"Emily?" Paige said, gripping Emily's hand a bit tighter. Emily shifted in her seat, "sorry, this is just a lot, Paige." Emily slipped her hand out of Paige's and stood up to walk away. "I know I hurt you when I left but—," Paige started.

Emily cut her off, "yeah, you did. And it's not fair that you left me when I needed you to stay the most. Now you're back and wanting me to just accept you back into my life like you didn't hurt me?"

"Emily, I didn't mean to hurt you. I had to get away, I thought Alison was A. I thought that bitch—," Paige said, but was quickly cut off again. "Don't call her that," Emily sharply said. Paige put her hands up defensively, "sorry." Paige continued, "I thought Alison was the one who was doing all of the evil and hurtful things to everyone. And I especially thought she was the one threatening me, she's done it before. She might not have been A, but she was still a bully."

"Was," Emily replied, "was is the key word." Paige dropped her hands to her sides, "I needed to get away from this town during that time, Emily. It was like living in a horror film that never ended."

"It's not even the fact that you physically left, when you left Rosewood, you left us in Rosewood," Emily coldly replied. "You didn't text me back, you didn't return any of my calls. You blocked me on all social media. You disappeared, you left me," Emily said, her voice cracking.

Paige walked over to Emily, "I didn't want to have a long distance relationship. I can't do those and I didn't think I was moving back here. Emily, I love you, and if you even love me back the slightest bit, please let me make it up to you, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Paige replaced her hands on Emily's face, cupping it, "please." Paige looked down at Emily's lips and leaned into her.

"Alison, don't!"

The front door of the Fields' house opened and Emily jumped. Paige took one hand off of Emily's face and slightly turned her body around to look at the door. Alison stood at the door, Emily's shirt in her hand.

CeCe quickly came up behind of Alison and looked in the room and broke the silence, "Americano, long time no see." Emily backed out of Paige's hand and took steps closer to Alison, "Ali-,"

When Emily got closer to Alison, she could see Alison's eyes were glossy and dark. Alison's bright blue eyes seemed to have darkened the color of a deep ocean. Alison tossed Emily's shirt at the brunette. "Left your shirt," Alison said, her voice cold and hard.

Emily stepped closer to Alison after catching the shirt, "Ali, let me explain." Alison darkly chuckled, reminding Emily of the same sound the Alison DiLaurentis from years ago made before she made a snarky comment.

"You don't have to explain anything to me, Emily. We don't have anything worth defending." The words hit Emily like a knife being stabbed into her stomach. Emily's eyes started to dampen, "please just let me explain."

Alison looked at Paige and gave Paige her signature Alison DiLaurentis mischievous smile, Alison opened her mouth but before she could speak CeCe spoke up, "well, it was nice to see you again, Emily. Alison, let's go."

CeCe grabbed Alison's arm and tugged her towards the outside of the door. Alison turned and yanked out of CeCe's grip. Alison walked to her car and slammed her door shut when she got in.

"Let me talk to her," Emily said, catching up to CeCe. "Right now is not the time, Emily. I haven't seen those eyes on her in years. If she speaks right now, she's going to shoot daggers right in your heart. She needs to cool down Give her time."

Emily sighed, "please tell her I haven't done anything with Paige. It's the truth. Please." CeCe nodded casually, "I'll try."

CeCe turned and walked back to Alison's car, opening the car door and getting inside.

#######

"You did what?!"

"Emily!"

"Damn, you know how stubborn Ali is. You fucked up."

Emily sat in the middle of Spencer, Aria, and Hanna. Emily sent out an SOS text to her friends and they gathered at Emily's house. Emily sighed, "I know guys, I know."

"Okay, so where is Paige now?" Aria asked. "She's at her house unpacking her stuff. She's getting settled back in." Spencer threw one of her legs over the other, "where is Ali right now?" Emily looked at the floor, "I don't know. She hasn't returned any of my calls or texted me back."

"I don't want to be a bitch right now or anything, but for the first time I think Ali might have a reason to be upset," Hanna commented. Emily shook her head, "I know. She does. I shouldn't have let Paige get that close to me, or even touch me."

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Aria asked. Emily looked back up at her friends and then at Aria, "I don't know. I mean I know that I still love her and care about her, but I don't have a urge to be with her. There wasn't a real spark, you know?"

"How did you feel when you saw her again?" Spencer asked. Emily took a deep breath, "it felt nice to see her, to know she's doing well and that she's here only a few minutes drive away. It made me happy to see her again."

"Well do you want to work things out with her?" Hanna questioned. Emily broke her stare from her friends again, "I don't know. There was a lot of feelings and emotions that she and I shared over the past year when Ali wasn't here, and so when Paige left, I think it made me realize just how much she did mean to me."

