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.

25. My Funny Valentine

A/N: The inner critic is an unbearable bitchy little perfectionist when it's getting down to the wire. So bear with me. I know these updates are slow going, but I'm trying to set a pace where I don't make you wait for too long. And when I do...send your hate mail to the inner critic.

Note: Fanfic was falling apart and failing to send out alerts for several months, so you might want to check that you're up to date on the most recent chapters. Otherwise you might have missed a few things.

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Chapter 24:

My Funny Valentine

The next week seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. Valentine's Day didn't turn out like they had planned it. It had started out normal enough, but by the end of the day things had drastically shifted.

Emily had made a crossword puzzle centering on their relationship with Spencer's help. It was harder than Emily meant for it to be. Spencer had gone way overboard.

Alison had made dinner with Samara's help. Samara and Zoe hung out for a few drinks and then went to do their own thing before Emily got home.

Alison stared at the knife in Samara's hand as she sliced a lemon into wedges. Her glazed pink fingernails were near the tip of the knife as she cut into the citrusy fruit.

"Be careful. Emily just sharpened that knife." Alison was afraid she might slip and cut herself.

"You sound like Zoe." Samara chuckled.

"I heard that!" Zoe called from the living room, where she'd gone to take a work call.

Samara laughed and then added,

"My Grandmother taught me how to cook when I was six. I loved spending time in the kitchen with her. Of course, I started with snapping string beans and not with butcher knives."

"That's really sweet." Alison smiled, pulling out the chicken breast they were going to prepare from the refrigerator. They were making Chicken Parmesan. "I wish I'd learned skills like that when I was younger. I didn't learn how to prepare my own meals until a few years ago."

It's not like her family had been forthcoming about teaching her things other than lying and hatred. And she didn't have the resources to cook when she was on the run, though she couldn't tell Samara that.

Alison's phone chimed. She jumped, nearly dropping the chicken.

She managed to recover, fumbling forward and placing the package of chicken against the small counter. She tried to feign a smile.

Samara had a curious crinkle in her brow.

"Everything okay?"

Alison reached for her phone, dreading the worst.

Fortunately, it was just Hanna.

You're not dead, right?

She checked in with them daily to make sure they were still alive.

"Yeah." Alison shook it off. "It's just Hanna checking in. Seeing what we're up to."

"I love that you all are still close." Samara smiled.

All good. Making dinner for tonight.

After she responded, Hanna sent back a winking emoji text. Alison couldn't help but smile.

She put her phone down, but her eyes were still on it…staring and waiting for it to jump back to life. She'd limited her notifications on socials, because it was making her more anxious.

The days and weeks leading up to Valentine's Day had been difficult. They had everything with Charlotte and Wren looming over them. Sara was dead. They feared they were next.

"Hey, are you sure you're alright?"

When Alison looked away from the screen she saw that Samara was peering at her with a worried expression.

"Yeah. It's just…all the stuff going on back in Rosewood." It's not like it was easy to conceal the story about her sister being a suspect in her mother's murder.

The news had spread.

"I get it. Emily has been a bit off, too." Samara admitted.

"What do you mean?" Alison tried to busy herself with the chicken.

"I don't know. She's just not been herself at school and work. She jumps every time her phone goes off, too. I swear if I didn't know any better, I'd think…" Samara drifted off.

Alison's hands were deep in chicken fat, but she stopped what she was doing, a knot forming in her throat.

"What? What is it?" Alison tried to act her way out of it, but even pretending didn't seem to be working.

"Em never really told me much of anything. We didn't talk about why we split up. I just saw her giving her number out and I assumed…" Samara sighed and put the knife down. "I wish I would have given her the benefit of the doubt. I didn't know until later…after Emily and the other girls disappeared that someone was trying to hurt her."

"You know about that?" Alison asked, trying not to panic, because the last thing she wanted to do was pull Samara and Zoe into their mess.

"About how they went missing? I mean…it was all over the news. Four girls just up and disappearing? And Rosewood is a small town. I don't know the details, but I know bad things happened to you and Emily back east." Her face softened in sympathy. "I've never asked Emily about it. And I won't ask you either, because I figured if either of you wanted to talk about it…you would. I'm not in the habit of making people uncomfortable. It's just…something is different. It's been different for a while. And I can't stop thinking about that phone call at Emily's birthday…that one that played your voice over and over…"

Alison cringed. That had been so unexpected and so embarrassing. That had been the start of Charlotte calling her with recordings of her past. And it had happened in front of everyone at Emily's birthday party.

"You had a panic attack over it. I don't think I've ever seen anyone's face turn that pale," she sighed. "I meant what I said that night. Everyone that was in that room values privacy. Every single person there knows what it feels like to keep things inside. But if someone is hurting you two…"

Alison interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

"We're okay. I promise." She put everything she had into the smile she gave Samara. "When Emily and I got together I had a bunch of baggage. And I tried to keep her out of it. I really did. But you know her. She worries."

"She does." Samara nodded in agreement, but she didn't look fully convinced.

"Emily took on more than she should have when I came back into her life…"

"Alison, I didn't mean it that way." Samara interrupted her. "I know you love her. And she loves you. I would never blame you for anything."

"I know. I'm just saying that's probably what you saw in her…what you're still seeing in her. Everything with my sister is a mess right now. And we're on edge about news stories."

"Yeah, that detective that was sniffing around Emily at school seemed really intense. I didn't like her." Samara frowned.

"She hasn't been around the Alliance at all, has she?" Alison asked.

Samara scoffed.

"Hell no. We wouldn't let her through the front doors even if she wanted us to. She seems to make you two really uncomfortable. That's enough for me." She shrugged.

Alison had to hold back a laugh. It was nice to have people on their side for once.

"You're a good friend."

"Only when I care about people. Otherwise all bets are off." Samara smiled and turned her attention back towards the lemon.

Alison went back to preparing the chicken.

They made small talk as they cooked and shared a few drinks while Emily was finishing up a shift at the Alliance.

It was nearly 6:30 when Emily checked the time hours later. She was already running late. She quickly finished up and then scurried out into the parking lot.

She had been pulling the van out of the parking lot when her phone rang.

She glanced at the phone sitting in the dock and answered the FaceTime request with Spencer.

"Hey. Everything okay?" Emily asked.

It was the first thing they all asked each other when they called.

"Yeah. Just wanted to see if the donation came through this month." Spencer looked tired, but otherwise unbothered.

"It did. Thank you." Emily kept her eyes on the road as she pulled into the right lane. "I'm actually just leaving the office."

"You work nonstop." Spencer frowned.

"I work nonstop? You feed on caffeine and work 24 hours days." Emily scoffed.

"Seriously. You good?"

"Yeah. I just got my shift schedule for when the beach opens back up for swimming, so I was looking at my Alliance schedule in advance." Emily stopped behind a short line of traffic. She had a few seconds to look at the phone. "Spence, are you seriously lecturing me while you have bags under your eyes right now? Late night at the office last night?"

"Actually…" The brunette's mood shifted. She smiled. "Late night chat with Toby. He calls to check in every single day. We talk a lot."

Emily grinned when she saw Spencer's cheeks flush.

"So…are you two a thing again or…" Emily tried to appear uninterested, but she was really invested in their relationship, especially since she knew that they both still had feelings for each other.

"Well…" Spencer pursed her lips, like she was holding in a secret. "We are talking about it."

"Good, because the split between you was killing me. He misses you so much." Emily immediately added, "Don't tell him I told you that."

Spencer had a strange goofy look on her face.

"He already told me," she admitted. "I miss him, too."

"Well, it's about time you two worked it out." Emily glanced at the road again and started slowly moving along with the traffic.

"We have a lot more in common than we used to. Back in high school it was all hormones." Spencer admitted.

"Relatable." Emily nodded.

"He's the only man I've ever dated who understands what my career means to me. And he knows me. We just get each other." Spencer smiled.

"You dated other men? When?" Emily asked.

Spencer had never mentioned any relationships. She was married to her work.

"It was just casual. Nothing serious. And nothing that ever lasted. All I could ever think about was Toby. And I'm always so busy, so men lose interest really fast. Something about an intelligent career-driven woman in power terrifies some men."

"Anyone would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Em." Spencer drifted off in thought. "It's funny. I know Toby and I needed the time apart. We were such different people, but all we can think about is the time we lost when we were finding ourselves."

Emily knew a thing or two about that.

"Yeah, it's a constant push and pull. Alison and I were very different people back in Rosewood. As much as the time apart hurt…and we never stopped thinking about each other…we had to get lost in order to find our way back to each other again. It's a really strange juxtaposition. I don't know if that makes sense."

"It does. I get it. I think it's why I was so judgmental about you and Alison getting back together." She looked at the screen sheepishly. "I was so afraid you would get hurt again, but I think in a way I was also thinking about me and Toby. And I was too proud to admit that sometimes I wondered if our separation was a mistake."

"You make up for the lost time. I promise." Emily smiled.

