Kismet

by snowballs

The death of Paige's parents caused the decline of the relationship between Emily and Paige. Overcome by her loss, Paige leaves Rosewood to search for answers while Emily, guilt-ridden for her indirect role in Paige's loss, struggles to come to terms with her decision. Paige's unexpected return dredges up old wounds and feelings, forcing them to confront the issues between them.

11. Trigger

DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters = yeah, still never mine. Characters in this fanfic except for maybe a few belong to PLL. Some events in this fanfic were borrowed from the storyline of the PLL TV series. I never read the books and mostly focus on PAILY stuff when watching PLL so I have no clear idea about 'A' and their motives for torturing the Liars. That said the motives of the 'A'-team in this fanfic are entirely of my own creation.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: For the lengthy version of what this fanfic is about, please refer to the Author's Note in the first two chapters.

~Sobbing. Because of all your AWESOME, AWESOME reviews about the story! Again, apologies for posting only one chapter each week.~

~Story's going to be done the day 3b starts so the chapters are going to be quite lengthy. Thanks for taking the time to read my fanfic and following it.~

EyeOpener16: Thanks again for your amazing PM review!~

Shokoshik: Thanks for your amazing PM review and for telling people on Twitter last week to read my fic!~

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Chapter 11: Trigger

"Each meeting occurs at the precise moment for which it was meant. Usually, when it will have the greatest impact on our lives." – Nadia Scrieva

Desire coursing through her veins, Paige unbuttoned Emily's top and slid the smooth material off the girl's shoulders, savoring the feel of Emily's smooth skin on her fingertips as she did so. She didn't know which was smoother, the silk top Emily was wearing or her skin. She didn't have a chance to put much thought into it once she saw that Emily wasn't wearing anything underneath her top. Wanting to feel every inch of the raven-haired beauty, she cupped Emily's breasts in her hands and heard herself moan in pleasure with Emily as she rubbed the girl's hard nipples. Deepening their kiss, she felt Emily's hands on the hem of her top and willed herself to stop fondling Emily's breasts to raise her arms when she felt the girl lift the material off her body, breaking their kiss momentarily. Paige caressed Emily's cheek, touching their foreheads together before hungrily capturing Emily's lips on hers once again as they made their way towards the bed. Paige hooked her fingers on Emily's boxer pajamas, tugging it down as she felt Emily's arms around her neck, pulling her closer as their tongues dueled.

Heart hammering madly, Emily was pleased to see that Paige wasn't wearing anything underneath her top as well. She ran her hands from Paige's neck to her chest, letting her hands linger there for a moment to caress the girl's breasts, moaning at the feel of Paige's breasts in her hands as the girl gasped in her mouth. Taking advantage of Paige's reaction, Emily deepened the kiss and won the battle as she thrust her tongue deeper, forcing her hands to continue their journey until she reached the girl's waist. She took pleasure in feeling Paige's body against hers once again, being able to hold the girl in her arms the way she wanted ever since Paige returned.

"I love you." Emily whispered breathlessly as she began tugging on Paige's pajamas, making the skin on Paige's stomach hum as Emily divested Paige of her bottom clothing, the girl's feather-light touch making Paige's heart hammer. "So much." She uttered as she deepened their kiss once again. Emily heard her own breathing becoming ragged and forced her hands to stop trembling in anticipation.

"I love you too." Paige said hoarsely as she placed one hand around Emily's nape, using it to pull the girl closer to her as she captured Emily's lips on hers once again, her other hand making its way inside the only cumbersome material Emily was wearing as she cupped Emily's ass and pulled her so close she could feel the wetness between the girl's thighs.

"Fuck." Paige said breathlessly when Emily suddenly shifted and placed her wet core against Paige's thigh. She moved her hand to fondle Emily's breast while she used her other hand to pull Emily closer to her, wanting the other girl to feel how much she wanted her as well. Emily thrust her tongue deeper into Paige's mouth as she began to rock against the other girl's thigh, hooking her fingers on the band of Paige's underwear as she tried to get rid of the cumbersome material. Paige's body jerked when she felt Emily strip her of her last item of clothing and the movement brought Paige's soaked center against Emily's thigh, making the raven-haired beauty moan in pleasure.

"Not fair." Paige uttered huskily as she placed her hands on the band of Emily's underwear and eagerly divested the other girl of her drenched piece of clothing once they reached the foot of the bed. She pushed Emily backwards and gazed with overwhelming love and desire at the naked beauty lying on the bed in front of her. Emily's raven hair splayed in such a way that made Paige feel like she was staring at a goddess. Paige felt her breath hitch when she saw the intense love and lust in Emily's eyes.

"You're so breathtakingly beautiful." Paige whispered reverently before joining Emily on the bed, positioning herself on top of Emily as she hungrily captured the other girl's lips once again.

---

"I am so full right now it was imperative that we walked that dinner off." Spencer said as she groaned before looking at the person walking beside her. "We can't thank you enough though. I knew having someone who has lived here for quite some time take us out to dinner was the right decision." She said, giving her brother a grateful smile.

After treating them to dinner at one of the best diners in the East Hampton area, she, Hanna and Aria decided to walk around town with Jason to try and enjoy the village at night. It was still early and she noticed Jason's reluctance to go back to the marina so she suggested that they take a walk to pass the time.

"No problem." Jason said as he ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't realize until yesterday how much time I've spent on my boat with Lucy. I haven't been around other people for quite some time so tonight was a welcome change. Thanks for calling Spencer." He said, smiling at his sister gratefully.

"Yeah well I figured since you're here, might as well catch up." Spencer said, shrugging before returning her attention to the direction they were walking.

"It's a good thing that you guys got a hold of me just before we set sail actually." Jason admitted as he turned to look at Hanna and Aria behind them to include the two in the conversation. "It gave me a reason to spend a few more hours on land before it's just me and Lucy again. Especially right now. I'm really not looking forward to being surrounded by water with someone who's in such a foul mood." He said guiltily.

"Maybe you should have convinced her to join us. Being around other people might cheer her up. Forget the bad news." Hanna said as she linked arms with Aria.

"I tried persuading her but she felt she wouldn't be good company so I have to apologize for her." Jason said ruefully.

"I can't imagine how she must feel right now." Aria said sympathetically "Finding out she wasn't pregnant was hard but being told in the same day that you could never have kids is really devastating." She said as she studied Jason closely.

"Yeah. Especially since she was so excited about the whole idea of becoming a mom." Jason said disappointedly.

"Well you can always adopt. Or have a surrogate. There are other ways to have a kid now." Spencer suggested, trying to lift Jason's mood.

"I tabled that discussion for another day. She wasn't in the mood to hear about options right now." Jason explained as Hanna and Aria fell into step beside Spencer.

"It's just a lot to take in right now. Give it a few days." Aria said reassuringly.

"I know. Sorry I'm putting a damper on our otherwise great dinner tonight." Jason said, taking a deep breath before smiling at them.

"It's okay. Really. Where were you guys headed anyway?" Spencer asked.

"We don't know yet actually. There's some minor stuff we still need to take care of but after that we might go somewhere warm. Maybe go to the Bahamas or something. It might cheer her up." Jason answered.

"I want to go to the Bahamas someday. Or to a Bahama. If it's too expensive to tour the entire island." Hanna chimed in.

"Well if you're not too queasy or you don't get seasick easily, maybe one day you guys can go there on my boat. I have no problem letting you guys use it. It's better than air travel. It might be a little slower but there's nothing quite like the view of the sunrise and the sunset on the horizon. It's magnificent." Jason said confidently.

"Yeah I have no objection to sailing if the view is as gorgeous as you made it sound. Maybe someday we'll take you up on that offer. What's the name of your boat anyway?" Aria asked casually.

"Charles I." Jason said proudly.

"What, like the king of France?" Spencer asked in confusion.

"Like the king of France." Jason confirmed.

"You named your boat after a king of France?" Spencer asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" Jason said defensively. "I've always been fascinated with him. He built an empire. How could you not be impressed with that?" He asked, trying to get them to appreciate the name of his boat.

"Wow. I didn't know you had a knack for history." Aria said, distracted.

"Not really. I just took a course in college and I was hooked. Everything about Charlemagne I mean." Jason quickly clarified.

"Well I'm definitely keeping that name in mind. When you get a chance to visit Rosewood one of these days maybe you could give us sailing lessons for that trip to the Bahamas." Aria said, making a mental note of the boat's name.

"Yeah, sure. If Lucy and I ever return to Rosewood I'll let you know." Jason said noncommittally.

