A/N: Happy Pride month everyone! I hope you all had a great week. Thanks to everyone for reading and all the new follows/favorites. A funny little side note: my wife and I discovered that our 5 year old daughter knows more words to the Camilla Cabello song "All I Need" than we do combined and I have to say while it's funny, I'm not quite sure how to feel about her knowing that song so well, lol. Anyway, here's the next chapter and we finally get some Emison family time! See you at the bottom!

Alison sat back on the couch and enjoyed the momentary peace and quiet that fell around her. Jessica had gone down for a nap about forty minutes ago and Alison had just finished with her speed cleaning and tidying up the house. After her short text conversation with Emily, she had quickly gotten herself and Jessica ready before heading out to the grocery store to get the supplies she needed for tonight and the next few days. Honestly, she was a little surprised at herself that she had invited Emily over for dinner tonight. After Alison had essentially kicked her out of the house the morning before, she wasn't sure if things between her and Emily would ever be okay again. But seeing the state that Emily was in the previous night had all but crumbled the walls that she had up. Seeing the brunette curled up on the floor, calling out her name while cradling a picture of them from early on in their relationship had been almost too much for the blonde to handle. She had never seen Emily look that fragile and broken before. Alison knew in that moment that Emily had no hope left inside of her, and for the first time since seeing Emily walk out of Rosewood High a few days ago, the pull of her heart was stronger than her head. Alison had to do everything in her power to hold back her own emotions while she was comforting the brunette. Being so close to Emily in that fragile state, Alison swore she could feel the complete and utter pain and heartbreak radiating off of her ex.

Ex, that just sounds so weird, Alison thought. She had tried for months to not try and figure out what they were anymore. They definitely hadn't been together since the day that Emily got on that plane and flew across the country, but they had never actually broken up, either. It's like they have been in a state of limbo for the past eight months. In those months, Alison worried about everything but her relationship with Emily. She worried about Jessica and focused on her own mental health, as well as continuing to make amends and fostering her relationships with Jason and Aria as well as Hann and Spencer. The hardest part was focusing on her job and educating the young minds of tomorrow. Everywhere she looked inside the walls of that school reminded her of her brunette that she had lost. Now with Emily being back, her heart was beginning to beg Alison to hold tight to the brunette and never let her go again. Her walls were still up, but their foundation was shaky, at best. It would only take one small breath of air to force them to crumble completely.

Alison propped her feet up on the coffee table and leaned her head back as she closed her eyes. She couldn't help that a part of her was extremely excited for this dinner tonight. When the brunette had agreed to it, Alison knew exactly what she was going to make her tonight. It was no secret that Alison was the cook between the two of them and Emily always made it well known how much she enjoyed the blonde's cooking, but one meal had always stood out as Emily's favorite. Alison had first made her the dish once she confessed her feelings to Emily after the brunette had allowed Alison the time to process through the news of her pregnancy and what she wanted with the brunette. Alison smiled as she thought back to that time. Emily was so gentle and kind with her, she would have been an absolute fool not to have given it a try with Emily. And Alison was so incredibly glad that she did. Even though things had been so messed up for the better part of their relationship, Emily had shown Alison that she was worthy of love. Emily had essentially healed her and Alison knew that her biggest regret in her life would be that she wasn't in the proper state of mind to help heal Emily when she needed it. But she would never, ever, in her life regret giving her heart to Emily.

Alison allowed the quiet to envelope her. The prep was done for dinner and the house was clean, so she brought her feet up onto the couch and laid down lengthwise across it. It reminded her of how she was laying with Emily the night before.

Alison could hear the front door to the loft softly open. She had been lying with Emily sleeping peacefully on top of her for about thirty minutes. She knew that she needed to get home to Jessica so that Spencer could go home, but in all honesty, she didn't want that moment to end. That moment that felt like it did so long ago, when Alison felt completely at peace with the world because she had Emily next to her. Alison looked toward the light shining through the door and saw Hanna quietly slip through. She had silently cursed the blonde for not giving them five more minutes to just enjoy the moment, but Alison had to resign herself to the fact that the moment had passed once Hanna patted her way over and knelt down before her.

