Cabo San Lucas

[fab_fan]

Title: Cabo San Lucas
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: South of Nowhere
Pairing: Spencer/Ashley
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own South of Nowhere. The song is Toby Keith's.
Spoilers: Through season 3. Takes place after the series
Summary: Ashley's life after Spencer in Cabo San Lucas. Songfic

 

Girl, last time you saw me I wasn't this cool
been hanging out in Mexico down by the pool
in Cabo, Cabo San Lucas
if I send you a ticket
would you fly in
sure like to see you, we could hook up again
in Cabo, Cabo San Lucas

Ashley adjusted her dark aviator sunglasses, lazily lying back against the warm plastic of the beach chair. The sun glittered off the welcoming blue water of the small hotel pool, beckoning her to leave the scorching sunlight and dive into the cool relief.

Reaching out a sunkissed hand, she absently grasped the sweating bottle of Corona. She brought the bottle to her lips, taking a long drink as her eyes studied her surroundings. There was Maria behind the counter of the small hut, mixing drinks with a smile and a laugh. Jose was plodding around the other side of the pool, picking up used towels and chatting with the guests in his thick accent. Only a few other people frequented the pool area, most of them employees, and she had come to know all of them.

Catching Maria's eye she lifted her beer in a short salute, receiving a grin and a wink in return. Smiling to herself, she turned back to the small laptop positioned on top of her legs, it's white coloring gleaming. She punched a few keys, watching as another airline's website popped up claiming to have the best flights available to Cabo.

Cabo San Lucas...that's where she was. That's where she had been now, for so long. Down here, in this small Mexican town, she was just another gringo, another lost soul wandering around the beaches and bars. There was no paparazzi...no crazy family...no Spencer.

Spencer

Just the thought of her name brought a tight clenching in the pit of her stomach. It had been such a long time since she had seen those gorgeous blue eyes, that slight tilt of the head, the loving grin. They had been so happy once, when high school was finally over and the Carlin's accepted their relationship.

Ashley shook her head, banishing those thoughts. She moved the cursor, clicking on flight options. Those thoughts would have to wait. First, she had to find a ticket. Then, she would see if Spencer would even come down to Mexico.

and I know it sounds crazy but I bought a guitar 
and I'm singing my songs downtown in a bar
you can come with a friend 
you can come by yourself
you can sleep her with me I ain't got nobody else 
in Cabo, Cabo San Lucas

In all her twenty-five years of living, Ashley had never seen such a beat-up broken-down guitar in her life. It's strings were non-existent, the wood was cracked, and the metal of the knobs rusted. It was love at first sight.

She came back to that small store on the cobblestone lined street everyday for a month, admiring the musical instrument. It took her that long to save up the money to buy the old acoustic. Since leaving LA, she had been carefully counting her money. She had left the smog infested land of guilt and confusion with just a small bag and the cash in her pocket. She couldn't take the time to grab anything else, she needed to leave as fast as possible.

And so she visited everyday for a month. The store owner would wave and greet her as she opened the door, a cheery “Hola!” shouted across the small room. She would wave back, tipping her sunglasses to the top of her head as she walked over to the desired object in the corner. She would gaze at its scarred exterior, gently running a hand along the handle. On the day the brunette was able to buy the guitar, strolling in with a hand full of pesos, the man quickly brought over the instrument. Against her protests he wrapped it in a protective package, telling her that something this loved needed to be treated as such.

She gratefully took the purchase home, to her small apartment in a ramshackle building near the beach. She lifted the guitar out of the package and sat down, cradling it in her arms. Ashley looked across the room, a giant mirror the previous occupant had left on the wall reflecting her image. She saw a tired young woman, tanned calloused hands protectively wrapped around the wooden guitar.

She froze.

So caught up in wanting the guitar, she hadn't thought about what she would do once she actually had it. It had been a long time since Ashley had played music...since she had thought about music. Her mind drifted back to when she was younger, still living on Los Angeles.

She had dreamed of being a musician. Dreamed of making her father proud, of performing on stage and singing her songs. She would spend hours sitting in her room, strumming the strings of her acoustic as she created lyrics to the melody in her head.

Then Spencer showed up, moving to the city from some town out in the middle of nowhere. The adorable blonde had somehow fitted herself into Ashley's thoughts...her dreams changing form. She still wanted to perform her music, but she wanted to make Spencer proud. She wanted to see that heart-stopping smile directed at her as she strummed her guitar. She wanted to sing Spencer songs and write about their love to the tune of her beating heart.

Then, Spencer left. And she stopped playing.

Leaving herself, she had left her own pristine guitar, not able to even look at it. But her she was, with another guitar in some small Mexican village. It took her a few tries, fear of the unknown holding her back, but soon she was playing like she used to, writing songs about the town she now called home.

Soon, people were talking about it. Her neighbors, having heard her playing through the paper thin walls, asked if she would perform for them. Word got around, and before she knew it, Juan was asking her to play nightly at his bar. Juan was a friend, a portly man with jet black hair and an easy smile. She had stumbled upon his bar the first night she was in Cabo, crying her eyes out and begging for a drink, anything to dull the pain. He took one look at the mess before him and took her under his wing. He gave her a job as a bartender, providing her with the money she needed to support herself. His cousin owned the building Ashley lived in, and he helped to sharpen her passable Spanish into fluent confidence.

