Skype Sniffles (New South of Nowhere story!) F/F

[wannablessedbe]

Hey folks!

So I got a request a while back for a new SoN story...and I've had this story idea in my head for a while too, that could truthfully work just as well for Spashley or Faberry. So since I've been giving Quinn & Rachel a lot of air time recently, seemed like a good time to give them a break and let 'em get their strength back, while Spencer & Ashley come out to play! Enjoy...goes without saying, there will be more

—WBB

….................................................................................................................................................................

Skype Sniffles

A South of Nowhere Story for SFF

Part 1

….................................................................................................................................................................

“Jimmy, can you turn the bass down a little, and push up the vocals, like, ten percent? Yeah, that's it, sweet,” Ashley smiled her devilish, rockstar smile behind the mic stand as she stood in the middle of the empty stage, talking the sound guy through the mic checks that would ensure her sold-out show in Chicago's cavernous Riviera Theater would give the audience the optimal acoustic experience. “How's it sound from up there?” She slung her guitar around from where it hung on her back, and played a verse of one of her latest singles, which would be featured in tonight's show.

“Totally sick. I'd say we're locked and loaded,” Jimmy called back from the sound booth at the back on the theater. “Does your crew have any more equipment checks? Ours are all set.”

“I dunno, you can ask Michelle,” Ashley shrugged, referring to her manager, who was never far away since the start of the tour. “I'm gonna peace out, okay? I got a Skype date with my girl before the show.”

“Sure thing, have fun,” the burly man nodded, continuing to perform his own equipment checks in the sound booth. Ashley nodded, grinning widely as she handed off her guitar to a roadie and took a bottle of mineral water, chugging it down as she made her way to her dressing room. When she'd first left to go on tour a month ago, they'd tried to have Skype dates every day...but between Spencer's school schedule and Ashley's slightly unpredictable hours on the road, that notion had quickly proved unrealistic. So now they just made plans as they came, thinking ahead no more than a few days at a time. It helped them both stay focused on the here-and-now, and give their energy to all the different projects and paths that were opening up to them as they both pursued the life and career they'd always talked about in high school. And Ashley had to admit, though she'd never been one to get her panties in a twist over the idea of “being successful,” that at 21 they were both doing a hell of a job kicking ass at life.

She was still thinking about this, and how proud she was of Spencer for her amazing senior video thesis at USC, when she got back to her dressing room, flipped open her laptop, and powered it up, taking a minute to touch up her makeup before logging into Skype. She knew Spencer loved her no matter how messy or disheveled she looked, but still, it didn't hurt to make sure she gave her girl a little bit of eye candy to keep her wanting more when they were finally reunited in a few weeks. Besides, Spencer never failed to notice when Ashley was looking tired or pale or otherwise overworked, and the sweet blonde had no problems ordering her girlfriend around when it seemed the young musician wasn't taking proper care of herself—once, she'd even called Michelle, Ashley's manager, and told her point-blank to spike Ashley's post-show herbal tea with sleeping pills to keep her from going out partying, one night when she'd yawned too often for Spencer's liking during their videochat.

Ashley was jolted out of her musings by the ding of the computer, and she answered her girlfriend's call with a huge smile already spreading across her face. “What's cookin', good lookin'?”

“Hey rock star,” Spencer giggled, her face coming into view on the large screen. Ashley could see that her girlfriend was lying on her stomach across their bed, in their cozy LA loft, right there in front of her though it was over two thousand miles away. “How's the glamorous showbiz life? What city are you in now?”

“Chicago,” Ashley replied with a grin, settling in and propping her face in one hand so she could get as close to the screen as possible—or, more accurately, the person on the screen. “You should see this place, Spence, the venue is like this two-hundred year old opera house that's been converted into a hipster paradise, and it seats over a thousand people, and tonight's show is completely sold out!”

“That's awesome, Ash,” Spencer replied, her own smile interrupted by a soft yawn, which she covered with one hand.

“Geez, am I boring you, Professor Carlin?” Ashley teased gently, wishing she could reach out and tuck the stray lock of blonde hair back behind her girlfriend's ear. “Maybe I should do a qualitative demographic analysis of all my tour dates to keep it interesting for you.”

“Shut up, dork, I am totally interested,” Spencer smirked, rolling her smoky blue eyes at her girlfriend's impish expression. “I'm sorry, I'm just really wiped out right now...I'm way behind on my editing, and I have two papers due this week, and there just isn't enough time in the day.” She rubbed her eyes and sighed, giving the other girl a weary half-smile to show it was alright. But Ashley still frowned.

“Poor baby, I know that face. That's your totally-overworked-but-too-proud-to-admit-it face, Spencer Carlin. When was the last time you did something nice for yourself, hmm? Can you even remember?”