As Alison had closed the door on the loft the previous night, a shy smile had crept across her face and it didn't leave until she pulled into her driveway. Once she had said her goodbyes and thanks to Spencer, she made her way up to her bedroom. She went through her normal, nighttime routine, finding one of Emily's t-shirts and throwing it over her head. She picked up the picture next to her night stand and smiled. It was the same picture that Emily was holding in Hanna's loft. That picture of the two of them in the woods, so happy and in love, before life tried it's hardest to rip them apart. A warm feeling spread throughout her body, knowing that the photograph the she always had next her when she slept meant something to Emily, as well. They had both agreed that it was their favorite picture of them, but Alison knew that Emily didn't take any personal belongings with her to California. She made a mental note that she would have to ask Emily about it sometime. She put the picture down and snuggled up to Emily's pillow. Tonight, however, the brunette's scent was fresh in her mind, so she didn't need to concentrate to remember it. She had gotten a hit of it, and it was now like a drug. She never wanted to live without that scent again. That night, for the first time in what felt like forever, Alison fell asleep with a smile on her face. The same smile that now graced her face as she drifted off into a light slumber on the couch.

~XXXXX~

Alison was woken by the static-y cries emanating from the baby monitor on the end table. As she lifted her head, she brought her hand up to her neck, trying to massage out the knot that had formed. She stretched her arms above her head before getting up and making her way to the nursery. Jessica was in her crib, her tiny cheeks flushed red. Alison furrowed her brow as made her way through the room towards the crib.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Alison asked as she picked up the toddler. She noticed immediately that the tiny brunette felt warm to the touch. She placed her lips to her forehead and frowned as she made her way to the closet to get her thermometer. "Are you cutting another tooth?" Alison cooed as she tried to soothe the little girl while taking her temperature. She rocked the girl back and forth until the thermometer beeped, indicating it had read her temperature. "100.2, that's not so bad. Let's get you some Tylenol for the pain," Alison said as she noticed Jessica chewing frantically on her tiny fist. Jessica had been cutting teeth for a while now, but each one seemed to get a little worse than the last. Alison wasn't sure if it was because she was older and more aware of the pain, or if it was genuinely more painful as more teeth came in. She for one didn't remember going through it as a baby, and she was grateful that Jessica wouldn't remember it, either.

After giving her a dose of medicine for the pain and slight fever, Alison and Jessica made their way downstairs. Alison headed to the freezer and pulled out a cold teething ring for her to chew on. Jessica was happy with it, but wanted to snuggle into Alison while she chewed, clearly not feeling her best. Alison had tried to put her down, but Jessica had given her those big, puppy dog eyes while raising her hands above her head for Alison to hold her. There was no way that she could say 'no' to those eyes, so she picked her up and the pair made their way to the oversized arm chair and snuggled in peace. Alison didn't understand how even though Emily had no biological connection to Jessica, the little girl had inherited certain mannerisms from her, namely, the puppy dog eyes. After about ten minutes, the teether and medicine had done its job and Jessica was back to her old self running around and playing on the floor. Alison looked at the clock and noticed that she had just about an hour until Emily was due to come. "Jess, baby?" Alison asked and Jessica looked up from the blocks she was stacking. "Do you want a snack?" Jessica shook her head enthusiastically and Alison laughed on her way to the kitchen. She put some blueberry Puffs into a little bowl and placed them down on the coffee table for Jessica to snack on as she pleased. She then went back to the kitchen and started on dinner.

Dinner was almost ready when Alison heard the doorbell ring. Alison hadn't been nervous at all that day, but once she heard the doorbell ring, she felt her heart rate begin to speed up. It was almost the same feeling she had years ago when Emily spent the night for the first time. Alison was even cooking the same meal, for goodness sake! Alison took a breath and smoothed her shirt before heading into the foyer. She opened the door and immediately smiled when she saw Emily standing in front of her, holding three cupcakes from their favorite bakery. "Hi," Alison said as she stepped aside to allow Emily entry.

However, Emily was still in shock that this moment was actually happening. Since leaving Hanna's house a couple hours before, she had spent all of her free time convincing herself that Alison had changed her mind and didn't want her there anymore. She didn't think that Alison would have answered the door for her, if she had even been home. But the moment that door opened, Emily felt like her heart stopped. Alison wasn't dressed in anything fancy by any means, but she absolutely took Emily's breath away. The woman in front of her seemed to get even more gorgeous as time went on.

