The Dawn of Autumn

by Forever without him

Alison DiLaurentis rules her town with a sharp tongue and an even sharper attitude. But she meets her match when Emily Fields, rebel with a cause rolls into town on her motorcycle and captures Alison's attention, and her heart. But there is more to Emily than meets the eye. Her mysterious past begins to bleed into her future, and it invokes Alison to go on the ride of her life.

43. It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

A/N: It took me longer than usual to post this update because my inner critic kidnapped me and tied me to a chair and proceeded to yell at me about every letter and syllable of the final chapters. I distracted her with chocolate and escaped.

I struggled with the pacing and where to split the final chapters. I'm still not sure if it's going to be one or two more chapters (plus an epilogue). I think it's going to be two, plus the epilogue. Appreciate your patience as I descend into madness. I'm…not okay.

---

Chapter 43:

It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Isaac sat on Emily's living room couch cradling the little girl. He hadn't expected her to be so small. It had been a long time since he'd held anything other than a football in his hands. She was a little bigger and heavier than a football.

He couldn't believe how little she was, but at the same time it was hard for him to believe that she'd fit inside of Emily's body. Procreation and pregnancy were fascinating.

"She's beautiful, Em." He marveled at the tiny human they'd created.

He had no idea that he would feel so sentimental when he held her for the first time. He never imagined that something so amazing could have come out of something that had caused him so much heartbreak.

He'd given his heart to Emily, but the chemistry that he desperately wanted to be there didn't exist. He felt like an idiot for not noticing that she wasn't in to it when they were together.

But as he stared in wonder at the life they'd created he thought about how all of it was worth it. All the secrets. All the lies. All the heartbreak. Their relationship wasn't meant to last, but the love they'd shared would live on in the child in his arms.

He'd heard horror stories about teenage pregnancies, but that horror melted away when he looked into Autumn's eyes. He was convinced the baby was the best thing he'd ever done. Their relationship hadn't been all bad. They'd made a super cute baby who would no doubt do great things in life.

"I can't believe you had a baby." He cautiously adjusted Autumn in his arms, taking note of her size. How could something so large come out of something so small? He cringed thinking about the pain of childbirth. He knew that the hole she'd come out of was a lot smaller than her head. He wasn't sure how women did it. "You like…pushed her out of your body."

"I know." It made Emily laugh for some reason. "I was there."

"I'm really proud of you." He slowly lifted his head.

It meant a lot coming from him considering she'd lied to him about the pregnancy.

"Thank you." She smiled.

He tickled Autumn's palm. She latched on to his finger and clasped down hard. Hard enough for him to let out a surprised gasp.

"She has a really strong grip." He moved his finger up and down, watching as her hand moved along with it.

"She was in the top percentile in all the categories of the testing they do when babies are born."

"Pretty and smart. Just like her mom." He couldn't pry his eyes away from her. "So she's a little genius."

"Not those kinds of tests." Emily shook her head with a laugh.

"I'm just glad she's healthy." He shifted on the couch and looked up at Emily again. "Things are going okay, right? She's eating and sleeping?"

"Like a pro." Emily's boobs had never seen so much action. Autumn loved eating.

"And she doesn't have trauma…from that night? She doesn't…she doesn't remember, does she?" He scanned Autumn's curious wandering eyes for any sign of distress.

"I don't think so." Emily replied softly.

She worried about the same thing sometimes, that maybe Autumn had subconsciously internalized what had happened to her. She worried that she would have nightmares about it. But so far Autumn was happy and well-adjusted. She didn't show any signs of trauma.

"I've read that babies unconsciously store memories that might emotionally affect them later in life. I just hope that all the love that you and Alison shower her with overshadows it." He folded the edge of Autumn's blanket over her, tucking it around her. "She's lucky to you have two."

"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." The warm buttery sound of her tone was like nothing he'd ever heard before.

"Alison or Autumn?" When he looked at Emily he had a broken smile on his face. He was happy for her, but he still carried his heartbreak with him.

"Both." Emily felt awkward answering, but she'd promised no more lies.

"Where is Alison anyway?" He looked around, realizing for the first time that the blonde wasn't there. He'd been so preoccupied with the baby that he hadn't noticed that a particular blonde bodyguard was nowhere to be found. "You don't have to keep us in our respective corners. We're not going to start swinging at each other."

Emily was stunned that he'd seen through her. She was shocked he'd even asked about her.

"It's not that. She had to…" She had to think on the fly, "…take her car to the mechanic…"

I am an idiot.

Thinking on the fly had been severely diminished by her lack of sleep. Baby brain was no joke.

Isaac mashed his lips together in an expression that was half amusement and half scowl. He had a hard time believing Alison would leave her side for anything less than death in the family, and even that would be iffy.

He didn't know Alison well, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't leave Emily alone, especially considering his sister had been tormenting them. He hadn't exactly made a great first impression on her either when he showed up in Rosewood and found them together.

"The same girl who stood in that doorway and ripped my ass to pieces with her eyes willingly left you and the baby alone with me?" He looked at her skeptically, as if to say, "Girl, puh-lease."

"To be fair, it was Valentine's Day and you honed in on her territory. Take away the ass and get the sass." Emily crossed her ankles and leaned back, a cocky smirk on her face.

"Shhh…not in front of the child." Isaac gently pressed the baby's cheek against his chest and playfully reached to cover her exposed ear, the edge of his palm grazing her other cheek.

He felt the warmth of her skin against his and it struck him that it was the first time he'd touched her. The texture of her skin was smooth and silky. Soft.

He lightly lifted his hand away from her face and stuck his thumb next to her ear, getting a comparison of the two. Her ear was smaller than the tip of his thumb. His skin was shades darker than hers, but even with their vast differences in appearances he could see their relation. All he had to do was look into her eyes.

Autumn rolled her head to one side. Her movements were unsteady because her neck still couldn't support her head's weight. She turned to the other side.

"Her ears are the littlest ears I've ever seen." He lightly grazed the tip of her ear. "Not like my ears at all. Thank God."

Emily heard the undertone in his voice and she heard what he was really saying,

Not like Courtney.

"I think she got the best of both of us." Emily reached over and played with her daughter's fingers.

"But mostly you." He curled his index finger underneath her chin. "Thankfully mostly you," he said quietly, speaking to himself. "I want her far far away from my family's genes…"

He wasn't the only one concerned about what she could have inherited from his bloodline. Emily wasn't proud to admit it, but she had freaked out about it, too. She knew that even Courtney had considered what Autumn might inherit from her family.

The blonde had been certain that Autumn was the best thing that would ever happen to her family.

"Her eyes are so soft."

Courtney had never been able to recognize good from bad, but she saw something in Emily's child that even she knew to be true.

She'd been convinced that the baby was better than she had always wanted to be. She had seen a light in Autumn that made her recognize her own darkness.

"She won't be bad. She won't be like me."

"I know you've thought about the gene thing, too," Isaac sighed. The look on Emily's face told him everything he needed to know. "It's hard not to. It's part of the reason I can't have her near my family. I can't pull her into this mess. Things are so screwed up right now. And I don't know what's going to happen from here."

Emily felt so bad for him. He had wanted to get away from his life, but he'd been dragged back into hell because of his sister.

"You and Alison being her parents just makes sense to me. It's the best thing for her."

Emily knew he was convincing himself. He needed to come to terms with everything that had happened…with Courtney and with the two of them.

He furrowed his brows in concentration, peering at the little girl in his arms. His ex-girlfriend had given birth to his child and was going to raise her with her girlfriend. It would have seemed strange to someone outside of the situation, but it made perfect sense to him. He wanted what was best for Autumn.

"She's such a mellow baby. Bet she gets all her chill from you." He elbowed Emily with a smile. Autumn opened her mouth really wide, stretching it into a big yawn. "She seems so happy."

"She's really good. She's a good sleeper. Doesn't fuss very much." Emily shuffled against the couch and moved closer so she could get a better look at her daughter's face.

Emily was a very attentive mother. It didn't surprise him. She'd always been nurturing. There was a sparkle in her eyes. She was absolutely glowing. It was the happiest he'd ever seen her.

"My mom thinks she's luring me into a false sense of security and that at any moment she's going to turn into a squalling demon child."

Emily rubbed her knuckles against Autumn's cheek. When the baby felt her touch her entire demeanor changed. Isaac felt her body relax. Her eyes widened, as if she was excited. She kicked her feet and squeaked.

