chapter forty seven
unmasked
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"One week after his arrest, Reynolds pled not guilty to the charge of Alison DiLaurentis murder, however, prosecutors remain confident with their case, rosewood PD's working theory is that Reynolds became a police officer to destroy evidence that linked him to the murder scene." the news reporter said as the girls watched in spencer's kitchen,

"Investigators received a break in the case when that document was recovered..." the news reporter's voice became background noise. "That must be page five of Ali's autopsy report." Hanna remarked. "Garrett took it but somebody gave it back." Emily commented. "My mom's friend with the prosecutor, that somebody...was Jenna." Spencer responded. "Can we finally put Ali to rest now?" Josie asked as she rested her head on the palm of her hand as Spencer muted the tv. "Or is it two down and two to go?" Hanna asked, and the girls looked at her confused.

"Ian's dead, Garrett's in jail. Melissa and Jenna were in Ali's room that night too, they may not have killed Ali, but... they're definitely guilty of something." Hanna explained just before footsteps were heard, making them turn to see Melissa entering the kitchen. "Love gone wrong." she said plainly just before Spencer turned the tv off, once she noticed Melissa staring at it. "What are you talking about?" she asked her. "I knew Ian didn't kill Alison and you five can keep a secret but you don't have the constitution for murder." she explained. 

"Are you gonna eat that?" Melissa asked, pointing to a cup of frozen yogurt sitting on the kitchen island, which was Aria's, who pushed it towards Melissa. "Thanks." Melissa thanked her. "I know how Jenna Marshall went blind and so did Garrett, if he killed Alison it's because he thought she deserved it." Melissa remarked before trying the frozen yogurt. "Mmm, is this peanut butter?" Melissa asked Aria. "Toffee." Aria answered slowly, confused.

"Mmm, it is good." Melissa remarked before eating more. "Thanks." she said before walking outside, to the barn. "She definitely knows about the Jenna thing." Hanna remarked just before their phones went off, making them pick them up.

UNKNOWN ID
You still have something that belongs to me. Bring it, or one of you leaves in a body bag.
⎯ A

Emily read out, and the girls shared a look just before Spencers' front door bell went off, and Spencer got up to check. "'A' has to be talking about her phone." Hanna stated. "You still have it locked in your closet, right?" Emily asked Hanna. "Yes." Hanna answered. "I don't know about you guys but 'A' talking about body bags makes me very nervous." Aria admitted. "Not just you," Josie remarked just as they heard the front door shut and soon enough Spencer came back, but she had something.

"Guys, it was a messenger." she remarked as she pulled something out of the orange pouch. "Something for each of us." she added as she passed it out to them and they all opened it. It was an invitation to the rosewood junior society masquerade ball. "'A' wants to play hide-and-seek." Emily said. "Be there when the clock strikes midnight," Aria read out. Spencer suddenly walked over towards the backdoors, where you can see the barn form. "Spence?" Josie questioned. "Hide-and-seek was my favourite game with Melissa." she remarked. "You wanna know why?" she asked before turning to face her friends. "I always won." she responded before looking back outside.

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"She was in the kitchen, eating that frozen yogurt, basically just telling us that she was 'A'." Hanna remarked as she, Emily, Aria and Josie walked towards the front of the school building. "Yeah, and now she wants to kill one of us." Aria spoke up. "The parties and body bags go together like drinking and driving," she added. "Guys, I don't trust Melissa as far as i can throw her and Ian's fetus but let's not forget that Jenna also knows about the Jenna thing," Emily butted in. "Ian's fetus? Em, that's disgusting." Josie remarked, cringing slightly.

"Look, 'A' is all knowing, alright? It's like a genius on steroids. The only person that's smarter than Spencer is her sister." Hanna said as Spencer joined them. "Um, I take offense." she commented. "Melissa did score higher on the Wechsler scale but when you take into account my scores and the Flynn effect combined with real life accomplishments, the gap in our IQ's is virtually nonexistent." Spencer ranted, causing Josie to smile in amusement.

"Um, what are you doing with Ali's bag?" Emily asked. "I'm giving 'A' back her phone over my dead body, which means that we have until midnight tomorrow to unmask this bitch once and for all." Spencer answered. "And this bag has brought us closer to the truth than we've ever gotten." she finished. "You think there's something in there we missed?" Josie asked. "We need to go through it again, all of us with a fresh pair of eyes." Spencer responded. "But with Melissa at home, I..." she paused, looking at Hanna. "No, forget my place, my mom is still hot on the 'A' trail." Hanna responded.