Emily stood there for what seemed like hours, until she was broken from her thoughts by a tiny voice. "Momma! You here!" Jessica ran out the door before Alison could stop her and threw her little arms around Emily's leg, squeezing and holding on for dear life. Emily looked down and smiled, before picking the little girl up and hugging her tightly.

"Hi, baby girl! Let's get you inside, it's cold out here," Emily said as she stepped inside the foyer and set the little girl down. Jessica tugged on Emily's hand, attempting to guide her into the living room. Emily knelt down so she was eye level with the tiny brunette. "Momma will be in in a second, okay? I just have to talk to Mommy real quick." Jessica nodded her head as she scurried off into the living room. Emily turned to Alison and smiled shyly. Alison quirked an eyebrow and waited for Emily to finally speak what was on her mind. "S-sorry about that. You, you look beautiful, Ali. Thank you for the invite."

Alison blushed slightly at Emily's words. Even after all this time, one of her favorite things was hearing Emily tell her that she was beautiful. It was the first thing that Emily had ever said to her, and even though it triggered a series of events that she would forever regret, she never had any doubt that Emily meant those words wholeheartedly each and every time they fell from her lips. "Thank you. You didn't need to bring desert, but thank you."

Emily handed the box of cupcakes to Alison before removing her jacket and hanging it on the hook right inside the door. She took her boots off and placed them on the mat. "I know that little bakery down the street from the Brew, is your favorite, and I didn't want to show up empty handed. Plus, I've been craving a Lucky Leon's cupcake for months! Everything out in California is vegan," Emily finished off with a laugh, trying to keep the mood light between the two.

Alison smiled softly and nodded towards the living room. "Go play with your daughter. Dinner is almost ready."

"Do you need any help?" Emily asked before Alison could turn away. She was truly torn in that moment. As much as she wanted to go and spend time with Jessica, she didn't want to leave Alison's side, afraid that the blonde could change her mind at any second and ask her to leave and never come back.

Alison waved her off and gave her a smile. "It's ok, Em, I got it. Thank you, though." Alison turned around and headed into the kitchen to finish dinner.

Emily stood in the foyer, frozen in place with her heart melted into a puddle on the floor. Hearing Alison use her nickname again was something she hadn't heard in far too long, even before going to California. She loved the way it rolled off of Alison's tongue and she had to stop herself from following the blonde and pushing her into the nearest wall. She was able to fight the urge and turned on her heel, heading towards the giggles of her daughter awaiting her in the next room.

~XXXXX~

Alison had just finished cleaning up the kitchen from dinner when she heard Emily making her way back down the stairs. After dessert, Emily had asked if she could bathe Jessica and put her down, having missed out on so many nights already. Alison said that it wasn't a problem and watched with a smile on her face as Emily lifted Jessica out of her high chair and carried her upstairs. This is what Alison always wanted with Emily, the domesticity of one of them bathing Jessica while one cleaned from dinner. They had it before Jessica was born, but with Alison's post-partum depression and then Emily's drinking, it was totally lost until that very moment. And honestly, Alison never wanted it to end, but she knew there was too much that had happened for them to be okay right now. This dinner had given her hope that they could one day be good again, but right now, it was too soon. She put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and then turned it on. She turned around to find Emily leaving against the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.

"I can't believe you made me my favorite meal, thank you." Emily said as she pushed herself off and took two tentative steps towards Alison. She was relieved when Alison didn't step back.

"You're welcome. I just wanted to start over. It was my way of apologizing for how I treated you yesterday and Thursday. You didn't deserve it." Alison's voice was timid and nervous, afraid of getting into a conversation that was too deep with Emily, but wanting to apologize for her behavior the past few days.

Emily looked at Alison with sad eyes. "I did deserve it, though."

Before she could continue, Alison stopped her. "We're not doing this right now." Alison could see in Emily's eyes that she had a lot that she wanted to say, but right now wasn't the time. Their dinner together had gone off without a hitch and they were truly enjoying being in each other's company as a family. Alison didn't want to ruin it if things got heated between them.

