A/N: Thanks for the well wishes, and I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. Thanks for reading!

Emily was jolted awake by a loud crash of thunder outside. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, as she shook the sleep off. She looked at Paige lying next to her, who was miraculously sleeping through the storm. She leaned over and gently kissed the side of her face, glad to see her finally in a peaceful state. This whole thing was taking its toll on her, and Emily didn't know how to help. She wanted to, of course, but she didn't think there was a whole you could do for someone who was being accused of murder.

She sighed, silently slipping out of bed and making her way down to the bathroom on the second floor. They had the whole beach house to themselves, and under normal circumstances they would have loved it. But neither one of them liked why they were here, and Paige hadn't done anything since they had gotten back from Maine but stare at the wall. Emily wished she would at least try something to take her mind off of what was happening. It had to be better than doing nothing but thinking about it all day.

As she was washing her hands, she thought she heard someone knocking on the door. She turned the water off and listened, her heart starting to pound. That was definitely what she was hearing. But who would be knocking on the door at one in the morning in the middle of a thunderstorm? She slowly opened the door and stood in the hallway for a moment, debating if she should go investigate and ignore it and go back to bed. Deciding she couldn't just let it go, she went downstairs and walked slowly to the door, wondering if she should pick up the fire poker first before opening it.

As she approached the door the pounding stopped. Frowning, she peered out of the peep hole. No one was there.

She flung the door open, staring out into the night. Rain was pouring down, making it difficult to see well, but she could tell there was no one out there. She knew she had heard someone. Whoever it was must have run away before she could get to the door.

She cautiously stepped out on the porch, trying to see into the distance. She wasn't sure if she could see someone running down the beach through the fog or if it was just her imagination. She squinted, concentrating on trying to see.

"Emily?"

She screamed and whirled around. Paige was standing behind her, looking half asleep.

"Jesus, Paige! You scared me!"

"What are you doing?"

"I thought I heard someone knocking. But there's no one here."

"Come back inside," Paige replied as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. "There's nothing we can do."

Emily did as she was told, backing inside and closing the door behind them. She looked at her girlfriend standing there with her arms folded, an emotionless expression on her face.

"I think Shana's killer is still here," Emily started. "I think maybe they…. I don't know. They want to make you look guilty, but I don't understand why they keep hanging around here."

"I do," Paige replied, her tone not giving anything away. "They want to off me and make it look like suicide so they can get away with Shana's murder."

Emily stared at her, unsure of how to respond. That did make sense. But she couldn't bear to think of it.

"Well, I won't let that happen," she replied confidently. Paige gave a humorless laugh.

"Good luck with that."

"Paige-."

"I'm going back to bed," she replied. "Are you coming?"

Emily nodded. She followed Paige wordlessly, sliding back into bed as Paige rolled over and faced the windows. She waited a moment before moving closer to her and sliding her arm around her. Paige didn't say anything, but she took her hand, silently telling Emily she knew she was there for her.

"I love you," Emily whispered to her, holding her close. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

"You know Jenna Marshall?" Paige blurted, almost knocking Emily's coffee cup over. Emily stared at her with wide eyes, moving in closer to hear what Toby was saying on the other line.

"Uh, I guess you can say that. We sort of… we sort of slept together in high school."

"Toby!"

"What? Since when is that a crime?"

"It's not. But why have I never heard you mention her?"

"Because it was a one time thing and I wanted nothing to do with her."

"Um…. so, what was her deal with Shana? Is she bisexual?"

"I have no idea. How do you know she's with Shana again?"

"Nate told me. She dumped him and got together with Jenna. He said he didn't understand why and Jenna was just a rebound."

"Maybe Jenna knew that and was pissed."

"She told me here that Jenna couldn't see us talking. She was here to talk to me and Nate knew that, which was why he said he didn't get her having a new girlfriend."

"Sometimes when people are lonely, they do stupid things," Toby replied. "Anyway, like I said, we didn't know each other well. I was never in a relationship with her so I can't tell you if she was the jealous type or anything. Have you talked to anyone from Shana's family?"

"No. I'm pretty sure they all think I murdered their daughter."

"Oh. Right." Toby was silent for a minute. Paige sighed, leaning against Emily.

"This is a nightmare, Toby."

"I know. I really wish I could help you."

"It's okay. At least you actually believe me."

"Most of us do, Paige. You know Mona does too, right?"

"Yeah. I've talked to her since."

"We'll get this figured out, Paige. The real person is almost always caught."

"Almost always?"

"Well, you know. The serial killer cases are harder to solve, but this isn't what we're looking at. Spencer and I are going to come back tomorrow, okay? We'll snoop around with you."

"Oh, Toby…. you don't have to do that."

"We want to help you, Paige. I can't make any promises but it's the least I can do."

"Thanks, Toby. Really."

