PART SIX

"Gosh, Mona," Hanna grumbled, "If you don't get on with it, I'm going to walk out of that door and call Welby."

Hanna watched Mona eye her warily. Her gut was already wrenching enough, but her interest was still piqued and she had to know what else Mona was going to admit. Whatever it was, Hanna kept telling herself she wasn't going to judge Mona. They had been through too much, and she had told Mona that she trusted her. There was no going back now.

Mona had been slowly pacing back and forth for some time. She was really working herself up as Hanna watched innocently from the chair she sat in. How bad could it be? The blonde wondered. Mona had done some horrendous things in the past, but so far, since she had returned to Rosewood, she had admitted to kidnapping Spencer's crazy relatives, she had brought news of a new A, and she had announced that perhaps this A has always been there. Could it really be any worse?

But even so, all of this made sense to Hanna. This was the crazy world she was used to living in despite its backwards and unlawful nature. This craziness and this paranoia was what Hanna thought was shockingly missing from her mundane life.

Finally, Mona turned to Hanna. Biting her lip and closing her eyes as if it would take her anywhere but there, Mona eventually said, "I didn't actually hit Bethany Young."

Hanna leaped out of her chair and placed her hands almost immediately on her small baby bump. She couldn't help but exclaim, "What?!"

Mona began to speak quickly but precisely, "I know that when we were in the Carisimi Group that I admitted to hitting Bethany in the back of the head because I thought she was Alison, but like I mentioned earlier, I never really wanted Ali dead. I was never in the Dilaurentis yard. I only found Alison after she was buried alive and I helped her at the Lost Woods. I didn't know who buried Alison, and I didn't know who hit Bethany. All I knew was that Melissa buried Bethany alive."

"Then why did you say you hit Bethany?" Hanna demanded, furious. She thought she was not going to judge Mona, but she couldn't help herself. Spencer had almost been arrested for Bethany's murder numerous times and had been taunted about it by A. In fact, most of the initial A games seemed to be taunting all the girls about the former Radley patient's sudden death. Charlotte was ultimately blamed for the murder of Bethany during her trial, but the girls had all thought Mona was the one who hit her and Melissa was the one who buried her. To hear otherwise gave Hanna a new sense of fear.

Hanna shook her head when Mona didn't answer. She hugged her belly bump closer to her, and to her surprise, she felt a new sense of worry for her unborn child. Perhaps she did not miss this way of life or the A game after all.

She watched Mona look down. She resembled a small child in trouble. Hanna truly questioned if Mona was ever truly in tune with reality. But she was Mona. She was a constant in Hanna's life, and Hanna knew she wasn't going anywhere. Still, Hanna had to say what she needed to say.

"We need to call the girls now."

[Change POV]

Alison had wondered why Hanna sounded so urgent on the phone. In fact, she was incredibly irritated because she already had enough on her plate with the Addison Derringer investigation. Rosewood P.D. had searched the Lost Woods and her home earlier that day, and she didn't need to deal with a pregnant Hanna. She originally had no idea that those searches were just the tip of the iceberg.

When Mona was finished saying her piece, Alison noted that Emily and a curiously red-eyed and puffy Aria were gaping at Mona in shock. Hanna appeared a little smug, and Spencer was staring off into a world hidden behind her brown eyes. Alison watched Spencer for a moment rather than the others. She wondered if Spencer remembered anything from that night—the night that Bethany and she were both buried alive. She hoped she didn't.

Nevertheless, she worried for Spencer's state of mind. Within the last couple of years, Spencer had not only learned she was adopted, but she had learned that she was Alison's cousin, Charlotte's younger sister, and a twin. Now, in the last couple of weeks, Spencer had also learned that her biological mother and sister were kidnapped—twice—and that the real assailant of Bethany Young was unknown. In fact, Alison knew that Spencer was jumping to the assumption that she was the one at fault.

