A/N: Hello there. Sorry for the delay (again)! This chapter took me longer than I expected, and differs quite a lot from my original plan. I don't know how I feel about it honestly: it's rather fluffy and occasionally silly, BUT it represents a turning point in the plot. All in all I'm satisfied with the result and I hope you will appreciate it as well. As always, thank you for reading.

It took a while, and quite the effort, but eventually they made it. And by the time they exited the corn maze, mostly thanks to Spencer's navigational skills, they even managed to reunite with Alison and Emily, who Spencer discovered – much to her dismay and the others' amusement – that they sneaked off and had been hiding in a dark and secluded corner of the maze the whole time, making out like two schoolgirls in heat.

The interesting thing was that, apparently, their hormone-driven behavior actually bought them brownie points with Hanna, who was the first one among her group to warm up to the couple. The three of them – Hanna, Alison and Emily – hit it off right away and quickly formed their own clique, distancing themselves from the others. A gaping Spencer watched the scene unfold before her eyes, astonished and impressed with the blonde's amicability and bubbly attitude; Caleb and Aria, on the other hand, shared a knowing smile: Hanna had always had a way with people.

As the carriage pulled up to take the adventurers back to the festival, Aria realized with a small frown that she and Spencer were left behind by the others. If she didn't know any better she would have thought that a certain someone was trying really hard to get her alone with the stunning taller woman.

But she did know better, and she shrugged off the thought. 'Must've been imagining things,' she said to herself with a shake of the head.

Spencer glanced at her curiously, she noted, as they both took a seat next to each other on the left side of the cart, while the other two couples plopped down across from them, still completely absorbed in their conversation.

More people got on the wagon, forcing Aria and Spencer to shift and readjust their positions. Aria could feel a familiar tension rising between them as their legs grazed each other's every so often from the coziness of their seating arrangement. It was possibly the closest she had been to another human being in months, and it was admittedly a nice feeling. A really nice feeling.

Her eyelids slid close on their own volition and her lips curved upwards ever so slightly. She was basking in the comfort of the warmth radiating off of another body. Of being in Spencer's proximity.

Oh, how she had needed it. Craved for it. It had been so cold recently… She had felt so alone…

Her eyes snapped open and she jumped out of her seat.

Maybe because of her sudden realization, though she suspected it had more to do with the wagon bumping brusquely on the uneven ground. One or the other, Aria found herself dangerously suspended in midair, and for a fraction of a second she felt delirious in her flight.

Then, a pair of toned arms encased her from behind, holding her gently but firmly and bringing her back to her designated spot. Aria's breath hitched.

"You okay?" Spencer asked, the softness of her tone matching that of her concerned gaze.

Aria opened her mouth, trying and miserably failing to say something in response, but her voice dyed somewhere in her throat. All her mind and her eyes could focus on were the other woman's delicious appearing lips as they moved rapidly and with increasing urgency, uttering words that her brain could not register, for it short-circuited the moment she had felt Spencer's touch.

It didn't take long for all her blood to rush right there on her cheeks, where Spencer's hands had been just a moment before and where her skin still burned. She felt a little like dying, either from embarrassment or from the pounding of her heart against her ribcage; and yet, at the same time, she had never felt more alive. Every fiber of her body danced, every nerve tingled with a newly-found awareness.

She, Aria Marie Montgomery, was insanely attracted to 5'8'' tall, exquisitely edgy, positively gorgeous, adorably stubborn, cynic and at times rather intense, doctor Spencer Hastings.

'Wow.' She was having a hard time to process everything, and all that ruckus surrounding her was certainly not helping matters.

"Aria!"

"Hey, Aria. You still with us?"

'So this is what was going on all along? When did I start having these feelings?'

"Aria please, say something!"

'WAIT, WHAT?! Feelings? Who said anything about feelings? I mean, I do like her but-'

"EARTH TO ARIA! HELLO!" Hanna, having had enough of being blatantly and oh so rudely ignored, jumped in front of her, frantically waving her hands in the air. "IS THERE ANYBODY HOME?"

Aria blinked.

"Uh?" Was her only reply.

'Ugh, seriously? Way to go Aria! You look like a moron.'

Five people exchanged extremely wary glances. Some of the other passengers observed with barely disguised curiosity the bizarre scene.

After a long minute of silence, Hanna let out a loud sigh and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at least she's still breathing and alive. Her neutrons seems intact."

"Um… what?" Emily asked, genuinely perplexed.

