Chapter 13- Guess Who's Back

Spencer, Toby and Mike were all sat around the kitchen table in their apartment. After Mike having lived with them for nearly a month now they had figured out ways in which it would never become too cramped.

"So Mike, have you planned to go see any apartments with Aria and Ezra yet?" Spencer asked politely. She had been glad to help her friends out in their time of need but she had to admit one of the perks of living with Toby was that they had time to themselves all the time. Aria always tried to make it so that they had their own time by having Mike have dinner with her and Ezra most nights but it wasn't quite the same; there had been numerous times when Mike would just walk into the apartment as the couple were getting 'intimate'.

"Oh yeah, we're going to look at an apartment near school at the weekend. Hopefully I should be out of your hair soon enough." He smiled at Spencer after he answered her question. "I owe you both big time for this. Even I didn't think I'd be here this long."

"Well, I kind of owed your family after I intruded when I found out about Jason. I get that sometimes you need to make other arrangements." Spencer laughed.

"Hey, I'm just happy to help out plus I'd do anything for Spencer and she wanted to do this so I was on board." Toby joined in their conversation as he put a bowl of salad in the middle of the table. "It's been great having a guy around as well. After living with Spencer for nearly a month before it was a great opportunity." Spencer hit him playfully on the arm pretending to be annoyed at his comment.

"Just because I like living somewhere with order does not mean I'm a nightmare to live with!" She watched as the guys exchanged glances before laughing at what she had just said.

"Spence, there's having order than having OCD" Mike was obviously siding with Toby on this one. Due to the three spending so much time in such a small space together they had almost become a family. Toby treated Mike like he was his brother that he never had; they would sit and play video games together while Spencer worked in hers and Toby's bedroom. Spencer and Mike however had a bizarre relationship; it was like Mike was her older brother despite him being younger than her. He treats her like he does Aria.

The five of them all had one thing in common; they didn't really have a relationship with their parents. Spencer hadn't spoken to her mom and dad since they brought Melissa home with Wren in tow. Aria and Mike made it clear to their dad that while Meredith was around they were staying well away from them; their mom was living in California teaching at a high school there. She had been offered the job by one of the principles friends that happened to be the principle of that school and due to her not living at home anymore she took it. Toby only spoke on the phone with his dad every other week since he moved into the loft but since he found out that Spencer was living with him pretty much all communication stopped. Finally, Ezra hadn't spoken to his mom since she tried to bribe Aria out of his life after claiming that she was trouble. His dad had died a few months after the run in with his mom due to stress.

"Well then, I'm sorry my tidying offends you both so much. I guess I'll just have to move back in with my parents, my phsyco sister and her obsessive fiancé. You'd love that wouldn't you Toby." She looked over at the scruffy blue eyed boy that was sat next to her and winked.

"mhmm, Wren getting to see you before I do every day? Sounds brilliant." He leaned over to kiss his girlfriends cheek trying not to make it awkward for the other member of their tiny family.

"You do know that I see her before you most days don't you?" Mike laughed trying to make Toby jealous because it amused him and Spencer so much. "I sometimes get to make her coffee while you're all tucked up in bed after a long night drive home."

"The last time I checked you weren't a sleazy British bombshell that was obsessed with wrecking my relationship" His comment although serious was lighthearted. The other two had heard much worse come out of Toby's mouth on the subject of Wren.

Their meal was soon disturbed by Spencer's phone ringing on the counter. She turned around so that she could lean back and pick it up; glancing at the called I.D in the process. A tiny picture of Aria flashed up on screen as she pressed the green button.

"Hey Aria; what's up?" She looked at Mike with a confused look plastered over her face. "He did what?" Soon enough Spencer had hung up the phone placing it on the table next to her plate.

"Spence, what's up?" Mike spoke up trying to figure out what had just happened.

"S-she said that y-your dad just went round to Aria and Ezra's and tried to beat the shit out of Ezra. He said that he'd threatened to kill Meredith when you went to pick up your stuff. Is that true or is the bitch crazy?"

"Oh God." Mike's face went from being as happy as it was prior to the phone call to how it was the day he came knocking on Toby's apartment door begging for them to help him. "I wouldn't say he threatened her as such. He told her that if she was playing a game she had picked the wrong people to play it with. Why had she picked the wrong people? I didn't get it."

"How could he be so stupid?" Spencer looked at Toby as she asked the question. "Does he not know how much trouble we're already in? He could have just made it ten times worse!"

"Spencer she had no idea what he was talking about. She's not who we should be worrying about. Anyway nothing's happened since that day to any of us." Toby was trying to reassure the brunette that was gradually getting angrier.

"Does anyone want to explain what the hell's going on here?" Mike was completely oblivious to what had happened with –A so to him they were being incredibly sketchy.

"Oh, Toby should we tell him? Chances are he's going to get dragged into this soon enough anyway." Spencer looked concerned about Mike's question. It was obvious that there was something they were all hiding.

"You know what; I'll make it easy for you if it means that you're not in danger. I don't want to know." His young face smiled at Spencer like he smiled at Aria showing how much she meant to him. Toby patted him on the back causing his glance to change from the brown eyed beauty to the blue eyed manly figure sat on the other side of him.

"Thanks man; we really appreciate it. You'll find out soon enough but you can't know now." Toby's tone was thick and serious; Mike had never seen this side of Toby before and it scared him. There was a hint of fear lacing his voice and he knew that there was something seriously wrong.

