Paraddicted I'm glad you think that it's worth the wait. I hate making you wait, I wish that I could post more frequently, but it makes me happy to know that you're willing to wait for updates and still follow the story. I'm glad you like the dynamic, and that the "and Spencer" made you laugh. Yeah, I like Hannah/Paige (and Hannah/Spencer) friendships as well.

Guest: I love it when Spencer pouts. And yep, one step forward for Paige.

jhas Slowly but surely, Paige is making progress. She has a couple of really big steps coming up, which I hope will make you happy. Until then, baby steps.

Guest: Thank you.

Guest: There will definitely be more McHastings brotp in the future.

Tns729 Thank you for reading, and for taking the time to reply. :)

ponderhouse I think the support of Emily's friends will have a big impact on Paige's confidence and accepting herself when, as you said, she sees how much of a non-issue their relationship is. It's all part of the process, she'll make a lot of small steps forward, but eventually she'll get there.

Sparks80 I'm glad that you're enjoying the story. :) On the show, that was my biggest issue with Emily as well. I feel like she blew Paige off way to quickly, without even an ounce of understanding or sympathy. And so I'm trying to write a version of that scenerio that satisfies me better.

saii79 Yeah, it might seem like a small step, but for Paige it feels monumnetal. But, she did it anyay. And saw that it wasn't as scary as she thought. Hopefully, the next step will feel a little less imposing. I'm glad you liked Hannah's gesture.

jace24 I'm glad you like the story. And that seeing an update makes you excited. :) And I'm glad that you're enjoying the pacing of Paige's progression. I wanted to keep her moving forward, but not too quickly.

Chapter 24

After a couple hours at The Brew, the girls parted ways. Aria headed over to Mr. Fitz apartment, Hannah went to meet Mona at the mall and Emily made her way home. She missed Paige's presence at her side as she walked, though she didn't begrudge her the time she was spending with Spencer and the guys. She knew that it would be good for Paige, as well as for them as a couple, to have independant friends and interests. But even knowing that didn't prevent her from missing her, and wondering what she was doing.

Her mom had not arrived home by the time Emily got there. She let herself in and dropped her backpack in the foyer before heading into the kitchen for a snack. She was sitll hungry despite the pastry she had shared with Aria less than an hour ago. As she perused the well-stocked fridge for something to eat, an idea occured to her.

Abandoning her quest for a snack she let the fridge door swing shut and turned instead to the collection of recipes her mom kept in the top drawer. She ignored ones copied from recipe books and went for the folder full of family recipies, pulling it out and spreading them out on the counter, pouring over the various options and trying to decide on the best one. It didn't take long to narrow it down, selecting her grandmother's chicken adobo recipe. It was a family favorite. And they had all the ingredients. Decision made, she began to prep the kitchen, starting with the first, most important step, selecting some music to listen to while she worked. A few minutes of flipping channels on the old radio her mom kept on top of the fridge found her a jazz station. It was a little fuzzy, but the beats were strong and the trumpets brassy. She nodded her head and swayed her hips in time to the music as she gathered up pot, pans and utensils she'd need as well as the various ingredients.

"You know, ff you keep making all of our meals, I'm going to think that you're trying to make some kind of statement about my cooking."

Emily jumped and let out a soft shriek. "Oh, my god." She laughed lightly and pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. "You scared the crap out of me. I didn't even hear you come in."

Her mom pushed herself off the door frame where she'd been leaning and crossed the kitchen, coming rest across the table from Emily, an amused smile on her lips.

Emily scowled at her, but there wasn't any real malice in it.

"What's with all this?"

"I decided to cook dinner tonight."

"I can see that," her mom said, that amused smile still playing on her lips. "Any particular reason why?"

"Well, it's not because of your cooking. You know that I love your cooking."

"I know, sweetie. I was just teasing."

"Oh. Okay."

"So, what's the real reason?"

Emily shrugged, her face heating up in a blush. She felt embarrased at the prospect of voicing her thoughts to her mother. Even though she had a feeling her mom already knew, if her widening smile was any indication.

"I'm sure Paige will appreciate the gesture."

"You think?" She really wanted to do something nice for the other girl. This week had been hard, and she wanted to cheer her up. And, she hoped that it would show Paige that she wasn't giving up.

"She'd probably appreciate it if you served her peanut butter on toast, but yes, honey, I think she will. And, I think it's a really sweet thing for you to do for her."

