I have two things to say about PLL. 1. As upset as I was with the way that Spencer treated Toby in this episode, let's be clear. Johnny kissed Spencer, not the other way around. Spencer didn't cheat on anyone.

2. Mike Montgomery just ruined my life. But what ruined my life more was those damn gummy bears. He went to the lake to meet Mona, and he brought her gummy bears and I'm just crying. I'm crying.

Anyone read the Reddit spoilers? What do you guys think? I think they're probably not true, but if they are it'll actually probably be pretty great. But I REALLY doubt they're true. It just doesn't work based on what we're told. And if you don't know what I'm talking about don't ask. I'm not going to spread details.

Review, okay? :)

Chapter 10

TPOV

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Dr. Sullivan crossed her legs and offered him a sad smile. "I think so. I can see that you harbor a lot of guilt, Toby. And it doesn't seem as though it's safe for you to travel back to New York. I think to move forward you have to tell Lucas what's on your mind."

His fingers tightened around the pen as he looked down at the blank paper. He couldn't do this. "What if I call instead?" He asked her softly, thinking back to Spencer's idea last month. They never got around to it due to Riley's accident, but it felt like a good idea still.

She hesitated. "Do you think that's safe?"

"My friend suggested a burner phone." Spencer struck him as the kind of person who knew what she was talking about, but he thought that he'd run it by Dr. Sullivan.

"If you think that it's a good idea that would probably be a better solution. I think that I will let you go for the day as long as you promise to take care of this."

He nodded and grabbed his jacket, lost in thoughts as he exited the worn, brick building.

"What are we doing?" He asked quietly as he climbed in to the back of the van, wincing as whoever was driving slammed on the gas before he could buckle his seat belt.

"Just going to collect a little money."

He couldn't tell who had spoken over the blaring music, but it seemed routine enough. He leaned against the seat, glad he had stopped Lucas from coming. It wouldn't be hard, but Lucas was still largely innocent. Hopefully he could keep it that way.

He cringed when he saw that it was storming out. He really needed to find a way to get a license, because he was sincerely tired of being cold. He jumped as a horn honked in front of him. He was confused for a second until he wasn't. He smiled and ducked into the rain, hurrying to the SUV parked along the sidewalk. "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

"Mommy said we could get ice cream, but then she said we had to be nice and wait for you because it's raining like a bad word."

He craned his neck and smiled at Riley in the backseat. "Well, I appreciate you waiting for me. It's really cold outside." He turned back to Spencer. "But you didn't have to."

She rolled her eyes. "I was already out, and I'm not going to let you freeze. Do you want to come with us, or should I drop you off at home?"

He hesitated, not really wanting to ask anything else of her. "I do want to come, and I was wondering if we could do something else too?"

"Name it," she chuckled as she shoved her car into drive and pulled out onto the highway.

"I was thinking that it might be time to get a hold of Lucas," he said simply. "I need to make sure that he's okay."

"Absolutely. The ice cream place we like to go to is in the mall, so we can stop by Radio Shack before. I thought about buying one of their phones the last time I was in there, and they were pretty cheap." Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel as she changed lanes and pulled into the mall lot.

"Why would you need a burner phone?" He asked her quietly, glancing at Riley in the mirror. If she needed help she needed to tell him.

She just shrugged. "I have a past. You know that. I need to be ready if something happens."

He nodded. He understood that. He touched his pocket. He didn't have much money, so hopefully the phone wasn't too expensive. He climbed out of the car and slid open the back door for Riley. He held a hand out for her. She was probably fine, but she had a broken arm. She should probably do as little as possible. "Want a piggy back ride?"

She giggled and nodded eagerly. "Giddie up, horsey."

He ducked down and waited for her to climb on before raising back up. He clamped his hands around her legs. Riley didn't strike him as the kind of kid that would let go, but he hadn't spent much time around children. He would be damned if she got hurt on his watch.

He thought Riley's laughter was enough of a reward, but the happy smile on Spencer's face sent his heart racing. "Thank you," she whispered, squeezing his bicep.

He hoped that she didn't feel the goosebumps that her touch erupted along his skin. They walked together into Radio Shack. "Mommy!" Riley's high pitched voice tickled the sensitive skin on his neck. "Can we get a movie on our way home? I already finished all of my homework, and I've been good, right? I even ate my peas even though they were mushy and icky."

