Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a Pretty Little Liars story.

I'm not exactly sure how often this will be updated, I am a full time college student and have a hectic schedule. But I promise to update as often as I can, and that I will absolutely finish this story!

This is a slow burn Emison story with hints of other pairings. Rated M for future chapters! The story is in Emily's POV but depending on how the story goes, it may flip to Alison in a couple of chapters.

I do not own any of the characters! Flashbacks are in italics. This is set far into the future and events that happened in high school have been altered to my liking. I've tried to catch all the typos but sometimes something just slips past me. Please R&R. :)

Landing in Los Angeles left me drained and missing the simple life back in Rosewood. Being here was like being thrown into a whole new world and suddenly, I wanted to catch a flight back home and run back into my mom's arms. It put a serious dent in my confidence that I built up these last few years in college. Now, I was 27 years old and stepping into the corporate world.

Getting off the plane finally after a close to six hour flight left my legs feeling numb. I had the window seat which made it less of a pain but the man to my left had decided my shoulder was a good place to take a nap. I was just thankful he wasn't the type to drool. It was harmless so I let the man be, despite not having exchanged a word with him prior to take off. I had spent most of my time staring out the window and fingering my engagement ring.

It the past week my life had taken a total 360. It started with my application for a job in Los Angeles on a drunk dare, courtesy of my best friend Hanna. The position was something I had talked to about with her, avoiding the topic with my then girlfriend and now fiancée. I really thought it was going to be my big break but didn't have the guts to do it. To my surprise, they called back and were interested in a series of phone interviews which led me to the face to face interview with the manager at the company. That's when the packing started, Hanna had come to say goodbye which I laughed at her for saying that I'd be back in a week. Her voice still clearly in my ears and I fell back into that moment.

"Emily, you can't be serious." I gave her a confused look to which earned me a playful slap to my arm. "Hey!" I smiled at her, "What was that for?" Hanna pulled me into a tight hug and whispered, trying to fool herself out of the sorrow deep inside "They're crazy if they don't hire you, Emily. They'd be missing out on a highly determined and intelligent woman." My arms fell to her waist and tightened around her. I tucked a loose strand of her silky blonde hair behind her ear, "Hanna please look at me." I waited patiently, knowing she needed a second to leash her emotions. Seeing her broken up like this chipped away at my heart and when I saw the sadness rooted in her crystal blue eyes, I thought I was going to crack. But I needed to be strong, for both of us. "I'll be back in a week and I'll call every chance I get. It'll be like college." She groaned "College should have been the ride of a lifetime but it seriously sucked without you!"

I laughed at her and she just jabbed me in my side, rather roughly. "Hanna, we've been friends since kindergarten. You have to believe that nothing will ever change that, no matter what the distance is." She leaned in a placed a soft kiss on my cheek, her lips lingering longer than considered just friendly but it was just Hanna. She took a seat at the edge of my bed and crossed her right leg over her left. "So, when are you and Maya finally going to take the next step?" I sighed and looked over at her, guilt washed over me because I've never kept anything from Hanna. For some reason, I didn't feel as excited as I should have about my engagement which is why I didn't tell her.

I walked over to my nightstand and pulled open the drawer, my fingers wrapped around a small black velvet box. I kept the ring in the box because my engagement didn't feel real. Maya had popped the question at dinner, hours before her flight to Tokyo and that left no time to celebrate. The ring had been on my finger until she got on the plane and left. I was rooted to the spot and held the small box in my hands, a storm of emotions coursing through my body. Hanna's voice pulled me out back "Emily?" I turned to look at her and placed the small box in her hands, watching for her reaction because I really didn't know what to say. "She…Wow Em, she proposed? Wait, when did this happen?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, praying silently that the small blonde wouldn't skin me alive. "Last week, at dinner a few hours before her flight…"

My eyes were still on her, watching as the news finally sunk in. Her reaction was far from what I expected; she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me as tightly as her small body allowed "Congratulations! Em, why didn't you tell me sooner? We could have went out and celebrated!" I felt like I could breathe again, the relief flooding through me in the absence of her anger but in me, there was the absence of excitement. I hugged her tightly and felt myself finally letting go of all my emotion and I began to shake. Hot tears flowed down my cheeks and I buried my face in her neck. I felt her hand run up and down my back, attempting to sooth me.

