Here's another Paily one shot. It is from when Paige is going to first see Alison and the girls together, I went this way with the story as I feel that Paige would do anything for Emily. Hope you enjoy it.
Paige couldn't believe it. She was shocked, actually scratch that she was astonished. It had to be her mind playing tricks on her; there was no way that what she was seeing was the truth. It couldn't be. 'Just a nightmare', she kept repeating in her head. It couldn't be true, not one bit. It's impossible, isn't?
That's what she wanted to think but the more she looked the more it became real. Standing right in front of her was the one and only Alison Dilaurentis, surrounded by Emily, Hanna, Aria and Spencer.
How was she there? She was supposed to be dead, buried ten feet in the ground. There had been a funeral, two in fact. This brought a whole new meaning to dead person walking. This girl stood in front of her was not meant to be walking. For the past years, Alison had been missing and then found but not in a way which she would ever return. It made it easier for Paige, knowing that her bully wouldn't be a problem anymore. Alison had left, yes in a truly horrible way but it meant that Paige was free. Away from the hurt, the shame and the endless torture. Alison had left to a place where she could no longer hurt Paige.
So, the questions going through Paige's head was why was she here and why was she stood with her girlfriend?
More importantly, why was she stood so close?
Paige looked at Emily, she hadn't even noticed that she was there but she was certainly keeping an eye on Alison. The way Emily's eyes were constantly on Alison's figure. The way her face consisted of confusion and relief. The way she stood so close to Alison to make sure she couldn't get away. The way that she blocked out the entire world because she was so interested in her. The way she couldn't keep her hand still, arguing with herself to grab Alison's hand. The way her foot tapped on the floor portraying the nerves and fear running through her body.
Paige had seen it all before. It was a sign, a very sad sign that Paige was losing Emily.
And inside Paige had to accept that the fight was lost, there was no retreating to reload ammo; no shouting for back up. Paige may have won battle but Alison had won the war. Because there is a simple saying that Paige has heard too many times, 'you never forget your first love' and that was exactly what Alison was to Emily her first love. Nothing Paige could do would ever live up to that.
It was Spencer who finally saw Paige standing there. She gently tapped Emily on the shoulder and pointed to Paige who was lost in thought. Spencer moved the other four girls to the side as Emily made her way of to Paige.
"Hey." She said as she reached Paige.
"Hi" Paige answered back.
"I... erm... Alison's back... and... I"
"Em, I get it okay."
"You do?" Emily asked.
"You never forget your first love, right?"
"Yeah... right" Emily answered, confused and dazed.
"So go. Go see her." Paige said, trying to keep up some control on her emotions.
"Yeah... I'm... I'm...gonna go...back" Emily said, whilst pointing back at the group of girls "but I'll see you soon."
"Okay." Paige replied.
With that said Emily turned round and made her way back to the group of girls, stopping to see that Paige had already left and was making her way down the street.
Reaching the four others girls they had decided to go back and talk more about what they had missed with their friends for the past few years.
Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Aria were all in Spencer's living room trying to understand what had happened today. Alison had gone home explaining that she had to go see her family and do some explaining.
The three other girls were taking about some issue but Emily was too focused on replaying the moment that she had with Paige earlier. The girl didn't even seem mad that she was with Alison or even upset. It's like she didn't care. Thinking back, all Paige did was look confused and let Emily do anything she wanted. Heck, Emily could have said anything in that moment and Paige would have probably agreed with it; and the things that Paige said, telling her to go see Alison and the 'you never forget your first love' thing...
"You never forget your first love" Emily said out loud.
"What?" Spencer questioned as the other girls looked at Emily in confusion.
"You never forget your first love." Emily repeated louder this time "Oh god, how did I not see it?"
"Emily, what are you talking about?" Hanna said this time.
"Paige, I'm talking about Paige" She turned to face the girls "She told me you never forget your first love."
"And?" Hanna said as a follow-up question.
"She was talking about my first love. Alison. She was my first love."
"Again, and?" Hanna said.
