Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 1: One Year Later

Music could be heard blasting loudly in the Hastings' Barn and the strong, intoxicating smell of vodka was burning the five teenaged girls' nostrils as they drank, laughed, danced and sang along with the booming music from the radio.

Aria Montgomery, Hera Marin and Emily Fields were dancing in circles and giggling loudly, while Hanna Marin and Spencer Hastings were refilling their cups, when all of a sudden, the music came to an abrupt stop and the lights in the barn turned off, submerging the five girls in total and complete silence and pitch darkness.

"What happened?" Emily whimpered, keeping a vice grip on both Aria and Hera's wrists.

"It must be the storm," Spencer immediately informed them, looking for the best plausible reason like she always did. She jumped however, when a squeaking sound resonated from outside the barn and Aria whimpered, "There's something out there."

The barn door banged open all of a sudden making the girls scream in unison and clutch onto each other harder.

"Guys…" Hanna trailed off, looking at her twin sister for comfort. Hera squared her shoulders, trying to look brave, "Spencer's right, it's- it's probably from the storm."

And with that, Hera grabbed her sister's hand comfortingly and the five girls edged closer towards the door, various emotions materializing on each of their features, though still resembling fear somewhat. They squealed and jumped in their spot as the sounds of crushing glass echoed from outside but they continued to bravely trudge on.

"Gotcha!"

"Aah!" the girls all screamed once again, clutching onto their chests in fear, their eyes narrowing on the pretty blonde and last person that made up their group of friends who appeared so suddenly at the door, scaring them to pieces.

The beautiful blonde began laughing so hard, her blue eyes dancing with mischief and merriment as she glanced at the faces of her five frightened best friends.

"That's so not funny, Alison," Spencer snapped, not appreciating being almost scared to death.

Alison shrugged unapologetically, "I thought it was hilarious, girls."

"Yeah! If you wanted to give us a heart attack!" Hera ground out. Alison stuck her tongue out at her as the other girls coked out a feeble laugh and they all settled down on the sofas.

"Ali, did you download the new Beyonce?" Hanna asked excitedly as Hera went over to the table at the corner and poured herself a drink.

"Not yet," Alison denied.

"I'm loving her new video!" Emily squealed. Alison spared her a small sneer and laughed, "Maybe a little too much, Em." Emily looked chastised and gulped her drink while Hera narrowed her eyes on Alison; she loved Ali to pieces but sometimes she could be such a bitch.

Alison handed a glass over to Aria, "Your turn. Go on."

"Careful Aria," Spencer warned their gothic friend as she drank more than a mouthful. "Take too much, and you'll tell us all of your secrets."

Alison smirked at Spencer and Aria before glancing at the three other girls with gleeful eyes, and said, "Friends share secrets. That's what keeps us close. Drink up."

Hours of gossiping, drinking and dancing had worn the girls out and before they knew it, they were out like a light. However, sleep didn't last long in their agenda as they found themselves being prodded awake by Aria.

"What's wrong?" Hera asked groggily.

"Where's Ali and Spencer?" Hanna asked upon noticing two of their friends were missing from their sleeping bags. Emily and Hera were now as wide awake as the two other girls as they stood up, their faces etched into confusion and worry.

"I don't know," Aria bit her lip going toward the barn door. Spencer walked in just as the three girls were halfway to following the shorter girl.

"Ali?" Hera called out, sighing in relief when she saw Spencer walk in, but she frowned upon noticing the blonde beauty wasn't with her and Spencer's next words chilled her blood.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Aria demanded from Spencer.

Spencer had a weird look take over her features; biting her lips, she said in a shaky voice, "I've looked everywhere for her. I think I heard her scream."

Hera Marin snapped out of her reverie regarding the events that happened one year ago as she stared at her house from the inside of her car. After Spencer informed the girls that Ali was missing, and after waiting for the allotted twenty-four hours, the five girls were questioned quite rigorously by the police about the events leading up to the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis.

