Takes Place After Nine Months After
"I don't think the Xbox is going to work," Aria said, placing the controller on the couch beside her. "Do you have any other way of connecting Netflix to the TV?"
"Or, just…an old fashioned DVD player?" Ezra said.
"Don't be rude," Aria said under her breath, nudging him.
"I'm not trying to be rude," he whispered back, indignant. "I'm just surprised that Spencer doesn't own a DVD player - almost to the point of disbelief."
"I can hear you, Ezra," Spencer said as she came around the corner from the kitchen, to the living room. "And it's not that I don't own one – it's that it doesn't work anymore. The tray won't open, and I'm not going to pay to have it fixed."
"Why would you? Buying a new one would be less expensive."
"Is he always this grumpy?" Spencer asked, looking past Ezra and directing her question to Aria.
"Not all the time…but when it comes to film, yes. He takes it very seriously."
"Well believe me, Ezra, if I could get the DVD player to work, I'd have done it by now. My copy of Prisoner of Azkaban has been stuck inside since sophomore year." She placed the bowl of chips on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor at Aria's feet, grabbing the controller from the couch. "It's not a Smart TV," she said as she fiddled with the buttons and popped out the batteries. "Sorry to break grandpa's heart, but I don't have a VCR either…"
"Hey," Hanna offered from Caleb's lap across the room. "It's not Ezra's fault he's not acquainted with modern technology." She stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose.
"Now who's being rude?" he asked, reaching out and taking a few chips.
"Aria, did you try reconnecting the wires at the back?"
"Yes," she said. "The box comes on, but I think it's the batteries in the controller. We could just swap back and forth from the TV remote…"
Spencer picked the remote up and waved it in the air. "They're triple A, not double A. Sorry guys." She slid both the controller and the remote onto the coffee table. "Doesn't look like we'll be watching anything tonight."
Right as she was about to ask what they'd like to do instead, there was a knock on the door and then the movement of someone walking in.
"Sorry we're late!" Emily said, hoisting a car seat through the door first, and twisting her body so that she could get the diaper bag in behind her without clipping the door frame.
"Hey, Em," Hanna said, pushing herself off Caleb's lap and walking over to help Emily into the house. "Where's Ali?"
Emily let the diaper bag fall to the floor at the edge of the living room and laid the car seat down next to it, rolling back the blanket that was laying overtop and then easing the handle down beside it. She tucked a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear and started to unbuckle the baby inside.
"Jason needed her help for a little bit, getting some family things squared away." She eased the baby out and onto her shoulder. "It's just the two of us for the weekend."
Hanna immediately reached out and made an eager motion with her fingers, urging Emily to pass the baby off. "Come see Aunt Han, little lady," she said. She scooped the baby girl out of her Mom's arms and cradled her close.
"Come sit," Spencer said. "We were just about to decide what we should do…movie night doesn't seem to be an option anymore, considering my Xbox controller is dead, I have no spare batteries, and—"
"—and she doesn't have a DVD player, much to Ezra's chagrin," Hanna added. She shooed Caleb out of the chair and took his place.
"I'll excuse you on account of an impressive vocabulary," Ezra said, getting up and joining Caleb in the kitchen.
Emily sat down beside Aria and whispered, "What did I miss? Ezra doesn't seem thrilled to be here…everything okay?"
"Oh, he's fine," Aria said. "Hanna's just giving him grief. He's just tired. Rosie's had a stomach bug and we didn't get a lot of sleep last night; that's all."
"Rosie's sick?" Spencer said, her face dropping. "I didn't know that… we could have rescheduled. I feel terrible. We have no way to watch a movie, Ali is busy, and you two have a sick child at home? Why wouldn't you say something?"
Aria leaned back against the couch. "To be honest, and maybe this makes me a terrible mother, but…we just needed to get out. It's been a month since we've had a night to ourselves."
"Please don't tell me it was the last movie night," Hanna said from across the room.
Aria cringed, wrinkling her nose. "Guilty," she said. "We're just busy!"
