Sorry once again for the wait. And thank you, as always, for seriously wonderful reviews, they are greatly, greatly appreciated. I didn't have much time to edit this one (again), it's one last mildly fluffy interlude before the next few chapters get a little angsty. Maybe. I haven't decided. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 12: What you do to me.

Paige was smiling.

Emily could feel it against her neck as she stirred, the arm around her waist loosening slightly as Paige placed a soft kiss to her shoulder. She laced their fingers together, scooting backwards until her back was snug against Paige's front, almost instinctively lifting their interlocked hands to her lips to kiss Paige's knuckles softly.

"Morning," Emily said, the tireless evident in her voice. Paige's response was simply another soft kiss, this time to the nape of her neck.

She turned in Paige's arms, flashing the girl a timid smile as she leant in, kissing Paige softly, once and then twice, again and then again. There was something about kissing Paige that never failed to draw her in; one was never enough, she always needed to follow-up with another, and another, until there was nothing in her mind but Paige; Paige and her kisses.

"Mmm," Paige sighed sleepily as she pulled away with a yawn, rolling onto her back and lifting her arm up invitingly; anticipating correctly that Emily would follow, the dark-haired girls head coming to rest against Paige's shoulder. "It's way too early to be awake."

Emily didn't respond, instead her fingers trailed lazily along Paige's exposed torso; the sheet having fallen away as they shifted. Normally she'd feel embarrassed that she was staring so blatantly, but today, at this hour, she couldn't really bring herself to care. She was becoming quickly enamoured with Paige's body; in particular the way it responded to her touch, unable to resist the desire to place a soft kiss to Paige's collarbone. She felt Paige's fingertips trail softly along the base of her spine as she lifted herself slightly to place a firmer kiss to Paige's skin, before beginning to place soft kisses wherever she so desired.

"Emily."

Emily smirked against Paige's skin, enjoying the way Paige was squirming slightly beneath her each time one of the lazy kisses she was now lavishing across Paige's torso passed over a particularity sensitive spot. She continued her path down Paige's body, stopping just above Paige's navel before finally relenting and moving up to rest her head on Paige's chest, curling into her side.

"Seriously?" Paige asked somewhat playfully, peaking an eye open to look down at Emily. "That's where you decide to stop?"

"You just said it was too early to be awake?" Emily said breezily in defence, once again beginning to draw small patterns across Paige's skin with her fingertips.

"Yeah but…"

"But?" Emily asked teasingly. Paige simply shook her head in response, pressing her lips to Emily's hairline softly as her hand came to rest on Emily's hip. The night she'd spent with Emily had done little to reduce her want for the other girl; if anything it had just sparked a fire of desire that nothing but Emily Fields could quell.

"Are you tired?"

"A little," Emily replied truthfully, closing her eyes contentedly as Paige's hand smoothed soothingly over her back. Light was slowly beginning to creep into the room, the curtains still wide open; they hadn't gotten around to closing them last night. She'd lost track of the time, how long they had actually managed to sleep after they'd eventually tired; once things had started to grow heated it hadn't been easy to stop. Paige had been intent on taking things painfully yet pleasurably slow throughout the night, seemingly determined to know Emily's body inside out. Figuring out just where to touch her and when, where to kiss, when to be gentle, when to be rough. And Paige had thoroughly succeeded in Emily's opinion, the best kind of soreness evident in her body as she stretched out.

Emily decided that although waking up with Paige beside her was wonderful, her favourite part of this morning was the noticeable change in comparison to the morning before; waking up together was no longer an awkward event full of unspoken words. They were naked for one; a wonderful difference she had to admit. But most importantly the difference showed in Paige; there was a calmness, an ease to her now that hadn't quite been there before. Emily knew that one night of kind words and sex couldn't possibly have changed everything; Paige's family issues were surely still rife and troubling inside the other girls mind, but she was happy all the same that for now she'd played a small part in easing Paige's woes, and in turn she felt they had settled on to the right path in their relationship together.

Her fingertips trailed lightly over a small scar just below Paige's breast, Paige shivering slightly at the contact. "How did you get this?"

"Get what?" Paige mumbled, opening one eye to look at Emily who simply traced her finger across it once again for emphasis. "Oh, knife fight."

"Paige," Emily said disbelievingly, Paige breaking out into a goofy grin as she met Emily's gaze.

"Drunken accident in my youth," Paige shrugged, giggling as Emily leant down to kiss the scar softly, her laughter soon fading as Emily trailed kisses upwards along the underside of Paige's breast, smirking deviously as she continued her path upwards.

"Emily," Paige said with a moan as she felt Emily taking a nipple into her mouth, the residual desire left over from the night before increasing tenfold as Emily refused to let up. "I thought you wanted to go back to sleep?"

"You're too distracting," Emily murmured against Paige's skin, leaning up to capture Paige's lips in a firm kiss. They kissed slowly for a while, Emily deciding as the kiss grew more and more wanton that she wasn't so tired after all. She could feel Paige pushing against her, trying to roll them over, but Emily didn't want that.