"Anytime. Tell Emily I said hi and we'll be there tomorrow."

"They're coming up here?" Emily asked as Paige hung up. "That's great. Toby's trained at this kind of stuff."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Em?"

"Yes?"

"Have you talked-."

"No, I have not talked to Hanna, and I'm not going to."

"Emily, please don't-."

"That's not how a friend behaves, Paige. You're not going to convince me otherwise."

"I know, but she deserves a chance. I mean, yeah, it hurts, but I don't blame her."

Emily shook her head, staring at her in disbelief.

"You're too nice, you know that?"

"So I've heard," she replied, smiling slightly as she snuggled into her side. "Seriously, Em. You believe me and that's all I need."

"I just wish there was more I could do to help."

"Love, believe me when I say you are what's keeping me together," she told her. Emily kissed her hair.

"If you say so."

"I do."

"What was that about last night, by the way?"

"What do you mean?"

"With you going downstairs. I only half remember it."

"I thought… no, I know I heard someone knocking. When I went to check there was no one there."

"Are you sure it wasn't the wind? Maybe it was knocking something around on the porch."

"Well…. I guess it's possible," she replied, but she didn't think that was it. The way it had stopped suddenly when she had neared the door made her think for sure someone had been out there. As much as she loved her alone time with Paige, she would be glad when Spencer and Toby got there.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Emily playing with Paige's hair while Paige ran her fingers up and down Emily's bare arm. They hadn't heard anything from the police since they had been back, and they didn't know if that was good or bad. As long as they had no evidence they couldn't keep just calling her in, and since she hadn't done it, she didn't see how they could find anything against her. But, then again, sometimes perfectly innocent people went to jail because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so she knew not to get her hopes up.

"I'm going to shower before any storms come in," Paige announced, standing up. "You want to join? This is, uh, gonna sound clingy and pathetic, but I don't really want to be alone right now."

"It doesn't," Emily assured her, standing up after her. "I really don't, either."

They spent a good half hour in the shower, standing under the water holding each other. The past week had certainly taken its toll on both of them, and Emily had never seen Paige so subdued. Even the year before, with all the stalker nonsense, she had remained mostly her normal self. She just seemed so down and depressed now, and Emily didn't know how to help her. She didn't know if there was any way she could.

"Did you seriously call me here again to ask me the same questions you've already asked?" Paige asked rudely, her patience for this Tanner woman completely gone. She was so smug, and always so calm, and it pissed her off beyond expression.

"No," Tanner replied, giving her a nasty smile. "We found the murder weapon."

"You want a fucking medal?"

"Paige," Veronica started warningly.

"Watch it," she snapped. "I really don't like your attitude."

"That makes us even, then."

Tanner glared at her. Paige smirked defiantly. This clown wasn't going to believe her regardless of what she said so she saw no point in being polite.

"Don't you want to know what it is? Or do you already know?"

"I have no idea," she replied impatiently. "Why don't you tell me?"

"A brass candlestick. With fingerprints all over it and blood that tested different from hers."

"Brass candlestick? From the beach house?" Veronica asked, unable to help her surprise. Paige closed her eyes.

"You know where this came from?"

"My husband and I own the beach house. But that's beside the point."

"Someone must have broken in," Paige replied. Tanner chuckled.

"I'm sure that's what you want me to believe."

"Jesus! Is this how you always do your job? Not bothering to actually look at different suspects and just picking one to harass?"

"Paige, calm down."

"No! This woman is a fu-."

"You're not helping yourself," Veronica told her softly. "I know you're upset. But please, try to control your temper."

Paige nodded, clenching her teeth. Tanner's smug face literally made her see red.

"We would like to test your blood and take your fingerprints. And if you're not willing, we can easily force you."

"Oh, I would absolutely love to. Then you can realize how wrong you are and the fact you've wasted a fucking week on nothing."

"Very well," she replied. "First thing tomorrow morning. Is there anything else you would like to say before you leave?"

"Oh, there's a lot I'd like to say. But I'll wait until I'm officially cleared before I do," she replied sweetly. She stormed out of the room, Veronica on her heels. She knew she was going to get a lecture. She knew where Spencer got her personality from.

"I know she's getting to you, Paige. And I don't like the way she talks to you. But you really have to control yourself in there. The angrier you get, the more it will make her talk to you like you're a criminal."

"I know," she sighed, closing her eyes. "It's just so frustrating. They brought me in convinced I had done it and they haven't even given anyone else a second thought. Which mean the person who really did this is out there thinking they got away with it."

"I know, Paige. But these tests will prove you didn't do it and then they can start looking for who really did."

"I wouldn't count on it. They're a bunch of idiots here."

"They certainly aren't the best precinct I've ever seen. Go back to the house, okay? Try to rest. This will be over soon."

She and Emily went back to the beach house. Toby and Spencer were pulling up at almost the same time, and after helping them bring their bags inside, Paige filled them in on what had just happened at the station.

