Sleep didn't come easily to Emily Fields. It hadn't for years. A big part of that had to do with the fact that she had lived in constant fear since the beginning of her junior year, afraid of the anonymous individual stalking her, but her sleep problems had started before that. It had truly started around the time her best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, had disappeared in the middle of the night, turning up dead in her backyard a year later.

But the body in the backyard hadn't been Alison. No, Alison was certainly alive.

How did she know that?

Because Alison was sleeping beside her.

The first thing Emily noticed when she woke up that morning was how well-rested she felt. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so soundly, unafraid of -A coming into her bedroom and strangling her in the middle of the night.

The second thing she noticed was the girl whose bed she was sharing.

Emily opened her eyes, wincing as the rays of sunlight from the window hit her in the face, and looked down at Alison. Alison. And the memories from yesterday, particularly that night, came rushing back.

Alison returning to school. Alison apologizing to Paige, only for Paige to refuse that apology and make her cry. Alison confessing to having feelings for Emily, claiming that the kisses they had shared when they were younger hadn't just been practice to her. Alison coming over later, shaken by an encounter with Mona. Trying to sleep but being kept awake by the knowledge that her feelings for the blonde hadn't been one-sided, acting on her feelings and kissing her best friend again once the temptation had become too hard to resist. Having sex with Alison.

They had sex.

It seemed like more of an incredible dream than a reality to Emily. After all, who would have ever thought that Alison DiLaurentis would have sex with Emily Fields? When they were younger she had always been so perfectly unattainable to Emily. If Emily was lucky she got a few minutes of kissing when the two were alone, their kisses a mess of teeth and tongue, but without fail Alison would always pull away when she got bored, reminding Emily with a sneer that it was just practice. She liked boys.

Even though Alison had broken her heart in fifty different ways, Emily couldn't help but wonder how deeply Alison had been hurting herself.

They had school that morning, but Emily figured they had time for her to let Alison sleep a while longer. Plus, she really didn't want to leave this utopia she was in. She was terrified that the blonde would wake up and Old Ali would be back, disgusted that she had had sex with Emily. She was terrified that Alison would be humiliated and angry, demanding that Emily leave and never come back.

Old habits did die hard, after all.

So instead she contented herself with watching Alison. The girl's blonde hair was splayed across the pillow, her eyes closed in sleep. A gentle smile, one that never found its way onto Alison's face during the daytime, pulled at the corners of her lips.

Alison never smiled at all anymore.

Emily missed Alison, maybe even more than she had when she thought Alison was dead. At least back then she had her memories to console her, memories of the vibrant, beautiful girl who had stolen her heart at the tender age of 15 and never really given it back.

But what was she supposed to make of this girl whom she had brought back to Rosewood? This empty shell of a girl who was always looking over her shoulder, constantly afraid, never smiling? This girl who wouldn't open up to any of the girls about what she had experienced on the run, not even Emily?

Especially not Emily.

The brunette sighed, pushing the covers back to get out of bed and find some clothes, but a voice stopped her.

"Emily?"

She froze in her motions, turning to look at Alison. Her heart was beating madly in her chest, as if trying to escape before getting crushed again (and really, what did she think she was doing, sleeping with Alison? Had she learned nothing from what Alison had done to her in the past?) but to her relief, she saw no anger or regret in the other girl's eyes. Instead, Alison offered her a hesitant smile, small but genuine.

It was good to see her smile when she was awake.

"Good morning, Ali."

"Morning." Alison leaned back against the pillows, wrapping the blankets tightly around her slight frame. She nodded her head for Emily to join her and, even though she had been prepared to get up just moments prior, she did, lying down close but not too close to Alison.

"We had quite a night, didn't we?"

"We definitely did," Emily agreed.

(And Emily knew that, if a few kisses had managed to haunt her for years, she would never get over actually tasting Alison, hearing and watching her come because of her. The hottest thing in the world was hearing Alison DiLaurentis beg you to not stop.)

A strange look passed over Alison's face, and Emily couldn't quite pinpoint what it was- annoyance? Sadness? Anger? Before she could ask Alison carefully got out of the bed, disappearing into the closet.

"Ali? What's wrong?" Emily asked, following her.

"Nothing. We should start getting ready, we don't want to be late for school," Alison answered, coming out with an outfit in hand for herself and another for Emily. In the time she had been in there she had managed to put on her bra and panties and Emily quickly did the same, feeling awkward standing around naked.

"Alison, you promised to be totally honest with me from now on. Or did you forget?" She asked bitterly, and Alison flinched at her tone, not used to Emily speaking to her that way. "So if something's wrong tell me."

"Nothing's wrong. It's far from wrong. I-" the girl turned red and looked down, softly saying, "I liked it. A lot. It was really good for me."

"Good." Emily's heart fluttered in her chest at that. "Then what's the matter?"

"I just- was it good for you, too? I mean, I-I'd never done that before and you've been with so many girls."

"Ali." Emily would have laughed if she didn't think it would embarrass Alison beyond belief, so instead she gave her a smile, stepping forward and taking her hand. "It was good for me. Really good."

And with that being said, it was Alison who initiated the kiss this time. She eagerly leaned forward, lips capturing Emily's, and Emily cupped the blonde's face in her hands, thumb caressing her cheek as they kissed.

"Looking for a second time, are we?" She commented, laughing as Alison's lips moved down, kissing the bottom of her jaw and then beginning to work on her neck.

"So what if I am?"

"There'll be plenty of time for that later. All in good time, Ali." Alison reluctantly pulled away and Emily gave her a final peck on the lips. "All in good time."