This is the FINAL chapter. After this, I will publish a sequel, so keep an eye out :) I'm already working on it so the first chapter should be posted soon! I'll post a bigger A/N at the end of this. Read on, lovelies, and enjoy. Thanks for everything.

I do not own Pretty Little Liars.

The next day of course was one of two weekdays that Toby didn't have any classes with Spencer. He knew her schedule however, but the times her classes ended or began overlapped with when he was already in class. He would've skipped if it hadn't been for the quiz in one and a group project in the other.

She wasn't answering her phone or his texts so by the time he got to work that evening, he was a mixture of pissed off and depressed.

Ezra was already working and as soon as he saw him he knew something was up.

"Toby, what the hell happened to you?" he asked, seeing how defeated his whole body looked.

"I fucked up, Ezra. Now I think Spencer hates me. She has every right to. I'm such a selfish idiot."

Ezra, surprised by the curse, but knowing now wasn't the time to tease him about it, became concerned. "I'm sure you're just overreacting. What happened?"

Toby would rather stick his head in the blender than relive it but knew he had to spit it out. "She's been staying with me all week and we've been closer than ever. I thought we were getting closer to taking the next step. And then last night she was crying about Wren and I told her she should talk to him and now they're meeting today and they're probably going to get back together-" Toby took a breath. "I just… as soon as she started down that road, I bolted from the apartment and her. I needed to clear my head. It was tearing me apart thinking that I was so wrong about her. She was going on about how good of a friend I was. A friend. But once I realized I was an idiot, I raced back, but she had already packed up her stuff and left without a note or anything. Now she won't answer my calls or my texts. I didn't see her at school today so I'm just doomed. She's probably off nibbling his goddamn British ear right now."

It took all of Ezra's effort not to crack up at his last comment, the bitterness in Toby's voice only making the comment more hilarious.

"Toby, the guy was a total tool, way worse than anything you did. Don't be so quick to judge. Spencer's a smart girl."

"But she's vulnerable right now and she is so mixed up on her feelings for him. She still loves him. I was stupid to think we could be anything any time soon. She's not going to get over a ten month relationship in four days, no matter how it ended." Toby said exasperatedly.

"Toby." Ezra said seriously. "Get out of here. Go find her and talk to her. You are going to be utterly useless tonight and it's dead anyways. GO." he repeated loudly when Toby simply stood there.

"Nigel will-"

"Get over it, or bite off my head. I'll make up something if I have to. Don't sweat it, I can handle it. Go." Ezra told him seriously.

Toby patted him on the shoulder gratefully before racing off, determined to find Spencer.

Toby texted Hanna to ask if Spencer was at the apartment.

i havent seen Spencer since last nite at ur place, but im out rite now so she mite b there. Everything ok?

Long story. Toby replied before heading there.

Several (hundred) knocks on the door later, Toby concluded Spencer wasn't home. She was probably with Wren. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

But Toby was determined. He sat on the floor in the hallway and decided she had to come back some time, even if it was three days from now. He would wait. He would go to the moon and back for her if that's what it took.

He didn't care what he was in her life, as long as he was in her life. If she was back with Wren, he would support her. He would accept his perma-friend role with his head held high, because it would make Spencer happy. And that's what he needed to tell her.

After what felt like hours, he saw the familiar brunette coming tiredly down the hall, her face showing her surprise at him sitting outside her door.

Toby immediately leapt to his feet. "Spencer." he began before she could even ask why he was there. "I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't mean to be such a prick and abandon you when you were upset. I never wanted you to leave and I should've been more supportive in your time of need-"

"Toby-"

"No, I was stupid. I'm your best friend and best friends don't do stuff like that. You're so important to me and I don't want to lose you. I always want to put you first-"

"TOBY." Spencer shouted, grabbing his hands to steady him from the pacing he had unknowingly been doing.

He was breathing heavily now, out of breath from talking so much. It wasn't normal for him to ramble like that.