Once Hera gave her statement, she waited another day before packing up some of her belongings and her savings, swiped one her father's credit cards and took a cab to the airport, disappearing for a year to California and enrolling herself into Boarding School. Her parents weren't pleased when they received a call from their missing daughter in Cali informing them that she needed a break from all the drama in Rosewood and the disappearance of her best friend, but they ended up giving her their blessings.

Hanna, her twin sister who was five minutes younger than her, wasn't easily persuaded and it took her six months before she finally sent her an email with barely any information. Hera and Hanna Marin, best friends and twins that could finish each other's sentences weren't the same as before. After Hera ran off to Boarding School, their relationship changed a complete 360, but Hera was adamant that she needed to leave.

And now, one year later, she was finally back in Rosewood, wishing that she hadn't made the decision in coming back and was still safely ensconced in Newport Prep Boarding School. But Hera knew that she couldn't run away from her past forever and she missed her sister dearly, desperately hoping to rekindle their close sisterhood.

Sighing, Hera grudgingly stepped out and shut the door of her red convertible, a gift or, to be precise, a bribe from her father to get her to return home, and shortened the distance to the front door. She shook her head when she found the door unlocked – seriously, shit can happen in Rosewood, and her mother shouldn't be so careless with their safety.

Sliding two overloaded suitcases inside and dumping her duffle bags in the foyer, Hera walked over to the kitchen where she could hear the sounds of banging and the distinctive clicking of heels and came face-to-face with her mother, Ashley Marin.

Ashley's eyes widened before joy and relief etched her beautiful features and a beaming smile curved onto her lips. "Hera?" she gasped, thrilled, unable to believe her estranged daughter stood before her in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," Hera smiled, her hand performing an awkward wave. She really did miss her mother. Ashley Marin wasn't like the other mothers in Rosewood; she was categorized as one of the coolest Moms in the idyllic-looking town. Mother and daughter engulfed each other in a tight embrace before Ashley's outstretched arms held Hera's shoulders in place and her vibrant blue eyes that the twins inherited, roamed her body, observing the changes in her estranged daughter.

"You look so beautiful. You've changed so much. And your tan and oh my God, your hair!" Ashley grabbed a few locks of Hera's hair, admiring the vibrant red highlights.

Living in California changed Hera's outlook in life and her physical beauty. Despite being twins, Hera and Hanna weren't identical, but sororal twins. Hanna was the overweight one with the cute childish features that spoke of innocence and a love for food; Hera on the other hand, had always been slim and lean like Ashley, with prominent and sharp features.

Coming back from Cali, Hera's ivory complexion was now extremely tanned, giving her a golden glow. Her body was no longer slim but toned, having become a fitness fanatic, encouraged by the friends she made there and attended the gym on a daily basis, putting in grueling sessions. Her golden hair cascaded down to her waist, its ends highlighted a flaming red from her breasts to her waist. But the biggest change of all, a change that was very subtle and hard to notice, were her blue eyes; a year ago, they were dull with depression, defeat and fear, the light having gone out, but now, they were icy, hardened with strength but brimming with sparkling emotions – positive ones!

"Yeah," Hera shrugged nonchalantly. "California changed me, decided to make myself a new look."

In an instant, Ashley had her fingers curled around Hera's wrists in a vice grip, her delicately plucked eyebrows sternly raised, "Tattoos, Hera?" With a sheepish smile, the blonde carefully extracted her inked wrists from her mother's hold. "Seems like you've changed a lot. Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

On her right wrist, the words 'Stay Strong' were inked, surrounded by thorns and roses, and emblazoned on her left wrist were the words 'I am a survivor, not a victim' written in Latin: 'Ego sum superstes, non ad victimam'.

Sheepish smile unwavering, Hera turned around and lifted her long locks to show her mother the tattooed word, 'Warrior.' "And I also had a belly pierce don't. That's it," she innocently added.

"That's it?" Ashley sarcastically repeated, shaking her head, "Fine, I'm going to let that pass. But anymore inking and piercing and I want to know beforehand! Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Hera cheekily saluted, drawing a smile from her mother. Hera thoughtfully scanned the room, "Where's Hanna?"

