happiness is a warm puppy [open to all]

[doublethepain]

He's definitely come down with something.

It's hardly cause for panic, really, just a bit of congestion; some coughing that he thinks he's done a fair job of keeping under wraps; maybe a slightly sore throat, a few pressure headaches here and there, a case of the chills; but he's fine, Spencer is sure of it. He's fine because he's got a ring on his finger and a puppy at the end of his leash, so there's nothing at all in his life that he can complain about right now.

John had most generously given him half a day off--"a wedding gift from me to you" is how his boss had put it--so Spencer had stopped back at home to get Huxley before heading in some direction or another, he hadn't really had a plan. It's not very surprising that his feet seem to take him in the direction of Crossroads, as they so often do, but a part of him hopes that he'll run into some people he knows on the way there. He has news, after all, and he's not one to call up all his friends--not that it would take long, he muses--to share even the most exciting parts of his life, but he does want people to know.

He's happy, happier than he's ever been and not just since his mother and Dane had died. He has so much to be thankful for, so much to come to look forward to, and he can't remember the last time he'd felt so optimistic about his future. He smiles to himself as he watches Huxley sniff at the grass on the sidewalk before the puppy scrambles to meet a pair of feet that's headed their way, jumping up on his hind legs to paw at the stranger. Spencer's smile doesn't fade as he lifts his head to look at the other person; in fact, it only grows wider.

"You're in for it now," he says, a teasing edge to his tone. "Huxley seems to grow attached to people far too quickly for his own good."




[OOC: Spencer's a little under the weather right now because I am, too but he's in an excellent mood so it would be a great time to say hello, whether your character has already met him or not :) Find him walking his and Joel's new puppy Huxley or catch him wherever is convenient for your character to be. As long as that place allows dogs.]

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[just_another]

"Will this make me your boss?" Joel asks when Spencer says he's coming to work for his husband instead of with him. "I've never been anyone's boss before." And he has no intention of making himself the boss now, not even with the two of them in the store. It may be difficult for him to give up control in some areas, but overall, he's finding himself pretty comfortable with the idea of working with Spencer, consulting him on big decisions, taking his opinions into consideration before making any changes. It's a little scary in some ways because he's never had to answer to anyone before and that's not how he thinks of this now, but it is a change. Regardless of how much of a partnership it is, it's a big change and while Joel has been perfectly comfortable with the other changes in his life, this one is a little more difficult. Not because he doesn't want it, but because he knows he's set in his ways.

But he wants this. He wants this big change because he feels like he's starting a new chapter of his life and it's because of Spencer he's here in the first place. His husband gives him the courage to do these things and he's excited to keep going, to keep finding new ways for the two of them to grow.

"I haven't told them yet," he admits with a soft laugh. He knows Spencer isn't going to think that he's keeping it a secret because he's embarrassed or ashamed. He hasn't told them yet because he isn't ready to hear them yell at him over the phone and he's absolutely convinced that as soon as they hear the news, they're going to making plans to come to Siren Cove and Joel isn't ready for that. They've only just gotten married and he wants to be able to enjoy that for at least a few weeks before his parents come barrelling into their life together. They'll be happy for them, they'll come because they want to celebrate and because they want to give both men hell for going off and eloping instead of having a big ceremony and reception.

"They're going to descend on us, you know that, right?" he asks, rubbing Huxley's ears as the puppy yawns and stretches in his lap. "As soon as I tell them, my mother is going to yell at me for at least twenty minutes before she tells me they're coming for another visit and we won't get a moment to ourselves got weeks." He loves his parents, he really does, and he appreciates how much they care about him and that they only want him to be happy, but right now, with barely a week of marriage under their belts, he just wants to be spending as much time alone with Spencer as he possibly can.

"Because now that she's your mother-in-law, she's going to insist she and my father stay with us," he adds, looking at Spencer in amusement. "I might be able to convince them that staying at the apartment is preferable, but I can't make any promises." They've wanted this for Joel for so long and although he thought they'd given up on it, the way they'd both taken to Spencer during their summer visit makes him realize both his parents had just sort of put it aside, that they'd both stopped mentioning it, but neither of them had really stopped hoping for this sort of life for him.

[aoife_coombs]

"You are the one that disappeared during this mess. I'd almost suspect you of being part of the Coombs family. Or those against them."

Her smile is a weak copy of his, sure that there's something good he wants to tell her. And Aoife is very okay with that, it will be easier to be happy for someone else than admit to the ball of weird feelings in her own body.

