"I'm going to kill you," Spencer said into the phone, very obviously talking with a mouth full of food. She was sitting on her couch spooning Nutella right out of the jar.

"Marble mouth much?" Hanna laughed into the phone, partially at her friend and partially at Caleb who wouldn't stop touching her waist tickling her because it was after 11 and he wanted to go to bed but refused to do so without Hanna.

"Nutella bingeing, but this is your fault." She swallowed.

"I told you you can have Caleb this weekend to help you unpack, but I need him here to help me with Tibster for the week, she got here this morning and has pretty much destroyed everything in plain sight." Hanna laughed. Tibster, or more formally Tabitha, was Hanna's half-sister who was born just under a year before Aaron. Hanna and Caleb watched her a lot ever since Ashley's husband Ted moved to New York for the year doing a round teaching at Seminary. It was a great opportunity for him and was income that the family needed, but it was hard when Ashley was at the bank so often to juggle a preschooler. Thankfully, he visited most weekends.

"What? No, I don't need help." She said sarcastically and loudly. "I've got Toby Cavanaugh coming over on Saturday." She said the last bit bitingly, mad that her best friend, who so loudly begged for her to move to her neighborhood and even wrote her pro and con lists (pros: their proximity, Aaron and Tabitha's playdates (They were the cutest and Ashley, Ted, Hanna, Caleb and Spencer were all convinced they'd go on to get married). cons: none), had neglected to tell her who else was in the neighborhood.

"WHAT?!" Hanna spit her water everywhere, and Caleb shot up, shaking off his shirt. "Damn it, Spencer!" He yelled in the background, laughing, covered in Hanna's spit-water.

"Mhm," Spencer raised an eyebrow, stuffing her face with another spoonful of Nutella, scraping at the side of the container.

"You mean the one who—"

"The one who knocked me up at your end-of-summer-pre-college-blowout? Yeah, that's the one."

"It was at the party?! You never told me—not important. What the Hell are you doing with him again?"

"At, behind, same difference." She exhaled loudly. "You really don't know? He lives in this building. Like literally upstairs from me."

"Nooooo…." Hanna gasped. "What are the chances? You're kidding."

"Probably the same chances that I'd get pregnant at 18." She reasoned.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Hanna hated and loved Spencer for her guarded sarcasm.

"He thought I had an abortion." She sucked on the spoon audibly. "The worst part is Aaron met him, and wanted to play with him. And I had to be nice, because I have to set an example or whatever. God, I hate being a responsible parent."

"But you have the sweetest little boy for it," Hanna cooed. "How's my little man?" Hanna was Aaron's godmother and a pretty rockin' one at that. She was there for every milestone. "Does he know?"

"That Toby's his father? Hell no. I don't think he even realizes he has a dad at all. We've always been fine just us."

"I know that." Hanna didn't mention it often, because Spencer would always roll her eyes and ask what choice she had in the matter, but she marveled at Spencer's strength, courage, and parenting skills. She had never been a particularly patient, or even particularly friendly person but she was a great Mom who made sure Aaron was always smiling and spent every minute she could with that little boy. "Do you still want Caleb to come over on Saturday?"

"I'll call you if I need you. I think I can handle it. But I might ask you to take Aaron. I don't know if I want him here with Toby again. The less contact they have, the better."

"I can bring him to my Mom and Ted's when I drop off Tabitha. She misses him and it's only been like a week."

"They're soulmates," she laughed. "I have to go to bed, I have to be up at 6 and Aaron fell asleep really early tonight so he might be waking me up at 5."

"Ew. Anytime before 8:30 is off-limits for me. You're a rockstar."

"All part of Mom-ing," she laughed, feeling a little better now than when the conversation started.

"I love you, Spence." Caleb's ears perked up "If you guys make-out can you at least take a picture?"

"GOODNIGHT CALEB." Spencer laughed. "I love you to, Han. And you too, Caleb. Night." She hung up, feeling grateful that she did have these friends so close by.


Spencer's co-worker called out sick, and since it was a small bakery there were limited options, and she had to work a double-shift. She called Hanna pleadingly, but when she didn't pick up, she had to call Caleb to get Aaron from day-care at the Church and bring him back to their apartment, promising to try and pick him up before dinner.

