A/N: I'm having so much fun writing tiny territorial Chihuahua Alison DiLaurentis and super-chill and misunderstood Pit Bull Emily Fields. I love these two crazy bitches...


Chapter 7:

Exposed

Emily left school that afternoon feeling a little deflated. She had no idea that Alison had been watching her from around corners all day, cursing herself for not speaking up every time they'd crossed paths. She didn't know that Alison was on the cusp of telling her how important she was to her.

Emily heard a shuffling noise coming towards her. The footsteps were heavy and it sounded like the person was wearing sneakers. She heard rustling that sounded like a windbreaker. It definitely wasn't Alison, not in that attire. She sighed in disappointment.

"Yo, Em!" She heard his voice call out to her.

Alison felt a surge of anger as she watched him walk over to her girl. She felt like going feral, ripping off her earrings, wrapping her hair up in a bun, and running up on him and attacking him from behind, yanking on his joke of a stupid side-part fauxhawk that he called a hairstyle until he had patches of hair missing. Her fists tightened. She was ready to go.

Oh, this bitch… Alison watched as Ben crossed the courtyard and jogged towards Emily. The nerve. The fucking nerve.

Emily had a similar reaction. She grumbled under her breath and clenched her jaw. But she could hear her mother's voice in her head, "Be nice, Emily. You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."

But what her mother didn't know was that in Ben's case he wasn't a fly. He was a disgusting cockroach. And he thrived on vinegar. And not the good kind that was flavorful on salads. The sour rancid kind that was used in science experiments that made people gag. He was the nasty build up of crystallization in the bottle after the liquid acid corroded and turned into a combustible.

"Wait up." Ben caught up to her.

Emily wished she was deaf, too, so she could pretend she didn't hear him as she quickly paced away. But instead she stopped walking. Ace immediately stopped moving. He looked at Ben, but didn't react.

"Hey Ben," she said through her teeth.

Alison watched. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could see them talking. And she didn't like it. She knew she had to keep Ben away from Emily. She didn't like the way he looked at her. She didn't like the way he talked to her. And she certainly didn't like how uncomfortable he made her. Besides, he was ignoring her orders to leave Emily alone and that seriously pissed her off. Because her word was the fucking law at Rosewood High. And violators would be punished…severely.

I MADE you Ben Coogan. And I can destroy you just as fast.

She watched as Ben tried to fumble his way through a conversation with Emily, looking like a stupid bumbling schmuck, because she was waaaay out of his league. They weren't even playing on the same team...or the same sport. He looked like a huge dork. Emily kept her cool, which impressed Alison. Because she would have throat-punched the idiot by now.

"Where you off to?" He asked.

"Nowhere in particular." Emily replied.

Like she would tell him? He would trail behind her like a drooling hormonal puppy.

"Cool. You liking being back in Rosewood?"

"Yeah." Her tone was monotonous, almost cold.

Even Ben's little bird brain told him something was up. And he was pretty sure he knew what it was.

"Um, listen, I know I wasn't the nicest guy in middle school…"

Understatement. Emily thought to herself.

"…but you know how it is. Finding yourself and shit. I was hoping that maybe I could get to know you and you could get to know me. Wipe the slate clean, you know?"

"Ben, you know I'm gay, right?"

"Yeah, no, and that's cool. I'm totally cool with that. Alison is in to chicks, too, and we're friends." He smiled.

It's a good thing Alison hadn't heard that statement from across the quad or she would have lit his ass up. He wasn't her goddamn friend. He wasn't even a fucking acquaintance. He was a lackey. No, he didn't even have enough brains to be a lackey. He was a big shit that came out of a lackey's ass after Taco Tuesday.

"Doesn't mean we can't hang, right?" Ben questioned. "Let me get you coffee sometime. As friends. No strings attached. I promise."

Emily's thoughts were very skeptical.

Bullshit. You're about as reliable as the job market in society. But Emily knew he'd only push and persist if she said no, so she just smiled and nodded out a half-hearted, "sure."

Ben had a look of victory on his face. He glanced at Ace.

"Never got a chance to ask you what this little guy's name is…" He reached down and started petting Ace.

That made Alison furious.

"Don't fucking distract him from his job," Alison grumbled under her breath. "Don't fucking touch him. That's Emily's dog. Her guide. He's not yours to touch. Get your Cheeto-laced ball-milk spooge-covered hands away from him."

She glanced at Ace. The Retriever actually caught her eye from across the way. He'd been doing that with her all day.

Bite his nuts. She tried to send a psychic command to him.

The dog didn't bite Ben's testicles, but he did pull away apathetically, which made Alison smile in triumph. She watched them intently, so intently that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. She felt someone grab her and put two large gruff hands over her eyes. She jumped and almost let out a scream.

"Guess who?"

Alison reacted on instinct, elbowing the shit out of him. She spun around and found a very pissed off Noel clutching his stomach.

"Damn, DiLaurentis. What the hell is up with you lately?" Noel asked.

He said it loudly. Too loudly. Alison shoved him back, hoping that Ben hadn't seen them. She pushed until they were in a small alley behind the shadows. Her body was pressed firmly against his, her hand over his mouth. He lifted his brows and smiled at her. He liked the feel of her body against his. She pulled her hand back.

"What are you doing here, Noel?"

"Um, I go to school here. What are you doing?" He peered around the corner, trying to get a better look at who she'd been watching.

