Hello, guys!

This chapter got so long that I had to split it in two. There are a lot of details and long conversations here. It might seem like a lot to take in, but it was done on purpose. Remember, it's the first time Emily is hearing the whole stoy we've been following for about 7 years (jokes and runs away).

Anyway, Emily has a lot to process in this chapter. We're heading for the final arch of this fic, where everything will blend together.

With love,

White Tigresss


RULE XV: Sometimes all you need is a puzzle piece

THE ROSEWOOD OBSERVER

BREAKING NEWS: Olympic Star Sydney Driscoll Injured in Car Explosion

Olympic swimmer Sydney Driscoll has been severely injured in a car explosion, police sources inform The Rosewood Observer. Driscoll was rushed to the hospital, but her current condition remains undisclosed. An unidentified woman was also in the car, though her identity has not been confirmed.

The explosion occurred in a residential area home to several Rosewood entrepreneurs, including Alison DiLaurentis, CEO of Carissimi Group. Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.

This incident follows a recent surge in Rosewood's criminal activity. A CIA operation recently dismantled a drug ring led by Scottish dealer Archer Dunhill, who had posed as a doctor for the National Swim Team.

Around the same time, Alison DiLaurentis was shot in a robbery attempt. No arrests have been made in connection with that crime.

BREAKING NEWS: Senator Ezra Fitz Killed After Allegedly Kidnapping Girlfriend Aria Montgomery

Senator Ezra Fitz was killed after allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend, Aria Montgomery, a reporter for The Rosewood Observer. According to police reports, Fitz abducted Montgomery while she was at work at The Observer's studio. His motivation remains unclear.

Fitz transported Montgomery to the woods outside Rosewood, where an altercation ensued. Montgomery managed to disarm him, grab the gun, and shoot him in self-defense. After the incident, she immediately called the police. Although physically unharmed, Montgomery is reportedly still shaken by the ordeal.

The Rosewood Observer stands in solidarity with our reporter. We do not tolerate violence against women and will provide Montgomery with legal and medical support during this difficult time. The Observer is also investigating how Fitz was able to abduct Montgomery inside our studios and will implement measures to ensure the safety of our reporters.


Ignoring her pain, Emily lifted herself and sat on the ground, cradling Alison in her arms. Spencer quickly knelt beside them, inspecting Alison in the dim light of the factory.

They found the bullet wound on her back, just beneath her ribs, hopefully away from her spine. Emily hadn't noticed it before because Alison's black long-sleeved shirt camouflaged the blood oozing from her wound.

Emily's hands shook as she tried to stem the flow of blood. "Stay with me, Ali. Please, stay with me," she pleaded, her voice breaking. Despite her anger at Alison for keeping her CIA identity a secret, she needed Alison to live so they could talk it through and move forward in their relationship. She refused to let Alison die in her arms.

"We need a medic here, now!" Spencer shouted to the agents outside. Turning back to Emily, she said, "We're going to save her, Emily, I promise!"

Emily nodded, tears streaming down her face and wetting Alison's hair and forehead. Alison's eyes fluttered open briefly, recognizing Emily by her scent despite the stabbing pain in her back and the irregular heartbeat caused by Paige's shocks.

Alison sighed. If she had to go, she wanted it to be in Emily's arms, surrounded by her warmth. But she needed Emily to know her feelings were true. "Em... I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I love you, I love you."

"I need you to stay with me, Ali, please," Emily insisted, holding her tightly.

Alison's last thought before slipping out of consciousness again was that Emily had begged her to stay. She'd claw her way back to life with all her might.

Emily panicked as Alison slipped out of consciousness again. "She's out of it again!"

Lorenzo rushed in with a medic team. "We need to move her carefully. She's lost a lot of blood," the lead medic said, quickly setting up an IV and applying pressure to the wound.

As they lifted Alison onto a stretcher, Emily stood up, wincing at the pain in her collarbone. She tried to follow her into the ambulance, but Spencer put a steadying hand on her shoulder.

"You need to get checked out too, Emily. Let's get you both to the hospital."

Emily tried to push past her as she winced. "I need to know that she'll be okay, Spencer!"