"I think she meant to say neurons." Spencer supplied from her crouched position, right in between Aria's parted legs. The petite brunette's eyes widened, realizing only then the position they were in. "Hey there munchkin," she squeezed her knee. "It's good to have you back."

"Ah, I…" Aria started tentatively, not really sure of what to say. "I'm… sorry? I'm not really sure what's gotten into me…"

"Yeah, I noticed." Spencer chuckled. "You space out a lot, did you know?" She asked with a playful grin, and Aria was too mesmerized to bother refuting the statement.

"C'mon," the woman suddenly stood up and offered the still dazed girl her hand. "Our ride's over."

Aria looked at her questioningly and Spencer gestured vaguely around. Just then the carriage slowed down to a halt at the drop off location on the outskirts of the festival. The smaller brunette accepted the offered limb and the two of them hopped off the back and onto solid ground, where their friends were already standing and waiting for them – Hanna and Alison with a sinister glint in their eyes and a conspiratorial smirk.

She fought off a shiver, though it probably had more to do with the sensation evoked by Spencer's brushing thumb over her knuckles rather than the newly formed 'scary duo' staring.

"So, I guess that's it…" Spencer mumbled bashfully. "It was nice meeting you all. Unexpected but nice…" She continued lamely and a little unsure. Aria felt utterly deflated, disappointed and more than a little conflicted: on one hand she wanted so badly to throw her arms around the taller woman's neck and hold her in place; on the other hand, all those thoughts and urges she started to feel towards the beautiful doctor scared her. But before her mind could start to analyze why she was feeling so unsettled, it was already occupied searching frantically for an excuse, anything that would prolong her time with Spencer, if only for a little bit.

"Hey, hey… don't tell me you want to call it a night already?" Hanna interjected, a childish pout on her face. "I'm starving, and Alison here was just telling us how thirsty she is. Right Em?" She nudged the unsuspecting taller woman, who frowned at first but then recovered when her girlfriend send her a glacial glare. She nodded her head in agreement, probably too much enthusiastically to be actually believable. Nonetheless, Aria felt a surge of affection for them all, and silently thanked God for her blonde friend.

All of a sudden her odd behavior and total lack of subtlety did not bother her so much. She couldn't be mad at her when she had just come up with a perfect excuse to spend more time with Spencer.

"We agreed to go grab some dinner, you're joining us right?" Hanna's angelical smile turned evil when she glanced over at her boyfriend, who had been fiddling with his phone up until then. "Caleb's buying." Hearing his name, said boy looked up from his phone noticing all eyes on him.

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Oh, that's so nice of you. Thanks." Aria quickly replied with a grin.

"Well, since you apparently have already decided…" Spencer trailed off. "I'll take you up on your kind offer. Thanks Caleb." She directed an appreciative smile at the boy.

"Wait!" He exclaimed, his eyes darting from Hanna to Spencer before landing back on his girlfriend. "I don't understan-"

"Shh," Hanna coaxed sweetly. "It's alright babe. I'm hungry, so you get to pick where we are going to eat."

"Oh, alright then." The young man shrugged. "We could go to that Italian place you're always blabbering about Ar. You know how Han loves her breadsticks."

Hanna let out a short laugh, "Damn straight."

"Wait, you wouldn't mean Gino's, would you?" Spencer asked. It was a well-known restaurant, not too distant from the farm actually.

"Yeah, is that okay with you?"

"Definitely. I love their stuffed ravioli." She replied with a whimsical smile, patting her flat belly for emphasis and eliciting some chuckles from the others.

"Alright, Gino's it is then." Hanna stated as they began to make their way through the festival towards the parking lot on the opposite side. It turned out that they parked fairly close when they arrived earlier in the day.

Since they drove separately to the festival, they decided to just meet at Gino's.

When they arrived, they got settled at a booth table near the back of the restaurant, and of course both the official couples slid into their respective side of the booth, leaving Aria and Spencer with no option but to sit right in the middle, and very, very close to each other. Not that Aria complained, by any means. But as if she was not feeling flustered enough already, Spencer's elbow kept grazing hers as they looked through the menus. Although Aria already knew what she was going to order… still, she had to do something to keep her mind off of how close she was to Spencer and the lovely smell of lavender that came with her presence.

"What can I get you to drink?" A waitress asked as she appeared at their table not a moment too soon. Aria shuffled a little, putting a little distance between herself and Spencer as subtlety as she could, trying to keep herself from 'inadvertently' sniffing her hair.

'Okay, that was awkward. And when did I start acting like a creep, exactly?'

