Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Spencer was a little creeped out by the dolls.

As she sat on the bed and waited for Mona to get back from getting some coffee and cookies, Spencer looked around the room.

The walls were a green paint with white baseboards. The bed she was on was quite old and had a metal frame with pink bedding. The shelves and bookcases were all wood, painted with either white or brown. The carpet was grey but looked like it was cleaned routinely since there was a lack of stains or any noticeable dirt.

What grabbed Spencer was how different the room was compared to Alison's back when they were still friends. While Alison's room was more as a shrine to herself than anything else, Mona's room was more personal. Unlike the large amount of pictures that Alison had of herself scattered around her room, the few photos that Mona had were of herself with elements of family; and even then, she wasn't the center of attention.

There were a few bookshelves filled with lots of books of different sorts. Some were past schoolbooks from previous years while others were a little mainstream though few in number. Most of them though were very old editions of classics that Spencer recognized; with some editions in French. In fact, there were lots of novels in French and they had the appearance of being well-read.

One title that stood out because there were quite a lot of editions was "The Count of Monte Cristo".

On top of a large white dresser was an old record player that looked like it was used quite a bit; there was a record in it and no dust. Next to it an antique jewelry box, all closed up and matched the French look of the room. On the walls were pictures of various French monuments with a painting of the Eiffel Tower directly over Mona's bed.

While Spencer was never really into dolls, preferring to read books than playing with them as a toddler, she always had an indifference to them; Alison had a few in her room but not much compared to Mona. The dolls in the room were the ones you saw in horror movies whose eyes always seemed like they were following you. There wasn't anything malevolent about them but they were still creepy none the less.

Other than that, Spencer rather liked the room; there was life here.

Opening up her backpack, Spencer pulled out her school stuff and laid them out on the bed next to Mona's stuff. She had put her overnight bag next to Mona's dresser, forgetting to ask where she was going to sleep. While the bed was definitely big enough for the both of them, Spencer wasn't sure about doing that even if it were for one night. Maybe there was a guest room that Spencer could stay in since the house looked like it had a few spare rooms.

Something caught her eye and Spencer stood up, walking over to the other side of the bed where an old rotary telephone from the early last century lay on the night stand. It was rather large, gold colored, and appeared to be plugged in. There was writing on it, German to be exact, and Spencer wondered where Mona had gotten it. Picking up the receiver, Spencer was surprised that there was a dial tone; making her curious if she could call home with it.

"Sorry for the wait; the coffee took a little time to brew," Mona said as she walked into the room with a large tray in her hands. On it was two coffee cups and a plate of cookies that looked rather good; though it was the coffee that Spencer desired the most.

"No problem; I was just checking out your room if you didn't mind," Spencer said, giving the smaller girl a smile.

"Go ahead; what do you think?" Mona asked, curious to what her guest thought.

"It's very nice; I find the French look rather interesting," Spencer said, taking in the aroma from the cup in her hands,

"Thank you; I love France and everything French related. I plan on living there after I am done with high school," Mona informed, putting the tray on top on the bed.

"What do you plan on doing there?" Spencer asked, taking a sip of her drink. It was definitely a foreign brand and she could not place the type.

"I plan on majoring in psychology and computer science; which will give me a variety of choices in France and other parts of Europe," Mona said as she bit into a cookie. Unlike Spencer, she preferred tea and had her mother fix her some earl gray.

"I see," said Spencer, glad that at least Mona had a plan for after high school that she wanted to do. It was pretty well decided that Spencer would follow her parents into field of law and become a lawyer like the rest of the family.

"I have always been good with computers and am fascinated with what happens with the mind, so I picked those two fields for my future," the smaller girl informed, taking a seat on the bed.

"Is that because of you going to Radley?" Spencer asked, grabbing one of the cookies and taking a bite. These had to be one of the best cookies she's ever tasted in a long time; at home, she was used to store bought cookies than home baked.

"More or less; I am curious to what makes people who they are," Mona said, leaning back against the bedframe. She appeared not to take offense at Spencer's question which was a little personal.

"I can understand that," Spencer said and she meant it. Between Alison and her sister, she had also wondered why people acted the way they did; especially those who made it their way of life to hurt others.

"What about you? What are your plans for after school?" Mona asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"Becoming a lawyer like my parents," Spencer answered as a matter of fact. It was pretty much set in stone so there was nothing more to say. Mona nodded, not saying anything in response to that.

