A/N: *cleans cranberry stains off of wall while muttering "I deserved this"*. The ending of the last chapter was intense. Buckle up. This one is an emotional rollercoaster, too (and it's a monster of a chapter as far as length).

To the guest reviewer asking about my Tumblr, see my Tumblr. I apologize that I haven't been on as much lately. My emotional and mental bandwidth has been over capacity.


Chapter 35:

A Night to Remember

The music in The Brew was so loud that Alison couldn't hear her phone ringing from inside her purse. It had gotten buried so deep in her belongings that the volume level had accidentally been turned down.

She had been so caught up in getting dressed up and putting on her make-up that she hadn't checked her phone. She'd been so eager to get to The Brew that she'd bypassed her parents entirely. They didn't really care about her big night anyway. But Jason made her pose for a picture as she was getting into her car.

After she'd appeased her brother she'd sped to the café. She hadn't seen the voicemail from Emily. She also hadn't gotten the memo about the girls taking pictures a few blocks away.

She heard the faint sound of her phone's ringer as she walked through the café.

"Prom Queen in the house!" Mike exclaimed, holding up a red solo cup and cheering loudly over the music.

The crowd that had gathered there cheered along with him, even though they had no idea what they were cheering for. They were all in formal wear.

Mike tipped his cup back and then walked over to Alison.

"You clean up nice, DiLaurentis." He smiled.

"Where is everyone?" Alison looked around for Emily and the girls. She didn't see them in the crowd.

"You didn't get their messages about meeting at the square?" Mike asked.

Alison shook her head. She reached into her purse for her phone. When she pulled it out she saw a message from Hanna.

Alison, pick up your fucking phone! ! !

"Wow. They're serious about this photography." Alison muttered as she scrolled through her missed calls list.

She was getting ready to text Hanna back when she saw her number pop up on the screen.

"Hey." Alison answered, shoving a finger in her ear so she could drown out the sounds of the party. "Sorry. My phone has been…"

"Where are you?" Hanna cut her off. She sounded flustered.

"The Brew." Alison replied warily. Something was wrong. "Mike just told me you guys are at the square…"

"I'm not at the square." She was breathing fast and heavy.

"Is something wrong?" Alison's heart sped up in her chest. It hit her that Emily wasn't at The Brew. Hanna was supposed to be with her helping her get ready. The fact that she was panicking made Alison panic. "Hanna, what's going on? Is Emily okay?"

Her hands were shaking. Mike noticed the drastic change in her attitude. He cocked his head curiously as he listened to Alison's end of the conversation.

"I'm sorry. I told myself I wasn't going to freak out when I talked to you. I didn't want to scare you."

"Please tell me she's okay. Please…" Alison felt a lump in her throat that nearly cut off her oxygen supply.

Every single brush with death that she and Emily had ever had flashed through her mind. Had someone done something to her? Had someone hurt her?

Hanna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"She's at the hospital. Something is happening with the baby."

All the blood rushed out of Alison's face. A chill rushed over her. Her body was cold and numb. Her brain shut off, stuttering and struggling to comprehend what Hanna was telling her. For a moment she couldn't remember how to breathe…or speak. Her veins felt like ice water.

"What?" Alison put her fingers against her lips and furrowed her brow. It didn't make any sense. "No, that can't be right. She…she's not due for another five weeks. It's too early."

Mike's eyes brightened in alarm.

"I know." Hanna choked back tears. "Listen, I want to be straight with you, but you have to promise me you're going to stay calm."

Alison let out a cynical laugh. Sure. Stay calm. Her fucking girlfriend was in the hospital on what was supposed to be the most memorable night of their high school lives, but Hanna wanted her to stay calm. She felt like reaching through the phone and strangling her, but she managed to stay composed in her response.

"What happened?" Alison asked.

"I don't know yet. When I got to her apartment she was on the bathroom floor. She was barely conscious. She was bleeding…"

"Bleeding?" Alison cried out.

"There's something going on with the baby. That's all I know."

"Is she okay?"

"She's in good hands. The paramedics were taking really good care of her…"

"The baby. Is the baby okay?" Alison clarified.

She knew Emily was okay. She knew her girlfriend was a fighter. But the baby was so small. So helpless.

"Ali, I don't know. I'm sorry."

"I don't understand." Alison felt something trickling down her cheeks. She didn't realize she was crying.

Emily had been fine. She hadn't changed any of her activity levels. The only thing that she'd done that might have overexerted her was their spontaneous love-making. Alison tried to think back. Had she gotten too rough? Had she caused this?

She tried to listen to the words that Hanna was saying, but her ears were buzzing. She saw Mike mouthing something to her and she blurted out the words "Emily" and "hospital".

She almost dropped her phone in shock, but Mike caught it. She watched as he put the phone up to his ear and took over the conversation. His normal boorish and childish nature gave way to a more mature expression. He calmly assessed the situation as he spoke to Hanna.

"Which hospital?" he asked. There was a pause. "Sure. Yeah. I'll tell him to give you a call. We'll take care of it."

Alison didn't pick up everything he was saying, but she heard him say, "…we'll get her there."

For the first time ever, Mike Montgomery looked and sounded like an adult. It was unnerving. Because that meant the situation was serious.

After he hung up he motioned for Caleb to come over. He explained what was going on. He turned to say something to Alison, but she didn't hear it. He moved towards the door. Alison stood completely motionless in the center of the room. The entire building felt like it was spinning around.

"DiLaurentis, you coming or what?" Mike waved for her to follow him.

Caleb put his hand against Alison's arm.

"Alison?" He watched as she slowly looked up at him. She didn't say anything. "Hey, you have to go."

"This doesn't make sense." Alison uttered to herself. She reached up and angrily wiped at her face. "This isn't…" She shook her head vigorously. "Someone did this to her. It has to be…"

Several of the partygoers were starting to take notice of her erratic behavior. People were starting to stare.

Caleb and Mike did their best to shield her face so no one could take pictures or videos. Alison didn't understand what they were doing. She stared at them.

Her feet felt numb. Her knees were turning to jello. Suddenly, she was sinking towards the floor. Caleb caught her.

"Easy." He wrapped his arm around her waist and moved her towards the front door.

Alison looked at Hanna's boyfriend, perplexed. Why was he looking at her like he pitied her? It was prom night. They were supposed to be having fun. Why did he look like someone was dying?

She felt like her brain was malfunctioning. She blinked slowly and then stared at Caleb's outfit. He was dressed up. He was in a rented tuxedo. Alison knew it was rented because of how worn it was. She also knew that Caleb had balked at the idea of buying a suit and tie when he knew he was only going to be wearing it once.

He looked really handsome. Where was his girlfriend? Why wasn't Hanna with him?

"You're in a tux." Alison blurted out.

"I think she's in shock. Grab the door for me." Caleb had Mike open the door for them. He was hoping the fresh air would help her.

"Where's Hanna?" Alison looked around in confusion. "She should be here with Emily. Where are they?"

Caleb gently lowered her on to a bench outside the building. He took a moment to assess her. Her face was pale and ghostlike. She was staring out at the parking lot.

She felt Caleb's large calloused palm against the side of her neck. He could feel her heart fluttering wildly.

"Jesus, it feels like she's about to have a heart attack." He uttered, glancing at Mike before turning back to her. "Alison, I need you to look at me." His soft brown eyes were oddly reassuring. No wonder Hanna loved him. Alison felt compelled to follow his directions, but she didn't know why. "You need to breathe. Just take a few deep breaths for me. Can you do that?"

Why was he talking to her like she was a child? She resented it. But at the same time, she felt like she needed it. She felt her chest slowly rising and falling.

"You know where you are, right?" Caleb asked.

Alison nodded.

"The Brew."

"Good." Caleb tried to keep her focused. "That's good. And you know what's going on?"

That question seemed harder to answer.

"Prom?" She phrased it as a question.

"Not that." He shook his head. "You know what's going on with Emily. With…" He hesitated, "…with the baby?"

"She…" Alison bit her lip. Hanna's call was clawing its way back into her mind. Alison tried to fight reality, but her brain wouldn't let her. "She's in the hospital."

"She is. But her mom and Hanna are with her. They're taking care of her. Repeat that for me."

"They're taking care of her." Alison repeated.

"Exactly." He nodded. "Concentrate on the real. The here." He tried to guide her. "One minute at a time, okay?"

"One minute at a time." Alison agreed.

"She's strong, but she needs you. You know that, which is why you're having a panic attack. But you're not alone in this. We're here to help you two, okay?"

"Okay." Alison replied softly. "I um…" She seemed to be more aware of what was happening. "I should be with her."

"We'll get you there," he said. "Just keep breathing for me." Caleb slowly lowered his hand and stood up.

"Thank you, Caleb," she said quietly.

"How'd you do that?" Mike questioned.

"Tricks of the trade. Growing up in foster care you have to learn to deal or it'll eat you alive." He reached for his phone. "Hanna says they're at Rosewood General?"

"Yeah." Mike glanced at Alison.

"I'll be right behind you guys. I just need to let Sabrina know what's going on."

"Got it." Mike gently reached for her arm. "We should go, Ali."

She peered up at him, suddenly aware of exactly what was happening. She reached for her purse and stood up. She looked at Caleb and thanked him again. She'd never spiraled out like that before. She had never experienced anything like it.

"Come on." She moved towards her car.

"Like hell I'm letting you drive." Mike swiped the keys from her hand and raced towards her car.

"You better give those back right now, Montgomery. I'm liable to die if I let you take the wheel."

"Bright side? We're going to the hospital anyway." Mike opened the car door, a nervous smile on his face. He motioned for Alison to get in the car.

She didn't remember climbing in the passenger's seat, but Mike must have convinced her somehow.

