Author's Note: Thank you all so much for following this story! This chapter isn't nearly as long as I had hoped, but I promise I'll work on making the next few chapters longer. :) Enjoy!

The plan is simple. My mom is going to Texas for the entire week of Thanksgiving, and she arranged for me to stay with Hanna. On Monday morning, when my mom flies out of the airport in Philly, I will send Hanna a text letting her know that I changed my mind at the very last moment and had my mom buy a ticket to Texas for me as well. Of course, that part isn't true. I won't be getting on a plane with my mom. My mom will assume that I am safe and sound at the Marins', while Hanna and Ashley will assume that I am flying safely across the country to visit my dad for the holiday. In reality, I'll be on a train to Georgia with Alison, so that we can pick up some of her belongings from a friend of hers in her grandmothers' town. And from there, we will start exploring.

I personally hope we don't explore for too long. I would love to settle down with Ali in my arms every night.

I say the plan is simple, but that's because today is Saturday, and Monday seems years away. So much could change between now and then. Ali could change her mind, I could get caught in a lie, A could cause the train to derail. What if my break up with Paige doesn't go well, and she follows Ali and I to the train station? Or what if my mom decides to stay home for the holiday?

I'm terrified.

But I need to do this. For myself, for Ali, for my parents. Hell, even for the girls. I imagine that A will begin to leave them alone whenever it's clear that Alison isn't coming back to Rosewood. I know my parents always taught me to never run from my problems, but in this case, running from A will be facing the problem head on. It will put an end to the madness, the chaos, the terror.

As the sun goes down, I call Paige and ask if I can come over. She pleasantly agrees, obviously unaware that I'm about to break things off. It should be clear to her by now, really. She knows that Alison has contacted me, and she knows that I've been distant the past few days. I can only assume that Paige is holding onto hope that she's the girl after my own heart. Truthfully, even if she hadn't betrayed me all of these years, the love that I have for her is nothing compared to what I feel for Ali.

Paige meets me on her front porch when I arrive and attempts to pull me in for a kiss. I stop her and take a few steps back, crossing my arms over my chest as a sort of defense mechanism.

"I know you know about Alison," I say quietly, unable to look her in the eye. Paige looks like I stabbed her in the gut-I'm sure that hearing Ali's name is repulsive to her at this point. But I continue. "I know that you've known that she was alive this whole time, and I know that you had promised her to protect me. But you-you swooped in and took advantage of me and my situation when I was heartbroken over her, and over Maya. And that isn't okay."

Anger erupts with Paige's words, but her voice is just low enough for me to hear. "She made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone that she was alive. Do you really expect me to have broken a promise to Alison DiLaurentis? Really, Em? You know how dangerous that could be."

"I understand that you couldn't tell me. The part that hurts is that you took advantage of me when I thought I had lost the two people that I had held in the highest regard. But you knew-you knew one of them was alive, and you did everything you could to fill her empty space." I pause and think about what I'm about to say for a moment longer. "I can never forgive you for that."

Paige scowls at me in utter disgust. Suddenly, I am face to face with the girl who tried to drown me, the one who fought tooth and nail to get me kicked off the swim team. This is not the girl that I loved. This is the girl who was filled with fear and jealousy. "So what?" she says. "Are you going to be with Ali now? Is she coming back to Rosewood so that you can kiss her in private, knowing she's sleeping with half the football team on the weekends? You and your little girlfriend can go rot in hell, Emily. Alison might not be dead, but you are dead to me."

And with that, Paige walks inside her house, leaving me alone on her porch. A breeze blows in, and I shiver from the cold, a reminder that I shouldn't be here. So I run. I run to my house, lock myself in my room, and cry. With the blankets pulled above my head, I can pretend that I am the only one who exists. I can forget about Paige, and about A. I can forget that I'm running away from home in two days, and that I will be leaving my parents heartbroken and confused. I just cry and cry until my phone lights up.

"Can you picture us living here?" The text message from Ali reads. Attached is a photo of a small cottage in the woods. There are fruit trees in the yard and white shutters on the windows. A smile creeps over my face.

I type out a response to the text message. "In my dreams."

Moments later, she responds, "Let's make dreams a reality." And I know beyond knowing that this is right for us.