"You have a lot of dolls," Spencer stated, trying to be polite as possible. She was a guest and wanted to make a good impression.

"You think they are creepy," Mona said, knowing what the answer was.

"A little; but I never understood dolls so, sorry," said the taller girl, offering a sincere apologetic look.

"It's ok; it's just that my dolls have always been my friends when I had none at school. They have been my constant companions," Mona told Spencer, being completely honest.

"I am sorry about that," Spencer said, feelings of guilt popping up as well as bad memories.

"Why are you sorry? I understand that Alison used you as a puppet," Mona stated, catching Spencer by surprise. She decided not to use the word doll given that Mona wanted to make Spencer feel more comfortable here.

"So does that phone work?" Spencer asked, motioning to the antique next to Mona and quickly changing the subject. The conversation was starting to make her feel uncomfortable and she didn't want to run away.

"Yes; I dabble in engineering and fixed it up so that I could use it. My mom got it for me at a shop in Boston a few years ago," Mona said, looking at the object with pride.

"With the way your room is, I am surprised it is not French too," Spencer said, looking around.

"It is actually; the family that originally owned the phone carved their family name into the copper. Back when this phone first came out, this was a high end product," Mona informed the teen.

"Wow; well it looks cool. I've never been into antiques but maybe we should go to a shop some time," Spencer said, surprising Mona with the offer.

Originally, Spencer wasn't sure she was ready to take that plunge on reaching out to Mona. She was still nervous after what happened with Alison and was afraid of being betrayed again. However, after coming to Mona's house and meeting her mother, Spencer realized that Mona could be the friend she was looking for. It was just a shame that she lost the others in the process of gaining a true friend.

"I would like that," Mona said and she meant it.

After another few minutes of chit chat, Mona pulled out her own books and the two began working on their project; coordinating on who had what to write as well as which research to dole out. It was nice for a change that Spencer had a partner that could do her share of the work instead of her doing it all; Alison often dumped everything on her while the others could never keep up.

Occasionally, Spencer and Mona would talk about what books they liked as well as television shows; finding that they did share some common interests. Spencer was always the odd man out when it came to certain interests when she had still been a part of Alison's group and it was nice to find someone who she could talk things over with. It was an added benefit that Mona could keep up with her intellectually.

After a while, there was a knock at the door and Mona's mother appeared to tell the two teens that it was time for dinner. Spencer was glad for that since she was surprisingly hungry; the cookies were not enough to fill Spencer completely. The two put down their books and followed Leona downstairs to the kitchen.

As Spencer made her way down the steps, the smell from the food hit her nose like a ton of bricks. Not only was the aroma good, but there was a sense of that it was a real home cooked meal. Granted, Spencer often had food that various family members had cooked themselves; but something that smelled that fancy was usually catered than prepared by any family member. She wondered if this was the norm for the mother and daughter when it came to their meals together.

The table in the dining room was set for three on an old square wood table. The chairs were equally old and seemed to match the style of the table which was oak. The plates seemed like fine china and the silverware looked like it could be real silver; though Spencer had seen some really good fakes before. In the center of the food were several tall candles lighting up the room.
Spencer wondered if Mona's mother had gone all out because she was here or if this was the usual thing for dinner time in this family.

"Wow," was all that Spencer could say as she looked at all the food on the table.

"I hope you don't mind duck; Mona said that you didn't have a problem with French cuisine," Leona said as the three woman took their seats. Spencer and Mona sat across from one another while Leona sat in the middle of them.

"No; I don't think I have actually have had it before," Spencer admitted, looking at the meat on her plate. At first glance, she had mistaken it for chicken but heard that it was good and very meaty. Spencer's father had a certain allergy when it came to poultry dishes; which was probably why they never had duck at home.

"It's the best; we have duck more than any other meat," Mona said as she scooped some roasted red potatoes onto her plate.

"Do you two usually eat like this?" Spencer asked once everyone had finished putting food on their plates. Besides the roasted potatoes, there was steamed asparagus and dinner rolls.

"Pretty much; we always have dinner together," Leona said as she smiled at her daughter. Spencer could see that the two were close and there was that strong feeling of envy again that came from inside her.

"Besides school, I am usually always home so this is pretty much the routine," Mona informed in between bites.

Spencer saw the concerned look on Leona's face and there was once again a feeling of guilt since it was obvious that Mona didn't have any friends; primarily because of Alison. She wondered if Mona's mother had any resentment towards those who had caused her daughter so much pain; she knew that her mother would have given the hurt that Spencer had gone in these last few months.