"When did we become so lame?" Emily asked. She leaned back into the couch and let her hands rest above her head.
"When we decided to get married and have kids," Aria offered. "Don't get me wrong." She reached out and put a hand on Emily's forearm. "You won't regret it. There's nothing better, and it absolutely broke my heart to leave Rosie home tonight, but my mom made a good point…if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of her. And believe me, Ezra is like two steps away from snapping."
Spencer stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just would have thought he'd be the patient one."
"He is," Aria said, "I think I'm past the point of snapping."
"Well I'm glad you decided to come anyway," Spencer said, rubbing a comforting hand on Aria's knee.
"He's really sore about the age thing, isn't he," Hanna said. The comment came without apology and Aria wasn't surprised.
"Yeah…" she said, drawing the word out. "I turn twenty-eight next month and in a weird way, he feels older around my birthday than his own. I think it just reminds him of the age gap."
"It's not like six years is that much though," Spencer said. A loud noise came from the kitchen, followed by a cacophony of low muttering. Spencer's head snapped up and you could see the itch to go in and check on things running through her shoulders.
"It's not," Aria said. "At least when you're twenty-eight and thirty-five…but you know…"
Hanna bust out laughing. "Out believe me, we know."
"For that, you're giving up the baby," Aria said, reaching over and taking the little girl out of her arms. She pushed the blanket back from around her face and looked for all of Emily's features hidden there. "She looks just like you, Em." She cooed at the baby, dipping in and giving her an Eskimo kiss. "Everything going okay with Ali?" She looked over to her friend who had been mostly quiet since walking in.
"Yeah," she said, "things are great." She tucked her hair again, a nervous habit. "I think she's a little overwhelmed by it all, but it'll get better. Postpartum depression is a real thing…" She trailed off, not taking her eyes off her daughter. "I think it's a little harder for her too with knowing…I don't know, it sounds dumb saying it out loud…but with knowing Katie isn't hers? Does that make sense?"
"Of course Katie is her daughter, Emily," Aria said, reaching out and squeezing Emily's hand. "Postpartum can do a number on you – believe me. I'm sure she's just going through a hard time; try not to read too much into it. Trust me when I say carrying a baby for nine months definitely makes you feel a sense of ownership, even if it's not your genes.
"And besides," Hanna chipped in, "Ali loves you. She'd be devastated to hear that you think she doesn't feel like Katie is a little piece of both of you. Has she said something that makes you feel like she regrets the decision?"
"No," Emily said quickly. She started waving her hands back and forth as if she could wipe away everything that had been said. "It's not that at all…She's great. She's perfect, actually. A natural. But sometimes I see her late at night, when she thinks I'm still sleeping in the other room, and she'll be sitting there, staring at her, and there's a look that passes over her eyes that's just…she seems so filled with sadness."
"If you don't talk to her about it, you have no way of knowing where it's coming from, though," Spencer said. "Try not to read too much into it until you've asked her about it. It's not good to let doubt or speculation brew. Things are almost always bigger in your head than they are in reality."
A barrage of footsteps could be heard entering the room and a moment later, Caleb and Ezra turned the corner.
"Hope you don't mind…we helped ourselves." Caleb held up a glass of scotch.
"Not at all," Spencer said. "In fact, I think I know of a few other people who could use a good, strong drink." She pushed herself up off the ground and pulled Hanna up to go with her. "I'm going to need an extra set of hands. I have an idea."
"I don't like the sound of that," Ezra said, coming up behind the couch and leaning over Aria's shoulder. "What do we have here?"
"I'm just getting some baby snuggles in while I can," she said, leaning her head back and flashing a smile his way. "There is absolutely nothing like the smell of a baby. I'd almost forgotten."
Ezra put his hand to her head and drew her in so that he could place a kiss along the part of her hair. "I doubt you could ever forget that smell," he said.
"You don't want any more kids?" Hanna asked as she and Spencer walked back in the room. "I think I want at least four." She gave Caleb a starry-eyed look and he just shook his head.
