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.

47. Epilogue: All You Need is Love

A/N: It feels bittersweet posting this for many reasons, but the main reason for me is because I can't wrap my head around what's happening in Palestine right now. I just want to say to any of my readers overseas in the line of fire how much you've been on my mind. I'd encourage my readers to research it. It's not getting near the media attention it should be.

Onwards, this epilogue is long. I know. It's perhaps one of the things I hear most about my writing. But I like to take my time. I hope you all have enjoyed the journey as much as I have. Thank you for being loyal to me. I don't know what I did to deserve it. But I'm glad people are still interested in these characters I dream up in my head. Enjoy one last ride. Much love to you all.

---

Epilogue:

All You Need is Love

o ~ O ~ o

~Friday~

It was a beautiful fall day. One of Emily's favorite things about visiting Rosewood was seeing the changing of the seasons. It just wasn't the same in New York. Central Park was absolutely breathtaking when the leaves were changing colors, but nothing quite touched her heart like a crisp cool autumn in Pennsylvania.

She could still fondly recall the amber sun shining through the orange and gold leaves as her parents took her along the nature trail when she was three years old. She had so many memories of driving through the trees with them when she was little. Fall in Pennsylvania meant family to her.

Though, her family was a little different now. She and Alison were taking Autumn to visit her parents for the weekend. Isaac was driving up from DC to join them. They were making a family weekend of it.

Emily had been antsy about the trip for weeks. She was harboring secrets again. There was so much she wanted to tell Alison, but she didn't know how. She didn't know what to say or how to say it.

Normally there was a lot of chatter in the car, but the drive had been mostly quiet with the exception of spontaneous sing-a-longs to Autumn's favorite Raffi songs.

The silence hadn't gone unnoticed by the blonde in the passenger seat. She reached over the console.

Emily jumped when she felt her fingertips brush against the bare skin on her arm.

Alison pulled back and stared at her girlfriend in confusion before reaching out to press her palm against her forearm.

"Em, are you okay?" She asked softly. "Is something bothering you?"

Emily loved Alison, but she hated that the blonde knew her so well. It made it incredibly difficult to keep things from her. Alison was naturally nosy and she didn't like it when Emily wasn't completely honest with her.

"Yeah." Emily plastered a fake smile on her face. It was less than enthusiastic.

Alison could spot a fake smile a mile away.

Emily saw the incredulous disbelief on Alison's face. The blonde's eyes narrowed in a suspicious slant, her brows furrowed.

Before Alison could call her on her bullshit Emily quickly interjected.

"I'm kind of tired. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Why?" Alison pinched her lips together, frowning at her.

Because I'm lying to you! She wanted to scream. And I hate lying to you!

"Did Autumn wake you up? Why didn't you wake me? I would have gotten her. It was my night." They alternated nights when Autumn woke up in the middle of the night, which was getting less and less common. She was sleeping through the nights more.

"No. It wasn't that." Emily smiled at her daughter in the mirror. "She slept great last night. Like a little angel." She cooed at her.

Autumn smiled back at her.

"Is it the nightmares again?" Alison squeezed her arm.

Emily still had nightmares from time to time, but they weren't sexual anymore. Not since she'd severed the tether between her and Courtney.

"No. It's been months since I've had one." She didn't remember them in vivid detail anymore, something she was grateful for.

"So then why aren't you sleeping?" The patience in Alison's tone was wavering.

STOP ASKING QUESTIONS! THIS IS HARD ENOUGH…

"Is this about having the talk with Isaac?" They'd been planning to sit down with him and chat about a few things, but it wasn't going to be an easy discussion.

"It has nothing to do with that. I'm just…nervous." She tried to think of something believable. "I'm trying to figure out how we're going to balance things when I start classes."

She had been working part time and auditing classes occasionally since they'd moved to New York. Emily had been taking care of Autumn during the day while Alison went to school, and Emily would work the afternoon shift, leaving Autumn at daycare for a few hours before Alison came to pick her up and take her home. But her work schedule was changing because of her classes, so it was going to be different. In truth, she was a little worried about how Autumn would cope with the changes. So her concern sounded genuine.

"Really? This is the first I'm hearing about this." Nothing could throw Alison off the scent.

"It's no big deal." Emily tried to play it off. "Everything is fine."

Alison scrutinized her like she was reading a book.

"Maaama." Autumn whined from the back seat. Emily glanced back at her nearly two and a half year old – where had the time gone – to see her clutching her foot. "Mama, I'm hungy."

Saved by the baby.

"We'll be there soon baby girl." She reached back and touched Autumn's little leg, trying to get her to stop kicking.

"Want a snack, sweet pea?" Alison turned around, leaning over the console.

Autumn chewed on her lip and nodded.

Alison reached into the diaper bag and dug around and pulled out a light green no-spill cup filled with cereal. Autumn's face lit up in excitement. She reached for it, squeezing her fingers against her palms.

"Pwease."

Alison was so proud of her manners. She always said please and thank you, which is something that Pam Fields admired about her granddaughter. She was always very polite.

When Alison handed her the cup she smiled,

"Tank you, Mama."

"You're very welcome, baby."

"I wuv you."

Alison turned around to respond, but she realized that Autumn was telling her cereal she loved it. Alison watched as she hummed little love songs and smacked her lips together, not a care in the world.

"Yummy yummy in my tummy." Autumn sang to herself and danced around in her car seat.

Alison turned towards Emily, fully ready to continue their conversation, but Emily was reaching towards the volume knob on the car stereo.

"If I have to hear Wheels on the Bus one more time I'm going to jump out of this moving car." Alison grit her teeth. She loved her daughter, but any sane mother would have lost it at her music choices a long time ago.

"There's a skip feature." Emily smiled. "Want to sing some songs, Autumn?" She asked, hoping the answer would be a resounding yes.

"BABY BLUE!" Autumn exclaimed.

More than a resounding yes.

Emily melted into her seat. She was thankful to have a buffer. They had a lot planned for the weekend, so she wouldn't be alone with Alison a lot. That meant less time for the blonde to sniff around.

Emily turned on Baby Beluga and the soft song filled the car,

"Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea…"

Autumn started humming along, waving her hands like they were the sea where Baby Beluga lived.

Emily could feel Alison glaring at her, but she kept her eyes on the road.

Alison frowned as Emily turned the car into a sing-a-long. She leaned back against her seat and huffed out an irritated grunt as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She knew that Emily was avoiding her. But she wasn't sure why.

She looked over at the brunette and sighed. She couldn't stay mad at her. She watched as Emily serenaded their daughter. She even joined in at the end of the song. Emily turned and smiled at her.

And Alison's insides turned to mush. She was seventeen years old again charmed by that wicked smile.

The musical interlude kept them occupied until they pulled into her parents driveway.

Pam and Wayne were sitting on the new front porch swing he'd hung up. They waved when they saw Emily pulling into the driveway.

"Hey!" Emily exclaimed, her arm halfway out the window.

"There's my purple haired punk! We've been waiting for you!" Her dad called back.

Autumn was struggling against her belt buckles when Emily opened the back door. She unhooked her and pulled her out of her car seat. Autumn wriggled free of her embrace the second she recognized her surroundings.

"Gamma!" Autumn charged towards the front porch. Her little light-up shoes flickered every time her feet hit the ground. "Papa Wayne!"

Wayne met her at the bottom of the steps and she leaped into his open arms.

"Oh, you've gotten so big." He kissed her cheek as he stood up. "Give Pops a hug."

Autumn threw her arms around his neck and squeezed.

"Have you been good for your mommies?" Pam touched her cheek.

Autumn smiled at her.

"My mommies wuv each of-ver." She was still learning to enunciate, but Pam spoke enough baby gibberish to understand she was trying to say love each other. She wasn't going to argue with her grandbaby, who was wise beyond her years. Instead she kissed the soft baby fat on her face and Autumn added enthusiastically, "And me. Mommies wuv me!"

Alison and Emily walked up on to the porch. Autumn saw her moms and she turned towards Emily. She reached for her, arms outstretched, fingers gripping the air. She wanted her mommy, and Wayne knew it. He moved in to hug Emily.

Autumn grabbed on to Emily like a lifeline. She loved her grandparents, but her mommies were the only home she'd ever known.

Wayne relented and handed his grandbaby over to his daughter. He hugged Emily and kissed her head. Autumn gripped Emily's shirt. Her legs gripped her like a vice as she pulled away from her Pops. She molded her body against her mother's.

"It's good to see you girls." Wayne pulled Alison in for a hug.

"How was the drive?" Pam asked.

"We sang the soundtrack of Autumn's life." Emily bounced Autumn on her hip.

"Baby Beluga?" Pam guessed.

"Baby Blue!" Autumn exclaimed. She kicked her shoes against Emily's ribcage, which elicited a surprised gasp out of the brunette.

"She kicks now more than when she did when she was in the womb." Emily forced a smile out the instant Autumn's sharp toes dug into her ribs.

"We're thinking about signing her up for soccer." Alison chuckled.

"If she inherited your strong swimmer's legs she'll dominate the field." Pam edged closer to her granddaughter, pinching her thigh.

Autumn squealed, giggled, and then buried her face in Emily's shoulder. Pam looked at her daughter and smiled.

"You were a very active baby, too. I was constantly chasing you." Pam wrapped her arm around Emily's shoulder and pulled her close. "Hey, Emmy."

"Hey, mom." Emily replied, hugging her back gently, squishing Autumn between them.

Autumn politely pushed back against Pam, her palm against her shoulder.

"My mama!" Autumn frowned, scowling at her grandmother, pushing her away from Emily.

"She's going through a possessive phase…" Emily explained.

She thought Pam might be hurt by Autumn's actions, but she seemed perfectly calm. She leaned forward, catching Autumn's eyes.

"Autumn, you're absolutely right. She's your mama. She's the best." Pam said with a knowing smile, because without herself, Emily wouldn't exist, which by extension made her the best. "But can we share her?" She pushed some of Autumn's curls out of her face and then reached down to cup her chin.

Autumn smiled bashfully at her grandmother.

"I share," she said softly, putting her thumb in her mouth. "…'S okay, Gamma. I share." She laid her head against Emily's collar bone and sighed.

Pam smiled at her grandbaby, stroking her back. Her fingertips hit the edges of Emily's freshly dyed locks of hair. She gently gripped it with her fingers and rubbed the soft texture.

"You and your hair, I swear." Pam made a 'tsk' sound, but the tone of her voice was loving.

"I do it because it irritates you." Emily stuck her tongue out at her mom.

Her mother playfully swatted her shoulder. They both chuckled.

"Isaac is about ten minutes away." Alison glanced at her phone.

She was avoiding eye contact for some reason. Emily thought that maybe Alison was pissed about how she'd changed the subject in the car, but it wasn't her classic bitchiness. She seemed nervous.