"So I won't answer that until you assure me that you at least were gone for some nice reason. I think you've been through enough hurt to warrant that."

[keirasullivan]

"I don't have a back up for my back up, sigh I'm going to have to find myself a bromance and forge myself a new back up and a back up for my back up." Keira drawled. She was happy for them both, they were ridiculously cute together and part of it made her long for that connection and the other part wanted her to just push the feeling deep-deep down and ignore it. "I am, just not at mine. I doubt my cat would love the intrusion. But seriously puppy you wanted down, I put you down and now you want up again? Fine."

Keira picked the miniature pooch up and smiled at him. "So, newly wed. Any grand plans?"

[ofcatsandfate]

"I've driven through it, once or twice," Fabrice says, thinking of the various road trips he's taken with his cousin. His eyebrows raise when Spencer mentions a husband; clearly, he had been busy since the time Fabrice last saw him. "You got married? Congratulations!"

He has to smile at the way Spencer blushes and grins, as though he still can't believe that fact himself. Fabrice admits, he finds himself jealous, considering how complicated his own love life is at the moment. But then, he realizes, he wouldn't give up what he has with Demetri for the world. So, ultimately, he finds himself genuinely pleased for Spencer.

"And who is your husband?" He inquires. "Someone in town, then?" He glances down at the ring on Spencer's hand, admiring the loveliness of it. "That's a beautiful ring. I'm happy for you, truly."

"It has," he agrees. To say the least, he thinks. He definitely wants 2014 to be over, but he also wants to relish in the happier moments of this year for as long as he can. "I know right? I suspect something else will come along to change that, though. It always does."

[doublethepain]

Spencer had lost track of what Keira's saying after the first mention of a back-up, and he just nods along as he so often does with her. It's not that he doesn't ever value the things she says, he's just always been the type to tune out what he thinks is perhaps not something he needs to retain for future reference--and as fond as he is of her, Keira's back-ups and sex life certainly fall into that category, at least as far as Spencer is concerned.

He rolls his eyes, though it's with a good-natured smile, as he leans down to scoop Huxley in his arms, holding the puppy close to his chest. To his satisfaction, Huxley doesn't protest, and Spencer's smile grows wider when Keira calls him a newlywed. "Grand plans? Not quite, I'm still trying to get used to actually being a newlywed. There's an annoying amount of paperwork involved in trying to get my new name to reflect on all my important documents, you know." Still, being legally known as Spencer Waters-Baker is worth all the trouble.

"I should tell you, though," he says, lowering his voice though it's not as if he'll be revealing much of a secret, "that in the next few weeks or so, I'll be putting in my two weeks at the library. I'm going to try my hand at helping to run a bookshop."

[just_another]

"I didn't disappear," he protests, though it's without much feeling and he's still smiling. "Raleigh knew we were gone." Though she hadn't known where they had gone, so he supposed maybe in some ways they really had disappeared for the week. It had been necessary, though, and he doesn't regret it at all.

"Spencer and I... we... I asked him to marry me when we were on the cruise," he says. "I picked up the license last Tuesday and there didn't seem to be any good reason to wait, so w-we drove to a town called Wilton and got married."

[aoife_coombs]

"Raleigh? How the hell do you know that g-"

The penny of what has been said dropped. "Oh my God." And Aoife was worrying if they would have enough to talk about.
"That's - oh my gosh, congratulations, Joel. I should have picked up on that, I never saw any jewelry on you before. Congratulations, the both of you .."

She looks around and adds in a whisper: "you'll have to point me your husband out soon, before I make some stupid mistake around him."

[fairywren]

"Maybe a little more optimistic," Wren says, ruffling the puppy's fur and smiling as he jumps up to investigate the other dog. He has an eye out but they're approaching He stands up.

"Thanks. She knows it, too," he grins wryly. He notices the past tense, but can't quite read it. "They're a lot of responsibility, I guess," he says, "but sometimes that's something you live up to."

"That's almost a fugue," he says, spencer-spencerwaters-watersbaker , and raises an eyebrow, amused at the stumble and ensuing grin. "Is the last bit recent?"

"I'm Wren," he adds, "And this incorrigible fluffball is Inari." Her ears prick up and she tilts her head as if to figure out what he's saying about her.

