Title: Better With You

Rating: T with potential for M (Will warn if it gets to that)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in relation to Pretty Little Liars or in relation to any pop culture references that are made in this chapter.

Summary: After spending a large portion of their Summer apart, the girls are back together for their senior year at Rosewood High. Mona is in Radley, Garrett's been arrested, Maya is dead, and emotions still run high. Emily returns from Haiti in hopes to move past what she's been put through, and finds happiness in an unexpected place. A Spemily focused story with mentions of Ezria and Haleb. Storyline with "A" but not the main focus. The story follows the regular season one and two storyline, and begins after the opening scene of season three, however the night ends differently.

A/N – I know it's taken me longer to update this fic, but it being the last chapter, I really wanted to get it right. Before I begin I'd just like to give a special thank you to those that left reviews on the last chapter. Dahliadaria, Sara1287, chxndelier, Breyanaxo, Cassie Noir, FireEscape1892, and my wonderful Guest reviewer, I truly appreciate you taking the time to send me your kind words.

It's so weird to think that this is the last time I'll be writing one of these for this fic. I can't believe the amount of love and support that you all have given me with this story, but I am so genuinely thankful for it. You're all so amazing, and you're the reason why I've been able to power out a 40 Chapter, 300k+ story in only a little over a year. I look forward to continuing the journey with you all in the sequel, as you're all such crucial aspects of my writing inspiration and motivation. There isn't much else to say about this final chapter, just that I'm sorry it's late, and I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a review, and last but not least of course, a belated Happy Valentine's Day to all of you, as well as a Happy Presidents Day to my American readers, and a Happy Family Day to (some of) my Canadian readers. Now, without further ado!

Chapter 41 – To Infinity And Beyond

Emily lay awake and in the peaceful content of the hotel room bed, her hands gently running through the brown locks of hair that belonged to the beautiful girl who was currently asleep in her arms. She smiled down at Spencer, her eyes tracing over the soft features of her girlfriend's calm and relaxed face as she looked completely at peace in her sleep. As her fingers brushed a few stray hairs out of Spencer's face, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander back to their night together.

Flashback

"Come lay down on the bed with me," Emily told Spencer as she offered her hand for the brunette to take. Spencer smiled shyly at Emily but complied, the two linking hands as the swimmer led them to the king sized bed in the middle of the hotel room. As they stood at the side of the bed, Emily spun Spencer around and her fingers traced over the clasp that connected both straps of Spencer's halter dress together. Emily placed soft kisses along Spencer's shoulder, the brunette tilting her head to give Emily better access. Her lips trailed up Spencer's shoulder towards her neck, and Emily unclasped the halter, letting the straps fall forward before she placed kisses on the girl's now bare neck.

"That feels good," Spencer whispered out, her eyes closed while she embraced the feeling of Emily's lips on her. Emily's fingers lightly slid down the sides of Spencer's body, slowly pulling the dress off of her body until it was far enough down that it fell on its own. Spencer turned in her spot, a look of lust and desire in her eyes as she reached for the clip in her hair that held it all up. Upon removing it, Spencer's brown locks fell graciously, and Emily swallowed the invisible lump in her throat at the sight of Spencer standing in front of her wearing nothing but lacy purple underwear. Spencer stroked a few strands of hair out of Emily's face and leaned forward, their lips only a few inches away from one another. "You're wearing too much."

Without hesitating for even a second, Emily nodded in agreement and reached for the zipper on the side of her dress. As her hand met the zipper however, Spencer placed her hand over top of it, silently requesting permission to undress the raven-haired girl herself. Emily bit her lip in anticipation and gave Spencer the slightest nod, moving her own hand away and letting Spencer take charge. Spencer's eyes darkened with desire as she unzipped the side of the dress, the only thing still holding it up being Emily's arms keeping it in position.

She looked down, an eyebrow quirked as she inspected the situation in front of her for a split second before leaning in and capturing Emily's lips in her own. As if she had anticipated the reaction, Emily immediately lifted her hands to Spencer's face, causing her dress to fall from her body. Spencer almost immediately moved her hands to Emily's sides, running her hands along the girl's now naked torso. Their tongues collided and Spencer moaned at their mixture of saliva, Emily's tongue massaging Spencer's while they moved in unison. Emily gently pushed Spencer forward and the back of the brunette's knees met the edge of the bed, causing her to sit on it. Quick to follow, Emily brought her legs up to either side of Spencer's, straddling the brunette's lap while still keeping their mouths together. Spencer pulled the two of them more onto the bed, shuffling them over so that she was leaned against the headboard, allowing Emily to remain straddled on top of her.

"I love the taste of your skin," Emily murmured, her tongue trailing up Spencer's jaw towards her ear where her teeth brushed against the edge of it. Spencer moaned at Emily's actions, and the sound acted as encouragement for Emily whose lips moved to Spencer's neck, sucking and biting down on her bare flesh before moving back to Spencer's lips. Their bodies were almost flush against one another; Emily practically sat against Spencer's core, their chests pressed against each other while Spencer scraped her nails down the swimmer's back. There was friction between their cores, and it was enough to drive Spencer mad, but not enough to relieve any of the tension she could feel building in the pit of her stomach.

"Em," Spencer tried to let out between kisses. Both of them were breathing heavily, but Emily found herself unable to stop as though her lips needed to be on some part of Spencer's body at all times. Spencer moved her mouth away from Emily's ever so slightly, which prompted Emily to move her lips back to the crook of Spencer's neck. Every touch sent Spencer further and further into frenzy, and her breathing became more and more erratic. "Em, I need you," she panted, her chest rising and falling at a rapid rate. "Touch me, Em. Please."

At the sound of the brunette's words, Emily found herself pulling away to catch her breath while processing Spencer's words. She flashed a seductive smile at the brunette before lifting her body off Spencer's and sliding off the bed. A look of shock came across Spencer's face, the brunette in disbelief that Emily had the nerve to stop her actions so suddenly. Before she could get a word out though, Emily turned to her gesturing for her to wait.

