A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! Feel free to let me know what you think of this chapter. The story will start off a little slow in terms of the mystery, but there will be plenty of Paily romance (and smut). Enjoy!

The next morning, Paige spent a much longer time than usual getting ready. She was glad that Toby didn't have to work that morning, because if he saw her, he would laugh at her for her. He had been very excited yesterday when she had told him about Emily, especially when she had mentioned she was a lesbian. She was pretty excited about that herself.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't remember the last time she had left her hair down. Usually she just carelessly put it up in a bun, especially because working in a lab required hair back. But today she wanted to show off before they got started.

She wondered if there was any chance that Emily was as drawn to her as she was to Emily. She hadn't been able to decide if Emily had been flirting with her yesterday or not. She had called her cute, which seemed promising, but she didn't want to get her hopes up. And she certainly didn't want to appear too eager. She wasn't normally this easy, but something about Emily had completely captivated her from the very moment she had laid eyes on her.

When she got to the hospital, she went to the lab staff break room to make herself a crappy cup of cheap coffee. She had spent so much time on her appearance that morning (she had never done that before, not even in middle school) she hadn't had time to make any.

She had just gotten a cup when Emily came in, holding two cups from Dunkin Donuts. Paige grinned as Emily handed one to her, gratefully inhaling the aroma of pumpkin spice.

"Thank you. It's like you knew I needed it."

"No problem. I hope you like pumpkin spice."

"It's my absolute favorite," Paige replied. "My roommate always tells me I don't seem like the typical pumpkin spice girl, but I could live at a coffee shop when the seasonal drinks come out."

"I'm glad I guessed right," Emily laughed. She took a sip of her coffee, eyeing Paige. "You look very nice."

"Oh…. thanks," Paige replied, blushing. "I'll put my hair up when we get to the lab. I just like to remember what it looks like down sometimes."

"I like it," Emily told her. Paige swallowed hard, wishing she had the confidence to be forward. She was definitely less passive once the relationship developed, but early on she was ridiculously shy.

"Thank you," she replied, wishing her face wouldn't flush so much. "You look really nice, too. Your hair is so…. smooth."

She cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. Smooth? That was the best she could come up with? Luckily, she was saved by the door opening, and Andrew Campbell and Caleb Rivers coming into the room. Andrew was a fellow cancer researcher, with his area focused on neurobiological cancers. Caleb was the head of the research department, and Paige found him far more likeable than Darren Wilden, who had stepped down last year. She really liked Andrew too, who could always make her laugh, even if she was frustrated with how an experiment turned out or if her ex-girlfriend decided to cheat on her. He had been a great source of support after she had broken up with Shana, and really, Caleb had been, too.

"Paige!" Andrew exclaimed. "Your hair!"

"What about it?" Paige grumbled.

"Oh, you must be Paige's new assistant," Caleb told Emily, reaching out his hand. "I'm Caleb, the research director."

"It's nice to meet you. Your labs here are amazing."

"Thank you," Caleb replied, beaming with pride.

"I'm Andrew. I'm doing research on neurological cancers," he told her. Paige failed to hide a grin at Andrew's blatant attempt to impress her. He liked to hit on any new woman who set foot on the eighth floor.

"I'm sure that's very interesting," Emily replied. "I'm not completely sure what kind of cancer I want to research yet. I'm still investigating."

"Are you still in school?" Andrew asked.

"Graduate school. It's my second year."

"I bet a pretty girl like you has a boyfriend," he continued. Caleb cringed as Emily and Paige laughed.

"Sorry, but you're barking up the wrong tree," Emily told him. "I'm gay."

Andrew's mouth dropped open as Caleb howled with laughter. He blushed slightly, but smiled.

"Whoops. Sorry." He turned to Paige, shaking his head. "Corrupted her already, have you?"

"It's not my fault I'm irresistible," Paige replied, batting her eyes. Emily laughed. Hopefully that made up for her awkwardness from earlier. "We have to get to work. I'll see you guys later."

"It was nice meeting you," Emily added.

"You, too," Andrew replied. "Sorry about my faux pas."

"Don't be. I take it as a compliment," she called as she followed Paige out the door.

"He did the same thing to me when I started here," Paige told her as they went into the lab. "He's a nice guy, though. He knows when to back off."

"I don't mind the attention," Emily admitted. "As long as they don't get aggressive."

"My favorite is 'you don't look gay.' Like, thanks?"

Emily laughed. Paige stopped and looked at her, admiring how beautiful she looked when she laughed. She couldn't blame Andrew for giving it a try.

"You know," she started, her heart pounding in her chest. Maybe it was too soon to be asking her out, but she was going to try anyway. "Sometimes after work some of us go to this diner nearby. It's called the Golden Swan. Cheesy name, but their food is incredible. Uh, if you… did you want to go there later?"

She couldn't believe how nervous she felt as she waited for an answer. She did her best not to let out an audible sigh of relief when Emily nodded, a smile on her face.

"I would love to," she replied.

"Great!" Paige exclaimed, inwardly cringing at how eager she sounded. She wondered if Emily thought she was a total loser. "I could pick you up, if you'd like. If you want time to go home first."

"I actually need to visit my dad," Emily told her. "So, later is fine. Five-thirty?"

"Sounds great," Paige replied, beaming. She forgot how wonderful the feeling of new attraction was.

"I live on Oak Street. You know, by the store?"

