A/N: Last update of the year. I'll see you all in 2019. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing any of my stories this year. Hearing from you all provided me with an outlet during one of the worst years of my life. Every single one of you kept me sane despite my insanity. No bullshit. You guys kept my head on straight in a way that I'm not sure I could ever explain.

SkittlesTheCandy, thanks for the favorite and follow. Thank you ALL for the favorites and follows.

Chapter 4:

Transparent

It had been two days since Emily had given Alison her phone number and she hadn't heard a word since she'd gotten the text from Alison with her number attached. Just minutes after their conversation at school she'd heard the phone alert her and an animatronic voice reading out numbers to her. It had taken her a few minutes to realize it was Alison's number. She'd saved it to her contacts immediately. But Alison had been radio silent since then. It was confusing to say the least.

Maybe everything she'd heard about Alison's reputation was true. Maybe she was only in it for the chase.

Emily never would have guessed that the reason Alison hadn't called her was because she was ashamed of what she'd done, that she was scared Emily would find out and that she'd hate her.

But Emily didn't have the energy to hate anyone. And she wasn't one to wait around either. Her father had taught her to go after what she wanted. And that's exactly what she intended on doing. She felt around for her phone, but she didn't feel it sitting on the desk next to her laptop. She knocked a pile of books over and heard several things hit the carpeted ground.

"Ace." She clicked her tongue and he was immediately at attention. "Phone."

Ace knew several command words and he could find things she needed sometimes. He rooted around the mess on the ground until he found her cell phone. He nosed it out of the pile of books and then leaned against her and nudged her hand. She leaned over and he guided her directly to it. She put it down on her desk and leaned over to see what else she needed to clean up.

"Is everything okay up here?" Her dad knocked on the door, slowly pushing it open. "Your mother and I heard a crash."

"Yeah, just dropped some things." Emily nodded. "Tell mom not to worry."

Her mother was very much a worry-wart. Her dad was the only person in the world who knew how to calm her down. He walked in and started gathering everything up. She heard him shuffling around.

"Thanks."

"I know you could have done it," he said. "I just wanted to save you the trouble." He pat her arm gently. "You settling in okay, Emmy?"

"I'm fine." Emily nodded, trying not to wince.

Every time her parents brought up the past she couldn't help but feel a little sad about the way things had used to be. Because of everything she'd been through her mother had become overprotective. Her father tried to hide his protective streak behind his army façade, but she could still see right through him. He worried as much as her mother. It was a little annoying sometimes, but she didn't mind. Her parents had sacrificed a lot for her.

"How are the flashes and the headaches?"

"Better. The new meds have been helping. I go back to the ophthalmologist in two weeks."

"Good." He handed her a tape recorder that had fallen with the braille books. "Aria and Toby still helping you with your lessons?"

"Well, I certainly can't count on Hanna for it." Emily cracked a smile. She loved her best friend, but a scholar she was not. "A girl from school also offered to help. Alison DiLaurentis."

"The girl from the park?" He remembered the name.

"Yeah." Emily perked up, but then remembered that Alison had yet to call her and she sank back down.

"It's good you're making friends." Wayne nodded, running his fingers across Emily's cheek and sweeping her hair aside. "Maybe even more?" he asked curiously.

"Dad." Emily's cheeks flushed and she turned away. "We just met. I don't even know if she wants to be friends yet. For all I know the only reason she offered to help me is because she needs volunteer hours or something."

Though Emily knew it was more than that. She could feel it. She felt a connection between them, a pull.

"Impossible. Who wouldn't want to spend time with you?" He pinched her cheeks like she was still five years old. "My little hot tamale."

"Dad, please stop." Emily begged.

"Okay." He threw his arms up playfully. "I'm just saying, if you happen to like a pretty girl…"

So, Alison was still pretty. No surprise there. Emily imagined what the bright-eyed little five-year-old girl from the pool would look like all grown up. She had seen a few pictures of her before she'd lost her sight, but Alison had been young in them and Emily had only seen them in passing glances when she hung out with Hanna.

Sometimes when they'd had their sleepovers they'd flip through Hanna's yearbooks or scroll through social media to see what people were up to. Emily remembered seeing a picture of Aria, Spencer, and Alison on Aria's page that was simply titled "whoa, talk about a throwback". Underneath it there was a comment from Spencer,

"We were fetuses! I look like a cabbage patch kid! Untag! UNTAG!"

They'd all been about ten at the time. Aria had only tagged Spencer in it. Hanna had told her that Aria wasn't really that close to Alison, which mirrored what Alison had mentioned when they met. She'd made it seem like Aria and Spencer were closer.

