A/N: I'm so sorry for the long delay. The last few weeks have been hectic and, yeah, I've been a lazy butt when I actually had a little spare time. Not gonna deny it. Anyway, here's an update. Thank you for reading and hope you'll enjoy.

Philly/Rosewood, Thanksgiving Day 2018

Hanna stood there, frozen in place.

It was a strange contraposition with the way she had forcefully swung the door open just a moment ago, already on the verge to make a scene and release her frustration towards the person that had been waiting for her all day.

But the moment she set foot inside that room and took a glance around, every little thought that she has previously had left her mind.

She had to brace herself and lean against the nearest wall as her eyes widened in recognition and a surprised gasp escaped her slightly parted lips. She brought a hand to her mouth in a vain attempt to hold it.

'It can't be', she repeated herself over and over again in her head, while silent tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Spencer…?" she finally chocked out, incredulously.

[12 hours before]

Her day didn't start so well.

The loud, obnoxious alarm of her phone went off, marking the end of her rather peaceful sleep. However, she refused to open her eyes just yet. Instead, she lazily stretched an arm towards the other side of the bed, searching for a warm body to snuggle up to. She frowned when the only things her hand was able to reach were soft cotton sheets and what appeared to be a piece of paper.

She frowned, while anxiety started to kick in and her heart began to race.

Despite being over five months since that fateful day when Spencer was shot, Hanna was still troubled and upset whenever she would wake up in the morning and find herself alone in a cold, empty bed; she would still experience mildly panic attacks whenever she turned around only to see a vacant spot beside her. One that would always belong to a certain brunette and no one else.

Fortunately, it was a very rare occurrence.

Ever since Spencer was discharged from the hospital, the two of them had been even more inseparable than before. To the point that they finally decided it was time to move in together.

At first, it was out of necessity: Spencer had to endure a long, difficult recovery from the gunshot wound in her chest that had nearly ended her life, and Hanna was all too eager to be by her side and help her. Partly because she was guilt-ridden and she held herself responsible for what had happened, despite the brunette's many, desperate efforts to reassure her that they were going to be just fine, that it wasn't her fault and that she didn't resent her for anything.

But mostly, Hanna was still shell-shocked and utterly frightened at the mere thought of having almost lost the love of her life. Thus, the visceral need she felt to cling onto Spencer as much and as tightly as she could, if nothing else to know that she was still there, breathing and alive.

And the brunette couldn't do much else but let her.

They both knew it was not exactly one would call a healthy behavior - to hold onto each other like that - but it was what they needed the most: to feel close. To be close.

So far, things worked out just fine. Or as much fine as possible, given the circumstances.

While Spencer recovered almost completely, both physically and psychologically, Hanna had a much harder time coming to terms with what happened.

For a long time after the shooting, Spencer watched helpless and in heart-wrenching agony her girlfriend crying herself to sleep every single night, only to be forcefully waken up by terrible nightmares and flashbacks of that day. She had honestly feared that the blonde was slowly but inevitably falling apart right in front of her eyes, and that she alone was not capable to hold every piece together. Not that time.

It was too much and it was clear that they needed help.

The fact that they had the most wonderful friends one could ever desire, willing to do everything and anything for them, was a blessing in itself. But even that wasn't enough.

Eventually, and strangely enough without fighting too much about that, they resorted to therapy.

It was a long process, tiring and extremely painful at times, especially when they had to pour their hearts out without filters and talk all things through, but, more or less, they made it in the end and that was all that mattered.

They were at a point in their lives where they could finally let all the horrible things behind and move forward. They were healthy, happy and in love. More importantly, they were together. In spite of every single curve ball life had thrown their way.

But there were still those dreadful mornings, like today, that Hanna loathed with all herself: when Spencer was not by her side, holding her close. She absolutely detested waking up alone.

