Pretty Little Liars 1. A New Beginning

**Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a Pretty Little Liars story. **

**I'm not exactly sure how often this will be updated, I am a full time college student and have a hectic schedule. But I promise to update as often as I can, and that I will absolutely finish this story!**

**This is a slow burn Emison story with hints of other pairings. Rated M for future chapters! The story is in Emily's POV but depending on how the story goes, it may flip to Alison in a couple of chapters. **

**I do not own any of the characters! Flashbacks are in italics. This is set far into the future and events that happened in high school have been altered to my liking. I've tried to catch all the typos but sometimes something just slips past me. Please R&amp;R. :)  
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Landing in Los Angeles left me drained and missing the simple life back in Rosewood. Being here was like being thrown into a whole new world and suddenly, I wanted to catch a flight back home and run back into my mom's arms. It put a serious dent in my confidence that I built up these last few years in college. Now, I was 27 years old and stepping into the corporate world.

Getting off the plane finally after a close to six hour flight left my legs feeling numb. I had the window seat which made it less of a pain but the man to my left had decided my shoulder was a good place to take a nap. I was just thankful he wasn't the type to drool. It was harmless so I let the man be, despite not having exchanged a word with him prior to take off. I had spent most of my time staring out the window and fingering my engagement ring.

It the past week my life had taken a total 360. It started with my application for a job in Los Angeles on a drunk dare, courtesy of my best friend Hanna. The position was something I had talked to about with her, avoiding the topic with my then girlfriend and now fiancée. I really thought it was going to be my big break but didn't have the guts to do it. To my surprise, they called back and were interested in a series of phone interviews which led me to the face to face interview with the manager at the company. That's when the packing started, Hanna had come to say goodbye which I laughed at her for saying that I'd be back in a week. Her voice still clearly in my ears and I fell back into that moment.

_"Emily, you can't be serious." I gave her a confused look to which earned me a playful slap to my arm. "Hey!" I smiled at her, "What was that for?" Hanna pulled me into a tight hug and whispered, trying to fool herself out of the sorrow deep inside "They're crazy if they don't hire you, Emily. They'd be missing out on a highly determined and intelligent woman." My arms fell to her waist and tightened around her. I tucked a loose strand of her silky blonde hair behind her ear, "Hanna please look at me." I waited patiently, knowing she needed a second to leash her emotions. Seeing her broken up like this chipped away at my heart and when I saw the sadness rooted in her crystal blue eyes, I thought I was going to crack. But I needed to be strong, for both of us. "I'll be back in a week and I'll call every chance I get. It'll be like college." She groaned "College should have been the ride of a lifetime but it seriously sucked without you!"_

_I laughed at her and she just jabbed me in my side, rather roughly. "Hanna, we've been friends since kindergarten. You have to believe that nothing will ever change that, no matter what the distance is." She leaned in a placed a soft kiss on my cheek, her lips lingering longer than considered just friendly but it was just Hanna. She took a seat at the edge of my bed and crossed her right leg over her left. "So, when are you and Maya finally going to take the next step?" I sighed and looked over at her, guilt washed over me because I've never kept anything from Hanna. For some reason, I didn't feel as excited as I should have about my engagement which is why I didn't tell her. _

_I walked over to my nightstand and pulled open the drawer, my fingers wrapped around a small black velvet box. I kept the ring in the box because my engagement didn't feel real. Maya had popped the question at dinner, hours before her flight to Tokyo and that left no time to celebrate. The ring had been on my finger until she got on the plane and left. I was rooted to the spot and held the small box in my hands, a storm of emotions coursing through my body. Hanna's voice pulled me out back "Emily?" I turned to look at her and placed the small box in her hands, watching for her reaction because I really didn't know what to say. "She…Wow Em, she proposed? Wait, when did this happen?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, praying silently that the small blonde wouldn't skin me alive. "Last week, at dinner a few hours before her flight…"_

_My eyes were still on her, watching as the news finally sunk in. Her reaction was far from what I expected; she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me as tightly as her small body allowed "Congratulations! Em, why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have went out and celebrated!" I felt like I could breathe again, the relief flooding through me in the absence of her anger but in me, there was the absence of excitement. I hugged her tightly and felt myself finally letting go of all my emotion and I began to shake. Hot tears flowed down my cheeks and I buried my face in her neck. I felt her hand run up and down my back, attempting to sooth me. _

_Hanna was my rock, someone to lean on when the world shot me down. Now was no different, she held me while I cried my heart out. What I loved about her is she gave me time; there was no expectation to stop crying instantly or in ten minutes or in the next life time. This was what home felt like, a comforting touch that left all judgments at the door. I didn't know how long I held onto her and cried, but when I stopped there was silence. "Em, why do I get the feeling you aren't exactly thrilled about this?" My arms didn't move from her, I needed this comfort because this was the only thing that was keeping me sane right now. I mumbled into her shoulder "I'm not; it doesn't seem real because she was gone right after. I love her, Han. I love her so much that it hurts but…I don't think I'm in love with her anymore. She's always away on business and I can't blame her for building her career, but it's destroying our relationship." _

_I didn't expect her to say anything after my confession because I didn't even know what to make of it. Hearing myself saying what I felt deep down absolutely broke my heart. I had been trying to avoid these feelings for such a long time. "Maybe you should give it some time Em. Go out there, nail your interview and work things out after with Maya. She's a successful artist launching galleries, maybe a place like Los Angeles is exactly what you both need. She could open up a gallery and buy a studio while you build yourself up in the corporate world."_

I took Hanna's advice despite every part of me screaming out how wrong this was. I turned my phone on after I collected my bag from baggage claim. I didn't find it the extra bag to be necessary, I would have been fine with just a carry on but that was the mistake of having Hanna over when I packed. I stared at my lock screen for a moment, it was a picture of Maya and me together, and I seriously thought about changing it but voted against it. I was supposed to be trying to make things work.

Before I could even think about putting my phone away it rang. I assumed it was my best friend who decided to flood my inbox during my flight. We were apart for just a little over seven hours and I could tell Hanna was starting to feel a little separation anxiety. It would have been nice to have her here, but this was something I had to do on my own. I looked at the name lighting up on my screen and I tensed up. It was Maya, and she was requesting a video chat. When we last saw each other it was the night of her proposal, and I didn't tell her about the job opportunity out here in Los Angeles. I probably should have, considering if everything went well I'd be packing up and moving out here. A part of me wanted to decline the call and wait until I got to my hotel room to call her back. This wasn't the place to talk about the job opportunity or how I failed to mention it.

I sighed instantly growing frustrated with the situation. I pulled out my headphones, plugged them into my phone and sat down on one of the many benches nearby. I accepted the call and was instantly greeted with the woman I'd be spending the rest of my life with. She was glowing with excitement; I wished I could share the feeling with her.

"Emily!" she smiled, "I'm so happy to see your beautiful face! I'm sorry we haven't been in contact, I've got a crazy schedule and the time difference is insane." I nodded in understanding "Maya, I get it. Work is crazy but this is your future, and it's important." I saw the amount of love and adoration in her eyes; the amount of guilt I felt tore me to shreds. How could I string her along with all the lies and my unsure feelings? "I got lucky, Em. I have beautiful fiancée waiting back home for my return. Babe, I promise as soon as I get back we'll start the wedding plans!" Waiting back home, I scoffed at the idea. Maya seemed to expect me to be some kind of house wife because of her success.

Unfortunately, I didn't fit the bill because I was out in Los Angeles trying to make a name for myself. That's exactly why I hadn't told Maya about the position. My guilt had suddenly changed into anger "Maya, we need to talk." Her smile fell into a frown "Is everything okay? I know I haven't exactly been there for you lately but…" she stopped mid-sentence and I could hear her phone ringing in the background.

I suddenly had the urge to end the call or better yet break off my engagement. Was it so wrong of me to actually want to love the woman I'm supposed to marry? I loved her, I did but there were parts of me that ached for a physical connection with someone. I sighed, my vision clouding with tears "You should probably get that, might be something important."

She looked over at me with regret "I'm sorry, babe. I'll be in touch when I can. I love you." The words came out so easily "I love you too, Maya." Just like that, the call was over and I was left staring at a black screen. Anger wasn't something I felt on a daily basis or very often, so when it came around I didn't know exactly how to deal with it. I shoved my feelings aside and picked up my bags knowing I had a long week ahead of me. I wished that I had taken Hanna up on her offer to come along. There was that small voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that I didn't need anyone to help me, that I was an adult and could do this on my own.

According to the manager of the company, my hotel room and ride from the airport had been all taken care of. It didn't come as a surprise considering this was a multi-million dollar real estate company looking to hire an assistant for their CEO. I had done a fair amount of research pertaining to the job and the company itself, I even tried to do a little digging on the CEO. I was mildly surprised when I came up empty handed but didn't waste my time on it, they probably wanted to keep their life somewhat private.

The area wasn't packed, partially because of the time I had wasted but more so because more people tended to fly out during the evening to arrive in the morning. I scanned the remaining drivers waiting for their passengers; it only took seconds to find a man in a suit holding up a sign that had "Emily Fields" written on it. I grumbled because I wouldn't be a Fields for much longer if we went through with this marriage. I cursed myself; from this moment on I wouldn't think about Maya for the remainder of my time in Los Angeles.

When I reached him he gave me a questioning look, "Are you Emily?" I nodded and he smiled in return. "Please, let me take your bags out to the car." Before I could object he had already taken them from my hands and began to walk out the automatic sliding doors. Feeling a bit awkward, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and followed him on out the doors. By the time I had caught up to him, he was already holding the door open for me. I wasn't sure what stunned me more, his behavior or that the car provided wasn't a normal taxi but what I assumed was one of their private vehicles. "Thank you…" my voice trailed off, I wanted to thank him properly but was aware that he hadn't even introduced himself.

Thankfully he took my cue and smiled "Will." Will, it suited him in a strange way. He had blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and a 5 o'clock shadow coming in. If it wasn't for his smile and the ways his eyes lit up, he probably could've been mistaken for a snob. "Thank you, Will." He closed the door once I stepped in and sunk back into the seats. It was like lying down on a cloud in comparison to the airline seats. I didn't even hear the driver side door open and close until Will chuckled, "Comfortable?" I smiled "It definitely beats sitting on a plane for nearly six hours."

He nodded in response. I was generally a quite person, especially around those I didn't know but he made that rather impossible. My fear of unfriendly people in LA seemed to wash off; if everyone was a friendly as him then I had nothing to be scared of. We made small talk, mostly about what made me apply and how I came to find out about the position. There was one question I was dying to ask and before I could think twice, it was too late. "Do you know what the guy in charge is like? I mean, not that I want to pry for information but if I'm going to be working with him I'd like to at least know something." When he laughed at my question, I was a bit confused. Did I say something funny? Or was this some kind of humor that only folks from LA would understand?

He cleared his throat and looked back at me through the rear view mirror, "Let's start with the fact that your boss is a woman. You're super sweet, she'll like that but don't let her step all over you. Miss Dilaurentis has a thing for putting people in her place. Don't worry; she's a good person and a nice boss. Even though some people really question her ability because she's so young and they all consider her a brat. There's been talk of her father being on the board and that's the only reason she's in that position. I think differently, the last CEO was very impressed with Miss Dilaurentis and her fighting spirit. He had a lot to do with her promotion."

My heart dropped at the name Dilaurentis. It couldn't be, please be anyone but her I pleaded in my head. Not the same blue eyed, blonde girl that had stolen my heart and then proceeded to stomp on it. Surely there had to be a thousand other people with the same last name. Or was this payback? Had Alison seen my name on the list of people to be interviewing for the assistant position and purposely had me get this far into the process? No, stop I told myself. The manager was handling this and not the CEO. I groaned internally and felt the overwhelming need to get Hanna out her to keep me from losing it. I felt sick to my stomach, wanting nothing more to lie down in my room and sleep it off. If the head of the company was really Alison, could we really put everything in the past and move on? Worst of all, how would Maya react?

Maya was the one that spent the time to mend the pieces of my broken heart when Alison lied to us all and left Rosewood, leaving us to pick up the pieces of broken friendships. It was Maya who held me when I cried from all the nightmares that plagued me after everything. She had spent years mending my broken heart. I couldn't deny that when I heard the name Dilaurentis my heart dropped, but there a slight fluttering in my stomach and my palms were sweating. Did I still feel something for the girl that broke my heart years ago?

"How long until we get to the hotel, Will?" He seemed to feel the change in my mood because his response was short "About another ten minutes, Ms. Fields." He focused all of his attention on the road and I drifted off into a sea of my own thoughts.


	2. A Twisted Fate

**Hey guys! Happy Monday :)**

**I'm surprised at the response this story has received. I'm grateful to all of you that have followed this story and especially to those who have reviewed! **

**By the way, in this story A has never existed and never will. There's a small peak of high school in this chapter and it will be explored more soon. I'm excited to put this chapter up and really hope you guys enjoy it! R&amp;R :)**

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Will had taken my things up to my room after he insisted on checking me in. Before he left, he offered to stick around in case I wanted a lift somewhere out on the town to have dinner. I politely declined still feeling a bit ill from the flight and uncovering the identity of the mystery CEO. He left me his business card before he left; apparently he was rooted to my side until my departure from LA later this week. It was nice to know that I didn't have to go through the trouble of hailing a cab every time I wanted to go out. The only thing I wanted to do right now was sleep. The time change and sitting in one area for so long had seriously put me in a state of exhaustion.

I fell back onto the king sized bed and sighed as it shaped around my body. The room was massive, the bathroom was practically the size of the bedroom then there was still a dressing room and a walk in closet. The most tempting part about the room was the fireplace which was conveniently located by the bed.

I thought about calling my best friend, she was the only person I wanted to talk to right now. But I couldn't will myself to call her at the moment. Sure, she would probably be pissed at me in the morning but I wasn't ready to hear her reaction about Alison. How could I be sure it was Alison anyway? Maybe I could put my mind at ease by doing at quick search on LinkedIn just to get an idea of how many women had the last name Dilaurentis and if they were listed under the company I was interviewing for. That still required some type of movement from the bed and I groaned at the thought. I should've had Will still around, at least I would have had someone to bring me my laptop from my carry-on bag.

Now, that just made me sound lazy which was really unlike me at all. I was always very active throughout my entire life and it got me through college, a full ride thanks to a swimming scholarship. It would have been easy to continue as an athlete but being a part of that world didn't seem to be the right choice. I believed in hard work, striving to meet goals and working hard to earn money. Athletes didn't have their talent handed to them on a silver platter but it didn't take as much out of them. Being the daughter of a military man put things into a different perspective. I smiled at the thought of my father and how I wished he was still here.

He had always known what to say to drag me out of my moods. He probably would've known the exact thing to do right now, he always did. I missed him a lot, part of me wilted away when he passed. Sergeant Wayne Fields, he would be remembered for his heroic actions on the battlefield to his military buddies. His students would remember him as a hard ass during training but a father to the lot of them outside of training. My mother had taken it hard and for the longest time she had latched on to me, feeling the need to hold on to watch she had left.

The closer she held on the, the more I pushed her away. Losing a parent was hard, especially the one that supported you through everything. Pam Fields wasn't that parent; she held on to her beliefs and allowed it to shape her life ripping apart our relationship. Being gay to her was the ultimate crime and it killed us. There were times I turned to her for support, but they were rare. We spent years stitching the broken pieces back together.

It was like taking a plate, smashing it on the ground and apologizing to it. It didn't fix things. The plate was still broken and no matter how hard you worked to fix it, it would never be in one piece again. I was the broken plate, and there were only two people in my life that had always picked up the pieces. Okay, I was lying. Three people were there to pick up the pieces but one of them picked up the pieces and then tossed me twice as hard. That's what made this interview suddenly harder to face. Alison was the person who mended my heart and tossed it every single time. It was funny to me because even though she broke me, when she held me I felt close to nearly whole every time.

Alison. All I could think about is her icy blue eyes that melted anytime she looked at someone she truly cared about. The way they pierced through my walls and broke into my heart. She had cut ties with Hanna and I our sophomore year of high school, I would never know the reason why. I always thought it was because I could read her like an open book, but that didn't explain why Hanna. I read her so well because she didn't realize how much time I spent studying her. It know it sounds creepy but I was head over in heels for her, well as much as fourteen year old could be. I tried to memorize every detail of her by heart. The way her eyes lit up like it was Christmas when she was around her father. The darker shade her eyes took on when something bothered her. The spark and impossibly crystal blue they took on after we kissed. I still remembered everything after all these years.

After my very public break up with Ben, rumors started to fly around as to why because apparently we had been the perfect jock couple. I didn't care to keep up the walls about my questioning sexuality to my friends, that was the easy part. Alison had already known, she was the one that had triggered the doubt in my mind. I had hoped my courage would bind us together but it became a sick game of hot and cold. Every time I thought she was ready to become a public item, she pulled away from me even more. It was a hard time for me and I found a friend in Hanna who was Alison's personal pet project. Hanna and I had been friends since kindergarten, but high school made us practically inseparable.

Hanna had a habit of holding my hand in the halls when things got hard at home, and anytime things went sideways with Alison she was glued to my side. The best part was that even though there were rumors I had dumped Ben for Hanna, it never changed our relationship. She made high school bearable and when Alison dumped us both, she held us together. I would be forever grateful to her. When Alison first cut ties with us, it felt like my world had come crashing down on my shoulders. The only option was locking myself in my room and crying until I didn't have any tears left. I thought that was the best solution, but like a true friend, Hanna fought me every step of the way.

_The banging of the door vibrated through the shell of my body, bouncing off every empty surface inside. I was so broken that I didn't think it was possible to fix me. At first I was angry, she fucking used me for her own entertainment and I fell into her trap. Then the sadness came in. It felt like jumping into an icy lake and forgetting that all you had to do was pull yourself out to feel warmth again. More banging, "Emily, I know you're in there! If you don't open the door, I will break in through your window." Hanna. Of course she was here to pick me up, she had been dumped too but it hadn't meant anything to her. Alison and Hanna may have looked alike but were complete opposites. _

_ "__You don't open the door and your mom is seriously going to murder us both for your broken window!" Normally, I would smile at Hanna's antics. It never failed, until now. The blonde wouldn't hesitate to go through with it. Even though my mom put up with my depressed ass all week, that didn't mean she tolerated property damage. I sighed and when I finally spoke for the first time in a week, my throat felt like it was rubbing up against sandpaper. "It's open." It was just enough so the girl threatening to bust my window could hear. I heard the turn of the doorknob and the clicking of heels on the hardwood floor. It was brief; I knew she hadn't reached the carpeted area so she must have been surveying my room. It was a disaster. _

_My mirror was shattered because the first thing that came to my mind when I was angry was to break something. The mirror had shattered so easily when my fist came into contact with it, leaving angry red gashes on my fingers and knuckles. I hadn't bothered to clean the blood off, the only reason it wasn't infected is because of my mother. Apart from that, I had managed to bust the only chair in my room when I threw it at the wall. The floor wasn't any better, it was littered with papers and books that were just added victims of my rage. Around the small trashcan in my room was box after box of tissues. I had cried until it hurt to cry more._

_I was expected to clean up the mess and my mom had made that very clear after the third day, but I couldn't find it in me to move. So the room stayed the way it was, and I didn't move from my bed unless it was necessary. Not that I would count them but they were important to my mom, like family dinner. It was her way of making sure that I was still eating and drinking, even though I was pretty much dead inside. _

_The clicking of heels continued on momentarily and then there was the very soft thump of them hitting the carpet. I felt the bed next to me slightly dip and a warm body press up behind me. Hanna's hand dropped to my waist, instantly tugging me closer. Her hand found mine and she intertwined our fingers. "Hanna…" I could feel every movement from her, right down to the simple shake of her head. "You'll talk when you feel ready. Just relax for right now. Okay?" _

_The words were so simple and easy but they brought a light to the darkness that was consuming me. I turned to face her and she gave me a small smile, "I've missed you. I figured you needed your space but after a few days it was becoming torture." I smiled back at her; it was brief but a step in the right direction. "What would I do without you?" _

_ "__Good question, how about we never think about that because you're going to be stuck with me for the rest of your life." I laid my head down on her chest and sighed in content when her hand drew small circles on my back slowly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." We laid in silence for a while, until we both feel asleep. I was the first to awake that morning, the blondes hands wrapped loosely around me while I used her chest as a pillow. I allowed myself to fall back asleep, it was the first full night I've had all week._

Alison hurt me but she did me a favor, I wasn't her toy for the rest of the year and I got to keep someone I cared about. If you were in Alison's close group of friends and she didn't talk to someone, you were expected to stay away from that individual as well. We lost Spencer and Aria because of that. She chose to keep Spencer as her right hand and Aria as her left hand. They were the IT girls of high school. I still had my swim team friends and then I met Maya my senior year, it wasn't that simple for Hanna. I guess that's why she chose to invest so much time on her relationship with Caleb which ultimately failed because he ended up being a drunk; no one really knew what triggered it.

That didn't matter, Hanna ended up dating Travis and after receiving the third degree from me I had given my full support. He was a real gentleman that actually cared for the blonde and anyone could see it every time he even glanced at her. It made me wonder if Maya ever looked at me like that, like there was no one else in this world. My thoughts turned back to Maya and I felt the full weight of everything that had happened in the past few days. My eyes drooped close finally giving into the stress of a very eventful day.

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I woke up the next morning feeling groggy after being assaulted with dreams of my father. He held my hand while we sat, talking on the pier and watching the sun rise. It would have been something we would have done together. I stretched out in the bed before rolling off the incredibly soft mattress. Note to self: buy the same mattress when moving into an apartment down here. That is if I aced the interview, if not I would still go through the effort to replace it back home.

I walked over to the chair where Will had hung my jacket the night before. I took my phone out of the right side pocket; it continuously vibrated in my hand. The screen flashed when I hit the home button showing I had ten missed calls and over 20 texts, all from Hanna. No voicemail which indicating that she was beyond pissed. There was going to be endless apologies and a huge bouquet of flowers in my near future. Maybe calling her back would have been the right thing to do but she wouldn't have answered.

I would be getting the cold shoulder for a few hours, or more depending on how pissed Hanna really was. Usually she could never go longer than a day. Factoring in the distance and the duration of our separation, it would be short lived. At least I hoped so. I sent her a quick text, apologizing that I hadn't gotten back to her last night and that I'd explain if she gave me a chance. I glanced at the time; there was a little less than two hours to get ready. I sent a quick text over to Will hoping he was available this early in the day, if not I would have to call for a taxi to get over to Vine Industries. His response was quick and brief, "Sure, I'll be over soon with some coffee J".

I took out a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt, a loose blue cardigan and a pair of black lace flats. It was enough to follow the dress code at the company and still feel completely casual. I grabbed my things along with a black lace bra and matching lace boy shorts, and made my way into the bathroom. Upon seeing the massive bathtub, I added it to the list of things to do tonight. Dinner from room service, a glass of wine and a good book sounded like the perfect way to end the night. A quick shower would do for now, since I still had to do my hair and makeup before leaving. Plus, I didn't want to keep Will waiting for long out of respect.

The hot steam from the shower did wonders to my state of mind. I felt ready to face the interview and the rest of the day. I was fully dressed when there was knocking on my door and I jogged out to let Will in. "Hey! I'll just be a few more minutes, but please make yourself at home. I didn't do much investigating last night but I'm sure you can find the television remote somewhere." I stepped aside to let him and he passed over a cup of coffee to me as he walked in. "I wasn't sure what you liked so I guessed, hope a caramel latte is fine." I smiled at him, "It's perfect. Thanks Will, I appreciate it but you really didn't have to."

Will really was a sweetheart and I couldn't help but smile around him. If Hanna didn't have Travis, I definitely wouldn't be against them dating. They were both about the same height and had blue eyes, definitely her type. I glanced back over at him one last time before walking back into the bathroom.

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The ride from the hotel to the company took ten minutes which left twenty minutes to get through security and make my way up to the twenty-fifth floor. Will held the door open for me and took my hand when I stepped out of the back of black matte Tesla. "Good luck Emily, you'll do great. When you get to the security desk make sure to tell them you are a guest here to see Julia Anderson, they'll let you in without giving you the third degree." I thanked him once more before walking towards the large glass doors.

