Chapter 17:

Someone Like You

"God, it doesn't look like it'll ever even stop out there." Spencer murmured, stumbling through the doorway and trying to shake off the droplets of water from her jacket. Behind her, Toby staggered into the house as well, trying to work his black, bent out of shape umbrella closed. Spencer giggled as he struggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "You, uh, want a little help there, slick?"

Toby grunted and turned his head to peer up at her while she attempted to keep a straight face, "No thanks, I think I can close an umbrella by myself."

"Well, contrary to your last statement, the umbrella seems to still be open." Spencer teased, kicking off her soaking wet sneakers.

Toby snorted in reply and finally managed – with some effort and a tad bit of swearing – to get the umbrella closed and hung it from its handle on the coat rack by the door. "Ta-da. See? Done and done."

"Well don't you dare tell me again that you aren't stubborn about being the best at everything, Mr. Fixit." Spencer replied, trying to wring the majority of the water out of her hair, peeling off her soaking wet socks.

Toby shed his hoodie, baring his drenched black t-shirt and approached the couch, setting his hand in the arm of it. "Wow. Haven't been back here in a while."

"Yeah, well, you should probably get some of those wet clothes off before you sit down – you're already leaving a trail of rainwater on the floor." She tugged her sweater over her head and hung it up on the coat rack.

Toby peered over his shoulder at her, then back out the window where rain still fell hard, pelting against the window.

"Wanna start the fire? I'm sure we have firewood in there from last time. It was warm last time we were here." Spencer opened the closet in the hallway, tugging out a few woolen blankets, tucking them under her arm. "Hellooo? Toby…? Earth to Cavanaugh. Come in, Cavanaugh. Do you read?"

His eyes refocused on her, turning away from the window, "Hmm? Oh yeah, sure." He answered, crossing the room, his sneakers squeaking with the water they were filled with. He slid the matchbox off of the mantel, stopping to take a glance at his favorite picture frame above the fireplace. It displayed a snapshot of Spencer and Melissa, when the two were much younger, Spencer sporting the huge black-rimmed glasses she used to wear. He chuckled as he picked it up, noticing once again how happy they looked – Melissa's arm around her little sister, both of them laughing at something someone did that was clearly hilarious; maybe their mother had made a funny face behind the camera, or their father just told a joke. Both innocent looking, untouched by the confusion their fate beheld. He sighed as he set it back down on the mantel.

"Hey, so if you want, we can sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms. But I probably want to take a shower first; I still have mud on my jeans. Or, we can sleep on the couch, although I'm not sure how comfortable you'd be snoozing on Hanna and Caleb's 'sacred ground.'" Spencer said behind him, setting the blankets down on the coffee table. He heard her approach him from behind, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Just…observing the photo work." He pointed to the picture of her and Melissa.

"Oh, God, don't remind me." Spencer groaned, falling back on her butt on the ottoman. "Those glasses were a bad move."

"Aww, I think you looked cute." Toby chuckled as he crouched before the fireplace, opening the wire covering. He slid the matchbox open and struck one against the side, a flame sparking on its tip. He tossed it inside amongst the cinders and ashes, the coals slowly glowing red, a fire building on the wood.

"Yeah, if Albert Einstein was cute…" Spencer rolled her eyes. Toby laughed again and stood up, facing her.

"Well, it seems that the universe has planted us here for the night – having chased us off the road with the rain and thunder. As if Radley couldn't get any creepier – the storm pretty much turned it into a reenactment of Shudder Island." Toby shivered, slipping his fingers through hers.

She peered up at him, "Hmm…what to do, what to do? Alone in a house on the lake for the night? Just the two of us? Hmm…"

"And I'm sure that we won't have service here, making it impossible to call Aria and fret about wedding details." Toby played along, his face mimicking convincement.

"Naturally. And we can't talk to Jenna about her problems, seeing that she isn't exactly talking. Besides, it would be a waste to drive back to Radley. And well, a suicide mission in this storm."

