4 Years Later

Hello! So I never expected this chapter to turn out this long but I thought instead of breaking it up into several chapters I would go ahead and pack it into one as an apology for my absence. I also thought about changing my story to fit more of the direction the show is going but I decided that I have a story in my head and im going to stick to it, so it won't align with the show but I hope you guys will still like it! Enjoy!

Spencer: Coming Home

The wind gently blew against Spencer's hair through the cracked window as she drove down the long road leading to Rosewood. The somewhat soothing sound of Roy snoring in the back seat slightly calmed Spencer's nerves that she always seem to get when she came back to the place she once called home. It could be her fear of "A," her desire to avoid her family, her need to forget the horror story that was her past, or all of the above that makes her feel like she has a herd of cattle trampling around in her stomach, yet here she is driving to the place that she would call the pit of hell any day of the week. People say that "Home is where the heart is," and Spencer knows that her heart will always be in Rosewood but what those "people" don't tell you is that sometimes you have to leave your heart behind in order to find peace. So, that's exactly what Spencer did, she left her damaged, broken, mangled heart in Rosewood and got far enough away that regular visits were too much for her loved ones to ask for but not far away enough that she couldn't be home in a matter of hours if there was an emergency. The drive is five hours with little traffic; five and a half counting the time to let Roy out to pee. However, there was traffic and she was just about six hours in the trip when she hit the stretch of road just outside of Rosewood that always made her queasy. When she saw the yield sign just over the hill the memory of her heart shattering into a million pieces flooded back to her.

The engine of the SUV and the whaling cries of Hanna were the only sounds to be heard in the car that night, that fateful night that the four girls would never forget and would always hate to remember. Aria was holding Hanna as she sobbed into her shoulder. Emily was the only one who was able to hold it together enough to drive and Spencer was sitting in the passenger's seat staring out the window in shock of the events that just occured. All three of the girls wanted so desperately to say something to Hanna that would make everything better but she had just seen her mother being murdered and they all knew it was not going to get better for a long time, so they stayed silent. Emily was the first to notice the police lights just over the hill and off to the side of the road. Emily softly nudged Spencer out of her daze and nodded toward the three police cars just up ahead. The figures by the cars were too far away for either girl to identify. However, they both saw the ever so recognizable black hoodie at the same time.

As they neared the three police cars certain objects became clearer to Spencer. Even though it was dark out, the flashing lights on the police cars allowed her to recognize a sniper rifle, a pair of keys, and a cell phone on the hood of the nearest cop car. However, the cops and the figure wearing the black hoodie were turned in the opposite of their SUV. Emily slowed the vehicle as they pulled up on the other side of the police car furthest away from the cops. One very tall and lanky officer motioned them to continue driving and Emily started to accelerate when a sudden urge came over Spencer. This is what they have been waiting for, for three years now! The opportunity to see the person that has ruined their lives get taken down, finally. Spencer wanted to see the face of the person that killed Ali, the person that tried to kill all of them multiple times, the person who just killed Hanna's mother, she wanted to see the face of evil so desperately. She opened the door of the slowly moving SUV, all of the other three girls made pleas for her to stay in the car but this was something she needed. Spencer heard somewhere that "fear is not fear if it has a face," and for so long her fear had no face or had multiple faces but never the right face, never the face that she could hold responsible for everything that's happened. As her feet hit the ground her heart skipped a beat…..she was doing thing and nothing was going to stop her. She ran as fast as she could down and across the long road, trying her best to avoid the police officers trying to stop her. A very large and muscular officer was standing beside the figure holding his right shoulder and wrist. When she was just inches away from the figure that was handcuffed, who was still turned away from her, she put one of her cold hands on his other shoulder…she recognized this shoulder?…..she recognized the stature of this person?... Who was this person? Spencer tugged on the shoulder but the figure tugged back refusing to turn around and face her. "Look at me!" Spencer shouted much louder than she intended. The figures was staring at the ground, shaking its head in rejection of Spencer's demand. This angered Spencer, after everything this person couldn't even show its face? This person was a coward! The officer beside the figure was trying to get her attention, saying words that she was simply not listening to. Spencer walked to the front of the hooded figure and even with the face being held downward avoiding any eye contact, she knew who it was and it made her heart stop.

