A/N: THERE WILL BE JUST ABOUT FIVE MORE CHAPTERS (GIVE OR TAKE) BEFORE I END THIS – JUST A WARNING. BUT I PROMISE TO RETURN TO THESE CHARACTERS IN A SEQUEL I AM DEVELOPING NOW. THESE VERSIONS OF SPOBY ARE MY BABIES AND I WONT BE LEAVING THEM ANYTIME SOON.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO IS KEEPING UP WITH THIS. I KNOW THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS WERE HARD TO READ AND SO HERE IS A FLUFF CHAPTER FOR MY LOVES. THANK YOU! PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE AND END UP POSTING THE SEQUEL AS WELL.

During dinner, Toby texted Spencer and asked if she were home. She smiled at the screen she held under the table, wishing she could walk out and meet her man.

Dinner was barely tolerable, to say the least. For once, her parents didn't ask to play high-low and seemed nearly congratulatory about her acceptance to UPenn. It left a sour taste in her mouth to keep talking about the college and her family's legacy there, because it was nowhere near what she wanted to be doing. But somehow, it really was – deep down she wanted to prove herself as a Hastings.

Spencer was pleasantly surprised by the behavior of her family, as if things were already starting to change now that she'd finally made a choice they deemed the "correct" one. But the night took a turn for the worse when Wren offered his services to expedite her medical forms to the college. He reminded her that he'd be at the school again helping the nurses on Thursday, but he could come over the house and see her sooner, perhaps Monday, he sang in his stupid British accent that sounded much too jolly for his real intentions. Needless to say Veronica accepted on Spencer's behalf, and there wasn't much she could say about it.

Spencer went to the bathroom before leaving while her parents settled the check, and ran into Wren in the hallway on her way out of the restroom. "I can't wait for Monday," he raised his eyebrow seductively and put his hands to her hips, reaching backward towards her backside.

"Why don't you just focus on Melissa, and get off of me," Spencer scoffed, pulling his hands from her side.

"Oh, I'll get off with you alright, my sweet." His face turned into a demonic smile, his actions and words despicable and his mouth could only wrap around the sinful words in a laugh.

Spencer pushed past him, unable to respond, and joined her parents in going to the car and quickly climbing into the backseat.

xx

"Hey," Toby smiled as he pulled his girlfriend inside and kissed her, his hands reaching around her the same way Wren's had just an hour ago.

"Sorry I didn't answer your text, I was out with my family. It was really hard to get through dinner without answering you or really just up and leaving to see you," she cooed, her arms still locked firmly around his neck, her hands finding their resting place in his hair. She went straight from her father's car to her own when they pulled into the driveway, needing to see Toby as soon as she could. Wren made her feel worthless and dirty and like she might want to hurt herself in frustration, and Toby had proven to be the only anecdote to that feeling.

"I figured you were busy. It was no big deal. I was just jogging by and saw your car and I was going to see if you wanted to do something tonight."

"Wellllllll I'm here now," she sang.

"You're awfully chipper," he commented, laughing.

"Don't you like it when I'm happy?" She teased. It was all she could do to feel better, to act so carefree and focus only on him – he made her happy. It made it all seem worth it.

"Eh, it's alright." He shrugged goofily, grinning at her as he mocked her.

"Oh stop it," she nudged him and he immediately started to tickle her and throw her over his shoulder. She yelped and kicked and screamed and laughed until all the blood rushed to her face and she could only laugh in dizziness.

"Put me down Toby Cavanaugh," she finally yelled as he brought her through the house and into the kitchen. She squeezed sharply at his butt, since it was the only thing she could reach thrown over his shoulder.

"Ayyyyy, watch it Hastings," he joked, finally placing her down on the countertop.

"What was that for?" she narrowed her eyes at him, still laughing and bright red.

He just laughed at her coloring. She was brighter than her fruit-punch colored cardigan. "I just didn't want to be away from you while I got a snack," he said opening the cabinets, groaning, and then shutting them again without taking anything out. "…which it looks like we have none of anyway," he sighed.

"I have an idea," she said reopening the cabinets and pulling out the sugar and flour from the top shelf, still sitting atop the counter. "Get the eggs and milk," she said as she rummaged through the cabinet for some other ingredients.

"What for?" he said as he followed her instructions and putting the eggs and milk onto the counter beside her.

"Brownies or cookies?" she said holding chocolate chips in one hand and cocoa powder in the other.

"We're baking?" he said inquisitively, and seemingly hesitantly. "I'm not much of a cook," he confessed, laughing.

