Disclaimer: I don't own PLL.
Warnings: This work contains foul language, sex scenes, child abuse, attempted sexual abuse, violence etc. MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY.
Emily pulled Alison into a kiss effectively ending the blonde's rant. Alison melted into her mermaid's lips easily. All too soon it was over.
"I just need time, Ali. I need to figure out what this means and-"
Alison placed a finger across Emily's lips stilling her excuses.
"We have all the time in the world, Em. Believe me."
Emily nodded and Alison pulled her hand away.
"Shall we keep watching TV till Spencer texts?"
Emily wordlessly nodded and Alison settled back into her previous position her head in Emily's lap.
"This is ok, right?" Alison asked.
Emily nodded and pushed Alison back down gently as the blonde tried to move off her.
"This is perfect," Emily admitted combing her hand through Alison's golden locks.
Alison couldn't help but agree.
The five of them sat in the Hastings kitchen not long after six that evening, everyone was nervous and a little jumpy but no one knew what to say. So they sat quietly on the bar stools waiting for Spencer's parents.
Hanna tapped a nail against the counter. The only sound that echoed around the vast Hastings' kitchen. Alison caught Spencer's narrowed glare directed at Hanna's rhythmic tapping and could admit it was grating on her own nerves too. With a gentle hand Alison reached over to stop the nervous blonde's fidgeting before Spencer popped a vein. Hanna shot her a worried smile and squeezed Ali's hand.
"You guys don't have to do this," Alison reminded them all.
"Yes we do," Spencer answered though she took in a deep breath trying to steel her own nerves.
"Spencer?" Mrs Hastings' called from the front door.
"In here," Spencer called, rounding the counter to be the first one to greet her parents.
The girls all steeled themselves as Mr and Mrs Hastings headed to the kitchen.
"Whats this all about? On the phone you sounded worried, Spencer?" Veronica Hastings asked her face trying to remain impassive though Alison could see the fear for her child. It was a look Alison had only seen once on her own mother's face.
"I got all my applications done for next year and I'm three months ahead on English and History reading," Spencer responded.
Alison exchanged a puzzled glance with Hanna. What the hell was Spencer on about?
"Thats lovely honey but we thought you were in trouble," Veronica said after a long moment of studying her daughter.
"She's not," Alison spoke up. "I am."
"Ali no-"
"Spencer they deserve to know the truth," Alison argued, though she tried to keep the frustration out of her voice.
Either Mr and Mrs Hastings would help or they wouldn't, there was no point beating around the bush.
"The day Jenna was blinded, Toby-"
"Not another word," Mr Hastings stepped in with a hand directed towards Alison. "This sounds like police trouble and if I'm right then you need your lawyer, Miss Dilaurentis."
"Thats why we came to you," Spencer piped up.
Alison couldn't shake the feeling this wasn't going to go the way Spencer had planned. Mr Hastings' was glaring at her as though he was sure she was nothing but trouble for his daughter, both of them really. And he wasn't wrong.
"I need a lawyer, yes," Alison answered.
"We all do, she's not the only one at fault," Spencer argued.
"I will not have you jeopardizing your future for some," Mr Hastings' gestured at Alison angrily. "Girl who isn't even your friend."
"Dad you don't understand we're trying to make it right and-"
Peter Hastings held up a dismissive hand at his youngest daughter, turning on Alison.
"What lies has she filled your head with, Spencer, this girl only looks out for herself she's as conniving and vindictive as her harpy mother," Mr Hastings' spat.
Alison turned away trying to conceal her tears.
"Dad!"
"Mr Hastings!"
"Peter!"
All on top of each other Spencer, Hanna and Veronica shouted.
Alison drew in a shaky breath as Emily came to stand behind her, a comforting warm hand was placed on her shoulders and Alison wanted to shrug it off, she couldn't cry in here. Not with so many enemies and an ally who wasn't even at her full strength yet.
She was startled when two more hands settled on her back and shoulder. She looked up to find Hanna and Aria had joined Emily's soothing attempts. She gave them a watery smile.
Shielding the group, Spencer and her mother stood side by side staring down at Mr Hastings, he crossed his arms unwilling to be bullied by his wife and daughter.
"I'm not going to apologize to that little-"
"Peter for the love of god shut the hell up," Veronica snapped.
Peter Hastings' recrossed his arms but didn't say anymore.
"I think we all need to talk," Veronica reasoned. "Come to my study girls."
"Veronica you can't be serious," Peter yelled.
