When Aria first walked in the door, she thought Spencer might burst into tears. She enveloped her in a hug that was so tight, Aria was worried she wouldn't let go.

"Hey," she said quietly, running her hands along Spencer's back as she returned the hug. "You doing all right?"

Spencer pulled away. "Yeah, yeah," she replied. "I'm just happy to see you."

"It's only been six hours," Aria said, letting her words trail off at the end. She wasn't at all convinced there wasn't more going on.

"I was worried Ezra wasn't going to let you out of his sight."

Spencer's heels clunked as she made her way across the room and into the kitchen. Aria followed her, dropping her bags by the couch as she passed.

Spencer had truly gone all out for their "slumber party" (if one could really call it that…they were both far past the age of slumber partying). She could smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen and the living room floor was covered in a hodgepodge of blankets and pillows.

"Are we making a fort tonight?"

"Only if you want things to get weird," Spencer said over her shoulder with a wink.

Aria framed her belly, accentuating the roundness that was there and lowered her voice, feigning a seductive tone. "I mean, I am already pregnant; what's there to lose?" She raised her eyebrows a few times and was pleased when Spencer's face broke out in a smile. "Something smells nice."

"Thanks – it's nothing much. Just baked chicken with a honey barbecue glaze."

"That's fancier than what we make for dinner."

"Do your Saturdays still consist of vegan takeout?"

"No," Aria said, sticking her finger in the sauce and bringing it to her lips. She sucked it off her finger and closed her eyes. "That's moved to Sunday. Saturdays are for Chinese food and Fridays are pizza. This is really good, Spence."

"And what do you do during the week?"

"Whoever gets home first cooks one of the three dishes we know how to make."

The timer went off and Spencer moved around Aria to open the oven, hitting the timer as she opened the door. "Wait…" She reached two mitted hands in and pulled out a covered dish. "You only know how to make three dishes? You're pregnant, you should be eating better."

She turned around to see Aria's head cocked with a look on her face.

"I'm exaggerating," Aria said. "Ezra and I have been practicing a lot of new recipes. We eat well enough. You didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me."

"I wanted to," Spencer said. She brought over the dish and started brushing more barbecue sauce onto the chicken. "I just hope you're hungry."

"Trust me. If there's one thing growing a whole human will do, it's make you hungry." She gave it a moment of thought before adding, "if there's another thing it'll make you do, it's throw up. The two often go hand in hand."

All through dinner, Aria and Spencer talked about what had been happening in the few weeks they'd been apart. Though it wasn't longer than a few months, it felt like years had gone by. So much had changed for Aria that Spencer felt like she hardly knew her anymore. They talked briefly about wedding plans, and what would change or what would stay the same now that there was another little life in the mix. Spencer listened with earnest as Aria gushed over how excited she was to be having a baby. Spencer knew well that this was something Aria had been dreaming of for years and she was excited to see the look of pure joy that crossed her face.

However, as Aria watched Spencer's expression during their conversation, she could see that there was something hiding behind her eyes.

"Are you sure there's nothing bothering you?" Aria asked. She was playing with her fork, drawing little designs with the barbeque sauce that was left on her plate. The room grew quiet and Spencer diverted her attention as soon as Aria spoke, trying as best she could to avoid the topic. "Whatever it is – you know you can tell me, right?"

Spencer reached out and took a sip of her water, still not answering. Aria bit her lip and wondered how much she should press the conversation. She decided that it was probably best if the evening wasn't ruined by her persistence. If Spencer wanted or needed to talk, she would, and it was Aria's place to listen. Not to drag it out of her.

"I saw that pile of movies on the coffee table," she offered as a secondary topic of conversation. "I thought I was in charge of entertainment. Are all of those options for tonight or are you saving a few for a hot date?"

Relief washed over Spencer and Aria relaxed, thankful that she'd opted for the less intrusive route.

"You are my hot date," Spencer said, laughing. "I don't have the time or energy for men. I got really excited about our night and decided to run by the library after I left this morning. I ended up checking out the entire comedy section. Or at least most of it. I've really needed this—thanks for coming over tonight."

"Of course," Aria said with a smile. "I was really glad that we didn't have to go out. I've been looking forward to seeing you guys, but I'm not going to try and paint a prettier picture or anything. Pregnancy and night life haven't proven to be two things I can handle simultaneously."

"Well no one would have suggested going out if we'd known you were pregnant!"

"Speaking of the avocado, my back is starting to hurt. Can we move this party into the living room? I'm dying to get my hands on one of those pillows."

