Author's Note: This legit took forever and a day to write.

Day One-Hundred Sixty-Eight: Ups & Downs by Kendall Payne

Spencer had found that although life had its ups and downs, she wouldn't want it any other way. That statement was only further verified on the trip her boyfriend asked her to take with him to visit his grandparents.

Truth be told, she was very nervous to meet his grandparents. He always spoke so highly of them and it seemed as though they were the only family members left that he was close to. They were his mother's parents, which probably explained it. In fact, they were probably the only people left in his family that he still admired. She didn't know much about his paternal grandparents, but she thought she remembered hearing him talk about how he only met his father's mom only once or twice and after her death, his grandfather began to drink heavily. Actually, it wasn't too different from the scenario which would eventually unfold following Toby's mother's death.

In any case, she was nervous about making a good impression on her boyfriend's grandparents. She always felt like she didn't deserve someone as great as him. Even if she was on her best behavior and things went inexplicably well, she couldn't help but think that the worst side of her was just waiting to make an ugly appearance.

They drove several hours to his grandparents' house in upstate New York. It was a beautiful house of a modest size, but there was a big chunk of property. He had explained that when they were younger, they used to have some horses. His mother used to ride. It reminded Spencer of the several years of lessons she and her sister Melissa used to take. His mother rode western while Spencer rode English. Toby explained that he never learned, but his mother loved it and she just felt so free while doing it.

Spencer tried to curb her nerves as Toby knocked on the door. A few moments later, a woman of about seventy or seventy-five answered the door.

"Toby! Is this the girl you were telling me all about?"

Spencer blushed slightly before looking at Toby to see his reaction. He was blushing a bit, too.

After a few formalities, they walked in and Toby's grandmother had coffee and cookies (Spencer was already fond of her and they hadn't even spoken that much yet).

"How did you meet?"

"Spencer is from Rosewood, Grandma," Toby answered.

"We went to middle school and high school together and probably elementary school, but I don't remember much from the fourth grade," Spencer added. She felt Toby's fingers lace around hers, almost like he was saying, don't be nervous.

"Oh, Rosewood." Something in her blue eyes—which were so much like Toby's—became sad. They seemed to darken. Spencer wondered if it was because that was the place where her daughter died, even though it was a while ago. "It's been a while since I've been to Rosewood…" she trailed off. "When was the last time you went back, Toby?"

Toby had moved out of Rosewood after high school ended. He moved to Philadelphia. It wasn't too far from Rosewood, but it was far enough that he didn't have to deal with the bad memories associated with that town. Spencer moved out soon after, when she started going to UPenn. For the first year, she lived in a dorm, just to get a taste of that "college life," but decided it wasn't for her and started staying in his apartment near the end of the year. Eventually, she found that all of her stuff was in Toby's apartment anyway, so why not just officially move in?

Spencer knew she hadn't been back since the last Christmas. Her sister had come home from London with her new fiancé and her mom decided to have a big Christmas dinner with her fiancé. Toby was supposed to come with her, but he said that something came up. She never really questioned it.

"I haven't been back in about a year," Toby responded.

"And you haven't visited us since last summer!" his grandmother playfully scolded. Spencer smiled when Toby grinned sheepishly. She noticed that little glimmer in her eyes light up again. Spencer found herself wondering if Toby's mother had eyes exactly like them.

"Is Toby here?"

A masculine voice called out from behind. Spencer and Toby both looked over their shoulder. Toby got up to greet the elderly man who just walked in the room.

"And who is this?"

"This is my girlfriend, Spencer," Toby responded quickly. Spencer got up to greet Toby's grandfather.

"How long have you and Spencer been dating?" his grandmother asked curiously.

"Three and a half years now. Right, Spence?"

She began to nod as she stretched out her hand to greet Toby's grandfather.

"Three and a half years? We're practically family!" Before Spencer knew it, Toby's grandfather pulled her in for a hug. Though she was startled at first, she smiled. She could already tell he had a great heart, just like Toby did.

About five minutes of getting-to-know-you conversation later, Toby's grandfather had whisked him away to take a look at the house and Spencer was left with Toby's grandmother.

"How did the two of you begin dating?" she asked.

