Remember To Breathe

Disclaimer: I own nothing and I profit from nothing.

An: Surprise surprise another update…I've been replaced by a Pod Person ;) It's come to my attention that some might not be too happy with the word "Pussy" I get that, it can come across as crass, but really I think it sounds more genuine than "Vagina" or "Core" or whatever word other writers are using. Besides saying something like "Va Jay Jay" might just ruin the mood don't you think? R&R xXx.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh. My. God!" Emily rolled her eyes as Hanna squirmed like a maniac at the foot of her bed. She didn't order an early morning wakeup call and if Hanna kept this up she wouldn't be held responsible for her actions. 'Where the hell is my girlfriend?' She wondered.

"Hanna!" Maya called harshly as she bolted through the very same door Hanna had magically appeared in not five seconds prior. 'There she is.' Emily thought pleased at the sight of Maya dressed in the night shirt Emily had worn to bed. Emily smirked at the sight, still clutching the bed sheet to her chest. "What the hell dude!" She hit the blonde and turned to her very naked girlfriend, ignoring Hanna's pout. "I'm so sorry baby. I was trying to let you sleep in." Maya whispered placing a loving kiss onto Emily's awaiting lips.

Emily sighed at the contact, "I don't blame you." She said pointedly looking at Hanna, the blonde huffed in response. "Hanna I love you…but you really need to disappear." She stressed as her devious girlfriend began sneaking her hand under the sheet, caressing skin she spent all night memorizing. Emily shuddered at the images they painted after Emily woke up from her nap.

"But it's Saturday! Come on you two, take a break from the earth shattering lady loving, Spencer and Aria are waiting for us at Spencer's. Coffer and scones!" The blonde stood her ground, not that she really wanted to keep them from enjoying their alone time, but Maya looked like she could use a good cup of coffee lest she keel over.

Maya sighed and offered Emily her best 'she's kind of right' look. "Get dressed Baby, I'll keep Hanna busy…show her something shiny." She joked.

Emily gave a soft laugh, but her mirth gave way to something more smoldering as she peered at Maya through her lashes. "Are you sure you won't join me in the shower?" She leaned in close and whispered hotly into Maya ear. "You see I'm so sore and I don't think I'll be able to reach my back."

Maya swallowed down her arousal, knowing if she didn't leave now the two of them would stay shacked up for the remainder of the weekend. 'Doesn't sound horrible if I do say so myself.' Maya noted as her dark eyes took in Emily's disheveled appearance. 'Must resist.' If only it were that easy. "God you guys are incorrigible!" Hanna said showing her amusement as she dragged Maya from the room and left behind the now pouting Emily.

"It was worth a shot." Emily smiled to herself, stretching out her sore muscles with an appreciative groan. 'Right then…shower time.'

As Sunday night came to a close and Emily found herself alone in a bed that smelled of her gorgeous girl…well she found it to be a bit bittersweet. Her mother had returned just in time for dinner and Emily found herself quite content to sit in the background as Maya and Pam found a surprising common ground. Jazz. Who knew a little Frank Sinatra was all it took to turn her mother into another member of Maya's harem.

Yes harem, Emily wasn't oblivious to the looks and sad hearts that watched Maya in the halls of Rosewood High. It was hard not to fall for the girl's natural charisma and 'devil-may-care' attitude; it is what sealed Emily's fate after all. She's pretty sure Hanna is the group leader of that particular club. Emily laughs at the mental image.

"Emily?" A knock on her door alerts her to Pam's presence.

"Yea?" she asks, spotting the single red rose delicately held in her mother's hands. "What's that?" a perplexing smile quirked at her lips as her mother handed it to her.

"I found it on the welcome mat…it has a note." Pam said simply, folding her arms as she waited for her daughter to read it.

I see you. I love you. I want you. I watch you.

Emily baulked at the cryptic message, "Judging from your reaction I'm assuming it wasn't Maya." Pam stated dryly, coming to rest next to her confused daughter.

"No, it's not. Maya would never send me a rose…it's too cliché." Emily said absently. "She knows I don't like roses." She added absently, trying to rack her brain for a suspect.

Pam sighed, "It's not the rose that worries me…that message; it's a bit creepy." She fixed her daughter with a worried look. Emily nodded in agreement. "Honey would you feel better if Maya spent the night? I mean, it's just a little weird." Pam pushed, not really feeling comfortable leaving her daughter alone in her room.

Emily's eyes widened at the suggestion, "What, no mom, I'll be fine." Sure she'd love for Maya to spend the night…but it felt a little weird with her mother under the same roof.

"You're not worried?" Pam persisted.

Emily shook her head, "No. It's probably someone just playing a joke, but if it'll make you feel better I'll talk to Maya and the girls about it tomorrow and get a second opinion. Okay?"