"God, it's such a relief to talk to someone who understands." Spencer huffed out a breath. "I don't know that Aria and Hanna get it. You know, Caleb and Hanna never faltered. They had their problems, but they managed to work through them. And Aria had to get away from he who shall not be named…" Spencer puffed up in protection, "…in order to find someone…an equal…who doesn't manipulate her and treats her the way she deserves to be treated."

"I wish we could have seen what he who shall not be named was doing to Aria back then. I would have turned him in if I understood what was really happening." Emily sighed.

"I would have, too. But don't beat yourself up over it. We were kids. He manipulated us, too. He pushed his way into our lives. He used your grief to make himself seem like a good guy."

"Did I ever tell you that I told him off for what he did to Aria? To us?" Emily moved into the left lane and traffic started to flow again.

"You what?" Spencer laughed.

"I chewed him out before class one day, turned my assignment in, and told him to make sure a real teacher looked at it. Then I skipped his class. The whole week."

"Are you serious? Good for you."

"I wish I could go back and kick him in the nuts." Emily clutched the wheel angrily. "He was so awful to us, but you and Aria especially. He pulled your private medical records and tried to convince us you needed mental help, but you were right about him all along."

"If it's any consolation, Toby said that if he ever sees him again he'll punch him." Spencer tried to contain a dark laugh. "I think he regrets not hitting him when he told him not to come anywhere near us after…"

Her smile suddenly faded. It had been right before Wayne's funeral. The girls didn't know anything about it until Toby mentioned it when they went out to The Grille.

"I'm not going to shatter if you mention my dad," Emily replied softly.

"I know. I just know it's a sensitive area for you."

"It's fine. Honestly, that entire trip was a fog for me. I shut down during a lot of it. What I remember the most is going to The Grille with you all. Hanna made me laugh. She was right about the perv's kicking the bucket."

"Not all of them unfortunately." Spencer's lip curled up in annoyance. "Toby punching that man in the face would be satisfying. I think he'd actually do it, too."

"In a heartbeat. Toby is great." Emily beamed.

"He is." Spencer replied coyly, hiding a bit of her emotions, which was normal for her. "He's turned into a wonderful young man. I wish I could have seen back then what you saw in him."

Toby and Emily had been friends first, but in time the other girls warmed up. Spencer took a special interest in him after that.

"You know something I've always admired about you?" Spencer peered through the phone like there was no barrier between them…like they were just in the living room chatting.

It felt like old times. Emily felt an aching sensation in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to reach out and hug her friend. Technology was nice, but it was no replacement for real human contact.

"What?" Emily reached for her blinker to signal.

"The way you see beyond people's flaws and have a direct line to their hearts. It's really uncanny, Emily. You find the layers in people I'd never considered to be layered."

"Stop." Emily felt her cheeks flushing with heat. "I could be so naïve when I was younger…"

"You weren't naïve. And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that way. The truth is that your ability to read people beyond the surface is really beautiful. I was so cynical when we were younger. You were my polar opposite. You wanted so badly to believe in everyone. Even with Toby. I was so ready to write him off. But you gave him a chance. I always wondered what would have happened if you hadn't been his friend. I don't think I would have even given him a second glance had you not painted the picture of who he truly is at heart. And I'm so glad you did. Because you opened my eyes. You always see the best in people. And I only ever see the worst. That's why we clashed so much back then. I was too prideful to admit it when we were younger."

"Yeah, but we meet in the middle…and I think that's kind of cool." Emily smiled.

She knew that neither one of them was 100% right and neither was 100% wrong.

"You create a beautiful world and you do wonderful things. You've never taken people at their worst. You give them a chance. You love with everything you have. Never let anyone stand in the way of that. And if anyone does, I will be on the front lines with a rocket-launcher and a flame-thrower to protect you." Spencer nodded firmly.

"I'm so very honored that you would scorch the Earth for me." Emily chuckled.

"I don't know that I'll ever be able to thank you enough for believing in Toby and I…even when I lost hope." Her eyes were bright and full of vivacious life.

"Le gasp…hope?" Emily feigned shock. "Spencer Hastings dares to hope again? I thought that was a dirty four-letter-word. That it causes eternal misery."

"Our lives are already chaos. We'll always have eternal misery. Might as well embrace it and try to have a little more hope." Spencer smiled.

"I'm shocked." Emily's jaw dropped, half-joking, but half-serious. "You've shocked me into submission and I have no idea what to say."

They both laughed.

"If I've learned anything about love from you and from the other girls…it's that sometimes love happens when we least expect it and when we are least ready for it. I'm analytical about everything in my life. I critique it. I feel like there is a way to dissect it and explain everything about it."

"I get it." Emily replied softly. "We become products of our environment until we know more about the world."

"Exactly." Spencer pointed to the camera, a show that Emily was dead-on in her assumption. "I had all these expectations and this list in my head about the kind of person I was supposed to end up with. After looking back I realized my expectations for having a partner were ingrained in my head when I was little. It wasn't until you brought Toby into our lives that I started to question everything I knew. And it was because of you."

"Me?" Emily seemed surprised. "How so?"

"I never understood the way that you loved Alison unconditionally. I judged you for it. And that's partly because of my own issues with her, not with you. And partly because I didn't understand how you could love someone who was the polar opposite of you. Not until I understood what it was really like to fall in love with someone you didn't expect to…someone you don't have everything in common with, but you're still comfortable with."

"Opposites attract."

"Exactly. As you grow up, differences have a way of bringing people together. I didn't understand that when I was with Alex. He tried to show me. He was authentic and held true to who he wanted to be, even if it went against the grain."

Emily had really liked Spencer's old boyfriend Alex Santiago. He'd been down to earth and showed Spencer the realities of life that she hadn't entirely seen before. He was driven in what he wanted to do without forcing Spencer to conform to that. It was important to have that comfort level with people. It was important to know that it was okay to be individuals in a relationship rather than consuming one another and becoming a unit that parroted the same thing to each other over and over.

"It was scary to let go of my ideals. But it was never scary for you. Once you came out you knew what you wanted. You weren't afraid…"

Emily scoffed.

"That's where you're wrong. I was absolutely petrified out of my mind." Emily flipped her blinker on.

"But that didn't stop you from loving who you loved. You looked at people like Alison…like Toby...and you saw the potential. You may not believe me when I say it, but you are very much a romantic. Like Aria. You just…lean into your feelings when it comes to who you care for." Spencer smiled at her. "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Emily paused behind a line of traffic and looked at her phone.

"Are you quoting Shakespeare at me on Valentine's Day?"

"It's fourteen across on the Crossword." Spencer grinned slyly. "You got the puzzle, right?"

"I did. I really appreciate you helping me out. I got Alison a little something, but our lives have been so hectic lately."

"It was no problem." Spencer shrugged it off. "I know you had it done for Alison, but I think it'll be more fun if you two do it together. I learned that playing Scrabble with Toby."

"That's why you didn't send me the answer key." Emily realized.

"You'll thank me for that later. As it is, you already have an advantage because you've seen it."

"I came up with half of the puzzle…"

"And I tweaked it so you could both have fun."

Emily had figured that out the second she'd seen it. The only answer she'd gotten without thinking was The Kissing Rock.

"I plan on giving it to her after our Valentine's Day dinner." Emily pulled off on to another road.

"I tried to keep it themed for the two of you."

"I still haven't figured out seven across." Emily was just a mile from the condos.

"How have you not figured out the Lauren Bacall-Humphrey Bogart clue? Most iconic couple of all time." Spencer looked shocked and hurt.

"The clue was Bacall-Bogart, et all…the love of one's life, but as said by Pepe Le Pew (FR). How the hell am I supposed to understand what the question means? It was confusing." Emily had stared at the crossword for hours trying to piece it together.

"Translate what's in the puzzle and I promise you'll fully get it." Spencer gave her a confident nod.

"How can I without knowing what it's supposed to say? Can you throw me a bone with the Pepe one? Wasn't he canceled a long time ago for…something or another?" Emily shrugged. "I never watched that show. I have no clue what the answer is."

"It's not about the show. I promise. The FR at the end stands for something…"

"He was…French. I remember that much." Emily could feel the wheels turning in her head.

"Very good. So run with that."

"So…it's…love of my life in French?" Emily guessed.

That was actually quite clever.

"You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"Oh." She scrunched her brow. "So…what's with the rest of the clue?"

"Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart took the media by storm back in ye olden times. He was the love of her life and she was the love of his."

"How was I supposed to know any of that?" Emily laughed.

"You and Alison are a couple. And you talk about going to Paris all the time. It's love…in French."

"I don't speak French, Spencer."

"Kind of seems like you should learn before you go."

"Teach me a phrase."

"Tu es l'amour de ma vie."

"Ohhh…that sounds sexy." Emily purred playfully. "But there is no way I'll remember that."

"All you need to know is that roughly translated it means you're the love of my life."

"Spencer Hastings, I had no idea you felt that way about me. I'm flattered. But I am a taken woman." Emily took one hand off of the steering wheel and flashed her dainty fingers at the screen.

It made Spencer laugh.

"As am I." Spencer replied.

