(Emily, I'm Sorry)
ACT ONE—CHAPTER SIXTEEN

2021

"Did you see Tai's press conference?" Emily asked stepping past Natalie through the door.

Natalie nodded, "Yeah— I saw." she gently shut the door, "Do you want coffee, or water or anything?"

Emily smiled, "How could I ever say no to coffee?"

Within a few minutes the two women sat down, sipping coffee out of mugs.

"So, are we going to act like the other night never happened?"

Emily sighed, "Nat—look we were drunk. We kissed. We talked about it...sort of. Can't we just leave it at that?"

The brunette frowned, "I just— I have to ask."

"That preface never leads to anything good," Emily muttered, taking a sip of coffee.

The blonde looked back up into Natalie's eyes when the woman didn't continue speaking right away.

"Do you hate me?"

Natalie's voice was so quiet, her eyes quickly moving away from Emily's. She had clearly been really nervous to ask the question, and Emily was a bit stunned by it.

Emily could never hate her.

"I—" the blonde paused, "I could never hate you."

Natalie's shoulders seemed to visibly relax following the other woman's words. After their fight the other night, Natalie couldn't help but think that Emily hated her.

Hated her for breaking her heart.

A short laugh escaped Emily's lips and Natalie arched an eyebrow at her, "Something funny?"

"It's just ironic," Emily shook her head, "I never stopped loving you, Nat."

Her words definitely surprised Natalie. Emily watched as the other woman's eyes grew wide.

"I don't think I can." Emily added on quietly, fidgeting with the small cross necklace. She didn't even know why she still wore the damn thing.

It didn't represent anything but the ghost of who she used to be...who she might still be if that plane hadn't crashed.

If she hadn't fallen for the girl with the bleached hair.

"Emy—" Natalie finally started to say something when presumably Taissa Turner knocked at the door.

"Since my press conference, my phone has not stopped ringing with folks trying to interview me. So tell me, why am I here?"  Taissa started speaking as soon as the door opened, her words only faltered slightly, surprised to see Emily in the room.

"Em, hi," Taissa smiled, a twinge of confusion in her voice.

"Hey," Emily smiled, "Coffee?"

Taissa shook her head declining the offer.

Natalie wordlessly motioned to the table, where the images forming a certain symbol were laid out.

"What is that?"

"It's the floor, of the barn where they found Travis' body." Natalie explained, "The police are saying that it's a suicide but there were candles underneath him arranged like that, Tai."

The woman shook her head wordlessly, "Someone burned them, and took them away."

"Who would do that and why?"

Emily pulled her hair back out of her face, "That's what we've been trying to figure out."

Natalie's phone went off with a message, followed by both Taissa's and Emily's.

"Gather 50k cash and await further instructions. Do not discuss with your teammates. I will know." Natalie read the message out loud.

"What in the Pretty Little Liars shit is this?" Emily muttered, and the other two women looked at her blankly, "What? I have a teenage daughter."

"What the fuck is pretty little liars?"

Emily laughed, "Once we figure out all of this shit you and I are watching the whole thing. This is not up for negotiation."

Taissa looked between the two of them and sighed, "I'm calling Shauna."

"Good idea," Natalie agreed, glancing over at Emily.

Who was nervously re-reading the message, and sipping the no longer warm coffee. Natalie knew it wasn't her place, but she still gently rubbed Emily's back in attempts to comfort her.

"Hey I'm with Natalie and Emily—" Taissa started but Shauna must've interrupted her because she paused, "Yes both of them. I don't know Shauna."

"Anyways, you need to get here, Travis is dead." Taissa continued, before turning towards the two of them, "She said she already knows."

"What?" Natalie asked and Emily also pipped up, "How?"

"Misty called her." Taissa replied, and Natalie sighed, "That conniving, poodle haired, little fucking freak."

Natalie walked over closer to Taissa's phone, "Shauna get here now! We've got a big problem."

A strained silence fell over the group once the call with Shauna ended.

Emily glanced back down at the images, examining them even more closely for what had to be the thousandth time that day.

