Seasons of Love

by Forever without him

When Alison DiLaurentis is thrust into a world of choices between obligation & loyalty she makes an impossible decision. After spending three years without Emily Fields, she sets out to prove to the brunette that she's worth loving. As looming threats from their past emerge and an unexpected tragedy unfolds, they learn to lean on one another. Canon-Divergent. Rating may change.

9. Free Fallin'

A/N: I've been engaging in a lot of negative self-doubt as of late, so thank you for your support. Trying to get back on a regular schedule.

Previously on Seasons of Love: Emison is endgame, Alison is a rising star, and Emily is trying to rock adulthood. Also they're dealing with threatening calls. So there's that.

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Chapter 8:

Free Fallin'

Emily kicked around restlessly, muttering in her sleep.

It startled Alison awake. She touched her cheek.

She's burning up. The heat nearly shocked her enough to pull her hand away, but she didn't.

She gently stroked her face…the way Emily did for her when she was having a bad dream four nights ago.

It had been the day that Emily confessed to Alison that she'd asked for Caleb's help in tracking down the unknown caller.

Caleb had texted that night that he'd hit a snag. Whoever it was switched out burner phones so often that it was hard to pinpoint the data he needed.

The anxiety over the calls and Alison's feelings about her sister had opened up something inside of the blonde that she couldn't close down. She was legitimately scared she was losing her mind.

That night after they had gone to bed Alison had dreamed that Charlotte had found them in Malibu.

She'd drugged them and thrown them in a double grave, burying them alive. There were no crocodile tears. She'd just stared down at them with a sinister look.

Alison couldn't move or reach for Emily's hand. The dream had caused a severe bout of sleep paralysis.

Emily had heard her crying in her sleep. She'd seen the tears on Alison's face and wiped them away and cupped her cheek as she softly spoke to her.

"You're okay," Emily had whispered gently.

Emily's touch had cured the paralysis and Alison had managed to shake herself out of the nightmare.

"You're okay." Alison repeated the words back to Emily, four nights later.

The brunette stopped kicking, calming underneath Alison's touch. But she didn't wake up. Her face was tense and her muscles flinched.

Alison laid her head down between her bosom.

Emily's heart was beating rapidly against her chest. Alison could feel it thrumming against her cheek.

She was drenched in sweat.

Alison thought about pulling off Emily's sleeveless shirt and turning the fan on to try and cool her down.

Emily continued to twitch and mutter incoherently underneath her breath.

Alison felt helpless.

She tried talking her down from it, but Emily was too deep in the recesses of her mind to hear.

The blonde stayed up with her for over an hour before she lost the battle to her exhaustion and fell asleep curled up next to her shivering girlfriend.

Several hours later they were startled awake by Alison's alarm.

Emily's eyes shot open and she gulped in a fresh breath of air.

She stared at the ceiling. Her entire body was stiff and achy. She could feel the damp sheets beneath her, wet from her sweat.

Something soft and cool was on her forehead. She reached up to find a damp washcloth laid there with care.

Alison touched her arm and Emily faced her.

"You had a nightmare last night. I couldn't wake you." Her voice quivered. "You were burning up." She took the washcloth from Emily and put it on the nightstand next to a bowl of water.

The way Alison looked at her managed to both break and warm Emily's heart.

"Sorry I woke you." Emily gave her a gentle peck on the lips.

"Don't be. God knows you've taken care of me in the middle of the night before." Alison brushed Emily's damp hair out of her face. "You want to talk about it?"

The expression on Emily's face hardened. Her eyes bestowed a bunch of conflicting emotions.

"It's a lot." Her forehead was tight, creased with deep lines of worry.

"I can handle it."

Emily inhaled a shaky breath and let it out as she slowly closed her eyes to try and center herself.

It wasn't the first time she'd had the nightmare.

She woke up to the acrid scent of sweat mixed with the coppery taste of blood in her mouth.

She fought back a gag. Her head was throbbing and there was a dribble of blood mixed with drool where her face was resting on the cold floor.

Her shoulder and her back ached.

She was soaked in something cold and wet and sticky.

The last thing she remembered was Spencer screaming.

The door to her room had been opened, but none of her friends had been let out.

Then the screaming started.

Her natural instinct kicked in and she raced down the dark corridors lit only by dim flickering bulbs.

Her bare feet slapped against the cold flat surface and her heavy breaths echoed like a ghost trailing her.

She reached a dead end at a large plexiglass room that she knew very well. It's where they were taken if their captor thought they were misbehaving.

Emily could see through the impenetrable glass that Spencer was chained up to a wall being blasted with high pressure water. She had her head turned as far away from the spray as she could so she could keep it from getting into her mouth.

Emily had been in the room before. The cold water had bitten her skin and numbed her until she couldn't feel her bones.

She knew from experience that the pressure was being controlled with a high powered force, so whoever was blasting them could make the water so hard that it could split their skin open.

The pain on her friend's face cut her to her core.

Spencer…abrasive and bossy and over-protective Spencer had been reduced to a shell of herself. The same Spencer who put on the bravest of fronts when she was suffering inside. The same Spencer who often laid it all on the line for her friends. Spencer, a part of her heart, someone she had fought with, cried with, loved, protected…

…broken.

She was much more fragile than she let on.

For all the times that Spencer had coddled and tried to protect Emily, it had been Spencer who had been ripped apart by her pain when they had been tortured by Mona.

And now history was repeating itself. She had no fight in her. Only the will to try and survive.

"Spencer!" Emily shrieked, pounding on the glass.

Spencer couldn't see her through the spray of the water, and the sound of her voice was being drowned out by the roaring noise.

Emily noticed fog building in the room.

She shook her head.

No.

Not fog.

Steam.

Oh…God, it was HOT water.

"STOP IT!" Emily fruitlessly slammed her palms against the glass. She looked up at the cameras monitoring them. "STOP! You're hurting her!"

She hardened her hands into fists. The windows smeared with blood from her knuckles as she punched in vain.

Spencer's shrieks cut her to the bone.

Emily's cheeks were drenched in tears.

"I'll do whatever you want! Just stop hurting her!" She shouted at the camera.

She quickly changed her focus to the automatic lock on the door. If she could get it to malfunction she might be able to get in. She had spent countless nights trying everything on the lock in her room…to no avail.

But that didn't stop her from slamming her hand against the lock, hoping she could knock a computer chip out or weaken the lock.

Seconds after she started hitting the lock she felt something hard strike her in the head.

The blow knocked her on to her knees. Before she could retaliate a gloved hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked back violently, jolting her neck.

Emily threw her arms out and tried to fight back, but the pain was blinding.

She was pulled to her feet and when she tried to turn to face her attacker she was shoved so hard that she spun around and slammed into a wall beside the glass room.

She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Something had embedded itself beneath her skin underneath her shoulder blade.

The attacker body checked her, the force of it picking her up off of her feet and scraping the wall.

She yelped in pain when the jagged object in her shoulder blade sliced down towards the middle of her spine.

Searing pain shot through her body, and for a moment she thought she was going to be paralyzed.

She didn't have long to think about it because the blur of the dark clothing swimming in her field of vision smashed her in the temple.

Everything went black.

Waking up to the smell of her own blood was nauseating, but all she could think about was Spencer.

She pushed herself up on to her hands and knees and spit some dried blood on to the concrete floor.

She had bitten her tongue in the struggle.

When she looked up, the nausea worsened.

The walls were plastered with pictures of Alison…all candid, taken without her knowledge. In some of them, the glint of a knife could be seen in the camera lens.

It was a similar shrine to the one they had seen when they went to Ravenswood seeking answers about Alison's disappearance, but these shots were more recent.

She looked so helpless…defeated. She was surrounded by police and people watching her every move, but she looked utterly alone.

Written across the pictures in big bold red letters was a cruel message that sucker-punched her.

"You bring death to those you love. She's next."

There was an arrow pointing down to something near her on the floor. Emily crawled towards it, feeling the gash on her back burning with every motion.

On the floor there was a tape recorder and a script with another note,

"You're the star of this show," it read. "Help me get to her and all of you go free."

Beneath it was instructions for her to record a message for Alison to trick her into getting herself captured.

Emily's stomach lurched and she braced herself as the bile burned her throat. She wretched twice and then hurled all over the floor.

How the hell was she supposed to choose?

Their freedom for Alison's life?

And even if she did make the impossible choice, what proof did she have that they would go free?

Exhausted and feeling hopeless, she shoved the recorder away with a swat and then fell to her side. She rolled on to her back and winced when the pressure hit the bloody gash. The blood on her shirt was cold. Her entire body was cold.

