Hi there guys and girls. I hope you're all doing well on this beautiful day. I'm back again (I know, I'm as shocked as you are!) with another chapter! it's short again, but it's the last of the 'filler' chapters until we get into the final arc of this story, which is already half written!

I honestly forgot how healing writing can be, and the support from you guys is overwhelming, so please keep that coming. It really does help!

Anyway, I'll leave you to continue our story. We have a surprise guest in this chapter, so I hope you like that :)

As always,
Much love

Lo

xxx

It had been a week since the dinner with Jason and Aria. A week since Aria said she had a P.I friend that could help her. A week of phone calls, mostly on Alison's part, in order to set up the meeting. Now, Alison was finally on her way to Spencer and Aria's apartment to meet the P.I, and hopefully get some answers. She was nervous, that was a given, but Alison was also ready to reunite with her Mom. She reached the door to the apartment that she had never before visited, which made her more anxious than she probably should have been. She shook off her nerves as she knocked on the door, and plastered on her most confident expression as Aria opened the door.
'Hi' Alison greeted with a smile. That smile dropped quickly, however, when she saw the woman who was standing just a few feet behind Aria.
'Mona!?'
'Well hello to you too, Alison. I'd say it's nice to see you, but my Mother taught me not to lie' Mona replied snippily, her eyes looking Alison up and down.

Alison steeled herself for a show down. She had so much pent up inside of her, she had no doubts that she could give Mona a god old fashioned smack down.
'I didn't quite believe it when Aria said you were still alive. I thought I was in some horrific nightmare' Mona practically sung. She paced around Alison, making her feel trapped and asserting her dominance.
'Funny, I felt the same when I heard you were going out with her brother. I took you for a lot of things, Mona, but a cradle snatcher wasn't one of them' Alison bit back as she spun on her heels and blocked Mona's path, and effectively snatching back the power.
'Oh you're hilarious. I could say the same about your brother. How old were you when he first kissed you, Aria?' Mona asked with a casual lilt. She looked at Aria over her shoulder, but the petite woman was already making her way between the two women. She had prepared herself for this. She was ready to pull them apart if need be.

'Enough! I brought you both here so that you could work together, not bitch at each other' Aria yelled. Both Alison and Mona halted instantly, shocked into submission by Aria's outburst.
'Sorry, Ar' Alison mumbled, while Mona simply pursed her lips and looked from Aria back to Alison, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
'Yeah, I just came to see for myself that she was really alive. I have no intention on working with her' Mona sniped, while glaring at Alison.
'Please, Mona' Aria pleaded. She wanted to help Alison, partly because she felt bad about the whole 'Jason' thing, but also because they had been friends for a long time. She cared about Alison, and she knew that if anyone deserved to have things work out just once, it was the blonde woman in front of her.
'Aria, hon, for you I will do anything, but for her...it's going to cost you' Mona replied coolly, her eyes still fixed on Alison, who was scrambling to get back some of the power that Mona had seemingly sucked from her.

'What do you want?' Alison asked steadily. She looked Mona dead in the eye, wanting to tell her that she wasn't going to be broken anymore, especially not by Mona Vanderwaal.
'Something you could never give me' Mona replied with an eye roll and a smirk. She was playing games. She had Alison exactly where she wanted her, desperate and in need of her help, and she was going to make Alison work for it.
'What? Name it, I'll do it' Alison yelped a little too fast. It only confirmed Mona's theory that Alison really was desperate, and it only made her want to play around a little more. She was like a cat with a mouse, and she was currently batting it around the floor.
'For you to go to hell...for real this time' Mona spat, figuratively sinking her teeth in for the final bite. Her face was neutral, but her eyes were filled with glee and hatred. She was loving every minute of this, and Alison could tell.
'Oh forget this. I'll find another way' Alison yelled. She wasn't going to play these games, not with Mona. 'Aria, thank you. I appreciate the help' She added, turning to her friend, before she made her way for the door.

'Wait!' Aria yelled, causing Alison to stop and Mona to look at her. 'Mona, please help her. Alison has been through more than I could possibly begin to explain and you are the only person who can help her get her life back on track. Please. For me?' she begged, her eyes pleading with her Sister-In-Law. Mona looked between Aria and Alison, her resolve melting just a little. The seconds passed like eternities, and Alison tried not to let the hope she was feeling, show on her face. Finally, Mona's eyes stopped on her, and a thoughtful expression crossed her face.
'Is it true dear old Kenneth finally lost it and dragged you around the house like a ragdoll?' Mona asked in a strangely casual, but also dangerously curious voice. Alison wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear a touch of sympathy in Mona's tone.
'Yeah. It's true' Alison mumbled, as she swallowed hard as the memory flashed through her mind like a sick home movie on repeat.
'He almost killed you, from what I heard' Mona added pensively, as though they weren't talking about attempted murder and abuse.

