A/N - Hey guys! It's probably been a good decade since I posted any FF. So long that I had to create a new account because I couldn't remember my old one. I hope that all of the readers are doing alright as the world is going through unprecedented times. Just continue to do the best that you can for yourself and those around you - Whatever that means, given your location. The quarantine has also given me time to edit some of the old fanfiction sitting on my laptop. I sure miss this show, and if anyone out there is still interested, I figured I'd post this story. It is complete, but many of the chapters will need editing so I will post as I quickly as I can edit.

As for the timeframe - I'm keeping the PLL series cannon as well as what we were given in The Perfectionists. The story begins post- The Perfectionists and anything not shown on the show will be alluded to or explained as the story goes on. This means that the Liars are about 28 and Lily and Grace are nearing age four.

Hope you enjoy and can find some entertainment during this time. Reviews would be awesome and a great way to keep in touch with the outside would right now.

Alison moved the small picture frame again, this time placing it about two inches from its last spot on her mantle. She'd moved it around the room three times now in hopes of putting it in the perfect place. She stepped back and admired its new spot in her new apartment. It wasn't quite home, but it was where she would be spending time with her girls, her family, and she wanted the place to look perfect when they came to visit for the first time tomorrow.

She'd flown back from Oregon on Sunday evening with a one way ticket for the first time in nearly two years and arrived at her newly leased apartment to find the boxes she'd sent neatly stacked in her living room. She'd kept herself busy unpacking and decorating by herself for the last few days. She hadn't called anyone when she'd arrived back in Pennsylvania. She hadn't spoken to anyone in days- not even her neighbors. The truth was that she felt nervous being back. There was an anxiety that hit the moment that her flight had landed in Philadelphia and an uneasiness lingered as she took a cab to her apartment that evening.

"What brings you to Rosemont?" The driver had asked.

Rosemont, not Rosewood. In the end, she'd passed up on the job at Hollis and instead took a job at Rosemont College, about thirty minutes away from her hometown. It felt easier in some ways to come back and not be in Rosewood. It wasn't so much the negative memories that the town held from their "A" years, but she still felt a sense of loss in Rosewood for the family that she once had.

Their marriage hadn't be perfect. Their relationship prior to getting married hadn't been perfect. Hell, even the way that they had gotten together hadn't been perfect. She thought it was okay, because all couples fight, right? Marriage was about love, and they had plenty of that. Towards the end, though, it became obvious that love might not be enough. Not when they had endured years of torture, and definitely not when they never had any deep conversations about it. For Alison, her breaking point had been her relationship with Archer, ultimately culminating in her pregnancy with Emily's children. The idea that she'd finally opened herself up only to be lied to, manipulated, and violated was too much to talk about. Even if she wanted to talk about it, how could she? They had two perfect and innocent daughters as a result of what had happened. Talking about it, opening up to her regrets, and feeling the pain that it caused felt like a betrayal to their girls and to their family. The problem was that it caused her to be closed off at times which brought out all of Emily's insecurities. Emily also had lasting PTSD from the torture by A spanning nearly a decade. It had bred intense trust issues in her, and nothing manifested them worse than Alison being distant, which she immediately took as secretive and suspicious.

Alison didn't blame Emily, and Emily didn't blame Alison, but in the end it was was what was; The love that they started with wasn't enough to keep them together.

Things had gone alright since they had signed the divorce papers almost two years ago. There had been... tension the first Thanksgiving that Alison had returned home from Beacon Heights, but they'd figured it out since then. They still loved each other, they were still friends, and they were both committed to making things as normal as they possibly could for their daughters.

That normal, they'd decided would be to split custody of the girls now that Alison was back in Pennsylvania. They would spend their weekdays in Rosewood with Emily and then she would drop them off at Alison's apartment on Friday to spend their weekends in Rosemont. It wasn't ideal, but after over two years of seeing her girls sporadically Alison was ecstatic to have consistent time with them. When she'd left, they were curious little toddlers with big cheeks and light auburn hair. Now suddenly, they were turning four in two weeks. Their hair had darkened and they'd grown out of their chubby cheeks leaving them to look every bit of the mischievous little girls that they were. Alison didn't want to miss any more time with them, and this arrangement seemed to work out best for everyone.