"Fuck you." She looked directly into the little red light that was blinking at her, the camera mocking her. "I'm not doing it."

She didn't care what punishment awaited her. Seeing her friends being tortured was worse than being tortured herself. She wouldn't do that to Alison. And their kidnapper knew that. They were just taunting Emily. It was a sick game.

Alison could barely process what she was being told.

"She was so cruel." Alison's entire body was clenched like a giant fist. "I can't believe she did that."

Emily saw a mixture of sympathy and anger in the blonde's icy blue eyes.

"I found out later that she made all of us watch each other being tortured. She thought one of us would break." Emily's jaw was rigid.

Watching her friends being hurt had only served to piss her off.

"Did she really want you to help her kill me?" Alison had felt so guilty knowing that she was the reason her friends had been kidnapped, but she felt a different level of blame knowing that they were being tortured trying to protect her.

"She did. More than once." Emily nodded, swallowing a knot in her throat.

"She offered you a deal…and you didn't take it." Alison tried to make sense of it.

"Of course I didn't." Emily brushed her fingers through Alison's hair. Her eyes were filled with a wild amount of affection. "I loved you even then, Alison."

"But if she had me you all could have gotten out." Alison didn't understand.

After she had spent their childhood being so terrible to Emily and putting her and the girls through so much grief, Emily still didn't turn on her.

My loyal mermaid.

My stupidly stubborn loyal mermaid.

"I wasn't willing to give up your life." Emily's hot palm cupped her cheek. "And she wouldn't have held her end of the bargain. There was no way in hell I was letting her get her hands on you."

"Did you ever tell the others?" Alison felt a bit of shame itching away inside of her.

"Yeah. I think maybe…three days later?" Emily hadn't been able to tell time down in that dungeon hellscape. She rubbed her brow. "It felt like three days. We hadn't seen each other in what felt like forever."

She had rushed to hug Spencer when she saw she was still standing.

She remembered the broken look on her friend's face.

Neither one of them had mentioned the shower, but Spencer was visibly shaken.

"What did they say?" She was certain that they'd probably considered the offer. And she wouldn't have blamed them. She was not a very nice person back then.

"They got the same deal. Charlotte thought at least one of us would turn on you. We were terrified, but none of us wanted you dead. Not again…"

Alison didn't know how to respond. She had put them through hell and left them to deal with A on their own. And they had refused their freedom in order to keep her safe.

"Even Mona?" Alison's jaw slipped open in shock.

"Mona never got offered the deal. It was strange. Charlotte had a morbid way of torturing her. She was there for months before we got down there. Charlotte had already pushed her to the brink." Emily sniffed and reached up to wipe away some sweat from above her lips. "She was so broken. You know...when we set the fire to escape we couldn't find her. Hanna was frantic. We promised her we weren't leaving without her. We finally found her curled up in this place we called the hole. It was a shallow well where we were thrown on occasion. She was crying and singing to herself. It was the saddest thing I've ever seen. She couldn't get out. I had to go in after her."

Alison swallowed a knot in her throat. Mona had done some terrible things, but not even she deserved that.

"Oh my God," was all Alison could manage to say. "I wish she would have just taken me instead."

"Don't say that. That's Charlotte talking." Emily scowled at her as she pressed her index finger against Alison's temple. "Don't let her live rent free in your head. It's not your fault. You risked your life to get us out."

"I wish I could have done more."

"Charlotte wanted us. And she was going to get us one way or another." Emily rubbed her palm over her face and wiped away more perspiration.

Alison's phone buzzed on the bedside table. They both jumped, expecting another creepy unknown number.

Alison looked at the screen.

"That's my agent. I've got to…"

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead." Emily nodded. "I've got to shower before heading in to work anyway."

Alison had an early call time and Emily had to get to the LGBTQ Alliance Center for her Saturday morning shift.

Alison's phone kept buzzing.

"Duty calls." Emily yawned.

"I hate duty." Alison frowned, pulling the covers up against her body, not wanting to leave the warm little nest of their bed.

"I do, too." Emily sounded so tired.

"You gonna be okay?" Alison stroked her arm.

"I'll be fine." Emily pushed herself out of bed.

Alison stared at the edge of the scar on Emily's back. It pained her to look at it.

Her phone kept vibrating. She reached for it, sliding her finger across the screen to answer it.

Emily disappeared into the bathroom. As soon as she closed the door she let out a deep shaky breath that she'd been holding in.

She pressed her back against the door and closed her eyes, trying to shake off the nightmare.

Part of her regretted telling Alison, because she knew the blonde was going to blame herself. But the other part of her was relieved to have someone to talk to about her pain.

After she undressed she stood in the shower stream letting the hot water pour over her. When she closed her eyes all she could see was Spencer locked in that room.

She turned the heat up and let the water beat against her skin as she scrubbed herself, trying to wash away her thoughts.

She wanted to stay in the shower longer, but she had to get to the office. So she forced herself out and grabbed a towel.

She stepped in front of the fogged-up mirror and ran her hand across the condensation, revealing her doppelganger staring back at her.

Heavy dark circles hung under her eyes. Even though she'd slept, she'd been restless in her sleep. Not a good night's rest at all. She made a mental note to use a generous amount of under-eye cream and concealer.

She dried herself off and tied her hair up in a wet bun on top of her head. She liked letting her hair dry naturally when it was warm outside. The temperatures weren't what they had been like in the summer, but it was still hot enough for her to walk around with wet hair.

She wrapped the towel around her body and took one last look at herself in the mirror.

When she walked into the bedroom Alison was pulling out her outfit for the day…which was sweet and also a little silly, because she would be changing out of it as soon as she went to set.

"Hey, guess what? They loved the promotion I did for the film! It's generating a ton of interest. The director is interested in meeting personally with me next week to talk about potentially getting more screen time on another project." Alison squealed in excitement.

"That's fantastic!" Emily embraced her in a hug, her hot skin clashing against Alison's.

Alison pulled her closer, enjoying the aroma of her bodywash.

Emily kissed the top of her head and pulled away.

When she turned around Alison's eyes landed on the scar on her back. She reached out, her fingertips grazing it.

Emily's posture stiffened. She closed her eyes and took a breath.

Seconds later she felt Alison's lips dancing like feathers against her skin, as if she could kiss it away.

Alison's lips moved up until she was kissing her pulse point, a determination in her motions.

A clear message,

"I'll never let her hurt you again."

When Alison moved away Emily walked over to the dresser and started rooting through her drawers.

She caught a glimpse of Alison staring at her in the mirror. The blonde had a precarious look on her face.

"Any hot water left?" Alison asked.

"Plenty." Emily smiled.

"I guess it's my turn to shower…" Alison waited for Emily's eyes to meet hers before she added with a smirk, "You're already mostly naked. Join me?"

"You have no idea how much I want to, but I'll never make it to work if I step foot in that shower with you." Emily chuckled.

"I know. That's all part of my evil plan." She waggled her eyebrows at Emily.

She tugged her shirt off unapologetically, and Emily groaned when she saw her exposed breasts.

"Ugh…you're killing me." Emily bit her lip.

Alison just grinned at her and sauntered off to the bathroom.

Emily wanted to follow her, but her sense of duty pushed her not to. She got dressed and did her make-up while Alison showered.

She heard Alison's text alerts going off, but she was too busy getting ready to sneak a peek. She really had no reason to snoop. She'd already crossed the line by reaching out to Caleb about the calls she was getting. But it was a line she was happy to cross if it kept the blonde safe.

She heard another alert go off, but it wasn't Alison's phone.

Emily stared at the back of her phone case. She had a habit of flipping her phone over at night so the lights didn't wake them up.

Even though she wasn't the one getting threatening messages she still jumped when she heard her phone. She thought it was only a matter of time before she started getting taunted, too.

When she finally braved turning her phone over she was met with a FaceTime request from Spencer.

Odd.

After staring at her phone like it was a foreign object for a good ten seconds, she answered.

"Spence? Everything okay? I thought you were on a flight to DC." Spencer usually texted before she FaceTimed.

The woman scheduled everything in her life. Emily knew part of it was a control issue. They had all coped differently after the Dollhouse. In a way, they had all sought to control their PTSD through control.

Emily felt helpless, so she'd stolen a gun from her father's gun safe and gone to the shooting range. She had known better than to take her anger to the range, but the only time she felt in control was when she was in power of the situation.

