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 - Hey everyone! I've got a new update for you all. But before we get to it I'd like to say I'm sorry if the updates aren't as consistent as they used to be. No excuses or anything, I just kind of really suck right now to be honest. Life is kicking my ass at the moment and it's been a difficult past month or so. That being said though, it's also nobody's fault but my own.
I feel like things are kind of changing in my life and circumstances have come up that have caused me to become a person that I don't like. People seem to constantly get hurt as a consequence of my actions, and it isn't fair to them at all. So to those people, if for some reason you happen to see this, I am truly sorry. With that being said, I genuinely am trying to take time to myself and get back on track with the person that I'd like to be, and the life that I'd like to have. And a lot of that honestly starts with writing.
It feels as though I've kind of lost sight of why I do what I do. It's because I love it. I love the concept of having thoughts come into my mind about characters I've built throughout the years, and then putting it on paper and having you all read it. Yes, I write for myself but I also write because I love that you all can enjoy, relate to, and care for the story just as much as I do. It's been a while since I've felt like I could do that with my writing, but I'm trying to get back to it. So, even though I don't feel the need to because all of you already are, I still have to ask that you please be patient with me.
Thank you so much to everyone who follows and favourites my work, and reads every single one of my chapters. Seriously, you're all incredible. As well, huge thank you to my reviewers who constantly make me smile and never fail to make my day. Whenever I find myself struggling with writing I always look back to your reviews because they give me that extra push of motivation that I need to write. So thank you for inspiring me.
Guest – Hate to break it to you, but if you're waiting for Haleb, you're not going to be getting it in this update. Sorry!
Chxndelier – Lol you know you're gonna scare everyone away and they aren't going to want to review anymore because you've told them all not to! You should probably learn to play nice, hahaha. Anyways, I'm glad you liked the reveal! As for Jason, there's a bit more to why he couldn't speak up about Xaviera even if he wanted to ;p don't worry, you'll find out soon enough! Honestly Alison is like my voice of reason in this entire story a lot of the time haha. Love writing her, seriously. And I knew that you'd eventually come around and love Spencer again! You know me, Kim. I could never make her out to be the villain for too long haha.
Guest – I'm happy you liked it!
3mison – Aw, I'm so happy I could make your day! And thank you so much for understanding. Fall is usually the busiest time for me; so trying to balance out my entire life gets to be really exhausting sometimes. It sucks even more when I have all of these things I want to do (and to write) but no time for it. Nevertheless, I'm really glad I was able to get around to this update. Haha I like the idea of what you'd think would be a big fight turning into their first time ;p I do already have a plan in mind for how it's going to go down though, but I promise I'll make their second 'first time' extra special for you (:
Breyanaxo – Hahaha, oops? Though I'm not gonna lie, I'm lowkey proud that I've made you want your own Spencer haha. Everyone deserves someone that sweet and thoughtful!
Jaylahwashere – I totally agree with you in that a lot of stories focus mostly on Spemily. And while that used to be the case, this is totally a story that I picture continuing on for a while, and I honestly love exploring different aspects of the PLL characters, not just Spencer and Emily. I'm so glad that you agree with that (: I can't honestly pinpoint a definite antagonist throughout the story, but I assure you that Jason won't be it. You're 100% right though; everything is sunshine and rainbows with them right now, but we all know the longer Emily waits, the worst it might be when Spencer finds out haha.
Chiruri chikorate – I don't want to give away what Hanna's definite endgame is going to be, but I will say that I hope you don't abandon hope for her storyline completely because I'm hoping that regardless of who she ends up with, it's one that the majority of readers will enjoy reading.
Cam – Yes Spemily?
Guest06 – So happy to hear that (:
Liekedk99 – You're definitely gonna get to see some group dynamic in this update, so I hope you like it. And I'm glad you liked the group lunch between the three girls. Spencer really is such a sweetheart, even when she tries to play it off like she got over Emily, huh? I'm glad you liked Spencer's birthday surprise for her though (: And by the way, your English is awesome! Thank you for being such a great reviewer.
Guest – I'm back again!
Marian – Sorry I took so long, but I've got more for you right here!
This upcoming chapter is Emily's surprise party! I know, finally after how long this is finally being written. I guess this must be how Marlene King felt when she finally let the girls finish their senior year haha. Anyways, lots of group interactions, some Spencer/Xavi in there, and of course some fluffy Spemily (: I hope you all enjoy, and sorry in advance for any mistakes because let's be real, when do I ever edit anymore haha. Oh and before I forget, there is a song mention in this update and it's the song All Of Me by John Legend. Now, without further ado...!
Chapter Eight (Part Three) – Cause, Effect, Change
After their time developing photos and having lunch together, Spencer had taken Emily home so that both of them could get ready for the evening portion of the girl's birthday, which was being held in the hall of the hotel they were currently walking towards. Sporting a beautiful lacy black dress, Spencer walked hand in hand with Emily, who was clad in a strapless red cocktail dress, the two of them making their way up the street and towards their designated building.
"Okay so remember, you really need to act surprised when we walk in," Spencer reminded Emily as the two neared the front entrance of the hotel. "You know Hanna, and she's definitely going to know you knew if you don't sell it."
"You mean like this?" Emily questioned, halting her footsteps and making an exaggeratedly surprised face, which earned her a light giggle from Spencer. She let out a fake gasp as she put her hand over her mouth, and her acting earned her a playful eye roll from the girl beside her.
"You're such a dork," Spencer let out as she gave Emily a playful shove before linking their arms together, the two once again making their way up the sidewalk. "But seriously. If she figures it out, you know she's going to put the blame on me. So do me a solid here and play it up, hey?"
