66 - Sammy's New Dog

"You still haven't given Noel his Scooby-Doo leash back?" Emily voiced questioningly as she hooked the purple leash to Pepe's black collar, directing her gaze at Alison, who was busy locking her front door.

The seasons were now changing, and the day of the charity race was, fortunately, a comfortable spring day. The grass in the DiLaurentis' front lawn was growing higher than Jessica would've liked it to, but Jason had promised to mow it when he was coming over for dinner the next day.

The blonde finished up and turned to her girlfriend with a semi-embarrassed expression. "He said I could keep it," she shrugged lightly. She descended the front porch's steps and bent down to Pepe's level, ruffling his rich fur, a pleased smile taking over her face once he wiggled his tail.

Emily's phone beeped in her pocket and she fished it out as Pepe sprawled across the grass, Alison shaking her head playfully at him as she scratched his stomach. "Spencer's already there, we should get going," Emily announced as she read the text the other brunette had sent her.

Alison scoffed quietly, "Oh please, Spencer's early for everything. She was once so early to history class, that Mrs. Gillard thought she had no friends and offered her to see the guidance counselor."

Emily laughed lightheartedly, nodding, "That definitely sounds like our Spencer. But, if we don't leave now, we're going to be late, so come on." The brunette held out her free hand for Alison to grab, which she did, and the two - and Pepe - began walking down the street that led them to the town square, where the starting line was placed.

X-X-X-X-X

They arrived at the starting point of the event, spotting their friends all hanging around a nearby bench, each of them sporting workout clothes of all sorts, just like them, except they were all already in the blue shirts with the charity logo that were handed at the sign-in table. Spencer, Hanna, Caleb and Ezra were sitting on the bench in varying degrees of enthusiasm, while Toby and Aria were looking around at the various animals, adoringly capturing them doing different random things with their cameras.

Alison went off to sign both of them and receive their shirts while Emily took Pepe's leash and headed in the direction of her friends.

"Hey, guys," Emily began with a genial smile, taking a seat on the grass in front of the bench, "are you excited?"

"Spencer's kind of excited," Hanna pointed lazily towards the brainy brunette, who rolled her eyes in response. Hanna shrugged, "Ezra and Caleb too, I guess. But mostly, I just can't believe I was dragged here in this far too ungodly hour."

"It's four-thirty in the afternoon," Spencer frowned in protest, leaning over to pet Pepe as he melted into her touch.

"Bite me, Hastings."

"Come on, Han, aren't you a little bit endeared? With all these cute animals around you?" Emily asked.

Hanna simply shrugged again.

"Ignore her," Caleb shook his head. "She's moody because she found out there are no rabbits here."

Emily chuckled quietly, causing her best friend to glare in surprise at her. "Don't laugh at me," Hanna hissed, throwing her hairband at Emily, who expertly caught it with one hand and threw it back into the blonde's lap. "I really thought I would get to have my own rabbit," the usually-bubbly sighed sadly.

A hand on Emily's shoulder made her look up, finding her girlfriend in the familiar blue shirt. "Let's go, they're about to start," she tilted her head towards the starting line, where people began to gather. She handed Emily her own charity shirt and the brunette slipped it on easily.

Emily stood up and turned to walk away, but then turned back, extending her hand to Hanna, who unwillingly grabbed it and used it in order to get up.

"It's okay, Han," Emily assured her as they walked, wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulders, "we'll get you a rabbit another day. And a little clock for him to carry."

Hanna cracked a small smile, hugging her best friend right back.

The eight of them and Pepe stood at the white starting line, which had been placed on the road right next to The Brew. The organizers of the event had closed off many streets in the town so that the runners could have a clear route of the 5k.

There were lots of people around them, and Emily guessed that some of them must've come from nearby towns to Rosewood in order to attend this event. Besides, it was a beautiful day, and she felt as though the charity couldn't have picked a better day to execute this event.

A tug on her arm caused her to look down. She noticed Pepe had walked a little farther away from her, which was why his leash was beginning to pull her in his direction. She stepped closer, watching as the dog approached another dog, who had a pink bow on its collar. The small blond boy who was holding the other dog's leash watched in amazement as the two dogs sniffed each other curiously.

Emily came closer, momentarily abandoning her friends and girlfriend behind. She crouched down to a lower level, patting Pepe's rich fur. "Hi there," she greeted the small boy with a welcoming smile. He lifted his gaze to her, and gave her a hesitant grin in return.

"Hi," he answered back, then looked around as if searching for his guardian.

"I think my dog likes your dog," Emily said in a friendly voice, then chuckled. "Well, technically, he's not mine, he's my girlfriend's, but he's practically my best friend."

"Paulina's not mine, either," he answered shyly, walking closer and running his small hand on the golden retriever's fur. "She's from the charity," he explained.

"Oh," Emily stated in comprehension, "are you thinking about adopting her?"