She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves and finally opened her eyes. It was then that she noticed that, in fact, there was a letter that the brunette had left for her on their bed. With an annoyed grunt she started to read it:

"Good morning sleeping beauty,

I'm so sorry I had to left so early but I suddenly remembered I had a few urgent errands to run and I was in a hurry. Anyway, I thought of a little something that will keep you busy all day, so that you won't miss me too much. You're so lucky to have such a smart and considerate girlfriend, you know? ;)

Yeah, yeah, you'll wipe the smirk off of my face later. In the meantime, go getting ready: someone will come to pick you up at 9 and will drive you around the whole day.

See you tonight, my love. Hopefully you won't be too mad at me by then.

Love you always, -S"

Truthfully, she had already forgiven her girlfriend and, by the end of the note, she was grinning like a schoolgirl with a crush. It was almost ridiculous, the effect Spencer had on her.

A good hour later, she was almost ready for whatever surprise the brunette had in store for her when someone knocked at the door of their apartment.

"Hey, you ready?" a not so happy Jason Dilaurentis greeted her a little gruffly.

"You?" Hanna frowned. "You're my personal chaperon for the day?"

"Shut up" he muttered, and the blonde burst out laughing at his expression.

"How she cajoled you in doing this?" Hanna arched an eyebrow a little perplexed.

"Ugh, not gonna tell ya" he replied, a little embarrassed.

She chuckled at his expenses and the two of them made their way outside and to his car, one very amused at the entire situation; the other, well… not so much.

[FIRST STOP]

It didn't take too much to reach their first destination, a nice coffee shop in Philadelphia. One of Hanna's favorite places to have breakfast.

"Go inside, there's someone waiting for you" Jason urged her.

"You're not coming?" Hanna asked.

"Nope, I'll wait here" he replied. "Don't worry about me, take your time" he then reassured her with a small smile.

"Just tell me what she has on you" Hanna huffed. She was dying to know how Spencer managed to persuade her half-brother to accompany her around throughout the day.

"She blackmailed you?" the blonde tried to guess.

"…"

"She knows some of your dirtier secrets?" she was really getting the hang of this little game. "She threatened to take you with her and Ali next time they go to some boring function? She-"

The moment they entered the car, Hanna started with her barrage of questioning and poor Jason reached all too soon a new level of desperation. The girl was relentless with her interrogation and she could talk non-stop for hours. Just a cup of tea for a dark and brooding type like him.

"Hanna" Jason finally decided enough was enough. "Stop. I'm not telling you"

"Fiiine" the blonde huffed with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Jeez, you're not much company you know?" She crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.

By all means, she looked like a little girl who had just been scolded by her parents.

"You should really go now" he insisted, smiling apologetically. "We have a schedule to follow"

"Oh my God, it has to be something big if she has you this whipped" Hanna cracked up while exiting the car. "Bye" she then walked away, still laughing. Hard.

She opened the door of the coffee shop and she immediately spotted Aria sitting at a table near the window. The small brunette looked up and waved to her with a big smile on her graceful face.

"Hey" she greeted when her friend sat down in front of her. "Sooo, isn't this exciting?" she gushed, referring to Spencer's little stunt.

"Yeah, 'bout that…" Hanna began slowly. "Spill"

"Uh?" Aria replied, tilting her head to one side a little dumbfounded.

"Apparently you're in this, too, so tell me everything" the blonde explained. "What's she up to now?" Hanna sighed.

It was not that she wasn't appreciating whatever Spencer has planned for her - far from it. In reality, she was more than thrilled to go on with this impromptu surprise. But it was Thanksgiving day after all, and she was looking forward to spend some alone time with her girlfriend before they had to go to the Hastings' for their family dinner tonight.

A waitress approached them in that moment to take their orders and, once she was gone, Aria reached inside to her purse to retrieve something. The hint of a smirk on her face.

"I can't tell you anything" she said. "I don't even know all the details. My task is simply to entertain you during this fine breakfast and deliver you this"

She handed Hanna a small envelope and the blonde recognized Spencer's script at first sight.