"Relax, S. I'll make sure that Hanna has no idea," Emily responded with a proud smile, causing Spencer to shake her head in amusement. A brief silence fell over the two girls as they approached the hotel entrance, and upon noticing its more than recognizable sign not far ahead, Emily couldn't help but spare a curious look in Spencer's direction. "Hey, Spence?"
"Yeah?"
"So, just wondering…" Emily paused, giving Spencer an amused look. "If I hadn't figured out that Hanna was throwing a surprise part for me, how exactly were you two planning to trick me into coming to a hotel?"
"Oh, I had something brilliant planned out for that," Spencer answered with a smirk on her face. Emily quirked an eyebrow slightly in disbelief, and instantly her curiosity spiked.
"Really now?" Emily asked, to which Spencer simply nodded in acknowledgement. "And what exactly did this brilliant plan consist of?"
"Actually, it was pretty simple. I was just gonna tell you I was taking you here so that I could have my way with you," Spencer replied, shrugging in fake nonchalance as she looked over to Emily who abruptly stopped in her tracks, mouth agape. She leaned in ever so slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Nothing says happy birthday like a few rounds of birthday sex, right?" she continued before bringing her hand up to Emily's chin and gently pushing it up. "You might want to close your mouth, Em. I think you're drooling."
The sudden contact caused Emily to snap out of her dazed state, and she quickly slapped Spencer's hand away from her face, playfully glaring at the brunette while struggling to keep the grin off of her face.
"You're so gonna get it," Emily threatened, and the second she made a movement, Spencer let out a squeal, running away from her towards the entrance with Emily immediately following very closely in proximity. And in that moment as they both raced to the entrance of the hotel, both girls couldn't have been more thankful that they had opted out of wearing heels with their dresses.
"Okay everyone, Spencer just texted me saying they're walking in now! Places!" Hanna spoke into the microphone that she held in one of her hands. She stood in the middle of the hotel ballroom, doing one final look around to make sure that she hadn't missed anything. Having spent the entire day decorating the facility with Alison and Aria, she needed to ensure that everything was in the right place.
"Mama's coming?" Xaviera asked with obvious excitement in her eyes, the little girl's entire face brightening up. Hanna looked to Xaviera who she held propped against her hip and she couldn't help but smile at the girl's eagerness as she nodded her head in response.
"Yes, baby girl. Mama is coming, so we have to be really quiet until she comes in. Then we'll all yell, 'surprise!'" Hanna explained, suddenly causing Xaviera to pull a face of reluctance. Her eyebrows scrunched up, and she leaned away from Hanna ever so slightly.
"Are you sure, ninang? Mama always gets angry when I yell," Xaviera told her, which caused the blonde to let out a soft chuckle before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes, sweetheart. I promise Mama will love it this time," Hanna reassured her, giving her one more kiss on the cheek. For the second time, her phone vibrated against the microphone in her hand and Hanna quickly shuffled it around to see one final warning text from Spencer. 'At the front desk now. Be ready.' Hanna let out a squeal and looked around at all of the guests once more as she spoke into the microphone. "They're in the lobby now! Quick, everyone quiet, and remember. We're yelling out 'Surprise, happy birthday Emily.' Aria, hit the lights!"
The room went dark almost immediately, and the sounds of muffled conversations were quick to die down as everyone quietly waited for the arrival of the birthday girl. It was only a few moments of complete silence before the sound of voices coming from the hallway outside began to echo throughout.
"Okay so we're here to do what exactly, Spence? And are you sure we're going in the right direction? All these rooms look closed."
"God, were you always this impatient? And yes, I'm sure we're going in the right direction. I told you, I just have to quickly drop something off to a coworker and he's giving the presentation in—here we go! Room 212."
The door to the ballroom slowly creaked open and Emily took a quick glance inside before redirecting her attention back to Spencer, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Spence, its pitch black and nobody is in—"
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the entire room full of people shouted all at once. And even though Emily had fully been expecting it, she still jumped ever so slightly in her spot, placing her hand over chest as they had genuinely startled her. After a few seconds the sound of loud music snapped Emily of her state of shock, and she immediately turned to Spencer to pull her into a gratuitous hug. It was only then that she could feel the brunette's body shaking with laughter.
"What are you laughing so hard about?" Emily questioned while the two were still embraced in one another. She heard Spencer let out a melodic giggle before pulling away ever so slightly.
"You knew exactly what you were walking into and you were still scared by the surprise, weren't you?" Spencer whispered, the amusement in her voice easily matching the humorous look on her face. Emily rolled her eyes at Spencer, but couldn't help the grin that was creeping onto her own face, as she knew Spencer was right.
"Okay, so maaaybe I was," Emily begrudgingly admitted, her confession causing Spencer to let out another bout of laughter. She shook her head at the brunette's reaction and leaned into Spencer's arms once more before whispering, "And if you make fun of me for it, I'll totally tell Hanna I knew about the whole surprise party all along."
"Touche," Spencer whispered back through a smile as she briefly held Emily once more before pulling away and holding the girl at arm's length. "Well, birthday girl. Time for you to be the centre of attention for the night," she pointed out, and then as though in sync, both girls spared a look around the ballroom full of people scattered throughout. Though it was a quick glance, Emily noticed a slough of familiar faces; her parents, her friends, her daughter, some of her coworkers, and over the crowd of people she spotted Eric on stage, which instantly caused Emily's eyebrows to rise in excitement. She felt Spencer wrap her arms around her waist before once again softly speaking into her ear, "Let's go say hi. And don't forget to smile, beautiful."
