chapter sixty four — out of the frying pan, into the inferno
[ season three, episode seventeen ]
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"Still recovering?" Hanna asked Spencer as she, Aria, Spencer and Josie were walking the streets of Rosewood together. Spencer looked at Hanna, confused. "From the anniversary dinner?" Josie prompted. It was no secret that Spencer looked wrecked. "Yeah. Yeah." Spencer responded. "Was he surprised?" Aria asked. "Mm-hmm. It was a really big surprise." Spencer responded.

"Where were you last night? Were you with Caleb?" Aria asked Hanna, she already knew Josie and Richie were on a date, a proper date. "No. He's being really weird. Every time I try to make plans with him, he says he's busy, but he won't tell me what he's doing." Hanna responded. "Weird." Josie remarked. Richie had been off as well, but made time for her, so she didn't bother saying anything.

"Why don't you just ask him? Be honest." Aria advised. "Wow. It's like the world's fattest man giving dieting tips." Hanna scoffed, making Josie chuckle slightly. "Hello! You're the one who's sitting on a secret the size of 'Natterhorn'!" Hanna added. "Think it's the 'Matterhorn' Han." Josie said to her. "Okay, if you're talking about Fitz and the kid. I'm gonna tell him today." Aria sighed. "And the goal was never to keep it from him. I-I'd wake up every morning with the intention of telling him, and then I go to sleep every night feeling guilty that I didn't." Aria ranted.

"At least you have your afternoons free." Hanna responded. "Nice bit of support, Hanna," Aria said, making Josie laugh. "Oh, and by the way, Josie's right, it is the 'Matterhorn'." Aria said, before Josie turned to Spencer, who had been really quiet. "Aren't you the one that's supposed to be correcting her?" she joked. "What?" Spencer asked, like she was just now paying attention to the conversation.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Aria asked her. "Uh, nothing. We didn't really get much of an anniversary cause Toby had to get up early for work the next day." Spencer explained. "That sucks." Hanna remarked. "Yeah. It does." Spencer responded. "Listen, um, I'm gonna skip the brew today, 'cause I have a lot of reading to catch up on, for English, so I'll catch you guys at lunch." Spencer explained before walking off.

Aria, Hanna and Josie shared a look before they continued on their way to the Brew as Emily was walking out. "Hey, Em." Aria greeted her. "Hey," Emily responded. "So, can we see it? The stuff from his family?" Hanna asked. "Look, Em, if it's, like, cards and stuff you wrote to Ali, you don't have to show us," Josie assured her. "It's fine." Emily responded and the four of them sat at a table outside the Brew.

"So did Spencer tell you about the key that I dropped?" Emily asked. "No, Hanna did. Said that you guys wanna turn it into the cops?" Aria responded, questioningly as Emily pulled stuff out of her bag and handed it to Hanna. "So what do you think?" Emily asked. "I think that the mold from my basement killed some of your brain cells." Aria responded, making Josie chuckle.

"But Aria's right, we aren't prepared to tell the cops about 'A'. At all." Josie said, looking between them. "I guess you're right." Emily responded. "Mmh, I always hated Biology." Hanna commented, reading Ali's old Biology book. "I mean, who cares how much a cell divides? It just does." she added. "I didn't know you and Ali were in Bio together." Hanna said questioningly. "We weren't. I leant her my notes to study for the exam." Emily responded. "Then how'd you have the time to write these?" Hanna asked.

Josie grabbed it from Hanna so she and Aria could read them. "This is definitely Alison's handwriting." Josie commented. "Yeah, but that's not mine." Emily said, pointing to the other section of writing, the one that wasn't Ali's. "Wait, who's 'the beach hottie'?" Aria asked. "What?" Emily asked, confused. "'You need to tell the beach hottie tonight' then Ali says 'No way, he'll freak out'." Josie read out. "What are they talking about?" Aria asked, confused.

"I wanna know who they're talking about. Turn the page." Hanna instructed and Josie did as told and turned to the next page. "Okay, that's not Spencer's writing either. But I recognize it." Emily said, looking at the handwriting. "Who does their 'G's like that?" Emily asked. "My grandma." Hanna responded, "Look, forget the 'G', look at the 'T'." Hanna said and they did, they looked at all the 'T's. "There's someone in here that we do know." Hanna insisted. "Why is Alison writing about Toby?" Aria said, after reading a sentence about Toby. the girls shared a look.

