Whoa, two chapters in one week! I'm trying to get as much written as I can this month before my whirlwind travel in July. I had to write this when inspiration hit. This wasn't originally chapter 4. I had something else written but you're getting this instead. I think this will work well with what is now chapter 5; can't wait to have that ready for you. So anyway…

Chapter 4

Emily rode with Spencer as they made their way from her house to Rosewood High's athletic facilities. Spencer had just picked her up for a late-afternoon workout session. Behind her seat, in a duffle bag on the floorboard, was all of the equipment she would need for the day. She'd never worn any of this stuff nor did she know where to begin or what exactly needed to go where. And let's not get started on the fact that she'd never once held a field hockey stick.

Emily sat forward in the passenger seat and briefly looked to Spencer. "Remind me again why I decided to do this?"

Spencer kept her eyes on the road as she answered. "Because try-outs are in three weeks right before school starts. Paige wants to practice before then. We all do."

"But why did I have to come? Couldn't you, Riley and Paige have done this without me? I know nothing about field hockey, Spence. You know that. I'll literally be a fish out of water."

Finally Spencer cut her eyes briefly to Emily before resuming her focus on the road. "Did you get to see Paige today?"

Emily looked down to her lap. Unfortunately, no, she had not seen or spoken to Paige today. "No, today is our off day. I wasn't going to see her again until tomorrow when we meet at the natatorium."

"And isn't unexpectedly seeing Paige a better alternative than NOT seeing her," Spencer asked with a sly grin that Emily could see from her friends profile.

"Is this a set up?"

Spencer sighed. She was getting frustrated with her friend. Since Emily had met Paige the girl is all she seems to think about. Even when Emily isn't talking about Paige, you can tell she's thinking about her. Today wasn't designed as a set up but if something, anything, didn't happen soon she would honestly consider making it so. "I promise you this is not a set up. We do need to practice and Paige wants to get a feel for our pitch." Emily looked at her inquisitively. "You know, see what our turf is like." Spencer wasn't sure if Emily was following her but she continued all the same. "Anyway, we need a fourth so that's where you come in."

Emily leaned back against the headrest. She was not looking forward to this endeavor. Seeing Paige, yes. Playing field hockey, no. "I'm not going to know what I'm doing out there, Spencer. I won't be useful to any of you."

"All you need to do is run around some, participate a little and swat at the ball. Chill out."

"Anyone could do that! Call Hanna. Call Aria."

Spencer pulled into a parking space in the school lot and dramatically cut the engine. She turned to Emily with a frown. "Hanna said something about already having her hair done for the day and Aria is journaling or whatever. I don't get what your deal is about this. I know you want to see Paige."

That much was true. Emily definitely wanted to see Paige. That wasn't the problem. "I do want to see Paige. I just don't want HER to see ME."

"You are going to have to give me more than that…"

Emily threw her hands up in the air. "What if I make a complete fool of myself in front of her?"

Spencer laughed out loud. "That is not possible, Em! The girl swims with you every other day. She sees you slice through the water like a rip current on the regular."

"Yeah, see?" Emily said in a huff.

"No, I do not SEE, Emily. Please, do enlighten me." Spencer felt her frustration mounting. Emily was quickly approaching Hanna levels of nonsense and it was out of character for her.

"Paige looks up to me in the pool. I can tell," Emily said with a humble smile. "It's just that…it kind of makes me feel good. Like she thinks I'm special or something." Emily continued as she shrugged her shoulders. "What will she think when the hockey ball flies between my legs or I hit the ground with that stick instead of the ball?"

"My bet is she'll think it's cute." Emily's eyes went wide in disbelief. "Oh come off it, Em. You cannot tell me you are blind to the looks Paige gives you."

Emily had seen the looks that Paige sometimes sent her way. However, she would never assume that they are anything other than friendly or reverent. "I think you are mistaking friendship and admiration for something very different."

Spencer looked outside the windshield. Emily would not see reason right now. She'd have to be convinced and only Paige would be able to do that if it came to pass. Spencer noticed that Riley and Paige were already warming up. "Either way, we need to get out there," she said, pointing towards the pitch.