Emily spent her first half hour taking a lap around the room so that she could greet all of the guests, and neither Spencer nor Xaviera left her side for a second. For every person that Spencer hadn't met before, Emily was more than happy to introduce and include her. And though neither girl wanted to firmly acknowledge it because they had an unspoken understanding of where they stood in their relationship, both of them knew that the routine felt like one that they would do if they were officially dating. But they weren't; though frankly, it was beginning to become questionable.
After taking their time to mingle with the guests, the three returned to the table where the rest of their friends sat and Pam and Wayne were quick to take Xaviera off of Emily's hands, the two wanting to spend as much time as possible with their granddaughter. Luckily for both Spencer and Emily, this gave them time to eat dinner and spend time with their group of friends. All enjoying their dinner together, the group sat off to the side of the dance floor with the majority of them talking while Emily kept her eyes on the stage where Eric's band continued to play.
"Ugh, they're so good! Seriously it's been years and they're still just as amazing as I last remember," Emily spoke, practically gushing over Eric's band while she continued to watch their set, absolutely mesmerized. There was a shift in the melody of the song that played, and in that moment it was as though Emily's eyes lit up, immediately recognizing that the band began to play one of her favourite songs. She let out a loud squeal of excitement, which caused Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Alison to look at her in slight amusement, all of them used to Emily's borderline obsession with the band.
"Okay, I have to ask," Mike spoke up from his seat beside Hanna who was thoroughly engaged in her meal, having not eaten all day due to the time she had spent decorating the ballroom. He looked at Emily with a slightly raised eyebrow and a curious look on his face. "Am I missing something here? I mean, don't get me wrong; they are good. But they aren't incredible or anything."
"Easy, Montgomery. If you aren't careful with your words, Emily might hit you," Alison warned him, her words causing Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily to all laugh in response, knowing it to be completely true. If there was anything they had learned from being friends with Emily for years, it was that you didn't insult the things she loved.
"Emily has always had this thing for cover bands. Seriously, she loves them. Always has, if I recall correctly," Spencer explained, glancing over to Emily with an admiring look. The two locked gazes, and Spencer couldn't help but slide her hand over to Emily's, placing it on top of the brunette's as she continued. "We used to waste our weekends at all ages shows where nobody bands would perform subpar covers. There was hardly ever anyone amazing. Most of them were pretty brutal, honestly. But she loved it," she continued, giving Emily's hand a light squeeze and a smile that the swimmer quickly returned.
"I did; especially Kingdom Kahn, seriously. They were always one of my absolutely favourite cover bands," Emily admitted, briefly turning her attention to the stage once again before looking back towards Spencer. "I can't believe you got Eric to get them back together, Spence," she spoke as she leaned her head on Spencer's shoulder and wrapped both of her arms around the brunette's, squeezing her arm tightly.
"Yeah I can't believe you got my brother to agree to play with the original band again, especially after he kicked the bass player's ass for hitting on Mel," Noel added in with a laugh that ended up being short-lived as Melissa was quick to punch him in the arm. "Ow, Melissa!" he complained as he instantly began to rub the spot she hit while glaring over at Melissa. "What was that for?"
"Language, number one," Melissa told him, her eyes briefly shifting over to Matthew and Xaviera who were at the far end of the table; Pam had Xaviera in her lap as she fed her while Wayne seemed to be trying to get Matthew to stop playing with his food. She watched her son for a few moments, making sure that he was still eating his meal for the most part before she turned back to Noel with a scowl on her face. "And bringing that story up in general, number two."
"You know, I find it a lot more difficult to take you seriously when you end your sentences with things like 'number two'," Noel responded with a smirk on his face followed by a light chuckle. Ezra couldn't help but let out his own snort of laughter, but was almost immediately silenced by a glare from his wife. Alison was quick to deliver a smack to the backside of Noel's head, promptly stopping his loud cackling.
"Idiot," Alison muttered out, causing everyone else around the table to laugh while she simply rolled her eyes and shook her head at a now glaring Noel.
"Well, I can see when I'm not wanted," Noel declared while standing up from his seat. He leaned toward them, dropping his tone just enough so that the kids wouldn't hear him. "So screw you guys, I'm gonna go get a drink," he told them before standing back up straight. "Mike, come with?"
"What?" Mike answered, having only been half paying attention as it was clear he was more focused on Hanna. He peeled his eyes away from the blonde and then looked over to Noel who nodded over to the bar, gesturing for Mike to join him. "Oh, yeah sure," he agreed. Standing up from his seat, Mike looked down to Hanna and gently placed his hand on her back. "You want anything?"
"I think I'm good right now," Hanna responded as she looked up at him with a warm smile. "Thanks, Mikey."
Mike smiled back at her and then placed a kiss on the top of her head before turning and walking away with Noel. Hanna kept her eyes on Mike for a few moments, watching him head towards the bar before turning back to the table where all of the girls seemed to be looking at her, wide-eyed.
"What?" Hanna questioned with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion to why everyone seemed to be giving her weird looks. But nobody seemed to want to answer, the majority of the table averting their gazes away from the blonde. Finally, Hanna simply rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Whatever."
"Actually," Aria began, clearing her throat before standing up from her seat. She ran her hands along the fabric of her dress, flattening it out. "I think I'm gonna go and grab a drink with them."
Before anyone could reply, Aria turned and quickly walked off to try and catch up with her brother and Noel who were walking in the general direction of the bar. She quickened her pace, weaving her way through the crowds of people.
"Mike!" Aria called out while walking as fast as her legs would allow her to in heels.
She could feel herself getting closer, but with the loud music playing, it was obvious that neither Noel nor Mike could hear her. Instead of trying her luck at calling out to him, Aria simply reached out once she was in close enough proximity and grabbed him by the arm to turn him around.
