Hey guys! Again, I had to split this chapter into two because otherwise it'd be too long. Enjoy it! And for those wanting Emison college flashbacks, there's one in it ;)
P.S: You might want to listen to "Remembering Sunday", by All Time Low, before you read this.
When Alison woke up on the next morning, she found nothing but empty sheets. There was no sign of Emily in this house: no dripping shower, no frying pan, no body shackling her in a warm embrace. Alison ran her hands through her hair and hissed. She didn't remember falling asleep, only that Emily's arms were so welcoming and protective…
She got out of bed and slipped a robe on. Then, she walked into the living room, half expecting to see Emily standing there with a rose bouquet and then the brunette would say: "Good morning, sleeping beauty". But there were no signs of a beating heart but hers as she stood by the couch. Her eyes flicked to the table and she found Emily's car keys. But Emily doesn't go anywhere without her car!
She's running with Paige, she's just running with Paige… Alison tried to convince herself. This was the only explanation for this. She was getting worried for nothing. But the minutes passed and Emily didn't walk through the door and gave her good morning, like she usually did when she was back from her early runs. Alison tried to call her, but discovered that the brunette had also left her phone at home.
Unable to control her nerves any longer, Alison scrambled through her contact list to find a number she hoped she'd never use: Paige's. Hesitantly, she called the other woman. She knew pretty well that she might have been making a fool of herself, but something in the air was telling her that Emily was far from alright.
Paige picked up on the second ring - "Hello?"
"Hi Paige, it's Alison" - She awkwardly greeted.
"Uhm… Hi, Alison" - Paige puzzlingly replied.
"Did Emily go running with you this morning?" - Alison asked.
"No… Why?"
"She's nowhere to be seen. She left the house before I woke up and didn't take her car keys and her phone. I thought she was running, but she's never this late" - The blonde expressed her concerns.
"That's strange" - Paige acknowledged - "Have you two been fighting or something?"
Alison didn't answer.
"I'm sorry. It's none of my business" - The other woman apologized - "I'll call you if I hear from her. Have you tried her work?"
Ali didn't even think about that - "No, I haven't. But I will. Thanks, Paige"
"Don't worry, Alison" - Paige compassionately dismissed - "You're gonna find her soon" - And they hung up.
After that, Alison immediately called the vet hospital where Emily worked. She hoped that this was just a big misunderstanding, that Emily was already at work and didn't take her car because it wouldn't turn on or something and so she had to take a bus…
"No, miss, Dr. Fields isn't here. Is something wrong?" - The polite secretary informed.
"She left the house before I woke up and she didn't take her phone and her car keys. I was just wondering if you'd know where she might be" - Alison almost dropped the phone.
"I'm sorry miss, but no one here has seen her or contacted her last night" - The secretary sounded worried too - "If we hear of anything, we'll call you"
"Thanks" - Alison hang up and changed her clothes. She was going to the only place she imagined Emily could be under these circumstances: Hanna's house.
"Hanna, open up that door, please!" - Alison punched the door in front of her. She tried not to sound ridiculous just in case Emily was there just paying her goddaughter a visit, but she couldn't help it.
"Chill it, Ali! There's a baby in the house!" - Hanna opened the door, obviously mad at her friend.
"Is Emily in there?!" - Alison asked desperately.
"No, why?"
"She's gone!" - Ali broke down - "She wasn't there when I woke up this morning. She left her car keys, she left her phone… I waited, I called Paige, I called her work and still no sign of her! What if she…" - The thought of Emily being in danger consumed her and she couldn't control her sobs anymore.
"Ali, calm down, please!" - Hanna took her in her arms - "Just come in, I'll make you tea and give you something to eat – She guided the other blonde inside and left her at the couch. A few minutes later, she returned with a mug of tea and a slice of bread.
"What if something happened to her, Hanna?" - Ali's face was red and her eyes were puffy - "What if she decided to leave me? What if she's decided that I'm too much for her to handle?"
"Ali, she's crazy for you, she'd never do that!" - Hanna argued.
"I just… don't know what to do anymore" - She hid her face in her hands.
"I'm gonna call Spencer. She and Toby work at the police, they can help us from there" - Hanna decided to use her head because, for all she knew, Alison could just jump off the roof or something - "And you call Aria"
"Aria's pregnant. I don't wanna make her nervous or something"
"She might know of something, Ali" - The other blonde replied - "And we can't keep this from her"
"Okay" - Alison quietly nodded.
