A/N: Happy Pride Month Everyone! Here's the next installment of Baby Steps. Hope you enjoy. See you at the bottom:)

Chapter 25: Can't Fight This Feeling

Emily stood a few feet away from the bus, her arms folded in front of her chest while nodding her head to all the swimmers that waved her goodbye as they passed. Tiny droplets of snow fell on the ground before her which would usually send her into hyperactive mode, but today, she took no notice of it. Snow was the last thing on her mind right now.

She inhaled a deep breath and licked her dry and chapped lips to moisten them. Her eyes felt heavy and that sick feeling was still present in the pit of her stomach. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. The only sleep she managed to get all night was those ten minutes on the bus and that was cut short by another dream starting a certain redhead that seemed to be the prime person of her thoughts these past two days. When she saw Paige step out of the bus, Emily knew now was her chance to talk to her. Now was the perfect time to ask her the questions she couldn't answer herself. The questions that she had been asking herself since her therapy session on Friday afternoon. All those questions that swirled around in her head and kept her awake the night before.

"Can I talk to you?" The words spilled out of Emily's mouth as the red head walked towards her. Her expression was pleading and Paige instantly noticed it.

"Talk to me?" Paige's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes" Emily choked out the words and nodded her head before swallowing hard.

"Uhm, S..Sure" Paige agreed with a hint of hesitation, mainly because she had no idea what it was Emily wanted to talk to her about. Immediately, one possibility of the topic of conversation that could be had by the two in a few moments stood out to the red head, and sure enough, it made her pulse pick up its pace.

Emily scanned her eyes around her for a few seconds. A conversation out in the open with Paige was not something she wanted to be engaging in right now, but she felt like she had no other choice. She needed her burning questions to be answered, she needed all that lost time from that night to be filled in. She didn't remember any of it. The last thing that stood out to her was a vague image of her falling forward on the toilet bowl, then downing a shot of tequila with Paige once she returned to her stool. But that was it. Everything after that was a black hole. She couldn't remember when she left the bar with Paige, or why she left with her. She couldn't even remember committing the act that ruined her relationship. It was hard for her to even believe that she did it. Because she never thought that was something she would do. No matter how hard things had got in hers and Alison's Marriage, she never imagined herself talking the easy way out by sleeping with her ex. That's not the type of person she was. But then again, drunk Emily is very impulsive and spontaneous. Drunk Emily does thing sober Emily wouldn't dare to.

The brunette felt paranoia settle in at the thought of being seen with her ex. She knew Aria sometimes held revision classes on Sundays and Toby always passed the school in the patrol car on the way to the station. The chances of her been seen were slim to none, but Emily still felt the need to go somewhere more private.

"Inside" the brunette grabbed her ex by the arm and lead her in through the side entrance to the school.

Once inside, Paige leaned against the wall and Emily stood in front of her with folded arms.

"That night" Emily started off, only to be interrupted by a group of loud teenage boys running through the hall and m down to the changing rooms after lacrosse practice. Emily looked around and noticed a staff member down the hall, then let out a deep sigh as her eyes landed back on her ex. "Not here" She grabbed Paige's arm again, but Paige tensed her body and pressed all her weight against the wall, preventing Emily from pulling her around the corner. "What are you doing?" Emily yanked the red heads arm once more, but was unsuccessful in her efforts to move her to the desired destination.

"I have somewhere to be" Paige tried to get away but Emily grabbed her by the hand again to stop her, this time, succeeding in getting her to move a few steps around the corner.

"What happened that night?" Emily blurted out, not giving Paige a chance to speak.

"Emily" Paige sighed and tried to leave once again. "I don't want to talk about this right now"

"Well, you are" The words came out of Emily's mouth with a lot more anger and frustration than she expected. "I didn't want to you talk last night either but you gave me no choice. So now, I'm not giving you one"

Paige pressed her head against the wall and closed her eyes, leaving a deep, defeated sigh escape her lips.

"About a week after that night in the bar, you came to my house. Remember, you left with a black eye" Emily's eyes widened as she recalled the encounter between her wife and her ex outside her house.

Paige rolled her eyes and forced out the word "Yes"

"What did you come there to say to me?" the brunette let out a shaky breath, preparing herself for what Paige could say. Her exes words from that evening slipped her mind, but the last few hours of the bus drive, that entire conversation, along with almost every other one with Paige since then replayed in her head. She knew Paige came to her house that day to tell her something. Emily just wanted to know what about that night was so important that her ex decided to make a house call knowing the likely possibility that she could run into Ali as she did so.

