A little warning: the last part of this chapter contains scenes of violence and verbal/physical abuse. It's nothing too visual and there's no sexual assault, but the reading might be disturbing, depending on your sensitiveness. So if that's not your thing, you should probably not read it.

Rosewood, June 2018

Three years.

It had been three years since the last time Spencer set foot in the small town she once swore she was going to left behind, for good.

But it is common knowledge that time changes things. And people. And perspectives.

It was weird being back after such a long period, especially for someone who has, in the meantime, traveled the world and met thousands of people and made such life-changing experiences as the brunette did.

But, surprisingly enough, Spencer didn't feel constricted, oppressed or anxious like she had thought she would feel once back. Rather, she was wrapped in a bittersweet sensation.

For the first time in her life, she actually thought of Rosewood as a possible place to call home, in the near future.

Yes, time and space were all she needed to reach a point in her life where she was at peace with this place. With her memories, her history, her identity. Finally.

The years she spent in Europe helped her to grow into the confident, strong woman she now was.

She was ready to move on with her life, and she figured the right way to do so was to start from where everything began.

And maybe, it had something to do with what she discovered about herself and her family while she was abroad – amazing, how often in life someone could find out the truth about their roots only when they are far away from their home.

She never, ever felt this close to her family before. Despite everything.

The only thing that troubled her, at the moment, was the thought of seeing a certain someone again. But she was determined to hold her ground. She wasn't going to get all mushy and emotional over something that clearly belonged to the past. Even as it was something as meaningful as it had been.

So, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself and plastering her most charming, award-winning, Spencer Hastings smile on her face, she strolled with a certain swagger to her walk into The Brew, ready to meet the four most important girls – women, nowadays – in her life.

There were things in her life that could never change. Aria, Alison, Emily and Hanna were some of them.

"Oh my God! Look who's finally bothered to show up" the smaller brunette in the group shrieked.

As soon as they spotted her, she was swallowed up in a mess of arms and hands and kisses on the cheek and excited squeals. That was just how much her friends had missed her.

Only Hanna approached her cautiously, almost nervously, as if she was approach a feral animal and didn't knew if it was going to bite her. As if she was afraid that Spencer would refuse her.

The two awkwardly but intensely stared at each other for a long time, and so much emotions passed between them that the air all around them all of a sudden crackled with electricity.

That was the moment their friends realized it was only common decency on their part to leave the pair alone, for a while at least.

"Hey, long time no see" Spencer broke the silence, offering a small grin.

"Definitely too long" the blonde murmured, still taken aback by the vision of the brunette standing in front of her.

'She looks so mature, so confident and put together. And so damn sexy'

It was like she couldn't believe her eyes.

That is probably why she snapped out of her reverie and stepped in the brunette's personal space, finally, finally taking a hold of her in her arms.

Yeah, Spencer was really there, so close that she could smell her refined, expensive perfume.

God, how she missed that smell.

The brunette let out a weak chuckle at her ex-girlfriend's words but returned wholeheartedly the embrace, feeling slightly uncomfortable but also pleased, and warm.

And feeling that familiar tug at her heart that she hadn't felt for almost three years.

But the intimacy of the moment was broken when they pull apart, and the magic was completely lost when a tall, handsome guy came up to Hanna's side and wrapped his arm almost possessively around her waist.

Spencer reflexively squinted her eyes at the gesture, but she refrained to comment.

Hanna, for her part, looked extremely embarrassed and turned her gaze on some spot on the floor, trying to avoid eye-contact with each one of them.

The man looked at her a little suspiciously and very much annoyed, but he quickly covered it up with a smile as much radiant as it was fake.

"Hi, you must be Spencer, right? I'm Jordan Hobart, Hanna's boyfriend" he said extending his hand.

Neither of them noticed the glare Hanna threw his way at those words.

"Yeah, I gathered as much" the brunette couldn't help the hedge in her voice.

Never one to back down, even in petty circumstances, she shook his hand more firmly that she would have done with any other person.

"Spencer Hastings, indeed" and her lips tugged just a little to form a small smirk. "Pleased to meet you, Jordy" she purposefully came up with the nickname to poke fun at him.

