DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Pretty Little Liars and all its characters. All characters in this fanfic except for maybe three belong to PLL. A few events in this fanfic were borrowed from the storyline of the PLL TV series. Since I never read the books, I have no clear idea about 'A' and their motives for torturing the Liars. That said the motives of the 'A'-team in this fanfic are entirely of my own creation.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the lengthy version of what this fanfic is all about, please refer to the Author's Note in the first two chapters.

~To all who took the time to post their reviews about the story so far, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I am seriously overwhelmed with your comments. I hope I will be able to do the story justice. Thanks for taking the time to read my fanfic and deciding it was worth following! I give you the third chapter!~

Chapter 3: Clarity

"Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal." – Oscar Wilde

"Thanks for dinner guys." Dani told the three girls as they exited the Grille. She breathed in the cool night air and crossed her arms to her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm. She had to admit it was good to be back in Rosewood even if it still brought back some painful memories. There was a time that she actually liked living there. And tonight she really did have a nice time. These girls were pretty cool when Alison wasn't controlling them. "Seriously. It's been a while since P and I had a taste of real food."

"P? Wow. I didn't know you had nicknames for each other." Hanna said, smirking.

Correction. These girls were pretty cool when they didn't feel like she was being a threat to Rosewood's "IT" couple. Dani rolled her eyes internally. Some things never change.

"Hold your horses H." Dani said to her, emphasizing the H. "It doesn't mean anything. It's not like I'm going around calling her babe." Dani smirked inwardly. She knew she promised Paige she'd be nicer to them, but sometimes she just enjoyed getting a rise out of these girls.

"So. You and Paige. You said it's been a while since you two ate a decent meal. How come?" Spencer asked, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, you know, we had to travel a lot. Paige is really determined to follow all the leads we find. Most of which led to dead ends mind you." Dani said offhandedly.

"So, Paige was with you the whole time she was away from Rosewood?" Aria asked cautiously.

Dani nodded her head. She knew when Paige left Rosewood that she didn't tell any of them where she was going except for Dani's stepbrother and now that Paige is back naturally they have a lot of questions. But she had to be careful when answering those questions.

"And you guys spent two years just pursuing leads yet you're not any closer to finding out anything? Why are you even back in Rosewood then?" Hanna asked.

"Wow and here I thought you guys would be glad that Paige finally returned to Rosewood." Dani said in an attempt to keep the mood light. "We found a few leads. One of which led us back here." She continued when the girls still looked at her expectantly. She and Paige agreed it was better if Emily and her friends are kept in the dark for now. They still needed to figure some things out before revealing what they know. "And before you ask, no, we can't tell you guys. Not yet. I made a promise to Paige that I would help her get answers but I also gave her my word that I would help keep Emily's friends safe." She continued.

"What about Em? Are you saying she's safe?" Spencer asked, confused.

Dani started to walk ahead of them towards the parking lot to the spot where Spencer parked her car so that they won't see her face when she answered that question. "Oh come on you guys. Paige is all over that situation. Like she'd let anything happen to the other half of Rosewood's "IT" couple." Dani said lightly, her voice never betraying the hurt that was evident on her face.

When they reached Spencer's car, Dani thought the girls would finally stop with the 20 questions and that she would be able to enjoy the ride back to the motel in peace. But luck wasn't on her side. Once they started the drive back to the motel, Spencer continued the interrogation.

"So how often did you guys follow leads?" she asked.

"Every day actually." Dani admitted. "Following leads didn't just mean spending every waking moment in a motel room. Most of the time we actually followed leads from my apartment but neither of us really liked to cook and we were so absorbed in following leads we usually ordered takeout or bought frozen dinners."

"Ugh. That is so not food." Spencer commented.

Dani laughed from the backseat. "Thank you! Finally, a kindred spirit. Someone who actually shares my opinion on frozen dinners!" Out of all the girls, she actually liked Spencer the most. Whenever she tried making fun of Spencer she held her ground and their banters are always amusing. At least to her. "But I really wanted to help out my best friend so I didn't mind."

"Right. Because your feelings for Paige are strictly platonic and you didn't secretly wish you could get into her pants in the process." Hanna said sarcastically.

