A/N - Well, we finally made it to the end! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this fic. I didn't want to leave you all hanging for too long on this last one, and I appreciate the patience. A lot of people have asked about future stories now that we're winding down here and I answered that in the note at the end.
Settle in, we've got a nice long chapter ahead. Hope you enjoy!
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Emily called Alison when it was time to get the twins into bed. Now that the blonde spent so much time at the house with the twins, she didn't always do story time before bed with them over the phone on the couple of nights that she wasn't there. They hadn't discussed if Alison was joining them on FaceTime or not, but Emily figured she'd just go ahead and call. The call went unanswered, and Emily tucked the phone into her pocket and walked into the room where Lily and Grace were waiting in their beds, books in hand.
"Is Mommy reading with us?" Lily asked.
"I don't think so," Emily shook her head. She was a little bit bummed herself. Though she and Alison had traded texts during the day, she was looking forward to hearing the blonde's voice. Emily hoped that she was just away from her phone and would call back soon.
Both Lily and Grace looked a little let down at the news, but rebounded fairly quickly as Emily sat in bed with them for reading time. It was amazing how much they'd learned in the past year alone. Watching them sound out different words and get all the way to the end of their books that night brought her mood up. Her daughters were always giving her reasons to be happy. She knew that she was lucky to have such good kids.
Once they were finished, she slipped out of the bedroom and quietly closed the door. She pulled her phone out of her pocket again to double check that she hadn't missed anything. She frowned at the blank screen. It was odd, usually Ali had left the college and was sitting at home by now.
Just tucked the girls in. We missed you at story time. Everything ok? Emily texted the the blonde. She was a little bit worried. It was unlike her not to have her phone nearby.
Back in Rosemont, Alison's phone was sitting on her kitchen counter. Alison, on the other hand was sitting across the room on her couch, face to face with Emily's own mother.
She sucked in a quiet breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. She was trying to appear confident and self-assured, but the reality was that her heart had been pounding in her chest since she had opened the door and saw Pam Fields standing outside of her apartment.
She hadn't spoken to the other woman since Christmas evening. She knew that Emily had been seeing her mother regularly, but Alison had avoided conversation about it. She wanted Emily to make her own decisions about how to navigate her relationship with her mother without inserting any of her own influence. She really didn't think it was her place to reach out to Pam. She wondered what exactly Emily and her mother had said to one another. A little background info would certainly help here. She figured that Emily had seen her mother since they'd been back from Cape May, though, and she had a feeling that she knew what Pam wanted to talk about.
"Can I get you anything?" Alison broke the silence that had set in the room. She wasn't sure what was going to go down here, but at the very least she could start off being polite. "I've got water, tea..."
"I'm alright, thank you," Pam shook her head.
Alison nodded. It had been silent in the room before that and now silence fell over them again. She was still nervous. She didn't know what exactly the other woman was going to say to her, but she knew what she needed to say, so she decided to get the conversation started. "Did you want to talk first... or... should I?" She asked. Her voice was more quiet than she meant for it to be, but she tried to make eye contact with the older woman.
Pam let the question hang for a beat. She took a silent breath and held the gaze until she finally spoke. "Why did you leave on Christmas?" She asked.
The question threw Alison a bit. She'd put the drama from Christmas behind her weeks ago and with everything that had happened since, it just seemed so far in the past now. She thought it had been obvious why she left. She thought back to that day, almost a month ago. The second that she'd heard the tone of Pam's voice she knew that the woman didn't have anything nice to say. It had brought her back to Thanksgiving, and despite wanting to stay and spend the night, she had left. She wasn't ready for that confrontation for a lot of reasons.
"I didn't want to hear what you were going to say about me," she told her. It was hard to admit. She knew that she was showing weakness, and years ago, she would have avoided that at all costs, but this was bigger than her ego. This was a conversation that could make or break the most important relationship of her life.
"I wouldn't have said anything bad about you," Pam objected.
She came off as fairly adamant about it, but Alison wasn't so sure. After what she'd overheard on Thanksgiving, she knew where Pam stood in regards to how she felt about her. It hadn't felt good, though admittedly of all of the things that Pam could have said, it wasn't terribly harsh. Just honest. And because Alison knew what the other woman really thought, she knew that there were plenty of negative things that Pam could have said about her to Emily.
"I also didn't want to make Emily choose between you and our relationship," Alison added. That had been the reason that she'd given Emily as well.
"I wouldn't ask her to do that," Pam shook her head.
Alison pinched her brows and shrugged. "I wouldn't either."
Pam shook her head again. "This isn't about choosing sides," Pam said. She paused for a moment and her voice got softer. "And if it was... Emily doesn't seem to want to choose me."
Alison was quiet for a moment. She felt a little bit bad. "I haven't said anything to her... just so you know." She wasn't sure what the comment was based on, but she didn't want Pam to think that she'd been scheming or bad mouthing her to Emily.
Pam didn't look convinced. Neither woman spoke for a solid minute. They were both clearly unsure of where to go from there. Alison spoke up again, "I know that you're upset with me. I know that it's hard to trust me again after everything. I didn't mean to break my promise to you when you gave me that ring."
Pam met her eyes. "I was giving you more than the ring that day. I was giving you my blessing to be with my daughter. I believed you when you said that you would always take care of her," she paused and shook her head. Alison couldn't tell if she was shaking it at her or herself. "You didn't do that."
"I tried to make sure that she was taken care of though." When it had come down to settling the divorce, Alison didn't fight Emily for anything. She gave Emily the right to live in the house. She left her all of their shared assets. She made sure that all of the bills were kept up with. She tried to hold up that end of her promise, even if she and Emily weren't together anymore.
"That's not what was important." Pam pushed her lips together. If Emily needed somewhere to stay or help with her bills, Pam would have stepped in and helped. She'd never assumed that Alison meant financially when she told her that she'd always take care of Emily. She took a breath from her nose and shook her head again. "You didn't take care of her heart. She was a mess after the divorce."
"So was I," Alison told her, voice coming out uneven as she thought of how dark of a time the end of their relationship was for her.
"She was heartbroken and trying to take care of two toddlers. It wasn't the same," Pam objected.
Alison looked down at the floor. She knew that it wasn't necessarily the same. She knew because of the way that things played out that she looked like a bad partner and a bad mother. Maybe she was a bad mother for leaving. She still wasn't sure if she forgave herself for the time that she'd missed.
It had all started with the blowout fight that she and Emily had when Emily found the check from her father. Alison had admittedly been acting cagey for months at that point. She just felt lost. She loved Emily and she loved her daughters, but she couldn't figure out where she was supposed to go from there. The twins were two and she had married Emily, but she felt like something was missing. She'd catch herself staring off into space in her classroom at RHS and have no idea how long she'd been out of it.
