"She's going to be out for a couple more hours," Alison brought two fingers to Emily's pulse point. "The faux sauna did its job, now she needs to rest," She looked down at Emily's sleeping form.

"You don't want to be here when she wakes up?" Eric took a seat at the vanity across from the bed. His second question 'What the hell happened?' went unasked, and Alison wouldn't be answering either.

"I'll be in the study," Alison covered the ground between the bed and the door in quick steps. "Noel will come up in a few to unrig the bathroom. When she's up, make her eat and drink something." She closed the door behind her with a soft click.

Alison took the steps two at a time downstairs and turned the corner to the study with renewed determination. She'd had time sitting outside the bathroom door to carefully rebuild her walls and there was work to do. Noel hung outside the study door, kicking his boots at the ground, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"I have to tell you something."

Alison opened the door for them both, letting Noel inside first so she could get a better read of his demeanor. It wasn't his usual nervousness when he fucked something up or overstepped, guilt was pouring off him. She didn't prompt him, he was a grown man, whatever he had to say he could come out and say it.

"I was outside smoking when Ben was getting Emily high," Noel admitted. He shifted his weight from side to side, "I didn't know what he was going to do… or try to do. But it doesn't matter you left me in charge and I screwed up." Noel stopped fidgeting and stood tall, looking Alison in the eye as if he was ready to accept whatever fate she decided he deserved. "She threatened to tell you if I didn't take her to see you in the basement. I thought it would scare her into not being such a little shit," Noel tskd.

Alison had already deduced something of the sort, Noel's side of the story always seemed to be missing something. The house was small, at the first sign of trouble he should have heard a struggle, the fact that he didn't, made it likely that he wasn't in the house when things got out of control.

"Is that why you're telling me now? because you don't want Emily telling me first."

"No, no… Like I said she's a pain in the ass… but she didn't deserve to have her brain melted or whatever the fuck that was the other night. And Ben was a freak, if I got my hands on him while he was still alive I'd cut his dick off. She was quick and smart taking him out with that glass." Noel loosened up, his hands coming out of his pockets. "You left me in charge, I screwed up and she got hurt. I thought you should know the truth."

Alison sat on the small leather couch, motioning for Noel to take a seat next to her, "If you want to unburden yourself to someone, you should do it to Emily. She's the one who had to take a life because you got sloppy."

Noel nodded but swallowed nervously, "Is that… it?"

If Noel had told Alison earlier, the consequences would have been more severe. But right now, they didn't have the time, and she didn't have the energy to coddle him. "If it happens again, I'll light you on fire," she said with little enthusiasm. "Understood?"

"Yeah... yeah, that seems fair," Noel muttered, rubbing his palms together.

With Noel's guilt temporarily relieved, they could focus on the real issues. Emily's trickery, despite how it made Alison feel, had highlighted a serious problem. People flocked to power, and even the smallest amount could spark bloodshed. Killing the McCullers would have ripple effects, and they needed to be prepared for them.

"Paige called," Alison redirected the conversation, "She wanted a meet on short notice. I told her no and she offered up 130th. She put a clock on it, expires Friday," Alison brought him up to speed.

"She had a real stick up her ass about the territory split and now she's just willing to give up some of hers? And why Friday? It's a trap." Noel shirks off the remnants of whatever shame he was feeling and refocuses. Good, focused is good.

"It didn't sound like she knows I have Emily. She didn't mention her or the wedding."

"Emily isn't the only reason she has to kill you."

Alison nodded, acknowledging the truth in Noel's point, "Why now?"

"You're getting tired of the way things are, maybe she is too," Noel shrugged.

The why of it all didn't matter really, what mattered was that they were ready for any of the possible outcomes Friday could bring. Worst case scenario Alison imagined Paige was trying to draw her away from the house, splitting her and Emily up gave her the best chance of getting Emily back. Best case scenario was Paige was still in the dark and this meeting was to flex whatever power she thought she had over Alison.

Alison stood and walked to the desk, "The club Emily and I met at, that's where we're doing this. 10 pm, call Logan or call the owner, whoever you need to make sure we'll have privacy. You'll have to tap some of our contacts too, preferably out of state. Three to travel with me and Eric and three to stay here with you and Emily."