That picture on Aria's site was the last clear image she had in her head of what Alison looked like. Emily remembered the smoothness of her thick milky skin, and she remembered thinking that even though the blonde was young...her eyes and the expression she had on her face made her appear older, more deviant. Her eyes were a deep shade of bluish gray. Her golden tresses fell against her cheeks in waves, and though she was trying to appear serious in the photo she'd had a hint of a smirk on her face, her lips curved at the tips, dimples outlining her cheeks. She imagined an older more mature Alison, and it wasn't hard to envision what she looked like now.

"I know that look." She felt her dad swipe her cheek with his knuckles. "Someone has a crush."

"I don't know." Emily tried to shrug it off. "I don't think mom would be very happy about it." The last thing she needed was her dad making a big deal out of it.

"You know your Ma and I are fine with it." He assured her.

"No, you're fine with it. I can literally hear her butt cheeks tense up when I even mention it."

"She's just not familiar with it." Wayne tried to play mediator.

In a way, he was right. Her mother and father had both been raised a certain way and they'd always been strict in their values. Emily had only recently come out to her parents. She thought her mother was going to faint. Her dad was confused, and a little sad that she felt like she couldn't talk to them about it sooner. But they'd both accepted her. They had faced everything as a family, and they didn't want their daughter to feel like she couldn't be herself, especially given everything she'd gone through. She'd lost so much. They didn't want her to get lost in herself, too.

"Neither of us really knows much about this. We're still learning. Give us a chance. We love you no matter what. You love who you love, kid. We just want you to be happy." He assured her. "Yolo, as you kids say."

"Ugh, dad. Never say that again. No one says that anymore." She laughed. "Or at least they won't after they hear adults using it."

"What? I can't say it? But I'm a cool dad! I'm hip. I'm down with you kids and your sick lingo…"

"Stop, you're embarrassing yourself. Ace even feels bad for you." She reached out to find Ace's head. She scratched his ears.

"Alright, alright. I'll let you get back to your homework." Wayne laughed. "Dinner in ten, okay?"

"Put me down for Emily plus one." She motioned towards Ace.

"Only the finest dog chow in the land for Sir Ace…of Base."

"Good God." Emily uttered under her breath. He never quit.

He chuckled. She heard him walking towards the door. He stopped to pull it closed, but paused before he shut it.

"It's good to see you smiling again, Emmy." He nodded. "Your Ma and I were worried after everything in Maryland…after Maya…" He stopped short of finishing his thoughts when he saw his daughter stiffen up.

She was still extremely broken up over what had happened. Not a day went by that Emily didn't blame herself for it, though it was not her fault. And she wore such a stoic mask that no one around her, aside from a few close friends and family, knew she was still healing.

"We're just…we're glad you're happy. Love you, baby girl." He didn't say another word about Maya. He realized he'd scraped at her healing wound and pulled away from it immediately.

"Love you too, dad." She smiled back softly.

She listened as her father's footsteps faded as he walked away. She picked up her phone, clutching it as she thought about Maya. Her smile. Her laugh. She thought about the fact that she would never hear that laugh again. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she didn't cry. The crying jags were mostly in her past now. But she did still think about her. Often.

She stiffened up, her emotions settling. She used the voice-to-text feature to search for Alison's number. She tried not to overthink it. She just called her. She thought it was going to go to voicemail, but at the last second she heard the ringing stop and the line click.

Alison's heart felt like it was going to rupture in her chest when she saw Emily's name on the screen. She took a deep breath.

Be cool. She mentally told herself as she prepared to answer. She hit a button on her screen and the call connected.

"Hello?" Alison questioned.

"Hey, Alison?"

Emily's voice was a melody Alison didn't realize that she needed to hear. But she was so anxious all she could think to say back was,

"Yeah?"

Emily waited for her to say more, but she didn't. She didn't know Alison was shaking so much that she could barely hold the phone to her ear. Alison felt like she might just blurt out everything about the Fourth of July. Emily would hate her, and she'd never feel this happy again.

"Hey, it's Emily." Emily threw her a bone.

"Oh, hey. Yeah. Hi." Shit. Fuck. Shit shit shit…what do I say? What do I do?

"How have you been? I went to the park today. And when you didn't show up to hog the bench I got worried." Emily teased. "Are you stalking other people now?"

Alison knew she should laugh. She told herself to laugh, but she was too nervous.

