I know I said that Noah was going into kindergarten next year in like chapter one, but I meant like school year kind of, I don't know what I wrote but he's in kindergarten this year. Sh, sorry. But I lied I updated today J I think a lot of you will be pleased with me….about this chapter, maybe? Well, tell me what you think. All your reviews make me giddy, and I just love you all so much, just thank you soooooo much. Okay, xoxo gossip girl, jk wrong fandom (I've been watching it a lot lately, judge me not) xx Cat. Oh btw, short chapter, sorry :c

Chapter Sixteen

The rest of August went by quickly, filled with school supply shopping, and wedding plans, Spencer was a busy bee. Spencer also kept her mouth shut about Aria and her dirty little secrets, and she hadn't even spoken to Aria since she heard the disturbing news about Ezra. Her friends were suspicious about it all, repeating the same questions; "Why are you two even fighting? When will you forgive Aria? What did she do?" and she imagined they asked Aria similar questions. She tried her best to stay clear of Aria, but with Hanna's wedding only a few months away, and Aria being one of her bridesmaids, that seemed nearly impossible, but somehow she has avoided her. She knew that she would have to face Aria sooner or later, but she preferred later much better.

As for Toby, being 'friends' wasn't quite working out. She avoided all his phone calls, and rethought her decision to be friends with him, those feelings of betrayal seeping back into her system. Of course, like Aria, she couldn't avoid him forever. He was bound to show up sometime.

Then there was Larson, the funny, charming guy, whom kissed her outside of a bar. She hadn't talked to him much either. In a way she just felt better off alone. Besides, why drag someone else in the chaos of her life. "How was the first day of school?" Spencer asked her four year old son, his small hand in hers, as they walked through the parking lot to her car.

"Goooooood!" He exclaimed. "We got to play with clay! And I made a rocket ship, and ms. Um—"

"Frank?" Spencer reminded her son of his teacher's name.

"Yes! Ms. Frank! She said mine was really really really good, and I got a sticker, and then we had story time, and I already knew the story, so she let me help her tell it," he spoke quickly, and eagerly.

"Did you learn anything?" She asked.

"No." He shook his head, hopping into the back seat, and into his car seat.

"Well, that's good, who learns things at school, anyways." She joked with a laugh at the bluntness of her son. "Well, Ms. Frank said that you did very well today," Spencer told her son, when she was buckled up in the front seat. "So, I was thinking, how about we go to the toy store, and—"

"Yesssssssssss!" The little boy shouted with glee. "Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes—"

"Okay, Okay," She laughed, "Settle down, you crazy child." She told her son, before starting up her car and driving off to the local Toys-R-Us.

"I can't believe it was Alison the whole entire time." Hanna said shuttering the day after she came home from the hospital. "I mean, that she never died. It was her twin, I mean why would she even do this to us. Why would she kill her twin?" Hanna went on, a flustered look on her face.

"We were her dolls, she wanted to control us." Spencer spoke dryly.

"I thought everyone has a motive though? I mean… why would she want any of these terrible things to happen. What did we do deserve this?" Emily added.

"Nothing." Aria piped up. "Spencer's right. She just wanted to prove that she had control over us. She was a manipulative bitch, and we were just dolls, she didn't think of how we felt, or any of the consequences. It was just a game to her." Aria cringed at the sickness of it all. "She didn't need a motive, it was fun to torture us."

"My mom wants me to see a therapist." Hanna said, twisting a loose thread on her blanket, "I actually think it's a good idea. I mean… I still don't feel safe."

"My mom does too." Spencer added.

"I think it would be good if we all went," Aria said, a little lightness in her voice. "I mean, we all feel betrayed right? I know I do… I don't even know how I'm going to trust anyone…"

"Spencer!" A familiar man yelled, causing the brunette to look up. "Hey, good to see you." He said calmly, a smile plastered to his face. "How are you?"

"Oh, Hi, Larson." She greeted. "Good, actually. And how are you, Sean?" She greeted the little boy next to Larson.

"Great!" He exclaimed. "Hey Noah." The little boy greeted the other, as they faded away into a conversation of their own.

"You haven't called me back?" Larson pointed out immediately, as he twirled the action figure in his hands.

"I'm sorry." She said, "I've been busy, with Noah starting school, and my friends getting married," She trailed off.