"You're taking Eric and not me?" Noel folded his arms.

"Think of it as a chance to redeem yourself," Alison met his gaze, "If I come back here and there's so much as a hair out of place on her head, I'll kill all of you in ways they won't even be able to describe on the news that night. I'm trusting you."

"Nothing will happen to her," Noel promised. "The club opens at 11, if you meet Paige at 10 that's a tight window."

"That's the idea, Paige won't shoot me in a club full of people with even more outside, she cares too much about her image. Emily brought up the power vacuum that would happen when I take the McCullers off the board." Alison huffed, her jaw clenching, "Paige lives until I… have a plan." She gritted the words out.

"She pays attention," Noel looked curious.

Alison sighed a yes, "You think she's just buying Paige time?"

"She is, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. You've been wanting Paige's head on a spike forever, but you never really thought about what happens afterward." Noel said, and Alison tried not to take offense.

Alison sat down in the leather chair and reclined, Emily's deception had been multilayered and partially successful. She'd planted a seed that Alison couldn't just ignore. "Emily's my blindspot," She admitted, taking a keen interest in the ceiling. Up until then, Emily had been playing the part of indifference when it came to the McCullers and DiLaurentis, as if the whole thing was stupid, and she couldn't care less. Clearly that wasn't the case, at least not entirely, she'd soaked up something over her years with Paige whether she realized it or not. "She knows I care about her and she'll use it as leverage." Before Noel can respond, Alison drops her feet to the floor and sits upright again. "Go upstairs, unrig the bathroom. Then get started on those calls." Her tone is final, signifying the end of their conversation.

… …

Choosing to hole up in the study, Alison didn't eat dinner and she ignored the knocking at the study door every few hours. She was working through creating a list of key players who'd be affected when the McCullers were out of the way. The list wasn't long, but a few names would be trouble. She could handle them, but Jason, he'd struggle to keep everyone in line, and unfortunately, he was the one with the power. Earlier, she'd been ready to kill Jason if it meant she and Emily could be together. But now, thinking more clearly, Alison knew she needed another way. Jason would jump at a chance to get out, it was her father who was determined for him to be the head of the family.

Alison looked down at the desk, a plan was forming but it wasn't quite there yet. She tapped her pen against the wood, going over everything again. Halfway through, a strange and suffocating feeling settled over her. Her chest tightened and her heart raced. It felt like invisible hands were squeezing her lungs, refusing to let them expand. Alison's vision blurred at the edges. Every muscle in her body tensed. Something was brewing inside her, threatening to take over. Fear. The fear that her parents were right from the very beginning, and she wasn't cut out for this. Fear that even if it weren't now, eventually she'd do something selfish or rash and Emily would pay the price. The thoughts were terrifying, uncontrollable, and she froze.

Whether it was minutes or an hour, Alison couldn't tell. It was the sharp sound of something breaking that finally shook her. Another crash echoed through the house between the few steps from Alison's chair to the door. The noise was too close to be coming from upstairs, so Alison sprinted to the kitchen. She rounded the corner as Emily flung a plate like a frisbee into the floor tiles. Shards of ceramic scattered everywhere.

"There you are," Emily's eyes lifted from the floor to meet Alison's. There was fire in her gaze. Alison had expected this, no one would take kindly to being locked up for hours on end.

"Here I am," Alison spread her arms casually, keeping an eye on Emily's hands in case she needed to sidestep a plate. She wasn't about to back down, if anything, Emily having the strength to throw tableware around the kitchen was proof she'd made the right choice. "What's going on?" Alison scanned the room. Emily may have a newfound flare for the dramatics but it was nothing Alison couldn't handle.

Noel and Eric exchanged confused looks. "I don't know," Noel said. "She was fine and then she started breaking stuff," Eric added.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Alison stepped closer to Emily, glancing between the broken pieces of plates that littered the floor, and dark brown eyes. "Because if you keep breaking those, we won't have anything to eat on,"

As if to challenge Alison, or to illustrate that she didn't care, Emily let another plate slip from her fingers, the impact breaking it into large chunks. "Why do you care? You skipped dinner anyway."