[doublethepain]

"I did," he says softly, cheeks still pink from thinking about how overwhelmingly emotional--how happy--he'd been when he and Joel had exchanged their vows. They'd promised each other forever even before they'd run off without telling anyone but to look at the ring on his finger and know that it can't get more official than this makes him feel like there's nothing in this world that can touch him. He's married to the only person he's ever loved, the only person he'll ever love; Spencer can't really imagine anything better than that.

"His name's Joel Baker. Well, Waters-Baker now." He nods in the direction he and Huxley had been walking. "He owns Crossroads, if you're familiar with it. One of the local bookshops." It's soon to be the local bookshop, if Spencer has anything to do with it, but that's business talk better suited for Joel.

He looks back down at his ring when Fabrice does and hums his agreement. "We picked it out after we came back from the cruise. He proposed while we were on it, before... well, you know." He shifts uncomfortably as memories of the island come flooding into his mind, and he's been able to successfully keep them at bay while he'd been away with Joel but flashes of seeing Mark Fuller, of seeing his mother and brother, seem all too fresh again.

"I think we're all due a break," he says, rubbing absently at his temple. The dull headache hasn't gone away but it's starting to throb now, and Spencer isn't sure whether the pain is real or purely psychological. "When Joel and I went away for the week, it was exactly what the cruise should have been."

[doublethepain]

"Caught that, did you?" Spencer ducks his head to hide his bashful smile, and it's not as if there's much to be embarrassed about when Joel knows every bit of him better than anyone ever will but sometimes he still can't help the flush that rises to his cheeks when he's being playful or trying to be coy. It always takes him back to when they'd discussed the topic of popsicles in Joel's car, the way that Joel had nearly crashed into a mailbox, and Spencer lets out a burst of laughter at the memory. He looks back at Joel with a crooked smirk, reaching out to squeeze his husband's thigh. "I figure I should work my way up to a promotion. Show you how valuable an asset I can be to the store. We wouldn't want people to think I'm taking advantage of the owner, after all."

He's teasing but the larger truth is that Spencer doesn't want to walk into this partnership with his big ideas and guns ablazing, not when he knows Joel isn't the sort of man who's especially keen on major change. Spencer understands that entirely, he's the same way, and he'd been content to keep to the same routine until he'd met Joel because he simply hadn't been aware of how amazing things could be any other way. They'd adapted well to letting each other in, it had happened quite instantly, but Spencer isn't blinded by that enough to think that it would be the same when it comes to the store. He knows that Joel is trying, and Spencer loves him all the more for it; but he also doesn't want to make Joel feel like he's going to try to fix anything that isn't even broken.

He wants to be involved with the store, wants to help Joel make the important decisions because quite obviously, the success of Crossroads will directly affect their lives; but he doesn't think he'll have any trouble taking it slow. In any case, the first order of business--leaving the library--hasn't even been put into action yet so Spencer doesn't say anything more on it for now, focusing instead on what Joel says about his family.

No. Their family, the Bakers are his family by extension now, and it doesn't quite seem right, it's a thought that doesn't make much sense yet; but Spencer knows it'll be easier to say as time goes on. "My mother-in-law," he repeats, momentarily distracted by how the words feel rolling off his tongue, and he's quiet until Huxley nips lightly at his finger. That's when the rest of what Joel has said really processes, and he groans. "Well, then, you've got the right idea. You can save the news for, what do you think? Another year or two?"

He offers a wink before leaning over to give Joel's cheek a kiss. "In all seriousness, if you can't convince them to use the apartment, we've got the third guest room. It just needs to be touched up a bit, it's a little embarrassing as is right now." The room had previously been Spencer's, the one he'd grown up in before he'd moved into the master after his mother had died, and he hasn't done much with it since he'd moved out of it. There's some furniture and a few boxes but it wouldn't be difficult to turn it into something more welcoming. His tone takes on a teasing edge again as he presses his lips to Joel's temple. "I'll just have to take care to avoid mentioning that it's probably going to act as a nursery one day."

[just_another]

Joel laughs, looking down at his hand, at the ring he's wearing now and he twists it once, so pleased that it's there. It doesn't catch the light or sparkle, he'd purposely found one with a muted silver tone, but it's right for him. It's perfect. Then again, he thinks he'd be proud to wear just about any ring, so long as it meant he was married to Spencer.

