Author's Note: I hope that this helps to ease the ache that last night's episode created.

Guest Sorry the last dose was so small. Hopefully this one will be more satisfying. :) I know what you mean though, I miss Paige that much too.

Guest: Thank you. I hope you like this next bit of advancement in their friendship.

Guest: They're getting there. I want to build it up, slowly, but we're almost there.

summersantos2009 A little bit of one, maybe. This one offers a bit more though.

CarmellaD'Winter Yep.

Guest Thank you.

saii79 Thanks.

Kristen: Those are some powerful words. Thank you. I'm glad that I could make you feel like that. And, thank you for taking the time to let me know that my story has affected you. :) It means a lot to me to know that you're enjoying it.

ponderhouse Thank you.

Chapter 9

Emily would never understand how it was she could manage to but up and out of the house by six a.m. on the mornings she had swim practice but was always scrambling to make it to first period on time on the days when she didn't. That extra hour and a half of sleep should have made getting ready easier, not harder. But here she was, half-dressed and nowhere near ready to go and Aria would be there any minute to pick her up. With a sigh of frustration she grabbed the first shirt that she lay her hands on out of her closet and tugged it on, stumbling towards her desk to start gathering up her books and laptop even before she'd gotten it pulled fully over her head. She was just shoving the last of her things into her backpack when she saw her friend's car pull up into the driveway. Abandoning that task she hurried downstairs to let her friend in, nearly running into her mother at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh. Hey. I thought you'd left," Emily said, somewhat breathless as she managed to skid to a stop before causing a collision.

They'd shared a tense breakfast, with her mother reading the paper and Emily studiously studying the side of the orange juice carton as she'd slowly eaten the eggs and toast that her mother had prepared, but she'd had no appetite for. She had thought that while she retreated upstairs to get ready for school her mom had gone to work.

"I'm just on my way out," Pam said as she pulled the door open. "Hello, Aria," she said, smiling warmly as she stepped aside to let her enter.

"Morning, Mrs Fields." Aria was all bouncy energy and warm smiles as she stepped past the other woman and headed immediately for the stairs. She was well versed in the routine of picking Emily up by now. She knew that her friend wouldn't be ready, yet she gamely stopped by to drive her to school anyway.

"Uh, Aria. You're going to have to wait downstairs while I finish getting ready," Emily said, though her gaze was on her mother as she spoke. "My mom's afraid that if we go up to my room it's so that I can have my way with you."

From the corner of her eye she saw Aria freeze in place, one foot raised to take a step. Her eyes widened comically as her gaze darted back and forth between mother and daughter.

Her mother was not impressed. Her gaze sharpened as she met Emily's gaze. The staring contest ended a moment later when she sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to work. Do you need a ride home from school?"

"No. I'm good."

"Fine. See you for dinner."

With that,she was gone, the door shutting with an unsatisfying soft click in her wake.

"Okay. Are you going to tell me what that was all about?"

Emily nodded towards the stairs, indicating that Aria should preceed her up to her room and that she'd tell her once they were there. Aria's brow was furrowed and her lips parted, as if to press Emily further on the subject but after a moment she nodded and led the way up to to Emily's room, where she flopped down onto the bed as Emily made her way over back to her desk to finish packing her bag.

"So, what was all that downstairs?"

"Paige came over to study last night and my mom wigged out at the thought of us being up here in my room together," Emily said, closing her bag and turning to face Aria, leaning against the edge of her desk.

"Paige? Who's Paige?" Aria asked, a grin beginning to tug at the corners of her lips as she sat upright.

Emily shook her head. "It's not like that."

"But, you want it to be?"

"She's just a team mate. And a friend."

"Friend? A friend who's name I've never heard you mention before? You like this girl, don't you?"

Emily shook her head, unable to voice a denial because she knew it would be a lie. She did like Paige. Over the course of the weekend Paige had proven herself to be fun, funny and very sweet. She'd developed feelings, as well as an attraction to the other girl.

"You do. Oh my god, look at your face." Aria was beaming at her now, a full fledged grin on her lips, her eyes dancing with excitement. "You can't stop smiling."

Emily tried to school her expression when she realized that just thinking about Paige had brought a smile to her face. Things like that just couldn't happen. She couldn't be walking around school, mooning over Paige. They were never going to be together and she needed to accept that and move on.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the feeling of cool hands pressed against her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed her friend slide off the bed or make her way towards her.

"You're blushing."

Emily scowled and batted Aria's hands away.

"She's straight."

Aria's hands fell down to her sides and her playful grin faded. "Oh, Em-"

"Don't." Emily held up a hand to forestall the sympathy she could practically feel radiating from the other girl. She just couldn't deal with that right now. "Please, Aria. Not-"

"Okay. Okay." Aria backed slowly away from her, offering a sad smile. "So, are you ready? We should get going."

