A/N: Sup guys! Thanks so much for all your reviews, they are really so fun for us to read. For everyone inquiring about my other stories, I really apologize but if I focused on all of those stories right now I wouldn't have time to focus on this one or to live my life. For example, TGHall is insanely busy on set this week, and I refuse to post anything without running it by her first so our posts will still practically be daily, but some might be delayed just a bit.

Also, I'm working on a lot of original stuff—there's a feature I'm in the midst of producing that's really gonna be great if it launches off the ground with stars attached to it, so I've been thinking about making a twitter to keep in touch with you guys outside of fanfiction—what do you guys think? I just dislike the communication abilities on this site, so I was looking for something more direct.

Finally, we're both so thrilled to hear from MysticalGoddessofWords and that she's enjoying our story while she's recovering - if anyone wants to read quality emison stuff, go check her out (it's unlikely you haven't already, but just in case).

Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 7

"We're here tonight with the estranged parents of superstar swimmer, Emily Fields who has been making headlines this year with her current behavior. Once named America's Sweetheart, we are wondering if there is an explanation to her new wild child lifestyle or are we just now meeting the real Emily Fields. Wayne and Pam Fields are here with us today to offer some insight. Thanks for being with us this morning," the news anchor smiles politely at her guests.

"Thank you for having us," Pam Fields all but gushes at the other woman. "It's been a rough last three years for us."

"Three years ago is when Emily left the family, correct?"

"When Emmy was 18, she cut us out of her life and signed with Cece Drake who encouraged her to keep us away," Wayne explains calmly.

"Now, let me ask this," the anchor continues. "In interviews, Emily is quoted as having said that you two were a very negative influence in her lifekeeping money from her, strictly controlling her life, and disregarding her well being. Let's hear your side of the story though, how would you counter those statements?"

"Well, some of that is true," Pam admits after she takes a deep breath and sighs as if apologizing. "I mean Emily was 16 when things started happening for her career so of course we were managing the money. Would you let your teenage daughter have access to thousands of dollars, or would you save it? I don't see the argument behind that. As far as strictly controlling her life and disregarding her well being, I would like to say those are both false."

She smiles at the camera and nods to herself.

"We've always pushed Emily to be the best she could be, and we knew she had a talent for swimming so we encouraged it. We fostered her abilities, helped her launch a careerI signed notes so she didn't have to go to class, so she could train. We gave up everything for that girl," Pam takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself.

"She hasn't spoken to us in three years," she wipes at her eyes and Wayne puts an arm around his wife's shoulders in support. " Just look how her career has turned out? Instead of focusing on swimming, she's focused onon dating that girl, drinking her money away, and running wild! I mean I am not surprised at all to see that she is getting in violent fights over slaves, she has always been fiercely aggressive but we tried to channel that into healthy competition. I hear rumors all the time that she is gambling her money away, it wouldn't be the first time she's made careless decisions. She needs boundaries and rules, she is naturally impulsive and reckless. Jumping straight from her caring home life, where we were fair but balanced into a life of glamour with everyone at her beck and call. You know I blame all her immature friends all they do is encourage her, I've heard she gets depressed—"

Pam Fields' voice is cut off and Emily sits with her head buried in her arms on the table, not only frustrated beyond belief but also horribly upset. The room is full of stressful tension, mostly radiating from the brunette.

"You've been watching this interview on repeat for hours," Aria scolds her gently as she snatches the laptop away from the brunette who makes no effort to fight back. "You're gonna drive yourself crazy."

Alison watches sympathetically from the kitchen, where Hanna stands with her sipping a water and shaking her head. The timid blonde has been with the three of them all morning and afternoon. From the moment Emily had seen the interview while watching the news with Alison, she had slipped into some sort of quiet, ghost-like state of grievance. The tiny blonde had initially tried to comfort Emily, too. But eventually she became worried about Emily's seemingly broken, eerily quiet state, and ran and got Aria and Hanna.