It was 3 days later and Aria had invited Toby and Spencer along to view apartments with the other three. Everyone knew that if anyone was going to be great at picking housing it would be Spencer and Toby; she had the eye for seeing any potential that could be made to make it into a proper home not just somewhere that they all lived. Toby however could see what would need to be done and be able to tell them how cost effective it would be. They were the ultimate dream team.

"So Spencer; do you know how long you'll be staying with Toby? Or are you planning on going back into the icy grasp of the Hastings house again." Ezra's choice of words on explaining Spencer's family seemed harsh but she knew just how true it was.

"I could stay with him for as long as he'll have me; I actually look forward to going home. At the moment Toby and Mike are the best people I could be living with." Spencer's answer was sincere and she didn't really want it to be heard by anyone other than Ezra.

"For as long as I'll have you? Spencer you can stay with me forever if it was up to me." Toby's arms were snaking around her tiny waist and his head was lowered onto her shoulder he placed a gentle kiss on her neck as they looked out of the window that took up the entire living room wall. Ezra cleared his throat as he turned around to greet his girlfriend and her brother.

"What is the verdict then guys?" Aria and Ezra were stood with her arms looped through his and their other hands were tangled together in front of them. "Do you approve?"

"Well the fact that it's a new built means that you have absolutely nothing to do to it other than make it more your own. I say go for it." Toby was the first one to offer up his opinion which pleased the couple greatly.

"I love it; it's so modern yet it's so comfortable and inviting. Like Toby said you wouldn't have to do much too it either and you're only round the corner from us." Spencer seemed more excited about the fact that she wouldn't have to travel the whole 10 minutes it took to get to their current apartment to see her best friend.

"This place is amazing! When can we move in?" Mike laughed as he joked about moving in; he knew it would take a while for the financing to go through so it would be at least another few weeks.

"I'm glad you all approve because we already bought it. With moms help to put the deposit down because she appreciates that we're in a pretty bad situation. We can move in whenever we want." Aria giggled as she shared her news with her best friends and little brother. Their reactions made it all worth it as Mike ran up to her and hugged her for what seemed like a lifetime before he moved on to hug Ezra.

Spencer looked at Toby in complete surprise as a grin soon plastered her face; she knew that this meant the apartment was now completely hers and Toby's again with no awkward encounters. However she couldn't help but feel sad that her time with her small, dysfunctional family was coming to an end. Toby put her arm around his shoulder as he pulled her in close.

"I'm going to miss him." He whispered in her ear to show her that she wasn't the only one that was sad. "But think about the time we can have together. They're only over the road as well."

"I know and don't get me wrong I'm looking forward to the 'us' time but you have to admit; we made a great family." She chuckled as she thought of all the memories they had made in the past month. "I guess we'll just have to become a big family of 9"

"What's up Spence? You look upset. Have you changed your mind?" The sadness that laced Aria's voice as she tried to figure out why her best friend had suddenly gone from being on cloud 9 to looking like she was about to cry.

"Oh no; I'm not sad" Spencer laughed as she tried to keep the tears back "I'm just going to miss him that's all. We both got used to having him around now we have no idea what it's going to be like with just the two of us."

Before Mike had moved into the apartment neither Toby nor Spencer had any idea what it was like to have someone thrown into their lived so unexpectedly but to then form such a strong connection with them. Actually they both knew, better than anyone since that was how they found each other. But they both knew full well that this was a temporary arrangement. Then in one day the one person that they had gotten used to hearing talking on the phone at 1 o'clock in the morning, or making coffee as soon as he woke up for school because the late nights were wearing him out. It was the simple things that made it so hard for Spencer to let go of; she felt like a parent that stood at the door as they watched their child take their first steps into kindergarten.

"Hey Spencer, don't cry. I'll only be round the corner; you know that right? I'll even come round once a week to grace you with my presence for dinner. I got used to being around you two as well. You two will always be like family to me. Don't you ever forget that Spence." He offered as he tried to comfort her before pulling her into a hug. Aria had always explained Mike as being older than his years. He always knew how to cheer the people that meant most to him up and Spencer had gotten used to that on the nights that Toby was away working in Yardley. It was nights like that when she seriously appreciated the company.

Toby and Spencer had left the other 3 members of their party and were strolling down through the streets of Rosewood. After having such an emotional afternoon due to the idea of Mike leaving the apartment she decided that she need some Toby time.

"From the way I was acting then anyone would think I was pregnant with hormones all over the place." Spencer joked.

"Let's hope not just yet" Toby laughed "I'm all for us having kids but considering that you're only just going 18 next month could prove to be pretty hard for us." He placed a kiss on the top of the beautiful brunette's head and smiled at the thought of them one day having kids together. Their moment was ruined by Spencer's phone vibrating in her pocket notifying her of the text she had just received.

"Well, considering that your boyfriend thinks you are all in hell; I think it's about time I showed you what the devil could really do. Strap yourselves in bitches and get ready for the ride of your lives. -A"

"T-Toby..." She looked up into his eyes; he was about as shocked as he was. "The bitch is back!"

Dun dun dun..
I know that the last few have been focusing on other stuff but now -A's back and there's a whole lot of drama.

Please review guys, tell me what you think. I would really appreciate it!

-Chloe :-)xx