"Think what you want Hanna but when Paige came to me she had this wild look in her eyes. I've known her for years and I know that fact never sat well with Emily mostly because I liked rubbing that little bit of information in her face," she chuckled but stopped when she saw the glare the girls were throwing her way. "But I knew if I refused to help her she would have gone off on her own anyway and who knows what could have happened then?" she said seriously. "At least this way I could keep my eye on her." Dani finished.

Beside her, Aria opened her mouth to speak before Hanna could comment on Dani's last statement. "But how could you follow leads when you left Rosewood before the accident? Where were you able to get the information you needed?"

"Uh, I have my ways." Dani said vaguely, not wanting to reveal the existence of the other person who was helping them the entire time. Not yet. "There was a reason Paige came to me and it wasn't because I'm her best friend though I wished it was. It's because of my, how do I put it, talents." She continued.

"What talent is that?" Hanna asked, joining the conversation again.

"Not to brag but I'm a pretty decent hacker. A fact that only Paige and albeit to my dismay, Emily, knew." Dani said proudly. "I have mad skills in all things hi-tech and Paige needed my help accessing video feeds and medical files among other things."

"My boyfriend has mad skills too." Hanna said. "Why didn't Paige ask Caleb for help?"

"Oh good for you H!" Dani said, clapping her hands sarcastically. "But would your boyfriend leave you behind if Paige needed to pursue a lead out of Rosewood?" Dani asked. She knew it wasn't her place but she felt she had to explain Paige's actions for the past two years. "At that time Paige needed someone who had no connections to Rosewood. At least not anymore. She needed someone who would readily come with her when she suddenly finds a lead she wanted to follow. It's not like I knew she was going to come to me. When she turned up on my doorstep unexpectedly I was alarmed. For one I didn't exactly tell anyone my whereabouts after that scandal years ago. And second I didn't know what happened to Paige's parents until that night."

"So Paige told you about 'A' then?" Aria asked after a moment.

"No. But I kind of knew about 'A' even before my family left Rosewood." Dani admitted.

"How?" The three girls asked her incredulously at the same time, if the atmosphere in the car wasn't so tense she would have laughed out loud.

"I can't tell you guys. Not yet. That's kind of between me and Paige for now." Dani explained. "Right now the important thing is that now that we're back you guys have more help in dealing with 'A'." She continued.

"Oh. About that." Spencer began.

"What?" Dani asked as she looked at them, confused.

"Things around here have been relatively quiet since Paige left." Spencer continued.

"What do you mean?" Dani asked, still baffled.

"She means that when Paige left Rosewood we stopped getting messages from 'A'." Hanna finished for Spencer.

Dani was about to ask them something else when suddenly all their phones made a beeping noise, indicating an incoming text message. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with dread before checking their respective phones.

"And now that Paige is back apparently so is 'A'." Aria said worriedly.

The rest of the drive back to the motel was made in silence, each of them contemplating what would happen next.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to ask for Dani's help." Paige began, her eyes still closed, refusing to look at Emily.

Emily swallowed hard and faced Paige, putting one leg underneath her in an effort to make herself comfortable. She didn't know what to say to that. Paige knew she and Dani never got along. Dani blamed her for the brief falling-out she had with Paige even if Paige insisted it was Dani's fault. And even if Paige and Dani found a way to restore that friendship, she and Emily still never found a way to get along.

"It's okay." Emily said after a while. "She's your best friend. I mean, it's not like you were obligated to tell me where you were going. You said it yourself in your letter. You had no idea where you were headed."

Paige finally opened her eyes but still refused to face Emily. "I really didn't know where I was going. I didn't have any leads at that time. Just a feeling."

"But you knew who could give you a lead." Emily said, realizing the reason Paige sought out Dani.

Paige nodded. "I didn't come to Danielle because she's my best friend. I know it sounds harsh but that's the truth. At that time I needed to see her because she was the only person I knew who wasn't in Rosewood who could help me. The fact that she's my best friend only made the decision to find her easier because I knew I could trust her." She explained.

"I get that." Emily said gently. "But the days that followed. When you called me every day. Why didn't you tell me then?" She asked, confused.

"For two reasons. First, because I didn't want you to worry any more than you already were. Or get the wrong impression." Paige said, rubbing the sides of her forehead. "Second, I don't want our conversations to be about what I was doing out there. At the end of the day I just wanted to talk to you and hear your voice."

