Author note:Hey there!This is my first attempt ever at writing a fanfiction, also it's the first work I decided to publish so far. So, I hope that whomever will take the time to read this will have a good time. I'm absolutely open to any sort of criticism, even mean ones, provided they have a purpose – that's it. Oh, English is not my first language so please, forgive me for any linguistic outrage I involuntarily committed.

Disclaimer: I don't own any character present in this story. I'm only borrowing them for some fun.

Rosewood, September 2001

[Marin's household]

It was a beautiful sunny day in Rosewood and, although it was still early in the morning, the air was nicely warm. Oddly enough, the chirping of the birds was the only sound coming from outside, and Ashley Marin was sitting on a barstool by the kitchen counter sipping her coffee and highly enjoying what is the definition of a peaceful morning. That was until…

"HANNA! GET UP, NOW!" shouted a voice that belonged to her husband, Tom. "You don't want to be late on your first day of school, little girl", barked again the man.

Ashley slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment to brace herself before she made her way upstairs in order to deal with her stubborn daughter and her infuriating husband.

"I DON'T WANNA GO TO SCHOOL. I WANNA STAY HOME WITH MOMMY!" Hanna cried, "AND I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL!"

So much for a quiet morning, Ashley thought to herself, rolling her eyes…

[Meanwhile, at the Hasting's]

It was a beautiful sunny day in Rosewood. It was also the first day of school in the new town for the Hastings girls. They transferred here at the beginning of summer from Philly and they already had settled in to their new life. A much more quiet one, her parents claimed.

Spencer made her way downstairs, where her parents were already having breakfast with her older sister Melissa; she greeted them and took a seat at the table. She grabbed a plate of pancakes and poured herself some orange juice.

"So Spence, are you excited for your first day?" asked her father. "Now that you're all grown up you're going to have so much more responsibilities, do you feel ready?" He asked with a bit of a condescending tone. Although he wasn't the most attentive of the parents, Peter knew his daughter, and how she always wants to be treated like an adult. Or at least he thought so.

"Oh please, dad. It's only 3rd grade!" Melissa scoffed. She didn't like it very much when her parent's attention wasn't on her.

Spencer shyly bowed her head at her sister's words, slightly hurt by her behavior; then she raised it again and looked at her father, her eyes shining with emotion: "Yes dad, actually I can't wait to start school. I'm going to learn a lot of interesting things, and play sports, and make new experiences. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. And I'll be the best at everything!" She announced somewhat confidently, hoping to make her parents proud of her.

"Ahah, very good champ! That's how a real Hastings talk" her father praised, winking at her. "I'm sure that you'll do great, after all you have an excellent role model in your sister. Don't hesitate to go to her if you need anything, she'll be there for you. Right, Mel?" Peter prodded her eldest daughter expectantly.

"Of course" Melissa replied with the sweetest smile she could plaster.

"I'm sure she will" Spencer muttered under her breath. "Thank you Mel. I'm really grateful" she then offered graciously, if nothing else to politeness sake.

"Alright then, shall we go? It's getting late…" Veronica finally spoke up; apparently she just came back from wherever her mind had drifted off. "I'll drive you today, girls. Come on, hurry up".

Spencer stood and went to grab her backpack. When she turned around her mother and her sister were already ahead of her and outside in the driveway; she sighed and started walking toward the car.

Well, off to a great start…

[Rosewood's Elementary School]

Of course, little Spencer was the first one to arrive to her classroom. She beat even her teacher, not that it was that surprising. She was a Hastings, after all. Punctuality was one of their oh so many merits. So, after taking a peek at her surroundings she decided to sat in a desk at the very front row, and began to read a book she had with her. She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't notice at first that other children were now occupying the room. They were animatedly talking to each other, telling great stories about their summer vacations in which she wasn't interested. At all.

Suddenly, a loud scream pierced the air and Spencer jumped a little, startled. Desperate cries followed until they subsided abruptly. Moments later, a small girl with blonde hair and big, puffy blue eyes was on the door. "She must be the source of all that turmoil", Spencer thought to herself while returning to her book. However, for some reason her gaze kept going back to that kid, whom now was quietly sitting in the far back of the classroom, alone. She looked sad, and upset. And… pissed? Yep, she was definitely pissed. Spencer couldn't help but notice how the blonde little girl was clutching the stuffed animal (it looked like a bunny but she wasn't sure) she had with herself to her chest, her knuckles white from the pressure she was exercising and her hands slightly shaking. She seemed kind of nervous, too. "Ugh, she's there all alone and no one of the other kids seems to care. Maybe I should go talk to her"; Spencer was about to stand up when the teacher finally decided to make an appearance. "Well, I guess it's too late now". So instead she turned toward the blackboard - where her teacher was writing her name on - and put aside her plan, concentrating instead on the lesson that was about to start.

