This chapter showcases 117, but I got a little overenthusiastic about the original scenes so I'm pushing it into two chapters ;) Tons, tons, tons of Spoby fluff in this. And more to come next chapter, if you take advantage of that little review box at the bottom and let me know how you feel about it ;)
I do not own Pretty Little Liars.
"Okay, so your sister's pregnant? How'd that happen?" Hanna asked as Spencer typed away on her laptop.
"I figure pretty much the usual way." she replied, rolling her eyes.
The three girls were over at Emily's trying to decode the message Toby had given to Spencer. Aria wasn't with them on the bed, instead choosing to look out the window and keep to herself. She had been oddly quiet since she arrived.
Spencer and Emily had no idea what was up with her but they had a feeling she and Hanna were still fighting.
"It's not really a 'how' question. It's more of a 'why' question." Emily interjected.
Spencer shrugged. "Well, I mean, I guess Melissa could have gotten all maternal but I doubt it."
"Ugh, this is so creepy."
"Where are they now?"
"Philadelphia. Shopping." the Hastings girl said with another roll of her eyes.
"What do you think this means?" Hanna asked as Spencer surfed the internet for an appropriate braille translation website.
"I don't know. But Toby wanted us to have it. There. It's in braille so…" Spencer dragged her notebook closer to copy down the translation.
"You want to see this, Aria?" Emily asked across the room.
"No. I can see just fine from here." Aria said pointedly, looking away when Hanna raised her eyes to meet her irritated ones.
"Okay. The first letter is B…" Spencer narrated, copying it down. She looked to the second letter. "A, it's an A…" She wrote that one down and tried to decode the last one. "D?"
Could that be right? Spencer read the word repeatedly, trying to find an alternative meaning.
"B-A-D…" Emily read aloud slowly.
"Bad." Hanna confirmed unhelpfully.
"That's the whole message? Bad?" Spencer said, unable to believe it.
"What's it supposed to mean?" Emily asked in confusion.
Aria finally piped up. "It means you got punk'd. Toby doesn't trust us. I don't blame him."
"No, I don't think he'd mess with us like this." Emily defended.
"You'd be surprised what people are capable of." Aria replied firmly and they knew it was another jab at Hanna. Tonight was full of them. The blonde looked down in shame.
"You guys, we have to figure this out. This might be a joke but it could be something real." Spencer diffused.
"You really think Toby would joke with you even now? Even after your kiss?"
Emily realized a beat too late that she was the only one who had been told of that exchange, despite the time that had passed since the actual event.
For the first time that night, Aria and Hanna were on the same side.
"After your WHAT?!" they shouted in unison.
Spencer blushed, trying to concentrate on her laptop. "Me and Toby sort of…kissed… the day of the storm."
"Wait, the day the SATs got cancelled!? And we're only finding out now, why?" Hanna demanded.
Spencer sighed. "Look, things have been really confusing lately with Toby. We were talking on his porch and things got kind of intense and I don't know… suddenly we were kissing."
Even as she said it, her voice changed. It became softer and more breathy. Just the memory of touching him so intimately again sent chills through her body.
The three other girls smirked, picking up on the change of tone.
"Have you guys talked about it?" Aria pressed.
"No. Our next encounter was… different. And then tutoring was mostly business. And now here we are."
"Well I think that confirms that Toby is not the enemy." Hanna piped up.
The others nodded in agreement. Spencer could only sigh. As good of news as that was, she really would've preferred a better answer to the message he had sent her.
At lunch the next day, Emily was apologizing to Spencer for her faux-pas the night before.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you hadn't told the other two yet. I just forgot myself for a moment." Emily said with her brown eyes wide and puppy-dog-like.
Spencer dismissed it immediately. "I've just gotten so used to keeping secrets with this whole A business it's become a habit. I hadn't meant to keep it from them exactly; I just hoped I'd find out what was going on between us before now so I could have a better explanation. But I'm still almost as confused as before."
"Well I think what matters is that you guys are making progress. He's trusting you with this message and he's on our side. That says something."
"Yeah, if it isn't some kind of joke. He's so hot and cold it's driving me insane."
