Set during My Name is Trouble and then right after Blind Dates.
Most of this is guess work and wishful thinking, because I want Spoby to be okay.
Dangerous
People already considered Toby Cavanaugh to be a dangerous person, because people still thought that he was the one who had killed Alison DiLaurentis. He hadn't been anywhere near Alison at the time of her death, but that didn't matter. Even if he wasn't Alison's murderer, he was a murderer just the same. It had been an accident, but that didn't make him innocent. He was only trying to protect the girl he loved, but that wasn't an excuse for taking another person's life. His only hope was that no one would ever find out.
Ian Thomas' death had truly been an accident. He had only been trying to get him away from Spencer, and pushing him was the first thing Toby had thought of. If Ian hadn't gotten tangled in the ropes, he would have been fine. He might have been injured, but he would have lived. He knew he was going to get it for saving Spencer, but he didn't care. She was safe, and that was all that really mattered to him.
This wasn't something Toby had planned. He was supposed to hate Spencer, and her friends, but he didn't. Not anymore. He had made friends with Emily because he had been ordered to, but he appreciated their friendship now. It had been false at first, but it no longer was. His feelings for Spencer had never been false, though. He pretended for Mona and the others that he didn't care about her, but the truth was that he cared about her more than any other human being. Knowing this helped him feel better about what he was doing. He was no longer helping A to get revenge on the girls for framing him in Jenna's accident. He was doing it to help Spencer and her friends.
Toby was thinking about telling Spencer how he felt about her while he was working for Jason one afternoon. He was concentrating on his work, but Spencer never left his mind. His train of thought halted, however, when Jason called to him. "Wanna take a break?" he asked.
"Nah," Toby replied. He was okay with worker for a few more hours.
"Dude, you've been working nonstop. It doesn't have to be built in a day," Jason reminded him. When Toby didn't answer, he asked, "Do you have another job to go to, or what?"
"No," Toby said simply, carrying on with his work.
Jason paused for a moment, and then took a few steps towards Toby. "I'm guessing people around here are still giving you a hard time, huh?"
You have no idea, Toby thought. Jason continued, "Just for the record, Toby, I never believed you were guilty of anything… Except maybe being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've been there."
Toby still didn't answer, but this time it was because he didn't have a choice. There was the sound of a snapping twig behind them, and Toby turned around. Jason called, "Who's that? Melissa?"
Spencer stepped out from behind a tree. "Oh, no. Hi. It's Spencer," she said timidly. It was obvious to Toby that she was somewhat afraid of Jason.
"Hi," Jason said, not sounding very welcoming.
Spencer didn't stay for long. She was only there to ask Toby to quit, and he thought he knew why. Spencer seemed to think that Jason was involved in something fishy, but he wasn't sure what she could possibly believe he was doing. She couldn't think he actually had something to do with his sister's death, could she? Toby decided not to push it, and Spencer left after a few minutes looking slightly dejected.
Toby worked with Jason for a few more hours, until the sun began to dip in the sky. "Alright, we're done for today," Jason said. "Go home, Toby."
"Thanks," Toby said, grabbing his stuff. Jason went inside through the back door, leaving Toby alone. He pulled his grey t-shirt on and grabbed his bag of work things. He went around the side of the house and was entering the front yard when he saw a car pulling up towards Jason's house. It wasn't just any car. It was the car he had been looking at, the car he had wanted but hadn't been able to afford, and Spencer was driving. He dropped his bag on the ground and headed towards her. "Spencer," he said, shocked.
"Take it," Spencer said with a smile, tossing him the keys. "It's yours."
"Are you crazy?" Toby asked, amazed at what she had done. "Do you know how long it'll take me to pay you back?"
"Well, you have a job to get to tomorrow in Yardley, right?" Spencer asked, looking extremely pleased with herself. Toby liked it when she smiled like that, when she took pride in what she did. He liked her confidence.
Toby couldn't think of what to say for a second, but then it came to him. "I love you so much," he said, taking another step towards her.
Spencer's face lit up, her brown eyes bright with excitement. "I wanted to say that first," she complained half-heartedly before putting her hands on either side of his face and kissing him. Her lips were warm and soft, sending a thrill through his body as they met his. She put one arm around his neck and left the other caught between them. Toby put one hand on her waist and one on the small of her back, dragging her closer. She tasted like peppermint and smelled intoxicating. The moment seemed to last forever, as if it were hours before they broke apart, both breathing heavily.
The whole time, a shadow of guilt rested in the back of Toby's mind, but he ignored it. He was going to enjoy the moment. Spencer looked regretful when she said, "I should get home. I have homework to do."
"I should probably go too," Toby agreed, forcing himself to let her go. He would have stood there the whole night, kissing her, if she would let him. "Thanks for the car."
"You're welcome," Spencer answered, smiling again. She looked so beautiful when she smiled, Toby realized. And he was the cause of that smile. She was quiet for a second, before adding, "I love you." She seemed to relish the words, her eyes warm and full of love for him. He didn't deserve this.