It was a quarter till eleven, meaning I was saved from the rush of employees at lunch hour. The lobby was mostly white, with the exception of the black wooden desk where two security officers were currently standing. The only visible walls matched the incredibly white marble floors. Both security guards turned to look in my direction when I reached the front desk. The woman on the left was the first to greet me, "Good morning, is there something I can help you with?"

"Good morning, I'm Emily Fields. I'm here to see Julia Anderson on the twenty fifth floor." She smiled "Ah, Mrs. Anderson mentioned she'd have a guest this morning. I just need to see an ID and I'd be more than happy to let you on upstairs." This place sure went above what was necessary to let someone in for an interview. Rosewood never required visitors to go through security or give any form of identification. I completely understood it; Los Angeles was at a higher risk for crime compared to my small hometown. I reached into my purse and took out my wallet.

I hated my ID picture; it was like a spoken rule to absolutely hate your picture. They all turned out terrible no matter how hard anyone tried their best to look at least okay. I had gone with Maya to get my license renewed and she had snatched it out of my hand the second I had gotten it. Being the perfect girlfriend, she complimented my picture and mentioned it was impossible for me to look anything but beautiful. Again, thoughts of Maya were invading my mind and I could just smack myself for it. I handed over my ID and watched as the guard typed something onto the computer. She handed me back my ID along with a temporary visitors pass.

"If you follow me, I can scan you in." She stepped to the side and walked over to the scanners. She waved her workers ID in front of the scanner and the light turned green; she motioned me to step forward. "Take the elevator up to the twenty fifth floor and then take a right. Enjoy your day Ms. Fields."

I hit the button waiting for one of six elevators to arrive; I began to fidget with my fingers. I hadn't woken up feeling nervous but now there was little standing between me and my future job. I tried to keep calm, focusing my mind on anything but the interview. The elevator behind me signaled its arrival with a small ding. I stepped inside and hit the button that would send me Vine Industries. I had to wonder what were on the rest of the floors and why the buttons skipped floors 2-10. Seemed rather odd, when I had done research on this particular building nothing strange had come up. Some of the floors were probably reserved for the board to come in and use without any distractions.

All too soon the elevator doors swung open to my floor and I was forced to step out. I took one quick glance at my phone before walking over to the front desk on the right side. I was ten minutes early and still no response from Hanna, which bummed me out a little. I silenced it before I slipped into the back pocket of my slacks. It was now or never, taking a deep breath I willed myself to walk over to the secretary. She was engaged in a conversation over an ear piece and there was a slight look of irritation on her face. She looked over at me when I approached her and she smiled, mouthing the words "One second" at me. I nodded and returned the smile.

The frown was back in place when she looked away, she must have decided the call wasn't worth her time when she pressed down on end call on the office phone connected to the earpiece. She rolled her eyes, "Sorry about that. You would think the guy understood that Mr. Davidson doesn't work here anymore after calling the fifth time. Anyway, I'm assuming you're here to see Julia."

"Yeah, I hope I'm not too early." In place of her frown was a smile, "Perfect timing actually. I'll just call her over and let her know you're here. In the meantime, why don't you take a seat over on one of those couches?" I could feel her eyes follow me as I took a seat over one of the couches. I tried to relax, from what I could see the secretary was friendly but had a short fuse. The office space was pretty large and there was one huge conference center just across from me. As I surveyed the area I noticed there was just about as much glass as there were walls. My eyes landed on the small flat screen hanging on the wall, displaying different properties every few seconds. They came in different sizes and were located all around the world. My favorite had to be the gorgeous campus out in Paris. What would it be like to go out to one of the many locations? Would I be expected to travel since we were located internationally?

"Emily?" I was snapped back into reality when I heard my name. The woman was of average height in heels, which left me towering over her even in flats. She had forest green eyes and jet black hair, and just like everyone else she was smiling. I stood up and held my right hand out, seeing as she had her left hand occupied with a notepad, which she gladly accepted. "Pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Julia. It's so nice to put a face to the name."

"I agree, thanks for having me." She waved me off with a simple swipe of her hand "Please, we should be thanking you for coming all the way out here. It's not every day we have people apply from across the continent and then actually put in the effort to make their way here." I shrugged lightly "It's a small price to pay for a successful career." We made our way into a smaller conference room that was right next door to the larger one. It made the conversation feel a lot more intimate.

"That's very true. So, feeling a bit nervous, Emily?" I nodded my head in response which earned a small chuck in response. "Don't be, we're impressed and that's why we brought you down here. Not many people make it through the first phone interview." Julia's reassuring and kind words took a huge weight off my shoulders. I may have learned to be more confident but it was natural to feel nervous about something this huge, right? It put me at ease, especially seeing as Julia had a smile on her face the entire time. I had worked in an office before; everyone walked around with a cup of coffee and always looked like they had eaten something sour. Not the friendliest bunch of people so this was a nice change.

Julia sat down in one of the chairs placed in front of the desk and motioned for me to take a seat. As I sat down she opened a notepad she had been carrying with her and flipped through it until she got to a blank page, she proceeded to write something at the top that I couldn't make out because I was sitting right across from her. "So Emily, Rosewood to Los Angeles? That's a huge change." I nodded, "It's very different from Rosewood but I like it. Change is good."

Julia was writing something every time I spoke, but she maintained a good amount of eye contact. I knew she was paying attention to every word I was saying, "So what you're saying is, you have no problem with huge changes. Now, is that speaking from experience?" I nodded and smiled when our eyes met, "Minimal but yes. I went to UCLA for college and was constantly going back home for the holidays."

"Wow, so Los Angeles must be a second home to you then. What brought you to this company since it's so far from home?" That was a fully loaded question that I didn't exactly know how to answer. The answer my heart wanted to give was far from the logically formed answer my brain was throwing at me. I wasn't going to screw this up. "Rosewood didn't give me the opportunity to thrive in a corporate environment. It was a much smaller town, there aren't massive buildings everywhere you turn and it has a much smaller population."

She nodded, taking a few seconds to finish what she was writing before she continued, "I agree, Los Angeles is definitely huge compared to such a small town like Rosewood. What I'd like to know is what brought you to this company." I anticipated this question when I applied for this position. My guess was that they didn't just want someone here for the money but someone who was here to help make the business thrive. I had done research on the company prior to this interview and I was thanking my lucky stars. "I think Vine Industries is doing something truly honorable with trying to change the way companies are built and the way they are meant to function. Trying to sell green and eco-friendly wasn't always easy in the market but companies like Vine are pushing to change that standard. I want to be a part of something that expresses interest in changing the world and I feel like this is the place to be to do it." I wasn't lying when I said it, I wasn't just here to work but be a part of something greater.

Julia looked like she was thinking my answer through; I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. "Well, Emily we got the drug test from your doctor and we are happy to report that it won't be an issue. Background check also came out clean and based on phone interviews, you are a great match. This was practically painless compared to the phone interviews, right?" We bought laughed and I nodded, "I was expecting this to be the part where I get grilled."

Her smile grew impossibly wide, "Well now that we got that out of the way. Do you have any questions for me?" I took a second to think it over; I wanted to stay in the safe zone. "Assuming that I get the job, how long would I have to move down here?"

"We don't expect you to a find an apartment or house within a week or two. The company is happy to keep that hotel room open until you find a place to live. You'd have a minimum of two weeks to get everything you need down here, if don't have a place by then we have storage lockers available." It was perfectly reasonable to ask of a new employee; in fact I thought it was overly generous. I wasn't going to complain about it because it gave me plenty of time. "Is that it?" Julia broke me out of my train of thought and I nodded, "Yeah, that's all I can really think of. Vine Industries has taken great care of making sure to answer all my questions after very interview."

She stood up and held her hand out for a handshake, and I copied her actions. "Congratulations, Emily. We're lucky to have you." I frowned, which only caused Julia to giggle at my slightly confused state "Wait, does that mean?" She nodded, "Of course! We knew you were the right person for the job after the second interview and once we received recommendations from your previous supervisor, we were sold. This was more of a test to see if the company can rely on you. You did your research, showed up ten minutes before the interview was scheduled and you went through the trouble of coming out here. Welcome aboard!"

I had the sudden urge to hug her but stopped myself. I didn't know Julia well enough and I had a feeling it wouldn't be very appropriate. "If you can stick around, I'll give you a tour of the building and we can go to lunch, discuss some of your daily responsibilities." I didn't have anything to do, a tour of the building sounded nice. Lunch with Julia would be nice; Hanna wasn't here so maybe I could find a friend in the manager. I appreciated her kindness, "That sounds great." She smiled and held the door open for me, "I'm glad. I have to make a quick phone call to security downstairs. They'll take your photo for your ID on your way out."

I walked out and tilted my head to look back at her just as I exited the door, "Is everyone around here so friendly?"

"I would say yes, but there are a few people to look out for. I love Alison, she's a great CEO but there are a few lines you shouldn't cross." I wondered how she had changed in the last ten years, by what I've been hearing not much. The Alison I knew had people that either loved her or hated her, that was still true.

As I walked out, I felt another body collide with mine and a stream of curse words followed. There were papers flying in all directions, floating in the air and making their way down to the floor. I scrambled to pick them up as I apologized, "Oh god! I am so sorry, I'm usually very careful so this sort of thing doesn't happen. I should've paid attention to where I was going!" Above me there was a high pitch screech, "MY SHIRT! Nice going you got coffee all over my shirt. Great, I have a meeting in a fucking hour. Julia, who the fuck is this!"

Someone had quiet the mouth on them, to say that I wasn't a bit intimated would be a lie. I felt the heat creep up my body and if not for my darker skin tone, my face would be a flaming red. I had finished picking up the papers that were within my reach, I apologized once more before looking up. "I'm really sorry; I'm willing to pay for the dry cleaning bill."

It felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs when my eyes met with the woman who completely lost her temper. So much for a first impression, I had ruined my CEO's shirt and ticked her off. I was looking directly into the eyes of Alison Dilaurentis and we both froze. I watched her body tense but her eyes softened a degree that almost made her less terrifying. She was exactly how I remembered just slightly taller and she had lost her baby face. Her long blonde hair fell down to her shoulders in soft curls framing her angelic face. By looking at her, no one would have guessed her temper.

She was so perfect, even with coffee dripping down her baby blue button up shirt. She was practically make up free, just a touch of eyeliner and her lips were lightly touched up with clear lip gloss. I felt like I was looking at a different woman when she spoke, her voice was damn near close to a whisper " Emily?"

**Things just got interesting! I'm going to be working on a separate Emison fic this week, keep an eye out for it! Should be up on Halloween night! I'll still be working on this just the next update won't be up as quickly. Shout out to my best friend who has supported me through this and puts up with my rants! Liz, you're the best! :)**


	3. Something Old, Something New

**Happy Tuesday! :)**

**Midterms are finally over so I'm hoping to have more time to write.**

**Thanks to all those who have followed, favorited and reviewed this story! One guest said this was all about Emaya and I would like to say that Emison is endgame in this story. However, they both have to work towards establishing a relationship and trust after all these years. **

**Once I started to write this chapter I realized how much I really love writing as Alison. You'll see that as this chapter is longer than the previous two. Alison is a really complicated character and just when we think we know her, something happens to change her. This is my interpretation of the character and I'll definitely be exploring her more in future chapters. Enjoy!**

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**Alison's POV**

My eyes connected with soft chocolate orbs and time stopped. It was like the clock stopped and slowly made its way back, back to when I was a teenager and Queen Bee. Back when I was the one to be feared but feared those around me. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone. The past that I had tried so hard to run away from caught up to me and in the worst way possible. Vine Industries was where I was in control, me and no one else. I had worked so hard to get here and to get to the top, now it felt like someone had lit a fuse just to watch everything I had worked for burn to the ground. Karma, I was finally paying the full price of it.

Looking up at me with a look of utter fright was the girl whose heart I had broken, multiple times I might add. I'm not proud of what I did and the people I hurt but there was absolutely no way I could change it. Part of me held onto the idea that I would never see Emily again and I was okay with that. Then there was this longing deep down that needed to at least apologize to her, even if she completely rejected it. Maybe it was just to clear my tainted conscience and it was selfish but I needed her to know.

It wasn't just us that had frozen. Steve, who had been discussing plans with me for the new building in San Diego before the accident, was rooted to the spot and I could feel his eyes on me. Julia was fidgeting with her hands, she had seen me upset on a few occasions and each time left her uneasy and looking exactly the same way. Her eyes were rooted to her feet and I felt terrible. Not just because of my outburst but these people shouldn't have a reason to fear me. Anytime I caused that reaction I felt the old Alison Dilaurentis creep into my heart and it made me want to hurl.

I took a second to take a deep breath and leash my emotions. I cleared my throat and held out my hand to Emily, "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you. I'll take those." She rose from the ground and transferred the papers into my hand, her fingertips just barely touched mine but I felt a small jolt go through my body. "Steve, can you get these over to accounting? I'll send out an email later today regarding a meeting on the budget." He took the papers from my hands, clearly avoiding eye contact "Of course Miss Dilaurentis." He eyed us carefully before stepping past the brunette.

I sighed and began to unbutton my shirt, "Julia?" I waited for her to finally look up at me and tried to settle her nerves a bit by smiling when her eyes met mine. I popped open the last button on my coffee stained shirt, gently tugged so it was free from being tucked into my skirt and slipped it off my shoulders revealing a white tank top underneath, "Could you please get Becky to have one of the drivers pick up a shirt from my house and drop this off at the dry cleaners on the way?" Luckily the material of my button up was just a bit thicker than that of a regular cotton one. Julia seemed to visibly relax but had closed off a considerable amount, "Of course Miss Dilaurentis. I'll seek to it immediately." She took the shirt from my hands and attempted to step past me, my hand reached out to touch her arm before she could get out of reach. When I felt her flinch at my touch, I flinched in response and dropped my hand quickly "Julia, please call me Alison."

For a second I thought she was going to smile but instead I was met with a monotone response, "As you wish." The anger was nipping at my nerves, it seemed like every time I got somewhere with my coworkers something happened that sent me ten steps back. This was no different and I was growing tired of being the bad guy. I couldn't will myself to be frustrated with Julia, my anger wasn't caused because of anything she did. I couldn't even bring myself to be angry at Emily. Her mistake caused the action but my reaction would not be justified. It was childish.

The brunette stood there rather awkwardly, her hands behind her back and she bit her lip. "I really am sorry. It wasn't unintentional." I sighed and suddenly I felt exhausted, my emotions swelled inside of me and I didn't know what to feel. "Stop apologizing." I paused for a second before continuing, "My reaction wasn't necessary and it was clearly a mistake." The brunette looked so unsure of her; it tugged at my heart strings how much she looked like the Emily I used to know "O-okay".

"Would you please join me in the conference room? I believe there is a matter we should address but in a more private scenery." I technically wasn't her boss just yet, but she was more or less obligated to do as I asked even if it was posed as a question. I knew Julia was the one who was supposed to find me a competent assistant, which is the only explanation as to why Emily would be here. Boundaries had to be set and as usual I felt the need to control them. She nodded in response, not that she really did have a choice. "Would you like something to drink before we head over? We have coffee, soda, water, tea, juice and we might still have some milk in the fridge." She offered a tight lipped smile, "I appreciate the offer but no, thank you."

I wished she wasn't so closed off around me but I didn't deserve anything more than this. After all I had been the one to run away from her all those years ago. I didn't have any right to expect any but hate from her, even though it stung to know she probably thought the worst of me. Maybe her opinion of me would slowly change if we worked together. A long shot thought but it sparked some kind of hope in me that maybe she could forgive me and even be friends. It was laughable; would I be capable of opening up to her? Was I ready to shatter the wall I had around me?

"I'm going to grab a bottle of water. Feel free to make yourself comfortable in the small conference room and I'll join you momentarily." I turned and walked into the kitchen, located right across from the small conference room. I made my way around the island in the middle of the kitchen and pushed in one of the chairs so it was even with the other two. We had a large stainless steel fridge so all the employees could bring a lunch and have somewhere to put it. It also held a wide variety of beverages and cut up cubes of fruit for a healthy snack. The unhealthy snacks we kept in the cabinets, most of us picked at it when it was a particularly stressful day. I even contemplated digging out the pretzels but decided against it. I pulled on the handle of the fridge and grabbed a water bottle off the top shelf.

I didn't realize how hot I was feeling until my hand touched the cool plastic causing goose bumps to form on my arms. I needed to chill out, fast. I unscrewed the top of the bottle and let the cool liquid slide down my throat, downing half of the bottle with ease. I had to wonder if Emily knew that I worked here when she applied, if she did then why she would go through with the process was something I didn't understand. It wasn't public knowledge through our company website that Mason had retired and had gone through great trouble to push me into his position.

I chewed on the thought for a moment longer. It would be rather odd if Emily had actually known I was in charge but decided this was where she wanted to work. This was the kind of thing that sparked unnecessary conflict in an office. I shook my head, we were both adults and perfectly capable of maintaining an image in front of people. If needed, there would be precautions I would take to keep interactions to a minimum. I downed the rest of my water and tossed it into the recycling bin, before heading out of the kitchen I grabbed another water bottle.

My hand touched the cool metal of the door handle and I hesitated for a moment, suddenly feeling ill. I may have been described as emotionless by the people around me but really, I was just good at hiding those feelings. Whenever I was alone was when I could be myself but along with getting dressed every morning, it was like I was putting my social mask on that allowed me to go on with my day without letting my real feelings interfere. It cracked momentarily when I first saw Emily today but it would be quickly plastered back together. I pushed open the door and her eyes immediately found mine, and again it felt like all the air in my lungs had been stolen. I cursed myself silently; she really needed to stop looking at me.

The years had been good to her. I remembered the tall, skinny and slightly awkward girl that was just beginning to develop and now she had finally grown into the body that was built for her. There were some definite differences, like her hair was back to its pure dark brown and not that brown to blonde ombre she favored towards the end of high school. She seemed to have this warm confident air that surrounded her, that wasn't there before. I was proud of her for it. I always knew Emily had the potential to be confident and strong, but back then she was shy and too easy to manipulate. The mermaid had finally grown into her fins.

I took a seat across from her and watched her for a second. I could feel the awkward tension in the room hugging me tightly, refusing to let me go. The air was restored to my lungs when she spoke first; she twiddled her thumbs "I swear I didn't know you worked here until yesterday." I felt somewhat relieved at her revelation, and I felt the tension that gripped me gently ease off. I chuckled nervously "I'm relieved to hear that." We both looked at each other and I got a real genuine smile from her, which only caused me to return it. "I'm hoping we can leave everything in the past and move into a strictly business relationship." She nodded, "Of course Ms. Dilaurentis."

My eyes traveled down to her hands as I watched her nerves spike, her palms were pressed together and her thumbs were dancing around one another. Then, there was something my eyes caught unintentionally and I nearly choked on my own saliva. A ring, more importantly it was an engagement ring that was slipped comfortably on her left ring finger. I had the urge to ask about it, but it was not my place. It took a second to get my mind back on track, "Please call me Alison. Ms. Dilaurentis makes me feel old." She laughed in response and a huge wave of relief swept over me, and I laughed with her. It felt good, the tension disappearing completely from the room. It was rooted deep down in me but for the moment, I allowed myself to feel free. The laughter quickly died down and I had to be honest with her because she deserved at least that much "Emily, you might be okay with the job right now but I want you to know that as my assistant we'll be spending a lot of time together." I paused watching the news register on her face; she didn't flinch or look upset so I continued. "To make this is easier on us both, considering our past; I'll cut off the interaction where you don't necessarily need to be present." I hope that sounded fair and reasonable. I needed an assistant but there were definitely some things I could handle without one.

"Alison, I'm here for a job. Don't hold me to different rules and standards just because we have a past. That's where it should be kept, in the past. Strictly business, right?" She gave me a small smile that didn't quiet reach her eyes. I nodded, "Fair enough. Thank you..." It was awkward again, there wasn't much to say beyond that and so we just sat there in silence. "Okay, well I'm glad that's settled. I'm sure Julia will be talking to you about a few of your responsibilities and what the next few weeks will look like." She nodded, "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to attend to a few matters."

I stood up, grabbed the water off the desk and headed to the door, but was stopped in my tracks "Alison, wait. I feel really bad about ruining your shirt. Here, take my cardigan." Emily always cared about those around her no matter how much damage they had done. She slipped the blue cardigan off and held it out to me; I was tempted to deny her but she looked at me with those deep brown eyes and I couldn't. "Thanks." Just as I reached to take it from her, she shook her head "Allow me." I considered her for a second, wondering if this was appropriate behavior between assistant and boss. Wait, why would I even consider that thought? Emily certainly didn't mean anything by it, she was being kind and I felt ashamed to think of it as anything else. I slipped my arm in through the right sleeve and passed the bottle to my right hand so I could slip my arm into the other side. I caught the scent of vanilla and sandalwood as it engulfed me, instantly soothing my nerves but sending some entirely new feeling in my body that I couldn't quite pin point. It was light but it felt like something was fluttering in my stomach, threatening to spill out.

She smelled slightly different from what I remembered; the vanilla was consistent with her original scent. But the sandalwood was different, giving an edge to her usual soft demeanor. I loved it. Her fingers brushed over my shoulders and again, I felt a small jolt rush through my body just like when our fingers touched earlier. Clearing my throat, I put some distance between us and thanked her once more before stepping out of the conference room. I didn't get very far because there was a small body that ran into my legs and I was thankful I didn't have any open beverages in my hand. I looked down and was met with the sight of a small boy, with big brown eyes smiling up at me. "Alissson!" he exclaimed and a smile broke out across my face, one of pure joy. I scooped him up in my arms, peppering his cheeks with kisses until his giggling grew uncontrollable and his small hands attempted to stop me. "Stooop!" He continued to giggle and I pouted. "I'll stop only if I get a kiss first." He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

"That's it, huh? That's all I get you little punk?" I made a poor attempt at tickling the small boy in my arms because I was still holding the water. He started to giggle again and it was the most precious sound I have ever heard. I loved this little boy so much that it hurt, quite literally. I remembered the first time he had scrapped his knee instantly causing him to cry, something about seeing him in pain and not being able to do something about it touched me on a deeper level. Emily had watched our entire encounter and my guess was Hunter hadn't realized it until just now.

He cuddled into my neck immediately after seeing Emily; he was at that stage where he still was shy around strangers. "Hunter, baby it's okay. It's just Emily; she's going to be working here with me." Hunter peaked at Emily, just barely exposing his face and when she smiled at him he went back into hiding. We both laughed, "Sorry, he's a little shy around strangers." "Is he…" her voice trailed off, and I wondered why until I felt a hand slip down to my lower back and the scrape of stubble on my cheek.

"Hey babe, sorry the little tyke was a little too excited to see you and wouldn't hold still." I wasn't used to Dominic being the one to drop off Hunter, normally it was Spencer but I guess she had gotten too caught up at the office today and had called in a favor. Dominic was my boyfriend of three years and even though I loved Hunter, I was glad he wasn't my biological kid. I wasn't ready for settling down, especially with my career just taking off. My boyfriend on the other hand, he was ready for the entire lot: house, marriage, kids and a family pet. I shouldn't be complaining because not only was he attractive but he was the kind of guy parents dreamed for their daughter to marry.

Dominic was a tall guy; easily reaching 6'2" which made me feel rather small at 5'7". In heels the playing field was leveled a bit and I couldn't help but notice, Emily was closer to his height even in flats. Come to think of it, there were plenty of other similarities in the two; they could've been even mistaken as fraternal twins. While her skin tone was more olive, his was tan thanks to his ethnic background. They both shared the same deep brown eyes and dark brown hair. Even the charming smile was eerily similar. It was purely coincidence I noted.

I smiled up at him, "It's okay. I missed the little trouble maker." My eyes shifted over to Emily who looked more than uncomfortable. "Oh Emily, I'm sorry. This is Dominic, my boyfriend." He looked over at her, smiled and extended his right hand out, which she quickly accepted "Nice to meet you. I've never seen you around here before."

"It's her first time here, she's my new assistant." I filled in for her. Dominic chuckled and pretended to whisper to Emily, but he wanted me to hear what he had to say, "Good luck with her." I shot him a glare and he laughed, "I was just kidding, babe." I shook my head at my sometimes immature boyfriend. "I'm just here to drop him off. I've got to get back to the studio. See you at dinner?" I nodded, he pressed a kiss to my cheek before walking off. "Sorry about that, he's my age but sometimes has the tendency to act like he's eighteen again. Anyway, you were about to ask me something?"

