As always, I borrow scenes/dialogue from the show since I want this story to blend as seamlessly as it can with the show to the best of my ability :) I know it bothers some of you, but this chapter and onwards get A LOT more original, I promise! Things will pick up very very soon.

Also, a line Spencer says is actually mostly stolen from the Suits season 2 finale. Not completely word for word, but I don't want to take ownership over something that wasn't really all mine.

Enjoy darlings!

I do not own Pretty Little Liars.

"What are you doing here?" Spencer asked, trying to find the words. She hadn't seen Toby in over a year, since the night Alison went missing when he essentially told her that he wanted nothing to do with her, not then and not ever, which only made it more surreal to see him there now.

Toby's expression was stony as he made to walk away. It felt all too familiar with that last night they had spoken. He was trying to walk away, but she kept asking him questions. His manners would always prevail.

He swiveled his head to look back at her. "I was coming to see you. But you seem pretty preoccupied." he said coldly.

Spencer finally clued in that he was pissed at her. For what, though, she wasn't sure.

"I'm… what are you talking about?" she asked.

"Nothing. Bye, Spencer."

"No, Toby, wait! Please. Can we talk?" she begged.

"I'm sure you'd rather talk to your sister's fiancé, wouldn't you?" he countered, and she caught on that he had seen what had happened.

But that didn't make her understand any better. Her first instinct was that he could be jealous, but why would he be jealous if he wanted nothing to do with her?

"Were you… were you spying on me?"

He rolled his eyes. "You were going at each other right next to a window. It wasn't like I was peeping in from a tree with binoculars."

Spencer felt a douse of déjà vu, thinking back to the night of The Jenna Thing. She had doubted that Toby had been spying on them, but now, with this information, she wasn't so sure. Maybe Alison had been right…

"Do you make it a habit to watch people through their windows?" Spencer said in annoyance, crossing her arms.

"Do you make it a habit to make out with guys that are way too old for you? When I told you to move on, I had hoped you would go for someone around your age…" he began to say, but he had hit a nerve.

Spencer shook her head to shut him up, her anger growing from her toes and rising all the way to her face like some sort of out of control thermometer.

"You can stop right there. Did you hear what you just said—when YOU told me to move on. You said to find someone else. You told me to forget about you, forget about what you and I had. You don't have a right to stand here and judge me for MY decisions when you cut me from your life last year. You made it perfectly clear how you feel about me."

Toby's jaw set. "Spencer-"

"NO! You lost your right the night you broke my heart. You don't get to waltz back in a year later and act like you have a right to an opinion on the life I've learned to live without you just because you saw me with someone else."

"You're right; you're free to be with whoever you want." he replied; although, the fact that he looked like he wanted to punch something wasn't helping his case much.

She sent him a look. "Oh, yeah, that's coming off loud and clear based on your current attitude."

"Well my opinion clearly doesn't matter, but what about your family's? I doubt they would be the happiest with your decision… I mean, is that not your sister's fiancé?" he retorted, eyebrows rising in challenge.

Spencer was too mad to even wonder how he knew that. "First of all, don't talk about my family. You don't know them."

"Well that's probably because I'm not some fancy doctor. They never would have approved me, right? But that guy you were macking on seems to fit the Hastings image perfectly."

Spencer could have thrown something at him. "Seriously!? Don't even try to make this about you." She didn't even realize she was beginning to pace in front of him. "You know full well that you were my first choice last year. It was YOU who ended things for good."

Toby stepped forward angrily, the words Alison had engrained in his mind revolving around his head, fueling the insecurities he had always had. "And how long would we have lasted, Spencer? How long until you figured out that I would never fit into the life you had always dreamed of? The great Spencer Hastings, living a life without a plan? I can't imagine I'd ever see the day when you'd choose some lowlife carpenter over a high-class doctor…"

She had had enough. The clenched fist beside her was shaking, ready to slap him for his words. How dare he assume what would happen in the future when he had no idea.

"Will you STOP bringing Wren into this? I know that was a mistake. It just sort of happened, but YOU don't get to judge me for moving on when you were the one who forced me into it! You don't get to stand here and act like I'm not following the mapped out plan you've dreamt up because you clearly don't know me at all. And NEWSFLASH, I don't belong to you anymore, Toby."

"Were you ever really mine, Spencer?" he hissed, feeling the sting of her words. He knew his insecurities and pain was getting in the way of his proper judgment, but he couldn't stop pushing. Even this way, he was desperate to see more of her passion, the girl he had fallen in love with.