"Did, or do?" Aria asked. Emily didn't respond, she just brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Well how do you feel about Ali?" Hanna questioned after Emily didn't respond.

"I've never felt anything near the feelings that Ali gives me for anyone else. I've had really strong feelings for her for such a long, long time. And being able to express them on her now takes me to another world," Emily replied.

"I think that you love Paige, but as a person, not in a girlfriend type of way," Spencer stated. The youngest Hastings continued, "and I think that you don't want to hurt her because she helped you when Ali wasn't here, but now that Ali's back, your heart wants to be with her, but you don't want to hurt Paige in the process."

"I agree with Spence," Hanna said, "I've seen the way you look at Ali, and I don't even think I've seen Caleb look at me that way. I think you're in love with her. I think you've been in love with her," Hanna finished.

Emily stretched her legs back out, "what am I even going to do now? Ali won't speak to me. She won't even let me speak to her." Aria spoke first, "you need to fight for her, Em. She didn't do anything wrong this time. If you want her, you have to make things right between you two."

Emily knew that this was going to be difficult. Alison was stubborn, and the look in her eyes when she walked through Emily's door was the same fire flamed look Alison had in the past. Hanna sat down beside of Emily and put her arm around the brunette, "we're all here to help, Em."

Emily flashed a small smile back to her friends. A smile of thankfulness but also a smile of helplessness.

#######

Alison threw back her shot of fireball and put the shot glass back down on the bar. "You need to slow it down," CeCe said. Alison's glossy eyes looked back over at her older blonde friend, "no," Alison slurred.

"I'm usually all for reckless behavior, but it's only 10:45 and you are drunk, and this isn't fun party Ali, this is angry-I-want-to-get-drunk Alison DiLaurentis." Alison pressed her lips together, "if I want to get drunk, I can."

CeCe took a sip of her drink, "I swear to God Ali, I will drag you out of this bar if I have to." Alison pinched CeCe's cheeks, "you are so cute when you try to boss me around." CeCe rolled her eyes and knocked Alison's hands off of her, "you better be glad I love your bitch ass."

Alison had already taken three straight Fireball shots and finished off two drinks in the bar. She was warm, tingly, and definitely drunk. Alison's blue globes scanned the bar. Her eyes focused on a guy in a Hollis College t-shirt.

Alison smirked and CeCe's eyes followed Alison's. "Ali, no," CeCe sternly stated after seeing what Alison was looking at. Alison titled her head at CeCe, "he's hot." "You're just going to lead him on," CeCe replied. "So? I'm only looking for one thing tonight, and it's definitely not love," Alison flirtatiously stated.

Alison felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She looked at her phone and unlocked it to read a text message.

Where are you?

A confused looked escaped across of Alison's face. Why was Hanna asking her where she was?

I'm out at a bar, what's up?

Alison waited for Hanna to reply. She was curious why Hanna was texting her at 11 o'clock at night.

Hanna quickly responded,

Oh cool! Me and Spence wanted to do something tonight and we saw your Snapchats of you and CeCe out somewhere. Do you mind if we come?

Alison forgot she put up pictures and videos of her and CeCe on her Snapchat story. No going back now.

Yeah, sure. We're at Wooden Bar.

Alison put her phone back in her pocket, assuming she was going to see Spencer and Hanna soon. Alison quickly looked over at CeCe to make sure she wasn't looking. CeCe had her back turned, talking to a guy about something playing on the TV hanging up on the wall. It was some sporting game. Alison didn't care.

Alison turned her attention back to the guy and walked over there. Instead of walking directly to him, she slid in a seat at the bar a seat over from the guy. Alison ordered another drink and started conversation with the bartender, speaking loudly to catch the guy's attention.

"I've had a pretty rough day," Alison stated, responding to the bartender's question about how she was doing. The guy overheard Alison and turned to look at the blonde. His eyes raked over Alison's body and he smiled.

"I'll pay for that," the guy said to the bartender, handing him money, "keep the change." Alison returned a smile to the guy, "thank you, that was very sweet of you." The dark haired guy got up and sat in the seat beside of Alison, "you're welcome, it was no problem. Why the bad day?"

Alison took a sip of her free drink, "just a lot of girl drama." The guy laughed, "yeah, that's the worst," he sarcastically responded. Alison chuckled and took another sip of her drink.

"I'm Collin," the guy said, sticking his hand out to greet Alison. Alison took his hand and shook it, "Alison." Collin smiled, "well it's very nice to meet you, Alison. I hope your night gets better." Alison smirked, "I think it's starting to."

#######

Hanna, Spencer, and Emily walked into the bar. "Guys, what if this backfires on me? What if she's really done with me?" Emily questioned. "Em, relax. She's not. She wants you just as much as you want her," Spencer stated.

