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.

29. The Ides of March

A/N: I've been more neurotic than usual, but this time it's not (just) my inner-critic.

Recently someone on AO3 left a review letting me know that one of my stories had been stolen and plagiarized on Wattpad.

Naturally, I went through a lot of emotions...ranging from what I can only describe as Tasmanian devil rage to completely irrational thoughts like "Well, I'll never share anything ever again. Take it down. Take it all down."

Fortunately, after I finished spinning out like an unhinged washing machine I snapped out of it and realized it's ridiculous to punish everyone who likes my stories because of one person.

After I calmed down I reached out and asked the user on Wattpad to take it down, and also asked my fans to report (on the off-chance my message was ignored or I got blocked). The content has since been removed.

While the characters are Marlene King/Sara Shepard trademarks, the stories I've created are all me. Lots of work, sweat, tears, and angry critic yelling goes into my writing.

I'm sharing for two reasons. The first is because it really shook me more than I care to admit. In the world that we live in there are much greater atrocities to be concerned about. Still, it was something that I found upsetting, which threw me off my editing/writing game. I've been really anxious about posting new content, but I'm working through it.

The second reason I'm sharing is to say how grateful I am to be a part of this fandom. I asked for help and so many people in this community jumped at the chance. It was a reminder of how lucky I am that I fell into this little niche and have met so many cool people.

I want to thank all of you for everything. I especially want to thank lesbian_turtle_14 who brought it to my attention. I just want to remind people how much this can mean to an author...to know that someone not only recognizes your work, but protects it. If there is ever any doubt to whether someone has stolen another person's artistry I encourage people to speak up. Not just for me. But for artists everywhere.

TL; DR: Someone stole my story. An awesome hero told me. Even after it was taken care of I spiraled. But I'm back now.

Now, on to the drama you're actually here for:

---

Chapter 28:

The Ides of March

Tensions were high the next two days. Alison had buried herself in research trying to understand Ezra's involvement. Hearing the details of his tirade was disturbing.

The man had always been a ticking time bomb.

Looking back, it was terrifying. Years ago, when she'd discovered Ezra's lair plastered with pictures of her all over the walls she was certain he'd been the one threatening her while she was on the run.

Then he'd saved their lives in New York. He easily could have let Charlotte kill them all. He'd nearly died for them. It didn't make sense that he'd be in on the game. She had no love for the guy, but she was pretty sure he wouldn't have joined forces with Charlotte.

It sounded like he'd given up…like he wouldn't care if he went to jail for what he'd done to Aria. The word Toby had used to describe him was defeated. In fact, Ezra seemed to provoke the attack. And he didn't fight back.

At first Alison had been angry that Emily hadn't told her about Ezra, but then she tried to put herself in Emily's shoes.

She knew how much the brunette fell all over herself to protect her, and she was essentially the same. She would have done the same thing. She would have done anything to protect Aria from the topic of Ezra Fitz.

She understood.

Even so, she gave Emily one hell of a lecture. The lecture ended with the two of them in the bedroom making up…very physically. But she was still shooting daggers at her outside the bedroom.

She hid all her aggravation very well in front of her fans.

A group of girls who had come up to them on the street that morning only saw what Alison wanted them to see. A happy couple. A happy private couple.

Her fans online were mostly supportive of her. When the news broke about Charlotte her publicist told her that she would be royalty to some people, but to others she would be the enemy…a liar.

She did get some hatred on her socials, but the support was overwhelming.

A lot of her fans were coming to her defense. Max was her biggest defender. He wasn't afraid to fire back at the haters to 'get a life' or to 'touch grass'.

Alison knew that she needed Emily now more than ever.

For a sense of normalcy…and because of Emily's savior complex…she went to the set with Alison the second day of the DiLaurentis-Fields Cold War.

Alison never flinched when she was firing her lines at the camera, and she never missed her mark when they staged the scene. It was an interesting kind of art to observe.

Every now and then Emily would catch Alison glancing her way.

Rhonda brought Emily a drink and a package of pretzels.

"Just kicked some Paparazzi off the premises." The PA looked and sounded annoyed. "Relentless soul-sucking leeches. Always hated them. Not only do they disrupt people's lives, but they scare the little ones." She holstered her walkie-talkie. "I swear there is a special place in hell for photogs who take pictures of celebrities' children. It's creepy. Kids can't consent to that. And adults should know better than to take pictures of someone else's child."

She leaned against the table and peered at Emily.

"Sorry. Excuse my rant. Some of the staff and talent have kids and the photographers scare them. It really bothers me that they won't leave the kids alone." She took a sip out of her reusable water bottle.

"You're right. Kids should be off-limits." Emily thought back to the way they'd been paraded around town back in Rosewood.

The press had a field day with them. They'd been followed by so many creeps. First the NAT club. Then by self-proclaimed "journalists" who wanted the juicy details of their lives. Rhonda had a point. Regular paparazzi were bad enough, but people who snapped pictures of kids they didn't know was an entirely different level of gross.

Alison heard the director yell cut, so she took the opportunity to look at the woman who had come to support her. The same woman who hadn't told her about Ezra's tantrum the moment she found out about it.

Her smile turned into a judgmental frown.

"Wow, you got the angry smolder. What did you do to piss her off?" Rhonda laughed.

"Pizza topping debate." Emily pulled the lie out of thin air. "I chose the wrong one."

"Pineapple?" Rhonda guessed.

"Pineapple." Emily nodded.

"The most serious of debates." Rhonda reached for her walkie and spoke into it. When she was finished with the call she turned to Emily. "Feel free to stay however long you'd like. I've got several fires to put out at the moment."

Before Emily could thank her, the older woman ran off. She was professionally darting through the crowd like she was Special Ops in the Army.

Emily closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath.

She saw her father's face. The last time she'd seen him was on the video call just weeks before his death. He'd been so happy about coming home.

When she opened her eyes back up she saw Alison staring at her. The irritation in her sharp blue eyes was gone. All Emily saw when she looked at her was love and compassion.

Alison walked over to her.

Emily stood up to greet her.

"Are you still mad at me?" Emily used her soft brown eyes to the best of her ability.

It seemed to work.

"How could I stay mad at that face?" Alison gripped her cheeks. "I'm not exactly happy about…you know…" She did not want to mention Ezra's name in public, "But you did what any of us would do. Besides…" Alison reached up and brushed her cheek. "When you look sad you look like you've witnessed a puppy being kicked."

"That wouldn't make me sad. It would piss me off. I'd be throwing punches if I saw someone do that." Emily's brows furrowed.

Alison gently pecked her lips.

"Don't ruin your make-up or they'll kick me out." Emily pulled back.

"Don't give me those doe-eyes and make me want to kiss you then." Alison leaned into her with a flirtatious smile. "You may be a sneaky little devil, but you're my sneaky little devil."

"I wasn't trying to sneak…"

"I know." Alison replied, smiling at a few of her costars so it didn't look like the two of them were bickering.

"I can go hang out in wardrobe if it would be easier." Emily noticed prying eyes.

"We're almost done. Just stay here. Then I'll decide if I want to lecture you some more." Alison spun on her heels, stealing a smile over her shoulder as she strode towards her mark again.

She fluffed up her hair, earning a scowl from her hair stylist. He shuffled over to fix his work of art and then nodded in satisfaction.

"No more cute girls as a distraction." He warned, a slight Italian accent detectible.

Emily sat back down, trying to make herself less of a distraction.

She pulled out her phone and saw a text from Caleb.

Got time to catch up?

He was precise and to the point. He was also very careful. He'd upped his game since Linda Tanner was back on the case. When he contacted them he didn't say anything that could be tracked.

Emily watched Alison go over notes with her director. She was really soaking in what the older woman was saying.

On set, but I think they're almost done.

Caleb wasn't deterred,

5 o'clock your time a good time?

I think that should work.

You, me, Alison, and Spence. Check your e-mail.

An alert for a private e-mail inbox that didn't trace back to any of them showed that there was one new message.

She clicked on the alert and saw a link for a video chat.

The subject line said Security, which meant it was going to be a secure chat. One that could not be hacked or traced.

Caleb had only sent a short message with the link.

Already looped in T. Will explain when we talk.

-C

Emily texted Spencer to see if she'd gotten the message.

Already running interference. Hanna and Aria are going to check out an art show I found close by. We'll have your place to ourselves.

Not only had she gotten the e-mail. She had already made sure they'd be alone when they were on the call.

Emily smiled and put her phone away. Rhonda and the other PA's were extremely laid back about her having it. She was rarely on it, and they knew she hated social media.

The director called for action and Alison and her on-screen mother started the scene.

Alison transformed into her character, Anneliese Remington, arguing with her rich on-screen mother about how college was a waste because she had a God-given talent in fashion.

Hanna would eat this up.

It was amazing to Emily that Alison could channel an entirely different persona that easily.

It got her thinking about Charlotte and how well she had blended in over the years.

And she wasn't the only one blending in. Everyone who was after them was playing some kind of role.

What kind of actors did she hire? Where did she stage them? What is her ultimate ending?

As Alison delivered line after line for the camera, Emily spent her time trying to remember every face she had encountered since Charlotte had come into their lives. It seemed like an impossible task, but she tried anyway.

She barely even heard when the Director called cut and wrapped everything up.

It wasn't until Alison was standing in front of her that Emily snapped out of it.

"You done for the day?" Emily pushed herself to her feet.

