Emily didn't return to training for two weeks, and visitors were not accepted in either. Alison didn't try to go in again, and thought it was better for her to have some space to recover. She also knew she wouldn't be able to bare to see her in that state, even if they weren't technically friends.

Hanna was probably doing worse than Alison, and was a lot quieter than normal. She didn't spend much time with Caleb either, which seemed to throw Caleb off too. Between Noel's death, and the information spread about what was happening to Emily, everyone was in a touchy state. Even if you knew them personally or not, people were experiencing a mix of paranoia and sadness.

The day Emily came back among the rest of those staying at the facility, Alison could see her struggling to walk normally. They were all sitting at their normal table for dinner, and Spencer spotted her first. Alison whirled around to look at her, surprised and saddened by what she saw.

Emily clearly had lost weight, even though she was already on the thinner side. Her skin didn't have the radiating glow that it normally did, and she had bags under her brown eyes. She looked sickly, and Alison wondered how badly she was suffering when she recovered. Hanna and Aria stood up and helped her over to a seat, sitting her right next to Alison. Alison didn't say anything, but watched her with a sympathetic look. They tried offering her food, all of which Emily denied. She took one small sip of water, but didn't touch anything else other than that.

Emily seemed to sense that Alison was looking at her, and they quickly locked eyes. Her eyes had no emotion in them, and looked rather cold. However, she did offer Alison the slightest twitch of her lips upwards. Alison was surprised she even showed her the smallest level of friendliness.

It wasn't until they both were sitting in the Rec Room, facing the large television as they sat on the couches, that she had the chance to talk to Emily. It was fairly empty, the other girls had decided to head in for the night. Spencer was off visiting Toby, and Alison was unsure of when she'd come back to their room. Hanna and Aria were hesitant to leave Emily and Alison alone together at first, both saying they could totally stay up a little while longer.

Neither Alison nor Emily agreed to it, waving them off to go back to their rooms. Both girls had figured out that they both loved the show Real Housewives of Orange County. Not because it was actually a good show, it was just entertaining. Alison was shocked that Emily spoke up to stop her from flipping channels when she landed on it.

"Wait stop!" Emily croaked, holding out her hand. "I love this show. It makes me feel more okay about not being integrated in with society."

Alison smiled, "God, this was totally my guilty pleasure on my night's alone."

They were already four episodes in, even though it was almost midnight. Luckily tomorrow was Sunday, so they didn't have to be up super early. They'd be taking another day trip to NYC, where they could explore the city and eat some great food.

Emily was sitting on one couch by herself, a blanket wrapped around her snuggly. Alison kept her distance by sitting on the adjacent couch, though she kept glancing at Emily throughout the episodes. Emily was slumped over slightly, but her eyes were wide open as she watched the screen in concentration.

"I see you looking at me," Emily spoke up softly, not taking her eyes away from the screen. "Are you cold? We can share my blanket."

"Don't worry, I'm ok," Alison lied. Emily finally tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her.

"Bullshit," her voice still soft. "I saw you rub your arms to warm them up. Get over here."

Alison smiled slightly, surprised by Emily's kindness. She got up from her spot on the couch and began to move towards the one Emily was sitting on. Emily began to unwrap herself from the blanket, opening it up so that Alison could sit down and pull it on top of her as well.

Emily's body was really warm, and Alison had to prevent herself from pressing herself to Emily's form in order to seek the warmth. Instead, she was able to contain herself and snuggled into the blanket while keeping a small distance from Emily.

"I forgot how much I appreciate this show," Emily mumbled. "It's been awhile since I sat down and enjoyed it."

"What other shows do you watch?" Alison asked, looking at Emily out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't really watch TV. There's not really a lot of down time," Emily explained, sighing slightly. "And I don't like watching TV that makes me wish I was normal."

"Do you like zombies?" Alison asked, nudging Emily teasingly.

Emily's nose wrinkled in disgust, "Not in the slightest. Honestly, rotten meat smells awful in itself. Zombies are basically that but they're the dead corpses of people you know, just reanimated."

"Well if you put it that way…" Alison said, trailing off.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" Emily asked, her voice going hushed. Neither of them was paying much attention to the TV show.

"I don't know what I believe," Alison answered honestly. "I didn't believe in super heroes being real either, or super mutants. But here we are."

"You just have to open your mind up to the crazy and unknown," Emily hummed in response. "Ghosts are something that I can get behind."

Alison laughed, "Have you seen a ghost, Emily?"

Emily's voice lowered to barely above a whisper, "One time, when I was seven I had to stay with foster parents that knew about my ability. You know, before the facility was built. They lived in this colonial era house, and at night you could hear the sounds of them moving about the house going about their daily life. As if they didn't even know they were dead."