Emily flashed her friend a thankful smile. "Yeah. Let's go. And, can you please not mention this to the girls?" she asked as they made their way downstairs.

"Of course I won't," Aria said as she waited for Emily to lock up and then led the way down the driveway to her car. "But, if you need to talk..."

"I know." She reached out and squeezed Aria's hand before making her way around to the passenger side and sliding in.

The ride to school was silent. Emily stared sullenly out the window as they drove, gazing at, but not really seeing, cars and trees and people whizzing by them. She could feel Aria's gaze on her at every red light, every stop sign, but thankfully, her friend kept her promise not to push. She knew that Aria wanted her to open up, to talk it out but Emily didn't really see the point. Talking wouldn't change the fact that she liked someone who didn't return her feelings. Again.

They pulled into the nearly full student parking lot, Aria managing to squeeze her car into a probably not official parking space between a beat up jeep and the curb and they both climbed out. They fell into step as soon as they both rounded the car and started off in the direction of the main entrance, Aria slipping her arm through Emily's in a silent show of support and solidarity. She turned her head, offering her friend a faint smile and squeezed the hand curled loosely around her elbow.

They made their way up the steps and through the main rotunda, dodging elbows and backpacks as they worked their way through the crowd towards first Aria's and then Emily's locker.

She had just finished gathering the books she'd need for her first couple of classes and was heading towards the junction in the hallway where she and Aria would have to part ways, Emily heading upstairs to her history class and Aria over to the east wing to the art room, when Paige rounded the corner, heading towards her.

Emily's step faltered and she let out a faint sigh, even as she felt her lips turn up into a grin as Paige caught sight of her and altered her course slighlty to end up right in front of her.

"Hey, Emily. How's it going?" She offered up an easy smile as she hitched her backpack up her shoulder.

"Hey, Paige." She felt a faint tug on her arm and glanced over, finding herself almost startled to realize that her friend was still there, her gaze flitting back and forth between the two of them, an expectant look on her face. "Oh, uh. Paige, this is Aria. Aria, Paige."

"Nice to meet you." That easy smile still in place as she extended her hand.

"You too."

They shook hands firmly and then drew back. An awkward silence falling over the trio amidst the clamour of the hallway around them. Paige shifted in place, rubbing the back of her neck and cleared her throat softly.

"So, I'm just going to go." Aria released her grip on Emily's arm as she broke the silence. "Gotta make it all the way over to the other side of the school before the bell. Paige, nice meeting you." She nodded in the other girl's direction and received a nod in response. "Em, see you at lunch?" Without waiting for a reply she turned and dissapeared into the crowd.

"Heading my way?" Paige asked, jerking her thumb towards the stairs that Emily had been making her way to.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. World history."

"McRoberts, right? Nice," Paige said, spinning around to fall into step with Emily. "Had him last year for American History. Loved that class."

"Me too." The teacher had a way of making what was often times a very dry subject, full of dates and names come alive. He was one of Emily's favorite teachers, second only to Mr. Fitz. "Where are you headed?"

"Geography." This was said with a faint wince, her mouth turning down in a pout and her nose scrunching up. It was absolutely adorable.

"Sorry."

"Yeah. You and me both." Paige cast a sideways glance over at Emily, catching her gaze and offering up a wry grin that stopped her heart for a moment. She struggled to keep her own smile steady, to keep her laughter light and her gaze fleeting. She was afraid that if she let it linger on Paige too long, the other girl might pick up on something in it.

Her classroom was the next one on the right and Emily slowed her steps as they approached it, not quite ready to part ways just yet.

"This is me," she said when they inevitably reached the doorway a moment or two later.

Paige nodded. "I'm just down the hall," she said, gesturing vaguely but not making any move to head in that direction, despite the fact that there was only a minute or two before the bell. She leaned against the wall beside the door, looking like she had all the time in the world to stand there and chat. Selfishly, Emily was pleased, though she knew that Paige would get in trouble if she was late, and she hated the idea of being the cause of that

"You're going to be late," she reluctantly pointed out, peeking into her own class to see that most of the students were still milling about. The teacher was seated on the corner of his desk, deep in conversation with a couple of guys.

"I really don't care." Paige pulled a face and shrugged one shoulder. "Hey now, don't laugh at me."

Emily bit her lip, trying to hold back her mirth. "You really don't like that class, do you?"

Paige shook her head, emphatically. "Not even the slightest bit."

"Why don't you transfer out?"

"I need the credit and it's the only one that fit into my schedule this year."

Emily offered the other girl a sympathetic smile and, unable to help herself, reached out and squeezed her arm. "But, at least you have a super exciting test to look forward to later today." She couldn't refrain from teasing, just a bit.