"Other than my job to promote it, I'm done for the next three days. Most of my scenes are finished." Alison lifted her hand and brushed a few stray wisps of hair out of her face.

"I don't know when you find the time to memorize your lines. Your memory retention is beyond impressive."

Emily had helped her with her lines a few times, but most of the time Alison was able to learn them on her own.

"Not bad for someone who was bashed in the head several times." Alison tried to make light of the situation. "The lines are fairly easy. I remember exactly what I'm supposed to say when I'm playing off of the other actors. It's like a memory game. Almost like a puzzle. I'm given the pieces and my mind puts the rest together."

The blonde glanced at the set.

There were a few people lingering, but everyone else had taken off.

When she looked back at Emily she was met with intense brown eyes. For a moment it looked like the brunette was searching for something on her face. Then the intensity disappeared. Emily lifted her hand and delicately put her thumb against the corner of Alison's lip, dragging her thumbnail slowly down across her chin.

Alison thought she might go in for a kiss.

"Your lipstick was smudged." Emily lowered her hand with a soft smile on her face.

She was confident their cold war over Ezra was coming to a close. But they still had a lot they had to face.

They quietly walked away from the set.

Alison changed out of her wardrobe. She grabbed her things and they slipped out the back to avoid her fans.

Rhonda was waiting with a large golf cart to take them out to where Emily had parked.

"What's the paparazzi situation?" Alison asked as she and Emily climbed in the back of the cart.

"I may have started a rumor that you left early and were on your way to dinner with the other cast members." Rhonda put her walkie in a large built in cupholder and put both hands on the wheel. "And the camera hogs may or may not be looking for you at a sushi place that could use a little press to boost business."

"I'm convinced you could run the entire country with the way you think." Emily angled her body towards the front of the cart.

"Never. I care way too much about my sanity." Rhonda snorted.

When they reached the small secure parking area Rhonda pulled up near the rainbow van.

"Thanks, Rhonda." Alison smiled.

"No problem. See you next week." She waved and then turned the cart around.

Emily was several paces ahead, like she could prevent anything disastrous that came their way. She had the passenger's side door open before Alison got there.

Earlier that morning Emily had used the van to go pick up two young girls, a couple, that had nowhere else to go. She had worked with them while Alison and Max had done intake paperwork for several displaced kids seeking help.

Alison had gone with Emily to drop the girls off at a temporary housing facility.

After that they had driven to the set, mostly in silence.

But the ride back to town was the opposite of silent.

As soon as they were both in the van Emily turned to Alison.

"Caleb says he's got some news. He's wants to have a virtual meet up on a secure platform later this afternoon. You, me, and Spencer." She pushed the keys into the ignition.

"What about Aria and Hanna?" Alison reached for her phone, seeking the information she'd missed.

"They'll be out of the condo. Spencer played a miracle-worker and found something they both have in common. It's an art show that has all kinds of mediums. Art, clothing, books." Emily peered at Alison.

"What about Toby?" Alison asked.

"Caleb has already talked to him."

"And told him what?"

"No idea. I shudder to think what sort of danger Toby is putting himself in for us right now." She replied flatly, but there was clearly love in her tone.

"Any news from Spencer about her sister?" Alison questioned.

"Not since I talked to her when you were in wardrobe. Melissa says she didn't see anyone with your sister in Cape May. She was supposedly 'dating' Jason…"

As much as Emily disliked Alison's brother she couldn't help but feel an iota of sympathy for him.

Charlotte had used him, too.

"That's never not going to be gross." Alison scrunched her nose up and gagged.

"She was with several guys, but Melissa didn't really run in her circle. She had her own friends. Their only connection was Wilden."

"Their only connection in Cape May may have been Wilden, but we can't forget about Ian. Melissa knew he was a creep. She knew about the NAT club." Alison pointed out.

"No one from the club is still alive except for Jason."

Though it wasn't for lack of trying. He'd nearly died in an elevator. Emily had, too.

"But people they knew by association are still alive." Alison started brainstorming.

She realized there was another piece on the chess board when she found out about Melissa's shady behavior.

"NAT was in the picture long before Charlotte though. And Charlotte is the one who started giving orders to kill them. She tried to kill Jason herself."

Emily would never forget the way her stomach lurched after she'd nearly been cut in half that night.

Jason had saved her life in that elevator.

"Which means anyone who knew about NAT would be the last people she'd be recruiting. So that rules out Melissa." Emily continued, then she added as an afterthought, "And Jenna."

Alison physically balked at the mention of Jenna.

"There is a special kind of hell for women who stand back and let men victimize young girls and not say a word about it." Alison stared angrily through the windshield.

"I've been thinking…" Emily managed to gain her attention again, but when Alison looked at the brunette her eyes were fixed on the road, "…about the Ezra thing."

There was a long pause. When she found the courage to meet Alison's eyes she saw a trace of vulnerability in them. The blonde looked a lot like Aria did when anyone mentioned their ex-teacher.

"What about it?" Alison's voice was strangely quiet.

"Charlotte had a way of blending in." Emily turned her focus back towards the road. "She wouldn't like Ezra making a huge spectacle of things, especially in front of Toby. But…someone else might. Someone could have sent his little brother to antagonize him."

There was a ton that wasn't adding up. It was making the waters murkier.

"Or there is something we're missing." Alison scrolled through her phone.

She wasn't looking for anything in particular. She just needed something to busy her mind.

"We're missing a lot of information." Emily was certain that they had barely even scratched the surface. "But Charlotte wouldn't use Ezra for this, because it wouldn't be smart. And regardless of her mindset…Charlotte is usually smart."

"Then what was his motive for blowing up at Toby?" Alison asked.

"He's a guy. I've been led to believe that violence is one way they communicate." Emily shrugged. "I'm not saying we should entirely dismiss that outburst. In fact, the way he reacted to his brother being in driver's seat makes me think it might lead us to answers."

"I feel like the more we know the less we understand."

They had clues. They had pieces of the puzzle, but none of the pieces fit. Every single one of them had a unique view of the bigger picture, but none of them saw the same thing.

There was a long lingering silence between them. The stillness in the air was uncomfortable.

Both girls were on the edge of saying something, but Emily beat Alison to the punch.

"Ali?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blonde turn towards her. "Part of the reason I didn't tell you about Ezra is because he didn't just hurt Aria. He hurt you, too…" Her hands tightened on the wheel.

Alison stared at the way Emily's knuckles tensed. She could see the tendons standing out and her joints turning white. She was reminded of the night Emily came to her aid after the Airbnb.

The cold fury on her face.

The way she had been unrestrained.

She was caught between her anger and her heartbreak.

"He hurt you, too, Em." It frustrated Alison that Emily never put herself in the equation.

"Not in the same way. He used us. But he was using us to get to you. He was fixated on you. You were a desirable fantasy to him…and that is sick. It's awful." She sounded beyond irate, beyond gutted.

Her voice was a like a pattern of too many colors in one space, a mosaic of emotions splashed all over the place.

"I lied to him about my age."

"He had to have known. You were fourteen. Are you telling me that you look at your teenage fans and can't tell how young they are?" She shook her head, then repeated, "He knew. That's why I hesitated before telling you the truth about him. Spencer was worried about Aria. But I was worried about both of you. All I could think about was how he turned into a maniac obsessed with some creepy fantasy in his head. He followed you. He studied you. He created an entire lair plastered from head to toe with images of you."

"Yeah, that was pretty creepy." Alison sighed, nodding in agreement. Her phone buzzed and she looked at the preview for an alert on one of her TikTok videos. "Speaking of creepy…" She grumbled under her breath.

"What is it? What does it say?"

Emily's eyes were laser-focused on the road, but there was no mistaking her tone. Passion with an edge mixed with a tenderness…her love for Alison in a nutshell.

"You may think you're winning, but I'm always victorious in the end." Alison read the comment.

It was on her most recent video where she was plugging her new show.

"I can't tell if it's a troll or a thinly veiled threat we should take seriously." Alison took a screenshot and then deleted the comment.

She didn't want to give anyone else any ideas about coming for her on her social media.

"Every troll should be considered a fully veiled threat." Emily's eyes darted to Alison for a brief moment, a flicker of ire in them.

In that split second Alison realized that Hanna had been right when she said Emily could make anyone care about her. Emily could probably rationalize with Deities about Alison's past transgressions.

"I wonder if Tanner and Furey are monitoring my accounts." Alison scrolled the comments, making sure she hadn't missed anything hateful.

So excited for this!

ilysm!

You are in your badass era and I am LIVING for it.

Everything you post is a thirst trap, but I'm not mad at it.

Where did you get that top? It's sooooo cute!

You are THAT girl.

Slaaaay, honey!

Usually her fans made her feel better, but the words of encouragement had been dulled by her sister's recent actions.

Now she just felt hollow…empty. If it wasn't for the woman sitting in the driver's seat next to her she would have shattered like a delicate glass ballerina long ago.

You can't possibly break me, Charlotte. I was already broken. It's only because of Emily that I'm whole again. And I'm not going back.

That's what she wanted to say to the commenter trolling her account. But she knew better, which is why she'd deleted it.

When they got back to the condo it was empty.

Spencer had texted she'd be there in an hour. Had they not both been so caught up in their own heads they might have used the time to lock the bedroom door and go crazy. But neither of them were thinking about that.

Emily checked some of her notes to see if something would jump out at her while Alison made herself a snack.

