A/N: Hey guys. So, I'm sure you're all waiting for updates on my glee stories, but I've had this idea for a while and I wanted to give it a go. This chapter is Spencer's mom's reaction. As a side note, I DO NOT OWN PRETTY LITTLE LIARS OR CATCHER IN THE RYE. All rights belong to their respectful owners. Enjoy, and please review!
Veronica Hastings was tired, and that may just be the understatement of the decade. She had pulled an all nighter trying to finishing prepping for a murder trial, which had started today. And to tell the truth? Her client was guilty as hell. Veronica knew that he killed his wife. She had to defend him though. That had to be the worst part of the job. Defending someone who shouldn't have the right to be defended.
When she walked in to the house, she was met with an unexpected quietness. She knew her husband wouldn't be home until late tomorrow evening, as he was away, meeting with a client. That left Spencer and Melissa. Shouldn't they be arguing by now? They had been together for almost the whole day, and lately they hadn't lasted more than an hour being in the same room as each that Veronica didn't enjoy the quietness. In fact, she quite enjoyed it. But that didn't make it any less weird.
"Melissa? Spencer?" Veronica yelled, setting her purse on the counter, placing her shoes in the closet. No answer. That was weird. "Melissa? Are you here?" she called again, pulling out a bottle of wine and pouring herself a small glass. Veronica's call was met with the sound of a book falling to the floor in the front room. Walking into the front room, she found one of Spencer's copies of 'Catcher In The Rye' lying on the floor. Sighing, she picked it up and shook her head.
"Spencer? You here hon?" Veronica called, standing on the bottom step. There was no answer. Now she was getting worried. The girls would have called her if they were going out, and both of their cars were still parked up by the garage. Slowly, the woman walked up the stairs, wine in one hand, book in the other. She went to Melissa's room first. She pushed open the door and frowned.
Melissa had fallen asleep with her face under the pillow, a pile of Kleenex around her showing that she had been crying. Plus, she was in sweat pants. She never wore sweat pants. In fact, the last time Veronica could remember Melissa wearing sweatpants was back in the ninth grade, when her first boyfriend Cody had broken up with her.
Shaking her head, Veronica slowly shut the door, careful not to make any sound. Well that explained why Melissa had not answered her, but what about Spencer? Veronica walked down the hall to her younger daughter's room. Not bothering to knock, she pushed open the door and was met by a strange sight.
Spencer was sprawled out on the floor, laptop in front of her, headphones in. A series of videos were playing. Books and papers were spread out around her. When the girl saw her mother in the door way, she quickly pulled the headphones out of her ears and started to try and hide the books and papers. At first, Veronica thought that her daughter was just doing homework, but when Spencer started to hide the papers, she knew something was up.
"Hey Mom. You're home late." Spencer said with a half smile. Veronica nodded, taking a sip of her wine and setting it on Spencer's night stand.
"Yeah…the case took longer than I thought." She paused. "You left this downstairs. I thought you might need it." Veronica told her daughter, referencing the book in her hand. Spencer nodded.
"Thanks. I forgot about that. I was reading it when I got home from the hospital." She explained, taking the book from her mother and placing it on the book shelf in the corner.
"That's right, I forgot you went to visit Hanna. How is she doing?" Veronica asked her daughter, sitting on the bed. Spencer pushed the pile of books under the bed with her foot and sat down on the window seat.
"She's alright. She's getting pretty restless. She wants to go home." Spencer answered. Her mother nodded.
"I guess. How are the other girls?" Veronica asked. Spencer's face visibly fell.
"They're…they're alright." She said quietly. Veronica frowned.
" It doesn't sound like they're alright. What's wrong Spence? What's going on? What are you trying to hide?" she asked her daughter. Spencer immediately fell in to defence mode.
"Nothing's going on. We're all okay." Spencer reassured her mother.
"Then what did you push under the bed? What don't you want me to see?" Veronica asked, looking at the girl on the window seat. Spencer shook her head.
"Nothing. I'm not hiding anything." She told her. Veronica frowned.
"Spencer, I know you're trying to hide something from me. So either you show me what you pushed under the bed or I will get it out myself." She threatened. Sighing, Spencer slowly got up and pulled the papers and books out from under her bed. She set them on the bed and then returned to her spot on the window seat.
Veronica's eyes filled with confusion when she saw what her daughter was looking at. The papers were all brochures from PFLAG and GLAAD. The books were all about the LGBT community. Veronica picked up one of the pink brochures and looked at her daughter. Spencer looked out the window.
"Care to explain what these are?" Veronica asked, very confused. Recently, she had been breaking up fights left and right between her daughters about boys. This just didn't make any sense. Spencer liked boys. Didn't she?
"They're brochures. And the LGBT community." Spencer told her mother, still looking out the window. Veronica rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I can see that Spencer. My question is why do YOU have them?" Veronica asked. Spencer looked at the older woman on the bed.
"Those aren't for me. I'm…I don't…I'm not…I'm not gay. I like guys." She stuttered. A part of Veronica sighed on the inside.
"Okay, well if they're not for you, who are they for?" she asked her daughter.
"Just a friend." Spencer replied quickly, getting up off the seat and picking up her laptop. She shut it off.