"I am deadly serious, Peter. My daughter and her friends came to us because they need help and I would much rather listen to what they have to say then ignore them and find one of them dead tomorrow morning," Veronica seethed angrily at her husband.
Alison tried to control her breathing but at the mention of death she choked. Emily rubbed her back assuming she was emotional, but images of being buried alive and suffocating under that dirt were flooding through Alison's mind even as she tried to clear them. It hadn't happened yet, it wasn't going to happen. She'd fix it.
"Well your going to need a bloody good lawyer girlie from what I've heard about you," Peter spat.
"She has the best," Veronica snapped back.
Alison almost fell off the bar stool as Veronica moved over to her.
"Alison DiLaurentis I would like to represent you, how does that sound?" Veronica asked with a victorious smirk.
Alison looked over at her friends, Spencer was beaming proudly at her mother and trying to ignore her seething father, Aria, Hanna and Emily all had matching happy grins and Veronica Hastings' was waiting patiently for a handshake.
Alison met the older woman's hand in a firm shake.
"I'd like that very much, Mrs Hastings."
"Excellent well now that you're represented lets discuss the details in my office," Veronica ushered the girls up, Emily and Hanna helping to support Alison.
"What happened to you, dear?" Veronica asked pointing at Alison's ankle.
"I tripped when we were running, its fine," Alison assured Spencer's mother.
For a long moment Veronica regarded her youngest daughter's friend, Alison could see the lawyer carefully trying to detect the lies. She guessed you didn't live next door to a family for ten years without picking up on what happened behind closed doors. She had to at least have an inkling.
"She's telling the truth, Mom, I bandaged it myself," Spencer argued.
"Of course. Come on then," Veronica smiled.
"I hope she can afford your fees, Veronica," Peter snapped as they left the kitchen.
"This ones on the house," Veronica snapped back, closing the study door once all the girls were inside.
"Now who wants to start?" Veronica asked eyeing each girl.
It felt liberating to tell the whole truth, Veronica listened attentively made notes and asked for more details sometimes but on the whole she just listened.
Alison didn't spare anything, explained why she set Toby up, how he was an easy scape goat who she knew things about, how she blackmailed him to confess and how she hadn't meant to hurt anyone she thought it was a stink bomb not a fire cracker.
Spencer tried to alter the story several times, exaggerating her own part but Alison kept shutting her down. Spencer gave her the lighter when she demanded it. Twice. That was all Spencer did.
The others hadn't even wanted to be there.
In the end she'd scared them enough into lying and only Hanna had argued that they had to tell the police before Alison had shut her down with her special brand of cruelty.
It was hard to relive it, harder still to see everyone of her friends looking down in shame, whether it was shame over themselves or shame over Alison's actions the blonde didn't know but she was responsible for causing it.
When they finally finished the recount, Veronica put down her pen and surveyed her notes quickly.
"Well the good news is the rest of you are only liable for lying in an investigation, they could bump it up to accessory before the fact since you failed to stop Alison but if we come forward I'm sure we can negotiate community service."
Emily, Hanna and Aria nodded solemnly.
"Spencer you provided the lighter and that means you had more chance than anyone to stop this, you're definitely looking at community service but we'll try to keep you out of juvie."
Spencer nodded.
"Alison, I'm not going to sugarcoat this, its not good. Lying, blackmailing, not to mention assault, whether it was an accident or not, this is going to be a hard won fight and we may not win much," Veronica warned.
"I know, Mrs Hastings but Toby has to be released from juvie he didn't do anything," Alison argued.
"What do you have on him that made him confess?"
"I can't tell you," Alison admitted.
"Girls will you give us a minute please?" Veronica asked.
Alison nodded at the other four and reluctantly her friends left the room, closing the door behind them.
"Alison I'm your lawyer now, you need to let me help you."
"Whatever I tell you can't be used anyway," Alison argued. She refused to save her own skin by betraying Toby's secrets that would be worse than leaving him in Juvie.
"Alison I need you to trust me here, please," Veronica pleaded.
For the first time in a long time, perhaps ever, Alison actually believed an adult was looking out for her best interests. Maybe this is where they all went wrong, not telling their parents at the start before things became unbearable.
"Toby's step sister Jenna, she forced herself on Toby," Alison admitted.
"She.."
"Forced herself on him and convinced him she'd tell everyone he forced himself on her."
"Thats going to be hard to prove, we-"
"We don't need to prove it, Toby doesn't want anyone to know he's ashamed and scared of her and there was no one to help him," Alison was furious now.