"I...I can't remember" Paige said in a low voice after a moment of hesitation, her eyes refusing to meet Emily's.

"You were so adimind to tell me something about that night. You asked me how much of it I actually remember" Emily shook her head, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why did you mean by that?"

Paige exhaled a deep breath and held her gaze on the classroom door behind Emily's head. Dead silence hung over them.

"Paige" Emily's voice raised slightly.

"What?" Paige finally made eye contact with the brunette.

"What did you want to tell me?" Emily waited for Paige to answer, but by the looks it, it didn't seem like she was going to be getting one anytime soon. "What do you remember...from that night" the brunette asked. "Because I can't remember any of it. I mean, do you remember us leaving the bar? Do you remember us getting into bed together? Do you remember why the hell we did it?" she watched Paige leave out a slightly frustrated groan. "Goddammit Paige, answer me!"

"I...I don't remember" the redhead blurted out, her head shaking as the questions began to fluster her. "Just like you. I don't remember any of it"

"Well then what was it you wanted to tell me?" Emily ran her free hand through her ruffled hair, her other one still gripping Paige's arm. "I mean, what gave you the audacity to call to my house after what happened between us. You knew you weren't exactly going to be welcomed in with opened arms, but you came anyway"

"It's not important anymore" Paige squirmed out of the hold her ex had on and folded her arms defensively in front of her chest. "Forget about it...okay. Just forget it"

"I can't forget about it Paige" Emily shook her head, holding her arms out in front of her before smacking them on her thighs "I can't ever forget about anything to do with the one mistake that has ruined my relationship with Alison. My relationship with my family...my friends...Everyone. I haven't spoke to my Mom in weeks, My dad is overseas and I bet he's just so proud of his daughter right now" the words rolled off Emily's tongue soaked in sarcasm. "All my friends hate me, I don't even live with my family anymore" she trailed off with a shaky breath. Just saying out loud how shitty her life has gotten made the tears threatening her eyes become almost impossible to hold back. "And Alison…" She looked to the floor and shut her eyes closed. Saying Alison's name just hurt so much because everytime she said it, she was reminded of what she done that permanently wiped that bright spark that always lit up her wifes icy blue eyes. "She won't talk to me. She can barely look at me. Hell, I can't look at her without being reminded of what I've done" Emily swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to contain the emotions she felt could spill out at any moment. "I...I don't think Alison will ever forgive me for what I've done. I don't expect her too...I can't even forgive myself so...why should she?"

Paige's lips parted slightly as if she was about to say something but after a moment of contemplation, she pressed them closed again and forced a breath through her nose. Her eyes glanced everywhere but the brunette in front of her and Emily's jaw clenched in anger as she watched her ex completely ignore her.

"I have to go" were the only words Paige spoke before turning around and pacing up the hall towards the gym, leaving Emily standing there, watching her completely disappear out of sight.

Now, Emily's head wasn't cleared of the questions she had, more were just added to it. The brunette shook her head weakly and stormed away in the opposite direction back out the door she entered with Paige, unbeknownst to her that a certain blonde heard every word of the conversation she had with her ex.

From the doorway Alison was hiding in, she held her breath and tensed up as Emily walked passed her. She watched as the brunette stormed down the hall and out the side door. Alison contemplated her next move for a moment. She didn't know whether to go after Paige and give her a piece of her mind, or follow Emily out to her car. Emily's car seemed like the safer option, not because she didn't want to get caught by some staff member having a heated argument with the athletic department supervisor, but because she wanted to catch Emily before she left. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say when she was face to face with the brunette. She was still absorbing everything she had just overheard between the exes. All she knew was that right now, she needed to see Emily.

Alison followed the brunette outside and stood by the side door, watching Emily take off in her car, completely oblivious to the fact that Alison's was parked two spots away from hers. The blonde picked up her pace and followed after the brunette, but by the time she reached the road Emily's car was already out of sight.