She got out later than she expected and made a mad rush to Hanna and Caleb's, only to see the couple fighting over the last brownie and two sleeping kids amongst a pile of toys in front of the TV.

"Sorry," she sat down at the table, defeated by her long day. She'd predicted correctly that Aaron would wake her up early, and then she'd worked a double - AKA she was over-exhausted.

"They've been asleep for a while, you don't have to rush home with him. Stay, relax. You look like you need a glass of wine," Hanna proposed, cracking open a bottle of Riesling on her countertop and pouring two glasses.

"I need sleep," Spencer laughed, taking a glass from Hanna. Her eyes were barely open, and the wine only further turned her eyes into slits.

"Crash here tonight? The kids can have a slumber party, why can't we? We haven't done this in forever."

Spencer nodded in agreement, forcing herself awake to watch a movie that wasn't animated with Caleb and Hanna, all falling asleep on each other on the couch. She'd almost forgotten the morning she would be having the following day.


"I'm sorry the plans have to get all shifted, but I'll try to come back from Rosewood as soon as I can. See if you can stall a few hours." Hanna said while bouncing the little girl on her hip who was nuzzled into her neck. She'd woken up early throwing up, and was sleepy with a fever. Hanna had totally freaked out, but thankfully Spencer was there and knew this well.

"It's cool, it's more important to get this little munchkin feeling better so Aaron and I can finally take her to the zoo like we promised." Spencer said inching a little closer to the little girls face and squeezed at her side to tickle her lightly, getting a small smile from the sick little girl.

"Maybe we can steal a peacock or maybe just the feathers," Tabitha proposed, giddily.

Spencer out-loud laughed harder than she had in a while. "Maybe we can just pet one and take a picture." She laughed. Aaron was sitting on the floor half-asleep wheeling a truck over his Mom's feet.

"Call me later?" Hanna said as she watched Spencer scoop up her son and sling her bag over her shoulder.

"Will do," she kissed Hanna on the cheek, Tabitha on the head and waved at a practically comatose Caleb sprawled across the couch before ducking out.


What Spencer hadn't yet noticed until this early hour was that the lights in her new hallway were motion-censored. It was kind of creepy, she thought, that the lights lit up one by one as she got further and further down the hallway, Aaron holding her hand but his little, tired feet making him drag back a bit behind her only to be pulled alongside her since he was so small.

The lights actually probably not so creepy when there wasn't a man standing at the end like in some sort of horror movie. It was only then she realized how unprepared she was for the awkwardness today was going to be.

Toby looked up, seeing them trot down the hallway, Aaron seemingly running to keep up with Spencer's steps. When the lights came on and better lit Aaron's face, Toby immediately got the chills. The kid looked so much like him. Practically identical to his baby photos, actually, only he had been blond as a child and Aaron had Spencer's naturally dark brown locks. There's no doubt he's my kid. Shit, I'm a dad and I didn't even…That's my kid. Whaaaaaaat. Toby felt almost lightheaded the closer they got. The other day he had felt this insane urge to get to know his son, to reconcile with Spencer, but today, all he wanted to do was to run out of there.


His heart near skipped a beat when he saw her pull up in front of the loft. His heart actually did skip a beat when she texted him that she was coming to Rosewood for a long weekend and wanted to see him. She'd gone off to college almost two months ago, and they hadn't spoken much since. But the two weeks before she'd left for school, they'd been almost inseparable. And he let her go away without much trouble, not wanting to cause a scene or show attachment. But she was coming back for him.

He watched her every move from the window. One leg hitting the pavement at a time as she left her car, and her ponytail bouncing as she climbed up the stairs to the entryway of his loft.

"Spencer," he hugged her. "How's life, campus chick?" He teased.

"Good," she laughed nervously. "Can I come in?"

He nodded. "Of course, sorry," he moved out of the way so she could come in.

"It must be great to have your own place. My roommate is literally the messiest person I've ever met." Spencer said as she found a seat at the edge of the couch, and he joined her. He had his hands on his knees, nervous.