Alison grabbed him and pulled him back again, their faces just inches apart. Noel read it the wrong way.

"Oh, okay, I think I get it." He grinned, his hand running up her thigh. "You miss Cece, right? That's why you gotta get your rocks off checking out other people's game?"

"What are you talking…"

Noel didn't let her finish her sentence. He leaned forward and pressed his rough lips against hers. She was startled at how forward he was being. It barely registered that they were kissing, though she could taste a hickory flavor on his lips. She could smell his aftershave and could feel his stupid scratchy chin hairs irritating her sensitive skin.

It felt wrong. But she didn't stop. The entire time he was moving his lips against hers she was thinking about Emily. How Emily would be softer, sweeter. How she would be more delicate, taste more divine.

She thought about how Ben was making a play for Emily. And that made her angry. So without really knowing why, she pushed back against Noel's kiss, hard. She took control, dominating it, pushing her tongue past his lips, biting down hard enough to make him grunt against her advances. She felt his hand moving hers down to the bulge in the front of his pants and that was what abruptly ended the encounter.

"What the fuck was that?" She hissed, shoving his blocky chest with her palms, an angry scowl on her face.

"What? It's not like you haven't given me handies before. I thought you were into it."

Noel looked confused. Genuinely confused. He looked like a big dumb dog. And all Alison could do was growl in irritation.

"All you and Ben do is think with your dicks." She grumbled.

"Ben?" Another wave of confusion. "What does Ben have to do with this?"

"Nothing. Just…I have somewhere to be." Anywhere but here.

"You're just gonna leave me hanging?" He motioned down to the obvious hard-on he had.

"Jerk your own cock and just leave me out of it. I like girls, Noel. And trust me, if I'm kissing you it's just practice for the real thing." She stormed away.

He stared at her, flabbergasted. Alison took off, running to the locker to change into her exercise attire, because she had a lot of steam she needed to burn off. The first thing she reached for was gum, to wash the taste of Noel out of her mouth.

What had she ever seen in him anyway? Why had she picked him, of all people, to be in her posse? She paced the locker room for several minutes, pissed at…she really wasn't sure what she was pissed at anymore. Nothing? Everything? Herself? The whole world? Life in general?

She spent the next hour jogging close to campus. On her third…or was it fourth? Ah, she didn't care. On her fourth run close to town she spotted the very girl she couldn't get out of her mind. Emily had a bookbag slung over her shoulder and her cane was out in front of her.

Fucking fate…

Ace wasn't with her, which made her nervous. Alison felt like she had a mental pact with that dog. When she wasn't with Emily Ace was supposed to protect her, though the girl clearly didn't need protection. Alison glanced at the brunette. She was dressed in a loose tank top and tightly fitting yoga pants that really showed off her figure.

God, she's so cute.

Alison took a swig of her water and wiped her brow, trying to gather the confidence to do what she'd been too chicken shit to do all day. After an inner battle with herself telling her that she couldn't change what she'd done in the past she found the courage to walk up to her. She knew this would be their new beginning. And she was going to make sure it started out the right way.

"Emily?" She said, not realizing that she still sounded a bit breathless from her jog.

Emily perked up the second she heard her voice. Emily's smile, which had a direct connection to Alison's heart, formed on her face.

"Hey stranger," Emily said.

"Hey, I thought that was you." Really? Could you be more cliché? Jesus…

"It's only been a few days. Did you forget my face already?" Emily teased.

She would never forget anything about her.

"I didn't recognize you without the dog." Alison teased back.

"Of course. It's always about Ace. Little devil has his own fan club." Emily chuckled. "The chicks really dig him."

Alison smiled. She loved that the dog could be a conversation starter.

"So where is he?"

"I took him home after school. I like to let him be a regular dog with mom and dad when I can. He's so good with me. He really is. And he does have to maintain a level of his work duties. But I love hearing my dad tell me all about him flopping around with his toy or trying to bury his bone when he's not busy working with me. He doesn't get a lot of time to be a 'normal' dog, so I try to give him a break every now and then."

Of course she thought about the dog's feelings. That was so her. Alison smiled. Emily pulled her cane up slightly.

"Plus, I usually don't take him with me when I work out," she added.

"Is that where you're headed?"

That explained the attire. The beautiful body-hugging attire. She took a moment to thank a higher power she didn't believe in for whoever invented spandex.

"Yeah. You want to join me?"

"I was actually getting ready to go on a hike since it's so nice out. Would you be interested in going with me?"

She bit her lip in anticipation. Her brain had kind of sprung the idea into her mind on the spur of the moment. She knew exactly where she wanted to take Emily. She wanted to get away from everything, but she wanted Emily with her when she did.

"Why not? The fresh air will be nice." Emily agreed. "Lead the way."

"Oh, so am I your new Ace?" Alison asked with a smile. Oh, Christ. I just called myself her bitch. She probably thinks that I'm…

"Depends. Are you good with commands?" Emily interrupted her thoughts.

Alison had to bite back a moan. Did this girl even understand what she was doing to her? Alison took a deep breath and then slid her arm around Emily's so she could help guide her in where to go. She was so close to her that she could smell the remnants of the chlorine from the pool. She caught the scent of her body lotion mixed with it and it made her feel weak in the knees.

She tried to keep it together as she took a step forward, bringing Emily along with her. They started walking. It was silent for a few minutes as they slowly made their way to the trail. Emily decided to break the tension by asking the one question that made Alison more tense.