"Of course. And I'm sure those wonderful textbooks of yours will still be waiting for you when you get back to campus tomorrow. So what to do, what to do…?" Toby wrapped his hands around hers, pulling her to her feet. "I think I might have a good idea…" He said softly, drawing her face closer, enveloping her soft, full lips.

She sighed, laughing breathlessly between kisses, "Oh, do you now…?"

He didn't answer, but instead found her lips again, his tongue delving deep into her mouth and a low moan hummed in the back of her throat. She rose onto her tiptoes, pressing herself closer to him, as if the pull between them was magnetic. The thundering rainstorm outside that crashed hard against the windows seemed to fade away, out of her subconscious; he was her sunshine, one that shed light and warmth on even the darkest corners of her life. His lips went to her neck and she sighed, running her fingertips under his shirt, against his back muscles. His hands slipped down to her hips, seeking the hem of her wet t-shirt. When he located it, he began to slide it upward, peeling it off her damp skin. She ran a hand through his wet hair, deepening the contact of their lips, her head filling with the sweetness of is breath. Spencer lifted her arms above her head, letting their lips disconnect for a brief second to allow the shirt pass over her as he slipped it off her, tossing it onto the couch. Her fingers went to his shirt, yanking it upward and he elbowed his way out of it, letting it fall by their feet. She gripped his shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her middle, lifting her so she could wrap her legs around his waist, his mouth moving downward, along her jawline, over her throat, and above her collarbone. He raked his hands through her incredible mess of wet brown hair, and dug her fingertips into his shoulder blades, sighing his name in the brief second in which her lips were free. Just as they began to shift towards the couch, Spencer broke the contact of their lips to murmur, "Uh-uh! Sacred ground!" She gasped breathlessly.

"Right…" He replied, panting as he moved them back into a semi-standing position, her legs still tight around him, her fingers tangled in his hair, "Upstairs?"

She nodded. "Upstairs."

The morning sun peeked through the mesh, cream-colored curtains, casting a golden halo on the white bed and a warm glow on Spencer's back. She sighed, rolling over, immediately colliding with Toby, who wrapped his arms around her as her forehead bumped against his nose. "Sorry…" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her fist.

He kissed her forehead softly, "Good morning, Juliet." His fingertips reached up to stroke her now-dry hair. "Did you sleep well?"

Spencer knit her eyebrows, trying to force her heavy eyelids to open. "Not sure what sleep you're talking about, seeing that we hardly had time for any."

Toby chuckled softly, "I meant about seeing Jenna. Did it keep you up?"

"Not too much. I mean, of course it was weird, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I haven't seen her in over two weeks. They didn't even let her have visitors in the hospital. When Wren called to tell me that they took her to Radley…I just felt like we had to go see her, you know? I mean, I guess it didn't help much, seeing that we could only look at her through a window in her door, but it was enough to see that she was recovering. Even if she requested not to see us. Or anybody, for that matter." She sighed, shaking her head. "We'll try again next week. After Thanksgiving."

Toby nodded. "Yeah. I guess so." She let her eyelids drift shut and she curled up against him, enveloped in his warmth.

"In a way, I'm glad that the storm last night nearly drove us off the road. It gave us a chance to be alone and…not worry about everything else." She sighed.

Toby nodded, "And it looks like the bad weather is subsided." He peered over the top of her head to gaze through the gap in the curtains, at the wide morning sky, aglow with the bright sunlight, and the lake that stretched around the house. "See? Rain's gone, thunder's stopped. Sky's still blue."

"Mmm-hmm." Spencer mumbled in reply. "Ugh, I have to call Jason today. And take Melissa to the doctor's. And finish the invites for Aria's wedding." She groaned, rolling back onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, the chandelier with three light bulbs out and a few others flickering.

