The Departed

The City That Never Sleeps

"What do you mean you sold the house?" Aria asks as her and Spencer walk into the Loft.

"I felt it was right, Aria. Besides, it was too big for just me." Spencer replies before ordering an iced coffee.

"That was a big decision, Spence. I'm proud of you, but where are you going to live?" Aria says as she hands the barista money.

"That's exactly why I brought you here. Toby and I have been thinking a lot lately and-" Spencer pauses to take a seat on the couch.

Aria laughs and shrugs her shoulders.
"What is it? You can't just stop mid sentence!"

"After graduation Toby and I are going to move in together." Spencer squeals.

Aria almost spits out her coffee.

"What? Spencer that's- that's awesome! But graduation is in less than a month!"

"I know! We thought the sooner the better!!" Spencer exclaims before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Aria asks.

"Ready for what?" Hanna asks as she grabs a seat beside Aria.

"Spencer and Toby are moving in together after graduation." Aria spits out.

"Shut. Up." Hanna says as she shoots Spencer a look. "That's amazing!! I'm so happy for you, Spence!!"

"Toby and I are going to live in my parents' penthouse in New York. They left it for me, and I've always wanted to go to New York."

"New York?" Aria and Hanna both scream.

Spencer nods her head.

"Look guys," Spencer says as she places her coffee down on the table. "Ever since the accident I've wanted to leave Rosewood, and nows my chance to start over! Besides, you girls are always welcome to visit Toby and I in New York! You're always welcome."

Aria grabs reaches across and squeezes Spencer hands.

"We'll always support you, Spencer. Even if it does mean leaving us for the Big Apple," she pauses and smiles.

"Besides, I've always wanted to go to New York Fashion Week."

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
One Month Later...

"That's the last box." Toby says as he loads the last box into the trailer.

Spencer is standing at the end of the driveway, her arms crossed in front of her, glancing at her childhood home for the last time.

"Come on, babe. It's time to go." Toby says as he plants a kiss on Spencer's head.

"Just a minute," Spencer says as she reaches for Toby's hand.

Spencer closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"I'm ready." She says with a smile as she opens her eyes.

Toby squeezes her hand and helps her into the truck.

Toby hops in the truck, turns it on and puts it in drive. Leaving the old Hastings house in the rear view mirror.

Toby glances over at Spencer who's leaning her head against the window.

"You alright, Spencer?"

Spencer sits up and looks at Toby.

"I'm fine, I just pictured moving out of my parents' house to be a lot different."

Toby grabs Spencer's hand and entwines it with his.

"Why don't we lightened up the mood and put on some music!" Toby says as he turns on the radio.

"Oh no, you're not turning on your country music, Toby. We're going to listen to something more relaxing." Spencer says as she flips the station.

"Spencer! Classical music is not relaxing!" Toby says as he flips the channel back.

"How about we make a compromise? Let's listen to pop." Spencer says as she flips it to different station.

Toby laughs and shakes head.

"I still think county music is the best."

"Just drive." Spencer says with a laugh.

Three Hours Later...

"Well, this is it," Toby says as he puts the truck in park. "This is our new home."

Spencer opens up the passenger door and looks up in awe at their new home. Sure they're sharing the same building with hundreds of other people, but it was a place where both Spencer and Toby could call home.

Toby locks the truck and leads Spencer into the lobby.

"Ah, you must be Miss Spencer Hastings, I'm so sorry for your loss." The receptionist says as he hands Spencer the key to their new apartment.

"Thank you."

"If there's anything you need please don't hesitate to ask." He says with a small smile.

"Thank you, we absolutely will." Spencer says as they make their way over to the elevator.

The doors open and the couple hops in.

"What floor are we on?" Toby asks before pushing a button.

"Our key says '3023'...so the 30th?"

Toby pushes the 30th button but nothing happens.

Spencer hands Toby the key.

"Try using the key." Spencer says pointing towards the keyhole.

Toby inserts the key and tries pushing the button again. It illuminates and the elevator starts moving.

The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open to reveal their furnished penthouse.

"Wow," Spencer says as she steps off the elevator. "I can't believe my parents never told me about this place!"

Spencer makes her way towards one of the many windows and glances over New York City.

"You can see Times Square from here!" Spencer exclaims.

"We should go shopping after we bring up all our boxes." Toby states.

"Actually, I was thinking about going to take a nap," Spencer says with a yawn. "We can deal with the boxes tomorrow."

Toby laughs as he follows Spencer to the bedroom. "We now live in the 'City that Never Sleeps,' and the first thing you want to do is nap?"

"Pretty much." Spencer says as she crawls under the fresh linen.

Toby shakes his head but joins Spencer, wrapping his body around hers, pulling her in close.