Alison stood in front if the refreshments table, a glass of water in hand as she glanced around the hall. She spotted Caleb near the ball pit soothing a winging Evie, Ezra not far away with his arm around Aria, both of them smiling proudly at their daughter dancing along to the music with the birthday girl. She then saw Hanna just a few feet away, her hand rubbing small circles on her pregnant belly as she talked animatedly to her mom, Spencer and Veronica who all gathered around her. And then finally, Alison's eyes landed on her brother whose face was beaming with happiness along with Pams, both of them watching Ellie and Madison jumping hand in hand around the little bouncy castle. A smile from ear to ear graced Alison's face watching her little girls play. The last time she saw them on a bouncy castle was their first birthday party, back when they couldn't even walk, or talk for that matter. They just crawled and babbled the whole day long. It amazed Alison how fast they've grown. The time really did fly. It felt like yesterday her and Emily were bringing them home from the hospital, giving them their first bath, reading them their first bedtime story and singing them to sleep for the first time. Watching them develop their own little personalities and inherit all of Emily's little features made the blonde feel as if her heart could burst with joy. She didn't know what she would do without them, or why she ever denied Emily children because honestly, those two little girls were one of the best things that ever happened to her.

The blonde pulled her gaze from the adorable scene unfolding on the bouncy castle and looked around once more for Emily who was still nowhere in sight. Earlier this morning, after she watched Emily's car disappear around the corner, she got in her own and planned to follow the brunette back to the brew but a phone call from Hanna changed her plans completely. Instead, the blonde convinced Alison to travel out of her way to a cake shop in Philly that was willing to make a cake that was an exact replica of the one Hanna thought she ordered a few weeks before. After an intense phone argument with the bakery employee, Shelly, Hanna had to admit that it wasn't them who forgot to make the order, it was her who forgot to place it.

Alison spent the drive to Philly replaying Emily and Paige's conversation in her head. In a way, she was kind of thankful that Hanna convinced her she was the only one she trusted to bring back the cake in one piece, because it gave her time to think. Not that she didn't have enough time to do that last night, because she did, she had plenty. She just felt she needed to process everything she overheard between Emily and Paige. It was a lot to take in. When she first saw Emily dragging Paige into the school, she didn't know what to do. In one way, she felt she really needed to go see what was going on between them, but in another, she didn't think she wanted to. All she could do for those few moments of contemplation was allow her mind to run her through the series of scenarios she imagined she could witness which started at a work related conversation about the swim meet and ended with a quickie in a locked classroom. Alison wanted to believe that there was nothing going on between Emily and Paige, but the last time Emily assured her about that, the exes had almost kissed a few hours before and then got into bed together a few hours after.

Alison's thoughts became overwhelming and curiosity got the better of her. Before she knew it, her legs were taking her inside the school. She slowly opened the door and braced herself for what she could witness, but when she did walk inside there was noone insight. She kept walking but had to jump back before rounding the corner, because that's where the brunette and redhead were. The questions Alison heard Emily ask Paige, for some reason, gave her a twinge of relief. Not that there was anything to be relieved about at the fact her wife slept with her ex, she felt relief that Emily couldn't remember it. In no way did Emily show love towards Paige's with that conversation, if anything, it was anger. Anger that Paige wouldn't answer her questions, anger at herself for what she done.

Alison could almost feel her heart pine for her wife when she heard her words to Paige. When she told Paige about how everyone she loved hated her and how she didn't think Alison would ever forgive her, those words gave Alison the need to turn that corner and tell Emily that everything was going to be okay, that they were going to get through this, that one day in the future, all this will be behind them. One day, Alison just may be able to forgive the brunette for what she's done. The only thing that stopped Alison from going over and interrupting the conversation was the need to know more, she wanted to know what it was Paige wanted to say, almost as much as Emily did. That day when she walked in on Paige and Emily in her house, she thought there was something going on. She thought it was some sick kind of date, but it turns out Emily was telling the truth. Paige did just show up at the house to talk to Emily, and when Ali walked in on them, Paige wanted to talk to her too. But Alison never gave her the chance. She was just so pissed off that she walked in on the two of them that she didn't hear either of them out. She jumped to conclusions and lit up a fire with her accusations. But after what Emily and Paige did a few nights before, she didn't blame herself for freaking out and thinking the worst.

