[Disclaimer] I own nothing.
[A/N] Firstly, I really must apologise for my delayed update, I hope by posting two chapter together it makes up for that at least a little? Don't worry I'm still fully committed to this story and it will have an ending. Thanks again for all the kind words people have said through PMing me and over the reviews, it really does mean a lot that you even read this story let alone actually take the time to review or write to me about it. Thanks for the continuing number of favourites and follows, as I've mentioned before this was just an idea I needed to get out of my head and seeing other people get at least a little enjoyment out of it, is truly amazing. I'll stop rambling on and let you read the chapter, please review or feel free to message me and let me know your thoughts and feeling on the chapter, I'm open to all comments. Enjoy -KTF
Emily groaned as she rolled over in the large double bed, secretly hoping her blurred memories of what had happened last night were just a bad dream. Unfortunately, on noticing she had awoke in Hanna and Caleb's bed, as well as a pounding headache and a desert-dry mouth all combined together, only confirmed her nausea inducing thought.
The vague memories of last night; almost hooking up with a stranger, fighting with Ashley and the devastating words she barked out maliciously towards Paige caused her eyes to sting in irritation, as a result of threatening teardrops once again. In that moment she really just wanted to fall off the face of the earth out of pure embarrassment, shame and devastation.
It was her dire need of a drop of water that pushed her to eventually climb out of the safe confines of her best friend's bed. She sucked up last night's memories as best as she could while wrapping a blanket around her as a safety net in two senses of the word; after standing upright she felt incredible dizzy at least if she fell the duvet might offer some kind of support. She timidly made her way down the stairs into the River's living area. Her descent down the stairs with the blankets wrapped tightly around her was met with rough laughter only encouraging the monotonous thump in her head, the loudest of the laughter was coming from a familiar little boy; "Look Mama, Daddy... Emmy looks like a ghost".
Emily mumbled out a fatigued response, her voice licked with a dry hoarseness; "At least the outside matches the inside... because I feel like death."
Once on bottom floor Emily tiresomely shuffled towards the fridge grabbing a bottle of water, the contents disappearing within seconds as she grabbed another, before dragging herself to the couch to sit opposite Hanna; who was holding out a bottle of aspirin, a smirk clinging to her lips.
"Good morning, sleepy head" Hanna sung out on the top of her lungs, Emily instantly sending her the cheery blond a death glare, enough to ward off anymore jokes or teasing comments from the blonde, at least for the minute. "What? I had to Em... I couldn't resist" Emily just rolled her eyes at her friend's response.
Something Emily didn't notice immediately was Jacob being that little more curious as to why Emily was acting so weird, the perceptive young boy noticing something was off and he quickly ran off to his father's side, before whispering something into his Dad's ear. The secret instantly causing Caleb to let out a booming laugh, causing Emily to grimace once again as the noise pierced through her ears furthering the dull throbbing of her headache.
"How about you go ask Emily that, buddy!" Caleb edged his son in Emily's direction, his instruction peaking both the blonde and brunette's interest as to what irked the small child. Jacob approached his mother and Emily somewhat cautiously, his eyes constantly scrutinising the tan girl made visible through the defined line appearing between his brows.
"Emmy..." The inquisitive boy began.
"Yes, Jacob?"
"What happened to your neck... it's all bruises and boo boos?" The blue eyed boy asked curiously, hoping Emily hadn't hurt herself. His question causing Emily to choke on her drink, as Hanna burst out into a fit of laughter.
"I... uhhh... I, well... I was wearing a scarf... and ummm... and it got caught ... so when I went to walk, well it yanked and hurt my neck... causing the bruises" Emily tried, a shade of red lined her cheeks scarlet. The embarrassed girl secretly hoping her lie would be sufficient. She had almost completely forgotten about the girl from last night's fondest for her neck.
"Okay... hope you okay though, Emmy" The little boy smiled this time.
"Umm yeah... thanks Jakey" Emily replied awkwardly, avoiding any eye contact with Hanna or Caleb.
"Hey Jake, how about you and I go see the crew at the office and then we can go for some pancakes afterwards, leave your Mom and Emily here to do boring stuff" Caleb questioned, the little boy's eyes illuminating as he nodded his head enthusiastically, he loved any opportunity he got to visit Caleb's workplace and pancakes were always a bonus in the eyes of a four year old. The little boy gave Hanna a hug before waving at the two as he and his father headed out the door.
"Han... I'm so sorry" Emily spoke out as soon as the two were out the door.
"Em... you don't need to be sorry, we've all gotten drunk and done stupid things. We were just worried. Care to fill me in on the full story or at least everything you can remember?" Hanna moved closer to her friend, nudging her playfully not immediately noticing the water threatening to over spill in her friend's eyes, trying to hold back her emotions was becoming an ever increasing challenge for the raven haired beauty.