Most importantly, he cared about her, treating her as if she was is own daughter. Ashley was invited over for dinner every Sunday. His wife, Isabella fawned over the small girl, fulfilling the gap left by the brunette's real mother. The love she felt from the couple allowed the hurt musician to open up. She spoke about her previous life. She talked about her amazing sister who turned into a crazy shell of what she once was. She described her attempts at making it in the music industry, her falling out with Ethan and Madison. Finally, Ashley whispered about Spencer. Reverently described the girl she had loved. The girl who had grown into a woman, a strong independent woman whose love for the immature youth had held her back. And when Spencer figured out what she was missing, she had left, leaving behind an uncomprehending Ashley.

The trust that helped her talk about the break-up with Spencer, forced her to agree when Juan approached her about performing. He and Isabella had heard about her playing, and they were wondering if she would play at the bar downtown. They needed entertainment, and she needed to feel that rush she had left behind. So she played, and soon people were coming from miles around to hear her.

One person still had not heard her, though. Spencer. The girl she still loved more than life itself. Ashley needed to see her again. Needed to speak with her. She wondered what the blonde was up to. If she had met someone, fallen in love. If she had become the success Ashley knew she would be. The brunette needed to know, and she didn't really care how they met back up, just that they did. The plan was to have Spencer come down and visit her. Ashley didn't care if she came by herself or if she brought a friend to help ease the tension. She just wanted Spencer there. The blonde could even stay with her if she wanted to...it's not like Ashley had anyone else.
 

Well, the Baja gets hot this time of year 
and except for the fishermen, they all disappear 
in Cabo, Cabo San Lucas
pacifico is great 
tequila is too
I got it all going on but I ain't got you 
in Cabo, Cabo San Lucas
 

The bar was quiet as Ashley wiped out another glass. This time of year was slow. The tourists were gone, and only the fishermen were stopping by for a quick drink as they got back from sailing for the day.

She looked over to the corner behind the bar counter, spotting her guitar leaning against the intersection of walls. She felt an urge to pick it up and play something, anything to fill the air. She pushed those feelings away and grabbed a shot glass, placing it on the counter and pouring in tequila.

“Qué pasa, Ashley?” called Juan as he ambled through the front door, the heat gluing his white shirt to his sticky skin.

“Nada, Juan.” replied the brunette as she picked up the glass.

“You're not going to drink without me, are you?” joked the jovial man as he approached the bar.

Ashley rolled her eyes and set her drink down, quickly pouring a shot for her friend. They knocked glasses together and downed the drinks, used to the burning liquid.

“That is good tequila. Now...Ashley...Isabella is wondering when you will be over to the house again. She is missing you. Sunday dinner is not enough for mi esposa.” Juan pointed a thick finger at the bartender.

Ashley smiled to herself, the thought of her friends' love filling her with joy. She had it all, it seemed. She had the caring parental figures, good friends in Maria and Jose, her music...

But she didn't have Spencer.

I'll show you the stars and the moon on the sea of Cortez
and the beach in San Juan as the sun sinking down in the west
I'm leaving you this message if you give a damn
you want to call me you know where I am
In Cabo, Cabo San Lucas

Ashley spread out on the towel, the sand moving beneath her bare feet.

She loved the beach. The soft sand, the crashing of the waves, it all brought a sense of calm to her mind. She gazed out over the Sea of Cortez, the twinkling waves moving to an unheard rhythm.

Her gripped tightened on the small cell phone in her hands. She had placed a quick call to Chelsea. The artist had listened as Ashley stumbled through a request for Spencer's new number.

After a quiet pause, she had listed the digits, the musician almost breaking her neck in her hast to find a paper and pencil. After Ashley wrote them down, Chelsea quietly asked how she was doing.

Ashley hesitantly replied that she was “ok.” They hadn't seen each other since Chelsea had left for France to attend art school. After the break-up, a note had somehow found its way into Ashley's hands, reporting Chelsea's new phone number and if Ashley needed anything, to give her a call.

Ashley soon hung up, the awkwardness she felt at speaking with Spencer's best friend (were they still friends? Ashley didn't even know) too much for her. That had been hours earlier, when the sun was still in the sky and the promise of dinner at Isabella and Juan's in the air.

Now, here she was. Cast out on the beach with a phone in hand, numbers dialed. All she had to do was press the send button. She could do this...she was Ashley Davies for crying out loud! Ashley Davies was not afraid of anything.

With a false burst of confidence, she hit the green button, slamming the phone against her ear. Her breathing became irregular as she listened to the rings, her eyes wide as saucers.

That's when she heard it...the voice she had been dreaming about for years.

“Hi, you've reached Spencer Carlin. I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!”

The beep soon followed, and Ashley swallowed thickly, trying to clear her throat.

“H-Hey Spencer...it's Ashley. I know it's been a while...but...I would really like to talk to you.” she released a sigh, hitting her hand against her head in frustration. How stupid did that sound? It's been years and this is the best she could come up with? “I'm sorry...I-I know...it's just...damn it. I'm in Mexico, Spencer. Cabo San Lucas. It's been a long time, and you've probably moved on, but if you still give a damn...call me. You know where I am.”