A/N: Thanks for all the R&R! Overwhelmed by the response! This one hit two prompts in one; one where it;s Emily who rocks up to see Lorenzo and Ali kissing (ugh) and where the two confront their feelings after the dollhouse. =] keep the prompts coming! :)
Emily felt like an idiot. She'd barely spoken to Ali since the dollhouse. Mostly because she felt guilty as hell. But she missed her friend more with every passing day. So she'd finally made the decision to go see Alison. And now she felt like the biggest idiot ever.
She'd pulled up to the Dilaurentis house to see Ali playing tonsil hockey with some guy, a cop, Emily thought, she'd seen him around. It shouldn't have bothered her but it did. Of course it did. Emily couldn't help loving Alison Dilaurentis. She never could.
She pulled into her driveway and stomped up the stairs, glad nobody was home. She knew she had no right to be mad, not really, it's not like her and Ali were ever really together, but she just kept seeing her kissing that guy. Had she been stupid to think something would ever happen? Why couldn't she just get over that woman?
"Em?"
Emily pulled her face out of her hands to see Alison standing in her doorway, "What are you doing here?" she asked monotonously.
"I saw your car pulling away," Alison offered, "You didn't even stay to say hi."
"You looked busy," Emily tried not to sound jealous. She failed.
Alison shrugged, "His name is Lorenzo."
"I really don't care," Emily shot back, "It's not my business."
"Why are you so upset?" Alison asked, even though she could already guess.
"I'm not upset," Emily's tone said otherwise.
Alison sat next to her on the bed, "Emily, I know when you're upset. I've known you for long enough."
Emily didn't answer.
Alison crossed her arms, "If anything, I'm the one who should be upset."
"You? Why should you be upset? You're the one playing tonsil hockey – "
"You barely even speak to me anymore," Alison interrupted, "None of you do, but especially you. It's like I've got the plague the way you avoid me. I thought after the…dollhouse you might want to talk but you just shut me out."
"So you kissed the first guy who threw himself at you?" Emily regretted it the moment the words fell out of her mouth, it was a mean thing to say.
"I kissed the only person who doesn't avoid me or look at me like I'm some kind of freak or charity case," Alison said quietly, "I don't even really like him. Not like that."
"You don't like him?" Emily asked.
Alison shrugged, "He's nice, I guess."
Emily nodded, "I'm sorry, Ali," she said softly, "You're right. I've been avoiding you, shutting you out."
"Why?" Alison watched her friend closely.
Emily's shoulders slumped, "Because… I let you go to jail, Ali. I stopped believing in you. It's all my fault you ended up in that place and – "
"Em, stop," Alison put her hand over Emily's, "What you went through was much worse and that was my fault. At least partially. I'm sorry – "
"You don't need to be," Emily whispered.
"Neither do you," Alison smiled.
Emily hesitated, "When I was down there… in that place… I thought I might never see you again," she sounded defeated, "And then we got out and you were there and…" her eyes filled with tears, "I couldn't speak to you because I just felt awful."
"I've missed you, Em," Alison squeezed her hand, "You're my best friend."
Emily sighed, nodding.
The two sat in silence for a while.
"Ali?"
Alison looked to her friend, "What is it?"
"You already know it but I'm just going to say it because I'm sick of all the dishonesty and the lies and secrets and innuendo's and hints and – "
"I get it, Em," Alison smiled, "Say whatever you need to say."
Emily nodded, swallowing tightly, "I'm in love with you."
Alison blinked rapidly, she'd been expecting it but still, to actually hear it was something else, "Em, I love you too."
"Really, though? Because I can't – "
Alison interrupted, "Let me say this, okay?"
Emily nodded.
"I love you. When we were younger… I didn't know what it was and I didn't like what it was. That's why I hung it over you the way I did… I was trying to push you away but I couldn't bear to, you were my best friend and I didn't want to hurt you but I couldn't tell you how I felt…" she sighed, "You really were my favourite. The whole time I was away, I missed all of you but it was you I couldn't stop thinking about. It was always you, Em. Always," Alison let out a deep breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, "I wish I hadn't been so scared. Things could have been so different."
Emily bit her lip, her eyes shone with tears, "It's okay to be scared," she whispered, "I was scared for a long time too. Hell, people always say I was brave for coming out but I didn't come out, I was pushed out."
Alison smiled, "You are the bravest person I know, Em. You open yourself up to getting hurt all the time, because you're so willing to feel everything you feel… I think that's really brave. I just locked my feelings up in a box and tried to bury them so I couldn't get hurt."
"Did it work?" Emily asked.
"For a while," Alison shrugged, "But no, it didn't work. It also meant I didn't have any real relationships, nobody who really cared or really knew me…"
Emily nodded, "I care," she said, "I know who you really are."
Alison smiled, bringing a hand to Emily's cheek, "You always did."
Emily nodded, leaning forward and pressing her lips softly to Alison's. Alison melted into the kiss, her hand still on Emily's cheek, her fingers brushing under her eye. It was soft but sensual. Their tongues danced together perfectly. Alison's hand moved down to Emily's neck, her thumb brushing against her collarbone as they pulled apart.
"Ali?" Emily asked breathlessly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think you're ready yet?" Emily asked, "I mean, if you're not – "
Alison smiled, "Em," she interrupted, "I am so ready."
Emily bit her lip, "Really? Because if – "
"Emily," Alison said seriously, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
Emily's face broke out in a smile, "Absolutely," she grinned, pausing, "Does this mean you're my girlfriend?"
Alison laughed, "Yes."
"Wow," Emily murmured, "Amazing."
"Yeah, you are," Alison smiled.