"For years, I, we had thought that Alison was dead. Then we started with the A messages and then we think maybe she isn't. But it wasn't just us the Alison picked on was it? No, it was Mona, Toby, Lucas, probably the population of Rosewood and Paige. Alison probably did the worse things to her out of all of us." Emily said as she paced.
"What has this got to do with Paige?" Aria asked.
"Everything is to do with Paige. Paige. My Paige, was bullied by Alison and then the first thing she sees of me today is that I am stood next to the person who bullied her for years. The same girl that I had feelings for and Paige knew that. But instead of shouting at me or Alison, the one thing she says to me is that you never forget your first love. She let me go to Alison when I shouldn't have. Alison isn't that person to me anymore."
"What is she to you?" Spencer asked.
"A memory, a time in my life that I will treasure but a time that has to stay in the past. It can't mess with my present or future because today was a glimpse of what would happen if I did. I always like Alison but as a friend now."
"You loved her, right?" Spencer said.
"Yeah I did but Spencer, I go for strong women. Unfortunately, Alison isn't as strong as before. All this time she knew, knew about A and everything else. Everything that A has done to me, to us she could have come back and said who it was but she didn't, okay. She stayed away, let A nearly kill each other us multiple times. She didn't even have to come back she could have called, wrote a letter, even a text would have done. What strong person runs away and leaves people in danger?" Each girl was staring at Emily as she made her little speech.
"And now. I have well I think I have one of the strongest people in the world. I have Paige, everything she has been through. The Alison torment, the personal struggles, you guys accusing her of being A, almost being killed by Lyndon and everything else that followed. She stayed strong; she could have run away and hide, say she never wanted to see me again but she didn't. She became stronger and every time I have needed someone she has been there." Emily took a large breath and saying everything out loud.
"Well, what you doing? Go get you girl." Spencer said.
Emily pulled up outside Paige's house and saw the light was on. She got out of the car and made her way to the front door, straightening her jacket out she knocked on the door. She was hoping to see Paige on the other side but was presented with her father.
"Hi Mr McCullers, is Paige in?" Emily asked.
"Emily, yes she's in. Go on up, she's in her room." He replied.
Emily returned a thank you and then made her way up to Paige's room. She knocked on the door and when she heard a reply to come in she opened the door. It was obvious that Paige wasn't planning on leaving that room tonight, dressed in sweats and an over-sized t-shirt she was surrounded by various junk food and action movies.
Paige was surprised when she saw Emily walk through her door; she hadn't expected to hear from Emily for a way as she expected she would be too busy with Alison to be bothered with her. She jumped up of her bed and stood looking at Emily at a far distance. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I came to see you." Emily replied.
"Why?"
"Because you told me something today, you said you never forget your first love. From that moment on I have tried to figure out why you said it and I figured it out. You saw me with Alison and you thought I wanted her back. I don't. Paige, who is your first love?" Emily asked.
Paige didn't answer but lowered head, trying to avoid eye contact with Emily. Emily knew the answer, of course she knew. She only looked up when she heard Emily say "Paige, don't look away. Who was your first love?"
"Emily Fields" She answered back.
"Right, and when you said that about first loves I caught on. You thought I wanted Alison back and I sat there for ages thinking why did she let me go so easy? And then I realised, you didn't let me go, you let me go to something that you thought I wanted that I needed. Because Alison was my first love but Paige just because she was someone I loved doesn't mean I want her back." She stepped closer to Paige "I want a person who will give up their first love just to make that person happy and to get what they want, because that what you did. I'm your first love and you were willing to try as hard as you could to give me what you thought I wanted. But Paige, you don't forget your first love do you?" Emily asked with a smile on her face.
"No, you don't" Paige answered.
"So why don't you let me decide who I want to be with? Because I want to be with a girl who will give up anything to make other people happy, who is the most kindest person I have met, who with whatever struggles she has dealt with has always and will come out stronger than before. The same girl who will sit with me in her sweats and watch a load of action movies with me tonight. Paige, I want you to be that girl, so what do you say?" Emily said.
"Yeah, I wanna be that girl." Paige replied with a smile.