Chapter Nine: A Change of Feelings

Now since the Hanna and Aria incident Spencer spent more time at home hiding from any chance of encountering them again. And much to Spencer's surprise it also caused her to spend more time with Jace. It gets even weirder when Spencer becomes okay with reading and telling Jace stories for naptime. They're even block buddies now! What is going on?

"What color block do you want?" Spencer questioned as Jace stuck out his hand for another block to add to his tower.

Jace pointed at the blue colored block. "Blue! Blue!"

Spencer gasped. "But, what about our pattern?"

"Blue!"

"Well, if you insist," Spencer muttered giving Jace the blue block he wanted. Jace continued building his tower until he was satisfied by the tall height. Then he proceeded in knocking the tower down. As much as Spencer tried, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the concept of building something up only to knock it down. It was one thing she finally gave up on understanding it; she really just couldn't understand the three year old mind.

Checking the time on her wrist watch Spencer noticed it was time to start making dinner. Spencer stood up stretching her numb limbs from sitting too long. "Okay Jace, what do you want for dinner?"

Jace got a huge grin on his face as he finished knocking done every block in his used to be tower. "Mac-n-Cheesy!"

Spencer sighed and rolled her eyes. Mac-n-Cheese was Jace's favorite meal, but he could only eat it so many times a week. "You had that yesterday, Jace."

"Uh, uh…ABC soup!" Jace showed off his pearly white baby teeth.

"Okay." Spencer started towards the kitchen. "Do you want to color a picture?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Coloring!" At being the tender age of three Jace liked almost everything minus a few things here and there. He hadn't become too picky yet.

Jace was walking over to her leaving his blocks abandoned behind him. Spencer frowned down at Jace. "Jace, what do we have to do before we can do other things?"

Jace looked back at his blocks and pouted out his little pink lips. "Clean up."

"Correct." The two began picking up the colorful blocks putting them back in their designated bin. When they were done Spencer gave Jace a high five for his good work and grabbed his coloring book off the toy shelf. Walking into the kitchen together Jace ran over to the island where Spencer dropped off his coloring book. Accidentally forgetting Jace's crayons Spencer momentarily left Jace unsupervised to go get the missing essential in coloring. Back in the kitchen with the crayon box in hand Spencer saw Jace trying to climb the island chair like a monkey. Spencer let out a small laugh and went to go fetch Jace's step stool he had for the bathroom. The monkey child was still trying to get up to the coloring book when Spencer came back.

Once Spencer set down the step stool by the island chair Jace was able to get up to his seat. Once Jace was seated Spencer opened up the crayon box spilling a few on the counter of the island. With Jace's attention focused on coloring a puppy a shade of green Spencer began making Jace his ABC soup.

When Jace was finishing his ABC soup Spencer had gotten a call from Toby. Spencer was already suspicious to why he wasn't home yet since he always came home by dinner time. Though, his call only informed her that he'd be home late and that she was on bath duty. Oh, no.

"Where Toby?" Jace wondered when Spencer told him it was bath time.

"Toby's going to be home late," Spencer informed him.

Jace suddenly got a silly grin on his lips. "No bath?"

Spencer shook her head. "No, you still have to take a bath."

But, of course, Jace did not want to take a bath. He started running around in a circle shaking his head no repeating the words no bath over and over. Luckily, Spencer got a brilliant idea to trick Jace or at least get him into the bath tub. "Hey Jace!" The little child stopped running in circles and chanting. "How about we pretend the bath tub is a pool? You can wear you swim trunks, too."

Jace's blue eyes transferred from curious to excited. "Pool?"

Spencer smiled knowing she had sparked the three year old's interest. "Yes, pool."

Now all clean and shiny from his "pool" adventure Jace got himself ready for bed by pulling on his blue plaid pajama bottoms and matching blue sleep shirt. He brushed his teeth under Spencer supervision and when he was checked after two minutes of brushing Spencer gave him the go on rinsing. Done with his ready for bed routine Jace jumped into bed lifting his little arms in the air. Spencer assumed he wanted to be tucked in, so she tucked his covers underneath his small body. When she was all done Jace snuggled deeper into his bed. Spencer smiled and walked over to his door silently waiting for Toby to arrive.

After five minutes of waiting Jace looked around his room. "Where Toby?"

"I don't know, Jace. He should be home by now," Spencer answered.

"Toby put me to sleep." Jace pouted his little lips.

Though, Jace's sentence was a tad bit confusing Spencer understood that Toby was always in charge of bedtime. Spencer spun on her heel and walked over to Jace's small bed sitting on the corner. "Do you want me to read you a story for bedtime?"

"No. Toby sing."

Spencer sighed. "I'm sorry Jace, but Toby's not here right now. So do you want me to read you a story, or I could even tell you one if you like?"

"Sing," Jace said choosing an option that she had not offered.

"Oh no, Jace; I can't sing."

"Sing."

Spencer sighed heavier this time knowing she could not win. Not really knowing any children songs Spencer started singing a simple la until some lyrics came to mind. Glancing at Jace she saw his eyelids starting to droop. "Sleep child, la la la-la." She kept repeating the phrase until Jace's eyelids shut and his breathing slowed.

Unknown to her, Toby stood leaning against the door frame listening to Spencer's soft angelic voice singing Jace to sleep. Though, Toby was generally surprised by Spencer's change of feelings towards Jace, he admired it. He could tell Spencer was not really comfortable around Jace, but this past week she seemed to settle in more and become more comfortable around Jace. Not wanting to scare Spencer Toby pushed off the doorframe ad headed downstairs.

Toby saw Spencer visibly flinch when she came downstairs and saw him. Hearing his chuckling Spencer rolled her eyes and went to sit down on the couch with him. "Sorry I'm late; I had to finish a drawing for a customer," Toby said when she sat down. "But, I brought take out."

"Thank God, I'm starving!" Spencer grabbed a box of takeout checking if it was hers. Confirmed that it was, she dug in without a second thought.

"How was Jace today?" Toby asked half way through their dinner.

Spencer swallowed the food in her mouth in order to speak. "Good, though he was stubborn to take a bath."

"He always is," Toby chuckled remembering how hard it is to get Jace in the bathtub willingly.

"How was work?"

Toby took a bite of his food pushing it to his cheek. "Same as it always is. Draw this and start the plans for building. I forgot to ask, but how was your job interview yesterday?"

Spencer shrugged her shoulders stabbing her fork into a piece of beef. "Well, I think it went great, but you never know with business people. She said she'll call in a few days with an answer."

"Do you know your work hours if you do get the job?"

"Yes," Spencer took another bite of her food. "Same hours as you: seven to six with an hour lunch break."

"So that means will have to get a babysitter."

Spencer shook her head. "Actually, no. I talked with Mrs. Fields-"

"You talked with Emily's mom?" Toby cut her off. He knew Jace was being watched by Emily's mom while Spencer was at her job interview (seeing as he set it up and Mrs. Fields did deserve to see her adopted grandchild) but he didn't know Emily's mom would willingly talk with Spencer.

Narrowing her brown eyes at him for interrupting, she continued. "Yes, she did. She, as well as everyone else, still doesn't know why Emily made me Jace's godmother or appointed me as guardian of him, but she's accepted what is, it. If I get the job she offered to take care of Jace while we're at work."

"Well, I guess that settles that then." Toby finished his take out and tossed the empty carton onto the coffee table.