A/N - Thanks for the reviews and feedback! To address one reviewer who asked if Emily knows what Alison suffered in the Perfectionists. The answer is yes and no. I took some creative liberties with The Perfectionists since they left us hanging on the actual mystery. In this world, I've just made Alex Drake 'The Professor', in the Perfectionists as a way to tie up that loose end. I'll allude to anything important that may have happened in Beacon Heights (there is actually some of this addressed in this chapter). Emily knows that Alex caused trouble to Alison and Mona in Beacon Heights, but part of Alison's storyline here will be whether or not she can fully open up to Emily and address it. As far as Perfectionist characters- you'l have to wait and see (subtle wink). The Perfectionist-world is canon here, including all of those little text stories they released last year. Anything else important will be explained though for those that didn't tune in, so no worries!
—
The next few days were full of firsts for Alison, Emily, and their girls. Emily had prepped the girls in the weeks prior to Alison returning, but they were still full of questions when it came time for Emily to leave.
"Why aren't you staying too, Mama?" Lily had asked Emily, her wide eyes full of curiosity.
It was the first time that the girls would be spending the night without Emily or their grandmother so Emily and Alison were patient with them during the handoff, answering their questions with softened honesty.
"Remember what we talked about, sweetie? You girls are going to stay here for the weekend and spend time with your Mom. I'm going to stay at our house to let you three have fun together". Emily had told her, peeking at Grace as well to make sure that both girls were listening.
"But why?" Grace piped in. Despite turning four the next week, both girls were still full swing in the 'why' stage. Answering why she wouldn't be staying with them on the weekends in her ex-wife's apartment was a bit more difficult than answering why they had to finish their broccoli at dinner.
Eventually, the girls accepted Emily's departure and Alison was left alone with them for the first time in over a year. She showed them around, and the girls enjoyed exploring the small apartment. Alison took joy in seeing them get excited over their bedroom and all of the things that Alison had stocked in there for them.
Both nights before bedtime stories, Alison FaceTimed Emily on the phone so that she could take part in some of story time and say goodnight to the girls. It had been a ritual that Emily and Alison had started for the girls when Alison was in Oregon. Back then it had only been a few times a week, but now they'd decided to try to have a FaceTime with the other every night so that the girls would have stability. It was also important for both Emily and Alison because it made whoever was home without the girls feel included.
They did crafts, went to the park, and baked together. Alison felt more happiness that first weekend than she could remember having in years. Now that she was back and spending time with her girls, she could hardly remember how she'd survived the past two years without them. Before they knew it, it was Sunday night and time to return the girls home to Rosewood.
Emily's weekend had gone a bit differently than the rest of her family's had. She'd had plenty of time to prepare for her first weekend without her daughters. She'd told herself over and over that she'd be fine and that it was a good thing. Still though, when she drove back to Rosewood after dropping the girls off with Alison she felt lost and empty. She busied herself with some light cleaning (mostly pacing) and kept her phone on her at all times. By 8pm, she found herself sitting on the couch staring at her phone waiting because she knew that it had to be story time for the girls then and time for Alison to call so that she could join in. She could hardly sleep that night and instead of sleeping in for the first time in months like she planned, she was up at 5am tying her running shoes and heading out the door.
After over an hour of jogging, her head had finally started to clear up. She'd been able to be fairly productive on Saturday, but she still kept her phone with her in case of an emergency. Alison called again right on time Saturday evening so that Emily could be a part of story time.
After they'd hung up, she couldn't help but wonder if this is how Alison had felt for nearly two years while she lived in Oregon. At the time, Emily was so focused on being there for the girls and constantly had something that needed her attention. There were times when she'd envied Alison for the freedom that she assumed the blonde had found. But maybe it hadn't felt so freeing. Had Alison felt this way too? Did she feel this alone in an empty and suddenly quiet house? Emily wanted to text her as she laid in bed that night, but couldn't bring herself to do it.
After signing the divorce papers, Emily and Alison had shared several late night texts and calls that had gone farther than they'd meant for them to. They were clinging to each other, both unwilling to let go of their relationship despite legally agreeing to end it. After realizing that it had to stop, they'd both made it a point to make the goodbyes from the twins' story time the final time they'd contact each other at night.
On Sunday evening, Alison brought Lily and Grace back to Rosewood, knocking on the door at five o'clock on the dot. It was weird for both of them to have Alison knocking on the door of the house that she'd grown up in. She had a key, but figured it was best to respect boundaries. The girls basically knocked over Emily when she opened the door, and the house immediately felt like a home again as it was filled with their little chatters.
