Title: Be Your Everything
Rating: T with potential for M (Will warn if it gets to that)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in relation to Pretty Little Liars or in relation to any pop culture references that are made in this chapter.
Summary: It's been eight years since their high school graduation, and in eight years a lot has changed. A wedding brings everyone back together, but just how much have these changes affected everyone's lives? Sequel to Better With You. A Spemily focused story with mentions of Aria, Hanna, and Alison friendships.
A/N – Semi-early update! Managed to finish this one a day early so I figured why not just throw it up there now, right? Of course before I get to that though, I'd like to thank all of my wonderful new followers and favourites, as well as all of the fantastic people who leave me reviews and pretty much make my life. You're all wonderful human beings.
WeAreAkiller – Oh that's an interesting one! Definitely haven't heard that one yet haha but interesting nonetheless. Appreciate you taking the time to read and leave a review.
Dahliadaria – Putting off dinner just to read my fic! Haha you are the best. Funny you mention that. Spencer's, erm… Lack of emotional expression is something that will be explored a little more later on. This chapter dives into a bit of what Spencer went through after leaving to Boston. Hope you enjoy it!
Chxndelier – It definitely does not make you a bad person if that chapter was your favourite! Honestly, that scene was one that I had been dying to write and I was really happy with how it turned out. So I'm especially glad that you enjoyed it! Without giving too much away, I will say that Xavi being premature will come into play later in the story. I wouldn't count out the whole no symptoms thing quite yet (; Aw you have the nicest things to say to me like all the time haha, thank you so much! I definitely agree too. Emily and Spencer aren't ready to be together quite yet. But they will definitely be making a few leaps in the right direction soon enough.
Spemilylover10 – Well if you hate seeing Spencer and Natalie together, this chapter might be satisfying for you. While it will be a little ways before Emily and Spencer are together again, I promise you, they will start to make a few strides.
Guest – I know it's pretty flashback heavy right now, and that will go away later on in the fic. But right now they're all important to the storyline. Stick with it though, they'll become fewer and far between soon enough!
Guest – Glad you caught that about Emily!
Tns729 – You're very welcome, thank you for reading and reviewing!
Guest – Emily's drunken night is going to be shown eventually, I promise you that.
ShamikaGrandberry – Insight on Spencer coming this chapter! Glad you're happy with how their relationship is moving along.
Guest – I don't just promise to make it up to you. I PINKY promise that it will get better! *offers pinky*
SA – Apologies in advance that this one isn't Spemily heavy as it's a lot more backstory into Spencer's past 5 years. The upcoming updates will definitely be primarily revolving around Spemily though!
Breyanaxo – Oops, haha my bad! Hope my accidental messing with your emotions didn't take too much of a toll on your finals. And I hope you did well!
So this chapter as I said before is going to be a bit of background on Spencer. For those of you who aren't fans of Natalie, I think you'll enjoy this one. And before you get too excited, no she doesn't get hit by a train. I know a lot of you were hoping for that, but sorry, not today.
Anyways, this one isn't crazy heavy with Spemily, but with that being said it is setting up for some solid updates that are coming in the near future. And by near I mean the ones directly following this one. So, read on, enjoy, and if you have time let me know what you think! Now, without further ado!
Chapter Five (Part One) – Graceful Surrendering
Spencer sat at her office desk, silently reading through one of her case files. Her elbow was propped against her desk; her head leaned against it, as it was the only thing holding her up in her state of exhaustion. She read through yet another ridiculous case file that consisted of a woman seeking to sue the Metropolitan Transportation Authority along with a popular television network because a poster from the network's series 'shocked' her so much that she fell down a set of stairs at Grand Central Station and broke her leg, and Spencer couldn't help but stop and closer her eyes for a few moments, trying to fathom what she was even reading.
As she took a deep breath to calm her thoughts, the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor invaded her mind, and suddenly she felt a 'thump' on her desk, which forced her to look up and see Daniele, her coworker, standing over her.
"I need you to get to work on that for me ASAP," Daniele told her and Spencer picked up the folder with a cocked eyebrow, glancing at it for a few seconds before throwing it back on her desk.
"Not a chance. I'm already buried in the bullshit files that I know Sinclair keeps purposely throwing at me, that bitter asshole. I can't deal with another one, D. I will lose my shit," Spencer explained as she slid the folder across her desk and back toward her coworker. Daniele let out a deep exhale and ran her fingers through her long darkened locks of brown hair.
"Okay and I get that Spence. Trust me, if there's anybody here that understands, you know it's me," Daniele softly spoke, and Spencer nodded in agreement, knowing it to be true because aside from her, Daniele was the only other person that consistently was handed the same types of cases. "Look, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gotten promoted to junior associate; and I love it, don't get me wrong. But I just don't have the time for this. Normally I'd give it to somebody else, but this one specifically, you have to do."