"I have work in…" Toby reached over the side of the bed for his watch, which lay in a pile with the rest of his clothes. "An hour."

Spencer sighed. "Alright, back to the real world. Our vacation in FairyTale Land was fun." She pulled herself into a sitting position. "I have to grab a shower."

"Oh really, it's funny you say that, because I need a shower as well. What a coincidence. I am so there." Toby replied, reaching up to push a strand of hair from her face.

Spencer laughed, absent-mindedly biting her thumbnail. She reached across him trying to bend over and retrieve her jeans from the floor. He grasped around her waist to keep her from tumbling face first onto the hardwood flooring. "Hey, careful there, slick."

With a grunt of satisfaction, Spencer finally managed to wrestle her cell phone out of the back pocket of her still-damp jeans and maneuvered herself so that she was sitting up on Toby's hips, straddling him. She began flipping through her messages, "Oh look, already twelve texts from Aria: "Hey girl, you up for coffee? Exclamation point to the third power and about five emogees.' Awesome." Toby rested his fingertips on the sides of her thighs, stroking up to the hem of her boy-shorts and back down. "I wish life could just sit still for…more than two minutes."

"It will. Don't worry – your time is coming soon. I can feel it."

"Well okay, Mr. Confucius, can you ask whatever divine force who gave you this knowledge to please speed it up a bit? Because there's only so much stress I can take before I'll be bunking with Jenna at Radley for attempting to murder someone."

Toby chuckled and she slipped off of him, onto the floor and padding off to the bathroom down the hall.

"Get the water going!" Toby shouted to her, sitting up and buckling the watch onto his wrist.

"What's the magic word?" She shouted back from down the hall.

"Now!"

"So, what exactly is a yam and how can I get it to caramelize?" Hanna asked, peering at Spencer over the top of a Better Homes and Garden's cooking magazine.

Spencer rolled her eyes, "Han, I still don't understand why you keep trying to play Martha Stewart. I mean, yesterday at the mall, you bought a pink Betty Crocker apron."

"Which is the very same one you saw on my mother and said looked like a grandmother threw up on it, might I add." Aria agreed, setting down the tenth bridal magazine she had read since the three had arrived. By the time Spencer had gotten to Lucky Leon's for her Saturday morning coffee with Hanna and Aria, the little black-haired pixie had already filled an entire table in the corner with wedding plans, with large binders, bundles of receipts, sticky notes with caterers phone numbers, and a pile of bridal magazines. She wore a pair of reading glasses on the tip of her nose – an unfortunate necessity she had required for the past two years – and when she had spotted Spencer, her face had lit up and she'd poked Hanna in the shoulder to get her attention. Now, the three sat within an ocean of cooking and wedding magazines, attracting more attention than Spencer would have liked.

"Well, I'm kind of freaking out, if you haven't noticed!" Hanna replied, shutting her magazine shut with a snap.

"Oh believe me, we've noticed…" Spencer muttered, taking a sip of her grande Americano.

"But what we don't understand is why. Why, Hanna? It's not that big of a deal!" Said Aria.

"It's not – It's not a big deal?" Hanna answered, gasping with disbelief. "Well, was it a 'big deal' that Fitz proposed to you in Europe, rather than just plain old Rosewood?"

"Well, it was beautiful, but it really didn't matter the place – " Aria tried to say, but Hanna cut her off.

"And was it a 'big deal' for Serena to choose Chuck over Dan?" Hanna asked Spencer, looking at her with an expression that said 'Oh yeah, I got you now.'

"Okay, you can mess up the American landmarks and even one of the most beloved paintings of all time, but I draw the line at Gossip Girl." Spencer poked Hanna in she shoulder, "I mean, seriously, Blair chose Chuck over Dan. Blair, Blair, Blair! Serena was never even with Chuck! They were stepsiblings!"

"Well, it's never stopped some people before…" Hanna muttered under her breath, taking a sip of her cappuccino.