Spencer always self-loathes, Alison thought. She always assumes she's inherently horrible. Alison knew this was because of the way the Hastings treated Spencer since she was younger. And that twisted her gut. She had spent a lot of time in the house of Hastings over the years. She knew about Jason, and she knew about some of the other horrible things that family did. It had always infuriated her how they treated Spencer. And Melissa never truly helped, either. Alison held sincere resentment towards Melissa. She had meant it when she told Spencer that she deserved a decent sister. Hell, Alison mused. That statement still holds true.

Aria broke Alison out of her reverie when she said, in a cracked voice, "So… if this A is from before, and Mona didn't hit Bethany… Do you think this A knows who really hit Bethany?"

Alison watched as Hanna and Emily both shot instant looks towards Spencer. When Spencer looked up, they both immediately turned away. Alison diverted their attention by saying, "Yeah, they're probably the one who did it. I wouldn't be surprised, anyway."

Emily nodded, taking Alison's hands into her own. When they had received the call, Emily had left Toby and their twin girls at Grandma Pam's house. It seemed like they were pawning off their girls a lot in the last couple of weeks and Alison didn't like it, but she knew it was necessary. At least, until she knew they would be safe from this A.

Spencer remained silent, but Emily spoke up, "Thank you, Mona. Thank you for telling us the truth."

Alison bit back her grin. Her sweet Emily was always so genuine and kind.

Mona brightened up at Emily's small comment. Hanna touched her arm and gave her a warm smile. For once, the girls weren't icing Mona out. Honestly, Alison was tired of being mean to Mona. She knew it got them nowhere, and Mona had proven her loyalty to Alison far more than the other girls had at this point. But Spencer still hadn't said anything.

Hanna spoke next. "We need an action plan," she announced. Turning to their best boss, she continued, "Spence? Any ideas?"

Spencer snapped out of whatever zone she was in and turned to the others. "Oh, um," she stuttered out, "Well, we don't really have any ground points here. We haven't the slightest clue as to where to look to find Mary and Alex—"

"If they're alive," Hanna shot out.

"Hanna!" Emily snapped.

"Well, it's not like they would be missed!"

"Hanna!" Aria and Emily shouted together this time. Mona chuckled under her breath, but Alison was still watching her cousin.

She trailed on as if she hadn't heard the girls, "—And all we have for an A list is Jenna, Lucas, and Melissa."

"Well, have we also explored the idea that maybe this is Alex, pretending to have been kidnapped?" Mona wondered.

At the same time, Hanna spat out, "Wait, you're considering Melissa now?"

Sighing, Spencer explained, "Hearing that Mona didn't hit Bethany… Well, Melissa is the one who buried her alive, or so she says at this point. And Melissa was present that night. She saw Alison and I argue, and she was looking for someone. Jason also saw her speaking to a blonde that he originally thought was Charlotte, but Charlotte said it was Bethany. Logically speaking, I can't rule her out."

Mona nodded in agreement, but she still pressed, "Well, what about my theory about Alex?"

"I don't think that would work," Alison brainstormed herself, "Alex wanted Spencer's life. Don't you think she would try to do the same over again?"

"That being true," Spencer replied coldly, "She failed the first time and her rate of success would be severely lowered in a second attempt. The only way she would truly be successful is if she had removed Mona entirely, but Mona is here. And, well, I'm Spencer. Scouts honor."

The girls giggled nervously. There was a long stretch of silence after. Neither one had any idea of how to approach the game—except maybe Mona, but she wasn't sharing any ideas. Once again, they were clueless. Alison felt that they each must have known something deep down, but it had been so long since that night. Perhaps, if she went through her sequence of events from memory again… Perhaps, if she had been fully honest with the girls… With Spencer.

But she knew better. She could never actually tell Spencer the whole truth—not really. Spencer would fall apart if she knew everything. She had to protect Spencer. She owed it to Spence—she owed more to Spence than any of the other girls.

