After Aria, Spencer and Hanna had left, an hour had passed before anyone came back to the barn. Emily and Alison watched Aria let herself inside and sigh heavily when she spotted them staring up at her from the couch.

"I'm assuming you weren't a match," Alison claimed.

"No," Aria confirmed.

"Any idea what they were IDing for?" Emily asked.

Aria joined them and looked at Alison. "I approached Tanner after, and she said someone called your house the night Charlotte disappeared."

Alison shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't know, I was knocked out."

"It came from The Two Crows Diner. Which I've never even been to, by the way" Aria said. "Tanner told me there was a witness that said a petite brunette used the phone and the call was directed to the DiLaurentis' landline."

"A petite brunette?" Alison repeated. "That's like, half of Rosewood."

"They also said she had a pair of pink dice on her key ring."

This information didn't jog Emily or Alison's memory.

"Did you recognize anyone else in there for the ID?"

Aria shook her head. "No."

Alison folded her hands. "So you were their top suspect."

That's when Spencer and Hanna barged through the door. Emily stood from the couch. She eyed the tube that Spencer was holding and wondered what blueprint could be in there.

"Guys," Spencer said as she rushed to the island in her kitchen. "It's a layout of Radley."

She removed the blueprint from the tube and spread it over her counter. That's when they noticed there were two separate sheets. One for The Radley hotel, and Radley Sanitarium. The Radley hotel's print was transparent, which allowed both layouts to be examined at the same time.

Spencer overlapped them and pointed to Elliot's old room.

"This is the room he stayed in. And I'm betting he knew there was a hallway on the other side of that wall, which would lead him to the back door."

"How would he have known that?" Alison asked.

"Charlotte," everyone else answered.

"She knew every inch of that place," Spencer said.

"So what?" Hanna folded her arms. "-A wants to send us on a treasure hunt?"

The five women sat back and studied the blueprints for a few minutes. Emily knew there had to be some significance. -A always had a purpose, especially when they sent them gifts like this.

Aria leaned in. "There. There's a room on the old Radley's blueprint but there's no door on the hotel's."

"You think they sealed it off?" Emily wondered.

"Of course they did," Spencer said. "-A thinks there's something in that room, and we've gotta get into it."

"And how are we gonna get into a sealed room?" Alison tilted her head. "Take a sledge hammer to the walls of Radley?

The five women looked at each other and realized this was true. They would need power tools to get on the other side of that wall, and it would need to be at a time where something was going on at The Radley. An event that could mask the noise they would generate.

"The election night," Spencer said. "My mom's campaign party will be at The Radley. That would be the perfect time to do it."

"And how do you plan on getting back into that place?" Emily asked. "Didn't the police seal off the hole in 214?"

"They're changing the door." Spencer studied the blueprints further. "That door on the outside of The Radley, they're bricking it over."

"So it's just an open hole right now?"

"Kinda sorta." Spencer rolled up the blueprints. "The election party is Monday night. That'll give us an entire forty-eight hours to plan. I'll talk to Toby and let you guys know what he thinks we should do."

"Again," Hanna started. "Do we really think involving Toby is a good idea?"

Spencer leaned on her island. "You've already involved Caleb. I don't see why Toby can't be in on this either."

"Because he's a cop."

"And having a cop that's on our side is looking good from where I'm standing."

Everyone fell silent. Spencer had a right to feel the way she did. -A had planted evidence that incriminated her specifically. The others had yet to be targeted, but who's to say they wouldn't have their turn?

"Alright," Hanna said. "I've have a meeting with Lucas about some bright idea he wants to pass by me." She grabbed her purse. "Let me know anything that happens."

"And I'm supposed to have dinner with Ezra and Jillian," Aria said. "I have anxiety every time I think about it."

Emily smiled. "It'll be fine. You said it yourself, Jillian loves what you've written."

Aria gave her friends a timid smile. "See you."

Then it was just Spencer, Alison and Emily. Until Emily's phone rang out.

Alison looked at Emily's screen and saw Paige's name pop up. She had to force herself not to roll her eyes.

Emily hesitantly answered. "Paige, hey."

Alison watched Emily take the call outside while she could feel Spencer's eyes on her. She wanted to blame what she felt just now on the pregnancy hormones, but honestly, she had felt this before. Now it was just more intense.

"I'm assuming her and Sabrina didn't work out," Spencer said.

"Guess not." Alison folded her arms. "But Paige is more persistent."

When Ali looked back at Spencer she could see a look on her friend's face that scared her. Spencer was observant. And honestly, Alison knew she had shown more affection with Emily for a long time. Now it was only getting worse.

"I've got a lot of grading to do." Alison grabbed her things. "I'll see you later."

She made her way to the door, but when she opened it to leave Emily was coming back inside.

"Are you leaving?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," Alison forced an indifferent tone.

Emily decided she would head back with Alison. "I'll come back with you."

Alison decided not to protest.

As they walked together back to her house Ali tried to ignore the curiosity over why Paige had called Emily. She knew it was none of her business. And in the back of her mind she already knew.

"Paige asked if I wanted to have dinner tonight," Emily confessed.

Alison didn't really want to hear it.

"Yeah," Ali mumbled.

"I told her I couldn't." Emily felt her heart throb. "I was hoping we could have a movie night. We can order takeout."

Alison was shocked, but also very flattered. The fact that Emily had offered to spend the night with her meant a lot, especially after what she had done. But maybe this was her chance. She couldn't ruin it. Yet, she couldn't deny that she was terrified.