There wasn't an evil bone in her body.

"I know that some kids turn into little gremlins, but she won't. She'll be good." Isaac stroked Autumn's head.

Emily felt her body seize. She heard Courtney's voice in her head.

"She'll be good."

Isaac noticed her tension. Her stance told him exactly what she was thinking. Somehow, he just knew…

"She said that to you, didn't she?" He swallowed a lump in his throat.

"She did." It felt like someone had wrapped their hands around her neck and she couldn't breathe.

Isaac pursed his lips in thought. He looked like he was about to say something, but at the last minute he clammed up. He lowered his head and averted Emily's gaze. He stared at Autumn, focusing all of his attention on her as he slowly rocked her.

Emily knew he wanted to say something. She knew he was hurting. She wanted him to open up to her, but instead all she got out of him was a sigh.

The hands around her throat were gone. It was as if though they were choking Isaac now. He was gently swaying against the couch. To anyone else it would have looked like he was rocking Autumn. But Emily knew it was more than that.

"You don't have to hide how you're feeling." She wanted to reach out, to touch his arm, but that wasn't them anymore.

She knew it wasn't okay to touch him, because she knew it would only remind him of his heartbreak. There were certain boundaries that weren't worth crossing. She knew it would hurt him more than help him.

He lifted his head and peered at her.

"Is that the real reason that Alison isn't here? You wanted to try and get me to talk about my feelings?" He could see through her bullshit.

"You caught me." She shrugged sheepishly. "You're going through a lot, too. I recognize that. I know it's not easy for you. You've been pulled back and forth for weeks. How are you holding up? It can't be easy. I mean, with your mom's breakdown and with Courtney being…"

At the mention of his sister's name he shrugged uncomfortably. He leaned forward and the couch groaned beneath his large frame. Emily saw the placid look on his face. She saw the moment he shut down. Mentally and emotionally.

He was angry, but he was mad at himself for being angry. Emily knew the feeling. She'd felt it that night.

"C'mon, Isaac, you can talk to me. I know it's weird, and I get that you're upset…"

"I'm not upset." He interjected, his spine straightening again. "I'm angry." He let out a shaky breath. "And I'm embarrassed that I didn't know. I'm horrified by what she did to you. But I'm also…" He paused, his jaw tight, "Proud?" He twisted his lips up and made a face like he smelled something gross. "No. That's not the right word. I'm just glad she protected you all. It was the least she could do after what she put you through. Can't say that she would have done the same for me or anyone else."

"Yeah." Emily's jaw tightened as she clenched down, slowly grinding to the point of discomfort. "I heard a police officer and a doctor talking afterwards. The cops were able to determine the trajectory of the bullet."

"Oh?" He questioned.

"The doctor said that if Courtney hadn't stepped in front of me the bullet would have shredded my spinal cord and ripped into my aorta. I would have died on the spot. And the bullet probably would have injured Alison and Autumn, too."

Isaac flinched.

"Yeah, I saw the security footage."

His family's lawyer had showed him the grainy footage from the building across the street. They were trying to prove that Nick shot first. Isaac had seen Emily reach out to her and catch her before they both fell to the ground.

Courtney had been moving for a few minutes. Emily had been hunched over her, holding her until the medical staff rushed in and pulled her away.

"Did she…" He hesitated. Thoughts were swirling around in his head. "Did she give you a reason?" Courtney never did anything without a purpose. He knew that much. "She was conscious for a little bit, right? She talked to you?"

Emily thought of Courtney, clinging to life. She had been the last person to see the light in her eyes. And she had seen it. She had seen the blonde grapple with her own existence and what it meant to be alive, to be human. She had sought her soul. She knew she'd never find it, but she was self-aware.

Something had gotten through to the blonde, whether it was her own demise or something else, Emily felt it. She knew as soon as Courtney had pulled back from trying to kiss her.

"I won't hurt you."

Emily still had a hard time with the feelings she'd experienced that night. Everything that had happened in that parking deck haunted her.

"She was awake for a few minutes." Emily nodded, curling her arms against her body.

Isaac could tell talking about it was upsetting her.

"I feel like an asshole making you relive this." Isaac started to pull away again. "I can't do this to you…"

"It's okay." Emily interrupted him. She wanted him to know the truth. "What do you want to know?"

He didn't feel like it was fair to ask her anything, but he wasn't sure he'd ever get the answers otherwise.

"What did she say? Do you remember?"

She remembered every word. She remembered everything in perfect clarity up until the nurse had pulled her away and had taken her back to her daughter.

"Am I good?"

She felt an internal chill, but she was able to stop from shivering.

"She said she was sorry." Emily's throat was tight. "For everything."

There was a beat and he lowered his voice,

"Do you think she meant it?"

"I don't know." Emily wanted to believe that she meant every word, but she knew Courtney was a master manipulator. Still, those few moments they'd had after she was shot felt real to her. All of the blonde's defenses were down.

"I think she was being sincere." Emily tried to ease Isaac's mind.

"She had to have known," he was speaking so softly that his voice was nearly a whisper, "that she probably wasn't going to make it out alive."

His eyes gleamed in the light. He looked like a little boy worried about his big sister. His heart was one of his biggest shortcomings, but it just so happened that Emily saw it as one of his greatest assets. It was the main thing that separated him from his sister.

"Was she…" he shifted uncomfortably. It was a question that he didn't really want to know the answer to, "…was she scared?"

Emily thought of the look on Courtney's face. She thought about the tremendous amount of pain she'd been in. And she thought of the unspoken exchange she'd shared with her before she saw her pale blue eyes roll back into her head.

Lie to me.

Isaac didn't need to know the extent of what she'd been through. He'd only torture himself over it. She had promised herself she wouldn't lie to him anymore, but she didn't promise that she wouldn't protect him.

One more lie. She told herself.

One more lie to spare Isaac. If it was anyone but him asking she would have told all the gory details, but she couldn't bear to hurt him.

"She was incredibly brave." She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from flinching. "I think the adrenaline kept her from feeling the pain."

"I'm scared."

The lie tasted bitter in her mouth.

Isaac quietly analyzed Emily's words. She could tell he was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to believe it.

"I know she was awful to you." The sad look on his face bestowed his apologies. "And I know it makes me an unbelievable jerk to say this, but I'm glad you were there with her."

He didn't think anyone else would care to comfort her. He knew that Emily had been kind to her, because that's just who Emily was as a person.

Autumn stirred in his arms. He looked down, his eyes catching hers. They were full of a fascinating wonder, a pure magical expression of unspoiled beauty.

It made him reflect on the fact that everyone in the world started out small and unknowing. It was confusing to him how something so small and innocent could grow up and turn into a monster.

"We're all born this innocent." He murmured as he admired the purity of the newborn.

Emily could see that he was conflicted. The peaceful look on his face didn't match the confusion in his tone.

He could feel Emily's eyes on him.

"We aren't born knowing how to hate." His voice caught in his throat, a mixture of agony and joy. Agony because of what he was going through. Joy because it was impossible to look at Autumn and feel unhappy. "I struggle to understand where my sister went wrong. Sometimes I wonder if she was always messed up or if something happened to make her snap."

She had been a terror as far back into his childhood that he could remember, but had she always been like that? Had she been born like that?

"I can't make sense of any of it. I keep asking myself if something happened to her that made her into a monster. And I wonder if I missed the signs, or if I saw them and just pretended that I didn't notice."

The silence in the room was staggering. Emily understood where he was coming from. She'd seen Courtney for what she was, but she'd never spoken up. She folded her arms in front of her chest and cleared her throat.

"I saw it." Emily admitted. "I knew, but I didn't say anything."

She wondered if she had spoken up if things would have been different. She would always wonder if she could have prevented everything that had happened. She knew that it wasn't her fault, but the "what-ifs" gnawed away at her soul.

What if she'd told someone the first time Courtney had assaulted her?

Forced kisses. The taste of poison. Fingers on her body. Her resistance. Courtney's determination.

She was flickering back to her past. She felt a wave of dizziness brought on by nerves. Her head felt empty.

She had been sheltering him from the truth for so long.

"Emily?" His voice brought her back into a steady reality. "What's wrong?"

"You asked me what she did to me," she said calmly. She hadn't been able to tell him at the time. She'd still been in shock from the kidnapping and the shooting. "I couldn't tell you."