While the girls were reporting to Emily everything that they had done for the last two days, Alison wondered around the living room. She was taking a mental inventory of everything, as she always did when she visited the house. Their divorce settlement had been amicable and nearly drama-free; Alison had given the house to Emily because she had primary custody of the girls and it didn't make sense to move. Emily rarely changed anything in the house, though Alison sometimes wished that she would. Everything was so eerily similar to the way it was when they had been married. When she walked through, it made her feel like she could go back, like they could go back. But that wasn't the reality, and Alison knew that.
"Sounds like you guys had a good weekend". Alison was brought back to reality when the brunette walked over to her smiling approvingly at the twins report on their time with Alison.
"We did," she smiled back. It was a genuine smile. It had indeed been a wonderful weekend with her daughters. All of the nerves that she had faced when moving back had disappeared within minutes of the girls running around her new apartment with smiles.
"I'm glad," Emily nodded. And she was glad, because she wanted this arrangement to work just as badly as Alison did. She couldn't say the same, that she herself had experienced a great weekend, but she hoped that eventually she'd settle in.
"Did you have a good weekend," Alison asked her to make conversation.
Emily scrunched up her nose and shrugged a little, "It was okay.. I did get a lot done around the house."
Alison knew the feeling too well and let well enough be. She changed the subject. "Hey what are you thinking for their birthday next week? Barbecue on Saturday still?"
The girls were turning four on Wednesday, but Emily has mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she was thinking of holding their actual party on a Saturday. They'd bought them both new bikes that would be from both Emily and Alison. Last year, they learned the hard way that it was best to keep a united front when it came to gift giving. That way, there wasn't resentment from the other parent if the girls liked one gift better than the other.
Emily nodded, "Yeah, if you want to come on Wednesday to say happy birthday, you can do that too" she offered with a smile.
"That would be great". One thing that they hadn't ironed out yet was how they were going to work having a party if the girls were supposed to be staying with her over the weekends. "How are we handling who they're staying with?"
Alison liked to give Emily a lot of say in their coparenting. She knew that she had a reputation for coming across bossy and was trying to kick that perception.
"Oh," Emily realized that she hadn't thought of that, "I forgot that they're technically supposed to be with you. Um.." she contracted her brows in thought.
Alison had already thought about it though. "Maybe I can just take them Saturday after the party and bring them back Monday?" She offered.
"Sure," Emily gave a tight smile.
"Do you need help decorating? Is there a theme?"
Emily's expression turned a bit more sheepish at that, "You know that I'm terrible with that kind of stuff". She'd never been an expert at decorating or children's party planning. She was lucky if she just got the girls where they were going on time with complete outfits.
Alison thought for a minute, "They kept mentioning some TV show this weekend. Animes ... Animales... something?" She looked at the brunette for help.
Emily looked legitimately confused for a minute before it clicked. "Oh! Amazonas!"
"Yeah, what's that about? Is this a new thing?"
Emily laughed. "It's like these animals that live in the Amazon who are determined to save the rainforest. They've been into it for a month or two now".
Alison was surprised because she normally kept up better with what the girls' interests were. "I could make them a cake or something with the characters," she offered.
Emily shrugged, "Yeah, you can if you want. I think my mom was going to make the cake, but I can tell her-"
"Don't do that," Alison cut her off, "she already hates me".
Emily sighed, "She doesn't hate you, Ali".
"She does, but it's fine I get it. Let her make her cake".
Emily didn't want to get into it. It was true that Pam didn't have many nice things to say about Alison since the divorce, but she hadn't been particularly thrilled with Emily either when she'd told her mother that they were splitting up. "We'll come up with some ideas later this week," she offered.
Just then, Grace came barreling back into the room with her stack of playing cards and thrusted them towards Alison, "Mommy can we play the Fish game again?" Alison had played cards with the girls earlier that afternoon and it had been hard to tear them away when it was time to go.
Alison smiled and squatted down to Grace's height, "Mommy is going to go home tonight. Remember we talked about this?" She tucked a piece of hair behind the little girl's ear.
Grace wasn't thrilled. "Momma one game?" She tried Emily.
Alison mouthed 'Go Fish' so that Emily knew what she was signing up for.
"I'll see you girls in a few days," she called so that both girls could say goodbye and she could make an exit. She hugged the twins tightly before walking out of her old house.