They walked in silence for a while before he spoke again. "Oh, hey, how's your friend doing by the way? Caleb's sister?" Jason asked, concerned. "Since you guys found the time to invite me to dinner I'm guessing she survived the surgery? What happened to her anyway?"

"She hit her head when she fell down the stairs." Hanna explained. "But you're right. The surgery was a success. Although she suffered a clavicle fracture from the fall so her arm's in a sling right now. And the doctor said she has retrograde amnesia so she doesn't remember what happened to her before the accident."

"Well since it's just retrograde it'll come back to her eventually. The important thing is she's alive." Jason said reassuringly. "How's Caleb doing?"

"He's fine. He's with her right now. Kinda didn't want to leave her alone after what happened." Hanna said as they neared the spot where she parked the van earlier tonight.

"Well who could blame him? You spend a weekend here to enjoy yourselves and then something like that happens." Jason said understandingly. "So I guess you're extending your stay here?" He asked.

"Yeah. Probably until the doctor clears Dani for travel. But she seems to be recovering quite fast so maybe in a day or two we can go home." Spencer said as Hanna moved to unlock the doors.

"Well if that's the case then I have to say goodbye tonight." Jason said reluctantly. "I'm setting sail with Lucy early tomorrow so I guess I'll be leaving this place sooner than you guys."

"We can give you a ride to the marina if you want. We don't mind." Aria offered.

"Thanks but it isn't necessary. I can use the walk. Give me some more time to think." Jason said, giving them a small smile. "Besides, it's only a few blocks away from here. You guys should go ahead. It's getting late. Have a good night." He said as he stepped back to let them get inside the van.

"Have a good night too. And tell Lucy we look forward to meeting her someday." Aria said as Hanna started the van.

"I'll tell her that." Jason nodded before giving them a wave and turning his back to continue walking the rest of the way.

---

Emily slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness. The sun's early morning rays cast a soft glow all over the room and she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Getting up slowly, she brought the bed sheet to her chest when she realized she was naked underneath and looked around her. Realizing where she was, a slow grin spread across her features before turning to look at the space beside her. When she saw that it was empty, she felt her throat constrict. Where's Paige? Did she think last night was a mistake? She tried looking everywhere for a note but she found none. Starting to panic, she was about to get up and look for Paige when she heard the door open gently. Looking up, she saw Paige enter the room, trying her best not to make a sound as she tried to balance on one hand a tray of food, unaware that Emily was already awake. Emily felt herself starting to tear up. It wasn't a mistake.

"Hey." Emily said in greeting, her voice catching in her throat as she watched Paige close the door behind her. Breakfast in bed. You never forgot.

Paige looked up in surprise before breaking into a dazzling grin. "You're awake." She said softly as she walked over to the bed and placed the tray of food on the bedside table.

Sitting beside Emily, she gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Emily's ear and lovingly cupped the side of her face with one hand before giving the girl a soft, lingering kiss. "Good morning beautiful." Paige said tenderly when she finally pulled away, smiling widely.

At those words, Emily wrapped her arms tightly around Paige's neck. "I was afraid you thought last night was a mistake." She whispered hoarsely, seemingly terrified to let go of Paige.

Paige gently wrapped her arms around Emily's waist and took a deep breath, kissing the spot below Emily's ear before whispering. "Of course not. I'm right here." She said reassuringly. She felt Emily nod her head furtively and smiled. "Watch out Rosewood, the 'IT' couple is making a comeback." Paige said jokingly.

Emily quickly pulled away from Paige and shook her head, looking at her hands. "I don't want to be a part of the 'IT' couple anymore. I just want to be Paige McCullers' girlfriend again." She said quietly.

Paige felt her heart soar with joy at the words Emily just uttered. She inclined her head to the side and gently touched the tip of Emily's chin, forcing the girl to look at her. "Good. Because I don't want to be a part of the 'IT' couple too. I just want to be Emily Fields' girlfriend again." Paige said reassuringly, giving Emily a soft smile. "Caleb and Hanna could takeover for us for all I care." She said lightly before kissing Emily on the cheek. "So, what do you want to do today?" Paige asked, briefly kissing Emily on the lips twice before looking at her. She willed herself to stop kissing the naked girl sitting in front of her but she can't seem to think of a good reason why she should. She almost forgot how stunning Emily looked when she wakes up in the morning. Especially after nights like the one they had last night. "I just need to swing by the hospital later to check on Dani but I'm all yours the entire day."

I definitely like the sound of that. "Where's everyone?" Emily asked nonchalantly as she ran a hand through her hair and looked at the tray of food Paige set down.

"Caleb and Hanna didn't come home last night." Paige answered while leisurely running her fingers up and down Emily's arms, unaware of the effect it was having on Emily. "He stayed the night at the hospital with Dani and Aria said after their dinner last night with Jason, Hanna went back to the hospital to stay with Caleb."

"And Spencer and Aria, where are they?" Emily asked breathlessly, trying hard to concentrate on the conversation as Paige continued to languidly run her fingers up and down her arms. She forced herself to stop staring at Paige's lips.

"They already left. Aria was just finishing her breakfast when I came downstairs a while ago and she said Spencer was in the shower. She wanted to get an early start before going to the hospital later. They're going to the art gallery first before meeting with Hanna and then they're spending the day enjoying the Hamptons." Paige explained. "Do you want to come with them?" She asked as she stopped what she was doing to get Emily's phone from the bedside table.

Emily instantly missed the contact and shook her head. "No. I've spent enough time with them already. I want to spend the day with you." She said softly as she stopped Paige from getting her phone, taking the girl's hand in hers instead. Paige looked at her and smiled, nodding her head. "So... we're all alone now? Emily asked shyly.

"Yeah. So. What do you want to do?" Paige asked again, seemingly oblivious to Emily's mischievous grin.

Emily bit her lower lip timidly before wrapping her arms around Paige's neck once again. Smiling shyly, she leaned in close and whispered something in Paige's ear before kissing the blushing girl soundly on the lips.

Paige gave Emily a playful grin before gently wrapping her arms around Emily's waist from underneath the sheet, the feel of the naked girl's exquisite skin on her fingertips making her heart hammer wildly. She pulled Emily close to her and started to leave a trail of kisses from Emily's ear to her neck. "I meant aside from this." Paige whispered huskily as she continued to kiss Emily's neck. "What do you want to do after this?" She asked as Emily moved closer to her and leaned her head to the side, giving Paige more access to her neck.

Emily closed her eyes and felt herself getting lost in Paige's languid kisses, her breathing instantly becoming ragged. "We'll think of something later." She said breathlessly before eagerly meeting Paige's lips with hers, letting Paige gently push her back on the bed once again as their slow kisses quickly became heated.

---

"So you and Paige went back to the house and didn't find anything that can tell us what happened before I fell?" Dani asked as she tried to wrap her mind around what Caleb told her. "Not even a clue as to what I found?" She asked in disbelief.

Caleb shook his head as he stood up and walked over to Dani's bed. Earlier, he told his sister that he and Paige returned yesterday to the house Ali stayed at to look for clues but their search didn't shed any light as to what really happened to Dani moments before she fell.

"Paige looked everywhere upstairs but she didn't find anything that was out of place so wherever you found whatever it is that you found, you're the only one who can tell us." Caleb said reluctantly. "I heard the scuffle before you fell so I knew there was someone with you upstairs. We figured that person hid in one of the rooms near the landing because you didn't see them coming that's why your guard was down. But as to what it was that you wanted to show us before that, we didn't find anything. Most probably the person took it with them. From the excitement in your voice when you called out to us it seemed pretty huge." He said, unknowingly making Dani frustrated.

"I'm sorry I can't remember what it was." Dani said apologetically. "If I was so excited to show it to you and Paige I really must have hit the jackpot." She said absentmindedly before a look of recollection crossed her features.

"What is it?" Caleb asked worriedly when he noticed Dani furrow her brows. "Does your head hurt?"

"No." Dani said quickly. "It's nothing. It's just, for a while there I thought I remembered something." She admitted uncertainly.

"What?" He asked gently, trying not to push Dani too hard.

"Something I said before I fell… about hitting jackpot. I can't..." Dani sighed heavily before closing her eyes in frustration.

"Hey. Don't push yourself too hard. It'll come back eventually." Caleb said, concerned.

"Yeah. But what if it's too late?" Dani asked helplessly. She didn't want to let Paige down.

"Then we'll find another way to catch them. Don't force yourself to remember. We have other leads we can pursue for now." Caleb said reassuringly. When he noticed that Dani was getting restless, he decided to change the subject. "Listen, I talked to the doctor. He said you can go home tomorrow."