Ever since Alison had mentioned how easy it was for her to intuitively pick up on her lines simply by letting her costars say theirs, the brunette had been wondering if there was more to the big picture that they weren't seeing.

"It's like a memory game. Almost like a puzzle. I'm given the pieces and my mind puts the rest together."

Emily looked at the pieces of the riddle they had so far.

A scorned enemy.

A dead henchwoman.

Shadows of the past.

A suspicious presence.

Threatening messages.

The teacher, an old foe.

Brothers fighting.

How did it all connect? And more importantly…why?

Emily's eyes started to blur from staring at her computer screen.

Alison had perched beside her, finishing off her Greek yogurt.

"Anything?" Alison still couldn't make sense of what they knew.

"No." Emily shut her laptop in frustration.

She stood up, slowly pacing. She was like a panther on the prowl. She felt trapped inside her own head with no means of escape.

"I need to clear my mind." Emily pulled her hair back and rolled a scrunchie off of her wrist, working to tie her hair into a bun. "I'm going to go for a run. Want to come?"

"Well, I'm certainly not letting you go alone." Alison reached up to help Emily with her hair.

"You're going to have to trade that skirt in for a pair of joggers." Emily lowered her hands and let Alison finish her hair.

"Says you." Alison lifted her brows, a tight smile on her face. She was trying to push everything related to her sister out of her mind. "I could outrun you in a skirt and heels."

"Is that a challenge?" Emily squeezed Alison's side, eliciting a squeal and a giggle from the ticklish blonde.

She placed a hand on either side of Alison's face and pushed her fingers back into her perfectly styled hair.

"You make it impossible to stay upset with you." Alison's lips twitched. "It's part of your charm."

Emily trailed her thumb down Alison's jawline, her fingers lightly skimming her cheekbone.

"I know." Emily flashed a smile that went straight to Alison's heart.

"You are so cocky." Alison huffed out a laugh.

"You're the one talking about outrunning me in heels and a skirt. You going to claim you could do it blindfolded, too?" Emily mashed her lips together in amusement.

"As a matter of fact…"

"I'm not going to let you run around in heels blindfolded, Ali." Emily curled her fingers around the back of her neck and drew her in for a peck on the lips. She added with a wink. "At least not in public."

"Ohh, new bedroom game?" Alison lifted her brows flirtatiously.

Emily shook her head with a laugh.

"Come on. I know you have some brand name running gear in the closet somewhere. We can run together in style."

She reached for Alison's hand, letting her fingers linger. Alison brushed her fingertips against Emily's and motioned for her to follow her into the bedroom.

They both changed into more appropriate clothing and then raced out the door together.

Though the two of them had been on walks together, Alison had never run with Emily. The brunette often went on her own or with Zoe, who also enjoyed the peace that came from endorphins that came from a runner's high.

When Alison felt the release that came with the invigorating exercise she understood why Emily used running as a way to clear her head. She concentrated on the sights whizzing by as she matched Emily's speed.

She had a feeling that her girlfriend had set a slow pace so they could stay side by side. She felt a burst of energy and smiled as she pulled ahead.

Emily was happy to let her take charge. She knew Alison needed it. She loved seeing the blonde let go of everything.

Alison didn't know where she was running, but she knew she was going the right way.

It was a shot in the dark on where they'd end up.

But it wasn't the destination that mattered.

Her legs started to burn, and that's when she realized she was on an incline, making the journey a little more taxing.

It was only when the scenery came into view that Alison realized where she had subconsciously run.

The scent of the saltwater hit her first. Then the sound of the ocean waves rising to a crescendo and falling back when they hit the solid rocks below. She could feel the mist in the air.

She stood firmly on the ground next to the California Kissing Rock and calmly climbed up on it.

Emily followed, her fingers brushing Alison's as she climbed next to her.

"Interesting destination." Her fingertips were like the gentle brush of a feather against the soft sensitive flesh on the inside of Alison's arm.

"Followed my instincts." Alison slowly turned away from the view to look at Emily. "And my heart."

Standing there in that moment they realized that it was something that could never be stolen from them. Not from Charlotte. Not from anyone.

Flashes of their past ran through their minds, memories from long ago…and then images from the new life they had created together.

Their first kiss at the Kissing Rock in Rosewood.

Everything in between.

Then…the first time they had admitted they still had feelings for each other just months ago.

"My safe place," Alison's voice was softer this time, nearly drowned out by the ocean.

But Emily heard her.

"Mine too."

Emily lifted her hand towards Alison's hair tie and worked it slowly out of her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders in waves. The breeze gently blew through it. The sun painted it a bright majestic shade of golden.

Emily had never seen anyone more beautiful.

There was a momentary pause as they appreciated a small taste of the freedom they would have once they solved the mystery of who was haunting them.

"So, this is what a runner's high feels like?" Alison reached up and swiped sweat from her brow.

"More or less." Emily smiled.

Alison looked out at the shore lapping against the cliff. The sound of the ocean was roaring in her ears. The colors were brighter and bolder.

"God, this is incredible." Alison panted. "No wonder you love this. You know, I…" She licked her lips, tasting the perspiration. "I spent so much of my life running away, but I never truly knew what it felt like to just run."

"You've exercised before." Emily chuckled. "I used to love watching you play field hockey."

"I wasn't free then. I am now." She smiled. "Thanks to you." She inhaled a deep breath and blew it out. "This is so much better than the gym back in Rosewood. I joined one after you…" she caught herself, "...after everyone went to college. But this…" She motioned to the great outdoors, "…this is something else."

"It's because you weren't running from anything. You were running to something. To this place."

"Of course." Alison shrugged. "I'm going to run anywhere I think I'll find you."

Alison understood that now. She understood that the choices people made weren't perfect. But there was one choice they were both sure about. It was a choice they consciously made every single day. The choice to love one another.

Something came over her. Something she couldn't quite explain. All she knew was that she needed Emily right then, right there. Nothing else mattered.

She brought her hands to the sides of Emily's face, then to the back of her neck...which was slick with sweat.

Her soft damp palms were warm against Emily's even hotter skin.

Emily could feel her girlfriend's touch in every single square inch of her body.

Alison felt it, too. She slowly swiveled her head on her neck. She pressed her lips to Emily's. Her arms wound around the brunette's tone swimmer's physique.

Emily gripped her tightly, lifting her off of her feet, and the kiss grew deeper and more passionate.

Their embrace was fiery and charged with electricity.

Alison was so lost in the moment that she was breathless. She met Emily with the same intensity, a feverish desire to have all of her. Her fingers twined into her long black tresses.

When she pulled away there were mere millimeters between their faces. Emily's lips were fixed in a serene smile.

"The ghosts of lover's past?" Emily cocked an eyebrow at the blonde.

"That was all me." Alison moved her hands deeper into Emily's hair. "How is your hair this soft after all of that running?"

A pleasurable scent wafted through the air. A mixture of salt water, coconut, perspiration, and deodorant.

"It's a mystery." Emily cupped Alison's cheeks and moved in to kiss her again.

It's a mystery.

The words cracked open a small door in Alison's mind.

Three words that were used commonly every day.

But something about being on the cliff and hearing the words seemed familiar.

In that moment she didn't care about the thoughts needling her brain. All of her attention was on Emily.

The way her lips moved.

The way she tasted.

The way her hands felt like fire against her skin.

They were on top of the world, high on dopamine and serotonin and bliss and love.

A thunderous clap echoed from a particularly large wave below.

And then it happened.

Day turned into night.

Wonder turned into a chasm cracked open wide in the abyss.

Alison heard a lilting laugh in the darkness.

Lightning brightened the sky.

It illuminated a familiar face.

Tyler.

He was only there for a split second.

When she blinked she wasn't in Malibu anymore.

She was in Cape May, and an entirely different predator was clutching her in a way that no man should ever clutch a child.

She had just turned fifteen.

Far too young, but no one saw anything wrong with it.

Her town had adopted a 'boys will be boys' policy, meaning that no one gave a shit about the predators on every corner.

Alison could feel his whiskey-fused breath stinking up the air.

They were out on a rocky terrain overlooking the ocean.

He was behind her, his arms wrapped around her stomach, locking her in place.

She felt something poking her in the back. She didn't care for the feeling, so when he laid his chin on her shoulder and tried to kiss her jaw she moved forward…towards the edge of a cliff.

She wasn't drunk enough to do the things he wanted to do…not again.

At the very least she wasn't a virgin. Compliments of Ian Thomas.

Ian hadn't exactly been gentle with her, but Darren was worse. He had a thing about being in charge. It's why he'd applied to the police academy. Ultimate control and power.

Even so, he did things for her. He would bend to her every whim if she asked him to. Being with her older friends made her feel more mature. They were more her speed than all the uncultured juveniles she went to school with.

She liked what he stood for. She liked having someone on her chess board who was a power player. But she did not like the things he did when they were drunk.

"Where are you going, baby?" Darren crooned at her.

'Away from you…' she thought to herself.

Then she said the three words she'd recognize again one day far into the future.

"It's a mystery." Alison used her charm and allure to play it off.

'Also, I hate you. You're gross and smell like sweaty feet…' She managed to bite her tongue instead of saying it out loud.

She moved towards the only other person out in the humid dank air, who was balancing near the edge of the cliff.

The girl dating her brother was Cece Drake, but that was long before Alison knew her true identity as Charlotte DiLaurentis.

"Get a room." Charlotte drunkenly laughed.

They'd knocked back several shots before making their way out to the cliffs.

