Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars.

Warnings: Child Abuse, Foul Language, Violence, Death, Mental Illness, Sex Scenes...

The next morning Alison awoke to sunlight streaming through her slightly parted curtains she rolled over slowly and almost threw up when she caught sight of the notepad. It wasn't a terrible nightmare, she was really back and she wasn't returning to that other place ever again it seemed.

She slipped out of bed slowly, every part of her felt weighed down but she needed to do something, anything to help find the girls. She just had no idea where to start.

Alison stumbled into the kitchen and suddenly she was in a different kitchen, that was warm and open and smelled liked freshly roasted coffee beans.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Spencer asked as she opened cabinets.

Alison had stayed over unexpectedly the night before after the ordeal at her brother's party and Em ditched them when Ali spooked her, now Spencer was being the perfect host.

"I'm fine, Spence," Alison waved off the brunette. "I hardly ever eat breakfast."

Spencer gasped rounding on her with a seriousness that made Alison giggle, Spencer cracked a smile at Alison's amusement but then it settled into a lecturing frown, as she raised a spatula.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Spencer intoned, shaking her spatula as though it were her pointer finger.

"I'm fine really-"

"Pancakes," Spencer declared suddenly.

"Come on we'll make pancakes," Spencer dragged her further into the kitchen. "It'll be fun."

It was fun and they made a terrible mess. Mr Hastings had yelled at Spencer over it but Spencer's pancakes were delicious, the ones that survived at least, Alison too lost in her thoughts of Emily to properly man the pan.

"You really are a genius, Spencer," Alison praised taking another large mouthful.

"I may be the brains, Ali," Spencer smiled at her warmly. "But you're our fearless leader and together we make a pretty indestructible team."

"Yep just look at the kitchen," Alison laughed looking around at the huge mess they had made.

Alison shook her head to clear that memory only to find herself already pouring a bowl of cereal, she worried briefly if she was actually snapping, if this was what people who lost it felt like just before it all happened. Before they went completely crazy.

But Spencer was right, she thought forcing herself to eat, breakfast was the most important meal of the day after all. Spencer was right about everything, Alison was a leader she just needed some people to lead. She couldn't go to Mindy and Cindy, she was pretty sure she would never be able to look those girls in the eyes again. No she needed the boys, they were the only ones who cared enough about Hanna, Spencer and Aria, enough to make the hard choices because there was no way A was going down without a fight.

But Caleb, Ezra and Toby weren't going to let her help without bringing something to the table she needed to find out what her mother knew, about Bethany, about Radley, about who A was. She needed to do some sleuthing.

She'd been in the attic for hours combing through every piece of junk her father had hoarded, her mothers clothes, photos, papers, boxes and boxes of her mother's whole life. She was flipping through one of the many family albums when she turned a page and something shifted in the plastic sleeve. Alison turned it over carefully, feeling along the photo of baby her and Jason at six years old, there was a photo underneath though.

Alison fished out the top one of her and Jason, setting it aside carefully. She stared at the revealed photo.

It was very obviously a younger Jason beaming at the camera but there was a slightly taller blonde boy who was holding a baby girl, if the pink onesie was any indication. Was this her? Alison wondered pulling the photo out for a closer look, as she inspected it under the dim attic light she could faintly make out writing fading through the worn photo.

She flipped it over and on the back was written in her mother's script.

Jason, Andrew and Bethany.

Bethany?

Alison studied her mother's writing intently, there was no date but there it was plain as day Jason had met Bethany when she was a baby, were they family friends or something. Did the Young family have something to do with the DiLaurentis'.

She looked to the picture again and something in the corner of the frame caught her eye, she stared intently trying to decipher the words.

"Campbell… something," Alison read aloud as she squinted.

Campbell. Bethany Young. Jason and Andrew.

Andrew Campbell!

What hell did Andrew Campbell have to do with Bethany Young and Jason?

Alison pulled out her phone and found she was halfway through ringing Spencer before she remembered Spencer couldn't help. She hung up and stared at her phone vacantly even the background screen was wrong, a simple picture of Pepe. Her father had claimed Pepe had run away and it was just another terrible thing to add to the endlessly list of how alone Alison felt here.

"What are you doing?" Emily whined as Alison climbed out of her lap.