"Oh, I've just been…um…busy with field hockey practice. We have a game this weekend."

"Right. I heard about that. I was thinking about going."

Emily was lying. She didn't know anything about the game. But she knew Alison would be there, so she was all in.

"You go to sports events even though you can't see the action?" But watching the action was half the fun. She felt like she'd stuck her foot in her mouth the instant it came out. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Dumbass. She squeezed her eyes shut and smacked herself in the head. Dumbass, dumbass, dumbass!

"It's okay." Emily chuckled softly. She knew Alison was still learning. There was always a learning curve when someone found out about her visual impairment. "I go because I like to support my local athletes. I always wanted to be a professional swimmer."

Alison smiled when she pictured Emily in the water. Her tan body creating ripples of warm waves, her hair flowing behind her.

"You would be amazing at that." Alison smiled. She melted back against her bed, feeling like the luckiest person in the world just to know her. "Five-year-old me would write you a glowing recommendation."

"What color crayon would five-year-old you use?" Emily asked curiously.

"Oh, please, I was above crayons. I was a colored pencil kind of girl."

"Fancy."

"What color would you like to request said recommendation in?"

"My favorite color is yellow."

"Why yellow?"

So her favorite dishes were pot stickers and chicken quesadillas. And her favorite color was yellow. Alison made a mental note of it.

"To be fair I have a finer appreciation for all of the colors now that I can't see them anymore. Sometimes I see auras. I'll just be sitting somewhere and relaxing and if I close my eyes I can feel the colors and I'll actually start to envision them. And yellow always makes me feel…" She searched for the right word, "…alive."

The girl was a literal fucking ball of sunshine. It made Alison feel like she was dissolving into a pile of goo. She leaned forward on her bed until she was on her stomach, leaning against her elbows. She kicked her feet and smiled as she listened to Emily continue,

"There's just something about the color yellow that's warm. It just makes me happy, you know?"

"Yeah." Alison tried not to sound too dreamy. What was it Cece said? Being clingy was not becoming?

Whatever. What did Cece know anyway? Cece would want to be coming on top of Emily if she met her. Alison shook her head with a frown.

Fucking hormones. She really had to get her sex drive under control. It was in the driver's seat a lot lately.

"What about you?" Emily asked. "What's your favorite color?"

"Oh, that's easy. Candy apple red."

"That's bold."

"I'm a bold kind of girl."

Alison eased right into their conversation. She had been so nervous to talk to Emily, but now that they were conversing it felt so natural and easy. Like breathing. How different would that be if Emily knew the truth about what she'd done to her? She'd probably never get to hear her voice again. Alison swallowed hard. Emily could never know.

"Hey, so I'll be at school tomorrow. Officially," Emily said. "How about we grab that lunch together?"

Speaking of bold. Alison really liked that Emily wasn't afraid to go after what she really wanted. It was so different than the timidity of the student body she was used to. Most of the kids in her school were afraid to even look at her, much less talk to her. But Emily had called her up so casually, like they'd known each other for years and it wasn't a big deal to do such a thing.

Alison only had a few people like that in her life, and they were all brazen and overconfident about it. Like Noel. Or Ben. But Emily did it in such a way that it wasn't arrogant or overbearing. Unlike all the other morons who drooled over her, she actually wanted Emily's attention.

"Alison, are you still there?" Emily questioned, "Did I lose you?"

Never. She was stuck to this girl like she'd never been stuck on anything else. It was so overpowering that it was almost annoying.

"I'm here." Alison quickly replied, not wanting her to worry. "I was just thinking that maybe we could do something different than lunch in the cafeteria."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Do you know where the science lab is?" Alison asked.

"Yeah. I think I remember the way."

"There's an empty classroom two doors down from it that's never locked. No one is ever in there, teachers or students. It's the old language lab. Upper-classmen go there to make out sometimes…" Alison suddenly realized that had come out wrong and she scrambled to explain what she meant, "…not that I want to make out with you." Shit, now it sounds like I'm not interested. Back it up. Fix this. "I mean, not that you aren't hot…" Christ. Welp, this is a dumpster fire that not even professional firefighters could put out. Pull up! You're crashing.

She couldn't see Emily's amused smile on the other end of the receiver. Emily thought her being flustered was beyond cute. She could hear her nervousness.

"You think I'm hot?" Emily smirked. She couldn't help but give her a hard time.

I think this conversation is dangerously close to nosediving in flames. I think I'm coming off as an idiot. Stop being an idiot, Alison!