Spencer placed both hands on Emily's shoulders. "I can't let you go after her right now. You're injured. There's a bad bruise on your collarbone, and your shoulder has burn marks. I'm assuming Paige's taser wasn't a fluke."

Emily grunted and took in her own state. She knew Spencer was right, but she wanted to push through the pain to be there with Alison.

"Emily, you've been tortured with that taser. It could really mess with your heart," Spencer argued. "Alison would kill me if I didn't take care of you."

That final argument convinced Emily, who relented and let Spencer take her to the hospital while Alison was rushed to the ER.


Emily sat in the hospital waiting room, her leg bouncing anxiously as she watched the doors to the emergency room. The minutes felt like hours. Spencer had insisted she get checked out, but Emily couldn't focus on anything other than Alison. She barely noticed the nurse who wrapped her shoulder in a sling and applied ointment to her burn marks. Her mind was solely on Alison and whether she would survive, but no one gave her any updates. Her thoughts raced despite the painkillers the nurse had given her.

Hanna and Aria stormed into the waiting room and ran to her. Emily barely registered their presence.

"Em, oh my God, I'm so glad you're okay!" Hanna exclaimed, jumping into her arms. Emily grunted in pain.

"Hanna, be careful! She's injured!" Aria cautioned.

"Oh my God, what happened?!" Hanna asked, frantically scanning Emily for injuries and finding the sling on her arm.

"Paige kidnapped and tortured me," Emily explained. "I never even made it to Aria."

"Yes, I was worried sick about you!" Aria added. "I blew up your phone, but you didn't answer!"

"That's because Paige kidnapped me as soon as I got into the studio," Emily replied, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

"I don't even know how she managed to do that, but she wouldn't be the last," Aria said.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, her brow furrowing.

"Well, both of you went missing on the same day," Hanna interjected. "Ezra went insane and decided to kidnap Aria and take her to the woods."

"He what?!" Emily jerked up, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. She eyed Aria up and down. "Are you okay?"

Aria gave her a comforting smile. "I'm fine, Em."

"Yeah, Aria went ninja on him, grabbed Ezra's gun, and shot him dead in the woods," Hanna said, her voice filled with a mix of shock and admiration.

Emily rubbed her face and sighed. "Oh God, what is happening in this city?!"

"I don't know, it creeps me out," Aria said with a shrug, trying to downplay the gravity of the situation.

Emily suddenly remembered something. "Hanna, how did you know we were missing?"

"Alison let me know you weren't with her and weren't picking up your phone, so she asked me to check if you were at Aria's. When you both weren't there, she told me to call the police."

"Wait, so Alison called you?"

"Yes. Where is she, by the way?" Hanna asked, her voice tinged with concern. "She sounded dead set on going after you, which would've been both crazy and stupid."

Emily had to bite her lip to refrain from shooting a nasty comment right back at Hanna. "Han, Alison did come after me. In fact, she's in surgery because she took a bullet for me."

"What?! Oh my God, is she okay?!"

"That's what I've been trying to find out, but no one here is giving me answers!" Emily wailed in frustration, her voice cracking.

"That's because you haven't been asking the right people."

The three friends turned towards the voice interrupting their conversation. It was Spencer.

"Spencer, what are you doing here?" Hanna asked, surprised.

"I'm here both as Ali's friend and as the lawyer for the CEO of Carissimi Group," Spencer explained, giving Emily a look urging her to keep Alison's secret identity under wraps.

"Oh, that makes sense," Hanna said, shrugging.

"Emily, the police need your statement regarding the abduction," Spencer relayed. "I can act as your lawyer, seeing that this is both in Ali's interest and what she would've wanted."

"Absolutely not," Aria interjected. "She's recovering from what happened and her girlfriend is in surgery."

"They have agreed to let her join Ali once she's done," Spencer countered.

"No, this is not happening," Hanna insisted. "There are a lot of crimes going on in Rosewood that the police can't solve. They need to let Emily be for now."

Emily placed a hand on her friends' shoulders, her voice calm but firm. "Guys, it's alright. The sooner I get this over with, the better."

Emotionally drained, Emily knew that talking to Spencer and the police was the fastest way to understand why Alison was taking bullets instead of taking notes in a meeting, like a boring CEO should.

