Pretty Little Liars 1. Chapter 1

A Different Kind of Education

**Summary: **After returning home from college, Paige McCullers is Rosewood High's newest teacher. As well as facing the past that she left behind, she has to deal with her growing attraction to senior and star swimmer, Emily Fields.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any rights to Pretty Little Liars or any of the characters in the show.

**Rating:** M

**A/N: **I probably shouldn't be starting a new story since I'm already working on about seven, but I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while and I'm close to finishing a few things off so it seemed like a good idea to start posting. Hopefully updates for this should be regular if I get much interest. Established Emaya to begin with, but don't worry this is definitely a Paily fic

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Paige McCullers hated nightclubs. From the crowds of drunken idiots gyrating against one another, to the deafeningly loud music, she hated everything about them. Had it not been for her best friend she probably would never have stepped foot in one, but Pru was pretty persistent and she once again found herself in some club in Philadelphia on a Saturday night; or more accurately the early hours of Sunday morning. She was stood at the bar beside Pru, being reminded of another reason she hated clubs.

"ID?" The guy behind the bar grunted at her as she tried to order a drink; his attention was nowhere near her face as he asked. She pulled at her top, hating that Pru had talked her in to wearing something so low cut and fished in her bag for her driving license. She handed it over and the barman stared at it for a microsecond before handing it back to her and fixing her drink. She rolled her eyes as she put the license back. She was twenty three yet she still got carded practically every time she was out. Pru always tried to help her dress up for a night out, low cut top, short skirt, hair and makeup, the works, but it just wasn't her. She felt more comfortable in jeans and converse and as a result the people behind the bar often picked up on her awkwardness; and wrongly assumed she was some underage teen trying her luck at the bar.

The barman lined up half a dozen shots in front of Paige and she picked one up even as she was handing her money over. She felt nervous and anxious and it had nothing to do with being in a club. She had only been back in her home town for less than a week and come Monday morning she would be starting her first real job since leaving college. "Careful McCullers, its back to school for you on Monday!" Paige shot her best friend an amused smirk as she downed another one of the shots lined up on the bar.  
"Exactly…I never thought I'd be so nervous about going back to high school!"

She was starting at Rosewood High Monday morning. It had been her own high school and she had mixed feelings about going back. The place held a lot of great memories for her, but also some painful ones. "Relax; you were a superstar in high school! They still have your picture in the trophy cabinet! Paige McCullers, national swimming champion!" Pru giggled, she was already a few sheets to the wind as she helped herself to one of the shots on the bar. Paige had excelled academically and athletically in high school, but not socially. She had been popular enough, being an athlete and friends with Pru had ensured that, but she had always been quite awkward and introverted. At the time she'd been hiding her sexuality and it had made it hard for her to get close to people; other teenage girls in particular.

A lot had changed in the four years she'd been at college though and after doing her qualifying year in an inner city secondary school in Philladelphia she'd decided to finally go back home to Rosewood, the town she'd grown up in and hadn't been back to since the day she'd left for college. Her father had moved to Texas to start his political career in her freshman year at college and other than Pru she hadn't really had any ties to the town; but when the job came up at Rosewood High it had seemed right to take it.

"Two beers please!" A young woman bounced up to the bar beside Paige and called to the bartender with a dazzling smile. She looked younger than Paige, maybe just about pushing twenty-one, but he made no attempt to ask for her ID as he popped the caps off two bottled beers. She thanked him with a smile and a light touch to the back of his hand as she gave him her money. She had long dark hair that hung loose around her shoulders with a slight curl and her eyes were big brown pools of chocolate as they landed on Paige. She extended a smile to her and Paige felt her own lips twitching. The girl was oozing wholesome _girl next door_ charm and she was just plain _gorgeous. _

Paige made a quick assessment of the girl as she waited for her change. She wore a loose fitting white vest top over black skinny jeans with biker boots. She was definitely hot and Paige was suddenly reminded of _just _how long she had been single. She definitely got a ping from the other girl on her gaydar, but she couldn't be sure if it was just wishful thinking or maybe all the shots she'd had. She was still debating internally with herself about whether or not to approach the girl when she felt Pru push her from behind.

She stumbled forward, almost falling in the ridiculous heels she was wearing, and put a hand out to steady herself. She felt warm fingers slip around her forearm and another set on her shoulder as the gorgeous raven haired girl helped steady her. Even after Paige had almost crashed in to her she was still wearing that smile of hers. "Are you ok?" She laughed good-naturedly, pulling her hands back as Paige righted herself. Her words came out a little slurred together and from close up Paige could see her deep chocolate eyes were glazed over. She had definitely had a few too many.  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Paige tried to pull off an easy laugh, but it just came out strained and awkward; like everything else about her when she was faced with trying to talk to an attractive girl. "Drink?" She offered up one of her shots by way of an apology for falling on the other girl. She accepted, wincing as she downed the offered shot of bright red vodka.

"I'm Paige by the way." She introduced herself, hoping to find out the girl's name. Pru was making herself scarce as she twirled her straw in her drink and tried not to grin at her best friend. Paige had been single for what seemed like forever and Pru was certain that the girl talking to Paige was most definitely her type. Hell, she was tall, dark and toned, she would be _anybody's_ type.  
"I'm-"  
"Emily!" Another girl pushed past Paige to grab the young woman's arm, scowling at Paige as she did so. She was an attractive young woman, with long dark hair and skin the colour of rich coffee. Her eyes narrowed on Paige as she wrapped a possessive arm around Emily's waist, shooting her a scathing look. "Is there a reason you're botheringmy _girlfriend?"_  
"Maya-" Emily started, but her girlfriend ignored her as she carried on glaring at Paige; waiting for an answer.

"Whoa!" Paige held her hands up, trying to diffuse the situation. She hadn't intended to step on anyone's toes. "I think there's been a misunderstanding-"  
"You're damn right there has." Maya snapped, poking a finger against Paige's chest. The older girl took a step back, trying to keep her cool, but her fists were already clenching at her sides. She had never been great at controlling her temper and she wasn't about to let some jumped up little college kid push her about.  
"What the fuck is your problem?"  
"_You _are!"

Sensing that things were about to kick off, Pru tugged on Paige's hand, pulling her away from the girls and back over to the bar. "Come on _Miss McCullers_, you're a big grown up teacher now, you can't be getting in to bar fights!" She laughed, shoving a drink in to Paige's hand. Paige was too busy looking over her shoulder to listen to her. She watched as Emily's girlfriend dragged her off through the crowd of dancing bodies. She caught Emily's eye and the younger girl mouthed 'sorry' to her with a sheepish expression.

"You didn't have to be so mean to her. We were only talking." Emily objected once she and Maya were in a quieter part of the club. Her girlfriend had a face like thunder and her mood wasn't improving from Emily defending the stranger who had blatantly been hitting on her.  
"Please Em! That skank was all over you-"  
"Even if she was, I'm not interested!" Emily snapped, feeling like they were going round in circles. "I'm with you! Or don't you trust me?"  
"Of course I do, baby!" Maya pulled her in close and went in for a kiss. Emily stiffened, but eventually gave in and kissed her back. She closed her eyes over, fighting back tears. She'd drank too much and her emotions were getting the better of her.  
"I just want things to be how they were." She sighed in to the kiss, letting Maya's arms wrap around her protectively.  
"They will be Emily. I promise…come on, let's get another drink and go dance."

Emily shook her head. She'd had more than enough. "Let's just call it a night-"  
"Oh come on Em! Don't let some stupid bitch ruin our night." Maya laced their fingers together and started pulling her towards the bar. Emily gave in, just like she always did. They'd been at the club for hours and Emily didn't even need to show her fake ID when they ordered another round at the bar. They carried on partying long after Emily should have stopped drinking. She left Maya dancing by herself as she stumbled towards the bathroom, her legs almost buckling beneath her as she pushed her way through the crowd. The bathroom was empty as she closed the door behind her, leaving the noise and the chaos of the club behind her. She slumped over one of the sinks, trying to stop the room from spinning as she listened to the steady thump of the bass coming through the walls.

The door opened and she closed her eyes, focusing on trying not to throw up. "Are you ok?" A familiar voice asked and as she opened her eyes she found herself staring at the reflection of the girl she'd been talking to earlier. Frowning she turned away from the mirror and leant back against the basin, her hands gripping the cold porcelain to keep her steady.  
"What do you care?" She snapped defensively, her eyes barely able to focus on the girl with the auburn hair and deep brown eyes. Paige was taken aback by her sudden change in attitude and held her hands up in mock surrender. She didn't need some stranger's drama; she'd had plenty of her own in her life.  
"I don't." Walking past the clearly drunk girl she headed to one of the stalls.

"Oh god!" Without warning Emily lurched forward from the sink and shot in to the stall that Paige had been heading for. She dropped to her knees just as she started heaving. Paige pulled a face as she watched her bent over the toilet bowl. Her long dark hair was hanging like a curtain around her face and Paige couldn't stop herself from kneeling down beside her and pulling her hair back from her face. She used one hand to hold Emily's hair back whilst the other rubbed her back in small circles.  
"Take it easy, just get it all up."

"Maya's gonna be so mad…" Emily laughed as she slumped to the floor, her back against the wall. Her words slurred together before turning in to a little sob. "She thinks…she thinks you were trying to…she gets really jealous…" Paige nodded at the drunken girl, deciding not to comment on her girlfriend. "Which is ridiculous... 'cause s_he _was the one who cheated, not me! She cheated and everything got so screwed up..." Paige felt her heart breaking for the other girl. She was no more than a stranger, but she looked so sad sitting there that she couldn't help but feel something for her. She knew what it was like to be a messed up kid.

"Emily!" The door opened and they heard Maya calling. Emily stiffened, her eyes going wide at the fear of being caught in the bathroom with the stranger from the bar. Maya would instantly assume the worst.  
"J-just a second." Glad the door had closed behind them Emily pushed herself up to her feet, her eyes wide and pleading as she whispered. "She can't find you in here. Please just-"  
"Emily?" Maya called again, knocking softly on the door. "Are you ok in there? I've called a cab."  
"I'm fine. Just a second!" She waited for Paige to step to the side before opening the door, concealing the older girl behind it as she slipped out to join her girlfriend. Paige waited to hear the door open and close before she stepped out of the stall. She shook her head, ready to call it a night and to forget all about the raven haired girl.

She found Pru dancing with the guy she'd been all over for the last few hours and she managed to drag her away and out of the bar. It was almost dawn and there was a taxi rank only a few blocks away, so Paige linked her arm through Pru's and started walking them towards it. Pru talked endlessly about the guy she had been dancing with, she's managed to get his number and was talking excitedly about calling him for a drink. Paige wasn't listening all that closely; there was_ always_ some guy when it came to Pru. "So what about you? Get any girl's numbers?" Pru teased as she poked her in the ribs.  
"Nope."

Pru shot her a wry look as she shook her head at her. "You have to put yourself out there Paige! Mrs Right isn't just going to fall in to your lap!" Paige nodded along, once again barely listening to her. Her thoughts were on Emily, the girl with the raven hair, big brown eyes and a broken smile. She couldn't get her out of her head, which was crazy because not only was the girl a random stranger, who had practically puked up on her boots, she was already seeing someone. She was just a random in a club; the chances of Paige ever meeting her again were slim to none. Sighing she tried to take her mind off of the other girl and turned her attention back to her best friend, who had somehow gotten one of her stilettos stuck in a storm drain. She only had one day of freedom left until she started her new job at Rosewood High, and she planned on spending it crashed out in bed.

* * *

"Paige! Paaaaige!" Pru's whining was incessant and no matter how hard Paige tried to ignore it she just couldn't. Pulling away the pillow she had been using to cover her head for the last ten minutes, she dragged herself out of bed to answer the other girl. The afternoon sun was already streaming through the window, blinding her and making her head feel like it was about to roll off her shoulders with every step she took towards the door.  
"What?" She grunted down to her, her voice was raw and gravelly from too many shots and not enough sleep. Pru had slept in the spare room down the hall, the one next to her parent's old room. When she'd gone to college her father had packed up what he needed to take to Texas with him and left the rest. He hadn't attempted to rent it out and when Paige had decided to move back to town he had offered it to her straight away. She'd only been back a week and the house still didn't look completely lived in with boxes of her stuff everywhere, but she was slowly getting there. She would definitely have to do something about her room though. It hadn't been touched since she'd left for college and it still held her swimming medals and posters of bands she hadn't listened to in years. Her final exam schedule was still pinned to her noticeboard, next to a five year old calendar.

"There's no coffee!" Pru appeared at the bottom of the stairs as Paige leant over the banister. She was already showered and dressed, with her hair pulled back in to a messy pony tail. She looked far better than Paige felt and she wasn't sure why she had dragged her out of bed.  
"I haven't gone shopping yet." She answered through a yawn. "That new coffee shop is a few blocks away?" she suggested as she trudged down the stairs, hoping Pru would take the hint and go on a coffee run for them.  
"_The Brew _has been there for two years now." Pru scorned. Unlike Paige she hadn't moved out of town the first chance she got. She was still a little bitter that Paige had left her behind in the small town without a second thought, though she understood her reasons. "And they do amazing pastries. You can pick us some up when you go!" She grinned as she flounced back in to the kitchen, avoiding Paige's grumbling.

"What? Why do I have to go? You're all dressed and everything!"  
"Because you're looking a little green, you clearly need some fresh air." Pru countered as she put away the two mugs she'd brought out of the cupboard for coffee. "Besides, the guy's here fixing the filtration system on your pool and he is _super _cute. So I'll stay and supervise and you can go be all hunter-gatherer."  
"I hate you." Paige glared, already heading back upstairs. She had a quick shower to freshen up and scraped her wet hair back in to a ponytail before pulling on some sweatpants and an old tourist T-shirt from one of the last times she'd been to visit her mother's parents in Nebraska. She pulled on some aviators to protect her poor eyes from the glaring sun. The light in her room was bad enough without stepping outside.

She felt a lot more awake after her shower, but she ignored her car keys hanging on the hook by the door. They'd rolled in to the house around 6am and she wasn't stupid enough to think she was ok to drive after a few hours of sleep. Even if she felt sober the alcohol would still be in her system, and as the daughter of a man who was aiming to be a state senator she wasn't about to take a stupid risk just to make getting coffee easier. She called out to let Pru know she wouldn't be long and picked up her house keys instead. Summer was still winding down and the air was warm and still outside. Kids were playing in the street and Paige couldn't help but look at one of the stone pillars at the end of her drive. There was a large chunk missing from the masonry from where she had hit it with her bike the first time her dad had taken her training wheels off.

Shaking her head at the distant memories she padded down to the garage and pulled her bike out. The expensive mountain bike was a far cry from the one she had crashed in to the wall when she was five. Cycling had always been one of her passions and she probably spent more on customising her bike than she did on clothes and grocery shopping. Her usual Sunday morning routine involved at least a five mile ride, but in her fragile hungover state she would settle for making it to the coffee shop and back. She took it slow and steady, making sure to be extra vigilant as her reaction times would be slower with the alcohol still in her system.

She made it to The Brew in one piece and locked her bike up before making her way inside. It was pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon in a small town, though there was only one guy serving so the few people at the counter were already making a pretty long line. Paige joined the back of the line and tried not to drool as she caught a whiff of fresh bread and pastries from behind the glass. Her stomach growled angrily, reminding her that it had been almost a day since she had last ate. The guy behind the counter looked pretty frantic as he ushered the couple whose order he had just taken to grab a seat and he'd bring their coffee right over. The teenage boy in front of Paige just wanted a soda so he was handed his drink straight away and then it was finally Paige's turn to be served. "I'll just be a sec!" The guy called over his shoulder to her as he potted about fixing the couple's order. When he finally turned to face Paige he lost his panicked look and an easy smile settled over his lips. "Hi there, what can I get you… Nebraska?" His eyes settled on her shirt and she felt a flush of colour going to her cheeks. Despite being gay she still got a fair bit of attention from men. It wasn't like she wore a badge to warn them of her sexual preferences or anything.

"Hi, I'll take two Americanos' to go, one with an extra shot of espresso and a little nutmeg. Oh, and two of those vanilla crowns please."  
"Two?" He looked up at her through hooded lids as he bagged two of the pastries and marked the cups for her order. "Are you going to break my heart already and tell me you have a boyfriend?" He teased with the confidence of an attractive man in his late twenties who was used to getting the girls he wanted. Paige laughed his comments off as she handed over her money and took the pastry bag from him.  
"Definitely no boyfriend." She smirked, not ready to put him out of his misery quite so quickly.  
"Me either." He joked and Paige found herself laughing despite herself. He was really trying too hard. "I've got to put this order through and then I'll do your coffee. Just take a seat, I won't be a minute." He gave her his best charming smile.

The heat inside the coffee shop was sweltering and Paige's head was still spinning from the heavy drinking session the night before, so she obligingly took a seat in the corner to wait for her coffee. She sat with her head resting on her arms, trying not to give in to the temptation to open the bag of pastries sitting in front of her. It would serve Pru right for sending her out. "About time!" She heard the guy behind the counter calling out as the door opened, the little jingling bell announcing someone's arrival. She barely looked up as she heard him berating some late employee. "Your shift starts at twelve, Em! Kevin hasn't turned in so I need you to stay back tonight and I've got to leave like _now!"  
_"Zack, I'm so sorry I-" The girl started apologising but Zack brushed her off. "Ems, you're my best worker. You can be half an hour late on a Sunday. Just make it up for me and put in a good word with the girl whose order is on the counter." He shot her a wink and headed for the door. "Bye Nebraska!" He called back, grinning as Paige lifted her head just enough to wave at him.

"Uh, Nebraska?" Her head shot up as a familiar voice washed over her and she looked up to find the girl from the club standing by her table and holding two cups of coffee out to her. Her boss had scrawled Nebraska down the side of one cup, along with his phone number. "I think these are for you, along with Zack's number apparently." Emily mused, showing no signs of recognising Paige from the club. Despite being late for work she looked good. A lot better than Paige anyway. Her hair was pulled back, but she was clean faced and wearing a pastel blue tank top over a pair of faded jeans. Her smile wavered as Paige took the cups from with a wisecrack.  
"Do I get charged extra for that?" Dressed in her sweats, with her hair up and no makeup on, she looked a far cry from how she had done the night before, but realisation seemed to dawn on the other girl.

"Weren't you…last night, were you…oh god, it is you." Paige felt a lump forming in her throat as she held up her in hand a little wave. Emily's big doe eyes were wide and filled with panic as she took a step back from the table.  
"Hey."  
"Hi." Emily cleared her throat sheepishly. "Uh, I'm really sorry about last night, I don't usually drink so much and it was kind of a crazy night." Paige was glad to see her unease had more to do with her own embarrassment, rather than Paige's presence.  
"Forget about it, everyone's entitled to one crazy night…but just so I know, your girlfriend isn't about to jump out on me is she?" She felt bad for making fun of her as Emily's eyes dropped to the ground.  
"Uh, no. Maya's sleeping off the hangover that I'm currently suffering through." She lifted her gaze again, trying out a small smile on the other girl.  
"I hear that. My head feels like it's about to explode and I'm pretty sure my stomach thinks it's been cut off from my mouth. I suppose the hangover's easier for you college kids." She joked, already kicking herself for sounding like she was middle-aged. Twenty three wasn't exactly over the hill.  
"Oh, I'm not in-"

"Excuse me miss, are you serving?" Emily was cut off from whatever she had been about to say when a customer called her over. Excusing herself with a nod and a smile she headed back over to the counter, leaving Paige sitting alone at her table. Without thinking she opened the danish bag and started picking at one of the vanilla crowns as she sipped at her coffee. The caffeine felt great as it hit her, but the pastry didn't last long and it just left her stomach feeling even emptier. She was eyeing the other one in the bag when Emily returned to her table. She sat a plate down in front of her and Paige's mouth was watering at the sight of a bagel covered in cream cheese and a frosted cupcake sitting beside it. She was pretty sure it was coconut and that made it all the more difficult to turn it away.

"Sorry, I didn't order this." As tasty as it looked she wasn't about to steal someone else's lunch.  
"I know. Call it an apology for my crazy girlfriend and a thank you for holding my hair while I puked last night." She blushed again, regretting how both she and Maya had acted around Paige the night before.  
"That's an impressive bagel." Paige smirked, enjoying the way the corners of Emily's lips curled up as she tried to supress a smile.  
"Well enjoy, oh and about Zack, he really is a nice guy. You should hold on to that number."

Paige almost choked on her coffee as she realised Emily thought she was straight and was trying to set her up with her boss. "I'm not-" She started, but another customer called for service and Emily had to rush off again, not giving her the chance to set the record straight; figuratively speaking anyway. Figures, she runs in to a gorgeous girl for a second time by complete chance and ends up giving her the impression that she's straight. "Nice one McCullers." She sighed to herself as she picked at the bagel Emily had brought her over. She finished it off along with her coffee and Pru's pastry, but she didn't get the chance to talk to Emily again as the coffee shop had started to get busy with the afternoon crowd. Putting her shades back down over her eyes she picked up Pru's coffee and headed to the door. She caught Emily's eye as she was leaving and tossed her a wave. The younger girl was standing by a table with three other girls and smiled as she waved back.

"Who's that?" One of the girls quizzed as she watched Paige unlock her bike and ride off with one hand still impressively gripping her coffee.  
"Oh, I don't really know." Emily admitted as she followed Hanna's gaze. "She was at the club Maya and I went to last night. I think her name's Paige or something?"  
"Really?" Hanna quirked her brow at her, suddenly taking on the appearance of a shark that had picked up the scent of blood in the water. "She's cute."  
"She's straight, and I'm taken." Emily chided as she took a seat beside her friends. It had quietened down enough for her to take a five minute break.  
"Her name is Paige McCullers." Spencer pitched in without taking her eyes from the book she was reading.  
"How do you know that?" Aria, the shortest of the group quizzed, feeling a little left out of the conversation.  
"She used to go to Rosewood high, she was captain of the swim team that took nationals five years ago… Her picture is in the trophy cabinet." Spencer clarified as she was met by blank looks by Hanna and Aria. "I swear you all walk around school with your eyes closed."

"Wait, she's _that _Paige?" Emily ignored Hanna and Aria's protests that it wasn't their fault they weren't in to sports like Emily and Spencer were. "Wow, I'm _still_ trying to beat her times in the water! Wasn't she tipped for the 2012 Olympics or something?" Emily had a newfound respect for the stranger, on top of the fact that she was ridiculously patient and caring with random drunks, she was also the greatest swimmer in Rosewood's history.  
"She was, I think she got an injury or something and it screwed up her career." Spencer shrugged; she didn't really know that much about her. "She used to be friends with Melissa back in school. She was around our place a lot."

"Nice Em! Older woman. I like it!" Hanna winked at her and Emily rolled her eyes at her as she got back to her feet and pulled her apron on. She was getting sick and tired of her friends interfering in her life.  
"You guys we've been over this. I know none of you like Maya but she's my-"  
"Em, we don't _not_ like her." Aria objected, trying to play the peacekeeper as Hanna snorted and Spencer returned her attention back to her book. "It's just, she cheated on you with that-"  
"I'm well aware of that Aria, but thank you for reminding me every five seconds. I've got to get back to work. I'll see you guys at school tomorrow." She left them stewing in their own guilt as she returned to the front counter.

After a few minutes, and much debating between the other three girls, Spencer finally got to her feet and walked over to talk to Emily. She pulled the other girl in for a hug without warning, almost making Emily spill a jug of milk all over the floor. "Spence!" She snapped, her anger at her friends and her hangover conspiring to make her act like a bear with a sore head. "I'm working here!"  
"I know. I just wanted to say we're sorry. We know how much you care about Maya and if you've forgiven her then we should be able to as well. So can we not fight? We're going to be seniors tomorrow Em, we've only got one more year left before we're all going our separate ways. Let's make it the best ever, yeah?"

"Yeah." Emily sighed, giving in to the embrace and hugging Spencer back like her life depended on it. "Well it won't be hard to beat the last couple of years; just as long as nobody dies." She huffed, the past still choking her.  
"We all miss her too." Spencer nodded solemnly as she pulled back. It had been two years to the day since their friend Allison had gone missing and almost a year since her body had been found. Emily was still having a hard time dealing with that. She had loved Ali more than the others had ever known. Until Emily had met Maya she'd never had the confidence to admit she was gay. Not even to herself, never mind her friends. Maya had given her the confidence she'd needed to accept who she was and Emily had fallen hard for her; hard enough to be able to forgive her for cheating. Her friends weren't quite so forgiving though. Spencer would have been happy to run Maya out of town, but she inexplicably made Emily happy, so they begrudgingly accepted her in to their lives; though that didn't mean they had to like her.

Aria and Hanna had cautiously made their way over as they'd listened in on their two friends and Emily found herself sandwiched between the three of them. Hanna beamed at the four of them together again. "Spencer's right. Senior year is going to rock! One more year and we're free!"  
"One more year and I can stop calling my boyfriend Mr Fitz." Aria quipped, earning a smile from Emily. Aria and their English teacher had been in a secret relationship since their junior year. Though it was probably the worst kept secret in Rosewood, and that was certainly saying something. Rosewood was full of secrets and mysteries, and the reappearance of Paige McCullers already had Emily more than a little intrigued.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **Thank you all so much for reading and for the fantastic feedback people have left. I'm still pretty new to the fandom so it's great to get encouraging reviews! I have the first few chapters already written up, they just need edited and proofread, so I'm trying to edit a chapter every time I finish the next one I'm up to writing, which should keep updates pretty regular until I can finish some of the other fics I'm working on.** **Oh, also I'm English, so I'm trying my best to** **get stuff right like cell phone instead of mobile etc. but if I slip up feel free to let me know!**

* * *

When Monday morning finally rolled around Paige was in a blind panic as she ran around her house looking for her car keys. She had a slice of toast pressed between her lips and her long auburn locks were falling in her face as she checked under the couch. "Here." Pru dangled her keys in front of her smugly and Paige snatched them from her.  
"If you stay here any longer I'm charging you rent!" She frowned as she pulled her hair back. She'd lightly curled it but had changed her mind about keeping it down. She extended her frown to her reflection as she stared at herself in the living room mirror.  
"You don't even pay rent. And hair down for your first day, it makes you look older, and a little sexy."  
"Sexy isn't really the look I'm going for." Paige rolled her eyes, though she let her hair back down.

"Well you're rocking it anyway babe." Pru gave her an appreciative once over, though she had a reason to. She'd chosen her outfit for her, leaving the clothes out on Paige's bed for her whilst she was in the shower.  
"You're practically living in my house and you're picking my clothes for me, I feel like we should be married." Paige quipped as she fussed with the collar of her shirt. It was a blood red colour and a good contrast to her creamy skin.  
"Sorry I'm holding out for a rich dude. You're my back up plan though. We'll get some cats, it'll be awesome."  
"I hate cats." Paige pulled a face. "Do I really look ok? I want to look professional, but not frumpy."  
"Here." Pru stepped forward and undid the second button on her shirt before readjusting her collar. "Perfect." She beamed, happy with the end result.

Paige had to admit she was pretty happy with her appearance herself as she pulled her jacket over and buttoned it up. She was wearing a smart black pant suit with a light pinstripe detail and some flat black shoes. Her stomach was still doing flips at the thought of her first day in the classroom though and she had to force down the rest of her toast before picking up her briefcase. "Ok, I'm ready. Wish me luck!"  
"Good luck! You'll need it, high school kids are little bast-"  
"Bye Pru!" She made her escape out of her own front door before her best friend could make her nerves any worse. She tossed her briefcase on to the front passenger seat of her Prius, a present from her father for graduating college, and headed towards the high school. She'd thought about stopping for coffee, but the only place on the way was The Brew and she wasn't excited about the prospect of Zack hitting on her. She also wasn't too keen on another run in with Emily either. The girl had a way of making her feel two inches tall without really meaning to.

It was still pretty early and the parking lot was empty. Paige wasn't sure whether she had a spot in the lot reserved for teachers yet, so rather than ruffle anyone's feathers on her first day she just parked in the student's lot beside a Toyota Corolla. Taking a steadying breath she forced herself to get out of the car and head off to find the administration office. She'd already had a meeting with Principal Tamborelli the week before, so she didn't have to worry about going to his office. She had her ID and her class schedules, and her lesson plans were already in her briefcase, she just had to swing by the office to pick up the keys to her classroom. She introduced herself to the administration assistants in the office, making sure to get on their good sides from the very start. If she had inherited one thing from her father it was his charm. Paige could be very smooth when she needed to be, and when not faced with attractive young women who left her fumbling over her words. Luckily no one in the office was under forty and she was able to introduce herself and learn all of their names by the time a grey haired old lady handed over her classroom keys. She recognised the woman from her own time at Rosewood and she ended up being stuck talking to her for a good ten minutes.

After that came the arduous task of tracking down her classroom. She was teaching Political Science and Sociology, having gained her bachelors' degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Her father hadn't been happy about her wanting to become a teacher. He'd wanted her to get in to politics like he had; but they'd come to a compromise of sorts. She'd teach for a while and get a few years of life experience under her belt, and then she'd think about following in his footsteps. The next senator of the state of Texas had pretty big shoes to fill though and Paige wasn't in any rush to move on from teaching. She'd loved her qualifying year spent in Philadelphia as a substitute, but she was looking forward to having her own classroom and getting to know her students.

Her room was up on the second floor, though her excitement to get inside it was hampered by a stiff lock. As hard as she tried to turn the key she just couldn't get it to budge. She slammed her hand against the doorframe, starting to think the dotty old woman in the office had given her the wrong key. The noise drew the attention of the inhabitant of the classroom across the hall and a young man with short curly brown hair appeared at his door, checking she wasn't a student trying to vandalise school property. "Uh, hi. Need a little help?" He stepped towards her and she took a step away from the door, gesturing for him to have a try. He pulled on the door handle, tugging it towards him as he turned the key in the lock. The door popped straight open for him. "I had this room last year, the door sticks a bit. I'm Ezra. Ezra Fitz, I teach English." He held his hand out for her and Paige shook it with a genuine smile. Her neighbour from across the hall looked to be only a year or two older than her and it would be nice to make a friend on her first day.

"Paige McCullers, Political science and Sociology."  
"Nice to meet you Paige." He started but was interrupted by his phone. His girlfriend's name was flashing up on the screen as she called him to ask to meet up before class. "I've got to take this, but I'm right across the hall if you need anything."  
"Thanks." She left him to his call and made her way in to her own classroom. Shutting the door behind her she took in the moderately sized room and smiled to herself. It was all hers. She took a seat in the plush chair and popped her feet up on her desk as she took a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet.

She didn't have a homeroom class so she had the whole first period to plan for her morning lessons. She had her senior Sociology class for second and third period and then a free hour before lunch. The last two periods after lunch would be with the freshmen. It would be a pretty easy first day for her, with most of it spent laying out the structure and grading of the courses she was teaching.

The hallway outside started to fill up pretty quickly, with kids milling around their lockers and waiting for the first bell to go. Paige looked up as she heard a knock on her door and a smile split her face as Ella Montgomery walked in. She had been her favourite teacher back when she was at Rosewood as a student. "Mrs Montgomery! It's great to see you!" She stood up from behind her desk to greet her and Ella laughed her formality off.  
"Please Paige, we're colleagues now, you can call me Ella." She smiled warmly at her as she perched on the side of her desk. "So how's your first day going? Are you settling in ok?"  
"Yeah, no problems so far; well except for unlocking the door, but Ezra from across the hall helped. Seems like a nice guy."  
"Yeah…yeah he does." Ella's smile grew a little tight. "I'll let you get on, but if you need anything I'm just down the hall, and if you don't already have plans for lunch I'd love to catch up?"  
"Sounds great."

Ella left to go and see to her homeroom class, leaving Paige to her own devices again. From the noise coming out of the classroom across the hall it seemed she wasn't the only one. She tried to ignore the shouting and screaming coming from the other class, but as she popped her head out of the door she found it was coming from Ezra's classroom. His door was wide open and she could see some slack jawed teen sitting on his desk, which definitely gave her the impression that he wasn't with his class; either that or he was one of those fuddy-duddy teachers that tried to be everybody's best friend. As a football went flying out of the classroom door she decided to go in and find out what was going on for herself. Scooping the ball up she tucked it under her arm and marched in to the classroom, almost knocking in to the kid who was running out the door after the ball.

"Whoa! Sorry!" He was taller than her by a head, but he shrunk under her steely glare. Despite his obvious unease he still managed to rake his eyes over her body, only serving to piss her off more. "Hi, I'm Noel." She recognised the strong dark looks and his cocky grin as he extended his hand out towards her. There was no denying the kid was a Kahn. She shoved the ball in to his hand with a lot more force than was necessary. It only made his smile widen.  
"Nice to meet you Noel, now go sit down. You, off the desk and in your seat!" She snapped at the kid sitting on Ezra's desk and he jumped to attention. The atmosphere in the room instantly changed and a hushed silence started to descend over the teens as they realised they were no longer unsupervised. Paige had no intentions of being one of those teachers who were assholes to their students and ruled with fear and an iron fist, but she also didn't want to come across as soft either. She was stamping her foot down and making her mark on her first day. She stood at the front of the class, with her hands on her hips as she looked at each of the students in turn. "Settle down. You guys are seniors, you're supposed to be able to behave when you're left alone for five-" She faltered, her voice choking inside of her throat as her eyes landed on a dark haired girl in the back row. She looked just as surprised to see Paige standing in the classroom as Paige was to see her sitting in it.

"Is everything ok?" Ezra appeared at her side and Paige found herself able to form words again. He was frowning, though it was aimed at the kids rather than Paige. "I just had to pop to the office.  
"Yeah, your class was just getting a little rowdy and Mr Kahn here was trying to get in some extra football practise."  
"Noel, that ball leaves your bag again and you'll be spending your first week as a senior in detention, got it?" Ezra narrowed his eyes on the younger man. Paige wasn't sure whether he was just trying to show his authority or not, but Noel Kahn made sure to get the last word in.  
"As long as it's with _her,_ I'll spend the _year _in detention." He laughed and received a high five from one of his buddies sitting beside him. Paige was actually grateful to the little swine for giving her a distraction from the girl still staring at her from the back row.

"Great, maybe by the time the year is up you can grow some facial hair." She shot back with a smirk of her own and the entire room erupted in laughter at Noel's expense. His expression darkened and he was starting to look more like his big brother with each passing second. Paige had almost broken Eric Kahn's arm in their junior year, when he'd tried to feel her up at a school dance. She was used to putting the Kahn's in their place. "I'll leave you to it Mr Fitz." She smiled at Ezra, trying to stop her eyes from lingering on Emily as she made her retreat. Once she reached the safety of her own classroom she slammed the door behind her and sunk against it, fighting the panic attack that was threatening to take over her.

Emily was in the classroom across the hall. The gorgeous girl she had been thinking about all weekend was sitting in her homeroom for _registration._ She was a senior and maybe eighteen at best. Paige didn't want to consider the worst case scenario. If Emily was some sort of genius sixteen year old then there was a special part of hell reserved for one Paige McCullers. "Shit, shit, shit!" She cursed under her breath as she ran her hands through her hair and pushed herself back up to her feet. It wasn't like she had actually done anything with Emily, but she couldn't deny her attraction to the other girl; a girl who was a high school student at the very school that Paige was teaching at. "Oh no…" Paige scrambled over to her desk and pulled out her class lists from her briefcase. Her eyes scanned over the names, looking for any sign of Emily in her senior classes.

"Hey, wasn't that the girl from The Brew?" Hanna quizzed, as observant as ever yet unable to see that Emily was having a meltdown right in front of her. Paige was teaching at Rosewood. The stranger who had held her hair while she threw up Saturday night was teaching at her school. Emily had been ready to curl up and die of embarrassment when she'd spotted her at The Brew; having her walk in to the classroom was way worse. "Is she a teacher?"  
"Fitz seemed to know her already. Ask him?" Spencer suggested, her eyes already landing on Aria; who had conveniently walked in to the room a few minutes before Ezra had returned from his trip to the 'office'.  
"It's not like he mentioned her." Aria shrugged as she fixed her lip gloss in her compact.

"I wonder what she's teaching? Whatever it is I hope I'm in her class. The way she came back at Noel was epic!" Hanna laughed, craning her neck to catch sight of Noel at the front of the class. His cheeks were still red with humiliation.  
"I don't." Emily huffed. She was still embarrassed from the way she had acted that night; not to mention how Maya had acted too. She groaned at the thought of Maya bumping in to Paige in the halls. She had wrongly thought that the older girl was hitting on Emily and from the way Zack had been talking about her it was pretty clear Paige was straight.  
"Wait; is the room across the hall 203?" Spencer pulled out her timetable, which of course was colour-coded. "Because I've got AP Sociology in there next with a Ms. McCullers. Aren't you taking that course too, Em?"  
"Crap." Emily grumbled as she slumped forward in her seat. "So is Maya."  
"Is it too late for me to sign up to that class?" Hanna questioned with a smirk. Emily had told them all about how Maya had kicked off with Paige for trying to talk to her in the club; though she had left out the bit where they'd ended up in a bathroom stall together.  
"You could always go talk to Miss McCullers? Or have Emily ask for you?" Aria teased, glad not to be the centre of attention for once when it came to talking about one of their teachers.

"Cut it out guys!" Emily rolled her eyes at them as they carried on trying to goad her. The last thing she needed was for Maya to overhear them. Paige was attractive and Maya already had a bee in her bonnet about her. They didn't need Maya kicking off with a teacher over mindless gossip and getting herself shipped out to True North again. She had been sent away after her parents had discovered she smoked pot; though it had been Emily's mother that had actually found the offending weed in Maya's bag. That had been the first of many hurdles in their relationship, but they'd held it together; even after Maya's infidelity.

She spent the rest of first period stressing over what she was going to say to Paige; correction, to _Miss McCullers._ Should she even bring it up? They'd sort of addressed it the day before at the coffee shop, when Emily had tried to apologise with baked goods. Should she just leave it at that? She felt terrible for how she had acted that night, but it had been the anniversary of Ali's disappearance, or death as they now knew, and she had just wanted to make the pain go away. She had been slowly rebuilding her life since the night that Allison Dilaurentis had gone missing, but in true Ali style the other girl wouldn't let her move on. Her memory was haunting her and unfortunately Paige McCullers had borne witness to just how well Emily was handling it.

"You ready, Em?" Spencer pulled her out of her thoughts as the bell signalling the end of first period rang and the other girls started packing up to head to their next class. Emily dragged her feet, in no particular hurry to get to class. When she finally walked through the door of Paige's classroom the other girl barely even glanced up from the papers she was reading at her desk. After discovering an Emily Fields in her senior AP class she'd had long enough to compose herself and she'd decided to try and play it cool. She wouldn't bring Saturday night up with her. She'd be the epitome of cool, calm and professional; or in other words she'd be a coward and ignore her.

Emily took a seat at the desk beside Spencer's and frowned as she looked around the class. It was a small group, like most AP classes tended to be, and her girlfriend was noticeably absent from the class. She took out her phone and sent Maya a text, asking where she was. She still hadn't replied by the time Paige cleared her throat to start speaking, so she put her phone on to silent and tucked it away in her jeans pocket. "Good morning class. My name is Miss McCullers and I'll be teaching you AP Sociology this year. The course will be split in to the sections outlined on the board; though this quarter we'll only be focusing on social perspectives and research methods." She tried to keep her focus away from Emily as she addressed the class, running through what they'd be covering in the first quarter of the academic year. "There will be two exams at the end of the quarter which will count towards your final grade, along with coursework and group discussion. Now-" She faltered as her eyes finally landed on Emily and she found her looking at her phone.

She cleared her throat and the younger girl looked up, guilt written across her face as she tried to put her phone away again. Maya had finally replied, though the one line of text she had messaged her had hardly been worth risking getting caught on her phone in class. "I'll take that until the end of class." Paige walked over and held her hand out expectantly for the phone. Emily opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it as Paige stared her down. She wasn't about to publicly back down over a violation of the rules on her first day. She would be making a rod for her own back. Emily reluctantly handed the phone over, knowing full well that she would need to stay behind after class to get it back. She wasn't looking forward to _that _particular conversation.

"Kill me now." She muttered to Spencer under her breath as Paige took her phone and placed it on her desk. Spencer shot her a sympathetic smile in return. The lesson seemed to last a lifetime while Paige went on and on about the course modules and how they would be graded. Emily's eyes were glued to the clock as she watched the minute hand slowly drag itself around the clock, counting down to her fate. When the bell for lunch finally sounded Emily jumped in her seat. She felt like she was heading to her execution as she packed up her things.  
"Want me to try and get your phone back for you?" Spencer offered as she hefted her book bag over her shoulder. Paige had been friends with Melissa back in high school. Though Spencer hadn't really spoken to her much, she could still try and play the 'friend's little sister' angle to help Emily out.

"Thanks, but I think I better handle it. I'll catch you up." Emily hung back by her desk, waiting for the room to empty before she approached Paige. Correction,_ Miss McCullers. _She was perched against her desk, talking to Mona Vanderwaal. Mona had been a nerd through most of school, though in the last couple of years she had grown in to something of a socialite. She was close with Hanna, though Emily and the others didn't really know her all that well.  
"Hi, Em. Save you a seat at lunch!" She beamed at her as she tossed her a little wave and flounced out of the classroom in her ridiculously large heels. Between her and Hanna it was like they were in a competition to see who could pull off wearing the most uncomfortable shoes.

Once Mona left they were alone in the room and Paige reached behind her for Emily's phone. "I don't want to see you playing on this in my class again." She handed it over with little more than a warning and a stern expression, leaving the younger girl confused.  
"Is that it?"  
"Well, I could give you detention but I doubt either of us wants to waste our afternoon." Paige crossed her arms over her chest defensively. She had been dreading the lesson ending almost as much as Emily had. The last thing she wanted was to be alone in her classroom with the student she'd flirted with in a bar over the weekend.  
"I meant what happened the other night. Me at the club, drinking…" She trailed off, trying to gauge the older woman's reaction, but Paige's poker face was impassive and she didn't give anything away as she shifted on her desk.

"I'm your teacher Miss Fields, not your mother…that being said, you're what? Eighteen? You shouldn't be in bars to start with, never mind getting in the state you were in." Paige hadn't meant to lecture her, but finding out Emily was only a minor had rattled her and she couldn't help but think what could have happened to her in that club, given how out of it she was by the end of the night.  
"Seventeen." Emily answered, her tone taking on a defiant edge as she mirrored Paige's actions, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm eighteen in a couple of weeks; and you're right, you're not my mother." She pocketed her phone and did her best not to storm out of the classroom like some stroppy teenager.

Paige held her breath, waiting for the teenager to leave so she could finally let her guard down; but Emily stopped at the door and turned back around to face her. "And for your information, I don't usually get like that. It's just this time of year…" She faltered, thinking of Ali's disappearance and the subsequent discovery of her body the year before. "Forget it." She didn't bother trying to explain herself as she felt her phone vibrating against her side. It was probably Spencer checking up on her, or Maya finally returning her messages.  
"Emily…" She stopped just outside the door as Paige called after her. Her expression was torn, like she didn't want to get too involved, but she couldn't just stand back and watch her walk out. "I get it. I do. Being this age, when you're halfway between being a kid and being an adult, it's the hardest thing in the world; but it gets better. It gets easier…The secret is just not screwing up."

"You seemed to have done ok." Emily smiled; glad to see a glimpse of the Paige she had met over the weekend. Paige laughed at Emily's observation. She had always seemed to be screwing up a lot when she had been Emily's age and she was still living with the consequences. She wasn't about to discuss any of that with one of her teenage students though.  
"We've got a lesson tomorrow. Fresh start, right?"  
"Right." Emily agreed. She felt her phone going off for a second time and she knew the others would all be waiting for her at lunch. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, where have you been?" Maya quizzed as Emily slipped in to the empty seat beside her at the lunch table. She leant in for a kiss which Emily happily returned.  
"I could ask you the same thing. Where were you this morning?"  
"I overslept." Maya shrugged.  
"Overslept? It's the first day of senior year-"  
"Exactly. So I didn't miss much! Oh, there's Noel. I'll be right back." She pressed a kiss to Emily's cheek before flouncing off to another table.

"Everything ok?" Spencer asked from across the table, where she was perched between Hanna and Mona. Caleb and Lucas were on the other side of Hanna, with Aria sitting beside Emily. They were a big group and Spencer didn't want to bring up Emily's run in with Paige in the classroom in front of everyone. The girls had always been quite close, but ever since the death of their friend Allison they had started to drift away from each other a bit and new people had entered their lives; and their lunch table.

"Fine." She flashed Spencer a smile and held up her phone to prove it. She'd have to try and get the other girl on her own at some point to talk about their new teacher, but that would have to wait until Maya was otherwise occupied. Luckily Spence was smart enough to figure that out and she let it drop until they were alone. Maya spent most of lunch over at Noel Kahn's table and Emily was lucky enough to get a quick kiss from her before they both left for their afternoon classes.

"So how did it _really _go with McCullers?" Spencer enquired as she caught up with Emily in the hallway before their last class of the day.  
"It was fine. She gave me a lecture on underage drinking, but other than that we're good. We agreed on a fresh start tomorrow."  
"Uh huh, and did Maya agree to this fresh start?" Spencer teased, earning a scowl from her friend.  
"I still haven't told her about Paige…Ms McCullers." Emily quickly corrected herself again. "But then I haven't had a _chance _to speak to her all day."

"How are things between you two anyway?"  
"It's still hard." Emily admitted with a sigh as she tucked her hair back behind her ear and shook her head. "We're working on it though. I just need to learn to trust her again-"  
"When she's glued to Noel's side?"  
"Spence, don't. Please. We're working things out, ok?" She slammed her locker door shut a little more forcefully than she had intended to.  
"Ok, but you should know that Maya has used up all of her lives with me. I'm done pretending to like her just because she's your girlfriend."  
"Noted." The other girl smiled warily, knowing just how fiercely loyal her friends could be.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Once again thanks for the reviews and for reading. I'm not going to be able to keep up with almost daily updates but I do have a week off work coming up so I'm trying to get as far in to this story and my other Paily one as I can.**

* * *

"Hey, so how did your first day go?" Paige looked up from the stack of papers on her desk to find Ezra standing by her door with his jacket on and his briefcase in his hand. They'd managed to grab a coffee together at lunch and she'd found herself warming to her neighbour.  
"Pretty good." She admitted, choosing not to think about the girl that had been on her mind all weekend and in her classroom all morning. "I might even come back tomorrow."  
"That's good. Teaching tends to works best if you show up." The older man offered her a charming smile. "I'm heading out, can I walk you to your car?"  
"Oh, no thanks. I've still got some stuff to do here. Thanks though."