"Alison is that why you threw the stink bomb in Jenna's garage to protect Toby?" Veronica asked softly.
Alison shook her head, she wished she'd had noble intentions but it was her own petty jealousy that had won out in regards to Jenna. She hadn't known until later that Jenna and Toby were not consensually involved.
"Alright, here's what we're going to do, you threw the stink bomb as a prank you didn't know it was a fire cracker, you saw the propane tanks but it was too late. You got your friends out and then the garage exploded. Your friends wanted to tell the police what happened but you were scared and you threatened them out of fear. Toby, who'd always had a crush on you, told the police he did it to protect you and you can't live with yourself any longer because he wasn't responsible."
"Thats not what-"
"Thats exactly what happened. We can't reveal blackmail without revealing what the blackmailing was about, Toby still gets released and we have one less charge to worry about," Veronica concluded.
Alison nodded hesitantly.
"Girls you can come back in," Veronica called loudly and too soon the others piled in. "I know you were all listening at the door, why else do you think its so heavy, double glazed."
Spencer rolled her eyes but couldn't keep a smile from her face.
"Now tomorrow morning we are going to go down to the station and telling the police what happened, no one is to answer questions without me and if you get stuck I can't remember or I can't recall, understood?"
The girls all nodded.
"We're telling the truth so its not hard to remember, the only thing we're leaving out is why Toby confessed, let Alison and I handle that."
Veronica stood up when it seemed no one else was going to say anything.
"I'm proud of you, Alison," Veronica admitted as she headed for the door. "It takes a lot of guts to tell the truth and fix your wrongs."
"Thank you, Mrs Hastings. For everything."
The police station was not a fun place to be, had never been a great location. Alison had barely slept the night before, terrified she'd wake up in her prison cell, but her ankle had at least stopped hurting this morning. Though she still felt like she was in a waking nightmare as they all headed to the police station that morning.
She especially was trying to keep a calm disposition. This place was nothing but trouble for her and while in this timeline she had only been here once her memories from other times, being judged and pressured were hard to ignore.
She gripped the hand of the girl closest to her and only looked up to figure out who it was when they squeezed back reassuringly. Spencer's kind brown eyes smiled at her as the brainy brunette pulled Alison closer by their joined hands.
"Its going to be ok," Spencer assured before she too gulped as her mother and a detective headed over to the five girls.
"Alison they want to talk to you first," Veronica Hastings directed.
Each one of her friends gave her a supportive smile as Alison lead by Veronica followed a detective to a back room.
"So your lawyer tells me you have some information pertaining to the explosion at the Cavanaugh residence last weekend?"
Alison nodded.
"Would you like to tell me what that is?" the detective asked.
Veronica nodded reassuringly when Alison looked to her for guidance.
"Toby Cavanaugh didn't set off that fire cracker, I did. I thought it was a stink bomb and I wanted to play a prank on Jenna. I made my friends come with me they all said they didn't want to, I took the lighter from Spencer Hastings and I lit the cracker, opened the door and threw it in. Only when I looked in did I see the propane tanks but it was too late by then. All of us run," Alison recounted.
"And you lied to the police?"
"I was scared, Toby came running out with Jenna and I was terrified I didn't want to get in trouble so I stupidly told the police it was Toby."
"Toby Cavanaugh confessed."
Alison looked to Mrs Hastings and the older woman nodded.
"Yes, Detective Brown you put an innocent boy in juvie because he confessed to protect the girl he likes," Veronica Hastings clarified.
"Is this true, Miss Dilaurentis?"
Alison nodded.
"Yes. Toby has always liked me and he said he wouldn't let me get in trouble, I was just scared, but I don't want Toby to be in trouble for something I did."
"And your friends?"
"They're scared of me, a bit, because of popularity, you know how it is in high school. But they wanted to tell and they didn't even want to do it to start with, I made them," Alison looked down she was truly sorry for everything she had made these girls do before and after A.
"Alright I'm going to need to talk to your friends but it sounds like this can all be cleared up, you're most likely looking at juvie, Miss Dilaurentis," Detective Brown stated though he seemed somewhat saddened for her.
"Not if I have anything to do with it. Thank you, Detective Brown, I am also representing my daughter and her other friends so I would appreciate it if you didn't question them without me," Veronica reminded.
Detective Brown nodded as he stood and gathered his notes.
"Well thank you for coming forward Alison it helps us do our jobs properly if everyone is honest," he smiled reassuringly and headed for the door. "I'll be back with the paperwork."
