No One's POV
"Hanna, you know who that is?" The young lawyer turned around to meet the shocked expression on the blonde's face.
"Not exactly but I do know where to find him."
x-x-x-x
Emily woke up again that night to the quiet whimpering she had heard before. It took moments before she realized who it was coming from and her initial reaction was to get up, which she did, but when she got closer to the blonde, she cringed internally, remembering the reaction she received the last time she tried to help.
Conflicted, Emily stood frozen in place, crouched low enough to see the wrinkle in between Alison's brows, and she couldn't decide what to do. She could try again and face the same shunning she got before or crawl back into bed and pretend she didn't hear anything...but that would mean she would have to pretend not to care.
Sighing slowly, Em took one more step towards Alison and reached her hand out to gently shake her awake but before she could, Alison started to talk in her sleep.
"Michael no, please no no no!"
All of Emily's muscles tensed and she snapped her head up, worried about if the others in the block heard or not. She didn't want to see what they would all say or do if their sleep was disturbed and by Alison nonetheless, she knew no one liked the blonde...why? That was still a mystery.
"Ali," Em whisper-yelled, "Alison, it's okay, wake up please."
The blonde thrashed and upon the contact Em's hand made with her shoulder, Ali practically screamed, "JR help! No no no."
Emily pulled her hand back like it was on fire and she started to panic, "Alison please, people will hear you." Em tried again and this time when Alison felt the hand on her, her eyes shot wide open and she sat up, pushing her back into the cold stone wall behind her, knees to chest and her hands outstretched in defense, "please."
The look in her blue eyes was no longer filled with whimsy and mystery. No, instead the brightness was replaced with pure fear; Alison's cerulean orbs were shattered like a blue mosaic piece, no longer the same calming sea Emily had grown to admire.
The brunette stood, mouth agape, searching Alison's eyes to make sure she was awake this time.
"Alison, it's okay, it's just me."
Alison's chest heaved twice as hard and Emily's rising and falling to no regular pattern, her hands now clenched into fists so hard that her knuckles appeared white in the pale light of their 'room'.
Emily was afraid to touch her; afraid it would obliterate the safety net she was trying to form. So instead, Emily dropped to her knees by the side of the bed and put her hands up, "Alison, I'm not going to hurt you, you can trust me okay? I just, I wanted to make sure you were okay, I didn't mean to-,"
But her words were swallowed as a pale hand came to cover her mouth gently.
Alison looked up into warm brown eyes and shook her head, "not here." The blonde's eyes were still widened in fear and Emily couldn't ignore the trembling in the hand that covered her mouth.
Em nodded and once Alison searched her eyes again, she lowered her hand and started to get up from her bed. When she was by the entryway, Emily was still on the floor, her eyes glued securely on the blonde, it wasn't until she finally blinked that she realized Alison was not in front of her again.
Looking up, all Emily seen was the soft silhouette of Alison's figure and the light that caught her hand sas she brought a single finger to her own lips, indicating for Emily to be quiet.
Emily got up as silently as she could, not bothering to put on shoes. Her feet were cold, the thin socks doing nothing to protect her from the frozen concrete floor she padded over behind Alison. The blonde stayed close to the walls, probably to stay away from the cameras as much as she could, the hallways too dimly lit for them to stand out that much anyways.
Em fought the urge over and over to ask where they were going, staying quiet as long as she could. She had no clue where they were going, what Alison's intentions were, but she wasn't going to ruin her chance of finding out by opening her mouth. She was curious as hell, but she refrained.
It seemed like ten minutes or thirty, nonetheless when Alison stopped in front of a door, Emily was surprised when she realized where they were. Somehow, Alison had taken the long way around the grounds and they ended up at the library.
Alison looked over her shoulder smiled weakly, reaching around her neck to pull out a long chain with a key on it. Checking the corridor around her that it was free of guards, Alison used the key she had stored around her neck to open the door, sighing in relief when it opened quietly because she half expected it to creak loudly and give them away.
When Emily was in, Alison turned to shut the door and tucked the key back into her shirt.
"This way."
Emily followed as closely as she could in the dark, cursing under her breath when she stubbed her toe and again when she bumped her shoulder into a book shelf.