"So, what's up?" Emily asked. "You went radio silent after the game."

Alison froze, her throat seizing up. Emily had said that to her in her dream. She had debated on telling her, but after her last nightmare her fear of losing Emily over her finding out the truth far outweighed her guilt. What would it really change? And yeah, she knew it was partly selfish to keep it to herself, but she just couldn't let Emily go.

Her eyes darted to the bracelet she'd given Emily. She was still wearing it. She actually meant something to Emily. That's a feeling she'd never experienced before.

"Everyone has just been all over me since the big win." Alison lied. No, wait. That sounds like you've been screwing half the team. "I mean, everyone wants to keep going on and on about it. So I unplugged for a bit. Took your advice, actually."

"I never said to unplug from actual reality. Just that I don't do technology."

"Picky, picky." Alison swatted her arm playfully. She saw Emily smile at the motion. "I've also been kind of busy on the home front. My parents have this huge charity mixer my brother and I are being forced into."

She blathered on about the mixer until they got to the edge of the woods.

"So, the trail is pretty easy. But it takes about forty-five minutes to get to the edge, depending on how fast we walk. But there's a lot of branches and roots, so I thought we'd just take it as it comes."

"I'll be fine, Alison." Emily assured her. "I've got my trusty walking stick and my guide-girl."

Alison liked hearing Emily put the word "my" in front of "girl", even if the word "guide" was jokingly thrown in the mix.

"I've just got to make a quick call to my mom to let her know I'm going to be out a little longer," Emily said.

"Right. She worries." Alison nodded.

"Worries is an understatement." Emily laughed.

She called her mom to let her know she would be home late so Pam wouldn't freak out. She told her she was hanging out with some friends. Telling her the truth would have sent her mother into an absolute panic,

"Hey mom, I'm going into the woods with this girl I have the hots for, but don't really know all that well. She may or may not have a plan to kill me horribly. Love you, bye."

After she hung up Alison looped her arm around Emily's to help guide her along. Their embrace felt so natural…to both of them. Alison felt goosebumps littering her skin and creeping up her spine. She wondered if Emily could feel the tiny little hairs standing on end against their joined arms. If she did, she didn't say anything.

"So, where are we going?" Emily asked.

"It's a surprise. I'll tell you when we get there."

"Following someone I barely know into the woods. Every horror movie in the world has taught me what could possibly go wrong with this." Emily chuckled. "You're not bringing me out here to murder me and then chop me into tiny little pieces are you?"

"Don't be silly. I'm not going to chop you up. That's too much work. I'll just stick you on a boat and set it on fire."

"Ah, a noble Viking funeral." Emily smiled. "I approve."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Alison just letting Emily listen to their surroundings. She thought about the first time she'd walked around with Emily at the park. The noises that Emily heard told a story and Alison didn't want to interrupt the narration in her head. But she was prompted when she heard Emily laugh.

"What?" Alison asked eagerly, dying to know what was on her mind.

"I can hear chipmunks chirping. They're like little stampeding children. I mean, I know they're small, but for some reason they seem to defy all the laws of physics and make it sound like a bunch of toddlers recreating STOMP's greatest hits."

"There are three of them." Alison watched the little scamps scurrying across the forest floor. "They're chasing each other around." She laughed. She watched as one of the three disappeared, thoroughly confusing the other two. "One of them just ran into this hollowed out log to hide. The other two don't know what to do." The mischievous chipmunk watched his little chipmunk buddies and Alison could just imagine him snickering at them. "He keeps poking his head out, but the other two don't see him. He's just watching them like 'I mock you from my covert home, peasants'."

She looked over at Emily and saw her smiling. She felt like melting into the forest floor. That smile was worth everything in the world. She described everything she could see to Emily.

They took their time. As they went deeper and deeper into nature they stopped to admire things like all the animals running through the leaves, open areas of sun gleaming through the treetops, and interesting vegetation that was growing on and around trees.

Emily's body was invigorated by every sound and smell. She could hear the crunching of the sticks under their feet. She could smell the fall flowers in bloom. They took their time enjoying each other's company. When they finally reached the end of their destination, Alison slowed Emily down.

"Tell me what you hear." Alison walked with her, their bodies touching, their arms still woven together. Alison never wanted to let her go.

Emily listened, taking in the sounds of the forest. She could hear rustling in the trees where the birds were flittering around. Beyond that she could hear the sounds of a gentle trickle of water hitting a pool of some kind.

"I hear a waterfall." Emily smiled.

The water. Alison had brought her to the water. It felt so reminiscent of the first time they'd met when they were kids. Emily slipped her backpack off and set it against the base of a tree.

"Spring Cove." Alison replied.

"Oh, yeah, there's a rope swing out here somewhere. I've heard some of the kids at school talk about it."

"It's about ten feet to your left."

Emily slowly moved towards her left, her cane rubbing against the rock that was leading out to it.

"Um, you…you should probably be careful. The rocks can be slippery sometimes." Alison slowly followed.

She didn't want to be that overprotective douche that saw all the things that could go wrong, but she couldn't help herself when it came to Emily.

Emily stopped right next to the rope. She could feel the sun beating down on her face. She loved the feel of the warm glow on her skin. She pulled her tank top off and was left in her navy colored thin-strapped sports bra, letting the sun hit her stomach. The way the light hit her nearly took Alison's breath away. She was able to see her in much better light than she had in the locker room.

