a/n: hi, i know you waited a long time for this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're probably completely sick of hearing that because I say it all the time. But yeah. Anyways, about this chapter: it's very long. (7k !) It's the longest chapter yet, and one of the longest chapters I have ever written for anything. So, yeah? I don't know how you feel about long chapters, but... that's partially why it took so long! I thought about putting it in two parts, but I don't want to keep saying "jk, i lied, this is not the last chapter, there is more!" like aren't you tired of my bull shit? I sure am. Plus, I bet some of you are thinking "when will this end? Oh my god." I don't know, that's what I feel because the reviews I'm getting on this are only narrowing and narrowing...hahah. So yeah!

But okay, this chapter is... I don't know? Rushed. I'm going to put another A/N about it at the end. Do you guys even read these? Probably not.

BUT THANK YOU NONETHELESS. FOR EVERYTHING. FOR BEING PATIENT. WHETHER YOU JUST STARTED READING THIS YESTERDAY OR A YEAR AGO THANK YOU FOR READING AND THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING/FAVORING/REVIEWING/WHATEVER ELSE! You guys are AWESOME. Esp the ones who have been with this story since the beginning because wow, you stuck with me for a year? That's literally so amazing to me. I feel powerful? Anyways... on with the chapter!

(there will still be an epilogue btw)


Chapter 28

All The Days

Day 43

She hasn't made homemade cinnamon rolls since before her father's death. It was something she shared with him. He had been the one to teach her how to make them. Usually any home cooked meal would be provided by her mother, but making cinnamon rolls was the one thing her father knew how to do. His mother, her Nana, had taught him when he was a boy. When Spencer was seven, her father taught her.

It was something they did together that was fun. There weren't many things they did together out of pleasure. Most of the time it had some other ulterior motive involving winning and accomplishment, but not with the cinnamon rolls.

"I'm starving," her boyfriend groans, leaning against the fridge. She rolls her eyes at him, ignoring him. He hits his head against the fridge, "I need food."

She laughs, giving him an incredulous look before striding over to him. She places a hand on his cheek, giving him a coy look. "You'll survive," she pats his cheek, smiling.

He groans again, hitting his head against the fridge once more. She snickers some more before moving past him and unraveling her apron from around her waist. "They'll be done in twelve minutes," she states as she takes off her apron.

"Too long," he deems. She feels his hands wrap around her waist from behind. He is taking a break from hitting his fridge against the wall apparently.

She clasps her hands around his arms that encage her, smiling. "You're ridiculous."

His lips brush against her scalp for a moment. "Say that to my face, Hastings."

She smirks, turning around in his hold. Their eyes lock. "You're ridiculous," she clearly states with as much emphasis as she can muster.

He chuckles before pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Isn't Caleb mad that you're spending your last remaining hours with me instead of him?" she inquires after the kiss.

He shrugs. "Probably."

She laughs, her fingers walking up his chest. They have been together since yesterday evening. They had gone out to dinner and to the movies, then back to her apartment. From there, their hands were incapable of keeping to themselves. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other for longer than five minutes.

"Well, I would say we should invite him over, but I'm greedy and selfish, and want you to myself," she murmurs in a soft, coy voice, her fingers branching up to his collarbone.

He grins, pressing another kiss to her lips. "I spent all day with Caleb yesterday. Well, until our date at least. Today I'm all yours," he promises in a whisper, his face only a centimeter from hers.

She grins before pulling at his shirt and bringing his lips to hers. This kiss is much more avid than the last. She shoves herself into him, taking any negative space between them away. She wishes she could savor these kisses. Keep them for when she dearly misses him. She tries, but she knows they will slip away as soon as their lips disconnect.

She sighs as he pulls away.

"I'm literally too hungry to make out. I'm sorry."

She guffaws, shaking her head in disbelief. "Okay…then."

He chuckles. "I promise that we can make out as long as you want once I have food inside me."

"Awh, how sweet," she purrs in a mocking way, cocking her head to the side.

He smirks. "Aren't I?"

She just offers a slight eye roll. "I have to make the icing. Excuse me."

Soon the cinnamon rolls are done. Spencer feels a little emotional afterward. This was always her favorite part. They always made too much icing, and would share the bowl afterwards. Melissa and her mother didn't know they did that. It was their little secret.

Spencer was used to those measurements. She had used those measurements today. And now there is extra icing in the bowl.