Paige scowled, but there was no real malice to it. "Just had to bring that up, huh Fields?" She shook her head.

"Why not? You're ready for it."

"That's true." Paige's expression lightened, a smile replacing her frown. "Thanks again, for that. By the way."

"Anytime."

"You mean that? Because I got a quiz in civics coming up later this week..."Her tone was teasing, but Emily nodded seriously.

"I mean it," she said.

Paige was silent for a moment, contemplating. "In that case, want to get together tomorrow night and study?"

Emily nodded immediately. As foolish as it might be to do so, she couldn't help jumping at every opportunity to spend some time with Paige.

"My parents will be out, we could grab some dinner from The Grill and hang out at my place," Paige suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Cool. It's a date," Paige said, just as the warning bell rang. She pushed herself off the wall and flashed Emily a wide grin.

Emily's heart sped up at the words, even though she knew that Paige didn't mean them the way she wanted her to.

"See you around, Emily." Paige's arms slid around her into a brief, but definitely solid hug. Before she'd even gotten her own arms up to return the embrace, Paige had pulled back and was moving away, jogging down the now empty hallway towards her class.

Emily looked for Paige in the hallway between first and second period, hoping for another opportunity to walk together but, to her dissapointment, didn't spot her. She kept an eye out for her between each of her classes, even though she had no idea what Paige's schedule was, or if she even had a class in the same area as one of hers. Emily didn't run into her again until lunch, catching sight of Paige stepping into the lunch line as she entered the cafeteria. She made a beeline across the room, managing to slip in line behind her.

"Hey, stranger." She grabbed a tray and placed it casually on the conveyor belt, trying to appear as if their running into each other had just been coincidence.

"Emily, hey." Paige turned to face her, a wide smile gracing her lips. Emily's heart fluttered at the sight, at how happy Paige seemed to see her. A marked shift from the past few months. Though, she couldn't remember the other girl greeting her so enthusiastically before the distance between them.

She knew her own smile had to be just as broad.

"How has the rest of your morning been?"

"Pretty good, actually." She enjoyed most of her classes this semester, her history, english and biology lessons had all been interesting, the teachers who taught them engaging. She wasn't so much looking forward to algebra next period, but she did share the class with Hannah, so that at least, was a plus. "Yours?"

Paige shrugged. "Eh. I think it's a Monday thing, I just can't pay attention in class, I'm still in weekend mode."

Emily could certainly understand that. "Yeah, it's hard to get back into the routine after being off all weekend."

Paige nodded. "Especially when it was a really good weekend." Her eyes caught Emily's and held them for a minute, the intensity of the stare leaving her slightly breathless. It was all she could do to offer a shaky smile and a nod of agreement. Then Paige's gaze was shifting away, returning to the array of food laid out in front of them as they made their way down the line, selecting various items for her lunch.

Emily followed suit on auto-pilot, not even entirely aware of just what she was selecting, her mind still spinning from Paige's comment, from that look. She told herself that Paige didn't mean anything by it. The weekend had been pleasant. They'd gotten along while rooming together. The team had peformed well. They were friends now because of it. That's all Paige meant. Emily was just reading too much into things, placing too much empasis on things Paige said, on the way she looked at her. The attraction and feelings that had developed her clouding her judgement. That was all.

"Your test went well though, right?" Emily asked, when she'd found her voice again. "You weren't too distracted by all those anti-Monday thoughts?"

Paige nodded, "Yeah. At least I think so. We won't get our grades back until probably next week, but I feel pretty confident that I rocked it." She offered up a grin that bordered on cocky.

It was adorable.

"Of course you did."

Much to Emily's dissapointment, they'd almost reached the end of the line, once they'd paid the cashier they'd have a couple minutes as they grabbed napkins and utensils and then they'd be on their seperate ways. It was silly, she knew, but she couldn't help that fact that she just wanted to be around Paige, all the time.

They purchased their lunches, Paige lingering just off to the right while Emily paid, the small gesture making Emily smile. She pocked her change and made her way over the small distance to where Paige was waiting. She set her tray down to grab a couple of plastic forks, handing one to Paige, accepting a couple of napkins and some ketchup packets in exchange And then she had everything she needed to head across the cafeteria to the lunch table she could see her friends already gathered at.

It was an odd feeling, being reluctant to leave the lunch line and head over to her friends. She glanced over at Paige, saw her shifting in place as she peered across the room in the opposite direction. Following her gaze, Emily caught sight of the group she usuallly sat with. She wondered if Paige was feeling the same way she was.

"A'right," Paige said after a moment. "See you later then I guess."

"Yeah, later."

