Alison didn't get a call from Spencer until hours later when the sun had set and the streets were empty. Her friend had sounded distraught, and Ali didn't know how to take it.

The fact that Spencer's sister was somehow caught up in Charlotte and Archer's murder managed to enrage her. -A was torturing them and threatening to turn in the Radley footage if they didn't get a move on, had planted evidence against Spencer, and yet, they were continuing to sit on valuable information.

She wanted to believe Melissa was telling the truth about not wanting Wren to kill Charlotte and Archer, but she wasn't sure. No one was. Just like Emily had said.

As Alison walked over to Spencer's she thought about Emily. She thought about this morning when she had completely shut her out after her friend had been there to support her. The things Emily had told Ali continued to play through her head the entire day and was managing to upset her.

Emily had looked so hurt, and Alison knew it was all her fault. Emily was right. She had been nothing but supportive since Charlotte's death and the pregnancy. She was right about Alison not knowing what she wanted and that it was unfair.

And Alison was positive that Emily, and the things she felt for her, were scarier than this pregnancy, and she didn't understand why.

The sight of Emily's Toyota made Alison's heart beat faster. It never failed. Every time she knew she and Emily would be together, everything inside of her lit up. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she and Emily had something special, they always had, but it was Emily that made it special. Not Alison.

When Alison entered the barn, Emily was sitting next to Hanna on the couch. Everyone looked at her as she entered but all Alison could do was force herself not to look at Emily too long.

"Where's Spencer?" Alison asked.

"On her way," Emily responded. "She sounded..."

"Panicked." Hanna clasped her hands together. "She sounded really panicked."

"Which means whatever Toby found..." Aria let her sentence fall.

"Isn't good for Melissa and Wren," Emily finished.

Spencer barged through the door with a troubled look on her face. Alison could feel her heart somersault in her chest. She instinctively wanted to move closer to Emily for comfort but resisted.

"The car..." Spencer said. "The car they pulled from the lake..." She sat. "Wren didn't shave the VIN number and the police traced it back to Philly..."

"Spencer, slow down," Emily said. "Start from the top."

Spencer took a deep breath. "They traced the burner car back to an auto rental company back in Philly, but the car had been reported stolen the next morning when they found Charlotte and Archer."

Alison sat on the other side of Spencer.

"So Wren stole the car from a rental place," Hanna reiterated. "What else?"

"Toby was in charge of searching through the camera footage and he found some of Melissa and Wren in the burner car," Spencer revealed. "He was holding onto the evidence to show me before he had to give it to Tanner and Furey."

Alison, Emily, Hanna and Aria side-glanced each other. This wasn't a shock. What Alison wanted to know was why Spencer seemed so distraught over this. Melissa had admitted the truth hours ago.

"Okay?" Alison said. "And when does Toby plan on turning in the footage?"

Spencer took a deep breath and leaned back to open her purse. Alison felt her pulse speed at the sight of an external drive reveal itself at the expense of Spencer's hand.

"You stole it?" Hanna panicked. "Are you nuts?!"

"I just-" Spencer threw it onto the coffee table. "I can't let my sister take the fall with Wren. She had nothing to do with Charlotte and Archer's murder."

"Spencer, you don't know that," Aria said. "Melissa's lied to you many times before."

"This time is different," Spencer denied. "I saw it in her eyes. She's terrified."

"Of course, she's terrified!" Hanna stood. "She murdered someone. Again!"

The women fell silent. The opinions on what to do were torn, and Spencer seemed to believe wholeheartedly Melissa had only been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alison was trying not to blame her for trying to protect her sister, but Melissa and Wren were guilty. The rest of them were not, and -A would have no problem making them look that way.

"So, what do we do?" Emily asked.

Spencer stared at the external drive on her coffee table. She seemed to be in deep thought. Alison recognized the look on her face.

"Let me talk to Melissa," Spencer said. "One on one. Maybe if I show her the drive, it'll scare her into telling the truth."

"She's not going to tell the truth," Hanna said. "That would involve her admitting to the Bethany tape."

"There is no Bethany tape." Spencer laced her hands. "Not anymore."

"So you want her to fabricate a story?" Aria asked.

"The only one with an existing motive is Wren," Spencer said. "Charlotte threatened him into quitting. Elliot took his place. Melissa could tell the police exactly what Wren told her. That the car was a rental because his was in the shop. She could say she thought they were going to the show and Wren threatened her into silence."

"So lie," Hanna said. "Even more than she already has."

"It may be the only way Melissa can keep her name clean." Emily looked at Spencer. "If she is telling the truth."

"Melissa said Wren isn't who we think he is." Spencer's voice trembled. "I really think she believes he'll hurt her if she slips up."

"Which means he poses a threat to all of us now that we know the truth," Alison said.