All the teasing was gone from her mother's voice, and Emily raised her gaze, meeting her mother's eye. That was not the reaction that she had been expecting. Though, if she were being honest, she had to admit that it wasn't all that suprising. Her mom had been uncharacteristically supportive of her and Paige since their talk the other night. She wasn't quite ready to dare hope that it meant that her mother had completely accepted her sexuality, but she had to admit it seemed like that wasn't too far off.

"What are you making?"

"Gramma's Chicken Adobo."

"Good choice." Her mom nodded her approval. "You know, that was the first meal I ever made for your father, back when we first started dating."

"Really? What did he think of it?"

"Well, he told me he loved it. So, for the first year or so when we were dating I made it on every birthday, anniversary, special occassion, etc. Then, after we got married, he told me that doesn't like soy sauce..." She shrugged her shoulders, laughing lightly. "He felt bad that I'd put all that effort in, and didn't have the hear to tell me he didn't like."

"Oh, that's awful." But, Emily was laughing too. "Wait, what if Paige doesn't like it?" She paused in her preparations, heart seizing in panic.

"It's not the end of the world if she doesn't, honey."

"No, but, you know she won't tell me. She'll do just like dad did, and force herself to eat it and pretend that she loved it."

Her mom chuckled. "Yeah, she probably would."

"Mom, this isn't funny."

"It is a little funny. Besides, you laughed when I told you about your father."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"Look, Em, I'm sure it'll be fine. Paige said herself she's not a picky eater."

'But what if she is a picky eater and she just said she wasn't-"

"Em, honey, breath." Her mom placed her hands on Emily's shoulder's and squeezed gently. "There's no reason to get all worked up about this. It's a wonderful dish and I'm sure she'll enjoy it. If she doesn't, I'm sure you'll coax the truth out of her and we'll order a pizza. Okay?"

Emily took a deep breath and gave her mother's words a moment to sink in before nodding. "Okay. Thanks mom."

"No problem. Now, if you've got everything under control down here, I'm going to head upstairs for a shower, and then email your father."

"All right. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Well, that's a bit of a role reversal, isn't it?" Her mom gave her a warm smile, then turned and headed out of the kitchen, leaving Emily to her work.

She had just finished setting the table and washing up the last of the dishes she'd dirtied in the course of cooking when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart skipped a beat. She wiped her soapy hand dry on her apron before before her phone out and swiping it unlocked with her thumb to read the text, which informed her that Paige was outside. She glanced down at her apron and the pots and pans on the stove in front of her, debating the wisdom of leaving them unattended for even a moment.

It's open. C'mon in, she texted back, realizing that it wouldn't be for just a moment. They hadn't seen each other in a few hours, and Emily's house was one of the few places that they could be openly affectionate with each other. Especialy while her mother was safely upstairs. Knowing them, the'd get caught up and the whole dinner would burn to a crisp.

A moment later she heard the door whoosh open and close with a soft click.

"Emily?"

"In the kitchen." She wiped her hands on the apron one last time before pulling it off, tossing it onto the counter behind her and raking her fingers through her hair, arranging it in what she hoped was a cascade of stylishly messy curls. She'd just finished that and was trying to decide what to do with her arms, cross them over her chest, put her hands in her pockets, lean them against the counter, when Paige turned the corner into the kitchen.

"Hey, Em. I-" She cut herself off, her face lighiting up in a grin as she took in the sight before her. "Did you cook?"

Emily barely managed a nod before Paige had closed the distance between them and swept Emily up in her arms, mouth descending on hers. She moaned softly as she wound her arms around Paige's neck, drawing her in even closer and deepening the kiss. It didn't take long before Emily found herself being backed up against the counter, Paige pressing into her as her tongue slid into her mouth.

They were both breathless, and Emily was feeling a little lightheaded when they pulled apart.

"I can't believe you cooked for me. That's amazing."

"Don't say that, you haven't even tasted it yet."

"I'm sure that it'll taste great."

"You don't know that. You have to promise me that if you don't like it, you'll tell me."

"Of course I'll tell you." But Paige was still grinning as she said this. Clearly she was just saying it because she thought it was what Emily wanted to hear.

"No, I mean it. You have to promise. My mom just told me my dad ate this dish for over a year, and he hated it. I don't want you to do the same thing."

"All right. All right. I'll tell you if I don't like it. I might even tell you I don't, when I do. Just so you won't get all paranoid on me."