Paige stepped in for a hug, the action not catching Emily by surprise the way it had earlier that morning. Apparently, this was a thing they did now, hugging each other when they parted. It was an unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome development to their friendship. She managed to wrap her arms around Paige's back, squeezing gently for a few solid seconds before reluctantly pulling away and releasing her grip.

Paige gave her a nod, picked up her tray and strode away without a backward glance. Emily watched her for a moment before tearing her eyes away from the gentle sway of her hips and her round, shapely ass, shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts and picking up her own tray and heading in the opposite direction towards her friends.

Emily knew it was probaby too much to hope for, that none of them had noticed the exchange between her and Paige, but she was hoping for it all the same as she slid into the vacant seat beside Aria.

"So, who's the chick?" Hannah, of course it would be Hannah, asked. giving a little wiggle of her eyebrows and offering up a salacious smile

Emily shook her head, smirking in amusement, despite her desire not to.

"Since when do you hug Paige McCullers?" Spencer asked, qurking an eyebrow at her from her place beside Hannah across the table.

"Paige McCullers?" Hannah's teasing grin faded, her brow furrowing instead "Isn't she one of the one that's been giving you a hard time since you came out?"

"What?" Spencer's voice dropped dangerously, eyes narrowing as she started to stand, scanning the cafeteria. "I will end her."

"Spence, no." Emily leaned across the table and tugged at her friend's wrist. "Spencer. Sit down."

Spencer glanced down at Emily and then across the room, clearly torn about whether or not to listen to her friend. After a moment of indecision she sank back into her seat, a scowl fixed firmly on her face as she stared holes into the back of Paige's head.

Emily laced her fingers thought Spencers, giving them a gentle squeeze to pull her attention back to the table. With a shake of her head, Spencer was back, turning wide, concerned eyes onto Emily.

"Em, why didn't you tell us that people were giving you a hard time?" Aria asked, laying a gentle hand on Emily's shoulder and rubbing soothing circles across it.

"Better question, why didn't you tell us that people were giving Emily a hard time?" Spencer turned her gaze to Hannah, who flinched under the intense stare.

"Because I asked her not to." Emily had confided in Hannah in a moment of emotion and vulneratbility that some of the girls on the team had been not so welcoming since she'd come out. She'd been on the vege of quitting swimming altogther after a particularly tense practice and she'd just needed someone to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay, that she was strong enough to get through this, and that quitting something she loved wasn't going to make things any easier. Hannah had done just that, had been everything she'd needed in that moment, and once it had passed, she'd made the other girl promise not to tell the others. As much as she loved them and appreciated that they'd readily jump to her defense if need be, she hadn't wanted them to.

"Em, if people are bullying you for-"

"Nobody is bullying me. Things were a little awkward, like, in the change room after I first came out. There was some distance between me and some of the girls that I'd previously gotten along well with. But, things are better now. Really," she stressed, seeing their disbelieving looks. "Guys, I promise, it's fine."

The three of them exchanged glances and then nodded.

"Okay, so what's the deal with this Paige chick then?"

"Hannah." Aria's tone was chiding as she squeezed Emily's shoulder.

"What? You can deny it all you want, but I know that things were bad with her. And now you're all hugging each other in the cafeteria. What gives?"

"Nothing gives."

"Emily."

"Hannah."

"Come on, Em."

She smirked at the distinct whine that edged her friend's voice.

"Nothing. We roomed together this weekend while we were away and I guess it...cleared the air between us." It was the best she could describe it, even if it wasn't really much of an explanation. "It turns out we have a lot in common and we get along really well."

"Really well, or Really well?"

"Hannah!" Both Spencer and Aria admonished her, but Hannah merely shrugged and grinned knowingly at Emily.

"You're impossible."

"Yeah, and that doesn't sound like a denial."

"Han, there's nothing going on with me and Paige."

"But, you want there to be don't you?" She asked, her grin growing wider as she fidgeted in her seat. "You want to hug her. You want to kiss her," she sang softly.

Emily shook her head. "No."

"Yes, you do. You totally do!" Spencer leaned forwrard in her seat, scrutinizing Emily's face.

"Guys." Aria's protest was ignored by the both of them, their gazes remained firmly, excitedly, on Emily.

"Have you made a move?"

"Are you going to make a move?"

Overwhelmed, Emily glanced over at Aria for help. Her friend shot her a soft, sad smile and ran a soothing hand down her back.

"Guys, enough," Aria said, her voice soft but laced with just enough authority to catch their attention. They both glanced over at her, then back at Emily when Aria nodded her head subtly in her direction, finally catching on to the fact that something was making her uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Em. We'll lay off," Spencer said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah. Sorry, Em." Hannah shot her an apolgetic smile.

Emily shot Aria a greatful smile, glad that the attention was off her and then bit back a laugh as Hannah and Spencer started bickering about something, the comfort and familiarity of that a soothing distraction.