"Em, your mom is a piece of work. She's the last person you need back in your life," Hanna reiterates with a sigh. She hates the Fields more than most of the other girls as she has known Emily since kindergarten. There had been nights in middle school when Emily would show up at Hanna's house, crying and claiming she was running away from home. Mrs. Marin had always sympathetically let Emily in and dealt with the Fields as best she could. Often, Emily would be picked up within hours of showing up but Hanna always remembers how badly the fights affected her best friend. The sassy blonde knows it wasn't simply teenage angst causing problems in the Fields household. It was everything from Emily's easygoing attitude, to her sexuality, to her parents' rigidly strict discipline and terrifying expectations that the brunette constantly fell short of, because being an internationally ranked swimmer by 16 was just not good enough for some people. Hanna knows better than any of them the pressure Emily puts on herself is a hangover from her parents drilling and it's why Hanna is Emily's go to party pal, because the others don't understand Emily like Hanna does and the blonde doubts they ever will.

Suddenly, the front door opens and they all hear a familiar, despicable voice.

"Emily? Baby where are you?"

Alison's blood runs cold at the sound of Maya's voice floating through the mansion and she naturally moves closer to Hanna who understands her worry and shifts subtly in front of the scared blonde. Although, they both remember what happened the last time Hanna was entrusted with Alison's protection.

"She's in here," Aria calls hesitantly from the dining room and swift footsteps can be heard as Maya struts in, heels and all. She eyes Aria and the other girls warily before she settles on her girlfriend, stewing at the table. Alison watches as Maya's normally cruel, dark eyes soften for a moment.

"Baby girl, talk to me," Maya coos softly in that annoyingly coddling baby voice as she hops on the table in front of Emily and forces her girlfriend to look at her. Hanna holds back her gagging—she hates how the dark haired girl tries to mother Emily in times like this. She's pretty sure that her best friend traded one horrific motherly/female figure in her life for another, in a weird twisted way.

"About what?" Emily asks in a hollow voice, and Alison has never heard her sound so empty before. A strange pang of hurt resounds through the blonde when she hears Emily talk like this. Almost…almost as if it hurts Alison to hear Emily hurting.

"Tell me you realize your mom is a manipulative psycho bitch," Maya states flatly but Emily just shrugs. The three watching all share the same thought as they make eye contact with each other—those words could not be more ironic coming from Maya. Alison watches helplessly as Emily continues to sulk. Maya huffs and lifts her leg over Emily trapping the brunette between her thighs. "Look at me, baby."

Emily slowly raises her head at the sweet command and Maya smiles almost kindly, almost.

"She's a bitch and you're better off," Maya swears and Emily nods softly. Ali struggles to reconcile this Emily, who look so lost and small, with her usually vibrant and explosive owner. Maya twirls a strand of Emily's dark hair around her finger. "Don't forget the time your mom pushed you to train until you couldn't move your arms. Do you remember that?"

Emily nods looking down in shame and regret, her parents have never been interested in her needs and wants, it was and will continue to always be about the money. As Alison watches, she feels an anger bubbling inside her at the thought of someone physically mistreating Emily like that. The fact that someone abused Emily and caused her to be so distressed that she hangs her head at the thought makes Alison ache with pain. But it's a different pain than Ali usually associates with abuse—like the sharp sting of a backhand or the dull thud of a boot to her side—no, this pain is deeper, buried and constant like no matter how far she reaches she'll never be able to sooth the sharp stabbing. Emily's distress makes her feel this way and she doesn't understand why. Because she's just a nobody sort of girl from the middle of nowhere whose only purpose is to be used, and Emily is this kind, exciting, lively, if not a little bit aggressive girl who has worked so hard to be patient and gentle with Alison. Emily is a girl who doesn't deserve abuse and pain.

"You were crying so badly, and I had to sneak in your window and take care of you," Maya's face falls into a sad frown. "You deserve good people in your life, Em."

Alison's eyes widen as she eavesdrops with the others. Maya did that? She looks to Hanna who furrows her brow watching Maya intently. Aria shifts uncomfortably as Maya slowly pulls Emily out of her funk, when the rest of them failed. Alison's chest constricts painfully as she also watches the scene unfold.

