Welcome to the last chapter of Affair.


On April 10th, Emily was back at the airport in Philadelphia. This time she wasn't there to take a flight, but instead receive someone from the flight. It was 9:30PM, and Emily anxiously paced the area where families stood waiting for their loved ones. Her father Wayne had brought Emily, and her didn't seem to be as nervous and excited as her.

Emily watched intently as the people who were leaving the airport from their flights, made their way towards the gate where she was and left. None of them were who she was looking for. Just as Emily was about to check the email on her phone to see if she got the date and time mixed up, she heard a happy bark of a dog.

Emily looked back to see a dog pulling rather forcefully on his leash, which was held by a man in a black polo shirt. He was pulling back with all of his strength, trying to restrain the dog from pulling that much ahead of him. Emily beamed widely as she recognized Peanut. He was extremely skinny still, but lesser than when she had first started feeding him.

Finally breaking free from the man holding his leash, Peanut ran full speed at Emily. Emily bent down on her good knee, and opened her arms. Peanut crashed into Emily, causing her to fall back on the airport floor. Her dad scrambled to his feet to help Emily, as Peanut let out a happy whimper and licked Emily's face vigorously.

Emily laughed and hugged Peanut tightly, as the man who was holding Peanut finally caught up with them. Peanut was whining excitedly as he licked Emily, and Wayne pulled Peanut back by his leash so that she could get up. Emily got to her feet, and pulled the new navy blue collar out of her back pocket. She got it at the pet store, along with all of the other pet supplies they would need to have a dog. His collar had little white anchors patterned along it, with a gold name tag that had his name and Emily's phone number.

"I've missed you so much," Emily said, kissing Peanut's head and rubbing his ears.

He looked the same as Emily remembered. A sandy coat with a dark nose and muzzle. The fur around his eyes was dark colored too, and his paws were white. It kind of made him look like he was wearing socks.

Emily and her father talked with the man who worked for the pet reuniting organization and said that Peanut had slept for most of the flight. Emily thanked him profusely, and then it was time to take Peanut home. She took the leash from the man, and smiled down at her dog. He was hers, still hers. Peanut looked up at her as they walked through the airport, which was a bit difficult since Peanut wasn't exactly leash trained just yet. He was smart though, and after a few tugs on the leash whenever he got too far in front of Emily, the pair fell into a steady pace alongside Wayne.

"I texted your mom," Wayne said, as he smiled down at Peanut. "She says everything is ready for him. Have you told your friends about him yet?"

They exited the airport and towards Wayne's car in the parking garage. The second Emily opened the back door, Peanut hopped in without a second thought. He was an Afghanistan dog born and raised, Emily wasn't even sure how old he was. He seemed maybe three or four, but she wasn't sure. All of this was new to him, yet he seemed happily content with it. Emily climbed in after him, wanting to sit in the back seat to get as much bonding time as she could.

"Wait, before we go I want to take a photo!" Wayne said, taking out his phone.

Emily almost rolled her eyes, her father was always the one to document their lives through photos. She didn't understand it in high school, but now she sees the meaning. Being able to look back on their life with the photos is a treasure. She pulled Peanut closer, and Wayne snapped his fingers to get his attention.

She beamed widely as her dad took the photo, saying they both looked great and that he would send it to her right away. Sure enough, Emily got a text from her dad. The photo of she and Peanut was attached, and Emily quickly saved it onto her phone. She beamed widely at it, even her dog looked like he was smiling.

Emily: Surprise! Guess who got their army buddy back :)


Alison was sitting at their kitchen island, multitasking. She was becoming one of those wine moms who spent all of their time on Facebook, and she didn't even have children yet! To keep herself away from stalking her feed, she opened up a new tab. Her fingers danced lightly over her keyboard, questioning if she should look up what she had been meaning to look up for a few days.

Making up her mind, she quickly looked up the information on Google. It was an uneasy feeling, taking the first step to research it. She clicked on the first thing that popped up, "Divorce in Pennsylvania Info." She skimmed through a few of the sites, and various lawyers that she could contact just in case. She knew Elliot wasn't going to settle with her that easily, though between the two of them it was pretty obvious that things were heading in the wrong direction. And that was okay with Alison, she didn't want them to get better at this point.