"A Martini, please. Shaken, not stirred." Emily replied with a lopsided grin and in an overly exaggerated British accent. Spencer and Caleb both snorted in unison at that.

And at the blank stare the waitress was giving her.

"What are you, James Bond?" The boy sniggered.

"Yeah," Spencer followed suit, tears pooling in her eyes. She straightened her posture, a solemn look on her face, and cleared her throat, "The name's Fields. Emily Fields."

Caleb and Hanna cracked up, and even Aria, though initially fighting against the smile tugging at her lips, ended up giggling at her antics.

'And here I thought I was being a freak… These people are nuts.' The petite brunette shook her head affectionately. Seriously, it had been so long since she had laughed like that. Since she had felt so good and carefree. For the first time in a while, she was honestly enjoying herself, and she owed that to her friends and to Spencer.

"Hey!" Emily cried out indignantly. "I was just tryin' to be, um… charming. Yeah." She obstinately and a little childishly crossed her arms over her chest.

That elicited another series of snorts and laughter.

"Oh yeah, real charming Em."

"Try again, dork."

"Okay, you know what? Why don't ya – Ouch!"

"Oh for the love of God…" Alison groaned through gritted teeth while delivering a devastating kick to her girlfriend's ankle. Always an effective method to shut someone up. She turned to look at the poor waitress, who was giving them all bewildered stares, "Please don't mind them. If it's alright with you I think we're ready to order." She added, the menu still unopened in front of her.

"O-okay…" The flabbergasted teenager stammered. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the stuffed ravioli with chicken." Spencer answered as she finally managed to collect herself.

"Um, I'll also have the stuffed ravioli. With mushrooms if possible." Aria said softly.

"Alright." The redhead smiled a little at who seemed to be the most level-headed one of the group. And that was saying something. "And for you two ladies?" She then asked, turning her attention to Alison and her definitely not charming yet humorous girlfriend.

"Um, I'd like your spaghetti. Without the meatballs." Emily made a face, and Spencer lost it, snickering at Emily's dislike of meatballs. Her friend decided that ignoring her would be the best policy. "And this beautiful lady would like your lasagna." She looked instead at her pissed-off girlfriend, trying desperately to make up for her previous slip. Luckily for her Alison nodded, albeit curtly, in approval. Next up were Caleb and Hanna to place their orders.

"Emily, are you a vegetarian?" Aria naively asked, positively impressed that someone else at their table shared her beliefs. Spencer couldn't hold back on her laughter this time, while Alison tried to kick her under the table but ended up colliding with a table support beam.

"More like a vag-" Her second blow however hit its mark and sufficed to shut her cousin up immediately. Aria tilted her head and glanced oddly from Spencer to Emily and Alison, waiting for an answer or explanation.

"No, I'm not a vegetarian." Emily answered with a warm smile. Though they didn't interact much throughout the evening, she had noticed two things about the small brunette sitting on her left side: she was an honest-to-God sweet girl, and she was genuinely smitten with Spencer. In her book, that was enough of a reason to like her already.

"I believe my lovely cousin was being her usual facetious self," Alison cut in on their conversation, her tone slightly venomous. "And hinting at Em's sexual preferences."

"Oh, I see…" Aria nodded in understanding and returned Emily's smile before glaring sideways at Spencer. "Not cool, Spence. Not cool." She chastised.

Spencer had the decency to look sincerely mortified as she mumbled something vaguely similar to an apologize – too stubborn to even think of doing it properly. She looked like a scolded little puppy, and while Alison and Emily simultaneously rolled their eyes and fought off a knowing smirk, Aria nearly let out a squeal at the adorableness of the sight.

'Okay, this is getting too much, too fast. Keep it together, Montgomery.'

'They're not even dating yet and she's already whipped. HA! Look who's ridiculous now, Hastings!' Emily grinned proudly to herself.

'She's making dumb faces again…' Alison groaned and her elbowed her girlfriend. Hard.

"So Aria," The blonde started, and the younger woman turned her head slightly to look at her. That sinister glint in her eyes from before returned. "Hanna earlier mentioned that you have an appreciation for art?"

"Yeah," her voice cracked unpleasantly so she took a drink of water before continuing. "I guess you could say that. My dream as a child was to become a professional dancer. Then my teacher made me realize that I hadn't the physique du role, so I started looking into other stuff such as painting and photography."

"What a bitch!" Spencer frowned angrily, eliciting a goodheartedly giggle from Aria, who reached out with her hand and squeezed her forearm in a placating manner.

"It's okay. She was right anyway."

"Still…" The taller brunette grumbled.