"Look, let's just meet after school, I have an idea for a... great costume." Aria suggested once she noticed Mona walking over to them. "Oh, you're going to the masquerade mash? Me too." Mona said before she gasped. "Can you believe blind Jenna's going?" she asked. "A week ago that would have made a no show but since she dumped Noel con man for seeing eye Toby," she said, getting something out of her bag.

"Sorry Spencer," she apologized before saying something in french and looking into a compact mirror. "I love this vintage shop a few towns over," she remarked before looking at the girls. "We should all go after school and get our costumes together." she said, smiling. "I would love to, but, um, i have to take my sister to an ultrasound." Spencer lied before walking inside the school. "My moms' coming back tomorrow, so I have some house stuff," Emily remarked before following Spencer. "Yeah, and vintage is my middle name but..." Aria started but the bell went, cutting her off. "We gotta get to class." Josie said, linking arms with Aria before walking away.

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After school, Aria had taken the girls to Ezra's apartment. Spencer was looking through the shelves that held his books and nick nacks. "Tristan and Isolde? Abelard and Eloise?" Spencer asked as Hanna jumped onto the bed, bouncing lightly. Emily and Josie going through a photo album. "This is too cute." Emily remarked as she looked at photos on Ezra as a child. "Fitz is a sucker for a tragic love story," Spencer remarked, before turning to Aria. "I so didn't mean that how it sounded." She apologized.

Aria waved her off as she picked up something from the kitchen. "Have you heard from him?" Josie asked as she got up and walked next to Spencer.  "Yeah, he checks in." Aria answered, pouring tea for them. "Everything he thought he wanted, he's lost because of me." Aria said before she sighed. "Guys, I-I think that it might be over this time," she added sadly. "Really over,"

A phone goes off, making the girl look towards Hanna, who's phone it was. "Great. Now Mona knows I lied about where I am." Hanna sighed as Caleb rings Hanna. "And Caleb is with her so he's gonna ask me why I ditched her." she added as she declined his call. "You know, I am lying to everyone I care about, I don't even know why I started lying to begin with," she complained. "You're lying because you don't want the people that you care about to end up like Dr. Sullivan. Here one day and gone the next." Spencer explained.

"Hanna do you mind?" Aria asked, seeing Hanna laying on Mr. Fitz's bed. "It's... kind of sacred ground." Aria added, making Hanna sit up and the girls look at her. "It is?" they all asked in sync. "Man! You sure can keep a secret." Spencer remarked, impressed and Aria just smiled as she grabbed the thing of mugs and placed it on the coffee table before sitting next to Josie on the couch.

"Hey, Han, can you grab my computer?" Spencer asked. "What is it Spence?" Emily asked. "Could you look up Dougherty's Landing?" Spencer asked before getting up and sitting next to Aria while Hanna got Spencer's computer. All the girls squished into Mr. Fitz's couch as Hanna opened Spencer's computer and searched Dougherty's Landing.

"It's a tiny airstrip off of highway 30." Hanna read off the internet. "Is it close to anything?" Spencer asked. "No, it's in the middle of nowhere." Hanna responded before Spencer took the computer from Hanna. "Wait, what did the postcard say?" she asked. "Meets 30." Josie responded, remembering what it had said. Aria got up from her spot and grabbed it from the duffle bag before sitting back down.

"The Lost Woods Resort, find us where Greenview meets 30." Hanna read. "Duncan said that he flew Ali to an airfield the day she disappeared, this has to be where she went." Aria said, remembering something he had told her. Spencer sighed. "Maybe room one?" Aria asked, holding up the postcard with the number one on it.

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"Are you sure this is right?" Josie asked as the five of them were driving to The Lost Woods Resort. "This is Greenview," Spencer answered when suddenly something came out in front of the car, making Spencer stop the car, so she wouldn't hit it. "What was that?" Hanna asked. "I-I don't know, um, a-a dear, i think." Spencer answered. "Maybe we should go back." Aria suggested. "No! Okay, we didn't come this far to give up." Emily shot back. "Careful, Spencer." Josie reached from the back and patted her shoulder.

Spencer continued driving. "What is that?" Aria asked, looking at something. Spencer continued driving towards it, turns out, it was The Lost Woods Resort. "What would Ali be doing up here?" Emily asked. "She wasn't bagging a deer, that's for sure." Hanna remarked as they pulled further into The Lost Woods Resort. Spencer pulled the postcard from her pocket and held it up, seeing the image matches the postcard. When someone knocks on Spencer's window, making them gasp jump, they turn to see a man. "Are you checking in?" she asked, loud enough to hear over the storm.