"Before we go any further, I kind of have a surprise," Emily told Spencer, walking towards the overnight bag she had brought to the room earlier that day. Spencer tilted her head in curiosity, trying to get a peek at what Emily was looking for. It was no use though; Emily's body blocked any view. After a few moments, Emily turned around, a beaming smile on her face while her hands remained behind her back. "So uhm, I thought maybe we could do something special tonight. This is totally just an idea though, and if you don't want to you can say no but I just thought with it being prom and all—"

"Em," Spencer interrupted softly, causing Emily to stop talking. The brunette gaze her a soft grin and a reassuring look. "Just tell me what it is."

"Okay," Emily agreed, letting out a deep breath before moving her hands in front of her, a black plastic bag in one of them. "So I was moving some things around in my room the other day and I may have stumbled upon Hanna's birthday gift to me. I knew prom was coming up, so I figured maybe I'd put it to use," she explained, and Spencer felt her heart beat increase as she had now a good feeling of what was in the bag. Emily fiddled with the bag for a few seconds before taking out its contents, confirming what Spencer was thinking.

"You got us a strap on?" Spencer questioned, a hint of amusement in her voice. She could immediately see Emily's cheeks heating up as the swimmer averted her eyes from Spencer, and she found it absolutely adorable. "Em, don't be embarrassed!" she coaxed, but Emily still refused to look up from the ground. Spencer smiled at how cute her girlfriend was being and then moved from her spot on the bed over to the girl. "Baby, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. You just caught me by surprise."

"It's stupid, I never should have bought it. Lets just forget it," Emily spoke, feeling silly and discouraged. Spencer stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Emily, pulling the girl into her body.

"Hey, it's not stupid. It's just… New, and something we've never done before. But I think… I think I want to try it," Spencer told her, and for the first time since she'd brought out the black bag, Emily looked up and the two girls locked eyes.

"Really? Are you sure? Because Spence, don't feel like you're obligated to do this for me," Emily told the girl, and Spencer could hear the nerves in her voice. Spencer smiled at her girlfriend and tugged on her forearm, walking the two of them over to the bed where they sat side by side on its edge. Emily fiddled with the strap on that sat on her lap, still in its packaging while Spencer tried to find her words. It was silent for a few moments before Spencer let out a sigh and turned toward the girl beside her.

"Alright, look. When we got together… I was still a virgin, and you weren't. And that was okay because we both had our first times with someone we cared about and loved - you with Maya, and me with you. Don't get me wrong, I loved every single thing about our first time together, but I really want us to... To DO something for first time together. Experimenting in the bedroom might not be for everyone, but we won't know if it's for us unless we try, right? And I want to try. With you," Spencer explained. She smiled and brought her hand up to Emily's cheek, lightly stroking the skin with her thumb before kissing her softly on the lips. "Okay?"

"Okay," Emily agreed with a nod, leaning forward and connecting their lips again eagerly. She sighed into the kiss, enjoying the feeling of Spencer's lips on hers as she brought a hand up to the brunette's hair, allowing it to get lost in her brown locks.

"Wait," Spencer stopped suddenly, pulling away from Emily who looked at her in confusion. "I have one condition," she stated, a smirk coming across her face. "I get to wear it first."

End of flashback

The feeling of movement in her arms snapped her from her thoughts as she looked down to see a beautiful set of brown eyes staring back at her, the love radiating from them.

"What are you smiling at?" Spencer questioned in a raspy morning voice that Emily couldn't help but find alluring.

"Last night, and how amazing it was," Emily admitted softly. The swimmer leaned forward and gently tilted Spencer's chin up with her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning," Spencer whispered against Emily's lips before connecting them again. She ran her hand up the raven-haired girl's arm, her fingertips lightly grazing Emily's shoulder before bringing her hand up to the girl's face and pulling Emily in closer to her. Emily moaned into the kiss while Spencer's hand moved into the girl's soft tendrils of hair, giving it a light tug, which elicited a groan of satisfaction from Emily's mouth. Spencer grinned at her girlfriend's reaction and began to trail kisses up her jaw toward Emily's ear, her teeth lightly nibbling on its shell as her hot breath caused the swimmer's breath to hitch. "So are you talking about how I kinda sorta rocked your world several times last night? Because that was incredible," she spoke, her voice still raspy. Spencer kissed her way back down Emily's jaw and their lips met once more, Emily responding to the kiss eagerly.

"Well there was that," Emily spoke with a smile as she kissed Spencer once more before pulling away. "But it wasn't just the out of this world sex that we had. It was everything, y'know?" she explained, lifting her hand to cradle Spencer's cheek in her palm. "Being with our friends, the overall atmosphere, not to mention seeing my dad and knowing that he's okay… But mostly how I've never felt more cared for, and more at peace, and more in love than I did last night, because of you."

"I know," Spencer agreed, placing her hand over the one that Emily had on her cheek. She turned her head slightly and kissed the inside of the girl's palm before smiling back at her. "Last night was everything to me. You are everything to me. And I love you so, so much."

Emily leaned forward, gently brushing her nose against Spencer's as both girls closed their eyes, almost sighing into the kiss. Their lips molded together almost as though they were one, their movements against each other so soft and fluid it was like they'd been doing that same dance for their entire lives. As Spencer lightly grazed Emily's lower lip with her tongue, she rolled herself on top of the girl, slipping her tongue into Emily's mouth, which caused Emily to moan, her hands instantly running up Spencer's back, gripping at her bare skin. Breasts pressed against one another, Emily couldn't help but drag her nails up Spencer's back, holding the girl tightly against her as their tongues moved in unison. The heat built between the two girls as their kisses changed from soft to animalistic, and as soon as Emily felt Spencer thrust her hips against her, she pulled away, the two gasping for air.

"Wow," Emily breathed out, panting as she tried to maintain her composure. "As much as I'd love to continue this," she paused again, taking a deep breath. "We have to check out soon. If we go any further I won't be able to control myself."

"So don't," Spencer whispered, leaning down and kissing Emily's exposed neck. Her lips trailed the swimmer's collarbone, embracing the taste of Emily's bare skin as she sucked on the girl's pulse point.

"Spence," Emily let out with a hint of a moan. "You know I want to babe," she spoke, closing her eyes in hopes that it would help her focus enough to resist the brunette's temptation. "B-but… But we have to be out of here soon. My dad's probably waiting, remember?"

"Damn it," Spencer sighed out, groaning with sexual frustration. She pulled away from Emily's neck and hovered above the girl. "You're right. I hate when you're right." Once more she leaned down, this time placing a gently kiss on Emily's forehead before pulling herself off the girl and getting out of bed.