"Yeah." He looked at her in uncertainty, like he was afraid she might break at any minute, like she would push herself too hard and end up hurting herself. "I get it. You're protecting yourself…"

"I couldn't tell you because it's not just my secrets I was protecting." Emily bit her lip. "I want to tell you."

She hesitated. She was being vague and she hated herself for it. She was still protecting Courtney's secrets.

"So then what's stopping you?" He wanted her to talk to him, but he could see she wasn't comfortable.

"Courtney." Saying her name still sent pangs of pain into her chest. "Her secrets." Her throat felt like it was closing up, but she knew if she didn't tell him she was going to regret it. "I've just…never felt like it was my place to tell anyone."

She'd never talked to anyone besides Alison about it, aside from her therapist. What Courtney had done to her was serious. She knew she would be living with it for the rest of her life. She felt as though she'd been clawed open and left bare. Things with Courtney felt so unfinished. Fortunately, Doctor Sullivan was helping her work through the trauma. There was a certain sense of control that came with opening up.

"You never felt like it was your place to tell anyone what?"

"Courtney came on to me." She took a breath and then added with a shaky vibrato, "She did more than that, actually."

Isaac blinked a few times, like he was having a bad daydream and he was trying to get out of it.

"I don't know anything about her sexuality, and I'd never make assumptions because I know what it feels like when the world is calling you something you're not." Emily had dealt with her fair share of homophobia. She had dealt with ignorance. Some of it from people she loved. "I don't think even she knew why she was doing it. All I know is that she got physical…"

Flashes of the nightclub. Of the locker room. Of the rainy church playground. Of her empty house. The aggression. The touches. Talking about it brought it back in vivid detail. She could feel things she wish she'd never felt. She slammed her eyes shut, but instead of shoving it away she let it in.

Emily had no idea what had gone on in Courtney's mind when she tried to force herself on her. She would never be able to make sense of it.

"She tried to control me. She was obsessed with me."

That part he already knew. The girl had tried to kidnap her daughter. He blinked several more times. Still in a weird haze.

"But she was with Nick." A twisted expression of confusion…maybe denial.

"I was with you." Emily pointed out. She'd gone so far to hide her sexuality that she'd had sex with him.

Isaac tried to process it. Emily could see the wheels turning in his head. She thought maybe he might freak out, but he'd been through so much that he was able to absorb it.

As he let it sink in he thought about the way Emily had worded it,

She did more than that.

She got physical.

She tried to control me.

He realized what she was implying. He'd seen the look of terror on her face. His eyes widened.

"She pushed you?" He nearly choked on his words. "Like…tried to force you? Tried to…tried to rape you?" Something in his chest tightened. "She didn't actually get to that point, did she?"

"Almost." Emily winced at the thought of it. "But no. She never succeeded."

"I…" He felt bile rising in his throat. "I knew she was capable of some awful things, but I never thought…"

He reflexively reached for Emily's hand. There was nothing physical or intimate about the touch. It wasn't suggestive or untoward. His intentions were purely out of kindness. He was a friend reaching out to another friend. He gripped her fingers and shot her a thoughtful look of compassion.

"That she would do something that bad…" He squeezed her fingers and then pulled away. He didn't want to cross any boundaries, especially considering his sister had obliterated Emily's boundaries. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just thought it was time for you to know the truth." She knew the timing was terrible, but if she held it in any longer she was going to go crazy. "I have been seeing this therapist who is helping me work through everything. We talked about repression and how damaging it can be. I buried everything I was feeling for so long. I took up boxing because I didn't like the way she made me feel. I took up riding because I needed to feel in control."

In a way, Courtney made her fight back. She had bounced back stronger than ever, though Emily would never give that power to her. The choices she made were all her own.

"As much time as I spent hiding things I never thought talking to a stranger would be what broke through to me." She let out a nervous laugh. "But I need to be at my healthiest…" She reached over and touched Autumn's toes, "…for her."

Autumn recognized her mother's touch. She let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed in Isaac's embrace.

"Therapy, huh?" He reached up and rubbed his chin. Emily could see the tiniest bit of stubble growing on his face. "Maybe I need to consider it. There's no telling what happened to my brain growing up the way I did. I might be a psychopath and not even know it."

"You're the most normal person I know." Emily's expression softened. Somehow despite his childhood and despite having Courtney as a sister he had managed to become kind and self-aware.

"Did you just call me boring?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. He had a smile on his face.

"Boring is good. Normal is good." She needed normal after everything she'd been through. "And you're the best normal person I know." She pinched Autumn's foot. "She'll be lucky to know you."

Isaac smiled at Emily, a silent 'thank you'. He looked down at Autumn again. He spoke to her, quietly and softly.

Emily hadn't imagined that her daughter would open up so many channels of communication, but people opened up in ways that she'd never seen when they were around Autumn. It was magical in a way.

A sharp chirping noise interrupted the moment. Isaac grimaced and looked at where he'd placed his phone on the table in front of them. He picked it up and made a face at the screen.

"It's my dad." His tone was crawling with a seething anger, but the look on his face was a sad sort of anguish. "The service is in two days back in Texas." He put the phone down, ignoring reality. "It probably makes me a terrible person, but I don't want to go. I want to skip it, but I feel bad because I'm pretty sure no one else is going…"

"Really?" She assumed half the school would go to the funeral.

Emily varied between wanting to pay her respects and spitting on the sacred burial ground.

She wanted to go for Isaac's sake. He'd done his best to be there for her during the final months of her pregnancy. She wanted to be there for him, but her doctor wouldn't clear her for long-distance travel. She'd had too many complications near the end of her labor. The blood clot had nearly killed her. She also had Autumn to think about. She couldn't just travel across the country with a newborn. She was still too young and her immune system wasn't developed enough yet.

"I don't think I can go back." Something in his eyes changed. He had a pensive look on his face. "I know I should let myself feel the grief, but the truth is I want to floor the gas and get as far away as possible."

"I understand that." She had run, too. She had run away in many ways. But she'd learned that no matter how far she ran she couldn't outrun her past or her pain. "Sometimes we need time to come to terms with things."

He was working through a lot. His entire life was changing. She knew what that felt like.

"I think I need to stay here," he said. His brow tightened. "I mean not here here." He gestured to the house. "Here, in town." He slowly faced her. His large brown eyes looked similar to a sad puppy. "Would you be cool with that? I won't bug you or anything."

He was worried that he might mess up their routine. The last thing he wanted to do was to cause friction. They'd already been through enough.

"You're not a burden, Isaac." Emily made it a point to hold eye contact with him. She wanted him to know she meant it. She didn't blame him for any of it. "You being here is not a problem. I expected you'd want to stay. It's the logical thing to do. You have to do what you have to do. Alison and I both understand that."

"This is so hard. I feel torn. I just feel like after everything she did to you…"

"Family is complicated. I get that."

He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been thinking about what he wanted to do since he'd gotten the call about Courtney.

His plans in Ohio were falling apart. Going back to San Antonio wasn't feasible. His parents didn't want to be there either. The house reminded them too much of their daughter. They were staying with a friend in New York. Isaac didn't really want to crash with them.

"Thanks, Em." He offered a warm smile. "It's been on my mind since I got that call." He blinked, a far-away look on his face. "I've been thinking about a lot lately. I feel like my whole life is shifting."

He was trying to think about his future. He was months away from starting college, which meant starting football again. But things were up in the air.

He rubbed at an invisible lump in his windpipe, then cleared his throat,

"With everything that happened…everything that's going on…" He swallowed again. "I want to be close. I think I'm going to go to Georgetown. D.C. is a hell of a lot closer than Columbus. It's just the more sensible choice."

"I thought you had your heart set on Ohio."

He had been so excited to get accepted to Ohio State. They had offered him a full ride. He would have had the chance to become an Ohio Buckeye. Georgetown wasn't offering him nearly as much.

"I had my heart set on anything other than what I really needed to feel." He admitted. "What happened to Courtney got me thinking about family." He rocked Autumn, a perfect rhythmic motion that made her yawn. "I know we still haven't figured out exactly how to do this, but I do know I want to be a part of it." His eyes were filled with a gentle timidity. "You were always my safe place to land."

When he looked at her she saw the same sweet boy she'd found talking to a frog on a church playground. Autumn had a similar innocence.

