Guest: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

jhas I'm more like Paige than Emily in this story, I'm pretty much a disaster in the kitchen. And I've never made Chicken Adobo. So I'm glad to know that it's a good dish. Pam is slowly coming around. This chapter will shed a little bit more light on that. And yeah, Pam's confidence in them is definitely a bolster to Paige. It's helping her deal and adjust.

Dragoncila I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Guest: Things might be moving slowly at the moment, but they'll pick up soon.

Ren-McCullers- The next chapter, (not this one but the following) has some McHastings, just for you.

ponderhouse I'm glad you liked the chapter. The cooking scene was fun to write. And the shift in dynamic between Emily and her mom, and now Paige has been interesting to develop. That Paige is thinking about coming out, even if she's not ready to yet, is a step in the right direction.

jace24 I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter. There will definitely be more interactions with Paige, Emily/Pam and Paige and various others as the story progresses.

Chapter 24

Emily saw Paige out, then locked up and turned out the lights downstairs before heading back up to her room. As she passed her mother's door she saw that it was ajar, light spilling out into the hallway. She knocked twice and pushed the door the rest of the way open.

"Hey, honey. Did Paige go home?" she asked, as she lifted the remote, pausing the movie she was watching.

"Yeah, she just left."

Emily knew that her Mom was aware of the fact that Paige had left. With her door cracked open she would have heard them go downstairs, would have heard the front door open and close. Just as she would have heard Emily and Paige in her room. Not enough to know what they were talking about, but enough to know that nothing "inappropriate" was going on. She appreciated her mother's effort, however, at the pretense of privacy.

She supposed an open door policy was better than being relegated to the living room. Or having her mom poking her head into her room every two minutes, but she resented the implication that how intimate she and Paige could be was at her mother's discretion. They weren't ready to take their relationship to the next level. But, when they did finally decide to take that step, it was none of her mother's business. That moment was a long way off, however. And she knew it was best not to dwell on it.

Her mom nodded. "So, dinner was a success."

"Yeah. It went well." Paige had assured her that she genuinely liked the meal. She swore she wasn't just saying that to appease Emily, and after a few times, Emily had believed her. "Thank you, for tonight."

Her mom smiled softly at her and nodded, knowing exactly what Emily meant without Emily having to elaborate.

"I just have one question."

"Go ahead."

"Why now?" she asked softly. The question had been niggling in the back of her mind all evening, and try as she might, she couldn't ignore it. "Why couldn't you have made the same effort with Maya? Granted us the same trust?"

It had been one of the many issues that eventually came between them. Maya had felt like Emily was letting her mother dictate too much of her life, of their relationship. While Emily couldn't exactly disagree, she had been walking on eggshells around her parents and doing her best not to upset them, she hadn't felt like a confrontation would change anything. She couldn't openly defy them the way Maya thought she should.

Her mom let out a soft sigh and patted the bed beside her. Emily took the invitation, sliding up onto the mattress and settling in next to her mother, leaning just slightly against her shoulder. Her mom slipped her arm around Emily's back, pulling her into her side and she went willingly, nestling in with a quiet sigh of appreciation. It had been a long time since she'd felt close to her mother like this, like she had back before everything had gone haywire.

"I know you think that I hated Maya. But I didn't. And I know you think my problem with her was that you were dating a girl. That may have been partially true, but there was more to it than that. Maya was a very troubled young woman. And you changed, when you were with her."

"I didn't change. I was finally able to be myself."

"No, honey. I know that it may feel like that. But, you became a different person when you were with her. You started going out more, staying out late, breaking curfew, drinking. Doing drugs."

Emily's face flushed with shame. It had only been a couple times, and she hadn't really enjoyed the experience either time. And, while Maya hadn't pressured her, Emily had to admit that if not for Maya's influence, she probably would not have gotten curious.

"You lost interest in swimming, your grades starting slipping. I know you were struggling. And that Maya had a part in helping you figure things out. But, I didn't always like who you were, when you were with her."