She started looking into graduate programs in hopes of furthering her career. Her job at RHS was always supposed to be temporary, and it had largely been tied to her plans to take care of Charlotte. She wanted to put that behind her. She hadn't been looking specifically for schools on the West Coast, but when she found an invitation from Beacon Heights University specifically requesting that she apply, she went ahead and sent in an application. After she researched the school further, she found out what an amazing reputation it had. She started to fantasize about the idea of getting out of Rosewood, putting all of the A drama behind them, and starting something new. She kept quiet about it, but wondered if she could maybe sell Emily on the idea of a move to a new place.
In the midst of all that, she had started talking to her father again in hopes of rebuilding their relationship. When she let the BHU thing slip, he was happy for her. It was only when he slipped a check to her and used the word "mistake" that she realized why he was so happy about it.
Emily had already been on edge, noting that Alison was acting off. She thought the blonde was acting suspicious, and in some sense she had been right. Looking back, Alison wondered what would have happened if she would have just let Emily in from the get-go. Last year, Emily had shown her how easy it was to open yourself up and let others help you reshape your future. Would it have been the same if Alison had gone to Emily for help back then? Maybe? But they were so different now, it was hard to tell.
Once they'd had their initial fight, it was like the floodgates had opened up. They bickered about the little things, resented each other about the big things, and all the while couldn't sit down and have an honest and opened conversation with one another. One night, Emily had snipped that Alison may as well go to Beacon Heights because it was only a matter of time until she ran.
So she did.
She wasn't necessarily trying to call Emily's bluff, it was just obvious that something wasn't working with them. She wasn't sure at the time if they could fix things, but she knew that they wouldn't get fixed with her in the house and the two of them at each other's throats everyday. She felt guilty all of the time about leaving, because the truth was that it wasn't just Emily that she'd left.
"You're right. It wasn't the same," Alison conceded. "But leaving Emily, and leaving Lily and Grace was the hardest thing I've ever done."
"So why did you leave then? I don't understand. You could have stayed and the two of you could have tried to work things out."
"I don't know if we could have worked things out like this if I would have stayed," Alison answered in a low tone.
A silence fell over the room. Alison wasn't sure if she'd said the right thing. It was unlikely that was what Emily's mom wanted to hear. She knew that she should just be apologetic. Presumably that would be the best way to start her path back into Pam's good graces, but there was something that was pushing her to try to make the the other woman understand.
She wanted to rebuild this relationship with honesty. That had worked with Emily.
"I was so lost then," Alison continued, "I felt like I didn't know who I was. I needed to find out."
"But you left your family to go find out," Pam pointed out.
Alison sighed. Of course that was true, but there was more to it than that. She had to leave because she had to grow. "There was never a time that I didn't love my family or want my family..."
"What we're your daughters supposed to think?"
"I don't know." It was something that still haunted her. That Lily and Grace would someday think that she'd left them- that she hadn't wanted them. "But having them grow up in whatever mess Emily and I had gotten our relationship in would have been even worse. I had to leave for us to grow."
Of course at the time, she hadn't been sure that they would all come out of it on the other side and be where they were today. She also didn't know everything that had been waiting for her in Beacon Heights. She hadn't known that Emily would find the courage to work on herself. All that Alison knew at the time was that things needed to change. To do that she needed to try to find herself. And she had.
Years ago, the other four girls had gotten out of Rosewood. They had gone to college in new cities. They had gone through struggles, and triumphs. They had fallen in love and experienced heartbreak. They had found themselves, and learned who they really were as people. And they had done so without any influence from A.
Alison hadn't gotten that same opportunity back then. She'd stayed in Rosewood and tried to fix things. She didn't know at the time that A was still manipulating her life in every way. The truth about Charlotte and Archer had just about destroyed her. Nothing that she'd learned about herself in the past felt real anymore. Once the dust settled and she'd had the babies, she tried to return to normal life, but she realized that she didn't know who she was.
She found that in Beacon Heights. There she had formed friendships. She had trusted others and was someone that others trusted and relied on. She'd opened herself and her heart. She'd grown and found her strength. She'd brought down Alex Drake for good. She needed that time, those experiences. In the end, she had found out who she was, and she had realized that a big part of who she was was her family. So she had returned to Pennsylvania. She had gotten back what she had lost. And now, she truly felt whole.
"How do I know that it won't happen again?" Pam asked. "How do you know that it won't happen again?"
Experience would tell Alison that she didn't know that it wasn't going to happen again. After all, she didn't have a very good track record at keeping the good things in her life. But this- her family- she knew what it was like to lose it, and there was no way in hell that she would let that happen again.
"You don't know that it won't happen again." She looked Pam directly in the eyes as she spoke to her. Her blue eyes were honest and direct. He voice was firm and composed. "But I know that I won't let it happen again." She let it hang for a beat. She needed the woman to understand that she meant this. That she was determine. "I know that I can't just tell you that. I'm going to have to show you. And I know that that's going to take some time."
"It will," Pam confirmed without hesitation.
"I'm okay with that. I can be patient." Alison nodded.
Pam looked like she wanted to say something, but remained quiet.
"I'm so thankful for everything you've done for Grace and Lily. I know how much you love them. I love them just as much, and I know that I can't let them down as their mother," she told Pam in a continued attempt to reassure her.
Pam nodded, "I've told you before. When you're with them, you're a great mother."
"Just not a great significant other," Alison supplied before she could stop herself.
That threw Pam for a loop. She cocked her head at the words and furrowed her brows. "How did you...?"
Alison bit her lip. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but since she was going for honesty... "Em and I kind of overheard you on Thanksgiving."
A light flush shot up Pam's neck. She had been tipsy that night, but she remembered everything that she'd said to Ella. She felt bad that the girls had overheard, but she had meant what she said.
Alison spoke again before Pam could say anything. "I get it. I just... I'm going to show you that I can be better. I can be what Emily and the twins deserve."
Pam stayed quiet. She stared at the blonde for several moments. She eyed her posture,her facial expression, and her eyes. She noted the calm confidence in Alison's tone. She believed the girl's intentions, but it would take awhile for her to believe her words.
Pam eventually nodded slowly, "I hope you can prove me wrong, Alison."
Alison didn't say anything in return. She didn't want to try to vocalize another promise. She knew that she could keep this one, but she also knew that it wouldn't mean much to Pam until she proved her words. She nodded at the woman across from her.
Pam nodded back. She stood up and rushed her pants, ready to leave content that they'd come to an understanding. Before she could turn towards the door, Alison stopped her.
"There's one more thing..." The blonde spoke up.
"What's that?" Pam asked.