"And you think I wouldn't understand that?" Emily asked. "Paige even if things were complicated between us back then, I wouldn't have gotten mad that you were with Dani once you explained it to me."

"I know. I'm really sorry." Paige said genuinely. She finally faced Emily, tucking one of her legs beneath her just like Emily did. She felt spent and for the first time since she began looking into her parents' deaths, she didn't have the energy to be impassive. She could go back to being indifferent tomorrow. Tonight she would tell Emily what she can.

Emily noticed the sudden change in Paige's demeanor and knew Paige was willing to talk to her. "So what did you find?" Emily asked in an effort to change the subject.

"Not much. Most of the leads we had were dead ends. One even led to several calls made to France which was kind of weird but we decided to follow it anyway. We tried to see how far that lead would take us but in the end..." Paige just shrugged.

"But then you found something big. That's why you returned to Rosewood." Emily pressed; wanting to find out more about what Paige went through those years she spent chasing leads.

"We're not sure yet but for the past two years we followed every lead we came across. Most of the time we just did it in Dani's apartment but sometimes we had to go on road trips." Paige explained.

"So what was the lead that made you come back?" Emily prodded.

Paige shook her head regretfully. "I can't tell you about it yet. Not until we find more proof. We don't want to alert 'A' that we're still on their trail. Now that I'm back 'A' could be watching our every move."

Emily furrowed her brows before speaking. "There's something you should know."

Paige looked at her questioningly. "About?"

"'A'." Emily replied. "At first we didn't think too much about it. We were just so relieved that it stopped. For a while we were still on edge but as the months passed we were finally able to feel normal again."

"What are you saying?" Paige asked, confused.

"I don't know if it was just a coincidence but the day you left was the day we stopped receiving messages from 'A'. Since then we're able to live our lives without constantly having to watch our backs." Emily explained.

Paige suddenly felt lightheaded. This was bad. Before she could say something to Emily, Emily's phone beeped at the same time she felt hers vibrate in her pocket, alerting them of an incoming message. Paige spoke before Emily could reach for her phone to check the message. "And now that I'm back so are they." She said hoarsely, her blood pounding in her ears. "This means we weren't careful enough."

Emily looked briefly at Paige with a confused expression before reading the message. A feeling of dread came over her when she saw who it was from. The message came with a photo of Paige and Dani that morning as they were boarding the bus leaving for Rosewood. The message below it made Emily tense.

Sorry I had to leave for a while to go to greener pastures. I bet you guys missed me. Give my regards to these two. Now that they're back more secrets will come out. – A

Once Dani reached the door to their room, she willed herself to act normally so as not to draw suspicion. Entering the room, she closed the door behind her and turned on the lights. She slowly walked around the room, trying to pretend she was looking for a change of clothes when she was actually checking for signs of any disturbance. Satisfied that no one other than her and Paige have been inside the room, she stood in front of the window with the open blinds before lifting her hands to remove her top. She then closed the blinds, making it look like she wanted privacy when changing. Certain that whoever was watching was convinced she was getting ready for bed, she quickly headed to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and then carefully lifted the cover of the water tank of the toilet. Placing the cover carefully on the floor, she then retrieved one of the two phones that were in waterproof packets from inside the tank. Quickly getting to work, she made a call. Just like they talked about, the person on the other end answered on the 5th ring.

"Change of plans. We've been compromised. You know where to go. 30 minutes. Paige will be there." Dani said hurriedly and then ended the call. Next, she sent a message to Paige telling her of the sudden change in their plans. When that was done, she returned the phone to its packet before returning it to the water tank. She carefully replaced the cover of the water tank and then turned off the shower. Once she left the bathroom, she grabbed the ice bucket by the front door. She had to draw the attention of whoever was watching her to make sure Paige will be in the clear for the next 30 minutes. She went out into the hallway and made her way to the ice machine, looking around furtively once in a while to make it seem like she was about to meet someone.

Paige read the message Dani sent from one of their encrypted phones before turning her attention back to Emily. She didn't have much time left. She had to put an end to the night.

"Paige…" Emily suddenly spoke up. "Did you have any idea that 'A' has been on your trail ever since you left?" she asked carefully.