Pam nodded, "Alright, and you're going over to Hanna's after school right? For that poker game?" Again Emily nodded. "Okay good, you want me to throw this out on my way to bed?" Pam gestured to the rose.

Emily shook her head, "No, I want to show it to them…maybe Spencer will recognize the Florist or something." Emily said, tossing the flower onto the window seat. "Goodnight mom."

Pam stood and shut off the light, "Goodnight sweetheart."

'Who the hell would send me a red rose?'

"Pam just found it there, no one around?" Maya asked again as she stared angrily at the rose that now sat in the middle of the table, surrounded by the girls.

Emily sighed, "Yep, it was just laying there in all its creepy glory." She deadpanned before turning to Spencer, "I thought maybe you'd recognize the card or something, maybe it's from a florist you'd know?"

Spencer picked up the card for careful inspection, she shrugged. "Well it's just a standard card, but…there's only one florist in town so I'd hazard a guess that it's from there."

Hanna pushes her, "Couldn't you have just told us that from the get go?"

"Well excuse me." Spencer scoffs.

"Okay enough." Aria cuts in, turning to Maya and Emily as the couple leans into each other. "As obvious as that was…I think it's even more obvious who sent it." The table sags in dread.

"She's right, there's only one person crazy enough to pull something like this." Spencer adds.

Hanna shakes her head, "No way, she can't be that dense. She'd be certifiable if she thought Maya wouldn't find out and do something about it."

Maya lets out a harsh laugh, "That's probably what she wants, it's a double edge sword." She groans, pulling Emily impeccably closer.

"What do you mean?" Hanna asks quickly.

Emily answers for her girlfriend, "If Maya does something Paige will probably set it up to look like she was innocent and Maya will get in trouble and if Maya doesn't do anything, Paige gets away with harassing me."

"Bitch is crazy." Aria says leaning away from the rose likes it's a vile piece of trash.

"Bitch is smart." Spencer counters.

Hanna once again shakes her head; she grabs the rose and tosses it into the trash. "Yea well bitch is dead if she thinks she'll get away with this." She stands stubbornly; arms crossed and glare in place.

Maya grins fondly at her friend, "Sit down Hanna." She states softly, happy as the blonde does just that. "Look as much as I hate the idea, we can't do anything until we know for sure that it is Paige." She states pointedly, looking at each girl with purpose. "When we do find out, then we'll figure out how to handle it in a way that benefits us and doesn't hurt Emily."

"Or you." Emily states firmly, nudging her girlfriend.

Maya laughs, "Right." Maya doesn't try to argue with Emily, because she knows she'll never win, but in her mind as long as Emily came away from this minor bump in the road unscathed, then nothing else matters. Maya would gladly take whatever consequences being dealt if that meant her girlfriend remained safe from harm.

Maya watched as Emily gathered her things from her locker completely unaware that she was being watched…and not just by Maya. No Maya was watching Paige watch her girlfriend. It unsettled her. She had to give the girl some credit though, she was discreet. If it wasn't for the fact that Maya was looking for the behavior she wouldn't have guessed that the girl was doing anything but gathering her books.

As it was though, Maya knew what the girl was doing…she was waiting, but for what? Maya looked back to Emily just in time to see a note fall from one of her books. 'Oh great. Another note from delusional Romeo.' She thought sarcastically as she watched Emily read it with a disgusted look on her face.

Seeing the gleeful expression on Paige's face just further sent her over the edge, but she knew she had to play this one smart. She couldn't just corner the girl and beat the shit out of her…she smirked at the memory as she strutted toward her unsuspecting girlfriend. As if Emily could sense her, she looked up and grinned lovingly at Maya.

She pulled Emily into her as soon as she was within arm's reach and claimed the girl's lips as her own in a chaste, but possessive kiss. Emily didn't seem to mind as she gladly accepted Maya's touch and attention. "Anymore creepy notes?" Maya spoke just loud enough for Paige to overhear.

"Unfortunately." Emily responded dryly as she handed the note to her girlfriend. Maya scanned the note, her blood boiling with anger as the words hit her. She looked up, purposely catching Emily's eye so she knew just how close Maya was from going after Paige. Emily caught the meaning and pulled her lover into her body, protecting her from her own raging emotions. "Come on Baby, we need to get to Hanna's and help her set up."

Maya nodded, taking one last look at the note before crumbling it up and tossing it in the nearest trashcan, the words burned into her memory as she walked Emily out of the building.

I forgive you for loving her,

If you forgive me for replacing her.

You'll see soon, you belong with me.