She had finally hit her breaking point. She raised her palm to slap him, but he caught her wrist in his hand, his reflexes much better since reform school. He backed her into the wall of the house roughly, and her breath caught.

But her fury was still consuming her so she wrenched her arm out of his hold, ignoring the sudden urge to kiss him passionately. No matter how angry she was, this was hot on some weird, hatefully-passionate level.

"How dare you! You know how much I cared about you!" she screeched at him. "You have no idea what I've been through in the last year, all that I have lost! Because it's EVERYTHING. Everyone I care about. You, Alison, my friends, and well, I never really had my family now, did I? And now I really will lose them because of some stupid mistake I made that YOU happened to witness. Can you just back off? I don't need this from you. I've been miserable since that night you shattered my heart and don't you dare think you can just come back here and act like I actually mattered to you."

"You DID." he argued, a flicker of emotion behind his eyes melting his angry expression.

She took a breath, eyes still blazing with fire, but her voice much steadier now. She attempted to calm down but her bottled up anger at him for the past year wasn't helping.

"Yeah, past tense." she countered with a scoff.

Toby stared her down, but couldn't find the words to muster up a response that. She had no idea how much he really cared, how much he still did and never would stop. Alison had never passed on the message of his feelings for her, and he knew now he had lost his chance.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and slipped away into the night.

Spencer felt the hot tears falling down her cheeks as she watched him go. Although she had thought nothing about getting rid of him, now that he was gone she wanted nothing more than for him to come back.

She was getting really sick of seeing him leave, but she knew she was just going to have to get used to it.

It wasn't the bird chirping that woke up Spencer the next morning. She heard the barn door close with a thump and rose out of bed to peek through her window. Looking down, she saw Wren with a box of his things in hand, heading towards his car.

Spencer sighed, leaning against her window sill, turning away from the scene.

Melissa and Wren had broken up, and she knew she was to blame.

If Melissa knew what had actually happened, she was in so much more trouble. But even if she didn't have a clue, Spencer hadn't wanted the pair of them to break up, no matter how bad she wanted to kiss Wren last night.

She contemplated running down to talk to him, ask him what happened, but she'd probably just make things worse, especially if Wren had broken up with Melissa to be with her.

But Spencer would never do that to her sister, no matter what she or Wren wanted. And truthfully, Spencer had no interest in dating Wren anyways. As upset as she was with Toby, seeing him last night had only set fire to her heart again. And where there's fire, there's passion. She knew her heart wasn't done with him, no matter how furious she was.

Spencer got ready for school, heading downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before heading out.

Unfortunately, Melissa was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, a look of guttural fury on her face.

There was no mistaking it. She knew.

"Melissa…"

"Don't even try to deny what you did! I saw you last night!" she shouted immediately.

Spencer knew this was going to get rapidly out of hand if she didn't say the right thing, but she had no idea what to do.

"I'm-I'm sorry, but-"

"Sorry for what? That you couldn't humiliate me more? My fiancé cheats on me with YOU? I've been telling everybody about this wedding and now I have to cancel it. Do you know how that makes me look?"

Leave it to Melissa to be more concerned with her social standing than the status of her heartbreak.

"You make me sick, Spencer. I don't know why you would ever do this to me. We may not get along, but I would never do this to you!"

Spencer knew that wasn't entirely true, especially if it got her more attention, but she wasn't about to point that out.

"How long has it been going on for?" she demanded.

Spencer finally was able to get a word in. "NOTHING is going on. It was just one time! And as soon as I realized what was happening, I stopped it. HE came on to ME."

Melissa laughed derisively. "You expect me to believe that?"

Spencer's eyes filled with tears. "Yes. Please, Melissa, I would never do that to you. I never wanted to hurt you-"

"Too late, Spencer. Way too late." she snarled, before storming out of the house, slamming the glass door hard behind her.

It didn't take long for Spencer's parents to find out the news that Spencer and Wren had been caught making out in her room. Both parents spent the entire car ride to school glaring at her through the rearview mirror, and it took all of Spencer's energy not to cry.

They too questioned why she had done what she had done, why she had wanted to hurt her sister in such a way, why she needed so much attention.

She had given up trying to explain her side of the story. She felt it was better to suffer in silence. They wouldn't believe anything she said anyways.

School of course dragged on. When it finally came to a close, Spencer slipped inside her house solely to change into leggings and a hoodie to go for a well-needed run.

