Emily had spent more time at Alison's that past week than she had done her own house. She'd occasionally popped back to get some fresh clothes or see her mother for a quick catch up. But Emily and Alison couldn't get enough of each other and had grown closer with each passing day. Emily opening up and letting Alison in had been a huge step in the right direction and the brunette hadn't even thought about having a cigarette the entire time she had spent with Alison. She had never felt more relaxed and at ease.

They had spent many a evening snuggled together on the sofa watching movies on Netflix. They'd gone through many different genres but Emily still found horror her favourite especially as it meant Alison would cuddle in close to her for protection. Alison normally sat against the arm of the chair whilst Emily sprawled out along the sofa with her head in the blondes lap, the blonde absentmindedly playing with Emilys hair which helped them both to relax.

They were still trying to get to know one another, having not known each other for that long in reality. They found themselves quite often falling into a game of 20 questions, be it whilst eating dinner or getting ready for bed. Even after several rounds of the game they were still managing to learn different facts and kept being surprised by some of the other persons responses.

"Favourite animal?" Emily asked as she sat on the counter top, her legs dangling casually off the side whilst watching Alison cook their dinner.

Having finished work later than usual Emily hadn't even bothered to change into her casual clothing and had headed straight to where she could hear the blonde singing at the top of her voice. Emily had waited silently in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe her arms crossed but in a relaxed way. She was secretly admiring Alison's hidden talent before she decided she should make her presence known, a quick chaste peck on the lips between the two and Alison had then waved the brunette out the way so she could resume cooking the stir fry which was one of her specialities.

Emily had jumped up onto the counter with ease, having gotten used to having her arm in a cast pretty quickly. She was met with a glare from Alison who didn't like the brunette sitting on the counter tops, Emily however playfully wiggled her eyebrows in a childish manner and didn't move an inch. Alison looked deep in thought for several seconds whilst she twiddled the wooden spoon she was holding between her hands.

"A leopard" Alison decided upon before jumping straight into the reasoning behind her answer. "They're independent, graceful and strong willed... like me" she ended with her trademark smirk.

Emily nodded at the reply as she watched the blonde move closer to her. Alison made her way in between Emilys legs and brought her arms behind the brunettes neck. She had a look of lust in her blue eyes and Emily watched them darken with every seductive move the blonde made. Alison lent in to kiss Emily but paused once she heard the brunettes reply to the question.

"Mines a pufferfish... I don't really have a reason, they just look funny" and with that Emily puffed out her cheeks and moved her head from side to side as she tried to impersonate the animal.

This had caused Alison to break into a fit of laughter which was met seconds later by the brunette. It took them several minutes before the laughter even began to die down, their breathing loud and heavy as they tried to recompose themselves. Emily wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes and her face ached from all the smiling she had done. As Alison lent in to kiss Emily once more she was interrupted this time by the timer alerting her that dinner was ready to be dished up. This interruption earned a childish pout and whine from Emily who reluctantly slid off the counter and made her way to the dining table ready for Alison to serve their dinner.

Emily hadn't even broken the rules with her friends and had spent much of Saturday afternoon and evening with them. She had been reluctant to leave Alison but the blonde had persuaded her it would be good to see them. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her friends as such it was more so that she was just wrapped up in Alison and she didn't want the feeling to end. The blonde had promised she would still be there and they would continue what they had been doing once the brunette returned.

Emily and her friends had spent the afternoon in The Brew catching up on the past few days but mainly the girls grilled Emily on her relationship with Alison. They still hadn't made it official, wanting to take things slow what with Emily's past and trust issues. The brunette was trying to work through her problems but her walls crept back up every so often and that made it seem like they were back at square one again. They had mutually decided that until Emily felt comfortable enough to let her walls completely down with Alison then they would not put a label on what they were.

After Emily had successfully navigated her way through several rounds of questions they eventually moved the conversation on to the others. Aria's book finally had a release date which would be in a couple of months, allowing for her to begin promoting it. She was going to be travelling over the next several weeks to different book stores over the country giving talks about her book and what to expect from it.

Spencer was considering opening up her own law firm with one of her colleagues at the firm she currently worked for. They had been discussing finances over the previous couple of days and were almost ready to make their final decision. The other girls had encouraged Spencer to take a risk and knew she would easily find another job should her own firm end up falling through.

