Hey guys! This is going to be a oneshot collection from some Emison we could've (or should've) seen in the series.
Context for this first oneshot: Alison never went missing. The girls put some limits on her bitchy behavior, so she's trying her best. Alison saves Emily from Ben in the locker room instead of Toby.
Alison tapped her foot as she waited for Emily. She had agreed to study at the brunette's after the brunette's swim practice, but Emily was running late and it was annoying the blonde. Alison checked her silver watch again and flipped her golden hair, humming impatiently as she decided to burst into the locker rooms and drag Emily out of there, not without making a scene first, of course. No one left the Queen Bee waiting, not even Emily (but she admits that she has a soft spot for her mermaid).
She was getting close to the locker room when she heard a yell:
"No, Ben, I said stop!"
It was Emily. Then, the sound of a body hitting the lockers echoed through the halls and it bid Alison to run faster as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The Queen Bee wasn't one who got scared easily, yet it felt like her heart was going to pierce a hole through her chest. The thought of something bad happening to Emily made her shiver. Ben was there, Alison knew as much. But she never trusted him. Emily was too good for him.
Alison found Ben pressing Emily against the locker, her swimsuit ripped apart. She took him by surprise and pushed him away from Emily with all her might. Alison wasn't stronger than Ben and she knew that, but the adrenaline in her veins and her protective instincts had kicked in. She would never let anything hurt Emily, not on her watch.
"Stay away from her, you stupid idiot!" Alison yelled as she pulled Emily behind her. In that moment, Alison wished she was taller, so she could tower over Emily protectively and be an actual threat to Ben.
Ben hit his head on the fall and ended up with a cut above his eyebrow. He was bleeding a lot and Alison doubted he could see a thing, which would be an advantage for her and Emily. She had expected Ben to come swinging at her, but he just stared at her like a deer in the headlights.
"If I ever see you coming next to her, I will destroy you!"
Ben scrambled to his feet and left like the coward he was. The blonde sighed when she saw him walk out the door. Then, she heard Emily sliding down against the lockers, head in her hands as she cried. The sight broke her heart. Alison didn't want to think about what might have happened if she had been one second too late or if she hadn't been there at all.
"Sweetie, it's gonna be okay, you're safe now," Alison whispered as she wrapped Emily in a hug. Emily flinched instinctively and Alison scolded herself mentally for being so careless. So, she backed away to give Emily more room to breathe. As she did, Alison noticed that Ben had managed to rip Emily's swimsuit and that part of her chest was exposed.
Emily ducked her head in embarrassment when she followed Alison's eyes to her chest. Alison saw and averted her gaze, not wanting Emily to feel worse than she may already be feeling. She took off her white cardigan, wrapped it around Emily's shoulders, and adjusted it so it would cover Emily's chest. The brunette widened her eyes in surprise, but Alison herself didn't want to overthink about the gesture. The cardigan was a tight fit because Emily was taller and more athletic than her, but it served its purpose as Alison gathered the rest of Emily's stuff in the room.
"I'm going to turn around now while you get dressed, Em," Alison announced as she spun on her heels and turned her back to Emily. She wanted to give her privacy. "I'm right here, you can talk to me if you want," she added, hoping that Emily would open up to her, but the brunette said nothing until after she got dressed.
"Ali," her whisper was so faint and broken that Alison barely heard it. She turned around to find Emily still with her white cardigan thrown over her clothes, her arms crossed across her body as if she were protecting herself. "I'm sorry."
Alison would have been outraged if she hadn't been so upset. Emily didn't need to apologize, she was the victim. And the blonde would make that clear to her.
"Why are you apologizing?! You haven't done anything wrong, you're the victim, Em!" She raised her voice, but didn't realize it until she saw Emily flinch. Alison regretted her sharp tone immediately. Emily didn't need a full blown rant on how she was a victim; she just needed to feel safe and comforted. "Sweetie..."
"I should've just given him what he wanted."
"No," Alison stepped closer and held her hand to cut Emily short gently, "He shouldn't have forced himself on you. He should've stopped when you told him to."
A part of Alison regretted letting him go. He needed to bleed a little more for what he tried to do to Emily. She shook her head, trying to focus on being there for Emily instead.
"What if he's outside waiting for me?"
The thought made her blood boil, but there was no way Alison would let Ben touch Emily again. She'd scream, throw punches and claw him. He may be much stronger than her, but she had someone to fight for.
"I'm not letting him get anywhere near you, I promise," Alison joined their fingers, watching as they fit together like puzzle pieces. Emily held onto her hand like she was holding onto her own life. Her grip was so strong that it almost cut off Ali's blood circulation, but she didn't have the heart to complain. Instead, she just led Emily out of the locker room and stole her car keys. "I'm driving, by the way."
Alison never let go of Emily's hand, not even while she was driving. She let Emily pull her wrist to her lap and play with her fingertips. She checked on her whenever there was a red light. She wasn't really used to driving with one hand on the wheel only, but for Emily she'd do it.