She was typing an email to a local divorce lawyer, when she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Quickly minimizing the window, she opened up Facebook again. Alison knew she was going to have to bring it up at some point, but now was not the time. She didn't even know how to divorce him.

Elliot came into the kitchen, adjusting the cufflinks on his collared shirt. His hair was neatly parted as usual, but there were signs of tiredness in his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, and Alison felt bad for him. It had turned out, he and Olivia had gotten into an argument about her mother's promiscuity. Elliot had made an offhand comment about Rowan not only pursuing him before they had started dating. Olivia had thought he was calling her a slut, made a scene in the museum, and told him she never wanted to see him again since all he viewed her as was 'another girl.' Though Alison understood where she was coming from, she knew deep down that Elliot had been in love with Rowan sixteen years ago...and maybe had some unsettled for her still.

"Hey," he mumbled, picking up the coffee pot to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning," Alison replied, as she closed her laptop. "Sleep well?"

"Not really," he said dully.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Alison asked hopefully.

"She won't answer my calls or texts," he said. "I don't want to keep pushing it, she's really mad at me."

Alison sighed, and glanced at the time. School started at 8am, and it was already 7:34PM. She looked at her husband, who was sipping his coffee and staring at the ground.

"As much as I would like to stay and talk, I do have to get going," Alison sighed. "I have her in class today, I can talk to her if you want."

Elliot didn't answer, and Alison picked up her purse silently. She made her way towards the archway that lead to their front hallway, when Elliot called her name. She turned around, he looked like a wounded puppy.

"Can I have a hug?" he asked.

He didn't have to ask twice. She put down her purse and wrapped him in a tight hug, a comforting hug. The hugged as close friends, not as lovers. They hugged like the world was crumbling at their fingertips, and everything seemed to be going wrong. She knew Elliot must've gotten the idea that their marriage was heading to an end, and his relationship with his daughter was in the trash. But in that moment, after all the fighting they had done, they were able to hug as friends.

She knew for a fact she loved him, she would always love him. But the spark they once had fizzled out, and Alison knew that she was being selfish, but she didn't want to string Elliot or Emily along any longer.


"Please don't get mad at me."

Spencer frowned, and set down her cup of coffee. They were in the Brew, tucked away in the corner for some privacy. Spencer was sitting across from her, and Alison needed to tell her something that she had been meaning to get off of her chest.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Spencer asked, frowning slightly. "What happened?"

Alison sighed, wondering if she should just jump right in on it. Spencer had always understood her, even in high school. They had been closer lately, most likely because of the friendship between she and Emily.

"Please promise me that you won't tell anyone," Alison said, desperately.

Spencer shook her head, "I won't. Just tell me what's going on."

Alison looked around them slightly, and leaned forward in her chair.

"This is kind of hard to tell you, but I've...kind of, sort of been in a romantic relationship with Emily," Alison admitted.

Spencer frowned and opened her mouth slightly in shock. Whatever she was expecting Alison to say, it wasn't what she had said.

"Wait, you're not joking," Spencer asked, noticing Alison's serious face.

"No, I'm not," Alison said.

"How long has this been going on?" Spencer asked.

"Since December."

Spencer leaned back in her chair, and sighed. She kept her eyes locked on Alison, searching for any sign of the fact she was joking. Alison wasn't sure what she thought, or if she was mad or disappointed in her.

"Are you mad?" Alison asked.

"I'm just a little confused, that's all," Spencer said. "You're married to Elliot. Or is something going on?"

Alison rubbed her temples, "I don't know Spencer and that's the thing," she sighed. "I know what I want, but getting to the final destination is going to be hard."

"Does Elliot know about this...affair?" Spencer asked.

"No. He has no idea," Alison said. "I think he has some suspicions, but our marriage is so far down the drain at this point I don't think that he cares. All he does is drink and cry."

"That's awful!" Spencer gasped. "He's crying about your marriage?"

"No, he and Olivia got into a fight and she told him to never contact her again," Alison sighed. "It's all just a fucking mess."

"Well it sounds like he's losing all of his family that's close to him, I would be upset too," Spencer said. "My advice to you is, if you bring all of this up to him, do it easy."

"You're not mad?" Alison asked.