She stared at her phone for several minutes. She wasn't even aware that the car was moving. She heard Mike asking her if she was okay, but she didn't answer. She tried to focus on her breathing. She concentrated on what Caleb had told her, letting his words replay in her head.

Concentrate on the real. The here. One minute at a time.

Her shaky finger pressed the voicemail app on her phone. She put her phone against her ear and played Emily's voicemail. She didn't sound distressed. She just told Alison to call her.

She saw floods of texts coming in from her friends. Caleb had messaged the girls to let them know what was going on.

She swiped the messages away. She didn't have the mental capacity to deal with answering anyone. But there was one person she felt obligated to call.

She'd never used his number before. Emily had given it to her in case of emergency. And this certainly constituted an emergency.

She wasn't expecting Isaac to answer. She could hear the surprise in his voice when he picked up the phone.

"Alison?"

"Hi, Isaac." She'd never talked to him on the phone before. It felt awkward.

Isaac could feel the tension in her voice. It took him a second to register that there had to be a reason that she was calling, and that it probably wasn't a good thing.

"Oh, shit." His tone was rigid. "What's wrong?"

"It's Emily. Something is going on with her and the baby. I'm on my way to the hospital, but I don't know anything yet." Why the fuck had she called him? She felt like kicking herself.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. At first Alison thought they'd been disconnected. But then she heard a heavy sigh and several breaths following it. He was hyperventilating.

She heard a thud. She was worried he'd passed out. But he'd just thunked back against a wall and slid down to the floor.

"You okay?" Alison asked.

"What happened?" Isaac sounded so small. So scared. He sounded like Alison felt.

"A friend of ours went to pick her up for prom and found her in the bathroom. She was…" She couldn't stand the thought of Emily being in need, of the baby being in need. Emily must have felt so helpless. Alison knew how much that little girl meant to her, "…there was some bleeding…"

"Fuck. That sounds bad." He paused. There was something rustling on his end of the phone. She heard the clacking of a keyboard. He was looking for something. "I can't…I don't know when I can be there. My parents probably won't give me money for a plane ticket. I have to check the bus fares and…"

"Just slow down. We don't know anything yet."

"This is Emily and my kid we're talking about." He snapped. "I know you two are ready to run off and start a happy little family, but we had something before she moved there. She was my best friend."

It made Alison's face flush in anger. Partly because it was true. No matter how many times Emily told her that Isaac was her past, he would always be connected to her because of the baby.

She also felt strangely protective over the fact that Isaac was calling the baby his. He had gotten her pregnant. But Alison was the one who held her hair when the morning sickness got to her. She was the one who rubbed Emily's feet when they were swollen from a long shift at the gym. She was the one who had gone to every doctor's appointment and ultrasound. She made sure she had a balanced breakfast and took her prenatal vitamins and stayed up with her when she had insomnia.

She was Emily's partner. And she knew they were still just kids, but she wanted to step up and be there. And Emily wanted that, too. Emily had asked her to be her daughter's mother. They were a family. And Alison would do whatever it took to protect her family.

Isaac hadn't been nearly as involved as he said he would be, though Alison knew a lot of that was because of his parents. A lot of it was also because she knew he was scared. She knew Emily was scared, too, though the brunette would never admit it. The only difference was that Isaac had the luxury of hiding behind his parents. Emily didn't. She was the one carrying the baby. She was the one who had the sole role of responsibility.

And she was the one in a hospital right now.

Alison opened her mouth to rip into Isaac for acting like a jackass, but before she said anything he immediately started talking.

"God, I'm so sorry." He sounded frazzled. "You didn't deserve that. I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just…I'm so far away, and I feel helpless." He sounded like he was on the verge of crying. "I can't do anything and it pisses me off. But that's not your fault. I'm sorry." He said it again for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'm just freaking the fuck out."

"Me too," her voice came out tiny and quiet.

There was a silent moment of understanding between them. Alison's phone buzzed and she heard a chirp, an alert from her messages. She tore the phone away from her ear and looked at it.

Just got to the ER. They took Emily back to try and get the bleeding under control. She was in and out of consciousness. Still don't know anything.

Alison grumbled under her breath.

Not helpful, Hanna. She bitched in thought.

Another text popped up.

She wanted me to tell you she loves you.

Normally it was something that would make her feel a surge of warmth. But the words made her blood run cold. It sounded like a goodbye.

"How are you holding up?" Isaac asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? Do you have someone with you?"

"Um…my friend." It felt so weird to call Mike Montgomery a friend. Mike Montgomery. Aria's annoying baby brother. But he was grown now. And he'd stood by her for months. "He's taking me to the hospital."

She glanced at Mike. Normally he had a clever retort, but he sat quietly in the driver's seat, concentrating on the road. It only added to the intensity of the situation. Mike was never serious. She longed for him to make a joke. She needed it.

"We're almost there." Alison looked at the upcoming exit. "Another one of our friends is there with her."

"So she's not alone." Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, she's not." No thanks to me. She should have stayed with her. "This is my fault," she blurted out.

She hadn't been adamant enough about Emily resting. She hadn't seen the signs. She'd probably made it worse by getting rough with her in bed.

"What?" Isaac was quick to disagree, "No. Don't blame yourself for this…"

"I should have been with her. I shouldn't have left her side." Especially not considering they had someone after them. "You probably never would have left her."

"Alison, listen to me. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself. She isn't like that. And you know that. You probably know that better than I do."

She felt guilty. She didn't deserve his kindness. She'd thought so many horrible thoughts about him. She didn't mean them. She would take it all back if it meant that Emily would be okay.

"Nice blinker, fuckwad," Mike lifted his hand and gestured to the car in front of him with a scowl on his face. "I swear people out here drive like they failed the School of Mario Kart."

Thank you God for Mike Montgomery.

A joke.

A joke she needed so badly.

There was a brief moment of relief.

"Which area of the hospital are we supposed to go to?" Mike asked.

"The emergency parking is to the right." Alison pulled the phone away from her ear to direct Mike. "Isaac, we just got here. I need to pay attention. I'll call you when I know something."

"Yeah. Please do. Take care of them for me."

"I always do."

When she hung up the phone she realized how much her hands were shaking. Mike pulled into the parking garage and parked the car. He reached over and put his hand on top of Alison's. He reminded her to breathe.

"She's tough. I don't know many pregnant people who could wipe the floor with second degree black belts." He squeezed her hand. "She'll kick whatever this is in the ass and come out stronger."

She smiled at him.

She hadn't realized it, but over the course of the past year she'd really seen him grow up. He was a year younger, but the situation seemed to have aged him beyond his years. They had come a long way from her trademarking him as Skidmark.

The turning point had been the day in the library when Noel was harassing her. Mike had refused to back down, even though he didn't really like her. He stood up for her. He'd always been more mature than she'd given him credit for. She'd asked him to be her bodyguard that day. He'd stepped up.

"Thank you, Mike."

"What are bodyguards for?" He winked.

She thanked him again before bolting from the car and running into the emergency room. She saw Emily's mother sitting in the waiting room.

"Alison." Pam saw her coming and rose to her feet. She seemed surprised to see her, and even more surprised to see her in her flashy red dress.

The fact that the little conservative woman didn't even look twice at her revealing outfit or say anything about it added to the gravity of the situation.

"How is she?" Alison asked, her voice coming out in a frantic panic.

"They're trying to get the bleeding under control…"

Bleeding. Alison faltered on her feet.

It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.

"Concentrate on the real. The here." Caleb's words came back to her. "One minute at a time."

She took a breath.

"What about the baby? Do we know anything yet?"

"They're doing everything they can." Pam replied. She tried to sound calm, but Alison could hear the tension in her voice.

Something inside of Alison shifted. She felt a wave of dizziness. She thought she might pass out.

She felt Pam's hand guiding her down into a chair.

"Deep breaths, honey."

Alison tried to take her advice, but her emotions were bubbling to the surface. She'd hit the breaking point.

She heard a loud sob echoing in the room. She looked around to see where it had come from only to see that everyone was looking at her.

It was her. She was the one crying.

Pam wrapped her arms around her and stroked the back of her head to try and soothe her. Alison couldn't stop herself. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She was so afraid she was going to lose them.

She bawled, her entire body shivering as Pam held her, giving her more maternal love than she had ever gotten from her cold miserable shrew of a mother. She clung to the older woman. She barely knew her, but she felt safe in her arms.

She felt a comforting hand on her knee. She knew it wasn't Pam, since she was in her tight embrace.

She turned and saw Hanna sitting next to her. Alison wasn't sure when she'd come in, but she was glad to see her.

Hanna's eyes were red. Her cheeks were stained from her mascara. Her beautiful blue sequined dress was stained and wrinkled. She looked like a mess, but she also still looked strangely beautiful.

Alison silently reached for Hanna's hand. She hadn't been expecting to find comfort in her girlfriend's mother or in an old nemesis turned friend, but she couldn't imagine being there without them. She needed them.

Alison could tell that Hanna was shaken up. She couldn't imagine what she had seen at Emily's apartment. Alison's eyes met Hanna's and she saw a haunted expression in them. She looked sick. She looked pale. Alison wondered if she looked sick and pale, too.

Mike walked into the ER, having missed the bulk of Alison's sobbing. He looked uncomfortable. His hands were buried deep in his pockets. He twisted around on his feet for a few seconds before sitting in a row of chairs that was facing the seats that the girls were in. He reached into the pocket of his dress jacket and pulled out several packets of tissues.

Alison and Hanna looked at him in confusion when he reached out to hand the tissues to them. He peered at the floor sheepishly.

"My mom said that a gentleman always carries accessories that can help a lady in a make-up crisis." He muttered, his face turning red.

It made Alison smile.

