"Pam, hi, come on in." Ella stepped aside to let Pam Fields through her front door. She hadn't been expecting the other woman, but they had been friends long enough for her to drop by unannounced; though eight o'clock on a Sunday morning seemed a strange time to be stopping by. "Uh, this is Zach." Ella introduced the younger man she'd been dating on and off for months. Her 'boyfriend' was standing shirtless by the bedroom door, wearing only his jeans and an uncertain smile.
"Hey." He offered Pam a small wave. "I'm going to..." Clearing his throat, he pointed over his shoulder and disappeared back inside the bedroom. He closed the door behind him, leaving the the two women to talk.
"I'm sorry to just turn up like this, but I need a favour. I need Paige McCullers's address. You work with her, at the school, right?" Pam apologised for showing up unannounced. She seemed on edge, like she'd started the morning with an extra large cup of coffee and it had left her with the jitters.
"I'm afraid I can't help you, Pam. I can't give out a colleague's home address. Is there something the matter? Maybe I can help-"
"She has my daughter." Pam's bottom lip started to quiver as she felt tears coming on again. She'd been up half the night, debating what to do. "She's with my baby girl."
"Why would..." Ella trailed off, putting two and two together. Paige was an attractive, young, gay woman. It was easy to see how she could catch the eye of a student. "Are you sure about this? I've known Paige a long time, she's a-"
"I'm sure." Pam cut her off, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "I think Emily's with her now. That's why I need the address. Please, Ella, as one mother to another."
"Pam, I know what you're going through. Believe me, I know. Do you really think going over there like this is the best thing for you to do?" Ella guided her long time friend over to her couch. "If something is going on, and you rush over there and confront them, you could end up just pushing them closer together... We had this with Aria."
"What the hell kind of school is this town running?" Pam demanded, as Ella finished telling her about Aria and Fitz. Ella tried to calm her down as she got to her feet. She didn't want her going off and doing anything rash.
"Trust me, when I found out about it, I wanted to murder Ezra Fitz. The more I reacted, the more Aria pulled away from me. She threatened to run away. Now she was only seventeen. Emily's eighteen, if she leaves home, there's not a whole lot you can do about it." Ella explained, talking like she was addressing one of her students. She saw the indignation on Pam's face and quickly added, "That's why you have to play this carefully. Go and talk to Paige on your own. She's a good kid, she'll listen to reason. I'll set up a meeting this afternoon."
"Fine." Pam reluctantly agreed. She knew what Ella was saying made sense. If she confronted the couple with all guns blazing, it would only serve in pushing Emily further away.
"Hey Em, you're studying with Hanna this afternoon, right?" Paige questioned as she dropped her overnight bag down at the foot of the stairs. They'd just arrived back from the city and Paige had received a text from Ella, inviting her out for a coffee. Weirdly, she'd asked to meet at the Starbucks on the other side of town, rather than the Brew. Paige didn't think too much of it as she sent a reply back, saying she'd see the other teacher there. "Ella wants to catch up. I said I'd meet her in an hour."
"No problem. I need to drop my stuff off at home anyway." Emily had been hoping to blow Hanna off and just spend the rest of the day with Paige, but it looked like she'd made plans of her own. "I'll call you tonight?"
"You better." Paige grinned as she pulled her in for one last kiss. "Come on, I'll drive you home. You can jump out at the end of your street...I might even slow the car down for you."
"Very funny." Emily rolled her eyes as she slugged the other girl's arm. She couldn't wait for the day when Paige could drop her off at her door without it being a big deal; when she could tell her parents all about the amazing woman she was in love with.
Emily made it home just as her mom was heading out of the door. She didn't seem to be in any great hurry though. She hung around to ask her how her night had been. "Fine I guess, it was just a normal night at Aria's." Emily shrugged, playing it down. She was too busy keeping up with her cover to notice her mother's thin lipped smile. Pam Fields was straining against the impulse to call her out on the lie. Ella was right, she had to speak to the McCullers girl first. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Just to the grocery store." It was Pam's turn to lie, and she was a damn sight better at it than her teenage daughter. Emily didn't suspect a thing as her mother walked out.