The two were interrupted by Hanna's phone message tone, "Actually hold that thought, Spence is on her way over. I guess you won't want to tell the details twice..." her words cut off by Emily's panicked expression "Fuck... Spencer's gonna kill me. I'll never hear the end of it."
"Will you stop worrying, she won't. She was pretty pissed but mainly worried last night. Plus I mean how many times did we have to go and pick up the pieces after her drunken sprees when she and Toby broke up for like the fifth time. Do you not remember the time she tried to buy a plane ticket at 4am to London after a night out just so she could try find Wren, not having a clue if he still lived there or not, and not knowing what exactly she planned on doing once she found him, but that seemed like a great idea in the mind of Spencer Hastings that one night. She'll understand Em, you know Spence... you know what she's like".
"Yeah I know what's she like, Han... but I was pretty cruel and an asshole last night, I kinda deserve the wrath of Spencer Hastings."
"Pfftt... I don't think the wrath is as formidable as it used to be, Spencer's gone soft. She keeps all that 'wrathiness' locked up for the courtroom, she isn't one of New York best up and coming lawyers for no reason you know." Hanna uttered out in response.
"I know... Han, is your Mom still here?" Emily asked, her voice more timid and shy this time.
"No she left this morning... Em, you were drunk. She understands that, she knows you're in a pretty messed up position at the minute."
"I said some pretty awful things to her last night, Han. She's like a second mother to me... I should have never spoken to her like that. Can I use your laptop, I'll send her a bouquet of flowers and a card that might help. Then I'll ring her later on in the week and apologise over the phone, it as close to as in person as I can get at the minute." Emily explained, sincerely sorry for her words last night.
"Em you really don't have to, she wasn't angry or disappointed or anything. But if you really want to make her day maybe add in a bottle of merlot" Hanna suggested.
"I do... and good idea, that brain of yours is good for somethings"
"Hey come on don't be mean... I kindly avoided bringing up all the hickeys on your neck" Hanna teased.
"Yeah, your son just did it for you instead"
At that moment the two friends were interrupted by the sound of keys in the door, they both immediately knew it was Spencer, as a wave of anxiety washed over Emily and a wave of excitement washed over Hanna, as she waited in anticipation as to what would unravel in the next few minutes. Hanna jumped up, heading over to the kitchen to get some coffee for the three. Spencer entered the large living area, her eyes meeting the blonde first as she sent her a warm smile, before focusing in on the brunette.
"Spence... please you can lecture me any other time just not today, I'm already suffering enough. I know I was a bitch last night and I'm sorry" Emily quickly started apologising, but was met by confusion when Spencer interrupted her "Hey it's okay, Em. I was pretty pissed just because I was worried. I thought you might have wandered off after Paige and Al... after Paige, you were very drunk and angry, I thought something might have happened to you. But I'm not mad at you, once I heard you were in Hanna's I was relieved. You're 25 years old Em, I have no right to judge what you do or don't do with your life. Plus it would be pretty hypocritical of me to call you out when I'm sure you, Han and Aria have picked up the pieces for me a hell of lot more times after a pretty bad night." Spencer explained calmly, offering the worried girl a kind smile.
Emily gave a sigh of relief on hearing her friend's words. "Any way I'm far more interested in hearing about the vampire you hooked up with last night, seems she enjoyed marking your neck" Spencer approached Emily, tentatively placing her hand under the girl's chin lifting it upwards before turning it from left to right, a teasing laugh slipping from her mouth as she eyed the numerous love bites that streaked her friend's neck.
"We didn't hook up..." Emily rolled her eyes at her friend's mocking remark.
"Yeah, my Mom cock blocked the two from getting any." Hanna laughed to herself as she finished up making the coffees.
"Since you're not mad at me... how about you come sit here, feel sorry for me and make me feel better" Emily suggested patting the couch beside her. Spencer and Emily rarely showed such affection but that changed somewhat when Spencer helped Emily a lot after the accident and through her resulting and tumultuous break-up with Paige. The girl's desperate actions calling out for comfort, making both Spencer and Hanna laugh gently.
"Wow, Fields I almost forgot just how needy you can be when you're caught up in sensitive situation" Spencer laughed again, sitting down where Emily had previously indicated before lifting her arm to let Emily crawl into her side. Spencer's words triggering a memory in the bronzed girl's mind.
"What? I just missed our Spemily moments..." Emily replied her voice a little more subdued this time, thankful that her new position meant her eye line wasn't in full view of her two friends, or else her tear stained eyes would give her away.