"Nuh uh," She smiled against Paige's lips, kissing Paige firmly once again before trailing heated kisses down Paige's neck, sucking hard as she found Paige's pulse point, Paige whimpering slightly at the sensation. "You are so gorgeous," Emily murmured against Paige's skin, trailing heated kisses down Paige's neck, between her breasts, unable to resist deviating from her path to take a nipple into her mouth once again, Paige groaning above her as Emily's tongue brushed over the hardened nub. "I can't get enough of you." She continued, moving to pay attention to Paige's neglected breast.

"Emily…"

Emily smiled as she felt Paige once again reacting to her movements, her lips continuing their path downwards, nipping at the skin here and there as she drew nearer and nearer to her desired destination. Paige sat up on to her elbows, watching intently as Emily trailed kisses along the crease of her thigh, her head lolling backwards as Emily's mouth eventually met her centre.

Paige allowed her body to fall back onto the mattress as Emily began moving against her, her arms coming up to wrap around Paige's thighs, her fingers splayed out across Paige's abdomen, pinning her hips to the mattress. A loud moan escaped Paige's lips as Emily's mouth found her clit, her tongue flicking over it intently.

Breathy moans filled Emily's ears as she explored Paige with her tongue, unable to resist the urge to dip inside Paige's opening. She released a moan of her own as she did so; the taste and the sensation making her mind fog over in lust. The way Paige's hips kicked up gave her all the excuse she needed to push inside deeper; Emily releasing another moan at the feel of Paige's abs twitching beneath her fingers.

Paige was getting close; the idea, the feeling and the sound of Emily moaning into her easily drawing her closer and closer to the edge. A glance downwards was all it took, the sight of Emily's head between her thighs coupled with Emily's now incessant sucking on her clit and Paige was a goner; her back arching off the bed as she came hard, her fingers lacing into Emily's hair with a groan.

Emily kissed her way back up Paige's body lazily as she came down from her high; Paige pulling Emily into a sloppy kiss as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Wow," Paige said breathlessly with a small laugh. "Good morning."

"I think so," Emily murmured against Paige's lips; Paige moaning slightly at the taste of herself on Emily's tongue as Emily kissed her deeply.

"Have I told you you're amazing?" Paige chuckled to herself, sweeping the hair back from Emily's face as she rested her head on Paige's chest.

"We need to do this more often," Emily mused as she closed her eyes contentedly, Paige hugging her closer.

"Sex?"

"No," Emily said, flushing with a small chuckle. "Well…yeah. I guess that is what I meant."

Emily heard Paige laughing lightly above her, a smile tugging onto her lips as she felt Paige holding her that little bit tighter.

"So last night…" Paige began, Emily not failing to notice the slight hint of nervousness that had crept into Paige's voice. "Do you still mean it?"

"I do," Emily nodded, finding Paige's free hand and lacing their fingers together. "I want to be with you." She leant up to kiss Paige firmly, wanting to take the uncertainty she could see still lurking in Paige's eyes away indefinitely, before dropping her head to Paige's shoulder once again.

"But the things you worried about made sense…"

"We need to stop having this conversation," Emily said almost pointedly, giving Paige's hand a quick squeeze. "We fit Paige, why should we keep denying it because maybe things have developed a little fast?"

"I guess I can't argue with that," Paige smiled. They did fit, she was pretty sure about that.

"What about you," Emily began, glancing up slightly. "Do you feel any better today?"

"Well, yeah, for obvious reasons," Paige said with a small grin, motioning down at their entwined bodies.

"Paige…" Emily said with a soft smile; her tone letting Paige know she wasn't talking about them.

"I'm okay. I just need a little time to think about what I want to do when it comes to my Dad," Paige said. Her attention had been focused elsewhere the majority of the previous day, but now she'd calmed down a little, she felt ready to start thinking about what it was she wanted to do in relation to her relationship with her Father; or if she even wanted to attempt to build a relationship with him at all.

"If you need to talk about it…" Emily began, trailing off as she felt Paige kiss her forehead softly. Paige already knew she was there. Emily closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying a few last seconds of peaceful silence before glancing over to look at the clock. It was later than she'd anticipated. "We should probably think about getting up soon."

"Nope," Paige said with a pout, her hand tilting Emily's chin up until their lips met once again.

"Paige," Emily said with a small laugh at Paige's reluctance, propping herself up on one arm so she could look down at the other girl. "If I'm going to make it home on time for Hanna's birthday brunch I should probably start getting ready now."

"Fine," Paige sighed, tucking some hair behind Emily's ear before pecking her lips chastely. "Only because it's Hanna's birthday."

"I do kind of wish we could do this all day though," Emily smiled as she shifted, sitting up and scanning the room for her clothes.

"We've got plenty of days ahead of us where we can do nothing but this," Paige smiled, sitting up to find her own clothes, Emily's smile widening at the prospect of more mornings like this. "I know you want to spend as much time as possible with Hanna before she goes back."

"For all I'll enjoy having my own room again, I'm really going to miss her." Paige nodded in understanding; she had come to understand very quickly the importance of Emily's friends, and knew how much Hanna's absence was going to effect Emily. She was going to miss Hanna herself; besides Dawn, Emily and Hanna were the only close friends she had, not including Caleb. She knew when it came to him they still had a lot of catching up to do to recapture the closeness they'd once shared.