"We're your family Emily, you don't need them," Maya promises and Emily lowers her head into Maya's chest as the dark haired girl massages her scalp. Maya presses a kiss to Emily's hair and coos at her girlfriend. "Lets do something fun, just you and me."

"I'm comfy here," Emily whimpers playfully but its muffled in Maya's shirt. The dark haired girl giggles and rakes her fingers through Emily's hair. This is safety for Emily, even if she can acknowledge it's all sorts of fucked up because this is the first time in months….maybe even years that Maya has let her cuddle without sexual implication. This version of Maya is the girl she thought she fell in love with, the girl who saved her from her parents in the first place.

"Then we'll stay here," Maya mutters kissing at Emily's hair again. She looks up and notices their audience with wary eyes, resentment shining through as she stares at them before looking back at Em. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emily sighs much calmer as she takes deep breaths. Her blood pressure feels like it's returned to normal and the fog in her head has lifted slightly.

Ali's heart clench painfully as Aria and Hanna lead her out of the room.

"Gag me," Hanna instantly whispers as soon as they are out of earshot. Alison almost agrees out loud but stops herself at the last moment a sad smile tugs at her lips and Hanna sighs, protectively placing a hand on the timid blonde's shoulder. Ali questions the gesture warily, but Hanna doesn't even seem to be looking at her. The designer is still a little on edge whenever Maya and Ali are in the same room and she's made it a habit to keep an eye on the blonde slave.

"A little insensitive but yeah," Aria agrees as she runs a hand through her hair. The three of them stand in silence in the foyer, pondering what to do next.

"How are we supposed to get rid of her now?" Hanna grumbles, leaning against the wall, frowning in thought. Alison looks in slight surprise at Hanna. Get rid of? Is it possible that…no…is it? Were Spencer and Hanna talking about Maya? It all makes sense suddenly—

"You can't."

Hanna nearly jumps out of her skin as she hears that dreaded voice from behind them and turns to see Maya grinning at them with a devilish smirk. Aria scowls angrily, moving over next to Hanna and crossing her arms.

"Alison," Maya commands sharply as she turns coyly to the blonde on Hanna's other side who tries not to cower. "Go and get me a bottle of water from the fridge."

Alison hesitates for just a moment as she looks to Aria and Hanna but the tiny raven-haired girl steps forward with a menacing look in her eyes.

"Now, slave," Maya growls under her breath and Alison wastes no time in fleeing, too fearful of Maya to not do it the second time she's told.

"Hey," Aria bites back angrily as she gets in Maya's face to both Hanna and Maya's surprise. "Don't talk to Alison like that."

"Oh please, not you too," Maya rolls her eyes. "Are you serious? Ezra's family literally has like three different companies based on slave labor."

"What do you want?" Hanna bitterly cuts in as she watches Aria's face contort in rage and she looks ready to scream in protest.

"I would be careful what you say, Hanna Banana," Maya mocks with a faux sweet voice. Her eyes glint with evil mischief. "There are always consequences."

"You can threaten me, but leave everyone else out of it," Hanna snarls.

"Look, I want you all gone probably as badly as you want me gone—"

"That's not going to happen," Aria chimes in with such aggression it makes Hanna nervous. "We're a team and Emily needs us."

"Looks like we'll just have to learn to coexist then," Maya whispers with a smug grin. "Cause I want Emily and she wants me and there's nothing any of you can do about it."

Meanwhile, Alison has wandered into the kitchen frantically, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle.

"Alison?"

The blonde almost falls backwards in fright as she jumps while Emily curiously approaches her, a glass of water in her hand.

"Yes?" Alison asks softly, closing the door. She's glad to see some of the sparkle has returned to Emily's brown eyes. The brunette looked so torturously sad earlier.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Emily replies quietly, her voice full of sincerity. She watches as Alison's eyebrows scrunch in confusion and she clears her throat before she continues. "I know I'm not the easiest person to deal with, and we still hardly know each other, but I realized you stayed by my side today."

She offers her charming, sweet Emily Fields smile and Alison returns a small smile, pleased that her owner is acknowledging her dedication.

"Of course," Alison murmurs in response and the brunette shakes her head.