"Jordan" the man repeated, slightly irritated. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine, believe me. I've heard so many great things about you from your friends in the last hour" he smirked back.

But Spencer caught the true meaning behind his unspoken words: 'I had no freaking idea who the hell you were until today. Hanna never uttered a word about you'.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't say the same" she countered back, this time faking her best apologetic smile.

Hanna made a small, weird noise at the back of her throat, clearly feeling uncomfortable. Luckily for her, her phone buzzed and she frowned at the screen.

"Sorry, it's Claudia. I have to take this call" she sighed and excused herself, stepping away to take the call and deal with her boss.

Leaving her seemingly boyfriend and her ex-girlfriend alone. To talk.

Okay, so maybe this was not the happy coincidence she had thought it was.

"So" Jordan cleared his throat, "I've heard you just came back from… France?"

"Spain, actually. But I traveled a lot during these three years"

"That's good" he replied, and for a moment he seemed genuinely interested in Spencer's experience abroad. "And how long are you planning to stay? They told me you're working for the Embassy abroad"

Spencer raised an eyebrow, both in amusement and irritation. 'Smooth, dude. Subtlety is not really your thing, uh?'.

"Truth to be told, I'm moving back to the States"

Oh, the joy with which she looked at him as he tensed up and stiffened.

'What, is it not good news for you?' the brunette was trying hard to suppress a laugh seeing his bewildered expression.

"Oh. Oh, that's wonderful" he quickly managed to cover. "That would make things much more easier, actually" and now it was his turn to smirk.

"How so?" Spencer furrowed her brows skeptically.

"Well, you know, Hanna and I are going to tie the knot soon, and it'd be a shame if her friend couldn't make it because of the distance"

That was a low, low blow. One that hit Spencer right in her gut, nearly knocking the wind out of her.

She honestly felt like someone had stabbed her repeatedly in the chest.

But she was too proud to show any sign of defeat, or to show just how desperate she felt at the moment.

She didn't know how, but she managed to put on a mask of cold indifference as she stepped closer to the man, invading his space. Bringing her mouth close to his hear and clasping his shoulder in a vice grip, she whispered in her most intimidating voice: "Okay, fun time is over bud. Listen closely now, because I'm deadly serious and I'm not going to repeat myself"

She waited for the guy to nod in understanding before continuing.

"You better treat her right and make her happy, you hear me? If you hurt her in any way I will not hesitate to come to you and kick your sorry ass all the way back to wherever you come from. Are we clear?"

"How protective" Jordan smirked, shrugging the brunette's hand off of him. "Hanna's so lucky to have such a good friend. Don't worry though, I'll treat her like she deserves. I have the tendency to take great care of what's mine"

There was something in his voice that put Spencer off, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. One thing was sure, though: she didn't trust him one bit.

And that not only because of the jealousy. Something was wrong with this guy, she knew it. It was a gut feeling she had right from the start.

However, she decided to let it go for the moment. There wasn't much she could do, was there? Hanna was going to marry the asshole, that she liked it or not.

The uneasiness from earlier reappeared at the thought and she suddenly needed to get some fresh air.

She regarded the man with one last meaningful gaze before making her way towards her friends, whom for the entire time had been not so subtly observing their exchange.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry but something came up and I have to go" she made up an excuse to leave.

"Oh no Spence" Aria and Emily whined in chorus, but Alison stared at her knowingly.

The two of them grew really close over the past several months, especially during the time they spent together in London.

"Okay" the blonde said, "but you have a dinner date tonight. Don't forget"

"Wouldn't dream of it" Spencer affectionately rolled her eyes and, after one last group hug, left.

"Seven at my place. Bring the wine" Alison called after her.

She stumbled in Hanna on the door and for an instant their gazes locked.

"Are you leaving already?" the blonde sounded disappointed.

"Yeah, I have something to do. See you later"

And with that, she disappeared. Leaving a slightly teary-eyed blonde staring after her in mild despair.

