ren-mccullers Paige McCullers, melting hearts one homo-phobic mother at a time. :) Mama Fields is no match for her charms. I'm glad I could make you smile. I hope that you had a good Easter as well.

siophiefandom No, she's not giving up.

Guest Pam's showing some improvement. And Paige will too. She's struggling but she'll get there.

Paraddicted Yep, she's working her charms on Pam, getting in good with one half of her future, possible, in-laws. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story, and are entertained by their struggle. It's been fun to write.

Tns729 Thank you.

jhas Yeah, I got of schedule and had to get back on track. I'm glad you liked the bit of tension, the heat, that was thrown in there. It's going to be an issue, at times, for them. I agree, I think Pam genuinely likes Paige, which is going to help her in accepting that she and Emily are together. Even if she's not quite there yet. Thank you, for the review. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. :) Hope you had a good Easter.

Dragoncila It'll be awhile before Paige's parents make another appearance in the story, but they won't be as cool with Emily and Paige spending time together as Pam is.

Guest Thank you.

CarmellaD'Winter I think it's the little things that keep them connected, those sweet moments of intimacy that draws them together when things get tough. I see Emily as someone who is quicked tempered, but also quick to cool off again. A flash of anger before reason sets back in. So while I probably won't have a lot of really big fireworks, we'll see her lose her temper again.

ponderhouse I'm glad you liked the chapter. It was fun, writing a frustrated Emily and a completely clueless Paige. I'm glad that you think the Pam/Emily developments are real and believable. I've been using your responses as something of barometer, to make sure I'm staying on course in the way their relaitonship is developing.

Thulas Thank you. There are a lot of good Paily fics out there,so it means a lot that you'd think that. I like awkward/adorable Paige, a little bit socially inept but not completely out of touch. Which is what I'm aiming for here. And for the story to advance the way I want it to, I needed her to be in a place of mostly acceptance. She has her moments of self-doubt but generally she's okay with who she is, even if she's not ready for the world to know.

jenismyhomegirl Thank you. That's quite the compliment. :)

I've always found it interesting how varied the a single character can be, over different there always seems to be a certain set of traits that are always inherent. It fascinates me how many different versions of Spencer, Hannah, Paige etc there are, even as they are all still that character. Hannah can be hard to write, it's so easy to make her an exaggerated version of herself, but she does show a fair bit of compassion and introspection in the show, so I tried to interject that. And Spencer, I think is kinder under less threatening circumstances. Without A, and without the whole head-dunking incident, I think she'd be more inclined to help Emily get the girl.

I'm glad you liked the kiss. (And the makeouts) There will be more of both. A lot more.

lol. Yeah, there's a local restaurant that actually does serve that burger. It's amazing. I'm sorry if I made you hungry when you were unable to go get a burger, but I highly recomend making yourself a verion of that one.

Thulas I'm glad you got all caught up. :) Thank you for reading. And for leaving a review. Yeah, I think Pam likes Paige, which will help her accept that she and Emily are together. Even if she's not there yet. And, while I'm a Paily shipper. I did like Emaya. I wish they'd gotten more time together, even if I don't feel like, ultimitely, they were meant to be. So I'm going to try and show that relationship as a sweet, but mis-matched first love. With no murder. I'm glad that you liked the other characterizations as well. The liars can be tough to write.

jace24 They're kind of in a tough spot. Neither is wrong in what they're feeling, but it's going to make being together easy. And Pam is slowly coming around, which is nice to write.

Guest Thank you.

Guest Thank you.

Tasha364 lol. I'm happy you found the story, even if it's been going for awhile. :) Thank. I'm glad you're enjoying it. And I hope that you continue to.

Chapter 20

It was a test, Emily knew that. Like that old saying goes, her mom was giving her just enough rope to hang herself with. She'd gone out, leaving her and Paige alone. When she came back, if the two of them were doing anything that she found to be even the slightest bit innapropriate, it would validate all of the insecurities and fears that she had about her daughter being gay. It would erase all of the progress they had made since Emily had come out. It was a test, yet it also meant that her mother must have a great deal of faith in her. She must truly believe that Emily will pass it, that she won't let her down, won't dissapoint her. Because there was no way that her mom would leave her and Paige alone for a minute if she thought that something was actually going to happen between them.

Emily had no intention of abusing the trust that her mother had placed in her, but she was still going to take advantage of the alone time that she and Paige had been granted.

"So," she said turning to face Paige, looping her arms around the other girl's neck as she did. "What do you say we go into the living room and not watch a movie?" She wagged her eyebrows suggestively before dipping her head and brushing her lips against Paige's, only to pull back a moment later when she realized that Paige was not responding to the kiss.

"What's wrong?" She ducked her head, trying to get Paige to meet her gaze, but the other girl kept her eyes trained firmly on her feet. "Paige?"

