Milk

When Spencer is drugged by an A-team member at Gamma Zeta party and the unspeakable happens, she must rely on Toby, the girls, and most of all, herself to get through it.

xx

Everything is dark

It's more than you can take

But you catch a glimpse of sun light

Shining, shining down on your face

A hand reached out, searched for the snooze button so that the music blaring from the alarm clock would be silenced. Toby found it. Success, he thought as the room fell quiet once again. It was 6:30 AM no doubt, a school day, and Toby wasn't exactly keen on strolling the halls of Rosewood High given what had happened the previous evening. With a labored groan, he kicked the burgundy comforter to the side and sat up, the mattress creaking. Toby tugged his cell phone from its charger and punched in his pass-code, hoping to see a message from his girlfriend.

Nothing.

Given Spencer's reaction last night, Toby wasn't surprised; it wasn't often that his attempts to be helpful were successful. Still, he couldn't help but feel hurt that walls Spencer had built around her were impenetrable even to him. Toby stared at his phone for a few more seconds before standing up and shuffling groggily to the shower.

It was a "blink and you miss it" shower, and in that time, Toby had thought up another idea to appeal to Spencer's good side. He rushed to get dressed: dark gray jeans, a white Henley long-sleeved shirt, and two (very) mismatched socks. Grabbing his backpack, wallet, and keys, Toby sprinted out the door, not bothering to lock it behind him.

The morning was mildly cool, and quiet, too. Toby supposed more people took off of work than usual given that it was a Friday. He welcomed the relative lack of hustle and bustle as he walked down the sidewalk; it allowed him to immerse himself in his thoughts without danger of bumping into anyone. Toby passed the diner, the used bookstore, and the antique shop before reaching his destination.

Toby left the florist with a bouquet of lilies (Spencer's favorite), and briefly thanked the floral gods for the shop being open so early. Glancing at his watch, Toby figured he had just enough time to get to the Hastings residence before Spencer took off for school. He rehearsed what he wanted to say in his head, deciding that after several run-throughs, his apology wasn't good enough

"I'm screwed," Toby muttered, too busy contemplating his fate to notice the pair of tall brunettes, also deep in conversation, walking towards him.

"Watch it!" the older girl hissed as Toby collided with her shoulder.

Cheeks flushed bright red. "Sorry," he mumbled. And then he stopped, a familiar smell permeating his senses. "Spencer?"

There was a pause, and then a reply. "Toby?"

Toby turned around, hand gripped around the bouquet. Breathe, he reminded himself. "Uh, yeah," Toby stammered, immediately feeling stupid.

He glanced at Spencer's friend, then did a double-take. Melissa Hastings looked mildly amused. "For me?" she asked. "You shouldn't have."

For a second, Toby wondered what she was talking about. Then, he remembered the flowers. He felt himself blush for the second time in a span of minutes. "I actually bought them for Spencer."

Melissa gave him a "no shit" look and Toby felt about two feet tall. No wonder Spencer was so intimidating; she'd learned from the master. Spencer shook her head at the interaction between her sister and her boyfriend. "They're beautiful, Toby," she said, reaching for the bouquet. Toby gladly relinquished it.

"Spence," he began, all rehearsal going out the window, "I am so sorry for getting the girls involved. I had no right to assume that you would feel comfortable with talking to them. All I wanted to do was help and it backfired and -"

Spencer pursed her lips. "You also assumed I would feel comfortable with talking to Melissa," she interjected. A stricken expression washed over Toby's face before Spencer continued, "and you were right. We were actually on the way to your place to talk to you about something."

Toby was going to ask for elaboration, but realized that they were standing in the middle of an increasingly busy sidewalk. The trio ended up in the back corner of the coffee shop. Drinks were delivered - a large black coffee for Spencer, medium cappuccino for Melissa, and hot chocolate (with marshmallows and whipped cream, of course) for Toby. He eased back in his chair, observing the Hastings sisters' demeanors. Back razor straight, Spencer was obviously tense. Melissa? She just looked pissed. Toby hadn't known what possessed him to call Melissa. Maybe it was because Melissa was so different from - but also so similar to - Jenna. Both were exceptional liars and went to dangerous lengths to exact revenge on people who cross them in the wrong way. Their similarities ended there, though. Toby was able to sense that Melissa had an underlying compassion for those she loved. He knew that, despite often being a bully to Spencer, Melissa would sooner go to jail than let anyone else touch a hair on her little sister's head.