When the women fell silent, Alison listened to the ticking of the clock on the wall. So Spencer would sit on the evidence until she could talk to Melissa, but Toby would notice the drive was no longer in his possession soon, which meant Spencer needed to act fast.

That's when there was a knocking on the back door. The women jumped as everyone looked back at the door and saw Mary Drake peering through the glass window.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Hanna asked.

Spencer grabbed the external drive and shoved it back into her purse. "I don't know."

"Should we let her in?"

"Yes? Do you want to look suspicious?"

"We are suspicious."

Alison answered the door. "Mary."

"Alison," Mary greeted. "I went to your house but you weren't there. Then I saw all the cars... I figured you were here."

Alison suddenly felt targeted.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

Mary entered the room and studied the area.

"I was just..." Mary looked down at her hands. "I wanted to know if I could have something of Charlotte's before I leave town."

"You're leaving?" Emily asked. "Already?"

Mary walked further into the barn. "The only reason I came back to Rosewood was to be with my daughter. Staying now only seems pointless."

Alison felt pity for Mary.

She looked at her friends before agreeing to Mary's wishes.

"Yeah," Alison agreed. "Sure."

Alison exited the barn with Mary on her side and wondered if Mary had lied about never truly knowing Charlotte. It was a possibility she was, but it was hard to believe that after all this time, she had never gone looking for her long lost daughter.

"I know this may seem silly," Mary said. "Considering I've never personally known Charlotte."

"It's not silly," Alison answered. "Even though you never knew her, you were still her mother."

Alison unlocked her house and let them both inside. Mary waited patiently for Alison to close the door behind them.

"Had you ever tried to find her?" Alison asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I had," Mary admitted. "Many times. But the name I was looking for wasn't the right one."

Alison nodded as she led Mary upstairs to what would've been Charlotte's room.

"You were looking for a boy," Alison said.

"I was."

Mary stopped talking when she entered Charlotte's room. She walked up to the bed and studied it.

"I would bring Charlotte magazines in Welby," Alison said from the door. "She picked out everything that's in this room."

Mary walked up to the dresser and looked at Alison through the mirror.

"I've tried finding closure for her death," Mary said. "I've visited her grave. I've even tried to find out who killed her... but I'm afraid there will be no justice."

"There will be," Alison blurted. "T-The police are really close."

Mary nodded. "Good."

As much as Mary used to creep Alison out, now all she could see was a grieving mother. Mary was her aunt. She was family. And now, Alison could count her family members on one hand. The thought of Mary leaving Rosewood actually saddened her.

"Why don't you stay?" Alison asked.

Mary smiled sadly as she picked up the necklace the police had given back to Alison once she had identified it.

"I was never meant to stay in Rosewood." Mary put on Charlotte's necklace. "I was only meant to pass through."

"But you would've stayed?" Alison stood from the bed. "You would've stayed here with Charlotte?"

Mary turned around. "No."

Alison was confused.

"Charlotte's letter was lengthy. She told me how she hadn't wanted to stay in Rosewood. How she wanted to go somewhere, start a new..." Mary folded her hands. "I was hoping she and I could've done that together."

Alison figured this was just another thing Charlotte had lied to her about. By now it was no shock. It actually gave Alison some closure. At least she knew the truth.

"I hope the police are as close as you said to finding her killer," Mary said. "It would be nice to leave Rosewood with a little less pain on my back."

Alison just nodded as Mary seemed to be finished in Charlotte's room. She assumed the necklace had sufficed.

"Thank you, Alison," Mary said. "For never giving up on her."

Alison nodded before she followed Mary downstairs. The sadness of the situation overcame her, and she wanted to turn that drive in immediately for Mary's sake.

Mary made it to her car, but looked back at Alison. "I wish you the best."

Alison smiled sadly. "You too, Aunt Mary."

This caused a small hint of a smile to form on Mary's lips. Alison peered trough the dark as she disappeared into her car and drove off down the street. Alison wondered if she would ever see her again.

When she walked back over to Spencer's, her friends looked like they were about to leave.

"We were about to come check on you," Aria said.

"Mary still creeps us out," Hanna included.

Alison felt the sadness hanging onto her heart. It just wouldn't let go. She decided not to tell her friends about the exchange. It felt sacred.

"What did she say?" Spencer asked.

"She just told me she hopes the police were close to finding the killer," Alison said. "All she took was Charlotte's necklace."

It fell silent as the five women stood together in Spencer's den. Alison figured her change of mood had followed her back and was now rubbing off on the rest of them.

That's when five chimes pulled them out of their dazes. Alison looked up at Spencer before retrieving her phone.

"It's time to choose or lose. You have 24 hours. Tick tock, bitches. -A"