Alison hesitated, it wasn't the argument she had prepared for. She had never been called out for missing dinner before. "We can eat now. It's nice outside tonight, we'll eat on the patio." Alison guessed that Emily hadn't eaten either.

"No, that was hours ago, if you-"

"Did it sound like I was asking? Because I'm not," Alison cut off Emily's refusal. "We need to eat, and we need to talk. We're going to do both of those things together, outside, now." Emily might have been her blindspot, but Alison wasn't a pushover.

Emily mumbled something under her breath, but Alison let it slide because the brunette was already moving toward the sliding doors. Alison instructed Noel to reheat and bring out their food and Eric to clean up the floor, and then she followed Emily out.

The night air was cool, and the cul de sac was quiet as usual, creating an odd backdrop for their confrontation. Alison didn't have to wait long for Emily's next move. Emily turned to face her as soon as the doors were closed.

"So you finally see what a mess I am and decide to fuck off?" If the neighbors could overhear Emily's yelling, Alison didn't care, she was more concerned about the notes of hurt in Emily's voice. "What was it? The shaking, the vomiting, did I cry too much?"

Again, Alison was taken by surprise and she fumbled through her response, "What? That's not... You're not a mess. I was working on something." Her words felt weak and like a copout against Emily's.

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Emily rolled her eyes, the sarcasm heavy. "What pressing work kept you from being there when I woke up?"

The insinuation grated on Alison, "I'm really getting tired of you calling me a liar. I have never lied to you." Her voice rose, trying to cut through Emily's anger.

"Then why lock yourself away today?" Emily demanded an answer for the third time.

"Because you screwed with my head!" Alison exploded. "You got in my head, toyed with my emotions, tried to manipulate me, and planted that power vacuum idea to give Paige more time," she listed, her voice defensive and strained. Tears threatened to surface, but Alison forced them down. It had snuck up on her the first time, and that wouldn't happen again. "I needed some space to think," she admitted, her eyes dropping to the ground.

"That's not fair. I told you to let me go, I warned you that you didn't know what you were getting into. None of that had to happen if you listened to me. I knew things would get ugly and I didn't-" Emily cut herself short and her voice softened, the fire in her eyes extinguished as they sought out Alison's. "I said what I knew would get me out of that bathroom. I'm not going to apologize for that... I can't." Emily's unwavering stare frustrated Alison but she had come to expect nothing less.

"In a few hours, I'm going to be in so much pain all I'll be able to do is scream, cry, and throw up. I'm going to sweat through all of my clothes. It'll be disgusting. What happens when you realize I'm not the girl in your dreams? I'm just a girl you met at the bar. A very fucked up girl."

Hearing Emily's previous words replay in her mind, Alison nodded, realizing how much she had misunderstood. "You did try to warn me, and I let my own shit twist your words," she admitted, pulling out a chair for Emily to sit. "Today had nothing to do with you being fucked up or a mess. I don't believe any of that, and I should have been there when you woke up."

"You locked me in a bathroom with Gatorade and protein bars and told me to make myself comfortable," Emily recalled.

Alison took the seat across from her, leaning in slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Emily fidgeted with a corner of the table, her fingers tracing the edge. "No matter how much I sleep, it still feels like I'm ready to drop at any moment. The nausea comes in waves, my body jumps from freezing cold to burning up from the inside out, and my head is a mess of stuff I normally avoid… but it's better than before."

"Then I'd do it again," Alison said honestly. There wasn't a world where she sat idly and watched Emily writhe on the floor in pain. And like Emily, she wouldn't apologize for it.

They stared at each other for a moment, the tension between them slipping away until a glint appeared in Emily's eye, and the corner of her mouth threatened to turn into a very cute half smile that reminded Alison of their time at the club. "I break a few plates and you come running, huh?"

Alison let out a small chuckle, the tension easing just a bit more. "Yeah, well, you know how to get my attention."

Their time was interrupted by Noel bringing their plates, the aroma of Italian food wafting between them. "Looks like you two got everything out… that's good. I read somewhere that arguing is bad for your digestion."

The random fact gets a tiny laugh from Emily, and Alison playfully swatted Noel's arm in appreciation. "We weren't arguing… just working a few things out."

