Emison

Emison is the femslash ship between Emily Fields and Alison DiLaurentis from the Pretty Little Liars fandom.

Canon
Emily and Alison first met in High School, and the pair were fast friends after Alison recruited Emily in her group of friends. Emily always had a crush on Alison but never allowed herself to accept those feelings. However, Alison always had a suspicion that Emily was gay and often teased her about it. Alison flirted with her, asked her to do things that she knew would mean a lot to Emily, and made remarks about Emily's feelings for other girls. One day after school, Emily found Alison in the library reading, "Great Expectations". Alison read a section of the book to Emily that was about loving someone without reason or promise. They shared a long gaze before Emily kissed her for the first time. The never talked about the kiss after that.

They continued being friends, and Emily dated fellow swimmer Ben, but Alison disapproved and frequently told her to break-up with him despite Emily's resistance. One day after gym class, the girls were getting changed when Alison asked Emily to fasten her bra for her. Emily did, but also moved Alison's hair aside and kissed her on the neck. A shocked Alison told a hurt Emily that she wasn't into her - that she liked boys, and that the kisses that they shared were practice for the "real thing". This hurt Emily deeply and angered her, but things didn't change that much between the pair, especially Alison's teasing.

On September 1, 2009, Alison visited Emily at her house and gifted her a snowglobe. She told Emily that the globe was very special, and asked her not to tell the other girls about it since she didn't get anything for them. This meant a lot to Emily, who kept the globe safe in her room. Alison also admitted that out of all the girls, Emily was the only one who she felt she could be honest with and that understood her the most. That night at a sleepover in the woods, Alison went missing much to the shock of Emily and the other girls.

Two-years passed, and Emily learned that Alison's body had finally been discovered by the police and that Alison had been murdered. Emily and her friends also started receiving threatening texts from a person named, "A", who Emily feared was actually Alison due to a message that revealed hinted at their kiss. Emily later started to date a girl named Maya, who helped her realize that she was gay and that her feelings for Alison ran deeper than just friendship. Emily admitted this to her friends and said that she never had the chance to tell Alison that she loved her as more than a friend before she died.

One day, "A" trapped Emily in a barn with a running car and almost killed her. However, someone dragged Emily out and saved her life. When Emily awoke her head was in Alison's lap, and Emily was shocked to see her. Alison admitted that she knew who the mysterious stalker "A" was, but refused to tell Emily as it wasn't safe yet. She also told her that out of all the girls, Emily was always her favorite, and that no one loved her as much as she did. She then gave Emily a choice - to stay in Rosewood or to come with her. Ali then leaned over and kissed her, moments before Emily's eyes closed. When she awoke again, she was surrounded by her friend with no sign of Alison, leaving her to question if it was a dream or real.

The girls continued to search for Alison's true killer, which Emily feared was herself for a while but then learned that it wasn't. She also started to suspect that Alison was really alive again after she witnessed a blonde in a red coat who watched her from a distance several times. When Emily was about to be sawed in half by "A", the girl in the red coat, who was later revealed to be Alison, saved Emily. With Alison revealed to be alive (or at least highly suspected to be), Emily realized that the kiss they shared after Alison saved her from the barn was real. After this, Alison visited Emily in her room but Emily was angered by the fact that Alison had been alive the entire time and didn't tell her. Emily also admitted to no longer being able to see the good in Alison, and a few minutes later, Alison left the room. When Emily woke the next morning, her bedroom window was open, which meant that Alison had really been there.

The next day, Shana Fring, a mutual friend to the pair, admitted to Emily that Alison was alive and wanted to see her. As proof of Ali being alive, Shana recited what Alison had told Emily when she saved her in the barn. Emily then went to meet Alison that night, and the two shared a tearful embrace, finally reunited once more. Emily begged her to come home and that they could figure out the rest later, but Alison refused due to "A" still being on the loose. Spencer Hastings arrived then and scared Alison off, which deeply angered Emily and caused a deep break in the pair's friendship.

After Alison finally returned to Rosewood and her disappearance was explained to the police, the pair started to rebuild their friendship. Emily was unsure of her true feelings for Alison, if she liked her romantically or not, especially now that everything had settled. However, Emily continued to help Alison integrate back into society and even make peace with some of her old enemies and victims. Alison then admitted to Emily that the kisses they shared all those years ago, weren't just for practice, and apologized for making Emily feel as if her feelings were one-sided when they weren't. The pair also made-out in Alison's bed and possibly had sex for the first time, although this was never confirmed. Their fling was short-lived when Mona Vanderwaal edited a video that made Alison look like a bully again, and painted Mona as the victim. Emily believed that it was edited, but was angry that Alison didn't tell her what really happened the night of the confrontation.

Alison's fabricated abduction story than started to unravel, which forced all of the girls into trouble. Emily tried to get Alison to tell the truth about not really being kidnapped, but Ali ultimately couldn't and accidentally identified her alleged "kidnapper", who she had recognized from her time on the run. She also accidentally identified the place she was allegedly held. Alison tried to explain to Emily that she recognized the place from her time on the run and that she had been assaulted there, but Emily refused to listen to her story. Infuriated and hurt, Emily ended both their romantic and friendly relationship.

Emily and the Liars were then lead to believe that Alison was "A" and that she had murdered Mona, which both infuriated and disappointed Emily. She helped cover-up any evidence that could prove Alison's innocence and helped the police put Alison in prison. Emily was shattered and guilt-ridden when she learned that Alison was innocent, and after Ali's trial started, Emily worked tirelessly to prove Alison's innocence and find the real killer. She apologized to Alison a number of times, even after Ali told her that it wasn't her fault, but begged her to get her out of the prison. Emily and the Liars failed and were arrested as accomplices to the murder, and later kidnapped by the real "A". The girls went missing for weeks, and Alison was soon released after the police learned of the kidnapping. She then worked with Toby and Caleb to find Emily and the other girls, and ultimately saved Emily from the Dollhouse. The pair then formed a close bond and unbreakable friendship, with past sins being forgiven. They supported one another through their many difficulties and obstacles and worked together to find out "A's" real identity.