Ashley shuffled awkwardly and fixed her daughter with sympathetic eyes, "She already left to the mall before school. We didn't know you were coming back, so be easy on Hanna–"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. She still hasn't forgiven me for leaving," Hera sighed sadly. Picking up her purse, she forced a convincing smile, "Well, I guess I'm going to school then. Bye Mom." Kissing her mother on the cheek goodbye, Hera retraced her previous steps, sauntering over to her car. Starting the engine, she promptly drove to Rosewood High were she had the misfortune of arriving just in the nick of time to attend the first day of school; she had been hoping for an excuse to skip.

Hera felt a stab of pain when she noticed there were still photos of a smiling Alison littered throughout town with the headlines 'Still Missing' and she sighed to herself.

Ali, where are you?

"Aria? Emily?"

Aria and Emily were on their way to English class when they were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out their names. Pivoting on their spots, they both gasped in surprise at the changed Hera Marin.

Squealing, Hera engulfed them in a three-way bear-hug, "Emily, you look fantastic, and oh my God, Aria! Where did the pink strip go?"

Aria smiled, "I thought a change was needed." She then raised an eyebrow upon noticing Hera's fiery red locks and smirked, "Obviously, you did too. I love it! And your tan is amazing!"

"I've been in Cali for a year. A tan was unavoidable," Hera laughed. "Where are Hanna and Spencer?" Aria nodded in agreement to the blonde's curious inquiry, and the two girls stared at Emily for confirmation since they were both away from Rosewood for a year.

Emily gave an awkward laugh, "We didn't just fall out of touch with you two–"

"Wait, what? Aria, why, where were you?" Hera interrupted Emily and stared at Aria in wonderment.

"My family moved to Iceland for a year. I just got back two days ago," Aria replied. All of a sudden, her eyes widened on a specific blonde at the end of the hallway, "Is that Hanna?"

"She's the 'it' girl now," Emily matter-of-factly divulged. Hera's jaw dropped when she finally set eyes on her twin sister for the first time in a year; she was thin now, remarkably so, and dressed fashionably too, a far cry from the pudgy girl who always wore baggy clothes a year ago.

Emily filled in the shocked silence, "And where there's Hanna, there's Mona." Hera and Aria continued to gape when Mona strode confidently next to Hanna. Mona had ditched the huge glasses and was slimmer too, dressed in tight revealing clothes and a face painted to the brim with makeup.

"Wow. Talk about a makeover," Aria commented in awe.

"Holy Cow! How much has things changed?" Hera asked Emily. Emily and Aria stared at her in confusion, and Emily couldn't help but ask, "Hanna never told you what was going on in Rosewood?"

Hera pouted sadly, "Hanna hasn't spoken to me in a year. She only sent me a few emails, but she's pissed that I left, especially without saying goodbye."

Hanna noticed them and gave a small perfunctory wave, her eyes widening upon noticing Hera stood among them. Just as Hera was about to smile and go over, Hanna averted her gaze and ignored her presence completely, making Hera sigh in disappointment and Emily and Aria to give her pitying looks.

"What's up with her? Are you two fighting?" Aria asked Emily, trying to cover the awkward moment for Hera. Emily shook her head, "That's what I was saying before. We didn't just fall out of touch with the two of you. We all fell out of touch with each other."

"What the hell? Why?" Hera demanded angrily. "Yes, Ali was our friend and was the one that brought us together when we were six, but just because she's gone, doesn't mean the five of us can't be friends," she snapped, watching as Spencer Hastings walked past and gave Hanna a shy smile.

Aria nodded in complete agreement with Hera's words, but Emily sighed sadly, "I know, but that's what happened." She jutted her chin in Hanna and Spencer's direction, "They're not so close anymore either."

"So they're friendly, but not friends," Aria commented with a forlorn sigh as they reached their destination. The three girls walked into English class and took a seat in their separate desks.