"I love you, too," Toby said honestly, putting his whole self into the three simple words. He loved her more than he would ever be able to express in words, and he knew he always would. He just wasn't sure if Spencer would always love him. If she ever found out what he was doing, and she was sure that she would eventually, all of the feelings she had for him might just vanish without a trace. He couldn't try to avoid that by telling her, because he had to play his role perfectly and for that no one else could know. He had a haunting feeling that his plan would blow up in his face, but he would do his best to keep the charade going until it fell apart on its own.
"See you tomorrow?" Spencer asked.
"I'll try," Toby promised. Spencer left him with a quick peck on the lips before jogging over to her house, as Toby leaned against his new car and watched her disappear.
"Do you want to go out tonight?" Toby asked as soon as Spencer picked up the phone.
He could hear her laugh. "Out where?"
"Out with me," Toby replied.
"Is that the only explanation I'm going to get?" Spencer asked, sounding amused.
"Yes."
"Okay," Spencer said. "Let's go out."
"Good," Toby said, glad she had accepted. He really wanted to see her. "I'll pick you up at seven?"
"See you then," Spencer whispered, sounding just as eager to see him. "Bye."
Toby assumed one or both of Spencer's parents had walked into the room, forcing her to hang up without explanation. He was feeling guiltier than ever, and the only thing that helped was seeing Spencer. Holding her and just being near her helped him remember why he was doing all of these bad things. He needed her to remind him that the outcome would be worth it.
He was so nearly desperate to see her that he arrived at her house a few minutes early. Luckily, Spencer was ready and waiting for him, bouncing down the front steps and over to his car. "Hey!" she said, smiling brightly as she opened the door to his trunk and slid into the passenger seat. She looked gorgeous, like she always did. Her presence relaxed him, and the smell of her perfume was soothing.
"Hey," Toby responded, a smile of his own forming on his face. Spencer leaned over and kissed him quickly.
"So where are we going?" Spencer asked, putting on her seatbelt.
"I actually didn't plan anything," Toby admitted. "I just wanted to see you."
"I'm glad," Spencer said, a little shyly.
"Are you still thinking about Ian?" Toby asked, uneasy, as he pulled away from Spencer's house and started down the road.
Spencer let out a sigh, her smile fading. "How can I not?" she replied.
Toby knew exactly what she meant, but he couldn't let her know that. "Just forget about him for a few hours," Toby said. "Let's forget about everything but us, okay?"
"Okay," Spencer agreed, her smile returning. Toby noticed that she smiled a lot when he was around, even when they were sitting silently. He realized that he did the exact same thing.
After a few minutes, Toby decided to take her to the grille. He remembered the times he had sat there, watching Spencer and her friends, hating them. He wanted to change the way he remembered it. "Are you hungry?" he asked, glancing at her for a second before turning his attention back to the road in front of him.
"Some pie sounds good," Spencer said after a minute.
"Pie it is," Toby announced.
They parked in front of the grille five minutes later, and Toby led the way inside. They were seated, and Spencer ordered a slice of apple pie. "Thanks for this," she said, taking a sip of the water they had brought her. "I really needed it."
"So did I," Toby said. He was trying to do what he had suggested, to forget about Ian and what he and the others had done to him. He wondered if he would ever not feel guilty about it. "People still don't trust me." And for a good reason, he added silently.
"People don't trust me either," Spencer said quietly. "They think I'm a liar."
"They're wrong," Toby assured her. "You're the most honest person I know."
He thought for a moment that he saw a flash of guilt in her eyes, but he decided he must have imagined in because it was gone as quickly as it had come. "I'm honest with you," Spencer began, "Because I trust you. I trust you more than I trust most people."
Ouch. That was painful. He forced himself to smile. "I'm lucky," he said.
"So am I," Spencer said.
"Spencer," Toby said slowly. "I want you to know something."
"What?" Spencer asked, curious.
Toby reached across the table and put his hand on hers. "No matter what happens," he started, "whatever people accuse you of, I love you."
Spencer met his gaze, her eyes serious. "I feel the same way."
Toby knew she meant it, but he wished he could really believe her. If she ever found out about all of the things he had done so far, and all the things he was bound to do in the future, she might not feel that way. Toby didn't know what to say next, so Spencer spoke again. "I'm glad we have each other."
"Me too," Toby said. "I told you before, people see us in the same way now. You're the only one who understands."
"My friends understand," Spencer reminded him.
"They're not you," Toby answered.
Spencer blushed. It was obvious that she didn't really know what to say either. They were quiet for a few minutes, until Spencer's pie came.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" the waiter asked.
"I'm fine," Toby said. He was content with watching Spencer eat, and they turned their conversation to more relaxed subjects, like school. For a few hours, Toby actually managed to forget that he was a traitor. Of course it was only the girl he was betraying that could make him forget about it.
Spencer was the best thing he had in his life right now. He couldn't mess that up. He just had to keep reminding himself that he was doing it for her own good, even if it was dangerous. She was worth the risk.
A/N: Basically, I wrote this because my Spoby heart is pretty much crushed. I'm hoping that Toby is on the A-Team for a good reason, and I hope that he really does care about Spencer. So fingers crossed that this fic turns out to be right.
Anywho, leave me a review? :3 Let me know what you think!