One week later.

"Hey Alison."

The girls at Spencer's locker turned to see none other than Ian, who worked as the gym teacher/field hockey coach. Emily visibly tensed up causing Hanna to look at her funny.

"Ian," she said coldly acknowledging him.

"It's Coach Thomas at school," he corrected her. "Is your brother back today? I wanted to stop by and see him."

Nobody but Alison and Emily saw the menacing look in his eyes.

"I'm not sure," Alison replied tight lipped. "You'll have to check with him. I'm hardly home these days."

"Oh yeah? Where are you at these days?"

"Around."

"Ali!" came another voice and the girls saw Noel Kahn approaching. "I haven't heard from you in a while. Sup Coach Thomas?"

"Noel," he nodded and left.

"I've been busy," she said vaguely.

"Maybe you can be not busy this weekend and come see a movie with me," he said cockily and Emily was extremely uncomfortable even as Aria patted her back subtly.

"I'm not interested, Noel," she said nonchalantly.

"Oh come on Ali, stop playing hard to get. You texted me asking me to come over last time, remember?"

Ali went into her notorious full on bitch mode as she got up in Noel's face. "That was a mistake," she hissed. "I told you I'm not interested. So you can take your sorry, high and mighty ass and leave me alone."

"Whatever," he grunted. "All the guys already think you're a slut. How's it feel knowing they think I fucked your brains out? It's all anyone can talk about."

"I think you should leave her alone," Spencer spoke up in a dangerously low warning voice, surprising Alison.

"Or what," he scoffed.

"Or some nasty vile rumor will soon be circulating the school about Noel Kahn's dirty dick," Hanna hissed, also surprising Alison. "Leave her alone."

He scowled and shook his head as he brushed past Alison, knocking her with his shoulder.

As soon as he was out of sight, the blonde turned back to her friends with an appreciative look on her face.

"Thanks guys," she said nodding to them.

"What are friends for," Spencer murmured. Hanna nodded in agreement.

"You guys should come over to my house after school today, if you want," Alison offered. "Em and I were gonna watch Divergent. You don't mind do you Em?"

"No, not at all," Emily confirmed, knowing that this was Alison's way of thanking them. She wasn't very good at expressing how she felt yet.

"I'm down," Aria piped up as Spencer and Hanna nodded.

"Cool," Ali said smoothly as she looked at Em and tilted her head down the hallway. Emily silently nodded and followed the blonde as the five split up.

"That was more than uncomfortable," Emily said in a low voice. The two of them briskly walked down the hall and out of school.

"I know I'm sorry Em," Ali said apologetically before her face darkened. "I'm going to kill Noel."

"Can we just…skip class the rest of the day? It's Friday, and I'm just worn out. And now I really don't feel like being here," Emily admitted.

"Yes, we can skip," Alison agreed. The entire week had been tense between the two of them. The tension of Alison's past and the unsure future weighed heavily between them and though they had spent every night together, there was an unspoken rift. It had gotten progressively worse as the week went on after Emily's father left. Alison could feel the emotional distance that Emily was putting between them and she didn't handle it well. She had been short tempered with nearly everyone.

There was a particular instance where she even snapped at the swimmer, instantly regretting it. They had been driving home from getting coffee one night and Emily had made a comment under her breath about Friday being doomsday because Jason came back which meant the reappearance of his psycho friends. Alison had looked at her testily in return and bitterly snapped, "Well it seems like I'm going to face doomsday alone if you're going to keep brooding like some stupid emo kid."

Emily had flinched but she regained her steely composure quickly and just shot Alison a disappointed look. The blonde wanted to apologize, but she was too angry and too proud to. She felt guilty honestly- it seemed like Emily would break soon with all the bullshit involving Cece surely coming back into play. The last two weeks had felt like a vacation, and now she was stuck facing reality with Emily. The two didn't speak until late that night when Alison broke the silence and muttered something about needing homework help and they became civil again.

Now, Alison watched as Emily's eyes seemed far away and sunken in, her face really was tired. She figured the swimmer hadn't been sleeping much since Alison had been waking up randomly in the middle of the night to see Emily still wide awake.

