There weren't many questions in life that Spencer Hastings couldn't answer. Or at least that's what most people who knew her would tell you. Except for the girl herself, no, she would tell you that there were many things she didn't know. And most of them had just blown up in her face. How does one deal with a possible murderer living in your back yard? How does one deal with being accused of your best friend's murder? And how does one handle falling for someone they can't see?

"I should go." Toby said pulling Spencer back from her day dream. One where she wasn't 'a person of interest', one where she got to be a normal teenager, or as normal as she could be. There was no Ian there, no A, no unresolved murder... Just happiness.

"Oh, right." She replied glancing at the clock, and pulling her hand back from his. "I didn't realise that it was so late."

"Will you be OK?"

She smiled back at him. "Yeah. I'll be fine, and if not I know how to phone the girls."

"I'm here, if you need to talk." He replied. "I know I don't know you as well as the other's but after the past few weeks, I guess it'd be nice to know if you're upset. I'm here for you, if you ever just need someone to hang out with."

"Thank you."

"Besides I'm sure it'd be fun to kick your ass at scrabble again." He smirked at her, and just smiled during her indigent scoff.

"It was not that bad!"

"Someone has a problem with losing."

"I do not!"

He just raised an eyebrow at her, which only seemed to set her off more.

"I don't have a problem with losing! I can say you won, it just wasn't by much, and besides my word was better than goofball, and... Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!"

He just shrugged at her, standing up before extending his hand to help her up.

"Toby?"

"Spencer?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because it's either talking to you or staying in the house with Jenna, and I know which one I prefer."

"No!" she sighed. "I mean... I was... I wasn't very nice to you this past year, or ever really. I just... I don't get how you can forgive so much, so easily. I said some horrible things about you, admittedly not to you but that doesn't make it any better. I thought some horrible things about you, and I am so sorry for all of that. I really couldn't have been further from the truth; you are actually an amazing friend. I just can't get why you want to hang out with me."

"You said you were sorry." He shrugged back. "And I saw that you were. Besides there is someone out there who seems pretty content to mess around with our lives. But it's more than just that. You're a pretty interesting person to be around. Who else brings scrabble on a stake out?"

She laughed then, and then froze when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She knew who it was before she turned around, but that didn't mean that she was any happier to see her mother standing there looking at her.

"Hi Mom." She tried to make it sound like she wasn't panicking, but she was pretty sure that she failed epically at that. And that's when she seen her Mom's face, frozen in a frown. She blinked a few times trying to formulate a way out of this. "Toby was just leaving. We were just working on his French. I said I'd tutor him for school and..."

"There's no books." Her mother pointed.

"We were doing oral work."

"I'll just leave." Toby muttered, causing Veronica to look away from her daughter for a moment.

"I think that would be best." She replied stiffly. "I need to have a talk with my daughter."

"Goodbye Mrs Hastings." He replied politely, although the tone in her voice did sting him a little, but he had gotten used to it by now. "Bye Spencer."

Then he mouthed 'call me' to Spencer before walking out of the back door, leaving mother and daughter in the room by themselves. Veronica had turned her gaze back on her daughter, who was doing an impressive job at looking at anything and everything but her mother. Then deciding she only had one small hope of escaping the talk she was bound to get, she faked a yawn.

"Well it's been a long day." Spencer tried. "I'm really tired, I'll just go..."

"Sit." Was the only thing her mother said. And despite wanting to do anything other than that, Spencer sat down anyway. She knew her parents were still a little mad for not mentioning the Ian thing, and she needed as many people trusting her as she could get right now.

"Toby Cavanaugh, Spencer?"

"He's a friend." She whispered back.

"Spencer, I have never heard you speak about him in a friendly way."

"It's a recent thing."

"Spencer." Her mom sighed sitting across from her. "You can't see him."

"Why not?" Spencer asked. "He's the only person who knows how I'm feeling right now! And he's trying to help me, it's not fair for you to ask me not to see him."

"I'm not asking Spencer." Her Mom cut in. "I'm informing you, that you're not seeing that boy. At least not until all of this blows over. You need to think about how this looks to everyone in town."

"I don't really care what anyone else thinks!"

"Spencer!" her mom cut her off again. "I'm not doing this to hurt you. You're a smart girl, surely you can see what impressions will get if you are seen with the boy that was a major suspect in your best friends murder, especially when someone is doing a very good job of making you look suspicious."

"It's not his fault!"

"Spencer..."

"He's got no-one else! I don't think I can imagine how lonely that feels. People cross the street when they see him Mom, and it hurts him, it really hurts him. How can I desert him too?"

"Spencer, I'm not thinking of what's best for him. I'm thinking of what's best for you. And being seen with him will only make people that you're guilty. And do you want to be the one that people cross the street to avoid?"

"No." Spencer sighed, despite knowing that it was rhetorical. "But I would have Hanna, Aria and Emily. And they're the only ones I need to believe me, well and you and Dad. I don't care about anyone else. Toby's a friend, and what kind of person would I be if I turned my back on him too?"

"Spencer, it isn't up for discussion. I do not want that boy in my house again, and you are to go nowhere near him."

"What's going on?" Melissa asked as she walked into the kitchen, automatically sensing the tension between her mother and sister.

"Ask Mom." Spencer shot back. "She seems to be good at dictating what I'm meant to do."

"Spencer." Her Mom warned, before turning to Melissa more calmly. "Your sister thinks it's a good idea to spend time with Toby Ca..."

"Still?" Melissa asked. "Spencer, aren't things bad enough for you? You really don't need to do anything to provoke things further. I think that you shouldn't see him anymore."

"Your sister's right Spencer. You've got to think of yourself."

"Like everyone else in this family does?" Spencer shot back. "She's the one who married a..."

"Will you give that up?" Melissa sighed. "Ian has done nothing wrong. And I think that you need to talk to someone about your need to blame everything on him and..."

"He was with Ali the night she was killed!" I screamed. "I didn't picture it! Neither did Aria, Hanna and Emily. You think they have problems too?"

"They're not the ones who have a problem with taking what belongs to others."

Spencer shook her head then. "I'm going to be bed."

"Spencer, promise that you will not see that boy again." Her mother said to Spencer's retreating back, but she just made her way to her room, letting the door slam behind her.

She collapsed against her bed trying to let everything sink in. She knew this was coming at some point, she just thought that she would have time and that Toby wouldn't see the distain on her mother's face. Then she felt her heart stop when she heard her phone vibrate next to her. She really should have expected this too. So as she closed her eyes, she pressed the open button, before reading the message, finishing with the letter that she grown to hate.

Oh my my! Two little killer's sitting in a tree. But only I know about the K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes secrets, then comes lies, then comes someone to tell all. I'll give you three guess who? kisses –A

Yes, one thing was for sure in Spencer's crazy, mixed up life, she most definitely hated 'A'.