"And Ali?" - She looked up - "Be strong. We're gonna find Emily" - Hanna went upstairs to call Spencer.
"Hanna, I'm kinda busy right now, I can't speak" - Spencer was preparing for an audience when the blonde called.
"It's an emergency, Spence!" - Hanna stressed - "Emily's gone missing!"
"What do you mean by that?!" - Spencer almost shoved her papers off the table - "Where's Ali?"
"She's at my house almost having a heart attack. She said she woke up and Emily was gone. Ali thought that she might've gone running or something, but Emily never came back. So, she called Paige, but Paige said she didn't run with her and she wasn't at work. Spencer, Emily left her car keys and her phone at home. This is not usual" - Hanna described.
"Okay, I'm putting off this audience right now!" - Spencer couldn't bear the thought of one of her friends being in danger. She'd do anything in her power to find Emily - "How's Ali?"
"She's a wreck, Spence" - Hanna sadly answered - "She can't deal with it right now"
"Okay. Calm her down and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I'm gonna call Toby and have him patrol the streets around their neighborhood. I'll get there in a few hours so, please, just make her strong enough to answer a few questions" - Spencer instructed.
"Okay. I'm gonna call Caleb and tell him to come home. I can't watch over both Chloe and Alison at the same time" - Hanna said and hang up, praying that Spencer and Toby could find Emily wherever she was.
When Hanna came down, Alison was still on the phone with Aria.
"I'm fine, Aria" - Ali spoke - "Thanks for covering up for me at work" - And she hang up.
"Does she know anything?" - Hanna asked for the sake of asking.
"No. She'll call if she hears anything and she'll ditch work too" - Alison explained, feeling more and more helpless with every negative answer she got.
"Spencer told you to calm down and said she'd call Toby and ask him to patrol the streets. Also, she'll come here later to ask you a few questions" - Hanna reported.
"I can't stay here!" - The journalist suddenly jerked off the sofa - "I need to find her!" - And she looked for her car keys.
"Alison, don't!" - Hanna grabbed her by the arm.
"I'm not gonna stay here and wait, Hanna!" - Ali tore away from her friend's grip - "Emily might be lying dead in a cold morgue for all I know!"
"I'm not gonna let you go like this, Ali!" - The blonde insisted and blocked her way - "You're a wreck, you can't barely drive!"
"I'll walk then! I'll do anything to find her!" - Alison growled.
"Alison, calm down, please!" - Hanna tried to take control of the situation - "If you just wait a little bit… Caleb is coming home so he can watch over Chloe and I can go with you"
Alison shivered and stopped with her restlessness before collapsing on the couch again - "I… just wanna see her" - And her unstoppable sobbing returned.
Hanna followed her and sat down at the couch, pulling the crying blonde on her lap - "You will, Alison. I promise you will"
"Emily! Emily!" - Alison's screams faded through the shopping mall walls and the eyes of people passing by. Weird looks fell upon her as she and Hanna ran floor by floor with a picture of Emily in their hands.
"I've seen this woman" - A young man in his twenties and his friends approached them.
"Where?!" - Ali's blue eyes jumped.
"In my bedroom riding my dick"- He and his friends broke in laughter, but Alison was in no mood for jokes. She stood up for the man and punched him right on the nose, surprising everyone who walked round.
He stumbled back and put his hand on his bleeding nose - "YOU BITCH!"
"YOU SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT HER AND I SWEAR I'LL MURDER YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" - Alison threatened dangerously and Hanna had to step in because she was more than sure that her friend was going to do something stupid.
"Ali, let him go" - Hanna put a hand on her shoulder - "He's just an asshole. He doesn't deserve our time"
Alison just shrugged it off and walked away in the opposite direction.
"Ali, wait!" - Hanna hurried to catch up with her - "Why don't we take a break and eat..."
"HANNA, EMILY'S GONE AND YOU'RE WASTING TIME THINKING ABOUT FOOD?" - The journalist almost bit her head off.
But the other blonde could only take so much - "ALISON, FOR GOD'S SAKE, SHUT THE HELL UP!" - She exasperated - "I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP, OKAY?! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE FREAKING OUT OVER THIS, BUT YELLING AT ME WON'T BRING EMILY BACK!"