They cleaned the table of plates and leftovers before they each made a cup of coffee and made themselves comfortable on the couch. Aria's phone vibrated and she took it out of her pocket, sliding the screen to open the message.

I miss my two favorite people, it read.

She smiled to herself and began typing a response. We miss you too.

"Is that Ezra?" Spencer asked from across the way.

"Yeah," Aria replied. "He's just checking in."

"That's sweet."

Aria settled into the couch, kicking her shoes off and propping her feet up on the coffee table. She gently let her mug rest atop her belly and leaned her head back.

"You have your own little shelf," Spencer said with a nod.

Aria chuckled. "I know; it's kind of nice." She smiled and looked down, running her fingers lightly over her t-shirt. "I can't believe I'm going to be solely responsible for a whole human in a matter of five months."

There was a beat before Spencer said anything, but when she did, her voice was soft, gentle and loving. "You're already responsible for a whole human and you're doing a great job. I mean, look at you—you're the only thing standing between it and the whole world. But you're not alone. You know that, right? You have Ezra, you have your mom…you have me."

"I know," Aria said. "You're not here anymore though." Aria's voice cracked a little as she spoke and she turned her head, looking up to the ceiling instead of at Spencer. "I'm sorry," she offered. "It doesn't take much to make me cry anymore."

Spencer immediately sat her coffee down on the table in front of her and moved from her seat on the floor to sit beside Aria on the couch. She wrapped an arm around her friend and started shaking her head with sincerity. "Hey, hey, hey," she said, "no crying at slumber parties. Ali's not even here, so there's no reason you should feel upset."

That helped a little and Aria let out a laugh. "That was low," she said, even though she found it funny.

"It's not anything when it's the truth."

Aria's phone buzzed again, but this time she just quickly read the message, not taking the time to reply. The bed's too big without you, he said.

Aria suddenly missed him more than she thought she would, considering it was only one night, and she'd see him bright and early in the morning. She hadn't slept away from him since getting pregnant though, and it hit her that this was the first night away for both of them…for all three of them, really. Her thoughts didn't help to stop the tears that were already starting to spill forth.

"It's just the baby," she said to Spencer who was still looking on with uncertainty. She let out a disheartened laugh and an exhausted breath. "I cry at least three times a day, all over silly, stupid, trivial things. My body is a mess, I'm huge, I'm emotional…Last week, Ezra came home a little later than usual and he brought me flowers, and for some reason I burst out in uncontrollable, messy, ugly tears. Spencer, I'm not even me anymore."

"Okay, stop right there," Spencer said. She drew back and turned so that her legs were crossed in front of her. She took the coffee cup out of Aria's hands and sat it beside her own, then taking both of Aria's hands, she gave them a squeeze until Aria was looking at her directly in the eye. "You're making a whole human," she said. "Probably the tiniest human in the world, considering the fact that you're barely tall enough to ride any of the rollercoasters at Hersheypark…but it's still a whole human."

Aria let out a snort and Spencer smiled, but she didn't let go of her hands just yet.

"I know you're probably worried about what kind of parent you'll be…how you'll juggle raising a child, being a wife, working, having a social life…but when you have this baby, you're going to realize that it's everything you've ever wanted, and I know you won't be able to imagine life any other way. Aria, you've been dreaming of this for years."

"It's a lot scarier when it's right in your face," Aria countered. "We've talked about kids, but…somehow it always seemed like it was years down the road. We're not even married yet, and we're talking about what cribs to buy, and diapers, and we're making OBGYN appointments. Spencer, I'll be lucky if I can have sex on the night of my wedding."

"Hold up, why won't you be able to have sex?"

"I'm going to be ripped and torn to pieces after giving birth," Aria said, pulling her hands away and rubbing them along her belly. "Sorry," she whispered, more to her unborn child than her best friend. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited; so, so excited, but this is not at all what I had planned. I'll probably still have a little bit of a belly, too. Not exactly the way you want to look when you're about to have sex for the first time with your husband."

"I'm gonna stop you there," Spencer said. "First of all, you're not fooling anyone. Even if you weren't pregnant at the moment, no one would believe that you and Ezra have never had sex before. The whole world can see the way you look at each other. Sorry to burst your bubble. We all know you're fucking like rabbits."

"Spencer!" Aria's eyes were huge, but there was a light behind them that gave her away.

"Second of all, I know Ezra well enough to know that any weight you keep after having the baby—which by the way, I'm sure will be next to none—is only going to make him love you more. You're carrying his child. Do you know what that does to a man?"