Emily pulled into the condo parking lot, smiling when the building was within view.

"That's a someone is about to get laid look." Spencer said with a wink.

Emily blushed and pulled the van into its parking spot.

She reached for her phone, noticing a new news alert flashing at her. She only saw the headline. It was about what was happening with Charlotte in Rosewood.

She swiped it away with an angry "v" in her brow.

"Ugh, why is everything so complicated?" Emily mumbled.

"Don't be so dramatic. What's complicated about a crossword puzzle and love? It's not that hard." Spencer defended her work.

"Not that." Emily shook her head. "This entire situation with Charlotte."

"What just happened? We went from talking about crossword puzzles and sex to…Rosewood? Kind of giving me whiplash here."

"Sorry. A news alert from back east came up. I keep getting them even though I've tried blocking all the news." Emily sighed, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"What's the newest development?" Spencer's attitude completely shifted.

"One we're not going to like, I'm sure." Emily muttered back. "We still haven't called the cops back yet."

"That won't look suspicious at all." Spencer furrowed her brow.

"They've left us a few messages, but they said to call at our convenience. The last time Alison talked to her brother he told her they were just calling as a formality. He didn't say a word to the cops about who sent the recording. And it's not the recording that really matters. It's the fact that they've reopened Jessica's murder case and now they're trying to deal with the fact that an inmate connected to Charlotte died in their care. Jason said we're not suspects."

"Clearly." Spencer snorted. "Is Jason still helping?"

"I wouldn't say helping per se. But he's not impeding anything either. He does the bare minimum by not ratting us out. Other than getting us the list of doctors he's not really saying much. The last time I saw him he seemed legitimately torn by the decision. He's processing."

"Are you getting anywhere with the list? Or with Theodore Kim?"

"Caleb has been going through the list of doctors and finding credentials. Some have profiles outside of Welby that identify and confirm who they are. But not all of them. About a dozen keep a low profile. Kim's credentials check out, but something is still bothering me about that name. I feel like I've heard it before."

"Could the others without credentials be the same person using different names? Or someone in charge of those people?" Spencer's gaze drifted away from the screen.

"I don't know. I don't think so, but I guess anything is possible. I do think it would raise too many red flags if there was a group like that actually all working together in Welby."

"Hell, in Radley, Charlotte and Mona got to come and go as they pleased simply by smiling in some stolen scrubs." Spencer rolled her eyes.

Emily sighed and looked at the condos.

"This is what I mean when I said this is complicated. I don't want to think about this today. I should be embracing the made-up Hallmark holiday with my girlfriend with stupid chocolates and candies and flowers. I would give anything for us to have that kind of normal existence." Everything had been so overwhelming lately, and she didn't know how to stop the train of noise in her head.

"You're kind of stealing my move, Em. I'm the one who usually bashes on corporations for turning Valentine's Day into a money-making scheme." Spencer laughed.

"I don't think we're ever going to have a normal holiday again."

"Join the club."

"Guess I better go enjoy what I do have." Emily grabbed her things.

Charlotte couldn't take her love life away. That included Alison in all her naked glory.

"I'll talk to you later. Want me to update the girls?" Spencer asked.

"About my sex life?" Emily shook herself out of her thoughts, realizing too late that Spencer couldn't hear her raunchy thoughts.

Spencer roared in laughter.

"About the progress on the list and the news happening back home."

"Oh." Emily's cheeks turned red. "Hanna probably already knows. Caleb keeps her in the loop. And Aria texts all the time."

"Am I always the last to know about things?" Spencer scoffed.

"I love you Spence. Bye."

"Love you, too."

Emily slid her phone into a pocket on her bag and slung it over her shoulders.

By the time she had gotten off the elevator she could smell the fresh cooking wafting from her condo.

She unlocked the door and the delicious aroma of the meal washed over her. Her mouth immediately started to water.

"Ali?" It dawned on her that she hadn't had anything to eat all day.

"In here!" Alison called from the kitchen.

She slid her shoes off by the door and met Alison in the kitchen. It wasn't really uncommon for the two of them to cook for each other, but something about this meal felt special. Emily didn't really buy into traditional holidays, but Alison's excitement enthralled her.

When she saw what the blonde was wearing she felt a hot ball of fire in her stomach.

She was dressed in a lacy red dress, one strap strategically pulled down over her shoulder and the other holding the top of it up in place. In lieu of her normal kitten heels she was wearing black knee-length lingerie netting.

Emily couldn't wait to rip it off of her.

"I didn't want to disturb the neighbors clacking my heels all evening." Alison looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes.

"Red carpet ready, as always." Emily smiled and walked over to her, admiring the outfit.

She reached for Alison's hand and the blonde presented the fingers of her right hand. Emily lifted her hand, kissed the back of her knuckles and then raised Alison's arm over her head.

Alison didn't have to be told what she wanted. She spun around, the hem of her dress puffing out against the air.

She nearly lost her balance…

On purpose… She grinned to herself.

…and Emily caught her in her arms.

"You look gorgeous." Emily helped her stand and eyed the waves in her hair.

Alison loved it when the brunette took in every aspect of her looks. She'd spent two hours on her hair just for Emily. Of course, the style wouldn't matter when they kicked the sheets off the bed and went wild.

"Here I am again without a stylish bone in my body. You look like you just stepped out of a classic film and I look like a run-down student working two to three jobs and scarfing down a peanut butter sandwich in between classes." Emily chuckled.

"You always look beautiful, Em." Alison reached up to fix a few rogue stray hairs. "How was work?" She planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Good. Busy." She looked at the roses sprinkled all around the room. "This looks amazing."

"You look amazing." Alison grinned at her.

"Are Samara and Zoe…"

"They went home. They knew you were almost home and wanted us to have our moment alone."

Emily hadn't even taken her eyes off of Alison long enough to see the spread she had prepared.

Flowers lined every corner of the kitchen in beautiful glass vases. The table was covered with a velvety red table cloth and had candles and two wine glasses filled with red wine, bottle in the center. Their plates and silverware were in place. All that was missing was the food.

Emily glanced towards the countertops and saw a delicious dish of Chicken Parmesan, a side of potatoes, a side of oysters, and two small bowls of French Seafood Bisque with Baguettes.

For dessert she had prepared bite-sized sweet-cake toasted and drizzled with chocolate, caramel, and honey. The little cakes were topped with strawberries oozing with chocolate and whipped cream.

Emily was just looking at the aphrodisiacs and she was already feeling in the mood. She wanted to place Alison in the bed naked and lick chocolate, honey, and whipped cream from her body while feeding her strawberries.

"Oh, wow…you've been very busy." Emily lifted her brows, impressed.

Alison's eyes sparkled with excitement. She was having the same thoughts as Emily about the bedroom.

"And yet, I'm not at all tired." She batted her eyes playfully and reached out to touch Emily's arm.

Her fingers walked down her tan smooth skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She gently grasped Emily's hand.

"I thought we could make up for lost time tonight." Alison smiled.

"I like that idea." Emily lifted Alison's hand up and kissed her knuckles again. "You first." She gestured to the food.

"Nope. You." Alison shook her head.

"Or…" Emily reached for both bowls of soup. "We can buffet it together." She walked to the table and placed one bowl of soup in front of her chair and the other in front of Alison's. "Or maybe you could make us our plates while I go change into something a little less…casual?" She looked down at her shorts and beach T-shirt showcasing surfboards.

Alison's lips quirked into a mischievous smile.

"I like it even better when you're not wearing anything at all." She winked.

Emily shot her a coy look.

"Soon." She smirked. "Patience. We have all night."

"Kidding aside, I like you in whatever you feel comfortable in." Alison walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, clasping her hands together in front of Emily's stomach. "You know, Em…all I really want today is you. Just you. Symbolism and holiday traditions aside, I want you."

"You've got me for as long as we live." Emily swirled around so they were face to face. "If anyone deserves a perfect romantic Valentine's Day, it's you." Emily kissed the side of Alison's neck, trailing little pecks down towards her bare shoulder.

They continued making sultry faces at one another while they started serving themselves dinner.

When they walked over to the table together Emily stopped at Alison's chair and pulled it out for her.

"Always a gentlewoman." Alison blushed as she sat down.

They settled in and started eating. Emily's entire face melted into a pleasurable smile when she got the first taste of the chicken. She tried a bit of the soup and melted even more.

"If you weren't an actor I'd tell you to be a chef." Emily savored every bite.

"You're just saying that because you're my girlfriend and you have to." Alison scoffed.

"No, I'm serious. My mother would see you as a worthy adversary when it comes to food. I mean, I try my best, but this is…" She had no words.

"Okay, calm down. You're overselling it. I'm the actor at this table." Alison flipped her hair with a grin.

"I can be anything you want me to be, baby." Emily winked.

Seconds later they both burst into laughter. Baby was not Emily's go-to when it came to being sexy, and it was the funniest thing for Alison to hear. And Emily just laughed along with her.

The brunette grabbed a piece of her chicken, the prongs on the fork going through the delicately cooked poultry.