Hera kept sneaking glances at her twin who stayed glued to Mona's side and ignored her existence. Her eyes then drifted over to Noah who had been blatantly smirking at her while whispering to someone on his left. That someone happened to turn around at that moment, and Hera felt her blood run cold and the hair on the back of her neck to stand.

Chad Delaney, her ex-boyfriend. They'd been dating on and off since they were thirteen. He was one of the richest and sexiest guys in Rosewood with his dark, silky hair and stormy grey eyes. In the beginning, Hera was over the moon that one of the most popular guys in town asked her out, but after having been with him for a few months, he changed, showing his true colors and Hera was trapped in a loveless, oppressing relationship with him. Chad Delaney was another reason why she ditched town after Ali's disappearance, and she was not looking forward to seeing him on a daily basis.

"Holy crap."

Tearing her eyes from the intense stare-off she inadvertently initiated with Chad, Hera glanced at the young, handsome and dark-haired English teacher who was staring wide-eyed at an equally shocked Aria. In fact, the whole class was staring between the two of them when Aria's phone rang and she embarrassedly opened her message after sparing a quick apology to the teacher.

"Uh, I'm Mr. Fitz, your new English teacher," Mr. Fitz announced after Aria pocketed her phone.

The split-second class ended, Hera jumped out of her seat to chase after her sister, "Hanna! Hanna!"

Hanna ignored her completely, grabbing Mona's wrist and dragging her down the hallway and out of sight.

"Damnit Han!" Hera muttered to herself just as someone grabbed her arm. She turned around and gulped loudly when she found herself face-to-face with a furious Chad. Without a word, he dragged her into an empty hallway and slammed her backwards against the lockers, causing a loud bang to echo around them.

"What the hell, Hera! You leave without saying goodbye! You're my girlfriend!" Chad growled angrily, and she was sure that he had dented her waist with his fingerprints.

California changed Hera, and even though Chad frightened her, she wasn't about to become the girl she used to be a year ago – that girl died. Snarling, Hera shoved Chad away from her personal space, taking great pleasure in the surprise that flashed across his features. "Actually, Chad, we were broken up months before I left! So you have no stake in me anymore. Unless me leaving didn't spell it out for you, let me make something perfectly clear, we're over!" she sneered.

The hallway slowly started crowding with students. Not wanting to make a scene, Chad leaned forward and snarled through gritted teeth, "We're not over, until I say we are, Bitch!"

Inhaling and exhaling with sheer relief, Hera glared daggers at his retreating back and tried to control her trembling hands as her phone rang with a text. Blue eyes widened, and her heart started to beat uncontrollably as she drank in the message that appeared on her screen.

Didn't know you had it in you without my interference.

Maybe you don't need me to defend you anymore.

-A

"Alison?" Hera gasped, her voice a mixture of fear, shock and hope.

Flashback:

"Chad! Stop it! Stop! Please!" Hera whined desperately. She was shoved onto the wall in the Delaney's backyard with Chad's angry face mere inches from hers and she could smell the whiskey in his breath, fanning her face with its toxic smell.

"You went to a party with your little friends without me! You're my girlfriend, Hera!" Chad snarled.

Hera whimpered as Chad shook her roughly and her back scraped painfully against the brick wall, "Stop hurting me!"

In response, Chad let go of her, watching with disgust as her broken form crumpled onto the ground, sliding down from the wall, large sobs wracking her body. She screamed in pain when Chad's foot connected with her waist.

"I can do whatever the hell I want with you," he growled.

"Hey! Get off her you bastard!"

Hera chanced a glimpse at her savior and sighed with relief when Alison shoved Chad off of her. "Touch my friend again and I'll destroy you Delaney!" Alison threatened him, her face morphed with anger, looking like an avenging angel.

"I'll deal with you later, tramp!" Chad spat at Hera's fallen form as he arrogantly strode back into his house, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Hera whimpered when she felt hands on her, but relaxed when she recognized them to be the soft hands of her best friend, and the next thing she knew, she was being led into the DiLaurentis House and into Alison's room.

