Guess whose back? Me! I am extremely sorry about the wait guys, cut here is, Moments Later, so enjoy!
A car sped off into the night. The driver had just hit two teen girls and was making a hasty getaway. Coming to a complete stop in a secluded area of the woods, the door was slung open as the hooded figure disappeared into the darkness.
Ashley Marin was driving home, stolen money from the bank in her purse beside her, when she heard the sirens and saw the red and blue lights. Her heartbeat sped up as she pulled the car over. They had caught her and now she would pay the consequences of doing the wrong deed. The police officer was making his way to her car as she zipped up the bag.
"Ms. Marin?" the dark colored man asked when he got to her car. Ashley recognized him and gave a nervous smile.
"Hey Barry," she greeted and tried to hide her nervousness. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm sorry Ms. Marin. It just came over the radio," Barry said with sympathy in his voice. Ashley sucked in a breath and waited for the dreaded news. "Your daughter was involved with an accident."
Carmen was not too happy at the moment. First, she had to attend Camp Mona. Then, some psycho ran her and Hanna over and even though the Latina didn't get rammed by the car like Hanna, she had jumped and hit her head on a rock, plus the car had ran over her ankle. Now, these idiot paramedics would not let her go and kept insisting that she go to the hospital.
"I'm fine!" the hot-tempered girl yelled as they started to strap her in the gurney. Carmen knew she needed to get checked out, but she didn't really want to. Hanna was in worse shape than she was and everyone should have been focused on the blonde. The Latina's temper escalated when she saw one of the paramedics with a syringe coming towards her. "Get that thing away from me!"
Emily couldn't stop the tears that were swimming in her eyes and falling down her cheeks. A had just taken things to a whole new and dangerous level. The uninjured Liars were watching the paramedics load their friends into the red and white vehicles.
"I can't believe this happened." Aria whispered, her voice wavering from tears. This could have happened to any of them. Something worse could have happened. Both of her friends could be dead.
"It doesn't seem real," Emily murmured as she wiped her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to go to her girlfriend and Hanna. "I hope they'll be okay."
"Get that thing away from me!" a voice laced with a Spanish accent was heard over the busy officials. The Liars looked to where the feisty Latina was and saw them trying to hold her down.
"What are they doing?" Emily questioned in concern as she saw them inject her with a white liquid.
"Probably sedating her so no one else will get hurt," Spencer laughed slightly at the normalness of that. "Em, why don't you ride with her? They might let you since she is in better condition than Hanna."
"Should I?" Emily questioned. She wanted to, but didn't know if it would be bad for someone to sit with Carmen, but not Hanna.
Go on," Aria smiled through her tears and Emily nodded before walking over to the Latina's ambulance. When she saw her girlfriend, a smile tugged at her lips. Carmen was smiling at absolutely nothing, a sleepy look in her eyes as she looked and saw Emily. Her smile turned radiant as she grabbed the nearest paramedic and whispered to her, nodding at Emily, before the EMT came over to her.
"She wants you with her," the EMT smiled in a gesture of comfort. "We had to give her something for the pain and to calm her down so she might be out of it."
"Okay thanks." Emily smiled and made her way to her drugged out girlfriend.
"Emily, come here." The Latina beckoned with her hand to the bench beside her. Once Emily was inside, the doors were closed and they started making their way to the hospital.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" the swimmer asked as Carmen laced their fingers.
"I feel pretty great right now," Carmen giggled and looked at Emily through long eyelashes. "You're so beautiful, Em."
Turns out, Carmen was pretty adorable when she was drugged up. She kept complimenting Emily, kissing her hand, giggling, and wiping away Emily's tears. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Carmen had drifted off to sleep. While they rushed her girl into the emergency room, Emily went to the waiting room and was soon joined by Aria and Spencer.
"Hanna's mom is with the doctor," Emily told her mother who she had called soon after arriving. "I'm okay. Ms. Marin is checking on Carmen as well."
"We were at Mona's party and Hanna got a text so we were going to the parking lot to meet her and that's when she got hit." Aria explained to her own parents
"She was unconscious so we couldn't talk to her," Spencer told Alex. She felt like talking to him more than her parents. "That's why we are waiting to see if Hanna will wake up."
Just then, came into the waiting room and all the girls said goodbye to their parents and looked at her expectantly.
"Are they okay Mrs. Marin?" Aria asked, desperate to know how they were.
"They are going to be okay. Hanna, she has a broken leg, and broken ribs, and they might have to remove her spleen. Carmen has a concussion and a broken ankle," Ashley rubbed her forehead in frustration before turning her attention to Spencer. "What happened?"
Spencer looked helplessly at Aria who quickly took control. "They were coming across the parking lot and this… this car just came out of nowhere."
"The police found the car. They said it was stolen from the camp ground." Ashley told the girls who looked eager to know more.