Emily thought she was the only one with secrets, but Alison was harboring secrets of her own.

"Come on in. We made lunch. We were just getting things set up. We should be done by the time Isaac gets here." Pam waved them towards the front door.

As soon as they walked inside Autumn wanted down so she could explore. She toddled off. Wayne slowly walked after her. It was amusing to Emily that when she was little her mom had been the one to follow her everywhere, but her dad was Autumn's shadow.

A few minutes after they got started in the kitchen there was a knock at the door. Isaac had impeccable timing.

When Pam opened the door he had a polite smile on his face. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and was balancing a basket filled with fancy meats and cheeses in his arms.

"Hi, Mrs. Fields." He nearly stuttered over his words. He'd seen Emily's parents since she'd had Autumn, but he still felt weird about the fact that they knew everything about their relationship. "My Grams told me never to show up empty-handed." He handed Pam the gift basket.

"This was so thoughtful, Isaac! Thank you!" She observed the food and then looked up. "We're so glad you made it safely. Was the drive okay?"

"Yes ma'am." More manners. Pam was in Heaven. She loved being surrounded by well-mannered people.

"Hey." Emily gave him a quick hug before shutting the door.

"Hey." He smiled and looked around. "Um…where should I put the duffel? I guess I'm on the couch?"

They were making it a family affair, and that family affair was a lot cheaper than staying at a hotel.

"It's a pull-out with an air mattress," Pam said.

"Cool." He glanced around the foyer before walking into the living room with Emily.

"I'm really glad you came." Emily offered to take his bag. She put it down on the couch.

"I'm glad you invited me." Isaac shot her a kind smile.

"We have lunch waiting for us. You hungry?"

"You know I could always eat." He slapped his stomach and followed her into the kitchen.

"Hey, Isaac." Alison waved from one of the matching kitchen chairs. It was next to a booster seat, but the seat was empty because Autumn was still off playing with her grandfather.

"S'up, Ali?"

Over time the two of them had bonded over Autumn. It had taken a bit of time, but now they were like old friends. It made their family unit so much better.

"This selection is amazing." Pam was standing at the counter staring at Isaac's gift.

"He brought meats and cheeses," Emily said as she watched her mother rushing to add it to their lunch menu.

"It's called charcuterie." He over-exaggerated the word like a stuffy millionaire would.

"Charcuterie?" Emily snickered as she sat down next to Alison. She was leaving the other spot next to the booster seat open for Isaac so he could play with Autumn.

"I learned about it from my grandmother." Isaac pulled his chair out and sat down. "I didn't know what else to bring." He leaned forward and quieted his voice, "They don't have a forgive me for knocking your teenage daughter up and I'm sorry that my parents paid her hush money and that my psycho sister tried to kill her fancy food tray."

"You didn't have to bring anything. You're family." Emily offered him a tray of fruit and veggies and a plate.

"You think I'm dumb enough to show up to Pam and Wayne Field's place empty handed?" He laughed sarcastically, taking the plate. "No way! I'm no amateur."

"The first time she brought me home I was drunk and empty-handed." Alison shrugged.

It was the night Emily had rescued Alison from the frat party.

Alison had gotten very comfortable with Pam and Wayne since then. They were better parents to her than her own parents ever were. Even so, when she visited the Fields' house she would look at her house and grieve for the childhood she never had.

"The only thing I offered was a few slurred words." Alison didn't remember much about that night, other than making a fool of herself in front of Wayne. She also remembered Emily holding her hair back when she puked.

Isaac whistled, overly-impressed.

"Man, empty-handed and drunk? And they let her keep you? Wooow." He popped some blueberries in his mouth.

Alison reached across the empty chair between them and slugged Isaac in the shoulder. They both laughed.

She could have fired back "you got her pregnant and they let her keep you?" but she knew that Isaac was sensitive about the pregnancy, and she didn't want him to be uncomfortable. It was a far cry from who she'd been in high school. She would have pounced on him before she'd reformed her ways.

"Emily?" Pam turned away from the charcuterie. "Would you let your father know Isaac is here and that lunch is ready?"

She turned back around and started arranging the food again.

"Sure thing." Emily leaned back in her chair and peered around the corner. "Dad!" She exclaimed so loudly that Pam almost dropped the cheese knife she was holding. "Chow time!"

Pam whipped her head around and rolled her eyes at her daughter.

"I could have done that." She tossed a grape at her unruly kid. "I meant go get him."

"What if they're playing hide and seek? You ever think about that?" Emily replied with a huge grin on her face.

"Emily Catherine Fields." Her full name garnered Emily's attention.

Not to be outdone, she smirked,

"My middle name is Violet." She locked eyes with Alison as she said it, causing both of them to erupt into a fit of laughter.

"You are such a menace." Pam turned back towards the counter.

As Emily was getting ready to get up to go do as her mother told her, Wayne came pacing in the room like he was running from something, but not trying very hard to get away.

They could hear Autumn's shoes padding against the ground as she chased him, squealing in laughter.

She stopped when she got into the kitchen. She looked around. The first thing she noticed was the food.

The second was Isaac.

She giggled and toddled over to him with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, munchkin." He picked her up. "You're getting so big."

Autumn mumbled and muttered as she handed him a soggy half-eaten Cheeto.

Emily's eyes darted to her dad as if to ask him why her child was eating junk food. He just shrugged. He spoiled her to death.

"Thank you." Isaac took the Cheeto and held it like it was the best present in the world.

After a few seconds Autumn decided she wanted it back. She gripped it with her fingers and then popped it in her mouth. She patted Isaac's black t-shirt with her grimy hand, covering it in very noticeable orange dust.

"Mama," she said. It was her favorite word. They hadn't figured out how they wanted to differentiate who was mom and who was mama yet. They weren't in a hurry. She called everything Mama.

"Mama?" She tugged on Isaac's shirt sleeve.

"No. Uncle Isaac." He chuckled.

She grinned at him and shook her head.

"No! You Mama!" She giggled.

"Alrighty then. Can't argue with that solid logic." Isaac leaned back in his chair with her. "Slap a wig and a skirt on me and call me whatever you want, kiddo."

"Uncle Mama." She decided with a very serious look on her face.

"Uncle Mama at your service, ma'am." He gave her a little salute.

Autumn giggled and then plopped her head against Isaac's shoulder and cuddled up to him.

"Good to see you again, son." Wayne clapped a hand on Isaac's shoulder.

For a half a second Isaac ducked his head bashfully. He knew the Fields. He'd dated their daughter. He'd had holidays with them back in San Antonio. But he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Pam and Wayne knew he'd slept with their daughter. She had a baby as proof. And even though their family unit was tight he still felt weird about the fact that Emily's parents knew the things they knew. He couldn't believe that Wayne hadn't chased him off with a shotgun.

He also wasn't used to being around caring parents. His mom and dad had never shown him that. That's something he had in common with Alison. In fact, it was something they had talked about as they'd gotten to know each other better. He knew he was blessed to be in their lives.

He looked at the baby in his arms, and he felt more confident. It didn't matter that he still felt like a kid around Pam and Wayne. They were adults now. No shame in the past. Their actions had created the most wonderful child…a grandchild that Pam and Wayne adored.

"Good to see you, too, Mr. Fields." He nodded firmly at the older man.

"Let's drop the semantics, Isaac. Call me Wayne."

"Yes, sir." Isaac replied obediently. Wayne reached over Isaac's shoulder and rubbed his grandbaby's back. Isaac smiled at Autumn. "And I guess you can call me Uncle Mama."

Both men laughed. Wayne took a seat next to Isaac.

Autumn never made it into her booster seat. She latched on to Isaac and refused to let go. He relished in offering her snacks as the adults ate lunch and caught up with one another. Autumn babbled to Isaac about everything and nothing. She told him about her day in baby-talk. And he listened intently, nodding along to her story. He didn't understand half the words she said, but he got the gist of it.

She would blather in words that made no sense and he would nod and respond,

"Oh really? Yeah? And then what happened? What did she say?" He'd pause and let her talk in gibberish some more and then gasp and say, "No way! Then what happened?"

The more he talked to her the more Autumn got excited. They spent hours bonding.

The huge family chat went on for hours and eventually led to dinner.

Autumn bounced between Wayne and Isaac at dinner, but was ultimately more attached to Isaac. There was an unspoken bond between them. He knew her only through a few visits and a bunch of video chats, but he'd made an impression on the toddler. She didn't want to leave his side. She'd clung to him all day. It gave Emily and Alison a bit of a break and gave them an opportunity to spend time with Emily's parents.

When they were done eating, Autumn dragged Isaac outside to play while the other adults finished in the kitchen.

"That was delicious, Ma." Wayne pushed his chair back, patting his belly full of pot roast and potatoes, his personal favorite that Pam had whipped up for them. "Why don't you ladies go relax? I'll take care of the mess in here."

"I'll help." Alison jumped at the chance to clean up with Emily's father. She seemed jumpy.

Emily peered at her in confusion, but Alison just shot a smile at her. Emily's eyes narrowed. Alison was hiding something from her. She didn't like it. But she also felt like a hypocrite because she was keeping something from the blonde.

"I insist." Alison added, her words coming out quick and shaky. "You opened your house to us and fed us…"

"Alison…" Wayne laughed. "That's what families do."

Not my family. She thought to herself.

Before he could object she was over by the stove grabbing pots and pans. She helped Wayne clear out the kitchen while Emily and her mother settled in for a glass of wine. Pam popped the cork and grabbed two wine glasses.

They sat down on the couch and looked out the large bay window at Isaac and Autumn playing in the yard.

He was spinning her around, moving her up and down and making airplane noises. Her laughter echoed throughout the neighborhood.

"He's really good with her." Her mother took a sip of her Pinot.

"He is." Emily smiled. "We FaceTime with him almost every night now. And he tries to come up on the weekends when he's not slammed with practice."

"Have you decided on what you want to tell Autumn about him in the future?" She peered at her granddaughter. "She's going to look in the mirror one day and see Isaac staring back at her. She may look more like you, but she has his skin tone. And his eyes."

Emily leaned back with a smile and swirled the wine around in her glass. She absolutely adored that Autumn had gotten the best of both of them. She had Isaac's grandfather's eyes. Emily had met him a few times. He looked a lot like an actor named Jesse Williams. And because of Isaac's granddad, Autumn had the most beautiful marble blue-grey eyes Emily had ever seen. She had his curls, too. They were bouncing as she flew around in flight.

They'd landed on the decision to tell Autumn the truth eventually. They didn't want their daughter to resent her or to think they were trying to keep Isaac out of her life. And Isaac deserved for her to know the truth. Telling her just felt right to them.

