An Unexpected Relationship

Chapter 3 – Rosewood – Part 1

If there was any place that felt more bittersweet to be than Rosewood, Spencer wouldn't know it. In the years that she had spent there, grown up there, had her life threatened many times, she still held a weird fondness for it. If it were up to Spencer, she wouldn't come back to Rosewood unless she really had to, which is why she found herself back at her old house staying in the barn.

Melissa had been travelling to different states to campaign for their mother, which meant that Spencer would stay in the barn. It was a nice way to escape the craziness of the political world. Since Spencer had some down time before she had to get "back in action" she flipped on her phone to see two texts from Caleb.

Hey. Hope you make it to Rosewood just fine. Washington isn't quite the same without my daily dose of Spencer Jill Hastings ;) – Caleb (6:42 pm)

Spencerrrr! Did you make it to Rosewood okay? – Caleb (9:42 pm)

Giggling lightly, Spencer sent a text back to Caleb, letting him know that he was okay among other things.

Caleb! You know you can't call me "Jill." :( . But yes, I did make it to Rosewood just fine. It's kind of eerie being here again. Like going back to a place that caused me so much pain… It's weird. – Spencer Hastings (10:43 pm)

Sitting down on her bed, Spencer waited for Caleb's reply while mindlessly going through some of her social media on her laptop.

Hearing her ringtone go off, Spencer reached for her phone and saw that Caleb had texted her back.

Haha the real question is what are you going to do about it, Spence? I'm glad you made it back to Rosewood safely though. Anyways, now that I know you're safe and sound, I'm going to go to bed. Don't work too hard! – Caleb (10:50 pm)

Ooh is that a challenge I hear, Mr. Rivers? Those sound like fighting words. :p Thanks for checking up on me. I really appreciate it. Night Caleb. :D – Spencer (10:53 pm)

Throwing her phone back on the bed, Spencer spent a few more minutes on her social media before heading back into her house, which was now the "Hastings Campaign Office" to see if she could help her mother in any other way before she decided to call it a night.

Nightmares were unfortunately an event that occurred more often than Spencer would have liked. After being chased, stalked, threatened, and kidnapped, it is surprising that Spencer can still be a functioning, capable adult.

Well, at least most of the time she is.

It was nights like these that she would dread. Ever since their kidnapping all those years ago, Spencer has not been able to sleep without some sort of night light or music in the background.

The quiet is what scares her the most.

It was on nights like these that she would call Caleb, and he would come over to her place and they would watch late-night infomercials and other sub-par programming until she fell asleep. Usually, when she woke up, he was there. He always had a cup of coffee prepared and she was always so grateful.

So when she was thrown out of her sleep, drenched in sweat, with no one to come to her rescue… it almost paralyzed her. Until she remembered that he has a phone. Diving for her phone, Spencer knocked over her laptop while scrambling to find Caleb's number. Hopping out of bed, Spencer found his phone and called him while making her way to the kitchen to find her "comfort food."

The phone had rang four times while Spencer's heart rate increased rapidly after every ring. It had never occurred to her that he might not actually answer. Caleb was always very reliable.

She never missed him as much as she did in this very moment.

Fortunately for Spencer, Caleb answered on the last ring before it went to voicemail.

"H-Hello?" Caleb answered, yawning in the process.

"Hi. It's me." Spencer responded.

"I can see that. What's up? You having nightmares again?" Caleb said.

"Yeah… I-I wish you were here." Spencer admitted. Normally, she would have blushed and cursed herself for confessing such things. But, in this moment, she just needed someone to be there for her.

"Hmm… I wish I was too. Well how about this? Let's talk until you fall asleep."

"Sounds like a great idea." Spencer said.

And they talked about everything ranging from Caleb's daily life in Washington to Spencer's childhood nicknames, which Caleb took note of so he could bug her about it later. Right before Spencer was about to drift off, she remembered that Caleb had called her Jill and she wanted to say something about it.

"Caleb! You can't call me Jill!" Spencer scolded.

"I didn't think you were going to bring this up so soon." Caleb said, with a small laugh.

"You should see the face I'm giving you right now. It's my 'I'm not impressed face.' I'm really scary, you know. You shouldn't mess with me."

"Oh you're right. You're a real threat. I should be careful."

Rolling her eyes, Spencer and Caleb joked with each other for a few more minutes before drifting off to sleep.

Spencer awoke to find herself laying down on the couch in the barn feeling well-rested. She checked her phone to see a message from Caleb.

Hey Sleepy Head! Good morning. I hope you had a good sleep. P.S – Thanks for calling me. You know you can always come to me for anything. P.P.S – You snore, a lot :p. – Caleb (6:45 A.M.)

Shaking her head at Caleb's message, Spencer sent one off quickly before hopping in the shower to get ready for the events of the day.