We were interrupted yet again but this time by Julia, she tapped Emily on the shoulder which immediately pulled her out of our conversation. "Ready to go?", to which Emily shrugged. "Sure." She looked over at me, it looked like there was something she wanted to say but instead just opted for a short goodbye.

"It looks like it's just you and me, Hunter." The little boy smiled at me and seemed to be happy about this situation, "Where's your mom, huh?" He shrugged his shoulders, because apparently that was the response I was supposed to accept. "Okay bud, just give me a second and we'll go into my office. We'll do whatever you want, sound good?" His response was to throw his arms around my neck. I loved this kid, there were days where I just wanted to take him from Spencer and never give him back. She'd have no issue finding me or she would slap a lawsuit on me faster than I could blink.

As I held Hunter in my arms, I realized how heavy the kid was getting and it really dawned on me how fast he was growing up. I remembered being there in the waiting room while Spencer suffered through a gruesome labor that lasted hours and poor Toby had his wrist in a brace for a few days after. I could just imagine the pain they had both gone through, but beyond all the pain came this beautiful gift to the world. The little tyke still had a fair grip on my neck and I felt calm. He didn't understand the pain I caused in the past or the moments I fell back into that darker side. It was the unconditional love he showed me that made me want to be a better person. There was always a part of me that thought about having a kid but I worried. What if I wasn't around enough or what if I became my mother?

I picture the woman with devil horns and a pitchfork, which is the last thing I want to be portrayed as by my own kids. I'd be better off alone, that way I couldn't hurt anyone around me. I sighed, the only person I dared open up to about this dilemma was Dr. Goodman and even she couldn't change my mind about the way I felt. It felt like I was just programmed to spend my life alone, which I partially blamed on the environment I grew up in. I was able to change it and so I evolved, becoming someone entirely different. By doing so I was able to hold onto my friendship with both Aria and Spencer. The one relationship that had been most important to me was just beyond repair, when I changed it was far too late.

I needed a drink to soothe over these thoughts, but only after Hunter wasn't around. I approached the front desk and transferred Hunter onto my left hip, unable to hold his weight on one side for too long. "Hey Becky, I would appreciate it if you could push the meeting with Ambrose and the others to tomorrow morning. Please move it to the main conference center on the 5th floor." I watched her fingers move rapidly over the keyboard as I gave her instructions. She looked over at me, "Anything else, Alison?" More tension in my body released upon hearing my name, it wasn't much because it was Becky and I shared a weird connection with the secretary. She understood my sarcasm and even chuckled at my snappy remarks. "We'll be there pretty early so have breakfast catered to the event, nothing too fancy."

"Does this breakfast happen to extend to your favorite person in the office?" she looked over at me with puppy dog eyes. "Aren't you a little too old to be using that, Becks?" She pretended to be offended, her hand fell to her chest and she looked at me with wide eyes. "Moi? Old? Have you seen some of the dinosaurs walking around in this office?" I was tempted to laugh but being the one in charge put me in the position where comments like that should be reprimanded. "Becks, not when we're in the office and you know better. Just be lucky none of the older members on the team heard you." She rolled her eyes, "You're no fun when you have to be all serious." I stuck my tongue out at her and walked off, "You'll live. Don't let it happen again."

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Hunter had decided that during his time here I was going to be the one to read to him, which I was perfectly okay with. Spencer would have probably lectured me on the importance of getting him ahead on his education and not rot his brain with computer games and toys. Hunter was a good kid because typically all he wanted to do was read or play with something that he was able to learn from. I found it a bit strange especially because he was only three but then again, Spencer wasn't any different. In high school when she wasn't playing hockey or doing some kind of volunteer work, her head was buried far into books. Her baby was just getting a head start.

He had sat on my lap and brought over the storybook that was kept in my office for the times he spent here. This week, the story was Snow White and every once in a while Hunter would come in with a question that needed a fair answer; otherwise, you would be faced with a questioning face and "But why?" seconds later. This was about half an hour ago, he had fallen asleep in my arms minutes ago and I allowed him to lay there comfortably before moving him. I laid his head down on the small pillow available on the couch and covered him with a blanket. Most of it was kept just because the first time he fell asleep here, he didn't have anything to make his nap more comforting.

The few minutes that I was alone allowed deeper thoughts to penetrate my good mood. I wondered what it would be like to be a mother. To have a being that loves you unconditionally because they thought you could do no wrong. I hadn't thought of it very often simply because motherhood was something that was not written in my plans but there were times when I looked at Dominic and wondered. It was dangerous territory to step into, especially if I brought up the subject to him because it was exactly what he dreamed of.

My mind shifted over to my encounter with Emily today and the resemblance between her and Dominic. Was it really a coincidence or had I picked him because he reminded me of Emily? I'd never really thought of it that way but right now, it left me questioning. I walked over to the cabinet that was behind my desk and reached for the small crystal liquor decanter. Drinking wouldn't solve my problems, but it would sure as hell help drown these thoughts. I was careful to pop the top off and took the glass that was already sitting on my desk, pouring a generous amount of the dark amber liquid. Hunter still slept peacefully so I only sipped at the cognac in my glass, downing it in the presence of a child wasn't going to help. I would only end up with a pissed off mother. Taking the glass in my hand, I walked over to the large windows giving me a gorgeous view of the sun going down.

I swirled the liquid in the glass and watched it lap at the edges, threatening to spill out. It was quite easy to make a mess when you stirred the glass, kind of like I had in my teenage years. I made a mess out of people's lives by gently stirring up their issues and magnifying the problem. Yeah, it was great to live with the guilt of it on my shoulders. At one point, I wanted to change my name as well just so I could wipe out my past and start over. It wasn't much of a solution.

I brought the glass up to my lips and let the liquid burn a fiery path down my throat. I was starting to feel a light buzz forming; there was a small possibility that my judgment soon would be affected. There was a need to down the rest of the liquid quickly, numbing my entire body. As if to pull me back into reality, the door to my office swung open and Spencer Hastings walked in. She had dark circles under her eyes, a brief case in one hand and a cup of coffee in her other hand. She looked completely disheveled; the amount of stress had taken a toll on the woman in front of me. Spencer had only been a lawyer for 3 years now after seven grueling years of university but she looked like she had been through hell and back most days.

She stopped in her tracks upon spotting me with a glass of cognac in my hand; the look on her face said it all. "Seriously Alison?" she hissed, "with Hunter in the room?" I rolled my eyes, "Geez, don't get your panties in a bunch. I've had a few sips but I am completely capable of taking care of your sleeping kid." She still wasn't happy about it but relaxed a little, probably because I wouldn't dream of harming him. She sighed and plopped down into the arm chair next to the couch, "If I wasn't a mother, I wouldn't hesitate to take that glass from you and down it."

I smirked, "Rough day?" Dumb question which earned me a much deserved glare, "Rough doesn't even begin to describe the life of a lawyer who has a cop for a husband and a small child." I couldn't relate to Spencer on that front but I could understand that it wasn't easy being an adult, some days it was exhausting. I sighed and took a huge gulp of the burning liquid, "I can relate." She snorted and looked more than highly amused, "Oh Alison, what do you have to worry about? You aren't married, no kid and you aren't in charge of people's potential future."

I bit my tongue, but she was right. That didn't mean I had the easiest life either. A company like this held the key to a safe future for our planet and as a CEO, I played a large part in that. That wasn't my concern at the moment, I had been working there as an intern since I was a sophomore in college and knew my way around. My main concern was an olive skinned, tall brunette woman. "Well Spence, at least your demons didn't just come knocking on your door. Or more like barged into you, spilling coffee on you." That caught her attention, "What are you talking about?" There was a need to reach for the crystal decanter holding the cognac, but I wanted to be sober for this conversation. "Emily Fields is the new assistant to yours truly."

Spencer looked at me like I had just announced that I had assassinated the president and then she laughed, "Alright, that's hilarious. For a second there I actually believed you." Her laughter continued, I didn't find the situation the slightest bit amusing and upon seeing my lack of humor she gradually quieted down. "Holy shit, you're serious?" I nodded and there was a moment of silence that passed between us. I hadn't expected anyone from high school to end up in the same area as me in LA; even Spencer was surprising because she had gone to UPenn. Apparently Toby had been the one to come up with the idea of coming to Los Angeles and not wanting to lose him, she followed him here.

"So, that's the reason for the drink?" Again, I nodded not being able to find the words to form a response. "Alison, maybe you should consider talking to Dr. Goodman…"

"Look, I don't need Dr. Goodman to assess my feelings every fucking time something just happens to change in my life. I'm not unstable." I snapped at her and instantly regretted it. Dr. Goodman was the woman I had gone to when I started college and things started to fall apart, Goodman had held me together. Again silence filled the room and with it was brought up unnecessary tension. It was broken when Hunter started to stir from his nap, his big brown eyes snapped open and he looked around. When he spotted his mom, it was like Christmas morning "Mommyyy!" he squeaked and rushed to jump into her lap. She was showered with kisses and hugs.

I watched the exchange; Spencer's rough exterior melted when she hugged her son and kissed his forehead, "Hey champ, did you have a fun time with your aunt Alison today?" She got the same answer every time but still asked anyway, "Yeahh! Tomorrow?"

"I don't know sport, ask Ali." Hunter looked over at me with his big brown eyes, "Pleaseee Ali!" I smiled at the young boy, "You're always welcome here." Spencer mouthed the words "Thank you" at me. She lifted him off of her lap, "Why don't you go bother Becky and I'll be out in a second."

Hunter practically sprinted out of the room; the excitement of a three year old was evident. Spencer stood up and walked over to me, her next move completely caught me off guard. She pulled me into a tight hug, "Alison, I know you have a hard time opening up. Just consider talking to Dr. Goodman." She kissed my cheek and walked out, leaving me standing there completely dumbfounded.

I agreed with Spencer, a session with Dr. Goodman would do me good but I had been to her more frequently the last few weeks than I had been in months. I felt weak because of it and calling in a session now would force me to cancel with Dominic. I gnawed on my lower lip contemplating my options. I couldn't tell my boyfriend about Emily, there was no telling how he would react. There would be a lot of details that I needed to cover up.

Spencer wasn't an option either. She knew too much about my past and she was a lawyer, the need to over analyze anything would piss me off. Then there was that damn jolt that went through my body both times that Emily had touched me. The unexplainable fluttering in my stomach. I felt completely ill all over again. It might have been the aged cognac on a nearly empty stomach, at least that's what I told myself. Damn Spencer for being right.

I sent Dominic a quick text, apologizing for canceling dinner and that I would make it up to him. I turned off my cellphone instantly after it went through. I dialed the number on my office phone that I had memorized after the third time I had called. I never saved the number because I didn't want someone accidentally stumbling upon it on my phone. Not that anyone would know she was a psychologist. The phone rang three times before a soft feminine voice poured through the line, "Ms. Dilaurentis, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need to come in tonight." There was a short pause and a few quick taps in the background, "I have an open hour before my next appointment." By now, the office would be practically empty except for maybe Sandra, the staff assistant on the property management side and Becky. No one would be left on my side of the office and it wasn't necessary for me to be here. "I'll be there shortly." My driver would most likely still be at the parking garage and if he wasn't, I could easily catch a cab. I grabbed my purse from underneath my desk and locked my office door before heading down to the parking garage. I walked out the side door instead of the front door, not wanting to face Becky tonight.

I swiped my key card when stepping onto the elevator and pushed the button for the garage. Not everyone had access to certain floors. Especially the garage, only those who signed a waiver to leave their car in the garage were allowed down there. Everyone in Vine Industries had access to the garage because of the drivers accessible to the employees. We were lucky enough to have that privilege; it was a recent addition that Mason had brought with him and I was determined to uphold the addition.

The elevator doors swung open and I stepped out in the stuffy parking garage, it was practically empty. Only two cars other than our company car were down there. Good, Nick was still here. I approached the black matte Tesla and watched Nick step out of the driver's side. He rushed over to the back, right side of the car and held open the door for me. "Good evening Ms. Dilaurentis. Where to?" I slipped into the back seat, "You can drop me off at the corner of Grand and Lake."

"Very good Ms. Dilaurentis. Shall I wait for you?" This is what I liked about Nick; he didn't pry like some other drivers. He was strictly business and only asked for information that was needed, "Yes, thank you."

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By the time I had arrived at the office I wanted to turn around and walk out. That was the part of me that needed some secrecy, to know that no one could read me like an open book. It wasn't like Dr. Goodman was going to spill my secrets, in fact that would get her fired. So, why was I worrying so much? I sighed, trying to deal with my feeling never got easier. They were momentarily under control until this afternoon when I bumped into Emily. It was like my emotions were the cognac in my glass and with every swirl, it all threatened to spill out. I was a mess of emotions by the time I got I walked into Dr. Goodman's office.

She was already sitting there in her arm chair, book in hand and her glasses in place. If I had to guess her age, I would place her just under thirty but I doubt my estimate was correct. Goodman was the psychologist I had consulted while I was in university and was falling apart. We formed a strange relationship after that, it was somewhat of a friendship but I didn't exactly feel comfortable with meeting her outside of the office. After all, she knew more about me than anyone else and that made me uneasy. There was no chance she wanted to be friends with me either, especially after we had discussed my past.

She didn't need to even look up from her book to know I was there, "Ms. Dilaurentis, make yourself comfortable." I dropped down into the loveseat located right across from her and placed my purse at my feet. She closed her book and slipped the glasses off, making her look even younger than before. I fidgeted in my seat, feeling uncomfortable like I did every single time I was here. When I was here, my feelings were tested and pushed until I talked about what I really felt. It never stopped at that, feelings here were always treated as an abstract idea that we worked on understanding and changing. She smirked when she realized my discomfort, "Alright Alison, who is it this time? Dominic or Emily?"

That was enough to break down my walls and my vision was clouded with tears. She pushed a box of tissues in my direction when the tears fell down my cheeks; my voice came out raspy as I tried to hold myself together, "Both."

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**Leave a review? :D**

**I did mention in the last chapter that I was working on a one shot to be released on Halloween. That didn't end up working out because I decided to turn it into a multi-chapter Emison fic. Something to look forward to once this long journey is over :)**


	4. Bittersweet

**Happy Sunday! :)**

**I was hoping to get an update up before another hectic week started. Finals and a huge break are coming up so I'll be flooded with a ton of work very soon. Fear not, I promise to continue working on this whenever I can. For now, I'll continue posting as often as possible. As I mentioned in the first chapter, I do try to catch all the grammatical error but sometimes there might be a few things that slip past me. **

**Once again, thank you to all that are taking the time to leave reviews! I love hearing what your thoughts are on the story. There is one thing I wanted to address, I am not a fan of infidelity so fear not. Trust a little :) **

**On to the update!**

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**Alison's POV**

Nick had dropped me off at Dominic's condo which I recently moved into but kept my own studio apartment. It was convenient when I needed my space or was working a late night; it was a lot closer to the office than the condo. It still held a lot of my clothes and personal belongings. I'm not exactly sure why I hadn't bothered to move all my stuff but I'm glad I hadn't. Dominic insisted on keeping his place and living there instead of investing on an actual house which could have easily been paid for with my salary alone. Which was fine by me, a shared house came with more commitment. Even I refused to get rid of the studio apartment I had since college. It had my own personal touches to it and I loved the small intimate feeling of it.

I stepped into the elevator that had already been on ground level, pushed the button to the 30th floor and waited impatiently. The floor indicator flashed every time we passed another floor, the climb up seemed to be passing by incredibly slow. I needed a drink or sleeping pills, whichever would get me through the night. My foot was tapping the entire time I waited, and when the elevator doors swung open to let someone on I was grew frustrated. Just once, I would like to get on an elevator without having to bump into people. The young woman had pressed the button to the very top floor, only sparking my interest as to who she was or what she did for a living. The higher up you lived, the more you earned. Not true for Dominic, his parents bought him the place as a 21st birthday gift.

My eyes analyzed her, trying to take apart her price tag. I always tried to figuring out the people around me, something that stuck with me from my teenage years. My guess was her heels were Louboutin shoes because of the red soles, easily hitting a price tag of six hundred dollars or more. The plaid design on the collar of her trench coat indicated that it was a Burberry original. She was definitely loaded by the looks of it and I had to wonder what she did for a living. Before I could really come up with an answer, I had reached my floor and stepped out.

I dug my keys out of my purse and headed down the hall to room 3006. It was the room furthest from the elevator, sometimes inconvenient because the garbage chute across from us; it was the nosiest part of the entire building. The upside of living at the very end of the hall, we had the biggest balcony. I turned the key in the lock and pushed the front door in gently, just in case Dominic had already been sleeping. It wasn't very late, about fifteen till ten but he wasn't a night owl. Much of that had to do with that he was usually out the door before six.

I slipped out of my heels, feeling the cool hardwood floor underneath my feet sent shivers down my spine. It was completely dark except for the tiny bit of light flooding in from the balcony. It illuminated the dining area and part of the kitchen, which only made me feel guilty because of what I saw. On the table were two plates of food, candles out on a silky white tablecloth, two wine glasses and a bottle of wine in an ice bucket. The candles had already started to melt; the wax dripping down the sides. I dropped my purse onto the coffee table before walked over to the dinner table snatching the wine bottle out of the bucket and grabbed the corkscrew on the table. Both the seal and cork were removed with ease and I snatched the wine glass in my left while holding the bottle in my right.

I switched over the two into my left and pushed the balcony door open, letting out a breath of relief as the warm breeze settled on my skin. I placed the glass and bottle on the small table and proceeded to lean forward on the railing. The city looked peaceful so high up. There was real beauty in the city below once you got past the crowded sidewalks and traffic filled streets. I would have jumped off the balcony if I could fly, just to escape the problems of life.

I poured the wine into my glass, just to the point where it wouldn't spill. I didn't drink very often but today was one of those days where life decided a good ass kicking was in order. I would surely regret it in the morning when my alarm blared at 6:30 in the morning. As the wine slowly drained from my glass, I grew more comfortable with my thoughts and I suddenly didn't care about the splitting headache I would have in the morning. I drifted back to my session with Dr. Goodman; everything we talked about was like putting my feelings under a microscope.

She heard me talk about my relationship with Dominic plenty of times. How recently I purposely spent nights at my studio apartment to avoid him or how we haven't been intimate in months, which is my fault entirely. I even talked to her about the time Dominic had spent trying to grab my attention. At first it was annoying, the endless flowers and he spent time getting my friends to drag me to his basketball games. It was a typical move for guys, always trying to impress the girls with their skills. I tended to steer clear of those kinds of guys but eventually I gave in. The day he showed up outside of my last class with a bouquet of lilies, my favorite flowers, spilling his feelings was the day I caved.

I was quick to figure out people and honestly, he was probably the first person I didn't understand. I didn't really want to go out with him; it was more of a game to figure him out. Dr. Goodman had come up with same idea but came to the conclusion that my feelings had sparked because he didn't try to deceive me. Then, I stated to realize how sweet he really was and our relationship started to evolve.

Then there were the times we talked about Emily. It helped relieve the guilt that weighed me down very often, some days were worse than others. There were times when the memories were so intense that it felt like I was reliving them. Those were the nights I woke up, my skin feeling feverish and my stomach churning. Those feelings didn't really appear until I started college, part of it was getting out of my own toxic living environment and the other was growing up. Goodman just told me, it was natural to feel guilty since I didn't have a chance to apologize to her.

Now that Emily was mixing into my already messed up life, it was a fucking disaster. I had seen the brunette for less than a day and she had already sent me on a downward spiral of emotions. More wine was downed; I didn't even bother with the glass anymore, drinking straight from the bottle was more convenient. The earlier buzz of the cognac had worn off gradually, but it left me open to achieving a quicker buzz. Eventually the amount of alcohol in my system would knock me out temporarily erasing my memory of this night. Most of what I wanted to forget was I had talked about with Goodman.

When I revealed to Dr. Goodman my belief in the drastic similarities between Dominic and Emily, she simply nodded. She asked me to describe the similarities, not denying the idea but perhaps trying to string me out of the thought. She pointed out that maybe the similarities between them was simply something I looked for in a significant other. I would've agreed with the idea but most of men I had dated in college were complete opposites. Sure they had similar physical characteristics but personality is where the greatly differed.

It also didn't explain the small jolt and fluttering in my stomach I felt when Emily's fingers had brushed my skin. Something that was no longer present between Dominic and me. The fact was I still had her cardigan on, her scent lingered on the fabric and by now it probably transferred onto my tank top. That feeling in my stomach started up again. I thought about her, the woman she was now and the girl she was before. How much I admired that she no longer cowered in my presence as she once had.

_Her hands sliced through the water and the small, quick kicking of her feet propelled her through the water. She made it look like an art form; every move was calculated and tweaked to perfection. Her head turned every seventh stroke to surface for air, before it was five strokes for every breath. The mermaid was perfecting her art. I had stayed after school to watch her practice and even now I watched her though practice ended about twenty minutes ago. It was so odd to see this girl who was so awkward and shy turn into this beautiful, graceful being in the water. If only she knew she had the power to be on land just as she was in the water. _

_ Emily had reached the end of the pool, hands planting right on the tile floor and she hoisted herself up. She pulled the cap off her head along with her goggles and shook her hair out, some of it slightly damp from the water that had slipped through. It tumbled past her shoulders and parts of it began to curl lightly. I descended down the steps of the bleachers, walking straight towards her. "You did a great job, Em." The goggles and cap dropped out of her hand and the gasp that had escaped her lips echoed._

_ She looked up at me and nervously chuckled, "Jesus Ali, you scared me." I took a few steps toward her; not very far now and my senses were invaded with the smell of chlorine. I noticed the smell clung to her even after she had showered, always a mixture of chlorine and vanilla. It was weird to even say that I liked the smell of chlorine because it reminded me so much of her. She rubbed the back of her head and looked completely out of place, "Umm, I would have thought you left after practice. I didn't expect anyone to be here." _

_ This was what I had been talking about; Emily wasn't the same person she was in the water as she was outside of the water. With every step I took towards her now, she took a step back. There was no doubt I was intimating with a group behind me, but even alone people still cowered in my presence. "Em, I'm not just anyone." _

_ She stuttered and blushed, "Oh...um no, I didn't mean it like that. I-" She really was adorable when she was so flustered and unsure of herself. I smiled at her, "Emily, relax. I was kidding." We were both dangerously close to the edge of the pool because she kept stepping back. _

_ "Em, you're going to…" I didn't even get to finish my sentence, my hand instantly shooting out to grab her arm. Her eyes grew wide as she fell back into the pool and took me with her. I was completely soaked but instead of being pissed, I was amused at the situation. Our bodies collided underwater. She sputtered and flopped around ungracefully when she resurfaced. I laughed and stopped when water was splashed in my direction. I glared over at Emily, there was amusement dancing in her eyes. "Payback, Ali."_

_ "If that's how you want to play it, game on." I disappeared under the water and grabbed her legs, successfully pulling her under. I resurfaced first and looked around to see if Emily had resurfaced. I suddenly felt myself being picked up out of the water. We were in the shallow end so Emily had no problem standing, she spun me around in her arms and I squeaked. "Emilyyy, stop! I'm getting dizzy." _

_ "First, you admit defeat!" She was giggling the entire time, it was contagious. "Okay, okay! I give!" She stopped spinning me around; it affected her just as much as me. She was a bit wobbly on her feet which caused her to bump back into the wall of the pool, taking me with her. My body was pressed fully into hers. My breath caught in my throat at the closeness, the lack of space between us stirred the butterflies in my stomach. I leaned in slowly, giving her time to reject me but instead she met me half way. Her lips were incredibly soft and I wanted to pull her closer till there wasn't any space between us. Until we both forgot about outside forces, just focusing on us. _

I tipped the bottle, chugging the wine and wincing as the bitter taste sliced through me. It was a rude wake up call to the bittersweet memory of my time with Emily. It was bittersweet because as much as I treasured my memories of the sweet moments, I realized how little of them I had. Most of the memories that I had were the ones where I spent alienating her and pushing her away from me.

There was a pleasant buzz settling through my body once the alcohol started kicking in. My brain wasn't functioning clearly, kind of like a smoke screen had settled over it. There were moments of clarity but the other moments were spent stumbling searching for the light until there wasn't a choice but to admit defeat. I couldn't form coherent thoughts; it all came out in bits and pieces that I couldn't quite put together.