Spencer looked amused. "As fun as it is watching you freak out, I can't let you go on. I'm so sorry I made you feel like I was upset with you. After you left last night, I realized I knew exactly what I needed to do. You were right when you said I needed closure. I needed to talk to Wren. I packed up my stuff and planned to head over to talk to him right then."

Toby was enraptured with her story now, wondering where this was heading.

"I was going to call you after I left but I'm pretty sure I left my phone at your apartment, probably on silent, like a moron. I left the key behind, so I couldn't go back and get it and calling you to see if you were home to pick it up was obviously out of the question. So I went to Wren's hoping he'd be there since he was obviously up, but it turns out he had been calling me on his break since he was working the night shift. I knew he would need to sleep after he got home in the morning, so I'd have to wait. My apartment was closer so I crashed there. Our school schedules are so opposite so I couldn't come find you between classes and right after school today, I headed back over there."

Toby felt his lungs squeeze. As much as he was trying to be brave, he was terrified she was going to tell him the apocalyptic fact that she and Wren had made up.

Spencer smiled a little, seeing the fear in his eyes, knowing he probably didn't even realize how well she could read him now.

"We talked. He mostly apologized repeatedly, not really having much better justification than he had the day I broke up with him. He wanted to talk about us, how we would move on from it. It was hard and even though I was upset, I let him kiss me."

Toby stopped breathing, but managed a small nod. It was over. It was all over. He had lost her and he hadn't even really had her. God was he going to hate himself for the rest of his life...

Spencer had to laugh now. "Toby, can you please relax? You're making me nervous."

"Sorry." he said gruffly.

"Let me finish." she soothed.

He wasn't sure he wanted her to, but he couldn't really form words, so he didn't have much of a choice.

"When Wren kissed me… I didn't feel a thing." Spencer said simply. "You know that mythical spark people talk about when they kiss someone they love? I've felt that before, or so I thought, with Wren. But when he kissed me, I was finally able to be honest with myself. I haven't felt a spark with him in a really long time. Our relationship has been slowly crumbling from the inside out for months. Probably since the beginning of the summer. We talked and he agreed, even without what happened over the weekend, we wouldn't have lasted much longer. We've both been over this relationship for longer than we want to admit. It was becoming more a relationship of convenience, and that's not what either of us wants. I don't condone his cheating, but I've forgiven it and am ready to move on now."

Toby was motionless, worried if he made any sudden movement all of these words would disappear like a dream. He was still trying to process what they meant.

Spencer chuckled at his bewildered expression. "For the record, I could never be mad at you, Toby. I stopped at your work before I came here, but Ezra said you skipped out on your shift to talk to me. I hoped you'd be here."

"Why?" he asked, his voice almost strangled. He had no idea where she was going with this, but he felt hope bursting in his chest. His heart was racing.

"This past week, staying with you, has been incredible. I've never had a friendship with a guy the way I have one with you-"

Dear Lord, not the friend card again… Toby thought.

"-and I knew that wasn't just because you were special. There's a reason you were the only person I wanted to see after my fight with Wren. A reason why I ran to you after my horrific break-up. A reason I agreed to spend ninety percent of my time with just you, in order to figure things out. I wasn't trying to figure things out about Wren. I was trying to figure out if what I had been feeling building between us was real and wouldn't collapse under me if I took the leap. I-"

Toby didn't let her finish her sentence however. He couldn't wait another second. He walked forward, placed his hands on her waist and pulled her against his body, descending his lips onto hers.

Spencer was caught off-guard. Despite the impulsive decision, Toby was kissing her agonizingly slowly, with enough intensity that she was grateful for his solid form and the wall behind her. Without them, she wasn't sure she'd be standing right now.

His lips left hers after the first kiss but she placed her hand on his chest, leaning up to meet their lips again, the tenderness with which he kissed her making her want to weep.