"Wait," Alison called.
"Yes?" Detective Brown prompted.
Veronica Hastings was staring at her quizzically and Alison had a split second to make the decision, something in Detective Brown's reassuring gaze prompted her to be honest though, maybe this was what they should have done from the very beginning.
"I've been getting threats," Alison admitted.
Veronica's eyes widened as Brown came back over to the table.
"About what you did to Jenna?" Detective Brown asked as he took his seat.
"No, threats from some anonymous person who wants me dead," Alison admitted.
"Alison thats very serious, when did this start?"
"Not another word. This is the first time my client has brought this up I need a moment to speak with her alone," Veronica argued.
"She's not being held for anything yet, Mrs Hastings and if her life is being threatened that is something we need to look into," Brown argued.
"It's alright, Mrs Hastings I want to tell them, maybe they can keep the girls safe," Alison assured.
"How are the girls involved? Are they in danger? Is Spencer in danger?" Veronica asked desperately.
"They're not involved as far as I know someone just keeps sending me texts and notes and behead dolls. Like they're trying to scare me," Alison admitted wrapping her arms around herself.
"And you don't know who it is?"
Alison shook her head.
"It started last halloween and its on and off, but the threats have gotten more violent now," Alison admitted.
"May I see some?" Brown asked carefully.
Alison fished her phone out of her purse and looked to Veronica, the older woman nodded and Alison handed over her phone, showing Brown the A texts.
"Alison we're going to need to look over your phone and I need you to bring me everything you've been sent ok?"
Alison nodded that she understood.
"Do you need me to get an officer stationed outside your house tonight?" Brown asked.
"Thats alright, Detective she's sleeping over at my house with my daughter and her friends tonight," Mrs Hastings' assured.
Alison looked to Mrs Hastings' questioningly as Brown stood with Alison's phone.
"I'm going to run this to the lab hopefully I can get it back to you before your friends are done talking to me." Brown turned back at the door. "Alison don't worry we will get this guy, I promise."
Alison nodded, feeling like thats all she'd been doing for the last hour but it was reassuring to have the police onside for once. As the door shut behind Detective Brown Veronica rounded on Alison.
"Why didn't you tell me about theses threats, Alison?"
"I didn't think anyone would believe me and I thought I could figure out who it was on my own and make it stop," Alison said guilty. "But I can't and its getting worse."
"Well you've told us now and you're sleeping over tonight," Veronica reminded.
"Mrs Hastings' thats really nice but I'm sure I'm safe in my own home and-"
"Alison, how often does your mother drink?"
Alison's blue eyes hardened.
"Often," Alison responded. "But you know that, Mrs Hastings."
"I do. I know a lot more than anyone thinks I do," Veronica raised an eyebrow.
"Jason?" Alison asked with a head tilt studying the older woman as she flinched.
"That Peter can't keep it in his pants is hardly a surprise," Veronica stated. "He's hardly husband or father of the year."
Veronica lay a gentle hand on Alison's shoulder, the touch almost motherly.
"I know your mother hurts you, Alison," Veronica delicately hedged.
Alison felt the rage unleash before she could stop it, she stood furiously throwing the hand off her shoulder. She hadn't expected this, to be confronted so boldly.
Veronica stood slower as Alison paced angrily.
"You don't know anything!" Alison yelled. "My mother loves me, she'd never do anything to hurt me, we're family and family is important and we keep each others secrets because thats all we have…"
Alison hadn't even realize she was hysterically crying until she tasted salt on her top lip, hot tears streamed down her face, she hiccuped and sobbed all at once trying to breathe through her anger. Veronica calmly but forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders forcing the blonde to meet her eyes before she pulled the crying girl to her chest tightly.
Alison felt her body sag against the older woman and couldn't stop her sobs as Veronica rocked her. She cried because she'd only ever known lies and manipulation, harsh backhanded compliments and harsher back hands, dressed up to be perfect and then feared when she became the perfect blend of her mother's endless manipulating webs and paranoia mixed with her father's calculated anger and indifferent distain. She was the Dilaurentis rose, with thorns that stretched so far they all but over shadowed any beauty she might posses.
"You don't have to go back there," Veronica assured in a soft whisper. "We can talk to Detective Brown-"
"No please," Alison panicked. "Please don't tell I don't want to go anywhere else."
Thoughts of being stuck in foster care or shipped off to live with her grandmother fluttered through Alison's mind. She wouldn't be able to fix anything then.