If I wasn't so focused on trying to put my thoughts together, I would have heard the footsteps behind me padding on the cement. I was only aware of his presence when I felt a warm body press up against my back and hands slips down to my waist. I tensed up under his touch but he must have been oblivious to it. His hands gently spun me around to face him. His hair was sticking up in different directions, it was evident that he just woke up from a heavy sleep by the way his eyes were just barely open. He took the bottle from my hand and discarded it on the small table behind him. "That wine was for dinner."

I giggled, "It's a little late for dinner now." He didn't seem to be too disappointed about me canceling on our dinner planes. The smile on his face confirmed it. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, my immediate reaction was to wrap my arms around his neck. It wasn't out of want but something that was wired into my brain. His lips moved against mine in a dance we had long ago mastered, there was a hint of mint still lingering in his mouth from his toothpaste. His warm hands found their way up my shirt, just drawing light circles on my hips with the pad of his thumb. Instead of it drawing me closer to, I broke the kiss and put my hand out on his chest gently pushing, not hard but enough to put some space between us. He frowned, looking slightly befuddled and it was almost comical how he looked like a small child being denied his favorite toy.

"Dominic, not tonight." He leaned back against the glass balcony door and crossed his arms over his bare chest. There was a look on his face that I couldn't read, was it frustration or anger or hurt. "Not tonight or ever, Alison?" There was patience in his voice but I could tell by the way he was standing; he was over it, just as I was over hiding my feelings.

I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes. They were glued to ground, an ache building in my chest. I wasn't being fair to string him along but I couldn't find it in me to tell him what I really felt. One day the time would come. There was a time in every relationship when boundaries were pushed, poked and stepped on until someone just couldn't take it anymore. Dominic had hit that point, which wasn't surprising to me. In fact, I question why it hadn't happened sooner. I appreciated him for what he did for me, always being there for me after I had a long day at work or when I woke up from a nightmare. His arm wrapped around me every time, warmth radiating from his body and a sense of protection came over me. He would whisper into my ear, telling me I was safe and that it just a dream until I fell back into a deep slumber.

I still felt that same sense of protection but this was more of a connection that I got when my father hugged me; it was weird to be kissing a man that drew that kind of thought. It wasn't always like that; there was a time when I didn't see anyone beyond him. The world had revolved around the love we felt for one another, taking us to a completely different planet. The honeymoon phase of a relationship was what I liked to refer it to as. The early stages of it birthed the intense feeling of butterflies your stomach, the sweating palms and hard thumping of your heart whenever they were near. The feelings gradually disappeared; kissing him didn't stir up any emotions anymore, it just felt like nothing. It meant nothing either.

We were quiet, the city and wind howling around us was the only thing I could hear beyond my own breathing. "Alison, we need to figure things out." He was right; this wasn't about me but about us. About being fair to him and not hurting him like I had Emily. It would take my cooperation to figure out, this was my problem and he was just stuck in the middle of it.

He took my hands into his, tilting my chin to meet his brown eyes. "We've been together for three years now; you've never acted like this until recently. I know you and you'll talk about it when you're ready. I can wait." If there was anything in this world I was grateful for it was the support this man has showed me no matter what. I wrapped my arms around his midsection, seeking comfort in my emotional downward spiral. He kissed the top of my head and held me; his arms were wrapped around me tightly. I couldn't help but compare what it felt like to hug him and what it felt like hugging Emily all those years ago. Now, I was comparing everything I felt now to what I did before and what it was like with Emily.

"I'll sleep on the couch until we figure things out." It was my way of being fair, without being completely fair.

"You know you don't have to do that. I can sleep on the couch; after all you are the lady." I shook my head and chucked lightly, "Yes, but you aren't the problem."

"From where I'm standing, it doesn't seem like that." Typical Dominic, he was okay to take the blame of my own problems.

"I'll be fine on the couch, promise. I'll spend the next few nights in my apartment, and then we'll work on us. " His silence indicated he was torn about it. He nodded and released me, "I'll get you a few blankets and a pillow." The couch was comfortable enough to get a good night sleep. Even if it was close the kitchen, Dominic moved around quietly in the morning. I had to wake up shortly after him but in the morning, every second of sleep counts. He looked of his shoulder before stepping back inside, "Don't forget about dinner with my parents next Friday. At least try to act in love, for the sake of my mom."

Mrs. Lange was a lovely woman that I had met very briefly throughout our relationship. Both Dominic and his father always worked to keep her happy, the love they felt for her was apparent. It was his top priority to keep his mom happy and make his father proud. I nodded at him; he smiled and disappeared back inside leaving me to think about everything that just happened. As much as I didn't want to hurt Dominic's mother, she was a lovely woman but even I had my limit about the extent of lies. I grabbed the wine off the table, tempted to down the rest of it in one swing but decided against it. I had a long day ahead of me in the morning.

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**Hmmm, thoughts? Will Alison give into Dominic and try to mend their relationship or is she just ready to dump his ass?**

**Guess you'll just have to wait and see! **

**On a final note, High School Emily is definitely my favorite! I love how she's so unsure of herself and flustered by Alison's presence. **


	5. Hearts are Bleeding

**Happy Sunday guys! We're going back to Emily's point of view for a few chapters. Alison will be back shortly and we'll be arriving back in Rosewood real soon. **

**Hope you enjoy! **

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**Emily's POV**

When I first stepped into the pool the icy water sent shivers down my spine. Gradually the shock from the temperature change wore off as my body sliced through the water. Stroke after stroke, I started to speed up in an attempt to blow off some steam. There was a whirlwind of emotions going through my body and this was the only way I knew to keep them under control. It was something I had learned to do after I broke my mirror.

Today had been full of surprises. My boss was Alison Dilaurentis, she appeared to be a mother and I noticed she had no ring on her finger so the man who had walked in with Hunter was just her boyfriend. There was something about the thought of Alison having a child and a boyfriend that was very unsettling. However, I couldn't deny that she looked happy. The way she smiled brought up haunting memories. She might have grown up but I knew that smile. It was so similar to me because it was the one that was reserved for the people she loved and cared about. Those private moments we shared was when I was privileged enough to see it.

Alison as a mother hadn't been something I could ever imagine. Now that I saw it with my own eyes, it was like she had been wired to take care of kids. Hunter looked like he absolutely adored his blonde mother and it warmed my heart. Typically the girls that show a nurturing side and loved to take care of people are the women who were the best mothers. If anything, Alison was the exact opposite. I wasn't afraid to admit the girl that I had loved at one point was a monster to the people around her. We all saw it but the thing about her was she had her social face and then her private one. People had always wondered why we stuck around Alison when she clearly took joy in making others suffer but they just never got to see the other side of her.

At first, the same thought had gone through my mind until I saw the way that Ben made her react. He had spread rumors about us sleeping together and Alison reacted like it had been personal. I had pretended that it didn't bother me because he was my boyfriend and being intimate is something that couples did. Saying it didn't bother me only worked on Hanna, Spencer and Aria. Alison had just crooked her eyebrow at me and shook her head like she completely didn't believe me. She confronted me later about it, I spilled the truth and the rumors had dropped just as quickly as they had started. The power she held in high school easily transferred into the real world.

It was only natural that Alison would become a leader in her adult years. That was realistic, but a mother? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe.

She was a bully in high school, no one would tell you differently. So, where was the justice in my relationship bursting into flames and hers working out perfectly? Nowhere. Maybe it was the jealousy talking because that's the way my relationship should have been going. God, now that was a frustrating topic.

My heart pounded in my ears, I was struggling to breathe because my anxiety levels were rising and constricting my lungs. I didn't like feeling week and I only wanted to push myself harder. That was the way to cope with my emotions when they were on the verge of becoming a threat to myself and those around me.

Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, and breathe. Five strokes to a breath. Pathetic compared to the nine I once was able to do while I was a college athlete. It only brought back the memories of coach, her voice rang in my ears.

_"Come on Fields, push! I've got girls on junior varsity that can beat you! If you want to stay on this team show me you want to be here. GO, GO, GO!"_

That bitch had been worse than a drill sergeant. Did that stop me from pushing my limits every practice? Hell no. I would have died instead of giving up my full ride and a chance at a new life. As my father had pointed out, I was stubborn and I could handle this.

There was a faint ringing that I only heard clearly when my head turned to gasp for air. I stopped, swam over to the edge and hoisted myself up. My arms felt like jelly from the intense worked I had pushed in the last hour. My legs weren't any happier about it. I removed my goggles and grabbed the towel that I had taken with me dabbing my face with it. I draped it over my shoulders and dropped down into one of the chairs cringing as my body protested any kind of movement.

I grabbed for my phone out of the small satchel I had taken with me. It contained the keys back to my hotel room and wallet in case I needed anything. The phone screen lit up showing a video request coming in from Hanna. She had been ignoring my phone calls and texts all days so I was a little shocked but she was bound to cave sooner than later. I hit the green accept button and smiled when her face came up on my screen.

She cringed, "Geez Emily, why are you so red?" I may have a darker skin complexion but that didn't stop my face from turning red in certain situations. My entire body was still throbbing and heated.

"I just got out of the pool. It's been a really long day." Her face lit up like a Christmas tree suddenly and she shrieked. "Oh Emily! Congrats on the getting the job! Not to say I told you so, but I totally did." I shook my head at her.

"Just so you know I haven't forgiven you for completely ignoring me." Her smile was replaced with a frown and she crossed her hands over her chest. I sighed and took the swim cap off my head, "Would you consider forgiving me since my time in Rosewood will be coming to an end soon?"

Maybe I shouldn't have said it because her lip quivered after a moment and her blue eyes were brimming with tears. I felt guilty, it wasn't fun to watch your best friend cry and it was worse knowing that you were the one causing it. "Han, please don't cry." I wish I could have been there to hold her, wipe away her tears and tell her it was going to be okay.

She sniffled, "I'm fine, don't worry about me." It was the wrong thing to say because I did worry, all the time. That's what happens when you form such an attachment to a person. I ached to reach out and comfort her, the nurturing side of me kicking in.

Hanna dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and chuckled, "You know, I'm grateful for water proof make up." Typical Hanna, it was her little quips that made me smile and I missed her all the more. Being separated for two days was painful. What would it be like to be separated for months? College answered that question, Hanna was pretty cranky most days and when we did get to see each other, there wasn't a moment we spent apart. Being adults might change that behavior; the distance could be good for us. After all, I couldn't rely on her for the rest of my life.

"You have to tell me all about it! I'm so excited for you!" This is where the hard part came in. Where did I start, the news of moving here in such a short amount of time or the news that Alison was my boss? I weighed the pros and cons of both options, Alison might be the better option in this case. A weird feeling in my stomach started to brew, not a sick to my stomach feeling but a nervous kind of feeling.

"Where to start, well…um Alison Dilaurentis is my boss." I shut my eyes, maybe I was expecting the worse but there really was no other way to look at it. Alison might not have bullied us after we stopped talking but that still didn't erase the pain she put Hanna through. The girl was put through hell when Alison picked on her constantly about her weight. Hanna had insisted it was for the best after but I could tell she was bitter for the hell she had gone through.

No one could blame the girl for being bitter. There hadn't been a moment she had enjoyed when she ate, it usually just came right back up after a binge and later on it had just become hell for her. She stopped eating altogether, it showed with all the weight she had shed but it had worried me. I kept a close eye on her, when she fainted one day and since I was the only one who knew about her starving herself I had covered it up saying she was exhausted but that was when I drew the line. For the next few months I made sure she wasn't skipping meals, throwing up and keeping a proper fitness regimen so she wouldn't resort to starving herself if her body image altered. A variety of incidents had brought us closer together and I was grateful for every single one of them.

The silence on the other line was overwhelming and I opened my eyes to find a blank expression on her face. It wasn't very often that something left Hanna speechless; I had expected anger at the news or maybe even hurt. "Han?" I questioned hoping to knock her out of what I guess was a state of shock.

"I'm waiting for you to laugh and tell me that this all a really twisted joke." My stomach was in knots and my hands began to sweat. Maybe she wouldn't take it very well even with all the time passed. I muttered, "I'd love to Han but I would be lying."

"EMILY, WHAT THE HELL! I can't believe you know who your boss is but you still took the damn job. Why would you do that? Do you not remember high school? Or how about the time she broke your heart? I spent the time mending it you know!" I tuned her out at some point, getting yelled at was exactly the cherry on top of my day. Yes, I was completely evil for taking a job that could help me get on my feet.

Yes, I remembered every second of high school. It was hell and some of the best years of my life, wrapped up in a bundle of four painful years. And how could I forget the heartbreak I suffered. Hanna was acting like I had completely lost my mind. To say the least, I was a little hurt at her words. Usually she was so supportive of everything I did, this was one of the first times I received the third degree.

I supposed she was partially right, she had put us through hell but why couldn't things be left in the past. I groaned, "Hanna, could you please stop. I remember everything that happened in those four years of high school but it's in the past and she's changed."

Hanna snorted, "Oh what? Did the Queen Bee finally have her heart defrosted?" I heard the venom in her voice and I had no doubt that there would probably be a showdown between the two if their paths ever crossed. Putting them in the same room would probably be worse than being in the same room as my mother. I rolled my eyes, "Hanna, be nice. She doesn't seem like the same person she was in high school. Before you start, I saw it with my own eyes."

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say because they only seemed to egg on her need to criticize me for my "mistake". Hanna was fuming, if it was possible there would be steam coming out of her ears. It was a rare occurrence for me to get pissed at her. "Emily please, she has you under her spell again and guess who's going to be picking up the pieces again."

She crossed the line this time, my own best friend was putting me down and I was fed up with it. "You are the last person I would expect this from. Why can't you be happy for me?" My vision was blurring with tears, the emotional stress of the day was too much to deal with right now. I needed support with my decision because I knew Maya would flip out over it. Having at least one person on my side would have been enough to make me feel like I'm not insane. There was a change in her entire demeanor when she realized how broken up I was about this. Her shoulders relaxed and her eyes softened, "Em, I'm…"

I cut her off, the anger pouring out of my body like someone had unscrewed the cap on shaken up soda bottle. "No, you should have known how hard it would be for me take this job after finding out Alison worked there. You don't think I suffered after she left me? Years Hanna, it took years for me to finally get over her. You don't think seeing her again just completely tore my heart open. Or that I didn't spend the last hour working out till I could barely walk because I don't know how to cope with all these fucking feelings! She was my first real love and part of me will always love her. You don't get how hard this is on me but we're adults, we need to move past this." I felt extremely lightheaded with everything going on, the angry disappearing from my body leaving me feeling like a deflated soda. It felt weird to be lying down and ranting, ranting usually would be accompanied by pacing.

There was a moment of silence that passed between us and I felt the tension releasing. "You're right Em. I'm sorry; it was a jerk move for me to not even try to understand what you're going through right now", she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Why don't you tell me all about your day?"

I chewed on my lip, afraid of the reaction anything I told her would cause. "Well, Alison really has changed. She's a mom now you know." Hanna started to violently cough and her hand went to her throat. She unscrewed the cap on her water bottle and chugged some of the liquid down. The coughing stopped eventually, "Pardon, mother? As in Alison Dilaurentis was pregnant at one time and now her demon spawn is walking around somewhere wreaking havoc on other kids." After a stern look she backed down, she raised her hands up in defeat, "Alright, alright I'm sorry. I can't help myself, just give me time and I'll learn to play nice."

At least she was willing to try; it was a step up from her reaction five minutes ago. I suspected that if I worked on her a little more maybe they could even have a civil conversation one day. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes and she looked happy…well she was happy when the kid came along but I spilled coffee on her and I thought she was intimidating before."

Hanna smirked, "Clumsy Emily strikes again. What did she do to you?" As much as I wanted to forget that moment, it was kind of hard to. "I thought she was going to rip me to shreds at first. She nearly lost it but I don't know she saw that it was me and it was like a completely different Alison. I know you don't like to hear it but it was literally the same girl I saw when she let her guard down around me." She was no leaning forward, her chin lying on her hands, elbows propped on her desk. She was either pretending to be interested to spare my feelings or she was dissecting the entire situation.

"So, neither of you got over each other?" Usually I could tell if she was being sarcastic, but right now I wasn't sure. "Han, it's been almost ten years and we're both in relationships."

Blue eyes were sparkling with delight, "Oh you didn't mention a significant other. Do tell." The interest set off alarms in my head, she was brewing an idea and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. "Well, his name is Dominic and he's actually pretty tall. He's a few inches taller than me, his skin complexion is like a shade or two darker than mine, brown hair and brown eyes."

"I see a pattern", Hanna practically sang it. I only raised my eyebrow at her, "What are you getting at?"

That earned me an overly exaggerated an eye roll, "Come on Emily, think! From the minor details the guy could be related to you and wait, before you interrupt my guess is that she's not over you. She's dating a guy that looks like you and didn't throw you out despite the past and you spilling coffee on her. The sparks are flying!"

"Hanna, who put crazy in your coffee this morning?" She had a smug look on her face and it only nipped at my irritation, "Oh c'mon, it's a joke. Where did your sense of humor go? Anyway, how long do you have to move all your stuff out there?"

I grabbed the towel off my shoulders, wanting to just cover my face with it and forget about all the packing and stress of moving, "I have a minimum of two weeks to get everything out here. Think you could help me pack?" She shrugged, "Oh yeahhhh because it's not going to be painful packing up your entire life and splitting apart."

"Come on Hanna, I know it's hard but I can't do this alone. I need you." Her eyes were wet with tears, just like mine. Quiet the emotional moment after everything that had been going through tonight. I really could use a hug right about now.

Hanna fidgeted in her seat, rocking from left to right and then settled but looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin. "Are you going to see your mom before you leave?"

Ah, the burning question of the evening. Was I going to see Pam Fields before I left to lead a new life? I hadn't seen the woman in months, the last time was on Christmas and it was brief since I spent it with Maya. It was a time to spend with family and enjoy the holiday spirit but mother still hated my fiancée. Tension was just something no one wanted to deal with during the holidays. Seeing my mom before I left was a heavy decision that I didn't want to think about, telling Maya would have been easier.

"Han, I don't know. I'll figure it out once I tell Maya and since she's still in Tokyo I have some down time." I thought Hanna looked uncomfortable before, but that didn't compare to the uneasy look on her face, "Ummm, Emily about that," a feeling of dread was in the pit of my stomach, "Maya is back in Rosewood."

Intense feeling multiplied and I felt queasy. Wait, why hadn't she called me if she was back? She must have realized by now that I was gone and if she really was concerned with finding me, she would have asked Hanna. It was that simple really, Maya was aware of my close relationship with Hanna and it irritated her to no end but they were civil for my sake.

"What do you mean she's back in Rosewood?" Dumb question but what else was I supposed to say, "Wait, why hasn't she called me?"

"Well, she came home early to surprise you and ran into me at your house instead." I had to be the unluckiest person on the planet. My fiancée was back home, my boss was my ex and I had two weeks to move to LA. Things at this point couldn't get any worse.

"Did she ask you anything?" I asked her, curious to see what she came up with.

She glared at me, "I don't think we'll ever get along. She insisted I was trespassing even though I do have a key that you gave me. It didn't help that I told her I didn't know where you were when she asked."

"Seriously? You couldn't come up with something like I went to visit my mom?" She rolled her eyes at me and scoffed, "Right because that's as believable as the boogeyman."

I accepted defeat; there really wasn't a good way to excuse my absence, "Okay fine, you're right but what did you tell her?"

She shrugged her shoulder, completely indifferent about the situation, "I told her that she'd have to talk to you about your whereabouts or she could wait till you got back. I couldn't think of a lie but I wouldn't sell you out."

"Gee, thanks for the help Hanna. I'll be sure to remember this when you get wasted and I have to take care of your ass." If this conversation was in person, she would have probably thrown her arms around me and told me how much she loved me for everything I did. I would give in eventually because it was the way our relationship worked. She whined, "But Emilyyy, I love you! If you forgive me I'll even go with you to your mother's house before you leave."

"Hanna! That doesn't count; you love my mom for whatever reason. You might has well just trade with me." She scrunched up her nose, "I'm not trading lives with you. I've kissed you before but I wouldn't kiss any other girl especially Maya."

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Switching parents didn't mean switching lives but apparently it did to Hanna. I laughed, "Are you two ever going to get along?" She stroked her chin, pondering that question and producing an hmm sound "Let me think about that", after a second she laughed a replied, "Not going to happen."

They both had their faults and maybe they got along at first but after it was a constant battle to catch my attention. Then there was the issue of them having absolutely nothing in common, besides wanting to spend time with me that is. We all had gone on a double date, which resulted in Travis and I playing referee the entire dinner. First and last double date we had ever gone on.

It wasn't any different when Maya had dinner with my mother, there just seemed to be a universal hate towards the woman. Half way through the dinner, Maya had grabbed her coat and stormed out vowing to never go back to there. I couldn't blame her because my mother had pushed it, she didn't hide the fact she was unhappy about my relationship with a woman. Just because I came out around the time I was dating Maya, she was apparently the cause of all of it. If only she knew, Alison had been the one to trigger those feelings and I would have been forbidden to see her.

I wished my mother would have known about Alison, not because it would have been easier to handle my relationship with Maya around her now. It would have meant not hiding and being true to who I was and taking the hell out of telling Pam Fields that I was engaged to the woman who had tainted her daughter. Persuading her to come to the wedding would be like pulling teeth. Two major things to break to her in one visit; I was definitely bringing Hanna to lessen the blow.

I yawned, "Hey Han, I've had a really long day and could really use some sleep." She pouted, "I miss you and you owe me when you get back. You're taking one day from the packing and we're having a girl's night."

I waved her off before covering my mouth, another yawn escaping "Yeah, I promise."

She blew me a kiss before my screen went black. I contemplated sleeping out here instead of going inside, after a long day I was tired and the pain I put my body through only made me sleepier. A bed would have been more comfortable than the chair and my muscles would thank me in the morning.

Despite my body screaming at me, I pulled myself up from the chair and wrapped the towel around my waist. I grabbed the satchel and made my way back to my room. Half way there and I realized the conversation I had with Hanna was really bothering. Not the part where we had gotten into a small fight, that was resolved quickly as usual. The part that bothered me was the comparison of me to Dominic. Did we really look alike?

I didn't see it, and she said it was a joke but what were the odds. Is it possible that she felt something towards me? Or was I hoping that she felt something towards me. I did get this odd feeling when our fingers brushed and when my fingers had unintentionally lingered on her skin when I insisted putting my cardigan on her. What was with that anyway?

It was my fault her shirt had been soiled but it wasn't my obligation cover her up. It reminded me of the time when it started to pour in Rosewood, Alison was in a white tank top so I gave up my letterman's jacket to cover her up. She hadn't kissed my cheek like she did back then but seeing her wear my clothing was enough to have a blush creep up my cheeks. I had cooled down from the serious workout but thinking about her wearing clothes made me hot and bothered.

Stop it Emily, you're engaged and you need to forget about Alison. Those aren't appropriate thoughts for a woman to be wed to the woman she loved. I shook the thoughts from my head as I entered my hotel room and grabbed my pajamas. A hot shower would do my troubling thoughts and aching muscles good.

That night my dreams reflected everything I had been thinking about before bed. Those feeling weren't easy to turn off and my dreams only made me feel more confused. I had been transported back into my awkward teenage body and into one of my favorite memories.

