Hey guys! Before you read this, I have to talk to you about a few things. First off, I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but this chapter needed more construction in it than any other in this fic and I hope you enjoy how it turned out. Secondly, I've been told by a not so nice guest reviewer that my way of putting dialogue is wrong. My mistake, as I only checked it out after I'd been warning and I found out that dialogue is written differently in English and that my way has a lot of Portuguese influence. I'm sorry for this and I'd like to tell you that I'm gonna correct this on my next fic (yes, there will be one). Thirdly, the 100th reviewer was a guest. Come forward with your prompt! Lastly, there are only four more chapters to this story and three of them will be epilogues/prologues. What do you guys want me to write about? I have some ideas in mind, but I'd also like to hear from you. Well, whatever, enjoy the chapter!

"Emily, I don't think that's a good idea" - Alison turned away. She didn't want the brunette to see her pain inside, to see the insecurities carefully hidden away with years of masquerade. The idea of building a family would pop out eventually, Alison knew. But, the longer she could drag it on, the better.

"Ali, we have a stable relationship, we've been living together for ten years, we've got good income. I don't see what's the problem of us having a baby… unless… you don't want children" - Emily inadvertently hit a vein.

"I just think that our routines are too messed up for a baby right now" - Alison tried to argue reasonably because she knew that, once they argued with their emotions, either they broke or Emily would see through her words.

"Maybe if we talk to our bosses… I'm sure they'll understand"

"Emily, you know things don't work like that"

"Okay, then, maybe you should stop working!" - Emily clumsily suggested.

"What?!" - Alison turned sharply.

"I-I mean, I make enough money for us and a baby to live comfortably. And your wage is smaller than mine, so..." - The vet tried to correct her mistake, but it was too late.

"I'M NOT A FUCKING HOUSEWIFE, EMILY!" - Alison ramped - "If that's your idea of a perfect family, you might just wanna leave me, Emily, because I will give you no babies" - And then she bolted out of the door, seeking comfort in the windy streets of LA.

It was a rainy night when Saturday began and, yet, Alison didn't seem to fall asleep. She'd been observing the rise and fall of the brunette's chest since Emily tossed the Magic Wand back to its drawer and curled up against her chest, claiming that her boobs were too comfortable not to be used as a pillow. Ali tucked her mermaid in, caressing her scalps and scribbling love letters on the skin of her forearm.

A few minutes later, Emily was snoozing softly on her chest and Ali couldn't help but smile at her cuteness and kiss the top of her head. But, instead of falling asleep, the blonde got lost in a turmoil of words and she knew there was just one way out.

"Em… You're the woman of my life" - She replayed her own words in an infinite loop. There was no doubt in her mind that Emily was the person she'd like to spend the rest of her life with. In fact, she'd known this, or at least felt, from a young age. Even when she pushed Emily away, she knew that eventually she'd go back to the sweet brunette. Emily was her opposite pole, the one for whom she'd try to be better every day.

Alison would marry her in a heartbeat. And the idea of having a family with Emily was beautiful indeed. Whenever Ali thought of children, she imagined a little Emily running around the house or swimming in the pool or reading Charles Dickens. She imagined the brunette curing the little girl's skinned knees with her kisses just like she did earlier that night.

However, at the same time, Alison couldn't imagine any kind of love deeper than what she felt for Emily. The whole parents-children kind of love seemed a little weird to her. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Ali grew up in a dysfunctional home. Her mother was a serial cheater, taught her to lie, was psychologically abusive towards her children and even buried alive her own daughter. Her father hid the truth about Charles, her elder brother, and spent more time at work than at home. Finally, Jason spent more time doing drugs than looking after his baby sister.

Even though she knew that Emily would probably be the sweetest mom downtown, Alison was afraid the she was going to reproduce the abusive behavior she'd been exposed to when she was kid and that Emily would find out that Alison had never changed and that she was still a monster and, then, the brunette would leave her for good.

She knew she'd have to talk to Emily and she'd have to do it soon. The more she dragged it on, the more neglected Emily would feel. And the brunette had shown her comprehensive so many times this week… Ali felt they had grown closer to each other; there was just one step left.

"Em, baby" - The blonde caressed her scalp gingerly to bring Emily out of her dreams - "Em"

"Ali… let me sleep..." - Emily mumbled and nuzzled into her chest.