[Change POV]

"So, we are still where we started," Aria sighed, drained. She looked at each of her friends' faces. They all had the same amusement, determination, fear, and concern that was on her own face. It was getting old, but somehow, they knew this was the last mystery to be solved. At least, Aria hoped it was. Her fight with Ezra was still on her mind, and she didn't know if Ezra was going to be able to handle another A. She didn't even know if she was going to be able to handle another one.

Mona nodded, "We are all at the same point. Even me."

"I don't think there is anything we can do," Alison said, "Except wait it out until we get some clues. Spence and I need to make sure that we don't get falsely accused of Addison's murder, but none of you are involved with that."

"Mona should keep looking into Mary and Alex," Spencer stood up, folding her arms in a vulnerable way, "Ali and I will use this murder investigation to our advantage. We will see if this Addison thing is related at all, especially because she was hit similarly to Bethany with a shovel."

"I'll do what I can to help Mona," Hanna put in.

Aria didn't say anything, and neither did Emily. She gave Emily a sideways look. Emily caught her eye, and she spotted some guilt in her friend's facial expression. Emily didn't respond to her SOS earlier, and Aria knew she felt bad about it.

Emily turned from Aria and addressed the group, "Maybe Aria and I will take a look at some of the earlier A messages that Mona said weren't her and compare it to any new ones we have received. Maybe we can even take a look at some of the ones from Mona, Charlotte, and Alex to see if there are any patterns. I'm sure you have an archive, Mona."

"If she doesn't, I do," Spencer admitted. Aria and the rest of the girls turned to her in surprise. Spencer bit her lip shyly before explaining, "I still have a lot of stuff… I kept Melissa's confession, a lot of the A stuff left over from the lairs, and even some of Alex and Charlotte's personal possessions. I was trying to make sense of a lot of loose ends."

"Wow," Hanna's eyes widened, "And we thought Mona was the addict."

"Where is it all?" Aria questioned. She was generally curious.

Spencer didn't answer her at first, but she hesitantly replied, "Toby's house. In the bunker. You know, the one that—"

"Your batshit crazy sister held you hostage in?" Ali let out.

Aria watched Spencer shoot Alison a harsh look. Alison gave her one right back, but Spencer simply nodded.

"Alright," Aria interrupted the two girls. She didn't want them to argue like they used to when they were younger. In fact, she preferred when Spencer and Alison were getting along. If they weren't, it was usually detrimental to their friend group. It also drove Aria insane to pick sides even though she often sided with Spencer. "Emily and I will go through everything and try to dig up clues."

And just like that, they had some resemblance of a plan. Aria hoped they would find something. She was positive her marriage depended on it.

[Change POV]

After an insane meeting in Mona's lair, Spencer was happy to arrive home. She had to run a few errands beforehand, but she finished them quickly after seeing the girls. And thankfully, the Rosewood P.D. were done heckling her for the day.

Spencer walked into the main house and grabbed herself a small glass of wine. She was still feeling a little winded from the last few days' drinking escapades. She was trying to take it easy on herself, and she didn't want anyone to assume she was developing a problem with alcohol. The last thing she needed was another trip to rehab.

"I didn't hear you come home." Melissa walked down the stairs and into the living room. Spencer nearly jumped out of her skin because she didn't know Melissa was right there. Melissa gave her a mischievous grin and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Somehow, Spencer didn't believe her. Melissa loved to scare Spencer when she was younger.

"I just got in," Spencer replied. She was still on edge from earlier, and she honestly didn't know if Melissa knew more than she had told over the years. Seeing her sister made her nervous.

"Are you hungry?" Melissa walked around her and started opening cabinets, "I can make us some dinner."

"Yeah, sure. I'm starving." Spencer smiled at her older sister despite her fears. She and Melissa had been getting along for some time now, but she still wasn't used to it. She kept expecting it to fall through or for herself to ruin it. Somehow, she always seemed to do something to ruin her relationship with Melissa. This time, though, their loving truce seemed to be lasting. And after Charlotte and Alex, Spencer needed her relationship with Melissa to last. And so, she also needed Melissa to not be involved with this A game.