Deep down, Alison knew it was a bad idea to be out there, but something about the danger was alluring to her.

"Aren't you afraid you'll fall?" Alison watched as her friend precariously dangled over the ledge.

"Oh, sweetie…" Charlotte's icy blue eyes lit up in the moonlight, "…I'm always one step ahead. Every move is calculated. I know what I'm doing."

It was a strange thing to say.

"That's weirdly ominous."

"The last time I was this far up was when I went skiing when I was younger." Charlotte made a balancing act of the ledge.

Her words sounded heavy and filled with meaning, like the ski trips were a core part of who she was at heart.

"Well, you might not be a kid anymore, but you don't have the sense you were born with." Darren homed in on Charlotte. "You may think you're invincible, but one misstep and you'll shatter into a million pieces."

He stood remarkably still, but in the quiet air he threw his hands up and shouted 'boo!'

Charlotte was unfazed.

Alison couldn't help but jump.

Charlotte looked at her in amusement.

"What's the matter? Scared?" Charlotte's Cheshire grin was so wide that the whites of her teeth were visible in the dark.

"No." Alison puffed her chest out.

Wilden's phone rang and he picked it up.

After a quick hushed conversation he hung up.

"Melissa wants to hang out at the bar and grab a few more drinks. What do you say? You up for more shots?" He directed his question to Alison.

Alison hated Melissa Hastings. Sometimes she felt sorry for Melissa's pretentious little sister. Spencer could be a raging bitch, but Alison understood why. She knew what it was like to have an older sibling from hell.

"Ali, babe?"

"No thanks." Alison replied, keeping her tone light and airy.

She was good at masking her real feelings. No one knew the real Alison DiLaurentis.

"You sure?" His disappointment oozed off of him.

"The lady said 'no', Darren." Charlotte moved away from the cliff's edge and stood next to Alison, looking every bit like an older sibling who would throw a punch in her honor, "Respect that."

There was something wicked in her tone. Both Alison and Darren picked up on it. It seemed to subdue Darren, but it fascinated Alison.

Darren smiled apologetically, which Alison knew was just for show. Then he put his palms up in a show of good faith.

"You're right. You two have fun." He slunk into the shadows.

Alison blinked away the blurry spots in her eyes.

She'd had too many drinks and it was starting to take a toll. Even though they were out in the open she felt as if the world was closing in on her.

"Thanks." Alison could feel the alcohol buzzing through her veins. "For dealing with him."

"He's mushy squash." Charlotte shrugged and looked at the younger girl.

"Is that an innuendo?" Alison tried to read the look on Charlotte's face, but it was eclipsed by the dark night when she wasn't directly in the moonlight.

"Could be." Charlotte lifted her brows in amusement. "You tell me. Can he get it up in the sack?"

"Unfortunately so." Alison curled her lip up.

He was the opposite of mushy. He was rigid and hard and everything Alison respected about herself, but hated about others.

She should have just told Charlotte she was uncomfortable with Darren. Of course…she was wildly advanced for her age, but she had standards. And Darren Wilden gave her the creeps. But she couldn't admit it…didn't want to. She had been accepted into their peer group and she didn't want to lose that.

The things she did in the name of popularity would never cease to surprise her.

"You know…it doesn't mean what you think it means." Charlotte walked along the ridges of an uneven corner on the edge…in heels.

"Care to enlighten me…or do you plan to fall to your death and leave me hanging?" Alison asked sardonically, though she countered her sarcasm by looking at her friend for an explanation.

Charlotte laughed. She appreciated Alison's candor and brevity.

"Mushy squash is all that's left on the buffet table after everyone else has made their choice."

It seemed wildly profound.

Alison would give the same speech to Emily not long after, talking about Ben.

"Then why did you invite him?" Alison asked.

"I didn't. He invited himself."

"I didn't choose him. He practically came to me salivating like a dog." Alison challenged.

She didn't like the insinuation that she'd choose mushy squash. She was someone who preferred high quality steak. Darren wasn't even worthy to be the napkin that wiped the steak sauce off of her face.

"Oh, I'm sure he did." Charlotte's tone suggested she knew more than she was letting on. "He has a type. You're the first person I've seen actually rebuff his advances in public."

"Speaking of…Jason has been really pissy. Why are you giving him the cold shoulder?" Alison had watched Charlotte shut Jason down the entire trip.

Charlotte looked at her as if she was a child, and Alison didn't like it.

The older girl sighed and smiled, placing a hand on Alison's cheek.

"You'll understand one day." She looked out at the vast endless sea that could barely be seen in the night. "Boys are a dime a dozen, honey. We can have fun without them. What do you say?" There was a spark in her eyes.

"What did you have in mind?"

Charlotte grinned as she pulled the intoxicated fifteen-year-old girl towards the edge of a cliff that was jutting out above the water.

"Have you ever been cliff diving?" Charlotte looked down at the dark waters below.

It didn't seem safe to Alison, but she didn't want to look like a scared child.

"Why would anyone jump off of a perfectly good cliff?"

"You're asking the wrong questions."

"I didn't realize you spoke in riddles when you were drunk." Alison replied bluntly.

Her foot shifted and she felt the ground vibrate, sending crumbling debris at least a hundred feet below.

"Close your eyes." Charlotte instructed.

Alison did as she was told.

"If you were standing on the edge of a cliff…"

"I AM standing on the edge of a cliff." Alison snorted out a laugh.

"You're always on the ledge in life. The question is…are you someone in control…or is someone controlling you?" Charlotte asked. "We're all pieces on a chess board. We all have our choices of strategic moves. So…are you someone who jumps…or someone who is pushed?"

"Neither. There are other ways down where people don't go splat against the rocks."

"Where is the fun in that? Standing up here like this…you hold so much power, and you get to decide how you want to use that power. You're so caught up in the danger that you don't realize you could BE the danger."

Alison took a small step back.

"I don't plan on pushing anyone off a cliff." She cocked her head. "Do you? Was this your villain soliloquy before shoving me to my death?"

Charlotte stared at her, and for a few seconds Alison thought she was going to do it. She thought that Charlotte…in all of her drunken glory…was going to play a prank and send her careening through the air.

Charlotte smiled and shook her head.

"The danger isn't the fall." Charlotte peeked down below. "It's where you land."

Suddenly, the water seemed darker.

The air seemed thinner.

The roar of the ocean sounded more sinister.

Alison realized that what she'd seen in her friend was not adventure and fun, but hunger. A hunger so primal that it could devour the world if left unchecked.

But she wasn't afraid.

She was enthralled.

"You're insane." Alison smiled.

"So I've been told." She seemed downright amused at the accusation.

After a few seconds the older girl's bravado faded. She shifted into a more serious expression.

"I've been here my whole life." She looked into the darkness.

"In Cape May?" Alison didn't know much about Charlotte's history, because the older girl loved to tell fantasy tales.

"On the edge," Charlotte replied. "I didn't get to see the ocean much when I was younger."

"Too busy chasing boys?" Alison grinned.

She expected a witty retort, but instead she was met with silence.

Charlotte turned around, her back to the cliff. Her heels were up against the ledge. One wrong move and she'd plummet to her death below.

"That's my favorite hobby…now." There was something strange in her tone. "But when I was a child I loved the simple things. Playing with Barbies. Birthdays. Learning to ski. Amusement parks. Carnivals."

She paused, waiting for Alison to say something…though Alison wasn't sure what she wanted her to say.

She didn't know that Charlotte was begging her to remember.

She thought it was a test. She thought Charlotte was testing her to see if she still held on to childish things.

She didn't want to fail.

"Never liked Barbies. Parks and Carnivals are for 5-year-olds. And I hate skiing." Alison reached into the small purse slung over her shoulder and pulled out a tube of chapstick, putting a gracious amount on her lips. "My parents always make me and Jason pose for pictures and pretend we like each other when we go to the slopes."

Charlotte exhaled sharply, moving away from the cliff.

"I think I'm going to take Melissa up on that drink offer."

Alison had no idea what the cause was for the drastic change in Charlotte's demeanor, but she was sure she'd failed the test.

She had no choice but to follow Charlotte as they made their way down from the cliff and back to the bar.

They spotted Darren eyeing Melissa from the side of the dance floor.

He was standing next to a man that Alison didn't recognize. She couldn't make much out from the way he was standing. His back was to her. The only thing she noticed was a tattoo snaking down his right arm.

"I'll get you a double." Charlotte sauntered off.

Alison had seen Charlotte in one of her moods before, but this time seemed different. Normally, she would have followed her friend with gusto, but she found herself shrinking into a corner.

Charlotte was being weird.

Darren was drunk as hell.

"I don't have any friends here," she whispered to herself.

A few minutes later she had a drink in her hand, but it wasn't Charlotte giving it to her. It was Darren.

Alison didn't quite understand why Charlotte would chase Darren off only to drag him back into the picture.

She watched as the older blonde flirted with Darren's friend.

"Drink up, babe." Darren chugged a beer in one fell swoop.

She gave in and decided she might as well get drunk, too, so she wouldn't remember the night.

The alcohol worked, because the night became a giant confusing blur.

The darkness was all she could recall the next morning.

Warm hands on the side of her neck drew her back into the present.

Alison desperately tried to hold on to the memory, but when she opened her eyes it was gone.

All she could remember was Darren Wilden looking at her and Charlotte going off with his friend, leaving her alone and vulnerable.