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The girls followed the guy into The Lost Woods Resort. "I was surprised when you girls pulled up, people don't come here much anymore since they built the interstate." he explained. "It doesn't bother me though, I like the quiet," he added before he clicked a pen and went to hand it to Spencer. "Sign here." he requested and Spencer took the pen as he flipped the book so it faced her. "Welcome to The Lost Woods Resort... Mary Smith." he greeted as he looked at the name that Spencer signed.

"Um, is room one available?" Spencer asked after sharing a brief look with her friends. "How'd you know about room one?" he asked. "Sorry?" Spencer questioned, confused. "It's got the hottest water on the property, it's perfect for a night like this." he answered like he hadn't scared the crap out of them by accident. He went to receive the key for the room. "Oh, o-our friend, one who told us about this place, she stayed in room one." Spencer told him.

"Maybe you remember her, Vivian Darkbloom?" Spencer asked as grabbed the key from him. "Name doesn't ring a bell." he answered, but Josie had a feeling he was lying. "Besides, I learned a long time ago not to tell tales about folks who stay here, you check into the Lost Woods because you don't wanna be found." he added ad it was silent before the girls left and went to their room.

As they were jogging towards their room, because of the rain, Hanna had fallen into a small mud hole. "Unh! Damn it!" she said, and Spencer and Emily helped. "Are you okay?" Aria and Josie asked Hanna as they went and helped. "Hanna, come on." Aria said as the four helped Hanna towards the room, not wanting her to fall again. Spencer opened the room as the five of them stood and stared at the room. Spencer flipped the light on as they walked in. "I'm not exactly sure what we're looking for." Aria admitted.

"Ali left Ian to come up here for a reason, what was it?" Spencer asked as she and the girls walked further into the room. Hanna shut and locked the door while the other girl searched the room, "Love how they call this place a resort." Emily muttered as she looked at a postcard of the place. Emily turned to Spencer. "Do you think that Ali came here to hide something?" she asked.

"Or do you think that she came here to hide from 'A'" Aria asked as Hanna went to sit on the heater, trying to warm up and using a towel to help. "We need to get into that office." Spencer said. "Was Ali here alone or did she come with somebody?" Spencer asked again as she stared outside. "Is he still there?" Aria asked, referring to the man at the front desk. "I think that he left." Josie said as she joined them at the window.

"I'm just dying to get a look at that registration book." Spencer stated before Aria and Josie shared a look behind her back and went to grab their jackets that they had taken off. "Wait, really? You guys are gonna come with me?" Spencer asked, shocked as Aria turned to Hanna and Emily who were sitting on the heater, warming up. "Does it look like those two are moving?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm cold." Emily defended herself. "Okay, no, I'm colder than she is." Hanna protested. Aria was finishing putting her jacket on when Spencer moved and stood between her and Josie. "You're little but you're big." Spencer said to Aria, making Josie laugh before Aria and Josie followed Spencer out the door.

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Aria was the last one to sneak into the lobby through the window. Josie and Spencer held her hands so she didn't fall while climbing through the window. They shined their flashlights around the room to see all the weird and creepy things in the room, including a picture of some lady on the wall. "This is weird." Josie uttered. "Is it just me or is she staring at us?" Aria asked, referring to the picture. "Come on," Spencer ushered them away, to try and find the registration book.

They found it, and they were looking through it, trying to find what they were looking through. "Ali checked into room one as Vivian Darkbloom the morning before she went missing." Spencer said, finding her name in the registration book. "Are-are there any other names in here that we know?" Josie asked. "Uh," Spencer trailed off as they looked through the book trying to find anyone else, but they didn't.

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The next morning, Spencer was going over the registration book that they had taken the night before. "Ali stayed here twice and the first time was the day she was supposed to be meeting 'A' in Brookhaven." she told the girls as Aria handed her a cup of coffee. "Coincidence? I doubt it." she added. "Seriously?" Hanna asked before walking out of the room. "She still didn't call back?" Josie asked Emily, who shook her head. "My mom's not even home yet and I'm lying to her," She answered sadly. "She thinks I'm staying at your house." she said to Aria. "Oh, that works, cause my mom thinks that I stayed at yours." Aria responded.