She doesn't realize there are tears on her face until Toby is rushing up to her, grabbing her hands in his out of concern. "Spence—Spencer what's wrong?" he inquires gently. "Spencer, extra icing is nothing to cry about…I'll eat it if you want me to. I'll take one for the team."

He manages to get a smile out of her. She sniffles, shrugging.

"I—I used to make these with my dad. We used to make more icing than necessary and eat it together. I just—," she shrugs, wiping her palms at her face to get rid of the tears. "I guess I'm just…missing him."

He sighs, bringing a hand to her face. "You didn't have to make these…"

"I wanted to," she sucks in a breath, finally meeting his eyes. "I wanted to. I wanted to make them for you." She manages to crack a small smile.

He offers a tender smile back. "Aw, Spencer."

"I'm sorry," she shakes her head, sucking in a breath. "I didn't mean to ruin this morning with dead father talk."

"You didn't ruin it." Both his hands secure around her face now. "You didn't."

She drops her head into his chest, grabbing onto his shirt. His hands wrap around her, keeping her stable.

He presses a kiss to the top of her head. Soon she is stepping away from him. "I'm fine," she offers an acute smile. "I am," she breathes.

He rubs her arm, squeezing it. "It's okay if you aren't."

"I am," she nods, piping up a smile. "Thanks to you."

He offers a smile back.

"And I know how hungry you are. So… I don't want to keep you any longer from that."

"I rather starve than watch you in pain, Spencer."

She blushes slightly at this, swallowing. She smiles. "I'm okay," she lets out. "Wanna share the extra icing with me?" she requests.

He nods. "It would be my pleasure."

5PM comes around quickly. Both of them know what that means. He has to go.

"Just because you're invisible, does not mean you can walk through walls," she argues, staring pointedly at him. "Just because people can't see you doesn't mean you aren't there." They have been arguing about nothing for a good ten minutes. They had sat down to watch The Avengers awhile back. They are about half way through the movie, but truly neither of them are truly watching. It is just background noise. They have both seen the movie a handful of times, and conversation with each other is much more satisfying.

In a lull of conversation, when both of them were actually watching the movie, Toby had prompted the question. Which avenger would you be?

Spencer said, "black widow, of course. She's awesome."

Toby then went on to tell her that he thinks that she'd be Ironman because of how smart and witty she is. "I can definitely see you constructing up a suit, and going off to save the world."

"I love him, but he's an asshole," Spencer countered.

"Hmm… yes, sounds pretty accurate to me."

Spencer glared at him upon this, only furthering Toby's amusement. "Or you know, the hulk… would be another fit for you."

She nearly growled at him after this comment. "Are you really comparing me to a giant, angry, green monster?" she demeaned.

He just chuckled harder.

She crossed her arms, smacking her lips together in a straight, firm line. "I believe you asked me what I would I like to be."

"I asked, what avenger would you be?" he corrected her.

"Same thing!" she claimed, throwing her hands up. "Whatever. You wouldn't even be an avenger. You'd be like the janitor of S.H.E.I.L.D., or something…" she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear.

He laughed thoroughly at this. Somehow the argument had gone awry, only to unearth a new one about invisibility.

"I think some cases are different."

"Okay, well then, yeah. They are two completely different things. If you choose to be invisible, you don't get to walk through walls too."

"No. Like, I think it depends on how powerful you are. Or like, what level you are at."

She guffaws, giving him a look of disbelief, "there aren't levels of invisibility."

"Says who?" he counters, his eyes wide and questioning.

She giggles. "I don't know. You could probably ask any sane person…"

"Implying that I'm not sane?"

"Definitely implying that," a sly smirk presents on her mouth. He bellows out a laugh from the back of his throat, his eyes crinkling up with amusement.

"Well, you're dating me. So what does that say about you?" he inquires after his fit of breath-taking, stomach hurting chuckles.

She smacks her lips together, her mocha eyes wide with wonderment. "Hmm," she nestles her forehead against his, "I guess you have a point there." Both of their lips ravel up into warm smiles before their lips meet in a tender, temperate kiss. She caresses one side of his face, stroking her thumb along his cheekbone. Toby tangles his hand through her curls, making her shoulders slump in comfort. Whenever he does that, she immediately unwinds.

They are interrupted a moment later by a ding from Toby's phone, signaling a text message. Toby sighs, still close to his girlfriend's face. He brings his hand from the back of her head to the indent of her chin. He begins to trace her jaw line as he speaks, "that's probably Kenzie."

She frowns. She has not been looking forward to this part. "Then you should probably get it…" she directs sorrowfully.