"Hanna!" Aria and Spencer admonished her, a look of shock on both their faces.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." Hanna sighed. "I just…I'm on the fritz! I'm stressing out so much I can't think straight. All I want to do is prepare for this."

"Well, where was this hardcore, inspirational stress when you had to take your finals in high school? All I've ever seen you obsess about this much is your game plan on how to get through the sea of people to the handbags department in Saks on Black Friday." Spencer replied.

"Well, this is different! Caleb's mom and stepdad are flying in to spend Thanksgiving with him because I offered to cook dinner so that he wouldn't have to go to California for the holidays. And I really want this dinner to be good! This is one of the only chances I have to prove that I can be a good…I don't know, mother or girlfriend, or just…I don't know, that I'm good for their son!"

Aria pulled another stack of magazines in front of her, "Well, I haven't met them before, but from what Caleb has told me, it doesn't seem like they're real hoity-toity. And besides, if you can pass the Hastings family's test, you can pass any snooty trial."

"Excuse me!" Spencer knit her eyebrows, incredulous.

"The point is," Aria went on, "Is that you don't have to pretend you're someone else. If Caleb really loves you – and I know he does – then he will accept you no matter what. And his parents will do the same, because they want him to be happy. I mean just look at my mom and me – I know that it took her a while, but she has learned to tolerate Ezra because she knows that I love him and that he's what I want."

"Oh yay, so if I screw this up, there's still a chance that they can learn not to cringe every time Caleb mentions my name…" Hanna replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Hanna. Listen to me." Spencer grabbed her friend's hand, "They are going to love you. Just be your wonderful, caring self and they'll have no choice but to."

"Oh but don't mention anything about your earwax problem." Aria pointed out.

"Or your stash of emergency frosting in your floorboards." Spencer added.

"Or the fact that you've shoplifted eighty percent of all the moisturizers and lotions you own."

"Or do that thing where you talk with your mouth closed."

"Or chew with your mouth open."

"Or – "

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Hanna threw her hands up in the air. "Okay, that just turned from a sweet compliment into a therapy session with Dr. Sullivan."

"Ooh, Dr. Hastings and Montgomery. I like it. We could be like Roselli and Isles!" Aria clapped her hands, completely bypassing Hanna's intent.

Spencer chuckled and Hanna rolled her eyes, groaning as she let her head drop against the open page of her cooking magazine. "That's it. I'm hopeless. I'm going to overcook the turkey or spill vegetable soup all over his mom's dress or burp or I don't know, something bad."

"Aww, that's the spirit!" Spencer teased, ruffling Hanna's hair.

When Hanna sat up, the magazine stuck to her forehead and she swiped at it so that it fell onto her lap.

"But, seriously, Hanna. You are going to be fine. And his parents are going to love you no matter what. It's not like it's the first time they've met you. If they haven't run by now, you're safe."

"Alright, that was uncalled for!"

"That's for the stepsiblings comment!" Spencer pointed her index finger at Hanna's chest, laughing.

"Fine, fine. We're even. Now please go get me another latte so I don't fall asleep in class later." She pointed behind her at the order counter.

Obediently, Spencer got to her feet and approached the counter, behind a blonde woman who had just finished ordering.

"Dr. Hale?" Spencer knit her eyebrows, recognizing the woman. "Hi." She smiled. "I haven't seen you since the night Jenna Marshall was taking to the ER."

"Oh, yes, Spencer." Tiffany nodded, smiling back. "How are you? I'm sorry to say that I heard that Jenna was transferred to Radley. Have you seen her? Is she doing better?"

"Well, the wounds in her wrist seem to have healed up nicely but as far as the emotional level goes…I wouldn't know. She won't let any of us see her." Spencer crossed her arms across her chest and shrugged.

"It didn't seem like you two were that close." Tiffany observed, handing the cashier her credit card. Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched Spencer's face in a way only a doctor would.