Emily shook her head and pushed Paige off of her. "You're impossible."

Paige just shrugged and leaned against the table behind her. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Everything is just about done. I'm just waiting on the rice to boil. In the meantime, why don't you, come here." She reached out and grabbed Paige's hands, using them to pull her forward until they were standing toe to toe. Once they were, she dropped Paige's hands and slid her arms around her waist instead. Paige grinned down at her, eyes twinkling with amusement as Emily tipped her head and captured her lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

Paige hummed low in her throat and deepend the kiss, her hands coming up to grip Emily's hips, steadying herself, as Emily's tongue swept along her bottom lip, seeking entrance. With a soft sigh she parted her lips, granting Emily's tongue access to her mouth.

"Your rice is about a minute away from boiling over."

Emily's mother's voice had them jumping apart, both of them spinning around to find Pam standing in the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed over her chest and lips pursed. Beside her, Paige gulped, and Emily could see a deep red blush covering her cheeks and creeping down her neck. Emily's face was similarly aflame. She shifted in place, awaiting the blow up. When none came she raised her gaze to meet her mother's and was taken aback that, instead of finding anger or disgust in her mother's return gaze, she saw what she swore looked like a faint glimmer of amusement.

"The rice.." Her mom nodded in the direction of the stove just as the pot started to bubble over, a ghost of a smile playing across her lips.

"Ah. Shit." She turned the burner off and pulled the pot off, holding it over the sink as the bubbles slowly receeded.

"Language, Em."

"Sorry, Mom." She kept her head turned to hide the smile she could feel tugging at her own lips. Her mother had just reprimanded her for swearing, but said nothing about the fact that she'd walked in on Emily making out with a girl.

"Dinner smells delicious. I take it that it's almost done?"

"Everything is ready. I just have to serve. If you guys want to sit down..."

Paige, who had previously been doing a fine imitation of a statue, jumped into motion. "Can I get you something to drink, Mrs. Fields?" she asked as she ushered Emily's mom to a seat at the table.

"A glass of water, please. And, Paige?" She put a hand on Paige's arm as she turned to make her way to the fridge, halting her in her steps. Slowly, Paige spun around.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"I think it's high time that you call me Pam."

"Uh, okay?" Paige shot Emily a wide-eyed look, which Emily returned with one of her own. She certainly hadn't seen that coming.

Pam patted Paige's arm before releasing her grip and settling in at the table. Emily quickly transferred the food onto serving plates and placed everything on the table. She offered a smile of thanks to Paige, who pulled out her chair for her before sitting down herself.

They were mostly silent as they served themselves. Emily gripped her fork tight, watching as her mother and Paige took their first bites, eyes flicking between their faces trying to discern their reactions.

"Mmm, this is really good, sweetie."

"Yeah. Em. This is amazing."

She studied them carefully, looking for signs of deception, but both offered her sincere smiles as the continued to fork mouthfuls of food. Deciding to believe them, Emily relaxed and began eating herself.

Emily had worried that dinner might be awkward after what her mother had walked in on. Her mom had been faced with irrefutable evidence of Emily's sexuality, and she hadn't flinched away from it. She actually seemed to be embracing it. She was as easy-going and genuine with Paige as she had been since the first time Emily had brought her over. They talked recipies for awhile, first Pam's family recipies, Paige inquiring about traditional Fillipino dishes vs family traditions, then onto some McCuller's family recipies before slipping into a variety of other topics.

It was a little surreal, actually, watching them two of them getting along so well. Emily had to pinch herself a few times to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. This was definitely not a moment she ever believed she'd have, her mom sitting down to dinner and chatting amiably with her girlfriend. They hadn't actually had that relationship conversation yet, but Emily felt comfortable referring to Paige as such, at least in her own head. Neither of them were interested in seeing other people, and it felt, at least to Emily, that it was only a matter of time before they made it official.

"That was delicious, Em," Paige said as she let her fork drop onto her empty plate with a clatter.

"You really mean that?"

"Oh, right, I forgot, I was supposed to tell you that it was horrible." She shot Emily a teasing grin as she stood and began gathering up their plates. "I hated it. Worst dinner ever, Fields."

Her mom chuckled softly as Emily stuck her tongue out at Paige.

"I've got cleaning up covered, why don't you girls head on upstairs and get started on your homework?"