Aria bit her lip. Spencer was making a lot of sense. These were the conversations Ella had tried to tell her she'd need her friends for. She was right. A huge part of Aria had been missing since she'd started keeping this secret from Spencer and the other girls, and little by little, she was regaining full access to the world of conversation that only existed between friends.

"Things don't always work out the way we plan them, Aria," Spencer said, "and a lot of times, the life we end up getting after living through hell is far better than anything we could have ever dreamed up on our own. You and I know that better than most people."

Spencer leaned her head along the back of the couch, still sitting sideways so that she was facing Aria's profile. She looked on at her tiny friend and seeing the bulge of her belly took her to a place she'd been several times already that day. For a moment, she was sitting in her dorm room across from Toby, both of them nervously awaiting the sound of the alarm on her phone, neither of them sure what direction their lives would be headed in at the end of just a few, short minutes. They'd felt like the longest minutes of her life, and they'd been so telling.

"I feel like I want to ask you if you're one hundred percent sure that you want this baby," Spencer started. She wasn't finished with her sentence, but at the reaction Aria had, she knew she should have started with the other half first. Aria's shoulders fell in and her arms wrapped protectively over the small protrusion, her brows furrowing and her lips forming a small, heartfelt 'oh'. Before she could say anything, Spencer rushed to finish. "No, that's not what I'm saying," she said, "If it were me instead, and I was having these thoughts, I'd need to ask myself if I was really sure I wanted a baby. But you're not me, Aria, you're you, and this is you and Ezra. This," she held out her hand and placed it along the side of Aria's belly, "this is a little bit of you and a little bit of him. This is everything that's ever been right with your relationship. I know you. You've wanted this since day one."

Spence smiled as she watched Aria's face change. She knew she hit the nail on the head but it was nice seeing those thing reaffirmed for her best friend.

Aria leaned forward and pulled Spencer into her with force, letting a few warm tears spill from her eyes. She was right, and it was nice hearing those words come from someone besides herself.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I needed to hear that."

"I know you did," Spencer said. They were both crying a little now; sappy tears from joy, and just a few from simply being overwhelmed by life. "You better let me be godmother," Spencer said through her tears. She leaned back and wiped at her face. "You know what'll happen if you let Hanna have those responsibilities."

Aria chortled. "Right, like I'd let anyone but you be the godmother of my child." Aria moved back to her previous position on the couch and reached down for a blanket, pulling it up into her lap. "Of course you'll be the godmother. Ezra and I were talking about it last night actually. We were talking about all of you and he asked me if I wanted to give the baby godparents. We're not really Catholic, so it's not like we have to. At first I thought, there's really no point in it…but then I got to thinking. Who knows better than us that you're not always guaranteed a tomorrow?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer said.

"Well, that's kind of what we ended up talking about. Ezra just meant, you know, giving someone the title, the special privilege of helping us raise this baby to be a good, loving person, but…there's a lot more to being a godparent than just being a support system or having the title; you know? If something were to happen to us, we'd be counting on you, Spence, to raise our son or daughter. I know it's a big responsibility, but…there's no one better for the job."

"Aria, that's—are you sure?" She looked hesitant. "I mean, I'd love to—even if I weren't the baby's godparent, you know I'd take them in with me in a heartbeat…But nothing's going to happen to you. And if it did, wouldn't you want the baby to live with your mom? Wouldn't she want the baby to live with her?"

"It doesn't matter," Aria said, "Ezra and I already decided."

"Who's the godfather?" Spencer asked.

Aria pursed her lips. "Funny you should ask…"

"Oh, no…" Spencer said, knowing exactly where the look on Aria's face was headed. "No, no, no. I know that look, and I'm not interested."

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"But you're going to!"

"Okay, so? What's so wrong with wanting to set you up on a nice date? We could double. Come on, while you're in town? Pretty please? For me?"

"I don't have time to date anyone. Didn't we already go over this?"

Aria pretended to pout, but Spencer wasn't budging. "He's cute…and older." Aria raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I think he'd be good for you."

"Who are we even talking about?"

"A boyyyy..."

"Aria…" Spencer said, warningly. "Come on, does this 'boy' have a name?"

"Yes, he does, and it's Hardy," Aria said. She knew Spencer would remember who she was talking about. They'd never met before, but the name had been thrown around a time or two. She waited hesitantly, trying to gauge Spencer's initial reaction to hearing the name.

"Wait…that's Ezra's best man, right?"

"Uh-huh. They were roommates in college."

"I can't believe Ezra's going to name his college roommate godfather of his baby over his own brother."

