A/N: Here we go! First and foremost, thank you for giving me a much needed brief hiatus between More Like Her and this story. I am really looking forward to delving into these characters once again and putting each of them in a much different position than during the last story.

For anyone who hasn't read More Like Her, I would recommend going to read it first as this is a sequel, but I am also going to try to make it as much of its own story as I can!

As always, read, review, favorite, and pass along! Love you all and can't wait to get this second adventure started! Here is: Turn Your Face.

Chapter Title Song: All Too Well - Taylor Swift

May 13, 2023

I've always been partial to sunsets. From the way the sky appears to go on forever until you can see the light curve on the edges of the Earth, to the sparkle of the pinks and yellows that fade just below the horizon, sunsets have always had a way of both mystifying me and bringing me back to reality. None of these compared to the way the light shaped Emily's face through my windshield though, a slight shadow covering her eyes while her jawline and delicately plump lips had a slight hint of light accentuating them. Her eyes were closed beside me as we continued making our way across the Midwest back to Rosewood.

Life had continued rather swiftly from the time Emily and I restarted our relationship. Even with the usual struggles that take place, there was no one else I could ever imagine creating these memories with. She revolutionized the way I looked at myself and the way I could love another person. She took a heart that was so bruised and tattered, and spent the past few years piecing it back together with every dose of kindness she could manage to find. Compared to high school though, college had been far easier to deal with... at least up to this point.

The end of Junior year had brought us to a crossroads so for the first time in our 3 years at college, Emily and I had packed up an entire car full to travel back for the summer. Usually, instead of the 10-hour trek back home, Emily and I could easily place our things in storage and fly home from Chicago in just over an hour. Considering that this time around that wasn't an option, and as we had made the long trip only twice since we started college, my brain had no choice but to wander back to us leaving in this same packed car 3 years earlier.

Leaving entirely too early on a Wednesday could only be Emily's idea. Despite our move-in dates not being until Friday, Emily insisted on leaving two days early for our ten-hour drive. Hoping to save myself as much time as possible, I packed up my half of the car the night before so that I could roll out of bed and go straight to Emily's.

Mr. Fields was already on the front lawn as I rounded the corner which caused him to quickly turn back toward his house to run up the stairs and get Emily and Mrs. Fields. Just as I was leaning into the back seat to rearrange everything from the night before, I felt a pair of arms slink their way around my waist.

"Hey there," Emily whispered in my ear.

I maneuvered my way out from inside the car as I spun around in her arms, "Hey yourself! Are you ready babe?" I replied as Emily placed her lips on my forehead nodding. I linked my hand in hers as I closed the back door to walk over to the Fields'. "Mr. and Mrs. Fields, thank you so much for trusting me to get Em to school safely. I can only imagine how hard it would be to say goodbye right now..."

"Alison, if anything we should be thanking you. With me shipping back off to Texas tomorrow and Pam not really enjoying flying alone at all, you are a lifesaver." Mr. Fields replied.

"Yeah, Ali, we really do appreciate it." Mrs. Fields continued, pulling me in for a hug.

The past year and a half had brought the Fields family and me closer. Despite the falling out between Emily and her mom, as time passed and it was increasingly apparent that Emily and I were staying together long-term, our relationship became easier to accept. In the few times I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Fields when he was back from deployment, he had taken me under his wing. In my opinion, this was mostly due to my father having limited to no contact with me, and Mr. Fields always having a strong desire to ensure that I knew I had people to take care of me, even if somehow Emily and I broke up. But for me, Mr. Fields was the only source of guidance I had over the past year. Of course, I still had Jason, but with the passing of my mom 3 years ago, the Fields' were all I had left. In fact, last night before packing up everything into the early morning hours, I spent a majority of the evening saying goodbye to them over a Fields' Family Tuesday dinner.

"Thank you, Alison. For everything." Mrs. Fields remarked as she pulled away from our hug.

Emily and I switched hugging partners as her father opened her arms for me. With his arms wrapped around me, he talked into my ear, "Take care of yourself, Alison, and please take care of my little girl. She is in the most capable hands and I trust that you will protect her just as I would if I were there,." Pulling away from our hug, his hands held me an arm's length away, "And never forget everything we talked about, okay?"

I nodded as I wiped underneath my eyes to prevent any tears from falling while glancing towards Emily, immediately noting the confusion in her eyes. "Thanks, you guys." I held Emily's hand tightly in my own as my hands covered hers on both sides. "We'll see you at Thanksgiving."

"And Alison, feel free to stay with us over Thanksgiving, dear. I'm sure that the renters will still be there, right?"

"Yes ma'am. I know that Jason will be checking in on the house frequently, but it would be extremely helpful if you could drive by every so often, Mrs. Fields?"

"Of course. Don't even worry about it."