"You should c – woah," Emily began but was stopped when she sat up in the bed and took in the sight that was standing in front of her. Spencer stood completely bare at the foot of the bed, her back turned with her hands above her head as the brunette stretched out her limbs. If Emily hadn't done it enough already, she silently thanked whatever it was that made Spencer decide to start working out more frequently. From her tight back and shoulder muscles all the way down to her noticeably firm and well-shaped butt, Emily couldn't help but be entranced with lust. She could feel her body getting warmer, and she swallowed the desire that was building in her throat.

"I should what?" Spencer questioned, turning around to look at her girlfriend only to catch the swimmer's eyes raking over her body. Emily's eyes widened at the sudden change in view, but it didn't stop her from admiring the front side of Spencer. Specifically her breasts, which always seemed to fit perfectly in the palms of Emily's hands, her defined abs, which was one of Emily's favourite areas to run her hands over, along with the girl's lower abdominal muscles, which had begun to form a v-cut shape that Emily found mouth-watering. Her mind was completely dazed with desire, and Spencer couldn't help but smile at the reaction that she'd seemed to have elicited from the raven-haired girl who was now boring her eyes into Spencer's body, appreciating her naked body. "Em, you're staring," Spencer pointed out as she waved her hand in front of her, hoping to snap the girl out of her daze. When no reaction came from the girl, Spencer tilted her head slightly as she grinned in amusement before snapping her fingers.

"Huh? What?" Emily finally spoke again, the snapping sound pulling her out of her dazed state. Her eyes finally trailed back up to Spencer's face, only to notice the brunette looking at her amusedly.

"Are you done perving on me yet or should I give you a few more minutes there?" Spencer teased, only to find herself ducking at the pillow that Emily threw at her in response to her comment. She let out a light chuckle as she stood back up straight. "Hey Em, I think you've got a little drool on your chin there."

"Ha-ha, funny. And it's not my fault you're so distracting! Cover up, why don't ya," Emily responded in a joking tone as she took a second pillow and threw it at her girlfriend once more, this time Spencer catching it and holding it up to her body.

"Fine, but you should speak for yourself," Spencer replied, an eyebrow quirked as she let her eyes shift down. Emily followed the girl's gaze and looked down at herself only to realize that she too was sitting up in bed without anything covering her bare chest. The raven-haired girl reached forward and quickly pulled the blanket up to her chest, ignoring the snickers that came from the brunette in front of her.

"Anyways," Emily began, only pausing to throw Spencer a playful glare. "As I was saying before your nakedness so rudely interrupted me, you should come hang out with us."

"I don't know, Em. I don't want to be taking away from any one on one bonding time you guys should be having together. I mean he only just got back," Spencer told her, the hesitation noticeable in her voice.

"Spence, you won't be taking away from anything. I want you to come hang out with us, and I'm sure my dad wants to see you too," Emily tried to convince the girl, but Spencer still held the look of uncertainty. "Look babe, my dad's injured. I mean he's in an arm cast and a sling, which means he's not going to be going back for a while, if at all. He and I are gonna have plenty of time to spend together alone, but today I want it to be both of us spending time with him. Let me pay you back for all the times your dad was a perfect father figure to me. Please." Emily looked at Spencer and could tell that the girl was carefully thinking it over. After a few moments of contemplation, Spencer finally let out a deep sigh and looked up with a faint smile on her face.

"I guess if you put it that way… I'd love to," Spencer responded, earning a happy squeal from her girlfriend. "But! Before we do that, I believe we have some unfinished business," she stated vaguely, and Emily quirked an eyebrow at the brunette's words, unsure of what she was referring to. A mischievous smirk came across Spencer's face, and she bit her lip ever so slightly before continuing. "Still have 45 minutes until checkout. One word; shower."

Emily's eyebrows immediately shot up at Spencer's request, and if she'd had any sort of resistance toward the idea, all of that was gone the second she witnessed Spencer wiggle her eyebrows suggestively while running her tongue across her bottom lip. Spencer knew she had Emily hooked, so without another word she gave the girl one final playful wink before turning around and heading towards the bathroom. It took Emily about five seconds of gawking at Spencer's naked backside before she too hopped out of bed and chased the brunette into the shower. Needless to say, the two girls ended up being late for check out.

"So Spencer," Wayne began, pausing to take a sip from his glass of water. "My wife tells me that you're responsible for my Emmy going to Columbia next year. I don't think I've had the chance to thank you in person for that yet."

After leaving the hotel, Spencer and Emily had made their way to The Applerose Grille to meet up with Wayne for lunch, something the two girls had found themselves desperately in need of, as their early morning activities hadn't left them with much time to get breakfast. While they enjoyed their meals, Wayne had gone into detail about what he'd been through while overseas, and Emily caught her father up on all that he had missed since he was gone – which was a lot. The mention and reminder of the girls' college plans had brought a smile to Spencer's face. Every time someone brought it up, it was another reminder that despite everything they'd gone through all year, they were finally getting their happy ending.

"No thanks necessary; Emily saved my life. Helping get her scholarship back doesn't even begin to repay her for all she's done for me. Especially considering the fact that her coming to Columbia also means that I get to go to college with her. As much as I did it for her, I did it for me too," Spencer admitted with a smile, glancing over at Emily who shyly looked down at her plate of food to try and hide the grin that was also on her face.

"Well nevertheless, I appreciate all that you've done for my family. If anyone is going to be with my baby girl and looking out for her in New York, I'm glad it's you," Wayne responded with a look of happiness on his face.

"Thank you, Wayne. That means a lot," Spencer spoke bashfully.

"So with graduation coming up, that means summer is right around the corner. Do you girls have anything planned?" Wayne questioned curiously before taking a bite of his food.

"Mom said she was going to take the summer to domesticate me," Emily stated jokingly, earning a look of confusion and amusement from her father along with a slight chuckle from Spencer. "She thinks I can't fend for myself with nobody to cook and clean for me."

"Well you are a pretty terrible cook, Emmy," Wayne commented and Spencer couldn't help but laugh even more, earning a look from Emily as the swimmer stuck her tongue out at the girl before redirecting her attention back to her dad.