"Shit," she said when she bumped into a form in front of her, "sorry," she lowered her voice, apologizing to Alison as she curled her now two-time stubbed toe to stall the throbbing. Her toes were half numb in the frigid cold anyways, but it still hurt.
Em followed Alison further into the back of the library where they worked, expecting to stop in the back at one of the few tables but was increasingly confused when Alison stopped near one and looked up, searching for something she didn't know. Em stood watching the smaller girl start to push at the table until it started to move the way she wanted her eyes still fixed on something unknown above her.
"Alison, what are you-,"
"Shhh," Alison didn't spit it out, rather coaxed Emily into silence again.
Emily walked closer and looked up where Ali's eyes were fixed and she wiped at them to make sure she didn't have dust in them, "is that a...," she closed her mouth and looked to Alison who nodded, "it's an attic," she confirmed and started to climb on the table, reaching as far as she cold until her fingertips could barely manage to feel out the outline of the attic door where she pushed on her tiptoes harder until she could squeeze her fingers in between the crack and pull the old door down.
It creaked with a high-pitched squeal and Ali paused, looking behind her towards the door. After a few breaths, she did it again and paused when it was half way open.
Em searched in the dark for why Alison stopped and walked closer when made the realization that Ali didn't want the ladder coming down loudly. So the tall brunette walked until she was under the door and nodded for Ali to open it further, readying herself to catch the ladder as it slid down, not knowing how fast or how heavy it would be.
"Damn," she grunted when the heavy splintered wood hit her palms, watching Ali's eyes bug out slightly. It was difficult for Emily to believe what she saw, but she could've sworn Alison looked concerned.
When Em gave her best smile and waved her hand in an 'okay,' Ali climbed down from the table and proceeded up the ladder.
"Um," Ali paused looking down at the ground rather than meeting Emily's eyes, "be careful, it's really dark up here at first."
Em was shocked and flattered at the same time, still too afraid of saying anything too loud or even offensive to the other young woman in front of her.
"Okay, uh, thanks."
Em took a step back and let Alison lead the way. No more than a minute later Emily found herself on all fours climbing through the darkness in an attic in a library at the Rosewood prison. Now that was something she would never in a million years imagine for herself, yet here she was doing exactly that.
"Alison?" Em called when she stopped hearing the shuffle of Alison's knees against the wooden floor. She opened her eyes wider, but it was pitch black, she couldn't see anything, she could barely make out the outline of the door in the floor she just crawled through.
"Hold on," it was so quiet that Em barely heard, but she stayed still and silent, waiting for...well she didn't know.
"Dammit," Ali grunted and then a quiet smacking sound of...plastic? against skin was heard.
A few more slaps and a light erupted from a small flashlight in Ali's hand. Em had to squint and allow her eyes the time to adjust, but when they did, she almost laughed at where she was...she was crawling on the floor when there was ample amount of space to stand and as she peered through the dimly illuminated space, she realized it looked like a small living room of sorts.
No more than 100 sq ft, the room was filled with a small couch, a single chair, small table pushed against one wall and on the floor there were several opened books and written-on papers, to Emily it looked like someone was living there: like this definitely wasn't Alison's first time up there.
Em stood and walked towards the chair, running her fingers along the back and she swallowed, still not knowing what she was doing there, or why Alison took her along. She had so many questions, like who was Michael, who was Jay, what was Ali so afraid of? Why is everyone afraid of her and what did she do to get in this place?
Suddenly the small room seemed to feel even more crowded when Alison took a few steps forward and sat on the small two seated couch. Emily felt her presence even before she seen her approaching and found the muscles in her back tensing.
The silence soon became awkward, the weird tension palpable between them. She tried to clear her throat but her airways seemed even too tight to do that. Thankfully, Alison cleared hers and it demanded Emily's attention, which she gave easily.
"Uh, I think you should sit." Alison's voice was missing that confidence that Emily heard all the times before.
Em nodded and before she turned to lower herself into the chair, Ali popped up and gently pushed Emily away from sitting on it, "No!"
Confused, Em looked at the chair to make sure that she wasn't about to crush something of value if she were to sit.
"I'm sorry," Ali gathered her hands into her pants' pockets and shook her head, "it's just, that chair isn't sturdy, I almost broke it trying to sit on it, "I should've said something sooner."
