A/N: I'm doing 2 more chapters after this one and they will all be set ten years in the future with the girls now being 30.
Spencer POV
A lot has changed for me in the past 10 years. I got married, became a mom, 3 different times as a matter of a fact, and made partner in the Hastings law firm with Melissa as a defense attorney, only to end up working in the D.A.'s office two years later arguing for the other side.
Sadly I'm not as close with the other girls as I'd like to be. I hardly ever see them anymore. One of my good friends from law school started working for the D.A.'s office in Boston. When he got promoted and became the district attorney himself, he called me up and offered me a job. Me and Em live in Boston now, while Aria, Hanna, and Alison all live in Los Angeles. Hanna chose to start her business there since that's where Caleb is buried and since Alison works with her she lives there too.
Me and Em always said we would go back to L.A. one day so we could see the girls and the Dawson family again, but we sadly never got around to it. We haven't seen them since 6 years ago, right before we adopted our oldest daughter. Hanna and Aria got married 6 years ago and that's the last time we were all together. We planned on meeting up with them after we adopted our first two kids but something always got in the way. Now that we have baby number three and our friends have not met any of our kids, we might finally make that trip.
Emily POV
These past 7 years have been the best years of my life. Me and Spencer got married, adopted three beautiful children, and I have an amazing job that I love. I'm a physical therapist who specializes in sports related injuries and I'm also the head coach for one of local high school swim teams. I've been coaching for that past four years and we've won state every year that I've been there. I sometimes give to private lessons with some of my girls, especially the ones in track or cross country. I love to run so I go out and run with them sometimes too. I gotta make sure their in shape for whatever sport they're playing. Their like my kids. I want them to succeed.
While I was still in school I got married and adopted my first kid. My life was crazy and I'm still waiting for it to dial down. They say that every mom is an expert by the time they have their second kid. I'm on baby number three and I still don't know what I'm doing. It never get easier, just crazier, but even as overbearing as my family, especially Spencer, can be, I still wouldn't trade them in for the world.
Our oldest daughter is Emma Grace Hastings and she's 6 years old. She's extremely smart, but possibly the most athletically challenged person I've ever met. I love my little girl, but there is absolutely no way she will ever achieve my dreams of becoming an Olympic gold medalist, not that she actually wants to. Emma has gorgeous hazel eyes just like Aria's and light brown hair and an olive complexion.
Two years later we adopted a little boy. Ian James Hastings. Ian is very outgoing, sweet, caring, and a total goofball. He has a big heart for such a little boy. Emma is very shy in social situations so Ian is always very protective of his big sister. Ian's got deep blue eyes, light brown hair, and a medium complexion. Every parent say that they don't have a favorite child, that they love all their children equally. I think that's bull. The part about not having a favorite. I definitely love all my kids the same amount, but if they weren't really my kids, if they were just some of my kids from the swim team or something, Ian would be my favorite. Teachers and coaches also lie and say they don't have favorites. Every coach or teacher knows there will always be that one kid, or those few kids that just have a special place in their heart. Ian is my only son and is truly one of a kind. Even though I love all of my kids the same, Ian will always be my favorite. But who knows, that might change when they get older. Ian's just a huge Mama's boy. My Mama's boy more then Spencer's.
Our youngest daughter, my baby girl, is 3 months old. Her name is Maddylan Jill Hastings. Maddie has dark brown hair, soft brown eyes, and a fair complexion. When we got married, me and Spencer agreed we only wanted two kids, but the social worker who helped us adopted Emma and Ian called one day and changed our minds. She said that Ian's birth mom had given birth to another baby a few days earlier and wanted us to adopt her. We considered it and decided not to and then we found out that Emma's birth father just happened to be Maddie's birth father as well and we just knew it was meant to be. A baby girl that was the half sister of both our other kids. How could we say 'no' to her? Since the birth mother went through the adoption agency a few days after Maddie was born, it took even longer before we could bring her home. She was born 14 weeks ago yet she's only been with us for the past 3 weeks. If the birth mother would have contacted us directly or at least let us know before Maddie was born, we could have had her a lot sooner.