"She's delusional. She'd get one look at herself pregnant, freak out over gaining too much weight, and she'd never want to do it again."
"That's not true!" Hanna protested.
"You don't have to put on thirty pounds if you don't want to," Aria chimed in. "It's different for everyone, and some people take advantage of having an excuse to eat whatever they want."
"Are you secretly one of those mommy-bloggers?" Hanna asked.
"Why don't we put the baby talk to rest before my uterus starts to get jealous that you'll all have kids that grow up together and I'll be the odd man out."
"Gross, Spencer," Hanna said.
"I'm just kidding…jeez." She sat two glasses down on the coffee table and started pulling furniture out of the way, making a large, empty space in the middle of the living room. "Want to tell them our idea, Han?"
Hanna's face lit up. "We're going to force everyone to relax. Spencer volunteered to be on baby duty, Emily, so don't think you can get yourself out of this one." Emily groaned and Aria pulled Katie in a little closer. "We're going to play a little game of Never Have I Ever, and we're going to do it the grown up way."
"There's a way to play that isn't the grown up way?" Aria said sarcastically, passing Katie off to Emily so she could at least try to get out of it if she wanted. "If my memory serves me right, Ali always made sure to slip something in the communal cup before we played slumber party games."
"You know what I mean," Hanna said, rolling her eyes. She laughed lightly to herself. "Ali's going to be so pissed when she finds out she missed this."
"Old Ali, maybe," Spencer said. "She doesn't strike me as the drinking game type anymore." She pulled a few big pillows off the chair behind her and tossed them to the floor and then pulled the coffee table to where it was a little easier to reach. "Here, everyone take a seat on the floor."
Begrudgingly, they all eased out of their current positions and found new seats along the floor, forming a polite circle with Spencer at the helm.
"Pass her over, Em," she said, holding out her arms. "You get to be free tonight and I'm going to play babysitter. Hanna, you start us off." Spencer reached over and took Katie from Emily's arms, flashing her a soft, encouraging smile as she did so.
"Okay," Hanna said, straightening her back. "Everyone know how to play? I'll say a statement that starts with "never have I ever," and if you have done whatever I say I haven't done, you have to drink. Sound good?" There were a few mumbled agreements and a few groans of acknowledgement. Even though their attitudes were less than satisfying, Hanna noted that they had all joined the circle without complaint. "Come on," she said. "At least we aren't just sitting here staring at each other."
"True," Emily said. She took a sip from her cup to calm her nerves – she was less stressed about the game and more stressed at the idea of drinking with the baby. She let her eyes focus on the little head of brown, wispy hair nestled in the crook of Spencer's arm and her heart softened. Spencer would be taking good care of her, and she really could use a few hours where she didn't have to think about diapers or bottles or whether or not there was another burp she should be forcing out of the baby. "Let's go," she said.
Hanna smiled, and it was wicked. She picked up her drink and held it out to the circle, a toast to all of them. "Never have I ever slept with a teacher."
"Hey!" Aria said, sitting up a little on her heels. "That's not fair. You're singling me out!"
"I'll go with you, Aria," Emily said. She leaned forward across the circle and bumped her glass to Aria's. "Technically, I've slept with a few members of the Rosewood faculty…I just wasn't a student at the time. So Hanna should be more specific or watch her back." She gave Aria a wink and they both downed a sip from their respective glasses.
"Who's turn?" Aria asked, setting her cup back on the floor.
"Go clockwise," Spencer said. "First to empty their cup loses and we keep going until there's one person left or we meet a stalemate."
"Okay," Caleb said. "Looks like it's my turn." He thought for a moment. "Never have I ever…" he stared at the ceiling trying to think of something not quite as obvious as Hanna, but not as boring as some of the things running through his head. "Never have I ever slept with a guy."
The girls all rolled their eyes. "That was the best you could come up with?" Hanna asked.
"Trust me, there were a lot of options, but they all seemed a little…out of line."
"That's the point," she retorted, taking a drink from her cup. Aria followed, but Emily stayed still.