They'd been happily kissing, Ali straddling her mermaid on her bed when she'd suddenly stopped, without a valid reason according to Emily, and moved off the brunette and the bed.

"I want a picture," Alison declared, getting her phone from her dresser.

"What kind of picture?" Emily asked titling her head.

Alison took a quick snap of the girl on her bed.

"A pretty one," Alison smiled like the dumb in love idiot she was.

Emily stuck out her tongue and lounged back further onto the mattress.

"Why?" Emily whined, pressing her palms into her eyes. "Can't we just make out more?"

Alison crept over to the bed and settled over Emily, her favourite place was definitely on top of Emily, she wiggled her hips a bit, or under her she decided with a saucy smirk. Emily's hand settled on her hips holding her in place as Emily gazed up at her, a little grumpy but still in love.

"Come on," Alison whined back. "I need a couply pic of us."

"Fine," Emily sighed and tried to sit up, Alison pushed her back down.

"Maybe some private ones too," Ali smirked.

Emily smiled wide and tipped her head up as Alison met her halfway.

"I love you," Emily breathed against Alison's lips.

"I love you too," Alison promised and pressed her lips to Emily's gently.

Emily surged forward more desperate and Alison smiled into her mermaid's mouth.

Snap.

Emily pulled back laughing as she fell back on the bed, Alison looked to her new picture the two of them mid lip lock she saved it to her phone background straight away.

"What am I going to do with you?" Emily muttered amused.

"Love me," Alison grinned laying herself over Emily and nuzzling the brunette's nose with her.

"Forever," Emily promised placing a tender kiss to Alison's nose.

Alison wrinkled her nose playfully and Emily giggled at the sight tickling at Alison's sides. Ali squealed and tried to roll away but Emily followed her. They spent the whole night giggling up a storm.

The faint laughter subsided in Alison's head and she gulped back all the pain such a happy memory generated. Happy dream she told herself all of that wasn't real it was just her desperate mind trying to control something.

Alison set the photo of Andrew, Bethany and Jason aside and searched through the rest of the boxes. The next one she rifled through wasn't her mother's stuff but her own. Alison inspected the dolls carefully and then placed them back down but a sheet of pink paper caught her eye. She pulled it out carefully.

She read it quickly in disbelief.

Dear Alison

Is it Labour Day yet? I can't tell you how grateful I am to have something to look forward to. I've been biding my time with art. I found a sketchbook in the art box last week and I'm just a few pages shy of filling it.

I'm counting the days until I get out of here. Did you tell your friends I'm coming I can't wait to meet them. I just want to feel like a normal person again.

Did I already thank you for the clothes in my last letter? If not, thank you times a million Yellow is my favourite color.

Can't wait to see you.

XO

Bethany.

Alison read it three more times just to let it sink it.

She had never seen this letter before, never wrote a Bethany Young. Ever. Why would she ever write a mentally ill patient at Radley.

But someone had. And they'd pretended to be Alison sending Bethany gifts as well, the yellow top that god damn awful yellow top they'd both been wearing that night.

Bethany thought she was meeting Alison on Labour Day, did she sneak out or was she released, the news had specifically said she was a lose patient but they'd never had any reports before it was discovered Bethany was in Alison's grave. This was all a lot larger than Alison could really handle right now, she needed someone to drill for answers and the one woman who most likely had them all was six feet under.

Alison sat patiently in the sitting room waiting for her father to get home, she had the photograph in hand but she had left the letter upstairs. She knew better than to implicate herself any more in Bethany's murder.

The lock turned and Alison sat up a little straighter as Mr DiLaurentis sighed at the door, kicking off his shoes and heading straight for the liquor cabinet.

"Dad," Alison called startling him, he jumped almost a foot in the air.

"Alison," he held a hand to his heart. "You scared me what are you doing sitting down here?"

"Waiting for you," Alison admitted she held up the photo. "Who is this?"

Kenneth squinted from where he was and then sighed again seeing that Alison wouldn't come to him, he ambled over and grabbed the photo from her hands. Inspecting it closely he threw it back to her.

"Its a photo of your brother and some of his school friends," Kenneth easily dismissed.

"Thats Andrew Campbell, Dad," Alison pointed out.

Kenneth stiffened.

