A/N: Long distance Paily. Set immediately after "Starting over", Emily and Paige are back together, but Emily is at Danby and Paige is at Stanford.

This will be in two parts, the first from Emily's point of view, the second from Paige's. Both take place over roughly the same time period. ("Three Dates" occurs around this time as well.)

The title is from the Missy Higgins song "Ten Days".

I was smiling the whole way back to Philly. It's hard to describe the relief I felt that Paige and I were together again. For so long I believed I'd messed up and she wouldn't love me anymore. I didn't expect to get a second chance like this.

The woman in the seat next to me just suddenly said out of nowhere "You look very happy."

"I am," I replied and just nodded.

She smiled back but left it at that. Maybe she could tell I was in love but didn't want to pry, maybe she was just happy I was happy. Anyway, the story would have taken the whole flight home to tell.

It wasn't until I got back to my dorm that it really hit me. Paige and I were a couple again, but she was in California and I was in Pennsylvania. My little room which had become home suddenly felt quiet and lonely.

I rang Paige not long afterwards. My excuse was to tell her how the flight went, but really I just wanted to hear her voice again.

Paige made an interesting suggestion.

"I think we should have a date," she said. "This Friday night."

At first I was a bit confused by this.

"It might be tough finding somewhere convenient for both of us," I replied.

"Your laptop has a webcam doesn't it?" she explained. "We could have a video date. After dinner just skype me and we can talk about whatever. It would just… I don't know, make it an occasion."

"That's a great idea," I agreed.

"Plus it will give me a chance to actually see you again," Paige added. "And that's something to look forward to."

I'm so lucky to have her.

We talked for a few hours, though I can't remember about what exactly. We even did the "You hang up" "No, you hang up" thing.

I'd missed her so much. I never stopped loving her, but I still felt like I was falling in love again.

I dreamed about her that night, too. Nothing raunchy, just the two of us in a house. I guess it must have been ours, we were certainly living there. I just remember a glimpse of us sitting on a chair on the front veranda, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes.

I like to think I was seeing our future together, that we would make it through this, that we would get a place of our own. I don't really care where, I just want it to be the two of us.

I still haven't told her about that dream though. I don't know, I'm just worried I'll scare her. Stupid I know, but I want to let our new relationship find its feet first.

It felt strange going back to classes. I'd only been away for the weekend, but it could have been a year. It was just my usual studying, training, socializing, that sort of thing, but without the sadness I'd carried around for so long. Sometimes I wished Paige was there with me, but generally life was surprisingly normal.

Well, I had to give certain people the news first.

I met up with Lakhsmi during my lunch break the next day, I think it was. We sat on the lawn near the science block, just enjoying a sunny day. She was eager to hear what had happened at Stanford, of course.

"OK, now you have to tell me everything," Lakhsmi insisted.

"Paige and I are back together," I began. "I can hardly believe it, but we are. She didn't even hesitate."

"Oh, that is wonderful news," Lakhsmi responded. "I had a good feeling about this."

"I'm glad you did, I was terrified," I said.

"Sometimes love has the strength to break through any barriers," Lakhsmi declared. "You two love each other too much for it to have turned out otherwise."

"Yeah," I agreed. That's what Paige had said. Or did I say it? I wasn't quite sure.

"And how is Paige?" Lakhsmi asked. "Has she taken to life in her new home?"

"She has," I answered. "Remarkably well, too. She's made some really nice friends, her study is going well, she's getting into her training. I think Stanford suits her."

"Did you see much of the campus?" Lakhsmi asked.

"She showed me around a bit yesterday afternoon," I replied.

Lakhsmi kept asking questions. She made me describe the entire scene when I arrived at the airport, everyone I met there, and caught me being coy about how exactly we spent most of our weekend.

I wondered if this was her way of dealing with the failure of our relationship. Maybe Paige and I being happy would justify what she had given up. I looked for some sort of sign that she was hurting, that I should change the subject, but I didn't see any.

"What about you?" I asked, eventually deciding to just come out with it. "How are you feeling?"

