Chapter Eight

Hey guys! I'd just like to thank you yet again for your amazing support and reviews. I hope y'all like this chapter … its pretty short, but it sets up what is to come!

Ciao my loves,

Jenn

Spencer giggled as Toby got out and locked her in the truck, already having made her swear she wouldn't open her eyes until he came back. Sitting there with her eyes shut tight, Spencer decided to use this time to try and comb through her tangled mess of hair with her fingers. As she attempted and failed to calm the snarls, she laughed suddenly as Hanna's words echoed in her ears. "You know, you really should have at least done something with this. You're going to regret it." Spencer sighed. One day, she would get revenge on her conniving best friends.

After about 5 minutes, Toby opened her door, making Spencer jump. He clapped his hands over her eyes before she could open them and took her hand, pulling her to a stand on the grass. Carefully, Toby led Spencer around the truck, and positioned her so that she was facing the truck bed. Slowly, he lowered his hand from her face. "Your dinner, my darling," he said in a faux-fancy voice, gesturing.

Spencer blinked twice, her eyes adjusting to the dimness of the night. When she saw what Toby had done to the back of the truck, her heart swelled and she gasped.

The floor of the truck bed was covered in a red and white picnic blanket, with two adjacent flickering candles in the centre. On either side of the blanket was a neat and simple place setting, complete with a tall glass of milk and a heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate.

"Do you often kill your captives with your adorability?" Spencer demanded, awestruck at her boyfriend's handiwork.

"Couldn't answer that," Toby said, lithely climbing into the truck bed, "You're the only one I've ever bothered to capture."

Spencer could do nothing but grin, her heart soaring as she hoisted herself up, crawling over to her spot across from Toby. The two began eating, and Spencer surprised herself by how hungry she seemed to be - she was finished her sandwich in seconds. "So," she said, wiping the peanut butter off her face with a napkin, "You beat me at Scrabble. You crawl in my window. You carry me everywhere. You manage to give me a surprise that I love. You're an excellent kidnapper, and apparently an excellent PB & J maker… is there anything you can't do, Toby Cavanaugh?" Spencer joked.

"Live without you," he answered automatically.

Spencer leaned towards him, kissing his cheek over their little makeshift table. "Good thing you'll never have to face that challenge. You're stuck with me," she whispered into his ear.

"I'm counting on that," Toby said, moving the plates, empty glasses, and candles to one side so he could drag Spencer towards him, their foreheads touching.

Just as Spencer was about to think of a comeback, something familiar-looking caught her eye. "Is that…my duffel bag?" Spencer asked, gesturing to the purple bag that appeared to be full in the truck bed's corner.

"Nope," Toby said, biting his lip. "It's Jenna's…you must have the same one. After I drop you off, her and I are spending the night together at the Edgewood Motorcourt."

Spencer's jaw dropped, and she was unable to hide the horrified look on her face.

After approximately 15 seconds of observing Spencer's penetrating glare, Toby's serious face faded, and he suddenly erupted into laughter. "My gosh, Spencer, I'm kidding!" he said, amused by the look on her face. "Someone is gullible today."

Spencer rolled her eyes and exhaled. "What IS THIS?" she demanded, smacking his chest lightly, "National Lie to Spencer Day?"

Toby laughed again, kissing her nose. "You should have seen your cute little face just now," he said, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, "Priceless."

Spencer climbed into Toby's lap, taking his two hands in her own. "So the bag is mine, then?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes," Toby announced, smiling, "Filled to the brim with your stuff and our Scrabble board, courtesy of the lovely Aria Montgomery."

Spencer wrinkled her nose in confusion. "And when, exactly, did Miss Montgomery find the time to rob my room?" she asked him.

Toby laughed. "This morning…apparently you were in the shower. She came to pick you up for school, right? I fished the bag from her trunk before I headed to the kiosk."

Spencer nodded, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. Her eyes fell on the duffel again, and she laughed, picturing Aria sneaking into her room, gathering things from her closet and drawers. Suddenly, Spencer was insanely curious as to what was in the bag - but she quickly suppressed her urge to look, for fear of finding something embarrassing. Instead, she shifted her gaze back to Toby's baby blues. "What a little creeper," Spencer teased.

"No, what a good friend," Toby said thoughtfully. "She played a big part in this master plan of mine. According to your parents, you're at her house right now," he explained.

Spencer just nodded, not wanting to know the details of how Aria had orchestrated that one on her own - usually when one of them lied about a sleepover, they at least had to plant the seed to their parents personally, to make it believable. Not that she really cared what her parents thought.

"Speaking of your parents," Toby said, interrupting Spencer's thoughts, "How are things with them?" he asked tentatively.

Spencer pursed her lips, understanding what he meant. "They haven't said a single word about Saturday," she admitted sadly. "But don't worry. They'll come around. I'll make them come around. They have absolutely no excuses, especially after I was right about Ian, and they were wrong," Spencer said, mentally kicking herself. Technically, she hadn't been right about Ian - A just happened to be an expert at making people look guilty. But of course, her parents didn't know that Ian possibly didn't kill Alison after all - which is why Spencer wouldn't hesitate to use that fact in her battle to force them to accept that her and Toby loved each other.

It was around 7:30 now, and the wind was picking up, the air having turned chilly. A cool breeze blew through the truck bed, and Toby felt Spencer shiver in his arms. "Let's go, Spence, grab your bag, sweetheart. The time for our Scrabble rematch has arrived," he said, kissing her shoulder before releasing his grip on her.

Spencer smiled, happiness radiating throughout her body. She leaned over and grabbed her duffel, and jumped out of the back of the truck, landing on the balls of her feet. She looked down at the town for a moment, marvelling at how picturesque it seemed from where she was standing. Shaking her head at the thought of Rosewood's innocence, she opened her door, climbing in beside Toby.

"By the way. I'll kick your ass this time," Spencer said humorously as Toby backed up, turning the truck around.

Toby chuckled, throwing his arm around Spencer's shoulders casually as he turned onto the highway. "Uh-huh. We shall see about that, Mrs. Goofball."

TO BE CONTINUED : )