Note to self: Thank Ella Montgomery.

Pam reached out and took the tissues with one hand and put her palm against his shoulder with her other hand.

"Your mother is a very wise woman." Pam gave him an encouraging nod. "Thank you, Mike."

Alison took a tissue and dabbed her wet puffy eyes. She wiped her nose and then let out a little sniffle. She tugged on the hem of her dress, trying to distract herself.

She spent an inordinate amount of time staring at her dress. The pattern of it was burned into her mind.

She felt a jet of cold air hit her from the vents and she shivered. She'd picked the dress out specifically so she wouldn't get hot while dancing, but she hadn't considered that she wouldn't be moving and that she would freeze to death.

Mike shifted in his seat, pulling his jacket off. He leaned over and gently put it over Alison's shoulders. She looked up at him tearfully. The kindness she had been shown had really opened her eyes.

She mouthed a silent 'thank you' and he nodded his head and sat back down. She wrapped the coat around herself, pulling it tight. She tried to imagine that it was Emily's arms.

She heard soft footsteps approaching.

When she looked up she saw Caleb walking towards them. He had a tray of take-out coffee cups in his hands. He didn't say anything. He just quietly handed all three of them a coffee and sat down next to Hanna. Hanna immediately latched on to his hand and leaned towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and she let out a quiet little sob.

Alison peered at Caleb. He looked so different in his tuxedo. It's something she hadn't taken notice of back at The Brew. She barely recognized him.

"You boys look so handsome." Pam forced a smile on to her face. She was trying to find anything…any light she could possibly hold on to. She faced the girls. "And you in your dresses…you're beautiful." She reached across Alison's lap and wiped a glob of mascara off of Hanna's face. "You really should be at your prom."

"I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, Mrs. Fields." Caleb smiled politely at her.

Alison knew it was hard for him to be around adults. All of the adults in his life had treated him poorly. His foster parents, his social workers, the teachers who judged him based on his looks. He rarely caught a break with adults. But he seemed perfectly poised around Emily's mother.

She had a random flashback to the genuine appreciation he had after the Fields sent him a gift basket for jumping in at the Halloween dance and helping save Emily's life. He'd been so delighted to get a kitchen set. Something so small had meant so much to him. His gratitude made Alison appreciate the simple things in life.

"My coworker Sabrina rounded up some volunteers to finish with the pre-prom party. And the girls said they wanted to come and wait with us. Is that okay? I told them I'd text them when I had an answer." Caleb reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

"That's very sweet, but you kids only get one prom. I'm sure Emily is going to be fine…" Her tone suggested she was saying it for her benefit as much as theirs.

"I know. But to be honest I don't think any of us feel like dancing until we know that for sure."

Pam nodded to let him know it was okay to make the call. He pulled up the group text and put out the alert, letting them know that Pam was okay with them coming to wait with them.

Alison could see the tension on the older woman's face. She held her pain inside just like Emily.

Pam held it together remarkably well, but Alison saw her walls breaking down a bit when Emily's dad rushed in ten minutes later. He'd been at work when Pam called him.

Everyone stood up to greet him. When he saw everyone in their prom outfits he smiled at them.

Despite the situation he was warm and receptive to seeing them, but Alison could see the serious undertone behind his eyes. The wheels in his head were working on overdrive. He was worried about his baby girl and her baby girl. He tried to force a smile, just like Pam had done earlier.

"Didn't realize we were supposed to wear formal attire. Missed the memo." Wayne brushed off his camo fatigues. He pulled his hat off of his head and ran his hand over his buzzcut. "It's really nice that you kids are here, but I'm sure Emmy would want you to go enjoy yourselves at the dance."

"We're bringing the dance to her, sir." Mike held up his phone, showing him a playlist of music he was compiling. "When she's ready for visitors we're going to make sure she gets her prom, too." He smiled, but then softly added, "If that's okay, I mean. We just don't want her to miss out."

The optimism made Alison feel a little bit better. She had seen Caleb and Mike conspiring about something, but she didn't know that's what they'd been discussing.

"I'm sure she'll love it." Wayne gave them an appreciative look.

He was glad that his daughter had such good friends. He had no idea that she'd touched so many lives. After they'd moved away from Pennsylvania he'd always assumed they'd be leaving that part of their lives in the past. He never would have dreamed that moving back would have opened up so many wonderful doors for his daughter.

"Hey…" Caleb looked at his phone and then nudged Mike's arm. "The girls are almost here."

Alison wasn't the least bit surprised that their friends were dropping everything for Emily. Their friendship went far beyond the day she'd moved back to the city. She'd weaseled her way into their hearts when they were kids. When she'd gotten back it was like no time had passed. Everyone wanted to be close to her. She was a good person, and people appreciated that.

"Excuse us." Mike nodded at the adults. "We're going to meet them in the parking lot."

Alison watched them leave. She felt a quiet sense of panic that she didn't understand. She twisted around to make sure Hanna was still with her. She instinctively reached out and grasped her hand.

Hanna gave her a slight nod to let her know she wasn't going anywhere. She could sense Alison's anxiety. She wasn't going to leave her alone. Alison shot her an appreciative look.

Wayne's attention turned to Alison. He could see the tracks on her face that had been stained by her tears. He could tell that she was devastated. Alison felt a break in her emotions when she saw his soft brown eyes.

Emily had his eyes. His kind brave eyes. Would the baby have those eyes?

Was the baby even okay?

The idea of not being able to see Emily's child gutted her. If something happened to either one of them…

She felt Wayne's warm calloused hand against her shoulder. He was looking at her like the father she'd never had. It made her feel like crying again. Emily's parents had invited her in, and she never wanted to leave.

Wayne could see that Alison was distraught, so he took a moment to comfort her…because he knew that's exactly what Emily would do. His daughter was madly in love with Alison, and she would never forgive him if he didn't step up and take care of her. He also realized that Alison didn't have many people in her life who cared for her. He knew that her parents were absent.

"Hey, she'll be okay…" He didn't have the opportunity to finish before Alison surged forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

It was the most emotion she'd felt in a long time. Why hadn't she had parents who cared? Why had she been saddled with emotionless abusive assholes? Why couldn't she have someone like Wayne Fields? Even Pam Fields had her good qualities. They weren't perfect. Emily had told her that, but it was clear that Emily's parents loved their daughter.

Alison hugged him so tightly that she felt him let out a surprised gust of air.

"Don't you worry now. Everything is going to be okay." He wrapped his arms around her and embraced the hug. He pulled back and added with a wry smile, "She's tough…like her old man."

"Army strong." Alison smiled, her eyes still flooded with tears.

"Damn right." He laughed and put his hat back on. "And don't you worry about the baby either. She comes from a long line of fighters. That little girl is going to live a long and healthy life, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." They were the first words she'd spoken since he'd arrived.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"I just want to see her." Her voice was hoarse from sobbing.

"We'll work on that." He nodded, reaching for Pam's hand. "What say we get some answers, Ma?"

Pam nodded, her body naturally gravitating towards him. They went to see if they could find out what was happening with their daughter.

Alison sank back into the chair. Hanna sat next to her. Alison slowly looked up at her, taking the time to admire her dress. It fit her perfectly. Alison stared, thinking about all the times she had sneered and called her Hefty Hanna.

She had been crazy to demean her natural beauty. Hanna had turned out to be a fierce friend to have. She was sitting in a hospital waiting room on prom night comforting someone who used to torture her. She was more selfless than Alison had ever realized.

"You're going to miss prom." Alison played with her imperfect manicure. She'd been picking at her fingernails since she'd gotten the call about Emily.

"Caleb didn't really want to go anyway. He hates dances." Hanna stared at the middle of the room, her gaze going nowhere.

"He cared enough to wear the tux." Alison smiled softly.

Hanna nodded and smiled back at her, but the smile didn't feel real. It didn't feel real because Alison knew that either one of them were happy.

"Are you…um…" Alison fidgeted in her seat. She was uncomfortable thinking about what Hanna had seen, "…are you okay?"

"What do you mean?" Hanna looked at her, perplexed.

"It must have been terrifying finding her…" Her throat felt like it was closing up. She had to clench her jaw to stop herself from crying again. Imagining Emily and the baby in distress was too hard to bear. "It's…I know it's been a tough night for all of us."

"It was pretty bad," Hanna's voice was soft and tender. Her tone wavered as she battled her emotions. She thought Emily was dead, and it had shaken her to her core. "But she's here now. The doctors will take care of her."

"Did it look like…" She cringed, "Was she…" All she could picture was Emily lying on the floor and screaming for help. "Do you think someone did this to her?"

"You mean someone like Wilden's evil counterpart?" Hanna questioned.

"This person has been trying to hurt us for so long. If they finally got to her…and I wasn't there…"

"I don't think it was like that." Hanna shook her head. "This didn't look like someone attacked her. And she didn't say anything about it. I think this is just a freak thing."

"Yeah, like her passing out in the gym after her sports drink was drugged was an accident?" Alison grumbled under her breath. "For all we know someone poisoned her."

And she wasn't there. She hadn't been able to protect her.

"I don't know." Hanna sighed. "I don't know anything anymore. All I know is what I saw. And it looked…" She paused to consider her words, "…it felt like a terrible thing that just happened. I don't know how smart this person is, but I don't think this was something they could have done to her. I think she's sick. She was drenched in sweat, but her skin was freezing. I don't know if it was because of the blood loss or what, but she was like white in her face."

There was a beat of silence, then Alison let out a grunt of aggravation.

"I'm such an idiot." She slammed her palm down against the arm of the chair. The cold metal stung her hand. "I knew it. I knew something was wrong."

She should have pushed Emily to rest. She should have insisted that she was being stubborn. She was pushing herself too hard. She shouldn't have let her be so active.