“I went to happy hour with Madison and Chelsea last Thursday,” Spencer shrugged, twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger.

“Yeah, that was over a week ago. You look so tired, my sweet girl...why don't you take a nice, long bubble bath tonight, and go to bed early? I know it'll help your productivity in the long run if you take a little time for yourself now.”

“Sounds nice, in a perfect world,” Spencer sighed, rubbing her nose absently with two fingers. “But not tonight, baby. I just have too many balls in the air. Hey, have you heard from Kyla? She's got a publisher interested in her manuscript!” Ashley frowned, but allowed the diversion, chatting for a few minutes about her sister's book, then Chelsea's latest gallery opening. Before she was prepared for it, her phone timer beeped shrilly, reminding her that it was time to end her Skype date and start getting ready for her performance.

“Time to go?” Spencer asked, her expression plainly showing her disappointment even if she would never say so out loud.

“Never,” Ashley shook her head gravely, keeping her expression completely deadpan. “That wasn't my alarm. It was just the theater's electronic pet bird squawking for his dinner.” Spencer giggled a little, and Ashley beamed at her through the screen. “I miss you, Spence.”

“I miss you too, baby,” the blonde girl smiled sadly. “Have a...a good show tonight...” Spencer's breath caught as her eyes welled up and began to flutter, and she turned her head absentmindedly to one side, pressing the back of her hand firmly under her nose as her eyes squeezed shut, and a cute little ticklish sound escaped from the back of her throat. “Hhh'tchx!!!” The soft, half-stifled sneeze made her shoulders jerk forward, splaying her blonde hair messily across her face as it bobbed lightly toward the computer screen. “Ughh, 'scuse be,” she sniffled, rolling her eyes as she rubbed her knuckles roughly under her nose, where Ashley could just make out a thin trickle of snot running down her baby's lip.

“Bless you, baby girl,” Ashley cooed, her worried frown deepening as she watched Spencer sniffle and sigh. “Are you getting sick, angel? You really need to make sure you're getting enough sleep if you're coming down with something.”

“Ash, I'm fine,” Spencer groaned, giving her nose one final wipe on the end of her sleeve before showing her girlfriend a very fake, slightly sarcastic smile. “I swear, sometimes you're worse than my mom. One little sneeze, and you're ready to call in the cavalry.”

“That's only because it takes a cavalry to make you slow down when you're sick,” Ashley countered, smiling despite herself at her girlfriend's teasing grin. “But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time. Will you take some Zinc tonight, though, please? For me.”

“Ugh, fine, whatever you say Doctor Davies,” Spencer sighed, giving Ashley a little wink.

“That's my girl. Maybe if you're very good, we'll play doctor when I get home...and I'll give you a very, very thorough exam, young lady. Would you like that?”

“I...uhh...” Spencer's smile dissolved as her breath quavered again, an adorable little crinkle forming between her eyes as they fluttered involuntarily. This time, she pinched her delicate little nostrils between her fingers as they flared open, a helpless expression blossoming on her face as her shoulders jerked. “Eh'chiiuh!! *Snnfl.*”

“Aww, baby! God bless you,” Ashley groaned, biting her lip.

“Don't say it like that,” Spencer whined, pouting as she wiped her nose on the end of her sleeve again.

“Like what?” Ashley frowned, raising one eyebrow in confusion as she watched her blonde angel sniffle and pout. Coming down with a cold always did make her cranky.

“Like I'm sick,” Spencer huffed, rubbing her tired eyes. “I have way too much to do to get sick, okay?” Ashley wanted to point out that having too much to do had never kept anyone healthy, or that taking an evening off now to get some rest would actually help ward off potential illness; but she knew that look. That tired, cranky look, combined with a few sniffles and sneezes, never failed to foretell a stubborn and argumentative mood in her girlfriend, that could easily lead to a big, stupid fight if Ashley let it. Her girl might be awesome at taking care of other people, but when it came to taking care of herself, she was like a ten-year-old on Ritalin. Ashley knew enough by now to tread cautiously.

“Okay, Spence, I'm sorry. I know you're fine. Just take the Zinc anyway, okay? It can't hurt, and it'll make me feel better, so I can show Chicago the true meaning of hard rock.”

“Okay, okay,” Spencer giggled, shaking her head at her girlfriend's goofy antics.

“Ash?” Her manager's knock made the dark-haired girl raise her head with a frown, remembering suddenly that she was supposed to have been in makeup five minutes ago. “Everything cool in there? Time to get your ass in gear!”

