Love ShAck, Baby

Part Five

Emily led Aria upstairs to her room. "It was right here," Emily told Aria, pointing to the picture frame. "She was right here!"

"Emily, calm down," Aria ordered, sitting down on the window seat. "Let me see the note."

"Here." Emily held it out and Aria snatched it up. Emily couldn't believe Alison had been here, and she missed it. She realized Aria was looking at the note and sat down beside her.

"I have no clue what BBI means, but I think I know wha is."

"What?"

"A 4 A. Alison for Aria."

"Or Alison for A."

"Why would she give a note to the person she's trying to run away from? Besides, one time she wrot to you in a group IM. Remember?"

"Oh yeah!"

"So… it's for you. What does it mean?"

"I have no clue. Let's tell Spencer and Hanna to come…"

"No!" Emily interrupted. "Uh, let's just sleep on it okay? Do you want to stay over?"

Aria was puzzled by Emily's rejection for their other friends. They usually had a rule to stick together regarding clues and leads. "I can't. My dad's starting to get suspicious about me and Ezra. Give me a ride?"

Emily tried not to wince at the mention of Ezra. "Sure."

XXXX

Hanna typed in an email address and wrote a message fast. She had found a contact of the girl whose missing persons' report sounded eerily familiar. She needed to know more.

Hanna sent the email and shut her computer off, slumping in her chair. The last few weeks had really got her thinking about Alison and Ezra. Hanna kept trying to think back to if Alison ever slipped up and told her anything – a clue – about who this secret love of hers was. She only thought of one memory.

"Don't you love this top, Han?" Ali asked.

"Oh yeah! That's super cute!" Hanna replied, reaching out for it.

Alison hung it back on the clothing rack and cackled. "Too bad you wouldn't fit in it."

Hanna immediately hung her head and felt tears in her eyes. She walked away from Ali and towards a different rack of clothes.

"Oh, come on, Hanna. It was a joke!" Ali told her. "Are you gonna help me find a top or not? I need to look amazing!"

"Where are you even going?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out."

"Give me something."

Alison rolled her eyes to answer "no." For the next few minutes, both girls wandered around the boutique. A saleswoman came up to Alison while Hanna watched from afar.

"Can I help you find something?"

"Well, I'm trying to find a nice shirt," Ali answered, barely giving the lady the time of day.

"Anything in particular?" the saleswoman pried.

"Well, it's for an older guy, so something more mature."

The woman nodded her head. "Oh, okay. Let's go into this section, then."

As the woman guided Ali to a different part of the store, Hanna felt dejected. Alison told more to some stranger than Hanna would ever get. Whatever. Hanna didn't care. But, she knew she really did.

Little did Hanna know that that shirt was for Ezra.

XXXX

It was the next morning and Emily woke up bright and early. She sighed, remembering all the events of yesterday. She knew she had to let Hanna and Spencer in on the note Alison left, but she was trying to do everything she could to keep Aria away from those two. Emily did not need Aria to be distracted with all the nonsense about Ezra. And that's all it was. Nonsense.

She quickly pulled out her phone and texted all the girls. "Meet at the Brew. Two o'clock."

XXXX

Aria stood around the Brew, coffee in hand. Where was everyone? She glanced at her phone again. It was 2:10 and none of her friends were there yet.

Every once in a while, she'd glance up from her phone to see Conner, the rumor-spreading "friend" of Mike's, staring at her from across the counter. It took all the power and control in her body to keep from getting up and smacking him. But one thing gnawed at her in the back of her mind. Conner was right.

Everyone was right. Her dad was right. Noel Kahn and Jenna Marshall were right. Mike was right. Here she was again, throwing all of her post-break up success in the garbage. She was back to square one and was sleeping with her teacher.

She heard the bell chime and Hanna walked in. Hanna's shoulders sunk as she tried to smile at Aria. Hanna wished she wouldn't be alone with Aria until she had sufficient Ezra evidence. There was none yet, though, because someone stole the diary pages.

"Hey," Aria muttered.

"Hi."

A few seconds later, Spencer and Emily walked in together, bodies tense. Emily stopped at the counter, ordering drinks, as Spencer joined the others. Aria immediately noticed Hanna and Spencer's glimpses at each other and specific avoidance of herself.

Emily walked over and sat down. She was about to jump into the Alison note, but Hanna jumped ahead of her.

Hanna reached for her laptop, and started blabbing about the MIA girl who fits Ali's description.

"So, you think that's who's buried?" Spencer asked in a harsh whisper.

"Maybe," Hanna shrugged. "She emailed me back and we're meeting next week."

"I got a note," Emily interrupted. She pulled it from her pocket and passed it to Hanna and Spencer, who were sitting next to each other.

"A 4 A is Alison for Aria," Emily confessed. "We have no clue what BBI means though," Emily said, motioning between Aria and herself.

"Aria, you have no clue?" Spencer interrogated.

"Well, maybe…" Aria started. "I was gonna tell Em, but the topic switched. Back when Ali was alive, with us, me and her used to go up to this place. The Busy Bee Inn. It had a nice park and… wow," Aria laughed. "I haven't thought about that place in forever."

"Do you still know where it is?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, but it shut down a while back. It's near the…"

As Aria trailed on, Hanna's head shot up. She noticed someone standing at the counter and nudged Spencer's foot with her shoe. Spencer followed Hanna's gaze. Spencer realized Aria was still talking and he could most likely hear their clues.