"That's good news." Dani said, finally giving him a small smile. "I can't wait to get out of this place." She admitted.

"I know. The doctor said you're recovering quite well even with the amnesia so he can discharge you. He's going to refer you to another doctor in Rosewood so you can recuperate there. We'll leave in the afternoon." Caleb stated before placing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He hesitated before continuing. "Don't panic. But I had to call our parents and tell them what happened." He said gently.

"What? Why did you do that?" Dani asked, starting to do exactly what Caleb told her not to.

"Well we needed to pay the bills." Caleb explained. "Don't worry. It's all taken care of. I told them it was an accident and that you're recovering nicely." He said hurriedly.

"I just don't want to worry them." Dani admitted.

"I know. But we didn't have any choice. We wouldn't have been able to pay the bill if we didn't tell them." Caleb reasoned out.

"You're right." Dani agreed reluctantly. "I just want for this whole thing to be over. I want to see my dad." She said miserably.

"Don't worry. We'll work twice as hard once we return to Rosewood. I promise." Caleb said, giving her a reassuring smile. He took a deep breath before telling her about something he decided on last night. "Dani." Caleb began quietly.

"Yeah?" Dani asked, looking at her brother expectantly.

"I want to talk to you about your living situation with Paige." He said. "Once we return, I want you to live with me until this is all over." Caleb said firmly. "I have an extra room and I promise I won't feed you frozen dinners. I know how much you hate those." He added, trying to lighten their conversation.

"Caleb..." Dani said grudgingly.

"Come on. She and Emily got back together. I know you two are best friends but you're trying to get over her, right? Well, living together, sleeping in the same bed, that won't help matters." Caleb insisted. "And I don't think Emily will be too comfortable with the thought of you and Paige sleeping in the same bed considering you two finally went beyond the 'friends zone'." He said, trying to make Dani understand that he's right. "Besides, I want to be able to take care of you. This way, I won't have to worry too much. I did promise our parents I'd look after you... your dad's going to kill me if something else happens to you." When Dani didn't say anything, Caleb sighed. "You know I'm right Dani." He said quietly.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll talk to Paige when she gets here." Dani said unenthusiastically.

"You mean now." Caleb corrected when he saw Paige and Emily alight from the elevator, holding hands as they made their way towards the door.

"What?" Dani asked, confused.

"They're here." Caleb said as he nodded towards the direction of the door.

They? "Oh." Dani uttered, suddenly getting tense. Paige and Emily. She swallowed hard, willing her heartbeat to stop racing. She thought she could handle seeing Paige after their breakup last night but now she realized it was too soon. She wasn't ready to face her best friend. But seeing Paige with Emily today was definitely way, way too soon. She didn't have time to process things however once she heard the hesitant knock on the door. She forced herself to stop looking so flustered and steeled herself for their interaction when Paige opened the door cautiously.

"Hey." Paige said in greeting, her voice hoarse.

"Hey." Dani replied, suddenly at a loss as to what to do next. They stared at each other for a while before she finally cleared her throat. "Well don't just stand there P, get in." She said, trying to sound upbeat.

Paige entered the room and stood in front of Dani, not quite knowing what to do next. Beside her, Emily stood, her hands to her sides, making sure she wasn't standing too close to Paige. They knew they were being silly but they didn't want to be insensitive. Before they went inside, Emily extricated her hand from Paige's saying she didn't want to make Dani uncomfortable. She knew how hard it was for the other girl to set Paige free.

Well this is awkward. Caleb cleared his throat. "I'll go be somewhere else then." He said, silently cursing himself for being unable to come up with a decent excuse.

Once Caleb closed the door behind him, Paige swallowed hard and started fidgeting. "I'm, uh… not sure…" She began, looking everywhere but at Dani.

Dani decided to handle the situation. "Yeah. It's a little weird. But... if it isn't awkward then it wasn't real, right?" She said, giving her best friend a small smile, forcing her heart to stop hammering so wildly.

"Right." Paige nodded, still unable to form a coherent sentence.

Dani swallowed hard. "So. I think it's safe to assume that you two got back together last night. Finally." She said, trying to move the conversation along. "You came in here together and Paige is anything but devastated. So. Are you two back together?" Dani asked, trying not to seem so devastated.

"Yeah. Thanks Dani." Paige said as she finally took Emily's hand in hers, smiling at Dani sincerely.

Dani felt her throat constrict. I need to move out. "Well I'm glad I could help." She said, giving them a grin, hoping against hope that her voice wouldn't betray her pain. "Now please do us all a favor and never ever break up again? Please? This version of you two is better than the fighting one." Dani said lightly.

"Done." Paige promised sincerely as she looked at Emily.

"Emily, may I talk to Paige alone?" Dani asked, shifting her gaze to the girl who never said anything since they arrived.

"Yeah. Sure." Emily said, giving Dani a tentative smile. "I'll wait for you outside." She said to Paige before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Paige smiled in contentment at their brief contact. "Okay." She said softly, giving Emily's hand a firm squeeze before finally letting it go.

---

"Hey." Aria greeted Emily once the girl closed the door behind her.

"Hey." Emily said, smiling as she greeted Aria and Hanna.

"Sorry we didn't wait for you this morning. I was in a hurry and we figured you and Paige wanted some alone time." Aria said apologetically.

"It's okay. Really." Emily answered reassuringly. She didn't mind being alone with Paige. Not at all.

"So. You two are finally back together." Hanna said, grinning at her friend.

Emily felt herself blush. "Yeah. We are. We're back together." She said quietly, trying to get used to saying those words out loud. It still felt incredibly surreal. "Where's Spencer?" She asked suddenly, noticing the absence of her other friend.

"Downstairs. Talking on the phone with Trent." Hanna said, rolling her eyes.

"He's not trying to cause trouble is he?" Emily asked worriedly.

"I think he's trying to win her back." Aria answered wryly. "Listen, that's what we wanted to talk to you about. I think we have a problem." She said anxiously.

"Another one? What is it this time?" Emily asked unenthusiastically.

"I don't know what to make of it yet actually. But I think Jason's lying." Aria said quietly.

Emily furrowed her brows in confusion. "Weren't you guys with him last night? Spencer invited him to dinner after you two ran into him the other day." She said, still wondering what Aria was getting at.

"That's the problem." Aria admitted.

"How is that a problem?" Emily asked quizzically.

"He said the reason he was here at the hospital that day was because his girlfriend was here, getting checked out because they thought she might have been pregnant." Aria explained.

"Yeah, so?" Emily asked, still waiting for the problem.

"While he and Spencer were talking, I started reading the names of the doctors listed in the directory downstairs." Aria began. "I saw the name of the OB Jason wrote in the forms he was filling up when Spencer asked him about it. That's why I was looking at the names. I was trying to find out where her office was out of curiosity."

"And?" Emily asked impatiently.

"I accidentally bumped into her while we were looking for Hanna and Caleb. She said she was running late." Aria revealed tensely.

"What's wrong with that? Doctors usually come in late especially when they're coming in from a medical emergency." Emily reasoned out.

"That's not the problem. Jason made it sound like his girlfriend was already with the doctor. He said they're probably looking for him." Aria said, trying to make her friend see the problem.

"But why would he lie about that?" Emily asked, starting to get anxious.

"I don't know." Aria said, shrugging. "And I don't want to tell Spencer about it yet. It's probably not a big deal. Right?" She asked, looking at Emily and Hanna nervously. "Unfortunately the OB isn't in today so I couldn't ask if his girlfriend was indeed here that day."

"Or if he even has a girlfriend." Hanna corrected, finally joining the conversation. "I mean, we've never seen her. The day Jason decided to set sail and live on his boat was the day he first told Spencer about Lucy." She said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Wait, when did Jason set sail?" Emily asked urgently.

Aria bit her lower lip in concentration before answering. "Come to think of it, I think it was the day Paige…"

"Spencer!" Emily exclaimed in warning when she saw her friend alight from the elevator behind Aria and Hanna.

"Hey guys." Spencer said in greeting, trying to seem upbeat.

"Aria said you were talking to Trent just now. How'd it go?" Emily asked worriedly.

"Talking?" Spencer said sarcastically. "More like shouting. He kept on insisting that he left his wife for real this time and said he needed to see me." She said as she pocketed her phone.

"What did you say?" Hanna asked.

"I said no of course. The last thing we need is 'A' seeing me with him and using it to further ruin my already ruined life." Spencer said resignedly.

"But do you want to get back together with him?" Aria asked cautiously.

"He and his wife are expecting. I am not going to get involved in that mess." Spencer said firmly. "I have enough drama in my life as it is."

"But…" Hanna began.

