Thank you SO much for all the positive feedback guys! I'm so glad you liked Chapter 1! So sorry it took me this long to update…school and such has been getting in the way a lot : ) hope you enjoy!

The warmth that spread through Spencer's heart as she read Toby's text over again was undeniable. Her heart began to pound to the speed at which the raindrops were hitting the roof; for a moment, the storm didn't seem so ferocious anymore.

Still smiling to herself, she hit reply. "I love you, so, so, so much." she typed. Her fingers were trembling slightly, from both fear and joy at the same time. Outside, the storm raged on.

Not even a moment had passed before Spencer's phone beeped again. Her heart swelled even larger as she read:

" love you more. :) But Spence, what's the matter? Why aren't you sleeping?

Spencer stopped for a moment before she replied. Should she tell him? Obviously he cared. Toby was the one person she knew cared about her. He was always there…especially when no one else in her family was. "If he loves you, then its his duty to take care of you," Emily's words replayed themselves. Spencer took a breath and swiftly wrote, "I…I can't sleep. I'm scared, Toby."

Another remorseful wave of embarrassment washed over her. She knew she was being completely irrational, and childish. What a coward she was…

This time as the lighting lit up her room, so did her phone screen. "Aww, Sweetheart…I'm calling you." Spencer barely had enough time to read and comprehend what Toby had written before the silence that surrounded her was broken by the sound of his ring tone, blaring through the speaker of her cell phone.

Spencer had pressed the Talk button before the phone had gotten the chance to ring a second time. "Hello?" she whispered quickly, impatient to hear the soothing tone of his precious voice.

"Spencer? It's me, sweetheart," Toby said in his impeccable, flawless voice.

And all of a sudden, Spencer just could not gain control over herself. At the sound of his voice, her own breath caught in her throat and she began to cry into the phone, internally cursing herself.

"Spencer?" Toby pressed, his voice thick with concern. He listened to her quiet sobs for a moment, and after realizing they weren't going to cease, said softly, "Shh, Spencer. It's okay, Sweetheart. It's okay, it's okay, shh, shh. Aww, Spence."

After a few moments of whispered reassurances, Spencer steadied herself enough to speak. "I'm Ss-sorry, Tob. You shouldn't have to listen to this. I'm such a baby. I-"

"Spencer, Spencer shh," Toby interrupted. "Stop. You don't have to be the queen of the jungle for every second, Spence, it's okay. Tell me what you're scared of, Spencer."

Hearing this made Spencer want to wrap her arms around him at that very second. She bit her lip, and began in a rush. "I…just…everything! Between Alison and Jenna and Melissa and now Ian… who KNOWS where he is… Toby, I saw him DEAD… he tried to push me down the bell tower, and I… I thought for sure I was gunna die, but then somebody came, somebody pushed him…and now he's gone, and-"

"Spencer, woah, back up…did you say somebody pushed him? Who?" Toby asked worriedly.

Spencer's heart skipped a beat. Everything she had just droned on about were things she of course had already told him - except for that part. She'd glossed over it before, because she knew she couldn't explain…telling Toby about A was similar enough to digging a grave for him. She shuddered. "I don't know," she said honestly. "All I saw was a black hoodie. There's so much, I wish I didn't know, Toby," she said, "so much I wish I could forget. And now I'm here alone, because my parents are in New York, they won't be home until tomorrow…someone broke in last week…and I just… I just can't shake the feeling that I'm not…safe." she whispered.

"Spencer," Toby said sincerely, and softly, "I never, ever, ever want you to be afraid to tell me anything. You have absolutely no reason to be ashamed of a word you just said. I understand, Spence. You have the right to be scared…but I want you to know that I will NEVER let anything happen to you. You should've called me earlier, Spence…it kills me to know that you've been scared all night long."

His words melted her soul, and her heart continued to thump unevenly. So this is what being loved felt like.

She wanted to tell him. Spencer wanted to tip her bowl full of fears about A into his lap, explaining everything. She wanted so badly to let him protect her.

But she knew better than she knew her own name that she absolutely couldn't.

So instead, she sniffled and whispered, "I wish I had. I love you."

She could tell by his tone that he was smiling, just like she was. "I love you too, Spencer. Forever."

Just as Spencer was beginning to lean backwards towards her pillow, the lightning struck again and she heard a twig outside snap.

She bolted upwards, nearly dropping her cell phone. She heard the same sound a second time, and the coil of fear that Toby had just spent 20 minutes untangling reknotted itself within a matter of seconds.

"Toby…" Spencer whispered in fright. "Toby, I think I just heard-"

But Spencer was curtly interrupted, by the most terrifying noise she had ever heard in her entire life - a soft knock coming from outside her window.

Spencer's heart dropped 20 feet down, her mind reeling, terror swallowing her whole. Had A heard her talking! Was it Ian? Spencer screamed at the top of her lungs, forgetting that she still held the phone to her ear. A second later, she heard the knocking again. She whipped her covers over her head and desperately tried and failed to stifle her scream.

Suddenly Toby, who hadn't said a thing for a full two minutes, spoke. "Spencer!" he said firmly, which caught her by intense surprise, "Calm down and open the window!"

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!" Spencer shrieked at him.

"No…" he said, huffing, "But I AM about to lose my balance. Relax, Spencer. It's me."

To be continued : )