Ali became pale in embarrassment - "I-I'm sorry"
"Believe me, I want her back as much as you do" - Hanna lowered her voice tone, realizing that this wasn't the time for public outbursts - "But you need to eat. You can't barely stand on your feet, Ali"
The blonde looked down at her shaking knees. She knew Hanna was right and that she couldn't continue with her endeavor if she didn't eat at least decently. She just wondered if she would be able to swallow anything with the hole in her heart tormenting her.
Three hours later, Hanna and Alison returned to the Rivers' after restlessly searching through streets, avenues and alleys. They found nothing and Hanna had almost to drag Ali back to their improvised HQ because the journalist intended to stroll around endlessly until she found Emily.
When they got there, the whole group was huddled in the living room. Spencer and Toby were wandering around the room, both with phones on hand talking to every police station they could think of. Caleb had Chloe in one arm while the other was working on his computer, putting social networks and his hacker skills to use. Aria and Ezra were also on the phone; she was talking to Paige while he was calling Mr. and Mrs. Fields to check if they knew of anything.
As the two blondes stepped into the room, the friends exchanged tired looks. It was pretty clear that no one was getting any positive information and it seemed as if Emily might have just disappeared from Earth. Ali began considering looking at morgues and hospitals.
Spencer ended her call and walked to Alison - "Ali, please, sit down" - They sat at the couch - "I need you to tell me exactly what happened before Emily disappeared"
"We… slept together last night" - Ali let the double sense ring in the air - "And when I woke up, she was gone"
"And she never mentioned any place she'd be going to today?"
"No, none at all..." - She was busier with putting handcuffs on me and then on apologizing, Ali bitterly though.
"What did you guys talk last night before you slept?" - Spencer was trying to put up a professional face.
"We… talked about stuff… our relationship" - Ali corrected herself, knowing that she wouldn't be allowed to be vague on times like these.
"What stuff?" - The attorney hated herself for having to ask.
"Spencer, it's private!" - Alison snapped, calling out everybody's attention - "I don't see how this could lead to Emily's disappearance!"
"Anything could lead to it, Ali!" - Spencer justified - "We might not be able to find the place, but we may know the motive"
The motive… Alison shakes in her seat. The motive is so clear now! Emily ran away because dealing with Ali's story was just too much! God, she remembers the look on the brunette's face throughout the whole night… she remembers the hesitance… she remembers the guilt. Alison breaks down in front of her friends. She had inadvertently sent Emily away… and she had no idea how she could bring her back.
"Alison, what's wrong?!" - Spencer held her elbows and shook her a little, just enough to call her attention.
"It's my fault, Spence" - Ali wiped her tears, even though she knew it was completely impossible to stop them at this point - "I made her run away"
"Alison, what happened?" - The brunette tried to reach to her as their friends observed - "Tell me what happened"
"I showed her" - Ali simply answered, not caring anymore if she was exposing this intimate secret. She didn't care about it anymore… she just wanted Emily home and safe and sound.
"What? What did you show her?"
"The scars" - She said and their friends exchanged concerned looks. What scars is Alison talking about?
"Scars? What scars?" - Spencer was genuinely surprised.
Reluctantly, Alison lifted her shirt only enough to reveal the tiny scratch marks on her stomach. The group widened her eyes in shock when they saw those scars. So that's why Alison always refused to go to the pool or to the beach with them? But what's the story behind it? How did Emily find out?
"Who did this to you, Ali?" - Spencer was as white as a paper sheet and her protective sister side began to show.
"It happened in jail ten years ago" - Ali told them only enough and watched them exchange looks of guilt and anger. She shouldn't have expected less of her friends - "Emily found out last night. She was… devastated. I thought for a moment that she wouldn't be able to look me in the eye or touch me anymore. She... was stricken with guilt"
"We're sorry, Ali" - Aria muttered what everyone in this room wanted to say to the crying blonde.
"Emily was the one who always felt the most for putting you in jail, Ali" - Spencer said - "This… must have destroyed her. That's why she… fled"
"And what can I do to bring her back?!" - The blonde cried - "I wish I'd never told her that"
"In situations like this, people tend to do one of these: either they drink or they ran to place that can evoke safety. A place of the past maybe" - Toby spoke and immediately the Kissing Rock jumped on Ali's mind.
"Rosewood!" - She got up of the couch, as if preparing to drive the long miles separating California from Pennsylvania.
"She's not there!" - Ezra said before she could pick up her car keys - "I called her parents and they searched the whole town and surroundings. Emily didn't go back to Rosewood"
Alison sank back on the couch, having literally run out of ideas… and hope.
