Author's Note: Thank you if you read and left a review on Chapter 1, or even if you just read it! I think some TWs are in order for this chapter so let's run through them. Trigger Warning: Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse. This chapter is from Emily's perspective and doesn't mention Alison much but is necessary to understand the relationship between Paige and Emily. If you would like further chapters, review and let me know, Enjoy!

5 Months Before The Wedding

Sliding into the backseat of the car, Emily was followed by the drunken laughter of Hanna and Aria. She let her head fall against the smooth leather headrest, reaching into her clutch for her phone. The glow was harsh and she squinted reading the time, 2:28 AM. Emily sighed softly, running a hand through her hair and tucking the device back into the small bag.

"Making the drive across the city to drop you both off is pushing it. How about crashing at the house tonight? It's been forever since we did a sleepover thing." She smirked at her friends as she flicked on the overhead light.

Her attention returned to the clutch in her lap, and she fished around inside. Bingo, she pulled out the gold diamond ring and slipped it back onto her finger. Emily looked at her hand for a moment, the ring was a family heirloom, passed down Paige's father's side of the family from the late 1800s. It was beautiful and she looked at it often in awe for the two weeks after Paige proposed. Now it was just a reminder of-

"Fine by me, but I want pancakes when I wake up," Hanna's voice pulled Emily out of her thoughts before she was able to spiral.

"I'm good with whatever," Aria nodded in agreement, retrieving two water bottles from the backseat cooler, and handing them out before grabbing one for herself.

At 3 AM, Paige's home security system would kick in, sending alerts to her phone every time a door or window opened or closed in the house. As long as Emily was back inside before that happened, Paige would never know about her slipping out.

"The party goes on then," Emily wiggled her brows at Hanna expectantly.

When the lightbulb went on for Hanna, her features turned into a small pout. "Shit, I've got nothing left," she said apologetically, "Aria and I did it all."

"Ugh," Emily groaned, slumping her shoulders. "No fair," She complained with playful exaggeration. Sure, she'd been looking forward to doing some lines with her friends but it wasn't the end of the world. Emily had stashes strategically placed around the house, once they were there it was just a matter of catching up.

"You were too busy letting that blonde swoop you away to VIP," Aria giggled.

Rolling her eyes, Emily took a sip of her water. "That Blonde put us on her tab," she enlightened, "And drinks taste better when they're free."

Hanna chimed in, calling Emily out. "Oh, please. As if you need the money. Paige keeps your accounts fat."

"Yeah, and she's been going through my statements with a magnifying glass lately." Frustration crept into Emily's voice.

She stared at the water bottle in her hands, wishing that it was something stronger, but all the alcohol from the car's cooler had been removed months ago. Another one of Paige's brilliant ideas, like the alarm system. Emily huffed, frustration and resentment washing over her. If she could get away with it, she'd go back inside the club and wrap up that bottle of tequila with the blonde she'd met, and maybe even order another.

It was a bit of a rough start between the two but after that things flowed effortlessly between them, and it wasn't just because they were drinking. It was the freedom of being unburdened by expectations when meeting a stranger. Emily had been herself, a fun flirt, and shitty fiancée who was trying to have a good night out. Nothing more, nothing less and the blonde didn't judge her for it.

Aria didn't miss a beat, "What's going on with the two of you? This... rough patch... has lasted over a year. You guys are getting married in like five months," the brunette sounded concerned.

"Yeah, Em, it seems like things are just getting worse between the two of you, and now she's always out of town," Hanna added.

Emily straightened up, her expression hardening. "No serious conversations. No wedding talk," she shut down the probing questions. "Toby, turn the music up, please." She called to the front of the car, and the volume increased.

… …

At exactly 2:58 AM, Emily was closing the front door behind her and her friends, shooting a nod to Toby, and signaling he could clock out. Paige had hired him, but they'd developed a quiet friendship since then. Leaning against the door, she let out a chuckle, they'd barely made it in time, and the rush was exciting. Hanna and Aria darted further inside, eager to ditch their club clothes and already knowing where the guest rooms were. Emily headed up to the master bedroom, her phone buzzing at 3:04, just after she'd heard Hanna close one of the bathroom doors.

Do you have company over?

She stared at the text from Paige, it was short and to the point like most of their communication these days. Sitting on the bed, Emily considered her response. Ignoring it would surely cause an argument, and the constant fighting drained her.

Hanna and Aria are here. They're staying the night.

