A/N: Set after 4x11.

The song ends and Emily turns around, Paige's hands still on her waist. She looks at Paige and doesn't want her to let go. Doesn't want to let her go. Paige gives her a smile and the lights twinkle in her eyes one last time before they go out and they stand there, alone. The other couples have left the barn. She doesn't know when, but they did and now they'll have to leave too.

"Let me take you home," Paige whispers with a light squeeze of her waist and her heart flutters lightly. She nods and bites her lip, taking a step back. "Let me just tell Spencer that I have a ride home." The hands on her waist let go, and she has to swallow and take a deep breath before walking towards the door.

Before she reaches it, a hand slides into her own, fingers tangle and a smile tugs at her lips.

She finds Spencer talking quietly with Aria, Jake not standing far away, together with very few people that haven't gone home yet. She walks in their direction and decides to give them a warning. "Hey, Spence!" she calls out, opening her mouth to say more, but Spencer's gaze locks on their hands and she gives her a nod with a small smile.

Mouthing a 'Thank you', she turns to Paige and bites her lip. "Okay, we can leave." Smiling, Paige leads the way to her car.

They've been sitting in silence for ten minutes now, only counting since Paige pulled up in front of the Hastings house. There are so many things she wants to say but she doesn't know how. Paige's hand is warm and heavy in her own and she turns her head to look at Paige.

Paige's eyes are resting on their entwined hands, observing her own thumb as it moves around in circles over Emily's skin and she could swear there is a blissful smile trying to make it's way onto her face. Her heart flutters again and she forgets how to breathe for a second.

"I love you." It just leaves her mouth, breaking the silence and she shocks herself with it. It's not anything new to her, but she it's like she forgot. In the midst of losing her house and her dream, she lost herself. She lost herself and she nearly lost Paige.

"I love you too." Her breath gets stuck in her throat and she tries to swallow against the tears she can feel coming. She squeezes Paige's hand and swallows again.

"3000 miles is a long way, but not long enough to keep me away from you," she says and Paige lets out a small laugh, looking at her. "That sounded kind of creepy, didn't it?" Nodding slowly, Paige smiles. "Yeah, kinda."

"What I mean is, I don't want us to break up. I don't want to lose you. Not to someone else and not to 3000 miles." She hears Paige taking a deep breath and squeezes her hand. "I don't want to lose you either."

The silence creeps back into the car and she just looks at their hands. "I'm sorry for pushing the swimming thing so much," Paige whispers and it makes her stomach twist. "You don't have to be sorry. I'm sorry for snapping at you though. You were trying to help."

"Maybe, but I pushed it too hard." Shrugging, Emily looks at Paige. "You couldn't have known, I never told you how I felt about it." Again, they're quiet and focus on their hands, their warmth and the way they fit together. "Swimming was the one thing I was sure of. Swimming was the one thing. It was my thing," she breathes out. "And without it, I feel like... nothing. It was what made me special." When she finishes, it's barely a whisper anymore and the tears she has been holding in slowly roll down her cheeks.

Paige turns in her seat and waits until she looks at her, holding Emily's hand between her own. "You don't need swimming to make you special, Em. You are the most caring and thoughtful person I've ever met. You're also the strongest person I've ever met. You get through all of this every day and still have love to give and energy to spend. Swimming is not the what makes you special. You are special on your own."

A small smile forms on her face and she brings one hand to her face to wipe at the tear tracks. "If it helps, you're very special to me," Paige mumbles and her heart jumps. She watches as Paige looks down at her lap and she can't help it. Touching Paige's face softly, she leans in and kisses her with all the love and hope she has.

She's missed this, missed Paige's touch, her smell, the feeling of their lips softly brushing against each other. There are tears mingling into the kiss and she's not sure if they're her own, but it doesn't matter, she just kisses Paige harder, trying to get closer.

When they stop, their chests heaving and their lips inches away from the next kiss, she decides she's pretty good at kissing Paige, and she knows that this is what she wants. This is who she wants. Regardless of the swimming, the distance, Red Coat and whatever else is going to come.

It'll always be Paige. And she should have known all along. Kissing Paige again, she swears that she won't forget it again.