"Take a break, Em." Natalie suggested softly, "You're not going to see anything that you haven't already."

Emily shook her head, barely acknowledging the brunette's suggestion.

"Okay." Taissa spoke up, "What's going on between you two?"

Emily shook her head, "Tai, just drop it. Please."

Taissa knew better than to push her luck with her best friend, so she just left it be.

Shauna took quite a while to show up, the light outside dissipating. Natalie let her inside, following the soft knocking on the door.

"You look like—shit." Natalie said, and Shauna motioned towards her, "Well back at ya."

"How's Jeff? Is he still hulking futons?" Natalie asked, with a seemingly very fake smile.

"Seriously Nat?" Emily pipped up, "Ok enough, no—no. We're not doing this. Okay?" Taissa interrupted.

"Not after all the shit we've been through."

Emily nodded, their whole back and forth was just petty.

"Now we've got a situation and we're going to deal with it."  Taissa paused, "Together."

"Just like old times." Emily murmured, drawing Natalie's eyes back to her.

"Okay fine. What's—what's going on?" Shauna questioned.

The brunette woman had to tear her eyes away from Emily, turning back to Shuna and motioning once again to the table.

Shauna looked down at the images from Travis' file, a small frown tugging at her lips, "Is that Travis?"

The silence over the group answered her question, Emily leaned against the counter, allowing Natalie to explain the rest.

"Someone strung him up and then tried to cover their tracks." Natalie stated.

"We think it's the same person who's blackmailing us." Taissa added, and Shauna looked up confused, "What? Blackmail?"

"Wha—you didn't get one of these?" Natalie handed her the postcard.

Shauna took the postcard, "What?"

She examined the front breifly before turning it over. Shauna's head shot up once she noticed the symbol, "No. What do they want?"

"Fifty grand in cash to keep their mouth shut. And we're not sure exactly what they know but— I sure as hell don't want to find out."

Emily turned to Natalie, "Yeah, I'm gonna need a glass of that." she pointed to the cup and Natalie nodded, "Figured you would say that."

"And you all got one?" Shauna asked, and Natalie handed Emily a glass, "Misty did too."

"Thanks." Emily murmured, take a drink of the liquor.

"I mean it's gotta be someone from the team, right? Like who else would know about this?" Shauna motioned to the post card.

"That reporter." Natalie stated, and Emily nodded.

"Wait—wait," Shauna turned to Tai, "I thought I told you to take care of her."

"I threatened a lawsuit, I told her to back off." Taissa stated.

Emily took another sip of her drink, nervously tapping on the side of the glass.

"Fuck this!" Natalie walked over to her bed, grabbing her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna bring Jessica Roberts—Great fake name by the way. To us." Natalie stated, "And I'll just say 'Oh I'm ready to tell my story'."

"No because if it is not her, then we're just handing her the exact kind of story she's looking for." Shauna argued, and Taissa nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Shauna's righ, Nat. Please just put the phone down. Stop it."

"Natalie!" Shauna exclaimed, and Emily shook her head, "Nat, stop."

"You know I don't like when you yell at me." Natalie paused, and then dramatically reached over setting her phone back on the bed.

Emily drank the rest of her drink, and Taissa shot her a look.

"Can you get the money?" Shauna asked.

"I'm working on it." Taissa nodded, "Once you do we put a gps tracker in with the cash and that way we can follow it and see who—what we're dealing with...together." Shauna paused.

"I can not believe I'm about to say this but, should we loop Misty in?"

"No, she could be part of this." Taissa shook her head immediately.

"Well she did take me to see Travis, but first she fucked with my car—"

"And then just stumbled on my workplace for coffee." Emily added.

"—but still she's been helping me figure it all out." Natalie finished.

"Oh yeah. Cause naturally." Shauna nodded sarcastically, "Um is there anything else I should know about. Or does blackmail, Travis maybe being murdered, and this one playing buddy cop with Misty fucking Quiggly just about cover it."

"Well unless you wanna talk about your daughter and Daisy—"