"Yeah well, when your boyfriend brings home a Rottweiler, you don't exactly become besties with it." Spencer replied, shrugging again.

"So she's connected to your boyfriend?"

"Well, she's his stepsister. And she's also kind of insane. Not in the reason that sent her to Radley, but in many, many more." Spencer sighed. "But I don't really like to get into it. How's work been going for you?"

"Oh, nothing new. I can safely say that none of your other loved ones – or hated ones – have traveled through those ER doors since Jenna's accident." The cashier handed Tiffany her coffee cup and she took it, thanking him quickly.

"Are you still working the night shift with Wren?"

Tiffany laughed a little, rolling her eyes, "Well, you could be the first girl I've ever heard call him something other than 'Dr. Kingston' followed by a flip of the hair and a cheesy smile."

"Well, his wife is my sister. So, technically, we're family, I guess. I like him like I'd like any brother – although I kind of wish he was a less handsy one." Spencer answered. "But what I've been meaning to ask is why you don't like him."

"Who said I didn't like him?" Tiffany asked, avoiding Spencer's eyes, keeping her gaze on her hands as they fumbled with her wallet to put her credit card back in its slot.

"Well, for one, you looked like you were going to throw up all over my shoes when I mentioned his name." Spencer responded, "And the fact that you are immune to his foreign charm."

"Well," Tiffany sighed, shrugging, "I'm just not over something that I should have gotten over a long time ago."

"Well, what is it?" Spencer asked. She had a hard time imagining Wren doing anything totally reckless that would end up emotionally hurting this tough-as-nails, quick-witted doctor. Maybe he'd backed her car into a pole when borrowing for a day, or accidentally killed her pet goldfish while watching it while she was on vacation.

"Right before…Wren met your sister…we were dating. We had been together for almost two years when they met – I don't know how they did, I don't remember – but one day, he called me up and just…ended things. I mean, I've been dumped before, everyone has, but he had talked about getting married and even what our kids would look like."

Huh, weird. My boyfriend does the same thing. Spencer thought absently, but decided not to voice her comment.

"And it was just without warning, too. And then a month later…I read in the paper that they were engaged. I know it wasn't your sister's fault, seeing that she hardly knew who I was and he told her that he wasn't involved with me. And he hurt me and…I guess I just never fully forgave him for it." Tiffany shrugged. "But it's probably stupid."

"It's not stupid." Spencer assured her, "Your feelings are your feelings and no one can ever tell you to feel otherwise. But, if you want my advice…maybe try to cut him some slack? Not because he deserves it, but because his relationship with my sister has been anything but happy. And I'm partly what started their problems."

"Uh oh, what did you do?" Tiffany teased.

"That…is a whole other story." Spencer shook her head, laughing. "But trust me, you'll find someone else. Don't hold onto that. I mean, I don't know you very well, but I can already tell that you're a total catch and any guy would be lucky to have you."

Tiffany smiled, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "Thanks, Spencer." She said. "I needed to hear something like that." She put a hand on Spencer's shoulder. "I've got to get going, but it was great talking to you. Let me know if Jenna's behavioral habits change drastically."

"Will do." She waved goodbye as Tiffany walked around her, towards the door and out into the streets.

After ordering Hanna another latte, Spencer returned to her table in the corner and handed the fussy blonde her cup.

"Ugh, God, Spence! What the hell took so long? I was starting to think you were writing your whole life story up there!" Hanna said grouchily, chugging back a gulp of her drink, but then gasping and slamming down on the table, "Ow!"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you – it's a little bit hot." Spencer said, biting her lip to hold in a laugh. Aria broke out into a fit of giggles before Hanna cast her a warning look that could stop a meteor in its tracks, shutting her up.

"Alright guys, I have to tell you something, but when I do, you have to swear that you wont laugh, or make a joke, or say 'I told you so.'" Spencer said after a moment of silence, taking a deep breath and wondering where to begin.