"Hey! No making out on the furniture!" Emily laughed as the couple hurriedly pulled apart, the brunette almost falling off the couch in the process. "Oh wow, you should have seen your face." She giggled watching her friend flush a deep red and the blonde joined her laughter.

Aria turned to Samara with a disbelieving look. "Oh you think this is funny?"

The blonde shook her head as she tried to rein in her giggles, "No uh not at all. Zero fun here." She gave the girl a look of innocence. Emily just continued laughing at the pair that is until Aria turned her glare to her.

"What? Why am I getting the death glare?" Emily said in mock innocence, which just made Aria glare even more. Raising a finger, Emily pointed to the side of her mouth. "You got a bit of lip-gloss right there."

Aria was quick to swipe her mouth and upon finding nothing and hearing Emily's roar of laughter, she growled at her friend. "I'm so kicking your ass for that." Emily took off down the hallway, Aria right on her tail.

Samara shook her head at the pair as Maya plopped onto the couch beside her. "Are they always like that?" she questioned Emily's girlfriend.

Maya shrugged, "You've met Hanna." Was all the explanation she gave as she watched her love act so carefree and childish, it was a side she didn't get to see all that often. She loved it.

"Is there a reason Aria's trying to strangle Emily on my breakfast bar?" Hanna asked coming upon the scene after letting Spencer in.

"Emily caught those too making out." Maya gestured from Samara to Aria. "Spencer this is Samara, Samara this is Spencer." She introduced the two.

"Hey I've heard a lot about you." Spencer smiled pleasantly and shook the girl's hand.

Samara grinned back at the girl, "Same here…I admit I was a little skeptical when I heard of this Team Sparia, but I don't think I have anything to worry about." The blonde joked, sneaking a glance at Aria. Spencer laughed, noting the obvious way in which Samara watched Aria move around the kitchen, the blonde was definitely hooked.

"Alright Aria stop trying to kill Emily it's time to start!" Spencer yelled at the two, finally getting them to separate though Emily was smirking smugly at the shorter girl as the joined the others around the kitchen table. "So the game is Five Card Stud, Deuces wild, five to bet and ten to call." Spencer said already shuffling the deck.

Samara's eyes went wide as she leaned over to whisper in Aria's ear. "She takes this seriously doesn't she?"

Aria grinned deviously at the blonde, "Spades on top." The blonde's eyes went even wider. She was in for one hell of a game.

Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, Emily and Spencer ended up tied for the win as they out played the other girls. Hanna of course was the first one out, followed closely by Maya, then Aria. Samara turned out to be a worthier opponent, but she'd miscalculated Emily's tell and lost everything to Emily's large straight, spades.

It was down to the last hand and as the girls stared at each other, the tension grew. "I'm all in." Spencer smirked.

Emily pushed her chips into the pile, "I call." She smirked back at her friend as the others watched, holding their breaths.

Spencer showed her card, "Four of a kind, Jack high." Sure enough there were four queens staring her in the face, a jack supporting her set.

Emily sighed and laid down her cards…grinning as she took in the shocked faces around the table. There laid two aces and two kings…and the two of spades. Emily had a full house whichever way she played the wild card. She'd won the game. "Full House." Emily grinned.

"That's right! My baby won! Suck it Spencer!" Maya cheered grabbing her girlfriend into a hard kiss. Emily responded enthusiastically.

"Damn, I thought you had her." Samara tried soothing Spencer.

Spencer shrugged, "Me too." Aria and Hanna just shrugged, munching away on the plethora of snacks set out.

"Naw Emily's gotten way better at poker since she's been with Maya." Hanna finally said with a smirk, waiting for all the attention to fall onto her before she said her punch line. "You know, on account of all the strip poker they play." The group erupted in laughter.

Emily frowned in confusion, "Wait…I thought you didn't tell her about that?" She questioned her girlfriend making the room stop and stare at the couple in disbelief.

Maya shrugged, "I didn't."

"Wait you guys actually play that?" Hanna shriek, utterly appalled that Maya would keep something like that from her, "Why the hell didn't you tell me!"

"I don't tell you plenty of things Hanna." Maya smirked, baiting the blonde. By now everyone else was catching on…except the pouting blonde.

"Like what? We aren't supposed to keep secrets you know!" She glared at her friend.

This time Emily smirked, "I bet she didn't tell you that she jumped me in the girl's locker room after swim practice the other day." Hanna's mouth dropped open…so did Samara's but a sharp nudge from Aria quickly fixed that.

"What!?" Hanna shrieked, finally breaking Maya and Emily's façade as the two started cracking up.

"Oh my god Hanna we're joking!" Maya squeezed out between giggles.

Emily shook her head, "I can't believe you think I'd let that happen!"

Hanna shrugged and gave Emily a pointed look. "Have you seen your girlfriend?" Emily lost her argument.