ACHOOO! Paige sneezed for what must have been the fifth time in a row within a few minutes, "Ugghh" She sighed huffing annoyed to herself.
"I think you're getting sick, Pay" Emily laughed when she saw her girlfriend reaching for another tissue before changing for bed.
"I'm not... I'm fine, it's just allergies... I'll be fine in the morning" Paige sulked in response, not wanting to face up to fact she probably was getting sick.
"Fine... we'll see how that goes tomorrow morning at 6am for swim practice..." Emily's voice was low enough only she could hear. Her eyes focused in on Paige as she watched her girlfriend collapse into their double bed the athletic girl instantly curling up under the blankets, her body in need of some heat as her nose snuffled every few minutes. Emily quickly went for a shower before changing for bed herself.
"Looks like I'm not even getting a goodnight kiss tonight" Emily laughed gently, as she saw Paige had already passed out, her girlfriend's mouth was slightly ajar and gentle snores were sounding softly. Paige was usually a very quiet sleeper but Emily suspected her nose was congested and she'd have to put up with the extra noise for tonight. In the two years they had been together Paige had only been sick once before, it was more so a battle than anything else. As Paige had said herself a few years back 'Paige McCullers does not get sick", the girl was incredibly stubborn when it came to admitting she was sick. Emily remembers clearly the first and possibly one of the only times she had heard a stern tone come across on Paige's mother's voice, it was when Paige had refused to take the day off of school and stay in bed because she was so ill, eventually Paige gave in, she was also not very used to hearing that tone come from her Mother and was somewhat frightened by it. Emily loved every second of Paige being sick, mainly it was because she had a sad, lost and confused puppy dog look spread across her face for the three days her body succumbed to sickness, Emily didn't think her girlfriend could get any more adorable. Not to mention the grumpy attitude Paige had adopted as if she was a spoilt three year old child who didn't get their way, granted her grumpiness was for the most part directed as herself, and her body's inability to function healthily. She knew if Paige was sick it was probably going to be a battle, but she'd be lying to herself if she wasn't secretly looking forward to looking after the love of her life.
The next morning Emily woke quickly on hearing the alarm signalling it was six am, a smirk growing on her face on hearing soft grunts and moans coming from her girlfriend who reluctantly pulled herself out of bed. Emily immediately missing the sense of safety and warmth, when she felt the loss of Paige's arm from around her waist, a feeling she never got used to since the couple started sharing a bed full time. Emily didn't have to be up until nine but given Paige's rigid swim routine her body was in tune with Paige's schedule. She watched amusedly as her girlfriend struggled to get dressed, having to sit down at one point having been interrupted by a brief coughing fit finished off with a handful of sneezes. Emily grabbed her phone quickly shooting off a text, before getting up out of bed.
Paige was now stood in front of their full length mirror trying to tie her hair up, Emily intercepted her action as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's body, placing delicate kisses on her exposed shoulders, Paige still hadn't put on her shirt. Emily could sense the heat radiating from her girlfriend's body signalling to her she probably had a fever, she reckoned her girlfriend must have been feeling the heat as well, as she avoided putting on her Stanford swim team shirt for as long as possible.
"Ummm... Em stop, I have to go to swim practice" Paige spoke hesitantly, she felt weak enough as it was and the kisses Emily was placing on her shoulders and neck really weren't helping the situation.
"Oh yeah... well we still have a few minutes" Emily was in playful mood and knew exactly how to get Paige to admit just how ill she was.
Emily sensually walked around to the front of her girl, her perfectly manicured fingernails gently scraping across the surface of Paige's back. This time her lips deciding to attack the girl's collar bone, as Emily directed Paige backwards towards their bed.
"Em... seriously" Paige sighed, her voice sounding weaker as a result of her body's pure exhaustion.
Emily slightly pushed the auburn haired girl as the two fell back onto the bed.
"Babe... I have to go swim" Paige tried again, the playful look on Emily's face only grew more mischievous on hearing the extra rasp to Paige's voice brought on by what she suspected was an irritated throat and a devilish dry cough.
Emily lips finding their place on Paige's collar bone once again, she couldn't help but leave a discreet mark before she allowed her lips to tantalise their way along her girl's neck, before tickling at the skin below her ear. A smirk growing on Emily face before she spoke the words "kiss me..." in a voice just below a whisper. Paige went breathless. Her brain went blank for a moment. But she refused to do as her girlfriend commanded.
"Kiss me, Pay..." Emily spoke again her lips now less than an inch hovering above Paige's own.
Paige let out a sigh, turning her head to the side "No...". The smile on Emily's face growing, knowing her win was almost complete.
