A/N: I've had a prompt on tumblr sitting in my inbox for a while regarding writing a happy ending for Emison in "The Perfectionists" realm. I had planned just to incorporate that into my Perfectionists story, but shout-out to Always_EmisonDF and Emison_hope on Twitter for sparking another route. A lot of people are disappointed in the cancellation of "The Perfectionists" and the ending that Emison was left with. I don't know what would have happened had the show been renewed. I like to think that they'd find their way back together. It's a good thing we've always got fanfic. Here's to hoping this will make the Emison fans feel a little bit better about their end. I wrote this in about half an hour in the wee hours of the morning, so it might not flow the same way the rest of my fics do.

Title inspired by my all-time favorite artist, Sam Cooke. Give it a listen.

Bring it on Home to Me

It was the second longest plane ride of Alison's life. The first had been the trip out to Beacon Heights. She'd just said goodbye to her family. Her babies had cried. Alison had cried, too, though not in front of Emily or the twins. But she spent the entire plane ride out to Oregon in tears.

The sweet old lady next to her had offered her tissues and held her hand. It had helped a little. All she could think about was how she'd left with things on such an awful note with Emily. They'd been fighting about the job, about the twins, about everything. Alison had accused her of being unsupportive, and Emily had turned it back on her and accused her of running away again.

Their last fight had been what had spawned the talk of divorce. Alison was just pissed. She hadn't meant it when she suggested it. And she sure as hell hadn't expected Emily to follow through with it. They'd bickered about it over the phone, but Alison was too stubborn to give in.

Then she got the divorce papers, and all she wanted to do in the midst of the chaos that was unfolding at Beacon Heights University was run home and tell Emily what a huge mistake it was.

She had been so caught up in the lives of other people that she allowed her own life to fall through the cracks. It was only then that she realized what a huge mistake leaving had been. But by then she was in too deep to leave.

And not only that. She didn't want to leave. Not because she didn't love her family. But because she was too afraid of what the response would be if she went home. She was more afraid of having Emily say that they were over face-to-face than she was seeing it written on paper.

The divorce papers hadn't been a shock, but she had still felt blindsided. She knew that Emily had a habit of acting irrationally when she was hurt. Alison had that same habit. It's why they butted heads so heatedly sometimes.

Signing the papers had felt like the best thing at the time. She thought it would give Emily an out of her crazy life. She thought that signing was the best way to protect her and the girls. Because someone was after her. And she couldn't put Emily through another tragedy like the one they'd suffered in high school. She loved her too much. She loved her so much that she was willing to let her go. But it had still been very hard for her to write her name on the petition for divorce. She'd cried herself to sleep that night.

That felt like ages ago. It had been weeks since an unnamed assailant had started torturing her, Mona, and three of their students. The experiment had all come to a head when Mona had uncovered that Beacon Guard had been a beta test for a much bigger, much more nefarious experimentation put into motion by Claire Hotchkiss.

Her son had discovered what she was planning, but before he'd been able to do anything about it he'd been killed…by Claire's lover and partner, a professor of Psychology at the school who'd invested quite a pretty penny in the idea. The Professor wanted to see how far they could be pushed. But the oh-so-clever mastermind had been no match for Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal.

Everyone involved had been forbidden from talking about the case to anyone. The authorities had confiscated all of Alison's technology, including her phone. They needed it for the investigation into Claire Hotchkiss. Watching the police bag her phone up as evidence sparked something inside of Alison. She'd seen the little faces of her girls, Lily and Grace, through the foggy plastic, and even though she knew she would be getting it back eventually…she knew that the one thing she couldn't get back was time.

She'd gone out to Beacon Heights in search of what she'd told herself was a better life for her family. But the truth was, she'd gone in search of herself. And what she'd discovered while she was there was that she was who she was because of her family. She'd become the woman she was today with the love of her life, Emily Fields.