Spencer's control issues had been more nuanced. It had started small at first, but then escalated into scheduling every single part of her day. Routine was her way of being in control.

"We had to rearrange some things, so I'm not set to go out there until tomorrow." Spencer didn't look happy at the adjustment in her schedule. She had a cup of coffee in her hands, as always. She frowned at Emily. "You look like you haven't slept."

"I could say the same for you." Emily glanced at the deep dark circles underneath her eyes.

There was an unspoken exchange between the two of them. They didn't have to talk about the Dollhouse to communicate about the Dollhouse.

"Nightmares?" Spencer guessed.

Images of Spencer being tortured flashed through Emily's mind. Her friend's shrieks were burned into her memory.

"Yeah."

"Me too." Spencer admitted. "How are you?"

Emily glanced at the washcloth that Alison had put her on her forehead last night. She was glad she wasn't alone anymore, but she hated that Alison was exposed to her night terrors.

"Alison has been helpful." She tiptoed around the fact that they were sleeping together. "And they're not an every night occurrence. What about you?"

"I'm a Hastings. You know we don't deal with anything like this head-on. It's chin up and put your best foot forward." Spencer on her politician face, bright eyes and fake smile included. But underneath it all Emily could sense the darkness in her tone.

"Are you seeing anyone for the PTSD?" Emily reached over and grabbed a comb and let her hair down, running the comb through it.

"I'm on all-natural supplements and I meditate. It's the best I can do. You?"

"I jog until I can't feel my feelings anymore and then bury myself in work." Emily propped her phone up and started re-doing her hair.

"Well, we certainly deal with our denial in a healthy way." Only Spencer could make it sound both depressing and hopeful at the same time. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drudge all of this up. I wasn't initially calling to be morbid about our trauma."

"Hey, if we can't talk to each other…who else have we got?" Emily shrugged.

"Hanna apparently talks to her cat when Caleb isn't around to confide in."

They both snorted out a laugh.

"Well, cats don't judge us…at least not based on that. I would imagine they judge us by how fast we open a can of food."

Emily pictured Hanna lying on the couch divulging everything to the cat she hadn't wanted in the first place, and Cheese just staring back at her wondering when his large can opener was going to feed him.

She started laughing again.

"Ah, there's the smile I love." It earned a grin from Spencer. "And I think what I'm calling about is going to make you even happier."

"You and Toby are done being stubborn and you're going to give it another go?" Emily teased.

She caught a tiny little micro-smile on Spencer's lips. Her cheeks were tinged the slightest shade of red.

"I think you want that more than we do." Spencer laughed nervously.

There was something to her nerves. Emily knew they both still had feelings for each other.

"When the timing is right." Emily eased up. She didn't want to push too hard. "I talked to him a few days ago. He's working on a cabin for some retirees."

"Lucky retirees." Spencer rubbed her eyes. "The rest of us have decades before we can finally settle down and relax. That is if the economy doesn't collapse."

"There's the optimism you're so famous for," Emily frowned caustically. "You need a vacation. You work too hard."

"Em, you have three jobs." Spencer scowled at her. "And I work too hard?"

"Fair point."

"Speaking of work…that brings me back to why I'm calling. I spoke to my mother and she wants to increase the donation to your non-profit." They were monthly donors and they already gave a generous amount, so it was amazing news.

"Really? Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me. Thank your mom. My mom had lunch with her recently and your mother couldn't stop gushing about how much good you're doing with the charity."

It gave Emily a sense of pride to know that her mother was standing by her side after the turbulent relationship they'd had after she came out.

"She's really proud of you." Spencer smiled. "We all are."

"I'm proud of you guys, too."

"Anyway, I'm going to be setting up the funds and I just wanted to let you know. I don't want you to look at it and think it's a mistake."

"This is amazing. It's going to do so much good for the community."

Emily heard the water in the bathroom cut off. She glanced over her shoulder. The last thing she wanted was for Alison to walk into the frame naked.

As always, with Spencer, she didn't have to say a word.

Spencer Hastings could read her like a book.

"I know you're getting ready for work, so I don't want to keep you. But let's plan a group call soon. I miss you all."

Spencer and her planning.

"That sounds great. And thank you again. Thank your mom for me, too."

"I will. You take care of yourself."

"You too."

When they said their goodbyes Emily was on cloud nine. She shoved her nightmare aside.

When Alison finally walked out of the bathroom she was sporting a towel wrapped around her head and nothing covering her nude body.

Good thing the call is over.

Emily happily drank her in.

Alison smirked at her and then grabbed her outfit and quickly got dressed.

"What's got you all smiley?" Alison winked.

"You." Emily grinned. "And I just got off the phone with Spencer. Her mom is going to up the donation to the LGBTQ Alliance."

"That's nice of her." Alison grabbed her phone and then cocked her head as she scrolled through her missed messages.

She walked up behind Emily.

"Hmm…my call time was moved. I don't have to go in until this afternoon. Looks like my morning just opened up." She wrapped her arms around Emily, clasping her hands in front of Emily's stomach "Play hooky with me."

Emily turned around and smiled a smile reserved only for Alison, but then she grumbled, a mixture of frustration and a hint of passion.

"I can't. I've got to get to work." She looked disappointed, but the tone of her voice suggested she loved what she was doing to help people.

It was inspiring to Alison. It also gave her an idea.

"Okay. New plan. How about I go with you to the Alliance? I'd like to see what you all do."

She had been out to Emily's office a few times, but she'd never really seen her in action.

"Yeah. Sure." Emily nodded. "I'd like that. I think it would be great. Samara and Zoe love you. And Max would love to see you."

"Max works there?"

Alison had a soft spot for the younger boy. He was out and proud and everything Alison wished she'd been able to be when she was younger.

"He volunteers on the weekends," Emily said. "A lot of people we help volunteer. They know how important the work is and they're grateful that they were helped. It's all about giving back. We don't even have to ask people if they want to help. A ton of people come back on their own."

The brunette lit up when she talked about helping others. It wasn't just a job to her. She had built a community, and Alison was beyond proud of her.

"Can anyone volunteer?"

"The more help we receive, the better." Emily nodded. "Why? Do you want to help?"

"I think it's time for me to start giving back. Put me to work, boss." She gave Emily a little salute and flirtatiously lifted her brows.

Emily laughed. The blonde was so different than she'd been back in Rosewood. She was kinder. Softer. But she still had some rough edges. She could be quite scrappy, and when they were in bed she fought hard for control.

"You are ridiculously cute." Emily pressed her lips against the tip of Alison's nose.

Alison frowned at her.

"Cute wasn't what I was going for. I was hoping for a little boss-employee action." She moved her hands down to grope Emily's ass.

"I'm going to have to report you to HR for that." Emily leaned in and kissed her.

"Mmm…so discipline me." Alison winked.

Emily chuckled. She slowly pulled back.

"We really do have to get going."

Alison sighed, letting go of the fact that they weren't going to be able to get a quickie in. She just wanted to hold Emily after the night the brunette had. She deserved tender love and care, not nightmares and PTSD.

Once they were finished getting ready they met Zoe and Samara in the lobby of the building. They were carpooling in the van together.

Samara was bright-eyed and awake, but Zoe looked like she was going to murder someone.

Not a morning person.

Alison could relate to that.

Zoe's tight coils of hair were pulled back with a large band that sported the LGBTQ flag colors. Hoops dangled from her ears.

She clutched her coffee like it was a lifeline. She sipped on it, trying to wake herself up.

"So glad you decided to help out this morning, Alison." Samara extended a to-go cup of coffee towards Alison.

"Never thought I'd be glad that a call time was moved." Alison graciously accepted Samara's offering. "Thank you. The Nectar of the Gods." She inhaled a whiff of the coffee. "I think you just became my new favorite person."

"Standing right here." Emily gave her a hard time, but there did seem to be a tiny hint of jealousy in her voice, which was endearing.

"I mean…behind you, obviously." Alison pecked her cheek.

They both laughed.

"Got you your regular, Em." Samara gripped another cup of to-go coffee that was sitting in a tray.

Emily sorely needed it, but she didn't say that out loud. She didn't like it when Alison worried.

"My savior." Emily clasped her hands around the warm cup.

"Shall we?" Samara held up the keys to the van.

"We shall." Emily nodded.

Samara and Emily took the lead, leaving Zoe and Alison trailing behind.

"I love that hairband." Alison motioned towards the colorful accessory.

A smile quirked at Zoe's immaculately lined lips.

"I'm not surprised at all to hear you say that. Emily got it for me on my birthday. Your girl has excellent taste. It's one of my favorites."