Thanks Caleb. I'm really glad that we're friends. You really helped me out yesterday. P.S. I DO NOT SNORE! :( - Spencer (8:00 A.M.)

Spencer had been called back to Rosewood for a less than ideal situation. The person who supposedly harassed them all those years, Charlotte DiLaurentis, had been put on trial to see if she would be able to get out and be free again. To say that Spencer Hastings had not wanted to be here was a major understatement.

Spencer, along with Emily, Aria, Hanna, Allison, and Mona were all supposed to show up before the judge and give their reasons why they would feel safe with Charlotte out again, or not feel safe with her out and about.

When they went in to that courtroom, all of Spencer's fear, anger, and other suppressed feelings came rushing to the surface.

However, that's not why she was there.

Spencer was there to defend Charlotte. She never thought she would see the day. It didn't make sense to her. How could Ali ask this of Spencer and the other girls? It was positively the most ironic situation that Spencer had been it. The irony almost killed her. Literally.

After the hearing, Charlotte had been let go. All had seemed well. From what Ali had said Charlotte had been doing very well, so they didn't need to worry. Spencer didn't understand how Ali could think that they didn't need to worry. Charlotte had trapped them in a larger-than-life doll-house and tortured the girls for what seemed like an eternity.

Loud sirens, sleepless nights, and helpless screams.

So, the irony came full circle when Charlotte had been murdered the night that she had been released. To say that it wasn't in typical Rosewood fashion would be dishonest of Spencer. Spencer knew that she shouldn't have come back to Rosewood. She missed her time in Madrid and Washington… Those adventures seemed so far away, even though only a few months have passed since her travels.

Nothing good ever comes out of staying in Rosewood for too long.

Spencer needed an escape – a break from all the events that had occurred in the few days that she had been back in the town that stole her youth away from her. So, she called the only person who she thought would be able to calm her down at a time like this.

Caleb Rivers.

They had talked for a while. Spencer had filled him in on the details of the events from the past few days. Caleb said he would be there as soon as he could. Heaving out a sigh, Spencer was relieved that Caleb was coming to help them.

It was about time that Spencer learned how to rely on other people when she needed them.

The following day, Spencer had met up with Caleb at the airport, and they spent some time catching up on the way back to Spencer's place. Even though the situation they were in was rather dire, Spencer couldn't help but be excited that Caleb had come to help them. He was the only one that could brighten up the bleakness of Rosewood.

Not having much time to spare, Caleb and Spencer quickly dropped off his bags at Spencer's before rushing over to The Radley so Caleb could see if Hanna was doing well.

"Hey Spence, are you sure you don't want to come up with me?" Caleb asked as they were standing in the lobby of The Radley."

"Positive. You and Hanna have history between each other. I think it would be best if I hung out down here. Besides, hasn't it been a couple of years since you two saw each other? It might be best if you handle this alone."

Nodding in understanding, Caleb turned around and stalked towards the elevator, unsure of what the conversation with him and Hanna would entail.

Watching Caleb walk towards the elevator, Spencer hoped that the conversation between Caleb and Hanna would be civil. Spencer had begun to ponder how she arrived at this destination.

Hanna and Caleb had separated.

Her having feelings for Caleb.

Spencer and Toby being separated.

It was strange the way Rosewood could bring up so many memories to the surface. After everything that had transpired in Rosewood during her youth, Spencer had spent so much time trying to cope with the events that she never came to terms with what had actually happened.

Spencer thought that was the role of the therapy, but it only served to keep her anxiety at bay. It didn't actually help solve it. And being back in Rosewood wasn't helping Spencer's deep-seated issues either. She had hoped that once the election was over she could be on the first plane with Caleb back to Washington.

Hearing the elevator open, Caleb Rivers had walked out of it with a confused look on his face. Spencer decided to walk towards him to see how things went with Hanna.

"How was it?" Spencer asked cautiously.

"Complicated." Caleb said with a slight nod.

"Yeah. That's why I wanted to stay down here." Spencer said, while shyly tilting her head.

"Thanks for calling me. I appreciate it." Caleb said sincerely.

"I'm really glad that you're here." Spencer said genuinely.

Smiling, Caleb let out a small breath and looked down while Spencer had averted her gaze as well to try and ignore the "butterflies" that had been bubbling between the two young adults.

"It's uh – kinda strange what they did to this place, huh?" Caleb said.

"Yeah. I think it's a cultural amnesia." Spencer responded while shrugging her shoulders in indifference.

"Yeah, well, people get do-overs, why shouldn't buildings?" Caleb pondered.

Spencer nodded in agreement and then followed Caleb out of the Radley in silence.

It was the start of a very beautiful relationship.

A/N: I know the ending wasn't entirely fantastic, but I'm just getting started. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Share. R&R. And let me know your favourite part of this story so far.

- I.A.