She watched as the Rosewood skyline inched closer through the window of the plane. She knew it was cliché, but she looked for her house…hoping to see a glimpse of the family she missed so much. She was just ready for her second longest plane ride to come to an end.

But once it did and she was in a taxi on the way to her house, she felt a pit of nerves in her stomach. She'd known Emily for over ten years, and she still gave Alison butterflies. She remembered how terrified she'd been when she'd first felt them…when Emily had kissed her library. Those were the memories she tried to hold on to as she rode to her house.

What did it mean to be divorced? She'd seen glimpses of Emily on Instagram, but she knew that was only a small portion of the big picture when it came to life. She couldn't begin to guess how different things would be when she walked up her driveway.

Was it still her driveway?

Emily had assured her it was. She'd told Alison she could always come home. But what did home mean without her family? They were still family, but Alison was afraid it wouldn't feel the same.

The second she heard her little girls giggling when she closed the cab door her fears dissipated. The sound of Lily and Grace laughing was her favorite sound in the world. She walked over to the side of the house.

"That's it! You've got it, Gracie!" She heard Emily's voice, and it sounded like home. Emily sounded like home.

It felt like she'd never left. She cautiously made her way over to the small play area that Jason had built for the twins. She looked around the corner and she saw Grace peddling a tricycle. Lily was toddling behind her, clapping in excitement.

"I'm doing it, Mama! Mama, look!" Grace exclaimed.

Alison felt tears spring to her eyes. These were the moments she'd missed…the moments that had kept her up at night in Beacon Heights.

"I see." Emily was holding her phone up, recording it.

Alison knew she was trying to capture all these moments for her, and it made her love the brunette with everything in her heart. Even with all of their squabbles, Emily still thought about Alison.

"I wanna try!" Lily ran over and tried to grab Grace's handle bars.

"Lily, you have your own, baby." Emily walked over towards the twins. "Here. Let me help you." She put her phone down and then helped Lily get settled on the tricycle. "There you go, munchkin." She kissed her head.

How could I ever have left them? Alison watched in wonderment. She'd had everything she could have possibly asked for with her family.

"Now what?" Lily looked up at Emily inquisitively.

"Now you just peddle your feet." Emily moved her hands down to the foot peddle and showed Lily what to do.

Seconds later she was riding after her sister. She let out a squeal of delight. Emily picked up her phone, ready to record again.

"Can we call Mommy? I want her to see!" Grace turned the tricycle around.

"Yeah, I miss her!" Lily followed Grace.

"Of course. She's going to be so proud." Emily nodded.

Both of the girls hopped off of their tricycles and rushed over to Emily's side, eagerly awaiting to hear their mother's voice. It had been so hard to try and get a set schedule with their Facetime chats. Half the time the girls were asleep or they were with Emily's mother while she was at work.

She hit the speed dial, but it went straight to voicemail. Alison couldn't take it anymore. She could see the disappointment on Emily's face. She moved out from her hiding place and started walking towards her family.

Emily heard the noise and instinctively pushed the twins behind her. She'd always been protective, but it had kicked into high gear after Alison left. She carried a lot of baggage from their high school days. She wasn't taking any chances with their children.

But when the creepy shadowy figure walked into view Emily realized it was the last person in the world who would ever harm their babies.

"Alison?" Emily dropped her phone in surprise.

"MOMMY!" Lily and Grace squealed in unison.

They rushed over to Alison. She leaned down to meet them and they leaped into her arms. Lily started to cry and Grace babbled over how much she had missed her. Alison hugged them tight.

"Oh, my girls." She kissed them. "My sweet girls. I missed you." She stood up, Grace on one hip and Lily on her other. They refused to let her go, and Alison was fine with that. She didn't want to let them go either. "Look at you." She peered between them. "You've gotten so big."

"Mama says it's because we eat our veggies."

"Have you been good for your Mama?" Alison asked.

She looked over at Emily, who was still shell-shocked. Alison felt the butterflies again. She couldn't tell what Emily was thinking. She'd never been able to read her very well. Her beautiful guarded enigma.