“I'm coming!” Ashley called regretfully, catching Spencer's parting smile and little wave out of the corner of her eye as the blonde girl disconnected, and the screen went black. Sighing, Ashley shut down her laptop and left her dressing room, thinking of who she could call on to check in on Spencer without the blonde girl realizing that she was being checked-up-on. Mrs. Carlin was out of the question, as was Glen—he never displayed actual brotherly concern of his own, so Spencer would know right away that Ashley had ordered him over. Maybe Kyla. Or Chelsea.

“Hey, ground control to Major Tom,” her makeup artist said sarcastically as she sat in the chair, an out-of-focus expression on her face. “Where you at, girl? We got magic to make.”

“I'm here. Sorry, Manny. Magic me up, I'm all yours.” Ashley sat still, obediently allowing herself to be powdered, painted, buffed and polished; but her mind was still on her girlfriend, and the raspy, slightly wet sound of her sneezes. It would definitely not be another week before they had their next Skype date; Ashley would make sure of that.

Edited August 20, 2012 by wannablessedbe

[Bgrace27]

ooh its so cute! please continue soon!

[BootyBurgers]

Adorable as always! Please continue it?

[purpleninja]

omg!!! It's so cute!!!! I've never even seen the show or something that this is based off of, but you have thoroughly suceeded in making me fall in love with the characters nonetheless. I LOVE your writing!!!!

[White Rose]

Omg!! Yay!! Another SoN story! I have been waiting FOREVER! It's adorable as always! Please continue!!

[wannablessedbe]

thx everybody! your squees are always greatly appreciated

and, purpleninja, you were probably just a little too young to remember south of nowhere, cause you were like 8 years old when it went off the air. but you should take this opportunity to go watch it! here's the main link to the entire show at teen nick,though unfortunately it looks like they only have a handful of full episodes posted. here's the one I would choose to show you first; it ends with spencer's mom walking in on them having private sexy times, and she flips out and throws ashley out by her hair, and it's just very powerful and heartwrenching, but in a good way. all three actresses have said this was their favorite scene to film out of the whole series, because it was so real and made such an impact. but, I mean, also, spencer and ashley are just HOT. and it's always good to have a visual to go along with a story, right? enjoy!

[Whysprr]

Very cool idea you had with Skype. I am very interested to see how this turns out, plus I can't wait for more Spashley goodness! Once again thank you for granting us with your wonderful fics

[tFM!]

Spashley! I've quite missed them And this Skype thing could get very interesting. I look forward to more!

[ilovesneezing]

Awesome idea! Can't wait for more

[wannablessedbe]

Hey everyone, thanks for the positive reinforcement! It's always awesome to know there are people on board Enjoy the next part!

.........................................................................................................................

Ashley tried to hunt down her sister to check in on Spencer the next day; but Kyla was frantically caught up in her own hectic drama of meetings with publishers who wanted to option her manuscript, and the only communication Ashley had been able to get from her was a text that simply read, super crazy busy, call u soon. It wasn't as if Ashley genuinely thought her girlfriend couldn't take care of herself; if she were really sick or in trouble, she would certainly go to her parents for help or comfort or medical assistance. But life was rarely as black and white as that, and Ashley couldn't help picturing her sweet little blondie staying up all night in her study, writing and editing, barely noticing the onset of mild (or not so mild) cold symptoms as she was so caught up in her work. And, even if she did notice, Spencer had never been very good at taking care of herself in day-to-day ways when she was under academic stress. Little things, like cold medicine and cough drops and herbal tea, which she would lovingly force on Ashley if their positions were reversed, never seemed to occur to her when she was the one suffering; Ashley was convinced it was some deep-seated Catholic guilt leftover from her childhood that made her so willing to suffer needlessly.

And needlessly was certainly they key word-- if the dark-haired girl were home right now, she'd be the one making sure her baby was taken care of; she'd make tea and soup (well, okay, maybe she'd go to Whole Foods and buy soup), make sure Spencer took extra vitamins and some medicine for her sniffles, and Tylenol if she was feverish. That last thought was the only one that really made her anxious; it was one thing to ignore a mild cough or a cold, but ignoring a fever? That could be downright dangerous. Still, Ashley didn't want to force Spencer to deal with her overprotective mother if it could be helped (that would certainly slow her schoolwork down more than any illness), so she decided instead to just harass her girlfriend via Skype every time she was logged into her computer, until she finally gave in and answered.

"Oh my God, Ash! What's so important since yesterday? I'm working!" Spencer whined as soon as her face appeared on the screen, pale and pouting with dark circles under her eyes. Ashley's heart thumped painfully in her chest, so strong was her desire to reach out through the computer screen and wrap her arms around her angel, kiss her and cuddle her and make her feel better. But she couldn't do that; and she knew that too much fussing would only make Spencer more cranky and less communicative. She had to choose her words carefully.