"She told me to make sure you opened it only when you return to the car" Aria added.

"Ugh, she's killing me here" Hanna complained, but a warm, loving smile tugged at her lips nonetheless.

Aria grinned at this, and was about to comment when the waitress returned at their table with their food and coffees.

After a nice and long awaited chat to catch up – Aria moved to Los Angeles with Ezra soon after getting married and they hadn't seen each other in a while – and after having eat their breakfast, the two parted ways with the promise to see each other later at the Hastings' party.

Hanna quickly made her way back to Jason's car – she couldn't wait to read Spencer's note.

"Here, take this" she handed the young man a cup of coffee rather brusquely before adjusting on her seat and buckle up.

Jason frowned but took the mug with the hint of a grateful smile, one that went completely unnoticed as Hanna was engrossed in her reading.

"My baby Hanna Banana,

I hope you had a wonderful time with Aria. I know how much you have missed her.

So, I'm sure you're going out of your mind trying to figure out what this is all about – I'm actually sorry for every single person you will meet today. Kidding, love.

I just wanted you to go out and spend some quality time with the people you love and care about. They missed you just as much as you missed them. Recently you have been so preoccupied with taking care of me… I just wanted to do the same. Take care of you and your affections, I mean. Even if in this odd way.

It's Thanksgiving day after all, and I want you to know how grateful I am - we all are - to have you in our lives. And just how much loved you are. So please, bear with me for a while and just try to relax and enjoy this precious moments with our dearest friends. And then, come to meet me.

I love you, sweet girl.

Yours always, Spencer"

"Ahem" Jason cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable at seeing the blonde girl next to him tearing up; "Are you ready for what's comes next?" he asked in a soft tone.

"Absolutely" Hanna nodded eagerly, her voice thick with emotion.

She offered him a bright smile in between her sniffling, and she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

[SECOND STOP]

When they pulled the car in a parking lot nearby Rittenhouse Square, they immediately spotted none other than Mona Vanderwaal standing in front of a prestigious boutique.

It didn't took long for Hanna to connect the dots this time, and she all but jumped out of the car, overly excitedas she was at the prospect of doing some serious shopping.

After all, if her suspicions were correct, it would be Spencer's bank account to suffer a significant decrease at the end of the day. Nothing the brunette couldn't afford.

But then, a much more urgent thought (at least for her standards) crossed her mind, and she halted in her tracks. She turned around and walked back to Jason, that was still sitting inside his car. She opened the driver's door and took his arm, pulling him up and out onto the street.

"You're coming with us" Hanna asserted in a no-nonsense tone.

"What?" Jason actually shrieked in horror, eliciting some giggles on Mona's part.

"I have a feeling a pair of strong arms will come in handy" the blonde smirked and looped her arms through Mona's and Jason's ones, guiding them inside the first of many boutiques on her list.

However, Mona stopped her right on the door to deliver Spencer's letter, this time beforehand. Hanna snatched the folder from her petite hand and immediately dug in.

"Okay, I already know you're in overdrive right now so I won't take too much of your time. I know I'm probably going to regret this later, but here's the thing: I'm giving you the go-ahead to dilapidate all my savings. It's a one-time thing, so make sure to pick whatever you like, because something like this, it's sure as hell, won't happen again. Don't laugh, I'm deadly serious.

God, the things I do for you woman.

So yeah, unleash the shopaholic inside of you and have fun. I can't wait to see you tonight, my beautiful girl. I already know my heart is going to skip several beats the moment you will appear in front of me in all your gorgeousness.

Love you, -S

P.S.: I forgot earlier to tell you so I'm sure it's too late now, but it's worth a try: please don't give Jason a hard time. Well, not more than you already had. You have no idea how difficult it was to 'persuade' him…"

Hanna chuckled goodheartedly at the last part of the note, before tucking it inside of her purse along with the others.