Hanna didn't have much to say, nothing exciting had taken place over the last couple of days for her. She'd had a relatively easy week at work once she had returned on Thursday after being convinced Emily no longer needed her help. She was incredibly happy that the brunette had seemed to find her feet so quickly and was relieved that Alison was having such a positive effect on her best friend. This was the quickest Emily had ever returned to her normal self at that particular time of year and everyone seemed more upbeat because of it.

The conversation took a turn into mindless chatter and gossip and they all sat there enjoying one another's company. There was the usual banter between Hanna and Spencer as the blonde found yet another way to get under the tall brunette's skin but it was all in good jest. The time ticked by slowly for Emily and although she was having a wonderful time surrounded by her friends she couldn't help but let her mind wander occasionally to Alison as she thought about what the blonde might be up to in that particular moment.

Her friends had surprised her though and when they had left The Brew they arrived at Spencer's and Alison was stood waiting for them. Emily turned to her friends in surprise who were all stood there with genuine smiles on their faces and a knowing look. Emily was happy that her friends had taken a liking to the blonde and even more so amazed that she had been included into their Saturday ritual.

They spent the rest of the evening eating takeaway and playing board games although they had resorted to watching a film after Spencer won both games of Cluedo and took a giant lead in Monopoly. Hanna had kicked off that Spencer was cheating although Emily and Alison had both caught the other blonde taking more money than she was owed from the bank every time she had passed go. They'd even teamed up and Aria distracted Spencer who was acting as banker whilst the other four quickly stole money from the bank and split it between them.

Spencer in the end had caught them in the act and ruled herself as the winner and Hanna, Emily and Alison were automatically forfeited from the game and given the look of shame. They're protests fell on deaf ears and no matter how hard they tried Spencer wouldn't believe them when they told her Aria was also involved. Aria sat there the entire time with a look of pure innocence on her face until Spencer had walked into the kitchen to refill her drink and at that point Aria gave the others a wink. They laughed at how seriously Spencer was taking their rule breaking but she was a Hastings after all.

They had all decided to crash at Spencer's, too tired to return to their own homes and it also being the early hours of the morning and an unreasonable expectation for them to travel anyway. Alison and Emily were snuggled together on one of the sofas, Hanna sprawled out on the armchair having fallen asleep there about half an hour before the others had given in to their heavy eyes. Aria and Spencer were top and tailing on the other sofa, Spencer had her arm protectively around the shorter brunette to stop her from rolling off the edge.

The rest of the week had gone by without any hitches, Emily had returned to work on the Monday and was glad to be back in her normal routine. Alison had also headed into work, having several meetings and a large stack of paperwork to attend to at her office.

When Friday rolled around it seemed like any normal day, they woke up in one another's arms, Alison prepared breakfast for the both of them before leaving for work and Emily had followed not long after. Work for the brunette had been quiet and by the time lunch rolled around she was struggling to find things to do. She had been overly proactive in the week, finalising numbers and sorting out accounts that could have waited but now she was all caught up.

"Emily, have you got the reports for the Redview accounts?" Mona asked as she made her way over to Emilys office cubicle.

"Yes and here's the reports for the three other accounts for next week" Emily said whilst gathering up a pile of paperwork and handing it over to her boss.

Mona looked at her impressed before rifling quickly through the accounts in her hands. She went over the main details displayed on the first page of each stapled file before nodding to herself and turning to head in the direction in which she had came.

"Oh, take the rest of the day off. You've earned it, this had put me ahead and I'm sure that means you yourself must be ahead in your work" Mona spoke with a light tone and a smile on her face before she walked away not wanting or waiting for a reply to her statement.

Emily was grateful for the half day that had now presented itself and walked out of the office and into the sunshine with a slight skip in her step. She eagerly anticipated Alison's return and decided it was about time she did something about their current situation. Yes they had decided together that they should take things slow but she didn't like the idea of not knowing what they were and the uncertainty that came with it. It was time they made things official between them and Emily decided she would be the one to do it.

She headed along the sidewalk, her jacket now around her waist due to the heat and she entered the nearby store having walked to work due to the anticipated nice weather. The office she worked in wasn't far from Alison's and she'd found herself becoming rather lazy, preferring to spend the morning in bed with the blonde rather than go out on her morning runs. Walking to work was the perfect way to force her into exercise and once she started she always found it enjoyable as she took in all the scenes and people around her.

