Clarifications: Spencer (Alex) and Toby didn't sleep together in 7x18 like they did in the show. It's better that way because it fits with Alex's love for Aria. Also, I really don't like that they made Toby get used sexually again after what he went through with Jenna, so I would like to stray from that plot. Also, we're going to say that Spencer (not Alex) and Toby are the ones who slept together in 7x20, because again, I would not like to have him go through that after his past. Plus, it wouldn't be fitting at all if Alex hooked up with Toby at this point.

2

Alex entered the Lost Woods Resort room that the girls were staying at the night before Aria's wedding. She had stolen the master key from Spencer's bag while Spencer was unconscious. She smirked as she walked into one of the bedrooms. On this bed, Emily and Alison were sleeping. They were cuddled up together, deeply asleep. Alex exited the room— that wasn't the one that she wanted to be in. She went to the next bedroom. There, Hanna and Aria were already sleeping. Although Alex would've preferred the bed without Hanna, she climbed onto it and relaxed her body. Reaching over, she stroked Aria's hair gently, tucking it behind her ear.

"Oh, Aria..." she whispered quietly, gazing at the girl too lovingly. "It's been too long since I've been with you. But don't worry: I'm here to stay."

Aria was sleeping too deeply to hear a word that she was saying. Alex cuddled up closely to Aria, wrapping her arms around the girl, careful not to wake her up.

x x x

Spencer sat there in the cell in silence, analyzing the door. She had been in so many locked spaces before and figured out how to get out, but she couldn't figure it out this time. Alex really built this thing well. Part of her wished that Ezra was awake so that she had some moral support and some extra brainpower, because she was starting to feel like she couldn't do this alone anymore. She felt so alone— she really just wished to hear somebody else (who was sane) talking to her. It felt hopeless. Maybe she really would be stuck here forever, and Alex would take over her life. After all, she did make a very convincing Spencer. Aria had never even mentioned the fact that "they" had slept together. And Toby had never mentioned that "they" had kissed.

Spencer stopped thinking of ways to break out of the chain... ways to get out of there... ways to grab Ezra and escape. She sat there without much motion, shutting her eyes, beginning to think that maybe she should just accept it— maybe this was actually what she deserved all along. After all, she was partially responsible for Archer Dunhill's death, but she didn't go to jail for it. Mary did.

Just then, someone entered "the dungeon." Spencer opened her eyes and looked up, wondering if Alex had come back early for some reason— maybe she realized that she needed to kill Ezra before moving along with her Aria plans. Luckily, that wasn't the case. It was Mary Drake, who Spencer still had a small shred of hope for. Part of her believed that Mary really did care about her.

"Hello, Spencer," Mary greeted, stepping over to Spencer's cell. "I thought you might want dinner, so I brought you some dinner."

Mary held a brown paper bag up, but the pain in Spencer's stomach made all food seem repulsive at the moment. All she wanted was to get out of here and get her life back. The past year where she thought A.D. and A were out of her life for good was amazing. She had time to think about herself, her friends, her career, her love life, her future. She was planning on asking Toby out once he returned, just for dinner or something simple, and taking it slow. And he did return. He wasn't planning on coming back for the wedding, but he did. And they went up to his room on the night before the rehearsal dinner, played Scrabble, and fell asleep... it felt like old times.

Although her plan was to take it slow with him, she couldn't help herself after spending time with him— all those old feelings came rushing back. She made an impulsive decision and went to his hotel room at the Radley one morning, then just kissed him. They ended up having sex, and that was the last time she saw him before Mona whacked her and brought her to Alex Drake's dungeon.

"Mary... what do I do? Why did you let this happen to me?" Spencer asked, pain in her eyes. She thought she could trust Mary, especially after she had taken the blame for Archer Dunhill's murder.

"I'm sorry," Mary sighed, feeling guilty as she looked into Spencer's eyes. "She told me that she wouldn't hurt you. There was nothing I could do but comply."

Spencer felt tears welling up in her eyes. But God, she was so sick of crying... she wanted to stop crying, and finally just be happy. She thought that she was going to get that once A.D. left a year ago, but now this happened.

"Maybe she won't hurt me, but she's gonna keep me locked up in here forever!" Spencer cried. "That's not any better! And she's gonna hurt my friends, and God... I don't want her hurting them. What if she hurts Aria? She will hurt her if she hurts Ezra—"

"I know you're scared," Mary said.

"That's it? That's all you're gonna say? 'I know you're scared?' God, Mary... I thought you wanted to make things right between us. I thought you would protect me," Spencer shook her head.

