AN: I'm sorry that this took so long... But it was Finals week, and school takes priority over fanfiction. I don't especially like this chapter, but every once in a while, you need a filler. Possibly. I'll try to put more Ethan into the next one...

"This can't be happening. Is this happening? No, it can't be happening."

Sutton rolled her eyes, lounging on her sister's bed. "Emma, shut up. It's happening."

"But it can't be!"

"But it is. So can you shut your mouth and jump into the car so we can go shopping now?"

Emma turned to Sutton and suddenly, jumped on her with a tackle hug. She pulled her twin sister close and just squeezed the living crap out of her in a way that was very directly reminiscent of Kristen's bear hug. "Thank you." She finally said when she had released her twin.

"For what? And what the hell was that?" Sutton asked, trying to smooth out her hair and clothes at the same time.

"That was for helping me… I know that we haven't gotten along, but it really means so much to me that you were willing to do this." Emma managed to stammer out.

Sutton raised an eyebrow at her fumbling sister. "I think you're forgetting that I didn't want to do this in the first place."

Emma grinned at her sister in a very off-putting way. Her smile was so wide, in fact, that Sutton wondered for a split second if her face at ever looked like it was about to split in two. "I'm not stupid, Sutton. I know that if you really didn't want this to happen, you would have found some way to sabotage it. And, not only did you not do that, you also helped a lot, so… Thanks. Really."

Sutton sighed dramatically, a slow grin spreading across her face as she examined her nails. "Well, I suppose it is nice to have my sister actually in the same house as me without having to run away at the first sign of my parents."

Their eyes met and suddenly, they were in another hug, this one completely awkward, yet warm and loving in all the right (sisterly) ways. They pulled away from it quickly, neither one really used to sisterly hugs yet, but they were both grinning, which Emma took as a good sign for their relationship.

"Am I really going to be adopted?" Emma asked a few minutes later, as they were both looking through Sutton's closet for something for Emma to wear.

"Hmm… I think so. Why?" Sutton asked, pulling out a light blue, summery dress that she held up to Emma before shaking her head and putting it back only to begin digging around once more.

"Well, I just don't want to get my hopes up." Emma answered.

"What do you mean?" Sutton asked, holding up a black blouse that she immediately thrust at Emma, along with a knee length gray pencil skirt. "Get dressed."

Emma did so, taking care to change carefully so Sutton wouldn't see her… They had the same body, sure, but she doubted that Sutton had so many scars. "They can't actually want to adopt me within minutes of meeting me… I mean, what if I'm a serial killer or something?"

"Are you?"

"No, but they don't know that." Emma answered, pulling on the skirt before spinning around and showing the combo to Sutton, who nodded in approval.

"You look good, and yes, they do know that. I don't just call anyone my twin, you know. I have standards."

"Well, yeah, maybe I'm not a serial killer… But they don't know that I don't have some major problems. After all, I've been in the system all my life. What if I've developed multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia?"

Sutton gave her twin a weird look. "I'm pretty sure we would know if you were schizophrenic… I mean, I've been around you a lot, and so far you haven't started any conversations with fruit."

"But your parents don't know that I haven't!"

Sutton snorted suddenly. "The way my dad was looking at that apple, he would be a hypocrite if you had."

"But… What if they decide that I'm not good enough?" Emma asked after a moment, quietly.

"Are you serious right now?" Sutton snapped, searching her twin's face for the truth. "Oh my god, you are, aren't you. Emma, my parents have never liked me better than when they thought you were me. Seriously. They're going to love you, the real you. I promise."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Now get in the car already, we're going shopping." Sutton commanded, grinning.

"What about this?" Kristen asked, holding up a bedding set of two pillowcases, and bed sheets that were in a pretty dark blue shade that reminded Emma of the fake sapphire ring her foster mother had worn often.

"Oh, God, Mom. No." Sutton groaned, instead holding up white sheets with a twisting green pattern on them. "These are much better, right Emma?"