"Are you sure, Em?" Hanna asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Emily nodded, taking Spencer's side. "Yes, I am."


Spencer took Emily to a private office, where Lorenzo was already waiting. Emily noticed the "Dr. Wren Kingston" nameplate on the desk and recalled that Spencer was married to a doctor at Rosewood Hospital. She guessed one perk was access to his office when needed.

"I'm glad you decided to talk to us, Emily," Lorenzo said, shaking her hand politely as they sat down.

"I just need to know everything. But first," Emily started, her voice trembling with anxiety, "I need to know what's happening to Alison. The hospital staff wouldn't tell me a thing."

"She's in surgery right now. Wren, my husband, is personally overseeing it," Spencer replied, trying to offer some reassurance.

"And why didn't they tell me anything?" Emily pressed. "I thought CeCe had put me on the whitelist at the hospital."

Spencer hesitated before answering, "Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a very dire situation, and we don't want Ali's identity to go public. We fear it's already been leaked."

Emily nodded, trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation. She understood the need to protect Ali's identity but couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal from being kept in the dark.

"I'll take you to where her family is waiting for the surgery to be over," Spencer promised.

Emily nodded, accepting the offer despite the frown on her face. "Now I need you to tell me everything."

"Alison and Spencer work as special agents for the CIA due to their exceptional talents," Lorenzo began. "They're only called in for special cases where their skills are needed."

"What are Ali's skills?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with skepticism.

Lorenzo and Spencer exchanged glances before Spencer replied, "She's an expert at charming and manipulating people."

"Of course," Emily scoffed. She knew Alison was a very charming woman, but she had no idea the blonde had reached CIA level.

"Alison also has sharp instincts. She has solved more cases than I'd be happy to admit," Spencer added with a smirk.

"And what does that have to do with me?" Emily asked, finally addressing the elephant in the room. "Why was a CIA agent making friends with me?"

"We are investigating genetic drugs on the swim team," Lorenzo answered. "We received a tip from inside the team that these drugs were being used."

Emily raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you let WADA handle that?"

"This isn't just about doping. It's about the drugs themselves," Spencer explained. "Someone is manufacturing them, and they're very dangerous."

Emily conceded, "Okay, but how did Alison get involved with that case?"

Spencer and Lorenzo exchanged glances again. Emily could see the unease in Spencer's eyes. Spencer felt guilty; she had pushed Alison to use Emily for the case, and Alison had complied. They hadn't expected Alison to fall in love, given her past, but it had happened anyway. Now, Emily was paying the price for their mistakes.

Lorenzo broke the silence, "We pushed Alison to get close to you so we could solve the case."

Emily gagged, feeling like she might throw up or pass out. She felt dirty and used, just a pawn in the CIA's game. Alison had preyed on her vulnerabilities and won. And Emily probably helped her in the case by asking for seduction lessons after they both met. Just the thought of that made her feel disgusted.

"I'm going to be sick," she dry-heaved.

Lorenzo quickly handed her a cup of water. Emily drank it, but it did nothing to soothe the fresh wound tearing at her heart. Spencer got up and rubbed circles on her shoulder, but it did nothing to calm her down.

"Emily, Alison did fall in love with you," Spencer said, as if reading her mind. "I can attest that she hasn't been with anyone else since she met you. It was killing her to keep her identity a secret. She really wanted to tell you."

"She mentioned she was going to tell me tonight. In a way, I guess she did," Emily muttered darkly before getting back on track. "So, when did it all start?"

"After the swim team's gala party," Spencer recalled. Emily vaguely remembered seeing her there. She had been the one Hanna was talking to at the time. Emily remembered spotting the two of them talking before she set off to look for Paige, only to find her then-fiancée cheating on her with Shana. She had also met Alison for the first time at that party. So that meant Alison had been deceiving her for a very long time.

"Great, she's been deceiving me from the start," Emily snorted, hanging her head low. "What a fool I am."

"We watched her catch feelings for you, Em," Spencer added, trying to create a more sympathetic case for Alison in Emily's mind now that the blonde wasn't there to defend herself.

"From the start," Emily repeated, feeling the weight of the deception. "She played me like a game."

