Thank you for your kind reviews and patience! I promise I am trying to get these chapters uploaded as I finish them, I've just had a crazy week. I will upload as soon and as often as I can, but bear with me, I still have a very busy schedule. Keep leaving your reviews and enjoy chapter three!

A few people in the comments have been confused on this, so just to clarify, Emily did not leave the twins, Alison had a miscarriage, so the twins were never born. That's going to be crucial in the next couple chapters, so just wanted you all to know!

Chapter 3

Emily

My knees buckled beneath me as opened the door and saw her blonde locks whip the sides of her face as she turned. I gasped as her ice blue eyes pierced my own, my heart feeling like it weighed 10 extra pounds.

"A-Alison…?" I stammered, my head spinning. She didn't move from the walkway, her body tense and her eyes wide. For a second, I didn't know how to approach her. My initial reaction was to rush down the steps and throw my arms around her, but I stopped myself, instead deciding to slowly approach her. "What… what are you doing here?" I said, my voice strained and cracking.

"I uh.. I heard about your mom… I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry Em… Emily." I heard her stammer as she stopped herself from using my old nickname, and it made me smile slightly. "I went and visited her, and I just had to see you… see that you were ok." Her eyes were trained on the ground and I could tell that the words had just slipped from her mouth and were not at all what she originally planned to tell me.

"You… went and visited her? That was so sweet of you, you didn't have to…"

"I did. Have to, I mean. I couldn't let another person in my life slip away before I had the chance to say goodbye." Her voice was sharp and pointed, the tears building up in her eyes as she finished her sentence. It hurt to see her like this, knowing that I was the cause of her pain.

"Alison…" I stepped forward, trying to close the distance between us. But she stepped back, finally looking up at me.

"I just… had to see that you were doing well. Had to make sure I expressed how sorry I was… about your mom." She nodded and turned to leave, which hurt more than it should have three years later.

"Alison, wait," I stammered, trying to get her to stop, to look at me and let me explain. But she just turned her head over her shoulder and gave me a soft, sad smile before walking down the street and out of sight.

I was shaking and on the verge of tears when she had fully left my line of sight, stumbling back to my front steps and plopping down. Silent tears began to cascade down my cheeks as I tried to push her out of my thoughts, only bringing her sad features up more and more in my mind's eye. I couldn't stop thinking about how defeated and utterly lost she looked, as if nothing in her life made sense. And I knew the feeling. It was the same feeling that pushed me out her front door three years ago. My thoughts were interrupted by a call from Paige, making my heart race out of nerves. She couldn't hear me like this, because I knew what she would think. Even if she was right, I couldn't let her know how broken I was over another woman. I cleared my throat and hastily answered the call.

"Hi, Paige, what's up?" I tried to sound calm, as if the past 10 minutes were uneventful.

"Hey, babe. How are you?" She sounded concerned, making want to smash my phone on the concrete in front of me. There was only one girl I wanted to be concerned for me at that moment, making my hate myself for hurting yet another woman in my life.

"I'm uh… fine I guess. It's just been hard. I'm at my house right now, trying to pack up some of my stuff. I think…" I stuttered, not ready to break the news. "I think I'm going to be here longer than we planned." The silence on the other end was devastating.

"Em, I thought we talked about this. I should be there with you if it's going to be that long."

"I know, I know, but this is hard enough as it is, and I don't want to drag you into it."

"Are you kidding me Emily? We're dating, I'm automatically in it. You know what, I can't deal with this right now. Call me when you know what you want." The line cut before I could protest, and this time, I really did throw my phone. Hard. The sound of glass shattering on the concrete rang in my ears as my tears spilled over my cheeks once again, my sobs loud and audible now. I didn't care. I sat on the front porch of my mother's house and sobbed, my head buried in my hands. The neighbors could come and yell at me, Spencer and Aria could come lecture me about how horrible I was, it didn't matter. I had successfully ruined two relationships with people I loved and there was nothing I could do to take it back.

Alison

The second I rounded the corner I stopped, placing my hands on my knees and starting to hyperventilate. Hot, salty tears started to spill from my eyes as I sucked in air quickly, trying to keep moving and stay silent so Emily wouldn't hear. I didn't want to go home, because I knew Jacob would be there at this point. I didn't want to go to Spencer or Aria's because I'd have to talk. I just wanted to stay there on the sidewalk where no one would ask me how I was feeling or why I was upset or how I was doing. I couldn't explain to people what it felt like, seeing Emily. I told myself and everyone else that I was over her, but was I? I knew the answer, but couldn't bring myself to say it, to anyone. Especially with Jacob in my life. He loved me so much, but I… I knew my feelings weren't near as genuine as they should be.