Emily squeezed her hand supportively.
Their eyes were suddenly distracted by the sight of their blonde best friend handing over some soggy article of clothing over to the techy bad boy who she had hung out with at the swim meet a few days previous. What was with them these days?
Aria approached the lunch table, Hanna soon joining too, and Spencer honed in on Hanna right away.
Hanna, of course, tried to be dismissive and deny everything, but they could there was something more brewing between the pair than just a business transaction.
Spencer was concerned though. They didn't really know much about Caleb. And with his dodgy tech business, he really wasn't winning many brownie points on the bring-home-to-your-parents meter.
Hanna denied his 'dark' cred, and, to Emily and Spencer's surprise, it was Aria who jumped in to join her defense, claiming that Caleb just had it tough.
It turned out they were on speaking terms again and all seemed to be forgiven. Thank goodness because the ice shards being tossed between her two friends lately had been really starting to worry her. She didn't want to have to choose sides or lose their strong group bond.
Emily laid down one final concerned warning about Caleb, but Hanna had countered with the fact that they had had a similar conversation about Toby once upon a time.
She did have a point, but Spencer had sighed. She really wished they could have one conversation that didn't bring up her ex-boyfriend.
Emily was saved from responding when a very angry Nick McCullers came storming into the cafeteria and headed straight for the table of English teachers, Aria's mom and boyfriend among them.
Paige's father began a rant about how the swim coach was avoiding him and denying his daughter the opportunity she deserved and giving it to someone else who didn't deserve it just because—
Well, he wasn't able to finish his sentence since Mr. Fitz had stepped in and diffused him immediately.
But everyone knew. Emily squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, knowing that her sexual orientation must have gotten around to the parents now too.
Spencer, although previously not exactly thrilled that Aria had gotten herself involved with a teacher, felt a rush of gratitude towards her friend's boyfriend. He clearly cared a lot about not just the school's reputation or that of the teacher's, but about his students as well. And it was quite clear that he did not have a problem with Emily being gay and wouldn't stand to listen to anyone else who did beat down on her for it.
After Ezra escorted Mr. McCullers out of the cafeteria, Emily was rather quiet but the girls didn't want to press her.
"Speaking of Toby…" Hanna said as if they were just continuing the earlier conversation without interruption. "Are you going to ask him about the message? Or your kiss?" she added mischievously.
Spencer stabbed at her salad, chuckling slightly. "I think I'll stick with just asking about the message for now."
Emily met her eyes and the playful look in her eyes alerted her that she was rooting for a repeat of the latter of Hanna's suggestion for her friend.
Truth be told, Spencer wasn't against the idea either.
After school ended, Spencer decided she needed the extra time to prepare so she walked to Toby's rather than taking the SUV. It was only a couple blocks anyways.
Maybe Hanna was right. Maybe she should just ask about their kiss already. After the back and forth tutoring session, where they seemed to be getting closer but then he thrust her book back at her like it had burned, she had been so confused. But with the secret message he was clearly on their side, right? So maybe this cold front was over? Maybe he had just been scared because Jenna had caught them and probably had threatened him in some way.
When Spencer arrived at the end of Toby's walkway, he happened to be leaving out of his front door.
"Toby? Can I talk to you a second?"
She couldn't help but notice he had gotten his hair cut recently. She tried not to feel as though that was because of her suggestion that day in the alley, but the concept made her smile inwardly. After all, it had been her suggestion all those months ago that inspired the change then.
"I can't talk. Something's up with the DA. The lawyer's driving me over to my dad's office." he explained. His quiet tone didn't do much to reassure her that things were okay between them.
"Just tell me—was that supposed to be a joke? Because if it was—"
He seemed confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about what I found in my book. The braille that you wanted me to have." she clarified. If it had been a joke, he would've been delivering the punch line now. But Toby wasn't really that type so she knew now more than ever that she had been an idiot to even contemplate that possibility.
"That was no joke."
"'Bad'? The whole message was 'bad'. What, am I supposed to go buy an old Michael Jackson album?" she asked, referencing the King of Pop's seventh studio album.