Spencer looked pained, her voice softening. "It wasn't like that, Emily. She was supposed to get close to you for the case, but then… she fell in love with you. It became real for her."

"It actually got to the point where I thought I had to cut her from the case," Lorenzo added. "At one point, she was more concerned about your well-being than the progression of the case. Sometimes, it fueled her and made her a better agent."

Emily just shook her head in denial, feeling the sting of betrayal.

"Alison was the first one to suggest Rollins had something to do with the drugs," Spencer revealed. "She suspected the drugs he was injecting you with weren't what he claimed they were. It was a breakthrough for the case, and it only happened because she was worried about your health. Lorenzo and I couldn't see it coming, but she did."

Then, it all clicked in Emily's mind. Alison had been visiting her practice sessions and even flirting with Rollins/Dunhill to gather information for the case. The blonde had quickly figured out his injectable drugs were illegal. Emily had to give it to her — Alison had great instincts. She just wished that breakthrough hadn't come at her expense.

With Emily's lack of response, Spencer continued, "I looked up Rollins' file and found out the truth about Dunhill. Then, we had that operation in town. Alison was distracted that night. Dunhill shot her and almost killed her."

Emily widened her eyes at the thought of Alison dying in an operation. She had always thought the robbery story seemed a little off, especially because the police didn't follow up on it the way they normally would, especially since Alison was a public person and a CEO.

"I knew it wasn't a robbery," she muttered mostly to herself.

"We had CeCe sell that story to the media to protect Ali's identity. And then we stalled the police's investigation," Lorenzo explained.

"I remember you saying that you're Ali's brother-in-law," Emily suddenly recalled. "When I questioned her, she told me she didn't know you were working on my case. I guess that was another one of her lies?"

Lorenzo pressed his lips into a sad frown. "I'm sorry, Emily. It wasn't only her secret to tell."

Emily felt a pang of anger and hurt. "You don't need to apologize, Agent Calderon. You're not the one who lied to me for months just to gather information for a case."

Lorenzo sighed, his expression filled with regret. "I understand how you feel, Emily. But please know, Ali was torn about it. She wanted to protect you."

Emily looked down, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. She felt used and betrayed, yet a part of her wanted to believe that Alison's feelings for her were genuine. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I just... I need to know if anything between us was real."

Spencer stepped closer, her eyes filled with empathy. "Emily, I saw firsthand how much Alison cares about you. She was willing to risk everything for you. That wasn't part of the plan. That was her heart."

Emily swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know if I can ever trust her again."

Lorenzo nodded, understanding the depth of her pain. "That's something only time can tell, Emily. But please, know that Ali's feelings for you were real. She fought for you in ways you'll never fully know."

"All I can see is how she fought for herself and the CIA," Emily replied.

"Please, she almost mauled me because I was too rough with you in the interrogation room," Spencer snorted. "I was only doing my job!"

"Don't even remind me of that," Emily replied, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Alison was in her disguise right under my nose and I couldn't recognize her."

"Don't beat yourself up for that," Lorenzo interjected, trying to cheer her up. "Spencer and Alison are trained CIA agents. No one has ever seen through their disguises."

"No one was seeing Alison the way I do," Emily countered. "I mean, Vivian Darkbloom did remind me of her, but it would never cross my mind that it was her alias."

"I know you're angry at Alison, but we need to move forward with our conversation," Lorenzo said politely but firmly. "What did you do before you were abducted?"

Emily blushed, her mind flashing back to the intimate morning she shared with Alison. "I slept at Ali's and we... We had a morning together. Alison offered me a ride, but I refused because I'd have to retrieve my car from the swim team's facilities. So, I took a taxi to the facilities, got my car back, and drove all the way to the Rosewood Observer's studio. I had an interview scheduled with Aria Montgomery."

"Did anyone know that you had an interview?" Spencer asked, leaning in with keen interest.

"Alison, Aria, Hanna, and Charlotte," Emily replied. "It was something we'd arranged the night before."

"All of them have alibis," Spencer quickly deduced. "Hanna and Charlotte were at the office all day long. Alison was with us until most of the afternoon, when she set off to find you. And Aria said she was at the studio when she was abducted by Senator Fitz too."