"Why do I have to do it? I don't mean to complain, you know me. But shit, Dani; why can't you have Stevenson do it? Or better yet, Richards? All they do is stand around the lunch room with their heads up their asses," Spencer pointed out, causing Daniele to let out a soft chuckle.
"Trust me, I know. Those two are arguably the most useless associates we have. But it has to be you because aside from myself, you're the only one who would care enough to do a good job," Daniele explained as she picked up the file once more, this time opening it up. She set the folder down right in front of Spencer, and gave her a soft smile. "Just… Take a look at it."
Spencer sighed and picked up the file, her eyes scanning through it. Initially she would have very briefly skimmed through the file. But as soon as she began to read the file, she felt her heart drop at its contents. Specifically there was one line that struck a nerve through her entire body: 'client claims to be denied equal job opportunities based on sexual preference'. Spencer held her eyes shut for a brief moment, letting out a shaky breath before closing the file and placing it back on the table.
"I can't do a case like that, Dani. Not again. It's too close to home," Spencer told her, the upset in her voice extremely evident as she shifted her eyes down. Daniele moved closer toward her, sitting down in the chair that was across from Spencer and trying to catch the girl's gaze.
"Look I know it might be tough, and it might bring up some bad memories and if I could, I would do it myself; you know I would. But my workload is twice as big as yours is right now," Daniele explained, reaching over to Spencer and gently placing her hand on her forearm. "You know you're the one to blame for that too, right?"
"Are you complaining?" Spencer questioned, looking up at Daniele with a half smirk on her face. Daniele gave her a pointed look as she leaned in closer to Spencer, now running her hand up and down Spencer's forearm.
"Not in the slightest. Actually, if I recall, I told you I wanted to thank you for helping to negotiate my promotion," Daniele pointed out, her voice dropping to a low, sultry tone. She traced her fingers up the girl's arm, and Spencer looked down at Daniele's hand, watching the contrasting tan skin of Daniele's fingertips dance along her forearm. Spencer glanced up at Daniele who was now flirtatiously glancing at her. She raised an eyebrow at Daniele, the two girls looking at one another silently for a few moments before both of them broke out in a fit of giggles.
"Sorry D, I'm taken," Spencer responded with a wink as Daniele rolled her eyes playfully while pulling her hand away from Spencer's arm. "Besides, I don't mix work and play anymore. Not since everything that happened with—"
"Say no more, I get it. We don't have to re-hash details by any means," Daniele spoke, and Spencer nodded in agreement. "Okay Hastings," she started again, letting out a deep exhale as she leaned back in her chair. "If you're not going to do me, will you at least do the case for me?"
"Clever," Spencer commented with a smirk on her face as she shook her head. Unable to hold in her laughter, Daniele began to chuckle at her own joke, Spencer joining in not long after. "Alright fine, you win," she agreed as she let out a sigh, quickly flipping through the folder once more. "I'll do this case. But I swear to God, if I suspect even the slightest bit of crazy from this client, I'm going to sic her on you."
"Deal. Wanna shake on it? Or better yet, kiss on it?" Daniele asked, a playful wink that Spencer couldn't help but smile at. She returned Daniele's wink with a joking glare before putting her hand out. Daniele rolled her eyes as she sighed exaggeratedly, and then took Spencer's hand in her own and shook it. "Hey Spence," she spoke up as she pulled her hand away, and Spencer tilted her head to the side curiously. "You know I'm just joking around, right? Whenever I say that stuff I mean; I'm just kidding. And if it ever makes you uncomfortable, let me know and I'll stop."
"Trust me, with the amount of shitheads we both put up with in Boston, you're the last person I'd expect any of that from," Spencer reassured Daniele with a sincere smile on her face that the girl quickly reciprocated. Just as Spencer finished speaking the sound of her door creaking pulled her attention away, her eyes shifting to the doorway where another one of her fellow associates was now peeking his head in.
"Hey Hastings, heads up. You've got a hot pair of legs here to see you," he stated, an eerie grin coming over his face as he gave both girls a wink; the difference between his and Daniele's being that his was downright creepy. Daniele turned her attention back to Spencer, the two of them sharing a wide-eyed look.
"Speaking of shitheads, huh?" Daniele muttered under her breath. Both girls let out a laugh when suddenly a loud screeching voice interrupted them.
"Spencie!" the voice called out loudly enough to startle both Spencer and Daniele who jumped in their seats ever so slightly. They turned to see Natalie standing in the doorway, her eyes locking on Spencer and giving her an excited smile before she took note of Daniele's presence, causing her demeanor to shift to one of blatant annoyance. "Oh. Hi Janelle. Didn't see you there."
"Fuck this, nope. Not today," Daniele muttered out as she stood from her seat and looked back to Spencer. "I'll uhm… I'll talk to you later, Spencer. Thanks again for taking on that case for me," she told the girl, and Spencer nodded in acknowledgement while giving Daniele an apologetic look. As she turned to exit Spencer's office, Daniele spared a glance at Natalie, mustering up the biggest fake smile she could manage. "Always a pleasure seeing you, Natasha."