The next evening, the girls are stretched out on my bed as I pack. They assume that I'm packing up my clothes for a week long stay at Hanna's, so I try to be inconspicuous about packing certain things-my photo album, a flashlight and extra batteries, a pocket knife, and various other things that I might need on the road. I like to think that Alison and I will be living a life of luxury and won't need tools for basic survival-but after seeing the "home" she had to live in at Mammoth Point, I know it's likely that we'll be roughing it. Plus, I was a Girl Scout. We always come prepared, right?

"So, you know how to cook, right, Em?" Hanna says as she munches a pile of cookies. "Because my mom says I have to help cook Thanksgiving dinner, but if you're there, I might just rope you into it instead."

"I...Yeah, Han, I know how to cook," I say quietly, tucking a second pair of sneakers into my suitcase.

"Good," Hanna says, mouth full of cookie. "God knows I can't cook more than a poptart."

Aria flips absentmindly through a magazine but then suddenly sits up on the bed. "Hey! Why don't we all go shopping on Black Friday? We can head out at midnight, maybe go to Philly?"

The other girls agree excitedly to Aria's new plan, but I remain quiet. I want to confess everything to them. I want to tell them that no, I will not be going Black Friday shopping because I will likely be in Peru or Italy with Alison. But instead, I nod with a small smile, hoping the girls won't notice my distance.

But they do notice. It's Spencer who calls me out on it first. "Why are you so quiet, Em? Is Alison getting to you?" she says accusatorily.

"What? No!" I say. How do I lie? How do I cover this up? "I...I'm sad that I won't be spending the holiday with my family, that's all. I miss my dad."

I sit down on the bed next to Hanna, who puts her arm around me. "It's okay, Emmy. You'll get to see him soon. Plus, we'll have so much fun at my place. Mom will have plans with Ted on most nights this week, so we can raid her liquor cabinet. Maybe we can sneak Ali over one night, too." Hanna wiggles her eyebrows at me suggestively, and I laugh, burying my face in my hands.

I stretch out on the bed with them. We're all piled on top of each other, arms and legs overlapping. Sometimes I forget where my friends end and I begin. That's how connected we are, how in sync we have grown to be.

"I...Look, guys. I love you," I say shortly, pausing to think for a moment. "I hope you all know that. You're the best friends that anyone could ask for. And I love each of you, so much."

Spencer grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. The three girls in my bed echo their appreciation for our friendship. And just like that, we all fall asleep, tangled up in each other.

I wake up with a stiff neck. I think Hanna repeatedly kicked me in the head throughout the night. I smile and shake my head at the absurdity of it. To my friends, we had a typical sleepover. We'll see each other later in the day when we'll do it all over again. But I know the truth. I know that was the last night that we'll possibly ever spend with each other, laughing and reading magazines late into the night. I remind myself that this is how it needs to be, for all of us. And one day, when A has left us all alone, I will be able to repair my friendship with each of these girls.

I roll out of bed and get dressed before gently shaking my friends until they wake up, one by one. I fix coffee for the other girls, but I choose not to drink it. I have a feeling I'll be on edge for the rest of the day anyway, without caffeine. After coffee and cereal, the girls leave all at once, saying goodbye for now. Hanna tells me she can't wait for our week of sleepovers. I kick myself for agreeing out loud, knowing it's a lie.

As I drive my mom to the airport in Philly, I try not to let myself cry. "Hey, Mom? What's your favorite memory of us as a family?" I inquire as we pull into the airport parking garage.

Mom smiles, looking out the window. "I know you will deny this is true...but do you remember the time your dad wanted to take me out on a romantic date on a hot air balloon? You found out where we were going and demanded to tag along. Since you were our only little princess, and spoiled rotten, we finally agreed to let you go on the date with us. But as soon as we were in the air, you screamed and cried until the operator grew frustrated and landed the balloon half an hour early."

I laugh a small laugh and shake my head. "I'm sorry I ruined your date. Maybe you can get Dad to take you up on another balloon ride sometime."

We get out of the car and Mom smiles at me. "I think we might enjoy that."

I hold her hand as we walk into the airport. I wonder if she can sense how nervous I am, how terrified I am to see her go. "Look, Mom," I begin. I look down at the tiled floor, then up at the ceiling, then at the TSA officers checking people through security. I look at everything in that damn airport except for my own mother. "I just...I want you to know that I love you. And I am so glad that the Universe chose me to be your daughter, and chose you to be my mom. I know I haven't always been the best kid, and I'm sure I'll screw up a lot in the future...but whatever happens, know that I love you so damn-uh, sorry. So darn much."

