PURE SPOBY! So, I am suffering from temporary writers block with Alex 2.0, so I am going to write a new story. I will finish Alex 2.0, but it will resume in a few months. I'm really sorry if anybody was expecting an update, but if I'm going to write something, I need to be able to write it to the best of my ability. For now, Enjoy!

P.S. In this story, Toby is not –A and never will be. –A will not make an immediate appearance.

-Vivian

Spencer's POV

I wait outside the delivery room, praying that everything's going to plan. A month ago, the Doctors noticed that there was a problem with the pregnancy. Melissa's heartbeat was too weak, and there's a chance she might not survive labour. Ian has been dead for three months, and she hasn't taken it well. She refused to sleep or eat unless I made her. She stayed in the same clothes for days until I forced her to shower and change. Mom and Dad, of course, didn't help me. They only spoke to her when she had good days, and they refused to even look at me. When she had bad days, they were nowhere to be found.

The doctor walks up to us. "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Hastings?" she asks. They nod. "I'm sorry, but there was a complication." My parents don't respond, but I start to sob. My father silences me with a look. "So, the baby is dead? I suppose you would like us to arrange a funeral for it? Well, I don't see why we should waste the money. It's just a baby." My mother nods along. The doctor looks between them, confused. "Sir, I'm sorry, the baby is fine. A little small, but other than that, perfectly healthy." She tells Mom. Dad starts laughing. "Then what is the fuss all about?" Dad asks. Wait a minute… If the baby is fine, then… I look up, and start to cry again. "Melissa is dead, isn't she?" I ask. The doctor nods. Now my parent react.

Xxx

3 days later, we sit in a courtroom. I thought I'd seen the end of this when Mona went to trial and was sent to Radley, but no.

"Thank you all for coming to the reading of the last will and testament of Melissa Angela Hastings."

I already know how this is going to go. Her house, Mom and Dad. Her Money, our Nana. Her clothes, Charity for single moms. Everything else, Mom and Dad again. I'm right. Until it's almost over, and we're about to find out who she left Taylor in the care of. My guess: Mom and Dad.

"Her daughter was previously left to the care of Mr and Mrs Hastings, but,"

But. I look up, as do Mom and Dad.

"To quote her, 'In Light of… Recent events, I realise that the only one suitable to leave my child to is my little sister, Spencer.'"

I clap my hand over my mouth. All eyes are on me. Mom and Dad look furious. Melissa's lawyer awkwardly continues speaking.

"All legal parental rights are in said Hastings's name." Mom and Dad stand up, and utter cries of protest.

"Of course, Ms Hastings is still a minor, so the final decision will be left to her." Mom and Dad sit down again, smug expressions on their faces. "Ms. Hastings, please step forward." I stand up on shaky legs. In front of me are two sheets of paper. I read both of them, trying to ignore the deadly silence in the courtroom. One sheet agrees to accept parental rights towards Taylor. The other installs them towards Mom and Dad. Which do I sign?

(FLASHBACK)

Melissa sits in her room, with peach walls patterned with pink flowers. I've just managed to get her to eat a tub of cookie Dough Ice cream. It's all she'll eat. "Spence…" she starts. I look up at her, giving a small smile.

"If I die in two weeks… I did something. That affects you, and I'm sorry, and I love you. But I didn't have a choice. I've been horrible to you all my life, but you're still here, looking after me when I need it. That's why I know you can do what I need you to do, if the time comes. Please, do the right thing."

I look at her, confused. "Mel, I get why you were horrible to me. Living here… isn't the easiest. For anybody. And I wasn't the greatest to you either. And… I don't know what you're talking about, but I promise I'll try and do what I think is right." Melissa grabs my hand.

"I have to apologise to you. I've been so blind. First, I believed Wren when he lied about you, because he kissed you, not the other way around, then I believed Ian, and let him harass you and nearly kill you without me knowing. I should have been there. And then, I let Mona stalk and threaten you. If I'd just payed attention, I could have stopped Mona before it got out of hand."