I should have known.

"You couldn't have stopped this. She was fine, Ali." Hanna replied softly. "She was fine until she wasn't. You didn't do anything wrong. It just…it happened."

Alison leaned back in the chair, putting her head up against the wall. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them back up she stared blankly at the ceiling. She slowly lowered her head. She turned to the blonde next to her and let out trembling breath.

"I'm scared, Hanna."

It was hard for her to admit it, to Hanna Marin, of all people. But she needed a friend. She needed someone who would understand. She needed someone who loved Emily as much as she loved Emily.

"I know." Hanna reached over, and she did something she'd never done before...she pulled Alison in for a hug. "Me too."

o ~ O ~ o

The first thing Emily noticed about the room when she woke up was the neutral colors. It was sad and drab. The lighting was dim to offset the high energy vibes that often came with being in a busy hospital. She could hear several different machines beeping.

She was still groggy. She was having a hard time remembering what had happened. She glanced up and saw several IV bags filled with difference substances. One of the bags was a blood bag. She was getting a blood transfusion. But she didn't know why. Her memory was choppy.

She was sweating, but she felt cold. The blankets on top of her were heavy and itchy. Her body was aching. Her head was pounding.

The sounds of the machinery started to grow louder in volume. It was as if her ears were starting to wake up. The sound was ten times louder in her head, which only made her brain feel much foggier.

It took her a few minutes to get her bearings. But then she remembered what happened.

My baby.

The panic set in. She started squirming in bed, trying to kick the blankets off of her body.

What happened to my daughter?

She gasped and started to whine under her breath when the sheets got tangled around her leg.

"Wayne…" She heard her mother.

"Easy, Emmy." Her father's soothing voice broke through the tension.

When she looked up she realized that her parents were rushing to her bedside. Her mother was in large fold out chair. Her father was already standing over her. He put his hand on her shoulder, pushing her to lay back down. Her mother scrambled to her other side, grabbing her hand.

"Is she…" Tears burned Emily's eyes. She couldn't feel her daughter. She couldn't see her belly because of all the stupid blankets. She choked back a sob. "Oh my God…is she…"

"She's stable." Her mother squeezed her hand and reached up to touch her flushed cheek. "The ultrasound showed that her heart rate was a little elevated, but she's okay. They're monitoring everything. They're taking care of her. She's okay." She repeated. She knew Emily needed to hear it. "Her little heartbeat is strong."

Emily felt a flood of relief. She sank back into the bed and started to cry. She had been afraid for her baby before. The night she was almost run off the road. The day in the steam room. But nothing compared to feeling like she was actively losing her.

The blood on her fingers had convinced her that the baby was in distress. She'd been able to feel it. She had been able to feel her little girl begging…holding on to life. She could practically hear her cries as she laid on the bathroom floor bleeding out.

But she was okay. She was alive. That's all that mattered.

"We really have to stop having family gatherings here at the hospital, kid." Her dad kissed her forehead. "If you want to get our attention you don't have to go this far."

She laughed softly. She reached up and wiped the tears away from her face. She felt her mother's warm palms cupping her hand.

She peered at her mom. Her eyes were puffy and red. It was obvious she'd been crying. Emily could see the devastation on her face. She only remembered bits and pieces of what happened, but she remembered her mother cradling her in the bathroom and telling her everything was going to be okay. She remembered her mother's warm hands, her soothing voice, and her unwavering tenacity.

She remembered Hanna being there. She remembered the blonde crying. She remembered telling her,

"Tell Alison I love her."

She remembered her mother walking next to the gurney in the ambulance bay. Emily had tearfully reached for her hand. She was so dizzy. She'd fought to stay conscious. She'd squeezed her hand. In that moment she'd only wanted her mom.

"Mom, I'm scared."

"It's okay. I'm here, baby." She'd been reassuring her the entire time.

The pain had been terrifying. She remembered begging before passing out,

"If it comes down to it I want them to save her…"

"Emmy, you're going to be fine. The doctors will take care of both of you."

"Promise me. Promise me they'll put her first. She's the priority. Don't let her die. Please don't let her die, mom."

It's the last thing she said before she lost consciousness again. It hadn't dawned on her that she was asking her mother to save her child while making the choice to lose her own. It was an impossible choice.

She knew exactly what was going through her mother's head, because she'd felt the same thing when she felt her child in distress. A mother's love was an unspoken understanding…a connection so powerful that there was no other force on the planet that could compare.

Emily reached underneath the covers. The only desire she had was to feel her baby move. When she touched her stomach she realized there were wires attached to her, feeding into a machine and monitoring her daughter.

She silently told her baby exactly what her mother told her.

I'm here, baby.

"She's really okay?" Emily asked.

"You're both going to be fine." Her mother assured her. "The doctor said that the bleeding was caused by an infection in your placenta. When they did your exam they found that it's a bit lower than it should be during this stage of your pregnancy. They stopped the bleeding. You should be fine with the antibiotics, but they want you on bed rest."

"Bed rest?" Emily didn't like the sound of it.

The only thing that had kept her from going out of her mind was staying busy. What about school? They had finals coming up. And how would she be able to work? She was counting on her paychecks.

"I know you've always been on the go, but it's time for you to slow down." Her dad rubbed her cheek.

Emily didn't argue. All she had to do was think about the horrifying moments in her bathroom. She wanted to do what was best for her child.

"I'll do whatever it takes." She peered down at her stomach.

Her dad continued to caress her cheek, leaving his palm against her face. He wiped some hair away from her face. She was still burning up. He frowned in concern.

"I'm going to let the nurse know she's awake." He looked at Pam. They traded worried expressions.

Emily was too exhausted to catch it. Now that her adrenaline had worn off she could feel the fever working its way through her body. It was in her bones. She was surprised at how suddenly it had come on. It was like a dam breaking. She hadn't felt deathly ill. She'd felt fatigued, but she thought it was normal.

"Mom?" Her voice came out timid. She didn't recognize it.

"I'm still here, Em." She ran her hand over Emily's forehead. "I'll be here as long as you need me." She touched the top of her head. She could still feel the fever raging.

Her mother's touch gave her a natural pain reliever that no medication could give. It nudged open a well of walled off feelings.

She was swimming in a sea of emotions. She was relieved that her baby was okay, but she was angry at her body for betraying her. It made her feel like something inside of her was broken.

She had a wild amount of guilt crushing her. Could she have done something that would have prevented it?

"Did I do something wrong? Did I…did I push too hard?" Emily put her hand against her stomach. She still hadn't felt her baby move. It scared her. "Is this my fault?"

"No, sweetheart." Her mother answered without hesitation. "You have done everything you were supposed to do. It was just a fluke."

"A fluke in me…" Emily said slowly.

Pam seemed to understand exactly what Emily was saying, and she immediately put a stop to it.

"Emily, there is nothing wrong with you." She rubbed her arm. "It's natural to feel betrayed by your body when something like this happens. It's okay to feel angry. But it's important for you to know that as badly as it might hurt, you can't shoulder that burden. You can't be angry at your body forever. Honor the feelings you're having, but don't let them control you."

Her mother's touch changed as she spoke. Emily picked up on a slight warble in her tone. She seemed to be speaking from more than just a place of wisdom. She seemed to be speaking from experience.

Emily saw something flicker in her eyes, a deep sadness that she was hiding.

Pam looked down at her. She saw the recognition on Emily's face. She could see her daughter's eyes curiously searching hers.

"I know how it feels." Pam seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "I lost a pregnancy once."

All at once, Emily could see the grief flooding her mother's body. She could see it in the way her shoulders were slumped. She could see it in the heavy burden she carried behind her eyes. She could feel it in her touch.

"When?" Emily gripped her mother's hand.

"You were two. I was only about twelve weeks along. I hadn't started to show yet, so no one knew." Her face was tense in thought. "I knew it was happening, but I couldn't do anything about it. I was getting you up from a nap." A sad smile washed across her face. "You were always so happy to see me. You'd hold your arms out and just smile and call MamaMama over and over. I was walking out of your room with you in my arms when it started. I knew exactly what it was when I felt it." She swallowed hard. "You were so cuddly that day. It's like you knew I needed it. After a while I took you into my bedroom and you fell asleep. And I just cried and kissed your head."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" A flood of sympathy poured out of Emily's touch into her mother's hand. She squeezed her fingers tight.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Probably mostly in part because you were so young, and I was so wrapped up in taking care of you that I never took the time to properly deal with it. But when I did deal with it I felt so angry." She sighed heavily, gritting her teeth to keep from crying. "I hated myself and I hated my body. It took longer than I care to admit for me to understand that it wasn't my fault. And I don't want to see you go down that same path."

She took a thoughtful breath. She rubbed her thumb over the backs of Emily's knuckles.

"There is a lot that you might think that I don't understand about you, honey, but I love you. You are my child. And when I saw you on that bathroom floor my mind went careening back to the day you were two. It is unimaginable to go through what you went through, but I get it. I do."

Of course she got it. She was a mother. She'd lost one child and had almost lost another.

Emily was speechless. Her mother's lip twitched, a slight break in the stoic mask on her face.

"The outcomes are different, thankfully. She's going to be fine." She touched her daughter's stomach. It was the first time she'd felt her mother connect, truly connect with the baby. It brought tears to her eyes. "We don't always have control over what happens to us. But we can control how we change because of it."

Emily peered at her, learning to see her in a new light…learning to understand her mother in a way she'd never perceieved her before. All of the control that she held on to…her unwavering beliefs…everything that made the woman who she was…it was part of her past.

Emily pushed herself up in bed, reaching to wrap her arms around her mother. Both of them were shaking. The terrible circumstances had opened an unexpected path to healing. They weren't just mother and daughter. They were two women who had nearly lost their children.

