I HATE MYSELF. Because apparently my brain can't have one brilliant idea at a time. I apparently have to have three stories going at once. Whatever, you all know you love it.

This came to me after watching an old episode of Criminal Minds. It shouldn't bear any similarities really, just the overall plot inspired THIS overall plot, so I thought I'd mention it.

I have about three chapters written of this, and the whole story outlined, so it won't be like my other hiatus stories (WHICH WILL GET WRITTEN). Um, I don't want to tell you to much, because I don't want to accidentally give something away. So there are TWO THINGS that you need to know. Most of this story will take place in the present, but there will be a few chapters that take place in the past. And two, this is rated T right now, but I MIGHT change it to M at a later date. I haven't completely decided how far down the rabbit hole I'm going with this bad boy.

PROMISE THIS IS A SPOBY STORY. Wait for it, okay? If my outlines stay true he'll be back in a chapter or two, ignoring the past part of this chapter!

Review and let me know if you have any theories!

Prologue

He ducked down into the cover of the leafy bushes beneath her large picture window, knowing that he was invisible to the road. His stomach stirred in excitement as he watched her bustle about her kitchen. Her mahogany locks curled at their ends and brushed against the small of her back. What he wouldn't give to replace those curls with his hands. To feel the smoothness of her creamy skin and the blood pooling against his fingers.

He wanted to feel his fingers around her neck, the gulp of panic he would feel as she realize that her life was literally in his hands. He wanted to see the terror in her eyes as she realized that she was at his disposal, and the understanding when she realized what she had done, what he had done. He wanted her with him, to be his to play with whenever he so desired. Watching had been enough for awhile, but it wasn't anymore. He needed more.

She was so beautiful, and soon she would be all his. He had been patient for so long, but his wait was almost over.

Chapter 1

SPOV

January 7, 2010

His arms wrapped around her, effortlessly blocking her thin frame from the icy air. Thus far it had been a relatively mild winter for Pennsylvania, but apparently Mother Nature decided to step it up for their return to school

"Are you warm enough?" He murmured into her ear, the fingers of his right hand tracing a soft pattern beneath her scarf.

As if she could ever be anything but warm as he held her. There was something so comforting about the touch of someone that you knew without a doubt loved you. "Keep doing that and I'm pretty sure that I'll never be cold again," she laughed, her words muffled by the scarf that she had pulled up high over her face.

He chucked and pushed the door open to the Science Building, letting her slide in in front of him. "My class gets out about twenty minutes before your lab. I'll meet you at the couches, okay?"

"I'll miss you," she teased, freeing herself from her scarf and lifting up to her tip toes to quickly peck his lips. "Have a nice class."

"Go learn things," He laughed, pulling her in for a hug. "I love you."

"Love you too, Toby." She sighed, taking a brief moment to lean against his sturdy chest. "See you in a bit."

Present Day: October 1, 2014

"Spencer Freaking Hastings!"

She smiled softly. Not much had been going right for her lately, but the voice belonged to the one person that she could consistently count on to make her days better. "What's up, Han?"

The blonde bounded up to her and greeted her with her signature hug. "Did you seriously forget?"

"Um, yes?" She racked her brain for whatever detail had slipped her mind. Usually her mind was like a steel trap. Once she had something committed to memory she kept a hold of it, but apparently said steel trap was faulty.

She rolled her eyes and linked arms with Spencer, leading her through the exit of her gym. She supposed she should have been annoyed that her best friend had hunted her down, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any negative emotions toward Hanna; not after everything she had done to support her over the past few years. "Wait. I'll come with you, but I seriously have no idea where we're going."

"Birthday. Emily. Us plus Caleb?" Hanna quipped. "Need anymore?"

"Shit!" She groaned, plunging her hand in her gym back to dig for her keys. She had an eidetic memory, but she couldn't ever remember what pocket she put the keys in. "I need to stop by my apartment and-"

Hanna shook her head and gestured to the backseat of her ostentatious yellow convertible. "Picked up your present already, and you look fine in what you're in. We aren't going anywhere fancy."

"What would I do without you?" She smiled and grabbed the gift bag out of the back as she lowered herself into the passenger seat. The candle and book she had picked up for her other best friend were tucked safely inside. It wasn't the most original of presents, but she knew that Emily would appreciate them all the same.

"Live a very boring life," Hanna supplied, pulling off onto the highway. "I'm in the mood for a big ass burrito."

"Wait, we're going to Puertas?" Spencer smirked. "I'm sure that was Emily's idea."

"Hey! I can't help that my belly craves those yummy burritos and margaritas the size of my face. Who doesn't like that, let's be honest."

Her phone vibrated in her back pocket before she could answer. She slid it out and stared at the screen for a second, the words ANONYMOUS taunting her. Not today. "Um, what were you saying?"

"Burritos, margaritas... pay attention, Hastings!" Hanna lightly punched her arm. "We're here anyway. Are you going to get your regular, boring nachos?"