"I'm sorry Spence, I know how stressed you are right now, I didn't mean to bug you," the dark-haired starlet offered sheepishly, using her best sad Bambi eyes as she gave her girlfriend a wistful look through the camera. It worked like a charm, and the blonde girl sighed and went limp, propping her head up wearily in one hand as she gave in and pulled the laptop closer to get a better view.

"No, I'm sorry...I'm being a total bitch. I didn't mean it. What do you...*snnghfl*...wanna talk about, baby?"

"I know this is gonna piss you off...but I wanna talk about you taking care of that cold you're catching, honeybun." There was no point beating around the bush-- she couldn't slip something into Spencer's cup from across the country. Subtlety was just not an option.

"Ash, I don't have a cold," Spencer groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Is this why you're stalking me, really? I thought you were gonna say that something went wrong on tour, or that you're worried you're gonna snap and attack the paparazzi the next time they jump you, or something."

"Well I could tell you a few interesting stories that you won't see on TMZ," Ashley smiled playfully; but that just made Spencer groan and drop her head on the table.

"I don't. Have. Time. For this crap," The blonde girl whined, lifting her head to give her girlfriend a plaintive, miserable look. "What do you want me to do, Ash? Blow off my last semester of college?"

"I was thinking of a few less dramatic steps we could take, actually," Ashley replied dryly, raising an eyebrow playfully as if to say, don't even try to out-diva me, there is no hope. "Like, take some damn NyQuil and get a good night's sleep for once, hmm baby? I know you think you don't have time, but Spencer, you will run yourself into the ground if you keep going like this. Your body needs help to fight off whatever you're catching, and it can't do that on four hours of sleep a night and an endless supply of Red Bull."

"I'm not catching anything!" Spencer whined, so frustrated and exhausted she looked on the verge of tears. "Why do you a-always..." The blonde girl trailed off and blinked absently at the screen, sitting back slightly in her seat as her breath hitched, and her little nose quivered and twitched, a single droplet of clear discharge glistening as it trickled over the rim of one flared nostril. She resisted as much as she could, but after a few soft, jaggedly jerking breaths, she raised a hand to her face-- holding, Ashley noted, an obviously used and crumpled tissue. "H-hihh...hhghtchiiew!!! *Snnfl.*" Spencer's eyes scrunched up desperately as she pinched the wadded up tissue to her nose, her whole body shuddering with the force of her sneeze.

"Bless you," Ashley said gently, a sweetly sympathetic half-smile spreading across her face as she watched her girlfriend sniffle and wipe her nose.

"I hate you," Spencer grumbled; but all the fight had gone out of her. She refused to make eye contact, looking down miserably at the desk as she pulled a fresh tissue from somewhere outside the frame, and finally gave in and blew her nose. The sound was deep and wet and made Ashley want to jump through her computer, wrap her baby girl up in a soft, cozy blanket, and cuddle her until her sniffles were all gone.

"I love you too, angel."

"I still have to...*snghf*...finish this paper by Monday," the blonde girl sighed wearily, finally raising her tired blue eyes and looking up beseechingly at Ashley through the computer screen.

"I know, Spence. But that means you still have the whole weekend, right? So let's just take tonight for rest and recharging, and then tomorrow you'll have more energy and focus. Right? I know that's what you'd tell me if our positions were reversed, so don't tell me it's bullshit."

"I know you're right," Spencer whimpered, rubbing her forehead wearily. "But I'm just so scared I'm gonna blow it and flunk out of...*snnghf!*...of college..." Ashley heard another hitching gasp of air from the blonde girl as she pulled a fresh tissue from somewhere outside the frame, pinching and massaging her little nose furiously as her eyes fluttered shut and her head tilted back helplessly. "Ahh...ahhESHiuhh!!! Hht'cshiew!! *Snnfl*...ughh, God dambit. *Snghf.*"

"Bless you," Ashley hummed soothingly, wishing she could kiss the slightly pink tip of her girlfriend's delicate little nose when it emerged from behind the wadded kleenex. "And for God's sake, you are not gonna flunk out of college, dummy-- that is not even a possibility. Look, what's the worst that can happen? You turn in a couple of papers late. Okay, so maybe they'll dock you a little, and you'll get a B+ instead of an A. Maybe even a B-, if they're real dicks about it. That's still a hell of a long way from an F. Right?"

"Yeah," Spencer agreed miserably, wiping the crumpled tissue briskly under her leaking nose again with a half-hearted *snnfl.* "Fuck, this blows."

"I know, pookie. I wish I was there to take care of you," Ashley sighed, propping her head in her hand and smiling lovingly at her cranky, sniffling girl. "But even if I can't kiss you and cuddle you, I am still going to take care of you, dammit."

"Yeah?" Spencer smiled despite herself, and a little bit of the usual sparkle returned to her tired blue eyes. "How are you gonna do that, oh great puppetmaster?"