Did she want to hook up? Hang out? What they'd had was by no means a relationship, maybe not even a friendship, But it was fast, furious, and crazy. They'd spent his first bit back in Rosewood, and her last bit, holed up together in the back of his truck and sharing secrets they could only tell one another. Who was the town criminal to judge to bad girl for having feelings? And vice versa.

She answered his internal questions when she leaned on his shoulder and sighed heavily, happy to just watch a movie with him, silent otherwise.

"I have to tell you something," she finally sat up, nervous. She sat on her hands when she felt them shaking.

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, his crooked smile started to appear discreetly.

"I…I think, I mean not think, I…"

"Are you okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine," she swallowed hard, feeling more nauseous by the second.

"Are you sure?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to go for a walk," she said quickly, shooting up to her feet. She thought that if she didn't get outside in the fresh, cold air in the next few moments she would spew everywhere. She wasn't sure if it was her nerves, the layers she was wearing or her first bout of morning sickness, but regardless she needed to get out of the loft.

"Sure?" He seemed confused by her demeanor but followed anyway.

They walked close enough that their hands kept brushing, but neither latched.

"This is nice… perfect Fall weather today," Toby tried to make small talk after watching her walk in silence and swallow over and over again.

"Mhm," she crossed her arms over her chest.

After a few long seconds of silence, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's up?" he said, watching her kick around some dirt in her tracks, trying to find whatever interesting thing she saw on the ground.

When she looked up, her eyes were much wider than before. Almost fear-filled. Maybe tear-filled, but it might have been the wind. "I'm pregnant." She said bluntly.

No, no, no, no, no. I heard her wrong, he thought. His heart skipped a beat, and felt like another, and now he was sure it was just going to explode out of his chest and he'd just collapse right here in the middle of the park.

"I'm having your baby," she said again when he didn't respond. "I still have to go to the doc—"

"Stop talking." he started to continue on the trail they'd started.

"Toby," she caught up to him. "You can't just run away from me."

"I just did," he grumbled.

"Toby, talk to me." Her eyes were definitely tearing now. "I'm scared. Talk to me, please?"

"What is there to talk about? You're pregnant. So what? You have to go back to school. I've only got the loft because I agreed to renovate it by myself so I can live there free until it's done. You take care of it, move on."

"Take care and move on? Toby it's a baby not a rash."

"It's a problem that neither one of us can deal with right now. Do you really want to end up back in Rosewood with a baby?"

"Well—"

"I haven't even seen you in five weeks. And God knows you're not shy. Why should I even believe that it's mine? Huh? How many other guys have you tried to pin this on?" As soon as the words left his lips he regretted them.

"Wow. Of all people to judge." She shoved him sideways towards the trees. "It's yours, okay?"

"Well if it's my problem just take care of it and send me a bill. I don't need to know details. Just fix this. We both don't need this, Spencer. You got out of Rosewood - don't come back now."

The fear was constricting his throat and his guilt over his loudness and his cold remarks sent him running through the trees. She didn't even try to follow him, and he didn't look back to see if she was trying.

The last thing he heard were her sobs.


Toby swallowed hard at the memory of how adamant he was that the child he and she created should never be born. And there he was, sleepily being dragged by a woman who'd replaced the girl he'd last seen four, almost five years ago.

"I thought you'd forgotten or something." Toby said sheepishly, moving out of the way so she could open the door.

"Ready to work?" She said, letting him inside and locking the door behind him.

"Uh, yeah. Just show me where everything is."

"Wait here." She left him in the kitchen and went into her bedroom to put Aaron down with a movie.

"Okay, listen up," Spencer came back in like a whole different person than the one he'd encountered earlier. "You don't say anything to Aaron, you got that? He doesn't need to be confused. And you and me - we aren't friends. But I am thankful for the favor and I will be friendly so long as you don't mention anything from before the other day's elevator incident. Pretend you didn't know me before then." She instructed, getting in his face.

"Okay, okay." He raised an eyebrow, putting his hands up as if he was surrendering.