"Hey, Hey, it's okay. You'll just have too make it up to me with another date, or two." He smiled.

"Um, hmm." She pondered. "I don't know,"

"Now, you know I won't take no as an answer" He said. "Come on, keep your promise, go out with me."

"I—" Her voice trailed, as her eyes roamed around, and that's when she noticed he was missing. Suddenly, her heart sped up, and she felt like the room was spinning. "Sean," She said as calmly as she could, "Where did Noah go?"

"Were playing hide and sneak! I need to go find him," The little blond boy announced, running down the aisle.

"Sean, get back here!" Larson yelled jogging after him, "I'm so sorry," He twisted his head around to apologize, before continuing to jog down the aisle. Spencer let out a groan, her heart racing fast, and her hands shaking with fear. How could he run off without her seeing him? What a terrible mother she was. She scurried down the aisles, quickly, hurrying to the front of the store, so she could aware the workers of her missing little boy.

"So, Spencer, what do you think really broke your trust in all of this? If we find the problem, it will be easier to find a solution." The therapist asked her, tapping her manicured nails, on her knees, probably becoming impatient with Spencer, because she wasn't progressing as well as the others.

Around two months passed since the whole ordeal with Alison. The gossip about the four girls seemed to calm down, but Spencer's anxiety hadn't. They diagnosed her with an anxiety disorder, three weeks after she started therapy, but they didn't seem to help.

And by now, the news of Spencer Hastings, daughter of Peter and Veronica Hastings, traveled all through Pennsylvania and it was even juicer that Toby Cavanaugh was the potential father and disappeared oh so long ago. It all made Spencer sick.

"Do you think you feel any better?" She asked.

"Then a couple months ago?" She asked. "I guess." She lied.

The little boy wandered around the aisle ways, he was had no idea where he was, and he just wanted his mommy. He wandered and wandered, clueless of where he was, the aisle ways so empty, and scary for a helpless four year old. "Noah?" He heard someone say his name. Noah looked over, and spotted a strange man walking towards him.

"Hey," He said, squatting down to the little boy's eye level. "Where's your mom?"

"I don't know, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," He mumbled, a helpless look in his big matching blue eyes.

"Well, I know your mom, and my names Toby, so see we aren't strangers anymore." Toby offered lightly. The little boy squinted at him, as if he was trying to figure him out, Noah was defiantly Spencer's son. "Want me to call your mom?"

"Alright," Noah said after a pause, still squinting at him, "But, no funny business. I already know I'm going to get in allots of trouble, and I can't offard funny business." The little boy went on.

"Okay, I promise no funny business." He vowed, "But, I think you meant 'afford' by the way, I am sure your mother would want me to correct you on that," He said with a small smile, glancing one last time at the little boy, before pulling out his phone, and dialing away to the number he dialed one too many times before. Like before, she didn't answer, which made him sigh. "She didn't answer, so how about I text her?"

"Okay, you think she is mad?" Noah asked Toby, as he watched him text his mother.

"Um, knowing her, probably." He scrunched up his face.

"She hate me?"

"No, no of course not! I promise you that she will still love you as much as she always did. She could never hate you, trust me." Toby told the little boy.

"Okay, I just don't want her to cry" The little boy sad sadly, and before Toby could say anything, his phone started to ring.

"Hold on," he held up a finger to the little boy, as he answered his phone. "Spencer?" He said immediately.

"Where are you? Which aisle? Is he okay? Is he crying, tell him I'll be there soon, and that I love him, and—"

"Spence—r," Toby corrected himself. They weren't close enough for him to call her Spence, sadly. "He's fine, and um," He looked down the aisle "Aisle 8" he told her.

"Okay, I'll be right there. Don't. Move." She demanded, not even offering a goodbye.

"I'll be right here," He mumbled softly, hanging up his phone. "So, your mommy is on her way here." He told Noah.

"Okay," He said softly. "If you friends with my mommy, why don't I ever see you? Are you like Aria? Because she never around anymore." He babbled.

"Um, I'm more of an old friend." He smiled weakly.

"You don't look old." He pointed out, with furrowed eye brows. "I mean you do, but not like old old like grammy and grampa."

This made Toby let out a single chuckle, "When I say old friend, I meant that we used to be friends, not necessarily that I'm old."