After saying goodbye to Ezra she finished up with the papers on her desk and locked her classroom up for the night before heading to the natatorium. It was only the first day of the new semester so there were no afterschool practises on. Paige had the whole place to herself. Shrugging off her suit jacket she placed it down on one of the benches and slipped off her shoes and socks. She rolled up the legs of her trousers and sat by the edge of the pool, dipping her feet in to the warm water below. She took a deep breath, savouring the heady scent of chlorine in the air. It had been a long time since she had been back there and yet the Rosewood pool still felt like a second home to her.

"McCullers, ten laps, pronto!" Paige looked up from the water and grinned as she caught sight of a familiar face. Getting to her feet she met her old coach with a warm embrace.  
"Hey Coach, good to see you."  
"You too." The older woman beamed as she pulled back, keeping hold of Paige's shoulders as she looked her up and down. "Look at you, all grown up! I feel like a dinosaur!"  
"You look good Coach." It had been five years since Paige had been a student, but the other woman didn't look like she had aged a day. They had kept in touch over the years through e-mails and the odd phone call, but it was the first time Paige had actually seen her in the flesh since she'd last left Rosewood. When she'd upped and moved to college she'd left her old life behind, looking for a new start. She still wasn't sure whether moving back to Rosewood had been a good idea, but seeing Coach Fulton was definitely a plus.

"Do you miss it?" Fulton caught her staring out across the natatorium, lost in her many memories of the place. Some were good and some not so good, but her high school career had been made in the very pool she was standing over.  
"Every day." She replied with her jaw clenched tight as she subconsciously rubbed at her shoulder. A fractured collarbone had ended her chances of swimming professionally.  
"Does it still hurt?"  
"Only when it's cold." Paige tried to shrug it off; pretty sure that the stab of pain she was feeling was more psychological than anything physical.

"The night I got the call about your accident was the worst night of my life." Fulton admitted as the two of them took a seat on the bleachers. "You were the best swimmer I've ever had; though I've got a senior who's on your heels this year. You'll have to meet her at Friday's practise. That is if you haven't changed your mind about my offer, Coach McCullers?"  
"That's assistant coach." Paige corrected her with a smirk. Fulton's offer to let her help with the swim team had been the thing that had swayed her decision in taking the job in Rosewood. The older woman had given Paige so much; it only felt right to give something back. She couldn't swim competitively anymore, but she could at least try and pass on her knowledge and experience to someone who actually had a shot at going pro.

She lingered in the natatorium for a little while longer after Fulton left, losing herself in her memories. Eventually she dragged herself out to her car. The temperature outside had dropped throughout the day and her collar really was aching. She needed to get home and take a long hot bath to work out the kinks in her shoulder, preferably with a large glass of wine and a good book. Her plans were somewhat scuppered as she walked through the front door and found Pru draped over her couch.

"Hi Hun, how was your day?" She grinned as Paige snatched up the glass of wine that was sitting on the coffee table.  
"Do you remember the girl from the club the other night? The one you _pushed_ me on to?"  
"The really hot one with the crazy girlfriend?"  
"Yup." Paige finished the wine off in one long gulp. "The _seventeen year old _hottie with the crazy girlfriend." Pru almost choked as she sat bolt upright on the couch.  
"Tell me she's not-"  
"My student? Oh yeah, she is!" Paige slumped down beside her friend. "I walked in to a classroom this morning and saw her just sitting there."  
"Oh man, the girl is jailbait, taken, _and _she's in your class? You're like cursed, you know that right?"

"Please, I wasn't even in to her! I just got spooked seeing a girl I gave alcohol to Saturday night sitting in a high school classroom!" Paige objected, though she wasn't exactly fooling anybody.  
"Just be glad that was all you gave her Saturday night."  
"Why are you even still here?" Paige snapped as she reached out to top up her wine glass from the bottle sitting on the table. "I thought you were going home today?"  
"I've still got a few more days off work. Thought I'd stick around for moral support." The other girl shrugged. Pru had her own apartment on the other side of town, but it looked like Paige was stuck with her for a while longer.

She acted like she couldn't wait to get rid of her, but having her best friend around since she had moved back to town had been nice. It felt weird to be living alone in the house that she had grown up in. She would actually miss the other girl when she went home. "So what are you going to do about little miss Jailbait?" Pru quizzed, instantly making Paige change her mind about missing her.  
"Nothing. I'm going to forget all about meeting her Saturday night. It's not like anything happened anyway."

* * *

After her eventful first day at work Paige decided she was going to be prepared for her second one. She woke up early so she could go running; it was a guaranteed way to clear her head when she couldn't get in the water. Lacing up her sneakers she headed out, locking the door behind her. Pru was still fast asleep in the guest room. If Paige was feeling in a charitable mood then she'd pick up breakfast for them both on the way back.

She was still getting used to the new stores in town. A lot had changed in the five years she had been away from Rosewood; though she'd managed to find a pretty decent little bakery that sold amazing fresh baked bread. Of course at 6am what her body was really crying out for was caffeine, but she was avoiding The Brew at all costs. She couldn't risk running in to Emily outside of class. She doubted the younger girl would be working so early on a school day, but if she was going to avoid her then she would be best steering clear of the coffee shop altogether. Her body would just have to settle for carbs instead of caffeine.

She cut across town and in to the woods, taking one of the old trails she had used to run back when she was in high school. The morning air was crisp and a light rain had started to fall. She pressed on though, pushing herself long after her lungs had started to burn and her legs had begun to go in to cramp. By the time she'd done her 5K her hair was plastered to her face and her clothes were soaked through. She regretted not picking up a jacket on her way out the door.

When she reached Main Street she immediately caught the scent of freshly brewed coffee and her stomach started grumbling in response. Figuring it was probably still early enough to be safe to go in to The Brew; she pushed open the door and was instantly greeted by a blast of warm air and the heady smell of coffee; along with the grinning face of Zack, the owner who had been trying to pick her up on Sunday. "Nebraska! You didn't call!" Paige couldn't help but smile at him as she walked up to the counter. "Or did Em slip you her number instead?" It was meant as a joke, but Paige could feel her cheeks burning in response. Zack failed to notice as he began making her a coffee. "Americano with an extra shot and nutmeg, right?" He beamed, obviously proud of himself for remembering her order from the other day.  
"Right." Paige confirmed with a nod, struggling to stop her teeth from chattering. For all it was warm inside The Brew her clothes were soaked through and she was starting to feel the cold.

"Want me to Irish it up for you?" Zack offered with a wink as he sprinkled on the nutmeg.  
"It's tempting, but I'll have to pass. The school-board frown on drinking before noon."  
"You're a teacher? You look kind of young. In fact I was thinking about carding you before I ask you out on a date." He was still wearing his schoolboy grin as he handed over the coffee and waved off Paige's attempt to pay.  
"I'm twenty three…and kind of gay."  
"Oh…wow…good for you." He was clearly flustered by her admission as he nervously ran his hand through his thick dark locks. "So…_did _Emily give you her number?" To his credit he quickly brushed off her rejection and he still refused to let her pay for the coffee.

"No. She didn't." Paige sipped at the piping hot coffee. "She's actually one of my students. Her girlfriend is too."  
"Maya? Now that one's a handful! Emily's a good kid though." _Kid. _The word rang in Paige's ears and she swallowed hard. She'd spent the weekend thinking about a seventeen year old kid. She wished she could say she'd stopped after she'd found out about her age, but the truth was she'd spent all of yesterday thinking about Emily. She just couldn't help herself. The girl was stunning and Paige couldn't deny she was attracted to her. She just had to figure out a way to deal with that attraction without acting on it. She couldn't risk her job over a pretty girl. Her career as a swimmer had come to an abrupt end the night she'd tried to impress a pretty girl.

She flexed her shoulder almost subconsciously as she thought back to her accident. She'd shattered her collarbone and it had taken years for her to get full movement back in her shoulder. Even now, five years on, she still couldn't move in the water like she'd been able to back in high school. She had wasted her talent and had thrown away all of her years of training and sacrifice over a stupid attempt to impress a girl. Taking the job as the assistant swim coach was her way of giving something back. She was looking forward to meeting the team on Friday; especially Fulton's star swimmer.

"Speak of the devil and she will appear." Zack laughed as the front door opened and Emily came walking in. Paige almost choked on her coffee and had to cover with a cough as Emily walked up to the counter.  
"Hey Zack…Miss McCullers." Emily offered her a tight smile, clearly feeling as awkward as Paige was. She mumbled a hello back as she sipped at her coffee. She regretted not asking for it to go. She was stuck there till she finished it. She couldn't exactly just walk out and leave an almost full cup of coffee behind; that would just make it obvious that she was trying to avoid the other girl.

"Hey, Emilio! You here for your pay check?"  
"I sure am, and a skinny latte to go please, Zack."  
"Yeah right, serve yourself. I'll grab your wage packet out of the office."  
"Hey, it's my day off _and_ I'm a paying customer!" Emily objected with a mock pout that had Paige staring at her lips from the corner of her eye.  
"Emily, you haven't paid for _anything _since you started working here last summer." Her boss pointed out, effectively winning the argument before slipping out the back with a triumphant grin. Emily slipped around the counter to make her own coffee.

"Do you need anything?" She asked politely and Paige shook her head. She tried not to grimace as droplets of water ran down her back from her ponytail.  
"I'm good with this thanks."  
"Ok...do you want a towel or something? You're kind of making a puddle on the floor."  
"Oh, shoot… Sorry, I was just out running in the woods and I got caught in the rain." Paige wasn't sure why she was explaining herself to a seventeen year old, but she couldn't seem to stop rambling around Emily. She felt like she was seventeen again herself, and trying to talk to one of the cool girls who was way out of her league.

"I hate running." Emily wrinkled her nose at the thought of running through the woods so early in the morning.  
"So what do you do? I mean you look pretty fit…physically fit that is." She quickly added, feeling her cheeks burning up.  
"Thanks. I'm on the-" She didn't get a chance to finish as her phone went off. The way her face lit up when she answered, it was clear who she was talking to. "Good morning! I'm just stopping by work and then I'll be straight over…oh, ok. Well I guess I'll just see you at school then." She lost her smile as she hung up. Paige ducked her head, trying to pretend that she hadn't been listening to the call; which was kind of hard to pull off seeing as she was standing right in front of her. She finished off her coffee as quickly as she could.

"I should get going. I can't exactly turn up for class in my sweats. Can you tell Zack I said goodbye?"  
"Of course." Emily perked up a little. "So did you drop by _just _for coffee, or were you hoping to see someone?" Paige stared blankly at her for a moment until she realised she was talking about Zack.  
"Oh…uh…just the coffee. Zack's a nice guy and all, but not really my type. I'll see you later...in class."  
"You know if you wait a minute I could give you a ride? The rain's still coming down pretty heavy."  
"Uh, no. I'm ok thanks. It'll just give me an incentive to run faster." Paige grinned as she got the other girl to laugh.  
"I'll have to try that sometime." Emily nodded. "See you around."

"See you." Paige tossed her a wave and headed back outside. Emily had been right about the rain, it was coming down hard and fast and she was soaked through again within a few minutes. She made it home in record time and ran straight upstairs for a hot shower. She lingered under the hot spray until she got the feeling back in her fingers and toes. When she stepped out she didn't have much time to get ready for class so she had to run around her room like a madwoman, throwing on clothes and drying her hair before tying it back. There was no point in leaving it down with the rain anyway. She chose a pair of grey slacks and a pastel blue shirt, still trying to look professional. She always looked younger than she was with her hair tied back and she didn't want to be mistaken for a student on her second day.

Pru was still sleeping so she slipped back downstairs and grabbed a protein bar for breakfast while she sorted through her mail. She had left it to pile up over the weekend. Her dad still owned the house and he let her stay there rent free, so she just had the utility bills to pay for. Setting the bills aside and tossing the junk mail she left herself a note on the fridge to remember to call her dad. It would be the first place she would head for when she got home from work anyway.

She drove to the school and took a spot in the faculty parking lot beside Ezra's silver Toyota. He wasn't inside it so she guessed he was already in his class. With a homeroom to prep for he probably had to be in earlier than she did. Without a class of her own Paige was afforded the luxury of an extra five minutes sat in the warmth of her car listening to one of her favourite songs playing over the radio. Had she been anywhere other than the school she would have cranked up the volume and sang along, but ever the professional she had to settle for listening to it at a respectable level and tapping along on the steering wheel.

She was just climbing out of her car when Ella Montgomery pulled up in the lot with her daughter riding shotgun and her son in the back. Mike slung his backpack over his shoulder and skulked off towards the main building while Ella and Aria greeted Paige. "Hey there, you came back for a second day? That's a good sign." Ella teased as she juggled her briefcase and a hot cup of coffee.  
"So people keep telling me."  
"Hey mom, I'm going to head up to homeroom. I'll catch you later-"  
"What's the rush? It's still early." There was an edge to Ella's voice as mother and daughter stared each other down. There was clearly something going on that they were reluctant to talk about in front of Paige, so she tried to excuse herself. "No Paige it's fine, we're all heading the same way. I'm sure Mr Fitz won't mind if Aria isn't the first one to class." From the sour look on Aria's face it was clear the younger girl _would _mind.

Her expression didn't get any better as she spotted Maya getting out of Noel Kahn's car. "What the hell is she doing with _him_?" She snapped, though she was mostly talking to herself and didn't really expect an answer from Paige or her mother. "She was supposed to be riding in with Em." Paige bit her tongue before she could put her foot in it and inform Aria that Emily's girlfriend had called to cancel on the ride. At least that's what she suspected Emily's phone call in The Brew had been about.  
"Maybe Emily cancelled on Maya and Noel offered her a ride instead?" Ella suggested, drawing a snort of indignation out from her daughter.  
"She shouldn't be anywhere near him! Emily might have given her a second chance, but she isn't stupid enough to give her a third!"  
"Well, that's Emily and Maya's business." Ella pointed out, sounding like a responsible adult. For her part Paige was just glaring at Maya's back. She couldn't understand how anyone could cheat on somebody they were supposed to love; especially if it was with an ape like Noel Kahn. She just couldn't see the attraction.

When she got up to her classroom she closed the door behind her and shrugged off her jacket. She could hear Ezra's class from across the hall and they were once again being rowdy. They weren't her problem though, so she pulled out her lesson plans to go over them before her first class. She felt her stomach twisting in knots as she realised she had a double lesson with the seniors after lunch. Her plan to avoid Emily Fields seemed to be failing miserably. Deciding she needed another dose of caffeine to get her going she headed off to the faculty lounge to hunt out some coffee. With registration going on the halls were empty and she found herself lingering in front of the trophy cabinet outside of the natatorium.

The team she had been part of had been the last Rosewood girls' varsity team to win at nationals and there was still a framed picture of them all beside their award. Paige was front and centre, proudly holding the trophy up in front of her. She was smiling, looking like the rest of the excited teenage girls surrounding her, but Paige had been deeply unhappy at the time. She'd lost her mom the summer before her senior year and on top of that she had been struggling to deal with her sexuality. Throwing herself in to her swimming had been her way of coping with everything; a way to keep her head above water when she felt everything was washing over her.

Nationals her senior year had been the last time she had raced though. One of the girls on the team had thrown a party to celebrate their victory and Paige had ended up having an accident that had resulted in the end of her swimming career. It had been her own stupid fault. She'd been showing off by diving in to the pool along with some guys from the boys' team, but she'd had too much to drink and one ill-timed dive had ended all of her prospects of becoming a professional athlete. Her scholarship to Danby and her place on the school team vanished in the blink of an eye and all of the years of training and sacrifice had been for nothing. She closed her eyes over as she took a few deep breaths, trying to focus on the breathing techniques the school councillor had taught her. Her emotions had a tendency to get the better of her when she let them and she sometimes struggled to keep her temper under control.

Her eyes snapped open as she heard giggling voices coming along the corridor towards her. Walking towards the source of the noise she stopped in her tracks as she came across the sight of two teenage girls making out against the lockers. She didn't mean to stare at them. In fact more than anything she wanted to be able to just walk away and erase the mental image from her memory. The sight of Maya pushing Emily up against the lockers, her hands all over her and their lips locked in a battle that both girls seemed determined to win, was enough to curdle her stomach. She felt a hot flash of jealousy running through her. She knew it was irrational. Emily was just a kid, and one of her students, there was no way she was supposed to be jealous at the sight of her kissing her girlfriend; but it was hard to reconcile the Emily she had met in the club Saturday night with the Emily who was her student. It was like her brain just couldn't process that they were the same person.

She was about to make a hasty retreat when Maya looked up and caught her staring at them. "Perve much?" She glared at her and Paige felt her cheeks burning with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Emily didn't know where to look as she dropped her gaze. She looked like she wanted to disappear, but with Maya still pinning her there was nowhere for her to go.  
"Maya-" Emily started, trying to warn her girlfriend that Paige was one of their teachers. The other girl didn't give her a chance to talk though as she figured out where she had seen Paige before.

"Wait, aren't you that bitch from the club?" Maya glowered and if looks could kill then Paige would be six feet under. Her anger won out and Paige forgot all about being embarrassed at catching them together. She wasn't the one in the wrong after all. She was an adult and a faculty member, unlike the teenage girls she had every right to be walking around the school during lesson time.  
"Maya!" Emily's eyes widened, fearing the worst as she watched Paige's jaw clench. "She's-"  
"Oh, did you know she goes here?" Maya turned her attention back to her girlfriend. "Did you just bump in to her in the club or were you meeting her?"  
"What? No! I told you-"

"Sorry to interrupt ladies, but do either of you have a hall pass?" Paige crossed her arms over her chest and tried to pull off her best authoritarian tone.  
"What's it to you?" Maya huffed; still oblivious to whom she was talking to.  
"We were just late for class." Emily apologised meekly. Trying to stop things from escalating she added, "It won't happen again…Ms McCullers."  
"See that it doesn't. You don't want detention your first week back, do you?" Paige knew she sounded like a bitch as she stared the two girls down, but it worked as Emily shot Maya a pointed look. The penny finally dropped.  
"No… miss." Maya grumbled as she laced her fingers through Emily's. "Come on Em, let's get going."

Even though they were going in the same direction, Paige let the two girls go first. She hung back for a few minutes to make sure she wouldn't run in to them again. She felt like she was fifteen again and scared of bumping in to the popular girls who would call her names and mock her clothes. Shaking her head at her stupidity she forced herself to go back up to her classroom before the bell for first period sounded. She settled back down behind her desk and sipped at her coffee. She had the rest of the morning before she'd have to see either girl again and hopefully that would be long enough for her to get herself together. Emily was a student. She was a seventeen year old kid that Paige was responsible for educating. She kept telling herself that as she tried to block out the memory of Maya and Emily kissing.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Come in." She wasn't expecting anybody and few teachers would knock, so she could only guess it was a student. When the door opened Emily stepped nervously in to the room. She was fidgeting with the little plastic hall pass in her hands and when she caught Paige's eyes on it she offered her a timid smile.  
"I have a pass this time."  
"What do you want Emily?" Her words came out a little abruptly and the younger girl was momentarily taken aback.  
"I uh…I just wanted to apologise for Maya. Again." She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed with the other girl's behaviour. "I didn't get a chance to tell her you were a teacher here. She would never have acted like that if she'd known you were."  
"Good to know. Was there anything else?" Paige just couldn't help how dry her tone was. She wanted Emily out of her classroom and being short with her was the only way she knew how to get rid of her. She was an expert at using her standoffish attitude to push people away.

"No." Emily shook her head. She didn't know quite how to take the older woman. It was like she was two different people. The young teacher was cold and aloof, yet the girl she had met in the club Saturday night had been friendly and compassionate. She'd held her hair back as she'd thrown up and listened to her cry about her problems with Maya. Even in The Brew, just an hour earlier, she had been pleasant and friendly. Emily didn't know what to make of her. She thought she was maybe just trying to keep up a professional image at work, being so young and all. "That's all."

Paige waited until the younger girl had walked out, and closed the door behind her, before she let out a heavy sigh. Leaning her head down on the desk so closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten. She'd known Emily Fields for four days and the girl was already making her come undone.


	4. Chapter 4

Paige stared glumly up at the clock on the back wall, watching as the second hand slowly dragged itself around the clock face. It was Friday afternoon and her last class of the day seemed to have dragged on for an eternity. She had the seniors reading through the chapter in their textbooks on the main sociological perspectives. They were all taking notes and looked as bored as Paige felt; except for Hastings, who looked quite content with her nose buried in the book. Beside her Emily sat with her cheek resting against the palm of her hand as she glanced back up at the clock Paige had been staring at for twenty minutes; her pencil hadn't moved in almost as long. When she noticed her teacher looking her way she made a show of ducking her head and writing something down.

Paige smirked as she watched her, willing to bet that she wasn't really writing anything. She was almost tempted to call her out on it, but she had to get to swim practise straight after class. She'd avoided any more confrontations with Emily and her girlfriend and had managed to stay away from The Brew to avoid running in to the other girl outside of school. Her first week at Rosewood High was almost up and she'd made it through relatively unscathed.

The second the bell sounded she was the first one packing up. She had her bag slung over her shoulder before some of her students had even put their pencils down. "OK guys, finish the reading for Monday and have a good weekend!" She was the first one out the door and she managed to get downstairs to the natatorium before the hallways got too crowded with kids eager for the start of the weekend.

Paige felt a bubbling sense of excitement in the pit of her stomach as she changed in to her sweats and tied back her hair. The navy blue polo shirt with the Sharks monogram over the breast pocket was similar to the one Paige had worn as a swimmer, but the words 'Assistant Coach' were printed on the back. She had been looking forward to practise all week and she couldn't wait to meet the team. "Ready, Coach McCullers?" Fulton slapped her on the back as she walked in to her office.  
"Ready." Paige nodded, though she was starting to feel nervous as she heard the girls in the locker room next door.

It was mostly just the varsity team made up of the seniors and juniors and a handful of sophomores who would make up the junior varsity along with the freshman once they had try outs in a couple of weeks. Paige was something of a legend among the Rosewood swimmers, with no other student having ever beaten her timings in the pool. Fulton was confident she was the right person to help her coach and inspire the team towards nationals; Paige herself felt like a fraud. She couldn't swim anywhere near as fast as she had once been able to.

"Relax Paige; the girls are going to love you. You're practically a superstar to them. I've already had a few of them talking nonstop about your classes. They're going to freak out when they realise you're coaching this year." Fulton must have noticed that she was looking a little green around the gills so she tried to give her some encouragement. Paige wished she could share her enthusiasm. She just felt sick. That feeling increased ten-fold as she heard a voice from behind her.  
"Hey Coach, you wanted to see me?"

Paige stood frozen to the spot with her back to the senior that had just walked through Fulton's office door. She wanted nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow her whole. The other girl couldn't be a swimmer. She just couldn't be. Sure enough though, as Paige turned to look over her shoulder she found Emily Fields standing in the familiar navy blue warm-up gear of the Sharks. She really was on the swim team, and the universe really did have a sick sense of humour. Emily's eyes widened as they landed on Paige and they both just stood there staring at each other. Fulton was oblivious to the tension between the two younger women.  
"Emily, come on in. I wanted to introduce you to be the first one to meet our new assistant coach. Emily Fields, meet Paige McCullers." Fulton beamed as she introduced her two favourite students to each other. As a teacher she wasn't supposed to have favourites, but Paige had been something special and she saw the same potential in Emily. "Paige, Emily's the senior I was telling you about; the one who's almost making your times." Of course she was. She couldn't just be _on_ the swim team. The other girl just _had _to be the superstar swimmer Fulton had been talking about. The one she wanted Paige to spend most of her time working with.

Paige didn't know quite what to say. She opened her mouth but she just couldn't force any words out. "We've met." Emily at least seemed able to speak as she nervously tucked her hair back behind her ears and gave Paige that timid smile of hers. They hadn't spoken since Emily had come to her class to apologise to her earlier in the week and the younger girl still wasn't sure where they stood. She'd been excited when she'd first found out that Paige McCullers was teaching at the school; at least she had been once she'd gotten over the initial shock of her also being the girl from the club Saturday night. The older swimmer was a celebrity amongst the Sharks and Emily had been working her hardest to try and rival her times in the water. She should have been thrilled to actually have her idol coaching her, but once again their previous encounters were getting in the way.

"Emily's one of my students." Paige finally found her voice again before the coach could pick up on her awkwardness. "I didn't know you were a swimmer."  
"It's how I keep fit." Emily's smile grew a little more confident. When she'd figured out that Paige was _the _Paige McCullers she had hoped to run in to her again at The Brew so she could talk to her about swimming and how she'd prepared for nationals; but finding out that she was teaching at the school and her subsequent run-ins with Maya had put Emily off trying to approach her.  
"Emily, can you go get the girls out on deck so I can announce our new addition to the team?"  
"Of course Coach." Emily was glad for the excuse to flee the office. Paige watched her go with her hands shoved in the pockets of her sweats. It seemed she just couldn't get away from the girl.

Coach Fulton waited until Emily was gone before she moved over to the door and closed it. "Emily's a good kid; but she could have beaten your times already if she'd put a little bit more work in over the last two years."  
"Maya?" Paige asked, guessing the reason why Emily would be distracted from her swimming. If she really was close to beating Paige's times then she should have already had offers from college scouts. She should have been thinking about going pro, not worrying about keeping tabs on her girlfriend.  
"That's part of it." Fulton let out a sigh, letting Paige known exactly what she thought of Emily's partner. "The truth is Emily's been through a lot these last couple of years and this time of year always seems particularly hard for her. That's where you come in. I want your help with the whole team, but I want you focusing on Emily. I think you could give her the inspiration she needs to get her head back in the game."

Paige didn't get long to digest the news as Fulton led her out on deck to meet the rest of the team. The other girls were ecstatic to have Paige as their assistant coach and she was met with an endless barrage of questions from all of the teenage swimmers; except for Emily, who sat quietly on the bleachers for the full hour. With the girls so excited about their new coach an hour passed without them actually getting in to the water, so Fulton decided to let them finish early. "We'll call it a day and pick up our normal practise on Monday. Remember we have try outs coming up in a few weeks, so if you know anybody who's interested in taking part then get them to sign up now! Ok, enjoy your weekend!"

The girls headed back to the locker room to gather their things, but Emily hung back to speak to Paige. "Can we talk?" The coach had gone off to her office, leaving only Paige and Emily by the pool. Paige wanted nothing more than to make a quick getaway, but instead she nodded and took a seat next to her on the bleachers. She wasn't going to be able to avoid Emily like she had hoped, so she was just going to have to find a way to deal with it. Fortunately Emily seemed to have had the same idea. "Can we start over? I really want to attract scouts and get to nationals this year and you're my best chance of doing that. You're the best swimmer Rosewood has ever had and I know I can learn a lot from you."

"Ok. We'll start fresh." Paige nodded in agreement. The very reason she had taken on the assistant coaching job had been so she could help someone like Emily achieve her potential; but she needed to know Emily was willing to put the work in. "I can get you scouts and nationals and I can bring your times down; but you've got to work your ass off for it. I need a hundred and ten percent back, Fields. No distractions." Paige was aware she sounded painfully like her father, but she didn't want to invest her time and energy on a swimmer who had a history of being flaky.  
"You've got it to coach." Emily grinned, her smile lighting up her face.  
"Ok, so let's see what you've got. Two hundred freestyle."

"Now?" Emily bit her lip as she looked up at the large digital clock on the back wall. It was a little after four and she was supposed to be seeing Maya before she started her shift at The Brew; she had warned her that practise might run over though, and it wasn't like Maya had kept their breakfast plans.  
"Problem?" Paige quizzed, and Emily didn't miss the challenging tone of her voice.  
"No." She unzipped her jacket before slipping out of her pants. Paige tried to subtly avert her eyes as Emily unveiled her long lean legs. The other girl had the body of a goddess and Paige had to keep telling herself that she was only seventeen; though a traitorous voice in the back of her mind kept pointing out that she was _almost_ eighteen.

After tying her hair back Emily pulled on her swim cap and her goggles before climbing up on to the starting block. Paige scrutinised every inch of her body as she got in to position to dive in to the water, but she wasn't leering at the other girl. She wasn't just interested in Emily's timings; she needed to watch her performance closely to assess her form and technique. She knew full well how a loose turn could lose a swimmer precious seconds. Emily's entrance was pretty clean and her movements were strong and powerful as her arms cut through the water in a perfect arch; but Paige noticed she didn't pull her knees in tight enough when doing her flip turn to come back up the lane, making the turn slow and inefficient.

"A minute forty five seconds." Paige announced as Emily's pulled herself up out of the pool. Paige's personal best in the two hundred yard freestyle was one minute and thirty two seconds and it had been the school record for five years. Thirteen seconds was a big time difference when it came to swimming.  
"My PB is a minute thirty nine." Emily wrapped her towel around her waist, not exactly happy with her time. She had been trying to show Paige what she could do, but she had too much on her mind to really focus properly. She performed better under pressure and had set most of her personal bests under race conditions.  
"Next time I want to see your best and if we work on that turn we should be able to shave a few seconds off-" She trailed off as she found Emily smirking at her. Paige had never taken criticism well as a teenager, so she couldn't understand why the other girl was smiling. "What?"  
"You're pretty intense aren't you?"  
"Yeah, I guess I am." Paige laughed at the unexpected, yet accurate, observation. "Don't let it scare you off though."

Emily ducked her head with a blush and Paige felt like kicking herself. She hadn't meant it to sound like she was flirting. She was grateful at least that Emily thought she was straight. If the other girl realised she was gay too then she would have to watch every word she said to her. "I won't. See you later coach." She picked up her warm-ups intending to head off to get changed.  
"Not in a club I hope." Paige teased, making Emily's blush deepen.

"Definitely not." She agreed. Her gaze was still fixed on the floor as she apologised again for the state she had been in the previous weekend. "I really don't usually get like that; or even go to clubs. That's more Maya's thing than mine. It's just…this time of year…" She was struggling to find the words she needed and not for the first time Paige wondered just what the other girl had gone through. Coach Fulton had mentioned she'd had a rough couple of years and as much as Paige was supposed to be trying to keep her distance she couldn't help but be curious.  
"Look, if you need to talk…" She didn't really finish. She wasn't sure what to say.

"One of my best friends went missing on the last day of summer two years ago. We didn't know what happened to her until they found her body last fall. She was murdered." Emily slumped down on to the bleachers again like a deflated balloon. It seemed like Allison was all she and her friends had talked about for years. "Last weekend I just wanted to forget, you know?" Paige knew all too well what it was like to want to forget about your problems at the bottom of a bottle. She rubbed at her shoulder without thinking as she took a seat beside Emily. The night of her accident she had been drinking to try and block out a lot. Her mom had died just before the start of her senior year and she and her dad had struggled to carry on as a family without her. Things had gone from bad to worse when he'd found out she was gay. Winning nationals had been an excuse for her to let her hair down.

"I know what it's like to lose someone close to you at your age." Paige shook her head as she thought back to her own senior year. She didn't know why she was sharing that with a student, but she felt an undeniable connection to the younger girl sitting next to her. "I tried to shut everybody out and I threw myself in to swimming. I did cut like twenty seconds off my times; but I screwed everything up when I got wasted at a party."  
"Your accident?" Every swimmer worth their salt knew that Paige McCullers' swimming career had ended when she'd broken her collarbone, but Emily didn't really know the details. She watched as the older swimmer rubbed at her collar. "What happened?"  
"We were celebrating winning nationals, half the senior class were there and everyone was drinking and generally having a good time. Some of the guys were goofing around diving in to the pool…and me being me, I just had to try and show off. I'd had too much to drink though. I fell off the board and hit the side of the pool. I don't remember much about it; just waking up in the hospital with this brace around my neck." She wouldn't admit it to Emily, but she hadn't just been fooling around by the pool with the guys. She had gone up on the board to impress a girl.

"Do you miss it? Being in the water?"  
"So damn much." Paige admitted with a weary sigh as her eyes swept over the pool. "I still swim, but it's not the same. Even when I'm pushing myself I can't make the times I used to."  
"You know it doesn't always have to be about winning or setting records. Didn't you ever just swim for the fun of it?"  
"Not really. I'm intense, remember?" Emily laughed at her attempt to make a joke. It was nice to see the younger girl smiling for a change. The two of them seemed to get along just fine when nobody else was around; and that was exactly why Paige couldn't let herself spend too much time alone with the other girl. "I should get going."  
"Me too. I'll see you Monday."

Paige would be eternally grateful if she could get through the weekend without bumping in to the other girl. She didn't have any plans other than hitting the gym and finishing unpacking. She would probably end up in The Brew at some point too. Pru had finally gone home halfway through the week, but Paige had promised to call her about having dinner Friday night. She used the speakerphone whilst she was driving and her best friend picked up on the third ring. "Hey homo! Are you ordering dinner?"  
"Yeah I'm on my way home now. I'll order the usual when I get in. Are you bringing over something to drink?"  
"I've got some nice wine?"  
"Got any vodka?"

Paige arrived home just before Pru pulled up in her car. She was carrying an overnight bag over her shoulder, a bottle of wine in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. It looked like she would be spending the night again. They settled in Paige's kitchen while she ordered dinner and Pru fetched some wine glasses out of one of the cupboards. Paige rested the cordless phone between her cheek and shoulder as she manoeuvred to get herself another glass out and filled it with vodka and a can of coke from out of the fridge.

"Rough day?" Pru mused as she picked up one of the glasses of wine. Paige wasn't much of a drinker. It was usually Pru who had to egg her on to drinking spirits or shots. The young teacher snorted in to her glass as she shook her head.  
"Like you wouldn't believe." She finished off her drink and rinsed the glass out. "I met the swim team today. Guess who's on it?"  
"Jailbait?" Pru's eyes widened, though she was more amused than shocked.  
"Please don't call her that." Paige huffed as she followed Pru in to the living room and they both flopped down on to the couch with their wine. Paige lay with her legs over her best friend's lap as she told her all about Emily not only being a Shark, but the star swimmer.

"I've come to the conclusion that the universe pretty much hates me." She sighed, already dreading just how much time she would have to spend with the younger girl. The Sharks had practise twice a week and that would double once the season actually started. Between swimming and class she was pretty much going to see Emily every day. That wouldn't be such a bad thing if she wasn't so attracted to the seventeen year old.  
"So she's gay, smoking hot _and _she's a swimmer. Dude, I'd say marry her." Pru laughed, clearly enjoying her friend's predicament a little too much.  
"You're forgetting she's seeing someone… oh, and is in _high school_."  
"I thought you weren't even in to her?" Pru teased, catching her out.

"Of course I'm in to her!" Paige groaned, finally admitting that she was attracted to Emily. "She's sweet and funny and gorgeous…and I'm going to hell!" She covered her face with one of her hands and felt like screaming. How the hell was she supposed to do her job when she had Emily Fields sitting in her classroom distracting her? Worse than that, how was she supposed to coach the younger girl when she couldn't stop staring at her legs?  
"You need to get laid." Pru announced helpfully. "That's your problem; you've been single way too long. I mean when was the last time you even got any?"  
"I need more vodka."

Across the other side of town, Emily was just starting her shift at The Brew. It was pretty quiet for a Friday night, with only a few customers scattered across the tables. Hanna, Spencer and Aria were sat on the sofas at the back so Emily was sitting with them whilst there was nothing for her to do. Zack was leaning against the front counter reading a magazine, not remotely bothered that one of his employees was sitting down on the job. He knew Emily would work her backside off when it got busy later. He was a pretty good boss and a great guy. Emily was still determined to try and set him up with Paige. The older woman had insisted he wasn't her type, but he was attractive and successful, surely she'd at least be willing to give him a chance? "Hey Spence, do you think Zack would be Paige's type?"

"Uh, I dunno Em. I knew her when I was like twelve and she was just one of Melissa's dumb friends. Why? Are you planning on playing matchmaker for your boss?"  
"Maybe." Emily grinned. Looking over her shoulder she tossed her boss a wave. He nodded back at her, barely lifting his eyes from the magazine he was reading. "He's been single ever since-"  
"My mom dumped him?" Aria supplied. Zack and Ella had started dating the previous spring, but Ella had called it off. Zack had tried to play it down, acting like it didn't bother him, but Emily had been working for him for long enough to know when he was bummed out. For all of his flirting he hadn't actually tried to ask anybody else out since. Giving Paige his number had been the first sign of real interest he'd shown in anyone other than Ella.

"Your mom is crazy. Zack is a hottie." Hanna commented whilst appraising the older man.  
"She liked him. I think it was just the age difference that freaked her out." Aria shrugged. She hadn't exactly been thrilled to find out her mom was dating again, but Zack had been nice enough.  
"Maybe she likes older men too, huh Aria?" Spencer teased, earning a glare from the smaller girl. "How is Mr Fitz?"  
"_Ezra_ is just fine thank you." Aria had been dating their English teacher Mr Fitz since the start of their junior year. They'd met in a bar on the last day of summer and Ezra had mistaken her for a college student. Their clandestine relationship had been through a lot in the year that they had been together, but the unusual couple were somehow making it work and Aria was still as smitten as ever with the older man. "I'm supposed to be going over for dinner tonight, so I'll see you girls later." She shouldered her bag and got up to leave. Emily went with her, leaving the other girls to their coffee as she walked up to the counter where Zack was still standing.

"Hey boss, had any phone calls from any pretty teachers recently?"  
"No, Mr Fitz won't return my calls." Zack deadpanned, his attention still glued to his magazine. "If you're talking about Nebraska then we've unfortunately established that I am not her type."  
"That's what she said!" Emily huffed. She couldn't figure out why Paige wouldn't be interested in him. He was an attractive guy who owned his own business. Half the women in town were in to him. Maybe she was just picky? Or could she already be dating somebody?  
"Em, you're not my mom. You don't need to try and set me up with women."  
"But you've been single for ages! I'm just trying to help!"  
"Tell you what, help by leaving me alone! It's dead tonight and Chris is due in soon, why don't you take off and go spend some time with that girl of yours?" He didn't need to ask her twice. She'd already pulled her apron off before he'd even finished speaking.  
"Thanks Zack!"

She grabbed her stuff out of the staff room and joined Hanna and Spencer over on the sofas. Maya was with the kids from the school Jazz band until eight, so she sent her a text letting her know she'd gotten off work early and that she'd pick her up. They were both spending the night at Maya's since her parents were away for the weekend. Emily's parents knew about them, but as far as Pam Fields had come in accepting her daughter's sexuality she was still wary of letting her girlfriend spend the night.

"So Em, are you looking forward to spending some quality alone time with Maya tonight?" Hanna teased, waggling her eyebrows at her friend.  
"Han." Emily rolled her eyes at her, her cheeks going red. The blonde was right though, Emily was more than a little excited at the prospect of spending the night at Maya's. It had been a crazy first week back at school and between work and practise they had both struggled to find time for each other. The weekend would be different though. Emily had swapped her Sunday shift with one of the other girls so she could spend the whole weekend at Maya's house.

In all honesty they hadn't actually slept together since Emily had found out about Maya's infidelity. They'd broken up before the summer, but Maya had convinced Emily to give her another chance. They'd had their problems, but they were both working to fix their relationship and Emily finally felt ready to be intimate again. A weekend alone together was just what they needed.

* * *

**A/N: So far so good, 4 days and 4 chapters! Once again thanks for reading and for the awesome reviews. I know a lot of people are antsy about Maya, but she's a means to an end - and Emaya will be ending pretty soon ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Why did you let me drink so much?" Paige groaned as she rolled over and buried her face in the cushions on the couch. "Seriously, why did you let me get the tequila out?"  
"Because we drank all the vodka?" Pru replied, barely bothering to crack open her eyes as she lay on the other end of the couch. Unlike Paige she hadn't actually made it upstairs the previous night so she had crashed in the living room.  
"And the wine." Paige added, her stomach churning at the thought of what they'd put away the previous night. "I think I need some food."  
"Something greasy and full of carbs." The other girl nodded in agreement as she finally sat up. "Not it!" She quickly added, forcing another groan out of her best friend.

"I hate you so much right now." Paige rolled her eyes as she dragged herself to her feet. Her head felt like it was going to split in two. She was too hungover to drive and she wasn't all that steady on her feet, so her bike was out of the question too. It was early Saturday afternoon so ordering take out wasn't an option. She'd have to venture outside. Stumbling upstairs she swapped her pyjamas for a pair of ripped jeans and the first T-shirt she could get her hands on. She tied her hair back and pulled on her sunglasses before heading out.  
"Don't forget the coffee!" Pru called after her, still rooted to the couch.

Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, she made her way to The Brew for the coffee and to check out what food they had on offer. She remembered Emily mentioning she had the weekend off, so she felt safe walking in to the coffee shop. She was in no condition to be running in to the younger girl. "Nebraska! What's up pretty lady?" Zack hollered at her the second she walked through the door and she cringed as his voice boomed in her ears.  
"Your voice? Turn it down a notch will you?" She grumbled as she dragged herself over to the counter he was standing behind and pushed her sunglasses up on to her head.  
"Rough night?" He grinned at her, taking in her dishevelled state and her bleary red eyes.  
"Rough week." She slumped against the counter. "Can I have two Americanos, one with cinnamon…and whatever food you have that is unhealthy and loaded with carbs?"

"How about a cheeseburger with a side order of bacon dusted fries, onion rings and some 'slaw?"  
"Oh god, yes please." Paige's mouth was watering just at the thought of her order. "Two please." She added, remembering that Pru was waiting on her bringing some food back.  
"Did someone get lucky last night?" He waggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.  
"I wish… The second one's for my friend Pru; she stayed over last night and we got crazy drunk."  
"Ah, well in that case I'll make them to go, and throw in some cheesecake too."  
"You are a god." Paige thanked him with a smile before taking the coffees over to a table by the window.

She was sitting drinking her own coffee when the door opened and Emily Fitch walked in. She had obviously been running, seeing as she was wearing Capri leggings, a tank top and running shoes. Her hair was tied back and she was a little out of breath as she greeted Paige. "Hi."  
"Hey." Paige nodded back, suddenly conscious that she was dressed like a hobo as Emily's gaze flicked over her. "Been out for a run?"  
"Yeah. I figured I should get back in to shape if you're going to put me through my paces in the pool." From what Paige could see of the other girl's body she was already in pretty great shape. She tried to be discreet about giving Emily an appreciative once over, but she caught Emily's eyes going to her T-shirt; or more specifically her chest. Emily's cheeks coloured as she realised Paige had caught her looking.

"Is that a _Walking Dead _T-shirt?" Paige looked down at the T-shirt she was wearing and realised it was. She'd picked up the first shirt she'd managed to get her hands on and hadn't noticed. She blushed, feeling like a dork for wearing it until Emily broke in to a smile. "I love that show."  
"Me too. I love the comic more though."  
"I've never read it." Emily admitted. "I really love horror movies though."  
"You should read it, it's awesome." Paige encouraged her. She was about to offer to borrow Emily her copies of the comic when she realised that could be seen as a little inappropriate. Emily wasn't a friend, or even an acquaintance; she was a student and Paige had to keep repeating that to herself in her head.

"I will." Emily nodded, seemingly oblivious to Paige's inner turmoil. The older girl was grateful when Zack came over to the table carrying a paper bag with her food order in it.  
"Hey Em, I thought you'd swapped your shift today?"  
"I did; but my big romantic weekend with Maya didn't quite go to plan." Emily huffed and Zack seemed to realise he'd just stepped on a hornets nest as he tried to backtrack.  
"Oh look at that, I forgot the cheesecake! Be right back!" He made a hasty retreat back towards the kitchen, leaving the two girls alone at the table. Paige tried to sink back in to her chair, but she could see Emily was silently fuming over whatever had happened with Maya and she just couldn't help but ask.  
"Plans fall through?"

Emily looked a little taken aback that she had asked, but she recovered quickly as she took the seat opposite Paige's. She actually seemed relieved to be able to talk to someone about what had gone on. "Her folks are away for the weekend so we were supposed to have the house to ourselves." Emily started and Paige already regretted asking. She didn't want to think about Emily and her girlfriend spending the weekend together. "But when I got there she'd invited Noel and the others over for a party!" Paige felt a sense of relief flooding through her with that knowledge.

She wasn't sure why, but the thought of Emily and Maya alone together unnerved her more than it should have. She pulled out her bacon dusted fries whilst she waited for Zack to come back over with the deserts; even though she could see two slices of cheesecake wrapped up in the bag. He was clearly avoiding Emily and her relationship drama. Sadly Paige didn't have the same sense. "Was Noel the one-" Paige stopped herself before she could finish her question, aware that she was definitely overstepping the mark.  
"No." Emily shook her head. "She and Noel have kissed before, but that was before we got together. The guy she cheated with she met at True North."  
"The reform camp?"

"Yeah. Maya got in some trouble last year. My mom found pot in her bag. She told Maya's parents and they sent her away to camp. We didn't really talk the whole time she was gone… it almost split us." Emily admitted with a sigh. "She and my mom still don't get on, and it just got worse when Lyndon turned up. Thanks." She managed a small smile as Paige offered her some of her fries. Her plan to distance herself from the younger girl was already failing miserably, so decided to indulge her curiosity.  
"Who's Lyndon?"

"He was the guy Maya got with at True North. He turned up in Rosewood just before the summer and told me all about it. I guess he wasn't happy that she'd ended things with him when she came home."  
"That must have been tough for you, finding out that way?" Paige couldn't really relate. She had thankfully never been cheated on; though in all honesty she hadn't been in all that many serious relationships either.  
"It was. It was hard to stay with her after I found out… but we're working on it; or at least we're supposed to be. It's just… she's spending all of this time with Noel, and they have history. I just don't know what to think…" Emily shrugged like she wasn't so certain about anything anymore. The pain behind her eyes was gut wrenching and Paige didn't have the first clue how to get rid of it. Pulling out the second carton of fries seemed to help ease it a little though.

"For what it's worth I think you're pretty brave for giving her a second chance."  
"Everyone else thinks I'm an idiot." Emily snorted as she tucked in to the offered fries. "I just think that if two people really care about each other they can find a way to work through anything, you know?" She looked over at Paige expectantly and the older girl swallowed hard. She didn't want to admit that for all she thought Emily was brave, that didn't mean she didn't also think she was foolish for taking her girlfriend back. Maybe it was because she was a different type of person to Emily, or maybe it was just because she was older and wiser, but she didn't think she could ever forgive someone for cheating on her.

"You look pretty hungry there, have you even eaten today?" Paige swiftly changed the conversation as she started unpacking the bag of food she had intended to take back home. Her own stomach was grumbling. The fries had done a good job of mopping up the alcohol that was still in her system and helping with the hangover, but she was still starving and the food would be going cold. Zack was taking his sweet time in coming back from the kitchen.  
"I had a protein shake for breakfast, but I went swimming and then I went jogging in the park. I guess I just worked up an appetite." Emily was still eating her fries when Paige pushed a burger and a side of onion rings towards her. "Paige, I can't take your lunch from you!" She insisted, though Paige saw her eyes raking over the juicy burger.