It was recess time, and the kids were all taking a well deserved break. Miss Reynolds insisted that they all went out to the courtyard, so Spencer was kind of forced to follow. Luckily she had the good sense to bring that book with her, because she had no intentions of playing stupid games for children with the others. She noticed however that she wasn't alone: another girl had the same thought. Actually, she was now approaching her with a book in her hands and a big smile on her face.

"Hi, my name is Aria. I see you like to read too?" the girl smiled warmly at her. She had big, beautiful hazel/green eyes.

"Hello, I'm Spencer. Yes, indeed; It's one of my favorite hobbies" Spencer replied, shrugging a little.

Aria stared oddly at her for a few seconds, then smiled again and sat down next to Spencer. They talked some more, getting to know each other and soon enough they became friends.

"Hey Spence, would you like to come to m…" Aria was cut off in the middle of her sentence by a loud thump and a yelp of pain.

"Ooouuuch" the blonde girl from earlier cried. She was face down on the ground, and Spencer noticed that her knee was scratched and bleeding. An older boy was standing in front of her, and they were surrounded by a bunch of kids; among them were Melissa Hastings. They were all laughing at the girl on the ground, whose face was now covered with mud. The younger Hastings felt a sudden rush of anger coming through her at the sight; she excused herself from Aria and she made her way through the crowd until she reached the poor girl.

"Hey, here. Let me help you." Spencer said, holding out her hand. Hanna took it a little hesitant, but also grateful. For a moment they locked eyes, and she found herself unable to look away from those big, chocolate eyes that held so much intensity in their gaze. She smiled a little, and was inexplicably happy when the other girl returned the gesture with such a softness that left her at a loss for words. The brown haired girl's expression, however, turned all too soon into a mask of fury when she turned around to face the tall boy who had pushed her earlier. She got even more angry when he started to laugh, along with the others;

"Oink! Oink! Now Hefty Hanna looks even more like a pig!" the boy laughed together with the others. Hanna was now sobbing hard, her face hidden between her hands.

Spencer saw red. She didn't know why, but she was beyond pissed now and she felt this need to protect the smaller girl behind her. They were still laughing at Hanna's expense and calling her names when suddenly Spencer launched herself at the boy and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, despite being evidently smaller than him.

She kneeled beside him and growled in his ear: "If I catch you again tormenting my friend I'll make you pay, got it?" The boy vigorously nodded his head and gulped. Then ran away with his tail between his legs, the other kids following. Only Melissa remained there, silently watching Spencer handing the blonde a handkerchief to wipe her face with. The two sisters had an intense glaring contest for a few seconds, before Melissa too went away.

"Uhm, thank you. For what you did… and also… thank you!" the blonde said. "I'm Hanna, by the way".

"Oh, yeah… of course! Sorry, I'm Spencer. Spencer Hastings. And you don't need to thank me, really." The brunette smiled softly.

"I like your name!" Hanna blurted out without thinking. Then blushed, furiously.

"Yeah… it's not very common for girls, but thanks".

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. In that moment Aria approached the pair, with a tall brunette beside her.

"Hey Spence, that was awesome! You were great! That Chuck guy is a real moron, he deserved a lesson" She exclaimed. "Oh, this is my friend Emily. Em, this is the new girl I was telling you about, Spencer".

Emily offered her hand to the other brunette: "It's very nice to meet you" They smiled at each other.

"Oh, I don't know if you guys know each other, however this is Hanna" Spencer pointed to the smaller girl and they all exchanged pleasantries and small talk.

Recess came to an end and the four of them returned to their classroom, each one of them happy to have made a new friend.

[Later that night, Marin's household]

"Aaww, I looove Disney's movies! Thank you mommy for watching them with me" Hanna smiled brightly to her mother, making a show of her dimples.

"Of course you do!" The redhead chuckled to her daughter's antics. "So… want to tell me what happened that made you so happy? You were so distressed this morning and now you can't literally stop smiling" Not that I'm complaining, Ashley thought to herself.

"Well… I think I met my princess charming" Hanna sighed, an enamored, dreamy expression on her face. Just thinking about her knight in blue dress and white cardigan made her all giddy inside.

"Oh, really now?" Ashley smirked. Then: "Wait, WHAT?" She exclaimed, slightly shocked by this admission.

No need to say that that night Mrs. Marin had a long conversation with her daughter about this Spencer girl who had stolen her little angel's heart. And, if what Hanna told her about how they met was true, she couldn't be more happy. At least, she knows that with Spencer she's always going to be safe.