"Most people only want to get to know Emily Fields in sports illustrated or they want money," Emily replies bitterly as she takes a sip of water. "Nobody wants to deal with all of this."

She gestures to herself a little bit embarrassed, a trait that Alison knows all too well. The blonde shakes her head trying to combat her owner's sadness. It is, after all, her job to service all of Emily's needs.

"I want to," Alison assures Emily softly, albeit diligently. She sees her response earns her an infectious smile and Emily's whole face relaxes.

"Yeah?" Emily can't help but ask, feeling hope that maybe she's not too fucked up beyond repair, hope that she can maybe let the blonde in too. Alison nods vigorously, but then she remembers the others in the foyer.

"Excuse me," she says politely and Emily watches as she timidly leaves. The athlete puts her glass in the sink, pondering what Alison could have meant with her statement. Loyalty is the one trait she has always prided herself on, it's what drew her to all her friends—each one of them has been her loyal rock and while they may disagree and fight, they still have her back. She hopes Alison will realize she's part of the group too, Emily thinks she may become a crucial element.

Alison approaches the foyer slowly, noting Hanna's and Aria's fierce glares directed at Maya who's back is to hall.

"This is my final warning," Maya hisses. "I'm sick of you all trying to take what is mine. Stop trying to fuck with me and Emily, or I'll make sure you're all well and truly fucked."

Alison hesitantly moves to stand by Aria, and she faces Maya as she draws strength from the other two. The raven haired girl eyes Alison cruelly as she snatches the water from the blonde's hands and Alison hangs her head low.

"You don't scare me," Aria insists.

"We'll see about that," Maya haughtily remarks as her eyes make an obvious sweep of Alison's form, the obvious appreciative stare makes Aria's blood boil and Hanna's skin crawl.

"Get your eyes checked Maya they seem to be wandering," Aria snarks as she takes Ali's arm and leads her away. Hanna glares at Maya once more before she follows the other two. Perhaps its not Spencer's or Cece's defiance that Maya needs to be concerned by the dark haired girl muses as she sips her water slowly in thought.

x-x-x

A few days later, Spencer sits at her desk stewing in her own frustration. It's a financial mess in her home office and it's giving her a migraine just staring numbers. She's good at English and History, and she's not terrible at math but it's definitely not her favorite.

In the corner tucked on a chair is Alison who is reading a book, or slowly flipping through it. Her previous horrifying fear of Spencer is quelled as she has realized the snappy manager wasn't talking about her with Hanna and that their hatred is towards Maya. Spencer and Ali have found a companionable silence as they both focus on their own things. The blonde likes being in Spencer's office because she feels secure in this room, this room filled with books and papers and art Alison has never seen. Its like another whole world away from the rest of Emily's mansion and like Hanna's studio it has personal Spencer touches. But its what the room holds that Ali treasures: knowledge. And she can't remember where she read it or heard it but she's always loved the idea that knowledge can't be owned, it's gained. Ali feels a little tiny thrill every time she reaches for a new book and Spencer doesn't scold her, because even though she's not as scared of Spencer as she was she still does her best not to disturb Emily's manager and she's still worried about learning what will and won't set these people off.

Spencer can't help but notice the blonde is not the quickest reader and her lips will sound out words she seems to struggle over. Throughout the afternoon, Spencer has found herself supplying Alison with the words that trip her up—affidavit and archipelago the ones Spencer remembers most clearly (Ali is reading one of her law textbooks after all). It's kind of cute how Ali's wide eyes will look to Spencer when the brunette sounds out the word for her. A little smile always tugs at the blonde's lips when she recites it back and gets it right with Spencer nodding just once in praise.

Contrary to what the others may think, Spencer doesn't mind babysitting. If it keeps Alison away from Maya, well…Aria's concerns have been shared with Spencer and she's actively working towards keeping Maya at bay. Unfortunately, Maya is currently the only other person in the house besides Emily and so Spencer has moved Ali into her study today. Alison keeps to herself enough for her presence to not be a serious problem, unlike Hanna who talks Spencer's ear off if she's in the same room or only several rooms over. No, Spencer is stressed about these damn contracts and the legal jargon these stupid companies have thrown in, on top of the numbers for Emily's finances. She's trying desperately to make sure Emily hasn't broken any moral clauses by even owning Alison and so far they seem to be in the clear. She's also trying to make sure the superstar has enough money for all of them to continue living their lavish lifestyle comfortably.