"I-If my mommy agrees," he giggled, letting his hand now pat Pepe's fur, who was leaning into his touch and wagging his tail.

"I didn't get your name. I'm Emily," she reached out a hand politely.

"I'm Sam, but you can call me Sammy," he mistook her gesture and high fived her instead, which she was perfectly okay with.

"Nice to meet you, Sammy," she smiled at the adorable boy.

Their chat was cut off when a person wearing a shirt with the charity's logo picked up a megaphone nearby, declaring, "Alright, folks, we're about to start in just a few moments."

"It was nice to meet you too, lady!" Sammy shouted at her with an enthusiastic smile, reaching out his tiny fist.

Emily got the hint and bumped his little fist with a chuckle, watching as he excitedly ran away with Paulina. She shook her head with a grin, and pulled Pepe's leash for him to follow her back to where her friends were standing. "Come on, buddy," she encouraged.

She returned to her girlfriend and waited for the gun to fired so they could start running. When it did, the eight of them began jogging at a relatively slow pace, since the many people at the starting line disabled the possibility of running any faster. It was more like walking, really, but they were simply saving up energy. Alison, Hanna and Aria were by far the worst, though, as the three were barely at a walking pace behind the members of their group, chatting endlessly.

When they were at the middle or so, Alison jogged a bit faster in order to catch up with Emily. "Hi babe," she smiled at the brunette.

Emily grinned back at her, intertwining their fingers. "Having fun?" she asked.

"Sure," the blonde answered, "but I think Hanna is suffering. Some man bumped into her earlier, and Aria and I had to pretty much restrain her from giving him brain damage. If only they had rabbits here..."

Emily chuckled, rolling her eyes. She peered behind her, where Hanna was now jogging along with Caleb, giggling at something he said. "I think she's fine now," she remarked in amusement.

"Guys," Aria called out to them. She was walking backward, with her front to them, pointing her camera at the two. "Smile!" she prompted, bringing her camera closer to her eye in order to capture the 'perfect angle'. They paused their running for a moment, careful not disturb any other attendees, and Alison wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, squishing their cheeks together, causing Emily to laugh, which made for the perfect photo in Aria's opinion.

"Wait up, paparazzi!" Hanna's voice appeared behind them. She joined Alison's side and Caleb went to stand next to Emily.

"Say cheese!" Aria said as she lifted the camera, which caused them all to smile for the photo. She snapped a few pictures, then gave them a thumbs up.

"Well, I feel neglected and discriminated," Spencer grumbled as she approached, crossing her arms in betrayal with a pointed look at them.

"Oh, get in here, Spence," Hanna laughed in amusement, opening her arms for her friend, pulling the no-longer-disgruntled girl into her arms.

"You too, Toby-Wan Kenobi," Alison called out playfully, getting a dreamy smile from Emily for using a reference from one of her favorite movies. The swimmer still remembered the time she had cornered Alison in her room and forced her to sit through at least one Star Wars movie with her. The blonde had reluctantly agreed, and throughout the month afterwards, they ended up watching all nine movies, much to the brunette's pleasure.

"And bring Supertramp with you," Alison added, causing Hanna to cackle.

"Would you please tell these unkind strangers to come up with a better nickname?" he pleaded to his girlfriend, walking over huffily to the group.

"Sorry, babe," she shrugged in apology, kissing him on the cheek, "I would, but it's pretty funny."

Ezra shook his head in helplessness, as he joined the spot next to Toby, careful not to step on Pepe's tail, which was sprawled on the road since the dog was obediently sitting next to Emily's feet.

Aria lifted her expensive camera, preparing to take the photo, "Alright, you guys, it seems that we're going to come in last to the finish line as it is, so-"

"Wait, Ar, you have to be in the picture too," Spencer protested and the rest nodded in agreement.

Aria rolled her eyes playfully, turning the camera around in her hands before stepping backward so she was slightly in front of the group. She reached her arms high in order to capture everyone.

Aria hesitated, "Uh, I don't think everyone's in the frame-"

"Oh, for God's sake, Supertramp, go over there and help your girl," Hanna groaned. "It's getting really hot in here and there's freaking lemonade at the finish line."

Aria pouted and handed her camera to Ezra, who gave her a supportive smile. Hanna pulled her into a side hug, facing the camera. "We love you, Ar. All of you. Which, technically, isn't a lot, but-"

"Shut up, Han," the four other girls said in unison.

Hanna laughed as they turned to look at the camera. She tickled Aria's sides a bit in order to get her to smile for the photo, and after it was taken, the small brunette slapped her hand away, playfully this time, but hugged her properly all the same.

They eventually sped up their pace in order to catch up with the rest of the people. However, it was more tiring than running in a turtle pace, which led to the three girls who were in the back beforehand to pant uneasily once they were close to the end. Sure, Alison was also an athlete like Spencer and Emily, but she hadn't thought she would actually have to put this much effort into this 5k, which caused her to be even more tired.