"I am protecting you, Spencer," Mary said, sighing. "But I can only protect you. I can't keep her from hurting anyone else, but I have her word that she won't hurt you."

"Well, I'd rather be dead than kept as her prisoner here for the rest of my life while she steals my life," Spencer hissed, folding her arms. "And I can't sit here satisfied because I'm 'safe.' I need to know that my friends are safe. I need to know that Aria is safe."

"She won't hurt Aria. You already know how she feels about her," Mary assured her.

"That's not enough!" Spencer cried. "I don't want her doing anything to Aria. I don't want her kissing her or tricking her into sleeping with her, or... I don't want her to get used like that."

"I know you love Aria a lot, but you need to focus on yourself. There's nothing you can to do save her or any of your friends right now. I don't think Alex wants to hurt any of them other than Ezra, but let's not worry about that right now. Eat your dinner. Everything will be okay. I promise," Mary assured her, but Spencer didn't believe anything. Her words weren't calming.

"Will I keep seeing you?" Spencer asked, biting her lip.

Mary stared at the floor. "I'm not sure. It depends on what Alex wants. I don't think she wants me to keep checking on you. She doesn't fully trust me. It took a lot of persuasion for her to let me bring you your dinner."

"Then if this is goodbye, can you just be my mother for one second and say goodbye to me?" Spencer begged. "Please... I don't want things to end like this: win you dropping off dinner and disappearing forever."

Mary was hesitant, contemplating what she should do, but soon gave in and nodded her head. She pulled out a key and unlocked Spencer's door. She was fine with her decision because she knew that Spencer was still chained to the bed, so she couldn't trick her and just run outside. Mary entered Spencer's cell, and set the brown paper bag with the dinner down on the bed. Spencer stood up, launching herself as far as she could with the restricting chain into Mary's arms, hugging her tightly, as if it were the last time that she would see her biological mother. She placed her hands on Mary's long brown hair, gripping it.

"Goodbye, my darling," Mary whispered. "I promise that I'll try to convince Alex to let me see you again."

"Okay," she breathed, nodding her head. A few tears began rolling down her cheeks. "Goodbye... for now, then."

Mary smiled at her weakly and began slowly backing out of Spencer's room. Soon, she disappeared completely, and Spencer had no idea if she would ever see her again. But that wasn't what was important right now. What was important was that she had grabbed a bobby pin from Mary's hair while they were hugging.

Sitting down on the bed, she folded her leg so that it was on her lap. She jammed the bobby pin into the keyhole of the cuff that chained her to the bed, and wiggled it around the way that she had done so many times in the past to pick locks. It was difficult to get this lock to budge, but eventually, she pushed the pin correctly. The cuff came off, and Spencer stood up from the bed freely. There was a red mark around her ankle, and it certainly did sting a bit to walk after being chained up for so long.

She rushed over to the actual door, ready to start picking the lock and get the hell out of there. She wasn't sure how she was going to drag Ezra's unconscious body out, but that was a problem for later. First, she had to pick the lock. Luckily, she had all night to figure this out, since Alex was sleeping over at the Lost Woods. She just hoped that Alex wouldn't pull any stunts tonight and would wait until tomorrow.

Before she could stick the bobby pin inside of the door's lock, she heard a loud groan. She looked across from her and saw a groggy Ezra waking up inside of his cell. He slowly pulled himself up off the floor, pressing his hand against his forehead, rubbing it softly to lessen the pain. He gripped the leg of the bed, pulling himself up so that he was standing up. His eyes widened at the cuff that chained him to the bed. As soon as he saw that, he looked up and met eyes with Spencer.

"Spencer?" he called her name. "What is going on?"

She had no idea how much to tell him. She would explain the twin thing, maybe, but she didn't think it would be a very good idea to tell him that Aria had slept with Alex.

"We need to get out of here," she said.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Where's Aria? Is she all right?"

Spencer pressed her lips together. She could tell how much Ezra loved Aria. It would break his heart to know what happened. She decided that this wasn't the time to talk to him about that. He would become too distraught to focus and work hard to get out of there.

"Yeah, she's fine. But we do need to get out of here."

"I'm so confused. Last thing I remember was that I was talking to you, and you asked me to come with you, but I said I had to go see Aria, and you glared right at me..." he explained. "Now I'm here."

Spencer swallowed. "I know it might sound crazy, but... that wasn't me, Ezra. That was... Alex... Alex Drake."

"Alex Drake?" he asked like it was crazy.

"She's... um, my twin sister," Spencer replied, but felt that he wasn't going to believe her.