He nods, but doesn't move. Another ding drops upon them.

Toby deeply sighs before twisting his body over and grabbing his phone. "Yeah, it's 5:13. I was supposed to meet Kenzie thirteen minutes ago…"

She sighs. Somehow they had lost track of time.

"We're supposed to be at the bus at 5:30." A grimace appears on his face as he writes out a text to his manager.

"Then you should probably go," she advises in dismay.

"I know," his attention is once again on her. He cups at hand on her shoulder, rubbing and massaging it in a way of comfort. "I know, but…" his faint voice fades to nothing.

"I know," she responds, cupping his face in both of her hands. She submerges her lips into his; the kiss immediately deepening. It is quick and short, but passionate and avid between them. Both of them try their best to savor it.

"I'll walk you to your truck," she more or less demands, slipping her hand in his.

He has no objection to this. Their fingers interlock as they step off the couch. Spencer doesn't even bother to turn off the TV. The Avengers continues play as they depart from the room. When she comes back—alone and without Toby—it will still be on, reminding her of what Toby had said earlier that day; taunting her in a way that she'll never be able to explain without sounding like a mad woman.

They reach his truck a couple minutes later, both already feeling the crushing impact of the goodbye.

"I wish I could just drive you down to the bus myself…" she sighs.

"I know," he agrees solemnly, "me too." He wraps a hand around her back, rubbing it tenderly. "Me too, but Kenzie doesn't think that's a good idea."

Spencer silently cusses Kenzie. She doesn't care if it is only fifteen minutes. An extra fifteen minutes with Toby is just as good as an extra hour with anyone else.

He looks amused.

"What?"

"Nothing. I can just practically hear you brooding about her."

She cracks a smile. "Sorry. I just…" she takes in a deep breath. "I'm really going to miss you." Her voice is soft and gentle, almost like a child's.

He nods. "I know. I'll miss you too," he states solemnly. "So much."

His eyes are glazed over with tears and sincerity. She swallows, feeling her own emotions catching up with her. Her palm attaches to the side of her boyfriend's face. "You're going to be great," her voice catches slightly on the words.

"Thank you," his voice is thick with melancholy.

Their bodies crash together; their lips molding into a deep, passionate kiss. Every part of her clings to him; everything inside her beckons for his touch. Every single neuron and cell summons for him—needing him to function correctly. She holds him with the strongest grip she can muster, not wanting to let him go.

She nuzzles her head into the crook of his neck after the kiss discontinues, wrapping her arms around him. His arms ravel around her, bringing her close, nearly bringing her off the ground. She breathes him in, trying to remember his scent for the times she'll forget.

But the time is ticking. They cannot remain in this position. Toby has to go.

She pulls away from him, looking into his bright, electric blue eyes; silently wondering if they will still have the same adoration in them the next time she sees him. "Stay away from groupies. They have no concept of personal space."

He chuckles a tad at this. "Will do."

She manages a smile. "Call me later?" she requests.

He nods. "Of course," he promises easily. "I love you," he declares.

"I love you too," she responds a moment late.

Their lips touch once more for a chaste kiss, and then he is off. She watches him pull out, wiping the dew from her cheeks. He waves, offering a smile. She smiles back with the best of her ability. She watches his truck pile through the parking lot and on the road. Her eyes stay on the truck until it is far down the road. Soon she cannot even see it.

He's been gone two minutes, and she already desperately wants him back.

Day 58

"How's the dance class going?"

"Great!" she responds. "I'm actually helping out with a kiddies' class…" she admits sheepishly. She knows he's going to make some comment on it. "Just until their recital. It's coming up, and some of them still don't know the routine! Samatha, ya know my dance instructor was telling me about it, and I offered to help."

"Hmm, sounds like you are getting pretty comfortable there," she hears him almost snickering.

"Yeah. It's nice," she shrugs.

"The summer's nearly over. What happens after that?"

Spencer had originally planned on just taking summer courses at the dance academy, but now she's finding herself wanting more. She had tasted it again, and now she can't imagine being without it. "I still have two weeks."

"Yeah, but in Spencer-World that's like, what? Two days to decide? Or else you'll go into full on panic at your procrastination?"

"Shut up," she laughs. "No. I'm not procrastinating. I'm thinking. I'm going to continue with my classes in the fall at Penn Law, and maybe take the dance classes too…" her voice trails.

Toby is quiet for a moment. She knows why. "I know, I know. How am I going to have time for that? Well, I'm budgeting out my time. I'm trying to figure it out."