When Pam had come in unannounced so soon after the trip to Cape May, Alison assumed that she knew what had prompted it. The other woman never made any mention of the topic, though. Alison glanced across the room at the ring Emily had given back to her just two days ago. It was out in the opened, resting in its box. Pam might not have brought it up, but Alison had some things that she wanted to say.
The older woman followed Alison's line of sight. Her eyes widened when they fell on the familiar ring box. The last time that she'd seen it, she was tucking it into Alison's purse at Aria's rehearsal dinner. "Oh!" She said out loud when she realized that the ring was back in Alison's possession.
Alison noted her expression. "I didn't know if Emily told you..." She walked the few feet and grabbed the box.
"Please don't tell me you're engaged," Pam rushed through words out before Alison could say anything else.
The blonde looked down at the box and back at Pam. "Oh.. no." She saw the brunette woman relax. She inwardly braced herself as she continued, "But Emily told me that she wants me to propose again. She gave me the ring and told me to give it back to her when I was ready."
Pam's brows shot up at the news. Her eyes darted back and forth from the box to Alison's face several times.
"I don't want to give this to her," Alison told the other woman. She'd been thinking a lot about this the last two days. She felt at peace with her decision. She held the box back out to Pam. "I don't want to give it to her until I earn it back. Both the ring and your blessing again."
Pam took the box back. She inspected it for a moment. It was just as she remembered it. She nodded to the blonde in agreement.
It felt like they had come to an understanding. It wasn't necessarily a truce. Alison knew what was at stake, though, and she knew what she had to do.
She walked the other woman out. After closing the door, she collapsed on the couch. She took five or six heavy, labored breaths. She didn't want to show it at the time, but her anxiety had been on overload though out the conversation with worry that it would go south at any minute. She'd made it through though and she had a plan moving forward. No matter how long it took, she was going to get Pam's blessing back to be with Emily.
Then it hit her- Emily! She'd heard her phone going off in the time that Pam had been there. She must have missed story time. She walked into the other room to grab her phone. She saw the message from Emily and called her as she moved back to the couch.
Emily breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her phone light up. She'd been trying to occupy herself on her laptop for the past thirty minutes, but the nagging worry hadn't gone away. "Hey," she answered.
Alison smiled into the line. Hearing Emily's voice grounded her. It reminded her of why she had just gone through what she had with Pam. Because she loved Emily. So much. "Hi, I'm sorry I missed your call."
"It's okay. I just got worried. I don't know..."
Alison wondered if Emily has somehow felt the tense anxiety that she'd gone through during her conversation. If somehow, subconsciously Emily knew. It was probably impossible, but there were stranger things. She wasn't sure that she wanted to tell the brunette about her talk with Pam. She planned to, but not yet anyway. It wasn't that she wanted to lie or hide things, but she wanted to continue not to influence how Emily acted with her mother. She planned to keep a no lying policy in her relationship, but this was more omission for a good reason. It wasn't coming from self-interest. If she wanted to act in self-interest it would have been the first thing that she said to Emily. It would have helped her to talk it through. She'd just have a glass of wine later, she figured.
"I had an unexpected meeting come up. How was their reading tonight?" She tried her best to direct the conversation.
"It was really good!" Emily answered enthusiastically and seemingly unphased by the first part of Alison's response. "I think we'll have to bump them up a reading level soon."
"I'm sorry i missed it," Alison sighed. She was sick of missing out on things.
"You'll be here tomorrow night, right?" Emily perked up.
"Yup, after my last class," Alison smiled through the phone.
"Good, I miss you," Emily told her. She was sick of missing things too, especially her girl.
As the days rolled on, they continued to weave each other deeper into their lives by bridging more and more gaps of time apart. They felt comfortable in new territories and it was evident in both of their moods and outlooks. They still had small conflicts pop up, like all couples, but it wasn't anything that threatened to break them.
The best part was that they didn't have to change who they were in order to rebuild their relationship. They were still the same women that they'd always been. Their personalities were still the same- for better or for worse. The difference was the way that trust affected their reactions. Emily trusted Alison, this time in action not just in words, and Alison could feel that trust. The more she felt it, the stronger it became.
She would always be Ali, though.
In early February, Alison took the twins to one of Emily's swim meets. She didn't tell Emily, she just told Lily and Grace that it would be 'fun' to surprise Mama. She'd chosen that meet specifically, though. It was the same school that Emily had mentioned that Casey coached for. Alison was curious if the girl that Emily had dated would be at the meet.
When they arrived there, both Lily and Grace shouted "Mama!" from the balcony to the pool deck to get Emily's attention. The brunette quickly turned her body, shocked at the familiar voices that were in a setting that she'd never heard them at before. She smiled and waved to her girls before walking over.
"We came to surprise you!" Grace called out with a smile. Emily laughed at the little girl's excitement. The twins had never been to an RHS meet, just the meets for the community pool in the summer.
She greeted Alison. She noted that the blonde was dressed to impress and had clearly touched up her hair and make up before the meet. Emily narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling that this wasn't exactly random. She didn't see any point in scolding the blonde, though. Sure, she knew the real reason that the blonde had spontaneously dropped by, but it also kind of made her excited to get to coach in front of her and show off her team.
Emily glanced over at Casey across the pool getting the other team's swimmers organized. They hadn't spoken since August. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to say anything or not.
At one point in the middle of the meet, they'd made eye contact when they were both in the same vicinity behind the blocks. Before Emily knew it, Casey was walking towards her. She felt herself panic a little. She'd been the one to end the relationship, what was she even supposed to say. It wasn't like she was sorry that she'd ended it or regret her decision at all. Plus she knew for sure that Alison had a perfect birds eye view of her.
"Hi," Casey waved when she got close enough. She gave a small half smile. It was clear that she was happy to see Emily, but was being fairly reserved about it.
Emily gave her a tentative smile. She thought being nice was the right thing to do. Casey has pissed her off towards the end of their relationship, but Emily had moved on. If Casey hadn't shown her true colors who knew where Emily would be right now. "Hey," Emily waved back.
When they were face to face, Emily still had no idea what to say to the girl. She stared at her for a moment. Casey looked the same. She was still pretty, but it didn't affect Emily in the same exciting way like it did at this time the previous year.
"I was hoping I'd run in to you," Casey started.
She didn't get to finish her thought, though. Emily's assistant coach walked up behind her. "Em, Shannon needs you. She has a question about her butterfly stroke."
Emily turned around, "Oh.. yeah I'll go help her." She turned back to Casey, "Sorry."
"Maybe we can catch up later?" The auburn-haired girl asked. Emily gave another smile, trying to be polite. She nodded and walked across the deck with a quick pace.
She walked up to the swimmer that needed help. "Hey, I heard that you had a question about your stroke?"