Aria threw her hand out, brushing off Spencer's worry. "I'm sure Wes won't care," she said. "He's not in any place to take care of a kid anyway. I love him, don't get me wrong, but he needs to get his life sorted out a little before I trust him with my child. BUT. That is beside the point. We're not talking about Wes. We're talking about Hardy."

"What kind of name is Hardy anyway?"

"Stop. Don't make cynical comments like that. I know for a fact that all you've heard about him are wonderful things—because I've told you everything you know. Plus, you haven't even met him. He's a nice guy. I think you two would hit it off nicely. He might…break your shell a little."

Spencer pulled her head back slightly.

"I resent that. What do you mean? I don't have a shell."

"Right," Aria said, "and I'm not pregnant." Spencer didn't find the joke funny. "Just…think about it? We don't have to go out this time. But you'll be coming in again soon, I hope? Now that you know your tiny best friend is growing another tiny best friend, you'll come visit more often, won't you?" She started pouting again, but there was real sadness in her eyes.

"You're too good at that," Spencer said.

"I'm not even trying. You should see what I can get Ezra to do after a little effort."

"That sounds like it could go one of two ways," Spencer said. She brushed her hair out of her face. "Sex still good?"

"God, is it ever." Aria seemed to drift into her own little world for a moment and Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't have even asked. When has the sex ever not been good for you guys? Let's put one of these movies in before you give yourself an orgasm just thinking about it…or before it gets too late and I get too tired and can't stay up long enough to finish it. God I need to get laid."

"I'm sure you know who would help you out," Aria said. She raised her eyebrows a few more times, the suggestiveness very evident. Spencer seemed to appreciate her efforts a little more this time; perhaps the thought of casual sex more appealing than an actual relationship.

"Voldemort's not really my type," she said. She leaned forward and grabbed the stack of movies off the table as Aria was thrown into a fit of giggles.

After settling on something very Nicholas Sparks-esque, the two girls made themselves a comfortable bed of pillows and blankets on the floor. Spencer pulled out her collection of nail polishes and they took turns painting each others nails. For a long time, they continued to talk, their voices carrying over the dialogue of the movie, the volume turned so low that even if they had stopped talking, they would have to strain to hear it. By the time it ended and their nails were dry, it was well past midnight and Aria was about two seconds away from sleep.

She and Spencer were just about to head to bed when it happened. Aria suddenly felt a surge of pain shoot through her lower abdomen and she stopped dead in her tracks. Spencer was already in her bedroom, turning down the sheets, and Aria was in the hall. She dropped her overnight bag, a few bottles rolling out when it hit the floor. She pulled up the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing and stared at her belly as if there would be an obvious sign as to what she was feeling.

Panic was beginning to set in and it wasn't doing anything to help her think of what needed to be done.

"Spencer," she called out, her voice desperate. She choked back a few tears, her heart pounding away in her chest. "Spencer!"

She ran back to the restroom and bent in front of the toilet, crying out in pain just as Spencer turned the corner at a run.

"What?" Spencer said. She was confused to find Aria bent in front of the toilet, but as she looked on, she noticed a little bit of blood showing up along her inner thigh, bleeding right through the fabric of what she assumed to be Ezra's old boxers. Spencer's face palled at the sight, but she chose not to mention it, knowing that doing so would do nothing to calm Aria.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she dove down to help. They were both ghost-white, and they both looked like they might be sick, but for different reasons. "Aria, talk to me, what's wrong? What's happening?" Spencer stayed there, both knees bent on the tile floor, her hands reaching out to try and somehow feel what was going on.

Aria was gripping both sides of the toilet, silently struggling through the pain. Spencer's heart was pounding. This wasn't happening. Whatever this was, it couldn't be happening. Aria leaned back from the toilet just a bit, but when she did, she noticed the streak of red running down her leg. If she'd been pale before, she was near translucent now. Spencer blanched at the thought of what must be going through Aria's head. She'd do anything to trade her places.

"I need you to call Ezra," Aria said, holding back a sob. "Tell him to meet us at the hospital. I don't know what's wrong, but something's not right," she whispered.

Author's Note: Uh-oh...I decided to leave you with a cliff hanger this time. Remember I did say that there will be plenty of fluff. It can't all be fun all the time though.

Leave a review! I have the next chapter planned out and will try to write and upload it as soon as possible.

To give you some heads up...I got a kitten this week. She sort of found me, but we both needed each other :) She's been taking up a lot of my time and it's hard to write when she's awake. I'm going to keep updating, no worries there, but forgive me if it takes me a little longer between posts. Just know that it's coming.