It had been a few quiet minutes for them both after the small discussion they had about Caleb, let alone the demons and ghosts that came along with the conversation. Spencer knew that bringing this all up now probably wasn't good for her, or Toby, but she could never just ignore these small things, especially since all of this was getting out of hand.

Spencer slowly stretched in his arms, her bones stiff from lying in his arms after some time. Toby stirred awake, they had both dazed off with sleep from the long day they had had setting up the tree and the small snowball fight encounter. She felt Toby's arm slowly release her, but she felt the small pang of disappointment to his action. Her body was still lying on top of his, and she thought he was letting her go to get off him, but then she felt him slightly lift her up for a seconds, and she relieved he was just repositioning his body so she could be cradled in his arms.

She blushed slightly, resting her head against his muscular chest.

She stared in front of her, the window before her. The snow drifted slowly outside, each flake a small sparkle in the growing darkness of the night. It was almost Christmas Eve. Tomorrow would be the Ice Ball dance, and the small sleigh ride she planned for her and Toby. She was trying hard to be excited for this, to live just normally, even for a few hours. But she always would have this ping of fear deep inside her, knowing somewhere; someone was watching her and the rest of the girls. Planning, plotting, and acting. Their demon.

Sure, she knew this wasn't the end. She knew a month from that day wouldn't change anything. A month from then, when the game changed. But she didn't want to think about those things, let alone the death that came with it. It was too much for her.

Another snowflake drifted past the window, landing on the glass. It began to melt away, the white flake turning to clear vapor. Spencer felt a chill run through the loft; it never had really strong air conditioning. Toby surly must've felt it too, because he reached behind his head, and grabbed the blue blanket that was always on the back of the couch. He gently threw the blanket over Spencer, her feet and body covered, her arm across his chest. She felt her body warm up, combined with his body heat, and the warmth being held by the blanket. Spencer felt heaviness grow in her eyelids, and she felt sleep conquer her body, before she let her eyes shut, and darkness followed.

She was cold. Snow ruptured violently around her, the ground surrounded by white floor. She couldn't see past the howling cold winds, shoving her left and right. She tried to stand, but the wind pushed her back to her feet. She didn't understand what was going on, or why. She only thought of one name to call out to. "Toby!"

Her voice rang out, but was sucked away with the wind. "Toby, where are you?!"
Again, her voice just grew smaller, the cold air stinging her throat, and shutting her quiet. She peered her eyes around, looking for anything that could show her a way out of the storm. But there was only an endless storm that was surrounding her, and she felt her knees wobble and grow weak. "Spencer!"

She heard his voice, husky, strong, but faint. But she knew it was there. She knew he was there. She got up, pressing herself forward, feet heavy from the weight of snow. She felt her limbs growing heavier and heavier, but she had to keep trying. She had to keep trying, for him. There was no way she was giving up now, not after everything they had been through. Not after how much she loved him.

"Toby!" She called out his name, stronger this time. She heard the winds calling out, "Spencer! I'm here, I'm here!"

Closer, his voice was closer. She knew it, it was like she could feel his warmth in front of her. She kept walking, the winds howling in rage around her, blowing her forward, then back, left then right. But that wasn't going to stop her from getting to Toby.

Suddenly, she felt the heat leave her cheeks. A dark figure, tall, larger than life, was standing in front of her. It seemed like a shadow, its silhouette blurry at the edges. Spencer felt her stomach turn. The figure, the shadow… -A

She tried to turn away, to run from the figure. But she heard his voice again. "Spencer!"

He was to her left. He was lying in the snow, flakes that were falling landed gently next to him. He seemed to be leaning over, his hands on his knees. He had his head down. "Spencer…"
He sounded all the sudden, weak, small. His eyes were glued to his stomach. He wouldn't look at her, even acknowledge that she was there.

"Toby, come on!" She called, the dark figure taking an easy step towards her. She ran over to Toby, and leaned next to him. "Toby?"

