A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait (as if any of you had been waiting) but I needed to plan things out before I continued writing. I've been submerging myself in reading other Paily fanfic, which both inspires (because damn there's alot of really talented writers out there) and holds me back (because my fics aren't as good as those) but anyway, no pity party (if you're still reading this A/N; Thank you) So Hope you enjoy, and like always thanks to everyone that's reviewed, followed, and favorited my fanfic.


"California? Emily what-" she grabs her daughters arm, pulling her to a stop in the middle of her room, "What do you mean you're going to California?" She had spent the last 10 minutes trying to grab Emily's attention while she had hurried around her room grabbing this and that from drawers and her closet; it was starting to make her dizzy.

Emily sighs irritably as she pulls her arm out of her moms grasp, there was too much energy coursing through her to stand still. "I'm going to California, to get Paige back." She swiftly moves out of her moms grasp when she reaches out for her again and makes her way to her bed were a medium sized suitcase overflows with her clothes. She wasn't even sure what she was packing, her body had been working on auto pilot since she left Spencer's house.

"To get Paige back?" Her mom asks in disbelief causing her to sigh again, she really doesn't want to explain herself, but her mom won't leave her alone unless she does. "Emily, Paige is going to college in California. You can't just drag her back to Rosewood-"

She gives in, deciding that explaining to her mom things quickly will get her off her back sooner. "I'm not dragging her anywhere mom. I'm just.." The damn zipper on her suitcase gets stuck as she tries to close it, "..going to..." She mutters through clenched teeth as she struggles to get it unstuck, "ugh!" She pushes the suitcase away in frustration and plops down on her bed as her mom walks over and takes a seat beside her.

"Emily, sweetheart-" the calming tone of her mom's voice suggest she's about to try to reason with her.

"Mom you're not going to change my mind."

"I'm not trying to change it. I just want to understand why you're suddenly in a hurry to go to California." She frowns as she glances at the plane ticket on the nightstand, "When did you even buy a plane ticket?"

"Paige left it with Spencer before she left." She finally meets her mother's eyes, "She bought it two weeks ago. Mom I made a huge mistake letting her go."

"And you're going there to..get her back?" Emily glances away as she realizes how ridiculous it sounds, like Paige is just property she has to reclaim. But that's not how she intends it to sound. If Paige still wants to be with her, it's up to Emily to go and fix things. Maybe get her back was the wrong way to word it, she had to go win Paige back. Except she associated winning with competition, and she didn't want to think about anyone else being interested in Paige.

She shakes her head to clear that thought away. She didn't need to start second guessing herself again. "Yes. Mom, Hanna and Spencer are coming with me. We'll be fine."

"What about Aria?"

The short brunette had politely declined when they had decided to all go to California. Ezra was still healing from the gun shoot wound, courtesy of their dear friend A. Aria wanted to stay and make sure he was healing properly. Despite their strained relationship, they were trying to work things out. While the rest of them were weary of Ezra, Aria was trying to forgive him and understand his side of things better. Just thinking about Ezra watching them constantly, literally 24/7, still sent a chill down her spine. "She's staying here to take care of Ezra."

"And Alison?" Pam asks wearily. It still felt strange asking about someone that had been dead a few weeks ago. Whenever she would see Alison it was like she was in another world. She'd seen her daughter cry over the young blonde years ago; yet she had stood on her porch and talked to her just days earlier.

"Mom she can barely leave Rosewood let alone travel to another state." She stands as she tries to close her suitcase again, intentionally avoiding her mom's eyes; she can feel her staring at her.

"Speaking of Alison...what was about to happen the other night?"

There it was, the question she was dreading. She knew it was only a matter of time before her mom broached that subject again. She had been trying to think of an answer to that question that wouldn't lead to more questions from her mother for the past 4 days, but she hadn't been able to come up with anything. "Mom I don't want to talk about that."

"Emily..." Her mom's stare feels like it's burning into her. She shifts uncomfortable before defeatedly looking at her.

"She almost kissed me. The next day she did...repeatedly, and I kissed her back." If she had expected to see judgment in her mom's eyes, she's proved wrong. There's nothing but slight confusion in the woman's gaze.

"But now you're trying to get Paige back?"

Emily sighs in relief as she finally manages to zip the suitcase close. She sits next to her mom again, meeting her gaze determinedly, "I realized that Paige is who I want to be with." Her gaze drops once again, "I don't know if she'll even want to talk to me."

"Of course she will. That girl loves you more than I'd like to admit." Her mom says with a warm and fond smile.

"I love her too. I just hope she gives me a second chance to show her." The fact that people were so sure about Paige's love for her reassures and bothers her. If everyone can see just how much Paige loves her, they would most likely see how much Emily had hurt her. It bothers her that everyone assumes she deserves Paige's love even after everything she had done and said to her. Paige deserves someone that didn't take that love for granted. She hated being the cause of Paige's pain, of her heartbreak. But she was more than willing to fix it, if Paige gave her the chance.