He tried not to smile at her sass. He forgot how quick on her feet she could be. "You're reading it wrong." he told her, wishing he had time to explain but the man in a suit had opened the car door for him, clearly signalling that they needed to leave. "I can't do this now. Come back Saturday in the morning. Jenna's out at her flute lesson."
Seeing the man had climbed into the driver's seat now, Toby reached out to finger the tip of her side-braid. "I know I don't have the best track record with you, but I wouldn't mess with you about that. Try decoding it again. I know you'll figure it out."
And with that, he released her hair and got into the black car.
Spencer watched him drive away, pulling out her phone when it beeped.
Jenna is gonna be soooo pissed. –A
She shoved her phone back into her pocket irritably. She didn't need a reminder of a factor that was keeping her and Toby apart right now.
After leaving Toby's, Spencer got a call from a bored Aria and figured it was about time she got down to the bottom of what had been keeping her two friends in such a fight.
"What's going on between you and Hanna?"
"It's nothing you have to worry about." Aria promised.
Spencer wasn't letting her off that easily. "You were snarking at each other like you were on a reality show. The Real Teens of Rosewood."
Spencer couldn't see it but she could practically hear Aria roll her eyes.
"Oh, tell me about Toby."
So much for not letting her off easy. Spencer immediately was distracted by remembering back to her conversation with the blue-eyed boy.
She leaned back in the red chair in her bedroom. "He says we have what he wanted us to have. It's the right message, I'm just reading it wrong." she explained, pausing, wondering if she should share their postponed rendezvous. "He wants me to come to his house Saturday."
"Are you going?" Aria asked, clearly knowing that this was a bigger deal than Spencer was trying to make it out to be. The last time Spencer and Toby had spent significant time together that she knew of they had kissed. And with the way things were going and how her best friend felt, she knew the possibility of that action being repeated wasn't out of the question. Going on Saturday would tempt fate and if Spencer was going, it was obvious that she was willing for that to happen.
"Well if I don't, how are we going to figure this out? I'm shut out with Melissa and Ian."
Aria smiled. "Did you talk to him about your kiss yet?"
Despite not being able to see Spencer either, she still sensed the tall girl was blushing.
"No. But his hair is shorter again."
Only someone who had been there in the moment that Toby had walked down the street after the barber shop would understand the significance of that action.
"Wow. So he's trying to get your attention."
"I don't know. It feels that way. But then I remember how many times I've been wrong about him the past and then I don't know."
"Well, I think there have been other factors during those times. I think it's pretty obvious that Toby's feelings haven't changed. And neither have yours."
Spencer didn't know what to say to that. She knew Aria was right, but she was still scared. She had been burned one too many times.
But she was saved from answering when she heard a siren going off on Aria's end of the phone. It made her pause, but her ears weren't deceiving her—there was no siren on her end. How was that possible? Was she out somewhere? It had been so quiet Spencer hadn't contemplated the possibility that she was anywhere but at home.
"Where are you?"
"What do you mean? I'm right here." Aria said in confusion.
"Any fire truck you can hear at your house I can hear at mine." But then it clicked and Spencer bolted into a sitting position. "Oh my god! Are you in his apartment?" She smiled slyly. "Are you on the bed?"
"No, I'm not on the bed." Aria defended, her voice a little strangled, and Spencer figured she was lying but didn't press her.
"Is he there?"
She couldn't believe Aria was alone in their English teacher's apartment! How insane was that?!
"Not… exactly."
"Is he in the shower?" Spencer teased. She knew Aria and Mr. Fitz were pretty serious, but she hoped that if they had taken a significant step forward in their relationship, aka consummated it, Aria would have confided in her.
But if the guy was showering around her, Spencer couldn't help her mind from going dirty.
"He's getting take-out for dinner. And this call is becoming very 1-900." Aria retorted, a tad amused.
Spencer grinned. "To talk to a hot English teacher, press 3." she mimicked in her sultriest voice.
"Call ending now." Aria replied and Spencer knew her fun was over. "Tomorrow?"
