A/N: Based on the prompt "…an alternative ending to 5x12 where Paige saves Mona instead if Mona being killed". There were also a couple of more detailed prompts along the same lines, so I've used most of the points from them as well. I've changed a couple of points and added a few things.

I'm pretty sure that at this stage Paige doesn't know the liars were working with Mona, so I've gone with that. I've picked a different A to "The long way home", just because I didn't want to repeat myself. I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out.

For some reason I've gone with second person for this story, which is all Paige's point of view. Present tense is the day after, past tense italics is Thanksgiving.

"I should be mad at you," Emily says, but from the look on her face you can tell she isn't. Mostly she's worried. The doctors have said your wounds are healing well, and that the knife didn't hit anything important, but it was not long ago that she had found you, barely conscious and covered in blood. She probably thought then that she was going to lose you.

So now she's a little frustrated that you acted so rashly, but at the same time you can see real admiration in her eyes. If you hadn't done what you did, things would have been much worse now. They would all have another funeral to go to.

You hear footsteps from the corridor.

"How's Batman?" Hanna's voice comes booming in, just proceeding her entrance.

"Hanna!" Emily responds, quietly but forcefully. "We're in a hospital."

Hanna appears with a big grin on her face. She doesn't care. She bounds over and gives you a hug.

"Hanna, be careful," Emily scolds her, but you don't mind.

"Batman?" you ask.

"Yeah, Batman," Hanna repeats. "Swooping in to save the innocent citizens of Rosewood. And Mona, too."

Hanna laughs at her own joke, but it was pretty funny. Unfortunately for you it still hurts to laugh.

"If I'm going to be Batman, I'll need a Robin," you point out.

"Aria," Hanna suggests. "She'd be perfect. She's tiny, and she can kick ass."

"I could have used her yesterday," you observe, and it's true.

"If you'd waited a little…" Emily begins.

"Mona would be dead," you point out. She just nods and takes your hand in hers. It's difficult for her, seeing you like this, but she knows you did the right thing.

It was a spur of the moment decision - you knew something was going on, and after Spencer was arrested you had to find out what it was. So once things had settled down at the Brew, you went to Mona, the one person besides Alison who seemed to be at the centre of it all. When you got there you were going to demand she tell you everything she knew. At that stage you had no idea the others were already working with her.

On the way over you were thinking about Alison. More precisely, you were thinking about her new army. At school she was hanging out with a glamorous group, seemingly hand picked to replace Emily and the others. Out of school, though, she seemed to have recruited most of Mona's old gang, just like she had boasted she would.

How did people fall for Alison so easily? She was completely transparent. But then Emily had been taken in by her, and the others too, though from what you had heard and seen around school Spencer and Hanna didn't seem that convinced by Alison's act.

But at least those four had been her friends once. The others had been her victims before she disappeared, and now they were doing her dirty work. Some students had stayed out of it altogether, like you did, while others had stepped back when Mona's army collapsed. You couldn't understand why anyone had joined with Alison though. People like Cindy and Mindy - had they forgotten what Alison was like, and what she did to them?

No, they hadn't. They were just relieved to be on her side now. You know the feeling. The need to feel in control, so that you will never be a victim again. Alison probably span them some story about how she had changed, how she was still in danger, and how she knew she could trust them. They believed it, but mostly they were just relieved that they would be part of the gang now, not the targets.

You were walking briskly to get to Mona's. It was probably just the mood of the morning, the tension from everything that seemed to be happening at once. It just felt like you needed to get there quickly, and it was lucky you did.

The door was the first thing that made you worry. Half open doors always made you feel uneasy.

You knocked. You waited.

Then you heard a dull thud from upstairs. Adrenaline took over and you barged inside. A clash of glass and steel rang out. You barely had time to register the blood on the walls.

"Mona!" you yelled as you ran up the stairs. It was instinct, but it was a mistake.

As you reached the top a figure burst out of the doorway. Black hoodie, black pants, black boots, black gloves.

Before you had a chance to react you were met with a boot to the face, sending you reeling. You grasped for the banisters to stop yourself falling down the stairs. It worked, to an extent, but as you steadied yourself the pain began to kick in.

You didn't have time to think though. A gloved fist swung at you, but you ducked under it.

Time seemed to slow down now. You were aware of some bleeding, and in the back of your mind you knew you had to get to Mona, but mostly you were looking for an opening, a way of hitting back. And then you saw it. They had overbalanced as their blow had not landed. They were vulnerable.

This was your chance. You punched at your opponent's side where they had left themselves exposed. You connected, and again, but they steadied and kicked back at you. You tried to block, but they the advantage of height. You were sent crashing into the wall on the landing.

It was then, as the hooded figure stepped down towards you for the next assault, that you finally got a look at their face.

Noel.