"Aria?" Mike questioned with a raised eyebrow, unsure as to why she seemed to be so frantic and panting to catch her breath, as he was completely unaware of her attempts to get his attention. "What's up?" he asked, but instead of answering, Aria looked over his shoulder at Noel who had also stopped when Mike had. Noticing the look on Aria's face, Noel raised his hands up and without a word he turned around and walked away from them, continuing his trek to the bar. They both watched him walk away for a few moments, and then Mike turned back around to face his sister. "What's going on, Ar?"
"I need to talk to you," Aria spoke determinedly, crossing her arms over her chest in a firm stance. Mike pulled a skeptical face, but nonetheless he gave Aria his full attention, nodding his head to her to silently tell her to continue. Running her fingers through her straightened hair, Aria let out a sigh before continuing. "What are you doing with Hanna? Are you playing her?"
"What?!" Mike immediately responded, giving her a look of slight hurt as well as disbelief. "No I'm not. Why would you even think that?"
"Because you're my brother, and I know you Mike," Aria answered assertively.
"And what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Mike shot back as he crossed his arms over his chest, clearly taking offense to her comment. Aria bored her eyes into Mike, giving him a stern look.
"You know exactly what it means, Mike," Aria snapped, narrowing her eyes at her little brother. "We shared a house until I was 18, not to mention you lived with Ezra and I for two years," she reminded him as she took a step in closer, dropping her tone but still keeping it firm. "And in case you forgot, in that time I got to see the amount of girls you seemed to string in and out of the house."
"So that's what you think of me, Ar? You think I'm just messing with Hanna, your best friend who I've known since I was a kid?" Mike questioned, pausing as he shook his head at her. Aria didn't respond right away, but made no effort to dispute his accusations, which caused Mike to clench his jaw in frustration as he ran his fingers through his already slicked back hair. "I can't believe you think that I would just sleep with her once and let that be that."
"Yeah, well it wouldn't be the first time now, would it?" Aria told him with a scowl on her face that caused Mike to furrow his eyebrows at her.
"What are you talk—"
"Cut the crap, Mike. I know you slept with her the night of my wedding," Aria interrupted him, not even bothering to play dumb with Mike. "Look, I get that you find her attractive and all, but if that's the kind of relationship you're going for with her, then stop it right now before you hurt her."
"Okay first of all, you're way out of line, Ar. Way out of line," Mike stated, and it was clear that he was getting frustrated trying to defend himself. "I get that you doubt me because of the past, but this is different. She was the one who said she didn't want any strings attached between us when we first slept together, not me," he revealed, which caused Aria's eyes to shoot up in surprise. "Oh, and for the record, after it happened she didn't talk to me for weeks. And when she finally did talk to me, I asked her out but she said she didn't do relationships. So I said that if friends was what she wanted, then I would be friends with her."
"Oh," Aria let out, instantly feeling bad for the accusations she had put toward her brother. "So then you're friends, but you still like her?"
"Yeah, I do," Mike admitted with a slight shrug; he sighed while running his fingers through his hair. "Honestly Ar, I've always thought she was great. But if all she needs in her life is a friend right now, then I'm going to take what I can get."
"Are you still sleeping with other girls?" Aria asked, clearly throwing Mike off as he pulled a look of discomfort due to the fact that his sister was asking such a personal question. But it didn't seem to faze Aria who simply rolled her eyes. "Mike. Are you still sleeping with other girls or not?"
"No, I'm not," Mike responded, but he could still see the look of skepticism on Aria's face that caused him to roll his eyes at her. "I swear I'm not, Aria! Scout's honour."
"You weren't even in scouts," Aria pointed out before crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at her little brother. "I'm trying to be serious here, Michael."
"My God, so am I! I'm done jumping from girl to girl, Ar," Mike reiterated, only this time he could tell that Aria actually believed what he was saying. "Look, I really like her, okay?"
"Okay. Well then, good," Aria told him before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry for jumping down your throat and not believing you from the get go. It's just that Hanna's been through a lot."
"You mean everything that happened between her and Caleb?" Mike questioned, which threw Aria for a loop, as she was sure nobody aside from her, Emily, and Alison knew about what truly happened between those two. "She told me everything that happened. We actually talk about it a lot. And it's another reason why I would never want to do anything to hurt her. She's had enough disappointment from guys to last a lifetime."
"I believe you," Aria told him with a warm smile on her face; and she genuinely meant it. "Thank you for being such a good guy to her, Mike."
"It's not big deal," Mike responded, trying to play it off casually as he smiled and looked away. He never was good at one-on-one sibling moments. "Just do me a favour and take it easy on the full name usage. You sound like mom," he told Aria who let out a laugh but nodded in agreement. Throwing his arm over his older sister, Mike pulled Aria towards him and began to lead them toward the bar. "C'mon sis, you owe me a shot."
"So what did you end up doing for your birthday before you came here?" Ezra asked Emily who seemed to be half paying attention to the conversations that were happening around her, the other half paying attention to Xaviera who was now sitting on her lap, playing with Spencer who sat next to her. Upon hearing Ezra's question, both Spencer and Emily almost synchronously looked up at each other, the two sharing a smile. And as if on cue, Alison and Hanna let out a collective groan as they rolled their eyes, their actions causing Ezra to furrow his eyebrows, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, what did I miss there?"
"The look," Hanna and Alison both replied at the exact same time, causing Spencer and Emily to roll their eyes in response. But it was obvious based off the look on his face that their answer still left Ezra confused.
"Okay so, what exactly is 'the look'?" Ezra asked, genuinely having no idea what the girls were referring to.