Hanna was my rock, someone to lean on when the world shot me down. Now was no different, she held me while I cried my heart out. What I loved about her is she gave me time; there was no expectation to stop crying instantly or in ten minutes or in the next life time. This was what home felt like, a comforting touch that left all judgments at the door. I didn't know how long I held onto her and cried, but when I stopped there was silence. "Em, why do I get the feeling you aren't exactly thrilled about this?" My arms didn't move from her, I needed this comfort because this was the only thing that was keeping me sane right now. I mumbled into her shoulder "I'm not; it doesn't seem real because she was gone right after. I love her, Han. I love her so much that it hurts but…I don't think I'm in love with her anymore. She's always away on business and I can't blame her for building her career, but it's destroying our relationship."

I didn't expect her to say anything after my confession because I didn't even know what to make of it. Hearing myself saying what I felt deep down absolutely broke my heart. I had been trying to avoid these feelings for such a long time. "Maybe you should give it some time Em. Go out there, nail your interview and work things out after with Maya. She's a successful artist launching galleries, maybe a place like Los Angeles is exactly what you both need. She could open up a gallery and buy a studio while you build yourself up in the corporate world."

I took Hanna's advice despite every part of me screaming out how wrong this was. I turned my phone on after I collected my bag from baggage claim. I didn't find it the extra bag to be necessary, I would have been fine with just a carry on but that was the mistake of having Hanna over when I packed. I stared at my lock screen for a moment, it was a picture of Maya and me together, and I seriously thought about changing it but voted against it. I was supposed to be trying to make things work.

Before I could even think about putting my phone away it rang. I assumed it was my best friend who decided to flood my inbox during my flight. We were apart for just a little over seven hours and I could tell Hanna was starting to feel a little separation anxiety. It would have been nice to have her here, but this was something I had to do on my own. I looked at the name lighting up on my screen and I tensed up. It was Maya, and she was requesting a video chat. When we last saw each other it was the night of her proposal, and I didn't tell her about the job opportunity out here in Los Angeles. I probably should have, considering if everything went well I'd be packing up and moving out here. A part of me wanted to decline the call and wait until I got to my hotel room to call her back. This wasn't the place to talk about the job opportunity or how I failed to mention it.

I sighed instantly growing frustrated with the situation. I pulled out my headphones, plugged them into my phone and sat down on one of the many benches nearby. I accepted the call and was instantly greeted with the woman I'd be spending the rest of my life with. She was glowing with excitement; I wished I could share the feeling with her.

"Emily!" she smiled, "I'm so happy to see your beautiful face! I'm sorry we haven't been in contact, I've got a crazy schedule and the time difference is insane." I nodded in understanding "Maya, I get it. Work is crazy but this is your future, and it's important." I saw the amount of love and adoration in her eyes; the amount of guilt I felt tore me to shreds. How could I string her along with all the lies and my unsure feelings? "I got lucky, Em. I have beautiful fiancée waiting back home for my return. Babe, I promise as soon as I get back we'll start the wedding plans!" Waiting back home, I scoffed at the idea. Maya seemed to expect me to be some kind of house wife because of her success.

Unfortunately, I didn't fit the bill because I was out in Los Angeles trying to make a name for myself. That's exactly why I hadn't told Maya about the position. My guilt had suddenly changed into anger "Maya, we need to talk." Her smile fell into a frown "Is everything okay? I know I haven't exactly been there for you lately but…" she stopped mid-sentence and I could hear her phone ringing in the background.

I suddenly had the urge to end the call or better yet break off my engagement. Was it so wrong of me to actually want to love the woman I'm supposed to marry? I loved her, I did but there were parts of me that ached for a physical connection with someone. I sighed, my vision clouding with tears "You should probably get that, might be something important."

She looked over at me with regret "I'm sorry, babe. I'll be in touch when I can. I love you." The words came out so easily "I love you too, Maya." Just like that, the call was over and I was left staring at a black screen. Anger wasn't something I felt on a daily basis or very often, so when it came around I didn't know exactly how to deal with it. I shoved my feelings aside and picked up my bags knowing I had a long week ahead of me. I wished that I had taken Hanna up on her offer to come along. There was that small voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that I didn't need anyone to help me, that I was an adult and could do this on my own.