They broke apart, both blushing, her eyes flickering shyly to his.

"I uh… wasn't expecting that." she finished breathlessly, somewhat amusedly, unable to stop the happy smile from gracing her face.

Toby smiled easily in return, not taking his eyes off of hers now. "Me neither." he breathed.

There was a deeper layer underneath those words though. They weren't expecting that first day of class, that one pen falling to the classroom floor was enough to cause a chain of events they still were having trouble wrapping their heads around. They had become so close so fast it didn't make sense. But it was impossible to believe now that they weren't being led by fate in some form. The things they had experienced in their lives had made them who they are and only had brought them closer together. The things they had conquered together were things they couldn't have done without the support of that one person. Forgiving Jenna. Getting past what Wren had done. Taking this leap of faith.

Toby knew now, although he knew he had been falling for Spencer since day one, that they were right to wait this long. Their connection was so much deeper and so much richer than it would've been if they got into a relationship early on. In that friend zone, they had grown to be best friends, and now knew all of the other's deepest insecurities and fears and all of those things that no one is ever supposed to know. And despite those things, it only made them love the other more.

We're all human and people make mistakes and do things they aren't proud of. Love is about finding someone who is willing to accept all of your faults and still find it in their heart to love you unconditionally. Maybe there is no such thing as fate, but sometimes people are meant to be.

Toby and Spencer both knew that things wouldn't always be peaches and cream between them but that they truly had something worth fighting for. And that was enough for them to take each other's hand and step forward together, finally truly united.

The two of them separated in the hallway, their hands gradually leaving the others' waist.

"Is that… is that my shirt?" Toby asked suddenly in amusement, seeing the familiar anchor in the corner.

Spencer blushed, giggling slightly. "I may have stolen it last night. It gave me courage, having a part of you with me. Why, you want it back?" she challenged, tugging on the hem playfully.

Toby smirked. "Nah, I don't want it back. You look better in it than I do." he told her, before pulling her close again and kissing her lovingly.

Yeah... no matter how long it took to get here, it was definitely worth the wait.

The End

FINAL A/N

TA-DA! Still hate me?

I really really really hope you guys liked it. The ending was not originally what I was expecting, but I feel like it did the story justice in what I wanted to do.

Alright. Explanations. Here goes:

I believe in balance.. I don't believe in someone taking more than giving, someone being more damaged than the other. Everyone feels things differently, so there really is no measurement of emotional turmoil. But in relationships, there is always give and take. Toby and Spencer both have their issues with their families; feeling like outsiders, the other kid being the favorite, being misunderstood by their own parents, feeling like a burden. Both have wonderful friends but find that the only person who really gets them is each other. Both are insecure in relationships, about not being good enough, which you'll probably see more in the sequel I am working on now. (You didn't honestly think I could leave things here, did you? Not when things just got good!)

Firstly, Toby worries Spencer deserves better, someone more successful. Spencer worries Toby deserves someone more wholesome and true, like he is. Spencer isn't a bad person, but she has made a few mistakes in her life. In the show, Spencer has lost a best friend to murder and dealt with the guilt of taking someone's eyesight from them, however unintentional. Toby has the turmoil leftover from reform school and dealing with a forced relationship from his step-sister. In my story, they've both been hurt by someone they used to trust and care for very much. In either world, both of them have been hurt in different ways but with the same magnitude. I needed that semblance of balance, hence Wren cheating on Spencer and with her sister, so it would sting that much more. It leaves it as Toby worrying he's damaged goods (from Jenna) and Spencer worrying she'll always be second best. It's a common ground of being insecure, not feeling like they're good enough. It would be boring if they had the same past. It's their different experiences and ability to empathize with the other that allows them to grow close, like on the show when they both were framed for Ali's murder.