Emily spent almost half an hour in the store walking around with the trolley and thinking carefully about all the things that she would need to make the evening perfect. She definitely bought more than she had anticipated and upon remembering her lack of transport home groaned loudly to herself. She managed to lift the several bags with her one able hand and headed towards her house rather than Alison's, she had one more item she needed to pick up and she hoped her mother hadn't thrown it out.

By the time she made it to her house a thin layer of sweat had formed upon her skin and her good arm was aching slightly from carrying all of the bags such a distance. It had only taken her quarter of an hour but she was glad to see her front door as she approached. She put her bags on the floor inside the hallway and made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a drink before she went ahead in her search of the required item. She was lent against the kitchen unit with her drink in hand when her phone notified her that she had received a message.

Ali - Something has come up at work, won't be home until late xx

Emily groaned as she read the message but then decided she wouldn't be deterred and her plan could go ahead though be it later than originally planned. Once she had finished her drink and placed the glass in the dishwasher she headed into the garage and was slightly surprised to find the item exactly where she had put it after the last time she had needed it. Although there was no need for her mother to ever use it and therefore she shouldn't really have been that shocked that it hadn't moved in the several years since she had last used it. She gathered up her things once more in one hand and headed out the door and back into the sunlight heading in the direction of Alison's house.

It had been just after an hour since Emily had been dismissed early from work and she placed all the items she had bought into their rightful cupboards and places before sinking into the sofa and switching on the tv. If Alison was going to be late Emily figured she still had approximately 5 hours until the blonde arrived back home so she got comfy and tried to pass the time. Her arm that wasn't in a cast was aching quite badly after carrying all the bags for such a long time and she was glad of the spare time that would allow her to rest it.

Alison had woken up in a good mood but the second she walked into work that faded. By the time lunch time came around she was thoroughly pissed off. She had been stuck in a meeting for two hours longer than she should have been and the end result had been negative leading to her believing the entire thing had been a waste of her time and effort. Several members of her staff had made obvious mistakes right in front of her and had felt her wrath to the full extent. Two of them had made mistakes in relation to the previous meeting and they were both fired on the spot and escorted from the building before they had chance to even apprehend what had happened.

Every other employee was now trying their best to avoid the feisty blonde for fear of their career and several had retreated to their own offices and refused to come out even for toilet breaks just in case they bumped into her. This wasn't the first time Alison had been in a bad mood in the workplace and avoidance was normally the best tactic when she was. She didn't blame them, she wouldn't want to cross her path if she was them.

She got more frustrated after she learned she wouldn't be leaving the office on time, all she wanted to do was go back home and into the arms of Emily. The brunette had an unique ability to instantly calm her no matter how stressed or angry she was beforehand. She sent Emily a quick text but as the hours passed by she grew annoyed by the lack of response she had received.

She resisted the urge to send a second text to Emily knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to hold back and would send something that she would end up regretting. Instead she threw her phone in the drawer of her desk so that it wasn't next to her constantly reminding her that she hadn't received a reply. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock at the door and her assistant telling her that she needed to attend her next meeting. She sighed loudly before pushing the chair away from her desk and standing, forgetting about her phone she headed towards the door and her assistant.

Yet again the meeting dragged on for longer than it was supposed to and by the time she had gotten out of it she was being led to yet another conference room just in time before her final meeting of the day began. The room was filled with several older men and women all dressed smartly in suits and skirts with blouses, in fact they were all around 30 years older than her. Not that this put her off, she owned this branch of the company due to her skill and ability in the field not because her Daddy said she could. It was her job to convince the people in this room that that was the case and although it took a while they soon came around to the idea that Alison could be a benefit to them and help the company and their assets improve.

She left the office nearing 9 o'clock and had only managed to retrieve her phone from the drawer she had placed it in 5 minutes before she left the building. She checked it for notifications and was yet again slightly peeved that Emily hadn't sent her a message, Little did she know that Emily had fallen asleep whilst setting up the surprise she was planning and had been that way for several hours.

Walking into the house her bad mood still very much intact she huffed loudly as she dropped her briefcase to the wooden floor of her hallway. She flicked the light on which illuminated the space and called out to Emily, she found it slightly odd that she got no reply but seeing as from the outside it had looked like no one was home she wasn't too shocked. Perhaps Emily had decided to spend the night at her own house for once, maybe her mother had demanded they have some quality time.