"That's what our parents used to say," Eric chimed in from near the doors, his voice carrying a hint of nostalgia.

That time, everyone laughed, but Alison only had eyes for Emily. She watched in awe, captivated by the many layers that made up the woman in front of her. She wanted to keep peeling those layers back, uncovering every hidden nuance, for as long as time allowed.

"If you want to reminisce about your parents, do it inside," Alison teased in a firm voice. Then she turned back to Emily and noticed the brunette's eyes widened at the sight of the pasta. "Before you dig in, let's get rid of this," Alison reached for Emily's splinted hand. Taking the splint off was easier than putting it on, mostly because Emily wasn't wincing with every movement. Alison quickly undid all the straps, starting with Emily's fingers, then the two at her wrist holding everything in place. "Wiggle your fingers."

When Emily didn't move, Alison frowned wondering if she'd made a mistake and Emily wasn't ready. She looked up from her hand to her eyes. Emily seemed hesitant, maybe even a bit scared.

"Come on, the way you were kicking my ass yesterday. You can do this," Alison encouraged.

Emily smiled, wiggling her fingers slowly at first to test the waters, then closing them into a fist. "I fought the great Alison DiLaurentis and lived to tell the tale… no one's going to believe me." She used her now healed fingers to poke Alison in the shoulder, the playful gesture warmed Alison.

Between bites of their pasta, Emily thankfully took the lead with dinner conversation. She detailed all the ways the boys had tried to keep her distracted throughout the day during the stints she was awake. They'd gotten so desperate that Noel attempted to juggle, and Eric taught her the basics of pickpocketing. Alison used the opening to share that she'd dipped into Emily's purse the night they met, memorized her ID, and felt the outline of her engagement ring. She followed her confession up with a promise to take Emily somewhere she could practice her new skill. Nothing would be easily forgotten, Alison would always remember how Emily had used her feelings against her, and Emily would remember the things Alison had said to purposefully trigger a panic attack. But eating, talking, and laughing together seemed to soothe some of the hurt and suspicion on both sides.

Emily eventually got too cold to stay outside, and Alison, always up for carrying her, scooped the brunette into her arms. By the time she got them inside and up the stairs, Emily was out of it. Alison tried to lay her down, but Emily clung to her, so she laid awkwardly on the bed until Emily fell asleep and let go. After she was able to slip out of the bed, Alison sat at the vanity where she'd stationed Eric earlier. A few times she adjusted the blankets if it looked like Emily was too hot or too cold, but mostly she watched.

… …

"What is he doing here?" Emily hissed.

She wasn't in a good mood, the morning had been rough for her. Starting with being jolted awake by the harsh sound of a jackhammer breaking concrete next door. From her experience at DiLaurentis Construction, Alison knew that despite the annoyance, the workers were within the municipal code. Emily didn't appreciate hearing that and had shot her a glare before disappearing into the shower for over an hour. Alison decided to look on the bright side and take it as a sign the brunette wasn't experiencing any PTSD about being locked in the bathroom. Every attempt by Alison and the guys to smooth things over only seemed to irritate Emily more. None of them took it personally, they knew she was dealing with a lot.

If Alison had known the morning would be so stressful she would've pushed Wren's drop in to the next day, "He's here because I want him to check you out."

"Alison, please-" Emily started to make a plea but was interrupted.

"You know, you being irritable is actually a good sign. It means your body and brain are starting to adjust to functioning without the drugs," Wren ran over what Emily was going to say. "You're engaging with your emotions instead of being numb or indifferent. It's progress," Wren pressed on, ignoring the irritated looks being thrown in his direction.

"The recommended time for being in a sauna is 20 minutes. I had you locked in the bathroom at the same temperature for hours. You look better, and you've said you feel better but I need to be sure for my own sake." Alison jumped in before Emily could shrink any further into herself. "Let him run his tests… for my peace of mind?"

Emily shrugged reluctantly, "Fine."

With Emily's consent, Alison motioned for Wren to get started. They had talked prior and at her request, he was thorough but moved efficiently checking Emily from head to toe. After learning there was Fentanyl in the drugs Emily had taken, there were a number of additional tests Wren wanted to run that he hadn't the first time. There was a condescending undertone to the way Wren spoke to Emily that Alison didn't appreciate but at the expense of stopping the exam she bit her tongue, she'd talk to him about it later. Emily answered most of his questions and Wren finished up by addressing a few of the bumps and scrapes Emily had gotten from scuffling with both Ben and Alison.

