Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

Spencer woke up to the scent of perfume and tea, a bright smile caught her attention when her eyes opened and in focused Aria. She smiled at the sight of her beautiful, much-needed friend, and she crawled over to her through the blanket and embraced her. She buried her face in her shoulder and tried to forget anything else existed outside this bedroom. The world was a horrible place today.

"Hey, easy, it's all right." Aria stroked her hair. "I'm here."

"Thank you," she whispered and pulled back, snuffling.

"I know how it went with Hanna." She tucked hair behind her ear and sighed softly. "I'm so sorry. She's just…a wreck about this, and she doesn't want to talk about it, but I was hoping you would be open to talk. Maybe come downstairs and eat breakfast with me."

"I'm not hungry." Her voice was thick and raw, unfamiliar to her, and she swallowed.

"Well, eat for the baby then."

"Aria, I don't—"

"No, Spence, you need to eat. We made a huge breakfast with fresh foods for you, and we're not leaving until you shower, come downstairs and eat with us. We're here to spend the day with you, cheer you up." She rubbed her back soothingly. "I love you, Spence, so this is why I'm here. Why Emily's here. Why Toby's here. We have your back one hundred percent." And Hanna's, but Hanna was shutting the world out, so it was time for Spencer to get support.

"Toby?" She shot up. "Aria, did you tell him I'm pregnant?"

"What? No, of course not. We just called him, because we knew you would need support from your friends." She wiped away a tear from her cheek. Her peach and cream complexion now a sickly hue of white. "Come downstairs, please."

"Let me shower first. I've been crying all night."

"Thank you."

They departed from the room, Aria heading downstairs to tell the others Spencer would be down, and Spencer shuffling towards the bathroom to shower. She undressed and bathed herself while they prepared plates of crepes, fresh fruit and freshly made orange juice, and soon Spencer joined them, all snug in her oversized shirt and jeans, hair still damp from the shower.

"Hey," Toby greeted her with smile, and she nearly crumbled back into tears, "you look better." At the strange look on her face, he explained, "I checked in on you before Aria came."

"You were here first?" She sat down on a stool.

"No, I was." Emily handed her a plate. "I called Toby and Aria after I spoke to Hanna last night."

"What happened with Hanna?" Toby inquired. "I only heard bits and pieces."

"Well, you should know the truth." Spencer picked at the crepe in front of her and brown eyes lifted to blue. "I'm about eleven weeks pregnant, and it's Caleb's."

His brows shot up, and he had a different reaction on the backburner, but he would leave it there due to her low physical and likely mental state. "Oh! Um…congrats?"

"Please, don't." She dropped the fork. "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Happy, one should assume." Emily dug into the bowl of fruit in front of her with a smile. "Okay, so it's not idea, but it's a baby. The first baby born to our little group. That's still special, no matter how it came to be."

"I suppose."

"Eat, Spence." Aria poured herself a cup of coffee. "It's good for the baby. Here. Your mom gave me your prenatal vitamins."

"Thanks." She accepted the pill and downed it water. "Mmm, maybe I should consider the alternative."

"No way!" Emily blurted, thinking she meant an abortion. "Please, let's talk about this."

"Em, I mean adoption," Spencer clarified.

"Oh, well, good."

"Let's talk about this still." Toby leaned against the counter. "Do you really want strangers raising your child?"

"I don't know. I'd get to know them before I made the final choice on the family, and I'd like to think my gut instinct is strong, considering how I've honed it all these years." She couldn't stop eating once she'd taken the first bite, and she realized she was vital to the conversation, but damn these were good.

"Slow down, Spence. They're not going anywhere." Toby slid another crepe onto her plate, and she thanked him with a hand covering her mouth to keep from exposing the food there. "You are eating for two now, so you're both welcome."

It was a little creepy how accepting Toby was of this news, but it'd been years since they were together. He'd moved on. She'd moved on. They were able to be friends again, so she hoped he and Caleb were able to be friends as well. Even with this going on, she hoped they remained close, because losing Hanna as she had…felt like losing a limb. She wasn't sure she was going to survive this.

"Hey, don't cry." Emily walked around the counter and set her arm around Spencer's shoulders. "We're all here for you."

"I know, and I'm so grateful." She beamed at them, her truest friends, and her heart was so content in that moment. She wasn't sure anything could ruin her mood, but then came a knock on the door. "I'll get it."

"No, Spence, I'll get it." Aria sat her down and answered the door to find a steamed off Caleb Rivers standing there. "Caleb, what are you—?"

"Where is she?" he seethed, storming through the doorway to find the little party inside, eyes zeroing in on Spencer, his heart jumping at her pallor. "What did you do?"

"Excuse me?" Spencer swallowed the last bit of crepe and eyed her ex. "What did I do when? And what?"