"You don't want to kiss me, babe?" Emily faked annoyance.
"I do... I really do! But..."
"But what?"
"You'll get sick and I don't want to be the reason you get sick" Paige voiced, her response causing Emily to sit up still straddling her girlfriend's lap "Ha... Victory is mine" She proclaimed gleefully.
"Ugggh" Paige whined her hand coming to rest on her head as it thumped tiresomely.
"Paige... look at me" Emily spoke, her voice low again so as not to increase her girlfriend's headache. The auburn hair girl turned to look up at her girlfriend. Emily leaned down, her lips capturing her girlfriend's for a gentle kiss there, hoping to ease the pain at least for a few brief moments.
"You're gonna get sick, Em!"
"Meh... you know what they say, in sickness and in health"
"You know we're not married right?"
"Yeah I know... but one day, Love. One day."
"Shit! Swim practice, Coach will kill me" Paige sat up, immediately regretting doing so as the sinus pain intensified, causing her to slam her eyes shut and grunt in pain.
"It's okay... I text Morgan that you're sick, she said she's fill the coach in" Emily replied proudly, she knew Paige was never going to make it to practice. So she took some initiative and made sure to let the team's captain know Paige would be missing for a few days.
"You knew I wasn't going to be able for today, didn't you?"
"I knew last night... it was just funny keeping up the pretence this morning. You looked so cute struggling to get dressed, and then not being able to push me away when you needed to get to practice."
"That's a difficult task on any given day, Em. Whether I'm in tip-top shape or not."
"You didn't try to go any further though, usually kissing you're collar bone is your weak point"
"It is... my brain was screaming at me to do something, like rip your pyjama shirt off, or flip us over and take control... but my body refused to move. I had to accept I was sick then." Paige sulked, snuffling her nose.
"Come on we'll go shower, it will make you feel so much better and it'll help the sinus pains and achy joints. Then I'll make you some lemon and honey tea, and you can get wrapped back up in bed for the day." Emily explained, smiling adoringly at her girlfriend's admittance.
"Uggh... I don't know if I have enough energy to get up off this bed. I'm pretty sure I might pass out under a hot shower..." Paige coughed out.
"Come on... I'll be there to hold you." Paige took her girlfriend's word for it. All the while grumbling, moaning and whining as she made her way towards the bathroom.
Emily dried her girlfriend's hair before tucking her back into bed with a hot tea, she laughed every time Paige pushed her away simple stating "I don't need to be looked after, Em" her physical exhaustion acting against her words as she could barely raise her arms to push her girlfriend off her.
"Okay, I'm done. I have to get to class but I'll come back at lunch to see how you're doing" Emily spoke leaning forward to kiss her girlfriend goodbye but Paige turned away, earning a disappointed pout from Emily. "Paige stop being stubborn and trying not to get me sick, let me kiss you."
Paige sighed and gave into her girlfriend's words, everyone knew Paige McCullers could never say no to Emily Fields.
When Emily returned Paige was passed out, her body stretched out across their shared bed. Emily's eyes shamefully began running the length of her girlfriend's legs before scanning over her exposed abs, her breath hitching as she noticed the hem of Paige sleep shirt has risen up exposing the outline of her underboob, clearly the fevered girl had deliriously tossed and turned in the bed in search of a way of cooling her body down. Emily was breathless watching the gently rise and fall of her girlfriend's flat stomach, mesmerized by a fainted bruise she had left on Paige's ribcage just below the taunting sight of her girlfriend's near exposed chest, a few days back. Small droplets of sweat added a level of teasing definition to Paige's toned abs. Emily's eye eventually trailing to her love's sleeping face, a slight red tint licked her cheeks as her mouth hung open ever so slightly, most likely still caused by Paige being unable to breathe through her nose. Her face soft and open. Emily was sure Paige had never looked so beautiful.
But that wasn't a new experience for Emily, any chance she got to scrutinise the little details of her girlfriend she willingly took it. Emily Fields was constantly blown away by the beauty of the girl she had fallen deeply in love with.
Emily eventually pulled herself out of her daze walking over to the bedside to gently wake her girlfriend. She done so with a gentle kiss to her sleeping girlfriend's warmed cheek and gently stirred her awake, shaking her lightly.
"Em?" Paige awoke a little confused, her voice now barely audible her sore throat no doubt had progressed as she slept.
"Good afternoon, sleepy head" Emily smiled.