Emily began making dramatic moaning noises, mimicking the stereotypical sound of a ghost.

Alison shoved Emily again, who began laughing uncontrollably. "You're so annoying," she said, but it was only a little truthful.

Afterward, they fell into a comfortable silence as their attention turned back to the television. Alison had to suppress her smile, happy that she was on more friendly terms with the blue mermaid. Maybe halfway through the episode, she heard Emily sigh and slump over even more. She felt Emily's head slowly begin to rest on her left shoulder.

Alison froze slightly, and felt her heartbeat pick up. She could hear Emily's breathing get slower and heavier, and Alison assumed that she was probably falling asleep. Not daring to move, Alison allowed Emily to settle herself comfortably on her shoulder. Alison let her shoulder drop so that Emily had more space to lay her head, and let her body finally relax.

For the remainder of the episode, the smell of Emily's hair filled her nose. Her heart rate had finally settled to its normal steady beat, but instead of watching the show Alison became hyperaware of her surroundings. Specifically how it took Emily approximately seven seconds to inhale and exhale, or how Emily made little whimpering noises in her sleep occasionally. Alison remembered Emily telling her that she barely slept, and how Hanna told her Emily was constantly exhausted. She felt bad for Emily, especially after seeing her go through her withdrawals. Maybe Emily wasn't so bad, even though they got off on the wrong foot. Alison had to admit, she had been kind of rude and unfair during their sparring session. Emily was winded from the suicide sprints after all. But, she also had never met her parents and didn't know where they were or how they were.

Towards the end of the episode, Emily's head had ended up on Alison's lap. She was out cold, the blanket they were sharing falling off of them from how she was laying. Her arms were held close her body, and Alison could see the needle scars scattered on her upper arm. She wondered how many years Emily had been getting the injections, but it was pretty evident that it had been a while. However their bodies reacted with Dr. Rollin's serum, it didn't seem to do well with the healing process.

Alison turned off the TV quickly, and tossed the remote onto a bean bag chair. Her next problem was figuring out how she would be getting up from the position that she was in, even though she had no intention of wanting to to. Emily was out cold, so getting up was actually easy. What was she going to do about Emily? Bring her back to she and Hanna's room? There was also a chance that Spencer wasn't back yet, so she wouldn't have to worry about waking her up.

Making a final decision, Alison scooped Emily up bridal style. Due to the fact she had absorbed some of Noel's power, Emily weighed virtually nothing. She left the blanket behind, and easily carried Emily out of the Rec Room and into the dormitories. The hall was dark other than dim wall lights that lit her path. Emily continued to sleep, and didn't move even when Alison had to move her hand quickly to unlock her room with her wristband.

She kicked open the door, and looked into the dark room. Spencer's bed was still empty, and Alison breathed a small sigh of relief. This probably would've been an awkward situation if Spencer had been in there and woken up.

She carried Emily inside, and laid her down on her own bed. Although Spencer would've probably let Emily sleep in her bed, Alison didn't know when she'd be back. She figured she'd just sleep on the floor, not wanting to upset Spencer by sleeping in her bed either. Alison took extra care in helping Emily get situated under the covers, and brought the blanket up to her shoulders.

When Emily was wrapped underneath the blankets of Alison's bed, Alison straightened up and began to walk away. She felt a hand wrap around her wrist and tug slightly, causing her to turn back around.

"No," Emily mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "Stay here."

"Emily, I'm going to be right on the ground," Alison whispered, letting Emily hold onto her wrist.

Emily tugged harder, "There's room here, stay in here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The whole time this conversation happened, Emily didn't open her eyes. She moved over in the bed as much as she could so that Alison could lay down next to her. The bed was big enough for two, they'd just be a little close.

"Let me get changed, I'm still in my training clothes," Alison said, and Emily mumbled an okay in response.

Alison watched Emily roll over slightly after she took her pajamas out of her closet. She wasn't sure if Emily had fallen back asleep yet, but was eager to get into her warm bed. After unzipping and sliding out of the jumpsuit she was wearing, Alison took off her bra and pulled her pajamas on. She tossed the jumpsuit into her closet, and quietly made her way over to where Emily slept in her bed.

She pushed the covers back and climbed in, trying to get situated with her position as well as doing her best to make sure she didn't bother Emily. Alison had never slept in the same bed as someone, at least not as close as she was to Emily. She didn't know what to do, or where to put herself. Emily had turned so that her back was facing Alison, probably falling back asleep already.