"You were always my family. I want that back. Not like…" He stuttered, "Not like when we were together. I know that's over, but you and I were friends before all of this. I think we can get that back. I want our friendship back, and I want to know Autumn and Alison. And maybe they'll want to keep this ole' stray, too." He chuckled softly. "I don't know what you have planned for her, but I can be something if you want me to. A babysitter. An uncle. I just want to know her. I want to see you two with her."

Autumn cooed, a soft self-soothing noise that drew all the attention in the room to her. Isaac smiled at her.

"I understand that you and Alison are her moms. I don't want to change that. She belongs with you. I get that. But this can work. I know it can. You don't have to hide from me anymore. I know exactly who you are and I love that you. I just want you to be who you are, and to be happy with who you are."

"I want that for you, too," Emily said, her eyes brimming with tears. It had been so long since she'd been able to be real with Isaac. "It's fine if you want to be in her life. Alison and I have already talked about this at length. You're a part of this, too."

She wanted their friendship back, too. She wondered if she was being selfish wanting to have them both in her life.

It had taken her far too long to realize that loving them both was okay. She could have Alison as her partner and Isaac as her best friend. She'd tried so hard to keep them separate that she wasn't sure what it felt like to love them both.

Isaac's body posture changed when he realized that Emily wanted him around. He didn't want to feel like an outsider in her life. He didn't realize she still wanted him in her life. He smiled at her as they exchanged a soft mutual expression of understanding.

Autumn made a gurgling sound and then started squirming. Isaac shifted uncomfortably.

"What was that? Did I do something wrong?" His back stiffened. "Am I holding her wrong?"

The fact that he was so careful meant a lot to Emily. It also reminded her that there was a world of difference between Isaac and Alison. The blonde was a natural with her. Isaac seemed really nervous, which was totally understandable. He'd never been around babies before.

"You're doing fine." Emily assured him.

As she watched Isaac cradling her daughter she thought about how far they had come as a family.

He spoke softly to the little girl. And she seemed to be listening.

It was in that moment that Emily realized that Isaac was right. They were going to be able to make their family work.

They were going to be okay.

o ~ O ~ o

Emily texted Alison suggesting that they all have breakfast together. It took the blonde all of sixty seconds to get there.

Alison had made up some bullshit story about going to The Brew for coffee after she had dropped Emily and Autumn off. Instead, she'd driven around the block and then pulled into the empty garage at her house.

She'd watched Emily's mom and dad leave for work. Ten minutes later a black rental car had pulled into Emily's driveway. Isaac sat in the car for a few minutes. From afar it looked like he was messing around with his phone, but she knew he was stalling because he was nervous.

When he finally got out of the car he slowly traipsed up the porch steps and stood in front of the front door with his fist raised, ready to knock. He pulled back at the last second and paced around in a circle. After he psyched himself up he gathered up his nuts and rang the doorbell.

They'd been inside for ten minutes. Alison understood why it was so important for Emily to talk to him alone, but she didn't like being left out. She had matured a lot since she first started dating Emily. She no longer wanted to strangle other people for spending time with her. But sometimes she still fell back on her old jealousy even though she'd grown.

With the passing of each minute her overprotective urges grew. She did everything short of creeping over and staring inside Emily's front window. She felt a little bit like a stalker. She was trying to figure out if there was a way to spy through Emily's front window from her front porch when she got the text.

I know you lied about coffee you fibber. Stop being a creeper and get over here. We're having breakfast.

She didn't have to be told twice. She scurried over to the Fields house.

When she got there she found Emily and Isaac in the living room.

Isaac was leaning on the edge of the couch stretching his neck over Autumn's bassinet. He had his phone out over the opening, snapping a picture of Autumn in her pink pastel onesie. Hanna had bought the stylish long-sleeved garment for her.

The bassinet matched the one at Emily's apartment. Her father had gone a little overboard and bought two of them because he knew they'd be spending a lot of time at the house.

The bassinet was in between the couch and the chair. Emily was sitting cattycorner in her dad's chair on the other side of the bassinet.

She waved Alison over.

Isaac put his phone away and jutted his chin up, nodding to acknowledge her.

"Hey, Alison." He gave her a wary smile. He wasn't sure how she was going to feel about him being there, much less being near Autumn. The last time they had been in the same room they'd clashed.

To his relief Alison smiled back. It was a tight passive smile, but it was better than nothing. They both wanted the best for Autumn, and that meant meeting each other halfway. They didn't hate each other, but their situation was weird. They were both hoping that the weirdness would fade with time.

"Hi, Isaac," she replied politely. It was her "churchgoing" voice she'd been taught when she was little, back when her parents forced her to go to church even though they were the most sinful family on the block.

"How was your coffee at The Brew?" Emily teased her.

Alison shot her a smarmy look.

"Dark. Like my soul."

Emily rolled her eyes with a laugh.

"I'll be sure to make a note of that since I'm ordering for us right now." Emily scrolled through an app on her phone.

"I didn't realize they serve coffee at the mechanic." Isaac tried to suppress a grin, but failed.

Emily shot Isaac the same sarcastic look that Alison had given her. Alison watched the exchange between them. She was able to deduce that Emily had told him she wasn't there because she was having car problems.

"You're kind of a smartass." Alison liked that about him.

Emily tapped her finger against her phone, picking items on the menu. She didn't have to ask what they wanted. She knew them both well enough to order for them.

"Guilty as charged." Isaac slipped his phone in his pocket. "So, you been doing okay?"

Alison heard the faintest hint of his southern drawl. She'd never stopped to actually listen to him before.

"Yeah. You?"

There was a slight hesitation before he answered.

"Not bad." He shrugged it off, but she could tell that he was struggling. The whole thing with Courtney was really hard on him. "Better now…"

He leaned over the bassinet. Autumn's arms were up by her face, her hands curling towards her cheeks. Her tongue was poking out in between her lips as she moved her head gently from side to side, fighting her fatigue. She'd spit her pacifier out and was starting to get cranky. He picked it up and put it against her lips. She latched on and started sucking on it.

"Meeting her puts a lot of things in perspective for me." He laid his index finger in Autumn's open palm, watching in awe as her fingers reflexively closed around it. "Hard to be upset about anything when you look at her."

"She has that effect." Alison walked towards the bassinet.

She peered down at her sweet little Autumn Violet and smiled at her.

"Hi, baby."

Autumn responded to her voice with a nonsensical gurgle beneath the pacifier. Her eyes tracked from side to side, searching for her mom. Alison reached into the bassinet and put her hand on Autumn's stomach.

Autumn slid her arms up next to her face and stretched. The sleeve of her onesie slipped down below her wrist. A burst of energy surged through her tiny body. She spit her pacifier out. Alison wasn't surprised that she was rejecting the pacifier. It wasn't her favorite.

Alison pulled her hand away from the bassinet and looked between the empty space on the couch and the chair where Emily was sitting. She had to fight her urge to scooch on to the chair next to her. She swallowed her pride and sat down on the sofa with Isaac.

It wasn't nearly as awkward as she thought it was going to be. They had found a common interest in Autumn.

Emily watched Isaac and Alison bond over her daughter and she thought about how the little girl brought people together. It was nothing short of amazing.

I'm the luckiest mom in the world. She was pretty certain all mothers felt that way about their children, but she understood it now.

"Breakfast should be here in about twenty minutes." Emily put her phone down and scooted her dad's chair a few inches closer to where her daughter was resting.

Isaac had an inquisitive expression on his face.

"Did they have…"

"The picante-salsa option for your eggs?" Emily finished Isaac's sentence. "I asked for them to add it on."

"Is that even on the menu here?" Isaac asked.

"No, but they'll make it work." Emily smiled. "Got the avocado toast, too."

"Eggs with salsa and avocado toast? That's kind of a hippie blend. Are you sure you're a southerner?" Alison tried her hand at lightening the mood.

"I'm a Texan. Big difference." He curled his finger through his belt loops and tugged on them, as if he was a cowboy who had just come home from a long day of riding horses in the field. He tipped an imaginary hat and uttered, "Ma'am."

He was being overzealous to make a point. It made Emily laugh. She had never seen him do anything like it. She couldn't tell if he was nervous or if he was trying to break the ice.

"I appreciate you both for going out of your way to make sure I don't feel like a stray street urchin. Thanks for not banishing me to The Island of Misfit Boys." He rubbed the top of his head and laughed nervously.

Alison groaned at the corny movie reference, but it didn't seem to bother Isaac.