"Um, yeah," she muttered, staring distractedly at her phone as the call was followed by a text message. Should she read it or save it for later? But she was never one for impulse control. She clicked on the text message and immediately regretted it.

'Your ass looks really sexy in that skirt. I can't wait to feel it for myself. Soon, babe. Wait for me. xox -A.'

"Spencer! Focus," Hanna snapped her fingers in front of her face. "What are you doing, sexting?" She wagged her eyebrows and reached for her phone.

Spencer quickly shut it off and stuffed it in her pocket. The last thing she needed was for Hanna to find out about -A. It was probably harmless, but mostly it was really embarrassing. Some girls would be freaking out that he had said that she was in a skirt, and she was in fact, wearing a skirt. But Spencer was much too logical for that. This person clearly knew who she was, and they knew that she frequently wore skirts. And what other options did they have? It was either a skirt or shorts. The weather was uncharacteristically warm for October, much too hot for pants.

She snorted, giving Hanna a delayed, but needed, response to her question. "As if."

"I wouldn't blame you, Spence! It's been awhile. Since Tob-..." she cut herself off at the pained look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything hard up. It's just... it's been like three years, Spence. Aren't you ready to maybe find someone else?"

"There isn't anyone else," she said shortly. To- He left her, and he took her heart with him. Even if she never saw him again, she knew without any doubt that she would love him forever. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't punch him in the throat if she did see him again. Her anger ran just about as deeply as her love.

Hanna nodded. She knew that it wasn't because she agreed, but because she knew that there was no point in arguing with someone who enjoyed arguing as much as Spencer did. It was the almost lawyer in her talking. "Are Em and Caleb already here?"

"They are. And if they know us- well me, at all they already ordered me a peach margarita, because I need me some alcohol after a day like today." She held the door open for Spencer as they walked inside together. Their eyes scanned the restaurant, and Hanna's hand wrapped around her forearm dragging her off in the proper direction. She smiled at the sight of her two other best friends deep in conversation at the round table.

She had to shake this off. She had been getting anonymous phone calls and texts for awhile now, and nothing had ever come of them. Nothing probably ever would, it was just disconcerting to know that someone may have been watching you. The back of her mind twinged with the knowledge that things in her apartment had seemingly moved all on their own, and sometimes she heard unnatural squeaks in her floorboards. They had to be coincidences, because she wasn't the kind of girl that that kind of thing happened to. She was too smart for that. It had to be her mind playing tricks on her.

"Spencer!" Emily jumped up from her chair and took her into a hug. Spencer smiled and leaned into the embrace. There was something so comforting about being in the arms of someone you knew genuinely cared about you. "Thanks for coming!"

"It's your birthday, Em. Of course I'm here." She smiled and sat down between Hanna and Emily. "Did you guys already order?"

"Yep!" Caleb laughed. "A big ass chicken burrito and peach margarita for Han, and a water with two lemons and a plate of boring nachos for you, Spence."

She rolled her eyes. There was nothing wrong with her nachos and cheese sauce. The cheese was good here. It didn't need to be masked by all of those extra ingredients.

She honestly couldn't tell you what happened at the dinner or on her drive home. She couldn't remember what she and Hanna discussed, but she didn't remember her forced smiles and heavy eyes. Ever since she lost him there was a deep sense of sadness in her soul that she just couldn't shake. When she was reminded of him, when she experienced something she wanted to tell him about, the sadness flared up and made everything else hard. And she knew without a doubt that if he were still here she would have told him about -A. She would have told him about her fears.

"Lunch tomorrow?" Hanna asked as she pulled up in front of her apartment.

Spencer nodded distractedly. "Um, yeah. I have my internship until noon and class at 2. Can you fit in somewhere during that break?"

"Yep! I'll pick you up at 12:15, kay?" She didn't wait for an answer, beeping her horn and speeding off as soon as Spencer was out of the car. She watched the yellow disappear into the twilight horizon. She couldn't be more grateful for her friends. Anyone else would have given up on her by now, but they were endlessly patient.

She unlocked the door and went straight for the kitchen, grabbing the half empty bottle of Strawberry Banana juice from the middle shelf. She downed it in just a few gulps, her thirst suddenly to the point that she couldn't deny it any longer. There was something incredibly refreshing about fresh juices. She could probably drink them every minute of the day.

Once the crushed bottle was in the trash she made her way to the bathroom, quickly going through her nighttime routine. She couldn't help but linger in the shower, the hot water pounding on her back was more soothing than anything else she could have done. As she rubbed the makeup wipe across her face a loud squeak sounded from the hallway behind her. She was sure that her heart skipped a beat or two. "Hello?" She called out, not expecting an answer. If it was someone she knew they would have announced themselves by now, and if it were a murderer they were hardly going to let her know that they were there. It was probably just the older building settling.

Her eyes were growing surprisingly heavy. Her feet felt like blocks of lead as she trudged into the living room, practically collapsing on the couch. Exhaustion swept over her like a blanket, the world going black within minutes. As her eyes drifted shut she was struck by just how easily she had fallen asleep. Insomnia was her near constant companion these days.