Before she realized it she was on her knees on the ground with water soaking her face. What was this water?...Was it raining? She asked herself before looking up at the sky for rain drops. However, the sky was clear, she touched her wet face and realized that these were her own tears and then she remembered the reason for those tears. The hooded figure that she would have called the love of her life just minutes ago was now sitting in the back of a police car and she was being pulled to her feet from behind by a women police officer.

"Miss, you need to go home now, your friends are waiting for you," the women police officer said with concern and worry in her voice. Spencer felt numb, she could not talk, or walk, or move, and it hurt soo much to breathe in the cold air. The officer nodded to her left and sure enough Emily, Aria, and Hanna were standing just a few feet away looking at Spencer with a variety of expressions. Emily looked like she could burst into a rage at any second but Spencer could tell she was holding it all in, like she always did. Aria looked at Spencer with a great deal of sadness and pity. And Hanna, poor Hanna whose mascara was running her cheeks, hair matted, looking an absolute mess was standing there with the most despairing look on her face. Her friends, the girls she loved more than anyone, were hurting so much and the man she loved caused that pain.

Many people say that "time heals all wounds" but Spencer knows that real wounds, wounds of the heart, never truly heal, they just get easier to forget about over time. However, when reminded of the pain of that tragic event the wounds seem so new and open. Spencer turned on the radio to an unknown station just to drown out the thoughts of her past. After that night all of the girls planed on leaving Rosewood after graduation, it seemed like the best way to forget everything that had happened to them. However, when Emily's dad was killed in Iraq everyone's plan changed. Spencer had never see Emily like she was then, not even after Maya was killed. She always knew when Emily couldn't handle something that she tended to drink but this wasn't drinking not to feel pain, this was drinking to release anger. All of the girls had kept the secrets and the lies to themselves for so long but what they didn't realize is that they were also keeping in all the emotions that came along with those secrets and lies.

Spencer didn't think about it until after Emily spiraled out of control but now Spencer sees that Emily was not the "strong one" and she was not "holding it together" that horrible night, she was hurting and in as much pain as everyone else, except she was just better at keeping it all hidden in a corner. So, they all stayed in Rosewood and tried their best to take care of their broken friend, when they were broken themselves. Intervention after intervention after intervention was held and every time Emily would behave so unlike Emily; yelling, screaming, breaking things, accusing everyone of "not understanding." But Spencer thought if anyone could understand what she was going through it was them, the girls that had been through this whole thing with her from the beginning, but she was wrong. Even today Spencer secretly wished it had been her to get through to Emily, but it wasn't and in a way Spencer felt guilty for not helping Emily more and even guiltier for leaving Rosewood even though it's what Emily her to do during one of the visits to rehab. All the girls saw that it was killing Spencer to stay in Rosewood; everything in the town reminded her of Toby and thinking about him hurt so much then.

As Spencer drove into town she was amazed by how unchanged everything was. She hadn't been back to Rosewood in a little over two years but the town seemed to be frozen in time. No new shops were built, no new plants or trees were grown, and all the people look slightly familiar as they always did in the small town. However, as Spencer pulled into the café that one of her best friends now owned, she realized if one thing had changed in Rosewood it was the name of what was The Brew. Spencer looked up at the large sign with a logo of a coffee cup and a gold and purple heart placed on the cup, with the words "The Purple Heart" written on the bottom. Spencer smiled and thought of how far Emily had come from where she was. Spencer only wished she had been as strong as Emily, that this whole "A" thing didn't hold her back from getting exactly what she wanted in life. Spencer walked to the back of her car and let a now wide awake and gleeful Roy out of the vehicle. He wagged his tail back and forth as he sprung from the backseat to the wide open parking lot. Roy was well trained but still had a lot of puppy in him and got very excited around new places and people. Just as Spencer turned around to head into the Café, she saw a fury of blond hair running toward her and then the weight of the blond women hugging her tightly.

"Spence, you're here! It's been way too long!" Hanna said still squeezing Spencer firmly.

"Han, I love you and missed you too but if you don't let go I'm not going to be able to breathe." Spencer said wheezing out the words. Hanna loosened her grip and took a step away from Spencer with an embarrassed grin.