I pull her into a hug. "Melissa, none of this is your fault. You couldn't control that Wren and Ian had a thing for younger girls, and as for the whole thing with Mona… If me and the girls hadn't let Alison tease her in the first place, she wouldn't have even had a problem at all." Melissa sobs into my shoulder. "I love you, Spence." She whispers. I rub her back. "I love you too, Melissa." I murmur, but Melissa has already fallen asleep.

I blink, and look around me. My parents, glaring at me, trying to force me to hand over the rights without speaking. I can't let them raise Taylor. They'll try and make her into a mini Melissa, and I've been there. It ruined my childhood. I won't let them do that to her. But the other choice is the foster system. And who knows if she'll get adopted or not. If not, she'll have years of pain and the feeling of abandonment, and she deserves to know what love of a family feels like.

I take a deep breath, sign one of the papers, and walk back to my seat.

"Ms Hastings accepts parental rights bestowed by her sister. In doing so, she agrees to raise this child as her own. Do you agree, Ms Hastings?" I nod. "Answer Verbally." Says the lawyer.

"Yes. Yes, I do."

My parents turn to give me a death stare. The lawyer steps down, and people start to file out. The lawyer comes up to me. "Ms Hastings, I understand this is hard, but there are certain things that need to be addressed about the child that your sister never got the chance to confirm. You are aware the child has a cleft lip? The surgery has already been done to her mouth, but for the first year, she required extra care." I nod.

"We should get to the hospital. There are some things we need you to fill in. For example, the child does not have a name." Melissa only told me, but she wanted to name her Taylor. Mom and Dad begin follow the Lawyer, but he stops them. "I'm sorry Mr and Mrs Hastings, but only the legal parent of the child is legally allowed to participate. The legal parent is now Spencer. I assume you have your own transport?" They nod curtly, and leave.

Xxx

At the hospital, I'm taken to a room where a doctor is holding Taylor, waiting for out arrival. She sees the lawyer and smiles. "Just in time. The results of the surgery have just come in. It went well, but she needs a special bottle to drink from that's soft on her lips. Where are the legal guardians?" The Lawyer gestures to me. "This is Ms Hastings. I'm sorry, but I'm meeting a client in Philly, so I have to leave." I nod, and he walks out of the door.

"So, Ms Hastings, I am Doctor Meade, The child's doctor, and you'll be seeing a lot of me. But please, call me Amanda." I nod. "Thanks. And call me Spencer." I smile at her. "Now, I'm pretty sure you've probably been told that she doesn't have a name?" Amanda asks. I nod. "As the legal guardian, it's your choice what she should be called." She hands me another piece of paper and a pen. There's space to write the full name and surname, as well as room for me to sign. I take the pen, and write,

Taylor Melissa Katrina Alison Hastings

Then I sign the papers. "Melissa told me she wanted to name her Taylor, and she should remember her mom. Katrina was Melissa's best friend, who died of cancer in senior year. Alison is… was my best friend. You've heard of Alison DiLaurentis?" I ask, and Amanda's eyes go wide. "Oh my god, you're one of the girls who was stalked. I'm so sorry, that was so unprofessional!" She looks extremely embarrassed, but I laugh. "It's okay, I'm used to it." "Do you want to hold her?" asks Amanda. I nod.

Amanda hands me Taylor, and I stroke her face. She looks exactly like Melissa. You could never tell that she was Ian's. Her cleft lip is stitched up, and I know from AP Biology that they will come off in half a year, just to be cautious. Her hair s slightly wavy, and a small tuft sticks up. I try to smooth it back, but it doesn't work. I remember from Melissa's baby pictures that she had a similar situation with her hair until she was three.

A tear escapes my eyes, and I use my free hand to wipe it away. Taylor grabs a piece of my hair with her tiny hand, and I shakily laugh.