There was silence for a long moment before Alison finally spoke, "How long has it been going on?"

Swallowing loudly, Hera decided that Ali deserved the truth since she was the one that helped her out tonight. "Two months after we got together," she admitted in a hush.

"That's nearly 2 years Her!" Alison snapped. Hera merely nodded, clutching her side painfully; she was sure that she had a broken rib, but she couldn't exactly tell her parents that she was in need of medical care because she was being abused by her 'perfect' boyfriend. "You have to turn him in, Hera."

Hera gaped at her friend, and frantically shook her head, "N-No, I can't. Just leave it be, Ali!"

"Leave it be?" Alison exclaimed with a touch of incredulity. "You've become his personal punching bag. If I didn't intervene when I did, you would be suffering from a lot more than a broken rib!"

"I know. Look, I've dealt with it before, just forget it. I'm sure Chad won't do it anymore now that he's been caught."

Alison studied her friend for a while with pursed lips, before she finally responded with a reluctant nod, "Fine. But if he does it again, then you go to the police."

End of Flashback

Alison was the only one who knew about Hera and Chad's abusive relationship. Looking down at the message from this 'A' person, Hera didn't know if she should be relieved over the probability Ali was apparently alive, or scared that she blabbed to someone.

"I ran into Ella Montgomery today," Ashley prefaced as she stirred the pot. Hanna, who was standing beside her, helping cook dinner, stared in response, and waited expectantly for the next words. "Why didn't you tell me Aria was back?"

"Why didn't you tell me Hera was coming back?" Hanna shot off instantly, smoothly dodging the question.

Ashley hesitated, but before she could open her mouth, Hera silently joined them and answered, "She didn't know, sis. I surprised her today morning."

Hanna whirled around and stubbornly crossed her arms. "It wasn't exactly a nice surprise," she sassily retorted.

"Girls," Ashley sighed as she switched off the oven.

"Han, I'm sorry for leaving. But come on, ignoring me and acting like a Grade-A Bitch is a bit extreme, don't ya think?" Hera snapped. Hanna didn't bother replying, and the Marin women sat down to eat dinner in a stifling silence, the tension too thick for comfort.

Ashley was the first to break it, "Ella didn't know your father left. I hate telling that story."

"So change the story," Hanna shrugged apathetically. "I did. You grew up. You grew apart. It was mutual, and, honestly, we are much happier without him."

"I still can't believe dad left," Hera scoffed, her head shaking in disbelief. She was still having trouble processing her parents' split.

"Maybe if you didn't leave then things would've been different and he would have stuck around," Hanna snapped.

"Oh right, because me being here would have stopped Dad from dumping us! Is that what you're saying?" Hera bit back challengingly.

Eyes flickering between her daughters, Ashley snapped, "Girls stop it!" Sighing, she propped her elbows on the table and said, "'We' didn't get dumped. I did."

"He left both of us," Hanna rebutted, purposely leaving Hera out. A malevolent glint in her eyes, she squarely met her twin's gaze, "Huh, seems you're more like Dad than I thought. You dumped us, too."

Ashley and Hanna's phone rang at the same time, interrupting Hera's acerbic retort. Hera sighed forlornly and leaned back in her seat; she really wanted her sister back, but it seemed that Hanna was adamant in being a bitch and not even trying to heal their wounds.

"I'll get it," Hera mumbled, referring to the doorbell, only to be ignored by her mother and sister who were both busy on the phone.

Opening the door, a gasp involuntarily escaped Hera's lips as she nervously stared with wide eyes at the man who stood behind the threshold.

"Darren?"

"Hera," Darren Wilden neutrally acknowledged her. His tone was apathetic, but Hera didn't miss the flash of surprise that passed through his navy blue eyes. "Is Hanna Marin in?"

Surprise flickered across Hera's features, wondering what her sister had done to bring the police at their door.

"Yeah. Why?" Hanna asked suspiciously from behind her, thankfully not having overheard the familiarity between her twin and the officer.