"Wait. So, the murder weapon came from here?" Spencer asked, her eyes wide.

"Yup. One of the candlesticks from the kitchen."

"What the f…. heck? I never noticed one was missing."

"We never used them," Toby reminded her. "How would we have noticed?"

"Anyway, there are fingerprints and someone else's blood all over it. So I'm really hoping when they test me tomorrow they'll finally admit it wasn't me."

"After they wasted a whole week with their thumbs up their asses," Toby added.

"So….. do you think it could have been one of us?" Spencer asked. Paige shook her head.

"No. Noel and Hanna had no motive. And the rest of you… I know you didn't like her, but that doesn't mean you killed her. Everyone has people they don't like."

"I thought she was a bitch with a lot of nerve," Spencer agreed. "But I would never think of hurting anyone like that." Toby nodded in agreement.

"Then that leaves me, Emily, Mona, and Caleb. Obviously I know I didn't do it, and I know Emily didn't do it."

"And Mona's one hundred pounds soaking wet," Emily added. "There's no way she would have had the strength to…. do the damage that was done. She's not tall enough, either."

"She's right," Paige agreed. "Shana was tall. Whoever did it had to be just as tall or taller."

"What about Caleb?"

"I've known Caleb a long time. He isn't a killer. And like I said, he didn't hate her that much. He hated how she treated me, but it's not like she ever physically hurt me or anything. I don't think anyone here hated her enough to want her dead. I know my friends."

"So… that means someone broke in here?"

"I think so," Emily replied. "We think it was that person we kept seeing on the beach at night. Remember, Toby, how you found the glove?"

"Yeah."

"We think that's Shana's killer. And if they were hanging around here watching us, they would have known when we weren't there, and they could have come in and stolen the candlestick."

"Wait," Toby cut in. "There was never any sign of forced entry. How would they have gotten in?"

"He's right," Spencer agreed. "We always kept the doors and windows locked."

"Do you have an extra key here or something?" Paige asked. Spencer's face paled.

"Under the doormat."

"Spencer!" Toby exclaimed. "That's so obvious!"

"Is still there?" Emily asked. Spencer bit her lip.

"I'm afraid to look," she confessed, standing up. "But I guess I have to."

They waited anxiously as Spencer went outside. When she came back she didn't look happy.

"It isn't there," she reported. "Someone took it."

"That's great," Emily replied, running her hand over her hair. "So, whoever this is can get in here whenever they want."

"Any chance the police would listen to you if you went and told them this?" Spencer laughed.

"No. They haven't even questioned any of you, when technically you all have a motive. They're so intent on framing me for this and I don't know why."

"They haven't even questioned Emily?" Spencer asked.

"Nope."

"Seems like she has an even better motive than you."

"That's what I said," Emily agreed. "But she's right. Other than the statements they took from us here the day it happened, they haven't talked to anyone other than Paige."

"What does my mom think about this?" Spencer asked.

"She's not happy about it. She said she's never seen such unprofessional work before."

"It's weird," Emily agreed. "It makes me wonder if there's something else going on."

"Okay. What are we going to do about the key?" Spencer asked. "If you're right, and this person killed Shana, they have a key to this house. They can get in whenever we want."

"Have you seen them since you've gotten back?" Toby asked.

"No. But Emily thought she heard someone knocking on the door last night," Paige replied. "There wasn't anyone there, though."

"Paige, you want to come with me to the hardware store down town?" Toby asked. "We could get chain locks."

"Should we leave them here?"

"We'll be fine," Spencer assured her. "We have a gun."

Paige's mouth dropped open as Emily stared.

"What? It's locked in the safe in the basement. No one else even knows it's here."

"Well… okay," Paige agreed reluctantly. She kissed Emily softly. "I'll see you in a little bit. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"We'll be quick," Toby promised, pulling Spencer in for a kiss. "Don't open the door for anyone."

"Sure, Mom," she replied, grinning. He smiled back.

"Funny. We'll see you guys in a half hour."

Once they had left, Spencer closed and locked the door behind them, although she wasn't sure if it would do them any good. If whoever was lurking around had a key, that wouldn't stop them from getting in.

"How's she holding up?" Spencer asked. Emily shrugged.

"Okay, I guess. I just feel so bad for her. She's hurting so much and I feel like there's nothing I can do."

"She's certainly had it tough," Spencer agreed. "She hasn't even had time to mourn Shana because she's being accused of her murder."

"I know. I just don't understand why they're so convinced she did it. They have no evidence against her."

"Because they're desperate and obviously very stupid."

"Isn't that the truth."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"You are helping. I know you want to help with proving she didn't do it, but you're helping her by standing by her. She's always needed someone to anchor her, and you do that."

"Thanks," Emily replied. "And thank you for coming back."

"What are friends for?"