"No?" Yes. Wait, what? "You're not not hot." Shut up, for fuck's sake. Shut up! Go back to talking about food. "That's not what I meant. I totally got off-track about the room. I just meant it's quiet. The room is quiet." Alison finally shut her anxiety up. "We'll actually be able to hear each other without all the jocks hooting and hollering over their stupid sports."

"Aren't you a jock, Ms. Field Hockey Champ?"

Alison smiled. She felt a warm sensation flow through her cheeks. It took her a second to realize she was blushing. She was actually blushing. Again.

Why does she do this to me? Alison groaned in thought.

"Ugh, don't insult me." Alison laughed. "To put me in the same category as those demented brain-damaged boneheads that think their equipment is an extension of their genitals and treat their letterman jackets better than their friends and family is an insult to good athletes everywhere."

Great job. You brought it back to you being conceited.

"Noted." Emily chuckled.

Why is she not running away screaming or calling me a bitch?

"Emily!" Emily heard her mother calling her from downstairs.

Emily felt a surge of annoyance. She'd just gotten Alison on the phone. She grumbled out a sigh.

"I've got to go. It's dinner-time, and our family dinners are apparently a big deal to my parents. Something about bonding. I guess they love me or something."

Alison had to stop herself from saying that it was no wonder that people wanted to be around her, because she was amazing. She bit her tongue. She'd already put her foot in her mouth enough for the night.

Maybe one day Alison would get to experience that dinner with Emily's family. Truth be told, she was curious about what other families did at dinners. Her family barely even uttered "hi" to each other half the time and when they did manage to get together for dinner they all sat there stiffly. Her mom usually just talked about upcoming soirees and fancy gatherings in which attendance by the whole family was mandatory. Her dad usually drank his whiskey and internalized his hatred for his family.

Jason and Alison were expected to sit there and be the perfect little children without saying a word. But did her parents ever ask her or her brother how their day was? Of course not.

"So, lunch in the language lab tomorrow?" Emily's voice brought her out of her trance.

"Oui, mademoiselle." Alison replied.

"Ah, Parlez-vous français?" Emily questioned.

"It's my favorite of the languages," Alison admitted. "I dream of running off to Paris one day."

"Good choice. The food is delicious. The desserts are to die for."

"What's your favorite?" Alison asked, desperate to keep her on the line for as long as she possibly could, like every second was a gift she didn't want to waste.

"I love a good chocolate caramel mousse," Emily said.

Alison smiled. She knew exactly where to get the best mousse in town. She glanced at the clock. She still had time to go out tonight and grab it before school tomorrow. She could only imagine the look that would be on Emily's face as she sank her teeth into the delectable treat. She deserved it. She deserved everything sweet.

"Em?" Her mom called again.

"I'm being summoned. Gotta go."

"Enjoy your dinner," Alison said.

"Thanks." There was a beat of silence. "Good night, Alison."

"Au revoir, Emily."

After they hung up Alison sat up, curling her legs up underneath her. She tapped on her phone and quickly pulled up the French restaurant she frequented with her family in the city. They were open until ten. She had plenty of time to place an order and go pick it up. She smiled to herself. She had a dazed dreamy look on her face.

"What are you smiling about?" A deep voice startled her.

She looked up and saw her brother standing in her doorway.

"None of your business." Alison snapped.

"You are always so angry." He shook his head. "Mom wants us to try on our outfits for the charity mixer next week. She wants to see us in them."

"Ugh, the dress she picked is hideous on me."

"You think you got it bad? I have to wear a top hat and bowtie like a stupid fucking vaudeville dummy. I look like a washed up magician at a child's birthday party." He mumbled as he walked off.

Alison often wondered why Jason hadn't run as far away from their parents as possible the second he'd turned eighteen. He still stuck around for some stupid reason. Probably because he had nothing else going on.

Alison glanced back at her phone. It was still warm in her hands. She stared at Emily's name and the goofy smile came back to her face.

She didn't know it, but Emily was just as distracted, their short conversation still fresh in her mind. Listening to Alison stutter nervously was the cutest thing she'd ever heard. She'd never made anyone speechless before, at least not in the way she seemed to crawl under Alison's skin.

The brunette couldn't stop thinking about Alison at the dinner table. She barely ate anything on her plate. She just pushed her food around and listened to her parents talk about their day. Her mother had just started a new job so she was all abuzz about it. Emily smiled politely, as she always did, and pretended to listen.

After a while her parents realized that she was being quieter than normal. Her mother, Pam, shot a concerned look over at her husband. They had some concerns about her integrating back into Rosewood.

