Chapter Text
warnings: mentions of murder.
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Night had fallen upon the town of Rosewood and [Y/N] found herself in the safety of her bedroom in her home. She was seated at her desk, trying to finish up her homework. However, the work laid open in front of her, unfinished as she found herself constantly getting distracted by the events of the past few months.
She had never once imagined that Ian’s death would bring up so much trouble for her friends and herself. The entire town seemed to believe the girls were liars, not believing their words of Ian being Alison’s killer. On top of that, she and her friends were still dealing with A along with therapy.
[Y/N] groaned and buried her face in her hands, thinking about the meeting with the therapist, Dr. Sullivan, earlier that day. She and the girls were close to telling the doctor about their cyber bully, and [Y/N] had to admit that it felt good.
But, as always, A was one step ahead and was successful in keeping the girls quiet. [Y/N] knew Dr. Sullivan must think she and her friends were crazy indeed by the way they had acted.
A knock on her door made her look up at the doorway and her parents along with her brother stood there with small smiles on their faces.
“You busy, kiddo?” her father, James, spoke first.
“Uh, no, not really,” [Y/N] shook her head, closing her books and pushing them away. “Come on in.”
Her parents entered the room first and sat on her bed while she turned in her chair so that she sat facing them. Her brother, Sid, came to stand next to her and perched at the edge of her desk, playfully messing up her hair. She gave him a playful glare before laughing when he stuck his tongue out at her.
The parents took a moment to admire their kids and the beautiful bond they shared. Reality hit them the next moment and they looked at each other sadly, knowing what they were about to ask next was going to take their daughter’s smile away, even if it would be temporary.
“So, sweetheart,” Leslie began, clearing her throat. “Your father and I just got off the phone with your therapist a few minutes ago.”
Just as they had expected, the playfulness in [Y/N] faded as her expression turned serious.
“Oh,” she replied softly after a few moments. “Uh, yes, today was not a good day.”
“She didn’t tell us exactly what happened,” James spoke next. “However, she did tell us that she doesn’t think it would be helpful to continue seeing you girls as a group.”
“So, she wants us to come in for individual sessions?” asked [Y/N], thinking that shouldn’t be too terrible.
“Well, yes,” her father continued after sharing a glance with her mother. “Also, based on your sessions, she’s making a recommendation.”
“Which I’m not a fan of,” her brother added to the conversation for the first time.
“W-what recommendation?” [Y/N] asked. Her worry grew with her brother’s words and she looked at him once before turning towards her parents again.
“Dr. Sullivan doesn’t think you girls are capable of maintaining a healthy friendship at the moment,” Leslie explained with sympathy lacing her voice. “So, she’s recommending that you girls spend some time apart.”
“Are you saying that I can’t see or talk to my friends?” [Y/N] asked in disbelief.
“This is not forever, honey,” James replied quickly.
“I don’t understand what the shrink is trying to do here by splitting up [y/n/n] and the girls,” Sid commented. “They’ve been through so much. And, now with everything that’s happened with Ian, separating them is a terrible idea!”
“I know, son,” sighed James. “The other parents and we talked. We all mutually agreed that Dr. Sullivan’s suggestion might be for the best.”
“Unbelievable,” Sid muttered with a shake of his head.
“[Y/N], sweetheart, say something,” Leslie said softly.
“I- I don’t know what to say,” [Y/N] replied with a shrug. “It looks like you guys have already decided.”
“It’s just temporary, we promise,” her mother answered apologetically.
[Y/N] dropped her gaze to the floor. She wanted to be upset and throw a tantrum, but that was not her. At the same time, she knew without a doubt that she and her friends would not just stop hanging out.
Even with this new restriction from their parents, [Y/N] was sure that she and the girls would find a way to connect and deal with the fallout from Ian’s death as well as the threat of A. They had to.
“I understand,” she said, looking back up at her parents with a light smile.
Her parents gave her a hug and thanked her for being understanding before leaving her room. Her brother, however, hung back with a suspicious look in his eyes.
“What?” [Y/N] asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
Her brother didn’t reply and waited until he was sure their parents were downstairs and out of earshot.
“You and your friends are not gonna listen, are you?” he asked quietly, his lips curled in a smirk, and [Y/N] sighed.