"We decided we're going to tell her the truth when she's old enough to hear it." Emily sniffed the wine in her glass. It had a sweet smell to it. "I mean, obviously not the really terrible parts. Not about all the torture and stuff…" She saw her mom tense up.

Pam took a large gulp of wine to hide her discomfort. It still made her angry that Courtney and Nick had tortured their entire family. Emily let her calm down before she continued,

"We're going to tell her that Isaac and I loved each other, but not in the way that was right for either of us. We're going to tell her about how Alison fell in love with me and with her before she was born and that we wanted to have her together."

"How are things with you and Alison?" Pam took another sip of wine.

Emily chewed on her lip and tried to answer with a straight face,

"Good."

Emily's mother eyed her suspiciously, the same way that Alison had done in the car. She could read her daughter better than anyone in the world…better than Alison.

"Emily…"

Emily felt a crack in her armor.

"Okay, there's something I need to tell you." She felt a rush, a release of emotions she'd been containing.

Pam put her drink down, giving Emily her full attention.

The women were unaware that at that exact same moment they were being watched.

From outside the house Alison saw them talking as Wayne tossed some garbage in a bin by the back porch. Wayne dusted off his hands, shut the lid and walked back on to the porch with Alison.

"I have to be honest about something." Alison felt a tremor in her chest. Her heart was beating wildly. Her mouth was dry. "I have an ulterior motive for helping you."

She had been jittery ever since they'd arrived. She was sure Emily noticed. But the brunette had yet to push her on it. Probably because Emily was hiding something herself and didn't want to open up a can of worms.

Wayne tilted his head, curious. She seemed so serious.

"I…uh…I have something I need to ask you, sir…" She felt a ball of nerves gripping at her intestines.

"Everything okay?" Wayne's forehead crinkled in concern. She rarely ever called him sir.

"Yeah." She swallowed the knot that was forming in her throat. The speech she'd prepared in her mind was a complete blank. "Yeah, everything is great. Better than great…" She took a deep breath. "So great in fact that I'd like to take the next step with Emily."

She watched his face, waited for a reaction, but he was very stoic. She couldn't read him.

"I'm in love with your daughter, and I'd like very much to have your permission to…ask for her hand in marriage." When she was planning the conversation she wasn't sure how she'd wanted to phrase it, so she watched a lot of old movies. That was the most common phrase. "That's…that's how they do it old school, right? Ask for permission?"

"It is." He reached up and scratched his chin. "Marriage, huh?"

"Y-Yes." She stuttered. "I know we're young, but we were young when Autumn was born, too. Your granddaughter…our daughter…she's brought us even closer together. We're a family. I love her and I want her to be my wife…with your blessing, of course."

He angled his head up in thought and nodded mindlessly to himself.

"Marriage." He repeated.

"Yes, sir."

"My baby girl all grown up and getting hitched." He clucked his tongue. "That's a big step. You sure you're ready?"

"We're ready. I know we are."

The longer he took to answer the more worried she was that he was going to say no. But after a few seconds he lowered his head and laughed. A Cheshire-like grin washed across his face.

"Relax, kid. I'm just giving you a hard time." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. "You two lovebirds are practically already hitched in my mind. I was wondering how long it was going to take you to ask."

The progress that Wayne and Pam had made in regards to Emily's sexuality still amazed Alison.

Alison huffed out a sigh of relief. She pulled back and shook her head with a laugh.

"You've always been family, Alison. I couldn't ask for a better person to love her than you. So, yes. You have my permission."

Alison felt tears pooling in her eyes.

"For the record though," Wayne added, "it's not my permission you're going to need." He jutted his chin up and motioned his head towards the house. "Gotta run it past that one." When Pam looked up and saw them staring at them he waved innocently and smiled. She waved back. "Good luck when she takes over the wedding planning."

Asking Pam was something she hadn't considered. She'd been so nervous about talking to Wayne that she hadn't even thought about asking Pam.

So later that night when Emily was giving Autumn her bath Alison sought Pam out to ask her. The older woman had been humbled that she'd asked her, and she gave Alison her blessing to marry her daughter.

It could not have gone better. Everything was going exactly according to plan.

Or at least so she thought.

~Saturday~

Alison and Emily barely spent any time together the next morning. They were too busy wrangling their daughter and spending time with everyone else.

Pam and Wayne tried to hide their elation about Alison's proposal, but they couldn't contain their excitement and they were acting weird. They realized they needed to be careful or they'd blow the surprise. At lunchtime they said they were going out for a bit, leaving the kids alone.

Emily fed Autumn her lunch and then changed into her motorcycle gear. She had promised Toby she'd drop in and say hi to everyone at the gym.

Alison was sitting on the floor with Autumn in her lap. Isaac was on the couch flipping through the channels on TV, trying to find something kid-friendly to watch.

"I'm heading out." Emily walked into the living room.

"Tell Toby I said hi." Alison waved as Emily reached for her keys and her helmet.

Emily had ridden her bike to town earlier in the week. Hanna drove her back to the city where they'd had a girls day with Mona, Alison, and Aria.

"Love you." Emily leaned down and planted a smooch on Alison's lips.

"Love you, too." Alison called after her as the brunette paced towards the door. "Drive safe!"

Alison peered around the side of the foyer. Isaac leaned over. They watched her go. As soon as the door slammed Isaac turned the TV off. He grinned at Alison.

"So…what did her parents say?" He asked.

"They said yes." Alison lifted her hands up to her chest and squealed in excitement.

Autumn mimicked her and threw in a "Yay Mama!"

"Good thing they approve considering you're proposing tomorrow." Isaac laughed.

She playfully slapped his knee. Then she smiled at him. She'd told him about her plans a few weeks back. She didn't want him to be blindsided by it. He had been excited for her and even offered to help in any way he could. They'd been conspiring together for weeks.

"This is weird." Isaac admitted with a laugh. He never thought they'd be friends.

"So weird." Alison nodded as she perched up against the couch, leaving Autumn to play with her toys on the blanket on the floor. "Hey, thanks for helping me plan this. Your idea to have Autumn bring us the ring was amazing."

"Yeah…" He leaned over and tickled Autumn's sides until she laughed. "We've been practicing that, haven't we, Little Bit?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large plastic toy ring. He leaned over and picked Autumn up and walked to the other side of the room. Autumn looked at the toy ring in his hand and she reached for it.

Alison watched in curiosity as he gently put her down on her feet. He kneeled in front of the toddler.

"You know how this goes, kid." He smiled at her. "Take it to Mama." He motioned towards Alison.

Autumn turned around and walked towards Alison, ring in hand. When Autumn reached Alison she turned around and faced Isaac, waiting for his approval. He clapped in excitement.

Autumn's jaw fell open and a huge grin spread across her face as she handed Alison the ring.

Alison looked at Isaac in shock as she picked her baby up and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's like training a puppy. With less Scooby Snacks and more Cheetos." Isaac walked over to join them.

"That was amazing. You just earned yourself the Best Man position. Screw my brother." Alison pounded her fist against his.

"And here I was hoping for bridesmaid instead." He batted his eyelashes jokingly.

Alison handed Autumn and the ring back over to Isaac.

"Practice makes perfect." She kissed Autumn's forehead. "Let's do it again, okay, baby?"

She went to get the real ring so Autumn wouldn't be confused when it came time to do it for real. Because in less than a day, it would be for real.

o ~ O ~ o

As Alison and Isaac worked with Autumn to make sure the proposal went off without a hitch Emily was pulling up to the gym on her bike.

She parked in the very same spot she'd parked when she first moved into town. She took a good look at the place, admiring the new signage that had been put up. They'd expanded the gym again.

When she walked in she was greeted by a chorus of hellos and a hug from Jake after she offered him a meatball sub she'd picked up on the way.

She walked behind the counter with Toby, plopping her helmet on the desk.

"There's more purple in your hair." Toby reached over and played with a few strands of the dark violet color.

"Yeah, I let Autumn pick it out." Emily played with her hair for a few seconds before giving her buddy a hug.

They sat down.

"The place looks great." Emily looked at some new renovations.

"Yeah, Ezra has a whole list of ideas of what to do with the extra space. When I come back I probably won't even recognize the place." He ran his hand through his hair.

"Oh? Where are you going?" Emily was intrigued.

There was a flurry of emotions on his face, but they were passing by so quickly that Emily couldn't read a single one of them.

"Spencer is thinking about studying abroad next semester." He glanced down at the counter, running his fingers against it, then knocking his knuckles lightly against the wood.

"Oh…" Emily wasn't sure what that meant for them. They'd been making a four hour long-distance relationship work. "That's…" Awesome? Sad?

Before Emily could finish her sentence he looked up at her, a smile on his face.

"I'm going with her." There was a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Seriously?" She was so happy for him. It had been hard for him being so far away from Spencer.

"Yeah. I've been working on fixing up bikes on the side, saving up money. I'm going to take an extended vacation and spend a few months with her. And then…well, I don't know. But someone wise once told me to let life take you along for the ride." He reached for her motorcycle helmet.

"Sounds like a really wise woman. You should always listen to her." Emily laid her arms against the side of the chair and leaned back.

"Speaking of rides…" He observed her helmet before putting it back down on the desk. "I can't help but notice that your riding partner isn't here with you. Are you avoiding her?"

"What?" Emily looked at him like he had snakes growing out of his head. She laughed nervously. "No. No, of course not."

"Em, come on…don't bullshit me." He leaned over and nudged her shoulder.

Emily sighed.

"Okay, fine. Yes." She couldn't lie to Toby. "I hate keeping secrets from her." She chewed on her lip.

She'd only told him because she had to tell someone, and she knew he would never betray her confidence.

Toby laughed.

"You hid your entire pregnancy from almost everyone in town until you were like 67 months into it. You're a natural at keeping secrets." He gave her a swift pat on the arm.

"Not when it comes to her." Emily shook her head. "You're forgetting I told her I was pregnant like five seconds after we met." When they were making out, no-less.

"Do you think she suspects?" he asked curiously.

"I think she knows something is up." Emily nodded.

"How do you think she'll take it?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows against the desk.

Emily mulled it over. She'd gotten to know Alison pretty well. She had a feeling she knew how she'd react.

"I imagine a lot of crying."

"Really? You think so?" He seemed surprised.

"She's softer than she looks."

She loved that about her girl. She loved that Alison could be two sides of one coin. She was tough, but she was open and vulnerable.

"I do this and everything changes." Emily clutched her knees with her hands. She didn't get nervous about a lot in life, but she was harboring a very large secret from her girlfriend and that clawed at her soul. "I can't keep lying to her. I almost got caught the other day."

"Oh, shit. Really?"

"I haven't spent a lot of alone time with her this weekend. I'm running out of excuses and ways to keep her from badgering me. I'm taking her out on a ride tonight to watch the sunset. The engine will drown out anything either of us tries to say." She bounced the balls of her feet against the ground anxiously.