"I know what you're thinking. It's a good thing I'm pretty and good at sports." He leaned back against the couch, fanning his arms out behind him. He was slowly starting to make himself comfortable. "I never would have gotten into Georgetown with my sense of humor."

"Georgetown?" Alison asked curiously.

"We were talking about colleges before you got here." Emily explained. "He's pretty set on Georgetown."

She glanced at the blonde. She was worried about how Alison would react. Alison didn't like being surprised. She hated being out of the loop.

Brown eyes found blue. Emily silently begged her to say something encouraging. They'd had discussions about Isaac being involved in Autumn's life, but they didn't know he would be so close. It made sense to Emily because he needed to be close to New York for his family.

"I hear Georgetown is an amazing school. They'll be lucky to have you." The sincere look on Alison's face shocked Isaac.

Emily saw Alison peer at Autumn. She was reminding herself that she didn't need to feel threatened. She was reminding herself that Autumn was a part of all three of their lives. Isaac being in the picture didn't mean she was less important to her. She was her mother.

"Emily tells me you got into NYU. Congrats." He nodded his head in approval.

He was impressed. NYU wasn't an easy school to get in to.

"Thanks. I'm going to be taking my core classes here before going to the big leagues." She already had her first semester planned out.

"Smart." Isaac tapped the side of his temple with his index finger.

The vibe in the room was a lot more relaxed than all three of them had assumed it would be.

As they chatted Autumn started to get restless. She was used to someone holding her when she was awake. She was already spoiled.

Emily picked her up to discover that she was in need of a diaper change.

She glanced at her watch and realized it was almost time to nurse her. She was still insecure about feeding her in front of other people. Only Alison and her mom had seen her completely exposed. She knew Isaac would probably feel just as weird about it.

"Is she okay?" Isaac's voice was laden with concern.

"She just needs to be changed," Emily replied, rising to her feet.

"It's almost time for her next feeding, isn't it?" Alison asked.

Emily loved that Alison was so in tune with Autumn's schedule. They had really been tag-teaming it. Alison had been going above and beyond, which was pretty incredible considering most high school graduates were partying their summers away.

"Yeah, but I'm going to get her a fresh diaper first." Emily held Autumn close to her, laying her little body against her shoulder. Autumn stopped squirming and laid her head down in the crook of Emily's neck.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get her cleaned up and then grab the privacy blanket so I can nurse her." At the mention of nursing she saw Isaac's cheeks flush.

"Are you comfortable with me being here? I can go for a walk or something." He didn't want her to feel obligated to let him stay.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emily nodded. "The blanket covers all the good bits." She saw him laugh. "It will just take me a few minutes to change her diaper."

"I actually need a little biology break myself." Isaac rubbed his palms against his jeans. "Which way is the bathroom again? I was a little out of it the last time I was here."

"Down the hall to the left." Alison pointed.

Emily rummaged around in the chair cushion and then dug through a small bag of the baby's things.

"You looking for something?" Alison stood up.

"Yeah, can you see if I left Autumn's favorite binky in my purse? It's in the kitchen."

Alison knew that Autumn slept better after she nursed if she had her favorite pacifier, so she was determined to find it.

She found Emily's purse on the kitchen counter. She dug through it until she found the little bag that had the light pink silicone pacifier Emily's dad had bought. He'd been shopping a lot more since Autumn had been born. He wanted his grandbaby to have the best of the best.

Alison walked back into the living room. Isaac was back at his spot on the couch. Alison didn't realize how odd it would be to be alone with him. She sank down on the other end of the couch. The room was silent except for the ticking of the small vintage clock on the mantle.

"So…" Isaac looked at Alison awkwardly.

"So." Alison nodded in response, not sure what else to say.

It was the first time they'd been alone together.

"This is weird." He smiled, and she almost found it charming. "The last time we were together in this room I'm pretty sure you were fantasizing about beating me with a baseball bat."

"That's not true. It wasn't a baseball bat. It was a tire iron."

He huffed out a surprised laugh.

"I'm not going to lie. I was a little afraid of you. You look like someone who bites. And you probably have sharp teeth…"

"I was just trying to protect Emily." Even though Emily was the last person on the planet who needed protection she went feral when she sensed a threat to her.

"Emily has a pretty strong right hook." He knew that because he'd taught it to her.

"True." Alison nodded. "And I also realized that you were kind of soft."

"Hey, now. Don't insult me. I'm plenty tough." He made an exaggerated motion of puffing his chest out and flexing. He was buff from exercising, but even with his large muscles and tough physique she knew that he'd never hurt a fly. "Just ask my grandmother. I'm her designated pickle jar opener."

He had a boyish grin on his face. Alison finally understood his appeal. He was a complete dork.

He had a big heart. He was funny. And he wasn't fazed by anything. They were all qualities she would love to see in Autumn. He was a genuinely nice guy, and that made her feel a lot better about the fact that Autumn had his blood flowing through her veins.

"I used to hate your guts." Alison laughed sheepishly. "But I didn't even know you."

"Same," he replied with a laugh.

"I haven't been treating you fairly." Alison looked down, picking at a piece of lint on her pants.

"Well, you're not chasing me out of town with a tire iron, so that's a point in the win column," he replied dryly.

"You've probably figured out by now that I'm kind of possessive of Emily."

"Nooo." He feigned a sarcastic gasp. "You?"

Alison shook her head at his theatrics.

"I thought you were trying to compete with me for her, but I get that it's not about competition," Alison said.

"It never was." He said it without any hint of malice. "You were always her first choice. She told me that one night when we were talking. She told me about how she knew you from before. And about how her tattoo was a way to keep you close. I always thought it was about seasons or something. But she said it was about you. She said she never got over you."

"She did?" Alison shifted on the sofa in surprise.

"We've got an honesty policy." He reached up and curled his fingers around his elbow, slowly moving his palm up to rub his arm. "I want to extend that to you, too. I figured the best way to make Autumn feel comfortable is to be comfortable ourselves."

"That's really mature of you." Alison pursed her lips. She couldn't quite figure him out.

"You sound surprised."

"I'm not really used to mature boys. The guys at my high school were slime." She thought about Noel Kahn. She couldn't believe she'd dated the creepy pervert. "And my brother is mentally a fifteen-year-old boy in a man's body." Though he was taking steps to change his life for the better. "He spent last winter building large snow penises outside his College Dean's office."

Isaac let out a boisterous laugh, something that suggested he would do the same thing given the chance. Still, she respected him.

"I guess they breed you better in Texas." Alison crossed her legs and leaned back against the couch.

"Texan boys are typical show quality." He nodded his head with a feign look of sincerity on his face. "I even have all my shots and everything."

He managed to pull a string of chuckles out of the blonde, which in turn made him laugh. They were both easing into a state of relaxation. The air in the room was lighter.

When the laughter stopped and the silence returned Alison felt a shift in the atmosphere. The easy-going boy next to her had drifted into a contemplative mood. He was reflecting about things Alison could only speculate about. She wasn't sure what to say, so she pulled her phone out and tried to busy herself by casually scrolling through some of her photos.

She smiled at a picture of Emily cuddling with Autumn on their bed. Autumn had her head tucked down underneath Emily's chin, her thin coils of hair curled up against Emily's skin.

Autumn grew every day. She looked different every day. She was already sporting some adorable baby bedhead. Alison couldn't wait to start using bows in her hair. She adored making her the most fashionable baby in town. She was already working on accessorizing her.

Alison swiped to another picture. Emily was staring back at her from her bike. She had one hand on the handle and was extending the other towards the camera, towards Alison.

Alison remembered that day. It had been the second time she'd ridden on the bike with her. She remembered how safe she felt with her arms around her belly, a belly she didn't know had been growing a tiny human at the time.

She heard Isaac shuffle on the couch. He cleared his throat and then faced her. Alison felt his eyes on her. She looked at him.

"Take care of her," he said.

"She can take care of herself just fine." Alison smiled.

She'd seen Emily throw enough punches to know that.

"Not Emily." He clarified. His eyes drifted towards the steps.

"Oh," Alison said, a spark of realization flickering in her eyes. "Autumn."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just promise me you'll take care of her. She's special."

"She is." Alison smiled. "And I will. I promise."

"Are you cool with me coming to hang with you guys from time to time?"

"Not my call to make."

"It partly is though." He glanced at her. "Autumn isn't just Emily's daughter. She's yours, too."

She knew Autumn was her baby, too, but hearing it from him took her breath away. He saw the shocked expression on her face.

