Since I got FIFTEEN FREAKING REVIEWS in a TWELVE HOUR PERIOD I thought you guys deserved this.

You get a little look into Alex's sick and twisty mind, and you get Toby's reaction when he realizes Spencer's missing. You'll have to wait until next time for more details though!

Alex is dark. And he's sick. And I feel like I have to warn you guys about that before hand, okay? He's nuts. But he also loves her, and it's just really effed up. Advance warning if you're sensitive to stuff like that.

Chapter 11

Alex's POV

He gently laid Spencer out on the bed and lifted her head to nudge a pillow beneath her neck. Observing her had been his life for so long, and even so, he couldn't ever remember a time where she looked more beautiful. And he knew that it was because she was finally his. Having her in front of him, completely helpless to his will, was giving him the biggest rush he had ever experienced. He could finally do whatever he wanted to do to her. He finally had her.

He smiled softly as he remembered the first time he ever saw her, the first time he knew she had to be his.

His side still ached from the kicks his father had aimed at his ribs. All he wanted was to feel loved; hell, he'd even settle for accepted. But no. All he got was the shit beaten out of him for leaving a dirty dish in the sink.

It was time to get out of the house. He had to escape, because there was no living like that. He couldn't do it anymore. Before his mom died she would sometimes bring him to the park to feed the ducks when he was sad, and that's where he was now. He sat down on a bench and stared out at the gently rippling water, a tear clinging to his eyelashes. What had he ever done to deserve this?

"Hey? Are you okay?" A breathless feminine voice asked from behind his bench.

He turned to assure the stranger that he was fine, but he had to do a double take as his eyes were met with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had clearly been jogging. Her torso was covered by a UPenn tshirt that was much too large for her, and her shorts revealed miles of long, lean legs. But it wasn't her clothes that appealed to him. It was her long, silky brown hair that reminded him so much of his mother's. It was the expressive brown eyes that looked like they were truly concerned with his well-being. She was stunning.

His breath caught in his throat, and all that he could do was nod wordlessly.

"Are you sure? I just mean- well, you look really upset."

How was it that this girl who never met him cared more about him than anyone else in his life? Part of him wanted to say no. Maybe she would stay and talk to him. But he couldn't speak. He just looked at her.

"Well, um- okay..." she trailed off uncertainly. "I'm going to get going, but cheer up, okay? Things get better."

He watched her go, her brown hair bouncing as she ran. He kept his eyes on her until she was out of sight. He wanted to know her, to touch her, to talk to her... he had to know more. He had to find her again.

He brushed her sweaty hair from her face and bent down to press a soft kiss to her forehead. His lips stretched out into a happy smile as he thought about the pure genius it had taken to get her out of the hospital. She was small enough to fit on the child size stretcher he came across in the feeding room, so he simply wheeled her out and into the trunk. of his car. It was genius.

Carefully he untied her wrists. He frowned at the raw, red marks on her soft, delicate skin. He didn't want to hurt her, but he would if he had too. Sometimes pain was necessary. It trained you to remember just how wrong you were. And if she were wrong he'd have to teach her. That's what his dad always did. He took her right wrist and weighed it in his hand, smiling at how small and delicate it was. It felt like nothing more than a wispy bird skeleton. He could wrap two fingers around it and still overlap a lot.

He yanked the wrist up as high as it would reach and tightly bound it to the headboard. If it rubbed a little skin off he could deal with it later. Right now he needed to ensure that there was no escape for her. He picked up her other wrist and squeezed it tightly for a long moment. He loosened his grip and smiled, satisfied at the large bruises that blossomed on her porcelain skin. He wouldn't hurt her again unless she forced his hand, but the fact that he could if he wanted to sent an excited feeling shooting through his whole body. She was here. She was finally here.

TPOV

He had screwed so much over the past few years, but he had finally fixed a few things. He had Spencer back, and he would be there for as long as she wanted him. There was nothing he couldn't do without her by his side, and he truly meant that. She gave him courage. She always had.

He looked up at the house that had seen the worst moments of his adolescence. His mother's death, his father's indifference, Jenna's reign of terror... But honestly, it had also seen some of his best. A defining moment in his life had been the day that Spencer had volunteered to tutor him. The smart, pretty, rich girl had nothing to gain from spending time with the school loser, yet somehow that hadn't bothered her. What people thought of her had never bothered his girlfriend. She just walked through life with this insane level of confidence. Either you liked her or you didn't but she was going to do what she knew was right.

And if she hadn't been by his side right now he knew that he never would have had the courage to do this. Her hand tightened around his own. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? It's okay if you don't. Or if you aren't ready yet we can come back."