"How was your day?" Emily asked.

"Pretty good. Been looking forward to this. What about you?"

"Yeah, me too." Emily's answer sounded strained.

Alison cocked her head and held her fork mid-air.

"You have a weird look on your face. Do you not like the chicken?"

"What? No! I love it. It's delicious. I just started thinking about my mom after I mentioned her…as unromantic as that sounds."

"You can always talk to me." Alison assured her.

"Today must be really hard for her. I talked to her earlier and she said she and Ella are going out for a girl's night. I think Ella wants to take her mind off of the fact that my dad is…" She bit her lip, "…that he's gone."

Alison reached across the table and put her hand on top of Emily's.

Emily smiled in sympathy.

"She said she was happy to be going out, but I can tell she's hurting. We both miss him." She sighed. "I worry about her."

"I know you do." Alison curled her fingers into Emily's palm and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You're a good daughter."

"I wasn't always." Emily shrugged uncomfortably. "I didn't always appreciate what my parents did for me. I mean, they certainly weren't perfect, but neither was I."

"Well, you were better than I was. I was the demon child from hell." Alison scoffed.

"No, you weren't." Emily's eyes softened, and Alison could see the love emitting from her expression. "You were a product of your environment. It wasn't your fault."

"Then the same can be said for you. You were repressed and afraid to be who you truly were. I could see that in you. I wish I could have handled it better." Alison pursed her lips.

"You were dealing with a lot, too." Emily wasn't blind to what Alison had gone through.

"Yeah, I guess I was." Alison scraped some food around her plate. She reached for an oyster. "I guess it's a good thing we found one another again."

"Can I say something cheesy here? Like…you complete me?" She let her tone drift into a romantic accent from a movie.

"I would love nothing more." Alison grinned.

They both giggled again.

They joked throughout dinner, setting the tone for the rest of the night.

Emily insisted on cleaning up since Alison cooked, but Alison refused to let her do it alone, which resulted in a little splash fight and playing with bubbles.

Emily gently blew on the large pile of dish soap bubbles until it had a perfect crease resembling breasts and then declared,

"I call this work of art Boobles."

Alison threw her arms over Emily's shoulders in hysterical laughter and they nearly fell to the floor together. Emily managed to keep them both upright.

"You're utterly ridiculous, Emily Fields." Alison leaned forward and whispered against her jaw. "And I couldn't be more in love with you if I tried."

"The sentiment is the same, Alison DiLaurentis." Emily pulled back and their lips found one another. "I'm quite in love with you, too."

It felt like a perfect picturesque movie moment. Neither one of them wanted to break that spell. They stood in silence for a few seconds before Alison pulled back with a huge grin on her face.

"So…presents?" She asked.

Her delight was like that of a small child waking up on their birthday with all the joy in the world.

Emily nodded and waved Alison into the living room. Alison stopped to pick up her wine before following.

Emily walked over to a small armoire near the door. It had an old-fashioned casing that had a lock and key, but those had been lost years ago, so it was never locked. She unhooked the opening and then reached into the case where she'd hidden Alison's gifts. They were right where she had left them.

She was surprised Alison hadn't snooped and found the box. Either that, or she had found it, but put it back exactly the way Emily had left it.

She had gone out of her way to find something meaningful after the day Rhonda mentioned something about Valentine's Day approaching. That PA truly didn't miss a thing. Emily was thankful she'd said something that day.

The small gift-wrapped package was the size of a large jewelry box and inside it contained two smaller felt boxes, both from the same jeweler.

Alison sat down on the couch and Emily sat next to her.

Alison put her wine glass on a coaster as Emily offered her the gift.

As soon as she laid her eyes on the wrapping paper something needled her brain. It wasn't typical wrapping paper that was found cheap in stores. It was soft and thick and didn't at all entice her to want to rip it open.

The deep red paper looked and felt special in some way. As she was running her fingers across it a memory flooded her senses.

"Jason, leave the gifts to me. I don't want your greasy fingers ruining the paper!" Jessica called sharply to her son as she unfastened Alison from her booster seat.

She wrestled with Alison's large winter coat, but managed to get her free.

"We're just gonna tear it when we open them later." Jason sulked.

"You better stop with the attitude, young man." She grabbed Alison's mittens and put them on her.

She helped her young daughter to the ground beside the car and called Jason over.

"Hold her hand," she insisted to the young boy.

Jason bucked back with a grumble, but reached for his little sister's hand.

She smiled and squeezed his fingers.

He didn't smile back.

He looked like he wanted to cry as he watched their mother round the car to gather the presents and food.

"Why are you sad?" Alison looked up at Jason innocently.

"I'm not," he insisted, but when he stomped his foot against the ground Alison knew he was lying.

"We get to see Char-Char today."

"Stupid," he mumbled, though not directed at his sister.

"Huh?" Alison blinked in surprise.

"Nothing. This is just dumb."

"Why?"

"Why do you ask so many questions? Shut up." He snapped.

"Mommy, Jason told me to shut up!" Alison whined.

"Jason don't tell your sister to shut up. Alison stop bothering your brother. You two behave or no presents." She shut the trunk and came around with her arms full. Three presents and a tray of cupcakes enclosed in a bakery dish.

Jessica started walking.

Alison followed, yanking her brother's hand and imploring him to come with her.

Alison stared up at the big building. Their mommy said they were going to meet Char-Char inside.

It was much warmer inside than it was outside, but there was still something chilling about the atmosphere. Half-assed Valentine's Day decorations hung from the dull colorless walls.

"Why are we having the party here?" Alison asked.

Her mother uttered something about a really good party room and then shushed her.

Alison was oblivious as they walked the halls until they came to a small community room that had been decorated in a much nicer fashion than the lobby.

Char-Char was there waiting on them.

An adult sat in the corner doing crosswords, barely visible to Alison. All the toddler was focused on was her friend.

Alison darted across the room and moments later they were hugging.

"Hi, Ali." Eager eyes met Alison's.

"Hi, Char-Char. Happy Balentime's Day." She still hadn't mastered all of her words yet, but she was getting there.

"I had a heart-shaped cookie this morning." The small towheaded child beamed back at Alison.

"We made cupcakes!" Alison pointed to the container her mother was carrying.

"Nuh uh. Mom bought them." Jason kicked at the floor angrily.

Alison didn't understand why he'd been so moody lately. He loved spending time with Char-Char.

"I made you something, too." Anxious blue eyes much like Alison's peered back at her. She'd never realized how much they looked alike.

Alison followed the older child over to a small table that had arts and crafts.

Char-Char reached for a thick piece of red construction paper that had been folded in half. There were hearts all over the front and in messy lettering the words "Happy Valentine's Day" were written on it.

"For me?" Alison gently took it when it was offered to her.

"Uh huh."

Alison opened the card. Different sizes, shapes, and colors of hearts had been glued to the paper. There were words written in the middle.

Alison tried to sound it out.

"I…" She pointed to the first word. Then she pointed to a drawn heart, "heart…" Her finger moved to the next word, "…you." She saw her name. "I heart you, Ali." She grinned, proud of herself.

She saw the additional words, but Char-Char couldn't hold back long enough for her to sound the words out.

"Cus you are my friend."

"I love you, too." Alison smiled and engulfed Char-Char in a hug.

"We have something for you, too, dear." Jessica waved the children over to another table that had a plastic table cloth with hearts all over it. Jason was seated at the table with a frown on his face.

"Hi, Jason!"

He barely responded with,

"Hi."

Alison and Char-Char took a seat next to Jason.

Jessica separated the presents, handing each child a gift-wrapped box with the fanciest red wrapping paper that Alison had ever seen. She took her time admiring it.

The other two children didn't waste time before ripping into their gifts, but Alison continued to run her fingers over the velvety paper.

"It's so pretty." She looked up at Jessica.

"The presents are inside, dummy." Jason pulled out a toy dinosaur and some candy from his box.

"Jason." Jessica snapped. "Stop that or I'll take you straight home. Do you understand?"

Jason mumbled an apology to Alison, but the little girl was still unnerved by her brother's behavior.

She tried to reach out and hold his hand. He let her for a brief moment. It looked like he was on the verge of tears.

He pulled away and turned his head and started talking to Char-Char.

Alison finally opened her gift, finding a pretty bracelet and a teddy bear holding a heart. She hugged the stuffed animal.

She looked over and saw Jason and his friend playing with their toys.

After they were all done playing, Jessica packed the toys away and gave the kids cupcakes.

Alison savored it, because she never got any sweets at home. Her mother said it wasn't healthy for young girls to eat too much sugar. She said it would make her fat.

She was so excited that she ended up getting frosting all over her face.

"You look like you have a Santa Beard." Char-Char walked over to the younger girl. "Here, lemme help."

She dipped a napkin in water and helped Alison wipe her face clean, both of them giggling the entire time.

They had such a good time that when it was time to leave, Alison and Char-Char both protested.

"Please a little bit longer!"

"Jason has homework, and you…Button…need your nap." Jessica tapped Alison's nose.

