A/N: This is a Paily pairing. It just may not seem that way for the first few chapters.

"So, what is your type?" Was the first thing Hanna asked Emily after she explained her date gone wrong. She had gone out with one of Spencer's friends whom she had met during her extra credit classes at Hollis, who ended up being much too into academic-related things for her liking. Their date had consisted of a tour of the newest exhibit at the museum, followed by her date talking mostly about her admiration for Sophocles and other ancient playwrights.

Emily just rolled her eyes and gently nudged the blonde, taking the glass from her hand and downing the rest of the amber liquid that was in it. It was their last night together before they each went their separate ways for the summer. Aria was going to Chile with her parents, Hanna was staying in Rosewood with Caleb, Spencer was going to to New York for some internship and Emily was going to Danby for a training camp preparing freshmen for their upcoming undergraduate year.

When Emily looked at her friends she could see they were still expecting an answer from her, and she chuckled at their curious faces. "I don't have one, guys. Just not, that" She said, referring to Spencer's friend. "No offense to you, Spence" She added with a laugh since both girls were quite similar.

Spencer faked a frown before she laughed, "It's fine. I'll have to try my luck elsewhere!" She told them, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"I say Emily will be roomed with a real hottie" Hanna said, grinning wildly at a now blushing Emily. "And hopefully she'll be on team lesbo" She added.

"Han!" Aria said with a laugh. Hanna could be so blunt sometimes.

"What!" Hanna replied, "You know I love you, Em, but chasing after a straight girl isn't the best of ideas" She said with a shrug.

"Oh. I wasn't aware of that fact, Han" Emily replied sarcastically, her tone making Spencer chuckle quietly.

"Fine, be a smart ass! But you have to promise to call if she is a hottie" Hanna said, a smirk gracing her lips. "And send pic-" Hanna started, only to get interrupted by Spencer.

"Okay Han, enough with the creepiness. I'm sure Em will have a great time no matter what. And so will we" She said, lifting her cup in the air. "To a great summer" She said.

The three other girls looked at each other with a smile, lifting their cups to match Spencer's. "To a great summer!" They said in union, drinking what was left from their cups.

The next day

Emily walked with her mom, bags in hand, towards the dorm room that was indicated on her information sheet. They had arrived only a few minutes prior in Danby's main hall, where she had been given all the information she needed concerning her living arrangements. When she entered the room she found that her roommate had not yet arrived. She chose the bed furthest from the door, and set her bags beside it. She got up and hugged her mom goodbye.

"I'll call you when I get settled in, mom" She told her mother before she left. She and Pam had gotten a lot closer after Emily came out. It took a few months for things to get back to normal but now they understood each other a lot more. However, she was still happy to get some escape from Pam's overprotective nature.

Emily had had time to unpack most of her bags when her roommate came bustling through the door with her many bags. She noticed that the girl, who was slightly taller than her, was alone.

"Need any help?" Emily offered, not waiting for an answer before she grabbed one of the girl's bags and brought it up on her bed.

"Thanks" The girl answered, extending her hand to greet Emily. "I'm Samara" She said. Samara was beautiful, Emily noted. Her hair was a light shade of blonde and her graceful curls rested just below her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown and they drew Emily in.

"Emily" She said quickly, hoping her new roommate hadn't noticed her staring and almost evaluating her physical appearance. "What are you here for?" She asked, hoping the blonde would be here for swimming as well.

"Gymnastics" Samara answered, sitting down on the edge of her new bed. "And I assume you're here for swimming?" She said with a chuckle. Emily wondered how she guessed, but then realized that her swimsuits were still laying on her bed, begging to be stored in her drawers.

"Is it that obvious?" Emily asked sweetly with a smile, and subconsciously eyed the girl's body up and down. She was physically attracted to Samara, it was hard to be, and she wished to know more about the girl. She internally slapped herself for already flirting with her roommate and remembered Hanna's earlier comment. Chasing after straight girls was never a good idea. She had a feeling this summer would be a whole kind of painful if she continued being so obvious in front of her roommate.