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At school, Hanna and Josie were standing around as Aria left Mr. Fitz a voice message. "Hey. so, I was wondering if you'll be home around 2pm. I've got a free period after lunch, and wanted to stop by so we could talk. Uh, call me. Love you." Aria said before hanging up as turned back to Hanna and Josie as they walked up to her.

"Just go now. Meet him there." Hanna suggested. "She's right, the sooner you tell him, the better you'll feel." Josie added and Aria smiled before walking past them before they went to walk away before they overheard paige. "Just don't know what else it's gonna take. You stuck a wet brain in her locker, she still showed up the next day with a smile on her face," she said and Josie and Hanna shared a look of shock.

"Fine. I'll figure it out." Paige said, "Caleb, I just said I'll do it, I'll be there around seven, it's off route six. I know it." she said before hanging up and walking away. "What the hell was that?" Josie asked Hanna, who shook her head confused. "I don't know." she answered.

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At lunch, Hanna, Richie and Josie were sitting at a table in the cafeteria when Aria joined them as well. "Hey, you seen Spencer?" she asked as she sat down next to Josie and in front of Hanna. "Mmm, no, not since this morning." Hanna answered. "My mom said she bailed on her study group, she just walked out of class." Aria explained. "Spencer? Bailed on study group?" Richie asked, confused and Aria nodded.

"Hey," Emily said as she sat down next to Hanna, across from Josie. "Hey," Aria greeted her and as Emily sat down, she looked outside, confused, and so did Hanna, making Richie, Josie and Aria turn to Mr. Fitz standing outside, a shocked and confused look on his face before walking into the building and Aria began to get up.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Aria asked. "Can I see you for a moment?" he asked, and he sounded panicked. "Sure, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Aria asked as the girls watched the conversation, confused. "Okay? I don't know. You tell me." he said, shaking his head, and they seemed to forget they are in the middle of a high school cafeteria. "Why was Spencer talking about Maggie?" he asked. "What?" Aria responded, shocked and the girls and Richie shared a look.

"She said that I had..." he trailed off. "That I have a son." he finished. "Why would she say that?" he asked. Josie felt her heart drop, Spencer telling Mr. Fitz? She thought. "Look can we just talk about this–" Aria started, remembering where they were. "We're talking about this right now," he demanded. "Ezra, please." she begged and he looked behind her, before walking off, Aria going after him.

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Josie and Richie were cuddling on her couch, watching a movie when she got a message from Emily, making her reach onto the coffee table to grab her phone.

Emily Fields
I'm outside, I need to talk to you and Aria

"Crap," she muttered, making Richie look at her. "What?" he asked, "Em's outside, she needs to talk to me and Aria." Josie responded. "Go." he said and she shook her head, beginning to talk but he stopped her. "No, go, i'll stay here. It's fine." he said and kissed her before she sighed and stood up, putting some shoes on and grabbed her jacket before heading outside.

"What's up Em?" she asked as she got into Emily's car. "I'll explain when we get to Aria's." she said and Josie nodded and the ride to Aria's house was quiet, and soon enough they pulled up. The last time Josie was here, they were locked in her damn basement.

Emily knocked on the door and Byron Montgoemry opened it, and it was awkward. "Hi, Mr. Montgomery." Josie said and he nodded before Aria got up and three went outside, Aria and Emily shared the porch swing while Josie stood. Emily then explained that she had spoken to Cece, and it turns out Alisons had been pregnant.

"If she was pregnant, wouldn't that kind of thing show up on her... autopsy?" Aria asked. "Not necessarily." Josie responded. "Yeah, I looked online, and... if it was really early on, she was buried over a year ago, so..." Emily trailed off and they knew what she meant. "So what should we do now?" Emily asked. "I don't know." Aria responded as Josie sighed, rubbing her arms.

"But look, if some guy in Cape May did get Ali pregnant, and threatened to kill if he found out, this is alot bigger than a key and this needs to be turned over to the police." Josie said. "Yeah. I was worried you were gonna say that. But I agree." Emily responded. "I'll take it down to the station." she added, as she went to get up. "Okay, then we're coming with you." Aria said and Aria nodded. "No, it's okay, I won't be alone. My mom will be there, I'll call you later. Come on Jo, I'll drop you home," Emily said and Josie nodded, waving bye to Aria before following Emily.

Richie had stayed, when she walked back into her house, he had fallen asleep on the couch, making her smile, she took her shoes and jacket off before sitting down on the couch, cuddled into his side, and he moved, wrapping his arms around her but didn't move, they fall asleep like that.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 | countdown till season four: seven chapters