"It's this ridiculous thing that Spencer and Emily do where they have these weird silent conversations from across the room," Hanna explained, and both Spencer and Emily looked over at one another again, simultaneously shaking their heads in disagreement.
"And clearly they do it when they're side by side too," Alison added as she nodded over to them once more.
"That's mama's Spencer look, right ninang?" Xaviera spoke up, earning a laugh from everyone around the table who knew that it was true. Hanna nodded in agreement while she continued to laugh at the adorable little girl.
"Yes, baby girl. That's one of the many exhausting things that come from Spencer and your mama," Hanna responded, holding her hand up to Xaviera for a high five, which she happily complied to. Emily shot Hanna a playful glare and poked Xaviera in the tummy for the two of them ganging up on her.
"You know if I were you I would be careful in throwing jabs, cradle robber," Spencer spoke, directing her gaze toward Hanna whose eyebrows rose in shock, her jaw dropping ever so slightly. The rest of the table looked around at each other with looks of amusement on their faces, though none of them wanted to add any verbal fuel to the fire.
"Okay first of all, Mike and I are friends, thank you very much. And second of all, he's only two years younger than me," Hanna sassily replied to Spencer who cocked an eyebrow with an amused look on her face. This was just a glimpse of the banter she had missed from Hanna for five years. And though she was trying to keep a straight face as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Spencer, Hanna knew she had missed it just as much.
"You know Spence, I don't think you're in a particularly good position to be joking around either," Melissa spoke up, the two sisters looking at one another as Spencer arched her brow in curiosity as to where Melissa was going with her comment. "I mean, just wondering; where is uterus tonight anyways?"
"Not funny, M," Spencer commented as she shook her head and looked away from her sister. Hanna, Alison, Ezra, and Emily all looked at one another, none of them quite understanding what the two Hastings were referring to.
"Okay, lets rewind for a second here," Emily jumped in, her eyes shifting over to Spencer who had an unimpressed look on her face. "I feel like I'm going to regret asking this, but who exactly is uterus?"
"That's Melissa's oh-so-clever nickname for Natalie," Spencer explained with an eye roll. "Her last name is Uteresier, but Melissa thinks it's hilarious to call her uterus," she continued, and everyone aside from Spencer couldn't help but laugh while the brunette shook her head, noticeably displeased.
"Alright, in my defense I feel like I have the right to call her that considering every single time I see her, about 99 times out of 100 she calls me Miranda," Melissa pointed out, and Spencer knew she couldn't argue with her sister's logic. "And besides," she continued. "I think the nickname is completely fitting, considering she's a total bi—"
"Melissa," Spencer cut her off, giving her a warning look as she glanced down at Xaviera who was still sat in Emily's lap, her head resting against her mother's chest as she played with Emily's hair, as well as Matthew who was sitting next to Melissa, engrossed with a comic book he had brought with him to the party.
"Right, sorry," Melissa apologized, giving Spencer a sheepish look. Suddenly the sound of chairs shifting pulled everyone's attention to the end of the table where Noel had finally decided to rejoin them.
"So, is it cake time yet? I'm pretty sure it's cake time," Noel declared, and upon the mention of the word cake, Matthew immediately perked up as he turned to his mother with his eyes lit up and a look of excitement on his face.
"Cake?! Mom, there's cake?!" Matthew eagerly questioned, which caused Melissa to shoot Noel a glare, knowing that if her son were to have sugar that late in the evening, it would be a nightmare trying to get him to sleep. Noel guiltily looked to Melissa and mouthed out a 'sorry' with a shrug. She knew that there was no way to backtrack now that Matthew knew there was cake.
"Okay, fine," Melissa stated with a sigh. "Let's do cake before the kids leave," she decided, which caused Matthew to let out a squeal of excitement.
"Mama," Xaviera called out, and Emily looked down to her daughter. "I have to go to the bathroom," she spoke, and Emily nodded at her in acknowledgement before looking back up at Noel and Melissa who were now standing up, about to leave so that they could prepare the cake.
"Motherly duty calls. Can you guys give me like, five mi—"
"I can take her," Spencer offered, which noticeably surprised Emily, as she wasn't used to anyone besides Hanna constantly taking care of Xaviera. Emily looked over to Spencer with a smile on her face that the brunette happily reciprocated. "Let me take her, Em."
"You sure, S? You don't have to," Emily reminded Spencer, not wanting her to feel at all obligated to take care of her daughter. But Spencer didn't feel obligated in the least bit. All she wanted was to take care of Xaviera, not just because she was Emily's daughter, but also because she loved the little girl.
"Positive," Spencer reaffirmed before turning her attention towards Xaviera and holding her hands out to the little girl. "Come on, sweetheart lets go," she told Xaviera who happily obliged and wrapped her arms around Spencer's neck so that she could lift her up. "We'll be back in a bit."
Emily watched Spencer walk away with Xaviera in her arms, the two of them giggling as Spencer continuously poked the little girl in her stomach. Smiling at the two, Emily held her gaze on them for a few more moments before turning back around in her seat.
"She's really good with Xav, huh?" Melissa pointed out to Emily who glanced up at her and smiled as she nodded in agreement.
"I'm really lucky. They get along so well, and Xav loves her like crazy," Emily told her, smiling to herself as she thought back to all of the times in the past month that she had gotten the privilege of seeing Spencer and her daughter together. There were a lot of things that Emily loved about having Spencer back in her life, and seeing her and Xaviera interact was arguably one of the best.