"Good, now follow me." She said and brought him to the bedroom in the back corner of the apartment, diagonal from her own. "This will be Aaron's room. The bed's in the box over there." She motioned towards a box with a picture of a black wooden bed with bookshelves attached on either side of the headboard, probably in 50 pieces.

"You can do it?" She watched him inspect the box.

"No problem." he smiled. The room was empty except for a toy chest and an old rocking chair from her childhood room. "Anything else?"

"Well, there's a ceiling fan I thought I could install myself but if you don't mind," she smiled.

"What else? I cleared my day and this won't take long at all."

"Just the dresser in my room." she shrugged. "But do this first, Aaron's taking a nap in my room. I'll be in the living room working on my laptop." She had recently started online classes to finally get her degree.

He nodded and went to work. He finished Aaron's room in only two hours, not asking for anything or even making much noise.

Spencer came in with a bottle of water, only to see the room was done. "Wow," she smiled. He'd even put the sheets and comforter that were packaged next to toy chest on the bed. "He doesn't know about any of this stuff," she gushed, nearly forgetting who she was conversing with. "He's never had his own room, we've always been in an apartment where we had to share. I hope he likes it, I think he'll be excited." The bedding was outer space printed and had glow in the dark spaceships and stars on it.

"He's gonna love it," he said, trying not to focus on the fact that they'd been smushed in a studio apartment all this time, and reprimanding himself for not checking in with her all of the times his gut told him to.

"I have glow in the dark stick ons for the walls I figured he could put up himself, something fun to do."

"If you have any extras I could stick em on the ceiling above his bed. That might be cool."

"Yeah, totally." She smiled, giving him the package of planets and stars, dialing back her giddiness when she stepped backward, realizing there was a lot more in between them than it currently felt like.

She started to unpack Aaron's books into the bookshelves and the toys into his toy chest.

She disappeared without a word and called him inside after a moment. "You might as well eat before you do my dresser, it's already 12:30." There was a PB&J on the counter with a glass of lemonade.

"Thanks," he sat down.

"I'll be in Aaron's room with him," she said, disappearing into her bedroom and laughing as she spun Aaron around on her way to his room, his hands over his face since she told him it would be a surprise.

Toby couldn't help but laugh and try to peek when he heard Aaron yelling and laughing in excitement over his big boy room. Spencer let him sit on the floor on a towel to eat his sandwich while she read to him from the rocking chair. Toby felt intrusive, listening, but at the same time couldn't help himself. He was so curious about their lives.

Spencer came out after a few minutes, just as Toby was leaving his dishes in the sink. She was bringing Aaron's plate to the sink and they kept getting in each other's way, doing the awkward dance that happens when you both try to move out of the way and just keep getting more in the way.

"Sorry," he flushed, stepping aside finally to let her by.

"Thank you again." She tried to smile. "My bedroom is this one right here," She pointed. "I'll be out here cleaning up."

He nodded and went inside, wanting to talk about his son's excitement, his son's life, her life. But he didn't.

When he got to her room, he did, however, let his eyes sift through the things she kept - her black bedding, not interesting, fabric headboard with some scuffs on it, painted night stand that was clearly from her childhood room. But then he noticed the pictures on her vanity. One of Hanna holding what he assumed was baby Aaron, Aaron's first birthday, a picture of her holding a little Aaron, a picture of Aaron with a little girl, a separate picture of a little boy who didn't look like Aaron, and a small photo at the very top of Spencer with a tall, dark, foreign looking man kissing her cheek from behind. He wondered if this was a current boyfriend, and part of him almost felt jealous. He stopped in his tracks and dropped the screws in his hand when he heard steps, afraid of what Spencer might do to him if she caught him snooping. But it was just Aaron.

"Hey, bud." He crouched down. "Do you wanna help me make Mom's dresser?"

"Like building?" He asked. "Like blocks?" He smiled devilishly.

"Not quite, but sort of. Why don't you be my helper. I'll tell you when I need a tool and you can give it to me, okay? I need the screwdriver. It's the yellow handle one. Do you know yellow?"

"This one!" He jumped up, proud of himself. He was used to his Mom quizzing him on everything - colors, shapes, letters, pictures of people and characters to identify. She wanted him to be the best and brightest he could be.