"I have a few recommendations," Wren removed his gloves. "Four to be exact, the first and the most pressing is rest."

"It feels like all I do is sleep," Emily mumbled.

"You might be sleeping, but you're not resting, and it's called rest and recovery for a reason. Your body needs it, your brain needs it, and you not getting it is slowing this whole process down." Wren gathered some items to be disposed of and others to be put back in his go bag. "It might even make you a little easier to be around."

"Super fucking helpful," Emily's eyes shot daggers at Wren and her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'll make sure to put that in the suggestion box," she crossed her arms tightly and leaned back, her irritation visible in the tenseness of her body.

"We'll figure it out," Alison placed a hand on Emily's shoulder, a reminder that they were nearing the end of this. "What are the other recommendations?" She asked Wren.

"Get outside, exercise, walk around, I know that might be… difficult, considering the circumstances here but find a way to incorporate it and it will help. You should also find a meeting, in a few days you'll be out of withdrawal but you still have to find a way to cope with the cravings. That's not something anyone here can help you with. You mentioned waves of nausea but you still have to eat, instead of three big meals, try six smaller meals, water with each one." Wren said concisely, slipping on a new pair of gloves. "Otherwise, tests show you're fine." He said with a sigh.

"Could you sound more disappointed?" Emily sniffed, not giving Wren time to respond before trying to dismiss him. "Doesn't matter, you poked, you prodded, now you can leave," Emily stood.

"Not yet," is all Wren spared Emily before turning to Alison, his gloved fingers ready. "While we were on the phone, you mentioned coming into contact with the same substance that started all this. I'd rather be safe than sorry with you, especially since I'll be hours away if any delayed reactions happen," Wren explained a bit too smoothly.

Wren had been charming and flirtatious since they'd met. The British doctor never seemed to turn it off. Alison hadn't shut it down either, much to Eric and Noel's annoyance. She wasn't interested in Wren, but letting him think he had a chance made their interactions feel less clinical. The way Emily looked between them made Alison realize that might've been a mistake.

"If something was off with her, I would've noticed," Emily said, sitting back down and placing her hand on Alison's knee.

Alison tried to ignore her heart rate picking up and the warmth where Emily's hand touched her skin. She didn't want to read too much into it or draw attention to the action if it didn't mean anything.

"Because you've been so alert and clear headed these past few days?" Wren smirked, delivering his low blow.

Emily leaned forward suddenly, her fingers flexing against Alison's skin, ready to tear into Wren. "Get on with it, Wren," Alison interrupted before a fight could break out.

Confused and seething, Emily set her sights on Alison, but she kept quiet. Wren went through his routine, checking if Alison had inhaled any of the synthetic. Once he decided she hadn't, or at least not enough to cause problems, he moved on to checking her ribs. The longer the exam went on, the higher Emily's hand crept up Alison's thigh. Alison continued to ignore it, unsure if it was about her or if Wren just annoyed Emily that much. The brunette kept her eyes on the Doctor's hands the entire time.

"I tell you to take it easy, and you do the exact opposite," Wren said with a soft smile as he applied a pain patch to the bruised area. "I'm glad I checked on this. Someone has to look out for you." Wren winked, and at that same moment, Emily's hand squeezed Alison's thigh tightly.

They both jumped, and Emily pulled her hand back like she'd been burned. "Shit. I mean… Sorry, I wasn't-" Emily stammered like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"It's fine... you weren't paying attention," Alison said, giving Emily an out while pushing down the feelings of rejection it caused.

"Right," Emily accepted the excuse easily.

A sudden knocking at the front door echoed up the stairs, startling all three of them out of the awkward moment. It was loud, almost as if someone were trying to break the door down, but it wasn't the distinct authoritative rhythm that meant Cops.

"Expecting someone?" Wren asked.

... ...

Author's Note:

I was so happy to see the last chapter was well received and if you're still reading I hope you enjoy the update. Lots of feelings happening, very small house. What could go wrong?