Paige shook her head, still trying to process the implications of that little piece of information. She swallowed hard before speaking. "We thought we covered our tracks well. Since you guys said there was more than one 'A' I figured we needed to be extremely careful because I didn't want to tip them off that I was looking into the events that happened the day of the accident. But I never thought my leaving Rosewood would cause the entire 'A' team to follow me. I mean, why would I? You and your friends have been the main targets of these 'A's for years so the thought that they would follow my every move never crossed my mind. Unless…" Paige didn't finish the sentence. Her mind was too busy trying to connect things, events, and clues she and Dani found over the years.

"Unless what?" Emily said, reminding Paige that she wasn't alone.

"The people behind 'A' were scared I would find something. That I found something or that I know something from that day and they had to make sure they were one step ahead of us." Paige thought out loud, not really talking to Emily.

"What else could you possibly know about that day?" Emily asked. "I thought you didn't remember anything other than waking up in the car moments before the accident?"

"And I still don't. That's what frustrates me. After all this time I still can't remember what happened before the accident. I must have seen or heard something, that's why I was abducted." Paige said. She looked at the time on her watch. Shit. She had to leave right now.

"Listen Emily, it's getting really late and I'm kind of beat. Can we continue this conversation some other time?" She said while getting up from the sofa.

Emily followed suit, her face showing her disappointment but understanding Paige's desire to rest. They've barely been back in Rosewood for a day and things were starting to get crazy again. The question she was dying to ask Paige ever since dinner was at the tip of her tongue. She was still gathering the courage to ask it knowing Paige's answer meant everything to her right now. But now that the night was about to come to an end, she had to find a way to ask it before Paige went out the door. Just as she was about to blurt it out, there was a knock on the door. Paige looked at her in confusion.

"Were you expecting anyone this late?" Paige asked.

Emily shook her head and made her way to the front door, looking into the peephole to see who it was before opening the door. "Caleb. What's wrong? Is Hanna okay?" She asked hurriedly.

"Hello to you to Emily." Caleb said in greeting, giving her a small smile that still hardly hid his dimples. "Hanna's fine but she was worried. They got a text from 'A' a while ago and she said she tried calling you just now but you weren't answering your phone. I said you were probably asleep but just the same I decided to check up on you on my way to her place."

"Oh. Thanks. But you shouldn't have. I must have missed her call. I was kind of in the middle of something." Emily said before opening the door a little wider to reveal Paige standing behind Emily.

Caleb smiled at Paige in greeting. "McCullers. I heard you were back. Welcome home."

Paige nodded at him in greeting. "Hey Caleb. Nice to see you managed to stay up and about while I was gone."

"Hey Caleb? That's all I get? How about a hug?" Caleb asked before moving towards Paige to hug her. Paige hugged him back loosely before quickly extricating herself from Caleb's arms.

"Well now that I've fulfilled my duties for the night, I am going to leave you two alone." Caleb said before turning his back to them. "I'll tell Hanna you're fine." Caleb called back before waving a hand at Emily without looking at her.

Emily closed the door behind her to face Paige. This was it. She had to say something before she drove Paige back to the motel.

"You don't have to drive me back to the motel. I can just take a cab." Paige said softly like she knew what Emily was thinking. "It's really late and I don't want you to have to drive back by yourself. Especially now that 'A' is back."

Emily felt her heart soar. Paige still cared. "It is kind of late. Maybe you should stay the night. I can take the couch." Emily offered shyly.

Paige shook her head. "Thanks for the offer but I really need to get back to Dani." She said before realizing how those words might sound to Emily. Too late.

"Oh." Emily said, her face falling. She started fidgeting with the hem of her top. "About that… I know it's not really my business but… you and Dani. Are you…" She let the question hang in the air knowing Paige understood what she was trying to ask.

Paige shook her head. "No. We're still just friends." She saw Emily visibly relax with those words but she knew what her ex-girlfriend's next question was going to be and Paige dreaded the answer she was about to give.

"What about us?" Emily asked quietly, unable to look Paige in the eye.

What about us. To Paige, that was such a loaded question. Because really. What about them. What were they? She knew she wanted to be with Emily. But things are so complicated and confusing right now she knew she could end up hurting Emily all over again. She can't be with her right now. Not when she was torn. "We're friends Emily."