"So, you not friends anymore?"

"Um," Toby puffed out his cheeks, "Well, it's sort of complicated…"

"Noah!" Spencer exclaimed, relief in her voice, with opening arms, as she ran down the aisle, and fell on her knees to wrap the little boy in her arms and place light kisses all over his head. "My sweet baby boy, I was so worried, never do that again. I was so scared." She murmured as she placed more kisses on the top of his head.

"Mommy, your crushing me." The little boy mumbled.

"Good," She sighed, with a bright smile, as she pulled out of the bear hug, and pushed the little boy's thick chocolate hair back. "Never do that again, ever. I'm letting you off this time, but next time you're in for it." She warned him.

"Okay, Mommy." The little boy sighed, "So, does this mean I can't pick out a toy."

"Wow, aren't you smart." She smiled, "Maybe if Ms. Frank says your good, then you can get one at the end of the week, okay?" She said after a long pause.

"Okay," He sighed.

Spencer stepped up, her son's hand in hers, she wasn't letting him get away again. "Well, um, thank you, Toby. That was nice of you." She said, sucking in a sharp breath through her noise, and rolling back her shoulders to present herself better.

"Uh, no problem." He mumbled, nodding his head with a warm smile. "Noah was good company," he nodded to the little boy.

"Well, I'm glad you were here," She sighed with relief, "Who knows where he could have ended up," She said squeezing the little boy's hand, and glancing down at him. "Wait, why are you in a toy store anyways?" She asked after a second, squinting her brown eyes at Toby.

"Um, Jenna." He said awkwardly, "She's having a birthday party for her son on Saturday."

"Jenna," Spencer spat in disgust. "She had a kid?"

"Can I go to the party?" Noah asked.

"Honey, I don't really think we're invited." She told her son.

"Well, can you can us invited?" Noah asked the very tall man.

"Um," he mumbled.

Spencer glared at him. "Um, I don't really think you want to go. It's a very boring party, there's not even going to be cake!"

"No cake?! What?! Why not!?" The little boy screeched like it was a deadly sin.

"I don't know," Toby shook his head, "Crazy people."

"But, it's a party! Parties are fun!" Noah exclaimed.

"I mean I guess if you really want to come to some boring party, where they replace cake with asparagus." Toby said, his voice trailing off.

The little boy stuck out his tongue in disgust, "Ew!" He shook his head. "How could they do that?!"

"I don't know," Toby shook his head softly.

Spencer resisted a smile, god damn Toby Cavanaugh, he just had to be cute with kids, his kid actually, and how the hell did he know Noah hated asparagus. "Anyways," Spencer interrupted the two. "So Jenna has a kid?" She narrowed her brown eyes. "Who would ever—" She shuttered.

This made Toby laugh, "Um, well… he went to high school with us." He offered.

"Oh no…" She said after a pause, putting the pieces together. "Noel!?" She shrieked, more disgusted than before.

Toby nodded, "They make an interesting couple." He said slowly.

"Well, do tell little sketchy; happy birthday, for me." Spencer offered a smile.

"With pleasure" Toby smiled.

"So, see you around?" She smiled slightly after a second.

"Actually," Toby stopped her. "Could you help me pick out a gift, or better yet, Noah could? I mean he most likely would have better taste in this apartment, right?" He smiled at the little kid, who smiled, always happy to help others.

"Hey, hey, hey, I know how to pick out a gift—" She said cocking her head to the side.

"He asked me mommy, not you." The little boy told his mother, letting go of her hand, and taking Toby's instead. "Come on Toby, lets go find that poor boring little kid a gift, I feel pretty bad for him, so I'll look extra hard." Noah told the tall man, "Come on mommy, you can help." The little boy told his mother, who just shook her head behind the two, Noah was always a sweetheart.

"I guess, we can help for a little while." She sighed following the duo down the aisle. For the next twenty minutes, Spencer and Toby spent time together; not talking about 'A' or their dark twisted past, but about toys. Their small conversations were silly, and frivolous, but they were still conversations, it was still a start to mend their relationship, whether if they were just friends, or something more, it felt good to be together. To talk like they use to, she missed him, she wouldn't admit to anyone after how far she has come without him, but she missed him, and there was no doubt that he missed her.