Making due with what she had, Alison settled with laying on her side and facing Emily's back. She kept her arms to herself, what was going on was extremely new territory. She also didn't want Spencer getting the wrong idea if she came back, she and Emily were definitely not a thing. I mean, the night she had spent with her wasn't so bad and the fact Emily made her heart beat faster was a little odd...but no, this night was about taking care of Emily. She needed comfort, and a lot of sleep. If sleeping in her bed was how that was going to be achieved, so be it.


"How did Emily do last night?" Spencer asked, as the pair of them stood in the breakfast line down at the cafe. Alison heard Spencer return to their room at around 2am, she had awoken from her sleep to the sound of the door closing gently. Alison lifted her head slightly to look at her, slowly removing her arm that was around Emily's waist so that Spencer wouldn't notice.

"Really well actually," Alison informed her, putting the pre-cut apple slices and peanut butter on her tray. She examined the various breakfast foods out, deciding which foods she was going to try to get Emily to eat. So far she had placed oatmeal with brown sugar, balls of cantaloupe, and a cup of strawberry banana smoothie. "We watch the Real Housewives for a long time, but she ended up falling asleep on the couch. I didn't want to wake up Hanna, and she didn't really want to sleep alone."

"I figured, Emily's always been needy when it comes to physical comfort," Spencer said, also taking the apple slices. "Do you think she's still asleep?"

"I honestly have no idea when she's going to wake up," Alison sighed, knowing how exhausted Emily seemed when she slept. "I don't think she's going to go to New York City today."

"Me neither, she'll probably just sleep while we're gone," Spencer said, as they stepped out of the line.

"About that, I don't think I'm going to go either. I feel really bad about what happened, and it's kind of in a way my fault-"

"Alison, it's really not," Spencer interrupted. "Don't think like that."

"I know, but I just feel obligated to help her. She hasn't really eaten either, I just want to see if she's awake and if she'll eat," Alison said, motioning to her breakfast tray which was way fuller than usual.

Spencer eyed her suspiciously, "Are you both growing on each other?"

"In a way," Alison said, trailing off.

Spencer raised her eyebrows, but didn't question her further. "Okay, I'll tell Aria and Hanna. They'll probably want to come and see her if she's awake, so we'll see you guys soon."

"Of course, don't worry. I have her," Alison said, smiling reassuringly. "Trust me."


Emily was stirring in her sleep when Alison entered the dormitory room, her eyebrows crinkled together in a frown. Alison quickly placed the tray down, and sat next to Emily. She placed a hand on her cheek, which felt hot to the touch.

"Emily," Alison said softly, shaking her slightly. When Emily didn't wake up, she shook her a little harder. "Em."

Only Hanna really called Emily by her nickname, which was always used as a term of endearment. Alison was even surprised in herself when she realized she had called Emily by the nickname.

Emily's eyes fluttered open, and immediately focused on Alison. Alison let go of her arm, and backed away slightly. Emily looked confused at first, but began to look around her and become aware of her surroundings.

"Some TV show, huh?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

Alison laughed slightly, "Wasn't it? How did you sleep?"

"I'm still exhausted," Emily admitted, and Alison helped her sit up in bed. "Thanks for letting me sleep in here."

"You're welcome, I know how tired you were. I didn't have the heart to say no," Alison said, noticing Emily look behind her at the breakfast food. "I brought you some food to try, if you're up for it. Oatmeal, fruit, a smoothie."

"I'm not really that hungr-"

"Please try to eat, ok? Trust me, this will make your recovery a lot easier. I won't even make you eat much," Alison said, picking up the bowl of oatmeal. "There's even some brown sugar in this so it's easier to go down."

"Ok fine. But, only a few bites," Emily said, holding out her hands for the warm bowl of oatmeal. She twirled the spoon between her fingers, and tentatively took a bite.

Alison watched her quietly, and studied the bags under Emily's eyes. They were still there, but were less noticeable. Emily still looked attractive, even with the eyebags.

"I figured you're not going to go to New York City today," Alison spoke up, after Emily had taken two more larger bites of oatmeal.

"Yeah, it's supposed to rain today anyway," Emily sighed, and eagerly took the spheres of cantaloupe that Alison offered. "What time are you going?"

"I don't think I'm going to go, someone needs to keep you company after all," Alison said, taking the apple slices she got for herself.

Emily didn't answer, instead she ate the fruit and looked down at her hands. Alison didn't know what to say, so she remained quiet.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Emily asked, looking up at the blonde.

"What do you mean?"

Emily chuckled, "Do I need to remind you how we were acting towards each other last month?"

Alison shrugged, and didn't respond. Back in Rosewood, she was the kind who held grudges against everyone over the slightest thing. There was no mercy, once you were on her hit list you remained. Emily had been the only person to challenge who she was, and here she was off of the hit list.