[Later, at Alison's]

That night there were only the five of them at Alison's place, much to Spencer's relief. She didn't think she would have been able to bear Jordan's presence any more than she already did.

However, now she had other things much more important to focus on.

"Dinner was lovely, Ali" Emily complimented. "You've become an excellent cook"

"Yeah, yeah, it was all good" Hanna butted in. "Now tell us why we're here. What's the occasion?"

Spencer smiled a little because, well, Hanna was still Hanna. She was glad to find that the blonde hadn't changed much. She was still her bubbly and outspoken self.

She and Alison exchanged a glance and the brunette nodded.

"There's something you need to know" Spencer suddenly spoke, and all the eyes were instantly on her.

"OMG, you guys aren't seeing each other, are you?" Aria, already smashed with having consumed only two glasses of wine, suddenly cut in. She was a lightweight, figures.

Both Hanna and Emily's faces immediately darkened at the mere suggestion.

"WHAT?" Spencer shrieked in horror, earning a glare from Alison.

"God, no. That would be incest!"

The other three girls looked dumbfounded at each other, then at the improbable pair.

"Spencer is right" Alison sighed. "We're going to explain everything, but you have to let us talk and not interrupt. It's already complicated enough without having you butting in every two minutes"

"Alright, we get it. Now spill" Hanna said, looking straight into Spencer's eyes.

"Okay, so… where do I begin? Seven months ago, I was in London for a business trip. I was waiting for my driver to pick me up when I suddenly raised my head and… there she was, just across the street. I saw her" she stopped and took a moment to collect herself.

"Who? Ali?" Aria cut her off once again, earning herself some glare.

"No. The woman I later discovered to be my biological mother" the taller brunette continued and everyone, except Alison, gasped.

Spencer held out her hand to stop the questions that were already burning on her friend's tongues.

"When I first saw her, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I must've gone crazy. The woman was identical to Jessica Dilaurentis. In fact, she's her twin sister"

"WHAT?"

Spencer sighed and handed them her phone, showing the girl a picture of the woman.

"This is crazy. Absolutely insane" the girls mumbled in disbelief.

"To make it short, after my initial shock I approached her and what initially threw me off was the fact that she didn't look in the least surprised that I did that. She knew who I was. She kept tabs on me my whole existence. She led me into this bar and I immediately started to bombard her with all the questions that were popping into my head. She said that she was my mother, and that I had a twin sister whom unfortunately died during the delivery" she had to stop because her voice cracked with emotion at this part.

It was hard to open up about this, but they had a right to know.

"Spence…" Alison whispered softly.

"It's okay. I'm fine" the brunette reassured her. "She said that… that she slept with my father, Peter, for revenge against her sister. She and Jessica… there was bad blood between them. Anyway, she slept with him and she got pregnant. And after nine months…"

"And you believed her? I mean, we never heard of this person before" Emily interrupted.

"That was perhaps the hardest part to listen to. She was a patient at Radley since she was young, and Jessica and their parents hid her existence to everyone. The Radley… there's where I was born. Obviously, she couldn't keep me, so my father took me with him and Veronica raised me like I was her own child. I asked her and she confirmed everything"

"Oh God… Spence, I… I don't know what to say" Aria whispered.

"So, you and Ali are what? Cousins?" Emily asked.

"Yes" Alison replied.

"Wait, doesn't that make you and Jason both half-siblings and cousins?"

"Yep" Spencer replied.

"Wow, this is so messed up" Hanna exhaled.

"There's more. When I started to tell Mary about me, I ended up telling her about… you know, the whole –A thing and about Alison, of course. Then, when Charlotte's name popped up…"

"What happened?"

"She's also Mary's daughter. She didn't know she was alive. Remember that fake grave we visited? Jessica made her believe she was dead. Now, she would like to come back and meet her, take care of her during her recovery in Welby"

The girls seemed to ponder all of this.

"That makes sense, I guess" Emily shrugged.

"Wait, so Charlotte is not Alison's sister but her cousin, and your half-sister? God, I'm having the biggest headache of my life" Aria groaned.

"Yeah, don't tell me 'bout that" Spencer snorted.