"I was having the weirdest dreams... I'll glad you're back"
"I could've guess that, babe. The blankets are on the floor this side, the pillows are that side, you practically had you're clothes ripped off of you... not that it wasn't a welcome sight or anything"
"I feel like shit"
"I know Pay... but at least now I have some medicine which should help your feel better. I also bought some chicken soup from 'Café Brioche', it's your favourite, a large tub of coconut ice-cream to ease your throat and Netflix is at the ready. I'm going to skip my lecture at 3 and my labs from 5 – 7 have been cancelled so I'm all yours" Emily explained, Paige having already started into the chicken soup she adored so much, it reminded her so much of her grandmother's home-made soup.
"I love you"
"I love you too, babe"
"hmmm what, Em? I was just talking to the soup"
"Wow thanks Paige"
"Fine... I guess I love you too" Paige smirked this time, the medication already doing it's job.
After lunch the two were curled up in bed watching the newest season of Orange is the New Black, Paige was pretty drowsy thanks to the medication and Emily was tucked nicely into her girlfriend's side.
"Em... you're making me hot" Paige stated sleepily, Emily's eyebrows creasing in confusion at Paige's random remark.
"Thanks... I guess? But I really don't think you're able for sex, Paige..." Emily replied her eyes remaining focused on the TV screen.
"No... I mean like you're making me really hot! Can you move over a little, I feel like I'm suffocating" Paige whimpered.
"Oh are you burning up again? Maybe you should try get some sleep that seems to help ease your fever." Emily sat up in bed placing the back of her hand to the other girl's forehead, trying her best to move over in the bed.
"Ugghh... fuck being sick" Paige began to sound like a heartbroken child again, her tone quivering with juvenile annoyance, as a result of having to push Emily away.
"Just try get some sleep, babe." Emily replied reaching out to grab Paige's free hand giving it a gentle squeeze. The two decided to stay holding hands, taking the little opportunity of any physical contact they could get.
The next morning Paige woke feeling much fresher, she still felt a little crappy but much improved from the day before, especially given she felt like she had enough energy to actually get up out of bed this morning.
Paige rolled over trailing three kisses along Emily's neck, to wake up her girlfriend.
"Good morning, beautiful... I'm feeling much better today, my throat is still a little scratchy and my head still feels a little clogged but how about I treat you to some breakfast for being so wonderful to me yesterday?" Paige spoke as she climbed out of bed to open the blinds and the window.
Emily rolled over and groaned "Ugghh... I don't think I can move"
"Oh no, Em you're not sick are you?... I told you, you shouldn't have kissed me!"
"I regret nothi...ACHOO... okay maybe I regret everything, I should have listened..."
"Hey... what happened to in sickness and in health, Babe?" Paige asked teasingly.
"Ughh... well I'm only marrying you if we focus more on the health side... If you make me sick like this again McCullers, I will be filing for divorce" Emily mumbled out.
"You know, your words really make me excited for the day we get married, Em..." Paige smirked sarcastically. "So you want to head into town for breakfast?" Paige offered again.
Emily just gave a stern nod of her head to signal a no, as she pulled the covers tighter around her body.
"Ok I guess we're staying in again today... I'll go make us some breakfast, take my medication and get some for you too."
"Nooo... Paige can you just come back into bed... and cuddle me... make me feel better and scare the sickness away" Unlike Paige, Emily reverted to her 7 year old self when she got sick, wanting nothing more than to be looked after and fawned over.
Paige laughed at her girlfriend, earning an attempted glare but the sick girl failed miserably.
"Emily Fields you are so needy." Paige playfully rolled her eyes climbing back into bed opening her arms exaggeratingly wide further teasing the tanned girl. "You know you will eventually end up pushing me away pretty soon, because I'll be so unbearably hot... but then again, I'm that most days and you don't complain, so maybe you're used to it..." Paige smirked, her fingers drawing patterns along the length of the other girl's arms, something Paige always did, it was mainly out of habit nowadays and happened often unbeknownst to her.
"Yeah... Yeah! You wish, McCullers..." Emily spoke out before dozing off into a feverish and sleepy haze.
"Em... Emily?" Hanna questioned a little louder this time but it was Spencer's movement that broke Emily from her day dream.
"What? Sorry I was away in my own little world" Emily replied a little annoyed.
"Yeah, well you don't say..." Spencer laughed lightly.
"What did you want?" Emily asked in return feeling a little drowsier once again.
"We want to know what's going on in the little head of yours. We know you're really struggling with Paige being back. We just wanna help." Spencer spoke sympathetically.