"So Spencer, Mona tells me that Melissa is now married; tell her I said congratulations next time you see her," Leona said.

"I will; you haven't seen her?" Spencer inquired, wondering how much Melissa retained contact with her former clients. From what Spencer knew, Leona Vanderwaal had been Melissa's biggest payday.

"No; she stopped coming by after she was done with babysitting. I remember Mona saying that she always found Melissa fun," Leona said and Spencer nearly laughed out loud at that given that it was hard to believe.

Mona smirked to herself as well; though for different reasons. When Melissa had come over to babysit, she would often remark how Mona needed to assert herself more and concentrate on her studies; mostly so that Melissa could do her own schoolwork without the distraction. It was during those times that Mona had studied her babysitter intently in order to be more like her. Even back then, Melissa had carried herself like a queen in this town.

Until Alison took that position for herself and wielded it like an iron fist.

"I will make sure to let her know what you said; Melissa will appreciate it," Spencer lied; knowing that Melissa wouldn't probably care less.

"Thank you; I forgot to ask, are you going to homecoming next week?" Leona asked Mona as she sat there and ate.

"Alison will be there for sure and I couldn't get a date," Mona said, shrugging her shoulders. Leona frowned but held her tongue; cursing Alison in her mind.

"What about you Spencer?" Leona inquired, looking at the teen.

"I don't know; I got asked but dances aren't really my scene anymore," Spencer stated with a half-smile.

"Well if you got asked, you should go," Leona said, almost in a motherly way.

"Well I am not sure I would be allowed to go; I had a hard summer and am a little under restriction," Spencer admitted. Secrets in this town were never kept and Spencer suspected that Mona's mother already knew about her stint in rehab by now; if Mona hadn't already told her.

"I think you should go; you just got to be extra careful since it was Noel who asked you," Mona suddenly said, getting involved in the conversation. It was now time to implement the plan.

"Well if you have a date, even if it is a Kahn, you should not pass it up. You can't let a bad time in your life ruin high school for you," Leona said, trying to make that point to both the teens next to her.

"I am still thinking about it; but maybe you are right," Spencer admitted after considering the older woman's words.

The rest of the meal went well; with less serious conversation taking place. Spencer found out that Leona was an editor for a publisher as well as having other qualifications. After dinner was done, both Mona and Spencer had taken care of the cleaning; which Spencer didn't mind. After having a little desert, in the form of homemade éclairs, the two retired up to Mona's room for the rest of the night.

"So where am I going to sleep?" Spencer asked once they had entered the room.

"I was going to let you have the bed while I take the cot underneath my bed," Mona answered as she got on her knees to reach under her bed and grab the sleeping device.

"I can take the couch downstairs," Spencer offered, not comfortable in having Mona give up her own bed.

"It's no problem; take the bed and enjoy your night out," Mona said, shaking her head. After a minute of silence with Mona pulling attachments out from underneath the bed, Spencer decided on another course of action.

"We could share the bed," Spencer stated, making the offer. The last time she had shared a bed with someone, it was with Aria when she had stayed the night about six months ago.

"Are you sure?" Mona asked, inwardly grinning that things were working out.

"It's not a problem; I don't snore," Spencer said, smiling at the smaller girl. She wasn't expecting anything weird and decided to take a chance.

"Ok; then," Mona said, taking the offer and sliding things back underneath the bed.

The two didn't immediately head to bed; rather spend a bit more time on their homework as well as other stuff. Mona put on some music and Spencer enjoyed the classic French tune while she wrote. The two made small talk and later changed into their sleeping attire; with Mona in a purple pair of pajamas while Spencer donned shorts and a white t-shirt. The bathroom was right next to Mona's room so she had changed in there.

Just before eleven, Leona had popped in and had said goodnight to the two teens before heading to her room for the night. After a little while longer, the two decided to call it quits for the night as well. They climbed into bed and shut off the light. At first Spencer felt a little strange sleeping next to another girl that wasn't from the old gang; appreciating that the bed was big enough for the two of them while still being able to be comfortable.

Eventually, Spencer fell asleep and rolled over so that she was facing Mona.

Mona watched her in the darkness and when Spencer was slightly snoring, moved in a little closer. Looking at the sleeping teen, Mona smiled at the thought that she now had a friend again; though this time, she would keep her and not lose her to Alison. She had warned her about Noel and that was enough; let Spencer become like her.

Please R&R and a special thanks to my Beta Paraddicted for the read!