"Your girl"

Alison's cheeks flushed with heat. Sometimes it still didn't register that she'd ended up with her true love. Not everyone got that lucky.

"She has been hiding that eye for fashion from me. I'm going to have to have a talk with her about that." Alison chuckled. "I had to stop her from wearing these hideous flip-flops with her sweatpants to the store the other day. But I'd say other than her undesirable sense of fashion and her ridiculous early morning runs she's pretty amazing." Alison took a sip of her coffee.

"Samara is an early riser, too. I'd rather be a vampire. Sleep all day. Who gets up when the sun isn't even up?" Zoe chuckled.

"Right!" Alison nodded in agreement. "I hiss at the sun and then roll over and go back to bed. The only reason I get up early is if I'm forced to."

"Same." Zoe yawned, adding to the hilarity of their disdain for mornings.

"To be fair…I don't like getting up. I do it because I'm adult and I have to." Emily countered.

And because her parents had instilled a strict military schedule for her when she was younger. Even if she wanted to sleep in, her biological clock usually woke her up. Sometimes she'd hit the biological snooze button and go back to sleep.

"Not me. I like being awake when the entire world is asleep." Samara seemed invigorated by the early hour.

"Yeah, so you can cause some kind of trouble." Zoe bumped into her with an affectionate smile on her face.

"You love my brand of trouble." Samara gave her a mischievous wink as she unlocked the van.

Alison watched them banter as they all piled into the van.

They teased one another the entire drive there.

Emily and Alison kept shooting each other amused looks. It was nice to be around a couple so fun and down to earth.

When they pulled into the parking lot Alison noticed a security booth she'd never seen before. Emily usually took her through the employee entrance. She'd never seen the armed guards.

"You have a security team?" Alison's eyes met Samara's in the rearview mirror.

"You'd be surprised how many bigots show up to picket." Samara's face hardened. It was the first time Alison had seen her get mad.

"People come here for help when they need it the most. We don't want the hate to overpower the love." Emily reached for Alison's hand.

"That's a sweet sentiment. They're lucky to have all of you." Alison smiled at Emily.

Samara parked the van and they all climbed out.

There was a direct path leading to the front of the center. Alison could see several young people through the glass windows. There were rainbows arcs shining above the doors.

It was truly a beautiful place.

Zoe and Samara were mid-conversation with Emily as they walked towards the entrance.

Alison was trying to take it all in. She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures, careful not to capture any people in them.

She just wanted the visual of the building. So many buildings in the world looked like monsters ready to swallow your soul, but the LGBTQ Alliance building was warm and inviting.

Alison held her phone up and took a picture of the lobby with the LGBTQ ALLIANCE sign in the background.

She checked the photo to make sure she liked it and then uploaded it to Instagram, captioning it, Beautiful community. Beautiful souls. Own who you are. Love each other. Help each other. #LoveisLove

She looked up to find Emily peering curiously at her.

"I wasn't taking pictures of anyone here." She looked at the brunette sheepishly.

"I know." Emily took her hand. "I know you better than that."

"I just want to boost this for people who don't know it's here. People need resources." It pained her to think about what might have become of Charlotte had she had real resources.

It pained her to think about Charlotte at all, especially because of the destruction she'd caused. But it was hard to ignore the fact that her sister was treated like a monster, which had eventually turned her into one.

"Maybe we can put you in contact with our social media coordinator. You might bounce some good ideas about publicity off of each other." Emily suggested.

"I would love that. I am all about partnership, especially if it helps people." Alison surveyed the lobby, noting the growing crowd. "How exactly do you help people here?"

"You listen to them and do what needs to be done to make them feel heard."

"Communication. What a novel idea." Alison chuckled.

"We get a lot of kids and runaways. Some have been thrown out of their houses. Others are escaping abusive situations. Some haven't come out yet. Some are just lost and don't know what to do. Others are facing financial hardships. That's where donors come in. We have a ton of donors from all over the world. Like Spencer and her mom. My mom donates, too. So do the girls. Aria is talking about have a portion of her profits from her books being donated to us. Hanna does clothing drives and sends us what she collects. And Toby has been in contact with some of his friends in construction who build for non-profits."

"Wow." Alison mentally took notes. She was going to start donating as soon as she could.

"Most of the people we help are young and lost. But sometimes we do have older people in the community seeking help. We help everyone that needs help."

"Jesus, Emily…when do you find the time to sleep? Saving the LGBTQ community, saving lives on the beach, moonlighting as a bartender, full time girlfriend and college student? How? Just…how?" She marveled at the sight of her girlfriend, who didn't seem real.

"Time management skills. I'm organized. A trait I picked up from my mother against my will." She smiled.

"Alison!" A familiar voice interrupted them. "Hey!" Max walked into the lobby and made a beeline towards them. "The hot goss is that you're here to help?"

"The hot goss is correct." Alison nodded.

"What do you have for us, Max?" Emily questioned.

"We've had an increase in people looking for housing, but there is one unique situation that has nothing to do with that. It's a long story. His name is Cory. I'll let him explain it." Max motioned towards a door that was slightly ajar down the hallway. "He's in the main office."

The door was cracked just enough so that Cory had his privacy.

Max lifted a clipboard off of the counter.

"I've got several more intakes that need paperwork done. Let me know if you need anything." He bounced away with a spring in his step.

Another morning person.

Or maybe he was hopped up on caffeine already.

They walked towards the office. Emily lightly knocked and pushed the door forward, walking in first.

Cory was standing in the center of the room, his back facing the desk as his eyes warily watched the door.

He was slender and petite with fair skin, his face sprinkled with freckles. His worried eyes were a striking shade of light blue.

He hovered in front of the couch, as if he'd been alternating sitting and standing.

Emily could picture him bouncing his knees on the couch and then realizing it wasn't enough to help relieve the tension, so he'd stood and paced.

There were two chairs in front of the couch. All of the furniture was facing the desk near the wall.

"Cory?" Emily took a step towards him, carefully keeping the distance between them.

She had learned over the years that some people didn't like to have their space invaded. It made them feel cornered. So she always let them take the lead. She stopped moving and met his eyes.

"I'm Emily." She introduced herself.

"Hi." He hugged his chest with his skinny arms, swaying on his feet.

His eyes darted over her shoulder at the movement behind her. Alison was slowly following Emily's lead.

"Holy shit." Cory's pale blue eyes widened. "You're Alison DiLaurentis."

Alison paused in the doorway. She was used to being recognized, but she was also aware that the people who came to the non-profit for help could be very private. She hadn't considered that her celebrity status might be an issue.

"Yeah. I'm here volunteering. Is that…are you okay with me being here? I may be public about my life, but I promise anything that is shared here stays in this room."

"Of course you can stay!" He stuttered nervously. "I love your content. You have no idea how much comfort it brings me on my bad days."

Alison smiled timidly at him. She liked the idea that she was helping people.

Alison took the invite to heart, moving up next to Emily.

Cory seemed more starstruck than worried.

"So, what's going on today, Cory?" Emily motioned for Alison to shut the door. "How can we help you?"

Cory glanced at the floor in hesitation.

"Whatever it is, I promise this is a safe space." Emily's voice had a soothing quality to it.

She had always had that calming effect, dating back to when she was a kid in Rosewood. She had been such a comfort to her loved ones. She had gotten it from her father.

"Well…" Cory dropped his arms, revealing a loose-fitting shirt that dangled off of his skinny body. "I'm Trans. I've been saving up the money for surgery."

Emily waited for him to elaborate. She never assumed anything with the people that came to them for help, and she never spoke over them. He seemed lost on what to say next, so Emily smiled.

"Discovering who you are and being happy in your own body is an extremely powerful feeling, isn't it? It's liberating."

His eyes brightened in excitement, but then fell flat again.

"I'm really eager to start the transition. I wanted to do it earlier, but I had to wait until I turned 18. My dad refused to sign the paperwork. But I'm old enough now and I know what I want. But there's a problem." Little lines formed in his brow, his eyes intense in thought.

"That's why we're here. To help." Emily smiled.

"Okay, so…the thing is I um…I'm pregnant." He bit his lip.

The revelation seemed to take a lot out of him. He lowered himself on to the couch.

Emily moved to sit on the arm of one of the arm chairs. Alison sat down in the other chair.