Emily was already there and she'd promised to take part in today's activities. Reluctantly she opened her door, lugged her duffle bag onto her shoulder and walked with Spencer over to meet Paige and Riley.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paige dribbled the hockey ball in the air with her stick while she and Riley warmed up. She wondered what was taking Spencer so long to get out of her SUV. She had been sitting in the parking lot for a good ten minutes.

When Riley had called her that morning to ask if she wanted to practice with she and Spencer today, Paige accepted the offer enthusiastically. With try-outs three weeks away she knew she needed to spend some time on the pitch. Her swim training schedule with Emily had prevented her from getting much hockey time in the past several weeks. Today was her off day with Emily so she had the time if she wanted to spare it. All she'd be doing was stuff around the house like unpacking. She could put that off another day. Besides, being active would keep her mind off of missing spending time with Emily.

"What position do you play," Riley asked Paige. This broke the girl from her inner musings.

"Left-striker," Paige answered while still bouncing the ball in the air as it connected with her hockey stick.

"That's cool. Spencer plays mid-striker. She is good but we need another strong striker up field."

Hearing Riley refer to the striker position as "up field" led her to assume that Riley did not also play striker. "What position do you play," Paige asked her.

"I play midfield," Riley said as she playfully knocked Paige's stick away and picked up dribbling the ball mid-air. Paige looked at her in disbelief to which Riley snickered. "Snooze you lose," she teased.

Riley saw a flash in Paige's eyes a split second before the girl swatted the ball out of the air. They both watched it land and roll to a stop approximately four feet away. As they looked back to each other their lips twitched into mischievous grins just before they lunged for the ball. An enthusiastic rendition of keep away ensued.

When Paige heard Spencer's door shut she looked up briefly. When she saw who was walking with her she nearly dropped her hockey stick.

Riley was surprised when Paige suddenly stopped battling her for the hockey ball. "Give up,-" she started to say as she looked up from the ball. Seeing Emily and Spencer approach, she knew what had stolen her sparring partner's attention. "Good, they finally made it."

"You didn't tell me Emily was coming today," Paige said.

Riley shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't know for sure if she was or not. Spencer told me she would see if Em could be our fourth. I guess she ended up being available."

Emily fumbled with the strap on her duffle bag as she and Spencer approached Riley and Paige. Emily could tell by the way Riley and Paige were playing around that Paige was a very talented field hockey player. To Emily it seemed as though there wasn't anything Paige could possibly be bad at. She'd love to test that theory in all kinds of interesting ways. A blush swept over her at the thought.

"Hey y'all," Paige said as the two girls met she and Riley near the top of the shooting circle. She greeted both friends with the statement though her eyes were solely focused on Emily Fields.

"What took you so long," Riley questioned.

Spencer Hastings is nothing if not quick on her feet. She had an explanation, and one that wouldn't reveal the true reason for the delay, in an instant. "I had to go over the rules with Emily. She's never played field hockey before."

"Aww, we'll go easy on ya, Emily," Paige said with a wink.

"Speak for yourself, McCullers!" Riley is not known for backing down. In the 20 minutes she spent with Paige on the pitch she could tell Paige wasn't either. This would be a fun practice.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paige was having a great time. She was so glad Riley had called her that morning to suggest the field hockey practice. Not only was she getting to spend time playing a sport she truly enjoys, she was also able to hang out with Spencer and Riley. She really liked the two Hastings. And Emily, well that was the icing on the cake.

Emily was adorable as she attempted to hang with the three advanced players. The subtle looks of concentration, the way she would bite her lip in frustration or mumble to herself, these unconscious reactions endeared her to Paige even more.

Day by day, week after week, interaction after interaction, Paige became more and more drawn to Emily Fields. And if she was honest with herself, she thought she could detect attraction from Emily as well. She wouldn't do anything about it until she knew more but for now she was optimistic.

Emily realized that field hockey is a much more difficult sport than she'd thought. She assumed correctly, she's a fish out of water on a hockey pitch. She has seen Riley and Spencer before so she already knew they were good. What she wasn't prepared for was just how skilled Paige McCullers is. Emily was utterly distracted by watching her. Luckily she could play off the mistakes she made as lack of skill, not the truth which was total and complete fascination with watching Paige.