"So, are you excited about going to school tomorrow, Emmy?" Her mom asked.

For the first time that evening, Emily's face lit up. Because thinking about school made her think about Alison. Wayne smiled, because he knew why his daughter was excited about school. He wasn't nearly as worried as his wife.

"I can't wait," Emily said with a smile.

When she first learned that she was moving back to Rosewood she'd had an idea of how she'd wanted it to go. She had a plan for her senior year. But things were changing. There were things she hadn't taken into account. And that's how life worked. Life was what happened when you were busy making other plans. And she certainly hadn't planned this. She couldn't have planned it better if she'd tried.

After dinner she washed up and went to bed, wondering what lunch with Alison DiLaurentis would be like. All she knew about her was the second-hand information she got from the people who knew her, which didn't seem to match up to the girl Alison was around Emily.

Emily wasn't sure what to expect when she walked into the language lab the next day. She didn't know if it was going to turn out to be some huge joke that Alison was playing on her or if they were going to jump each other's bones. Because she felt like it could go either way.

Alison was waiting for her when she got there. There weren't any free standing chairs, because the room had been cleaned out months ago. All that remained were a few shelves of books and a couple of desks with attached chairs. Alison had pushed two of them together to make a make-shift table. She was sitting on top of the desk with her feet against the base of the chair. She was pulling out her lunch when she heard the door open.

Emily walked in, Ace by her side. She had a bag slung over her shoulder and was using her cane to feel around the room. Before Alison could ask Emily if she needed any help, Emily assured her she had it under control. She stopped when she got to the little set up. She folded her cane up and put her things down. Alison reached out and took her hand to help her step up against the flimsy chair. She settled in next to Alison.

The lunch was surprisingly low-key. Alison was a bit reserved for some reason. Emily thought it was nerves. And she was right.

But what Emily didn't know was that it wasn't nerves because Alison liked her. It was nerves because she felt like she didn't deserve her because of what she'd done.

They chatted about their families, with Alison talking more about her parents than she'd intended to. When she felt like she was getting too emo she quickly changed the subject.

"So, I brought something for you…"

She almost told Emily to close her eyes so she could surprise her, but then she looked up and saw the sunglasses on her face. Alison glanced down at Ace, who was sitting patiently next to her.

Right. Duh.

"…well, for all of us, really."

"Oh, um, I didn't know we were doing gifts." Emily had to stop herself from saying "honey, you shouldn't have."

Alison was just full of surprises.

"I just thought of you and Ace when I was out on an errand last night."

Of course that errand had been planned the second she got off the phone with Emily. She reached into the insulated bag she'd used to keep the mousse cool. She pulled a ziplock baggie out from the bottom of the bag. She hadn't just thought about Emily. She looked at the dog as she pulled a treat out of the ziplock bag.

"I brought a dog biscuit for Ace." She looked at the food in her hand and then at Ace. "Um, is he allowed to have treats? It's all-natural peanut butter."

She realized she hadn't really thought about possible restrictions when it came to service dogs.

"Yeah. But he's trained not to take anything unless it's from me." Emily reached out.

Alison put the biscuit in Emily's hand, her fingers brushing against Emily's palm. The brunette's skin was as soft as it looked. She held on to Alison's hand as she let Ace know he could have the cookie. He delicately took it from their joined hands. After he finished it he was right back in working mode, looking up at Emily for his next command.

"And for us…" Alison liked saying 'us'. She liked how it felt. She pulled the chocolate mousse out. "Pour vous, de moi."

"Maybe now would be a good time to mention I only know a few phrases in French." Emily chuckled.

For you. From me. Because I am in love with you and I don't know why.

"I brought dessert for us, too. Chocolate caramel mousse," Alison explained.

"Oh, wow. Are you serious?" Emily gasped.

"Oui, mademoiselle." Alison opened the box. "And I got a little something extra, too."

There was a little plastic statue of the Eiffel Tower sitting next to the container with the dessert. Wrapped around the small figurine was a blue and white threaded cloth bracelet she'd seen at the little French Boutique on the way out of the restaurant. It had red and gold flecks spelling out "Joie de vivre".

"Hold out your hand for me," Alison said.

Emily smiled, a cool façade on her face, but inside her heart was pounding. She felt Alison's warm hand against her fingers. Her thumb brushed over Emily's knuckles. She slid the bracelet over Emily's fingers. She could feel Emily's pulse racing as she slipped the bracelet over her hand and on to her wrist.

"It's a perfect fit." Alison admired the bracelet against Emily's skin.