"I need to talk to you" - Alison stressed and gently pulled her girlfriend's black head off her.

"At 3 pm?" - She rubbed her eyes.

"This can't wait" - Not anymore… or so she thought - "Emily, we need to talk" - Alison really dreaded to come up with this subject in the middle of the night.

"What about?" - Emily lifted her head from the blonde's chest, where she was comfortably resting. Still, she couldn't help but notice how irregular and fast Alison's heart beat.

"Babies" - Once she said the words out loud, her phone blasted off. What an inconvenient time, she thought.

"Ali, won't you take this?" - Emily worriedly picked up her girlfriend's phone - "It's from your boss"

"We are more important than that" - Ali intended to throw that phone away.

"It's always important when your boss calls you at 3 pm" - Emily handed her the phone and Alison had no choice but to take it.

"DiLaurentis! Sorry to wake you up!"

"What happened?"

"A girl was taken hostage by her obsessive boyfriend an hour ago. I need you to cover it"

"I'm not on the criminal department" - Ali tried to dodge this commitment and go back to Emily.

"I know. But the criminal department left the paper by midnight and I'm not calling them this early on when they barely had time to sleep" - Her boss justified - "Besides, you live around the area of the crime"

"Okay" - Alison resentfully complied - "I'm gonna cover this one. I hope you haven't called Aria also"

"Of course not! She's pregnant! I hope you arrive at the scene of the crime in half an hour!" - Then he not so politely hung up and Alison tossed her phone on the bed in frustration.

Emily hugged her from behind and kissed the crook of her neck - "What happened?"

"A crazy man kidnapped his girlfriend and the media loves to feed on things like that" - Alison untangled herself away from Emily in a rather cold manner, even though she was angrier at the paper for interrupting their moment (and at herself for putting this talk off for so long) than she was at Emily (if she was at all).

"Ali" - The vet took her hand after she'd thrown on an agreeable shirt.

"What?"

"We'll talk about it later when you get home, I promise" - Emily gave her one last kiss and the strength to pull through her horrible commitment.

Emily tried to tuck herself to sleep after Alison left, but she just couldn't relax. She was always bound to be worried whenever Alison stayed out late or got up too early. However, this was the first time that a criminal was actually involved and Emily couldn't help but wonder if he had a gun. No, she must scratch that thought away! Alison had stayed away from safety for nearly two years when she was younger, so she knows how to take care of herself and she will not get shot… right?

Whatever, Emily wouldn't put her mind at ease until she welcomed Alison home safe and sound. Therefore, she got up and went to the kitchen to have some breakfast. She considered taking a shower, but the stall's isolation wouldn't allow her to hear any news from Alison. As she poured milk on her cereal bowl, Emily turned on the TV, the radio, and the computer… anything that might keep her informed if Alison was alive.

Nothing much happened. The guy was just negotiating with the police while he implied he had a gun. He also required to talk to a journalist (luckily, he specified he wanted a TV journalist and Alison worked for the newspaper and the internet) and he ranted about how unfaithful and slutty his girlfriend was and how she deserved all of this.

By 7 am, the guy probably deduced he had no way out. And, suddenly, he walked out of his house with a gun in each hand and started shooting. The camera shook as the cameraman probably dove to the ground and the panic was just too much for Emily. She picked up her car keys and burst off from the house where she and Ali lived in a baggy t-shirt and an old faded blue jeans.

Alison began to work as soon as she arrived at the scene of the crime. She talked to other journalists to gather basic information such as who was the criminal and who was the victim. She spoke to the neighbors to understand who the dynamics between the couple. Also, she kept a constant check on the police officers working on the case to know each and every move of the criminal.

Her breathing faltered when the detective announced that the man wanted to talk to a journalist. Luckily, he specifically required for a TV journalist, so she didn't need to put herself on the line. Instead, she watched as her fellow colleagues fought against each other only to have a scoop (and talk to a deranged guy). The man talked to the TV, but Alison knew that the situation was far from good. The longer a person was held hostage, the more probable it was for shit to blow up. And it did, as the guy probably realized he was out of options. He burst out of the door with a gun in each hand and started shooting the people crowded in there, Alison included.