"Can't believe two people were abducted in the same place on the same day," Emily smirked, the irony not lost on her.

"We believe it was a coordinated effort," Spencer revealed. "Someone must've figured out your schedules. Is there anyone else who could've known?"

Emily shrugged, frustration creeping into her voice. "I don't know. Maybe someone from Aria's team at the paper?"

"It's a dead end," Spencer huffed, slapping the table in frustration. The sound echoed in the room, underscoring their mounting tension.

"Just ask for the camera tapes," Emily suggested offhandedly, a hint of frustration in her tone. Spencer's eyes narrowed slightly.

"We already did. Someone messed with the security system that very day, which means we have no footage of either of you arriving or leaving the studio," Spencer said, her voice tense.

"Fuck," Emily cursed out loud. The realization hit her hard—both her and Aria's abductions had been meticulously planned. Someone was still pulling the strings in the background.

"Exactly," Lorenzo smirked. "So, what happened when you were abducted?"

Emily took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I was looking for Aria down one of the halls when someone sneaked up on me and hit me on the head," she recalled, wincing at the memory.

"Same MO Aria described," Spencer noted, scribbling in her notebook.

"So that means we were abducted by the same person?" Emily inquired, her mind racing.

"Usually. But you and Aria were taken to very different places, I'd say," Lorenzo answered. "You were taken to an abandoned factory and Aria was taken to the woods."

"The only thing we can take out from that is that there was more than one person involved," Spencer added.

"Obviously," Emily quipped, her frustration bubbling over. "But that should be easy, right? Both Paige and Ezra are down, right? Case solved."

"Unfortunately, there's something else," Lorenzo interjected, his tone somber. "When you and Aria were still being held captive, Sydney's car blew up."

Emily staggered back in shock, her heart pounding. Her mind spun, trying to process the information. The world around her seemed to blur as she grappled with the implications of this new twist. She felt like a pawn in a game that kept getting more dangerous by the minute.

"S-Sydney as in Sydney Driscoll?! My teammate?!"

"I'm sorry, Em," Spencer offered sympathetically, her eyes full of concern.

"Is she okay?!" Emily asked frantically, her voice trembling.

"She's in the ICU in critical condition," Spencer informed. "The woman who was with her didn't survive."

"Who else was in the car?" Emily asked, dreading the answer.

"Jenna Marshall," Lorenzo replied. "Former drug dealer and my source on the case."

"So you think this group has purposefully taken out Jenna for exposing the scheme?" Emily quickly deduced. "Where did the car blow up?"

Lorenzo and Spencer exchanged glances before Spencer answered, "On Ali's street."

Emily sighed heavily. That could mean the bomb was meant for both Jenna and Alison. She didn't know if the blonde and the ex-drug dealer were connected, but it wouldn't surprise her. It would be just another secret Alison had kept from her.

But how did Sydney get tangled in this mess?

"You fear the bomb was meant to take out both Jenna and Ali?" Emily asked.

"We think it was meant for Jenna because it was placed under her seat," Spencer replied. "But this criminal wouldn't be sad if they had taken out Ali in the explosion as well. According to our investigators and the call I got from Ali, she had left her house shortly before the explosion."

"How do you know it was Jenna's seat?" Emily asked.

"Emily, Jenna was blind," Lorenzo replied. "She lost her eyesight in another explosion, this one provoked by Ali."

"What?" Emily's voice wavered. It was already hard enough to deal with Alison's double life; now she had to process Alison's possible violent past.

"It wasn't intentional," Spencer stressed. "Jenna and her minions had chased us to an almost dead end, so Alison shot a kerosene tank and blew up the factory we were in. She did it so we could both come out alive and unscathed."

Still, Emily didn't know what to make of it. She felt like she was drowning in secrets and lies.

"Jenna got arrested and decided to cooperate with us," Lorenzo added. "But I think someone figured that out and they had to get rid of her."

Emily's heart sank further. "And Sydney?"

"She was just collateral damage," Spencer said softly. "She got caught up in this because of her association with Jenna."

Emily nodded, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. The lines between right and wrong, friend and foe, seemed to blur more with each revelation.

"I'm assuming the street cameras were all conveniently turned off," Emily snorted.