Of course.

You faced each other on the landing. He swung his right fist at your head, and you easily blocked him, but as you did he swung his left fist into your gut. For a moment you couldn't breath, but the attacks didn't let up. You knew you were being hit, but you lost count of the blows.

Then you had an idea. It was simple. You allowed yourself to collapse. You hit the ground hard, but the punches stopped.

You could sense him standing above you for a moment, but he walked away, back up the stairs and into Mona's room. Between the throbbing ache that filled your head, you were aware that you had heard nothing from Mona while all this was going on. Was she already dead? You had to act.

You picked yourself up and moved as quietly as you could. It was only about ten feet to the doorway.

You pushed the door open, but he was standing there, waiting for you, that smile on his face. Before you could even think you punched him, harder than you've ever punched anyone, right in the middle of that stupid smirking face of his.

He staggered back.

"Fucking bitch," he muttered.

Lying on the floor in the corner was Mona. She was still breathing.

You're still not sure how you did what you did next. Noel charged at you, and for some reason you charged back. But just before you met you dropped to the ground, and as you landed you kicked his legs out from under him. He crashed headfirst into the wardrobe door.

You picked yourself up and watched him for a moment.

The room was still and silent, with only the sound of blood dripping on the carpet. Your blood.

He started to move a little. You looked around and spotted an old phone on the bedside table. You picked it up, and felt it's weight. Perfect.

He looked up at you as you approached. You wish now that you'd been more careful, because as soon as you were within reach he hit you in the leg. Or at least that's what you thought it was. You swung the phone into his head and he collapsed.

It was only then that you saw the knife in his hand, and started to feel a dull throbbing pain where he had hit you, a pain that began to grow and grow.

"How is Mona?" you ask.

"She's gonna be OK," Hanna replies. "Eventually."

"She's got a number of broken bones, two stab wounds, and there was a lot of bleeding," Emily explained. "She was critical when they brought her in, but she's stable now."

"And Noel?" you ask.

"Oh, I hear he's fine," Emily replies.

"Damn," you respond.

"You hit him with a phone," Hanna interrupts. "That's so cool."

"So does this mean Noel's A?" you ask. "Why?"

Emily shakes her head.

"I doubt it," she says. "He's already saying Alison put him up to it, but the evidence Mona said she had on Alison… it's gone."

"He couldn't have taken it," you point out.

"No," Emily agrees. "She must have found a way…"

You can see the pain in Emily's eyes. The betrayal is still raw for her.

"I'm sorry, Em," you say.

"Don't be," she assures you. "I'll just be happy when this is done with. They're looking for Ali now, and she doesn't have any of her aliases this time. It's over."

You know you've been here before, but at least now you all know who the enemy is.

As you try to convince yourself that Emily is right, another person enters the room. It's Mona's mother. She looks drained, and has clearly been crying, but she still smiles when she sees you.

"Mrs Vanderwaal," you say.

"Paige, I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am," she says. "You risked your life for my daughter."

"Is Mona alright?" Hanna asks. "How's she going?"

"She's resting now," Leona replies, then turns to you. "But I want to know how you are?

"I'm getting better," you respond. You don't want her worrying about you. "I'll be fine."

"I don't know what I can do in return that would ever be enough," Leona says.

"Cookies," Hanna suggests. "Mrs V makes really nice cookies."

"I'm not sure I can have cookies right now," you point out.

"Oh well, once you're better," Hanna concedes.

Mrs Vanderwaal stands there for a moment, just looking at you. There's so much she doesn't know about what has been going on, or the life her daughter has led. She only knows that she almost lost someone she loves, and it shows on her face. You want to tell her that Mona is safe now, that everyone is safe. But you can't.

"I have to go back to her," she says eventually.

"You should," you agree. "You should be with her."

"But please, I just want you to know, what you did was heroic," she says. "She's lucky to have a friend like you."

You smile at her words, but can't help but wonder at the innocence of them.

As she leaves, Hanna nudges you.

"See, I told you, Batman," she says.

It's later that night, and Emily and Hanna have been joined by Spencer and Aria, as they all sit around your bed. Spencer has been released - not cleared, but there was enough suspicion cast on Noel and Alison that it was trivial for her lawyer to get her bail. Apart from that they have been sharing the news, or at least what there is of it. Mostly everyone has been going over the same stories again and again. They keep telling you how amazingly brave and courageous you are. It embarrassing, but you don't want to sound ungrateful so you let them continue. Right now all you feel is tired though.

A nurse enters the room.

"I'm sorry everyone, visiting hours are over," she announces.

What?

That voice.

You all turn and stare in shock.

It's Alison.

"There are police just down the corridor," Spencer tells her. "We just have to call the nurse and they'll be here in less than a minute."

