A/N: Trigger warning for talk of suicide and a past suicide attempt.

"Stay still," Emily demanded, pushing Paige's hands back down. "No touching."

Paige looked at her questioningly. She wasn't sure where this incredibly possessive side of Emily was coming from, but she was liking it. In a somewhat torturous way. Emily had been teasing her slowly for what seemed like hours, although in reality it had only been twenty minutes. She was stroking her nipples, her sides, and every so often her clit, pleased with the way Paige was begging her for more. And each time she tried to touch her, Emily would tell her to stop and pin her hands at her side. Tonight was about her, giving Paige new memories here so she could forget about the old ones.

Maybe she was still a little insecure about the whole thing. But it was a natural way to feel she supposed, especially since Paige and Shana had been together for so long. At the same time, however, she knew Paige wanted nothing to do with Shana and was only interested in their relationship. Paige's parents and her friends all made it clear that they liked her way better, too. She didn't have anything to be jealous of, but that little bit of herself just couldn't help it.

"Em," she whined, her center throbbing. She was desperate for any kind of friction, and she needed to get off so badly she didn't even care how it was done. She wasn't sure what kind of game Emily was trying to play, but she found it strangely enjoyable, although frustrating as well.

"I think it's time to give you what you want," she cooed, sliding her fingers inside her. Paige was absolutely soaked, her wetness easily coating Emily's fingers as she began to slide them in and out of her. "We can make our own memories here."

"Oh," Paige replied weakly, realizing what this was all about. She looked up at Emily, her eyes glazed with need. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too," she replied as she continued to slip her fingers in and out. She rubbed Paige's swollen clit with her thumb, a low groan escaping her lips. She knew if the others could hear them they would be teased tomorrow. But she didn't really care. All she wanted was to make Paige feel good, to make her feel loved. And she was determined to do just that.

"Holy shit," Paige gasped, waves of pleasure crashing over her. She could feel her orgasm building rapidly as Emily thrust into her faster and faster. She always knew just what to do, even without her saying anything. They had that special connection where they just knew each other, something she had never had before. "Fuck me," she moaned, arching her back.

"That's what I'm doing, love."

She moaned again, not caring if everyone else could hear them as Emily pounded away inside of her. Her girlfriend was too amazing with her hands.

"Fuck!"

"Shhh," Emily whispered. "Remember, these walls are thin."

"I don't FUCK care," she gasped, the pleasure beginning to overtake her. "Oh my God Emily, don't stop!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," she cooed, her arm starting to ache. "Come for me, Paige."

She did just that, nearly exploding around Emily's fingers. There was no way to stop the sounds coming from her as rode out the pleasure, Emily giggling at how loud she was screaming. They were going to hear it tomorrow.

She brought her down gently, leaving her fingers inside her as they kissed softly. She didn't want to take them out; it felt so intimate. Their lips brushed softly, their breath mingling in the now quiet room. Emily felt content beyond words as she looked at the woman lying under her.

"I love you so much, Paige."

"I love you, too," Paige replied hoarsely. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"This night is already my favorite memory from the beach house."

Emily smiled, knowing what Paige was implying without actually saying it. She really was amazing.

"It's mine, too."

"Well," she replied, sliding her hands down Emily's back. "I think we have some unfinished business to take care of."

And with that she flipped their positions, making love to her passionately with everything she had.

"Hanna, you're going to get sunburned," Caleb warned the next day as they were all sprawled on the beach. Hanna was dressed in a very skimpy bikini and had opted to skip the sunscreen, much to Caleb's displeasure.

"Come on, Caleb. I'm not that pale."

"You're pale enough."

"Seriously, Hanna," Emily chastised. "How old are you?"

"Leave me alone, Mom."

"Well, this is fun," Spencer interrupted loudly. "Perfect beach weather."

"Agreed," Paige replied. "How cold do you think the water is?"

"You tell us," Mona told her. "Go test it."

"No way!"

"Yeah, go test the water!" Toby agreed gleefully. Paige stuck her tongue out at him.