"I think we should start checking hospitals and morgues" - Hanna dreadfully whispered to Aria. She just prayed that Emily hadn't drunk herself to death because of Alison. If she had, Ali would be destroyed.
And through all of this darkness, Alison found herself hanging onto a tiny ball of light. Her mind wandered back to college years, when she and Emily shared this weird friendship.
"This is such a beautiful place" - Emily sat on a rock while she observed the sunset. She and Alison had agreed to go to a beach party (much to Ali's distaste) with her college peers. However, that party was way too crowded, even for Emily's taste, and they decided to just keep driving until they found something to do.
They drove all the way north and found this little shrine of a place. It was a beautiful secluded beach called El Matador. And, yes, she and Ali should've known better than to go to secluded beaches with a killer name at dusk, but they couldn't care less. And Emily knew by the marvelous gleam on Ali's eyes that this was so worth the trip.
"It's so peaceful" - Alison sat beside her and closed her eyes to feel the breeze - "It's so much better than that aberration they call party"
"You used to like parties so much when we were younger" - Emily recalled - "You totally killed it in a bikini" - She blushed and she realized what she just said.
Alison chuckled darkly - "A lot of things have changed"
"Some haven't" - The vet student argued - "You and me, for example"
Ali placed her hand over Emily's - "I wouldn't let anything happen to us, Em… or to you"
"You've always protected me, Ali" - She recognized - "Even when you were 'dead'"
"Always" - The blonde promised and allowed her thumb to gently caress the back of Emily's hands. She didn't know if Em still held feelings for her, but she wasn't going to push it. God, her mermaid deserved so much better… And Ali was content with just being friends, even if it meant that Emily would be happy with someone else.
"Thanks" - Emily smiled.
"Actually, I'm the one who should be thanking you, Em" - Ali admitted - "You're always changing me for the best"
"No, Ali" - The brunette denied - "You're changing for yourself. There was always good in you, even when you couldn't see it"
"I hurt you, Emily…"
"And I hurt you too"
"I understand why you didn't trust me, Em" - Ali argued - "I wouldn't have trusted myself either"
"I loved you, Ali. I should've stayed by your side..."
"Loved me?" - The blonde felt her heart shatter along with her last fragment of hope - "As in past tense?"
"If you want, it can be present" - Emily held her chin delicately and leaned in slowly. Alison leaned in too, her head tilting to the side so she and Emily could be the perfect match. There was no rush as they closed their eyes, their breathings mixed and their lips touched. When they finally kissed, Ali felt familiar fireworks tingling from her mouth to the rest of the body and she reached the back of Emily's neck, trying to find more physical contact.
The brunette tentatively put one hand on her hip while she deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced together inside their mouth as they found completion with each other one more time. When the need to breathe became unbearable, they broke the kiss, only to step into the sand and begin again with their romantic reconciliation.
They rolled around in the beach for hours until their lips were swollen and their skins displayed a few purple bruises. They dared not cross the line, as there was always the chance someone might run into them, even if they were in a secluded beach. Furthermore, this was only an ember, a tiny flame. Alone in their apartment, Emily and Alison would have the opportunity to nurture this love until it became a fire.
"I know where she is!" - Alison jumped out of the couch again - "El Matador beach!"
"What?" - Hanna and their friends didn't understand how the blonde could've jumped to such a conclusion.
"It's where we had our first kiss after we went to college! She's there!" - A ray of hope sparkled through her and Alison wasn't willing to let it go.
"Are you sure?" - Spencer asked, considering the odds of Emily being in a secluded beach far up north.
"It's the only place I can think of" - Ali finally picked up her keys - "Let's go!"
It probably wasn't smart, but the whole crew drove up north to El Matador beach, even Caleb and little Chloe. When they finally got there, Alison ran through the sand, not caring the least if its grains were going to stain her shoes and her clothes. All she wanted to do was find Emily.
She looked for that rock where they had their first kiss and it wasn't hard to find. On top of it, there was a woman staring the horizon blankly ahead. She was wearing a baggy T-shirts and running shorts and her hair was of an unmistakeable shade of black. Alison looked back to watch her friends' reaction just in case she was having an hallucination, but their mesmerized looks confirmed her suspicion. The woman in fact was Emily.
"EMILY!" - She screamed and clumsily climbed on top of that rock to reach her lover. The brunette didn't appear to have heard her. When Alison had the chance of taking a closer look, she Emily in a catatonic state: her eyes were fathomless and empty, her body didn't move and it appeared as if she had stayed there on top of that rock all day long.