I blush at the fact that I cursed in front of my mom, but she doesn't seem to mind. Instead, she pulls me into the warmest of hugs. "I love you, my little Emmy. You are the greatest blessing for your father and me. I can't wait until we're all together again."

I tear up, not knowing when that day will come. "Send my love to Dad for me, ok?"

Mom nods, kisses me on the cheek, and walks away, suitcase in tow. I watch as she goes through security. She waves at me once more and blows me a kiss, then disappears around the corner. Part of me wants to break down right here in the airport. But the other part of me knows the day is far from over, so I hold the tears inside.

I hurry back to my car, where I send a text to Ali, telling her I'm on my way. Then I type out another one to Hanna. "I know this is last minute, and I'm so sorry. My mom offered to bring me with her to Texas, so I'm about to board the plane. I promise to make it up to you." I read it three times before pressing the send button.

Halfway to the train station, I get a call from Hanna.

"Hey, Han," I say as I answer the phone. "I'm so sorry, I'm about to board-."

"Liar."

I nearly slam on my breaks in the middle of the highway. "Wh-what?" I make out, quietly.

"You're not boarding the plane with your mom right now," Hanna says knowingly. "If you were, your mom would have called my mom to let her know."

"I can explain," I say. But truthfully, I can't.

"Look, Em. I know you're sneaking off to spend the week with Alison for a little camping rendevous. I don't blame you, honestly. If I had the chance to do that with Caleb, I'd jump on it," Hanna says.

I sigh with relief. "Please, please don't tell anyone, Hanna."

"I'll cover for you," she says. "Just make sure you're back on Sunday before your mom gets home."

"I-I'll do my best," I tell her, feeling guilty for the lie upon lie that I'm telling her. "I love you, Hanna."

"Love you too, loser," she says, and then I hear the phone click as she hangs up.

Soon, I'm pulling up into the parking lot at the train station. I pull the baseball cap on like Ali instructed me to, take a deep breath, and step out of the car. I grab my backpack and suitcase, surprised once again by the fact that I was able to fit everything I need into these two lonely pieces of luggage. I lock my car and hope that no one messes with it until my parents are able to pick it up. They don't need a stolen vehicle on top of a missing daughter.

As I walk around aimlessly on the train platform, I realize that Ali is nowhere to be found. She was supposed to be here already, sooner than I was able to get to the station myself. I send a few texts to her phone, frantically asking where she is. Has A found her? Is it unsafe for me to be standing here right now?

Our train is leaving in less than ten minutes, and still no Ali. I call her number but it goes straight to voicemail. I begin to think that maybe this was all a sick joke. Maybe I've gone crazy-maybe it's a dream. Maybe Ali never asked me to meet her here, maybe she's not even alive at all. Maybe I have created this new and improved Ali in my head to make up for all the loss I've experienced. I begin to panic harder than I ever have. I'm more panicked than the night that A locked me and the other girls in the burning lodge, more than the time I was locked in the barn with the running vehicle.

But just like that day at the barn and the night at the lodge, Ali is always here to rescue me. I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to face Alison herself-or rather, Vivian Darkbloom.

She smirks at me, holding my hand in hers. "You look cute in that baseball cap, Em," she says.

I pull her into a tight hug, so relieved to feel her close. "I am so glad you made it. I called and sent texts, but you didn't respond, so I thought-."

"I had to throw my phone out, babe. I'm sorry for not responding," she explains apologetically, and then looks at the phone in my other hand. "And we'll have to throw yours out now, too...I'm so sorry."

"What if we need to contact someone?" I ask, slightly concerned at the thought of being without a phone.

"We'll buy a pre-paid phone when we get to where we're going. You have everyone's numbers memorized, right?" She asks. I forget that she's been going through this for two years. Being on the run is new to me.

A conductor stands next to the door of the train and calls for final boarding. I start to panic again, but Ali takes my face in her hands and looks me square in the eye.

"Twenty seconds of courage is all it takes, Em," she says. And she's right. All I have to do is pull out my boarding pass, hand it to the conductor, and get on the train. Twenty seconds.

She kisses me hard on the lips, then walks away. I watch in admiration as she hands the boarding pass to the conductor and hops on the train. She doesn't look behind to watch for me. I think she knows that I'll follow her, anywhere she goes.

And before I know it, I'm on the train beside her. Because she was right-twenty seconds of courage was all it took.