I heard Emily's voice and pulled myself together, trying to hold back my sobs. What if she heard me? She'd probably think I was pathetic, not moving on after all these years. Or maybe she would understand after all my disappearance put her through. Whatever her reaction, I couldn't let her see me like this. My worries stopped when I heard a full sentence.

"Hi, Paige, what's up?" Her voice sounded wary and tight, as if she was holding back emotion, but it didn't take much for me to realize what was going on. Emily left me, moved to California, and got back with Paige. That was enough for me to finally stand up straight and wipe away my tears. Sadness turned to anger so quickly that I could feel my cheeks burning in response. I whipped my body around and started marching back to her house to give her a piece of my mind when the sound of broken glass and metal echoed from her yard and onto the street. I stopped dead in my tracks.

Peeking around the corner that was lined with trees, I saw Emily sitting on her porch, her face covered by her hands, her whole body shaking as she cried. Before I could stop them, my legs began to move, carrying me back to that fateful house. As I approached, I saw what appeared to be the remnants of Emily's phone scattered on the concrete. I stepped carefully over to her and sat down beside her, not saying a word. The creaking of the wood caused her to look up in shock, her eyes red and puffy.

"W-what are you…"

"I heard glass shattering, and when I saw you out here, I figured you wouldn't want people coming up and bothering you. I knew no one would do that if I was here." I shrugged as I cut her sentence short, my voice calm and emotionless. The burst of anger I felt earlier had mellowed me out, thankfully. I knew my reason for being here was much more than just looking out for a friend. I was hurt, angry, and concerned. I wanted answers.

"You didn't have to do that… I don't care what people in this town think of me. I already burned that bridge." Her big, brown eyes were still filled with tears and were trained on her feet, giving away how nervous she was. I shrugged again.

"Well, I know I wouldn't want people bothering me. Besides, shattered glass isn't exactly a yard decoration." I gave her a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. "So… do you wanna tell me why your phone is smashed to bits?"

"Listen, Alison, I'm really not in the mood to talk right now, especially not to you."

I scoffed. "Really, Emily? I'm not the one who left, so you have no right to be hostile towards me. I'm just trying to help here." She sighed before answering.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just so tired of screwing good things in my life up." I stayed silent, trying hard to keep my emotions in check. Now was not the time to ask the millions of questions I had for her.

We sat in silence for a while, both lost in our thoughts, but I didn't mind. Just being there next to her was surreal. She was the first to break the silence.

"To answer your question, I don't honestly know why I smashed my phone." I turned to see her looking back at me, dead in the eye, looking vulnerable and sad. It made my heart swell. "I was talking with… someone… and I just was tired of letting them down. Letting everyone down who trusts me. I mean, I only see my mom during the holidays and now I only have a month. I take people for granted and it comes back to haunt me." Our eyes were locked in that moment, and the gravity between us growing. I felt her coming closer, her eyes fluttering closed, and just as she laid a soft kiss on my lips, I jumped back.

"Emily… I heard you on the phone. You're dating Paige. Besides I can't.. I…" She looks at me with remorse and guilt clouding her features.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean… I was just caught up in my emotions, I…" She was panicking now, starting to stand. I stood too, grabbing her hand before she could open the front door. She whipped around to face me with a look of confusion.

"Hey, it's fine, really… let's just clean up this mess of glass and then I'll leave." I gave a reassuring smile and dropped her hand. "Now, grab me a broom and some sort of plate or tray. This won't take long." She smiled back at me and nodded, slipping inside her house and leaving the door wide open. I stood awkwardly on the porch, waiting for her to return, not wanting to make things worse by going inside.

She returned quickly, handing me the broom and pan and slipping gloves on her hands.

"Ok, I'll get the bigger pieces and you get the glass," she stated, bending over and beginning to comb through the remains. I tried not to focus on her legs in those tight jeans as I brushed the shards of glass away, aiming to finish as as quickly as possible.

"Do you still have the same number?" I looked up at her, confused.

"Yeah, why?"

"I uh, know you probably have a lot of questions, and since I'll be here for another month or two, thought we could talk to try to make this as easy as possible…" I smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds like the best way to do things. But you do realize you don't have a phone now, right?" She chuckled lightly.

"I'm going to get a new one after I visit my mom." I handed her the pan after dumping the glass in the trash can on the curb and set the broom next to the door.

"I'll text you?"

"Yeah." I gave her a curt smile and started to walk away from her house again, not looking back this time. I knew her eyes were trained on me as I walked farther away, only stopping when I heard her call my name. I turned around slowly, cursing under my breath. I had controlled my emotions so well until now, and I didn't think I could do it for much longer.

"Thanks," she said. I was confused.

"...For what?"

"Giving me a chance when I definitely don't deserve it."