"Uh, it's Natalie," the blonde snapped as she shot a glare at Daniele. Immediately Natalie's smile dropped as she returned an equally firm glare back at Natalie, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Yeah? Well, its Daniele," Daniele shot back and then proceeded to walk past her without another word, exiting the room.
Natalie simply rolled her eyes at Daniele's exit before closing the door and making her way over to Spencer's desk. Instead of sitting in the chair across from Spencer though, Natalie opted to come around the desk, sitting down right on the brunette's lap before pulling Spencer into a kiss. It took Spencer a few seconds to process what was going on, and almost instantly she pulled away from the blonde.
"Come on, Nat. Cool it with the PDA," Spencer told her as she tried to shrug Natalie off her. But the blonde was adamant in staying sat on Spencer's lap, linking her fingers around the girl's neck and softly tangling her fingers in her hair.
"You've like, never had a problem with it before," Natalie whispered into Spencer's ear as she leaned in and tried to pepper kisses along the exposed skin of Spencer's bare neck. Spencer let out a sigh, pulling away from Natalie once more and giving the girl a firm look.
"I'm at work, Nat. I need to be professional," Spencer reiterated.
"Once again, you've never had a problem with it before," Natalie replied, and she tried to lean in once more but Spencer was quick to anticipate her actions and successfully dodged the girl's advances. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Natalie leaned back, narrowing her eyes at Spencer. "The door's closed, babe. I don't get what the big deal is," she pointed out before once again trying to capture Spencer's lips in her own. But again, Spencer was quick to shift her body away.
"Seriously Natalie, cut it out," Spencer demanded, her voice slightly rising due to her frustration. The sudden shift in tone caused Natalie to let out a frustrated sigh as she unlinked her fingers from around Spencer's neck and moved off of the brunette's lap.
"Okay like, what is with you today?" Natalie questioned, her arms crossed around her chest. She was visibly irritated and trying her best not to show how hurt she was by Spencer's rejection, instead sporting a look of anger. "Actually, no. What's with you lately like, in general?"
"Nothing. I just have a ton of crap to do today and you're kind of distracting me," Spencer explained to her, and as soon as she said it she could visibly see how much the comment hurt her girlfriend. "Wait, that came out wrong," she tried to backtrack as she reached for Natalie, but the blonde took a step back, refusing to let Spencer touch her.
"No I think you meant exactly what you said. Sorry if taking time out of my day was such an inconvenience to you, Spencer," Natalie snapped, her voice suddenly firm and completely serious. She began pacing back and forth on the spot while Spencer sat idly by, not knowing what to say to calm the girl down. Finally, after a few seconds Natalie turned back to Spencer, her jaw clenched in anger, the hurt evident all over her face. "You know, for the past three years I didn't hear a single complaint from you. Now all of a sudden it's like you're turning into this different person. So I want to know, what's changed?"
"Nothing has changed Natalie," Spencer reiterated, already tired of having to try and defend herself. Deep down though, she knew that she wasn't being honest to Natalie or herself; in fact, Spencer knew exactly what had changed. But she refused to admit it both internally and out loud. Instead, she simply ran her fingers through her hair and let out a deep exhale. "Can we just drop this? Please?"
"Fine, whateves," Natalie spoke, and Spencer's shoulders visibly relaxed, thankful that she was able to have avoided a fight. "So," the blonde began again as she opted to lean against Spencer's desk instead of sit on the girl's lap this time. "What are we doing for dinner tonight?"
"Oh crap," Spencer muttered out, her eyes bulging in realization of yet another mistake she had made. "We had plans tonight, didn't we," she spoke, though it was more of a statement than a question. Natalie looked at her, eyebrows raised in complete disbelief as she began to understand what Spencer was getting at. "I'm sorry Nat, I totally spaced. I've got plans for tonight."
"Tell me you're joking, Spencer," Natalie let out, her jaw locked in both anger and upset as she began to clench her fists. It took everything in the blonde's power to control her emotions, not wanting to let Spencer's actions upset her to the point of tears, though it was proving to be difficult as she felt a lump in her throat begin to form.
"I'm sorry, Natalie," was all Spencer could let out as her gaze shifted to the ground, not wanting to see the disappointment she knew would be all over Natalie's face.
"No, you know what? I really just… Ugh! I don't want to hear it. We've barely been back together for a month, and already you don't have any time for me. You promised me last week that you would set time aside for me this week," Natalie reminded the girl, her voice beginning to crack as she felt herself get more and more upset. "One day, Spencer. That's all I asked for, and you couldn't even do that."
"Look, I'm sorry Nat. I just—"
"You just what?! Tell me, what is it?" Natalie shouted. She paused and let out a shaky break to try and calm herself down before continuing. "We've been doing this dance for three years, Spencer Hastings. And sure, its been on and off, and sure, it was always more physical than emotional, but in all that time you have never broken a promise to me," she reminded Spencer. A tear fell from her eye, but Natalie was quick to wipe it away, refusing to let her emotions get the best of her. "I'm going to ask you again; what the hell is so damn important that you're bailing on me? Is it work? Is it your friends? Or are you cheating on me with someone else? Is it that Janelle girl? Or is it the other one, huh? Who is it Spencer? Who?!"