"No, I'm sorry, I didn't know, thank you from saving me from falling on my butt. That would've been embarrassing."
"And we would've got caught." Alison huffed and sat on the couch again, this time pointing the flashlight at her shoeless feet.
Em looked around only to confirm what she already knew...the only seat left was right next to Alison. She hesitated, but her fear was misplaced, and hypocritical, she couldn't act like everyone else does, too afraid to sit or look or talk to Alison. So Em lowered herself on the couch slowly, her weight sinking into the old cushion until it couldn't anymore.
"So," both girls started, laughing nervously that they had both spoke at the same time.
Em decided to let Alison regain control here and start the conversation, but when no words were spoken, she successfully cleared her throat this time and asked, "Alison, why did you bring me here?"
Neither young women could meet the other's eyes, so Em stared at what she could make out of her hands in her lap while Alison's blue orbs stayed fixed on her feet, "I don't, I'm not even sure."
There it was again, Emily thought, that slight waiver in her voice, the uncertainty...it was out of what Emily considered Alison's 'character,' but there was a certain softness, innocence even, that she enjoyed hearing.
"Okay, then," Em sighed, rubbing her hands over her knees, "what is this place?"
"It's an attic." The dry undertone couldn't be mistaken and a suffen flash of frustration came over Emily, Alison had no right to play games with her and she was tired of the blonde switching up her moods at random.
"Okay," Emily tried, "how did you find it?"
Alison looked over at the side of Emily's face and she shrugged, "I just did, I was stacking books when I looked up and noticed that there was a door."
"And the key?"
"I stole it from Harris, he used to work here. I stole it and ever since I've been here, I come up at least one every other week."
"What for?"
Emily's chocolate brown eyes scanned the floor and she wondered if the papers were written on by Alison.
"I don't know, I just like being in here, thinking, away from everyone else. I don't know, it's private, I miss privacy."
"Well, if you like your privacy so much, why am I here?"
Alison could hear the growing frustration in Emily's voice and she took a few deep breaths, why did she think this was going to be okay? Why did she think she was ready to open up.
"I thought you might want to be here."
"For what?" Emily searched out bright blue eyes but they were hidden under eyelids and thick lashes.
Alison brushed a long strand of golden hair behind her ear and closed her eyes, answering softly, "to get your answers."
"Answers?"
"You want to know right?" Em didn't even have the chance to answer for herself when Ali continued, "you want to know what my story is...," this time it wasn't a question, yet she gave an answer, "well then I'll tell you."
Em thought she also might have to clean her ears, "what?"
"I will Emily, it doesn't seem like you're going to leave me alone anytime soon and I think I can trust you, I want to."
"Wh-why? I mean I'm flattered, I just want to know, why?"
Alison seemed to be measuring her breaths, taking 3 seconds to breathe in and 3 out. On the second, she opened her once closed eyes and looked at Emily.
"I don't know Emily, is there I reason I shouldn't trust you?"
Emily eyes darted between each one of Alison's and she shook her head, "n-no. No, you can trust me."
Alison kept her gaze trained on Emily's face, waiting to see if there were any indications that the brunette was lying.
"Emily, I'm just tired...tired of trusting people and being hurt in the end, but I'm even more tired of pushing everyone else away, of keeping up this act in here for so long. Do you understand?"
Em merely nodded, "I do."
"Good, at first I thought you were annoying, you just wanted to know everything, your sentence was short and you probably just wanted some entertainment."
"No that's not at all what I-,"
"I know," Alison stopped the ramble that she believed was coming. "I know, I can tell."
"Alison just tell me why you-,"
"I like you Emily." She blurted it out and Em's body froze, her breath hitched and she sat up straighter.
"What do you mean?"
Alison half laughed and tore her eyes away from the shocked one she was faced with, choosing to somewhat ignore Emily's question, instead, answering with questions of her own, "do you know how it feels to pretend to be someone you're not? To do it and be so miserable? Pretend to be something you know deep down isn't you just to make someone else happy, someone we love?," Alison seemed to be reflecting and Emily tried to imagine what the troubled blonde was referring to, "I've done that my whole life Emily Fields, can you imagine what that feels like?"
It was Emily's turn to laugh yet she didn't take it. Of course she knew, she knew exactly what it felt like.