Emily was glad for the heat and humidity that hung in the air this late-afternoon. Why? Because the physical exertion combined with the heat caused Paige's skin to glisten like a cold glass of water as the condensation builds up. When you're hot, that cold glass of water feels heavenly as it touches your lips and you drink in what you thirst for. Emily licked her lips as she imagined the same reaction to her mouth on Paige's skin because that's what she felt like. Emily thirsted for Paige. Only this though, this touch wouldn't cool her down. No, she imagined this would burn like fire. It would start on her lips then advance through her body like a lit fuse until it reached her core and exploded.

These thoughts were so distracting that she was barely paying attention to what her hockey stick and body were doing. "Emily," Riley shouted. "You can't kick the ball! That's like the third time. I thought Spencer told you the rules."

"Um…" Emily stammered. She looked to Spencer pleading for help.

Spencer picked up for her, "Emily has terrible short term memory."

"Yeah, yeah, terrible," Emily said with a shake of her head. She wanted to quickly take the focus off of herself. She positioned the ball with her stick and looked up to the other three girls ready to resume play. "Where were we?"

"See?" Spencer deadpanned. Riley and Paige laughed out loud. Emily laughed too. She didn't even mean it like that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The four girls stood near the bleachers where they had left their duffle bags and water Thermos. Emily felt a lot more comfortable now that they were done playing. She was enjoying herself standing around talking to Paige, Riley and Spencer. She bumped shoulders with Paige, "So what do you think; think you can hang with the Rosewood field hockey team?"

"I am confident I can hold my own. What do you guys think," she asked Spencer and Riley.

"I say welcome to the team, McCullers! Wait until Coach gets a look at you," Riley cheered.

"Yeah, I think we'll take you, Paige," Spencer said with a soft chuckle. "Besides, you and Riley were on point out there. You'd think you've been playing field hockey together all your lives."

Paige nodded her head. She and Riley did play really well working in tandem. It was like they instinctively knew what the other girl was going to do before, or as she did it. "We were kind of in the zone, weren't we," she remarked, turning to Riley.

"I pity the opponent that comes between us," Riley agreed. She was half serious and half joking. She and Paige were both focused no-nonsense athletes. If you didn't step up to their game they'd leave you rolling in their dust trail. Spencer was similar but her drive stemmed from perfection. Riley and Paige's drive came from competition.

Riley dug her car keys out of her bag as she got ready to leave. "Spencer, can you stop by my house on your way home? I was supposed to give you something from my dad for Uncle Peter but I forgot it. Dad will be pissed if he sees it still sitting on the kitchen counter when he gets home."

Spencer looked over to Emily before answering her cousin. "I guess I can unless Emily needs to get home. She rode with me."

Paige swooped in to the conversation. "I can take Emily home." She turned to address Emily directly. "I can take you home instead if you want. I don't mind." Not even a little bit she thought to herself.

"It's not that big of a deal. I can still take Emi-" Spencer started to say before Emily cut her off.

"Spen-cer," she said with a little more emphasis that she normally would. "Paige is being kind to offer isn't she?" Emily widened her eyes at Spencer, without Paige seeing, as if to silently say "catch up with me you genius dummy."

"Oh, oh yeah." Spencer turned to Paige. "That's very nice of you to offer, Paige. That really would be a big help."

With the travel arrangements settled, they all made their way to the parking lot.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Paige and Emily had made it about three blocks when Paige suddenly said, "You know what sounds good right now?"

"No, what?"

"Ice cream."

"You're craving ice cream," Emily asked.

"Yes, but not just any ice cream," Paige said with a nod of her head. "Twistee's ice cream."

"What is that?"

"Only the best ice cream in the world," Paige said animatedly.

"Is that right?"

"Yep, especially on a hot day like this has been. Twistee's is an ice cream parlor near Fort Bragg. We haven't lived in North Carolina for years but I STILL miss that ice cream. They have this peach flavor; makes you moan with every bite."

Emily got a pretty good visual in her head when Paige said that. "Sorry I've not witnessed that," she commented innocently enough.

She had an idea. "We may not have Twistee's in Rosewood but we do have Spoons." Paige looked at Emily funny. "Not the eating utensil…it's an ice cream shop. Do you want to go? I'll even treat you to your first Spoons experience."

Paige smiled at Emily's offer. "Sure."

After placing their order at the counter, Paige and Emily found a vacant table on the outdoor patio. Paige looked around. The place was fairly busy. "So Spoons, huh? You sure it will live up to the hype," she asked Emily. "Twistee's is a fairly high benchmark."

