Emily tried to ignore the heavy hand on her shoulder that was gently shaking her, attempting to pull her from her sleep. She groaned and shrugged but the shaking continued. Reluctantly, she began opening her eyes, her body stiff and sluggish from being curled up on the couch for hours. Her vision was still a bit blurry as she fought off the drowsiness but she could see Toby standing over her in his uniform.

"Did you just get home?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Even through her haze, she recognized Toby's signature look of concern, "I tried waking you up when I got home yesterday, but you shrugged me off," Toby explained, taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "Are you ok? You seem really out of it."

Yesterday? Emily took a moment to take in her surroundings. Soft light was seeping through the living room curtains, and the smell of aftershave and Irish Spring soap wafted heavily off of Toby suggesting he had just showered. How long had she been asleep?

Emily sat up slowly, "What time is it?"

"It's almost 4," Toby answered, giving a small nod toward the time displayed on the kitchen stove. "I didn't hear anything ring, beep, or buzz this morning but I thought I would still ask if you needed a ride."

Glancing at the phones she'd turned off and laid out on the coffee table before falling asleep, bits and pieces of the day before starting coming back to Emily. She decided then and there.

"I'm not going to GLOW." She announced decisively, "But I'll take a ride to the Y if you don't mind."

"The Y doesn't open until 6:30," Toby reminded her, "but there's a 24-hour diner nearby, how about we get breakfast? By the time we're done, they'll be open."

Emily didn't want to be a burden, "Won't that make you late to work?" she asked, mindful of his schedule.

"I'll manage."

To Toby's credit, he was mostly silent during the ride to the diner, letting the early morning radio fill the car. He carried the conversation during their breakfast, telling Emily about a woman he'd met named Yvonne. Toby admitted he felt something between them but wasn't sure if it would go anywhere. Emily couldn't help but consider that her presence at his apartment was why Toby seemed to be closing himself off to the possibility. It must be hard to bring a girl home when…there's a girl at home. It was time for her to find her own place and let Toby get back to living his life without having to constantly worry about her. But to do that, Emily needed to save money, which meant she had to work, but not necessarily at GLOW, she was realizing.

Which is why she was sitting in the office of Kenny Miller, director of the Prospect Park YMCA, listening to him list the job details and responsibilities for the available swim instructor position.

"Did you bring a resume and references with you?"

"Oh…uh, no. This was…unexpected. My friend Toby Cavanaugh has been telling me to come by and talk to you…this morning just felt like it was the right time, I guess." Emily tried to explain her dropping in unprepared.

"We all love Officer Cavanaugh around here, he volunteers with us whenever he has the time. So, tell me, why do you want to be a swim instructor?"

I'm not sure if I do, was the first answer that came to mind, but Emily knew that wasn't an acceptable response so instead she replied, "I think I have a lot of knowledge I can pass down."

"I agree. I think you would make a great addition to our team here. Do you have a preferred clientele you would like to work with?

"Uh…Adults, if possible." Emily said honestly. The thought of working with kids seemed stressful, and if she wanted to deal with the mood swings and attitudes of teens, she'd stay at GLOW working for Alison.

Alison…Emily thought of her current boss and the blonde's unpredictable moods. What would she think when Emily wasn't in the office when she arrived? She did tell her to come back when she was ready to work, and Emily wasn't ready to work, not for her at least. She wondered if the EIC would even think about her or just be happy she was gone.

"It is possible," Kenny smiled. So far he seemed decent, he wasn't condescending or rude and it sounded like he would be happy to have Emily working for him. She'd be appreciated instead of tolerated. "Now is the time when I would ask about your experience but I'm very familiar with your career. My daughters were big fans of yours."

Were. The use of past tense caught Emily's attention as she mustered up a response, "Oh, that's…great."

"You still need to go online and fill out the application but once that's done, bring in your resume and references, just as a formality. I'll count this as your interview and If you want the job we should be able to get all the appropriate paperwork and background checks done by Friday," Kenny explained. Emily should have been excited to hear how quickly things could move but she wasn't.

Emily took a moment to think about what accepting the job offer would look like. She could finish the week out at GLOW if she wanted to, and by Monday she would be working on a YMCA certification to start teaching swimming classes. Doubt clouded her mind, she hadn't stepped foot in a pool in years. Could she even do the job? Did she want to? Or was she just so pissed at Alison that it drove her to this tiny wood-paneled office that was beginning to feel like it was closing in on her.

