Oh hey! How are we all doing on this fine Sunday morning? I decided I wanted to make pancakes this morning and I burnt every single one lol. I ate them anyway because, let's be real, they're still delicious. So hopefully you all had a fabulous day or evening or what have you. Here I am with another chapter for you. Only six left! But don't you worry- I've already begun the planning stage for my next project. ;)

The chapter title comes from "I Wanna Be The One" by Fun. The PLL Wikia says that Toby's birthday is March 19th, so I ran with it. Thank you all for continuing to be amazing and sticking by me through this fairly long story. It means a lot to me; I know you would all be there to defend me in the internet fight I almost got in yesterday over this story (don't believe me? check the reviews I got yesterday :P ). Thank you!

she brings me a cake, we celebrate i have arrived

Very, very early on March 19th, Spencer wakes before the sun and tears herself purposefully away from the warm embrace of slumber. She crawls out of bed, sneaks out of the bedroom, and heads down the hall towards Grace's room all in darkness; the sun has not yet risen on this early spring Wednesday morning. Grace is on her stomach, one arm dangling off the side of her bed, and Spencer rests a hand on her back, kissing her forehead and jostling her a bit to awaken her. Her daughter yawns, rubs the sleep from her eyes and looks a bit confused for a moment before the morning's plan hits her. In a moment, she's elated and hops out of bed eagerly to follow her mother to the kitchen.

"Can you get a mixing bowl for me?" Spencer asks, reaching in the cabinet for the Bisquick and the bag of chocolate chips.

"Do we need a big one?" Grace asks and pulls out a relatively good size plastic bowl. "Is this good?"

"That's perfect," She grins. "Okay, we need two cups of the pancake mix. You washed your hands right?"

"Yup!"

"If I measure it, do you want to pour it out?"

"Yeah!" Grace exclaims, pulling herself onto the countertop and fulfilling her duties diligently the moment her mother hands her the measuring cup. "Can I pour the milk too?"

"Sure," Spencer agrees, retrieving the milk and eggs from the refrigerator. "We need a cup of milk, so I'm going to need that measuring cup back."

Grace pours the milk in as well, watching as it seeps into the craters of the pancake mix, and asks, "Can we put whipped cream on them too? And sprinkles?"

Spencer laughs. "Like a pancake sundae?"

"Yeah! Like a pancake sundae!"

"Why not?" Spencer allows. "It is a special occasion, after all."

Once the milk's been poured, it's time for the eggs and Grace eyes them hungrily. Spencer says, "You can crack them; I know you want to. But let me show you how."

She guides Grace's hands first, instructing, "Hit it against the side of the bowl, hard enough to break it, but not too hard. You don't want any shells in there. Good, just like that. Now, put your thumbs right in the hole- good. And now gently, pull the pieces apart."

They pull the two halves of the shell ever so slowly, but eventually the egg slides into the bowl. Grace beams and shouts, "I did it!"

"You did!" Spencer hands her another one. "You think you can do this one yourself?"

"Uh huh," Grace nods and follows Spencer's directions sinuously. The second egg drops into the mixture just as fluidly as the first.

"Wow," Spencer admires. "That was great!"

"I'm a fast learner," Grace says and Spencer has a moment of nostalgia.

She whisks the ingredients together and forms three pancakes on the hot griddle before her. Grace watches from afar, not allowed near the stove, and when the time comes, Spencer lifts her over the griddle so she can drop a handful of chocolate chips into each of the pancakes. They grow hot and brown and when they're ready, Spencer flips them onto a plate and lets Grace go wild with maple syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles. Placing the plate on top of a tray along with a glass of juice, a handful of napkins and silverware, the two ladies head upstairs to the remaining member of their family. Grace opens the door and bounds across the floor, hopping on top of the bed.

"Daddy!" She calls and Toby shifts a bit at the interruption to his slumber. "Daddy, wake up!"

Toby sits up slowly, glancing from his wife to his daughter in confusion. "What is going on?"

"Happy birthday daddy!" Grace bounces up and down and launches herself into his arms. "We made you breakfast!"

He hugs her back, kissing her cheek. "You did?"

"Yeah, let's see if you can find it under all this… decoration," Spencer puts in, presenting him with the mountain of whipped cream and sprinkles that held his pancakes hostage somewhere underneath.

"This is great," Toby grins. "You did this, Gracie?"

"She did," Spencer nods. "I was just the spatula."

