Emily groaned as she opened her eyes not quite knowing why she had woken up as the window to the room still showed the night sky. She shut her eyes pulling the blanket up to her chin and snuggled in to Paige's chest in preparation to get more sleep, and hopefully get rid of the slight pounding in her head.

"Paige, wake up."

Emily's eyes snapped open at hearing Paige's radio call for her somewhere from the other side of the room in her jeans that Emily had thrown the night before. Emily smiled softly as she remembered, her and Paige stumbling back from the commons car after vodka shots with Riley and Marlene. She remembered Paige slamming her into the wall outside of their room and stripping Emily of her shirt before they managed to make it into the room-

"Paige, we have a problem up here, get up before I come get you"

The radio sounded again, it was Peter and if Peter was up at whatever hour this actually was there must be a problem. Emily pushed the blankets back, her barely clothed body missing the heat instantly. Paige mumbled something incoherent and tried to pull Emily closer to make up for the missing heat. Emily gently placed a kiss to Paige's forehead.

"You're needed at the front of the train love", Emily whispered.
"Tell them to call Peter, he can take care of it" Paige whined into Emily's neck, tightening her grip around her waist.
"I would, but Peter's the one calling for you, he's already up there."
"Fuck", Paige mumbled placing a kiss on Emily's shoulder as she rolled out of bed putting on a T-shirt and underwear. "I'll be right back" she said grabbing the radio and stepping in the hall to talk to Peter.

Emily pulled the blankets back over her in Paige's absence even though she was wide awake now, she missed the heat of curling into her girl and being in the arms of Paige. She sighed as she looked towards the window where she could see the first streaks of pink hitting the morning sky, meaning it had to be just before 5 in the morning. Seeing the pink of the sky Emily groaned, her and Paige had stayed up late drinking in the commons car because there was no show today, they had planned to sleep in and then Paige wanted to try and teach Emily how to drive the bike again.

"What the fuck does the Army want with my train and my show?!" Paige yelled coming back into their room.
"The Army?" Emily asked sitting up in bed.
"The Army, they've got like four hummers up at the front of the train"
"I know what the Army wants with your train and your show," whispered Emily.
"You do?" Then it hit Paige. "Texas! We're in Texas, is that your dad out there?"
"I don't know" Emily breathed jumping out of bed and slipping jeans over her bare hips in a way that made Paige want to take her back to bed. Emily finished getting dressed and grabbed Paige's hand as she ran out of the room both of them barefoot shoes to sprint to the front of the train as fast as they could.

Paige slipped her hand away from Emily's and fell a half step behind her. Meeting a girlfriends parents is always nerve-wracking, but Emily was so much more than a girlfriend to her. Emily was home, she was every sunrise and sunset and the only one she ever wanted to be with till the end of time. Paige slowed down, coming to an almost stop and she thought about this, gripping the E around her neck. It hit her, this was Emily, girl she wanted to be with for their own piece of forever and she was about to meet her parents. Of course she had seen Emily's parents around town while she was in high school but meeting them as the woman that was caring for their baby girl, Paige was more than nervous, she was just about terrified and then add the fact that Emily's dad was in the Army… well Paige put that to the back of her mind as she saw Emily jump out of one of the train doors.

Emily was elated as she turned out the door and saw her dad in heatedly talking to Peter in front of his giant Army hummer.
"Dad!" She yelled as she ran through the grass and launched herself in to his arms. She couldn't help herself as she giggled and her dad twirled her around like she was seven again.
"Where's mom?" she asked as her father finally set her down.
"Right here" Emily turned to see her mother getting out of one of the hummers. Emily ran to hug her mom, unbelievably glad to have her whole family together as she was group hugged between both her parents. But she couldn't help that something was missing. Emily turned her head to look back at the train where Paige was smiling softly as Emily reunited with her parents.

Emily wiggled out of her parents crushing embrace and walked back over to the train and offered a hand to help Paige down. Watching Paige jump down, Emily could see the nerves in Paige and gave her shaky hand and give a reassuring squeeze. Emily leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "Relax, they already love you" Emily whispered.
"Mom, Dad, this is Paige my girlfriend. Paige, meet my parents", Emily announced introducing the love of her life to her parents.
"So you're the girl who cause my baby to ditch her hometown and runaway with the circus?" Boomed Mr. Fields
"I, uh-
"Yes, and I couldn't be happier" Emily giggled, shoving her dad and then put an arm around the waist of a stammering Paige. "Paige actually owns the circus Dad"

"Really, at such a young age?" Asked Emily's mom, clearly impressed.
"Yes, my parents passed away a few years ago and I took the reins, not wanting to see my parents hard work die along with them", Paige stated regaining her confidence as long as Emily's arm was around her.
"And she's done such a good job! I can't wait for you guys to see the show, we don't have one today it's just setting the tents up and practice today but there's one at noon tomorrow" Emily chipped in excitedly, always happy to brag about the work of her girl.
"I'm not the only one who's done a good job, you're girl has an amazing act of her own in the show too" Paige informed the two, the pride she felt for her girlfriends act with Ember clear on her face.
"You're in the show Em?" Her mom questioned "What do you do?"
"Yea, you remember the horse that Paige so generously took for me? I'm riding him, but you'll have to come to the show to see what we do, but I want you guys to meet him later after the stables are set up. Oh! And you guys have to meet Paige's tiger, Stella!"
"We can't wait, so what is your day look like today girls?" Her father asked.
"I don't know, I'll have to ask my boss," Emily giggled and looked at Paige.
Everyone laughed along with Emily and looked to Paige "Well because we arrived so early to the grounds and there isn't a show, there isn't really much to do, I'm letting everyone sleep in because I know most of the performers were up late in the commons car; but as long as the laborers get the tents and stables set up, that's really it. So as long as everything goes smoothly, Emily and I have the day off."