She didn't expect a reply but kept her phone close as she peeled off her club clothes. She ran her hands through her hair and smiled as she thought about the choice in front of her, flake first or shower first? Emily stared into her walk in closet. The huge space made an excellent hiding spot. Paige had started a tradition of bringing Emily home a pair of heels whenever she returned from a business trip. The shoes were displayed on backlit shelves, their boxes neatly stacked up high on top.

Emily grabbed a small step stool, and set it against the wall, wincing only slightly as she reached her arms above her head. She pulled down a dusty Gucci box. In a quick move, she popped it open, revealing a dust bag containing two small vials of the finest snow a person could get in New York. Her phone rang again and she quickly returned the box to its place and stepped down from the stool so she could read the new message.

Have a good night, I love you.

Oh, what the hell, Emily threw herself onto the king size bed. Paige was guilt tripping her from over 2,000 miles away and she didn't even know it, or maybe she did. Paige knew a lot of her tricks at this point but often looked the other way because she was tired of the arguing too. Emily took full advantage of that. She decided then her shower could wait, her eyes glancing around the room for the first smooth hard surface she could find.

3 Months Before The Wedding

"Shit," Paige cursed.

Emily paused, pulling her mascara wand away from her face. She looked at her Fiancée in the reflection of their shared bathroom mirror. Paige had knocked her perfume off the ledge where it sat and into the sink. It wasn't broken, and even if it was it wouldn't be a big deal but it revealed just how on edge she was. Paige met Emily's gaze in the mirror. Emily knew she should say something, do something, that might help calm Paige's nerves. Instead, she looked away, returning to the delicate art of mascara application. Great fucking wife to be she was, Emily chastised herself silently.

Not another word passed between them as they moved side by side at the matching sinks.

In the quiet, they prepared for what they both knew would be an exhausting day. First on the agenda was breakfast with Paige's father, who was due to arrive shortly. Emily didn't see Mr. McCullers often but when she did, the old man was always probing and subjecting her to a relentless stream of questions. She understood why, the McCullers family needed to be cautious about whom they welcomed in, and he was still getting to know her. But understanding didn't make the constant scrutiny any less irritating.

Emily was in her closet, putting the finishing touches on her outfit when Paige knocked softly to get her attention. "You look great," She said when Emily turned around.

"Thanks," Emily gave her an easy smile as she put in a small pair of diamond stud earrings.

Emily was sure she did look good, but she also looked plain. For a family kneedeep in crime, the McCullers were rather dull, something that never really bothered her until she was expected to fit in. The cream sweater she'd pulled on was actually from Paige's closet, and the quilted vest was from a trip to Michigan they took a few years ago. She threw on a pair of blue jeans and brown riding boots to complete the outfit and voila, she looked like Paige's favorite aunt.

"The car is ready when we are, and Dad's already at the cafe," Paige stepped further into the closet.

"I thought he was coming here for breakfast."

"I know how much you like getting out of the house. I thought you might enjoy going somewhere together for a change," Paige reached out, holding the sides of Emily's vest and pulling them together to zip it up.

Emily watched Paige's face, she was usually good at reading her, great even but there were moments when Paige surprised her. Despite the two months that had passed, she decided to play it safe, just in case Paige was, in fact, hinting at her night out. "Whatever you think is best," Emily tried to sound unaffected. "Can you tell Toby to put some of those White Grape sodas in the cooler for me?" She placed her hands on top of Paige's.

Paige gave her hands a light squeeze before responding, "Toby's last day was yesterday. Lucas will be taking his place, he's an old friend of mine, you'll like him."

Fired? Emily couldn't control the furrowing of her brows. "You fired Toby? Yesterday? Without saying anything to me?" She tried to pull back, but Paige held her firm by the sides of her vest.

Paige ditched the act, "I've tried getting through to you, Emily. I've tried helping you, and getting you help. You never listen, maybe now you'll see your actions have consequences not just for you but the people around you."

"I have to understand the consequences of my actions? I'm not a child." Emily jerked back, sudden anger surging through her, this time Paige let her go.

"Sneaking out of the house to party, get drunk, and do drugs with your friends? Could've fooled me." Paige didn't yell or scream, she was always in control of her anger. While it should have deescalated the situation, it only infuriated Emily more when they argued. "I'll wait for you in the car. Don't take forever. Oh, and I'll tell Lucas about the soda." Paige turned and left.

As soon as the front door clicked shut, Emily slumped to the closet floor. Resentment and anger brewed inside her, and she let out a scream. The frustration only increased as she yanked down the zipper of her vest, shrugged it off, and wrestled the sweater over her head. Another scream escaped as she couldn't get the clothes off fast enough.