She blinked and was met with Emily looking at her in alarm.

The waves below were still licking at the surface, molding it and changing it.

She looked down and a tunnel closed in on her. She realized just how far up they were. She'd never been afraid of heights, but a sudden sense of doom washed over her.

A bout of vertigo hit her and she stumbled on her feet.

Emily caught her in an instant, worried about her tumbling off the rock and rolling towards the cliff.

She was frozen, like a diver standing on the edge of a cliff staring at the rough waves breaking against the rocks below.

She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, working to escape her body with the surge of adrenaline in her veins.

"What's happening?" Emily dipped her head down, stepping in between Alison and the edge, blocking the view.

The blonde opened her mouth to respond, only to find herself speechless. She had no idea what had just happened. She had no way to explain anything.

"Dehydration?" Alison kept a handle on what she was feeling, but the intensity in her eyes was broadcasting to Emily that she was barely holding on to her composure.

Emily reached up and touched the side of her neck, her palm finding her erratic pulse beating out a brutal and uncompromising rhythm.

"How? I saw you chug an entire bottle of an electrolyte-infused drink on our run." Emily didn't buy Alison's excuse.

She'd never seen her break apart without an explanation.

Alison wanted nothing more than to tell Emily what had caused her momentary lapse, but her mind was blank. It was as if she had been on a timer to self-detonate.

"I think I overdid it. I didn't really have much to eat today."

"Ali…"

"We should get back to the condo. Spencer will be there any minute." Alison cleared her throat.

She tried not to look down at the ocean.

She started to back away from the large boulder, but then she realized that Emily was still holding her…still supporting her.

Alison sighed.

"Em, I want to go home," she demanded, though her voice came out soft.

"Okay." Emily didn't argue. "We'll go."

Pushing Alison had never turned out well in the past. Emily had learned that the more she pushed the more she risked pushing her away.

The brunette moved to her side, wrapping her arm around the small of Alison's back.

Emily didn't want to leave until she found out what was going on, but the wild look in Alison's eyes was enough to subdue her stubborn nature.

They had just found equal footing again, so she didn't press Alison about her panic attack on the way back to the condo.

She didn't press her when they walked into the air-conditioned building or when they finally made it to their living room.

She didn't press her when Alison silently walked over to the couch and sat down.

Emily walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water and then walked back into the living room and handed it to Alison.

"Drink this."

Alison greedily grabbed the cup and put the rim of it against her lips, slowly sipping on the beverage.

If she was drinking water she didn't have to talk about what had happened at The Kissing Rock.

But she didn't need words for Emily to understand what happened.

"You had a panic attack." Emily sat down next to Alison.

Alison stared at her over the top of the glass and then took another sip.

Emily took her silence to mean that she wasn't going to respond.

"I just want you to tell me what I can do to help."

Emily Fields didn't do helpless. She hated being at the mercy of vulnerability. She hated not being able to protect her loved ones.

Alison could see the wheels turning in Emily's head. She could imagine her thoughts going wild. Normally they could share anything with each other. Emily prided herself on helping people…on saving them. But Alison didn't want to be in need of saving. She wasn't the same scared kid she was on the run.

"It's nothing you need to be concerned about." She managed to give Emily a steely solid look to convince her she was on solid foundation.

"Everything that relates to you is my concern." Emily argued.

Alison shrugged it off. It's not like she remembered what had happened. The memory was lost in an alcohol infused haze.

"I pushed myself too hard." Alison took another drink of water and then put the glass down.

"But…"

"Drop it, Emily." This time the steel in her voice was real.

She immediately regretted her tone. She sounded like the bratty fifteen-year-old she'd once been.

I'm not that girl anymore.

Fortunately for her, Emily wasn't the same shy kid she'd once been either.

The frustration was evident on Emily's face, her brown eyes full of fire. It intrigued the blonde.

"Stop lying to me. I know you're upset. And I know we've had trouble communicating because I didn't tell you about Ezra, but don't shut me out. I'm sorry, okay? I wanted to tell you. I did tell you." Emily pointed out. "Just because I screwed up doesn't mean we can't talk to one other anymore. We both know this doesn't work if we aren't honest with each other."

"There is nothing to tell." Alison observed the brunette, her eyes locked on Emily's. "I don't remember what happened. It's like something was there and then it wasn't."

"You saw something at The Kissing Rock?"

"No. It was…I don't know…I think it was a flash of my past. But I don't know what it was. The only thing I remember is seeing Darren and one of his friends." She paused. "Well, kind of seeing them. It's a blur. Then when I looked out over the ocean something inside of me snapped. I don't know why. The only thing that made any sense to me was being there with you."

Emily sat with the new information, uncertain of what to say.

Her expression softened. She felt guilty for snapping at her.

Alison felt guilty for snapping at Emily, too.

They were both on edge.

"You blacked out?" Emily asked.

"I'm not sure. Could be brain damage from when Charlotte tried to kill me." She replied with a snarky scoff.

Emily winced, a flicker of sadness radiating off of her. Alison realized a few seconds too late what her "death" had done to her girlfriend.

"Sorry, I think jokes are all we have left." Alison took Emily's hand.

"Yeah." Emily didn't disagree. "A therapist would have a field day with the way we deflect trauma by using humor."

"Spencer will, too." Alison looked at the clock.

"Probably."

"We shouldn't tell her that I almost fell off of a cliff."

"You didn't almost fall. I had you." Emily assured her.

"Yeah." Alison moved a little closer, a smile breaking through. "You always do. Even when I'm cussing you out for dragging me to shore."

Emily reached up to move several strands of sweat-covered hair away from Alison's face.

"I'll try to stop being so overbearing and overprotective." She kissed Alison's temple.

"No you won't." Alison laughed. Her smile turned into something more tender as she lifted her hand and cupped Emily's cheek. "It's in your DNA."

They leaned in for a kiss, their lips meeting.

Their passion was interrupted by their phones going off simultaneously.

Both of them froze.

Emily was the first to reach for her device. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's Spencer. She's on her way up." Emily texted her back and then put the phone down. "Guess Aria told her to give us warning. At least she won't walk in on us with Purple Thunder." When she saw Alison side-eye her she laughed, "You're the one who started with the jokes."

There was a knock at the door, followed by,

"Everyone decent?"

"Oh, darn! We forgot to put the Do Not Disturb sign up!" Emily called back.

Alison bumped her shoulder and tried to scowl, but it came off more like she'd smelled something funny.

When Emily saw her nose all scrunched up she felt an urge welling up inside of her. She stared at Alison for a moment. Then, as if she was coming to a very serious decision she lifted her hand and pressed her index finger to the tip of Alison's nose.

"Boop."

"You will not distract me with your whimsy."

Emily smiled at her and touched her nose again.

"Double boop."

"I'm putting the key in the lock!" Spencer narrated her actions.

"Why is she giving us a play-by-play?" Alison laughed quietly.

"Pretty sure you know why." Emily had an amused look on her face.

"I'm turning the key!"

"Quick, Ali, put your clothes back on!" Emily yelled with a playful hint in her tone.

Instead of turning red in embarrassment, Alison joined in.

"Your pants! Emily, your pants!"

"Okay, I'm coming in now!" Spencer announced.

They heard the lock turn and then the door swung open. The alarm wasn't on since they knew she was coming over.

Spencer closed the door and then locked it. Then to be extra-cautious she walked over to the alarm and set it.

"You two aren't nearly as funny as you think you are." She turned to face her friends.

She registered their flushed faces and the sweat stains on their clothes. She noticed the glisten of what had once been perspiration on their skin.

"Why are you both so sweaty?" Spencer took in their appearance. She paused and then shook her head. "Never mind. I don't want to know the answer to that."

"We went for a run." Alison replied.

She couldn't help but wonder what Spencer would have done if she had been the one to walk in on them in the bedroom. If it had to have been any of them she was glad that it was Aria. Hanna would have never shut up about it and Spencer probably would have been scarred for life.

"Hmm, that's healthy. Good for you." Spencer shrugged. "Is your laptop charged, Em?"

"Yeah." Emily picked it up off of the end table and put it down in front of where she was sitting.

Spencer walked over to join them as Emily opened the laptop.

Spencer took over almost immediately.

Alison and Emily let her. They had their own problems they were trying to work through. They didn't need to add 'bickering with Spencer' to their list, though they did that daily just as a natural occurrence.

"Anything new from Jerica?" Alison asked.

"No." Spencer played around on Emily's computer. "We've been cleared to go home, but I don't feel right leaving in the middle of this."

"We don't know how long this is going to go on." Emily pointed out.

When she saw Spencer struggling to figure out her password she took her laptop back from her and plugged in the encrypted password and then passed it back to Spencer.

"When did you become an IT professional?" Spencer looked for the main browser on the task bar.

"Setting a password hardly takes an engineering genius." Emily pointed to the browser. "Already have the e-mail pulled up. Just click there and we can join this super-secret meeting."

It was already 5 minutes past 5:00.

Caleb was waiting on them.

When their screen joined his they all said hello.

"Well, it looks like everyone is in one piece, so that's good." That's what passed for hello in Caleb-speak.

"Looks can be deceiving." Alison uttered.

Caleb glanced at Alison.

"Did something happen that we need to be concerned about?"

"No. Just the regular every day feeling of doom and gloom." Alison looked over at Emily, her eyes commanding that she not say anything about what had happened on their run.

"We're all on edge." Emily caught on to Alison's silent suggestion. "So, what's new, Mr. Robot?"