"Is your mother home?" Darren dodged Hanna's inquiry and disregarded Hera's curious stare.

"Let me call you back," Ashley spoke through the phone. Striding over to stand by her daughters, she met Darren's steady gaze and asked, "What's this about?"

"We received a call from Rosewood mall security. They have your daughter, Hanna, on tape shoplifting a pair of sunglasses," Darren disclosed, his tone professionally detached.

Laughing nervously, Ashley said, "I'm sure there's been a mistake." Hera had eyes for no one but her twin and they narrowed when she caught the subtle guilty shift in Hanna's stance.

A cold smile flittered on Darren's face, "I don't think so." Focusing on Hanna, he said, "Could you turn around?"

"Mom!" Hanna yelled in indignant fear as Darren handcuffed her. Hera gaped; what the hell was happening? Since when does Hanna Banana shoplift?

Ashley could do nothing but let Darren Wilden escort Hanna to his car to the police station while she and Hera followed after them in Ashley's car.

Upon reaching the station, Ashley wasted no time in barging into Darren's office, instigating a heated private conversation with him while her daughters dutifully sat outside in the reception. Hera silently sat beside her twin, not knowing what to say and not wanting to disturb the peace with Hanna's rude bitching.

Hanna began fidgeting nervously in her seat and just as she reached out to take a candy from the table, she received a text.

Be careful, Hanna. I hear prison food makes you fat. –A

"What's wrong?" Hera instantly asked after seeing her sister's hand drop and her face turn pale.

"Nothing!" Hanna snapped. "It's just, just Mona asking for fashion advice on what to wear tomorrow," she added offhandedly. Hera pursed her lips, unwilling to believe her twin; they always had a knack for finishing each other's sentences and they were skilled in reading each other – call it a twin thing.

Leaning forward, Hera whispered, "Was it signed by 'A'?"

Hanna's neck cricked as she whipped around so fast to stare at her sister in horror, "H-How… why would you ask that?"

The older twin nodded; Hanna's expression gave her away. "I got one, too. In school today," she pointedly revealed.

Hanna sighed in relief, but before she could get another word in, Darren and Ashley stepped out of the former's office, and she focused on her mother, ignoring her twin for the time being, "What's going on?"

"Let's go," Ashley simply said. Hanna looked beyond relieved, but Hera sensed that something was off in her mother's tone. As the three Marins left the station, Hera couldn't help but risk a glace back, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she noticed Darren staring intensely back at her.

"In a small town like this, what people think about you matters," Ashley mentioned to a chastised Hanna as she drove herself and her daughters home.

"I know," Hanna grumbled in a small voice, her eyes never leaving her hands.

"Then why would you risk it all to steal a pair of sunglasses?" Ashley snapped sharply. "Hanna, I buy you everything you need to be popular."

"That's not why I do it," Hanna mumbled.

Hera snorted from her place in the backseat, "What then? Is it the rush of getting caught!? You a klepto now?"

"Don't act like you know everything, Hera! A lot has changed since you ditched town," Hanna yelled angrily, her eyes glaring at her sister from the rearview mirror.

"Clearly," Hera drawled, unaffected by her sister's glare.

"This is about your father, isn't it?" Ashley demanded, bringing the attention back to the subject in hand, "You think this is going to get his attention."

"I made a mistake," was all Hanna said, tired of repeating herself.

"In Rosewood, you don't have room to make a mistake. And neither do I," Ashley retorted.

Hera scoffed; that was one of the reasons why she left this godforsaken town. You couldn't sneeze without everyone somehow finding out.

"I'm sorry. I'll fix it somehow," Hanna offered with a huff.

Ashley spared Hera a brief glance before adamantly saying, "You will deny you did anything wrong. It was a misunderstanding."

"But–"

"I'm taking care of it," Ashley spoke with finality, her tone brooking no argument, and the twins knew that the subject was closed… for now.

