Disclaimer : I do not own anything that has to do with Degrassi, that honor is reserved to the writers and directors. I'm just having a little bit of fun with the characters; I promise to return them when I'm threw with smiling faces.

Gahhwtf :Eh. It's been forever, i'm fully aware, and completely sorry. Things have been hectic, not to mention I've been having technical difficulties. Enjoy and comment as always. Thanks to my loyal readers (and commentators).

thinking "talking"

"I have a meeting with Mrs.Hatsalakos, so i'm trusting you two to behave yourselves." Mrs.Kwan explained to Ellie and Paige, as they walked into detention Monday afternoon.

"Yes,ma'am," they replied in unison.

"Take your seats, no talking" she said casually before leaving them alone.

The awkwardness of their current situation was almost more than Ellie could take. She could feel the other girl's eyes boring into her back as she bent sideways to retrieve her reading assignment for english. She had no intentions of actually reading the novel, but she felt pathetic twirling her thumbs while trying desperately not to look at the blonde currently sitting two desks to her right.Staring at the meaningless words on the pages in front of her, her eyes started to ache, at the incessant force of keeping them in one place. Her head seemed to twitch, as if it was arguing with her brain; which was begging her not to give in to temptation and look her love's way. Finally, tired of mentally wrestling herself, and thinking it was quite stupid to care so much about looking at Paige, she slowly turned her head, her eyes instantly locking with fierce turquoise jewels. At the sight of Paige's intense gaze, Ellie turned a deep shade of pink,immediately returning her eye sight to the homework she wasn't doing. Paige barely held a snort of laughter at the sight of Ellie's embarassed face, which caused the ruby-haired girl's frown to deepen. Paige opened her mouth to apologize; she couldn't find the right words. Finally,she sighed and dropped her face to her hands.

"Msray," Paige muttered quickly into her palms.

"Huh?" The blonde lowered her hands, and looked back into the face of Ellie's.

"Im sorry" Paige repeated "I shouldn't have--"

Ellie never got to find out what Paige shouldn't have done, as her apology was cut short by Mrs.Kwan;releasing them from detention. Ellie quickly grabbed her stuff and left Paige sitting there, staring into space. What just happened? Well thats that, i suppose. She slowly picked her messenger bag off of the floor, and wandered out of Degrassi. This was precisely why she didn't make it a habit to apologize that often, it showed weakness, and while Paige did have her weaknesses, she preferred not to show them. The only person she could apologize to, without feeling like a complete idiot, was Alex. She made her feel comfortable around her, so much so that she often felt uncomfortable just being away from her girlfriend. As she walked home, she found herself being grateful for not having to work tonight, and upset that Alex did. More time to think;alone. Grrrrrrrreat. Five hours later Paige lies on the floor of her bedroom. The cold hardwood felt nice on her face you'd think after four and a half hour I'd find more to think about than her she silently mused I need to get out of this house. As Paige walked out her front door she could feel the wind whipping across her face, and goosebumps forming on her neck and arms. Her face was so exposed to the chilling air that after a mere seconds she couldn't feel it anymore. Taking a deep breathe she walked into the darkness towards the woods where she often walked when she needed to escape. Nightfall made it difficult to see, and save for a streetlight outside of the wood entrance, Paige had nothing to guide her through the maze of trees. Often losing her balance on fallen branches, she scolded herself for not bringing a flashlight to luminate her path. Finally, she could make out the outline of a deformed tree. The trunk curved down, the head of leaves resting on the ground, forming a perfect arch. Paige was familiar with this arch, in fact, she could've claimed squatting rights. On many occasions, she had come to this very spot when she needed to sort out her thoughts. Very much like tonight. Paige swung one leg around the unusually large tree trunk so she was straddling it, and wrapped her legs around the tree for support. She looked up at the night sky, happy to see that despite the cold,windy weather it was clear. The full moon smiled down at her almost in a reassuring manner. The many stars sparkled in the moonlight, making the gorgeous scene above Paige seem like something out of a dream. The sound of a stick cracking snapped her out of her upward gaze.

"Who's there?"

She called into the forest. There was no answer, and Paige could see nobody. She assumed it was just her imagination, or maybe the wind, and ignored it. She started to think about Ellie once again, and how she kept wanting to see her. She had searched for her at school, for the cherry tint of her hair, she had not seen her until detention. Paige understood that Ellie was most likely avoiding her out of embarassment. The gnawing of her growing want for the girl's presense, and the stomach pain her intense guilt caused her, was too much. How could she be starting to feel affection towards another girl when she had the one she wanted? Alex was all she had ever wanted and more, and though she felt discriminated against those times when they were walking through the mall hand in hand, and bleach blonde skanks muttered things like "Lesbos" under their breath, she knew it was worth it. She knew that never again would she feel comfortable dating guys if she and Alex didn't end up together. She was a homosexual, and as tough as it was to accept it at first, she knew it was not to be questioned. She knew what she was, and was slowly beginning to be proud of it. Being with the beautiful, raven-haired rebel felt right to Paige; her new feelings for Ellie did not. She was once again shaken,this time by the sound of someone coughing.

