padded downstairs, lighting a fire in the fireplace in the living room then making herself some dinner She looked around her house- yes, it was small and simple, but it was all hers. She had always dreamed of having her own place, decorated in her own tastes and styles. Her living room walls were covered with her impressive collection of swords and daggers, hung professionally and cleaned weekly to keep the steel of the blades healthy and shiny. She knew that if someone ever broke into her place she'd either be in some serious trouble, or they'd run into the night screaming, worried they'd broken into a serial killer's house.

Amused by her own thoughts, she set the pot of noodles and sauce to cooking on the stove top, then headed into the den, booting her desktop up. She stood behind her desk, hands on hips and looked around the small space with a discerning eye. Memorabilia from her films were scattered everywhere: shadow boxes with signed cast pictures and bound scripts, stills from the set, and even some of the actual costumes worn by her characters, adorned the walls and shelves. It was truly her greatest joy to step into this room. Many years of hard work and dedication to her craft had paid off in so many ways.

All in all she was happier than she'd ever been. It was nice to finally find happiness, after a lifetime of running from the shadow of who she was told she was supposed to be, or what she was supposed to do. Her parents had never believed in her dream, so she'd gone her own way, disappointing them time and time again, but ultimately it had worked out for the best: Spencer had moved away from the small, Kansas town she'd grown up in, and therefore their embarrassment was gone, and the blonde lived her own life. A win/win.

The sound of water hitting a hot burner drew her attention back to the kitchen as her noodles began to boil over. She quickly blew on the rising froth, stirring the bubbling sauce with a rubber spatula at the same time.

Soon, she had herself set up in the den, the television on, though she wasn't really watching, as she scrolled through her email, eating fresh, hot pasta at the same time. The ultimate multi-tasker: Spencer's constantly spinning mind grew bored if she didn't occupy it with at least ten different tasks at the same time. It was fairly typical for her to be giving her attention to a movie or television show, working on a screenplay, cleaning house, and tapping away at a novel all at the same time.

Even as she began to perform her fifteen tasks, her eye kept straying to the cell phone perched at the corner of her desk. She had a coffee meeting to arrange.

Review and let me know what you think of it so far :o)