"You know, she really cares about both of you. Like, a lot. I mean, whenever we hang out she's always talking about you two," Melissa revealed, her words causing Emily's heart to flutter at the thought. "I know that you two have had a pretty rocky past, Em. But I also know that she's really excited to have a second chance with you."
Hearing those words truly tugged at Emily's heartstrings, as she felt the exact same way about Spencer as the brunette felt about her. And as she was about to tell Melissa just that, her attention was pulled away by the music suddenly cutting off.
"Could I just get everyone's attention for a second?" a voice came over the microphone, and Emily immediately looked over to the stage to see Spencer standing front and centre. A look of surprise came across her face, and she couldn't help the excitement build for whatever it was Spencer was up there for.
"First of all, hi everyone! I hope you're all having a good time. Huge shout out to Hanna for being the main coordinator of tonight," Spencer began, pausing momentarily so that she could point to Hanna, the crowd giving the blonde a loud applause for all the work that she did. "For those of you who might not know me, my name is Spencer Hastings and I've had the pleasure of being friends with the birthday girl ever since we were in the sixth grade."
"You're welcome for that!" Alison shouted out from her seat at the table. Spencer couldn't help but laugh along with the crowd as she nodded in agreement, knowing that Alison truly was the main reason that she and Emily had become friends in the first place.
"Anyways, a couple months ago Hanna asked me if I would help with the music for tonight, and at first she planned on having our good friend Noel provide the music for this evening. Thank god that didn't happen," Spencer joked as she spotted Noel in the crowd looking particularly offended as he put his hands up in objection. "I'm just kidding Noel, relax."
"But in all seriousness, when Hanna asked me to help out, I knew that I had to ask my brother-in-law Eric to get his band back together so that I could surprise Em with her favourite cover band. So let's give it up for the band." Spencer paused once more and turned around to Eric and the rest of his band who were still on stage, smiling at her shout out to them. She thanked each of them before turning and giving her attention back to the crowd. "Now, I've also been kind of putting a little something together myself for the past few months. I don't usually do this kind of thing in public, but it's Emily's birthday, so I'm kind of willing to make an exception."
Spencer turned around once again, only this time Eric was holding out a ukulele to her. Emily immediately recognized it to be the exact same ukulele that Spencer had given to Xaviera months ago when she had started to give the little girl private lessons. On the stage, Spencer began to strum the ukulele and Emily could feel her excitement building even more at the thought of getting to hear Spencer sing again.
"So I wanted to sing a little song for the birthday girl. But first, I want to introduce you all to someone who is gonna help me out," Spencer told the crowd, and Emily quirked an eyebrow as she watched Spencer turn to the side of the stage. "Xav, sweetheart? Do you want to come out here?"
Emily's eyes quickly shifted to where Spencer was facing, and she saw her daughter peek her head out from behind the side of the stage. Xaviera glanced over to Spencer and then looked toward the crowd who had their eyes locked on the little girl. Upon seeing the crowd however, Xaviera's eyes widened in slight fear and then she looked back to Spencer, nervously shaking her head no. The entire room let out a collective 'aww', including Emily who couldn't help but put her hand over her heart at how adorable her daughter was. Spencer tilted her head at the little girl, smiling softly at her.
"Xavi, you wanna come help me sing a song for mama?" Spencer softly spoke to Xaviera who spared a look at the crowd before turning her attention back to Spencer, nodding shyly. Giving Spencer an encouraging look, she waved Xaviera over. "Come on out, baby girl. There's nothing to be afraid of, I promise."
Letting out a shaky breath, Xaviera stepped out onto the stage and ran over to Spencer who was quick to kneel down and pull the girl into her arms. She gave Xaviera a tight hug to show her support, and then leaned back ever so slightly, so that the two were eye to eye. Spencer pulled the microphone away from her mouth so that the audience couldn't hear her talking, and she placed her hand on Xaviera's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.
"You're sure you want to do this, Xav? You don't have to play if you don't want to. I'm proud of you just for getting up here," Spencer reminded Xaviera as she gave the little girl a look of reassurance. "Seriously, I'll be proud of you no matter what, Xavi bear."
"I wanna play for mama's birthday, tia," Xaviera decided after a few moments, and Spencer smiled to her with the utmost of pride for the little girl in front of her.
"Positive?" Spencer asked one final time, and this time Xaviera was quick to nod in response. "Alright then let's do this, Xav. Just like we practiced." She held her hand up to Xaviera who high fived her excitedly, and then Spencer pulled the ukulele off from around her body, helping Xaviera put it on before turning back to the crowd. "So before we start, do you want to introduce yourself little buddy?"
Spencer moved the microphone towards Xaviera who nervously looked over at her once more. But Spencer gave the little girl an encouraging nod, which gave Xaviera enough confidence to let out a deep breath and then turn to the crowd.
"My name is Xaviera Anabella Fields and," Xaviera paused, looking into the crowd for a brief moment before spotting and pointing to Emily who had now moved closer to the stage. "That's my mama. I love you, mama."
"I love you too, baby girl," Emily shouted back with the biggest, and most proud smile on her face not only at her daughter, but also at Spencer who was happily watching the exchange between her two girls.
"So what are we gonna be performing for your mama today, Xav?" Spencer asked, putting the microphone back up to Xaviera's mouth.
"It's a song called All of Me, and it's by this guy named John, but not John Maynard, the other one. Mama and ninang sing it to me all the time before bed," Xaviera rambled on, and the audience let out a collective laugh at her sudden verbal outburst. If she was nervous before, any and all of her nerves were apparently gone.
"That's right. This is a song that has always meant a lot to me," Spencer told the room of people, particularly sparing a look at Emily who gave her a shy smile before looking away. "Finding out that Emily has made this song such a big part of her and Xavi's lives only made it even more fitting that we do this song. So, here goes. Happy birthday, Em."