Melissa put some chicken on the stove to boil and turned her attention to throwing together a salad. She eyed Spencer for a moment before asking, "So did the Rosewood P.D. end up finding anything interesting in their search?"

"If they did, they haven't revealed it." Spencer sipped her wine, but she started to pull out some dishes and silverware.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Melissa remarked, "But I can't say the same for Alison. Who knows what that girl is still capable of." Spencer heard Melissa's absolute resentment when she said Alison's name. After all this time, Melissa still could not stand Spencer's cousin.

"She's different from how she used to be."

Melissa snorted. She continued to boil the chicken once she had assembled their salad and she said, "Yeah, she got better at pretending."

Spencer didn't bother refuting Melissa's statement. She knew it would simply start an argument, and she didn't want that. Instead, she stayed silent as she put some salad in bowls, and she contemplated how to figure out if Melissa knew more about that night with Bethany. It was always a touchy subject to bring up since Melissa had confessed to burying Bethany alive. In the meantime, she also watched her sister finish boiling the chicken. She cut some up to put in their salads. She poured herself a glass of wine and joined Spencer at their kitchen island. All the while, Spencer had built up a significant amount of anxiety in trying to figure out if Melissa had a part in this miserable game like Hanna insisted she did.

But before they could sit down and enjoy their meal together, Melissa's phone, which was sitting on the counter, began to ring. Spencer glanced at the caller ID, but she didn't recognize the phone number. Melissa immediately snatched the phone out of her view and said, hurriedly, "I need to take this."

Briskly, Melissa strolled into the other room to take the call. Following a hunch, Spencer tentatively followed behind and put her ear to the doorway into the hall. She could barely hear Melissa, but she made out some key words.

"—Charlotte—"

"—Dollhouse—"

"—Spencer can never find out."

Suddenly, Spencer wasn't very hungry anymore.

[Change POV]

Alex had been counting the seconds until dinner time. She could not wait until the food slot opened again. In fact, she never even looked away from the slot in her tiny cell. Her obsession with the small opening was beyond what it had previously been when she had the makeshift sharp weapon.

Charlotte. Charlotte. Charlotte. Her older sister was all she could think of since she had heard her voice on the other side of the door. She's not dead.

Mary had awoken by now, and Alex had filled her in on her experiences when her mother was still unconscious. She didn't know why she had told Mary, but she had been so excited she could not contain herself. And Mary had perked up considerably since Alex had mentioned it (even though, Mary notably had denied Alex's claims at first).

Both of their sanities were focused entirely on the food slot and Charlotte. So, when the slot finally opened, both Alex and Mary jumped to the ground and leaned toward it.

Mary said nothing, so Alex took the lead. Hesitantly, she greeted, "Charlotte?"

A couple food trays slid into the slot, but the person on the other side shuffled. After a moment, her voice came through the slot.

"Alex," she breathed, "I told you I shouldn't be talking to you. Please don't make this harder than it has to be."

"Charlotte, wait!" Mary spoke up. That caught her attention.

From the other side of the slot, Charlotte said, "…Mom?"

Mary closed her eyes and clutched her chest. "Oh, my baby."

Alex rolled her eyes bitterly. I'm supposed to be her baby, too, she thought. What makes Charlotte and Spencer so special? Why was she the one tossed to the side?

Disregarding her anger, Alex spoke to Charlotte again, "Charlotte, what's going on? Can you tell us anything?"

There was a long pause of silence. Charlotte seemed to be contemplating whether to speak to Alex, and Alex was hoping for anything. If Charlotte was on the other side of that door, maybe she could get them out. Maybe there was hope that they could be a family again.

After a while, Charlotte finally explained, "The person keeping you here found out that Mona had taken you. They wanted Mona back in Rosewood, but they didn't want you or Mary running amuck. So, they took you. They put you here. This is the same place they originally put me a year ago—the night I was released from Welby."

"But Mona said she killed you," Alex pointed out.