"She should be in here somewhere," Hanna replied. The girls scanned the bar looking for the blonde. "There's CeCe," Spencer said, pointing across the room. "Let's go to her. Where she is, Alison isn't too far behind," Hanna responded.

The girls took made their way through the crowd and swerved out and around people. When they reached CeCe, Emily tapped her on the shoulder. CeCe turned around and smiled, "hey, Americano! Funny seeing you here."

"Where's Ali?" Emily asked. CeCe looked at Hanna and Spencer and then back to Emily, "she's in here somewhere, why?" Spencer spoke for Emily, "she needs to talk to her." CeCe turned and put her empty glass down on the counter, "I told Emily earlier, I don't think that's a good idea. Especially at the moment. She's a bit….gone. If you know what I mean."

"You let her walk away from you when she's wasted?" Hanna sharply asked. CeCe glared at Hanna, "she's a big girl, Hanna. She can handle herself. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Ali, unlike some people," CeCe said, turning her glare back to Emily.

Spencer grabbed Emily's hand pulling her away from CeCe, "c'mon, let's go look for her." Hanna followed behind of Spencer and Emily. The three girls looked around the bar, walking through crowds.

Spencer caught a glimpse of blonde hair and looked harder at the girl. She had a guy's arms wrapped her hips as she was standing at the bar. Spencer walked a bit closer and her mouth dropped. It was Alison. The guy had his head in Alison's neck, standing behind of her holding her to his body.

Spencer quickly turned and looked at Hanna, "we need to go this way. I think she might be over here." Hanna's eyebrows pulled together, "what? We just looked over there, Spence."

Spencer gave Hanna a stern look, "I don't think we should go that way."

"Spencer, we haven't checked out that area, stop being stubborn," Hanna shot back. Spencer raised her voice, "Hanna, now is not the time to—,"

"Oh my God," Emily said, stopping her body. Spencer slapped her hands to her sides, "yeah, thanks Han." Hanna raised her eyebrows, "what?!" Spencer turned Hanna's body to face Alison. Hanna's mouth dropped, "oh God."

Emily felt her stomach drop. She stood numb. Shocked, angry, and numb. "Let's get out of here," Spencer said, taking Emily's hand again. "No," Emily replied, her eyes locked on Collin's arms around Alison's waist. "Emily," Hanna said, taking the tan girl's other hand. "No!" Emily yelled, jerking her hands away from Hanna and Spencer.

Emily walked over to Alison, her eyes filled with rage and hurt. Alison finished off her drink and put it down on the counter. "What are you doing?" Emily blurted. Alison's body froze, she would recognize that voice from anywhere.

Alison turned around to meet her eyes with the angry brunette in front of her. "Excuse me, do we have a problem?" Collin said, stepping in between Emily and Alison. Hanna and Spencer walked up and Spencer grabbed onto the guy's arm, "yeah, it's best if you just walk with us right now."

Collin looked back at Alison and then back at Spencer, "I'm not going anywhere unless she tells me it's okay." Alison nodded her head, "you should probably go with them." Emily chuckled sarcastically, "yeah, you should probably go jump off a—,"

"Okay! We're leaving now," Hanna said, turning the guy's body around and pushing him away from the two girls. Emily locked her eyes with Alison's. "What are you doing here, Emily?" Alison slurred.

"You're wasted," Emily said. Alison laughed, "you didn't answer my question." Emily crossed her arms, "I don't have to when you have some random guy pressed against you. Is that what you want now? Him?" Alison drunkenly stumbled back, "you have no room to talk. Why don't you go call Paige? Maybe she will make you feel better? Isn't that what you want now?"

Emily stepped closer to Alison, "you never even let me explain myself or the situation."

"You didn't have to! I saw you two. You were about to kiss her. Her hands were all over you, and you didn't nothing to stop it," Alison angrily spat back.

"I don't want her, Alison. I want you. I wasn't going to kiss her. I never planned on it. It's been you. It's always been you since the stupid day I met you," Emily hissed. "Stupid?" Alison said looking into Emily's eyes. "So now what we had was stupid?" Alison continued.

"I guess it is because it didn't mean anything to you," Emily replied. "You were the one with your ex! You were the one that did this! Not me!" Alison yelled. "Forget it, I'm done," Alison said, walking away from Emily.

Emily followed Alison, "where are you going?" Alison kept walking, "I'm going home." Emily followed Alison out of the bar and watched as a taxi pulled up to Alison. Emily's eyes started to water, "what does this mean?" Emily said, tears streaming down her face. Alison turned back and looked at Emily before getting in the taxi, "you did this to yourself, Emily."