A/N: Jeez, whatever happened to just two weeks lol? In my defense, I fell off the sanity wagon and spent a few weeks in a hospital trying to get my head right, and since then I've been just barely scraping by. Progress is slow, but it's there, so there's that at least. Personal issues aside, I couldn't keep you guys waiting any longer so I ground out this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer (because it's been a while): I don't own PLL, obviously. Also, Alex swears a lot, the sexual tension between Arlex is definitely escalating (wink, wink), and people might go batshit crazy and/or die, so be careful of triggers in future chapters. Just a warning :P
"Tell me the truth, Spence," said Alex, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "Do I need to slash his tires?"
Spencer didn't respond at first, too busy staring out the window at the passing scenery. They'd left behind the rain and were now on the outskirts of Rosewood, heading toward Radley, where Alex had her weekly hour-long anger management group sessions. Her twin had reluctantly joined her on the drive and was now thoroughly engrossed in sprawling pastures and dead-eyed, cud-chewing cattle. Spencer herself had gone frighteningly dull, and Alex had a feeling she had moved past bawling her eyes out and was now internally processing her break-up. But this driving in silence thing was ridiculous.
"Alex…" drawled Spencer in an exhausted monotone, obviously not willing to put up with her bullshit at the moment. "I really don't want to talk about it."
Alex scoffed. "You're impossible. You're doing that thing where you freak the fuck out and then shut everybody out. It's not healthy."
"Neither is exploding, which I've seen you do about a million times."
"Where do you think we're going, Spence? I'm working on it."
Spencer let out a bitter laugh. "Because you were court-ordered to. Not because you want to."
"Yeah, the one time I do something actually reasonable out of anger, I get punished for it," said Alex. Then she shrugged. "But I'd probably end up being forced to go at some point, I guess."
"Probably." Tense silence crept back in, dragging on for way too long before Alex sucked in a loud, irritated breath and tapped her fingers against the wheel. "Wow, it's getting hard to breathe in here. Must be you sucking all the oxygen out."
"It's all the hot air coming from outside, you have the fan on instead of the A/C."
Subtly, Alex glanced at the center console. Sure enough, she didn't have the air conditioning on. "Shit." She jabbed the correct button, and cool air started to circulate. And it did get easier to breathe. "I was trying to make a point."
"If I'm being such a drag, why did you force me to come with?" Spencer finally turned to look at her, nose wrinkling as she no doubt began to pick holes in Alex's logic.
Alex turned to look briefly at her twin, eyebrows raised. "I wanted to talk to you about this break-up. You came into my room, Spence."
Spencer fiddled with a loose string on her sleeve. "I just… needed to tell someone. But I don't want to talk about it."
"Come on," Alex jabbed her with an elbow. "It'll make you feel better."
"Doubt it," groused Spencer. After a moment, she sighed, "Fine. Toby insisted on the truth. He knows I've been acting weird lately, and when I wouldn't tell him why, he gave me an ultimatum. And now I don't have a boyfriend anymore."
The gated perimeter of Radley loomed up ahead, and Alex pursed her lips. "That doesn't make any sense, Spencer. You two have been through way worse."
"Yeah, well, being honest with each other was a big part of it."
"So be honest with him. Tell him everything. And make sure he knows not to do anything stupid with the information or I'll kick his ass."
Spencer gave her the tiniest of smiles but still didn't seem convinced.
Once Alex had pulled into the back parking lot of the sanitarium and parked, they both jumped out of the SUV, Alex palming the keys while Spencer shuffled around to the driver's side.
"Bring me back food," said Alex, tossing the car keys across the hood to her sister, who barely reacted in time to catch them. "Talking through feelings and shit makes me absolutely famished, so I fully expect to see the heavenly blessings of a cheeseburger waiting for me when I get out of this hellmouth."
Spencer rolled her eyes but offered a tired smile. "I'll see what I can do."