"Yeah, thanks Aaron." He took it.

Spencer didn't notice right away that her son had migrated off to her room, but when she came out of the bathroom and heard voices, she saw. And she almost barged in to stop it. But her son was laughing and having fun. And she decided that for now, that was all that mattered. He didn't need to be upset.

Spencer went back to Aaron's room to start putting his clothes in his closet and on some shelves in the meantime, closely listening for Aaron and Toby.

After a bit, Toby came in in a rush.

"That was quick," she said pulling a $20 bill from her pocket to give to him. "Thanks. And thanks for letting Aaron help."

"I'm not done just yet." He sighed. "Aaron kinda threw up in the living room." Aaron was now close behind Toby. "I don't feel good" he started crying and Spencer picked him up. "Shit," she said under her breath.

"You can go if you want," she offered to Toby. "Caleb can come fix the dresser later."

She was rubbing Aaron's back cooing and comforting him while talking to Toby.

He nodded and left the room, and when Spencer came out after having tucked Aaron to get a cool rag for his head, she saw Toby cleaning her floor.

"Oh…i thought you left. Thanks."

"The dresser will be done in five minutes." He said getting up from the floor and throwing the paper towels he'd dried the floor with into the trash.

"Oh…thanks." She went back to Aaron with a cool rag, as he was burning up, and then lingered in the doorway while Toby worked.

"Does it freak you out how much he looks like you?" She broke the silence.

"A lot, actually." He said putting in the last drawer.

"No denying he's your son," she sighed, half laughing, half teasing.

"I shouldn't have —"

"I'm kidding." she breathed. "I'm trying this new thing where I try to be less…intense. I'm trying to be a good role model."

"You're a good Mom, for what it's worth."

"I try." She shrugged. "Thank you again." She extended her hand with the $20 bill again.

He pushed her hand away. "Is he gonna be okay? Do you want me to run to the pharmacy?"

"Actually," she sighed. "Advil. The purple or pink liquid one. Not the blue one. He'll throw that right back up…if you don't mind." She shoved the money back in his face. He took it this time.

"You got it," he said running out, leaving the money she'd given him on the counter with another $20 folded into it. He put it behind the cookie jar so she wouldn't find it right away.

He came back with both the pink and purple Advils, ginger ale, soup and crackers.

"Shhh," she said as she let him in. He just fell asleep.

He nodded and unpacked the bags. "I bought both just in case. What do you think he has?"

"Just a bug. Tabby was throwing up this morning, so either she gave it to him or he brought it home from day-care and it hit her first."

"Tabs?"

"Hanna's little sister. They're best friends."

"So he'll be okay?"

"You look so worried," she kind of laughed, but inside also kind of wanted to hit him. You weren't worried when you didn't want him. You weren't worried for almost 4 years of his life. Not when he was in the hospital and needed stitches when he first started walking. He doesn't even know Aaron's middle name. Ugh.

"Well I…I guess I am."

"He's fine. I'll wake him up on the half hour to give him his medicine and make him some soup. He'll be good as new by Monday."

Toby was picking at the callouses on his hands. "Do you think I could come by sometimes? Just to see him. I mean, he's a kinda cool little guy."

"He's very cool," she corrected him. "But…I don't think so."

"Just once in a while. While you're here. We could maybe…be friends?"

"Look, I am sorry about how I snapped earlier and I do appreciate how you were patient with him when he wanted to help you. He's a curious kid and gets his hands in anything you let him. But you're just… not reliable. And I absolutely will not introduce him to anybody who will hurt him. If he gets attached to you and then you change your mind, well, I can't have that. You can't just pick and choose when you want to be a father. You are or you aren't. You chose not to be. And we're okay, the two of us."

"I was a jerk, I know…I probably still am sometimes. But I've really taken time to re-evaluate my life. And even that little bit of time I spent with Aaron today…I can't explain it, but I just got this feeling."

Spencer hated this, she felt the mother inside of her getting soft. And what mother didn't want their son to have a Daddy deep down? "Because he's special." she grinned. "This isn't a game, Toby."

"I know that."

"Well, how about this. Maybe, maybe we could hang out for a bit and if I think it's okay I'll let you come over and hang with Aaron and me together. Maybe."