All Alison wanted right now was to talk to Emily, but it didn't seem like Emily was rushing to make any sort of appearance at this party. Overhearing...well more like snooping on Paige and Emily's conversation, Alison knew without a doubt that she wanted to hear Emily out and see what she had too say. Maybe it would all be worth it because before today, Alison thought Emily jumped into bed with Paige out of spite. She thought the brunette meant it all, despite her continuous assurance that she didn't. She thought Emily using the excuse of being drunk was just covering up her mistake but now Alison knew that's all it was...it was a mistake. An unforgivable, but forgivable mistake.

The loud rumbling of the blondes stomach broke her from her thoughts and reminded her that the only thing she had filled her stomach with today was two cups of coffee and a few sips of the water Toby had given her just minutes before. She placed her hand over her the clothing that covered her belly and pressed the glass to her lips, dropping her head back and finishing it all in one gulp. Suddenly a dizzy spell washed over her and she felt her balance get a little wobbly. Her breathing became heavy and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She heard a muffled voice beside her and she could barely make out what they were saying, but trusted the hold they had her in as they guided her to what she soon realised was a chair. Black spots covered her line of vision and a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. With the assistance of whoever was standing beside her, Alison's head went between her legs and she felt small circles being rubbed on her back. Her lack of sleep, combined with the fact that she hadn't eaten all day made her feel like absolute shit. The blonde raised her head and could just make out the blurred figure of a brunette woman kneeling in front of her, but that brunette gently pushed her head back down between her legs.

After what felt like an eternity, Alison heard the voices around her unmuffle, noticed her vision become clearer and felt her tense body relax. She slowly raised her head and was a little taken back when she saw the unfamiliar face that knelt down in front of her.

"You scared me there for a second" The brunette woman widened her round eyes, giving Alison a bright smile.

Alison had to admit, the woman in front of her was like a Sara Sampaio look alike. The very same wavy brunette hair, defined jawline and cheekbones, even the slightly husky voice. The blonde felt her cheeks become flushed with embarrassment and she looked around her, extremely thankful that no one else noticed that she almost passed out in the arms of a complete stranger. "I'm sorry" she breathed out. "I guess running around on an empty stomach isn't the wisest idea"

"Definitely not" the woman agreed, placing her hand on Alison's thigh. "Your okay now, right?"

"Yeah" Alison cleared her throat and looked down to the woman's hand, noticing how she was running small circles on her thigh with her thumb. A moment of awkward silence fell over them and when they made eye contact again, the brunette woman broke the silence by extending her hand to the blonde.

"I'm Zoey"

"Alison" the blonde took the brunettes hand in hers and shook it.

"I know" Zoey smiled.

Alison furrowed her brows slightly at the brunettes words.

"Sorry" Zoey let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "I'm not a stalker or anything. I'm Toby's friend. I asked about you earlier and he told your best friends with him and his wife"

"Oh, Yeah" Alison smiled. "We go way back"

"I think it's probably a good idea if we get you some water and fill your empty stomach up with some food" Zoey suggested.

"Yeah" Alison gave a week nod, the sick feeling in her stomach still present. She went to stand up but Zoey stopped her.

"You wait there" the brunette placed a reassuring squeeze on the blondes shoulder. "I'll get you something nice"

"Thanks" Alison watched as Zoey took a few steps towards the food filled table and that's when she noticed the Rosewood PD uniform she was wearing. Alison observed how Zoey placed her finger on her pursed her lips the exact same way Emily did when she was indecisive about something. That was always a little trait of Emily's that Alison loved. The tall brunette hovered her hand over the assortment of food that ranged from impenadas to chicken nuggets, popping what looked to Alison like a stuffed mushroom into her mouth. Once she had the plate filled with her desired amount of food, she made her way back to Alison and pulled over a chair to sit next to her.

"Try the stuffed mushrooms" Zoey handed Alison the plate. "They're amazing" she rubbed her hands together, then smoothed out her uniform top to get rid of the crumbs that had fallen onto it.

Alison picked up a stuffed mushroom and took a bite, her eyes widening as the flavours hit her taste buds.

Zoey smiled brightly to the blonde. "Now try them with the garlic mayonnaise"

Ali dipped the remaining bite size piece of her stuffed mushroom into the garlic mayonnaise on the side of the plate and popped it on her mouth. She dropped her head and closed her eyes, savouring the amazing taste of her first piece of food of the day.

"Amazing, huh?" a little chuckle left Zoey's mouth.