After that, she's weighed, I'm taught how to feed her because of her mouth, and Amanda explains that I'll have to take her in once a week to check her stiches. After three months, it will become once a fortnight. I nod, and she tells me that since everything looks okay, she's probably ready to go home. I nod, and take her in my arms again. She's fallen asleep, and I realise I don't have a carrier. "Um, I just signed the papers making me her parent, and I don't really have a carrier…" Amanda laughs. "Just carry her in your arms for now, and buy a carrier later. Now, we do give our car seats for new-borns in this kind of situation, so follow me."

Xxx

I arrive home, and take Taylor out of the car. I carry her into the house, hoping to avoid my parents. No such luck.

"What the hell were you thinking?" My mother's voice rings through the room, waking Taylor up. She starts to cry, and I sit on the couch, trying to calm her down. My mother notices, but doesn't lower her voice. My father joins in.

"Melissa was all over the place. If she was in her right state of mind, she would want us to take care of Cynthia." He tells me. "Who is Cynthia?" I ask. Mom looks at me. "The baby's name is Cynthia. Your father and I have decided. Cynthia Veronica Hastings." I roll my eyes. "The baby's name is Taylor Melissa Katrina Alison Hastings. Melissa always wanted to call the baby Taylor." My father's face goes red. "You're lying. You actually have the audacity to take our baby from us, name them after a pop star, and then try and pass it off as Melissa's idea all along!" Taylor starts crying louder, her cries turning to wails. "It's okay Cynthia. Spencer may be your legal guardian, but she's grounded, and we're going to make her sign papers to give you back to us." Mom coos. She starts to cry even louder, and mom and dad cover their ears. I rub her back. "Taylor, we're going upstairs now, to get away from all the crazy. Then we're leaving." I tell her. She stops crying, but quickly falls asleep.

"What's wrong with her face?" mom asks. I glare up at her. "She has a cleft lip." I explain. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Spencer. I'm just curious as to what is wrong with your sister so that I'm informed when you sign these." I stare at her, incredulous. "Firstly, she is not my sister, she is my niece and adopted daughter. Secondly, I'm not signing anything. And before you think of forgery, I already signed papers at the hospital, saying that if I sign anything you give me, to ignore it, because you would try to coerce me. Those papers have already been sent to a lawyer, and pre-date these, so they will hold up in court. Thirdly, you can stop calling Taylor Cynthia because I already registered her name at the hospital."

Dad bangs the wall with his fists. "Do you realise what you've done? Now Cynthia can't even be our daughter because of you. We went from two, to one, to two, to no daughters. As far as I'm concerned, you're no longer a Hastings. You have one hour to get your things and leave. And we're pulling you out of Rosewood high." He yells. "Fine by me. I stopped off and applied for early graduation on the way here, and transferred the money in my trust and other accounts into a private account that you can't touch, so enjoy your lives. Don't expect to see either of us again. And her name is Taylor"

I storm upstairs, leaving them with shocked looks on their faces. They raised me to think of everything, but I guess they raised me too well. Not. I pack my clothes in a huge suitcase, making sure I have everything I need. I head to Melissa's room, Taylor in my arms, and pull open the storage doors where she kept some stuff she said she bought online for Taylor. I grab the soft cushy baby carrier I see, and tuck Taylor into it. She giggles, then winces as it pulls on her stiches. "Shh. It's okay baby girl. We're just going to see my friends." I stroke her face again. I grab a duffel, and stuff all the baby clothes, pillow, quilts, everything Taylor needs in, leaving the pink baby bottle, and replacing it with the ones from the hospital. As a last thought, I take out the golden locket Melissa always wore, and place it in, zipping the bag up. It has a picture of her at high school graduation, and a lock of her hair nestled inside. Taylor can wear it when she's older.

I'm in the car driving to Hanna's house with 30 minutes to spare, Taylor asleep in her car seat. My phone buzzes, and I pull over. "What do you want, mom?" I ask.