"Sounds complicated. But if anyone can handle it, it's you," he praises.

She blushes slightly. "Thanks. But I don't know, we'll see." A lull in the conversation follows as she ponders to herself. "I know you would like to see me quit law and spend all my time at this dance academy, but…"

"That's not true. I would like to see you do whatever it is that makes you happy. Maybe I've been wrong this whole time. Maybe you really have turned over a new leaf, and fell in love with law. We of all people know that stuff like that can happen."

Her grin nearly reaches her ears.

"But I just happen to think that's not the case with you and law. But again, that's just what I see. Maybe I'm completely off."

He's not. He's really not. She's finally ready to admit that to herself. But she really can't admit it to Toby yet. At least not over the phone… She is completely stuck. She has already put so much into law. She can't just drop out. "I wish that we could talk in person…" she sighs.

"I know, me too. This really sucks. I already really miss you, and it's hardly been two weeks."

She props her foot on her coffee table, flipping the phone to her other ear in an attempt to get comfortable. She ponders for a moment. She is really not in the mood for some conversation about longing and missing. She does not want to end up crying.

A sly smile pans out on her lips as she thinks of something. "Oh yeah? What do you miss about me?" she prompts flirtatiously.

"The look on your face when I say something that offends you," he says, not missing a beat.

She can't help but laugh. Normally she wouldn't. Ordinarily she would probably get that exact look he is talking about on her face. But he said it easily that it makes her think he had actually been thinking about that before. "Wow," she muses after a moment. That was not really what she was going for. "You wanna know what I miss about you?" she asks.

"Like I would ever say no to that."

"I miss that little whimpering groan you make when I kiss your chest. And how it excavates into something along the lines of growl as I go farther and farther down. How it just bursts from the back of your throat when I begin to suck your…"

"SPENCER," he coughs stop. He begins to laugh nervously. "Spencer," he says once again, still laughing, but firm. "Guess where I am?" he requests.

"Usually the question is 'what am I wearing?' in this game." She responds disappointedly, ignoring him.

"I am back stage," he responds. "I can't do this here," he nearly hisses.

She sighs. "Well, at least I got some amusement out of it."

"You're a little bit of a sadist."

She chuckles. "Maybe."

He sighs. "I have to go. I'm going on in like an hour. People are starting to arrive, and they want to prep me and all that shit."

She sighs. "Okay. Break a leg. Not literally. Don't break another body part, Toby." She teases, referring to his fall last year.

"Spencer."

She chuckles. "Sorry. I couldn't help it. Seriously good luck, although I don't think you need it."

"That's better," he accepts with a smile. "Have a good night, Spence."

Day 88

Spencer is doing the unthinkable (perhaps the impossible.) She is attending classes at both the dance academy and Penn Law. She has literally no time to herself. She hasn't seen her friends in weeks. She doesn't have the time! She is either dancing, working, or studying. She simply doesn't have time for socialization. She hasn't even had the time to talk to Toby. She has been dodging most of his calls, always on the go. Always busy with some task, or another. She hasn't talked to him in a couple days. They have been texting, but the conversation is always spanned out. Replies are always late. It's inconsistent,

But right now, she has finally found some time. It's Saturday. She had worked today, and spent some time at the studio, but now she is home. And for once, she doesn't have any papers due. Well, she does. But its due Monday. She can take a tiny break.

Toby told her earlier that day (in a text) that he would face time her later. At eight. It's currently 8:06.

She sends him a text.

Sent at 8:06

We still on for facetime? You're running a little late…

She waits for a reply, feeling impatient and irritated. She knows she shouldn't. She has been late before too.

Sent at 8:10

Getting a little impatient L

Sent at 8:13

Seriously where are you?

Sent at 8:17

Blowing up your phone is getting me absolutely nowhere I see.

She decides to just call him instead. Maybe he is sleeping or something, and the constant dinging wasn't enough to wake him.

She reaches his voicemail after a few rings.

"Hey, it's Toby. Leave your message."

"Hi, Toby. Well, um. I guess you're busy or something. I don't know…" she says distractedly.

She decides to just void the entire voicemail completely.

She pulls out her laptop, sighing. She guesses she'll use this time to work on her essay. Maybe she'll be able to finish tonight, and then she'll be able to see Hanna tomorrow.

She gets completely lost in her work, as per usual. She doesn't realize how much time has passed until her phone is ringing, and the clock is staring up at her. 11:34.