_Alison had called me in the middle of the night, her voice cracked because of the thunderstorm brewing outside. Although she didn't admit it I knew she was scared. I threw on a hoodie and some sneakers before sneaking out my window. The front door posed a greater risk than climbing down the tree from the second floor. _

_I had done it a few times in the past and with each time it got easier, by now it was just like swimming. When I got to the Dilaurentis house, both vehicles were gone. Of course she was scared; she was home alone during a thunderstorm. She was already scared of storms, being alone just intensified her fright. I took the key from underneath the doormat and locked the door behind me once I was inside. The whole house was dark, the lightning illuminating the house and the rumbling made this place seem creepy without the lights. _

_The stairs creaked under every one of my steps and a small voice came from Ali's room, "Em, is that you?" _

_"Yeah Ali, I'm on my way up." I discarded my sneakers at the top of the stairs and made my way over to the white door that had been left wide open. I walked in shutting the door behind me. Alison was huddled underneath her light pink and white Paris bedspread. The bed dipped under my weight and she turned over cuddling into my chest. My arms wrapped around her, bringing her closer to my body. I felt warmed when her hand slipped down to my waist, "Thanks for coming Em." _

_I kissed the top of her head, "Just go back to sleep Ali." My heart fluttered in my chest when the rise and fall of her chest eased into a gentle rhythm. I was the one who she called to comfort me and she was comfortable enough to fall asleep in my arms. Maybe there was hope for this relationship. My heart thundered in my chest from her closeness and I was sure Alison could hear it. Despite my feelings of nervousness, my eyes drooped close after making sure she was going to wake. _

My phone rang waking me up from my next to perfect dream and I was a little bitter because of it. There were a few good memories I had with her and I cherished them, which is probably why I relived them so often. My hand lazily reached out to the nightstand and titled the phone to see what it was. One text from the office, they were requesting my presence at a meeting. Even on my vacation time here I was going to be working and so much for trying to forget about Alison. I groaned and threw the cover over my head not wanting to move a muscle for the rest of my time here.


	6. Good Intentions

**Just feeling slightly guilty I wasn't able to update last week, I spent all week working extra hard to get this update out. Battling writers block and the number of essays I've had to work on this week. Next update might not come out for another two weeks. Sorry guys. **

**I hope this is worth the wait. As always thank you all so much for the support.**

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**Emily's POV**

I had gotten over to Vine Industries by seven fifty, ten minutes to spare thanks to Will being on call. This time I was able to use the work ID that had been issued to me yesterday before my exit to lunch with Julia. I mimicked the guard's move from the day before at the security check and stepped through as the light turned green. Again, it was too early for people to be heading out to lunch so the lobby was completely deserted. The second I pushed the button to call the elevator, the doors behind me swung open. It was a mystery to me as where I was supposed to go, my best guess was to head up to the office.

My nerves from yesterday were over the top and it had temporarily blinded me to my surroundings. There was a small eight by ten monitor that flashed something different on the screen every minute or so, everything from stock values to the weather and even a recipe for salmon. I trained my eyes on that small monitor trying to ignore the nerves bouncing around in my body. I should be sleeping my muscle pain away right now and not getting prepared to go to a meeting. What was the point of me being there anyway? It's not like I could be of any use. Just standing there was sending waves of pain through my body; heels definitely didn't make the situation any better. Loose jeans or even better sweatpants paired with a baggy t-shirt sounded like paradise. Instead I found myself in a tight, black pencil skirt that was just an inch above my knee and a loose peach button up blouse that was tucked in topped off with a black blazer. Due to the aching of my arms, my purse felt like it weighed ten times more than usual even though it was practically empty.

The monitor indicated a perfect sunny day in LA and that would continue throughout the entire week. Maybe I would be able to squeeze in some tan time if I wasn't going to be called in again. Not that I needed color but a day on the beach, relaxing with a margarita sounded like paradise. Rosewood wasn't supplying in that department so might as well enjoy it while I still have the chance.

The doors swung open and just as I stepped out I nearly ran into Alison again as she attempted to step onto the elevator. She was staring straight down at her phone and was completely oblivious to her surroundings. My hands shot out to her upper arms to stop a collision. Luckily this time neither of us had a cup of coffee, a minor crisis averted. When she looked up there was a look of momentary bewilderment at the contact and my hands dropped down to my sides. Then she relaxed a considerable amount, even managed to smile, "Oh Emily, I'm sorry about that. I was just answering an important email, another meeting." She rolled her eyes but all in good spirit and I chuckled.

"I'm glad you made it. I was just heading down to meet you down in the lobby so you really just saved me a ton of time. We'll be taking the back elevators to get down to the conference room." Her fingers glided along the keyboard of her smartphone before she locked it, "Just follow me," she said and walked off in the direction of the entry doors to Vine Industries. I trailed behind her while my mind digested a new detail about the building.

Back elevators? First, I've never even heard of them. Julia didn't say anything about it during our lunch; in fact most of it was focused on what was expected of me. That was pretty basic and helped me ease into the job. My responsibilities to me were crystal clear to me but the layout of the building was black and white. I knew nothing other than how to get in, out and to the office floor. It would have been nice to know the layout. Especially if I hadn't run into Alison or she wouldn't have been waiting for me. Surely the secretary would have known where to send me but that would have been a pure hassle especially with her trying to explain where the back elevators were.

As we neared the doors Alison took a left at the divided hallway which leads to three doors. One of them was at the very end of the hallway. The other two were located on my left side, one was the women's restroom and the other was the men's restroom. The door at the end of the hallway had another security check. She used her own ID, which had been under her phone, to swipe in. The light turned green allowing her to open the door. She stepped to the side and held it open for me. There was a small click as the door closed behind us. I felt the need to say something, mostly because I hated absolute silence. But what was there to say?

I could ask about the meeting but I figured she would fill me in. From the looks of it, this entire building had just become a fucking maze. It was like every time a door opened, three more popped up out of nowhere. There was only one door on my right and an opening on the left that lead to the elevators. Only three back elevators compared to six main elevators. Was it just something that Vine Industries had access to or the other companies as well?

The building didn't belong to Vine Industries to my knowledge. The company that owned the building was a law firm and there were other companies that were renting out space. The property management side of our company was responsible for maintaining the building. The other side of Vine Industries, referred to as the west region, worked on expanding the company. Their current project was the net zero building in San Diego which Alison was in charge of.

Julia yesterday at lunch had explained that net zero meant the energy that the building used on an annual basis was roughly equal to the amount of energy it created thanks to greenhouse gases. Talk about an eco-friendly company. The only thing missing were solar panels on the roof but even that was rivaled by the actual greenhouse up there. A greenhouse on the roof was typical in the city simply because of the heat created by the asphalt and materials. Greenhouses on roofs were created to lessen the heat and pollution in the city. I had read about this, it was one of the bigger moves they were pulling in Milan at the moment. The one in San Diego was meant to mimic the one in Milan right down to the trees and variety of plants on every floor. I admired the company I was working for; they were doing something no other company had attempted to. How many of the projects Alison had led and if the building in San Diego was her idea?

I wondered if that was what this meeting was about. If Alison was in charge of this project or even part of it, it was my responsibility to know every detail about it. We were both standing there in absolute silence as we waited for the elevator. Her eyes were glued to her phone again and my gaze was locked on her. Alison looked stunning this morning, that was nothing new but it was like she had just walked out of a fashion magazine. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, which was very new to me. She hadn't ever worn it that way when we were in high school, maybe she should have because it suited her. My eyes trailed down from her face down to her attire, a sleeveless belted charcoal dress that stopped just above her knees, a white cardigan and black heels to go with it. Nothing colorful or special but on her, it was different.

The sound of the elevator arriving pulled Alison back into reality, her eyes locked with mine momentarily and I adverted my gaze. A burning sensation crawling up my body, I had been caught staring. My boss didn't seem to be bothered by it; she stepped inside holding her hand out to keep the elevator from closing before I got in. There were a few noticeable differences about this elevator to the main one on the inside. It didn't have a small monitor, but this was definitely roomier. These elevators had access to the floors the main one didn't, our floor, the five above us and what I assumed was the garage and basement. As expected, there was another little security check where Alison had to swipe in before it allowed her to gain access to any of the floors. Once the light turned green, she hit the button for the fifth floor and leaned back against the wall. Her attention completely off the phone in her hand, "I know, it's a lot of swiping and security control to get somewhere."

I stifled a laugh because that might have been a mild understatement, "No kidding. Are you guys hiding the president or something?" That was when I heard a real genuine laugh coming from her, "No. The woman who owns the building just loves making everything more complicated than it really needs to be. You'll see what I mean shortly."

The ride down was super short; it was over before I really registered that we had moved. As we were stepping out Alison placed her hand on my bicep and turned to face me, "Hey Em…ily". Em…that was a nickname I hadn't heard in so long. Hanna still used it once in a while but Alison was the first to start calling me Em, hearing it from her was just like falling back into the past. She must have realized her slip up; she cleared her throat and moved her hand away before continuing, "Don't worry too much about the meeting. I wanted Becky to have you here today so you could be exposed to how things work."

I nodded and just like that, the warmth from her was gone. Like a switch had been flipped and a new character had been put in her place. No, not a new character but the woman I had run into the day before. The one that had gone off into a fit of rage because of an accident, that's who I was dealing and I would have to get used to it.

I was left to trail behind her, more like a slave than an equal. "Breakfast was catered to the event. Becky wasn't sure about what you wanted so I just guessed: Café Americano, two creams, just under a half packet of sugar and for breakfast yogurt mixed with granola and fruit."

It was a bit scary how Alison remembered everything about my breakfast habits, down to the amount of sugar I used. We had made breakfast together a few times in the past but so much time had passed since then. Habits could have easily changed but they didn't, she was spot on. I tried to not let my mind linger on that too much instead I focused on my surroundings. There wasn't much going on this floor; there were two glass doors on either side of me and they were pitch black. The light in hallway only supplied me with the ability to guess based on the barely there outlines, one of them seemed like it was just full of boxes. The other just looked empty for now. There must have been a conference room somewhere further down the hall since Alison kept walking and there was the faint sound of laughter off in the distance. And I was right.

Alison came to a halt in front of another glass door, her hand wrapped around the huge stainless steel handle running length wise. "Remember, no need to be nervous", with that she tugged the door open, stepped inside and I quickly followed suit. Four men dressed in business suits were all gathered around a large mahogany table. At the head of the table was a woman in a black pinstripe pant suit, clearly uninterested in the conversation the gentlemen were taking part of. She didn't even glance up like the other's when we walked in through the door. Her eyes were glued to laptop in front of her, light from the screen reflected on her glasses.

The others in the room had turned to look at who had entered the conference room. I hadn't felt nervous before but now I was definitely there. The smiles plastered on their faces suggested they were friendly. That didn't stop me from being cautious. Alison's hand found its way to my shoulder, "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Emily Fields. She's my new assistant; expect to see her around in the future."

She was gone just as soon as she was done with introductions. The men took it upon themselves to greet me while my boss took a seat to the right of the woman who still hadn't paid attention to anything but her screen. All of them had introduced themselves, nothing beyond a name and a firm but quick handshake. A few seats were left open, including the one next to Alison. Her cold nature was pushing me away but I forced myself to take the seat next to her.

As always, I felt like the odd one out as the men around us began to engage in a conversation about who was most likely to win the world cup. My boss seemed to be off in her own world. That left me sitting there feeling quite uncomfortable and wishing I had just blown on the meeting consequences be damned.

"Ms. Dilaurentis, I don't believe I caught your small introduction. You know how it is with staff, can't solve their own problems so you must do it for them." It was the woman at the front of the table who hadn't as much spoken a word or looked up from her screen since we arrived. The way she said it so casually made it seem like this was nothing out of the ordinary. Watching Alison and the mystery woman interact hinted at a close office friendship, the woman had rested her hand on Alison's arm as she spoke.

"You know what I told you about calling me Alison. My mother is Ms. Dilaurentis" the other woman just smiled at her, "Allow me to introduce you to my new assistant, Emily Fields."

"Em…ily," she caught herself in the mistake of calling me Em again and trying to cover it up casually, "This is the owner of the building, Noelle Ambrose."

"Emily", she extend her hand out to me, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy it here, assuming Alison doesn't work you like a pack mule."

Her hand was so small and gentle, the handshake felt like air gliding on skin. "Don't you dare scare my assistant away even before she's officially started."  
Noelle looked slightly amused, eyes practically glowing with glee, "Alison, you drove the poor guy away on your own." She shrugged, "Not my fault he couldn't handle the pressure."

Okay, maybe now this was an appropriate time to panic. This last guy had left on his own because he couldn't handle the pressure. The pressure of what exactly? An office job where you keep tabs on everything your boss does and is supposed to do hardly seems like anything difficult.

"Care to explain where the rest of your lovely team is?" Alison just shrugged in response.

"You asked to have breakfast catered to the event, so now you get to wait while…" the ringing of Noelle's phone cut her off. Watching the two go back in forth was interesting. The other blonde woman should have been intimidating simply because she owned the place but Alison was stone faced. Hell, I even found Alison more intimidating than before.

"I have to take this. If I'm not back by the time your team is here, all the information we need to discuss is already pulled up on my email. Just have Garret take over."

Garrett was the middle aged man sitting directly across from me. He had jet black hair, warm brown eyes and a neatly trimmed beard going for him. I happened to catch a glimpse of a tattoo when the cuff of his jacket suit moved up when he had shook my hand. I had a tattoo of my own but it was in white ink, hardly possible to notice unless you really paid attention. Alison nodded, "Noted."

In a flash Noelle was gone, essentially leaving Garrett in charge. I really wished the other blonde woman hadn't left. At least with her around there was something other than sports being discussed. The change went unnoticed by the guys who continued to discuss soccer teams, Alison went back to scrolling through her phone and I sat there not knowing what to do with myself. Taking my phone out was an option but I didn't want to seem rude, so that was quickly crossed off my options.

There was a bright side to all of this, the comfortable chairs. My aching body felt relieved too, it felt like the mattress back in my hotel room. There was no telling how a cloud felt but I imagined this was it. Placing the purse by my feet, I relaxed back into the chair.

Thankfully sitting there in silence wasn't an option for very long, soon enough our company's secretary, Julia and two other women I didn't recognize walked in with three cup trays and one of them dragging a cart behind her. The small of various foods wafted in the air mixed in with scent of coffee. Only then did I realize how hungry skipping breakfast made me. The others were just as tempted by breakfast, the smell of food dragging them out of the conversation.

The women made their way around with various boxes and coffee cups, each labeled with initials. Julia made her way over to Alison, something about the way she approached her was different than the way she acted around the men. This was cautious, "Alison, they didn't have your regular breakfast. We had the chef make you an omelet with everything that is usually in your breakfast burrito."

Maybe I was expecting the worse, but I braced myself for the possible outburst of her temper that I had gotten a glimpse of yesterday. "That's fine Julia, thank you", she popped the top open to the small take away box and shed the plastic off of the fork.

"Surprised that I can be nice?" the question was directed at me. The rest of the room was engaged in a conversation, no one else would have heard what she had said. Had it been that obvious as to what I expected to happen? She continued before I could say anything, "No, you aren't that obvious to read. Well, at least not to everyone around you but you've hardly changed since high school. Reading people is what I do for a living, Emily."

Stunned is the correct word to insert here. Once again, I had underestimated Alison but she was wrong. High school Emily was no more and part of me needed to prove that. "I know you have the ability to be nice, Alison. I have never doubted that."

She directed her attention back to her breakfast, off in her own world once again. Deep down, there was a woman who felt love and joy in the cold statue in front of me. I was sure of it. There was no way anyone who couldn't feel love would act that way around a child. One of the mystery women placed my coffee, a fruit cup filled with strawberries and blueberries, and a box similar to Alison's in front of me. A plastic spoon encased in plastic lay on top of the box. "Thank you Alison." She simply nodded her head in return.

Once everyone was seated, Alison gave everyone a minute to settle in and eat part of their breakfast. Noelle was still out of the room, her breakfast placed to the side of the laptop. "Garret, please start. I have a feeling Noelle won't be joining us anytime soon."

"Certainly," the man stood up and dabbed at his lips with a napkin. I put my spoon down, fearing the crunch of granola would distract from more important matters. Garrett took a second to look over what had been left on Noelle's laptop.

"Alright, looks like the agenda is rather short. No need to keep anyone here longer than what is necessary. First order of business: security downstairs has been printing visitor tags with the wrong floors on them."

Alison turned to look over in Julia's direction, "We'll have it taken care of. The property management team will take turns downstairs monitoring security and visitors will be informed to check tags. I'll have a talk with the head of security."

There was a brief moment of silence where only the tapping of Garret's fingers on Noelle's keyboard could be heard. Julia was on the other side of the room, taking notes into a small notepad like she had done yesterday. "Okay, next on the list. Vendors, get ready for the holiday season. Every year we send out wine bottles to important clients and partners. I gather we'll do the same as every year, collect a list and pass it off to Vine Industries. Have them mailed out a week before Christmas rolls around."

Alison and I were the only two not writing or typing anything. Regardless of her lack of note taking, she was more involved than those just scribbling on their notepads, "We'll have the wine tasting up on seven next week so we can all take a vote on what we're sending out."

The man that had been sitting to the left of Garret, Mike, spoke, "What time and are we exclusively sending out red or white?"

"It'd be safe to say seven pm. You guys usually stick around much longer than anyone else in our building. We can take a vote for red or white right here", Alison suggested.

"Okay, all those for red?" four hands went up.

"All in favor of white?" another four hands went up. Alison looked at me, "Emily, you are part of this now. Your vote is just an important to our decision."

Alison had voiced her vote for red, not that tiny fact was important but it swayed my decision. "Um, red is fine."

"Nice choice. You can put Noelle down for red; she's never voiced for white over the years." Even when Garrett was left in charge, it was like having Alison in the room completely stripped him of his power. She completely ran the show which was obvious to everyone in the room. Garrett didn't seem to mind as he continued.

"Hmm, looks like we've had a collection of complaints from workers about the cleaning staff. Notes indicate it's just a problem with the gym." Some of the guys around the table chimed in, Mike was the first. "The gym equipment is a disaster. Screens are left completely white with smug marks and the sides are poorly wiped down."

The man that had been sitting on the other side of Garret, Jake joined in, "Sometimes the towel bin goes days without being emptied. Just last week, it was overflowing."

Alison leaned for, hands folded in front of her and I felt slightly uncomfortable by her sudden interest. Before, she had been leaning back in her chair. Involved in conversations but looked like she was occupied with her own thought. This was a very different reaction and a feeling of worry came over me.

"Well, I don't have any knowledge of this. Ladies" she turned to look over back at Julia, "care to explain? This should have been taken care the moment it became an issue."

Julia fiddled with her fingers, "Um, yes Ms. Dilaurentis. I assure you we have brought it to the attention of the cleaning staff on multiple occasions. I've even gone down there to clean the equipment on my lunch break."

"Did I hear you correctly? You, the manager of my company, have been doing the job assigned to the cleaning staff." I sunk back into my chair, mentally preparing myself for the train wreck about to happen. The other employees looked just as uncomfortable at the situation presented. Poor Julia looked like she was ready to cry, her skin turning a bright red and I could only image what she was feeling.

"Y-yes." She stuttered, a huge mistake. She had just flipped the power switch, giving Alison full control of the situation. Not that Julia had much control of the situation in the first place. Although she looked completely calm, any wise person could see Alison was seething inside.

"Let me make this very clear, we have a cleaning staff for a reason. We pay them to do a job. If you can't handle that, you come talk to me. I'll be handling the issue until my assistant starts working here, and then it'll be her responsibility." My heart went out to Julia, she was a really sweet individual and I truly understood the need to take care of problems on your own without informing someone higher up.

"Garret, you can also leave a note to Noelle that I'll be speaking to the cleaning staff. We can have a replacement by the end of the week if she wishes." He nodded at Alison before bringing up the next issue.

"Last thing to address, Halloween is coming up in about a month and each year Vine Industries has been given the responsibility to hand out caramel apples during the evening to our employees. She's requested to remove the option of caramel apples with peanuts, just a precaution to those who are allergic. She'd also like you guys to organize an event like we do for Christmas, just void excessive decorations."

"Emily and I will take care of it. Have Noelle call in to set up a meeting and we can discuss what she has in mind. Julia and Sadie will take care of the caramel apples."

The list of my responsibilities was growing and I hadn't even started. I'd be spending more time in Alison's presence than I originally thought. Not that it was a bad thing; maybe we could even be friends at the very end of it. "Anyone else have anything to add?" Garret turned it over to the rest of the individuals in the room. They all looked around at one another; no one was interest in piping in with another comment.

"Okay, if no one has anything to add you're all dismissed. If any issues come up that need to be discussed please contact Ms. Ambrose or Ms. Dilaurentis. If not, you're all expected to be show up in two weeks."

Everyone else began to clear out, expect for Alison and the other members of Vine Industries. She waited until they were all gone, trays and cups left behind to be cleaned by the staff. Alison got up out of her chair and moved to stare out the window, "What an embarrassment. Not one complaint but multiple that have not been brought to my attention."

The room had gotten so quiet you could hear a pin drop, only then did I understand the power Alison held here. They worked for her, respected her but also feared her. I felt all of it at once but I admired her for it. The admiration came from the seriousness she felt her job, it wasn't something that washed over her but every scorn was something personal. My last job, the CEO of the company was less serious and he was less involved with the staff.

There was no doubt that she deserved her position at the company regardless of her age. Before, I might have dreaded working with Alison but now, even though fear hung in the air, I was glad. Alison broke the silence, "Julia, I'd like to see you in my office after my ten o'clock meeting. Becky, be sure to inform her when I return. You are dismissed."

They all scurried out of the room; it was just the two of us left. "There's your first glimpse of what a bi-weekly meeting looks like for us. Don't worry about the cleaning staff; I'll walk you through the steps of what will be expected of you." She wasn't as tense once they had all cleared out; Alison was shockingly human at that moment. I had absolutely nothing to say, luckily she disrupted the silence, "I know it sounded harsh. Julia is a good employee but sometimes she needs to be reminded that she can't handle everything on her own."

"So, you aren't going to fire her?" I had gotten her attention; she turned away from the window. There was a look of hurt on her face, "You'd really think I'd do that?"

I sighed, maybe keeping my mouth shut would have been the right thing to do but the entire time Alison and I had been friends I had kept her grounded every chance I had. This was no different now that we were adults, "Alison, you care about this company. You'd have to be blind to not see that but don't let that compassion cloud the respect you have for your employees."

It was strange falling back into this kind of pattern, especially just after a day of being around one another. As much as it was strange, it felt right and totally natural. "Emily, I'm glad you'll be working here. I know that didn't seem like the case yesterday but you have the ability to do great things with this company. I just know it." Seldom did Alison bare a part of heart; this moment was something to really remember. Hanna wouldn't believe it when I told her. The part where Alison nearly made Julia cry she'd get a kick out of because that would just prove to Hanna that things really hadn't changed. I'd paint the image of a boss that is nothing but passionate about her job so my best friend would approve of my choices.

Hanna's approval was the most important to me, Maya came second. "Emily, I feel bad for dragging you out here in your free time."

"Don't worry about it. It must have been important otherwise you wouldn't have done it." She sat down at the head of the table, "You didn't let me finish, I feel like I owe you. I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight around eight, strictly business. This will allow me to help make your transition here as smooth as possible."

Against my better judgment I accepted, her intentions came off as genuine. There was no reason to not trust her. "I'd like that."

She stood and grabbed her cup of coffee, "Great, Nick will just come pick you up around eight. You're free to dress relaxed; it'll just be the two of us." With that she walked out, turning just before she was out the door "When you get the elevators, swipe with your id and once more inside. You can either go straight to the garage from there, I'm sure Will is down there waiting or you have the option of taking it to our floor, transferring to the main elevators and getting on another elevator in the lobby." I must have looked confused because Alison laughed, "Just go down to the basement from here. We wouldn't want you to get lost. I'll create a general map for you."

I followed her out, grabbing my coffee off the table and purse off the ground, "Thank you, that'd be really helpful."

Alison smiled in return, "Don't mention it. What kind of boss would I be if I let my assistant get lost?" This was the side of her that I loved, so carefree and opening to joking around. I hoped this is the side of her I would be seeing more often.  
While we waited for our elevators, everything finally hit me. This wasn't some kind of dream that I was going to wake up from. Reality was settling in and instead of being frightened, I felt somewhat empowered. After all these years, part of me would be an equal to Alison and I could stand up to her. Fear would always linger, her level of intimidation would never leave but getting to see this other side of her dimmed that.

The elevator to send her back to the office came first, "See you tonight then, Emily."

Tonight, right. I grabbed the phone from the back pocket of my slacks and checked the time, 9:30 am. That gave me around nine hours to completely freak out and feel overly nervous about this dinner and a little over an hour to try to calm myself down. She told me to dress loosely and this was just business but there was a twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was a need to dress up and look nice, which made me feel guilty. Why was it important to me that I looked nice in front of Alison? My palms felt sweaty with all these thoughts circling around in my head. Would the feeling of nervousness ever disappear or was I doomed to feel like this every time I thought about being around Alison? Only time would tell.