"Oh it's okay though, daddy. I have Spencer to do all of that for me, don't I honey?" Emily responded, smirking at Spencer as she threw her a playful wink. Spencer quirked her eyebrow in response as if though to say, 'oh, really now?' which made Emily giggle. "I'm kidding. I'm sure mom will whip me into shape in no time. Who knows, maybe I'll end up being a better cook than Spencer."

"Right, and then you'll wake up. But anyways, I plan on spending my summer with this one," Spencer stated, gesturing over to Emily. "And somewhere in between watching her try not to burn down the kitchen, and watching her turn all of her clothes pink because she doesn't separate her laundry properly, we'll probably find time to make a few trips down to New York, visit the campus and whatnot," she explained, pausing to take a sip of her water. "I also talked to my mom and she mentioned possibly finding an apartment so that we don't have to use dorms if we can find a place that's cheaper than that. And I've been looking at leads for jobs. My dad has a few friends who are looking for office assistants at their law firms. And there are a few posts about pools looking for lifeguards that I've seen online, along with a few restaurants and pubs around the campus that are hiring."

"You've been looking at apartments and jobs for us? You didn't tell me that," Emily commented. It wasn't in a tone of anger though; rather her voice was laced with love and admiration for the girl in front of her. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that she was going to be in New York come fall, and she hadn't even considered anything in regards to their living and work situation. It shouldn't have surprised her that Spencer was prepared, but it didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat at the fact.

"Of course I have. I know we haven't had a chance to really sit down and go over our plans for the fall, but I just wanted us to have as many options as possible for whatever we decide to do," Spencer explained, and Emily couldn't help but smile at the girl. She took Spencer's hand and interlaced their fingers together, bringing them up to her mouth and placing a soft kiss on the back of the brunette's hand as a gesture of thanks. Spencer smiled at the action and squeezed Emily's hand in response. The two gazed lovingly at one another for a brief moment before the sound of a vibrating phone on the table in front of them pulled their attention back. Spencer looked down at the table, noticing that it was her phone that was ringing. "Oh, it's my dad. I'll be right back."

Spencer stood up from the table and excused herself as she answered her phone, almost bumping into the waitress who brought the check to their table.

"She really is something special, isn't she?" Wayne spoke as he glanced over to Spencer who was standing not far off in the front of the restaurant. Emily looked over her shoulder and watched Spencer for a few moments before turning back to her dad and nodding happily.

"She's incredible. I'm so lucky to have her," Emily responded, blushing lightly while running her fingers through her hair.

"I can tell you really care about her. You know I have to admit, I've had my reservations towards the idea of you and her going off to New York together on your own. But after this afternoon, they've all been put at ease," Wayne admitted, to which Emily gave him a look of somewhat surprise, having never heard of her father's hesitancy before.

"What do you mean?" Emily questioned.

"It's nothing bad, Emmy. It's just that as your father, I was a bit nervous for the idea of you two running off to New York. It's a big place compared to a small town like Rosewood, and it's easy for a place like New York to kind of chew you up and spit you out. And I was afraid of that - afraid that you might not be able to handle being out on your own so soon. But seeing the way the two of you interact, I don't think it's even possible," Wayne stated, but could tell that Emily still wasn't exactly positive of what he was referring to.

"Okay, it's as though your minds share the same frequency, and you're always in sync with each other. Your bodies adjust to one another, and it's as if you're constantly doing this intricate dance in complete unison. Even in something as simple as having a meal together, it's there. You'll be running out of mashed potatoes and Spencer will have somehow already anticipated it, because she's already set aside a portion of hers for you to have. She'll have finished her drink, and before the waitress can come back and ask if she wants a refill, you'll have already pushed your drink over for her to have," Wayne explained even further, and Emily couldn't help but smile because what her father was point out was something she hadn't even noticed they were doing, but nevertheless it brought a warm feeling to her heart.

"Emmy, what the two of you have is something that took your mother and I years and years of practice to develop, and still have trouble with sometimes. But that's why I'm not afraid for you to move to New York anymore. Because everything is easier when you have someone by your side that always has your best interests at heart, without any question or hesitation. And also because Spencer has proven time and time again that she will always protect you and do anything in her power to make you happy," Wayne finished, and Emily nodded happily in understanding.

"That means a lot to me, dad. Thank you," Emily responded, reaching across the table and giving her father's forearm a light squeeze. He smiled proudly in response to her actions before looking past Emily to see Spencer walking back towards their table, a look of excitement on her face. The curious look that Emily saw on her father's face prompted her to turn around where Spencer was now standing eagerly.

"I'm not sure if you guys had any set plans for the rest of the day yet, but my dad was wondering if you'd like to join us for something."

"YES, GOAAALLLL!" Peter shouted, jumping from his seat in celebration. After Spencer, Emily and Wayne had lunch together, Spencer had informed the Fields' that her dad had acquired tickets to the Flyers/Devils hockey game from a coworker of his for that evening. When Spencer had revealed that she was spending the day with Wayne and Emily, Peter was quick to invite them along, and the four made an evening out of it, driving 3 hours out to New Jersey to watch it. Though Spencer and Emily weren't fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, they couldn't deny how amazing playoff hockey was, and watching their dads go crazy over it together as they bonded was an added bonus. Peter and Wayne were now stood from their seats, high fiving each other while happily cheering at the game in front of them. "That's 2-0 now. I'm telling you, this is Philly's year to take the cup."

"Oh please, dad. They may be up two goals right now, but we all know they're gonna choke, lose their lead and then give the game away," Spencer argued back with a bit of a smirk on her face.

"I think you're getting Philly confused with Pittsburgh. They're the ones that Philly kicked out of the playoffs just two weeks ago, remember?" Wayne interrupted with a wink, earning a nudge of approval from Peter who was happy to have Wayne arguing in his corner.

"We call that a fluke, daddy. Plus, Philly just scored short-handed, which more likely than not means that Jersey is gonna be on the boards soon on their powerplay," Emily jumped in, and a look of pride came across Spencer's face as she saw Wayne quirk his eyebrow at her words. As though she'd timed it perfectly, the crowd erupted with cheer as they all glanced back at the ice to see New Jersey celebrating a goal by Petr Sykora.

"That's my girl. Taught her everything she knows," Spencer commented happily, kissing Emily on the side of her head.