"Hey…" Toby touched her knee. "You got this, Em."

She smiled at her friend, appreciative of the encouragement.

She let him talk her out of spiraling out of control.

That evening she tried to remember his encouraging words as she got ready to take Alison on their ride.

Alison had dressed fairly sensibly. Jeans. Button down top so she could feel the wind against her skin…and she could feel Emily's body against hers as they flew through town. She was wearing the leather jacket Emily had given to her on her doorstop years ago.

Emily put on her leather pants that Hanna continuously made fun of,

"You're so predictable…" she could hear her feisty friend's comments in her head.

She pulled a loose fitting white T-shirt on and slipped into her leather jacket. Then she walked towards the living room, where her family was indeed living.

She walked in to the cutest interaction she'd seen in a long time.

Alison was sitting in her dad's chair, patiently waiting. Isaac was talking to Autumn.

"Hey, munchkin." Isaac leaned down in front of Autumn. "You want to watch a really cool movie about a princess and a frog?"

He held up the DVD case for The Princess and the Frog showcasing a beautiful black princess being serenaded by a frog while a large gator played the trumpet behind them. In the background there was a man in a purple suit and a black magician's hat looking shady. Clearly the villain.

Isaac had always wanted to show her the movie.

"Ooohhh!" Autumn reached for the DVD in excitement. She stared at the cover for a second, admiring it, running her fingers over the glossy image. "I wanna be a fwog!"

Isaac snickered. Of course she wanted to be the frog.

"That'a girl." He smiled in triumph.

He stood up and walked over to the old DVD player in front of the TV and popped the disc in. He walked towards the couch. Autumn toddled after him.

As soon as he sat down she smiled and climbed into his lap. She touched his face, starting with his nose. Emily saw the intrigue in her daughter's eyes. It's like she was seeing something familiar in him, but she didn't know what.

Autumn was really attached to him. Sometimes Emily wondered if her mom was right...if the baby sensed he was her biological father. Autumn certainly loved all of her "uncles" but there was something about Isaac that Autumn was drawn to.

"Hey." Alison looked up from her phone, noticing Emily leaning against the frame of the foyer.

"Ready to go?" Emily zipped her jacket up.

"I was born ready." Alison rose to her feet.

She glanced at Isaac and Autumn. The little girl was grinning up from his lap while he spoke baby-ese to her. A warmth tugged at Alison's heart. She couldn't have asked for a better father for their child. He was so warm and fun and kind. She had really come to love him.

"Have fun." Alison smiled at them. "But stay out of trouble."

"Cross our hearts…" Isaac made a motion like an X across his chest and then booped Autumn's nose.

As Emily and Alison walked towards the front door Alison felt a swell of apprehension. She always felt nervous about leaving Autumn with people, even people she trusted.

"You sure he'll be okay with her?" Alison asked as Emily closed the front door.

"He's watched her before." Emily laughed. "Hell, we let Mike watch her once. Remember? If she can survive him she can survive Isaac." She pulled her key out of her pocket. "He's got this. Now shut up and let me romance you."

Alison lifted her brows and smirked at the brunette.

"Yes ma'am." Alison nodded dutifully. She loved it when Emily took charge.

When they reached the motorcycle Emily climbed on to steady it, then she offered Alison her hand to help her on the back.

When she started the bike the vibrations rushed through their bodies, in a strange way connecting them as one.

Emily kicked off the ride by taking her around the block. Alison wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and buried her face into her back.

They took a ride around town and then Emily took her on a scenic backroad that led to an overlook of the town. As they breezed through the trees the sun slowly started hanging lower in the sky. Amber beams flickered through the trees, slowly turning into pink and purple hues.

They reached the overlook just as the sun was disappearing beneath the horizon.

Emily pulled her helmet off, letting her hair fall free. She let the bike idle as they looked over the guardrail at the sun painting the sky. Emily felt Alison shifting against her back.

The blonde laid her chin against Emily's shoulder, staring at the sunset. Emily could feel Alison's heart pounding against her back. The sensation brought tears to her eyes.

"We've come a long way." Emily reached back without turning her head, putting her hand against Alison's cheek.

"We have." Alison admired the sunset. "Remember when I asked you to be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I had to tell my other bitches we were exclusive…" Emily shook her head and feigned a sigh.

"You're an ass," Alison had snorted.

"Your ass exclusively."

Emily was always hot when she was cocky.

Alison brushed Emily's hair aside and kissed the side of her neck. Her gentle lips made goosebumps pop up all over Emily's body.

"I'm so glad I have you, Em." She kissed the same spot on her neck, this time letting her lips linger against her skin.

Alison was so enamored with the burst of colors in the sky that she didn't feel Emily shiver. She thought it was just the vibration of the bike.

There was a lingering moment of silence. Emily reached back and clutched Alison's hand.

"Alison, you know I love you, right?" Emily kept her gaze fixed on the sunset.

Something about her tone unnerved Alison. The brunette had been acting strange all weekend.

"Hey." Alison leaned forward, arching herself at an angle so she could see Emily's cheek. She reached up and touched her chin, pushing Emily to look at her. "Em, is there something going on with you?"

Emily could feel the concern radiating off of her girlfriend. It made her feel incredibly guilty. She fought against every emotion flowing through her body. She turned to meet Alison's lips, their mouths brushing together.

She distracted Alison with her sensuality. She never answered her question. Instead they shared several kisses melting into the sunset.

When the sun had disappeared from the sky Emily kick-started their journey home.

After parking the bike in her parents' garage they walked inside the house. When they rounded the foyer and walked into the living room they stumbled upon a sight that made both of them stop in their tracks.

Autumn was curled up against Isaac, snuggling up to him. Isaac had his feet propped up on the small ottoman in front of the couch. He'd pulled a blanket over the top of them. They were fast asleep. The credits for The Princess and the Frog scrolled on the TV screen as Ne-Yo sang "Never Knew I Needed".

Emily fumbled for her phone, but Alison had her beat. She snapped a picture of the two of them. Emily snapped the same picture seconds later.

Isaac stirred, sensing them there. His eyes fluttered open and he opened his mouth wide and yawned.

"Hey," he said quietly. He carefully lowered his feet, jostling the baby. Autumn made a grumbling noise in her sleep and dug her little fingers into his shirt, clinging to him.

"Looks like you two had a big night." Emily looked at all the snacks strewn about on the end table and pillows at odd angles on the floor.

"We had several impromptu dance parties. She loved the movie. She wanted to listen to Dig a Little Deeper a dozen times." He chuckled, glancing down at the baby.

"As long as it's not Wheels on the Bus." Alison sat down on the couch next to Autumn. She ran her fingers through her curly locks.

"Mmm…" Autumn shifted. "Mama?" She turned over, but she didn't open her eyes. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and cuddled against Alison.

"Hi, baby." Alison said quietly as she kissed her head.

Autumn opened her eyes, halfway drunk in sleep, but she smiled up at her mom.

"Hi, Mama."

"You two kids have fun?" Isaac, finally loose from Autumn's death grip, threw his arms back and stretched.

"It was beautiful." Emily squeezed on the couch next to Isaac. She smiled over at the blonde.

"It was a gorgeous sunset." Alison nodded in agreement.

"I didn't mean the sunset." Emily gave Alison a coy look. She faced Isaac. "When the sun hits her just right she looks out of this world angelic…"

"Aww." Isaac chuckled. "She's your Evangeline."

"Who?" Alison cocked her head in confusion.

"Never mind." He shook his head with a laugh.

He was about to tell her he was referencing The Princess and the Frog, but Alison interrupted him before he had the chance.

"Do you have a girlfriend you haven't told us about?" Alison playfully pushed him.

"My football schedule doesn't leave much time for dating. All the time I got goes to one very special little lady." He rubbed Autumn's back. He peered up at Emily, suddenly very amused at something. "Though I was actually seeing this cheerleader for a while. But…she broke up with me for a girl on her squad. I didn't even realize she was bi."

"You certainly have a type." Emily choked back laughter.

"Yo. For real." He nodded with a laugh. "I think I'm just going to focus on me for a while. You know…find out who I am." He leaned back against the couch. He laid his hand against Autumn's back again. "I want to focus on being there for her. No girl could ever compete with this little beauty."

"You're really amazing with her." Alison shot Emily a look.

Emily nodded.

He caught the interaction, slowly looking between them.

"What was that look?" he asked.

"Isaac, there is something we want to talk to you about." Emily put her palms against the couch cushion and turned towards him.

"Sure. What's up?" He kicked his feet back up on the ottoman again.

"We have something important to ask you, but we don't want you to feel awkward about it."

"Need I remind you of our history? We skated past awkward years ago." He gave her a cheeky grin. "Lay it on me."

"Well, okay." She looked at Alison, finding nothing but encouragement in her eyes. "Eventually we want to extend our family. Not right now, but at some point. Alison wants to carry and we want the kids to have some kind of blood relation…" She trailed off.

It took a minute for him to register what she was asking.

"You want me to donate my…" His eyes darted down towards his sweatpants, "…um…little guys?" He dropped his arms and leaned forward.

Emily tried to read the emotion on his face, but his expression kept changing.

"I remember you told me your buddy Marco did it for his friends," Emily said. "We just thought we'd ask."

Isaac nodded absentmindedly, stroking his chin in thought. He looked at Autumn.

"There's no pressure. You don't have to say yes." Emily smiled at him, though they were secretly hoping he would say yes.

Isaac cocked his head in thought. He kept his gaze fixed on the little girl in Alison's arms.

"Of course." He faced Emily. "Yeah. It's not even a question. I mean…she's really fucking adorable." He pinched Autumn's cheek. She bashfully tucked her chin down and giggled.

"Language." Alison frowned.

"I've said worse." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Yes, and now thanks to you I have to explain to the people at her Gymboree class why her favorite word is shit."

Autumn rubbed her eyes and started to yawn. She made a whining noise. She was on the verge of a tired toddler tantrum.

"I'm going to take her to bed." Alison gently lifted the baby into her arms.

Emily leaned over and kissed Autumn's cheek.

"Night, baby girl. I love you."

"Wuv you Mama." She laid her head against Alison's shoulder.

Alison walked out of the room with Autumn while Isaac and Emily made themselves comfortable on the couch.

"Never thought I'd see the day where Alison would ask for my little swimmers." He tried to break the ice.

"It means so much that you're willing to help us extend our family. And I meant what I said. No pressure at all. This…it doesn't have to mean anything. We're not asking you to commit to anything you don't want to commit to."

There was a pregnant pause. Isaac opened his mouth like he was about to say something. Then he shut it and processed something in thought.

"Do you think Alison would mind if I did want to have the same relationship I have with Autumn with the next child?" He had a pensive look on his face. "Not like...I don't have to be a dad or do a custody thing or anything. I don't want to step on your toes."

