Disclaimer: Still don't own it
Spencer did her best to concentrate on her driving.
Normally, she would have started a casual conversation with whoever was in the passenger seat; but she wasn't sure she wanted to given that it was Mona.
Currently, Spencer was driving Mona home so that she could change before they both visited the psychiatric prison where Charles had been imprisoned. Their all-nighter at Toby's work place had yielded very little; just putting everything together that they already knew. It did solidify however Mona's involvement with the case to Tanner who seemed to go along with it; though she looked hesitant to allow it. Toby was able to smooth things over with her however and now they were a small team; if not an unusual one. Sometime in the middle of the night, all four of them had fallen asleep in the office. After they had woken, it was decided that Spencer would go to the prison with Mona.
The two had already stopped at Spencer's apartment so that she could get cleaned up. While she was in the shower, Mona had waited patiently in the front room while checking her laptop for any updates. The young woman, after seeing that there was nothing new, explored the apartment though she stayed out of the bedroom; respecting Spencer's privacy somewhat. There were a few photos of Spencer with the various other girls as well as family; also with Toby during certain moments in time. The one thing she noticed was that there were no modern photos of the original posse together and Mona wondered if the rumors were true that because of what happened to her, that a schism had developed between the girls.
After Spencer had finished and changed, they were off to where Mona lived before going to the prison.
The two drove in silence; other than the shorter woman telling Spencer where to go. The taller driver noticed that they seemed to be heading into the residential section of the city; specifically, the older section. As they turned onto another street, they were surrounded by old Victorians and the woman noted how many happy families were out doing their morning routine. Sometimes, Spencer wondered if it was something she could do in the future with Toby; though it was hard for her to contemplate settling down and raising a family. There was just too much evil in the world for her to just quit her job and live a simple life.
"Turn here," Mona instructed, pointing at the left corner of the road. Spencer complied and activated her turn signal. After the turn, the shorter woman pointed at the house at the end of the street.
Pulling into the driveway, Spencer was slightly in awe of where Mona lived; an old green Victorian house that was similar to the Vanderwaal house back in Rosewood. It was strangely eerie how much alike it looked and she wondered if that was done on purpose since Mona had been sort of driven out of her old home. The lawn in the front looked to be well maintained and there was a slightly tall hedge than lined the perimeter on the yard; leaving a space for the car to enter the driveway. There were a few rose bushes in front of the porch and a small tree in the center of the yard which looked like it could be an apple one; though Spencer wasn't completely sure. As Mona got out of the vehicle, the FBI Agent wasn't sure if she should stay in the car until the shorter woman motioned to be followed.
"Nice house," Spencer said to Mona as they walked up the path. Mona simply nodded while she pulled out her keys to unlock the door. After the door was unlocked, the two proceeded inside where Mona immediately went to the security panel to put in her code as well as use the retinal scanner in order to shut off the alarm.
Looking around, Spencer concluded that Mona must have just moved in because there were boxes lined everywhere. As she followed Mona into the front room, she saw that there was only a simple metal futon set up with a small wooden coffee table in front of it; there seemed to be a cup on it with a tea bag over the edge. There was a flat screen facing the furniture, setup a little ways from the wall with some wires coming out if it. The walls themselves, painted green, were bare of anything and the brown-colored floor was all wood with no carpet to speak of. The only light seemed to be the one in the ceiling that was attached to a fan; which she assumed was activated by the switches by the entrance.
Mona kept walking until they both were in the kitchen; where she dropped her bag onto the counter that was bare of anything else. Looking around, the kitchen appeared to be really old fashioned and the only modern appliances were the refrigerator as well as the coffee pot next to the sink. The oven looked to be a decade old and the sink appeared to be porcelain though it could be some sort of plastic. The counters as well as cupboards were all oak, a common theme for the State, and given the open boxes showing the silverware as well as other dishes; she concluded that they were all bare. There were a few dishes in the sink that looked to be a little crusty and there was a hand towel laid out to act as a makeshift dish rack.
"Did you just move in?" asked the FBI Agent, taking a seat at one of the lone tall chairs that lay in front of the counter. There was an open space for which one could eat their meals at given that the dining room had a glass table with nowhere to sit.
"No; been moved in for about a year but haven't had the time to unpack," answered Mona as she went to one of the cupboards to pull out some coffee; indicating they weren't all bare after all.