"You're not. You're taking my friend Pru's lunch, and it's her own damn fault for using me as her errand girl." Paige grinned, getting a smile from her companion.  
"Well in that case…" Emily laughed, looking happier than she had a few minutes earlier. By the time Zack came back with the two extra slices of cheesecake they were both tucking in to their lunch and the conversation had moved on to swimming, which was decidedly safer than talking about the teenager's love life.  
"I thought that was to go?" Zack pointed out, quite brazenly for a man who had just lied to get away from one of his colleagues.  
"Oh look, dessert." Paige took the cheesecake from out of his hands and put one of the slices down in front of Emily, who gave her a sheepish smile but didn't turn it down. "I may need a Panini or something for Pru." Zack rolled his eyes at her as he started clearing their table.  
"Your BFF is going to be pretty pissed at you, Nebraska." Paige just shrugged at him. Having Pru mad at her was nothing new.

Once they were finished eating Emily thanked her for lunch. "I better go finish my run or I'll be sinking in the pool come Monday." She joked. Paige wanted to protest that there wasn't an ounce of fat on her athletic frame, but instead she just came out with, "See you Monday." It was far safer than anything else she could have said. She finished off her coffee as she waited for the second burger meal that she had eventually ordered for Pru. There were still another two slices of cake in the bag too, which she suspected would be enough to appease the other woman seeing as Paige had been gone for over an hour.

"That was a nice thing you did." Zack commented as he handed over her order.  
"It was just a burger." Paige tried to brush it off, not liking the look he was giving her. She knew she had messed up by inviting Emily to eat with her. The last thing she needed was Emily's boss picking up on her attraction to the younger girl. She already felt like she was wearing some kind of sign advertising the fact that she was attracted to a student.  
"It was more than that. You listened. I think she really needed that."  
"Well someone had to, after you dropped the Maya bomb and then ran off_!_"  
"Yeah, I'm no good with the whole teenage girl drama stuff." He shrugged his broad shoulders unapologetically.  
"And I am?" Paige challenged.  
"Please, Nebraska, you're practically still a teenage girl yourself!"  
"I'm twenty-three!" The young teacher objected, though to be fair to him she was dressed like a teenager with her ripped jeans and zombie T-shirt. Having her hair up always made her look younger too.

She finished bickering with the coffee shop owner before gathering her stuff and starting the walk back home. She was halfway back when she bumped in to a familiar face walking in the opposite direction. "Paige McCullers! I heard you were back in town!" Melissa squealed as she moved in to hug her. Paige awkwardly returned the hug with her takeout still in her hands. She hadn't seen Melissa Hastings since their senior year, but the years seemed to have to been good to her. She was practically glowing.  
"Hey, Melissa. Yeah I'm back. I got a teaching job at Rosewood High. I've got your sister in one of my classes."  
"Yup. Spence has been singing your praises all week."  
"I must be doing something right." Paige laughed. "She used to _hate _me."  
"Well she _was _only eleven and you _did_ decapitate her favourite Barbie." Melissa pointed out; taking pleasure in her old friend's flushed cheeks.

"That was a total accident!"  
"Relax McCullers; I think she's forgotten about it now. You should come over for dinner sometime; my folks would love to see you."  
"I might take you up on that. It's been a while since I played High Low with your dad." Paige had been even more awkward in high school, but along with Pru, Melissa had been one of her closest friends and her popularity had helped keep Paige in with the popular clique. She had practically lived at the Hastings house her senior year.  
"Super! Call me and we'll set something up."

It was mid-afternoon by the time Paige finally got back to her house, and Pru was sitting curled up on the couch with a big bag of chips. "About time! I could have starved to death in the time you've been gone!" She huffed, though her face lit up when Paige handed over the paper bag full of food from The Brew. "What took you so long anyway? Wait, did you see Jailbait?" Pru scrutinised her best friend with her mouth already full of burger.  
"Her name's Emily; and how did you know I did?"  
"Because you're wearing that stupid grin."  
"Actually, I'm happy because I bumped in to Melissa. She invited me for dinner with her folks some time."  
"But you _did _see Jailbait?" Pru probed, refusing to let her best friend change the subject that easily.  
"Yes." Paige let out a sigh of frustration. "I saw her. We talked. We had coffee. I brought your lunch back."

"Wow…she's really gotten to you hasn't she?" Pru was like a dog with a bone. She couldn't see that she was getting dangerously close to pissing Paige off.  
"Can we just drop this? I'm tired and I'm hungover and I've got a load of work to do tomorrow, so I just want an easy Saturday!" Pru wisely chose to keep her mouth shut and the pair of them spent the rest of their Saturday afternoon lounging by Paige's pool and nursing their respective hangovers.

Across town, Emily Fields was spending time with her own friends. It was one of those rare Saturdays when it was just the four of them. No boyfriends, no girlfriends and no Mona. "Are you sure you don't want some lunch, Em?" Spencer offered as she played the part of good hostess and made the others a sandwich. Still stuffed from the burger and fries, she shook her head at the offer. She might have been sitting with her friends, but her mind was elsewhere.  
"Thinking about Maya?" Aria picked up on how distracted she was, though she was wrong about the cause. Deciding it was safer to let them think it was Maya who had her preoccupied, she simply nodded. After all, if she was thinking about any girl it really _should_ have been her girlfriend; but the truth was she just couldn't get Paige McCullers out of her head. The older woman was an enigma. At times she seemed to be actively avoiding Emily, and then other times she was buying her lunch and offering her extra swim practise. Emily just couldn't figure her out.

The night they had first met, in the club in Philadelphia, Emily would have put money on the older girl being gay. She had seemed to be flirting with her until Maya had interrupted them, but then at school she had been like a completely different person. It seemed like she had two different personalities; though Emily knew the façade she put on at school was just her way of trying to be professional.

"I can't believe she had a house party Friday night." Spencer shook her head in distaste, inevitably getting her little dig in at Emily's girlfriend and drawing her out of her thoughts on Paige.  
"Right! And she didn't even _mention_ it to me!" Hanna protested, getting the wrong end of the stick. Spencer shot her a sharp look. As Emily looked up at her friends she found them all sharing a conspiratorial expression. She felt her stomach churning as she realised their casual Saturday get-together was actually some kind of planned intervention.  
"I don't want to hear it!" She warned them all as she rose to her feet, making it clear she would walk out if they tried to lecture her on Maya again. "Maya and I have our problems, but it's _our _business!"  
"Em, we're just worried about you." Aria tried to smooth things over, but Spencer went straight for the jugular.  
"Did you stay over at Maya's last night?"  
"No. We had a fight over the party. I went home around ten…why?" Emily asked. She watched as the others all turned to look at Hanna; who in turn looked like she would rather be anywhere else in the world than sitting in front of Emily.

"Ok!" She rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as Spencer nudged her in the ribs. "Mona saw Maya and Noel sneak away from the party last night…They went upstairs." The blonde's face was wracked with guilt for having to be the bearer of bad news. She looked like she was expecting Emily to scream and shout at her. There was a chance that Mona had been mistaken, or that Maya and Noel going upstairs had been an innocent attempt to talk, they were good friends after all; it was just far more likely that something not so innocent had happened.

Emily's mouth was dry and her mind was reeling. Her lips were parted, but she just couldn't form a single word. Eventually she stopped trying. Clenching her jaw shut, she felt tears pricking at her eyes. She tried to blink them away, but a few traitorous tears fell down on to her cheeks and a sob escaped her lips. "Oh, sweetie, we're so sorry." Aria was the first one to move and the tiny girl wrapped her arms around Emily to comfort her. The other girls followed suit and Emily felt herself finally falling apart. She'd been trying so hard to keep herself together over the summer, to cling to the hope that she and Maya could weather the storm that had arrived in their lives in the form of Lyndon James. She was done.

"What are you going to do?" Spencer asked her once they had all moved to the living room and Emily was sandwiched between all of her friends on one of the big Hastings couches. She'd let herself cry until her eyes had simply ran dry and then she'd managed to regain her composure a little. Her eyes were still red and she was shaking slightly, but ironically she no longer felt on edge. It had finally happened. She and Maya had finally hit rock bottom and there was nowhere further for Emily to fall. She wasn't holding her breath, waiting for the inevitable. She shook her head, unable to fathom her next move. She would need to talk to Maya of course and get her version of events; but she couldn't see how her girlfriend could talk her way out of things this time. With the way things had been, she wasn't even sure Maya would try. She felt oddly torn by that. Part of her felt heartbroken at Maya's betrayal, but a small part of her was relishing the idea of finally being free from all of the drama that came with the other girl.

"Ok ladies, we need a girl's night!" Spencer announced gleefully, taking charge of things. "Just the four of us! No girlfriends, no boyfriends…and no phones!" She plucked Hanna's cell out of her hands, much to the other girl's protest. Emily handed over her phone willingly. She didn't want to talk to Maya until she was certain of what she was going to do.  
"What if Ezra calls?" Aria pouted, unwilling to part with her cell quite so easily.  
"Then I'll tell him to call back during office hours." Spencer replied with cutting sarcasm as she snatched Aria's phone out of her hand. "Today is going to be all about bad movies and good food."  
"We could have a sleepover!" Hanna suggested excitedly. "And get a ton of ice cream! How about it Em?" Her enthusiasm was infectious and Emily found herself smiling as she nodded. Her friends were trying to cheer her up, and also doing their best not to rub it in that they had been right to have reservations about Emily giving Maya a second chance.  
"Sounds good, Han."

* * *

Paige McCullers struggled to catch her breath as she stood bent over with her hands resting on her knees. She'd ridden out her hangover with junk food and had even allowed herself an extra hour in bed, but she was paying for her over indulgence during the weekend by pushing her body with her morning run. Her calf muscles were going in to cramp and her lungs were screaming for air. She'd worked up a sweat, and though her long auburn hair was tied back there were still stray strands falling in her eyes.

"Paige!" She swept her hair back with one hand as she looked up to see who was calling to her. She'd been running blind; with her headphones popped in her ears she had just let her feet do all the work, taking her through the familiar streets of Rosewood. She'd somehow made it on to Bridgewater Terrace, the street where she'd spent most of her teenage years. The large and impending Hastings house was just across the street from where she was stood and Melissa Hastings was waving at her from her mail box. She walked over, trying to ignore the deep ache in her muscles.  
"Melissa, hey. How's it going?"

"Great, thanks. The family's just sitting down to breakfast, why don't you join us?" As a teenager, Paige had spent a lot of mornings in the Hastings household, but it had been years since she had stepped foot inside the house and she was hot and dishevelled from running; she was hardly dressed appropriately for breakfast with the Hastings clan.  
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude." She tried to politely decline, but Melissa wasn't hearing it.  
"Nonsense, Spence's friends stayed over last night so we've got a houseful anyway!" She ushered Paige towards the house. It was only as she was stepping foot in the living room that she realised Spencer was one of Emily's friends.

It was too late to turn back though. Veronica Hastings emerged from the kitchen and spotted her before she could bolt. "Paige!" Her face lit up at the sight of her eldest daughter's friend and she pulled her in for a brief hug. Veronica thankfully wasn't much of a touchy-feely person and the embrace didn't last long. "It's so good to see you! Spencer told us you were back in town, and you're teaching at Rosewood?"  
"Yes, I am. I thought it was time to come back home." She shrugged, not really wanting to go in to depth about her reasons for returning.  
"Well it's great to see you. Come on in to the kitchen, Tom's at work so it's just us girls for breakfast." She led Paige towards the back of the house and in to the kitchen, where an assortment of teenage girls were littered around the room.

Aria and Hanna were sat at the kitchen table, tucking in to waffles, whilst Spencer sat on the kitchen counter nursing a cup of coffee. Emily was thankfully missing and Paige felt a rush of relief sweep through her; that was until the teenager walked in after her. She was wearing a vest top and particularly short bed shorts that showcased her long lean legs. She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening at the sight of Paige. She could only imagine what kind of sight she looked like, with her flushed red cheeks and her hair stuck to her head. They exchanged a nod as Emily slipped past her and took her seat beside Hanna at the table.

"What would you like, Paige?" Veronica quizzed, playing the part of hostess as she opened her well stocked fridge to see what there was.  
"Just some water please." She intended to finish her run and she didn't want to be slowed down by a full stomach.  
"Still training hard?" Veronica teased as she took a bottle of water out of the fridge. She poured it in to a glass with some ice and a slice of lemon before handing it over to Paige. "I remember when you used to try to drag Melissa out running with you at 6am!" Veronica chuckled, her eyes alight with mirth at the memories of her eldest daughter practically asleep at the breakfast table as Paige enthusiastically talked about how she had made her run all over town.  
"She only wanted to come to _impress _Ian!" Paige grinned. Melissa had been smitten with Ian Thomas since they'd been freshman in high school and she'd tried to get the jock's attention by taking up running.

The second she said Ian's name, something changed in the atmosphere in the Hastings kitchen. Spencer looked like she had a foul taste in her mouth and Melissa and Veronica shared the same thin lipped expression. Paige had clearly said the wrong thing, but without knowing what the problem was she was struggling to backtrack.  
"Ms McCullers is assisting the Sharks this year." Emily suddenly spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence and rescuing Paige from her social faux-pas. "The whole team are super excited."  
"So they should be. Paige is a Rosewood legend!" Melissa picked up on the lifeline Emily had thrown and quickly steered the conversation in to safer waters. "Though our Emily here looks set to break some records herself."  
"So I've been warned." Paige mused, mouthing a thank you Emily's way. She wanted to know why Ian's name had caused such a stir, but she knew better than to bring it up again. Maybe she could ask Emily about it at the Brew or something; even though she was supposed to be avoiding the younger girl. It wasn't like that plan had gone so well her first week anyway.

It seemed she wasn't the only one trying to avoid someone though. Emily's phone went off at least three times in the ten minutes Paige was standing in the kitchen and each and every time she checked the caller ID before rejecting the call. After the fourth time it rang, Veronica lost her patience. "Emily dear, would you answer that or turn it off?"  
"Sorry Mrs Hastings." Emily turned the cell on to silent before slipping it back in to her pocket. Veronica looked as surprised as Paige that the teenager was ignoring her phone.

"She's ignoring Maya." Hanna helpfully supplied to the room, even though nobody had actually asked _who _Emily was ignoring.  
"Hanna!" Aria and spencer both snapped at her, but Emily didn't bother to say anything. She just stared down at her coffee with a moping look.  
"I thought you two had cleared things up?" The older Hastings was doing her best to be polite, but she was clearly prying in to Emily's relationship and there was no hiding it.  
"We had…it's just..." Emily faltered as she looked up and caught Paige staring at her. Both girls quickly dropped their gazes. "It's not working out."

"Well I can't say I'm surprised. That girl has a reputation Emily, and the last you needs is to be associated with troublemakers." Veronica had always been very direct. She had given Paige a lecture or two in her younger days. Emily was obviously used to her friend's mother too as she didn't argue. She just nodded her head in agreement, silently brooding in to her coffee.  
"Mom!" Spencer did her best to be outraged on her friend's behalf, but she might as well have saved her breath.  
"What? I'm just speaking the truth. People judge you by the company you keep Spencer…and that girl is nothing but trouble! Trust me, mothers know best. Isn't that right Paige?" Veronica looked to the older girl for support, realising her mistake at the last minute. A flash of anguish crossed Paige's face, but the young teacher recovered quickly, smoothing a smile on to her lips.

"Of course. You never steered me wrong. Thank you for the water, but I really should be going. It was lovely to see you again." She gave the older woman a quick hug to show her she was ok and not just running off to lick her wounds. "We should do dinner soon."  
"Definitely; sometime this week." Veronica clasped her hands over Paige's as she offered her a warm smile. The Hastings' mother had been something of a surrogate when Paige's own mother had died. The woman had been a pillar of strength to Paige during her darker days; she could never thank her enough for that. She said goodbye to the others before slipping out the back door to carry on with her run.

"What was that all about?" Hanna quizzed, never one to keep quiet. Emily was grateful for her friend's character flaw as she asked the question that had been praying on her mind. Veronica excused herself from the kitchen, so it was up to Spencer to answer.  
"Paige's mom died when she was a Junior."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is the last chapter I've got ready written so updates might take a little longer. Thanks again for reading and for the reviews, and a big thank you to Go-Sullivan for pointing out a few errors I didn't pick up on whilst proof reading; I'll make sure not to mix up my Emily's in future ;)**

* * *

"Hey Emily. Is everything ok?" Paige greeted the younger girl as she climbed out of her car early Monday morning. The faculty parking lot was empty, save for Emily who was perched on the steps by the back door. She was huddled up under a baggy Sharks hoodie, with the hood pulled up over her head and her hands stuffed in to the pockets. It was a pretty cool morning for early September and Paige felt the bite of the cold air through her thin suit jacket. The teenager looked up at her with bleary red eyes. She'd clearly been crying.  
"I'm fine." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Allergies." She added hastily as she caught Paige's concern.

"Yeah, when my allergies play up I _always _sit in a parking lot. Clears them right up." Paige teased lightly, trying to make catching her crying less awkward. Emily laughed, a smile finally gracing her lips.  
"Coach Fulton usually lets me in early to swim, but she's not here yet."  
"She's not in till this afternoon, the pool's getting cleaned this morning and she has some meetings off campus."  
"Oh." Emily's face fell. She had been looking forward to getting in the pool and doing a few laps to take the edge off. She'd finally spoken to Maya over the weekend and she had called things off between the two of them. It had been stressful to say the least.

"Tell you what, why don't you come up to my class. I'll get us some terrible coffee from the teacher's lounge and we can talk tactics for your training this season?" Paige knew she was breaking her own rule about not being alone with the younger girl, but she couldn't just walk away and leave her looking so broken.  
"Sounds good." Emily agreed. She slipped her bag on to her shoulder and followed the teacher inside. She hovered by the door as Paige made them both a mug of coffee in the faculty lounge. The older woman caught her looking around the room and grinned.  
"It's so normal isn't it? I mean when I went here I always imagined the teacher's lounge would be so cool, like with a pool table or a pinball machine or something, you know?"  
"You must have been so disappointed."

"I was! I have mad pinball skills!" Paige laughed as she handed over one of the mugs. Her laughter lit up her face, making her look far younger than her twenty-three years. Emily felt like she was sitting with a friend her own age, not a teacher. She suddenly had a greater understanding of how Aria could date Mr Fitz; though she tried to push that thought back down as she felt her cheeks colouring.

They made their way up to Paige's classroom and Emily took a seat at one of the desks in the front row. Paige surprised her by sitting down at the one to Emily's left, instead of at her own desk. She noticed her own slip and shook her head. "I still can't get used to sitting at that desk. Everything in me keeps telling me to go sit in the back row."  
"You were a back row kind of girl?" Emily asked, a teasing lilt to her voice that had Paige choking on her coffee. "I'm shocked! I figured you'd be a front row student, maybe middle at a push?"  
"You'd be surprised." Paige smirked, remembering some of her wilder days at Rosewood High. "I kind of went off the rails a bit in my Junior year, pulled it together in my Senior year though." She shrugged, not really wanting to go in to detail. Emily seemed to know them already though.

"You're mom? Sorry." She apologised as she looked down at her coffee. "I don't mean to pry. It's just Spencer mentioned it the other day. I'm so sorry."  
"Emily you were like eleven, so you probably weren't the drunk driving the car that hit her." Paige managed a small smile, trying to break the awkward silence. She hated talking about what had happened to her mom. She hate the pitying look people would give her when they found out about her; the same look Emily was giving her.  
"Paige, I'm so sorry." Her name slipped out with the younger girl thinking, but she didn't correct her. It wasn't like there was anyone around to overhear them. "Did they catch the person that did it?"  
"They did. It was some city broker who'd had too many beers watching a hockey game after work. He got three years, but he was out in two for good behaviour." Paige shook her head bitterly at that. She just couldn't understand it. What constituted as good behaviour? It wasn't like he could run anyone else down while he was in prison.  
"I'm sorry." Emily repeated, at a loss for anything else she could say.

"You said…so what kind of times did you get over the weekend?" She quickly changed the conversation on to something lighter.  
"Oh, I didn't get in the water this weekend."  
"Really? How often do you train?" Paige was surprised that the swimmer hadn't been in the pool for three days. When she had been in her senior year she had spent practically every spare minute she had in the water.  
"It depends, I used to have a really strict schedule but lately…I've just been _distracted_; but that's over now. I want to focus on bringing down my times and getting a scout to notice me."  
"Put the effort in and we'll have them knocking down your door to sign you up." Paige promised without a moment's hesitation. "The hard work starts with proper scheduling. I can look up my old senior program if you want to look at it?" It would be packed in one of the many boxes of stuff stowed away in her attic.

"That'd be great. Thanks." Despite everything that had happened over the weekend she was still excited to be training with Paige McCullers. She was willing to put in as much work as it took to get back on form. She was going to make it her mission to beat Paige's timings. They sat talking about their sport until the hallway started to fill up and Emily heard Hanna's voice coming from Ezra's classroom. "I should get going, thanks for the coffee."  
"Any time." Paige's answer was reactive, but with the school filling up with students she had to remember that Emily was one of them. She wasn't meant to be having coffee with her alone in her classroom.

Emily slipped in to her homeroom and joined her friends at the group of desks they had claimed in the middle of the room. She took the seat in front of Aria's. "Hey Em, how are you doing?" Aria gave her a patient smile. They had all been treating her with kid-gloves over the weekend since she had decided to call things off with Maya. She knew they were just worried about her, so she brushed off her frustration with them.  
"Fine."

"Did you get your swim in? Your hair's pretty dry." Spencer was ever the observant one and she didn't miss the fact that Emily was bone dry.  
"Uh no, I didn't. Fulton wasn't in this morning so I ended up having coffee with Pai…Miss McCullers." She covered her slip pretty well, but Spencer still looked at her curiously, making her feel the need to add, "We just went over my training schedule for this season." She felt her cheeks flushing as Spencer carried on staring at her like she was a puzzle that needed to be solved. Thankfully the other girls were too distracted to notice.

"Is she freaking kidding me?" Hanna snapped as her eyes landed on Maya walking in to the class, followed closely by Noel. They were both laughing and smiling, sharing some kind of joke. The other girl had the good grace to drop her gaze as she caught sight of Emily and her friends looking over.  
"Leave it Han." Emily shook her head as Hanna geared up to let her mouth run. "She can do what she wants now." Living with the decision to let Maya go was still tearing her up inside, but she was determined to focus on her swimming above all else. She was already scribbling down a few ideas for how to fit her training in around work and school. Having something to keep her mind occupied seemed to be helping, so she blocked out her friends for the rest of the homeroom period. By the time the bell went for her first class she had drafted out a rough schedule. She put it away in her bag to show to Paige later.

Emily used her lunch period to get some time in the pool. She did a few easy laps to warm up and then started really pushing herself as she went through the various strokes. Without someone to time her she just had to guess at how she was doing. She felt like she was doing better than the last time she'd been in the pool, when she'd failed to impress Coach McCullers, but she knew she was still far from reaching her personal best. At the rate she was going she would be lucky to beat her own timings, never mind Paige's times.

Calling it a day, she climbed out of the pool, intending to go and get changed before grabbing a quick lunch. She was stopped on her way to the locker room by an unexpected visitor on deck. "What do you want Noel?" She snapped at the youngest Kahn and he held his hands up in mock surrender.  
"I just wanted to set the record straight. I was the one who kissed Maya on Friday night, but she pushed me away; said she wasn't interested. She's crazy about you Emily and I know this breakup is eating her up. Just give her another chance."  
"She's had two already." Emily wasn't in the mood to talk about her and Maya's relationship, especially with someone like Noel. "Look Noel, I appreciate you're her friend and all, but if Maya wants to get back together then she should be the one here telling me this stuff." She pushed passed him, not giving him a chance to argue.

She didn't bother to go and find her friends for lunch; instead she got some food and then sat outside under the shade of one of the large pine trees in front of the school. She pulled out the comic from her bag that she had started reading a few days earlier. Comics weren't usually her thing, but when Paige had recommended she read _The Walking Dead_ she'd picked up the first issue from the comic book store on Main Street. She was so engrossed in the story that she failed to notice Mona sneaking up on her.

"Oh sweetie, you really shouldn't be reading picture books in public. It's a little nerdy." She offered Emily a sickly sweet smile, like she was actually being helpful rather than a bitch. Emily's sour mood hadn't improved much, so Mona ended up getting the brunt of her frustration.  
"It's a _comic_ Mona; and someone who was captain of the chess team two years ago probably shouldn't be throwing arounda word like _nerd._"

"Touché." Mona shot back, her smile actually reaching her eyes as she sat down beside Emily and took the comic from her hands. She looked at it with distaste before turning back to Emily. "I'm sorry about you and Maya. I would have told you what I saw myself, but I thought it would be better coming from Hanna." She patted Emily's leg sympathetically. Emily wasn't fooled by Mona's act; she knew the other girl was only interested for the gossip.  
"Thanks Mona." She did her best to play nice. Mona was Hanna's friend after all. "I should get going to class."  
"Sociology with Miss McCullers right? Me too!" The other girl slipped her arm through Emily's, intending to walk to class with her. Emily couldn't think of a way to get out of it, so she put her comic away in her bag and just went with it. "Oh, and don't bother buying any more of those things."  
"Mona-"  
"I've got the hardcover omnibus editions. I'll slip them to you tomorrow. Just don't tell anyone." The offer surprised Emily and she found her exasperation with the other girl slipping.  
"Thanks Mona. That'd be great."

They walked to class, arriving before the bell for the end of lunch had even gone and catching Paige alone in her class. She was sat at her desk, going over her lesson plan for the afternoon. "Hey Miss M!" Mona's greeting was a lot perkier than Paige had expected.  
"Hey." She muttered back with a nod, though her eyes were on Mona and Emily's linked arms before they parted to take their seats. Mona sat down and pulled out her compact, checking her makeup, while Emily pulled out a comic. Paige couldn't help but smile as she recognised the familiar cover of the first issue of _The Walking Dead. _She had a signed first edition framed and sitting in a box somewhere in her house. Emily caught her looking over and offered her a small smile back. Their exchange was interrupted as the rest of the class started to file in and spencer took the desk next to Emily's, distracting her from her reading.

Maya and Noel walked in together not long after. Noel glared at Emily, obviously still licking his wounds from having her snap at him. Maya kept her gaze low as she took her seat. When Emily had called her out on kissing Noel at her party Maya had tried to argue her case, but it seemed she'd given up on the two of them just as Emily had. Of course that didn't make it hurt any less.

A double lesson on a Monday afternoon was hardly going to be the most productive, so Paige had decided to plan a light lesson to keep them all interested. "Ok guys, we're doing something a little differently today. Sociology is all about perspective. If you're a Functionalist you'll see an issue completely different to a Marxist or a Feminist. Debate is a big part of this class, so today we're going to get some practise in. We'll take three modern and relevant issues and you'll all argue for or against them. Yes Spencer?" She addressed the youngest Hastings as her hand shot up in the air.  
"What issues will we be looking at?"

"Well that's up to you guys." Paige was taking a risk in letting them pick their own topics, but she knew she had more chance of them engaging if she let them choose for themselves. "So let's open it up to the room. Throw some ideas at me people." She perched against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for some suggestions. Spencer was the first one to speak up, as usual.  
"How about Global warming?"  
"Good one Spencer. We'll start there and see how many issues we can fit in to this lesson." Paige walked over to the board and wrote 'for' and 'against' on each side of it. She steered the debate with some leading questions, getting the kids warmed up and starting them off.

By the time the first lesson was over they had argued over Global Warming and the legal drinking age. The students were doing pretty well with it, managing to hone their debating technique without just shouting at each other. "Ok, next topic?"  
"How about gay marriage?" Noel suggested out of the blue, catching Paige off guard.  
"Uh…" She stumbled, struggling to figure out what his game was. Paige had kept her own sexuality a secret at work, but she had come out in her senior year so there was every chance that Noel knew she was gay through his big brother. "That's a bit of a hotbed, maybe we should-"  
"You said we could pick." Noel interrupted her, fighting his corner. The little weasel was up to something, she was sure of it, but Paige had said they could choose what to discuss; she had no choice but to relent. She would just have to tackle the subject carefully, and hopefully avoid giving Noel whatever he was angling for.

"Ok. Well let's start with finding out who is for and against. A show of hands in favour of same-sex marriage please." Noel raised his hand, further confusing Paige. She still wasn't sure what his angle was. Surprisingly Maya, who was sitting beside him, had both hands down on her desk. Emily, Spencer and Mona had their hands up, along with a couple of the other students. The only ones with their hands down were Maya and two of the guys. When she asked for those against Maya and one of the boys held their hands up. The abstainer interested Paige, but she went Maya first. She was surprised that someone who identified as bisexual would be against equal marriage. "Maya, care to give your argument for against?"

"I'm not against equal marriage per se. I just think marriage as a whole is an archaic institution. 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce, so what's the point in arguing to be included in something that doesn't work? We should be aspiring to create a new institution that is both equal _and _successful." For the second time that lesson Paige found herself being surprised. After her initial run-ins with Maya she had pretty much wrote the girl off as a waste of time. She didn't offer much insight in class, when she turned up that is, but she had just pulled a winning argument out of the bag and seriously impressed the older woman.

"You've got some good points there. We'll hear from our abstainer and then open up the debate. Mr Coogan, you didn't vote? Don't you have an opinion on this?" She shot him a patient smile, startling Ben as she turned her attention to him. He was sitting at the back of the room in the desk behind Noel's and he looked like a deer caught in headlights.  
"Not really, no." He shrugged. The jock contributed in lessons even less than Maya did, but it didn't seem like he was about to astound Paige with his response. "It doesn't really affect me so I've never thought about it…it's not like I've got anything against gay people." He added hastily as he caught Emily's eye.

They had dated during their sophomore year, but when Maya had shown up in Junior year she had helped Emily to not only realise that she was gay, but to accept it too. "Just the ones who steal your girl, right?" Noel got his little dig in and Paige started to see what he was doing; not that she understood his endgame. Ben grew flustered at his best friend's attack, but it was Emily who went on the defensive.  
"Shut up Noel! You don't know anything about it!"  
"I'm sorry brother, but how bad must you be in bed to turn a girl?" Noel carried on attacking Ben, riling the young man up. "Either that or Maya must be fantastic…"  
"Screw you Noel!" Emily felt her blood boiling and she was moments away from getting out of her seat. Maya beat her to it though as she scowled at Noel in disgust.  
"Jerk." She shook her head at her supposed friend and made to move to the empty seat in front of Emily. Paige held her breath, hoping that would be the end of it so they could get back on track, but before she could intervene Ben exploded at Noel, getting to his feet and knocking her chair back from the sudden action. His fists were balled at his sides.

"We never slept together! It's not my fault she was more interested in fu-"  
"Enough!" Paige shouted at the top of her voice, getting the attention of the full class. The last thing she wanted to hear about was the sex lives of her students; especially when one of those students was Emily Fields. "Noel, report to detention with Miss Montgomery after school. Ben, sit down or you'll be joining him."  
"Noel totally provoked him!" Emily tried to defend her ex. For all things had ended badly between them they had still managed to remain casual friends. Paige knew she was right, but she couldn't just let her get away with challenging her in front of the whole class.  
"The same goes for you Emily. Everyone cools down right now!" She glared at all of the parties involved before asking for a new topic to debate.

Emily was fuming, and Noel wasn't the only one her anger was directed at. "I'm sorry Em; I don't know what's gotten in to him." Maya turned back to apologise to her as Paige was distracted leading the next discussion.  
"That's easy, he's an ass." Emily grumbled back, though for the first time all week Maya wasn't the cause of her foul mood. "Maya…" She sighed as the other girl tried to take hold of her hand.  
"I know I screwed up Em, but I don't want to lose you. I want to be in your life, even if I only get to have you as a friend." Emily blinked back tears as she felt her emotions welling up and getting the better of her.  
"Maya, I don't want to lose you either; but I'm not ready to be your friend yet. I need some time."  
"I can wait." Maya squeezed her hand and turned back to face the front before Paige could catch them talking.

Paige had never been so thankful to hear the final bell go at the end of the lesson. She sent Noel along to detention and dismissed the rest of the class, all except Emily. "Emily, can you stay back a minute?" The younger girl struggled not to roll her eyes as she slowly packed up her things and made her way to the front of the class. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively and waited for the class to empty.

"Want to tell me what that was all about?" Paige knew there was little point in asking Noel what he had been up to. She was far more likely to get a straight answer from Emily; or so she thought.  
"You tell me. Noel and Ben have been friends since Kindergarten." She shrugged, genuinely having no clue as to what Noel had been playing at.  
"And Ben is your ex?" Paige tried to tread lightly; she could see just how annoyed the younger girl already was, but she wanted the full story to avoid any further incidents; she also hadn't considered that Emily could be in to guys too.  
"Yes." Emily was exasperated. "We dated in our sophomore year. I didn't…I didn't know what I wanted back then. Meeting Maya changed all of that…I dumped Ben for her."  
"Emily you don't have to justify yourself to me…I get it-" Paige was close to sharing something that she had been trying so hard to hide from the younger girl, but Emily didn't want to hear it.  
"I doubt that. Can I go now?" She was angry and embarrassed by what had happened and she just wanted to get out of the class.  
"I guess you can." Paige shrugged, coming to her senses as she let the other girl go without a fight. Telling Emily she wasn't straight was the last thing she needed.

Down the hall, Ben had caught up to Noel. He shoved his best friend from behind, sending him stumbling forward. "What the hell Noel?" He growled as Noel turned to face him with a cocky grin. "You know me and Emily never slept together!"  
"Relax man, I'm sorry. I wasn't doing it to piss you off."  
"Then what the hell were you doing?"  
"Trying to help Maya. If it looks like she's not speaking to me, Emily might take her back. So I just need to look like a jack ass for a while." He offered his hand out to Ben, who begrudgingly took it whilst shaking his head.  
"You are a jack ass Kahn. I thought you were in to Maya, so why are you helping her get back with Emily?"  
"I am in to her and she's a fun girl to mess around with, but I'm not looking for a wife." He shrugged indifferently. "If she wants Fields she can have her."  
"And what does Maya think of all this?" Ben quizzed, causing Noel's smug grin to widen in response.  
"It was her idea."

Later that night Emily was sitting on Spencer's bed and frowning at the textbook in front of her. Paige had set them all an essay to write on the 'Sociological Imagination', but Emily's own imagination was completely lacking. She'd read the same passage three times over without really taking it in. She sighed in frustration as she finally pushed the book away from her. "Want to talk about it?" Spencer offered as she set her own book aside, though her essay had been done for almost an hour.  
"I can't concentrate! I'm just so angry! What was Noel even trying to do?"  
"To get to you? Clearly it's working."  
"How could it not? I was so humiliated! And then I had to explain myself to Paige!" Emily was too angry to notice her own slip, but Spencer picked up on it like a bloodhound.

"Paige huh?" Spencer smirked. "Are you sure Noel's really what's bothering you?"  
"What do you mean?" Emily scowled defensively at her friend; she knew exactly what she meant.  
"It's just you seem to be caring a lot about what _Paige _thinks lately."  
"Spence, she's practically been my idol since I was fourteen! She's the best swimmer Rosewood ever had and I think she can teach me a lot-"  
"And does your _idol_ live up to expectations?" The other girl teased her, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Emily laughed as she bit her lip and shook her head, feeling a blush creeping across her cheeks.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." She insisted, but Spencer wasn't fooled.

"Bull! You totally like her, don't you?" Spencer had only been trying to tease her friend about Paige, but seeing her reaction she was starting to think she was on to something. Her eyes were alive with mischief as she crossed over from her desk to sit beside Emily on her bed.  
"No!" Emily protested, though she couldn't keep it up as the other girl scrutinised her. "Maybe…ok, yes!" She hid her face behind one of the scatter cushions on the bed and groaned in to it as Spencer laughed giddily at her admission.  
"I knew it! She's been all you've talked about all week!" The youngest Hastings loved it when she was right and Emily's crush on their teacher was just one more thing to add to her list. "Wait, do you think she's gay?"  
"I don't know…but it's not like it matters. She's my teacher and like five years older than me!"  
"Fitz is seven years older than Aria." Spencer countered. "And they seem to manage just fine. Oh, you should totally tell Aria! Maybe she can give you some tips?"

"Spence!" Emily chastised as her friend laughed, enjoying herself far too much as she relentlessly teased her. "It's not going to happen! Even if I wasn't pretty sure that she's straight, I've _just _broken up with my first girlfriend. I'm not exactly on the market."  
"Maybe Paige is just what you need? A sophisticated older woman who can teach you a thing or two?" Emily rolled her eyes at Spencer's suggestive smirk.  
"You're terrible!" She shook her head again; though a small smile was playing on her lips as, just for a moment, she let herself entertain the possibility of her and Paige.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright Fields!" Paige hollered as she clicked down on her stopwatch, recording Emily's best time yet. She'd shaved off a good six seconds from her timings and she was well on her way to meeting her personal best. Paige had spent her first month at Rosewood helping her by staying behind after the other girls had finished training. The rest of the team had already gone home, leaving Paige and Emily alone in the natatorium. Emily was grinning as she pulled herself up out of the water. Paige tossed her towel towards her, feeling a sense of relief when the younger girl wrapped it around her waist.

"I'm working so hard to get my timings down. I'm in the pool practically every day." Emily pulled her arm across her chest, stretching her cramping muscles.  
"Well the work is definitely paying off. Just don't overdo it; you've got to find the right balance between work and play. You know, reward yourself so you don't burn out."  
"Reward myself how?" She stopped stretching and took a seat beside Paige on the bleachers. The older woman discreetly shuffled along a little bit to put some space between them.  
"Well, it can be anything you want. When I was training for nationals I was like constantly one more lap away from losing my mind. So, as a reward, the weekend before the competition I just got on my bike and headed up to Settler's Cabin Park. I was there the whole weekend, just riding the trails. It was so awesome."

"And your parents just let you?" Emily couldn't imagine her parents letting her just take off for the weekend to ride around the woods. She realised her mistake a little too late as she watched Paige's jaw tighten just a little.  
"My dad didn't really know I existed after my mom died. I was just like a lodger that didn't pay rent." Paige shrugged off the look of concern that was playing over Emily's face. "It was no big deal. He had a lot on and I could take care of myself just fine. The funny thing is he only started paying attention again after we made nationals. Then it was all about scouts and scholarships and which school I'd go to…I had more pressure at the end of the season than I did at the beginning."

"And then you had your accident?" Paige had been doing her best to keep her distance from her student, but Emily had a way of getting under her skin and she found herself answering.  
"Yeah, it changed everything. It was like all that pressure just went away overnight. I wasn't Paige McCullers, superstar swimmer anymore; I was just regular old Paige McCullers…and it was nice."  
"Superstar swimmer or not, there's nothing regular about you; and you're not that old." Emily caught her eye and ducked her head as she brushed her hair back behind her ear. Paige felt cheeks growing red in response, though she couldn't help the little smile that touched her lips.

She cleared her throat as she stood up, suddenly needing more physical distance between them. "So how about it Superstar, what's your reward going to be?" She tried to steer the conversation back in to safer waters; but somehow she just ended up drowning.  
"What I'd really like… is to race you. You've been like my hero since freshman year and I think going up against you would be totally awesome."  
"Emily, that swimmer that you look up to? The one who set state records and won trophies? That's not me; not anymore."

"Paige, you might not be as fast as you once were, but you still set those records and won those trophies. You don't just stop being a legend because you get old or sick. I don't care about racing; I just think it would be neat to swim with you. Please? You asked me what I wanted as a reward."  
"Let me get this straight, as a reward for swimming you want more swimming?" She tried to tease the younger girl to put her off, but that ended up backfiring.  
"I want you…I mean I want to _swim_ with you." Emily grew flustered and Paige gave in just to avoid any more awkwardness.

"Ok, ok! Beat your personal best before the first meet of the season and I'll race you."  
"That's only like three weeks away!" Emily protested, worried that she wouldn't be able to improve her times in such a short space of time.  
"Then I'd get working on it Superstar." Paige teased. She knew full well that Emily would be able to do it in less than the three weeks she had given her.  
"I'll get right on that Coach." The younger girl rose to the challenge, as Paige knew she would. "After the weekend. It's my birthday."  
"Really? When?" She felt a little bad for not knowing Emily's birthday, but in her defence she had known the girl for less than a month and it wasn't like they were actually friends. She wasn't supposed to know intimate details about the lives of her students.

"Tomorrow; I'm celebrating with my folks tonight though. My Dad just got back in to town this morning."  
"He's in the army right?"  
"Yeah, but he's not overseas anymore. He's down at a base in Texas as a trainer or something. My mom and I don't have to worry about him quite so much, and he gets home more often."  
"Well happy birthday for tomorrow; and make sure you take the weekend off from training. You only turn eighteen once."  
"Will do Coach. Thanks. I'm going to do another few laps and then take off."

Paige left her to it. She had a few things to do in Fulton's office before she could call it a day. Pru was due at her house later and she would be bringing their traditional Friday night takeout. Paige was just packing up in the office when she heard voices out on deck. Curious as to who was out there she stuck her head out of Fulton's office. She caught sight of Maya and bit back a scowl. She only caught the tail end of the conversation, but she watched as Maya handed over what looked like two movie tickets. "I got these before…well you know."

Maya was pretty good at playing the victim as she tugged on Emily's heartstrings with a puppy dog look that had Paige's jaw clenching. "I figured you'd love a midnight movie marathon on your birthday. There's two tickets, so you can take whoever you want." Oh she was good. Paige had to give her that. She knew exactly how to play her ex. Emily fell for it, hook line and sinker.  
"Well we could still go together, as friends?" Emily suggested like it had been her own idea. Paige wanted to go out there and warn her that she was being played, but it was really none of her business. There was nothing she could do.  
"I'd like that." Maya nodded with a coy smile. "I'll pick you up around eleven."

"And then she's like _I'll pick you up at eleven!" _Paige shook her head in distaste as she brought a bottle of beer to her lips. "She's fucking playing her and Emily can't even see it!"  
"Girl's got game." Pru was sat perched on the kitchen counter with a beer of her own, listening to her best friend rant about Emily. It had almost become as much of a tradition as ordering takeout. "Jailbait is a big girl, I'm sure she can handle herself."  
"Stop calling her that!" Paige ordered for the umpteenth time. "She's eighteen tomorrow anyway."  
"Eighteen or not, she'll still land your ass in jail if you go there." Pru scoffed. Paige just rolled her eyes at her. "You need to get out there and date! Go to a club, or join a yoga class or something!"  
"I hate yoga."

"So not the point McCullers." Pru shook her head in dismay at her best friend. "When was the last time you even went out on a date?" Paige took a minute to think about the question, though how long she took to answer pretty much proved Pru's point.  
"There was that French girl last year?" She shrugged. Dating had never really been a high priority for her. There had always been something else in her way, whether it was swimming or college or preparing for job interviews.  
"You went out for thirty minutes and had your college roommate call you and fake a family emergency!"  
"Oh yeah. I told her that my cat had died or something." Paige snorted at the memory.

One of her friends had set her up on a blind date and she'd been desperate to get out of it. Paige didn't do dating well. She'd been out with a handful of girls since she'd first came out in her senior year, but few of those relationships had lasted very long. She'd only ever had one serious relationship in her life, and even that had lasted barely six months. "I'm serious Paige. You need someone! Preferably someone who already has their GED and is old enough to drink. I mean, what would your dad say if he found out you were crushing on a high school girl? You have that whole weird full disclosure thing with him don't you? "

"It's not weird. He's in politics, Pru. He just likes to know I'm not doing anything that could screw that up for him; especially with him running for Senator this year…besides, I don't actually have to tell him anything. I don't date, remember?"  
"You don't even have to date! Just get laid already! How many girls have you even slept with?"  
"More than you!" Paige snapped defensively, and it was Pru's turn to roll her eyes.  
"Yeah, that's debatable."

Across town Emily was sitting down to her birthday dinner with her parents. She glanced at her watch, checking to see what time it was. Maya would be picking her up for the movies in a few hours and she was already having second thoughts about going with her. They'd agreed to stay friends, but Emily had been so busy training that she hadn't spent that much time with her close friends, never mind her ex. She and Maya had never been friends. From the first day Maya had come to Rosewood Emily had been smitten with her. The chemistry had been there from the start and Emily had fallen hard. She wasn't sure she could actually be friends with her ex-girlfriend.

"So Emmy, how's school going now that you're a senior?" Wayne Fields quizzed his daughter with a smile. He'd been so busy with work for the first month of the school year that he'd barely had a chance to ask her how things were going. He was aware that she and Maya had broken up though and he was gently trying to probe to find out if Emily was doing ok.  
"Pretty good; I'm bringing up my grades this year and swimming's going great. The new assistant coach, Miss McCullers, she used to be a Shark and she's a really good teacher. She's going to help me attract scouts."  
"That's great news." Wayne beamed with pride at his only child. He'd been worried about her lapse in training since she'd started dating the St. Germaine girl, but he and his wife had both agreed that it was up to Emily how much effort she put in to her swimming. It was her thing after all and they trusted her to be mature enough to make decisions for herself.

"McCullers? Is that Nick's daughter?" Wayne directed his question to his wife Pam, but Emily discreetly listened in to their conversation as she ate dinner. She was curious about Paige and wanted to learn what she could about her teacher.  
"It could be. She would be out of college now." Pam nodded in agreement. "It was such a shame what happened to her mother." Pam shook her head at the senseless loss of life.  
"She was a teacher too, wasn't she?" Wayne pointed out, finally giving Emily some new information. The conversation quickly changed after that as Wayne complemented the meatloaf and then started talking about painting the fence in the back yard. Emily tuned her parents out, no longer interested in what was being said. She wanted to check her phone to see if Maya or anyone else had called, but Pam Fields was pretty strict on her no cell phones at the table rule; even Wayne's phone was sitting on the kitchen counter.

"So what are you and you friends planning for your birthday?" Pam asked, bringing Emily back in to the conversation.  
"We're just heading in to Philly to do some shopping…and Maya and I are going to the midnight horror marathon at the movies tonight." Emily tried to add that as an afterthought, but her mother jumped straight on the defensive.  
"I thought you two had broken up?" She had never approved of Maya and things had only gotten worse when she'd discovered drugs in Maya's bag.

