Ashley shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. Her mind was all over the place, how things ended up this way, how did Spencer get killed, why didn’t she protect her and the most prominate thought had to be how’d she’d ended up in the future in the first place, if this was indeed the future as she thought.

"Mama?" AJ asked quietly as she finally took her attention off the cartoon and glanced at Ashley.

"Ummm?" Ashley responded distractedly, her eyes trained on the flicker lights from the television.

"Mama?" the twelve year old said a bit louder effectively drawing the older brunette’s attention her way.

Ashley’s gaze settled upon the young girl, "Yeah?"

Ashley couldn’t believe how natural it felt to answer to mama when AJ spoke and than the name dawned on her and she smiled. Some how she didn’t think Spencer would let her name any of their children, if they had any, after Aiden especially after everything that had happen between the three teens but to know now, at least in her mind because she had no clue if this was real or not, that her little blonde beauty set aside the hate or whatever for Aiden and allowed Ashley to still honor her best friend just made her heart melt even more. The urge to thank Spencer swept over her, she wanted to jump up and dial the familiar number of Spencer’s cell phone but than the images of the news clipping flashed through her mind and she had to swallow down the bile once again.

"…and than I told him no." Ashley blinked as she realized she’d missed most of what the twelve year old said, sighing she was hestiante to tell her she had heard nothing but wanted to be a good mom even if she had no clue how to do that.

"Sorry I kind of blanked…say it again?"

AJ cocked an eyebrow at the way her mother spoke, it was much different than the hard edge the woman always had toward her. Now it was cautious and scared something AJ was unused to, "Are you okay mama?"

"Yes…I mean yea I’am just um…say it again,"

"Okay so the teacher asked if any of us knew what gay rights were…"