Title:Things Are Not What They Seem.
Show:Pretty Little Liars.
Pairing:Aria/Hannah, Emily/? and many others.
Rating. K
Summary: This is a femslash story. It's about all the girls in PLL. I used the events of the first few episodes as a starting point, but after that the story goes off on its own. Emily is also a big part of the story, but as of yet I haven't decided on who she will end up with, but that's all part of the process. Hopefully you will enjoy how it all turns out.
Disclaimer:I don't own anything. The characters belong to Sara Shepard and ABC Family.
Rosewood Mall.
Hannah waited outside the mall entrance, one eye on her cell phone and the other on her watch, wondering what was taking Aria so long. She cringed when she got another message from A, this time it wasn't a warning about eating too much, "It seems to be catching on now, first Emily and Maya and now you and Aria. If only you would've been able to get Aria to join us last summer, life would've been so much better. I hope you don't mind sharing her with your teacher, because that's who she really loves. You're just a distraction, like you always are, never the prize."
Aria walked up to Hannah and gave her a hug, but pulled back when she felt Hannah stiffen up, "What's wrong?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hannah asked angrily, looking down at the short, but cute brunette, "What's up with you and Mr. Fitz."
Silence and a massively guilty look answered the question before Aria could even speak. As Hannah stormed off she chased after the angry blonde, finally catching up to her before she could put her keys into her car door, "Would you wait. Let me explain."
"I don't want to hear it. We swore we would never leave each other for a guy and you're screwing around with the teacher?" Hannah said in a huff, "I have nothing more to say to you."
Aria grabbed the keys from Hannah's hand and slid them down her top, "We aren't going anywhere until I explain." She walked in front of Hannah's fancy sports car, hopped up on the hood and looked over at her girlfriend, "Okay, I know this looks bad, but I was going to tell you about it today."
"That is the worst lie I've ever heard." Hannah said with an annoyed laugh, "Just what did you do with him?"
"I met him before classes started and sure he was kind of cute and I knew he was older, but he seemed interested in me. Not like the boys in school, he seemed real. He made feel good about myself and I don't know how it happened, but I ended up kissing him in the bathroom okay." Aria confessed, "I know I should've told you as soon it happened, but all happened so fast."
Hannah let out a sigh, eased up on her anger and walked up to Aria, "Oh well in that case, it's okay. NOT!" she fumbled with her keys trying to get her car door open, but she couldn't get her hands to stop shaking long enough to put the key in the door. As her anger grew she stomped her feet and spun around towards the short brunette, "I can't believe this. I know we agreed that what we were doing was just for fun, but I don't think I can do that anymore. I don't know why, but I care about you way too much and seeing how you are more interested some old guy just made me see how I stupid I was to think you felt the same way. Of course you are just doing this for the sex. You've always wondered what Emily and Alison did together and I was just the easiest way to find out."
"That's not true at all." Aria denied vigorously, "I'm sorry, I didn't plan on this happening. It's over now. He's gone."
"I see, so that means you're stuck with me again huh? Think again. We're done." Hannah yelled, not sure whether to laugh or cry, "We might be stuck together because of Alison, but we are no longer friends."
"Hannah." Aria yelled as she watched Hannah get into her car and slam the door behind her. She pounded on the driver's side window trying to get her attention, but to no avail as she tore out of the busy mall in a flash.
Emily Fields' Home.
Emily sat at her computer, flipping through her swimming schedule, hoping none of it interfered with her plans with Maya. She hadn't thought of anything but her enticing new neighbor since she first laid eyes on her. When her phone began to ring, she rolled back in her chair, grabbed it from her bed and smiled as Maya's named popped up, "Hi there."
"Hi. I was hoping we could talk a bit. I'm at my place if you can make it."
"Sure. I'll be right over." Emily said with an excited smile. She thought about grabbing a light jacket, but looked down at her short skirt and top and decided she looked better without it. She rushed downstairs and out of the house without so much as a word to her mother. She stopped to catch her breath before she rang Maya's doorbell.
Maya answered wearing a bikini top and jean shorts, smiling as she waved Emily inside. After she closed the door, she led the way upstairs, knowing Emily would be watching every step she took and hoping she enjoyed the view.
Once upstairs, Maya led the way to her bedroom and again waved Emily inside. She waited for Emily to sit down on her bed and happily joined her, "I feel kind of silly asking you here now, because what I wanted to talk about sounded a lot easier in my head." Maya walked over to her window, took a quick look out at the clear sunny sky and then turned back to Emily, "I like you and last night was really amazing, I don't even remember the movie at all, but I sure do remember how much fun it was kissing you all night. That's why this is so hard. I left out a bit of information when I first met you because I didn't think it was important at the time, but now that things have moved so fast for us in the last few days I think it's time to tell you."
"Tell me what?"
"I don't want you to hate me, but I have a girlfriend." Maya said softly, almost afraid to say the words. She watched in horror as Emily stared at her with disbelief and disgust, finally moving towards her again to plead her case, "I know I should've said something when we met, but I had no idea I would feel this away about you."
"You aren't joking are you?" Emily asked, not sure whether to laugh or cry, "As bad a joke as this would be, the truth is so much worse. What kind of person does that? Who is she? Where is she?"
"It's not as bad as it sounds. Honestly." Maya explained swiftly, not enjoying making Emily unhappy, "We promised to keep in touch when I moved and we were going to have a long distance relationship, but you know those don't work. I'm never going back home and I think she knows it, but we didn't want to say goodbye, so this is what we did. I haven't talked to her in a week, because she's probably moved on just like I have." Maya let out a sigh as Emily's cold exterior hadn't cracked even a little, "Okay, I know you're mad, but what I feel for you right now is real. Please don't let this technicality ruin what we have. That's all it is. I'm not with her. We haven't been together for a month now and we've talked like twice on the phone, both times in the first few days after I left. We've talked only through email lately and like I said, it's been a week now, so I'm sure she's moved on."
