Chapter 1

A/N: Hello to everyone that may be reading this. Before you continue on, I wanted to let you know that this is my first fanfiction that I've written on this site. If any mistakes have been made on my part I apologize as I am still learning the format. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy what I've written, feel free to leave a review with any suggestions or critique!

Chapter 1:

"Please. Wait! Where are they taking her?" Alison shouted at the nurse who held the cluster of women back from Spencer, who was rushed away through a set of doors.

"Into surgery, it's the best chance she's got." The nurse said firmly, this answer didn't seem to please Alison one bit. "You can sit in the waiting room, it might be a couple of hours." The woman finished ushering the group to the room, where the doors were shut, and locked, firmly behind them.

"Well that went just swell, just great!" Alison said frustrated, she plopped down into one of the cold, uncomfortable, waiting room chairs.

Emily sat down next to her, "At least she's got a chance, more than we would've if-" Emily trailed off, she was going to say 'if Mary hadn't shown up' but thought better of it. Instead Emily looked to the older woman, who was sitting in a chair across from them, silently inspecting her blood stained clothes, obviously distraught.

Alison understood what Emily meant, but she didn't feel in the mood to throw a pity party for her aunt. She had trusted Mary, despite every warning from everyone she knew. And they had been right, she lied to her, she was there with Jenna, Noel, and AD. She probably would've let them all die if it wouldn't of been Spencer at risk. In fact, was probably planning on offing all the girls that night before Spencer got hurt.

They sat in awkward silence for what seemed like eternity. Each woman had their own thoughts on the matter, unwilling to make any small talk.

"Why don't you just say it?" Mary spoke out bravely, her voice hoarse after not speaking for a while, "Say what you're thinking, I can see that you want to accuse me." She finished, looking away and blinking back her oncoming tears.

"What do you want me to say? You were there with Jenna and Noel, you lied to me about Spencer. Who knows what else you're keeping from me. Why should I trust you?" Alison snapped, finally letting go of all of her pent up emotion.

Emily put her hand in Alison's, she was willing to support her no matter what. However, Alison didn't feel like creating a scene, she didn't feel like letting it go either. She looked at her aunt, whose expression read multiple things. She looked, scared, for whatever reason, the older woman looked terrified. Alison had heard the catch in her voice, and saw the fear in her eyes, although Mary was trying her hardest to avoid the prying eyes of the others.

"You shouldn't trust me, all I've ever done is bring you pain. I deserve everything coming to me." Mary let a sniffle get past, "Even if I did tell you the truth, you wouldn't believe me. It would just cause more trouble than we're already in." she said quietly.

Alison thought about this for a moment, her aunt might have a tragic backstory, but this wasn't the time, or the place. Right now, Alison just wanted to see her friend alive and well again. She corrected herself in her mind, Spencer was her cousin now.

"We? There is no we, you are you, we are us." Aria said, close to livid now. "You being Spencer's mother doesn't change a thing."

"I never expected it to, I don't even expect her to want to see me when she wakes up. I just want her to live, that's all I care about." Mary said finishing, somehow still managing to stand up for herself. Aria grumbled to herself before sitting down, realizing starting a fight was pointless.

"We're all a little on edge right now, when everything is back to normal we can talk about this civilly," Emily said looking to Aria, then to Mary, and back to Alison. Emily's eyes lingered on Alison for a moment, she noticed that she and Mary both had the same look of fear. Fear for their lives, or for Spencer's life, she wasn't sure.

Mary observed that Emily pulled Alison into her arms, holding her softly, almost trying to comfort her. Mary began wondering to herself if there might be a romantic connection between the two women. She would remember this information and ask Alison about it later.

"Em, even after this, there is no going back to normal." Alison said looking to her friends who had still stayed (mostly) silent throughout the whole ordeal. "Despite the new people," she said looking to Mary, "and the injuries," she continued looking to the hospital corridor, "we're going to be stalked all the same for the rest of our lives. I should never of asked you back here, any of you." Alison let a tear slip past, "It's all my fault we're back here doing this again."

Emily rubbed Alison's back, "Nonsense, this is not your fault." She wiped the tears falling from the other girl's face. "If we hadn't come back you'd still be under Archer's care. You wouldn't be here, with us, where you belong." Emily longed to kiss Alison, to make her pain go away, but she knew she couldn't.

"Oh Em!" Alison said, sobbing into Emily's arms. Yes, Mary thought to herself, they are definitely together. Mary hated seeing Alison this way, she didn't want her niece to hurt anymore, but she also knew it was best to let Emily take care of her

"I hate to interrupt," A female doctor said, holding a chart in front of her. "Family of Spencer Hastings?"

Alison looked up from Emily's shoulder, she turned to Mary, who had no idea what to say. The doctor stood impatiently.

Mary finally addressed the doctor, "I'm-" she stopped, not sure how to continue. This was a delicate and new situation, "Spencer's mother." she finished hesitantly.

Alison was now standing next to her aunt, wiping away her tears, "I'm her cousin." She said shortly, wishing they could just get to the point.

The doctor smiled and pulled the two women to the side before continuing, "There's good news, and there's bad news."