The reason all the kids have Spencer's last name and not mine or mine and hers together is because we agreed when we got married that we wanted to keep our own last names. Lawyers and attorneys usually refer to each other using their last names and it sounds less messy if Spencer doesn't have two last names. And I'd much rather be known as Dr. Fields or Coach Fields rather then Dr. Hastings-Fields or Coach Hastings-Fields. Its kind of a mouthful if you ask me. I'm not really sure how we came to the conclusion that all the kids would be 'Hastings' instead of 'Fields'. Plus, here in Boston, everyone knows who A.D.A. Hastings is. When Emma goes to law school, which is Spencer's dream for her, people are gonna be like, "Oh yeah Emma Hastings, she's the daughter of A.D.A. Spencer Hastings, niece of defense attorney Melissa Hastings, and granddaughter of defense attorneys Peter and Veronica Hastings." It just wouldn't sound right if her last name Fields, but if Ian or Maddie ever become swimmers, their changing their last names to Fields. One day I'll be known as the this Olympic swimmer's high school coach or maybe even college if I ever work my way up there. Or maybe I'll be known as one of the doctors that helped save that swimmer's career. I know I'm not a surgeon, but if they got hurt and I was their physical therapist, I'd still be one of their doctors. My point is, when I'm famous one day, and one of my kids becomes a swimmer, they have to have my last name.
Spencer POV
When someone goes to prison for a long period of time, they sometimes have a chance for parole many years down the line. Paige McCullers, Jason DiLaurentis, and Toby Cavanaugh. Three people that have some sort of connection to me. Three people that are in prison. Three people with a chance for parole. Paige is in a women's federal prison just right outside my district, and Jason and Toby are in a men's federal prison right outside the city limits of Boston. When a prisoner tries to go for parole, a prosecutor is usually there to argue why they shouldn't be released. For some crazy reason each of those case landed on my desk. Paige killed Emily's girlfriend. Jason killed Caleb. Toby stalked, harassed, and threatened me and my friends. Anyone with half a brain would go above and beyond to make sure those three never see the light at the end of the tunnel if they were in my position.
This morning I got, put on some clothes, dropped my kids off at school and daycare, grabbed some Starbucks, and went to work. When I get the courtroom there is a delay because the van bringing Paige in broke down and they had to wait for a new one. An hour and a half or so later, she finally shows up. Each side argues their case, about 2 hours of deliberation, a decision is made. Paige will remain in prison until the end of her sentence which is in ten years. Thats done, next case. Toby Cavanaugh. His case is much quicker. It was decided that he would remain in prison after maybe ten minutes of deliberation. He'll be locked up for the next 15 years, the remainder of his sentence as well. And last, but certainly not least. Jason. DiLaurentis.
Now don't get me wrong, I hate Paige and Toby for what they did, but I hate Jason even more. I could even stand to look at him in that courtroom. All it did was fuel my hate fire and I had to be careful not to act irrationally.
Jason is my brother. My big brother. Big brother are supposed to look out for you, protect you from anyone who ever tries to hurt you, not be the person who causing you pain. Granted we didn't know we were siblings for about 17 years, my whole life at that point, but he still never should have teamed up with Toby. He didn't protect the sister he grew up with and he didn't protect me from Toby. Me and Alison were his sisters. Toby wanted to destroy us and Jason tried to help and almost succeeded. Almost.
My father came out of retirement to argue Jason's case. He couldn't have the both of us screwing up his reputation. Me by keeping Jason in prison and Jason by getting himself put there in the first place. Me and my father battled it out like crazy. When it came time for Peter to give his closing argument, he said this,
"Jason was always the sweetest little boy, kind, caring, compassionate. He would never hurt a fly. When he grew into a teenager he had a rough time. His mother and father fought all the time, then he finds out his father isn't really his father. I am. All this drama caused a lot of stress in young Jason's life and unfortunately, he turned to drugs. With the help and support of friends and family he was able to get clean a few years later. Once you become an addict, it's like you have this disease. For most diseases, once you've had it's possible to get again, to relapse. That's what happened to my son. He had relapse and made the stupid mistake to get behind the wheel of a car. He never meant to kill that boy, and honestly, he saw Jason coming. Its his own fault for not moving out of the way. Don't punish a sick kid for something the Rivers boy brought upon himself."