The drive home was quiet and she was left with her thoughts. She loved her time with the girls. It was forty-eight hours of pure bonding time, and though it didn't make up for the lack of quality time over the last two years, it felt like a good start.
—
On Saturday, Alison arrived back in Rosewood to help Emily set up the backyard a few hours before the party. It was supposed to be casual, with just their friends and families in attendance plus a few other people that Emily had grown close to through working at the pool in the summer. Alison had come back to Rosewood for a few hours Wednesday evening and they had pizza and cupcakes to celebrate the twins actual birthday. Today was the main event though, and Lily and Grace had been wired as soon as they woke up.
Alison and Emily got the food and drinks ready and strung streamers in the backyard. Pam was the first to arrive, and the twins tackled her as she walked into the kitchen.
"Grandma!" The both yelled in unison.
Emily watched as Alison's face visible paled. 'Relax,' she mouthed over to Alison while Pam was tied up hugging the girls. Emily took the charge and walked over first to greet her mother with a hug. They were incredibly close, and their bond had only strengthened in the last couple of years. With Alison in Oregon, Emily needed extra help around the house and with the twins and Pam had stepped in graciously. She loved being a grandmother and doting on Grace and Lily. It was mutual with the girls; There were times when Emily thought that they might like Pam more than anyone else. She was grateful for all of the help and love her mother had given to them over the years.
Pam's relationship with Alison was more strained. The older woman had always had her reservations about the blonde and was cautious when she and Emily started dating during Alison's pregnancy. Pam warmed up over time and eventually treated Alison like a second daughter. She was one of the first people in the hospital room to congratulate Emily and Alison the day that the twins were born. Alison would never forget Pam kissing her still damp forehead and telling her how proud she was. In that moment, Alison felt a motherly love that she hadn't felt in nearly a decade.
Alison had promised Pam that she would always be there to take care of Emily the day that Pam had given her blessing to propose to her daughter. She'd given the blonde her own mother's engagement ring so that she could propose to Emily with it. Alison had meant every promise that she'd made that day, but unfortunately she wouldn't keep them. Pam couldn't understand what had gone wrong when Emily broke the news that she and Alison would be separating. She was upset with both of them because she felt that they weren't trying hard enough, especially for their children. Eventually, she came around to Emily, but she still was upset with Alison for leaving Emily alone with their daughters while she was on the other side of the country for two years.
After Emily pulled back from their hug, Pam looked Alison's way and greeted her with a simple nod, "Hi, Alison".
She managed to squeak a hello in return. It hurt. She'd spent three years viewing Pam as a second mother. She understood though. Alison had divorced her daughter. Alison had left. She was the bad guy here. She just hoped that in time they could get to a point where things were a bit less tense, but knew that time wasn't now.
The three of them prepared in the kitchen silently until the guests started to arrive.
The party was, unsurprisingly, a hit. Alison had managed to find a piñata that looked almost identical to the monkey character in Amazonas and Pam had baked the most delicious cake. Emily spent the second half of the party chasing the girls around the yard as they sped through the grass on their new bikes. Everyone seemed to be having fun, and luckily Alison didn't find any of her other interactions with the girls or their friends half as awkward or tense as they had been with her former mother-in-law.
"Back in Pennsylvania for two weeks, only twenty minutes from downtown Philly, and she hasn't come to visit yet," Alison turned around to see Spencer facing her with her arms crossed.
"Hey," she laughed and gave the girl a hug. Throughout the last five years, Alison and Spencer had grown close. A large part of it was their shared family tree and history. They both felt partially responsible for everything that had happened with A because they were both related to Charlotte and Alex. Logically, the actions that A had taken over the years were neither Alison's nor Spencer's fault, but they still felt guilt from time to time because of their connection.
Spencer had married Toby while Alison was in Oregon. It was quick and they had eloped. No one was surprised to see Spencer and Toby get together, but they had been surprised to find out that the reason for their quick marriage was that Spencer was pregnant. At the time, Spencer was working for her mother and Toby was acting Mayer of Rosewood. In the end, Spencer had suffered a miscarriage, and despite the initial pain, she and Toby were able to strengthen their relationship afterwards. It was something that Alison had almost envied- being able to grow a relationship stronger out of a traumatic event. It was something she had never quite figured out. Last year, Spencer and Toby had made the move to Philadelphia to get a change of pace. Toby was leading a building project for less fortunate and Spencer had started law school. Spencer seemed happy and content and Alison was happy for her.
