Guest: I'm glad Paige has redeemed herself with steps forward, to make up for the steps backwards.

Guest, Thank you.

PaigeMarie92 I'm proud of her too, she's come so far. Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Guest. Thank you. She will. But it's a process. She'll get there.

Chapter 38

They didn't get a chance to continue their discussion about schools and scholarships. Between Paige's field hockey practices, swim practice for both of them, Paige helping her mom plan the party on Friday, and now Emily helping her mom plan a welcome home party for her dad, they didn't get to see much of each other that week. The time they did spend together was, for the most part, in the company of others, their friends during the day, and with Pam, over dinner and then while cleaning up. The small bit of alone time they did have, they weren't doing much talking, but instead made much better use of their mouths as they lay, making out, on Emily's bed, until it was time for Paige to go home. Which was occurring much earlier than her usual curfew, this week, because she was spending evenings with her mom, getting things organized for Friday.

It didn't matter to Emily that they hadn't come to any decisions on the matter. She didn't know what school she wanted to attend, or which scholarships she thought would be the most helpful to apply for, or what courses she might like to enroll in. What mattered to her was that, when the time came, Paige was on board with the idea planning their futures together. Until then, she was content to continue on as things were.

Well, maybe not completely content. She still hated the fact that Paige felt the need to hide, but Paige had been doing much better lately. After the conversation with Amanda and Vicky, Emily had expected Paige to withdraw, to revert back to panic mode now at the thought of two more people knowing about them, bringing the total up to eight.

Instead, it seemed the opposite. Paige was back to walking her to class in the mornings. She thought that last time was just a one off, a way for Paige to excuse them from an awkward situation, but the next morning she was waiting for Emily at her locker. And, she had started sitting beside, or opposite her during lunch, and talking directly to her. Even going so far as touching her arm once, to make a point. In the cafeteria. For all the world to see. She also didn't flinch at the thought of people seeing her driving Emily to school in the mornings. It wasn't much, but these little things were showing Emily that Paige was getting more comfortable, less afraid.

The only time Emily noticed any real tension in Paige was in the locker room. She gave her a wide berth, avoiding going into or coming out of the showers at the same time, and not looking at her, or talking to her, while they dressed. Even during practise she was kind of distant. Saying things like good job, or keep it up, but not really engaging in any real conversation.

Not that Emily really blamed her for that. It was hard, being around Paige when she was clad in only her suit, and maybe a towel, to stand next to her by the lockers, and hear the rustle of her clothes, and know that the only thing between her and an eyeful of Paige's half, or even fully, undressed form was a flimsy metal locker door. She felt the tension herself, a coiling in her belly and a buzzing in her head that made it hard to concentrate. She wasn't sure she'd be able to carry on a conversation with Paige in that state, so she was glad that the other girl hadn't tried engage her

Nothing between them had actually changed. They were still together in secret. Paige still didn't feel comfortable coming out to people. Emily couldn't walk down the hallway holding her girlfriend's hand, or take her out on a date in town, somehow, to Emily, it felt like they had taken a step forward.

They had come out, inadvertently, but come out none the less, to two more people. Paige was associating with her in public, even just as a teammate and friend. And, Emily was about to meet Paige's parents.

"Will you stop fidgeting?" Hannah's hand dropped heavily onto her knee, stopping it from bouncing in place.

Emily struggled to remain still in place, in the backseat of Aria's car, wedged between Hannah and the door. The three of them, along with Caleb, who was seated on the other side of Hannah, and Mona, who had commandeered the front seat, were on their way over to Paige's house to meet up with her, and Spencer, who should be returning from their field hockey game in Harrisburg around now. Toby was behind them, in his truck, along with a front seat full of "supplies" for the party they had planned after dinner with Paige's parents. The supplies being mostly junk food, although there was also a bottle of wine and a six pack tucked in there was well. Although, Emily didn't know if they were celebrating, or commiserating.

When she had texted Paige about the results of the game a few hours ago, thee other girl had refused to answer, simply texting back she Emily would know when she saw her. Toby had tried asking Spencer as well, with similar results.

"What are you so nervous about, anyway?"

"I'm not nervous."