Emma smiled awkwardly at Kristen. "I kind of like Sutton's more, but the ones you picked out were really pretty too."

The blonde woman sighed and lowered the bedding set. "Yeah, I know… They were horrible. We should just hire interior decorators and get it over with, but it just wouldn't be homey, you know?"

Emma grinned at her. "Yeah, I get it. Plus, there's got to be some sort of satisfaction that comes from picking it all out yourself."

"Wiser words were never spoken." Mrs. Mercer smiled.

"Okay," Sutton announced as she dumped a few decorative pillows into their shopping basket. "We're done. Seriously. Now, let's take all this out to the car, and then go shopping for more important things."

"More important things?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow while examining the multiple pillows that her twin just dumped into the cart.

"Clothes," Came the answer in a very 'duh' tone. "You can't just keep borrowing mine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Emma grinned, realizing how much she had actually been borrowing her sister's clothes.

"Well, I suppose you don't want me tagging along for this process… Here," Kristen said, reaching into her purse and taking out a credit card. "Take this."

"Thanks Mom!" Sutton grinned before grabbing Emma's arm and running off.

Emma just managed to yell out a thank you before she was completely out of sight of Kristen.

"And you'll need some lingerie too, just in case you manage to sneak off with Ethan again." Sutton continued listing, pointing to the map of the mall. "So, we'll go there after the dress shop. Sound like a plan?"

Emma just looked at her wide-eyed. "I'm pretty sure your mom didn't want you to completely max out the card and put your family into debt."

"If she didn't, she would have said so."

They continued to the dress shop, and, as Emma was browsing through the dresses, trying with all of her might to ignore the tags on them that broadcasted just how many small countries they were worth, Sutton was dumping piles of them left and right, only deciding that none of them were cute after she made a huge mess.

"Hmm… You know what? Nothing in here is really that great. Here's the card, if you see something you like, buy it. Meanwhile, I am going to go to the bathroom." Sutton grinned at her, forking over the card before walking away from the huge mess she had created.

Emma sighed as she stared at the piles of gorgeous dresses that were discarded carelessly. She felt beyond sorry for the poor salesgirl who had to clean the mess up… But then again, the commission that the girls were paid was probably more than enough.

Suddenly, a sparkling silver and blue caught her eye and she turned to see a dress that was beyond gorgeous. She took it off the hanger carefully and examined the tag (not looking at the price), only to find that it was three sizes too large. Sighing with regret, she walked up to the sales counter.

"Hi, do you have this dress in a size 5?" She asked, holding up her dress and smiling politely.

The brunette salesgirl smiled at her politely. "You know what? I'm not sure. Let me check the back, okay?"

"Thank you so much." Emma grinned at the girl, who returned the grin before walking off towards the back of the store.

"Sutton?" A sudden screech behind her exclaimed, and she turned around only to see Char and Mads staring at her with piles of dresses in their arms. Before she could register what, exactly, was going on, she was enveloped into yet another hug.

My gosh, what is it with Sutton's friends and family and hugging me so I can't breathe? Emma wondered, trying to push some air into her not cooperating lungs.

Suddenly, laughter broke out, and it was loud. Emma was released from the hug only to see a very odd sight of her twin laughing like a crazy woman, leaning against the counter and clutching her side with her other hand.

"Hahahaha… Oh, my god… That's the second time!" Sutton gasped out, wiping away tears of mirth as she straightened up slowly.

"Sutton?" Char asked, mouth agape as she turned to Emma. "So who are you?"

Sutton walked over to Emma and wrapped an arm around her, grinning all the while. "Guys, meet my twin sister, Emma Becker."

Emma waved shyly, feeling the air that had been absent in her lungs return to her. Either her lungs were getting more and more damaged, or they were getting more tolerant of the catastrophes forced upon them on a daily basis. She wasn't sure which option she preferred.

Mads was the first to speak. "You're joking."

"Nope!" Sutton exclaimed proudly, thrusting Emma forth with all the carelessness of a three year old with a rag doll. "She's a hundred percent real!"