"You never know," Paige began, wondering whether she should just tell Emily about his return to Pennsylvania and her somewhat optimistic plan to reunite Hanna with Caleb. Emily would surely agree that Caleb needed to stop beating around the bush and talk to Hanna; though then again, Emily had made it clear she was dead against Hanna reuniting with Caleb. She sighed; she could tell Emily about it another day. "Maybe she'll find a reason to stay."

"I wish I had your optimism," Emily smiled sadly, resigned to the fact Hanna would be leaving in a week. "I think I'll just make sure tonight is perfect for her, and be sure to actually visit her in New York this time round."

"How come you never went out there?" Paige asked offhandedly as she finally located her underwear, pulling it on.

"Ellie…" Emily said with another frown; the thought that she'd allowed someone to become an excuse for not seeing her best friend leaving a sickly feeling in her stomach.

"Well, it'll be different this time," Paige smiled, tossing Emily her shirt before taking a seat next to her once again. Emily nodded in agreement with a smile of her own. "And like I said, she might decide to stay."

"Maybe."

"I'm going to miss her too," Paige said with a frown, and Emily couldn't help herself; she had to smile. She loved that Hanna loved Paige and that Paige was so fond of Hanna.

"You know, I think we've got time for a shower," Emily remarked offhandedly, trailing her fingertips down Paige's spine, her eyes once again raking over Paige's body; the sight and the faint taste of Paige still on her lips causing heat to rise within her once again.

"You can hop in first if you like, I'll just chill out here…"

"Paige," Emily said with a shake of her head, bemused by Paige's obliviousness. "We've got time for a shower."

"Oh," Paige said, dipping her head with a blush as she finally caught on. "Emily Fields, I like the way you think."


Paige wandered absently around the downstairs hallway of the Fields household, making a mental note of all the little things that reminded her of Emily. She found herself wondering what it was like for Emily growing up, what her parents were like, what it was like to live in this house as a teenager; what happened to make Emily the Emily she was growing so fond of. She smiled to herself at the thought of the other girl; smiled because she was here, because they were together, because instead of pushing her away Emily just seemed intent on pulling her closer.

She took a seat at the bottom of the stairs, glancing upwards but finding no sign of Emily just yet. It seemed like as good a place as any to wait, the incessant ringing of her cell phone soon echoing throughout the silent hallway.

"Where are you?"

"Hello to you too," Paige said playfully, cautiously glancing up the stairs once more at the sound of Caleb's voice. "I'm not home."

"I know that, I'm at your place," Caleb mumbled dryly. "When will you be home? I have something for you."

"I'm out. I'll be heading back soon but I'm with Emily so maybe you shouldn't…well if you don't want her to see you…" Paige trailed off, wondering what it was that was so urgent. "Is it important?"

"It's…it's something for Hanna, can I leave it in your mailbox?"

"Sure," Paige said, smiling to herself. Caleb had a birthday gift for Hanna, progress after all. "Or just knock louder, Dawn should be home. Get her to put it somewhere out of sight."

"I don't think she's going to answer," Caleb said, Paige hearing a faint banging in the background. She guessed as much; Dawn rarely worked Fridays and was strong believer in beauty sleep.

"So what did you get her?" Paige asked with a smile, once again glancing behind her to check the coast was clear.

"It's just a note."

"A note?" Paige said, scrunching up her nose in confusion. "You wrote her a note for her birthday?"

"It's not for her birthday…it's just…a note, okay? Don't give it to her until tomorrow."

"Okay Captain vague," Paige said, wondering what the note was about. "Why can't you just go give it to her yourself?"

"I don't want to ruin her birthday."

"You won't ruin…" Paige began, trailing off as she heard Emily's soft footsteps on the stairs behind her. "I gotta go, leave it in the mail, I'll pass it on."

"Everything okay?" Emily asked as she reached the bottom stairs, handing Paige her jacket as she passed.

"Yeah, just work," Paige shrugged, following Emily into the living room, watching as Emily began straightening out the cushions.

"Do you need me to help?" Paige asked. Emily looked up, flashing Paige a thankful smile before shaking her head.

"I just want to make sure everything is as my Mom left it," Emily explained, glancing around the room one last time, finding that everything was in place.

"Don't want her asking why you brought your special friend over for the night?" Paige said playfully, quirking an eyebrow.

"Special friend?" Emily giggled as she made her way over to the doorway, her eyes scanning the room once again to check everything was in place. "Are you twelve?"

"Twenty-three and a quarter, actually," Paige grinned goofily, earning herself a bemused smile from Emily.

"She's just house proud, that's all," Emily explained. "Ready to go?"

Paige laced their fingers together, allowing Emily to lead her out towards the front door, tugging on Emily's hand to pull her back before she managed to reach for the handle. "Hey."

"Hey," Emily smiled, feeling Paige's hands coming to rest on her hips.

"Thank you. For a lovely day yesterday. And night. And morning," Paige smiled, kissing Emily firmly. She pulled away with a frown, her ringtone once again blaring throughout the hallway.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Emily asked, catching sight of the caller ID.

"Uh…nope," Paige shook her head. She could read what Emily was thinking without her even needing to say it; it was written all over her face. You should talk to your Mom. For Paige, it was just too soon. "I'll call her later."


"Han?" Emily called out, balancing the birthday cake she and Paige had baked precariously in one hand as she tried to tug her keys from the lock. Her eyes scanned the apartment as she stepped inside, neither Hanna nor Spencer anywhere in sight. "Hanna?"

