Authors Note:

Thank you to everyone who's still reading this

and thank you for your comments.

Shout out to Alwaysdream1 for this one.

Chapter Twenty

"Dani?" Alison answered the phone.

"Hey, Ali. I just thought I'd check in."

Alison smiled, "Everything is okay here," She mumbled, picking a thread at the bottom of her sweater.

"Sounds like it," The other girl paused, "I know I'm Emily's friend and everything but if you ever want to talk then I'm around, you know?"

"Mhm."

"Speaking of which, I'm thinking of moving down in a week or two if you don't mind a guest until I can find my own place?"

"Yeah, of course. I mean...you'd have to share a bed with Emily but you're welcome here whenever and for however long you want. I'd be nice to have you here, distract me from...stuff."

"Stuff?"

Alison swallowed, "Just baby stuff, I still don't know what I'm doing."

"Alright, well I'll make some arrangements and I'll let you know when I'm coming. Thanks, Ali."

"So?" Cece raised an eyebrow, "You and Emily?"

Alison rolled her eyes, hopping up onto the kitchen counter.

"What?"

"They'll be back soon."

"And?" Cece chuckled, "Get talking."

"It's finished," Alison dismissed.

"Why?"

"She said she was falling in love with me," Alison mumbled, looking at her hands.

"Ouch," Cece pursed her lips.

"Aren't you going to say I told you so?"

"And that'd help how?"

"It wouldn't," Alison shook her head, "But you were right and now everything is fucked."

"No it isn't, it isn't fucked."

"It...is."

"Babe, it isn't. It makes things a little more difficult but you can get through it. What did she say anyway?"

"She was drunk," Alison bit her lip, "And she came home and said that she thinks she's falling in love with me."

"Maybe you should ask her about it, if she was drunk she might not even remember."

"I guess," Alison scrunched her nose, "But I definitely can't let her touch me again."

"Probably not," Cece shook her head, "Not if you don't have feelings for her."

Alison huffed, "How many times do I have to say it? I am not gay."

"Fine," Cece chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender as they heard the front door open.

"Everyone on the couch!" Hanna yelled.

"So you have to be really, really nice to him. I don't want him scared off by my asshole friends. Okay?" Hanna lectured, pacing in front of the couch that the other three women were sitting on.

"Why are you just looking at me?" Alison growled while Cece and Emily tried to hold back their laughter.

"Please, he's everything anyone would every want in a relationship," Hanna let out a scoff, "Well, everyone except you maybe."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Come on Ali, the only thing you look for in a relationship is a way out," Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," Alison scowled, "I'll be nice."

"Perfect," Hanna grinned, "And you two?" She looked between Emily and Cece, "Try not to embarrass me, okay?"

"Us embarrass you?" Cece asked, her mouth hanging open when there was a knock at the door.

"Shut up, he's here," Hanna grinned, opening the door and throwing her arms around the neck of a nice looking guy with short, dark hair and brown eyes, "Caleb!"

"Hey," Celeb kissed her before shutting the door behind him and turning to the three people staring at them from the couch.

"So that's Cece," Hanna pointed them out, "And that's Emily, Ali and the twins," Hanna pointed at Alison's belly.

After a chorus of hello's they five-some made their way to the kitchen where the dinner Cece was preparing (with no help from Alison) was ready and waiting.

"Be careful where you sit," Hanna mentioned to Caleb, who raised an eyebrow in question, "You never know where these two have done it," She gestured to Emily and Alison, who's mouths fell open.

"Hanna!" Alison hissed.

"Yeah and we aren't allowed to embarrass you," Cece muttered.

Caleb chucked, "I love her subtlety."

"So subtle," Emily smirked, "So what do you do for a living?"

"Oh, it's so cool," Hanna piped up, "He gets fake id's, codes, hacks into systems. If anyone needs help doing anything shady then-"

"I do a little of everything," Caleb interrupted, "And let me get this right, Alison is the teacher. Cece is the lawyer and Emily...what do you do?"

"Um...I have shares in a beach bar but it's in Florida so I'm selling. My friend actually offered me a teaching position at the school recently that I'm thinking about taking-"

"What?" Alison frowned, "What position?"

"Swim coach," Emily shrugged.

"When were you going to mention that to me?" Alison spat.

"You haven't exactly been approachable lately-"

"Are you kidding?" Alison hissed, "I'm fucking pregnant."

"Ali," Hanna whined.

"No," Alison shook her head, turning back to Emily, "You're such an idiot."

"Just be glad then because it takes being an idiot to put up with you," The moment the words left the brunettes mouth she gasped, not believing she'd just said that. She knew how difficult Alison was finding her hormones and she knew that Alison couldn't help being temperamental, "Shit, Ali, I am so sorr-"

"Fuck you, Emily," Alison practically growled, storming upstairs and knocking over the breakfast bar stool on her way.

"Oh my God," Emily breathed out.

"Well this is going well," Hanna rolled her eyes, sending Caleb a tight lipped smile.

"What are you waiting for Emily?" Cece narrowed her eyes, "Go after her."

"Right," Emily nodded.