Despite how nervous I was feeling, I felt excited. She could have invited me back to the office to make my transition smoother but instead she choose to pick a place outside of the work place. Maybe I was thinking about it too much, but Alison did everything for a reason.

* * *

**Things will start to pick up shortly. I promise. Hope this was worth the wait :)**


	7. How Long Can We Keep This Going?

**Wow, it has been a while since I last updated and I'd like to thank you guys for being so patient. Putting this up on Christmas wasn't intentional, just kind of happened. Wishing all of you the best! Happy Holidays :)**

**Hope this was worth the long wait!**

* * *

Emily's POV

Walking into Vine Industries, I expected a boring meeting and for that to be the end of my encounter with the company until I came back as an official employee but was surprised with dinner out with my unofficial boss. It was a pleasant surprise to be meeting with Alison but she made it clear to think nothing of it. Yet, the feeling of excitement brewing deep within was uncontrollable. My fears had been pushed aside simply because I got to see the human side of her, a side that probably didn't make an appearance very often. My phone vibrated on the granite countertop and it stopped me in the middle of brushing my teeth to check who it was. Hanna's name and her picture lit up on my screen smiling awkwardly with the toothbrush still in my mouth. I spit the minty foam out and rinsed with the water running from the faucet before shutting it off.

Hoping to catch the call before it went to voicemail, I grabbed the small towel on the countertop drying my hands off quickly and tossing it aside. The vibrating continued and luckily was able to accept it before it went to voicemail. "Hey Han," I was happy to note that she had called me and was almost sure she was over me not calling her two nights ago, "what's going on?"

Hanna groaned, "Emilyyy, when are you coming back?" The week wasn't even halfway over and already she was growing whiny, missing me more than expected.

"Miss me already?" I teased.

"Yes! But that's not the point. Your fiancée will not leave me alone. It's like she latched onto me just to get me to spill where you are. I swear, if she tries to sleepover I'm stuffing her ass into a box and shipping her out to you."

"Hanna, could you please just deal with her? I would do something about it but I'm kind of busy." She was somewhat grumpy about the whole deal but it instantly dropped, her voice taking on a different tone. "Oh. Busy? With little miss Ice Queen over there?"

I sighed trying to not get irritated with her, "Hanna…"

"Alright, I'm sorry…but are you? I mean you don't know anyone else out there so it has to be her." That wasn't entirely true, some of my friends from college were still out here in LA but contact was very brief and not enough to make me want to meet with them. I took one last glance in the mirror before switching off the light and making my way over to the arm chairs located by the fireplace.

"Yes Han, I'm going out to dinner with Alison and before you even go there, it's just business."

She snorted, "Right because she couldn't just meet you in her office." There was truth to the statement and instead of making me uneasy, it made me feel special. Sure, this was about work but Alison wanted to meet outside of the office. Maybe if other people noticed this, I wasn't the only one who thought about something more. The truth was, even though we had a rocky past, I wanted to fix things with Alison. Friendship was the least I could hope for.

I rolled my eyes at her comment, making it seem like it really wasn't a big deal even though Hanna couldn't see my actions. She was purposely trying to add interest into a dull situation. "We've been through this before, she has a significant other and I'm engaged."

"Sooo…." it was drawn out longer than necessary, "what exactly are you going to tell Maya? Hey, my new boss is my ex-girlfriend that broke my heart nearly ten years ago."

The thought of telling Maya hadn't crossed my mind, or if I would tell her at all. If anything, she really didn't need to know that I was working for Alison. It would just earn me the third degree and possibly an argument that I didn't really want to sit through. "She doesn't need to know everything," and for a second I was quiet before adding, "and Alison was never my girlfriend…we were just...just friends."

There was a moment of silence on the line and for a second I thought she hung up on me. "Right, because my tongue has gotten to know the inside of my friends' mouth too. Emily, do you really think it's a good idea to keep this from her? Secrets have a way of coming out."

As much as I hated to admit it, she was right in more ways than one. Secrets are toxic but for once I wasn't worried about that. There was absolutely no way Maya would find about Alison so there was no need to worry.

"Don't worry about it. There's no possible way she can figure out who I'm working for. There's no information on their website and these people have so much security you would think the president works there."

"But why not just tell her?" Hanna's solution seemed so simple but it was more complicated than secrecy.

"Did you completely forget what happened yesterday when you found out? Go tell Travis that Caleb is working as your assistant and tell me how that works out for you." Again, I was met with silence and realized I might have just crossed a line. Forgiving Hanna for her outburst was easy but it didn't mean that it wasn't fresh in my mind and that it hurt any less.

"Point taken and I am sorry about that you know." Her voice had dropped and there was a hint of sadness laced in her tone.

"It's okay; I forgave you the second after it happened." Overcoming rough patches in our friendship like this was what made it stronger. I was being genuine when I said that all was forgiven. There really was no need to dwell on the subject any longer.

"Hey Em, would you consider not taking the job? You know, it would avoid conflict with Maya and you wouldn't have to leave."

I sighed knowing this would come up eventually, or at least part of it would have. "Hanna, I already agreed to the job and-"

"Well can't you just tell them you got a better offer back home?" I shook my head, tired of hearing why this wasn't good for me. I had made up my mind and there was nothing anyone could do to change it.

"No, I'm taking the job here. I have a feeling that I'll really like it here and it'd be nice to put myself first for once. Maya is just going to have to deal with that."

"Emily, it's not just –" a knock on the door pulled my attention away from the conversation.

"Hold on a sec, there's someone at the door." I walked over from the arm chair that I had planted myself in and opened the door. Waiting out there was a man in a black suit and he was wearing a cliché chauffer's hat. The phone that had been pressed up against my ear was now covered by my left hand.

"Emily Fields?" this had to be Nick, the driver Alison informed me about. In heels I was just slightly taller than him. Unlike Will, he wasn't smiling and his stance gave off a frigid air. He had piercing blue eyes that made me feel like a lab subject being analyzed under a microscope.

"How can I help you?" He took off the hat to reveal a jet black hair that only made his intense blue eyes pop, "I'm Nick, I have instructions from Ms. Dilaurentis to pick up an Emily Fields from this address."

I nodded feeling oddly intimidated by his presence, "Just a moment please."

"Of course, I'll be waiting in the car." With that he put the hat back on and walked back into the night. I didn't bother shutting the door; everything I needed was already laid out on the bed. "Hey Han, I've to go. The driver is here to take me to dinner."

"But we need to…" I felt bad just interrupting her but there wasn't anything I could do about it. She could wait until morning or after dinner, "Listen, I really have to go. Love you, Han!"

I ended the call before she could get another word out, if she had kept trying to grab my attention then I would get nowhere with the rest of the evening. Even at night the temperature in LA was warm enough for just a short sleeve shirt and shorts. Considering we were going to be indoors for this dinner and they would probably have the air conditioning on, I decided it would be best to grab a blazer just in case. Worst case scenario, it would hang off the back of my chair all night. I grabbed the keys to my room, the white Michael Kors purse that matched my dress and took one last glance in the mirror, making sure there wasn't a hair out of place. I was wearing a white long sleeved dressed that had gold buttons at least two inches apart from each other. They ran from the bottom of my right thigh to my collar bone. It was a few inches above my knees but nothing was exposed that would make in considered inappropriate.

Prior to my phone call, I had spent more time than I would like to admit doing my hair and makeup. After much debate I ended up using just a touch of eyeliner. Simple is good, right?

The warm evening breeze wrapped around me as I stepped outside. I took the time to make sure the door was locked, something that I was programmed to do, checking it once and even twice to reassure myself. I had never had my home robbed in the past and now was not the time to start.

Nick was up and out of the driver's side, holding the backseat door open for me. The model of the car was identical to the one Will drove expect this one was completely white. No signs of dirt or rubble anywhere on the car looking like it had just been driven off the lot.

Nick was quiet the entire drive to the restaurant. There was nothing by the sound of the radio playing in the car and soft hum of the engine. I could have easily continued my conversation with Hanna but this was Alison's driver. What guarantee was there that he wouldn't say anything about my conversation to her? He sure didn't look like the type to gossip but there was no being too careful. My phone signaled an incoming text.

One incoming text from Maya lit up on the screen. My screensaver was a picture of us but she was just Maya as a contact name. No smiley face or heart next to her name like most couples did with their significant other. There was nothing about it that suggests there was something between us. I opened the text out of pure curiosity, with no intention of responding. It read: We need to talk.

That was it; the message was simple but held a thousand different feelings behind it. I was definitely hoping for something more from her. There were times that I spent weeks waiting for so much as a single text when she was away on business. I understood that at times it was just impossible but that didn't stop the hurt feelings and a sense of bitterness. Maya always put work before me; it never failed to come before us. What did I have to feel guilty about? There was the option of contacting me as soon as she got home instead of doing that she tried to pry information out of the one person who would never rat me out.

I took one last look at the text; my mind was set on ignoring it. Setting it on vibrate before slipping it back into my purse to keep it from distracting me. Right now, my relationship problems would be taking a back seat to my future. Traffic was lighter than I had expected it to be. Still, compared to the amount of cars in Rosewood, the difference was significant. Going to school here at one point gave me some background knowledge of what things were like around here but it had been a while. Just as everything else with time there was change and even in a city like Los Angeles, they were noticeable. Perhaps not to a tourist but a frequent visitor would have. I was content with sitting in the car, listening to the radio and staring at my window. Taking in the new sights and comparing them to what had been familiar to me once.

With my mind preoccupied, the time flew by. I had noticed when we had gotten to the highway but didn't quiet react by being buried so deep into my own thoughts. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the parking lot meant for the pier. Apparently I had been so lost in my own thoughts not even realizing where we were until the door was being held open for me. I made sure to grab my purse and blazer before stepping out. Nick gave me specific instructions as to how to get up to the restaurant where Alison would be waiting.

He shut the door behind me, "Ms. Fields, would you please inform Ms. Dilaurentis that I'll be in the area on foot but can be reached by cellphone at any time. I may be back before you get out of dinner but one can never be too careful."

"I'll make sure to pass along the message." He tipped his cap to me before locking the door and walking in the opposite direction. He disappeared in seconds and I turned to walk to the lit up pier. There was a set of stairs at the end of the parking lot that would lead me up to the huge, glowing arch over the entrance. There was some additional walking to do down the road that was styled like a boardwalk, wood replacing what would have been asphalt.

Sweet nostalgia washed over me as my thoughts trailed back to the one time I had been here. My dad, Wayne, shortly before his passing had come out to visit me while I was still studying. We spent the entire day at the pier and the beach just talking and goofing around. It only made me miss him more. But now was not the time to be thinking about this, it would lead to tears and that would just ruin my eyeliner. There was no time to cry and then fix it all before meeting Alison.

Alison was outside waiting for me once I reached the official beginning of the pier. She was wearing the same thing as this morning minus the white cardigan. Still looking stunning but just a little worn out probably due to the work day. If she was still in the same attire then she probably hadn't even been home yet. Upon arriving the choice of restaurant caught me by surprise. Maybe I had been expected something of higher standards but this was nice. It felt less formal and cramped, like I didn't have to worry about every little thing tonight. Bubba Gump was a seafood restaurant located on the Santa Monica Pier, a twenty five minute drive with no traffic on the freeway. Nothing very fancy, interesting choice. Taking a look around the other costumers I felt just a little overdressed. People around us were dressed in t-shirts and jeans but that didn't seem to bother Alison the slightest bit.

She approached the host stand while I stood by watching the encounter. It took seconds to get a table, the woman in front immediately calling over one of the blonde waitresses and passing off two menus. The waitress walked us over to a small table right by the window with it came a gorgeous view of the beach and the full moon now high in the sky. Now I knew why she chose this place. It may not have been five stars, no one was walking around in suits and the décor was laidback. But there was just no taking away from the easy going atmosphere and the cheery nature of the servers. All of them were smiling and laughing with their customers.

Before sitting, I hung my blazer off the back of my chair and put my bag on the other one beside me. I noticed Alison looked ten times more relaxed when she took a seat but she looked exhausted. Our server went through the standard greeting and explained the sign on the table. The blue had Run Forrest Run printed on it in block letters and the red behind it had Stop Forrest Stop. This was their way of communicating with the costumers if they need further assistance, red was to get the servers attention. The waitress, Janet, was far too happy for someone who probably worked long hours at minimum wage. She asked if she could get us anything to drink and without even glancing at the menu Alison replied with, "CoronaRita". I wasn't familiar with the place or drinks so I settled for just water. Before she walked off, she flipped the sign over to the blue side and instructed us to flip it over to the red when we were ready to order.

Alison rolled her eyes, she probably had been here before and the rundown of the basics before so this was just a waste of time. She grabbed her menu and flipped it open, not having said a word yet I didn't know how to approach the situation. I tried to not let it bother me as I scanned my own menu; this place was all seafood and catered from something classier to completely greasy. Greasy was never a good combo with a white dress. There was no being extra careful when wearing white, it was always a risk. I settled for something that would require me to use a fork instead of my hands. I went with the Shrimp New Orleans; it was an authentic spicy recipe from the staff in the French quarter. The shrimp was lined up around a bed of jasmine rice and the sauce was found at the base of all of this. That was one thing that worried me about the dish, the rice and shrimp could easily be handled. Alison looked up from her menu, "Ready to order?"

I nodded and she flipped the sign. "You can order a drink. No judgment on my part."

As tempting as her offer was, I would pass. For some odd reason, I wasn't in the mood even for a casual drink, probably because I was so nervous. Around us there was chattering and the clattering of utensils against plates. It was rather loud with neither us saying a word. She sighed, "This doesn't have to be awkward you know."

It shouldn't have been, we settled to leave the past in the past but it was strange. Strange to sit the presence of someone you thought you knew but then everything just changes. I liked this version of Alison; it would just take some time to get used to.

"Alison, I don't want this to be awkward. Believe me when I say that I'm looking forward to starting fresh."

"Alright, here's to starting fresh then." she stuck her hand out and I was slightly confused but played along, taking her hand in mind. "I'm Alison Dilaurentis, your new boss and you are?"

This was an odd approach but who was I to question her method. "Emily Fields." She smiled at me and released my hand, "Welcome Emily. We hope that you enjoy your experience on our team."

The mood surrounding us seemed to change in that moment, she was smiling and it was contagious, "That had to be the strangest way of dealing with a situation I've ever seen."

"Don't question the method if it works", Alison as usual had a way of solving everything; no matter what she encountered she had a way around it. In school they taught a handful of ways to go about dealing with a situation and while they were helpful but it took true skill to just come up with something automatically.

Janet came back with my water in one hand and Alison's strange looking drinking in the other. It was a regular glass filled with a washed out yellow liquid and at the top of all of it was a tiny corona bottle flipped upside that was held up by some kind of blue clip. "Ladies, if you'll just flip that sign over for me I'd really appreciate it. Can I get you anything to start? Or are we diving right in to the main course?"

I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing, whether her pun was intentional or not it was dorky and cute. Alison on the other hand looked over it, like she had heard better jokes from a five year old. The waitress looked to me first but tore her gaze away when Alison spoke up, "For a starter the Cajun Shrimp, you can bring out two smaller plates for that. For my entrée I'll have the Baja Fish Tacos, grilled."

Janet finished scribbling the order on the small notepad and just like that her smile was gone, "And for you miss?"

I folded my menu up and looked up at her, flashing a small smile hoping to bring her mood back up, "Shrimp New Orleans and a CoronaRita." With the shift in mood at the table I was oddly comfortable with the idea of drinking.

Janet grabbed the menus off of the table, "If you need anything else, you know what to do. The wait shouldn't be more than thirty minutes for the main entrée and ten minutes for your appetizer. I'll bring out your drink with the appetizer. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Alison grabbed the straw next to the wrapped up utensils and tore off the paper, sticking it into her glass. She took a long sip of the liquid and leaned back into her chair, "Shrimp New Orleans is a nice choice. It's the right amount of spicy and the flavors mix together rather than one overpowering the other."

"Come here often?" I fiddled with my own set of utensils.

She stirred the straw in her drink and watched the liquid spin around, answering without looking up "They have good food, fast service and not all of them are annoying. I like coming here sometimes to have dinner after I've had a particularly stressful day at work."

Maybe I shouldn't have asked but it was just an instinct, "And was today one of those stressful days?"

She stopped stirring her straw and sighed, "Things usually are so under control and what happened in that meeting was first for me. I took the fall for it later on and my boss, Ms. Ambrose, was not happy."

So maybe Alison had all the right in the world to be upset with Julia and I had misjudged her. Had I known that she was going to take the fall for it, the situation would have looked 110% different. "Why did you take the fall for it when you weren't at fault?"

My own boss made me feel like a small child when she smirked and just shook her head, "Emily, you have a lot to learn. Had Noelle known that Julia tried to handle the situation on her own, I would be looking for a new property manager. This way Julia gets to keep her job and I'm aware of what to look out for now."

During the meeting Garrett had been taking notes on Noelle's laptop the entire time, he must have at one point put down that it was Julia's fault. It only seemed logical but then it wouldn't match up with the information Alison was currently sharing. I was dying to know how she got by.

"Alison, how did you pull that off? Wouldn't Garrett have noted that Julia was trying to handle the situation on her own?" It amazed me how quickly she could come up with a response, almost instantaneously.

"Here's the thing about Garrett, he like shortcuts. He'll note the minimum, in that situation he probably just said something along the lines of: 'situation addressed, cleaning staff can be replaced if necessary. Gym will be inspected regularly.' Noelle likes it short, sweet and to the point." She took a sip of her drink and continued, "Besides, this serves as a lesson. She's a good employee but needs get her head out of the clouds; Julia isn't some magician who can solve every problem."

Alison even in high school was highly intelligent for her age, intelligence that equaled or maybe even exceeded the great Spencer Hastings. It really shined through at moments but most people just saw her for the beautiful, popular girl that she put out which was fair. That was hard to miss but only a handful of people really tried to get to know her. Again, I might have been one of the few privileged enough to see that and I only knew because she tutored me at one point when we were still friends.

For some odd reason it bothered me how she could be so nonchalant about all of it. Granted, it was not Noelle's place to fire Alison from Vine Industries but she could probably request her to be relocated. Alison snapped her fingers in front of me, "Emily, if you think any harder you'll burn yourself out. What's on your mind?"

While part of me was bitter about how things ended between Alison and I, that wasn't my main issue today. What was really frustrating is that while I liked to think there was something about her that I knew, my memories were just memories. She was different but to her, reading me was so easy. But there was no reason to tell her that, "Just thinking about the stress the next few weeks are going to bring me."

She dismissed the idea with the wave of her hand, "Here's something to think about. You have a job now at one of the most successful real estate companies in the world while people struggle to get an opening position at our company as a secretary. Should you be stressed? I don't think so."

Was I irritated? Maybe but the irritation stemmed from her being right, which was wrong in every sort of way. As much as anyone could argue she had a point. Before I could say anything else Janet returned with our appetizers, two smaller plates and my drink. The appetizer she placed in the middle of the plate, one plate in front of us both and my drink to the right of my plate. It was small appetizer served in a red bowl, two pieces of garlic bread hung on either side and it was topped with shrimp.

Alison unwrapped her utensils and grabbed the fork while I did the same. Before either of us made any advances to the appetizers, she gave me a fair warning about what to expect. "Careful with the shrimp, it's a super spicy dish. The garlic bread can be messy because it's really buttery. I'd hate to see you ruin your dress."

I watched her grab the small plate in front her and transfer some of the shrimp onto it. The garlic bread remained untouched. For a second, I thought about skipping out on the appetizer but then remembered the last few hours were spent freaking out about looking perfect. Clearly in that amount of time there wasn't a moment to spare even for a snack.

"You should probably eat some before it gets cold, it won't be good after that" she said as she speared one of the shrimp with her fork. It came off in a snarky kind of way but with the smile on her face and that softness in her blue eyes, I knew it wasn't intentional. I grabbed a piece of the garlic bread and put it on the small plate. Alison smirked when she saw that I intended on using my utensils to eat the garlic bread. It was probably just as ridiculous to her as watching people eat pizza with a fork and knife.

"Emily, it's a flavored piece of bread. You can just pick it up and eat it by hand." I hated that she was so amused by all of this. I could have just eaten it by hand but I didn't want to get my hands greasy. Why white out of everything? Hanna had packed enough clothes for two weeks and any of them would have been appropriate for dinner. Saving myself from further comments, I abandoned the use of my fork and knife to eat and ate it by hand careful to hover over the plate with each bite.

While it was quiet at the table as we both ate, the tension had eased up and it wasn't as uncomfortable anymore. I would have preferred some kind of interaction but we would get there eventually. At least that's what I hoped for.

I wouldn't have known what to say. Luckily for me, I didn't have to think about it for much longer as she broke the silence. "In case I forget, remind me that Nick has a drawn out map of our office and building layout in the compartment."

"I'll try to remember that. You should know, Nick took off and said he could be reached by phone in case we're done here before he gets back." Thankfully she brought up Nick otherwise I would have forgotten to pass along his own message.

She set aside her plate after finishing up the shrimp and grabbed her drink. "You should try some of the shrimp. Bread will fill you up quickly."

"Thank you but I'll pass. I think I'll have enough of shrimp by the end of the night." Alison nodded and I felt a bit irritated because of the silent breaks between moments of passing sentences. Safe ground was discussion on office work which was what I would focus on. She had gone off into her own world, just like she had during the meeting, staring out the window instead of focusing on what was going on around us.

"Alison?" Her attention snapped back into reality, suddenly I didn't care about anything else but what she had been thinking about. She looked so dazed when I pulled her back. Focus Emily, it's not any of your business I had to tell myself.

"Julia talked to me about my other responsibilities but what about the fitness center?" I asked, watching as she slipped into a rigid stance.

She cleared her throat before answering, "I'm glad you asked. Every morning, before you turn on your computer or even settle in, you'll be taking a trip down to the 11th floor. You'll just be doing a quick check if everything is clean, pay close attention to the locker room. I won't have you going into the men's room; we'll get one of the male security guards to do that every morning and report back to me. In the evening, you'll be checking each machine individually making sure all the options on it works. Also, pay close attention to if the locker rooms and the machines are clean."

"Okay and if they're not? What if something's wrong?" I had to ask since she hadn't even touched base on it.

"I'll take you down there on your first day, show you around and the quick fixes when a machine isn't working. If those don't work, there's a phone you'll use to call Becky at the front desk. Only if it's a problem with a machine or an electrical issue overall, like if one of the televisions are out. If it's a sanitary issue, just inform Becky and she'll take care of it." The instructions were simple and I was sure that I could remember it.

"That's it?" I asked and she laughed lightly in return. "Yes, that's it. You'll find that your job won't be that difficult…" She was cut off when Janet had returned with our food in one hand and my drink in her other. Her smile was forced; it was easy to tell when comparing it to how cheerful she was in the beginning.

After setting down our plates, she stood there awkwardly for a moment before asking, "Are you ladies finished with your appetizer?"

Alison sighed audibly and I understood why she had been so awkward about asking. I suspect she knew the react she was going to get.

"Yes, we're done." Her response was curt. I couldn't decipher what triggered this kind of response from my boss. Seconds ago she was completely different, smiling and laughing but now in front of me was the woman I had bumped into the day before.

Janet cleared the table of the two smaller plates and the unfinished appetizer. I could have sworn I saw her tremble even. Then she was gone in seconds, glad to be out of the situation no doubt.

Alison just sat there, not moving for a moment and it started to worry me a little. I was just about to say something before she cut in, "You probably think I'm a bitch right about now for the way I've been acting." I definitely wasn't going to argue with her about that, she wasn't being the nicest person tonight.

She sighed and continued, "I'm aware of my behavior tonight, it's unfortunate that I can't take it back. I apologize that you had to witness that."

"Then why act that way? She didn't deserve it." It was crossing a line that much I knew but I couldn't stop myself.

She ran a hand through her golden locks, "You think I don't know that? It's been a stressful day. Please, can we move on?" I nodded, fine to move on to a different topic seeing as how much this frustrated her.

This time around I had to use a fork and knife to eat my entrée and Alison would be the one to abandon her eating utensils. She didn't start with eating the tacos; she first picked up the one of three small tins placed on her plate. One of them contained salsa, the second I wasn't too sure about and the third looked like sour cream. The plate in front of me looked a lot more put together. No use in waiting, I took a bite of the shrimp and was invaded with a range of spices. Alison was right, the flavors mixed well together and it wasn't overpowering.