Emily frowned, considering her mother's words. She had been so quick to blame everything on her mother's homophobia that she hadn't taken into account her own behavior at the time. It was true, she had acted out a little, but that wasn't because of Maya.

Yes, Maya had invited her to a few parties she wouldn't have otherwise gone to, had offered her marijuana a few times. But, Maya had also held her when she cried because her mom couldn't look her in the eye anymore. And had bolstered her self-esteem when she'd been feeling low, like there really was something wrong with her because of who she was attracted to.

She'd made Emily feel normal again. And she had told lame jokes and pulled her up to dance around the room to distract her. She had taken Emily out on wonderful, romantic dates and been sweet and goofy and encouraging and loving.

Emily had been angry. At her parents, at her teammates, at the world. And she hadn't known what to do with that anger. She'd lashed out a bit, tested boundaries and her parent's patience. And it had been hard, walking through the hallways at school, and into the locker room, feeling eyes on her and hearing whispers. She'd debated quitting the swim team and had struggled with staying focused on her school work. Through it all, Maya had been her rock, her strength, her sense of calm and rightness when everything else felt impossible and chaotic.

The things her mother was blaming Maya for, they weren't her fault. But Emily could see how it might seem that way. After a moment of indecision, she chose not to correct her mother's perceptions, for one thing, it didn't matter anymore, now that she and Maya were no longer together. And for another, learning the truth would only hurt her mother. She was more interested in repairing their damaged relationship than she was in assigning blame.

"What about Paige?"

"Paige is a very sweet girl," her mom said slowly. "I know I had my reservations at first, but I think she's good for you. I haven't seen you this happy, this….light in a very long time. I feel like I have my Emily back."

Emily understood the sentiment. She was finally starting to feel like herself again. And she knew that a lot of that was Paige's influence. The rest of it was this part right here, the fact that she was once again able to sit and have a conversation with her Mom.

They had come a long way since the days when her mom couldn't look Emily in the eye and had stuttered over Maya's name. As if privy to Emily's thoughts, her mom gave her a little squeeze, pulling her in in closer. Emily happily snuggled in, wrapping an arm around her mother as well and resting her head on her shoulder.

Her mom hit play and her movie started up again. It was halfway over, and Emily couldn't really follow it, but she was content to sit here with her mother, while she watched it. By the time it was over her eyes were beginning to droop.

Reluctantly she pushed herself up.

"Heading to bed?"

"Yeah," she said around a yawn. "Got practice in the morning." Leaning down she hugged her mom and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Night, mom."

"Night, Emily."

She turned and shuffled from the room, her limbs feeling heavy with sleep as she detoured to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up, then to her bedroom, where she pulled on her pajama's and got ready for bed. She'd just climbed in under the covers and was about to turn off her light when her phone chimed, indicating she had a message. A quick swipe of her thumb across the screen revealed that Paige had sent her an attachment. A smile played on her lips as she waited for it to load, their earlier exchange coming to mind. Sure enough, a picture of Paige in her field hockey uniform popped up on screen.

Paige was standing in her room, arm extended in front of her, angling the camera to take a photo of the length of her body. She looked adorably awkward, with one hand on her hip in an attempted pose, and her shoulder's hunched forward slightly, indicating her discomfort at doing so.

Emily had been to dozens of Spencer's field hockey games over the years. But this was the first time she had noticed how short those skirts were. It was almost indecent. Especially on Paige's long frame. And, had the shirts always been so tight? It seemed like it was molded to the contours of Paige's breasts. If she squinted, she was pretty sure that she could see a hint of nipple. The only thing that drew her gaze away was the Emily large expanse of pale, tone thigh left exposed by the skirt. And she was struck by the desire to run her hands over them, to gently rake her nails across sensitive skin. They were probably soft and silky smooth. From there she could slide her hands upwards, could lower her lips to-

Her train of thought was interrupted by an incoming text.

Totally lame?

Emily scoffed, how could Paige possibly think that? Can't talk right now. Too busy thinking impure thoughts.

A small smile played at the corners of her lips as she imagined Paige's reaction to the text, her eyes would widen and a blush would spread across her face and neck, maybe even creep up to the tips of her ears.