"P-p-," Ali stutters a little frowning down at her book and Spencer sighs rubbing tiredly at her eyes.

"Bring it here, Ali," the braniac instructs softly and the blonde stands quickly, rushing to Spencer's side and handing her the book so the brunette doesn't explode. Spencer surveys the page carefully and finds the word Alison can't figure out.

"Puissance," Spencer pronounces and smiles slightly at Alison as she hands the book back. The blonde's eyebrows crinkle in concentration.

"Pui-ssance," Alison sounds out carefully and Spencer nods.

"It means power or might or glory," Spencer supplies gently and Alison nods understandingly, her blue eyes clear and thoughtful as she absorbs Spencer's quick lesson.

The manager turns back to her work and scribbles out a few numbers on her legal pad. Nothing is concrete in here about Emily breaking a moral clause, but there are fines clearly stated for other infractions and Spencer needs to be across all of it. She adds three more large sums below the other two and then reaches for her calculator.

"Three hundred twenty one thousand nine hundred and thirty," Ali mutters almost inaudibly as her eyes dash over the scribbles on the paper. Spencer's head shoots up and she stares at Alison who ducks her head fearfully as though she hadn't intended to speak. Spencer calculates the numbers quickly and discovers that Alison is right. She regards the silent blonde in shocked wonder.

"You did that in your head?" Spencer clarifies as she clears her throat, her eyes examining the blonde in awe. She'd give anything to crunch numbers like that. Alison looks up slowly and nods fearfully, hoping the older brunette doesn't discipline her for speaking out of turn in in an area that doesn't concern her.

"When did you go to school till, Alison?" Spencer asks carefully.

"Fifth grade," Alison mumbles, ashamed. She has seen the degrees on the wall, and though she doesn't know much about education she knows that those are reserved for the most privileged. Spencer is still in school for her law degree but she has a Bachelors in Business as well. She's the smartest of their little group or so everyone says, and Alison is just stupidly adding numbers.

"We need to continue your education, maybe a few online courses," Spencer muses to herself as she stands up, moving another chair next to her at the desk. She motions for Alison to sit. "Or I could tutor you in some stuff in our free time. If you'd like that, of course?"

Alison nods dumbly and sits as directed. Getting an education sounds incredible, actually. When she had been forced to drop out of school at the age of eleven to go work in the dreary factories, she had wished she was in school instead. And when she was sold at fourteen, she regretted ever complaining about school when she was little. This could be a great way to spend her free time, the blonde muses to herself. Besides, Emily doesn't need much attention, or at least doesn't seem to need much attention apart from regular feeding and well…Ali doesn't know what Emily's other appetites will entail yet but she's sure she could fit in learning too. She finds she really wants to. It's a chance for her to relate to the others, to have common ground with educated smart people like Spencer and Cece.

"I'm sure Emily would be fine with it," Spencer smiles liking her plan already as she hands Alison some files. Maybe Cece and Aria could help her with her lessons too, even Hanna who was surprisingly smart when she wanted to be. "Think you can give me a hand here?"

Alison nods seriously. Of course she wants to help in whatever way she can, the more useful she is the longer she gets to stay, she figures. Thats the way its always been.

"Great, you add up all the numbers in this column and then divide them by the sum of this column, got it?" Spencer instructs and Alison nods dutifully.

She's done in about three minutes and Spencer smiles widely almost impressed. Alison manages a small smile of accomplishment. Later, her cheeks are flaming as she tries to hide an embarrassed smile when Spencer tells the others how impressive Alison is with numbers at the dinner table. Emily is beaming proudly at the blonde's progress and Alison feels like maybe she can make this place work, maybe she can fit in here. Emily is especially excited about the idea of finishing up elementary and primary education for Alison. In fact, Ali is too, until Emily asks the most obvious question ever.