"No promises…" Hanna muttered, setting down her open magazine and looking at Spencer with her eyebrows knit. Her gaze raked over Spencer's face, as if whatever was troubling her would suddenly manifest visually out of her skin.

"Alright, so…remember when I called you guys from the hospital? After Jenna had her accident?"

"Yeah." Aria nodded, peering intently at Spencer's face.

"Well, when Em, Bree, and I were driving home…back to Em's place, we saw the ambulance pull up to Jason's house. Toby was supposed to be working there, helping move around stuff to make room for Jenna, and…when I saw that ambulance…"

"You thought it was Toby?" Aria concluded, nodding slowly.

Spencer bit her lip and nodded. "And I know it's not the first time my world has come crumbling down around me but…the feeling that I had then, when I saw the ambulance and the thought clicked inside my head…I just…"

"Everything else goes away." Hanna murmured. "I know. I had that before with Caleb in that car crash last year."

"Yeah, well, I thought he might have actually been…" Spencer waved her hand to indicate the word 'dead.' Aria and Hanna's eyes went wide and they nodded, understanding.

"And in that moment I just…" Spencer shook her head, "I couldn't shake the feeling that if, God forbid, that was happening…that all of it was real, what would I have to show for it? I would just go down in history as what? That Poor Spencer Hastings Who Lost Her College Boyfriend That She Somehow Miraculously Managed to Stay With Since High School? No. No, that couldn't be it. I want to have something permanent. Because when I saw that ambulance close and drive away, I thought, 'That's my life in that car. Nothing else matters unless I can be sure that I'm his.'"

"Awww!" Aria and Hanna sang, crossing their hands over their hearts.

"And I don't mean that to sound like I'm some cheesy girl from a Nicholas Sparks movie; it's just…how I felt." Spencer shrugged, "So, I feel like…"

Aria and Hanna leaned into the table harder, practically in her face as they waited for her to finish.

"I think I….I might…" Spencer closed her eyes tight, trying to force the words out, "I want to get married."

In sync, Hanna and Aria shot back into their seats, aghast.

"Oh. Em. Gee." Aria said slowly, her eyes enormous.

"Ha-Ha! I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Hanna rejoiced, clapping her hands hysterically. "Who knew it? Hanna did! Let this forever be known as the day that Spencer Hastings admitted to wanting to get married!"

"Miss Hastings, when did you first realize your feelings for Mr. Cavanaugh, your fiancée?" Aria asked, imitating an interviewer while holding an invisible microphone up to Spencer's face.

"And your dress is going to be perfect, of course," Hanna said, mostly to herself, "I've been designing it in my head for years."

"Was it the mysterious, wounded look in his blue eyes, or the abs that sealed the deal? The public has been very curious…" Aria continued, twirling a lock of her hair.

"Oh my God, guys!" Spencer put her hands on the side of her head and grabbed fistfuls of her hair, "We aren't married yet! I mean, the thing about a marriage is that it begins with the guy proposing! This isn't just a one-sided thing."

"Well, you know how much trouble I think you'll have convincing Toby to propose? Goose egg!" Aria said, connecting her fingertips to her thumb to make a zero.

"Aria, do you know how cheesy and unromantic that would be?" Hanna said, "And those two thrive on romance! I mean, do you see the stuff they do for each other? No, no, this proposal has to be spontaneous and perfect. It needs to go down in history between A Walk to Remember and Titanic."

"Uhm, in both of those, the love interest dies…" Spencer spoke up between them, raising her hand.

Hanna, completely ignoring her, continued to speak to Aria across the table, "It has to be…special…hmmm…" She pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Oh! I know!" She sat up in her chair so swiftly at Spencer jumped. Hanna closed her fist and held it above her head, opening and closing her hand to indicate a blinking light bulb, "Idea!"

Aria and Spencer leaned into the table, looking at Hanna expectantly.