Emily was quiet on the drive back to her house. Alison contemplated on calling the other girls because they would know what to do. Spencer definitely had read on the subject and would know how to deal with Emily. Aria was the most compassionate in the group, so she would know what to say. Hanna might not be the brain of the group or the most compassionate, but she would know how to comfort Emily. Meanwhile, all Alison knew was how to plot revenge for what Ben had done and, while that was tempting, it didn't solve what mattered the most.
But it wasn't something Alison could tell somebody else. It was Emily's and Emily's only. She'd support the brunette in whatever she decided. That was everything she could do. Alison could be her fortress, someone to hold on to, yet she didn't know how. This wasn't something people were taught at school.
Deciding they needed to get into Emily's house, Alison went to open her door. Immediately, Emily grabbed her wrist in a frenzy.
"Wait!" She said as she looked like a deer in the headlights. "Please, don't tell my mom. Or the girls. Or anyone. Please, Alison!"
She wouldn't. God, Alison knew this wasn't her story to tell.
"I promise. But I know that they'd support and love you, Em."
"I can't deal with this right now," Emily breathed hard and Alison saw that she was having a panic attack. "And, please, don't turn this into a secret you'll hold over my head, Ali."
It stabbed Alison right in the heart, but she supposed she deserved it. She was trying to be a better friend to all of them, really. Her scheming days were over, but that didn't mean that she had won back their trust.
Instead of moping around at Emily's lack of trust in her, Alison chose to focus on bringing Emily out of her panic attack. She slid closer to the brunette, checking for any signs of her being uncomfortable with their distance, but there none. Emily just stared back. Then, Alison pressed her forehead against Emily's and started to take slow and rhythmic breaths. Eventually, Emily mimicked her breathing pattern and it settled down her panic attack.
"It won't be, Em," Alison swore, her eyes still locked with the brunette's. "I just want you to know that you can lean on me if you need anything, really. I wish there was a way to fix it, but I can't."
Emily smiled, albeit shyly, and it made Alison sigh in relief. The brunette caressed Alison's hair and reveled in that sweet embrace. For a moment, it felt like time stopped and they stalled a little more.
"Can you just hold my hand like right now when we enter my house?" Emily asked.
"I can," Alison nodded and squeezed Emily's hand. She'd do anything to make her feel better.
If Mrs. Fields thought there was anything wrong, she didn't show it. She just made weird faces at their joined hands, but Alison couldn't bring herself to care because all she wanted was to support Emily. They rushed to Emily's bedroom and told her mom they would be studying. Emily could barely say a thing, so it was Alison who handled their interactions with her mom. Mrs. Fields' judgmental stare annoyed her a little.
As soon as they got into her room, Emily said she needed a shower and went straight to the bathroom. Alison waited for her, straining her ears in case she heard any weird sounds coming from the bathroom. Every minute she waited was nerve-wracking.
Emily spent one hour in the shower. She came back wearing her Rosewood Sharks shirt, boy shorts, and Alison's cardigan on top of that. Emily had her arms wrapped herself, clutching and twirling the threads of Alison's cardigan. The sight broke the blonde's heart. She wished she could swipe in and stop the pain Emily was feeling. Or that she could turn back time and somehow stop Emily from going to practice. So many thoughts in her head, yet Alison didn't know how to react. She just needed to pull Emily closer to her, so the brunette could see that she was not alone.
"Em, come here," Alison patted on the spot right beside her so Emily could sit next to her. Suddenly, Emily grabbed her by the neck and kissed her. Alison jumped back slightly in surprise. She wanted to reciprocate, but she knew Emily was kissing her for all the wrong reasons this time, so Alison gently pushed her away.
Emily looked dazed and confused, as if she had just woken up from a haze. Tears filled her eyes as she mistook that as rejection.
"Sorry, you made it clear you didn't want me in that way."
Alison remembered the day she rejected Emily in the locker room. It was the thing she regretted the most in her life because she had lied about her feelings, but she couldn't unpack that on Emily right now. Emily was in a vulnerable state. There was no space in her mind for them to sort out their feelings, at least for the time being.
"It's not about that, Em," she whispered. "You're really vulnerable right now."
Emily nodded and sobbed.
"I feel dirty. I feel him all over my skin. I tried to scrub it away, but I couldn't. I just want to forget that."
"Sweetie..."
Then Alison understood what it was. Emily wasn't seeking comfort only; she wanted to forget about Ben touching her. Alison wished she could give it to her, but it just wouldn't be right, not when Emily was in such a vulnerable state. So, she settled for wrapping her arms around the brunette, drawing her in for a hug. Emily flinched in surprise at first, but relaxed and allowed herself to cry in the blonde's arms, burying her face into her neck. The Queen Bee's scent was surprisingly calming.
Alison squeezed her tighter against her own body and pressed her nose against Emily's black hair.
"It's gonna be okay, I promise," Alison knew she had no place in making such promises, but she would go out of her way to help Emily feel okay again.
Emily just nodded against her shoulder and Alison felt her body relaxing over time. Somehow, Emily managed to fall asleep in her arms and Alison didn't have the heart to leave her. So, she just leaned back on the mattress so they both could rest.