She rolled her eyes, sad that she couldn't continue teasing her little friend mercilessly. "Yeah, tomorrow."
Aria hung up and Spencer picked up the note Toby had scrawled to her again.
She was reading it wrong. What did that mean? What else could BAD mean? Maybe it was initials?
Spencer stood up and picked up last year's yearbook out of her bookshelf. It was somewhere to start at least.
After a night of googling what the initials B.A.D. could mean, Spencer figured she was following a false trail again. She couldn't see how the British Association of Dermatologists would be of any significance to what they were dealing with.
After school, she went shopping with the other three girls, inwardly contemplating buying something new to show up at Toby's the next day in. Would he find it strange if she showed up in a little black dress in the middle of fall?
Probably. Sigh.
But Spencer and Emily were pleased to see Hanna and Aria's fight had definitely passed since the pair of them argued over who should get the pleasure of buying the gorgeous leather jacket they both had spotted, both trying to shove it off on the other in generosity.
Hanna finally came clean that the reason the two were fighting was because she had been forced by A to give Aria's mom a ticket to the museum exhibit Aria and Ezra had gone to. Exposing them to Aria's mom clearly would've been a disaster, but Hanna had been blackmailed and felt she had no choice. However, Caleb helped her put a stop to it—managing to find a way to stall Ella's car—and Aria and Ezra managed to have an amazing night without any knowledge that their whole relationship had nearly blown up.
Hanna then explained that that was the reason why she had been helping Caleb, because she owed him, and that he had been the one sleeping in the school. There had been rumors going around a week or two ago about someone breaking into the vending machines past their alarm time. However, now he was sleeping in her basement for a few days, which shocked all the others. Apparently no one had heard that news yet.
The blonde was saved from a lecture when they overheard Jenna's voice from across the store. Approaching quietly, they saw she was trying on some lacy lingerie number with a long kimono-type robe. Truth be told, she was a beautiful girl so she looked incredible in the all-black number, but it was the 'He likes lace' quote that sent chills down Spencer's spine.
Could she be talking about Toby? Would she try to seduce him again? Would he be able to stand his ground?
Spencer left the store later more determined than ever to decode the message from Jenna that Toby had given her.
Admitting defeat on the initials theory the next morning, Spencer went back to the braille site to determine if she had mistranslated. She had done it several times before, but she needed to do it one final time to be entirely sure.
She had to leave for Toby's soon. Jenna would be leaving for her flute lesson shortly and Spencer wasn't sure how long she would be gone.
She sighed as she read that, once again, she had translated correctly.
But as she went to sweep her eyes away, she finally noticed something. The letters also had subscript numbers with them. Did that mean…?
Yes! It wasn't letters at all. It was a three digit number!
Which meant it wasn't BAD. It was 214.
But what did that mean?
Spencer checked the time and calculated that she could leave now. She hoped Toby could clear this up.
The Cavanaugh household seemed empty when she knocked on the door. It wasn't closed all the way so her forceful raps had pushed it further ajar.
It felt like a crime scene waiting to happen. Why would they leave the door open? Had someone broken in? Was Toby okay?
Spencer called out hellos, hoping for a response from Toby and that his parents were out. She really didn't fancy meeting them when she was entering the house without formal invitation.
She stepped further into the hallway. "Hello?" she tried again.
No answer.
She looked to her left to see the sunshine shimmering through the antique looking room.
There were shelves along the wall with multiple ornaments, most being snow globes, and Spencer found herself drawn to it.
She glanced at the dolls around the room too, rationalizing that this must be Jenna's room.
There was a snow globe with two doves intertwined on the middle shelf. It had been catching the most light and Spencer couldn't help herself from lifting it up for further examination.
She knew two doves tended to symbolize love and devotion, hope and peacefulness; an unbreakable bond. She wondered who gave it to Jenna or if it had just been bought for the simple beauty of it rather than the meaning.
Toby had heard someone knocking at the door, Spencer's voice announcing her presence, but he was still listening to the voice on the other end of the line telling him the good news. He couldn't believe his luck. Was this really real?