"You haven't been able to sit still since we got in the car. Before that, actually. You've been antsy all day."

"Antsy?" Emily quirked an eyebrow at Hannah's word choice.

"Don't change the subject on me. What's going on, Em?"

"I'm nervous about meeting Paige's parents," she admitted, realizing it was futile hiding her unease from one of her best friends. Hannah could read her so well, lying to her was about as effective as lying to herself.

"Why? It's not like you haven't met them before."

"Her mom, yeah. But her dad, not really. I've seen him at swim meets, said hi a few times, but I've never like, officially met him. As Paige's girlfriend."

"And, you're still not."

Emily nodded, and raked a hand through her hair, letting out a soft sigh as she did so. "I know. But, what if he knows? What if he takes one look at me, at us, and he knows?" She set pleading eyes on her friend, hoping that Hannah would be able to talk her out of her panic. "I mean, he knows I'm gay. And that Paige and I have been spending time together. What if he puts two and two together? Or, what if I slip up at dinner, and say something, or they catch us holding hands, or kissing or-"

"Okay, you need to relax." Hannah put her hands on Emily's shoulders and gave them a shake, then a gentle squeeze.

Emily wished she could. She really wanted to be able to relax and enjoy this dinner that Paige's parents were hosting for them, but she was just so wound up. And she wasn't sure that feeling was going to go away until the evening was over, and everything passed without a hitch.

"Seriously, Em. You need to pull yourself together, because if you're a basket case right now, imagine how Paige is feeling. And, you can't both be going off the deep end. Or her parents are going to know what's up for sure."

"That was a horrible pep talk."

"But, it made you smile."

She tried to school her expression into something more neutral, but the corners of her lips would just not stop turning up. Laughing lightly, she shook her head. "You're right. I know, you're right." She needed to get a handle on her nerves before they pulled into the McCullers' driveway, because guaranteed, Paige was just as nervous, if not more so. And, of the two of them, she had the most at stake here. It was her relationship with her family on the line, and Emily didn't want to screw that up, and make their relationship apparent before Paige was ready.

"You good?" Hannah asked softly, resting her forehead against Emily's and looking her in the eye.

She took a deep breath, and nodded. "I'm good."

"Great. Because we're here."

The car slowed to a stop at Hannah's words, and when Emily pulled her gaze away to look out the window she discovered that they were in fact now parked in the McCullers' driveway. Her heart lurched, and then steadied itself as she undid her seatbelt and climbed from the car. She stretched, looking around as she did so, her gaze making it as far as the porch before it stopped searching. Paige and Spencer were sitting on the top step, both of them dressed casually in jeans and their Sharks hoodies.

Unbidden, a smile formed on her lips as she fell into step with the others, who were making their way across the lawn, forcing herself not to quicken her pace and run to the other girl. She couldn't keep her eyes off Paige. Partly because her girlfriend was stunning, and Emily could spend all day looking at her, but mostly because she was trying to glean from her facial expression what her mood was. Elated because they had won? Dejected because they had lost? Paige's face, unfortunately, gave away nothing. She flicked her gaze over to Spencer, and found her expression similarly devoid of any clues.

As the group approached, the two girls stood, unfolding their similarly long, lanky frames in near unison, and revealing shiny, gold medallions hanging around each of their necks.

Broad grins broke out over both of their faces as the group crowded around them to offer congratulations, the next few minutes lost in excited chatter. Emily hugged Paige first, hard and fast, whispering hurried praise in her ear.

"I knew you guys would win. Congrats. You're amazing." As much as she wanted to linger in her girlfriend's arms, she reluctantly stepped away. Not only were the others clamoring to offer their congratulations, but Emily had no idea where Paige's parents were right now, if they were observing their interactions.

As Aria stepped into take her place, she moved over to Spencer, pulling her into a tight embrace, whispering similar praise into her ear before stepping aside.

"I wish that I'd been able to make it to the game," she said, as they began to settle. They'd all planned on going. Then on Thursday, Hannah and Emily's math teacher had announced a test, and Aria had been assigned an oral presentation, and their plans on skipping class and making the drive had dissolved. "It would have been nice to see you guys play."

"To see you win," Toby added.