"I guess I can somewhat understand it," Spencer shrugged. "I mean I've known of your thing for Emily when you told me in eighth grade. But I didn't think you would still have feelings for her after we graduated."

"I didn't either, I thought I was fine. Everything was fine until she came back," Alison said.

"Emily is the only reason that your marriage is falling apart?" Spencer asked.

"Yes...well no. Elliot's been drinking a lot, but that started before Emily came back. And the fact he got really pushy about kids," Alison said, thinking about it more.

"Right, well whatever you decide to do, just be conscious of the repercussions. This isn't going to be an easy thing," Spencer said.

"Thank you, Spenc," Alison smiled. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"I'll be fine," Spencer said. "If you need to talk about anything else, let me know."

"I love you," Alison said, genuinely. "You've always been like family to me."

"Maybe you're my secret sister or something," Spencer joked.


Students were exiting Alison's classroom at the end of the period, after having a heated argument over the significance of Holden Caulfield's intentions. Alison was happy with the fact they argued their opinions with each other, and that a few people were actually enjoying the book.

"Olivia, can you come here for a second?" Alison asked, not looking up from her computer.

Olivia was always one of the last ones to leave. She was slow at packing up, and Alison wondered if there was a reason behind it. She could hear Olivia sigh from her seat, most likely knowing what the conversation would be about.

Olivia approached her desk, her backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Yeah?" Olivia asked.

Alison looked up and faced Olivia.

"I wanted to talk to you about-"

"If it's about Elliot, I really don't want to hear it. I don't want to talk to him ever again," Olivia said, interrupting Alison. Alison noticed she had gone from calling Elliot "dad" to his full name.

"I just wanted to say that I'm not sure what happened between you two, but you have to believe me when I say that he's distraught by what he said. He didn't mean it like that," Alison explained.

"Are you his representative now?" Olivia asked.

"I'm saying this because you won't even give him a chance to explain," Alison said, her voice raising slightly.

"Look, I've heard enough from Emily about this. I just don't want someone to be in my life that thinks my mother was just another lay," Olivia huffed.

"That's not true at all, and you know it. Your father was in love with your mother, and he probably still is," Alison said.

"Than why did he ignore my existence and my mother's when she wrote to him about me?" Olivia asked.

"Have you even talked about this with him? Maybe if you heard him out you would," Alison said.

Olivia sighed, and Alison knew that she was finally getting somewhere with her.

"You don't have to talk to him after this, but give him a chance and hear him out. You may think he's against you, but he's not. He really loves you Olivia, and he was so excited to form an actual relationship with you," Alison said. "He's always wanted a family, and you were his opportunity to make things right."

Olivia met Alison's eyes, and she could see the sadness.

"I'll talk to him," Olivia sighed. "But if I don't agree with what he says, that's it."

"That's all I ask," Alison smiled. "Now get to your next class before your late."

Olivia turned towards the door, and Alison looked back at her computer to continue emailing a student's mother.

"I know about you and Emily."

Alison looked back up, Olivia was back standing over her desk. Alison opened her mouth in shock, Olivia said it so softly that Alison wondered if she had heard her wrong.

"What?" Alison asked. "How?"

"In the back of your car outside my house," Olivia said. "I haven't told anyone."

"Do not tell Elliot," Alison said, her heart beating quickly in her chest.

"I won't!" Olivia said, taking a step back. Alison wondered how threatening she sounded. "Emily's been happier, even if you're cheating on my dad."

"It's really not what you think," Alison said.

"No, I know what's going on. But, I think you need to make up your mind. It's been going on for too long," Olivia said.

And with that she left the classroom.


Emily was sitting on her bed and reading one of the very last books that Spencer had given her. Peanut was sleeping peacefully next to her. He was adjusting well to living in their house. Pam seemed a bit adamant about them having a dog, since that meant she would be vacuuming a lot more. She had warmed up to him over the past few days, Emily knew that for a fact since she saw both Pam and Peanut asleep on the couch late at night once. Pam had an arm draped loosely over Peanut's body, and his head was lying on her thigh.

Wayne loved Peanut deeply, and constantly fed him pieces of vegetables and fruit. Sometimes her dad would slip him pieces of food from under the table, which Emily told him not to do because his begging would only get worse. Other than that, Peanut stayed right by Emily. He followed her everywhere, even into the bathroom. She tried to shoo him when she had to pee, but he laid down right on the floor. At least he had the decency to face away from her while she went to the bathroom.