"We have. She bought the tickets for my birthday before that though and we agreed to go as friends." Emily hated having to explain herself. Spencer had already had plenty to say to her when she'd called to invite her over to her house along with Hanna and Aria. Pam gave her a condescending look that definitely said she agreed with Emily's friends when it came to her staying friends with Maya.  
"I just don't know what you see in that girl Emily. Just how many chances are you planning on giving her?"  
"Pam." Wayne shot his wife a cautionary look. There had already been far too many arguments over Maya at the Fields' family dinner table. Pam bristled, but she let it drop. She managed to go the rest of the night without saying anything else about it, until Maya pulled up outside in her car.

The teenager made no attempt to go in the house, choosing instead to wait in her car. She caught sight of Pam peering out of the living room curtains and tossed her a wave. She smirked as the older woman abruptly pulled the curtains shut with a disapproving scowl. Emily heard the horn go and checked her hair in her bedroom mirror before adjusting her shirt. She felt more nervous than she had the first time Maya had picked her up for an official date and she was cursing herself for her stupidity as she went downstairs. She made sure to say goodnight to her parents before slipping out the front door.

"You look nice." Maya greeted her with a genuine smile as she climbed in to the front passenger seat.  
"Thanks. You too." Emily replied timidly, her nerves still refusing to budge. It felt so strange to be sitting in her ex's car, knowing everything had changed between them. Maya had clearly made an effort and dressed up for their non-date, whereas Emily had tried to stick with casual. She was wearing her standard vest and jacket combination over a pair of skinny jeans. She'd kept her hair down and put on a little makeup, but she hadn't gone overboard. "What movies are playing?" Emily wasn't sure what to say, so she tried to keep the conversation light as she asked about the movie marathon.

"There are a few lame B-movies, but the main feature is _'I Walked With A Zombie'." _Maya sounded very pleased with herself as she clued Emily in on what they were going to see. It had been the movie they'd gone to see on their first date. Had they still been together, Emily would have found the gesture sweet. As it was it just left a lump in her throat.  
"Cool." She forced a smile, trying to relax back against her seat.

By the time they reached the movie theatre things didn't feel quite so tense between them. They waited in the small queue to get in and handed their tickets over to the gangly teenager running the booth by the door. They loaded up on popcorn and soda and the awkwardness returned as Maya insisted on paying for it all. "Maya, you don't have to…we're not…" Emily felt flustered and out of her depth. She wasn't sure what the standard protocol was for going to the movies with an ex.  
"Em, it's your birthday; I'm allowed to buy you a soda." Maya gave her a playful smile as she touched her arm and handed over a twenty dollar bill to the guy at the concession stand. Things didn't get much easier as they slipped in to the theatre the marathon was screening in and Maya chose some seats in the back row. She noticed Emily hesitating to take her seat. "Relax Em, I don't bite."

As Emily was taking her seat at the movies, Paige was sitting by her pool with her feet dangling in the water. Pru had gone home for a change, leaving Paige alone with her thoughts as she stared at the surface of the water. It was still relatively warm for late September and the pool was heated so the water felt fine. She couldn't stop thinking about Emily, thought for once it was in regards to swimming and not just the teenager herself. She knew the young swimmer would rise to the challenge of bringing her times down and Paige would have to keep her side of the bargain and race her. She hadn't been in the water in months and she hadn't raced in years. She could only imagine what her own timings would be like.

"Screw it." She muttered to herself and headed back inside. After rooting through her bedroom closet she found one of her old costumes and changed in to it before going back outside to the pool. She made sure to stretch first, focusing on her shoulder. Once she was ready she lowered herself in to the water. She started out slow, just getting used to being back in the pool. She worked out the tightness in her shoulder and collarbone and then began pushing herself just a little more. She was nowhere near as fast as she had once been though; some of the freshman they'd just recruited to the team would probably be able to out-lap her.

She carried on doing laps for as long as she could, ignoring the cold chill that had leaked in to the air and the biting pain in her collarbone. She only stopped when her shoulder started to seize up and she waded over to the edge of the shallow end to climb out. Pulling herself out of the pool sent a fresh wave of pain shooting through her shoulder and right down to her fingers. She slumped by the edge of the pool, letting her feet dangle over the edge as she clenched her eyes shut and tried to catch her breath. She was nowhere near the level she had been back in high school and no amount of practise would ever get her back there. Sure, she could practise for going up against Emily, and with a little luck and a lot of hard work she might even be able to match Emily's pace and keep some of her dignity; but she would never be the swimmer she had once been.

Paige hadn't really thought much about her lost career as a swimmer in years. She had struggled to find her place after the accident. She had always been the 'jock' in school and after breaking her collarbone she hadn't been able to do anything remotely sporty; even chess club had been too physical. She had dealt with all that though. She had compartmentalised everything and moved on with her life. Paige had found her place in college when she'd started running and she had slowly regained her fitness through years of physical therapy; but being back in Rosewood was opening up old wounds. She should have just said no to Emily when she'd asked to race her.

Once she had the energy to hoist herself up she wrapped a towel around her waist and padded in to the kitchen through the patio doors. She got some ice for her shoulder and a beer for her pride before heading up to bed. She'd see how she felt in the morning and maybe head back in to the pool for more practise; she really wanted to live up to Emily's expectations of her.

* * *

It was almost dawn when Emily and Maya finally emerged from the movie theatre. The sun was just peaking above the skyline and Emily blinked at the sudden brightness. She'd nodded off a couple of times during the last movie and she was more than ready to climb in to her bed. She had to settle for the front seat of Maya's car. Things had grown a lot easier between them through the night, though that was probably because they'd spent most of it sitting in the dark and not talking. Their hands had occasionally brushed when reaching for the popcorn and the few times Maya had leant in close, to whisper something snarky in her ear about the terrible movies, she had let her lips linger for a while.

"We're here." Emily's eyes opened again and she realised she'd dozed off with her head against the window. She shifted and stretched, trying to shake the heavy fatigue that had fallen over her. Swimming practise had taken a lot out of her and staying up all night had left her exhausted. She would be up again in a few hours to go to the city with the girls. She unbuckled her belt to get out the car.  
"Thanks for tonight." She turned to say goodbye to Maya with her fingers already wrapped around the door handle.  
"No problem…Happy birthday, Em." Maya leant over, intending to kiss her goodnight.  
"What are you doing?" Emily snapped, reeling back.  
"I'm sorry. I thought-"  
"Thought what?" Emily pushed open the door to climb out. "That one night was going to make up for everything? That a carton of popcorn would persuade me to give you _another _chance? Well forget it!" She slammed the door over, but Maya wasn't giving up so easily. She followed her out, grabbing hold of her arm as she tried to storm off.

"Is there someone else? Is that it?" Maya demanded. Emily wanted to laugh at the hypocrisy of the question, but her mind flashed to Paige and she choked. Maya got her answer from the way she cast her eyes to the ground, unable to look at her. She let go of Emily's arm and seemed genuinely hurt by the revelation. "I still love you Emily, I always will." Emily shook her head as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve.  
"It's just not enough Maya. Not anymore. I'm sorry." She pressed a kiss to the other girl's cheek before fishing her keys out of her pocket and turning her back on her ex for good.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey Paige, you got a second?" Ezra popped his head in to Paige's classroom as she was using her free period to grade papers. The chance to take a break was a welcome relief and she ushered him in. Her fellow teacher had been a big help in her first month and they often shared a coffee or sat together at lunch. Ezra was only a couple of years older than her and it was nice to have someone she could relate to. Fulton and Ella were great, but they had once been her teachers and it still felt weird to be sitting at the same lunch table with them.

"What can I do for you?" Paige greeted him as she put her pen down and stretched. Her shoulder had been playing up a lot since she'd started training again, though she was hardly putting in the same kind of hours in the pool that she had done in her senior year. It had been almost a fortnight since she'd made the deal with Emily and the other girl was inching ever closer to beating her personal best every training session.

"I need a favour." Ezra came right out with it as her perched on the edge of her desk. "I've been offered the chance to teach a six week writing course at Hollis."  
"That's fantastic, congratulations." Paige knew how hard he had been working to land the teaching gig at the college; though she vaguely remembered there would be some issues about him taking it. "So what's the favour?"  
"Well the course is three one hour lectures a week…but they're kind of all happening when I'm supposed to be taking homeroom here."  
"And you want me to take your class?" Paige guessed right.  
"It would just be for six weeks; but it would _really _help me out if you could take the class every morning. That way I get two free hours a week for prep and the kids aren't going between two rooms."

Paige understood where he was coming from. If his class were going between their two rooms all week it would upset their routine, not to mention the amount of students who would go to the wrong room on the wrong day. Paige enjoyed not having a homeroom to look after. It meant she could get to the high school a little later and go over her lesson plans in the morning. Ezra had helped her out a lot though and she could hardly deny him a favour. "Fine! You owe me though Fitz!" She let out a dramatic sigh and laughed as Ezra threw his arms around her.  
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll buy you dinner!"  
"Cool; maybe I can finally meet that girlfriend of yours." Paige grinned, teasing him and bringing a flush to his cheeks. She'd figured out pretty early on that Ezra was seeing someone, but he never really mentioned his girlfriend in any great detail; Paige couldn't even remember him ever having mentioning her name.  
"Uh, maybe….Don't want you stealing her from me." Ezra joked, though his laugh was strained and he quickly made excuses to go back to his class.

Paige went back to grading papers until she had her second visitor of the afternoon. "Hey Coach." Emily knocked on her open door before entering the classroom. She had her kitbag over her shoulder and was already dressed in her warm-ups; even though they didn't have any practise after school. "Are you busy later? I beat my personal best in freestyle this morning and I figured I better show you so I can get that race." She tried to sound confident, but she was worried the older woman would shoot her down. Paige glanced at her watch. The final bell would be ringing any minute and she wasn't aware of anyone teaching any classes in the pool so it would be free for them to use.

"Ok Fields, show me what you can do." Paige grinned as she locked the papers she'd been marking away in her drawer. She'd have time to finish them in the morning. She followed Emily down to the pool and left her to warm up as she changed in to her coaching uniform, which she'd left in the locker she had in Fulton's office. She draped her stopwatch over her neck and went back out on deck. Emily was still doing a few warm up laps to loosen up her muscles, but for all she was just warming up she was setting a good pace.

Once she was ready Emily climbed back up on to the starting block. Getting in to position she waited for Paige's signal. Paige started the stopwatch the second the younger swimmer hit the water. She was in good form as she cut through the water to finish her first lap. Her technique was tighter and her speed had definitely increased. When her hand touched the side on the return lap Paige stopped the timer and let out an impressed whistle. She hadn't just matched her persona best, she had smashed it. "You shaved like three seconds off, Fields. I might have to start watching my back."

"You bet." Emily grinned as she pulled herself out of the pool. "You owe me a race, _McCullers._" She knew she was pushing it a little bit, but Paige took it all in good humour as she nodded in agreement.  
"A week early too." Paige pointed out. She'd given Emily until their first meet of the season to improve her timings, but the younger girl had done it in two weeks instead of the three she'd been given.  
"I bet you weren't expecting that." Emily beamed. She was pretty proud of herself for making so much progress in such a short space of time. She felt like she was finally getting back on track with her career as a swimmer; Fulton had already guaranteed her anchor in their first meet.

"Not at all. It came as a total shock." Paige smirked as she unzipped her jacket and revealed she was already wearing her costume underneath. Emily felt some of the wind leaving her sails as she realised Paige must have been expecting it if she had her costume at the school; at the same time it was nice to know that her coach had been counting on her meeting her target so soon. Her eyes were also drawn to the newly exposed skin that was on show from Paige wearing her costume.

"How long have you had that in your locker?" Emily challenged, not expecting the older girl's answer.  
"About a week." She shrugged as she pulled off her jacket and kicked off her trousers. "It hasn't been in my locker though. I've worn it every practise. I didn't think it would be too long before you were demanding your race; I've been practising too, just so you know."

"We're doing this now?" Emily's excitement was bubbling as Paige pulled her goggles on over her head.  
"We are; unless you're chickening out on me?" Paige shot back, goading the younger swimmer.  
"Not a chance." Emily rose to the challenge with a smirk. "I'll let you warm up…you'll need it." Paige was used to the banter that came with swimming, whether it was the opposition or a fellow Shark she had been racing, psyching out the competition was as big a part of the race as anything else.

"Talk is cheap Fields. Why don't you grab a drink and have a sit down? _You'll_ need it." Paige took her position on the starting block, bending her knees and arching her back with her arms out in front of her. She took a deep breath as she coiled up like a spring and then dived off the board. Emily had seen tapes of the famous Paige McCullers swimming at old meets, but she had never seen her swimming in the flesh. Even after years of not competing her technique was practically flawless. Her turns were tight and her every movement seemed as fluid as the water around her. Emily felt a sense of awe as she watched her go up and down the pool; she also felt something else altogether stirring within her, but she pushed that back down. She had to remind herself that Paige wasn't just her teacher and her coach; she was also straight.

Once they were both ready they took their positions on the starting blocks and Paige counted them down. They hit the water at about the same time, but Emily managed to inch ahead. She held the lead up until she had to turn. Emily had been working on that particular weakness in her technique, but Paige was an old hand and her turn was quicker and more efficient, helping her to gain some ground. She pushed her body as much as she could, ignoring the burning sensation in her shoulder as she pulled ahead of the younger swimmer just in time to take the race. She was breathing hard as she pushed her swimming goggles up off her face, but a satisfied grin was still stretched across her lips. She'd not only managed to keep up with Emily, she'd beaten her. Knowing she still had it in her to race Rosewood's finest was one of the best ego boosts she had ever had; it almost came close to winning Nationals.

"That was amazing!" Emily didn't seem to take losing too badly. "Can we go again?"  
"Not today." Paige shook her head with a laugh and she felt it pulling on her strained clavicle muscles. Everything around her shoulder ached, from her pectoral muscles to her deltoids. She wasn't sure she could even manage pulling herself up out of the pool. She would have to wade across the lanes to use the stairs though and she didn't want to look weak in front of Emily. She'd managed to retain her dignity by winning and she didn't want to jeopardise her pride by admitting she was in pain.

"Is your shoulder ok?" Emily asked as she climbed out of the water and noticed Paige had paused at the side of the pool.  
"It's fine." Paige gritted her teeth as she planted her hands on the tiles and pulled herself up; she tried to push up with her legs, but her arms still ended up taking most of her weight. Her injured shoulder gave way on her without warning and she ended up slipping back in to the water, smacking her head against the edge of the pool. "Fuck!"

"Paige!" Emily scrambled to the edge and helped pull her up out of the water. "Oh my god, you're bleeding!" There was a small cut above Paige's eye from where she'd caught the ledge. The blood was mixing with the water and running down the side of her face. Emily dragged her over to the bleachers and then left her for a second while she grabbed the first aid box from inside Fulton's office.  
"It's not that bad." Paige insisted as she tried to wipe at the cut with the back of her hand. Emily swatted her hand away and dabbed at the cut with an antiseptic wipe. Paige was right, it wasn't that deep, but that didn't stop Emily from fussing over it. She held her chin and tilted her head back as she applied a steri-strip to the cut to help keep it closed.

"We should get you to the hospital." Emily insisted, but the older girl didn't want to hear it. She hated hospitals and she wasn't about to spend the rest of the day in one only to be told she was suffering from soft tissue damage. She had been living with her injury long enough to know how to deal with it. Some ice and some sports tape would sort it right out.  
"I'm fine. My shoulder just gave way, that's all." She brushed off Emily's concern as she got to her feet.  
"You hit your head, you could have a concussion!"  
"I don't have a concussion, just a really sore shoulder. I need to get home and put some ice on it."  
"I'll drive you." Emily offered. "It's not like you can drive yourself." She added as Paige tried to object.

The older swimmer took a moment to think it over before finally giving in. "Fine, but no hospital!" She sulked as she pulled her warm-ups on over her wet costume. It would be far too problematic for her to try and remove it first. She'd need help with the straps and that would be more uncomfortable than just putting up with the wet costume. Emily quickly changed in the locker room and then grabbed Paige's kitbag out of the office. Her work suit was stuffed in to the bag along with her car keys. Emily took the keys out before slinging it over her shoulder along with her own bag. It would make more sense for her to drive Paige's car home and come back for her own, she doubted the other woman would be able to drive herself any time soon. She'd get Hanna or Spencer to drop her back off at the school for her car later.

The older girl gingerly eased herself down in to the front passenger seat of her own car, trying not to jar her shoulder too much. Every movement seemed to send a stab of pain shooting through her collarbone. It had been a long time since the pain had been so bad. Pushing herself so much to train for the race had strained the muscles, but the actual race had done most of the damage. She was thankful that Emily was a pretty decent driver and the ride home wasn't too rough on her shoulder.

Emily carried her bag up to the porch for her and followed her in as she unlocked the front door. "Where do you want this?"  
"Just drop it by the door." Paige wasn't too concerned about her kitbag. She headed straight to the kitchen and pulled an icepack out of the freezer. "Oh god, that's amazing." She sighed as she pressed it against her collar and slumped down in to one of the barstools by the breakfast bar. Emily had followed her in to the kitchen and she stood nervously by the door, discreetly looking around. The house was one of the bigger ones in town, though it wasn't quite as big as Spencer's, and the décor was fresh and modern.

"You have a lovely home." She commented, reminding Paige that she was there.  
"Oh, thanks. My mom did most of the decorating. She loved that kind of stuff." Paige sat the icepack down on the counter long enough to rook through the kitchen cupboard that served as her medicine cabinet. She found some of her old painkillers from when she'd first had the accident, but the bottle was almost two years out of date. "Crap." She tossed it back in the cabinet and picked the icepack back up.

"Are you ok?" Emily watched with concern as Paige sat slumped over with her head down on the counter. She shook her head, wincing at the pain it caused.  
"My head hurts." She whined at her like a pre-schooler. She had been counting on those pain pills to take the edge off. "I think I just need to lie down."  
"You can't sleep with a concussion!" Emily protested. "That's it; I'm taking you to the hospital even if I have to drag you!" She wasn't going to give Paige an option as she rounded on her. The pain in her collar was bad enough for the older girl to finally give in.

"Fine, fine! Just let me grab my insurance card." She sighed and pulled herself up off the stool. She stumbled as she got up; her balance was off from slamming her head against the tiled pool.  
"Just sit down a sec." Emily helped her back on to the stool and kept hold of her arms until she was steady. Her hands on Paige's bare arms were more disorientating than any concussion. "I'll go get the card. Where is it?"  
"Uh…" Paige struggled to think about where she'd last seen the insurance card. "My desk I think, up in my room." She told her which room was hers and Emily went off to go find it. Paige cringed at the thought of the teenager in her room.

Emily was smirking as she came back down the stairs and found Paige perched on the bottom step. "So your room looks like mine." She teased, making Paige groan in her to her hands. "Only with more trophies."  
"I haven't decorated since before I left for college!" Paige objected, trying to preserve some of her dignity in front of the younger girl. "Are we going to the hospital or what?" she sulkily snatched her card out of Emily's hand, much to the teenager's amusement.

They drove over to the hospital and checked in to the Emergency Department. Emily insisted on staying with Paige as they waited for a doctor to see her, so they both sat on the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room as Paige filled in the necessary paperwork. It was pretty busy for a Wednesday afternoon and it felt like they were waiting for an eternity. When Paige finally did get seen by a doctor she left Emily in the waiting room. The ER doctor checked her pupil responses and asked a few simple questions to check whether she was coherent. After that he looked over her shoulder and confirmed it was soft tissue damage. She had known it would be, but at least he prescribed her some new pain meds which made the trip worthwhile.

"What did you do?" Paige sighed at Emily as she caught sight of Pru; she suddenly regretted leaving her cell phone with the younger girl.  
"She snitched on your ass." Pru sat with her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at her best friend. "Racing a seventeen year old? Are you stupid?"  
"I'm eighteen actually." Emily pointed out, but no one was listening to her.  
"It was no big deal. I just pulled something-"Paige tried to defend herself. She wasn't sure who she was most irritated with. "Emily had no reason to call you."  
"I was worried you might have a concussion! I didn't want you to be alone!" Emily objected, annoyed that Paige was actually mad at her rather than grateful.

"Well I didn't ask you to worry about me!" Paige snapped petulantly. She was sore and tired and it was hard enough for her to hide her true feelings from Emily without all of the pain meds that were rolling around inside her. She needed to get away from the teenager before she said anything she couldn't take back. Pissing her off seemed to be the quickest and safest way to do that.  
"Fine, then I won't bother!" Emily took the bait, inevitably going in to a sulk. "I'll drive your car home for you. Maybe you should ride with Pru, _Miss McCullers._" She stormed off like a typical stroppy teenager, giving Paige exactly what she had wanted; though that was hardly a victory. Paige felt like she'd just been sucker punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of her.

"Damn it." She growled and went to follow the younger girl. Pru stopped her with a hand on her good shoulder and a shake of her head.  
"You don't want to go there. Go get your meds and meet me in the parking lot. I'll talk to Jailbait."  
"Stop calling her jailbait!" Paige's protests fell on death ears as Pru was already halfway down the corridor.

She caught up with Emily as the teenager was struggling to get the key in to the lock of Paige's SUV; her hand was physically shaking with anger. She was getting sick and tired of Paige's hot and cold act. One minute she would be laughing and joking with her over coffee at the Brew, and using her own time to stay behind to help her train, and then the next she would be short with her or she would flat out ignore her in the halls at school.

"Hey kiddo." Pru greeted her and was met with a stony glare. "Just ignore McCullers. She's such a grump when she's ill and that shoulder of hers is kind of a sore point; no pun intended." Pru smirked, bringing Emily out of her sulk just a little as she managed a small smile. She liked Paige's best friend, she was funny and confident and, unlike Paige, her attitude was consistent.  
"I would never have asked her to race me if I'd known how bad her shoulder was." Emily apologised. She felt guilty about Paige hurting herself and it was eating away at her. Taking her to the hospital and then calling her friend had been Emily's way of trying to make it up to her.  
"Forget about it. Paige is a headstrong idiot. Don't get me wrong, I love her; but if I had a dollar for every time she's done something stupid over a pretty girl." Pru shook her head as she laughed at her friend's haplessness; she failed to notice the colour draining from Emily's cheeks.

"Paige is gay?" Emily choked the words out, a million thoughts and feelings were exploding inside of her and she couldn't quite process what Pru had just revealed to her. Part of her thought she had just picked up her words wrong, but the older girl looked like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jaw. It was all the confirmation that Emily needed.  
"Shit…" Pru cursed, realising her mistake far too late. Paige was going to kill her. "Wait up! Emily!" She tried to call after the teenager as she stormed off, but Emily didn't stop. She didn't acknowledge the other girl at all as she headed straight for the entrance to the hospital.

Paige was gay. The gorgeous, funny and dedicated woman that Emily had been crushing on for weeks was _actually _gay. Emily didn't know what to think about that. She liked Paige, a lot, but she had convinced herself that it was a lost cause mostly because she was straight; or at least she had thought she was. The revelation about Paige's sexuality changed everything. Emily was suddenly thinking about every little encounter between them, every smile and every compliment. She thought of the time that she had felt humiliated having to justify her own sexuality to the older woman when she was telling her about Ben; Paige had tried to tell her that she understood, but Emily had been too angry and self-absorbed to really listen to her. Had she been about to tell Emily the truth then?

Inside the hospital Paige was chewing over what she had said to Emily. She knew she needed to keep a professional distance from her student. The more time she spent with her the harder it was to ignore her burgeoning feelings for her. Emily was thoughtful enough to contact Pru about the accident. Paige was touched by the gesture, even if she acted like a jerk about it. She was still debating whether or not to apologise to Emily for her behaviour when she bumped straight in to her walking in to the hospital.  
"Em, hey I'm-"

"Gay?" Emily barked. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited expectantly. Paige stared at her, momentarily stunned by the outburst. "I was actually going to say sorry." Paige let out a nervous laugh, struggling to keep a lid on the hysteria that she felt bubbling up in her chest. She caught sight of Pru rushing in through the door and glared at her. "You told?"  
"I _told_? What are we, six?" Pru tried to deflect the question, but she could see her friend's left eye twitching as she glared at her. That was never a good sign. "Ok, so I screwed up-"  
"You're damn right you did! You had no right-"

"Excuse me, but can we get back to the real issue?" Emily snapped at the two rowing friends to get their attention. "You're gay? Why didn't you tell me that? All of this time and I thought you were straight!" She was angry at the older girl for hiding her sexuality from her when she knew all about Emily's. It felt like a betrayal somehow and in her mind Emily was going back over every little innocent touch or teasing remark, trying to figure out whether there was any more to it; or if it was just wishful thinking.

"I didn't want any of my students knowing. My private life is just that." Paige challenged. She thought she was doing the right thing by dismissing Emily's anger, but she just ended up putting her foot in it like usual.  
"So that's all I am? Just one of your students?" Emily looked like Paige had just physically struck her. Pru cleared her throat uncomfortably as she backed off back towards the entrance.  
"Yeah…I'll be in the car."

"Of course you're not _just _another student…" Paige shifted nervously, rubbing at her aching shoulder. She just wanted to go home, take some pain pills and climb in to bed for the entire weekend. That clearly wasn't going to happen until she cleared the air with Emily, but she was going to have to be pretty careful about what she actually said to her. The last thing she needed was for Emily to find out she had a crush on her. There was no way to console the teenager without her finding out, so she was just going to have to put her foot down and hope that Emily would eventually forgive her for it. "But you _are_ my student. I'm your teacher and your coach…but I can't be your friend Emily." The younger girl's expression hardened as she digested Paige's words.

"I don't remember asking you to be." Emily threw her own words back at her. "I'll drop your car off later." Without another word she turned her back on her and walked out of the hospital, leaving Paige cursing her own stupidity. She just couldn't think of a way to make amends with the younger girl without jeopardising her career. She dragged her feet all the way out to Pru's waiting car.  
"Jailbait has your car…she looked pissed; didn't even wave at me." Paige pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to stave off a migraine as her friend waffled on in her ear.  
"When I get the use of both arms back I am going to slowly strangle you to death. I swear to God!" Her voice came out as a hoarse growl, but her anger was already leaving her. She felt deflated, like a party balloon with all of the air let out.

Just hours earlier she had felt on top of the world. With her help, Emily had beaten her personal best and Paige had not only managed to keep pace, she had won the race altogether. Even the injury to her shoulder hadn't been enough to completely dampen her spirits. Part of her had definitely seen the silver lining of her accident when it had meant Emily spent the rest of the afternoon with her. She would give anything just to take time back by ten minutes, to stop Emily from ever finding out she was gay. Everything was going to change. Emily was going to scrutinise every word and every action and she was going to figure it out.

She let out a groan in to the palm of her hand. She was so screwed. Emily was going to find out and she was going to hate her for it. "Shoulder sore?" Pru tried to make conversation as she stopped for a red light halfway home. For all of her many faults, she was still a good friend and Paige knew that she hadn't deliberately told Emily about her to be callous or cruel; she just didn't always think before opening her mouth. It was a quality they sometimes both shared.  
"It's not my shoulder." Paige muttered. The pills had taken care of that pain and her shoulder actually felt comfortably numb; the ache she felt was in her chest.

They lapsed back in to an uneasy silence until they reached Paige's house. The drive was still empty, so Emily hadn't beaten them back despite leaving first. Maybe she was picking up her own car from the school or something. Whatever it was, Paige just hoped that the pain meds would knock her out before Emily came back with the car. She could post the keys through the mailbox or something. Paige didn't care. She just wanted to curl up under her comforter and forget about how much she had managed to screw things up within a month of being back home in Rosewood. Once again the sleepy Pennsylvanian town felt like it was choking the life out of her.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading and for the reviews, I'm glad people are happy with the pace of the story. I personally hate fics that have them getting together after about five words; that being said, Emily knows the truth about Paige now so things should start falling in to place :) **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it's taken me a bit longer to update. Work's been crazy and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get a day off for the next couple of weeks, so I can't promise to get chapters up as regularly as I have been, but I'm going to try my best to keep on top of this and my other Paily fic.**

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"Son of a…" Paige grumbled to herself as she struggled to raise her arm to pull on her sweater. She'd already managed to manoeuvre in to a clean shirt, she'd even managed through the painful ordeal of showering, but it seemed the ominous task of putting a sweater on was just one step too far. She let out a huff of irritation as she used her good arm to toss the offending garment across her room. She settled on her suit jacket, which was far easier to pull on.

Pru had offered to spend the night to help her out, but if there was one thing Paige McCullers hated more than anything it was weakness. The thought of being dependant on Pru to get dressed in the morning was enough to turn her stomach. She would just struggle on and make the most of what she could do for herself.

She would have to call a cab to get to the school, though that wasn't just because her shoulder was too sore to drive; Emily still hadn't dropped her car off for her. She'd thought about trying to get her number from Melissa and calling to ask when she would be dropping it off, but their last encounter hadn't ended well. If she was being honest with herself she was glad that Emily hadn't turned up with the car.

Her cell started ringing over by her dresser, but when she noticed Pru's name flashing up on she left it ringing. She'd been ready to kill her best friend by the time she'd driven her home from the hospital and her mood certainly hadn't improved that much overnight. Pru had put her foot in it more than a few times over the years they had been friends, but telling Emily that Paige was gay was up there on the list of her worst offences. Once her phone stopped ringing, Pru having finally taken the hint and stopped trying to call her, she picked it up to call for a cab, but the sound of a car horn sounding outside distracted her.

She peeked out through the blinds and spotted her car parked on the drive. There was a big Toyota Highlander behind it. She was pretty sure it belonged to Spencer, a belief that was reaffirmed as the teenager impatiently blasted the horn again. Emily climbed out of Paige's car and glared at her friend before climbing the steps to the porch. Paige let out a sigh as she heard the doorbell going and she steeled her nerves before heading downstairs to answer it.

The first thing she noticed when she opened the front door was that Emily looked good; _really_ good. Her long dark hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders and despite the slight chill in the air she was wearing a vest and denim cut off shorts that sat just below above her knees, revealing ample sun-kissed skin. Paige swallowed hard as she met the teenager's big brown eyes. The younger girl wore a tentative smile as she greeted her and Paige was grateful that Emily had brought Spencer with her; otherwise she might have pushed her up against her front door and kissed her right there and then.

"Hi, I brought your car back. I figured if I brought it over this morning you could get a ride in with me and Spencer; unless your shoulder's better… or you just plain want to avoid me." Paige had known it had been too much to hope that Emily would just let things lie between them.  
"Thanks, but Pru's actually picking me up soon." She lied, not wanting to be stuck in a car with the other girl; a classroom would be bad enough. Emily looked forlorn as she nodded.  
"Fine, I'll see you in class then." She turned to walk back to Spencer's car and Paige struggled to hold her tongue as she watched her go.

"I wasn't the one who walked away last night Emily. We could have talked some more…" She had never been very good at keeping her mouth shut. As Emily turned back to stare at her she wished she'd never said anything.  
"According to you there's nothing to talk about." She shrugged as she climbed in to Spencer's car.

"What was that all about?" Emily had told Spencer about Paige's accident when she'd asked her to drive over to her house with her, but she hadn't told her about finding out the older girl was gay, or their argument about it.  
"If I tell you something, can you keep it just between us?"  
"Seriously?" Spencer deadpanned as she stopped for some lights. The girls had all had their share of secrets over the years and they had shared them amongst themselves. Allison, who had been their ringleader before her death, had encouraged them all to share secrets to keep them close.

"Last night I found out Paige is gay."  
"Seriously? Wait, how did you find out? Did you kiss her?" Spencer was bursting with excitement at the new revelation. "Did she kiss you?"  
"Nobody kissed anybody!" Emily objected. "Her friend Pru said something about her always trying to impress pretty girls or something. I called her on it and she admitted she was gay."  
"That's good isn't it? She's not straight, so you have a chance at least?"  
"She made it quite clear that she's my teacher and nothing else." Emily huffed. It had hurt when Paige had said those things to her. She'd known that she and Paige weren't really'friends' as such, but the other girl had spent a lot of time helping her train and she was always in the Brew having coffee. They'd spent a lot of time together in the month since Emily had become single and her feelings for the older woman had been steadily growing.

"That's great news!" Spencer squealed.  
"How is that great news?" Emily glared at her friend as she practically squirmed in her seat. She couldn't see how Paige flat out rejecting her could be seen as good news. Spencer wore her usual smug smirk, like she knew something that nobody else did; which was often the case.

"Have you ever heard of the expression 'The lady doth protest too much'?" Emily hadn't and it showed on her face as she shot the other girl a puzzled expression. Spencer rolled her eyes as she tried to explain it in simpler terms. "Think about it Em, why would she need to reaffirm that there wasn't anything between you two if there really wasn't anything there? Maybe she's trying to convince herself?" Emily's face lit up; she hadn't thought about it that way.

"Do you really think so? I mean that night at the club I thought she was hitting on me, but then when Zach was flirting with her at the Brew I thought she was straight!" Emily didn't know what to think anymore. Paige was like one big jigsaw puzzle, only half the pieces were missing. "You knew her back when she was in high school, did you ever see her hanging around with any girls?"  
"Em, I was like twelve and I hated her. I didn't pay attention to what girls she was hanging around with."  
"Why did you hate her?" Emily frowned. From what she'd seen the whole Hastings family seemed to love Paige.

Spencer twisted her face as she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "It sounds really twisted now, but I was jealous of her. After her mom died and she started coming over to our house a lot, it just felt like she and Melissa were getting all of my parents' attention. Dumb huh?" Coming from anyone else it might have sounded stupid, or even self-centred, but Emily knew how hard Spencer struggled to climb out from under Melissa's shadow. She could only imagine how a twelve year old Spencer had taken to having a second big sister hanging around the house. The one she had was bad enough.

"You know if my mom finds out about Paige hurting her shoulder again she'd probably insist on having her over for dinner tonight." Spencer smirked as she started formulating a plan. "Want to come over and study tonight? Maybe stay for dinner?"  
"Even if we're both at your house it's not like I can get her to talk to me over your dinner table." Emily huffed, not exactly thrilled by her friend's idea. Spencer rolled her eyes at her and spoke slowly, like she was addressing a child.  
"No, but Paige won't be able to drive herself home and I'm sure you could step in and offer her a ride? It's not like she has any excuse to say no; at least not one she can mention in front of my parents."  
"Spencer you're a genius!" Emily grinned as she threw her arms around her friend. "She'll have to let me drive her home and then she'll _have_ to talk to me."

Paige eventually made it to the school after she called a cab. She made it in to her classroom just before the first bell and was grateful that she had until the start of next week before she would have to take Ezra's class for him; a class which included Emily. She groaned as she slumped in to her chair and placed her head down on the desk. She would have the younger girl in her homeroom class every single morning and with their first swim meet of the season coming up next weekend she would probably see her at practise almost as often. There was no way to avoid it. She was just going to have to find a way to deal with it. Emily still seemed pretty mad that she hadn't told her she was gay, so maybe that would buy her some time. Maybe Paige would get lucky and the teenager would remain in a huff with her until she graduated.

"Hey McCullers, how's that shoulder?" Fulton appeared at her door, wearing much the same expression she had when she'd walked in to Paige's hospital room the day after she'd broken her collarbone. Paige felt like a school girl again as she ducked her head, unable to meet the older woman's scrutiny. "I saw Emily earlier, she told me about your little race." Fulton stepped in to the classroom and took a seat on the edge of her desk as she folded her arms and stared her down.  
"I know I'm an idiot. You don't have to say it." Paige grumbled, well aware that she could have raced Emily without doing so much damage if she'd just let her win. Coming second just wasn't in Paige's nature though and it never would be.  
"You are." Fulton nodded, though a smile was threatening to break out on her lips as she struggled to keep her disappointed act up. "But I've never seen Emily so fired up for a meet, and I'm hoping our captain's enthusiasm will rub off on the rest of the girls. Good job Coach."

"Thanks." Paige rubbed at her shoulder, not quite sure if the pain had been worth the win. "I think I might head down and see the nurse before my first class. See if I can bum an ice pack off her." She walked down to the first floor with Fulton before leaving her to go to see the school nurse. The woman in the nurse's office was still the same grey-haired battle-axe that had been there when Paige was a student. It took her ten minutes to convince the half-deaf nurse that she wasn't a student and she didn't need to call her parents. Eventually she left with a disposable ice pack that she could press against her collarbone and the relief was amazing. She was in her element as she walked down the empty halls, heading back towards her class. That was until she spotted Maya and Noel coming down from the roof access.

"Give me a break." She muttered to herself before slipping the icepack behind her back. "What's going on here? Why aren't you two in Mr Fitz's class?" She addressed the two guilty looking teens as they slunk down the stairs and came to a stop in front of her. The sweet heady smell that followed them answered Paige's question. "Ok, hand it over." She held out her hand expectantly, but the teens just stared at her.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Maya challenged, though she couldn't quite meet her eyes. Paige wasn't in the mood for a showdown with Emily's ex. Her shoulder was throbbing and she was running out of patience as Noel started to speak up.  
"This is harassment. It's an infringement of our-"

"Save it Kahn! Hand it over to me and get to class, or you can give it to security when you're getting kicked off campus; your choice." Paige stared them both down as they shifted nervously and Noel shot Maya a desperate look. He couldn't afford to be suspended from school in his senior year and Paige could only imagine what his parents would do to him if he was.  
"Fine." Maya huffed as she dug in to her bag. She pulled out a small plastic baggie with two rollups inside. Paige took the bag from her and instantly noticed the pungent smell that had caught her attention grow stronger.  
"So what are you going to do?" Noel asked, his usual confidence gone as he waited to hear his fate. Maya was trying to keep up her composed façade, but Paige could see cracks forming as she waited for her answer. The girl had already been shipped off to reform school once, being busted for pot at school would probably result in another trip.  
"I'm going to flush this and forget I saw you two hanging out here without a hall pass; but if I catch you with anything like this again you're going straight to the principal's office and your parents are getting called. Do I make myself clear?" The two of them nodded at her, not making a sound as they scuttled off to get to their homeroom.

Paige didn't have long before the bell would go for first period, so rather than be caught walking around with two rollups she went straight to her class and tossed the little plastic bag straight in to the bottom drawer of her desk. She'd dump them at lunchtime. Technically she should have reported them both for having drugs on the premises, but the last thing she needed was for it to look like she was targeting Emily's ex. She didn't relish the thought of having the Kahn's on her back either. Noel's father was a family friend and he often played golf with Nick McCullers whenever he was in town. Paige didn't need that kind of hassle.

She checked her phone as she sat down to go over her lesson plans for the day and she found a text from Melissa inviting her over for dinner and telling her she wouldn't take no for an answer since she couldn't cook for herself with her shoulder. Paige was wondering whether there was anyone that Emily _hadn't_ told about her injury when the bell for first period rang out and she had to get ready for her freshman Health Ed class. At least she didn't have her senior class on a Thursday, which was a small mercy at least. She managed to go the whole day without running in to Emily again.

"Hey Paige, you ready to go?" Ezra walked in to her classroom ten minutes after the final bell. He'd offered to drive her home so she wouldn't have to walk. She was supposed to be at the Hastings' house for seven so she'd jumped at the offer.  
"Yeah, let me just grab my-" Paige trailed off as she opened her bottom drawer and found the rollups still sitting on top of the papers she had in there. "They're not mine officer, honest." She noticed Ezra staring and tried to crack a joke.

"No, seriously, I took them off Maya St. Germaine this morning." She didn't want Ezra thinking she was some kind of drug taking pothead. The news that the drugs belonged to Maya didn't seem to go down any better.  
"And why isn't she suspended?"

"I gave her a warning." Paige shrugged, instantly cursing her stupidity as a bolt of pain shot through her collar. She didn't want to stand and argue with Ezra, she just wanted to go home and relax before dinner.  
"A warning? Paige, this isn't the first time she's been caught with drugs on school property. You need to-"  
"Look, Ezra, it's done ok? I told her next time I catch her she's busted. So can we just let this drop? I need to go flush this before anyone catches_ me_ with it." The pungent smell from the bag seemed to be leaking out and Paige was pretty sure she would need to shower to get rid of it. She couldn't exactly turn up for dinner smelling of weed.

"Fine." Ezra backed down, but he was still giving her that wide eyed puppy dog look that had her second guessing herself. She felt sorry for whatever woman had to put up with that when he was fighting with his girlfriend. "I'll go do it, you grab your stuff." He took the baggie from her and told her to meet him in the parking lot when she was ready. Ten minutes later he was dropping her off outside of her house and they seemed to be back on good terms.  
"Thanks for earlier. We should get together this weekend and I can finally meet that girl of yours." Paige teased as she climbed out of the car and picked up her briefcase off the backseat.  
"Uh, yeah…maybe. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning." Ezra tossed her a wave before driving off, leaving Paige with the impression that things weren't as right between them as she'd thought. He still seemed a little stiff with her, though at least he'd offered to drive her again.

By the time she got to the Hastings', promptly at seven on the dot, she had showered and changed in to some more comfortable clothes. She'd also iced her shoulder and taken some pain pills so it wasn't feeling too bad. "Paige!" Melissa answered the door with a genuine smile; she skipped the welcoming hug as she didn't want to risk hurting her shoulder any more. Instead she kissed her cheek before stepping aside to let her in. "Spencer told me about what happened. What were you thinking taking on Emily?"  
"I won didn't I?" Paige grinned like that was the only thing that mattered and Melissa rolled her eyes at her as she led her in to the kitchen. Something certainly smelled good and Paige's stomach grumbled in appreciation. She had never been much of a cook herself, but Melissa could make anything in to a meal.

"You've never changed." She shook her head at her as she checked on the pasta she had boiling on the stove. "Mom and Dad are eating at the club tonight so it's just you and me."  
"Oh, cool." Paige shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she leant against the counter. She was looking forward to catching up with her high school friend and she still wanted to ask her what the deal with Ian was. She'd never gotten around to asking Emily about it after her last visit to the Hastings house.  
"And Spence and Emily."

"Oh." Paige repeated. She felt a lump forming in her throat the size of a golf ball. As if on cue she heard the two teenagers coming down the stairs. They were laughing and joking as they walked in to the kitchen, though Emily abruptly stopped as she caught sight of Paige. She didn't look shocked to see her though, which set alarm bells off in Paige's head. She felt like she'd just walked in to some kind of trap. "Hey." She greeted both girls with a wave of her hand and a nod.  
"Hey." Emily repeated, offering her a tentative smile as she stood beside the youngest Hastings. She seemed to have grown out of the mood she'd turned up with on Paige's doorstep.

"Paige, do you want a glass of wine?" Melissa offered as she poured herself one. Spencer gave Emily a sly smile. With Spencer's parents out and Melissa drinking, Emily would be Paige's only option for getting a ride home.  
"No thanks. I'm on so many pain meds I'd probably pass out with just one glass." Paige declined. She took the soda that Spencer offered her instead.  
"Or start dancing on the kitchen table in nothing more than your shirt and singing '_I will survive'_?" Melissa teased, drawing a groan out of her friend and catching Emily's attention.  
"Oh my god, that was one time!" Paige grimaced at the memory of that particular party. "And as I remember, _you _and Pru were my backup dancers, and wearing considerably less than I was."

"When was this?" Spencer asked incredulously. She'd never heard about any wild parties that her sister had held. Melissa was the golden child, she had never been busted for hosting parties or underage drinking.  
"Spring break our senior year; mom and dad do not find out about it!" Melissa glared at her younger sister as she started plating up the pasta and spooning the sauce over it. "That was some party." She smirked at Paige who nodded in agreement.

The girls all took their bowls and moved in to the dining room to sit down at the table. Paige found herself sitting opposite Emily, with Melissa beside her and Spencer sitting next to Em. They made small talk as they ate, with Spencer mostly trying to fish for more dirt on her sister. Emily had been right about not getting a chance to talk to Paige much over dinner, but she knew she just had to bide her time and act like everything was fine until she had Paige alone in the car. If she thought she was still mad at her she would be unlikely to accept a ride home from her.

Once dinner was over she and Spencer offered to clean up since Melissa had cooked. The older Hastings sister didn't have to be told twice; she left them to it and took Paige in to the living room with her. Despite Paige's protests she made her a weak white wine spritzer. "I think this is our first legal drink together, indulge me." Melissa laughed as she handed it over and took a seat beside her friend on the sofa. Paige backed down for once in her life and took a sip of the drink. She supposed one wouldn't hurt her. "So why did you come back to Rosewood? I mean when you left for college no one expected you to come back."  
"I don't know. Pru told me about the job going here and the Fulton offered me the assistant swim coach position. It just seemed like time to come home."

"Well I'm glad you did. I've missed you McCullers." Melissa squeezed her hand with a soft smile.  
"I doubt that. You had Ian after all." Paige just couldn't help herself sometimes. She knew she'd put her foot in it, but she didn't try to apologise. It was the truth after all. During their senior year Melissa Hastings had been interested in little else other than her boyfriend. Her friends had come a distant second place. Melissa stared down in to her wine glass for a moment before answering.  
"Ian and I got back together last year. We got engaged and we were talking about starting a family…" From the haunted look in her eye Paige could tell that things had not ended well between them, but she didn't push the other girl to talk until she was ready. She sipped at her wine instead, feeling it going straight to her head.

"Do you remember Allison? Jason's little sister?" Paige wasn't sure why she had changed the topic so suddenly, but she nodded anyway. How could she forget her? Jason's little sister had been a proverbial pain in the ass. She'd been responsible for outing Paige in the beginning of her senior year. She'd overheard Jason asking her out on a date and Paige had broken down crying, finally admitting out loud to another human being that she was gay. Allison had tried to blackmail her over it; but as scared as Paige was about coming out, she was too proud to give in and pay up. That night she'd gone home and told her dad what she was. He'd been pretty quiet about it, just looking at her with the same crushed look on his face that he'd worn the day of her mother's funeral. It had hurt to go through that, but Paige had refused to be bullied by a twelve year old brat.

She had heard the DiLaurentis girl had gone missing a few years earlier and she remembered Emily mentioning that she had been her friend, but she couldn't see how Allison connected to them taking about Ian. "They found her body last year. He killed her…Ian killed Allison." Paige felt like the air had been knocked right out of her as she digested Melissa's words. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she took another gulp of wine and carried on. "He'd been having an affair with her…she was only fifteen for god's sake. He was sick! He'd been taking videos of young girls, including Spencer. She and her friends found a tape he had made that was left in Allison's things and Ian went after them for it. He ended up falling off the church bell tower. The police searched his home when they saw what was on the tape and they found a video of him strangling Allison. They found her body in her backyard at the end of last summer." Melissa shook her head as the tears finally started to fall.