"You've been here a year and are still unpacking?" Spencer asked in disbelief, not sure what to think. It had only taken her three days to fully unpack her apartment after she had moved in; though she did have some help from Toby, Hanna, and Caleb.
"My job takes up a lot of my time and I am rarely home except for a day off; which is not that often," stated the other woman as she activated the coffee machine and went to one of the boxes to pull out some cups. She then rinsed them off with hot water given that they were still a bit dusty.
"Wow; so you haven't had anyone over at all?" inquired the taller woman as she waited for the brew. Even though everything looked simple, it seemed that Mona still preferred the fancy French Roast that was imported and quite expensive.
"No; my job is my life and everyone I know is either back in Rosewood like my mother or out of State," the NSA Agent simply said off handily.
"It must be lonely," Spencer stated quietly, feeling a little sorry for the young woman. Back in the old days, Mona used to throw parties and have Hanna over all the time; before the drama of A.
"Not really; my friends are at work and nowhere else," Mona stated and Spencer considered herself glad that Hanna wasn't around to hear that since the blonde still wanted a reconciliation between the two.
"Did you want to stop and get something to eat before we go?" Spencer asked, switching topics since this was starting to become depressing. She was starting to get racked with guilt on the change in behavior in regards to Mona.
"I suppose we could stop; just let me go shower and change first. Once the coffee is done, feel free to pour yourself a cup. Once you are done, just put your cup in the sink," Mona said as she walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs to her room to shower. Her room had the benefit of having its own private bathroom with two more on each floor.
"Thank you," Spencer said after her, looking over at the machine, watching as the black brew poured into the pot. While she waited, Spencer pulled out her phone and checked her messages; seeing that she had more than a few from her friends. Since she had to wait for Mona and was slightly bored, Spencer decided to call Aria back dialing the number.
"Hello?" said Aria's voice on the other end and she sounded like she had just done something physical given the heavy breathing.
"It's me; what's up?" Spencer asked her friend since she hadn't given details of why she had called other than to ask Spencer to return hers.
"I wanted to know if you were still coming to dinner next weekend with Toby?" stated the woman on the other end. In the background, Spencer could hear talking coming from someone young and concluded that it must be Abby; her end Ezra's young daughter.
"I am not sure; there is this big case we are involved in with Mike so I don't think we can make it," stated the FBI Agent, almost apologetically. It was supposed to be a big dinner too with both couples going out for the evening.
"What about Mike? Is he in trouble?" Aria inquired, obviously concerned from the sound of her voice. This caught Spencer off guard since it appeared that her friend didn't know about Mike's new job.
"No; he is working with Toby at the State Police. You didn't know?" Spencer asked, surprised that her friend was clueless about it.
"Me and Mike haven't talked in years, remember? I also don't think he has said anything to my parents since they haven't mentioned it," stated her friend, a little annoyed though with some relief as well.
"Well he, Toby, and I are working a pretty big case together so I don't think we will have the time; sorry," said the taller woman, sounding sorry and meaning it. She knew that Aria and Ezra had wanted to have a night on the town for a while with Spencer since she was the closest friend to her at the moment.
"Well that sucks; I was looking forward to it as well as Ezra. We even got my mother to babysit for us," informed the woman on the other end; sounding disappointed. Spencer smiled in sympathy since she knew that Aria had been looking forward to the night out.
"You guys can still go out; just go do a movie," suggested the taller woman as she poured herself a cup of coffee once the brewing was done. Taking a sip, her mouth felt like it was in Heaven since the stuff brewed at Toby's workplace was horrible.
"Maybe; what's this case you are working on?" asked Aria, sounding curious. Spencer did not want to bring up the fact that someone was mimicking Charles and decided to keep that under wraps. She also didn't want to bring up Mona since that would lead to questions that she didn't want to answer just yet.
"Just some bank fraud, nothing special that is worth talking about. Listen, can I call you later; I have to get some stuff done," Spencer said, watching Mona reenter the kitchen. The shorter teen looked a little fresher and in a similar attire though new. Grabbing herself a cup of coffee, she eyed Spencer slightly while checking her own phone.
"Talk to you later then; I want to know how Mike is since I can't ask him. Have a good day," said her friend and once Spencer said goodbye, both hung up.
