Disclaimers: I do not own PLL or the characters. I do own all OCs.
Spoilers: None
Rating: K+

Notes: Hey, guys! Wow, it's been FOREVER. I am sorry. COVID-19 ended up effecting me personally, and that and just life, itself, made me forget about this story - oops. But here we are! Thanks to those who read, reviewed, and have followed so far.

Credit for the names Carter and Ashton go to call_me_cwazy on Wattpad. I love her story Emison||Sparia: All I Need so much, and no joke, I have literally read it 50+ times in the last 3 years. The crazy part is she was only 12 when she started that story! Being that young, her writing skills were amazing — you should check it out!

Enjoy! :)

*College* *Forehead or cheek kisses – Talking about the future/deep talks – Cuddling in a blanket fort*

Because of the Judge who said Peter still had to pay Child Support to Veronica after their divorce, and despite him "disowning" Spencer, claiming she was no longer his daughter, — plus the Judge who also said that Peter was not allowed to withhold the Trust Fund account Spencer would get at age 18, — now, during college, Spencer and Aria are able to comfortably live in an on-campus apartment, without having to worry about the week-to-week decision of food vs. rent money.

However, even with all that, Spencer and Aria still choose to have "Netflix and Chill" as their dates. Except, they literally mean watching Netflix and chilling on the couch.

It is something Hanna teases them about.

Today is Friday. Spencer does have a job but she gets Fridays off. And Aria has no afternoon classes. Which means they are free to do whatever they want.

So, today, they build a fort. They use cushions, blankets, pillows, chairs, and the back of one of their couches. They turn on some music as background noise, grab a lamp (that is situated in a safe place), and throw some more pillows and blankets, some popcorn and chips, and of course, some Coke-Floats.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

Aria huffs a laugh as Spencer bounces on her heels.

The question is answered, though, when Spencer takes two steps back, three steps forward, and proceeds to belly-flop on a pillow in a way that has it and her sliding across the floor, into their blanket fort, and right into the left side, bringing down pillows, blankets, and couch cushions…

Aria facepalms — literally — and just shakes her head. She bends down to pick up the fallen items but ends up falling onto the couch, laughing loudly.

"Sp-Spence… What the heck were you trying to do?" Spencer hops up, brushing off the invisible dust and dirt.

"Oh, you know, nothing. Nothing at all." She quickly redoes their blanket fort, sending a playful glare when Aria is still giggling. "Ok, ok. You know, it was not that funny." She make a move towards Aria that has the younger girl squealing and jumping away.

Spencer chases her around the apartment – living room, dining room, hallway, bedroom, back to the living room. "Come on, show me how tough you are!" Spencer goads her as she rounds the couch so it is a barrier between them.

Aria smirks but does not respond in any other way. Spencer stalks towards her, backing her up against the wall's corner.

"Promise not laugh, and I'll let you go." Each word is said a lower tone until it is a breathy whisper, and when she hears Aria's breath hitch, she thinks she has won.

Until Aria fists her shirt to yank her closer, causing her to slap a hand on the wall above her head to keep from falling full-weight onto Aria.

"Hmm…" She leans in closer. "I… don't… think so…" A kiss gets her attention. First, a brush of their lips, and then, Spencer tries to deepen it, momentarily forgetting what the last 10 minutes have been about. She faintly feels the smirk from Aria but her mind is hazy now, and…

The heat of her body is gone; she is alone in the corner, and can hear Aria's voice trailing off with a, "Oh, I don't think so."

Spencer sighs heavily. She walked right into that.

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

*Later*

Later, after they clean up the spilled popcorn, make a fresh bowl, rebuild the fort, and turn on their "twinkly" lights… the two lay on pillows and blankets, basking in the quietness and calmness and just simply… being there with each.

The conversation they are having would probably terrify some people. Couples their age — only 21 — are usually not discussing long-term living together or buying a house… and they are certainly not having conversations about marriage, babies, names of those kids, how many kids…

"Spencer Montgomery."

"Woah, woah, woah, what if I want your last name?"

"Aria Hastings? Eh, I mean… really, babe?"

"Okay, well, let's do this…" Aria clears her throat, props herself up on her elbow, and announces… "I now pronounce you Mrs. And Mrs. Hastings – wait a second, that won't work. Okay, how about this, I know pronounce you Spencer and Aria Hastings. Eh, you're right. Okay, what about this…"

Just for the record, Spencer is thoroughly enjoying this. And the popcorn makes it even better.

"I now pronounce you Aria and Spencer Montgomery… Hastings. Huh? Huh?" She wiggles her eyebrows. "Picture this: hyphenated last names."

Instead of answering directly, Spencer replies with, "And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the dork I will be marrying somed– ow! That hurt!"

"Meanie. Seriously, what do you think?"

"Spencer and Aria Montgomery-Hastings. I like it."

:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/:/

"Ashton."

Spencer takes a kernel of popcorn, chewing thoughtfully.

"I like it. Ashton Montgomery-Hastings. It has a nice ring to it."

She takes another handful of popcorn, stuffing in her mouth, and muttering, "Cwap." when one kernel goes to the side and then gets tangled in her curls. She huffs out a, "Oh, my god…"

And Aria tries oh-so-hard to cover up her laugh but the glare she receives makes it obvious she failed.

Finally (with more giggling and huffing), Spencer finds it, eats it, and smirks at Aria's reaction.

"Now, as I was saying. I like that one. It has a nice ring to it."

"Mmm… Your turn."

She thinks hard. This could be the name. The one that use. The one their child will be stuck with for their entire lives. And the one they will be yelling across the house for 18 years, or longer.

"Okay, how about… Carter, or Aaron?"

"Aaron, definitely. Carter is… I don't know." She gestures with her hands, doing the "eh" movement. "I think long-term, you know, Aaron would be better."

Now, the girl names? Well, those are easy…

"Avery. I've always loved that for a little girl."

Of course, there is also the beloved, "Scarlett. Scarlett Olivia. And Mackenzie. I love that one."

Aria nods. "Scarlett, Avery, Mackenzie, Aaron, and Ashton. Well, we have a pretty good list so far."

It is amazing how far they have come. From nervous first confessions in tenth grade to overcoming parental disappointments to surviving not only high school graduation, but also their first three years of college. Aria and Spencer are both studying to go into Veterinarian School. They want to either open their own Clinic, or, at the very least, work together at one.

They were told, multiple times, that they were too young to know what they wanted — that they just needed to "find the right man" — but here they are, five years later, only one break up, many major, and dozens more petty and insignificant fights…

Five years of love, promise, hard work, commitment, and support.

Yeah, they can pretty much say fuck you anyone who thinks this is "just a phase".

*Much later*

They stay under the fort for hours, ordering pizza, and completing their homework. They watch movies on Spencer's laptop, playing Checkers and Solitaire until it gets too late, and Aria falls asleep.

Spencer gathers their trash, books, and worksheets, and her laptop, taking them out of the fort before coming back with an extra blanket.

She watches her girl sleep for a few moments, taking in the way she looks peaceful and happy, and worry-free. Leaning down, she presses a gentle kiss to her forehead before turning the twinkle lights off, and covering them both up for the night.

This chapter was fun to write. I hope you enjoyed. Please review and let me know what you thought! :) I don't know when I will have the next up. Things are going to be hectic in the next few weeks.

I have decided to do a story based on this one, too. Them owning their own Veterinarian Clinic and raising their kids around animals is just.. ahhh. Perfect.

Happy Holidays to you everyone! Remember to be safe and healthy, and make good choices while traveling this Holiday Season!