"Peter, I think your daughter brainwashed mine," Wayne spoke, leaning over to Peter, still slightly shocked at Emily's sudden lack of allegiance to his team. Last he knew, Emily didn't know very much about hockey at all, much less enough to have her own team to cheer for and words of smack talk in her back pocket.

"Believe me, if I could talk Spencer out of her weird obsession with the Pens, I'd have done it a long time ago. She has this weird thing about cheering for anybody but Philly, no matter how much I try and coax her otherwise. I think its bitterness towards the fact that they eliminated the Penguins from the playoffs this year, but she claims that a Pens fan never cheers for a Philly fan. Stubborn as a mule, that one," Peter responded before taking a sip of his beer.

"You're telling me. You should try arguing with Emily. It's like arguing with a brick wall," Wayne stated, shaking his head as lifted his beer up, the two clinking their cups together in agreement and taking another sip from their drinks. Just as they went to put their glasses back down, another eruption of cheers came from the crowd as they looked down on the ice once again to see that New Jersey had scored yet another goal. Both men groaned in irritation as they looked over to their daughters who were staring back at them with smug looks on their faces.

"We may be stubborn, but I'd say we're pretty darn accurate," Spencer commented before high-fiving her girlfriend who was laughing at how the game was shaping up to be.

"The period's almost over, so we're gonna go get something to eat while you two spend intermission licking your wounds," Emily also spoke. The two girls stood from their seats and squeezed past their fathers, leaving the two men alone. Both fathers watched as the girls walked away before settling back into their seats and picking up their beers almost in unison to take a sip from them.

"So is everything all set for the girls' surprise?" Wayne questioned, breaking the silence that had overcome the two of them. Though it hadn't been very long since he had been back, Pam had filled him in on the surprise that they had been trying to execute ever since finding out that Emily had her offer reinstated, and he couldn't wait to show his daughter.

"I just have to do a final check on a few things with one of my guys, but we should be good to go in the next few days," Peter confirmed with a nod.

"Perfect. I can't wait to tell them. I was talking to them today and I could tell that they have no idea what we've organized. They're going to be so shocked, and they're gonna love it; and I'm glad because with everything that they've been through, our girls deserve it," Wayne spoke. Peter looked over to Wayne and gave him a friendly smile as he nodded his head in agreement once again.

"We did a really good job with our girls, Wayne. They've really grown up nicely," Peter admitted. It was weird for Wayne to hear, coming from Peter's mouth, as he'd never really spoken of anything sentimental with the man before. But nevertheless, Wayne knew exactly where he was coming from. With their graduation coming up, all he could think about was his little girl finally being all grown up, and how proud he was of the woman she'd become.

"They definitely have. You know, I really hate how much I've missed this past year. I feel like I've missed out on a lot of moments in Emily's life, especially with it being her senior year. But I'm really thankful that you've been there for her when she's needed a father figure," Wayne admitted, giving Peter a firm look as he tapped his fingers against the cup in his hands.

"Anytime, Wayne. You know that Emily is like family to us. I'll always be there if she ever needs me," Peter replied. The two shared a look, and Peter could tell that it was Wayne's way of backing up his words of appreciation without any actual physical actions, something he understood, as he too was not the type to hug it out with other people. Silence filled the air as the two men looked down at the ice to watch the Zamboni do its flood. After a few moments of silence, Peter took another swig of his beer and then placed it back into the cup holder, letting out a light sigh. "So, how long are you gonna be in Rosewood for? I mean of course you'll have to wait until your arm heals, but do you have a timeline for when you're headed back after that?"

"Truthfully? I don't know. Pam and I have been talking and both of us agree that I should see if I'm able to start inactive duty early. I have less than a year of active duty left, but it's still difficult to do. I've got to try something though. I hate how much I've put my girls through, and after this past month, knowing how rough it must have been for them to not know whether or not I was alive… I don't ever want them to go through that again. It's not fair to any of us; I just don't know what I'll do if they deny my request. And moreover, I'm not sure what I'll do for work if I don't go back to the military," Wayne explained, thinking back to what his wife had told him about the aftermath of his unit going missing. The thought of his wife and daughter worrying day in and day out about whether or not he'd be coming home had rattled him to his core, and Wayne knew that it was something he never wanted to make his family experience ever again.

"You know if you'd like, I may be able to call in a few favours, see if I can influence their decision a little. As for post-military work, there are outlets you can contact about that as well. I know it might be weird reaching out to strangers like that, but if you want I think I might actually know someone who can help you out," Peter offered with the slightest bit of hesitation. He didn't want to step on any toes by offering his help, but he wanted Wayne to know that he had his support if needed.

"Actually, I would really, really appreciate that Peter," Wayne agreed with a smile on his face. "Seriously, it means a lot."

"Hey, what are in-laws for, right?" Peter joked, and both of them began to laugh at the comment. Wayne shook his head has he took another sip from his beer.

"Don't let the girls hear you say that. The last thing we need is for them to think they're allowed to get married before they graduate college," Wayne responded, and the two of them began to laugh once more, not even realizing that their daughters were now returning to their seats.

"What are you two laughing about over here? Philly's lack of ability to keep a lead?" Emily joked, as she stood over them, food in her hands and Spencer standing behind her in a similar stance. Both Peter and Wayne's laughter died down as they shook their heads, not revealing what they were talking about but instead moving their legs aside so that the girls could get to their seats.

"Just you wait, Emily. Philly is about to blow Jersey out of the water." Peter responded with a smirk as the second period began.

"Bryzgalov to the bench, empty net, six guys on; lets go boys, put some damn shots on goal!" Peter yelled, his eyes constantly shifting from the scoreboard to the ice where Philadelphia had pulled their goalie, trying to tie the game and force overtime. All four of them were on the edge of their seats as the game was about to enter its final minute of play and Philly was down 2-3.

"There's no way they're getting past Brodeur. No way. The Devils have this game in the bag," Spencer stated, her leg shaking in anticipation as the time continued to wind down, her hoping that Philly didn't make the comeback so that she wouldn't have to hear about it.

"They've got all hands on deck. Feed the puck to Giroux. Come on boys, give it to Giroux for crying out loud!" Wayne yelled, holding onto his armrests as though they were the only things able to keep him from standing up and screaming maniacally. They watched the play on the ice, and Emily sat silently in her seat tracking the players. As she watched the movement of the puck, it was almost as though she could read what was about to happen before it actually took place.

