Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars.
Warnings: Child Abuse, Foul Language, Violence, Death, Mental Illness.
While the A Team once again began screaming at each other and Alison. Mona locked her gaze to the blonde across the hall.
"I can't say I'm surprised," Mona drawled crossing her arms with a pointed glare at Alison. "Don't think you can weasel your way out of the ending either, Ali cat."
Alison felt Emily tense beside her and squeeze her hand tightly.
"What does she mean, Ali?" Emily asked desperately, a tremor of fear in her voice. "What ending?"
"Nothing, baby," Alison soothed. "Don't worry about it."
Emily tensed whether it was because of the pet name or because she could tell Alison was lying the blonde didn't know. Instead Alison tried to barrel along like she hadn't just let the term of endearment slip her memories were a disjointed and confusingly spiral twirling in her mind.
"It won't matter anyway, if we don't get out of the fucking bunker, Mona!" Alison roared at the bottle blonde.
"Ok did anyone tell anyone else where they were going to be tonight?" Ezra loudly asked.
The A Team grumbled. A few of them shook their heads.
Alison couldn't believe how easily they'd fallen for Bethany and her games. She'd led them all out here on vague promises and to save their own skins they'd all slinked off into the night now no one actually knew they were all trapped out here.
"Because Bethany told you it was A business and you all didn't want to get in trouble. Did she promise you revenge?" Alison goaded, glaring at them all.
Their stupidity amazed her.
"Not helping, Ali," Spencer cut in nervously as Toby placed her on the ground gently.
The drones before them shuffled angrily the tension mounting.
"Shut up, Spencer!" Alison yelled at the brainic.
"Hey!" Toby shrieked protectively.
"Why don't you shut up, Alison!" Hanna yelled angrily.
"Make me, Hefty!" Alison fired back.
Caleb looked murderous and Emily untangled her fingers from Alison and stepped away. Alison told herself it was for the best even as she clenched her fist to stop herself from reaching for Em.
"And the real Alison comes out," Melissa smirked.
Alison rounded on her furiously.
"You're all so stupid," she cried at them. "I feel ridiculous thinking anyone of you could actually beat me."
They grumbled crossing their arms and glaring at her even the girls looked pissed.
"You're hardly the A team more like useless minions told just enough to keep you coming back to do the dirty work," Alison smirked nastily at them. "Funny how only your hands are dirty in the end. You're precious A abandoned you all."
Lucas stepped forward seething.
"At least we're not some conniving bitch," Lucas spat. "The only reason you ever picked on us was because you're a worthless bully."
"Yeah," Cindy and Mindy joined in.
But Lucas was on a roll.
"You're a broken, washed up, wannabe princess, with a superiority complex and a hell of a lot mommy issues," he sneered.
Alison wanted to slap him across the face instead she pointed at him dangerously.
"Fuck you for thinking you know anything about me, you little freak," Alison screamed at him. "I came back from the dead, you son of bitch!"
The A Team watched her uneasily.
"You think you'll be rid of me!" Alison laughed manically. "I'm the reason every single one of you is here right now!"
They al breathed heavily, clenched and ready to attack, anger seeping off them as Alison laughed in their faces.
"I'm the reason you're still breathing," Alison challenged. "Because Bethany and Andrew are torturing me and I can't think of a better way to torture me than to have my last dying breaths surrounded by obsessed losers!"
Alison panted through her rant and then sighed as though they bored her so much and they weren't worth the effort anymore.
"Pathetic. Every single one of you," she spat. "I can't believe a bunch of low life scum, bottom feeders like you ever thought they could-"
"Enough!" Lucas roared.
The A Team swarmed her as one. Hands wrapped around Alison's neck tightly and she smirked as the room erupted into chaos. Shouting and yelling as hands pried at her and people shoved each other. Her girls shoving back, the boys trying to protect their partners and siblings tearing at each others throats. The hands around her neck doubled and squeezed, pressing tighter and tighter.
And then the beacon of hope appeared, exactly what Ali had gambled on.
Alison laughed. The chaos died down into a stunned murmur as Alison just laughed. Finally the blonde pointed past everyone else and they turned to see what was so amusing to Ali.
"Going somewhere, Mona?" Alison cackled as Mona halted on the edge of the shadows.
Mona looked back to them all for a second before she darted away.
"Follow her," Caleb yelled.
The hands around her neck fell away as everyone scrambled out of the hallway and after Mona. Just as Alison had hoped enough chaos had developed for Mona to think she could make her grand escape and Ali all to familiar with Mona's devious mind knew the crazed girl had an escape route planned.
They followed her back into the prom room and she stopped finally rounding on them all.
"Fine," Mona cried in frustration huffing a bit from her run. "Fine, I'll get us all out but the A Team have to bring their party favours."
"Why?" Jenna argued.