"You'll see him around here if you come by," he tells her. "He's going to quit the library and come work at the store with me. I'm sure you must have seen him before, though. He's very tall, very thin." Very handsome, he thinks, but he doesn't know if Aoife wants to hear him talk like that. "I'll introduce you two, though. I'd like you to meet him."

[just_another]

"I'll be a terrible boss, always letting you take extra long lunches," Joel grumbles, but he's smiling when Spencer squeezes his thigh and he lays his hand on top of Spencer's, brushing his fingertips against his knuckles. Whatever happens, whatever situation they end up in, he knows they'll make it work. It might be strange for him at first, but Joel knows if there's one person in the world he can make adjustments for, it's Spencer. So much of their lives together has been easy, far easier than Joel has ever expected anything to be, and he's not willing to give up any of that just because he's set in his ways when it comes to the store.

He'd promised to try and so he's trying. He thinks he's doing better than just trying, though. When he bristles, he keeps it to himself, counting to ten instead of letting himself say the first thing that pops into his mind. When he does that, when he gives himself a moment, he usually finds himself agreeing with whatever idea Spencer has suggested. They're all good ideas, they'll all benefit the store and Joel has to stop thinking of the store as an extension of himself. Change is not terrible. Change can be good for the success of the store.

When Spencer mentions his parents staying in the guest room, though, he has to fight back a groan and a laugh, leaning against Spencer's shoulder. He really does love his parents and he's grateful for the parts they play in his life, but he doesn't particularly like the idea of living with them again, even temporarily. Over the years he's become an increasingly private man and letting Spencer in had been relatively easy, but adjusting to living with two people instead of just his husband had been a bit of a trial at first. He likes having Raleigh around and he doesn't want her to think she has to leave, but it had been strange to wake up in the morning and have to get dressed before wandering to the bathroom only to find it already occupied. He'd gotten used to just rolling out of bed without needing to worry about what state he was in and who might see.

There's certainly no wandering around the house without his clothes on, that much is certain.

"That's probably for the best. If you tell my mom we're intending on using it as a nursery, she'll never leave," he says with a laugh, smiling over at Spencer, his eyes bright. They haven't talked about it much since the cruise, but the idea that they'll one day have a family is still one he finds himself especially pleased to revisit. There are options, he knows that, ways for two men to have a child, have a family, and he knows they'll have to think about it, but for the moment he's content to imagine all the different ways in which it might happen. Sometimes when he thinks about it, they've adopted a little boy with a head full of blond hair and a bright smile. And sometimes there's been a surrogate involved and there's a little girl with Spencer's eyes and Joel's smile. Sometimes there's more than one. A boy and a girl, sometimes two little boys, and Joel spends a lot more time imagining all the possibilities than he's willing to admit, even to Spencer.

"She'll insist on helping to get it ready," he says, smiling thoughtfully. "Painting the walls, buying us a crib. We could tell her we don't plan on doing this for years and she'd still want to make sure everything was prepared now. Just in case." And Joel doesn't want to wait years, but he's not sure he's ready to start planning right this minute either, which they won't be able to avoid if either of them admits they've discussed the possibility of kids already.

[sirenstoryteller]

"Well, I can't say I blame him." Alex said as he squatted down to get on the puppy's level with a grin. He scratched the puppy's ears as he looked up at the owner. "With a face like that, people would get attached to him just as quickly."

Once again, Alex had been using an excuse to get out of the house. But he'd had a good one. He'd been at both the library and the coffeehouse with his laptop, sorting through research and sending e-mails back and forth to Cam. There was so much to go through and he was beginning to realize how much he relied on his assistant for organization as he was just no good at it. Now, he was just wandering a bit to stretch his legs before heading back to the Senator's estate.

[aoife_coombs]

"Oh, Oh, he works in the library. No wonder I don't know him, I never go there."

Except that time when she found Isaiah there. Isaiah. Aoife feels like she can jump out of her skin and flutter away and hugs herself to prevent that from happening. "That's sweet of you, Joel. But as long as you're happy and he's happy, there's no need for anything else to be on your mind. Right?"

[doublethepain]

He raises an eyebrow when her phone goes off, and he does agree. "I'm glad you've got help. It's hard to-- to go through things like that alone."

He doesn't know exactly what she's been through, of course, and even though she cuts it down to a the short-and-horrible of it, Spencer can't imagine the sheer pain and suffering that would come with having his mind toyed with like that. To have his thoughts twisted so badly that he wouldn't be able to remember Joel... Well, he'd take the physical pain of what Mark Fuller had done to him a thousands times over.