"I guess I'll fill you in with what I remember. I may have already told you some stuff Han, but I can't really remember what exactly I drunkenly filled you in on last night" Emily started off explaining. "It basically started the minute Paige and Alex arrived, I mean I knew as soon as I saw what she was wearing it wasn't going to end well. I stuck to the bar to keep my attention off the two, but it didn't help at all, I just couldn't help myself from watching the two interact, and the way Paige carried herself about the room. Alex just looked so bored and unimpressed anytime Paige was talking to some of the people at the party, which irritated me to no end... I mean she could have at least respected Paige enough to act like she was enjoying herself. Anyway, eventually Alex got Paige to herself and they started acting all 'couplely', basically there was a lot of PDA. I know they have every right to do so, but it still hurt... it really hurt! That was when I met the girl at the bar, we got chatting and I drank... and drank some more. Also I can't actually remember her name at all..." Emily trailed off a little embarrassed.
"Her name was Olivia, or Liv... but my Mom said you kept calling her Viv" Hanna added, a playful tone to her voice causing Emily to shrink even more in on herself with embarrassment on hearing the blonde's words.
"Okay, moving swiftly on... well long story short Paige was being nice, too nice... basically telling me to cop the fuck on and maybe I should go home. She was right I did have too much to drink. But if I didn't get angry I would have kissed her or told her to break up with Alex... it was hard hearing her being so concerned and worried about me as friend, it was too close and felt too familiar to how caring she would be anytime she was concerned about me when we were together, It just brought back a flood of past memories and it was torture being so close to her again and not being able to be close with her. So instead of responding like a rational and normal human being, I lost it. I completely lost it. We fought, I brought up stuff about her leaving and in the end I stupidly said..." Emily stopped for a moment, unable to speak trying not to get upset again. "I told her that breaking up with her was the best decision of my life..."
"We all know you didn't actually mean that Em, you're in tough situation. Paige was suddenly gone 5 years ago and then she comes back into our lives, into your life again, and she's happy and has moved on with someone else. That's hard to adjust to. We can all understand that." Spencer tried comforting her friend.
"I know and seeing Paige so happy, is incredible... She's deserves all the happiness in the world, and I need to accept that, that happiness no longer has anything to do with it. I think going to Texas and getting out of the city for a few weeks will be good. I think it's time I at least try and move on or take some time for myself" Emily spoke her voice sounding a little quieter and broken this time, but she was 100% willing to try anything to avoid another situation like last night. "I don't want Paige to keep getting hurt at my expense, I am so sick of being a burden on her relationship with Alex. I'm tired of being a burden to you guys, I need to accept, Paige will always hold an important and vital place in my heart, but it just wasn't supposed to be. She's happy now and nothing makes life more than worth living than seeing her smile and hearing her laughter again." Emily voice shook as silent tears rolled off her cheeks, the tan girl unable to fight back her emotions. Hanna and Spencer sharing a sympathetic look between them, as Spencer wrapped her thin but strong arms around her friend, holding her a little tighter.
The three sat in silence for a few minutes, Emily close to falling asleep again when Hanna interrupted; "Okay well, lets book your flight back to Texas" The blonde sat on the other end of the couch near Emily's feet as she pulled up flight information on her laptop, the change of topic a welcome break for the three. Emily perked up a bit, as excitement began to grow. She really was looking forward to seeing her parents for the first time in six months within the next week.
"Okay so that's it booked. One flight out for Wednesday night at 11pm for your 2 week stay in Texas" Hanna proclaimed proudly, squeezing Emily's calf amicably offering her comfort.
"Thanks Han... and you too Spence"
"Okay how about we try Skype with Aria... I'm missing that little one" Spencer questioned, hoping talking with Aria would continue to help Emily perk up a little.
"Maybe I should go grab a scarf or put some make-up on... I don't need her giving me grief on these either" Emily spoke shyly pointing to the bruises on her neck.
"Don't even think about it Fields... you made your bed, now you can lay in it." Hanna poked the raven-haired beauty in the side, causing the two to start laughing and engage in a playful fight.
"You know it's like you two did a complete body swap. I thought we were done with all this recklessness when we left college. Hanna become the quiet, settled, mature one when she had a baby, and Emily it's like you felt the need to carry on high school and college Hanna for her." Spencer began teasing the two girls playfully wrestling next to her.
"Is that a bad thing?" Emily stopped a little taken aback and confused by Spencer's words.