Grabbing her orange iPod Shuffle, needing the music to block out the depressing thoughts in her head, she set off on her usual route.

Her mind was completely on the Melissa/Wren situation, and the fight she had last night with Toby, but she tried to focus on her music and the feel of the pavement beating against her feet.

Just as Sweet 17 was pumping her up with their song Supabeat, she rounded the corner and saw Jenna Marshall sitting on one of the town's benches.

She slowed to a stop, pulling out her headphones as she saw Jenna typing on a tiny keyboard.

Her phone beeped a moment later and the sunglasses-wearing brunette put it to her ear.

"Send text now." she commanded.

Spencer stared, realizing that it was possible that Jenna was –A. She knew she definitely had the motivation behind it, but Spencer didn't think she had the means because of her blindness.

Jenna must have sensed her in some way since she slowly began turning her head in Spencer's direction.

Placing her earbuds carefully back into her ears, Spencer bolted in the opposite direction. There was no way she was giving –A the idea that she was suspicious of their identity. And Jenna was too clever to not be able to figure out who was standing there for long.

Arriving home, Spencer was given the silent treatment from her entire family who were enjoying a meal together for once. There wasn't a place set for her, so she went upstairs to take a shower, fighting back tears and wondering whether things would ever be okay between her and her family again.

The next morning didn't bring much more optimism.

After the breakfast from hell in her kitchen in the place she used to call home, Spencer should've been grateful to get to school.

Spencer had come down to get her first meal of the day to find Melissa sulking in the kitchen while their mother lapped up all her whining and petted down her hair. Spencer hadn't been able to even breathe without Melissa having something to say, but as soon as Spencer started to say anything, nice or otherwise, she would be cut off by her mother. But Melissa had free reign to rip up her younger sister with no interference from the elder Hastings.

It was frustrating, since she understood that what had happened was wrong and that Melissa had every right to be upset, but it was like a mine field in that house now.

By the end of the one-sided, unfair fighting, Spencer swore things had only gotten worse between her and Melissa. She had refused to believe that Wren was the one to make the first move and essentially claimed her sister as dead to her.

Spencer couldn't find a reason to stick around, so she had headed to school only to be reminded of how much her school work had been taking a hit lately. She had completely procrastinated on an essay worth a big chunk of her class mark, and that was completely not like her.

She went to her locker after class, fighting back tears, knowing there was no way she could come up with quality work, especially with what she had to go home to.

Clicking open the lock, her books suddenly cascaded out of confinement and exploded across the linoleum. Crouching down, trying not to let her tears spill over, she tried to retrieve them and piled them in her arms.

A small brunette bent down to help her. "Russian History…? How many AP classes does it take before your brain explodes?" Aria teased, passing her the last textbook.

"I'm already drowning in there." she admitted quietly.

"Why, what's drowning for you, B+?"

Spencer shoved the last of her stuff back into the locker, not caring how organized it was. She just wanted to be done with it. "First paper's due Monday, and I've written two words—my name."

Aria finally clued in that something was up. "Well what's going on? Hey, you're not still freaked out about what happened in the woods yesterday, are you? You know, we do not have to do this thing for Ali until we figure out-"

"No it's not just that. It's… everything." she half-cried, pushing back the tears furiously. "Is there any chance that your family wants to adopt me?"

But Aria was saved from answering when two figures of their past rounded the corner.

She and Spencer stared at Jenna, her arm latched onto her dark-haired companion, no walking stick in sight.

Toby was back in school.

His eyes flickered to her for a moment, but he looked straight on after he passed the pair of them, leading Jenna carefully down the hall.

Spencer could see Emily and Maya approaching and picked up on their conversation a few feet away.

"Who's that?" Maya asked, seeing the sudden change in not just her friend but the entire hallway. She had caught the long stare he and Emily had exchanged before the guy disappeared.

"Toby Cavanaugh." Emily replied.

"Who's he?"

The swimmer squirmed uncomfortably. "He's uh… an older kid who used to go here. He got sent away to a… reform school or something."

"Why?" Her normal teasing tone was replaced with seriousness.

Knowing she had to, she tossed out the cover story. "He had uh … he set fire to a garage. His step-sister… she was in it."

Maya turned to look where the step-siblings had disappeared. "Should I be scared?"

Emily laughed nervously. "What? No."

Maya had definitely caught on to her uneasiness, but let it slide. She touched her arm briefly. "See you later."

"Bye." Emily said, joining Spencer and Aria as Hanna too approached.