An hour later, Alex shuffled out of the sanitarium, immediately squinting at the unexpected burst of sunlight that assaulted her eyes. It'd been muggy and overcast when she went in, and now the sky was a clear, cheery azure. And, from what she could tell from this distance, it seemed Spencer's mood had one-eightied alongside the weather. Her sister was parked a little ways away, but she could clearly make out the figure of her own girlfriend in the front seat.
Alex smirked as she stealthily approached, and since the windows were rolled down she could hear a snippet of their conversation:
"Come on, Spence, it's not that funny," said Aria, shoving Alex's twin playfully on the shoulder. She was laughing, though, and the melodic sound automatically tugged Alex's mouth into a grin.
Meanwhile, Spencer was nearly red in the face she was laughing so hard, and that was certainly a surprise to Alex. Her twin had been so withdrawn and dour only a little while ago, and it made her love Aria that much more knowing she could make Spencer light up like this. "It definitely is!" cried Spencer, wiping at her eyes. "You seriously did that?"
"How was I supposed to know that he wouldn't enjoy a purple mohawk?"
Spencer finally contained herself, but almost cracked up again as she looked at Aria. "That's incredibly ridiculous."
"Obviously I know that now."
Alex leaned against the passenger side window and cleared her throat. "What's this talk about purple mohawks?"
Aria turned to greet her with a kiss and, pulling away, said, "I tried to give the family cat a mohawk when I was seven. And then I dyed him with food coloring."
"Wow, the poor thing," replied Alex. Then she squinted as if recalling a distant memory. "Although I can remember trying to do something similar with my own hair."
"Dyeing it or shaving it?"
Alex grinned. "I always thought of myself as a future punk rock star, and a colorful mohawk was part of the look."
"So both?"
Nodding, Alex laughed. "To my mother's relief, it was just a phase." She squinted. "Hey, remember that time you had pink—"
"Yes," huffed Aria, rolling her eyes. "When are you going to let that go?"
"Never. It was adorable." Aria looked like she was about to attack, so Alex kissed her on the temple and clambered into the backseat before she could take a swipe. She reached up to smack Spencer on the shoulder as she buckled her seatbelt. "You were supposed to bring me a burger, Spence, not a tiny vegan."
Spencer looked at Aria, who held up a white paper bag.
Alex snatched it and peeked inside, giving a celebratory fist pump as she laid eyes on the burger. "Hell yes."
Hanna banged the heel of her hand on Toby's apartment door for the third time, letting out a loud sigh when there was no response. "Really hard to pitchfork someone when they don't answer their door."
Aria, who was examining her cuticles, glanced at the blonde, her brows pulling together. "Isn't that what the torches are usually for?"
"Yeah, but we can't exactly burn down the whole entire Brew, can we?" said Hanna, widening her eyes. "The pity party's downstairs. That's like half our crew."
"Spencer and Ali can take care of themselves," Alex chimed in. Then she pursed her lips in thought, an image of the pair's zombie-like expressions popping into her brain. "Well, maybe not at the moment. But Emily can drag them out."
Aria jabbed her in the shoulder with her pointer finger. "Why are you so eager to start a fire, babe? Did I accidentally start dating a closeted pyromaniac?"
Alex laughed. "I can also kick in the door if I have to. I've always wanted to do that."
"Way to dodge the question," scoffed Hanna, spinning around to bounce her way down the metal stairs. "Come on, let's go ask Em if she's seen him lately."
They followed Hanna back inside, trailing behind as the blonde looked around for the swimmer. Not seeing her behind the counter or waiting tables, they went over to the group's usual nook, where Alex's sister and cousin were slumped on the orange couch, sipping from coffee mugs and feeding off each other's despair. Alison was still processing her mother's affair, and as a result, she looked unusually drained, her eyes ringed in red like she'd been crying instead of sleeping, which wasn't out of the realm of possibility. And Spencer had dissolved into a wreck since the breakup on Monday. They'd both been reluctant to go anywhere, but Alex had literally dragged Spencer by the ankles out of her nest of tissues, ice cream, and breakup movies, and Alison had peeled herself out of bed after some coaxing (or threatening, rather).