Curiosity was gnawing at her about Spencer and Jason's deal, but it was a matter that quickly faded in the back seat of her mind. Right now, she was a woman on a mission: find the perfect dress to wear tonight. Among other things, obviously. She owed Spencer that much, at least.

After all, the brunette had graciously offered her platinum card to her. It was a moral obligation, as a girlfriend, to look at her absolute best for Spencer after this shopping trip comes to an end.

And maybe she would be the one who'll gets to surprise her later.

[THIRD STOP]

She waited and waited and waited again, but guilt never came.

So yeah, she got carried away and she actually managed to spend some thousand dollars earlier, but she swore to the God of Fashion, it was the best investment of her life. And once Spencer would see her tonight, she all but would agree with her. Or, at least, that was her excuse.

She purchased four designer dresses, three new sets of silky, luxurious lingerie and three pairs of vertiginous high heeled pumps to go with the gowns. All considered, it wasn't that much, was it?

She shook her head and smiled to herself. She had to admit that this sort of treasure hunt was getting more and more endearing.

She never realized before just how much she needed it; to go out with her friends, doing simple things, sharing a chat or a laugh and just chill. But Spencer did. She always knew what Hanna needed, always knew how to take care of the blonde and never failed to show her love.

"Are you okay over there?" Jason abruptly asked, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Yes" Hanna smiled. "I was just thinking about Spencer" she admitted as her cheeks turned red.

Jason turned his head and regarded her for a second, before concentrating back on the road.

"She's really something else, uh?" he grinned slightly. The truth was, he actually grew very close to her and grew to care a great deal about her half-sister.

"That she is" Hanna chuckled.

"You two are good together" the young man added. "I'm glad she has someone like you"

"Thank you" If possible, her blush intensified. "For today, too. I'm sure you had better things to do than drive me around and carry my shop bags"

"Oh, don't worry. It's a pleasure" Jason reassured her and he seemed actually sincere. "Besides, our dear Spence now owes me" he smirked almost wickedly.

Shopping was so out of their deal, after all.

"Just tell me already what she promised to do!" Hanna whined.

"You don't really want to know" his mood sombered. "We're here"

The blonde looked out of the window and saw the signboard of her and Spencer's favorite Italian restaurant in Philly.

"Is she waiting for me inside? I can't wait to see her" Hanna's eyes lit up.

"If you're talking about Spencer, then I'm afraid not" he shrugged apologetically. "Ali and Emily's company will have to do for now" he said as he ushered her inside.

He held the door open for her and Hanna couldn't help but think that, evidently, chivalry ran in the family. But then she frowned, remembering that Charlotte and Alison shared part of their genes, too.

Before she could get an headache thinking about Spencer's incredibly complicated family tree, she ran to hug her two best friends before sitting down with them. This time, Jason joined them and they all shared a pleasant lunch together.

Right after dessert, Emily handed the other blonde another letter from Spencer.

"She called me earlier" Alison explained. "Spence, I mean. She was freaking out"

"Why?"

"She doesn't know how you're going to react to… all of this" she made a vague gesture with her hand. "If you're having a nice time or if you want to strangle her"

"I'm loving it" Hanna giggled. "Honestly, it was very thoughtful of her. It's just… I really want to see her" she added softly, almost vulnerable.

"You're going to meet her soon" Emily reassured her. "And…"

"And?" the blonde asked expectantly, but a stern glare from Alison was enough for the tall brunette to shut her mouth.

"And you should really read her note now" Jason interjected. "We have to hit the road like now if we want to reach our next destination in time"

"Okay" Hanna muttered a little perplexed.

"Hey babe,

I hope you enjoyed your lunch. I actually wanted to join you there but I couldn't make it, I'm so sorry. But hey, your journey is almost over so it won't be too much before I get to finally have you in arms. I can't wait. Up until then, however, you have to be somewhere at four so please hurry up. There's a certain someone who is really eager to see you.