The distinct smell of metal and blood rose from the area around him. He lifted his head up, and she saw blood slowly draining from his neck. "Spencer?"

She felt her whole world crumble down, as the dark figure had a bloody knife in their hand. Spencer screamed louder than those of the howling winds and the dark figure daggered the knife sharply into Spencer's broken heart.

She felt herself being shaken awake by her shoulders. She was crying. She opened her eyes, light flooding into her eyes. In front of her, was Toby. He was hovering above her, before he lifted her up gently, bringing her into his arms. She twisted her fingers into his shirt, crying, small tears travelling down her cheeks. "Spence? Spence, it was just a dream, it was just a dream."

He was still holding her, but he must've moved her throughout the night to his bed. She was in his arms, and the sheets were flung to and thro, probably through her nightmare. She looked up at his blue eyes, furrowed up in worry. He must've taken a shower the previous night, cause he was in a white shirt with his blue long pajama pants on. She reached out and hugged him, bringing her head into his neck, her arms under his, holding him close. He hugged her back.

"It's so terrible… It was so real.."

Toby just rubbed her back, holding her in his arms. "It's okay, it's okay…"
His hands roamed up and down her back, comforting her, but she kept weeping quietly. She still remembered the scent of blood, and she swore her voice hurt from screaming so hard in that snow storm. It felt so real, and it was even worse that it 'could've' been real. In a sense, she never knew what –A was up to, and never would.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Toby asked, resting his hands on her back, his fingers pressed into her slightly, to keep her close. Spencer sniffed, but shook her head. "Was it about –A?"

Spencer nodded. She felt Toby tense up, but then he breathed out and leaned back against the wall of pillows behind him, Spencer still in his arms.

He hated the affect this had on her. He just wanted her to be safe and happy. But with all that was going on, he knew he had to accept the fact that –A was out there. Even if he could hold her like this, and tell her that it was going to be okay, he didn't want to put these kinds of beliefs into her head. As much as he wanted her to be okay, he never could fully have control over what was going to happen in her life. But he knew one thing for sure, and that was that he was going to be there for her through it all, highs and lows. He knew he would never let her get hurt, because he knew he'd never leave her side. He was going to protect her, she came first. Her happiness, her well being, and he guessed that was one reason why he was glad she chose to stay with him. Sure, her luggage was still in the hallway, and sure, she was still going to school and facing these challenges, but he wasn't going to let her go through this alone.

"Spencer. I want you to know that I'm right here. I want you to know, you never are going to be alone, or unloved, or forgotten. I'm right here, sweetheart, and I'm never leaving your side."

Spencer seemed to relax to his words. She breathed in, then out. Her fingers loosened their grip on his shirt, and now she just silently breathed as he held her. It was Christmas Eve, and he knew he wasn't going to let her spend it being scared and worried.

"How about, you can go take a shower, relax, and I'll get breakfast started, okay?" He looked down at her, and she looked up at him with her beautiful wide brown eyes. Her hair was loosely curled, some strands almost completely straight. He'd never get tired of looking at her.

"Okay." She replied back.

He slowly loosened his hold on her, and she stretched, and got out of the bed, walking towards the bathroom. Her hair dropped behind her shoulders, the wood floorboard beneath her feet click clacking as she walked across it, her heels hitting the floor with even steps.

She grabbed a white towel from the towel rack, and she closed the door behind her. He stayed in bed for a moment. He was thinking. Mainly about random things, small things. He stared at the bathroom door. God, he really never did spend a second not thinking about her. He adored her in every way possible, accepted her for who she was. He smiled. He probably seemed like a big idiot, smiling just from thinking about her. But, he didn't really care. He got off the bed, stretching his arms, before heading towards the kitchen to cook (or at least attempt to cook) breakfast.