Lorenzo smirked, "Not this time. They were conveniently turned on so we could see Senator Ezra Fitz planting the bomb."

Emily lurched forward in surprise, "Ezra was the one who planted the bomb?!"

It wasn't like she was a close friend of his. She knew Ezra by association because he was engaged to Aria, but they didn't interact a lot. However, Emily would never have pegged Ezra as a member of a dangerous criminal gang.

"Yes, but he had supposedly kidnapped Aria, remember?" Lorenzo pointed out, giving Emily a headache.

"I can't make sense of what's going on," she replied, rubbing circles around her temple with her good hand.

"Neither can we and we are the CIA," Spencer interjected. "People higher up the chain want us to close the case and pin all of this on Ezra."

"What? But nothing is making sense!" Emily exclaimed.

"At this point, it's about showing people that it's safe out there," Lorenzo said. "Think about it, Emily. Three people have died tonight already: a senator, an Olympic swimmer, and a drug dealer. The senator and the swimmer have been killed in self-defense. The swimmer had abducted her ex, who also happens to be another Olympic swimmer, and shot a CEO. Meanwhile, the drug dealer was killed in an explosion that harmed a third Olympic swimmer. It's a pandemonium in terms of narrative."

"That's why we're talking to you," Spencer added. "Is there anything that Paige did or said that could help us solve the case?"

"She tortured me and Ali with a taser, but I think you knew that already," Emily replied, almost flinching at the memory. "She also admitted to doping and it seemed like she knew about Ali's identity. She made Vivian take off her wig in front of me."

"She definitely knew; Ali's ID has been compromised," Spencer muttered angrily.

"Her doping admission isn't a surprise to us either," Lorenzo stated. "But I think you need to know, Emily, that these drugs that Paige may have taken might have something to do with her lack of judgment."

"You mean, her doping turned her into a psycho?"

"Those drugs were extremely unstable. It's not far-fetched to consider that Paige went through neurological alterations in her brain," Lorenzo theorized.

"Great, another thing to worry about," Emily smirked.

"You're good. Wren didn't detect any possible neurological changes in your tests," Spencer soothed her.

"Thank God for one good news today!" Emily celebrated in exasperation. "So, what can I do now?"

"Stay vigilant," Spencer instructed and gave her a new phone. "This is a safe device. It only has my number on it. Text me in case you see or hear anything weird."

Emily nodded, "Can I see Sydney now? And Ali later?"

Spencer agreed, "Don't worry, I'll take you to both of them."

"Thanks. And I hope you guys catch this fucker who messed up with so many lives before I do," Emily said in a threatening tone, one she didn't believe she could muster before.


THE ROSEWOOD OBSERVER

EMILY FIELDS VICTIM TO ABDUCTION

ROSEWOOD, PA – Olympic swimmer and America's Mermaid, Emily Fields, was abducted late last night, police sources revealed to The Observer. Fields, who spent approximately four hours in captivity, was eventually rescued by police and is reported to be alive and well. No information about her abductor has been released.

Authorities suggest a high probability that Alison DiLaurentis, CEO of the Carissimi Group, was also abducted alongside Fields. However, this information remains unconfirmed at this time.

The Observer reached out to both the National Swim Team and the Carissimi Group for comment, but as of this writing, we have not received any responses.

This incident marks the second crime targeting a national team swimmer in one night. Earlier in the day, Sydney Driscoll was critically injured by a car explosion and subsequently hospitalized. The current condition of Driscoll remains unknown, as police have yet to provide updates on her case.


ROSEWOOD HAWKS

BREAKING NEWS: EMILY FIELDS ABDUCTED AND RESCUED BY POLICE IN A WILD ROSEWOOD NIGHT FOR SWIMMERS

Rosewood can't catch a break, can we? Blink once, and a car with an Olympic swimmer blows up. Blink again, and another Olympic swimmer goes missing. That's exactly what happened to our Mermaid, Emily Fields. Whispers on the street say our beloved Olympic champ was abducted, held captive for four hours, and then set free by the police.

More whispers hint that Fields' rumored girlfriend, CEO bombshell Alison DiLaurentis, was also abducted, but no police sources have confirmed it. They also haven't revealed who managed to capture our two favorite lovebirds.