Love, -S"

Hanna folded the letter and got up, along with the others. They bided their goodbyes and she and Jason walked back to the car.

In all honesty, she was started to get a little antsy.

[FOURTH STOP]

Hanna had been uncharacteristically quiet during all the drive, until she realized where they were heading.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are we going to Rosewood?"

"You have an appointment there" Jason shrugged, totally unfazed.

"But I have to stop by at home and change. I cannot possibly go to the Hastings dinner party in this" she said, gesturing to her current attire. Jeans, a nice but casual blouse and her coat.

"Well, you're lucky we went shopping then"

"Mmm, I suppose" she abided.

Forty minutes later and they found themselves in the parking area of the Radley Hotel.

"Alright, my job ends here" Jason said, helping Hanna out with all her shop bags until they reached the reception. "I'll see you later at the party" he smiled shyly.

Hanna surprised him with a friendly hug and heartfelt thanks for everything he did and the two parted ways.

"Honeybunch" someone called, and Hanna instantly recognized that voice.

"Granma" she ran towards the older woman, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here? When you arrived? How-"

"Woah, hey breath" Regina cut her off, before the girl started with her 21 questions game; "I'm here to see my wonderful niece, obviously" she explained.

"I missed you" Hanna's smile grew bigger and her dimples popped up as she embraced the lively woman once again.

"I missed you too, sweetheart" she replied as she squeezed back. "But we'll talk later. Right now, your mother is waiting for us at the spa. Where there's a nice fruit basket and a fancy bottle of Champagne with my name on it. Courtesy of your Spencer" she winked.

The blonde chuckled and happily followed her grandmother.

"I take it she arranged this as well"

"Mmm" Regina nodded. "You know, of all your friends – and dates – I always liked Spencer better. I've known for a long time that she was the one for you. And in case you're wondering, yes: you have my blessing" she winked.

Hanna blushed profusely at her words, and the older woman couldn't help the soft smile that spread on her face. Her girls were just so adorable sometimes.

"Here, your last letter" she said as she handed her niece a piece of paper like the ones she had been collecting all day.

Hanna wasted no time in opening the envelope and read the contents:

"My love,

I don't know how many times I started over this letter. I'm sitting here trying to find a proper way to convey all my feelings for you and yet words are failing me. Maybe I'm getting too emotional. After all, that's the effect you have on me.

I've always took pride on my rhetorical skills, and yet whenever I found myself thinking about you, apparently I lose every cerebral function. It doesn't bother me like it should, though, because if there is something I learned from you during all these years we spent together, it's a much more important ability: to feel things with my heart.

See? You took me and turned me into this sappy woman, and I couldn't be more happy. I owe you everything, sweet girl. Maybe you don't realize how much you affect the people around you – in the best of the ways. You have such a big heart and you're the kindest soul I have the privilege to know. I am so proud of you, baby. So proud of us.

Thank you for being your bubbly, brave, compassionate, funny, beautiful human being that you are. Thank you for every laugh, every tear, every hug, every kiss, every little piece of you that you share with me. Thank you for being in my life, Hanna. And most of all, thank you for being this immense shining light that brightens my world.

I love you, forever and always.

Yours, Spencer"

"Hey, come on now. Don't cry on me, honeybunch" Regina whispered in Hanna's hair as she wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort her niece.

"S-sorry" the blonde mumbled, "It's just… it's just that I am so in love with her" she hiccupped.

"Don't I know it!" the older woman unabashedly snorted.

"There, there" she patted the younger girl on the shoulder. "Stop crying now, it doesn't suit you. Even if they're happy tears. When you're young and in love, you gotta smile"

Hanna giggled through her tears and managed to calm down. She offered her grandmother a gracious smile, while the woman took her by an arm and dragged her away.

"Good girl. And now, let's go to enjoy a relaxing massage. I swear that Andrew, there, has hands made of gold. Just what my poor old back needs"

And off they went to enjoy their beauty treatment.