"My boyfriend and I are really careful, so I don't really know how this happened. And then we got into it about something else and we fought. Things just spun out so fast. We broke up a few weeks ago." He nervously picked at his cuticles, worried that they were judging him. "Right after he left I started feeling sick. At first I just thought I was upset over the break up, but I was getting sick every day and I felt really gross and bloated. A friend recommended that I take a pregnancy test." Tears formed in his eyes. "I confirmed it with my doctor last week."

They let him have a silent moment alone to process what he needed to process.

"I've thought about it a lot. But I'm only 18. I don't want to be a dad. Not yet."

Emily reached over, slipping a box of tissues off of the desk and handing them over to him. He smiled at her, thankful, and then took one and dabbed at his eyes.

"You probably think I'm stupid and irresponsible…"

"Not at all." Emily interrupted him before he could continue putting himself down. "We're here for whatever you need."

"I've made my decision, but I feel so alone. I don't have anyone. My mom died when I was ten and my dad hates me." He shifted his feet, oversized Converse squeaking against the floor.

Alison felt an immediate kinship to Cory. She watched as he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling like he was lost in a void.

"I've never felt so alone in my life." He lowered his head and looked at Alison again.

A vision of Charlotte flashed in front of her when his blue eyes met hers, but she managed to shake it off.

"I know how that feels." Alison glanced at Emily, hoping that she wasn't overstepping.

Emily gave her an encouraging nod.

"You do?" Cory peered at her like she was a mirage, like she couldn't possibly be real. "I mean…well, I know things weren't easy for you back east, but you never really talk about what happened. And there was only so much about it released. Not that I would ever pry. I know what it's like to want to keep things private."

With one simple sentence Alison had managed to reach him, to make a connection to him.

Emily watched the interaction quietly.

"I like certain aspects of my life to remain out of the spotlight." Alison glanced at Emily for guidance, looking for any signal that the brunette wanted her to stop talking.

Emily was leaning her weight against the back of the chair, arms folded over her chest as she watched Alison work. She didn't give any indication to stop.

"I'm going tell you something that most people don't know about my life," Alison continued. "I used to feel really alone, too. My mother was murdered. And my dad abandoned me."

Cory looked at her with a strange sort of innocence. Alison thought he was going to pry, but he didn't. He understood being respectful and letting people tell their own stories in their own time. She was only three years older than he was, but she felt very motherly towards him. She knew what it was like to be that scared kid.

"And now you're here following your dreams." It seemed to give him hope. "How did you get through it all?"

"I found my chosen family." Her eyes drifted up to Emily. "I have a great group of friends and I keep meeting wonderful new people every day." She paused and smiled softly at him. "There is a world where you are accepted, Cory. Just tell us what you need."

"I…" The young boy wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Can you go with me? To the clinic? I don't want to do this alone."

"Of course." Emily answered for Alison.

The relief on his face was palpable.

"I have an appointment this morning. I have to take the first pill there. They said I'd be taking another one at home later. I need a ride…and…maybe a little support from people who won't judge me?" He tugged at his lip again.

"No judging here." Alison shook her head.

"We'll make sure you're taken care of." Emily assured him. "We've got transportation. If you sit tight for just a few minutes we can get the ball rolling on this and we can head over together. Sound good?"

He nodded.

"Great." Emily motioned for Alison to follow her.

Alison stood up and they walked towards the door.

"Was that okay?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Emily smiled. "Would you be comfortable staying here with him while I talk to Samara to get everything I need so we can go?"

"Sure." Alison turned towards Cory. "Cory, are you okay with me sitting with you for a little while?"

The biggest smile lit up his watery face.

"I would appreciate that, yeah." He couldn't stop staring at her, which Alison was used to.

Emily slipped out of the room, leaving Alison and Cory to talk to one another. She felt confident that Alison knew what she was doing. If anyone could relate to a scared traumatized LGBT teenager, she could.

Alison sat back down in the chair. She traded stories with Cory about his favorite pictures and videos. She talked about what it was like to work on set without revealing too much of the project. She managed to put him at ease.

Just as Emily was returning to let them know she was ready she heard him say,

"You really are an inspiration to everyone who follows you. Everything you post is just so real. I don't know about others, but I go online because I need to get away from all the shit happening in the real world. Thank you."

Emily let them talk for a few more minutes before interrupting them.

Alison was helping him, and Emily wasn't going to stand in the way of that.

When it was finally time to go she went to get them from the office.

Cory still seemed anxious, but he was less on edge thanks to the blonde.

Emily walked them out the back entrance where a car was waiting.

But it wasn't the suburban lesbian mom-van that Alison had come to cherish. She didn't say anything until Cory had climbed in the back seat.

"Where's the van?" Alison looked at the small black car in confusion.

"We use a different car when we're going to the clinic." Emily's face tightened. "The van would draw too much attention."

Emily didn't have to say another word. Alison could read the expression on her face. The clinics always had hateful psychos outside of them spewing venom. The last thing they needed to do was give them more fuel.

The drive out to the clinic was relatively quiet. Alison sat in the back with Cory, which Emily thought was very sweet. She checked the rearview mirror every so often and their eyes met, both filled with sympathy.

Alison knew that they were going to run into a hate-filled crowd, but she was woefully unprepared for how much it was going to hurt.

The second they pulled into the parking lot flashes of the signs written in angry lettering made her stomach drop.

SINNERS BURN IN HELL!

BABY-KILLERS!

HOMOS ARE A PLAGUE!

"Holy shit." Alison uttered under her breath. "Charming people." Sarcasm oozed from her.

Her eyes met Emily's again in the rearview mirror. Then she looked over at Cory, who was hanging his head and trying to avoid looking.

"Hey, they're fucking assholes." Alison frowned. "Don't listen to them."

"I know." He shrugged, his shoulders rolling forward.

Alison tensed up when she saw a middle-age woman walking towards the car.

She'd seen protestors get violent and do horrible things to people on social media. And she knew what it felt like to be judged.

"Emily…" She tried to keep her tone even so she wouldn't frighten Cory.

"It's okay." Emily waved to the woman, and Alison relaxed. "She volunteers here. And she helps out at the LGBTQ Alliance sometimes, too."

When the woman got closer Alison noticed that she had splashes of purple in her hair. She was slipping on a pink vest that had Clinic Escort Volunteer on it. She walked around to Emily's door.

"Hey, Adele." Emily rolled down her window and greeted her. "Thanks for meeting us out here."

"Of course, honey." She had a southern accent that reminded Alison of the Grandmother she'd sat with the night Tyler had assaulted her. She glanced into the backseat. "I'm Adele. I'm here to walk y'all in…and to keep those terrible folks away from you."

Emily put the car in park and turned the ignition off. She turned around and looked at Cory.

"Cory, you're going to go in with Adele. We'll be right behind you, okay?"

Cory nodded without saying anything. He unbuckled his belt and opened the car door.

Adele greeted him with a kind smile and told him to ignore the angry crowd.

"My job is to get you in safe," she said with a reassuring look. "And I'm good at my job."

Cory nodded in silence again.

Emily glanced at Alison as they both unhooked their seatbelts.

Cory slowly walked forward with Adele.

Alison and Emily climbed out of the car.

"I hate those protestors." Alison pressed her lips together in a tight angry line.

"Yeah." Emily slammed her door. "Me too."

Emily took a step towards them, flocking Adele and Cory on their left side where the crowd was the most dense.

Alison followed quietly, not knowing what to say.

It was only when Emily slowed her pace and allowed Cory and Adele to move forward that Alison realized what the brunette was doing.

She was going to take the heat off of Cory and shift it on to herself.

Her angry brown eyes narrowed in on the crowd of protestors.

Alison wasn't sure when she made the conscious choice she made next, but she turned her camera on, set it to video, and followed Emily.

She was extremely careful about protecting the integrity of Cory's identity. She just wanted proof of what happened in case it escalated.

Emily didn't initiate first contact. She simply slowed down in front of them.

The woman leading the crowd was an older woman with blonde hair falling over her shoulders in unkempt curls. She had pasty skin and spoke with a southern drawl that was a huge juxtaposition to Adele's kind tone.

"MURDERERS!"

"Ah, hello to you, too, Karen." Emily was unfazed.

"In the name of the Lord and Savior Jesus, repent!" She screamed in Emily's face.

"Religion is not really my thing." Not since the church had damaged her by convincing her that there was something wrong with her because of her sexuality.

Her mother had used The Bible as a weapon when Emily had been forced out of the closet by Mona. But her mom had never been as extreme as the crazy people shouting at her.

Fortunately, her mom had turned against her faith and chosen her daughter. But Emily had never forgiven the church for preaching hatred against her community and indoctrinating that hatred into members of the congregation.