Spencer lifted Xaviera onto the stool behind her and then, to Emily's surprise, she placed the microphone in a stand and adjusted its height to the little girl. After making sure that Xaviera was set, Spencer made her way to the keyboard and turned it on, making sure that both the keyboard as well as the second microphone was working. Once she was ready to go, Spencer looked over to Xaviera whose eyes were already on her. The entire room was silent as Xaviera gave Spencer a nod, and the brunette took that as her cue, filling the room with the sound of the piano. Looking into the crowd, Spencer's eyes fell onto Emily, giving her a loving gaze as she began to sing.
What would I do without your smart mouth
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright
My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
Xaviera leaned forward, her mouth coming up to the microphone, and her slight movement caused Emily's eyes to shift over to her daughter just in time to see the little girl take a deep breath before joining in on the chorus with Spencer.
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
The unexpected sound of Xaviera's soft and pure voice coming through the microphone struck at Emily's heartstrings, and Emily couldn't help but let out a light gasp at how absolutely beautiful her daughter sounded. In that moment, she couldn't have been more proud of the little girl, and her heart swelled even more at the thought that Spencer was the one to orchestrate all of it.
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
Xaviera leaned back ever so slightly in her seat and began to gently strum her ukulele, the sound of it blending perfectly together with the piano. Once again she brought her mouth up to the microphone, this time singing alone.
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing in my head for you
My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
Once again, the two joined in on the chorus together; only this time, their voices were increasingly more powerful as they harmonized in perfect synchronicity.
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh
Give me all of you, oh, oh
Xaviera looked over to Spencer who had already turned her gaze to her, and from the crowd Emily could see the encouraging look that the brunette was giving her daughter. It was a simple gesture, but it was exactly what Xaviera needed in order to have the courage to turn back to the crowd, completely blowing Emily away with the power of her voice.
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all though it's hard
Both Spencer and Xaviera stopped playing their instruments and looked toward one another once more before both turning to Emily. They could both see the tears that were glistening in Emily's eyes as she looked up at them; tears of pride and joy for what she thought was the greatest birthday surprise she could have ever asked for. Spencer and Xaviera continued to sing acapella, their voices easily filling the room.
Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfection
As they continued to sing, Spencer stood from her spot and took the microphone off of its stand before walking over to Xaviera who turned and smiled adorably at her.
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you
Spencer put her arm around Xaviera and the little girl leaned into her side, resting her head against Spencer's body as they looked back to Emily who now had tears flowing freely down her face.
I give you all of me
And you give me all, of you, oh, oh.
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd and within seconds Emily rushed onto the stage, engulfing them both into her arms with complete and utter happiness.
"That was the most amazing gift I've ever gotten. Seriously, you two are the best and I'm so lucky to have you both in my life," Emily whispered through her tears of happiness, and she meant it completely.
Her birthday thus far had been incredible thanks to all of her friends, but seeing two of the most important people in her life performing together on stage for the first time specifically for her was one of the most incredible experiences Emily ever had. And in that moment she couldn't wait for all of the other experiences she knew were only yet to come with them.
It was nearing the end of the evening and in the lobby of the hotel Emily stood leaned against a rail guard as she looked outside the window with Spencer behind her, her arms wrapped around the swimmer. The two cuddled into one another and Emily held her phone up, which was on speaker, Xaviera on the other end of the line. After their performance, Pam and Wayne had taken her with them as they had offered in advance to watch her for the evening. Already late in the night, Emily knew that Xaviera should have been asleep, but the little girl insisted to her grandparents that she get to talk to her mother and Spencer before bed – a request that both girls were happy to fulfill.
"You were so good tonight, baby girl. Mama's so proud of you," Emily told Xaviera for the umpteenth time, as she still wasn't able to get over how amazing her daughter was.
"And so am I, Xav. You stole the show, little buddy. Seriously, you made us both look so good out there," Spencer added, feeling Emily turn ever so slightly in her arms to give her a kiss on the cheek for the praise that she was giving the little girl.
"Thank you, mama." Xaviera paused, letting out a loud yawn before continuing. "And thank you, tia."
"You sound tired, Xavi," Spencer pointed out, though she didn't need to hear Xaviera's yawn to know it. Just by the sound of her voice, Spencer could tell that Xaviera was struggling to stay away.
"No tia, not tired."
"Are you sure?" Spencer asked once more.
"Yeah baby girl, it sounds like its bed time to me," Emily added, knowing that it was extremely past the time that Xaviera would normally be going to sleep at.
"But I wanna stay and talk to you."
"We can talk tomorrow, Xavi bear. How's that sound?" Spencer suggested, and Xaviera audibly yawned over the phone once more before responding.
"That sounds good, tia."
"Okay sweetheart, go to bed now. Mama and tia will see you tomorrow," Emily told her.
"Okay. I love you, mama. I love you, tia."
"I love you too," both Spencer and Emily responded simultaneously.
After exchanging goodnights with Xaviera, Emily hung up the phone and then turned in Spencer's arms so that she could rest her head against the girl's chest. They stood silently together, Spencer resting her chin on top of Emily's head as she ran her fingers through the girl's soft brown locks, while Emily closed her eyes and listened closely to the steady beating of Spencer's heart.
"I can't believe you put so much together for me for my birthday, Spence," Emily mumbled against her chest. She squeezed her arms tightly around Spencer's torso, wanting to be as close as possible to the girl. "Seriously, it was amazing; especially yours and Xavi's performance. It was perfect, S. Thank you so much."