"Hmm" Ali nodded, her mouth filled with the second garlic mushroom she stuffed had into it. The blonde felt ravenous and wanted to inhale the contents of her plate, but felt she needed to be polite in front of Zoey so she reluctantly took bite sized pieces of the food that made her taste buds dance.

"You've got a little" Zoey pointed to the dap of garlic mayonnaise on the corner of Alison's mouth.

Alison swiped her tissue across over her mouth, but was unsuccessful in removing the mayo on the side of her face.

"Here, let me" Zoey reached her hand forward and wiped her thumb over Alison's lips and the corner of her mouth. "There...all better"

"Thanks" Alison cleared her throat and looked back down to her plate of food. After a few moments, her eyes then moved back up to Zoey who was staring into the distance. "So, you work with Toby?"

"I guess the uniform was a give away, huh?" She tossed back the last of the contents from her glass of orange and placed it on the floor next to her. "I'm a new transfer. Just moved here from Philly about two weeks ago"

"Really?" Alison asked, willing the brunette in front of her to continue speaking.

"He's been helping me find my footing. I'm just between shifts so I said I'd pop by and wish Haven a happy birthday"

"That was sweet of you" Alison said.

Zoey left out a soft chuckle and wiped her hands up and down her pants. She opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off when she heard her name being called form the corner of the room.

"Carson" Toby called out. "Come here, I have someone I want you to meet"

"I guess that's my que to go" Zoey gave Ali a sad smile. "You sure you're okay" she asked.

"I'm fine" Ali nodded. "Thanks"

"No problem" the brunette stood up from her chair. "I guess I'll see you around then"

"Sure" Alison nodded enthusiastically to the brunette standing in front of her.

"Carson" Toby repeated before nudging man beside him and breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Hold onto your knickers Cavanaugh, I'm coming" she rolled her eyes jokingly as she made her way towards her boss.

Alison watched as Zoey trailed towards Toby and extend her hand to the man next to him. She then dropped her head back in laughter at whatever they were saying and shook her head at Toby as conversation between them continued. Ali was quickly broken from her gaze by the soft winging from her little girl that was slowly trailing towards her with both arms held out.

Alison put her plate to the floor and reached forward for Madison. "You okay sweetie?"

"Wey Mama" the one and a half year old pouted out her bottom lip, her eyes shiny as tears welled up in them.

"Mama will be here soon" Ali cooed. "It's okay"

"Wan Mama, now" Maddie cries got louder and louder and Ali rocked her back and forth to try to soothe her. Maddie seemed to be missing Emily a lot lately when they were apart, both of her little girls did. She noticed that Emily would drop them off and they'd be fine for a while, but then they'd notice she's not there and when that happened, Ellie tended to act out and demand to see her Mama, while Maddie would burst into tears. It was hard for them having to adjust to both their mommies living apart and Ali knew they would probably never get used to it.

Maddie gripped onto Ali's shirt and nestled her head into her neck, pining for her mama over and over again. That was when Ali reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Emily had surpassed the point of being late about a half an hour ago, it didn't seem like she was going to show up at all. Not only did Maddie need her Mama right now, Ali needed her wife so she dialed Emily's number and put her phone to her ear. After the phone rang through a few time Ali hung up and called it again, but there was still no answer from the brunette.

With folded arms, Hanna held her gaze on Alison and Maddie near the refreshments table. Her niece was clearly distressed, and Alison seemed to be too. She guessed the person Ali was trying to reach on the phone was Emily, and figured the reason she was trying to reach her was to ask why she wasn't there yet. Alison wasn't the only one wondering that, Hanna was too. Since her little talk with Ali earlier that morning, the anticipation for the Emison reunion was real. Hanna knew how much love those two had for each other, and although she hated Emily for what she did, she believed that if Alison could forgive her, then she could too. She just couldn't wait for the two too sort things out. Both of them were clearly suffering and the blonde just hoped that her friends would be able to find comfort in each other and get through this. Even love stories as beautiful as Alison and Emily's have rough patches. But they also have happy endings, and that's all Hanna wished for her friends...A happy ending.

When Ali told Hanna about her decision to talk to Emily, Hanna didn't give her opinion on it, she just accepted that Alison wanted this whole ordeal to be done with. She just wanted to get past it. And Hanna accepted that. She didn't want her opinion to sway Alison's decision, this was something alison needed to figure out herself. And if Alison was happy, then so was she.