" Well, I was afraid if I let go then you would leave and not come back for two years!" Hanna said factiously with a under tone of anger.

"I'm sorry Hanna, it just that—" But before Spencer could bumble through a guilt ridden excuse she was interrupted by Hanna who was now staring down Roy who was furiously wagging his tail and panting. Spencer could tell it was taking every ounce of his restraint not to jump all over Hanna.

"What is this?" Hanna said as she pointed to Roy, the scowl on her face now turning into a huge grin, the type of grin Hanna always got when she saw a baby or anything with fur.

"He's a dog, Hanna." Spencer said very slowly, making fun of Hanna's question. Hanna was quick to roll her eyes at Spencer which made Spencer laugh. No, no nothing has changed, Spencer thought to herself.

"Hanna this is Roy, Roy this is your crazy Aunt Hanna." Spencer said laughing at both Hanna and Roy who seem equally as excited to see one another.

Hanna bent down and petted and cooed over the large German Shepard who gladly took every bit of the affection.

"This is not exactly what I had in mind when I said you needed a man." Hanna said to Spencer chuckling.

"Are you kidding? He obeys me and hardly ever talks back, he is the best kind of man!" Spencer said back jokingly.

"Hmmm, maybe I should trade Caleb in and get one of these." Hanna said giggling, while still petting Roy.

Just when a silence fell over the two girls, Spencer saw Emily through the large window that covers most of the front wall of the café. She was busy cleaning the counter top and talking to one of the few customers who was sitting on a stool.

"How is she?" Spencer asked Hannah who turned away from Roy to face the window.

"Um, she's good, she's sober. She keeps busy which I think helps her, keeps her mind off of everything." Hanna turned back to Roy and continued to pet him. "And I think she's as happy as she wants herself to be, which is better than when she wanted herself to be miserable."

All of the girls felt a certain amount of guilt over everything that happened. But Emily always has such a kind, gentle, and caring heart that she felt she needed to be punished for the guilt that she felt. This was something very hard for the other three girls to watch her go through.

"And you? How are you doing?" Spencer asked in general concern for her friend. She knew if her friends felt anything like she felt, then they felt like shit almost all the time.

"I'm good! I mean I miss mom and I go to the graveyard as often as I can even though it still totally gives me the creeps, but having Caleb around helps a lot, even though he rarely obeys and almost always talks back." Hanna said chuckling out the last part while looking at Roy.

"Oh! By the way, you're going to have stay around for my wedding since you're going to be a bridesmaid." Hanna said nonchalantly with the faintest of grins.

"What?! You're getting married!? " Spencer asked in shock and Hanna nodded and held out her hand to show Spencer her ring with a small diamond on it.

"It's not much but it's mine." Hanna said referring to the ring. She looked so happy, she sounded so happy, she was so happy, Spencer thought to herself as she looked at Hanna admiring her ring and deep down this made Spencer envious of how happy Hanna was.

"Well, Congrats Han! Have you set a date, yet?" Spencer asked.

"Um, well we were going to have it sooner than later but with all this "A" stuff going on we think it is better to wait till all this blows over, ya know?" Hanna said now sanding up and looking at Spencer.

"Right, sorry, yet again "A" has managed to screw up our lives." Spencer said angrily.

"No Spencer, just because Caleb and I aren't getting married tomorrow doesn't mean anything is screw up. We love each other and that's something "A" can't take away." Hanna said.

Spencer wished that was true for her, that "A" hadn't taken her ability to love or trust someone away. Spencer wished so badly that she could be as happy as Hanna.

"Well, I'm really happy for you Hanna, you deserve this." Spencer said to Hanna giving her a quick hug.

"Don't I know it! Well, let's get inside, I'm sure Emily is wondering what the hell were doing out here." Hanna laughed while putting her arm on Spencer's shoulders. Both the girl walked into the cafe and Spencer was greeted by Emily quickly walking from the counter to the front door.

"Hey, Spence! I was wondering when you were going to get your ass in here!" Emily said pulling Spencer in for a hug.

"Well, Hanna just wouldn't shut up, so ya know." Spencer said making the other two girls laugh.