"Did they catch the driver?" the Filipino girl asked as tears glistened in her chocolate pools.
"No, not yet."
"Well, the cops should be looking for Toby Cavanaugh." Spence informed the redhead who shook her head.
"It wasn't Toby Cavanaugh," Ashley said and, upon seeing the disbelief on the hockey player's face, she continued her explanation. "The police picked him up last night. They found him hiding in town and had already brought him in when they got the call about the girls."
Emily looked shocked the most. She had just talked to Toby that night and now he was in custody. She hoped he didn't blame her for his arrest.
"Listen, you girls should go home. I'll call you if anything changes." Ashley said, smiling at the exhausted looking Liars.
"Just let them know we were here." Aria asked as she stood up from her spot on the chairs.
Ashley smiled and nodded at the request, "I will when they wake up." She then made her way back to the girls' room, leaving the teenagers to discuss things amongst themselves.
"Toby isn't A." Emily crossed her arms as she looked at Spencer.
"Well Hanna knows who is," Spencer pointed out the fact as to why they had gone to the parking lot in the first place. "That's why A tried to kill her."
"So you think they did this to try and scare us?" the swimmer asked. She was certainly scared out of her mind. That was clearly written on her face.
"Well, it worked." Aria mumbled as she stared at the floor. Before that night, she would have never thought anything like this could have happened. It was just a bunch of empty threats. Those threats did not seem so empty now.
"This wasn't about scaring us. That was just a bonus," Spencer explained to them. Whoever was tormenting them wanted the girls to know that they meant business. They had made that message clear tonight. "This all started with murder and we were crazy to not think it would end up like this."
"Should we tell the cops?" Emily asked. She didn't know what to do and was looking for someone to help her understand.
"Tell them what?" Aria asked in disbelief. They would be arrested for sure. The cops were already breathing down their necks.
"Everything!" Emily exclaimed. She was tired of all the secrets; tired of being afraid.
"We don't know everything!" Spencer countered and Emily's eyes fell to the floor.
"So what do we do?" Aria asked Spencer who looked as helpless as Aria felt.
"We talk to those two before we do anything." Spencer concluded as she looked at Aria's shocked face.
"Are they safe here?" the petite girl asked, not sure if she even wanted to hear the answer. Emily turned her gaze to the hockey player, concerned about her best friend's and girlfriend's safety. They had been through enough already.
"Yea, of course," Spencer offered the answer to the girls. "Nothing will happen to them while Hanna's mom is here." The other two seemed to accept the answer and started to walk to the exit. Spencer had to keep telling herself that they would be okay here. If they weren't safe here, they weren't safe anywhere.
Ashley gazed at the faces of her unconscious daughter and the blonde's best friend. She had been able to convince the doctor to let them share a room. The redhead watched for a sign–a twitch– in the girls face's. After staring for moments, Ashley heard a unrecognizable sound come from the blonde in the room. Hanna's eyes opened and adjusted to the light of the room. Mrs. Marin smiled and leaned over to carefully hug her daughter; thankful she had woken up.
"When I find the mainiac who did this to you girls, I will kill him." That was the first thing to leave her mother's lips when she released Hanna. The blonde was confused for a moment before she took notice of the third person in the room. "After I kill him, I will sue him."
"Have you seen Aria, Spencer, and Emily?" Hanna asked quietly and her mom smiled softly.
"Yeah, they were all here but I sent them home," the redhead informed and Hanna just closed her eyes. "Sean was here too, and a boy named Lucas."
Hanna didn't have time for this. Glancing around, she noticed a old phone that should have been extinct. She reached for it, but the fashionista was still too weak. "I have to call them.
"Hanna, wait-"
"No Mom, it can't wait!"
"I will call them for you." Ashley smirked at her feisty daughter before getting up and handling the phone.
Tears glistened in Hanna's ocean blue eyes as she looked away from her mother and looked at Carmen, knowing that they could have had worse done to them.
"I didn't see it until this morning." Ezra sighed as he and Aria stood on the street looking at the writing on the back on his car. I SEE YOU. Aria felt a wave of fear washed over her. She had a hunch who could have done that, but hoped she was wrong.
"Maybe somebody did that after you parked. " The petite girl threw the idea out. She could not tell Ezra who she thought did it.
"Aria, we both know when this happened," said Ezra without a hint of doubt in his voice. "This happened last night."
"I don't know that and neither do you." Aria defended herself. For all Ezra knew, it could have been some stupid kid being stupid.
"I see you? Not Wash Me, not Go Sharks. I see you," Ezra said making his point. "That's very specific."
"Maybe, but it doesn't mean anything." Aria shrugged and prayed that Ezra wouldn't worry about it.
"Aria," Ezra started then dropped his voice to a whisper. "It means somebody saw us last night."
"And it doesn't mean anything."
The teenager made her point by walking up to the glass and wiping away the words that would be etched in her's and her secret boyfriend's minds' for quite a while.