"How's Caitlin doing?" Alison couldn't help but ask right away. One of her students, turned ally was working in Washington for Mrs. Hastings for the second straight summer now. She thought highly of Caitlin and wanted her to succeed.
"Good, my Mom tells me how impressed she is with her drive. I think she'll definitely offer her a place on her staff come next year".
Alison nodded, "Good, I want those kids as far away from Beacon Heights as they can get". She gave a slight grimace as memories of the psychological stress they underwent come back to her.
Spencer looked back over her should briefly to make sure that no one was close enough to be listening to them. "I need to talk to you about something".
"Okay...?" Alison suddenly felt nervous and sensed this was something Beacon Heights related.
Spencer didn't waste any time. "Mary Drake contacted me last week".
"She WHAT?"
They both made sure that no one at the party is paying attention after Alison's outburst. "Yeah, she called me. She said that she was in Austria," Spencer continued.
"Bullshit," Alison scoffed, "she's probably the next town over planning her next move".
"I don't think so. Why would she call and open that line of communication?"
"Because she's a lunatic just like her deranged sadistic daughter!"
"Ali!" Spencer scolded. She wasn't offended in Alex's behalf, but Spencer was technically Mary's daughter too. She recomposed herself and continued, "Look, she called to tell me that she knew about Alex being caught back in Oregon. She wanted to let me know that they weren't in on anything together and that she had no plans to try to come back into the U.S.".
Alison didn't look convinced. "Yeah, we'll see about that". Mona didn't think that either of them would come back, but that hadn't stopped Alex from luring them to Beacon Heights and trying to start up a new game before getting caught. "God, I just want this all to be over... to move on..." she looked over at her twins riding their bikes with Emily on their heels. "I need to move on".
"We are moving on. I mean it, I really don't think she's a threat, but..." she twisted her lips slightly, "I was thinking about having Toby or Caleb see if they can track the number. You know, to try to keep tabs on her".
The blonde thought about it, "I doubt it's even a real number. We shouldn't involve them," she decided.
Spencer looked over at Emily. "How much does she know?" She asked.
"As much as I tell her," Alison smarted back to her. It made her feel self-conscious for some reason, like she was on the hot seat.
"...Which is what exactly?" Spencer pressed.
Alison took a breath to compose herself. "She knows that Mona had Mary and Alex in Paris and that they escaped. She knows that Alex was trying to start the game up again. I told her some of what happened, and luckily she didn't ask for details. And she knows that Alex was caught and was taken to prison... for real this time".
"Sounds like she knows everything then".
"Almost everything..."
Spencer's eyebrows constricted in thought. "What haven't you told her?"
Alison was quiet for a minute. She hadn't told Emily one key piece of information that she'd found out from Mona. She wasn't even sure if Emily wanted to know because years ago, they'd made the decision together not to pursue the question. She still felt like she'd betrayed the brunette for finding out. "Mona found out who Lily and Grace's biological father was".
Spencer scoffed, "Well first of all, I wouldn't use the word father". She thought about the other girl's wording before asking, "Was?".
Alison nodded, "We said that we didn't want to find out, but.. I don't know. When I had the opportunity to know, I just had to know".
Spencer could feel the stress radiating from the blonde. "Tell her that you know when you're ready. I for one, don't need to know".
And Alison was glad for that, because she was dreading the idea of Spencer finding out that it was Wren Kingston.
"I'm trying really hard to be up front with her about things. I want her to be able to trust me".
Spencer gave a half smile. She knew that trust had been what had broken them up. "How are things going with that"? She asked softly.
Alison shrugged. "No meltdowns yet". A beat passed as they scanned the party. She saw Toby playing in the yard with Aidan, who had just taken a tumble and was crying on the ground. "Except that one over there".
Spencer snapped her head into the direction of her husband and the toddler. "I should probably help with that..."
She started walking and Alison joined her. They split off directions and Alison headed over to join Emily and the girls. It was true- things had been going well so far and she hoped that they stayed that way.
A/N- To the reviewer who asked if this would ultimately be an Emison reunion story. I can't spoil the plot line, but let's just say that I did update the story theme to "romance" in the summery screen. That being said, I was always on the team of "Glad that Emison got together but did the show really have to use that plot line to get them together?" So while I was super sad to see that they got divorced in TP, I bought into that it was realistic. That was also what I attempted to do here- keep it realistic. It will be a slow burn, and there will be twists and turns along the way. Keep your seatbelt fastened.