A/N: boomer84: they should have that degree, right? I wouldn't mind getting it either LOL

sieamberc: it's nice to hear that! You see, I don't think I'll reveal A's identity/ies because I'm going to use stuff from the second half of the season to develop the drama, but at a much slower pace than the show, obviously. I might leave it close to a solution, but still open; also because I don't think the show actually has explained a lot about the A Team, etc, although now we do know a name. But I might change my mind when I'm approaching the end, if I think it makes sense or it's good for the story. As for the rest of your comment, that's exactly how I see it! But that doesn't mean it's gonna be easy for them!

LaughLoveLiveXx: I'm slowly dying without the humour too! And thank you for appreciating the summer narrative!

Maxi-Luca: Oh, and feathers... I'm glad you mentioned it. There's this recapper from televisionwithoutpity who called Aria once Our Lady of the Feathers. I'm still laughing so hard at that. And don't worry. I won't make Paige mean, I promise :). She's gonna have a relevant role.

IxHeartxGlee: I wanted you guys to feel sorry for Paige, so it's good! You see, she's not the kind of character you feel sympathy for, unless you're a McFields-Paily shipper. So I thought it'd be cool and a good re-introduction to the character to see the image of total Spemily love with the eyes of an interested outsider such as Paige.

splatterkitsch: Thanks! sheeshme: I'm still writing this one! :D But you most certainly can count on me on oozing Spemily fics, I get so obsessive about things I like!

She did tell Spencer A said hi, of course. That was the plan. Those were the rules.

Spencer's face fell upon hearing the news, very much like Emily had when she read the text in class. But she took Emily's hand in hers and tried to sound comforting, her anxiety dripping in every word because, well, once again, they had nothing on A right now. They pretty much had been trying to live, again, without A. They had barely recovered from Spencer's orange suit in the summer.

And A obviously loved that.

Emily was walking to meet Spencer after school, a couple of days later, when she received the following text. She was expecting this one. She was slowly growing accustomed to being A's main target again.

On the spot.

Because A seemed to think she was the easiest one to crack, easier than Hanna and Aria. The weakest link, the sweetest one, as well as the one-way route to get to Spencer.

She blamed herself, in a way. It was her own desire to show they could get ahead of A that had gotten her to pursue the HGH report. Wasn't it? She hadn't thought of stealing it or of convincing Wren to steal it for her back when she discovered she had HGH running through her veins. At that time, she'd just panicked; had then begged Wren not to tell her parents; had recovered from her ulcer, gone back to the team, tried not to think about it. Things had changed. Was she A's main target? Was it Spencer? Was it any of them or was it just out of pure randomness that A attacked each of them? Hanna had gone through a lot. She didn't even know the full extent of that which Hanna had endured, but she knew her well enough to know Hanna didn't say all that A had forced her to do; especially after living together, sharing a room for so long, Emily knew there were things Hanna still silenced about A. But today - it wasn't Hanna, it was her. Still – why? Why her? (But then again, why Hanna at all? Why any of them?)

The weakest link, the sweetest one.

Something had changed in her.

"Will you have it in you this time, Em? Or will you chicken out like the last time? –A"

Out of breath for a second, she stopped under another oak tree, leaves starting to fall. An old lady and a guy walking his terrier dog looked at her with slight concern, but she offered a calm smile and they kept walking. She didn't need anyone's help. Not their help, anyway.

Determined not to make a fool of herself this time, she told Spencer about the text too. They discussed it, even argued about it. Spencer insisted A was bluffing; he/she/it would never take the risk of Emily being dragged out of Rosewood by her parents. Emily insisted Spencer might be right, might be wrong too. A had never shown any compassion for her when she was outed. There was no reason to believe A could not play this card, or at least use it as a weapon. Spencer said maybe, but no. A was already trying to use it as a weapon, but would not really use it, because the Fields would take Emily with them if she was kicked out of the team. There was no reason to believe A wanted that, especially since Emily seemed to be such an important piece in the game. All her neurons working in fear, Spencer decided they had to keep doing what they were doing – living through it – but better, more efficiently: she called a meeting with the girls to decide on a decision regarding A. They needed to do something, to pick up the investigation, to pull ahead and gain some time on their race against A. Emily agreed, although they had nothing. Nothing to work with, to start wondering about again. Nothing to expect, only another text - for her.

That very same day, the text came when she was already in bed.

"How do you think the Hastings will take it, Swimmer of the Year? If you want it, you're gonna have to come get it. – A"

The text gave Emily a sense of relief. The relief of knowing A was actually playing the card.

And the card had to do with the Hastings.

For all of the consequences of being "outed" now as a cheat which she wasn't, this one was the one A considered plausible of making an effect on her. It seemed light enough to be believable; powerful enough to cause an impact. And A was right. It did cause an impact on Emily. Of course, it wasn't the worst of all of the things that could happen to her. It was worse to be publicly considered a cheat, to be expelled from the team she loved, to be ridiculed and scorned, to lose every chance of a scholarship for college; to be sent to Texas, to be dragged away from Rosewood, the place where heaven and hell collided in her life. And still – she couldn't deny it. Funny as it sounded, the thought of the Hastings receiving the proof of her cheating, which would destroy the image they valued the most about her, which would irrevocably threaten her chances for a good education, terrified her. A one-time drunk Emily could be handled; a cheating Emily, HGH-enhanced, on-the-verge-of-being-discovered Emily could not. The Hastings wouldn't tolerate that kind of imperfection in her daughter's girlfriend.

Besides, it wasn't her imperfection.

She could accept coming across as weak, somehow cowardly, dumber, drunk. But she couldn't accept coming across as a cheat. She'd never cheated in all her life. She wouldn't take it. It was not her destiny to be like that. It didn't belong to her.

Swimmer of the Year.

She was a swimmer, she was not a cheat.

She waited for instructions to come get it.

A strange, delusional hope lightened up her heart: the hope that this time A was aiming at something that was somehow different, that this time the instructions could be followed. That she could do it this time. That she'd have it in her. She would not betray Spencer, Hanna or Aria, because she simply didn't have it in her; A had better know about this already; but if it was something she could do, she'd do it. She was going to do it. And, since there was hope in her heart, she didn't tell Spencer about the last text right away. She broke the promise, violated the rule, didn't follow the plan. At least, for the moment. She could always tell her later, whenever she found out what A had in store for her.

It was wrong, maybe.

But wasn't that what Spencer did when she had to make a decision?

It was wrong and Spencer was going to be mad.

At the same time, the truth of the matter was that she was doing it for Spencer, even more than she was doing it for herself.