(A.N. Spencer=Normal, Veronica=Bold)

Come back with our daughter. Cynthia deserves parents who can take care of her. You clearly can't.

Mom, when I said you wouldn't be seeing us again, I meant it. We might run into each other on the street, but I will ignore you and walk away. You and Dad are nothing but bad news for Taylor.

Spencer, I wasn't asking! Give us our daughter, and get the hell out!

She's not your daughter, she's Melissa's, and she's mine.

We love her, unlike you, ungrateful brat!

If you loved her, you would have cared if she died of not. I heard you at the hospital. You wouldn't even give her a funeral. So I'm only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from my family, and I'll stay away from yours. Goodbye, Mother.

I hang up before she can respond, and block both her and dad's numbers. I look at Taylor, who is still asleep, and drive again. I stop at Hanna's house. I pick up Taylor, and ring the bell. Mrs. Marin answers the door. "Hi, Spencer! With… a baby… I'm guessing you want to talk to Hanna. Is this Melissa's daughter?" I nod. Taylor chooses that moment to wake up and look up at Mrs. Marin. "Oh, a cleft lip! Poor thing! She's darling, though. Pass on my praise to Melissa?" she asks. "Um… Melissa. She didn't survive labour. I'm here to talk to Hanna because Melissa left Taylor in my care and I agreed to the rights." (A.N. I have no idea if this is how it works in real life, but please just go with it…)

"Spencer… I'm so sorry. But I completely understand. I wouldn't want Taylor raised by your parents either." I nod. "Actually, I'm here for two reasons. One involves you. I need a place to stay, and I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate. It's for a week, until Toby gets back from his building job. Then I'm going to ask him, and if not, I'll apply for a flat of my own." She nods. "Of course you can stay here. I still have Hanna's crib, and to be honest, I miss having a baby in the house." She tells me. "Thankyou!" I hug her, Taylor between us. "Do you want to hold your great niece?" I ask. She nods, sitting on the couch. "I, um, also wanted to ask Hanna if she wants to be godmother. Is that okay?" I awkwardly ask. Ashley bounces in her seat. "I think it's up to Hanna, but thank you! What's her name?" I breathe in. "Taylor Melissa Katrina Alison Hastings." Ashley smiles at me. "Hanna told me about Katrina. I'm sure they'd all be honoured."

"Spencer? What are you doing in my house and why do you have your sister's baby?" Hanna asks, walking in. "My cue to leave." Ashley hands me Taylor. "Hanna, be nice." Ashley mutters. Hanna walks to the counter. "Coffee?" She asks. I give her a look. "Is that even a question?" Han laughs and gets out two pink cups.

"So, back to my earlier question…" She says, handing me my drink. I take a deep sip. "So, basically, this is Taylor. She's Melissa's daughter. Melissa died in labour, and left her to me. My parents wanted rights, but I refused, so they kicked me out, and my mom said I could stay here for the week. I also came to ask you if you wanted to me godmother." Hanna's eyes go wide. "So, you, like, have a kid now?" she asks. I nod. She wraps her arms around me. "Of course I'll be godmother. But Aria might be a little jelly." She tells me. I laugh. "I love my daily dose of Sparia, but I also need Spanna." I tell her. She beams. "Wait, but what about Em?" I rack my brains. "Spemily." I decide. Hanna laughs.

"What's her full name?" Han asks. I grin wider. "Taylor Melissa Katrina Alison Hastings." A tear escapes Hanna's eyes. "It's beautiful. Ali would be proud." She tells me. I grin back. Can we go tell Aria and Emily?" she asks. I nod. "Yay!" she squeals. "Mom, were going out!" Hanna calls. "No shoplifting!" Ashley calls back. "Are you ever gonna let that go?" asks Hanna. "Probably not! Now have fun. I know you won't steal today because Spencer's responsible. You're harder to look after then Taylor." Ashley laughs. "Goodbye, Mom!" Hanna calls out.