"But nothing." Spencer insisted. "He lied to me. Now can we please talk about something else?" She asked them rhetorically before directing her attention to Aria. "Can we go now? I really need to get drunk."

Aria nodded, stealing a quick glance at Hanna and Emily. "Yeah. Let's go get you that drink." She said cautiously. She turned her attention to Emily. "What about you Em? You want to come with us?" Aria asked despite knowing the answer.

Emily shook her head. "No. You guys go ahead. I'm spending the rest of the day with Paige." She said, breaking into an elated smile when she heard herself say those words.

"It's good to see you so happy again Em." Spencer said sincerely.

"Well I really am." Emily admitted, her voice catching in her throat. "I don't think I've ever been in love with Paige this much." She confessed earnestly as she turned to watch the girl who found it in her heart to take Emily back last night.

---

Once Emily closed the door behind her, Paige turned her attention back to her best friend, aware that the girl was observing her closely.

Dani studied Paige for a moment before speaking again. "It's good to see you so happy again." She said sincerely. "I got so used to seeing the dark side of you for the past two years I almost forgot the effect of Emily's presence on you." Dani said as Paige took a seat on the chair beside her bed.

"What do you mean?" Paige asked, confused.

"Being happy doesn't mean you have to smile all the time, P. It just shows. Told you, you never had to try for Emily." Dani said quietly.

Paige gave Dani a small smile before taking a deep breath. "I'm really sorry." She finally blurted out.

"Hey. I had a good cry last night. Just to get it out of my system." Dani said dismissively. She didn't want to talk about what happened last night and she was counting on her best friend to take the hint. Please Paige.

Paige nodded. "So, how're you feeling today?" She asked, changing the subject.

Dani sighed gratefully. "Less headaches. The doctor said I can go home tomorrow." She said, sharing her only good news.

"That's great." Paige said sincerely.

"That we're returning to Rosewood?" Dani asked wryly.

"That you're getting out of the hospital." Paige clarified apologetically.

"I was kidding." Dani said hurriedly. This really sucks. She looked at Paige sadly before continuing. "Anyway, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Caleb asked me to live with him once we return to Rosewood. And I accepted his offer." She said quietly.

"Dani…" Paige protested.

"Paige, come on. We'll always be friends. Eventually I don't doubt that we'll find our groove again. But right now please understand. Living under one roof, seeing you everyday and sleeping in the same bed with you is torture for me." Dani began. "I have to get over you Paige. I want to." She admitted sadly. "I don't want to keep feeling this way. Especially when there isn't any doubt in our minds that you and Emily are together for good."

When Paige didn't say anything, Dani sighed. "You have a girlfriend Paige. And I'm your ex. Because though it was brief, I was your girlfriend." She said, the words cutting deep. "Remember what you told Emily the day we arrived? When she told you that we could live with her? Remember why you refused? You said having your ex-girlfriend live with you under one roof is a deal breaker with your current girlfriend. Well I don't think Emily is going to be thrilled when she realizes that once we get back nothing will change. You two are still enjoying the feeling of getting back together so it hasn't sunk in yet. But our living situation just became complicated. Caleb reminded me of that before you arrived and well, just now, with you and Emily standing in front of me, I was sold on the idea. You can't honestly tell me that nothing's changed between us." Dani said softly. "You have someone in your life who without a doubt, one day is going to be your new best friend, which is the way things are supposed to be."

Paige finally spoke up. "I just can't imagine not seeing you when I wake up." She admitted sadly. "For the past two years I got so used to it and it greatly comforted me knowing that I have my best friend through all of this"

"I know. But I think it's time you woke up next to the one you really wanted to see when you opened your eyes." Dani said sadly.

"Dani just because you're moving in with Caleb doesn't mean I'm moving in with Emily." Paige argued.

"Please P, you gotta understand." Dani pleaded.

"I do. And I agree. I just... I'll miss you." Paige confessed.

"I'll miss you too. But we'll still see each other around Rosewood and it's not like we're done chasing 'A'." Dani said, trying to make Paige feel better. "It's just that, for the first time since all of this happened it's not just you and me anymore. Fields is back in your life. And don't tell her this because I have a reputation to protect but I'm really glad she's a part of your life again." Dani said sincerely.

---

"So Dani's moving in with Caleb once we get back." Emily said quietly as she moved her hair to one side before leaning against Paige, enjoying the feel of the other girl's body against hers.

After spending the rest of the day walking around town, she and Paige grabbed an early dinner and then headed to the beach, deciding they didn't want to end their day yet. Finding a spot near the water, Paige sat on the cool sand while Emily decided to sit in front of her, positioning herself in between Paige's legs.

"Yeah. Until this whole thing blows over. I guess I just got the room all to myself." Paige answered as she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist. She could almost feel Emily's smooth skin underneath the soft fabric of the open-back cover-up dress the girl was wearing and she let her hands splay across Emily's stomach before kissing the girl's exposed neck softly.

"I'm really sorry." Emily said after a beat, moving a little from her position between Paige's legs, half-turning her body so she was facing the girl and the ocean as well.

"For what?" Paige asked, staring in confusion at Emily.

"For pushing you to be with her." Emily said, looking down. "If I didn't kiss Tara that night, none of this would have happened. You'd still have your best friend and your relationship with her wouldn't be this complicated."

"Well how about we stop being sorry for everything, stop blaming ourselves and just admit we made mistakes. We can't keep looking back Em. We're getting a chance at another fresh start." Paige said softly, moving one hand from Emily's waist to tuck a loose strand of hair behind the girl's ear, letting her hand linger there for a second.

"I know. It's just that... after everything that's happened, you did date her for a week." Emily said hesitantly.

"Yeah. I'd be lying if I said it isn't awkward or hard." Paige admitted. "When I decided to start dating her, I didn't think about what would happen when we broke up eventually. I didn't realize when we had to revert to how things used to be everything would be so..."

"Different?" Emily finished as she leaned her body against Paige's once again. She felt Paige tenderly kiss the top of her head and smiled when the other girl rested her chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah." Paige sighed, making the girl in her arms shiver at the feel of Paige's warm breath near her ear. Paige pulled Emily closer, enjoying the feel of Emily's skin against hers.

"Do you regret dating her?" Emily asked after a moment of silence.

Paige took a deep breath before answering. "I regret how we began and ended." She admitted quietly. "Even if my feelings for her weren't enough to make me give up on you, I don't regret trying to be with her."

She lifted her head from Emily's shoulder and firmly made the girl look at her. "I don't want to lie to you Em. You said it yourself; you saw my attraction to her. And I do care about her. But it wasn't enough. In the end it's always going to be you. I just can't help but feel guilty for breaking her heart again." Paige admitted hoarsely. "I wanted it to work when I thought you chose Tara. I didn't want to be lonely anymore and it hurt so much that I decided to try with Dani because I knew for certain how she felt about me. I knew I wouldn't be in so much pain again."

"You felt safe with her." Emily said as she began playing with their hands.

"Yeah. But not in a good way." Paige said wryly. "I was hiding Em. At the time I was so devastated I didn't want to risk my heart anymore. It hurt so much that I chose to feel safe rather than feel like I did whenever I was around you." She said, looking out into the ocean.

"How did I make you feel?" Emily asked, looking at Paige curiously.

Paige beamed and looked at the girl she was holding in her arms. "You made me feel like I was in constant freefall." She said, sighing. "I never wanted that feeling to end. You always took my breath away Em. And as much as it terrified me sometimes, I would rather feel that way than feel safe when it came to you."

She hurriedly continued when she felt Emily was about to protest. "Don't get me wrong. Of course I feel safe when I'm with you. I would place my life in your hands, no questions asked. But when it came to my feelings, I know it sounds terrible but being with Dani made me feel safe because I knew I will never risk anything for her. Especially my heart. But with you, it wasn't even a question. It's always all or nothing. And I'm willing to risk everything because it's you. Am I making any sense?" Paige asked, chuckling.

"Yeah." Emily nodded. "It's the same way I feel about you too." She admitted softly.

Paige looked at Emily in happiness. "Good to know I can make you feel that way too." She said huskily before lowering her lips to meet Emily's.

Emily sighed after a while and reluctantly broke their kiss, resting her head on Paige's chest as she listened to the rhythmic beating of the other girl's heart. "So what happens now between you two?" She asked softly.

"I don't know. I guess we'll always be best friends but right now it's better if we spent some time apart." Paige said halfheartedly. "I don't want to be selfish. I did that already and I ended up hurting her again. As much as I'd like to have both of you in my life, right now Dani is hurting. So I'm giving her space. But I think things will never be the same." She said sadly.