"I can bring them by tomorrow," Emily finally answered. She could have offered to bring the papers by later that day but she needed to give herself more time to think.

"Sounds good to me," Kenny stood and escorted her out of his office.

He gave her what he called the 'fifty-cent tour', it included the staff areas, cafeteria, gyms, and of course, the pools. Everything was clean, the early morning staff they ran into had been friendly, and the equipment was nice enough. Emily weighed her options on the way back to Toby's apartment.

On one hand, there was GLOW, which had captivated Emily since Aria gave her a tour on her first day. The more time she spent there the more she grew to enjoy the environment and the people. She was reveling in all the new things she was learning, and whether Alison would admit it or not, she had good instincts and good ideas. There was also Hanna and Aria, Emily wanted to keep working with them. When she moved away from home it meant leaving friends behind, and even though they were just coworkers, Emily thought it could be the beginning of new friendships. If only she'd been hired as Aria's assistant and not Alison's. It was a thought that brought up the obvious question, could Emily continue working for Alison DiLaurentis? It seemed impossible, Alison was impossible.

On the other hand, there was Kenny and the YMCA. The thought of swimming filled Emily with uncertainty. It reminded her of Maya, which is why even after she'd disappeared again, Emily steered clear of the waters she was once so comfortable in. Maybe being an instructor would help her get back in touch with that part of herself. It had been hard to find her self worth outside of the pool, outside of Maya.

Emily moved from the kitchen stool she'd sat at over to the living room where her bags were, she rummaged through her belongings until she found it, Maya's letter. The paper was wrinkled, stained with tears, and the edges were torn, but the words were still legible.

My Sweet Emily,

I'm sorry I keep doing this to you. I've spent the last few nights agonizing over this decision. I love you, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Everything we've shared over the years was real and true, but we're no longer good for each other. I'm not good for you. Don't look for me. Don't wait for me. I wish I could have said goodbye to your face, there are so many things you deserve to hear from me but I don't have the courage, and I won't make the empty promise that I'll return when I do. You deserve better, so much better. You are deserving of happiness and love and honesty. I hope you go find it. Please go find it. Surround yourself with people who love you, and heal.

With all my heart,

Maya

Perched on the couch, reading the letter for the thousandth time, Emily knew there hadn't been any healing happening. Healing wasn't even a possibility until she admitted to herself Maya wasn't coming back. Tears streamed down her face, but this time they were of acceptance. She'd been deluding herself into thinking there was hope, spending months hiding from the truth in Toby's apartment. Emily thought back to her interview with Mrs DiLaurentis, GLOW was supposed to be the first step in her putting her life back together, but she hadn't been doing that. She spent every moment since the day she walked into GLOW obsessing over how to win over Alison. It had become an all-encompassing mission that overshadowed her own growth and well-being. She had been shrinking herself at work, trying to remain unobtrusive, almost invisible at times, to avoid getting in Alison's way.

Emily held the wrinkled paper in her hands, she'd read the letter from Maya countless times, but never through the lens of closure. She folded it carefully before walking to the kitchen and hesitated for a long time before letting it fall from her hand into the trash. Wiping away her tears, Emily settled on the couch again and stared at the phones she laid out the night before. One by one she turned them on, and within seconds the notifications of missed calls, texts, and social media alerts began flooding in.

Alison said she sent you home for the day. Are you ok?

If you want to talk, I'm here. Doesn't even have to be about work.

It's almost 8 and you're not here. I'm getting worried.

All from Aria between yesterday and the early morning. Emily bit the inside of her cheek, she felt bad about making Aria worry. She started to draft a reply but she didn't know what to say.

Aria's freaking out she thinks you're quitting or something. Call us.

I found that Dolce & Gabbana lace bustier you were obsessed with, it's your size and I'm not above bribery. Get your ass here.

Emily smiled reading the texts from Hanna, could she ever be serious? The bustier was tempting, Emily had seen it in the closet while she was looking for options to wear to the Garden Party, but it wasn't her size. She hadn't thought about it before but getting dressed up in the closet had actually been fun despite her initial anxiety around it, it was another point in the GLOW collum. There would be little to no occasions for her to dress up if she accepted the job at the YMCA.

Went by your desk to talk to you but you weren't there. I'll come by again later.

There were two missed calls from Avery after that text. Emily just assumed she needed the Socials phone back or wanted to talk about the 'Day in Life' footage she was supposed to get. Speaking of, Emily looked over at the Socials phone that sat on the table next to her personal device, it was still buzzing and beeping with alerts for GLOW's many accounts. She reached out and silenced it.