Emily looked up at Paige in disbelief. "Friends?"

"Come on Em, you really can't expect us to get back together just like that." Paige began. "Not after everything that's happened. Let's just go back to being friends for now. Try to be good at being friends and see where it goes."

Emily swallowed hard. At the back of her mind she knew Paige was right. So much has happened between them but she was willing to work things out if it meant finding their way back to each other. Apparently Paige didn't feel the same way. She felt herself getting upset. She didn't want to be friend-zoned.

"Being friends with you isn't enough Paige." Emily said sadly.

"We did it once. We could do it again." Paige said softly, trying to convince Emily and herself to believe those words.

Emily laughed bitterly. "When were we ever just friends? We were never just friends, Paige. We were just stuck at not being something more but we were never just friends." Emily continued brokenly. "I don't know how to be just a friend. I don't want to know how. Not with you."

Paige closed the physical distance between them and took Emily's face in her hands. "Listen to me." She said gently, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Emily's ear, causing Emily's heart to pound wildly. "I'm not trying to be cruel. Do you remember our picnic date the day after we sang karaoke?" Emily nodded. "That day you made a decision about us because you didn't want to come back to the closet. You told me we should just be friends and even if that was the last thing I wanted to be when it comes to you I respected your decision because I knew I wasn't ready to be what you needed me to be."

Emily sighed and brought her arms around Paige's neck. Paige instinctively wrapped her arms around Emily's waist, holding her tightly for a second before whispering in her ear, "I know how much it hurts right now and I know it's the last thing you wanted to be but please try for me. I'm telling you I can't be more than that to you. I can't give you what you need nor can I be the person you need me to be. Not right now. Please respect my decision." She moved to kiss the top of Emily's head lightly and felt Emily's tears on her neck.

"Can you do that for me?" Paige asked softly.

Emily nodded after a while, struggling to speak between her tears. "I love you so much." She whispered fervently. She felt Paige's arms tighten around her and listened to the steady beating of Paige's heart. "I know." She heard Paige say. "I love you too."

It was after midnight when Paige finally got back to their motel room. As expected, Dani was freaking out. Paige calmly explained that it took longer for her to leave Emily's house because the cab company got the wrong address. Dani accepted her apology and asked how dinner with Emily went. Paige was too exhausted to tell her everything so she just said it was fine and that they decided to try and be friends for now, which Dani snorted at derisively, not letting the opportunity pass to say something about that.

"Riiiight. I wonder how long that's going to last." Dani said sarcastically. "You guys were never friends. You were like, in lust with her since that time you bled all over her."

"How did dinner with Emily's friends go?" Paige asked, deciding to ignore the comment Dani made.

Dani rolled her eyes, "You mean aside from the game of 20 questions? And by 20 I really meant 60 because there were 3 of them." Paige continued to wait for her answer, not the least bit amused. "I actually had fun. Spencer Hastings is a kindred spirit. Food-wise."

It was Paige's turn to roll her eyes at that. And here she thought Dani would be terrified of returning to Rosewood. Seems like of the two of them, she was the one with the misgivings.

"Did you meet with my brother?" Dani asked anxiously.

Paige nodded. "But it was more like he met with me. I thought I was going to be late meeting with him but he found a way to give me this." She said as she reached into her jacket pocket and handed Dani a micro disc. "I didn't know your brother was such a hugger Danielle." She continued wryly.

Dani took the disc from Paige and made her way to the bed where the laptop sat waiting. "Okay. One, never call me Danielle ever again. Two, give the guy a break. He got shot by that stalker of Maya's trying to save the love of your life. He's just feeling the love. Still." Dani said dismissively.

Paige shook her head and took a seat beside Dani on the bed as she waited to see the files on the disc Caleb slipped her earlier.

Emily woke up to the incessant ringing of her phone. Groggily, she got up and ran a hand through her hair before looking at the clock on her bedside table. 6:12 am. Who the hell was calling her at this ungodly hour? She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and groaned when she saw who it was. She lied back on her bed before answering. "You better be lying on the side of the road bleeding to death or I'm hanging up Spencer."

