#go where

She cleaned the living room first. She vacuumed the rug, setup the throw pillows, dusted some paintings, and cleaned the windows. Then she sat on the couch and wiped her sweating palms on her jeans and fidgeted.

But oh there were dirty dishes in the kitchen, and maybe she should clean her mom’s room just in case, and the dining room was disgusting and she ran around the house for an hour moving from room to room and cleaning every spec of it before collapsing on the couch once again. She checked her watch.

“Alison wants to meet you,” Shana had said in Emily’s car yesterday after school. “Tomorrow- she’ll meet you at your house.” And then she had walked out of the car before she could answer any of Emily’s budding questions.

It was getting kinda late and normally she would’ve ordered a pizza but what if the delivery person came and saw Ali and Ali freaked out? She couldn’t leave the house of course- what if Alison came while she was gone? She could cook? Emily walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. That’s right. Her mom was away for the week in Texas with her dad, Emily was supposed to go grocery shopping today but…

Her options were limited and she decided she was too nervous to eat. What if Ali showed up while she was stuffing her face and-

“Hey Em.” Emily shot up so quickly she hit her head on the top of the refrigerator. “Oh my god, are you okay?” Alison rushed over and knelt down to where Emily was now sitting on the floor.

“You’re asking me?” Emily muttered looking at the girl who had ‘died’ from dirt inhalation in the lungs.

“I have to say I remembered you to be a little more graceful,” Alison smiled, smirking slightly, but more gently than Emily remembered. Like she was laughing with her now.

“Excuse me for jumping a bit when my best friend comes back from the dead,” Emily stood up and closed the refrigerator and wobbled a little walking to the living room still holding the growing bump on her head. She sat down and saw Alison following a little ways behind- filled with uncertainty that she had never seen Alison wear before.

It occurred to her that for once in her life she had the upperhand on Alison. Alison now didn’t know how to read her, couldn’t control her. Alison took a seat as far away from Emily as possible, didn’t even really sit just sort of hovered.

“You probably have questions,” Alison stated. There was a baited silence as Alison waited for her to ask some but all of Emily’s thoughts were chasing each other around and out and she couldn’t seem to focus on any single one. So she said the first thing that slowed down enough for her to understand it.

“Come home,” Alison blinked in surprise.

“I- what?”

“Come home,” Emily said again, urging herself not to sound like she was begging.

“I can’t Em, someone’s after me,” as if to further illustrate her point she glanced at the windows as if she would see A standing there with a camera and maybe without a mask just for the added convenience.

“Who is? A?” Alison moved closer to her and Emily almost wanted to punch something. Of course Alison would still wear the same vanilla perfume. Even on the run she was flawless. Alison nodded and Emily put a hand on her thigh. “Is that who did this to you?” Her eyes moved to the scar on Alison’s head. The only imperfection even near her face. Alison nodded again and looked away, like a wounded animal. It took everything Emily had not to put a hand on her cheek, offer her some kind of comfort the girl evidently had not had for weeks maybe even months.

Wait- who was she kidding? This is Alison Dilaurentis- she’s probably just stopping by on her way to three more houses, three more people to seduce.

“I’m so sorry,” Alison’s voice broke (and maybe Emily’s heart along with it) “for everything I’ve done.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks and Emily stared. This was a new one.

Alison never cried, not ever. Not even to get what she wanted. Alison flung herself into Emily’s arms and Emily gave into the piece of her that finally felt whole. She hugged the girl back tightly- celebrating how tangible and… well alive she was.

“Come home,” Emily murmured into her hair again, “we’ll figure out who A is- together. I’ll keep you safe I promise.” Alison’s eyes were red as she slowly moved away.

“It’s not safe for me in Rosewood- A isn’t the only one out to get me. I just don’t know who to trust.”

“So trust me okay?” she gestured at the two of them, “Trust this. Trust the girls too- Aria, Spencer-”

“I know I can trust you Em, but I don’t know about the others- that night,” she looks away now, and stares at the floor. Maybe she’s overcome with emotion, or maybe she’s hiding her smirk, Emily thinks to herself. “I don’t want to talk about it.” So it’s the latter. And Emily wants to scream at her, wants to demand answers, wants to push her up against the couch and show her just how much Emily missed her. But she doesn’t.

“So don’t, tell us when you’re ready,” Emily finds herself giving in and feels the power shift back to Alison, the other girl was already reading her like a book- relearning how to use her. “But you have to come home Alison, it’s not safe for you on the run either. If A attacked you out there we’d have no way to protect you. At least here-” both girls tense as they hear a key moving in the lock. Alison looks stricken then glares at Emily.

“You told didn’t you!” she accuses her voice only a harsh whisper.

“No I swear I didn’t I-” Pam fields walks through the door and Emily turns away from Alison. “Mom?” She turns back to Alison and realizes the girl has disappeared.

“I caught an earlier flight,” her mom grins, “and guess what!” Wayne comes through the door and Emily can’t stop herself from lighting up.

“Dad!” She runs up and hugs him, then her mom, then both of them, she doesn’t realize she’s crying until her mom hands her a tissue.

“Were you just sitting alone on the couch?” He asks, his voice jovial.

“I guess so,” Emily says, thoughts returning to Alison, who’s probably running into the woods right now,