"Em," Alison groaned by her girlfriend's side, "why did I ever agree to do this?"

Emily laughed humorously, "Because you love me."

"Ugh, damn it. You're right," she answered through a grunt, as if it was painful to say.

Emily glanced at her for a few moments, suddenly getting an idea.

"Toby, can you grab Pepe for a second?" Emily asked, and Alison turned to look at her inquiringly.

"Sure," their friend answered, taking Pepe's leash from her hand and running along with the overly-enthusiastic creature.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Alison asked her.

Emily gently grabbed Alison's forearm, bringing her to a halt. She stopped in front of her with her back to the blonde and bent down slightly, stating, "Come on, beautiful. Hop on."

"Are you serious?" Alison chuckled in amazement.

Emily looked over her shoulder. "One hundred percent," she smiled cutely, looking straight into the blonde's eyes.

Alison shook her head, placing her hands on top of Emily's shoulders as the brunette turned her head back to the front. "You brought this on yourself, baby," she uttered, before hopping onto Emily's back, allowing the girl to carry her by the back of her thighs. She wrapped her arms loosely around Emily's neck from behind, feeling secure in the tight hold.

"Happy to do it, Ali," the brunette responded lightheartedly, sounding like it took zero to no effort to carry Alison, which made the blonde swoon. She knew her frame was smaller than Emily's, but her girlfriend lifted her like she was some sort of stuffed animal.

"Thank you, Em. You're just the best," Alison said quietly, leaning forward slightly to drop a kiss on Emily's cheek. She didn't have to look at her girlfriend's face to see that she had some intense blush on her cheeks.

By this point, they weren't running anymore, though it took them only slightly longer to finish the track due to Emily's long legs.

They chatted aimlessly until the finish line, where some of the 5k organizers gave them a dirty look for stalling for no reason, but they didn't care.

They finally walked over to their friends and the eight of them decided to take a seat on the grass in the middle of the town square. Alison tiredly lay down with her head in Emily's lap as the brunette sat with her legs out, with her arms holding her up.

Emily was closing her eyes under Hanna's black sunglasses that she'd burrowed, just taking the time to relax, while Aria showed Alison the pictures she took.

"Emily! Emily!"

Her eyes opened to catch an overzealous blond little boy coming her way, holding the leash to a golden retriever with a pink bow on her collar. Alison sat up curiously.

"Hey, buddy," Emily smiled at him, removing the glasses and placing them on the ground. "What's up?"

"Emily! These glasses cost a fortune, you hoe," Hanna tsked her tongue disapprovingly and snatched the pair of sunglasses, wiping them with her shirt.

"Hanna!" Aria smacked her arm lightly, watching anxiously to see if the boy had heard her comment.

The bubbly blonde gave a half-assed, "Sorry, kid," not removing her eyes from cleaning her sunglasses.

The boy seemed undisturbed by the whole ordeal, which, kind of concerned Emily. "My mommy said I could adopt Paulina!" he said excitedly, hugging the furry creature close to him.

"Really? That's great, Sam," she gave him a high five which he returned enthusiastically.

He looked around at her friends for a second. "Is this the one your dog belongs to? Is that your girlfriend?" he pointed innocently at Alison, who looked at the stranger kid in shock, wondering how he knew that.

Emily chuckled, "It is. Sammy, meet Alison, Ali, this is Sammy. I met him earlier when his adorable dog became friends with Pepe."

"Nice to meet you," Alison gave him a surprisingly soft smile, which he immediately returned.

"Sammy? Where are you, sweetie, we need to get home!" an older woman called out nearby, which could only mean she was Sammy's mother, Emily assumed.

"Over here, mommy!" he shouted in return, still not calm from his high after getting a new dog. Emily couldn't help but think it the cutest and most lovable thing in the world. Well, the second most lovable. The first would have to be every single time Alison got drunk or loopy on anesthesia.

"Look, mom, this is my friend, Emily," he pointed proudly at the brunette as the woman approached.

"Hi, there," the woman shook Emily's hand politely.

"You have a great kid," Emily stated, watching as a satisfied grin made its way to the woman's lips. Every parent loved hearing compliments about their child, after all.

"Well, thank you, that's very nice of you to say," she replied, then bent down to Sammy's level. She adjusted his shirt and handed him his Bob the Builder backpack. "It's time for us to go, honey. Say goodbye to your friend."

Sammy glanced at Emily uncertainly, then skipped over to her and wrapped her in his small arms. She hugged him back for a few moments, surprised.

After Sammy and his mother walked away with the brand new addition to their family, the group returned to what they were doing. Which was basically nothing.

"You have your way with kids, Em," Alison said in a hazy voice, dropping her head on Emily's shoulder.

Emily wrapped her arm around Alison and pulled her closer. She did have a way with kids, she guessed. And when she looked down at the blonde who once again closed her eyes in bliss, she knew one day it would come in handy.