Hello, guys!
How do we feel about Aria being Big A? Some of you caught on the hints, others didn't. I was really inspired by that theory that Aria was A in the original series. I thought it could've been a good outcome in PLL and I decided to have my take on it in this story.
Anyways, enjoy this chapter!
With love,
White Tigresss
Rule 17: It will all make sense in the end
"You weren't supposed to know," Aria recoiled a little bit. Her former friend looked genuinely surprised to have been outsmarted. Aria hadn't expected Emily to put the pieces together.
"And you weren't supposed to be here," Emily countered. "I'm not even going to ask how you got access to Ali's room."
"You'd be surprised by how much people tell you once you flash a journalist card," Aria smirked.
"Is that how you did it? You used your connections as a sports journalist to sell genetic doping to athletes?" Emily asked, her voice shaking with anger.
"You'd be surprised how many said yes," Aria replied. "Not everyone is a talent freak like you, Emily. People are envious and grow resentful."
"Is that how you got to Paige? By feeding on her envy to turn her against me?"
"Oh, please, like I even had to try with Paige," Aria scoffed. "She was jealous of you from the start. You were naive enough not to see it."
"Why didn't you tell me? I thought you were my friend!" Emily exclaimed. "Why are you doing this, Aria? What do you want?"
"It all started with me trying to find ways for my ex-boyfriend Holden to fight without dying. He had an abdominal aneurysm," Aria recalled. "He died anyway, but I realized I had something valuable in my hands. And I was right."
"You never showed any interest in science," Emily pointed out, her confusion growing.
"Isn't it interesting when you find out someone is actually very talented at something you believed they didn't care for?" Aria smirked. "I bet you also thought I was no good at programming, but my hacking skills are good. My IQ is off the charts, but I never told anyone about that. I wanted all of you to underestimate me. But it seems like I underestimated you."
Emily gulped, trying to make sense of the new information thrown at her. She prayed that Spencer had received her S.O.S text and would arrive in time to save her and Alison. With a broken collarbone, Emily knew there wasn't much she could do, especially since she had no idea if Aria had a gun. She wondered if Alison had felt like this when stalling Paige in the abandoned factory. Now Emily could understand her a little bit more because she would do anything to keep Alison safe.
"How did you figure it out?" Aria asked, her tone suddenly somber.
"Weird things always happened around you," Emily pointed out. "The cameras were always off, you had no proof of Ezra ever kidnapping you, and then Sydney mentioned she gave you one last interview."
"My bad, I should've finished Sydney off first. I didn't think she'd survive the explosion, to be honest," Aria shrugged off with a hint of cruelty that enraged Emily.
"She didn't," the former swimmer muttered under her breath.
"Well, she had enough time to put ideas in your mind, so Ezra didn't do his job properly," Aria scoffed. "But I don't want to have to kill you, Emily. As twisted as it sounds, I've come to care about you. I never wanted you to get involved. I tried to keep you away from Alison, but you didn't listen. Neither did she."
"What?!" Emily staggered back, shocked that Aria had talked to Alison about her.
"Alison basically told me to mind my own business," Aria recounted. "What she didn't know was that her little CIA stunt was my business too. And, please, like she could hide her identity from me wearing a brown wig and a fake French accent."
"You knew she was Vivian Darkbloom," Emily deduced.
"I figured it out the moment she talked to you at that vending machine," Aria revealed. "By the way, thanks for letting me tag along that day. I managed to steal a lot of confidential files and hack into the CIA's system."
"So you were just using me as well," Emily concluded, disgust evident in her voice.
"I didn't mean to, Em. In fact, I wanna help you," Aria said.
"How?"
"I can make a drug stable enough to heal your injury," Aria suggested. "Think about it: you'd get your career back, be able to swim again. You love swimming."
Emily had never considered doping in her career—it was unethical, and she prided herself on fair competition. But she pretended to consider Aria's offer. "And what would I have to do?"
"Just let me kill Alison, and you could be my partner in this," Aria offered, her voice almost casual. "Think about it, Em. She's the reason you're in this mess."
"You're crazy if you think I'd let someone die just to get back in the pool," Emily stood her ground.
"Even if it's Alison? Someone who betrayed you and used you?"
"I'd never let you hurt Alison—not even over my dead body!" Emily snapped.
"Then you leave me no choice," Aria said, pulling a gun from her jacket. She aimed at Emily, but before she could fire, someone tugged her jacket from behind, throwing off her aim. The shot hit the ceiling instead.
Emily's eyes widened in shock as she realized Alison had woken up and intervened in spite of her weakened state. The sight of the gun changed everything. Alison was still hooked to the IV, unable to move freely. Emily knew she had to act fast to protect her.
For a moment, Emily understood what Alison must have felt in the past—trapped, desperate to protect someone she loved, willing to do anything. Now, she felt the same.
Emily's heart pounded as she realized the gravity of the situation. Alison was in no shape to defend herself after the surgery, and Emily's own injury left her at a severe disadvantage. But she couldn't let Aria succeed. Not now. Not ever.
Emily swallowed hard, focusing on the task at hand. She had to protect Alison, no matter what. Gathering every ounce of strength she had left, she lunged forward, knocking the gun from Aria's grasp. The weapon skidded across the floor, out of reach.