"Hanna? Talking too much? Never!" Emily said sarcastically as she pulled out of Spencer's hug.

"Hey! Big life events to talk about here, can you blame me?" Hanna said laughing.

For a moment it all felt right. Everything that had happened faded away and it was just friends catching up on each other lives and making fun of one another. It was nice but for them it was not at all normal.

"Wait. Where's Aria?" Spencer asked looking around and seeing no sign of Aria. And almost on cue Aria walked in the front door of the café with her large purse over her shoulder, looking slightly out of breathe.

"Sorry I'm late." Aria said apolitically.

"No worries, I just now got here, traffic has been crazy." Spencer said hugging Aria. Aria slightly smiled but Spencer could tell something was wrong. "Hey, you okay?" Spencer asked Aria who just seemed to be preoccupied.

"Yeah, Im just—just really happy to see you!" Aria said seeming to convince Spencer even less that everything was fine.

" Okay, well since we're all here now I think we should go through all the recent texts from "A" and I've got files of all the previous text messages and the other things we've got from "A." Maybe we can piece something together with what we have." Spencer said pulling out two large notebooks and a folder full of file.

"Ah, and Spencer is officially back everyone." Hanna announced.

"Like she never left" Emily said laughing at Hanna's comment.

"Okay, Okay, phones out everyone" Spencer said ignoring the girl giggling at her expense but she couldn't help laughing herself.

All the girls got their phones out and scrolled to their latest texted messages from "A" except for Aria who was now sitting on a nearby soft looking down at her shoes not saying a word.

"Aria, what's wrong." Spencer asked, the girls now all looking at Aria with concern.

"Remember when I said that I was sorry I was late?" Aria said sheepishly looking up at her friends.

The three girls were stumped and had no idea what Aria was getting at.

"Yeah?" Emily finally said confusedly

"Well, im late in more than one way." Aria said slowly to help the other girls catch up.

"Oh my god!?" Emily and Spencer said in unison.

"Wait, I don't get it?" Hanna said still perplexed.

"I'm pregnant, Hanna" Aria said rolling her eyes, slightly annoyed.

"Wait, this is good isn't it? You and Ezra love each other and have been together forever, and you both have good job, I know you're not married yet but—" Spencer said before Hanna interrupted.

" But it's not like you and Ezra have ever done anything by the book, I think everyone would be shocked if he didn't knock you up before he put a ring on your finger." Hanna scoffed.

"Nice, Han." Emily said sarcastically at Hanna's crude statement.

"What?!" Hanna said defensively.

"Well, I wouldn't have worded exactly like that but Hanna is right, I don't think anyone will care that you're not married if that's what you're worried about?" Spencer said to Aria but Aria was now furiously shaking her head and crying.

"It's not—it's not that!" Aria choked out through her sobs. The other girl tried their best to comfort her but it seem like every time she tried to explain the more and more difficult it would become to speak.

Finally it was evident that Aria was not going to be composed enough to say what she needed to say so she held out her phone and pulled up the text message from "A" and showed it to the other girls.

"Wait, now I really don't understand?" Hanna said bewildered by the text message.

"Yeah, I'm with Hanna on this one." Emily said looking at Aria for an explanation.

"…..Ezra's not the father, is he?" Spencer shocked both Hanna and Emily by being the one to say something and not Aria.

"It was stupid—I was mad and Wesley was there…..and I'm so stupid!" Aria said angrily.

"Hold on! Wesley! Wesley is the father?" Emily half shouted in shock while the other two girls looked absolutely stunned.

"I don't know, he could be. Ezra could be the father too but when do good things never happen to us?" Aria said.

"I hate to be the one to say this Aria but you have to tell Ezra, keeping this a secret from him will only give "A" something to hold over you." Spencer said.

"I know, Spencer. I just don't want to hurt him, it will break his heart and then I'll be raising a kid alone and I don't know if I can do that!"

"Hey, you will never have to worries about raising that baby alone; he or she has three aunts and uncle Caleb and your parents. We're not going to let you do this alone." Hanna said.

After much comforting from the other girls, Aria said that she still didn't feel like going over the whole "A" thing but felt well enough to drive home. The girls said their goodbyes and Aria left the café.

