A/N: Enjoy! Let me know what you'd like to see cause Idk where this is going atm! Thanks for the reviews, hope you like the chapter =]]

Chapter 3

Hanna watched her friend study intensely. She bit her lip before sighing.

"Em?" she said tentatively.

Emily looked up to see her friend staring at her, "Yeah?"

"Have you spoken to Ali about… tomorrow?" she asked gently.

Emily felt her body tense, "Not exactly," she replied quietly.

"So… what's she going to think when you just disappear?" Hanna questioned.

Emily put her book down, "Han, it's one day a year – "

"I know, Em, and I get that," Hanna explained, "It's just if you don't tell her she's going to ask us. And if that's what you want, for us to tell her, that's fine. But I think it would be better coming from you."

Emily chewed her lip, "Yeah, you're right."

"You're tenser than usual," Alison squeezed her girlfriend's shoulder as the two lazed in bed watching a movie, "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded, "Yeah, sure."

Alison smiled and placed a hand on Emily's cheek, turning her face to look at her. She pressed her lips softly against the other woman's. Emily took a moment to respond to the sudden contact. Alison swiped her tongue along Emily's bottom lip and was quickly invading her girlfriend's mouth.

Emily felt a hand on her hip and broke away. She put a hand over Alison's and pushed it away.

"Stop," she said quietly.

Alison frowned, "Em, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Emily turned onto her back, avoiding the concerned blue eyes she could feel boring into her.

"Em, I know when something's bothering you," Alison claimed, "Is it us? Is it me? Did I do something – "

Emily closed her eyes, "No, it's not you," she took a deep breath and opened her eyes, "It's just… tomorrow… I have this day once a year and I just… disappear. I turn my phone off and go off the grid."

Alison frowned, "Okay… Why?"

"It's the anniversary of the day Maya's body was found," Emily said softly.

Alison's eyes widened, "Oh, Em," she bit her tongue, "I'm sorry. If that's what you need to do, I respect that… but if you want company, even if you don't want to talk… I'm just saying I'm here for you."

Emily nodded, "I know," she smiled sadly as she turned to face the blonde again, "I used to do the same for you," she sighed, "I had two days a year…"

Alison could feel her heart breaking hearing the crack in Emily's voice, "I'm so sorry I put you through that," she hesitated before pulling Emily close, "You've been through so much. I wish I could change things for you."

Emily burrowed into Alison's chest, "Just hold me," she whispered.

Alison woke up to an empty space beside her. It did make her sad that she couldn't be with Emily on a day that was clearly a challenge to her. But she got the solitude thing and she had to respect that. Still, she pulled out her phone and sent her one last text.

Emily sat cross legged at Maya's grave. She pulled out her homework and started working. It was mundane and maybe morbid but she just liked to spend the day here. With Maya. She'd never stopped missing her first girlfriend. She used to come here all the time, but it was too hard to just cry and cry over her grave so she'd decided to stop. Or try anyway. So now she'd bring homework with her. She'd still talk to Maya and sometimes cry, but mostly it was nice to just feel as close as she could to Maya.

Her phone beeped. It was early; she hadn't turned it off yet.

Here if you need me. Do what you need to. Love you.

Emily smiled. Ali really was being great. Maybe it would be nice to have company. She sighed. Was it wrong to bring your current girlfriend to your dead girlfriend's grave?

"You got an A in English?" Spencer frowned.

Hanna shrugged, "Don't act so surprised. Just because I don't know all those long words doesn't mean I'm not smart."

Aria smiled, "We know, Han."

"Well, the teachers don't, they totally asked if you helped me," Hanna grumbled to Spencer.

Alison chuckled, "Just give them the list of college's you got into."

She was distracted when her phone beeped. She looked at her phone, quickly typing a reply when she became aware of the silence around her. She looked up to see her friends looking at her.

"What?"

"That's not… Emily, is it?" Hanna asked.

Alison nodded, "Yeah, it is. I'm going to go meet her."

"Wow, I don't think she's ever contacted anyone on this day…"

Alison picked up her bag, "Yeah, well I better go."

Alison spotted the brunette laying on her back on the grass. She was glad Emily had contacted her even if she wasn't completely sure how to help. She wanted to be there for her. But she also didn't want to encroach on Emily's day to remember her ex.

"Hey," she smiled down at Emily before settling down next to her.

"Hey," Emily sat up, "Thanks for coming."

Alison smiled, "Of course, Em. I'm here for whatever you need."

Emily smiled and kissed her girlfriend quickly, taking her hand in her own and playing with Ali's fingers.

They sat in silence for a while, fingers entwined as Emily rested her head on Ali's shoulder.

"She was so beautiful," Emily finally broke the silence.

Alison squeezed her hand, "Tell me about her?" she requested softly.

Emily bit her lip, "She was… I don't even know. She was so patient with me… she knew just how hard to push and when to back off. She really saw me for who I was, before I ever could. She made me feel so loved," her voice cracked, "She came off as so confident… but it was just the surface… She was just as insecure as anyone. I wished she could see herself through my eyes. I just… I hope I made her feel as loved as she made me feel."

Alison couldn't help the jealousy that surged through her, but she knew this wasn't the time for that and she kissed the side of Emily's head, "I'm really glad you had someone like her, Em," she said softly, "Trust me, she would have known how much you loved her. You love so fiercely it's impossible not to feel it… She sounds amazing."

"She was," Emily whispered.

"Must be something about that house, huh?" Alison smiled.

Emily smiled back, "Uh-huh, must be."

"You're so strong," Alison murmured.

Emily looked at her, "You don't think this…" she looked around the cemetery, "is weird?"

Alison shrugged, "Not really. I think people deal in all kinds of ways. I think it's nice you like to remember her. She meant a lot to you… "

"I used to go to the kissing rock for you," Emily said quietly.

Alison raised a tentative hand to Emily's cheek, brushing her thumb under her eye, "That's what I love about you. You're so sensitive and sentimental and sweet."

Emily smiled and lent close to Ali before capturing her lips with her own briefly.