"So, what did you guys wanna talk about?" Toby asked, sipping his hot chocolate gingerly.

There was a moment of hesitation. Spencer's voice was nearly inaudible. "A sent me something. Two somethings, actually." Hearing the name (letter?) immediately put Toby on edge. He didn't open his mouth to speak, instead letting Spencer make her revelation. "The first was a box with a dress inside it. Not just any dress, Toby. The dress. From the night."

Icy blue eyes narrowed. Didn't Spencer banish that dress to the dumpster weeks ago?

"I know what you're thinking and I have no explanation as to how A got her hands on it," Spencer stated.

Melissa spoke now, her voice strong and matter-of-fact. "She's a fucking creep, that's how. And the other thing she sent is even more messed up."

Toby had no idea how anything could be more disturbing and traumatic than receiving that dress back, but he didn't have to wait long to find out. Spencer's phone was sitting in her outstretched hand. "Look at this," she said, face full of concern.

Hesitantly, Toby took the phone from his girlfriend's hand. The first thing he saw was the grainy photo of Spencer, his Spencer, trapped under the unknown scumbag. Fury sparked in his belly, coursed through his veins. "I am going to ki-"' Toby's threat went unfinished as his eyes took in the text below the photo. "'Take care of this, Spencer, or else I will'?" Toby looked from Spencer to Melissa. "What does this mean? You aren't in danger, are you?"

Melissa shook her head. "We think A wants us to turn the perv in. We have the dress, the photo-" She took a sip of her cappuccino before continuing. "And I'm thinking there might be more evidence A is withholding until she knows Spencer's for real about going to the cops."

"A being useful? Now that's a thought." Disdain saturated his words. "What do you suppose A will do if the cops are left out of the equation?"

It was Spencer who answered this time. "If A is involved, someone will get hurt. Or worse."

"I wouldn't have a problem seeing that guy get his. Hell, maybe I should ask A if I could help," Toby said coldly. It wasn't a lie; he truly and honestly wanted Spencer's rapist dead. A glance exchanged with Melissa seemed to suggest that the elder Hastings secretly felt the same.

Espresso eyes met blue. The conflicted look in Spencer's eyes told Toby that she had already contemplated the option.

Melissa looked as if she were about to say something when she was interrupted by a loud chirp. Spencer's phone. The trio exchanged nervous glances before Spencer reached out, eyes dropping to the screen. Her voice cracked as she read the text message. "'Tick tock, bitch. You've got one day to tell the cops before it's game on. And as you know by now, I don't play nice. Kisses, A."

Toby whipped his head around, surveying the coffee shop for any indication that A was watching them. He was getting seriously sick of the anonymous tormentor's shit. As much as he wanted A to take care of whoever it was that hurt his Spencer, Toby didn't trust that she or someone else wouldn't get injured in the process. "Spence, you can't give A control of the situation," he decided firmly. "You could get hurt."

Melissa nodded in agreement. "It's too risky."

"This isn't fair." Spencer looked as if she was about to cry. "I'm so sick of dealing with this!"

Toby wished he could shoulder the burden for her, but knew that Spencer had to be strong to get through this unscathed. He chose his next words very carefully. "With all due respect, Spence, you haven't really been dealing. With anything."

Spencer opened her mouth to protest and then shut it again. Abruptly, she rose to her feet. Toby caught the way her hand gripped the back of the chair tightly, as if to prevent her from collapsing. He made a mental note to check on her during lunch to make sure she was eating.

Frowning, Melissa asked Spencer where she was going.

"When one of us gets involved with A, all of us get involved," Spencer replied, eerily matter-of-fact. "The girls need to know what is happening."

Toby cleared his throat. He didn't like the tone of Spencer's voice. It was ominous, like dark clouds in a rainless sky. Watching Spencer as she left the shop, Toby was suffocated by a sense of impending danger.

"Maybe this will be over sooner than we thought," Melissa commented quietly.

Toby's face was stone. "Or maybe it's only the beginning."

xx

A/N: I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. What do you think Spencer is going to do next?