Spencer needed to seek closure from Wren, to talk to him, because if she hadn't and come to the conclusion she did, both she and Toby would always wonder if Spencer was vulnerable when she got into their relationship, if she was just on the rebound, if she had just sought out Toby because he was a guy giving her such positive attention. Spencer needed the reassurance that she really had been moving on for a lot longer than the four or so days since her break-up and that she really was ready to start something new with Toby. I needed her to be able to fully commit, be all in, in order for both of them to feel like they were doing the right thing and that it was real.

Also, I believe the best relationships are formed from friendships. If Spencer and Toby are this close now, how much better can it get? Love is limitless and I feel like out of all the fictional couples out there, Spoby can prove that the best. There has always been something so innocent and true about their relationship. I know it wasn't in the original tv script, or in the books at all, but it's hard to believe that it could've been missed when it makes so much sense to me compared to the other couples. I still love the other couples, don't get me wrong, but there's a reason I'm so drawn to Spoby. It feels real to me. It feels bigger than some teen drama show. It helps that Troian and Keegan have incredible on-screen chemistry, but it just feels bigger than all of the other craziness going on in the show. I always feel like out of all the couples, they're the ones who will pull through, because they know what they have is greater than anything else.

And that's what I'll be showcasing in the sequel ;) I'm thinking of having a little more screen/novel time for the other couples, but only as much as they are intertwined in Spencer and Toby's lives, like how theyyyy deal with their friends' ups and downs in their relationships. I'm hoping the sequel will be longer than this story, but we'll see!

I can't thank you guys enough for your feedback. Your reviews and responses have touched my heart and you've all been far too good to me. I'm leaving this story in a bittersweet way. I hope you all come with me to the sequel to properly continue their journey, but it's up to you of course. It'll be my first sequel I've ever written in my entire writing life, so it should be interesting to say the least ;) Expect a post really soon :)

As for the date I was referring to, in case any of you are curious, the date Spoby got together on the show was November 6th, 2010. Even though it's 2012 our time, the show is far behind. A full season, which was a full year our time, was only about three or four months, and then second season was another four months, to bring them to unmasking Mona in early-mid April. PLL world started September 1st, 2010, a year after Ali's body went missing. Even now, it's only 2011 for them, although I doubt they care that much, it doesn't really matter. ANYWAYS in Ctrl:A, Caleb's password reveals that Hanna and Caleb's tent night from first season, 1x19, was November fifth. The night they camped out, was ALSO the night Toby and Spencer staked out at the motel over 214. The NEXT morning, November sixth, Toby kissed Spencer. Some of you did guess it correctly, so kudos to you! But again, if you didn't catch that, you probably ACTUALLY have a life... unlike myself ;) I will admit that it was my plan all along to have them get together on the proper date, hence them going out for the club night after midterms, and all the time jumps to get through the first couple months. I wanted them to become solid friends as well of course and that can't happen in the matter of a few days.

SEQUEL TEASERS:

Just a sneak peek for the sequel, to keep you guys interested... more bits and pieces from the show, especially monumental Spoby moments that we all have probably watched on youtube three million times; Toby going to meet Spencer's family, accompanying her for the first time since her and Wren's breakup. Spencer may have forgiven Wren, but how will she react to Melissa? ; finding out if Jenna really has changed or has she been putting on an act this whole time to get on Toby's good side so she can go in for the kill?; will Ezria, Emaya, and Haleb last? ; what other characters will join the ensemble? Stay tuned to find out ;) I planted tiny seeds in this story for myself to branch out from later, but regardless, I can guarantee HAPPY SPOBY because you know that's my favorite kind ;) but I happen to also find angry Toby incrediblyyyyy sexy... (thank you Keegan Allen, for 3x08...gah.) so you'll just have to check it out to find out what happens next in our favorite couples AU lives :)

I have officially posted and completed the sequel and it can be found on my page under the title Fast Cars and Freedom, after the Rascal Flatts song,

LOVE YOU ALLL! Thank you just doesn't give justice to how fabulous you've all been.