"Hi, Em." Alison smiled apprehensively.

"Hey." Emily smiled back, walking towards them. "I didn't realize you were in town."

"Just got here." Alison kissed Lily, then Grace. "I'm sorry I didn't call…"

"No. It's fine. It's your house, too." Emily still couldn't believe the blonde was back. She looked even more beautiful than she remembered. "It's so good to see you." Emily reached up and rubbed her arm.

It is? Alison thought to herself.

Maybe things wouldn't be so different after all.

Emily's fingers lingered against Alison's forearm. It was a touch she'd missed so dearly. She didn't realize how much she'd taken for granted.

Alison spent all afternoon and all night with her girls. They played, they told stories, they went on imaginary adventures, they ate dinner, and then it was time for bed. They were so exhausted that they didn't even make it all the way through their favorite bedtime story.

"I haven't seen them smile like that in months," Emily quietly walked up behind Alison as she was closing the twins' bedroom door. "Are they out?"

"Like a light." Alison peered through the cracked door. "God, I've missed them." She sighed.

"They've missed you, too."

Alison couldn't tear her eyes away from her daughters.

"They're growing up so fast. I feel like I've missed so much. But they're doing amazing. You're doing amazing. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"How do you manage to do it all?"

"It's not easy. But I look at them...and they smile and I realize it's all worth it. They're worth it."

Alison turned around and looked at Emily. She still looked as flawless as she had in high school. She hadn't aged a day. And her smile was still to die for. Her smile and her eyes. When she saw the soft expression on the brunette's face she remembered what it was that had made her fall in love with her in the first place. Alison had fallen head over heels for her…and she had waited way too long to admit that. She regretted that missed time. She regretted a lot of things.

"We should talk," Alison moved towards her. Falling back on old habits, she took Emily's hand.

She was pleasantly surprised that Emily didn't pull away. In fact, Emily gently gripped Alison's fingers in return. They wordlessly walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and out on to the front porch. The cool night air smelled so familiar to Alison. It was strange the things she'd missed while she was in Beacon Heights. But now that she was back home she could fully appreciate the aroma of the flowers in Emily's garden. She'd gotten the gardening bug from her mom. It was amazing to Alison that Emily had been able to keep it up while balancing her career, raising the girls, and everything else. She really was a Supermom.

Alison saw a tea set sitting on an end table next to two chairs on the porch.

"You must be worn out." Emily handed Alison a cup full of her favorite tea. "What did you do? Take a red-eye?"

"Left Portland at 2 AM." Alison nodded. She took a sip of her beverage. "Thank you."

"You just hopped on a red-eye on the spur of the moment?" Emily knew there was more to the story.

Alison sighed. Emily had always been able to see right through her. She wondered if Emily knew what she was thinking now. That she'd screwed up by leaving them. That she would give anything in her life to take back all the words she'd said in anger before she left. That she wished she'd burned the divorce papers the second they came in the mail.

"So much has happened. I don't even know where to begin." Alison admitted.

Emily saw the conflict on Alison's face. She saw a struggle within, and she sympathized. She hadn't gone through the exact same thing as Alison, but she understood a lot of her actions.

"Hey, you can tell me anything." Emily touched her arm. "That hasn't changed. That will never change."

"I missed you, Em." Alison said, her voice trembling.

"I missed you, too, Ali." She moved her palm up against Alison's shoulder and gently moved it to the side of her neck.

Something in the motion blew open the dam of emotions that Alison had been holding inside for months. She knew she wasn't supposed to talk about the case, but this was Emily. This was the mother of her children. She couldn't hide it from her. So she told her. She told her everything.

And Emily did what she always did. She listened. Compassionately. Unobjectively. She wrapped her arms around Alison as she cried. She held her tight. She let her know that she wasn't alone. She loved her in only the way Emily could love her.