The swimmer looked at Emily with a confused expression. "I don't think so, Coach Fields. Did you think it looked okay?"
Emily inwardly laughed. Clearly her assistant had been trying to save her from an awkward conversation. She'd have to thank her for that. "It looked great," she shook her head with a smile. "Keep up the good work."
She walked away and looked up in the stands. Alison was sitting with Lily on her lap and Grace next to her eating popcorn from a bag. Alison had her eyes narrowed, but her expression was more amused than jealous. She had no doubt that the blonde had been watching the scene unfold like a hawk.
Throughout the meet, Emily looked up into the stands. It looked like the twins were having fun and she was thankful that Alison had brought them. She knew what the blonde's motives were. If this was years ago, she probably would have been distracted throughout the meet, worried about what Alison might say or do. She'd unleashed several times on Paige back in the day, and Emily hated that Alison slipped back into old habits sometimes- habits that Emily had little tolerance for to begin with. But she knew now that Alison did things like that when she felt threatened, and with where there relationship was now, she trusted that the blonde didn't feel that way.
After the meet, Emily was waiting on the pool deck when she noticed Casey walking her way again. She inwardly cringed, but then felt a hand at her shoulder. She spun around and Alison pulled her into a tight hug.
"Mama, me next!" Lily patted at Emily's side. She pulled the little girl up into her arms as the little girl squeezed her neck. She did the same with Grace after. When she put her down she remembered Casey, but saw the girl now walking in the other direction. She looked up at Alison. The blonde was staring at Casey as she walked into the opposite direction, arms folded, blue eyes narrowed, and smirk fixed on her mouth.
"Ali!" Emily scolded. She didn't feel mad or upset, though. She found herself chuckling at the antics a second later.
Alison shrugged, it had taken almost a year, but she'd gotten revenge on Emily's ex-girlfriend. She didn't have to try to sabotage her and she was with Emily now none the less. She felt smug, and made no apologies for it.
Later that night after the girls had gone to bed Emily brought the situation back up.
"I think you scared Casey out of every high school pool from here to North Carolina," Emily laughed.
Alison shrugged and flicked her brows. "Good, then I never have to see her again."
"Ali," Emily tapped at her thigh to jokingly scold her again.
"I don't want her thinking that she has another chance with you." The blonde reached for Emily's hand. She held it against her. "She doesn't... right?"
Emily flipped her palm so that she could hold Alison's hand. She knew that Alison's memories of Casey weren't pleasant. She was proud of how the blonde had handled herself both last year and even tonight. As long as Alison was around, no one else stood a chance at getting near Emily's heart. "No," Emily shook her head, "Absolutely zero chance."
"Good," Alison looked down at their hands. "I wanted her to know that I'm not just your Baby Mama anymore." She smirked at her own comment.
"Oh speaking of Baby Mamas," Emily piped up. Alison pulled her hand away and looked at Emily with a confused brunette laughed at the reaction. Where did Alison think she was going with that? "Have you talked to Spencer recently?" Emily asked.
"Spence? No..."
"Shoot," Emily had thought for sure that the other brunette would have said something to Alison.
Alison raised a brow "What am I missing here?" When Emily looked back at her with a guilty expression. "Wait... she's...?"
"Yeah, she told me the other day," Emily nodded.
"I can't believe she didn't tell me!" Alison admonished.
"Well I'm sure that she was planning to. I probably just ruined the surprise," Emily grumbled. She'd figured that Spencer would have told Alison before her. They were pretty close.
Alison thought for a minute. Her eyes got big when she came to a realization. "She's graduating in like three months. Holy crap, I bet she's freaking out."
Emily shrugged, "She seemed pretty calm about it. I think she's excited actually."
Alison nodded at the information. "Does she ever talk to you about the... you know." She felt bad saying miscarriage for some reason. Spencer had never talked much about it when it happened. Alison had been in Oregon, and after giving her the news, the brunette had never brought it up again.
"We talked about it a lot when it happened."
"Really?" Alison asked. Spencer had never mentioned having deep conversations with Emily. As a matter of fact she rarely mentioned Emily at all when Alison was away.
"Yeah," Emily nodded. "I kept seeing her car next door, but she wouldn't answer her phone. Finally I just walked over to the barn."
"Was she okay?" Alison asked curiously.
"Not really," Emily told her. She twisted her lips thinking of the day that she'd gone to the barn. Spencer had opened the door looking exhausted with some of the darkest circles under her eyes that Emily had ever seen. She immediately texted her mother and asked if she could watch Lily and Grace so the she could spend the day helping Spencer. She got her to shower, made her eat, and helped her call Toby who was out of town at the time. Spencer had spent plenty of time at the house with Emily and the twins in the weeks that followed. It meant a lot to Emily to be there for her friend. It had also been a helpful distraction for her. At the time she was still feeling torn up over Alison's departure. In a way, she and Spencer had helped each other.
"I didn't know that... she never said anything to me," Alison's forehead wrinkled in worry.
"She knew that you were going through a lot..."
Alison nodded at the words. She still felt a little bad. She wished that she'd brought it up to Spencer at some time before now.
"But they're excited. She's really happy," Emily brighten up. "You just have to act surprised when she tells you."
Alison laughed, "I can do that."
"You gonna be okay?" Emily asked with a sarcastic sounding tone.
Alison looked perplexed. "You think I can't fake it and sell a lie for a good cause?"
"No..." She emphasized. Of course she knew that Alison would be fine with that. She walked her fingers along the blonde's leg. "I mean because you're Miss Baby Fever lately."
Alison feigned shock. "I am not."
Emily snickered. "Please. I saw your face the other day when we passed the baby store downtown. You got all googly-eyed."
Alison huffed out a laugh and shook her head. She didn't think that Emily was paying attention that day. Ever since she'd finally uttered the words in Cape May she was constantly thinking about another baby. Another little Emily. A sibling for a Lily and Grace. A new beginning. She knew that it wasn't happening anytime soon, but she couldn't help but get excited that Emily had agreed to it.
"I can enjoy Spencer's baby in the meantime," Alison smiled. She was happy for their friend. It would eventually be their turn again. Someday.
And right now, they were just enjoying being together again.
Alison loved being back at the house. She spent five nights a week there and every day it felt like their family unit was getting stronger. It wasn't lost on Lily and Grace either. Despite only being five, they were both clearly perceptive. For once, they didn't ask questions. They didn't ask why their Mommy was back at the house all of the time or why they never went to her apartment anymore. They went along with their days just like everything was normal, most likely, because they were happy to have both moms under one roof. They knew that something had changed, though, even if they didn't know how to define what that was.