For the most part we ate dinner in silence. I got over the fact that this would happen more often than not. At least we were able to talk about something without the past interfering; neither of us brought it up in fact.

After some time I started to think back to the meeting, "Alison, why did the last guy leave?"

She finished chewing and set the taco down before answering, "Like I told you, it's not a hard job but the guy cracked under pressure. Sometimes its late nights and early mornings in the office when we're working on a huge project, he couldn't keep up. He messed up my entire schedule for a week a month into working with me; it was such a hassle to fix it after."

That awoke a new fear in me, what if I was to mess up? Would I be able to handle of the responsibilities? Working in an office prior gave me experience and to some extent I knew what was coming my way. I started to twirl the fork in my right hand, thinking way too hard about all of this. And apparently, it was very apparent how deep in thought I was.

"Earth to Emily, is anyone in there?" she joked. I shook my head, as if it would clear the thoughts, "Yeah, sorry just got caught up in my thoughts."

"You're easy to read. Stop worrying so much about a job you haven't started yet. I think you're going to do great, take my word for it." I felt somewhat relieved at that. If my own boss thought I was capable of doing job, then I shouldn't worry about it as much. I wanted to continue the conversation and just blurted the first thing that came to my mind.

"So, when did the system of having drivers start up?" Naturally I felt the need to ask questions about the company since that was the purpose of dinner. Alison took a second to finish chewing her last bite of her fish taco.

"Approximately four years ago when Mason was still in office, he was the one that started it all. I would like to keep that going." Never having to wait for a cab or pay for gas had its perks. Especially in a city like Los Angeles, it was just easier to have constant access to a car. Knowing that this had been going on for four years I assumed she hadn't been behind the wheel of a car in that time.

"So, you haven't driven since then?" Alison shook her head in response, "Nope. No reason to and it's nice to not have to pay for gas."

I was inclined to agree with her on the matter, gas wasn't cheap but driving sometimes helped me clear my mind. I couldn't imagine just giving it up one day. "So you don't miss driving at all?"

She shook her head at me again, "You won't have to drive either."

I put my utensils down on either side of my plate. As much as I appreciated what this company was extending out to me, there just was no way I was going to stop driving. "I'll have to pass on that beyond work purposes. I enjoy riding too much to not do it."

Curiosity was swimming in her deep blue eyes, "Riding?"

I nodded, "Motorcycle, my pride and joy." I took a sip of my water letting the cool liquid slid down my throat. I felt myself burning up with her intense gaze, so full of curiosity.

"I didn't know that about you or that even something like that interested you." She wouldn't have known something like that about me. It was some time after high school that I have developed a certain interest in motorcycles and sports bikes. Hanna guessed it was out of rebellion and how my mother absolutely lost it anytime the topic was brought up. At the time, pissing my mother off and taking control of my life was something I found myself constantly doing.

"I wasn't interested until about my sophomore year of college, it just kind of stuck with me." I hadn't expected to develop a love for the machine but there was just something that captured me. Being able to pay for a brand new bike, on my own, while keeping up with bills at the time was huge. It worked out perfectly, by the time my sophomore year had come to an end I was the proud owner of a brand new sports bike. Just recently an upgrade was due and now the current model under my care was a 2014 Yamaha R1, brand new. Some people liked to name their vehicles and objects, that wasn't true for me because it seemed really pointless. Maya on the other hand liked the idea of naming the Yamaha, it was now known as Selena.

Why Selena? No fucking clue but it proved to be comical in certain situations. Maya loved to say little things like, "Why don't you go take your frustration out on Selena?" It earned us very curious gazes out in public, at first it was cute even but got annoying quickly. Even Hanna got tired of it so now she just ignores it.

Alison was a lot more interested in my bike than I would have ever imagined, "What kind of bike do you have?"

"Yamaha R1 in red and it's a 2014 model." In truth, it wasn't the safest model to own. A small twist to the grip went a long way and there was a quick throttle response. It was definitely not for someone who was starting out or didn't know how to control themselves. I was finishing up my own dish; Alison was already done even though she had spent more time talking during dinner.

By the looks of it, we were going to be here for a while as the questions now flowed freely from her. "Weren't you scared the first time?"

I thought about the first time I had been on a bike. It was a hell of a lot different than a car and the experience wasn't something to be compared to anything else. Before answering, I allowed myself to finish the last bit of food on my plate. She was patient and the look of curiosity never left her features.

"That's a tough question. There's some kind of fear to trying something completely new but knowing what to expect helped. Classes prepared me so while the first time was kind of scary it could have been a whole lot worse." Alison seemed to accept the answer with a simply nod of her head and now my own curiosity had ignited.

"Would you ever get on one?" Alcohol content of CoronaRita? Unknown. Was it possible that it created a buzz and allowed for such a question to slip past my lips? Likely. The look on her face, well it was one that couldn't be put into words. Best way to describe it was somewhere in between horrified and amused. Apparently it was possible to portray the two in one look. While it should have been hilarious and normally caused a fit of laughter, I was oddly stuck in this strange acquaintanceship.

Her response was mildly surprising when thinking back to her initial look of horror, "Sure but I'm not sure the driver would appreciate my death grip."

"Would you ever let me take you somewhere for a ride?" The question came out before I could my mouth caught up with my brain. Horrified with I had just asked, there was an incredible need to hide. Questions like this were just a train wreck waiting to happen. How does anyone manage to fuck up this bad in front of their boss? "Alison, I'm so sorry. That came out before I could even think about it and I'm just…"

She laughed, she was actually laughing and I could feel myself burning from the embarrassment. That wasn't supposed to happen, why was my boss laughing at my obvious discomfort? Her hand reached for mine across the table and patted the back of my hand sympathetically. The alcohol was taking effect on both of us that I was sure of. "It's cute when you get all flustered but relax a little Emily. For what it's worth, I wouldn't mind taking a ride sometime."

If that was her way of calming me down, it wasn't working at all. It made things worse. I was left a stuttering and nervous mess, "You…um, you-you wouldn't think it's weird? Not that I think it's weird but you are my boss and it just seems like crossing a boundary and…"

"Emily, you're doing it again. No, I don't think it's weird because part of me thinks that we can become friends. I promise I'm not a dragon all the time." She smiled and it eased some of my nervousness. There was finally some common ground between us as I realized that we wanted the same thing, a friendship outside of a work relationship.

Her hand still lingered on mine and I flipped my hand so her palm rested in mine. For a moment it felt like time stood still, transporting back to a time where this was normal. Feeling so familiar but so new. Alison was the same person but yet this felt different. To my surprise, she didn't pull away. I was the first to pull away, much to my surprise her hand remained in the same spot for a moment but then it was like nothing ever happened. She retracted her hand and flipped the sign to signal Janet back around. Since we were both done there was no use hanging around for much longer.

I could hear my phone vibrate in my purse and was set on ignoring it, knowing that it was probably Maya trying to get through. Alison apparently heard it too, "Aren't you going to answer that?"

If I said no, she would probably ask why and I didn't want to get into that. I dug my phone out my purse and excused myself from the table. This was a conversation not meant for prying ears. I took the call just before it went to voicemail and was immediately greeted with anger, "Emily, we need to talk."

"Nice to hear from you too, Maya. I ignored your text for a reason and was hoping you could respect that."

"Respect that? My wife to be is missing and I have no clue of her whereabouts. I'm supposed to let this just happen?" I didn't expect this to be a pleasant conversation but it turned sour a lot sooner than I anticipated. Her anger and irritation only fed mine.

"Your wife, is that all I am? That's all you've been treating me like. And what, you don't trust me to come back home?" If not for the people still hanging around the pier, I wouldn't hesitate to shout. I tried to keep as calm as possible not wanting to draw attention to myself.

"Of course I trust you. Why else would I have asked you to marry me?" Maya made it sound like it was a chore to be getting married to me. It was completely reasonable to say that I took it out of context but logic wasn't going to get through to me.

"This isn't a conversation to have on the phone. We'll talk when I get back home." I was done trying to talk about this; it would just be walking around the same point.

"No, we're going to talk about this now." That pushed it for me. The only person that was allowed to boss me around is my actual boss. Without saying another word, I hung up. For just a second the thought of tossing my phone over the pier came to my mind. It would grant me peace for some time.

There was a top on my shoulder and I spun around to find Alison standing there with my bag and blazer in her hands. I took them from her, "Thank you."

"I called Nick while you were out here. We have some time to kill before he gets back. Would you like to take a walk on the beach while we wait?" I nodded and followed her down the steps that led to the sandy beach below.

I shed my heels at the bottom of the steps, feeling the water soaked sand underneath my feet comforted me. We decided to walk closer to the water. The roaring of the waves in the distance was deafening with the silence between us.

"Emily? Is everything okay?" I didn't know why she asked but shrugged it off.

"I'm fine." I muttered my response, not expecting anything of it. Either she was reading me again or she had overheard part of my conversation. Neither one of them bothered me because a numb feeling had taken over my body. Things had been rocky with Maya lately and I was used to it. Used to coming home to an empty bed, going days without a text and constantly feeling abandoned. It wasn't supposed to be this way, marriage was supposed to be a happy feeling but instead it was just magnifying the problems of my relationship that I had tried to ignore.

I could hear Alison's teeth chattering beside me, rubbing her hands together to generate some kind of heat. She had been out of Rosewood too long and adjusted to the temperature of Los Angeles. Temperatures that dipped down to seventy and just slightly below would probably be enough to send most in Los Angeles into a sweater and thick sweatpants. I was used to the cold; my white wool dress was enough to keep me warm and maybe even a little too warm for the evening.

"Cold?" I asked her even though I knew she was. She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, "Is it that obvious?"

It was my turn to laugh at her. Alison probably thought I wasn't paying attention and wouldn't catch any movement. There was something fascinating about getting to know her all over again. So even in the moments that I was thinking about something else or I was off in my own world, I was observing her. Studying and analyzing her to try to at least figure her out. The observations were small puzzle pieces that I was collecting; at the end it was about piecing them together to get the full image.

I draped my blazer around her shoulders and felt her shudder underneath my fingertips. We were too close, closer than we had been the entire night. Every light touch tempted for something more. I was starved of touch, deprived of a loving look and deaf to sweet nothings. Alison provided it once and that was the memory that stuck with me, which is why I had to push myself back. Keep myself from doing something stupid.

"Thank you, Emily. We should get back to the car; Nick should be there by now." I truly wished the time had dragged out much longer; I enjoyed her company when she wasn't being a bitch but it was getting late. Alison without a doubt would be working tomorrow and could use the rest. I needed time to myself to think things through about what I was going to happen after my return to Rosewood. It wasn't going to be pretty or easy, every step was going to be like trying to dig my way out quicksand. Every movement and action was going to make me sink. I needed to stop thinking about all of this while I was out of the house. It was becoming a distraction to everyday life.

"Ali, wait. Thank you for tonight. Maybe one day we'll move past the excessive moments of silence." She smiled timidly, "Yeah maybe. Now come, it's getting late."

I really hoped the ride back wasn't going to be awkward with the two of them.

* * *

**I'm not going to make any promises about when the next update rolls out. Just know I won't drop this story and you can expect the next chapter in the near future. **


	8. Haunted

**Hey guys. I know it's been a long while since I've updated but I really just had a busy summer and didn't have a lot of time to just sit down and write. When I did have the time, I just couldn't find the motivation to continue this. I appreciate all the people that have continued to support this story and I absolutely loving reading reviews that want me to continue writing this. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter and that it was worth the wait. **

**Enjoy. **

Alison's POV

* * *

I sighed as I stepped into my empty studio apartment tossing my purse and keys on the counter top, too drained to care about putting the items in their correct place. Every item in my living space had its own specific placing. For my keys, it was a hook that was on the wall right next to the front door. On the left side there was a small closet where I kept a few purses, my shoes, and a few sweaters for chillier LA nights. In the left corner of the closet there's a shelf where I can comfortably fit a number of purses and it's roomy enough so I don't struggle taking one off the shelf. There was a shoe rack in the right corner of the closet where I could store all of my shoes. I didn't bother putting the shoes back in place and instead kicked them off and left them by the door when I first walked in. I liked the structure of my living space because I designed and furnished it in a way that kept it neat and tidy. It was just a bit larger than most studio apartments on the market so it didn't seem as cramped and that was what drew me to it in the first place. I like that it was too big because it didn't feel as lonely.

I liked being back at my place where everything felt clean. Dominic was a little more laid back; he didn't care much about having everything in its rightful place all the time. It was one of the few things that drove me absolutely crazy because I was always walking around picking up shirts, belts, and shoes up after him. For a man that was so well dressed and put together his home didn't reflect that.

If everything in my life was out of order then the least that I could keep organized was my home. Emily had completely disrupted the order of my life, the routine of it and it made me uncomfortable. It bothered me more than she hadn't been here more than a handful days and already I felt so off balance. It made me want to grab everything, reorganize it, and start moving furniture around. I felt like that was the only thing that was going to restore any feeling of balance into my life.

I could tell that I wasn't the only one remembering and feeling the effects of the memories. Emily's body language spoke volumes as to what being around me again was doing to her. She looked tense all the time in my presence and dinner probably was just as stressful to her as it was to me. At dinner she looked like she had been ready to jump out of her skin, I tried so hard to make it easy on her. In turn, it only seemed to freak her out. It could have been my behavior towards the waitress that scared her a bit or just the lines that were being crossed with our business relationship. It wouldn't be appropriate to get on that sports bike Emily owned but there was something very…thrilling about the idea. Interactions like that begged for something more. The idea of Emily working with the company and me directly seemed like a terrible idea. The main concern was being able to work together. I sighed; too tired to let these continuous thoughts eat away at me. Nothing could be done about it now and maybe the discomfort was only temporary.

While mixing alcohol was never a good idea, being sober right now wasn't an option. Normally, I never drank this much in a day let alone in the same week. Alcohol was the best friend that took me in, let me cry without shame or questions and at the end of the day, put me to bed. Truly, there was no better deal.

I walked over to the kitchen, feeling the cool floor underneath my feet with every step and it felt relieving after walking around in heels all day. The cabinets in my kitchen were a cherry mahogany and I just loved how the color was capable of pairing with a dark granite counter top. My fingers gripped the cool, steel knob of the cabinet above me. To my blistering hot skin it felt like ice. I reached for the first glass, not caring what it was because it wasn't about being classy. Right now, unlike every other second in my life, it was about forgetting. With that I could settle for a mediocre soda glass. The glasses should have been tossed out a while ago since no one used them. Spencer's son, Hunter, wasn't allowed to consume sugary beverages and I hadn't touched a soda in years. They really served no purpose other than filling space. No matter, any glass would do at the moment.

I made sure to clean it before using it. The last time anyone had occupied this space was a handful of weeks ago and things collected dust over time. I turned on the faucet to a warm temperature and let the water clean off the light film of dust that had formed. The dust hadn't stuck to the glass as there wasn't much on there and it could be rinsed off. The water made quick work of the dust and I used my elbow to push the faucet down. As I wiped the glass off with a paper towel it squeaked under my fingers causing me to cringe at the shrill, squeaking sound. My fingers worked around and in the glass until there wasn't a drop of water left to be seen. It was a pet peeve of mine when people served beverages in still wet drinking glasses. The amount of time it took to clean one off was minimal so really there was no excuse for the laziness.

There was a wine rack at the end of the granite countertop, most of the spaces still filled because drinking was just a social thing when I still occupied the space. A lot of it was just for show. Most of the wine in my collection ended up being given as gifts from companies that have paired with Vine Industries. Major corporations really loved to spread the love of alcohol. We did the same every year, making sure to send two of the best wine bottles money could buy. Every year the routine was the same of voting what color wine, the tasting, and the worst of it which was packing all of it then sending it out. In the past, our selections had been so highly applauded and now the pressure was on to keep that going. While we did take a vote on which wine would be shipped out to the vendors, Noelle really did have the final say since every aspect of the building was controlled by her. The rest of the employees, myself included, we are all puppets pulled by strings.

Hypothetically, I was in charge of Vine Industries. After all, that's what being the CEO allowed but in that grand scheme of things, my roll didn't live up to the people on the board. Ultimately any huge decisions were left for them to make and I was the messenger running back and forth, all while keeping together the very foundation that makes the building run smoothly. It was why I was rather upset by the revelation that Julia wasn't fulfilling her role. Without a solid foundation, everything would slowly begin to crumble. I couldn't afford to be the one in charge and having everything collapse at my fingertips. It would put an end to my ultimate goal, the practical dream. My dream was to be on the board, to move up in the ranks from CEO to work on the board where I would tower over everyone else but the chances of that were slim. My dream was the reasoning behind my harsh behavior. People were more concerned with meeting deadlines when they knew they wouldn't be excused for it and when everything was done on time, it reflected on how well I was doing my job.

I selected a bottle of wine from one of the top spots, the one bottle that I always made sure to have in stock since it was such a people pleaser and I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet, crisp flavor of the champagne colored liquid. For alcohol it was rather sweet, but not to the point where it over powered the other infused flavors. At fifty dollars a bottle it was practically a steal. Since it was purchased fairly often by me, the owner was fair in discounting the bottles, only selling it to me at half the price. Even guests that didn't fair into drinking enjoyed it because the flavor of alcohol didn't stand out, only providing a light buzz after a few lamps of it.

I tore off the seal and made quick work of the cork with a corkscrew. Simple and easy because the cork wasn't logged deep into the neck of the bottle. Instantly, the smell of it poured out and invaded my senses, my mouth watering for just a sip of it. Truthfully, I could have drunk straight out of the bottle but this way I was limiting how much I drank. Waking up with a hangover and heading into a meeting that had to do with the budget of our new project would have been the biggest mistake. A few more sips of wine wouldn't be enough to get me trashed. College allowed me to test the waters of my limits and there had been a few mornings that I woke up, completely wasted and ready to empty the contents of my stomach. Suffering then was worth it so now I didn't make the same mistakes.

I poured a generous amount of wine into the glass before leaning forward on the countertop, elbows resting at the edge, and glass still in my hand. The entire place was dark, only illuminated by the light pouring in through the balcony door. Part of me wanted to just sit out there and enjoy the chilly breeze of the evening. The other part of me wanted nothing more than to flip on the Television and sulk while watching Orange is the New Black. A show about woman in prison that was surprisingly entertaining. While it was tempting to take down an entire season in one sitting, I had to remember that I was no longer just an intern or college student.

I sipped at the wine taking in the full bodied flavor in small amounts. The small sips satisfied my taste buds, curbing a mammoth serving it by making every little amount of it seem more than what it really is. That was the secret to enjoying alcohol without getting shitfaced. A trade secret from my boss, who loved just casual drinks throughout the day and no one ever understood how the man wasn't completely wasted by end of the day. _"Make more of less, Alison",_ Mason would always tell me. Those words were something that I took to heart once I really understood what he meant. He truly was a wise man, growing to be someone that I had admired as a mentor, authority figure and something my father had always lacked. There was no secret that I had a close relationship with the man in charge, but it wasn't anything the rumors portrayed. Rumors were vicious, gossip fueling the fire and consuming lives, making me feel sorry that he would be ever involved in a vicious circle that could have destroyed his life.

Mine, I hadn't been so worried about. I did a fair job of ruining my own life and managed to piece everything together. However, bringing someone down with me again was not an option. Just the thought alone produced a sour feeling in my throat. My hand instantly tightened around the glass, knuckles turning white from the exerted pressure. The sudden rage I felt like lava in my veins. For the most part, when anger stirred inside of me it came out in a verbal lashing but there were times when it became physical. If I didn't loosen my grip on the glass it would pop in my hand and I would only have bigger problems because of it. I didn't understand what was wrong with me.

Expressing emotions for me wasn't an easy task. The only emotion I didn't have a difficult time expressing was anger because anger motivated me. Anger kept people away from me and it saved me a lot of pain from being on guard all the time. Becky was one of those people that wouldn't be scared away by anything so I appreciated her friendship almost as much as my friendship with Spencer. With all these other emotions flowing through me it made me feel a bit out of control. Now, it was learning to control them because there was a feeling that this wouldn't be the last night where I felt like this. So lost and aching for a past that I destroyed. My rage consumed me and I threw the glass at the wall across from me taking pleasure at how it shattered so easily.

The wine that had still been in the glass now seeped down the wall, creating long, sticky lines that dripped down to the floor. The sweet smell filled the air. I probably should pick up the broken shards of glass all over the floor and by the island. Cleaning the wine off the wall should have been a priority and I was a little worried that if I left it overnight the marks would be left. However, I was in no mood to clean any of it up. The only thing I was in the mood for was to pass out on my bed and forget for a moment that my first love barraged back into my life. I still wasn't drunk enough to just temporarily be freed of my thoughts.

I stumbled lightly into my room, using the wall every now and then to keep myself from falling over. Shower or no shower…a shower would be refreshing but hot water did not mix well with the amount of alcohol I had tonight. The one thing that I would never do is fall asleep in clothes that I wore that day. Changing into a night shirt was quick and easy work and by the end of it I felt super relieved. The minute my head touched the cool pillow, my eyes drooped shut and everything went black.