"I am happy being single for now," Lakhsmi replied. "There was a girl, she was very sweet, but she was in love with someone else. I am happy for her, but I need a little time."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"This girl also has a tendency to apologize repeatedly even though I have carefully explained to her that she must follow her heart," Lakhsmi added. "However, I do understand, as she feels sad on my behalf."

"I just wish I could help," I explained.

This is when it gets weird staying friends with someone after you've broken up. You want to help them get over you, and you can't.

"I know," replied Lakhsmi. "But I am not despondent. I will meet someone else when the time comes and years from now we will laugh about this."

A few people around college knew what had happened, but still wanted to hear it from me. I got lots of variations on "If you're sick of telling people that's OK" but really I wasn't. I was more being careful to talk about something else occasionally. I don't usually like being the centre of attention, but now I was.

So I told Robin, Craig, Zan, Ben (yes, I have a friend called Ben at college, and he is that nice that I can even like that name again) and probably more people. The response was generally "Awwwww".

I think it was Robin who said "That is the most amazingly romantic story I have heard in a long time." She doesn't even know about Rosewood, so she's missing half of it. To her it's just that we broke up, realized we were still in love then I traveled all that way to be with her again. No stalking, betrayal or near death experiences. But yeah, I guess it still is pretty romantic.

There were other people I had to tell, of course. Spencer, Aria and, most of all, Hanna, who I owed more thanks than I could possibly give. She was just so excited for Paige and I that I barely had time to thank her though, as she was so busy telling me how happy she was.

Then there were my parents, who I almost forgot about. Seriously, I got a call from Mom, it must have been on the Wednesday or Thursday, just casually checking in on how I was doing.

"Oh yeah, I went to Stanford," I said in reply to a general question about my weekend.

Mom was silent for a moment.

"What prompted that?" she asked.

"I went to see Paige," I explained. "We're back together."

I should mention at this stage that I hadn't really told Mom and Dad much about any of this. I don't know why, maybe I was just nervous in case it didn't work out. I don't think they even knew Paige and I had spoken again. Actually, yes they did. I'd told them that, just not that I'd been thinking of trying to repair the relationship.

"What? How did this happen? I didn't know…" Mom responded, possibly with other expressions of confusion.

"I'm sorry," I began. "Paige and I have been in touch, and I've realized… I'm still in love with her. Hanna and Caleb were flying over there, so Hanna wanted me to come along as well. We surprised Paige, she just thought she was picking the others up from the airport."

"She's not the only one who was surprised," Mom chipped in.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I was going to tell you but it all happened so quickly."

"That's OK," she replied. "So the two of you have worked things out?"

"We have," I confirmed. "We're back together."

"That's wonderful," Mom said. I could hear she was still processing the information, and it would have come as a shock to her.

For a long time she had remained tight lipped, which I know was a struggle for her, but I knew she wasn't happy about Alison and I. She didn't like or trust Alison, and she really couldn't understand why I was angry at Paige for contacting the police. I think Mom was actually a bit disappointed with me that it was Paige who did it rather than me.

She hadn't said anything, though, except occasionally asking about Paige after Alison and I had broken up. Now, here I was telling her Paige and I were back together, and once she had made it through the surprise she was delighted.

"I will have to tell your father," she said. "If that's OK, of course. Did you want to tell him?"

"That's fine, Mom," I assured her. "You'll see him before I do."

Mom wanted to know all about how Paige was doing, was Paige upset at all, and the practicalities of how we were going to manage the long distance relationship. On that last point there was little I could tell her as we were still working that out ourselves.

She would punctuate the story with "That's lovely" and "Wonderful". She was particularly pleased Paige was going well with her classes and her swimming training. Which led to the inevitable question…

"Could you have another try for Stanford?"

"I'm still nowhere near my old times, Mom," I replied. "I'll have to work hard to get into the Danby program next year, let alone Stanford."

"Well, still, it's something to think about," she responded.

No, it really isn't.

Did I feel lonely? Not at this stage. I was too busy, not to mention basking in the glow of new love, or rather old love suddenly new again. I was certainly far less lonely than I had been before Paige and I had reunited.