Paige felt sick to her stomach. She had never liked Ian much, but then she had never imagined he was capable of murder. She remembered what Fulton had said about Emily having a rough time of it and she finally understood what she meant. She couldn't imagine what Emily had gone through after her best friend's disappearance and then the subsequent discovery of her body. It was no wonder she'd gotten so wasted in that club the night she'd met her. "Jesus…" Paige didn't know what to say. She slipped her good arm around her friend and allowed her to cry on her. It was all she could offer her. Melissa was a Hastings and, like Paige, she was used to picking herself back up. She dried her eyes and topped up her wine glass, topping up Paige's in the process as she announced talking about sad things was off limits. They were going to focus on the good things that had happened in their lives in the years they had been apart.

By eleven o'clock Paige was feeling a little worse for wear. She'd stopped at two glasses of wine, but they'd gone straight to her head. Emily had thankfully stayed out of sight upstairs with Spencer so she didn't have to worry about her. Melissa had carried on drinking to forget about her murderous ex-fiancé and had ended up falling asleep on the couch beside Paige. She was sitting looking through their old yearbook when Emily finally came downstairs. Paige was staring whimsically at the photos of the Sharks when she noticed her. "Hey." She put the book aside and checked her watch. It was getting late and it was still a school night. "Are you heading home?"  
"Yeah. Spence is going to bed…do you need a ride?" Emily had her car keys in her hand.

"Sure." Paige didn't relish the prospect of walking home or waiting for a cab, so she accepted the younger girl's offer of a ride. She let out a groan as she stood up, feeling her shoulder protest against the movement after being curled up on the sofa for so long.  
"I'm so sorry about your shoulder." Emily apologised as they let themselves out and took a slow walk towards her car.  
"Em, it's not your fault. Nobody _made_ me race you and nobody _made_ me push to win. That all sits on me."

"I'm sorry about how I acted last night too." The teenager carried on with her apology as she opened the door for Paige to get in the car. Once they were both inside she turned the engine on and cranked up the heat. It was still early October, but the weather was starting to turn and the nights were getting colder. "It was just kind of a shock finding out that you were gay."  
"I'm also Taurus and I have a cat allergy, but none of that matters towards what grade you get in my class." Paige didn't want to argue again, but she needed Emily to see that her sexuality shouldn't be an issue between them. They were pretty close to her house so she didn't have to worry too much about upsetting her and having to walk home.

"What about you hitting on me in that club? Does that count?" Emily was feeling a little brave, so she decided to bring up what the real issue was. She'd been thinking about what Spencer had said to her all day and she was convinced that she was right. She was certain Paige had something to hide. The older girl ducked her head as she bit down on her lip. The wine still had her head buzzing and it made her tongue looser than she would have liked as she finally looked back up at her and nodded her head.

"When Pru pushed me in to you in the club… I thought you were the most stunning girl I had ever seen in my life." Paige held her gaze as she spoke, she figured she'd already started so she might as well finish. "I thought you were gorgeous, and I wasn't surprised when I found out you were seeing someone… but I was pretty stunned to find you sitting in a high school classroom; and I wish I could say that I was able to stop thinking about you after that; but I wasn't. That's why I didn't want you to find out I was gay. I didn't want you to figure out that I had a stupid crush on my seventeen year old student." Paige felt like she had just exposed her very soul, but she knew she had to be honest with Emily. Things couldn't carry on the way they were.

"I'm eighteen now." The car had stopped outside Paige's house and Emily didn't give her very long to process what she had actually said before she leant in to her. The kiss took Paige by surprise. Emily's lips were soft and tasted like berry lip balm. Paige's own lips seemed to be acting of their own accord as they kissed her back. She had been thinking about kissing the younger girl from the moment she had laid eyes on her in the club, and now that the aching need to feel her lips against her own had finally been addressed she found herself craving more. She would never get enough of Emily Fields. One kiss would never do. She had fallen too hard and too fast for the teenager and that sudden realisation had her wrenching away from her.

"This can't happen." Paige shook her head from side to side as she scrambled for the door handle, her fingers slipping as she started to panic. She had just kissed one of her students; worse than that she had just admitted that she had _feelings_ for her. She was so screwed. Her career would be over before it had even started. She felt her hysteria welling up as she failed to open the door. She had to get out. She had to get far away from Emily Fields and her ridiculously soft lips.

"Paige." Emily's hands cupped her cheeks as she tried to calm her down. Her big brown eyes searched Paige's own as she brought their lips back together. "It's ok." She muttered, her lips moving slowly so as not to spook the older girl. Paige let out a heavy sigh as she placed her hands over Emily's and pulled them down from her face. She pulled back, breaking the kiss.

"No it's not. This can't happen Emily… I'm sorry, but it can't." Her hand found the door release again and though her heart was still pounding frantically in her chest she was calm enough to open the door and climb out, leaving Emily staring after her as she walked up to her door.

Her eyes were stinging from the tears rolling down her cheeks as she fished her keys out of her pocket, wishing Emily would just drive off already. The teenager didn't move though. She was still sitting in her car when Paige closed the door behind her; her hands were resting on the steering wheel as she stared blankly out of the windscreen, trying to process what the hell had just happened between them.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ok guys, remember to do the reading over the weekend and we'll pick this up again Monday morning!" Paige called out to the seniors over the sound of the bell as they all packed up for lunch. It was early Friday afternoon and the young teacher only had one more lesson to get through before her weekend could officially start. She'd had the seniors for half of the morning and she had somehow managed to avoid making any kind of eye contact with Emily. She'd tried to catch her gaze a few times, but Paige had expertly managed to keep looking around the room without her eyes ever landing on the other girl.

She had kissed her. She had kissed Emily Fields, her eighteen year old high school student; and to make things worse she had pretty much admitted that she couldn't stop thinking about her. She was doing her best to pretend that nothing had happened between them, but she could feel cracks starting to form in her perfectly crafted façade as Emily deliberately took her time in packing away her things. Spencer exchanged a meaningful look with her friend before walking out ahead of her and closing the door over, leaving Paige and Emily alone in the classroom. Paige felt her palms sweating as she glanced nervously at the closed door. She cleared her throat as she looked down at her desk and started shuffling papers in an attempt to look busy.  
"Class is over Emily, you can go."

"Can we talk?" Emily walked up to the desk, holding her folder in front of her chest as she tried to get the older girl to look up at her.  
"No. We can't." Paige's abruptness caught her off guard and she still wouldn't look at her. Emily hadn't been able to stop thinking about the kiss they had shared. She'd hoped that Paige would be more open to talking about it after she'd had time to think things through, but if anything she just seemed even more closed down than she had the night before.  
"Paige…could you at least look at me?" Emily snapped at her, she was sick of the way she was stubbornly keeping her gaze down on the stack of papers she was pretending to read.

Despite her better judgement, the young teacher looked up and found herself staring straight in to Emily's soft doe eyes. She knew it had been the wrong thing to do as she felt her resolve faltering. She wanted to step out from behind her desk, pull Emily in close and kiss her until they were both seeing stars; but she also wanted to keep her job and her sensibility won out. "What do you want Emily?"  
"I want to talk about what happened last night." The younger girl shifted nervously from one foot to the other as she bit at her lip. "You kissed me back, and the things you said…you can't just take it all back and act like nothing happened!"

"What do you think's going happen here, Em?" Paige felt exasperated as she pushed her papers aside. She stepped out from behind her desk and rounded on the younger girl. That was her second dumb move. Seeing as she no longer had the desk to keep a safe distance between them she crossed her arms over her chest, wanting to appear stern whilst also secretly hoping to be able to keep her hands to herself. It was easier said than done. Emily's gaze flitted to Paige's lips, answering her question and making her stomach flip. She tried to take a step forward, but Paige was expecting it this time and she took a step back. The side of her desk bit in to her thigh, but she ignored the discomfort in favour of keeping her distance. "Seriously, what do you think can actually happen between us? Do you think I'm going to ask you on a date? Buy you flowers? Ask you to prom? I'm five years older than you Emily! And I'm you're teacher for Christ's sake!" Paige knew she was being cruel and she hated herself for it; but she was telling the truth. They couldn't work. It just wasn't possible; and if the only way to get Emily to see that was to be harsh then so be it. She would thank her for it one day when she was settled down with someone her own age.

"You're like two different people, you know that?" Emily huffed at her. "I never know which version of you I'm going to get!" she hefted her bag over her shoulder and stormed off, just about resisting the urge to slam the door behind her. Despite it being exactly what she wanted, Paige couldn't help but sulk as she slumped down in to her seat. Why did Emily have to be her student? The age difference she could handle, it was only five years after all and Emily wasn't exactly immature for her age.

The age of consent in Pennsylvania was only sixteen, though it was eighteen for 'corruption of minors'. Paige had read a lot of things in the news about high profile teacher-student relationships in Pennsylvania over the last few years and she knew the state was trying to pass legislation that would make any teacher-student relationship a felony, regardless of age. She could end up with a minimum three year prison sentence because she couldn't stop thinking about the senior. Of course Emily's eighteenth birthday had already passed so if anything were to happen it wouldn't technically be illegal; just morally incomprehensible. Why couldn't she have gone to another school? Or at the very least just not been Paige's class? She was busy banging her head against her desk when she heard the door open again.

"Please just go away." She sighed, expecting it to be Emily coming back to start again. Instead she was met with the sigh of Ezra standing apprehensively just inside of the classroom.  
"Bad time?"  
"Sorry Ezra, I thought you were somebody else. What's up?"  
"I just wanted to check you're still ok to take my homeroom from Monday?"

Paige bit back a groan as she remembered she was supposed to be taking his class for a few weeks. She would have to face Emily every morning. She couldn't exactly back out of it though so she gritted her teeth and nodded her head. "Of course. Looking forward to it."  
"Great! Once again, thank you so much! I guess I'll leave you to, uh, get back to banging your head against your desk."  
"Long week." Paige sighed with a dismissive wave of her hand.  
"Sounds like you need a good night out… I'm heading up to Hollis tonight for this faculty party thing. You should tag along. They're looking for a lot of new teachers; you never know where it could lead?" If a faculty party was Ezra's idea of a good night out then Paige felt seriously bad for his poor girlfriend.

"I don't know Ezra. I was planning on going home and crashing out in front of the sofa." Not to mention Pru would be expecting to come over for their usual Friday night takeout; though she would probably grill her for gossip on Emily and Paige wasn't sure she was ready to admit to anyone that she had kissed her student. "Actually, on second thoughts, count me in." One more night to prepare for Pru's inevitable inquisition wouldn't be a bad thing.

"So she just blew you off? What a bitch!" Spencer had picked up on her friend's sour mood after she'd stormed out of their Sociology class and caught up with her in the hall. She was using their slow walk to the cafeteria to grill Emily over what had happened between her and Paige the night before.  
"She's not a bitch, Spence. I think she's just scared." Emily had been mad at the older woman for the things she had said to her, but she'd had time to think as she recounted the whole thing to Spencer and she was certain that Paige was only being cruel to try and stop whatever was happening between them because she was scared of getting involved with a student and losing her job.  
"Why do I get the feeling you're not going to just let things drop between you two?" Spencer quizzed, eyeing her friend warily as a slow smile spread over Emily's full lips.  
"Because I'm not. She told me she liked me; that doesn't just change overnight. I just need to figure out a way to show her that something could actually happen without the world ending."  
"You should ask Aria for some tips."

"Tips on what?" Aria appeared beside them in the cafeteria line, followed by Hanna and Mona.  
"Nothing." Emily dismissed her question. Had it just been the four of them she would have confided in her friends, but Mona was hanging around and Toby and Caleb were already sitting at their usual table as they all headed over, so Emily decided to keep quiet until she could talk to Aria alone. Spencer had been teasing about asking the other girl for advice, but it was still a good idea. Aria and Ezra had somehow been making their relationship work since junior year.

If the smaller girl was suspicious about Emily's dismissiveness she didn't get a chance to show it as Mona made an announcement to their whole time. "Ok people, there's a frat party at Hollis tonight! Who's coming with?" She looked around their group expectantly, but was met by a wall of silence. "Hanna?"  
"Sorry Mona, but Caleb and I are going camping this weekend." Hanna was hardly the camping type, but she and Caleb had shared their first time in a tent and camping was kind of their thing when they wanted to spend time alone together.  
"Lame." Mona rolled her eyes, setting her sights on the rest of them.  
"Toby and I are going to the cabin." Spencer hastily spoke up before Mona could target her. From the expression on Toby's face it seemed like this was news to him, but he backed his girlfriend up with the lie.

"Aria? Em? Looks like it's just us single ladies!" Mona feigned ignorance even though she knew all about Aria and Ezra; Hanna was terrible at keeping secrets.  
"Sure, I don't have plans. How about you Em?" Emily had been busy thinking up her excuse not to go when Aria had spoken up and surprised her. She hadn't intended to go to a college frat party, but she did want to speak to her friend and night out would probably do her the world of good.

"I'm guess I'm in." She shrugged. Between training and studying she hadn't had a lot of time for fun lately and a party might just take her mind off Paige for a few hours.  
"Hey Em, can I come over and get ready at your house tonight?" Aria quizzed, revealing her true reason for accepting Mona's invite to the party. She could tell her parents she was staying over at Emily's and spend the night at Ezra's apartment instead.  
"Sure." Emily didn't mind covering for her friend. Aria coming over before the party would give her some time to talk to her in private anyway and she could ask her for her opinion on what to do about Paige.

Once the girls had arranged their plans for meeting up later, Emily left the cafeteria to head to her locker to get the books she needed for her next class. Maya's locker was just down the hall from hers and she noticed the principal and one of the security guys standing in front of it. The security guard was holding a pair of bolt cutters and he turned them loose on the padlock of Maya's locker. "Oh no." Emily felt her stomach drop as she watched the man rifling through the locker, only to pull out a small plastic baggie and present it to the principal with a shake of his head.

Maya might not have been her girlfriend anymore, but they had been together for a long time and the urge to protect her hadn't died with their relationship. She headed straight back the way she had come, intending to seek Maya out in the cafeteria. She caught her walking out and dragged her in to the nearest empty classroom. "It's been a while since you've pulled me in to an empty class at lunch; not that I'm complaining." Maya smiled coyly, misinterpreting Emily's actions.  
"Security just searched your locker and they found whatever it is you've got in there!" Emily didn't have time to play games. They would put out an announcement for Maya to attend the principal's office at any moment and she wanted her to be prepared. Maybe if she came clean about whatever they had found she wouldn't face getting suspended again; or worse.

"What are you talking about?" The other girl's smile wavered. "There's nothing in my locker." She seemed genuinely surprised by the accusation that there would be.  
"They pulled out a plastic baggie, so whatever's in there-"  
"That bitch." Maya cut her off, shaking her head from side to side as she started to put the pieces together. "She set me up!"  
"Who did?" Emily had no idea what she was talking about as she started pacing up and down in front of her.  
"McCullers! That bitch caught me with some pot yesterday. She said she'd let me off with a warning, but she obviously just wanted to set me up!"

"Wait, so you did have pot on you? Why would she even bother putting it in your locker if she caught you? She could have busted you there and then."  
"Because she's twisted babe! She's had it in for me since day one!" She moved to put her hand on Emily's arm, but the other girl pulled away. She refused to believe that Paige would be so vindictive. Maya read the doubt on her face and tried again to plead her case. "Please Em, you have to believe me! I know I screwed up bringing anything to school in the first place, but I wouldn't be stupid enough to leave it in my locker!" They heard the announcement for Maya to go to the principal's office go out over the speakers in the corner of the classroom. Emily's ex looked genuinely scared as she stared at her with wide pleading eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" She sighed. Some habits die hard and she found herself offering to try and help. Maya looked visibly relieved, despite her name being called for a second time.  
"Talk to McCullers for me? She's your coach right, so she'll listen to you?"  
"Maya, even if she put something in your locker she's hardly likely to go and tell the principal she did." Emily seriously doubted that Paige had sunk to such a petty level as to try and fit Maya up, but she couldn't deny that her ex wouldn't be stupid enough to leave something like that in her locker. Since her return from True North she had been careful about hiding her stash.  
"Well then just ask her to put in a good word me. She can tell them that I came to her for help and she's been trying to get me in to rehab or something; I don't know! Just talk to her Em! Please? I'm on my last chance here."  
"Ok, fine."

As Maya went off to face the music in the principal's office Emily went upstairs to try and catch Paige on her own before the start of afternoon lessons. She didn't bother knocking as she slipped in to the classroom and closed the door behind her. She found Paige sitting with her feet up on her desk, an icepack resting on her shoulder and a well-worn paperback in her hand. She looked up startled when she heard the door closing. When she saw Emily she took her feet off the desk, put her book down and tossed it in one of her drawers, along with the icepack.

"Emily…" She couldn't face her twice. If she had come back to fight her case then she was going to win. Paige didn't have the strength to push her away again so soon. She had spent her lunch hour stewing in her own guilt over how she had acted towards her and an apology was dancing on the end of her tongue. The younger girl hadn't come to talk about them though.

"Maya just got called to the office. They found pot in her locker."  
"Ok." Paige wasn't quite sure why she was telling her about it. "And?" She quizzed, her tone coming out sharp. Emily's ex had been a pain in her ass since the first day of the school year and she couldn't deny feeling a little bit of joy at the thought that the girl had finally been pulled for something. She had let her slide the day before, not wanting the animosity that busting her and Noel Kahn would have brought her.

"And she thinks you put it there." Emily answered, catching her off guard. The younger girl hastily tried to explain, feeling stupid for even being there in the first place. She was supposed to be gaining Paige's trust, not accusing her of something as petty as planting drugs in a student's locker. "She told me you busted her for having some stuff on her yesterday, but you let it slide with a warning. Well they found pot in her locker at lunchtime and she swears she didn't put it in there…she asked me to come talk to you."  
"And you always do what Maya asks." Paige couldn't help the bitter edge to her voice. Even though they'd broken up it was clear Emily was still dancing to the other girl's tune and it made her madder than the accusation that she'd planted the drugs.

"That's not fair." Emily objected, but she didn't offer up and defence. She already knew she'd been wrong to go to Paige about it in the first place.  
"Neither is you being here." Paige argued before letting out a heavy sigh. Emily wasn't sure if she was talking about being in her classroom or being in high school altogether. "I didn't set Maya up. I have no reason to. I took the pot off of her and I flushed it." Except she hadn't. She'd given it over to Ezra to flush it for her. She felt a lump forming in the back of her throat as she considered the possibility that Ezra had somehow been involved with the drugs finding their way in to Maya's locker.

"Her parents are going to send her back to True North for sure." Emily felt bad for her, but she knew that Maya had made her own bed; attempting to blame Paige had just been a last ditch attempt to keep Emily on her side.  
"Maybe that's what she needs right now… and maybe it's what you need too; some space."  
"Maybe." Emily conceded. She looked like someone had just slapped her in the face and it took every ounce of will power that Paige possessed to keep her from going to her. She sat in her chair, digging her heels in to the carpet to stop herself from getting up. If she went anywhere near Emily she would end up kissing her again and that was the last thing the younger girl needed.

"The bell's about to go, you should get to class." Paige felt like a world class jackass as she tried to dismiss the teenager. Emily got the message and nodded before leaving. "Enjoy your weekend." She added, trying to make it look like she at least had some human decency as she forced the younger girl out of her classroom.  
"You too." Emily mumbled back. She felt like a zombie as she shuffled down the hall towards her next class. She was completely on autopilot as she took her seat and pulled out her textbooks. She couldn't believe how cold Paige had been with her. She had barely even looked at her again. Maybe the older girl was right. Maybe they couldn't make it work.

Later that night Emily was sitting in the back of a taxi and on her way to the frat party with Mona and Aria. She'd decided against asking Aria for her advice on Paige when she'd shown up at her house. She was still sorting out her own thoughts on her teacher without having someone else weigh in on the subject. Paige had been frosty with her at times during school, but she had never been downright hostile. If she was trying to push Emily away then she was doing a good job of it.

Aria had noticed her unhappy mood, but had chosen not to comment on it. She knew Emily well enough to know when to ask her what was wrong and when to leave her be. Mona wasn't quite so savvy. "Turn that frown upside down missy!" She chastised as they climbed out of the taxi. "I heard about Maya, but you need to forget about that loser! We're at a college party, which means there will be plenty of hot college girls for you to work your magic on!" Emily smiled despite herself. Mona was never one to sugar coat anything, but her frank honesty had helped perk Emily up a couple of times lately so she let her link their arms together and drag her towards the frat house.

The party was already packed, with people flowing out of the house and spilling on to the lawn. The music was loud to the point it was almost deafening and Emily was glad she'd chosen to wear a vest and jeans shorts as they entered the living room which seemed like it was packed to the rafters and hotter than hell itself. She felt something cold press against her side and she looked down to see Mona holding a hip flask. "To help with that frown." The other girl smiled conspiratorially and waited for Emily to take it.

"Thanks." Emily mumbled before bringing the flask up to her lips and taking a hearty swig. The bourbon burned the back of her throat as it went down. She was just handing the flask back when she heard someone calling out her name. She looked around and found an attractive blonde girl making her way through the crowd and over towards them. A genuine smile crossed her lips as she watched the girl approach. Mona made herself scarce as she ushered Aria in to the kitchen to find something to drink, leaving Emily and the blonde alone.

"Samara! It's so good to see you!" Emily hadn't seen the other girl in months, since Maya had come back from True North. Samara had been volunteering at Rosewood High as part of a mentoring program and she'd convinced Emily to sign up as a peer mentor. Maya had instantly hated the perky blonde on sight.  
"You too! It's been so long!" Samara pulled her in for a hug, letting the embrace last a little longer than it needed to. "Where's your girlfriend? She didn't let you out on your own did she?" she teased lightly, her eyes alight with mischief.  
"Maya and I actually broke up."  
"Oh…well I'd say I was sorry, but we'd both know I'd be lying." The blonde grinned confidently at her. She'd never hidden her interest in the younger girl. "How about we find you a drink?"

Across the Hollis campus, Paige was standing talking to an English literature professor and a TA who had been trying to stare down her dress for most of the night. The party Ezra had invited her to hadn't actually turned out all that bad. She'd had to promise Pru brunch on Saturday to get out of having their usual Friday night takeaway, but at least at the party she could stick to drinking orange juice while she was still taking her pain meds, rather than having Pru trying to force copious amounts of wine on her. Ezra had been mingling with his new colleagues for most of the night, leaving Paige to fend for herself. She'd been happy enough to let him wander off, wanting to put off asking him about the drugs she'd taken from Maya for as long as possible. She would save it for Monday morning once she'd had a chance to process everything. She didn't want to just go ahead and accuse him of something when Maya could easily be lying about it being the same stash.

Ezra came up to her around ten to let her know he was leaving. They'd brought their own cars so she didn't have to leave with him. Around about midnight she decided to call it a night and said her goodbyes to the small group of scholars she'd been talking with. She was wearing a simple black dress that sat just below her knees and while it was both elegant and sophisticated enough for a college faculty social, it was hardly functional for keeping her warm.

She'd had to park her car on the other side of the campus, near the student dorms so she wrapped her arms around herself as she took a slow walk to her car, struggling in her heels. She wasn't all that used to wearing them. She could hear a ton of noise coming from one of the frat houses as she approached her car. She had been to plenty of parties in college, though she had tended to avoid the ones hosted by fraternities and sororities. Paige wasn't really the sorority type.

She slipped behind the wheel of her car and tossed her purse and her heels on to the back seat before adjusting her mirror to check her lipstick. She frowned at the sight of a girl stumbling out of the frat house and towards the trashcans sitting on the sidewalk. The girl looked totally out of it, stumbling all over and walking aimlessly. She also looked a lot like Emily. "Son of a…" Paige muttered to herself, unsure whether her mind and the darkness were conspiring to play tricks on her. Whether the drunken girl was Emily or not, she still looked like she needed help, so she pulled her heels back on and got out of the car.

Emily had spent most of the party with Samara, letting the blonde introduce her to her friends as she kept a hand on the small of Emily's back. The more Emily had drank, the more she had started to enjoy the attention that Samara was paying her, from the hand on her back to the way her fingers started moving in small circles, rubbing against Emily's thin vest. Mona had been happy enough flirting with a group of college guys and Aria had even made it until ten o'clock before she'd sought Emily out to let her know she was leaving. She'd asked if she wanted to ride back with her, but Emily had insisted she would be fine with Mona; and Samara of course.

She'd stuck to beer for most of the night, not wanting a repeat of the last time she'd drank; but somewhere along the line someone had handed her a vodka. Things had gone downhill rapidly after that. She'd started feeling a little light headed and when she'd left Samara to go the bathroom she hadn't been able to find her again. Mona was nowhere to be seen and the dizziness had started to get worse. Some guy had started hitting on her and asking her to dance. When Emily had tried to shut him down by telling him she was gay it had only made him more insistent. She'd ended up slapping his hands away as he'd tried to grab her hips and she'd went straight for the front door after that.

As she stumbled down the drive, gulping in the refreshing cold night air, she became aware that someone had followed her out. She'd hoped to turn and find Samara or Mona behind her, but it was the pushy guy she'd walked out on. "Where you going baby? Why don't you come back inside?" his hands were back on her hips and Emily was struggling to keep herself upright, never mind push him off.  
"Let go…" She mumbled, her voice sounding distant to her own ears, like she was deep underwater. She tried to shove him, but ended up losing her balance. His fingers wrapped tightly around her wrists and were the only thing keeping her on her feet.  
"Don't be like that baby…" He was leaning in, intending to kiss her and Emily felt a blind panic rising in her chest. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her breaths were coming in short rasps and her lungs felt like all of the air was being squeezed out of them. She tried to wriggle free, but the guy was strong and his grip just grew even tighter.

"Hey asshole!" Emily heard a voice she recognised coming from behind her, but it was like her mind couldn't quite connect the voice to a face. She struggled to place it even as the guy who had grabbed her let go of her wrists and started screaming in agony as he dropped to the ground. Emily stumbled back after being released so suddenly, though she fell against something firm yet soft. An arm wrapped around her waist, but it was protecting her, not trapping her.

She looked back over her shoulder and finally identified the owner of the voice. It was Paige. She was standing behind Emily, one arm wrapped around the teenager's waist and the other one raised in the air with a can of mace clutched in her hand. She was glowering at the college guy, but she still looked breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was braided and tied up in an elegant bun, showing of the smooth pale skin of her neck. She was wearing a black dress that hugged her calves in all of the right places and as Emily glanced down she couldn't help but appreciate how pretty her heels were; even as a drunken mess she could appreciate good shoes.

"You crazy bitch!" The college guy screamed at Paige as she rubbed at his eyes and tried to get back to his feet. Emily felt the other girl's body tense behind her. Her skin was warm and soft pressed up against Emily's back, but the woman was in her physical prime and Emily could feel her taught abs and the tension in the muscles in her arms as she tightened her hold on her. She should have been scared that the guy was back on his feet and shouting at them, but she was too out of it to think straight and her stomach was doing flips from having Paige's whole body pushed up against her own. She wanted to turn and kiss her, to press her lips against the column of her throat as her fingers worked at undoing the bun in her hair; at least that would be her plan once the world around her stopped spinning around her.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" The angry frat guy shouted at Paige, attempting to take a step forward. Paige couldn't really defend herself without letting go of Emily, and with the younger girl's eyes practically rolling to the back of her head she couldn't really see that as an option. She pulled back the trigger on her mace again, spraying him right between the eyes. "FUCK!" He started screaming again and Paige didn't wait around long enough for him to recover a second time.

She dragged Emily back towards her car, taking on most of her weight as she all but carried her across the street. She put her in the back, letting her flop down on the back seat as she climbed in the front and put the car in to gear. She sped off while Emily's attacker was still kneeling on the lawn of the frat house, clutching at his burning face. She only took her foot off the pedal once they were a few blocks away. Emily was lying sprawled out across the back street and she was worried she would choke or something, so she pulled over so she could sit her up front where she could keep an eye on her.

The younger girl stumbled as she tried to get out of the car, falling forward against Paige and wrapping her arms around her neck to stop herself from hitting the floor. Paige's own arms instinctively went to her waist to steady her, pulling the teen flush against her. Emily moved to try and kiss her, but her movements were slow and clumsy, and Paige had the added benefit of being sober. She pulled back and managed to sit Emily down in the front seat. She closed the door on her and took a moment to inhale, trying to take deep calming breaths as she counted to ten.

She eventually got back in the car to face the other girl. "How much did you drink?" Her voice was tight as she kept her hands on the steering wheel, but made no move to actually start the car.  
"A few beers." Emily mumbled. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on them as she tried to fight the nausea she felt sweeping over her. The world was still spinning and it wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon. "And some guy handed me a vodka and coke." She felt way more drunk than she should have on so little alcohol.

"Some guy, huh? Could it maybe have been the guy who was trying to feel you up back there?" Paige was struggling to keep a lid on her anger. Her mind was racing with thoughts of what could have happened had she not been there to step in, and none of them were pretty. Emily took a moment to think about the question. After a moment of pondering she seemed to think that it was likely it had been the same guy and she nodded. Moving her head had been a terrible idea though as the inside of Paige's car seemed to swim in and out of focus.  
"I think it might have been spiked…"  
"You think?" Paige deadpanned, though her sarcasm was lost on the drunken girl.  
"Yeah, maybe…"

Paige decided to let it go and try another tactic. "What were you doing at a frat party on your own anyway?"  
"I wasn't alone…Samara was there…but then I couldn't find her." Paige wasn't surprised to hear a girl was involved. It seemed like Emily was a magnet for trouble.  
"You sure can pick 'em, Fields." She muttered more to herself than to Emily. "We need to get you home-"  
"No!" Emily objected fiercely as she sat bolt upright. "My parents will kill me if they see me like this!" Paige was less concerned about the teenager's parents killing her and more anxious to get her out of her car and somewhere she would be safe.

"Fine. How about I take you to Spencer's?" She and Melissa had snuck in to the Hastings house in similar states a few times and she didn't think it would be all that hard to get Emily inside without her friend's parents seeing the mess she was in.  
"She's at the cabin with Toby…" The couple had decided to go up to the cabin after all and Spencer had told her parents she was staying at Emily's along with Aria. "Hanna's camping and Aria's supposed to be staying at my house…I can't go back there!" They had all used staying at Emily's as an excuse to spend the night with their boyfriends. If Emily went home drunk and alone, it would get back to the parents of her friends and they would all be busted.

"Damn it." Paige didn't care about getting the other girls in to trouble, her main priority was Emily; but she knew if she took her home like that then her parents really would kill her. They'd also probably question what she was doing in Paige's car in the first place. She had kissed the teenager the day before and taking her home drunk was hardly keeping a low profile. There would be questions and naturally her parents would be suspicious of the young gay teacher.

She could drop her off at the motel on the edge of town, but again that would probably arouse even more suspicion; she also didn't want Emily spending the night alone. She had been spiked with something and she would be vulnerable until it was out of her system. She could choke in her sleep or go wandering in the night. No, Paige couldn't leave her at a motel and she couldn't take her home. There was only one other option; which was just as crazy as her other options, but at least it meant she could be certain that Emily would be safe. She shook her head at how ridiculous she was being and sighed as she said, "I've got a spare room."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: As ever, thanks for reading and I really appreciate all the feedback! Hopefully I didn't leave people waiting too long for this update, I'm working 60 hour weeks at the moment so struggling to find time to write.  
**

* * *

"This is a nice porch…you have a nice porch!" Emily commented as Paige helped her up the steps to her front door. She kept a firm grip on her with an arm around her waist to keep her up on her feet. She'd almost fallen flat on her face when Paige had opened the car door for her, so the older girl had ended up taking hold of her and steering her up the drive towards her house. She was already having second thoughts about her plan of action as her gaze nervously flitted around the silent street. It was already past midnight and most of her neighbours were either elderly couples or young families who would already be tucked up in bed at such a late hour, but it would only take one twitch of a curtain for Paige to lose her nerve.

She thankfully managed to open her front door without any of her neighbours looking out of their windows and catching her holding up a drunk teen on her porch. Emily seemed even more unsteady on her feet as she tried to walk through the door, so Paige ended up wrapping both arms around her waist to guarantee she wouldn't fall over as they made their way inside. She tried to ignore the way her arms seemed to wrap perfectly around the other girl's waist, or how good it felt to have Emily's body pressed up against her own as she stumbled back against her.

"Woops!" Emily let out a laugh as she tripped over her own feet. Paige's arms tightened their protective grip around her, like she was cradling a precious doll. The teenager suddenly seemed to realise how close they were and she abruptly turned around, draping her arms Paige's neck and catching her off guard as she leant in to kiss her. Paige had the advantage of being sober though and she easily managed to pull back away from her enough for Emily to miss her mouth and catch the side of her neck instead. Unperturbed by this Emily started kissing her there instead. Her soft full lips moved slowly against the column of Paige's throat, drawing out a whimper of frustration.

"Emily, don't." Paige managed to come to her senses as she pulled away completely, letting Emily's arms drop from around her neck. The drunken girl stumbled back, luckily dropping down on to the couch rather than falling on the floor. "Jesus…" Paige muttered to herself as she pulled out the tight bun that had been holding her hair up and kicked off her heels, letting them fall by the front door. What had she been thinking when she'd brought her back to her house? She should have just driven her straight home and dumped her on her own doorstep. Why should she care if Emily got in trouble for drinking?

Her gaze landed on the sight of Emily lying on her back on the couch. Her arms were splayed above her head, making her vest ride up and giving Paige a perfect view of the tanned skin of her toned stomach. She felt something stirring inside of her at the sight of the gorgeous girl lying there, but she pushed it down as she cleared her throat and looked anywhere but at the teenager. She cared about Emily. She couldn't deny that. She cared too much to let her get in trouble with her parents for being at a college party; just like she cared too much to let anything happen when the girl was out of her mind on alcohol and god-knows what.

"Come on Superstar, let's get you to bed." She would get her upstairs and in to the guest bedroom where she could leave her safely wrapped up in bed before crawling in to her own.  
"I'm not that kind of girl!" Emily giggled up at the ceiling, totally out of it. "We can totally make out though?" She suggested like it was viable alternative. Paige pinched the bridge of her nose as she slowly counted to ten. She could feel the start of a migraine coming on.  
"No! No we can't!" She put her foot down, hoping a stern tone would make Emily listen to her. She was too drunk to comprehend that Paige was trying to help her, not hit on her. It was a painful reminder of what could have happened had Paige not found her when she had.

"But I really want to kiss you…like a lot." Emily pouted up at her. She tried to emphasise her point by getting back up on to her feet, but she lost her balance again and almost went falling in to the coffee table. Paige moved with lightning speed as she moved in to catch her and wrapped her arms around her waist again. Their faces were only inches apart as Emily lost her grin and muttered, "Why don't you want to kiss me? What's wrong with me?" She looked so shaken and vulnerable that Paige couldn't help but hold her tighter.

She moved to cup the other girl's cheek and let out a sigh as Emily nuzzled in to her touch. "Nothing is wrong with you Em… I want to kiss you, I do…but you're drunk and this can't happen. You need to go upstairs, lie down and sleep it off. We can talk in the morning." She had no intentions of actually keeping that promise, but it seemed to pacify the other girl a bit as she nodded and allowed Paige to lead her upstairs to the guest room.

She sat the teen down safely on the bed for a minute as she went off to her own room in search of something for her to wear to bed. Her jeans shorts would hardly be comfortable to sleep in. She found some cotton shorts and an oversized T-shirt which would have to do as Emily's pyjamas for the night. She took them back in to her and groaned as she found her passed out on the bed. At least she'd managed to kick off her converse before she'd rolled on to her side and fallen asleep. She was lying on top of the covers, so Paige had to go back in to her room and grab the comforter off of her bed to put it over her so she wouldn't get cold through the night. Then before slipping out of the room, she rolled up one of the spare pillows and placed it behind her to stop her rolling on to her back. She needed her to stay on her side in case she was sick through the night.

Once she was happy that Emily was settled in the guest room she headed back in to her own. She stripped down out of her dress and pulled on the old ice hockey jersey that she wore to bed. After undoing her braid she slipped under the covers of her bed and lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Emily was lying right next door. One of her students was spending the night at her house. Her mind was racing as she thought about all the ways that could come back to bite her in the ass. Paige tossed and turned in her bed, sleep eluding her. She lay there for what felt like hours, until she heard a noise that had her sitting bolt upright. She recognised the sound of the creaky floorboard right outside of the guestroom.

Sighing, she pushed the covers back and padded over to the door. She'd left it open to listen out in case Emily woke up and went wandering. "Paige? I don't feel so good…" Emily frowned at the sight of her. She'd been asleep for less than an hour, but whatever had been in her drink had left her dazed and confused. Her head was pounding and she felt sick to her stomach as she wobbled on her feet.  
"Come on; let's get you back to bed." Paige tried to be patient with her as she moved closer to guide her back to the spare room; she didn't budge. "Em, you need to get some sleep sweetie."  
"I'm thirsty…"

"Ok, go back to bed and I'll get you a glass of water." Paige gave her a gentle push back towards the guest room before trudging back downstairs. Once she had the water she went back upstairs to give it to Emily, but she found the guestroom empty. "Give me strength…" She rolled her eyes as she padded back in to her room and found the teenager curled up in her bed. She was once again sound asleep. Paige placed the glass of water down on her bedside table for her.

She decided against trying to wake her up. The drunken teen was less trouble sleeping than when she was awake. She seemed restless as she turned over in her sleep, muttering something to herself before falling silent again. Paige pulled over her desk chair and sat down on it while propping her feet up on the edge of her bed. She'd stay there for a while until she was sure Emily was settled. She didn't want the younger girl waking up again and walking around. In her state she could easily trip down the stairs or do herself some other kind of mischief. So Paige elected to keep her vigil by the side of the bed, waiting for Emily to reach a deeper state of sleep before moving in to the guestroom. She hadn't figured that she would nod off while she was waiting.

The older girl's internal body clock had become pretty reliable over years of waking up at the crack of dawn to go swimming or running or whatever other sport had taken her fancy. When the morning light first started to slither through the crack in her curtains she stirred easily. Her slumber had been less than peaceful since she'd slept in the chair all night. She felt a deep ache in her collar that seemed to spread down in to her arm and across her back.

A groan escaped Paige's lips as she struggled to sit upright. It was matched by an equal sound of distress coming from somewhere under the covers of her bed. She blinked a few times, letting the fog of sleep lift before she finally remembered why she wasn't sleeping in her own bed as she caught sight of a shock of dark hair spread across her pillow.

Emily let out a low moan as the light started creeping across her face and the teenager moved one arm to cover her eyes. She was beginning to stir. Any second she would be awake and Paige would find herself in the most uncomfortable situation she had ever been in. Would Emily even remember meeting Paige outside of that college party? Would she remember the older girl's valiant rescue efforts? Or would she wake up with a pounding headache and no memory of how she had ended up in Paige's bed?

Emily rolled on to her side, kicking violently at the covers until one of her legs was free from under them. This seemed to pacify her a bit as she settled back down, intending to fall back to sleep. Paige needed to move. She had to act quickly and climb in to the bed in the guestroom and pretend she had slept there all night. It would be better for Emily to wake up in the room alone, whether she remembered how she had ended up there or not. Paige didn't want her thinking that she had been watching her sleep or something equally as creepy.

She tried to push herself up out of the chair using the arm rests at the sides, but the pain that shot through her shoulder was unbearable and, as much as she tried to stop it, she ended up letting out a whimper. It was far better than the scream she might have let off had she not clamped her lips shut, but it was still enough to disturb the sleeping girl.

"Paige?" Emily frowned as her eyes opened and she looked around the room that clearly wasn't her own. Paige felt a lump forming in her throat as she waited for the inevitable fall out. Emily surprised her though. She didn't start screaming or demanding to know what she was doing in Paige's bed. She pushed herself up so that she was leaning on one arm as she rubbed at her eyes. "Did you sleep there all night?"  
"Uh, yeah…I wanted to make sure you didn't go wandering again and I fell asleep." There was no point in lying. That was what had happened after all. "You asked for some water and when I came back upstairs you'd climbed in to my bed and fallen asleep."  
"Oh god…I'm so sorry!" Emily groaned, her cheeks were flushed as she covered her face with her hands. "I didn't even drink that much!" She frowned as she tried to piece together her memories of the night before.

"You were probably spiked." Paige pointed out as she stretched out on the chair. She was trying to get rid of the stiffness she felt in her body, but she noticed the way Emily's eyes took in her bare legs as her hockey jersey rode up. She really needed to put on some pants.  
"Thanks for letting me stay here. My parents would have killed me if I'd gone home last night." She pushed her hair back from her face as she sat up. She still felt a little dizzy and light headed, though she wasn't sure if that was from the alcohol or whatever had been put in it.

"Don't mention it. Seriously." Paige insisted. "If anyone finds out about this I could lose my job. You can stay and sleep it off, but you have to go later, no arguments." Paige was willing to help the younger girl out and she could see she was still feeling the effects of whatever she'd inadvertently taken, but she couldn't risk Emily getting the wrong idea about her letting her stay over. It was still early, so she wasn't about to just kick her out of bed, but she couldn't stay all day.

"Thank you." Emily repeated as she lay back down and pulled the covers up to her chin. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck and Paige's bed was far too comfy for her to even think about getting out of it. Paige nodded at her before getting to her feet and walking over to her closet. She pulled on some shorts under her hockey jersey and then walked out without saying another word. She'd usually go for a long run on a Saturday morning before heading to the Brew for breakfast, but her entire body felt stiff and sore from sleeping in the chair; she couldn't exactly just leave Emily sleeping in her house while she went out for a run either.

She slumped down on to her couch and lay spread out as she turned the TV on to some cooking show. She'd just pass a few hours in front of the box while Emily slept. It wouldn't kill her to have a lazy Saturday morning for once and the couch felt like heaven compared to the desk chair she had slept in. Her eyes felt heavy as she stared up at the flat-screen mounted on the wall. She let out a yawn and her eyes closed over once, then twice.

Before she knew it a pounding on the door had her eyes snapping open again. She felt totally out of it as she stood up to answer the door. She wasn't sure just how long she had nodded off for, but she had to squint against the harsh light as she opened the door. "Finally! I thought I was going to be banging on your door all day!" Pru didn't wait for an invite as she waltzed straight inside carrying a bag full of groceries. Paige had completely forgotten about their plans for brunch. "Wait, are you sick or something? It's after ten and you're still in your PJs… and I clearly just woke you up!"

"Paige?" She wasn't the only one that Pru had woken up. Emily called down the stairs as Paige felt her stomach drop. That was all she needed.  
"Or not!" Pru laughed, amusement lighting up her whole face. "McCullers, you dog! You got laid didn't you? Did you meet some hot chick at that college party?" Pru started to make her way over to the stairs, but Paige grabbed at her arm.  
"It's not what you think!" She protested, praying that Emily would stay upstairs until she could explain everything to Pru. Paige wasn't that lucky though.

"Jailbait?" Pru stared at the teenager in astonishment as her jaw dropped open. Emily was still dressed in the T-shirt and shorts that Paige had given her the night before and the older girl realised that it was one of her track tees from university. Her hair was sticking up in that sexy 'just rolled out of bed' way and Paige couldn't deny how it looked.  
"Ok, it's _really _not what you think!" She tried to explain but her best friend was having none of it.  
"Oh my god! Jailbait is in your house! She's in your freaking shirt!"

"We didn't-"  
"Nothing happened-"

Both girls tried to explain at the same time, but Pru was too busy freaking out to listen to them. "McCullers, when I said you needed to get laid I meant with a grown up!"  
"I'm eighteen!" Emily objected, not really helping matters.  
"Nothing happened!" Paige insisted again. "Just calm down, go in the kitchen and I'll be there in a second to explain, ok? Please?" She added as her friend didn't budge. She glared at Paige with her arms folded across her chest before shaking her head and walking off in to the kitchen.

"Paige I'm-" Emily went to apologise but she cut her off.  
"Don't. Just go get ready and go home. No arguments remember?" She needed to do some serious damage control with Pru. She didn't have time to worry about the teenager's feelings. Emily kept her side of the deal and trudged back upstairs without arguing; though her expression said more than enough.

"What the hell are you doing McCullers?" Pru glared at her as she walked in to the kitchen. She hadn't bothered unpacking the groceries she'd brought over for their brunch, she was just waiting to have a go at Paige in private.  
"Nothing happened!" Paige insisted again before hastily explaining everything that had happened the night before.  
"So you had her in your bed and _nothing_ happened?" Pru asked again with disbelief and Paige felt like she was talking to a brick wall.  
"Yes! Nothing whatsoever happened! She tried to kiss me and I stopped her. I didn't do_ anything_ with her."

"That's even worse!" Pru groaned. "If you're going to do the time then at least do the damn crime! God, you're such a square!" Paige couldn't believe what she was hearing. Only Pru could admonish her for _not _sleeping with the teenager.  
"Seriously?" She shook her head at her as she heard Emily coming back down the stairs.  
"Seriously! Jailbait or not, that girl has legs that go on forever!" Paige couldn't really argue with that statement. Emily's long legs had held her attention on more than one occasion. It was a miracle she could ever think straight during swim practise.

Still shaking her head, she headed back in to the front room to see Emily to the door. Paige looked warily out of the window and noticed the dark clouds hanging in the sky. It looked like it would start raining any second and the younger girl was only wearing her shorts from the night before. She didn't have a jacket with her either. "I'll drive you home." She was reluctant about being seen with Emily in her car, but at the same time she didn't want the Sharks' star swimmer to catch pneumonia from walking home in the rain. She still didn't look too steady on her feet either and Paige had visions of her ending up under a bus.  
"Thanks." Emily wrapped her arms around her waist as Paige opened the front door, letting all of the cold air in. She shivered as she stood there in little more than her shorts and a vest.

"Here." Paige picked a random hoodie off the coat hooks by the front door and handed it over to the teenager to wear. It was one of her favourites, a navy blue University of Texas pullover that Paige had bought in her freshman year. The colour was the same as their Sharks uniform and it looked good on the younger girl. Paige bit down on her lip as Emily offered her a sweet smile of gratitude. She let Emily out of the door ahead of her as she reached for her car keys from the little side table by the front door.

"Is that Mrs Potter?" Emily squinted across the street as she noticed an elderly woman pruning the roses in the garden across the street.  
"What?" Paige yanked her back inside the house without warning and slammed the door shut before peering out through the glass panels to check if her neighbour had noticed them. She needn't have worried though; the old woman was as blind as a bat and as deaf as a post. Pru was not. She'd heard the commotion and emerged from the kitchen to see what was going on. "How do you know Mrs Potter?"

"She used to be my sitter." Emily shrugged, not understanding why it was such a big deal to the older girl.  
"Used to be?" Pru got in a sly dig, earning the wrath of both girls as Emily and Paige both glared back at her.  
"She can't see you leaving my house!" Paige ignored her friend altogether as she turned her frown on Emily. "She'll have been out there gardening since first light. If she sees you leave she'll know you spent the night! That can't happen!"  
"What am I meant to do? Wait until she goes inside?" Emily snapped. She understood Paige's concern, but that didn't mean she had to be happy about the way she was acting.