"Em, are you mad at me?" Alison asked as they walked.

"No," Emily simply replied.

They continued walking in an uncomfortable silence and Alison couldn't stand it. She always wanted be around Emily but right now the blonde thought she'd rather be anywhere else but there. They eventually made it back to Emily's house and the swimmer made a beeline for her room with Alison hot on her tail, shutting the door behind them. Of course Mrs. Field's was at work, and Alison thought to herself that they should be fooling around or something fun. But instead, neither of them knew how to talk about their feelings on the taboo subject of Alison's past.

"Is this because of Cece? Is it because I did stupid things before, or cause I won't tell anyone, or-"

"Just drop it Ali," Emily said sighing but her voice wasn't malicious, it was just exhausted.

"I don't want to drop it," she insisted fiercely. "You've hardly looked me in the eye all week! And when I try to touch you, you're just not really there."

"It's-"

"You said you wanted to be there for me as my girlfriend, but you don't even seem to want to be around me ever since Cece sent that text," Ali said crumbling weakly, tired of being a bitch all week. She was thankful Emily had suggested skipping because she wasn't sure she would have lasted without some sort of emotional breakout in school whether it was lashing out or crying. "I feel like you realized how terrible I am and you're ashamed of me or something."

"Alison I'm not ashamed of you," Emily replied fiercely as she sat down on her bed with a frustrated huff.

"Then what is it? Is this because of Noel-"

"Stop talking," Emily blurted out. Alison looked at her not knowing what to say, and Emily sighed before pulling at her hand to sit her down on the bed next to her.

"It's just that, whenever Cece sent that text I realized how real and present and dangerous she is," Emily started to explain with difficulty. "And the thought of her hurting you…"

Emily swallowed thickly. Alison just watched with focused eyes, not knowing quite where this was going but satisfied that the brunette was finally opening up.

"When I think about Cece with her hands all over you, even just barely touching you, it makes me sick, like actually sick," Emily admitted in a low voice. "I can literally feel my stomach turning right now. The thought of anyone touching you…it's just really unsettling."

Alison looked at her hesitantly. "So you are upset because I was a slut?"

"For the hundredth time you are not a slut," Emily said exasperatedly. "I'm just scared Ali. Really scared. When I walked in on you and Ian, I'd never felt so low. I'd never felt so disoriented and weak before. And now I know what actually happened, and I still feel so powerless. It scares me because I love you Ali, I love you so damn much. And I don't know what to do, because I want to protect you but I don't know how. I don't want to be hurt, Ali, and I don't want you to be either."

Alison watched as the swimmer fought for words as her own eyes started to tear up. She felt terrible for bringing her mermaid into this.

"I want to be the only one that touches you," Emily said softly and frustratedly with sad brown eyes.

"You are," Alison said in her tender, gentle voice that was reserved only for Emily. It was so full of devotion and feeling. "And I want to be the only person who gets to have their hands on you."

"But I don't want to live in fear that some day Cece or Ian or whoever is going to somehow get to have their way with you and get away with it again," Emily continued. "And I…it's just…it's intimidating because I feel so weak and useless and pathetic. And they're terrible people but they have all the power and they're strong willed-"

"Emily-"

"And the worst part is that when I think about all the people that you've been with, it's hard to believe you'd want me of all people. I'm really scared because I am so damn crazy about you, and I feel like a pathetic little girl who is super inexperienced in all departments and, on top of that, I'm unable to keep you safe."

"I'm scared too," Ali said in a small voice that she rarely even brought out around Emily. "I'm terrified. And yes, Emily, I have messed around with a lot of people. My body is so messed up because I was hypersexualized when I was 13 by Cece and the rest of them, and my parents dressed me up to make people wish they could have me. I did a lot of things that I regretted, and you are the only thing I don't regret.

When I feel your hand touch me, I don't jump, and I don't think you're trying to use me for my body. You may be lacking life experience in the sex area, but that's one of the things I love about you- I'm the only person you've been with, and that makes me so damn happy because I know you're careful about who you want to be with. It makes me feel so fucking special. And trust me, your lack of experience does not affect your performance in the least bit."