She stalked out of the room and down the hall to the reading nook Paige had hired someone to build for her. Books flew off the middle shelf and crashed onto the floor. Emily stared at the now empty space, wondering if she'd forgotten where she'd hidden it. She emptied another shelf, and another, and another until the bookcases were empty. Where the fuck was it?

In a near sprint, Emily reached the guest half bathroom and rummaged through a basket of toiletries under the sink. She turned over a box of tampons only to find it empty. Growing frantic, she continued her dash around the house in search of the mini bar sized bottles of alcohol and vials of coke she'd hidden. Every stash spot was empty.

She was half naked and on the verge of tears on the floor of her kitchen. It was pathetic and she hated Paige for it. It took a while to get her breathing under control but once she did, she pulled herself up and on shaky legs made her way back to her closet. Paige thought she was petulant, she'd show her. Emily took her time getting redressed, she wanted to make Paige, and by extension Paige's father, wait.

When she finally made it down to the car Paige practically had smoke coming out of her ears, "Jesus, Emily, My father's been at the Cafe for almost two hours now," Paige fumed as Emily opened the car door and stepped a foot inside. Emily ignored her as she slipped inside and shut the door behind her. It was quiet for a moment while Paige looked her over, "What are you wearing?" She rubbed her hands down her face, turning more red by the minute.

"I changed," Emily said inconsequentially.

"I see that," Paige rebutted, still looking her over. "You know what? It's fine." She said through gritted teeth. "Lucas, drive." She called to the front of the car.

… …

"I'm going with the Southwest Benedict and a mimosa," Emily said, flashing a smile at the young waiter who seemed to be struggling to avert his gaze from her midriff.

"Eyes up, Son," Mr. McCullers scolded.

"Yes, Sir." The boy almost jumped, hastily redirecting his attention to the ceiling. "Uh, anything else?"

"I'll take the Steak and Pancetta Hash with a black coffee. And let's make my wife's Mimosa a mocktail, please." Paige gathered Emily's menu, placing it on top of hers, and handed them back to the somewhat confused waiter. Emily let out a groan but said nothing.

"So, uh, Orange juice?" His face twisted in further confusion.

"Find something back there to make it bubbly, just no alcohol," Mr. McCullers demanded, practically tossing his menu to the kid.

Past a disapproving glance from Mr. McCullers to Paige, and a subtle nod in acknowledgment, Emily's outfit wasn't mentioned. Instead, the two fell into discussion about some meeting with another family, a rival or an ally, Emily didn't really care to pin down. It wasn't that she couldn't follow the conversation, she was just too pissed about Paige tossing her stuff and she was dealing with a growing headache. Leaning back in her chair, she whipped out her phone, deciding to kill time with Candy Crush until the food showed up. It was satisfying seeing Mr. McCuller's jaw tense and Paige look down at the empty place setting in front of her. Emily knew both Paige and Mr. McCullers weren't big fans of phones during so called 'family time.'

"Ken is excited for peace, and Jason…that boy is soft. He's no match for you. When the time comes, we'll make our move. For now, we play nice and reap the benefits of this alliance. They won't see it coming."

"Ken and Jason may be easy to convince, but the women of the DiLaurentis family are smarter."

"Jessica hasn't been seen since she was in that car bombing meant for Kenneth a few years back. Nobody knows her condition, but it can't be good. No one walks away from an explosion like that unscathed. You know CeCe fled right after, I guess she didn't have the stomach for the family business after all. The only real problem is-"

"Booooring," Emily interrupted Paige's father, earning her a look that probably scared most people. She dropped her phone onto the table and crossed her arms over the diamond bralette she was wearing. It was more suited for a concert than breakfast with her father in law, but from the looks they were getting from neighboring tables, it had the effect she wanted. The McCullers hated drawing unwanted attention.

Paige began to say something, but her father stopped her with a raised hand, "You're right, Emily, it's not the most exciting subject. How about we table it for now and talk about something else?" Despite the vein in his forehead that hinted at the old man being a hair away from a conniption, Mr. McCullers' voice stayed calm. So, this is where Paige gets it from. "Paige tells me you've finished your physical therapy."

"Did she?" Emily shot Paige a glare. Just because Paige was paying for it didn't give her the right to share Emily's personal information.

"Don't be upset with her, we're family. You're family." Mr. McCullers picked up on the tension. "You're also young, but you should know by now life doesn't always go as planned. It's on you to adjust and create a new path." Emily's eyes stayed focused on Paige as her father talked…if looks could kill. "So, what's your new plan?" Mr. McCullers finished, trying to inject a semblance of cheerfulness into his voice.

