The real reason why Alex Drake has Spencer and Ezra locked up, is because she fell in love with Aria Montgomery the second she saw her. However, her new plan of replacing Spencer and making Aria love her, might not work out after all. As Aria becomes suspicious of Alex and creates a plan of her own, which surprsingly only leads her to more confusion then ever. She knew she loved Ezra, she knew she had been attracted to Spencer since they met, but she never would've thougth fallen for the one girl that had made their lives a living hell was even possible. Ezria/ Sparia/ Arlex

As many vieweres, I too was fascinated by Alex and thought it would be interested if she was in love with Aria instead of Toby. I like Ezra and Aria together, but I thought it would be a more interesting approach.

The story starts off after the mirror scene in 7x20 whe it is finally revealed that Spencer has a twin and is AD.

Hope you enjoy! Feedback is also very appreciated!

I don't own Pretty Little Liars, or the characters.

…

Seconds passed as she starred wordlessly at the figure in front of her.

„Boo!", the girl in front of her laughed out and Spencer stumbled back in shock. Panic rose inside her and she needed a few seconds to process what was happening.

The next minutes passed her in a wave of trance. Alex. Alex Drake. AD. She had left kindergarten early. She had skipped sixth grade in middle school. She had been valedictorian in high school and she had studied law in freaking Washington DC but she couldn't wrap her head around what was happening around her. All of the sudden this girl across from her that looked like Spencer had just cloned herself; this girl with her almost annoying british accent and her witty comments; this girl felt so strange and so familiar to her at the same time.

Spencer blinked a few times. Processing everything Alex had said.

Mary Drake had had a second child. She was raised in London by a wealthy family, given up on because she was having problems early in her childhood and probably bringing shame to her parents, moved to a foster home and started her lonely life after that. She had met Wren at a bar and from then things had moved fast. He was the one who had introduced her to Charlotte, her, their sister. She had wondered about her, about Spencer. But Charlotte never wanted them to cross paths. Spencer couldn't really understand why but maybe Charlotte wanted Alex to herself. In a way she had Ali then, so Alex was all she got. Spencer could understand that in a way. Even it was twisted. Alex told Spencer how Wren and her fell in love, how Charlotte met Dunhill, how the four of them would be the best of friends. That was until Charlotte wanted more. She wanted to start the game again, the A-game. So she left for Rosewood, despite Alex's pleads to stay or to let her come with her – apparently that was the last time Alex had seen her, shortly before Mona had accidently killed her in the bell tower. It sounded tragic almost, out of one of those creepy novels that Spencer read from time to time. Surreal. Alex wanted to honour Charlotte, to continue what she had started and it seemed that she didn't stop at any point. Until she got to know more about Spencer and her life – and how perfect it all seemed. That is when she knew what she wanted – she wanted to be her – she wanted to life that „perfect" life herself. Killing Wren in the process, was necassary, she said. He was a burden, who tried to stop her plan, to stop her from getting what she wanted – Spencer's identity and life. Now he was a sparkling diamond, dangling just beneath his killer's neck.

„Is that what you wanted?", Spencer asked carefully, still processing. „Revenge?"

„You don't get it, love, do you?", her British accent confusing Spencer even more. „You were the lucky one. You've got friends who would murder for you. You've got family. You've got that lad Toby who loves you unconditionally even though his fiancée just died a year ago! You were lucky, Spencer. And it is only fair to share that luck with your sister, don't you think so?"

„What are you planning?"

„Attending a wedding, if there will be a wedding that is..." She smirked amused and let out a little laugh, while moving around the cold room like she was thinking.

„What do you mean by that?" Spencer knew she would only anger that copy of herself if she would be too provocative. She was better off being careful. A part of her was still afraid she would end up like Wren.

„It was supposed to be a surprise, but whatever." She got up from the chair, kicking it into the wall in the process, and Spencer flinched for a moment, earning an amused laugh from Alex.

She proceeded to the entrance of the room, locking the heavy slide doors after leaving Spencer's improvised cell. Then, she fiddled with what looked like a control pad until the grey shutter on the wall across Spencer's cell rose, revealing none other than Ezra Fitz!

Spencer gasped, sitting up in less than a second, and then flinching again when the cold metal around her ankle hold her in place.

„You kidnapped Ezra?!", she shouted in anger and briefly made eye contact with her best friend's future husband and friend, sending him a small smile of comfort and compassion. He did not belong here. It wasn't any of his buisness to be here. But she had to admit that a small part of her felt relieved that she wasn't alone in this.