"Thanks so much." I finished, as I politely waved goodbye walking towards the driver's side of the car.

I watched as Emily hugged each of them goodbye once more. Mrs. Fields fought back the tears as Emily wiped away tears of her own. Opening the car door though, she had a hint of a smile on her lips.

"How are you doing, Em?"

"I'm… I'm okay." She took a deep breath before lacing her hand in mine once more.

I picked her hand up and placed my lips on the back of it while looking over at her, "Don't worry, babe. I'm right here."

I started pulling out of the driveway as Emily continued the conversation, "No, I know. I'm going to be fine. It's just a lot, leaving my mom here alone."

"Hey there. She won't be. Your dad is going to come back more frequently now and Aria's going to school nearby. You know she's already said that she will go to dinner with her monthly. Oh, and there's also Hanna. She may be in New York, but she will take care of her any time she needs anything. Also, I've already set up Jason taking care of her yard for her so that it's just one less thing for her to take care of. And Em, don't forget…"

"Babe? I get it. You've done more than enough for my mom to make sure she's taken care of, and Al, I'm so, so grateful. You are thoroughly amazing. It's just the first time I've left her. It's surreal, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." I rubbed the outside of her hand with my thumb. "But you're going to get through it. Of course, it'll be rough at first, but you'll talk to her every day, and I'll be around if you ever need me."

The ride to Chicago continued with every conversation under the sun as we slowly made our way through the Midwest. With all our relationship had been through over the past 3 years: the drama of our first relationship, to the ups and downs that come with any relationship during Senior Year, both of us were incredibly excited to be moving out of Rosewood to give ourselves a much-needed boost.

When move-in day approached, I drove up to the curbside after unpacking Emily in her dorm. Emily looked at me nervously before leaning over to kiss me. "You know I love you, right?"

"Why would you even ask that, beautiful? I love you with everything I have, and now we get to start this new amazing adventure. Why are you worried?"

"It's just different. I just don't want this to change, okay?"

"Now, Em, things may change, but this won't. I will be here forever. I love you. More and more."

"More and more. Still on for our date Sunday?"

I nodded as I pulled her in for a kiss one more time before she stepped out of my car.

"Call me when you get to Loyola, okay Al?"

"Yeah, I'll let you know as soon as I'm all moved in, babe."

And with that, I drove out of the University of Chicago parking lot making my way close to an hour up the coastline of Lake Michigan to the place I would call home for the next four years. Despite the tears falling down my face, it was what we needed and I knew that Emily and I could only grow stronger because of it. I hoped beyond all hopes that we would.

Our lives were intertwined just as tightly as my hand around hers lying across her lap. Though time always manages to tick slowly while experiencing it, it was nearly impossible for me to believe that Emily had been by my side for over four years. I lacked the capability of understanding how her grace and patience had somehow been won over by my stubbornness. I still struggled to comprehend how a time of such tragedy could have led us right back into each other's arms. I hesitated to go back as far as five years ago because I knew the personas we took on during our last loss, and it wasn't pretty for either of us.

I went from overeager and loving to shut down and reserved, while Emily went from protective and self-assured to possessive and self-destructive. The loss of a parent has a way of reversing everything you've known about yourself because every piece of yourself that you know was shaped by the family member you'll never see again. It causes you to dig back through every recollection you've ever attempted to throw away because memories that were once painful are now some of the only doses of them you may ever remember again.

As much as I hesitated to relive the amount that I felt alone, I had to put myself back into those shoes. It was the only way we were going to get through this. I looked over at the woman I couldn't help but love and struggled to breathe before tears began escaping my eyes. Despite the light suiting her face perfectly, it would be wrong of me to neglect that her lips were still in a frown, that her eyes leaked a trail of mascara curving just under her cheek, and that trapped beneath our clasped hands was a tissue drenched in her tears. I had to put myself back into those shoes because even though the roles were now reversed, I couldn't help but remember that loss has a way of being inescapable. Awake or asleep, loss finds you time and time again.

No matter how crushed I was, I couldn't dwell in the memories and sorrow that this loss dredged up. I had to stay strong. All I could do was remember our late night conversations. All I could do was remember our last talk two, short months ago. As much as I wanted to do and be everything for Emily that wasn't provided to me when my mom passed, all I could do was keep the promise I made over three years ago in their driveway. Regardless of what I wanted, the only thing I needed to do right now was to take care of his little girl.

A/N: 1st chapter officially done! I will be updating hopefully at least once a week, but will always give markers for when I believe the next chapter will be up at the end of each chapter.

Of course, as with any new story, don't forget to leave a review just so that I can be reassured that I'm on the right track. :)

I love you all and expect the next chapter to be out early next week (Mon-Tues)! Bye.

-secretpen28