"I don't like naps. Naps are stupid."

The adult in the corner made a noise for the first time, mumbling about how only children didn't appreciate naps.

Alison didn't hear her.

"Char-Char, sweetie, you have homework, too, don't you?" Jessica asked.

"Yes…" The child answered begrudgingly.

"I promise we'll be back once everyone is all caught up, okay?" She leaned down and opened her arms for a hug.

Char-Char fell into her arms.

"Can I go with you? I'll be good. I promise. I want to be a good girl." It came out a whisper, so only Jessica could hear.

"One day, baby." She lied. "One day." She pulled back and delicately stroked the child's chubby little cheeks. "Be patient, my love."

Char-Char wiped tears away from her eyes and then put on a fake smile before turning around and giving Alison and Jason both big hugs goodbye.

They packed up to leave.

Everything was going fine until they got out to the parking lot. Alison started sorting through their things, looking for her special card.

"Mommy, where is my card?" Alison looked around frantically.

"I'm not sure, honey. You probably dropped it somewhere."

"I didn't!" Alison cried. "I put it with my bear!"

"I don't think you did. I don't remember seeing it."

"Don't lie to her, mom. I saw you throw it away." Jason grumbled through his clenched jaw.

"Nuh uh! She wouldn't!" Alison smacked his arm and started to cry. "You're lying! You're a liar!"

"Whatever." Jason sauntered ahead.

"Jason DiLaurentis! You get back here and apologize to your sister right now!" Jessica snapped.

"Which sister?" He spun around and snapped back at his mother.

Jessica was too flabbergasted to respond.

Her despondent son climbed in the car and slammed the door angrily.

"What does that mean?" Alison looked at her mom inquisitively.

"He's just cranky today. That's all." Jessica threw their things in the trunk and picked Alison up.

"But we can't leave without my card!" Alison insisted.

She fought her mother when the older woman tried to put her in her booster seat.

"Char-Char made it special for me!" She wailed.

"Settle down." Jessica lost her temper. She roughly snapped the belts, holding Alison in place.

Alison wiggled and screamed and cried.

On the way home she had a tantrum of which the likes her brother had never seen before. Her face turned purple from all the screaming. He sat quietly in his seat, not saying a word for fear that he'd make it worse.

When they got home Alison had exhausted all of her anger. All she had left were tears.

Her mother didn't say a word. She just pulled Alison out of her booster seat. Alison wiggled her way down and ran inside the house crying.

Jessica and Jason followed.

"What is she crying about now?" Alison's dad Ken asked as Alison ran past, rushing to her room.

"She's just being dramatic."

Jason had enough.

He stopped in his tracks.

"Stop LYING!" He yelled. "You know why she's crying! It's your fault!"

"Jason, don't speak to your mother that way."

"You're just as bad! You're the reason that Char-Char can't live with us." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not this again." The older man rolled his eyes. "Jason, you're too old for this imaginary friend bullshit. And I will not have you poisoning Alison's brain with it."

"But…"

"Go to your room!" Ken bellowed.

"I was going there anyway!" Jason screamed back.

Alison had seen the explosive argument from the top floor, peering through the railing. When Jason started stomping up the steps she ran into her room.

Seconds later Jason walked in and found her hysterical again.

Jason wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"I'm sorry I was a big meanie, Ali."

"I want my card." Alison sniffled. "I want Char-Char."

"Me too." He sighed.

"Why are mom and dad so mean?"

"I…" He seemed stumped. "I don't know."

Alison stared at the gift-wrapped present in her lap. If she didn't know any differently she could have sworn it was the same kind her mother had used in her memory…if it was a memory.

What are the odds? She thought to herself.

"Ali?" Emily timidly whispered.

Alison blinked her eyes, realizing for the first time that Emily's palm was against her cheek.

"Hey, what's going on?" Emily caressed her skin.

"I…nothing. The paper just looks familiar." Her throat felt like it was on fire.

"Oh. I wish I knew more about that. I just asked for a simple gift-wrap." Wrinkles creased her forehead in concern. "Is that all? You seem upset. What happened?"

"I think my mom used this kind of paper before."

"I'm sorry." Emily bit her lip.

"No…it's not your fault. It's not like you could have known. It's not like you personally wrapped it." Her hands were still against the paper. "Remember that memory I had on the ski slopes of Charlotte?"

"Uh huh."

"I just had this wild memory I have no recollection of about spending Valentine's Day with her. And I think it was at Radley. My mom brought gifts and cupcakes. And Jason was moody all day. Charlotte cried when we had to leave. Then I cried all the way home. My parents got into a fight with Jason and he came in and hugged me. It's all very…surreal."

Emily sat quietly ingesting the information.

"Do you think…" Before the brunette could finish, Alison turned to face her.

"Jason and I had a conversation recently where he said he thinks I remember things about Charlotte, too. I thought I was too young. But maybe I wasn't." She sighed. "Not that this changes anything. It's just…a lot."

Emily nodded in understanding.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do I want to talk about the complexity of my homicidal psychopathic sister on what's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year?" Alison scoffed.

"We can celebrate this any other time. It's just a social construct." Emily put her hand against Alison's knee.

The blonde smiled at her.

"I appreciate that. I really do. But I'm not going to let this ruin tonight." She glanced at the gift again. "I want to open this and ogle over how beautiful and thoughtful you are. I want to give you your gift. And then…" She leaned towards Emily and lowered her voice to a husky growl, "I want to disappear into the bedroom and not come out until morning."

"Whatever the princess wants." Emily leaned forward and pressed her lips against Alison's temple.

"I am not a princess." Alison frowned.

"You're right. As Max says, you're a Queen." Emily winked.

Alison couldn't hold the faux frown any longer. She shoved Emily with a playful laugh and then slowly started pulling the tape from the corners of her gift.

She meticulously peeled the paper back, trying not to rip it. She remembered doing the same thing when she was little.

She managed to keep the wrapping paper mostly intact as she slipped the gift box out. Her nimble fingers pried the box open.

Inside there was a full-sized piece of paper covering two felt jewelry gift boxes.

She picked the paper up and realized there was writing on the other side. She turned it over to find the personalized crossword that Emily had put together with Spencer's help.

She beamed.

"This is amazing." She read the first clue.

A novel in which Pip gets Estella in the end, Great…

"Expectations." Alison replied out loud.

Six down was,

Last name of Author of One Across.

"Dickens." She smiled. "Oh, this is going to be so fun!"

Emily chuckled.

"I thought you'd appreciate it."

"I can't wait to finish it." She gently put the crossword down and pulled out the first blue felt jewelry holder.

She opened it.

Inside there was charm bracelet with several charms dangling. The Eiffel Tower, an open book, her birthstone, two hearts intertwined, a star, and a camera…among several others.

"Wow." Alison picked the bracelet up. The charms made a little clinking sound as they swayed into each other.

It was personalized to her style.

"I love it." She didn't hesitate before putting it on. "This is beautiful."

Alison played with the charms dangling from the bracelet.

She opened the second matching felt box and a let out a little gasp. Inside there was a beautiful necklace with a heart shaped pendant

She reached for the necklace, picking it up and holding it up to get a better look at it. The pendant was a golden heart with something engraved on it.

Upon closer inspection she was able to read it, "My heart is yours."

There was a tiny indentation on the side and that's when Alison realized the pendant was also a locket. She gingerly pried it open to find a that it held two heart-shaped pictures.

On the left there was a photo of her and Emily bundled up and snuggling, looking into each other's eyes. On the right there was a photo of a city. It took her a half a second to recognize that it was Paris. The Eiffel Tower was in the background.

She looked up at Emily, speechless. Her eyes were wet, tears of joy threatening to spill down her cheeks.

The brunette's face was flooded with color.

"It's a reminder that we'll get there one day. And anytime you feel lost or hopeless or like we're never going to escape the darkness, you'll have the truth close to your heart the entire time. We still have a lot of our lives to live. And we'll make our dreams come true." Emily cupped her free hand.

"Em, you're my dream." Alison responded softly, leaning forward to capture her lips. "Thank you so much for this. This is beautiful. You shouldn't have."

Alison hadn't been expecting anything extravagant, because she knew money was tight for Emily. No matter how much Alison tried to help, Emily was stubborn about certain things. She let Alison help with bills, but she was particular about Alison spending too much on her.

"I know what you're thinking." Emily smiled. "But I've been saving up for something special since we got back together. And you're worth every penny. You're everything to me, Ali. Everything." She stroked Alison's cheek with her fingertips.

Alison lifted her hand, the bracelet on her wrist jangling. She covered Emily's hand with her own, holding her warm palm against her cheek.

Emily smiled. She was so glad she'd been able to get the gifts in time for Valentine's Day. She'd been so worried that the jewelry wouldn't be ready, but it was.

They lowered their hands.

"Would you mind?" Alison unclasped the necklace and held it out to Emily.

"Of course." Emily smiled.

Alison angled away and Emily pushed her hair aside, away from the back of her neck.

When Alison felt her fingertips tickling the delicate skin there she shuddered in delight.