Xxx

"Emily! Get down here right now!" Hanna calls. "Mom, who let Hanna in the house?" Em calls, walking down the stairs. Pam pokes her head through the door. Hanna is standing there tapping her foot. "Me. You need to go have fun for once." She tells Em. "We're gonna get Ar, then go Baby shopping!" Hanna shouts. Smooth, Hanna, Real smooth. "I'll explain in the car. Let's go." I tell Em. "Bye, Emmy!"

Xxx

"Spannily in the house!" Hanna shouts when she sees Aria. "SPARIA!" Aria shouts playfully. "Spanna is real! I'm godmother, not you!" Hanna counters. "Sparia is better! Right Spence?" Aria asks. I shrug. "Can we be Spannia?" I ask. We all burst out laughing. "Bye the way, you're both wrong. Spemily is the best." Em says. "SPANNIA!" Hanna and Aria both shout. "I've created monsters." I mutter. "Aaw, Spence, we love you too." Hanna says. "Wait, what do you mean Godmother?" Aria asks. I explain everything. "But Hanna is godmother?" she asks. I roll my eyes. "Come on, Tiny. We're going baby shopping." I explain.

"No, no, no!" Hanna moans. "Not the red dress, the pink and blue one." "We can get both!" Aria exclaims. "I like the green lace top." I murmur. Taylor plays with Emily's hair. A smell invades the room. "I think Taylor needs her diaper changed." I take Taylor from Em and stand up. "Can I help?" Em asks. I gawp at her. "You want to scoop poop of a baby's butt?" I ask. Hanna and Aria giggle. "I don't want you to run into one of your parents on your own." Em explains. "I, won't be helping." I roll my eyes. "Nice to know you guys are devoted aunts." I mutter.

In the bathrooms, I peel off the offending diaper, throw it in the trash, apply some Diaper cream, replace it, and wash my hands. I take Taylor out of the bathroom. Em is waiting for me, and sniffs the air. "You did a good job." She tells me. "Em, it's a baby, not a hand grenade." She laughs.

When we get back, Aria and Hanna are waiting outside the store. They have 5 bags, each overflowing with Baby clothing. Aria take Taylor from my arms, and without warning, Hanna leaps onto my back and pulls out her infinity scarf, tying it around my eyes. "We have decided" Aria starts dramatically, "That for this trip, we choose everything Taylor gets, and we pay." Em starts to laugh. "I'm in." she says. "Yaaas! Team Harily!" she shouts, and the people give us dirty looks. "Guys, we are not seriously doing this." I say. "Yes we are!" they scream. This is going to be a long day.

A WEEK LATER.

I knock on the door of Toby's loft, Taylor in my arms. I knock, and hear his feet coming down the stairs. He opens the door, and his eyes widen when he sees Taylor. "Please hold your questions till the very end." I tell him. He nods.

"So, as you can see, Melissa had her baby. Her name is Taylor. But Melissa died in labour, and left me as Taylor's legal parent, so, what I'm trying to tell you, is that I have a daughter. I know it's not what you signed up for, so if you don't feel like this can work, I understand." My voice breaks at the end. He opens his arms to me. "Spence, we didn't come this far for me to ditch you because of something so major in your life. I love you, and I'm here for you and your daughter." I crawl into his arms and he holds me as I cry. He glances at Taylor. "Hey, she doesn't even look like Ian, so that's a blessing." I laugh.

"Why aren't your parents here with you?" he asks. "Um." Is all I reply with. He looks at me. "Spencer. What did they do?" he asks. "Um, they wanted the rights. And to name Taylor Cynthia. I said no, so they kicked me out." He kisses my forehead. "You can move in here. And Taylor." I look up at him, guilt washing over me. "That's kind of the other reason I'm here. I don't think I can do this on my own. And you can say no, and I'm being completely selfish, and… forget I said anything." I mutter. "Spencer, tell me what you are going to say before I have to take Taylor and tickle you till you speak. You know I will." He looks at me expectantly. "Um… I wondered if you wanted to be Taylor's legal father. I know, okay. I know. Stupid idea. You have a life, and I'm not going to ruin it." His eyes soften. "Where are the papers?" he asks. I look up at him, shocked. "What papers?" I ask. He groans. "Spencer Jill Hastings, I know that you brought papers, you are the definition of control freak. Give them to me so that I can sign them. You are not alone in this. You'll never be alone again." I reach out and take a manila envelope from my bag. He grabs a pen from his table. I hand him the Envelope, and he signs every page. "What now?" he asks. "Now we give this in, and its official." I tell him. "Then let's go." He says.