"Go get the NyQuil from the bathroom cabinet, and bring it back here so I can watch you take it. You're getting a good night's sleep tonight, period."

"Ash, I can't," Spencer groaned, shaking her head again. "I'll take some Sudafed, okay? That'll make me feel better without knocking me out, so I can keep working." Ashley wanted to scream and bang her head against a wall, but instead she just sighed and firmed up her resolve. She would not get drawn back into petty bickering. That was not going to help her girl feel better.

"Baby, the whole point is for you to stop working. Just for tonight. You need the rest. And, I think you need the Tylenol, too. You look a little feverish, you know."

"I don't have a fever," Spencer grumbled, pouting again. "And I don't want any NyQuil." Ashley groaned and cocked her head, staring beseechingly at her girlfriend through the webcam until Spencer finally gave in and sighed, "Okay, okay, stop looking at me like I just ran over a puppy. Look, if I prove to you that I don't have a fever, will you...*snfl*...get off my case and let me take the Sudafed?"

"I guess I can live with that," Ashley agreed slowly, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at her stubborn girlfriend. "But no funny business-- I wanna watch you so I know you don't cheat."

"Yes, dear," Spencer said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she dragged herself out of her seat and went to get the thermometer. Ashley waited patiently, and a minute later, Spencer was back, waving the digital thermometer in front of the screen so her girlfriend could see it. "Can I just say for the record, that this is completely ridiculous, and I'm just playing along to humor you."

"Thank you, I love being humored," Ashley replied seriously, pulling a tiny twitch of a smile out of her cranky girlfriend before she sighed, and popped the thermometer in her mouth, where it stuck out adorably at the corner of her pouting lips. "Want me to play you something while we're waiting?" the dark-haired starlet asked sweetly, pulling her guitar in front of the webcam so Spencer could see. The blonde girl nodded, smiling shyly around the thermometer. It made a painfully sweet picture, and Ashley couldn't help smiling back, a full-fledged, nose-crinkling, hundred-watt Ashley Davies smile. Then she strummed her guitar, and began to sing Dirty Mind, her first number one hit and the first song she'd written for Spencer back in high school.

Summer’s getting hotter and winter’s growing colder...

And everybody’s turning another year older

I wonder when I’ll be lying head to toe again

With you my friend

And time will stop and space will bend

Oh please come find me with your dirty mind

Hold me down until I cry

With your wicked secret smile...

Ashley stopped playing abruptly when she heard the thermometer's electronic beep, putting her guitar aside and raising an eyebrow anxiously as she watched her girlfriend pull the little plastic-coated stick out of her mouth, and examine the readout. "Well?" The dark-haired girl prompted impatiently.

"I don't have a fever. It's basically normal," Spencer shrugged, turning her head to the side and cupping a hand to her mouth to cover a cough.

"Let me see," Ashley persisted, knowing that basically normal was code for something other than 98.6. Spencer rolled her eyes, but held the thermometer's readout up to the webcam so Ashley could she the blinking readout of 99.8.

"99.8 is not normal, Spencer," the dark-haired girl chastised, raising an eyebrow and trying to look authoritative as her girlfriend sighed wearily and blew her nose again.

"It's dot a real fever, Ash," the blonde girl persisted, her voice slightly muffled behind the tissue as she pinched it vigorously around her nostrils, which were already growing slightly pink from rubbing. "Even my mom wouldn't make me take medicine for...*snnghf!*...for th-that...uhh'tchOOoo!!" Her head bobbed toward the camera again as another sneeze tumbled out, both hands clamped desperately around the damp tissue under her nose.

"Bless you, angel girl," Ashley murmured, holding off on any more arguing for the moment, as she could plainly see the sneezy expression still plaguing her girlfriend's face. She wanted to win, and she wanted Spencer to do what she told her to; but not right now. In this moment, all she wanted to do was kiss and cuddle her sniffling baby, but she settled for quietly waiting and watching while Spencer pulled a fresh tissue from the box that had just appeared at the edge of the frame; she must've pulled it a little closer in her desperation to get a fresh tissue after that last sneeze, and Ashley noted, with some satisfaction, that at least they were past the point of trying to pretend that the blonde girl wasn't sitting there with a box of tissues at the ready.