"I did it all," Grace confirms. "I even cracked the eggs!"

"Wow," Toby expresses in awe. "That is just about one of the greatest birthday presents ever."

"Wait daddy, I have a better one," Grace says. "I got you a real present. Mommy helped me wrap it."

Toby laughs. "Well I'm sure I'll love that too."

She hugs him again and Spencer suggests, "Gracie, can you go get dressed, please? We've got to get you ready for school."

"And then I get pancakes too, right?"

"Of course," Her mother promises. "For all your hard work? Definitely."

Grace hops off the bed and scurries down the hall as Toby eyes the gluttonous mountain of sugar on his plate. "I'm not sure I'll be able to eat this without going into a diabetic coma."

"I figured it was a special occasion, so I just let her go for it," Spencer explains. "She really enjoyed herself."

"I can tell," He grins. "Thank you for this, though. Seriously. You didn't have to do all this."

"Are you kidding? I'm just warming up," Spencer informs him. "Since someone decided to work on his birthday-"

"It's just another day, Spencer."

"- we will be celebrating when you get back," She says. "And it is not just another day. It's not everyday that you turn-"

"Please don't say it."

"- the big 3-0," She grins. "You hit thirty, Toby, how does it feel?"

"It feels the same as twenty-nine," He admits. "And twenty-eight, and twenty-seven…"

"I wouldn't know," Spencer says, mocking him. "I'm still in my twenties, so-"

He tosses a pillow in her direction but she dodges him. He should've known; reflexes like a cat and all that. Toby smirks and asks, a bit nervously, "What does this 'celebrating' entail?"

"Well, I've rented out the club and invited all our friends and family," Spencer says, sitting beside him on the bed. "There'll be a good hundred or so people there, I think? The party's going to be big; also, it's formal, so black ties and cocktail dresses, obviously. There's a sit down dinner and it's catered by the same place that did my parents' anniversary that one year; we love them. There might be a presentation of some sort dedicated to you. I mean it's a pretty important birthday; I want to commemorate it…"

With every detail, Toby's face melts more and more into an expression of horror. Spencer laughs and says, "I'm just kidding."

He sighs in relief. "Oh thank god."

"Toby, I know you," Spencer tells him. "We've been together for years. You think I don't know by now that you're not a party person?"

"I don't know," He shrugs. "I thought maybe you'd do it anyway because it's a 'special occasion'."

"I'm not putting you in a situation that makes you uncomfortable," She disagrees. "Especially on your birthday."

"So what are your plans?"

"Now that I am not telling you," She refuses. "You will find out later this evening."

"Fine, I'll just shake it out of Grace."

"You will not, because Grace doesn't know."

"Grace doesn't know?"

"Grace isn't invited."

Toby's eyes widen. "Oh, so it's that kind of celebration. I'm starting to like it a little bit more now."

"Just you wait," Spencer grins. "Okay, I have to go make breakfast for Grace and get ready for work. You enjoy your pancakes. Also, you need to be onsite in like a half hour so I'd enjoy them fast."

She stands, but at the last moment, sinks beside him one last time. "Oh before I forget."

She closes the distance between them and firmly presses her lips against his, to which he responds eagerly, tossing the plate of breakfast aside and instead weaving his hands in her hair and pulling her closer. Her hands slip beneath his shirt, traveling tantalizingly slowly upwards and across the rigid plain of his stomach. She drags them down again, her nails just scratching the surface of his skin in that way she knows drives him wild. He pulls her closer still, because he simply can never get enough of her, and he could receive all the gifts in the world and still, nothing would ever compare. Spencer resists a bit, pulling back from their embrace before it gets too heated, before they go somewhere from which they cannot return.

"Happy birthday, Toby."

"Thank you," He responds, a bit flustered. "What was that?"

"A little preview," She says cheekily. She almost never acts like this and it turns him on so greatly, he almost laments when she stands to leave the room. "I am going to go get ready."

"Now?" He asks, a bit disappointed.

"Yeah, I have to be at work in an hour," She nods. "You're already running late, Toby. And to think what we could've gotten ourselves into had we both taken the day off…"

Spencer heads down the hall and Toby considers this before calling after her, "Birthdays come but once a year, right? I can take a sick day!"

Spencer's laugh emanates throughout the house and fills Toby's soul to the brim with joy. He's not sure what to expect of tonight. He knows it will be a night to remember, but every night with her always is.