Before Spencer had the chance to answer, her door swung open for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Only this time, it wasn't due to a coworker; instead, Xaviera came bursting through the door in a full sprint towards Spencer.
"Tia Spencer!"
Without any warning, Xaviera launched herself at Spencer, the brunette quick to catch the little girl in her arms. Spencer couldn't help but immediately light up at the presence of Xaviera, wrapping her arms around the young girl and pulling her into a tight hug. The ambush caught her so off guard that she initially hadn't even noticed Emily enter in right behind Xaviera.
"Sorry for the surprise drop in. Xavi couldn't wait until her lesson later to see you," Emily explained, and the sound of her voice instantly brought Spencer back to reality. She looked away from Xaviera, redirecting her gaze toward Emily, and instantly she could feel Natalie's gaze on her.
"Right, of course. Why am I not surprised," Natalie let out while shaking her head and Spencer looked back at the blonde in time to catch the tears that were now evident in the girl's eyes. There wasn't a second of hesitation before Natalie pushed off of Spencer's desk and grabbed ahold of her purse. "I'm so out of here."
Without so much as another word, Natalie made her way out of Spencer's office, purposely brushing her shoulder against Emily's as she made her way past the swimmer. Spencer let out a deep sigh as she looked towards the direction in which Natalie had left before looking at Emily who was now sporting a look of confusion.
"I brought lunch," Emily muttered out softly while holding up a large plastic bag. Spencer gave her a tight-lipped smile and cleared her throat as she stood up from her seat, placing Xaviera back on the ground.
"Thank you. You two can set everything up, I just have to uhm," her voice trailed off as she gestured toward where Natalie had just stormed off. Emily simply nodded in acknowledgement, and Spencer gave her an appreciative look before quickly making her way out of the room. She swiftly navigated her way through the office and towards the elevator where she saw Natalie standing in front of it, her arms crossed as her foot impatiently tapped against the floor. Hearing the 'ding' of the elevator, Spencer quickened her pace towards the girl and reached out to grab the girl's forearm. "Nat, hold on."
"Do not touch me," Natalie warned Spencer, her voice laced with venom as she instantly ripped her arm out of the girl's hold. She turned so that she was fully facing Spencer and while the brunette had expected a glare, Natalie's face showed nothing but hurt. "What do you want from me, Spencer? A month ago when you called me and said that you wanted to give it a try again, why'd you do it?" she questioned, but Spencer simply stood in front of Natalie at a complete loss for words. Natalie shook her head, her quivering hand running through her blonde locks of hair as she let out an uneven breath, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Why call me when it's… So God damn obvious that you want her?"
"Emily and I are just friends, Natalie. You know that," Spencer told her, but Natalie just shook her head in disagreement as she averted her gaze towards the ground.
"No Spencer, I don't. And that's the problem," Natalie whispered out, wiping a few fallen tears from her face before shakily running her fingers through her hair. The two girls stood in a lull of silence, Natalie not trusting her voice enough to talk, and Spencer not knowing what she could possibly say to fix it. After a few moments, Natalie finally looked up, her eyes red and glistening from the tears. "I love you, Spencer. But loving you does nothing for me if you don't feel the same way."
And with that Natalie turned and began to walk away, this time towards the staircase. Spencer stood frozen in her spot, and as much as she wanted to go after the blonde, she couldn't. Instead, she watched as her girlfriend moved further and further away from her both physically and figuratively.
"I'm gonna make it up to you, Nat," Spencer called out, as Natalie reached the door to the staircase. She paused, her hand on the doorknob as she turned to face Spencer one final time. "I will."
"Actions speak louder, Spencer. Actions speak louder," she responded, giving her one last weak smile before turning and exiting through the stairway.
Spencer let out a sigh of frustration as she ran her fingers through her hair. She leaned against the wall that was beside the elevator, eyes closed while allowing herself to recollect her thoughts. It took her a few moments and a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down, but once relaxed she made her way back to her office, entering it and then closing the door behind her.
"Sorry about that," Spencer spoke out to Emily who was standing at Spencer's desk and sorting out some of the food containers while Xaviera sat next to her, the little girl happily picking at the food in front of her. Upon hearing the brunette's entrance, Emily looked up and gave Spencer a soft smile.
"I hope we didn't get you in too much trouble," Emily spoke while taking out the last few Tupperware containers of food from the bag she had brought in. She brushed her hands off on a spare napkin as she finally finished dishing out her own food, and then she sat down, relaxing in the empty chair. "Sorry for Xav just barging in here like that too."
"Sorry tia Spencer," the little girl immediately piped in, and Spencer couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle as she looked over to Xaviera whose mouth seemed to be shimmering from the oil that came from the food she was currently eating. Spencer made her way to the two girls and placed a soft kiss on top of Xaviera's head before taking the empty seat that was behind her desk.