Alison was too busy trying to keep her jaw closed to say anything. Emily's toned muscular abs were the stuff that Alison dreamed of. She hadn't seen those when Emily was in her bathing suit earlier. How had she gotten them? Did she just sit at home doing sit ups all day? She glanced at the tattoo again, but she still couldn't quite make out what it was.

"How far is it?" Emily lingered near the edge, her fingers gripping her sunglasses.

It made Alison nervous.

"Pretty far."

"You ever think about jumping in?" Emily questioned, a smirk on her face. She knew something Alison didn't know.

"There are too many rocks and it's too long of a drop. It's too dangerous." Alison frowned.

"I thought you liked danger." Emily kicked her shoes off.

"I also like being alive." Alison retorted, her nerves getting worse as she watched Emily rub her socks with her ankles until she was completely barefoot. She wasn't really going to do it, was she? "The guys risk it all the time, but they're big idiots, so…"

She watched as Emily moved closer to the edge. She pulled her sunglasses off and let the sun hit her face, closing her eyes to protect them from the rays. She could feel the breeze and smell the water.

"Em…" Alison swallowed a knot in her throat. "Emily, what are you doing?"

"Jumping in," she said it so casually, like she jumped off of cliffs every day for sport.

"I don't know if that's such a good…"

Emily swung her arm out in search of the rope, easily finding it. Before Alison could stop her she was swinging off of the rocks. Alison felt like her heart was exploding inside her chest. Her heart leaped into her stomach when she saw Emily let go and disappear over the edge. She ran over and glanced down, frantically calling out her name, waiting for her to surface. She didn't get a response.

"Oh, damn it. Emily?" Her voice echoed. Alison kicked her shoes off. "Fuck. Damn it, damn it! Emily!" Her shrieking voice echoed back at her, but still no answer.

She pushed herself up to the edge. Why wasn't she answering? What if she'd hit her head? Was she dead? Oh, God. What if she was?

I did not bring this girl out here to watch her kill herself…oh, fuck, if she drowns…oh my God…

She could hear her pulse pounding in her head and every survival instinct in her body telling her not to do it, but she put one foot in front of the other and pushed off of the cliff. When she hit the water she immediately came up for air. It wasn't as chilly as she was expecting it to be considering fall was right around the corner. The water still had a little bit of warmth to it. She was getting ready to shout Emily's name, but she felt a warm current behind her. She turned around.

"Boo." Emily was smiling at her from a hidden cove that couldn't been seen from the rocks above.

Alison breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were hurt. Why didn't you answer me?"

"Would you have jumped in if I did?"

"Oh my God, you're insane." Alison huffed with a laugh. She palmed a large wave of water against Emily's face. "We could have been killed."

"Don't be so dramatic, Ali." Emily smiled.

Ali. Usually she hated when people outside of her family called her that, but coming from Emily's mouth it sounded right.

"You could have hit a rock or been attacked by piranhas or something." Alison scolded her.

Her over-protection made Emily snigger.

"South American piranhas in Rosewood, Pennsylvania?" Emily snorted out a laugh, floating around Alison. "My, you have an imagination."

"Do you often dive headfirst into uncharted waters?" Alison's tone was alternating between frustrated and playful, because what if she'd gotten hurt?

"Ah, no." Emily held up a finger to correct her. "Didn't dive. I simply swung and jumped off of a rope that's probably older than me."

"You've been out here before, haven't you?" Alison asked, piecing it together. Because there was no way anyone in their right mind would have taken a high dive off of the rocks into that cove without knowing what they were in for, blind or not.

"Bingo." Emily nodded. "When I was little I used to come out here with Toby and Jenna all the time. Jenna was always too scared to jump. So Toby and I pushed her one day. She clung to the rope above the water for like twenty minutes before we convinced her to let go."

Toby and Jenna.

And there was the guilt Alison was trying to forget. Emily didn't miss her sudden lack of conversation.

"You always do that," Emily said.

"Do what?"

"Get quiet when I talk about my cousins." Her face furrowed in thought. "Is there something going on with you and them? What happened? Did Jenna steal your lunch money in grade school or something? Toby look at you the wrong way on the playground?"

Oh, if only you could have seen the stink-eye he gave me when we were in that language lab. Alison thought to herself.

"No." Alison shook her head. "It's just…I was always kind of a bitch to them. And I don't think they'd approve of you hanging out with a bad seed like me."

She saw Emily drift closer, trying to gauge the distance between them. Emily kicked her feet a bit as she cautiously moved through the natural pool towards Alison's voice. Her hands reached out under the water, one of her palms brushing against Alison's side, touching her skin right where her tank top was riding up because of the water pressure. Her other hand landed on Alison's other side, her fingers curling underneath her ribs. It sent tingles up the blonde's spine. Her touch felt like a beautiful summer's eve. Relaxing. Beautiful. Perfect.

Alison tentatively reached out and put her palms against Emily's hips to steady her in the water, drawing her closer. She could feel the brunette's muscles working as she lightly kicked to stay afloat. Emily smiled at her, part sweet, part seductive. Neither of them moved.

"I don't think you're a bad seed at all." Emily argued.

Well you haven't met bitchy Queen Bee Alison DiLaurentis.

"Yeah, you don't know the half of what I've screwed up." She couldn't pry her eyes away from Emily's eyes.