"Ha-Ha. Good morning to you too Em." Spencer's good mood made Emily wish she didn't answer the phone.

"What do you want Spence?" Emily asked, annoyed.

"Wow someone's grouchy. I take it things between you and Paige didn't go as planned?" Spencer asked, suddenly serious.

Emily turned to her side and gazed at the black and white photograph on her bedside table. It was a candid shot Aria took the day of the impromptu celebration at the marina.

Emily's friends decided to throw a spur-of-the-moment intimate gathering that night at the marina in honor of the occasion. However, the intimate gathering soon turned into a full-blown party with people showing up not having any idea why a party was being thrown. Emily didn't mind but decided to take a breather. She sat on top of one of the wooden boardwalk railings and was enjoying the silence when a set of arms wrapped itself around her waist. Emily instinctively leaned into Paige's chest and turned her body ever so slightly to nuzzle her head into the crook of Paige's neck, reveling in the peaceful bliss their mere contact made her feel. They stayed like that for a while until Emily saw two couples approach from a distance. Paige flashed her a smile that always made her knees weak and her heart race and said she had one more surprise. Emily smiled widely when she recognized her parents and Paige's parents. Paige told her it wasn't a secret and that she talked to Emily's parents and her own parents about it first. No words could describe the overwhelming happiness and love Emily felt at that moment but Aria captured it perfectly. The photo of Emily and Paige inches apart looking into each other's eyes while Paige tucked a loose strand of Emily's hair behind her ear captured the peak of the glory days of Rosewood's "IT" couple.

Emily felt a wave of sadness hit her. The couple in the photo was long gone, forever changed by the events of that night. "She just wants to be friends right now." Emily said quietly, trying to control her emotions before she started crying again. "So I said I'll try. It's better than not having her in my life at all." She continued.

"Oh Em, I'm so sorry to hear that. What are you going to do?" Spencer asked worriedly.

"You mean besides try not to fall apart?" Emily said faintly, unconsciously bringing her other hand to the ring on her necklace.

"Em you can't let yourself wallow in self-pity. I won't allow you. Remember you are a hot, strong, vibrant young woman who is in control of her life." Spencer said, trying to psych Emily up.

"Paige is my life." Emily said wistfully, "So why can't I control her?"

"No! I will not let you fall into a state of gloominess again you hear me? No more 'Gloomy Doomy Emily'. I swear I will drag you out of bed right this instant if you don't snap out of it." Spencer said bossily.

"Jeez mom, unclench." Emily rolled her eyes. She knew Spencer and her other friends were really worried about her especially now that Paige came back to Rosewood. She appreciated their concern but she promised herself last night after Paige left that she will be strong through all of this. Paige told her she still loved her so she knew there was still a fighting chance and she was going to fight like hell for that chance. "Seriously Spencer I'll be fine. I managed to wait for Paige to return to me for two years. Now that she's back I can still wait."

"Okay I get that Em, I really do but I just have two things to say though. One that is not healthy. Romantic yes but healthy no. Putting your life on hold for someone who came back only to tell you she just wants to be friends is not a good idea. Two you didn't exactly wait for Paige for two years. Remember Tara? Shoulder-length brown hair, toothy grin, perky? You two were good together." Spencer reminded her.

"Spencer it's not that simple. Paige wants to be with me too. She said that last night. Well not exactly in those words but it was implied. Just that right now things are complicated especially now that 'A' is back and she wants to focus on that. As for Tara, how many times do I have to tell you? Getting involved with her was a mistake." Emily patiently explained to Spencer.

"What's wrong with Tara? She's cool and good-looking not to mention funny." Spencer said, refusing to let the matter drop.

"Well if you think so maybe you should ask her out." Emily told her exasperatedly. "I'm not planning on getting back together with Tara so just drop it please?"

Spencer sighed. "Fine." She said. "I'll let it go for now because you're late for swim practice. Have a good day!" Spencer laughed as she ended the call.

Emily bolted from her bed, suddenly wide awake and took a look at the time. 6:52 am. Crap. I won't make it to the campus on time. Emily face-palmed herself. Great. 10 more laps for me.