„Leave him out of this!", she demanded, when Spencer had finally found her voice again. „He does not have anything to do with this! Please. Just let him go."

„He is kind of in the way of things, sorry, love." Alex shrugged her shoulders and send Ezra a fake smile, before she turned to Spencer again. „Show over. Say goodbye.", she muttered and Ezra's and Spencer's eyes widened before Alex pressed some buttons again and the shutter began to close.

„No, please! I'm getting married today! Don't do this! Let me out of here!" Ezra's desperate cries filled Spencer's ears but they were soon met with silence when the shutter closed fully.

„Why is he here?" She sensed that Alex didn't want to reveal that information in front of Ezra, and Spencer could only guess why that was.

„Well, one – he was too dangerous, too close to figuring it all out. And second..." Alex stopped then, smiling at Spencer and reentering her cell, before plopping down on the chair which she picked up in one move and positioned it in front of Spencer's bed.

„You have lovely friends.", she smiled, thinking of one particular short girl with brown hair and that cute little smile she wore on her face.

„What?", Spencer couldn't quite figure out, what Alex was implying. It seemed that her interlectual brain was mashed and nothing made sense anymore.

„My little helper. She is gorgeous! Too bad there is this fiancé that keeps blocking my way."

„Aria? You're into Aria?", Spencer let out, feeling something tighten in her chest, afraid that this monster would end up hurting her little friend.

„I don't know why you look so schocked! You two looked close.."

„She is my best friend! Of course, we're close! God, I swear – you touch a hair on her head and you're dead meat! Leave her out of this! Leave Ezra out of this! You got me, but don't touch my friends! They don't deserve it! Any of it."

„If it wasn't for Aria being such a cutie, she would be right in this gutter with you! I did everything to have her on my side of this game! She is too loyal to all of you! You should've seen her face when I wanted her to plant that recording into your house! She seems to like you."

„Is that what this is about? You being jealous of her turning away from you? You must be sick if you ever thought Aria would volountaryily betray her friends like that! She was scared. She wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for keeping Ezra out of jail."

„She chose him over you, then. Sweet."

Spencer looked at Alex for a moment. Thinking about what she had just said. Aria did chose him over her, over them. But wouldn't she do the same if Toby was involved? She already had. A few years ago. But somehow it still hurt to be bascially told that their long time, fundamental friendship wasn't as important as her love to Ezra. Ezra. The one person who had betrayed her the most, while Spencer was by her side picking up the pieces, and giving Aria the comfort she so desperately was looking for. It hurt. It stung. And she hated Alex for making her feel that way.

"Please don't hurt her.", Spencer winced and Alex stood up and chuckled, moving to the door, before turning around.

"No worries. I won't. We're gonna be good together. Promise"

And before Spencer could comment on that, her door had been shut, and the shutter came crushing down, surrounding her in emptiness, and left with her thoughts.

...

Aria was curled up into a ball on the small couch in her dressing room, her friends huddling around her with worried glances.

"I am sure he is coming", Emily tried to give her lost friend some compassion, but even she, the most optimistic one of their group was slowly losing hope.

"Did you try calling him again?" Aria looked up to her best friend, and nodded sadly at Spencer, who approached her slowly and sat down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her knee and trying to comfort her.

The only thing that kept Aria from breaking fully, were her friends being right next to her, never leaving her side. She was blessed with such pure friendship that she almost smiled at the thought of them always being there for her, after everything they have been through, after everything she had done.

...

Hours passed and Aria was now tucked up in bed, lying next to a sleeping Hanna whose soft breathing was almost lulling her into her own dreams. But every time she tried to close her eyes images of Ezra and his whereabouts plagued her to the point that she couldn't help but to open them again. When she tried to close them again, she was confused when she felt the mattress sink a little deeper. She kept her eyes closed. Thinking, hoping, wishing that maybe it was Ezra who had come back to her. She was going crazy and she hoped he couldn't hear her rapid heartbeat. She sensed a feather touch on her face, when she felt someone brushing a stray of hair, tucking it softly behind her ear. Maybe it was her desperation, but in that moment, even though she knew Ezra's touch by heart, she let herself believe it was him. That was until the person next to her spoke the next words: "I think that you and I are gonna be the closest of all."

Aria held her breath. Her voice sounded familiar. It sounded like.. Spencer? But why would Spencer say that? Of course they were Team Sparia, but that whispering? Maybe she was losing her mind? Maybe she had imagined it?

