Infatuation (PLL Emison AU)

For Better or For Worse

A/N: Gore warning for this one, though if you haven't run away by this point...it probably won't scare you away now.

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Chapter 23:

For Better or Worse

Time goes by in the blink of an eye. In a strange juxtaposition, time was something that was both limited and endless. It was limited for living beings, but it was eternal, outlasting everything else on Earth.

For Alison and Emily, time felt relative. Even as the weeks and months passed, it felt like no time had passed at all. Their lives fit together so well that everything just fell into place naturally for them. Things changed, but in a sense...they stayed the same.

One thing that didn't change was Emily's penchant for adventure. She was constantly running into the jaws of danger.

Her most recent chase had led her to a dank musty basement. The heavy pounding in her chest radiated up her neck and into her ears, blood pulsing, whooshing around in her head as she slowly crept down the dark staircase.

Her heart felt like a hummingbird fluttering against her ribcage.

She heard a creak in the darkness. She wasn't sure if it came from beneath her own feet or the shadow hiding in the pitch black room. The only light she had was coming from the open doorway above.

She heard something shuffle to her right and she spun towards the cunning little runaway.

The giggle gave him away.

She grinned and moved towards him, pretending not to have heard.

"Okay, where are you, you little scamp?"

Seconds later she felt a lump of weight against her back as her opponent leaped on to her from the top of the dryer. She felt his little arms twist around her neck for support and his bare feet kick against her ribs.

"You know you're not supposed to play down here." She hoisted the youngster on to her back. "Especially in the dark. I turn my head for one second..." She laughed as she walked up the stairs. "Let's not tell your mom about this. She's liable to kill me."

"Okay." He could sound totally innocent when he wanted to.

A perky Beagle met them halfway up the stairs.

"You were of no help, Scout." Emily glanced down at the dog.

His tail was wagging. He'd been invested in the sandwiches that Emily had left behind. Those sandwiches were gone now.

She reached the stairs just in time to hear the front door close. Scout raced towards the noise, barking and howling his head off.

"Honey, we're home!" The blonde walked in, another sandy-haired boy right next to her.

"Mommy! Mommy!" The younger boy squirmed out of Emily's arms and then ran over to his mother.

Emily smiled when she saw the boys look up at their mom.

"Hope he wasn't too much trouble." She picked the little boy up and smothered him with kisses.

"Nah. He was a perfect little angel." She winked at Liam and then reached down to tussle Aidan's hair. "Missed his big brother though."

"I got to get a fancy suit!" Aidan exclaimed. "And a top hat."

"The top hat kind of came with the territory." Hanna chewed on her lip, hoping Emily would be okay with it.