"Wooow," sniped Aria as they approached. "The energy in here is just electric. Feels like Friday night to me."
"Yeah." Hanna flopped down into the only armchair, voice dripping in caustic sarcasm. "Can we join the party?"
Ali and Spencer shot them identical glares, which were too pitiful to take seriously. Alex took the empty spot beside Alison, reaching forward to grab her latte off of the table and taking a generous sip. It was cold, but she downed the rest of it anyway. "Seriously," she added. "The commander and lieutenant have gone AWOL and none of us know what to do with ourselves anymore. I say this with no judgment whatsoever, but can you two get your shit together?"
"Commander and lieutenant?" grouched Alison, as Spencer raised a brow.
"That's what the rest of us call you two hard-asses behind your backs," said Aria as she kicked off her flip-flops. Then she situated herself on Alex's lap, stretching her legs across the tops of Ali and Spencer's thighs. "It's really hard to remember not to salute while in your presence."
Spencer scoffed, poking the bottom of Aria's foot. "Yeah, well now you're using your alleged superiors as a footrest. Safe to say Ali and I don't run too tight of a ship."
Alex wrapped her arms around Aria's waist and leaned back with her, and Alison threw a scowl at them. "Can you two stop with your PDA? It's bumming me out."
"Yeah, you're worse than Em and Ali," said Hanna.
"What about me and Ali?" The tanned swimmer appeared out of nowhere, tucking her notepad into her apron pocket, empty tray tucked under her arm and a fresh pot of coffee in hand.
"We're gossiping about your penchant for PDA," filled in Hanna, handing Emily her mug for a refill. "–Thanks, Em. And how Ar and Alex are just as bad, if not worse."
"Ah. Top off, anyone?" A rumble of declination went around the rest of the group, and Emily twisted her mouth in concern, eyes darting to Alex's caffeine-addicted twin. "Spence?"
"I'm fine. But thanks, Em," muttered Spencer.
The barista gave her a sympathetic look, then turned to Alison. "Babe? Doing okay?"
"Yeah, if you mean coffee."
"I don't."
"Then no," huffed Alison. "When does your shift end?"
"Um…" Emily craned her neck to get a look at the wall clock. "Twenty more minutes."
Hanna's eyes lit up suddenly, and she turned to the swimmer. "Hey, Em. Have you seen Toby lately?"
Taking a moment to think, Emily squinted, her face reading as if something strange had just donned on her. "No, actually. Why?"
"Aria, Hanna, and I just went up to his apartment to chew him out, but he's not there or not answering. And Spencer hasn't seen him around in almost a week," answered Alex.
"Now that you mention it, he hasn't stopped in about that long either," said Emily. "He usually comes in in the mornings."
From the end of the couch came Spencer's acidic laugh, and they all looked to her. "He probably just skipped town… like he usually does when there's a problem."
"Spence…" began Aria, but the sound of approaching footsteps had her trailing off.
Alex started at the sight of Wren ambling into the group's vicinity, one hand tucked casually in the pocket of his slacks and the other clutching a paper to-go cup. "Hello, all," he greeted, offering that charming smile of his. "Emily, Hanna, Alison, Spencer, Aria…" He pointed to each of them, only squinting when he locked eyes with Alex. "And Alex. Ferris wheel accident. Kicker of mailbox posts."
"Guilty as charged," said Alex, raising an eyebrow. "Can I help you, Dr. Wren?"
He chuckled. "Yes, actually. I believe you still have my jacket?"
Aria raised her eyebrows, and Alex cleared her throat. "Oh, right! I should probably get that back to you, shouldn't I?"
"Here's my number," he said, digging in his jacket pocket. "You can bring my jacket and we'll get another coffee sometime." After handing her a slip of paper, he blinked, then shook his head, glancing pointedly at Aria, who was giving him her scariest of death stares. "Friendly coffee, of course. Nice seeing you all again."
Once he was gone, Hanna snorted a laugh. "Can you say awkward?"
Aria jabbed an elbow into Alex's ribs. "Dr. Wren?"