'How did you-?'
'I'm good at my job' Mona cut her off. She wasn't going to divulge in how she gets her information, and she most certainly wasn't going to tell Alison DiLaurentis that she had shown that much interest in the life of the person she had spent her teen years hating, to go snooping for information. 'I'll help you, but then we're done. I go back to my glorious life with Mike, and you go crawl back into the Emily shaped hole you came out of'
'Deal' Alison agreed. She needed Mona's help, but she wasn't going to be making any friendships out of this arrangement. She wanted as little to do with the other woman as possible. Mona offered her hand out and Alison looked at it for a second before taking it, and shaking. Aria caught her breath as she watched on. She was pretty sure she just witnessed a deal with the Devil, though if you asked her who the devil was in this instance, she wouldn't be able to tell you.

Emily's eyes widened as she read the text message from Alison.
'You guys, so the P.I is Mona!' Emily announced, interrupting Hanna's long and detailed account on the latest line from Michael Kors.
'Mona!?' Spencer repeated. 'Ofcourse, why didn't I think of that before?' she wondered out loud.
'Obviously you're not as smart as you think' Hanna replied bitchily. She was still pissed that she had been kept out of the loop for so long, and she was taking it out on everyone around her.
'Ouch' Spencer replied in shock.
'Hanna, for the last time, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Ali' Emily huffed, knowing exactly what Hanna's grumpy attitude was about.
'I just don't get why you kept it from me, yet Spencer knew!' Hanna griped for the hundredth time in the past week.

'Again, Spencer only knew because we needed legal advice, and Aria just sort of found out about it. It wasn't kept from you out of malice, it was just a need to know situation at the time' Emily repeated the same words she had been saying each time they had this conversation.
'We're supposed to be best friends, Em. I just feel like you're keeping me in the dark all the time' Hanna whined, and Emily admittedly, felt a little guilty for hurting Hanna's feelings.
'Hanna, come on. It wasn't easy on her. On any of us' Spencer intervened, knowing that Hanna was guilt tripping Emily, and knowing that Emily was already beating herself up enough.
'I know, but it just hurts ok? And now you'd rather go to Mona of all people, than to me for help with finding Ali's Mom' Hanna sulked. Emily wanted to point out that they didn't knowingly go to Mona, Aria did, but Spencer was in with a response before Emily could even fathom how to formulate that thought.
'Mona is a PI, Hanna. You're not' Spencer's hand gripped her coffee cup in frustration. She wanted to throw something. Hard.

'No, but I have a boyfriend who is super smart and is a professional hacker for the government...and I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that...' Hanna trailed off. She had said too much.
'I think you need to stop talking before you say something that could really get someone in trouble' Spencer stated certainly. She was already Alison and Emily's legal aide, she didn't need to be Hanna's too.
'Look, I'm sorry that you're feeling left out, but this isn't for me. It's for Ali. And if I were you, I'd stay out of her way. She's still pissed at the stunt you pulled with that picture' Emily reminded Hanna. Alison hadn't really mentioned the picture or Hanna, but Emily knew she was still scheming and would most definitely make Hanna pay. Hanna seemingly knew that too, because she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
'Fine' she muttered, before slouching back in her chair.

'Now that we've resolved this little issue, can we please get back to having a semi-normal lunch for once? I only have thirty minutes and then I have to be back in the office, I could do with a little time away from the crazy' Spencer sighed in relief, glad that Hanna had finally, hopefully, dropped her beef with them.
'Yeah, and I have my first shift at the Diner this afternoon' Emily agreed, as took a bite of her Cheese and Ham Panini.
'So you actually took the job then?' Hanna asked, perking up a little as they entered into a more pleasant topic.
'Mhm, yeah' Emily mumbled, her hand covering her mouth as she chewed her food and swallowed. 'I mean I have bills to pay and a Wedding to save for. I can't exactly afford to stay out of a job for much longer' she explained, before taking another bite of her sandwich.
'So you and Ali are going ahead with the wedding sooner rather than later?' Spencer asked, as she sipped on her coffee. She was having what she called a 'liquid lunch'. In Hasting's terms, that meant 'see how much coffee I can down in an hour'.

'Yeah, I mean, why wait? We both want to be married. We just need to figure out a way to pay for the damn thing' Emily replied. She'd marry Ali right away if she could.
'You know, a part of me wants to tell you to slow down, but I feel like I'd be wasting my breath' Spencer admitted earnestly, as she placed her coffee mug down onto the table.
'They waited ten god damn years, Spencer. I think they've waited long enough' Hanna spoke through a mouthful of sandwich.
'True'
'You think we're rushing in to it?' Emily asked. Part of her wanted to tell Spencer to mind her own business, but the other part of her genuinely wanted to know what her friends thought. She wanted them to be happy for her, but she also wanted to know if they thought she was running before she could walk.
'Not necessarily' Spencer answered diplomatically. Emily raised a questioning eyebrow, and Spencer let out a breath before continuing. 'I'm just fighting against my relief that you finally found happiness, and my instinct to protect you from any potential suffering and pain. I'm sorry, it's a habit' she rambled.