"Well seeing as it's quite early still and the rest of your crew is still asleep, Pam and I would like to treat you girls to breakfast in town if you're up to it." Mr. Fields replied.
"That'd be great sir, do you mind if we got a chance to shower and put real clothes on? I just grabbed yesterday's when I thought there was a problem up here, and I probably smell."
"Of course, there's a diner on main street we could pick you girls up in about an hour? I don't imagine you have a car to drive on that train-"
"We don't have a car, but we can take Paige's bike dad!"
"Bike!?" Pam asked nervously.
"I have a dirt bike on the train, it makes for easy trips into town wherever we end up, but don't worry Emily doesn't drive it I tried to teach her once and well…. She's not the best." Paige said laughingly.
"Hey! Maybe if I had a better teacher, we would have been fine, and it's not like we crashed-"
"Only because I took control of the bike."
"How about you girls go get changed and showered and meet me and Pam in an hour at the diner? Paige can drive her bike of which I'd like to hear Paige tell me more about how Emily almost crashed the two of you." He said while winking at Paige.
"I'm sure you've probably got some equally good Emily stories that I'd like to hear as well", Paige replied while putting an arm around Emily.
"Ugh, my dad and girlfriend have only just met and they're already swapping embarrassing stories about me", Emily mumbled.
"You were the one who asked us to treat her like family Emmy" Pam said with a glint in her eye.
"You did?" Paige said looking at Emily with a look of pure love.
"Anyone who takes care of my baby girl as well as you obviously have is family in my eyes. Now go on, we'll meet you in an hour. And please give my apologies to Peter for being a problem, he was just annoying me when I just wanted to figure out if Emily was on the train or not." Mr. Fields said
"Thank you, I intend to keep taking care of Em as long as she lets me, but she takes care of me too; if not more" Replied Paige, trying to remember why she was nervous to meet them in the first place.
"We'll see you shortly" Emily said giving her parents a peck on the cheek before taking Paige's hand and walking back towards the train.

"You can breathe now Paige" Emily giggled, kissing Paige on the cheek, as they walked down the train back to her room. "My parents totally love you by the way."
"I know, it was weird last time I met a girlfriends parents was Cassie and it didn't go that well"
"Let's not talk about Cassie, let's talk about how you're going to keep caring me for as long as I let you" Emily grinned, opening the door to their room.
"Or we could talk about how you want your parents to treat me like family"
"Because you are family. Paige, what we have it's never going away. You pulled me from such a low place and I want to be there for you for forever", Emily whispered leaning close to touch the E on Paige's necklace "you are my forever, I love you" she murmured, leaning in and giving her girlfriend a soft kiss. Paige brought one hand up to Emily's cheek and the other up to tangle in the bed head that Emily was still sporting and tried to deepen the kiss by running her tongue along Em's bottom lip.
Emily pulled back "As much as I like where this is headed, my parents are going to wonder where we are and I have no problem telling Marley or Riley what we were doing, I'm not ready for my parents to know how sex crazed my girlfriend is. Why don't you take the first shower and I'll pull some clothes for you to wear?" Emily giggled with a wink.
"Or, we could cut the time in half and take one shower" Paige said hopefully reaching for Emily's hand.
"Go." Emily said, laughing as Paige pouted.
Paige huffed dramatically and walked towards the bathroom. Turning when she reached the door to the bathroom, "You're my forever too Em", Paige whispered staring back at Emily.
"I know", Emily smiled "Now take a shower".

Paige was rinsing her hair, letting the water run over her face as she was mentally prepping for a breakfast with Emily's parents. They seemed nice enough and willing to welcome to Paige into their family but Paige needed it to be perfect. Paige loved Emily more than she's loved anything in her whole life, and wanted to make it official. She was actually hoping that she might get a chance to talk to Emily's parents alone and talk to them about marrying Emily, but she wanted them to know her first but it was hard having only three days in Texas and the next time she would see them would be Christmas in three months and Paige wanted to make it official as soon as she could, it was all she could think about lately. Especially after hearing Emily talk about their forever together.
Paige jumped when she felt arms slide along her waist, but sighed as she felt Emily kiss her neck softly.
"I thought there was going to be two showers" Paige smirked as she turned in Emily's arms.
"I did, but then I started picturing you alone in here and naked" Emily whispered as she kissed the corner of Paige's mouth.
"Well as nice as this is" Paige whispered, gasping as Emily nipped at the skin below her earlobe, "however, we have breakfast with your parents in a half hour." Paige grinned as she slipped out of Emily's arms and got out of the shower.
"UGH" Emily groaned as she was left alone in the shower.
"Hurry, up Em, we're going to be late for meeting your parents if you don't hurry!" Paige laughed as she dodged the washcloth being thrown out of the shower at her.
"You're not getting sex from me for a week!" Emily yelled at her.
"Enjoy lying in bed next to me while I satisfy myself then!" Paige yelled back.
Emily smirked as she climbed out of the shower and toweled off and pulled Paige in for a soft kiss.
"Let's go meet my parents"