On the eve of Valentines Day, Emily and Alison sat on the living room floor with Lily and Grace getting the twins' valentines all finished up and ready to go for school the next day. They had a little assembly line going. Emily would pull out the valentines and read the name of the classmate that it was for, Lily and Grace would sign their names and fold it with a sticker, and then the cards got passed to Alison to write the name of the classmate neatly on the front.
"This is great," Emily commented as she passed two cards to the twins. "This literally took hours last year." Having Alison help with things like this made things so much easier. Last year, her hand was cramping by the time she was done writing all of the kids names on the cards. Plus, Alison had much better handwriting. She'd spent years writing lessons on the chalkboard and despite writing probably twenty names by now the penmanship was still perfect.
"You didn't say who this one was for," Alison commented when Grace passed her a finished card.
Emily looked down at the sheet. "Brice," she told her.
Grace snickered at the name. Alison started writing on the card. "What's so funny?" she asked.
The little girl laughed a little louder and looked at her sister. "That's Lily's boyfriend," she teased.
"Boyfriend?!" Alison's reacted as the pen streaked ink across the card.
"Is not!" Lily's eyes widened and she looked at Grace angrily.
"Is so," Grace kept laughing.
"Well then Aidan is your boyfriend," Lily countered.
Grace finally stopped laughing and scrunched up her nose. "Ew. Is not."
"Um, I hope no one here has a boyfriend," Emily interrupted. She knew that the twins were five and had literally no idea what a boyfriend actually was. But still. They would someday.
"Yeah," Alison agreed. She looked back and forth between her daughters adding, "boys are gross."
Emily snorted a laugh. She kept her eyes on the twins but snuck a glance at Alison. The phrase was funny considering it was coming from her and Emily appreciated it.
Once they finished, Emily set down the sheet and breathed out a sigh of relief. They'd made Valentines for the whole class and this year it had only taken an hour. She picked up the box of valentines and started to close it before she was stopped by a little voice.
"Aren't you going to make one?"
She turned her head and saw Lily looking at her expectantly. "For who?"
"For Mommy," the little girl said simply.
Emily tried to keep her face even, but she felt herself inhale a surprised breath through her nose. "Should I... do that? Make one?" She asked.
"Yeah, cause she's your valentine," Lily said matter of factly.
She pulled another card from the box. "What makes you say that?" She asked her daughter. She couldn't really stop herself. She was so thrown off by the comment.
"Cause your valentine is somebody who you love," Grace spoke up loudly and in a tone that basically said 'duh.'
Emily glanced up at the blonde as she wrote on the card and folded it. She was smiling so hard on the inside, but didn't want to be obvious to their daughters.
"Pass the box?" Alison said holding out her hand, "Sounds like I have three to make then."
"Can I make more?" Lily asked, excited to make more valentines for her family.
Grace reached for the box. "I want to make one for Grandma too."
"And Aidan. And Aunt Hanna..." Lily said.
Emily chuckled. She was silly to think that this wasn't going to be another two hour ordeal. She couldn't be mad. Her daughters were so sweet. She'd let them make valentines for everyone they knew if they wanted to.
Later that night, after the girls were long asleep Alison and Emily made their way to the downstairs bedroom. They closed the door behind them and Emily reached into her pocket and pulled out the valentine from earlier.
Alison looked up at her. She was smiling with a hard, dimpled grin that had nothing but love behind it.
"Sealed with a kiss," Emily held it out to her with a sultry smirk.
Alison took the valentine, but pulled Emily towards her in the same motion. She pressed her lips hard into the brunette's. "It better be sealed with more than that," she mumbled against her lips.
Emily grinned leaned in for another kiss. She was absolutely up for that. She walked the blonde over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Luckily, they had changed into their pajamas hours ago. Usually, Emily made sure that she had everything from her room by the time that the twins went to sleep. She didn't like to roam the hallways upstairs during the night and risk waking them up.
They climbed into bed together, barely parting their lips as the crawled under the covers. They'd had nights like this more often than not lately. It was probably part of the reason that the twins were picking up on things. The love that they had for each other was obvious.
Alison rolled her body so that she was half on top of Emily's. She pressed another soft kiss to the brunette's lips before leaning back. She tucked a piece of Emily's hair behind her as she hovered over her.
"What did you think about what the girls said earlier?" She asked in a low whisper.
Emily pursed her lips together. It had caught her off guard a little at the time, but after reflection she was fine with it. It was a good thing for the girls to see their mothers in love. If she and Alison wanted to teach them how to love, the easiest way was for them to be examples for the twins. "I'm okay with what they said," she answered. "I want them knowing that I love you."
Alison felt her lips turn up at the words. She wondered if she would ever not melt when she heard Emily say that she loves her. "Yeah. I want them to know that I love you too."
Emily closed her eyes expecting another kiss. When it didn't come, she blinked her eyes back open. Alison was looking pensive, so she sat up a bit. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Alison nodded thoughtfully, "It's just... you don't think that they're confused do you? Like do you think that we're confusing them?"
Emily thought for a moment. "What do you think that they would be confused about?"
Alison twisted her lips. She wasn't sure exactly. They hadn't had any conversations with the twins regarding their divorce, or exactly why they were visiting Alison in her apartment, and they had never discussed anything with them when Alison started staying at the house regularly. They were kids. They didn't need a full in report or explanation, but tonight she'd seen how much they were clearly picking up on the dynamic between her and Emily.
"They started talking about boyfriends, so they clearly know what a relationship is. What do you think that they think we are?" She asked Emily.
"Two people who love each other," the brunette answered immediately.
"Do you think that they know that we're together though?"
"Ali, I don't think that they actually know what a boyfriend is. I think they just see us as their Moms... just like how they see Hanna and Caleb as Aidan and Ava's Mom and Dad. We love each other... just like they do."
"I don't mean because we're both women," Alison tried to clarify.
"I know, babe." Emily leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss before leaning back into the pillow. "I just think you're over complicating it. We love each other, and that's all that they're ever going to see. They already consider us together... probably before we were even back together honestly."
Alison felt herself smile. She hadn't grown up in a house full of love. That was all that she had ever wanted for her family. She'd lost it once and she never wanted to lose that again. She placed her palm on Emily's cheek. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," she told told her quietly.
Emily rolled her body slightly so that she could face the blonde, "I didn't happen to you," she told her. She'd fallen in love with her yes, but Alison gave her all of the same love and happiness.
"Back when I was awful, you showed me that there was a better way. You made me a better person." She thought back to how cruel and angry she'd been as a teenager. Part of it was the way that she'd been raised. She also didn't want anyone to have the upper hand with her and she ran around town playing offense so that she never had to play defense. It eventually caught up to her, but Emily was the one person that was always there for her.
The brunette shook her head again. "That person was always there, Ali. I could see that." But Alison certainly hadn't always made it easy for her. There were times when Emily watched the other parts of Alison take over and she wondered if those parts would consume the good. There were times when she had to walk away. But it has gotten them here. There was no going back. She wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist and kissed her again.