"We talked about this, too. You're in Autumn's life. You'll be in her sibling's life, too. So, no, Alison doesn't mind. I think it would come naturally. We just want you to know you don't have to." Emily smiled, watching as the tension faded from his body. "Just like with Autumn. It's your choice."

"It would be dope to spoil another kid. But I'm kind of surprised she wants another kid that looks like me." He chuckled.

"She doesn't hate you anymore." Emily saw something flicker in Isaac's eyes, a twitch in his lip. He was close to spilling how close he'd gotten with Alison and how he was helping her propose the next day. "I don't think she ever hated you. She was jealous."

"Well, yeah, I get that." He rubbed his head with a smirk on his face. "I am devilishly handsome and she was worried you would come rushing back to me."

Emily hit him in the shoulder. He threw his hands up with a laugh.

"Kidding!" He flashed his palms at her as a sign of defeat.

He slowly lowered his arms. His mood slowly shifted. The cocky confidence morphed into a quiet stillness.

"Something on your mind?" Emily asked.

He touched his chin, thumbing at the stubble on his face.

"It's just…" He hesitated. "You're really not worried about…" He was having trouble figuring out how to ask her if they were at all concerned that Alison might give birth to a baby just like his sister, "…well, you know…I don't come from the greatest lineage. My parents are shit and my sister is in a mental hospital."

"It would be a lie to say that I didn't think about the baby inheriting the psychological things from your side of the family when I was pregnant with Autumn. But I don't. Not anymore." Emily glanced at a picture of Autumn and her parents on the mantle.

"Why? What changed?"

"You gave me the most perfect little girl in the world." She smiled at the picture.

Isaac lowered his eyes and rubbed his sock against the ottoman, bashfully looking away for a moment before straightening back up and holding his head up with pride.

"Yeah. So I guess we're doing this. I'm in if you're both in." He paused and then laughed. "But you know that my grandmother is a twin, right? Wanna take that chance?"

"Alison would love two for the price of one." She could only imagine the exhilaration Alison would get from seeing two babies on the ultrasound.

"My sister was apparently supposed to be a twin. But she ate the other baby in the womb." He cringed.

Sounds about right. Emily thought to herself.

Maybe Courtney had two brains meshed into her head and she couldn't exist with both simultaneously.

"I never knew that," Emily said.

"My parents never told me. But I have access to her medical records now, so now I know." He furrowed his brow in thought. Emily saw Autumn do the same thing when she was concentrating hard on something. "Do you ever think about the fact that she's only an hour away from where you live?"

"Sometimes…" New York was a big city. Courtney wasn't in the city, but it still gave her the chills.

She'd had a few nightmares about Courtney going rogue, figuring out how to bypass security, tunneling her way out or something.

"I can have her transferred in a heartbeat. You just say the word." He had made it perfectly clear that Emily, Autumn, and Alison came first, and if they were uncomfortable he would do anything to ease that discomfort.

"I think she's getting the best care she could possibly get where she is." Emily blinked, a blank look on her face.

Sometimes she had to separate herself from reality to talk about her tormentor. She knew that Courtney couldn't be in better hands than Wren Kingston. He had accolades that no other psychiatrist had.

Emily had heard horror stories about other mental hospitals. She hated Courtney, but she didn't want her to suffer. She was already suffering, a prisoner in her own mind. Emily had far too much sympathy to see her tortured. It's why she'd picked the mental hospital for her over jail.

"She'll never see the light of day. I promise you." Emily felt Isaac's hand on hers.

A comforting touch and nothing else. Whatever he'd felt for her when they were teens had dissipated.

Emily cleared her throat, jerking back into reality.

"How is she?"

Isaac looked down at his feet. After everything Courtney had put them through, Emily still cared.

"She has good days and bad days. Sometimes she's lucid. I think she wants to get better, but with the antisocial personality disorder…" He drifted off. "My sister is a sociopath, Emily. It doesn't matter what the doctors do. They can't cure her. All they can do is drug her and try to control her urges."

"I know." Emily replied softly. "Is she talking?"

"Not to her doctors." He squared his shoulders in frustration. "She'll only talk to me. And only to ask me about one thing." He averted her gaze.

"Me." Emily didn't even have to ask him to know the answer.

The only other time Courtney had spoken was the last time Emily went to say goodbye.

Isaac nodded.

"I don't tell her anything. I told her she has no right to ask. Not after what she did to you." He clamped his hands together in tight trembling fists.

He hated her. And he still blamed himself for not protecting Emily. His sister had tried to rape her. She had put her in physical danger. She'd tried to kill her and the baby.

"Did I ever tell you she apologized?" Emily questioned.

"Sociopaths are good at telling us exactly what we want to hear." He loosened his fists and sank down into the couch.

"Only if it benefits them in some way. There was no benefit in it for her. She thought she was dying. She didn't have to say anything." Emily still had flashbacks to the night Courtney was shot. She still remembered the look in her eyes. There was something different about her that night.

Sometimes she could still feel Courtney's blood on her hands, like it was burned into her soul. Permanently a part of her. Her therapist told her it was completely normal. Trauma never went away. People just learned to live with it.

"She asks me…" For a moment Isaac's face looked haunted, a brother worried about his sister, a sister that he was forced to love. "She asks me about that night. About when she was shot. She asks me if you're safe. And she asks for you and asks about when you're coming back."

When he looked at Emily she could see the weight he was carrying. At some point, without her realizing it, he'd gone from boy to man. She took stock of the way he held himself. His baby fat was gone. She looked at the hair on his face. The stubble on his chin. He was so grown up.

He'd been forced to grow up. He should be at school partying with his boys, but instead he trekked across the northeast taking care of his sister and graciously spending time with Autumn.

"She knows better than to ask about Autumn." There was an angry fire in his eyes. "She only said her name once and I ripped into her. Got every single one of her privileges revoked for a week. I told her if she ever even thinks about bringing her up again she'll never see me again. I think about what she could have done to Autumn had she gotten away with it…"

He shuddered. Emily felt a chill. The air was colder. It was like Courtney was a presence in the room, like talking about her conjured her up. A monster that children dreamed up.

"The doctor has told me a little about her thought process…what he sees in her drawings…her writings. He's talked to me about…" He looked nauseated, "…about her urges. The impulsiveness. The desire she feels to do really horrible things. Things that make me sick to think about. Her delusions…" He shook his head. "I'll never understand what goes on in her head. She won't let me. I've tried. I want to help. I'm really all she's got. But I also understand that she doesn't love me. She's not capable of love…" He suddenly stopped, his train of thought halting. "I mean, other than you…"

"I don't know that she loved me so much as she was obsessed with me." Courtney had told her she loved her, but she couldn't have possibly meant it.

"Right." He nodded. "I think she felt something for you. I think she thought she loved you. But she doesn't understand what love is. I don't think she knows how to love. Doctor Kingston says that the spectrum of human emotions doesn't exist in her realm of reality."

"So then why did she take that bullet for us?" Emily still couldn't figure it out.

Courtney could have easily let them die. But she'd made a split second decision. A human decision. A decision that no sociopath would ever make. And she wouldn't have done it for anyone else.

"I don't know." He pursed his brow in thought. Emily saw a touch of his expression in Autumn sometimes. Sometimes she looked at her baby and she saw nothing but Isaac's introspection. "Sociopaths don't care." He pushed his lips out. His face was tight. "Sometimes I wonder if she looked at Autumn that night and she saw traces of me…and you…and that some deep part of her felt the urge to protect us." He rubbed his arm. "It's wishful thinking. She would protect you, but she would gladly let me die…"

"We don't know that," Emily said softly.

"I do," he replied quietly.

"She came to your defense more than once back in San Antonio." She remembered Courtney jumping some racist jackasses in school for calling him a slur.

"I guess. I don't know." He rubbed his forehead with his fingers, like he was fighting off a headache. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to burden you with this…"

"I asked." Emily shrugged. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know." She'd let go of Courtney, but that didn't mean she didn't still think about her from time to time. "I can't imagine how hard this has been for you." Emily touched his hand.

They were at a point where Emily's touch didn't break his heart anymore. He saw the child they'd created. And he'd looked at the love shared between Emily and Alison and he understood where he fit in with the two of them. He loved them. But his love was completely platonic. And he was okay with it. He liked what they had now. Alison was fine with it, too. He was no more a threat to her than Toby.

"Loving her…it's hard." Isaac admitted. "She has done horrible things. She tried to kill our child."

"She also grieved for the loss of her own." The things that Courtney had said about her miscarriage haunted her, especially considering Emily had left her bleeding out on the locker room floor without knowing.

She shuddered thinking about what could have happened to Autumn when she'd had her own miscarriage scare. Courtney had been there. She had tried to comfort her. She didn't know how to comfort her. She just tried. In the end Courtney had done to her what she'd done to Courtney, only Courtney had walked away and left her bleeding willingly. Emily hadn't known Courtney was having a miscarriage. Courtney knew exactly what was happening to Emily that night. It was a miracle Hanna had showed up minutes later. Maybe Courtney knew she would should up. Courtney seemed to know everything.

"But did she really grieve?" Isaac wasn't convinced. "Do we really know that?"

"She saved Autumn's life after Nick fired that gun." Why was she still trying to see the good in the evil? It didn't make sense to her that she was still looking for the light in the dark.

"After trying to kill her." Isaac pointed out.

"Yeah." Emily shivered. "I don't know. She was vicious and ruthless when it came to pretty much everyone, but I think she had a soft spot for children. She was always so good with children."

"Em..." He paused, considering whether he wanted to continue. It terrified him to think of what would have become of Autumn had Courtney gotten away with kidnapping her. He sighed. "There was a reason she was good with children. Because children are blank slates. And she can make them into anything she wants. She can do whatever she wants with them. They aren't humans to her. They were her dolls."

Emily closed her eyes. He was right. She knew he was right. But so much about her past with Courtney didn't add up.

"I don't understand any of it. Courtney is…she's complicated. She'll always be complicated." Emily picked at a thread on the edge of the couch cushion.

"She's my big sister." His voice trembled. "I want to cut the cord. I want to so bad…"

"But you can't." Emily understood. "And that's why I love you."

He squeezed her hand. He was still working through it. He probably always would be. Just like Emily.

"I love you, too, Em." It meant something different than it had years ago. They had found their way back to friendship, which had seemed like an impossible feat once. "I'm sorry that I didn't protect you from her. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself for not protecting you."

"Isaac, don't." The fact that he was continuously swimming in guilt is what separated him from his sister. His heart was far too large. "We're blind to family sometimes."

"She used to torture me and beat the shit out of me, and I didn't say anything. I saw who she was and didn't say anything. What does that make me?" His jaw was set in frustration.

