Disclaimer: I don't own PLL or any of the characters.

Emily sunk into the quiet darkness of her room. She's in her bed as she plays with her doll, twisting its retractable abdomen back and forth. From downstairs she could hear her mom bustling through the kitchen with her guests, well Emily's guests but she just couldn't bring herself to play with them anymore. Hanna, Aria and Allison were downstairs chatting up Mrs. Fields asking her random questions that would seem interesting in a child's mind. Emily sighs as she puts her doll in her nightstand and buries herself in her comforter. No later her mom pops into her room asking her to come down and meet her friends. Emily just couldn't be budged.

"I don't want to see them mom!"

"They want to see you sweetie. They've been in there for hours."

"Mooooom..." Emily pulls the comforter down her body to look at her doorway. Her mom looks sternly at her and she knows she can't argue no further.

"C'mon now, we're having dinner."

She lifts herself from the bed, her feet dangling at the edge as her brows furrows deeply. Emily's stomach grumbles in protest as she made a small leap to the carpeted floor. No sooner as her mom had called her she came down to see her friends already sitting at their dining table.

"Hi!" Aria called out. She gave a small wave as she sits next to her. Hanna and Allison were seated opposite them at the table while they continue bickering as quietly as they could about Hanna stuffing food in her mouth. Mrs. Fields could still overhear their conversation as she brings the potatoes in the table.

They quietly ate their food as they had said their blessings. Occasionally Hanna would ask for another serving as Allison side eyes her friend. Aria and Emily seat in silence as they carefully chew their food. Mostly they ate in comfortable quiet and when they were finished Mrs. Fields took their plates. Emily could hear Aria offering to help her wash the dishes as her mom kindly declines and tells her to catch up with Emily.

"Hey, how have you been? Your mom says you're feeling better." Aria starts conversationally. Emily looks up from the bickering that started again from Hanna and Aria. "Yeah I feel okay now." She replied.

"We're sorry about Sean and Noel." Allison said.

"We didn't know they were planning to soak you with dirty soil and water when they asked us to play with them." Hanna says.

"Should've known or else we wouldn't.." Aria starts to say but Emily cuts her off with an outburst.

"AND WHAT? WHAT WOULD HAVE YOU DONE?" Emily shots back at her friends. "YOU'RE ALL PERFECTLY FINE AS LONG AS IT IS NOT YOU!"

"That's not true!"Hanna tells her back.

"Emily.." Aria tries to comfort her but she brushes her hands away.

"Emily. Listen to me," Allison says in her best authoritative tone. "We won't let it happen again to you or to any of us."

"Yeah." Both Hanna and Aria nod in agreement.

"We will show them that we cannot be messed with." Allison says with determination.

"Before we got here, Paige threw leftover pies at them by the park." Hanna says excitedly.

"They chased her off but she was able to run away and so did we." Aria supplied.

"You should see the look on their faces drenched in blueberries!" Allison is smiling mischievously from where she seats. "It was my idea."

"Wow..." is all Emily could say. Try as she might, the scenario doesn't please her.

"Tomorrow we'll come to the park and show them who the boss is!" Hanna exclaimed.

"That's right!" Aria gestured a high five to Hanna as the blonde clapped their hands together.

"And how are you going to do that?" Allison retorted.

When not any of them were able to supply answer, Allison smirked. "It's a good thing I have the perfect plan."

Emily was watching the scene unfold beneath her eyes as she seats in silence. She listens to what Allison has to say. Mrs. Fields has let them be and is currently watching the nightly news on TV. The plan makes Emily adamant and nervous but she knows she has to pay them back in some way or another. The three of them nod and agree to what Allison says, she's sort of their leader after all and despite that Emily does trust her judgement.

"We are doing this for Emily." Allison finally says. Emily looks at her wide-eyed feeling completely speechless to what her friend just said. The four of them look at each other as they all agree to what has to be done.

"No one will mess with anyone of us after this." Hanna says as they walk outside the Fields' residence towards their bikes.

"Not when you look like that tubbers!" Allison called out. Aria and Emily sighed as they watch their friend deflate from tonight's current mood. Emily watched Hanna, Aria and Allison mount their bikes and she waves them goodnight.

She turns back to her house and sits out in her porch before she comes inside. Allison can be mean at times but she knows she's got her friend's back when they need it. She just doesn't appreciate Allison being mean to them especially Hanna because of her weight. Allison would always say it is for their own good when she's being mean to them and that assessment just confuses Emily.

-x-

The five of them came together in the park bringing water guns loaded with different flavours of Kool-Aid. To make their retaliation worth remembering they boiled those Kool-Aids and added different colors of food coloring in to make it stick to their enemies shirts forever. Allison was smirking, her signature smirk as Paige and Hanna mixed and loaded their guns. Emily simply chose water as her weapon. She didn't like to create further harm to the boys despite it all. Allison chided her that they deserve it as Paige nodded her head in approval. She merely shrugged and said that this is what she wanted and they did not choose to argue with her no longer.