Alison responded to the kiss with every part of herself. Her heart was pounding from Emily's words. She felt herself shiver when she felt Emily's hand slid from her waist to her back. She moved her lips rhythmically against the brunette's with purpose. She wanted Emily to know how much the words meant to her- how much she meant to her.
Emily could feel the passion in Alison's movements as she let her take control of the kiss. She moaned at the feeling of the blonde's lips and let her fingertips linger against the soft skin on her back. Her hand brushed against Alison's bra strap from time to time, but she didn't make any moves of her own. She was happy to appreciate the love that Alison was pouring into her.
Alison moved her own hand down the length of Emily's side. God, she loved touching her. She'd always thought that Emily's body was absolute perfection and still found herself marveling at it when they were together. When they were growing up, she'd been attracted to Emily, but it was before she understood exactly why. As a teenager, it was Emily's sweetness and kindness that drew Alison to her. She'd been tall and lanky growing up, but as Emily entered adulthood, she grew into her body and filled it out perfectly. Alison would have had to be blind not to notice the brunette. Now, she could hardly keep her eyes off of her. Alison slipped her hand underneath Emily's loose fitting t-shirt. She slowly made her way up to Emily's chest. She palmed one of her breasts. Emily whined into her mouth at the action, and Alison squeezed lightly a few more times, happy with the reaction.
Emily's breathing picked up when Alison started touching her. She sucked in quick breaths and let out labored exhales through her nostrils. Alison was spurred on by Emily's excitement. She loved making her feel good. She wanted to take things further. It was risky because the twins were upstairs, but she was tired of stopping herself when they were together like this at night. She wanted the other woman, and if Emily's reactions were any indication, the brunette wanted Alison too.
She slowed her movements and let her hand travel farther south. She continued to kiss the brunette as her fingertips grazed Emily's stomach and then dipped her down past her waistband. She paused briefly and pulled back slightly to break the kiss. Emily's eyes stayed closed, and Alison took a second to watch her chest rise and fall as she continued to take labored breaths. She pushed forward and kissed her again, letting her lips linger against the other woman's. "Can-"
"Yeah," Emily cut her off immediately, answering the question that she knew that the blonde was going to ask.
Alison let herself smile against Emily's lips. She could feel the heat building as she pushed her down farther. When she got to where she was headed, she immediately felt the wetness between the brunette's legs. She quietly moaned at the feeling as she felt her own heat shoot to her core. She swiped her fingers through the wetness a few times and pushed into Emily.
Emily let out a gasp at the entrance. Alison pushes her lips against her again, kissing her even more intensely. She managed to keep steady motions with her hand, but kept her focus on the brunette's mouth. She knew that they had to at least try to keep quiet, so she used her own lips to try to muffle the sounds coming from Emily's mouth. She swallowed all of the moans and whines and continued moving her fingers until she felt Emily's legs shake and her lips quiver against hers.
Emily eventually leaned away from the kiss. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath back after getting completely lost on the moment. When she finally opened her eyes, they were a warm shade of brown and totally full of love. "I love you," she uttered between deep breaths.
Alison smiled hard, both satisfied with herself and enamored by the woman next to her. "I love you so much." She shifted her body closer so that they could hold each other as they fell asleep. The smile didn't go away as she laid there with her eyes closed. She kept thinking about the sweet way that her daughter had told Emily that Alison was her valentine. She wanted to remember moments like that forever.
That night sparked another change. Shortly after their pre-valentines day talk, Emily decided that she was done sneaking around her own house. She was tired of sleeping in two different beds each night. She wanted to keep moving forward, and pretending that she wasn't sleeping in Alison's room at night felt like it was keeping them in place.
So one night, she just didn't set an alarm. She didn't mention anything to the blonde. She just cuddled into Alison and fell into a calm, deep sleep. It was Alison that woke up first that morning, confused that Emily was still there in the morning light.
"Em," Alison tried to shake her awake. "I think you slept through your alarm."
Emily didn't open her eyes. "I didn't set one," she whispered into the blonde's collarbone.
Alison leaned up slightly, figuring the brunette was just half asleep. "Well.. its morning. Shouldn't you go back upstairs before the girls wake up."
"I'm not going back to that room," she answered, tightening her arm around Alison's middle.
"No?" The blonde glanced down at her. Emily's eyes were still closed. It was clear that she wasn't moving.
Emily shook her head decisively despite her sleepiness. She'd called the room upstairs that room for a reason. It wasn't her room anymore. And this wasn't Alison's room anymore. She wanted it to be their room again.
The blonde made a content sound and rested her head back into the pillow, appreciating the feel of Emily wrapped around her. If Emily didn't want to go back to her own bed, Alison was happy to have her.
—
As the Winter months turned to Spring, Emily began to notice a visible change in her mother's demeanor as well. Following Christmas, things had been tense between the two of them. Emily had felt like their interactions were often awkward, and at times a little forced. She knew that her mother was entitled to her own opinion, but it was hard for her to not feel supported in her relationship. She did her best not to pull away, though, and as time passed so did the cold feeling that she got from her mother. Pam stopped getting stiff every time that Emily mentioned Alison at the house, and would sometimes ask how the blonde was or what she was up to. Most surprising, she even offered to baby sit so that they could have a date night. It relaxed the brunette. She hadn't realized how much the possibility of a strained relationship with her mother affected her mood. With that giant weight off of her shoulders, she was able to start focusing on the other upcoming changes in her life. In June, she would be walking out of Rosewood High for possibly the last time. She would have just a few weeks after that to prepare for the start of Physical Therapy school. There was a lot to look forward to, and there was one other change that she'd been thinking of adding to the mix as well.
She sat down with Doctor Brown one Spring evening and got her thoughts on the matter.
"Do you think it's too soon?" She asked her therapist.
"Do you think it's too soon?" Dr. B flipped the question back to her. She would be happy to weigh in after hearing from Emily, but wanted her patient to talk it out herself first.
"I think I'm ready, yeah," Emily nodded to herself. "I think we're ready. I definitely have to talk to her about it, but I think we're ready to have that conversation at least."
Doctor Brown gave a small smile. She was pleased with the response. "I think that's the right line of thinking."
"And I mean, it makes sense logically too. The timing would work out," Emily added.
Doctor Brown shook her head. "I would discourage you from letting that be a deciding factor in your decision."
"Well I'm not saying that it's the deciding factor... the timing just would work well is what I'm saying," Emily backtracked.
"Sure, but if you're making this choice for the right reasons you'll make the timing work out. Even if it's later on and maybe not quite as ideal timing."