This caring side of Spencer was new to her, and Aria found herself liking it immensely. As a matter of fact, despite the silliness of the conversation she was touched by Spencer's protectiveness.

"I think your story hit too close to home, right Spence?" Emily smirked.

"What do you mean?" Hanna suddenly butted in. Not that Aria minded, her interest had also been piqued.

"Well, you see… Our Spencer here had a dream."

"And now you make me sound like Martin Luther King. By the way, what's with you and iconic characters of the last century tonight, Fields?" Spencer quipped, and the others chuckled.

Emily threw her a dirty look, to which the other woman responded with a glare of her own.

"Children, behave." Alison warned in a reprimanding tone. Thankfully there were actual adults ready to intervene to dissipate the tension.

"So? What you wanted to do when you were a kid?" Aria focused her attention back to Spencer, growing impatient with each seconds passing by.

"I wanted to be an architect. Or an interior designer." Spencer sighed. "But I also had someone who 'strongly discouraged' me from pursuing my dream career, to put it mildly."

"I mean, he did have a point." Alison interjected. "Remember the draft you submitted for his class?"

"Yeah…" Spencer answered dejectedly.

"Aw, I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Aria coaxed as she patted Spencer's back.

Alison snorted. "Not at all. In fact, she even won a contest with that sketch."

"Really?" Aria seemed genuinely surprised at the information.

"Uh-uh." The blonde grinned evilly. "Only, she won it for the wrong category. Our art teacher was so proud of her though. He started calling Spence the new Picasso."

Spencer stared down at the table, sulking and telepathically willing the waitress to bring their food while everyone laughed at her expenses; the only thing preventing her to lash out at her cousin and girlfriend and their incessant teasing was the soothing touch of the younger woman at her side. That tiny, delicate hand from before, in fact, never really left its place on her back; instead, it started drawing lazy patterns in between her shoulder blades.

Practically sensing Aria's eyes on her, and fighting off the purr that threatened to escape her lips, Spencer took a chance and peaked at her through her peripherals. She leaned in closer, the hairs on her neck standing in anticipation. Her mouth so close to her ear, Spencer could feel her breath tickle the sensitive skin there.

"Someday you'll have to show me your masterpiece, Picasso." She whispered just loudly enough for the woman to hear. She then sat up straight, returning to her original position and a wide-eyed Spencer let out a breath that she wasn't even aware she was holding.

"Finally!" Someone, probably Hanna, exclaimed and the brunette's eyes shot towards the blonde, thinking she was in some way referring to them, but the blonde's gaze was on the waitress, who was bringing their meals.

The rest of the dinner passed rather uneventful – the most awkward part was when the waitress came back with the bill and set it in front of the only man at the table. Caleb looked down at the piece of paper with a frown, but he didn't have the time to voice his question that Hanna had already slipped a credit card – his credit card - into the holder and handed it back to the waitress with a wide grin. Before he could mumble a protest she reached out and pecked him on the lips. He shook his head, resigned, and the others smirked and thanked him for his generosity.

"Next time is on me." Spencer promised while they walked out of the restaurant.

Those words left Aria with an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach, similar to the one she had experienced back at the festival: a mix of anxiety, dread because she was not ready for her time with Spencer to be up; and giddiness because the taller woman had clearly stated that there it would be a 'next time'.

While they approached their cars, Aria was debating with herself if inviting Spencer and her friends to hang out with them, but she wasn't sure what Hanna and Caleb had planned for the night, or if they would be bothered by the extra company. Besides, for all she knew Spencer could already have other plans.

'Now, what is this pang I just felt?' She asked herself when all of a sudden she found it somehow harder to breath. Her throat felt constricted.

"Hey, is everything all right?" Spencer asked, standing in front of her slightly concerned. Only then Aria realized that they were alone in the rather empty parking lot – the others having already entered their respective cars.

"Yes." She replied softly. "I just… my stomach. It must've been something I ate."

Spencer studied her carefully, her scrutinizing, intelligent eyes searching every angle of her face. "Then you should go home. Get some rest. And drink a lot of water!"

Aria bit her lip to restrain a giggle. Instead, she offered one of her sweetest smiles. "Doctors order?"

"Doctors order." Spencer said sternly. Her façade however broke off soon enough. "But if you're in any pain, feel discomfort, or if you need something don't hesitate to call me. 'Key?"

"I'm sure it's nothing worth your time, but thanks for your co-" Aria tried to object, though she really wasn't sure why. There she was, the object of her interest, offering to come to her aid, and she was rebuffing such an opportunity. Luckily for her, Spencer didn't let her.