He nods his understanding at the last thing she says, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he watches Huxley sniff at the grass. "I know what you mean. It does get better. Easier." He's still afraid sometimes, if he's honest. When he's alone at home and passing by the door of the library, he'll feel the fear twisting in his stomach, and he wonders if that'll ever really go away. Still, that's hardly something Lou needs to be told right now, so he forces a smile. "If you need to talk about it, I know I'm not first on anyone's list for that sort of thing, but I-- I'd be available. Just so you know."

[louise_abasi]

She shivers, doesn't even bother hiding it. Although being alone saves her from so many questions, Spencer is right about this. Louise needs support, she wants support. Maybe she was the pillar of strength for everyone for such a long time, but now she just needs the assurance of people around her, willing to catch her. If something goes wrong.

"It does?" Lou nods. "Thank you for the offer, Spencer. I appreciate that and it sounds more enticing than lying down on a couch somewhere and making the topic about my parents and my need for self-destruction."

She meets his eyes. "It's all so fragile and raw right now. And yet leaving it for returning to ordinary life ..doesn't feel right either? I'm sorry to put this on you. The puppy is adorable."

[doublethepain]

He cringes at the thought of seeing a therapist, not that he believes there's anything wrong with seeking help in that way but because he's kept things to himself for so long, has internalized so much of what he feels until he'd found the one person he can talk to without feeling any judgment, that he doesn't think he could ever discuss what's happened to him with a stranger. It's helpful for some, he thinks, having that added element of an objective point-of-view, but it would only make Spencer nervous.

"I suppose it's different for everyone," he says, shrugging a shoulder, "but I've found that it does. After what happened a couple months ago, at the lighthouse, when I--" He voice catches in his throat, and he frowns before continuing. "I thought that maybe I wouldn't be okay again. It wasn't the stitches or the bruises on my neck or the broken fingers, it was that every time I closed my eyes, I saw the man who did it all to me."

He doesn't know why he's saying this, it's so very much not an appropriate place for it with the sun shining down on them in the middle of the sidewalk and his puppy joyfully pawing at the first of the fallen autumn leaves; but he can't seem to stop.

"Going back to the way things were seemed impossible. I didn't know how long it was supposed to take to-- to move on from something like that, and it didn't seem right to pretend like everything was fine. It's exhausting, trying to find that balance. But I had help." He narrows his eyes then corrects himself. "I had Joel. In any case, you don't have to apologize, and yes, I'd have to agree, Huxley is adorable."

[louise_abasi]

"Joel? Ah yes, I think I knew that already. Things from deeper down are the ones surfacing fastest, while I can't remember what I wore during the Coombs' gala. I guess my mind and its pits still knows my priorities."

"The apologies come so easy that my mouth is dry by the end of the day." Louise shrugs. "I will come back, maybe just not with a bounce. I just wish for more .." There's so much he doesn't know.
"peace and calm. How does Balto feel about this little guy, or does the ring on your finger doesn't mean that you're living together?"

[doublethepain]

Lou thinks she knew that, and it makes Spencer feel a little sick to think of how much has been taken away from her. He pauses for a moment, thinking back to the night of the Coombs ball, and he remembers it well not only because of the eidetic memory but because it had been the first time he and Joel had admitted their feelings for each other. It had been the first night Joel had held Spencer's hand.

He closes his eyes, trying to picture the surroundings and the people he'd noted while he'd been scanning the room for Joel, and that's when he sees her. "You wore a green dress," he says softly, eyes fluttering back open. "Emerald green, it was silk and strapless with a gold belt. You looked lovely." He knows she's being a bit facetious, citing the dress as something she longs to remember, but even though it's something that might be comparatively trivial, she deserves to have her memories back. She deserves to know. "Maybe you still have it hanging in your closet. Or not, I'm not sure I've ever seen you wear the same thing twice."

The smile becomes more genuine at the question, and he glances down at the ring as a familiar and welcome warmth spreads over his cheeks. "Joel and Balto moved in about mid-July, but..." He trails off to let out a soft laugh. "We got married just last week. And Balto has been surprisingly accommodating of him, I have to wonder if this is just the calm before the storm."

[louise_abasi]

"Married?"

It's just a little stab in comparison with the pain it would come with when it would have been anyone else. Spencer has been through so much, Joel is - well, Joel and Louise's glad that they found themselves in each other. "Oh God, congratulations, that's amazing!"