"Leave her alone, Toby," Emily replied. "What I do in class is if a student volunteers someone, I pick them. Since you volunteered my girlfriend, you can do it."

"Seems fair," Spencer agreed. Toby's mouth dropped open.

"Spence!"

"What?" she replied innocently, winking at Paige.

"Fine," Toby sighed, getting up. "Only because I'm not a pussy."

"You wish," Paige replied. He glared at her before stalking off down the beach.

"This is so awesome," Hanna remarked, stretching out on the blanket. She was lying on her stomach, her bikini top untied because she complained about tan lines.

"You're going to look like a lobster later," Mona replied. Hanna groaned.

"Lay off it, guys. You're not going to change my mind."

"Yeah, remember two summers ago? When she got such bad sunburn she couldn't even get dressed?" Spencer asked, and Paige laughed at the memory. She had forgotten spending a week here with Hanna so long ago, because she hadn't seen her much after until Emily.

"How could I forget that?"

"And Shana made her sit in a milk bath," she added, laughing. She froze when she realized what she had said. "Uh, I'm sorry."

"You're allowed to say her name," she replied, glancing at Emily. Emily smiled gently at her and nodded. "But maybe we should call her You Know Who, like Lord Voldemort."

"That sounds appropriate," Caleb agreed.

"We like you so much better," Mona told her. "I never liked Shana."

"I know," Paige sighed. "You only told me every day."

"Well, sorry. You deserve someone who loves you, like Emily."

Emily put her arm around Paige as a confirmation. Paige squeezed her hand, showing that she understood. She didn't know why Shana was being mentioned so much all of a sudden, but it had all started with that text last week. It was just weird. Nothing to harp on though, and if Emily wasn't going to let it bother her, then neither was she.

"Holy shit!" Toby shouted as he came running back to them, dripping wet. "It's freezing!"

"Don't be such a wimp," Spencer replied dismissively, handing him his towel.

"I'm serious. Go see for yourself."

"I'm thirsty," Hanna announced. "Who wants to go get me lemonade?"

"I will when you put sunscreen on," Caleb retorted. Hanna scowled.

"Actually, I kind of want some, too," Emily agreed. "I can get it."

"I'll get it," Paige offered, scrambling to her feet. Noel and Caleb exchanged smirks. "I was going to ask if anyone else wanted some, but never mind."

"I'm sorry," Caleb replied, getting up. "I'll come with you."

"Are we getting some for everyone?"

"May as well."

"Okay. We'll be back in ten."

They trudged up to the lemonade stand on the boardwalk. The young man at the stand had his back to them as they stood there, waiting for him to take their order. When he turned around, Paige gasped and Caleb's eyes narrowed.

"Nate?"

"Oh. Hi, Paige," he replied, his gaze drifting nervously to Caleb. "How have you been?"

"Like you care."

"Listen, Paige, I'm sorry."

"I'm sure. And, as an answer to your question, I am very happy with someone who is not a lying cheater."

"Shana broke up with me, if that helps."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"No. I just wanted you to know."

"I really couldn't care less."

"She's with some other girl now. Jenna, I think her name is."

"That's nice."

"I guess once a cheater, always a cheater."

"Yup. Which is why you were an idiot."

"Eight lemonades, please," Caleb cut in. Nate looked at them a moment before digging a number of lemonade bottles out of an ice bin.

"I just wanted to give you the heads up that she's here," he replied. "I saw her yesterday."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. All she could talk about towards the end of our relationship was talking to you. I don't know where this other girl comes in."

"If you see her again, tell her not to come near me," she replied, scooping up half of the bottles. She turned around and started on her way back, Caleb giving Nate a dirty look before following her.

"Paige?"

"I'm fine, Caleb," she replied honestly. Sure, the whole thing still hurt and pissed her off. But it hurt her pride, not the fact that she had lost Shana. She didn't like being lied to, and being cheated on had made her feel worthless. But she had Emily now, and she felt valued again. She was happy and content, but not open to forgiveness. She didn't forgive easy, and she wasn't about to now.

"You sure?"

"Yes. I don't miss her at all. You know how happy I am with Emily."