"I know where that is," Paige replied, opening the door to the cold room. She was trying to hide the fact that she was still grinning. She knew her father would say you should never get involved with someone you have to see at work every day. But she just couldn't help herself.

Emily was in high spirits when she got home. She had just gotten back from visiting her father at the hospital, and the doctors were confident that he was strong enough for open heart surgery next week. And, of course, Paige would be here to pick her up for dinner in about forty-five minutes. She wasn't sure if this was a date or not. Paige hadn't been clear, but she was thinking they were both hoping it was. She wondered how red Paige's face would get if she asked.

She thought it was absolutely adorable how much Paige blushed. She seemed so sweet and awkward, which Emily found strangely endearing. And even putting Paige's looks aside, Emily really liked the job so far. Everyone she met had been great, and it was good experience for her own future in research.

As she was heading up to the porch she could see her neighbor, Sydney Driscoll, in her garden. Sydney looked up and saw her, making her way over to the fence.

"Em. Hi."

"Hey. How's it going?"

"You start that job at the hospital yet?" Sydney asked, ignoring her question.

"Yeah. I really like it. Maybe we'll run into each other some time," she replied. Sydney was a nurse in the geriatrics ward, and she had been very excited when Emily told her she was going to be working there, too.

"Maybe," Sydney replied. Emily frowned. She had a strange look on her face, and she seemed like something was bothering her. Like there was something she wanted to say.

"Do you know Paige?" Emily asked. "Paige McCullers? She's the researcher I'm working with. She runs samples from the oncology ward, too."

"I don't know her," Sydney replied, looking down. "I don't really know anyone outside of geriatrics. Do you know who's in charge of the research labs?"

"At the hospital?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows. "I just met him today. I can't remember his name, though. Why?"

"Just wondering," Sydney replied, sifting uncomfortably. Emily was really confused. She wasn't sure why Sydney was acting so strange, or why she was asking about the head of the research department.

"Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Sydney replied quickly. "I'm glad you like it there."

Emily nodded. As much as she wanted to pry, Paige would be here soon and she wanted to get ready. So she said good bye to Sydney and went inside, sighing when she saw Hanna sitting on the couch.

"Hi, Hanna."

"How was day two?" she asked eagerly. "You bang her yet?"

"I don't think it's safe to have sex in a lab."

"But it would still be hot!"

"Oh my God, Hanna."

"Okay, okay. How was it?"

"She's picking me up in a half an hour to go to dinner," Emily replied, grinning. Hanna squealed.

"Yes! Em, that's awesome!"

"I gotta go get changed."

"I'll come with you," Hanna replied, following her down the hall. "Just to make sure you look okay."

Emily groaned. Hanna giggled, bounding ahead of her and rushing to her closet.

"You want slutty?"

"No! Hanna, I don't even know if this is a date. I was just going to wear jeans."

"Jeans? Hell no. You have to at least wear a skirt."

"I do not. Get out of my way," Emily replied, pushing past her. "Look, Hanna, I really like her. Also…. well, she's kind of my superior at work. I don't want to seem like some desperate slut."

"Aren't you?" Hanna chuckled. Emily glared at her. "Okay, okay. Wear the jeans. But I'm picking out your shirt."

They comprised on that, and she finally decided on dark blue jeans and a light pink blouse. She had to give Hanna credit, because it did show the perfect amount of cleavage. She didn't want to move too fast with Paige, but she definitely wanted her to be interested.

"How do I look?" Emily asked. Hanna grinned, looking her up and down.

"I think I'd bang you."

"That would be so weird," Emily laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You look great, Em. Can I creep around when she shows up? I want to see what she looks like."

"As long as you promise not to embarrass me," she replied. Hanna pretended to be offended.

"When have I ever embarrassed you?"

"I've lost track," Emily replied as she door bell rang. Her heart fluttered. "I think she's here."

Emily opened the door as Hanna stood in the doorway. Paige was standing there, dressed in a dark plaid shirt and light blue jeans. Her hair was down again, and Emily's breath caught in her throat as she looked at her. She looked beautiful.

"Hi." She swallowed hard. "Come in."

Paige stepped into the living room. Emily prayed Hanna wouldn't say anything embarrassing as she came into the room.

"Paige, this is my roommate, Hanna. Hanna, this is Paige from the lab."

"It's nice to meet you," Paige replied, reaching out her hand. Hanna gave her a big hug instead.

"You, too. Don't stay out too late," Hanna told them, winking at Emily. She sighed.

"Sorry about her. I'm pretty sure her mother used to drop her on her head all the time," she told Paige, glaring at her roommate. Hanna grinned.

"It's okay. I'll bring her back in one piece," Paige assured her. "It was nice meeting you, Hanna."

Hanna waved as they left the house. Emily shook her head, closing the door behind them.

"Thank you for picking me up."

"Of course," Paige replied, smiling at her. "You look really nice, by the way."

"Thank you," Emily replied, not looking away. They gazed at each other a moment before Paige unlocked the car.

"I'm a little bit of a slow driver, just to warn you," Paige told her as they got in. Emily laughed.

"That's okay. Hanna drives like a ninety-year-old crazy woman."

Paige laughed at that. Emily smiled, feeling strangely like she had known her for just more than two days.

"I hope you're hungry," Paige told her as she started the car. "Because I am about to take you to the best diner in the world."

They drove away, never noticing the person inside the parked car across the street. Once they were gone, the figure left the car and made their way to Sydney Driscoll's house.