This chapter went differently than I had anticipated, but as I wrote it, this just felt more organic and faithful to the show than what I had originally planned. Let me know what you think.

And credit to Cat Stevens for the song lyrics.

Chapter 3: Choices

Emily stood frozen, staring at Ali. She was unable to move, unsure if the girl she was looking at was real or just another one of her hallucinations.

"What? No kiss hello?" Ali said with her trademark smirk. She took a step forward but Emily stumbled back, crashing into the counter. Ali halted, giving her friend a soft look. Instead of moving directly toward her, she slowly walked around the perimeter of the room. Emily kept her eyes trained on Ali as she ambled around the room, completely aloof.

"Sorry to just burst in but this isn't exactly the town to leave the doors unlocked." Ali said, slowly getting closer until she stood within inches of her former best friend. "I thought you would have known that by now."

"Is this real?" Emily breathed out. "Is this really you?"

Ali reached out slowly, so as not to startle her again, and gently placed her hand atop Emily's on the broomstick. She took the broomstick from her hands and into her own.

"It's always been real."

Emily stared at her, her words sinking in.

"Look, I don't have long. It isn't safe." Ali said, making a switch from her usual teasing and playful tone into a suddenly serious one. She took a few steps away, turning her back on Emily. "I know you all have been looking for me. You're getting too close."

"Too close to what?" Emily pressed.

"Too close to me. To him." Ali turned back, facing her friend. "I disappeared for a reason, Emily. Do you think if I didn't have a good reason I would have left you all? That I would have left you?"

Emily's heart clenched. She searched Ali's eyes. They were as deep as an ocean and held too much fear for a teenage girl to have experienced.

"I came here tonight to tell you to stop."

"No! Ali, you need help!"

"And I'm getting it!" Ali shot back. Ali took a moment to take a breath. "You've talked to Grunwald. I know you have. You know she's helping me all she can, protecting me all she can. But this is far from over and until it is I can't come back."

"Ali, please..." Emily moved forward. With tears in her eyes, she took hold of Ali's hand and a thousand memories from her childhood came flooding back to her at an overwhelming pace, almost causing her to lose her balance. Ali reached an arm out and wrapped it around her waist. Emily laid her forehead on Ali's shoulder. "I can't do this anymore. Not without you. Everything has been such a mess since you've been gone."

Ali reached out her other hand and ran it soothingly through Emily's hair.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything you've all been going through. But don't you get it? It's all because of me. He's hurting you all to get to me. I have to find out how to stop him. I have to fix this for you guys. I have to fix this for you." Ali pulled back and looked deep into Emily's eyes. "Someday you won't be hurting anymore, Emily. Someday you'll be happy."

Emily stared back into her eyes, trying to lose herself. She wanted to lose herself, lose the pain and confusion she had been feeling lately. Something was holding her back and she didn't know what.

She looked away shyly, unwrapping herself from the embrace. She turned her back to her friend and wrapped her arms around herself, putting her guard back up.

"So what now? You just disappear again? I never saw you? This never happened?" she questioned, her tone escalating in frustration.

La La La La La La La La La La

Emily turned at the abrupt sound of music to see Ali taking her hands off the jukebox in the corner of the room. She turned back to face Emily and extended her hand as an invite. Emily stared back at her not unfolding her arms.

La La La La La La La La La La

La La La La La La La La La La

La La La La

"Oh, don't be like that."

Ali walked up to her with a smirk and manually unfolded her arms, wrapping them around her and putting her own hands on Emily. The embrace was loose and informal. Ali stared hard at Emily, who was avoiding any eye contact with her, as Ali swayed their bodies to the sound of the music.

Now that I've lost everything to you

You say you want to start something new

And it's breaking my heart you're leaving

Baby I'm grieving.

"You're not answering me, Ali." Emily finally looked the other girl in the eyes.

Ali sighed. "Yeah...I disappear again. This never happened. You can't tell anyone."

"What about the girls?"

"Anyone, Emily." Ali tightened her grip. "It was dangerous enough for me to come here tonight. The more people that know..."

But if you wanna leave

Take good care

I hope you have a lot of nice things to wear

But then a lot of nice things turn bad out there...

"If it was so dangerous, then why did you come?" Emily rolled her eyes and looked away. Ali put a hand under her chin and pulled her face up to look her in the eye.

"To see you. To let you know that I'm all right. To let you know that you'll be all right. But you have to stop playing his game."

"I'll never stop, Ali!" Emily said through gritted teeth. "None of us will! Not until you're home safe and all of this is over."

Ali looked away and chuckled. "Yeah, I should've known that." She looked back up into her friend's eyes and pulled her closer until their bodies were flush against one another. She rested her chin on Emily's shoulder as they continued to sway with the music. "I should've known you."

Oh, baby, baby. It's a wild world.

It's hard to get by just upon a smile.

Oh, baby, baby. It's a wild world.

I'll always remember you like a child, girl.

Ali opened her eyes and pulled back to look at Emily's face.

"Come with me."

Emily's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Come with me. I'm running out of time and I have to leave again tonight, but you can come with me." Ali pulled back, lacing their lands together. Emily looked down at their hands. In them she saw her past, two children innocent and curious. In them she saw her present, an inconsistent question. But in them, she did not see her future; she had a hard time seeing her future anywhere nowadays.

Emily dropped Ali's hand. Ali wrinkled her brow, hurt. She pushed forward, placing her hands on Emily's cheeks. "Em, you said it yourself that it's been hard without me. It's been hard without you. Alone."

Emily shook her head from side to side, a tear sliding down her cheek, knowing this may be the last time she sees her friend again. She leaned her forehead against Ali's.

"But you have a choice, Ali. We all do. You don't have to run again. We can try to figure this out another way."

"I don't have a choice." Ali sobbed, showing a momentary sign of weakness.

Emily sighed, long and deep. "But I do."

Ali choked back her tears. "And you don't choose me..."

You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do

And it's breaking my heart in two

'Cause I never wanna see you sad, girl

Don't be a bad girl.

But if you wanna leave, take good care

Hope you make a lot of nice friends out there

Just remember there's a lot of bad and beware...

Emily let her tears fall freely.

"I can't. You know I can't."

"I know."

"I love you so much, Allison. You were the first girl I loved."

Ali smiled. "I know that."

Emily smiled. "I know you know."

Allison kissed Emily's cheek, along the trail where her tears fell. "I WILL come back. Believe that."

"I try to."

DING DING

The girls turned in a flash toward the front door, startled by the loud and sudden sound. Standing there frozen in place, eyes wide and jaw open, hands buried deep in her jacket pockets, was Paige.

After a moment, the initial shock of seeing Allison standing in front of her, alive and well, appeared to wear off. Her jaw closed and her eyes refocused on the intimate embrace her girlfriend was sharing with her former enemy.

"Sorry to interrupt." she muttered. She turned on her heel and stormed out the door.

"Paige, WAIT!" Emily released herself from Allison's arms and attempted to chase after her.

Once outside the door, Emily attempted to chase her down for a block or so, but her athletic girlfriend had turned on the jets and was already halfway home. Trying to catch up to her was no use.

Emily shouted into the night sky and kicked the ground. She walked back to The Brew. She opened the front door and entered.

Nothing.

There was no music on the jukebox anymore. Allison was gone. Had she not just chased Paige for blocks knowing she had witnessed Allison as well, Emily would have assumed she had imagined the whole thing.

Emily closed the door behind herself. She clutched her arms to her stomach and sank to the floor in tears.