Emily started sobbing. She gripped her mother tightly, her face buried in her neck. Her fingers were twisted deeply in the fabric of her shirt. Muffled cries filled the room.

"God, I was scared. I was so scared. I thought I'd lost her." She remembered flashes. Seeing the blood. Falling to her knees. Begging her daughter to hold on. "I wanted to die."

"Oh, baby…" Let it out.

She let her cry. She held her and stroked the back of her head, just as she'd done for Alison in the lobby.

Being a parent never ended. It didn't matter if a child was eight or eighteen...parents were always on duty. And sometimes that meant stowing their own pain in lieu of their children.

Emily felt like a baby, but being in her mother's arms soothed her. She was rocking back and forth. She wasn't sure if she was doing it or if her mother was doing it.

She pulled back and hiccuped out several uneven breaths. The sheer panic of losing her baby had hit her hard. She couldn't get her emotions under control. She took several deep breaths as she reached up to palm the tears away from her face. The tears felt freeing in an odd way.

Pam soothed her. In that moment Emily looked like a child again. She was so independent and so mature that sometimes it was easy for her mother to forget that she was still so young.

"It was horrible." Emily's voice came out strained. "I was terrified. I have never been in so much pain. I mean…my back has been hurting a lot since New York."

She'd assumed it was because of the strain she'd put on it to pull Alison off of the ledge of the building.

"I've been having hot flashes the last few days, but I thought it was just regular hormones. I didn't know it was going to put her in danger. I didn't know…"

What kind of mother was she? Her baby wasn't even born, and she'd nearly gotten her killed. She tearfully shook her head. She felt like the worst person in the world.

"I should have known something was wrong." Her bottom lip quivered. "She was trying to tell me. I just wasn't listening."

Pam knew how hard it was for her daughter to be vulnerable. So she knew that when Emily said she had been terrified…it had been so much worse than that. Because her daughter didn't get scared. As a toddler she would dive head first down the playground slide. As a child she fearlessly leaped into the deep end of the pool. As a teenager she raced her bike down the roads as speeds that scared the hell out of her and Wayne.

Her fear was palpable. Her frustration was understandable. But the fact that she was blaming herself pained her mother to hear.

"You couldn't have known." She rubbed Emily's hand vigorously, trying to force her to listen to her. "We do the best we can as mothers. But we can't fix everything. We can't protect our children from everything."

Her words seemed to have a deeper meaning behind them.

Pam was silently kicking herself for breaking things between the two of them almost to the point of no return. She felt guilty for all the pain she'd caused her daughter.

"Listen…" She threaded her fingers into Emily's, careful not to jostle her IV line, "You have a lot going on right now. And I don't like the idea of you being alone in your apartment."

Emily saw tears in her mother's eyes. Something about her reaction registered in her mind. She knew what it felt like to feel helpless to protect her child. Her mother's fear resonated deeply in her.

"I'm not usually alone…"

"I know. But I want you to come home."

She saw Emily flinch at the suggestion. She understood. Emily had experienced a taste of freedom, and her mother understood that. But the circumstances were extreme.

"At least until after the baby is born. I know I've been hard on you. I…" She swallowed hard. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye…"

The pain on her face was something that Emily recognized. She understood what the pain would be like if she lost her daughter. She could see it written all over her mother's face.

"Sweetie, I love you. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren't…" She stuttered, trying to find the right words, "…like you weren't whole in some way…or like you didn't belong. You are my baby. And I love you. I love you whether you love girls or boys or…just…whoever. You are perfect. I want you to know that. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for the way I've treated you. It wasn't very motherly."

"It's okay, mom." She put her free hand on top of their joined hands. She smiled weakly.

She understood everything now. Parents were infallible.

"Please let me back in. Let me help you with this. I know what you're going through. The thoughts…the feelings…"

"The fear?" Emily asked curiously.

"Every day of my life." Pam let out an exasperated sigh.

"How do you deal with it?" Emily questioned quietly. "How do you deal with the fear of the worst thing in the world happening to your baby?"

"It's part of motherhood."

"Can I return this part of it with a receipt? I don't like it." Emily put her hand against her stomach. Scaring the shit out of mommy is not a very nice thing to do.

For the first time since the agony of the pain had hit her she felt her daughter move. It was like a little nod,

I'm fine, mommy. Stop worrying.

Her body relaxed. Her shoulders fell forward. She felt like weeping.

Thank God.

"Everything okay?" Her mom asked.

"Better than okay." Emily nodded, huffing out a huge sigh of relief. "I can feel her moving again." Her tears of frustration and fear turned into tears of joy. "Hi, baby girl." She spoke softly to her belly. "You're okay. Everything is going to be okay."

Her mother pulled a chair up next to her bed. She was still gripping her hand tightly. She never wanted to let her baby go again.

"There should be some kind of an award for mothers whose children nearly give them heart attacks." Emily watched the baby's movements.

"There really should." Pam rubbed her arm.

Emily slowly looked up at her.

"I'm sorry I scared you," Emily said softly.

"I'm just glad Hanna showed up when she did."

"Oh my God." It suddenly dawned on Emily that it was prom night and her best friend had found her lying a pool of her own blood. "Is Hanna okay?" A soft worried expression crossed her face.

"She's a little shaken up, but she's a tough girl. She's with Alison, Mike, and Caleb in the waiting room. Your other friends are coming, too."

"They're supposed to be at prom." Though it wasn't a surprise to Emily that her friends were there.

"Some things are more important." Her mother lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. She rubbed her stomach, careful not to disturb the wires attached to her.

"I wonder if she was scared." Emily trailed her fingers against her taut skin. What must it feel like to be a baby and not know what's going on? "She feels like she's scared."

"I think we were all a little scared today," Pam said.

"How is Alison?" She was fairly certain she knew the answer.

The look on her mother's face was hard to read.

"She's very worried about you."

"Can you get her for me? The baby…she really responds to her. I think she'll be able to soothe her. And I think it might make Alison feel better, too."

Alison's language of love was touch. Once she was able to feel for herself that the baby was okay she'd be okay.

"Of course." Pam put her palm against Emily's cheek. She stood up and kissed her forehead.

Pam slowly walked out of the room, stopping to glance at her daughter before leaving. She needed to reassure herself that she was okay. She watched as her daughter smiled down at her belly and softly spoke to her granddaughter. It was all the reassurance she needed.

o ~ O ~ o

When she got back to the waiting area she was greeted by a room full of nearly a dozen kids dressed up in their suits, ties, and dresses.

"Hi, Mrs. Fields. I hope you don't mind that we're here." Aria stood up, eager to greet her.

Ezra and Toby were next to her. Spencer was on Toby's other side. Mona was sitting next to Mike. Hanna was sitting next to Caleb, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Not at all. It's very sweet of you to check in on her." Pam glanced at each of them for a few seconds, taking in their prom attire. "She's resting comfortably. She's going to be perfectly fine. And the baby is okay, too."

The tension that had been gripping Alison's body slowly faded.

Emily and the baby were okay. They were okay.

"You all look lovely." Pam admired the girls' dresses and the boys' tuxedos. "You two put the entire prom together, didn't you?" She looked at Spencer and then at Mona. "I bet your absence is really being felt tonight."

"Fortunately since we put it together we've already seen it all," Mona said with a wave of her hand. "You've seen one prom, you've seen them all."

"Yeah." Spencer agreed. "I personally never want to see another streamer or glitter packet again." She glanced at Mrs. Fields. "Do you, Emily, or Mr. Fields need anything?"

"No, dear. We're okay."

"Can I see her?" Alison asked timidly.

"She's asking for you, too, sweetheart. Come on." Pam waved her over.

Alison eagerly rushed over to Pam's side, pausing long enough only to give Mike back his tuxedo jacket and thank everyone for being there. She told them she'd update them and then followed Pam to Emily's room.

Emily smiled when she saw her.

"I'll let you two have a few minutes." Pam waved from the doorway.

She walked off. Alison hurried to Emily's side. Emily frowned when she saw the redness around her eyes.

"Hey." Alison touched Emily's face. She felt clammy and hot. "You're burning up." She brushed aside some of her sweat-soaked hair.

"My placenta is apparently angry at me. I've got a fever. I'm riding it out." Emily took a sip from a mug of water the nurse had given her.

"Do you need anything?" Alison asked.

Emily shook her head.

"I'll be fine." Emily squeezed her hand. "How are you?"

"I don't think my heart has stopped doing cartwheels yet." Alison admitted. She gripped her hand. "It scared the hell out of me."

"Me too." Emily took a moment to admire her dress. Red looked fantastic on her. It made Emily want to do very unholy things to her body. "You look beautiful. Hell of a prom night, huh?"

Alison's lower lip trembled. She couldn't get over how fragile and vulnerable she looked. Emily had always been her motorcycle riding badass Mama. Alison had never seen her look truly delicate before.

Emily saw the fear in her eyes.

"Hey, we're both going to be okay." She caressed Alison's arm.

"Thank God." She put her palm against Emily's belly. She rubbed her skin gently. She felt the little nugget nudge her hand. "Hey, sweet baby," she said softly. "You scared us."

Emily could feel her daughter turning, reacting to Alison's voice. The interaction sent a flood of endorphins charging through her veins.

"What happened?" Alison asked, reaching up to touch Emily's face again.

"It's kind of a blur. There is a lot to unpack," she said, grimacing. Bits and pieces were coming back to her. Important bits and pieces. "I ran into Noel before I left the gym. He wanted to talk…"

"I fucking knew it. I fucking knew Wilden's stupid little minions were behind this." Alison flew into a rage. "I'll kill him…"

"That's not what this is about." Emily tried to calm her down. "He wanted to tell me that my necklace…" She reached up and touched her bare neck. She glanced at Alison's wrist. She breathed a sigh of relief because she didn't have her bracelet on, "…and your bracelet have tracking devices in them."