Emily reached her arms around Alison's neck, placing the necklace on, letting it fall naturally between her breasts. She fiddled with the clasp.

When it was hooked she leaned forward and kissed the nape of Alison's neck, her lips ghosting over the tiny fine hairs there.

Before she could comb Alison's hair back into place the blonde turned around and reached for her face.

Her hands softly found Emily's cheeks.

"This is the first Valentine's Day…." She trailed off with a smile.

"I know." Emily was transfixed by the look of love in her eyes.

"Not just for us." Alison's cheeks flushed with color. "For me, I mean. It's the first Valentine's Day I've ever had. A real one. Not kids dropping cards and candy hearts into bags with markers and hearts on them or stupid performative dances. Not a pretend family acting like they love one another in a mental institution. I mean this is the first Valentine's Day I've ever had in my life…and I'm so glad it's with you. Because it's real." It was so real sometimes she thought her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest. "I love you and it's real."

Her words struck a chord in Emily. Tears glistened in her eyes. At some point while Alison was talking she'd moved her hands up against the sides of her girlfriend's neck. She caressed the underside of Alison's jaw.

"I love you, too."

They moved in at the same time and their lips gently grazed before crashing together.

When they pulled apart for air Alison had a seductive smirk on her swollen lips that told Emily they would most certainly be getting wild in the sheets later.

"Your turn." Alison clasped her hands together in excitement and let out a squeal of happiness.

She leaned down and reached around the edge of the couch.

Shopping for Emily had been a challenge, because she wasn't very materialistic. She was extremely low-key and didn't wear a ton of jewelry since one of her jobs took her out into the ocean daily. She was afraid she'd lose jewelry to the angry tides.

Alison had opted for practical and sentimental gifts. She pulled a decorative bag out from between the wall and the couch.

Emily took it and plucked at the red and pink tissue paper. There were several items inside the bag. The first thing she pulled out were two matching jars filled with large capsules that had paper inside of them. The jars were closed with a large cork top and had hearts painted on them with the words "Little love notes" inside a large heart. Alison's name was on one and Emily's was on the other.

"I know how much little affirmations of love mean to you, so I thought we could do this together. I already started." Alison nodded towards the jar with Emily's name on it. "Go ahead. Check it out."

"This is so cute. I love it." Emily popped the top out and pulled out a capsule.

She twisted it open and a rolled up piece of paper fell into the palm of her hand.

She recognized Alison's handwriting on the paper.

It was dated for that very day. In curly cursive letters Alison had written,

"My heart. My soul. My love. Happy Valentine's Day. I love you."

Emily smiled and looked over at the blonde.

"This is so sweet. And so clever. Thank you." She pecked her lips.

She put the jars aside and pulled out a candle next. The aroma of lavender filled the air. It was perfect for setting the mood. Emily took in the scent and then put the candle down. Next she found a gift card for a local vintage clothing and sports store she frequented.

"I know you've been talking about getting a new sports bag and some jogging attire. There were dozens of bags to choose from and I loved them all, so I wasn't sure which one to get. I thought we could go together. Make a fun day of it. I know you love to support local stores." For the first time since they'd started opening their gifts she was nervous.

She was afraid she hadn't done enough. But Emily's smile told her otherwise.

"This is fantastic. Perfect. You totally get me."

Alison's nerves melted away. She wanted to get their first Valentine's Day right, and it was going great.

"There's one more thing." Alison held up her index finger.

"I don't see anything else." Emily peered into the bag.

"It was too special to go with the other things." Alison reached for her purse on the table.

Once she'd had the last gift in her hands she hadn't let it out of her sight.

She opened her purse and pulled out a small package. It wasn't wrapped in anything fancy. It was simply a protective casing.

She gave it to Emily.

The brunette reached inside and her fingertips hit two different types of paper. The first one was a photograph.

She pulled it out and her heart started doing somersaults in her chest. It was a picture of her father holding her when she was a baby. It was old and worn, something that he'd carried with him for a very long time. It was obvious it was the original portrait and not a copy.

"What…" Emily felt her throat burning. She bit back the tears. "How…"

She reached in and pulled the next piece of paper out. It was a card she'd made for her father when she was five years old.

It just had a bunch of hearts and a child's drawing of a family standing outside of a house smiling. Inside was her little kindergarten handwriting,

"I love you Daddy."

Her lip trembled as she ran her fingertips over it. She managed to starve off the tears, reaching for a small lump she found at the bottom of the parcel.

When she pulled out a ring that had once belonged to her father a sob of joy came out. There was an engraving inside the band. She knew exactly what it said. It had her initials and her mother's initials followed by a quote.

Her father had showed it to her the first time he'd been deployed and helped her read it.

"I take you with me. Always."

"Alison…" It was all she could manage before the tears came.

An overwhelming feeling of love, heartbreak, joy, and grief flooded her emotions. Tears dribbled down her cheeks.

Alison reached up to wipe them away. She had a feeling that Emily was going to cry, but she wasn't prepared to cry in response. Tears spilled down Alison's cheeks.

Emily leaned her head against Alison's forehead, one palm on the side of her cheek and the other gripping her father's ring like it was a lifeline.

"This is the best present anyone in my life has ever given me." It made her feel like she had a piece of her father back. "This is incredible. I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Alison kissed her, tasting the salt from their blended tears. "I was talking to your mom about ideas to get you something that would honor your father and we put this together. I wasn't sure about the ring. I thought for sure she would want to hold on to that. But she said your dad got it for you. He wanted you to know how special you were, even when he was far away."

Emily had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing again.

"I wanted to do something special with it, but I wanted it to be your wishes. If you want to keep it as is, you can. If you want to have it resized so you can wear it, we can do that too."

Emily nodded. Not only had her girlfriend known exactly what would reach her heart. She also knew that Emily would want to make the choice on what to do with it when she got it for herself.

Emily opened her mouth slightly and widened her eyes as she reached up to wipe away the wetness beneath her eyes.

She took a shaky breath and then looked down, rolling the ring around in her palm.

"I love it. You really outdid yourself." She cupped the ring in her hand and held it close to her chest. "This means the world to me."

Alison responded with a kiss.

Emily kissed back.

When they pulled away Emily looked at the ring again.

"I want to add his initials to it."

"I already have a jeweler that I know and trust on speed dial." Alison nodded.

"You're incredible." She threaded her fingers through Alison's hair.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Em."

"Happy Valentine's Day."

They settled in on the sofa for the next hour regaling each other with their favorite memories together. Then Alison decided she wanted to try and do the Crossword.

Emily watched her and read along as she filled out the answers, but her eyes kept drifting towards her father's ring.

"This is going to be the most unromantic thing I've ever said, but do you mind if I call my mom?" Emily questioned.

"You don't have to ask me for permission." Alison laughed.

"I know, but this is supposed to be our day."

"It's supposed to be a day for people you love." Alison smiled warmly at her.

"That's true. More than commercialized cards and candies, that's exactly what it's about." Emily couldn't argue.

She reached for the ring and her phone and stood up. She gave Alison a peck on the lips and walked into the bedroom, where she could put her father's ring in the safe.

She glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight in Rosewood. She hated to bother her mother, but she felt like she needed to talk to her.

She pulled up FaceTime and hit her mother's contact photo.

Pam answered after a few rings. She was at home in her bed, lazy glazed look of wine in her eyes.

"Hey, Sweetie. I thought you and Alison would be…well, I thought you'd be together." She caught herself before straying into uncomfortable territory.

She knew her daughter was grown, but they didn't talk about her sex life.

"We had a wonderful dinner that she prepared and then we exchanged gifts." She held her father's ring in the frame of the camera. "Thank you."

"It was always yours, Em. And when Alison called I immediately knew what she could give you…or rather give back to you." Pam smiled with tears in her eyes.

"I've been missing him a lot lately." Emily's eyes welled up with tears.

"Me too." Her mother's glassy eyes blinked, wetting her eyelashes.

"How are you?" Emily asked timidly.

"I'm okay. Ella and I went out for drinks. We had a really good time. And I spoke with Ashley as well. Ted bought her a lovely bouquet and took her out for a nice dinner. And Veronica is seeing a very nice man, but it's all very new."

"Sounds like everyone had a good time."

"We did." Pam yawned.

"I should let you go. I know it's late there." Emily smiled.

"It's never too late for me to talk to you, Emmy."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you, too. Happy Valentine's Day. Now go enjoy the rest of your evening with your lovely and thoughtful girlfriend."

Her mother's words almost made her cry again. They had come so far from when Emily had come out.

They said their goodnights and then Emily put her father's ring in the safe, pausing one last time to look at it before closing the door.

When she walked back into the living room she found Alison stumped on one of the Crossword clues.

"I feel like I should know this one." Alison tapped her pen against her lips.

Emily walked up behind the couch and looked over Alison's shoulder. She peered at number fourteen and couldn't help but smile.

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."

Emily knew it. Spencer had quoted it to her on the phone.

Shakespeare.

"Want a hint?" Emily asked.