"Back here," she heard Hanna call out faintly, her attention drawn in the direction of her bedroom. She took a quick detour to ditch the cake in the kitchen before making her way to the bedroom to find Hanna still in bed, the covers pulled up over her head.

"Happy Birthday!" Emily called out cheerily, only to be met with a grunt.

"Don't remind me," Hanna groaned beneath the covers. "I'm so old."

"You're so dramatic." Emily chuckled to herself, making her way over to the bed and plonking down, tugging at the covers to reveal a disgruntled Hanna. "Twenty-three is not old."

"I read somewhere that twenty-three is like, the worst age to be," Hanna said pointedly, earning nothing but a small chuckle from Emily.

"You need to stop reading those things," Emily rolled her eyes. "Where's Spencer?"

"She got called in to work," Hanna sighed, sitting up. "Thank you for my gift by the way, it's perfect. And really sweet Em."

"Spencer gave it to you?" Emily asked with a frown; she wanted to be the one to give Hanna her present. She had gone to great effort to replicate the gift she'd given Hanna for her eighteenth birthday, the last time they had celebrated one together. "Sorry, I would've come home yesterday but something came up with Paige and...she needed me."

"I bet she did," Hanna grinned, her eyebrow quirking suggestively. "Don't spare me the gory details…truthfully, have you and Paige even came up for air since you went over there Wednesday night?"

"Hanna…" Emily sighed, flushing slightly at the memory of the night before and that morning. She couldn't exactly say the blonde was wrong. "She had a rough night on Wednesday. I just really wanted to spend yesterday cheering her up."

"I'm sure you managed to turn her frown upside down," Hanna said suggestively once again, this time ending her sentence with a little wink. "What? I have to live vicariously through you guys. The last time someone was between my thighs was…"

"Hanna." Emily cut Hanna off, placing a hand over her mouth for emphasis. Hanna giggled, Emily unable to stop herself from joining in.

"I was right wasn't I? Paige is a total demon in the sack?"

"Hanna," Emily shook her head once again, the expression on Hanna's face letting her know her friend was enjoying making her squirm.

"Look at you," Hanna said fondly, playfully shoving Emily. "All happy and tired and embarrassed. Paige looks good on you."

"She feels good," Emily said timidly, rolling her eyes as Hanna giggled at her choice of words. "She makes me feel good. Being with her makes me feel good. Not like that. Well like that but I mean…ugh, she makes me happy."

"I know what you meant, I just like seeing you get all flustered," Hanna said, still smirking slightly though the smirk soon faded into a fond smile. "I'm happy this is working out for you Em."

"Me too. Thank you for introducing us," Emily smiled, thinking back to the first time she met Paige, and all the events in between. In a way, she figured she owed her current happiness to Hanna. "I'm really going to miss you. Are you sure I can't convince you to stay?"

"I have to go back. If I stay here any longer I'll probably not have a job to go back to," Hanna smiled sadly. "I don't suppose I can convince you to come with?"

"As wonderful as it sounds, I can't leave Spencer in the lurch like that. Or lose this job," Emily smiled apologetically, though Hanna was already nodding in understanding. "Promise me you won't leave it so long to visit us next time?" Emily asked hopefully; the summer had passed quickly, too quickly. She had missed Hanna more than she'd realised, and the thought of the blonde not being around every day deeply saddened her. She couldn't stand the thought of the distance causing them to drift apart once again. "I'll come see you. Frequently. I promise."

"I promise too," Hanna smiled. "Promise me something else?"

"Anything."

"Go see my Mom when you can? Visiting days are…"

"Every other Thursday. I know, I'll be there." Emily reached out to give Hanna's hand a squeeze, only for Hanna to pull her into a crushing hug.

"I don't know how I've coped without you for so long Em," Hanna mumbled into Emily's shoulder, Emily simply tugging her closer.

"Look who I found!" Spencer's voice rang out for the doorway, Emily peering over Hanna's shoulder to see Spencer thrusting Aria into the room, the smaller girl holding a handful of balloons. "Are we interrupting something?"

"Get over here," was the muffled response, neither girl hesitating to join Hanna and Emily in a giant group hug. "We're going to get all of this sappiness out-of-the-way right now, and then go get so drunk I don't remember it's my birthday. Deal?"

"Deal."


Paige peered in through the window, searching through the crowd of people before spotting Caleb at a table in the back.

"Hey," he said looking up with a small smile. "I didn't know what you'd want so I just got you the same as…"

"You're leaving," Paige said cutting Caleb off as she took her seat opposite him, her eyes meeting his with an accusatory glare.

"What are you talking about?" Caleb asked in confusion.

"I've been thinking all morning about why you'd write Hanna a note. It was a really thin envelope, so you couldn't have said much. A letter would suggest like…feelings all over the place, explanations etcetera, but a note suggests something simple. Like a simple goodbye. So I deduce, you're leaving." Paige's lip quirked upwardly slightly in triumph; Caleb however looked far from impressed.

"Okay Sherlock, tone it down," Caleb said dryly, lifting up his plate to offer Paige his half eaten sandwich. She shook her head in disgust. "I'm not leaving."

"But you are saying goodbye?" Paige asked, Caleb's face telling her all she needed to know.