It was almost lunch time when Emily finally emerged from the natatorium, her hair still wet from the shower. Her swim practice that morning had gone really well. The added 10 laps she had to do for coming in late made her body sore but she didn't mind. After the events of last night, the time she spent at the pool today somehow helped her relax. Swimming was really therapeutic for her. As she made her way to the campus parking lot, she thought about inviting Paige to have lunch with her. She could offer to swing by the motel to pick her up since it wasn't too far from the campus. But was it too soon? They did just have dinner last night. Still, she spent most of her time with Spencer, Hanna and Aria and they're her best friends. She constantly ate with them. Hung out with them. That's what friends do. Spend time together. So why was she suddenly second-guessing whether spending time with Paige today would fall under being friends? She sighed. Trying to just be friends with someone you're in love with sucks. Of course inviting Paige to have lunch with her could mean taking Dani with them as well.

Ugh, Dani. Always finding ways to come between us. She will never forget the moment Paige introduced to Emily her best friend. Walking in on your girlfriend while she was in the middle of being tackled/tickled to death by another girl, a girl who by the way could be in the cover of a fashion magazine was really something that makes a lasting impression. When Paige made the introductions after the awkward silence that followed, Emily immediately knew Dani was into Paige. And it wasn't just a fleeting thing. Emily saw the way Dani looked at Paige. It was the same way that Paige looked at her. When Emily asked Paige about it, Paige grudgingly admitted to Emily she knew of Dani's feelings for her all this time but swears she never did or said anything to Dani to encourage her. Since then Emily became wary whenever Dani sidles up to Paige, taunting Emily about their closeness. Paige knew it made Emily uncomfortable and she asked Dani on more than one occasion to stop it. But Dani was having too much fun. Emily just decided to ignore it seeing how the situation stresses out Paige.

Then one day Dani let it slip that there was something Paige wasn't telling her and probably never will. At first she decided to forget what Dani said but as the days passed she had a nagging feeling that Dani was telling her the truth. When she asked Paige about it, Paige reluctantly told her what it was and why she didn't tell her but afterwards Paige furiously confronted Dani and told her to mind her own business, declaring their friendship over. In turn, Dani congratulated Emily, telling her she finally got what she wanted. Paige all to herself. Emily tried to get Paige and Dani talking again but Paige told her what happened was inevitable, saying Dani finally admitted she was having a hard time seeing Emily and Paige together. When the secret about Dani's father surfaced, Paige was the one who decided to reach out to Dani and their friendship although never the same was somehow restored. After a week however, Dani's father decided to leave Rosewood for good because the humiliation became too much for Dani to bear. Paige said she didn't know where Dani's family was headed so it came as an unwelcome surprise to her when Paige came back to Rosewood yesterday with Dani in tow. But what came more of a surprise was Paige's attitude towards Dani. It bothered her but she knew the moment she saw them that Dani's feelings for Paige were clearly reciprocated this time. It's not that Paige is in love with Dani. But the attraction was there even if Paige said last night that they were still just friends. And she had a sinking feeling that Paige had a decision to make.

She took out the keys to her car to unlock it and was about to open the door to the backseat to place her bag when someone called her name from behind. Turning around to see who it was, she was surprised to see Tara half-running, half-jogging towards her.

"Emily! I'm so glad I caught you." Tara said when she was finally standing in front of Emily. Her breathing was still a little ragged.

Emily furrowed her brows. "Tara. What are you doing here?" She asked, confused.

Tara grinned impishly. "Looking for you, duh." She said. "Spencer told me where to find you. I went to the natatorium first but a teammate of yours said you just left so I made my way here next."

"Why were you looking for me?" Emily asked, making a mental note to strangle Spencer later. Ever since she introduced Tara to her friends, Spencer had been adamant that she was the answer to Emily's love problems. Even after she ended things with Tara, Spencer never failed to rally Tara's cause whenever the subject of Emily's love life came up. She loves Spencer but sometimes the girl can be so annoying especially when she kept on sticking her nose in other people's business.

"I wanted to see how you were holding up. Spencer said Paige came back yesterday unexpectedly." Tara said while running a hand through her hair.

"I'm fine." Emily said, growing more and more irritated that Spencer became Tara's number one source for the latest news in Emily's love life. "Her return was rather unexpected but we had a chance to catch up last night over dinner." She continued, trying to subtly tell Tara she and Paige were working things out. She knew Tara was still hoping Emily would change her mind about getting back together with her even though she made it clear it was over. And now that Paige is back Emily knew without a doubt she and Tara were really done.

