Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long to post but it takes forever to get something up when you hand write first, then have to type and edit! Plus I've actually had a social life recently which doesn't happen often for me.
Well, I hope you enjoy this little calm before the storm.
May 19th, 2017
Even though Spencer Hastings was twenty-four years old, a grown woman with a degree and a career, she ran to the door like an excited twelve year old when the doorbell rang. Fortunately her mother wasn't around to see her behave so childishly but then again, why did it matter? This weekend was about her, not her mother.
She pulled the door open and there they were, all four of them. Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Emily Fields and the former Alison DiLaurentis, now Alison Rollins.
"How did you all get here at the same time?" Spencer asked as she hugged them one by one.
"Weird timing, I guess," Emily said as Spencer ushered them into the house.
It was weird timing what with Hanna coming from New York City, Aria from Boston, Emily from Pittsburgh, and Ali from her house next door. Hell even Spencer had only arrived from Philly an hour earlier. But then again it certainly wasn't the oddest thing that had happened to them.
The thought had Spencer rifling through her bags until she found the bottles of wine. "Red or white?" she asked.
"Red," Ali and Aria chorused.
"Should we really start drinking before we even figure out what we're ordering for dinner?" Hanna asked. "Especially you Spencer. You don't want to look hung over at your bridal shower tomorrow."
Spencer literally waved away Hanna's concern with one hand while she poured wine into glasses with the other. "There is no way I'll look bad tomorrow, not when I'm wearing a Hanna Marin original and matching accessories. Plus Aria's taking pictures so my scrapbooks will be perfect too."
Aria beamed as she took her glass of wine and turned to the blonde fashion designer. "Since when have you questioned wine?"
The rest of the girls also turned to face Hanna and she blushed. "Okay, okay. I wasn't going to say anything yet because this is Spencer's weekend but if you insist…"
"Oh, I insist," Spencer said. "Actually I don't just insist, I demand. And you have to honor the demands of the bride-to-be during a bridal shower weekend."
Hanna's eyes lit up and her hands fluttered over her stomach. "Well let's just put it this way. In about six months you all need to get your butts to NYC because I'll have a little one who needs to meet his or her aunties."
The hugging and squeals started up again only centered around Hanna instead of Spencer. (The bride was secretly thrilled. She'd had enough attention to last a lifetime or two. Maybe even three). "Congratulations Han," she whispered as they pulled out of the hugs and migrated towards the living room. After Spencer had filled a wine glass with juice for the pregnant blonde.
Ali took a big swig of her wine as she sat down. "How exactly have you kept his from the media?"
Aria snorted her agreement to the question. "Yes. I've long given up on every having a secret ever again and here you are carrying a big one."
And it was true. Ever since the first A debacle with Mona the so-called Liars had been in the limelight, they just hadn't known how much until CeCe's trial. That had led them to discover the countless social media accounts that had followed their every move and had been for years. It was no wonder CeCe had been able to be everywhere what with half of Rosewood tracking them for her, reporting on where they were and what they were wearing.
The media coverage had only gotten worse when the DNA results had concluded that CeCe was not a DiLaurentis. The girls had been in a panic (was the real Charles still out there?) but then CeCe owned up to killing him and the Feds had found enough evidence to believe her. The girls had been deemed safe to leave just in time for their respective college orientations.
Yet still, five years later, they had to deal with the media, especially on the anniversaries of the special events in their lives and there were so many. The anniversary of Ali's funeral, Mona's apprehension, CeCe's trial. All led to invasive "where are they now" TV segments and articles. Nothing was secret. Hell, even photos of Ali's high security, backyard wedding had been leaked online mere minutes after her "I dos."
Hanna shrugged. "Good luck I guess. What about you, Spence? I wasn't attacked by reporters outside. Other than Aria of course."
"I'm not a reporter, I'm a freelancer," Aria protested. "I don't have to be pushy and invasive unless I want to be."
Spencer sighed and leaned back into the armchair she'd sat in. "My parents are handling that. Mom's been making a fortune off our misfortunes. What criminal doesn't want a Pretty Little Liars mom defending them? So she's using some of those ill gotten funds to keep the press away. And dad isn't afraid to throw many to the cause since he's always hoping loads of cash will make up for all of his past transgressions."