"I really am glad you found someone like her," he replied. "You deserve it."

She smiled. He really was a good friend, always looking out for her.

"Thanks, Caleb."

Paige opted not to tell Emily about running into Nate or the fact that Shana was supposedly here, too. She had to wonder if that was coincidence, or if Shana knew this was the week they always came to the beach house and had come here in the hopes of bumping into her. She didn't understand why she wanted to talk to her so desperately all of a sudden. Something didn't seem right.

They had a fun rest of the day. It was well after dinner time when the usual summer thunder clouds started to roll in, and they decided it was time to pack up and head back to the house. They called it an early night and went to their respective rooms, tired and wanting to change out of wet and sandy bathing suits.

"I want to shower," Paige whined, looking outside. "The timing of these things always sucks."

Emily chuckled, remembering how they had been interrupted in the pool the other day. She wrapped her arms around Paige's waist, kissing the side of her face.

"You probably have time for a quick shower."

"What if the storm starts?"

"Then I'll come get you."

"What if I get fried?"

"I'm not going to let that happen, baby. Go shower."

"Well…. okay," she replied reluctantly. "But I'm going to be super fast."

Emily watched in amusement as Paige literally ran out of the room. She really did hate thunderstorms.

She watched outside carefully, looking for even the tiniest lightning bolt. It was definitely much windier outside than it had been before, and she found herself drawn to the sand whipping around the beach. That was when she noticed a figure walking along the beach, dressed in strangely warm clothes for the summer. The figure was dressed all in black, from head to toe, and they were walking with their head down so Emily couldn't see a face. She looked at them curiously, trying to figure out why anyone would be dressed like that in the middle of July. That and why they would be walking on the beach with a storm approaching.

She couldn't tear her eyes away. She stared, hoping they looked up so maybe she could get a glimpse of their face. But it was too far away for her to really see, so it probably wouldn't help anyway. But she kept watching, fear prickling the back of her neck. She didn't know why this figure gave her such a bad feeling, but it made her feel cold inside.

"Made it!" Paige exclaimed, bursting into the room. She was wrapped in her towel, so eager to get back to the room that she hadn't even brought her clothes. "Emily?"

"Paige, come look at this," she replied. Paige joined her at the window, raising her eyebrows when she saw what Emily was looking at.

"Why are they dressed like that in the middle of the summer?" she asked.

"No idea. It just…. something feels weird."

Paige had to agree. A lot of things had been seeming weird lately.

"Have you seen their face?"

"No. Do you think we should go out there and see if they need help?"

"Absolutely not. Something isn't right."

At that moment, the figure looked up, and they both gasped and jumped back. It was too dark outside to see a face, but it looked as if the person was staring right at them.

"What the fuck?" Paige exclaimed, pulling the curtains closed. "Did you see that?" Emily nodded. Paige peered out through the curtains. The figure was still staring. "That's fucked up."

She threw the door open and started down the hall to the stairs. Emily followed her, wondering if she still realized she was in her towel.

"Um, honey? Maybe you should put your clothes on," she suggested as Paige marched to the front door. She flung it open and stepped onto the porch, looking around as the wind blew viciously around them. The figure was gone, as if they had vanished into thin air. They both stood, staring in disbelief as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

"What the fuck? Where'd they go?" Paige asked, baffled. Emily shrugged.

"I don't know. But please, let's get back inside."

Paige nodded, reluctantly following Emily back into the house and closing the door behind them. They went back up to their room, both of them disturbed by what had just happened. Someone had been watching them, and then had run before they had had the chance to see who.

Emily got settled in bed while Paige changed into her sleep shirt. She glanced out of the window again before settling down next to Emily, stroking circles on her chest.

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to talk to you. About Shana."

"What?" she asked nervously.

"No, no. Nothing like that," she assured her quickly. "I want to tell you the story. Of what happened."

"Okay," she replied, both excited and a little nervous that Paige was ready to be open. Paige was not someone who liked to share feelings, something she had discovered over the past year. She wondered what the reason behind it was. "I'm listening."