Emily was at home, when she should have been at the hospital. They were currently having a family breakfast, but the Filipino was too upset to eat. When her dad passed the eggs, Emily simply put the plate on the table, not taking anything from it. This did not go unnoticed by her mother.
"You need to eat." Pam said, but Emily just shook her head.
"I don't want you driving back to the hospital all stressed out," Her father said, worried about his little girl. "Give Ben a call and see if he will give you a lift."
Emily was confused. Did her mom not tell him that the swimmer had broken up with the dark haired boy?
"I don't think that's a good idea," Emily said and Wayne turned his attention to his daughter. "Ben and I are sort of really over."
"You know, everyone in this town feels safer with Toby Cavanaugh locked up." Pam brought up. She did not want to talk about Emily's relationships.
Emily just stared at her mother. Was she really going to bring this up again?
"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" Emily questioned, staring her mother down. The swimmer had the brief thought that Carmen was beginning to rub off on her, but her mind started going to the gutter so she focused on the matter at hand.
"Guilty or not, he is better off with the police than wandering around on his own." Wayne added his input.
"There's always more to a story than people think." Emily pointed out with fire behind her words. She knew this from experience. Both of her parents just stared at her, speechless. The awkward silence was broken by the ringing of a phone.
Emily went to grab it from her bag when Pam spoke up.
"Not at the table."
Emily looked at her mom in disbelief. "It could be about Carmen or Hanna."
"It's fine." Wayne said, trying to prevent the tension from rising. He understood his daughter's worry over her friends. He had experienced that worry plenty of times.
The corner of Emily's mouth twitched up and she fought off the smirk that threatened to show itself. She opened the message and smiled. Hanna was awake.
"Does it hurt?" Aria asked as her, Spencer, Emily, and Mrs. Marin stood around the blonde.
"Yeah, kind of." Hanna answered. She could feel the pain in her ribs if she moved to much.
"Do you remember what happened?" Spencer asked from her seat on the right. Emily was in a chair between the blonde and the still sleeping Latina.
Hanna looked at her lap, playing with her hands. "Yeah, I remember."
The girls looked around awkwardly. They were itching to ask Hanna questions, but knew they couldn't with the injured girl's mom in the room.
"Um Mom?" Hanna got the redheads attention. "You've been here the whole time. Want to take a break?"
Ashley didn't really want to leave her daughter, but saw the looks all the girls were exchanging. "You sure?" Hanna nodded was the answer she got.
After the parent had left, Aria shut the door and the girls turned serious. They all looked at Hanna expectantly, eager to hear who their tormentor was.
Hanna looked at her friends and took a deept breath before spilling the truth.
"Noel Khan is A."
"Are you sure?" Spencer asked the blonde. The athlete knew Aria was talking to him.
"Carmen and I saw him in the woods," Hanna justified her discovery. "He left an A message."
"What was the message?" Spencer asked. Her and Emily had found a message on a tree out there. What had the other two seen?
"I'm not sure" Hanna glanced at Aria and saw her shocked expression. "He wrote it on the back of a car window."
"What car? What did he write?" Emily asked from her position beside Carmen, gently playing with the raven tresses.
Hanna didn't answer. It was Aria's secret and she would not be the one to tell it. Looking at Aria, the blonde knew she was about to surprise the others.
"I see you."
Everyone turned their attention to the petite girl with her arms crossed and a look of uncertainty on her face.
"How do you know?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.
"I was in the car." The short girl took a deep breath. It was time to tell them the truth.
"Whose car was it?" The swimmer asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Ezra Fitz."
"Mr. Fitz?" Spencer asked uncertain. Of course, there wasn't many with that name.
Aria nodded and started playing with her hands, nervousness making her figet.
"Aria?" Emily asked to get the artist attention. If this was going where she thought it was, then that message could have been a lot worse than they had thought.
"You and Mr. Fitz?" Spencer said in disbelief. Everyone seemed to be in a secret relationship.
"That call you got at the party... That was from him?" The Filipino asked to confirm her idea.
"I couldn't tell," Aria held her arms out. "I promised Ezra."
"Woah wait a minute," said Spencer as she stood up. "So this has been going on for a while?"
"I didn't just get into his car last night," Aria said, hurt by their assumptions. "Who do you think I am?"
"How long have you been seeing him?" Emily was truly curious. Who else in their group was in a secret relationship?
Aria looked away and shrugged. "A little before school started."
"Oh my God, since Labor Day?!" Spencer asked as she had no idea this was going on. Aria just shrugged and bit her lip.
"So you didn't have a boyfriend in Iceland." Hanna stated and started to understand the excuses Aria had made up.
"No no, I did," Aria sighed and murmured. "It's not like that."
"So you were seeing a teacher when I set you up with Noel?" The blonde asked. She coudn't believe that she had not noticed this before. "Oh... I set you up with Noel."