"Look, I respect you, Alison. You didn't have to step up when you found out she was pregnant. You didn't have to stay with her, but you did. That tells me how much you love her…and how much you love Autumn."

"I do." Her voice came out tiny. She barely recognized it.

"That's all that matters to me." Isaac's eyes lingered on hers. She could see a little crease between his brows. "Emily is the best person I've ever known. And she deserves the best."

"I promise to give her nothing less."

"After seeing the way you look at her and the way you are with Autumn, I don't doubt that." The crease was gone now. His lips turned up, an unwavering smile.

There was an unspoken understanding between them.

Soft footsteps interrupted their silent conversation. Emily walked in with a privacy blanket slung over her shoulder. Autumn was resting her cheek on it.

Emily took a moment to gauge the distance between Alison and Isaac, trying to read the room. She furrowed her brow.

"Everything okay?" She walked towards the chair.

"Yeah." Alison glanced at Isaac. "We're good."

Emily didn't believe it until she saw both Isaac and Alison smile. She smiled back while settling into the chair.

She lowered Autumn in her arms and draped the blanket over her, adjusting her shirt underneath the blanket.

Isaac looked away for courtesy's sake, but after a few seconds he looked back. He was curious. He'd never been around a nursing mother before. The fact that it was Emily, and that her body was still taking care of her child was kind of amazing.

They settled into a comfortable conversation. When breakfast arrived they ate together.

It shaped up to be a really nice visit, a stark contrast to his last visit.

He didn't want to leave, but his phone buzzed from his pocket, reminding him that he had things to take care of in the outside world.

He glanced at the screen and sighed.

"I have to go." He buried the phone in his pocket again. "Family stuff."

His dedication and loyalty was somewhat heartbreaking in a way. He never gave up on family, even if it was fruitless. He'd spent most of his life trying to salvage something that was never salvageable. His perseverance was admirable.

"You have a family in us, too. Don't forget that, okay?" Emily reminded him.

He took a moment to appreciate the new chapter that had opened up in his life. An accidental pregnancy had given him three wonderful girls. He had been fortunate enough to not only have Emily, but to have Alison and Autumn, too. He only hoped that with time he'd be able to move on from his past so he could appreciate his future. For the time being he had to deal with his present, and it wasn't something he was looking forward to.

o ~ O ~ o

The day of the funeral Alison and Emily had gone to the park. They sat on a bench bathing in the sun, holding hands as they let Autumn take in the world around her. They could already tell she was going to be a naturally curious child. She heard the other children playing and she perked up, her eyes widening as her ears focused on the sound.

It was a beautiful day in Rosewood, but Emily's mind was in San Antonio. She'd gotten up early that morning to watch the sunrise with her girls. Starting the day together as a family was something they had established right after Autumn had been born.

Watching the sunrise was a routine Emily used to keep up with the breastfeeding times. Autumn nursed while Emily sat in her mother's old rocking chair and watched the burst of pink and purple hues paint the town of Rosewood.

Alison usually made breakfast with tea. She was learning how to cook from Caleb and Mike. Since the apartment was right around the corner from The Brew she was a frequent visitor. Sabrina had given her kitchen privileges. Emily was proud of her. She'd come a long way from talking down to people who served food to learning how to cook it herself.

They'd had Eggs Benedict and a fruit parfait before they set off on their daily routine.

First, Autumn had a check-up at the doctor. She was happy and healthy. She didn't even cry when the nurse took her to weigh her and get her vitals. She was right where she was supposed to be in terms of growth.

After the doctor they went to the Fields house to spend the day with Emily's parents. There was rarely an instance when the baby wasn't in Wayne's or Pam's arms. Alison and Emily took the opportunity to go through some boxes of Emily's baby things that were packed away in the garage. Her mother was practically a pack-rat when it came to her childhood, so there were several things they picked out to pass down to Autumn.

They ended their day at the park. The sun was low on the horizon, but the heat was still radiating against them. Alison stole a glance at Emily as the bright rays of light bounced off of her dark tresses.

She was finally out of maternity pants and back in her pre-pregnancy clothes. She had on a pair of her favorite leather pants and a fitted black T-shirt and combat boots.

Alison knew she was itching to get back on her bike. She hadn't been able to take a spin yet because she was still healing from her post-natal complications. It was also had to find the time to pry herself away from the baby.

Emily had one hand between them against the bench they were sitting on and the other on the handle of the stroller, as if it was the only thing holding her daughter in place even though the wheels were locked.

The brunette had been reserved and withdrawn most of the day. Alison knew it was because of the funeral.

"How are you doing?" Alison moved her fingers close to where Emily was resting her hand.

Emily turned towards her. Alison's perception of the situation didn't surprise her. They had been more in tune since the baby's birth. They'd talked about their eerily connected nightmares that they'd had when Emily was drugged and Alison was in the morgue cabinet. Somehow Emily knew that Alison was reaching out to her, and Alison knew that Emily was reaching back.

Emily placed her hand on top of Alison's, curling her fingers underneath the blonde's small palm. She drew circles against her knuckles with her thumb.

"It's so weird to know that right now in Texas there is a casket being lowered into the ground. And two parents are saying goodbye to their child." She looked at her child.

Her perspective had changed since she'd had Autumn. She didn't think about the death of someone in terms of just them anymore. She thought about their parents as well.

"I'm just glad it's not one of our graves." Alison shuddered and pushed away the dark thoughts she was having about how close she'd come to losing them. "Did Isaac end up going or is he still dealing with things here?" She flipped her palm over and cupped Emily's hand firmly.

Emily leaned forward and bent her knees, pushing her feet underneath the bench. She crossed her ankles, letting the steel-toed edge of her combat boot dangle an inch off of the ground.

"He went to New York to get some paperwork done." Emily had been surprised to get the call from Isaac about New York. "Nick's terms and conditions were oddly specific."

Alison arched her brows and pressed her lips together. Her cheeks puffed up with air and she blew out a breath.

"I never in a million years would have guessed that this is how things would have ended up."

Emily could feel her anxiety oozing into her grip. She squeezed Alison's hand.

"None of this changes anything." She touched Alison's knee.

"Are you sure about that?"

Emily smiled, lifting Alison's hand to her lips, kissing her knuckles delicately. Her lips slid over her skin, leaving traces of her lip gloss on her hand.

"Ali, it took me so long to get here with you. I didn't come all this way just for me to lose you." She lifted her other hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Alison's ear. "I'm done letting Courtney's actions dictate our lives. She's a non-factor as far as I'm concerned. We're here. She's gone."

"Not even hell would be far enough away." Alison murmured.

"Ali…" Emily said softly. "Look at us. Look at where we are. Considering how things started we're pretty damn lucky to be here, don't you think?"

Alison knew she was right, but she was still having trouble letting go.

Emily peered into Alison's eyes, getting lost in the memories of the past.

"Do you remember the first time we kissed?" Emily let her hand linger by the blonde's cheek.

"At the kissing rock?" Passions had exploded that day. It was as if Emily had reached in and gripped her heart.

"Before that. At your sleepover when we were younger. Your birthday."

"Of course." Alison leaned towards the brunette. Her eyes flickered to the moisture on Emily's lips. They were shining in the sun. "You were in those black knee-socks with purple hearts on them and that oversized flannel T-shirt and blue jean jacket." She could feel the memory, a ghost of Emily's lips on her mouth. "You smelled like coconuts."

"I was going through a tropical shampoo phase." Emily slowly started to close the distance between their lips.

"I remember the way your lips tasted. And I remember being sad that it didn't last longer." Alison inched towards her girlfriend. "What do you remember about it?" She looked at Emily's mouth again, this time deliberately staring.

Emily hummed happily at the memory.

"Your skin was so smooth. Like silk. And your lips…" Her grin widened. "Your lips tasted like the best thing in the world."

"My cherry chapstick." Alison nodded.

Emily shook her head.

"Not just that. There was more to it. The softness of them…and the care that you put into that kiss. It was so sweet." Emily's hand slid towards the inseam of Alison's jeans, gently squeezing her thigh.

"Emily Fields." Alison uttered in faked shock outrage. "We are in a public place with our child two feet away from us."

"So?" Emily challenged. She moved her hand dangerously close to where Alison's thighs met. "You want to know the best part of being your girlfriend?"

Alison blinked slowly, looking at her through hooded eyes.

"What?"

