A/N: Hello there, amazing readers. I wanted to start an AU story, and I'm determined to finish this one! I'm going to start writing all the chapters out early so I don't forget everything. I've been mapping things out and coming up with stuff and events for the story, and I hope you will all enjoy it! I was listening to "Asylum" by John Legend, and I just had to write this. An AU Radley story had been stuck in my head. Plus, I was watching some Spencer-centric Radley scenes from season 3, and I was just so inspired! It is most definitely Spoby. Although it isn't now, the OT4 will all have scenes together soon (Aria, Hanna, and Emily). What's a story without their friendship? I hope you guys will give this story a go! I'm really excited for it, and I plan on finishing it for sure, even if I get like no feedback (which I hope I do). So maybe you'll make me happy and leave reviews?

Asylum

Chapter 1

In a state of madness

Wrapped up in your magic

Ecstatic, an addict

Oh, we landed on another planet

And it feels like home here

Will never go back there

Cause we're crazy, I'll go crazy with you

You're so crazy, I'll go crazy with you

"Asylum" by John Legend

"Morning, Miss Hastings," Eddie Lamb said as he walked inside his patient's room. "We need to talk about some stuff." The middle-aged man sat next to the mental patient who had just woken up a few minutes ago. "It's about your health, actually." The brunette nodded her head. "The doctors here... we think that if you're ever going to recov—"

"Recover?" she laughed bitterly as she spoke. "Recover? I'm never going to get better. I'm a psychotic monster." She looked away, thinking about her past. Eddie grabbed her shoulders and gave her a look of confidence. She could tell that he believed in her to get better. She wondered if some day, she would be out of the place, and back to the real world. She could see her friends again. But everyone would know that she was the crazy girl who just came back from a mental asylum.

"Listen to me, Spencer," he said. "Just let me finish. There's this young man, and he's brilliant. We've heard cases about him helping multiple people get through tough situations. Don't underestimate what he can do just yet. I've tried to help you, but I can't connect with you in the ways that someone like him could."

"No way!" she cried. "Eddie, I want you to be my guide, not this new guy. What makes him so special? I'm not going to connect with him. You're the only person worth talking to in this hell hole. I don't want a new guide, E."

He sighed and explained, "Spencer, you're never going to make progress if you don't make amends with yourself. And if you don't give new things a try. Sometimes change is good."

"So all I am is some project?" Spencer snapped, looking up at Eddie hastily. "I'm just another one of these nut jobs that belongs in a mental home!"

"That's not true," Eddie said. "Do you want to know what's different about you? Do you want to know why we believe that this young man can change your future? Because you're not one of them. You're not really crazy, and we all know that. You're hurting, and that's different from being crazy. You can be fixed. You're just a little bent. And this man has a way with making things sort themselves out. If you give him a try, you can be out of here. You can have a chance to live a normal life anymore. You won't have to be here anymore."

With that, Eddie Lamb stepped out of his patient's room. She thought about what he said. Could she fix herself? There was no way some stupid guide could ever help her! Eddie was just saying that to make her feel better. She was just like every other mentally challenged psycho at Radley Sanitarium.

Her door cracked open a little. Was it Eddie? She was really hoping it was him. She wanted to talk about everything. He was always there for her to open up. But it wasn't her usual visitor. She remembered that she probably wouldn't see Eddie as much. He was probably moving on to another patient. She wondered if she meant anything to Eddie, anyways. Was she just another patient?

"Hi."

She looked up. It definitely wasn't Eddie. A handsome (and young, as she was told) man stepped into her room. He offered her a weak smile, but she knew he didn't mean it. He thought of her as another mental patient who he would 'work his magic on' and nurse back to health. She knew she couldn't be fixed. She was broken beyond repair.

"I'm your new guide," he said, taking a seat. "Has Mr. Lamb mentioned me yet?"

"Yeah, but I wish he hadn't," she remarked, her words icy and bitter.

He was sitting across from her, and he certainly wasn't even frowning. He didn't even look hurt by her words, which surprised her. She was hoping to inflict some damage so he realized how screwed up she was. Then, maybe he would leave, and she would get Eddie back. She didn't want some new guide. He didn't understand her the way that Eddie did!

"What you're doing is common," he said, realizing that she was trying to bug him. "You're lashing out at me. It's nothing I haven't seen before. I know that getting to know a new guide is hard. You're so familiar with Mr. Lamb, I get it. But I need you to do me a favor and just try your best to let me in. I won't bite you."