"I thought you slept with Ben," Aria said. "Drink up."
"We made out, and there was some heavy petting…but we never had sex," she defended. "That one is all you."
"Well it's your turn now," Spencer said.
"Right." Emily nodded. She looked around the room, surveying her options, and caught Hanna subtly pointing at Aria and Ezra, her finger just out of sight. Emily rolled her eyes but then something popped into her head. She tried to hold back a laugh. "Never have I ever been caught in the middle of giving head by my employees."
Aria slapped both hands on the floor and her eyes shot open at least a foot wider than they were before. "Are you all purposefully trying to pick on me?" she nearly shouted. "That was one time – that was you who walked in, and we were closed. You shouldn't have even been there!"
"That was a great night," Ezra said quietly, getting a satisfying chuckle from Caleb and Spencer. "Until we were interrupted that is."
"Drink," Aria said, giving him a death glare.
"Uh-uh," Emily said, shaking her head. "Nope; I would have remembered if it was the other way around."
"Who's to say someone else hasn't caught us in the act?"
"Are you seriously suggesting that you've let that mistake happen more than once? I swear, if I see it again, I'm calling the health inspector on you."
"I was k-i-d-d-i-n-g," Aria said. "Don't listen to anything Sabrina tells you," she mumbled. She quickly took another drink. She was already feeling a little buzzed considering she'd had the equivalent of three shots in the matter of five minutes. "It's more exciting when there's a little bit at stake," she mumbled into her cup.
Spencer leaned over, holding a sleeping Katie close to her. "I heard that," she said.
"You're about to hear a lot more if you don't switch me half way through," Aria said.
"Your turn, Ezra," Emily said with a laugh, oblivious to the quiet conversation happening across the room.
He let out a sigh and stuck one leg out, repositioning slightly, then turned to look at her. "Never have I ever walked in on my boss having sex in the office," he said. He raised a hand to Emily. "Cheers."
She shot him a death glare. "That was just lazy," she said before taking a drink.
"All right," Aria said, sitting up on her knees. "Never have I ever made out with Alison DiLaurentis."
"You can't single people out like that," Emily said.
"Excuse me!" Aria shouted with a smile on her lips. "Was that not what you just did to me? Besides, I'm not singling anyone out," she said. She stuck out her tongue good-naturedly. "Unlike some of you, I'm going to try and play fair."
The other players looked around the room as Emily, Ezra, and surprisingly, Hanna raised their glasses to their lips.
Emily pointed a finger at Hanna as she put her drink down, trying not to spit the liquid onto the carpet around her. "Ahh!" she blurted. She looked between Hanna and Aria. "I totally forgot about that!"
"You guys really aren't playing this game right," Spencer said.
"Then here," Aria said, stopping her. She put her cup in front of Spencer and reached out, taking the baby back in her arms. "You take the next turn and show us how it's supposed to be played, since we 'aren't playing right'."
"I mean, you're calling people out," she said. "You're supposed to keep it vague…not try to get each other drunk. Listen. Never have I ever…ruined someone's vacation."
"Are you sure about that?" Ezra said. "I happen to remember one summer when you were supposed to come with us to Seattle and you bailed. We had to explain the whole way there why Aunt Spence wasn't with us…to a three year old..."
Spencer's shoulders sank. "I didn't really ruin your vacation, did I?"
"No," Aria said, shaking her head. "Why are you being such a grump tonight?"
"I'm not being a grump," Ezra protested.
"Beg to differ," Aria said. She tried to give him a soft smile and reached out for his hand. "Want to hold the baby? She makes everything better…" He took one look at her and couldn't help the smile from breaking through. Reaching out, he took her from Aria's arms and you could see the tension in him ease.
"So no one drinks on that one," Hanna said, looking around the room. "Except for maybe Spencer. Thanks for showing us how it's done, doll."
Spencer rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She held Aria's cup to her mouth and took a long drink. "There."
Hanna smiled, the dimples in her cheeks seeming extra deep. "My turn. Never have I ever tried to hide a pregnancy from my best friends for three months."