According to the manager of the company, my hotel room and ride from the airport had been all taken care of. It didn't come as a surprise considering this was a multi-million dollar real estate company looking to hire an assistant for their CEO. I had done a fair amount of research pertaining to the job and the company itself, I even tried to do a little digging on the CEO. I was mildly surprised when I came up empty handed but didn't waste my time on it, they probably wanted to keep their life somewhat private.

The area wasn't packed, partially because of the time I had wasted but more so because more people tended to fly out during the evening to arrive in the morning. I scanned the remaining drivers waiting for their passengers; it only took seconds to find a man in a suit holding up a sign that had "Emily Fields" written on it. I grumbled because I wouldn't be a Fields for much longer if we went through with this marriage. I cursed myself; from this moment on I wouldn't think about Maya for the remainder of my time in Los Angeles.

When I reached him he gave me a questioning look, "Are you Emily?" I nodded and he smiled in return. "Please, let me take your bags out to the car." Before I could object he had already taken them from my hands and began to walk out the automatic sliding doors. Feeling a bit awkward, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and followed him on out the doors. By the time I had caught up to him, he was already holding the door open for me. I wasn't sure what stunned me more, his behavior or that the car provided wasn't a normal taxi but what I assumed was one of their private vehicles. "Thank you…" my voice trailed off, I wanted to thank him properly but was aware that he hadn't even introduced himself.

Thankfully he took my cue and smiled "Will." Will, it suited him in a strange way. He had blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and a 5 o'clock shadow coming in. If it wasn't for his smile and the ways his eyes lit up, he probably could've been mistaken for a snob. "Thank you, Will." He closed the door once I stepped in and sunk back into the seats. It was like lying down on a cloud in comparison to the airline seats. I didn't even hear the driver side door open and close until Will chuckled, "Comfortable?" I smiled "It definitely beats sitting on a plane for nearly six hours."

He nodded in response. I was generally a quite person, especially around those I didn't know but he made that rather impossible. My fear of unfriendly people in LA seemed to wash off; if everyone was a friendly as him then I had nothing to be scared of. We made small talk, mostly about what made me apply and how I came to find out about the position. There was one question I was dying to ask and before I could think twice, it was too late. "Do you know what the guy in charge is like? I mean, not that I want to pry for information but if I'm going to be working with him I'd like to at least know something." When he laughed at my question, I was a bit confused. Did I say something funny? Or was this some kind of humor that only folks from LA would understand?

He cleared his throat and looked back at me through the rear view mirror, "Let's start with the fact that your boss is a woman. You're super sweet, she'll like that but don't let her step all over you. Miss Dilaurentis has a thing for putting people in her place. Don't worry; she's a good person and a nice boss. Even though some people really question her ability because she's so young and they all consider her a brat. There's been talk of her father being on the board and that's the only reason she's in that position. I think differently, the last CEO was very impressed with Miss Dilaurentis and her fighting spirit. He had a lot to do with her promotion."

My heart dropped at the name Dilaurentis. It couldn't be, please be anyone but her I pleaded in my head. Not the same blue eyed, blonde girl that had stolen my heart and then proceeded to stomp on it. Surely there had to be a thousand other people with the same last name. Or was this payback? Had Alison seen my name on the list of people to be interviewing for the assistant position and purposely had me get this far into the process? No, stop I told myself. The manager was handling this and not the CEO. I groaned internally and felt the overwhelming need to get Hanna out her to keep me from losing it. I felt sick to my stomach, wanting nothing more to lie down in my room and sleep it off. If the head of the company was really Alison, could we really put everything in the past and move on? Worst of all, how would Maya react?

Maya was the one that spent the time to mend the pieces of my broken heart when Alison lied to us all and left Rosewood, leaving us to pick up the pieces of broken friendships. It was Maya who held me when I cried from all the nightmares that plagued me after everything. She had spent years mending my broken heart. I couldn't deny that when I heard the name Dilaurentis my heart dropped, but there a slight fluttering in my stomach and my palms were sweating. Did I still feel something for the girl that broke my heart years ago?

"How long until we get to the hotel, Will?" He seemed to feel the change in my mood because his response was short "About another ten minutes, Ms. Fields." He focused all of his attention on the road and I drifted off into a sea of my own thoughts.