"But… you guys aren't back together." Tara said matter-of-factly.

Hmm… I wonder how long it would take to skin Spencer alive, twice. "No. We're not. Not that it's any of your business." Emily said a little harsher than she intended.

"Of course. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry." Tara said before continuing. "I only asked because if you and Paige were a couple again I wouldn't want to cross any lines. But since you aren't…" She produced two tickets from the back pocket of her denim cut-offs and showed them to Emily. "There's this amazing new band that's having a concert tonight and I know their music genre is right up your alley. So I was wondering if maybe I could entice you to come with me to see them. Just as friends." Tara added quickly.

Emily sighed. On the one hand she was curious to see this new band Tara was talking about and it's been a while since she went to a concert. On the other, she didn't want to give Tara false hope. She knew that look Tara was giving her now as she waited anxiously for Emily's answer. She wore that look when she shyly asked Paige to see the Katy Perry movie years ago in another one of her feeble attempts to try and just be friends with her on-and-off girlfriend. That look said I really want to spend time with you and I'll take it in whatever form it comes just please don't turn me down. Like her, Tara was still waiting.

"I'm flattered you thought of me but I can't tonight. I have exams next week so I need to study." Emily said apologetically, knowing her excuse was flimsy.

"Oh." Tara said, disappointment evident in her voice. "It's cool. I get it. You need to keep your grades up for that whole full scholarship thing. It's no big." She smiled weakly. "I guess I'll just find someone else then. We can hang out some other time."

"Yeah. Some other time." Emily said noncommittally.

"Well I guess I'll see you around then." Tara said. "Like at work." She added before starting to walk away.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you at work." She turned around to place her bag on the backseat of her car and then closed the door. She was about to settle into the driver's seat when she heard Tara's voice again.

"I'm just curious." Tara began nonchalantly. "You seem so sure that you and Paige are going to get back together eventually. I'm just going on a hunch here and say you never told her the truth about us did you? Because I'm pretty sure if she knew Paige will have second thoughts about getting back together with you."

Emily suddenly felt faint. This was one secret she can't afford to come out. "Stay away from Paige, Tara. Don't you dare say anything." She said stonily.

Tara shrugged, starting to back away. "I wasn't. I keep my promises Emily. I was merely pointing out the obvious."

"Which is what?" Emily asked guardedly.

Tara's voice became haughty. "That if you were honest with yourself and to your friends for once, you would finally admit that you and Paige were over way before she left Rosewood." With that, Tara turned on her heels and walked in the direction of the natatorium.

Emily sat on the front seat of her car, suddenly feeling ill. She couldn't breathe. She remembered the message she got from 'A' last night. MORE SECRETS WILL COME OUT. There was only one secret she can't afford to come out. She was gripped with a sense of fear when she heard her phone beep. She didn't know how but even before she took her phone out of her pocket she knew who the text was from. When she saw the message she thought she was going to be sick. What am I going to do? She thought fearfully as she looked at the photo and the message underneath it. She urged her hands to stop shaking as she dialed Hanna's home number.

"Yeah?" Hanna answered on the second ring.

"Hanna is Spencer and Aria with you?" Emily asked, distraught evident in her voice.

Hanna noticed it immediately and put the phone on speaker. "Yeah they're here. What's wrong Em?"

"I did something horrible more than two years ago." Emily confessed, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"What is it?" Aria's voice came on the line, worried.

"Em, where are you? We're coming to get you." Spencer said, somehow knowing Emily was in no condition to drive.

"I'm still at school. I just… it was a mistake… it was a mistake and 'A' knows. All this time 'A' knew." Emily said, starting to cry.

"Okay just hang tight sweetie we're coming to get you." Spencer said before ending the call.

Emily put the phone on her lap and read 'A's message again.

You had the courage to tell Paige about kissing Nate. Let's see how you tell her about this one. – A

Tears blurred Emily's vision as she stared at the photo of her and Tara kissing, the date and time stamp on the lower right corner showing it was taken months before Paige left Rosewood. Emily threw her phone in frustration before breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.