"Hey!" Hanna practically screamed across the café.

Ezra realized – or pretended to realize – that all of the Liars were sitting at the back of the Brew. In reality, he had heard everything they said about the Alison note.

"Oh, hey girls."

Aria gave him a clandestine smile and Ezra shot one back. All five of them said nothing and just stared at one another awkwardly. Spencer and Hanna's stares were frantic, and directed at Emily. Emily's stare was annoyed and directed at her shoes. Aria and Ezra stares were trying not to look too love drunk at each other. No one knew what to say and Emily jumped up.

"Does anyone need a refill?"

Everyone answered at once. "No."

"I should get going," Ezra said abruptly, feeling the tension. I left a bunch of papers at school and have to go grab them."

"I'll see you later?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Hanna subtly rolled her eyes. Asshole.

Ezra left the girls and hopped into his Toyota. He started the car and reached in his glove compartment for his A phone. He grabbed it and contemplated whether or not to send the girls a text. He knew Hanna was getting suspicious, so it would probably make him look worse. Instead, he called one of his allies.

"Hey, they're going to some place called the Busy Bee Inn. They think that's where Alison is."

The voice on the other line said, "Do you want me to go, or are you?"

"Can you go?" Ezra pleaded.

"Yes. See you soon." The voice hung up and Ezra sighed. If they found Alison before the girls, none of their own dirty deeds could get out.

XXXX

Hanna practically ran for the passenger seat of Spencer's car when she noticed Aria get in the back. She didn't even want to be near her, scared she would say something about Ezra.

Emily sat next to Aria and the girls all sat quietly in the car the whole way there. The only noise of the car was the subtle radio playing and Aria giving Spencer directions.

When they finally reached the destination, Spencer parked on a nearby road. Before all the girls got out, they all saw it. They saw someone running infamous.

"Was that a guy?" Hanna asked, one person in mind.

"No, that person ran like a girl. What if CeCe is hiding here?" Spencer suggested.

"Well, we're not gonna get to them sitting in the car!" Aria stated, leaping from the car. The other three followed. All girls looked up when they heard an eardrum shattering clap of lightning. Great. Now they'd have to chase A and find Alison in a storm.

Aria went around the back with Spencer beside her. They saw a small shed and ran up to it. As Aria grabbed a paddle, Spencer reached for a shovel, despite her better judgment. Hanna and Emily trotted behind. Once the other two reached Team Sparia, they all saw the black hooded figure again.

"Let's go!" Hanna shouted over the sound of thunder.

They all went into full alert and followed A. A ran into one of the run-down rooms and the Liars tried hard to catch up. Spencer's shovel was high in the air, ready to open up a can of whoop-ass if necessary.

They all ran into the room, ready to corner A. But, when they got there, there was nothing but gust of wind and broken windows. Aria dropped her paddle, frustrated. As Emily was ready to just give up, Spencer examined a window, hoping to see anyone running away from the scene. No such luck.

"I can't believe this! We just saw A!" Hanna shouted, as all the other girls started looking around the windows, too. They all heard a creak simultaneously and whipped their heads around.

The door whooshed behind them, trapping them. The girls gasped as they all saw a message inscribed on the wooden door.

"You're too late. – A"

"It's a bust, guys," Spencer declared. "Let's just go home. A probably just sent you that message, Emily. Not Alison."

Emily huffed, feeling gullible and used.

XXXX

Spencer walked up to her back door from dropping all the girls off. She felt lousy. She still had homework and got a recent text from Brenda asking if she wanted to hang out. When she approached the door, she heard yelling.

"Listen, if you shut it down…" A woman's voice yelled.

Spencer opened the door, taking in the scene. Jessica and Peter were both arguing in the living room, Veronica nowhere in sight.

"Spencer, hi," Jessica said awkwardly.

"Hello, Mrs. DiLaurentis." Spencer immediately felt uncomfortable. What if Jessica really did know Alison was alive? What if she didn't and Spencer let it slip? What was she even doing in the Hastings' home?

"Spencer, go up stairs," Peter ordered.

She refused to back down. "Why? What's going on?"

Peter and Jessica didn't move a muscle. Spencer cautiously pried, ready for the worst, "Is this about Jason? Did something happen to him?"

"Did something happen to him," Jessica muttered sarcastically.

"Spencer, stop. This doesn't involve you," Peter told his daughter sternly. She wasn't supposed to know anything about Jason, but if something bad happened to him, it did involve her.

Spencer decided to be bold. "Mrs. DiLaurentis, I know where he is. Please, did something bad happen to him?"

"This isn't even about him, dear," Jessica replied in the sweetest voice possible. It made Spencer nauseous. "I'll be going. I intend to talk to you soon, Peter."

Peter shrugged her off and stormed into his office before Spencer could scrutinize him.

Spencer shook her head. What the hell was going on?

XXXX

Alison felt tears pour down her face like the rain poured down on the earth. They were so close to her! Why couldn't they here? She screamed some more and banged on the door as best as she could.

Not again, she thought. Please, not again.

A/N: so sorry about the late updates! school has just been so hectic! i hope you enjoyed the 4x15 chapters! We've got Jake coming up in the next chapter! ooh, love triangles!

as always, please review and send me some of your theories!