"I can't just crash back into her life. I've thought long and hard about it…we're new people now, I don't want to set her back by showing up out of the blue."

"But…"

"I know," Caleb cut Paige off, knowing exactly what she was about to argue. "I wrote to her so she know's that I'm sorry for how we left things. And that if she wants to, I'm ready to see her again and…clear the air."

"Putting the ball in her court," Paige nodded in understanding, changing her mind and taking the last quarter of Caleb's sandwich after all. "You've got a point I suppose. If she wants to call you, which she does may I add, she can. If she doesn't, no hard feelings."

"Exactly," Paige smiled, a smile matching Caleb's own. She took a bite of the sandwich, studying him from a moment. She knew something had changed; Paige had initially just wrote it off as the inevitable change that naturally occurred during so much time apart, he'd changed, maybe just as much she knew she herself had. She studied him a few seconds longer, before it finally clicked. "Your hair."

"What?"

"Your hair's different," Paige said proudly, Caleb simply looking at her in befuddlement, eventually letting out a small laugh at the triumphant look on Paige's face.

"I've missed you," he said with a soft smile. "You giant dork."

"Ditto. You giant sap." Paige said with a laugh, returning his smile.

They talked for the next hour or so, catching up on what they had missed during the 3 years they had been intermittently apart. It was something they hadn't managed to do since they had got back in contact; Hanna or her Mother the usual topic of conversation. It was nice, and Paige took a moment to appreciate just how much she'd missed having him around.

After another not so subtle, failed attempt at convincing him surprising Hanna on her birthday was still a great idea, Paige accepted defeat. She agreed deep down that it was better this way. And once Hanna had read the letter, Emily could know about Caleb's return, and their friendship could continue to return to normal but out in the open.

"Are you going to answer that?" Caleb asked, pointing to Paige's cellphone. She glanced down, frowning once again as she saw her Mothers number flashing on the screen. She clicked cancel much like she had that morning. She hated ignoring her Mom, it made her feel almost cowardly; she knew the way her Father had acted when they came face to face was probably hurting the older woman just as much as it was hurting her. She didn't even want to imagine to words they'd shared after Paige had run out into the night. She hadn't run away this time, Paige decided that was something. Once she'd regained her composure, and soothed her anger, she'd call back.

"Is everything okay?" Caleb asked knowingly; he'd been around enough times to recognise the look on Paige's face thanks to a simple sound of a phone call.

"I ran into my Dad, it ended…as expected," Paige said with a curt smile. "I just need a break," Paige continued, seeing the concern in Caleb's eyes. "I'm not bolting, I'm just…calming down. I'll call my Mom. Tomorrow."

"Okay. Look I know you….shit, shit…"

"What are doing?" Paige asked in confusion, watching in slight bemusement as Caleb sunk down into his chair, lifting his jacket to cover his face.

"That's Aria's boyfriend," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the counter.

"Aria's married now," Paige turned to look, only for Caleb to kick her under the table. "Ow, what the hell?"

"Don't look!" He said. "I don't want him to come over here."

"Will he even recognise you?" Paige asked, glancing over, recognising the man at the counter from the party Hanna had taken her to at Aria's place.

"Yes!" Caleb said hurriedly. "Is he looking?"

"He's leaving, chill out," Paige said, watching as Aria's husband left the counter and made his way out the door, returning the kick from earlier.

"Do you think he saw me?"

"No," Paige said shaking her head with certainty. "He didn't even look over, god, does he even know Hanna?"

"Of course he does! If he casually mentioned to Aria I was in town, and she ended up telling her…"

"Well, he didn't even look over, so relax," Paige said calmly. "Can't you just call her? Text her…then you wouldn't have to worry about this sorta crap."

"Just give her the note," Caleb shook his head, Paige relenting once again. "And not…"

"…not today, I know."


Emily's eyes found Paige, a broad smile forming on her face as she watched Paige and Spencer talking, more correctly debating something or other; somewhat heatedly Emily noted, but not argumentatively. Passionately, Emily decided was the right word, biting her lip to suppress the grin she felt as Paige's eyes met hers briefly, a completely different kind of passion lingering beneath the gaze.

"So, you two are getting pretty serious now huh?" Emily heard Aria asking from her right, turning her attention back to her friend, blushing slightly as she realised she'd been caught staring.

"I think we're getting there," Emily answered truthfully, unable to stop the smile that tugged on to her lips. "It's taken a while but I think we're finally in the right place."

"So she tells you things, that maybe she doesn't want other people to know?" Aria asked, her eyes flitting to Paige for a moment as she spoke.

"I guess so," Emily said, her brow furrowing in confusion at Aria's odd choice of questioning. "Why?"

"No reason," Aria smiled, Emily not entirely convinced why her friend was acting so weird suddenly. "Top up?"

"Sure," Emily barely managed to nod before Aria had taken her glass and disappeared in the direction of the bar. She wasn't alone long, Paige soon sliding into the booth beside her with a grin.

"Hey you," Paige smiled, closing the distance much to Emily's delight; being around Paige but not kissing her was becoming frustratingly difficult. She was left pouting, the kiss never arriving as an already tipsy Hanna clattered into the booth opposite them.

"Emily!" Hanna said giddily, Dawn chuckling into her glass as she took a seat beside them.

