On a clear night on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico, one can distinguish stars from the inky blackness of night; if they're lucky, they can make out a few constellations. The howls of coyotes howl from miles away, and the burnt-orange terrain looks infinite.
That's what appealed to Spencer when she had enough of Rosewood. She developed a strong distaste for trees, especially forests-after spending a few days in an enclosure surrounded by an endless expanse of trees, she never wanted to be more than a kilometre from a large road-and small, concrete rooms terrified her now. She opted more for the open-floorplan, airy feel of houses out on the outskirts of Albuquerque; there was nowhere for anyone to hide, and there'd always be space to move around.
Surprisingly enough-at least, a surprise for the Spencer of the days of yore-Spencer never attempted to go to college. After everything that happened, between the nightmares and the little things that could easily trigger her, she knew she could never focus on college. And of course, Toby supported this. He knew she was finally beginning to look out for herself, something she so heavily deserved, and was happy to see it all through, even when it meant going out to New Mexico with her.
They settled into a happy routine over five years: wake up, run a few miles, eat breakfast. Toby would then take Spencer to work before he would go on-duty as a police officer. Later on, around early-to-mid evening, he would get off shift and pick Spencer up from work, or therapy-Spencer went to therapy after work every Tuesday and Friday-and then the two would then go home for dinner. Later, they'd read something or play a game-whichever option they chose depended on how their days were-and then go to bed.
Which is why Toby knew something was up when he awoke at two in the morning and realised Spencer's lithe body wasn't in bed next to him.
He sprung out of bed in a panic, recalling the days of old, thinking that some stranger in black had whisked her away when they least expected. He called her name throughout the house, looking around every corner and checking every room for her. Toby stepped outside, but not before grabbing a flashlight from the credenza, and searched around the premises, checking for any clue that might lead to her location.
The biggest clue was a large ladder propped up against the back of the house, leading up to the roof. Toby climbed up the ladder and turned off his flashlight so he wouldn't spook anyone.
Reaching the top, Toby spotted Spencer sitting on top, legs pulled into her chest, eyes wide was they looked out into the expanse.
"You ought to start leaving notes if you're going to do things like this." He quipped, moving to sit down next to her.
"I didn't really want to bother you-long day at work and all, I thought you'd want to sleep." She replied, not looking toward him.
"I told you, I don't need to be looked after. It's my job to take care of you, I've told you."
"Yeah, well, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe I don't want to be taken care of?" She snapped, immediately regretting her words, curling up into herself.
The two sat for a few moments, listening to the ambient noises of the streets surrounding them. He knew not to disturb her, and she knew not to disappoint him. She already felt like she failed him for the day, and it was only a mere two hours into the day.
"You see that over there?" Toby asked, pointing to a star in the dark sky.
"Yeah, it's the North Star. Same place it always is." Spencer replied, rolling her eyes.
Once again, a silence followed her words; she was tired and angry and scared and so many things at the moment.
"Every night, when we were fenced in, we could always see the North Star. It wasn't the first thing on our minds, but it was pretty much the only thing that didn't doom us at that time. I'd look up at it every now and again, I'd look at it and wonder if I'd ever see home again. I was hoping that it'd guide me home, or it'd guide someone to us." She muttered, relaxing her legs but still never looking at Toby.
"We never stopped looking for you, and you know that." He reassured her.
"I know, it's just… That place embodied every nightmare I ever had since I could dream. It was worse than every prison known to man, and it was hard not to lose hope."
Toby wrapped one arm around Spencer's form, and like instinct, she leaned against him. It felt like home to her-a place to ground her back to reality.
"You going to tell me why you came up here?"
"I got spooked. I thought I saw someone, but it was just the tree outside our window. I didn't want to wake you, so I came up here."
"Needed to see the North Star to find your way home?"
"Or maybe home found it's way to me." Spencer whispered, finally looking Toby straight in the eyes. leaving a light peck on his cheek before leaning her body back into his.