Emily's head whipped around to her mother, eyes wide in disbelief. Upstairs? Her mom was letting her and Paige venture up to the second floor, to her bedroom? What strange alternate universe had she stumbled into. Pam returned her daughter's look with a measured one of her own.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't have that much homework and-"

"I'm cooked, I'll clean."

"It's really no trouble Mrs. F-I mean, Pam. We can help tidy up."

"Don't worry about it. There isn't much left to do anyway, Emily did most of the cleaning up as she cooked anway."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Yes, thank you."

Emily wrapped an arm around her mother in a sideways hug and Paige nodded, before the two of them slipped from the room.

"Door open," her mom called at their retreating backs. Emily could hear Paige chuckle softly beside her, and she couldn't help but grin herself.

When they hit the stairs, Emily took the lead, flipping on the light at the top of the hall as she showed Paige the way to her room, pointing out her mom's room, the bathroom and the guest room/craft closet at the end of the hall, before reaching her own door and gesturing Paige inside with a sweep of her arms.

"So, this is Emily Field's bedroom," Paige said as she paced around it, perusing Emily's photos and knicknackes and the clutter on her desk and dresser. "I feel like I've just entered the inner sanctum. Oh, you have a window seat. I've always wanted one of those." She spun around to face Emily. "Can we sit at that for awhile? Oh, but wait, there's one thing I've wanted to do even more than have a window seat." She grabbed Emily by the shoulders and and guided her across the room to the bed, then eased her down onto it. Once Emily was settled on the edge of it, Paige stepped between her legs and, cupping her face in both hands, leaned down and kissed her tenderly. After a moment she pulled back, a blush coloring her cheeks as she dipped her head, hiding her eyes from Emily.

"I've just...been thinking about kissing you in your room since the night we got together."

"That's so sweet." Emily put a hand under Paige's chin, tillting it up until she could meet her eyes, then pulled her head down for a kiss.

Before it could get too heated, she pulled away and stood. "So, window seat huh?"

Paige nodded and shrugged. "Yeah."

"Okay." She took Paige's hand in hers and guided her across the room to the window seat and settled into one corner, then tugged Paige down so the other girl was sitting beside her. Paige leaned into her, snuggling into her side and Emily wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in close.

"I almost told Caleb and Toby about us today," Paige said softly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. We were playing video games and Toby says, 'so, you're going over to Emily's for dinner tonight, huh?' and I froze up for a minute. Almost dropped my controler. All I could do was nod. And he says 'Have you had a Mrs. Fields meal before? You're in for a treat.' And it was on the tip of my tongue to just say 'Yeah, I've been over for dinner a few times. Emily and I are seeing each other.' But I...I couldn't..."

"Hey, it's okay." Emily rubbed what she hoped was a soothing arm up and down Paige's side. "You thought about it, which is more than you were willing to do even a couple days ago, right?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

"So, see, that's progress."

Paige remained silent. Emily wished she had the ability to make Paige feel more confident, more comfortable. Or at very least, the words to say to make her believe that everything was going to be okay. Unfortunately, she had neither. All she could do was tighten her grip on Paige and press a soft kiss to the top of her head.

The spent the rest of the evening curled up together on Emily's window seat, sometimes chatting, sometimes making out, but mostly just enjoying being together, until, eventually Paige extracted herself from Emily's grip with a groan and pushed herself to her feet.

"I should be going," she said, pouting even as she said it.

"I had a great time tonight. Thanks for coming over." Emily pushed herself to her feet as well and laced her fingers through Paige's, swinging their joined hands gently between them.

"Thank you for dinner. It really was amazing." Paige squeezed her hand lightly and then used it to pull Emily in for a quick kiss. "I can pick you up for school tomorrow, but I'm not going to be at practice," she said when they parted. "Coach Halsted has called a full team practice for field hockey tomorrow. With our finals coming up, she's really ramping up, wants the team to be working together. No more independent conditioning."

It was Emily's turn to pout. "You mean I won't get to start my day off by staring at you in your speedo?"

Paige laughed lightly, a blush coloring her cheeks. "How about I send you a picture of me in my field hockey skirt instead?"

Emily took a moment to picture it before nodding her head emphatically. "Yes, please."

Paige laughed again. "Keep an eye on your phone, Fields. You're in for a treat." She offered up a cocky grin, though the effect was ruined by her flaming cheeks.

"Can't wait." Emily winked, which made Paige's grin turn bashful, and the blush spread to her ears. "C'mon. I'll walk you out."