"No... no not at all, it's just through-out school and then when you were with Paige you always seemed a little cautious, more prudent and careful than the rest of us. Is it fair to say that was a direct result of Ali and Maya being killed?" Spencer treaded carefully, her words catching the interest of both Emily and Hanna, as Emily nodded yes in response to Spencer's question. "...and we all know you had a pretty rough time since the accident, especially the first three years. But in the last two years you seem to be freer, more at ease, more comfortable in your skin. You've got to experience college all over again, only this time you were single ninety percent of the time, you got to live in New York with your best friends, you put one hundred percent of yourself into everything you did because you no longer cared about what people taught. You were free. No consequences. No strings attached. I only make the comparison between you and Han because I think after Ali died, Hanna felt that freedom. Alison was the embodiment of Hanna's insecurities, and once she was gone Hanna was free of those stomach churning thoughts that prickle your mind at 3 am when you crying out for sleep. But of course she entered a new stage of her life when Jacob came along, when she and Caleb said 'I do'. I think it took you to lose everything Em, for you to finally accept that you got dealt a really shitty hand, before you could experience that sense of freedom. Even when you were with Paige and probably the happiest you've ever been, there was always those niggling thoughts reminding you that maybe one day you would lose Paige too, and that always kept you from fully knocking down the wall that even Han, Aria or I could never fully breach. But now it's different, that wall still exists but once it comes down... it comes down fully. You're more laid back, more at ease and just simply more comfortable now, I feel than ever before. Of course that changed once again when Paige; happy, unavailable and in a committed relationship showed up, but that's only a hurdle. In the end the chance at getting closure from Paige will maybe help you to fully embrace this freeness to move on. That may not be with Paige as you had envisaged five years ago, but you can finally move on from all the shitty situations you had to deal with..." Spencer explained confidently, hoping to restore some of her friend's faith in herself.
"Thanks Spence" Emily replied quietly, a little astonished by how well Spencer could articulate everything she was feeling and make sense of the world around her, as she tucked herself a little tighter into the leaner brunette's side.
"Okay enough with all this soppy crap... who wants food?" Hanna had to break the nice moment.
"Typical move Hanna. Always thinking of your stomach..." Spencer laughed, earning a slap to the face with a cushion, after the blonde fired it in her direction.
Soon after Hanna took the other two girl's order she quickly typed it out in the computer. "Okay well the sushi's gonna take at least thirty minutes to get here, who wants to pop open a bottle of white?"
The immediate look of disgust on Emily's face was comical for both Hanna and Spencer as a teasing smile appeared on the two's faces.
"I don't think I can deal with alcohol ever again" Emily groaned out, her stomach twisting at the thought of drinking the acidic liquid.
The night continued on as the three chatted away about everything and anything that came to mind, as they all waited patiently for the food to come.
Emily eventually moved to get up to find a phone charger. As if on cue, once she had plugged in her phone there was a knock on the door. Emily deciding since she was closest so she'd get it, not knowing she'd regret that move just two seconds later.
Emily unhooked the door latch and undid the lock opening the door fully expecting to be met with a young boy or girl probably trying to save a buck while in college, instead she was met by a pair of striking chestnut colour eyes so intense they could bore holes into your soul.
"Paige?" Emily reacted instantaneously.
"Ummm sorry... maybe I should come back at another time" Her words immediately hitting Emily like a tough blow to the stomach, winding her. She couldn't help but feel shame, humiliation and embarrassment when she noticed Paige's eyes focused in on, presumably the hickeys that lined her neck.
"Paige... Is everything okay? What are doing here?" Hanna called out, Emily pushing the front door wider so that the two girls sat inside were now insight of the brunette.
"Yeah... Yeah, everything's fine. I umm, I just got a new phone just now and wanted to make sure everyone got my new number. I lost mine yesterday, I umm... I left it in the taxi and it couldn't be found, so it's a whole new phone and a new number. But yeah if you have a piece of paper, I can call out the number..." Paige stuttered out, she really only wanted to talk with just Hanna and Caleb to apologise for leaving early and causing a bit of a scene last night, instead she tried the next best thing, making it seem like giving her friends her new phone number was her top priority.
"Wow, that's thoughtful Paige. But you know, you could have just facebooked us or email? You didn't have to come this far" Spencer added once she had finished writing down the number the girl had just called out. Spencer also couldn't help but notice something was clearly a little off with the girl stood awkwardly in the doorway, obviously agitated as she played with a loose button on her shirt, but it was the way she bit the corner of her mouth that really gave her away. That was a typical McCullers' move, anytime there was something truly bothering the girl, she would resort to biting her bottom lip. Spencer decided it was probably best to let it slip, not wanting to add to Paige's awkwardness, she registered it in the back of her mind to call her friend tomorrow or meet up for coffee, to catch up in full.
"Yeah well... I umm, I also just wanted to say sorry about leaving so hastily last night without saying goodbye, it's just..." Paige continued stuttering awkwardly, somewhat taken aback by how distracted she got when she noticed the bruises that lined Emily's neck, as images of Emily's heated and drunken make-out session with a stranger made waves in her mind. Last night was the first time she had seen Emily with someone else since their break-up, it tore her up inside knowing that Emily was so easily swayed by the drunk girl's actions. She knew she couldn't expect Emily to remain single, but she wanted more for the girl she once loved with her whole heart, not just a drunken one night fling that ultimately leaves you feeling shitty. Paige knew this because she had been there numerous times herself, before ever meeting Alex. Paige also didn't want to invoke another argument like last night's, which had caused enough pain and suffering all round.