"Alison, I don't need to imagine. I know exactly what that feels like."
"You do? How? How could you possibly know?"
"Are you kidding me?" Emily did laugh this time, "I'm gay. For crying out loud I'm gay, and my parents were the definition of a perfect American family, living the American dream, following their strict morals, serving the country in the police department and the Army. When I realized what I was- who I was, I couldn't tell them. No, their cookie cutter daughter couldn't like girls, it would be wrong."
Alison felt bad for scoffing earlier, truly believing the woman in front of her had a life as well put together and perfect as herself, but as she has learned over and over again, you really can't judge a book by its cover.
"Emily, I-,"
"For years Alison," Emily cut her off this time, feeling she needed to say everything she felt like so her point was made, "I pretended that I wasn't secretly crushing on one of my friends, I pretended to like dating the head jock at my school, and every day I said good morning to my parents, I was lying to them, I was the lie; the daughter they seen in their eyes was not the same person I seen in the mirror, so if you really want to know if I can imagine, the answer is yes, and that is how, because I lived it for years...wishing, hoping it was all in my imagination instead so I wouldn't ruin our family name, or be shunned by my own parents."
She spoke louder than she probably should have but she didn't really care, it was true. Looking up from her rant, Emily saw a shift, even in the poorly lit room, she noticed a shade change in Alison's eyes. From a bitter icy blue to a mellower one, softer, more open.
"I'm sorry Emily, I didn't know."
"I know you didn't it's okay."
"I just, I've pretended to be just like my mom so I could make her happy, I grew up a bitter person, I was never nice in school, I held my head high and I stepped on anyone else I thought was in my way."
"So what they say about you here is true?"
"About me being a bitch? Maybe, but I haven't even spoken to anyone here, and then people make rumors about why I'm here and now I'm stuck again, keeping up this game of charades."
"Again?"
"Yes, again."
"Alison-,"
"Emily, I want to tell you my story, you say I can trust you, so I will. I do."
"Why are you doing this?"
"The truth?"
"Nothing less."
Alison's shoulders slumped and she smiled lightly, "because you're the first person who's even shown me some genuine decency around her and because...because I'm tired of being alone."
Emily smiled and swallowed hard, reaching her hand cautiously to rest atop Alison's, "Alison, I...care, about you. And I thank you for everything you've done for me since I've been here, and I want to know you better."
"But? God, there's always a butt, maybe you should go and we can forget-,"
"No, it's not bad, I just don't want to rush anything, you telling me you like me is a surprise, a good surprise, but I want you to know, that I hope you don't expect me to say anything back, I mean we've barely known each other for but a week, okay?"
Alison sighed, "I wasn't expecting anything, I was just scared. The last time I put my heart out there, well, it's the reason I'm here. The reason I started to become so emotionally detached and cold."
"What's changed?"
"You," and when Alison said it, Emily drew her hand back and Alison, she immediately regretted saying that, "no not like that! I mean you came and you were-are nice and you don't seem to care what everyone else thinks, it's a little dangerous but you've given me some hope."
"For?"
"Hope that not everyone in this world is as bad as all the people I've had in my life so far."
"Well, I won't prove you wrong on that."
Both women exchanged smiles and when the silence fell, Emily could feel it again: that heavy tension weighing in on them.
"Emily, my past is dark, you might not like what you hear, so if you feel like you've heard enough and you want to go, I get it, no hard feelings."
Em turned her body to face Alison a little better and grabbed Alison's hand that was holding the flashlight, turning her wrist over in her hands, "this," she lifted their joined hands, "will be for your past then," and when she let go, she sat back against the arm rest and rested her hands in her lap, "as for me, this scrappy couch is waaaaay more comfortable than those damn boxes, they call mattresses."
"Thanks, glad to know that's what's keeping you here."
"Well that, and I think I care about you, I don't know why, and why so soon, but-,"
"It's okay, I get it."
"So...," Em trailed looking up in the darkness at the nothingness.
"I guess I should start with the beginning?"
"Chapter 1...unless there's a prologue?"
"No," Ali laughed quietly and shook her head, "chapter one it is."
x-x-x-x
"Hanna, please explain what you're doing?" Hanna was flipping through everything more rapidly, sending papers flying all over the place.