"I don't know. I think we've both realized that we aren't that bad of people," Alison said. "Do you have a problem with that? Do you want to return to glaring and our rivalry?"

"No, not really. It got pretty tiring," Emily said, putting the empty bowls back onto the tray. "Thank you, I really appreciate it. You don't have to stay here with me though, I'll probably just go for a swim. I haven't been in the water in weeks, it feels more like home than land."

"Can I join you? I want to see what you're made of," Alison asked.

"I don't know, DiLaurentis. Are you going to to try to absorb my ability?" Emily asked, a teasing hint to her voice.

Alison shook her head, "Honestly, I'd can only see you with that ability. I wouldn't be able to pull off the whole gill thing."

"Yeah, you don't want gills. Pain in the ass."


The water surrounding Alison was warm against her skin as she entered the giant pool. It was extremely deep towards the other side, and her jumpsuit was repelling the water effortlessly. She had braided her hair to get it out of the way, and left Emily to walk to the other side of the pool. By the time she was full submerged and treading water slowly, Emily had climbed to the top of the high dive. It was maybe twenty five feet in the air, and Alison watched as Emily stared down at the pool water below her.

"Come on! The water's great!" Alison called, which didn't even break Emily's concentration with the water.

With baited breath, Emily began to jump a little before vaulting herself off of the diving board. She twisted in the air, doing a complete flip before entering the water with her arms outstretched above her head in a swan dive. She entered the water with barely any splash, and disappeared underneath the surface. Alison waited for any sign of her, but didn't find it as the seconds creeped past.

She began to swim over towards where Emily had entered the water, before she felt a rushing of water beneath her. The top of Emily's head emerged, only her eyes were visible. Emily's brown eyes were now that vibrant blue, and her skin was covered in those shiny blue scales.

"Wow," Alison said, shocked at her appearance.

"Enjoying your first upclose view?" Emily asked, as she surfaced from her shoulders up. It gave Alison a good view of the gills on the side of her neck, which were moving with every breath she took. Emily took one of her hands out of the water, and Alison noticed her fingers were slightly webbed. Alison also saw the fins that stuck out of her forearms, and reached out to touch them.

They were firm and pointed, whereas Emily's skin felt exactly like a fish. It was soft, yet the scales differentiated it from skin. It reminded Alison of that one time she had to hold a fish, although this was far less gross.

"Check this out," Emily said, turning around so that Alison could see the large dorsal fin that stuck out of her back. It was a transparent blue, with sharp and pointed ends. Although she knew Emily hated living with this, Alison thought she looked just as gorgeous.

"Wow," Alison said again.

"Want to go for a ride?" Emily asked, looking over her shoulder. "How long can you hold your breath for?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," Alison admitted.

"Well, pinch my shoulder when you need to go up to breath or else I'll forget that you need to," Emily said, backing up so that Alison could hold onto her shoulders. "But for now, hold on!"

Emily dived below the surface, pulling Alison down with her. She went straight to the bottom at a fast speed, and Alison felt her ears popping from going down so fast. Alison tried her best to keep her eyes open, but it was also hard to see anything other than Emily's shiny scales.

Emily picked up speed once again by kicking her legs frantically at the same time, mimicking the movement of a mermaid. Thankfully for Emily, her legs were stuck together like a mermaid. But that didn't stop her from getting to point B from point A at an extremely fast speed.

Alison's lungs soon began to ache for air, and she squeezed Emily's shoulder hardly. Emily shot upward without a moment's notice, bringing them both to the surface. They emerged from the water a few seconds later, and Alison gasped for breath. Emily didn't even breathe, and turned around to face Alison again.

She swam closer to her, and Alison could see every scale on her face. Emily was smiling at her, and Alison was just happy to see that Emily seemed to more recovering now that she was in the water. There was no signs of a post withdrawing teenage girl.

"You look good with your hair wet," Emily said, as Alison watched Emily's gills open and close in search of water to fill them.

"You think? Maybe I should come down and swim here more often," Alison suggested.

"This pool is mine, but you're welcome to come down here whenever," Emily said. "Between you and me, this was one of the only places I could sleep before I slept in your bed. I'd have to sneak down here and sleep at the bottom of the pool for a little bit."

"Oh wow, that's really something," Alison said. "I'm glad you're able to find other places to sleep now as well."

"I guess, it's just your room really. But, the couch too," Emily shrugged.

"Well, if you're saying I'm welcome to your pool, you're more than welcome to my bed," Alison offered.

Emily raised her eyebrows and smirked at Alison, "Oh really."

"I didn't mean-"

"Of course you didn't."


No I didn't abandon this! If you guys really enjoy this fic, leave a review so that I can see who wants me to write this more frequently and I'll make it more of a priority!