Either way, folks, don't leave your houses. It seems like Rosewood is in for a night of terror, especially if you're an Olympic swimmer. Stay safe and keep those doors locked!


As promised, Spencer took Emily to the unit where Sydney was being treated. The fellow swimmer was isolated in the ICU due to the severity of her injuries. Spencer explained that Sydney had sustained third-degree burns all over her body, making her vulnerable to numerous infections if she were in a regular ICU.

Before Emily could open the sliding doors to go inside, Spencer gently grabbed her arm. "Let me warn you first: Sydney is in a very critical state. The doctors don't know if she's gonna make it."

Emily nodded solemnly, her heart heavy with worry. "Thanks for letting me know."

Spencer nodded back, watching as Emily entered the room. The sight that greeted Emily was heart-wrenching. Sydney was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, resembling a mummy. Several beeping machines surrounded her, and a bag of morphine was attached to her IV. Emily winced, imagining the excruciating pain Sydney must be enduring.

"Hey Syd," Emily whispered, unsure if Sydney could hear her, let alone speak.

To her surprise, a hoarse voice replied, "Hello Em. I've been… waiting for you."

Tears welled up in Emily's eyes. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"You're not to blame. We only wanted to save you," Sydney replied, her voice strained before she coughed weakly.

Emily took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Why were you on Ali's street?"

"Jenna told her you went missing," Sydney coughed again, her voice raspy and weak. "Where's Alison?"

"In surgery right now. She took a bullet for me," Emily scowled, a mix of anger and guilt evident in her tone. Sydney picked up on her resentment.

"Don't go hard on her. The criminal world is rough. She did what she needed to do to protect you."

"She did what she needed to do for her case," Emily countered, her voice tinged with bitterness.

"And she might be in danger right now," Sydney pointed out, making Emily squirm in surprise.

"What else do you know, Syd?" Emily asked, leaning closer, her heart pounding with anticipation.

"Not much. Jenna wouldn't tell me for the same reason Ali didn't want to tell you," Sydney replied, her eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "I know that there is a Big A pulling the strings, but I don't know who that is."

"Ezra Fitz was the one who planted the bomb under your car," Emily pointed out, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"Jenna always said he was dumb. I think Big A is someone else," Sydney recalled, her voice growing weaker. "And they'll be after Alison. Maybe Jenna told her something."

"She's in surgery right now," Emily insisted, her voice cracking. "She'll be okay as long as she's in here."

"Big A has the magic skill of blending in," Sydney murmured, staring up at the ceiling as if seeing something only she could. "At least I gave one last interview before dying."

Emily chuckled despite herself, "Syd, you're gonna get through this."

"Em, the morphine is the only thing keeping me sane right now. Soon enough I'll be sedated," Sydney coughed, the sound painful and ragged.

Emily shook her head, refusing to accept that one of her Olympic friends was dying. "Who did you give your last interview to?" she asked, desperate to keep Sydney talking.

"Aria Montgomery," Sydney whispered, her eyes closing as exhaustion took over.

Emily chuckled softly. Of course, Sydney would've talked to Aria. Her friend was the biggest sports journalist in Rosewood, always digging for the next big story.

"I'm feeling drowsy," Sydney whispered, her voice barely audible. "Can you hold my hand before I go?"

Emily smiled tearfully, her heart aching. "Of course, Syd."

She gently took Sydney's hand, feeling the roughness of the bandages. She squeezed it reassuringly, tears blurring her vision. Sydney's breathing gradually evened out, the rise and fall of her chest becoming shallower.

A nurse entered the room, checking the monitors and Sydney's vital signs. She nodded at Emily, indicating that Sydney was being closely monitored.

Emily watched as Sydney's eyes fluttered closed, her face relaxing into a peaceful expression. She knew that this was the slumber Sydney would never wake up from. The reality of it hit her hard, and she held onto Sydney's hand a little tighter, wishing she could do more to help her friend.

"I'll miss you, Syd," Emily whispered, her voice breaking.

As the machines around them beeped steadily, Emily sat there, holding Sydney's hand until her heartbeat ceased.


Is Alison in danger? Can Emily solve our mistery? Who is Big A?

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