"I have no doubts," Emily said with a smile. "This place has been around since the 60's. I heard they started with milkshakes and malts. The owners named the place Spoons because their milkshakes were so thick you could only eat them with a spoon."

"Clever," Paige said.

"Anyway, once their popularity grew they expanded in to more milkshake flavors and ice cream, sundaes and stuff. Now they are really well known. It's the only thing people always say they miss if they move away from Rosewood."

"I can think of something I'd already miss if I had to leave Rosewood," Paige said it before she could stop herself.

"What is that," Emily asked. She really wanted to know.

Well there's no go back now Paige thought to herself. She answered honestly when she said, "You." Emily smiled so big, Paige had never seen something quite as lovely.

"You'd miss me?" Emily's heart leapt at Paige's admission.

"Of course I would miss you. You're important to me, Emily."

"I'd miss you too," Emily said softly.

A waitress brought out their ice creams to the table which broke the mood a bit. Each girl thanked the waitress as she left their table.

"Besides, you're the best free swim coach I've ever had," Paige teased.

"You're joking now," Emily said back with a laugh.

"Yes, I am," Paige said as she took a bite of her ice cream. "You're a terrible free swim coach."

"Ha, Ha, very funny." Emily pointed to Paige with her spoon, "Just eat your ice cream, McCullers."

Paige did as she was told and took another bit of her ice cream. "How is it," Emily asked. She hadn't yet taken a bite of her own ice cream. She was too busy watching Paige eat hers.

"You were right. This is actually really good. I'm glad I went with the amaretto cherry. How is yours?"

Emily finally took a bite of her ice cream. "Can't go wrong with Rocky Road. Do you want to try it?"

"Yeah, OK."

Emily dipped her spoon into the Rocky Road ice cream and leaned across the table to offer Paige a bite. Paige leaned in as well and they met in the middle when Paige took Emily's spoon into her mouth. Something so simple shouldn't be sexual but it was to Emily in that moment. It was ridiculous, she knew, but she wanted that spoon, the one that Paige licked ice cream off of with her tongue, in her mouth. There is a level of intimacy to that. You don't offer strangers bites of your food. That is something you do with only people you trust. Emily trusts Paige.

"Mmmm, the Rocky Road is good too. Emily?"

Hearing her name, Emily realized she was still hovering above the table while Paige was seated again. "Sorry, zoned out for a second there."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes enjoying their ice cream. Emily noticed how intently Paige was looking at something behind her. "What are you staring at?"

"There's this boy behind you. I think he's trying to match me bite for bite."

"What boy," Emily asked as she looked behind her.

"The blonde with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Tutles t-shirt. He thinks he's faster than me."

Emily turned around in her seat again. "Paige, he's like six years old."

"So?"

"So…are you telling me you are going to sit here and try to eat your ice cream faster than that six year old?"

Paige took a few more bites of her ice cream. "I'm not telling you…I'm showing you." She shoveled three more bites into her mouth.

"You're going to get brain freeze."

Paige put a heaping spoonful in her mouth. "I am noOOOOOOOOO!" Paige dropped her spoon and dug her palms into her eyes.

Emily ran around the table and sat on the bench seat next to Paige. She started kneading Paige's temples and around her eyes. "I did warn you." She certainly wasn't complaining though. "Is your head feeling any better yet?"

"A little," Paige said. At that, Emily started to remove her hands from Paige's head. "Wait," Paige said as she placed her hands over Emily's.

"What? What's wrong," Emily asked in concern.

Paige smiled at Emily. It was a playful smile that Emily had grown to adore. "I think I felt it in my shoulders too. Yeah, and my neck. I need a pretty thorough rubdown. I ate a lot of ice cream, you know?"

Emily pushed Paige's shoulder as she laughed. This girl is too cute she thought.

A/N: There aren't too many sports I haven't played to at least a moderate degree but competitive swimming and field hockey are two of them. Why I decided that two of my main characters would participate in sports I know nothing about is beyond me. To those of you who know the ins and outs of field hockey, my apologies. I've most likely tarnished your sport in this chapter. Just roll with it…please.

subway20- so as not to keep you hanging, there's your first Paige "y'all." ;-)

jhas- Stay tuned for more…glad I've kept you on your toes. And I liked the Hanna/Emily part too. :)