"Huhh...h-hhih...*snnf!*..." Spencer sniffled and tried desperately to control her breathing, but it was utterly futile. Her nose was running in earnest now; Ashley could plainly see a glistening trickle of snot trailing from one pink nostril as the blonde girl held her tissue expectantly a few inches in front of her face, waiting to catch the sneeze that was building teasingly inside her head. "Huh-huhhh...ehtchiuh!!! Ehh'ISHieww!! *Snghfl*..." Her shoulders snapped violently, and she pinched the now damply wadded tissue roughly to her dribbling nostrils, rubbing and squeezing, obviously still fighting the tickle her poor nose couldn't seem to expel. Ashley wanted to coo and fuss and keep blessing her, poor baby, but she was worried about making Spencer more self-conscious or cranky than she already was. So the young rock star just bit her lip and put her head in her hand, watching the girl she loved sniffle and suffer on the other side of the computer screen. It was torture.

Finally, Spencer looked up, her eyes red and puffy as she reached for a fresh tissue, rubbing it absently under her wet, pink nose with a quavering sigh. "Ashley?"

"Yeah, baby?" The dark-haired girl smiled affectionately, unable to stop herself when her angel was looking at her with such a pathetically miserable expression. She would do literally anything to make Spencer feel better right now, and they both knew it.

"I...*snghf!*...I dod't feel very good," the blonde girl whimpered, her eyes filling up with exhausted tears.

"Aww, honey, I know," Ashley cooed, scooting even closer to the screen as if pulled by a magnetic force. "Just take the NyQuil, Spence, please. For me. Tomorrow's a brand new day, but tonight we need to take care of you, okay?"

"'Kay," Spencer sniffled, rubbing sleepily at her eyes, all the stubborn argument suddenly gone from her limp frame. "I'll go get it...be right...*snnfl*...right back." Ashley was relieved to see her girlfriend come back with the big blue bottle from the bathroom cabinet, and pour out a large dose of the red syrup into the little measuring cup. "Cheers," the blonde girl muttered sarcastically, and gulped it down.

"Thank you," Ashley said sincerely, giving her girlfriend her best playfully mischievous smile. "Now you're gonna climb into bed and pass the fuck out, right? No more homework tonight."

"I dod't...*snfl*...thidk I have a...a choice ady...huhh...adybore..." With a little shiver, Spencer's pink-rimmed nostrils opened wide, and she yanked a fresh tissue from the box as her eyes snapped involuntarily shut, and her lungs sucked in a helplessly deep gasp of air. "Ahh-- ah-- ahh'ETCHiuh!!! *Snghf.*"

"Bless you, sweet angel," Ashley cooed, leaning in impulsively and kissing the lens of her webcam. It left a smudge of lipstick, which she hastily wiped off with her sleeve; but it was worth it when she heard Spencer's weak giggle.

"Thandk you," the blonde girl sighed stuffily, with a sleepy little smile. "I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Spence. Go get some sleep, okay baby? I'll call you in the morning."

Edited August 16, 2012 by wannablessedbe

[BootyBurgers]

I love this story! Please continue

[weevill25]

this. is. phenomenal. while at this moment i am partial to faberry, i have been and will always be loyal to spashley as well this is so adorable and i have actually had experiences of being far from my now ex-girlfriend, and only being able to take care of her over skype. its so hard not being there to cuddle the person.

anyway this is AMAZING! continuations would be greatly appreciated!

and thank you for giving us so much to read we know you're really busy all the time so i'm really grateful!

[Yuuki]

Amazing continue contineu plz *O*

[sneasons greetings]

Aw! This is adorable!

If you don't continue, I'll die.

[wannablessedbe]

Hey guys! Thx for keeping the feedback coming, it really helps me get motivated. Here is your reward-- enjoy

...................................................................................................................................................................

Skype Sniffles

Part 3

….................................................................................................................................................................

Ding-dong. Spencer groaned moodily when the doorbell rang, looking up unwillingly from her computer with a raspy cough. For all of Ashley's assurances that a good night's sleep would help her be more productive in the morning, she'd woken up today feeling even worse; her throat was raw and sore, her head throbbed, her nose ran, and she couldn't go ten minutes without the distraction of a cough or a sneeze. She had taken some daytime cold medicine before she sat down to write her paper, but it really didn't seem to be having much of an impact; and though she knew Ashley wouldn't like it, she'd been mainlining coffee all morning to keep her head clear so she could focus on her schoolwork.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, the doorbell chimed again, as Spencer rubbed her eyes and stumbled woozily down the hallway. “All right, all right, I'm coming,” she grumbled crankily to no one, pulling a crumpled tissue from her pocket and pressing it to her dribbling pink nostrils as they began to quiver ticklishly. “Hehh—ehh—nnhkshiiuh!!!” Her shoulders snapped violently as she opened the door, one hand on the doorknob and the other pinching the soggy tissue to her raw, pink nose as it succumbed to another congested sneeze.

“Whoa, bless you Spencer!” Kyla stood smiling sympathetically on her doormat, a grocery bag over her shoulder, as she cocked her head to the side and gave the blonde girl the exact same tentative half-smile she'd seen a million times from Ashley. “I guess Ash wasn't exaggerating for once; you really do need someone to take care of you today.”