"Okay, ow. And, what? He's a legitimate doctor!"
"Why do you have his jacket?"
"I was upset and cold, so he gave me his coat like a gentleman. We just talked about our problems over coffee!" defended Alex, reassuringly tightening her arms around her girlfriend's waist. "It was basically a therapy session, there's nothing to worry about."
Aria's eyes looked especially green all of a sudden, but she didn't say anything else before Spencer rose to her feet, successfully breaking the tension.
As she brushed past Emily, she muttered, "I'll be right back, guys."
"Dammit," cried Alex, chucking her controller across the room. It thumped against the wall and then clattered painfully onto the living room's hardwood floor, and a rush of relief swept over her when she saw it hadn't been broken. She decided to leave it there for now and used the remote to click the television off, sinking down into the couch cushions with a sigh. The front door opened then and Alex listened as the person shuffled out of a jacket and stealthily made their way across the room. She caught sight of Spencer sneaking—staggering—toward the stairs. "Where the hell have you been? It's like two in the morning, Spence."
Spencer flinched and turned toward her, face scrunched with guilt. "Don't tell mom."
"Look who you're talking to," said Alex, yawning. "I'm just curious. Where in the world has Ms. Goody Two-Shoes been on this fine Friday evening?
Her sister rolled her eyes and came over to flop down onto the couch, and Alex didn't miss how unsteady she looked, how glazed her eyes were. "I was just, you know, out. Having fun."
Alex leaned over and took a deep sniff of the air in Spencer's immediate vicinity, wrinkling her nose at the sharp bite of sweat and alcohol. "You smell like a bar."
"It was a pub."
"Classy."
Spencer landed a clumsy punch on her shoulder. "I met Wren there. We had a few drinks, talked… and I may have kissed him at one point. Did you know his dad was in a place like Radley when he died? Kind of like Toby's mom." She pouted, brow knitting together in thought. "You think I attract damaged, men, Al?"
"Wait, wait, wait. You kissed him?"
Her sister shot her a sly, rather uncharacteristic grin. "Duh! I mean, that accent! I wanted to do more than kiss him."
"Ew," muttered Alex, thinking of the time they went to a club with their friends and her sister had one too many vodka sodas. Long story short, she tried to stick her tongue down a guy's throat, started dancing on tables with Hanna, and got them all kicked out. "I forgot you get aggressively flirty when drunk."
Spencer didn't acknowledge that, continuing her rant instead. "But he said he didn't want to take advantage of me, right? Even though I wasn't even drunk or anything. I really thought he was into me!" She sighed heavily, and Alex got up to get her a bottle of water from the kitchen. When she came back, Spencer chugged half of it and then threw her hands up in exasperation. "Am I that fucked up, Alex? I mean, first the other Alex got mad at me over that stupid tennis clinic, Andrew just wanted sex, Toby probably hates me, and now I can't even get Wren…" Suddenly her sister was crying. "Why doesn't anyone like me?"
"It'll be okay, Spence," said Alex, sympathetically patting her shoulder. "Just let it all out. All your boyfriends have sucked, alright? You'll find someone better."
"But I miss Toby."
"I know," she placated, helping Spencer off the couch. "Come on."
"I hate him," Spencer whined, leaning heavily against Alex.
"I know it, Spence. He's an asshole."
"But I love him."
Alex sighed, steadying her twin as they climbed the stairs. "I know. Drink your water."
Spencer drank her water and then sniffled loudly. "It's not fair."
"Believe me, Spencer, I know. And it's only been a week. Give it time."
"Time is stupid."
Alex shrugged. She couldn't help but agree with that.
A/N: Alrighty, so I sprinkled in some Sparia, Toby is off the grid, and Aria is getting jealous of Wren but Wrencer is apparently happening (gross).
Oh, and I do want to say that I am going to finish this story, even if it takes a billion years. It's all planned out and I even have ideas for a sequel, but it's just getting the words down that's tough right now. So try to bear with me, and I can't thank you enough for reading! I guess give me about two weeks to crank out another update :)