"I can kiss you wherever and whenever I want." She released her grip on Alison's thigh and grabbed her cheek.

Alison's lips crashed against Emily's. Their hands reached for each other's faces at the exact same moment.

Emily pulled back and then pecked her lips with a smile.

"So?" Emily grinned against Alison's lips. "Did it take you back to the first time?"

"It's just as magical now as it was then." Alison felt her body trembling in desire. She looked at Emily's lips again as she chewed at her own. "There's something I've never told you about that kiss."

She pulled back a few inches, her face flushing. Emily's hand tightened around Alison's.

"What?"

"It was my first kiss."

"There's something I've never told you about the kiss, too." Emily smiled, pausing a beat before continuing, "It was my first, too."

Alison grazed the side of Emily's neck with her fingernails. With a single finger she traced the line of Emily's collar bone. The slope above and the one below. She moved her hand up against the side of her neck again, letting her palm rest against the divot between her shoulder and her collar bone.

Their lips met again. This time it was less about lust and more about feeling the moment. Alison closed her eyes.

"You are the best wish I've ever wished for." She softly moaned. She reached up and threaded her fingers through Emily's hair.

"Get a room!" They heard a familiar voice teasing with a laugh, startling them out of their embrace.

They looked up and saw Mike and Aria in jogging attire walking towards them. Hanna was behind them in the flashiest workout clothes they had ever seen. Toby and Spencer were trailing along behind them.

"Michelangelo Montgomery." Aria smacked his shoulder.

Emily choked on a laugh. Michelangelo Montgomery was even better than Tobias Bieber Cavanaugh.

"Michelangelo?" Alison snorted out a laugh. "I knew your parents were into artsy chic stuff, but I had no idea they were hardcore Sistine Chapel STANs."

"You give them too much credit." Aria chuckled, like she was in on a joke that only she knew. "He's named for the Ninja Turtle. My parents let me pick his name. I was going through a phase…" She turned and grinned at him. "He's lucky I didn't pick Shredder."

"Hey, Shredder would have been a dope ass name." Mike didn't complain.

He looked down at the top of her head. He was younger, but he had a good six inches on Aria. He tousled her hair, earning him the look of death that only a sister could give. He scampered away from her.

"Quit playing around and get over here and meet her, Montgomery." Alison gestured toward the stroller.

Mike's entire face lit up.

Emily was already reaching into the stroller to pick the baby up, because she knew Mike wouldn't leave until he'd cuddled with her.

Mike and Aria were practically in sync in their pace, but Mike got to them first. He looked at Emily eagerly.

"Do you remember what you learned in Home Economics about how to hold a baby?" Aria asked.

"Yes, you're not supposed to hold them upside down by their ankle." Mike deadpanned.

Alison furrowed her brow.

"I'm kind of thinking you need to pass a class before we let you hold her," she said.

"Come on. Everyone else has had a turn." Mike pushed his lips out in a pout.

Alison glanced at Emily, uncertain that he was experienced enough to hold Autumn. Her eyes exuded concern. Emily shrugged as if to say "We're right here."

"If you drop her I'll sue you." Emily extended her arms to pass her over to him.

"Aria dropped me plenty and I'm fine." He scoffed.

"Not exactly giving me a lot of confidence here." Alison's voice had a nervous edge to it.

"I got this. I swear." He looked down at Autumn and smiled as Emily let go and let him have her. He cooed. "Hello, Baby Badass, I'm your Uncle Mike."

Autumn peered up at him, squinting into the light of day.

"Awww." He was instantly in love with her. "If anyone ever tries to hurt you I will karate chop their faces in half. And when you get old enough I'll show you how to throw punches of your own."

"You might want to leave that to professionals." Aria pushed him teasingly.

"Hey, be careful." He scowled. "I'm carrying precious cargo here." He curled his arms around the infant protectively.

"Yes, and you need adult supervision to do so." Hanna walked up behind him. She smiled widely at the baby. "Hey, sweet baby. You want to come on a jog with your Auntie Hanna? I can get you away from these crazy people."

"You're jogging?" Alison guffawed. She looked down at the sneakers on her feet, which was something she'd never seen before. She'd never seen anything other than heels on her. "Did you lose a bet?"

"These may not be knife-shoes, but if I throw one at you it would still hurt." Hanna glared at her. After a few seconds her scowl turned into a teasing smile.

Toby and Spencer finally caught up to them.

"Hey, Ali. Em." Toby waved. "We miss you at the gym."

"I lucked out getting Ezra as a boss. I don't know that many other employers would pay maternity leave for a part-timer high school student."

Emily had been able to squeeze in a few hours here and there when she was put on bed rest. It had basically been clerical work. She'd been sitting at the front desk the entire time.

It was during that time that she found out that Ezra was going to pay her while she was away on maternity leave.

"High school graduate." Alison reminded her.

"Yeah, by some miracle." Emily still couldn't believe that she'd managed to graduate high school with everything going on in her life.

"No miracle. You worked hard. You earned it." Spencer had seen her buckle down on her studies firsthand.

Even during bouts of morning sickness and general baby-brain she was still determined to get her diploma.

"Consider yourself lucky that you get a break before college classes start." Mike moved Autumn into the nook of one of his large muscular arms. He'd really been working on his physique. "I have to train non-stop this summer for tryouts next year. Hence…" He gestured to his body with his free arm.

"So, Han, what are you training for?" Emily lifted her brow curiously at Hanna.

As long as she'd known Hanna Marin the girl had never been interested in sports. It's part of the reason she loved Caleb so much. He was completely uninterested in anything that had touchdowns, baskets, or home runs.

"Black Friday sales." A cheeky expression topped off the mischievous look in her eyes.

"That tracks." Alison could totally imagine Hanna zipping through crowds of people at department stores on the most crowded sales day of the year to get everything her heart desired for a fraction of what it would usually cost.

"Those crowds are cutthroat. I'll be running for my life."

"Speaking of, don't think that you get to skimp on our run just because a cute baby happens to be here distracting us." Aria glanced at her watch.

Emily wasn't sure if she was checking the time or checking her steps.

"Man, you're such a hardass." Mike rolled his eyes. "Relax. Isn't Black Friday like five months away?"

"Dude," Hanna mimicked the way Mike spoke with a teasing smile on her face, "you know that was a joke right? I'm not really going to claw my way through herds of bloodthirsty zombies for a five dollar crockpot. Like I'd need training for that anyway? I could navigate that in my sleep. Now give me that baby so I can get my endorphins running before I start running."

She extended her arms, hands stretched out with her palms up. She curled her fingers, slapping them against her palm, gesturing for him to let her hold Autumn.

"No way." He turned away from the blonde. "I just got her."

"She's not a toy, guys." Spencer rolled her eyes.

"I got next." Toby grinned, purposefully trying to exacerbate the situation.

"She's not a video game either," Spencer said sarcastically.

"Yeah." Aria agreed. She smirked. "Besides, it's my turn."

Emily and Alison watched as they bickered over the baby, both of them too weary from sleep deprivation to intervene. Some nights they got sleep. Other nights they were up most of the night with her. They were happy to let their friends spend some time with her.

Autumn seemed happy, too. At one point when Mike was holding her they could have sworn they heard a giggle. After they had all had their turns cuddling her they said their goodbyes.

Autumn started gurgling, a telltale sign that she needed to be burped. Alison motioned for Mike to pass the baby to her.

She reached in her diaper bag and pulled out a burp cloth. She slung it over her shoulder and then laid the baby against her, patting her back gently. After a few seconds of patting an 'urp' vibrated against the cloth.

"Not bad." Mike was impressed with the burp. "Not quite burping the alphabet yet, but I'll teach her."

"You will do no such thing." Aria curled her lips in disgust.

"Like you'll be able to stop me?" He poked her in the ribs and then took off running, because he knew she could kick his ass.

Aria just shook her head with a laugh. She glanced at her watch and then looked at Hanna.

"Marin, let's go. Heel, toe." She barked as she started jogging in place.

"She's scary." Hanna's eyes widened. She was doing her best to look afraid, but she was not pulling it off, because she was Hanna Fucking Marin and she wasn't afraid of anyone.

"You're scarier." Alison teased her with a smile. "You may not have knife-shoes, but you could cut her with your glare alone. Worked on Cindy and Mindy."

"Did you hear that their parents forced them to get jobs at that theme park that just opened across town? Their dad was so angry about their behavior this year that he cut them off and told them they needed to learn the value of a hard-earned job. They get to spend their days cleaning puke off of rollercoasters and scrubbing porta potties."