The girls knew something was up. They had seen the huge cut on Ben's eyebrow and heard the rumors of Ben getting into a fight with another boy over Emily, who claimed, on the other hand, that their breakup had been mutual and nothing else. There were a few missing pieces in that story, but the girls knew Emily didn't really like sharing details about her love life.
What was really off was how Alison was behaving. For all of her flaws, Alison had always been loyal and protective towards the group. Yet, it seemed like that protective behavior had gone up the roof when it came to Emily. She'd walk her to class and wait for her whenever she had swimming practice.
When they confronted Alison about it, she had claimed it was Emily's story to tell at the same time she made them promise they wouldn't coerce her into telling that story. Alison had sworn off lying to the other girls, but it wasn't a lie, it was just an omission. More importantly, it was Emily's decision to tell the girls or not.
With time, Emily came back to her routine and was feeling better overall. Still, Alison could feel her panic whenever she saw Ben in the halls or whenever his name was mentioned. Emily would forget to breathe and Alison would have to talk her out of a panic attack, if it was first. It wasn't rare that Emily ran to the bathroom to shut herself out of the world. Alison would always follow her and guide her through breathing exercises until Emily was ready to come out again.
To be fair, Alison herself wasn't dealing with this in a good way. She was worried whenever Emily was going. That idiot Ben was still part of the swim team, which meant he had plenty of opportunities to try to ambush Emily again. Alison would worry about being one second too late to get to Emily and that he would get to her first. She'd worry about what would happen if she wasn't there to stop that and it was driving her insane to the point she'd have nightmares about it. Alison didn't tell Emily about that because she knew this was nothing close to what the brunette was going through. But it still hurt.
It couldn't go on like that, she decided. So, Alison took matters into her own hands. She knew all the wrong people in all the right places. Then, she found all kinds of heavy drugs she could come up with, planted them on Ben's backpack, and made sure he got caught by sending an anonymous tip to the swim coach. Ben was suspended from the team and his parents sent him to boarding school in South Dakota. He denied doing anything wrong, but the evidence was there.
Alison swore she would take that secret to the grave. Despite everything that happened, Alison knew she would be disappointed at her. Still, she underestimated how much Emily knew her. A few nights later, the brunette knocked on the blonde's door to confront her:
"Alison, you were the one who framed Ben, weren't you?"
She assumed that Emily was disappointed. Alison had promised her and the girls that she wouldn't go back to her old ways. Still, she had to get rid of Ben and she had no regrets.
"Em, you were having panic attacks whenever you saw him. And I hated the thought of him trying to ambush you again. So, yes, I got rid of him and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant I got to keep you safe," Alison confessed in her best attempt at a Queen Bee pose while her heart was beating so fast she felt like she could actually pass out. Alison hated to disappoint Emily. It was one of the biggest reasons she decided to change her ways.
Instead of reprimanding her, Emily just hugged her on a whim and whispered a lot of thank yous in her ear. It startled Alison at first, but she hugged Emily back, feeling her body relax once she saw that Emily wasn't mad at her.
"I don't like that you had to do it, but I'm glad you did it," Emily said as she let go of her.
"It was the one thing I could do to help you, Em. I know I'm not a great friend and I don't always say the right thing. But I care about you, Em. A lot more than you think of."
Emily ran a hand through Ali's golden locks and smiled:
"Ali, you've been supporting me all this time and you've been great. I don't want you to be perfect, I want you to be you. And I love when the real Ali shows through. You make me feel safe."
"Thanks, Em. But I think your parents should know. And the girls too," Alison sighed. "You don't have to carry this pain alone."
"I wanna tell them. My mom thinks I'm hiding something and I can't lie to my dad. And the girls know that something is up."
Alison held Emily's hand and gave it a squeeze.
"It's gonna be okay. They're going to support you."
"I know. Will you be there for me?" Emily asked with those big puppy eyes and Alison couldn't say no. Not that she'd ever want to.
"If you want to, sweetie, I'll be there."
Emily told her parents first. Alison was there to hold her hand through it all. They were angry, scared, but mostly worried about their little girl, showering her with their love and unwavering support. They had also thanked Alison a lot, Mrs. Fields saying she would always be welcome for dinner and Mr. Fields claiming that she was one brave woman for running into danger instead of away from it. Alison just reassured them that she had only done the right thing and that Emily was the bravest woman she knew.
Things weren't really different with their friends. Alison held Emily's hand through that too. Spencer started to recite a number of ways they could get away with murder. Alison had to stop Hanna from leaving the house and chasing Ben all the way to South Dakota. Aria just hugged Emily and assured her it was going to be okay.
They all fell asleep on the same bed that night. It was a tight fit, but they made it work.
Emily began therapy with a Dr. Sullivan so she could work through her trauma and it was good for her. Despite all the support she had, there were still some demons she had to slay on her own.
A good while later, Alison asked her out. It was the easiest yes of Emily's life, second only to "Will you marry me?", which came after they graduated from college.