Alison and Mary clung to each other, preparing for the worst. Despite Alison still feeling uncomfortable towards her aunt, she didn't have much other choice. "The good news is, she survived the surgery. The bad news is, it might be some time before she heals, if she heals at all."

Once the words finally registered, Mary's knees went weak. Alison managed to catch her just before she crumpled to the ground. The words 'if she heals at all' played over and over in both of the women's minds. Spencer needed to live, it wasn't an option, she had to survive.

"Can, I see my daughter?" Mary managed to choke out quietly. The doctor looked hesitant to this request, and it scared Mary.

"You can, but I don't advise it, she doesn't look good." The doctor warned the pair.

"I-I need to see her." Mary said persistently. She wasn't going to pass this opportunity up. If Spencer wasn't going to survive like the doctor said, she had to see her, at least one last time.

"Go ahead, go to her. I'll let the others know what we know." Alison reassured Mary, who was still a stuttering mess.

"Room 712, first door on the left." The doctor reluctantly divulged the information with a sigh.

Mary nodded to Alison once more, and departed for the room. She forced her feet to move, even though her knees felt like they would buckle at any moment.

She had been told that what she would see wouldn't be good, but her breath hitched at the sight of her daughter. She couldn't force herself to move past the door frame.

Spencer lay in the hospital bed, her motionless body as pale as the sheet she was laying under. The bright, beautiful, young woman Mary saw that day when she knocked on the Hasting's door, now looked as lifeless as Charlotte had.

Of course Spencer wasn't actually lifeless, she was still breathing. Just barely at that, the sound of the countless machines hooked up to her daughter thrummed through Mary's ears. She managed to make her way to Spencer's bedside, and she kneeled down next to her.

She dared herself to touch her daughter's hand, and upon contact she was met with an ice cold touch. She interlaced their fingers and let the tears that had pent up for the last thirty minutes, fall.

She bowed her head down at the bedside, not willing to look at her daughter in this condition any longer. She silently prayed, to what God, she wasn't sure. Her whole life she had wished for a greater force to intervene and help her escape her fate. But no being had ever come to help her. And yet she prayed now, because Spencer hadn't deserved this, she deserved to live.

"I don't know-where to even begin.." she said cautiously at first, even though she knew talking to her daughter was pointless. "Even though you can't hear me, I figure I should start from the beginning."

20 Years Ago in Rosewood Pennsylvania

I pounded my fist against the Hasting's door. It took me five years to get here, to find them, to find my daughter. Spencer, I had been told her name was Spencer. Not what I would've personally chosen, but it still seemed fitting.

Jessica tried her hardest to keep me away, preventing me from finding my little girl. I managed to outsmart her, I hired someone to help me. So when I heard where she was, naturally I decided to come back and confront the man who had taken her from me.

When the door was finally answered, it was Peter Hastings. I would remember him for the rest of my life. He was the reason Spencer was born in the first place. He was the reason I hadn't slept in years. I never wanted to face him again, but I knew I had to if I ever wanted to see my baby.

"How the hell did you find this house?" He said, upon seeing me standing at the door. "Jessica told me you would never find us here."

"Not even a hello for an old friend?" I stopped a moment. "Oh wait, I forgot, you don't respect women, my bad." I said pushing past him to enter into the house.

My first thought, the house was absolutely stunning. Nicer than any house I had ever seen in my life, granted, downtown London wasn't exactly luxury. A staircase led to an upper floor, the kitchen and living room were connected, and many halls extended past that. The house left an imprint in my mind that would forever last, the place my daughter was kept from me.

Veronica Hastings came in from the next room, her jaw dropped upon seeing me. "What the-"

I interrupted her before she could continue.

"I came to see my daughter."

"Sorry but you can't do that, she's my daughter now." Veronica said coldly, turning away from me as if my presence disgusted her.

"Please, I want to see her, you owe me visitation rights." I begged, pleading, anything to see her at least once. I wanted to know my daughter more than anything, she was the only person I'd ever loved.

"We owe you nothing, as far as we knew you were going to be locked up for the rest of your life." Peter roared at me, he moved forward as if to strike me, and I cowered back.

Veronica look annoyed at his gesture, "Peter can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

He looked back at me, growling, "Stay right here, we'll talk about this in a minute."

With that he and Veronica took off to the back porch. I sat there and looked at my surroundings. I finally found her. I couldn't help but cry, I knew they would never let me see her. I didn't like crying in front of people, it made me feel weak.

I looked away from the back door, where I could hear the two shouting, and tried to muffle my sobs. My thoughts were interrupted, when I saw a small girl come skipping down the grand staircase.

I took in a sharp breath, when I saw the little brunette girl with a witty demeanor and a cocky little smile. It couldn't-could it be?

"Hi." The little girl said meekly. I still wasn't sure if it was Spencer, the odds were in my favor though.

"Hi, what's your name?" I said through the tears that wouldn't stop flowing, no matter how hard I tried. If I could just get confirmation it was her-

"Mommy told me not to tell my name to strangers." The girl said, cocking her head to the side, as if to inspect me, challenge me almost.