Hera and Hanna made their way out of the car when they noticed a huge crowd in front of the DiLaurentis House that now housed the St. Germain's. The twins exchanged bewildered looks when they found two agents of coroner pushing a body bag on a stretcher across the lawn, and they pushed their way forward.

"I heard the cops took Hanna to the police station today," they overhead Aria mention to Spencer who stood at the front of the crowd.

"You don't think she'd ever talk about–"

Announcing her presence, Hanna cut in, "The Jenna thing?"

"We made a promise girls, we aren't about to break it," Hera added, standing by Aria's side and sharing a small smile with Spencer, the only one from their past group of friends that she had yet to interact with.

After a few minutes of watching the crowd disperse, Hera ran back to the house with Hanna hot on her heels, wiping away the rivulet of tears that were falling freely down her face and made a beeline to the television.

"The current owners of the residence were in the process of demolishing the structure to make room for a renovation project when workers made the gruesome discovery. The parents of the deceased were unavailable for comment, but a family spokesperson confirmed the gazebo was under construction. The summer 15-year-old Alison DiLaurentis disappeared. Tonight, the family is asking for privacy. As they come to terms with the sad ending to a year-long mystery, and local authorities are coming to terms with the fact a killer is at large in Rosewood."

Hanna switched off the TV upon hearing her sister's uncontrollable sobbing at the death of their friend, and without hesitation, pulled her into her arms. The Marin twins ignored the fact that they weren't on speaking terms at the moment and that their relationship was currently rocky as they both mourned and comforted each other for the death of their best friend that had been missing for a year.

"I thought you hated me," Hera stated in between loud sniffles.

Hanna was quiet for a while as her chin rested on top of her head, and her arms tightened around her sister, "I can never hate you, I'm just… so angry that you left."

Before Hera could reply, they heard the door bang shut followed by the distinctive sound of ruffling clothes and the two girls stared with incredulous eyes and their mouths agape as their mother stormed into the house like a hurricane, her hand pulling Agent Darren Wilden alongside her up the stairs.

Locked lips separating, Darren's eyes found Hera's shocked blue ones and a small crease appeared between his brows upon noticing the fresh batch of tears on her face just before he reached the landing and disappeared from sight.

"What. The. Hell?" Hanna gasped, her eyes marginally widening from where their mother had just disappeared with Darren to her sister's tearstained face.

Scoffing, Hera stated, "I guess that's what Mom meant by 'taking care of it'."

Their limbs were separated as the twins sat in an uncomfortable silence on the couch. Hera gave her sister a vulnerable look and in a timid voice, said, "Can we try to move on from the fact that I pulled the disappearing act? You're my sister and my best friend and I miss you."

Hanna thoughtfully pursed her lips. Reluctantly, she sighed, and said, "Why did you come back? Mom told me you were thrilled in Cali… why come back to this gossip-mongering town?"

Hera chuckled and earnestly said, "Because you're in it." Upon seeing Hanna's disbelieving stare, she continued, "I didn't plan on leaving forever. Honestly, if you weren't in Rosewood, I would have never returned."

Silence stretched for a while longer, and just as Hera was about to sadly retreat into her room, Hanna grabbed her and pulled her into another hug. No words were needed to be uttered; this was Hanna's silent way of showing her sister that even though not all was forgiven, she would try to move past it and rebuild their relationship again.

Hera and Hanna gave each other supportive smiles and they firmly held hands as they walked into the church for their best friend's funeral. They stopped by the closed coffin where Emily and Aria stood before, staring desolately at it and Hanna reached out for Aria's hand with her free one while Hera did the same with Emily's.

"Poor Ali," Emily mumbled.

"Can you believe what a scene this is?" Hanna was referring to the reporters and how her death rapidly spread across the nation.

"Alison would have loved it," Spencer commented as she joined the four girls.

"Popular in life and death," Hera chuckled weakly. "Dying with her beauty still intact."

Mr. and Mrs. DiLaurentis had them sit at first rank, insisting they deserved priority as Alison's best friends. The five girls stared forlornly at the smiling face of Alison, the picture they had up next to her coffin.