"Nice to see you guys are getting along," Paige smiled as she looked between the two of them. When she and Emily had collected the cake from her apartment, they had found Dawn in floods of tears, courtesy of, much to Paige's relief, her now ex-boyfriend Darrell. Emily had suggested Dawn tagged along, stating that saying as Paige made such an effort with her friends, she wanted to return the favour. Paige had initially been a little worried about bringing Dawn along; even Dawn would admit she wasn't always the best people-person, though if anyone was going to hit it off with Dawn straight off the bat it was going to be Hanna. Paige was glad to see that was the case.

"I've been telling Hanna all the embarrassing shit I know about you P," Dawn grinned deviously, taking a swig of her drink.

"I hope not," Paige said somewhat seriously, Emily jumping a little as she felt Paige's fingers gently brushing against her inner thigh, just above the knee cap. Paige caught her eye, the look so lustful it caused Emily's stomach to flip.

"Embarrassing stories like what?" Emily asked, squirming slightly as Paige's hand continued to caress the bare skin of her thigh, Paige becoming bolder and slipping higher with every passing minute. Paige had done it ever since they'd met up in town; touching Emily just so, just enough to work her up before leaving her frustrated.

"Embarrassing stories you are never going to hear," Paige said giving Emily's thigh a quick squeeze and flashing Dawn a warning glance.

"Dawn and I are going to help each other find a man," Hanna slurred slightly, wrapping her arm around Dawn's shoulders. Fast friends, Paige chuckled to herself.

"I thought all men were penises and you never wanted to lay eyes on one again?" Paige asked Dawn in amusement, Dawn already beginning to wave her off as she finished off her drink.

"Hanna here kindly reminded me I am far too fabulous to let my beauty go to waste thanks to dickhead Darrell."

"So true," Paige cooed slightly sarcastically, earning herself the finger from Dawn.

"I love this song!" Hanna said enthusiastically, practically shoulder-barging Dawn out of the booth and in the direction of the dance floor.

"Hanna seems happy," Paige smiled, scooting a little closer to Emily, her fingers once again dancing across Emily's thigh.

"Stop that," Emily said, gripping Paige's hand tightly, flashing Paige an unamused glance as she noticed the grin on the other girls face. "You're driving me crazy."

"Yeah?" Paige grinned, leaning in once again.

"Sorry it took me so long, it's getting pretty busy," Emily stifled a groan at the sound of Aria's voice, almost laughing at the look on Aria's face once her friend noticed she'd interrupted. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Don't sweat it," Paige said, kissing Emily's cheek softly and flashing Aria a smile. "I'm gonna get a refill."

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, once again noticing Aria was holding herself slightly awkwardly.

"Yeah. Yeah," Aria smiled, glancing over to Hanna before looking back to Emily.

"If you say so," Emily smiled, her eyes once again wandering back to Paige.


Paige frowned as she checked her phone, finding another two missed calls from her Mom. She checked the times, noting that it was pretty late for her Mother to be calling, the slightest hint of worry settling in her chest. It passed easily; if her Mother was trying to hide their contact from her Father, which was highly likely, then she would have waited to call after he had went to bed.

"Finally," Emily said, coming up behind Paige and pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, her brow furrowing as she caught sight of Paige's phone. "Your Mom's still calling you?"

"I missed a few calls," Paige said as she spun around to face Emily.

"Maybe something's wrong," Emily suggested; drawing the same conclusion Paige had initially come to when she'd noticed the time.

"She's probably just been waiting for my Dad to go to bed," Paige explained. "She'll just be making sure I haven't skipped town or something. I'll call her in the morning."

"Why would she think that?"

"Last time I saw my Dad I ended up moving around the country for 4 years," Paige explained with a shrug, her gaze dropping slightly at the memory.

"Are you planning on skipping town?" Emily asked, her fingers coming up to twirl Paige's hair softly.

"I think I've found a pretty good reason to stick around, don't you?" Paige smiled, bringing her hands to rest on Emily's waist. "Come on, this is a party, lets stop talking about my Mom and have some fun."

"You're right," Emily smiled, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck. "Kiss me quick McCullers."

"As you wish," Paige grinned, leaning forward, only to frown as her lips met nothing but air. She opened her eyes to see Emily getting dragged towards the bar by Hanna; Emily throwing Paige an apologetic glance.

"Dammit."

Paige sighed; not only did she not get to go home with Emily tonight; tonight was all about Hanna Emily had decided, to no objection from Paige, but it was beginning to frustrate her that she couldn't seem to catch a break where kissing Emily was involved. She looked around, her eyes settling on Spencer and Aria sitting in a booth.

"Hey guys," Paige said over the music, taking a seat and trying not to be fazed by the awkward air that settled over the three of them. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt?"

"No," Spencer smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

"Nope."

"Okay,"Paige said, giving them a quick smile. They settled back into conversation, Paige adding in little nods here and there. Her attention was drawn elsewhere, her eyes finding Emily through the crowds, a smile tugging onto her face as she looked on; Emily was laughing and dancing, Paige's smile growing wider the more she watched.

Good things rarely happen to her. It was a notion Paige had managed to drill into her own mind over years and years of self-loathing. And yet, here she was. Staring across a crowded room, at something, someone, who was slowly, ever so slowly, making her believe that maybe this time around, something good hadn't happened to her.