She'd been so lost in thought that a knock on the door physically startled her, sending a hand flying to her chest as she took a minute to catch her breath. Who the hell was knocking on her door? She hadn't given out her address to her new employer or her friends yet. She cursed under her breath as she walked over to the door because if it was some neighbor with a welcome basket or god forbid a pie she was slamming that door right back shut.

Instead of a nosey neighbor, she was greeted by a tanned brunette on the other side of the door.

"Emily?" She asks the the girl on the other side of the door, her eyebrows constricted slightly, forming a soft questioning look. She hadn't seen a missed call or anything.

Emily had been looking down the hallway and upon hearing her name, she brought her attention back to the doorway to meet Alison's gaze. After a moment she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but thought better of it. Instead she looked at her hands, wringing them in front of her her briefly before she looked back up at Alison. "Hey." She nodded.

Alison took a minute to eye the brunette and try to figure out what is going on here. Emily seemed uncomfortable, or nervous at the very least. They were fine, right? They had been on good terms for awhile now and had spoken just a few days ago confirming plans to drop the girls off on Friday.

Oh my god, her sank in her stomach, the girls. Emily was here to tell her that she'd changed her mind.. that she didn't think their arrangement would be a good idea anymore. She quick glanced over Emily's shoulder to see any sign of Lily or Grace, and brought her eyes back to meet Emily's once it was confirmed that she had come alone.

"Wh-where are the girls?" She managed to ask, hoping her voice sounded somewhat normal. In reality though, her heart was pounding. This was it, she thought. This was why she'd felt so uneasy the last few days. It was time for the other shoe to drop.. and Emily was here to drop it.

"Oh," Emily noticed the nervous tone of her voice and, assuming that Alison was worried that something had happened explained, "They're at Hanna's playing with Aidan. I just had some errands to run..."

Yeah, right. Alison thought. "In Rosemont?" She cocked her head at the brunette.

"Okay.." Emily lifted a hand in the air and looked down at her feet, shaking her head slightly.

Alison felt her heartbeat pick up again. How could she be so stupid to think that this next step in her life would go according to plan? Things never did. She had to fight for this though. It was the right decision. They had both decided this.. together. And they hadn't made a decision together in years.

"Emily." She tried to keep her voice firm and determined, but the stress of the situation was getting the best of her and her voice started accelerating like a speeding car. "If you're here to tell me that you changed your mind and don't want to bring the girls over tomorrow then we need to sit down and talk about this right now. We decided together that it was the best thing for the girls and I've got their room ready and you don't need to worry about anything becau-"

"ALI." Emily cut her off, eyes wide, shocked at the blonde's outburst. It got Alison's attention, though. She stopped her ramblings and stared back at Emily letting out quick and heavy breaths. The brunette shook her head, as her face contorted in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"You're not here to tell me that you're not bringing the girls tomorrow?" Alison asked after finally catching her breath and getting her bearings back.

"I'm wha-" Emily stammered, genuinely confused. "No?"

"Oh." Alison finally let herself relax and nodded to herself as she let her fear sink down again. "Why are you here then?"

"I..." Emily let out a long breath and ran her hand through her long hair. She looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice slightly, "Look, can I come in?"

"Uh, sure..." Alison took a step back to let Emily through the door plane.

The brunette walked through the room, her eyes moving throughout the apartment seemingly taking mental notes. She wasn't focused on anything in particular though she stopped briefly noting a picture of both she and Alison holding the girls when they were babies. She peered into the kitchen, the bathroom, and the short hallway that led to the two bedrooms. Alison watched her, wheels spinning in her mind until she finally figured it out.

"I know why you're you're here." She stated knowingly, causing the other girl to spin around in surprise.

A/N - Slight cliffhanger, but I'll have the second chapter up soon. Let me know what you think. And again - Take care of yourselves!

Thanks!