"What?" Alison's brow creased in confusion.

"That's how Wilden found us in New York. He had Noel switch out a charm in your bracelet for one that was bugged with a tracking device. He must have paid someone to do the same to my necklace. I don't know any other details yet. But we'll beat everything out of him when the time comes."

"I'll beat it out of him." Alison corrected her. "No more strenuous activity for you, Indigo Girl."

Emily rolled her eyes at her over-protection. She was irritated that Alison was right. She didn't like the idea of missing out on beating up Noel Kahn.

"No kidding." She huffed. "This took a lot out of me. You know how I am about my pride being wounded, but I'm not afraid to admit that this really hit me hard."

"God, I hate myself for not being there. I'm so glad Hanna made it in time…" She shuddered to think about what could have happened. "How long were you alone like that?"

"I don't know. I remember getting home from the gym and feeling sick, so I went into the bathroom. I thought a shower might help. Then this pain came out of nowhere. It was horrible. I felt really woozy and then the bleeding started." She felt phantom pains at the thought of it. She felt nauseous all over again. "I…uh…I don't remember much after that. I think…I think I might have panicked. There's this whole chunk of time missing from the moment I saw the blood to the moment Hanna found me. It's…weird."

"That must have been terrifying." Just imagining Emily in pain and helpless was too much for her. "Is this my fault?" She put her hand on Emily's stomach again. "Was it because of last night? I mean…I feel like I was too rough on you…"

"Absolutely not." Emily grabbed her hand. She could see the tears in her eyes.

Emily knew exactly how she felt. She felt the same way. She blamed herself, too. But her mother was right. Sometimes things just happened.

"I just…I thought maybe I was too hard on you or hit something I shouldn't have or…"

"People have sex all the time when they're pregnant."

"Yeah, but I mean last night was…"

"Ali…" Emily touched her face, "…you had nothing to do with this. My placenta is enlarged and it shifted lower than it's supposed to be. I ended up with an infection. There was a partial detachment because of it, which caused the bleeding. It happens sometimes. It can cause pre-term labor before it's supposed to happen. They were able to stop it. She's fine. I'm fine."

"Oh." Alison paused. She tried to process it in thought. "They don't know what caused the shift?"

Emily shook her head and shrugged.

"Maybe it was all that dancing she was doing." She tried to coax her to sit down. Alison pulled the chair up next to her bed. "Despite my fierce prom gown here…" she motioned to the blue hospital gown she was in, "…neither one of us is going to be doing any dancing for a while. The doctor wants me to go on bed rest."

"Good, I was going to make you to do that anyway. Now I've got a doctor to back me up on it." Alison nodded, a little too triumphantly. "I'm going to force you to get pampered. And you're going to love every minute of it."

She took the opportunity to lean forward and press a kiss against her stomach.

"Ugh, you're going to use this as an excuse to make me watch all those Dickens classics, aren't you?" Emily teased.

Her banter didn't have its normal ardent drive behind it. Alison could tell that she was exhausted.

"I will be at your beck and call. Whatever you need." Alison pulled Emily's hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles. "Whatever she needs." She reached out and put her free hand against Emily's stomach. Even though she'd felt the baby move she still needed to convince herself that she was really okay.

Emily's lip twitched. She had an amused look on her face.

"What?" Alison questioned. "What's that look about?"

"Nothing." Emily smiled in bemusement. "It's just…if you would have told me back in September that Alison DiLaurentis was such a soft sap I never would have believed it."

"I am not a sap." She pushed her lips out in a pout, but there was a hint of a smile buried in her faux frustration.

"Yes you are." Emily leaned over. She pecked Alison on the cheek. "You're my sap."

Alison's phone buzzed from inside her purse. She ignored it at first. Everyone she knew was at the hospital.

Then it hit her. There was one person she hadn't talked to yet. She cringed as she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone.

It was from Isaac.

Anything?

"Who is it?" Emily questioned curiously.

There was a beat of silence. Alison looked away from her and cleared her throat before facing her again.

"I…um…I kind of called Isaac."

"You what?"

"I just thought…" Alison stuttered. Had she done the right thing? "You guys have been talking. I thought he might want to know. I hope I didn't overstep. I was just trying to do what I thought you might want me to do."

"Hey…" Emily stopped her from spiraling. "I'm glad you did."

Alison had done a good thing. And she'd done it even though she was wary of her friendship with him.

She reached for Alison's phone, extending her palm out. She waved for her to hand the device to her. Alison put it in her hand.

Emily typed a message,

Isaac, it's Emily. Everything is ok. We're fine. I'll call you later w/ an update. Need to rest tonight.

She sent it to him. She imagined he was glued to his phone, staring at it with a look so tense that the dimple between his eyebrows was popping out.

He had never handled stress well, except on the field. He had always been steadfast and unflappable when he had a football in his hands. It made her wonder if her daughter would inherit their dual athleticism.

She joked about the baby dancing, but she could see her in a little tutu twirling around at a ballet recital. Or kicking a ball on the soccer field. Or even swimming or playing football. It was in her genes.

Alison's phone buzzed in Emily's hand. It was a string of prayer-hand emojis followed by the message,

Please PLEASE take care of urself. Call me when u can.

Emily handed the phone back to Alison.

"He's really not so bad." Alison peered at the text exchange. It was hard for her to admit it to herself, but she was coming around to Isaac being in the picture. "He clearly cares about you and the baby."

She felt Emily's fingers against her arm and she looked up at her.

"He cares about you, too."

"He doesn't even know me," Alison said with a bashful look on her face.

"No. But he knows I love you. And he knows that you love me and this child. And that's enough for him." Emily smiled.

The dark sunken circles under her eyes were a glaring indicator of the past few hours. Alison reached up to touch her face, rubbing her thumb underneath her right eye.

"You look tired."

"I am tired. I might take a nap. You should go get in a dance or two with the girls at prom. Take a few selfies. I bet Caleb and Mike would throw you a dance or two."

"There's no way I'm leaving you alone. I'll be right here when you wake up." She gripped her hand. "Besides, I couldn't go anywhere even if I wanted to. Mike Montgomery has the keys to my car."

"Well, this is a story I have to hear." Emily's face lit up with intrigue.

"Oh, you know Mike." She replied flippantly, "It started with him running over a mailbox and ended in a gripping police chase." She winked. "Long story short, everyone is kind of sort of here. You wanted me to go to prom, but…surprise!" She threw her palms up and did some unenthusiastic jazz hands. "We brought prom to you."

"Are you serious?"

"They're not going to leave until they know you're okay." Alison nodded.

"Well…" Emily lifted her arms, staring at the hospital gown hanging off of her body. She flicked her IV line. "I don't exactly have the ideal attire, but…bring on the party-hounds, I guess."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Alison reached up, smoothing her hair down. She was concerned that it might overstimulate her.

"What else do I have to do? It's not like I'm going anywhere tonight."

"Okay." Alison reached for her phone. "I have an idea. Just give me some time."

She sent Hanna a text,

Grab your travel make-up kit. My Prom Queen is ready for her close-up.

o ~ O ~ o

Hanna was in Emily's room ten minutes later doing her make-up. She was so relieved to see her conscious and talking that she didn't even bitch at her when she had to redo her eyeliner twice because of her fidgeting.

"Pop your lips for me." Hanna pulled the tube of lipstick back and scrutinized her work.

"At least buy me dinner first." Emily smacked her lips together and then puckered them back out and winked at Hanna.

"Easy, Tiger. Don't exhaust all your energy on me. Your girl would kill me." Hanna tossed the lipstick in her travel bag.

"She never has to know. Come on. Quick…while she's in the bathroom." Emily teased.

"I'm surprised she didn't request a bedpan for herself so she could stay by your side." Hanna chuckled. Her normally carefree attitude was subdued. She zipped her make-up bag up. She grabbed a mirror and held it up in front of Emily. "Thoughts?"

"Wow." Emily moved her head from side to side. "Not bad. You can put 'can make zombies look like real humans again' on your resume now."

Hanna laughed and lowered the mirror.

"I'm just glad you've got some real color in your cheeks again." She cut her eyes to the side and cleared her throat.

Emily could tell she was still upset.

"How are you doing?" She put her hand against Hanna's knee.

"As far as prom nights go, I was expecting a little more Pretty in Pink and a little less Carrie." She tried to bury her discomfort in humor.

"Hanna…seriously, how are you?" Emily nudged her.

Hanna fidgeted uncomfortably, but she faced her best friend.

"Finding you like that was…" She drifted off. She dug her nails into her leg and nervously gnawed on her lip. "I don't know, it was probably the worst moment of my life, and that includes my dad walking out on my family. I thought you were dead, Em."

"So did I." She reached for Hanna's hand. She squeezed it. "You saved my life tonight. You saved my daughter's life. If you hadn't come in when you did there is no telling what might have happened."

The corners of Hanna's mouth twitched into a tiny smile of relief.

"I'm glad you're okay." Her hand tightened around Emily's.

"You making a move on my woman?" Alison popped into the room from the tiny adjoining bathroom.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Hanna laughed. "She's camera ready. I'll go get the others."

She squeezed Emily's hand again gently before dropping it and walking towards the doorway. Alison walked over next to Emily and sat down next to her. They smiled at each other.

Emily had no idea what her friends had planned, but she was game for anything that would take her mind off of the night she'd had.

Her friends didn't disappoint.

It started out with each couple doing a personalized dance for her. Alison sat next to her bed and acted as the DJ.