Xxx

"Toby, I need to show you something." I tell him. "What is it?" he asks. "Something I brought for Taylor. I want her to remember Melissa." I explain. "It's this locket she always wore. It has her hair, and a picture of her inside." I explain. He takes it in his hands. "It's beautiful. Could I make a box for it?" He asks. "Tobes, that's perfect." I exclaim. I'm holding Taylor, and he wraps his arms around us, kissing my forehead. "I love you, and you're going to be a great mom." I look up at him. "Toby, you signed the papers. Please don't think you need to handle this situation with kid gloves. I brought the papers to you because I was falling, and I wanted you to catch me. You're her parent too." He looks at me with gentle eyes. "Are you sure?" he asks. I nod. He smiles at me. "Then I love you both." He whispers in my ear.

Xxx

"So, let me get this straight. You flat out agreed to be the father, even though you've known about all this for around two hours?" Hanna asks Toby. He nods. "Wow. That's commitment. Caleb, take notes." We're in the brew, with Hanna and Caleb, Aria and Ezra, and Emily. Toby is holding Taylor, trying and failing to feed her a baby bottle. I laugh. "Tobes, you have to alternate between each side of her mouth so sucking doesn't become painful." He does as I tell him, and it gets easier by the minute.

The door to the brew opens, and in walks… Jenna. "Oh boy." Caleb mutters. Unfortunately, Jenna seems to hear him. She walks over, her stick tapping as she goes. "Caleb. Are you alone?" she asks. "Can I slap her again?" Hanna asks. Realisation dawns on her face. "You're all here, aren't you?" she says. "Yes, Jenna. We are" Aria tells her, trying and failing to sound polite. "Good. Toby, Mom and Dad want you to come home."

"They wanted me to come home last month, and the answer is still no." He tells her. Taylor fusses, and Toby hands her to me with a pleading look on his face. I nod, and start to burp her. Jenna catches on. "Melissa had her baby? And she let her sister take her out? She does know you're a murderer, right, Spencer?" Toby stands up, but I stop him. Let me handle this. She mouths. "Jenna, Melissa is dead." I tell her. Jenna smirks. "Oh, so you killed her too?" she asks. I grit my teeth. "Melissa died in childbirth. She left Taylor in my care." I explain. Jenna looks furious. "And you dragged Toby into your family's mess? You're even more pathetic then I thought. Forcing him to look after your niece just because you don't want to?" Toby walks over and stands in front of Jenna. "I offered. Taylor is legally my daughter, and if you have a problem with it, leave. No one wants you here anyway." Jenna looks horrified. "You adopted her kid? Why would you do that?" she asks incredulously. "Because I love her. And it's somebody she loves. Therefore I love it too. Now you heard me. Leave." He says again. She smirks. "Enjoy your freedom whilst you still can, Spencer. Did you really think you'd heard the last of it when Mona was locked up? Her release date is in 5 months. What then? And that's just assuming she's working alone. Goodbye, girls." She walks out, throwing something on the table before she leaves.

It's a newspaper article. On the front page, it says:

Alison DiLaurentis: Grave robbed of body.

At that moment, our phones all go off simultaneously. We give each other wary looks, and open our texts, knowing what's in there. Toby wraps me and Taylor in his arms, as I read it out loud.

"Mona played with dolls, I play with body parts.
Game on, B****s.

-A"