The Starbucks was crowded for a Sunday afternoon. Paige had managed to find a table though. She'd figured Ella was running late, since she was nowhere in sight when Paige walked through the door. She didn't notice Pam Fields walking through the door until it was too late. She was practically standing over the young teacher's table before she looked up and saw her there. "Mrs Fields, hi-"
"Stop." Pam held up her hand to cut her off, and took the seat opposite her. She placed one hand on top of the other as she sat up straight. "I know you've been seeing my daughter, and I want it to stop. Today."
"I..." Paige had no idea what to say. Her mouth hung open in complete shock. She couldn't even begin to contemplate the fact that Ella had set her up. She'd been expecting a coffee with her old teacher, not Emily's mother. Even if she had have been able to speak, Pam wouldn't have let her get a word in anyway.
"You're going to call it off with Emily, and you're not going to tell her I know. She's going to think this is your idea, and you're going to let her."
"And why would I do that?" Despite the fear coursing through her veins, Paige couldn't just back down without a fight. It wasn't in her nature. Emily was the best thing that had ever happened to her, she wasn't just going to let her go.
"Because if you don't, I'm going to call the police. I'll have you arrested and thrown in to jail for abusing a minor-"
"I have never hurt Emily! And nothing happened between us until she was eighteen!" Paige protested. There didn't seem to be much point in denying her and Emily's relationship, Pam seemed pretty certain of it. Paige didn't know what had changed, but Pam definitely knew something.
"That doesn't change the fact that she's your student!" Pam barked right back at her, catching the attention of some of the other patrons of the coffee shop. She lowered her voice, conscious of being overheard. The whole point of meeting Paige somewhere other than the Brew was so that nobody would find out about it.
Pam had formulated a plan during the morning. Emily had already been through a lot in her short life. Losing one of her best friends at such an early age had left a mark on her. She and her friends were still known as those girls who were friends with the dead girl, she didn't need another scandal rocking her in her senior year. Pam wanted to do everything in her power to keep the affair quiet, even if that meant the teacher getting off scot-free. Emily had to come first. "I only want what's best for my daughter, and right now that's getting her as far away from you as possible. You end it with Emily. You do it today and you have nothing more to do with her, or so help me god I will ruin you. Do you understand me?"
"I do." Paige slowly nodded. Her lips were dry and she couldn't look the other woman in the eyes as she glanced around the coffee shop. "But, respectfully Mrs McCullers, I can't do what you're asking me to. I love your daughter, and I won't hurt her like this. I won't break up with her. Call the police, call the newspapers, I don't care about my job, or my reputation. I care about your daughter." Paige was defiant as she finally looked at Mrs Fields. It wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"You're making a mistake." Pam rose to her feet, shooting the younger woman a look that could curdle milk. "I gave you a way out; just remember that." The warning was an ominous one. Pam Fields had the potential to ruin Paige's life. She could see it in her eyes, right before she turned and walked out.
Paige grabbed her cell phone the second Pam was out of the door, she needed to warn Emily. The phone just rang and rang though. Emily either wasn't near her phone, or Pam had gotten to her first. "Come on, come on, pick up!" Paige threw a dollar tip down on the table before rushing out. She'd dropped Emily off at home and then parked the car on her drive. The coffee shop was only a ten minute walk from her house, but it was more like twenty back to Emily's. Pam would be driving, and would almost certainly beat her there. She kept trying Emily's cell as she started running back to her house. With a little luck, Emily would answer before Pam made it back.
"Mom?" Emily called out as she heard the front door. When she got no answer, she headed downstairs to check it out. She found her mother with her back to her. Her hands were on the kitchen counter and her shoulders were hunched. She looked upset. "Mom? What's wrong? Is it Dad?" Wayne Fields was due home in two days time, just before Thanksgiving. He was based in Texas, doing training drills with new recruits. It was hardly Iraq, but there was still the potential that some fresh faced kid could accidentally shoot him or something. Pam wiped at her eyes before turning around. She'd clearly been crying. Emily felt her heart sink, fearing the worst.