"And why were you in his car last night?" Spencer was upset that Aria hadn't told them.
"He called and I just..." Aria saw the look in Spencer's eyes. "Don't look at me like that."
Spencer huffed and turned away from the petite girl. Emily had no idea what to think. She couldn't really judge Aria seeing as how she kept a secret from the girls. Hanna was just confused.
"I think my head hurts as much as my leg now." The blonde stated though it did nothing to fix the tension.
"My head hurts like a bitch."
The girls didn't know where the raspy voice had come from until Emily felt movement under her hand.
"Carmen!" Emily explained as a radiant smile took up her face. The Latina just smirked at her.
"Hola Hermosa." Carmen greeted her girlfriend who wanted nothing to do than kiss the girl. So she did.
Emily grabbed the Latina's face gently and crashed their lips together, not caring who was watching. The fire returned to her body as she tasted the spice flavor of her girlfriend. Carmen was surprised at Emily's bold move in front of the girls, but let the sweetness that was Emily wash over her in a soothing wave. Emily was pouring all of her stress, worry, and care into that kiss and it could have kept going forever, both girls lost in the bliss of each other. That is, until someone cleared their throat.
Emily pulled away from Carmen, reverting back to her shy self by blushing and looking at the floor. Carmen smirked at her girlfriend before turning her attetion to the others.
"Thanks for ending that little show." Spencer teased as Emily turned more red.
"I don't have the strength to pry you two apart." Hanna winked at the couple as Carmen laughed, only to regret it soon after. Pain flared in her head like a hammer to a nail. Dizziness overtook her and she had to swallow the vomit that threatened to come up.
"Careful, the doctor said you have a concussion." Spencer informed the girl who gripped at her head.
"Thanks for telling me sooner." The Latina mumbled as she rubbed her temples.
"How much did you hear?" Aria asked because she did not want to repeat the story.
"All of it," informed Carmen. "I just didn't feel like opening my eyes."
"Was it really Noel?" Aria asked urgently. She couldn't believe he was A.
"We both saw him."
There was a knock at the door that interrupted whatever was going to be said next.
"If that's someone with painkillers, let them in." Hanna told Aria who went over to the door.
"Amen to that."
Aria opened the door and tried to hide the surprise on her face.
"Noel?"
The small girl looked at the others before stepping out of the room and closing the door.
"I feel like I'm dying." Carmen groaned as she covered her face with her hands.
"Well you're not so be thankful for that," Hanna sighed and then smirked. "Emily obviously is."
"Shut up, Hanna." Emily whispered as she gazed at Carmen lovingly. The swimmer felt her heart swell as the protege kissed her hand and gave her a gentle smile.
"You two make me sick." Spencer sighed at her loved up friends.
"I'm happy for you guys, but seriously." Hanna inserted.
"Jealous that you aren't up on all this?" Carmen smirked as Emily rolled her eyes. Her girlfriend could act badass to their friends, but the Filipino wasn't buying it.
"No, but I am jealous of your relationship." Hanna answered honestly and she was sure Spencer felt the same way.
"There doesn't have to be secrets between you two since A is a harassing both of you," Spencer explained to the couple and sighed dreamily. "I want that."
"It would make things easier." Hanna added. Keepin secrets is what always hurts their relationships. No secrets, no trouble.
"It's possible." Carmen smirked at Emily who was just smiling at the Latina and blushing.
Just then Aria walked back into the room, carrying a basket full of goodies.
"Is that for me?" Carmen dramatically asked, placing a hand over her heart. "You shouldn't have."
The Latina took notice of Aria's downcast expression and turned serious.
"What did he say?" She asked, wondering what made her friend so saddened.
"He lied to me," Aria informed as she set the basked on the bed. "He lied about being there."
The girls didn't know what to say to the peteite girl. None of them trusted Noel anymore. They couldn't trust anyone.
At the Fields' household, Pam ans Wayne were lounging on the sofa before Pam pulled away.
"This house isn't going to clean itself."
"The house looks fine." Wayne smiled at his wife who seemed tense.
"I'm sorry," said the stressed woman as she smiled at her husband. "You come home and all I do is talk about things around the house that need to be fixed."
"I like it," the soldier smiled reassuringly before gently tugging his wife to lay against him. "Makes me feel needed."
"Oh you're needed," sighed Pam as she rested her head on his chest and listened to the strong heartbeat. "How long?"
There was a pause of silence before Wayne spoke up. "Not sure. They want me to supervise some training, but they haven't made a schedule yet."
"Where do you have to go?"
"Texas," at his wife's sigh, he tried to add humor. "It's only one timezone away."
"It's just better when you're here," Pam thought of her daughter. "For me, Emily–it's just better for her with the whole team here."
"I know," The soldier kissed the top of her head. "You're doing great though."
