"Excellent dive, perfect execution," a light, teasing voice resounded through the pool area. It was dim in the aquatics arena except for the glowing pool lights. Alison DiLaurentis strolled around the stands as she watched long, tan lean arms grab onto the wall.

"Alison," Emily acknowledged hesitantly and her voice sounded so unsure. She hadn't seen the blonde since the whole episode ending the entire -A ordeal went down a few weeks ago. It was messy, Alison had gone rogue months before and shattered her trust, even if in the end –A was done for and Ali had played a part in wrapping it all up.

"I used to come watch you when I was hiding," Alison commented as she went to the edge and dangled her legs in. "I came to as many of your meets as I could."

She frowned as she remembered a particular meet. "I was there the day you overdosed."

"What do you want Alison?" Emily asked as she pulled herself out of the pool and stood with her arms crossed defensively. Her long hair was clinging to her body and Alison had to remind herself not to stare inappropriately at any part of Emily.

"You used to love when I visited you at the pool," Alison said, her forehead wrinkling in frustration. "Em come on. It's over, A is gone, we can breathe again."

"There is no we Alison. Just because that psycho is locked up doesn't mean we're best friends all over again."

"How many times do I have to apologize-"

"Apologizing doesn't fix what you did to me," Emily said in a low voice as she looked at Alison with such disdain. Ali remembers a time when the brunette was too timid to even look her in the eye. She wished she'd treated her better, but that seems like a lifetime ago. "I still feel this…this empty gnawing pain inside me."

"I never meant to hurt you like that, I swear," Alison said with conviction, her eyes pleading desperately as she rose to her feet.

"Let's go over this one last time," Emily said with a nonchalant expression. "You led me on, rejected me, made me feel stupid for liking you, made me believe you were dead and then you 'came back to life' and still refused to tell me the truth. You abandoned me the day you chose not to trust me."

I did that to protect you!" Alison practically shouted. "The less you knew, the better. And if I stayed away, there was less of a chance A would target you instead of me."

"I stood up for you against everyone," Emily reiterated her words from the night she decided to let any love for Ali inside her die.

"I saved your life, multiple times," Alison protested. "Please you have to hear me out."

"Why should I?"

"Because I mean it Emily, I care about you. Why else would I be here?"

"Um because you have no friends?" Emily said dryly as she hit too close to home for Alison.

She fidgeted uncomfortably, willing herself to hold it together and not lose composure in front of Emily. The leering, scrutinizing look the swimmer gave her was enough to make her want to run.

"I did a lot of terrible things, I know that. But I tried to make it better, I'm trying so hard Emily-"

"Hanna lost Mona, Caleb left her, and then she lost her sanity, Ali. Did you know she got into really good schools, like UCLA and NYU? But guess what, she's too drunk all the time to really focus on anything. Her mom wants to check her into Radley because she doesn't know how to deal with Hanna's suicide attempt."

Alison can't do anything but stare, her fingers playing with the hem of her dress anxiously.

"I'm sorry Emily, I'm sorry I came into all your lives."

Her voice wavered and she took a deep breath as she saw Emily's brows furrow. She knew Emily didn't want to feel any pity for her, and she didn't want any pity- she wanted forgiveness and a second chance.

"I was horrible to everyone, and to you most of all. But when I had to leave, I regretted it all the second I was away. Someone was trying to hunt me down, and they didn't want to just kill me, Emily, A wanted to torture me. They knew perfectly well how to- by torturing you four too."

"I'm sure A had a field day playing with us while you played dress up with Cece, or ran around town with Cyrus whatever his name is-"

"Emily I was alone in Philadelphia, with no friends, nobody to trust, and I trusted the wrong person at the wrong time- you saw what he did to me! You can't seriously think I was lying about that."

"How could I ever trust you again?!" Emily yelled suddenly frightening Alison as she shrank back. "You broke my heart three times. When you rejected me, when you died, and when you tried to leave again and lied about everything. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times I must be a goddamn idiot. There isn't going to be a fourth time, Alison."

"I know I have no right to ask you for another chance but you have to believe me," she insisted with an urgency so strong it pained her. She could feel Emily's hatred growing, and she told herself to just take the heat because she deserved it.

She's lost everything- her mother, her reputation, her brother, her four friends, a normal high school life- and her own sanity was on the line. But she deserved all that and more. Yet her heart longed the most for the raging brunette in front of her. She would give anything just to have one more chance.

"All I was ever doing while I was gone and after I came back was protecting you. I ended it, didn't I? I did it for you, I isolated myself for you. But I thought you would believe me in the end, I had hoped-"

"Hope breeds eternal misery," Emily interrupted her coldly with Spencer's trademark favorite quote. "I think you should go."

Alison's fists clenched as she locked her jaw firmly and ripped her eyes away from Emily as she turned around and left. It took everything within her to not break and turn around and beg for Emily, to start sobbing and desperately pleading. But she still had some of her dignity about her, even if Emily and the rest of the world hated her.

Emily clenched her jaw as she watched the blonde leave, her eyes focused on the blonde's bare legs (and god damn it why does she still want her even after all this time). Her insides were turning, and it pained her to see the blonde walk away. Part of her wished the fiery blonde would have argued back one more time but she knew it wouldn't have changed her mind. It was taking everything within her to not call after her and tell her she didn't mean it all- because she did.

Still, there was a soft spot in her heart for Alison that she couldn't wish away no matter how hard she tried (and she did, so many times).

As the swimmer glanced at the clock she saw it was past 5:30, and she promised to meet Mrs. Marin at 6 to talk about her daughter. Hanna, poor girl. That's what Emily thought of when she wanted to let Alison back in- she remembered how broken they all were- and it made it easier to shut out her first love.

Meanwhile Alison sat in her car for a few moments, silent. She felt dazed- then it hit her. And she screamed out painfully, in pure frustration and total agony, long and loud, with everything in her burning with self-loathing. This was the bed she made, and now she had to lie in it. But she wished she was lying in her grave instead.