“Hi, Kyla,” Spencer sighed, stepping back to allow her girlfriend's sister into the house. “You...*snnfl*...mbight dot wadt to cobe id, I thidk I'b...*snghf!*...codtagious.”

“Oh, please. You and Ash stayed up all night with me that time I had the stomach flu, and that was way grosser than a runny nose. Anyway, Ash told me you're freaking out about your finals, so I came to help get you through and play nurse. Wanna see the goodies I brought?” Kyla smiled sweetly, jiggling the bag on her arm until Spencer finally gave in and chuckled a little.

“Okay...thadks, Ky. *Snfl.*” The dark-haired girl followed her friend into the loft, noting the shivers coursing through the blonde girl's frame even though she was dressed warmly in a pair of flannel pajamas and a USC hoodie.

“Poor thing, you look so miserable,” Kyla tutted, sitting down on the couch and reaching out to feel Spencer's forehead. “You've got a fever, Spence.”

“I doe,” Spencer sighed, reaching for a fresh tissue from the box on the coffee table. “I...*snghf!*...I already took sobe cold mbedicide. It's...*snfl*...dot helping very...huhh...very mbuch...” Eyes narrowed to slits, the blonde girl rubbed her quivering nostrils methodically in little circles through the tissue, which appeased the wet tickle momentarily. But as soon as she dropped her hands into her lap, a fresh trickle of clear discharge dribbled teasingly from one pink nostril, and she hastily cupped the tissues back to her face as her breath caught jaggedly in her chest. “Ahhtchiuh!! Ah'ksheww!!! Hehhh...*snfl*...hh-htchii!!” Spencer sneezed helplessly, snapping forward on the couch with the tissues clamped to her irritated pink nose as it spasmed again and again, blowing snot from both nostrils.

“Bless you,” Kyla tutted, frowning. “Y'know, maybe the reason the cold meds aren't helping so much is that you don't have a cold. With that fever, and how fast it came on, I think you might have the flu, sweetie. Did you get a flu shot this year?”

“I...*snnf*...I was goihg to...but I thidk I...f-forgot...” Kyla felt a stab of sympathy as she watched Spencer's lower lip quiver in time with her glistening pink nostrils, a trail of snot oozing sluggishly from their depths as she held a fresh tissue a few inches in front of her face. “Huhh...eh, hehh...uht'chOOoo!!!”

“Bless you, sweetie. Now lie down and let's get you covered up, you're shaking like a leaf.” Kyla unfolded the afghan from the foot of the couch and settled it over the blonde girl, who yawned and snuggled down gratefully into the blanket, wiping her nose sleepily on the back of her wrist.

“Here, hang onto this,” Kyla handed her the box of tissues from the coffee table, “and blow your nose so we can take your temp, okay? I wanna document this so we can get you an extension on this paper. I'm sure your professor wants your best work, not your snot-crusted fever ramblings.”

“Thadks a lot,” Spencer grumbled crankily; but she took the tissues, and blew her nose long and hard until the wet gurgling sound subsided.

“Better?” Kyla asked, stroking a lock of sweat-dampened blonde hair back behind her friend's ear.

“Uh...uh-huh,” Spencer nodded dazedly, squeezing her snot-slicked little nostrils gently in the wadded tissue, as one last wafting itch blossomed deep inside her freshly cleared nose. “Huh...uhh...uhCHXheww!! Whew, that tickled like crazy,” the blonde girl sighed woozily, giving her tender pink nose one last, soft blow before dropping the soggy tissue in her lap.

“Can you breathe through your nose?” Kyla asked, raising an eyebrow critically. It made her resemblance to Ashley even more striking, that expression that was equal parts curious and suspicious. Spencer closed her mouth and took a wet, congested breath through her raw, pink nose. “Good enough,” Kyla sighed, and pulled a thermometer from her bag, popping it in Spencer's mouth. While they were waiting for the results, Kyla unpacked the rest of the stuff in her grocery bags; herbal remedy tea, sore throat drops, a variety of cold medicines for different symptoms, and several boxes of tissues. There was also a large container of Whole Foods chicken soup, and another container of Arizona green tea, which Kyla knew was Spencer's favorite.

“Ashley would never forgive me if I let you shrivel up from dehydration, so which do you want?” Kyla held up the two options, and Spencer tapped the iced tea. “Cool, I'll go get you a glass and a straw. Don't go anywhere.” The dark-haired girl tapped the pink tip of her friend's nose, and winked at her, drawing out a small smile. She was just coming back from the kitchen with the iced tea when the thermometer beeped.

“A hundred and one point nine. Definitely not a cold, hon,” Kyla sighed, examining the readout.