Spencer's voice grew closer and he knew she must have entered the house looking for him. He didn't mind. At least his family was out.
He ended the phone call, expressing his gratitude repeatedly, before going to search for the long-haired brunette.
He saw her in Jenna's room, examining one of Jenna's many snow globes, and had to chuckle inwardly at her inability to control her own curiosity. She really couldn't even help herself.
Spencer was still lost in visually exploring the depths of the glass prison when she was startled.
"You better put that back." a voice suddenly came, almost causing her to drop it as she whipped around in surprise. Thankfully it was only Toby. His hands were raised in caution, as if he was trying to prove that he wasn't a threat. "Put it back where you got it or she'll know you were in here."
He knew all too well what happened if Jenna found out you were in her room. She may not be able to see but she was very good with all of her other senses. She had adapted rather well to her disability and got very angry if anyone tried to take advantage of her weakness. He had the bruises to prove it.
"I'm sorry. I knocked. The door was open." Spencer stammered, still holding the ornament in both hands.
Toby smiled a little. He hadn't meant to startle her, but his recent news also left him in high spirits. "I heard you, but I couldn't answer the door. I was on the phone." he explained as he walked towards her. "My lawyer called. The DA is dropping the charges against me."
Spencer nearly dropped the ornament in shock, but Toby's hands leaped out to cradle hers to rescue the fall. Her eyes flickered to his. Could he feel that spark pulsating from his fingers into hers? They were only touching briefly, but she had definitely felt a current of something between them.
"They're not going to charge you with killing Alison?" Spencer said hopefully. Was it really over?!
"I didn't get the details, but he said the blood evidence was corrupted. The district attorney can't go to trial without it." Toby told her, unable to keep the smile off his face now.
He looked so happy she couldn't help but smile in relief too.
"They're finished with you."
He hesitated. "Not finished. They can charge me any time they get new evidence, but for right now, I'm free. Once I get this ball and chain off my leg. I'm waiting for my dad to take me to the court house for that."
It was only closing in on lunchtime and she was sure his dad would be gone until probably dinner time. Toby had waited long enough to be free.
"I could drive you. If you want me to." she offered nervously, suddenly very aware that his hands were still cradling hers.
His broad smile confirmed his liking of that idea. Toby gently lifted the snow globe from her hands, placing it back in place and adjusting it slightly so it was perfect.
Spencer stared in fascination as the glitter floated and gleamed in the sunlight.
Toby brushed some dust off the shelves with his fingertips. "You know, this actually used to be my room."
She looked at him in surprise. It explained the built-in shelves. She knew Toby was into carpentry after all.
"Jenna obviously took it over when she moved in."
"Why did you have to give it to her?" Spencer asked.
Toby shrugged. "Because she wanted it."
Spencer could relate. "I redid the barn at my house and turned it into a loft. My parents said I could move into it for sophomore year if I did an internship with the mayor and a bunch of other stuff. I gave up my summer, thinking I'd finally have a small escape from my family. And then Melissa and Wren moved into it because she liked it. And now her and Ian. I don't want it now, but my parents didn't even hesitate to take it from me and give it to her."
Toby looked sad by the news, but not surprised. He knew she and her family had issues, most of which weren't helped by her eldest sister.
Spencer smiled, not having meant to make the conversation so depressing. "Come on. Let's get you freed for real."
Toby chuckled and followed her out of the front door.
But they both slowed down when they saw Jenna getting out of a cab. Spencer looked to Toby nervously, her eyes wide, seeking advice on what to do.
Jenna must have heard him close the front door. "Toby? Mr. Dugan called with the good news, did you hear?"
Toby stepped forward, unconsciously stepping a little in front of Spencer protectively. "He told me."
Jenna practically beamed. "We can get that awful thing off your leg right now. The cab's waiting."
Spencer moved to exit quietly, but Toby stopped her with his next line.
"That's all right. I've got a ride." he said, glancing at her, making sure she was still okay with doing so with the new conflict. Her eyes told all—she wasn't going anywhere.
Jenna's face changed, her smile morphing into a forced one immediately.
"Emily." she called out, assuming wrongly that that would be the friend aiding him.