"Honey, so much has happened to her." Pam sat up and stared into her love's brown eyes–darker than here own and Emily's.
"You mean this business with the Cavanaugh kid?"
That and Alison and," Pam paused, unsure how to put her daughter's relationship with her best friend. "Carmen. She's just really confused right now."
"Confused how?" Now Wayne was the one confused.
"Honey, daughters don't talk to their mothers the way they do their dads."
"Ask her and she'll tell you the truth." Wayne believed in his daughter and knew she was an honest person.
Pam thought about his statement before she smiled and kissed him gently before getting off the couch to go clean, leaving Wayne to ponder at his wife's behavior.
Hanna and Carmen were asleep in the room, having been administered pain killers, which cause them to doze off.
Hanna shifted restlessly in her sleep, having a nightmare that would not end. Her friends yelling her name before the car made contact with her body.
Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the unwelcomed sight of the stuffed teddy bear from Noel that, ironically, read 'Get Well' on a heart. After giving the toy her not–so–best glare, the blonde leaned up. Even then, she could feel the bear watching her so she turned him around.
Hanna smiled slightly before playing with her fingers, unsurebof what to do when she heard it. The click of a door knob.
Looking at the wooden barrier, she watched as the knob turned and someone started pushing the door forward. Hanna held her breath, afraid of who it might be. That fear dropped when a white bra appeared, held up by a tan hand. Mona soon came into few and Hanna sighed.
"I'm waving a white peace symbol," Mona smiled at her banged up best friend. "Can I come in?"
Hanna laughed lightly at the former nerd. "Yeah, come in, but be quiet. Carmen is still asleep."
Mona nodded as she entered and took in the sight of Hanna's cast. "Oh my gosh! That won't keep you from wearing heels, will it?"
"Just for a little bit." The blonde reassured her drama queen friend who held out her hand for Hanna to take.
"I feel trrible," Mona admitted as she locked her sad, brown eyes onto Hanna's blue ones that were narrowed in confusion. "If I hadn't had univited you to my party, the you wouldn't have been sneaking around. Carmen wouldn't have been with you, and you two wouldn't have gotten hit."
"You have nothing to feel bad about." The fashionista comforted. This wasn't your fault."
Mona's sad expression quickly turned into a smile. "Okay good."
"Can we just go back to being friends?"
"The past is forgotten," Mona told her and Hanna couldn't help but close her eyes. Not everyone could forgive the past so easily like Mona. "Friends forever."
"Are you sure about what you saw on that tree?"
"We both saw it, Aria." Emily reminded the petite girl as they entered Aria's bed.
"I know, but do you think Ali could have just put it up there?" The artist tried to reason.
"No, Alison may have done some psycho stuff, but she wasn't tacky." Spencer sighed as she sat next to Aria on the bed.
"Anyway, Ian was with Melissa last night so he couldn't be A," said the swimmer, trying to convince Aria of Noel's participation at the party. "Which brings us back to Noel."
"He had means, he had opportunity, and the pictures of Emily and Carmen were stolen at Noel's party, right?" Spencer made her case. She really would make a fantastic lawyer.
Aria nodded her head tiredly. "Yeah, I know."
"And both girls saw him write that message on the back of Mr. Fitz's car."
"Slow down a minute," Aria shook her her head. "You flipped over to Noel awful fast."
"A or not, you still need to know what he saw," Spencer pointed out. "And what he's gonna do about it."
At school, Aria was in the music class, playing around with the piano, when she felt a presence behind her.
"You didn't call."
Noel was standing at the door with an unreadable expression on his face. Aria got off the stool she was sitting on and turned to him.
"Sorry, it got late."
"What's the word on the girls?" The handsome boy asked and Aria didn't know if she should be cautious or not.
"They're doing better." She gave him a slight smile.
"That's great," he stated, but it didn't sound sincere in her ears. "Did they catch the guy who did it?"
"The police are still searching." Aria informed him. He was either really concerned, or really paranoid. He eyes were downcast and Aria couldn't help herself. "Did you see anything?"
"Who told you I was there?" Noel tried to charm her with a radiant smile, but Aria wasn't having it.
"I saw you in the crowd, when they were loading up the ambulance," she said with positivity. "I wasn't sure then, but I am now."
"It was suppose to be a joke." Noel admitted to being there. At the blank look he recieved, he decided to elaborate. "Yeah, like a movie. Bunch of girls in the woods, I went to give you girls a scare. I saw you going off... So I followed you," he stepped closer where she could reached out and touched him. "Followed you to his car."
"You wrote on the window."
"I should have thrown a rock." Anger seeped into his stormy eyes.
"What did you see?" Aria lowered her voice, hoping the boy would do the same.
"Enough to know why you act so squirmish around him," Noel revealed, but all she could do was stare at him. "What did he promise you to get you in that car? I'll go to the principal with you. You can take this guy down for what he made you do."