"We met when I went to college. I came out….. I was outed my senior year of high school by this girl I thought was my best friend. Her name was Clara and I had such a pathetic puppy crush on her. I think I realized it my junior year. I followed her everywhere, did everything she asked me. I really thought I was in love. She… she strung me along, too. Let me kiss her a couple times, and I thought for sure she loved me back." She paused a moment, swallowing hard. That was still a painful memory. "So I confessed to her. I told her I loved her and I asked her if she felt the same way. I said if she wanted to, I would be more than happy to give us a chance. She…. she recorded my confession on her phone. She told me that she was going to tell my parents what a disgusting pervert I was."

"Oh, Paige….."

"That was when I tried to kill myself. I thought my parents would never want to even look at me again. So I swallowed a bottle of pills and ended up in the ER. I told my parents everything then and they were surprisingly okay with it. Probably they were afraid if they weren't I'd do something like that again, but it was good enough for me. They would always ask me if I liked anyone, always told me I could bring anyone I wanted home."

"What happened to Clara?"

"She died right after graduation. She had leukemia."

"Oh my God, Paige… I'm so sorry," she whispered. She couldn't believe the past this poor woman had.

"The worst part was, I wasn't that sad about it. I mean, I saw her as my first major crush, so that part hurt. But mostly I saw her as someone who betrayed me, who knew how fragile I was at the time and that I would try to kill myself if my parents found out. I hated her."

"I'm sorry," she replied, swallowing a lump in her throat. She hugged Paige tightly.

"So, I went to Brown in the fall. I wanted to start over, and go into college out and proud. That's where I met Shana. We were friends for a while first, and we didn't start dating until junior year. I was happy and excited to be in a new relationship, and I thought I loved her. I thought she loved me. But I don't think we were ever meant to be. We stayed more because we wanted someone than because we were in love. But…. I thought I still meant something to her. And then three years later she told me she was cheating on me. With a man. She was so smug about it, too. So matter of fact. There was no remorse, no apology. It was like she just didn't care, like everything we had meant nothing to her."

"Paige, I… I had no idea," she replied softly. "I mean, I knew the gist of what happened between you, but…. that must have really hurt. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Em. You're the one person who's never screwed me over. I know I can count on you."

"Always, baby," she whispered, holding her close. "I will never hurt you. I'll always stand by you, no matter what."

"I know you will," she replied, smiling. "And you know what? All of that shit that happened to me is worth it. Because I met you."

"You're so cheesy," she laughed, her eyes filling with tears. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I, uh, I wanted to tell you all of that because I don't want to keep secrets from you. I saw Nate today. The man Shana left me for."

"What?"

"He was working the lemonade stand. He told me she left him, like I was supposed to feel sorry for him or something. Anyway, he said he saw her here. I wanted to give you the heads up."

"Oh. Well… thank you for telling me. I'm glad you were honest."

"It felt good to tell you," she admitted. "I don't usually share feelings, in case you haven't noticed. Other than my parents and Caleb, you're the only person who knows about Clara."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It hurt too much to talk about. Really, I think what she did was worse than what Shana did. Shana had no emotion and just didn't give a shit about hurting my feelings. But Clara knew I was cutting, and she knew I was going to really hurt myself if people found out. And she didn't care."

She choked up, looking away so Emily couldn't see her tear filled eyes. Emily wrapped her arms around her and held her close, trying to soothe her. She knew words wouldn't help. They couldn't take away her pain. All she could do was be here to comfort her.

"Thank you for listening," she whispered finally, rolling over to face her. "I needed to get all of that out there."

"Thank you for telling me," she replied, touching Paige's cheek. "You and Caleb are really close, aren't you?"

"Yeah. He's a great friend," she agreed. "He's always been there when I need him. I think Hanna's found a really great guy."

"And I've found a really great girl," she replied, kissing her forehead.

"It is pretty amazing. I used to think I would never be happy. And now I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

"Funny," Emily replied, snuggling close to her. "I feel the same way."

A/N 2: Thank you for all the feedback, guys! Glad you're enjoying the story!