"I finally got some information on the rental." Caleb was reading through something that they couldn't see. "Turns out it's not a rental."

"Are you sure? Toby seemed so sure that it was." Spencer leaned forward, her palms on her knees.

She trusted Toby's account of what had happened. Even if he hadn't gotten a good look at the driver or the car he wouldn't have suggested that it was a rental if he wasn't sure.

"I checked both rental agencies in town, two more by the airport, and three outside of town. None of them have the vehicle Toby described."

"And here I thought we were going to be getting good news." Spencer sighed and shook her head. "How can it not match any vehicles? Black sedans are practically all over the road. Maybe you missed something."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Caleb replied caustically. "I'm not finished yet."

"Sorry." Spencer peered at him apologetically.

"It's fine." He scrolled through more stuff they couldn't see. "None of their cars have tinted windows. And not many cars have been rented out recently. Let's face it. It's not like Rosewood is a vacation destination."

"So what does that mean?" Emily asked.

"Could be a couple of things. I checked records to see if any rental companies had reported stolen cars that match the one outside Ezra's place...and the one you saw when you were back in Rosewood for the holidays." He looked pointedly at Emily and then Alison.

Holidays and Rosewood went together as well as oil and water.

"I wonder what it says about me that I miss the days when Charlotte just spelled out messages with fireworks." Emily muttered.

"Did you get any hits on the car?" Spencer asked.

"No cars were missing from any of the agencies, but there is a possibility that a rental was sold to someone. Or there is a fraud agency that is a front for a place that brings in cars and pretends to rent them out, but sells them to make a profit instead. So I narrowed down the rental agencies that offer no credit card down and gives consumers the option of payment in cash. Only one fits the criteria. It's one of the ones outside of town."

"That would make sense. Anyone working with a psychopath to commit crimes wouldn't want a paper trail in Rosewood." Spencer nodded, impressed with Caleb's work.

"There isn't a paper trail at that rental either…unfortunately." They could hear Caleb clicking his mouse.

"But you found something else." Emily could see it in his eyes.

"Technology is all the rage." Caleb grinned, a mixture of mischief and pride. "Most of the newer models have a built in GPS. Even if there is no paper trail of any transaction between the rental agency and the person who bought the car…there are vendor accounts for certain technological advances in cars. And I happened to find that information, along with a list of cars that matched our criminal's car. There are only two with tinted windows and I ruled one out because an overeager teenager crashed it two months ago."

"So you found the car that Toby saw?" Alison asked eagerly.

"Found is the operative word. I've found proof that there is a car matching that description, but I don't have the info on the car's specs or the driver..."

"Yet." Emily finished what he was thinking. "Technically…you can track it and get the plate and the name of the owner, right?"

"Technically…are you suggesting I hack a private navigation system?" Caleb snarked.

"You've hacked everything else." Emily smarted back. "How long will it take?"

"I already ran a series of reports before this call." He was tapping away on the keyboard and clicking his mouse in rapid succession. "The last known location of the vehicle was the graveyard in Rosewood. I'm just waiting on…"

There was a ping on his computer and he nearly leaped out of his chair in excitement.

"This." He was looking at a report that had loaded. "Hold on. This is a lot of paperwork. Give me a minute."

As Caleb worked through the new lead the girls talked amongst themselves.

"We should have Toby follow up on the car at the graveyard." Alison suggested.

Emily and Spencer weren't enthusiastic about the idea.

"Absolutely not." Spencer answered before another word could be uttered.

"He's already offered to check it out after he gets off work..." Caleb was still looking at the paperwork, but he was clearly listening.

"I said no." Her nostrils flared as she reached for her phone.

She aggressively swiped out a text and then sent it.

Alison stared at her, curiously considering the fact that both Spencer and Emily were viciously protective when it came to the people they loved.

A few seconds later Spencer's phone rang.

She didn't say hello.

"I meant what I said." There was a pause. "Yes, I meant to type the word fucking. I have an extensive vocabulary that includes that word." Another pause. "Don't be an idiot. We'll figure out another way."

Emily watched as Spencer argued with him. In her heart, she knew Spencer was right. Whoever was behind the wheel of that car had seen Toby the morning of the altercation with Ezra. It was more dangerous now to have him tail the car.

She knew they couldn't send Toby out to the graveyard knowing a trap might be waiting for him. She weighed her options and then came up with the most obvious solution.

"Let me put in a call to Bud." Emily offered. "He's less conspicuous. Whoever the driver is would have a hell of a lot less of a reason to suspect him. And he'll be careful. He's retired military."

"There. We've solved it," Spencer said to Toby. Then to Emily, "Thank you, Emily."

Spencer went back to talking to Toby, her voice less panicked and harsh.

Emily stood up with her phone and searched for the number to the cemetery. After she found it she hit send.

It went through an automated message first, making her press a series of numbers to get in touch with an actual human being.

She got an answer after a few rings.

"Rosewood Cemetery." A gruff voice responded.

"Bud?" She recognized him instantly.

"Speaking…" His tone shifted into suspicion.

Emily guessed he wasn't on a first name basis with many people.

"It's Emily Fields."

There was a pause and then,

"Wayne's daughter." All suspicion faded. "What's up, kid? Need me check in on your dad? I do my rounds every morning and night and he's part of those rounds. But I can go back out…"

"It's actually not about my dad." She had no idea how to get him to help without telling him the truth, but she tried. "There was this car outside an old friend's house a few days ago and she got spooked." She hated lying, but sometimes it was a necessary evil. "Before she could get a plate or an ID on the driver it sped off. She said it was a dark car with tinted windows. She mentioned she saw it when she was driving by the graveyard earlier…"

"Fields, stop." Bud snorted out something between a laugh and a scoff. "You don't have to make shit up. I don't care what the truth is."

Like her father, he'd been able to see right through her bullshit.

"I can check it out," he said. "I know the car you're talking about. It's been here since this morning. Haven't seen anyone on the grounds though. Sometimes people leave their cars here overnight for free parking. That might be the case. But if not, I can let you know. This your best contact number?"

"Yeah." Emily replied. "And Bud…thank you."

"Your daddy and I made a promise to each other overseas. I intend to keep it." He didn't have to explain what the promise was.

If anything happens…take care of my family and I'll take care of yours.

It was a pretty common promise among soldiers.

It was also a pretty common promise among best friends. Emily heard Spencer whispering hushed goodbyes to Toby and she thought about the promises they'd made to one another to take care of the other's partner if anything bad happened.

"Thank you." Emily replied again, this time softer.

"Take care of yourself."

They didn't say goodbye. He had never been one for small-talk.

Emily walked back over to where Spencer and Alison were sitting.

"Bud said the car has been there all day. Either the driver needed a place to store it…"

"Or dump it." Spencer considered.

"Yeah, that's a possibility. The other possibility is that they needed a parking place and didn't want to pay for it."

"Caleb, how is that report looking?" Alison asked.

She gripped Emily's hand in anticipation. Spencer was staring at the computer screen, quietly begging Caleb to hurry.

After a few seconds he turned his attention back to the girls.

"It's registered to none other than Theodore Kim." He did not seem amused.

"Ezra said his brother was driving…and the Fitzgerald's are loaded. So…Wes is Theodore? Or maybe he's using that name for some reason?" Alison asked.

"I'm not sure…"

"Do you see his license on file? Is there a photo?" Spencer cut in.

"I'm not an amateur, Spencer." Caleb huffed. "All I have is the title with the name. No license information. Which means we're shit out of luck at trying to find a photo in the DMV database."

"The traffic cams…"

"I checked them the morning that Toby called me about his fight with Ezra. The car wasn't anywhere on them, so it's someone who knows the town and knows where the cams are."

"We barely know Wes. Why would he be threatening us?" Spencer asked.

"I don't know. I'm just the tech guy." Caleb shrugged. "We don't know for sure that Ezra was telling the truth. I'd have Toby go back and beat it out of him, but Ezra took off again. Don't know if he's going back to Europe or what."

"I find that deeply concerning." Spencer raised a suspicious brow.

"Me too. And this time there is no paper trail. Location on his phone is off and I can't turn it on remotely. No hits on his bank statements, but he's probably paying for everything in cash. His credit cards haven't been used in days. Strange thing is…he hasn't made any large cash withdrawals from any of his accounts either."

"Maybe he's using a non-traceable crypto account?" Emily considered another option.

"How do you know about crypto?" Caleb had to stifle a laugh.

"I'm not completely out of date with technology." Emily glared at him.

"I didn't see anything about cryptocurrency in any of your notes." Spencer frowned at the brunette. "And I've gone over everything we've put together over a dozen times."

"I don't write down every thought that I have." Emily peered at her friend.

"You should. We all should." Spencer reached for a small notepad on the table and scribbled it down. "Potential crypto account. Got it."

"Both Wren and Ezra are missing in action. That can't be a coincidence." Alison pursed her lips in thought.

"I did find one thing out when I realized Ezra skipped town, but I can't figure out a connection." Caleb was clicking his mouse again. "Out of curiosity, I looked into his family. They're worth a fortune. I wondered if maybe he'd gone to them for money."

"Did he?" Emily asked.

"No. But his father has some interesting spending habits. He has an account separate from his joint accounts that he has with his wife. It's set up in the name of a foundation that's a fake," Caleb explained. "He's got some big-ticket receipts. Hotel rooms. Fancy dinners. Expensive gifts. All dated when his wife is elsewhere."