Peanut let out a loud snore, and Emily smiled slightly. She ruffled his fur playfully as he adjusted his position on the bed. She was waiting for Alison to arrive, who just had found some time to come over and say hi.

A few minutes later, there was a slight knock on the door. Peanut sprang awake, and stood up on all fours on the bed. He growled and let out a protective bark.

Alison opened the door and peaked her head in. Peanut's tail wagged weakly, as she entered Emily's bedroom.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Alison said, closing behind her. Emily set her book down on the bedside table.

"No, not at all," Emily smiled, as Alison walked over to where Emily was lying in her bed. She bent down and gave Emily a quick kiss as a greeting, which caused Emily to smile wider.

"So this is Peanut!" Alison said, rather excitedly. She held out her hand loosely for Peanut to sniff, which he did enthusiastically. His tail began to wag faster, and he jumped slightly to try to lick Alison's nose.

"Hey, down Peanut," Emily said, trying to grab him by his collar.

"Oh, he's fine," Alison said, pushing Peanut down with her hand. "Pepe used to be the same way when he was young."

Peanut rolled onto his back to allow Alison access stomach. Ali smiled and rubbed his stomach, causing his back leg to twitch furiously.

Emily sat up in bed, and propped herself up with more of her pillows. She watched Alison as she continued to play with Peanut, the joy on her face reminded Emily of when they were in elementary school.

"When do you get your brace off?" Alison asked, scratching behind Peanut's ears.

"Tomorrow," Emily said, in partial disbelief that the day had finally come where she would part with her leg brace. "I start PT since I'm not going to be able to walk that well."

"But you'll still be able to walk right?" Alison asked, looking up at Emily.

"Yeah of course, I'll just be shitty at it," Emily shrugged. "It's relearning to walk."

"Can I come?" Alison asked. "Yeah know...to see you walk."

Emily raised an eyebrow in confusion, "You really care about seeing me walk first?"

"Of course I do," Alison said. "Like you said it's relearning how to walk again."

"If you want, it would be nice to have some support," Emily smiled.

Alison sat on the bed, and placed her body carefully between Emily's legs. She leaned her back against Emily's front, and continued to play with Peanut. Emily wrapped her arms around Alison's middle, as she breathed in the familiar smell of her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment as she took it all in, knowing that soon she wouldn't remember that smell.

She didn't know how to tell Alison, her stomach knotted as Alison continued to play with Peanut. After a while, both Alison and Peanut settled down. Alison leaned back against Emily, tilting her head to the side so that Emily could place soft kisses on her neck.

"I'm have to go back to Afghanistan," Emily said, abruptly. She buried her face in Alison's neck and squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for her reaction.

"What?" Alison asked, her voice full of shock. She pushed off of Emily, and twisted around to face her. "I thought you said-"

"I signed a contract for four years, and then another for five. I've still have four years left," Emily said. "I asked if I could be transferred to the base near Rosewood, but-"

"Because you're young and still able bodied, they want you in Afghanistan," Alison deadpanned.

"Ali, I am so sorry," Emily said, reaching out to wrap her hands around Alison's wrists.

Alison sighed, "Don't be. It's not your fault."

"If it makes you feel better, I won't be a combat medic anymore," Emily said. "So there's a lesser chance of me dying."

"But not a 0% chance," Alison said, sadly. "There never is."

"Look, if you don't want to continue what we have anymore because I'm going away I completely understand and I-" Emily said, though her heart was sinking.

"Don't," Alison interrupted. "So I won't see you for eleven months of the year?"

"Well, yeah," Emily said, looking down. "But only for four years, and then after that I'll try and transfer to the base near Rosewood, or somewhere in the United States. Honestly, Ali I don't expect you to do any of this. Like all the waiting and the probability that I may be transferred to somewhere on the other side of the country. Moving is such a pain-"

"I'm divorcing Elliot," Alison said, abruptly.

"Y-You are?" Emily asked, it was her turn now to be shocked.

"I was going to wait to tell you, so I could at least tell him first," Alison admitted. "But yeah...I'm divorcing him."

"Why?" Emily asked, and Alison gave her a look like she had no intellectual capability.