"We're not stealing that, are we?" Emily asked Spencer, referring to the book. "No. we'll go put it back." Spencer answered. "We?" Aria questioned. "Spencer, you are not gonna make me or Josie crawl through that window again, are you?" Aria answered. "I'll do it, I just need you guys to stand guard." Spencer responded, making Aria and Josie sigh as they shared a look. "Come on, we're team Sposria." Spencer said, causing Josie to laugh while she and Aria got up from the bed and joined Spencer, making her smile before they left the room to give the book back.

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The girls arrived at the masquerade ball. They looked into the sea of people with masks on. "This is the perfect place for 'A' to hide." Aria remarked. "Where was Melissa when you left?" Hanna asked Spencer. "In her pajamas, curled up on the couch." she answered before the five of them walked down the stairs. "We have three hours to find out who 'A' is." Emily said. "Before she–him–it finds us." Josie added onto Emily's comment. "We still agree, right?" Aria asked. "No matter what happens at midnight, we stick together and we are not giving up that phone." Aria continued.

"It's five against one, I like those odds." Hanna remarked. "Should we split up and look around?" Spencer asked. "Well, the only one of us has a date, but.." Emily trailed off looking at Josie who nodded with a sheepish smile. "Let's meet back here in an hour." Aria suggested. "And keep your phones close." she added and soon enough the girls split up to look around.

Josie was looking at everyone, trying to spot someone she didn't recognize or someone in black coat when someone pulled her into a dance, making her gasp lightly. "Don't be scared it's just me," Richie said, making Josie relax, knowing it wasn't some stranger who she was dancing with. "You look beautiful Josie." he remarked looking at her lovingly, making her blush.

"You look handsome yourself," Josie said, staring up at Richie, before he slowly lifted her mask and she lifted him before they kissed. "I love you." he said into her ear  before they started dancing, their masks back in place. "I love you too Richie." she whispered back as she rested her head on his chest as they danced.

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The girls had met back up, Richie was with them. "There she is." Hanna pointed out the girl in the black swan dress to them. "Who is that?" Josie asked as she messed with Richie's fingers as they held hands. "I can't tell from here." Aria responded. "Tall, size two, I hate her already," Hanna remarked with a scoff. They watched as the girl in the black swan dress talked with Lucas. "It's Lucas." Hanna gasped. "They're all together." Emily said in shock.

They all watched the girl in the black swan dress move. "Come on," Aria said and the girls went to follow her. "Stay here, I can't have you hurt, okay." Josie said to Richie, kissing him quickly before following her friends. The girls followed as close as they could to the girl in the black swan dress. "She's leaving. Hurry." Emily remarked as they saw her make an exit through the fire escape. But they were too late, they had gotten to the door just as it closed. Aria tried to get it open but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked!" she remarked, trying to open it again. Josie turned to see Hanna bend down, making her move next to her to see her holding a feather, probably from the girl's dress.

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"I'm calling Spencer." Hanna stated as they walked to a private place where they could talk without anyone overhearing. "Ugh, this phone is a piece of crap." she remarked as she tried typing to Spencer. "I'll call her." Josie said, pulling out her phone from the pocket in her dress. "That's weird." Hanna remarked. "What?" Emily asked and Hanna handed her phone to her. "Your phone is set to record every time it's turned on." Emily said, making a chill go down Josie's spine. Mona had given Hanna that phone. The girls shared a look.

"You, you almost killed Hanna." they heard from Josie's phone. "She's my friend, I thought she was your friend too." Spencer said. The girls looked at the phone to see Mona talking and driving a car, but most importantly, she was wearing a black hood. "It's easier to forgive an enemy than it is to forgive a friend." Mona said. "Oh, my god, it's Mona." Aria gasped while Hanna shook her head in shock.

"How did you do it? How could you be everywhere? You were always one step ahead of us." Spencer said. "You're not the only genius in this car, you bitches underestimated me." Mona remarked. "We're never gonna make it to Lookout Point if you don't slow down." Spencer said, giving the girls a hint as to where they were going.

"They're going to Lookout Point. I know a shortcut, come on." Aria said and the girls went to leave, but Hanna was frozen in shock that it was her friend that had been threatening them. "Hanna?" Josie asked as she looked back at Hanna who was still standing there. "Mona's 'A'." she spoke softly, making Josie's heart break for her. "Come on," Josie said, grabbing Hanna's hand, leading her out of the dance, following her their friends.

