A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Glad you're enjoying it so far! I've had the writing bug this weekend, as I resume graduate classes on Tuesday and may not have as much free time.

In address to specific questions/concerns:

HarrylovesGinny09: The girls knew about the break-up, but when Emily met with Toby, she also knew the only reason they were apart: "A". In this case, she knew that if Spencer had knowledge of Toby's enlistment, it would change everything between them. Therefore, she tried to urge Toby to talk to Spencer himself, knowing that Spencer would have told him the truth about the break-up under the new circumstances.

Live Like Music.: Admittedly, I chose University of Michigan because it was the school I went to, so I have detailed knowledge about the campus for the purpose of the story. Also - U of M is a very prestigious school after all is said and done about Ivy Leagues :-) And as far as the "big city goes" - it was indeed a "Hanna-ism," but also references its comparison to small-town Rosewood!

Lastly, Good Time Charley's is a real bar in Ann Arbor. I am improvising, somewhat, on what the interior looks like - I have admittedly never been inside. It's always too busy!

On with the story!

CHAPTER THREE

"Oh my God," she breathed, a flattering shade of pink having risen in her already-flushed cheeks.

Toby stared at her, hoping that he was doing a satisfactory job of keeping the longing in his heart separate from his facial expression. She was more beautiful than ever.

"I - I have to go," she muttered, turning away in panic.

"Spencer, no - wait," Toby protested, standing hastily and taking hold of her arm. "Talk to me."

She looked from his grip on her arm up into his eyes. The chocolate color in their depths dazzled him and made his mouth go dry.

"I can't," she whispered, silently pleading with him to let her be. In resignation, he loosened his hand and disdainfully watched her walk away.

"Who was that?" Cody inquired appreciatively. "Nice ass..."

Toby shot him a warning glare, feeling his teeth clench together. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Whoa. Sorry dude," Cody replied, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I got it. Ex-girlfriend."

"Something like that," Toby murmured. Somehow, he had never been able to quite process the prefix of 'ex' when it came to Spencer. It had ended so abruptly, he hardly considered it a conventional break-up.

He turned to watch her hasten to Hanna, both of whom were talking animatedly. Hanna looked as though she was attempting to calm her down. And was failing miserably.

"What is it?" Holmes asked quietly.

"It's nothing," Toby insisted distantly. He still had not brought himself to resume his seat.

"C'mon, man. I've never seen you so bent out of shape," Lancaster pressed. "That girl's got you totally out of your zone."

"I just...haven't seen her in ages," Toby responded softly. "It didn't really end well."

"It never does, with girls like that," Cody added sardonically, sipping on his Budweiser.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Toby demanded.

"Relax, Cavanaugh," Cody urged. "I just mean she's a hell of a looker. And flattery don't come cheap, if you know what I'm saying."

Toby felt himself growing progressively angrier with Cody's insinuation of Spencer being anything close to a slut. Had he not considered him a brother in arms, he would have certainly knocked him out.

"I know what you're saying," Toby began, "but you need to shut the fuck up."

"All right! All right!" Cody declared dismissively.

Holmes leapt from his seat and put a halting hand on Toby's chest, inserting himself between Toby and Cody. "C'mon man," he muttered in Toby's direction. "You know he's a tactless drunk. Ignore him."

Toby sighed and nodded. Holmes was the best friend he had made from the army. He always seemed to read him like an open novel.

He turned back to find that Spencer and Hanna had gone from their previous location. He desperately roved the bar with his eyes, afraid that if he lost sight of her it would be the last time he ever saw her. In truth, he didn't know what he was hoping to accomplish - she made it very clear that she had no interest in talking to him. But he had to hope...

He located them at long last, standing by the door. Spencer had her hand on the knob, ready to make a quick get-away. She seemed to still be arguing with Hanna.

Without thinking it adequately through, Toby found that his feet were leading him toward them. When Spencer saw him coming, she appeared as a deer in headlights.

"Spencer..." he began again, once within range for her to hear him.

"Hanna, let's go," Spencer insisted, pushing the door open hastily and refusing to look back. Hanna paused to give Toby a sympathetic glance, but began to follow her disappearing friend.

"Hanna, wait," Toby pleaded, grabbing Hanna's hand. She looked cautiously from this contact to his face, seemingly undergoing some version of an internal struggle.

"I should go to her," she reasoned.

"Just give me two minutes," Toby persisted. "For God's sake - TWO MINUTES. It's been almost two years and I have yet to get any answers." He felt his blood boiling within his veins, realizing how angry the entire situation had made him.

Hanna's face fell. He knew she felt guilty. But he didn't care. He surged on.

"Back when I left, Emily told me that there were things I should know. She kept saying that Spencer would change her mind if she knew my plans. At the time, I was so blind-sided by everything that I didn't care. But now..." He trailed off, unsure of how to articulate his current frustration.

Hanna sighed dejectedly. "Toby, listen..." she began, looking over her shoulder nervously as if to ensure that Spencer was not secretly eavesdropping. "There are things that she could never tell you."

"Like what?"

She shook her head. "It's not my place. I have to go." She turned again to exit.

"Hanna..." Toby begged. His voice had cracked involuntarily.

She paused and considered him for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "Okay," she replied uncertainly. "You asked for it."

Toby listened intently, stepping closer to Hanna to be sure he wouldn't miss a word of the explanation.