"Jersey's got this. Just watch. Watch Zubrus, he's had Briere's number all night. If they try and play that puck up to point, it's over," Emily pointed out right as the puck was played up the boards. As if she had somehow seen into the future, the four of them watched Briere and Zubrus make a rush for the puck, Zubrus getting his body around Briere and beating him to the puck, skating the puck into the empty net.

"No!" both Peter and Wayne yelled out at the same time while Emily and Spencer cheered along with the majority of the crowd whom were celebrating the goal that essentially secured New Jersey's win. Peter sat back, his head in his hands as he mumbled a string of swears under his breath while Wayne sat next to him, arms crossed over his chest as he sulked.

"Giving up a two goal lead by letting Jersey score 4 unanswered goals. Ouch. Poor Philly is never gonna snap their Stanley Cup dry spell circa '76," Spencer joked as she patted her dad on the shoulder. Peter looked at his daughter, completely unimpressed, and it took everything in Spencer's power to not burst out laughing. "It's alright big guy. Maybe next year, huh?"

"Well, I'd say this game's about over," Emily commented as she looked around the arena to see the portion of the crowd in the New Jersey arena stand up and start to head out. "We should probably head out with all the other Philly fans so that we can avoid traffic and, y'know, let you two sulk in private."

"Perfect, that'll give me three hours to re-evaluate my life choices in regards to the teams that I cheer for," Wayne muttered, the four of them standing up and exiting the arena. "Maybe I should start cheering for the Hawks. Or the Kings… Or a team that might actually win something."

"You mean like Pittsburgh?" Emily commented, and almost immediately she received glares from both her father and Spencer's.

Both Spencer and Emily laughed at the behaviour that both of their fathers were displaying, finding amusement in how bitter they were. Spencer swung and arm around her father's shoulder while Emily leaned against her, the four of them quietly walking towards the parking lot together. And it was in that moment that both girls had glanced over at one another, the same thought running through their mind. If this was what family bonding was going to look like for them in the years to come, they were more than just looking forward to it; they could not wait.

"Remind me what we're doing here again?" Alison questioned as she sat on the nearby bench that she and the girls had just approached. The first few weeks of their last month of school had flown by. Finals were over and it was the first time in weeks that the girls were finally able to make time to all hang out with one another. They were stress free, and all of them were looking forward to doing something fun together. Well, all of them except for Hanna who had been running late – something she was notorious for. The four girls stopped momentarily while Emily tugged on Alison's arm to make her stand before guiding them to their actual destination.

"We graduate next week, so we're being super cliché and reliving old memories," Emily stated as though it was a fact that should have been obvious. She smirked at Alison and then ran forward, the rest of the girls following her. "Don't you remember what happened in almost this exact spot, almost 7 years ago?"

The girls looked around and Aria immediately smiled at their surroundings, knowing exactly what Emily was referring to. The worn out seesaws that seemed to be scattered throughout the sand, the swing sets, which she could tell had recently gotten their seats replaced, the monkey bars that hadn't changed in the slightest since they had last visited, and lastly, the giant blue jungle gym that she'd watched Emily quickly maneuvering herself on top of.

"It was one Friday back in sixth grade. A bunch of the kids from school had come here to play as soon as school let out for the weekend, and the only reason I showed up—," Aria started, but was cut off.

"—Was because I invited you. And Hanna, and Spencer, and Emily," Alison jumped in, looking at her friends as she and the rest of them shared smiles with one another. Alison, Aria, and Spencer made their way over to the jungle gym that Emily was on top of, Aria sitting on the sand while Alison and Spencer settled on the bottom level of metal bars.

"And when we finally all showed up, Ali introduced herself and I remember – clear as a bell – saying, 'Obviously we know who you are, you invited us here and I'd like to know why'," Spencer recalled with a laugh, the other girls joining in right away. "Ali rolled her eyes at me and then gave me a glare. And I crossed my arms over my chest, then scoffed at her in irritation."

"Some things never change, huh?" Emily commented as the laughter died down. The girls smiled at one another, and though nothing was said, the same thought radiated through their minds. No, some things never did change. And they were glad that their friendships were one of those things. The sound of quick footsteps pulled their attention away from one another, and all of the girls turned their attention to the direction from which the sound came to see Hanna approaching the girls happily. "Finally! What took you so long?"

"Calm yourself. I wasn't trying to be late, but I had to make a quick stop to pick something up," Hanna explained vaguely, the girls waiting for her to further elaborate. Hanna flashed them a grin and opened her purse up to pull out five thin books. Almost simultaneously the girls' eyes lit up, as they knew exactly what the blonde was holding. "So, who wants a yearbook?"

The girls let out squeals of excitement and Hanna handed them out to each girl, all of them eagerly accepting them and flipping through them immediately. Emily found her way down from the jungle gym and sat on the bar next to Spencer, the two of them looking at the table of contents of one book together as they were really only looking for one page in particular. It was as though they drowned out their surroundings while searching for it, and when Spencer trailed her fingers down the paper to spot the page number they had sought, both girls glanced at one another and smiled goofily.

"Moment of truth," Spencer spoke, her smile unwavering as she took hold of the corner of the page and begun flipping through them, barely lifting the corners so that she could look through the page numbers until landing on the one she'd sought out. "Ready?" she asked Emily who linked her arm into Spencer's while nodding excitedly. "Alright. One, two, three."

Spencer flipped to their desired page, and as soon as they had seen its contents, both girls let out a sigh of happiness. Emily tightened her hold on Spencer's arm as if it were the only thing keeping her from bursting with excitement. But her ability to contain her enthusiasm only lasted a few seconds before she practically tackled Spencer to the ground, covering her face in kisses.

"We did it!" Kiss. "We did it!" Kiss. "We." Kiss. "Did." Kiss. "It!"Emily continued to kiss Spencer in every spot she possibly could while Spencer giggled beneath her, enjoying every single second of it.

"I take it you two saw page 37?" Hanna observed, her voice breaking into the little daze that Emily and Spencer had temporarily put themselves in. Both Alison and Aria flipped to the same page to see what all the fuss was about, and as soon as their eyes landed on said page, smiles came across their faces as they shared the same happiness for their friends.