"What happens if she takes you back? Are you going to come back here and have a long distance relationship with her? Or are you-"

She hurriedly stops her mom before she makes her over think things, "Mom I haven't thought that far yet."

"Alright, fair enough. First thing first; you need to clear things up with Alison." The warm supporting hand her mom places on her shoulder does little to calm her as she think about confronting Alison. "You both need to move on from, whatever was going on with you two." She smiles warmly at her daughter before giving her shoulder a squeeze. She gets up to leave, stopping in the doorway as she turns and meets Emily's worried gaze. "The sooner you get it over with the better."

She doesn't miss the sigh that escapes Emily's lips as she walks away. She sighs as well, relief making her shoulders relax.

She had been worried since she walked in on Emily and Alison's almost kiss. Alison had never been her favorite person. She'd see the way she would treat the girls but knew better than to get involved in teenage drama. If she had know all that would lead to Alison's 'murder' and later on to her daughters (and her friends) torture by this 'A' person, she would have stepped in. But she hadn't and there was nothing she could do to change that.

All she could hope for since that night was that Emily didn't decide to be with Alison. She could see that Alison would never love Emily the way Paige did, not one bit.


The wind ruffles her hair as she makes her way to Alison's house. The talk with her mom had helped give her the push she needed to confront the blonde, something she knew she had to do but had been dreading. She wasn't exactly sure how Alison felt about her, so the conversation could go bad or terrible. There really was no in-between.

The kiss with Ali had caught her by surprise, and she wondered why she hadn't tried to stop her. In her mind she tried to convince herself that she had done it to try to straighten out her feelings for Alison; but she couldn't help and wander if it had been more selfish than that. She wanted to believe that Alison wasn't just playing games with her anymore, that she wasn't just collecting love from the people around her. Yet deep down there was a nagging feeling in her heart that told her she hadn't changed. She'd seen it when she'd caught her and Paige out in the woods behind her house; the cruel manipulative Alison they had know. But then there was the Ali that was sweet and caring to her; that made her feel special.

"Alison." She calls out to the girl as she makes her way up the DiLaurentis driveway. The petite blonde is sitting on a bench outside on her porch. She looks up from writing on her journal as Emily slowly walks up the porch steps.

"Emily, if it isn't you in the flesh. " Emily frowns as Alison closes the small book and sets in on the ground, subtly dragging it under the bench with her foot. Journals are never a good thing when it comes to Alison.

She shakes her head slightly as she meets Alison's gaze. Alison's looking at her with such intensity that it makes her squirm and glance away. She slides her hands into her jeans back pockets, finally meeting Alison's eyes. "I came to talk to you."

Alison smirks as she leans back against into the bench, "Well we're talking, so spill." Alison clings tightly to the small amount of authority she has managed to maintain. The girls aren't under her thumb anymore, something that makes her feel uncomfortable. The weeks after she had 'returned' had been unhinging. It seemed like Spencer had given each of the girls a bit of her back bone; they were all standing up to her.

"I just came to tell you that I'm going to California." She holds her breath as she waits for Alison's reaction. She's not sure what to expect, she doesn't know the Alison sitting in front of her.

Alison scoffs, an unimpressed look on her face, "You're seriously choosing McCullers over me?"

Emily frowns as she stares at Alison, "Yes. It took me this long to realize that I've been confusing the way I feel about you now with the way I felt about you. I love you, but it's the same love I feel for Hanna, Spencer and Aria. I love you…But I'm not in love with you." She takes a deep breath. "I realize it was never a choice. I needed to get my head straight-" Alison smirks, Emily choosing to ignore it as she continues, "But it's always been Paige."

Alison stands slowly, taking a few steps until she's face to face with Emily, "But what about our kiss?" She traces her finger across along Emily's jaw, a small sneer on her lips "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it?"

"What?" Emily's voice is barely more than a whisper.

"Oh Emily. Did you really think I'd ever be with you? You're just practice, remember?" Alison cups her cheek softly, "But don't worry. Maybe Paige will take you back."

Her teasing voice makes Emily flinch and she takes a step back, away from Alison's burning touch.

She had been playing her.

She swallows as she turns her back and shakily walks down the steps, away from Alison. She wants to run, to get as far from her as she can, but she won't give Alison the satisfaction. Alison's attitude changes faster than a lighting strike; the sweet and caring girl disappears in a flash and is replaced with the malicious Alison Paige and Spencer had warned her about. The one that threw Emily's love back at her face.

Emily barely has time to step into her house before the tears begin to fall. She has know, deep down, that Alison was still the same. But that didn't make it hurt any less when it finally blew up in her face.

The only thing that made her feel better was that she'd be seeing Paige in 2 days. 48 hrs. Just 48 hours until her heart could feel whole again.


Two songs that helped me with this; Lifetime by Emeli Sande. Let Me Go by Avril Lavigne ft Chad Kroeger (I feel like the beginning of the song is Emily moving on from Alison, the last chorus is her not letting Paige go).

If there's any scenes you guys might like to see, and that I can work into the story, let me know and I'll try to fit it in.

Please review, they make my day, and seriously keep me going. 3