She knew in this instance, good was too weak a word.


Hanna was having a wonderful night. Emily smiled to herself at the thought; birthday's were rarely something Hanna enjoyed, ever since they were teenagers, so the knowledge that Hanna was thoroughly enjoying herself gave her happiness to no end.

She felt slightly guilty that another part of her just wanted to leave that very second. The looks and the lingering touches Paige had given her all night were driving her crazy to no end; she loved the fact Paige was there, but a part of her wished Paige wasn't. Now that she knew what it felt like when they gave in to each other fully, she knew with certainty that not being able to be with Paige tonight was going to leave her feeling beyond frustrated. She felt almost ridiculous at the thought. Almost.

Emily left the bathroom stall to find the girl in question leaning back against the counter, a recognizably devious smirk plastered on her lips; one so infectious Emily couldn't help but return it.

"There you are."

Emily chuckled at Paige's words, feeling Paige's arms wrapping around her waist from behind as she washed her hands. "I've been gone for like two minutes."

"Maybe," Paige mumbled into Emily's neck, seemingly agreeing with the girl. "But this is the first time tonight I've got you alone…" Paige grinned, placing the softest of kisses to the nape of Emily's neck before spinning her around to capture her lips. They kissed with slight desperation; the tension from being around each other all day but not actually having the chance to kiss each other evident as their lips danced against one another's. "I like this." Paige smiled as she pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads together, kissing Emily chastely once, and then twice.

"Making out in the bathroom?" Emily giggled, slowly brushing some hair behind Paige's ear.

"Being with you," Paige clarified, earning herself a soft smile from Emily. "You have to stop wearing this dress though."

"You don't like it?" Emily said, glancing down over her outfit with a frown. She had bought the dress especially for the occasion.

"I love it," Paige said with a small smirk, kissing Emily chastely, the kiss lingering. "But its so…distracting," she continued, placing a soft kiss just below Emily's ear. "It makes me want to…" she trailed off, placing another small kiss to Emily's neck.

"You know, that really drives me crazy; they way you always stop dead in the middle of a sentence," Emily said, slightly in jest, slightly with all seriousness. Paige simply dipped her head, flashing Emily an apologetic glance before leaning forward, surprising Emily by capturing her lips in a kiss; this time the kiss anything but chaste. Emily groaned as she felt Paige's hands grip at her hips, pushing her roughly into the counter behind them as their tongues met; Paige hoping her actions were all the completion Emily needed.

"Paige," Emily managed to gasp in between kisses; the desire that had washed over her the night before easily reignited as she felt Paige's body pressing against her own. "Paige…somebody could walk in here."

"You're right," Paige sighed against Emily's lips, smiling at Emily as she laced their fingers together and began leading her towards the exit.

Emily squeaked in surprise as Paige deviated at the last second, pulling her into a stall and backing her roughly against the wall as she slammed the door shut. "What are you…"

"I just need five minutes alone with you."

Emily couldn't argue; barely half a day had passed since they had parted that morning and she already felt herself craving the girl, Paige's kisses, Paige's touch; just Paige, in her entirety. Paige's lips were on hers the instant she knew Emily had no objections, her hands coming to rest on Emily's hips as the kiss slowly grew more and more heated. Emily's hands tangled into Paige's hair, shivering slightly as Paige's fingertips ghosted over the backs of her thighs, Paige's lips finding her neck. Emily's fingertips slipped beneath the hem of Paige's shirt, softly brushing over the soft skin of her hips.

"I want you so much right now," Paige murmured against the skin of Emily's neck, bringing her lips back to meet Emily's own as she ran her hand teasingly up the length of Emily's inner thigh, slipping beneath the hem of her dress slightly before repeating her motions. "I don't think I can wait until tomorrow night to touch you again."

Emily whimpered slightly at Paige's words; Paige's lips finding Emily's neck once again, this time alternating her kisses with small nips and sucks. Paige's actions all night had only served to work her up to no end. Emily let out a shaky breath, her eyes flitting to the lock on the door as she gripped at Paige's waist. "You're not suggesting…"

"I think I am," Paige said, flushing somewhat nervously as she brought her eyes up to meet Emily's. She held the gaze, forcing herself to become bolder, her hand trailing up Emily's inner thigh once again; this time daringly close to Emily's centre.

"I'm not stopping you." Emily said shakily, her voice almost a whisper, taking Paige by surprise. She had only been teasing. Mostly.

Emily felt Paige's movements stalling momentarily, Paige's eyes meeting hers, searching for something. Certainty. Emily felt frozen in place by both her arousal and her inhibitions, they were after all in a bathroom. In a club, celebrating Hanna's birthday. Anyone could walk in, overhear them. Her arousal outweighed her apprehension as she felt Paige's hand edging teasingly close to her centre once again. Emily crashed their lips together; the action all the answer Paige needed, Emily groaning as she felt Paige's hand brushing over the front of her underwear, two fingers pressing firmly against her clit.

"Are we actually doing this?" Paige said with a nervous chuckle, leaning forward to reconnect their lips briefly.

"Stop thinking about where we are, just touch me."

"Take these off," Paige moaned against her lips, pinging the waistband of Emily's panties for emphasis. Emily felt another rush of desire flooding over her at Paige's words. She was quickly discovering there were many sides to Paige, and she didn't think it would ever cease to amaze her how easily this Paige could turn her on; could make her forget herself so easily.