Aria's eyes flashed with fury. She swung at Emily, but Emily, driven by desperation, managed to block the blow. "You think you can stop me, Em?" Aria sneered, her voice dripping with malice. "You're throwing away your last chance at a normal life."
Emily didn't hesitate. "I'm not throwing anything away. I'm saving what matters." With that, she pushed Aria back, using all her weight to keep her away from Alison, wincing as her broken collarbone throbbed in agony.
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. Spencer stormed in, her expression a mix of anger and resolve. In a swift, practiced move, she grabbed Aria, twisting her arm behind her back and forcing her to the ground. "It's over, Aria," Spencer said, her voice cold and unyielding. "You're not hurting anyone else."
Aria struggled, but Spencer's grip was ironclad. "This isn't over," Aria spat, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and desperation. "You haven't seen the last of me."
Spencer didn't waver. "You'll never get the chance," she replied, pulling out a pair of handcuffs and snapping them onto Aria's wrists. "It's over."
As Spencer hauled Aria to her feet, the fight seemed to drain out of her. Her eyes, once filled with cold calculation, now looked empty, as if she knew her game was truly up.
With Aria finally subdued, Spencer turned to Emily and Alison. "Are you both okay?" she asked, her voice softening.
Emily nodded, though she was still shaking from the adrenaline. "We're fine," she said, her gaze shifting to Alison, who managed a weak smile despite her pain.
"Thank you, Spence," Alison whispered, her voice barely audible.
Spencer gave a small nod. "I'll make sure she's taken away for good," she assured them. "She won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."
Spencer escorted Aria out of the room, leaving Emily and Alison alone. The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. The faint hum of hospital equipment seemed distant, as if it belonged to another world entirely.
Emily turned to Alison, her heart still pounding. She could see the pain etched across Alison's face—a mixture of physical suffering and the emotional toll of the recent events. Emily's mind raced, searching for the right words to say, but nothing came. The adrenaline still coursed through her veins, yet the sting of Alison's betrayal lingered in her heart.
Despite everything, Emily found herself understanding Alison a little better now. When their roles had been reversed, Emily realized she would do anything to protect the blonde. She imagined the fear and desperation Alison must have felt when she discovered that Emily had been abducted by Paige.
Emily wished Alison had been honest about her CIA job earlier in their relationship, but now she could see why the blonde had kept it a secret for so long.
"Emily," Alison's weak voice cut through her thoughts. Tears welled up in her eyes as she reached for Emily's hand, her vulnerability on full display. It reminded Emily of their first time, when Alison had cried in her arms afterwards, a moment of raw honesty that had left a lasting impression.
As Alison's fingers trembled in her grasp, Emily was transported back to the night they kissed in Ali's car. Alison had always been skilled at manipulation, but even she couldn't fake the rapid beat of her heart in that moment. Emily had thought it was cute at the time, but now she saw it as proof that Alison had truly come to love her.
Her mind drifted to the night Alison had carried her in her arms. Emily had pretended to be asleep, so Alison had no one to impress. She had done it out of genuine love, kissing Emily's forehead so tenderly that Emily just knew.
Alison loved her too.
"I thought I lost you," Alison whispered, her voice cracking.
Emily squeezed her hand gently. "You didn't lose me, Ali. I'm right here."
Tears welled up in Alison's eyes again, but this time, they were different—less about fear and more about the relief of finally being able to express what she had held inside for so long. "I should have told you everything from the start. I just… I didn't want to put you in danger."
"I know," Emily replied, her voice soft but firm. "And I understand why you did it. But we can't keep secrets from each other anymore. Not if we want to make this work."
Alison nodded, her grip on Emily's hand tightening as if she were afraid to let go. "I'm done with secrets. I want to be honest with you, Em, about everything. You're my world. I don't want to lose that."
Emily's heart ached at the sincerity in Alison's voice. "Ali, if we're going to move forward, we need to trust each other completely."
Alison let out a shaky breath. "I trust you. I've always trusted you, even when I didn't deserve your trust in return."
Emily leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair from Alison's face. "We'll figure this out together. No more lies, no more hiding. Just us."
A weak smile tugged at Alison's lips. "Just us."
For a moment, they sat there in silence, simply holding on to each other. The weight of the past slowly began to lift, replaced by the hope of a future they could build together.
Then, as if a thought had suddenly struck her, Alison looked up at Emily, her eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. "Em, what happens now? I mean… with us?"
Emily took a deep breath, considering her response carefully. She paused, her thumb gently stroking Alison's hand. "We take it one day at a time. We rebuild what we lost, and we do it together. Because, like I told you in the beginning, I believe in working through my relationships. And I still stand by that."
Alison nodded, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "I want that. More than anything."
"Then that's what we'll do," Emily said softly, leaning in to place a tender kiss on Alison's forehead, just like Alison had done for her so many times before. "We'll get through this, Ali. We'll get through it together."
Emily settled into the chair beside the bed, still holding Alison's hand as she drifted off to sleep. Alison closed her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek as she finally allowed herself to believe in the possibility of a future—one where she wasn't alone, one where she and Emily could be happy again.
Yes, Big A is gone, but Emison still has a way to go before they're truly back at where they were. There's so much healing to be done, both physically and emotionally.
What do you guys think? Let me know in your reviews!