"No it's me." Spencer said.
Toby bit his lip. He had hoped she would stay quiet and that they could move on without so much trouble, but the damage was done. Jenna's smile turned thin-lipped with impatience at the new information.
"Spencer." she confirmed as if she was swallowing a pill that was too large. "That's really very nice of you, but I'm here now."
Spencer didn't know what to do.
Toby looked between them and then made the decision, not caring about the consequences.
"I'm going with Spencer." he said firmly, grasping her hand and leading her down the steps and past Jenna to her SUV.
Spencer was shocked at his action but followed dutifully.
"I see." Jenna murmured, sounding a mix of hurt and furious. Her voice was almost shaking and Spencer wasn't sure which emotion was winning.
Toby opened the car door for his ally. Spencer almost startled at his gentlemanly ways. She had forgotten how chivalrous he could be.
She hopped in and he got in on the other side.
Spencer watched as Jenna paid the cab and walked stiffly inside the house.
She turned to Toby. "Look, I appreciate you choosing me and standing by me and everything, but I really don't want to put you on Jenna's bad side or get you into trouble—"
"Spencer, don't worry about it. Jenna knows that what she and I had is over for good now. But it doesn't stop her from trying to change my mind. I just needed her to know that you would always be my first choice over her. I'm sorry you got dragged into the middle of it though. I didn't mean to put you in such an awkward position."
Spencer dismissed him and drove in direction of the courthouse. "Toby, I'm glad you stood up to her. I don't care about getting in the middle of it as long as you aren't doing anything you don't want to do. Jenna's feelings on me have been clear for quite some time so I don't think today's incident will change much."
There was quiet between them as they both remembered the real incident that put Spencer permanently on the outs with Jenna. It wasn't exactly a highlight in either of their lives.
Arriving at the courthouse, Spencer pulled into a spot and locked the car behind them as they headed inside.
There were a few goons leaning against the wall outside, taking drags from the same cigarette, which Spencer had a feeling wasn't actually an innocent cigarette, and their eyes glued to her as she walked next to Toby up the steps.
One of them whistled at her and Toby instinctively put an arm around her waist, aiming a dirty look their way.
Spencer tried not to smile to herself. She could stand up for herself, but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't like seeing Toby get jealous and possessive.
She moved out of his hold to read the floor map to see where they need to go. She wasn't the only one who inwardly sighed in disappointment at the lack of contact.
"I think we're heading to 2C. That's where I went to get it in the first place." Toby said, pointing to it.
Spencer could hardly hear his words. All she could concentrate on was Toby's arm brushing hers as he pointed and traced the routes they could take and the softness of his breath on her neck from his close proximity.
All she wanted to do was lean back and have his other arm encircle her and pull her close.
But instead, he moved away and started heading towards the labelled area.
Spencer followed quickly, trying to act like she wasn't distracted at all.
Upstairs in the designated area, Spencer and Toby got in line. Most people were accompanied by a parole officer or something similar so Spencer felt a little out of place, but Toby was definitely preferring the company he had.
There were only a few people in front of them but it was a long process for each individual so they knew it wouldn't be a quick wait.
"Hey, I'm sorry. You don't have to wait for me. I can just walk home." Toby told her, realizing that she was wasting her Saturday standing around with him.
Spencer sent him a look. "And then who are you going to go out to celebrate with? What, did you think I was going to just drop you off at home and call it a day? I know your sweet tooth and I think after everything me treating you to ice cream is a must."
Toby smiled broadly. He couldn't even recall the last time he went out for something like that with a friend. And he knew he and Spencer were in a confusing in-between stage right now of trying to figure out exactly how to label their place in each others' lives, but the fact that they had plans to hang out for longer made him happy. He really wanted to talk about the serious stuff seeing as that was the reason she came over that morning, but he also wanted to just hangout with her. He had definitely missed spending time with her over their separation.
The line moved and they stepped forwards, their hands bumping together.
Toby looked to the waxy linoleum to avoid her eyes in embarrassment.
"So ice cream huh?" he said conversationally, trying to turn things less awkward.
