Hello my beautiful readers! I know I know, I've been gone literally for like a year. I'm so sorry! But I am back now and I promise I will be updating more. I promise! Anyways, this chapter goes out to my near and dear friend He0524, love you babe! I hope you guys enjoy!

Emily was in her own world, Maya's breathe the only sound she heard, lips on lips the only thing she felt. That is, until she heard laughter off to her left. Rolling her eyes, she parted from the kiss to see Hanna standing by a tree watching them.

"Looks like you two just can't keep your hands off each other," the blonde grinned.

"Yeah yeah, can we help you with something Hanna?" Maya questioned, annoyed yet amused.

"Oh no, you've helped me quite enough," Hanna laughed. Knowing that the moment was over, Maya and Emily kissed once more and headed back to the campfire hand in hand to spend the rest of the evening with their family and friends.

It was late, and it could also be called early, at halfway into the first hour of the morning. The sound of rain was undeniable, but if you listened closely, the sounds of soft laughter and the crackling of fire provided as backup for the song the rain poured out.

The kids were all out of the house- with Emmett staying with Alex and Holly staying with Erica, and Seth staying with Dean at Spencer's house. Although the two boys were different in age, they had quite a lot in common. And besides the two women whom the three children called their parents, the house was empty. A rare occasion in itself, and one that the women were not about to let slip by.

They were curled up by the fire, Maya secured in the taller woman's arms as they watched the shadows of the flames dance. Every once in awhile, they would engage in small conversation, just talking and laughing with each other, but for the most part, they sat in comfortable silence.

Eventually, the silence was broken. The sound of soft crying snapped Emily out of her thoughts and caused her to look down at the musician. Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks and she snuffled quietly.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Emily was quick to pull Maya closer to her and meet her gaze. Wiping her eyes, the artist shook her head.

"It's... It's nothing," she whispered. Not buying it at all, the athlete stared at her wife until she spoke again.

"They're growing up Em... Holly is going to medical school for god's sake... And Emmett will most likely get a scholarship for swimming to anywhere he wants to go... I remember them as kids like it was just yesterday... Holding their bottle, helping them learn to read, watching them learn their talents... And not long after they go Seth will be grown up and leaving too... They're growing up and I'm not ready," Maya laid her head down on Emily's shoulder and shivered, her tears causing some of the swimmer's to appear as well.

"Oh my sweet sweet love," Emily pulled her closer and kissed her on the forehead, interlacing their fingers tightly. "I know it's hard baby, it's hard for me too. But this is part of being a parent. This is the hardest part. Watching them not need us when we still need them-" Maya cut her off.

"Well that's reassuring!" she whimpered. Emily chuckled a bit and brushed a strand of hair out of her wife's face. "You didn't let me finish. I was saying, it's extremely hard to watch all of this happen, but first of all Holly isn't going to a college very far away, and knowing the boys they won't either. Besides, they'll get homesick soon enough. I'm sure they'll be home every once in awhile with a trunk full of laundry," the joke caused a small laugh from Maya and Emily kissed her forehead.

"And hey, they won't be gone forever you know," the taller woman pointed out. Maya nodded. "They're gonna do great things," she sighed.

Emily smiled. "Yes they are. And when they do, we'll know we did our job just fine," she explained. Nodding in agreement, the musician leaned up and kissed her wife gently on the lips.

"How many times a day do I tell you I love you?" she questioned.

"Hmm... At least 50, but I think you were a little short today," Emily teased. A grin formed on Maya's lips. "I love you Emily, so much more than I can explain."

"I love you too Maya," Emily kissed the shorter woman again. "I love you too."

Holly was perfectly happy spending the night with her girlfriend just watching Disney movies or listening to music. But something felt different that night. Erica was quiet, and she was acting shy. And if there was one thing the young musician knew about her girlfriend, she wasn't shy.

It was half way through "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" when she decided to say something. "Babe, are you alright?" she rolled over so that she and Erica were face to face. She didn't have to ask, she knew the answer wasn't yes, but she didn't know why. So she asked. The auburn haired girl sighed and shook her head no.

"Am I holding you back?" the question was spoken quietly, so quietly in fact, that if Holly wasn't so close to the writer she wouldn't have been able to confirm hearing it. And yet, to her, it was so ridiculous of a question, she still doubted her ears."Are you crazy? Of course you aren't holding me back!" Holly grasped Erica's hand, but she did not feel her girlfriend hold her hand back.

"Yes I am... You want to go to college, you want to graduate and go to medical school, hell you want to be a freaking surgeon! You have dreams... And I... I have no plans for the future, and I have no clue about anything, except that I want to be with and am in love with this amazing girl who has her entire life planned out-" Holly cut Erica off by kissing her hard on the lips. The kiss was not just passion, it was fire and reassurance and love.

"Yes I have dreams. But my dreams include you... They surround you... And none of it, not college or medical school or being a surgeon, none of any of that matters if I can't live those dreams out with you by my side..." she whispered when the two broke apart. Erica didn't speak at first, she just sat and looked at the girl in front of her.

"I love you," she finally managed to say. They were words that had been spoken before, quite often in fact. But seeing Erica so unsure of everything, yet so sure of her words in that moment, were enough for Holly to break down into tears of her own.

"I love you too," she whispered back. There was silence, and then there was an explosion. Without warning, Holly grasped at Erica's waist and kissed her with a type of fire neither had ever known. For awhile, the kiss was nothing but heat and passion, but soon it calmed into a deeper sensation, one of exploration and lustful love. Neither of them knew what they were doing, and neither one cared.

Hands roamed unexplored territories, lips moved with cool rapture, minds raced in glorious paroxysm. Time did not mean anything, and yet it was everything. Electricity scorched skin with every cautious touch, fire seared lips in every adventurous kiss. The weight of the world and the heavens felt light as nothingness itself. Sex was not the right word. Yet love, in its vapid cliched occurrence, was not a proper description either. This was a journey of restless hearts thrust into a world in which they were not known. And at its end, both Holly and Erica were at a loss for breathe. And for words.

Thank you guys so much for reading! I am so so so sorry it's taken me so long! I promise you that the next chapter will be up sooner and it will be longer! I absolutely promise! I hope you enjoyed this and thank you again! Also, about the sex scene (yes it was a sex scene) I did want to write one because I know a lot of you like them, but number one I didn't want to just come out and say they were having sex and have it be very obvious. It's their first time after all. And I feel like their first time would be special. Also, I have a very limited knowledge of sex. Obviously I know what it is and I know how it happens, but I am not very good at writing it out. So instead I wrote it more subtle. If you don't like, sorry! Read and review please!