"Ah-ah! No buts." The taller woman cut her off. "What? Do you think I'd offered if I didn't mean it?" Spencer asked, neither of them sure if it that was a rhetorical question or not. Aria didn't think she would, but one could never be too sure and she had been proven wrong in the past, too many times by so many people. And this thing with Spencer, whatever it was… It was all so confusing.

One thing was crystal clear though: in the short time they spent together between the festival and the dinner, the air between them shifted dangerously. They both could sense it, directly on their skin. After all, as much as they had tried (deliberately or not) all along to ignore the blossoming of certain feelings towards one another, they couldn't deny that peculiar, natural affinity that they had experienced right from the start. Perhaps it all lead it to that.

Perhaps the time had come to sort some things out.

"Listen Aria, I know I have a tendency to come off as…" Spencer licked her lips as she tried to find the right word, "abrasive. Sometimes it's just hard to put yourself out there and meet new people." Aria nodded. She most definitely could relate to that.

"I'm just not very good at…" Spencer trailed off.

"Letting people in?" Aria finished for her.

"Yeah." She replied softly. "But the thing is… earlier, at the festival, I had some sort of epiphany. And it's different. With you, I mean, it's different. You're different. And…"

"And?"

"And intense. Scary. Preposterous. Addictive. And right about a thousands of other adjectives. It's ridiculous, how much I've come to like you. I'm drawn to you. And I don't know, maybe I'm being foolish, but I really think that there's something going on here. You can slap me and tell me to fuck off right now if I'm wrong, if I'm imagining things… though I really hope you won't."

For a really long time Aria stood there, frozen. She didn't know what to do. What to think or say. She had been under a lot of pressure lately and she was understandably overwhelmed.

How many things could an average person take, all at once?

A dead boyfriend. An unplanned pregnancy. Exhausting sessions of physical therapy to recover after a nearly fatal car crash.

And how many things could an average brain process in less than 12 hours?

Intense mood swings, work-related issues, family issues, an unscheduled visit from two of her dearest friends right when she was at her lowest; the loneliness. The constant feeling of inadequacy. And then a beautiful day spent outdoor; an unexpected meeting, and the subsequent fluttering feelings. The heartthrob, the confusion, the butterflies in her stomach. Tenderness and warmth.

And then she knew what she wanted. What she had to do in order to obtain it.

Her eyes snapped up, shining with a newly-found determination and oh so very eager to find their mates. And when they did, they softened considerably.

"A-a-and I probably shouldn't have said any of that. Shit, I'm so sorry. It's just, I never felt this way before. I thought you should know." Having interpreted Aria's silence as a flat-out rejection, Spencer panicked. "I freaked you out, didn't I? I am so sor-"

An index finger pressed against her lips silenced her. Aria's next whispered words momentarily stopped her heart.

"I feel it too."

Now, now Spencer began to understand what Emily meant whenever she would say that she was feeling all giddy inside – not that she would ever admit that.

"Y-yeah?" She murmured. "Cool."

Aria arched an eyebrow, though she seemed appeased for the moment as she took a step closer to the taller woman, leaving just a few inches of space between their bodies.

"Cool?" She asked, mirth and the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. "That's all you have to say? And to think that you were being so eloquent just a minute ago…" Her eyes darted between Spencer's own eyes and her lips. "What a shame." She said as she shuffled on her feet.

Spencer's features fell subtly as her shoulders and eyes dropped, her smile fading. Aria was trying to step back and distance herself from her, but Spencer wasn't having any of it. She moved forward to keep the space between them close, and the next thing Aria knew, she was enveloped in a tight embrace.

"Sorry." Spencer husked softly into her ear.

"It's okay." The smaller woman replied sincerely.

"If I were in your shoes, I would've run away already." She chuckled nervously. "But… would you maybe, possibly consider the idea of going out with me sometime?"

She felt the younger woman in her arms tense up and shudder. She clutched both arms of the brunette and crashed their bodies even closer together. Spencer's right hand slipped up to hold soft strands of dark hair and guide Aria's head to rest on her shoulder, as her left arm curved around the waist she had longed to touch. The brunette slowly inched closer to the smaller woman's ear, heart beating hard but quiet, and emotions feeling stronger by the minute.

"Y-you don't have to reply right away. Take your time to think things through! I can wait."

'For you, I can wait.'

Two arms snaked up hugging her lower back tightly. Aria adjusted herself so that she could now look into Spencer's eyes tenderly. "Yes."