A few others grumbled their agreement with Jenna, and Alison could see while the A Team were united under Andrew and without their knowledge Bethany they were not all aligned to Mona.
"Because you'll need them," Mona promised, with a wicked grin at Alison.
Cautiously Melissa and Wren moved over to the table, they both picked up long flat black boxes and opened them warily. Melissa pulled hers out first, a shiny razor sharp dagger. Alison felt her skin crawl.
She'd made promises in the hope they would get separated or lost, or someone would find them before she had to deliver her payment. And the ace Alison was so sure was up her sleeve was the A Team didn't have any weapons. Bethany had very much planned ahead.
The rest of the A Team shuffled over on Mona's beaconing and soon each one had their very own dagger.
"Don't look so scared, Ali," Mona goaded.
Alison steeled her face into indifference she wouldn't give Mona the satisfaction even as her heart pounded painfully.
"Not until everyones out," Alison reminded Mona pointedly.
Mona rolled her eyes but headed off into the shadows again.
"Can we trust her," Ezra hissed as the girls all naturally gravitated to Alison and their partners followed.
"What do you think?" Hanna snapped. "She's insane and she has a knife."
"Not to mention several angry friends," Spencer added unhelpfully.
"Ali what do we do?" Emily whispered looking to Alison desperately.
Alison was surprised they were still including her but she had hoped they would see she was just trying to rile up the A Team to flush Mona out.
"What we do best," Alison mumbled to them. "Lie."
Emily's hand found her's as they followed the others into the darkness and Alison squeezed back thankful she at least had this.
When they finally emerged what felt like hours later Mona was waiting with her arms crossed and the A Team behind her.
"Time to pay the pied piper," Mona purred, twisting her knife in her hand.
Alison looked to the girls behind her and then back to Mona.
"I need a minute," Alison whispered.
"We don't have a minute," Mona snapped.
"Let her say goodbye," Paige grumbled.
Mona glared at Paige.
"At least give her that," Sydney backed up Paige.
Mona rolled her eyes but motioned for Alison to do as she pleased.
"Make it quick," she muttered.
"Whats going on, Ali?" Emily desperately cried. "What aren't you telling us?"
"I love you, every one of you," Alison looked to Hanna, Spencer and Aria each for a long moment. "And I'm so sorry for everything I ever did, everything I dragged you into, maybe one day you can forgive me."
"Ali," Emily whined, low and desperate.
Alison turned to Emily slowly, tears already gathering in her eyes.
"My sweet, sweet mermaid," Alison whispered. "You've grown up so much."
Tears started to make their way down Emily's cheeks as she shook her head.
"No," she begged. "Please, Ali, please don't go."
Alison tried to smile at her but it fell flat through her own tears, she wiped at Emily's cheeks softly.
"I'm already gone, Em," Alison whispered sadly. "Everything I ever told you, I meant it, all of it.."
She grasped Emily's cheeks in her hands softly tracing her thumbs over the heated flesh as Emily sobbed.
"But its probably best if you don't believe that," Alison admitted, she leaned in gently intent to brush her lips against her mermaid's one last time but Emily jerked her head away.
"No," Emily mumbled. "I won't let you leave."
Alison pulled her back firmly but with a sure tenderness as everyone looked on.
"Come on, Em," Alison whispered trying to block out everyone else. "You know you should never disappoint a ghost."
Emily hiccuped and surged forward kissing Alison desperately. Ali could feel Emily was pouring everything into this kiss her anger, her betrayal, her fear, her love, everything in an effort to make Alison stay.
Alison broke the kiss with a pained sigh, licking her lips softly.
"I love you," she whispered reverently and never in her life did Alison think she had felt the words more profoundly than when Emily couldn't even say them back.
"Thats enough," Mona cried bored of this whole display now.
"You can't-"
"I'd watch your tongue, Spencer," Mona taunted waving her knife in Spencer's direction. "Come now, Alison your audience awaits."
Alison untangled herself from Emily who cried harder and gripped at her desperately. But Ali needed to be strong there was no telling what Mona would do if Alison backed out now.
"Not here," Alison begged when she stood before Mona, not even caring that she was literally crying in front of the deranged girl. "Not in front of them."
Mona looked over to Alison's friends. Emily crying into Toby who held her up right and back as she kept trying to lunge forward.
Mona nodded and headed off into the woods.
"Ali no!" Emily cried behind her.
"Ali please don't!"
Alison ignored her and followed the A Team through the shrubs and into the trees.
"Ali I love-"
Emily was cut off in a pained wail and Alison went to turn back, when a heavy hand directed her forward. She looked to her side to see Paige leading her. Paige looked her dead in the eye but Alison could see nothing but hatred in the taller girl's gaze.
As they wandered further and further into the woods, Alison turned to Paige again.
"I am sorry you know, for everything I put you through," Alison admitted. "And I know that doesn't make it go away but-"
"It doesn't," Paige stressed.