"You're right," Emily conceded. She pressed her lips together and took a quick breath. "I'm nervous.. but I'm excited. I think she's ready too."
"Just remember what we talked about. Don't go into these conversations with preconceived ideas. It's okay to want them to go a certain way, but be ready for them to go a different way. Be open to her thoughts and make sure you're listening to her and not making any judgements until she gives you explanations."
Emily had heard that before. It was something that she and Doctor Brown had been working on since the beginning. If Alison or anyone else disagreed with her, she had to listen to their reasoning without making assumptions. "I know. I'll definitely keep that in mind when we talk."
"But I agree with you," the therapist let a small smile slip from her usually neutral expression, "It seems like things are going well and heading in the right direction."
Emily couldn't stop the grin that came to her face. She could see the approval from her therapist and was proud of herself too.
It wasn't lost on Doctor Brown. "Think of where you were two years ago at this time. Did you ever think that we would be having this conversation?"
"No," Emily huffed a laugh as she shook her head, "not at all." She remembered how stressed and unsure that she was leading up to Alison's return. Sure, their relationship had improved since the divorce, but she had no idea where the hell they would go from there. She'd been terrified that they'd regress and lose the progress that they'd fought hard for. It quickly became obvious how dedicated the blonde was to making things work. The twins had handled the transition well. All of it made Emily want to try that much harder. They still had a ways to go, but she would have never believed back then that all of this was possible.
"It's obvious how happy you are. You're doing the right things, just keep working on yourself, that's all you can do."
Emily nodded. "I think she's really happy. And the girls too." They'd has so many memorable moments with the four of them together in the last few months. It made her even more sure about where she wanted things to go moving forward.
"You should bring her back in here," Doctor Brown suggested. "It would be nice to catch up with her."
Emily raised her brows in response. She was a little bit surprised by the suggestion. Last time Alison had been in here, they'd had a major breakthrough with Doctor Brown's help. Alison didn't talk much about it, but Emily knew that she met with one of Doctor Brown's colleagues from time to time. "Any reason?"
"Maybe to make sure you're on the same page after your conversation." There was that, but the therapist also wanted to look for a change in the blonde's demeanor. It was obvious how happy Emily was, she knew that it would be fulfilling to see Alison happy too.
"Okay.. I'll see what she thinks," Emily nodded, "after we talk, of course."
"Of course," Doctor Brown nodded. She looked forward to hearing how their talk went the next time she met with Emily.
Emily took a breath. She wanted to ask her therapist to wish her luck, but she knew that she didn't need luck. She just needed to be opened, honest, and understanding.
She could do that.
—
"Wanna make out?"
Emily turned her head towards Alison and laughed out loud. She was sitting in the middle of Alison's couch in Rosemont while the blonde sat with her back on the arm of the couch and her legs stretched out over Emily's lap.
"What are you, sixteen?" She asked with a tilt of her head.
"I'm just saying, we've got this whole apartment all to ourselves," the blonde shrugged. It was a Friday evening and they'd just gotten back from a dinner date. Alison held a glass of red wine in her hand as she relaxed, while Emily had a beer sitting on the coffee table. "It was really nice of your mom to offer to watch the girls for us," she commented. She'd been excited when Emily suggested that they take a night together. The majority of their time together was spent being parents. It was nice to do something for themselves.
"She's been seeming to warm up to things for awhile now," Emily lifted her brows. All of the kindness had been surprising but certainly was welcome. "She's offered more than once, so I figured it was about time to take her up on it."
Hearing that was music to Alison's ears. It meant that maybe she hadn't totally screwed up her talk with Pam. In the weeks that followed, she hadn't heard from the older woman once. They had run into each other just a couple of times between then and now. It had been fine, cordial even, but nothing to really make Alison think that she'd inspired much confidence into the older woman. "Well cheers," Alison reached out her glass, "maybe she's finally coming around."
Emily reached forward for her bottle and clinked it against Alison's glass. They both took a sip from their drinks. It was quiet for a moment before Emily spoke again. "I wonder what changed..."
Alison glanced over at her. "What makes you think that something changed?" She asked.
Emily shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe not changed. She's just been a little bit different."
Alison hadn't told Emily when Pam came to her apartment. She wasn't sure if that was the right call or not. They'd promised that they would be upfront and honest, but it had felt like the best thing at the time. Now that Emily was questioning it, though, she was starting to feel like she was lying by not mentioning anything before.
"Well... she and I did talk a little while ago," the blonde confessed.
Emily snapped her head back in Alison's direction. "What?" She asked. "When?"
Alison inwardly cringed when she saw how wide Emily's eyes were. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. She tucked her lips in and tried to figure out what to say.
"Ali?" Emily anxiously questioned again.
"Um," Alison shook her head lightly to try to focus, "a couple of months ago."
"What?!" Emily's eyes somehow got wider.
It sounded worse when Alison said it out loud. It sounded like she was deliberately keeping this from Emily for months. Which she was was, but only because she wanted Emily to work out her own relationship with Pam uninfluenced.
"Did you guys meet somewhere?" Emily asked. She didn't seem mad, per se, but definitely pretty thrown.
"She showed up here one night," Alison recounted, "like right after Cape May."
Emily pushed her brows together annoyed, "Why do people keep doing that to you?"
It was true, between Casey showing up last year and Pam showing up this year, Alison had had enough surprise visitors in Rosemont. "I'd rather your Mom show up at my door than your ex," Alison side-eyed.
"Well what did she say?" The impatience returned to Emily's voice.
Alison didn't really want to relay the whole conversation. Some of it felt private. Especially the last part. "That she doesn't trust me," Alison told her. That part wasn't a secret, she knew that Emily knew that much.
Emily scoffed, "It doesn't matter if she doesn't trust you. It matters if I do."
"You know it matters, Em," the blonde shook her head.
Emily inhaled and exhaled audibly. "Well what did you say to her?" She flipped.
"That I knew that she didn't trust me. But that in time she would." It hadn't been quite that simple, but that was the gist of it as far as Emily needed to know.
Emily leaned across the couch. She rested one arm on the back of it to support herself and found Alison's hand with the other. She squeezed the other girl's hand and gave her a soft smile. "Well I trust you." She told her.
Alison felt herself smiling back. She felt the weight behind Emily's words. She knew that the brunette meant what she was saying. It felt good to be at a point where Emily didn't question everything that she did or didn't do. "You're not upset?" She asked, just to make sure.
Emily kept a hold of her hand and held her gaze. "I'm not," she shook her head and told her honestly. Whatever had been said between Ali and her mother, it had clearly impacted things for the better. There was a part of her that was curious about the details of the conversation, but she felt at peace. She realized that this was what it meant to trust Alison beyond just saying that she trusted her.
Alison leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was full of gratitude. And definitely full of love.