Ezra raised his eyebrows.

"I'm betting you think that's crazy, right? You don't believe me?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I believe you. Surprisingly, that isn't the craziest thing that's happened in this town."

Spencer laughed, shaking her head.

"Well, she's trying to steal my life now, apparently because I got the better deal: better friends, family, love, life," she sighed. "And she was planning on keeping me locked in here forever. I think she was planning on killing you, too. But we're not gonna let any of that happen. I got this bobby pin from Mary, and I'm gonna use it to get us both out of here—"

"Did you really think you could get away with that, Spencer?" The British accent was back.

Spencer and Ezra both turned their heads to look at the entrance, and saw Alex walking in. It was Ezra's first time seeing Alex knowing that she was Alex and not Spencer, and he was baffled. There were two of them. His eyes darted back and forth between Spencer and Alex, unable to accept this reality. He calmed himself down. However, he knew that Spencer's escape plan was foiled.

"I was planning on sparing you because you're my blood and family, Spencer, but you're making me change my mind. It'd be a shame if you changed my mind," Alex told her. "Now, Ezra... well, his fate is already sealed. And I'd suggest you stop what you're doing now, Spencer. I should've known that I couldn't trust that snake Mary Drake."

"She didn't give it to me, I—" Spencer began.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Well, you're a fool to think that I don't have cameras of this place to make sure you're behaving real well. You are going to be just fine here, Spencer. I promise to keep you well-fed, and you've got that comfortable little bed over there. And just think about all the fun I'll have as Spencer!"

Spencer gritted her teeth. Alex pulled out a key and unlocked Spencer's door. Spencer was considering pushing past her and making a run for it, but she could see that Alex was carrying a gun, so it would be too risky to run out of there and also get Ezra out, too. It wouldn't work. So, she remained there as Alex entered, snatching the bobby pin from her hands, and stepped outside. She pushed Spencer back and put the cuff on her ankle again. She locked the door after leaving.

"Don't try and cross me again," Alex warned.

Spencer remained silent as Alex glared at Ezra before storming out.

"We really are stuck, aren't we?" Ezra bit his lip.

Spencer didn't answer him. She didn't have any hope anymore.

x x x

The next morning, all the girls were waking up and getting ready to head to breakfast, unaware of the imposter in the room.

"Morning," Emily greeted everyone, running a towel through her hair to dry it. She bent down and pecked Alison's lips, and then sat down on the bed with the others.

"That was a long shower," Alison commented, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, well, she must've been preparing for the post-wedding sex," Hanna joked, smirking proudly.

Emily rolled her eyes.

"That must be why Aria's taking such a long time, too, huh?" Alison joked. "Ezra's a lucky man."

The three girls laughed together at Alison's comment, but Alex didn't. She gritted her teeth, not finding it funny. She didn't want to think about Aria and Ezra doing that. But only she knew at that moment that the post-wedding sex wasn't going to happen. The wedding wasn't going to happen on her watch. The groom was locked up.

"I'm starving," Hanna complained. "Can we go down to eat breakfast already?"

"Don't you want to wait for Aria?" Emily asked. "Should we really be abandoning her on her wedding day?"

Alex shook her head. "No, no... don't worry about it. You guys should go ahead and eat. I'll stay here and wait for Aria."

"Really, Spence? You'd wait?" Alison asked.

Alex nodded her head. "It's no problem. I'm happy to wait for her. I'm not dying to eat, anyway."

"Okay, if you insist!" Hanna exclaimed, eagerly standing up. "Come on, let's go already, please!"

Emily, Alison, and Hanna left the room together. Alex smiled to herself smugly. She was blending in the group perfectly. It was like she was already one of them. And now, she got to spend some good alone time with Aria. Her plan was to confuse her even more about her wedding on her wedding day. And Alex was one to always think with her groin, so to her, it was quite fortunate that Aria was still in the shower.

Alex turned the knob, content that she didn't think to lock the door. Her body tingled at the sound of the running water, so she quickly shed her clothes. She pushed past the shower curtains, stepping inside of the shower wearing absolutely nothing. Aria, who was running shampoo through her hair, nearly screamed as she turned around. Alex, however, put her hand on Aria's mouth to shut her up. Aria felt slightly more calm that it was only "Spencer" inside of the shower, but she was extremely confused.

"Spencer," she said with a trembling lip. "W-what are you doing?"

"Don't talk about it and ruin a good thing," Alex whispered.