"I know about you and that teacher." Pam didn't say anything else. She just stared at the teenager, long and hard. Emily squirmed under her gaze. She didn't know what to say. Her mother was too quiet. She could see the seething anger in her eyes.
"Mom, I-"
"Save it! I don't want to hear it Emily." Pam's tone was clipped, she meant business. "I've spoken to her. I've made it quite clear that this dalliance ends now."
"It's not a-"
"If it doesn't, we're moving to Texas." Pam hadn't just put all of her eggs in one basket. She'd known there was a good chance that Paige wouldn't walk away when she asked her to. Texas was the backup plan. They'd only stayed in Rosewood so that Emily's education wouldn't be disturbed in her final year. It was clear that was already happening, so Pam had no qualms about moving her out of state.
"You can't do that!" Emily argued furiously. "I'm eighteen Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore! You can't make me move if I don't want to."
"You are still my child, and while you're living under my roof-"
"Maybe I won't be anymore!" Emily shoved past her, storming out of the door and climbing in to her car before Pam had a chance to stop her.
Emily skidded to a stop outside Paige's house. The other girl was in her own car, and had just been about to pull out of the drive before Emily had blocked her in. She jumped out of the car to meet her. "What happened? I tried calling but you weren't picking up." Paige threw her arms around her girlfriend, holding her as she started to sob. She could only imagine the conversation Emily and her mother had just had. Paige led her inside the house and filled her in on what had happened between her and Pam at the coffee shop. She listened to Emily's side, feeling a lump form in her throat when she mentioned moving to Texas.
"I'm not going, and she can't make me..I want to stay with you. Here." Emily didn't just mean in Rosewood. Her mother was a headstrong woman, she'd either sell or rent the house right out from under Emily, thinking she would have no choice but to go with her to live in Texas with her father. Emily did have a choice though. She had Paige.
"As in live here?" Paige wasn't as eager as Emily had expected. It was one thing to have the teenager stay over occasionally, but to have her move in was something else entirely. They'd only been dating for just shy of two months; and Pam was right about one thing, Emily was still Paige's student. The younger girl moving in with her would only serve to add fuel to the fire if the affair went public. There was a good chance Pam Fields was angry enough to follow through with her promise to go to the police. Once a report was filed, everyone would know.
Of course, Paige didn't say any of this to Emily. She forced what she hoped was a reassuring smile on to her face. "Sure you can stay... I don't think running away is really going to prove how mature you are though-"
"If you don't want me here, I can go to Hanna's!" Emily said, defensively. She was still on edge from the confrontation with her mom, and she could hear the doubt in Paige's voice.
"Don't be stupid. You know I want you here, Em." Paige kissed the top of her head. "You can stay as long as you want. I'm going to go call my Dad and then go see Wilden. I want to get out in front of this thing before your mom goes to the cops, or worse the press." Paige left the teenager in her house and climbed in to her car. It took some manoeuvring, but she finally pulled out of the drive without hitting Emily's Toyota. She had a millions thoughts racing through her mind as she drove. She'd need to call her lawyer, along with her dad and Wilden.
She'd probably need to start looking for a new job too. Once the school found out, Paige's 'extended vacation' would turn in to a permanent one. She put all this to the back of her mind as she parked up outside her intended destination. She dragged her feet all the way to the porch, and it took all of her courage to force herself to ring the doorbell. She swallowed hard as the door swung open. Pam Fields scowled at her like Paige was something particularly nasty that she'd stepped in; she was clearly the last person Pam had wanted to see. The older woman moved to close the door, but Paige stuck out her foot to stop her. "Ma'am, I appreciate you don't want me here, but I'm here for Emily. We need to talk, can I come in?"