Spencer thought about it for a moment, trying to recall. "Toby and I had a lot of the same friends and one day, two of our friends tricked us into going on a double date with them. They're still together and so are we," she responded with a smile.

"That's very sweet," she said before taking a sip of her coffee. Spencer took one, too. Her coffee was surprisingly strong and Spencer liked it. "You two have been dating for a while now, so I assume that you know about his mother and everything that happened to her."

Spencer nodded. "I know how much he loved her. Sometimes, I kind of wish I could meet her. She just sounds like an amazing woman from the way he describes her."

"You sounded pretty amazing, too, from the way he spoke so highly of you."

Spencer could feel the blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"And I can see that he's happy now, with you. He has this sparkle in his eyes that I haven't seen in a while, maybe since before his mother died," Toby's grandmother continued. "I'm so happy that he found a way to love again and let himself go." Spencer nodded in response. "I know about what happened between him and his stepsister. If it weren't for my husband, I would've went down to Rosewood a long time ago and given his father a piece of my mind," Toby's grandma murmured, trailing off at the end. "But I'm glad he has you."

"I've given his stepsister a piece of my mind, believe me," Spencer assured her.

The older woman smiled in response. "He's been through a lot, but I'm glad he found a beautiful, sweet woman like you," she repeated. "Life and love are always dangerous, but sometimes putting yourself and your heart at risk is well worth it."

Toby's grandparents went to bed rather early, so Spencer and Toby were left downstairs. The guest room was downstairs, anyway.

Toby was still outside, presumably helping with whatever it was that his grandfather showed him earlier. Spencer took the time to get acquainted with the gorgeous piano in the living room.

She hadn't played in quite some time, so she was rusty. She began with playing a few scales, but after a few minutes, she began to play like the last time she sat at a piano was the day prior.

After some minutes dabbling with the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies, she heard footsteps and the front door close. She didn't mind anyone hearing, so she just continued to play carelessly. It was some haunting piece, by whom, exactly, she couldn't remember. It was one of her favorites, though.

As she reached the last few measures, she looked up. Toby was standing there. His expression was hard to read. It was hard to tell whether he was impressed or shocked. He looked both weak and strong at the same time.

"You looked so much like my mother just now."

Spencer ran her fingers over the keys before they fell onto her lap.

"She used to play that song all the time. I got sick of it a lot, but she always played it. You two even play it just the same. All of the accents and the tempo…it's all the same." It looked like there were tears on the corners of his eyes, but it was hard to tell.

Life dealt him a really shitty hand. He had a lot of lovely things—his grandparents, his spirit—but he had to deal with a lot, too. But that was life, she supposed. Still, she wished she could take all his pain and give him all of her love.

But at least, he felt like he was home here. She could tell. Rosewood was never his home; this was. All the time he spent running, he was looking for a place where he was loved. Now that he was in that place, he could be still. He would stay.

"I love you," she said absentmindedly.

He smiled before sitting down beside her. "I love you, too."

They sat in content silence for a few moments. Finally, he broke the silence. "It's nice to be home."

"Has it been too long since you've been home?"

He shook his head. "Well, it's been a while since I've been back here, specifically, but home is wherever you are. That's where my heart is."

She grinned before kissing him. His grandmother was right: life and love were and would always be dangerous; but when you found true happiness, it was all worthwhile.

And she knew now that she'd have it no other way.

Sarah: That's…disturbing. Glad you liked it, though.

MilaMizz: I liked Winx Club. That's it. I'm glad you liked it! I need a job. I want to find a job in a bakery. I really like baking and I totally wouldn't mind taking home whatever's left over at the end of the night. I'm still on the younger side to work anyplace in New York (I think you have to be 16 to handle food, which is most available jobs that don't require prior experience).

AL3110: I would be a psychologist if I weren't so mentally messed up already. I start school on Thursday! I wonder what'll happen. They both killed Ali (omg Alliecat I legit said that Spencer initially killed her and Toby took care of the rest because Spencer was flipping out so much). They were together at the end. The first scene was Spencer and Emily.

Tomorrow's one-shot will be The Last Time by Taylor Swift and Gary Lightbody. I think that might've been up in the running for songs to base the sequel to Begin Again off of, but I don't really remember. In either case, it won't be related to the Red AU; that was just a little fun fact :) -Kayson