My father used his closing argument as a way to glorify his son as a kid, not defend his client. Then to make matters worse, he blamed Caleb for Jason mowing him down with a car! That was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard. Dad really lost his touch. If he wants to get personal, so can I.
"Some of you may feel that it's wrong for me to be here today, arguing this case. The victim was a close friend of mine. The brother I never had. The killer, he was the half-brother I wish I never had." I start out, glaring at Peter and Jason
"Hastings, if I catch you giving either of those two a death glare again you will be suspended!" The judge yells
"My apologies." I say, "Jason DiLaurentis was never the person Mr. Hastings, the defendant's father, claims he was. I was always close friend with his younger maternal half sister, Alison. One day me, Ali, and our friend Emily were out in the DiLaurentis' backyard talking, laughing, then Jason angrily storms out. Alison had stole something of his and he wasn't very happy. He picked up field hockey stick and sung it at her. Luckily, she ducked. He tried to attack his own sister while sober, imagine what he could do to a stranger while high?" I go on
"Objection!" Peter shouts
"On what grounds?" I ask
"Well uh, relevance? How is that story relevant?" he questions
"Its relevant because it proves he was violent even while sober. That he was a violent person in the past and this would not be the first time he attacked someone." I answer
"Because you, the prosecutor on this case, are a credible witness to that." Peter argues
"Mr. Hastings, A.D.A. Hastings, that's enough! Finish giving your closing statement and stop rambling about past memories with your friends!" the judge commands
"As I was saying, Jason already has a violent history. His record shows three drunk and disorderlies , five DUI's, and two assault and battery charges. Now Mr. Hastings over here argued that Caleb Rivers, the victim, saw the car coming and could have moved out of the way. He is wrong.
The night he was killed, Caleb and some friends, me being one of them, wanted to have a movie night at his parents' home where we were all living at the time. We got hungry so he decided to pick us up some pizzas. When Caleb gets to the pizza place, he parks his car and starts walking towards the front door. Out of nowhere a car comes zipping in the parking lot going 80 mph easy. He turns, sees headlights in his face for not even a second before being run down. The driver stops, backs up and runs over his head once more, and speeds out. He ran back over him to make sure he was dead! He was headed straight for Caleb Rivers and I willing to bet he was sober that night. You can't do a hit-n-run that perfectly while under the influence. You've all seen the security footage. You tell me if he looked high. If it looked like an accident. If Caleb had time to move out of the way of the car! This was so accident. Jason DiLaurentis deliberately ran over Caleb Rivers and did it again to make sure he was dead and then sped off into the night. He is a violent criminal! His initial sentence should have been life without parole. Even though he got that parole chance. Don't let him get out. He'll just kill again. I'm willing to bet he'd even try and make me his next victim. That's all I have let you say. The decision is yours." I conclude
"Wow Spencer, I thought I taught you better then that. A good attorney never brings their personal feelings regarding a case into the courtroom. Especially not the A.D.A." Peter says
"I'm not bringing out my emotions, I'm trying to reach the jury's emotions." I argue
"Then why did you get so teary-eyed talk about it?" he mocks
"Because your son killed my best friend! I watched his girlfriend fall apart when she got that call! When he got into a car wreck herself and fell into a coma, I sat by her bedside for months praying to God she'd come back to us!" I cry
"See. You brought your personal feelings into the courtroom and that was a huge mistake." he smirks
"So those weren't your personal feelings when you talked about your son, I mean your client? You called him your son several times. Would a good lawyer who's defending their child refer to them that way?" I argue
"This is exactly why your no longer at the firm. You weren't good enough." he says
"You know what Dad? Fuck you! I am an amazing prosecutor and my record speaks for itself!" I cry
"Order! Order in the court! The both of you need to stop or I will send you back to prison with Mr. DiLaurentis!" the judge barks
Line Break
Paige is in prison for another 10 years, the remainder of her sentence and Toby for another 15, the remainder of his. But Jason? What happened to Jason? He walked! They let him go! Jason is a free man. Free to kill again. I can't believe those idiots would be so crazy as to let him of all people go!