She leaned in, pressing her lips against Aria's. It was a wet, warm kiss. Alex pushed her back against the shower wall, leaving one hand on the wall, and the other on Aria's naked side. She moved her lips downwards, trailing kisses down Aria's jawline and neck. Aria didn't know what the hell she was doing— she was getting married that day, but there she was, making out with her best friend in the shower.

"Spencer, please," she pleaded while Alex kept kissing her neck. "I-I can't do this right now. I'm... getting married today."

"You don't have to get married today," Alex whispered, brushing her hands down Aria's body.

"Spence," Aria choked.

"You want me to get out?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrows, finally pulling her lips back.

Aria stood there in silence, indicating that she wasn't exactly super adamant that "Spencer" left the shower. Alex, smirking, leaned back in and kissed her again.

"Let me help you with that," Alex whispered, bringing her hands up to Aria's head, starting to massage the shampoo into her scalp.

x x x

"Spencer..." Aria muttered, pulling her t-shirt over her head. "Are we ever gonna talk about... anything? I tried my best to ignore it for so long, but after this? You're sending me mixed signals."

"There are no more mixed signals," Alex assured her. She sat down on the bed. "I know what I feel."

Aria sighed, shaking her head.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Aria demanded. "Why are you doing this now? Today's the day of my freaking wedding!"

"I know it's late... I know," Alex sighed, "and I'm sorry okay? I was scared. It's hard to compete with your fiancé."

"You kept talking about Toby," Aria hissed.

"He was all I had, okay?" Alex explained. "I tried to settle for what I had, because I knew he'd always want me. He was the safe choice. I know it's late, but I'm taking the risk now. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Maybe it does, but everything's complicated now. I promised the rest of my life to Ezra. I promised to love him forever," Aria shook her head. "He loves me so much, you know that?"

"And you?" Alex asked. "Do you love him?"

Aria swallowed hard. "Of course I love him."

"You haven't promised anything to him yet. You haven't married him yet," Alex reminded her. "Just tell me this: do you love me?"

Aria swallowed even harder, struggling to make her eyes meet Alex's.

"Of course I love you, Spence," Aria breathed. "How could I not love you?"

"Then don't marry him," Alex said.

"It's not that simple," Aria told her, frustrated. "Do you know what it's like to love two people? And I spent the last six months assuring myself that Ezra's the one I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with. I convinced myself, and I believe it now. He's standing by me through everything. He's supporting me through the adoption, and I... I love him, too. You have to understand."

"You're going through with it?" Alex asked, offended. "You're marrying him?"

"How can I not?" Aria bit her lip.

"Aria, I've been here for you through everything, too..."

"I know, but... you don't know how difficult this is for me. You're springing this decision on me on the day of my wedding!" Aria cried.

But Alex was greedy. After a lifetime full of being deprived of the love she wanted, she couldn't stand this. She hated that Aria was choosing that man over her.

"How can you say that you love Ezra and me equally?" she demanded, slamming her hand down on the bed. "Aria, he is the guy who staged your first meeting and stalked you... us... to write a crime novel. He's a liar. I can't stand the thought of knowing that you're marrying him."

Aria knew that many of the things that she was saying were true. He did do all of that. He did lie to her, stalk her, manipulate her. She had forgiven him somehow, but she certainly hadn't forgotten. And hearing all of it aloud again did make her upset. She thought about that dark time where all she could do was bawl her eyes out because the man she loved betrayed her.

"Fine," Alex said bitterly. She fought the urge to smile smugly although she could see, in Aria's eyes, that she had cast doubt. "If this is really what you want then fine. You know I'd never stop you from your happiness... I love you too much to do that." She paused, then stood up from the bed. "We should go down to eat breakfast. The others are already eating."

Aria nodded her head weakly. She swallowed hard as Alex walked out of the room. She now had to make a huge decision just hours before her wedding, which would decide whether or not the wedding would even happen.

x x x

Note: Wow, guys! I can't thank you all enough for the amount of positive feedback that this story has received— I certainly wasn't expecting it. I'm super excited to be writing this story because I kept seeing people online saying things about how it would've made so much more sense for Alex to have been in love with Aria (she seemed to have affection towards her, and seemed very anti-Ezra... coincidence?). But since it didn't come true on-screen, I thought I'd just write out a scenario myself. And it sure is loads of fun to write Alex Drake. It's quite a conflicting thing, that's for sure— Alex loves Aria, Aria loves Ezra Spencer, Spencer loves Toby (unsure of what Aria's love for her means for them). I hope you all enjoy the story, and I apologize if it isn't going in the direction you'd hoped, but I do know that I can't please everyone, unfortunately.