"Do you want to have sex with me?"

Emily stumbled back a step at the question. "What?" she asked, even though she had heard just fine.

"Do you want to have sex with me?" Paige finally raised her gaze to meet Emily's, though being able to see her eyes did nothing to help Emily figure out what was going through the other girl's mind.

She hadn't really thought about it, at least not directly. She knew that she was attracted to Paige. Seeing her, touching her, kissing her, it was exciting. Arousing. But this thing between them was still so new. She hadn't allowed herself to think about anything more that what they were doing, holding hands, kissing, careful, gentle touches. That didn't mean that the desire wasn't there, however unexplored. She had to admit it was a distant possibility. One that she wanted.

"Uh...yeah?" She stumbled over her response.

Paige blinked, once, twice, her expression giving away nothing. "Okay." She nodded. "Okay. I suppose I...I mean I've never...I-" She cut herself off and took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and then falling again with the force of it, her eyes closing for a brief moment before opening, her gaze meeting Emily's steadily, resolved.

"I didn't mean right now," Emily blurted, finally realizing where all this was coming from, how it must look to Paige right now, her confession to Paige earlier that afternoon that she was so attracted to her, that she wanted her, her mother gone for the evening, Emily suggesting that they move into the living room. She felt bad for giving Paige that impression. And even worse that Paige seemed to be willing to rush herself into it. "I meant, eventually. At some point in the not so distant but still far off future. "

"Oh."

"When we're both ready."

"What if I'm never ready?"

Emily remembered what it felt like, being in Paige's position. It hadn't been that long since she'd been there herself. It was scary enough to admit to yourself that you liked girls. To acknowledge that with that admission, everything was going to change. Friends, family, people you've known all your life and strangers you will never see again might look at you differently once they know. And that fear was nothing compared to the dizzying array of nerves that came from actually being with a girl. It was one thing to discover your sexuality and another thing entirely to actually explore it, to chance that first kiss, those first touches, the first time. It was terrifying and exciting, daunting and thrilling. To Paige, it must all seem impossible but Emily knew from experience that the fear faded, eventually desire, and if you were lucky, love, won out

"At some point in you're life, you're going to want to have sex," Emily said, wrapping her arms around Paige's waist and giving her a gentle squeeze, trying to get the other girl to relax a little, to smile. Nothing. She remained as still as a statue, holding herself stiffly in Emily's embrace. "I'm not going to lie and say that I don't want it to be while you're with me. But if it's not, that's okay too."

"I've thought about it." Paige's cheeks, her neck, went red with the admission. "Being with you. I just...I don't..."

"Just because we're thinking about it doesn't mean that we have to do anything."

"So, you're okay with what we've been doing?"

"More than okay."

Paige nodded, but she didn't look convinced.

Even though Emily had been looking forward to another evening spent on the couch, wrapped up in Paige, she didn't want to make the other girl feel uncomfortable or pressured here, alone with her in an empty house. "Look, did you want to go for a walk, or coffee or something?" She asked, fully prepared to take a step back, put some phyiscal distance between the two of them if Paige indicated that she wanted that.

After a long beat of silence, Paige shook her head. "Not really. No. I'd rather...I want to...Can we..." Paige's cheeks, still tinged red flushed a deep crimon as she struggled to find the words to ask Emily if they could spend the evening making out. Emily thought it was cute, that the other girl could engage in the act so enthusiastically, but got flustered talking about it, asking for it.

Instead of finishing her sentence she reached behind her and unwound Emily's arms from her waist, gripping her wrists lightly as she stepped backwards, tugging Emily along with. Emily followed willingly, allowing Paige to guide her out of the kitchen and into the living room. When they reached the couch, Paige dropped down onto one end and Emily slid as sinto her lap, kneeling above her, bracing herself lightly against the other girls shoulders he leaned down and brushed a soft, lingering kiss against her lips.

"Is this okay?" she asked, mindful of the conversation they'd just had.

Paige nodded as she surged upwards, capturing Emily's lips in her own. "This is good," she mumbled before pressing her lips insistently against Emily's own, her arms coming up to wrap around Emily pulling her more firmly down onto her lap.

Emily had to admit, it felt nice, pressed bodily against Paige, just kissing her, deeply, languidly. Their tongues danced and dualed around each other, their breath mixing every time they parted and again as they came back together.

"Is it enough, for you?"

"Hmmm?" Emily's thoughts were somewhat fractured, her focus scattered by the proximity of Paige's body and the taste of her lips and the way her fingertips pressed against the skin at the small of her back where her shirt had ridden up, her nails digging in just slightly. It took her a moment to register the fact that Paige had spoken and another for the words to sink in. She pulled back to look at Paige. "Of course it's enough," she said softly, seriously, holding her gaze steady with Paige's so, hopefully, the other girl would believe her.