"It's okay sweetheart. You don't ever have to apologize for coming to visit me at work," Spencer reassured the little girl, giving her a playful wink, which prompted Xaviera to break out into a widened grin. "So, what's for lunch?"
"Mama made noodles!" Xaviera screamed out in excitement, earning a laugh from Spencer who observed the girl eagerly picking at her food.
"Xaviera, use un tenedor. Por favor," Emily told the little girl, and Xaviera immediately wiped her fingers with a napkin before picking up her fork instead of eating with her hands. She shook her head at her daughter, observing the girl's eating habits for a few seconds before redirecting her attention to Spencer. "I made spicy beef pad thai."
"Now is this safe to eat?" Spencer questioned with a joking tone, and Emily was quick to give the girl a playful glare. "I mean, your cooking has landed me in the hospital before, remember?"
"That was one time!" Emily responded, causing Spencer to burst into a fit of giggles. The swimmer rolled her eyes and shook her head before grabbing hold of one of her Tupperware containers and gesturing it towards Spencer, a confident look on her face. "Just eat it. I promise you won't end up in the hospital. And if you do, well… You can sue me."
"Deal," Spencer agreed as she took the Tupperware from Emily's hands and jokingly made a skeptical face at it. Emily swatted her hand against Spencer's forearm, giving her a warning glare that Spencer couldn't help but laugh at. Finally, after a few moments of teasing, Spencer finally relaxed into her chair and began to eat, Emily following en suite.
"Are you alright?" Emily whispered to Spencer after a few moments of silence between the three girls. Spencer glanced up from her food, her eyebrow slightly raised in response to Emily's question. "You just seem kind of… off today. Spaced out, maybe?"
"I'm fine. It's uhm… It's nothing," Spencer reassured the girl while forcing a smile. But Emily was quick to see through it, giving the brunette an incredulous look that let Spencer know she wasn't fooling anyone. Letting out a deep sigh, Spencer gently placed her container on the desk in front of her before running her fingers through her hair. "I'm just a little stressed out as of late, and on top of that I got this case today that just… well let's just say it's one that I'm not looking forward to work on."
"What's so bad about the case?" Emily questioned, and instantly she noticed the change in Spencer's demeanor. Her shoulders slumped over, and Emily instantly took note of the flash of hurt that came across the brunette's face. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"Does, uhm…" Spencer trailed off, looking down at Xaviera briefly before shifting her attention back to Emily. "Does she know that you're uhm," she paused, her voice dropping to a noticeably lower tone. Emily's eyebrows furrowed in confusion from Spencer's sudden strange behavior while the brunette looked away once more, trying to collect her thoughts. "Okay, uhm. Have you talked to her about being g-a-y?"
"Oh, uhm… Not in detail, no. Why, what does that have to do with anything?" Emily questioned, her eyebrow cocked. Spencer looked down at Xaviera once more as she tried to find the right words, while Emily patiently waited for Spencer to gather her thoughts, not wanting to push the girl.
"Okay, well… You know how I mentioned how I was transferred to New York because I was one of the only people at my firm that was eligible to practice law both here and in Boston?" Spencer questioned, and Emily nodded in response, easily recalling the conversation. "Well while that is true, there's kind of more to the story," she trailed off as she let out a shaky breath, her hands now fiddling nervously. Emily immediately took note of the girl's nervous habit and gently placed her hand overtop of Spencer's giving it a reassuring squeeze that silently urged the brunette to continue on.
"You remember Daniele, right? The senior that I met in my freshman undergrad year who always talked about how she was going to go to Harvard Law and change the world?" Spencer questioned, and Emily's eyes stared up at the ceiling as though she was thinking for a few moments before nodding. "Alright, well a little bit after I graduated law school, she hooked me up with an associate job at our Boston firm. Right when I first started, one of the name partners, Mr. Kryzynski, kind of took me under his wing pretty quickly. And at first it was awesome, y'know? I mean, I was pretty eager to work with him because I knew that if I could get in good with somebody in such a high position, it would give me the opportunity to show them what I could do and hopefully impress all of the named partners so that I could move up quicker within the firm. But it turned out that Kryzynski had his own agenda in mind."
"There was uhm… There was one night where he and I were at the office late going through a bunch of previous cases to try and prepare for an upcoming trial. It was the first time we had stayed so late that we were the last ones in the office and of course, the second we were completely alone, he made a pass at me. I was looking through a file cabinet, not really paying any attention to where he was in the room. It wasn't until I turned around that I realized he had me cornered."
Spencer felt Emily's grip on her hand instantly tighten, the girl's nails digging into her skin. Emily's eyes began to water, the fear of where the story was going causing her heart to race in fear.