Aria was starting to understand what Noel was implying.
"Noel, stop," the dark haired boy turned his attention back to her. "It's... Not like that."
Understanding creeped onto his face as his eyes went steely.
"Then what is it like?"
"If you care about me at all, please don't say anything to anyone," Aria knew she was being selfish if the boy truly had feelings for her, but she had no choice. "Let me handle it. Promise me."
The bell sounded the end of the period and the end of the conversation.
"I have to go."
"Noel, please." She begged him for his word.
"Alright," he said finally. "I promise." With that he walked out of the door, leaving Aria alone in the dread she felt sweep upon her.
Emily was walking down the hallway, talking with a police man on the phone.
"I want to know if Toby Cavanaugh can have visitors?"
"No... I'm not family."
"Just have Agent Cooper call me back, please. Thank you."
"He doesn't want to see you," A voice stated behind her. Jenna was sitting at a bench in the hall and couldn't help but overhear. "And even if he did, I wouldn't let him."
"I didn't turn him in."
"Look what you've done. You made him runaway," Jenna shook her head sadly. "The police came to our house because of you."
"Let me talk to him. Please." Emily pleaded with the blind girl. She didn't want to considering that Jenna had kissed Carmen (A fact she had to remove from her mind), but she needed to see Toby.
"No," Jenna whispered and Emily starined to hear it. "I won't let anyone come between us." The blind girl started making her way past Emily, when the swimmer turned to her.
"Someone should have come between you a long time ago. Maybe a social worker with a bucket of ice water."
Jenna paused for a moment before smirking, her back towards Emily. "Attitude. Carmen must be really rubbing off on you. Maybe it's from all the kissing, but guess what?" Jenna whispered the last words to Emily. "She rubbed off on me too."
Emily watched her go, her jaw clenched in anger. Jenna knew how to rile her up, and would definatly use that to her advantage.
Carmen awoke from her sleep to the sound of a door opening. She groggily opened her eyes to the white, blinding walls of the hospital. The medicine hadn't worn off yet, causing her body to feel light, almost like she was floating.
She looked up and saw someone standing in front of her x-ray machine, looking at her scans. The more her eyes adjusted, the more the air left her lungs.
"Alison?"
Golden curls were tossed back as the girl's sapphire eyes locked onto hazel pools.
"Did you miss me?"
Carmen was speechless. Her lost love was standing in front of her bed, arms crossed and a too familiar smirk on ruby red lips. The Latina's mind was reeling at this point.
"Ali... they said you were dead."
"Yeah, I heard that too," The blonde stopped at the side of the bed, reaching down to move a piece of hair from her girlfriend's face. "But here I am."
As Ali's skin made contact with hers, a electric sensation shot into her body. There was no doubt about it now. Alison was here.
"Still the same as ever," Alison sighed with a content smile on her face. "Like my uniform?"
Carmen took a moment to analyze the blonde's oufit. A interns dress that has a strange sex appeal to it.
"Yeah, you look...-" the Latina stopped herself from getting sidetracked. "Wait, why are you here?"
"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't come see my lover in the hospital?" That damn smirk would be the death of her and Ali knew it too. "Besides, I've been meaning to see you, although, it seems you've been busy with a certain swimmer?"
Uh oh. Here came jealous Alison. This would not turn out well.
"Everyone said you were dead... They found you." Carmen whispered the last part.
"But here I am, no ghost or anything and I come to learn my girlfriend has a new girlfriend."
"I'm sorry, but you're not here. You haven't been here and you show up when I'm injured and expect everything to be okay?"
Carmen expected some kknd of retaliation, but was surprised to see Alison's face soften and a smile play on her lips.
"You're right."
The genius wasn't sure she head right. "Excuse the hell outta me?"
Alison rolled her eyes before sitting on the bed, leaning against the pillows with Carmen on her right.
"I said you're right. I'm not able to be here for you and you need someone who can be," Alison sighed as she laced her pale fingers with the tan colored ones. "I don't have to like it though."
"You know I loved you," Carmen furrowed her eyebrows. "Love you."
"I know sweetie." Alison sighed as her ocean blue eyes captured teary, green ones. "You should know that I also love you and no one can or will take you from me."
"Si, I know." The Latina whispered as she moved closer to Alison, wanting the comfort of the lost girl.
A sudden noise drew Alison's attention.
"I have to go," Alison whispered to her lover as tears glistened in her eyes. Her voice was laced with unshed emotion. "Just know that I love you. No matter what you see or hear. I love you... So much."
"Ali..."
Alison smiled and shook her head before cupping Carmen's face and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Unbridled emotion poured from Alison and into Carmen. Hands knew where to go to tangle in blonde tresses. The injured girl could taste the blonde's regret, concern, sadness, but most of all... Her love. Their kiss was undescribable. It was almost as if their souls recognized each other and they had never been apart. It was slow, but urgent. Like Ali was trying to make her feel everything in one kiss. Like this would be the last time Alison would see the girl.