"No, I'll get it eventually." Alison put the Crossword and the pen down.

Emily rounded the couch and settled next to Alison again.

"How is she?" Alison asked.

"She misses him, but she's okay." Emily reached for the blonde's manicured hand.

"And you?" Alison asked curiously.

"I'm more than okay." Emily leaned in, putting her free hand against Alison's hip as she pressed a loving kiss on her lips.

Alison naturally fell into her embrace, her palms landing above her hips, her fingertips dipping underneath her shirt and sliding against her smooth tan skin.

Emily pushed against her, their bodies flush as she hiked Alison's dress up until her stomach was exposed.

She laid the blonde back against the couch and started ravishing her with kisses against her pulse point, slowly snaking down towards her exposed belly. Her hands were on the black lace netting on Alison's legs as she pressed kisses against her stomach. Alison was wearing a pair of red lingerie panties. It sent a thrilling sensation down Emily's spine. She grinned and skimmed her teeth over the hem her underwear.

Just as she was getting ready to pull them down and rip them off Alison reached out to steady herself, but instead of grabbing the edge of the couch, she bumped the end table on her end.

Something fell to the floor.

Emily was momentarily distracted when she saw a small pink gift-wrapped box wrapped in white lace and tied with a bow.

Before Alison could threaten the brunette and tell her not to stop, Emily was reaching for the box on the floor.

"Ohh, what's this?" Emily picked up the small box. "Something for play time?"

Alison blinked blankly at her.

"Wait…that's not from you?" Her eyes brightened in alarm.

"No. It's not from you?" Emily looked at the box warily.

They both sat up like they'd discovered a ticking time bomb.

"No. I found it outside the door when I got home. I thought maybe you left it for me to find."

"I didn't."

"Maybe Samara and Zoe left it for us?" Alison suggested.

"Not their style." Never once had she gotten anything like it from her friends.

"Someone else in the Alliance?" Alison felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Our addresses aren't public because of the bigoted picketers. Only a few people know where we live. And this isn't from Max and José. Max likes to make things grand and dramatic."

"Maybe it was delivered here by a mistake." Alison was reaching for any explanation that she could think of.

"I don't think so." Emily found a small tag that read "To A & E. XOXO"

"I wonder what it is." Alison stared at the box as Emily put it down on the table in front of them.

It had looked harmless when she thought it was from Emily, but now it looked sinister.

Emily didn't say anything as she carefully untied the bow and pulled the lace off the package. She peeled the paper off.

They stared at the box for a few seconds, both of them hoping that it was something simple. But their lives were rarely simple.

After a few seconds Emily reached to pull the top off, exposing tissue paper.

Alison buried her face against Emily's shoulder, anticipating something terrible.

She was right to look away.

When Emily pulled the tissue paper aside she found a perfectly preserved human ear. It smelled of chemicals and formaldehyde.

"Oh my God." Emily's felt her dinner threatening to come back up.

Her face looked green when Alison looked up at her.

Emily saw two words written on a small white card.

One down…

Alison couldn't help herself. Curiosity got the better of her and she finally looked in the box.

"What the fuck is that?" She already knew the answer, but it was so morbid that she couldn't face the truth.

Emily covered her mouth and gagged.

"I think it's a gift from your sister."

"This is extreme. Even for her. Jesus…" Alison hissed angrily.

Emily rubbed her arm and pulled herself to her feet.

After a few seconds she wordlessly backed away from the small box and walked over to a desk near the front door. She pulled open the drawer and started searching for something.

"What are you doing?" Alison walked up behind her.

"We…" Emily's fingers landed on a small business card. "I think we need to call someone about this."

Alison saw the name on the card.

"Tanner?" Alison looked sick at the thought of it.

"She's going to find out sooner or later. This is her case. And it's not like we can ignore a human body part. Besides...if we do hold on to this and we don't say anything she'll find a way to use it against us."

"Shit. You're right." Alison started to pace. "Shit!" She exclaimed again.

Emily walked over to the box and put the top back on. She couldn't bear to look at it again.

"Sometimes I miss the days when Mona simply put worms in our food and messed with my cereal." Emily shook her head.

"Mona did what?" Alison grumbled.

"It doesn't matter." Emily ran her fingers through her hair. "This is a whole new level of fucked up. I'm…" She felt her stomach roiling. "I don't know what to do. Part of me hates the idea of calling Tanner, but…" She motioned to the box. "I can't pretend this didn't happen."

"Maybe we should sleep on it. They won't know when we actually opened the box. We can call first thing in the morning." Alison suggested.

"I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight." Emily shuddered. "But we can wait until morning. I think we need to talk to the girls before Tanner, but it's late on the east coast, and I don't want to ruin their Valentine's Day."

"Yeah, Charlotte may have royally fucked up our night, but she shouldn't get the satisfaction of ruining theirs, too." Alison wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and melded her body into hers.

She felt safe in Emily's arms. She wanted to be as close to her as possible, as if by proximity she could protect the brunette from harm.

Emily hugged her back.

"Do you think the condo's security camera caught who it was?" Alison asked hopefully.

"Probably, but the police will need to get involved and get a warrant to check it."

"I hate this." Alison buried her face against Emily's body.

"I know." Emily sighed.

After they settled, Emily triple-checked the security and all the windows and the door. She made sure the alarm was set and she even got her gun out of the safe, along with ammo. The empty weapon was next to the bed on her small table.

An hour later the text came through,

Can you hear me now, bitches? Sara didn't listen. Will you? Happy Valentine's Day.

They couldn't sleep that night, because whoever had given the gift had been there…in person. There was no delivery address on it. Just the tag for them. They were too on edge to relax. Their night had officially been ruined.

Emily was up pacing around the condo every thirty minutes, checking to make sure they were safe and secure.

Around 5 in the morning they succumbed to their exhaustion.

They were both in and out of it, dozing for short periods of time until they finally crashed.

It wasn't until the early morning light started peeking through the curtains that they woke up again.

They were snuggled close to each other in bed.

Emily's arm was laid out straight and flat, Alison on top of it and curled into Emily's body. Her head was curled in between her collar bone and the soft flesh under her chin. Her palm rested against Emily's chest, right over her heart, her pulse soothing her in her sleep.

There was a buzzing sound and the two of them both leaped out of bed like they expected a chainsaw to come up through the ceiling.

Alison grabbed the flashlight next to her side of the bed and raised it up over her head to use as a weapon.

She expected Emily to go for her gun, but the brunette reached for something else instead.

Her phone.

Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's Hanna." She held her phone up to show Alison the display screen.

"She's calling so early." Alison yawned and dropped the flashlight.

"It's noon there." Emily reminded her.

"Are we going to tell her?" Alison didn't look ready to drop that bomb.

"I think we have to." Emily nodded.

She swiped to accept the FaceTime call.

They crawled back into bed and met her on screen together.

"Hey, Han." Alison waved tentatively.

Hanna was radiating a positive glow that neither of them had seen before. It looked like she was about to explode from happiness.

"Alright, we're all on the line now. What's the deal?" Aria popped on screen.

Hanna had apparently called Aria and Spencer, too. Aria was still her in silky pajamas. Her hair was messy, but a cute kind of messy. Her cheeks were flushed with color.

"I love you, Hanna, but if this is another conference call about something cute your cat did I'm going to come to New York and strangle you." Spencer came on screen.

She was more put together than Aria and Hanna were, but she did seem to be more chipper than normal.

"Recognize anything different about me?" Hanna fanned her left hand in front of the camera.

It was hard to miss the diamond ring on her ring finger.

"Hanna!" Emily exclaimed in excitement. "Caleb proposed?"

Hanna let out a tiny smile.

"It was so romantic. And I totally get that it's cliché to do it on Valentine's Day. And so does he. That's why he did it. He knew we could both laugh about it later. It was so spontaneous and so perfect for us."

"Oh my GOD!" Aria squealed in delight.

"You and Aria could do a double wedding." Spencer teased.

"Oh! Or a triple…with your mom and Ted." Aria added with a laugh.

Emily and Alison exchanged nervous glances, but the other girls were too caught up in the moment to see it.

"Ew. No. That's weird. I like Ted and I'm happy for my mom, but I don't want to do some creepy mother-daughter wedding day with them. Besides, they both want something low-key. They'll probably just go somewhere and elope…if they haven't secretly done that already."

"Isn't Ted a man of the clergy?" Spencer laughed.

"He is, but he also hates weddings. Which is why my mom loves him." Hanna shrugged.

"You know we're just messing with you, right?" Aria asked. "We wouldn't crash your big day. Now, I want to know all the details."

"It was actually really cute." Hanna gushed. "Caleb was pretending to be all stressed out about some computer program he's building and he was asking me if I would help. And of course…computers and I don't always get along, so I was wary about it. He told me it was easy. That all I had to do was help him with a code. It was actually simple and I felt super confident about it after I unscrambled the first few letters. We kept working on it together until I realized what it was starting to spell out, Will You…" She pulled her hands into the screen and squealed in happiness. "And I was like "Caleb, what is this?" and he told me to keep going. And so I did. And once I got to Marry I could barely hold it in. And then he clucked his tongue and here Cheese comes…running into the room."