"Nothing happened," Spencer quickly cleared up, and an audible sigh of relief came from Emily's mouth as her grip loosened ever so slightly. "I told him no, even though he was incredibly persistent. He kept asking why, trying to coax me into changing my mind, but I refused. Firstly, because I knew he had a wife and kids at home. Secondly, because it would have been wrong given both of our positions at the firm. And thirdly, because I'm… y'know. G-a-y."
"Anyway, as soon as I revealed that bit of information to him, Kryzynski was quick to throw every hateful name at me in the book. He called me disgusting, an abomination, one of God's mistakes… Then he told me to get out of his sight."
Spencer's voice trailed off as she fought the tears that were building in her eyes. Taking immediate notice, Emily retightened her grip on Spencer's hand, this time intertwining their fingers together, her thumb gently brushing against the girl's skin. Being that she was also gay, Emily knew how it felt to be discriminated against based on her sexuality. It was a pain like no other, and it was one she wouldn't ever wish on her worst enemy. She offered Spencer a look of encouragement, which the brunette drew from to continue her story.
"After that, uhm… I started to get treated differently around the office. People avoided me. There was always whispering behind my back, and sometimes I even got comments to my face. I was always given the grunt work, never any real cases. To sum it up, I got bullied in the workplace until one day I decided I wouldn't tolerate it anymore. So I went to human resources about it and reported it, but…" she paused, shaking her head at the hurtful memory. "They didn't do anything about it. Not a single thing."
She let a tear fall from her eyes as her mind flashed back to those painful moments. It was something she hadn't done in years; something she'd refused to let herself do for years. But as much agony as it caused her, at the same time she felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders by finally dealing with the pain she had put off for so long. Letting out a shaky breath, Spencer recollected her thoughts and cleared her throat before continuing.
"The second Kryzynski found out that I went to HR, he tried to get me fired. He ended up convincing one of his associates to file a, uhm…" she paused to look down at Xaviera, and could tell that the little girl was paying attention to the conversation, almost as though she was trying to make sense of it all. "He got her to file an inappropriate workplace complaint against me. And the second she submitted it, he submitted his own against me as well, claiming that I also made a pass at him."
"I ended up getting really lucky when all of the allegations came out. Daniele fought tooth and nail for me, and she was able to provide a strong enough defense that the allegations were thrown out, but unfortunately no progress came from it on either end. I wasn't fired, but neither Kryzynski nor his associate was fired for what they tried to do to me either. Nevertheless, I was stuck at a job that I had no chance of getting anywhere in, and I couldn't quit because if I quit then it would have made me look just as guilty as he was making me out to be."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Emily spoke up, giving the brunette a sympathetic look while squeezing Spencer's still intertwined hand with her own. "You worked so hard when we were at Columbia just to make sure you graduated at the top of your class. I can only imagine how hard you worked at Harvard, and it's not fair that that's how you were rewarded after all of it," she continued on. Emily looked up at Spencer who still had stray tears falling from her eyes. Without a moment of hesitation, Emily reached up and gently brushed them away. "You don't have to finish the story if you don't want to."
"It's okay. I think I need to," Spencer concluded with another deep breath, her voice now a bit scratchier than usual. "When I heard about the second law firm that they were opening up in New York, I worked my butt off to try and get transferred along with it. But part of me also knew that there was no way they would willingly just give me the job, so Daniele and I came up with a plan. "
"She knew that she was getting transferred, but we worked out a clause in her contract negotiation, which specified that she get one associate as her right hand. Kryzynski himself signed off on it under the assumption that she was going to hire someone after she moved here. But as soon as her contract was official, she named me as her associate," Spencer paused, smiling to herself at one of the only good memories to come from such a horrible situation.
"The look on Kryzynski's face was priceless. He tried to find any and every reason to stop it from happening, but we made sure it was legit. He couldn't fire either of us without justifiable cause, and even after he tried to claim that she was poaching his staff, we threw it back in his face that because I was still employed under the same law firm, it was considered an internal transfer."
"Even though I still get stuck with a ton of ridiculous cases because Kryzynski's buddies run the New York firm, it's still a million times better than being there. I mean it's not amazing, but it's not terrible."
"Can I ask you something?" Emily questioned, and Spencer gently nodded in response. "Why not just walk away? I mean, even with the allegations, you know the truth behind it and you're good at what you do. Why fight in a war where you're grossly outnumbered?"
"It's who I am, Em. There are very few things I've ever walked away from," Spencer spoke, and for a brief moment Emily could tell that she was talking about more than just her job. Breaking her gaze from the swimmer, Spencer shifted her gaze downward briefly before looking back up. "No matter how much they've put me through, I can't find it in me to give up," she went on and tears formed in her eyes again, only this time Spencer fought to keep them from falling. "Working here is a lot like playing chess. It's slow moving, and you always have to be several steps ahead of your opponent. But Dani and I are going to take them down one day. We just have to be patient."
