Chapter Twelve: The Letter Tells All, Well Sort Of

Finally, the used to be lovebirds are back together. Now their road of love should be clear of any traffic with the Lily obstacle out of the way-whoa! Road work? Bumpy road ahead? What is the meaning of this? Oh wait, Spencer's secret.

And everything just seemed to fall into place when Spencer and Toby reunited. Nothing seemed to be complicated anymore. Everything, as corny as it sounds, seemed to be perfect. Spencer couldn't help but smile at random moments in the day. Her mind drifted off to Toby without trying to think about him. Normally you weren't supposed to get back together with your ex, but Toby was different. It was Spencer's fault that they had broken up, but the feelings and love they had for each other didn't change during the three years they were apart. And that thought alone made a smile appear on Spencer's face.

Another puzzle piece that fit into the picture was Spencer's friends. She once again had three best friends, even though Lily could never replace Emily. Lily was just another friend that came along and was added to the picture. Emily's memory was always with Spencer, Hanna, and Aria. Emily was in their hearts and nobody could tear Emily out.

In the two weeks since the reunion Spencer had visited Emily and Maya's grave. She didn't tell Toby though since she was watching Jace and she didn't know if she was allowed to take Jace there. At the tender age of three Jace didn't understand the concept of death. To him it was like an endless visit with his godparents. But, when Jace was older he would understand that his Mommy and Mama weren't coming back to pick him up.

That was another thing that seemed to happen in those two weeks. Spencer, Toby, and Jace became a family. Before it was Spencer and Toby just watching over Jace. To Toby it might've already been felt that Jace was actually his godson since Toby had known from the start that he was Jace's godfather. Spencer was now feeling that way too. She didn't look at Jace like he was just some responsibility she had; she looked at him as he was: her godson.

"You know, you really do have a great singing voice," Spencer said as Toby closed the door to Jace's room.

Toby smirked. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, it's just, I've never had the chance to hear that handsome singing voice of yours until I came here." Spencer gave him a side look while descending the stairs.

Toby chuckled. "Oh, you have heard it before." Spencer gave him a confused look. "But, unfortunately you were asleep."

Spencer gasped stopping in her tracks. Toby laughed pushing past her. They both continued on their way into the family room where their takeout food was waiting for them. "Movie?" Toby suggested throwing his body onto the couch.

Nodding her head Spencer strolled over to the DVD collection popping in a movie of her choice into the DVD player. When she joined him on the couch he only gave her one glance for a few seconds before guessing what movie they were about to watch. "We're watching The Notebook, aren't we?"

Spencer curled her legs up on the couch after grabbing her box of takeout. "Yes, and you are watching it all the way through."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Toby murmured digging into his dinner.

At the end of the movie they turned off the TV and cleaned up the empty boxes of Chinese. With all the lights shut off downstairs they headed upstairs to go to bed. They walked down the hall stopping at Spencer's door prepared to bid each other goodnight. "Goodnight." Spencer pecked Toby on his soft lips.

"Sleep tight." Toby spun on his heel heading to his bedroom further down the hall.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Spencer called out.

A roll of thunder sounded off. "And don't let the thunderstorm interrupt your sweet dreams." Both laughed lightly at Toby's added line to the old saying before entering their bedrooms.

I

In the middle of the night Spencer was awaken interrupting her sweet dreams ironically. But, it wasn't the thundering thunderstorm playing outside that woke her up; it was the sound of a crying child. Jace, Spencer immediately thought tearing her covers off her body. Running out into the hall Spencer almost smacked into Toby. They shared the same panicked look racing to Jace's room which was in between their bedrooms.

Entering the three year old's room the wailing got louder as they reached the source. Toby sprinted to Jace's bed scooping the little boy in his arms at once. He rocked him back and forth, but Jace's crying didn't cease. "Mommy! Mama!"

Toby's panicked blue eyes shot up to Spencer meeting her eyes. "Go to his closet! There's a small blue blanket at the top!"

Spencer raced over to Jace's closet ripping the door open. With searching eyes Spencer found something blue at the top of Jace's closet like Toby said. Snatching it in her grasp Spencer found out the blue blanket Toby had requested was Jace's blue baby blanket that they wrapped the baby up in after it's born. As she snatched it down a white rectangular shaped thing fell on the floor. Picking it up Spencer saw the writing of Emily's on the front: Spencer

"Spence!" Toby yelled over the thunder and Jace's cries.

Regaining focus Spencer tucked the rectangular thing in the back on her pajama bottoms then rushed Jace's baby blanket over to Toby. Toby grabbed the blanket wrapping it as much as he could around Jace. The small boy choked on his sobs slowly swallowing them down as if the blanket was magically making his crying stop. Soon Jace was asleep in Toby's arms. Toby brushed away the little boy's tears and tucked him under his covers still wrapped up in his baby blanket.

They left his room after ten minutes of making sure the crisis had been averted. Spencer spoke up after a few minutes more of them just standing in the hall. "Toby, if Jace is adopted-"

"Why does he have his baby blanket?" Spencer nodded as Toby guessed her question right. Toby sighed and closed his eyes "Emily told me Jace was left on an orphanage's step at the age of one and a half. He was left there the night before Emily and Maya adopted him. He was wrapped in his baby blanket. So, when they adopted him that was what he was wrapped in since the orphanage didn't have any clothes for him. They kept it since it was the only thing Jace had before they had come along."

Spencer sent a gulp down her throat just imagining the scene. "You should get some sleep, you have work tomorrow."

"Right." Toby bobbled his head up and down. While yawning he bided her goodnight once again before heading off to his room.

Spencer entered her room locking the door, so no one could come barging it. Once on her bed Spencer leaned her back against the headboard and crisscrossed her legs together. Taking the white thing that she had found in Jace's room out of its hiding spot Spencer examined it. It turned out to be an envelope with Emily's scrawl written in the place where it was sent to who it was addressed to. Spencer stared at her name in Emily's writing for a good five minutes wondering what could possibly be in it before she ripped it open. Pulling out a piece of paper Spencer saw what was inside of the envelope was ironically enough, a letter.

Dear Spencer,

I don't know why I'm writing this to you. I know you are not coming back; you made your decision very clear. But, recently I've had such a guilty conscience. Will Jace ever be allowed to know who his parents are? This question has always been on my mind, but…I know someday you'll become a successful lawyer and forget all about Rosewood, your friends, and eventually Toby. I always wished I could forget things like you sometimes, like that question for example. Hoping to forget about it I made the decision that when Jace turned eighteen years old I will tell him and Maya who his parents are. But, ever since I made that decision my guilty conscience bashed its way into my mind and made itself at home. It's making my emotions and brain go crazy. And as my guilty conscious made an appearance the question that was always on my mind changed from Jace being allowed to Jace being able to know who his parents are. What if something happens to me before Jace turns eighteen? Will he ever get to know? So, hoping to make my guilty conscience disappear I am writing this letter even though I know you will most likely will never read it. The chances of you reading this letter is one in a million since you're a state away, but I have to try. If Jace does reach eighteen, and I am able to tell him who his parents are, then I will just tear this letter up and forget all about it. If not, well I'll just spit it out now.

Spencer gasped loudly her body suddenly frozen with saucer sized eyes. Her hands loss grip of the letter letting it fall into her lap. Drunken away memories slammed into her like she was sprinting into a brick wall.

Jace is your son. I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave him at the hospital. I couldn't.

-Emily