"So his father is nasty, too." Alison uttered.

"That's what I thought. I was curious how far back it went and that's when I stumbled upon this." He shared his screen, showing receipts for an exorbitant amount. "Two hundred thousand dollars a month. For almost fifteen years. All to the same account."

"That's 36 million dollars." Spencer did the math.

"It's terrifying how quickly you did that in your head." Emily stared at Spencer in awe.

"How much exactly are the Fitzgerald's worth?" Spencer looked at the receipts.

"Easily over 500 million, and they grow their fortune daily." There was a slight bitterness in his tone.

He had grown up without a roof over his head after his parents abandoned him. Having that kind of money seemed criminal to him.

"And Ezra walked away from that to become a predator and write a book?" Alison gawked. "500 million dollars is a crazy amount." She realized the irony of a former rich kid saying it, but it seemed like a lot for someone to part with. "Who the hell was his dad paying? The mob?"

"No name on the account. It's another foundation. I'm looking into it, but there doesn't seem to be anything on it anywhere. Whoever was receiving the transactions covered their tracks."

Emily mentally tried to put together the list of what they'd learned.

"So we have Theodore…aka potentially Wes…driving the car. We have Ezra and Wren AWOL. We have proof that Ezra and Wes's father was paying someone something that looks to either be hush money or extortion." Because who in their right mind paid someone 36 million dollars for no reason? "And we have the car's last known location."

"That driver could be the key to this." Spencer looked over at Emily.

"If the driver comes back, Bud will know." Emily glanced at her phone.

"Have we gotten anywhere on the records from Radley?" Alison asked.

"None of the patient files were digitized." Caleb switched gears. It looked like he was searching through his files. "But I do have a list of personnel I've been going through."

"Is Wren on the list?"

"Strangely not, though I don't have the complete list. Most of the personnel listed were long-time employees. If Wren was to be believed back then…he was trying to choose a specialty, so he was dipping his toes in different areas."

"That's if he is to be believed." Spencer's face was hard and full of disdain.

"I'm going to guess Melissa still isn't budging on anything in regards to Wren?" Caleb asked.

"She gets defensive, but I don't think she's lying to me when I ask her about his history. She doesn't seem to know much." Spencer shifted on the couch, discomfort radiating off of her. "What have you found on the list you're working through?"

"I've been cross-referencing names and backgrounds and so far everything checks out. I've pulled a few photos, but nothing that stands out to me."

"Can we see them?" Alison asked.

"Sure." He did something to change his screen and pulled up a small album.

It slowly started scrolling through the pictures.

Most of the photos were professional shots of physicians and nurses. There were a few that had clearly been pulled from pictures online that people had posted and made public.

A photo of a redheaded doctor transitioned into a group picture of that same doctor with two other men.

Both of the other men were dressed in what looked to be guard uniforms.

One was a short and stocky old bald man.

The other was a younger guy with piercing blue eyes that made Emily's body seize up. Something was needling her brain.

"Stop there. Let me see that blue-eyed guy." Emily pointed to the screen.

Caleb stopped the slideshow.

"Can you zoom in on him?"

Seconds later the photo was focused on the man in the guard uniform. He was remarkably uncharacteristic. He was the stock footage of what every standard officer in law enforcement looked like. Buzzcut. Bulky. Sharp eyes that cut through people. Standing proud and cocky in his uniform.

Alison's words from the set came flying back to Emily. The reason she could memorize her lines with such ease.

"It's like a memory game. Almost like a puzzle. I'm given the pieces and my mind puts the rest together."

That's what Emily's brain was doing. It was piecing memories together.

"I think I recognize him." Emily grabbed her phone.

"From where?" As far as Alison knew, Emily didn't associate with cops.

"Hang on." Emily tapped her screen, logging into an app that Alison couldn't see.

Emily slid her fingers over the screen until she found what she was looking for. She turned the phone for Alison and Spencer to see.

Alison stared at the video footage from Emily's house. It was the night Sara had been arrested.

Emily screenshotted it and zoomed in.

Lorenzo was off to the edge saying something to Sara. Another officer was leaning towards the confrontation, eager for it to escalate so he could jump in. Next to him stood blue-eyed buzzcut.

"Caleb, can you do a reverse image search?" Spencer asked, staring at the photo on Emily's phone.

"You got it." After about another minute the picture on screen changed to a group photo of men in a police precinct. He zoomed in on the man. "Villanova Police Department."

"Isn't that where Sara is from?" Spencer asked.

Emily's veins turned to ice.

They had stumbled upon something they clearly weren't supposed to find.

"It is." Emily nodded slowly. "They extradited her there after her confession. Why is a Rosewood Officer on this police precinct webpage?"

Emily held her phone up next to her laptop, showing the photos side by side.

"Maybe he was just helping out that night. Don't cops all show up to the scene of a crime and work out jurisdiction later?" Alison asked.

"To crime scenes, yes." Emily nodded. "But not to other precincts afterwards. He's in a Rosewood uniform here." Emily pointed to the camera footage. "But he works for another station. He was at the crime scene and he had access to Sara after she was transferred. He would have known she was going to give her statement to the FBI about Charlotte."

"He's a mole." Spencer realized.

"A dirty cop on the force. What are the odds?" Alison muttered and rolled her eyes.

"He was also friends with Garrett." Another dirty cop. And a pervert. "I think I remember him hanging around next door from time to time, but I didn't see him a lot. Garrett never talked about him. He looked different back then. He was a lot skinnier and his hair was a lot longer." That's why she'd felt a stab a familiarity. "I didn't realize it was the same guy when I saw him arresting Sara. It was dark when they showed up to put her in cuffs. I knew he looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why."

"So…why kill Sara?" Alison stared into his creepy blue eyes.

"I've got a name." Caleb had been searching through the police precinct database. "James Bristow."

He showed another photo, this one personal.

Alison felt a roiling sensation in her stomach.

It wasn't his eyes she was drawn to…or his face. It was a tattoo that had been covered in the other two photos.

She had seen him before, too.

The man with the tattoo.

Cape May.

She could barely recall that night at the bar, but the part of the memory she did have resurfacing was the tattoo.

Charlotte met him in Cape May.

"He'll wait for me." Last Valentine's Day, Charlotte had been so sure that she'd get out of Radley and someone would be waiting for her.

"He was in Cape May." Alison blurted out.

The room fell silent.

Emily peered at her in realization. Alison hadn't been able to tell her exactly what had triggered her panic attack on the cliff, but she'd remembered bits and pieces of Wilden and another man.

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything from Cape May." Spencer analyzed the look on her face…her posture…searching for an answer before Alison could give one.

"I didn't. I…I don't. But I had this flash…the tattoo. I recognize the tattoo. Charlotte was with him."

Emily nodded, like it was the confirmation she was looking for. It explained why she had frozen earlier.

She reached for Alison empathetically.

"The memory was there…" Alison let Emily rake her fingers through her hair and cup her cheek, "…and then it wasn't. But I remember Darren being there. And I remember that guy with him…and Charlotte was all over him."

"So he's been around since the beginning." Spencer stared at the man. "With Charlotte."

"Guess where Bristow works security on his off days?" Caleb asked.

"Welby." Emily knew before he said it.

"Bingo."

"I think I might have seen him there when I went to confront Charlotte, but he seems like he's just a face in the crowd. He blends in." Emily tried to recall her visit, but all she could remember was facing off with Charlotte. "He would have access to let anyone in to see her…without Welby knowing. Without anyone knowing. Including Sara."

"Charlotte said she had a boyfriend. She said he would wait on her. When I visited her last Valentine's Day she inferred that she was flirting with someone on staff. Could it have been him?" Alison asked. "Maybe he's not 'the one who will wait for her', but he sure as hell knows something."

"It's possible. If we find out who is bankrolling him to do the dirty work we'll have more to go on." Caleb nodded. He was excited about the breakthrough. "He's not stupid enough to use his personal bank account for the payments…or at least whoever has the money wouldn't allow it. But let's see what else we can find on him."

Thanks to Caleb's expertise and several more searches they found a profile for him.

"James Bristow. Thirty-two years old. Raised in Alabama. Moved to Pennsylvania when he was seventeen."

"The guy with the southern accent." It immediately registered in Emily's brain. She looked at Alison. "The one we heard when you were talking to Charlotte after Sara was arrested."

Someone with a southern accent had interrupted their conversation and Charlotte had hung up.

It all fit.

"It doesn't say anything about his family, but if he left home when he was that young it reasons to stand he's not on good terms with them." Caleb said. "No criminal record that I can see. Got his GED and went to two semesters at Hollis before transferring to Villanova. In his Freshman introduction for likes and hobbies he listed football, cars, media production, and…" Caleb paused. It sounded like someone had punched him in the gut, "The NAT Club."

"Are you serious?" Alison's eyes widened. "I guess it was wishful thinking to hope that horrible little club…" she spit the word, "was over with."

Garrett, Ian, Jenna, Melissa, and Jason had all been big proprietors. She had always wondered if there were more.

Jason had assured her it was over, but maybe it wasn't.

"Another NAT perv?" Spencer squeezed the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"Explains why he was friends with Garrett." Emily frowned and faced Alison. "You think Jason might know him?"

"Maybe. But they definitely wouldn't have gone to school together. My parents saw to it that after Rosewood High that Jason went to the most prestigious university they could get him in to. It was all optics for them." Alison curled her lips in disgust. "I'll call him."