Emily knew exactly what Alison was talking about and her face fell. She took in a deep breath before releasing it. "We need to talk about it sometime, Ali," her voice sounding sad.

Alison gave Emily a warm smile. "We will, just not tonight. Tonight has been good, let's just enjoy this, okay?"

Emily matched Alison's smile. "Okay," Emily said as they headed into the living room. Alison sat down first on one end of the couch and Emily sat on the other, facing each other with just about a cushion between them. "Are you ready for work tomorrow?"

"Ugh, Mondays are always the worst! It's like these kids forget everything over the weekend, especially their manners!" Alison huffed as she threw her arms in the air. Emily just laughed, enjoying the conversation that seemed to be flowing so naturally between them, just like old times. "Are you going to go back?" Alison had seen Emily leaving the school on Thursday, but hadn't gone to ask what she had wanted or if she had even met with Principal Hackett. Alison also didn't know if she had found out who the new swim coach was that replaced her that fall. She didn't want to bring it up, with this evening having gone much better than either one of them could have expected.

"Um, yeah. I actually start back tomorrow, too." Emily looked down at her fingers and began wringing them in her lap.

Alison noticed and slid closer to the brunette on the couch, placing a hand on top of Emily's, stilling her movements. Emily felt like every fiber in her body was on fire feeling Alison's hand on her own. She had been craving Alison's touch for over half a year, and being so close to her this past week but not getting to touch her had been excruciating for the brunette. She looked up and gave Alison a look of shock and confusion as to what caused Alison's actions. As if reading her mind, Alison responded, "You're making me nervous when you do that."

Emily looked back down at their touching hands and mumbled, "Sorry." However, she didn't make any attempt to move her hand away from Alison's, never wanting the two to break contact ever again. "Um, so I was wondering if maybe you wanted to meet in the teacher's lounge before school. For old time sake?" Alison was slightly taken aback by Emily's question. They hadn't shared coffee together since before Alison had given birth to Jessica. Alison finished that school year on maternity leave, and didn't go back until that following September. However, with her depression, she never made it in early enough to spend a few extra minutes with Emily before school. After not getting a response after a few moments, Emily could feel the hesitation coming from Alison. She began to get nervous and started to backtrack. "Don't worry if you can't. It was just a thought."

Instantly, Alison felt bad for hesitating. She could see how hard Emily was trying, and didn't want her to think she didn't appreciate the effort. "No, I'm sorry. It's just that I usually don't get there that early anymore, but I will try to tomorrow, okay?"

Emily looked up and gave her a shy smile. "Thank you, Ali." Emily pulled her hands from Alison's grip and stood up. Emily headed towards the door with Alison following closely behind. Emily bent down and put her boots on before grabbing her jacket and zipping it up. She turned to face Alison with a shy smile on her face. "Thank you for dinner, Ali. It was amazing."

Alison smiled shyly back. "You're welcome, Em." With that, Alison gently leaned up on her toes and placed a gentle kiss on Emily's cheek. Emily closed her eyes and leaned into Alison's touch. Feeling her lips on her skin after so long was like the touch of soothing aloe on burnt, blistered skin. Emily never wanted that touch to go away, and Alison seemed hesitant to pull away. Emily couldn't help the ear-to-ear smile plastered on her face as she opened the door, saying her goodnights to Alison as she headed back in the direction of Hanna's loft.

For the first night that she could remember since Jessica was just a newborn, Emily fell asleep peaceful, with a content smile on her face. For the second night in a row, no tears fell onto Alison's pillow. Instead, she allowed the night's events to play out in her head before drifting peacefully to sleep. Both women went to bed feeling settled, that night, knowing that the morning would bring a brighter day, full of hope.

A/N 2: Well, that went a little smother this time, huh? None of the fighting and crying like the previous morning. I think they have finally reached the top of the giant hole they had dug themselves. Sure, they still need to talk and really work things out, but this chapter shows that they can get past the hurt that they've both been through and move forward. They just need to figure out if they can do it together or not. We'll be exploring that next week ;) For now, I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend and I will see you all again on Tuesday. As always, let me know what you thought of the chapter! Bye guys!