The five of them found the boys at the park. Noel and his gang were cooling off from the sun's heat after hours of playing. They didn't hear the girls approaching them as they continued fanning themselves with their hand. When a boy with shoulder length hair spots them he smiled in acknowledgement. Emily thought he must be new from here because he hasn't seen him before. She smiled back weakly because, oh boy he was so going to get drenched regardless just because of whom he is currently hanging out with. Her friends have made up their minds and nothing is going to stop them. There is no turning back.

"Boys, it's hot out here," Allison greeted them.

"Sure is," The new boy replied. He stands up and looks at them curiously.

"I'm Caleb. Caleb Rivers."

Allison regards him with no interest. Nevertheless he continues smiling at them and looking at the girls faces expecting an introduction.

"I'm Hanna!"

Paige elbows her by her side,"Hanna!"

Emily heard Hanna's protest and Allison shot them back with what looks like a murderous glare coming from an eight year old. Turning to the boys she focused her attention to Noel. Noel simply waved her hands to tell the girls off.

"As I've said. It's hot out here." Allison repeats.

"Perhaps you need a little cooling off."

Noel raised his head to their direction just as the water gun fired directly at his face. All before he could register what's going on, the girls fired their water guns at them as they try to stand up but fail miserably. The girls were backing off slightly to give them a chance to run away. It's all part of the plan.

Paige rounded off to the far left side as Hanna was opposite her in the farthest right side near Caleb. Emily saw Hanna tell Caleb to run away but not before Aria and Allison fired at him. Nevertheless he was drenched but not as colorfully as the other boys.

The boys started scampering off away from them as they chased them to the center of the park while continuing with their assault. Paige was laughing mirthlessly, while Aria and Allison concentrated on shooting at the boys further. Hanna was barely catching up as Emily was tagging her with as they continue to run towards Noel. They were able to reach where they want to corner them off as Paige and Allison took the opposite sides. Noel, Sean and the rest of the boys were almost out of breath from the short run. They were panting from the harsh activity as Emily and Hanna reached the final point of their sides. Allison smirked as she approaches Noel. He looks at her angrily but defeat crossed his features as Allison opened the seal of her water gun and slowly poured the red colored contents in his hair.

"Everyone listen up!" Allison's voice rang through the park. "Let this be a lesson to everyone who tries to touch me or any of my friends." She turned back to the boys. "You mess with Emily, Hanna, Aria, Paige or even me and this won't be the last time we'll get even."

"Are we clear?" Paige's voice rang out through the open space with fierce authority. Emily didn't even notice that she has also approached Noel and his gang. When Noel didn't respond, Paige's training in Tae Kwon Do came in handy and she kicks him to his side. He collapsed from the effort and that made Emily scream.

"Enough!"

Emily approaches them as she looks ferociously ahead. Aria and Hanna stood flabbergasted to where they are while the rest of her friends simply looked angry at her direction.

"Violence is never an answer!" Emily said to her friends and her peers who had made sure her life was miserable since meeting them.

"I am not weak!" Emily's voiced boomed more clearly to the boys. "I never was! You think I am but I am not! You made me believe I was but to my friends I am not!"

Emily was sweating hard and yet her emotions were running high. She looked to each of the boys straight in the eye and said "Teaming up and bullying me doesn't make you strong. It makes you pathetic losers!" and she continued, "Someone once told me, I am going to kick your asses out! This is me kicking your asses!" She reached out a hand to Noel and he looks uncertain to reach for it. He fearfully looked back and forth to Paige and Allison, and ahead of him, Aria and Hanna. Seemingly as if he has no choice he took it and stood up. Emily tightly smiled at him and poured the contents of her water gun to his head.

The damage has been done to his jet black hair and it was completely smeared in different colors of rainbow Kool-Aid and not even the water Emily gave him slushied it off. He smiled sadly at Emily and bowed his head. Not a minute later he and the boys said their murmured apologies. Emily nodded and went back to her friends' side.

"Are you okay?" Hanna and Aria both exclaimed.

"I am fine now. Thanks to all of you." Emily said and smiled genuinely this time.

"That was stupid!" Allison said as she approached her friends.

"No it wasn't." Paige defended Emily.

"It was bad ass!"

"Yeah it was!"

"Thank you guys," Emily told them. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Allison scoffed and Emily rounded to face her. "I know you must have been disappointed. I'm sorry but it was too much for me."

Allison merely rolled her eyes and took Emily's shoulder with both hands. "I'm proud of you. We're all proud of you!" she finally admits.

Emily smiled, her cheeky smile, where her eyes almost disappears from exertion. "Now come on Saint Emily!" Allison pats her back as they start walking back out of the park. Paige snorted as Hanna and Aria cheered on. Emily felt boundless as they trudge to the park. With her friends she knows she's in good hands.

As the step off the hilly patch of the park and that elegant house came into view, Emily couldn't help but wonder where that brave little girl was that inspired her to stand up for herself.

She briefly wonders where Spencer is.

As always, the comments and reviews are very much appreciated. So a huge thanks to those who took the time to do so! They're like a ray of sunshine to my dark heart.