"I didn't think things can be this complicated." Emily confessed, her heart breaking when she heard the sadness in Paige's voice.

"Tell me about it." Paige said miserably. "But as much as it saddens me that things turned out this way, you made everything better. I never thought I'd be able to hold you in my arms again Em." She admitted hoarsely. "When I opened my eyes this morning and I saw you asleep beside me, I swear I felt my heart leap in utter happiness. I didn't realize how much I missed waking up next to you. Because even before I left, we were already so distant we stopped showing how much we loved each other."

"I didn't know how to talk to you." Emily said apologetically.

"And I to you. I didn't want to let you in." Paige admitted, not willing to let Emily take all the blame for what happened to their relationship.

"Promise me we'll never be like that again." Emily pleaded.

"I promise." Paige said solemnly. "If anything, we should've learned from our mistakes. When I think about what we went through to get here, in this moment, it was a struggle."

"But we made it." Emily said croakily, unable to stop the tears that spilled from her eyes.

Paige furrowed her brows in concern. "Hey. Are you crying?" She asked worriedly, gently wiping the tears that fell from the girl's eyes. "Em, what is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Emily shook her head vehemently. "No. I just can't believe we're back together. And I didn't think it was possible to be this in love." She admitted happily before breaking into a dazzling smile.

Paige felt her heart lurch and she touched Emily's cheek tenderly. "I guess now you know how I feel." She whispered, unable to put into words the happiness she felt hearing Emily say those words to her.

Emily gazed into Paige's eyes for a moment before finally making the decision to raise the question she'd been dying to ask the girl since Paige sat beside her on the bed that morning. "Paige?" Emily began as she moved to face the girl completely, half-kneeling, half-sitting on the cool sand as she positioned herself in between Paige's legs.

"Yeah?" Paige asked, extremely aware of how close Emily was sitting in front of her. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the girl's waist as Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's neck.

Emily bit her lower lip nervously. "When we return to Rosewood, will you move in with me?" She asked timidly, her heart hammering. She really, really wanted to start waking up next to Paige everyday but she was too shy to admit it. She didn't want to seem too needy. After all, they just got back together.

"Em, you don't have to do that. I'm fine living on my own." Paige said reassuringly.

"I know. But..." Emily began, trying to find the courage to just admit the truth.

"But what?" Paige asked, giving her a soft smile.

"I want to keep you safe. The motel is so far from my house. From any of our houses. And 'A' still wants to get to you. I won't be able to sleep at night if you're so far away from me." Emily said, silently cursing herself for saying the other reason she wanted Paige to live with her.

"I can take care of myself Em." Paige promised.

Emily started to become restless. "I know." She said, still trying to say the words she wanted Paige to hear.

"I sense another but coming." Paige said, grinning.

"But the truth is I want to wake up next to you everyday. You've been back for more than a month now, but we spent most of that time fixing what we had before you left, figuring out where we stood now that you're back, before we finally got here. I missed you so much Paige. I missed seeing you everyday and being this close to you. So it's not really for you. It's more of for me." Emily rambled on, feeling herself redden.

"You know, I would be offended if not for the waking up next to me thing and all the words in between." Paige said teasingly, willing her heart to stop pounding wildly. She didn't think it was possible to be more in love with the girl she was holding in her arms. But Emily's unabashed confession made it possible. And Paige realized with overwhelming pride that she had never seen Emily look more heartbreakingly beautiful than this moment. She's imperfectly perfect in every way and she loves me.

"So?" Emily asked in breathless anticipation.

"Well I do want to wake up next to you too. And you're the last person I want to see when I close my eyes..." Paige said, trying to look pensive.

"So?" Emily asked again, her voice hoarse.

Paige pulled Emily close and kissed her softly. "So okay. I'll move in with you." She said softly, chuckling when Emily rewarded her with a dazzling smile. "But you have to answer something first." Paige added quickly.

"What?" Emily asked breathlessly.

"Emily Fields, will you be my girlfriend again?" Paige asked humbly, causing Emily to break into a huge grin.

"Paige… do you even have to ask?" Emily asked playfully, inclining her head to the side.

Paige brought her hand to Emily's hair and lovingly ran her fingers through the girl's silky mane. How did I get to be so lucky? She smiled, willing her heart to stop racing a mile a minute. "Just to make things official. I don't want Tara kissing you again. Or anyone else for that matter." She said mock seriously.

She felt Emily's mood change in an instant. "Paige…" Emily said, suddenly ashamed as she pulled away.

"I'm kidding." Paige said, immediately regretting the words she uttered seconds ago. "Too soon?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood again.

"Are you certain you've forgiven me for that?" Emily asked quietly, not meeting Paige's worried gaze.

Paige touched Emily's chin and gently lifted the girl's head, forcing Emily to look at her. "Em? I meant what I said that night. I'd rather find a way to trust you again than walk away from you. So yeah. I've forgiven you. And I'm learning to trust you again." She said earnestly.

"So you think you can be civil with Tara?" Emily asked anxiously.

"Why?" Paige asked, confused.

"Because I work with her and she lives in Rosewood. And she's sort of my friend. You two might bump into each other and I just don't want it to be awkward." Emily explained reluctantly. "But if you want me to stop being her friend because it bothers you I'll do it. I don't want you to worry." She said hurriedly.

Paige sighed as she took Emily's hands in hers, squeezing them lightly. "Em, I will not be one of those girlfriends who tells their girlfriend to stop being friends with someone. You can be friends with her if you want. It won't bother me. You said it yourself; she made you feel better after the accident because you were able to talk to her. So I'm willing to be civil with her because she did a good thing for you. I know without a doubt that you won't cheat on me again. With her or with anyone else." She said confidently.

"How?" Emily asked, still uncomfortable with the idea of being friends with Tara.

"Because last night you stood in front of my bedroom door in that sexy outfit of yours which I still think you wore on purpose to seduce me, and managed to say in a few words how much you love me. You said you'd rather be my light in my time of darkness than live your life without me. After hearing those words from you I don't have any doubts about us. Not that I even had one in the first place, but I know for certain that you will never cheat on me again." Paige said unfalteringly.

Emily felt herself starting to tear up. Paige already trusted her so much. "Yeah but this is different. You have a say in this Paige. It can't be easy for you to see me with her. I don't want to constantly remind you of what I did." She said, still waiting for Paige to tell her what to do about her relationship with Tara.

"You won't." Paige said reassuringly. "Em, I'm past it. Honestly. And I don't want our relationship to turn into this thing where we can't trust each other. Especially when we're trying to do things differently this time around. I don't want you to start changing how you interact with other people because you think I'll have a problem with it." She explained patiently.

When Emily still looked unconvinced, she sighed, deciding to put an end to the discussion. "Look. She spent a day and a half with us and seeing you two together didn't remind me of what you did. More than anything, what I felt was the pain of thinking you chose her over me. That's it. So I think I can manage bumping into her once in a while. As long as she doesn't kiss you again I can be civil." Paige promised. "But tell me, why on earth are we talking about Tara?" She asked, strangely amused.

"I have no idea." Emily said, finally breaking into a dazzling smile.

Paige instantly remembered why. "Oh. Right. Because I asked you to be my girlfriend again." She said softly. "You never answered that question." Paige said as she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist once again.

"Because you never had to ask it." Emily said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Paige's neck, leaning towards her girlfriend. My girlfriend. She started to caress Paige's nape with her thumbs.

"Still, I'd like to hear your answer." Paige said breathlessly, her heartbeat quickening. She was starting to lose all sense of rational thought as Emily moved closer to her.

"Yes. Paige McCullers, I would love to be your girlfriend again." Emily whispered fervently before closing the distance between their lips once again.

---

Who's up for a game of Hide and Seek?

You have something of ours,

So we got something of yours.

No cops or she dies. We are watching.

You've got 'til midnight to play the game.

- A

"I really don't get this." Paige said in frustration as she continued to stare at the ransom note she held in her hand. "I mean, does this even qualify as a ransom note?" She asked as she looked up to address the five other people sitting in front of her inside the van.

They were on their way home from the Hamptons that afternoon and on the drive back, they all decided it was as good a time as any to talk about the ransom note Paige found. They were in an enclosed moving space. No risk of getting heard by 'A'.

"Well yeah." Aria said as she raised her head from reading something on her tablet. "There may be no monetary demand in exchange for your life but the thing about no cops and that they had until midnight to find you make it a ransom note. Or something close to it." She explained, leaning her head against the window before going back to what she was reading.

"But if they're indeed watching, they would know that my folks left for Scranton early that day." Paige said, still baffled. "Was I missing the entire day?" She asked as she looked down at Emily who was lying on her lap.