"Do you know how much trouble you would have been in, if one of the coaches had caught you skipping?" Spencer asked.

"I would think they'd be happy to see us there, cheering you on," Hannah said with a shrug. "I mean, isn't that the whole point of spectator sports?"

Before anyone could respond, the front door swung open, revealing Mr. and Mrs. McCullers. Even though Emily was pretty sure that their view of her was blocked by Paige, Spencer and Toby, who were all standing in front of her, she stood up a little straighter, squaring her shoulders and tugging at any rumples in her shirt. It was ridiculous, she knew. But she just wanted to make a good impression on them. Even if all they knew her as was Paige's friend, she wanted them to like her. To see her as more than her sexuality, and accept that she wasn't a bad influence on their daughter.

"We thought we heard vehicles," Nick said, stepping out onto the porch and surveying the group.

"And voices," Maureen added, pulling the door open wider and gesturing them all inside. "Nick, let them through. The girls have been sitting outside in the chill long enough. After the day they've had, they should be inside, resting. "

Nick glanced back over his shoulder at his wife, and sent her a fond smile. "Yes, dear," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "Please, do come in. Let my wife and I take your coats, and we'll get into the introductions and all that then."

Emily shuffled into the house along with the others, handing her coat to Nick with a small smile and a quiet thanks, before being ushered into the dining room by Maureen.

"Sorry for rushing you right to the table," Maureen said, as she gestured for them to sit. "But, I wasn't sure what time Paige and Spencer would be getting in, and things cooked a little faster than I thought they would and-"

"I doubt anyone's going to complain about eating dinner right away," Nick said, giving his wife's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she stepped around her, then pulled her chair out.

So, that's where she got it from, Emily acknowledged, shooting a glance over at Paige, who was standing beside her, hand lingering on the back of one of the chairs, as she shifted uncomfortably in place. Emily patted her back lightly, discreetly, and offered a small smile, hopefully letting Paige know that she understood, and didn't hold it against her, as she pulled her own chair out and slid into place.

It was only once she had seated herself that she realized she had just placed herself between Paige, and Mr. McCullers, who had crossed around to take the seat at the head of the table opposite his wife. She gulped, and rubbed now sweaty palms against her jeans.

"You're right about that, Mr. McCullers," Hannah said as she dropped into place across the table from Emily, Caleb on her right, and Aria on her left. "Especially not when the food looks as good as this. The spread is amazing, Mrs. McCullers," she added, turning to Paige's mom with a broad smile.

"Why, thank you…"

"Hannah."

"Hannah. That's very kind of you," Maureen' said, smiling back at Hannah, clearly finding herself falling for Hannah's unique brand of charm.

"Hannah's right, Mrs. McCullers," Mona said, from her place on the other side of Aria. "Dinner looks and smells delicious."

"Thank you." She cast her glance around the table, including them all in her words as she made the invitation to dig in. "Paige, honey, if you wouldn't mind introducing your friends?"

All eyes turned to Paige, who froze in mid-chew.

"Honestly, Paige," Maureen shook her head, laughing lightly. "We didn't raise her in a barn," she added, glancing around at the others. "She does actually have manners, buried somewhere deep in there."

"What? I'm hungry. I spent all day running around on the field. And then we were on the bus for hours," she exaggerated the word, making herself sound forlorn and pitiful. "I've barely had anything to eat all day."

"Oh, so you didn't consume the entire cooler of snacks I sent you off with today? Sandwiches, fruit, veggies and dip, even a few brownies."

"Hey, I shared. It's not like I ate all the food, all by myself. And, she might not look like it, but this one sure can pack it away." Paige gestured to Spencer, to her right.

"Oh, don't even McCullers. I reached for a brownie and practically came away with a bloody stump."

"Only because it was the last one. And you'd already had two."

Spencer harrumphed, and Nick hid a laugh behind his hand. The others, including Maureen, were not so restrained.

"It's all right, Spencer," Maureen said. "There are a few more left in the kitchen. I'll make sure you get a couple before you go."

Spencer shot Paige a triumphant look, to which Paige just rolled her eyes.

"Since my daughter is clearly not up to the task, why don't you each introduce yourselves?" Maureen turned to Caleb, who blushed lightly, but nodded, and gamely introduced himself to Paige's parents.