"Oh please, these are Rosewood police we're talking about," Alison counters, clearly unconcerned. "We both know I'll be gone by the time they arrive."

"They're going to find you and arrest you," Hanna insists. "And your stupid ass will finally be in jail where it belongs."

"Arrest me for what?" Alison asks. "Impersonating a nurse."

"Noel has told them you ordered him to kill Mona," Spencer says.

"Ah, so the man caught trying to murder a girl is going to blame the kidnapping victim," Alison says. "I'm sure that will work. And trust me, in a few days no one will believe anything he says."

"He did it to destroy the evidence that you're A," Aria points out.

"What evidence?" Alison asks.

"You were there, weren't you?" Emily accuses her. "You were in the house. You were the one who took all of Mona's tapes and files."

"Was there someone else there?" Alison asks casually.

Everyone is silent. You didn't see anyone, and you're guessing Mona didn't either.

"Anyway, let's not spoil this moment," Alison begins. "I've come to say goodbye. I'm leaving Rosewood, my beloved home, and I know you're all going to miss me and the fun we had together. I'll miss you too."

"Why are you here?" Spencer demands.

"I just told you, I want to say goodbye," Alison explains.

"OK then, go," Hanna snaps.

"I love you too, Hanna," Alison responds. "After all, it's almost like looking in a mirror. Once I'm gone you can go back to being the cool girl again."

"Your childish insults aren't going to work anymore," Spencer says.

"Oh, Spencer," Alison says. "I probably should congratulate you on solving the puzzle again. All it took was a dozen wrong guesses and pretty much everyone else getting there first. What does it feel like when even Hanna works it out before you do? I can see why they put you in charge."

"You're really not amusing anyone but yourself here," Spencer responds.

"Usually you're only this oblivious when you're actually sleeping with the person who's betrayed you," Alison adds. "That was going to be my next move, I mean it worked on Emily."

Your stomach tightens. You know what that meant, and you know that it was for you. You focus on your breathing, being careful not to look at Emily. The best thing you can do is pretend you didn't even notice.

"Are you finished?" Aria asks, testily.

"I'm finished here," Alison replies. "So I guess your boyfriend can finally wrap up that book of his. You'll be famous soon, Aria, you all will be. Ezra especially, though, with his pioneering methods for true crime research."

Emily stands up and marches over to Alison, standing face to face with the girl who had once meant so much to her.

"Em…" Spencer cautions, but Emily ignores her.

"You want one last kiss?" Alison asks.

You ignore that. You are determined that nothing Alison says will affect you.

"We don't need you anymore, Ali," Emily declares. "We never did. You mean nothing to us, and soon you'll just be a bad memory."

Alison giggles.

"My, you've changed, haven't you?" she observes. "Still, I'm impressed with that girlfriend of yours. She's tough. You need someone like that to protect you, with all the trouble you get yourself into."

"She is tough, you're right," Emily agrees. "She's also brave, and caring, and generous. Paige is everything you're not. A long time ago I used to think I loved you, but she's taught me what love really is."

"Love?" Alison responds. "I understand love more than you would know. Love is wonderful. People will do all sorts of things for love."

They stare at each other, but a chasm has opened between them. Alison still looks pleased with herself, but Emily has stood up to her and isn't backing down, and you know that Alison can't be happy with that.

For now, though, Alison gives them one final wave, then turns and saunters out of the room, flashing them a quick grin over her shoulder as she disappears.

And with that, she's gone.

"She always did love a dramatic exit," Spencer mutters dryly.

Emily allows herself to relax and comes back to sit at your side. She takes your hand and you smile reassuringly. She smiles back, but she looks exhausted.

"Is that it?" Aria asks. "I mean, if she's A, and she's leaving Rosewood for good…"

"Then maybe it's all…" Hanna begins.

"Don't say it!" Spencer and Emily jump in, almost in unison.

You can't help but laugh.

Everyone has gone except Emily. After some negotiations with the nurse, she is curled up on the recliner next to your bed. You've tried to tell her the police are there to keep you safe, but she can't leave you alone.

Everything that happened tonight is going through your mind, and everything that Alison said. You're exhausted now, but you're not ready to go to sleep. You can sense that neither is Emily.

"Paige?" she whispers.

"Yeah?" you respond, turning to face her.

"What Alison said earlier…" she begins, and you know what's coming next.

"It doesn't matter, Em, it really doesn't," you cut in. "You can tell me tomorrow if you want, but I promise you I don't care. I love you, and that's all that matters."

She pauses for a moment before replying.

"I love you too," she says, and gives you that smile, the one that makes your soul sing, that makes everything OK.

You've won. You know that now. Since Alison came back you have both had to face your fears alone, but from now on you will face everything together.

As you drift off to sleep, you smile, thinking about the girl you love, and the future that you will have together. You have everything you want.