Prompt: "Takes place after the Ali/Paige scene – Paige sees Ali and Emily kissing in the library in that flashback from season one."
Paige was mindlessly browsing through the books on the shelf in the library when she heard hushed voices from the next aisle. Usually she would have ignored them and continued with what she was doing but she recognized one of the voices as belonging to Emily Fields. Naturally her curiosity piqued and without thought she walked to the end of the aisle and peeked around the corner. Her breath caught in her throat when she found Emily sitting on the floor with none other than Alison DiLaurentis. Realizing that Emily was directly facing her, Paige quickly drew back so that she was hidden by the shelf.
"…She could see perfectly and she forgave us."
"That's why I love you…You're big on happy endings."
Paige felt a stab of indignant jealousy at the statement and she risked another peek out from behind the aisle. Upon seeing the adoring, enthralled look on Emily's face Paige realized that she didn't have to take as much care with hiding as she thought she did. It seemed that Emily only had eyes for Alison. Paige silently wondered how someone as cold and vindictive as Alison could get someone as warm and kind as Emily to look at her like that.
"So is Dickens by the way." Alison announced, briefly turning her gaze back down to the book she was holding. "Pip gets Estelle in the end." She glanced back up at Emily. "Can I read you something?"
Emily, of course immediately nodded her consent.
"I loved her against reason," Alison began to read looking up into Emily's eyes, "Against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be."
Paige clutched the shelf until her knuckles turned white, enraged that the words her tormentor was uttering were the words which perfectly described how she felt towards Emily. Alison was just reading words out of a book, they meant nothing to her but Paige felt the words.
"Did you get to that part yet?" Alison asked casually.
Emily nodded her response, a small smile tugging at her lips and Paige felt a familiar ache form in her chest. Emily was clearly charmed by Alison's quote from the book , ignorant both to the fact that the passage wasn't being quoted sincerely and that the person who actually meant the words wasn't sitting next to her but was instead concealed behind a book shelf a few feet away.
Just when Paige decided that she'd put herself through enough by listening to the conversation, Emily leaned forward without warning and kissed Alison. Paige had to force herself not to stumble back and bit down on her bottom lip to contain her astonished gasp. When Emily pulled away from the kiss Paige stepped back slowly, no longer concerned about being seen. After all, Alison couldn't hurt her anymore than she had in the last few minutes. Tears blurring her eyes, Paige whirled around and stormed towards the exit. Paige's suspicions were confirmed when Emily didn't notice her exit, her eyes fixed firmly on Alison.