..Refuse Thy Name (A Paily/PLL Fanfic)

Chapter 2

"Here's your tea, I didn't add sugar. Would you like some?" A burly officer asked Paige. She shifted on the small sofa in the secluded room at the police station, shaking her head "no" to the sugar. She took the tea silently, reconsidered, and muttered a thanks. It was a Friday evening, she should have been biking home from swim practice, breathing in the scent of her chlorine-soaked hair. But she decided it was no use being rude to them, it wasn't the officers fault that their stupid fingerprinting machine malfunctioned, forcing them to look into it. He was just doing his job.

"You're making a mistake, I've seen so many pictures of my mom with me in the hospital, pictures of me and my parents when I was just one, two, three years old. That wouldn't be possible if they stole me when I was nearly four. I know you're wrong, okay? And I think you know it too. If I actually was this missing abducted child, you would have arrested my parents already. Which, according to her-" Paige pointed to the officer who she'd previously been talking to - "you haven't done, so..."

"Yes, because the device is so newly constructed and developed, its results aren't grounds for arrest yet. That's why we had to run the DNA test on you. Speaking of which, we'll have the results back in a few minutes." The officer took a nervous breath before continuing. "But, listen. I wouldn't count on this all being a mistake, okay? I'm sorry, I understand that isn't what you want to hear. But it's the truth. The device may be new, but it's been tested many times. It works."

And sure enough, the DNA test came back as a match for the missing child, who, until a day ago, was presumed dead. Sophia Hastings had been found at last, unknowingly living with her abductors as Paige McCullers. Nick and Kerry McCullers were arrested immediately, and Veronica and Peter Hastings were informed. The police station organised a room for Paige to stay at for a night, at her request. She knew she'd have to move to Rosewood, where the Hastings family lived, but she didn't want to have to rush while packing her stuff. She also needed time to think over everything, process everything that's happening to her. The police understood that. On Saturday morning, the officer who had been assisting her - she called him Mr. L - knocked on her door.

"I'm sorry to wake you so early," he said, placing her sugarless coffee on the small table. "But we have a long day ahead of us. And, uh, Nick McCullers has requested to see you."

Paige sat upright and took a sip of her coffee. "Right now?" She asked.

"Yes. Well, soon. But we have to explain the situation to you first, and you have to agree. If you don't want to see him, it's no problem. See, the reason we're allowing this, is that we believe he wasn't aware of your abduction. He had been out of the country for 5 months when you went missing, and didn't return for another year and a half." Mr. L explained, giving her a sympathetic look. "Your mother is the primary suspect at this time. But remember, it's completely up to-"

"I'll do it," Paige cut him off. "I'll see him."
--
"Paige, honey. You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Nick said, shifting in his seat on the other side of the small table. Paige stayed silent. "How are you?" He asked.

"Did you know?" Paige cut straight to the chase. "Did you know I wasn't your child? That mom stole me or something? Did you plan it with her?!"

"Paige, no. I swear. I swear to god, I had no idea. And it doesn't matter. I love you. You're my child, I raised you!"

"Stop calling me that. Apparently my name is Sophia," Paige rolled her eyes. "Who is it in the photos?"

Nick tilted his head, leaning forward and placing his cuffed hands on the table. "What?"

"The baby photos! There's like a whole album of them. Mom with me in the hospital, at the park, in the house, except, it turns out that's not actually me. That's the real Paige McCullers, who isn't me. So who the hell is it?!" Paige couldn't hold her temper. She had planned to stay calm and collected, but his presence was angering her. She didn't even know what to call him. Dad was no longer accurate, and calling him Nick was just weird.

"As far as I knew, they were you! I'm just as in the dark as you are, honey please," he pleaded. "You have to believe me."

Paige looked to the guard who had been in the room to monitor. "This conversation is over. I can't do this."

Nick was escorted from the room, and Paige was given privacy for a little while. But when 10am hit, Mr. L came in.

"Paige, you understand what needs to happen, don't you?" He asked her. She nodded, and he gestured for her to follow.

They went back to her house, to pack up everything she wanted to take to Rosewood.

"Are you completely sure you don't want to see either Nick or Kerry McCullers before you leave? Veronica Hastings, your birth mother, will be here to take you home at 3pm," he asked.

"No. I'll talk to them some other time. I just wanna get on with it, I guess," she said. He nodded in understanding.

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*Friday night*

"Spencer, come downstairs. I need to talk to you," Veronica yelled from the kitchen. Spencer came down, running a comb through her wet hair. "Sit down."

"What's going on?" Spencer asked. "I need to pack some stuff, I'm staying at Emily's tonight, remember?"

"Spencer, listen," Veronica said. Spencer was slightly taken aback by her seriousness. Has someone passed away, she thought? "There's something you don't know. About this family."

A million things ran through Spencer's head at once. "Oh, I'm shocked," she said sarcastically.

"Now is not the time for your attitude, Spencer!" Veronica looked like she was on the verge of tears. Spencer stayed quiet. "Look, I know you're going to be mad, because we hid this from you for years. But you have to know, we did it out of love. We didn't want to hurt you. We thought it was best this way. You have to understand that."

"Hid what from me, Mom?" Spencer asked.

"Spencer," she said, hesitant. "Melissa isn't your only sister."

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A/N: Hey! Okay, so, I promise Paige will meet Spencer and maybe the girls in the next chapter. But I needed to write this in because it's important to the plot idea I have going. So... tell me! Do you think Nick really is innocent? Please vote and/or comment so I know if people are actually enjoying this or not... I'd really appreciate it! Thanks for reading, hope you're liking it :)