“Look, I feel bad, but we can’t just not hang out,” she answered softly. “There’s a lot going on and we need each other.”
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Sid's playfulness disappeared and he moved to hug her, not liking the fact that his little sister was under a lot of stress. “I’m on your side in all of this. If you need anything, I’m right here.”
“I know,” she said, hugging him back. “Thank you.”
“Just be smart in sneaking around, though,” he teased, pulling back from the hug and ruffling her hair.
“For sure,” [Y/N] chuckled, nodding in agreement.
…
Later that night, [Y/N] was woken up by the vibration of her cellphone on the nightstand. She grabbed the phone to see a text message from Spencer: ‘S.O.S.’
[Y/N] quietly made her way down the stairs to grab her coat and sneakers. Just as she finished wearing her coat, her phone vibrated yet again and she checked it to see a text from Hanna this time: ‘I’m waiting in your backyard.’
[Y/N] loved that she and Hanna were not only the best friends but neighbors as well. That was how they became close, anyway. Still when it came to sneaking out at night to meet up with her friends, she wasn’t a big fan as she didn’t like the dark. But with Hanna, it was easier and she didn’t feel as scared.
She hurriedly wore her shoes and slipped out of her house through the backdoor to see Hanna waving at her while her other hand was buried in her coat pocket.
“Can’t believe Dr. Sullivan thought she could keep us apart from each other,” Hanna scoffed when [Y/N] reached her. “You can’t tell a lot about a person by their shoes, after all.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” [Y/N] said, half amused as she dragged Hanna with her. “Now, let’s go.”
The night was dark and chilly as the two friends made their way towards the greenhouse where Spencer had told the girls that she would be waiting.
When [Y/N] and Hanna reached the greenhouse, Aria and Emily were already there with Spencer. The five girls huddled closer together and Spencer began to explain about why she had messaged them all so late.
“Anyone could’ve sent that, Spence,” Aria was the first to speak after Spencer showed the girls a text that Melissa had received from an unknown number.
“Yeah, it could be some jerk trying to mess with Melissa,” Hanna added.
“Maybe, but it doesn’t seem random,” Spencer sighed, looking down at the message again and reading it. “It’s not safe. I can’t tell you.”
“I can’t tell you what?” Emily asked, her brows furrowed in thought.
“Wherever he is,” Spencer said, sounding confident.
“Spence, Ian is dead,” [Y/N] spoke, wrapping her arms around herself. The thought of Ian being alive made her feel uneasy. “I mean, we all saw him, didn’t we?”
“True,” Hanna said, touching [Y/N]’s forearm over her coat. “But, there’s only one way to know if its Ian texting Melissa or not.”
The other girls looked at Hanna curiously as she looked at Spencer with determined eyes.
“Answer him, Spence. Ask him something that only Ian would know.”
Spencer nodded before typing, ‘how do I know this is you?’
‘Ask me anything,’ came the reply almost immediately from the unknown number.
“I know,” Spencer whispered to herself before her fingers flew over the phone’s keyboard. “What are we naming our baby?”
“What’s the baby’s name?” [Y/N] asked once Spencer finished typing.
“Taylor,” Spencer replied just as the phone in her hand buzzed. She took in a deep breath before looking at the phone only to gasp out loud the next second. With wide eyes, she showed the phone screen to her friends who all showed similar expressions.
‘Taylor,’ the text read.
“It is him,” Hanna whispered in disbelief.
“Oh my god,” Emily said just as [Y/N] spoke, “Ian is alive.”
As if the girls weren’t already terrified, the wind outside suddenly picked up and the greenhouse’s doors started to slam over and over again.
“Did things just get incredibly worse?” Aria asked, trying to speak louder over the sound of the wind.
“I don’t believe this,” Emily said, shaking her head. “Ian’s dead.”
“Zombies don’t text, Emily,” Hanna said sarcastically. “He is alive somewhere.”
“Spence?” [Y/N] called when the girl in question remained silent for a long time.
“I have to get this phone home before Melissa notices that it’s gone,” Spencer said, her lips almost trembling.
“Okay and then what?” Hanna questioned as the wind continued to blow rather wildly outside. “What do we do about this information?”