The contact reads Toby Cavanaugh. She nearly rolls her eyes. How nice of him to call her back three hours later.

She picks up, sighing.

"Oh my god, Spence. I'm so sorry. The time zone is all off. I completely forgot about that…" she almost can hear him grimacing. "But I mean, even with the time zone difference, I would be late. I'm so sorry. I was in a dead zone. We were at a signing, and I just—I'm so sorry."

She doesn't understand what she's feeling. Like usual, Toby has completely put her emotional palate askew. Ever since Toby, it's like she's been exposed to a whole entire new range of emotions. Emotions she didn't even know she could posses until she had experienced them with Toby. How is it possible to be so angry with someone, but still want to be with them at the same time? How can you be hurt by someone, but want so bad to forgive them just so you can be with them? It doesn't make sense to her. Maybe it will never make sense.

Right now she feels…disappointed almost. But not a regular disappointed. One that is more… sharp, yet makes her feel dull and hollow inside. One that prompts her to say, "it's all right," even though it's so not all right. Then again, she has never been straight forward with her feelings.

"I'm so sorry. God, I'm an awful boyfriend."

She just sighs. "It's fine. I'm just—I'm about to go to bed. So…"

"Yeah, right," he huffs sorrowfully. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she repeats. "Have a good night."

She hangs up, not wanting to hear him apologize again.

She just lied to him. She isn't going to bed. She's going to work on her essay more. She doesn't know if she should feel guilty about this or not. Is she trying to punish him? For making a mistake? She doesn't know. But she can't talk to him right now. She's too…emotional.

Day 89

"Toby's an idiot," Hanna tells her after Spencer tells her about what happened last night.

"No, he's not. He just…made a mistake."

"Spencer." Hanna turns over to look at her. They are at a nail salon, both of them getting pedicures. (Spencer's is much needed.) "All men are idiots," she declares in a serious voice. "Caleb's an idiot. Toby's an idiot. They are all idiots. The only non-idiot male is probably Chris Hemsworth."

Spencer smiles a little at this, "and Jake Gyllenhaal."

"Yes, and Jakie poo," Hanna smirks, turning her eyes back to the magazine in front of her. "Toby's an idiot, but we forgive him because he has nice abs and pretty eyes."

Spencer guffaws, but as her laugher fades, the conversation once again falls serious. "I just—I knew this long distance thing would be hard. But I don't know. After I hung up, I kept regretting it, ya know? I haven't talked to him in so long… but I just… I—,"

"You're stubborn. We know. We all know."

Spencer sighs in agreement, "yeah."

"It's been a little over a month, and you guys have gotten this far. That's good. Just think, you're one-fourth of the way there."

"Yeah, I'm more of a glass half empty type…" Spencer comments.

"Yeah, trust me, I know," Hanna rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying, you should at least try to be optimistic about it. Toby's a rock star, which means he's going to be getting a big ole check, which means he'll have money to spoil you."

"I don't want to be spoiled," Spencer spits out in dismay. "Besides, the band he is touring with isn't even that big themselves. And he's the opening act. His paycheck really isn't that big… and even if it was, I wouldn't want him spending it on me."

"Then tell him to spend it on me. I need a new wardrobe," Hanna states casually.

Spencer bursts out in laughter.

She definitely needed time with Hanna. It made her realize that the only way she and Toby will get through this is through an optimistic point of view, and complete honesty. She needs to stop being so stubborn and elusive. She needs to say things straight forward.

It's 3PM here, which means it is 12PM where Toby is. He usually wakes up around that time, although he may have already been up since his mind is not used to the time change. She dials his number, feeling relieved when he answers.

"Spencer," he speaks with surprise. "Hey, wasn't expecting to hear from you. Thought you were dedicating today to finishing your essay."

"I was, but I already finished it. Last night. Well, I have to revise it some, but…" she hurries through the explanation. "Look, I lied to you yesterday. I wasn't going to sleep. I stayed up to finish my essay instead."

"I kind of figured."

"But the thing is, I didn't have to. I could have finished my essay today. I basically just did it yesterday because I wanted to give myself an excuse to ignore you."

"You already had a pretty good excuse…" he mumbles.

"I know. But I told you it was fine. And it obviously wasn't. I was mad at you. Or disappointed. Or somewhere in between. The point is, it wasn't fine." She is out of breath from explaining the whole thing so quickly. She is somewhat panting.

"You had a right to be."

"Maybe…" she admits. "But, you made a mistake. I… I just don't want this to be the beginning of the end, you know?" she confesses to him. "I just needed to tell you that. I needed to."

