A/N: This chapter is a little more upbeat before the great storm. Enjoy.
Chapter 2
You slam the kitchen cabinet shut and sigh loudly. Why the hell is there never any creamer? Well, black coffee it is. It makes you feel more badass anyway.
Ian is already to work. Thank god. Lately you get more and more impatient with him. You talk back. He gets mad. Things get ugly. Unconsciously you touch your wrist where you know surprisingly clear imprints of four fingers and a thumb are still visible. Most of the time he's careful to mark you, where only he can see. Of course sometimes he slips. Then you have to think of a story to tell the people at work and hide from your friends, because you know they would see right through your lie. If your friends would find out all hell would break lose. They would see how weak you are. How you let him treat you like shit. You Spencer Hastings. Or rather Spencer Thomas. You grimace.
Aren't you supposed to be the tough one? The smart one? That's what your friends think. Your family. This image, this respect is the only thing keeping you upright. You clinch to this image for dear life. If you would lose it you'd truly be that person who let's her husband beat the crap out of her while crying and whimpering and begging him to stop. You couldn't live with being that person.
But it's already half past eight and you don't have all day to waste with psychoanalyzing yourself, so you chug your coffee and go to work.
Work lightens you up like nothing else. You have a good case. Your client is an asshole, but he pays good money. The case used to be as good as lost, but you found a loop. A miniature loop, as big as an elephant in the eyes of the law. When you found it, you felt your heart racing and adrenaline pumping through your body. You have a spring in your steps. All bruises forgotten. Your colleagues clap your shoulder when you walk through the aisles. Your self esteem goes through the roof. You smile and it is honest. Something that is very rare. Even your secretary, the old bat, seems to crack a small smile, when you all but hopped past her.
You call your friends and tell them, to unpack the party hats. Hanna and Aria are all for it. You don't reach Emily, but Shane tells you, that she's at a conference in L.A.
You meet at the brew. Most of the time you all go out of your way to meet up in good old Rosewood. You've gotten pretty nostalgic with age, even with all the shit that went down in High school.
Aria and Hanna are already there when you come in, talking animatedly with each other. Well, Hanna talks and Aria smiles to herself. You ask yourself what Hanna is so excited about. Probably clothing or men.
"And I said, there are ladies present, and he was like, where?" She giggles madly. "He is like really cheeky, but so hot!"
Men. Of course. You smile.
"Hey guys." You sit down on the chair across from them.
"Hey, John Milton!" Of course Aria needs to make an Al Pacino reference.
"Hey Hotshot!" The blonde yells excitedly and hugs you awkwardly over the table.
"How about a round of champagne? My treat?" You smirk widely.
"Have I ever told you, that you are my favorite person?"
"Sorry, Ezra and I are on a non-alcoholic diet."
Hanna and you roll your eyes simultaneously.
"More champagne for us!" Hanna cheers and waves the waitress over.
The next few hours you laugh and drink with your friends, well Hanna and you drink. Aria of course is so mature and all. Suddenly one thought shoots through your mind.
"Are you pregnant?" It breaks out of you.
Aria blushes deeply and looks down.
"OH MY GOD" Hanna screams out. "YOU DIDN'T TELL US!"
"ssshh!" Aria looks around the room nervously. "I didn't tell Ezra yet. I just found out last week."
"Last week?" You ask. "You had a whole week to tell him. Why didn't you?"
Aria's expression goes soft. "I just want it to be perfect. We tried so long and finally it happened."
"Awww" Hanna coos. "Wait, you tried and didn't tell us?"
Aria rolls her eyes.
You smile at your friend and reach for her hand. "I'm really happy for you guys."
"Wait! We need to tell Emily!" Hanna begins to rummage for her phone.
"She's at a conference, Han." You remind her.
"I know! But this is important!"
She finds her phone and after a few clicks, she holds it to her ear. Silence. Hanna's expression becomes more and more impatient. Then she sighs, puts her phone down and after a few seconds she holds it to her ear again. You watch her curiously.
"Yeah, hello. Here is Pamela Fields. I'm trying to reach my daughter... Yes, I know. But it's a family emergency." Your jaw drops, Aria and you try to grab the phone simultaneously. Hanna jumps up and grins mischievously. "Yes, I'll hold. Thank you very much."
"Hanna!" Aria hisses. "Emily will get a heart attack!"
The blonde rolls her eyes. "She'll get over it."
The blonde stands in the middle of the room with her phone on speaker phone in her hand, grinning goofily. After a while you hear a panicked Emily yelling through the phone. "MUM? Is everything okay? Is Dad okay? What's going on?"
"Hey Emmikins! Guess who's here!" Hanna says in a honeyed voice, totally oblivious to the other girl's distress.
"What the- Hanna?"
"Yup! Listen, I have great News!"
"Did you call my OFFICE with a FAMILY EMERGENCY and pretended to be my MUM?"
Oh no.
"Yeah. It's really hard to get a hold of you." Not a hint of remorse there. You think Hanna would be a great assassin.
"You can't just do that, Hanna! That was a really important meeting! It's a make or break moment here and I just ran out of the room! I don't know what my boss is- "
"ARIAISPREGNANT!"
Silence. "What?"
"Aria, you know, the tiny one with the bad taste in clothing?" "Hey!"
"Yes, I got that part, Hanna. I just didn't understand the incoherent screaming part that followed."
"Aria . Is . Preeeegnaaaant ."
"Oh my god."
"RIGHT?"
"Wow! That's freaking amazing! Are the girls there?"
"Hey, Em." You and Aria say in unison.
"Aria! I'm so happy for you! That calls for celebration! Why are you guys together anyway? Did I miss something?"
"Yep. Spencer earned a lot of money beating justice." Hanna grins.
"Ehm. great, Spence."
You laugh. Emily always was the one with the love of justice and all that was right. But for you she tries to pretend that attorneys aren't the devil's representatives on earth.
"Thanks, Em." You answer sweetly.
"Guys. Thanks for calling me. Although I'd prefer the next time to be without the panic attack, Hanna." The girl in question just rolls her eyes again. "I really gotta run now. We talk soon! Congrats again, Aria. Love you all!"
Hanna hangs up looking very smug. "See? She even thanked me for calling!"
You shake your head and pull out your own phone. 7 missed calls from Ian. Damn. You look at your watch. 10 PM. Double damn.
"Guys. I gotta go. Ian doesn't even know where I am."
"Alright. Greet lover boy from us!" You notice that Hanna slurs. You guess the second bottle champagne was a bit much for two people.
"Will do. Bye! Take care. All three of you!" You wink and stumble out the door.
The cold air of the night hits your face the moment you leave the brew. You walk home thinking about suing the city. Who the hell built the pavement this wavy? Morons.
Your phone rings again. Ian. You don't take the call. He will be mad like hell anyway. Bloody Ian. You think about trying to explain the reason for your celebration to him, but who are you kidding? Ian wouldn't even understand the letter head. You chuckle. Poor dip shit. He'd be a good housewife, though. You should suggest that. He doesn't contribute greatly to the salary anyway.
You can't really remember why exactly you let somebody with the intellect of a demosponge tell you what to do. You decide that this is going to stop now.
Determined you stagger to the cab rank and watch the city of Rosewood fly by while you draw closer to your white house with the picket fence and your stupid husband.
A/N: Oh, what will happen with our drunk Spencer determined to show her husband who has the pants on? Prepare for some drama, folks...
P.S.: Extra loveballs for everybody who gets the movie quote in the upcoming chapter.