Emma batted Sutton away from her and grinned sadly at her sister's friends. "Sorry about her, I'm pretty sure she had sugar this morning or something. You guys must be Char and Mads, I've heard a lot about you."

"Funny," Mads said icily, crossing her arms. "We haven't heard anything about you."

Emma winced and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, the whole 'keeping me a secret' kept from that, I bet…"

"What are you doing here anyway?" Char asked, raising an eyebrow, her voice not as cold as Mads, but not overly warm either.

"She didn't exactly have anywhere else to go…" Sutton explained nonchalantly, not noticing when Emma winced slightly at the reality of her sister's words. "Only I was lucky enough to get adopted, she spent her whole life bouncing around in the foster care system."

"Oh." Mads said suddenly, eyebrows lifting and a shocked and panicked look suddenly appearing upon her face. "Sutton, can I talk to you for a second?" The slim ballerina did not wait for an affirmative, instead just lunging forth and dragging off Sutton.

"I'm not here for her money." Emma said suddenly, startling Char, and herself.

"What?" The blonde asked, surprised.

"I'm not here for her, or the Mercers' money. Honestly. The only reason I came here was to meet my sister. I've never had a family, and I've always wanted one, so when my twin sister suddenly contacted me, I didn't waste much time in getting on a bus." She explained, gesturing with her hands slightly. "I wasn't even going to stay for a while, just for the weekend, but then Sutton got it into her head that I should stay for… well, forever, and I like that idea, so obviously, I wasn't going to say no…"

Char scrutinized her intensely, and the fierce look made Emma wish she had never started babbling. "So, if she told you to leave…"

"I'd ask her why, and then I'd be on the first bus to Las Vegas." She answered honestly, leaving out the part where she would get Ethan to come with her.

"And you wouldn't try to get in contact with her ever again?" The blonde pressed for answers, and Emma furrowed her brow trying to figure out a satisfactory one.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. If I left on good terms, yes, maybe not immediately, but yes… If it was on bad terms, probably no, and if yes, I'd wait a few years before attempting any sort of contact."

Char nodded slowly. "I believe you… Sorry about the interrogation, but you've got to admit, it's a bit shady… I mean, random twin shows up, is suddenly moving in, it's all a bit much…"

Emma smiled knowingly. "Yeah, I get that… Thanks for hearing me out, though."

The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "Least I could do… Mads was being kind of rude, and at least one of us should listen to your side of the story…"

"Excuse me, miss?" A voice behind Emma spoke and she turned to see the salesgirl from before equipped with the dress. "This was the last one in a size 5… You got lucky." She grinned and Emma grinned back.

"Thank you so much!" She chirped, feeling the silky fabric of the dress run through her fingers.

"No problem… Ask me if you need anything." The salesgirl instructed, and Emma nodded.

Char was looking slightly surprised when Emma turned back around.

"Wow."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Wow what?"

"You're really… not Sutton."

"Yes, I know. I'm Emma."

"No, I mean, your personality is completely different! It's so weird! You look exactly like her, but you're nothing like her!"

"Well, yeah, it's nature vs. nurture." Emma stated.

"Umm… What?" Char asked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"You know, nature vs. nurture, the scientific debate on whether or not someone's environment completely overrides the nature they were born with. John Locke thought so, he came up with tabula rasa, the 'blank slate', and even though today we know that it's not entirely true, it's been proven that environment does greatly influence people."

Char gaped at Emma. "Yeah, you're definitely nothing like Sutton… Do you actually study in school when it's not finals or midterms?"

"Well, yeah, how else am I supposed to get straight A's?"

"Straight A's? Like, always?"

"Yes, always."

Just then, Mads and Sutton came round the corner, visibly arguing. Sutton began to walk faster, to get closer to Emma and safety, far away from Mads and her annoying arguments.

"I'm just saying!" Mads yelled as they walked back into the store. "Consider it!"