"She had to do it...to keep you safe." Hanna exhaled heavily, as if saying this had lifted a giant weight from her shoulders.

"Safe?" Toby demanded. "What do you mean?"

She looked down at the floor, internal wheels visibly turning. "Someone was threatening her. They were going to hurt you, unless she stayed away."

His heart froze over like a Pennsylvania pond in December. He ran this information through his brain several times before responding.

"Who?" he demanded, though it came out as more of a statement than a question. When he found out, not even Holmes would be able to hold him back.

Hanna shrugged. "We don't know. Honest."

"Tell me everything," Toby urged, high on the thrill of actually making headway to this long-exhausted mystery.

"I can't," she insisted. "I really can't."

Toby didn't push it. He knew that Hanna had already crossed a dozen friendship boundaries to have this conversation with him. He didn't want to ask her to betray Spencer any further.

She looked over her shoulder once more, as if checking for Spencer again. She then took a hesitant step closer to him, so that her face was almost directly at his shoulder. Hope bubbled in his chest as he anxiously anticipated the next words from her mouth.

"We live in the apartment building at the corner of Willard and Hill," she said under her breath, ensuring that the information would go to his ears only. "It's a tan building with annuals planted out front. Apartment 2B."

He nodded, committing this information to memory.

She nodded too, then took a step back. That was it.

"Take care of yourself, Toby," she offered. And then she was gone.

Once inside the apartment, Spencer kicked off her flip flops and tossed her purse carelessly. For once, she had no qualms about creating a mess. She was breathing more heavily than she had in months. She wasn't sure if it was due to the shock, the run home, or a combination of both.

She bee-lined to the bathroom door and slammed it shut, being sure to turn the lock. She was admittedly embarrassed for her behavior, but was more concerned about Hanna asking more questions when she got home. Questions Spencer did not want to answer.

She studied her face in the mirror, trying to piece together all that had just happened. It felt like a blur. An out-of-body experience. She had spent so long emotionally detaching from the memory of Toby, and there he was - sitting in the middle of the goddamn bar down the street. It was as if the heartbreak had started all over again. And the pain seared through her chest like an unbearable bout of cardiac arrest.

Still feeling on the verge of hyperventilation, she began carelessly stripping off her clothes. She didn't even pause to study her naked body in the mirror and critique her most-hated problem areas, as was typically somewhat of a morning ritual.

She turned the knob of the bath tub - best to turn the hot water all the way up, to ensure that the scalding would burn away the pain. Digging through bathroom cabinets, she found Hanna's trusty shea bubble bath, and proceeded to pour a majority of it into the bath tub. She felt guilty for a brief moment, but rationalized with herself that she would replace it.

She climbed in and pulled the curtain shut, purposefully keeping out the light. With legs hugged protectively to her chest, she remembered the first time she had read Toby's good-bye letter. She had immediately resorted to this exact same familiar comfort.

Dearest Spencer, it had read.

There are so many things I wish I could say. Promises I wish I could make - and the chance to show you that I can keep them.

I'll start off by telling you that I understand...understand that you didn't want to be with me. We were always some version of Beauty and the Beast. And it was bound to happen, someday, that you would see that you had potential that surpassed a relationship with me.

I know you said that this was about trust. I know that's part of it. But I also know that you're beautiful and bright, and you were scared of tying yourself to me and being held back.

I need you to know that you were, and always will be, the love of my life. You have taught me what it means to truly rely on another human being, and be able to completely trust someone else with your heart. I will forever value that lesson, most of all.

After basic training, I will not be returning to Rosewood. There is nothing left for me there, and I hope you can understand that. But I also want you to know that should we ever meet again, in the near or far future, I will do absolutely everything in my power to win you back. If fate happens to put us in the same place, I will not ignore its cues again. I will fight for you, no matter what it takes.

I love you with all of my heart. Be safe...be happy.

Love, Toby.

Spencer hadn't realized it, but recalling the letter from memory had caused her to begin crying. She felt her body wracking with disruptive sobs, and put a hand over her mouth to silence their cry.

"Spencer?" Hanna was knocking at the door. "Spence, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Spencer called, using the only ounce of remaining strength to control her voice. She felt her face scrunch up once more, and put her balled fist back to her mouth, hoping to muffle any additional noise.

The tub was nearly full, but she was neither ready to get out nor to silence her background noise. She allowed it to drain and turned on the shower head. And there she sat, under the steady stream of water, crying until her throat was raw. It felt likened to an eternity. Her skin was burning, but that was just the way she liked it. It was symbolic to her.

Once she heard Hanna's door shut for the night, she gathered her composure slowly made her way out of the shower.

She looked into the mirror once more, distastefully noticing that her eyes were pink and puffy from crying. It was a Hastings lesson, growing up, that you never revealed your tears to anyone. It was a sign of weakness. Had Hanna still been up, she would have gone through the arduous process of re-applying her make up.

His face flashed in her mind once more. He had looked so beautiful...even with his hair at a short buzz, he still made her go weak in the knees. She owed him so much...but she didn't know how to tell him about any of it. He had vowed to win her back...but what if he didn't miss her the same way she missed him? It was foolish to even consider the possibility.

She pulled on a baggy t-shirt to sleep in and crept out of the hallway and into her room. Upon shutting the door, she exhaled heavily. How on earth was she supposed to sleep tonight?

TO BE CONTINUED