"Smart girl." I said, this caused her to smile, "Well, my name is Mary Drake, and I'm an old friend of your parents." She seemed to relax a little, "Now I'm not a stranger anymore."

After a minute longer, she hesitantly extended her tiny hand to me, "My name is Spencer Hastings, and I'm five years old."

I felt a twinge of happiness, it was her, it was my daughter. Tears stung my eyes and I shook her hand, she looked to me curiously.

"Mary, why are you sad?" Spencer asked me in an innocent little voice. She sat down next to me on the couch, and looked to me with wide, curious, eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked her, trying to hide my excitement.

"I came down here because I heard you crying, I don't like when people are sad, I want to make them feel better." Spencer explained. It was then I realized how kind my daughter really was, she even cared about me, the random stranger in her house. The look of concern in the girl's eyes convinced me to answer her honestly.

"Well Spencer, I'm sad because my daughter was taken from me." I said wiping my tears, I looked down at her little bunny pajamas and smiled.

"And you're, trying to get her back?" She finished my thought exactly, I was in awe at her mental capacity, even at five years old.

"Yes, exactly. I miss her very much, and I want her to come back to me." I tried to explain as delicately as I could.

"Is she pretty, like you?" Spencer asked, I now realized why she had been staring at me. She thought I was pretty, maybe she even looked up to me.

"She's very pretty, like you." I responded, tapping her on the nose. This caused her to giggle, I did too, even though tears were still in my eyes.

"You think, I'm pretty?" She asked changing from laughing to shocked with a smile. I could tell no one had ever told her that.

"Very pretty, and I think your going to grow up to be very smart too." I said the tears flowing down my cheeks.

She took my hand, noticing my tears. "Whenever my sister and I are sad or hurt, mommy sings us a song to make us feel better." She said. Instantly, I felt pain, she referred to Veronica as her mother, not me. I would never be her mother, that was something I would have to live with.

"Do you want me to sing to you, it might make you feel better?" She asked me, a childish gleam in her eyes that I couldn't say no to.

"I would love that." I replied with a smile, and she took a deep breath.

She began to sing,

"Hush little baby don't say a word,

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring."

My tears stopped flowing and a huge smile came to my face. My daughter was so kind, and caring.

"That was lovely, and it made me feel so much better." I said with a convincing smile.

She stood up and hugged me, I wanted to hold onto her tightly and never let her go. But I knew I had to, "I have to go to bed now, I hope you get your daughter back Mary."

"I hope I do to. Thank you Spencer." I replied, tears stinging my eyes when she turned to leave. Just as soon as she was here, she was gone, like, I had never known her.

Veronica and Peter walked back in, "We've decided that you need to go." Veronica said, a little less harsh than before.

"Wha-what do you mean?" I said, stumbling over my words. I knew exactly what she meant, but didn't want to believe it.

"We mean that you don't get visitation rights, and you never come back to this town ever again." Veronica clarified, ushering me towards the door.

"You can't do that to me! I deserve to see her!" I begged, crying openly now.

"Get out of this house before I call Radley, I could get you locked up as quickly as you could blink." Peter screamed.

Anger boiled inside me, "One day I'll come back, and the whole truth will be revealed. I'll tell everyone about you, what you did to me Peter. Just you wait." I said in tears as I stormed out of the house.

"So you see Spencer, that was the first, and last time I talked to you. Well, since that day a couple weeks ago when I came to your door."

Spencer's hand remained still in Mary's, not that she expected anything to happen anyway. But Mary thought it felt good to get the truth out, even if it was to nobody.

"When you opened that door and I saw you for the first time in twenty years, I realized that I was screwed. I had expected for Peter or Veronica to the answer the door, not you."

Mary continued crying to her daughter, "You were so grown up, and still just as beautiful as you were when you were younger."

"And that's why I sang to you, when I cradled you in my arms as you died. Because I was in shock, I was panicked. And yet I remembered that first moment I met you, I remembered you singing to me. I figured maybe that would calm you down in your last moments."

"I'm so sorry." Mary managed to let the words fall from her lips. Her tears now wetting the bed sheet.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I'm sorry for not finding you sooner-" she hesitated for a moment, "I'm sorry for losing you again."

Mary cried for another moment or two before standing up and heading for the door. She stopped before she could reach the door handle, something compelled her to say goodbye before she left. In case this was the last time she would see her daughter.

She moved back to the bed, and kissed Spencer on the forehead, which was just as cold as her hands. She whispered out to her daughter, and into the dense, empty, air.

"I know you're a fighter, please, fight. Come back to your friends, your family, your parents, to me if you want to." She said stopping for a moment.

"I don't care if you never want to see me again, if you hate me, I just- I need you to live!" She said yelling at her unconscious daughter now. Not out of hatred, or frustration, out of love. "I want to see your beautiful smiling face again, I want to hear your laugh that instantly makes me happy."

Mary looked back down at Spencer, who hadn't moved, and still remained pale. Not that Mary was expecting a miracle, but she had an ounce of hope left. "I love you, Spencer."