"I don't know." Emily admitted helplessly. "The last time we saw each other was after you walked me home from the engagement party. The next day I got a text from you saying I won't see you the whole day but that tonight I'm in for a big surprise."

"I'll say. If a blazing inferno isn't a big surprise I don't know what is." Hanna said, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched the passing scenery from her seat beside Spencer.

"What time did you get that text?" Spencer asked Emily, briefly turning her head to face them as she struggled to move from her position between Hanna and Aria.

"I think it was around 11. It was actually a reply from the text I sent you." Emily said as she looked at Paige. "I woke up late that day and as soon as I opened my eyes I really wanted to see you so I texted you asking if we could have lunch before our date that night." She explained as she bent her knees, getting comfortable lying on her girlfriend's lap.

Paige furrowed her brows in concentration. "I don't remember sending you a text that day. But then again I pretty much don't remember everything that happened until the accident." She said wryly.

The van was suddenly filled with Dani's hysterical laughter from the front seat.

"I'm sorry." Dani said hastily, trying to control her laughter when she saw the disapproving looks they gave her. "I'm not laughing at Paige, come on." She said, rolling her eyes. "I just find it hilarious that you guys are in a van with two people who can't remember what happened after an accident. Two people who happened to be best friends at that." Dani added, fighting the urge to laugh again.

Paige smiled. "It is pretty funny." She admitted, shaking her head.

"We could probably give you the answers if we just remembered." Dani said apologetically.

"Hey. Come on. No pressure to remember what happened." Aria said to Dani reassuringly. "We're just relieved we're all getting home to Rosewood the same way we left it." She continued.

"Uh, we didn't exactly leave and came back the same way." Hanna said as she sneaked a peek at Paige and Emily at the back of the van.

At the moment, Paige was whispering something in Emily's ear which made the girl lying on her lap blush profusely before she cupped Paige's cheek in her hand and brought it close to her to give her girlfriend a lingering kiss.

"Who'd have thought that when we left Rosewood those two can't figure out how to be in the same room but on the drive home they seem to need to get a room." Hanna said, rolling her eyes. "So much for saying they could use this trip to start being civil around each other. If that's what being civil means for them then I don't want to know what being friends means." She said as she jutted her thumb to the direction of the couple behind them.

"Han you don't have to worry about that because I think they skipped that part. Geez, those two are making me blush." Aria said, averting her eyes.

Spencer cleared her throat. "Guys, let's keep this ride strictly PG-13 please." She said without looking at the couple behind her. "Some of us don't have love lives. We're happy for you and all but come on. Have a heart." Spencer said lightly before catching Dani's eye and giving her a comforting smile.

Dani gave her an appreciative nod. "Yeah. Come on. Hastings and I are currently single here. Please wait 'til we get back to Rosewood and then for the love of god get a room." She said lightly, forcing the pain out of her voice as she turned in her seat to face forward and leaned her head on the headrest. She closed her eyes and strained to forget the image of Paige and Emily getting hot and heavy at the back. She decided to retreat to her own world and removed herself from the rest of the conversation.

Paige forced herself to stop kissing her girlfriend and grinned at them sheepishly. "Okay, okay." She said before giving Emily one last kiss. "To be continued later." She promised in Emily's ear before she sat up straight and took Emily's hand in hers, intertwining them.

"Okay then." Caleb said as he glanced at them from the rearview mirror. "Back to that note. What's bothering you about it Paige?" He asked as he went back to concentrating on the road ahead of them.

"Here's the thing. If my parents were in Scranton earlier that day and they knew it, why would they leave a note and then wait until they came back?" Paige asked, looking out at the window beside her.

"I think the question is how they left that note for your parents to see once they came back." Aria said thoughtfully. "I mean think about it, they can't just leave a note like that outside your house. It's too risky. That note must have been left inside your house and once your parents got in they saw it."

"Well they could have slipped it under the front door. When her parents came home they would see it once they got inside." Spencer reasoned out.

"Will they? Or would they have stepped on it first instead?" Aria asked uncertainly.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asked, intrigued.

"If you got inside your house, you won't look down on what you're stepping on. You'd look around first. You don't open a door and look down, you look straight ahead." Aria explained.

"So they wouldn't have seen the note and would have stepped on it instead. But there are no shoe marks." Spencer said, finally getting Aria's train of thought.

"Yeah. The note is clean." Aria said as she took the note from Paige and showed it to them. "Remember, that night it was raining hard. If that note was left by slipping it under the front door there would have been mud on it or at least it's going to be wrinkled from the water droplets her parents brought in with them once they got inside." She concluded as Spencer took the note from her and examined it herself.

"So where was it left then?" Hanna asked, confused.

"Where're your house keys Paige?" Caleb asked suddenly.

"My what?" Paige asked, not getting what Caleb was talking about.

"After the accident, do you remember where you put your house keys?" Caleb clarified.

Paige shook her head. "No. I guess I just presumed they misplaced it. After the accident the doctors gave me my folks' stuff. I didn't think to look for my keys because I already had theirs." She admitted.

"Then that's probably why you were taken earlier that day." Caleb concluded, much to the confusion of the others.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"I think they visited your place twice." Caleb said, risking a glance at Paige from the rearview mirror.

"What do you mean?" Paige asked, meeting Caleb's gaze.

"After your folks left they must have watched you when you went for a run. They probably know your route so they just waited and then probably grabbed you from behind. They got your keys, went back to your house and searched for the file." Caleb explained. "That's why there was no sign of a break-in or a forced entry on that police report. Because they had your house keys all along."

"And where was I the whole time? Stowed in the car trunk?!" Paige asked in disbelief.

"Maybe." Caleb said, shrugging. "Only you can tell us what really happened to you that day. What we have right now are speculations."

"Then that would make the note Plan B." Spencer suddenly interjected as she ran through her mind what could have happened that night.

Caleb nodded. "Yeah. When they couldn't find the file that morning, they decided to keep you around and left that note." He said confidently.

"So why keep me alive?" Paige asked, baffled.

"You'd have to ask them that." Caleb answered, shaking his head.

Paige took back the note from Spencer and studied it thoughtfully. "This game of hide and seek, what, they waited until my parents left then they went inside our house again to search for the file? What changed if they can't find it earlier that day?" She asked as she read and reread the note.

"Your dad." Spencer said slowly. "He must have unwittingly shown them where it is." She continued anxiously.

"How?" Paige asked, staring at the girl in front of her in bewilderment.

"Work with me here." Spencer began, facing Paige and Emily. "If your parents saw that note, one of them could have thought it was just a prank so they'd do something to confirm its authenticity first. Like call you. But because you were abducted, you wouldn't be able to answer it. The panic starts to set in but still in denial, they'd think that you probably just couldn't get to it. Still, just to make sure, your dad would check to see if the file was still where he kept it." She explained, unable to keep up with her train of thoughts.

"Something of theirs." Paige said hoarsely, finally understanding what could have happened that night.

"Yeah. And all the while, they could have been watching outside your house, knowing your dad would check where he kept it just to make sure they still had a reason to play the game. Because if the file was already missing, they would have gone straight to the cops." Spencer said surely.

"Okay so they probably saw where my dad kept it and once my folks began to play the game they went inside our house to take it. Why cause the accident then?" Paige asked, her mind still filled with unanswered questions.

"Because I ruined the game." Emily said weakly, a feeling of dread washing over her as she quickly got up from Paige's lap.

"What?" Paige asked, looking at her girlfriend in concern.

"My car was in the shop that day, remember? It wouldn't start and my bike went missing. Back then I just thought I was having a bad day. But now..." Emily let the words hang in the air, trying to come to grips with the role she played on the accident that day.

"You think they did that to keep you from helping my folks?" Paige asked anxiously.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. When you didn't show up for our date that night I started getting worried. I tried calling you but you weren't answering. I was near CeCe's boutique when I heard your dad call out my name. They hurriedly ran towards me and asked if you were with me." She explained.

"When you said that you were looking for me what did they say?" Paige asked.

"Nothing. They just said they needed to get going and that's when I asked if I could come with them to the marina." Emily admitted, suddenly feeling horrible. She felt Paige's hand squeeze hers reassuringly and she gave her girlfriend a small smile.

"Then it was too early." Caleb suddenly said from behind the wheel.

"What?" Hanna asked, confused. "But the boat was already on fire. They were late."

"Not too late." Caleb corrected his girlfriend. "Because they ran into Emily, the game progressed too early. They had until midnight to play, remember? They wouldn't have figured out to check the marina so soon if Emily didn't give them the idea. That's why they got to the marina earlier than the intended time." He explained.