Alison couldn't stop herself from the strain of laughter that wracked her entire body. It felt like a fitting punishment. They had helped Wilden and had nearly gotten Emily killed more than once. Jail would have been nice, but clean-up duty was nice, too.

"HANNA!" Aria shouted impatiently.

"I better go before her head starts spinning around and she starts speaking in tongues and barfs up black goo all over me." Hanna waved and started jogging after everyone else.

Emily and Alison settled back on the bench. Alison silently reached for Emily's hand.

They watched the foot traffic for a while.

Two young men in gym shorts jogged by, spouting affirmations to motivate each other.

An older woman stopped as she was powerwalking by. She fawned over Autumn, telling Emily and Alison how adorable she was in her purple and yellow jumper and matching hat.

A young father waved as he held the back of his son's bike steady, encouraging him as he learned how to ride.

A middle-aged couple walked by with their chunky little brown Chihuahua. The dog pranced in front of its owners as they stared at a phone in the man's hand and talked about how many steps they'd gotten in so far.

A young boy ran by them, two baseball bats sticking out of the bouncing bag on his back. The bats were crossed over the bag like a big "X".

A little blonde girl they assumed to be his sister chased after him. She had bright pink bows in her hair. Her little light-up sneakers padded against the pavement as she tried to keep up with her brother.

She shouted for him.

"Wait for me!" The little girl slowed her pace when she got closer to them. She stopped running and peered at the stroller. "That's a baby." She pointed at Autumn.

There was a curious twinkle in her eyes.

"Her name is Autumn." Emily turned the stroller so the little girl could see her better.

"She's like my little baby sisters." The little girl looked at Autumn like she was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "I have two sisters. Their names are Lily and Grace. They're twins. That means my mommy had two babies in her belly all at one time." She leaned over the stroller and smiled at the infant.

"Charlie!" The little boy with the backpack had stopped running. He waved frantically at her. "I'm going to be late! Come on! Let's go!"

"That's Alex. He's my big brother." She twisted her right foot against the ground. "I love him a lot."

"Chaaaarlie!" He called again.

"I have to go now. Bye, bye baby Autumn." She waved enthusiastically at the baby.

Emily picked up Autumn's hand and made her wave back. Charlie giggled and then turned on the heels of her light-up shoes. She ran over to meet her brother.

Emily and Alison looked at one another, both of them breaking into smiles.

"This feels so normal." Emily tickled Autumn's chin. "I never thought I'd feel normal."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Alison closed her eyes, appreciating the warmth of the sun and the sound of children laughing.

She felt a light touch against her arm. Emily's palm.

When Alison opened her eyes they sparkled like beautiful aquamarine gems. Emily couldn't help herself as she reached for her face and searched for her lips once again.

This time, Mike didn't interrupt them.

They watched the sun disappear from the sky, leaving trails of dancing colors in its wake. It had been a beautiful day, sunrise to sunset.

Emily had enjoyed every minute with her family. It had taken some getting used to. She'd been an only child, so she was used to solitude. She'd had to adjust to spending all of her time with two other people, one who was completely dependent on her.

Now she couldn't imagine her life any other way. Being with Alison made her feel complete. And holding her daughter was the most satisfying thing in the world.

"I've got to run to the bathroom. You mind getting her settled in the car?" Emily asked.

"You don't have to twist my arm to get me to spend time with her." Alison smiled, reaching for her keys.

Emily hurried to the park's restroom. The automatic sensor lights flickered on when the door opened. She stared in the empty building. She didn't like the idea of not being able to control when the lights went off.

Being alone made her feel like she was hearing things that weren't there. A heavy breath. A scratching sound at the door. Footsteps. The ghosts and demons of her past clawed at her. It was something she was still working on in therapy.

She looked twice before walking out of the stall. She quickly washed her hands and rushed out the door.

As soon as she bolted through the door she nearly bowled someone over. Her body clashed with someone else's. She looked up to apologize, but stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar face staring back at her.

She was surprised to see him. She figured he would be off partying the summer away. But he was standing in front of her, shirtless and gleaming with sweat. The band of his shorts had a ring around the top from all the perspiration. He had a small hand towel in his hands that he'd been using to wipe his face clean.

"Whoa, slow down. Where's the fire?" Noel laughed off the collision.

"Noel." She huffed out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad's employee's tax dollars pay for this park. Might as well put it to good use." He shrugged. "You look good." He tossed the towel over his shoulder. "You lose some weight or something?"

"Clever." Emily rolled her eyes.

"How is the little one doing?"

"Amazing." Even though she was talking to Noel Kahn, she couldn't help but smile when she talked about her daughter.

The love that she had for her child exuded off of her. Noel had heard that women who had children had a glow to them. He'd seen it in his brother's wife before she lost her baby. He could see it in Emily, too.

"I'm glad you're okay." His face was tight in thought. His muscles were tense. Emily could see the rigidity in his shoulders. "I'm glad your baby is okay. It couldn't have been easy going through what you went through…" He shook his head. "The whole shooting thing was insane. I mean, that girl took a slug in the chest for you, didn't she?"

Emily took a step back, eyeing him suspiciously. The details of what had happened had been kept from the media, and she knew none of her friends had said anything.

"How do you know about that?" Emily balled her hand into a fist. She'd beat the holy hell out of him once, and she'd do it again if he tried anything. "Were you helping them?"

"What?" He leaned towards her, moving forward. She defensively threw her fists up and he immediately backed down. He held his hands up, palms facing her in a show of good faith. "No. No, of course not. I figured things out after I heard the news. I knew someone was messing with you and when the news broke about someone taking a baby from the hospital…" He shifted back on his feet, putting more distance between them. "I'm a meathead jock, but I'm not stupid. I put two and two together. Jesus…" He scoffed. "What kind of monster do you think I am? I wouldn't hurt you…"

"I haven't forgotten about what happened in the locker room." Emily tightened her fists.

"I haven't either." Noel replied calmly. "I readily admit I am an asshole. I deserved every bruise you gave me. I told you, I'm not going back to that. That was a wake up call for me. I swear, Emily. I didn't have anything to do with what happened at the hospital. I wasn't even in town. I was looking at business schools…"

Emily relaxed her stance, her shoulders falling back.

"Business schools? What happened to your sports scholarship?"

He lowered his head and reached up to rub the back of his neck, letting out a sigh.

"It was too much pressure. I love being on the field, but I feel the urge to juice, and I don't want to. I thought maybe a fallback would be a good idea." He looked apprehensive, but proud of his decision. "I don't like who I was, okay? I want to be someone different."

She hadn't liked who he was either, but she had learned that hating someone took far more energy than she cared to exhaust.

Maybe his new beginning would make him a changed man. She wanted to believe in second chances.

"Good for you, Noel." Emily nodded, finally lowering her fists.

Noel stared at her for half a second and then let out a boisterous laugh.

"I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting you to make my face your punching bag."

"I almost did." Emily admitted. "But having my child kidnapped kind of put things in perspective for me. I'm not about to risk going to jail for busting your head open."

Her response wiped the smile off of Noel's lips. His face blanched.

"I never would have helped Wilden with his little games had I known what his friends were planning to do to you. You may not believe me, but I really am sorry for my part in this."

"Just consider yourself lucky you're walking away unharmed." She thought about Courtney. About Nick. And Wilden. "And alive."

Emily's phone chirped at her from her pocket.

She knew it was from Alison.

Noel knew it, too.

"You take care of yourself, Fields."

"Stay out of trouble, Noel." Emily kept him in her sight as she walked away.

She didn't trust him enough to turn her back to him. She wasn't sure how deep his involvement was, but it didn't matter anymore. It was over. He had moved on.

Everyone seemed to be moving forward.

She wanted more than anything to move on, but there was something holding her back. Something was needling her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was dragging her down. Like the invisible monsters she'd heard lurking in the darkness of the bathroom something was clawing at her, and she couldn't let it go.

---

A/N: I believe I'll let my bestie's "Oh for fuck's sake!" speak for all of you. My stories aren't over until they're over. Will you get more adorable family moments or am I a devious little shit? Or both?

Don't freak out too much though. I promise to go easy on you. There's just a little twist coming.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the Emily/Isaac and Alison/Isaac moments. I know you enjoyed the park with Emison and the Liars.