Spencer turned the water on, her hand staying under the fountain of cold vapor. She kept her hand under the water until her skin prickled from the warmth. She threw her shirt off, then her jeans, which were slightly cold from snow form yesterday, and then her panties and bra. She stopped as she looked in the mirror. Some mascara was stained on her cheeks, and she harshly took toilet paper, and tried rubbing it away, but, there was no luck. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, and she looked down at her neck, then her stomach. She didn't really know what she was looking for. She then noticed a small chain around her neck, and she reached behind her neck to pull her necklace forward. It was a gold necklace, her favorite of all time. It was the one Toby made for her, the one that had her initial "S" with the shape of a scrabble piece. She never wanted to take it off, just looking at it made her feel safe.

She unclipped it, and put gently next to the sink, and then she took her fingers, dragging them through her hair, some strands tangled. She gave up on that, and went to the shower, and opened the curtain, and stepped inside. She let the warm water fall over her, the heat pressing through her hair, rolling off her skin, down the drain. She just stood there a few seconds, and then she shampooed her hair, and then conditioner, along with her usual shower routines.

After she finished, she turned the water off, and slid out, taking the white towel, and trying to dry her hair with it, then wrapping her body around it. Her hair was bouncy in ocean waves, but she didn't mind Toby seeing her like this. She was pretty sure, at least. Spencer then opened the door, walking out the fresh scent of bacon and eggs. She almost remembered all of her clothes and things were still in suitcases. She didn't feel like digging through her luggage right now. Instead, she walked over to Toby's closet, sliding the door open, and she pulled a gray shirt out, and then a pair of his blue boxers that was freshly folded in a drawer. She went back to the bathroom, and she slid the boxers on over her legs, and then pulled his shirt onto her. She looked in the mirror, and she actually considered this her best look. The clothes even 'smelled' like him. She felt her body relax, and she walked out of the bathroom, out of Toby's room, and into the kitchen.

Toby was standing above the burner, two pans on, one with bacon, one with eggs. He heard Spencer walk by, and he turned around. "Feeling better?" He asked, before noticing his clothes on his girlfriend. "Yeah, I do." She replied, sitting at the table, running her hand through her hair. He felt dazed from her rare look, she was just so damn beautiful.

"I think that's your best look Spence." Toby said, turning back around, smiling to himself. He wished he looked as good as Spencer did in his clothes. "Thank you." Spencer said from behind him. He heard her small yawn, and he turned around for a few seconds, spatula in hand.

She was staring outside her eyes watching the snow fall like a movie. Her legs were pulled up on the chair, her hair pulled over her shoulders, hands coiled around her knees to keep them in place. She seemed deep in thought. Toby couldn't take his eyes off her, his heart melting for her. She was his one and only.

A burning smell from the bacon rose, and Toby quickly scrapped the bacon with the spatula and flipped them over, hoping Spencer didn't notice his clumsy move. Right when he thought he was safe, he heard her small giggle. "Be careful, Tobes."

Toby nodded, adding sarcastically, "Yeah, yeah."

She giggled again, and he swore it was music to his ears. He felt a growing smile grow on his face. The bacon and eggs were done, so he flipped them both onto a plate, three slices of bacon for her, eggs, and then three slices of bacon for him and eggs. He walked to the side of the burner, pulling forks from the slide out drawer, and then he brought the food over to the table, setting the plate in front of Spencer. She smiled, and she placed her legs back down, pushing her chair closer to the table. Toby sat next to her, on the side on the left from her.

She picked up her fork, picking it up gently, and then she cut her eggs, placing it in her mouth silently, and Toby felt still, hoping she didn't gag on his cooking skills. But she smiled as she swallowed. "Toby, it's really good! I didn't know you could cook so well."

Toby was surprised, "Really?"

Spencer nodded, and she reached over the table, and grabbed his hand into her small soft one. "Yeah, thank you." She gave him a small smile, and then let his hand go. He smiled back and her, and they both ate in silence. He still had his eyes on her the whole time.