"Yes! You'll just have to wait here until she goes inside the house. Then we can get you in my car without her seeing." Emily's sarcasm was lost on Paige altogether. She was too worried about Mrs Potter seeing one of her students leaving her house late on a Saturday morning to realised that Emily had been kidding.  
"Yeah, she'll reverse up to the porch and you can dive in to the trunk!" Pru teased. "That sounded way more sexual than it was meant to." She laughed as Emily's cheeks coloured.

"Why are you laughing? This isn't funny Pru!" Paige snapped, losing her patience with her oldest friend; of course it only made Pru laugh all the more loudly.  
"Relax, McCullers! You know you'd be far more chilled out if you'd actually gotten some last night; I'm just saying!"  
"I hate you so much right now."  
"You know you love me really." Pru dismissed her anger with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, I'll leave you two to it." She made to go for the door, but Paige refused to budge from in front of it.

"You can't leave!" She sounded desperate as her eyes pleaded with Pru not to leave her all alone with the teenager that had a habit of kissing her. "You _need_ to stay. You owe me!" She was grasping at straws and they both knew it. Pru had no intentions of wasting her Saturday locked up inside with Paige and her student.  
"Yeah, I'm not aiding your little abduction." She quipped.  
"It's not like I'm holding her against her will!" Paige objected. Her cheeks were turning scarlet with her embarrassment. "I'm not!"  
"Oh I'm sure you're not." Pru gave the younger girl a wink, which had her blushing as furiously as Paige. "Well you two have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She laughed as she pushed past Paige to get to the door.

"That narrows it down." Paige remarked dryly, sulking as she closed the door behind her friend. She let out a sigh as she turned back around to face Emily. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to; I just don't want Mrs Potter seeing you coming out of my house. She knows I'm…"  
"Gay?" Emily supplied as Paige faltered. It was ridiculous. She hadn't struggled quite so much to talk about her sexuality since she had come out to her father in her senior year. "It's fine. I get it. You took a huge risk letting me stay here last night and I don't want to do anything to get you in trouble. I'll stay until Mrs Potter goes inside." It was hardly a chore for Emily to stay. She'd been disappointed that Paige had been kicking her out in the first place.

* * *

"Is Mrs Potter still out there?" Emily quizzed as Paige peered out of the curtains and across the street. She hadn't actually been checking to see if the old woman was still gardening. It was just a habit she had of looking out of the window whenever she walked in to the front room. It had been dark for a while and her elderly neighbour had probably gone inside hours ago.  
"No." She felt a pang of regret for looking out of the window. Had she just gone straight back over to the couch Emily could have stayed longer without it being a bug deal.

Despite what she'd said to Pru about not wanting to be alone with her, she'd enjoyed having the younger girl around all afternoon. Paige didn't want to have to send her home, but they both knew she had to; eventually anyway. "You can stay and watch the end of the movie if you want to?" She offered, hoping her tone didn't come off sounding as desperate as she felt.  
"Thanks. I think I will." Emily replied in an attempt to sound just as casual. The movie they were watching had only been on for about ten minutes, though neither girl brought that up as Paige took her seat back down on the other end of the couch.

They started out on separate sides, but over the course of the movie they seemed to migrate closer together, like opposing magnets pulling each other in. When Emily sat back down after a trip to the bathroom she'd risked sitting a few inches further over; then when Paige had gone in to the kitchen to get them some drinks she'd ended up sitting back down further over on Emily's side; eventually they'd kept up their unspoken game until they were sat so close together that their knees were touching.

One movie turned in to two as the hours passed, but neither brought up the issue of Emily leaving. Paige wasn't stupid. She knew they younger girl was deliberately avoiding saying anything so that she could stay for longer. The truth was she was doing exactly the same thing, hoping to keep her around without having to actually ask her to stay. She would have to send the younger girl home some point though; she couldn't exactly let her spend another night.

Emily jumped at a particularly scary part of the zombie movie they had ended up watching and buried her face in pillow she was using to hide behind; the one she had resting against Paige's shoulder. "I thought you _loved _horror movies?" Paige teased, unable to hide her amusement as Emily scowled at her.  
"I do! That doesn't mean I don't find them scary some-" She was abruptly cut off as one of the onscreen zombies made an appearance out of nowhere and taking a bite out of one of the scantily clad heroines. It startled her, sending her hiding being her cushion again. Paige couldn't help but laugh at her then. She looked so adorable, cuddled up against her with her face covered.

"Not funny!" Emily huffed from behind the safety of her cushion; her words came out muffled as she playfully shoved at Paige's shoulder. She's socked her in her injured shoulder and Paige had to bite back a groan as pain shot through bone. She disguised her discomfort by carrying on laughing at her as she moved her arm so that it was resting across the back of the chair.

This left Emily leaning up against her chest with the cushion, though again neither of them mentioned it. At some point Paige's arm moved from the back of the couch and ended up across Emily's shoulder like they were sitting in a movie theatre on a date. Emily shifted a little; making herself more comfortable as she boldly draped her own arm across the older girl's stomach. Her head was resting just below Paige's chin, which meant she heard the audible gulp that she took in response.

Emily wondered if she'd pushed her luck too far; but she let herself relax as Paige didn't say anything. She returned her attention to the screen as the two of them sat in a mutual silence. Paige's fingers started moving lightly, making soft patterns against the skin at the top of her arm. Emily wasn't sure whether it was a conscious action or not. Paige's eyes never budged from the television set. The other girl touching her so softly was starting to drive her crazy after a short while and she couldn't stop herself from tilting her head back to try and catch Paige's attention.

When Paige glanced down and saw her she asked, "Are you hungry? I can order-" Whatever she had been about to suggest they order in was lost as Emily sat further up to press their lips together. The kiss wasn't rushed or forceful. Her lips moved slowly, barely pushing against the other girl's mouth in order to give her the chance to pull back if she wanted to. She didn't.

It took a few moments, but eventually her lips started to work against Emily's as she kissed her back. Her free arm moved up to cup her cheek, pulling her in closer against her. The pace of the kiss didn't change. They both moved slowly and tentatively, as though afraid of spooking the other and ending the kiss. Emily couldn't quite believe they were actually sitting making out on Paige's couch; and she wasn't trying to run away for once.

It was actually Emily who pulled away first, though it was only because her cell phone was ringing and she recognised the ringtone that she had assigned for her mom's number. Paige sulked as she pulled away from the kiss to answer the phone. She looked so cute pouting up at her that Emily couldn't resist leaning in to kiss her once more.

"Hi mom." She tried to force her voice to sound steady as Paige's hands settled on her hips. The tips of her fingers were brushing against the skin at her sides, just beneath the hoodie she had borrowed her, and it took everything in her not to let out a groan. "Yeah, I'm still at Hanna's. We're just watching a movie. I'll be home soon." She did her best to get off the phone as quick as she could, knowing her mom had a tendency to try and keep the conversation going for as long as possible.

She registered the way Paige's head was dipped and her eyes were fixed on a spot on the carpet. Emily was afraid she was starting to freak out again. It seemed like whenever they kissed everything was fine until their lips parted and reality started to set in. Maybe Emily could just keep on her kissing her? That way she would never get the chance to panic. She let out the breath she'd been holding all day with a heavy sigh as she hung up and brushed her hair back from her face.

"So, is this the part where you tell me what happened was a mistake? Then you get all grumpy and avoid me for a week?" Emily tried to make a joke of it, but her tone came out bitter. She was sick of Paige running every time they grew closer.  
"No." The older girl sighed as she finally brought her head up to look Emily in the eye. "This is the part where I tell you that I can't keep doing this Emily." The teenager felt her heart sink as she moved to stand up.

Paige surprised her by taking hold of her wrists and pulling her back down. Without warning she crushed their lips together as she let go of the girl's wrists and wrapped her arms around her waist instead. When their lips finally parted they sat with their foreheads touching, trying to catch their breath. Paige ran her tongue across her lips as she let out a soft moan. "We have a connection Em; and I'm done fighting it."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks again for reading and for the amazing feedback! Sorry I'm not updating as much as I was but I haven't had a day off work in almost three weeks and I'm still working 60 hour weeks, the perks of management I suppose!** **I should be going back down to my regular 40 hours from next week so should be updating normally** **again :)**

"We're going to have to talk about how we do this thing. We need to establish some rules for when we're at school or the Brew…we need-"  
"Rules. Got it." Emily cut Paige off with a kiss, trying to get her mind back on what they had been doing. They were still sitting curled up on Paige's couch and as much as Emily knew she was right about them needing to talk, all she wanted to do was carry on kissing the other girl.  
"Em, I'm serious!" Paige insisted, though she wasn't exactly putting up much of a fight as the younger girl carried on with her assault of her lips. "We have to be _so _careful. We need to-"

"Later." Emily cut her off again with a groan. "Can we please just talk later?" It would have been far easier for Paige to say no if Emily hadn't had her bottom lip trapped between her own. As it was, she couldn't form a single word in response, never mind string a sentence together. She was actually kissing the other. She had spent almost two months thinking non-stop about the teenager and she was _finally _kissing her. Maybe Emily was right, maybe they just needed to go with the flow for one night. After all, things would be far from simple if they were actually going to try and make a go of things.

They spent the rest of the night cuddled up on the couch, until Emily's mom called a second time around midnight to ask when she was coming home. "I'll drive you." Paige offered, not quite willing to part ways with the younger girl so quickly.  
"Thanks…um, do you have any plans tomorrow?" Emily asked a little sheepishly as they walked outside and headed to Paige's car. "I was thinking we could hang out?" She didn't want Paige thinking she was needy or clingy. She just wanted to see her again and they still needed to talk about how they were going to act around each other in public.

"Just my morning run. You can tag along if you want? We can talk some more?" She suggested, though they hadn't actually done much talking.  
"I'd like that." Emily nodded as she climbed in to the front of the car. They arranged a time and a place to meet on the way to the teen's house. Paige dropped her off at the top of the street to avoid being seen by her parents. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Emily leant over to kiss her goodnight. She was in no hurry to actually get out of the car, until her cell phone started going again. This time it was Maya, not her mom, so she just let it ring as she said her goodbyes to Paige. She was in too good of a mood to be talking to her ex.

She got in to her house just after midnight and found her dad still waiting up for her. "Hey sweetie, your mom went to bed. Did you have a good time at Hanna's?"  
"Yeah, it was fun." Emily hated lying to her dad. She always felt like he could see right through her whenever she lied to him. She took a seat beside him on the sofa and curled her legs up under her.  
"Maya called for you earlier. It seemed important."  
"We're not really talking." She admitted with a shrug. "She got busted with pot in her locker again on Friday. I don't know what's going to happen."

"Well that's probably up to the school, and her parents of course." Wayne Fields had never been overly keen on his daughter being with Maya, but he had been far less vocal about it than his wife. He trusted Emily enough to come to her own conclusions about the other girl in due time and it seemed she'd finally opened her eyes to how much trouble to the girl could be. "It might be best to keep out of it. This is your senior year and you've got to be on your game for swimming and scouts and colleges."  
"I know dad. Maya and I are done. Trust me."

"Glad to hear it Emmy." He gave her a warm smile as he leant in to kiss her on the forehead. "You need to focus on school right now."  
"I know dad, and I'm definitely going to be paying attention in class." Especially any class Paige was at the front of. She said goodnight to her dad and went upstairs to bed. Maya tried calling again but she just let the phone ring. She would be meeting Paige early in the morning for their run and she wanted to get a good night's sleep.

Across town Paige was just stepping in to her house when her landline started to ring. She headed straight in to the kitchen to pick up the cordless phone as she raided the fridge for a diet coke. It was pretty late for anyone to be calling. "Hello?"  
"Hey Pumpkin, sorry to call so late."  
"Hey Dad. No problem, I haven't gone to bed yet. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong. I just thought I'd let you know I'm announcing my intention to run for the Senate next month." There was a pregnant pause as he obviously waited for some kind of response. His big announcement was hardly news; he had been working towards becoming a senator for years.

"That's great Dad. Congratulations."  
"Thank you. I'll be coming to town for the weekend before my office makes the announcement. It'd be nice to spend some quality time with you before my campaign kicks off." Paige could count on one hand the number of times she and her father had spent any quality time together. There had to be more to his visit than that. "Will it just be the two of us, or are you seeing anyone special?" And there it was. The true reason her father was coming back to Rosewood. He wanted to check up on her before announcing his campaign, to make sure there were no skeletons hiding in her closet that the opposition could use to damage his reputation. She could just imagine his reaction if she told him about Emily. He'd probably have an aneurysm.

"I'm not seeing anyone Dad." It wasn't a complete lie seeing as she and Emily hadn't really talked things through yet. The only thing that had really been established was that they both liked each other; and they really enjoyed kissing.  
"Oh, well that's good. It'll just be us then. I'll have my PA e-mail you my itinerary for the visit. We'll go out for dinner."  
"Great…are you going to be staying here or getting a hotel room?" There was a tense silence on the other end of the line as her father pretended to think it over. Paige already knew what his response would be. He hadn't stepped foot in the house he had shared with her mom since the day Paige had left for college.

"Oh I wouldn't want to intrude on you. I'll arrange a room closer to the time…well I'll let you go sweetheart, it's late."  
"Ok, goodnight Dad."  
"Goodnight." He hung up after his clipped goodbye, leaving Paige shaking her head as she put the phone back on the cradle hanging on the wall. That was one particular weekend she wasn't looking forward to.

Paige woke up early the next morning to get ready for her run. She doubted Emily would be able to keep up with her usual gruelling route through the woods, but she knew a trail that was easy enough for them to take and still be able to talk. She'd offered to push her run back to later in the morning, but Emily had insisted she was fine with going at Paige's usual time, so the young teacher was slipping out of the house at 7am and heading for main street. She found Emily waiting for her by the bench across the street from the Brew. Paige felt her stomach flip as she took in the sight of her.

Her hair was tied back and she wore no makeup, but she still looked gorgeous. She had her iPod on and her eyes closed over, so she failed to notice Paige approaching. She crept across the street and got close enough to pull out her headphones. Emily jumped, startled by the sudden disturbance. Her chocolate coloured eyes were wide with fright, though they soon softened as they settled on Paige. A warm easy-going smile spread over her lips and Paige couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wake up to that smile every morning.

She cleared her throat, and her mind, before returning the smile. "You know, if you wanted more beauty sleep we could have scheduled this run for this afternoon." Paige teased, unsure of how to go about greeting her. She wanted to bend over and kiss her so badly that she could actually feel her lips tingling.  
"Are you saying I _need_ more beauty sleep?" Emily shot back, suddenly seeming a lot more awake as she crossed her arms over her chest.  
"Of course not; you're plenty beautiful." Paige finally gave in to her desires and bent down to kiss her on the lips. She felt more at ease as Emily kissed her back. "Good morning." Paige's smile stretched right across her face as they pulled apart.  
"Good morning." Emily replied with a little laugh that had the older girl's stomach doing summersaults. "You're late McCullers, _I've_ been here since seven!"

"Well I had to pack this." Paige patted the backpack she was wearing with a mischievous smile, piquing the other girl's interest.  
"What's in it?" Emily quizzed, staring quizzically at the bag like she could manage to see through it if she just tried hard enough.  
"That's for me to know and you to find out." Paige flat out refused to tell her what was inside. It was going to be Emily's motivation to make it to the end of the trail.

"Sounds like a challenge."  
"It is." Paige nodded in agreement. "Keep up with me until the end of the trail and you get to see what's inside."  
"And what if I beat you?" Emily shot back with an arrogant smirk as she let Paige pull her up to her feet.  
"Not going to happen, Fields. Did I mention I was track star in college?"  
"Why is that not surprising?" Emily giggled at her as she laced their fingers together and they started walking towards the cover of the park. Paige couldn't help looking around a little self-consciously, making sure that nobody was around to witness them holding hands out in the open. Emily caught her doing it, but didn't say anything about it.

They made their way in to the park and did a little stretching before Paige led them in to the woods and on to the trail they were going to be running. It was one of the more remote paths through the woods which led to a cliff overlooking the waterfall at the edge of town. There would be plenty of runners and joggers out on the trails on a Sunday morning, though most wouldn't venture so far. Paige could pretty much guarantee they would have their privacy by the water.

She tried to set an easy pace for Emily to follow, but the teenager was trying to impress her so she kept pushing forward, forcing her to up her pace. Her spirit was strong, but she wasn't a distance runner like Paige was. She started to flag thirty minutes in to their run. They were near the end of the trail, but Paige wasn't about to tell her that. "New deal. You only get to see what's in the bag if you beat me!" Paige announced before shooting off ahead of the dazed teen.  
"No fair!" Emily called after her. By the time she caught up to the other girl she was too short of breath to talk. She kept up with her though, pushing her body as hard as she could to try and inch ahead. When she saw the trees beginning to thin out in to a clearing she kicked her efforts up a gear, going flat out as she pulled ahead.

She was in front of Paige for a full five seconds before the experienced runner stole the lead. Paige reached the clearing first, dropping the bag down on to the ground with a smirk as she celebrated her victory. Emily followed and flopped down on to the grass as she struggled to catch her breath. "Come on Superstar, you need to stretch or you'll cramp up." She offered the younger girl a hand to help her up. Emily took it with a grateful smile, but instead of getting to her feet she yanked on Paige's hand bringing her down on top of her. She crushed their lips together, picking up from where they'd left off earlier.

"Good morning." Emily repeated with a soft laugh against her lips.  
"Good morning." Paige pulled back with a grin and held herself up by her arms, so that her full weight wasn't pressing down against the younger girl.  
"So am I really not getting what's in the bag?" The teenager pouted up at her, weakening Paige's defences. She rolled to the side to fetch the bag she'd left on the ground and brought it over to where Emily was sitting on the grass. She sat down and crossed her legs as she unzipped the bag and peeked inside.

"I don't know, you didn't beat me-"  
"Paige! Come on!" Emily whined. She was frustrated by her refusal to show her what was in the bag. Deciding to take matters in to her own hands she gripped the front of Paige's vest to pull her in closer as she pressed their lips together ever so softly. "Please can I see what's in there?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at her. Paige was done. Right there and then she knew she would never be able to say the word 'no' to Emily Fields.

"I suppose I could show you…" She relented, acting like she actually had a choice in the matter. She opened the bag up fully and began pulling out Tupperware tubs and placing them down on the grass beside them.  
"Breakfast?" Emily quizzed with a hint of amusement as she watched Paige pull out a picnic blanket for them to sit on. She took the lids off the Tupperware to reveal fresh fruits, bagels, cream cheese and even croissants. Paige hadn't had time to go to the store, so she'd had to make do with what she could find in her kitchen.

"It's the most important meal of the deal." Paige handed her a bottle of water and the teenager drank half of it in one go. She'd worked up a thirst running, as well as an appetite.  
"As first dates go, this is pretty impressive." Emily lay back on the blanket as she helped herself to a bagel. Paige felt a blush colour her cheeks as she realised they were in fact on a date. She hadn't really thought about it when she'd packed the spread, she'd just known they would be hungry after their run.

"You should see what I do for a second date." She teased, trying to keep things light between them. They were going to have to talk about things between them, but she hoped to put if off until after breakfast.  
"I'd like that…so, we're dating?" Emily bit at her lip self-consciously as she asked the question that had been playing on her mind ever since they had first kissed the night before.  
"Looks like." Paige agreed with a nervous chuckle. She was just as unsure as Emily was. She was five years older and supposed to be a 'grown up', but she felt just as lost as the teenager sitting in front of her. She didn't know how they were supposed to handle a relationship while Emily was still her student, but she knew for sure that she couldn't fight what she felt for her either. They were just going to have to figure things out as they happened.

She lay down on her side to face Emily and propped herself up on her elbow. Her shoulder was still a little sore from swimming, but she'd taped it up to try and reduce the pain. "Is that KT tape?" Emily quizzed as she ran her fingers along the multi-coloured tape, making Paige shudder under her touch.  
"Yeah, it really helps with my shoulder." Paige had been using the kinesiology tape for years and she swore by it. Emily carried on tracing her fingers along the tape, stirring something in the pit of the older girl's stomach. She caught her hand to stop her, but played it down with a smile. "It's still kind of tender."

"Sorry." Emily mumbled absently, as though her mind was elsewhere. She laced their fingers together, taking hold of Paige's hand. "Tomorrow is going to be so hard, acting like nothing's going on between us."  
"It's going to have to be one hell of an act." Paige agreed as she lay on the picnic blanket staring up at the passing clouds in the sky. She was already dreading going back to class on Monday morning. "We're going to have to be _so _careful Em."

The teenager nodded stiffly as she thought about the trials and tribulations that Aria and Ezra had endured in order to keep their relationship a secret for the last two years. They'd somehow made it work; even though the fact that they were an item was probably the worst kept secret in Rosewood. "At least you coaching me gives us an excuse to be seen together, and it's not like it would be unusual for you to be at the Brew when I'm working." She teased, pointing out that Paige had a tendency to time her need for caffeine for when Emily was working.

"I actually tried to _avoid_ you at the Brew!" She protested with a little huff. "Apparently I just suck at it."  
"Something Paige McCullers sucks at? That's hard to believe!" Emily carried on with her teasing as she cuddled in to Paige's side and draped an arm over her stomach.  
"I seriously think avoiding you is my one and only weakness. You're like my kryptonite."  
"Like what?" Emily frowned, not quite following her.  
"Nevermind." Paige laughed, cursing herself for letting her inner dork show. "Let's just say you're hard to resist."

"Why were you avoiding me anyway?" Emily wasn't about to let the matter drop, not when they were finally talking about things.  
"So I wouldn't do something like this…" Paige answered with a physical demonstration as she brought their lips together again, kissing her slowly. They spent the rest of the morning in the woods, talking about how they would go about being around each other in public. Afterwards they took a leisurely walk back to town before parting ways at the park. Emily had to go get changed for her afternoon shift at the Brew and Paige had papers to grade.

She was halfway through the stack of papers she'd brought home with her when Pru text to ask if she wanted to go for coffee. Her best friend had been radio silent ever since leaving her house the previous morning and had no idea that Paige had finally given in to her feelings for the younger girl. She'd obviously suggested going for coffee at the Brew to try and goad her. She went to meet her anyway, knowing Emily would still be on shift.

Sure enough, as she walked in through the front door of the Brew she caught sight of the teenager. "Fields." She greeted her with a nod of her head and a barely contained smirk as she walked past. She was still grinning as she took a seat opposite Pru at the table she'd picked near the back of the coffee shop. "Ok, can you two just get it on?" Pru rolled her eyes as she caught her looking back at Emily as she took her seat. "Seriously, just do it already! Go over there and sweep her off her feet, or just bend her over the counter…but for God's sake _do_ something!"  
"We kissed." Paige admitted in a low whisper, her grin threatening to split her whole face in two. "A lot." She added with a chuckle as she bit down on her lip.

"Oh my god! Tell me everything!" Pru's eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she leant over the table. She shot Emily a conspiratorial smile as she waved at her. The younger girl rolled her eyes as she waved back. She could tell that Paige had just told her best friend about their newfound relationship. Her own friends were lounging on the sofas in the corner and she managed to grab five minutes to sit down with them.

"Hey Emmy-Bear! Where'd you get to Friday night?" Mona greeted her like someone had been drip-feeding her espresso and Spencer mouthed the words _Emmy-Bear _frombehind her with a bemused expression. Emily managed a slight shrug without Mona noticing. She wasn't sure when the other girl had started giving her nicknames. "Did you have a little fun with that Samara girl?"  
"Oh, no. I think I had too much to drink. I ended up calling it a night and going home early."

"You saw Samara?" Spencer quizzed. She'd been with Toby all weekend so hadn't had a chance to catch up with her friends.  
"Was that the cute blonde one from that peer mentoring thing last year?" Hanna asked from over on the sofa that Mona was sitting on. She was sitting on Caleb's lap and twirling a lock of his hair around her finger. They made a cute couple and Emily couldn't help but look over at Paige. She was busy talking to Pru with an absent smile on her lips as she told her everything that had happened over the weekend.

"Yeah, that was Samara." Emily answered, distracted by having Paige nearby. They would never be able to sit in the Brew with her friends, just having coffee and chatting; at least not while Emily was still in high school and Paige was her teacher. She felt a pang of sympathy for Aria. She wasn't sure how she had put up with hiding her relationship for so long. Emily had only been doing it for a day and she was already struggling. She wanted to tell her friends the truth; to tell them that Samara wasn't important. Paige was the one she wanted. She couldn't tell them in front of Mona though, and even Caleb and Toby were still outsiders in comparison to her three best friends. She'd just have to wait to get the other girls on their own; and she had a lot to tell them.


	13. Chapter 13

"Did something happen this weekend?" Spencer quizzed as she sat at one of the tables in the Brew, waiting for Emily to finish wiping down the rest of the tables. The others had left hours ago, but Spencer had stayed behind to keep Emily company. Sunday nights were pretty quiet and with Zach out of town Emily was in charge of locking up. "You've had this stupid grin on your face all night. Did you hook up with Samara?"  
"No." Emily shook her head, her smile widening as she thought back to kissing Paige earlier. "I had my drink spiked."  
"And you're smiling because?"  
"Because Paige found me outside the party, and despite me making a total ass of myself, she took care of me. I spent the night at her house Friday and stayed for most of Saturday."

"Oh my god, did you guys-"  
"No." Emily's cheeks flushed as she shook her head. "We just kissed. We went running this morning and she brought a picnic."  
"That's sweet." Spencer grinned. "I never figured her for the romantic picnic type."  
"You'd be surprised." Emily mumbled as she checked her phone and found a text from Paige, asking if she wanted to meet her for breakfast before school in the morning. She typed a quick reply before turning her attention back to her friend. She couldn't concentrate on anything that Spencer was saying though. All she could think about was seeing Paige again.

She was trying not to come across as too eager or needy, but by the time she got home from work she was craving the sound of her voice. Closing her bedroom door behind her she flopped down on to her bed and pulled out her phone. Paige picked up on the third ring. She sounded groggy, her voice thick with sleep. "Hello?"  
"Hey, it's me…did I wake you?" Emily glanced nervously at the clock on her bedside table. It wasn't all that late, yet the other girl sounded like she'd just woken up.  
"Uh, kind of; I hadn't been asleep for very long." She heard her shuffling around on the other end of the phone as she sat up in bed and pushed the covers back.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I'll let you go back to sleep-"  
"Em, I'm awake now." Paige chuckled softly down the phone and Emily could almost hear the soft smile on her lips. "Talk for as long as you want." There wasn't anything in particular that she wanted to talk to her about. She'd simply called to hear her voice again. She was at a loss for anything to say, so she decided to ask why Paige had gone to bed so early. "I'm getting up to go running at 4am."

"Do you always go running at 4am?" Emily couldn't imagine waking up so early in the morning. Even when she was in serious training for swimming she would rarely be awake before six.  
"No, but I have to get my run in early. There's this girl coming over to my house for breakfast and I kind of want to impress her. I've got my work cut out for me topping this morning though."  
"Oh, I'm pretty sure this girl will be impressed with anything you do." Emily teased, drawing out another laugh from the older girl.  
"Pop tarts it is then!"  
"I love pop tarts." Emily grinned, excited for the morning. "It's a date."

Paige felt like hell when her alarm started shrieking at her at 4am. She dragged herself out of bed and scraped back her hair before pulling on some clothes to go running in. Her shoulder felt stiff from lying on it and she couldn't shake the dull ache that had settled itself deep in her collarbone. The old fracture always gave her trouble whenever the weather was turning, so she wasn't surprised to see the ominous black rain clouds looming low in the sky. She pulled her hood up over her head before setting off.

Her pace was sluggish and she struggled to make it past the first mile as she did her usual lap of the town. As she reached the Brew she got a stitch in her side that just wouldn't go away. She was leaning against a bench, trying to stretch, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs that led to the apartment above the coffee shop. It was followed by giggling. She looked up, expecting to see Zach with some bimbo. She was more than a little surprised to see him with his arms wrapped around Ella Montgomery. She'd heard they'd once been an item, but it was still weird to see her old English teacher with someone who wasn't her husband. Paige's mouth was still hanging wide open as they finally noticed her.

Ella jumped away from Zach like she had suddenly been burnt and a deep blush spread across her cheeks. "Paige…this…this isn't what it looks like." She hastily did up the top few buttons of her blouse.  
"I was never here." Paige held her hands up in the air as she started to retreat. She needed to get back home to shower and change for Emily coming over anyway. Ella carried on trying to explain what she had been doing up in Zach's apartment, but eventually she just trailed off, unable to think of any other reason than the obvious one.

By the time Paige got back to her house Emily was already waiting outside. She was sitting in her car, slouched down in her seat with one of her textbooks. "Not finished the reading Miss Fields?" She teased as she leant against her car door, startling the other girl. Emily tossed her Sociology book aside with a smirk as she opened the car door.  
"Not quite. _Someone_ distracted me all weekend."  
"Well you can finish it off while I shower." Paige fished her keys out of her pocket to let them both inside. "I think I've got a copy on my bookshelf-" She was cut off as Emily moved in to kiss her. With the door shut they had plenty of privacy and didn't have to worry about the neighbours seeing them. Their lips lingered until Paige finally relented to go and shower.

"I'll be ten minutes. Make yourself comfortable." She dashed upstairs to shower and change for school. She had the quickest shower of her life, put on a shirt and some slacks and tied her wet hair back. She found Emily standing by the fireplace, looking at the photographs up on the wall.  
"Sorry, I was just…" Emily jumped, startled at being caught looking. "Is that your mom?" She pointed to a picture of a young woman holding a baby in her arms. She was in plain white summer dress and smiling proudly up at the camera as she cradled the precious bundle in her arms. All of their family photos were still up on the walls. Her father hadn't been able to bear taking any of them with him when he'd moved out. They seldom talked about her mom anymore.

"Yeah. That's her." Paige heard her voice choke; thankfully Emily didn't bring it up.  
"She's beautiful. You have her smile." The teenager knew just what to say to make that smile appear on Paige's face.  
"Come on, I'll make us some pop tarts."  
"You weren't kidding about the pop tarts were you?" Emily asked, amused as she followed the other girl in to the kitchen. She pulled out three different flavours to offer her.  
"I never kid about pop tarts." Paige shot back, keeping her face as she straight as she could manage. A smile eventually slipped out as Emily giggled at her. "I never used to eat these things when I was a kid. I was always training for something. Chocolate, strawberry, or one of each?"

They settled on one of each and sat down at the breakfast counter. Paige started summarising the reading that Emily was supposed to have done over the weekend. "You know you could just _not _ask me anything in class today? That way I can do the reading tonight and-"  
"And that would be favouritism." Paige cut her off, only half joking. "I'm asking you _all_ the questions."  
"And that would be bullying." Emily argued. She let Paige carry on talking about the passage, enjoying the way her whole face lit up as she spoke.

"What?" She stopped as she realised Emily was grinning at her. "Have I got something on my face?" She wiped at her mouth self-consciously.  
"No. It's just…you get so passionate when you talk about this stuff. Like when you're talking about swimming. It's nice." She shrugged, still wearing that doe eyed smile of hers that had Paige blushing.  
"Well luckily you get to hear me waffle on about this stuff for a whole two hours later. We should get going." Paige grinned as she pulled on her suit jacket. She leant in to kiss Emily's cheek as she picked up her plate to put it in the sink. "Want to play hooky for lunch later?"  
"I'd love to."

They took their own cars to the school, though Paige parked round the back in the faculty lot. They were texting about their plans for lunch when Emily almost walked straight in to Noel Kahn. "So your phone's not broken." He sneered at her, catching Emily off guard.  
"What are you talking about?" She snapped at him. She wasn't about to let Noel's little games bring her down from the high she was riding.  
"Your phone. Maya's been trying to call you all weekend."  
"Well I've been busy. I'll see her in registration-" Emily tried to walk past him, but he caught hold of her arm with a menacing glare.  
"No. You won't. Maya's parents shipped her off to True North again last night. She tried to tell you it was happening, to say goodbye, but you were too _busy _to answer your phone."

* * *

"Come on Fields! You can do better than that!" Paige hollered across the pool as Emily pulled herself up out of the water. Her last lap had only been a few seconds slower than her personal best, but it was Paige's job to push the younger girl. Their first meet of the season was only a day away. Emily glared at her, but bit back whatever it was she wanted to say back to her. Paige was sure she'd hear exactly what it was later when the teen came over for dinner. They'd spent every evening together after school for the whole week. They'd managed to fit in an hour or two of training each night to prepare for the upcoming meet. Emily was on top form and Paige was confident she was going to set some good times in her races.

"You're doing some good work with her." Fulton complimented as she walked over to stand by Paige. She held a clipboard in her hands with everyone's timings for the last few training sessions. Emily was making more improvement than anyone else on the team. The young teacher bit back a smirk as she thought about the last private training session she'd had with Emily. It had ended with them making out under the bleachers like a couple of teenagers; though one of them actually was a teenager. It still felt a little unsettling to be dating someone so young, especially her student, but the more time she spent with Emily outside of school the more she knew she couldn't give her up.

"She's got potential." Paige nodded, trying to keep her tone light and her expression neutral. Fulton had always been able to see right through her and she was worried she would know what was going on just from looking at her; just like the time when she and a bunch of the other girls had snuck out from the motel the night before an away meet and gotten drunk. Fulton had just had to look at Paige once to see her guilt.

"She might be able to do something with it now Maya's out of the picture." Fulton wasn't exactly a fan of Emily's ex-girlfriend. Paige wasn't either, but she still felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Maya being shipped off to True North. She knew it was eating at Emily that she'd ignored Maya's phone calls over the weekend, but there was nothing either of them could have done to stop her from being sent away. Paige had tried to bring up the drugs with Ezra, asking what he'd done with them, but he'd just said he'd gotten rid of them. He hadn't offered any more details than that.

"She'll do great." Paige was confident that their star swimmer would wipe the floor with the competition. It was the rest of the team she was worried about. The freshmen they had recruited were all wet behind the ears; it was a miracle they could even swim in a straight line. The older girls were a little better with their technique, but they were nowhere near as fast as Emily.

"She's definitely got her focus back." Fulton nodded in agreement as she watched Emily laughing and joking with some of the other girls. She seemed a lot more like how she had been before she'd gotten involved with Maya; before Allison had died. Her best friend's death had hit Emily pretty hard and she'd thrown herself in to her swimming to cope. "When Emily first tried out her technique was sloppy and her timings were average at best. There were a lot of strong swimmers trying out that year. I asked Emily why she wanted to swim. Know what she said?" Paige shook her head. She and Emily had spoken about a lot of things, but she didn't know why the other girl had first taken up swimming. "She said she felt like she could be herself in the water. It kind of reminded me of someone."  
"A smart ass kid with a chip on her shoulder?" Paige laughed, recognising the words she had once said to the coach herself. "Let's just hope Emily's got more sense than I had at her age and she stays away from diving boards."

"I think she'll be ok. After all, she's got you looking out for her now." Fulton clapped her on the shoulder. "Speaking of, I've sorted out the sleeping arrangements for Friday night. We've got three family rooms for the freshmen and the sophomores on the ground floor, and another two family rooms for the older girls on the second floor. I'll take the freshman and you can bunk with the seniors."  
"Great." Paige wasn't quite sure how she felt about sharing a room over night with her new girlfriend and a load of other teenage girls. It was hard enough keeping up appearances in class. Maybe it would be better if she made sure she wasn't in the same room as Em.

She caught up with the younger girl in the hall after practise and walked her out. "Hey, do you want to come over again tonight?"  
"I don't know. I should probably practise some more tonight; my coach says I need improvement."  
"Come on Em! What do you want me to do? Hold your hand and tell you you're doing awesome when you're slacking, or push you to do your best?"  
"What I want…" Emily started, but lowered her voice when she spotted a group of girls crossing the parking lot. She bit her lip as she stared up at Paige longingly "What I want is to go back to your place, curl up on the couch and order pizza."  
"That is a good plan." Paige agreed. "We can talk about-"

"Emily!" Paige was cut off as a woman standing by an SUV shouted for Emily's attention. She started walking over towards them and it was clear that she was Emily's mother. She was an attractive woman, somewhere in her early forties, with the same dark hair and long lashes as her daughter.  
"Mom, hey. What are you doing here?"  
"I thought we could go out for dinner. I've barely seen you all week." Pam answered as she glanced curiously at Paige. She was wearing the same Sharks tracksuit as Emily and with her hair tied back she looked like just another student. "I'm sure you can see your friend tomorrow."  
"Oh, no mom, this is Miss McCullers. My Social Studies teacher…and my new assistant coach."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Pam apologised, flustered by her mistake. She held out her hand to Paige who shook it with a polite smile. "You just look so young."  
"I get that a lot. I promise I'm a certified teacher. I have the diploma to prove it." Paige laughed, her natural people skills kicking in to cover her nerves.  
"McCullers? Are you related to Nick McCullers?" Pam inquired, catching the younger woman off guard.  
"Yeah, he's my dad. Well I've got to be going. It was nice to meet you Mrs Fields, and I'll see you tomorrow Emily." Paige couldn't get away quick enough as she climbed in to her car.

Since dinner with Emily was off the table she called Pru instead. She was waiting at her house by the time Paige pulled up in her driveway. Paige filled her best friend in on her run-in with Emily's mom as she started making dinner. "Oh, I get it. Lover girl can't play out tonight so you call me instead?" Pru rolled her eyes.  
"Come on Pru, that's hardly fair!" Paige objected, though she knew her friend was right to feel put out.  
"Neither is you ditching me all week; but I suppose I can forgive you since this is your first girlfriend in like _forever._" Pru made herself comfortable sitting on top of the breakfast counter.  
"It hasn't been that long!"  
"Long enough." Pru shrugged. "Seriously though, it's nice to see you happy. Jailbait is good for you…and at least if you're getting some you won't be so uptight."

"She's barely eighteen and we've been dating a week, I'm not _getting some_!"  
"Jeez, no wonder you're so uptight! I suppose that's a good thing. If a girl puts out in under a week she is _not_ the kind of girl you want to bring home to daddy."  
"Can we just not have this conversation?" Paige felt uncomfortable discussing her non-existent sex life. "I'm going to be spending my Friday night in a motel room with Emily and about four other teenagers, so I really don't need to be thinking about this kind of stuff."

"Wow, sounds like you've got a wild weekend planned." Pru quipped.  
"We've got an away meet against York County High Saturday morning. We're going down Friday night and thanks to the school's crappy budget I get to room with the seniors."  
"Well chin up McCullers, maybe next weekend you and Jailbait can rent a cosy little love nest for yourselves."  
"Yeah, sure. Maybe my Dad can come along too." Paige grumbled, confusing her friend.  
"Huh? Why would you invite your dad?"  
"Long story." Paige sighed. "I'll explain later. Just let me get through _this _weekend first."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ok guys, we've covered Functionalism and Marxism so we're going to move to Interactionism next week. Who can tell me what is meant by the term 'social actor'? And I'm not talking about joining the school drama club." Paige addressed her class from where she was perched on the edge of her desk. She had about sixty seconds before the bell for lunch went and she lost their attention altogether. She wasn't surprised when Spencer's arm shot up first. She nodded at her to answer.

"It's a term linked with Goffman. In his book, '_The Presentation of Everyday Self',_ He compares face-to-face interaction with the theatre. He stipulates that everyone is a social actor, that they portray themselves differently depending on the role society demands from them." Spencer's answer was textbook and Paige suspected she had already the whole book.  
"That's correct. Care to give an example to elaborate to the rest of the class?" She could see more than a few perplexed young faces in her class, including Emily's. She was frowning down at her textbook as she flipped ahead to that chapter, trying to pick up what Spencer was talking about. Emily wasn't a natural academic like her friend, but she was trying her best to impress the older woman and her grade had definitely been improving from the start of the semester.

"Well, I'm a student, but at the same time I'm also a friend, a daughter and a sister. Depending on the type of social interaction we all act differently; like putting on different masks and costumes and using different props. I wouldn't interact with my mom the same way I would with one of my friends."  
"Very good Spencer. Now, if the rest of you can read chapter four of your textbooks and catch up with Miss Hastings, we can make a start on this on Monday." Paige timed it well so that the bell rang just after she'd announced the weekend reading. The students all hurried to pack up for lunch, none of them noticing the small smile Paige sent Emily's way. They were still in that honeymoon stage of a relationship where every stolen glance and secret smile felt almost as good as a kiss.

"Hi girls." Ella Montgomery appeared at Paige's door just as Emily and her friends were filing out of it. "Hey Paige, do you have five minutes? We haven't really had a chance to catch up since last weekend." Paige was supposed to be having lunch with Emily again, but she obviously couldn't tell Ella that. She had a feeling she knew what she wanted to talk about anyway. Once the girls were gone and the door was shut behind them Ella started trying to explain her actions on Sunday.  
"Zach and I are-"  
"Two consenting adults, who can do what they want." Paige interrupted her. She didn't need her old teacher explaining herself to her.  
"Try telling that to my kids and my ex-husband." Ella laughed humourlessly. "Zach and I _did_ split up for a little while. I thought it was the right thing to do. Mike was angry about the divorce and he was so upset over us, Byron was constantly trying to stick the knife in, and well Zach's closer to Aria's age than to mine… When we got back together we just didn't want anyone else knowing for a while." She let out a heavy sigh as she slumped against Paige's desk, like the weight of her secret was physically too much for her to bear.

"You're a grown woman Ella, who you date is your business. Not your ex's or your kids'. Aria seems like a sensible kid; surely she'd be in your corner?" Paige shrugged, not sure what else she could really say to help, other than something corny like 'age is only a number'.  
"Yeah, Aria's definitely the last person who would ever tell me that Zach's too young for me." Ella laughed again, seemingly at some kind of private joke. "Don't worry. I didn't come for a pep talk. I just wanted to ask you to keep what you saw to yourself. I just don't want my kids to hear about my little sleepover."  
"Don't worry, I didn't see a thing."  
"Thank you Paige… Oh, and good luck for the meet tomorrow."

Since Paige's plans for lunch had changed she ended up joining Ezra in the cafeteria. She walked past the table Emily and her friends were on and they exchanged a smile. It was just the four girls for a change and Aria picked up on the look her friend and their teacher shared. "Ok, is something going on that we should know about? Because I know that look."  
"What look?" Emily objected. She'd decided not to tell her other friends about her and Paige right away. They'd only been dating for a few days and Emily didn't want her friends scrutinizing their every move. Spencer began busying herself with carefully inspecting her sandwich to avoid Aria's probing.  
"That 'nobody knows about us, this is so exciting' look that you're wearing on your face!" Aria teased as Emily blushed and ducked her head out of guilt. "Oh my god, I'm right aren't I? When did this happen?"  
"When did what happen?" Hanna quizzed, not quite keeping up with the conversation. She looked to Emily for answers, along with a curious Aria and an amused Spencer.  
"Emily's got a girlfriend." Spencer announced in a childish singsong voice, causing more eruptions at the table as the other girls realised she was in on it.

Paige glanced over at her girlfriend's table as she heard the girls talking animatedly and laughing amongst themselves. She caught sight of Emily's red cheeks and realisation hit her; Em's friends had obviously figured out why she'd been so out of touch with them all week. She ducked her head, trying to shrink in to her seat as she carried on eating her lunch. Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Ezra looking over at the table too. She shrugged it off, guessing he was just looking at them because they were being rowdy. Paige was more worried about the three teenage girls who had just found out she'd been dating one of their friends. She'd give it until the end of lunch before security was escorting her from the premises.

She caught Emily on her own after lunch when the younger girl came by her class to see her. Her anxiety had been growing for almost an hour and she felt more than a little on edge. She pulled back as Emily tried to kiss her, glancing nervously at the closed over door. "Did you tell your friends about us?" She asked, accusation lacing her voice.  
"Aria figured it out, but don't worry-"  
"Don't worry? Em, if your friends tell anybody about us I could lose my job! I could be arrested, I could-" Emily cut off her rambling with a kiss as she cupped her cheeks. Her lips were soft yet firm as they kept moving until Paige's own gave in and started to respond.

"You _could _give yourself an aneurysm. Just calm down and trust me." Emily pleaded. "They won't tell anybody. They're totally fine with us and besides, we've all kept quiet about Aria and Fitz-"  
"Aria and Ezra?" Paige's eyes widened in astonishment.  
"You didn't know? Wow, you're probably the only one at Rosewood who didn't." Emily tried to make light of it, but Paige wasn't laughing.  
"Is this something you and your friends do? Date your teachers?"  
"What? No!" Emily protested indignantly, a little hurt by the suggestion. "I'm not in to you because you're my teacher! I like you! A lot…at least I do when you're not being such a jerk." She huffed at her, crossing her arms over her chest. Her pout was pretty adorable.

"I'm sorry." Paige sighed. She knew she had taken a step too far and she felt bad for it. "I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I know you like me, though god knows why when I'm a massive jerk." She laughed, getting a rise out of the younger girl.  
"Only occasionally." Emily teased. "I've got to get to class, but I'll see you on the bus later. Seriously don't worry about my friends, they're totally cool." She kissed her again before slipping out to head to her next class.

Paige flopped down behind her desk to process everything she had learnt over the course of her lunch hour. Part of her wanted to go and confront Ezra about his relationship with Aria. Was she even eighteen yet? How long had it been going on for? Paige felt like she was being pulled in two directions. Ezra was her friend and she could understand what it was like to fall for a student, but at the same time she had known Aria's mom for years. She could only imagine what Ella would do if she found out about what was going on.

She still hadn't decided what to do about it by the time the last bell rang. She casually nodded at Ezra as she spotted him leaving his class. She had just enough time to head home to change and eat before she was due back at the school to get on the bus that would take the swim team to York County. The older girls who could drive usually took their own cars, but Coach Fulton always insisted on every member of the team being on the bus for the first away meet of the season. It was to set the right kind of mood among the girls; that rule extended to the assistant coach too.

Paige almost walked towards the back of the bus before she remembered she wasn't a student anymore. She sat down at the front, trying not to notice the odd cabbage like odour coming off the driver. He was the same elderly man who had been driving the bus to away meets since before Paige was a freshman. He had to squint through his thick rimmed glasses to see the road properly. Paige was missing her car, with its power assisted steering and market leading safety features. Only half of the team was on the bus and it was already getting rowdy. Instead of trying to quieten the teenage girls she just popped the earphones of her iPod in and turned the volume up. It was a Friday night and the girls were pumped, there was little chance of calming them down.