"That's why Paige survived the fire." Emily said faintly. She was hit with a sudden wave of nausea when she realized that she might have saved Paige from the fire but then she somehow indirectly caused the car accident when she inadvertently joined the game. She didn't know how to feel about that. Because even if Paige never blamed her for what happened, it turns out she was right all along. Everything went wrong that night because of her. She couldn't breathe. She was going to pass out. She…

"Don't." The sound of Paige's stern voice in her ear snapped Emily out of her trance.

Her girlfriend didn't notice it but Paige had been watching Emily from the corner of her eye ever since the other girl realized why Paige survived the fire. And she knew that in that instant Emily began to blame herself once again. Paige won't let that happen. In one abrupt motion, Paige pulled her girlfriend close to her to snap Emily out of the stupor she was in.

"Listen to me. It doesn't matter. You saved my life that night. Nothing else matters." Paige whispered fiercely. Emily choked back a sob and clung to Paige tightly. "We'll talk about this later." Paige whispered softly in Emily's ear before kissing the girl's head soothingly.

Paige turned her attention back to the conversation at hand as she held Emily close to her, gently stroking the hair of the visibly distraught girl in her arms.

"Yeah. We shouldn't even ask why they kept Paige alive the entire day because towards the end of the night they really had no intention of letting her live. They probably have a plan for her parents too once they found her. No loose ends. But because her folks and Emily found her before they were even done trying to open the safe, they had to improvise." Spencer said, suddenly realizing what those words meant.

Apparently, so did Paige and Emily.

"The car accident." Paige said hoarsely, holding Emily tighter when she felt the girl's warm tears on her neck.

---

"I thought I'd find you here." Paige said quietly as she approached Dani.

Once they got back to Rosewood, Caleb dropped off Aria, Spencer and Hanna at their houses before dropping off Paige and Emily at the latter's house. Paige refused to leave Emily's side seeing that her girlfriend was still upset and said that she'll go back to the motel to get her things when they go out for dinner later. Caleb and Dani decided to swing by the motel before heading home. After Dani got her things, she and Caleb were on their way home when he decided to go to the grocery store at the last minute. Dani asked her brother to drop her off the park in front of the church on the way, telling him to come back for her when he's done. When he asked why she wanted to go there at night, she said she wanted to feel like she was five again.

"I haven't been to this place since the funeral. This is kinda our spot." Dani said as she looked up at Paige, letting her feet graze the grass as she gently swayed the swing she was sitting on. Years ago, my feet barely touched the grass. She thought wistfully.

"It is." Paige said, sitting on the swing next to Dani.

"Is Emily going to be okay?" Dani asked quietly, not looking at the girl sitting beside her.

Paige nodded her head. "Yeah. She will be. I'll make sure of it." She promised quietly.

"Good." Dani said, smiling to herself.

They sat in heavy silence until Paige stole a glance at her best friend and saw her smiling. "What's so funny?" She asked, slightly baffled.

"If I squint just hard enough, the door to the church seems as big as it was when I first sat here." Dani admitted, wishing desperately she could be five again.

Paige smiled, reminiscing. "You were so shy that day. Who knew you would turn into my crazy and cool best friend." She said, shaking her head. She looked towards the direction of the church and sighed. "It's weird. In the years that we were friends, after we stopped speaking and when we started speaking again, those years were nothing compared to how these past few days changed everything between us." Paige admitted quietly.

"I know. But I don't regret every second of it." Dani said, a hint of sadness evident in her voice.

"I regret that I hurt you again." Paige said, looking at Dani once again.

Dani refused to look at the girl sitting beside her, willing herself not to breakdown in front of the only girl she has ever loved. "Paige, I'm a big girl. I knew what I was getting into. I knew sooner or later you'd return to Emily." She said, her voice never betraying the devastation she felt of saying those words out loud.

"So why did you agree to try with me?" Paige asked, silently begging for Dani to look at her.

"Because I love you." Dani said helplessly as she finally looked at Paige. "That's something I can't do anything about. A part of me wanted to experience what it's like to be your girlfriend, even if it was just for a little while. And a part of me wished it would stick. But I knew it was also because I wanted to keep your heart safe until Emily decides to fight for you." She said, swallowing hard.

"I don't deserve a friend like you." Paige said softly.

"And I don't deserve a friend like you. But what the hell right?" Dani said, managing to give her best friend a genuine smile.

Paige smiled back at her and they sat in silence once again, the creak of the swings and the scuff of their feet on the grass the only sound until Dani decided to speak.

"Thank you, Paige." She said softly.

"For what?" Paige asked, stopping her movement.

"For saving me that day. For sitting beside me and holding my hand. You may not know it but you did a great thing for me that day." Dani admitted, looking at Paige once again.

"Well I did say we're going to be the best of friends." Paige said, smiling wryly.

"You were right. We were." Dani said. We were. A wave of sadness suddenly hit her and she bit her bottom lip to stop the tears from falling.

"You got everything from the motel?" Paige asked after a beat.

"Yeah." Dani nodded. "It's your turn to get your stuff." She said, giving the girl a soft smile.

"So I guess that's it then." Paige said, suddenly filled with sadness. "I'll miss you Dani." She admitted quietly.

"Yeah. I'll miss you too, P." Dani answered back.

"We'll be fine right? This isn't like the last time?" Paige asked, suddenly scared. She didn't want to lose Dani again.

"Definitely not. We're not fighting and we're not really ending our friendship. Just, changing." Dani said, trying to understand things herself. "For the past two years it felt like when we were kids again. Before Emily came into the picture."

"You and me against the world." Paige said, smiling as she remembered all those times they spent together when they were kids. Before Dani fell for her.

"Yeah." Dani nodded, smiling herself. "But Emily's back in your life and we have to face reality. It's not just us anymore. You have Fields too. We both know sooner or later it has to be you and her against the world." She said, swallowing a lump that formed in her throat as she said those words.

"I know." Paige said quietly.

They both looked towards the direction of the sound when it broke the comforting silence surrounding them.

"There's my ride." Paige said, taking a deep breath as she watched Emily get out of the car. "You sure you're going to be okay here?" She asked as she took her eyes off her girlfriend to look at Dani.

"Yeah. Caleb's going to swing by here after he's done at the grocery store. Go ahead." Dani said reassuringly.

"Okay then." Paige said as she stood up and started to walk towards Emily.

Dani hesitated for a second before calling out to her friend. "Hey Paige." Paige looked back at her, waiting for her to say something, and she took a deep breath. "I know we'll always be best friends and as much as I'd like to keep it that way, one day I'll have to be a really good close friend because Emily is going to become your best friend. So, open up to her okay? She may not yet understand you like I always have but she's willing to try. But you have to try to open up to her as well. Promise me you'll do that. I don't want you to lose her again." Dani said earnestly.

"I don't want to lose her too. This is it for us." Paige said firmly.

"And for us." Dani whispered sadly, the words not reaching Paige's ears.

"Don't be a stranger Dani." Paige said, smiling at her friend.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Dani replied, managing to give Paige a small smile as the girl waved her hand goodbye.

Dani watched in tearful silence as Paige jogged the rest of the way towards Emily, giving her girlfriend a quick kiss before opening the door for her and going around to the passenger seat to get in herself. Emily looked at Dani and gave her a small wave in greeting. Dani managed to raise her uninjured arm and gave the girl a wave back.

"Take care of her for me Fields." Dani whispered sadly as she watched them drive away. "She's going to really need you."

---

"Yes, hello. Good evening." Aria said into the phone as she nervously paced the length of Hanna's bedroom. "I was wondering if you could help me with something. It's really embarrassing and very private so it would help if you kept the matter to yourself? Yes. Thank you." She said, finally sitting down on Hanna's bed. "I met this guy last night and I spent the night on his boat. I left in a hurry this morning and I forgot my wedding ring in my rush to get home. I need to get a hold of him before my husband finds out my ring's missing."

She listened to the person on the other end of the line before speaking again. "Uh, Jason something. DiLaurentis. Jason DiLaurentis. I really wouldn't trouble you but I can't seem to find his boat and I really need to get home to my husband." Aria said, hoping she'll get the answer she wanted to hear. But she didn't.

"Yes. Jason. DiLaurentis. Charles I. Are you sure? No. It's fine. He must've given me a fake name. Figures. Yes. Okay. Thanks for your help." Aria said, ending the call as a sense of dread washed over her.

"So?" Hanna asked anxiously.

Aria looked at her friend and took a deep breath. "I don't know what he's up to but Jason was lying. There's no record of him renting a slip at the marina. The clerk said there's no record of a Jason DiLaurentis or a Charles I."