"Spencer, I'm sorry," he states after a minute, seemingly confused. "I don't want that either. I messed up. I know. You don't have a lot of time to talk, and I messed up."

"I'm not looking for another apology, Toby."

"Then what…what is this call about?" he ponders.

She sighs a little. "Just to tell you how I feel, I guess." She pauses. "And to tell you that I forgive you."

She can almost hear him smiling.

"Got time to talk now?" she requests.

Day 113

She is completely exhausted. All the time.

She cannot handle this anymore. She cannot juggle both her dance classes and Penn Law. She is sinking. She is completely submerged in work. She doesn't know how she is supposed to go on. She isn't sure she can.

And it doesn't help that her longing for Toby is only getting worse. She has been video chatting him every chance she gets, but those chances are slim. She's always so busy, and their schedules are so off. It also doesn't help that he's in another time zone. But soon he'll be back in her time zone. Just two more weeks, and he'll be back on Eastern Time. She won't have him beside her, but at least he'll be on the same side of the country.

After three hours, she is finally done with her homework. It is only nine, but she feels an undying need to just collapse into her bed, and forget about all her worries. Her apartment's a mess. She keeps telling herself she'll get to it tomorrow, but tomorrow keeps getting pushed back farther and farther. It's not like people come over anyway.

Whenever she does she her friends, it's usually to just get something to eat. That's all she really has time for. She doesn't have time to just lollygag on the couch.

It finally had occurred to her awhile back why she had been so against becoming a lawyer: it takes all your time away. You don't have any time for friends or family or loved ones.

She goes to get ready for bed, brushing her teeth and hair, and everything else, when she hears a knock at the door. It's probably Hanna or something, needing to vent about Caleb. She goes to get the door. Looks like she'll just have to put off sleep for another couple—

"Oh my God!" she exclaims, an enormous grin of elation rupturing out on her face. "You're—you're—Toby!" she thinks she might be crying from joy. She can't tell. Her mind is too focused on the man in front of her to really pick up on anything. For a brief second, she questions if this is some hallucination out of complete exhaustion.

But then his arms are wrapped around her, and she knows it can't be anything else but real. It feels too incredible to be a mirage. "Hi," he murmurs into her. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

She runs her hands up and down his back, needing to feel every inch of him. Is it possible that he has grown more bulky in his absence? Has he been working out more? Or did she simply just forget how built he really is? "I—," she exasperates, speechless in the most incredible way. She leans back a little, his hands still coiled around her waist. She cups his face in her hands, his light stubble scratching her fingers. "You—it's you."

He smiles. "Yes, it's me."

"I'm just—I'm I didn't. You're here," she's breathing heavily now. She can barely speak over her joyous grin. "I can't believe you're here," she breathes, pushing her face back into his chest.

He strokes her hair affectionately. "I had to see you," the words barely make it out.

"How?"

"I have a few days off. Four days, actually. There was a meet and greet today, which is why I couldn't come sooner…" he sighs. "But yeah, I'm back here for four days."

She looks up at him, beaming at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he responds easily.

Their lips slam into each other, desperation and desire swallowing both of them whole. Soon Spencer is straddled around Toby's waist, her hands wrapped around his neck. They are wasting no time. Not when they only have four days together.

Day 114

"Ugh, I don't want to go to class…" she complains. They still remain in her bed. Toby is going to be staying with her. His loft is up for lease currently, while he's away… and even if it wasn't, well, she would want him here instead.

Her hand pokes at the indent in his chin, her fingers roaming up and down his jaw line.

"I don't want you to either, but you have to. Plus, it'll give me a chance to see Caleb. We both know how peeved he would be if he didn't get to see me at least once."

But the thing is, Toby will have plenty time to visit his other friends. She has so many obligations. So many places she needs to be, and things she needs to do. She sighs, bringing her hand to her side.

Toby quickly takes note of her discomfort, and entwines their hands. "What is it?" he prompts.

"We're just… we're not going to have a lot of time together, even though you're here. I'm always busy."

"I know. I don't expect you to put your life on hold. You could have told me that we'd only have five minutes together, and I still would have come back."

She manages a smile.

"Maybe I should just ditch class. Ditch all of it…" she goes distant.

"Spencer?" his eyebrows furrow together.

She connects her auburn eyes with his, sucking in a breath. "I don't… I've been thinking a lot lately about law, and what makes me happy. And I discovered that you've been right all along. It doesn't make me happy. In fact, it takes up my whole entire life, and I hate it for that reason. That's why I hated it to begin with…"

"I—Spence, why didn't you say anything before?" he asks, clearly baffled.