"Al I don't think-"

"Don't call me that!" Alison shrieked. "You call me Al like its some kind of affectionate nickname, like we have a relationship that extends past you grunting at me in the halls or slapping Jason into things."

"I am your father and you will respect me," Kenneth yelled.

"Not until you give me answers," Alison yelled back. "My friends are in danger and mom was involved somehow."

"Your mother is dead, Alison she was murdered…" Kenneth sobbed.

"Dad," Alison whispered. "Help me please. Who is Andrew Campbell to our family? Why is he in a picture with Bethany and Jason?"

"He's your cousin, on your mother's side," Kenneth whispered. "I told her that boy needed to be locked up just like his sister."

"Sister?"

"Bethany, she stabbed her mother, killed the poor woman, you don't remember?" he asked softly.

Alison shook her head. Bethany Young was her cousin. Had Alison really managed to block out that much of her childhood that she couldn't remember something horrible like this. Surely its something that would stay with her.

"You were there," Kenneth whispered lost in his own memories. "Your mother was crying when I got there Jason was in school, you were just under five and Bethany was home 'sick' for the day, Jessica went over to help her sister and-"

Kenneth sighed sadly.

"There was nothing the paramedics could do, your mother was covered in blood screaming I'll never forget the sight," he whispered. "And that girl that dead vacant look in her eye as they led her away."

Kenneth shivered.

"I'm glad you don't remember it always haunted your mother she started drinking to forget I think or maybe she was drinking before then," Kenneth shrugged. "I don't remember it was a long time ago."

"I have secret psychotic cousins and no one thought to mention that," Alison shrieked.

"Jessica's family always had mental health issues," Kenneth dismissed.

"And your image was more important than my safety," Alison glared at him.

Alison took deep breaths trying to calm her anger it wouldn't do any good to yell at her father now not when he was finally opening up. Not when she was finally getting some answers. Answers that could save the girls.

"You said you didn't know a Bethany Young?" Alison questioned, he'd said that before when she asked him in the past.

Kenneth didn't pick up on her slip though.

"I don't," Kenneth admitted. "Bethany was a Campbell and your mother promised she'd stay away from the Campbell's after Bethany was committed to Radley."

"Well she obviously lied," Alison shrieked.

Kenneth nodded solemnly.

"Maybe she couldn't let her sister's daughter just rot in that place," he murmured, like Jessica had done it out of the goodness of her heart or something.

Alison didn't buy it.

"What happened to Andrew when Bethany was taken away?" Alison asked softly.

"Andrew went into Foster Care," Kenneth sighed.

Alison crossed her arms, so his mother gets murdered and his sister locked up and the little boy goes to Foster care.

"We couldn't take him in who knows what he would have done, boy was insane when they took his sister away," Kenneth argued.

"He's my age," Alison breathed.

Her parents abandoned a five year old boy to a flawed system because it was easier.

"No Andrew is a year older than Jason," Kenneth stormed over the liquor cabinet. "I know that much, your mother was so upset Jason and Andrew were a year apart wanted them to be twins like her and your aunt."

"But he goes to Rosewood High," Alison uttered.

"What?" Kenneth shrieked as the glass flew off the cabinet.

Alison jumped as it shattered. Kenneth just stared back at her frozen.

"Do you realize what this means? Andrew is A," Alison couldn't believe it they finally had an actual suspect.

Someone who blamed Alison for killing his sister who orchestrated torture and death of everyone Alison loved because the person he loved was taken from him. Who pretended to be in high school to get closer to all of them. He must have stolen the game from Mona somehow.

But it still didn't add up why was Bethany in Alison's backyard to start with, why did she even want to write to Alison or was she always planning to hurt Ali. Did Bethany hit her over the head before someone killed the mentally disturbed teen? She was violent, she'd killed her own mother it was obviously possible.

A terrible thought flittered into Ali's mind what if the girls hurt Bethany? Whoever killed that girl did it after Alison was pulled from the grave, after Ali was wandering around Rosewood with head trauma and Mona picked her up. Alison had no idea whether Spencer was actually innocent as much as she tried to assure Spencer she went back to sleep and she did as far as Alison knew but there was still a window of time where Alison wasn't there.

It didn't matter Alison decided as she sprinted upstairs to her bedroom, her father calling for her but she didn't listen, whatever A's motivations this game was sick and Alison had to stop it.