"You don't have to thank me Em, honestly," Spencer responded, and before Emily could dispute her, she pulled away from the girl ever so slightly so that they were looking at one another, Emily looking up at Spencer. She smiled down at Emily and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which caused Emily to briefly melt into her embrace before Spencer pulled away from her.
"Em, the proposal video that you made… I've probably watched it over a hundred times. When you first game it to me, I'm pretty sure I had it on loop in my apartment for over a week," she admitted, and Emily couldn't help but giggle at Spencer's confession. "I honestly think I memorized it word for word, and every single time I watch it, as much pain as I feel in knowing that I screwed all of that up, I can't help but feel a tinge of happiness. Because at one point, you were ready to spend the rest of your life."
"When you first came into my life again Em, it threw me for a complete loop; but in the best way possible. The absolute, best way possible. And I know it's been five years and that we're so, so far from being back to where we were before. But the fact that we're starting over and that I might be lucky enough to have that chance with you again is honestly one of the greatest feelings in the world."
Spencer lifted her hand to Emily's face, gently cupping the side of it as she stroked over her cheek with her thumb.
"You told my parents that the moment you knew you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me was when you first heard me sing to you in the car. You said that I took your breath away, and that from that moment on, you knew that I was the only person you ever wanted to take your breath away. That was nine years ago, and even after all that has happened and all the time that has passed, I want you to know that you're still the only person whose breath I want to take away."
Once again Spencer pulled her into a kiss, their lips meeting and their bodies seeming to mold together perfectly. Spencer moved her hands from Emily's face to around her torso, pulling the girl even closer to her body while Emily brought her hands up so that they were resting on Spencer's shoulders. It wasn't a deep kiss, but the feeling of how perfectly their bodies seemed to intertwine made it just as intimate. And as soon as they broke apart, Emily looked into Spencer's eyes and saw it.
Though she already knew it long before, Emily could clearly see her entire future with Spencer in that moment. She never doubted it for a second, even after all that had happened between the two of them. And in that moment, she knew exactly what she wanted for the rest of her life, as well as who she wanted it with. But in order to get that, Emily also knew that it meant that she needed to be completely honest with Spencer in order to be with her fully and completely.
"Spencer, I need to tell you someth—"
The sound of the doors of the hotel ballroom opening caught both of their attention as Hanna stumbled out of them, clearly tipsy. Mike followed closely behind the blonde, his arms wrapped around the girl in order to prevent her from falling over. Emily let out a frustrated sigh at the notoriously poor timing her best friend seemed to have, but nonetheless as she pulled away from Spencer, silently promising herself that she would continue the conversation the next moment she got.
"I think it's time to head out," Mike suggested as his eyes shifted to Hanna who seemed to be having a hard time standing up straight. "My sister and Ali are staying to clean up the hall, so I'm gonna take this one home."
"How are you getting her home?" Spencer questioned, wanting to make sure that neither of them were driving as both of them had had their fair share of drinks throughout the evening.
"I was just gonna cab her home and then stay to make sure that she doesn't get sick," Mike answered, and Spencer nodded in response, happy that Mike was considerate enough to stay the night with Hanna and make sure that she would be alright.
"Well if you want, you can catch a ride with us. That's okay with you, right Em?" Spencer looked over to Emily who was caught off guard by Spencer taking her opinion into consideration. Nevertheless, she smiled and happily nodded in agreement. "Awesome. We were going to head out soon, and I was going to drop Emily off at her house anyways."
"That would be perfect," Mike agreed.
After gathering their belongings from the hall, Spencer drove Emily, Mike, and Hanna back to the girls' condo. Hanna was quick to fall asleep in back of Spencer's car, Mike's arms wrapped firmly around her. And though Emily had tried her absolute hardest to not do the same as she wanted to pick up where she had left off with Spencer before they were interrupted, sleep eventually overtook Emily who ended up passing out in the front passenger seat halfway through the drive home.
Finally arriving at the girls' home, neither Spencer nor Mike wanted to wake the girls up so instead, Spencer and Mike took Emily and Hanna respectively, scooping them up into their arms and carrying the girls up to their condo. Upon entering their home, both pairs split up as Spencer made her way to Emily's room where she gently placed Emily down on her bed. She looked down at the brunette, gently brushing a few strands of hair out of her face before placing a soft kiss on Emily's forehead.
"Happy birthday, babe. And sweet dreams," Spencer whispered out before giving her one more kiss on the forehead. As she went to pull away, Spencer heard Emily's weight shift on the bed as the girl reached out and placed her hand on Spencer's arm. She could hear Emily mumble something underneath her breath, and Spencer smiled in amusement at how adorable Emily was when she was half asleep. Leaning forward, Spencer gently placed her hand on Emily's cheek and stroked it lightly. "What'd you say, sweetheart?"
"Stay with me tonight," Emily mumbled out, and though her words barely coherent, they were just comprehensible enough for Spencer to understand. Without a second of hesitation, Spencer smiled and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Emily's lips before pulling away and whispering to the girl.
"Always."
There it is, folks! I hope you all enjoyed it. I know it was a little bit of a filler, but hopefully you all liked it nonetheless considering a lot of you wanted to see some group dynamic. Something to look forward to for next chapter; Thanksgiving in Rosewood! Yaaaaay! And what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with a little bit of drama. Oops. I think I've said too much (; (; But anyways, as per usual if you have time feel free to let me know what you thought of this update by leaving me a review. You all know how much I absolutely love reading your thoughts because seriously, they make my day constantly. If you don't have time though, that's okay too (: Thank you all again for reading my work. Having your support is an incredible feeling that constantly motivates me, and I cannot thank you all enough for that. You are all the best, and I love you all so much.