"And this friend is…" Veronica continued. Spencer shook her head.
"No one." She muttered. Her mother sighed.
"Spencer, I'm not stupid. Who are they for?" Veronica asked again. Spencer looked at her feet.
"Like I said. No one." she said once again. Veronica stood up.
"Well then maybe I`ll just have to call and ask her who it is." Veronica said. Spencer`s head shot up.
"No! You can`t ask Pam!" She exclaimed. Veronica starred at her daughter for a moment, wondering why on earth she couldn`t call Pam. Then, it clicked. Everything made sense.
"It's Emily, isn't it? That's who you're doing this for." Veronica whispered. Spencer looked at her mother.
"How did you know?" She asked in awe. Veronica laughed.
"Please. You're the one who practically bit my head off for saying I was going to call Pam." She told her daughter. Spencer frowned.
"Please don't tell her I told you. She just told her parents, and now," Spencer trailed off. Veronica suddenly took a deep interest.
"She told them? What did they say?" she asked her daughter. Spencer's eyes grew glassy.
"Well, her mother went totally ballistic. Saying how Emily is disgusting, and that she's not this person. Someone else is making her this way. Her father tried to calm her mother down, but it's not exactly working. It's pretty much like talking to a wall." Spencer explained. Veronica sighed.
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But, in all respect, I can see why Pam is acting like this." She told her daughter. Spencer's head shot towards her mother and couldn't believe she was hearing these words come out of her mouth.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Spencer exclaimed, now ready to attack. Veronica held her hands up in surrender.
"I'm just saying that I can see why Pam doesn't understand right now. As a parent, you create this perfect future for your child, and when it doesn't go like you thought it would, well, Pam happens." She explained. Spencer sighed, letting go of some of the anger.
"Well, I've read all those books and pamphlets, and even before them I couldn't imagine not loving my own daughter just because she likes girls. Now it's even harder. Pam makes it sound like Emily's got a disease. But she doesn't." Spencer told her mother. Veronica sat back down on the bed next to Spencer.
"I see your point Spence, I do. But it's easier for you to say that than it is for Pam. You don't have kids. You haven't created that future." Veronica tried to explain. Spencer stood up and backed away from her mother.
"Would you do that?" she asked her mother.
"Do what?" Veronica asked. Spencer crossed her arms.
"What Pam is doing to Emily! What if the roles were reversed, and I was the one who kissed Maya at Noel Kahn's party. Would you treat me like I had a disease? Like I was broken? Like I was a disgusting excuse for a human being? Would you?" Spencer exclaimed, now on the verge of tears. Veronica sighed. So much for her quiet and peaceful night.
"Of course I wouldn't, Spence. Would I be shocked? Of course, but you're my daughter and I love you know matter what. Unless you murder someone. Then we'll have to talk." Veronica told her daughter. Spencer sighed, sitting down against the door and resting her head in her hands.
"Then why is Pam treating Emily like that?" she whispered. Veronica got up off the bed and slid down against the door next to Spencer.
"I don't know honey. I'm sorry that you're so upset...but why does it bother you so much?" Veronica asked the frazzled girl next to her. Spencer looked away.
"Because Emily didn't even want to tell us. She had to." She whispered. Veronica raised her eyebrows.
"Spencer, I'm sure she didn't have to tell you. She-" Spencer cut her off.
"Yes she did. That jackass detective made her." She said, realizing what she said all too late. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Veronica turned to face her daughter.
"When did THAT happen?" she asked her daughter, jumping back into lawyer mode without meaning to.
"That day you found us in the library. He had a letter that Em wrote to Ali, telling her that she loved her. That's why she was crying. Not because he accused her of killing Alison. She had no choice. He basically dragged her out of the closet and threw her at our faces." Spencer explained. Veronica jumped up.
"Spencer! Emily could sue that guy, and have him removed off the force! He can't do that to her. Let alone question her without an adult present." She exclaimed. Spencer shot up.
"No, please. She doesn't want that. Emily would kill me if she finds out that you know too." She pleaded. Veronica sighed.
"I won't say anything Spencer. I promise." She told her heartbroken daughter. The tears didn't leave Spencer's eyes, and so Veronica did the only thing she could think to do; she pulled her in to a hug. By now, Spencer had let the tears fall from her eyes. That scared her mother. She had never seen her daughter this upset over something that happened to someone else.
Slowly, Spencer let go of her mother and wiped away her tears.
"Okay, well I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed. Aria and I are going out to breakfast tomorrow morning with Em." Spencer told her mother, pulling out a pair of pyjamas from her drawer. Veronica nodded and started towards the door.
"Goodnight honey." She told her daughter. Spencer smiled.
"Night mom." She said back. As Veronica walked out the door, Spencer ran after her.
"Hey mom?" she called down the hallway, not caring if she woke Melissa or not. Veronica turned around as she reached her bedroom door.
"Yeah Spence?" she asked.
"Thanks for that." Spencer told her simply. Veronica smiled.
"You're welcome honey. Emily is lucky to have you." She said, and with one last smile, disappeared into her bedroom.
A/N: So that was longer than I thought! Next up is Ashley! Please review!