After they both finished eating, there was a long day ahead of them. A meet up with the girls and the guys, the Ice Ball, and the sleigh ride. Spencer was happy Toby had made them breakfast, it was a nice little thing to add to the day. Her hair wasn't wet anymore, so she decided she should start getting ready. Toby chose to wait for her to finish, and he said he was going to get some sketching done for some new buildings that were going to be built around the April Rose Grille.

Spencer was busying herself in the bathroom, brushing her hair, some small knots there, but not a lot. She then started applying some concealer and mascara, small amount, but enough. She then chose to curl the bottom ends of her hair, and pull half of it back with a small hair tie. She did that, only burning her finger slightly once. A few strands of her hair fell forward, but she liked it like that. Next, she put in pearl earrings, which were slightly hidden behind her brunette hair.

She slid on a navy blue blouse, and jeans. She lightly placed Toby's signature necklace around her neck, gently touching the gold surface of her initial. She took on last look at herself in the mirror, no hair out of place, not that she really did care. She opened the bathroom door, seeing it had been around thirty minutes. Toby was already dressed too. He had on a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and he was wearing these brown combat boots.

Spencer couldn't help but smile as her boyfriend struggled to untie his shoe laces, his fingers far too large and manly in a way to loosen them. Spencer leaned down in front of him, and she laughed. "Here, let me help."

She easily peeled away the laces with her nails, which were painted a light blush pink, and she untied the laces before double knotting them at the top. Toby smiled. "There really isn't anything can't do."

Spencer laughed. "Well, Toby, if you can't untie your own shoes, than I am very concerned."
He looked down, smiling, and Spencer leaned up to stand, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. Toby stood up too, and Spencer saw their reflections in a mirror. They even 'looked' perfect together. With the way she was looking at him, and the way he was looking at her.

"Ready to go?" He asked, heading towards the door, breaking her thought. She nodded, "Yeah."

Spencer grabbed her cell phone, and dropped it into a small leather bag, and threw it around her shoulder. Toby and she walked across the room, to the door. He grabbed Spencer a black coat from a rack, and then his brown one with a light colored color that he wore previous times. Spencer smiled as he slid the coat around her shoulders, and she pressed her arms through the arm slots, feeling instant warmth. They were heading out to meet with Hanna and Caleb, along with Emily, Alison, Ezra, and Aria if they could make it. They chose to have a big hangout that day, consisting of lunch, a Christmas meet up at the Field's house, putting out decorations and such, and then they'd have dinner and the Ice Ball. And then… she and Toby would have each other.

Toby led them outside, it was chilly out, and Spencer got outside as Toby closed the red door gently behind her, pressing a small gray key in the slot of the door, and locking it, turning the key quickly to the right. Spencer shivered. They both rushed down the stairs to Toby's truck. Spencer slid inside the car, and Toby slid in next to her, instantly turning the AC on. The news came on as the truck sputtered to life.
"We are expecting some easy winds up to ten miles an hour, with an average temperature of around 35 today! But, by daytime it may be around 45 to 50 degrees! Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas Eve, this is Jill Sarrow!"

Toby shut it off, and some music by Andrew Belle played instead, she recognized some of the lines from the song, "Daylight" Toby started up the truck, and began driving to the April Rose Grille. Some flakes of snow hit the truck's window shield, but the window wipers easily wiped them away. "You're okay, right?" Toby suddenly asked. Spencer looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

Toby closed his mouth, breathing out, then opened his mouth. "I was so worried when you woke up screaming and crying… I just want to make sure you're okay." He looked at her, and Spencer touched his hand that was resting next to her. "I'm fine Toby. Thank you."

Toby nodded, and Spencer let his hand go, but she continued looking at him. He was looking at the road now. She could tell he was still a little worried. "Come on, Tobes! It's Christmas Eve, and you're spending it with me. Be happy." Spencer tried, leaning over to him, leaning slightly against his shoulder, and she caught him smile. "Spencer Hastings, thank God I have you in my life."