"I'll help you," she smiled. "just pick!"

"Brownies!" He finally said. "Okay, get me a pan and pre-heat the oven." She said as she helped herself to looking to some mixing bowls.

"Have I told you today how amazing you are?" he said as he watched her remove her cardigan and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt underneath.

She rolled her eyes. "Pan," she reminded him.

He just smiled, and followed her instructions.

xx

She gave him instructions and let him help her with the brownie batter. They were both pretty messy, and it had been a long process, but they laughed their way through it.

It was almost done and Spencer was just looking for a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl into the brownie pan. He stood beside her mixing the batter. She came back to his side with the rubber spatula.

"Okay, once you get the majority of it in the pan, we can scrape the sides with this to get everything." She said holding up the rubber spatula.

"This batter smells kinda funny," Toby said as he brought the spoon he'd been stirring with close to his face.

"What are you talking about, it's brownie batter…" she said coming closer to smell it, and that's when he pushed the batter-filled spoon into her face, leaving her nose and upper lip wet with brownie batter.

She screamed. "You idiot!" she shoved him playfully, wiping some and chasing him around the kitchen, determined to smear some batter onto his face.

"You can't catch me," he smiled, quickly shuffling from side to side.

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, diving towards him and getting his chin.

"Oh, it's on." He took a bit of flour and tossed it at her, leaving a white cloud between them and her jeans and cheeks equally paled.

She didn't even yell this time, she just threw flour back at him, no hesitation.

He chased her with flour in his hands to throw, her hair graying in the cloud of flour and she grabbed a bit of powdered sugar, ready to toss the white powder onto him too. They yelled and played until he slipped in the flour and fell down, but not before reaching out to her legs and pulling her down with him. She fell onto him and they laughed and laughed for at least a whole minute without talking before she put her finger into his chin dimple and took the batter onto her pinky and into her mouth, quickly sucking it off and smilling. "Well at least the batter is good," he laughed, pushing her sugar and flour powdered hands onto his face and into his hair, further whitening them.

"You look like the Bride of Frankenstein," he laughed at her frizzy, grayed hair and brownie battered face.

"Well then what does that make you?" She laughed.

"Lucky," he said with a smile and pushing his lips into hers. "Mmmmm, we should do this more, that kiss tasted good." He laughed, leaving a quick peck onto her lips again before rolling over and pulling her up with him.

"Come on,, let's get these in the oven and clean this all up before your dad gets home," Spencer said dusting off her jeans almost comically – as if it would make a difference in the big mess the rest of her – and his kitchen was.

"Yes ma'am," he saluted jokingly and put the pan into the oven and showed her where they kept the broom and dustpan while he used Clorox wipes on the countertops. They kept breaking to kiss.

"Perfect timing," she said as the timer on the oven went off just as they finished cleaning up everything. She took the pan out and left them to cool off on top of the stove.

"I think," he said, pulling her from behind. "We should go get clean while these cool off," he said in her ear.

She blushed, knowing that meant together. "I think you're right," she said softly, turning in his arms.

He just held her hand and pulled her down the hall to the bathroom, excitedly.

He turned on the water and let it run a minute to get warm as he helped her undress, and she helped him do the same. There was lots of awkward giggling as they touched each other's messy bodies, only making it worse with one another's messy hands.

He got in and held out his hand to help her in after him. She was strangely quite comfortable in front of him, in full light, completely bare. He had noticed she was much more comfortable and confident and it made him more happy than he could express.

"Mmmmm, brownies and this, what did I do to deserve this today," he teased as he hands ran over her sides.

She blushed and brought her hands to his own sides, her fingers lightly tracing over the tattoo on his hip.

"When did you get this? I know you've had it this whole time… I just never really looked at it," she admitted, looking back up at him as her fingers danced over his side.

"On my birthday back in the fall," he said running a hand through his hair. "I couldn't wait any longer."

"What does it mean," she said studying it again, 901, free at last. She felt him pull away a bit under the pads of her fingers and she looked back up to make eye contact again. "Was that a bad thing to ask?" She said blushing, softening her voice.

"It's uh, it's okay. It's for my mom," he said not looking at her. "Would you ever get one?" he said, changing the subject quickly.

"My parents would kill me," she laughed. "Maybe. Did it hurt?" She asked curiously.

"Not badly."

"I'd like to someday. Like a bucket list type of thing I guess. I'm just not sure when or what or where."

"You'd be sexy as hell with a cute little tattoo right about here," he said as his thumb grazed just above her pubic bone. "Well, sexier," he spoke in a raspy tone into her ear.