"Hello?" This time a body formed by a tree near the one she was sitting on. She immediately recognized the intruder. She sighed out of relief. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I come here to think. You don't have a jacket, are you insane? Its freezing."

"I guess i left a little suddenly," Paige replied. Suddenly aware of how cold it was, her teeth started to chatter.

"I brought a blanket." Sure enough she saw a mysterious lump under the girl's arm. "I'm sorry for running out on you today. I didn't want to hear your apology, you didn't really have anything to be sorry for, you know."

"I just wanted to apologise for laughing for no reason, and for ignoring you."

"You don't owe me anything,Paige." Ellie walked towards her and sat next to her. Paige swung her leg back over the trunk, so she was sitting directly beside Ellie, and her legs were dangling next to the shivering redhead's.

"You know i can't see your face, but from that chattering noise, I'm sure it's purple." Before she could get embarassed she pressed the back of her hand against the blonde's cheek. "God,you're like ice!" She exclaimed as she unfolded the wool blanket,now in her lap. Ellie draped it across her and Paige's shoulders, causing them to scoot dangerously close to each other. This time when Ellie looked over at Paige, she could see her features. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Paige grinned sheepishly, and realized when a smile tugged at the corners of Ellie's lips, that a thank you was unnecessary. They were okay now, and all the apologies each girl once urged to say were spoken silently. Paige's arm brushed against Ellie's,which sent a whole different kind of shiver through her. Ellie noticed and turned towards her.

"Are you still cold?" she asked.

"No. The blanket ... and body heat.. is helping,thanks." Ellie broke into a toothy grin in response.

Not knowing was had come over her, Paige wrapped her arms around the girl. Ellie looked at her questioningly, but the warm look in Paige's eyes settled her, and she eventually leaned into her embrace. They both looked up at the glittery night sky, until both their gazes settled down onto each other, instead. Ellie thought the view in front of her was just as beautiful. Paige leaned forward and placed a gentle peck on Ellie's lips, who gasped with surprise. She cursed herself afterwards, as Paige pulled away quickly.

"I'm so sorry" Paige said. Ellie looked at her before answering, feeling the love she had for Paige swell. She hadn't thought it possible for her to feel anymore towards the girl until now. Her heart fell as if it might explode from all the emotion.

"Don't be."

Ellie took it upon herself to capture Paige in another liplock. The kiss was soft and sweet, oozing with care. Paige deepened the kiss, pressing her tongue against the other girl's lips until Ellie's mouth let her enter. Soft and sweet soon turned into passionate and demanding. Their hands explored one another as Paige leaned onto Ellie, pushing her down until she was laying flat against the tree trunk, and Paige was lying on top of her. The arch was incredibly uncomfortable, and the blanket had fallen to the ground. The girls slowly moved off of the tree and onto the blanket. Paige removed Ellie's coat, and left a trail of kisses along neck. When she got to the sensitive spot above the shoulder blade, she sunk her teeth into the skin; marking her territory. Ellie gasped in both pain and pleasure, and Paige licked the newly punctured skin to soothe it. Ellie pulled at the edge of Paige's shirt, and Paige ripped it off, making sure not to throw it too far as she wouldn't be able to find it. Ellie leaned forward and pecked against Paige's chest, where her silver necklace was dangling. Paige suddenly pulled away, her hungry eyes boring into Ellie's honey brown iris'.

"I can't do this," she said, reluctantly, "I can't betray Alex like this, it's not fair to her."

"I understand."

"But I want you, Ellie. I can't seem to stop thinking about you, everytime i close my eyes, I see you." Paige realized she was spilling her feelings, and it made her nervous. Ellie opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. "I'm sorry. I have to go." She grabbed her top and pulled it on, looking back at Ellie only once as she ran away.

"Wait!" Ellie called softly, but Paige was already gone.

She was even colder now that Paige's body heat had left her. She put her jacket back on, and wrapped the wool blanket around her shoulders. As she walked home, she felt her cheeks become wet with tears. The icy wind made her face numb, especially where they were wet. She picked up the pace and went straight to her room once she reached her house. Ellie curled into a ball on her bed, and cried herself to sleep. She was quickly brought into a dream of the nights previous events, except in her dream, Paige stayed.