"You don't know that. She could be planning a trip to come see you for all you know. If you don't end this then you'll never know. I'm not spending another minute with you until you take care of this." Emily got up from the bed and walked towards the bedroom door, stopping to glare at Maya one last time, "Even then I don't know if I can trust you."
"Emily, don't say that." Maya followed Emily out the door, stopping her at the top of the stairs, "I'm not giving up on us. I will take care of this and then we can continue on from where we left off last night. Don't forget about how good last night was. Let me show you that you are the only one I want to be with. Please?"
Emily held in her smile as she stared at Maya's cute little plea, "I'm not promising anything, but I look forward to hearing from you once you've taken care of this."
"That's all I ask." Maya said with a relieved smile.
After an awkward silence, Emily looked down at her watch, "Well, I have to go anyway. I'm meeting my friends later on."
"You sure are close with those girls." Maya said, sounding more jealous than she intended. She quickly put on a smile and changed her tune, "I guess you've been through a lot together, so I'm glad you have them to talk to about all this."
"Hopefully in time I'll be able to talk to you about all these things to." Emily said with a slight smile as she walked out the front door.
Spencer's bedroom.
Spencer flipped through her photo album, smiling and tearing up at the countless pictures of Alison and the others together, having a blast, looking so happy and normal, never would anyone guess the secrets her four friends were keeping.
Melissa knocked on the door and stepped into the bedroom, looking surprisingly somber for a change, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened to Alison. I know you two were very close. You did a great job at the memorial."
"What's with the pretend caring?" Spencer said, not holding back her sarcasm or dislike for her older sister.
"I'm trying to be nice here." Melissa said, doing her best to smile as she moved towards her sister, "You just got home from a funeral, believe it or not I still love you and hate that you have to go through this."
"Okay, I'm sorry, but you don't have to be nice. I'm fine. I've got my friends to help get me through this." Spencer said, "You don't have to strain yourself trying to play the caring sister anymore."
"I guess I can't be surprised that you're so angry, but there are times when you have to let your guard down and let people help you, even those you might not like all the time." Melissa walked over and stood beside her sister, "I saw the way you all reacted when Jenna got up to speak, is there something going on between you guys?"
"No. Everything's fine." Spencer said, trying her best to smile and act calm.
"I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I've spent a lot of time with Jenna over the last year and she's shared some very interesting things about you and your friends, especially you and Alison."
Spencer got up from her computer chair and walked past her sister, her mind racing in a million different directions, "I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't spend much time with Jenna at all so I doubt she knows anything about us."
"Well, from what she told me, she did spend time with Alison, apparently Alison liked to spend time with as many different girls as she could." Melissa followed Spencer over to the window and leaned over her shoulder, "I know it's none of my business, but were you one of Alison's conquests?"
Spinning around in a flash, Spencer shook her head, "Why are you asking this? I thought you were here to pretend to be supportive? I guess I knew that was a lie all along."
"I'm not lying, but don't you see how this looks? I might be friends with Jenna, but you are my sister and I care about you way more than I might show." Melissa put her hands on Spencer's shoulders and looked her right in the eye, "Jenna is convinced that you killed Alison. Please tell me she's wrong."
"Of course she's wrong. Why would you have to ask me?" Spencer snapped, once again pulling away from her sister.
"You have no idea what Jenna knows about you and your friends." Melissa said as she watched Spencer pace back and forth in front of her, "It seems Alison confided in her about every little thing you did together. I mean everything. Maybe you didn't know Alison as well as you thought."
"That's ridiculous. Alison wouldn't do that." Spencer said, wanting so much to believe this was all a bad dream, "Sure she could be a bitch at times, well most of the time really, but she never did anything to hurt or betray us."
"Well, Jenna said that she spent a lot of time with Alison in the hospital after the accident and I guess Alison was consumed with guilt and Jenna ended up getting her to spill the beans about everything."
"I can't believe this. It can't be true."
"You need to stop living in denial and get a grip on what this means." Melissa led Spencer over to her bed at sat her down and stood in front of her, "After watching your reaction to all this, I have to believe that everything Jenna told me about you and your friends is true. I don't think you're evil or anything like that, but you let Alison talk you into a lot of things that you probably wouldn't have done on your own."
"What things would they be?"
"How about being responsible for Jenna's blindness?" Melissa said firmly, crossing her arms across her chest in an attempt to look serious.
Spencer hung her head, closed her eyes and wondered what else could go wrong, "Oh god, I can't believe she told Jenna and I really can't believe Jenna told you. Why would she do that? I'm starting to believe she's the one responsible…"
"Responsible for what? You think she killed Alison?"
"I'm not saying a thing. Since you are such close friends with her you'd probably run and tell her everything." Spencer got up from her bed and pulled Melissa by the arm towards her bedroom door, "Here's what I want you to do, get the hell out of my room."
"I'm just trying to help. If you or one of your friends is in trouble I can help. Don't push me away." Melissa said as Spencer guided her rather aggressively out of her room, "My loyalty is to you not Jenna, one day you're going to realize that no matter how much we fight we're still family and I will always try and protect you."
Spencer slammed the door and rushed back over to her computer. She pulled up the file labeled "Alison" and began sifting through the countless pictures until she came across the one she was looking for. She double clicked the picture and sat back in her chair, shaking her head at what she'd never noticed before. She got up, grabbed her cell phone and quickly placed another SOS call to Aria, Hanna and Emily, before falling back in her bed wondering if her life was about to get even more complicated.
End of Chapter 1.