"For the weekend?" Hanna clarified.

"Ever." Aria said quietly.

"What are we going to do?" Hanna asked, suddenly worried.

"I really don't know." Aria said nervously. "But we have to tell Spencer."

---

"What did you get from the grocery? Please tell me you're not feeding me frozen dinner on my first night here in your apartment. I'm telling dad." Dani said immaturely.

"What are you five?!" Caleb asked incredulously. "No. I'm not feeding you frozen dinner. I actually bought takeout. I'm too exhausted to cook for you tonight. I don't think it's fair that I was the designated driver for the entire trip." He said as he placed the paper bag on the kitchen table.

"Hey. Not my fault you didn't realize it sooner." Dani said as she sat on one of the chairs around the table. "So why did you go to the grocery?" She asked.

"I had to buy some supplies. Milk, eggs, cereal, toothpaste, aftershave, batteries, and a pack of cards." Caleb said as he emptied the contents of the bag on the table.

"A pack of cards?" Dani asked, taking the sealed deck and looking at her brother quizzically.

"Yeah. I seem to remember you owe me some money from the last time we played poker." Caleb said lightly as he started to clear the table to prepare for dinner.

"And you want me to pay up now?" Dani asked in disbelief. "Well it's between a pound of my flesh and a bag of my blood so take your pick." She said lightly as she slid the pack of cards towards her brother.

"No. I was thinking we could continue the game while we eat dinner. Unless you'd rather watch reruns." Caleb said, pointing to the flat screen in his living room.

"Ugh." Dani said, rolling her eyes.

"That's what I thought." Caleb said as he opened the pack and slid out the cards. "Here. Shuffle these while I transfer the food." He said, handing the cards to Dani.

Dani furrowed her brows in confusion. "Seriously?" She asked, trying hard not to laugh. "What, you think after the accident I grew an extra arm? How am I supposed to shuffle that?" Dani asked as she pointed to the sling she was wearing.

"Right. Sorry. I forgot." Caleb said apologetically as he placed the cards on the table and took out the boxes of takeout he bought earlier.

Dani smiled at him in amusement. "I wish you forgot that money I owed you instead. 50 bucks was it?" She asked, trying to worm her way out of paying.

"Nice try." Caleb said sarcastically. "It's a hundred and fifty. Now eat your dinner." He said as he pushed the carton of Chinese takeout in front of his sister.

---

"Are you sure you're okay?" Paige asked quietly as she gazed at her girlfriend from across the table. "If you want to talk about it…" She began.

"Not tonight." Emily said, shaking her head. "Tonight let's just enjoy our first night back in Rosewood as a couple." She said, smiling softly at Paige.

"Okay." Paige said, smiling back at Emily before getting lost in her own thoughts.

"How'd things go with Dani?" Emily asked gently as she looked at Paige, worried.

After they got Paige's things from the motel, they decided to grab a late dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants lining the boardwalk at the marina before turning in for the night. Emily noticed that her girlfriend seemed so sad and she knew why. That's why she didn't want to talk about what happened earlier. She wanted Paige to talk to her instead. She just hoped Paige was willing to.

"Sad." Paige admitted. "I mean we'll still see each other but, not like before." She said as she took a deep breath before smiling softly as the flickering candle at the middle of their table played across her girlfriend's features. She still can't believe they're back together. She sighed before reaching out to take Emily's hand in hers.

"What?" Emily asked, breaking into a grin as she started playing with their hands. The way Paige was looking at her made her forget that she was hungry for food.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize how much I missed having dinner with you like this. I really missed you Em. I missed sitting in front of you, holding your hand across the table, staring at you. I didn't think I'd get to be with you like this again." Paige admitted, still amazed that after all those years, Emily waited for her.

"Well I missed you too. You owe me a lot of dinners." Emily said mock seriously.

"And breakfasts. And lunches. And everything in between." Paige promised as she leaned across the table to give her girlfriend a kiss.

"I like the sound of that." Emily whispered breathlessly as she anticipated the touch of Paige's lips on hers.

"Hey guys." They turned their heads towards the direction of the voice and Emily fought the urge to roll her eyes. Groaning inwardly, she sat back and acknowledged the person standing beside their table.

"Tara." Emily said in greeting, suddenly uncomfortable. Even if Paige told her she was fine seeing Emily and Tara together, she wanted nothing more than to stay away from the girl. She thought she and Tara can have a fresh start and be friends but she is quickly realizing she didn't want to.

"Hey Paige." Tara said, turning her attention to the other girl.

"Hey." Paige said, giving the girl a thin smile.

"I'm guessing the rest of your stay at the Hamptons brought you guys back together." Tara said as she observed their hands across the dinner table.

What gave it away Einstein? "Yeah. It did." Paige said, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something sarcastic.

"Good." Tara said, nodding her head. "I was starting to wonder how long it would take for you two to find a way to get back together. I guess true love does conquer all." She said, amused. When neither of the girls said anything, she continued. "Listen Paige, I'm sorry for the douche move. For kissing your girl and for lying about it when you came and talked to me. Considering the strength it took for you to let her go back then, finding out about what we did behind your back mustn't have been easy."

"It wasn't. But I'm past that." Paige said as she smiled at her girlfriend reassuringly when she saw that Emily's mood suddenly changed the minute Tara approached them.

"Oh." Tara said, surprised that she was let off the hook so easily. "So, I know it's too much to ask and right now you're probably thinking of doing me bodily harm which I know I completely deserve, but I was hoping we can have a chance to get to know each other better? As friends." She said hurriedly. "I mean as friends. Oh god I didn't mean it to sound like I was trying to hit on you this time. I'm so sorry. It's just that, Emily's sort of my only friend here and I don't want to lose that. Now that you two are back together I don't want to lose her friendship. And you're an extension of Emily so... am I making any sense or are you still trying to picture my face in a punching bag?" Tara asked hesitantly.

"Tara we don't have to be friends just so you and Emily can be friends. Those two are mutually exclusive and it's entirely up to her if she wants to be friends with you." Paige said wryly. "Because honestly, I don't think I can be friends with you. But I can be civil around you." She admitted.

"Oh. Of course. I understand. I just had to try." Tara said, slightly disappointed. "But just the same, I want you to know that it will never happen again." She promised sincerely.

"Oh I don't doubt that." Paige said, willing herself not to roll her eyes. She wished the girl would go away so she and Emily can continue where they left off.

"Still, let me make it up to you. Emily said you used to sail?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. But my dad's boat burned down." Paige said, wondering where the conversation was headed.

"I know. She told me about that. But if you guys ever want to go sailing again one of these days, I can lend you mine." Tara offered eagerly.

"That's not really necessary." Paige said, declining the offer nicely.

"Just think about it. The offer doesn't have an expiration date or anything." Tara said, not willing to take no for an answer.

"Okay. Sure. Thanks." Paige said, hoping her answer would finally make the girl leave.

"It's the least I could do." Tara said, giving them a grin. "I guess I better get going then. I didn't mean to ruin your dinner date. I just came over to say hi and welcome you guys back to Rosewood. I'll see you guys around. Goodnight. Emily, Paige." She said as she turned to Paige and gave her a two-finger salute before walking past Emily and turning to look at Paige one last time.

Paige felt her blood run cold but forced herself to avert her eyes from the departing girl and focused her attention on Emily instead, giving her girlfriend what she hoped was a smile convincing enough to fool Tara.

"Paige what's wrong?" Emily asked worriedly.

But she couldn't fool Emily. "Why do you think there's something wrong?" Paige asked, trying to say the words softly as she struggled to control the pounding of her heart.

"Your grip just tightened on my hand and your hand is clammy. Are you feeling okay?" Emily asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah." Paige said, struggling to keep calm.

"What is it?" Emily asked. Paige's behavior was making her really nervous.

"If I tell you something, promise me you won't react. Please." Paige pleaded breathlessly.

"Okay." Emily promised, squeezing Paige's hand reassuringly.

"Promise me, Em. You have to promise me that you won't make any sudden movements. Just, keep holding my hand. Okay? Our lives depend on this." Paige said as she fought hard not to risk a glance at the departing girl, knowing fully well Tara was watching her.

"I promise. What is it?" Emily asked breathlessly. Paige was starting to really scare her.

Paige desperately tried to fight the blackness that threatened to consume her. She felt herself spiraling out of control, the memory of what happened moments before the accident threatening to overwhelm her senses until she felt Emily's grip on her hand tighten, tethering her back to reality.

"Tara caused the accident." Paige whispered hoarsely.