"Wow, Aria is pregnant and doesn't know who the father is and Hanna you're getting married, I will never leave for two years again!" Spencer said in awe of everything she has learned since being back in Rosewood for just a little over two hours.

"You better not!" Hanna said to Spencer.

"What about you, Em, any life changing events for you that I've missed." Spencer asked and Emily quickly shook her head no and gave Hanna a side-ways look as she went to open her mouth.

"Well—"Hanna said laughing.

"Don't!" Emily demanded.

"It's not like she won't find out anyway! She's staying with me and Caleb and we hear you all the time, you should really consider investing in soundproofing your apartment Em, you are not at all quite, and you would think she would be." Hanna said directing the last part to Spencer who had no idea what she was talking about. Emily was just shaking her head looking embarrassed by what she knew Hanna was about to say.

"Um, what exactly are we talking about, did you join a band or something?" Spencer asked Emily utterly confused. This made Hanna burst into laughter.

"More like did a band" Hanna said through her laughter.

"Hanna, Stop!" Emily said knowing that Hanna wouldn't.

"What?" Spencer said still not understanding

"Our little, innocent, quiet, sweet Em gets more tail than- than, well, a dog that chases its tail." Hanna said bumbling through the sentence.

"That a horrible metaphor and she's exaggerating, Spencer." Emily said. Spencer couldn't help but laugh at all of this, it was so ridiculous it was funny.

"I am not exaggerating! You just wait and you'll hear what I mean" Hanna laughed.

"Well, first of all I think it's really pervy of you and Caleb to be listening to Emily and her…uh dates? And second of all I really don't care Emily, it's your business." Spencer said still laughing a little, while Hanna shook her head and Emily went through her phone.

"Ah, see that there, canceling a booty call" Hanna said pointing to Emily.

After a while of Hanna making fun of Emily and Emily trying to defend herself, the mood changed and they were finally able to analyze the text messages. It was like being back in high school, they had so much information that "A" had given them but the more evidence they had the more questions they had. And again like in high school "A" was able to know things that were impossible for anyone but them to know. The frustration built and built with each dead end they hit, finally after hours and hours of looking over old texted messages and files and court reports, Hanna cough and nudged Emily who was sitting next to her.

"Listen, Spencer, I know the whole family thing is complicated and I wouldn't be asking if I thought me or Hanna could do it but—" Emily said before she was interrupted by Spencer.

"But, I need to go see Melissa, I know. I don't want to, talking to her about this….is, well the one time I tried it was impossible, they had her so drugged up she hardly knew her own name." Spencer said. It was weird, knowing that your own sister was behind all your misery for so long than having to forgive her because she's completely off her rocker, but not ever know for sure if she is as crazy as she seems because Mona pulled that shit too. It made Spencer's head hurt which is why it was best for her to avoid her family altogether. However, weather Melissa was the leader or not, weather Melissa was crazy or not, she knew things that Spencer was going to find out one way or another.

Spencer spent a quiet evening and Hanna's and thought it was probably safe to assume that either Emily canceled her plans or Hanna was exaggerating. The next morning Spencer woke up after a rough night's sleep, there's something about Rosewood that makes her wake up every two hours to make sure a hooded black figure isn't standing above her. When she walked into the small kitchen Hanna and Caleb were already awake. Hanna was watching the news on the small television in the living room and Caleb writing an email for work.

"Mind if I get the newspaper?" Spencer asked noticing a lack of one.

"Sure, should be laying outside the door, we should really unsubscribe, Caleb gets all the news he's interested in online and I'd rather pretty people tell me the news instead of getting newspaper hands." Hanna said looking away from the television.

"Newspaper hands, Hanna?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, you hold the newspaper for too long and the ink comes off on your hands." Hanna said hold up her hands to show Spencer they were clean of ink.

Spencer shook her head and walked to the door to get the newspaper which was where Hanna said it would be. Spencer picked up the paper and walked back inside, sat down, and opened it up to the business section and a small white piece of paper fell out that read: T wants to talk, go see him two days from now at 3:00 pm. Could this be it, could this be him finally telling her what she's needed to hear for so long; the big What, Where, Why, When, and Who of it all. Or was this just something else she was going to get her hope up on and once again get stuck with more questions than answers.