On the page in front of them was a candid photo of Spencer and Emily together that Aria easily recognized as the one she had taken during the carnival during Emily's prom-posal. It was a photo of both the girls, in which Emily was holding out a corsage to a mesmerized Spencer, both of them with beaming smiles on their faces. And under the photo was the caption that gave the photo an even more significant meaning than it already had.

Best Couple: Emily Fields & Spencer Hastings

"As much as I make fun of how sickeningly in love you two are, I have to say… This is pretty cool. Congratulations, you guys. You deserve it," Alison told the two of them.

"Thanks, Ali," Emily responded once she pulled away from Spencer and looked over to the blonde, giving her an appreciative smile. She felt Spencer place a soft kiss on her cheek before the brunette made an attempt to regain her composure. Spencer brought the two of them back into a sitting position on the sand across from Aria who seemed to be particularly focused on the yearbook in front of her.

"Hey Han, what's this In Memoriam page about?" Aria questioned, her eyebrows furrowed at the writing on the table of contents. At the mention of it, Spencer and Hanna immediately shared a look with another and the atmosphere shifted quickly. The exchange sparked curiosity in Emily who reached over to her yearbook and lifted it into her hands. She quickly glanced at the table of contents and as soon as she found the page number and flipped to it, the sight in front of her made her breath catch in her throat.

"Oh my god," Emily breathed out as she ran her fingers over the page in front of her, a few tears brewing in her eyes. "How… Whose idea was this?"

In the yearbook was a full-page photo spread that Emily seemed to find herself to be a recurring part of. Her eyes scanned over the top of the page, and reading the heading and text below it stirred a mixture of feelings in her stomach – the prevalent ones being peace, happiness, and most importantly, closure.

In Memoriam of Maya St. Germain.

Never gone, never far. In my heart is where you are.

Always close, every day. Every step along the way.

Even though for now we've got to say goodbye,

I know you will be forever in my life.

Never gone.

It had been a little over a year since Maya's death, and since then Emily had been lucky enough to have the love and support of the people around her, helping to heal her one step at a time.

"We were sitting in yearbook a little while back, and a few of the girls were talking about how quickly senior year had gone by; how she couldn't believe that we had pretty much made it through high school. It got me thinking back to the beginning of the school year at Spencer's house, and what you said to us. Not all of us made it to senior year, but she deserved to be honoured for the year she would have had," Hanna explained as she took a seat in the sand beside them, something she hadn't originally planned on doing because she hated sand. But she did it for Emily.

"Hanna came to me and asked if I could help find a way to honour her in the yearbook, so I talked to your mom and luckily for us she was able to provide us with a lot of the photos that are on that page," Spencer talked. She moved closer toward Emily and placed a supportive hand on the swimmer's shoulder before giving it a tight squeeze. "I know that it might seem a bit weird, and maybe even a bit overdone and overwhelming, but—"

"It's perfect," Emily interrupted, a few stray tears falling from her eyes. She sniffled a couple of times and then wiped her tears away. "I couldn't have done a better job if I tried, and this is honestly just… The perfect way to make sure that her life is never forgotten," she elaborated, pausing to look around at her best friends. "I haven't said it enough, but thank you guys, so much. For everything you did for me when she passed away, for all that you do for me, and for all that you are. There's no one else I'd rather have had by my side for the last 7 years, and no one else I'd rather graduate with."

"Okay I think it's time for a group hug," Hanna declared, and without much more warning she pulled herself, Aria, and Alison up along with her and toward Emily and Spencer who just laughed at the gesture but also stood up and obliged anyways.

"I love you guys," Aria spoke softly, but just enough for everyone to be able to hear her. Nobody responded verbally, but the love and appreciation that went into the group hug said it all. And frankly, with or without the physical actions, they still didn't need to express it through words because the year that they had been through was enough proof of how unbreakable their friendships were. They'd been to hell and back with each other, and there was nothing more satisfying than knowing that when all was said and done, they'd be ending their high school careers the exact same way they started it; together.

Standing on the graduation stage was something that Spencer had gotten accustomed to in the past week. Every day seemed to be dedicated to making sure that the ceremony would run fluidly and without any hitches. Consequently, Spencer found herself on the stage for hours at a time, every single day of their final week of school. She'd gone through her valedictorian speech what felt like a million times and had it memorized to a tee, almost convinced that she had started reciting it in her sleep. So when Spencer found herself standing on the stage in her cap and gown, looking out into a crowd that consisted of her friends, classmates, teachers, along with anyone and everyone that cared about them graduating, it surprised her a little to feel the nerves building in the pit of her stomach.

Spencer looked out into the crowd, and her eyes quickly scanned the rows. She smiled at how easily she found herself able to spot Alison, Emily, Hanna and Aria in the sea of blue and white. But it was the sight of both hers and Emily's parents sitting together, the pride and happiness radiating from their eyes, that truly warmed her heart as her mind shifted back to memories from just earlier in the day.

Flashback

"Okay girls, now that breakfast is done we kind of have a surprise for you," Pam spoke, sitting at the head of the dining room table.

The Hastings and Fields families had decided to have a joint family breakfast before the girls were expected at Rosewood High for their graduation ceremony. Pam had cooked for all of them, and they were in the midst of enjoying what they'd all expected to be the first of many Fields/Hastings breakfasts.

"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Spencer questioned, her mind instantly perking with curiosity. Pam smiled at the young girl and then looked to Veronica who was sitting directly across from her.

"Well," Veronica began, causing Spencer and Emily to look over in her general direction. "We know that you girls have worked so hard this year to get to where you are. Both of you are going to Columbia with full scholarships, and we couldn't be more proud."

"We decided that all of that hard work deserves the utmost recognition. So we sat down and tried to work out a possible gift to congratulate you on both your achievements this year as well as your graduation in general," Peter explained further before looking to Wayne who was sporting a huge grin on his face as he pulled out an envelope from the inside pocket of the blazer he was wearing.

"So girls, consider this not only a gift from us, but also a gesture of our investment into the bright future that we believe the two of you have together," Wayne told them, holding the envelope across the table for the girls to take. Spencer and Emily looked at one another as if they were silently asking if either of them had any idea what it was.

"What is it?" Emily asked hesitantly, neither girl moving to take the envelope from Wayne's hands yet. He chuckled and shook the paper in his hands as a response.