Emily got on the bus with some of the other seniors and headed straight to the back seats. Paige rolled her eyes; she was the hotshot of the swimming team, of course she would sit at the back with the rest of the cool kids. Once Fulton and the rest of the team were on board they set off. It was only a few hours' drive to the hotel; Paige passed it with her headphones in and her phone in her hand, exchanging texts with Emily. They were playing 'I spy' by instant messenger when she spotted Fulton on her own phone. She didn't look too happy when she hung up.

"Everything ok?" She popped her headphones out to ask the coach what was up. The older woman sighed as she shook her head.  
"I called the hotel to check our reservation. They've messed the rooms up. Instead of four family rooms across two floors we have two family rooms on the ground floor and eight doubles on the third floor."  
"That's not too bad. You can still keep the freshman and the juniors downstairs and the older girls can just share the doubles." Paige shrugged; it wasn't the end of the world. It wasn't like anyone was going to have to sleep out in the hall or anything.  
"And which one of them would _you _like to bunk with?" Fulton asked, pointing out the problem. Paige felt the colour drain from her face. "They don't have any more rooms either so we can't get you a single."

She almost blurted out 'not Emily', but that would be just as suspicious as asking for it to be her. Unfortunately Fulton made the decision for her. "How about Fields? She's eighteen so her parents are less likely to kick about her sharing a room with a faculty member. Mahoney's eighteen too but that girl sings in her sleep. She was a damn nightmare as a freshman." Fulton looked behind her, scrutinizing the team for who she could put in with Paige.  
"Fields is fine." Paige sighed. She'd rather have Emily than some kid who sang in her sleep. She didn't really know any of the other girls that well and the thought of spending the night in the same room as one of them was daunting. She picked up her phone again and sent Emily a text asking if she by any chance sang in her sleep. She got an odd look back from the other girl and just shrugged at her. She'd find out soon enough.

"I can't believe we're rooming together." Emily grinned. She dropped her bag on to one of the twin beds in the small hotel room. "Which bed do you want?"  
"Either is fine." Paige choked out as she watched Emily pull her denim jacket off. She was wearing a tank-top that showed off her well-toned arms and shoulders. Paige was just thankful she was wearing jeans so her legs were hidden from her. There was only so much damn temptation one human being could take. "So are you heading out for dinner with the rest of the team?"  
"I figured I could stay here. We could make up for my mom interrupting us yesterday. Order a pizza, watch some movies?"

"No couch to cuddle on though." Paige pointed out, shooting herself in the foot. She was thinking of ways to convince Emily to go out with the team even as she let the younger girl pull her down on to the bed she was sitting on.  
"Not a problem." Emily giggled in to her mouth as she pushed her jacket off her shoulders. Paige's mind was racing with thoughts of where their kissing was heading. She felt a mix of fear and adrenaline that had her heart pounding and her ears ringing. Pru was right, it had been far too long since she'd last went to bed with a beautiful woman; and there was no denying that Emily Fields was a beautiful young woman. She felt her control slipping as her hands ran up Emily's sides. She needn't have worried about anything happening though.

"What kind of pizza do you want?" Emily pulled away first. She took a band from around her wrist and tied her hair back before kicking off her sneakers. Her cheeks were flushed and she turned her back on Paige as she started searching the internet on her phone to find a pizza place they could order from.  
"I guess you _are t_he kind of girl to take home to Dad." Paige muttered under her breath as she smiled to herself with relief.  
"Huh?" Emily turned back around, not having caught what she'd said.

"Nothing; it's just something Pru said." She laughed it off. "So what pizza are we getting? And please don't say anything with pineapple on it or we're going to have problems."  
"Ew." Emily twisted her face at her as she picked up the TV remote and sat back down beside her girlfriend. She leant back against her and turned on the television set. "Fruit does not belong on pizza."  
"That's my girl." Paige mumbled against her hair with a smile, all the tension between them having melted away.

Paige had to go and check on the other girls on their floors a few times once it hit curfew, but by midnight most of them were asleep. When she got back to her room she shrugged off her hoodie and locked the door behind her. She'd left Emily lying on one of the beds watching an old black and white horror movie. Despite her best efforts to stay awake she had fallen asleep waiting for her to come back.

Paige had quickly realised she had nothing to worry about over spending the night with her girlfriend. Apart from a bit of snuggling nothing much had happened between them. She made sure to pull the covers up over Emily before turning off the TV and climbing in to the other bed. They'd spent all night lying on the other one, so the sheets of her bed felt cold and stiff as she pulled them over her. She lay on her side, watching Emily sleep until she drifted off herself.

The hotel was hardly the Ritz. The beds were hard and lumpy. When Paige woke up the next morning her shoulder was aching from sleeping on it. She groaned as she tried to sit up and flopped back down on to the cheap mattress. "Everything ok?" Emily called out from the bathroom and Paige finally noticed the sound of running water. The younger girl was in the shower.  
"Fine." Paige lied, rubbing at her collar. She sat up a bit more gingerly and rotated her shoulder to try and ease the stiff joint. A shower would work wonders on it, but she would have to wait and see if Emily left her any hot water.

"Shower's all yours." Emily walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing more than a towel and Paige's eyes were instantly drawn to her legs. "My eyes are up here McCullers."  
"I know…they're nice too." Paige looked up with a grin before deliberately dropping her gaze again. She did manage to drag herself out of bed though and head towards the safety of the bathroom. She'd seen Emily wrapped in a towel plenty of times, but she was usually wearing a bather underneath. She'd made it through the night with the younger girl; she didn't want to fall at the last hurdle just because the only thing standing between her and Emily was a thin hotel towel.

They made it down to breakfast with the rest of the team. Emily was a lot quieter than the rest of her teammates. She was getting herself in to the right headspace and sticking to her pre-meet rituals. By the time they arrived at the rival school's natatorium she was completely in the zone with her earphones in and her game face on. They were starting the season going up against the Red Devils of York County; the same school that Paige's team had beaten to take nationals five years ago. Fulton left the motivational speech up to her.

She'd given plenty of speeches as team captain, but never as a coach. She stood in front of the teenage girls feeling like she was facing a firing squad. She looked from one girl to the next until her gaze landed on Emily. Her big brown eyes and camel lashes were enough to settle her stomach and she felt herself relax just a little. "Ok guys. This is it, the start of our season. For some of you this is your first meet, a chance to show what you're made of. For the rest of you this is a chance to show you've still got it. The Devils are tough. This isn't going to be a walk in the park, but we've_ got_ this. _We_ are Sharks! _We _own the water!" The locker room erupted with cheers as Paige's enthusiasm spread through the girls. The whole team were ready to go out and wipe the floor with the competition.

"We sucked." Paige muttered bitterly to herself as she stared at the times she had recorded for all of their races. The Devils were one of the strongest teams in the state and they'd murdered the Rosewood team. Emily had been the only one to win any of her races. She'd only lost in the medley and that had been because their starter had set a miserable time with her backstroke. The whole team were just as deflated as their assistant coach as they filed back in to the locker room after shaking hands with their competitors; all except Emily, who stayed on deck to see Paige.  
"We sucked." She mirrored Paige's own thoughts as she sat down beside her. She was dressed in her tracksuit with her wet hair tied back. A frown was playing on her young face and Paige felt an almost desperate longing to take hold of her hand and to reassure her that she had done great. Emily's times were perfect. She was inching ever closer to beating some of Paige's own records and all of her hard work was showing in the water.

"Your team were looking a little rough out there, _Coach_." Emily's head snapped up as a young black woman addressed Paige. A devilish smile was playing on her lips. Emily felt her frown deepening as she glared at the newcomer. For her part, Paige was silent, just staring at the woman with an open mouth. "Cat got your tongue, McCullers?" She flicked her long dark hair, an unmistakable sign that she was trying to flirt. Emily didn't know the first thing about her but she hated her already.

"Shana?" Paige finally found her voice as she got to her feet. She threw her arms around the woman and Emily felt a stab of jealousy in the pit of her stomach. "Oh my god, how are you?"  
"I'm good." Shana laughed as she hugged her back. Her eyes landed on Emily as though she was interrupting something, but the teenager made no move to walk away. She stood up too, folding her arms and waiting for her girlfriend to remember she even existed. "I'm here for Jackie; she's on the junior varsity team this year."

"Little Jackie your cousin? What is she now, like fifteen?"  
"Sixteen." Shana corrected her. It was clear there was some kind of history between the two of the, but Emily was afraid to ask about it. "She just made anchor… Hi, I'm Shana. I used to swim for the Devils." She turned her attention to Emily as she offered her hand for her to shake.

"Emily." The younger girl replied, forcing herself to play nice for Paige's sake. Shana was obviously a friend of hers. "Is that how you know Coach McCullers?" She probed, hoping she was picking up the vibe between her and Paige wrong.  
"We used to race back in the day…among other things." Shana replied cryptically with a twinkle in her eye before turning back to Paige. "I didn't know you were back in Rosewood. I'm running my dad's store now. You should come by sometime…you can help me take inventory again; just like old times." Paige's cheeks turned red as she ducked her head with an awkward smile.

Emily felt her jealousy turn in to anger as she waited for her girlfriend to turn down the offer. She was about to give up when Paige seemed to find her voice again. "I think our inventory days are over, but coffee would be nice. I'll give you a call when I get back to town. It was nice seeing you again." Paige replied politely, aware that both Emily and Shana were scrutinizing her closely. Seeing Shana had been something of a shock and she was handling running in to her ex pretty well considering her current girlfriend was standing right next to her. She sent Emily to the locker room, not missing the pointed look the teenager sent her way as she stormed off.

The bus ride back to Rosewood was a world away from the drive out. The girls were a lot more subdued, most of them still beating themselves up over their shambolic performances in the pool. Emily was sat a few rows behind Paige, though she made no attempt to talk to her and the few texts that Paige sent to her went unanswered. She caught up to her by her car after they'd all piled off the bus back at the school. "Em, wait up…Do you want to go grab some coffee or something?" She asked, testing the waters between them.  
"I wouldn't want to keep you from stock taking with _Shana_." The teenager answered coldly without looking at her as she tossed her bag on to her back seat. Paige looked around to check that no one was there to see them before reaching for the younger girl's hand.  
"Em." She implored her, the pad of her thumb brushing against the back of her hand. "I haven't _taken stock _with Shana since high school. Yes, we were dating, but that all ended senior year. I left Shana and Rosewood behind me when I left for college."

"You asked her out for coffee." Emily pouted, unwilling to roll over so easily. "You could have told her you were with someone."  
"Oh, of course. How stupid of me, I should have introduced her to my secret teenage girlfriend; who also happens to be my student." Paige deadpanned, her attitude getting the better of her. Emily pulled her hand away, her pout turning in to a glare.  
"All you had to say was that you were dating somebody!" She climbed in to her car and slammed the door; she didn't get very far though as Paige leant in through the open window and took her keys out of the ignition.  
"I panicked, ok? I haven't seen Shana in years! I didn't know what to say to her about you _or_ about us! Please don't punish me for only being human, Em. I'm sorry…" She held her car keys out for her, hoping that she wouldn't snatch them and just drive off.

"It's been a long day." Emily sighed as she took the keys back, her fingers lingering against Paige's own. "I think I just need to go home and get some sleep in my own bed. Why don't I come by your place after work tomorrow?"  
"I don't think I can wait that long." Paige admitted, swallowing her pride in order to let Emily know just how much she wanted to be with her. Seeing Shana had shaken her more than she would ever care to admit to the younger girl. She just wanted Emily near her. "Please? Come back with me now. We can talk, or we can just sleep; whatever you want. Just let me have you for a little bit longer."  
"Fine." Emily gave in with a sigh, her pitiful defences crumbling the moment Paige asked her for something. "I'll call my mom and tell her that the bus broke down or something… Can you just promise me one thing?"

"Anything." Paige answered without waiting to even hear what she was going to ask.  
"Can we just not talk about any of our exes for the rest of the day?"  
"I think we can manage that." The older girl laughed with relief. She knew she would have to tell Emily all about Shana at some point, but she was glad she could put that particular conversation off for at least one more day.

* * *

**A/N: So my crazy work hours have finally caught up to me and I've had to take a few days off work for some much needed rest…and of course I've spent that time writing and catching up on PLL (binge watching all of series 4a in one day… ). I can't promise daily updates again but I will be spending most of the next few days working on this and my other Paily fics. Once again a huge thank you to everyone who is reading and for all of your feedback!**


	15. Chapter 15

"Em, wake up." Paige groaned as she tried to roll over on to her back but found the younger girl lying on her arm. It had gone completely numb. Emily grumbled something unintelligible as she shifted to let the other girl slip her arm out from under her. She shuffled so that she was lying with her head on Paige's chest and an arm draped over her stomach. They'd gone back to Paige's house straight from the school and had ended up curled up together on her bed in the early afternoon. It was still light outside, so Paige guessed they hadn't been sleeping for long, but the ache in her collar told her otherwise. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. "Shit! Em, wake up! It's eight o'clock!" She sat abruptly, disturbing the younger girl who had been getting herself comfy to go back to sleep. "Your parents are going to freak!"

"I told my mom I was studying at Hanna's for a few hours." Emily objected, in no hurry to get out of bed. She'd been exhausted after the meet and the drama that had followed it. She and Paige had barely said a word as they'd climbed in to her bed, but they both knew they had plenty to talk about. Emily wanted to put that off for just a little longer as she reached up to cup the back of Paige's head to kiss her, intending to get her to lie back down with her.

"It's eight in the morning! We slept all night!"  
"What?" Emily sat straight up, all traces of sleep gone from her face as her eyes widened in panic. "My mom's going to kill me!" She scrambled over Paige to get to her jacket that was hanging up on the back of the door. Her phone was inside one of the pockets. She frowned at it as she only found two missed calls from her mom and a voicemail from Hanna. She'd expected a lot more seeing as she'd been missing all night. Ever since Ali's murder her mom had gone a little overboard with the protective parenting stuff.

She listened to Hanna's message before calling her mom back. Hanna had been her cover for seeing Paige so there was a chance her mom had called the Marin's to check on her when she hadn't picked up. She let out a sigh of relief as she listened to Hanna's chirpy voice telling her that she'd told Emily's mom she was spending the night and had crashed out early, tired from swimming. There was some suggestive stuff at the end and a promise that Emily owed her one for covering for her. She smiled at her friend's teasing as she hung up. "Crisis averted. Hanna covered for me with my mom." Emily flopped back down on to the bed, all of her sense of urgency having vanished. Despite sleeping most of her Saturday away she still felt exhausted. "I do have work in two hours though."

"And I need to go running." Paige announced, though she made no attempt to move as she wrapped her arms back around the other girl and pulled her in close. Her gaze dropped to Emily's lips before she brought her head in to kiss her. Emily's own eyes closed over and her stomach dropped as their lips touched. Even after a week she still couldn't believe she was dating the woman lying beneath her. Paige was as kind and attentive as she was driven and it showed in every light touch of her lips. Whenever they were together her whole focus was on Emily, making sure she was happy and comfortable. She had never tried to push her in to anything and Emily was grateful for that. She had been worried that something might happen in the hotel room between them, but Paige had been the perfect gentleman.

Even as they lay kissing on her bed she made sure to keep her hands safely on Emily's hips, to avoid them wandering off and getting in to trouble. "I think we could probably squeeze in another hour in bed though." Paige grinned at her, the smile lighting up her whole face. Emily giggled at the suggestion before offering up one of her own.  
"Maybe even an hour and a half?"

By the time Emily made it home she had less than twenty minutes to get to work. She'd showered at Paige's house, but she'd had to go home for a change of clothes and to check in with her mom. "Hey, sorry I didn't call you back last night. I fell asleep pretty early."  
"So Hanna said." Pam replied with a tight smile. She seemed calm enough as she carried on moving around the living room with a duster in one hand and a can of polish in the other. Emily knew her too well to think that was the end of it though.  
"It won't happen again. I promise."  
"That's fine Emily."

"Is everything ok?" Emily put her kitbag down on the floor. She was already pushed for time, but she didn't want to leave if there was something going on at home that she didn't know about. She'd spent most of the week with Paige after school and had only really been home to sleep and change her clothes.  
"Why don't you tell me?" Pam let out a weary sigh as she stopped what she was doing and turned to address her daughter. "You've barely been home lately, you've been distant with me, you're staying out and not calling…what's going on? Is it Maya again? Are you two back together?"  
"What? No! Maya's at True North." Emily protested. "Nothing's going on and I'm not seeing anyone. I've just been working really hard training for swimming." She hated lying, especially to her mom, but it wasn't like she could be honest with her. It had taken Pam long enough to accept Emily's sexuality; telling her that she was dating a twenty-three year old, who also happened to be her teacher, would not have gone down well.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I'll be home straight after work for dinner tonight and the next meet isn't for a few more weeks so I won't need to train so much."  
"No, you need to do your training. It would just be nice to see you for longer than five minutes every once and a while." Pam pulled her in for a hug as Emily guiltily looked down at her watch. She was cutting it fine for getting to work on time.  
"I know, and I'm sorry. I'll be home tonight. I love you." She kissed her mom's cheek before grabbing her kitbag and running upstairs to change in to some clean clothes.

She drove over to the Brew, arriving just in time for her shift to start. She needn't have worried about rushing though; the coffee shop was hardly bursting with people. A few students from Hollis were sat on the sofas at the back and a few other customers were scattered around the tables, but it was clear it was going to be a slow morning. Zach was sat behind the counter with his feet propped up on an empty box and his phone in his hand. "Hey Boss, working hard?" Emily teased as she wrapped her red apron around her waist.  
"As always." Zach grinned up at her. He'd seemed to be in a permanent good mood for the last week or two and Emily was starting to grow suspicious.  
"You're far too cheery. Are you dating again?" She narrowed her eyes on him as he just carried on grinning like a Cheshire cat.  
"Look who's talking. You've been like Mary Poppins on crack this week…I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?"

"Sorry, no deal." Emily laughed at him. She got to work clearing tables and doing some light cleaning as she waited for the afternoon rush to start. Zach got board of questioning her on her love life and eventually went to hide in his office. Emily wasn't alone for long though as Mona walked in around lunchtime.  
"Hey there Emily-Bear!"  
"Hey Mona." Emily greeted her with a puzzled smile. Hanna's friend had certainly been bothering with her a lot more. "What can I get you?"  
"A decaf skinny latte please, and in return you can have this." She looked around to check no one was watching them before pulling a mint condition comic out of her purse. It was the next issue of _The Walking Dead,_ the comic Paige had suggested she read. Mona had borrowed her the first few, but she'd read most of them at Paige's house while waiting for her to cook dinner or finish working out. She took it with a smile anyway and thanked the other girl. She and the others had never really been all that close to Mona, but it seemed she wasn't all that bad. Emily made a mental note to remember to include her a bit more at lunch.

"This is great, thank you. I'll bring your coffee straight over. It's on the house." She beamed at the other girl just as Paige walked through the door. She'd obviously been out running seeing as her hair was tied back and her cheeks were flushed. She'd promised to drop by the Brew afterwards.  
"Hey." She greeted Emily stiffly as she walked over to the counter. "Hi Mona." She greeted her other student in much the same way and though Emily knew it was part of their cover she couldn't help but feel a little hurt; even after Mona had gone and sat down Paige ordered her coffee with the same dethatched tone.

"Is everything ok? You're being weird." Emily kept her voice low as she handed over Paige's coffee; she'd added a sprinkle of cinnamon without her having to ask.  
"Fine." Paige brushed her off, her gaze slipping over to Mona. "I wouldn't have bothered you if I'd known your friend was here."  
"What?" Emily frowned at her, not quite following. Then she remembered the look Paige had given her in her class the week before when she and Mona had walked in with linked arms. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought that Paige was jealous of her and Mona Vanderwaal, of all people.  
"Maybe I should take this to go." The older girl grumbled, not happy about Emily laughing at her.

"Why? Are you stocktaking with Shana?" Emily shot back, though she was wearing an amused smirk to let Paige know she was teasing her.  
"Touché. I'm being an idiot aren't I?" Paige asked, finally cracking a smile as Emily nodded. "Sorry. It's just…" she trailed off as she looked around the coffee shop that was starting to fill up. "Let's just leave it at I'm an idiot and we'll talk later."

"I'll call you after dinner. I've got to go straight home tonight."  
"Was your mom mad at you for staying out?" Paige felt guilty enough about the teenager staying over again. Emily had been to her house plenty of times, but she'd only let her stay that one time. She wasn't about to make a habit out of having sleepovers with her teenage girlfriend.  
"No, she wasn't mad. She just guilt tripped me about not being around much lately, which is way worse." Emily sighed. Her mom knew just what strings to tug on to get her to do what she wanted.

"That's fine. Call me later and we can grab lunch tomorrow or something." Paige let her fingers linger against Emily's as she paid for her coffee.  
"No breakfast?" Emily pouted.  
"I'll bring you a granola bar to registration."  
"Thanks." Emily rolled her eyes at her playfully before moving on to serve the next customer. The Brew was starting to get busy and Paige had to look around for an empty seat. She spotted Ezra at one of the tables by the back and made her way over to him. She'd been thinking about what to do about him and Aria. She'd known Ella for years and it felt wrong to keep something like that from her, but at the same time she'd be a hypocrite if she said anything. She was hiding the same thing from Emily's mom.

"Hey Paige, how was the meet?" Ezra greeted her with his usual easy smile as he cleared the seat opposite him for her to sit down. He had a stack of papers and books with him, but he didn't look like he was grading papers.  
"Lousy, we were crucified. We've still got the whole season to go though, so…" She shrugged. One bad meet didn't mean it was over. If anything a loss at the start was better than a win. It would put the team in the right frame of mind for the rest of the swimming season. They would be hungry to prove themselves after Saturday's disaster.

"Well I'm sure the great Paige McCullers will be able to whip them in to shape for the next one." Ezra offered, trying to cheer her up.  
"Thanks. Fulton's the one who's doing all the hard work though; I'm mostly just there to be the mascot." She laughed as she sipped at her coffee.  
"Go team." Ezra joked. His eyes lit up, but it wasn't just from laughing. Paige wasn't surprised to look over her shoulder and see Aria walking through the door with her friends. She wondered if she wore the same goofy grin on her face whenever Emily walked in to a room.

"How was your weekend? Spend it with that girlfriend of yours?" Paige tried to make light conversation to see if Ezra would offer anything up. Emily's admission explained why he had been so vague about his relationship.  
"It was pretty quiet. We just watched some old movies and ate popcorn and cake."  
"Wow, sounds fun. We should double sometime…"  
"We should." Ezra surprised her by agreeing. One look at his expression and Paige knew that Emily hadn't been the only one to blab. He nodded towards Aria and her friends over by the counter. "You know those girls are pretty good at keeping secrets; just not from each other."

"How long have you two been together?" Paige quizzed, careful not to say any names out loud that could get Ezra or Aria in to trouble.  
"A little over a year. We met in a bar the day before her junior year started. I thought she was in college."  
"I met Em in a club in Philly." Since they were sharing Paige thought she might as well fill Ezra in on her and Emily before he asked. "When I walked in to your class on that first day and saw her sitting there…I tried my best to just forget about her, but I couldn't."

"I know that feeling." Ezra sighed. "Aria and I have been through so much in the last year. Things would have been so much easier if I'd just stayed away."  
"Was it worth it?"  
"Oh yeah." Ezra broke out in a wide eyed smile as he looked back over at his girlfriend. "I almost lost my job and my freedom when her parents found out, but we got through it."  
"Ella knows? And you're still alive?" Paige asked, more than a little shocked. She had never imagined that Ella would know about her daughter's relationship.

"Just barely." He admitted with a soft chuckle. "Ella and Byron found out about us just before the summer break. Aria was still seventeen; if they'd gone to the police I would have been arrested. I still could be I guess."  
"So why didn't they?"  
"Aria and her friends already had people talking about them because of their friend's death the summer before, I guess Ella didn't want her daughter being at the centre of another scandal…also, she threatened to run away." Ezra shrugged. It was hardly the most mature thing Aria had ever done, but it had kept them together at least.  
"If Emily's parents find out then I'm dead, _literally. _Her dad's a marine."  
"Is it worth it?" Ezra challenged, throwing her own words back at her as Paige watched Emily walk by to clear a table. They shared a secret smile before the teenager went back to see to her friends.  
"Yeah, no question about it."

"Ok, spill the beans!" Hanna ordered as Emily took a seat beside her and the other girls for her break. "I totally covered for you last night, so you owe me!"  
"Nothing happened." Emily insisted. She'd already told the blonde that at least four times since she'd walked in to the Brew. "I really did just fall asleep, Han."  
"Sure, you had a sleepover with your sexy older girlfriend and you _just _slept." Hanna rolled her eyes at her. "And Aria _just_spent her weekend baking cakes with Fitz."  
"We did." Aria protested.  
"God, you people are so boring."

* * *

"Happy anniversary!" Paige announced as she placed a cupcake down in front of a bemused Emily. She'd just changed out of her bather after a swim practise in Paige's pool and her hair was still wet as she tied it back. She looked at the cupcake that Paige had placed down on the counter. It had thick pink frosting and a single candle sticking out of the top.  
"What's this?" She laughed as Paige took a seat beside her. "We've only been dating a month."  
"Exactly one month today, so happy anniversary." She pressed a kiss to Emily's cheek. They had somehow managed to make their unorthodox relationship work. They'd worked out a system to spend time together whilst still fitting in Emily's school work and her training. They'd also had to make sure Emily spent time with her mom, to stop her from growing more suspicious than she was.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Emily turned her head to catch Paige's lips before she could pull away.  
"Actually, I have an ulterior motive." The older girl admitted with a sigh. "My dad's coming to town tomorrow."  
"Great! I'll call my parents and the five of us can have dinner." Emily did her best to keep a straight face, but she couldn't keep it up as Paige's eyes widened and her face lost all of its colour. "Breathe Paige, I was kidding. I'll make myself scarce this weekend."

"Thanks." Paige let out a visible sigh of relief once she realised Emily had been joking about having a family dinner. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."  
"The cupcake is a great start." Emily pointed out as she picked at it. "Maybe we could go to the movies on Sunday? They're showing this-" She was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. "Is that Pru?"  
"She doesn't have a key." Paige frowned. It took her a whole two seconds to figure out who did have one. "Crap, my dad!"

"Paige? Are you in sweetheart?" Emily heard a man's voice calling out from the hallway. Thinking on her feet she quickly picked up her kitbag and pulled out her hair so it was obvious she had just been swimming. Paige nodded her approval, already making up a story in her head to explain the teenager's  
presence in her kitchen late on a Friday afternoon.  
"In here dad."

The man who walked in to the kitchen was in his mid-forties, with dark sandy blonde hair and a calculated expression. He wore an expensive looking suit that probably cost what Emily made in a year working at The Brew. His eyes were blue, where Paige's were brown, but they held the same intense scrutiny as they landed on Emily. He looked momentarily surprised to find Paige had company, though he recovered quickly with a warm smile in Emily's direction.

A second man followed him in. He was older, with thinning salt and pepper hair and a much cheaper grey suit. There was a bulge under his jacket that looked suspiciously like a holster for a gun. Emily felt nervous as the second man looked her over.

"Dad, what are you doing here? I thought your flight wasn't until the morning?"  
"I caught an earlier one. I wanted to surprise you." Nick answered without missing a beat as he smoothed his tie over. "I didn't mean to interrupt you and, uh…" He trailed off, looking expectantly at Emily for her name.  
"This is Emily. She's a swimmer I've been giving private lessons to." It wasn't exactly a lie; she was just omitting some of the truth.

"Well then, it's a pleasure." Nick offered Emily his hand with a smile as smooth as silk. His accent was clipped, though there was still a slight southern twang to it as he laid on the charm. Emily imagined he laid it on thick whenever he was campaigning. "I hope you don't mind if I steal my daughter from you tonight, but we have dinner reservations at seven."  
"Not a problem, sir. I was just leaving anyways. Thanks for the lesson, _Coach. _It was nice meeting you Mr McCullers."  
"You too, Miss…"  
"Fields." Emily answered before Paige could stop her. She didn't see her girlfriend cringe behind her. She knew exactly what her father was doing, fishing for Emily's name so he could check out who she was spending time with.

"Nice girl." Nick commented once Emily had left. He loosened his tie and helped himself to a glass of scotch. "Anything I should know about?"  
"No. I told you, she was here for a swim lesson, that's it." Her dad had been back in Rosewood for all of five minutes and she already felt like a stroppy teenager. "I better go get changed, you said dinner was at seven right? Pete." She nodded towards the other man in the kitchen.

"Hey Kiddo." Peter Donovan had been her father's personal security for almost ten years, back when he'd been the CEO of a prestigious finance company. He had stayed with Nick when he moved in to politics and currently headed up his security detail down in Texas.

Nick filled a second tumbler with scotch and handed it over to the bodyguard. He was a friend and a confidant as well as an employee. "Do me a favour, would you?"  
"Run the girl's name?" Peter knew him all too well. "You got it boss. Think the kid's lying?"  
"I don't know." Nick frowned. Paige had always been honest with him, even if their relationship had been rocky at times over the years. She knew the importance of being honest about anyone new in her life, especially so close to him announcing he was running for Senator. The last thing he needed was a scandal involving his gay daughter leaking out to the opposition. "Let's just cover our bases. Find out what you can for me about Emily Fields."


	16. Chapter 16

"Nick! Good to see you!" Mr Hastings clapped Nick McCullers on the back as he walked up to him in the lobby of the tennis club.  
"Peter, a pleasure as always." Nick wore a smooth smile as he shook his hand. Pete the bodyguard stood a little way back, blending in to the background like the trained professional he was. Paige stood by her father's side, wearing the same dress she'd worn to the party at Hollis. Nick had made reservations for them to have dinner at the club.

Running in to the Hastings made her feel like she was seventeen again and being forced to spend her Friday night with her dad instead of her friends. She could think of a million things she would rather be doing; and most, if not all of them, involved Emily. She was smitten over the other girl. The idea of not seeing her for the whole weekend was agonising.

"Hi Mr McCullers. Why don't you and Paige join us for dinner?" Melissa offered the older McCullers a warm smile as she joined her father's side. Spencer and Veronica were sitting down at one of the tables in the lobby, sipping drinks. Spencer looked bored as hell; Paige knew just how she felt. She was grateful to Melissa for suggesting they join them. She hadn't been looking forward to dinner alone with her father.

Mr Hastings jumped on the suggestion and shepherded the McCullers' over to their table. Paige hung back, wanting to thank Melissa. "You're a life saver Hastings. He's only been in town two hours and I'm already considering emancipation."  
"Can you still do that at twenty-three?" Melissa teased as they headed straight over to the bar.  
"I'll let you know." Paige replied dryly. "He wasn't supposed to get here until tomorrow. He was trying to catch me out."  
"And did he?" Melissa probed, drawing a laugh from her friend.  
"Almost." She answered cryptically.

"Really? I ran in to Shana the other day. She mentioned she'd seen you at a meet. Anything going on again there?"  
"No." Paige shook her head a little too forcefully. She'd already had to reassure Emily that she wasn't interested in a reunion with her ex, though they hadn't really talked about it in any great detail. "Shana and I…we burnt that bridge a long time ago."  
"I was surprised when I heard you'd broken up with her in the first week of college. Everyone thought you guys were going to last. You had that whole four year plan…"  
"We were deluding ourselves." Paige shrugged. "We were going to school on opposite sides of the country. It was never going to work."

"What's stopping you now? She's still single, you're…"  
"Not." Paige interrupted her. It felt good to be able to admit it out loud to someone other than Pru. She felt a coy smile playing on her lips as Melissa's eyes widened.  
"Do tell?"  
"It's complicated. Nobody knows about it and my dad can't find out I'm dating anyone."  
"He won't hear anything from me." The other girl promised as she made a zipping motion across her lips. "Not that I actually know anything…. Whoever she is, she's a lucky girl."

They joined the rest of their families as one of the waiting staff announced their table was ready. "Nice dress." Spencer commented as Paige took a seat beside her. "I bet I know someone who'd just _love_ to see you in it." She whispered conspiratorially in her ear with a smirk.  
"She already has." Paige shot back with a smirk of her own before the waiter returned to take their order.

Dinner went a lot better than Paige had expected. Sitting with the Hastings meant she wasn't forced to think of things to say to her dad. Their relationship had come a long way over the last few years, but that didn't mean they had much to say to one another. She resisted the urge to keep checking her phone for texts from Emily. The younger girl had promised to keep a low profile over the weekend though and it seemed she was sticking to it. She'd call when she got home. Her dad was staying at a hotel so she didn't need to worry about him overhearing her on the phone.

Pete had driven them to the club in Nick's Town Car, though he had disappeared before the start of dinner. He reappeared during dessert and gave Nick a discreet nod to tell his boss he'd done what he'd asked him to do. The two families said their goodbyes, with Nick and Peter promising to squeeze in a round of golf over the weekend.

Paige and Nick climbed in to the back of the Town Car and shared a stiff goodbye before Paige got out at her house. Once she was out of the way Nick sat up front with his head of security. They pulled over after they'd driven a few blocks and Pete handed over a manila file. "The information you asked for on the girl. I don't think you have to worry about her being a democrat spy."  
"She a republican?" Nick quizzed as he thumbed through the papers that Pete had managed to acquire in a few short hours. He'd done some research online and reached out to some of his friends in the Rosewood PD.

"I don't know; she wasn't old enough to vote last time around. She just turned eighteen last month." Pete filled him on the basics. "She's a high school senior at your daughter's school. She's in one of her classes."  
"So I see. You've even got her class timetable in here." Nick chuckled, impressed by his efforts.  
"That's why you pay me the big bucks. She's on the Rosewood high swim team, looks like Paige was telling you the truth when she said she was coaching her."  
"Hmm." Nick acknowledged what he'd said but made no commitment to it either way. A few papers by the back had caught his eye. "She's been involved with the police? Anything I should be worried about?"

"No, she doesn't have a criminal record. A friend of hers went missing two years back, the body turned up last summer."  
"The DiLaurentis girl." Nick nodded as he carried on scanning the file. "Why am I not surprised that girl ended up dead? I don't think Miss Fields is anything for us to worry about though." He tossed the file on to the back seat.

Back at the house, Paige had pulled on her favourite ice hockey jersey and climbed in to bed. She finally gave in and called Emily. She picked up on the first ring. "Hey." Her voice sounded thick with sleep and Paige felt something stirring in her at the sound of it. She had missed her more than she thought was possible in the space of a few hours.

"Hey, how was dinner at the club with your dad?"  
"It was about as fun as dinner with my dad can be…wait, how did you know I was at the club? Spencer?" She answered her own question before Emily had a chance to. She heard the other girl laugh down the phone and had to bite her lip to stop herself from asking Emily to come over.  
"She sent me a picture of you in your dress."  
"Of course she did." Paige rolled her eyes. "I'm sure there are laws against that kind of thing."  
"I'm not complaining." She could hear the sly grin in Emily's voice. "Do I really have to wait until Sunday to see you?"

"You could come over tonight? I'd just have to sneak you out in the morning before dad and Pete show up." Paige suggested, unable to stop herself. She wanted to see the other girl badly enough to break one of her own rules; the wine she'd had over dinner was influencing her judgement a little too.  
"And break the no sleep over rule?" Emily teased, acting as the voice of reason between them.  
"It's a stupid rule." She grumbled. For all she was sulking she knew Emily was right. She had deliberately avoided letting Emily stay overnight and she had been trying to take things slow between them. "But you're right. I'll see you Sunday. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"How do you plan on making things up to Jailbait then?" Pru sat on the kitchen counter, picking at a bowl of cereal. She'd turned up at Paige's front door expecting breakfast and gossip. Paige hadn't disappointed her.  
"I have no idea, maybe dinner in the city?"  
"Nice idea! A nice romantic dinner, a hotel room for two…that would work."  
"What? No, no hotel room! I told you, I'm not rushing in to anything with Em."

"Rushing? You've been dating for a month! She's gone way passed being a 'nice girl' and moved right on to 'frigid'."  
"She's not frigid!" Paige argued, defending her girlfriend. "Not everything needs to be about sex. We talk, we watch movies, we enjoy each other's company-"  
"Sounds boring." Pru pulled a face at her. "How long do you think your eighteen year old girlfriend is going to be happy just holding hands and taking long walks on the beach?"  
"Shut up." Paige grumbled. She knew her friend was right though, she couldn't keep applying the brakes forever.

She heard a car pull up outside and guessed it was her dad coming to pick her up for tennis at the club. They were going to play doubles against Melissa and her dad. "You should probably go, you know my dad's not that keen on you."  
"Why, because I'm a bad influence?" Pru rolled her eyes as she hopped down from the counter, taking the cereal box with her.  
"You're pressuring me in to having sex with my teenage girlfriend; I'd say that's being a bad influence."  
"Take my advice McCullers, you want to impress Emily and make up for your fun family weekend? Then get a room; literally."  
"Goodbye Pru." She started pushing her towards the front door, hoping to get her out of the house before her dad was out of the car.

After being kicked out of her friend's house, Pru ended up going to the Brew for a proper breakfast. "What up Jailbait?" She greeted Emily as she found the teenager standing behind the counter. She'd offered to work an extra shift since Paige was busy with her dad.  
"Morning Pru, what can I get you?" Emily had grown used to Paige's best friend's antics.  
"How about a breakfast special and a friend who doesn't kick me out of her house with an empty stomach when her daddy turns up?" She slumped against the counter as she sulked.

"Uh, breakfast I can do. As for the rest, you could maybe sit with my friend Hanna?" She suggested, not expecting the older girl to actually take her up on it. Hanna was sitting by herself at one of the tables. She'd came in early with Emily to help her open up and to blag a free breakfast out of it. She took to Pru straight away; like they had been lifelong BFFs. Emily was more than a little concerned as she heard them giggling away together while she served the other customers.

"Who's that with Han?" Aria quizzed as she walked in to the Brew a little while later and spotted the older Asian girl sitting with Hanna. They were going through a seemingly endless list of their favourite designers.  
"That's Pru. She's Paige's best friend; or at least she was. I think she might be Hanna's now."  
"Nobody tell Mona." Aria sniped. "How are things with you and _Miss McCullers?_"  
"Are you calling her that because we refuse to call Mr Fitz Ezra?"  
"Totally." Aria laughed as Emily rolled her eyes at her.

"She's fine. We're both fine…except her dad's in town so I can't see her. I get Pru instead." Emily huffed. She was doing her best to act grown up about the whole thing, but it was just frustrating. She and Paige had both met each other's family without them actually knowing they were an item. They weren't a normal couple and all of the sneaking around was starting to finally hit home with her. "How do you and Ezra do this? All of the sneaking around and the lying, it's just so…hard."

"We find a way to make it work." Aria shrugged, at a loss for anything else to say. "Sure the sneaking around is hard work, but the payoff's worth it. When we're lying in bed and-"  
"Okay, I really don't need to know that bit." Emily interjected before her friend could say too much. Aria scowled at her presumption.  
"I was going to say when we're cuddling…but yeah _that _definitely makes it worth it too."  
"Well that must be the problem then. Paige and I don't have sleepovers. I don't get to fall asleep in her arms…or do anything else for that matter."

"So you two haven't?"  
"No." Emily glanced cautiously over at Pru to make sure she wouldn't overhear anything. Hanna was doing a good job of distracting her though. "I didn't want to rush things after Maya and Paige seems happy with that. She never tries to push anything. I guess I'm just waiting for the right time."  
"Well sleepovers don't need to mean sexy time. I stayed over at Ezra's all the time before we did anything. Just talk to Paige…here's your chance."  
"What?" Emily looked up to find her girlfriend walking through the front door. She could barely contain her smile; though she dialled it back a bit as she spotted Paige's dad sitting in her car outside. "Miss McCullers, what can I get you?"

"Hi Emily. Zach called and said he'd left that thing for me in the back." She was lying through her teeth, but Paige had told her dad the same story as an excuse to stop by the Brew so she was sticking to it.  
"The thing?" Emily had no idea what she was talking about. She felt Aria nudge her in the side.  
"Yeah Em, the thing." The tiny girl shot her friend a pointed look. "The one in the store room, right?"  
"Oh, right. Aria, can you cover the counter for me for a minute?" Emily realised what was going on and led the older girl in to the back.

She'd barely closed the door to the store room when Paige was on her. She pulled the teenager in close as she cupped her cheeks and kissed her like she hadn't seen her in a week. "God, I've missed you." She sighed against Emily's open mouth. "I just had to see you. My dad's driving me nuts and I'm not sure we'll make it to the club without me running the car off of the road to try and end my misery."  
"Please don't." Emily laughed as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. "I'd miss you too much."  
"Noted." Paige grinned back at her before kissing her cheek. "I've got to go. I'll call you later, love you."

Paige had her hand on the doorknob before she realised what had just slipped out of her mouth. She turned back to face Emily with an expression like a deer caught in headlights. "You do?" The teenager was wearing the same dazed expression. The supply closet they were standing in suddenly seemed a hell of a lot smaller. She hadn't meant to say what she had; the words had just rolled right off her tongue, like they had been the natural thing to say. The more Paige thought about it the more she realised they had been.

"Uh, yeah, I guess I do." A nervous smile flitted across her face as she waited for Emily's reaction. It was worth the wait. Emily stepped forward, claiming her lips again. The two of them walked out of the closet a few minutes later, sharing the same grin. Aria, Hanna and Pru were sitting at a table by the door.  
"Hey guys, did you find that _thing_ you were looking for?" Pru teased, Aria having filled her in on where Emily had disappeared to when she'd gone to get a refill.  
"What thing?" Paige stared at her blankly, still out of it from Emily's kiss.

"The _thing _you and Emily went in to the closet for?" Hanna answered. It looked like she and Pru were taking up some kind of double act.  
"Oh, yeah, yeah I got it." Paige grinned over her shoulder at her girlfriend. "I'll call you later."  
"What about me?" Pru protested at having her best friend flat out ignore her.  
"_You_ ate all my cereal this morning; I'll call you when you replace it. See you later girls." She nodded at the rest of them before walking back out to join her dad and Pete in the car.

Aria didn't miss the smile that Emily was wearing for the rest of the morning, or the fact that she was practically glowing. She caught her alone while Hanna and Pru were busy rating all of the guys that walked in to the coffee shop. "How'd that talk with Paige go? You seem pretty chipper."  
"It went well; great, actually. What we were talking about earlier, well… I think I'm ready." Emily bit her lip as she admitted she was ready to take things further with Paige.  
"Wow; that must have been some talk."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry for the longer than usual wait for this chapter guys. I'm still off work so I'm taking the time to try and update some fics I haven't touched in a few months as well as working on new stuff. As ever, thanks for reading and for the awesome feedback!**

"You accidentally told your girlfriend you loved her?" Pru cracked up with laughter as Paige finished telling her what had happened with Emily in the coffee shop earlier.  
"It just came out!" Paige protested. She had been kicking herself about it all morning while she'd been at the country club with her dad. She'd known the words were right the moment they'd spilled out of her mouth, but that didn't stop her worrying. Emily had seemed pleased at the time, but they hadn't spoken since and Paige was beginning to worry that she had screwed things up between them. "I think I do though…love her."

"In that case you _definitely _have to show her a good time tomorrow." Pru teased, earning a scowl from her best friend. A genuine smile replaced her smirk as she squeezed Paige's hand. "Seriously though, it's nice to see you so happy. What have you got planned for tomorrow anyway?"  
"Nothing yet." Paige sighed as she slumped down against the kitchen counter. "Dad's talking about staying until Monday now. I think he's going for father of the year… Em's going to kill me." She had promised the younger girl a night out to make up for not seeing her all weekend, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"So just invite her over tonight? Your dad has that charity dinner thing, just fake a stomach ache and spend some time with your girl. I'm sure Jailbait can tell her parents she's staying over at a friend's or something."  
"I don't know Pru, I don't want give her the wrong impression by asking her to spend the night. What if she thinks I'm pressuring her?"  
"She's eighteen sweetie; she's probably wondering why you're _not _pressuring her. I mean, I don't even get it. You're crazy about her, so what's stopping you-"

"I've only ever slept with one girl." Pru almost choked on her coffee at her best friend's confession.  
"What? Shit, seriously?" She spluttered in disbelief. She had known Paige's love life had been a little on the quiet side through college, but she had never imagined that she'd only ever had sex with her high school girlfriend. "But you and Shana broke up like four years ago."

"Exactly." Paige huffed. She was starting to regret inviting Pru over for coffee. She felt her cheeks going red as her best friend scrutinised her. "I've just never felt comfortable enough with anyone else to take things that far."  
"Do you still…you and Shana, is there something still there?"  
"No! Of course not! That ended a long time ago. I love Emily ok? I am head over heels crazy in love with her!"  
"So invite her over tonight." Pru challenged as she picked up Paige's cell phone from the counter in front of her. "Take a chance McCullers, live a little!"

Across town in the Brew, Emily was just finishing her shift as her phone went off. A slow smile spread over her lips as she read the text Paige had just sent her. "Someone looks happy." Hanna teased. Aria had left to spend her afternoon with Ezra, but with Caleb out of town visiting his mom, the blonde had been at a loss and had decided to stay at the Brew with Emily. "Let me guess, McCullers is offering you some extra credit?"

"Maybe." Emily laughed, indulging the other girl and her teasing. "Can I tell my mom I'm staying at your house tonight?"  
"You can if I get details tomorrow." Hanna offered, trying to barter with her friend.  
"It's not like that Han. Her dad's staying in town tomorrow so tonight's the only time we can spend together." Emily insisted, though she was blushing as she pocketed her phone.

After her shift ended she dropped Hanna off at her house before heading to her own. Her mom was busy doing laundry so she was able to quickly spring the question of whether she could sleep out on her. Emily had been taking care to spend more time at home with her mom while her dad was away. She wasn't too bad when Emily's dad was home, but whenever he was down in Texas Pam would want to know where her daughter was every minute of the day. Emily hated lying to her about where she was going, but she couldn't exactly tell her the truth about where she was spending the night.

She packed an overnight bag, changed her top and threw on a jacket before kissing her mom goodbye. She left her car on the drive, not wanting it to be sat outside of Paige's house all night for the neighbours to see. Paige only lived a few blocks over anyway and the evening air was pleasant for late October. It was Emily's favourite time of year, the leaves on the trees were starting to turn and there were Jack-o'-lanterns already out on people's lawns. Halloween was the following weekend and the girls were planning on attending the school dance. Paige had been roped in to chaperoning, along with Ezra, so at least Emily would get to see her, even if her girlfriend couldn't be her official date. She would just have to go stag, or maybe she and Aria could be each other's dates.