All of a sudden Hanna rummaged through her purse and passed Emily a flask of alcohol.

"No thanks. I don't–" Emily started to refuse. Pushing it into her hand, Hanna smiled and softly said, "Today, I think you do."

Aria's cell rang and the girls involuntarily stared at it, terror spreading across their visage.

"Anyone we know?" Hanna asked, her tone one of forced nonchalance.

Aria firmly shook her head, "It's just my mom sending me a text." She suddenly paused to scrutinize Hera, Hanna and Spencer, and when she spoke next, a tremor was easily detected, "Emily and I aren't the only ones who got a message from 'A,' are we?"

No words needed to be exchanged, their faces said it all. Spencer suddenly gasped, widened eyes narrowing in on a sunglasses-clad girl that had just entered the church, "Oh, my God. It's Jenna."

The four other girls whipped their heads around and stared at the dark-haired girl in fear. She was walking with the aid of a young man they didn't know and wore sunglasses, depicting that she was blind.

Mrs. DiLaurentis moved toward the girls and said, "Did you see that Jenna Marshall was here? I didn't realize she and Ali were friends."

"They weren't," Spencer ground out firmly.

All conversation about Jenna halted as the Minister delivered his sermon to the large congregation, "The lord giveth and the lord taketh away…"

Once the ceremony had concluded, the five girls were one of the first ones to depart the premises, gathering in front of the church, desperately wanting to discuss the Jenna Marshall's suspicious return to Rosewood when a voice familiar to Hera pervaded from behind.

"Emily, Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and…" Darren trailed off the moment his intense gaze fell on Hera, "And Hera."

"Do we know you?" Spencer spoke up, ever the curious one.

Hera perceived a small smirk directed at her as Darren spoke, "I'm Detective Wilden. I understand you were all good friends with the victim."

Hera desperately bit her lips to suppress her sassy response of, 'You know we were,' from blurting out and was thankful for Aria's unwitting interjection, "Yeah, we were."

Darren nodded, of course he already knew beforehand, "I'm gonna need to talk to each one of you."

"We already spoke with the police when Ali went missing," Hera bluntly stated, her blue eyes turning to ice as they pierced Darren's skull.

Darren focused on Hera, "And I intend to go over every one of your statements. This is no longer a missing person's investigation. It's a murder. Rest assured, I will find out what happened that summer." And not allowing the girls a chance for a rebuttal, he walked away.

"Yeah, believe me, we wish we knew, too," Hera spat out. She smiled when Hanna squeezed her hand in silent support.

"Do you think he knows about…?" Aria inclined her head towards Jenna who was being helped into the backseat of a polished black car.

"No. How could he?" Hanna negated instantly.

In unison, each of the girls phone blared with the arrival of a text. Hesitantly, they opened the message and gasped.

"Oh, my God!" Aria exclaimed.

"It's from–" Hanna couldn't finish her sentence, cut off by Emily's startled gasp, "I got one too."

"Who the hell is this person?" Hera's voice wavered with fear.

Spencer began reading the text out loud, "I'm still here, bitches–"

"And I know everything. A," the girls chimed in, each of them staring at one another in profound horror.

CAST:

Hera Marin – Candice Swanepoel

Hanna Marin – Ashley Benson

Spencer Hastings – Troian Bellisario

Aria Montgomery – Lucy Hale

Emily Fields – Shay Mitchell

Darren Wilden – Bryce Johnson

Chad Delaney – Matt Bomer

Ashley Marin – Laura Leighton

Alison DiLaurentis – Sasha Pieterse

A/N: Ok, so this is my new fanfic. Tell me what you think about it? It won't be exactly like the TV show; I will be changing quite a few things, and adding as well. Hera is my OC and she is the main character in my story, along with Hanna.

Question; Darren Wilden… what do you think? Should I keep him an ass or change him? I like rooting for the underdog and I hated how things ended up for him … so let me know your opinions.

R&R.