Aria spoke in an undertone, but emotion left it almost near normal speaking volume. "He's back too?! When did that happen?"

"Maybe she needs help sending radioactive emails." Hanna said sarcastically.

"Yeah, or he may be sending a few of his own." Spencer inputted.

"Do you really think he would do that to you?" Emily asked, sounding surprised.

Spencer looked down in shame, adjusting her books in her arms.

"Wait, have you even talked to him since last summer?" Hanna pressed, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. We… sort of got into a fight the other night. Trust me when I say he's not a fan of me anymore."

Aria saw the pain in her friend's eyes and put a comforting hand on her forearm. "Spence, we all saw the way you two were together. He love-"

But Spencer cut her off. "Toby and I are over. There's nothing there. He hates me now, and by association, he hates all of you. We sent him to reform school for a year, remember?"

"WE didn't do anything. Ali did that. Why did Toby take the fall for us?"

Spencer was saved from answering, although she planned on keeping her mouth shut since she wanted to keep that fact to herself for as long as possible, when they were interrupted.

"Hanna."

A chill ran up each of their spines, even those whose name wasn't being called. It was like all the people that knew they weren't as innocent as they made themselves off to be were hanging around.

"They have cops on the campus too?" Aria whispered far too loudly, Detective Wilden in clear hearing distance.

"I just spoke with your principal. Asked him if we could have a chat."

Hanna flushed, immediately jumping on defense. "No. I've got to get to class."

"Don't worry, you've been excused. Let's go."

And with that, the thirty-something cop put his arm behind her waist and began directing her towards the office.

"What is going on? Why just her?" Aria demanded.

"He probably thinks she's the easiest to crack." Emily guessed.

Spencer looked at the two of them seriously. "She is."

Yet another sinister voice joined the mix. "Whisper, whisper, whisper. Almost feels like Alison's still here."

The three watched Jenna stroll past, their minds flashing back to that damned fire, and they wondered where Toby had disappeared to now that Jenna was clearly alone.

Spencer wasn't sure when she made the decision to talk to the last person she probably should be, but she found herself on the train to Philadelphia before she could really think about it. She had called him to set up a meeting and he had been more than happy to hear from her, which was such a nice change from the cold shoulder she had been receiving lately from anyone else who was aware of their situation.

The train ride had given Spencer enough time to go over what she planned on saying, but she forgot the most of it when she saw Wren's smile when he came out of his building with two coffee mugs in hand.

She accepted the white mug graciously.

"Did your sister send you here?" Wren asked as they sat on the stone steps.

Spencer nearly laughed. "God, no. She has no idea I even called you. Things were never great between us, but now it's like The Hurt Locker. It just gets worse every day." she admitted, the pain clear in her voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Spencer decided it was best to change the subject. She could pity herself later. "So you're living here now?"

"Squatting. It's not exactly the Hastings manor, but I have a whole sofa to myself." Wren teased.

She tried to smile out of politeness, but she knew it came off fake. She got straight to the point. "Wren, I need your help."

"We only have the one sofa… can you sleep on a Ping-Pong table?" he joked.

Damn that smile for distracting her. "Look I uh… I need you to tell them what really happened."

His amused expression slipped away, realizing she needed him to be serious. "I tried. They won't return my phone calls."

Spencer sighed, placing her mug down as she turned towards him, not meaning to come off like she thought he was entirely to blame. "I know I'm not completely innocent in all this. I've done a lot of stuff I'm not proud of… but not that night. I never wanted you guys to break-up."

"I don't think it would matter what I said. I mean, once your parents decide what they're going to think of someone, it's a royal decree—you're brilliant, you're rubbish. There's very little in-between."

"Can you at least try my dad again?" She tried to keep the desperation out of her tone, but her tear ducts weren't exactly helping her case.

"Spencer, put your efforts elsewhere. My guess is your jail sentence will be commuted the moment you score a winning point or ace a test." he told her, his annoyance at her persistence beginning to shine through.

"This might not be that simple." she explained.

It was true. She had never been exiled as badly as she had been with this. And it's not as though she hadn't been up in arms with her family on any other issue in her life. But nothing compared to this new freezing out. The other times were like a nippy fall day rather than a fifty-below-zero billowing blizzard like it was now.

"Give it time. Look, I know I've made a bloody mess of things, and I'm sorry for putting you in the middle of it. But perhaps my real mistake was falling for the wrong sister."