"I didn't get you anything though." Emily bit her lip.

"It came with the food." Alison lied. "I want you to have it."

Emily traced her fingers over the bracelet. She felt the bumps of the lettering.

"What does it say?"

"Joie de vivre. Loosely translated it means 'joy of life'. You like sunshine, right?"

"This was really nice. Thank you, Alison."

"De rien." Alison smiled. "You're welcome." She pulled the figurine out and then opened the container with the dessert. "Now, a little taste of France awaits." Alison grabbed the spoons. She scooped a small amount of food on to one of the utensils.

Emily could smell the sugar wafting through the air. For a second, neither one of the girls moved. Then, finally, Emily moved forward. Alison watched as her lips closed around the edge of spoon. A tiny fleck of mousse got on her upper lip. She licked it away.

"Where did you even find this?" Emily smiled at the burst of flavor in her mouth. "It's delicious."

"It's from this little French place uptown. My mother loves it. She was craving it for dinner last night. Lucky us." And the lies kept coming. But…they were good lies, weren't they?

"Mmmhmm." Emily looked like she was thinking it over. Alison wasn't sure she'd bought it, but Emily didn't call her out on it.

Emily reached out in search of the spoon and Alison handed it to her and then gave her the container. It was amazing to her how self-sufficient Emily was despite not being able to see.

"Thank you. This is incredible." Emily took another bite.

Alison reached for a second container, her own dessert. She took a bite. It tasted divine, but it was nothing compared to the way Emily made her feel.

"Have you ever been to Paris?" Alison traced her finger along the outline of the Eiffel Tower statue.

"No, but I've always wanted to go. I did come close once. When I was six. My dad was stationed in Germany and I went with my mom and my grandmother to see him. The plan was to see the highlights of Europe on the trip. But I got sick and ended up being stuck at the hotel the whole time. I was so bummed. But my dad brought me all kinds of momentos. Brought the trip to me. I still have them all in a box somewhere. I remember being fascinated by seeing France in photos when I was little." She smiled. "Sometimes I dream about going."

"What do you see in your dreams?"

Emily put the container of mousse down and then felt around until she found Alison's hands.

"Close your eyes." Emily put her hand on top of Alison's so that both of their hands were on top of the mini-statue.

"Okay." Alison's eyelids fluttered closed.

"I see sitting outside of a café enjoying breakfast, watching the sunrise." Emily took in a relaxing breath through her nose. "I see walking the streets and enjoying the rustic sights, visiting all the boutiques, and trying on berets."

A smile washed across Alison's face. Emily would look so good in a beret. She could wear a potato sack and make it fashionable.

"I see the Seine River and the Palace of Versailles. I can feel the warmth of the sun beating through the windows of the building making the gold glimmer all around me. I can hear the crystal chandeliers above me."

Alison imagined the palace in her mind. She felt like Emily was taking her on a virtual tour. And she never wanted it to end.

"I can hear the sounds of the people bustling around on the streets. I see…" She took a breath and then smiled, "…a sunset illuminating the city. I can see the sky painted dark pink and purple and the Eiffel Tower standing out in the distance."

Alison could see it. She could see everything like she was actually there. The picture Emily painted was perfect. It felt so real. She saw what Emily saw, and it was incredible.

She opened her eyes and looked at Emily. The raven-haired beauty was so close that Alison could smell the sweet aroma of chocolate on her breath. Alison's gaze flickered down towards Emily's lips. Her body was tingling with a pulsing sensation, her brain screaming at her,

Just kiss her!

And for a brief second she considered doing it. She considered pressing her lips against Emily's, imagining they would taste sweet from the dessert she'd just eaten. She imagined Emily pushing back against her embrace, grabbing Alison to pull her closer, her long tone fingers wrapping into her hair, tugging Alison's head back just enough to expose her throat and suckle against her soft skin. Alison imagined moving forward against her, pinning her to the desk and taking her to new heights.

But then she looked up and she saw her reflection in Emily's sunglasses looking back at her. And as much as she appreciated her mirror image, she didn't want to see herself. She wanted to see Emily. She couldn't take it any longer. She had to see her. All of her. She reached up with her free hand and gently grabbed her sunglasses.

"Can I?" Alison asked, her voice coming out quieter than she had intended.

"Yes."

She pulled Emily's sunglasses away from her face. Emily's gaze was fixed, her eye line close to the top of Alison's head.