Aria and Ezra went first, dancing in a ballroom style that looked like something out of The Great Gatsby. Aria was light on her feet, but Ezra was a terrible dancer, so it was endearing to watch. Emily could tell that he was too in his head about the moves. The most hilarious thing is that if he had just relaxed and let his natural instincts take over then all the kickboxing classes he taught at the gym with Jake would have served him well in ballroom dancing.

Spencer and Toby danced to an eighties rock song that Emily was certain Toby had picked. She had heard it at the gym hundreds of times. Where Ezra had failed with his aerobic footwork, Toby thrived. He let Spencer lead, which Emily assumed was Spencer's idea, but he was fantastic in his follow-through.

Caleb and Hanna followed with a sexy pop hit that was Hanna's choice. Caleb was a better dancer than Emily would have guessed. Hanna had told her that he hated to dance, but he was really quite good at it.

Mike and Mona were last. Mona made a dramatic show of entering before the music had even started. Seconds later a tango started to play and Mike came waltzing into the room with a rose in his mouth, the stem in between his lips.

Mike pulled the rose from in between his teeth and kneeled by Emily's bed to hand her the flower. After she accepted it he stood back up and grabbed Mona's hands tightly. The dance was filled with passion, but it was also goofy. Emily laughed to the point that her body started to hurt, but she didn't mind the pain.

They snapped several selfies and then took turns giving her their well-wishes. The room wasn't big enough for all of them to be with her at the same time, so they ended up crowding out into the hallway.

"This was really cool, you guys. Thanks." Emily propped a pillow up behind her back to try and get more comfortable.

Alison reached over and tried to fluff it for her.

"You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until T-Dawg and I do our beat-boxing break-dance combo. We're going to light up the dance floor." Mike threw his arm around Toby's shoulder.

"Yeah, that's…not a thing." Toby laughed. He put his hand on the edge of Emily's bed. "But we do have a group number that we want to do for you." He glanced at Mike. "Hit it, Maestro."

Mike pressed a button on his phone and Hey Ya! by Outkast started playing. They each did a catwalk type dance up and down the side of her bed.

When the song was over Emily chuckled and looked at her friends. They were so freaking ridiculous. And she loved them for it.

"Alright, you made your point." Emily laughed. "Now go…dance to lame music and drink spiked punch and make more memories."

She practically had to nag them to leave. Alison had to finish chasing them out. Mike glanced at Alison as she was pushing him out of the room.

"We saved the best dance for last." Mike grinned, like he had something devious planned.

Peggy Lee's Fever started to play on the Bluetooth speaker next to Emily's bed. Alison spun around and smirked at Emily.

"Fever?" Emily chuckled. "Really? Isn't that a bit on the nose?"

"Too soon?" Hanna chuckled as she slowly closed the door. "Have fun you two."

Alison sauntered over towards Emily's bed, shaking her hips along to the song. She lowered her voice to sing along with the sexy sultry tone. She leaned over Emily and grabbed her hands, placing them on her stomach. She slowly guided them up towards her chest, all the while giving her an innocently flirtatious look.

Emily grinned eagerly, her eyes lighting up. Color flushed across the brunette's face.

"Mmm, my little Uptown Girl is all Uptown Woman tonight." She wiggled her brows and smirked. "This is my kind of prom."

Her comment broke Alison out of her sexy character acting. She slapped her hand in front of her lips and giggled. It was even more endearing than the sexy dance.

"C'mere." Emily gestured in a seductive "come hither" motion.

Alison leaned over and their lips met for a kiss as the song continued. She pulled Alison down towards the side of the bed. Alison did a semi-lap-dance for her, and Emily enjoyed every second of it.

After the song was over Alison bent down to kiss her again.

"I'm sorry we missed our prom." Emily stroked Alison's cheek.

"We didn't miss anything. We had our own prom. Right here. And it was epic." She pecked her lips. They'd made their own experience, and she knew it would always be meaningful to them. "Besides, we can pretend to be there because everyone on social media is all over it."

Alison couldn't fit on the bed with her, which really annoyed her. She moved the chair next to her.

As the night went on they scrolled through all the prom hashtags and they lived vicariously through their friends. The girls video-chatted with them and did a virtual prom with them. They got a tour of the location, danced from Emily's hospital room, chatted with people there, and experienced the feel of the dance.

They missed their friends, but being together is all that mattered to them.

Later that night when it was just the two of them Alison got a surprising message with a picture attached. She peered at the screen.

"Hey, Em, guess what?" She looked up and saw that Emily's eyes were starting to get heavy.

Emily blinked slowly and yawned.

"What?"

"We won." Alison smiled at her phone, flipping it to show her the picture that Hanna had sent. There was a large projection with a picture of the two of them that had been enlarged for the crowd at school. "We're Rosewood High's Prom Queens."

"And we weren't even there." Emily reached for Alison's hand.

"The power we have," Alison said, jutting her chin out over-confidently.

Another message came through. A video was attached. Alison hit play. It was the crowd cheering. They could hear their friends chanting their names.

"I couldn't ask for a more beautiful queen." Emily smiled.

Alison reached up and stroked Emily's cheek. Her skin was still really warm. Alison knew that it took time for the antibiotics to take effect, but she hated watching her suffer.

Emily fell asleep shortly after it was announced that they were the queens of the school. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully and that's all that mattered to Alison.

Emily's parents periodically checked in on her. Pam wanted to stay with her daughter, but she knew that Emily wanted Alison with her. Part of a mother's job was learning when to let go. That didn't stop her from gently stroking Emily's hand and kissing her forehead as she slept.

Alison bought a matching pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt from the hospital gift shop and changed out of her dress and made herself comfortable in the large cushioned fold out chair against the wall. It was old and worn by all the other family members who had stayed with their ailing loved ones.

She tried to stay awake, pounding coffee like it was tequila. But against all odds, the coffee didn't work.

Half an hour after Emily fell asleep Alison was snoozing like the undead. She slipped so far into her unconsciousness that even if the world was crashing around her she wouldn't have heard it.

Emily was in and out of consciousness. She woke up a few times and saw Alison sleeping in the chair. She listened to the sounds of the machines tracking her daughter's heart rate and listened to Alison softly snoring. Both of her girls quietly lulled her back to sleep.

The fever was working its way out of her system. A nurse came in late into the evening, stirring her from her sleep. The room looked foggy through Emily's eyes. The nurse took her temperature and then put something in her IV line.

"This might make you a little groggy, hon." She rubbed Emily's hand.

"I'm already groggy." Emily yawned.

"Then this will just help you sleep better." She chuckled.

Emily glanced at Alison, who was still out cold.

"Did you inject her with it, too?" Emily joked.

"Nope. That's all her natural talent." The nurse looked up at Emily's IV bag and reached up to adjust it. "Not very often we find family sleeping so soundly." Emily smiled when she heard the nurse call Alison family. "These meds I'm giving should help with your nausea, but they pack a punch. You might be out for a while."

"As long as she's here, I'm good." She motioned to her lovely sleeping blonde.

She was like a living embodiment of Sleeping Beauty. She couldn't take her eyes off of her. There was a bright aura around her.

She felt the medicine starting to take effect. The nurse gently pat her hand before leaving, letting her know to use the call button if she needed anything.

As Emily's vision slowly started to close in on itself she kept her focus on Alison. She felt something warm flowing through her veins. She was sure the medical staff would tell her it was the drugs, but Emily was convinced it was Alison. The girl was in every part of her body.

She dreamed about having a picnic with Alison. They were back at the Apple Orchard. But they weren't alone. This time they had a sweet little bundle of joy that they were passing back and forth. The dark haired bright-eyed little girl was wrapped in a pink and white blanket, swaddled tightly like they'd been taught in Lamaze class.

"She's perfect." Alison rubbed the infant's cheek. "Just look at that little face." She cooed, rocking the baby in her arms. She leaned forward and kissed her tiny button nose.

Emily was certain she'd never been more attracted to Alison in her life. The baby started squirming, letting out quiet sighs and grunts. Her cheeks started to turn red like she was getting ready to give her little lungs a work out.

"I think she wants her Mama." Alison passed her back to Emily.

Emily wrapped her arms around her little girl. The baby stopped squirming immediately. She was so tiny. So delicate. She smacked her jaw and looked up at Emily with her large doe eyes. So innocent. So loving.

"Hey, baby girl. Mama's right here."

The baby immediately settled in her arms. Emily smiled down at her. Alison watched, smiling lovingly at her family.

Alison reached out to put her hand against Emily's cheek. Emily could feel the heat against her face.

The touch was vivid. It felt like more than a dream. The sensation of a hand against her cheek drew her out of the fantasy.

She could hear the machines in the hospital steadily beeping. She could feel fingers delicately stroking her face.

"Mmm…" Emily smiled as she slowly opened her eyes. "You're awake."

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. All she could see was the outline of her face and her wild blonde hair. But something was wrong. Something about the shape of her face was off.

Emily blinked, bearing her eyelids down hard to try and clear the sleep from her eyes. When she opened them back up she wasn't looking into Alison's eyes.

Courtney's gaze was identical to that of a child who was trying to piece a puzzle together. She was wearing Alison's prom dress and one of the red overcoats from the closet in New York.

Broken bits of what Emily had hallucinated at her apartment when she passed out came back to her.

The blood.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're bleeding."

The pain.

"We're broken, Emily. Our bodies. Our minds. We're broken. Rotting. Diseased. And this is what happens. This is what happens to people like us."

The fear.

"Stay with me, honey. Just stay with me."

Was that a nightmare?

Was she hallucinating again?

Courtney didn't say anything. She simply stood over her, stroking her cheek. Emily felt a chill wash over her. She couldn't tell if it was real. She felt like she was back in her bathroom, back at the apartment. Everything from the missing chunk of time came careening back to her.