Spencer couldn't help but blush under his intense gaze. She could see his hand inching to take hers, and she didn't want him to think he could kiss her again. She may have done some pretty self-destructive things lately, but this wasn't going to be another one of them.

She jumped to her feet, pulling her bag strap more securely over her shoulder.

"Um, I should go. It's a four o'clock train and I-I have this huge paper to write that's due Monday…"

"You gotta get back to that wretched place called home, right." he cut in unhelpfully, looking a little smug.

Spencer looked back desolately. She hated when people pointed out her shortcomings. His little comment only made her feel worse.

She continued walking, keeping her head down until she boarded the train.

After sitting down, she realized that she was in the very compartment she and Toby had ridden into town together in so many moons ago. They had headed into Philly for their touristy date, having an awesome afternoon together and finishing it off with meeting her friends before driving to the edge of town to stargaze and confide in each other.

They had shared so many laughs, so many secrets, and countless kisses then. She couldn't remember a time she had been happier.

Remembering the blissfulness she felt, the innocence she had back then, before everything went to hell… it was then that Spencer Hastings finally broke down and cried.

Hours later, Spencer finished packing up the leftover shrimp Alfredo fettuccine she had made and found a spot for it in the fridge. Yet another night where she was eating alone.

Her mom had left her a note explaining that she and Melissa were at the country club and her father was working late. She was grateful for the empty house though. It meant no snide comments from her sister, while her parents stayed silent until Spencer tried to defend herself.

Spencer hoped to get some work done on her essay, but all she could think about was how much of a mess her life was these days. Her attempt at getting help from Wren had fallen flat earlier, and then he basically said he wanted to be with her. She had rushed off to avoid answering the flattery, but now she wished she had been more firm about how they wouldn't be together. She wouldn't do that to Melissa. And even if she did, her parents would never approve her dating a mid-twenties British man, even if he was a doctor-in-training.

The sixteen-year-old continued to stare desolately at her blank screen.

Melissa's laptop was booted up next to her on the counter, and she slyly pivoted it towards her. Remembering how much Melissa had boasted about her A+, even years ago, Spencer opened the essay in her sister's nicely organized folders on her desktop.

Double-clicking on the folder labeled 'Old Essays/Projects', Spencer located the familiar file. Seeing the one marked Seeds of a Revolution, Spencer stuck her USB drive into the side of the machine, copying it over. Transferring it to her laptop, she removed the stick and put the laptop back as she found it, opening the document on hers.

With a twinge of guilt, she changed the name to her own and the date to the current one.

Opening her email, she clicked on the message in her drafts folder to Mr. Sheldrake. She attached the file, but paused over the Send button.

What are you doing, Spencer? This will only make things worse between you two. Do you really think she won't find out? that annoying voice in her head nagged.

She sighed, pushing her laptop away irritably. The essay was due tomorrow. She was screwed.

Just then, her mom and Melissa came through the side door into the kitchen.

Correcting her throat and trying to appear unsuspicious by half-closing her laptop, Spencer turned brightly to her family members. "Hey. Hi, how was the club?" she greeted friendly, hoping Melissa wouldn't be as apt to start a fight.

"Chilly. Nobody who works there can figure out a thermostat. Did you eat?" her mom asked.

She smiled. "Yeah, I made some pasta if you're hungry." She always was sure to make enough in case her dad came home late and needed something.

Melissa, unfortunately, did not see her extra food as courteous. As usual, she found something to rip Spencer up about. "I'm not eating pasta. I don't need to be depressed and fat." she spat pointedly.

Spencer bowed her head a little, her hand going to her stomach self-consciously.

Naturally, her mother immediately agreed. "Good point. I'll make a salad. Let me get out of these clothes."

And so the sisters were left alone. Spencer knew this wouldn't be good. She avoided Melissa's eyes.

"Wren called. He told me you went into the city earlier to meet him."

Spencer looked up hopefully. Maybe she had finally listened.

"It was strange… At first I wasn't sure why he was telling me this, but then I realized he's still trying to cover his tracks and yours. Like I'm supposed to believe you took a train down there just to clear your name? You two deserve each other. I thought I was pathetic."

She left for the barn after that, leaving Spencer fighting back tears.

They'd never mend what they had. There was no hope. She couldn't win. And why should she try so hard not to upset her sister, when her sister was going out of her way to hurt her?

Spencer opened her laptop back up and sent the essay across the internet with only the smallest feeling of guilt settling in her stomach.

She sighed and headed upstairs to get ready for Noel Kahn's party.