To her surprise, Pam had given up the church for her. She had stood up for her when her ex-girlfriend's father had made homophobic remarks. Emily had never seen her mother so angry. Later on Pam revealed to her that she absolutely would have hit him if he hadn't backed down. Her mother had a heated temper when it came to her child. And if she knew Emily was facing off with a crowd of people screaming hateful things she would rage.

"All other Gods are false prophets! We do not accept them!" There was a weird manic desperation in Karen's chants.

"Well, I don't accept you." Emily shrugged.

Karen spit at Emily's feet.

"Rot in hell then!"

Alison nearly dropped the camera and leaped in front of Emily, because the wretched woman was way too close and no one disrespected Emily and got away with it on her watch.

Emily saw her tensing up and readying for a fight and she held her palm out in front of Alison.

"It's what they want. They would love a reason to call the police." Emily shook her head.

Alison's eyes gleamed with an unbridled ire as she carefully transferred her phone from her right hand to her left hand. She was ready to throw a punch if she had to. She curled her right hand into a fist.

"Burn in the afterlife, baby killers!" The woman shouted again.

"Always a pleasure speaking to you." The lines around Emily's mouth and eyes hardened, and for a moment Alison thought she was going to punch the woman.

"Repent!" Karen screamed, spittle flying out of her mouth, "Repent, sinners!"

"Sure, we'll get right on that."

"Murderers!" The crowd chanted. "You're murderers!"

"You help murderers because you already know you're going to hell, fags!" Karen snapped.

Emily's face morphed into a hard mask, her temper flaring to the point that she looked like a completely different person.

Alison thought she was going to lose control, but she didn't.

"Nice." Emily cracked her knuckles by her side, but she didn't raise a hand. "Did your Bible teach you that rhetoric?"

"You shut your mouth, homo!"

"Fucking call her that again and see what happens." Alison snapped, a fuse blowing inside of her. She couldn't just stand by and watch Emily take the harassment. "Do you even live here? Or did your fake bigoted church send you here to harass innocent people?"

"Who the hell do you think you are, bitch?" Karen turned her attention towards Alison. Her eyes darted between Alison and Emily, landing on Emily's gaze again. "Are you going to shut your little Babylonian whore up?"

"No. And don't call her a whore." Emily sneered.

"Why not? That's what she is. Whore!" She screamed in Alison's face, expecting it to rattle her.

Alison huffed out an angry laugh.

"If you think you're accomplishing anything slinging insults at me you're an idiot. I've been subjected to way worse." Alison rolled her eyes.

"It's God punishing you." Karen smirked at her.

"Yeah, okay. Sure." Alison scoffed. "Lady, I'm not even Christian and I'm a better Christian than you claim to be."

Karen's laser eyes honed in on Alison. She spotted Alison's phone and her wrist lurched out to try and yank the phone away.

"Are you recording this? Are you proud of this?"

Alison froze when Karen's fingers closed around her wrist.

Every single time she'd been attacked in Rosewood flashed through her head.

Normally she would have taken a swing at Karen, but the memories paralyzed her.

When she blinked she saw a familiar blonde blob of hair weaving through the crowd.

She caught a glimpse of the familiar face and her heart lurched in her chest.

"Hello, little sister…"

It's not her.

I'm going crazy.

It's not her.

Alison couldn't hear the protestors anymore. She was staring at the fading figure, watching as a hood flipped up over her blonde hair.

Then the person was gone.

"Get your hands off of her." Emily's entire demeanor changed.

It wasn't Karen's words that finally set the brunette off. It was Karen putting her hands on Alison. She reached up and snatched Karen's arm.

"Assault!" Karen screamed. "She's assaulting me!"

"Let her go." Emily growled, prying Karen's witch-like fingers off of Alison's wrist.

She managed to free Alison from her grip and pulled her back several feet away from the unruly crowd.

Alison searched the faces, looking for one in particular.

But she knew it wasn't her sister. She had called Welby repeatedly. They wouldn't have told her she wasn't on the list to talk to Charlotte if she had been released. And she couldn't have been released. They wouldn't have been able to do that without alerting the girls.

"She grabbed me! Call the police!" Karen screamed above the crowd chanting hateful things.

"That's a lie and you know it! You put your hands on this young woman first." Another woman in a pink vest appeared behind Alison and Emily, shuffling in front of them, allowing them to make their getaway.

"You okay?" Emily asked, stopping to glance at Alison's wrist. It was pink from where Karen had grabbed her.

"I'm fine. I was getting ready to hit her." Alison managed to shake off her past and use her fury to direct an angry glare at the ugly blonde.

She tapped the screen on her phone, which stopped the recording.

"She's never gotten physically violent before. I didn't expect that." Emily tucked some of Alison's hair behind her ear.

She shot angry daggers at Karen and then turned towards Alison and stroked her cheek. She knew it would incite the crowd, but she wanted them to know that their threats didn't scare her.

"I'm okay." Alison pecked her forehead lovingly, narrowing her eyes in defiance at Karen.

The haggard old blonde shouted something, but they didn't hear it.

Alison smirked in Karen's direction and took Emily's hand and they walked towards the clinic together.

"She can't do anything to us." Emily said as they walked inside. "We take precautions so she can't track us. We even switch out the plates on the cars we use."

"What a bunch of psychos." She searched the lobby for Cory to make sure he had gotten in safely.

She spotted him with Adele talking to the woman at the front desk.

She felt Emily squeezing her hand.

"I applaud you for not clawing her face to pieces. I saw how you reacted when she started yelling at me. I thought you were going to rip her to shreds."

"She's lucky I didn't." Alison glanced back over her shoulder.

Emily walked over to a row of benches and chairs. She took a seat and Alison sat next to her.

They waited patiently as Cory finished up at the front desk.

The lobby was quiet, soft music drowning out the sounds of the hate outside the building.

They waited until it was time for Cory to go back for his appointment. He asked them to go back with him and so they walked him to the room where the doctor was waiting.

The appointment hadn't lasted long at all.

The doctor explained everything and then Cory took the pill.

Once they were finished they were led down the hallway leading to the waiting area. Adele stood by Cory's side while Alison and Emily walked along behind him.

The silence was interrupted by a loud blaring alarm.

Emily instinctively reached up and slammed her palms over her ears.

When she blinked she had visions of the Dollhouse.

Charlotte had set off deafening alarms that were so loud that it hurt their eardrums. The lights would flicker and red strobe-like effects flashed for hours.

Charlotte would wake them up out of a deep sleep to torture them with it sometimes, and it was impossible to escape from.

Alison saw Emily freeze and she recognized the look on her face.

Guess I'm not the only one with Charlotte on the brain.

She gently gripped Emily's right wrist and carefully tugged it away from her ear.

Their eyes met and Emily relaxed a little.

"She used to blare sirens and flashing lights for hours at a time," Emily said. "We couldn't sleep."

When Emily looked at Alison she found the blonde staring back at her, her eyes equal parts sympathetic and horrified.

"Yeah?" Adele's voice cut through the tension.

Emily looked over and saw Adele on her phone, an intense look on her face. She had a finger in her left ear and her right cheek shoved against her phone as she nodded and spoke in hushed tones.

"Are you okay?" Alison put her palm on Emily's arm.

"I think we should get an 'are you okay' jar and put a dollar in it any time either one of us asks the other that question." Emily tried to lighten the mood.

"What's going on?" Cory asked. "Is there a fire?"

Adele hung up her phone.

"Everything is fine," Adele put her arm around Cory to comfort him.

"What happened?" Alison asked.

"It's just a precaution we take. Someone intercepted one of the protestors trying to get through the employee entrance in the back. They didn't get into the building. Security is handling it."

"Does this kind of thing happen a lot?" Alison uttered under her breath.

"All the time." Emily's lip twitched.

That alarm had to be hell for her.

"Shit is complicated sometimes." Adele let out an annoyed sigh. "My shift here is done, but I've got one at the Alliance Center. Do you mind if I catch a ride back with you?"

"Sure." Emily nodded.

Adele stepped outside first and swept her eyes from right to left, noticing that the crowd had moved towards the back where all the activity was happening. They often yelled and belittled the guards.

It made it easier for them to get back to the car without being spotted.

They hustled inside. Emily climbed in the driver's seat and Alison climbed next to her in the front. Adele and Cory slid into the back.

Emily started the ignition and they made it out of the parking lot safely.

The drive back was as quiet as the drive over had been.

"How are you doing back there, Cory?" Emily checked the rearview mirror.