"Take it and find out, why don't you," Wayne replied, and the rest of the parents laughed along at the wariness their daughters were displaying. The girls glanced towards the adults surrounding them once more before Spencer finally caved and took the envelope from Wayne's hands.

She felt a bit of unexpected weight attached to it, causing her eyebrows to furrow in curiosity, as she didn't know the cause of it. But knowing that continuously asking their parents questions wasn't going to get them anywhere, she glanced at Emily instead and saw her girlfriend offer a look of encouragement as if to silently tell her to open it. Spencer let out a sigh and slid her fingers underneath the seal, effectively ripping open the envelope and taking out the piece of paper inside. As she slid the paper out though, there was a light banging sound on the table below her and both girls looked down to see the source of it; a set of keys.

"What are these for?" Spencer questioned, picking them up off the table while feeling Emily take the paper from her hands. She lifted the keys up to inspect them, but her attention was quickly refocused at the sound of a gasp beside her.

"Oh my god," Emily muttered out, the piece of paper in her hands rendering her more or less speechless. Spencer looked at her girlfriend who seemed to be stuck in a state of shock, and gently took the piece of paper from her hands, which were now shaking in both excitement and disbelief.

"No way. You guys… You got us… You got us," Spencer mumbled out, having a hard time even wrapping her mind around what she had just read.

"You guys got us our own condo?!" Emily burst out, finally snapping out of her daze. Her eyes scanned the paper in Spencer's hand, which went over the features of the property - two bedrooms, a dining room, living room, kitchen, fireplace, and balcony, and all within walking distance of the Columbia campus. "H-how? How is this even real?"

"Well we know how expensive it is to live in New York, and we didn't want you girls to be stressing out for money right off the hop. The most important thing about your first year of college is that you girls find yourselves adapting to a new lifestyle and getting comfortable," Veronica began to explain.

"Now Spencer, you have full access to your trust fund of course, but we don't want you to be tapping into that unless it's for emergencies," Peter spoke.

"And Emmy, now that you've gotten a full scholarship, your father and I decided that any and all money we've put into your college fund is yours to keep and spend however you'd like. But we don't want all of that to go towards your cost of living once you've moved to New York," Wayne mentioned.

"So what we've done is pooled together our resources and invested in this condo for the two of you. Your first year of rent and utilities has been paid for in full, and we will spend the summer furnishing and decorating the place however you two see fit," Pam told the girls.

Both Emily and Spencer still found themselves in complete shock and disbelief. It was the most incredible gift they had ever received. Not just the condo, but even more significant was the meaning behind it; the knowledge that their parents had so much faith in the strength of their relationship that they saw no qualms with putting such a big investment into their future together.

"Mom, dad, Wayne, Pam; I can't begin to express how grateful I am for this… How grateful we both are," Spencer spoke, her voice coated with emotion as she found herself struggling to maintain her composure. A few tears of happiness trickled down her face, and she didn't even care that it was ruining her make up. It was worth it.

"Yeah, you guys this is too much. I don't think I could ever find the words to tell you how thankful we are for all that you've done for us," Emily added on, interlacing her hands with Spencer's and giving them a tight squeeze as they smiled happily at one another, both girls trying to hold back their tears.

"Girls, you don't have to thank us for anything. You earned this; you earned your future. We just wanted to thank you for making us so proud. I think I speak for everyone when I say we could not have asked for any better than what you've given us," Wayne told the two girls, the rest of the parents nodding in agreement. And as though they'd been having a silent conversation with one another, Emily and Spencer stood in unison and made their way over to their parents, no further words spoken as they allowed themselves to be engulfed into their arms.

End of flashback

Spencer's heart skipped a beat in recollection of the moment, and she suddenly found the nerves that had appeared earlier to be gone. She cleared her throat and confidently leaned forward to speak into the podium's microphone.

"Good afternoon teachers, guests, and fellow graduates. I would like to begin by saying that I am truly honoured to be the valedictorian for the Rosewood High graduating class of 2012. Today we celebrate not only the end of this journey we have shared, but also the new beginning that is to come."

Spencer proceeded to flawlessly give her valedictorian speech, earning laughs from the audience, tears from her friends and classmates, and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment throughout her entire speech. The crowd hung onto her every line as she delivered words that inspired each and every single person present.

Emily watched from the audience with nothing but pride and happiness for her girlfriend. Though she had heard the speech over and over again when she had been helping Spencer to edit and memorize it, its power never failed to have a strong effect on her. She had goosebumps on her arms listening to Spencer speak, and if it were possible, she fell even deeper in love with the girl on stage.

As she came up on the final words of her valedictorian speech, Spencer found that it gave her an indescribable feeling, because this was it. She did it, and she did a damn good job too. Spencer looked out into the crowd toward the general vicinity in which her four best friends sat, and let out one final shaky breath.

"The journey of high school was unlike any other. Whether it were as small as a walk in the park or as big as exploring a new country, no journey compared to the time we spent together. The past four years at Rosewood High have provided us with the skills and knowledge that we need in order to pursue our greatest goals and dreams, unforgettable friendships that have been proven unbreakable no matter who or what tries to get in between them, relationships that have the potential to last a lifetime, and most importantly a true understanding of ourselves. This is why the end of our high school journey isn't really an end. Because with it brings the beginning of all the new adventures and challenges that life still has to offer."

"As kids, our parents, guardians, and teachers gave us a light to hold onto whenever we felt darkness nearing. But as we prepare ourselves to set forth on a journey of endless possibilities, we can truly recognize that the light exists within ourselves. Because with a heart to guide us, a mind that can only grow, and a body willing to fight to move forward, we all have the power to show those around us that we can shine to infinity, and beyond. And at the risk of sounding cliché… Class of 2012, we did it!"

And that's a wrap, folks! Once again thank you all so much for reading, you've all been the most amazing readers and I can't express how much I appreciate you all. Let me know what you thought of the final chapter or the overall fic by leaving me a review. Don't forget to follow me if you're looking forward to the sequel, as that will hopefully be up sometime soon. I will probably start actually posting my updates through tumblr as well, so if that's an easier platform for you to follow, feel free to give me a shout on there. My tumblr is: yourbloodisthenewblack. Thank you all for an amazing year, I love you guys so much!