Yet another update but warning, may contain spoilers for upcoming episodes!
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She watches the shadows playing around the second floor. It seems like yesterday, she and the others were the only ones allowed the privilege of spending time in Emily's bedroom but things were different now.
Two years of being dead can really change things. The girls all had their own separate lives now. They've all moved on without her. Well, in spite of her really.
It's funny, seeing as she's the one who brought them together. Now the four are unbreakable while it's becoming clear that the only thing that's keeping them tied to her is a murderous tech geek whose major hobby is causing trouble for the girls and whose major goal in life is to end hers.
With a heavy sigh she forces her gaze to turn away from the Field's house hold and makes her way back home.
She feels like she's being followed and she should be accustomed to this feeling but the cold sensation still runs through her spine, fueling her legs to go faster. She'd learned how to sleep with one eye open for crying out loud. Years on the run from a killer stalker could do that to a person.
But ever since her return, she promised herself she would stop running. She gets to her lawn and spins around to meet her stalker.
There stands Paige, dressed like a walking lesbian cliché. Alison's all for embracing your sexuality but damn, all the girl was missing was a pick-up truck and a mullet. Alison should know better by now than to go gallivanting around town alone. God, she really doesn't want to have this conversation but she knows she's not going to have much of a choice. Instead she puts on a brave face.
"I saw you looking up at Emily's window." Paige spits out. "What were you doing out there?"
"Not that I need to explain myself to you, but I'm just walking through town." she lies before she spins back around and walks toward her porch but the swimmer is fast.
"Cut the bullshit Alison." Paige demands as she turns Alison around. It's a miracle the blonde isn't suffering from whiplash. "If you think I'm going to stand by and let you worm your way back into Emily's heart, you've got another thing coming!" her grip on Alison tightens with every word but the blonde doesn't flinch.
"Like I ever left." she declares. "Face it, you're a proxy and it's only a matter of time before Emily realizes that."
She doesn't bring up their night together as proof because she doesn't want to sully the event by using it to further her point. Aside from the fact that it is inconsequential now that Emily's resorted to avoiding her once more, she refuses to contaminate the truth they shared together that night.
What happened between the two of them is too precious, sacred even, and Alison will always treasure their moment.
Besides it's wishful thinking, one that resembles a lie when said out loud, Alison thinks. But this time she's also lying to herself. Because she's been back and Emily's taken a plethora of opportunities to spend time with Paige instead of her, even before the Mona incident. But she sees the look of fear on Paige's face and knows she's struck a chord. She uses the distraction to shake her wrist free from the violent athlete's grip.
She knows there's definitely going to be a bruise there tomorrow morning but ignores the pain. She's never been one to show weakness and she's definitely not going to let Paige see.
"You're toxic." Paige sneers. "And I'm glad Emily sees that now."
The words sting so much they make the back of her eyes burn. But she'll be damned if she cries in front of Paige. And she won't stand for someone like Paige to have the upper hand.
"Then why are you here?" Alison smirks, eye gleaming with ferocity. She knows she's got Paige on the ropes now and wants to deliver a final blow. "Because you know you'll never be enough." her blue eyes sparkle with disgust at the athlete before her. "Emily deserves the best and that's not you." it's evident that the only truths she's spoken since her return all have to do with Emily.
"And you think that's you?" Paige scoffs at the absurdity of the notion.
"Clearly." and the lies just keep spilling because Alison knows that Emily deserves so much more than a beautiful blonde whose only real talent in life is weaving webs of lies. "Now get off my lawn Pigskin."
It's the use of the nickname which causes Paige to snap. Before Alison can even blink, the taller girl's fist collides with the corner of her mouth. It seems her attacker still resorts to violence when she can, Alison thinks as she runs her tongue through her bottom lip. The taste of metal is more than familiar. She has to give it to Mona. That midget certainly slaps harder than the butch bitch punches.
They're both too distracted, too caught up with yet another quarrel about Emily, to notice that they aren't alone.
"Is there a problem here?" they look to the source of the sound and she maintains her cool.
"We're done." Alison remarks as she watches Paige storm off, no doubt angry with herself for succumbing to her rage. But Alison's methods never fail to push a person's buttons. Paige shoulders the intruder, causing him to flinch back. They watch as the athlete leaves. "I didn't need your help." Alison doesn't want to be pitied nor does she want him to be her hero.
"A simple thank you would have sufficed." Caleb remarks.
"Why should I thank you?" Alison stands, her arms crossed over her chest, her brow arched as she looked upon the wayward foster child. "You came here to do the exact same thing didn't you?"
"And that would be?" Caleb questions.
"To tell me to stay the fuck away from Hanna." bright blue eyes challenge Caleb to tell her differently. He doesn't even try to make up an excuse and that earns him some allowance. At least he isn't manhandling her like Pigskin was. "You're too late because I'd say she's been doing a fine job of staying away from me." in fact, since the incident with Mona, all of them have been. Even the smoke from Toby's bombed house couldn't cloud the fact that Ali lied to them once again. And suddenly it hits her. "I guess you'd know that if she weren't staying away from you either."
"She has Travis now." his voice cracks slightly.
"Yet here you are, still willing to play the Knight in Shining Armor to her Damsel in Distress." her head cocks to the side as she gets a good look at him. He's cute, she supposes. She can see why Hanna would be into him. But more so, she can see how much he loves Hanna. It's a familiar look. She's seen it shining through a lighter pair of chocolate colored eyes every time they glanced her way. "She still loves you, you know." she muses out loud.
She knows he wants to ask how she can possibly be sure of that but knows better than to ask. He seems smart enough to know not to question Alison DiLaurentis.