"It doesn't matter. We all screw up. We're teenagers. It's what we do. Hell, even adults screw up. They don't know what they're doing half the time. It's just life. Nothing to beat yourself up over." Emily shrugged. "Besides, whatever it is about Toby that bugs you, he's never said a word to me about you." Other than his normal overprotective bullshit. "Neither has Jenna." Though that wasn't entirely true. Jenna had once called Alison a 'twatwaffle that needed to be burned to a cunty crisp' after they got into a fight over Jason's honor. But that was in the past. "Alison, I'm sure it's all in your head. I bet my family would like to meet you."

Alison started to mull it over, seriously consider it. She'd already met her dad and she really did like him. He seemed cool and down to earth. And her mom liked to cook. Maybe she could share some of her grandmother's favorite recipes and see if Emily's mom would help her make them.

"No pressure though." Emily pulled away from Alison, finding a standing cove of water to float in on her back.

Alison watched her as she silently bobbed against the water, occasionally dipping close to the waterfall trickling in above them. Her eyes were closed, like she was at peace with the whole world. Alison watched her bathe in the warmth of the sun glistening on the water, somehow finding the spots of bright patches with perfect precision, like a meticulous cat.

The brunette looked so beautiful, so relaxed. Her hair was flowing, floating out beside her like it was part of the water. It bounced ever so softly with the current. Emily sat up once she reached the waterfall, her hand reaching out in search of the edge of it. She leaned back, letting the water wash over her like the spray of a shower.

Alison's thighs pulsed at the sight of the water running over her. She could feel the lukewarm water around her bottom half rising in temperature as her body's want for the girl screamed from the inside.

Emily ducked under the waterfall, disappearing for a few seconds before coming back up for air. She moved forward, running her fingers through her hair and all Alison could think about was how she truly did look like an exotic siren of the sea.

"You really do look like a mermaid." Alison swam up next to her.

"I bet you say that to all of the girls you jump off of cliffs after." Emily laughed.

"Just the crazy ones."

They moved in closer. Emily reached up to run her fingers through her hair and Alison saw a lined scar she hadn't seen before on the inner side of her right arm. It was barely noticeable because for the most part it hugged her body at an area that was usually covered by sleeves. It piqued her interest. But before she could draw attention to it, Emily broke the silence.

"So, why Spring Cove?" Emily asked.

"You like the water." Alison didn't even have to think twice about the answer.

"I do." Emily smiled. "I actually had my first lesson with Coach Fulton in the school pool today."

Whaaat? No way! I totally wasn't spying on you in the locker room.

"How was it?"

"It was okay." Emily shrugged. "I like this better." She smiled. "More nature. Less chemicals. And more…you."

Alison closed the distance between them and reached for Emily's arm.

"You know, I've gotten better at swimming since we were kids."

She turned around and put Emily's arm against her shoulder. She reached out and took her other hand and pulled it down around her stomach. Emily got the idea of what she was doing.

Alison slowly started to move forward into the deeper water, pulling Emily with her, Emily's front flush with Alison's back. Emily felt her toes leaving the bumpy underground and slowly being pulled into deeper territory away from the waterfall. She followed Alison's movements. It was like a weightless dance.

"You're not scared are you?" Alison asked.

"Please, who jumped in first?" Emily asked, though her grip around Alison had tightened a little bit because they were in the middle of the cove and Emily wasn't sure which way was which anymore because the noise of the falls was echoing all around them.

Alison couldn't help but smile at her confidence. She got the feeling that from here on out both of them would always jump in after the other.

They swam around the cove, Alison leading, looking back over her shoulder every so often to make sure Emily was still okay. Sometimes her eyes were open and sometimes they were closed.

After a while they drifted to the shore, finding a sunny spot on a large rock with graffiti etched all over it to dry off. Alison went to grab their things from the cliff and brought them down to where they'd settled.

Emily pulled a small towel out of her bag, just a little bit larger than a hand towel. She offered it to Alison to dry her face and arms and legs. Then Emily did the same. She dug around in the side pocket of her bag until she found a small bottle of eye drops. Alison watched as she lubricated her eyes with them.

"How often do you have to put drops in your eyes?" Alison felt a wave of guilt rolling over her.

"Every six to eight hours, but I'm supposed to apply them more if I go around longer without my sunglasses. Or if my eyes start to feel scratchy and dry."

"Do they feel okay now?" Alison asked tentatively.

"They're fine." She nodded.

She put her sunglasses back on and reached into her bag to find her brush. She knew if she didn't tame her hair then it would turn into a huge tangled mess as it dried. Alison sipped her water and watched her quietly.

They bathed in the sun as their clothing started to dry. Alison mindlessly ran her fingers over the lettered graffiti on the rock. It was all colors and shapes and sizes. Lovers past and present came out to put their initials on it. It was a dumb tradition, but one that Alison kind of understood now. Because when your feelings for someone were strong enough, nothing you did together was dumb.

Emily could hear the stream trickling, a waterfall in the distance. It was calm. Quiet. In her mind she could see the sunlight breaking through the trees dancing in the water like beautiful shards of stained glass. It was so quiet that she almost forgot that she was with Alison. The blonde was being insanely quiet. Emily couldn't see her, but she felt her eyes on her.

"What's on your mind?" Emily questioned, sitting up.

You. Alison smiled, wanting so badly to lean forward and touch her lips to Emily's. Always you. Constantly you. And sometimes Lady Gaga.