She laid still a few more seconds, until she pretended to wake up slowly. Adjusting her eyes in the darkness, she almost shrieked at how close the other body laid next to her, their faces almost touching. And yet, she found comfort in the way Spencer laid next to her. It was her. She could make out her face in the dark and could hear her breathing slowly. Was she already asleep?

"Spence?" Aria whispered, unsure if she would get an answer.

Spencer's eyes opened slowly and her lips turned into a smile when she connected eyes with hers.

"Hey. I am sorry, I just came over here. I didn't want to wake you. Hope it's okay."

"Of course.", she smiled because what else would she say?

"Still no word from Ezra?" Aria sighed when she heard his name. "No. Nothing. I don't know if I should be worried or angry, you know? I am so confused. Why would he leave me?" She knew tears were probably starting to fall every second, but this time she didn't care less. Spencer was her best friend. She knew her in and out. It was pointless to hide anything from her anyway. That's when she remembered her friend's cryptic words.

"Spence? What did you mean when you said we two are gonna be the closest of all?" She asked and raised an eyebrow, even though Spencer couldn't probably see it.

Spencer seemed to be a little startled by that question and Aria wondered why that was. Maybe she was losing it, too?

"I just think that you and I have been going through it all, you know. And I couldn't imagine not being there for you, that's all. Hanna has all these problems with Mona and her trying to get pregnant, and Emily and Alison are busy with the girls, so I guess I just wanted you to know that I am gonna be there for you. No matter what."

Aria smiled then. And it was the first genuine smile since before all this wedding chaos happened.

"Thank you.", Aria whispered and searched Spencer's hand in the dark, intervening their fingers and squeezing it softly.

"I don't know what I would do without you. Thank god you forgave me. You and the girls mean so much to me. I honestly don't think I would make it if you weren't here with me."

"You don't ever have to worry about that, Aria. We love you. I am not gonna abandon you. I am not going anywhere."

Arms wrapped around Aria's tiny frame and Spencer kissed her forehead. Pressing her head into the curve of Spencer's neck, feeling her best friend run a hand through her hair, she finally fell asleep.

...

Alex carefully untangled herself from Aria, getting out of bed and moving to the door, but not before looking at Aria once more. She truly was beautiful. And after tonight, even though Aria had her startled for a moment, she was sure there was a realistic chance of Aria being able to see her as more than a friend. She just had to get rid of Ezra and make sure he wasn't ever going to come back. She would be there for Aria. Drying her tears and making her forget. Making her love her and they would live happily ever after. And maybe then, she could finally have the family she so desperately longed for.

An hour later, Alex was at her place again. Going down the stairs to her underground world. She would have preferred to stay in bed with Aria, but she couldn't risk leaving those two dickheads alone. Who would know what they could come up with.

"Morning, sunshine.", she lets out when she reachers Spencer's cell. "Did you sleep alright, darling?", she said in a mocked tone and Spencer glared at her, clearly unable to come up with a witty response.

"You never told me how beautiful your friend looks when she is sleeping. If I didn't know it was Aria, I might have thought it was a little angel."

"You visited Aria when she was sleeping?!" Spencer's eyes widened and Alex couldn't hold back a little chuckle.

"Of course. I almost blew it, though! Shame on me! I will have to be more careful, then."

"She is gonna find out that you're just a cheap copy. She knows me. She knows me better than I know myself."

"Well, I'm sure you're surprised then that she let me comfort her and hug her until the cute thing fell asleep."

"I told you not to touch her! You're disgusting!"

"I am you, Spencer. Deal with it. It's over. I will let you live, cause you're family but this is your new home, you better make yourself comfortable."

"And Ezra?"

"I still don't know what to do with him. I thought about killing him and sending Aria a nice photo, but I know this would just break her heart and I honestly do not know if I could stand that or if she would really be open to something new after that, so I might keep him in here a little while and have him tell Aria himself that she shouldn't hope for a comeback."

"So what? You're gonna keep us here and try to what? make her love you? Ezra is the only guy Aria has ever truly loved. She wouldn't settle for anyone else, believe me. This is a lost cause."

"The thing you're not thinking of, honey, is that Aria has never been in love with another "guy" - she might try something different."

Alex noticed the wave of shock that crossed Spencer's face. She could only imagine what was going through her twin sister's mind.

She would find a way for Aria to fall in love with her. She hadn't went through all of this, hadn't spent all this money for nothing. After all - what could be more romantic than going from best friends to lovers? Aria was a sucker for romantic novels. Alex was sure if she played her cards right, it wouldn't be long until she had her family.