Emily wiped away her tears. Alison managed to compose herself. She felt so at ease when she looked into Emily's eyes. She could see the reflection of the moon shining brightly in them.

"I know you're pissed. I would be so pissed if you had run off and…"

"I'm not." Emily shook her head. "I'm not mad at you, Alison." She sighed. "Do I wish you would have told me? Yes. But…I can't be angry at you for doing the exact same thing I would have done."

Alison stared at her in surprise. She expected outrage. She expected yelling and a chorus of "how could you's?" and "I trusted you's!" and instead, she got a cool and collected response. And understanding. Emily understood.

"You did what you thought was best for everyone," Emily glanced out at their yard. She was lost in thought, trying to take everything in. She took a step towards the porch railing, settling her hand against the finished wood. "You were trying to protect us. And those kids. And what you and Mona did probably saved lives. If you two hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened to them?" She nervously rubbed the railing. She hated thinking of Alison in that much danger.

Alison put her hand on top of Emily's to steady her. That's what they did for each other. They both knew what the other needed. It was more than just knowledge. It was love. It had taken a little bit of distance and a hell of a lot of growth for them to understand just what their love meant. But now it was undeniable.

"Emily…" Alison tried to get Emily to face her. Emily was still staring off into the distance. Alison could see tears in her eyes. And she feared the worst. "Em…look at me. Please..."

Emily lowered her head and sighed. Alison felt her heart drop into her stomach. This was it. This was where Emily told her it was over. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear the idea of living in a world without Emily by her side. Co-parenting was not the same as sharing an aching need for love, for closeness…intimacy. She needed Emily. And she was ready to fight for her. She would do whatever she needed to do to prove that her family would always come first.

"I didn't file them." Emily finally looked up. She had a teary-eyed smile on her face.

It took Alison a few seconds for her words to register.

The divorce papers.

"You…" Alison stuttered, "You didn't?"

Emily shook her head.

"Oh, Em…" She reached up to wipe away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. She thumbed away an eyelash underneath Emily's left eye.

"I couldn't." Emily admitted. "When I got them in the mail they went straight into the shredder."

Alison was completely floored. She thought for sure they had been irrevocably damaged beyond repair. She thought for sure this would break them. She should have known better. She should have known Emily better. There was no way the woman would ever give up on her, not after everything they'd been through together.

"What changed your mind?" Alison asked.

"Your e-mail."

Emily remembered crying when she opened the confirmation that Alison had signed the papers. But Alison's message to her about how hard it had been had cinched her decision not to file the divorce papers. She decided the very moment that Alison signed that she couldn't do it. She could feel the emotions jumping off of the screen at her when she got Alison's message.

"You avoided me for weeks. I thought it was just because you had moved on. I didn't realize it had been as hard for you as it was for me. After the way we left things, I just assumed…" Emily shook her head. "I shouldn't have assumed you would give up that easily. It was just easier to believe that you were giving up than for me to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't enough."

Alison gripped her cheek tightly and shook her head. She was angry at the assumption. Because by now Emily should know her worth. Had she not told her enough? Had she really not let Emily know how much she meant to her?

"How could you think that?" Alison huffed out a growl. "Emily, you were always more than enough."

"In an argument, when one party isn't there the other tends to make up the conversation in their head." Emily bit her lip. Alison hadn't seen her do that in years. This divorce had brought up tons of old insecurities, for both of them. "I had so much going through my mind when you left. I felt like I was being dragged down by an undercurrent and I couldn't get out of the rip tide. And I thought if I just swam down…it would be over and it wouldn't hurt anymore. But then I got that message and I realized that all this time...you were fighting so hard to keep us afloat. You weren't ready to let it go either. Feeling your pain was worse than mine. I couldn't stand the thought of you in pain. Your perseverance was just a reminder that what we have is stronger than any fight we've ever had."