They had to find Andrew as soon as possible, he was the only one who knew where the girls were, if they were even still alive. Alison pushed that thought from her mind too, no of course they were alive. They had to be.

Ezra and Caleb scowled at her when she all but burst into Toby's apartment, she figured they'd be there with endless coffee from the Brew. And she was right. The walls were littered with map boards and timelines, two big white boards stood together mapping out everything collectively these three men knew.

"Can I come in?" Alison asked quietly, ignoring the fact she'd already pushed past Toby at the door.

"Why not?" Caleb asked throwing up his hands. "Its always helpful to have a murderer."

"I didn't murder Mona," Alison shouted at him.

"We know that, Alison," Toby softly assured her. "No one did Mona's alive."

"That doesn't mean she didn't kill Bethany," Caleb hissed turning on her. "You knew her, you lured her to your backyard, had her dressed just like you, she was obviously the decoy. Even if you didn't hit her you're still responsible."

"I never wrote to Bethany," Alison argued. "I never had anything to do with that girl."

"Then who did?" Ezra crossed his arms obviously trying to suss out if Alison was lying or not.

"My mother I think," Alison explained. "I think she wanted to get to know Bethany again and when Bethany flipped out at the stables she tried a different tactic, pretended to be me to get to Bethany."

"Why? Why would your mother care about a mental patient?" Caleb questioned.

"Because she was my cousin, my mother was her Aunt," Alison admitted.

"You just said you'd never met-"

"I couldn't remember, I can't even get flashes of that day I was under five and it was.. Bethany was seven when she stabbed her mother to death," Alison watched each man carefully.

"So she was committed to Radley." Ezra rubbed at his temples, while Toby added the news to his timeline.

"When she was seven years old, so she had to be in the childrens' ward," Toby murmured as he wrote.

"So she snuck out to that night to what? Meet up with her cousin Alison, it doesn't make sense," Caleb argued still glaring daggers at Alison. "Who would want her to come over and why dress her the same as you it just doesn't add up."

"I don't have all the answers," Alison admitted. "But I know someone who does."

They all looked to her wearily.

"Andrew Campbell," Alison told them.

Ezra flinched.

"What does he have to do with this?" Ezra demanded.

"Bethany was his sister, she was in under a pseudonym at Radley but she was a Campbell," Alison confessed.

"But that means-"

"Andrew's A and he's been torturing me because he thinks I lured his sister to her death," Alison finished for them.

"We have to find him."

"I can track his phone if anyone has his number," Caleb suggested. "Its a long shot but if he doesn't know we're looking for him, it might be traceable."

"Should we tell the cops what we know?" Ezra asked.

Everyone looked to Toby.

"Alison's right they don't know what they're doing and we've known A longer than anyone," Toby confessed. "We get a hold of Andrew and then we'll involve the police."

They ripped through Spencer's address book, that Toby had and once again Alison was thankful for her friends obsessive personality, easily finding Andrew's number. Caleb worked at his keyboard for a few minutes, glaring at it.

"It's off," Caleb admitted, throwing down his palms in frustration.

"There has to be another way to find this creep," Ezra stressed.

"You said the Campbell farm was where the last lair was found, with video of the girls right?" Alison asked Toby.

"Yeah but they fanned out all around there they couldn't find any landmarks or anything, the video was recorded and moved by someone, not a live link like the tech crew had hoped," Toby bitterly remarked.

"Ok, well we know what A wants right," Alison hedged.

The boys looked to her confused.

"Andrew wants me," Alison noted.

"Alison thats-"

Alison held up her hand to stop Ezra. She'd gladly sacrifice herself for these girls and if it came down to it she knew exactly where her heart lay.

"He's got them in some game, a game where Mona is playing me, if we offer him the real Alison maybe we can get inside," Alison suggested.

"I don't like using you as bait," Toby admitted uneasily.

"I'm not exactly fond of being bait," Alison shot back. "But what choice do we have?"

"So what?" Caleb argued. "You want to just wander around town yelling for Andrew to come get you."

"No I want to set up a meeting," Alison smiled for the first time in what felt like forever, she had a plan.

"How?" Ezra asked baffled. "No one's been able to talk to A."

"There is one person Andrew will listen to," Alison promised.

Each man shot her a look of confusion and worry.

"Bethany," Alison shared.