"I don't know if that should make me feel better." he confesses.
"It really doesn't." she whispers as she makes her way up the stairs and he looks at her in disbelief, like there's no possible way she can know what he's going through but they're a lot more alike than he knows.
Because it means it she doesn't love you enough to forgive you, is the thought passes through Alison's mind. She can't bring herself to say it out loud on account of the fact that this particular truth makes it feels like a thousand needles are prickling through her lungs. It hurts to breathe, admitting it to herself. But then again, she reminds herself that this is all her fault as she leans against her bedroom door.
If she hadn't been such a coward in the first place, things would be different.
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Emily scans for her in the hallways at school. It's an automatic response. Ever since they've known each other, Emily's always been waiting for Alison.
Even before the blonde ran, Emily would wait for her. Her whole world revolved around Alison DiLaurentis and two years and 1,000 A texts later, it's like nothing has changed. Even after all that they've been through, all of A's threats and Alison's lies, she's still waiting.
Perhaps now, the only real difference is the overwhelming relief she feels when she sees that familiar flash of blonde. It's accompanied by the need to wrap her arms around Alison to make sure that she's actually still there, alive and breathing. To make sure that she'll never run again. She fights hard not to give into it, to her. She fights even harder the desire to press her lips against those jungle red colored lips.
It's impossible to forget Alison DiLaurentis, she knows that. What's even more impossible is to not to think about the night they had together.
She tells herself that it's just the blonde's way of manipulating her and that Spencer was right. Alison is using her feelings to make sure she stays in her corner. She wills her heart not to hear the sincerity behind Alison's words, not to feel the tenderness between each touch, and to forget the passion those lips bestowed upon almost every inch of her body.
Still, her eyes remained glued to the school entrance and she can't control the way everything feels lighter when she finally sees Alison head toward her locker.
Milk chocolate colored eyes watch as the others students pass by her, offering her either looks of sympathy or snide comments but Alison goes about her business, pretending she doesn't hear their chatter and ignoring the feel of their eyes on her as she opens her locker to retrieve her text book. The sleeve of her jacket rises and Emily sees the greenish purple mark on her wrist.
Before Emily can think about what she's doing, she suddenly finds herself in front of the girl that she's been shunning.
"What happened?" the brunette questions in concern.
Alison's brow raises but she follows Emily gaze and understands. She closes her locker and faces the taller girl, a small smile gracing her lips. She allows herself to think there maybe hope for her yet because even after everything she's put her through, Emily still cares about Alison.
"The public just can't get enough of me." she remarks, emotional fatigue apparent on her features.
Emily's hand caresses her cheek and she leans into the comforting touch. She can't help but flinch when the taller girl's thumb grazes her lip. Alison walks away before the athlete can question her. She heads into the bathroom to reapply make up on her bruise.
Emily glances at the concealer on her thumb before following the blonde into the girl's lavatory. She sees Alison, fiddling with her make-up.
"Did Mona come back for round three?" the athlete questions.
"I'd probably have ended with more than a bruise if she did." Alison refuses to meet her gaze, feeling that the last thing she needs to do right now is to tell Emily who decided that her face would look better with a tint of reddish purple.
"I'm never going to get a straight answer from you aren't I?" the disappointment is evident in her tone.
"Maybe you haven't been asking the right questions Em." honestly, she doesn't want to say that Paige hit her because she knows it'll look like she's trying to drive a wedge between the two and she doesn't want to add anger onto Emily's disappointment.
"Why can't you just tell the truth Alison?" her voice holds no resentment, only concern.
"I'm sorry," Alison whispers. "I just don't want to hurt you anymore." it's not an answer but she hopes the sentiment explains her intentions.
The taller brunette releases a heavy breath. Alison's response is always a brilliantly formatted lie or a cryptic message she has to decipher in order to even gain a semblance of truth. Something's never change, Emily thinks, yet this doesn't stop her from reaching out to the shorter girl.
She grasps the girl's bruised wrist and begins to gently pull her closer. The blonde puts up no resistance as Emily guides her injury toward her mouth before pressing a gentle kiss on her wound because now is not the time for answers. The blonde is clearly hurt and is still hurting. All Emily wants to do is take her pain away and all Alison wants is not to breakdown for Emily's sake. She knows the girl hates seeing her cry.
Emily pulls lets go of her wrist, hands finding their way on her hips as she pushes their bodies closer together.
Alison's face is buried in the crook of her neck as Emily runs her fingers through her hair. The brunette uses the opportunity to kiss the top of the blonde's head. Her lips land right on Alison's scar and Alison can feel her walls crumbling down. Emily pulls away slightly, her hands moving from the shorter girl's waist to cup her cheeks. She leans down, this time pressing her lips against Alison's cheek, right where Mona's palm collided with her face.
She moves her mouth again, this time pressing it on the corner of Alison's mouth where her bruise was before finally settling on her jungle red colored lips.
They stand in the bathroom, holding and kissing one another for no one knows how long. And while Emily's lavishing her with affection, Alison knows she's far from forgiven. As tender and sweet as Emily is, she's not gullible or forgetful. But that's alright because it just strengthens her resolve to earn Emily's forgiveness.
She can sleep a little easier now, knowing how good her chances are at getting her Emily back. It's true that Alison's still keeping truths yet despite her lies Emily's still taking care of her.
It just goes to show that old habits really do die hard.
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I'm trying to piece together my fic with spoilers I've heard about floating through the internet and what I saw on the promos so I'll probably post a new chapter up before it airs tomorrow.
Anyway, what do you guys think so far?