A/N: I don't own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters... This is my first PLL fanfic. Hope you like it!
The hooded figure was right behind her. She had to keep running. Lungs burning, and legs aching, Spencer kept climbing the stairs. One moment of weakness and that would be the end of her. Higher and higher, she rose up the wooden staircase. Round and round the inside of the tower, she knew that eventually the stairs would run out, just like the time she had left. She had to keep stalling though, in hope that someone would save her in time. She wanted to cry out, but she only had enough breath to keep moving. Suddenly she was at the top of the tower, and there was nowhere left to go. Turning around, she backed up to see A approaching with a knife. This was it, there was no escape.
"Who are you?" Spencer shouted, tears forming in her eyes. Without a word, A flew at her, and she felt a sharp pain through her chest. Paralysed, she saw darkness creeping at the edges of her vision. Images of her family and friends filled her head. Her mother, father and Melissa. Despite the problems they had, she still loved them. Aria, Hanna and Emily, how would they survive the loss of another friend? She even saw Alison. Maybe she would meet her again. One final image popped in her mind as she faded into blackness.
Spencer woke up panting. Drenched in sweat, she looked around. She was in her room, safe. It was just a dream. The nightmares had become more frequent over the last year, but this had felt so real. She felt wetness on her cheeks, and realised that she was crying. She reached for her phone, and checked the time. It was 5:15 am. She couldn't go back to sleep after a dream like that, she needed to talk to someone. Any of her friends would rush there if she called, but there was only one person she wanted. She grabbed a light jacket, and crept out of her room, down the stairs, and out the door.
It was still dark outside, but she followed the path she knew so well to her loft. She stood outside the door, debating whether she should knock, or just go back home. She probably should have called him, he was probably still asleep. She turned to leave when the door swung open.
"Spencer?" a sleepy voice called. Spencer turned back around, and came face to face with the love of her life.
"Toby," she smiled, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. He opened his mouth to speak, but she leapt on him, wrapping her arms around him. He returned her hug, enveloping her in his strong arms. She felt safe, just as she knew she would. In that moment, her nightmare was forgotten, and all she could think about was him. His strong muscular body pressed up against hers, his unique scent that filled her nostrils, and those steely blue eyes that could never hide his emotions. Currently those eyes expressed his concern for her.
"Spencer? Are you okay?" he asked gently, nudging her away slightly so he could look at her properly.
"Sorry for waking you up. I just... I had a bad dream," Spencer confessed. Her usually invincible persona always crumbled whenever she was near him, and she didn't even try to hide her vulnerability. "I should go. You're tired."
"Come in, Spence." Toby pulled her into the loft, still with his arms around her, and led her to the couch. He sat down, with her on his lap. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Spencer hesitated, biting her lip nervously. "Someone was chasing me. They tried to... well they succeeded in killing me," she said softly, leaving out the part that it was A. She hated hiding the truth from him, especially since he was so involved already, but she knew she had to.
"Aw Spence. You're safe now. You're safe with me. I'll never let anything bad happen to you." Toby pulled her tightly against his chest. "I love you."
Spencer smiled. They had only been saying it for a short time now, but it flowed so naturally from their mouths. Fate was not something Spencer believed in. Everything she achieved in life was because of hard work, not destiny. But with Toby, she felt there was some extra magic. Somehow they had moved past her mistrust of him, and his hatred of her and her friends, and found love. What was more surprising was, despite the torture A had put them through, they kept coming back to each other. Yes they had had many rough patches, yet it seemed almost inevitable that their relationship would survive each one. He was the only one for her.
"I love you too," she replied, looking up at him. It was then that she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. He had just got out of bed after all, and the nights were pretty warm at this time of the year. She had seen him shirtless before of course, but never in the loft where they were alone, with little chance of anyone interrupting them. A blush rose up her cheeks as she contemplated where her mind was heading.
As if sensing her mood shift, Toby's eyes darkened. He leaned down, capturing her lips slowly. The kiss began gently, as they always were, and Spencer melted into it. As her lips moved against his in the familiar dance, she moved her hands over his chest, feeling the well-defined contours of his muscles. She felt him shudder beneath her, and she smiled through the kiss. He let out a small moan, and then his kisses became more urgent. His mouth left hers, and began a hot wet trail down her neck before coming back up to her lips. He backed her up, against the side of the couch, and slowly brought his hands up to her waist, slipping them underneath her T-shirt. It was her turn to tremble at the feeling of his warm hands on her bare skin. While they trusted each other completely, both knew that it would go no further than this, at least not yet. It was Spencer that wanted to wait, until she felt completely safe from A and their games, and Toby was in no rush either. They would have plenty of time to take their relationship to the next level; they had a whole lifetime ahead of them. Until then making out was just perfect.
A beeping sound suddenly interrupted them. Spencer opened her eyes, and brought her wrist up to her face and frowned. It was her watch alarm telling her it was time to get ready for school.
"Maybe I should play hooky today," she murmured against his lips, not wanting to ever move from that position.
Toby pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "Really Spence? You?" he teased.
"Oh, ha ha," Spencer said rolling her eyes. Nevertheless, she did straighten her T-shirt , and brought them to a sitting position. "Thanks Toby. I um... I really needed you. I know it was just a dream but..."
"Hey," Toby said, bringing her chin up to look her in the eyes. "I'm always here for you. Day or night, for whatever you want."
She smiled at him gratefully, conveying just how much she appreciated him. Then to lighten the mood she smirked at him, "For whatever I want?"
Toby smirked back, "Yeah anything at all. Although, school starts in 20 minutes and you're not ready yet." She leapt off the couch in panic, and then swatted his chest as she remembered she had just checked her watch, letting her know she actually had an hour to get ready. Toby laughed at her, and grabbed her hand, linking their fingers. He walked her to the door, and kissed her softly again. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled away smiling at her.
"You better go before your parents wake up and come looking for you."
Spencer sighed, "Yeah. I'll be back as soon as school's over. I love you, Toby."
"I love you too. I'll be waiting," he winked. She groaned as she walked away, wishing she could just skip school and spend the day with him. As she entered her house, and began her morning routine, all her thoughts were on Toby, and how much time they could spend together, and by the time she got to school she had forgotten all about her nightmare.
How much do you guys love Spoby? They're my favourite couple, and I hope I did them justice!