"Man," Spencer sighed dramatically. "You must have one rotten mom to make you eat such gross things."

He felt Riley shake her head against his back. "No, she's pretty good. She just has really bad taste in veggies."

Spencer laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, alright. I guess we can get a movie if you're really good while we're here."

"I'll be perfect!" She cheered.

This mother daughter conversation honestly fascinated him. His mom had never put down the pills long enough to parent him, so he didn't have any comparison. Would his mom have talked to him like Spencer talked to Riley had she not been lost to the haze of drugs? Because Spencer had battled her way down that road herself. But the difference between Spencer and his mom was that Spencer did what she had to do to be there for Riley. It had to be hard. Drug addiction was never something that went away from you. But she pushed down those urges and cravings so that she could be there for her daughter. That was a choice his mother was never strong enough to make.

He looked down at the shelf of cheap phones. Spencer held up a model and he nodded without really looking at it. "Riley, hang on tight for a second, okay? I need to grab my wallet."

Spencer shook his head. "No, you keep a hold of her. She's squirmy. I'll go pay for this."

"Spencer-" he tried, but she was already gone. She didn't have to keep taking care of him.

"Mommy likes to buy things for people," Riley offered up from his back.

He snorted. "I'm beginning to see that."

"When grandma and grandpa died they gave her like 600 bazillion dollars. She said that we don't need it all so we have to be nice and help other people. I'm glad she helped you, Toby. I like you."

There wasn't much better than being complimented by an innocent child. She didn't see what he had gone through or the mistakes that he made. She just saw him, and apparently she liked what she saw. "I like you too, Riley."

It took Spencer awhile, but eventually she came back with the phone out of the package. "I had them set it up for me, and I asked them to make the phone's zip code one in North Carolina. You should be okay." She glanced at Riley. "Ry, want to go play before we get ice cream?"

She squealed. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Spencer smiled and shook her head. "How did I not predict that answer?" She ducked back into the busy mall and led the way through the crowd until they came across a large play place in the middle of an atrium.

"Wow," he muttered, ducking down so that Riley could jump off. "This is awesome."

Riley giggled and squeezed between them, running toward the slide. "Walk!" Spencer called after her. She sighed and turned back to him. "Do you want privacy? I can go wait at those benches over there."

He paused. "No. I think this will be easier with a friend, if you don't mind."

She nodded and put a hand on his arm. "It'll be alright."

He didn't answer, not because he was being rude, but because he was desperate to hold in his emotions. He dialed Lucas's number and held the phone to his ear, praying that he answered.

"Hello?"

He sucked in a shaky breath. "Lucas? It's Toby."

"You shouldn't be calling me," his voice immediately became hushed and quiet.

He closed his eyes. If nothing else Lucas was physically okay, and that meant everything in the world. He truly had not had any idea how much the idea of someone hurting Lucas had been plaguing him right up until this moment. "I had to know that you were okay. Have you heard from-"

"Yes. Well kind of. He sent Andrew and Noel, and they didn't directly ask me about you. But they were looking through the apartment."

He closed his eyes. This was exactly what he was worried about. "Are you okay? Are the kids?"

"We're fine. I think that I convinced them that I hadn't seen you."

"Maybe I should come home, Lucas." He bit down on his lip. He had to make this okay.

"I'll kill you myself. You're safe there. It's your turn, Cavanaugh. Don't call me again unless it's an emergency."

He was met by the dial tone. He ended the call and looked at the ground. What was he supposed to do?

"Is everything okay?" Spencer asked hesitantly, putting her hand on top of his.

He just shook his head. "I don't know."

"Is there anything I can do?"

He smiled despite the terrible emotions that were churning around in his stomach. "You're already doing it. You're the best friend that I've ever had, Spencer. I hope that you know that."

?POV

He clicked off the listening device with a grin. He knew having those idiots plant the bugs was a good idea. Lucas had never been a good liar. Honestly, he made an admiral effort, but he still saw right through him.

Lucas was in contact with Toby Cavanaugh. Lucas was all he needed to figure this out. And figure it out he would. He grabbed the hand gun out of the drawer and tucked it into his pocket. He lifted his cell phone, punching in 2 on his speed dial. "Noel? Meet me at Lucas' apartment. He's alone and he's a fucking liar."