"Hanna is in tears, and she hasn't stopped crying since you came over to see her yesterday, so what happened? What was so damn much that she won't stop crying?" he demanded.

"Caleb, why don't you sit down and calm down?" Toby suggested, moving to be standing in front of Spencer, a way of habit. "We can explain."

"Oh, we? It's we now?" He looked from Toby to Spencer. "All I want to do is talk to Spencer, alone, please."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Toby, I wasn't speaking to you. I was speaking to Spencer." His chest heaved in time with his racing heart, and he was worried it'd come shooting out of his chest. "Please."

"I think Toby's right; that isn't a good idea, but we do need to talk." Spencer slid off the stool and approached him. "Could we talk outside? Please?"

"As long as we talk." He nodded.

"Spence," Toby argued.

She set a hand on his arm. "I'll be okay."

Caleb was confused about why she would need to be okay and followed her outside, a warm breeze blew by them, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo. It reminded him of old times, and his heart tightened. He could still remember her hair in his face, tickling his nose and cheek as she laid on top of him, laughing deeply and kissing him with those soft lips. He shook his head to clear it and faced Spencer, remembering why he was there.

"Caleb, hey." She smiled softly at him, her body calming at his presence as it always had here lately, and she knotted her fingers together in front of her.

"Spencer, hey," he mirrored with a chuckle, "we need to talk."

"We do." She stepped closer to him and met his eyes. "Do you remember the last time we were together? In a happy way, I mean."

"Yeah, of course. I'd gotten us breakfast in bed, and you complained about toast crumbs in the sheets." She laughed. "But we ate it anyway, and we got crumbs on the sheets."

"We…spent most of our day in that bed, too, if you recall."

"I do," he whispered, brows twitching for a moment. "Why are you bringing that up, Spence?"

"Because that day…our last good day…we made—"

"A lot of good memories," he gently cut her off, "but that's all they are—memories. We can't linger there. We have to move on. It wasn't…working in the long run."

"We don't know that."

"Well, I'm with Hanna, so it doesn't matter now."

"It does matter, Caleb, because I'm pregnant," she confessed.

Caleb's blood ran ice cold at her words, every function in his body paused and forgot how to resume, and he fell back against the house. He bent over and gripped his knees, shaking his head no. "We—we were careful."

"All it takes is one broken condom. Even with birth control, pregnancies can still occur." She had gone over the statistics thoroughly the night she'd found out.

"I'm gonna be sick." He cupped a hand to his lips and shuddered. "This can't be happening."

"You'd be surprised what could happen when you least expect it, especially around here."

"Tell me you're joking, because I could really use a punchline here, Spence."

"So could I when I took the pregnancy test, but here we are. Two suckers who need a punchline and only have a baby in thirty odd weeks."

He lifted his head. "You're serious."

"Of course. Who jokes about being pregnant? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I—I didn't think you were lying, or joking, just…. I don't know. I hoped." He straightened up and exhaled deeply, his body resuming its normal functions. "How…um, how are you?"

"Better since my morning guests. Hanna wasn't the only one crying her eyes out last night."

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't even know. I have no fucking clue what to do here, Spence. I'm sorry."

"I don't want anything from you. I haven't even decided if I will keep the baby or not. I might lean towards adoption."

"Oh, yeah?" He rubbed his chest. "I'm sorry. I have a bubble right here. I think it's stress."

"Are you all right?" She reached out and set her hand over his. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it's just…tight." He chuckled softly. "Stress acts fast."

She smiled. "It does."

His thumb brushed over her fingers, and she shivered at the touch. "What are we gonna do?"

"I don't know, but I hope we can talk it out. Just you and me."

"Yeah," he nodded his head. "Why don't talk at dinner? Tomorrow night? Let me help Hanna tonight, and we can talk tomorrow."

"I'd like that." She lowered her hand from his chest and smiled. "Just text me when and where."

"All right. I should get back to Hanna, but I'll see you tomorrow night."

"All right."

Spencer rejoined the girls and Toby in the kitchen, telling them their plans, and she would assure them she and Caleb would come up with a solution on how to handle this delicate situation. They returned to cheering Spencer up and giving her support and care. They even watched some movies and popcorn, helped Spencer through her morning sickness, and they ordered some takeout that Toby would swing by and pick up. It was just a day of self-care, and it felt great. She laughed and ate and felt joyful. It was such a good and much-needed day. When they left, Spencer didn't feel so isolated, and she lied down with that comfort and slept easy.

The next evening Spencer got dolled up for her dinner with Caleb, finally in a good mood since she discovered she was a plus two all on her own, and she checked the time on her watch to ensure she wasn't running behind. She wasn't going to be late. She wasn't the type to be late.