"Do you know where we are?" Alison questioned, pushing herself up against her palms.

"Spring Cove."

"No, the rock that we're sitting on…" Alison drifted off, feeling slightly nervous at the mention of it. "The kissing rock?"

"Oh, yeah, I've heard all the legends about it." Emily sounded dismissive, skeptical.

"Legends?" Alison feigned being offended. "No, it's all totally true. People have been sneaking out here to the kissing rock for hundreds of years."

"Bullshit." Emily laughed. "You're making that up."

"Just because I'm making it up doesn't mean it's not true." Alison shrugged. "Supposedly you come out here with somebody and you can feel the ghosts of the other lovers spying on you pushing you to do it." She leaned closer to Emily.

"Really?" Emily faced Alison. She could feel Alison's eyes glued to her face. She didn't know it, but Alison was licking her lips. "Well, unlike that kid in that Bruce Willis flick I don't see dead people." She smirked.

If Alison wanted to kiss her, she didn't want it to be because of some stupid legend. She wasn't going to be duped into that juvenile stuff. She wanted it to be real. Not some game. Not because they thought they were supposed to, but because they wanted to.

Alison was intrigued by her response. She'd given her the perfect opening. But Emily didn't take the bait.

"Guess we'll be disappointing the ghosts." Alison chuckled. "Sorry, Casper. No free peep show for you."

"Yep, go to your nearest strip joint and pay for it like every other perverted undead person in the world." Emily added with a huge grin.

A phone went off, ruining the moment. Emily recognized the personalized ringtone.

"That would be my mother calling to make sure I haven't been swallowed by the big bad world."

She reached into her bag and dug around until she found her phone. She answered and talked to her mother for a few seconds, going very basic with 'yes' and 'yes, ma'am'. After she hung up she laughed in slight embarrassment.

"As long as I'm living her baby I'll be." Emily shrugged.

"That's a kid's book, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm, Love You Forever. My mom used to read it to me all the time when I was little."

"I'm not going to lie, your parents sound really awesome."

"Yeah, I'm lucky." Emily nodded, her smile fading, something weighing on her mind.

Alison was intrigued by her change in tone.

"Something wrong?"

"No." Emily replied, almost too quickly. She sighed. "It's just…sometimes when my phone rings and it's my mom calling I worry that it's about my dad."

"About him having to go back overseas?"

Emily nodded.

"I'm sorry. That's probably really hard for you guys."

"It's part of it," Emily said, putting up a tough exterior that Alison could see right through.

"I hope it doesn't happen again any time soon. But if it does I want you to know that I'll be there for you. Whatever you need."

"Thanks." Emily smiled weakly.

There was a lingering silence between them. Alison didn't like it. She tried to start the conversation up again. Her eyes were drawn to the black ink near Emily's right breast. She'd seen a peek of it in the water, too. The thin strap of her sports bra was covering a portion of it. It was tiny, but it was there. Two little hearts linked together.

"So, you said you'd tell me about your tattoo?" Alison asked.

Emily cleared her throat. It sounded like she was choking back tears. Alison peered at her and she saw something she had not seen before. Vulnerability. Emily came off as a very strong person, and she was. But there was something more beneath the surface. Seeing her emotionally exposed in such a raw way struck a chord in Alison. Alison knew how it felt to wear a mask for people. And it humbled her to know that Emily felt comfortable enough with her to let all pretenses fall away. But it upset her to hear Emily in any kind of distress. She wasn't sure if it was her dad or the mention of the tattoo that had rattled her.

"Or…um, we could talk about something else?"

"No. No, it's fine." Emily reached up, her fingers searching for where her skin felt slightly different on her right collar bone. "I got it right before I turned sixteen."

She remembered picking it out. It was right before she'd lost her vision. It was actually one of the last things she could remember seeing with perfect distinction.

"How'd you manage to talk uber-protective mom into that one?" Alison asked, remembering what Emily had said about her parents knowing about her tattoo.

Emily chuckled softly.

"How I manage to talk her into everything. Uber-guilt." She was smiling, but it was a sad smile. "It's in memory of someone I lost."

Emily felt tears stinging her eyes. She pulled her sunglasses off of her face and set them down beside her so she could rub her eyes. It took every ounce of self-control Alison had to not reach out and touch her cheek and wipe away her tears.

"Her name was Maya. She died when I was fifteen."

Hearing the pain in Emily's voice brought out a soft protective instinct inside of Alison. Normally, she'd feel catty about the fact that someone had been on Emily's radar, that someone had touched her in such an emotional way, but something about the way Emily spoke about Maya made Alison feel something she'd never realized she could feel: sympathy.

She saw Emily's jaw tighten as she fought back her emotions.

Self-control be damned. Alison put her hand on top of Emily's and reached up to brush away a stray tear that Emily had missed. Emily closed her eyes, trying to memorize the feel of Alison's touch. It was something that felt familiar. Like home. But it was also something new and sweet, and something she never wanted to forget.

"I'm so sorry." Alison tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She felt like shit for even asking her about it.

"After she died I begged my parents to let me do something in remembrance of her. Mom was really hesitant at first, but dad…" She smiled, "…he has one of his own. His army tat. He understood my need to always have a piece of her with me. He talked her into it for me. So right before my sixteenth birthday they signed the waiver and let me do it."

Alison wanted to ask all about Maya. She wanted to know who she was. Why she was special. What had happened. How she could help her heart heal. But instead she just held her hand. She lowered her palm away from her cheek, her fingers lingering over the tattoo.