"I'm okay. Thank you for going with me. I'm sorry those people said all those horrible things to you." He looked down at his sneakers, but they could see the anger in his eyes. "I don't understand how they can get away with that. Someone needs to do something about them."

Alison glanced at her phone in her hand. She looked over at Emily.

"I sort of have a confession to make." Alison chewed on her lip. "I recorded the whole thing." She looked over her shoulder. "I didn't record any of your faces. Just that crazy blonde woman."

"Karen. Yeah, she's a regular." Adele scowled. "She's a real piece of work."

"I hope I didn't break any laws. I was just worried about what was going to happen." Her eyes met Adele's when she turned around. "I don't know what your policies are about sharing this kind of thing, but I have a really large following on social media. A lot of them in the LGBTQ community. I only recorded in case something went wrong, but I'd like to share it to see if we can't do something about it."

"I'm fine with it." Cory sniffled from the back seat. Adele had her arm wrapped around him. "People need to know what we have to deal with."

"You're sure?" Alison asked.

"Please do it. I don't want other people to go through that. It was horrible."

"Em?" Alison looked over at her.

"Put the bitch on blast." Her eyes flickered from the road to Alison's and back to the road again. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. The altercation with Karen still had her fuming. "Did you get video of her grabbing you?"

"I did."

"Good. Let the world see those monsters for who they truly are." Emily frowned.

Alison pulled up the video on her phone. She watched it to make sure it had captured what she wanted.

When she was satisfied, she uploaded it and started typing a caption.

I'd like for you all to meet Karen. Karen makes a habit out of harassing women, LGTBQ youth, and everyone else who comes in for medical aid. We don't know Karen's last name or where she's from, but the Internet is a far reaching place. Let me be clear, I'm not condoning ANY threats or harassment. That would lower us to her level. But I'm not going to oppose anyone who wants to search for her and contact her boss and share this video with them. Share with the whole world to show what evil really looks like.

By the time they got back to the Alliance Center the video had gone viral. The internet had done its thing and Karen's identity had been confirmed. People were calling her out on her social media sites and contacting her employer, flooding them with angry calls.

The comments section was going wild. Alison was happy to see that no one had called for attacking Karen the way Karen had attacked them. But people were getting involved and being proactive.

Who TF is that bitch?

These people need to stop with their bullshit.

Omg, get her, Internet!

Let's make her famous so she loses her job.

ROAST HER QUEEN.

That woman needs to touch grass.

Of course her name is Karen.

I know her. She goes to church with my best friend's mom. Her name's Karen Powell. She is a legit PSYCHO! She's racist AF, too. She just got a job with the city government. Call them up!

Cory had liked Alison's post and had been reading all the encouraging comments,

Ignore the ignorant.

She is spewing so much nonsense.

Love is Love. Hate is not going to win this round.

Love to all those who have to go through this.

Adele offered to take Cory home and he had gladly accepted the offer.

After they parked the car, Cory thanked them again for going with him and then he'd stepped out of the car with Adele.

Alison was staring at the screen, scrutinizing the crowd in her video. She was looking for that mysterious blonde that had been in the background. She knew it wasn't likely she'd caught it on film, but she couldn't let it go.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Emily softly say her name.

A warm hand brushed against Alison's cheek and she finally looked up.

"Hey, what's on your mind?" She cupped Alison's face.

Alison glanced at her, but her eyes drifted away.

"It's Charlotte, right?" Emily asked.

Alison stiffened in her seat.

"What?"

Had Emily seen her too?

"You always have this…I don't know…pain in your eyes when you're thinking about her. I mean, I'm sure seeing the resources offered here drudge up the fact that she wasn't offered anything like it." Emily slowly lowered her hand.

Alison blinked in surprise. Was that sympathy she saw in Emily's eyes? How could the brunette have sympathy for the devil?

It took her a moment to realize that Emily wasn't feeling sympathy for Charlotte. She was feeling sympathy for her.

"Right." Alison nodded. "Yeah."

My psychopath sister is not out here.

It's in my head.

But was it? Was Charlotte just playing games with her mind? Or was she delusional?

"I honestly shouldn't care after what she put you all through. But sometimes I turn my hatred towards my parents because Jason swears that she was such a sweet child."

A vague memory came to her, one she couldn't be sure was real.

"Wave hi to Char-Char, Ali." Her mother.

"HI CHAR-CHAR!" She couldn't have been more than three.

"HI, ALI!"

There were a lot of sparkling lights. She had a sweet taste in her mouth. Carnival music blasted through the evening air. Her brother and his friend laughing. But it wasn't just his friend. It was Charlotte.

"Where did you just go?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. I think…I think even I might have memories of her buried really deep in my brain. But it's all…dark. I spent three years looking her in the eyes, and I realized that none of that innocence was left." Alison stared through the windshield. "I don't know why it took me three years to see that. I knew that."

"Like Adele said…sometimes shit is complicated." Emily shrugged.

Alison looked over at Emily.

"I can't even begin to imagine…" The blonde felt anger rising to the surface, "…what she did to you…I saw it on your face when that alarm went off. I see it on your face all the time."

"I know." Emily reached out and gripped Alison's fingers. "I see it reflected back at me in your eyes. But she doesn't get to control us anymore."

Except she's around every corner I turn.

"I jump every time I hear my phone going off." Alison admitted. As if it was a sign from the universe, Alison's phone started buzzing. She almost dropped it. Her hands were shaking, but it was only her alarm. "Case and point…"

"Caleb said he's closing in on something. I imagine we'll hear from him soon." Emily glanced at Alison's screen.

"I hope so." Alison hit the snooze button. "Ah…I've got to be on set soon."

"I'm really glad you came with me this morning." Emily squeezed her hand.

"Me too." Alison leaned over the console and kissed her.

They lingered for a few seconds after the kiss.

"Need a ride?" Emily's seat squeaked when she shifted in it.

Alison looked at the building in front of them and she thought about the people inside of it.

"I think you're more needed here." Alison smiled. "I made plans to Rideshare with a couple other actors with bit parts like mine."

"It's not a bit part. Don't sell yourself short. This is going to open up so many more doors for you." Emily's faith in her was ironclad.

She truly believed Alison could do anything she set her mind to. It was nice to have that kind of support in her life.

"Thank you." Alison tilted her head, the edges of her eyes softening.

Emily felt her heart pick up speed. When Alison looked at her with kindness and vulnerability it sparked something in her soul.

She leaned over the center console and put her hand on the back of Alison's head, pulling her in for a kiss goodbye.

Alison obliged.

"I'll see you tonight." There was an audible pop when their lips parted. "Love you."

"I love you, too." Alison smiled.

They climbed out of the car and closed their doors.

As Emily went back to work, Alison made her way to set.

Everyone in the Rideshare was talking about the video Alison had posted.

A local gossip channel had picked it up and exposed it even more.

She wasn't allowed to have her phone on set with her, but when she had a chance to check it she saw thousands of comments.

By the time she got home that night it had racked up over 200 million views and it was on the news.

Emily had her Ipad on in the living room. There was a pizza box sitting in front of her and two drinks poured.

Alison kicked her shoes off and walked over to the couch, listening to Karen screaming on the IPad.

"Was it too much?" Alison sat down beside her on the sofa.

"No." Her eyes were filled with sensitivity. "What you did today was amazing, Alison. You changed that kid's life for the better. And you exposed those people for their hateful ways. Karen has already been fired."

"I love the internet sometimes." Alison beamed. She leaned over and pecked Emily on the lips. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. Staff meeting let out early, so I finished up a few school assignments and picked us up pizza for dinner. Felt like kind of a lazy night."

"Mmm…I like lazy nights." Alison sidled up next to her.

She lifted the box and reached for a slice.

They cozied up on the couch and chatted as they ate.

Every so often Emily would reach over and wipe pizza sauce from the edge of Alison's lip, and after a while she suspected Alison was doing it on purpose.

She was.

They talked and laughed and listened to music. Even though the day hadn't started out on the best terms they had moved beyond that.

A playful pop song came on when the playlist that they'd picked shuffled randomly. It was so bubblegum sounding and sweet that Alison pulled Emily to her feet and they jumped around the living room like they were twelve-years-old having a dance party...listening to Beyoncé.

Emily threw her head back and laughed as she gripped Alison's hands. Their palms were clasped together between them as they playfully swayed to the music. She pulled Alison closer and they giggled and sang along to the song.

When the song started fading and was shuffling to something new the music was cut off by Emily's phone.

Emily fell against the couch laughing as she reached for it.