"Come on," she laughed, pulling away, trying to forget the shock that still danced up and down her spine whenever he touched her like that. "Let's get washed. Help me get the flour out of my hair?" she smiled, handing him the shampoo.

He of course obliged, and she returned the favor as she ran her hands all over his wet, naked torso.

When it seemed like they were clean and there was only one thing left to do in their unclothed state, Spencer reached behind him and shut the water, ending it before it could begin.

He didn't question her motives, always so respectful of her body and the limits even he had with her. Instead he helped her out, toweled them both off, and offered her a t-shirt of his to wear as it just about covered her butt like a short dress.

They returned to the kitchen after they'd mostly dried, kissing their way down the hall. She basically had to pry her mouth away from his just to cut the brownies. He took a few onto a small plate and pulled her downstairs to his room. "Hurry, Harry Potter marathon starts soon and I want you to stay for at least one movie before you have to go home." He called, and she laughed because he could be just as big of a dork as her sometimes.

"I'm coming, slow down before we fall again." She laughed and snuggled up next to him.

"We're good, we've got fifteen whole minutes." He said checking the channel guide on the TV and breaking off a piece of brownie and surprising her by feeding it to her instead of eating it himself.

"Well you have a piece!" She said with her mouth half full, shoving brownie bits towards his face.

"Delicious" he said with his mouth also full, and all they could do was laugh, pressing their bodies closer into one another.

She played with his hands as they locked around her waist when she leaned against his chest, her thumb slowly rubbing against the top of his calloused knuckles.

"So…you're really serious about this…this you and me thing," she said softly and nervously.

"You don't want me to tell you I love you and you don't want me to make a big deal about it and now you're acting like you don't even know," he said half teasingly, but with a heavy hammer of truth coming in right behind the teasing. It upset him that she didn't know.

"Relax," she blushed, turning a bit in his arms. "I know you do. I'm sorry. That was a bad lead-in. I just was starting a conversation," she started, and his eyes locked with hers letting her know she should continue with whatever it was she had to say.

"I was just thinking," she restarted. "If we really are serious, I, uh, I….I'm thinking it might be a good idea to go on the pill. So we can be together and be closer and not have to worry about anything. I trust you and," she started, but he pulled her closer and squeezed her thigh.

"I think that's a great idea," he kissed her cheek. "But only if you really want to. I really don't mind using condoms like we have been…I'm always going to be careful with you." He reminded her. "Don't do anything just for me. It's your body."

"I want to… but I don't know how to ask my mom… so I was thinking of going to the clinic."

"Do you need money?" he offered.

"No…I was just hoping you might come with me. I've never been there or had any kind of appointment like this and I'm a little nervous," she blushed. "I need you."

"Spencer," he laughed at her seriousness. "You know I'm always gonna do whatever you need me to do," he pulled her head towards him to kiss her head.

"I'm serious about this, Toby." She locked eyes with him. "I mean this you and me thing," she repeated her prior phrasing. "You save me every day and you don't even know it."

"Because I—" he stopped himself, knowing if he didn't, she would end up shoving her hand in his mouth or something. "Because you're important to me." He chose words that might be more comfortable for her.

She saw him briefly frown at not being able to say he loved her. She reached over to his desk and pulled herself up, rummaging through his drawers. By now the movie had started and somehow it became much less important to him now.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhh…just watch your movie," she said finally settling on a thin black Sharpie before returning to her seat beside him. She took his hand in hers and rubbed her thumb over his hand again, and doing that for most of the movie. When they'd finally calmed and settled into just being with one another, Spencer opened the Sharpie and drew a small heart on his wrist, writing "always," in delicate script letters beside the heart.

He lifted his hand and inspected it, and just looked at her.

"Like Snape… and Lilly," she explained.

"But why on my hand. That isn't even until the later movies this is only the first one," he said stupidly.

"I know," she sighed, a smile behind her lips. "I just…I wanted to find a way," she swallowed hard. After all this time, he still hung on every word she said. It didn't go unnoticed – it always still made her blush.

"I wanted to find a way to say that I….you…I feel the same way you do, I think." She stumbled on her words, speaking quickly but feeling like she was moving in slow motion.

He ran his fingers over his wrist, and reached over for the marker, drawing the same heart and word on her arm in the same spot she'd drawn on him.

"Always," he repeated, crashing his lips into the ink he'd just put on her delicate wrist, smiling and hiding the tears in his eyes as he buried his face into her arm.

My girl. Always, he thought once more.