Catching her by complete surprise, Xaviera stood from her seat and quickly made her way over to Spencer, latching onto the girl's leg and hugging it tightly. Spencer looked down at the little girl who peered up at her with a warm smile on her face. Using her free arm, she picked Xaviera up and sat the little girl on her lap, Xaviera leaning her body against Spencer's and nuzzling closely into her hold.
"I hope you beat all the bad guys, tia," Xaviera whispered out just loud enough for Spencer and Emily to hear, her words bringing a smile to both of their faces.
"Like how the superheroes do, Xav?" Emily playfully suggested. Xaviera turned in Spencer's arms to face her mother and shook her head in disagreement, causing Emily to raise an eyebrow, giving her daughter an inquisitive look.
"Not like a superhero, mama. Superheroes aren't real," Xaviera specified, and then looked back up towards Spencer who was silently looking down at her. The two shared a smile before Xaviera relaxed back in the brunette's arms. "Tia Spencer is real, so she's not a superhero. But she's still my hero."
If it were possible, Spencer could have sworn that her heart grew in that moment. Without a second of hesitation, she engulfed the little girl in a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"That's the best compliment I've ever gotten, sweetheart. Thank you," she softly told Xaviera as she gave her a tight squeeze.
Emily sat in front of the two, her heart skipping a beat as she watched her two favorite girls interact with one another. She was convinced that nothing made her feel more calm and at peace with her life than that moment. And just when she thought it couldn't have gotten any more adorable, Emily watched as her daughter glanced up at Spencer with nothing but admiration in her eyes.
"I love you, big buddy," Xaviera softly spoke, and Spencer broke out into a beaming smile.
"I love you too, little buddy."
Standing in front of her bedroom mirror in only her bra and underwear, Spencer adjusted her make up, lightly applying blush to her cheeks. It had been a week since her argument with Natalie, and since then the two had somewhat been able to make amends. She had felt guilty about just brushing Natalie off to the side, and had made several efforts to patch things up with the blonde. The date she was about to take Natalie on was how she intended on fully proving to the girl that she was sorry. If there was anything that the girl appreciated it was dinner at one of her favorite restaurants, and Spencer wanted to make sure that she made up the promise that she had previously broken to Natalie by following through with just that.
Spencer walked over to her bedroom window, peering out to have a look at the weather. Trees blew in the wind as light droplets of rain fell against her window, and she let out a sigh knowing that it was probably going to storm. Not wanting to let it ruin the evening, Spencer moved away from the window and put the weather out of mind, opting to find her outfit to take her mind off of it.
As she made her way over to her closet to pick out her dress, the sound of her cellphone ringing caught her attention and Spencer made her way over to her bed instead, picking up the device and glancing at its screen. Her eyebrow rose upon seeing Hanna's name across the screen, and while she contemplated not answering for a split second, she knew that whenever Hanna called instead of texted, there was purpose behind it. So instead, she answered it.
"Hey Han, what's up?" Spencer questioned as she glanced at her wristwatch, seeing that she had a little over 45 minutes before she had to leave her house. Deciding that she had enough time to spare, she took a seat on her bed and relaxed.
"Hey Spencer, sorry for the random phone call but I've got a big favor to ask you."
"Oh, yeah sure what is it?" she asked curiously.
"I'm planning a surprise party for Emily's birthday and I'm looking into venues right now. It's probably going to be at a hall, so I was wondering if you could look into liquor licensing for me."
"Oh, yeah for sure. I think I know a guy that could get it done for you pretty easily. Just a few questions; one, when are you planning to have the party, and two, do you have any idea which license class you're trying to obtain?" Spencer questioned, almost instantly going into lawyer-mode.
"Almost exactly a month from now is the plan; the week before Thanksgiving, so the 20th. And I have no idea about anything related to liquor licensing. I just want whatever license I need to legally feed Emily shots the entire night."
"Got it," Spencer answered with a chuckle. "I'll look into it tomorrow and get back to you ASAP. Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect. Thanks Spence."
"No problem, Han. I'll talk to you tomorrow," Spencer responded and was about to hang up the phone when she heard Hanna's voice call her name over the receiver once more. "Sorry, did you need something else?"
"Yeah, sorry I was going to also ask if you would be able to help me out with coming up with some music for it. I know you're kind of a music wiz; Emily used to brag about it all the time so I figure you'd be the best person to ask."
"Oh, uh sure I could probably do that for you. But why not just ask Noel to DJ for you?" Spencer suggested, recalling how Noel and Mike used to always provide the music for their parties.
"He is DJing, but I want him to play music I know Emily will like, y'know? Sometimes he makes some terrible music choices."
"Fair enough," Spencer answered with a bit of a chuckle. "I'm busy with a pile of cases right now, but I should have more time to myself in the upcoming weeks. I think I have the perfect idea for music."
"Awesome. You're the best, Spence!"
"Yeah I've heard that before," Spencer replied back nonchalantly, and Hanna let out her own laugh.
"And still ever so modest. Thanks again."
"No problem, Han. Now I'll talk to you tomorrow," Spencer told the girl, and went to go hang up her phone once again.