"Why? Why do you think Emily?" Alison asked. "I haven't had my fingers up you since December for nothing. Also the fact I told you that I loved you, I thought that was a bit of a giveaway."

"You were serious about that?" Emily asked, laughing slightly as she looked down at her hands.

"Of course I was, I don't throw around 'I love you' and not mean it," Alison said, as Emily looked at her. "I've been in love with you since we were in eighth grade. At least, that's when I finally figured out my feelings for you. And it's been almost ten years since realizing it and I'm still crazy about you. It just took me a little bit to figure out I still felt the same."

"You love me?" Emily asked, smiling slightly. "Really?"

"Yes. I do," Alison said. "Do you love me back too? Or did I just waste that whole heart to heart on you for nothing."

Emily rolled her eyes and grinned wider, "Of course I love you Alison. Geez, I loved you enough to have a freaking affair with you of course."

"Good," Alison said. "And what you were saying before about leaving for Afghanistan. I'll wait for you."

"You will?" Emily asked. "I honestly thought tonight was going to be where we ended it all."

"I'll wait, and after four years I'll follow you wherever you go," Alison said. "It's not the end, only the beginning."


"We need to talk."

"Okay, why?"

"There's not an easy way to tell you this but-"

"I know."

"What?"

"You left your laptop on. I saw what you were looking at."

"Oh...so you know-?"

"That you want a divorce? Yeah I do."

"Are you okay?"

"No...you were what pulled me out of my dark times. And now you're leaving me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, I just want a drink and some sleep. We can call some lawyers in the morning."


"Okay," the physical therapist said, slipping the brace off Emily's leg. "Everything should be healed. Now I warn you, walking is going to be a bit hard. You're lucky because you were on your brace, but the range of motion in your leg needs to come back to you. It's going to be stiff."

"I know," Emily said, smiling widely. She was staring straight at Alison, who was smiling brightly back at her. "Just walk to her?"

"Yes," the therapist nodded. "As best as you can, at least."

Emily rose from the chair, and placed her weight on her left leg. It didn't hurt, but it was sore. She looked down and concentrated. Tentatively, she took a step forward with her left foot. It was hard, a lot of her joints were still stiff from not being used for so long.

"It's okay Em," Ali said, from across the room. "I'm right here."

Emily looked up at Alison and back down again. She placed more weight on her left leg, and then stepped with her right. That time it was easier, and she smiled at her progress. She did the same thing, and placed her left foot down. It was a bit difficult to not lock her leg out as she tried to walk. She was so used to not moving and part of her leg when walking.

Getting a bit impatient and excited, Emily began walking faster. It was rough, she almost fell over twice. She saw Alison, her arms open for her. A few more steps and she would be there.

"Go slow! Your muscles haven't been used in five months!" the therapist said.

Emily tripped this time, and fell right onto Alison. Alison caught her, but ended up falling down on her butt too. Emily trapped Alison under her, and began laughing. Alison laughed too, unaware of the physical therapist still in the room.

"You did it," Alison said, as Emily pushed the stray blonde locks away from Alison's face.

"I did," Emily said. "Thanks to you."

Alison cupped her cheek with her left hand, and Emily felt the absence of rings on her fingers. She pulled her down to kiss her, they had done a lot of kissing since Alison stopped wearing her rings and officially called it quits with Elliot. They had to kiss enough to make up for the coming eleven months where Emily would be away. Alison promised she would always write to her, and Emily hoped she would. She had her doubts about Alison waiting for her, and told her multiple times that she didn't have to. But Alison insisted she would wait, which boosted Emily's confidence more.

Because who knew this kind of love would've started from an Affair.


Epilogue to follow.

Wow, my first fic is over. It took over one year, a lot of motivation, and a lot of frustration to finish this fic. I'd like to thank my best friend and favorite person in the entire world Adriana for motivating me to write this even when I was stuck in awful writer's block, if she's reading this that is.

I have a new fic in the works that I will be working on next. It's an AU about Emison and their baby. You can follow me on tumblr for more updates about that, but be on the look out. My url is emisonislifeok.

With that, I say goodbye to everyone who followed me through this. Your reviews and your support have been the world to me, and I hope you follow me to my next fic when that comes out. I'll be looking for you :)

With love,

Kylie xx