This is my first try at fanfiction, while I've read it for years I've never tried my hand at it. However, seeing as the Paily fanfiction is really limited recently, I figured I'd give it a try. There are plenty of great authors out there that I'm sure I won't even compare to, but hopefully this won't be all bad! Thanks for reading, if this goes well I'll think of doing something really AU of some sort in the future. For now, this is AU from here on out. I'm aware this is super short, but I just wanted you guys to feel it out before I commit to anything permanent.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Pretty Little Liars. In future chapters there will be a few Dawson's Creek quotes thrown in here and there (that's what happens when you watch a series a dozen times), those also do not belong to me but to the writers of that series. Thank you to the reviewer who reminded me to do this! Hope that's understood and you enjoy this!

Chapter 1. Starting Over.

Emily didn't know what to do, seeing Paige yesterday, dressed like that… it floored her. She'd spent the past few months focusing so heavily on Allison that she'd just about put Paige out of my mind. Out of sight, out of mind; at least that's how Emily tried to play it. It was just a whole lot of pretending. Now, Emily needed advice; maybe she just needed someone to tell her getting Paige back wouldn't be completely impossible. That's how she ended up on the Hastings' couch with Spencer sitting opposite her in the loveseat, really enjoying this therapist/patient vibe they were putting out.

"So, are you sure this is about Paige and not about Ali?" Spencer questioned, her lips pursed.

"Cut the shit, Spence. I love Paige, I've just been…. Distracted" Emily spat, sighing at the thought of Ali and how much time she had wasted on her. For what? Something she didn't even understand, her need for approval even if she only got it through being romantically involved. "I think she was on a date yesterday," Emily mumbled towards Spencer.

"She was, Aria saw them." Spencer added, deciding to avoid questioning Emily's feeling for Alison as she saw how conflicted the girl looked.

Emily sat up quickly upon hearing that, she had figured Paige was on a date but it was nice to pretend she hadn't been. Groaning, she threw her body back onto the couch again. " Well, uhm- what else did Aria say?"

"Aria said she was blonde and cute, but 'not someone she'd worry about competing for if it was Ezra,'" Spencer stated matter-of-factly using her fingers to form quotation marks. "Which I suppose means she's no competition for you."

"That's not how Paige is though. She's not shallow, she wouldn't pick me just because I'm prettier-" Emily started before being cut off.

"No, she'd pick you because she loves you," Aria commented as she walked in with Hanna.

"Who cares, I'd pick you because you're hot," was Hanna's contribution, which earned a glare from Spencer.

"We need a plan," Spencer concludes after a few moments of silence.

"Buy her a pink drink, isn't that what lesbians do?"

"Shut up, Hanna!" comes from Spencer and Aria, Emily only groaning in response.

"Why not? That IS what Lesbians do, isn't it?" Hanna questioned.

They definitely needed a plan.

Spencer had spent the remainder of the day racking her brain for a solution to Emily's problem. Normally, she wasn't really all that invested in the relationships of her friends. Aria's relationship with Ezra was beyond impossible to understand, and Caleb and Hanna rarely had major issues. Not to mention they didn't really want her input 90% of the time.

This was different though, as hard as it was for her to admit to herself, she really liked Paige. Aside from the fact that Paige was actually an extremely loyal girlfriend to Emily, she was snarky and competitive which ended up being the saving grace between the two. Spencer never blamed Paige for telling Rosewood PD about Alison being alive, in fact to Spencer is proved that Paige was willing to lose Emily in order to protect her. Paige was willing to give up a relationship she loved and let Emily move on with her greatest enemy, all to ensure Emily was safe- while Spencer would never admit it out loud, she found it admirable.

Then there was the fact that Paige had saved her life. Spencer had yet to return the favor. As a Hastings, she knew there was nothing worse than owing people anything, so she'd pay back Paige this way. Sure, she'd also get back her favorite running partner and Emily would stop moping, but those were just pluses. She owed Paige, now she just hoped Paige hadn't completely moved on from Emily.

Knowing the best way to solve a problem was by using the main sources; she concluded that after hours of speaking to Emily, it was time to speak to Paige.

Text Message to Paige McCullers: I'm going for a run, join me.

After a few minutes her phone lit up with a response.

Text Message from Paige McCullers: Other than the fact that we haven't run together since Em and I broke up, it's 9 p.m.

Text Message to Paige McCullers: Fantastic, It's early. If we run for an hour, you'll have just enough time to get back for your recommended 8 hours.

Text Message from Paige McCullers: But, I'm tired.

Text Message to Paige McCullers: Meet you in 10.

Knowing Paige would eventually accept, Spencer simply put her phone away and started changing into her running gear before heading to meet up with Paige. Emily thought it would be impossible to rebuild her relationship with Paige, Spencer planned on proving that wrong. As a Hastings, it's basically her place to solve impossible problems after all.