Emily nodded her head a few times, taking in Spencer's words. She realised that it didn't matter where she was in her life, her friends would still worry about her, because she had caused them to worry. She had never given them any indication that they could stop worrying. She appreciated it, but she also hated it. She didn't want to be the person who had to be taken care of. She didn't want her friends to be on edge every time something shitty happened in her life. She wanted to have normal relationships like a normal twenty-something year old, and to deal with the bad stuff without people thinking she was going to hit the bottle or have a break down.

'I guess over the years, I've caused you to have to be protective of me, but honestly Spencer, I don't think you need to be worried anymore' She replied with as much honesty and integrity that she could muster. 'I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. I'm not drinking anymore, I'm not even thinking of drinking. I'm feeling lighter and…it's like I can breathe for the first time in god knows how long. Sure, things could go wrong, but if I only get to feel like this for the next six months, I'll take it because feeling like this is the most amazing feeling in the world and I would rather feel it and take the risk, than be constantly worrying about what could happen and living in doubt for the rest of my life' Emily knew she had been on a journey. A rough, depressing one, but still a journey none-the-less, and she was at the end of that now. She had gone through her shit, and she had hit the good stuff. She had found her pot of gold at the end of a very dark and bleak looking rainbow. Her blue sky through the storm. She had come out the other side fighting, and sure she had battle scars but she was learning to love and appreciate every single one, because ultimately, they made her who she was.

'Ok, please stop because I'm super hormonal right now and I think I might cry' Hanna interrupted, causing both Emily and Spencer to laugh. All of them were getting emotional, because they had been through the storm together, and it had made them impossibly close.
'So that explains the snarkiness today' Emily chuckled.
'Be careful, she might turn in to an ogre and bite our heads off' Spencer added, causing Hanna's brow to furrow and her lips to pout.
'I really hate you guys, you know that?' Hanna sulked, though Emily knew she secretly loved the banter between them.
'Settle down, Shrek' Emily replied, causing Spencer to almost spit her coffee out of her nose and Hanna's scowl to deepen.

Aria and Alison were heading towards the Subway. Aria was heading into the city to meet Spencer, while Alison was heading out to Williamsburg to go to work.
'It's Em's first day today, right?' Aria asked, as they made their way along the busy sidewalk.
'Yeah, she's super nervous' Alison replied with a smile, half rolling her eyes, because really it was silly. Emily had no need to be nervous. 'I don't know why, she'll just be hanging out with me and being paid to make coffee.' She added with a chuckle.
'Well, Emily's always been a perfectionist' Aria stated with a giggle.
'Aria!' A deep voice called from across the street. Aria froze and Alison turned towards the person calling.
'Aria, I've been trying to get a hold of you for weeks'
'Go away, Ezra' Aria replied, before grabbing Alison's arm and dragging her down the street. Alison followed willingly, but looked over her shoulder to see that Ezra was following them.
'Aria, please talk to me. Just give me five minutes!' he begged.
'Maybe you should just talk to him' Alison whispered to Aria.
'I don't want anything to do with him' Aria replied just as quietly, while Ezra tried to keep up with them and continued to call after her.

Alison stopped and turned on the spot to face Ezra, shocking both Ezra and Aria.
'She said she doesn't want to talk to you' Alison raised her voice, using her most intimidating voice and viscous expression. 'Besides, you're too late. Aria is with Jason now' she added, hoping it was the killer blow she needed to get him to back off. Ezra's face reddened, and Alison smirked triumphantly.
'You're lying' Ezra growled. His fists clenched tightly into balls as he looked over Alison's shoulder towards Aria, who was looking down at the ground.
'Do you really think I would waste my time lying to piece of shit convict like you? Give me more credit' Alison sneered. 'Face it Ezra, you're scum and you lost her. She found someone better, so just head on back to your crack den, or wherever the hell it is you came from, and leave her the hell alone' she finished. Alison gave him one last look up and down, before she grabbed Aria and headed towards the subway. She glanced over her shoulder a few times to make sure Ezra hadn't followed them, and it appeared he got the message.

It wasn't until they got to the subway that she relaxed and either of them spoke again.
'I'm sorry if I overstepped there, I jus-' Aria cut Alison off by throwing her arms around the other woman, pulling her into a tight hug.
'Thank you for that' Aria breathed, and Alison could feel the other woman's heart pounding in her chest. She realised that Aria had been really scared of Ezra, and it concerned her.
'You good?' she asked, as they parted.
'Yeah, I will be' Aria replied with a small smile, though Alison wasn't convinced.
'Are you sure? I mean, I can always call work and go in late. I can take you home, or call Spencer, or something' Alison offered. She felt extremely uneasy about leaving Aria alone after what had just happened.
'I'm fine, honestly. I'll be on a packed carriage in a few minutes, and then I'll be in the city. I'll be fine. Go to work' Aria insisted, and Alison knew there was no point in arguing.
'Ok, well call me if you need anything' Alison sighed. She pulled Aria into one last hug, before she parted and headed towards her platform. Aria glanced over her shoulder one last time, before she headed towards her own train.