Alison couldn't look away. Her soft cocoa colored eyes were so beautiful and full of light. They weren't cloudy or milky or horribly scarred like Alison expected. She could see swirls of burnt sienna in her irises. There was a spark behind them that ignited a flame inside of Alison's chest. It was hard for Alison to believe that light was coming out of them, but that Emily couldn't see the light around them.

Alison reached up with her fingers, but hesitated when her fingertips were centimeters away from the tops of Emily's cheekbones.

"Is it okay if I…"

"It's okay." Emily nodded. She could feel Alison's fingers hovering over her eyes, could feel the warmth radiating from her hand.

"Does it hurt?" Alison trailed her fingers under Emily's lower lids, biting her lip.

She'd done this to Emily. She was the reason that Emily couldn't see. She was the reason that Emily could only dream of what Paris would look like.

"I get headaches from time to time. My retinas are sensitive to all forms of light. Even though I can't see it doesn't mean my eyes don't react to it. It hurts sometimes, but the drops and the meds I take help."

Alison wanted to clarify, to ask her that she meant if being blind hurt…if not being able to see was painful in ways that physical pain wasn't. But somehow, hearing that she had physical pain was worse.

"Compared to others I'm lucky. I adjusted, you know. I still get to live my life. There are people out there who have it much worse than I do."

Alison was speechless. So much had been taken from this girl, yet she still had such a kind heart. She selflessly thought of others first.

She's way out of your league. Alison grumbled to herself.

What would a girl like Emily Fields ever want with a conniving shrew like her?

"I've never met anyone who sees the world the way you do," Alison stated.

She was so goddamn special. She saw things with her heart, and not just because she was forced to. She had taken something terrible and turned it into something beautiful.

"I'm no different than anyone else." Emily played it off modestly. "We're all sensual beings. In life it's not about what you see. It's about what you feel." She paused thoughtfully. Alison wanted to know what was going on in her head. "Everything in life always boils down to how you feel. Take art for instance. It speaks to people in different ways because we all feel differently about what is on the canvas. Human beings are no different. We're all just pieces of artwork waiting to strike a chord with the right people."

Emily had struck more than a chord in Alison. She'd struck the whole damn instrument. The whole fucking band.

"People could really learn a lot from your perspective." Alison smiled softly. Before she could stop herself she was reaching up to tuck a lock of Emily's hair behind her ear. She pulled back when she realized just how intimate it was. She didn't want to freak her out. "Sorry, I should have asked. It was just bugging me." She wanted to see her face.

Emily just shrugged. She felt Alison's hand drop down away from her face.

"You're very different than your reputation would have me believe." Emily smiled.

Alison knew exactly what her reputation entailed. And the fact that Emily even knew a sliver of it should have sent the brunette running the other way, yet here she was.

"You can't believe everything you hear," Alison said, a cheeky inflection in her tone.

"So you didn't give a tongue lashing to a teacher in class and send him home in tears?"

"No, that happened." Alison owned it. "Two years ago. And the guy was a total creep. He had it coming. He would pop off in class and make fun of students who got answers wrong. I got a problem wrong one day on purpose just so I could clapback." Then she'd dug her nails in and left marks, as she often did. She knew how to hone in on people's weakest spots. "I'm not as terrible as I seem." She promised.

"I'm beginning to see that."

"So, what about you?" Alison asked.

"What about me?" Emily smirked. She knew what Alison was getting at. The blonde didn't know anything about her, and it was driving her crazy.

"Who are you, Emily Fields?" What made her tic? What made her so irresistible? So easy to fall in love with?

"What you see is what you get."

Alison liked what she saw. She liked it a lot. They talked a few more minutes until the bell rang. The hallways started to fill up with students. They could hear people shuffling by to get to their next class. That didn't stop them from chatting. It was only when they heard a rapping at the door that they finally realized that their time was up.

"Em?" A voice came from the doorway.

Alison's neck snapped to the side when she heard him. She whipped around and locked eyes with Toby Cavanaugh.

"I've been looking for you," Toby continued, his eyes burning a hole through Alison's head.

He stared at Alison with a stone-cold expression on his face. It was a look that told her that he didn't appreciate her cozying up to his cousin. Spencer was right. He was scary protective, though from his standpoint Alison could see why. Emily was special in the most wonderful way. Any person would be a fool to not look out for her, though Alison had learned she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

"Be there in a sec, Toby." Emily replied, reaching out for her sunglasses. Alison put them in her hand.

Toby shuffled away. Emily stood up. Ace stood with her. Emily felt a shift in the atmosphere. She'd heard a change in Alison's breathing.