They fell into silence again and Alison just wished for this whole thing to be over.
"I hated you, Alison," Paige admitted solemnly. "I hit you or who I thought was you that night because you made me want to kill myself and I couldn't let you win."
Paige closed her eyes tightly trying to stop her tears.
"I understand," Alison whispered.
And she did understand, she'd pushed Paige to this and no amount of sorry was going to take back what they had done to each other.
"Do me a favour?" Alison hedged trying to keep the whine out of her voice. "Just go for the throat. Please I don't-"
"I'll make it quick," Paige promised and there was something in her eyes that told Alison Paige didn't want to do this at all.
"Thank you," Alison responded and she hoped it sounded like forgiveness as well as thanks.
"Here," Mona called from the front of the group as they entered a clearing. "This will do nicely."
Someone pushed Alison further forward and they all spread out around her. A full circle of everyone she had ever hurt. But they were missing the key people Ali noted, the people who had really been victimized by Alison's terror: her girls.
Alison scrunched her eyes tight and waited for Mona to start her last twisted game.
"Should we take it in turns or Russian roulette or-"
"Just do something," Jenna snapped cutting off Mona.
Alison kept her eyes closed. She tried to conjure the image of her mermaid in her mind, Emily smiling at her with love and devotion, thats what was waited for her she told herself. Emily would welcome her home when this was over, a touch of pain and then she'd be home.
"You seem scared, Ali," Mona chuckled.
"Get on with it," Paige argued.
Alison tried to ignore them all. It still confused her that Paige was trying to help as much as the brute could or maybe she just wanted to get this over with too. It didn't matter, Alison forced herself to focus on her happy place in Emily's lap surrounded by their friends enjoying the warm summer sun.
"On the count of three," Mona cackled.
Summer, with Emily and her girls. She didn't need anything else.
"One."
She would be happy and loved and free.
"Two."
Emily. The girls. Summer.
"T-"
"STOP!"
Alison's eyes flew open as Emily's scream pierced through her heart.
She spun quickly to find Emily and the others crashing through the tree line.
"Everyone stop!" Hanna added.
Emily ran straight to Alison, spinning quickly and shielding the blonde. She fiercely glared at the A Team, before her eyes fell to Paige.
"Paige, please," Emily begged her ex. "If I meant anything to you don't do this."
Paige tightened her grip on her knife and looked to her side as the others shifted but she didn't let go.
"Sydney this isn't right you know its not," Emily pleaded with the younger swimmer.
Sydney dropped her knife as though burned and stepped away from it.
"Melissa, Wren, please don't," Spencer joined Emily shielding Alison's left side.
Wren dropped his knife first and Melissa threw hers down in frustration.
"Cowards," Mona screamed at them.
"Its over Mona," Hanna seethed stepping up to the crazed girl.
Mona glared at her but wouldn't release the knife.
"Put it down," Hanna ordered.
Slowly Mona loosened her grip till the knife fell to the ground. Paige dropped her own knife too obviously deciding the real threat was gone.
"Lucas this won't fix anything," Hanna turned to the boy, Caleb stepped up and grabbed Lucas' wrist tugging the blade free with his other hand.
"Cindy, Mindy come on," Aria turned to the twins.
They looked to each other for a second and then handed their knives to Aria. She took them both gently.
"I won't let you hurt her, Jenna," Toby promised stepping in front of his step sister.
"She hurt us, Toby," Jenna cried. "She deserves to pay. They all do."
"Not like this," Toby murmured. "Please Jenna, not like this."
Jenna looked to her knife then back to Toby and for a horrifying second Alison was certain she was going to plunge it into his chest, but she didn't. Instead she dropped it to the ground just like the others.
Alison sighed so thankful and relieved as the A Team were finally disarmed her heart pounding in her ears was all she could hear as the others shuffled and glared at each other. She was alive. She wasn't sure whether she was happy about that or not yet.
Emily turned slowly in front of her and Alison tried to smile, tried to show her mermaid how thankful she was that Emily had once again saved her.
Emily's hand flew across her cheek viciously.
Alison's hand slowly raised to her throbbing cheek and she cradled her face in disbelief. Emily had just slapped her. Hard.
"You want to be a martyr do it with someone else's heart," Emily seethed, fury flew off her in waves and Alison could barely reconcile this Emily with the one she had in her head.
"Em I-"
Emily yanked her closer suddenly and cupped her cheeks almost painfully and for one glorious moment Alison was so sure Emily was going to kiss her.
"FBI everyone put your hands up!" A harsh voice commanded as the clearing was flooded by heavy torch light and thundering boots as men poured from the trees.
Alison raised her hands slowly as Emily released her and stepped away.
"We found them," one man yelled in his walkie. "The girls are alive."
A/N: End Part Two.