_A warm, spring day in Rosewood meant that people would be ditching to enjoy the weather after suffering through a long, almost never ending winter. Many of the girl's that hung around me were gone before the bell even signaled first period. One of them, her name a distant memory, not that I really even cared to remember it, tried to talk me into ditching with them. I wouldn't budge to their arguments of "It'll be fun" and "School is lame". Unlike the pack that followed me around, my grades actually meant something to me. _

_ They took off, leaving me behind to manage on my own before Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily showed up. Knowing them better than anyone else at the school, they wouldn't be ditching. Hanna would try and convince the other's to ditch but ever the voice of reason, Spencer would drag her ass to school. Until then, there was time to kill and no use sitting in an empty classroom on a nice day. For the longest time I thought there was no other presence on campus while I basked in the glow of sunlight. The view of blossoming trees and just barely green grass disappearing into total darkness as someone snuck up behind me. Soft, gentle hands covered my eyes robbing me of the only reason I was out here._

_ My first instinct was to panic but then the smell of chlorine invaded my senses. Instantly, I knew who I was dealing with. The voice just confirmed it, "Guess who?"_

_ "Let me guess, Santa Clause here to grant me my every last wish," it was a smart ass response that could only be expected of me. What I got in return was what really had been the surprise in all of this, "Not Santa but I could definitely wear that kind of costume if that's what turns you on." _

_ Not that I wouldn't mind seeing that but it concerned me just a bit because Emily was never one to be this forward. What was she up to? "Alright Em, what's this all about?" I wasn't buying it for a second that this was just spontaneous. Where was the rest of the group anyway? Before I got an answer, I was yanked up by my left forearm and dragged off into the girl's locker room. _

_ I crossed my arms over my chest and waited patiently as Emily locked the door behind us, taking a look around to assure we were alone. Normally, she didn't initiate any kind of contact because Emily was shy. Her contact was light and usually in the bounds of just hand holding until I pushed a little further. _

_ Emily moved towards me. Her hands found their way to my hips, guiding me back till my back hit the dark blue lockers. One of the locks dug into my lower back; while it bothered me, the way Emily's lips worked their way down to my neck robbed me of focusing on anything for more than a few seconds. Her lips felt so soft on my neck but they left me feeling buzzed and wanting so much more than just a heated exchange of kisses. However, I remembered where we were and my hands finally caught up to my mind, gently putting distance between the two of us. _

_ "Em, what are you doing? Someone could walk in from the pool entrance." It was so odd to be the voice of reason in this situation. Emily had always been the one to pull back, grab my wandering hands from going too far, and reprimanding me for so called sexual acts in public areas. I didn't get an answer because she advanced back towards me, lips finding mine in a sweet gentle kiss. A kiss so light and brief that it gave me butterflies. I felt so fragile and important when she kissed me like that. Her sudden gentleness was a complete one hundred and eighty degrees from the woman who vigorously attacked my neck moments ago and it left me breathless. My heart pounded in my chest and I feared that Emily would be able to hear it. Who knew anyone could make me feel like this? _

_ My eyes fluttered open to meet brown eyes, filled with nothing but love in them and I surged forward kissing her. Emily stumbled back, completely caught off guard by my forwardness. She landed on the bench, taking me down with her but there was no reaction from her other than possibly spurring her on further._

_ I wasn't a light 80 pound girl but Emily didn't even flinch with my full weight suddenly crashing into her. She was strong, that I couldn't even begin to doubt but perhaps stronger than she let on. Her hands were buried deep in my hair. I loved the feeling of her fingers gently running through my hair and as comfortable as it made me feel, my skin felt like fire with every touch. It had been weeks since we had any real intimate moments. Emily was constantly training and we always had to sneak around, hiding from both of our parents and our group of friends. I missed her touch. I missed the way she just held me in her arms some nights like she was afraid that she'd lose me if she let go even for a second. _

_ After she was confident that I wasn't going anywhere, her hands left my waist and trailed down my sides and up under the fabric of my white skirt. Her hands were like ice against my burning flesh._

_ I pulled back and I couldn't hide the smile on my face."What's the occasion? Half the time you won't even think about touching me in public and now this. Spill Field's or you won't even be getting me out of my skirt." She smiled, full blown and it completely lit up her features. Emily was adorable when she smiled. I would never get tired of seeing her smile. _

_ "Ali, I came out to Hanna, Spencer, and Aria. They know." Instantly my mood was killed. I didn't care that the girl's knew about Emily being gay but they could never know about me or about us, and the secret relationship that we had been leading for nearly a year now. If she hadn't told them about me she'd want me to eventually and that was never going to happen. Women weren't my taste; Emily was just an exception to that for whatever reason. The pull towards her was magnetic, slipping out of my control, and it sent me spiraling down into sweet hell. I moved off her instantly putting necessary space between us, flinching when her fingertips brushed my hand. _

_ I couldn't deal with this. I loved Emily but this was something that I couldn't be a part of. Maybe she got tired of sneaking around and avoiding the questions of where she was always going off to but that was part of the fun for me. I loved that Emily was my dirty little secret. With her out, it was only a matter of time before it caught up to me and I would put a stop to it before it got to that point. _

_ "Get out," there was a lot to be said but I didn't want to hurt her any more than I already had. My words were quick to cut past the skin and dig deeper. As much as it hurt to let go, it was going to get messy between us sooner or later. My memories would fall back to the good times. When she would sneak a quick kiss or two before class started. Always sure that no one would see us. Her damp palms whenever they dared reach for my hand and tangle our fingers together. And her laugh, it was music to my ears. But all good things must come to an end. I could hear my heart crack in my chest at the devastated look on her face; it forced me to turn my back on her. _

_ "Alison, please." There was no turning back now. I killed off the last bit of feelings allowing myself to channel the cold Queen Bee._

_ "Leave, now." It was quiet for a moment but then she broke it, her voice cracked and shaky from trying to keep the tears at bay. "Fine but this is it. I'm not coming back if I leave now."_

_ I thought I was going to die from the physical ache in my chest. I wanted to believe that she wouldn't let me back in, that it was going to be so easy to shove me away but I knew better. Emily would cave back into my attempts until she got sick of it and found someone she deserved. I was too toxic to carry out a healthy relationship. Our entire infatuation was toxic and it was the only thing keeping me here in Rosewood. If she knew that or anyone did, they'd have too much power over me which was never allowed._

_ When I didn't say anything to stop her, she shoved past me and slammed the door behind her. For a moment, I was sure that I would break and the tears would spill but I was stronger than that. No person was every worth crying for, not even if I loved them. Not being able to feel anything was the goal, too many people could hurt me with my feelings out there in the open. Then I heard it, the slamming of a locker and my paranoia of not being alone had fulfilled itself. Who could it be at this hour? Aside from Emily, there was no one else that dedicated to the swim team. _

_ "Hurricane Alison strikes again. Tearing through and leaving the pieces of her destruction to be picked up by someone else. You haven't changed a bit. Wait, except now you're gay." I couldn't figure out whom that voice belonged to. It was so familiar but the name escaped me. _

_ "What's wrong Alison? Cat got your tongue? You used to have all the answers but I guess the tables have turned now." The owner of the voice came into view and I felt ill. Paige was standing there in her Rosewood Shark's swimming jersey and matching shorts. I was tempted to slap that shit eating grin off her face. It took all the pain out of my encounter and turned it into rage. If she had any sense of mind, Paige would back down and keep everything she heard to herself. _

_ "I would choose your next words carefully, Pigskin." The nickname rolled off my tongue like venom. Paige thought she had the upper hand in the current situation and for a moment, I did too. But then I remembered everything from our previous encounters. It came back clearly, flooding me with power. The adrenaline pumped through my veins fueling my hate. It was better than the buzz after drinking. Paige didn't even know who she was up against. _

_ "You seem to be forgetting everything I have on you." I had to laugh because she had nothing. What did she have? An argument between me and Emily about her coming out, if it could be even called an argument. She couldn't scrape together enough information to put me in the fire of rumors. I, on the other hand, sure as hell could stir up hell for her and was very tempted. She was asking for it after all._

_ "I'm sure Daddy Deacon would love to know where you want to bury that tongue. Just how much experience have you had with Shana?" She turned pale at the mention of her father. Of course Nick McCullers knew nothing about the adventures his daughter was going on with women or the letters she thought she had been sending to Emily when in reality it was my way to trap her._

_ "You wouldn't." She clearly underestimated me. I didn't like to be threatened and would do anything to protect my reputation. _

"_Try me." Like everything else, Paige was unpredictable. I actually winced when she slammed me into the locker. The skin would bruise without a doubt. Fighting with her would be futile; she was bigger and well built. Words were the only thing on my side; even though they didn't seem to be as strong they could definitely do a hell of a lot more damage. The fact that she had physically acted against me was proof of just how much power I held over her. I shoved her back, "Lay a hand on me again and you'll regret the day you were born." _

_It all turned into a nightmare when Paige started chanting my name like a mantra. Not many things scared me but this was definitely starting to freak me out. "Alison, Alison, Alison" it all started sounding like a broken record frozen on the same lyrics and I would give anything for it to end. _

I was slowly being pushed back from my dream state when the voice calling my name grew louder. This time around it was not just my named being called but someone was trying to shake me awake. Not very gently, it was more like frantic shaking and the grip on my forearm would probably bruise. Whoever it was read as panicked through their actions, almost as if they were worried I wouldn't wake. My eyes fluttered open slowly and was met with a burning sensation.

I took a quick glance at my alarm clock; the huge, red and blurry numbers blaring 1:00am. Work was less than eight hours away and the day promised meetings, paperwork to drown in and irresponsible employees to deal with. The life of a CEO, this is what I had worked up to. I looked up at the intruder, Spencer towering over me; she was still a little blurry. Her hand still firmly holding onto my arm but now her grip loosened now that she knew I was okay. My vision slowly cleared, she looked absolutely exhausted and the dark circles under her eyes were enough to prove that. "Spencer? Is everything okay?" I stifled a yawn.

"More like is everything okay with you?" If this was the reason of waking me, she was so dead but I doubted it. If it was just that, she would have waited until morning to confront me or would have sent a text.

I groaned, turning over on my back, and I slung my arm over my eyes. The nightmare made me feel exhausted and I was somewhat grateful that I had been ripped out of that memory. Most of it had played out in my dream but the rest of it wasn't any better. I was slowly coming to grips with being awake but I was still mumbling my responses. I moved my arm down from my eyes and let it lay comfortably across my ribcage. "Spencer, I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

She looked concerned as her face hovered closer to mine and it made me really uncomfortable with how close she was. "Alison, your breath smells like alcohol. Have you been drinking again?"

I should have known that Spencer would sense it and it would cause for a bunch of questions to come up. Drinking might not solve my problems but they sure as hell made them easier to deal with. I grumbled, "Maybe. Are you going to tell me what you want?"

"Hold on, I saw the broken glass. Alison, what the hell, are you drunk?"

I groaned and felt a little irritated with how many questions she was asking while I was even fully awake yet. I mumbled, "No, I only had a little to drink and I've slept some of the buzz off. Are we going to play twenty questions all night or are you going to tell me why you're here?"

She finally put some distance between us but she still looked concerned. For a moment it looked like she had no intention of telling me what she was really here for. After a moment she sighed, "I really hate to ask this of you because Hunter already takes up so much of your time but Ali, Toby caught some kind of bug. He's sick and throwing up. It's probably not contagious but you know how I am..." As usual, it wasn't a simple straight forward answer. With Spencer it was always a ten page essay before she got to the point. I knew where this was headed and didn't need to hear the rest.

"Spence, Hunter is more than welcome to stay the night here. I'll figure something out in the morning with Becky about keeping him busy while I'm working. Where is he? "Truthfully I could have asked Dominic to take care of him while I was busy. Asking him seemed wrong no matter how much he enjoyed being in the company of Hunter. Dominic always acted like a father to him whenever he was taking care of him but with things being so rocky between us, it didn't seem appropriate to reach out to him. Spencer pulled me up by my arm into a tight hug. A little too tightly and it left me a little short of breath. Surprisingly even though it hurt at first, a warm hug soothed the troubling memories bombarding my dreams.

When she pulled away, the look of concern was still etched into her features, "He's asleep on the couch. Are you sure everything is okay? I mean you're here instead of Dominic's place." I nodded even though nothing was okay at this point. I didn't really want to talk about it because one answer would lead to another question and it would be like playing a round of twenty questions. Not something I wanted to play this early in the morning.

I squeezed her arm gently trying my best to reassure her. "We'll talk about it some other time. Right now you should go tend to your sick husband and at least try to get some sleep." She lingered at the edge of my bed.

"Alison?" I threw back the white with black flower patterned duvet and let my feet dangle at the edge of the bed for a moment. I really didn't want to was the one thing worse than being woken up from a deep sleep? It was the icy hell that lay below. Stepping onto the hard wood floor after sleeping in a warm cocoon of bed sheet and a duvet to top it was asking to put me in a bad mood.

"What is it now, Spencer?" She seemed really fidgety, rocking back on her heels and she bit her lip.

"I'm glad our friendship survived and that you changed." At that moment I was left speechless. Spencer was usually pretty closed off about what she really felt. Voicing honest feelings could potentially create unnecessary tension. Instead she opted out to tell people what they really wanted to hear. After all, that's what provided comfort. We were both like that; it was hard to tell if she had gotten that from me or vice versa. I didn't quite know how to respond and she must have picked up on it, continuing talking to take away this awkward discomfort that had settled over us.

"We'll be in touch. I'm not sure how Toby is going to be feeling tomorrow but I'll try to get Hunter out of here by tomorrow night. It could just be minor food poisoning or stomach flu."Spencer really didn't need to take the time to explain anything to me. I didn't really care not that Toby's wellbeing didn't matter, but I would take Hunter in without a second thought. Hunter was welcome my home any time for as long as needed. He made me want a child of my own at just kept on rambling even though she knew there was nothing that she could say to make me kick Hunter out of my home.

"I don't know how much longer he's going to be asleep. He might have napped in the afternoon and it's possible that he'll be up soon." If he was going to be awake anytime soon, I'd be screwed. Hunter sleeping through the night would have been a blessing. If he slept through the night, I would wake up somewhat ready to tackle a full work day again. If he was going to wake up then I'd have to stay up with him because there was no way that he could stay up on his own. Coffee was going to be my savior in the morning. The only reason I wasn't pissed about this is because I loved this little boy more than anything in the world.

"Spencer, go." I had to stop her before she rambled on to what he likes to eat for breakfast and that he wouldn't let anyone put on his shirt because he was a big kid and could do it himself. I knew the morning, afternoon, and evening routine like the back of my hand. I was the go to baby sitter that knew all his likes, dislikes, food allergies, and all the emergency contact numbers. There had never been an incident where there's been an emergency. Still, it was Spencer's way of putting her full trust in me.

"And if you need anything you know my number." Spencer could be so out of touch with the universe sometimes. I couldn't count the number of times I took care of him. Yet, I could understand why it was entirely reasonable for Spencer to worry about her child every moment of the day. If I ever was going to become a parent, Spencer would be the kind of parent I aspired to be. The only difference would be is that I would do anything to spend every waking moment with my baby. Creating happy memories we would look back on when I was old and graying, smiling and making jokes. That's the way any life should end. Happy.

Hunter was curled up on the white couch, clutching onto one of the pillows meant to tie in with the décor of the living room. I noticed that Spencer had left his night bag right by the couch. I would move it tomorrow morning but for now I didn't even want to move him from the couch. Spencer placed a light kiss on his forehead and made her way to the door. I followed her out of the studio apartment taking care to close the door as quietly as possible on the way out. I walked Spencer to her car, practically yawning the whole way down . I was practically still asleep. All I really wanted to do is crawl back into my warm bed.

Spencer unlocked her car that was parked strictly for visitors only. Spencer as a lawyer was loaded and her car, while not the most expensive on the market, sure did have a heavy price tag. While it was a bit flashy, it was still practical to drive Hunter around. I could just never get past certain aspects of the Cayenne Turbo Porsche she owned. Especially the color, cherry red. But that was her own choice and she always looked comfortable driving around. While the Tesla was a company car that was selected for how eco friendly it is, it was a car that I wouldn't mind owning myself.

"Take care of Toby and try to get some sleep, Spence. I'll call you in the morning and let you know how Hunter is doing." Spencer pulled me in for one last hug before she stepped into her car. I waited until she pulled out of sight to head back upstairs.

I slipped back inside quietly locking the door behind me. I was hoping that the noise the lock made when it clicked wouldn't wake Hunter but to my surprise he was already awake. My dream of heading back to bed and cocooning myself in the covers had gone right out the window along with any sleep I had the chance of getting. Thankfully, I had slept enough just to where I was feeling sober. I plopped down on the couch next to Hunter.

"Okay kiddo, you aren't going to let me sleep tonight. Am I right?" He gave me a small smile because no verbal communication was needed to convey his point. Morning was definitely going to be hell accompanied by an endless sea of coffee. Spencer owed me for this. Granted, tomorrow wasn't exactly going to be hectic with just a few meetings topping my schedule. They weren't really going to be that interesting; my presence was more for just supervision. Skipping was still not an option and falling asleep during a meeting is completely unprofessional.

"Alright little man, what are we watching?" Hunter had a few favorite movies that he could watch endlessly. To make his stay at my apartment easier I bought all the movies he liked so that they were already stored in the TV box. For the most part, he knew how to use the controller and based on the pictures flashing on the screen of every DVD cover he was capable of identifying which movie he wanted to watch.

There had only been one mishap in the past where my screening selection came up while I stepped out of the room for a moment and he had selected a horror movie. I wasn't a huge fan of the genre because they scared me; however, on occasion there was a movie that caught my attention. I handed him the small remote that fit into the palm of my hand. Even at that size it could do more than any other remote on the market. It was part of the TV that had just been released, top of the line. Maybe I shouldn't have gone through the trouble of buying it just because so little time was spent here and even then, the television remained neglected. Hunter loving it so much was what made the money worth spending. He probably loved it so much because Spencer limited the time he could spend watching TV. So when he stayed over, it was a nice change from the uptight atmosphere of the Hastings household.

He snuggled up to my side as he flipped through the various titles; cartoons mixed in a variety of films anything from Disney to Harry Potter. Spencer would have my head if she knew about me letting him watch Harry Potter, he wasn't old enough but there were times when he would flash those big brown eyes at me and I couldn't bring myself to say no. Besides, there wasn't much in the movies that I considered to be terrifying. He wasn't having nightmares so that just backed up my idea that he was perfectly fine watching these movies. It still remained our little secret.

His selection ended up being Tom and Jerry and The Magic Ring. We had both seen it so many times that I lost track but he enjoyed it. It made him laugh and just maybe I wouldn't fall asleep like this. Not that I would pay a whole lot of attention to what was going on the screen, my mind was completely somewhere else. Now that a few minutes had passed since Spencer had woke me, I was feeling a bit more awake. While there was an upside to that, the downside was that my mind was completely just working on overdrive. My mind wandered off back to my dream that pretty much ended up becoming a nightmare. I didn't like having these dreams come flooding back to me because I had worked too hard to block them out.

Dr. Goodman always told me it was a good idea to write any time I had one of these dreams instead of letting the feelings bottle up inside of me. Writing about them was the only way I could handle them because I didn't like to talk about most things. I was a private person and my problems were my own to worry about. I needed to write about this dream, about how it made me feel. If not for Spencer waking me, I probably would have woken in a pool of my own swear and bothered more than I felt now.

My memory of that day was pretty crystal clear. After the whole encounter with Paige in the locker room, it turned out that Emily had gone home claiming she felt sick after catching a few laps at home. Aria and Spencer bought that story but Hanna didn't buy it. She didn't buy the whole story that Emily's eyes were red because water had gotten into her goggles and the chlorine burned her eyes. No, Hanna was smarter than people gave her credit for and that led a confrontation between us where I got to see the ugly side of Hanna. She threatened me, told me that if I even thought about getting near Emily again she'd be the one to take care of it. Maybe Hanna didn't hold the physical strength to hurt me but girls didn't fight clean and things could be far worse for me than just getting punched a few times.

I didn't hang around Emily much after that because I knew I was capable of smashing her heart to bits again. We still hung around together when it was the whole group but even then Hanna kept Emily as far from me as possible. I admired Hanna for the friend she was because she protected Emily like a fierce momma bear.

The next encounter that I had alone with Emily was weeks later after one of her meets. While we weren't on the best of terms, I still wanted to be there to support her and show her that I did care. Everyone had basically cleared out of the parking lot and I was still waiting for my ride which was running a few minutes late. Spencer had offered me a ride back in her Mercedes and I politely declined. I was kind of regretting it now since it was just a few degrees chiller out now after the sun had set. I hadn't realized anyone else was still here until Emily came up behind me. She hardly made a sound as she came up behind me so hearing her talk made me feel like I was about to jump out of my skin and apparently I had reacted outwardly because I heard her barely say, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I turned to look at her and while she was the Emily I knew and loved, she hardly looked like it anymore. Her skin looked like it had paled and wasn't the same shade of bronze. Her hair looked thinner and frail. Overall, she looked like she had lost a few pounds. I really hoped it wasn't because of what I had done. She rocked back on her heels and she cleared her throat, "Do you um need a ride?"

I was touched that after everything she'd still offer me a ride. "No," I barely was able to say, "Um, my ride is just running a bit late but they should be here in a few minutes." She still wouldn't look at me but she shook her head in understanding. "O..Okay. Thanks for coming out and watching me swim. The support means a lot."

We had known each other for a while now but she was acting like I was a complete stranger. I couldn't blame her for the way she was acting because I didn't know how to act around her either. I managed to say, " It's no trouble. That's what friends are for" .

"Right, friends" she said and it almost sounded bitter. it was quite for a few moments between us. I could feel myself begin to shiver. I wasn't exactly dressed for cooler weather and I wasn't ready yet to give up skirts, heels, dresses and trade them in for jeans, sweaters, coats and boots. I wanted a few more weeks of warmer weather but that wasn't going to happen. Emily sighed beside me, "Goodnight Alison. Get home safely. " Her words warmed but not as much as what she did next. She draped her wind breaker on my shoulder and placed a light kiss on my cheek before heading off in the direction of her car. I truly didn't deserve her kindness but yet, even after everything she was still taking care of me. I loved her and I was the biggest idiot for letting go. I wanted to thank her for her kindness and apologize for my cruelty but most of all I wanted to tell her how much I missed her. But she was gone before I can bring up the courage to say anything.

All these memories still choked me up and I felt hot tears spill down my cheeks. I didn't cry a lot these days but I could see that if things kept going the way they did, I would be able to fill a river with my tears. I traced patterns on Hunter's small arm letting the presence of another person soothe me. I was terribly upset over everything and how big of a fuck up I had been. No matter how much I regretted the past, there was nothing to be done about it now. I could only try to be a great boss and welcoming to Emily to make up for the past. Who knew, maybe we could still be friends after everything.

Hunter was far too interested in the movie to notice that I was crying and that was probably better. He would be worried if he knew I was crying. I sniffled and focused my attention on the screen in front of me hoping the tears would stop. We watched the movie quietly for the rest of the time except for those few moments where Hunter giggled to whatever what was going on the screen. I hadn't noticed when I stopped crying or what time it was. Hunter eventually Hunter fell asleep still cuddled up to my side and I only knew he was asleep from the quiet little snoring coming from him. I figured there was no use in waking him by moving so we would just endure the rest of the night on the couch. Sleep came quickly as I was already really tired and my troubled thoughts couldn't even stop me from falling asleep instantly.

* * *

The next morning started off with the pleasant greeting of sunshine blaring in through the balcony door bathing the surfaces inside with sunlight. The alarm clock in my room woke me with a start and I yawned not feeling very thrilled about getting up this morning. I was still a bit tired and a couldn't keep myself from not yawning. I looked down at Hunter to find that he was still cuddled up to my side and that side of my shirt had been soaked with drool. I should be grossed out but it was cute to see him fast asleep. I had to get dressed and both of us ready to head out to the office. The clock was ticking. There was so much to do and I'm sure Hunter would agree on more sleep but there wasn't any time for that.

"Hunter, sweetie we have to get up. Auntie Alison needs to get to work." He looked up at me, eyes full of sleep, and instantly snuggled up to my side again. There was no time for any kind of delay. I could skip my shower but I still needed to get dressed and looking presentable and that went for Hunter as well. I was really wishing there was someone here to make me coffee while I took the time to get ready. No such luck. "Hunter, you're Auntie needs to get to work. We can't be late, okay?"

He seemed to understand this better and let go of me to sleepily rub at his eyes. "I know kiddo. I'm not happy about being up this early either. I promise we'll go out for breakfast and you can have anything you want but I just need you to be a good boy this morning." Maybe he was listening, maybe not but I needed him to give me a few minutes in the bathroom to get ready and dressed. The next few minutes were a blur of rushing in and of the bathroom. Putting any kind of clothes becomes so much more difficult when you're in a rush. I ended up buttoning up my dress shirt wrong and had to take the extra time to unbutton and re-button it.

I walked out of the bathroom with a toothbrush hanging out of my mouth to check on Hunter. He sat patiently on the couch, kind of dozing off but still not causing any trouble. I rushed to finish brushing my teeth and applying a small amount of make up before rushing out again. I felt a bit more awake at the end of getting myself ready and a little coffee would completely wake me.

"Alright Hunter, your turn." I picked him up and held him with one arm so I could grab the night bag with the other. It would be better to get me to brush his teeth first just in case. Getting toothpaste on his pjs would be no big deal but I wouldn't have the time to deal with it if it got on his clothes. Hunter was probably still a bit tired since he didn't struggle at all when I helped him brush his teeth.

I sent a quick text to Nick, checking to see if he was on his way with the car before dressing Hunter. Nick sent me a text seconds later saying that he was on his way and would be there in a few minutes. I took a breath, allowing myself to slow down after being in high gear from the moment I woke up. Hunter had been potty trained so not having to change him saved another few minutes. I pulled dinosaur pj shirt over his head and slipped the plaid button upper through his arms. "Want to help me button this big guy?"

He was still sleepy but smiled at being called big guy. His small fingers started at the bottom and while he struggled with them it was cute to see how happy it made him. I started buttoning on the top and helped him finish the buttons he couldn't do himself. I changed his pj pants to jeans and quickly buttoned them.

He grabbed for his socks and gym shoes out of his night bag. "Do you want me to help?" I asked him and he shook his head no. He was capable of putting on his socks and shoes on his own, that I was sure of. I left the room for a moment to grab my keys and purse off the counter top where I had carelessly dropped them. I slipped on my black heels that weren't extremely high but had some height to them. They were one of the more comfortable pairs I owned. When I walked back into the room, Hunter had successfully put his socks and shoes on which was rather impressive, in my opinion, for a three year old. I didn't know much about kids but I wouldn't have thought her could do it.

"Ready?" He didn't respond in any way, verbally or otherwise. I zipped up his night bad and slung it over my shoulder. I held out my arms to him, he wrapped his tiny arms around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder. The morning wasn't off to as bad of a start as I thought. I felt fine despite drinking last night and my mind felt completely clear too. Business mode had switched on. There was no time for anything else. I made sure that the television was off before we headed out the front door. I knew it was going to be a long day but oddly, I was looking forward to it. Could it be that having Hunter around just made everything better? Maybe having a child wasn't as bad as everyone thought. I let go of that thought a second later. I didn't have time for anything other than my career. That came above anything else.


End file.