[Present]

Dressed to impress. That was Hanna Marin's mantra. Tonight more than ever.

She chose to wear one of her previous purchase: a simple deep red dress with a few white accents. The hem stopped just a little too high while the top just a little too low, showing off her generous cleavage. To match, a pair of black, vertiginous heels. She was absolutely sure Spencer would very much appreciate this outfit of hers; her underwear especially.

A coy smile spread on her face as she let herself fantasize about their after-dinner. She still didn't know that reality was bound to surpass her wildest dreams.

Ashley Marin parked her car on the Hastings driveway and the moment they set foot on the street, Hanna all but fled towards her girlfriend's house, eager as she was to finally meet the brunette for the first time since she woke up that day.

However, a new wave of disappointment hit her when in the living room she spotted every single person she knew except the person she wanted to see the most. She groaned in frustration, making several hosts of the evening turn their head toward her.

"Hey, you okay?" Melissa asked, approaching her with a cautious smile.

"Eh" the blonde shrugged, a little helpless. "Apparently your sister decided to go MIA on me today" she explained. "I'm seriously starting to worry"

"Uhm, last time I saw her she was in the barn. I think she-"

But Melissa didn't get to finish the sentence, as the blonde unceremoniously left her there.

"And there she goes…" the older sister mumbled to herself. "Good luck Spence, you need it"

Meanwhile Hanna already reached the barn – her speed could have rivaled Flash himself. She flung open the door and… froze.

The pale light of a hundred candles lit the room, and a pleasant scent of dozens of roses filled the air. Suddenly her mind brought her back to when she was seventeen and she and Spencer spend their first night together.

Through her misty eyes she noticed the silhouette of her girlfriend standing in front of her, just a few feet away. She wanted nothing more than to reach her and throw her arms around her neck, but there was something that kept her grounded to her spot.

She didn't know how, but she felt her back hit something solid behind her, maybe a wall. She let herself lean against it as her legs threatened to buckle.

The brunette moved; she walked until she filled the distance between them and then, it happened.

She bent down on one knee, a black velvet box in her hand.

"Spencer…?" Hanna whispered as her eyes filled with tears.

"Hi" the other girl smiled shyly. "Uhm, I had this speech in my head for days, now, but it's exactly as I told you. Or rather, wrote to you. I see you and my mind goes blank. But anyway, yeah…"

She was rambling. She knew she was rambling, and she couldn't do anything about that. Way to screw one of the most important moments in her life. She didn't know that, but Hanna was finding her so damn incredibly cute and adorable at the moment.

The blonde smiled at her and it was all it took to Spencer to go on.

"I wanted to do some glorious, magnificent proposal, because it's what you deserve. But then I was here, and I remembered that this place holds a special spot in my heart. This is where I realized for the first time that I wanted to spend my life with you. I want to make you happy and take care of you and I want us to be a family and I can't wait anymore. I love you so much, Hanna, and life can be so fragile – we know that all too well. I don't want to waste any more time. So I'm sorry, but I have to ask you: Hanna Marin, will you marry me?"

"…"

She wanted to scream, to move, to do something but she couldn't. And Spencer was visibly panicking. She looked up at the blonde with frightened puppy dog eyes, and her features already changed into a mask of rejection and utter despair.

And then Hanna launched herself at Spencer, knocking the poor girl to the ground.

"YES" she squealed. "Yes, yes, yes!" she repeated over and over, each time leaving a kiss on the brunette's lips. "Oh my God, yes! A million times yes"

The brunette took a hold of the smaller girl's face and brought her into a searing, mind-blowing kiss. When they pulled apart they were grinning at each other like only two young fools completely in love with one another can. Their foreheads connected.

"I can't believe this is happening" Spencer whispered in amazement.

"I can't believe I got so lucky" Hanna countered back. "You are… God, you're amazing! I love you, Spence. More than anything"

"I love you too, pretty girl. Always"

"And forever"