"May I?" Alison asked.

Emily nodded and Alison reached down, carefully moving the strap of her sports bra aside. She was surprised to find a scar below the ink, a thin white blemish on her otherwise unmarred chest.

She traced her fingertips against the tattoo. Alison had always seen tattoos as hot. A rebellious sort of sexiness. But on Emily it was just beautiful and pure. She'd done it to honor someone. Not just as some act to try and be cool. It meant something. She looked at it for what felt like forever, trying to imagine what it must be like to lose someone you cared about.

She ran her finger across the scar, which was interwoven with the ink. Her eyes caught the edge of the similar looking faded cut on the inner part of Emily's upper arm. The scars traveled in a similar trajectory. The one on her arm almost aligned exactly with the one by her collar bone. It looked like she'd been cut by something, or stabbed. Maybe even grazed by a bullet. Then again, it didn't matter how she'd gotten it. It mattered that someone had hurt her. Someone that Alison was going to kill horribly when she found them...

Who would do such a thing? Alison thought murderously. Who would dare do this to my perfect angel

And then she looked up and saw Emily's eyes. And she remembered. She'd blinded her. She looked at her scars again, her index finger lingering against the edge of the one on her collar bone. She wanted to ask what had happened. But what if it was something that had occurred during the explosion? What if she was responsible? She couldn't live with any more guilt.

She traced the hearts, and then touched the scar. She saw Emily's skin quiver. Alison felt tears stinging her own eyes. It's like she could feel Emily's pain.

"I'm sorry about Maya," she said quietly.

"It was hard on me." It still lurked in the darkest parts of her mind. It still affected her to this day, in more ways than one. "She was very special to me."

Alison really wanted to ask how special. Had she been more than a friend? A girlfriend? Maybe someone Emily was in love with?

Emily could feel Alison's hot breath against her neck as she leaned closer to admire the tattoo. When Alison looked up at her, their faces were just inches apart. Emily's smooth brown eyes were parallel to Alison's eyes. Their lips were hovering next to one another. Emily was just there.

In the back of her mind Alison could hear whispers telling her what to do. The ghosts. Emily may have not believed in the power of the ghosts, but Alison certainly did.

What happened next was a mixture of Alison's libido and Emily's need for comfort in that very moment. Alison was the one who moved forward first. Before they knew it, their lips were touching. Alison thought Emily might pull away, but instead she pushed back.

Something inside of Alison's body jazzed through her veins. She saw sparks, fucking fireworks exploding in her field of vision. All the cheesy romance movies she'd seen had been right about that cliché. The colors she saw were bright and dazzling and the world around them faded. All that existed was her and Emily in their own little universe.

Alison pushed against her and Emily melted into it. Alison's lips were smooth and silky and they tasted like vanilla and cinnamon. Emily felt one of Alison's hands against the nape of her neck and the other against her ribcage, moving down her side. Her fingers were warm and soft. Her touch made Emily shiver.

Emily reached up and found Alison's cheek, the blonde's soft hair falling in waves against it. She pushed her hand against Alison's face and reached up and found the side of her neck with her other palm. Alison moaned into her mouth at the sensation of Emily's touch. The sheer pleasure of Alison's joy made Emily moan back against Alison's mouth, which sent a direct spark down to Alison's core.

Emily followed Alison's jaw line, placing a line of kisses down until she reached her neck. Alison turned her head and reached up with her hand, running it through Emily's wet hair. She encouraged Emily's kisses by gently pushing the back of brunette's head, moving her lips further against her skin. Alison turned her face, stretching her neck to give Emily's mouth better access, because God it felt good. It's like every move she made was a motion that existed for the two of them and only them.

"Ghosts, huh?" Emily smirked against the thin skin on Alison's neck.

Alison felt every motion of her lips and it nearly sent her into a frenzy. Alison's breathing started getting heavier. Emily's touch was everything she could have hoped for and more. She huffed out,

"Thought you didn't want to…"

"I lied." Emily replied against her skin. It tasted so divine, like sweet cream and sea salt.

Emily felt Alison's fingers tracing her outer thigh and running up against her ribcage and she exhaled the most erotic noise Alison had ever heard. Alison dipped her head down to kiss Emily's tattooed scar, her lips delicately grazing it, thinking of the pain she carried...and how she wanted to make that pain disappear with her kiss, how she would take her agony away if she could.

And Emily felt it. She could feel it in her heart. Alison's lips moved against the top of Emily's sports bra, near her right breast. She was fascinated by it. What had happened to Maya? What had happened to her? Who had done this to her? Why?

She pecked the scar and Emily shivered. Her mouth left a trail of tingles in its wake as she slowly moved up against Emily's neck.

Their lips clashed again and Alison shuddered at the contact of their mouths ghosting over each other. Her gaze flickered down towards Emily's lips as they moved in to deepen the kiss. Neither girl showed signs of slowing down. Emily felt a heated fire in her chest that she'd never felt before.

Alison was completely enamored by Emily's gentle nature. Unlike with Noel, the embrace was heated and passionate and was being driven by an emotional force beyond lust. It's like they were being pulled together like some kind of magnet, like they belonged.

They both turned, their bodies starting to get much closer. Their breathing became more and more erratic. Alison's fingers lingered near Emily's scorching hot inner thigh. She gave the tender skin where Emily's thigh met the inside of her pelvis a gentle squeeze and Emily shuddered out an uneven breath into her mouth.

