What would have happened if Ali had come home sooner? When Alison finally reveals to Emily that she is alive after reaching out by asking Shana to give her a message, will she reveal how she really feels?
Character credit goes to Marlene King and S...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The girls have finished their coffee and make their way back to the barn to clean up. Emily notices that Alison is starting to get that uneasy look in her eyes again as she nervously folds the blankets they slept with the night before. Emily watches her girlfriend from across the room and can't help but be worried; she wonders if it is just because she is going to have to face her mother after she tried to bury her alive or because of their new found relationship.
Emily's POV
I'm standing on the other side of the room, leaning against the door frame and watch as Alison nervously folds the same blanket for the fourth time. I cross the room and take the blanket from her and place it on the couch and turn to face her and take her hands in mine, "Ali, I know you're scared but you have me and the girls to help you with whatever you need us to do." She looks up at me with sad eyes, "I know Em, I just don't know how I'm going to face my mom after what she did. What if she isn't happy for me to be back?" My heart breaks for her, I can't stand to see her in pain, "What can I do to help? Do you want me to go with you to see your mom?" She seems to perk up a little with my offer, "Actually I would love that. I always feel better when you're with me, I don't know how you do it." She untangles our hands and brings hers to wrap around my neck while taking a step towards me, "I didn't do anything. I just want you to know you always have someone on your side," I say as I lessen the space between us. She smiles and pulls me in for a kiss, I don't think I will ever tire of her showing affection. When we pull apart I make the suggestion to go see her family, "Let's go say goodbye to the girls and then we'll walk over to your house." I pull her in for a hug and give her a kiss on the forehead and I can feel her relax. We make our way over to the girls and tell them that we're going over to Ali's. Aria speaks up first, "Ali, if you need anything just call. We're here for you, whatever you need." She hugs Ali and returns to her cup of coffee as Hanna makes her way over, "Yeah Ali, we're here for you." Spencer sets her cup down and pulls Ali into a hug, "I echo those sentiments. Anything you need, I'm just next door." Ali finds her way back to my side with a smile on her face and leans her head on my shoulder like it's the most natural thing in the world. She leans up to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I find myself saying, "Let's go before I change my mind and let you talk me into a day full of cuddling and Netflix." She laughs, grabs my hand and leads me across Spencer's yard into her own.
Ali's POV
As I walk across Spencer's yard with Emily's hand in mine, my heart starts to pound as my house comes into view. I make my way up the steps and wonder, should I knock? Is anyone even home? I glance back and see that my dad's car is in the driveway, I decide to just walk in. I open the door and a wave of emotions wash over me; everything is exactly the same as when I left. From the pillows on the couch to the types of flowers in the vases on the end tables. I hear my dad in the kitchen and take the leap with Emily by my side, "Hi daddy..." He turns to face me and drops the glass of tea in his hand, "Alison...You're alive!" He rushes towards me and embraces me in the tightest hug he has ever given me, "My baby... Oh my god... I..." I hear him start to choke up and he starts to cry. This is a first for my father and I'm not sure how to handle it but before I know it, I'm also crying. My dad realizes that Emily is also in the room, "Emily...I... I don't know how you did it or what happened, but thank you for bringing her home." I finally pull away from my dad and make my way back to Emily's side and take her hand in mine, "She's the reason I came home," I see him look back and forth between us a few times before he puts it together when he looks at our hands. She tries to pull away from me at first but I refuse to give her that chance, "Em, it's ok. Dad, I know this is a lot to take in but, if I'm going to come home I'm going to do everything right this time. I chose to come home because, I'm in love with her. She makes me want to be a better version of myself, one that isn't running anymore. I know I was terrible two years ago. I made people afraid of me, I lied every chance I got, and I hated myself. Which is probably what lead someone to threaten me and the people I love. While I was away, I learned a lot about who I was and they type of person I want to be. I wanted to come home and be the person Emily always saw in me, someone worthy of loving her." I turn to face her and I can see her cheeks are flushed from the realization of what I just did; in one moment my entire life changed, I let my family know I was still alive and admitted my feelings for Emily. At first, I don't know how my dad is going to react but he makes his way over the to the both of us and looks to Emily, "We always knew there was something different with the two of you. Jessica said once that she couldn't have picked anyone better to love Ali, better than you. If you make my daughter happy and she's home for good, then I'm happy." He takes one step further and pulls Emily into a hug; "I know I wasn't exactly father of the year, but I know I can do better. Alison, I may not know all of the reasons behind you choosing to leave home, but I'm so happy you're back," and he embraces me in another hug. My father was always so cold towards me before, I mean, I know he gave me whatever I wanted but I think he was mostly afraid of what I would do if he didn't. As we pull apart, I glance around the room for any sign of my mother, "where's Mom? Is she out back?" I can see the look on his face instantly change, "Alison, your mother and I split up a few months ago. She decided she wanted to go up to your Aunt Carol's for a few days, so I said I would stay here for when Jason comes home. He's been going to AA meetings recently and we wanted to make sure someone was home to keep him on track, he should be home in a couple of hours." I can't help but feel a sense of relief that I don't have to see my mother just yet. Does that make me a bad person? She did try to bury me, for reasons I may never understand. I take a step back from my father and find my way back to Emily's side, "is it alright if I go up to my room?" He looks at me with an adoring look, like he never thought he would hear those words again, "of course sweetheart. I'll be in my office if you need anything. Once Jason gets home we'll have dinner and you can tell us everything. I grab Emily's hand and make my way up the stairs. I open the door to my old bedroom and I can't help but feel a sense of dread, but to my surprise, everything is exactly the same. I step further into a shade of pink that I so desperately missed; my vanity still holds my favorite perfume, my ballerina music box, and a picture of the five us the summer before I ran away. I walk over to the dresser and open it to find all of my clothes neatly folded and smell as though they were freshly washed. I turn and see my Paris bedspread and I look to Emily and smile, "do you remember the last time we had a sleepover here?" A rush of pink finds its way to Emily's cheeks, "of course I do. I still replay that night over and over in my head, it's one of my favorite memories."
