Guest: Thank you.

Guest: Yep, slowly moving forward.

Jhas I think that if Pam were to adopt Paige, that'd make it a little awkward for her and Emily to be dating. It was fun, writing doting Pam, after so many scenes of her being skeptical or standoffish. You're right, Paige is the only one of Emily's girlfriends you don't see interacting with Pam, and it would have been nice to see on the show.

I think Paige will always be sweet with Emily, and maybe a little earnest, but she's definitely growing more confident, more comfortable in her own skin.

No, they're not ready for anything too physical yet, but they will be, eventually, and getting them there is so much fun.

Guest Glad you liked it. And, Paige will be taking some public steps shortly, don't you worry.

Dragoncila It would be funny, if Pam had.

Guest Yep. Paige is a boob girl. Glad you enjoyed that part.

siophiefandom Glad you liked the boob stuff. I feel like, for Paige, and it being her first time with a girl, stuff like that are important steps. And it's just as much emotional as it is physical. Yeah, Pam. I think she fully intended to rip into them, then she walked in, saw Paige and just went into mothering mode instead.

ponderhouse The give and take between them is my favourite part to write. I feel like they complement each other well. I'm glad you like how their relationship is developing. And that you like the mix of hot/sexy and sweet. Because, even when they're getting physical, I think a lot of it is emotional as well. I like writing Pam in that mode, and I think that her going into it immediately says a lot about how far she's come in terms of accepting Emily, and Paige.

Ren-McCullers Yes, Paige is finally getting to experience some of the perks. After a lot of struggle to accept herself, she's being rewarded. And I agree, I think the more support Paige has, the more comfortable and confident she'll become. Glad you liked Pam in Mama Bear mode with Paige.

CaliGirlForLife Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Jace 24 I'm glad that you enjoy the way the relationship is developing, and how they're developing and connecting with each other. There's definitely a growing trust there, as well as desire. They're not ready yet, but getting them there is going to be a fun road. I agree, it would have been nice to see some interactions between Paige and Pam. And, Paige and Spencer (or any of the girls, really.)

Sora Yagami I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill you. Oops. I know just what you mean though, I'm a fan of those abs as well. For sure. Yeah, I think Paige has Pam on her side. And, I have some plans for her meeting with Wayne, which should be fun. Stay tuned. There may or may not be some girls reaction to playing hooky all day. Depends on how it fits into the next couple chapters. Thank you for leaving a review. I appreciate it. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I hope you continue to.

Guest: It's not bad, it's a realistic scenario that her parents might not accept her. I haven't actually decided how all that is going to play out, so maybe.

Author's Note: This chapter's a bit short. Short and sweet, I guess. But, I wanted it to stand alone, rather than become one scene within a longer chapter. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy it.

Chapter 28

It had only been a week, but Emily had gotten so accustomed to having Paige almost constantly by her side that it was weird to wake up and realize she wouldn't be seeing her for the better part of the day. Luckily, she had a full schedule to keep her busy until Paige would pick her up for their first date, later that evening. Staring with a Skype session with her dad.

She had been so excited about it that she had been unable to sleep in the way she normally would on a weekend. She found herself lying awake in bed, alternating between staring at her clock, watching the minutes tick forward, and staring at the ceiling, tracking the pattern of the shadows cast by the sun as it rose and her room grew brighter. Her heart beat pick up in anticipation as their scheduled time grew closer. When she could take it no longer, Emily slipped from her bed and began pacing the room, unable to remain still for another moment, until, finally, she dropped into her desk chair and booted up her computer.

She stared at the icon in the corner of her screen for so long, willing her dad to come on, that she almost didn't notice when his face did fill the screen. The image was shadowy, and somewhat blurry, but it was unmistakably him.

"Emmy." His voice echoed thinly through the computer speakers, the sound a half second or so out of sync with his mouth, as he broke into a broad smile, which Emily found herself returning.

"Daddy." She was sixteen, nearly seventeen, much too old to be using such a term, but there was a part of her that reverted back to being a little girl the moment she laid eyes on her father.

All the things she meant to say to him, about school, her friends, swimming, school, it all flew from her thoughts as she took him in.

"Baby girl, how are you doing?"

"I'm good, Dad." She pressed a finger into the corner of first her right eye, then her left, trying to stem the flow of tears. "How are you?"

"Better now that I get to see you."

She laughed through her tears at his corny, yet also completely genuine response.

"So today's the big day, huh? Your first date with Paige. Nervous?"

Emily shook her head. "No. Not nervous." Excited. Eager. Anxious for it to begin, yes. But, she was confident in her plans, and comfortable in their relationship. There was nothing to be nervous about.

"Good for you. So, what's the plan?"

"I thought we'd go classic, dinner and a movie," she said, then filled her dad in on the details of her plan.