She didn't have the time to react as one police officer threw her to the ground to prevent her from getting shot. Alison may have scraped her arm and twisted her wrist as she fell on the asphalt, but she totally ignored her pain when she realized that the police officer who had saved her life had been shot on the leg. A moment later, the shooting subsided. Alison found the courage to look up and found that the man had been killed by the police. The media soon recomposed and began to record their final says on the event, but Alison was too stunned to react. If that police officer hadn't saved her life, she would've probably been lying dead on the ground right now.

"Miss, are you okay?" - Another officer helped her back to her feet, but her eyes couldn't leave her savior, who had been taken to an ambulance.

"Yeah… I'm alright" - Her voice shook and the world around her spun round and round until she heard the one voice who could bring her out of any darkness that could ever be.

"Alison!" - Emily's voice resonated through the crowd as the brunette trespassed the yellow tapes in a hurry to find her.

"Emily!" - She mumbled back in response and her girlfriend ran to her, grabbed her face and pulled her in for a desperate kiss. Alison kissed her back with equal eagerness, panic still flooding in her veins. As time stopped for the both of them, they became oblivious to the curious gazes and to the flashes of the cameras.

"I was so scared that something bad was gonna happen to you!" - Emily pulled away, but still held her face so close that Alison could see the desperation that remained in her girlfriend's sweet eyes.

"Emily… I was so terrified!" - Alison buried her face on her chest, seeking the only heartbeat that could calm her own. Oh, how Emily was her solace! - "He appeared out of nowhere with two guns and..." - She sobbed.

"Hush, Ali" - Emily wrapped her arms around the blonde, holding her impossibly close - "Hush"

"You're brave, Alison" - Emily's voice brought her out from her deep thoughts. After the shooting, her boss gave her a free day and Emily insisted she went to a hospital so she could have her wounds taken care of and recover from her trauma. She hadn't said a word ever since, as the memory of the officer's bloody leg overcame everything she could think of. However, Emily's voice was something powerful on its own and Ali knew that it could bring her out of any personal darkness she had immersed into.

Still, she chuckled darkly - "An officer saved my life and was almost killed in the process. How braver can I actually get?"

Emily held her face delicately and those sweet brown eyes immobilized her. She suddenly was unable to move out of their bed. It always amazed Alison just how much power the brunette held over her (and how Emily didn't seem to notice it) - "You're the bravest person I know"

She looked away, trying to find an escape from the mermaid's mesmerizing gaze - "I've got scars that prove you wrong"

"Your scars only made you more beautiful" - It's terrific how Emily always knows what to say to her, how she always sees the good in her even when Alison thinks it isn't there.

"I'm not talking about physical scars, Emily"

"Me neither" - The brunette stressed - "I don't know how you managed to survive alone out there with a psycho going after you. You're strong, Alison"

The blonde rolled to the other side of the mattress and exited the bed, heading for the window - "So strong that my messed childhood still makes me unable to feel any kind of affection for children"

"Alison" - She heard Emily stand behind her - "Is that why you don't want to have kids? You think you're unable to feel empathy for them?"

The journalist turned around sharply, with tears on her eyes - "I don't think I'm unable, Emily, I AM! Have you seen Hanna's daughter?! She's, like, the most beautiful thing in the world, but I can't grow closer to her!"

The memories flashed through Emily's mind and she wondered how she'd never come to notice this before. She remembered how awkward Alison was when Hanna made her hold Chloe for a little while. She remembered how Alison flinched at the word 'baby' the first time they talked about it. She even remembered her shifting uneasily on her seat when Ezra said he wanted kids. But what flooded through Emily's heart was comprehension. She finally understood her girlfriend's reasons and why Alison was so defensive about it at first. And, mostly, now the she understood Ali's fears, she could work on them, she could make Alison change her mind.

"Emily, the truth is, if we have a baby, you'll love them and I'll tolerate them only" - Alison continued with her speech - "I'll never be a good mother"

"Ali..."

"What if I'm too cold to them and they grow up to be insecure?! What if I teach them to lie?! What if I raise another Alison DiLaurentis?!" - Alison was finally letting go of all the insecurities she had locked up for so long inside her chest. Tears began to stream down her face as she admitted her monsters out loud - "And then you'll see that I still haven't changed even with all this time and you'll leave me because you know that you deserve better than me!"

Suddenly, arms safely wrapped around her crying figure - "Impossible"

"W-What?"