"Wait!"
"Okay, I mean this in the nicest way, but what now?" Spencer exaggeratedly asked while glancing at her wristwatch again to see that time was dwindling down more and more. She had about 25 minutes to finish getting ready before she had to leave, but the last thing she wanted to do was leave Hanna hanging.
"Sorry, sorry just one more thing. Since she and I live together it's a million times more difficult to do RSVPs. Can I have people RSVP to you instead? It'll all be through phone or e-mail, but sometimes I leave my phone hanging around the house and I just don't want to ruin the surprise."
"Sure, no problem. Have them either call me or send their RSVP to my private e-mail. Same e-mail that I had in high school," Spencer agreed, now standing up and heading to her closet to quickly find an outfit to wear. "Sound good?"
"That'll be perfect. Thank you so much, Spencer. I owe you big time."
"Don't mention it. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight," Spencer told the girl, quickly hanging up before Hanna got the chance to ask her anything else. She tossed her phone on the bed and then focused her attention on the closet in front of her, scanning through the dresses that she had hanging inside. After a few seconds, she found a short black dress that she recalled Natalie loving on her, and settled for that. As she pulled it out of the closet though, her phone went off again. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered out while walking back to her bed, picking up her phone and then answering it. "Whatever it is, the answer is yes Hanna. Now can you please stop calling me? I'm trying to get ready for a date here."
"Oh, shit sorry uhm… Okay nevermind then actually."
Spencer quirked an eyebrow, hearing the difference in Hanna's voice compared to minutes before when they had previously spoke. Instead of eagerness there was noticeable panic and worry in the blonde's tone, which genuinely concerned Spencer. Letting out a sigh, Spencer took a look at her wristwatch and decided she could spare a few more minutes.
"Sorry Han that was rude of me. What's wrong?" Spencer questioned with genuine concern.
"Oh no, it's nothing. I'll figure something out."
"Han, you called me. If it was nothing, you would have texted me. Now seriously, what's the matter?" Spencer asked once more with persistence. She heard the phone shuffle around followed by the sound of Hanna deeply exhaling on the other end of the phone.
"Okay, I'm not in town right now so uhm… How bad is the weather outside right now?"
"Uhm, I'm not su—" Spencer began but as if on cue, the loud booming of thunder interrupted her as its sound rippled through the air, causing her to jump as its strength lightly shook her room. Following the loud noise, she immediately heard the loud pattering of rain against her window. "I take that back. I'm gonna say it's pretty bad out right now."
"Shit, that's what I was afraid of. Okay, thanks."
"Wh—hold on, I know you didn't call me just for that. What's going on Han?" Spencer questioned, knowing there was more to the story.
"Nothing Spencer, it's fine. Just go out and enjoy your date."
"Hanna, seriously. You know I'm not going to drop it until you tell me why you really called, right?" Spencer pointed out, and as soon as she told Hanna that she heard the sound of the blonde letting out a groan of frustration. It wasn't hard for Spencer to visualize Hanna rolling her eyes at that point.
"Alright, fine. The reason I asked is because I'm worried. I'm in Rosewood right now picking up Xavi, and we were going to fly back tonight but our flight got cancelled because of the weather. Usually it wouldn't be a big deal, but Emily is alone right now and with the storm—"
"Her panic attacks," Spencer concluded on her own, nervously running her fingers through her hair. "She still gets them, doesn't she? And you're afraid that the noise from the storm is going to trigger her."
"Exactly. I called her half an hour ago and she said she was fine, but now she's not answering. If the storm has gotten worse then I just—"
"I'll go make sure she's okay," Spencer declared without a second of hesitation.
"No, it's fine. You should go on your date. I'll figure something out."
Spencer let out a sigh, knowing that Hanna was right. She knew that she shouldn't have even been entertaining the idea of bailing on her date. Not after the fight that she and Natalie had. But she couldn't shake the thought of leaving Emily by herself in such a vulnerable state.
The feeling of her phone vibrating pulled her out of her thoughts, and Spencer pulled the phone away from her ear only to see a new text from Natalie. Letting out a deep exhale, she opened it and read it to herself.
hey bb! can't w8 to c u 2nite. ill b rdy in 10. luv u. xoxo – Nat
Spencer read the text over and over, her mind racing as her thoughts bounced back and forth in debate of what to do. After a few seconds of deliberation, Spencer let out a deep sigh and quickly tapped the reply button.
Hey Nat. It looks pretty bad out tonight, so I'm a little concerned about driving. I don't want to risk it so let's raincheck, okay?
After hitting 'send', Spencer pulled the phone back to her ear where she could hear Hanna calling her name out.
"Hey, sorry about that. Don't worry about Emily though. I'm on my way."
And there it is! Next update, Spencer and Emily alone in an apartment… What could possibly happen? Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for what's to come. Thank you all so much for reading, and if you have the time feel free to drop me a review and make my day! If not, that's cool too. Once again, I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read this fic, and I'll see you next week. Love you all!