The blonde pulled her gaze from Ali and Maddison and turned to Spencer next to her. "Emily still hasn't shown up"

Spencer nodded her head and pressed her glass of orange to her lips. "Maybe that's for the best"

"What do you mean by that?" Hanna furrowed her brows, her tone slightly defensive.

"Forget I said anything" Spencer rolled her eyes and looked away, her arms folded firmly in front if her chest.

"Her invite wasn't lost in the mail or anything, was it?" Hanna raised her eyebrows in question.

Spencer moved her eyes away from hanna and swirled the orange in the wine glass between her fingers.

Hanna looked up to the distracted lawyer and she let out a deep sigh. "Did you not invite Emily to the party?"

"No...I mean I...Yeah. I did invite her" Spencer fixed her posture and ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "I just made it clear that she was better off staying away"

"Well can you make that unclear. Please" Hanna said in a demanding tone.

"Why" Spencer scrunched her face in confusion. "She is better off staying away"

"But Ali just wants to talk to her"

"Yeah, well their talks haven't been ending too well lately and I'm not letting their arguing ruin my daughters birthday party" Spencer widened her eyes to the blonde next to her. "The last time they were in a room together for longer than an hour was thanksgiving and we all know how that turned out"

"They won't argue, Spencer. Ali wants to sort through this, not make it worse. She wants to talk to Emily, for the first time in a while. Can't you just accept that?"

"No hanna, I Can't" Spencer ran her rand through her hair and smacked it off her thigh. "She cheated on Alison...with Paige. Of all people, Paige!"

"I know that, but what's done is done" Hannas tone was in no way friendly. "You have your opinions on it and trust me...so do I. But keep them to yourself, just like I have. This is none of our business. What Ali decided to do is her choice, no one else's"

"Where is this coming from?" Spencer huffed in disbelief. "I mean, last time I heard, you were team Ali"

"There is no team Ali or Team Emily Spencer" Hanna scoffed. "There's team Emison. And i'm rooting for that.

"Emison?" Spencer furrowed her brows

"Emily and Alison...Emison. Hanna and caleb...Haleb. Ezra and Ari…."

"Okay I get it" the lawyer held out her hand to stop the blonde from continuing.

"Good, So now make it clear to Emily that she's welcome. And please...don't say anything to her once she's here. After today is over and the two of them have talked it out, you can do whatever you want"

Spencer exhaled deeply through her nose and looked to the wall straight ahead. She didn't exactly agree with what Hanna was saying but she keep her cool. As much as her inner lawyer wanted to lash out and hit Hanna with the cold hard facts, the facts that were in no way Emily deserved forgiveness. She kept it to herself because right now, this is not something she wanted to be arguing about, especially not at her daughter's birthday party. She just trusted that Alison and Emily could keep it civilised for once and typed the message Hanna was waiting for her to type.

'Stop by the party, have a slice of cake, maybe a taste of one of the waiters while your at it"

Hanna looked at the screen and glared at Spencer. Then shook her head in disapproval, grabbed the phone, erased the message and began typing her own.

'Were all wondering why you haven't shown up yet. Get your ass over here, there's a slice of cake waiting for you:)' -Spence.

Alison stood outside the door of the apartment above the brew, not completely sure of what to expect when she walked inside. She had no idea if Emily was even home or why exactly she had been ignoring her calls and texts. The blonde had spent the best part of twenty minutes trying to soothe an extremely fussy Maddie and was more than relieved when Jason managed to to it with the help of a bubble machine. With both her daughters safe under the watchful eye of Pam and Jason, Ali got in her car and made her the brunettes apartment to see what was up.

The blonde placed a few gentle knocks on the apartment door and waited, then a few more knocks with a little more force, but still now answer. She reached into the handbag on her shoulder and pulled out the spear key Aria had given her, put it in the door and turned it before pushing through into the apartment. Complete silence hung over her the minute she stepped inside and her she felt her heart break at the sight on the sofa in front of her.