"Bribery. It's the DiLaurentis/Hastings way," Alison sing-songed. "He tried that with me too, did you know?"
Spencer nodded. "He did. He also told me that you shot him down, gave him a few ideas for what he could do with any excess cash. I never figured out if you gave him sincere suggestions or if it was a 'shove it where the sun don't shine' kind of thing."
Alison pulled her legs up under her. "You know that dad, my dad, didn't react well to the paralytic CeCe shot him up with, right? I took care of him for awhile but then it got to be too much. I tried home health care, anything to keep him out of a facility. It might have worked out if Jason would've been able to help to. But we've just been through too much. So dad's in an assisted living facility a few towns over and Mr. Hastings is helping pay for it."
"And Jason?" Aria asked.
"He started drinking right after he was released from the hospital. Understandable though since he thought CeCe was our brother. The drug use started up again when we found out she wasn't. The whole thing broke Jason and he's been so paranoid about everything, even after they found Charles's remains."
"I didn't know that," Spencer whispered. "I've talked to him off and on over the years but he never said he was having problems."
Ali's smile was wry. "Denial. Another DiLaurentis specialty."
"Has he gotten better at all?" Emily asked when Alison stared into her wineglass and didn't say anything else.
Ali shook her head and refocused on the conversation. "He's been in and out of rehab, more out than in lately thank goodness. He's been doing landscaping and some PR at the country club since March. They're easing into giving him more responsibilities. I mean it's understandable why he's so screwed up, I'm surprised we're not all medicated and locked up in an asylum, but there's only so much an employer can tolerate, you know?"
The other girls nodded and fell silent. Then Alison smiled and spoke up again. "And tonight should be good for Jason. He's hanging out with your hubby-to-be Spence."
"Really?" Spencer asked in surprise. "I knew Caleb was invited but not anyone else."
"Caleb said he was asked to invite Ezra and Toby too," Hanna spoke up.
Aria frowned. "Isn't that a little weird Spencer? Your fiancé and your ex? And my ex and Jason who kissed me that one time…god, that has to be one uncomfortable gathering."
Spencer frowned too, then shrugged. "Like I said, I knew Caleb was invited. And Jason makes sense too since he's technically family but Ezra and Toby? That's a little weird. I didn't even know they still lived around here."
"Ezra just came back late last year because one of the literature professors at Hollis went on medical leave. Since it was the middle of a semester they were hoping to find someone already familiar with the university so I had Robert track down Ezra and he was surprisingly free. He stayed on when the other teacher chose not to come back," Ali explained.
Aria quickly changed the subject from Ezra. Talking about him was just too painful. They'd exchanged a few texts and emails after she'd left for university but even those had stopped after a couple of months. "I still think that's a weird coincidence though. You at Rosewood High and your husband teaching at Hollis. That situation just seems so familiar to me for some reason."
The girls all chuckled and then Spencer drained the rest of her glass. "And Toby?" she asked, all nonchalant.
"He never left Rosewood. I talk to him sometimes," Alison said. "After the DNA results proved CeCe wasn't Charles…well he could only assume she lied about other things."
"Like what happened to his mother," Emily whispered.
"Exactly," Alison nodded. "So he stuck around in hopes that he can somehow find something that was missed before. Not that he's on the police force. He actually owns a construction company that seems to be doing pretty well."
"Maybe I should call him," Spencer announced. "With his history as an officer and my detective skills maybe we can finally get to the bottom of everything that happened at Radley."
"Or you could just focus on you this weekend and think on that when you haven't had a few glasses of wine," Aria suggested. "I mean, is it really a good idea to plan stuff with an ex when you should be focusing on wedding stuff?"
"And didn't you apply to the FBI or something?" Hanna asked. "I think you already have enough on your plate right now."
"But that's the great thing about it! If I helped solve a cold case with cover ups and unreliable witnesses then the FBI would have to hire me!"
The girls were trying to figure out how to calm her down when the doorbell rang. Spencer frowned again and looked around. "We didn't order food yet, did we?"
"We haven't…" Emily said.
Hanna blushed. "I may have invited someone," she admitted just seconds before the door slid open to reveal Mona Vanderwaal.