"Did Charlotte know about any of this?" Hanna asked.

"Did she know you were… that you were sisters? During the time she was –A. When she kidnapped and locked us up in the Dollhouse. Did she know?"

"No, I don't think so. Not that it would've made a difference to her" Spencer replied softly.

And she was instantly enveloped in a soothing embrace by all her friends.

This turn of events left everyone pretty shocked and speechless for a long time.

"There's one more thing. At least, we'll end this night on a positive note" Alison spoke up, putting an end to a very uncomfortable silence. When she was sure she had all the other girl's attention, she passed along five empty glasses and grabbed a bottle of Champagne.

The other glanced at her curiously.

"When I reached Spencer in London, I got to know my aunt and that was nice, I guess. But during my stay I also met someone else. Someone very special" the blonde gushed.

"His name is Archer, he's a doctor. I don't know, we instantly clicked and then there he was asking me to marry him and… I said yes. We're going to get married this Saturday" she squealed in excitement and everyone got up to congratulate her.

Everyone but Emily.

Instead, the former swimmer stood up and walked out on the porch.

Alison was about to follow her when Spencer stopped her.

"I'm on it" she simply said.

She reached Emily and sat beside her on the porch stairs.

"Hey" she nudged lightly her shoulder, passing her a beer, "Wanna talk about it?"

"What's there to say? She's getting married. To a complete stranger. I'm happy for her"

Spencer sighed and clinked their bottles together.

"Here to our miserable selves" she said as she took a long sip.

The other brunette regarded her carefully, almost sympathetically.

"How are you holding everything up, Spence?" she asked softly.

"Eh… at first, I was pretty much, uh, appalled I guess. It was truly a shock for me. I mean, my family has always been 'complicated', they always had secrets, but I didn't expect it to be to such an extent. Now, I've wrapped my mind about all this crap and I've come to terms with it. There's nothing much I can do besides accept it for what it is, is there?"

"I guess no" Emily shrugged. "And… what about Hanna?"

"What about her?"

"Spencer" the former swimmer said pointedly, giving her a look.

"Fine" the brunette let out a shaky breath. "Seeing her again has been, I don't know… both incredible and awful, in a way"

"Elaborate, please"

"God, you're worse than me Em, you know?" Spencer chuckled lightly, but soon her mood sombered. "When she left me without an explanation, I was distraught. Completely shattered. I was so mad at her…" her voice cracked and she had to stop for a moment.

"I mean, I knew why she did what she did, on some level, but… I felt like she robbed me of the opportunity to make a choice. I felt like she never trusted me, after all. I would've chose her over anything. I honestly thought, whatever was my decision in the end, that we would've made it. That we were strong enough as a couple to overcome anything. But we weren't. Not at the time"

"She came back, you know? Five days after she left, she came back to Washington but you were already gone" Emily felt the necessity to inform her, even if it wasn't her place.

That new piece of information surprised Spencer, a lot. But she didn't show it.

"I understand her reasons, now. I do. But… at the time, I was in so much pain. She made that choice for the both of us and I went along with it. I packed my things, I booked a flight and I left the country. But believe me, I carried all the hurt and the angst with me all along the way to Europe"

They were silent for a long time after this, only occasionally taking sips from their bottles. Then:

"I never forgot her. I tried so hard to move on. At first, I buried myself in work, then I started to go out. I met so many people in this past three years, Em, and no one has ever come as close to touch my soul as she did. I honestly thought we were going to spend our lives together, you know?" Spencer whispered meekly in the dark of the night.

"But I guess we weren't really on the same page. Or if we were, it's not like this anymore"

"Why you say that?" Emily asked. "Because of... what's his name again?"

"Jordan" the brunette replied through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, right. Is it because of him? 'Cause they don't seem to be that serious"

"Except they are" Spencer clenched her jaw.

"He told you that? What did you guys talk about earlier at The Brew? It looked like a pretty intense conversation was going on in there"

"You could say that" the other brunette snorted. "Basically, he had to make a point about their relationship's status and stake his claim on Hanna"

"What do you mean?" Emily asked confused.