"Eddie and I are closer than you and I will ever be," she hissed, but he still seemed un-affected. "So, you're going to walk in here and pretend like you know me and everything I'm going to say?"

"That's not what I'm doing. My job is to make sure you're doing okay. But I'm going beyond my job. I'm trying to get to know you," he explained. "I've only been doing this job for about a year. But in that year, I've seen it all. I don't think there's anything that can really surprise me anymore. I've seen some people at their worst states. It wasn't pretty, but I've seen it. You can't scare me off, and I think that you should know that. Whatever you say in here, I won't run off, I won't tell anyone. I'm only here because I want to help you."

"I'm calling that out as bull shit," she said, rolling her eyes. "You don't know me, and you don't care about me. You want your money, and that's all."

"That's not true," he told her. "I took this job because I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference in the world, as corny as it sounds. It's a goal of mine. And I've helped a lot of people, but I don't want to stop there. I won't stop until you feel secure with yourself."

"I'm not some insecure teenage girl!" Spencer yelled, getting up from her seat. "I want Eddie back! I want the one person who cares for me to come back."

"Spencer," he tried to calm her down. "I know you want him to come back, but right now, the best thing for you to do is try to let this work."

"Best thing for me?" she snapped. "I don't get why everyone tries to tell me what's best for me! I think I can figure it out. I'm tired of people telling me what's best for me! You don't even understand, it's terrible. Everyone thinks I'm freaking psycho and can't figure things out for myself. They all think they just need to help me."

"You see?" he said, smiling at her.

"What?" she choked, not understanding why he was so happy. "What the hell are you so giddy about?"

"We are making progress," he said, helping her back into her seat. "You opened up to me just a little. It wasn't much, but you talked. And that's all I'm here for. I just want to be someone you can talk to. I can help you, if you let me in. I know now is probably not the best time to start this, since you're still hung up on losing Mr. Lamb as your guide, so I'll give you some time. Think about it. If you really don't want me to be your guide anymore, I'll talk to the workers here and get myself moved. Got it?"

She nodded her head unsteadily. How did he do it?

"Okay," she said, still nodding her head. "Okay..." she read his name tag, "Mister Cavanaugh."

"Don't call me that," he said, smiling at her. "I don't want things to be way too formal between us. I'm Toby, not Mister Cavanaugh."

She nodded her head again before muttering out a soft, "Goodbye."

The next day, there was a knock at her door. Was he back already? He couldn't be. He wasn't. She had slammed him so much yesterday. He probably hated her guys, even if he said that he had 'seen it all'. And it kind of disappointed her that he probably didn't want to work with her anymore. He had probably given up on her.

Just like everybody else in her life.

"Spencer," he said with a smile, sitting back down. "You don't have to have an answer for me now, but I was wondering about our session yesterday. We had a little deal. You think about our meetings, and if you want me to go away, just tell me. Have you made up your mind about that?"

She half-nodded her head.

"Good," he said. "Feel free to tell me any time."

She started, "I just want to tell you that I'm not crazy."

"I know you're not," he told her. "I've been reading your file. Nothing seems crazy to me. It looks like you're only here because of how many people gave up on you."

"Why do you always know everything?" she asked, looking down.

"I take pride in understanding humans as best as I can," he told her, reaching out to take her hands. "Let me tell you something, Spencer. I'm not going to be like those other people. I'm not going to give up on you with the blink of an eye. I'm going to stick with you. Scratch what I said about you having a choice, because you don't. I'm going to help you no matter what you say."

"How do I know that you'll never give up on me?" she asked.

"I guess you'll just have to trust me," he said with a smirk. "Trust is good, until it's broken. Then you struggle to trust again."

"Wait, Toby," she began slowly. "I wanted you to stay, anyways."

"That's good," he said, smiling. "That's good because you weren't getting away from me even if you wanted to."

And she smiled back at him. It was a smile. A real smile. And it was her first real smile in what... forever? She hadn't smiled so sincerely in forever.

"Thank you," she mumbled. "Thank you for being the first person in my life to tell me they won't give up on me."

She felt bad about being reluctant for the new guide at first. Toby, her new guide, was better than Eddie. She didn't know what she was feeling, but it was good. For the first time in forever, her heart was racing, and her whole body felt tingly. It was different. And she loved it.