"Well, the swimsuits and your killer body gave me a few clues" She replied back with a wink, and Emily relaxed when she noticed the girl had not taken offense by her flirting, and was even, perhaps, flirting back. Maybe this summer wouldn't be so bad after all.

The next day, training camp begins

Emily's phone alarm had rang at 5:30am to wake her up for her first practice with the girls that would be her teammates for the following four years. Standing by the pool and listening to the head coach talking, she now felt the effects of the early morning dawning onto her. Her yawn was cut short by coach telling them they'd be put in pairs and to pay attention.

"Callie Jones and Katherine Cols, Hannah Mys and Alexandra Writ, Sandrah Hughs and Julia Letour, Emily Fields and Paige McCullers, Sta-" The rest of the pairings were cut off by Emily as she looked around the group of girls to try and spot Paige.

"Paige McCullers, from Glenwood High in California" Emily heard someone say behind her. "Two state titles, hold the school record and placed 1st in the western division" The girl said as Emily turned around. Emily noticed she was talking to the head coach, who didn't look all that interested in the girl.

Emily walked over to her, smiling at the girl who was her partner. "I'm Emily Fields. From Rosewood, in Pennsylvania" She told Paige, who looked at her with an uninterested glance, "We're partners" She said in case the girl hadn't been listening.

"Right. Nice to meet you" Paige told her, her tone slightly rude. Paige was still slightly pissed off that their coach hadn't even paid attention to them.

Emily groaned internally. Of course she'd be stuck with a bitch as a partner, she thought.

"Alright, girls! I want to start off this camp with some friendly competition. A nice two person relay with your partner, 100m each. We'll see who's to beat in this batch of young blood" Their coach said loudly, motioning for the girls to take their spots on the diving boards.

Paige was quiet so Emily decided to go up on the board first, guessing that her partner wanted to go last. She positioned herself to dive, and as soon as the beeper rang her hands were in contact with the water. Her body sifted through the lane as her legs paddled through the water without much of a splash, her arms elegantly cutting through the water. She reached the side of the pool and spun around, staying underwater and moving her body for a while before continuing her front crawl. She reached the starting point once more and before she even took her a breath Paige was already in the water. She noticed how strong and intense Paige was in the water, the girl keeping the lead she had given her.

Emily got out of the water and cheered on for Paige like the rest of the girls were doing for their partners. The girl was brutal in the water, she was completely fearless. She reached the end a good 25m in front of everyone, earning herself a hug from Emily as soon as she got out of the pool.

Emily didn't even realize that she was hugging the girl, and she stepped back as soon as she heard Paige cough uncomfortably. "Sorry" She said with an embarrassed smile, looking at her partner. "I've just always been swimming with people who slowed me down" She said, hoping it would explain her reaction. Her high school rarely won any relays because Emily was one of the only ones who could beat the swimmers from other schools, and it resulted in many losses. It felt good to finally be recognized as a team.

Paige shrugged casually, about to say something bitter but the look on Emily's face made her change her mind. "You gave me the lead, I kept it" She said and smiled slightly. She was never one to compliment others on their swimming abilities, she was taught that she was the best and shouldn't let others beat her. But seeing Emily's happy reaction spurred her desire to be nice to the girl.

"Great job, girls! I knew you two would make great partners" Coach said, making Emily beam at her. "Now that you're all warmed up, I'm sure you won't mind doing a few individual times. Need to make sure all of you are up to par for this program before things start getting serious. Back in the water girls!"

"Ready to quick some ass?" Paige asked Emily with a smile that she recognized as a true one, not a forced smile like the one she had given her when they first introduced themselves.

Emily knew this would be the start of a great friendship.

A/N: So, I've decided not to make Paige a total bitch. She's met someone of equal calibre to herself and has decided to be her friend. Not totally out of character if you think season 2-3 Paige! Hope you guys like this story!

Review please, that's the only way I know if I should continue :)