"Don't you look beautiful," this from Melissa who stood in the hallway.

"It's a nice restaurant." She smoothed out a wrinkle in her dress. "I don't want to look like a slob."

"Right and dipping into someone else's shopping cart is unusual behavior for you."

"Melissa, can you not?" She huffed. "I just want a nice, normal evening."

"To talk about the bastard child you conceived with a soon-to-be married man?"

Spencer scrunched her nose at her sister and glared. "Why are you here? I thought you were going to be supportive."

"Oh, I am. I just want you to be realistic. You still have feelings for Caleb."

"No, I don't. He's moved on; so have I." She collected her purse and slipped by her sister. "I'll see you tonight."

"Actually, you won't." She caught up to Spencer on the stairs. "I'm heading out of town for a bit, down to that little gated community down the way. It's new, and I have a couple friends throwing a party up there. It'll be nice to socialize."

"About a topic other than babies and baby things, you mean."

"Yes, Spencer, I long for a conversation about something other than a breast pumps and adoption."

"I'd say you were being sarcastic were you not so against adoption."

"That baby is a Hastings, and a Hastings it should stay."

Spencer padded down the stairs and avoided the conversation. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Caleb and I will decide tonight what to do."

"He won't want to give up his only child."

"Then he'll tell me so." She slipped into her coat and removed her curled hairs from it. "I'll see you when I see you."

"Be careful."

"It's just dinner."

"You know what I mean."

"Look I'll be safe tonight—both me and my heart."

"If you say so."

"I do say so, Melissa. Good night."

"Good night." She closed the door behind her and shook her head. "Idiot."

Spencer ordered some ginger tea for her stomach while she waited at the restaurant, crossing her legs and keeping an eye out for Caleb. She was nervous. She hadn't spoken to him one-on-one since before he and Hanna were engaged. She wanted this to be a long and serious conversation, with both sides giving opinions and ideas on how to handle this pregnancy and what to do after birth. She wanted him to feel important throughout the entire discussion, and she wanted him to know she did care what he thought. He was just as important to her as Hanna, perhaps even a little more since their encounter, and she wanted him to know it. She always wanted him to know how much she cared.

Thirty minutes passed, and Spencer worried where he might be. Hanna might have caused him trouble with coming out to meet Spencer alone. She hoped Hanna didn't grieve him too much, because it was just a friendly get-together to discuss the child and its future. Hanna had to support this meeting, if she wanted to know where Caleb stood in this. Whether he was going to be involved, send payments to help support the child, or simply back out entirely. It was crucial to know where he stood before this went on any longer.

After an hour and a half had passed, and Spencer went ahead and ordered since she was hungry and didn't want to waste the waitress's time. She sent another text to see where he was, but there was no response. They hadn't even been read according to her phone. It made her heart hurt to know he not only stood her up but had ignored her attempts to contact him. It was depressing, to be honest.

So, Spencer finished her meal, she paid and left a tip, thanking the waitress and excusing herself. She stood outside in the cool, spring air and decided then and there that Caleb had made his choice. He'd made the choice of being absent, and so be it. She would figure this out on her own. As she always preferred.

Four Months Later

Spencer bobbed up and down, following the same movements as the instructor, Perrie, in the video stream, and she tossed her head back to laugh as her partner in crime for the last three months made jokes and over-exaggerated moves. She requested a break for water and air, and she sat down on her bed, adjusting the sports bra she wore and the yoga pants. She was sweating and hot, and it was only late August. Jesus H. She needed some water and energy to carry on.

"Aww, don't stop," Aria joined her. "C'mon, Spence, shake that bump."

"Don't talk to the bump," Spence joked. "The bump is in control, and it demands mustard. I don't even know why."

"Well, I have water with fruit in it." She handed over the glass bottle and winked at her. "Sparia for the win."

"My thoughts exactly." She accepted the bottle and drank deeply.

"You know, you should name the baby Sparia if it's a girl."

"Yeah, right after Agamemnon if it's a boy."

She laughed. "It's not that bad."

"It's worse."

"I've heard worse from other clients," Perrie informed the women. "It's not bad."

"You're literally in Spain right now; you do not get to have an opinion on this, you abandoner." Spencer stretched her legs out in front of her and drank from the water bottle.

"I told you it was a work emergency. I'm sorry. We're still havin' a good time with it."

"I'm exhausted for today but thank you so much for making time for us."

"Anytime, sweetie. And find out the sex, so I know what to bring to your baby shower!" She ended the chat.

"Oh, God, the baby shower." Aria bit her bottom lip. "Em and I are totally on top of it, fyi."

"I'll bet." She wiped at her brow and stood up with the aid of her bed frame. "It's like a baseball under my skin."

"It's adorable." Aria stroked her bare belly. "Aunt Aria can't wait to meet you, little one."