Such as

It was Emily's turn to stare at the screen, eyes-widened. Point, McCullers, she acknowledged, another grin tugging at her lips. For a moment her thumb hovered over the keys as she debated whether, and what, to answer.

Such as how soft you skin would feel beneath my fingers as I run them up the side of your thigh.

She hit send before she could talk herself out it. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her body felt flushed as she waited for a response.

Sounds nice. Then what?

Emily couldn't help herself, her free hand drifted down to rest at the top of her own thigh, her fingers caressing the skin lightly there, the way she imagined them doing to Paige.

Then, I'd slip my hand beneath your skirt

Her hips shifted restlessly as she followed suit against her own leg, sliding her hand beneath the hem of her sleep shorts, inching closer to the heat she could feel emanating between her legs.

And?

Emily gasped softly at the prompt, finally allowing her mind to really think about it, to visualize the act for the first time. Her hands drifting against her own heated skin, imagining it was Paige's she was touching as she traced a line up the inside her thigh towards the center between her legs, the skin quivering slightly beneath her touch, goosebumps rising in its wake. Feeling the heat, the moisture, the scent rising to meet her nostrils as she slid her hand closer and closer to its destination until, finally, slipping a finger inside, feeling it being engulfed by silky warmth, walls clenching around it, trying to draw it in further.

She typed frantically with one hand, thumb slipping over the keys, riddling her messages with spelling errors as she tried to keep up, trying to describe what she was doing, what she was feeling, as her senses were slowly overcome.

The screen blurred before her eyes, her words and Paige's responses incomprehensible as she bucked up off the bed with a soft sigh, her orgasm washing over her in gentle waves. Her phone fell from her hand, her fingers losing their grip on it as her body trembled. Slowly, her senses returned and she scrambled from for her phone once again.

Her heart sinking as she saw the last message from Paige. Getting late. Night, Em.

An abrupt end to the gentle egging-on. No hearts. No x's and o's, no emoticons. Just, goodnight and gone.

A knot formed in her stomach at the realization that she'd done what she'd said she wouldn't, she'd crossed a line with Paige tonight. She'd rushed them forward more quickly than they were ready for, and clearly, she had upset the other girl.

She stared at the phone for a long moment, waiting for another message, something to assuage the guilt and take away the fear building in her stomach. It wasn't until her eyes began to droop and her fingers grew lax in their grip that she rolled onto her side, depositing the phone back onto her nightstand and closed her eyes, falling into a restless sleep.

The next morning found Emily moving sluggishly as she got ready for school. Her phone remained stubbornly dark and silent, despite the Good Morning, xo she sent Paige as soon as she'd gotten up. Her mom called up to her three times before she made it downstairs.

"Morning, sweetie." She glanced up as Emily shuffled into the room. "I was starting to think you were still asleep. You need to hurry up and eat. Paige is going to be here soon."

Emily wondered if that was even true. After what she had done last night, Paige might not bother picking her up for school this morning. She didn't want to bring that up with her mom, however, so she merely nodded and made her way over to the table, sliding into her seat and picking up her fork.

The scrambled eggs her mom had prepared were tasteless, despite the fact that Emily knew her mother was practically incapable of making a bad meal. It wasn't the food. It was her.

"Are you all right, Em?" Her mom leaned across the table to press a hand to her forehead. "Your head feels cool. You're not running a fever. Are you coming down with something?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm fine," she mumbled, not looking up from her plate. "Just didn't sleep well."

She could feel her mother's eyes on her, but kept her gaze trained on her plate. As great as their return to a more open relationship was, this was not something she could confide in her mom about.

She was about halfway through her breakfast when her phone buzzed in her pocket. "That's probably Paige," she said, feeling her mom's disapproving stare on her as she pulled her phone out. What she didn't add was, it was probably Paige texting to say she wasn't going to be able to pick her up that morning.

So, it surprised her when she read the message, which revealed that Paige was outside. "She's here."

"Tell her to come in and get some breakfast."

Emily complied, typing out her mother's request before tucking her phone away and returning her attention to her breakfast. A moment later there was a knock on the front door and it swung open.