She felt lightheaded. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them back up the monster in front of her would be gone.

She shut her eyelids tightly, squeezing as if she could push away the thoughts in her head. But when she looked, the blonde was still there. Her eyes were slowly navigating the room.

"I've been here before," Courtney said calmly. "But it was different."

Emily wanted to reach out and punch her. She wanted to tackle her to the floor and tie her up until the police could come and arrest her. Her spirit was willing, but her body was weak. She could feel herself shaking so much that the bed creaked beneath her trembling body. The sheets were covered in her sweat. She wasn't sure if it was related to the fever or fear.

Courtney cooed quietly, shushing her. She clucked her tongue and shook her head, her eyes gentle with a sort of compassion that Emily had never seen before.

"You're shaking like a leaf." She sounded concerned. "Oh my sweet girl." Her face was tight, worried. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"Wha – huh? I…"

"Shhh. You need to rest. Just rest." Courtney whispered.

She cupped Emily's cheek. Emily felt her chest rapidly starting to rise and fall. She felt Courtney's other hand underneath the sheets slipping underneath her hospital gown, touching her inner thigh.

She tensed up.

"Don't." Emily croaked out.

"I tried to help." Her fingers slid up in between her legs. "I tried to stop it. There was so much blood." She frowned. "So dirty…"

Emily jumped when she felt her fingers drift higher, like she was curiously searching for something. She felt a scream building up in her chest. Courtney smiled at her. Her smile was all teeth, like she was a predator getting ready to bite.

"You're clean now."

Emily heaved out a breath. She thought about the horror she'd gone through hours ago. All the things Courtney said. All the things she thought were happening.

Is this real?

Emily jerked her head over, frantically looking for Alison. She was still sleeping in the chair. But something didn't seem right. She didn't wake up when the nurse stepped in. Now she was sleeping through Courtney sneaking in?

"Al…" Before she could get her call out, Courtney slapped her hand over her mouth roughly.

"She's not going to wake up." Courtney hissed, squeezing her inner thigh. "And if she does you're going to regret it. If you so much as let out one peep crying for help I'll slit her throat before you can get your fat pregnant ass out of the bed."

Emily bit down on the palm of her hand, her teeth cutting into Courtney's flesh. Courtney pulled her hand back with a cry.

Courtney ripped her other hand out from underneath Emily's gown. She lurched forward and latched on to Emily's wrist, squeezing it tightly. Her expression darkened.

"You always did like it rough." Courtney stabbed her fingernails into Emily's skin.

Emily yelped and shook her hand free of Courtney's grasp. She was desperate to get to Alison's side. Something was wrong. She wasn't waking up.

"What did you do to her?" Emily shoved the blankets off of her body.

She sat up too quickly. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She clutched her stomach and softly cried out. The fear of something happening to her baby caused her heart to start pumping harder in her chest. She felt an airy lightheaded wave pass over her.

Not now. She fought to stay awake.

Courtney saw her tilting uneasily. Her eyes radiated a soft anxious look of sadness. For a split second it actually looked like she cared.

Courtney forced her back down against the bed. Her back hit the mattress hard. She felt it in her spine. The sharp movement radiated into her stomach. She cried out again, but tried to move forward, determined to get to Alison's side.

Courtney shoved Emily's arms down against the mattress, pinning her wrists above her head.

"No, no." Courtney said it as if she was scolding a child. "You're not being a very good mother."

Emily struggled, jerking her head from side to side. Her face was burning up. She felt sweat dripping down from the sides of her temples.

"Let go of me." Emily kicked her legs. She felt like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

With every motion of her body she could feel a tight pressure in her abdomen. She cringed and groaned. The room around her started spinning, colors swirling in her line of vision.

"Emily, stop it. You're going to hurt yourself." Courtney growled angrily.

"Get off of me." Emily snapped. "What did you do to Alison? I swear to God if you hurt her…"

"Re-lax." Courtney drew the word out. "She'll be fine in the morning. I just needed her out of the way tonight. A few crushed up sleeping pills in the sugar packets of her coffee isn't going to kill her." Courtney held her down against the bed, despite her trying to wriggle free. She could see that the brunette was running out of steam. "You need to stop fighting. You're in no condition to do this."

"Courtney, you have to stop this." Emily looked up at her. For the first time ever she pleaded with her. "Please stop it."

"Stop what?" She asked innocently.

"We know it's you. We know you're torturing us. We know about you and Wilden. About the DNA results. It must have been difficult to waver…to not know that part of your life. We could…maybe you could talk to someone…"

Courtney interrupted her with a laugh.

"Oh, honey, you're adorable. You don't know half of what you think you know. You need me." She slipped her hand against Emily's stomach. "This little one really deserves a better mother."

"Don't you fucking touch my daughter." Emily shoved her away roughly.

She tried to sit up one last time, but all of the drugs in her system overwhelmed her and she fell backwards as the dizziness overtook her. She gripped the side of the mattress, because she felt like if she didn't hold on to something she was going to fall off the face of the Earth.

"Easy, Mama Bear. Wouldn't want to do anything to hurt your baby girl…" Courtney rubbed her thigh.

Emily tried to fight back, but she was exhausted. She stared at Courtney, waiting for the blonde to finish her off...to shove a pillow over her head and suffocate her. Instead, Courtney quietly tried to comfort her.

"You're okay, sweet girl."

She pulled the blanket up over Emily, keeping her warm hand in place against her inner thigh. Her fingers tickled Emily's skin, rubbing her and leaving chill-inducing goosebumps against her slick sweaty body.

Emily shivered. She started shaking again. The pain in her stomach was dissipating, but the rest of her body was aching.

The medicine was coming back at her in the worst way. She was starting to lose her sense of consciousness again.

"It's okay. You're safe now." Courtney's palm landed gently against her cheek again. She leaned over and put her lips against Emily's ear. "I took care of everything." She kissed her cheek, touching her gently, kindly. "We can finally be a family."

"Huh?" Emily asked drowsily.

Courtney hovered over her, but she was like a disappearing mirage. Emily blinked once and she was gone, but when she blinked again she was there.

She stared at Courtney in confusion, doubting the truth that was staring her in the face. How would she have been able to sneak past her parents in the waiting area? How would she be able to get past the doctors? How did she get her hands on Alison's prom dress? How could she have drugged Alison?

Not even Courtney had that kind of power.

Or did she?

Maybe she was underestimating her.

An involuntary shudder racked Emily's body. Her eyes locked on Courtney's.

"Did you kill Wilden?" Emily's voice came out as a whisper.

Courtney smiled, a devious little grin. She lifted her hand and put her index finger against her mouth to shush her. She traced her finger against Emily's lips and leaned forward, pushing her mouth against Emily's.

Emily's instincts screamed at her to push the blonde away, but the drugs in her system were dragging her nervous system down. Everything was shutting down.

"He doesn't know…" Courtney breathed softly against her lips. "He doesn't understand." She caressed Emily's leg. "It was always you and me. We were meant to be."

The kiss was hard. Deep and firm. But at the same time there was something subtle and soft in it. She tried to push her head back against the pillow to pull away, but Courtney just followed her, pushing harder. She pinched Emily's skin, causing the brunette to gasp. When she opened her mouth she felt Courtney's tongue against hers. It felt like she was choking her with it.

She groaned out in protest, but Courtney didn't stop. She nibbled Emily's lip and huffed against her face.

"Mmm, you taste divine." She slowed the kiss down. "Your soul" She batted her eyelids. She looked confused. "It's like Heaven on Earth. You're my divinity, Emily. My salvation."

Emily felt woozy. Her head was swimming. She closed her eyes, but she heard Courtney say one last thing before she drifted off again.

"You're mine. You're MY Emily. And I'll protect you."

The same dark abyss that had clenched her soul in her apartment seemed to be drowning her again. She tried clawing her way out.

She was lost in the dark, Courtney's words echoing in her mind.

When she finally jolted awake she shot up in bed. She was shaking and covered in sweat. She took heaving gasps, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes darted around the room.

Alison was sleeping soundly in the chair next to her bed. There was no trace of anyone else being in the room.

She lifted her hand and flipped her wrist over, looking for traces that Courtney had grabbed her. She didn't see anything. She slowly lifted her hand up, pressing her fingertips against her lips.

The link between reality and illusion was severed. It was driving her crazy. She had no sense of what was real.

"I'm fucking losing it," she muttered.

The doctor had mentioned that the fever might play tricks on her mind. But it had felt terrifyingly real.

She laid there in a pile of her own sweat, trying to get her bearings.

Something was nagging her about the dream. Why would Courtney be in Alison's clothes?

She thought about the clothes they'd found in the house in Buffalo. She hadn't been able to figure out why someone would recreate Alison's entire wardrobe, especially if that someone was after her.

But what if the clothes weren't for Alison? What if they were for someone deluded into thinking that she could be Alison?

"We can finally be a family."

Emily shuddered.

"Over my dead body," she whispered to a phantom that wasn't there.

At least, she hoped the phantom wasn't there. Because if it was real...if she was truly seeing Courtney then they were in far more danger than they knew. And Emily didn't back down from danger. She would protect her girls to the end of the line, which could very well end over her dead body.


A/N: Not your traditional prom, but I think they did a good job despite the circumstances. Hopefully there were more sighs of relief than tears. I've got a soft spot for the Mike/Alison and Hanna/Alison friendship. Caleb is also very intriguing to write. Roughest part to edit was probably the Pam/Emily scene where they shared their feelings. In addition to that, I always creep MYSELF out when I re-read and edit the Courtney scenes. We're nearing the end, so you're getting very close to ALL THE ANSWERS.