"You don't have to do that," she said.

Emily shrugged. "I want to."

Although Emily did want to have dinner with Paige, she needed to talk with Alison. It seemed long overdue. And considering she had blown Ali off last night when she had seemed willing to talk... well, she felt bad.

She needed to know what was going on in her friend's mind, because one second Ali acted like all she needed was Emily and the next pushed her away like she was on fire.

Emily would get an answer tonight, whether it was the one she wanted or not.

* * *

Alison picked at the rest of her takeout while Emily rambled on about this professor she had taken back at Pepperdine. She found joy in the humorous story, but Alison could feel the intensity between them.

Last night she had found a burst of courage and had tried to talk to Emily, but she had refused. Now it was a different story. Ali no longer felt confident and brave. She was scared.

"I say I failed because I didn't turn in my final paper but, it's probably because I sassed him so many times," Emily admitted.

Ali tried to picture rebellious Emily. She liked the image.

"Do you know if you're gonna stay in sports medicine when you go back to Hollis?" Alison asked.

"I want to," Emily said. "I just don't know if I can do it."

Alison didn't believe what Emily had just said.

Emily Fields, a girl who had overcome multiple anonymous torturers, a kidnapping and death could do anything in Alison's mind.

"You don't actually think that, do you?" Alison asked.

"Think what?"

"That you can't finish a sport medicine degree." Alison faced her. "You've overcome so much already. This? This is nothing."

Emily couldn't help but smile. "College is a different kind of torture."

"You think I don't know?" Alison laughed. "I did my time."

Emily looked down at her hands. Maybe Ali was right. Maybe Emily just needed to believe a little more in herself. Maybe her first year had just scarred her and left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Do you really want to it?" Alison asked.

Emily nodded. "I do."

"Why?"

"Because... I do," Emily said. "I want to do it for me. I want to help people."

"Yeah, but why do you want to help people?"

Emily looked up. "When I hurt my arm... it shattered me. I felt like my whole life had gone down the drain..." She sighed. "But if I can help people like me, who come in broken and lost, find their purpose again... I want to do it."

Alison admired Emily. "That sounds like some great motivation."

Talking to Alison had made Emily realize why she had been so driven in the first place to re-enroll at Hollis. And Alison was right. Emily had overcome some horrible crap. College was nothing.

"I wish all I had to decide was if I wanted to go to college," Alison said. "No. I have to decide if I want what Elliot left me with."

Emily watched Alison wave her hands vaguely at her stomach. She couldn't believe Alison hadn't decided yet.

Emily studied Ali. "Why haven't you?"

Alison sighed. There were so many factors preventing her from just calling in an appointment to abort.

"There's a lot of reasoning behind it," Alison admitted. "I just... I know that it's Elliot's and that he was a total fake and wanted my sister, who is actually my cousin, but... it's still a baby."

Emily knew what Ali meant.

"I conceived thinking I was in love and going to marry my Prince Charming." Alison looked down at her hands. "It wasn't necessarily planned but... that doesn't mean I haven't wanted a child for a while."

Emily could see the debate behind Alison's sad blue eyes. This was a hard decision, but Emily felt she had no right to weigh in on it.

Alison could feel an overwhelming amount of emotion now that she allowed herself to think about the baby. She had been avoiding it since she found out, but it had been a week. She needed to make a decision.

She looked at Emily. "Tell me what you would do."

Emily didn't want to answer that. She didn't want to because she honestly didn't know what she would do.

"I don't know what I would do," Emily said. "But I know what I would think."

Alison hung onto every word Emily said.

"The baby may be for someone you don't love but... just because Elliot was a mistake doesn't mean this baby is." Emily looked at Alison. "And if I were in your position I'd feel stable enough to raise one."

Alison nodded, but the fear in her chest was violent. This was a baby she would have to raise on her own. Without a father. And when that baby grows up, what would she tell it? What would she even name it!?

Emily sighed. "Look Ali... you're not alone in this."

Alison watched the light from the TV dance on Emily's angular face. What exactly did she mean by that? That she wanted to help Ali? Be her support system if she did decide to keep the baby? Why would she do that?

Suddenly a wave of emotion washed over her, and tears welled in her eyes. She felt one escape and ride down her cheek, only for Emily to gently wipe it away with her finger.

"Hey..." Emily had that look. The look that melted Alison. "It's gonna be okay."

In that specific moment, Alison's fear and doubt seemed to vanish as she locked eyes with Emily. For the first time since Emily had returned to Rosewood, she had that glow in her warm brown eyes. Ali held eye contact just a little longer before seeing what she needed to make a move. The move she's been dying to make longer than she'd like to admit.

Alison leaned in and caught Emily's lips with her own. A surge of heat washed through her like the sun had emerged from behind a thick layer of clouds. Her heart sighed in what felt like relief. For only a moment did she forget everything that was going on as she relished the moment.

But Emily pulled away.

"Ali," Emily whispered. "You're really vulnerable right now."

"That's not why," Alison said. "I promise."

And for the first time ever, Emily could read Alison. Emily could see that she was telling the truth. That this wasn't just another manipulation tactic. This moment was real.

Emily couldn't help but give in at that point. Her hand moved to hold Alison as their lips met again. Emily closed her eyes and allowed her emotions to run wild for the first time in a long time. The fire in her chest grew as Alison told her how she felt without actually saying anything at all.

Emily realized she would always love Alison, no matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise.

And maybe, just maybe, Alison had felt the same way all along.