"Are you sure? I know that you...You're...more experienced...I mean you..."

"Yes. Maya and I slept together. Several times," she said directly, ignoring the way Paige flinched at her ex-girlfriend's name. "But just because I had sex with Maya doesn't mean that I'm ready to have sex with you."

Paige nodded, but she didn't look convinced.

"My first time with Maya was so special. And amazing. But I was also so nervous. And I definitely backed out a couple of times before I was actually ready. And even then, it was still a little scary. But I loved Maya, and I wanted to be with her." Even though Paige was shifting uncomfortably beneath her, Emily held her gaze and didn't stop with what she was saying, Paige need to hear this. "And I want it to be the same for you. Special. Amazing. With someone you love. I hope that I'm lucky enough that it will be with me. But I'm not ready for that, with you. Not yet."

As much as she liked Paige, as much as she was attracted to her, being with someone like that, fully intimate, it was about more than attraction, more than lust. Sex meant something to her, it meant love and committment and connection. All things that, while she and Paige seemed to be well on their way to building, they just weren't there.

"Okay?"

Instead of answering, Paige tightened her grip and tipped her head up, bringing their lips together. Emily moaned softly at the feel of Paige's tongue sliding against her bottom lip before slipping into her mouth. She slid her hands from Paige's shoulders to the back of her head, fingers tangling into her hair as she pulled her in closer.

They kissed until Emily was breathless, dizzy and then they kissed more, deeper, longer, hungrier. As they kissed, Paige sank slowly against the armrest until she was lying on her back on the couch, with Emily hovering over her. It was a delicious position for Emily to be in, to feel the other girl's body stretched out beneath her own, one leg beneath her thighs, the other curled around her calf. Paige's hands gently kneaded the skin just above her waist in time with their kisses, her caloused fingertips scraping lightly against Emily's heated, sensitized skin, sending shivers coursing up and down her spine. Her lips moved insistently against Emily's own, always seeking out something more, something deeper. Her soft sighs every time their lips parted and then slid back together filled the air around them.

"I could kiss you like this for hours," Emily murmured on a ragged breath before pressing her lips to Paige's once again. She wasn't even exagerating. Her whole body buzzed with a low, pleasant heat that she wished she could stay suspended in forever.

Paige hummed low in her throat and deepend the kiss in response. Her hands started to wander, sliding up and down Emily's back, fingers pressing into her shoulder's, her sides, her ass, as Paige's grip shifted restlessly.

It was getting harder and harder for Emily to keep her hips still, to deny the need for friction, especially since Paige's thigh was nestled between her legs. All it would take was a small shift to feel pressure right where she needed it. But Emily resisted, enduring the dull ache was worth it to continue to kissing Paige.

Emily's lips tingled and her lungs burned, her need to kiss Paige overrode her need for long, deep breaths. She settled for shallow, ragged breaths when absolutely neccessary before diving back in.

"Oh, God. Em. I think I'm going to pass out." Paige pulled away from this kiss and turned her head, sucking in a loud breath.

"Amateur," Emily mumbled, undeterred, attaching her lips to the side of Paige's neck instead. "I always have had better breath control than you."

"No way."

"Yes way. You breath every three strokes. I breath every four."

"What? Since when?"

"Coach has had me working on it for awhile, we're trying to get me up to every fifth by state. It's shaved a half second off my time."

"Hmm." Paige was distracted from answering as Emily sucked at the skin just below her ear, a soft moan leaving her lips instead. "Em..."

"Don't worry, I won't leave a mark." She nipped and sucked her way down Paige's neck, being careful not to excert too much pressure or linger on any one spot too long. She swirled her tongue along the hollow at the base of Paige's throat, enjoying the soft sigh it elicited and the way the other girl's body arched up into her. She really could do this, just kiss, for hours.

Eventually however, reluctantly, they had to part. Emily's mom would be home soon and, while she knew that she and Paige had not done anything wrong she also knew that her mom would not take to kindly to walking in on them while they were in the middle of making out. Gradually, Emily slowed their kiss, breaking it off into a short series of pecks before pulling back with a sigh. Paige immediately reached for her, trying to pull her back Emily shook her head and pushed herself up onto her knees.

"My mom will be home soon."

Paige pouted but nodded, pushing herself up into a seated position as well and running her fingers through her hair, trying to flatten it back down after Emily had spent so much time with her hands tangled in it. Emily tugged her shirt down where it had ridden up and then leaned down to fix the collar of Paige's t-shirt, which was askew. Their clothes were slightly rumpled from laying against each other but there wasn't much to be done about that. Hopefully her mother wouldn't notice, or think too much of it.