She'd spent the last couple of days trying to come up with a plan that would balance her desire to take Paige out on a real date with Paige's discomfort about being out in public. Instead of heading into Philly, where they were liable to run into someone they knew, Emily had google searched restaurants and hour away in the opposite direction, landing on a small Italian restaurant next to a drive in theatre in a town she had never even heard of before.

"A drive in? Going to make good use of the nice big backseat in your mother's car, are you?"

"Dad!" she ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat up in a blush.

"What? I was your age once. I remember what goes on at the drive in when you're that age."

"Dad!" She couldn't believe he'd said that.. Now she'd have to scrub her mind of the mental image of her father at the drive in.

He chuckled softly, clearly amused by her discomfort. Despite the heat in her cheeks, and her current inability to look her father in the eye, Emily had to admit it was nice to have her father joke with her about this.

He had taken her coming out far better than her mother. After the initial shock had worn off, he'd told her that, as long as she was happy, he was happy for her. That he had seen far greater affronts to God in his years in the military than two women, or two men, happy and in love.

He had made an effort to support her relationship with Maya, though Emily had been able to tell he was wary of her. And he seemed willing now, to support her being with Paige.

"I don't hear you denying it," he teased, his grin only growing wider.

She shook her head, fighting her own grin as well. "We're not having sex," she said softly, finally meeting his eye. "She's not ready. And neither am I."

He nodded, taking the news in. "You've talked about this?"

"We had a conversation about it a few days ago."

Emily knew it was unusual, a girl her age talking to her father about sex, but the two of them had always been close. She and her mother, despite loving each other dearly, often butted heads. Her father had always been her calming influence, her level headed sounding board. She went to him for advice on the things she didn't feel comfortable asking her mother about, or were out of her friends depth.

She was probably more open, with both of her parents, than most people her age. Part of that came from her inability to lie to them. The rest of it came from knowing that to have a relationship, you had to work at it.

Having a father who was away the better part of her childhood meant that she could have grown up with him being a stranger, a signature on a birthday card, a voice on the end of a phone line, someone who popped into her life on occasion, there for a few days and then gone again. Instead, he and her mother had done everything they could to make sure that he was present in her life, even when he was miles away. And in return, she was open and honest with him, about pretty much everything, as a way of keeping him close.

"Sounds like things have gotten pretty serious."

"Yeah. I guess." She waited for him to say something about it being too soon, or that she needed to be careful, but he merely nodded as well.

"So, tell me about this girl, who you're getting serious about."

Where to start? There was so much to Paige that made her who she was. Emily felt like she could spend all day talking about her. If only she and her father had that kind of time. Instead, she tried to boil Paige down to her most basic traits. But, even then, she had a feeling she was rambling, if the indulgent smile on her father's face was any indication.

"You really like this girl, don't you?" he asked, once she'd finally run out of steam. "You're whole face lights up when you talk about her."

Emily felt her cheeks heat in a blush and she ducked her head, unable to keep the grin from her lips as she nodded. "I really do."

"And, does she treat you right?"

Emily's grin only grew wider as she thought of all the ways in which Paige was so good to her. "Yeah, Dad. She does."

"I'm glad, Emmy," he said, giving her a warm smile.. "And, how is your mother taking to all this?" he asked a moment later, his tone turning serious.

"Pretty good, actually." Emily bit back a laugh at his expression. Though he tried to hide it, attempting to put on a neutral front, she could tell he was surprised. Possibly in disbelief. "I think she really likes Paige."

"Now, that I have to see to believe."

"I know, right?" It felt a little crazy to Emily as well. She never thought that she and her mother would get to a place where, not only did her mother accept her sexuality, but genuinely seemed to like the girl she was with.

She'd doted on Paige for the entirety of her visit, not letting her lift a finger to help in the kitchen, constantly checking to see if she need anything-water, aspirin, ice for her head. She'd even joined Emily and Paige in the living room for dessert and a movie, not even flinching when Emily had instinctively snuggled into Paige's side, and wrapped an arm around her. It had been a sight to behold.

"I'm glad that the two of you are working things out. I know it was tough on you."

It had been. For a while there, it had seemed impossible. The progress they had made in the past few days. "We're doing okay," she reassured him, knowing he worried, and also knowing that he hated being caught in the middle between them.

They talked for a while longer, about school, swimming, her friends. And quite a bit more about Paige. Until, all too soon, Wayne was sighing softly and informing her that he had to go.

Emily wanted to beg him to stay on for another few minutes. She resisted the urge, knowing that it would only make it harder on him. Though he tried to hide it, she was the sadness in his eyes at the end of every skype session, heard it in his voice at the end of every call.

"I'll talk to you later, baby girl. Take care. And be good to your mama."

"I will, Dad. You too. Be safe."

"Always, Emmy. Always. I love you."

"Love you too."

With one last sad smile and a wave his was gone, his image flickering, then the screen went dark. Emily stared at the screen for a long moment before turning her computer off and rising from her chair, it was time to get on with her day.