"Just forget I said anything please," Alison begged pushing away.
Veronica Hastings sighed.
"Alright but Alison you're staying over tonight and you come over as often as you need to ok? Promise me you won't put yourself in danger," Veronica demanded.
"I promise, Mrs Hastings."
It was the first out right lie she had told since getting here.
When they were finally done at the police station everyone was exhausted. Alison had her phone back and Brown's reassurances that as soon as they knew anything they'd let her know and that she were to contact him as soon as another gift or text came. The girls had been charged with obstructing an investigation while Alison was charged with assault. With assurance from their lawyerm they'd all be released into Mrs Hastings' care, she had taken them all back to the Hastings' home as they were determined to not be a flight risk, if only the police knew.
But Alison wasn't going to argue, everything was slowly falling into place, community service didn't start until next week but Mrs Hastings had successfully gotten them out of juvie, Toby was to be released immediately. Everything was finally coming together.
As Alison slowly climbed the stairs, her ankle still tender, in the Dilaurentis house to get her things for a sleepover at Spencer's she ran straight into her mother.
No longer shocked her mother was alive Alison felt conflicted and unsure of how to play this interaction, she needed answers and this woman had them. But answers were dangerous and Jessica Dilaurentis lied as well as she breathed.
"Mom?" Alison asked before Jessica passed by her completely.
Her mother faced her but didn't respond verbally and Alison could smell the alcohol from here.
"Mom I need to know something," Alison started, her mother stared back blankly. "Why were there two yellow dresses hidden in the piano for christmas when I was little?"
Alison observed her mother carefully but the woman betrayed no outwards signs of recollection.
"I don't know what you're talking about, dear."
Alison almost let her walk away but something in the back of her mind told her there was a connection to those dresses and this woman burying her alive. She grabbed at her mother's arm.
Mrs Dilaurentis turned sharply and glared at the hand holding her in place. Alison pulled it away slowly.
"I need to know Mom, please," Alison pleaded.
"I don't know what to tell you, Alison," her mother dismissed. "It was a dream."
"It wasn't, ok I know theres something you're not telling me. Who was the other dress for?"
Alison felt her voice rising, anger at this woman for picking someone else over her own daughter. For protecting someone else.
"Don't take that tone with me, Alison," her mother warned.
"I'll take whatever tone I want with you, Mother," Alison spat back.
Alison should have seen it coming but she didn't and it caught her off guard in the worst way. The force behind her mother's slap sent her flying into the wall and she braced herself against it so as to not fall down the stairs. Thats all she needed another murder for her mother to have to cover up.
"Dinner will be ready in an hour," her mother replied stiffly fixing her shirt and heading down the stairs as though nothing had happened. Alison had no doubt dinner consisted of nothing but grapes.
For a long moment Alison stayed pushed against the wall, trying to fight her tears, as she finally pulled herself together and hurried to her room her phone beeped. She hastily pulled it out of her bag to find a text from Spencer asking where she was and what pizza topping she wanted. She looked to the mirror on her vanity and titled her head examining the bruise that was beginning to form across her cheek. It still stung when she pressed it gently.
She typed out a response to Spencer, she couldn't go over there now too many questions would arise and Mrs Hastings seemed like she was only one slip up from making waves. Alison didn't need waves right now, she'd survived in this house her whole life she could make it the rest of summer. She lay her phone down on the vanity and inspected her cheek again she'd need to get an icepack on it if she had any hope of hiding this tomorrow.
It wasn't really worth it she thought sometime later with an icepack pressed against her face, yelling at her mother hadn't revealed any truths, maybe she had dreamed up the dresses in her Mona induced nightmare or maybe her mother was lying and as Alison knew all too well the problem with lies was when you lived with them long enough you began to believe them.
On her vanity three more texts came through in quick succession.
"I hope you feel better, Ali" from Hanna.
"Are you sure you don't need anything?" from Aria
"Call if you need us" from Spencer.
Alison climbed into her bed and tried to ignore the pain that settled in her chest that Emily hadn't texted her. She was just drifting off when her phone beeped twice more.
"I'll come over if you want," from Emily.
Alison smiled as she typed back that she was fine and Emily should stay with her friends but it made her feel loved that Emily wanted to come over. The next message hurt.
"I know you told, don't think it'll be that easy, they can't find me before I find you, bitch- A"
Well that solved one mystery obviously the police station had a leak. A wasn't as smart as they thought they were and Alison felt pride at her small victory.