“Do we tell the cops?” Aria asked, shivering a little.
“That’s not a good idea,” [Y/N] answered. “Telling the cops never works out well for us.”
“True,” Emily sighed in defeat.
“Why is Ian texting Melissa anyway?” Aria asked but before Spencer could answer, Hanna added, “And, why is Melissa answering him?”
“Is she?” asked Emily, skeptic. “I mean, we don’t know how long this has been going on.”
“Spence, you’ve got to find out what Ian told Melissa,” Aria said to the stressed-out girl. “You are the only one who can find out what he wants.”
“And, where he is,” Hanna commented.
The slamming of the door got louder than before and suddenly rocks started to fall off the roof, causing the girls to panic further.
“Let’s get out of here,” [Y/N] spoke, grabbing Hanna and Aria’s hands, who were standing next to her, and dragging them towards the exit. Emily and Spencer weren’t far behind.
Once they got to a safe distance from the greenhouse, things were strangely quiet except for the soft chirping of crickets. They walked down to Spencer’s house which was closer.
“Let’s just finish this at school,” Hanna spoke first. “I’m cold, damp, and scared. We could talk at school.”
“We can’t talk at school, remember?” [Y/N] asked once they stopped near Spencer’s house.
“Yeah, the five of us are supposed to have separate time,” Aria said in disappointment.
“Doctor’s orders,” Emily said with a roll of her eyes.
“So, what are we supposed to do?” scoffed Hanna. “Not talk to each other when we’re all literally in the same classes?”
“We just have to play it cool,” Spencer said calmly even though she was anything but after everything that happened.
Before the girls could talk further, a loud noise interrupted them. They turned in the direction of the noise and were surprised to see a familiar face outside the DiLaurentis house.
“It’s Jason,” Spencer whispered, surprised.
[Y/N], meanwhile, froze in her spot. The last time she had seen Jason was several months ago when he visited her at the hospital after A hit her with their car.
Even though it was dark, she could still make out his appearance and she was taken aback a little by what she saw. The last time he was in Rosewood, he seemed… put-together, for the lack of a better word. He wore suits and had his hair done nicely, not one strand out of place.
Seeing him now, however, reminded her of the old Jason. His hair had grown a little and fell over his forehead as he bent down. He was wearing a fitted Henley shirt that hugged his muscles with denim jeans. He definitely looked good and she had to try her best to not blush at her own thoughts, especially in front of her friends.
Hanna slowly slipped her arm around [Y/N]’s, pulling the latter out of her thoughts.
‘Did you know he was back?’ Hanna mouthed and [Y/N] shook her head in denial.
“Did he move back in?” Hanna asked, clearing her throat lightly.
“Looks like it?” Aria said, sounding unsure just like the rest of them.
“What is all that?” Spencer asked in confusion as she and her friends watched Jason throw away a bunch of things into the dumpster.
“That looks like all the stuff people left on their curb when Ali went missing,” Aria said.
“Maya said her family kept those things when they moved in,” Emily added. “They didn’t have the heart to throw them out.”
“Apparently, Jason’s moved on,” Spencer said with sarcasm and [Y/N] frowned at the brunette’s tone.
“What is he doing in that house anyway?” asked Aria.
“You know what? We’ve already got a lot on our plates,” Hanna said, trying to shift the conversation away from Jason. “Let’s just go home.”
“Han’s right,” [Y/N] said, grateful for Hanna’s interference. “See you guys at school tomorrow.”
The other girls agreed and said their goodbyes before splitting up.
“[y/n/n], did you know Jason was coming back?” Hanna asked again when it was just herself and [Y/N].
“No, I didn’t,” [Y/N] replied. “The last time I saw him was at the hospital. I remember he said he would be coming back but he didn’t exactly keep me updated. I mean, he didn’t have to.”
The girls soon reached [Y/N]’s backyard and paused in front of the door.
“Do you think he’s moved back for good?” Hanna asked softly.
“I don’t know,” [Y/N] shook her head. “But, why would he, though? It’s not like there’s anything here for him, is there?”
“You never know,” Hanna replied softly.
[Y/N] smiled a little at her best friend; the fact that Hanna was so hopeful regarding her and Jason touched her.