Alison said each word earnestly, with conviction dripping with each one. "I want to be with you because I'm in love with every last bit of you, and I don't know how to put it much clearer than that. I trust you, completely- I know you would kill for me. I don't think you're pathetic or weak at all, you're the one person that's held me together all these years. I'm a coward because I don't know how to protect myself by telling the truth, but that doesn't make you a coward."

Emily looked hopeful, her eyes fixated on Alison. "So what are we going to do?"

"We'll figure it out, I promise," Alison reassured her. "We can put an end to this. I never meant to drag you into this and I'm sorry. But I just want it to be done in the safest way possible. Okay? I don't want anybody to hurt you because of things I've done. They could go to jail for years Emily, don't think that they won't do anything to stop us."

The swimmer just nodded, and Alison reached out and pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I missed this all week," she sighed. "I'm so sorry I dragged you into this and made you upset."

"I'm sorry, it's just hard for me to admit all that because I think I sound possessive and lame and needy."

"I'm yours, so be possessive all you want," Alison said joking lightly though she knew Emily would guard her with her life.

"Did you really mean what you said? You're in love with me?"

"You and only you," she said smiling like an idiot and leaned back to see Emily's face. "I'm not afraid anymore, Em. Of other people, or of myself. Being with you just feels right. I'd tell the world if you wanted me to."

"Our friends was a good start," Emily said contentedly as she hugged Alison harder and buried her face in her shoulder. "I don't want us to hide anymore either. It's tiring."

"I can't wait for all the lesbian jokes and name-calling," Alison said darkly as she reminded the two of the downside. Rosewood was a conservative town, especially the older generation. There wasn't a single out gay kid at their school, girl or guy.

"Ali…what if I'm gay?"

"What do you mean what if? You are so gay Em," Alison said with a teasing tone as she held Emily close to her, playing with her hair. "I've seen you kiss Ben. He's a cutie and you look like you just ate rotten food every time he touches you or gets close."

"I mean, I guess, it's different for you right? You're not gay…are you?"

"No, I'm not," she said matter-of-factly. "And maybe people will see us differently as individuals. But it doesn't matter, because you're the only person I want to be with. Girl or guy."

"I guess…I guess it's just weird knowing that you do like guys too, and I don't," Emily said trying to put her confusion into words. She didn't understand why it bothered her so much. "I can't compete with guys, it's like apples and oranges."

"Em, hush," Alison shushed her as she continued to play with her hair. "There is no competition. You won a long time ago. Once you're out Em, any girl who's even the slightest bit not straight will be falling all over you. And guys will be trying to turn you straight. I'm the one that should be worried about competition."

"Why?" Emily asked confused.

"I've had people after me for years, and I still choose you," Ali said softly. "You're going to get a lot of attention now, trust me. The star swimmer who's now dating another girl? Please Emily, people will notice what they've missed for so long."

"But nobody even comes close to you," Emily said with ease innocently. It was true, in her mind Alison was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. Emily didn't quite understand it, but she didn't care.

"I'm glad you feel that way," Ali laughed softly. "God I love you so much. We're being so mushy right now."

"And what else would you want to be doing right now?" Emily asked looking up at Alison with a teasing knowing look.

"Emily Fields," she said with a joking grand voice as her eyes twinkled. "Are you suggesting I want to be inappropriate with you?"

Emily raised her eyebrow with a smile shaking her head and pulled back as she got up and pulled her shirt off before stretching. Alison swore her pupils dilated as her eyes widened with lust. "It got way too hot in here," Emily said with a half annoyed look at the physical temperature as she made a move to open the window. As soon as she did and turned back around, she found Alison jumping her and pushing her into the wall, lips all over Emily's as she pressed her body tightly to Emily's.

"Ali, school's almost out, the girls are going to be heading to your house," Emily protested weakly between kisses.

"They can wait," Alison said as she kissed down to Emily's chest causing the swimmer to squirm.

"Ali," she moaned. "You know we won't ever leave if we start now."

"But I've been dying for you to touch me all week," Alison whispered as she ghosted her lips over Emily's to her ear. "Please baby, I'll beg you."

Emily almost gave in, almost.