"You were a kid. But look at yourself now." She motioned to him. "You spent the afternoon playing tea party and finger-painting with Autumn and then throwing dance parties watching kids movies. You have nothing to apologize for." She smiled. "Why do you think Alison and I asked you to donate when we're ready to have another child? We love you." She glanced at the DVD cover for The Princess and the Frog. "Autumn loves you."

"Autumn loves everyone." He laughed softly.

"She does." Emily nodded. "Because she has your heart. I mean…look at what you've done for your sister. You're the most selfless person we know."

"It's an obligation. She doesn't have anyone else."

"But we choose our obligations. You chose to be there for her when no one else would. You sacrificed everything for the people in your life. For Courtney. For me. For Autumn." She thought about the sight she'd come home to. Seeing them on the couch, Autumn clinging to him. "Isaac, I've never said it out loud before, but you are Autumn's father. She's yours, too. It took us a long time to get here. I know it's been hard finding the balance. But you fit. You just do. You're her family, too."

"Thanks. That…that means a lot." Isaac's voice faltered a tiny bit.

"You're her dad, regardless of the 'Uncle' title. You and I and Ali all know it. She may not call you 'dad' but you're exactly that, and whatever you want her to call you is fine by us."

Emily saw his lips quivering as he fought back his emotions. A tearful smile tugged at the edges of his mouth.

"I kind of like Uncle Mama." He quipped. Emily laughed. But he really did love it, because Autumn chose it. "I love her so much. I didn't realize this kind of love existed. I would do anything for her. I would die for her."

"I know. And I know you would have taken on parental duties in a heartbeat, but Courtney complicates things. But Alison and I want you to know…we recognize who you are to our daughter. We've talked about it a lot. We wouldn't have our baby girl without you. You're her dad, Isaac."

His light brown eyes were glossing over with tears.

"She is amazing." Isaac cleared his throat, trying to sound manly so Emily wouldn't see how choked up he was. "You and Alison are doing an incredible job."

"You're a part of that, too. Don't underestimate your visits and your FaceTimes. Autumn adores you. She loves you in the same way that she loves me and Alison."

Autumn loved everyone, but she looked at Isaac the same way she looked at her mothers. Emily's mom was right. Babies knew certain things. Autumn sensed it. She knew.

"Well, I am very lovable." He held his head high, striking a cocky pose. She shoved him and laughed. "I just hate that I'm so far away. I wish I could be here more."

"What we're doing works. I think what we have works. No matter where we are in the world we'll always be family."

"Can I play the part of the intimidating Uncle Dad who scares boys or girls who pursue her when she starts dating?" He tried to look tough, but all Emily saw was the sweet vulnerable kid playing with a frog on the church playground.

"Sure. But you're going to have to fight my dad and Alison for that spot. She is very well protected." She snickered. "Alison got into a fight with a woman from daycare last week because the woman's son bit Autumn…"

"Give me a name and drop a location." Isaac frowned. "I'll fight her, too."

"Talk to Ali. She's on it." Emily pushed her palms against the couch and stood up to stretch.

"Cool. I'll team up with her. No one hurts our little ray of sunshine." He nodded decisively.

"I think our little ray of sunshine is out like a light at this point." Emily yawned. She had been up since four when Autumn poked her in the eye and asked for breakfast.

"I'll get this cleaned up." Isaac reached for the snacks on the end table. He picked up the pillows and tossed them back on the sofa. He gathered a few things and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Emily looked around the empty living room. If she closed her eyes she could picture the scene in the room an hour ago. Isaac on his feet dancing around while Autumn bounced up and down on the couch. She could hear the sound of her giggles, could hear them singing "Dig a Little Deeper. Find out who ya are!"

She opened her eyes and picked up her phone, scrolling to the photo gallery and looking at the photo of Isaac and Autumn on the couch.

She smiled.

What they had wasn't traditional, but they were a family nonetheless.

She knew they would find their way.

~Sunday~

Autumn was the first to wake up. She was splayed out across the bed, her feet pressing against Alison's chest. Her head was against Emily's shoulder. She was nuzzled between her mommies and she felt safe. She always felt safe with them. She'd never know of the danger she'd been in before she'd been born…or the horrifying moments she'd had as a newborn. She looked at her mommies and she knew she would always be safe.

She stretched and rubbed her eyes before sitting up between them, sucking hard against her pacifier. Her eyes shot from Emily to Alison, back and forth. She didn't know who to hug first. She sat there quietly, watching her moms sleep.

She reached out and touched Emily's arm with her palm. She let out a sigh through her nose and then reached up to touch her pacifier.

She looked around the room, Emily's old bedroom. Her head slowly started swiveling from side to side.

She felt the mattress moving and looked down to see Emily shifting against her pillow, stirring in her sleep.

A smile spread underneath Autumn's binky. She pet Emily's face with her palm. It was soft and gentle, but it was just enough to get Emily to open her eyes.

Autumn's smile widened.

"Hey, baby." Emily whispered with a yawn.

She peered over at the sleeping blonde. She didn't want to wake her. She looked so peaceful.

Emily carefully pushed herself up.

"Come here, sweet pea," she said quietly as she lifted Autumn into her lap. She squeezed her into a hug.

Autumn crawled up against her body and laid her head against her mother's chest. She sighed through her nose again.

Emily looked at Alison and then looked around her room, exactly like her daughter had done moments ago.

The first time Alison had felt Autumn kick was in her bedroom. It was right after Alison had said "I love you" for the first time. Autumn had replied with a kick before Emily had a chance to say it back.

Emily climbed out of bed with Autumn, swinging her against her hip. She glanced back to make sure she hadn't woken Alison. She wanted her to sleep as long as possible. She was still avoiding her.

It had been nerve-wracking keeping things from her. She just had to get through a few more hours and then everything she'd been hiding would be out in the open. But until then she knew she needed to keep herself busy.

"You hungry, baby?" Emily looked at the reflection of herself and her child in her mirror by the nightstand.

Autumn nodded.

"Want to help me make some breakfast for you and mommy?"

Another nod. A bashful little smile. She buried her face in her mom's bosom and stayed planted there. She was shy in the mornings sometimes.

Emily walked through the house. Her parents were at church and Isaac had gone for a morning run, so it was quiet.

She changed Autumn's diaper and then they went into the kitchen to wash their hands and get to work.

Autumn sat on the edge of the counter handing Emily ingredients. She happily kicked her feet against the counter as she tilted her head side to side and sang to herself.

Halfway through an omelet Emily was making Autumn started to get antsy.

"Down Mama." She extended her arms and curled her fingers into her palms.

Emily was surprised she'd made it as long as she had sitting still in one place. She always seemed to be on the go.

As soon as her feet hit the floor she made a beeline for a basket full of toys Emily had dragged into the kitchen with them…predicting that Autumn would get bored before she finished cooking.

The toddler started digging through the toys, playing with them for a few seconds before moving on to the next one.

One particular toy in the pile caught her eye. She'd been playing with it all day yesterday with Isaac and Alison.

She pulled the toy ring out of the stack and grinned at it. She pushed herself to her feet and then toddled over to Emily. She tugged on her sweatpants.

When Emily looked down she saw Autumn holding the ring up to her.

"For me?" Emily feigned a gasp. "You shouldn't have!"

Emily accepted the ring. She would take anything her child gave her, because everything was a treasure to children and when they gave it away it showed how much they loved you.

When Emily took the ring Autumn clapped in excitement.

"Yay Mama!" She squealed in laughter and danced around in a circle. "Up. Up!" She lifted her arms, demanding to be in her arms again.

Emily swung down and picked her up, settling her on her hip as she turned the stove off. She balanced a few things on a tray and then they tiptoed up the stairs to where Alison was still sleeping.

When they got to the door Emily put Autumn down.

"Go wake Mama." She winked at her.

Autumn ran over to the bed and quickly pulled herself up on to the mattress. She crawled over to Alison on her hands and knees.

"Mama…" She said quietly. Alison muttered something in response. "Maaama. Mama."

Hearing the repeated calls of her child forced Alison to open her eyes with a smile.

"Hi." Autumn giggled.

Alison spotted Emily in the doorway holding the tray of food.

"What's all this?" Alison pulled Autumn into her lap and started tickling her, filling the room with giggles.

"Just thought I'd do something nice." Emily shrugged, walking towards the bed.

"Why? What did you do?" Her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, but then the expression on her face lightened and she laughed.

"Nothing." It was hard for her to keep a straight face, but she managed. "Just appreciate my damn kindness and say thank you."

"Language." Alison scowled at her, covering Autumn's ears. Autumn thought it was a game so she laughed and pushed her hands away.

Emily put the tray down next to Alison and sat down next to her. Alison looked at the spread. There was so much to choose from. Omelets. Belgian Waffles with fruit toppings. Bacon. Toast. She didn't know where to start. Or how Emily had found the time to cook the contents of the entire kitchen.

"Two days back in Rosewood and you're turning into your mother." Alison poked Emily's ribs. "Thank you." She leaned over and pecked her lips. "This was very thoughtful."

"You're welcome." Emily reached up and cupped her cheek.

Her touch sent shivers down Alison's spine. She put her forehead against the brunette's. Her lips were fixed in a permanent smile.

"What time are we riding up to the nature walk today?" Alison asked.

It had been Emily's idea to visit the nature walk to see the trees changing to fiery fall colors. Alison had been overjoyed with the idea because it was the perfect place to propose.

"I was thinking maybe four?" Emily pressed another kiss on Alison's lips before pulling back. "When the late afternoon sun hits the trees just right it's like Heaven." She hummed happily.

She loved the changing of the seasons. When she closed her eyes she could still picture the first time her parents had taken her out to see the leaves. The rolling auburn colors offsetting the bright oranges and yellows. She couldn't wait to take her daughter on her childhood path.

She felt the tender touch of a hand stroking her face and she opened her eyes. Alison was beaming at her.

"You look so beautiful in the morning." Alison was mesmerized by the way the light filtering in through the blinds was hitting her face. Her eyes danced in sunlight.

"Are you implying that I don't look beautiful as the day goes on?" Emily raised her eyebrows with a cheeky look on her face.

Alison snickered and gave Emily's cheek a light slap.

"Don't be a smartass. I was having a moment with you." She pouted, her lips still wet and puckered from their kisses.

"Language." Emily did her best Alison impression.

"You think you're cute, don't you?" Alison tried to frown, but she just couldn't do it when she was looking at her girlfriend.

"I think I'm adorable." Emily plopped back on the bed and grabbed a piece of toast. She bit into it.

Alison sighed dreamily.

"You are. You really are." She reached for a fork. "I am so whipped." She uttered.

Autumn chose that moment to repeat endlessly,

"Mama whip, Mama whip!" She bounced in Alison's lap, clapping her hands.