“Go get some sleep, Han,” [Y/N] said, playfully pushing the blonde in the direction of her house.
“You’re no fun,” Hanna pouted, walking backwards.
“Good night, Hanna banana,” [Y/N] laughed, opening the backdoor quietly.
“Good night, [y/n/n],” Hanna said back before the two girls entered their homes at the same time to get some sleep.
…
“Wait, so Jason doesn’t believe that Ian killed Ali?” [Y/N] asked in a whisper, glancing at the closed door of her bedroom once.
The next evening, [Y/N] was in her bedroom, scrolling through her twitter feed when she received a call from Spencer. The younger Hastings had gone to welcome Jason back to town – in other words, she had gone to spy on him – and it hadn’t gone so well. After returning home, [Y/N] was the first person Spencer had called to share how her conversation with Jason went.
“I mean, I think so?” Spencer replied in a whisper as well and [Y/N] could feel the frustration in her friend’s voice. “He asked me if Ian said the words I killed Ali and I told him he didn’t, but that’s what it seemed like and he got all snippy about it!”
Spencer huffed out a breath and [Y/N] bit her lip in thought.
“Do you think he’s in denial?” Spencer asked, continuing their chat quietly. “He and Ian were besties. He probably doesn’t want to accept that his best friend killed his little sister?”
“I’m not sure, Spence,” replied [Y/N]. “Even if they were best friends, Jason can’t just look past the fact that Ian killed Ali.”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Spencer agreed. “Hey, do you remember that one day Ali and Jason were fighting?”
“You have to be a bit more specific because all they did was fight around us,” [Y/N] said, mild amusement lacing her voice and Spencer scoffed out a laugh.
“I’m talking about the time Jason was mad at Ali for going to his room and messing with his stuff?” Spencer recalled and [Y/N] found herself nodding at the memory.
“I do,” she said. “That’s when Ali made that comment about things being hidden until she wants them found, right?”
“Yes!” Spencer exclaimed, trying her hardest to keep her voice quiet.
“But, why are we suddenly talking about the past?” [Y/N] asked, confused.
“I- I had a thought,” Spencer said, her words coming out slowly which worried [Y/N].
“What is it?”
“Jason used to be so aggressive, [y/n/n]. Do you think he-”
“Spence, don’t go there,” [Y/N] interrupted quickly.
“You didn’t let me finish!” argued Spencer.
“You were going to suggest Jason had something to do with Ali’s murder,” [Y/N] said, not liking the words that left her mouth. Spencer’s brief silence on the other end was all the answer [Y/N] needed to know that she was right. “Where’d you get the idea that Jason could be an accomplice in Ali’s murder?”
“I don’t know what else to think,” Spencer admitted quietly. “He’s suddenly back in town and doesn’t believe Ian killed his sister.”
“Don’t do this, Spence,” [Y/N] advised softly. “We’ve already got zombie Ian and A on our hands. Let’s not add Jason into the mix.”
“I guess so,” sighed Spencer. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be,” [Y/N] replied. “I understand we’re all kind of on the edge right now. But, let’s not overthink. For now, at least.”
“I’ll try,” Spencer sighed again, dramatically this time, causing [Y/N] to chuckle.
“Hey, I should go now,” said [Y/N]. “I’ve been in my room for a while now. I should make an attendance downstairs for dinner.”
“Yeah, of course,” Spencer laughed. “See you in school tomorrow?”
“Definitely,” [Y/N] responded. “Good night, Spence.”
“Good night, [y/n/n],” Spencer replied before hanging up.
...
The girls were sneaking out yet again in the middle of the night. [Y/N] was starting to dislike Dr. Sullivan because she hated that greenhouse with a passion. It was creepy, to say the least, but she and her friends had no other choice.
“It was in the pocket of her coat,” Spencer said, showing her friends pictures of Melissa’s ultrasound. “Her coat was wet and so were her boots.”
“She lied to you about going out?” [Y/N] asked.
“I don’t think she went far,” replied Spencer. “I checked the driveway and it was dry under her car so I don’t think she drove anywhere.”
“Who would she want to show these to?” Aria asked, handing the ultrasound pictures back to Spencer.
“I can only think of one person,” Hanna said with a roll of her eyes.