"We have to hurry, find everything that you think is evidence and get ready to go back home."
"Okay, well first, why don't you tell us what's going on?" Toby stood from the computer and when Hanna met his eyes and then the rest of his body, she stopped abruptly and stood straight up. Toby was no longer dressed all in his Rosewood uniform anymore, but his stance and posture reminded Hanna of his profession.
"I-um, I-can't."
"What do you mean Hanna, we came out here for you, so I think you can."
"No, you don't understand Spencer, I can't."
"Actually," Toby took a step closer to the blonde and crossed his arms, "I've known Spencer for a really long time and she's really smart, so I think she can understand."
Hanna huffed and swallowed, there might be the slightest chance that Toby knew who the man in the picture was and she wasn't going to risk finding Caleb by opening her mouth now.
"Actually, like I told Spencer, if I talk to the cops, the person who has Caleb will hurt him."
"So what you're saying is you can tell, but you just can't tell me?"
Hanna nodded, hoping that it would work.
Toby raised an eyebrow and met Spencer's eyes, "is she telling the truth?"
Spencer nodded her head, "this person is extremely evasive and serious, I've seen the threats," she lied and half smiled, "please, Toby, just give a few minutes?"
"Okay," he huffed, uncrossing his arms and throwing them in the air, "fine, I'll be in his room, looking for something we might've missed."
When Toby left the room and Hanna was sure he was out of eavesdropping range, she sighed heavily.
"Hanna what was all that about? Is the kidnapper sending you threats? I told you if they did to show us immediately so we could get it on record."
"Sh, no Spencer, I haven't gotten anything from them, him, her, it or whatever." She sighed and walked over to the couch where the computer was, joining Spencer at her side.
"Then what was all that? Why didn't you just say what you had to say in front of us both, I told you Toby is a good guy."
"I know you did, but what's that saying? I'm stuck under a rock in a hard place?"
The tall brunette laughed, "not quite, it's stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"Either way, that's how I feel."
"Why? You say you know who," Spencer paused to bring the screen to life and the same image as before appeared, a fuzzy picture of a man in a hooded jacket, "this man is, why can't you tell us?"
Only part of his profile could be seen but whoever it was recognizable to Hanna.
"I don't know why Caleb would have a picture of him, but that guy is a cop."
"Okay so?"
"In Rosewood."
Spencer was extremely intuitive, so it was easy for her to draw the lines between the points Hanna was making.
"And Toby might know him."
"Yeah exactly, I know you said I can trust you and I do and you said I can trust Toby and up until now, I have. I just don't want to risk finding out this guy is involved if I tell Toby. They can be friends, and even if they're not, I don't think your boyfriend would like me making assumptions or accusations about one of his brothers in blue."
"Accusations? You have something to accuse him for already?"
"No, but we're about to find out."
"Hanna, Toby could help."
"He's helping me by not knowing, that gives me time to find anything that might make this guy a bad guy, if not then I will tell him. But if word gets out that I'm onto something, and then Rosewood PD finds out, something could happen to Caleb."
"Okay, fine, but I say we give it 48 hours from when we land to find any more dirt that we can."
"Okay, deal."
"After that, we either question this guy or leave him alone and focus on gathering anything else up from this computer."
"Fine, go get Toby, I booked us a flight in two hours."
"Alright boss, it's your case." Spencer squeezed Hanna's shoulder gently but before she could get up to get Toby, the cop came jogging from Caleb's room holding a big manila folder.
"Guys, I found something."
He stopped at the kitchen counter and opened the top, pouring the contents out and spreading them around.
Spencer joined his side and looked at everything, naming the contents as she saw them, "what the hell is this? Receipts, transactions, phone call records, messages, e-mails?" Spencer held up and glossy paper and realized it was a picture.
Her eyebrows scrunched the same time Hanna's did and Spencer handed the picture over, "what kind of work did you say Caleb did again?"
Hanna's eyes fell on the picture and she shrugged, "I don't know who these people are, or why Caleb has pictures of them."
"Um, Spence," Toby tapped her shoulder, "I know you say the cops can't get involved, or else something bad could happen but...,"
"But what?" Hanna swallowed, nervous.
"I have a name."
x-x-x-x