Suddenly, all the little petty things fell away. Suddenly, all Alison could see was the good. She saw Emily encouraging her in the delivery room when she was in labor, assuring her she could do it when Alison felt like giving up. She saw Emily standing at the altar when they got married, silently encouraging her when she was sobbing too hard to get through her vows. She saw the warm kind way Emily greeted her every morning, even when they'd had a long night with two screaming newborns. She saw all the family dinners, the nights of passion, and the sweet little in-between moments where Emily would spontaneously give her flowers or call and leave her a voicemail telling her she loved her.

She was falling in love with her wife all over again.

"I know our relationship hasn't been easy. I know we've been through a lot, but we have been through too much for us to give up. Love is more than just the happily ever after." Emily paused in thought. "My mom told me that once, and I never fully understood it. But I get it now. Because I understand that the people who are truly right for one another go through the same amount of pain as everyone else, but they don't let it define them. They don't let it bring them down. They stand up. They fight for each other."

And no one fought for one another more than Alison DiLaurentis and Emily Fields.

Emily brushed a stray strand of Alison's hair away from her face, and Alison was putty in her hands.

"I know we fought a lot. I know it hasn't been easy. And I know that it doesn't make sense to people looking in from the outside. I know that a lot of people don't understand the way we work and they think we're wrong for one another. But none of that matters to me. Because they don't see what we see. They don't know what we know. And all I know…all I care about…is us. You. Me. Lily. Grace. We're a family, Ali. If the world was ending I would want to spend my last minutes with you. Because even when you're driving me immensely insane, I still can't stop loving you."

"You…" Alison choked out a sob of joy. "You still love me?"

"Of course I still love you. I never stopped."

Alison felt a wave of relief overtake her. She leaned forward until her forehead met Emily's. She wanted to memorize every second. She wanted to make every moment count. She didn't want to miss any more time with her wife.

Their lips met delicately at first, but then a stronger passion took over. Emily caressed the side of Alison's jaw as all of their emotions poured out of them and into their embrace.

The salty taste of their tears dissolved into a state of bliss. Being so close, being with one another again…it felt right. It felt like more than just a kiss. It felt like a new beginning. It was a chance for them to finally let go of the past and reconcile all of their pain. It was a new hope. The life they should have been living together. The life they had now.

When they pulled apart their eyes met. Neither one of them spoke at first. They were too busy trying to gather their emotions. Alison wrapped her arms around her wife.

She didn't file the papers.

She'd never felt such relief.

She held Emily closely. She'd missed the smell of her body. She'd missed the feel of her comforting embrace. She'd missed everything about her. She laid her head against Emily's shoulder and sighed.

"I want to come home." Alison's voice was quiet.

She felt Emily shift, and for a second she was afraid. She was afraid that Emily was going to say something to shatter this beautiful reality. She was afraid it was a dream.

But the brunette eased her mind when she moved her hand up and gently cupped her cheek. She lovingly looked into her eyes.

"You are home, Alison."

Home. In her arms. Alison fell into her embrace again. She couldn't be more in love with her if she tried. Alison had spent her entire life searching for something she had right in front of her the whole time. She grew up thinking that she was broken. Too broken to be fixed. But she wasn't broken. Not with Emily. Her family completed her in a way that nothing else could.

She had spent years searching for a surrogate home, a surrogate family to escape her parents. And now, she had that. She had that home in her wife and her children. She'd been walking around with her eyes closed, and they had only been opened up the second she realized what she stood to lose. She wasn't sure about anything else in her life, but the one thing she was sure about was the fact that she was never going to leave again.

Alison DiLaurentis-Fields was home. She was with her family. She was where she belonged.

END

A/N: Edited to add: I am so very thankful to the Emison fandom allowing me to play with their favorite PLL characters. And I'm beyond thankful to the cast, crew, and creators of PLL. In my insomnia-infused sleep deprivation I forgot to put that out there before I posted. Love this fandom. Be nice to one another. Thanks, as always, for reading. Maybe one day I'll actually find a place in Hollywood.