“Ian,” Emily said, letting out a deep breath. “Spencer, if you’re saying she didn’t drive anywhere to see him, then that means he must be close.”
“Han, you were right,” Spencer said. “This is the worst time to be splitting up. We have to stick together.”
“Exactly, no matter how much lying it takes,” Hanna nodded.
“If only all of our parents were like my brother,” [Y/N] sighed.
“Can we switch siblings?” Spencer pouted at [Y/N], who instantly shook her head.
“Absolutely not,” [Y/N]’s instant reply was met with light laughter from her friends and they all cherished it. It had been a while since they’ve had the chance to be normal teenagers and to just have fun.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aria said after a while and the girls agreed before walking out of the greenhouse.
They were passing by the DiLaurentis house again when Emily suddenly stopped in her steps, causing the other girls to do the same.
“What is that?” she asked, looking at what appeared to be garden supplies laying on the front yard of the house.
Before they could inspect further, a bright flashlight shone in their faces and they held their hands in front of their eyes.
“Jason?” Spencer asked first, squinting at the taller man and he finally lowered the flashlight.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said after he noticed the familiar girls in front of him.
“Yeah, it’s only us,” Aria answered with an awkward smile.
He turned off the flashlight and when he looked up, his gaze fell on [Y/N].
“Hey, are you better now?” he asked her, his voice softening. “I haven’t seen you since the accident.”
“Oh, uh, yes, I’m better now. Thank you,” [Y/N] replied, smiling lightly at him. She felt nervous with his attention on her. It also didn’t help that she could feel the curious eyes of Aria, Emily, and Spencer on her as well. Except for Hanna, the other girls didn't know about Jason visiting her at the hospital.
“So, what have you been up to?” Hanna asked Jason casually, shifting the attention away from [Y/N] for which the latter was grateful for.
“I’ve been replanting all day,” Jason replied. “I’m putting up a fence as well.”
“A fence? Why?” Spencer asked – her eyes and voice were obvious of her suspicion of Jason.
“Privacy, security,” Jason answered, his voice turning a little rough. “There’s a lot of curious creeps in the world and one way or another, people are gonna mind their own business.”
The girls looked at each other subtly, feeling a little uneasy with Jason’s piercing eyes shifting between them.
“You girls better go home,” he said before turning to walk back into his house.
The girls walked a little further away and stopped by the side of the road again when they heard the sound of Jason shutting the door.
“[y/n/n], you didn’t tell us Jason visited you,” Spencer shot instantly.
“I didn’t think it was important,” [Y/N] replied, shrugging a little.
“But, why did he visit you?” Aria asked, frowning in confusion.
“He was probably being nice, Aria,” Hanna answered before [Y/N] could. “And, yes, I know that he visited [y/n/n], because I ran into him there.”
[Y/N] looked at Hanna at the blonde’s easy lie. Hanna didn’t meet Jason at the hospital; [Y/N] had told Hanna about Jason visiting her with some get well soon gifts. Since Hanna was already aware of her feelings towards Jason, she was the only person [Y/N] felt comfortable sharing about his unexpected visit with.
“Look, he probably visited me, because he felt obligated to since he worked on Ali’s memorial with us,” [Y/N] said, hoping to move past this topic.
“That makes sense,” Emily said calmly after a few moments, which caused Aria and Spencer to loosen up a little as well. “And, am I the only one thinking who is Jason trying to keep out with that fence?”
“Keep out or keep in?” Spencer asked back, and [Y/N] could tell the former still believed that Jason was helping Ian hide and had some part in killing Ali.
“Look, it’s too late to be doing this,” Hanna said. Similar to [Y/N], Hanna had an idea of where Spencer might be going with this and she was exhausted to be working on any more mysteries for the night. “Let’s just do this at school tomorrow or whatever.”
[Y/N] internally sighed in relief when the other girls agreed with Hanna and parted ways, making their ways towards their houses.
“Thanks for the rescue back there,” [Y/N] told Hanna once it was just the two of them.
“Anytime, [y/n/n],” Hanna grinned, looping her arm around [Y/N]’s, making the latter chuckle.
The two made their ways towards their homes in comfortable silence, hoping to get some rest before facing the stressful days ahead.