"Our child is taunting me." Alison looked over at Emily, who had a huge grin on her face.

"Mama whip! Mama whip!"

"Good girl, Autumn." Emily tore off a piece of toast and gave it to her daughter.

Alison scowled at her.

Autumn popped the food in her mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then stated again very firmly,

"Mama whip!"

She continued the chant all morning and all afternoon. They'd had to explain to her parents, "No dad we didn't whip our child…" and "No, Isaac, we don't own a whip."

As the day went on both Alison and Emily become increasingly nervous about the trip. Fortunately, the nerves melted away when they climbed on Emily's bike together. Isaac waved from the front seat of his rental car. He was going to drive up and meet them there with Autumn.

Autumn had whined at first because she wanted to go on the bike with her mommies. Emily had a safety car seat that hitched to the back of her bike. She'd taken Autumn on a few short rides. She looked insanely cute in her little pink bike helmet and safety vest. She loved the bike, just like her mother. So when Isaac strapped her into his rental car she'd pouted.

But she had gotten over her foul mood by the time they reached the nature trail. Emily parked her bike and Isaac pulled up next to her.

Emily and Alison dismounted and took their helmets off and walked over to the car, which was thumping to some loud music. Isaac slowly rolled the windows down, turning to look out at them with his tinted sunglasses all cool and suave as "Wheels on the Bus" played at top volume. Autumn was happily clapping along in the back. She looked at her mommies.

"We sang wheels on da bus! Dey go wround and wround!"

"Are you mocking me?" Alison looked at Isaac, squinting into the sunlight. She put her hands against her head forming a visor. He knew she hated that song.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He grinned.

He shut the engine off. Emily reached for the door handle and pulled it open. She leaned into the car and started to unhook Autumn from her car seat. Autumn held her arms out as soon as the buckle was undone. Emily picked her up and pulled her out of the car.

The little girl was dressed for the occasion in a dark green dress and a puffy brown overcoat. A pair of black leggings covered her legs and were swallowed by her little black boots. To top it off she had on dark orange beanie.

Emily and Alison were dressed similarly. Alison, sensible and chic with her dark red top and light brown sweater combo. Her scarf and pants were brown. Her boots matched Autumn's boots. Emily went for the alternative punk style. A checkered brown and red flannel shirt with a dark brown riding jacket. Her ripped black leather pants clung to her legs. Her boots also matched Autumn's.

Isaac looked at them and realized for the first time that they were all dressed similarly. He hadn't noticed it when they left the house.

He glanced at his reflection in the car mirror, peering at his hoodie. He looked down at this track pants and then back up at Alison and Emily, who had put Autumn down.

"I was not informed there was a dress code to this event." He flipped the hood of his jacket up and slipped his sunglasses on. He snickered. "You've become one of those postcard families that dresses alike."

"Would you have joined in if we asked you to play the matching game with us?" Emily lowered her sunglasses, brows raised in amusement. Autumn was by her side, holding her hand and looking around.

He looked the girls up and down.

"Hell, no." He laughed. "That's so not my style."

He actually would have been perfectly content to stay back at the Fields house. He hadn't wanted to impose on their bonding trip, but Alison and Emily had insisted that he come with them. Alison, of course, had an ulterior motive. She needed someone to document the proposal.

Isaac grabbed the diaper bag.

"My name is Isaac and I'll be your diaper caddy today." He slung the diaper bag over his shoulder and shut the car door.

"Yeah, your style looks super badass with that man purse attached to your shoulder." Alison made a square with her fingers and framed him inside of it.

"How dare you?" Isaac dropped his jaw, though the amusement on his face suggested he wasn't at all surprised or upset. "I could be on the cover of GQ right now."

Autumn grunted and tugged on Emily's hand. She was ready to explore.

"Alright, alright. We're going." Emily turned towards Autumn.

They took a few steps. Isaac leaned towards Alison with a grin on his face.

"You ready?" He whispered.

Alison nodded. She took a deep breath.

"As I'll ever be." She took a step to catch up to Emily.

Isaac shook his head and laughed to himself as he trailed after them.

They walked along a covering of trees creating an arch above them. Each one was filled with a different explosion of color. Gold. Scarlet. Crimson.

"Whoooa." Autumn tilted her head back and looked at the giant trees above her. She pointed up towards the sky. "Pretty."

The foliage around them looked like a flame ignited. The leaves danced in the trees as the breeze blew through them. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky, creating shafts of light making the colors bolder and brighter.

The ground below them was a swirl of hues dancing before their eyes. The shadows created by the sun were moving all around them. The colors were like a carpet laid out before them.

Autumn let go of Emily's hand and leaned down to observe the leaves beneath her feet. She picked up a bright orange one. She'd never seen anything like it.

She looked at it, inspecting it, observing it. She flipped it over and did the same to the other side. She twirled it around in her hand and smiled. Alison couldn't help but think that she looked exactly like Emily when she smiled.

They snapped several photos of Autumn exploring leaves, playing with them. She observed the trees, too, understanding that that's where the pretty leaves came from. She pat one gently, its bark rough beneath her palm. She thanked it for making such pretty leaves.

She was such a curious child, introspective. She loved to learn. She loved adventure. She had a zest for life that made her parents proud.

She had a blast on the nature walk. She ran back and forth between her mothers and Isaac. She would grab his hand and tell him he needed to "Huwwy up." Hurry up. He lingered behind, snapping photos. He'd never seen anything like it in San Antonio or DC.

He felt a gentle tug at his hand and he looked down to see the most impatient yet patient child he'd ever met.

She smiled up at him as they walked hand in hand behind her moms. She understood that he was important in her life in a way that she couldn't yet comprehend.

Alison and Emily were just a few paces ahead, Alison's head against Emily's shoulder. Their fingers were linked together as they took in the sight of nature.

Emily slipped her hand into her pocket. Her fingertips hit a small solid object she'd been hiding for months.

A ring.

She felt a sense of relief. It was finally time.

It had been extremely stressful trying to plan a proposal for Alison. The blonde was sneaky and nosy and could read her like a book, so trying to hide it from her had been exhausting.

But all the nerves and anxiety had melted away. Everything had fallen into place perfectly…

…other than the fact that she had no idea that Alison was going to propose to her, too.

Nothing in their lives ever went according to plan.

She rolled her fingertips over the ring to make sure it was still there. She'd been paranoid she was going to lose it.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. It was a rush she'd never felt before. Not even flying down the road on her bike could compare.

The trail curved down a path that took them to a small clearing with a cove and a small pond. The sunlight was hitting the water, creating fractals of sparking light. It was surrounded by a large rocky area. The stones had been weathered by erosion. It was very similar to the kissing rock, which is why Emily had picked it.

Emily stopped walking and gently let go of Alison's hand. She peered at the ground in concentration, observing the leaves as she kneeled down, pretending to get a better look. She slipped the ring out of her pocket, careful to keep it hidden. She felt like a magician doing one of her greatest tricks.

She ran her fingers smoothly over several leaves, searching for a red one she could hide the ring underneath.

"What'cha got there?" Alison asked curiously.

Emily spotted the perfect leaf and slipped the ring underneath it. She stared at Alison for a few seconds.

"The color matches your nails." Emily tried to hold back her smile. "Let me see your hand for a minute…"

Alison daintily presented Emily her hand.

Got ya. Emily finally let the smile she'd been holding back spread across her face.

Everything clicked for Alison. She saw the position. She saw what Emily was doing a split second before she did it.

Oh, Emily, you smooth son of a bitch… Alison's jaw dropped.

Emily dropped the leaf, revealing a golden band with a diamond encrusted center. It was her grandmother's ring.

A flush of emotions overtook Alison's mind. She couldn't comprehend it. She wanted to laugh at the irony that they were planning the exact same thing, but she also felt a flurry of panic because she wanted to propose to her.

She looked at Isaac, catching the look of shock on his face. He had his camera aimed at them because he knew they were doing something. But he had no idea Emily was planning to propose.

Alison peered helplessly at him, not knowing what to do.

It's not going according to plan!

"Alison, I've known I wanted to marry you since we were five years old. You were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And as I watched you grow up I…"

"Wait!" Alison threw her hands up. "Wait, stop…"

"Oh." Emily's face deflated.

Her heart caught in her chest.

But then she saw the smile on Alison's face.

Emily watched curiously as the blonde's eyes drifted away from hers and over to Isaac. She waved to him twice, a signal that they'd decided on before they left the house.

Emily looked over at Isaac just in time to see him nod. He seemed extremely amused for reasons that Emily didn't understand.

She watched as he leaned down in front of Autumn, whispering something that Emily couldn't hear. He handed her something Emily couldn't see.

"Take it to Mama. Just like we practiced." He gave the ring to Autumn.

Autumn nodded dutifully and started walking towards her moms. Isaac stood up and got the camera ready.

"You totally stole my thunder." Alison sighed, putting her hand against Emily's shoulder. "And my heart."

"Ali, what are you…"

Before she could finish her sentence she was interrupted by a small hand tugging on her shirt. She looked over at her baby and saw that she was holding something out to her.

Her eyes focused in on it.

A silver band. The large diamond in the center of it captured her attention because of the way the sun was striking it. There were four smaller diamonds on either side of the large one.

Emily glanced at the ring for a few seconds before Alison gently took it from their daughter. Autumn grinned, looking to Alison for approval.

"Good job, baby."

Autumn clapped and squealed in excitement.

Emily felt a wave of shock overtaking her system. She looked up at Alison.

"Are you serious right now?" Emily's jaw fell open.

"On your feet, Hell's Angel. Me first." Alison grabbed her hand to help her stand up, and in one swift motion Emily was standing and Alison was down on one knee.

"You first, hmm? Just like in bed…" Emily couldn't resist giving her a hard time.

"You are so terrible." Alison's cheeks flushed.

"I am." Emily grinned. "Sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. Now shut up and let me do this."

"Alison DiLaurentis…" Emily shook her head in disbelief.

"About to be DiLaurentis-Fields." Alison waggled her brows. She took Emily's hand in her own and took a shaky breath. She looked down at her soon to be fiancée. "Emily Catherine Fields…" That got a laugh from the brunette. It was the first time Alison had said Catherine instead of Violet. "You are the kindest, gentlest, coolest most badass woman I know." Alison reveled in Emily's laughter. "You came into my life and you stole my heart. You are the pillar of strength…my moral compass, my love, my everything."

Moments from their lives flashed through Alison's mind. Emily's smile. Emily's kindness. Emily opening up an entirely new world to her. The brunette had pulled her off the darkest path in her life and had showed her what it meant to live in the light.

"It's because of you that I am who I am today. You are the world's brightest light, humanity's greatest heart, and the only woman I've ever loved. I only see you. I only ever saw you."