"Ali?" Emily called out, slowly entering the blondes dark bedroom.

"What do you want?" Alison answered, it was clear from her voice that she'd been crying.

Emily switched the lamp on that rested on Alison's bedside table, illuminating the blonde under her comforter. Emily sat next to her, gently resting her hand on the blondes hip, "I am..so, incredibly sorry, Alison."

"Whatever, just forget it."

"No," Emily shook her head, "I won't. I had no right to say that to you, I didn't even mean it. I've just been stressed out but that is no excuse. I shouldn't have ever said anything that'd make you feel bad about yourself and I'm truly sorry."

"I have a news flash for you Emily," The blonde spat out, "You can't hurt my feelings so save it."

"Alright," Emily shrugged, "You don't want an apology, that's fine."

"Just leave me alone."

Emily held her breath for a second, "Okay, if that's what you want but I really didn't mean it Ali."

"Just go."

"I've shut her out," Alison sighed, lazing on the leather couch in Doctor Sullivan's office.

"Why have you done that?" Doctor Sullivan raised an eyebrow, "Was in intentional?"

"I don't know," The blonde shrugged, "She told me she was falling for me and since then I've just been...uncomfortable."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

"No," Alison dismissed with a shake of her head, "Even if she wasn't a girl, she still isn't the type of person I'd go for."

"No?" Doctor Sullivan asked, "Why not?"

"Emily is really...what's the word?" Alison pondered, tapping her lips in thought, "Involved."

"Involved?" Doctor Sullivan chucked.

"Yeah, she wants to know how I'm feeling all the time," The blonde rolled her eyes, "I couldn't deal with someone so on top of me."

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing?"

"I don't like it when people are so...irritating," Alison wrinkled her nose.

"You know, Alison," Doctor Sullivan smiled in amusement, "Some people might call it being caring."

"Oh," Alison looked down, "I guess I haven't thought about that possibility."

"I don't think you should worry too much about Emily getting feelings for you."

"I shouldn't?" Alison frowned.

"It's perfectly normal actually."

"It is?"

"Well," Doctor Sullivan shrugged, "You're her age, beautiful and carrying her children. You've been intimate with each other and she's interested in women so it's perfectly natural."

"So I shouldn't have slept with her?"

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that it's perfectly natural that she would get feelings for you under the circumstances. In fact, it would be difficult for her not to."

"Oh."

"Being close with anyone in that way usually stirs some kind of emotion, if you're really uncomfortable with it then you should explain that nothing is ever going to happen between you."

"Oh."

"But perhaps before you do that you should really think about what you want from her, so you can draw some ground rules. Then there won't be any blurred lines."

"Do you have everything ready?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded, passing Paige the salt, "Yeah, crib, diapers...toys. Plus my Mom is here now so I'm pretty sure she'll have three of anything that I might have forgotten."

"Is Alison having a bay shower?" Paige asked.

Emily frowned, "Actually, I don't know. I haven't asked...maybe I should."

"Probably," Paige smirked and the sighed, "I still can't believe you're about to become a parent."

"I know," Emily nodded, "It's scary."

"Yeah but you'll be an excellent Mom, you already act like one."

Emily chuckled, "Thanks."

"So have you thought about coming to work at the school?"

"I really want to, I just have to find a moment to ask Alison if she'd be comfortable with it."

"I guess you're both busy."

"I wish," Emily laughed, "No, she's just very hormonal at the moment so treading carefully is important but I promise I'll have an answer soon. What about you? I feel like all we talk about is Ali and the babies."

"That's because children are a big deal," Paige smiled, "But I've been great, I actually went on a date recently."

"Oh?" Emily swallowed, feeling a little jealousy rise, "How did it go?"

"Her name is Sam, she's gorgeous. She's a personal trainer so we have the same interests."

"So do you think you'll see her again?"

"We'll see," Paige shrugged, "There's someone else I'm interested in too."

Emily blushed, smiling back at Paige until she noticed someone buying coffee at the counter, "Hold on, give me one minute," She said over her shoulder while making her way to who she'd spotted.

"Emily, right?" Caleb greeted.

"Yeah, I'm sorry that dinner went like that," Emily smiled back, "Hopefully you don't think any less of Hanna because of her crazy friends."

"No," He chuckled, "Hanna is a great girl, one of a kind."

"I'm glad you think so, she's crazy about you too."

"Good to know, so I better get going but-"

"Wait," Emily swallowed, "I wanted to ask you about what you do."

"Yeah?" Caleb raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Does it include finding out stuff?" Emily lowed her voice, "Finding information on someone?"

"Yeah?" Caleb shuffled uncomfortably, "It does. What did you have in mind?"

"There someone I want to know about but I can't find anything myself."

"So you came to me?" Caleb frowned, "I don't know, I guess I could help but I'm not doing business with you."

"You're not?" Emily deflated.

"No, how I get this stuff sometimes isn't legal so I wouldn't want one of Hanna's friends to get into that position," Caleb explained, "But I'll find out what I can, as long as it's on the down low."

"Of course," Emily nodded, "I understand."

"So what's the name?" Caleb asked.

"Courtney DiLaurentis."