"He's not as scary as he seems." Emily smiled, gathering her things. "My parents just asked him to look out for me and he took it to heart."

"Right." Alison nodded. "Of course." And also, he fucking hates my guts, so there's that.

"This was fun." Emily ran her fingers against the edge of the desk.

Alison noticed her stance. Was she nervous? Maybe she wasn't as cool with her feelings as she pretended to be.

"Thank you for the bracelet," she said. "And the mousse."

"Yeah. Any time." Would have tasted better if I was licking it off of your body. Alison bit her tongue. "Maybe we can do it again."

"Sure. I'd like that."

The warning bell rang and they shuffled towards the door.

"Maybe I'll see you at the game this weekend?" Alison asked.

"I'll cheer from the sidelines really loud and embarrass you." Emily turned around and gave her a smile.

They said their goodbyes and then Emily disappeared into a sea of students. They all gave her a wide berth, staring not at the blind girl, but at her dog. A lot of the kids were still marveled by seeing the dog in school. Alison watched her walk away. Toby was waiting near the water fountain for her. He waited on her as she refilled her water bottle. He glanced at the clock and said something to her, probably about how they were going to be late to class. She heard Emily tell him to chill out, seemingly not worried about being late.

Good for you. He's not the boss of you. Alison nodded.

She saw Emily hand Toby her water and reach down and pull something out of her pocket. A vial of eye drops. Alison swallowed hard as she watched Emily pull her sunglasses down and hand them to Toby. She tipped her head back, two fingers sliding against either side of her left eye socket. She put the drops in one eye. Then the other. Then she put the drops away and pulled out a pill container. Alison sighed. She was the reason Emily had to take those meds. What would Emily think of her if she found out?

Toby said something to her and handed her back her water bottle. The hallway started to become congested and Alison started to lose sight of her. By the time the students cleared Toby and Emily were walking away. Toby glanced back, trying to see if Alison was still staring at his cousin. He didn't see her.

"I grabbed the charger for your pocket recorder. Last thing you need is for the battery to die when Mr. Morris is going over the formulas in Trig," Toby said.

"Thanks," she replied.

"Your first day seems to be going well," he said.

"Yeah."

She was oddly quiet and he didn't like it. He noticed the bracelet on her wrist.

"What were you doing with Alison DiLaurentis?" he questioned curiously.

"We were just talking." She shied away with a smile. Her cheeks reddened.

"Looked like more than just talking." He'd seen the way that Alison was looking at her.

Emily could tell from his tone that he didn't approve.

"Toby, please don't give me any shit for this. I know you think she's a bitch," Emily said with a sigh. He'd had a thing about Alison ever since Alison's brother Jason and his step-sister Jenna had had a rough break up. "But she's actually really kind of nice when you get to know her."

"It's not a good idea." He frowned. "Especially not after Baltimore."

She immediately stiffened.

"I'm blind. I'm not stupid." Her tone was verging on icy.

"Look, I love you. And far be it from me to judge…" He drifted off. Actually, that's exactly what he was doing. "Just…be careful, Em. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Relax. It'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

She always had, too. Even the night of the explosion in the garage. That day was such a fog in her mind. She didn't remember much of anything. She'd been with Toby sorting through boxes one minute and then fiery eruptions were going off the next.

Toby had been torn on whether to help Jenna or Emily first. He could barely see through all of the smoke. Emily thought Jenna needed him more. The older girl had been in the worst shape. She was unconscious and bleeding from her right ear. Emily had told him to get Jenna out.

He had, and when he'd gotten her to safety he'd run to go back in for Emily, but by that time the entire garage had been engulfed in flames. He'd completely panicked, but then he'd seen movement by the side of the house. Emily had found her way out through a window and had collapsed on the ground outside, passing out. He'd gotten her away just as the garage exploded.

"Yeah, yeah. You've been saying that since birth." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me." Emily frowned.

"God, how do you always know?" Toby shook his head with a laugh.

"I can hear it in your tone." She shrugged.

"I need to take you to Vegas one day. We'd clean up in poker." He walked into their next class.

Emily turned back before she followed Toby into the classroom. She could still feel Alison's presence lingering. She could still feel the girl's fingers ghosting over her cheekbones. She could hear her laugh. She could smell her perfume. She was all around her, gripping a part of her that Emily was all too glad to let her have.

Life was strange sometimes. She had set out with a plan in mind when she came back to town, but things were happening faster than she could grasp them. And something had happened that was changing everything. She liked her. She actually liked Alison DiLaurentis.