"Impossible" - Emily repeated, burying her face in her blonde hair - "I know that your childhood was terrible, Ali. And I know that's why you don't allow yourself to grow closer to children. You're afraid you'll treat them the same way your mother treated you and that's not true"

"How can you know that Emily?!" - Alison turned around sharply and challenged - "How can you know that I'm not gonna break us again?!"

"Because I trust you" - The brunette took her face in her hands and kissed her passionately. Alison tried to push her away because this is definitely not the time for kissing, but how can she resist when Emily felt so good on her mouth? As if reading her mind, Emily kissed her until she couldn't breathe, panting the very last of her oxygen on the brunette's perfect lips.

"Why can't you see the good in you, Ali?" - Emily took her hands - "When you were younger, it was because you needed to keep an image. Now it's because you believe you don't deserve the good things that happen to you. We've all made mistakes"

"I can never forgive myself for hurting you and the others" - She looked down.

"Hey" - Emily held her face yet again - "We forgave you already. And we also hurt you when you put you in jail, remember? How can I live after knowing what happened to you there?"

"It was not your fault, Em..."

"I can't help but feel like I failed you" - The vet brought her foreheads together, feeling her own tears forming in her eyes.

"You never failed me, Emily. You're everything I've ever looked up to" - Alison confessed breathlessly. It was true: even when they were younger, Emily was everything that was good, sweet and pure. Ali always knew that she could never be as candid as her Mermaid so she made a vow to herself: she'd always protect the brunette's purity while trying to be a better person for her.

"And you're everything I've ever wanted, Alison" - Emily replied - "You're the only person I want to grow a family with"

"R-Really?"

"Yes" - Emily nodded and stared at their linked hands - "So, if you don't want to have kids, I'll understand that, but I'm not leaving you. Ever"

"This whole family thing makes me scared, Em" - Ali admitted, bringing the brunette even closer to her so she could hide her face in her shoulder.

Emily held her tightly, not willing to let go of the blonde - "I know. It makes me scared too, Ali"

"What if I'm a bad mother?" - Alison relished the feeling of her girlfriend protectively wrapped around her, shielding her from any danger, real or imaginary.

"You won't be, Ali. You're gonna be a great mother" - The vet kissed the top of her head lovingly - "Just like you are a great person"

"It's just… the whole thing scares the hell out of me!" - She cried.

"If it makes things easier for you, I can be the one who gets pregnant" - Emily suggested, pushing Alison away slightly only to look in her blue eyes.

"Emily, don't! What about your career?!"

"It's okay, Ali" - The brunette wrapped a blonde lock around her finger - "I'm willing to make this sacrifice for you… for us!"

"Emily…!" - Blue eyes teared up and Alison was flattered by her girlfriend's abnegation. Alison had always thought she was alone for her whole life, even if she were with someone. However, when she was with Emily, the brunette always taught her how to put somebody else before her own interests. Emily taught her how to make decisions as a 'we' instead of a 'you and me' - "If that's what you truly want, I'll be there for you through it all. I promise that!" - Alison snaked her hands underneath the vet's shirt and pressed her hand against her womb, in where a new life might bloom soon.

"I've always wanted to build a family with you, Ali" - Emily mumbled a little out of breath as the blonde's touch on her abdomen made her quiver.

Alison kissed her slowly and passionately and, once her shirt was on the ground, Emily could only fall more in love with her girlfriend as Ali took her to bed.

Next chapter...

"Fuck it! Let's do it the regular way!" - Emily untangled herself from the blonde's legs and shoved her against the mattress, clumsily climbing on top of Alison as she tried to get rid of the frustrating build-up in her loins.

Reviews:

I could ship that: Updated on Friday for a change, lol

perez9077: Thanks!

Drea82851: Ali got an A for trying, lol! I'm glad too!

Guest 1: I'm excited for your prompt!

Lexa2006: Nope, hahahaha. I lol-ed that too!

Guest 2: Thanks!

ayen: Emison babies are coming!

Dragoncila: Please keep breathing!

Guest 3: Thanks!

Guest 4: Do you have to be married to have kids? It's not a rule. Good thing you pointed that out, though ;)

ohhcarol13: Yup. Baby Talk.

Guest 5: Why are you so rude? That's not how you write reviews and it's annoying. There are ways and ways to point out people's mistakes.