"That's fair, okay." He agreed to her hesitance, willing to take what he could get.

"You should probably go, though." She said trying not to be rude.

"Call if you need anything," he said, writing down his cell on a napkin.

She nodded, figuring she'd honestly probably throw the number away.


In the middle of the night, Aaron crawled into Spencer's bed and sat with his face super close to hers. "Momma? Mom? Momma? Mommy? Momma?" He said touching her face. She jumped up and saw the clock said 3:02.

"What are you doing? Don't you like your big boy bed?"

"The bed is making me itch all over. I'm itchy all over." He was scratching his chest.

"Let me see you," she said turning on her lamp and lifting his shirt to see spots.

"Oh no, baby. You've got chicken pox."

"I'm a chicken?" He frowned "I'm brave Momma"

She laughed. "No, chicken pox. You're sick. It's okay." She got some lotion and lathered him up and let him stay in her bed.

She was called into work soon after, and realized she couldn't leave him at daycare. She called Hanna, who also had the chicken pox and was staying with her Mom and Tabitha since Caleb had never had it, which meant Caleb also couldn't watch Aaron. She called Aria, and her regular babysitter before giving Toby an aggravated phone call. "Have you ever had chicken pox?"

"What? It's like 7AM."

"Yes or no?"

"Yeah when I was like 9, why?"

"Come downstairs," she sighed.

She let him in. "I just have to sign for deliveries this morning and I can before lunch," she sighed. "He should be asleep most of that time and I have Netflix on for him so he shouldn't need anything. Call me if anything. It'll just be an hour or two."

"You've told me 101 times. I got it. I'll just sit right here with my iPad and I'll check on him if I hear anything."

"Thanks," she hated herself for leaving him with Aaron but had no choice. The bakery was all she had, and if she ever wanted to open her own, she'd need to work her way to the top of this one first. Which meant taking on responsibilities no one else would.

Aaron came out fifteen minutes later. "Mama?"

"She went to work, but I'm here."

Aaron seemingly immediately forgot what he wanted and dropped his stuffed dog plushie. "Minions on your tablet?"

"What?"

"The game," he whined. "Like on Momma's and Uncky Caleb's"

Toby looked puzzled but did a quick app store search for minions and Aaron pointed and got excited when he saw Minion Rush pop up and so he downloaded it and let him play.

"Wow, you're really good." He was actually impressed. The kid was playing fast and had such tiny hands.

"You just can't crash into stuffs," he explained. "You try," he handed it over when he died in the game.

Toby embarrassingly lost quickly. "It's okay, you can try again and again and again unless Momma takes it away"

"I think it'll be okay," he laughed "Why don't you play again? And show me how to win?"

Aaron very matter-of-factly explained the game. He sounded like a little adult with his words. He was good for a 3.5 year old.

After only about a half hour, Spencer came in looking like she was hit by a truck.

"Momma got spots too," he laughed and pointed.

"I thought you had it already," Toby narrowed his eyes.

"Turns out my sister did, I got the memory confused. I was only, like, 4." She said, plopping onto the couch.

"Momma Toby is even badder at Minions than Auntie Han"

"Minions…" she kind of laughed, barely able to move on the couch.

Toby felt her head. "You're on fire, take an ibuprofen," he said digging in her cabinets.

"On the left," she instructed him and took the pills from him when he came back, dry swallowing them.

"Can we watch Frozen now? Let it go0o0o0o0o0o" He was getting some of his energy back, singing and jumping on the couch.

"You can go," she said, shooing Toby away. "I have to take him to the doctor at 2 anyway,"

"Why don't I just stay until you take a nap?"

Before she could argue, he was helping her into bed.

"Thank you," she childishly squirmed into fetal position as Toby popped in the DVD for Aaron and sat with him patiently.

Aaron snuggled into him halfway through, falling asleep the same position as his Mommy.

Toby felt like something clicked the second Aaron snuggled in, looking back and seeing Spencer through her open door. This was the family life he'd have right now if he hadn't run. He held Aaron tighter, letting himself imagine for just that moment that he hadn't.