Emily POV
Maya's killer was finally brought to justice 10 years ago but he never got a chance for parole. He got LWOP. Lucas will never be free again. He will never see the light at the end of the tunnel. There's always a chance that the crazy bitch named Paige could be free, but not today. Not with Spencer going up against her. Then there's Toby. No sane person will ever let him walk before his sentence is over. I'm not at all worried about him. Then there's Jason. My father-in-law has decided to defend him. If anyone could possibly sway at least one juror to believe Jason should be free, its a Hastings. Hastings don't quit. This one case is just so close, so personal to Spencer that its almost unethical. Spencer was friends with the victim and is the younger half sister of Jason. She knew what he was like when he was younger. She can testify to just how crazy he is. The jury will never let him go.
"Emily, you will never believe what happened today! God, I am so pissed!" Spencer exclaims, angrily dropping her briefcase on the floor
"Which one walked?" I ask nervously
"Jason. Paige has at ten more years and Toby fifteen, but Jason is free. They might need to lock me up before I have to kill that sick son of a bitch!" she cries
"We have to tell Hanna." I sigh
"Let me do it. She needs to know the reason why." Spencer says
"What, was there some kind of technicality?" I ask
"I'm calling her and I'll put on speaker. We'll do it together." Spencer says
She pulls out her iPhone and scrolls through the contacts until she finds Hanna's name. Three rings and she picks up
"Hey Spence!" Hanna says when she picks up
"Hi, Han. Listen I um, I have some news. Its bad. Really bad." Spencer says
"Oh my gosh is Emily dead?!" Hanna cries
"No, no, no! I'm right here Han!" I exclaim
I hear her breath a sigh of relief.
"Toby, Paige, and Jason all came up for an appeal today, They were trying to get out on parole. One of them did." Spencer starts
"Oh god is it Toby? Is he coming after us again?" She asks
"Sweetie, it's worse." I say
"How could Paige be worse then Toby?" Hanna asks, trying to pretend she doesn't know its Jason
"Jason is free. He got out." I admit
"How could you let this happen Spencer?!" Hanna cries hysterically
"The jurors voted that he remain in prison for the rest of his sentence which is life." Spencer starts
"Then how is he free?" I ask
"He's out on a technicality. The jurors felt he didn't deserve to go free, but the judge overruled their decision. When Jason was identified as the driver, it was by his at the time mentally unstable sister. No one else recognized him except for Alison and if she wasn't mentally stable her testimony doesn't count. In the Bill of Rights it states that no one can be tried for same crime twice. Even if they found new evidence, which is highly unlikely, they legally can't try him for this case again. I'm sorry Hanna." Spencer explains
"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I'm sorry you fucked up at your job at lost friend. Lose my number." Hanna barks
Spencer POV
I can't believe this. Just because Alison is bipolar and didn't know it back then Jason walks! He can never be tried for this again! We have to wait for him to kill someone else if we want him back in prison and I pray to God that doesn't happen. I can't lose another person I love.
"Spencer?" A sniffling voice says from behind me
"Melissa? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" I ask
"W-Wren is d-dead!" she cries
"What?! How?!" I exclaim
"Someone killed him. I think it was Jason." she sobs
I took me 10 years to move on from what happened when I was 19. 10. Damn. Years. I finally had the perfect life, but it was all just some allusion. Perfect doesn't exist, and if it did, it sure as hell wouldn't chose me.
Spemily 10 years into the future. I know that more about Spencer then Emily but she was included and this is how I want to end it. 10 years later they have seemingly perfect lives before it all goes to hell. Next up with be Ali's future followed but Haria. I might give them separate chapters but I'm not sure. Anyways, until next time. Don't forget to ~Stay Weird