Emily listened with half an ear as they went around the table, pulse pounding loudly in her head as she waited for her turn. Her throat went dry as Mona finished and all eyes turned to her.

She looked to Maureen first, figuring she would be the easier of the two, considering they'd already met. "Mrs McCullers, thank you, for having me over. It's nice to see you again." Maureen nodded and gave a small smile.

"You too, dear. I'm glad you could make it."

Emily nodded, then turned in her seat to face Nick. "We've met before, but I don't think we've been officially introduced," she said, offering her hand to shake. "Emily Fields, sir."

"Yes. I know who you are," he said slowly, giving her hand a firm shake. Emily's heart lurched at the words, and she tried desperately to read his tone. Was it disapproving? "You put in some amazing times at the meet against Sheridan Prep a few weeks ago," he said, referencing the last meet she had seen him at, just a week or two before the one where Emily and Paige had gotten together. "I must say, I was very impressed.

Thank you, sir." She let out a breath of relief. "It was a tough meet. Paige posted some good times as well."

"Broke a personal best," Nick boasted, a proud smile playing on his lips.

Emily nodded. "She broke one of mine as well." She had been so irritated at day, when coach had announced Paige's time, and she'd realized that it was better than hers. Now though, she was just as proud of Paige as Nick was, for all the hard work and effort she had put into that meet, which had clinched their qualifications for the meet they had last competed in.

"A little friendly competition among teammates isn't such a bad thing though, is it?"

Emily could swear that the man's words were teasing. The faint grin on his lips only fueled her suspicious. And it helped her relax a little in her seat.

"No, sir." She allowed herself a small smile. "I can handle it, if Paige can." The tone of her voice clearly indicating that Paige couldn't.

Nick chortled, and gave a nod of approval, before turning his attention back to the rest of the table, so Spencer and Toby could introduce themselves. Emily let out a sigh of relief and sagged slightly in her seat, her stomach, which had been churning since they stepped foot inside now relaxed, now, and growled lightly as she suddenly became aware of the aroma of the food spread out across the table, and the small plate she had prepared her herself. Eagerly she dug in, taking a few bites before adding her compliments to the ones everyone else was heaping on Maureen for the food.

She nearly jumped out of her seat a moment later, however, when she felt Paige's hand brush against her thigh. She reached for her water glass, to cover, and shot a glance over at Paige, who offered up an apologetic smile and squeezed her knee lightly. Though the show of support, of encouragement was unnecessary now, she appreciated the gesture and, glancing around to make sure no one was looking, she slipped her free hand beneath the table and laid it over Paige's for a moment before pulling away, and returning her attention to her meal. Paige's hand lingered a second or two longer before it fell away.

Conversation around the table was lively, and spirited, mostly centering on the day's game, as Paige and Spencer took turns giving the highlights. Despite years watching Spencer play, Emily had to admit she didn't know much about the sport. A lot of the technical terms both girls were using were lost on her, but it sounded like it had been a tough, hard one game, and she enjoyed watching them both speak so passionately about it.

And it was nice seeing Paige relaxed, and animated. She wasn't the nervous wreck Emily had thought she'd be. Of course, aside from the brief squeeze of Emily's leg under the table, she didn't really acknowledge her. Nor did she speak directly to her, instead directing her comments to the table at large. Not that Emily blamed her. She was finding it difficult, just sitting beside Paige, under her parent's watchful gazes. She didn't want to dray any extra attention to them, or give them anything to wonder about.

Eventually, the topic of the game was exhausted, and the conversation splintered off into various smaller ones. Emily found herself drawn into conversation with Aria and Mona. Paige, she noticed however, was relatively quiet, not really contributing much, but seemingly listening intently to the conversation between Spencer and Caleb.

"So, my wife tells me that you've done some work with Habitat for Humanity."

Emily nodded, as she hurried to chew the bite she had just taken, and swallowed hard. "Yes, sir." She reached for her water glass, and took a small sip.

"And you've taken a few aid trips?"

"Yes. For the past few summers."

"I built some houses with them in college. But, locally. I never had the opportunity to go abroad with them. I did do a couple of mission trips though, when I was in grad school."

