A/N: Hello lovelies! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted a new story on here, but now that school is finished, I should be back with some new material. Missed you all and hope that everything is well ;)
Disclaimer: As much as I wished I did, I do not own PLL or Spencer and Toby (sadly).
Special Thanks to: My Spobettes, Ana, Bree, Britt, Elisa, Emma, Fray, Lizzie, & Tracey for the continual sweetness & amazing loyalty. And shout-outs to Ana & Lizzie for "guruing" this piece for me. Love you all to the moon and back, as TSwift would say. Mwah xo 3333
i.
In life, there are many problems that need solving.
Complex algebraic expressions.
Questions of ethics.
Reasoning behind the creation of scientific theories.
Explanations of people's often strange or shady behavior.
Why must x equal anything?
Why is stealing justified in some cases?
What evidence is there to suggest that water exists on Mars?
What made him/her go completely off the deep end?
And while a majority of these questions cannot be answered without great contemplation, they rely on circumstances. They rely on the end result.
ii.
Sitting in the diner, dressed in a black hoodie and matching gloves, Spencer Hastings also relies on the end result. She's been trying to figure out who killed Alison for almost two years now, but even more recently, she's dedicated herself to uncovering Toby's motive for supposedly joining the –A Team. And when her own searches come up short, she does the one thing she fears she'll wind up regretting.
She crosses into enemy lines.
iii.
When the bells above the door jingle, signaling the entrance of a new customer, she tries not to get her hopes up. She takes a series of rapid breaths as the sound of footsteps grow closer and closer, a breath hitching inside her throat the moment he slides into the opposite side of the booth and opens his mouth.
He's alive.
iv.
The look on his face the second she raises her head and locks eyes with him is one of mixed feelings. Surprise. Confusion. Delight. Fear. Shame. Here they are sitting at a diner on the outskirts of Rosewood—seeing each other for the first time in months—and so many words are left unsaid. A few tears fall from her eyes as she mentions, Mona, and Radley, and finding his "body" in the woods, accompanied by a heartbreaking confession about using Malcolm to break Aria and Ezra up. He responds to her laments, doing all that is humanly possible to comfort her broken and inconsolable form, a single phrase ringing loudly in his ears.
"I stopped worrying about me a long time ago."
v.
After finally grasping some of her trust, he takes her to a vacant little motel down the road. They check into his room and he makes her a cup of black coffee darker than the night sky. She takes a single sip then rests it on the side table next to the bed, putting more distance between them than necessary. She's still wary of him and he knows it, his hands tousling his short, caramel locks in frustration. He can't seem to break through the walls she's put up around herself.
vi.
More words are exchanged. Questions surrounding the identity of Red Coat. Understanding in regards to his motives. Pain relating to his apparent "betrayal." But soon enough silence falls over them once again and he's left feeling twice as awful as he did in the diner. Something inside of him cracks open, the tears flow, and he's done pretending to be the strong one.
vii.
To his surprise, her attitude shifts, and before long she cups his face in her hands, pressing their lips together. When she pulls away, the pads of her thumbs wipe under his eyes, and immediately he knows he's gotten through to her. She believes him, believes his reassurance that what they had in the past "was real," believes he'd never intentionally hurt her. He tugs her closer.
viii.
They make love, then lie wrapped in each other's arms afterwards. And as they lie together listening to the steady rising and falling of their own heartbeats, they both realize something.
Their story is growing, changing, intensifying.
Beginning again.
A/N: What'd you think? I know it's been more than quite a while since I've written anything, so of course, I'm pretty rusty. And how about our lovebirds, Spencer and Toby? Looking forward to seeing them sleuth together in Season 4? I know I am ;) Many thanks as always to you, my dear readers, and all the wonderful things you do for me. Love you all more than words can ever express. Enjoy your weekend! Lots of Virtual XOXOs 3333 –CHRISSY-