His words sank in instantly. Was the patriarch of a criminal family, a family that according to Paige's occasional rants had been holding the same grudges for decades, seriously telling her she needed to 'get over it'? Emily's eyes snapped to the old man, "Marry rich."

At that, he went pale, eyes immediately darting to Emily's ring finger where his family heirloom currently rested. It caused a wide smile to break across Emily's lips, and the table fell into silence even after the food came. Paige only spoke to her once they were back inside the car, giving Emily a long talk about how disrespectful she'd been, how her father was only trying to welcome her into the family. Paige was furious and made even more so when Emily refused to get out of the car for any of the stops they made after.

The Day of The Wedding

Paige had packed and rushed off for Boston on business the day after Breakfast with her father. She was gone for two weeks, giving Emily ample time to refill her stash spots with the help of Maya. When Paige returned, Emily was expecting a fight, something similar to their usual blowouts, and then maybe silence. It wasn't like that at all, Paige looked absolutely exhausted when she got back to the house, definitely not up for a fight. Emily was sure they would have to cancel their dinner plans with her mother and father. She was looking forward to Paige asking her to reschedule it but she insisted she would be fine.

During dinner with Emily's parents, she felt on edge, waiting for Paige to retaliate for her previous stunt. Paige never took opportunity. There was no mention of Emily's newfound activities, and Paige smoothly handled all the questions about Emily's physical therapy stint. Telling her parents that they would be seeking out specialists, even though she knew Emily was insistent on not seeing any more doctors, she also knew that's not what her parents would want to hear. Paige spun funny stories about their wedding planning adventures out of thin air. In truth, Emily had done next to nothing for the wedding besides picking the cake flavor. Paige painted such a rosy picture that had her parents enamored. It was way more than Emily deserved, and she eventually relaxed, even reaching out to hold Paige's hand at the table.

On the car ride home, Emily decided that she would try. Try to be at least a fraction of the partner Paige deserved. They spent the night on the couch, just like the early days of their relationship, watching movies and enjoying each other's company. They were establishing a new routine that included face to face communication instead of short often passive agressive texts. Date nights were back in the picture, at least when Paige managed to come home early.

It lasted all of one month. Until a particularly stressful day attached to the hip of Paige's aunt left Emily feeling out of place and inadequate. She went straight to the guest bathroom, hoping to find the tiny Patron bottles she kept under the sink. When she didn't find them, she flipped, she accused Paige of touching her shit and the confrontation quickly escalated to Paige leaving the house. It wasn't until after the front door had slammed shut and Paige was gone that Emily checked a different hiding place, finding the bottles there, untouched.

"This place is huge," Hanna gushed.

"I think one of your guests is on the FBI's most wanted list," Aria practically bounced with excitement.

Emily laughed, amused as Aria reached for her phone, likely to verify her hunch. Among their guests, quite a few had caught the attention of various law enforcement agencies. There were strict security measures in place for the day and no weapons were allowed. Knives, guns, and any other potentially dangerous items were being collected at the entrance. Paige had opted against plastering the estate with a battalion of security guards, relying instead on the respect of their guests.

Emily stood on the balcony overlooking the backyard. Her hair and makeup were done but she was still in her robe. It was the day of her wedding, she'd anticipated being more nervous. After all, she was about to commit to spending the rest of her life with Paige. Who was barely speaking to her but still texted her I love you and I miss you texts most days. Emily felt disconnected, as if she were an outsider observing her own life. It had been that way for a while, the passage of days, weeks, and months seemed to blend into a blur. The idea of committing her life to someone else didn't feel daunting, considering it hadn't felt like hers for a long time.

Hanna was right the McCullers estate was expansive and the backyard was breathtaking, Paige had planned a wedding that looked like it was right out of a fairytale. The arrangements were luxurious but timeless. A pristine white gazebo stood at the center of the garden with cascading multicolored flowers. The aisle leading to the gazebo was lined with petals of the same various flowers creating a vibrant contrast against the green of the grass. White folding chairs were neatly arranged for the guests, each one adorned with a blue ribbon that matched the wedding color scheme.

The beginnings of what felt like guilt nagged at Emily, "I need a drink."

"Paige said-"

"Paige isn't going to stop me from having a drink before I walk down the aisle on my wedding day," Emily countered sharply, cutting Aria off before she could finish. Her friends simply stared at her, neither of them moving. "Fine, I'll go get one myself."