"We talked about this, Aria." She slipped away. "I still haven't decided if I'm keeping the baby or not. I still have a career to build, a life to spend traveling, and a baby makes that difficult."

"You can travel once it's old enough to speak, which gives you time to establish your career, and you have help from me and Emily. You know this. We will be there for every fever, every tantrum, every late night. We will be your support system through this. You won't even notice the father isn't in the picture. This baby will be so loved. You'll be so loved. We'll make it work. We always do."

"You've thought this through, haven't you?"

"A million times, and we haven't even counted in your family."

"All those thoughts…just because you want me to keep the baby?"

"Yes, Spence. I love this kid, because it's part of you and I love you." She got in one last stroke and plopped down onto the bed. "Work that sexy bump."

"We are not doing this."

"We are so doing this." She pulled her phone out to play their baby bump jam that made little Hastings go crazy when a knock on the door frame came. "Oh, damn."

"Hey, language," Veronica lightly scolded, "the baby can pick up on that."

"Mom, it's fine. I've said worse when I burn my tongue on dinner." Spencer grabbed her jacket and zipped it up. "What's up?"

"You have a visitor."

"Oh, I hope it's the pizza deliver man." She ordered her favorite go-to the last few nights, and she was so ready to dive into it after all the exercise.

"Just go to the front door, Spence."

She pursed her lips and headed to the front door, finding it wasn't the pizza delivery guy. She set a hand on her stomach at the sight of Hanna Marin. She hadn't spoken to her in months. She hadn't left the house much, expect for doctor's appointments, carefully planned out walks, and dinners with Aria and Emily, so she hadn't had the ill luck of running into Caleb or Hanna. That luck ran out. Figured today of all days, when her mood was at its highest high, and her former best friend showed up at her door. She felt a twinge of hope that maybe, just maybe Hanna wanted to make up, to be involved in her life again.

"What are you doing here?"

Her eyes were glued to Spencer's stomach. "Wow, you're…huge."

She forced an awkward laugh. "I'm twenty-seven weeks pregnant. What did you expect?"

"It's been that long." She lowered her eyes and spoke in a whisper. "You're looking great."

"Thank you. So are you." She could tell Hanna had lost weight. She could only hope it was to fit into her wedding dress, and it wasn't due to lack of proper care. She didn't want to see Hanna suffer the consequences of a broken condom. She didn't want to see Hanna hurting. She wanted her friend to thrive and be well.

"Thanks." She smiled at her. "Look, I came over here to apologize about my behavior. It's not you. It's me. I feel like I'm reliving my parents' marriage, only this happened beforehand."

"It's not the same, Han. We're not our parents." She lowered her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to…." She pressed her lips together and hid the wedding invitation behind her back. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know…Caleb hasn't been in contact, and I just…was curious."

Spencer scoffed. "You're just curious? Out of the blue?"

"Well…yeah." It was stupid, a lame excuse, but it was all she could come up with.

"Hanna…if you're here for Caleb, if he's curious about his child then you can just leave." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to allow him into any decisions I make regarding this child. Do you understand?"

"Spencer, no, I—"

"After all this time, I thought maybe we could make an amends, but clearly you just want to spy on me for your cowardly fiancé. I'm done with it, Hanna. You live your life, and I'll live mine." She turned on her heel and walked away.

"Spencer, wait, just wait." She hurried to catch up to her. "I wanted to invite you to the wedding." She held out the invitation to her. "It's been pushed back and pushed back due to some personal issues, but we've settled on a date. I'd really like for you to come."

She stopped at the first step and looked over her shoulder. "No, thank you. I think it's best if we keep our relationship as it is now."

"Spence, please."

"No, Hanna, now I asked you to leave, so please—" her voice broke, and she turned away before she started to cry. "I can't do this, Hanna. I can't be a human embodiment of shame you're carrying on your back. That's not a friendship, and I just…am going through so much right now. I can't afford to hide in dark corners for you."

"I'm not asking you to hide, Spence."

"Not in those words, but in those actions, you are." She turned back to face her, not caring if she saw her crying, and she chuckled bitterly. "You didn't even tell me about the wedding invitation until I asked you to leave. You came here to invite me but backed out when you saw how pregnant I am. Like it suddenly became real for you—"

"It's been real for me since you told me you were carrying Caleb's child," Hanna interrupted. "I've lived with it for twenty-seven weeks, give or take, and now I'm trying to make your damned amends, and you won't accept it. Why not? We were friends once, Spencer. We told each other everything. What changed?"

"We both have changed, Hanna, and maybe growing apart…is the best resolution we can hope for."

Hanna lowered her hand and scoffed. "You want to have it that way then fine. We're done."

"Goodbye, Hanna." She padded up the stairs to get away.