Emily held her work phone in her hand, staring at the screen as she tried to work through her apprehension, she wanted to be there. She wanted to be at GLOW…but doubt persisted. She wasn't sure working under Alison was good for her. Emily hovered over her contacts, going back and forth with herself, after a moment of internal struggle, she tapped the screen. The phone didn't ring once, the call was picked up immediately.

"So you haven't forgotten how a phone works."

Alison's voice made Emily's stomach flutter, just like it had on the balcony when their eyes locked. Her breath caught and she briefly forgot what she called to say.

"Uh, no…well, I assumed-" Emily struggled. "I should have called earlier to tell you I wasn't coming in, but that's not why I'm calling now," Emily asserted, starting to find her voice, "I need time to think about whether or not GLOW is the right fit for me."

There was a slight pause on the other end before Alison responded, "Do you need time to decide about working for GLOW, or about working for me?"

The pointed question caught Emily off guard, it wasn't the follow-up she expected. She wasn't worried about hurting Alison's feelings, the blonde certainly never showed any concern for hers. The image of Alison staring straight ahead, completely ignoring Emily's presence after dismissing her came to mind.

"Working for you," Emily answered, her voice taking on a steely tone she didn't know it had while her mind replayed being kicked out of the car. "I had an interview this morning. I'm keeping my-" …options open, is what Emily was going to say before she was rudely cut off.

"Do you have any idea how many people would jump at the chance to be my assistant? How many people have applied when the position was available?" Alison asked abruptly, completely ignoring the fact that Emily was speaking, it was infuriating.

"No," Emily replied quickly, "and I don't see how it matters considering none of them have lasted," she tried to gain control of the conversation.

"If you're going to quit you can at least do it to my face," Alison challenged in a low voice. "Come to the office."

The demand sent a shiver down Emily's spine, but she did her best to ignore it, "No, that's not a good idea. I already told you I'm not coming in today, and-"

Emily nearly screamed when Alison cut her off again, "Then I'll come to you, text me your address." the words held a sense of finality that left Emily feeling cornered.

She knew she should stand her ground, assert herself, and decline Alison's demand to see her. This was the time to prove she had a backbone, all she had to do was say no, but her mouth wouldn't open, and the word wouldn't come out. Curiosity held Emily's tongue, she texted the address, and there was a soft buzzing noise when Alison received it.

"I'll see you soon," Alison ended the call.

This time Emily did scream, "Fuuuuuuuuck," her voice echoed in the room. Overwhelmed with frustration and disbelief, Emily threw her head back on the couch, trying to wrap her mind around the turn of events. She'd been doing fine, she was holding her own, and then she just…folded.

… …

"What was all that about?" Spencer leaned on the edge of Alison's desk, trying to decipher what she overheard.

She could tell her sister was trying to keep her composure, Alison had been off all morning and her eyes were affixed to a spot on the floor near Emily's desk. "What did it sound like?" Alison responded evasively.

"It sounded like Emily is sick of you and can't get away fast enough," Spencer didn't hold back. "It also sounded like you're seeing her later and didn't give her much of a choice about it." she accused. Whatever was happening between her sister and Emily was not going to end well, and she didn't want to see Emily get hurt.

Initially, Spencer believed Alison's feelings surrounding Emily stemmed from jealousy, and while she still thought jealousy played a role, she wondered if it went any deeper. Alison's eyes remained fixed to the same spot on the floor and Spencer followed her gaze, there was nothing there but a floor that had been mopped and waxed the night before.

"There's always a choice, If Emily wants to leave GLOW she can tell me, in person," Alison's tone bordered on confrontational, but Spencer knew when her sister was bothered by something, or in this case someone.

"And if she does, you'll accept her resignation gracefully?" Spencer straightened up, her sarcasm evident.

Spencer had listened to every detail of her sister's version of events from the day before, kicking Emily out of the car, along with her justifications for doing so. Once again, it was evident that Alison had gone too far. The mixed signals Emily was getting from Alison were probably giving her whiplash. Spencer wouldn't blame her for quitting and she definitely wouldn't try to stop her again.

"It won't come to that," Alison spoke, her tone revealing the tiniest bit of vulnerability that she tried quickly to recover from. "You should have seen the looks Hanna and Aria were giving me yesterday. If Emily doesn't come back, I won't hear the end of it."

Spencer, always perceptive, saw right through the excuse and couldn't help but laugh, "Like you care."