"And I'll do a deep dive on this James Bristow guy." Caleb stopped sharing his computer screen with the documents and photos. His face was in the frame again. "This is something we should let Hanna and Aria in on. Not the Ezra stuff, but the fact that we found a connection between this cop and Charlotte. And the car being left at the cemetery. Em, you said you saw the same car following you and Alison in Rosewood."

"I think so."

"So let's tell Hanna and Aria that we looked into the car that was trailing you."

"I'll talk to Aria. We're having dinner to plan some of Hanna's engagement party tonight." Spencer offered.

"I've got Hanna. I told her I would check in before we both crash for the night." Caleb replied.

"Toby was not happy with me nagging him." Spencer faced Emily. "Will you update him about Theodore Kim being the driver of the car and about James Bristow?"

"Of course."

"Reiterate to him that he is not under any circumstances allowed to play the hero. Because you and I both know he will." Spencer looked at Emily nervously, the way a worried lover would.

"I promise."

But the words felt hollow. Spencer seemed to sense it, but she couldn't say anything about it. Because she knew that it was a promise that none of them could keep.

Emily, least of all.

After they finished the call, Spencer left to get back to the hotel.

When the front door shut, Emily wordlessly walked out of the living room to call Toby.

She asked him for something during their conversation.

A few minutes later she returned with a small beach bag.

"A little cold for a beach trip, isn't it?" Alison saw a peculiar look on her face. "You have a face."

"I do." Emily didn't deny it.

"I don't trust that face."

"Good. You definitely shouldn't. Because we're not going to the beach."

The second Emily heard about Ezra she had developed a Plan B. Her father had taught her to always have a Plan B.

"Spencer is going to be hyper-focused on James Bristow. And she should be. But we need to take on the other piece of the puzzle. The money the Fitzgerald's were sending to an off-shore account with no name. Ezra was in Europe. Maybe he followed the money and found out where it led."

Alison's face contorted into a mixture of irritation and disgust.

"How exactly do you plan to get in touch with him?" She didn't want to say his name. It felt dirty.

"By getting his attention." Emily nodded towards the bag. "I have a burner. I got it for emergencies. But I don't want to activate it and use it here."

Alison should have been surprised that her girlfriend had the foresight to plan such an elaborate idea, but given everything they had been through it wasn't shocking at all. Both of them had learned skills that most people didn't have.

"Where are we going?" Alison asked.

"The boardwalk. It stays busy. And I know where the cameras are so we can avoid them. We'll leave our phones here and bike out to there. Avoids our phones being pinged and we can avoid traffic cameras. Once we're there I'll put the battery in the burner and activate it…"

"Have you been getting secret hacker lessons or something?"

"This is something I learned from my dad. The area of stealth. Since it's a burner we can cover our tracks. Thousands of people use their phones at the boardwalk every day. It all goes through the same tower. It will be impossible to track."

"And if we don't hear back from him?" Alison asked.

"We will." Emily wasn't so sure about that, but she wanted to seem confident.

Alison bought the confidence that Emily was selling. They didn't exactly have a ton of other options.

Alison didn't have much to say on their bike ride out. At the very least she was getting plenty of exercise.

The boardwalk was crowded with teenagers and young adults visiting little shops and stands that had a variety of food and souvenirs.

Alison had dressed down and tried to disguise her appearance so she wouldn't gather the attention of her fans. She was donning casual-wear and an oversized baseball cap to shield her face.

Emily took stock of her once they arrived at the boardwalk.

"That hat looks ridiculous…" Emily pressed her lips together when she saw Alison shoot her an undistinguishable look, but she was certain it was warning her not to mock her fashion choices, "…ridiculous-ly adorable on you."

She tried to salvage it.

It worked, because Alison took her hand and smiled.

They made it through the crowd, blending in seamlessly.

Emily found a secluded area hidden in the shadows and activated the phone. She pulled out a small slip of paper with Ezra's number. Toby had gotten the information for her when she had called him, but not before giving her significant warning,

"He's unstable…"

"I realize that. But I think he'll be more willing to talk to us than you. No offense."

"He could be dangerous, Emily."

"Who ISN'T a danger to us at this point? I promise I'll be careful."

He'd grumbled and guffawed like a grumpy old man trying to protect a child, but he'd given her what she wanted.

She stared at the number to make sure it was right and then quickly composed the message,

We need to talk. We know the truth about your family.

It was a bluff. She only knew partial truths, but sometimes all you had to do was bluff a little bit about your hand to gain interest.

For a moment she debated on how she wanted to sign off on the text. She wasn't going to use her real name.

-Pip and Estella

She was hoping he'd get the Great Expectations reference. It had been Alison's favorite book when they were in high school. After Alison's 'body' was found Emily read it obsessively. She'd written a report on it in his class.

Ezra knew everything about them, and he'd most assuredly associate Alison with Estella and Emily with Pip.

"Now what?" Alison stared at the screen.

"Now we blend in some more. Let's get some cotton candy. I've got cash." Emily had come prepared.

No credit card statements could be tracked.

"You really think a sugar high is a good idea right now?" Alison smiled picturing Emily's tongue turning blue from the dye in the sugar.

"I mean…I could find someone who has something stronger and we could get high high." Emily slipped the phone into her pocket.

"Wow, California has really turned you into a hippie." Alison had a bemused look in her eyes.

"Alison, I drive an eco-friendly rainbow van and pick up lost souls who need help. I'm the definition of a hippie." Emily grabbed both of her hands and laughed, pulling her out of the shadows. "If you don't want cotton candy there are other choices of candy. For instance…rock candy."

"Emily Fields, is that slang for 'the devil's grass'?" Alison teased, holding a hand up to her chest and clutching it like the thought horrified her. She continued to play along, "Weed. I'm asking if that's code for weed."

"There could be a strain named after rock candy, so probably," Emily said with a shrug.

"How do you know that?"

"One of the girls in my pharmacology class did a study on the medicinal qualities of marijuana for pain patients recovering from physical injuries."

"That's really cool." Alison smiled. "You still think you want to go into physical rehabilitation and PT?"

"Maybe. There are a lot of things I could do with my combined skills."

"You'd be the best damn Mermaid doctor in the sea." Alison wrapped her arms around the brunette and hugged her.

Emily pushed Alison's wild wind-blown hair away from her face. The blonde tilted her head back and Emily brought her lips down upon Alison's.

Among the sea of people they were just another couple out having a good time. It felt nice. It felt normal.

They wandered the boardwalk, waiting for a response from the disgraced ex-teacher.

They didn't end up with cotton candy or rock candy.

Instead they found a pretzel shop and split a large soft pretzel filled with cheese.

They watched people walking by…people completely oblivious to the dangerous world that Alison and Emily lived in.

"It's nice out here." Alison sighed. "Maybe one day we could do this for real."

"This is for real." Emily took a sip of her water. She lowered her voice. "Just because we're on a super-secret mission doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves…"

She offered the last piece of the pretzel to Alison.

"Wardrobe is going to kill me if I don't fit in my dress later this week." Alison shook her head, but her eyes were still on the soft delicious carbohydrates.

Her brain was saying no, but her mouth and her stomach were screaming at her to eat it.

"It's one pretzel." Emily pushed the leftover piece towards her.

"You're right." Alison greedily went for it. "I need to work on having a more positive relationship with the foods I eat."

She smiled at Emily. The brunette had always been body-positive. Not just with her, but with all of their friends.

A buzzing sound interrupted Alison as she finished the last of their snack.

Emily discreetly pulled the phone out and Alison scooted closer so she could see the reply,

Not safe. If they find out I'm talking to you it will make things worse. One person is already dead. You need to watch yourselves.

Who is 'they'? Emily asked.

This can not be discussed in this manner. Stop trying to reach me. Destroy this phone and forget my number.

Before Emily could reply, another message came through,

I'll be in touch very soon. I know how to find you.

"Not creepy at all," Emily muttered.

When she tried to respond she got an error message.

"Did he block the number?" Alison asked.

"Not sure. But his non-answer gave us an answer."

"He definitely knows something." Alison nodded in agreement.

Whatever he had discovered clearly had him running scared. The interaction Toby had with him in Rosewood was proof of the older man's paranoia. But it was his response to their text that shed light on the fact that his knowledge might be deadly. Someone had gone to incredible lengths to try and keep them in the dark, and now the answers they were seeking were at their fingertips. The only problem was that those answers were in the hands of someone none of them trusted.

---

A/N: Mysteries and puzzles abound. Secrets and lies, too. But as you can probably tell, even when these girls are cranky with one another the love is still there.

I find it quite rude that dark memories of Charlotte and Wilden interrupted that fluffy moment on The California Kissing Rock. At least Spencer had the decency to text...and narrate her every move as she was walking into the condo. Though it was annoying that the past interrupted Emison kisses, the nuance and duality of the flashback in Cape May was interesting to write/edit.

I know we had some major reveals (36 MILLION DOLLARS, MR. FITZ-SCARY? TO WHOM!? Also...who the heck is this tattoo guy? And where does Ezra get the audacity to be so damn condescending?), but I personally enjoyed some of the little interactions the most (Rhonda/Emily and the scary debate about pineapple pizza, Alison and her idea to run blindfolded in heels, The Kissing Rock, Emily booping Alison, overprotective Spencer...she worries about her bae, and Emily and Bud).

What will the next piece of the puzzle be? And will they solve it before it's too late?