Alison plopped down next to her. One of the things she loved most about their relationship was how spontaneous they were together.

Emily's smile was replaced by a concerned frown when she saw Caleb's contact photo on the screen.

"Hey, Caleb," she answered, her eyes darting to Alison, whose smile had also been wiped away.

"Hey, Em." The tension in his voice was palpable.

Something in the air shifted.

She put him on speaker phone.

"So, there is no easy way to say this…" As he spoke, Emily and Alison's hands instinctively found one another, "…those calls that Alison has been getting?" He paused, hesitating, like he was still deliberating how to tell them the bad news, even though they already knew it was bad news. "They're coming from Rosewood."

"What?" Emily's veins felt like someone had injected them with ice water. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. I can't pinpoint the exact location, but it's Rosewood." The line crackled with silence. "I'm sorry. I know this sucks to hear."

"Couldn't have been easy for you finding out either." Emily stared at Alison.

All the color had drained from her cheeks. Emily reached out and laid a comforting hand against her thigh.

"Is there a way to track it any further to see who is calling?" Emily asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately not. But…" He hesitated again, "If this is who we think it is and she can make calls to Alison, I'd imagine it would be pretty easy for her to make calls to others as well…"

"Shit." Alison squeaked out.

What if her sister had sent some other psychopath after them? Suddenly, the possibility that they were being stalked didn't feel so stupid anymore.

"Are you and Hanna getting any calls?" Alison's voice came out light and childlike.

Just the thought of Charlotte running an entirely new game was terrifying.

"No," he said.

"Aria and Spencer?" Emily questioned.

"Hanna talks to them. She didn't tell them this, because you asked to keep it quiet. But neither one of them has mentioned anything about unknown callers to her. And I know for a fact that they would both reach out to me like you did if they were getting calls or if they felt threatened. Spencer had a scare last year, but it turned out to be some phonebank prank when her mom was running for Senator."

"Right. I remember that." Numbness was settling in over Emily.

It was too much information to process all at once.

"Does Hanna know you tracked where the calls are coming from?" Emily swallowed a knot in her throat.

"No. You were my first call. I haven't said anything to her yet."

"Don't." Alison blurted out. "I don't want you two in Charlotte's crosshairs again."

"Alison…" His voice was softer than either one of them had ever heard. "We don't know for sure it's her."

"Who else would be doing this? This is her mind at work. This is how she operates. She gets into people's heads." Alison wasn't answering Caleb so much as she was talking to herself, trying to figure it out. "I don't want her hurting Hanna again. I don't want you two in danger…"

"Hanna already knows I was looking into it. There is only so long I'll be able to hold off on telling her. You know how ruthless she is when she wants an answer." His tone shifted into something warmer. It always did when he talked about Hanna.

"Tell her it was a dead end." Alison hated to push him to lie, but she didn't want Hanna involved.

"This is Hanna we're talking about." He scoffed. "You really think that's going to work?"

"Shit." Alison muttered. "Yeah, you're right." She wasn't thinking straight.

"So…what are we going to do?" Caleb asked. "How can we help?"

"You've already done everything we need you to. We can take care of it from here." Emily's voice came out calm even though she was shaking inside.

"Are you serious?" Always the white knight, it was hard for Caleb to leave people to fend for themselves, "I can't leave you to deal with this on your own."

"We're not in high school anymore. You and Hanna have your own lives to think about." Emily frowned at her phone. "The last thing you two need is to be dragged back into a mess. Spencer and Aria are happy and doing well. You and Hanna are thriving. You have your own futures to consider. And if you aren't on her radar…if it is her…then I want to keep it that way."

"Emily, just…think about it…"

"No." She cut him off, earning a nod in solidarity from Alison. "There is no way in hell you're going to upend your lives for this. I appreciate everything you've done. You've gone above and beyond. But it has to stop here."

He grumbled under his breath, something about her being stubborn.

"Hanna is not going to like this." He warned.

"I'll prepare for her wrath." Emily let out a humorless laugh.

"At least keep us posted and let us know if you need anything." He didn't sound happy with Emily's decision, but he knew better than to argue with her.

"Of course," Emily said.

After a few more minutes of back and forth, they said their goodbyes.

Alison hadn't said a word as she listened to the two of them argue about him and Hanna getting involved. Her thoughts were swirling. She felt like she was spiraling.

A painful thought crossed her mind.

"Jason." Alison sucked in a breath.

What if there was a reason that Jason wasn't returning her calls?

"What?" Emily glanced over at Alison after hanging up the phone.

"What if he's not answering me because something happened to him? It wouldn't be the first time Charlotte tried to hurt him." She had drugged Jason and her father the night of the prom when she revealed the truth about her identity to Alison and the girls.

"Why would she hurt him if he stayed?" Emily asked.

"To hurt me."

"I'm sure he's fine." But Emily wasn't so sure.

She pulled up the last text she'd gotten from Toby, which had been earlier in the afternoon. He'd sent a picture of some landscape work he'd done for her mother. A rusted old swing set was still in the backyard.

We had some memories back here, didn't we? He'd added after he sent the picture.

She looked at her response,

You just unlocked some core childhood nostalgia.

They used to sit on those swings and just chat for hours.

She opened a new message and typed out,

Hey, you haven't seen Jason lately, have you?

Seconds passed and then three little thought bubbles appeared.

No sign of the dickhead. Why? Everything ok?

She expected his cold reaction. Toby and Jason didn't get along. Toby had been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his step-sibling. When he found out that Alison's brother was making child porn of Alison, Spencer, Emily, and the rest of the girls he had gone ballistic.

He'd cooled over the years, but he didn't hide his animosity.

Yeah. But if you see him tell him to call Alison. It's important.

Sure.

"Toby is going to tell him to call you." Emily looked over at Alison, who was shaking like a leaf, but she didn't seem to realize it. "Hey, we're going to figure this out, okay?"

Emily threw her arm around Alison and pulled her in for a hug.

Alison's eyes darted towards the alarm.

Set.

Then the door.

Locked.

Then they drifted towards Emily's bedroom.

The gun.

"How long has it been since you went to the shooting range?" Alison peered at her girlfriend.

"A couple of months."

"You think you could teach me?"

Emily seemed skeptical.

"You hate guns."

"If it's a matter of us versus her I don't." Alison grumbled.

"Alison, you couldn't shoot your sister any more than I could. It's a last resort only. And even then…"

Emily wasn't sure she could actually pull the trigger. She'd already shot one person. Even though he deserved it, it weighed on her soul.

If Lyndon had just simply given up she wouldn't have to carry that guilt around. But the truth was…for someone who had never seen active combat or wasn't in daily situations plagued with gun violence…killing another person was not as simple as pulling the trigger. In battle, soldiers were taught to separate their kills from their humanity. To focus on the evils. It was drilled in them. Instilled in them. Emily knew that much from her father. But it was different for most civilians.

"Pulling the trigger isn't as easy as it seems." Emily sighed. "And once you do you have to live with it for the rest of your life. Believe me, I know."

Guilt consumed her. She'd never forget the look on Lyndon's face.

"What happened in that lighthouse isn't on you." Alison reached out to comfort her.

"But it is. Ultimately...it is." Emily looked away. "It doesn't matter if it was justified. I took a life. It's not something I take lightly."

"I get it. I do." Alison nodded in understanding. "If you're not comfortable taking me shooting maybe we should keep the gun somewhere within reach just in case. I promise I'll leave it alone."

"I can get to it in a matter of seconds."

"Only if we're in the bedroom."

"We're safe here." Emily promised.

There was a code needed to get in and another needed to deactivate the alarm. And the door was never unlocked. Not to mention, Samara and Zoe were right down the hall and they'd tell them if someone sketchy was hanging around. It was a far cry from Rosewood.

"Whatever happens…we're in this together. We're going to be fine." She kissed the top of Alison's head.

But Alison couldn't shake the feeling that Emily was wrong. She felt like she was back in Rosewood...being consumed by the darkness. She was freefalling and there was no net, and eventually everything around them was going to come crashing down. Because that's what Charlotte did. She destroyed lives. But Alison was done being a victim. If she was going down, she wasn't going down without a fight.

---

A/N: Me reading reviews knowing what's coming: "*laughs nervously* I'm going to hell…" I think people may be expecting it to go one way, but I'm going to come out of left field swinging. And it's going to hurt.

Theories? How are we feeling? Nervous? Terrified? Loving the little non-stressful moments between them? Satisfied when they work together to take down the Karens of the world?