Emily's POV:
Being back here, in this town, after so many years is kind of eerie. All of the bad shit that happened to us, going off to college stopped it all. Everyone split up... as far as I know no one kept in touch, at least I didn't. I needed to put as much distance between me and all the crap I went through in this town, and the other girls... they were just walking reminders of everything wrong with the world we live in. Charles, A, whatever he would want to go by, has been radio silent for 4 years. I thought it would be safe to come back, see mom and dad, stroll down memory lane... because not all of my memories were bad.
Before we left, before I lost touch, we all agreed to come back to town after we graduated and meet up. I understand now how my dad feels about the soldiers he served in the army with, when you go through traumatic shit like we did, the people that are left standing are like another limb. When you loose something like that most people suffer from phantom limb syndrome, it'll be nice to finally feel my legs again.
When I got the chance to go, I took it, I went as far as I could before I hit the ocean. I took out loans, applied for grants, used my dad's GI money, I didn't care, I had to get out before I ended up dead. It took a year to get my shoulder back into shape, and I walked onto UCLA's swim team. The next year I was breaking records so fast they gave me a full ride. For 4 years I knew what it felt like to be just a normal college kid, not having to worry if I was going to be framed for murder the next day, I dated girls because I didn't have to lie to them or jump at every text message.
It was an amazing feeling, to be a normal person again... fifteen minutes into my visit home and I already feel myself looking over my shoulder, keeping my eyes peeled for a car to run a red light and try to mow me over. As I walk down the main road, past the Brew and the Grill I inhaled all the smells that I've missed for the past 4 years. But I didn't have time to roam aimlessly, I was supposed to meet mom and dad at the house. I haven't seen them much over the last few years because I refused to come home so they were the ones always coming to visit me.
As I walk through my neighborhood I pass Toby's house. His parents had moved off after the explosion and left him what was left of the house, last thing I heard before I left was that he was still a cop, and was definitely not following Spencer to Oxford. He must have decided to rebuild it. As I passed his house, he was walking out the door. He spotted me before I could hide, which is stupid of me, I don't know why my instinct was to hide from one of my friends.
"Hey Emily!" Toby grinned in a boyish way, which is kind of new for him. I'm glad glad he is happy though, maybe that means A has decided to retire from torturing any of us. "Toby," I say as I squeeze him back. "How long have you been back in town?" he asked me as we separated. As I take a closer look at him I realize that being a cop, and out of the drama that followed him around since Alison came into his life looks like it has done him a lot of good. "I just got here, thought I'd take a walk through town, it's been so long since I've been back here," I suddenly noticed that he was in his uniform, "Oh I'm sorry, you were probably on your way to work. We should go get a cup of coffee later. Catch up."
He looked like he wanted to ask me something but I didn't push it, it was probably about Spencer, and he probably knew more about her than I did at this point. He just smiled at me, "Yeah we should do that," as he headed off to the squad car parked in front of his house.
I finished the walk to my parents house which was only a few feet away. I paused outside of the door for a second taking in the surroundings. My parents didn't know I was coming, I was hoping for it to be a surprise. I really wanted to make my first time home special, but if I had told them I was coming home they would have planned the whole night, and my night needs to be clear to meet the girls.
Spencer's POV:
I don't know how many cups of coffee I've had since I stepped off the plane, you have know idea how good a cup of black coffee is when you spent pretty much the past 4 years sipping tea. I did the whole shebang, when I left I totally immersed myself into British culture, and if I thought kicking pills was hard, I had never even tried to stop drinking coffee? It's insane.
The Brew was the only place to get good coffee in this little town of ours. So naturally that is where I was. I sat at the table right in front of the window while I read through my practice LSAT book. It was a sunny summer day in Pennsylvania and I was finally home. After the whole thing with Mona, and Alison's trial I needed to get away, I practically exiled myself to England. I had left Toby because after that whole ordeal I just couldn't look at him anymore. No matter how much I love that boy... lovED that boy, every time I looked at him all I saw was the hell we went through for 3 years.
Wren was still in England, he was a surgeon in one of London's best surgical hospitals, he didn't have the time to come back with me. After I left I bumped into Wren at a tea house in London. He used one of our memories to pick me up.
Flashback:
"Spencer? Spencer Hastings?" Wren had the biggest grin on his goofy face.
"Oh my god! What the hell are you doing here?" I ask him as I stood up to hug him.
"I was born here... if anyone is supposed to be here it's probably me." He stepped back to look at me, his hands still holding onto my shoulders. "You can't tell me this is not fate, running into you like this." His accent was always so addicting.