She took note of the fact that it was one of Emily's sweet spots. Alison smiled, pushing her fingers against the spot again, this time earning a moan from Emily. She moved her fingers further along her inner thigh, her thumb slowly moving towards the moistened dip in her yoga pants. Alison could almost see her arousal through the thin material and she heard her thoughts going nuts.

OhmyGod, this can't be real. Is this real? This feels like a dream. She's perfect. She's so perfect.

But then something hit Alison. An internal brick wall. A flash of light, not unlike an explosion. This wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced with Noel or Ben or even Cece. Emily had some kind of hold over her, and Emily didn't even know her…what she was truly capable of. Who she truly was.

What are you doing, Alison? She screamed at herself in thought.

She barely knew Emily. She was still trying to figure out what she meant to her. She was still wrestling with her feelings of guilt.

This is wrong. Emily wasn't just one of her toys. You can't do this to her. You're going to screw her up. She deserves something more.

This couldn't happen, not like this. She had to change first. She had to be better. She had to be deserving of the beauty in front of her. This had to more than just hooking up. She needed Emily to know what she felt.

"Wait…" Alison pulled away just as quickly as their lips had first met. She panted against Emily's mouth, her fingers still hooked against Emily's yoga pants. "We…I…I shouldn't have done that." Alison cleared her throat.

"No. It was nice." Emily smiled, her lips, her entire body, still buzzing from their encounter. Her chest was heaving up and down.

"I know, but…I think it might have given you the wrong idea." The words tore at Alison's heart as she said them out loud. "We…we just met, Emily. And you…" She huffed with a smile, "…you're incredible. But there's a lot you don't know…about me." About the broken fucking people I leave in my wake. "And I think it's best if we're just friends right now."

Emily was disappointed to hear it. Her feelings…and the way Alison had touched her had told her otherwise. But she didn't know the full story. Maybe Alison was afraid, though of what she couldn't be sure of. But one thing she was sure of was that in her heart, she felt something for Alison. And Alison felt the same way. So whatever it was that was holding her back, Emily was willing to work through it. She understood Alison's plight. She understood what it felt like to be scared and out of control in love. Because Emily had a secret of her own. And she wasn't sure Alison would be able to deal with it, that she would want to deal with it.

But she didn't want to go back to a life before she had run into Alison that day at the park. Because that day had changed everything for her. So if Alison wasn't ready to do this, then Emily was just going to have to deal with it. If it meant they could only be friends, she was going to have to take that hit.

For now.

But it still hurt.

"I'm fine with that." She reached down and felt around for her sunglasses, just to do something with her nervous energy.

Alison could see the pained look on her face, and she felt like a complete asshole. Emily felt Alison's hand on top of hers, making her suddenly still her motions.

"It's not you, I swear." Alison could tell that Emily was confused and upset. "I just…well, I know you probably know about my reputation by now. I'm not the best when it comes to this kind of thing. I don't really do relationships…or girlfriends. And I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"It's fine, Alison." But she felt a ripple of pain in her chest.

Alison could hear the sadness in her voice, and she was kicking herself for it. She just couldn't stop causing her pain. But it was better she hurt her this way now than to hurt her worse further down the line.

"Emily," she said, but then she froze. She had no idea what she wanted to say, how she could fix it.

Emily saved her the trouble. She pushed herself to her feet and felt around for her cane.

"We should go. It's getting late. We shouldn't be wandering around in the woods after dark."

Alison silently helped Emily gather up her belongings. She grabbed Emily's sunglasses, which had fallen off to the side of the rock when they'd been kissing. She put her palm on Emily's arm and pushed her fingers into her open hand. Their fingertips touched, a feeling much like static electricity surging through the both of them. And it took everything Alison had not to take Emily's face into her palms and kiss her again. She licked her lips nervously.

"You won't tell anyone about this, will you?"

Another bolt of disappointment shot through Emily. Perhaps it was fear that Alison felt about her feelings. Perhaps it was shame. Maybe she was ashamed of her. Had she been wrong about Alison? Had her friends been right? She didn't know what to think. She slipped her shades back on to try and hide the emotional tears filling her eyes.

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I just…I don't want people getting the wrong idea about you." Alison was trying to protect her, but she didn't know how to explain it. "People in Rosewood can be really ruthless."

"Yeah." Emily nodded. Her lips were in a tight grimace. "They can be."

Alison knew it was a shot at her. But she knew she deserved the hit. She deserved worse, actually. But that didn't change her feelings for the girl.

As they walked away, Alison glanced back at the decorated rock. Her eyes fell upon a freshly painted heart with the initials EF & AD inside of it. She'd doodled it two days ago when she'd come out to the rock to think about things. She sighed, her eyes lingering on the graffiti.

"You have a crush, baby sister." Her brother had teased this morning.

But Jason was wrong. She didn't have a crush. This girl was holding her heart in her hands. Alison DiLaurentis was in love. And she knew that it was going to end in heartbreak. She just assumed it would be Emily's. She had no idea that it wasn't Emily's heart that was the one in danger of the vulnerabilities that came with heartache.

It was hers.


A/N: Ahhh! I know, how dare I? But before you grab those pitchforks let me tell you that I will not be drawing out any unnecessary drama between the girls. Resolutions come fast in this story. This isn't a make-up, break-up, make-up fic.