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The girls drove up to Lookout Point in Hanna's car with Hanna driving, since she drove them all. They arrived at Lookout Point just to see Spencer jump out of Mona''s car. "Hanna, Stop!" "Hanna" "Slow down Hanna!" Aria, Josie and Emily shouted as Hanna pulled up, almost running Mona over. Hanna started at Mona, who was lit up by Hanna's car headlights, dressed in black before Mona screamed and ran for Spencer and the girls unbuckled their belts.

Mona tackled Spencer to the ground as the girls jumped out of the car. "Get up!" Mona screamed at Spencer before she tried pushing Spencer off the cliff, she managed to push her into a tree, just before the cliff. "Spencer!" The girls shouted just as she managed to push Mona off her and away from her but also towards the cliff, but Mona had a tight grip on the tree. Spencer tried to help Mona, not wanting her to fall.  Spencer held onto Mona, as they stared at each other before Mona slipped and fell, making them all scream.

"Mona!" Spencer screamed as her friends rushed to her. "Oh my god!" she cried as she fell into her friend's arms. Josie gasped as she saw Mona down the cliff as she held onto Spencer tightly as Spencer gasped. "You okay?" Aria asked her. "Yeah." Spencer huffed through heavy breaths with a nod.

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The girls were standing around an ambulance as they and the cops were everywhere. "Dr. Sullivan?" Aria asked, making the girls look up as well. "Are you all okay?" she asked as she joined them. "We tried to find you." Josie said with a shaky voice. "What did she do to you? Where have you been?" Spencer asked.  "She threatened my son, I didn't think I had a choice." Dr. Sullivan admitted. "I needed to leave. I'm so very sorry." She confessed and apologized.

"Hanna, it's alright, you're safe now." she spoke as she put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't believe this. She was my friend." she cried, making the others shed a few tears, feeling for Hanna. Hanna leaned into Dr. Sullivan as she cried. "It's over Aria." Emily cried to Aria as Josie rested her head on Spencer's shoulder before Emily and Aria joined them. "She's alive!" a paramedic called out, making the girls look over at the people looking over the cliff.

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"She was living in a perpetual state of hyper reality, the adrenaline rush that accompanied her feelings of empowerment and her high level of intelligence, fueled Mona's ability to be seemingly all knowing and omnipresent." Dr. Sullivan explained as she and the girls looked at Mona through a window at the police station. "Will she always be like this?" Hanna asked. "With therapy and the right medications people with these personality disorders can get better." Dr. Sullivan answered.

The girls walked outside the police station. "I never thought I'd find the strength to come back here, but your friend showed up and he was very convincing."  Dr. Sullivan confessed. "I help people push through their fears but he helped me push through mine." she added. "Wait, out friend?" Spencer asked, confused. Dr. Sullivan tilted her head in a direction, making them all follow to see Toby, who was leaning against his truck.

Spencer walked towards him slowly and he walked towards her as the girls and Dr. Sullivan watched. "Pretending not to love you was the hardest thing I've ever done." Toby admitted and in responde, Spencer tried to slap him but he caught her hand in his and pulled her into a kiss. The girls smiled, happy that they were back together.

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"You gonna be okay at home tonight?" Aria asked Hanna as they walked down Emily's street. "I know Mona's 'A', I just keep seeing that faceless person in the black hoodie." Hanna admitted. "Let's sleep at my place, my mom will be thrilled to have a reason to cook." Emily spoke up with a smile. "That sounds like old times." Josie said as she laughed as the sound of an ambulance was heard, making them turn to see one passing them and they saw it going to Emily's house, making Josie's heart drop. Something had happened.

There were cop cars everywhere, people surrounding the house. Emily ran towards her house, the girls following closely behind, as they pushed past people and the barriers. They finally spotted Emily's mother, making them feel slightly better, knowing she wasn't hurt. "Honey, they found a body." Mrs. Fields said, as she stopped Emily, the girls behind her. "They think it's–it's Maya." she finally said, making Josie gasp in shock as Emily fell back slightly, the girls holding her as Mrs. Fields helped.

They turned to see the coroner drag a body bag out of the house on a stretcher and past the girls and they watched as it was loaded into the coroner van. The girls held onto Emily with dear life as she cried so hard, almost falling, she would have, if it wasn't for the girls holding her up, it broke Josie's heart, hearing Emily sound so... broken.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
season two is done !!! i can't believe this parts over, now it's onto season three !!! <3

[ i totally cried while writing the last paragraph, it's so sad no matter how many times i've rewatched pretty little liars ]