"Consider what? Turning my twin sister out onto the streets? Letting her be alone after her foster brother nearly raped her?" She turned on her friend, and the look on her face was almost enough to cause Emma's heart to stop.

"What?" Char exclaimed, whirling around to face Emma. "You didn't say anything about that?"

"It wasn't exactly something I really wanted to share, Char…"

"Raped?" Mads managed to whimper after a few moments.

"Why do you think she left Las Vegas right after I contacted her? She was staying at her friend's house, but her friend's mom didn't exactly have enough money to support her, so she had to leave there. She just wanted to visit, and see if she could find some apartment nearby that she could afford. I was the one who invited her to move in with us, and Laurel was actually the one who got our parents to agree. My mom and dad love her, so if you don't mind, I'm going to go home with my sister." Sutton lied easily, the twisted words slipping out of her mouth ever so easily.

Emma winced. "Wow. Melodramatic much, Sutton?" She muttered under her breath before turning to Mads. "Point is, I'm not after money, or anything. Honestly. I've already convinced Char, and I hope I can convince you too, the only reason I came here was to find my sister." Turning, she paid for the dress that felt so nice in her hands and quickly walked out of the store after using 'twin telepathy' to tell Sutton that she was going to the bathroom.

While washing her hands, Emma stared at herself in the mirror. Perhaps she should dye her hair, or cut it short, just to not be mistaken for Sutton anymore. As she was trying to envision herself with blonde hair, a face appeared next to hers in the mirror.

"Sutton said you'd be in here," Mads spoke while pulling out a mascara wand and fixing her makeup.

Emma didn't speak, uncertain how to reply.

"Look, I'm sorry for lashing out. I've had a hard time, there's this guy, British accent, Sutton despises him… It's complicated. But I've been under stress for a while, and plus, there have been far too many people who try to take advantage of little rich girls… Like, this one guy, Derek…"

"It's fine, can we just start over? I mean, please, just forget this whole incident?" Emma pleaded, referring especially to the 'foster brother' comment Sutton had spouted.

"Yeah. Sounds like a good idea…" Mads agreed while still eyeing Emma. "But, you know what? If I ever find out that you did something to Sutton, or her family, I will end you. My dad is a DA, and I'm not above using him."

Emam laughed and nodded. "Don't worry, I won't do anything." After all, after everything she and Sutton had been through, she didn't think anything could change their friendship.

Later that night, Emma was texting Ethan while lying under her new blankets and waiting to get tired enough to drift off to sleep. "So, how'd your first day as a part of the Mercer household go?" Laurel asked, stepping inside.

"It was kind of beyond amazing." Emma admitted, fingering her blanket. "But I didn't really get any time to spend with you…"

"Well, tomorrow we can go up to the cabin for some quality sister time." Laurel proposed, winking, knowing how much Emma wanted to see Ethan.

"That'd be great and all, but I actually wanted to spend some time with you."

Laurel laughed, sitting down. "We can go to the movies or something."

"Sounds good," Emma grinned. "And then we can go to the cabin."

"I knew you wanted to do that!"

"Well, of course I do. I'd be crazy not to."

Just then, her phone vibrated and Emma nearly dove for it. When she opened the text, it simply read 'Good night, Emma. Love you.' and she smiled softly, sliding her phone under her pillow.

Laurel simply eyed her. "Well, I'm going to go to sleep. You should get some rest too… It's been a long day."

"Yeah… Good night Laurel!"

"Night Emma."

She fell asleep that night in a big, luxurious bed with heaps of blankets and pillows all around her… and yet, all she wanted was a small bed, in a tiny trailer, with her boyfriend hugging her till she fell asleep.

AN: Yeah, I know, it was awful. But next chapter has school and Ethan. After that, one or two chapters, and then this story is over... I have a plan, however, for a new one. I've started writing it, so I'll be able to post it right after I finish this one.

I'd love to hear what you'd like to happen before this story ends, so review!

Sincerely,

Marie