"You're not the only person in London you know," I smirked at him. I loved our banter, and I had missed him after he just disappeared off the planet.
"True, but we are not longer in a small town Spencer, I think it's fair to say the God's must love us."
End Flashback:
I smiled a little remembering the guy I left standing at the edge of a huge cliff. We had gotten... comfortable in our lives. I wasn't ready for that, I'm only 22, I shouldn't be comfortable in anything, love should be so powerful that it feels like it's ripping every part of me in different directions, it should be epic. Or maybe that's just what I'm used too.
Almost as if on cue I looked up in time to see Toby walking down the street. My breath caught in my throat. Watching him walk in his uniform. I couldn't decide whether I should just sit in my chair and hope he doesn't notice me, or if I should run after him.
Before I had even made the decision in my head, my body had lifted itself out of the chair. It was almost like an out of body experience as I watched myself walk out of the Brew, "Toby..." I said loud enough that I knew he would hear but not loud enough to draw attention. There was a shakiness in my voice I had forgotten. He stopped dead in his tracks as he turned his head to look at me. I got lost, I'm a decent swimmer, but in those amazing eyes it felt like I was drowning. "Toby..." my words drifted off as I tried to decide what to do next.
I didn't have to decide because he started walking towards me. It was a slow walk, I almost wanted to ask if he was being dramatic on purpose, but then I figured it was probably just all in my head. He couldn't still care that much, not after what I did. "Spencer Hastings, the prodigal returns," with a half smile on his face. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be nice or if it just hurt him too much to actually smile.
When I pulled away from the hug I forced him into, our eyes locked for what seemed like a century, and that's when I felt it, I felt my heart being pulled in every direction... this is the feelings I'd been searching for.
Alison's POV:
After being forced on the run for two years I definitely learned how to appreciate the shit I have in the moment, because things could be gone in an instant. I learned that the hard way, and so now I never hide anything, or at least in New York I never hid anything... as I pass the sign that read Welcome to Rosewood I felt every little insecurity come back with a vengeance. This was the place where I had made every mistake possible... New York had been my escape, it had been my sanctuary. I had felt safe in such a big place, but now that I'm entering the town that held all of my deep dark secrets, I feel the weight of every single one crushing my soul.
"Are you okay Ali?" the blond in my passenger seat broke me out of my own head. I signed, "I'm okay Hannah... I'm not ready for this but I'm okay." Me and Hannah didn't always have the best relationship but eventually we had to learn how to deal with each other at NYU. She was a fashion major and I went into interior design. We didn't exactly see much of each other until the company I was interning for was designing the set for the fashion show she was working on.
She couldn't exactly hate me when we were spending every moment together for a month. I've changed a lot since high school. When I got to college I decided that it would be different. So I never told a lie, even if the truth hurt, I realized being an honest bitch was much better than being a conniving liar. It was so much simpler, and after everything that happened, simple was an amazing feeling.
"So what are we doing first? Do you wanna stop by your moms house? Let her know we got here safely?" I asked Hannah but she was staring out of the window. "Are you okay Hannah?" I asked her as I put on hand on her shoulder. We had grown close again, it was nice to know we weren't alone in the big city.
"What are we doing Ali? Why the fuck are we coming back here? We have been in the clear for 4 years, I mean how stupid do we have to be to give A another crack at us. We almost lost everything last time." Hannah wasn't scared like most of us, she was angry. She was angry at the world, at God, at the justice system, for a long time I didn't really recognize the girl. She came around eventually, but it hasn't gone away really.
"Don't you want to see everybody? I mean we are all coming back. Spencer, Aria..." I trailed off, if I said her name I knew I would get butterflies in my stomach and probably kill us both in a wreck. Hannah seemed to notice my silence but didn't comment on it, Emily was a non subject with us. If I had wanted any chance of a life, I had to lock Emily up in a tiny little box at the back of my head. The thought of the brunette that I was going to see tonight... I felt every hair on my body stand up, water welled in my eyes to the point where I could barely see the road... this is why Emily was never allowed out of her box, I completely broke down at the thought of her.
"Ali! Get yourself together! Fuck it's been four years and many many many other people since then. You got this, it was just high school. We can handle seeing them for a week or two. Pull your shit together," she coached me every time I got like this. Like I was one of her runway models that needed to be kicked into gear.
"You know, yelling used to be my job," I say elbowing her playfully. As I saw her smile out of the corner of my eyes. I was a bitch back then, but I really did everything I thought of to protect them, in a screwed up way of course.
"Yes well, you went off to college and got all healed and evolved... I went to college and just became the bitch I was always meant to be. So you've changed Ali, if I can see it, I know the others will. Everything will be fine, and if it's not, there isn't much the five of us can't deal with."