Pulling apart for air, Alison's smile was breathtaking as she wiped away a tear that had escaped the hazel pools.
"Still the same, but so much better."
Alison stood up and smoothed down her dress before checking a watched on her uniform.
"Got to go."
"Go where?" Carmen mumbled as a haze filled her mind.
"I was so afraid that you were gonna die. That's why I came here. I had to see you."
Carmen couldn't form words as her eyes began to flutter. Alison smiled at this.
"You know, I should really do something about A," Alison sighed. "That bitch is really getting on my nerves."
With that, the blonde walked out into the hallway, but looked back to see her love still fighting off sleep, just to see her.
"Sleep, darling."
Alison walked until she disappeared from view.
Emily was laying on her bed, on the phone with Maya, the musician wanting to hang out with the swimmer.
"I don't know. With Carmen and Hanna in the hospital, everything is on hold," Emily sighed as she played with her hair. "I really miss her. You know I love her."
Emily smiled as Maya gagged on the line from the overly sweetness. The swimmer felt someone watching her, and glanced at her door to see Wayne.
"I gotta go."
"Was that Spencer?" Wayne asked curiously, seeing as how it couldn't have been Carmen or Hanna considering Emily was talking about them.
"No, Maya," Emily told him. "Does Mom need help with dinner?"
Wayne shook his head as he sat in a chair. "Do you remember Dennis Small?"
"Yeah."
"He heard you've been calling the station."
Emily kept her eyes on her bed, not wanting to meet her father's fierce gaze.
"Want to tell me why you want to talk to Toby?"
"I just..." Emily stopped and sighed. "I want him to know it wasn't me that turned him in."
"Has he threatened you?" Wayne asked in full father mode.
"No."
Wayne stood up and walked to Emily's bed, gazing at her with brown, almost black, eyes. "Your mother thinks you are keeping something from her."
"It's nothing, Dad."
You've been jumpy since I got home, at first I thought it was because I've been gone for a while, but that's not it. Something's eating you." Wayne was worried about his daughter and if anyone was messing with her, they would answer to him.
"Like you said, I'm just jumpy." Emily tried to convince her dad. The athlete knew exactly what secret her mom was talking about.
"Look, you tell me who's giving you a hard time and I will take care of it."
"It's not like that."
"If you need help, you ask for it," the soldier said as he sat on the bed. "There is nothing to be ashamed about."
"Dad..." Emily's voice was quiet and went unheard.
"I'll talk to Toby and put an end to it."
"I'm not afraid of Toby." The swimmer interrupted her dad, meeting his eyes before looking away.
"You're afraid of something," Wayne pressed on. "I can see it in your eyes."
Emily took a deep breath, thinking of what Carmen would do. She would stand her ground and fight for what she believed in and that's exactly what Emily was going to do.
"I'm afraid of you and mom."
Wayne laughed in disbelief. "Why are you afraid of us?"
"Cause I'm not who you think I am." Emily mentally grimaced at the line.
"You're Emily Fields, my little girl," the soldier informed her. "I have a picture of you in my wallet."
"I'm eight years old in that picture," said the teary eyed Filipino. "That's a different girl."
"It's the same girl," Wayne smiled at his daughter. "Just need a new picture."
"It's not that simple."
"Emmy." Something was definitely wrong with his daughter.
Now or never.
"I'm... Gay."
The last word came out sounding so broken, tears laced in her voice. She couldn't meet her father's gaze. She swallowed at her father's silence.
"I'm gay."
Wayne stared at the young woman in front of him. His little girl was gone. He blinked as he sat on the bed. He went to say something, when the chocolate pool of tears looked at him, and he stayed in silence.
Aria and Spencer were walking through the woods, on their way to the tree that marked Alison and Ian's love. The girls were talking about Mr. Fitz until Spencer started teasing.
"Will you just show me this stupid tree?"
"Sure, it's this way."
Spencer took the lead, making sure they were going the right way when she got to the tree. More like where the tree should have been.
"What's wrong?" Aria asked, noticing her friends' distress.
"It was right here."
Don't tell me that-" The petite girl stopped when she noticed a tree stump.
Saw dust covered the top of it. Proof of a recent cut.
"She didn't come up with this on her own," Pam paced back in forth in the living room while Wayne sat on the couch. "It had to be Carmen."
"Before we start talking about other people, let's just talk about Emily." Wayne tried to reason. He was still in shock, but Pam was angry.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Pam sighed dramatically.
"She was afraid."
"Of me?"
"Of both of us."
"Emily is not afraid of us," Pam shook her head and walked over to her purse. "You know what she's afraid of? This." She slammed an envelope on the coffee table in front of her husband who opened it and took out the pictures.
"Where'd you get these?" Wayne asked as he saw the last picture of his daughter and her "best friend."
