Emily: "Satan. Satin. Satan. Satin. Another demonic connection."
Mary: "Em?"
Emily: "No one ever shows up until I start talking to myself. Do I broadcast some sort of signal?"
Mary: "What's going on? Why are you hiding in here?"

Emily paused. Things had changed more than she thought possible in the space of less than a year. So much had been broken, torn apart and left to die; yet somehow the friendship she shared with this woman in front of her had only managed to become stronger. There was no reason to hide anything, no reason to pretend that things were perfect when they were everything but.

Emily: "I really fucked things up, Mary."
Mary: "I did sort of help you tackle the priest-"
Emily: "I don't mean that. I meant with Tristan."
Mary: "What are you talking about?"

Emily: "He's always been there, you know? Everything else just sort of melts away when he's around. I've been in love with him for so long, but… I'm so scared."
Mary: "Why? What happened?"
Emily: "Last night, after Tristan dropped me off… we almost slept together, Mary."
Mary: "What?"
Emily: "I panicked. I told him I wasn't ready for any kind of relationship, that I would never be ready. I pushed him away again!"

Mary: "Oh Emily…"
Emily: "It's not fair! Why can't I be happy? Don't I deserve it just as much as the next person? Did I do something horrible and now I'm being punished? I didn't know I was such a terrible person!"
Mary: "Emily, shh… it's ok. You're not a bad person! What exactly happened?"
Emily: "I'm not sure I should go into detail, it's a bit personal."

Mary: "I mean why did you push him away? Did he do something?"
Emily: "Nothing I didn't want him to. That's just it-- it's not him at all. I'm just so fucked up in the head right now. I'm utterly convinced that if I let myself get into another relationship that the same things are just going to happen again and again. First Ian, then Andy… I can't do this again, I can't go through the hurt and humiliation anymore."
Mary: "You were young and Ian was charming. You got yourself out of there on your own, you should be proud."
Emily: "Proud. Right. Proud that I had to bleed before I would go."
Mary: "You also got his ass thrown in jail."

Emily: "Only because Andy installed that alarm system. He played me at every step."
Mary: "What Stone did to you was out of your control. You had no way of knowing what he was planning. What sane person does those things?"
Emily: "But how many times did you warn me that he was no good?"

Mary: "I lost count around eleventy billion, but that doesn't matter. He's good at manipulation, he was sure to make me look completely bat shit crazy. To you, he was nothing short of perfect."
Emily: "Why did I let him do it, Mary?"
Mary: "Oh Em…"

Emily: "So, what? Am I destined to be alone now? What happens if I freak out and try to push you away, too?"
Mary: "Oh please, you know me better than that by now. I won't take any of that crap from you."
Emily: "That no good son of a bitch took everything I was and smashed it to pieces. He broke my dreams, Mary! I showed him my soul and he used it as a toy before throwing me away like a piece of trash. He ruined me! He ruined my future!"

Emily's voice broke off in a strangled wail, months of anger and rage releasing in an outpouring of choked tears. She wanted to lash out, to cause pain and draw blood. Instead, she collapsed into a crumpled mass of garish pink taffeta, her disgust and anguish spilling over.

Mary sat beside her quietly, a silent presence offering whatever strength she could. She didn't speak until Emily's wracking sobs subsided.

Mary: "If you don't tell Tristan how you feel, if you let this pass you by, you're just letting Stone win. You don't want to give that miserable bastard the satisfaction of seeing you ruined. I know that you've got a lot of pain to deal with, but I honestly think you and Tristan are weirdly destined."
Emily: "I'm so scared, Mary. I don't think I can trust anything anymore."
Mary: "Listen to me, this isn't who you want to be. I've seen changes in you, huge changes. You've taken charge in every other part of your life but this one. I don't know why, but I know in my soul that you can trust Tristan. You know he loves you; it's obvious to everyone. This is a no-brainer, Em. Go to him, now. Just tell him. You don't have to be in a relationship, but he needs to know how you feel. The band just finished playing a set, I think I saw him go off into one of the little break rooms near the reception hall."

Mary stood up and held out a hand to Emily, helping her to her feet.

Mary: "You deserve this."