Paige took a step back, gasping slightly in surprise as she watched Emily's hands slipping beneath her dress. Emily smirked at Paige brazenly as she removed her underwear agonizingly slowly, enjoying the flush she could see creeping across Paige's skin as she watched.

Emily leant forward in anticipation when Paige took a step towards her, only to gasp in surprise as Paige dropped to her knees; the sight alone making Emily's walls clench. Paige lifted one of Emily's legs on to her shoulder before beginning to trail soft kisses along Emily's inner thigh, pushing the material of Emily's dress up when it got in her way.

"Paige…Paige…" Emily panted, unsure of what she was trying to say; still somewhat frozen in surprise that this was actually about to happen; at how badly she wanted it to happen.

"You'll have to be quiet Em," Paige mumbled against Emily's skin. Emily let out a breathy moan as Paige's lips met her centre, giving her one teasing lick before returning her attention to Emily's thighs.

"Paige, please."

"Are you sure about this?" Paige asked, looking up briefly as Emily let out a whimper.

"Yes I'm sure just…don't tease me," Emily panted; Paige simply chuckled in response and began placing teasing kisses around the apex of Emily's thighs.

"Paige," Emily groaned, her head falling back against the wall. She was trying her best to keep her voice down incase somebody should walk in; she knew that it was only a matter of time before someone did and she needed Paige to get on with it incase they had to stop. She was far too worked up for this to end abruptly and she was weary that the slightest of interruptions would crumble her nerve. They had started now, they had to finish. Emily let out a relieved sigh as she felt Paige relenting, passing her tongue through Emily's folds again, this time ending each stroke with a firm suck of Emily's clit; Emily's knees weakening as she felt Paige moaning into her centre.

"Em? Paige? Are you in here?" Emily bit the side of her hand to suppress a yelp as Paige jumped to her feet at the sound of Spencer's voice.

"Uh…yeah," Paige said, her voice coming out strange in her nervousness. "I'm here. I'll be out in a minute."

"Is Emily in there with you?" Spencer asked, Paige biting her lip to suppress a laugh as Emily looked at her in horror. She took a step forward, bringing a hand up to cover Emily's mouth. "Nah, she's outside I think." Emily looked at her incredulously, the look changing to one of blissful disbelief as she felt Paige trailing her other hand up her inner thigh once again, Emily trying her best to hold in a moan as she felt Paige's fingers beginning to circle her clit. "Her Mom called, at least, I think that's who it was." Paige lied again, removing her hand from Emily's mouth to peck her lips, wincing as she felt Emily biting down hard on her neck as she slowly slipped a finger inside of her. "I'll go find her when I'm done."

"Okay…see you out there. Hanna wants us to get slammers so hurry up okay?" Spencer sighed, the scepticism evident in her voice. Paige waited to hear the door close behind Spencer before pushing another finger inside of Emily, being sure to keep her pace painfully slow.

"We should…" Emily began, trailing off as she felt Paige beginning to pick up her pace. "We should...fuck."

"We are," Paige smirked, capturing Emily's lips in a searing kiss to muffle her cries.

"God Paige," Emily groaned, kissing Paige firmly once again before pulling back, panting as she wrapped her leg around Paige's waist, opening herself up. "Harder…"

"Harder?" Paige quirked an eyebrow; Emily practically whimpering at the teasing tone in Paige's voice, shockwaves coursing through her as Paige thrust into her firmly to emphasise the word. "Be a little more specific."

"FuckPaige stop teasing me." Emily groaned as she nipped at Paige's lower lip. Paige never had Emily pegged for a curser, but she'd taken pride in the steady stream of profanities she'd managed to coax out of the other girl throughout the previous night and into the morning. Paige decided that making Emily curse was quickly becoming her favourite thing in the world as she slowed her pace once again. "Fuck me harder…fuck Paige…just harder."

Paige let out a moan of her own at the plea, something inside of her snapping as she lifted Emily onto her hips, granting Emily's wish and pumping into her furiously.

The embarrassment Emily had felt upon hearing Spencer's voice was quickly forgotten, her mind blank of everything but Paige, the way Paige was simply taking her; taking over every part of her body, her walls fluttering around Paige's fingers with each thrust.

"Like that?" Paige asked, her voice husky, her lips pecking Emily's as she heard the other girl moan. "Or harder?"

"Paige I need..." Emily's head fell forward with a groan; once Paige's thumb found her clit she was done for, letting out an almighty scream as her orgasm washed over her.

She felt Paige's arms tightening around her, grounding her as she came down, gentle kisses placed against her neck, her jaw, her lips. Eventually the pleasure subsided, Paige lowering her back to the ground, Emily wrapping her arms around Paige's neck, her legs shaky.

"I can't believe we just did that," Paige chuckled against her lips, Emily shaking her head at the hint of bashfulness creeping over Paige now that the arousal had subsided slightly. Practically a sex god one moment, basically a bashful teenager the next; Emily couldn't help but smile at how utterly adorable Paige could be.

"Paige McCullers," Emily smiled fondly, leaning forward to press the softest of kisses to Paige's lips. "What are you doing to me?"

"Only good things I hope."

Only good things indeed, Emily smiled.