She felt nervous as she walked up to Paige's porch and knocked on the door. The other times she'd spent the night had been sort of accidental. Even if she was ready to go further with Paige, that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to feel anxious about it. As soon as the door opened though, her fears were washed away by the sight of Paige. She greeted her with a warm smile as she ushered the teenager inside. The second the door was closed she had her arms wrapped around Emily and she leant in for a kiss. "Hey babe, god am I glad to see you."  
"Haven't you been having fun with your dad?" Emily teased as she followed Paige in to the living room. She dropped her bag down by the couch as she took a seat. She noticed a stack of DVDs on the coffee table and they were all horror movies.

"Oh yeah, I've had loads of fun playing the perfect governor's daughter all weekend." Paige rolled her eyes as she flopped down beside Emily and pulled her in close. She had forgotten just how much she hated being at the country club and surrounded by rich toffs who had nothing better to talk about than money. "He's staying until Monday now. I faked being sick so I could get out of dinner tonight. There was no way I was going the whole weekend without seeing you." She sighed as Emily made herself comfortable. "I thought if you stayed over then we'd get more than a couple of hours with each other..." Paige was rambling because she was nervous. She didn't want Emily to think she was trying to push her in to anything; she was already regretting listening to Pru and asking the teenager to spend the night.

"I've got us some movies to watch and there's a ton of ice cream in the fridge. We can order whatever you want for dinner." Paige explained. It was hardly the romantic night she'd promised the younger girl, but it was better than nothing.  
"Ice cream and takeout? You do remember I've got a meet on Wednesday, right?"  
"Oh yeah, guess I'll have to have all the ice cream to myself." Paige teased. She went to stand up, as though she was heading for the kitchen, but Emily was still protesting as she pulled her back down. She ended up practically on top of the teenager and had to put an arm on the back of the couch to steady herself. She couldn't help but dip her head to steal a kiss. It helped to clear the air and Paige didn't feel as tense as she settled back down beside her. They put on the first movie and Emily shifted so that she was lying with her feet up and her head on Paige's lap.

Halfway through the first movie they heard a car pull up outside and then footsteps on the porch. "Damn, it's my dad." Paige scrambled off the couch, her eyes wide with panic. She'd told him she couldn't make it to the charity dinner, so why had he shown up at her door?  
"I'll go upstairs." Emily made sure to pick up her bag before dashing up the stairs. She slipped in to Paige's room and dropped her overnight bag on the bed just as she heard the door open.

"Dad, hey, what are you doing here?" Paige quizzed as she opened the door; she'd just beaten her father in opening it, he had his key in his hand. Paige made up her mind there and then that she would either get the damn thing off of him or change the locks. If she hadn't heard his car he would have walked right in on her and Emily cuddled up together.

Nick McCullers was dressed for the charity dinner in a black tax and bowtie. In his mid-forties, he was still a handsome man and he had the well-practised smile of a politician. He turned it on Paige as he stepped inside the house. "I was worried about you when I got your message sweetie, how you doing?" He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, as though she were still six years old. "You feel a bit warm." She was flushed from having Emily lying on top of her for the better part of an hour; it helped make her lie seem all the more genuine.  
"I'm just feeling a bit sick. I've spent the afternoon on the sofa."  
"You should be in bed if you're sick…maybe I should cancel this dinner tonight and-"

"No! Dad, I'm a big girl. I can look after myself." She insisted as she started ushering him back out of the door. "Go to dinner, I'll be fine. I'll go straight up to bed, I promise."  
"Ok sweetheart, if you're sure. I'll call you to check in later. Goodnight." Nick pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving. Paige waved him off until his car had driven out of sight and then slammed the door shut. She was just breathing a sigh of relief as Emily came walking down the stairs.

"Going straight to bed?" She teased as she slunk up beside her. Paige wasn't laughing though. She pushed her hair away from her face as she let out a heavy sigh.  
"It's not funny Em; he could have caught us! I'm still shaking!" She snapped at the teenager without meaning to. She let out another sigh as Emily's face fell. "Emily, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"  
"Maybe I should go." The younger girl huffed. She turned to head back up the stairs to get her stuff.

"Wait!" Paige caught hold of her hand and tugged her down from the first step. "Please, I'm sorry. I've just been so stressed out this weekend with my dad and everything. I shouldn't be taking it out on you."  
"No. You shouldn't." Emily snapped, though she allowed the older girl to pull her over to the couch. They curled back up together to watch the rest of the movie. Eventually the animosity between them faded and the rest of the night passed without incident. Emily could barely keep her eyes open by the time the last movie finished and Paige had to nudge her awake.

"Come on babe, time for bed." She shuffled out from under Emily and helped the younger girl to her feet. When they reached the top of the stairs she leant in to kiss Emily's cheek goodnight. "I've made up the spare room. I'll see you in the morning."  
"Oh." Emily was surprised as she realised she would be spending the night in the guest room. She didn't let her disappointment show though. "Ok. Goodnight." She kissed Paige, going for her lips instead of her cheek, and then slipped in to the guestroom. She'd already changed in to her bedclothes so she slipped straight under the covers. The bed was cold and she couldn't help thinking about how much warmer she would be with her girlfriend sleeping beside her.

Paige woke up early the next morning and headed downstairs to make Emily breakfast. She still felt guilty about not being able to spend any real time with her over the weekend; she was hoping breakfast in bed would make up for it. She made pancakes with syrup and added coffee and orange juice to a tray before carrying it upstairs. Emily was still sleeping as Paige slipped in to the guest room. She sat the tray down on the dresser before tiptoeing over to the bed. "Rise and shine sleepyhead." She stirred the younger girl by gently shaking her shoulder as she climbed on to the bed beside her.

"Five more minutes." Emily grumbled sleepily as she turned over and cuddled in to the older girl.  
"Ok, but your pancakes are going to get cold." Paige chuckled as she let Emily get comfortable.  
"Pancakes?" Emily cracked one eye open as she lifted her head up. Paige had definitely caught her attention. She moved back over to fetch the tray and then presented it to Emily as she sat up with her back against the pillows. "You made me breakfast in bed?"  
"I did. I'm going for serious girlfriend points."  
"Well you've got them." Emily laughed as she sipped at her orange juice. "Thank you." She kissed Paige's cheek before tucking in to the pancakes.

They almost made it through breakfast without anyone disturbing them; until they heard a knock at the front door. "Your dad?" Emily asked, already climbing out of bed and getting ready to bolt.  
"No, he wouldn't knock." Paige frowned as she looked out the window overlooking the drive. She couldn't see a car on either the drive or the street in front of her house. "It's probably Pru." She went downstairs to answer the door, leaving Emily to get changed.

"Pru, what do you want?" Paige was less than thrilled at the sight of her best friend standing on her porch.  
"Good morning to you too sunshine. What's wrong, is Jailbait-"  
"Hi Pru." Emily greeted, interrupting the other girl as she came down the stairs. She'd changed and had her backpack slung over her shoulder.  
"Here. Jailbait is here. No wonder you're pissed at me. I can go if I'm interrupting something?"  
"You're not." Emily rolled her eyes at Pru's suggestive smirk. "I should be leaving anyway. I've got work soon-"

"Oh crap." Paige was staring past the other two girls as a Town Car pulled up in front of her house. Pete got out of the driver's seat and walked around to the rear passenger door to open it for Nick. He stepped out of the car and straightened his suit jacket before heading for the house. Paige's eyes were wide with panic as she looked from the window to Emily. It was like she was frozen with fear, unable to move a muscle as her father walked up the drive.  
"Come on Jailbait, looks like we're taking the back exit." With Paige off of her game it was up to Pru to step up. She took hold of the teenager's arm and dragged her in to the kitchen. They were just slipping out of the back door as Paige opened the front for Nick.

There was a six foot fence enclosing the backyard and Pru scaled it like she had done a million times before as a kid. She helped Emily over and they dropped down in to the woods that Paige's house backed on to. "You ok Jail-"  
"Don't call me that!" Emily snapped as she rubbed at her ankle. She'd landed on it funny after jumping from the fence. "Just don't, ok?"

"Sorry." Pru apologised as she took a seat beside on the grass. She could see something was eating at the teenager and it was a lot more than just a twisted ankle. "You've got every right to be pissed at her, but this isn't some picnic for Paige either. People find out about you two, you get a slap on the wrist and maybe a detention; best case for Paige, she loses her job, worst case she gets arrested. On top of that she's got her father's reputation to worry about. He's running for senator this year, the press and the opposition are going to be all over his ass."

"I'm sorry." Emily apologised, suddenly feeling stupid for taking a huff in the first place. She knew the lying and the sneaking around were just as hard for Paige as it was for her, if not harder; as Pru had so bluntly put it, Paige had a hell of a lot more to lose than Emily did. "Stuff's just getting on top of me lately, that's all."

"Stuff? Like Paige?" Pru teased, trying to goad the teenager in to laughing.  
"I wish." Emily grumbled without meaning to. She quickly tried to take it back, expecting the other girl to tease her mercilessly for it. She was surprised when Pru took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze.  
"Paige is a little shy in coming forward, if you know what I mean; but she loves you, a lot. Just give her some time."

"Did she tell you that?" Emily was finally smiling as Pru helped her up to her feet. The pain in her ankle was easing off and she was able to walk on it  
"Yeah, she was kind of freaking out about the whole blurting it out thing." Pru admitted. "She'd kick my ass for telling you this, but she's never said that to a girl before; like ever. You're pretty damn special Emily."  
"You know, I think that's the first time you've used my name." Emily mused as they walked along the path back towards the street.  
"Yeah? Well don't get used to it Jailbait."

Back at the house Paige was holding her breath, waiting for her dad to ask why two girls had just scaled the fence in her back yard. Pete had notably stayed in the car, which just made Paige all the more anxious. It turned out he had something else on his mind. "Hey Hon, sorry to call so early on a Sunday, but I'm afraid I've had to change my plans." He unbuttoned his suit jacket before taking a seat on the recliner in the corner. Paige sat down on the couch, relieved that he hadn't brought up Emily or Pru.

"Something's come up back home so I'm catching a flight back later this afternoon. I just wanted to call in and hand you this personally." He pulled an embossed invitation out of his inside pocket and handed it over. It was an invitation to a charity fundraiser that the governor was hosting next month. It was probably when he was planning on announcing he was running for senator. "It's Saturday the 9th, I'd appreciate you being there." The ninth was the Saturday after next, which meant yet another weekend she wouldn't get to spend with Emily. She couldn't exactly say no to him though, her dad had worked for years to climb the political ladder and he was looking for her support; despite their differences over the years, he was still the only family she had left.  
"Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

Nick smiled at her answer; it wasn't like he'd expected anything else from her. She still wasn't sure why he'd come over to hand deliver her invitation, he had people for that. "You know, my campaign trail is going to be a lot of work; it's also going to be a fine way for an up-and-coming young politician to cut her teeth." And there was the catch.  
"Dad! We've discussed this! We agreed I'd hold off on the politics for a few years; get some experience under my belt." Paige protested. She'd fought him tooth and nail to go in to teaching before taking up politics. She was tired of having the same arguments; they were both too damn stubborn for the outcome to ever be any different.

"I know that, Paige! I just figured now would be a great time for you to get in to the family business-"  
"I'm in the family business Dad! I'm teaching; doing the thing that mom loved, the thing that _I _love. Just stop trying to control my life!"  
"I'm sorry that you feel that way, Paige. I'm simply trying to do what's best for you." He was laying the guilt on thick, like usual. Paige wasn't about to crumble though. She was finally making a life for herself in Rosewood again and she wasn't about to uproot and move to Texas. "I know you wanted to get in to teaching to honour your mother, and, well, she'd be proud of you. I just think you have the potential to do more."

"Dad," She sighed, trying to make peace before things could escalate. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm a big girl now; you've got to let me live my own life."  
"Fine." Nick stood up. Despite wearing a thin lipped smile, he was clearly in a mood with her. "Well I guess I'll be seeing you on the 9th, take care of yourself sweetie." He stiffly leant in to kiss her forehead before heading back out the door. Paige let him go. She knew the only way he would shake out of his huff was if she backed down and agreed to move to Texas with him; and there was no way that was happening, not when there was so much keeping her in Rosewood.


	18. Chapter 18

"Come on Emily! Whooo!" Hanna hollered at the top of her voice as she cheered her friend on in the pool.  
"You know she can't hear you right? Her head is mostly under water." Spence pointed out as she rubbed at her ear, sick of the blonde shouting in it. Aria was sitting on the other side of Spencer, safe from the other girl's yelling. Mona was sitting on the other side of Hanna after deciding to join them in supporting Emily.  
"She's just getting in to the school spirit!" Mona protested, staring Spencer down.  
"Yeah, what she said!" Hanna agreed with Mona before they both chorused, "Go Em!"

"Looks like your fan club showed up." Paige teased as she draped a towel over Emily's shoulders. The teenager had just blown her competition out of the water in her freestyle race. The whole team were doing well, using their crushing defeat in the first meet of the season to fuel their determination to win.  
"Yeah, I think Hanna's the President." Emily joked. She used the towel Paige had given her to dry off a bit before pulling her warm-ups on.  
"Think I can fight Mona for the job as Vice-President?"

"You might have to settle for treasurer." Emily laughed as they moved towards the locker rooms. Emily had finished her last race so she was free to get changed. Paige had to stay until the meet was over, but she could afford to slip in to the locker room for five minutes. "I'm going costume shopping with Aria after the meet, but I'll come over later." There was no one else around, so Emily risked moving in for a quick kiss.  
"Sounds great, just call me when you're coming over. I've got some stuff to do."

Paige went back out on deck while Emily changed. Once she was ready she met the other girls outside the natatorium. Spencer and Hanna already had their costumes, so they were going to meet up with Toby and Caleb at the Grill, while Aria and Emily went to the costume shop; Mona had unexpectedly invited herself along, so she ended up in the back of Emily's car as they drove in to town. Emily had been looking forward to the chance to talk to Aria about how things were going with Paige, but having the other girl in the car complicated things.

"Thanks for letting me come along Em." Mona chirped as Emily parked up and they piled out of the car. She'd asked to come out of the blue and Emily had been caught off guard. She couldn't exactly just say no, so she'd invited her along with her and Aria.  
"No problem Mona. Uh, thanks for coming to cheer for me today. I could hear you and Hanna all the way across the pool." Paige hadn't been exaggerated when she'd called them Emily's fan club. They'd been shouting and cheering for the whole meet; even when Emily hadn't been in the pool.  
"Happy to." Mona beamed at her. Emily wasn't sure what it was about the other girl, but something about her just had her on edge. Hanna's friend had been trying pretty hard to get in Emily's good books for weeks and she still hadn't figured out why.

As the three of them entered the costume shop, a little ancient bell jangled above their heads. It was intended to alert the owner when customers walked in, and she walked out of the store room in the back with a practised smile; it only wavered slightly as she caught sight of Emily. "Hi there, can I help you girls?" Shanna greeted them pleasantly as they walked deeper in to the shop. Emily had forgotten all about Paige's ex owning the store and was a little taken aback to see her standing in front of her. Aria picked up on her unease and quickly covered for her.

"Hi, yeah, we're looking for costumes for a Halloween dance on Friday. Is it ok to just have a look around?"  
"Of course. Just holler if you need anything." Shana left them to it, but Emily could feel her eyes on her all the way around the store. It was bigger than it looked on the outside and Emily ended up wandering away from the other girls.  
"Got anything in mind?" She jumped as Shana appeared behind her. "It's Emily right? You're a Shark."  
"Right." Emily felt a little intimidated by the older woman. She was attractive and confident and it was easy to see why Paige had fallen for her. Her eyes raked over Emily's body rather flippantly.

"I hear the Sharks are doing pretty well. Are you ready to take on York County again at that invitational next month?" She moved in so that she was leaning against the wall right beside the teenager.  
"Uh, yeah. I've been making some really good times this season." Emily shuffled back, almost knocking in to a life-size mannequin of a zombie.  
"Really? You should take me on some time. I'm phenomenal in the pool." From the way she was looking at her, Emily was pretty sure she wasn't just talking about swimming. Her girlfriend's ex was flirting with her and Emily had no idea what to do about it.  
"Thanks, but Coach McCullers is doing a pretty good job with my training."

"I bet she is." Shana smirked, as though Emily had just told her everything she wanted to know. "Oh, if you see Paige, can you tell her that her costume is ready to pick up anytime? Thanks." She shot the teenager a sickly sweet smile, right before Emily stalked out of the store.

"Hey gorgeous, you didn't call-" Paige was surprised when Emily stormed past her in to the house. She dropped her kitbag and turned to Paige with her eyes full of fury.  
"I was just talking to Shana, she says your costume's ready to pick up anytime." Her tone was sharp, but Paige couldn't for the life of her work out why.  
"Okay?"  
"Okay?" Her response seemed to infuriate Emily all the more. "Since when did you start hanging out with your ex again?"  
"Uh, since it's Halloween and she owns the only costume store in town? We weren't 'hanging out'. I needed a costume for the dance Friday. What's up with you?"

"What's up with me? Your ex just tried to make a fool of me!"  
"Oh, well it's a good job you didn't bite or anything." Paige tried to make light of the situation, hoping Emily would just laugh it off and realise how ridiculous she was being about Shana; but the teenager wasn't ready to let it drop.  
"Are you sleeping with her?"  
"What?" Paige couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shook her head as she slammed the front door shut. "Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"Because you're certainly not interested in sleeping with me! Anytime I try and take things further you just shut down! You won't even sleep in the same room as me!" The younger girl was teeming with anger as she finally vented. Once she started it was like she just couldn't close her mouth again.  
"Em, you've got this all wrong. It's not that I don't _want _to…I…there's something I probably should have told you-"  
"Pru already told me, which just makes me even more confused!" Emily couldn't understand why Paige didn't want to take things further if she really did love her; especially if she'd never said it to another girl before.

"Pru told you?" Paige's eyes narrowed as she cursed her best friend under her breath. "She had no right to! Look, I know it's weird for someone my age to only have slept with one person-"  
"What?" Emily cut her off. She was talking about something else entirely and it took a moment for her words to sink in. "You've only slept with _one_ person? With Shana?"  
"Yeah." Paige could see the confusion on her face. "Pru didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't. So, what, you went through college without dating?" Emily asked dubiously. She couldn't believe someone like Paige could go five years without getting laid. She was gorgeous, athletic, confident; there was no way she hadn't been fighting girls off in college.  
"I dated plenty in college, a lot actually. I just didn't sleep with any of those girls." Paige shrugged. She hated having to defend herself, but she needed Emily to understand why she hadn't jumped in to bed with her the first chance she got. "Sex is a big deal to me ok? I don't just jump in to bed with any girl who comes along-"

"Neither do I!" Emily objected, taking what Paige was saying to her the wrong way. "I've only ever slept with Maya and we were together months before anything happened!"  
"I'm not saying you do Em! It's just… After Shana, the longest relationship I had with a girl was like a month or something… until I met you." She took hold of the younger girl's hands in her own, trying to will her to understand. It seemed like Emily was finally beginning to comprehend, until she asked the question that Paige knew was going to land her in hot water.  
"So you haven't had sex in like four or five years? I mean, you and Shana broke up before college, right?" Emily asked, watching as Paige's face fell. She was definitely holding something back.

"Not exactly." The older girl admittedly sheepishly. "Shana and I broke up before college because neither of us wanted to do the whole long distance thing, but that didn't change how we felt about each other… instead of going home for vacations I used to stay with Shana and her family in Philli. We'd hook up sometimes." Emily got to her feet, unable to believe what was happening.  
"So you're still having booty calls with your high school girlfriend? Is that why you don't want to have sex with me?"  
"Of course not!" Paige implored her to listen as she kept hold of her wrist. "I haven't slept with Shana in years! We had a huge fight the thanksgiving of my last year at college and we stopped talking after that."

"What did you fight about?" Of all the questions she had expected, that hadn't been one of them. Paige was honest with her answer though. She didn't want to hide anything from Emily.  
"She wanted to get back together. I didn't."  
"And you just expect me to believe nothing's happened since you got back to town?" Emily asked, her tone full of accusation.  
"For God's sake Emily, grow up! This isn't high school; I can be friends with an old girlfriend without wanting to screw her!" Paige was quickly losing patience as she tried to defend herself. Telling the teenager to grow up was probably the worst thing she could have said to her though and Emily didn't plan on waiting around to let her apologise. "Em, wait! I'm sorry!" She chased after her as she made for the door.

Paige's hand slammed against the door just as Emily had managed to open it. The teen turned to glare at her as Paige used her body to keep her pinned against the door. "Please Emily, I didn't mean what I said…I just…"  
"You just what, Paige?" Emily snapped at her as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an explanation. She watched the anger drain out of the older woman's eyes as desperation sunk in instead.

"I just don't want to lose you." She admitted in barely more than a strained whisper. "I am madly in love with you Emily Fields; and trust me when I say that I would _not _risk losing you over some stupid thing with an ex! Yes, I dated Shana and yes we had sex, but what I felt for her, it was nothing compared to how I feel about you! It's not that I don't want to have sex with you Em, I just didn't want to rush you and mess up the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm sorry…"

"No, Paige, I'm the one who should be apologising." Emily sighed as she unfolded her arms and wrapped them around the other girl. There were tears in her eyes as Paige hugged her back. "I'm sorry I let Shana work me up like that. I should have trusted you."  
"I should have been honest with you in the first place Em." Paige led them over to the couch and sat down, pulling Emily on to her lap. The younger girl buried her face against her neck, trying to hide her shame at accusing Paige of something she would never do. She felt Paige let out a sigh right by her ear.

"You have no idea how much I want you Em." She moved her head to catch the younger girl's lips in a kiss that conveyed just that. Emily's eyes were glazed over by the time their lips parted and their previous argument was practically forgotten. "I just didn't want to rush anything. If you're ready-"  
"I am." Emily insisted. She blushed a little as she pushed her hair back behind her ear. "I want to."  
"Ok." Paige nodded, making up her mind as she pulled two tickets out of her pocket. "I got us tickets to the Halloween movie marathon Friday night. I figured you could stay over afterwards… and not in the guest room."

"I'd like that." Emily smiled. She appreciated the gesture; After all, Paige had bought the tickets before Emily had confronted her about spending the night.  
"Great…I'm presuming you _didn't_ get a costume for Friday night?" Paige asked, guessing correctly. She got to her feet and pulled Emily up with her. "Come on, we'll take a drive in to the city and find you something."

* * *

"What's Paige going as tonight?" Aria quizzed as she applied a liberal amount of eyeliner. She was dressed as a 1920s flapper, complete with a short glittering sequin dress and a feathered headpiece. They were getting ready at Emily's house before going over to Spencer's to drive to the dance together. Hanna and Caleb were going to meet them there.  
"She wouldn't tell me." Emily pouted as she finished off the final touches to her own makeup. She and Paige had gone to a costume store in the city and Emily had settled on something a little different to what she would normally wear for Halloween. Paige had teased her about her chosen costume all the way back to town, but Emily was set on it. "What do you think?" She turned to face her friend and gave a little twirl.

"Looking good, Em." Aria grinned at her. "Are those your dad's dog tags?" Emily was going to the dance as a marine. She'd bought some desert combat pants and matching hot weather boots; she was sure she'd find an excuse to wear the boots again at some point. She'd completed the outfit with a white tank top, a belt made from fake bullets and a black headband; and of course, the dog tags around her neck. "They're my grandfather's." Her dad's dad had been a marine too and he'd given Emily his tags. She'd promised to take a photo of her outfit for her dad; after swearing to her mom that she had no intention of ever joining the military.

"Ezra just text me, he's picked Paige up and they're on their way to the school now. How come you're taking your car to the drive-in? Doesn't Paige's SUV have way more room?"  
"We're not doing anything at the movies!" Emily scoffed, but she quickly broke out in to a smile as she added, "But I am staying over at her house tonight; and _not_ in the guest room." They shared a conspiratorial giggle as they headed downstairs and were stopped at the door by Pam Fields and her camera. She fussed over both girls' costume and took a few photos before letting them leave.

Emily had her overnight bag with her, which helped to back up her story about spending the night at Spencer's. She tossed it in to her trunk and then drove over to the Hastings house. Spencer and Toby were waiting for them when they pulled up in the drive. "Your costumes are adorable!" Aria squealed at the couple as they climbed in to the car. They were dressed as Olive and Popeye; Toby had even found a pipe from somewhere and Spencer had drawn some anchor tattoos on his forearms. "Ezra's going as a gangster. It's not like we can officially go as a couple, but we are going in to the city afterwards for this Edgar Allan Po reading."

"You do know that everyone in town knows you're a couple, don't you?" Toby pointed out wryly from the back seat. Spencer playfully dug him in the ribs with her elbow as she glared at him.  
"Yeah, but we have to at least try and keep up appearances; that's one of the conditions my mom set when she promised not to turn Ezra over to the police."

"I still can't believe your mom's ok with you two." Emily could never see her parents being ok with her dating her Paige. She was a couple of years younger than Ezra, but she was still older than Emily and she was still her teacher. "If my mom found out who I was dating she'd probably send me to a convent."  
"Please Em, _you_ could turn a nun." Spencer teased. "I'm loving the GI Jane look on you by the way. What's Paige going as?"  
"She wouldn't tell me. She's been all secretive about her costume all week." Emily had tried to make the older girl spill the beans about what she was wearing more than once, but Paige was nothing if not stubborn. She hadn't budged and Emily still had no clue what she was going as.

When they pulled up at the school, Emily's first thought was to find her girlfriend, but Hanna caught her as she walked through the entrance in to the gymnasium where the dance was being held. The blonde was dressed as Cinderella and she'd all but forced Caleb in to playing her Prince Charming. Emily had to be a good friend and fuss over their costumes before she could get away to try and find Paige. The gym was packed and she had to push her way through the crowd to try and search the room.  
"Evening, Private." She stopped in her tracks as she felt a hand on her shoulder and a husky voice in her ear.  
"It's Lieutenant, actually." She turned around with a grin. It widened as she took in what Paige was wearing.

She could barely see her face for the dark brown sheriff's hat that she had tipped down low. She was dressed as the sheriff from The Walking Dead comics she loved so much; wearing the full uniform, complete with utility belt and gun holster. The fabric of her shirt was distressed and ripped, and stained with fake blood to make it look like she had been fighting hoards of zombies. Despite all the blood, she looked quite hot in uniform. If they hadn't been surrounded by a sea of people then Emily would have moved in for a kiss; but as it was she had to settle for her girlfriend's dazzling smile as she tipped her hat to her.

Paige took hold of Emily's dog tags to inspect them and her hand brushed softly against her chest; Emily felt her heart racing from how close they were standing. All she could think of was spending the night with the other girl. "My mistake Lieutenant." Paige put on a southern drawl that would have given her father's accent a run for his money. "I got to get back to guarding the punch, but I'll try and sneak in a dance with you later. You look great by the way." She winked before going back to her chaperoning duties. Emily went back to find her friends and spent the rest of the night wishing the dance would just be over already.

She usually enjoyed school dances, especially Halloween, but with all of her friends paired off she just felt like a third wheel; having her own girlfriend so close, yet not being able to acknowledge her, was just making Emily feel worse. The teen finally cracked around ten o'clock and followed Paige out when she left the hall. The young teacher was going for the bathroom, but she knew the girls' bathroom right outside the gym would be full, so she headed up the stairs to use the one near her classroom. She heard footsteps following her up the stairs and grinned to herself as she pushed open the bathroom door. She knew full well who had followed her out.

Emily frowned as she walked in to the bathroom and found it empty. She'd watched Paige walk in and she'd followed right after her. "Paige?" She took a few tentative steps inside; noticing how eerily quiet it was away from the dance.  
"Boo!" Paige shouted at the top of her voice as she dropped down behind the teenager. Emily screamed from the shock of it and slapped at her arm.  
"Paige! What the hell! Where did you come from?" She glared at the other girl as she refused to stop laughing.

It took Paige a minute to collect herself, but she eventually pointed up at the small ledge above the door and explained how she'd climbed up on to the sinks and managed to wedge her feet between the ledge on the door and the corner of the room. "Why would you do that?" Emily snapped crossly, though she was mostly mad at herself for screaming.  
"It's Halloween! I couldn't resist! I'm sorry." She added as the younger girl pouted at her, but it didn't sound all that sincere since she was still laughing. Paige managed to stop herself laughing as she put her hands on the younger girl's hips and pulled her in close for a kiss. "Come on solider, that was your trick; it's almost time for your treat. Just another hour here and then we can go to the drive-in. You're going to love the movies-"

"Would it be ok if we give the movie marathon a miss?" Emily caught her off guard with the request as she sighed against her cheek. She had her arms draped around Paige's neck.  
"Sure. Are you tired? You don't have to stay out tonight if you're too tired-"  
"I'm not tired." Emily insisted. She moved her hands so they were cupping her girlfriend's cheeks before she brought their lips back together. When they finally parted, the younger girl stared Paige right in the eyes to make sure she was getting her point across. "But I would like to go to bed."

"Oh, ok." Paige swallowed. She had been a bag of nerves all day; torn between anxiety and anticipation. She couldn't deny how much she physically wanted Emily. She had been trying to do the right thing in stopping their relationship from going to the next level while she was still the younger girl's teacher, but there was no way she would make it until Emily's graduation. Just being around the teenager was enough to drive her crazy; so when Emily was kissing her and looking at her with those bedroom eyes of hers, there was no way she could deny her anything. "Screw it. Let's just go now."

"I'm just going to go get changed." Emily smiled timidly as they walked through Paige's front door. She kissed her on the cheek before heading upstairs with her overnight bag. After she'd locked up, Paige went upstairs too and stripped out of her costume. Emily was changing in the spare room, so the older girl had time to do what she needed to do. She'd put a few candles out around her room earlier. She lit them before turning out the lights, leaving the room bathed in a soft orange glow. Once she had her iPod playing on low she looked around the room to make sure everything was perfect. Paige had to laugh at how stupid she was being; she felt like she was seventeen again.

She picked up her pillow, expecting to find her favourite Ice hockey jersey underneath it; the Pittsburgh one she always slept in, but it was gone. Frowning, she went over to her dresser and pulled out a matching silk shorts and camisole set. It was probably a little sexier than her old Penguins jersey anyway. She had just finished changing when Emily walked in to her room; and her jaw almost hit the floor.

She'd pulled her hair down, letting it hang in soft curls around her shoulders, and her long lean legs were bare and seemingly endless; but none of that was what had left her slack jawed and gawping at the younger girl. She had been wrong about her jersey not being sexy enough. Emily was wearing it, with the oversized shirt hanging off one of her shoulders, and it had never looked so good. "Wow." Was all she could manage as the teenager sauntered towards her.

"Em, you're definitely sure you want this? I don't want to push you in to-" Paige's objections were cut off as the back of her knees hit the bed and Emily pushed her softly so that she was sitting down.  
"I want this." She draped her arms around the older girl's neck as she climbed on to her lap. Paige's hands automatically went to the teenager's bare legs. She ran them softly up the length of Emily's thighs until her fingers dipped under the hem of her jersey. She took a sharp breath as her girlfriend's lips found the column of her throat. Paige tilted her head back, giving the other girl better access to her neck. She felt the soft scrape of teeth and almost whimpered. "Jesus Em…"

Despite the alluring sight of her girlfriend dressed in nothing more than her favourite hockey jersey, Paige had still been fighting her impulse to give in completely. Part of her had still been worrying they were rushing, but her control was quickly slipping as Emily's lips carried on their ministrations. Her mouth moved to Paige's jaw, kissing a path along to her lips and she sighed in to her open mouth. "I want you."

Paige had never wanted anything so much in her life; not even her passion for swimming came close to what she felt for the other girl. It terrified and exhilarated her at the same time. Paige had struggled for years to take control of her own life; whether it was coming out to her father or finding a new direction for her life after swimming had been taken away from her. She had fought hard to be the one who made the decisions in her life. Sometimes, with Emily, it felt like she had no control whatsoever; though she was starting to learn that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as Emily pushed her down on to her back.

Emily's deft fingers started to slowly pull Paige's camisole up over her head. She dipped her head to kiss the newly exposed skin, eliciting another whimper from her long suffering girlfriend. She was going far too slowly for Paige's liking. She felt Emily's lips curl up in to a smile against her collarbone as she writhed impatiently beneath her.

"Em…" They were reaching the point of no return as Paige's top hit the floor and Emily started kissing her way down her stomach. Paige might have given up on swimming, but she kept herself fit in other ways and her abs looked like they had been chiselled out of marble. Emily's lips were like sweet torture as they descended over them. "You're sure…"  
"Very." Emily murmured back. Her tone was full of conviction as she locked eyes with her girlfriend. Paige swallowed hard at the sight of the other girl's almond shaped eyes staring softly up at her. They were pools of whiskey, framed by long thick lashes, and Paige could have quite happily drowned in them.

She sat up a little bit so that she could cup Emily's cheeks and claim the soft lips that had been running down the length of her body. She pulled the other girl back up so that their bodies were flushed as they carried on kissing. Paige flipped their positions without warning so that she was straddling the younger girl's waist. Emily let out a giggle as her hands went to work on pulling down Paige's shorts. She managed to pull them halfway down without their lips having to part. Paige had to pull them the rest of the way before finally kicking her legs out of them and letting them drop to the floor; somewhere in the back of her mind she was grateful that was wearing matching bra and panties. They were plain, but at least she wasn't wearing her favourite Wonder Woman underwear.

She sat back to let Emily pull her jersey up over her head and was met by the breath taking sight of black lace against caramel skin. Emily's lingerie was anything but plain. She definitely hadn't been wearing a black bra under her white tank top all night; Paige would have noticed that. So it seemed she'd deliberately changed in to the black lace set when she'd gone to change for bed. The older girl had never felt so lucky in her life. "Wow," was once again all she could manage to say as her eyes raked over the other girl's body. "You're stunning."

Emily's lips curled up in to a genuine smile as Paige stared at her like she was some kind of rare jewel. It made her heart swell. She knew they were making the right decision. They might have only been together a little over a month, but it didn't feel like they were rushing anything. It felt like they had been together for an age. She could feel the heat coming from Paige's body as she lay beneath her, and it made her feel safe; loved. She kissed her again, letting her lips linger before moving her mouth to her girlfriend's ear. There was something she needed to say before anything else happened between them. "I love you too."


	19. Chapter 19

Soft lips trailed up along the inside of Emily's thigh at the same time as skilled hands caressed her bare breasts. She gasped as she felt teeth grazing against the sensitive flesh, and her body arched up in response to the slow torture her lover was putting her though. "Paige…" The other girl's name came out as a low whine as her teasing kisses carried on moving their way up Emily's thigh. Eventually Paige's lips found their way to Emily's centre. She was still wearing her tiny, black lace panties and the material rubbed against her cruelly as Paige's lips pressed firmly over her core.

"Paige…" Emily whimpered this time as their eyes locked and the teenager's desire kicked in to overdrive at the sight of her girlfriend between her open legs. Paige ducked her head again and Emily grabbed furiously at the bed sheets as the other girl's tongue ran the length of the crease of her thigh. She was smirking, indulging in the sound of her name being torn from Emily's lips.

It felt like she had spent the past few months endlessly thinking about the younger girl's body, and given the chance, she was determined to memorise it. Reality rarely lived up to expectation; but in this instance reality far exceeded any of Paige's wildest dreams. The other girl's body was a work of art, seemingly crafted from flawless caramel skin.

When Emily had told her she loved her it had banished any niggling doubts from her mind. In that moment she hadn't been concerned about her job, or her father or his reputation. She hadn't cared about the implications of sleeping with a girl who was her student, or about being found out. The town could have had a parade and marched right through her bedroom with a brass brand and it still wouldn't have distracted her from the girl lying in her bed.

She moved to end Emily's torment as she slipped her panties down her legs. She tossed them away, carelessly letting them land with the rest of their clothes, which were currently littering her bedroom floor. She moved up Emily's body to kiss her, letting her lips linger as her nerves started getting the better of her again. She almost jumped out of her skin as she felt the younger girl's fingers trailing up her spine. She was still wearing her bra, so Emily's deft fingers made quick work of the clasp. Paige shrugged her arms out of the straps as Emily saw to removing her underwear.

It was Paige's turn take a sharp breath as she felt Emily's lips press lightly against her hip, just above the waistband of her panties. She was breathing hard as Emily tried to push her down so that she was lying on her back. Paige had been happy to take the lead, a position she was used to being in, and Emily suddenly taking charge seemed to throw her. Sitting up, she kissed her hard, trying to distract the teenager as she moved so that she was straddling the other girl's hips.

They sat like that for a few minutes, just making out as they both adjusted to being completely naked in front of the other. The room was lit only by the candles Paige had dotted around the room and the soft glow made it easier for them to feel comfortable completely exposed. Paige was relatively confident in her body, thanks to years of a strict diet and exercise regime, but that didn't stop her from feeling nervous about bearing everything to her girlfriend for the first time; and it wasn't like she could just ask to go under the comforter, it was hardly sensual.

From the way Emily was looking at her, and touching her, she quickly figured out she had nothing to worry about. She gently pushed Emily down on to her back, never letting their lips break contact, and slipped a hand down between them. Paige felt the other girl tense as her fingers ran softly over her core. She could feel how excited Emily was already, but she looked to her for confirmation that it was ok to carry on. Emily looked back up at her with soft doe eyes full of adoration as she nodded her head ever so slightly. Paige leant down to kiss her as she slipped a single finger inside of her.

She felt Emily clenching her and made sure to wait for her to adjust to the intrusion before starting to slowly move in and out of her. The pad of her thumb circled the sensitive bundle of nerves at her core as she added a second digit. The sensation building up inside of the teenager had her nails digging in to Paige's shoulders as she gasped in to her mouth. She could feel the desperate need for release washing over her as Paige's pace increased and she pushed her hips up to meet her.

Paige's lips never left her body, whether it was her lips, her collarbone, her breasts… it felt like they were everywhere at once, overloading her already strained senses. Emily's eyes closed over as she felt her release finally spilling out. With her hands grasping Paige's shoulders to pull her in flush against her, she buried her face in her neck as she rode out her orgasm.

Paige carried on moving inside of her until the younger girl was completely spent. Once she was done she lay down beside her and waited for Emily to stop gasping for breath. Her arms wrapped around her girlfriend and pulled her in close so that she was half lying over Paige's chest while she recovered. "That was…" Emily started, but wasn't quite capable of finishing. She closed her eyes over again as she tried to find the words she needed. "Wow..."

Paige's lips curled up in to satisfied grin at Emily's dazed attempt at conversation. It wasn't often the older girl got performance anxiety in _anything_, but the prospect of her first time with Emily had been daunting to say the least and she had wanted to do her best. If the noises Emily had been making were anything to go by then she had certainly achieved just that. She lay with her girlfriend in her arms, the mild discomfort from the scratches on her back a reminder of just how satisfied Emily had been with her performance.  
Once Emily had calmed down a bit she started kissing Paige again, letting one of her hands find its way to her left breast as her fingers teased at the hardening nipple. Paige felt a burning between her own legs as the teenager dipped her head to take the bud in her mouth. It took every ounce of will power she had, but the older girl managed to pull back. Emily looked up at her with a flash of hurt in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared as Paige brought her lips to her ear. "I'm not finished with you yet, Fields." Her husky whisper sent a thrill of anticipation through her girlfriend as she lowered her back down so that she was lying flat against the bed.

Paige dropped her head to kiss a path down Emily's stomach, letting her lips, tongue and teeth caress the hot flesh of her abdomen; it was a promise of what was to come as she reached her hips. She looked back up at her, searching for that reassurance from her again. Emily's eyes were burning brightly with lust, but it was accompanied by complete and utter love and adoration; that was all Paige needed to see. She let her mouth trail lower as Emily's eyes rolled to the back of her head.

When morning came, Paige opened her eyes and stretched out like a tiger lying in the sun. There was an accomplished sense of exhaustion deep within her body. Emily was nestled in beside her, still sleeping soundly. Paige smiled at the sleeping girl. No matter how many times she woke up next to her, she would always be amazed to see her actually lying there beside her. She tried to slip out of the bed without disturbing the other girl, but Emily rolled over to face her and threw an arm over her chest. "Stay." She grumbled, practically still asleep as she lay on her front.  
"I was going to make us breakfast." Paige explained as she tried again to slip out from under the sheets. Emily finally opened her eyes as she sat up to stop Paige getting out of bed, she tugged on her hand, pulling her down on top of her with a giggle.  
"You're not leaving this bed for _anything_ today, McCullers." Emily made herself quite clear as she started kissing her neck and moved her lips down to her collar.

Paige winced, her injured shoulder had been healing pretty well since their race, but the pain was still occasionally flaring up and it felt particularly tender after the previous night's antics. "Are you ok?" Emily fussed over her and tried to apologise.  
"I'm fine. It's nothing a hot shower won't fix." Paige insisted as she lay back down, no longer in any particular hurry to get out of bed.  
"Hmm, want me to rub your back?" Emily offered, drawing out a soft chuckle from her girlfriend.  
"Now _that_ would be worth getting up for…Ok, so the order of the day is: shower, high protein breakfast and then back to bed?"

"Sounds good." The younger girl went to stand up, taking the comforter with her.  
"Hey!" Paige protested, feeling the cold without the cover of the sheets. She quickly scrambled out of bed and wrapped the comforter around her as she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist. The two of them managed to manoeuvre their way in to the master bathroom whilst staying wrapped up. Paige set the shower running, letting the water warm up for them. They were both laughing as they stepped in to the walk-in shower and huddled together under the spray.

Paige hissed a little as the hot water hit the fresh scratches on her back. "Sorry!" Emily apologised as she caught sight of them, but at the same time the younger girl was trying to stifle back a laugh. A giggle escaped her lips as Paige rolled her eyes at her, clearly unconvinced by her apology. Any previous shyness they had felt around each other had disappeared the night before, and Paige felt completely at ease wrapping her arms around Emily's waist and pulling her closer so that her back was pressed flush against her front. Her hands settled on the teen's hips as her lips sought out her bare shoulder. Her skin was slick from the shower head pouring down over them, and rivulets of water were running in to Paige's mouth as she kissed along Emily's collar. The younger girl titled her long slender neck to the side as she leant back against her girlfriend, giving her lips better access. A low moan escaped from Emily's parted lips as one of Paige's hands dipped between her legs.

"Son of a…" Paige cursed with frustration as she heard the doorbell going downstairs.  
"Ignore it." Emily pleaded. She turned to face the older girl, claiming her lips and pushing her back against the tiled wall. Paige had no objections as she kissed her back; the caller at the door, however, was insistent. The doorbell went another two times before Paige finally gave in.  
"Save me some hot water. I'll be right back." She sighed as she kissed the tip of the other girl's nose and slipped out of the shower. She wrapped herself up in one of the big fluffy towels that she'd bought when she'd moved back home, and then padded in to her room to quickly throw on some sweats. She was just tying her hair back as she reached the front door.

When she opened it she was met by the sight of a gaunt man in his late thirties. His salt and pepper hair was cropped close to his head and he had a neatly trimmed beard that made him look older than he actually was. His clothes were smart, pressed slacks and a golf shirt under a blazer, and he didn't look like a salesman or anything; Paige had no clue who he was or what he was doing knocking on her door on a Saturday morning. He had a nervous energy about him, as though he had been getting ready to bolt before she'd answered. "Hi there, are you the owner of the house?" He greeted her with an anxious smile that didn't quite reach his haggard eyes.

"Sorry buddy, I'm not looking to buy anything." Paige went to close the door over, but the stranger stepped forward, blocking the door with his foot. The young woman was instantly on the defensive as she reached back for the hockey stick she kept in the umbrella stand by her door.  
"Wait! Please! I'm not selling anything!" He held his hands up in surrender as he took a step back on to the porch. "I'm looking for the owner of the house, Paige McCullers…you're her aren't you? I remember you, sort of… from the trial…"  
"What trial?" Paige snapped at him impatiently. She had already been mad about having her morning with Emily interrupted. The stranger was making no sense and she was just about ready to slam the door in his face.

"I guess I was a little bigger then, had a bit more up top too…" He laughed nervously as he rubbed at his short hair. Paige glared at him, trying to place where she had seen him before. His skin had a slightly sagging look, as though he'd lost a lot of weight, and he carried himself like a man who was used to occupying more space than he did. She was still at a loss as to who he was when he started talking again. "You probably don't recognise me, you were only a kid…My name is Dylan Hunt-"  
"Leave." Paige growled at the man before he could get out another word. He didn't seem very surprised by her sudden change in tone, unlike Emily who had just walked down the stairs.  
"Paige, what's going on?" The older girl looked practically murderous as she tried to shut the door.  
"Please, Miss McCullers, I just want to talk! I've been to rehab and part of my AA-" Paige managed to slam the door shut before slumping forward against it. It was like she was lost in her own world as Emily tried to ask her what was wrong and who the man at the door had been.

Without warning, she slammed her fist against the heavy wooden door. She wouldn't stop pounding in to it until Emily managed to physically stop her. She caught hold of the older girl and pinned her arms at her sides until her rage dissolved in to anguish and the two of them slummed to the floor as Paige cried in to her shoulder. Emily had no idea what was wrong, or how to help. She had no choice but to wait for her girlfriend to calm down and tell her in her own time. After what seemed like an age, the other girl finally managed to calm herself down and wipe away the tears that were left in her eyes.

Her knuckles were red raw and bleeding from where she'd punched the door over and over, so Emily got her up on to her feet and took her in to the kitchen to see to her hand. She sat her on one of the stools at the breakfast bar and pulled out the first aid kid from under the sink. Paige didn't even flinch as she sprayed on the antiseptic before wrapping a bandage around her hand. The knuckles were already badly bruised and swollen, and Emily was pretty sure her girlfriend needed a real doctor, but Paige shook her head at the suggestion. She just sat on the stool, staring at a spot on the floor. She couldn't feel Emily's hand on her shoulder. She couldn't even feel the pain throbbing in her own hand. She was numb to everything; everything except the anger burning in the pit of her stomach and the grief that was gnawing at her insides. It was eating away at her just as it always had been.

"Paige, who was that guy? What did he want?" Emily had only caught the tail end of their conversation when she'd been coming down the stairs. She'd heard raised voices and had decided to go down and see if her girlfriend needed backup with an overzealous salesman or something. She hadn't expected to witness Paige losing it like she had. The older girl had always seemed so in control and she had no idea what could have set her off like that.  
"My mom." Paige croaked out. Her throat felt raw from crying and her voice came out as a hoarse whisper as she wiped at her eyes again. "He's the asshole drunk who killed her."

*

**A/N: So whenever I write any kind of sex scene I revert to some sort of bumbling teenager again and it takes me an age to write, hopefully this wasn't too bad! I'm back at work tomorrow after a six week absence, so I can't promise to update as regularly as I have been, but I'll try my best! **


End file.