"So Ali, if you ever go to school, what would you want to study?"

And just like that the dream shatters because what does she even want to study? She doesn't even know what the options are, and Spencer starts rattling off things that focus in math and science, while Aria argues in favour of literature and art, and Emily suggests sports or something physical. Then they argue about campuses and online programs and community colleges that they all know of and Alison feels so overwhelmed and stupid for thinking she could ever do something like this. Something normal. Because she's not normal, she's a slave. And she can never forget that—what are the others even thinking? She'd have to be freed to be in a school, or at least a higher slave classification.

"So Ali what will it be?" Spencer smiles excitedly, apparently ignoring that tiny legal fact. But the blonde can't ignore it as the nature of what she is, a pathetic little doll, is engrained in her brain.

"I-I.." Alison hangs her head and stares at her lap, feeling defeated. "I'll just stay. Please."

"What but Ali-" Emily protests, liking the idea of Alison eager to learn even if it would mean a lot of difficulty financially and legally later on down the road.

"Em," Aria interrupts with a warning tone, catching onto the timid blonde's displeasure and the brunette shuts her mouth while Aria changes the subject. The others all sense her discomfort and look to one another helplessly.

Alison wordlessly collects her unfinished plate along with the others finished meals and heads for the kitchen. She places the dishes in the dishwasher slowly and doesn't realize she's crying until a heavy teardrop lands on her hand. She wipes at her eyes hastily not wanting to alert the rest of the house.

"It's all a bit too much huh?"

Alison almost jumps out of her skin as a voice cuts through the silent kitchen. She turns to take in the sight of Spencer hanging back at the kitchen island with a look of sympathy that the blonde figures must be rare for the high-strung, intelligent girl. Alison nods slowly, shy and unsure, but Spencer sighs and rubs at her temples as though pained.

"I have this bad habit," Spencer admits tiredly. "I always want to be the best, I need to be the best. I've gone through great lengths to make sure I live up to everyone's expectations."

Alison listens intently as Spencer seems to be lost in her thoughts as she speaks, as though pained by distant memories. The blonde tilts her head slightly, and tries to understand Spencer's inner dilemma.

"And it makes me want everyone else to be their best too," Spencer says with a dark frown and looks to Alison seriously causing the blonde to cower a little. "But sometimes I push too hard. Do you get what I mean?"

Alison nods wiping embarrassingly at her eyes again, hoping Spencer isn't trying to insinuate that she is pathetic.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Ali," Spencer promises with surprising tenderness. The warmth in the manager's voice is comforting, and Alison wonders why she's always so jaded and not like this constantly. "If you want to learn we'll find stuff for you that you're interested in but if you don't that's— thats your choice."

Alison's heart clenches at the idea of having choice. It's may sound like a wonderful thing, but it is a terrifying concept to be able to choose. Choice gives you options, and options means hope. Hope only leads to misery, in Alison's experience.

"Either way you don't need to make any decisions right now, ok?"

Alison breathes a heavy sigh of relief because Spencer doesn't seem angry or upset by Ali's fear.

"Maybe," Alison compromises shyly.

"Maybe when you're more settled in," Spencer agrees with a decisive nod, reaching a hand out to rub Ali's arm softly in sympathy.

"Have you kissed and made up yet?" Emily yells from the dining room and Spencer rolls her eyes in annoyance. Alison blushes, unsure if this is a dig at her position or if Spencer actually intends to use Ali too.

"Shut up, Emily or you don't get dessert," Spencer fires back and Emily makes an indignant squeak but doesn't complain more, Spencer smirks triumphantly.

"Come on," Spencer instructs pulling ice cream from the freezer. "Lets go eat in front of the big brat."

Alison nods following a gleeful Spencer with bowls and spoons. Emily sulks as Spencer makes a show of dishing out to everyone but her and after a heated stare off Spencer finally gives Emily some ice cream and then everyone just carries on with their evening. Alison once again finds herself confused by this odd group, they're quick to emotion but also relaxed enough to move past sore subjects and obstacles. It's confusing but Alison decides they're not bad people. They're not bad people at all. And she very much wants to stay.