Ali took a few more steps inside and closed the door behind her. She dropped her bag to the floor, pulled off her gloves and quickly slipped out of her beige winter Jacket. She trailed towards the sleeping brunette who was still dressed in the clothes from earlier. Emily was curled up on the sofa, her knees pulled against her chest and a photo held close to her heart. A few scrunched up tissues were scattered around her and Ali could still see dry tears on the her flushed cheeks. Ali knelt down in front of the ruffle haired brunette and swallowed hard. She could see her wife was suffering for what she'd done. She knew from the words Emily spoke to Paige earlier and everything Ali had tried to ignore the past few weeks that Emily was immensely sorry for what she did. Emily may have broke Ali's heart, but Ali still loved her with all those pieces. Feelings as strong as the ones Ali felt towards Emily don't just go away, the may have gotten lost for a little while but they're still there, they'll always be there no matter what.

Ali was no longer second guessing her decision to make a start in forgiving Emily. She had set her mind on it. It was finally time to let the walls she had built around herself down and let the brunette back in.

She reached forward and pushed a strand of damp brunette hair behind Emily's ear. "Em" her wife's nickname rolled of her tongue so naturally. "Hey, wake up" she said in a soft voice just above a whisper.

"I'm sorry" Emily mumbled, her eyes shut close and her body still very much trapped in a deep sleep. "I'm so sorry" her raspy voice cracked as the words fell out of her mouth, each one as quiet as the last until they were barely audible to the blonde in front of her.

Ali exhaled a shaky breath and shut her eyes for a moment, then reached forward for the photo Emily had hugged against her heart. A tiny smile graced her face when she saw a photo of them on their first Christmas as a couple. The Christmas that led to such beautiful things. That Christmas marked the start of an amazing journey they were about to take in life. The journey that started on this very day 15 years ago.

Ali smiled down to the photo, completely lost in the memory of that very special time in their relationship. So lost that she didn't notice the brunette stirring on the chair in front of her. Emily's eyes slowly fluttered open, and widened in surprise when she noticed the blonde before her. She blinked hard a couple of times to clear her blurred vision. "Ali?" she said in slightly confused tone.

Ali looked up from the photo and her eyes met Emily's. She took a deep breath as Emily sat up straight on the chair, then slowly stood up and took a seat next to her, her gaze still held on the photo in her hand. "You remember how happy we were back then"

Emily looked down at the photo and nodded her head weakly.

"You remember me bringing you out to the kissing rock and telling you how I felt?"

"How could I forget" Emily's voice was hoarse, but her words were heard clearly by the blonde. "Fifteen years ago today"

"Such a long time...So many memories...So much happiness" Ali ran her thumb over the photo. "I'm not giving all that up over one mistake"

Emily pulse began to race at her wife's words and her mind immediately filled to the brim with questions. Why is Ali here? She asked herself. Why is she bringing up memories of the past? Is this forgiveness? The brunette inhaled a deep, shaky breath and looked to her wife.

"You did something impulsive" Ali swallowed hard and reached forward for the brunettes hand, taking it in her own and giving it a little squeeze. A warm feeling immediately shot up Ali's spine and sent a wave of electricity through her body, all that from one touch of the hand she had so badly wanted to hold for so long. "You were drunk and I know you didn't mean it"

The brunette slowly closed her eyes at the blondes last statement and a silent tear flowed down her cheek.

"It was a mistake…" Ali's eyebrows raised. "One mistake"

"Ali…I…" The brunette started only to be cut off by the blonde.

"I'm willing to forgive you Emily. I know it's going to take some time, but I just want to be a family again. I want our girls to have happy mommies. They miss you….I miss you"

Emily's bottom lip disappeared between her teeth as Alison's words sunk in. Suddenly, every apology she had thought up, every word she wanted to say to Alison this past few weeks, it all just disappeared at the back of her mind.

"I'm giving you a second chance, because you deserve one" Ali's eyes were now welled up with unshed tears as she leaned forward and pulled her wife close to her. "Everyone deserves a second chance" She whispered over the brunettes shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into her embrace.

Emily fell limp in the blondes hold, her arms hanging at her side and her head resting on Ali's shoulder as she processed everything she had just heard. The brunette slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around the blondes back, pulling her closer as Alison's grip around her tightened. Emily knew her mind should feel at ease, but it didn't. She had been begging Alison for forgiveness for so long, and now it's finally here. She was getting a second chance when she definitely didn't deserve it, she should feel overjoyed. But this weird feeling that had settled at the back of her mind was preventing her happiness. A feeling she couldn't fight.

A/N 2: Soooo what did you think of the chapter? Was it what you expected? Please leave a review. I love hearing your feedback:)