I did notice one thing, though. We had just spent almost an entire weekend together having sex. Now, this wasn't the first time I'd had sex since breaking up with Alison, there was also Cora and Gabrielle, my other two failed relationships. It was the most sex I'd had in a long time, though, all crammed into one weekend. And suddenly stopping was harder than I expected.

So while it was good to have a break for a couple of days, I mean I seriously needed the rest, soon I started feeling it. I'd be in class and find myself thinking about Paige, thinking about Paige naked to be precise, and I don't think I need to explain how distracting that is. I love Paige's face, her eyes, her smile, but damn I love her body too. She's got some serious muscles now, and when she stretches out…

Sorry, I'm doing it again.

I spent a lot of time in my room masturbating is what I'm trying to say.

Our first video date went well, no less of an occasion for the nightly phone calls either side of it. Just seeing Paige's beautiful, smiling face again had me walking on air for days.

The phone calls were fun too. We certainly had a lot to catch up on, and a lot to talk about. We both wanted to know all about each other's lives. Having been away from her I realized how much it meant to know the minutia of her life. Knowing that made me feel like I was a part of her life again.

"Tell me something new you're doing," I suggested in one of our conversations.

"Um, let's see…" she began. "Oh, I know, singing. I've started singing. There's an acapella group on campus, about twenty of us. We practice on Tuesday nights, just singing stuff. I tried out two months ago and I've been singing with them since. I've met some great people there."

"Wow, that's fantastic," I said. "What sort of music do you do?"

"Lots," she replied. "Pop, barbershop, church music. One of the group leaders is Russian, and she's been teaching us some Orthodox hymns. They're really beautiful."

With some prodding, she told me all about her swimming, the program there, her results, her teammates. I got a little sad, I'll admit, but at the same time I was so excited for her. She was getting the break she deserved, and was making the most of it. I haven't seen her in action yet, but I want to. I'll be there for her, the girl cheering in the stands, watching her win. And I'll be proud of her.

On top of all that, she had been involved with the campus LGBT group. We had a chuckle about that, but I wanted to reach through the phone and hug her. She's come so far.

I told her about the things I was doing, the volunteer community service work, joining one of the campus feminist groups, and tutoring in my so-called spare time.

"Gee, Em, you sound busy," Paige observed.

"I do, don't I," I replied.

"What about your swimming?" she asked.

"It's going well, but I've still got a lot of work to do," I explained. "If I keep improving I should be in the Danby squad next year."

"You can do it," she said.

"If I do make it, we might end up swimming against each other," I pointed out.

"We might," Paige agreed. "And if we do I'm sure you'll come a very respectable second."

After the second date I spent some time admiring the beautiful presents she had sent me.

The shark now lives on my bed, and I've called her Shakira, as in Shakira the Shark. I know, but it's cute, and I like Shakira. I was tempted to go with Shana, but that would have been a bit awkward to explain if Paige ever heard me call her that. The picture Paige gave me I got framed, and it now sits on my desk, along with the original photo.

I wore the top and the necklace the next day, and spent all day thinking of Paige. I wear the necklace most of the time now, and sometimes I just look at it the inscription, "Emily & Paige". I like that.

Then, of course, there was the third date. That I did not expect. Oh my God, it was hot though. I did my best to outdo her on the next date, but she will always have the honor of having been brave enough to go first. Soon we had to have a rule that we were to both remain fully clothed for at least the first hour, or we wouldn't talk about anything, but even that didn't last long.

Speaking of that third date, Paige and I spoke on the phone the following evening.

"Did you enjoy last night?" Paige asked.

"It was amazing," I replied. "Thank you."

"I liked it too," Paige agreed. "I was so nervous at the start, though."

"I could tell," I said. "But you went ahead anyway."

"I really got into it," she added. "Maybe a little more than I expected. You watching me, it… it kind of turned me on."

"It worked for me too, babe," I said. "You, ah, you've obviously been working out since you've been over there."

"Do you like that?" she teased.

"I'm certainly not complaining," I replied. "You are pretty buff."