After all, it doesn't mean that if someone else finds happiness, there is less left for those that haven't, or have yet to do so. With her history, it might be better to give up on the entire idea all together.

"That's certainly something I'm going to remember, besides that dress. It sounds pretty impressive, but that's not all that important right now. Married, living together, two pets ..that's very domestic of you. How sweet."

[doublethepain]

"Very recent," he admits with an embarrassed laugh, though his smile stays intact even as his cheeks flush. It's a good flush, one he keeps getting every time he remembers the vows he and Joel had exchanged--I'm yours and I always will be--and it's only been just over a week so he thinks he's allowed to still be giddy. "Last week, in fact. My boyfriend and I--well, my husband now, of course--decided it was the right time."

There's far more to it than that, much deeper reasoning than just it's the right time, but he's only just learned this man's name and Spencer's never been one to overshare with people he doesn't know well. Granted, he doesn't know very many people well in the first place but that only ever adds to his trepidation.

Spencer smiles down at Inari, carefully reaching out to scratch her behind the ears until Huxley seems to irritably yip at him for attention. "I picked a winner," he says dryly, shaking his head at his own dog before scooping him into his arms and wrinkling his nose when Huxley happily licks at it. "But it's a pleasure, Wren. Did you move here recently, if you don't mind me asking? I've lived here for quite some time and most faces I can pretty easily recognize, but I'm afraid yours isn't one of them. Then again, I've have had more than a few distractions over the past few months so it may just be my own ignorance at work."

[doublethepain]

Spencer had seen Alex earlier in the day at the library, and it's actually quite rare that they run into each other outside of his workplace so he offers what he hopes looks well enough like a friendly smile. He's had much more practice over the past few months being as close to social as Spencer can possibly be, but he has to admit that he still very much prefers curling up on the couch or in bed with Joel, watching that dance show or reading a book whilst enjoying each other's company.

Still, Spencer can't say that Alex has ever been cruel to him and has always been a regular patron at the library, so it's not as if he feels as awkward as he might talking to a stranger. "Don't fall for it," he warns, a teasing edge to his voice. "He makes you love him then works slowly but surely at making you a servant to his every whim. And I've only had him for a few days." His smile grows wider, easier. "Taking a break for the afternoon, are you? You looked hard at work at the library today, I would have said hello but I didn't want to disturb you."

[ofcatsandfate]

"Well, congratulations," he tells him, smiling at how so obviously in love Spencer is. It's a nice thing to see, people uniting even in the midst of the usual Siren Cove crap. "Joel? I think I've visited his bookshop, once."

"I'm glad you were able to get away," he says with a soft smile.

[fairywren]

Wren smiles, nodding. He's not one for formal commitment, himself. For one thing, he doesn't place a whole lot of stock in social convention; if he wanted to be in someone's life for the rest of his, he thinks he could probably figure out a way to do that. But more, his desire to experience new things is almost insatiable, and sometimes those new things are new people, both intellectually and physically. He follows whims carelessly and dangerously, and just as easily he can get so wrapped up he forgets the world: He's not an easy person to love and he doesn't see a need to change that.

But, that doesn't mean he isn't happy that other people are more suited to forevers and formal ceremony. The grin on Spencer's face is infectious and he can't begrudge that. "Congratulations," he says. "That's a big step."

Inari sniffs him tentatively and wags her tail decisively, opening her mouth in a doggy grin as he ruffles her ears. Wren smiles at her clear judgement call. "No, you're right, I'm new here," he nods. "It was time for a change of scenery, and my mother's family is from here, way before anyone I knew, but. Enough to peak my curiosity. So far it's treated me well."

[callmeemily]

"I hope he's gonna end up attached to me like velcro," Raleigh said with a smile. She's walking out of the bakery - it's changed a lot since the last time Spencer's seen it, largely due to the fact that it's no longer filthy. There's some actual construction projects that Joel's helping with, but mostly Raleigh's spent the last day scrubbing down every bit of existing counterspace or cupboards with bleach, and she needs to get a break from the smell.

Still, if Spencer looks through the open windows? It's a world of difference from the last time he's seen it. She hasn't picked up on how he sounds, yet, that he's not feeling well - but she can't stop giving Huxley a scratch behind the ears. Between Lucy, Sunny, and Huxley? Raleigh's going to have to start setting aside more biscuits. "You're not at work?" She glances up at Spencer in surprise.