"Good morning, Fields." Paige cheerful greeting preceded her into the room. She made it halfway to the table before self-consciousness seemed to kick in and she slowed to a stop, hands going into her back pockets.

"Grab a seat, let me get you a plate."

"Oh, no. Mrs. Fields. You don't have to-"

"What did I say about that?"

Paige dipped her head and mumbled an apology. "Pam. You don't have to do that."

"Sit." Her mom pointed at one of the empty chairs as she rose to make Paige a plate. "Eat," she added a moment later as she set a generous portion of scrambled eggs and hash browns down in front of her.

Obligingly, Paige picked up her fork and took a tentative bite. "It's good. Thank you, Mrs…Pam."

"Of course, dear. Your welcome." She squeezed Paige's shoulder and then returned to her seat.

The three of them ate their breakfast in silence. The knot in Emily's stomach grew tighter and tighter with each bite, until she felt like she was going to be physically ill. Across the table, Paige kept her head low and her eyes on her plate as she steadily forked food into her mouth, a white-knuckle grip on the utensil. Pam the only one seemingly unaffected by it as she flipped through the paper.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready for work," she said, once she had finished. She stood and carried her empty plate to the sink, rinsing it off quickly before sticking it in the dishwasher. "You girls have a good day. I'll see you tonight." She squeezed Paige's shoulder, hugged Emily from behind, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head, and then was gone, leaving the two of them alone in uneasy silence.

Emily's fork scraped along her plate as she finished her last bite, the eggs settling heavily in her stomach as she glanced across the table at Paige, who had still not looked up to meet her eye.

"We need to talk about last night," she said softly, fully prepared to get on her knees and grovel out an apology, if only Paige would look at her. All she needed was the tiniest indication that she hadn't screwed things up beyond all repair.

"Yeah." Paige nodded. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?" She finally raised her gaze to meet Emily's, her eyes shining with sorrow and regret.

"Wait, you're sorry? Why are you sorry?" she blurted, wishing she could call back the words when Paige hung her head once again. "Paige?" she called softly. "Paige, look at me."

Slowly, Paige raised her gaze to meet Emil's eyes once again.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who crossed the line. I pushed things too far. I said things I shouldn't have. I made you uncomfortable-"

"You didn't."

Emily's eyes widened at the force of Paige's words.

"I wanted to. When I sent you that picture, I felt ridiculous taking it. But it was like there was a part of me that knew…I was hoping that you would react that way. Because I've been having all these thoughts, feelings. But then we…I…"

Slowly, the situation began to reveal itself.

"I get it. Sometimes your body is ahead of your brain. What we did last night, it's not something to be ashamed of," she said, reaching across the table and taking Paige's hand in her own. Paige turned her hand over, lacing her fingers through Emily's. As soon as they slid together she felt better, anchored, and calmer. "But, I think we can agree it was too much, too soon. Right?"

"Yeah," Paige sighed, nodding. "It felt so good. Your words, the effect they had on me. But, afterwards, I felt so guilty. Like, I'd used you somehow. I mean, I basically goaded you into….getting me off." She blushed so hard as she said it that Emily couldn't help but smile softly at her words. She really was adorable.

"Well, it's not like you had to twist my arm to make me do it," Emily reminded her gently. "I was the one who started it."

"But, I was the one who sent the photo."

"Because I asked you to."

Paige blinked at her, then cocked her head, studying her curiously. "Why did you ask me to?"

It was Emily's turn to blush and duck her head.

Across the table from her, Paige chuckled softly. "Why, Emily Fields, I am shocked."

Emily finally allowed herself to see the humor in the situation as well, the knots in her stomach untangling. "Spare me the indignation." She rolled her eyes and gave Paige's hand a tug. "Come on, we're going to be late for school."

Paige allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, dropping Emily's hand only long enough to clear the table before lacing their fingers together once again.

"So, we're good?" she asked, dipping her head to meet Emily's gaze.

"We're more than good, we're great."

It was a cheesy line, but it made Paige beam a smile at her.