She shrugs. "It didn't seem like a phone conversation…"

"I—you've thought about this…a lot?"

She nods. "I have."

"Well," he pauses a moment, sucking on his bottom lip. "I still think you should go to class today."

"What? Why?"

"Because…you… I don't know. I think you should think about it some more. This… it's not something you just decide in five minutes."

"You're the one who keeps telling me to choose what I love!" she exclaims. "I'm finally doing that, Toby!" she unweaves their fingers, recoiling her hand to her side.

"I know. But… I just. I don't want to be the reason you quit. I don't want you to look back with regrets. I don't want to be the one to blame if everything goes to hell."

"I wouldn't blame you!" she hisses.

"Well, I would!" he argues. "Look, I know. I know that what I'm saying sounds like nonsense. But… I just. You should go. If you really were ready to quit law, you wouldn't need me here to give you that extra shove. You'd be able to do it yourself."

She sighs. "I just—I'm scared," she confesses.

"I know it's a terrifying thing to do… but that's why you need to be sure. Just go today. Give it one more day. Make sure you are sure this is what you want to do. Or at least finish the semester. That way, if you ever want to go back, you won't have to repeat all this…"

"That sounds like a nightmare," she groans, closing her eyes. "I just… it's turning me into my parents. You haven't been around, so you haven't seen it really. But… I'm completely involved in my own life. I have no idea what's going on in my friends' lives anymore."

"Then just…the day…" he tells her. "It could be all the stress talking," he continues.

A lull in the conversation follows.

"I just want you to be sure."

She tries to smile at him, but it mostly just looks like an uncomfortable grimace.

"I should get ready then…" she sighs. She sucks in a breath before placing a chaste kiss to her boyfriend's lips. "I'm happy you're here."

Day 115

Spencer finishes her essays and sends them in even though she is almost positive she is dropping out. Toby thinks this is a haste decision, but really she has been thinking about this for awhile. And she doesn't really like referring to it as dropping out or quitting. No, because what she is doing is the more courageous thing to do. She is going after what she really loves. Staying in law, graduating in law, and going on to be a lawyer that would be the cowardly thing. She would be doing that out of fear.

She does feel foolish. She has put so much into law. So much time and energy and resources. Most of her education was paid by from scholarships, so at least she isn't necessarily wasting money…

She has all her inheritance money from her father still. She knows it will get her through whatever she plans on doing next. Money isn't the biggest of her problems, really.

It's telling her mother (and sister) that she is quitting law.

She can already see her mother's seething, dark eyes and disappointed scowl. Her ears already ache from the lectures she will receive.

She doesn't know when she's planning to tell them. Right now, she's keeping it a secret from her family. She isn't ready to face them yet.

"Toby's here for five minutes, and he has seen more of you in the last month than I have!" Caleb angrily accuses.

After work, she and Toby headed over to Hanna and Caleb's for dinner. A dinner that is being made by both of them, apparently. But Spencer has not seen Caleb in the kitchen once since she came over.

Emily is supposed to come too, bringing her girlfriend Paige. Aria is also apparently on the guest list. Although, she is not bringing a date. Apparently her and Ezra broke up…again. Aria made Hanna promise that neither of her ex boyfriends (Holden/Ezra) would be at the dinner tonight. Hanna was perfectly fine with that arrangement, although Caleb had complained, saying that he would literally be the only male there. (They were planning this before Toby's surprising return.)

"I know. I suck," Spencer frowns.

He shakes his head in disapproval, tsking. "And another thing!" Caleb starts, this time locking his maple eyes with Toby. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming. I mean, I can keep a surprise!" Caleb exclaims. "I could have picked you from the airport, spent some time with you before that one," he nods to Spencer. "Stole you away."

Toby chuckles. "I literally only knew a day in advance, Caleb. I didn't even really have time to make a call."

"Whatever," Caleb mutters, seemingly not caring anymore. "Mr. Rock Star is too busy for his best friend, I see how it is. Too busy signing autographs, huh?"

Toby blushes slightly. She can't help but find it cute. "No, not really…just stuff," he shrugs.

Spencer nuzzles her head into her boyfriend's chest. For the sake of Caleb, they have been very minimal on PDA. Toby only had his arm around her. Caleb didn't say anything of it (surprisingly.) She was okay with just having his arm wrapped around her for awhile, but now she feels an undying need to be closer to him. He'll be off again soon, and she wants every minute to last.

