Chapter Twenty Three

"You seem a little blue," Paige frowned, "Is everything okay?"

Emily shrugged, sending Paige a sad smile, "Stuff is just getting to me."

"Like what?" Paige nudged her, "Caring is sharing, you know?"

Emily chuckled, looking over the pond they were walking around. She liked this park. It made her feel at peace, "I don't know, I found out about Ali's past and it was...a lot to take in."

"Care to elaborate?" Paige offered her a cheeky grin.

Emily grinned, "You know it's not my story to tell, good try though," She teased, "I will tell you it was brutal...brutal to go through and brutal to hear."

"So how did she take it?" Paige asked, "You know, opening up?"

"I don't know," Emily grumbled, "I'm getting the impression she only let us end up in bed because she was trying to shut me up."

"What?!" Paige stopped them, wide eyed, her hand on Emily's arm.

"What?" Emily blinked.

"You and Alison slept together?" Paige asked incredulously, her mouth hanging open.

"Oh," Emily pursed her lips, "Yeah, we...a bit."

"What the hell?"

"It's really not that big of a deal," Emily shook her head.

"Not a big deal? You had sex with her."

"I've had a lot of sex with her but it doesn't change anything," Emily shrugged.

"Wow," Paige's eyebrows shot up, "Boy am I glad I have Sam right now."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emily frowned.

"I felt like there might be something going on with us but I had a gut feeling that I should move on and it looks like I was right."

"It's not like that-"

"Yes it is," Paige smiled, "And I'm happy for you, we'll always be friends, Em."

Emily gave her a small smile, even if Paige was wrong she was glad she could call the other girl her friend. They continued walking before Paige nudged her again.

"God, I knew I could never compete with Ali D," Paige teased.

Emily let out a little chuckle, nudging Paige right back, "Don't call her that."

Alison felt huge. Actually she was huge. She was completely fed up of being pregnant, she was always hungry and she could never get comfortable. Still, there wasn't that long left. She'd just settled down to a couple of episodes of trash TV and a tub of ice cream when there was a knock at the door. She cursed herself, getting up and answering it.

"Dad?" She frowned in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Ken looked angry as he pushed his way passed his daughter, into the house, "Imagine my surprise, Alison, when I ran into Elliot and he said that he was not your baby daddy."

"Oh," Alison looked down at her bare feet, feeling like she was ten years old again.

"Oh?" Ken repeated, staring his daughter down with daggers, "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

"I...I can explain-"

"Can you?" Ken growled, "Because when I asked you the first time you lied and I did not raise you to be a liar, Alison."

Alison felt an anger rise in her stomach, she didn't have to feel like this anymore. She wasn't ten anymore, "You didn't raise me at all," She spat, "You left that to my so called mother."

"Don't you dare talk about her that way," Ken hissed, getting close to Alison's face.

"Why are you still protecting her? She was an awful mother and shitty wife too!"

"Do not ever speak about her like that!" Ken grabbed Alison's arm, trying to intimidate her using his height.

"You knew what she was like and you did nothing," Alison cried.

"It was not my fault that she preferred Courtney!"

"Maybe not," Alison shrugged, "I'm guessing that was my fault but it was your fault that you sat back and watched for years while she played Courtney and I off against each other! She made sure Courtney hated me and you knew exactly what she was doing!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ken shook his head.

"The only person I had to protect me was Jason and you drove him away half the time too!" Alison snarled, "We needed you and all you did was leave us with Mom and pretend that she wasn't mentally ill."

"This is ridiculous!"

"It's the truth!"

"You wouldn't know how to tell the truth if your life depended on it, Alison!" He spat.

"You want the truth?" Alison snarled, "I'm having twins with another girl and I'm not going to let you anywhere near them."

"You," Ken's face reddened in anger, "Are disgusting."

Alison rolled her eyes, swiping at her tears, "The only disgusting thing here is you putting Mom first when she wanted to hurt me!"

Ken grabbed Alison's shoulders, pulling their faces inches apart, "You should be dead, not Courtney," He hissed lowly.

Alison's face dropped and she squirmed out of his grip immediately, "I'm done."

"Get back here!"

"No! I am completely done with you, Dad, I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Ever," She stormed out of the house and jumped into her car, speeding away from her house and her father.

"Ali?"

"My dad...he was...and then...and now I...I can't do this, Em," Alison's voice was distorted by sobs.

"Slow down, Ali. What happened?"

"My dad came...and I...we argued," Alison sobbed, "He said he wished I was dead."

"Fuck," Emily's heart hurt for the blonde, "Where are you now?"

"I'm...I'm driving to-"

Emily heard the screech of tires on tarmac. Alison's high pitched scream. A loud scraping noise. A bang...and then nothing.

"A-Ali?" Emily breathed out, her breath hitching with the tears she couldn't keep from falling, her heart in her shoes and a utterly defeated feeling settling over her but Ali didn't reply.