Emily could only nod, uncertain as to whether his mention of the church was a subtle dig, or not.

"I was thinking about getting the youth groups that I work with involved though. Perhaps you could give me some advice on organizing one?"

"Oh, I've never really had a hand in that. I more just show up and wield a hammer wherever they tell me. But, I can put you in contact with the team who coordinates our trips. They'll be able to help you out more than I could."

"I would appreciate that. Thank you."

"No problem."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, Emily wracking her brain for something else to say.

"I hear your father's in the military." Nick interrupted the silence once again. "Stationed overseas."

"Yes, sir. Afghanistan."

"It's honorable, what your father, and the rest of our men oversees are doing. You must be very proud."

"I am, sir." She was so proud of her dad. Despite how hard it was, him being away as often as he was, and how worried for his safety she was, so much of the time, she was so incredibly proud of him.

"He'll be back home again in a couple of weeks," she added. "He just found out that his unit is being sent back."

"Really? That's nice. It must be tough, having him away so much."

"It's hard, but my mom and I, we make it work."

Nick nodded, but didn't seem to have much to say. Much like his daughter, he had been quiet for most of the dinner, and after their brief conversation, reverted back to eating his dinner in silence, appearing to be listening in on the various conversations.

Eventually, their plates had all been cleaned, with everyone going back for seconds, and even thirds in some cases. When it was clear that everyone had finished eating, Maureen and Nick rose to clear the table. Immediately, Emily stood as well, offering to help, only to be waved off by Maureen.

"No, no don't worry about it. You're a guest. That goes for the rest of you, too." She said, glancing over at Spencer, and Caleb, who had similarly stood. "It's no trouble, anyway. I'm just going to pop these in the dishwasher, and then Nick and I are heading out to the movies, give you kids the house to yourselves for a while. Why don't you guys head on into the other room, relax. Do whatever it was you had planned for the rest of the evening."

The others rose to their feet as well, offering Maureen one last round of compliments to her cooking, and thanking both her and Nick for having them, before following Paige into the rec room.

Emily hadn't been in here since the night they'd gotten together, but she had fond memories of the couch. And even though she knew that tonight would not be a recreation of those memories, she still made a beeline for it, and settled into one corner. Toby settled into the opposite corner, and Spencer slipped in beside him, immediately leaning into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. Caleb took a seat on one of the arm chairs, and Hannah sat at his feet, leaning back into him and resting her head on his knee. Aria took the other arm chair, and Mona grabbed a pillow, and sat down by the coffee table, while Paige fiddled with the tv for a few minutes, before the blue dvd screen popped up.

"In case we decide to watch something," she said to no one in particular, as the others were all chatting amongst themselves. She dropped the remote onto the coffee table with a soft clatter, then stood at the front of the room, eyes darting around as she contemplated where to sit.

There was plenty of space between Emily and Spencer for her to come sit on the couch, but, Emily realized, this was the first time that they had been with their friends in a private setting, and even though Paige knew that they all (except for Mona) knew about their relationship, they had never seen it on display before. Because Paige was still mostly closeted, they hadn't ever been able to act like a couple in front of their friends. In front of anyone, other than complete strangers and Emily's mom.

She held her breath, and pretended to be caught up in conversation with Hannah and Caleb, even as she kept a side-eye on Paige, waiting to see what she would decide, telling herself that she wouldn't be hurt, if Paige chose not to sit next to her. Luckily, she didn't have to find out if she was lying to herself or not, because Paige strode across the room in a few long strides, and dropped down onto the couch beside Emily, jostling her somewhat in the process. Spencer swatted at her, apparently also disturbed by her positioning herself, and Paige slapped back, but before it could escalate into a battle, Toby caught her arm and held it above her head, making Spencer growl at him, but also settle down. Paige stuck her tongue out at Spencer, who pulled a face at her, then turned to smile at Emily, who shook her head, laughing along with the others at their antics,

Paige sitting beside her was more than enough, she didn't really expect her to wrap her arm around Emily's shoulder and draw her in. Not that her surprise stopped her from snuggling into Paige's side.

Nobody said a word about it, or even batted an eye. Not even Mona. The conversation and laughter went on around them without a hitch.