"Let's just say I'm invited to their incoming wedding. As Hanna's 'long lost best friend', you know? How nice of him, uh?"

"Wha- Spence, are you sure there wasn't some kind of misunderstanding? Hanna never mentioned anything to me about getting married"

"I don't know, it's what he said Em. Even if it's not in their agenda right at the moment, eventually they will, right?" Spencer replied dejected, as tears were forming in her eyes.

"She moved on. Guess I'll have to do the same sooner or later…" she said as Emily took her in her arms.

And she let herself cry, finally.

Unbeknownst to them, someone overheard almost their entire conversation. That someone namely being Hanna.

She had been hidden the whole time behind the door, that was left ajar by the two brunettes when they got out on the porch.

The girl was absolutely dumbstruck and crestfallen by what she just heard.

'Spence has still feelings for me'.

'Jordan told her we're getting married? Where the hell did that come from? As if I could ever…'

Then she realized what mess her "boyfriend" had just put her into, and she was absolutely infuriated with him.

'What a big asshole, son of a bi-'

"I think I'll go home now. Want a ride?"

Spencer's voice interrupted her train of thoughts, bringing her back.

"Yeah, if you don't mind" Emily replied. "I don't think I can stay here any longer"

"Ditto. I'm pretty much beat. Let's go say goodbye to the others and then we're out"

Hanna quickly moved out from the door and ran back to the living room, pretending as if nothing happened and she had just not heard what she did.

Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard it threatened to bursts out of her ribcage.

Spencer and Emily bid their goodnights to everyone and soon after left. Aria trailed along after them.

Hanna followed closely behind.

The blonde went back to her room at The Radley Hotel that night to find Jordan already sound asleep.

She looked at him and felt nothing but disgust and rage.

She spent the night on the small couch beside the bed. She preferred it that way.

The morning after, the man woke up to find an extremely pissed Hanna sniffling and glaring at him.

"Hey, baby doll, what's up?" he asked in concern, lazily getting up from the bed and padding towards her.

The thing was, he truly loved her. In his twisted, possessive way.

"Don't touch me!" Hanna shrieked, swatting his hand away.

"Hanna, wha-"

"How could you? How could you say something like that to her?" Hanna stood up and pointed her finger at him accusingly. "Have you lost your mind? When it was that we decided to get married, exactly? 'Cause I sure as hell don't remember we ever had that conversation" at that point, she was yelling in bewilderment.

"Hanna, would you please calm down?" the man implored. "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Don' lie to me! You let her believe something that doesn't even exist. You had no right to meddle in our lives"

"The fuck I didn't" Jordan barked back. "I'm your fuckin' boyfriend, Hanna, or have you forgotten?"

"For Christ's sake, Jordan, how could you be so delusional? I never said we were together, I never promised you anything. We'd been seeing each other casually for what, two months? And you act like I'm your property. You follow me everywhere like a lost puppy. I've had enough of your bullshit"

"Yeah" the man let out a maniacal laugh, "And it just so happened when your ex barged back in your life, how convenient!"

And for a split moment, Hanna almost felt sympathy for him. Almost. But then, he revealed his true colors and all that was left for the blonde to feel was fury and fear.

"YOU'RE JUST A SLUT" he shouted. "Tell me, did I serve my purpose all right? Did I keep your bed warm enough for your bitch?" the man snarled right in Hanna's face.

A loud slap resonated in the room as the blonde's hand connected with his cheek.

"Get out. I'm done with you. I don't ever want to see you again" Hanna pointed towards the door. "I'll have your belongings sent to you"

And then, it happened.

He approached her slowly, quietly, in the same way a predator approaches its prey.

He backhanded her across her face hard enough to split her lip open and then he slammed her against the wall.

Hanna yelped in physical pain, so he shut her mouth with one hand. The other pressed forcefully on her throat.

He leaned down and hissed into her hear: "We're not done until I say so"

Jordan released her from his tight grip and left the room.

Hanna collapsed to the ground, desperate and shaken to the core. She burst into an incontrollable fit of sobs, whishing nothing more in that moment than to be in the safety of Spencer's arms.