"Mona thought she killed me," Charlotte laughed on the other side, "But poor Loser Mona was so freaked out. She pushed me into the wall and threw me off the bell tower at the church. Kudos to her—I didn't think she had it in her. But the crack in my neck that she heard was just a small fracture. She didn't kill me, and I survived the fall. She shouldn't be surprised either. That bitch fell off a cliff and didn't even break a bone."

"And the body at your funeral?" Mary wondered.

"I'm sure you know better, mom," Charlotte said, emphasizing the word, "That body was a fake. I took the same drugs I fed the Dilaurentis boys as well as Mona back in the day. I stayed paralyzed and dead-looking until the medicine wore off, and I left the morgue, leaving a lifelike doll body behind. I did the exact same as when I faked Toby Cavanaugh's death as well as when I faked Mona's death. Except when I left the morgue, someone was waiting for me. I woke up in the very cell you are in now. I've gained privileges since then."

"What types of privileges?" Alex demanded. Perhaps Charlotte really could get them out.

"First, she let me out of the cell. I could roam outside, but I don't get to go to the surface. We are underground, and there are more locks and such beyond your guys' room. And now that you are here, I am allowed to feed you but not interact with you any other way. But my favorite privilege… I get to watch the girls. She has these amazing surveillance cameras hidden in all of the girls' houses and cars and jobs, and I get to see everything!" Alex could practically taste Charlotte's excitement towards the end. She sure loved her dolls, even now.

After a moment, Mary—who seemed to be on the same wavelength as Alex—spoke, "Charlotte… Honey… Is there any way you could get us all out of here?"

Alex practically felt her sister's audible sigh on the other side of the door. She pictured her sister. In her mind, Charlotte wasn't wearing her brunette wig. Her long, wavy blonde hair was flowing around her shoulders and she was dolled up in makeup and the best designer clothes Alex could imagine. She would do anything to see Charlotte again. Hearing her voice was not enough.

Eventually, her big sister said, "It's not implausible. She comes and goes at random, but she always carries key cards on her. I learned which was which when she took your bed frames out. If I can swipe your cell's key card, I could get you out. And I could maybe swipe the master card or we could duplicate and figure a way out from there."

Yes! Alex thought. Then, she heard Charlotte scuffle quickly.

"I have to go. I think she is here."

"Charlotte, wait," Alex rushed, "Can you tell us who she is?!"

Charlotte spat out a name hastily. Alex's eyes widened in surprise. It certainly wasn't who she expected.

[Change POV]

Mona had spent most of the afternoon with Hanna. Rather than getting any further with her personal investigation, she had to spend most of that time explaining in a frustratingly slow manner all her accumulated knowledge on the new A to Hanna. And, despite how long it took to explain, Mona didn't have much. All she had accumulated from the scene in her former dollhouse in France was a few handprints of leather glove patterns and a couple of hair follicles. There was nothing else. The blood red A message had just been paint.

And even after Hanna and her would depart, Mona knew she was going to go back to work. She was already analyzing previous A messages and loose ends much like Emily had suggested she and Aria would. If she could piece anything together, she could figure out some form of lead.

So, after dropping Hanna off, Mona went straight back to her lair instead of her room at the Lost Woods Resort. She was not expecting her lair to look the way it did, for it was not the way she had left it.

Upon entering the basement room, Mona found most of her possessions and documents flung on the floor. Her computer was smashed to bits and her walls were stripped bare. Her new dollhouse was broken on the floor, and her dolls were all torn apart—limb from limb. Some liquid was poured all over the papers on the floor, and the room reeked of an unpleasant stench. Painted in the same big, red letters as in her dollhouse overseas was a message:

Remember, Loser: Snitching bitches get stitches. I should have let you burn in that lodge. –A

Mona sucked in her breath sharply. It didn't take her long to make a connection between the strong odor and the A message. When she did, her eyes widened and she whipped around towards the door. But it was already too late. A hooded black figure stood in the doorway with a lit match. They flung it to the ground and watched as Mona's lair lit up with flames. Then they slammed and locked the door with Mona still in it.

Shit, Mona thought.