He loved her unending support, but this was something he had to do. And he had to do it now. "I'm ready. I'm just- I'm nervous. I haven't seen him since I left for college."

"All the better then. Show him how successful you are. Show him that you didn't need him to be this incredible person. Because you are, baby." She let go of his hand and brought both of hers up to frame his face. "You've never seen yourself clearly, but I swear to you that you're the most incredible person I've ever met. And you did that on your own. That's something to be proud of."

He ducked down, unable to stop himself from grazing his lips over hers. "I love you so much, Spence. Seriously, I couldn't do this without you."

She rolled her eyes and her lips tugged into a smirk. "I love you too."

Sometimes, in his worst moments, he remembered her face when he told her that they were over. The pain... the tears... the sheer brokeness... When he was at his worst he remembered what he did to the best person he knew and in his heart of hearts he knew that he deserved it. He deserved nothing but the worst because he broke someone as internally and externally beautiful as Spencer Hastings.

But now that they were back together he didn't know what to think. He had acted impulsively, that much was for certain. He shouldn't have done it, and it was clear that he didn't deserve her. But now that she had forgiven him maybe he could start to forgive himself.

An elderly nurse walked into his room, effectively interrupting his internal monologue. "Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh. Your very concerned girlfriend requested I come in and check up on you."

He couldn't stop his smile. Spencer worrying about him wasn't usually a cause for joy, but right now he couldn't stop himself for being thrilled that she wanted anything to do with him at all, let alone be his girlfriend again.

As the nurse was checking his vitals a familiar raven-haired girl walked into his hospital room closely followed by Caleb and Hanna. He was happy to see Caleb and Hanna, but he hadn't seen Emily since he left Spencer. As if losing the love of his life wasn't enough, he also lost three of his best friends at the same time. But here they were.

"Em!" He smiled and held an arm out for her.

She hugged him carefully and ruffled his hair as she pulled away. "I was wondering when you'd come to your senses. You guys belong together."

He smiled. "I always knew that. There was just so many other things."

"Where is she, by the way?" Caleb laughed. "I didn't think we'd be able to even peel her from your side, dude."

And it wasn't until right then, right at that moment, that he realized something had to be wrong. She wouldn't have left him for this long by choice. "Fuck. God damn it."

"What is it?" Emily stood up and looked down at him in concern.

He took a slow, deep breath to try to reign in his emotions. He was failing, but he had to try. "I think she's in trouble. I wouldn't have been able to force her to leave for anything in the world, but she's been gone for at least twenty minutes. She said she was getting a nurse and she'd be right back."

"Okay, just breath," Hanna said softly. She knew the fears that he must have been having. "Just breath. She might have just gone to get a coffee. Em and I will go check, okay? We'll check the bathrooms too."

He nodded wordlessly. But if they didn't find her there wasn't a thing in the world that could keep in in this hospital room. He promised her that he'd protect her. He promised that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. And now that might have just happened beneath his nose. His stomach ached painfully, and he didn't know what to do. He became a cop so he could stop things like this from happening in the world, but now he was powerless to help the one person in the world that he would willingly give up everything for.

Because he just knew, he knew, that Hanna and Emily wouldn't find Spencer. He knew what had happened, and the more he thought about it the more he hated himself. He never should have let her go off on her own.

"Toby, man, calm down. They'll find her. Everything's fine."

He looked desperately up at Caleb. He wished he could believe him. He wished he knew for certain that Spencer was safe, but he was fairly confident of the exact opposite. He shook his head. "They won't. He got her. He got her right under my fucking nose."

"Who did?"

It was hard to remember that it had only been a day and a half since he rescued Spencer from that car. It had only been a day and a half since the maniac had touched her for the first time, since he swore to her that he'd protect her. Hanna knew because she came to Spencer's apartment right after. But he supposed that she hadn't had time to tell anyone else. "You were right," he said as he studied the pattern on the outdated curtains. "Someone has been stalking her for months. She played it like it was nothing, but it was. The bastard hit me with a car, and now he has Spencer. And I just can't- I can't-"

His rant was interrupted by the return of Hanna and Emily. And from the looks on their faces he knew, he just fucking knew. Before they could even speak he looked down at the IV in his arm and gently pulled it out, immediately using the sheet to put pressure on the spot. He felt light headed for a second, but it quickly passed. "Caleb, hand me my shoes." He accepted the shoes and turned to the girls. "What did you find?"

"We were about to give up," Hanna explained softly. "But Emily suggested calling her phone. So we tried it and we found it in some room down a shady hallway. Things were a bit mussed around, like there was a struggle. And-" she glanced at Emily before continuing. "She has a text from an anonymous number."

He snatched the phone from Hanna's hand.

'She's mine now. -A'

He was going to be sick.