"How is Aria?" Mona asked casually, not really caring but still curious none the less. She knew it was her that Spencer was talking to given the air vent in the ceiling that went straight to her room; the sound echoing and everything coherent.
"You don't know?" inquired the FBI Agent, surprised since Mona was always someone who knew everything about the girls at all times.
"I have a life Spencer and it doesn't involve spying on those from my past," stated the shorter woman, sounding annoyed by what Spencer had said. The other woman smiled in apology and took another drink of her coffee before answering.
"She is good; her and Ezra are married with a daughter named Abby," informed the FBI Agent as she checked her phone for anymore messages; seeing that she had one from her mother as well as Hanna. She wasn't sure how she would be able to tell Hanna about Mona given recent events and was surprised that Mona hadn't asked about the blonde either.
"Well good for them," Mona stated, a little too plainly for Spencer's taste. She didn't want to start an argument however and let the matter drop.
Once they were done with their coffee, Mona grabbed her stuff and they left the house; after Spencer used the bathroom. On her way out, Mona reset her alarm and locked up before getting into the car. Since they had an hour drive ahead of them, the two stopped for some breakfast sandwiches at a local place up the street. Since Spencer was driving, Mona bought the food since it was only fair. Both women were surprised how well they were getting along though it was because of Toby that they were doing so. He reminded them each in private that this case was bigger than the past; which they agreed.
When the dust had settled, Charles had been sent to a maximum security psychiatric prison just north of Philadelphia to serve out his remaining years. Not once had Spencer or any of the other girls had gone to visit him; even though he had been her brother. His story had been sad and each of his victims was sympathetic towards him in a ways; but given everything that he had done to them from the harassment to the Hell of the Dollhouse, there could be no forgiveness. Only Jason had visited him as well as Peter shortly before his heart attack; each refusing to talk about the visits when asked. When her brother had died after committing suicide, everyone had secretly breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally over. There had always been a fear that Charles would escape and go after them again.
The facility lay in the middle of a little valley and was surrounded by hills. Slightly isolated, it was just a few miles away from an active military base in case there was trouble. The facility itself was a converted prison so it was closed off with concrete walls and metal gates. There was a set of buildings that housed the hospital staff and storage for supplies; which helped with the winters when the roads were closed down due to avalanches. Once they were at the gate, both Mona and Spencer showed their ids while their vehicle was inspected. When everything checked out, they were allowed to pass through the gate and informed that the head of the facility would be waiting for them; Spencer had called ahead to make sure they could be granted access.
Once they had parked the car, Spencer and Mona headed to the administration building.
"Mr. Nelson? I am Agent Hastings and this is Agent Vanderwaal; we spoke on the phone," Spencer said to the man as they entered the Administrators office. The man was a short pudgy individual with no facial hair and wearing a white coat.
"I've been waiting for you; we have what you asked for which you are lucky since we were due to dispose of it in another few months. Policy dictates that we keep patient things for a only a few years," informed the man as he stood up and lead the girls to another part of the building.
"Were you here for Charles DiLaurentis?" Spencer asked, hoping that the Administrator would have some insight into her brother.
"Yes; though I had no contact with him and his doctor retired some time ago. You will find his reports with the things. From what little I do know, he was a model patient though one of the darkest we ever had," stated the older man as they passed a security check point. Mona was slightly nervous being here since it reminded her a little of Radley.
"Understandable given what he did; other than Jason DiLaurentis and Peter Hastings, were there any other visitors?" asked the FBI Agent in an official manner. It appeared that her link to Charles wasn't going to come up which she was glad for.
"No; we checked though he did receive a bit of mail which we kept as well," answered the Administrator as he led them into a room where a large table with chairs lay. There were boxes on the table and there were quite a number of them.
"Thank you; we'll go through what we can and take them with us once we are ready to leave," Spencer said as Mona went straight to one of the boxes and began delving into its contents.
"No problem; chain of custody has been taken care of and let me know if you need help bringing the things to your vehicle," said the man as he exited the room, leaving the two women alone to do what they needed to do.
"I say we go through what we can for an hour and then take it with us. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to," Mona said adamantly and Spencer could understand given her own history with Radley. There were also too many boxes to go through with just the two of them and needed fresh eyes once they got back to Toby's office.
Opening the first box, Spencer sighed and got to work.
Please Read and Review; also a special thanks to Paraddicted for the pre-read!