She called out to the brunette once more just in case there was some reason that Emily hadn't heard her the first time, but it was to no avail and Alison decided that she would make herself a quick meal before heading to bed. It was nearing half 10 and she was completely exhausted but her stomach was growling loudly and it was a constant reminder of how little she had actually eaten over the past 15 hours or so.

When she entered the kitchen she turned the main light on and headed for the fridge, she was distracted however by the single rose that lay on top of one of the counters. Picking it up delicately in between two fingers she then noticed the note that the rose had been on. Opening it up slowly she began to smile as she read the words, her bad mood fading fast.

Meet me in the garden beautiful xx

Alison did as the note said and made her way out of the backdoor and into the garden. It was illuminated by fairy lights which hung along the fences. In the middle of the lawn was a blanket laid out with a picnic basket on top of it and a tent was set up behind it, there was still no sign of Emily however. Alison walked around the blanket and slowly opened up the tent and crawled inside. She chuckled quietly to herself as she found Emily tucked up in a ball fast asleep on top of the duvet that covered the floor of the tent.

Emilys eyes began to open as she heard someone entering the tent, she shivered slightly as she noticed the air had gotten much cooler since she first climbed inside the tent. What was the time anyway? - Emily adjusted her sight and took in the stunning blonde that sat in the tents entrance.

"Shit. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry Ali. What's the time? How long was I asleep for? Are you hungry? I bought some food earlier..." Emily rambled on until she was interrupted by Alison placing her lips forcefully against her own. Her whole body relaxed at the touch and she let out a soft moan as Alison deepened the kiss into a full on make-out session.

Reluctantly Emily broke away as she heard the loud grumbling of the blondes stomach. "Let's eat then we'll resume this" she suggested before carefully climbing out of the tent and making her way onto the picnic blanket.

Alison joined her seconds later and sat beside the brunette, their arms and legs touching one another in a form of comfort that the blonde hadn't realised she was in desperate need for. She wished she had come home after the first stressful meeting knowing full well that Emily would have turned her mood around instantly.

Reaching across Alison Emily grabbed the picnic basket and pulled it closer to them both, she pulled out a couple of sandwiches, some packets of crisps and several chocolate bars, she handed an equal amount to Alison before returning to the basket and finding two cans of soda. They ate everything in silence, both just enjoying each other's company and not needing to verbally express their feelings at that particular moment. They were content.

As they put their rubbish back inside the picnic basket Alison interrupted the silence, "what's the special occasion?"

"Well... I k..kind of h..have a q..question" Emily stuttered out as she instantly became overwhelmed with a shyness that she hadn't felt for years.

Alison didn't say a word, she just sat patiently waiting for Emily to build up the courage and carry on with what she was trying to say. In an attempt to help the struggling brunette Alison placed her hand softly on top of Emilys leg and looked her directly in the eye. Emily looked away at first but slowly returned to giving Alison full eye contact.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Emily almost cheered as she managed to get the entire sentence out without fucking it up.

Emily's nerves were slowly fizzling out although when she realised she was still waiting for an answer she began to doubt herself and Alison's feelings towards her. She picked nervously at the edge of the blanket on which they were sat, a frayed piece of cotton being pulled further out than it had originally been.

Alison took Emilys face in both hands and pulled her into a deep kiss. She couldn't find the words to answer and so decided this was the next best thing, it seemed Emily agreed as their tongues battled with one another for dominance. Several minutes later they pulled away simultaneously whilst steadying their breathing. Emilys heart was racing as she waited for an answer once more, she stared at the ground, not wanting to show her disappointment if the blonde did in fact reject her.

"Yes" Alison breathed out, it was almost a whisper and Emily would have missed it had she not been listening intently for a reply.

A sigh of relief fell out of Emilys lips before she stood up and held her hand out to Alison. Alison was quick to take up the offer and place her hand in Emilys, the brunette leading her inside the tent before pushing the blonde with, a slightly dominating but incredibly sexy, force onto the duvet below them.

A/N

Soooo... I have an idea I want to implement into the story but I don't want it to arrive too soon so I'm in need of some ideas from you guys in order to fill out the story slightly.

Sorry this update took slightly longer than usual but I couldn't concentrate for the past few days and have had a headache for the most part. Managing to get some words down now though so I can complete the chapter after this one.

So this chapter started with them getting to know one another and ended with them officially being together yay :)

Hope you're enjoying the story so far and don't forget to comment or review! Cheers