"Paige it's fine, you don't have to worry about that." Hanna replied in a genuine tone, offering a kind and kindred smile.
"Yeah, umm anyway... I should probably get going. But umm if you want, just text me on all your numbers when you get a chance. No rush though." Paige stated still somewhat awkward, as she began retreating from the doorway offering the two sat inside a small wave goodbye as Hanna and Spencer called out their farewell.
"Paige, wait a second..." Emily spoke up, pulling over the front door as far as it would go without closing fully, not wanting to lock herself out.
"Emily... it's fine" Paige interrupted really not wanting to talk about last night. She was torn between fear of breaking down in front of the bronzed girl and fear of the two getting into another heated argument.
"No! Paige, please I was an idiot last night... I'm sorry okay!" Emily tried to explain, not really knowing if Paige was listening to her or not as she continued towards the elevator.
"Emily forget about it... It didn't mean anything, right?!" Paige voiced in return as she entered the lift, the double meaning of her words clearly evident to both girls. Paige choosing her words precisely to belittle the argument the two had the previous night, but also to belittle their relationship of two and half years just like Emily had done, when she said their relationship breaking up was the best decision of her life. The two knowing their words couldn't be further from the truth, but they were past the point of playing nice at the minute. The hiss and snark that registered on her words were not necessarily meant to be so cruel, Paige just simply wanted Emily to feel a fraction of the hurt she had inflicted on the chestnut haired girl last night. What Paige didn't know was the guilt and regret Emily felt in the pit of her stomach was already causing the slightly taller girl incredible amounts of shame, disappointment and heartache.
As she turned around in the elevator neither girl could face the other, the two avoiding eye contact as if their life depended on it.
Maybe their lives did.
Emily couldn't move until the doors of the elevator began to shut, finally able to retreat back into the safety of Hanna's home. Emily was now far too mentally and physically exhausted to talk of Paige McCullers choosing silence instead. Thankfully her friends were more than understanding as they continued their night watching cheesy 90's films and eating sushi.
Over the next few days Emily kept herself busy, Sarah's sister had flown back to Australia so she got her own bed back, and her mind was kept occupied with some training days in the hospital. She hadn't run into Paige since their brief conversation outside Hanna's a few days ago, and she felt a little better for it. Her mind was a lot clearer and she was extremely excited to finally visit her parents in Texas in the coming days. Spencer's words had helped her a lot, they were something she needed to hear and it was helping her open her mind to finally moving on. Emily was looking forward to her night ahead of her as she was asked if she could babysit for Hanna and Caleb, who had a fashion night to attend to. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to embrace one hell of a lazy evening and actually have some time to herself, one thing the past few days didn't permit was a chance to just be alone and relax because she was so busy with work and packing for Texas. She was eager to catch up and play with Jacob, it had also been awhile since she got to fully interact with the four year old and it surprised her how much she missed him, the two had planned on watching some classic Disney movies, making dinner and an ice-cream dessert together and Emily promised the young besotted boy she would read him some of his superhero book.
Emily was quietly dozing off on the sofa, Jacob had made it half way through Cars before he fell asleep. The young boy was tired after the full on evening he had with Emily, the two having danced for hours on end, chasing one and other around the house and Emily obeying the little boys rules and instructions as she followed along with his make belief game of wizards and witches. She was pretty sure she had done some damage to her hip muscles when Jake pointed to her turning her into a frog, and she began hopping mad around the room. Emily decided it was best to put him to bed as soon as possible out of fear he may wake up if she tried to carry him to bed a little later, and then it would ultimately be harder to settle the exhausted boy.
The dark haired girl jumped suddenly on hearing a noise at the front door, quickly glancing at her watch it couldn't have been Hanna and Caleb they said they'd be home just after midnight and it was only approaching ten o clock. She rubbed her dazed eyes wondering who could be at the front door at this hour, the girl a little taken aback on hearing a voice shouting from the other side accompanied by loud banging on the wooden door.
"Hanna?... Han? Caleb? Let me in..."
"Please let me in... please!" The voice continued a desperate tone lingering distraughtly to it.
[A/N] Thanks again for reading, I hope the domesticated/fluffy Paily flashback makes up for the lack of Paily in real-time; in this story and I guess on PLL, since we haven't seen the two interact yet in season 5. I can only keep promising that Paily is endgame in this story, it will happen eventually. - KTF