"You," Hanna said finally, "are going to propose to Toby." She smacked her palm on the surface of the table and then leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and nodding her head approvingly.

Spencer and Aria looked at each other for a moment before confused expressions crossed their faces.

"She…proposes…to Toby?" Aria repeated, her little nose scrunching as she tried to fully wrap her mind around the idea.

"Uh, yeah, I saw that on Whitney, once. It ended badly." Spencer nodded. "Neil ended up becoming gay before they could even get married."

"But just think about it, Aria!" Hanna insisted, ignoring Spencer completely, "I mean, it would be like a whole new spin on classic romance!"

"Hmmm…well, now that you mention it, they could be the new Jack and Rose!" Aria nodded, leaning on her elbows against the table, her hands folded under her chin in a very girly way.

"Or Cinderella and Prince Charming – take two!"

"Just like a fairy tale!"

"Uhm, aren't I supposed to have a say in this?" Spencer raised her hands between them.

"Shush!" Hanna waved her hand rapidly in Spencer's face, not even breaking eye contact with Aria. "Oh! And she could give him some kind of cross necklace or something! Or some other male-equivalent of a ring."

"Yeah, yeah! Or maybe just a male engagement ring!"

"And she could do it some way that incorporates his truck!"

"And – "

"Alright, both of you, shut up before my brain explodes!" Spencer exclaimed, forcing herself between them. "I don't even know if I'm doing this yet!"

"Okay, Spencer." Hanna took Spencer's hand in hers, "I love you. But I need you to shut the hell up and listen to me. This. Will. Work. And it will be the most romantic thing ever. Toby will love it, you will love it, and you will both live happily ever after and make wonderful Spoby babies."

"I still don't understand your constant obsession with my offspring, but I just think it's…a little corny."

"Spencer. It isn't corny. At all. It's sweet. And you always say how you want to be more romantic – this is it. This is the thing that tops everything else! Toby will never be able to complete with it!"

"And it will be the best story for me to tell at your bridal shower." Aria agreed.

"Wait, who says that you're maid of honor?" Hanna asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Uh, did you not hear Spence at my shower? We're Team Sparia!"

"Yeah, but I'm the one who came up with the idea!"

"Yeah, well I got them together!"

"No, you didn't!" Hanna replied.

"Oh, wait that was Emily, wasn't it?"

"No!" Spencer interfered, "If anyone is going to take credit for setting Toby and me up, it's going to be Toby and me! And I think we should figure out this ingenious proposal idea before we focus on the wedding details."

"Wait, so you are going to do it?" Hanna asked, an enormous, Cheshire-Cat smile spreading across her face.

Spencer sighed and shook her head, a small grin gracing her lips. "Against my better judgment, yes. I guess I am."

"Ahh!" Aria and Hanna squealed with glee, clapping their hands so loudly that people a few tables over peered over their shoulders at them.

"I have to call Em!" Hanna exclaimed.

"I'll get Bree in on it!"

"Can I tell Caleb?"

"Oh, and Ezra can know about it, right?"

"What about Jason? Should we tell him? And Melissa?"

"Yes, yes, yes, do whatever you want. Just…let me finish my coffee in peace…" Spencer chuckled, rolling her eyes.

And as she downed the rest of her slightly lukewarm coffee, her two best friends began to giddily indulge in a world of love and fairytales, something they hadn't done in many, many years.

alright, loves, it has been far too long! i just wanted to give a shout out and thank all my lovely reviewers. some of you just have the nicest things to say and it really brightens up my day to know that im writing this for more than the purpose of getting out my spoby feels ;)

thank GAWD Toby is back and Spoby is back to their sexually frustrating ways tues XD

(so im just going along with the idea from Bree's orig story, with the whole Spencer proposing thing. ugh, i just have sooo many ideas for the next few chapters - some pretty intense and others romantic - and im trying to organize them as best as i can! haha)

live. love. spoby. - aj