"Someone mailed them to me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"When was I suppose to tell you?" Pam exclaimed. "When you walked through the door after being gone for eight months?"
Wayne stayed silent, knowing his wife was right.
"How are we going to fix this?" Pam asked as she sat on the table.
"Fix it? This isn't like buying her braces," Wayne ran a hand through his hair. "This is who she is."
"That's not who she is," said the mother in denial. "That's what Carmen is making her into."
"I have no problem with Carmen as a person," Wayne admitted and saw his wife's eyebrows furrow, much like their daughter's. "Do you?"
"I..." Pam didn't know what to say.
"She's smart, well mannered, and if Emily's smile is anything to go by, she treats our daughter right," the soldier listed off things. "Besides havin no parents there to guide her, she would be the perfect person I would choose for my daughter."
"If it were a boy!" Pam exclaimed. "She's hot-tempered, blows her money, runs around everywhere..."
"If Carmen was a boy, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"It's wrong..." Said his wife and he sighed.
"I didn't know what shebwas going to tell me when I went in there," Wayne looked in his lover's eyes. "Drugs? Did this Toby kid get her pregnant? Then she tells me she's gay and you show me these pictures of her and her best friend."
"They are clearly more than friends." Pam mumbled.
"Let's just keep a perspective on this."
"What is your perspective?"
"She is struggling with this," said the soldier as he turned to his wife. "I can see it."
"And I can't?"
"That's not what I meant-"
"Are you willing to just turn away from everything we ever wanted for her?" Pam was almost yelling now. "Let her ruin her life?"
"She is alive and healthy," Wayne rubbed his face as he stood up. "And believe me, after everything I've seen, alive and healthy count for a lot."
Neither one of the parents knew Emily was just ln the stairs, every word ripping her heart.
"You told them?!"
The girls were sure the whole hospital heard the shocked exclamation of the Latina.
"Yeah." Emily said lowly, playing with the stuffed bear.
"How was that?" Aria asked from her spot beside the athlete.
"Rough."
"It'll be okay, Em." The artist patted Emily's hand with her own.
"I actually think Carmen is taking this worse than you." Hanna nodded at the Latina's bed and they saw a pillow over the girl's face.
Emily walked over and removed the pillow so her girlfriend could no longer try and suffocate herself.
"Your parents hate me, don't they?" Carmen sighed. Mr. and Mrs. Fields had always been good to her.
"They don't hate you," Emily rolled her eyes at her girl's dramatic attitude. "Dad actually pointed out that you were the perfect matcn if he had to pick someone out. Mom was... Against everything he said."
"Great, so it's your mom I have to worry about."
"I'll protect you." Emily leaned over and gave the Latina a chaste kiss.
"Guys, back to the tree that walked away?" Spencer said as Emily blushed.
"The whole tree?" Hanna asked for verification.
"All of it."
"Why show us that and then take it away?" The blonde asked mkre to herself.
"Almost like A has a split personality." Emily theorized.
"Or there's more than one person," Carmen shrugged and the attention was on her. "It would explain how they seem to be everywhere at once."
"So A and Ali's killer are two seperate people?" Hanna asked in disbelief at what she was hearing. The other girls nodding cause her to groan in frustration.
"Aren't we in enough trouble?" Hanna asked and gestured to herself. "Just look at us."
Aria looked down and noticed something on Hanna's cast.
Sorry about losing my temper.
My bad.
Love,
-A
"Han," Aria said to get the blonde's attention. "Who wrote this?"
"I don't know," Hanna rubbed her arms. "People have been in and out all day and so have I."
"I second that." Carmen informed so they would know she wasn't any help.
"Oh no." Emily said quietly as her eyes took in the writing.
"What?" Hanna demanded and sat up straighter.
"Sorry about losing my temper. My bad. Love A." Aria read the words off the white plaster.
"Carmen, let me see your cast," Emily demanded as she yanked the sheets back and looked at the ankle cast. "Oh my God."
"What does mine say?"
"I hope I didn't damage your pretty face too bad. Be careful who you hang around with. Love always, A." Emily saw the fear creep into the Latina's eyes before she looked away.
"Get it off!" yelled Hanna who was thrashing in her bed. "Get it off now!"
The girls tried to calm her down as Carmen leaned back in bed and sigh. She was tired and developing a permanent headache. Things could not get worse.
How wrong she was.
Somewhere in a house, a fireplace blazed to life. A figure walked up to the flame, poking the logs that gave life to the heat. An image was craved on on of the logs. A heart, burning down to ash by the second.
Alison & Ian.
There it is! It was a terribly long wait and I'm sorry. I lost the will to write and only just found it again. Hope you enjoyed it!
Big thanks to my reviewers also. You guys are part of the reason I finished this. Give yourself a hand!
See you all next time in, "Salt Meets Wound."