Alison was minding her own business. Glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, lost in a sea of the latest papers she'd assigned to her class. Thankfully, the majority of the kids in her class knew what they were talking about and she didn't have to suffer through too many awful papers.

She had just made it halfway through another student's essay when she heard a rather vigorous knock on her front door. She glanced at the clock on her wall. Quarter past 5pm. Who could possibly be coming to her house at this time?

She scurried to the door and opened it tentatively. Relief washed over her when she saw the familiar blonde locks and blue eyes matching hers looking back at her.

"Jason!" she exclaimed, launching herself into his arms.

He wrapped his arms around her but she noticed something immediately wrong. What was he even doing here?

He let her go and she settled back on her feet. When they made eye contact, Ali was shocked to see the unpleased look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked innocently.

"Funny," he said, brushing past her and into her residence, "I was just going to ask you the same thing."

Ali shut the door behind her and wrapped her arms around herself. She knew what was coming from a mile away.

"Imagine my surprise when I made an impromptu trip to Rosewood to see my sister and her family to find out that she's moved across the country. By herself."

"Jason," Ali warned, feeling the tears start to well up in her eyes, "Don't."

"I just don't get it, Ali," Jason said, his tone frustrated.

"And you think I do?" Alison snapped, plopping down on her couch, her head in her hands.

"You seemed fine when I saw you at Christmas! You couldn't get your hands off of each other. I just don't get it. You were happy!"

"Yeah, until we're not. And the 'not' portion of that equation became more and more prominent than the former in the passing months."

"Ali," Jason said, his tone a bit softer. He could see the look in his sister's eyes. She really had tried everything she could think of. He walked over and sat next to her on the couch. Her head was still in her hands and he could see she was trying to fight back the tears that had inevitably fallen too many times in the passing months since he'd last seen her.

He put his hand gently on her back and tried to soothe her.

"Why didn't you tell me this was going on? I could have helped."

"No one could have helped," she said, looking forward and wiping her eyes.

"Have you tried couples counseling?" he asked, probably already knowing the answer.

"We tried everything. I don't know what to do anymore Jason. I thought that we were happy. I've given it everything I have. She's just not there anymore."

"You can't just give up, Alison. You love her."

"Jason, I love her more than anything. I just don't think the same thing can be said of her anymore."

"I don't think that's true," was all Jason could think to say.

"So I'm guessing you saw her. How is she?"

"She seemed," Jason paused for a moment before answering, "She seemed fine."

"Of course," Alison said, standing up to pace around the room.

"Ali, you have to go back. You have to fix this. For the girls. And for you," Jason pleaded.

"I already told you, Jason. There is no fixing this. She doesn't want me there!" Ali exclaimed.

"She does want you there. Emily loves you, Ali."

"Then why did she me to leave?" Ali raised her voice again.

"So you just left?!" Jason fought back.

"What was I supposed to do?" Alison yelled.

"Fight. You sit there and you fight."

"I'm tired of fighting."

"So what? You're just going to walk away? From the two little girls who worship you and from the love of your life? You're just going to walk away from everything you've waited your whole life for?" He asked.

Alison took a deep breath and tried to ground herself again before speaking.

"If that's what Emily wants me to do, then that is what I will do," her voice broke at the end, and immediately Jason's arms were wrapped tightly around his sister. Trying to gently soothe her as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Ali, this isn't right. This is not you two. You're better than this. I've seen the way you two are together. Hell, I've been watching Emily pine after you for the past 15 years. And I've seen how you are around her, she opens you up. She brings out the best in you."

"She is the best in me," Alison said quietly.

"Then isn't that enough?"

"I'm not the best in her," Alison replied, "She doesn't trust me. Never has, and Jason, more and more everyday I'm starting to think that she never will."

"She trusted you to have her children. She trusted you to become their mom. She trusted you enough to live with you. She trusted you enough to create a life with you. She trusted you enough to say 'yes' and to marry you. What else could there be?"

"I don't know. I feel like everyday she just makes up new tests for me, ones that I'm forced to fail. She doesn't want to believe that I'm in this. That this is my everything and this is what I want for forever."

"Have you told her all this?"

"More times than I can count," Alison said, finally removing herself from Jason's grasp.

"And I'm guessing it doesn't break through," Jason replied.

"It's funny," Alison started, "She always accuses me of wanting to run. But the first time that I stay and fight is the time that she tells me to leave. How's that for 'forever'?"

"Listen, Ali, you know how much I love the girls and Emily. But enough is enough. You guys are just chilling out in this grey area waiting for something to happen that's going to force one of you to make a decision. Go home, duke it out with your wife and figure out what is next. And if not for you, then for the twins. Pretty soon they're going to start understanding what is going on at home. And they deserve better than that. And so do you."

Jason was right, Alison knew that. They couldn't live in this grey area for forever. It wasn't fair to them and it wouldn't at all be fair to Lily and Grace. Once and for all, Alison was going to get answers.