"Thanks, Em," Paige said.

I found myself getting emotional. I sometimes do that after sex, and I guess this was the same. I started to cry a little.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"Paige, I just want you to know that last night wasn't just hot, it was beautiful," I explained. "It was like we were together again, like you were there with me. It just reminded me how much I love you."

"Wow, ah… I guess that's why…" Paige seemed to be having trouble finding her words, but then she continued. "I feel safe with you, Em. I feel loved. I feel wanted. That's how much you mean to me. We'll always find a way to be together, wherever we are."

Earlier that day, before I called Paige, Lakhsmi and I met to do some work on our assignment. We took a break for lunch, and while we were eating I noticed she was studying my face.

"What?" I asked.

"You are positively glowing today," Lakhsmi observed. "Are you thinking about your beloved?"

"Yes," I responded. She didn't need to know any more detail than that. I'm not normally self-conscious, but all morning my mind had been on the previous night, and now I was worried she could tell.

"Now you are blushing," she noted, which made it worse.

She had been very cheerful all morning as well, even more so than usual, and this gave me a much needed chance to change the subject.

"You're looking quite happy yourself," I mentioned.

"I am," she confirmed.

"Any particular reason?" I asked.

"I do feel somewhat fraudulent here," Lakhsmi confessed. "Barely a week ago I was saying I would remain single for some time, and now I have gone and met someone."

"Who is she?" I asked. I hadn't expected this.

"Her name is Amber," Lakhsmi replied. "A friend of mine is on the women's soccer team, and invited me along to one of their parties on the weekend. I was introduced to Amber there and we just connected."

Amber was sounding familiar. I started searching my memory, then it came to me.

"I think I've met her," I said. "Is she about so high…" I held my hand just above my head, "…black ponytail, quite serious."

"Please do not tell me she is another of your failed relationships," Lakhsmi pleaded, a look of shock suddenly coming over her face.

"No, no," I assured her. "I've just seen her a couple of times at the Science Women's Group. She seems nice."

"That's a relief," Lakhsmi said. "And yes, she is lovely. I have suddenly become a fan of soccer. She is an attacking midfielder, apparently. I'm not precisely sure of the responsibilities of that role, but I gather part of it is kicking goals. She is so graceful when she has the ball, though. Her runs along the side of the field are a joy to behold."

"Sounds like it's serious," I said, allowing myself a little smirk.

"Do not mock me, Emily Fields," Lakhsmi playfully admonished me. "I have gone to all this trouble to find a new girlfriend, just to make you feel better I might add, so I think a little appreciation is in order."

"You're right," I responded. "It sounds like a real sacrifice."

Soon it was almost time for Paige to visit. I had it marked off in my calendar, and could feel myself getting more and more excited as the day approached. We still talked on the phone or through the computer almost every night, and sometimes I would call her during the day, but seeing her in person was still something to look forward too.

I organized a party for her back in Rosewood, and invited everyone along, including some of my college friends. Everyone wanted to meet her.

About two weeks before she arrived, we were talking on the phone. I think it was just something about how we hadn't really changed that much.

"You know, at one stage I was going to get my hair cut," Paige said. "I was thinking about it just before you called me that first time. You only just made it in time."

"You can get your hair cut if you like," I said. I actually surprised myself how casually I said it. I mean, I loved Paige's long hair, and once I would have begged her to keep it, but since we'd been apart my perspective had changed.

"I mean really cut," Paige clarified. "Like, not even shoulder length."

"I know," I said.

"Are you sure?" Paige asked. "I thought you liked my hair long."

"I do," I replied. "But if you want a change you should do it. Anyway, your hair wasn't as long on our first date, and I fell in love with you then."

She took some convincing, but a week later she texted me, just saying "Are you at your computer?" I fired up my laptop, and soon got her incoming call. And there she was. She had a bob with an undercut, and red streaks running through it.

"Is it OK?" she asked nervously.

"You look gorgeous," I replied, and she did.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yes," I insisted. "And I can't wait to play with it when I see you."

"Not long now," she said.

"Not long at all," I agreed.