"I had a really great time tonight," Paige said softly.

"Night's not over yet." Emily leaned forward to give Paige a quick kiss before reaching for the remote. "You don't have to be home until eleven, right?"

"Right?"

"Want to watch something?" Without waiting for a reply, Emily turned and leaned backwards, into Paige. It took the other girl a moment to catch on, but then she wrapped her arms around Emily's waist as Emily settled against her.

"What are you in the mood for?"

"Whatever you want." Paige pressed a kiss to Emily's temple and then rested her chin against the top of her head.

Emily flipped channels for a bit before settling on a show. She tossed the remote back down onto the coffee table and laid her arms over Paige's, lacing their fingers together.

That was the position that they were in when Emily's mom strode through the front door. Paige flinched beneath her and attempted to sit up, but Emily didn't shift to let her. They weren't doing anything wrong. Their position was no more compromising than anything her mom would walk in on her and her friend's doing when they watched tv. A little more intimate maybe, but definitely not innapropriate. She'd seen her parents on the couch like this many times. And it would be good for her mom to see them like this. She knew that her mom wasn't ready to see them doing more than this, she certainly wasn't intending to kiss Paige or anything like that in front of her. But simple cuddling, it wasn't anything he rmom couldn't handle.

She hoped. Despite not letting Paige pull away like they were guilty of doing something they shouldn't be, Emily still held her breath as her mom stepped into the room.

Her mom paused on the threshold as she took in their position, eyes widening momentarily, but she recovered quickly, crossing the room towards them and settling on the other end of the couch.

"Hey, girls. How was the rest of your evening?"

Emily stared at her mother, stunned. She had expected her mother to head straight upstairs, or into the kitchen, not for her to join them. And definitely not for them to engage them in actual conversation. Even if the smile on her mother's face was slightly strained, and her eyes darted uncomfortably over them before turning to the tv, and then back again, she was still there, with them, making an effort.

"It was good, Mrs Fields."

"Did you finish all your homework?"

Emily had been finished before dinner, Paige as well so they both nodded.

"How was coffee with the girls?" Emily asked, recovering her voice before her mother could ask what else they had done.

"It was nice. Haven't had a chance to get caught up in awhile. Amelia was hoping that you'd be willing to babysit one weekend soon. She and Steve could really use a night out."

Emily nodded. "Tell her I'd be happy to. Just let me know when." Amelia was a friend of her mother's from college, their youngest son, Justin, was seven and an absolute doll. Emily loved looking after him.

She filled Emily in on a few more details of her friend's lives, the two women that she was closest to had been a huge part of Emily's life as well, especially in the years before they'd moved to Rosewood. Up until she was six they'd lived in a small town on the other side of Philly, closer to where her mother had grown up, closer to where her friends still lived. They were still like aunts to Emily.

Her filling in Emily led to some light, easy chatting between the three of them. Emily was dumbfounded as her mother seemed to genuinely relax into the couch cushions even as she and Paige sat cuddled at the other end of the couch.

"I should probably get going," Paige said gently nudging Emily up off her as the credits of the show they had been watching but had since forgotten about began to roll up the screen. "We have an early practice tomorrow."

Emily reluctantly sat up and swung around to let Paige get up before standing as well. "Let me walk you out?" She wasn't going to let the other girl go without a kiss goodbye. And she wasn't going to kiss her in front of her mother. That would be pushing boundries even if her mother wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of the two of them being together.

"I'm going to head upstairs, get ready for bed," Pam said, standing as well. "Lock up before you come up?" She turned to Emily, who nodded. "Goodnight, girls." She met Paige's gaze briefly and nodded, squeezed her daughter's arm and then turned and made her way towards the stairs.

They both watched her until she'd disapeared from view, then Emily led Paige across the room to the front door. Even though she didn't want the other girl to go, she knew that she had to leave soon to avoid breaking curfew. Emily watched as Paige pulled onher jacket and shouldered her backpack.

"So, I'll see you at practice tomorrow?" Paige asked, one hand on the doorknob but making no move to open it.

Emily nodded. "I wouldn't miss it."

"Can I drive you, to practice?"

"I'd like that."

Paige hesitated for a moment then stepped forward, cupping Emily's face as she kissed her slowly, but deeply. Emily sighed softly into the kiss, her hands coming up to grasp the lapels of Paige's jacket. When they pulled apart, her eyes fluttered open and she stared, somewhat dazedly at Paige, who was smiling softly back at her.

"See you tomorrow," she whispered, then she was gone, pulling open the door and striding down the walkway towards her car. Emily leaned against the door and watched her make her way around to the drivers side and climb in. The head and tail lights flared as the engine sprang to life. A moment later the car pulled away from the curb. When it disspaeared around the corner was when Emily finally let the door swing shut.