“Fuck. I hate asking for extensions,” Spencer grumbled, rubbing her eyes woozily. But she took the glass Kyla was holding out for her, and gulped half of it down in less than a minute. “Oh, that's good...thanks, Ky.”

“You're welcome, sweetie,” Kyla smiled, squeezing her shoulder. “Now, how about some lunch—or, for that matter, breakfast? Have you had anything to eat today?” Spencer shook her head guiltily.

“I wasn't really hungry...and I didn't have the energy to cook anything, anyway,” the blonde girl admitted with a soft sigh of exhaustion.

“Well let's fix that.” Kyla picked up the soup and headed off to the kitchen, kissing the top of Spencer's head as she went. Spencer smiled shyly, but didn't say anything. After a few quiet minutes of waiting on the couch, she remembered that her laptop was still running in the study; so she pulled herself up off the couch to go save her work and shut it down for the day. Unsurprisingly, as soon as she woke the laptop up from sleep mode, a Skype request dinged in the corner of the screen. With a soft sigh of affection, Spencer clicked on it, and her screen was suddenly filled with her girlfriend's anxious face.

“Hey baby, how are you feeling today? You look lousy.”

“I feel lousy,” Spencer agreed with a yawn, unplugging the laptop and carrying it back to the living room so she could talk to her girlfriend comfortably on the couch. “Thadks for...*snghf*...sendihg Kyla over. She...*snnf!*...mbade be stop workihg, ahd dow she's baking soup.”

“All right, way to go baby sis,” Ashley cheered, her dark eyes sparkling merrily as Spencer curled back up on the couch and cuddled up under the afghan, settling the laptop lightly in her lap. “I knew keeping her around would pay off eventually.”

“Are you talking about me?” Kyla asked wryly as she came back into the room, carrying a tray with chicken soup and a pile of crackers.

“Hey lovechild, thanks for the assist,” Ashley called from the laptop, even though all she could see of her sister through the webcam was her knees.

“No prob, hon,” Kyla replied, setting the tray down on the coffee table and then leaning over so she could wave to her sister on the screen. “But don't talk too long, Spencer has to eat her soup before it gets cold, okay?”

“Why ab I startihg to feel like the two of you are id...*snfl*...id cahoots, here?” Spencer whined, pulling a fresh tissue from the box beside her, and pressing it to the dribbling pink underside of her nostrils as they began to quiver and pulse irritably.

“It's a dark and evil plot,” Ashley agreed with mock seriousness, watching her girlfriend's eyes close to slits as her breath hitched, and her head tilted helplessly back as her eyes finally snapped shut.

“Hhh'hichew! *Snnfl*...”

“Bless you,” Kyla and Ashley chorused together, in perfect sync despite being on opposite sides of a computer screen. Spencer giggled weakly.

“Thahh...thadks...” She lifted her head as her breath hitched, grabbing a fresh tissue from the box and squeezing it roughly to the rims of her snot-slicked nostrils as they dilated yet again in sickly irritation. “Ehshiiuh!! Heh, hehh...ahhISH'shoo!!!” Spencer sneezed wetly behind her hands, snapping forward so hard that a little bit of the spray escaped from her cupped hands, lightly misting the computer screen. “Ughh, gross,” the blonde girl groaned from behind her hands, grabbing a few more tissues to blow her runny nose on, as the ones she'd just sneezed into were soaked to the point of uselessness.

“Bless you, honey,” Ashley cooed, a pang of sugary-sweet affection washing over her as she watched her girlfriend bring a fresh, clean tissue to her leaking nose, briefly revealing a glistening channel of watery discharge slipping down her upper lip from snot-rimmed pink nostrils.

“Thags, Ash,” she sniffled wearily, closing her eyes for a long, congested blow. Then she pulled another tissue from the box, and wiped the computer screen clear of the fine mist of droplets. “Okay, I'b...*snghf!*...godda go eat by soup dow. Wadda talk later, after your show?”

“Yeah, sounds good. Eat your soup and feel better, baby. Kyla, are you sticking around for a while?”

“Absolutely positively. I'm not leaving Spence alone with this fever, don't worry Ash.”

“Spencer! Why didn't you tell me you had a fever?” Ashley demanded anxiously. The blonde girl rolled her eyes.

“I'b eatihg by soup dow, Ash. I prombise I wod't die before our ndext Skype date, ohhh...*snnf!*...okay?”

“Okay, babycakes,” Ashley sighed, slightly comforted by the fact that Spencer wasn't too sick for a little sarcastic eye-rolling. “Rest up and feel better. Talk to you both later.”

[White Rose]

Oh my goodness! Amazing as always!! I can't tell you how in love I am with this story!!

[sneasons greetings]

Aaaawww