"Wait…the cat was involved?" Spencer looked wildly impressed.

"Yes. Caleb spent months training him for this. I was hyperventilating when Cheese hopped on the bed with us. Caleb hit a button and the entire sentence was there, Will You Marry Me, Hanna? Naturally I am yelling and sobbing and happy and crying. And this fucking cat that doesn't listen when we tell him to do anything…this CAT marches right up to me and the ring was ON HIS COLLAR. Cheese doesn't wear collars because he pulls them off. And he had this expensive ass ring attached to it. I didn't even realize Caleb had dropped down to the floor on one knee. And I'm crying and holding Cheese, and Caleb is saying all this romantic stuff to me and the computer screen is flashing all kinds of party symbols. I was a blubbering mess."

"And then you said yes?" Aria dreamily swayed on camera.

"Well, actually…the first thing I said was "can I call people?" but then yeah, I said yes." Hanna chuckled.

"That is so cute." Emily smiled.

"Congratulations, Hanna." Alison added.

"God, it was the best night ever. He had this wine and dinner set up that I knew nothing about. We celebrated. I called my mom and Ted, and Caleb called his parents."

"I'm happy for you. It's been a long time coming." Spencer smiled.

Alison and Emily let them continue to talk. They weren't sure how to break the news to them about the message they'd gotten.

"What about you, Spence? Is there anyone special in the picture?" Aria asked.

They all knew the truth about Spencer and Toby, no matter how much the prickly brunette tip-toed around it.

"Maybe." Spencer teased.

"Good God, woman, just get back together with him already." Hanna scoffed.

"We talked all night." Spencer admitted. "We're going to plan something in person soon."

"Aww, the old gang is almost back together again." Aria smiled, and then thought about something, "Minus one predator teacher." She stated adamantly.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"How was your Valentine's Day?" Hanna finally directed the attention to Alison and Emily.

They looked at one another, trying not to panic.

Do we tell them? Emily's eyes begged.

Like you said, we have to.

"It was not as exciting as yours." Emily bit her lip. "Truth be told…we kinda had to postpone our grand finale."

"Why?" Spencer frowned. "What happened?"

Emily and Alison shared a look. Neither one of them wanted to ruin Hanna's moment.

"Well…"

"What did that psychopath do?" Hanna rolled her eyes.

"She…sent us something." Alison glanced at Emily. How do we do this?

"What? Like a message?" Spencer asked.

"No. More like…a threat. For us to back down." Emily swallowed hard. "It's gift-wrapped in formaldehyde."

"What?" Spencer's eyes bulged. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It's an ear." Alison blurted out. She didn't know how to put it delicately.

"A human ear?" Hanna gagged.

"Yeah…" Emily nodded.

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked. "Things can be made so realistic these days."

"We're sure." Emily tried to fight back the bile in her throat.

"That's disgusting." Aria turned her lip up.

"At least it wasn't a human heart…" Hanna trailed off.

"Not yet. But who knows what else Charlotte and her band of psychos are capable of?" Spencer asked.

"We're going to talk to Tanner." Alison cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry. Are you high?" Hanna frowned.

"She's on the case. We can't sit on this. She'll eventually seek this out anyway." Emily explained.

"Don't do anything until I'm by your side. I refuse to let her flip this on you. I'm coming out there." Spencer stated.

"That's a little extreme…"

"No. This is bullshit. I'm done playing nice. I'm done letting you deal with this by yourselves. You're not going to tell me what to do anymore. I've made up my mind. I'm booking my flight. You need some kind of legal representation."

"You're not a lawyer." Emily pointed out.

"She's scarier than a lawyer." Aria answered, nonchalantly. "She's a Hastings."

"Exactly." Spencer nodded confidently.

"I think we should all go." Hanna piped in. "It's doable for me."

"Hanna, you should be celebrating your engagement." Emily looked at her empathetically.

The cheeky blonde smirked in response,

"Oh, we celebrated. We celebrated all night long." She winked.

"Ugh. Overshare." Spencer shook her head.

"Look, Caleb will understand. Our engagement has been a long time coming. We've had plenty of monumental occasions where we've celebrated our love. I have a feeling that we're not going to be able to truly celebrate this engagement until we can all breathe easy again. So I'm coming, too. No arguments. Aria?"

"Guys, this isn't…"

"I can work it out." Aria answered, interrupting Emily.

"Great. Then it's settled. I'll make a few phone calls today. My mother works with another Senator whose daughter Caitlin is interning with us because she didn't want to intern with her mother. She was afraid the other interns would think she was just a nepotism baby. Senator Park-Lewis asked my mother if we had an open slot and we did. Her wife is a lawyer who practices law in Oregon, Washington, and California. Senator Park-Lewis told my mom that if there was anything she could ever do to thank us for bringing Caitlin aboard to let her know. I'll see if her wife is available."

"I don't like this. I don't want you all to get hurt." Emily fought back.

"I don't care what you want, Emily. This is what we do. We're there for each other."

"Don't you think you might be overreacting a little bit?" Alison asked. "I'm worried if we act guilty Tanner is going to make a bigger deal of it."

"You have a human body part in your condo. If anything, you're under-reacting." Spencer furrowed her brows. "I'm done with this. It's gotten ridiculous. I'm done with you telling us no. You are not alone in this."

As much as Alison and Emily wanted to argue, when Spencer Hastings had her mind set on something no one could change it.

"We have to do something about the ear." Alison gagged. She felt like vomiting. "We can't just…let it sit there."

"Contact Tanner. Give an initial statement about how you received it on the doorstop and didn't know what it was until you opened it. Don't tell them anything else. Have someone take it and log it into evidence, but tell Tanner that you're not talking to her without a lawyer present. As soon as we get there we'll go in with you. I'm going to make sure Caitlin's mom can fly out there, too." Spencer was already formulating a plan.

"Are you sure about this?" Emily asked.

"I'm not going to let Tanner, of all people, bully or intimidate anyone. Not anymore." Spencer's fierce determination bled through.

She was a natural leader. Alison used to be intimidated by it, because she didn't want Spencer to lead. But now she admired it.

"Hanna, Aria, I've got a little bit of pull. I can arrange your flights. Just start packing and I'll text you the details."

"Free trip to Malibu on the taxpayer's dime?" Hanna smiled. "Not going to say no to that. Hell, I pay taxes, too."

"Oh, it's definitely not coming out of government funding. We just have a lot of people in our corner who are happy to help." Spencer clarified. "Everyone just do exactly what I say and we'll get through this unscathed. I'm going to go ahead and hop off this call and start making phone calls. I'll keep you all posted."

Spencer didn't even say goodbye. Her call just ended.

Everyone still on the call paused awkwardly.

It was Aria who broke the ice.

"Okay, is it just me or is she really hot when she takes charge like that?" The small-statured brunette seemed to be in awe of Spencer.

"I'd hit that." Hanna shrugged.

Despite the rising tension, they all laughed.

"So, I guess we'll be seeing you all sometime tonight." Emily chuckled.

"Guess so." Aria nodded.

"You think Liam and Caleb will be okay with it?" Alison asked.

"Liam is understanding. He doesn't pressure me about things. I think he'll be okay if I just tell him there is an emergency and I'm going to help."

"Yeah. And Caleb will probably be helping us remotely. We took a break from playing Detective yesterday…" She grinned.

"Understandable." Emily laughed.

"But when I tell him what's going on he'll jump right back to it. He may want to come with me, but all I have to do is tell him that we don't have a pet-sitter for Cheese and he'll stay." Hanna yawned.

By the time the call was over, they had everything planned.

Spencer was very efficient in pulling everything together. It all fell into place exactly as expected. Spencer got the flights lined up and called in reinforcements. Caleb wanted to go with Hanna, but she mentioned Cheese and he backed down and said he'd work the Teddy angle while they dealt with Tanner. And Liam told Aria that if she needed anything to let him know and kissed her goodbye at the airport.

Two hours after the call Spencer texted Alison and Emily.

Attorney Park-Lewis and I will be there at 5:30 this afternoon (PST).

That was when Emily grabbed Tanner's business card and dialed the number. Alison and Emily took a deep breath together.

"Tanner." The FBI agent answered with a gruff tone in her voice, trying to sound serious.

"It's Emily Fields. Are you still in Malibu?" She cut right to the chase.

"Ms. Fields…" She paused. "As a matter of fact, I am. My sister just went back to Beacon Heights today. I'm not scheduled to fly out until tomorrow. What can I help you with?"

Emily shot a look at Alison,

Here goes…

---

A/N: What an insane Valentine's Day. The Samara/Alison bonding. The Spemily chat about Spoby. Alison's childhood flashback (Jessica and Ken were terrible). Mama Fields cameo. The raw emotions of the gifts and then…BAM…ear. Haleb's engagement and then…WHAMMO…Tanner. One thing is for sure. Spencer is a bad-ass boss bitch.