Five-years-later, Emily, and the other Liars returned to Rosewood per Alison's request. Alison asked Emily and the other girls to help her bring her sister, Charlotte DiLaurentis (also known as A), home from Welby State Psychiatric Facility. Emily was conflicted by ultimately did what Alison wanted, despite her better judgment. The next day, Charlotte was murdered which devastated Alison but caused the pair to grow even closer. A few weeks passed and the women had seemed to pick-up their friendship where it left off. Alison then revealed her relationship with Charlotte's former doctor, Elliot Rollins, which surprised Emily as she had never heard of him before.

Ali later, in the heat of the moment, married Elliot and left days later on their honeymoon. When she returned she started to experience hallucinations such as her deceased mother and Darren Wilden, which terrified her. Emily supported her until Alison admitted that she didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore, and needed help. Emily helped her check into Welby State Psychiatric Facility, but not before she asked Alison if she was sure about this. Emily tried to convince Alison to wait it out until Elliot returned, but Alison decided against it and said goodbye and checked into the hospital. Emily visited Alison as often as she could and checked on her every day until Elliot informed her that Alison's condition had worsened and that she had suffered a complete psychotic break. Emily instantly suspected foul play and that "A.D." had their hands in Welby as well. She even recruited wild-card and unpredictable Mary Drake to help her prove it. Emily later managed to involve all her friends in their search for evidence against Elliot, whom they believed had poisoned Alison. Emily then helped rescue a kidnapped Alison from Elliot who they thought was going to kill her, and helped bury him in the woods after they accidentally killed him.

Emily later learned that Elliot Rollins was a fake identity and that the man Alison "married" was Archer Dunhill. Due to him lying about his name, Alison's marriage to Archer was ruled fraudulent. Alison leaned on Emily for support and opened up to her about her fears and true feelings, and Emily was there for her. One night, Emily stayed over at Alison's due to Hanna and Caleb's reconciliation. It was here that Alison suddenly admitted to Emily that she was pregnant with Archer's child and that she was terrified of what the child meant. Emily instantly comforted her and told her that she didn't have to make any decisions about the child now. Alison expressed that she was alone but Emily assured her that she wasn't as she was here for her always.

Later in the night, the pair watched a movie when Alison started to cry at the thought of being forced to start a family. Emily comforted Alison, who then attempted to kiss her but Emily pulled away. Emily explained that she knew that Alison was vulnerable at the moment, but Ali assured her that wasn't why she wanted to kiss her. The two then share a passionate kiss and awoke the next morning snuggled up to one another, with Alison's head on Emily's chest. After that, Alison grew cold and hard towards everyone - especially Emily, who she was territorial over one minute and fighting with the next. When confronted, Emily forced her to admit that she was scared of having the child of a man she didn't even know, was overwhelmed, and didn't want to lose anyone - especially Emily. Emily realized that Alison only kissed her the other night so that she wouldn't leave, something that Alison admitted might be true but wasn't sure. This caused a distancing in their relationship, and Emily became less of a romantic interest and more of a friend.

It wasn't until A.D. forced Alison to finally play their twisted game, that Alison learned the truth about her pregnancy. That the baby she carried wasn't her and Archer's, but Emily's and someone else's. When Emily had donated her eggs A.D. was the one who stole them. They then fertilized the eggs and had a doctor inseminate Alison with the fertilized egg while she was drugged in Welby. The revelation caused everything to change, as Alison was originally going to have an abortion, but canceled it after she told Emily the truth. Both women were hurt and confused, but Alison told Emily that it was up to her what would happen to the child. While Emily felt that it wasn't her choice due to her not carrying the child, Alison assured her that it was. After a few days, Emily asked Alison to have the baby which surprised Alison at first, but she ultimately agreed. Both women finally accepted the pregnancy and supported one another.

One night, Paige snuck into Alison's house and managed to get her to admit her feelings for Emily. The next day, Alison admitted to Emily that she loved her and wanted to raise their child as a family - together. They kissed and their relationship became official for the first time. After the game was finished and "A.D." decided to leave town once and for all, Emily and Alison stayed in Rosewood to raise their twin daughters, Lily and Grace DiLaurentis-Fields. Alison proposed to Emily a year later, and Emily happily accepted.

Fanon
The relationship between Emily and Alison was donned Emison by fans and showrunners after the first season. The ship was hugely popular, especially in the shows later seasons. The ships popularity lead to official Emison sweatshirts to be released, followed by other forms of Emison merchandise.

The fandom was never quiet about their feelings about Emison which often lead to major ship-wars and disputes in the fandom. The war was mainly between the Paily shippers, who felt that Emison was antagonistic and unhealthy, and the Emison shippers. The war raged mainly during Season 4 and 5 before it eventually simmered down. It wasn't until the shows final season that the war erupted again when Emison started forming a romance just when Paige returned to Rosewood. After the series aired and Emison becoming endgame, the fandom settled and has been relatively quiet. Many even hope for an Emison reunion in the Pretty Little Liars spin-off, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, which stars Alison.

Trivia

 * The actresses who play Emison, Sasha Pieterse and Shay Mitchell, both openly ship Emison and are big supports of the ship.
 * The actresses who play them are close friends off-screen, and some even ship the actresses together.