I was not expecting such a great response to the last chapter, thank you guys so much! It's interesting to know that I can apparently break hearts in a good way. :p

Okay. You guys know how much I love tragedy, right? So when I say that writing this chapter just about killed me, well... consider yourselves warned. Also, this chapter could be considered upsetting/triggering/etc, so if it is please stop reading, all right? Breaking hearts is one thing, but I'm not okay with anything more than that.

So. Here it is. R&R, as always.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

February 1st

As Spencer walked up to the Montgomery house, she felt lighter than she had in a long time. Yesterday Aria had smiled at her. Actually smiled, like she was happy to see her. She'd been brighter, too, more alert and engaged. They'd watched a movie together, and Aria hadn't flinched when Spencer had wrapped her arm around the smaller girl's shoulder. Her parents were out of town and her brother was at a friend's, so they had the place to themselves tonight; it was going to be great.

Spencer practically bounced up the steps, enthused by the idea of getting to spend the night with her girl. Things had been rocky, for a while, but she thought Aria was getting better. It felt like it anyway. She was opening up more, and they were gradually getting back to how they used to be. And eventually they'd be able to move past it, move on to something more, something better. Maybe she'd get her happy ending after all.

She knocked on the door, shifting her weight to her other foot. She was trying to balance a box of pizza and a bag full of snacks, and it wasn't working too well. When nobody came to the door she transferred the pizza to her other hand and knocked again, more loudly and insistently.

There was no sign of movement inside the house, and it was eerily silent. She reached out a tentative hand and tried the door handle, expecting to find it locked. Instead it turned easily and the door swung open, revealing a house that was cloaked in darkness. That was odd; Aria had known she was coming, and normally she'd at least leave the living room light on for her.

"Aria?" Spencer called, stepping through the door and gently closing it behind her with her foot. "Aria, sweetie, are you home?"

There was still no answer, so she went toward the kitchen, turning on every light she passed. It seemed too dark, too quiet. It made her feel a little nervous, but she kept telling herself that Aria was probably just in the shower and hadn't heard her. She set the pizza down on the counter and the snacks on the table, and then made her way back toward the stairs.

Her footsteps echoed more loudly than the carpeted stairs should allow. Her heartbeat was jarring, like it wanted to stop but knew it probably shouldn't. And she was working very hard to keep her mind from racing off with her; her intelligence often manifested itself as an overactive imagination. Sometimes that was good, but now it was almost unbearable.

The only light on upstairs was the bathroom, and like a moth to a flame she went to it – even though she knew she was going to get burned. Everything about this felt wrong. Panic began fluttering in her chest, and if she'd been going toward anyone but Aria she would have turned back already.

"Aria?" she called again. She stopped at the door, which was slightly ajar, and gently tapped on it. "Honey, are you in there?"

She nudged the door open further with her foot, peering around. The first thing she saw was an empty pill bottle on the sink, but her mind was moving so slowly that she didn't realize what that meant. But when she pushed the door fully open and saw the rest of the room, the pieces fell together. And when she saw the love of her life lying lifeless in the bathtub, Spencer fell to her knees, a strangled scream being torn from her throat.

There was so much blood; the water was a sickening shade of red. The mirror had been smashed, and pieces of it lay scattered on the floor. Spencer crawled across them, barely able to feel as they sliced her skin, unable to find the strength to even pull herself to her feet.

"Aria," she sobbed, reaching for her hand. It was terrifyingly cold. "Aria, come on, baby. Wake up. Please. You have to wake up."

She leaned against the edge of the tub, clinging to Aria's hand as she had once clung to hope.

"Aria, please. Wake up. You can't… Aria, I love you. I love you. Please don't leave me. Please…"

Her words fell to the floor like unheard prayers, and Aria stayed deathly still. And even as she sobbed and screamed and shouted at her to wake up, Spencer knew that it was over.

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X