When they parted, Emily's eyes drifted to the side table behind the blonde. She spotted the pink notebook and smiled. She pushed herself over Alison and picked it up off of the table to inspect it. "Still using your gift?" She asked.
A slight bush swept across Alison's cheeks. She wrote in that notebook almost every day. She was basically out of pages by this point. "Mhm," she confirmed.
Emily looked at her first before opening the book, noting that she was a little bashful about it. She didn't want to invade her privacy. She actually had no idea what Alison had been writing in it. "Can I look?" She asked.
"Oh, um..." This was the first time that Emily asked and she was taken a little off guard. Alison hadn't let anyone read what she'd been writing yet. It wasn't that she was hiding it, per se. It was right there in the opened. She was just nervous about someone else reading what she'd put to paper.
Emily tilted her head. The blonde's apprehension was obvious. She wasn't sure if she should feel apologetic or offended. She had been working on not jumping to conclusions so she went with apologetic. After all, this wasn't fifteen years ago. She knew that Alison was gossiping about her in some kind of diary. "Is it private?" She asked.
"Not exactly... no. You can read it if-if you want." Alison stumbled. She was nervous about anyone reading it, but for some reason she felt even more nervous about Emily reading it. Still though, she didn't want to come off as being shady and have this be some kind of fight.
Emily pushed her lips together in thought. She could feel the nerves radiating off of the blonde and it made her even more curious about what was inside. She didn't want to push though. "I'd like to read it. But not if you're not ready," she told her.
"I've just never had anyone read it before," Alison defended.
Emily met her eyes with a soft look. She knew that Alison put walls up. She knew that she felt a need to protect herself. It took years for everyone to figure out who she was. Hell, it took Alison herself years to figure out who she was because of that. Emily didn't want her to hide. She knew that that whatever was on the paper was beautiful, just like her.
"People can't read your story if you don't let them," Emily told her. She ran her hand over the cover of the journal and held it out to the blonde.
Alison pushed her lips together, she knew that Emily was right. She would let her read it, but maybe not when she was around to watch her read every word. She took the book from the brunette and leaned sideways to put it on the coffee table. When she did, a folded paper fell out from between the back page and the cover. It fell on the floor between them. Emily reaches down and picked it up. She looked at the folded sheet, clearly curious, but again didn't want to push the boundaries. Instead of opening it, she handed it across the couch back to the blonde.
Alison reached her hand out. "Sorry," she said as she took the paper. She peered at Emily across from her. The brunette was looking at her curiously, but didn't say anything. She figured she'd better explain. "That's just my lease agreement for here. It goes up in June, so I need to sign it and get it back to them."
"That's right..." Emily has assumed that since the blonde moved two years ago at that time that her apartment cycle started and ended around May or June. June was just a little over two months away. She'd been thinking a lot about this lately. It had been a big part of her talk with Doctor Brown. Emily couldn't imagine spending another year with the two of them in different towns. Alison hadn't said a word, though, so Emily really didn't know where she stood. The brunette looked around. It didn't look like she'd made any moves to pack up. "Is that what you're doing?" She asked slowly.
Alison met Emily's dark eyes for a beat. "Is that what you want me to do? Renew it?"
"I..." the answer was no. Emily didn't want her to renew it. She'd been wanting to talk to Alison about this, but she hadn't thought out exactly what to say yet.
"I mean, I have a couple of weeks to decide. I just need to give them an answer sixty days before the lease goes up."
"Do you want to renew it?" Emily asked. This was what Doctor Brown said was most important, right? To find out what page Alison was on. If she wasn't ready to take things to the next step yet, Emily would have to be okay with that. She wouldn't take it personally or assume the worst.
Alison looked around the room. It had felt less and less like home in the last few months. She actually hated being here, alone, away from Emily and the girls. She had thought about bringing it up, but had chickened our every time. "There's a lot.. to pack up. And unpack. It might be a lot of work."
"I'm okay with a lot of work," Emily told her softly. She gazed over at Alison again. This time, the blonde was looking at her lap. "Are you? Okay... with the... extra work?" She wasn't sure if she was even talking about packing boxes and moving furniture anymore. The only thing that she was sure of was that she wanted this to work out between them. Badly.
After a few moments of silence, Alison finally looked up and met her gaze. Emily was on the edge of her seat waiting for a response. When it finally came, it was quiet enough to be a whisper. "I want this if you do," Alison told her.
Emily felt her entire chest warm as she let out a relieved breath. She reached for Alison's hand and squeezed it. The soft smile was on her face before she could even stop it. "I do," she nodded.
Alison smiled at the response. She looked down at their hands, dimples pressing deep into her cheeks. She looked back up to Emily. "I'm ready to come home," she told her confidently. When she left for Beacon Heights years ago she'd dreamt of this moment. That she would finally have the chance to come back someday.
Emily reached her other hand out and took the lease that had fallen from the book. She crumpled it into a ball and threw it over her should while simultaneously pulling the blonde towards her. She pressed her lips into Alison's and it felt like a promise. This time they would work together. They would communicate and compromise. They would keep working and not give up or throw in the towel. It was worth it to both of them.
And it didn't feel like it could get any better than this. Because this time didn't feel like before. This time it felt like forever.
—
A/N - And then they lived happily ever after, right? I reworked this chapter a bit so we will still have some story left to tell in an epilogue. But aw, these two are sweet. They needed their happy ending. Hopefully this story has done its job of resolving the Emison meltdown in The Perfectionists. I never disagreed with their reasons breaking up Emison. I always believed they needed more growth and that eventually, these two would find their way back together. How could they not, right?
To the readers- those who have been here since the beginning and those who jumped in at the end- Thank you SO much for your support. Finally getting the courage to post this story while I was stuck at home during the quarantine helped me so much during a tough time. Hopefully it helped some of you too. The constant kind words meant a lot and I really have enjoyed sharing this story to you.
The epilogue should be posted in the next couple of weeks. I won't do a full sequel, but I have several mini follow up stories planned, and most likely will post those as chapter updates. They aren't written yet, but I've had them mapped out for awhile now. More family focused, as we'll see Lily and Grace grow up.
Regarding future stories... I have an idea for a semi- AU story. Think parent trap but with an A twist. It's not written yet, but I do have an outline to work with. If I can find some time in the coming months, I would love to write it and share it with you.
In the meantime, I actually have a story that I wrote a few years back that I wouldn't mind getting off of my laptop and onto here. It's a shorter story told during the five year time jump. All that I could think when Emison got together at the end of series was 'there's no way that these two didn't hook up even once during college, right?' I'm sure it's been done, but if you're interested in reading my take on it, I'm happy to get it edited and share it!
Until next next time, stay safe out there! Thanks again!