Aria's POV:
If I don't get out of here soon I'm going to miss the meeting with the girls. I ran through the house like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find my keys. As I ran my fingers through my hair I felt a steadying hand on my shoulder, "Are you looking for these?" that voice still made my heart skip a beat. The love of my life, my high school teacher, my husband, the father of my unborn child... Ezra. (Mental note 'Tell Ezra he's going to be a daddy'.)
"You are my hero, did you know that?" I turned around to be swept up in his arms. I can't believe this actually worked out. After A, after the book, after the prison incident, after many sleepless nights at the college paper, we made it. He was a professor and a writer, and I was on my way to being a journalist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
"People normally let their hero protect them Aria. I mean that town is not exactly known for being a safe haven for you," he was so genuinely concerned. He was going to make an amazing father. And this time the kid will actually be his.
"I don't need protection. A is gone, he has to be. And it's not like we are moving there, it's just a couple of weeks. Don't worry so much baby, you'll get wrinkles." I said as I rocked onto my tip toes to place a soft gentle kiss on his lips.
I slowly made my way to the door as I gave him one last kiss I grinned widely, "I get to see my best friends after 4 years Ezra, I don't have any room to be scared. All my emotion is focused on happy thoughts." I turned and made my way down the street to my car. It's all going to be okay. It has to be.
He called after me, "Don't forget to ask them about the wedding!"
Emily's POV:
Of course we would decide to meet in the middle of the night. I guess some things never change; once you get used to secret meetings, and violent threats, the habit of hiding never really goes away. As I sit here, at this almost sacred place, I look around noticing that I'm still alone. What if they don't come, what if they all forgot... what if she forgot. At that thought I could literally feel a knife slicing a piece of my heart. I stood up because if nothing else, I was going to pace back and forth ready to run if anything happened.
I changed clothes five times before I settled on the outfit I was wearing, which is kind of absurd because it is the most simple outfit anyone could ever own. White shirt and blue jean shorts that were honestly a little to short, but whatever.
I hear a crack in the woods and I freeze. I can't be sure if it's the girls or if it's something much worse. My mind automatically goes to the bad place, it's always better to be over prepared when the worst possible thing happens.
"Emily?" I hear a voice come out of the darkness. A voice I recognize and I automatically relax as Aria steps out of the shadows. We both smiled at each other as the smaller girl squealed and jumped into my arms. I spun her around and we fell back into the little kids we used to be giggling at the site of each other.
"Aria! How have you been? Where are the others?" I asked her as I set her back down. She was still holding my hand. I chuckled a little, "It's so good to see you. Four years is an extremely long time."
"What I don't get swept up in a princess twirl?" Spencer's voice interrupted us as she also stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the clearing. I had missed her sarcasm. I grinned as I hugged her tightly.
"No just because you live in a country that actually has a princess doesn't mean you get to be one," I said jokingly as we untangled ourselves. She playfully pushed me and we all laughed. Our laughter was interrupted by rustling deeper in the forest.
I heard whispering and what sounded like hushed motivation. I knew it could only be the one person I'd been worried about seeing. As the two blondes stepped out of the tree line I had to place one hand on my stomach, desperately trying to calm to swarm building in my stomach. I didn't have a voice box to use and I think Aria picked up on that so she stepped in for me.
"Wow, I never expected to see the two of you come in together," she says as she wrapped one arm around each of them. "When did this happen?"
Hannah just shook her head. "It's a long story, but it does involve me getting to boss Ali around, so there's a plus," Hannah grinned mischievously but Alison pushed her over and she landed on the ground. "Rude bitch," Hannah said to Alison as she extended her hand to help Hannah up. "It's what you deserve sometimes," Ali said.
I noticed Ali was making a conscious effort to not look at me... and I don't know if I'm relieved or if I want to curl up into a ball. We all came together for a group hug. Me and Ali were on opposite sides and facing each other but as we all pulled each other closer she couldn't avoid my eyes and I couldn't avoid getting lost in the blue sea in front of me. I had to close my eyes to regain my footing.
We all giggled and hugged each other individually again. I had my legs back, I could feel them under me, I could move them again without any pain. It was an amazing feeling to have everyone here, but it was like stabbing myself in the gut over and over to look at Alison.
As we all sat around the kissing rock and told stories of what has happened in the last few years, our laughter was broken by 5 different ring tones going off at the same time...
We all looked at each other. It's impossible, it has to be impossible. We all reached for our phones and in a split second we turned into 15 year old girls again. "Welcome home ladies. Let the games begin, x.o.x.o. A"