Aria didn't even say anything. She reached over and took the cup from in front of Spencer and threw the rest of it back until it was empty. When she pulled it away from her lips, she looked to Ezra. "You too, bud," she said. "It takes two to make a baby."
The game went on for at least another ten minutes, Spencer and Caleb failing miserably, their statements only ever making at most one person drink. Hanna and Emily seemed to have a secret pact to pester Aria and Ezra to death, but Aria was dishing it right back. Eventually, the game ended with Hanna as the winner. They considered playing another round, but when Aria could hardly stand, they thought it best to call it quits for the night.
"Are you sure you'll be able to get her home?" Spencer said, standing to put the baby back in her car seat. "I'm going to drive Emily home and stay there until Ali gets back; I could easily drop you both home on the way if you want."
"That's okay," he said. "Thanks though. I really want to pick Rosie up from Ella's."
Spencer stared at him a moment, watching the way he watched Aria as she lay on the floor, her head propped on top of her hands and her eyes closed. She was a half second away from dead asleep.
"She might be a lightweight, but I can hold my liquor," he offered. Hanna and Caleb were talking animatedly with Emily behind them. Spencer stepped in a little closer and got a serious look on her face.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable tonight, or if I pushed you to do something you weren't interested in," she said. "Hanna and I just wanted everyone to relax a little. I don't feel like we ever get to sit back and let loose. All the jabs...we were really just teasing. You know we don't look at you any differently, right?"
"No," Ezra said, shaking his head. "I had a good time; and Aria needed this. I'm just anxious to get back to Rosie."
"Are you sure that's it? Everything going okay? Is that what's been eating at you all night?"
Ezra raised a hand to the back of his neck and glanced back at the others. They were oblivious, wrapped deep in their own conversation.
"It's not just that," he said quietly. "Has she talked to you about anything lately?" Spencer shook her head 'no'. "We, uh…we've been trying to get pregnant for the past few months. It's just not coming as easily as it did the first time."
Spencer was quiet for a moment as they both looked down at Aria's small frame. She thought through the events of the night and suddenly, Aria's eagerness to hold Katie and all the baby talk seemed to make sense. She felt awful for teasing them as much as they had knowing what was eating at them both. She cleared her throat and tried to be as sensitive as possible without making Ezra feel uncomfortable.
"Well," she started. "You weren't exactly trying the last time. Maybe try to relax and let things work in their own time, at their own pace." It wasn't really practical advice, but it was something. At least, she hoped. "I really do think Rosie will be okay at Ella's…and forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but…I think you should take your wife home and enjoy having sex. Without any pressure or expectations, without any distractions or tiny voices to interrupt you. Making time for yourselves doesn't make you bad parents. It makes you a healthy couple."
Ezra nodded his head but there was a look of discomfort across his face.
"Overstep my boundaries?" Spencer asked, an uncertain look in her eyes.
"Meh…" Ezra shook his head back and forth like he couldn't decide and kneeled down, putting a hand on the back of Aria's thigh, shaking her a little until she stirred. "Sometimes I just can't help but think about the fact that my best friends also happen to be a bunch of my old high school students."
Spencer stepped back and let out a low breath of exasperation.
"Oh, shut up, Mr. Fitz." Her movements drew the attention of the rest of the room and a moment later, the other three were walking their way. "Take her home before I do it for you." She shook her head and laughed as she collected the empty glasses and walked them back to the kitchen.
AN: So I know it's weird that I'm dropping this in here now as a one shot even though I could save it for later and do a future chapter in NMA...but...I didn't want to do that. I had a request on Tumblr a while back to write a one shot of the group playing NHIE and it sounded fun, but when I went to write it, the game was just repetitive and got a little boring because I didn't want it to turn into something terribly graphic or out of character - and like, seriously, they've all done a lot of shit. Anyway. I decided I liked this idea and I went for it.
Hopefully you like the name reveal :) weird way to do it, huh. Sorry if it irritates you.
Let me know what you thought :)