"Emily" - She tried again, softly this time, and knelt in front of her, putting her hands on her elbows.
"Ali..." - Emily murmured back, as if only taking notice of Alison at that time.
Blue eyes became cloudy as her heart hammered out of her chest - "I'm so glad that find you!' - The tears were escaping her eyes, there was no holding back now - "You have no idea of the things that crossed my mind while you were gone! Emily, I'm so glad you're here" - Alison pulled the brunette to her chest and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go.
Her heartbeats echoed through Emily and that seemed to awaken something in the brunette, who buried her head into Ali's chest and cried too - "I'm so sorry, Ali!" - And she hugged the blonde back with equal desperation - "It was all my fault"
Alison cupped her face - "No, it wasn't… Don't you dare disappear on me again, did you hear?!" - She growled - "How could I live if something happened to you?"
"How can you forgive me?! Why don't you blame me for putting you in jail?!" - Emily put her hands over hers.
"Because I love you, Emily Fields!" - Alison forcefully declared before giving in to the urge of pressing their lips together. She was glad when Emily kissed her back, even if a little hesitantly. She pulled away just enough so she could say - "I love you so fucking much"
"I love you too, Ali" - Emily declared too and kissed her in the last ray of dusk.
A little further from them, their friends watched the scene with tears in their eyes.
After finding Emily on the beach, the whole group went back to their respective houses as Spencer and Toby dealt with the legal aspects of Emily missing. Alison thanked God and all her friends for having found her girlfriend again and she drove home with the intent of giving Emily everything she wanted tonight.
"Did you eat?" - She asked after locking the door to their house.
"No, I just stood there… just watched the ocean the whole day" - Emily answered, suddenly feeling weak due to lack of food.
"Okay..."- Alison racked her brain in search of light receipts she could make tonight with what they had on the fridge because there wasn't a chance in hell that she'd leave her mermaid alone again - "Why don't you take a shower while I make us some vegetable soup?"
"Okay" - Emily nodded, but didn't move. She was beginning to feel the dizziness spreading through her whole body - "Ali?"
"Yes?"
"Can you take me to the bathroom? I'm feeling dizzy right now" - The brunette confessed and Alison immediately went to her side, putting Emily's arm around her shoulder while wrapping her own arm around her girlfriend's midsection. Carefully, she took Em to the bathroom. Then, she picked up a towel and clean pajamas and gave them to the other woman.
"I'll leave the door open" - Alison said before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"Ali"
"What?"
"Thank you" - Emily said and the blonde just offered her a smile in return.
Fifteen minutes later, Alison was almost finishing her soup when she heard Emily calling her. She went back to the bathroom faster than she would've ever admitted and found the brunette already on her pajamas.
"Come here" - She offered her hand and guided Emily back to the living room, leaving her to rest on the couch - "Soup is almost ready" - Alison went to the kitchen, picked a bowl and a spoon and poured the soup on the recipient. Then, she picked up a small towel and put it around the bowl so Emily wouldn't burn her hands.
She emerged back in the living room and offered Emily the soup - "Here it goes. Be careful, it's really hot!"
The vet took the bowl in her hands carefully and smiled in appreciation - "Thanks" - Emily was expecting Ali to leave and do her things, but the blonde just stood there watching her drink the soup - "Ali… you can take a shower now… or eat if you want"
"I… I can't" - The journalist dared not move. An irrational fear crept inside her mind that Emily was going to disappear as soon as she got distracted by anything trivial.
A sting of hurt stabbed through Emily's chest - "I'm not going anywhere… I promise"
"O-Okay" - Ali nodded and headed for the bathroom. That was the fastest shower she's ever taken in her entire life.
No, I didn't forget about the handcuffs ;)
Reviews:
I could ship that: Thanks!
mcmeli: Yay, I'm proud of Ali too! And, yes, that was the first time they made love to each other instead of just having sex.
Guest 1: Writer blocks do that to you :(. My heart cried too when I wrote that scene! :'(
hunter Blair: Wow, thanks, now I'm flattered! Of course you can promote this fic on social media :D
Guest 2: I tried, lol
Guest 3: Not gonna lie, even I had the tears when I was writing it! I don't wanna spoil it, but you do have a point here ;)
therealjay: I really wish they did. They just put Ali in jail and didn't explore that storyline.
Guest 4: Thanks! More flashbacks coming!
: Yes, you will see more of that ;)