She can't believe her thoughts. How is it even possible to love him so much when she completely despised him such a short time ago?

Caleb still doesn't say anything of their PDA. He has been a lot more accepting of them. Spencer has had some sappy, emotional conversations with him about Toby and how she misses him. He was really supportive about it.

"Well, whatever. When you get famous, you're going to give me a bunch of your t-shirts, and whatever, and I'm going to sell them on Ebay."

"Um…sure?" Toby responds.

"CALEB!" Hanna screams from the kitchen. "COME AND HELP ME, DAMMIT!"

"I think that's my cue…" Caleb picks himself of the couch.

Soon Emily, Paige, and Aria arrive. Toby had apparently had lunch with Emily earlier today when Spencer was working on her essay. Apparently he told her that, but she just didn't hear him. She was too focused on the essays and work.

Although he has not seen Aria. They share an embrace of reunion, and then Toby is back at her side. Good.

After dessert at the Rivers', they go back to her apartment. She is pretty much exhausted at this point. She knows Toby must be too. They had been too busy doing other things to get any sleep last night. When you add on that to his jet lag and her overall exhaustion, they are both ready to just flip the light off, and go to sleep.

But Toby's leaving tomorrow. She doesn't have much time left to talk to him. She needs to tell him now, or otherwise her brain might explode.

So as they get comfortable in bed, she rolls over to face him, and blurts it out. "I'm still doing it. I'm still leaving Penn Law."

"Okay," he replies with a somewhat lazy smile.

"What?" she barks out completely baffled. She expected him to congratulate her for following her dreams, or lecture her on how she is rushing through this, or something.

"Just…okay," he smiles. He runs his fingers through her hair.

"Okay…what?"

"Okay, I'm happy for you. Okay, I trust that you know what you're doing. Just…okay."

A smile releases on her face. "Well, you could have said that…" she laughs. "I've never heard that definition of okay before."

He smiles amusedly. "Sorry. I just. I'm just telling you basically that I'm accepting you and I'm glad for you, and all that in between."

She feels herself blushing. She leans forward, pressing a tender kiss to his lips, hoping he can't see the crimson through the darkness.

He nuzzles his nose against hers, only furthering her smile.

A beat later, she realizes something. "You know what I just realized?" she questions.

"Hmm?"

"We haven't fought…or bickered… or name called at all since you've been here."

"Must be a world record," he smirks.

"I'll call Guinness right now…" she murmurs, smirking herself.

He chuckles softly.

"I love you, Spence, but I also love sleep. So, can we do that now?"

"I suppose," she beams at him.

Day 134

She is no longer a Penn Law student. She hasn't been for awhile now.

It feels like a giant weight has been lifted off her shoulders. That saying is so overused, but she cannot think of a better way to put it.

She is suddenly so much lighter. So much happier.

She is still stressed. She has a lot to be stressed about. She has completely back tracked. She is completely restarting the course of her life.

But she is happy. That's what's important.

Day 163

Today Toby is performing in Pittsburgh. It's a pretty long drive, but no one is complaining. They are all excited to see Toby perform. And after today… he's home. He's back here. The tour is finally over.

Hanna, Caleb, Aria, Emily and Spencer all travel down to Pittsburgh together, getting to the performance hall particularly early. Toby gave them all VIP passes, which means they can go backstage and what not. The security is annoying, telling them that they should come back after the show instead, but they are all determined. They argue with the guards until Toby comes over to them and explains the whole situation. The guards let them in afterwards, apologizing.

Spencer nearly leaps into Toby, throwing her arms around him in complete bliss. He catches her easily, squeezing her small frame against his. Tears of joy gather at the corner of her eyes. She blinks them away, refusing to be caught happy crying in front of Hanna or Caleb. She knows she would never hear the end it.

"Okay, break it up, break it up," Caleb eventually barks at them.

Instead of breaking up, Spencer just kicks Caleb. He winces in anger, muttering an insult under his breath. She'll hold Toby as long as she needs to.

He's back.

They made it.


a/n: so basically, I wanted to show them throughout their little long distance relationship...like snippets of it, and then it occurred to me that the only place to end it would be Toby's homecoming. Like? I don't even know. I also wanted to wrap up Spencer's story line. It's all rushed. I know. Hahah. :p ? I don't know how I feel about any of this. What do you guys think? Leave a review :) ? I'm up for constructive criticism too. LOL.