Two tears slipped down her face. Emily wiped them away with her thumb.

"You see the best in the world. You give so much love. You gave me a chance. You gave us a life. You gave us our beautiful daughter." Her eyes darted to Autumn, who watched the scene curiously. "You are my entire universe. I love you so much, a feeling I'd never known before I met you." She took a breath, trying to calm herself. "Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning."

She was barely holding it together. Her entire body was trembling.

"Paulo Coelho." Emily immediately recognized the Brazilian lyricist.

Alison nodded.

"You are my meaning, Emily. We've had a lifetime together already, and I never want that lifetime to end." She slid the ring on Emily's finger. "So…how about forever?"

Emily exhaled a breath. Her lips twitched into a smile.

"Mmm…" Her face tightened in thought, a sarcastic grin on her face. "I'll have to think on it."

"Emily, I swear to God…" Alison uttered with a laugh.

Emily stared at the ring on her hand. She was trying to comprehend how her proposal had turned into Alison's proposal. She had been ready for a long time. So the answer came naturally and quickly,

"Yes." Emily said, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Of course, yes. A million times yes."

Alison let out the breath she'd been holding in, though she wasn't quite sure why she was holding it in. The fact that Emily had come to propose to her pretty much assured she'd say yes.

Alison jumped to her feet and grabbed Emily's face. Their lips met, hard and passionate. Excitement and exhilaration. Endorphins jazzed through them.

"I love you." Alison whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too." Emily let out a quiet sob.

Tears coated her face. Alison could taste them in their kiss.

"My turn?" Emily asked.

"Just let me hold you for one more second." Alison's palm landed against Emily's face.

She kissed her once more and then pulled back and nodded. It all felt so surreal. It didn't feel like it was really happening.

Emily smiled at her and fell down to one knee again. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions. She hadn't been expecting Alison to ask her to marry her. It took her a moment to find the verbal part of her brain again.

"Alison, I knew I loved you from the moment I met you." She paused. "And then met you again." She chuckled. "When I came back to Rosewood you were the first person I saw, watching me from across the street…you little stalker." Emily winked.

Alison showed no sense of remorse. In fact, she looked quite proud of herself. Stalking Emily Fields had turned out to be the best decision of her life.

"From the moment we first kissed in the treehouse to the day our daughter was born, you were always there. Not always physically, but you were always on my mind. Not a day has gone by since the day we met that I haven't fallen more in love with you."

Emily's hands started shaking. She had to stop and take a breath. Alison reached down and brushed her fingers underneath Emily's chin, tilting her head up. When Emily saw her beautiful bride-to-be smiling down at her she was able to settle her nerves. And she thought of what Toby had told her,

"You got this."

"I often think about how you are the first person I tell my secrets to...about how I feel safe with you. You were there for me during some of the hardest days of my life. And when things were tough you didn't run. You stayed. Because that's who you are. You risked your life more than once, not just for me, but for our daughter."

Emily took a moment to steal a glance at her baby, who had pressed her little hands against Emily's knee. She pulled Autumn up into her lap and then looked up at Alison again.

"You fight for what is right. You show bravery in the face of adversity. And you love with all your heart. You are everything I hope for Autumn to be when she grows up."

She watched as Alison's free hand flew up to her face and covered her mouth in surprise. She was humbled and honored. Tears flooded her cheeks as Emily held Alison's hand in hers.

"You are loving. Protective. Tough. Ambitious. Smart."

She reached up to wipe a tear from Alison's chin with her thumb. The blonde's lips were trembling.

"I look at you…I look in your eyes…and I see your heart. You are absolutely perfect. You are my best friend. My lover. My partner. Our daughter's mother. My ride or die. Always. And I want that always to be part of our forever. Alison Lauren DiLaurentis, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes!" Alison didn't even wait half a beat to answer. The second Emily put the ring on her finger she tugged on her hand. "Get up here and kiss me!"

Emily scooped Autumn into her arms and was practically pulled to her feet by Alison.

"You're so bossy." Emily laughed as the blonde grabbed her cheeks, their lips meeting in a passionate embrace for the second time in less than three minutes.

Autumn wriggled from between them. She saw their faces. Her expression contorted in confusion. She saw their smiles, but she also saw their tears. And usually those two things didn't go together.

Alison saw Autumn looking between them. She put her hand against her daughter's thigh.

"Hi, baby." Alison touched her nose. "You did so good. You made us very very happy."

The confusion faded from Autumn's face and she clapped in excitement.

"I can't believe you taught her this." Emily swung Autumn on her hip. "She brought me a toy ring in the kitchen this morning."

"Did she really?" Alison laughed.

"She got so excited when I took it." Emily chuckled, palming away the tears on her face. "Now I know why. How long have you been planning this?"

"Since I was twelve." Alison answered sincerely. "But I didn't get the ring until about six months ago. I was stingy. I wanted to find the perfect one. It took forever." She observed the ring on her own hand. There was something familiar about it. "Wait…is this…"

"My grandmother's ring." Emily nodded. "My mom gave it to me when I turned eighteen. She knew that one day I was going to ask you to marry me."

"Did you tell them you were planning this?" Alison tried to remember if Wayne or Pam had given an inkling of a smile or something when she asked about marrying Emily.

"No." Emily shook her head with a laugh. "I wanted to tell them after. If I told them before I knew they would act really weird and you'd figure it out."

"That actually makes sense. I talked to them yesterday to ask for their blessing and they were definitely acting weird afterwards." Alison chuckled.

"You asked my mom and dad for their blessing?" Emily touched her hand. "That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"They're going to love these pictures." Isaac walked up beside them, his face buried in his phone. He grinned at Alison. "You should have seen your face when she whipped that ring out."

He pulled the picture up and zoomed in on her face. She looked like a cat trapped in the middle of a thunderous raging river. It was the definition of HELP! PANIC.

"You knew about this?" Emily gawked at Isaac, smacking him playfully.

"No Mama. No hit." Autumn scolded her.

"Uncle Isaac deserved that." He pinched her thigh.

Autumn dug her head into Emily's shoulder with a smile.

"Congratulations." Isaac smiled, sincerely, a proud smile.

"Thank you." Emily reached out and touched his arm. Their eyes met briefly before Emily looked at the baby in her arms. "For everything."

Visions of their past no longer swam through their minds when they were together. Because the past was over. It was the future that mattered.

"You too." Isaac gave her a slight nod.

Emily was the only one who understood what he went through with his sister, and despite having been tormented by her, Emily was always willing to lend an ear. She was his family.

"Though…" Isaac put his finger up against his lips and grinned. "I'm kind of surprised you didn't tell me you were asking Alison to marry you."

"I wasn't sure you'd be able to keep it a secret…"

All three of them burst into laughter at the irony of it.

"Is this why you were acting like such a freak all weekend?" Alison was still admiring the ring on her finger. It was beautiful. And it held a sentimental value since it belonged to her family.

"I knew you noticed." Emily's cheeks burned.

She'd tried so hard to be cool. But she'd messed up so many times that it was a miracle Alison hadn't figured it out. The blonde had almost caught her looking at the ring a few days before they'd come to Rosewood.

"I fly down the roads at speeds that shouldn't exist on my bike, but this made me nervous. Hiding it from you was the hardest thing I've ever done." She shifted Autumn over against her other hip. "I love you and I want to share everything with you, so it was really hard to lie to you."

"Awww." Alison pushed her bottom lip out in a way that was both somehow adorable and sexy.

Autumn squirmed, pushing to get down. She never liked to stay still for very long. She crouched down at her feet and looked at the red leaf that Emily had picked up to hide the ring. She gripped the stem gently with her fingers and stood up.

"Dah." She reached up to Emily and handed it to her.

"Very pretty." Emily laughed, twirling the stem of it and spinning it in the air.

"This is one for the scrapbook." Alison took the leaf from Emily and slid it into her hair.

"You scrapbook?" Emily scoffed.

"I've been learning a thing or two from your mom." Alison turned away shyly.

Emily cocked her head and pursed her lips, looking at Alison like she was trying to solve a math problem.

"What?" Alison questioned.

"I'm trying to picture you in a craft store buying yarn and color tapestries." She giggled.

"Laugh all you want. You'll be standing right next to me." She reached out and grabbed the lapel of Emily's jacket. "You're stuck with me forever now."

"Okay. Cool. But I might scare the grannies in there with my decked out motorcycle gear and purple hair." Emily reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, nearly getting her ring tangled in it. "Oop, gonna have to get used to this rock on my finger." She plucked a few stray hairs away from the ring.

"Rock." Autumn pointed towards the jagged eroded rocks over by the water. She slowly toddled towards it.

The girls and Isaac followed. Isaac took some pictures of Autumn staring at her reflection in the water. She dipped her index finger against the mirror version of herself and laughed when it created little ripples.

She stood up and eagerly grabbed Alison's hand. Then she looked at Emily and reached for her hand, too. She insisted on holding both their hands, so they sandwiched her between them and obliged.

She grinned up at them and took the first step towards a new path. They followed in sync.

Isaac aimed his camera at the girls in front of him. He paused before taking a picture. He had somehow gradually become a part of this amazing family.

He was grateful that he had found his place, but he was even more grateful that his family was safe since his sister was out of the picture. He would see to it that Courtney could never hurt them again, even if that meant taking some of the burden on to himself. Courtney was blood, but she wasn't family. He was obligated to be there for Courtney. He wanted to be there for Emily, Alison, and Autumn. He would choose them every time.

Emily had been the best thing that happened to him. In a lot of ways, Emily felt the same about him. Without their history she wouldn't have her daughter and her fiancée.

He took a picture of the three of them walking hand in hand and then turned to take a different path to give Alison and Emily time together to celebrate their engagement.

Emily saw him walking away when she looked over her shoulder. She gave him a grateful smile and a wave. Then she turned her attention back to Autumn and Alison.

They walked along the path, Autumn between them gripping their fingers with her hands. Every other step Emily and Alison would lift her up and she'd kick her feet and swing back and forth through the air. She was swinging without a net, no fear.

Emily's kid through and through. Alison thought to herself with a smile.

As she swung in the air a string of giggles and a chorus of "higher mommies" echoed throughout the trees.

It was the beautiful sound of happiness in the autumn.

Pennsylvania in the fall was one of Emily's favorite things. It was the beginning of fall. It was the start of something new.

It was the promise of forever.

---

A/N: Ohana means family...

You all know I'm a sucker for happily ever after. Hope this didn't disappoint. The way I look at is, family is chosen. Family is what we make it. And this unorthodox family had my whole ass heart the entire story. I hope you loved them, too.

A sincere thanks to all of you. Would love to hear final thoughts one last time in the comments. For old time's sake. For the few of us left.

Thanks for reading. Take care, Emison fam.

FIN.