Spencer smiled. "Yep. I was thinking we'd drive to that place in Philly. They have tons of flavours and topping options. And if you behave like a good fugitive, I might even let you get a dipped cone." she teased in a whisper, leaning up to reach his ear.
Dear god, why did her voice have to get so raspy? Toby felt his mind drifting beyond cold treats and into a much more dangerous territory at the suggestive intonation.
It did not help that she giggled as she pulled back, obviously enjoying her own humour.
Toby couldn't complain though. There was no greater sight than a happy Spencer Hastings.
"Let me guess… you already have your flavour picked out, don't you?"
Spencer flushed. "My entire order actually…" she muttered.
Toby had to chuckle at her predictability. She was always planning ahead.
"So are you excited to get that thing off or what?" Spencer asked playfully as they moved up again, nudging him gently with her elbow, preferring the subject to steer away from her.
"More than you know." he said, then leaned closer to speak in an undertone. "Do you think if I cartwheeled out of here they'd arrest me?"
To his surprise, she snorted in laughter, causing a very stern looking woman behind one of the desks to send a glare their way.
Unfortunately, this action only caused the pair of them to crack up harder. What was it about not being allowed to laugh that made things ten times funnier?
Spencer turned away from the cranky woman, burying her laughs in Toby's leather-clad shoulder and trying to control herself.
She smacked Toby irritably for making her laugh in the first place.
"Can you not make jokes about making a gymnastics exit when we're in a quiet lobby?" she scolded through her snickers.
Toby threw an arm around her shoulders so she could continue to bury them in his shoulder and draw less attention to them, trying to contain his own chuckles.
Finally it was their turn. Toby was escorted to a room where they used some tools to properly deactivate and remove the device. After signing some papers, he was free to go.
Before they could leave, a voice interrupted. "Cavanaugh."
Toby turned to see one of the guards from county prison gazing at him. He held out a hand to shake. "I was happy to hear about the good news. I knew you didn't belong in that place."
Toby shook his hand in return. "Uh thanks."
He wasn't sure he entirely believed that sentiment, but even if he only meant it since hearing the news, Toby would take it.
"This is Spencer." he added awkwardly, not really sure what the etiquette expectations were when a guard from prison was greeting you like an old friend.
"Hi. Um, nice to meet you." she said with more confidence than she felt. Inwardly, she was rather intimidated by the uniform he was donned in, but she wasn't about to let him know that.
His face changed. "You're the ex-girlfriend."
Both Toby and Spencer blanched. How did he know? Toby had never spoken to anyone in jail about Spencer. Would she think he was running his mouth about their past relationship? Would he look like he was obsessed with her?
"I remember your voice. That rasp is pretty distinctive. And I couldn't forget that phone call of yours. How is the baby?"
Toby was silent but his knees swayed. The WHAT?!
Spencer, on the other hand, had turned bright red. She hadn't intended on Toby ever finding out about that white lie.
"She-she's great. Coming right along." Spencer stammered, forcing a smile.
"Yeah, we're really excited." Toby managed to get out, putting an arm around her waist and plastering on a fake smile.
"Yeah, my wife is due in December. How about you guys?"
"March." they said in unison and then shared an awkward look. It was odd that they immediately chose the same month in the future.
"Well…it was nice seeing you." Spencer said, taking Toby's hand and leaning up to kiss his cheek. "C'mon honey, we better get to stroller shopping!"
The man nodded approvingly. "Well, best of luck to you two. Glad things worked out."
And with that, he left them to themselves and headed over to escort one of the juveniles into another room.
Toby was shaking his head in disbelief, amused, as Spencer led him by the hand out of the building. "Baby?"
"March?" she challenged, but then cracked up. "Okay, so maybe I got kind of desperate when you were in prison and fed the guard a story that I thought would convince him to bend the rules to let me talk to you…"
Toby had to laugh, hugging her with one arm and placing a chaste kiss to her hair. "God, Spencer Hastings, you really are incredible, aren't you?"
She simply blushed.
"C'mon. That ice cream isn't going to eat itself." she teased as she pulled him to the car.