SO here we have another chapter of Waking Up To Ash and Dust. Sorry it's been awhile for this fic. But man... sorry if you guys are waiting on an update on The Queen Has Been Overthrown and Every Chance We Get We Run. But as they say, Don't get sad. Get awesome. So As Long As The Day is Full of Time and Waking Up to Ash and Dust are just so much more easier.
This fic is unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine. I don't own PLL. So like... i'm inspired by different superhero media and if this fic reminds you of any of that, congrats you have good taste. Read and Review?
The scar on her cheek was healing nicely, but Paige was going to always have a reminder of when she failed to protect Emily. She should have been faster. She should have been stronger. She should have fought harder. She could have lost Emily that night two weeks ago.
But she could protect Emily in other ways. Not that Emily needed to be protected. After all she wasn't made of glass.
Far from it.
She was looking for a martial arts class, not so much for self defense but to defend her loved ones. In her free time, she would shop around for classes. Her dad taught her how to throw a punch before middle school. She had done Tae Kwon Do when she was younger, but stopped to focus on high school athletics. She didn't think Boxing was a good fit for what she was training for. After getting kidnapped by Lyndon James, Paige had started taking Muay Thai. It felt a little better so she would keep at it.
But getting the drop on a second time by a man that wanted to hurt her and Emily, had Paige scrambling for more training. So she searched for a Krav Maga class, and found one. It was going to be her second class.
She was surprised to find Spencer Hastings also in attendance. Just as surprised as the other girl was apparently.
"Paige?"
"Spencer. Good to know one of you guys is learning how to defend themselves." They were both dressed in loose clothing and had their hair tied back.
"Not just myself. But everyone I care about." Spencer glanced at the instructor who was calling the class to a start. "Let's talk after?"
Once the class ended, Spencer approached her again. "You're a fast learner. But I always knew that. Was this your first class?"
"Second." Paige grabbed her gym bag.
"I couldn't make it last Thursday." Spencer didn't explain further.
"You wanted to talk? Want to grab a bite to eat and talk somewhere?"
"Are you stalling?" Spencer smirked. "Didn't think you were scared of little ol' me."
Spencer was Emily's friend, but she hardly spoke to the girl without her girlfriend or one of the friendlier girls present. In her experience, talking to Spencer tended to end dramatically, from getting a penalty named after her to getting accused of murder. "Hardly."
"Look I know I can be... Intense, but I think we should form a partnership of sorts."
"If I didn't know better, I thought you were asking that we be friends."
Spencer frowned. "I thought we were friends."
Paige raised an eyebrow. "Okay?" She said the word slowly and with the upward inflection of a question.
"I guess I deserve that. Accusing you of killing Alison and Maya, and wanting to hurt Emily was so off base."
"If this is how you apologize-" Paige smirked. She remembered that day at the lockers, when Spencer had approached her. The words "I know who you are" got to her. She thought that Spencer was talking about something Alison had told her and it had scared her. But she had fought hard to crawl out of the blackness. And no one, least of all Spencer Hastings, was going to make her fall back into it.
That night after Lyndon James died, Paige figured that she wasn't going to get an apology from Spencer. That look from across the crime scene tape was all she was going to get. Then of course, there was Halloween when she saved Spencer from the Queen of Hearts. Spencer had thanked her and that was enough.
"I was wrong. I'm sorry. You're the last person that would hurt her." Spencer put her hand on her shoulder.
"I'm glad we've reached that understanding. You know, the way Emily tells it an apology from Spencer Hastings is as rare as a unicorn. And I'll take it. Not that I needed it. As long as you get that I'll do anything to keep Emily safe than we're good." Paige accepted Spencer's apology not because she needed it. But because Spencer needed her to. "I like you Spencer. And I respect you and I feel that the respect is mutual, so friends it is."
"Good. Because as friends, I would like for you to go with me to attend a Tang Soo Do class. I mean, it's what Chuck Norris practices so it must be good." Spencer said quickly launching into her planning mode.
"Yeah. I was planning on going to that class anyway. I also think we should check out eskrima. It's this Filipino martial art-"
"Of course, we should check out eskrima. I think it would be good to have weapons training. I did some research on it. It a very practical teaching. I've had archery lessons since I was old enough to carry a bow, but you can't really carry a bow and quivers on you at all times."
Paige wondered what Spencer was planning. But it made sense. Having your life continuously threatened would make anyone look into ways how to fight. Even though she wasn't the one whose life was constantly in danger, she wanted to fight. She wanted protect Emily and that protection extended to Emily's friends.
"Looks like we're having our talk now, but I still want to grab some dinner. I mean, we have a lot to talk about, so my treat." Paige offered as she nodded towards the door of the kickboxing studio.
Spencer's face lit up at the mention of food. She picked up her gym bag. "I know this awesome sub shop around the corner."
"Good because I don't want your blood sugar to get low. I've heard how you get." Paige teased as she picked up her own bag.
"You and Emily talk about me a lot." Spencer scrunched up her face.
"So do Hanna and Aria." Paige shrugged and opened the door for the girl.
"You hang out with Hanna and Aria?" Spencer's eyebrows shot up.
"Yes, I do. Because I'm a great listener and Emily wants me to be friends with her friends. Hanna and Aria were easy to approach. I've gone shopping with Hanna and made jewelry with Aria." Paige showed off the bracelet she was sporting on her wrist, made of pleather and metal. "You on the other hand had to be studied from all angles," Paige joked. "But if I knew all I had to do was buy you food…"
"Why does everyone think I'm scary?" Spencer pouted as they walked down the street.
Paige laughed. "You are scary. And it's good. I think the people in your life need a guard dog. You're like a Rottweiler. I mean that as a compliment. People think twice before messing with you and yours. Which is a trait I admire."
"Okay. I'm trying to take it as a complement."
"You should. We had a Rottweiler, a rescue, when I was younger. Ursa. She was very loyal and devoted to her family. Us. Very intelligent. And gentle with me. But would scare off anything that could have hurt me. You get what I'm saying?"
"I do. That you're a big marshmallow." Spencer teased.
Paige laughed. "So we're going to be those friends."
"Yeah. We are."
"Just a heads up. I give as good as I get." It was a little weird how easy they fell in step with each other. But that's what was going to happen. That or they would be at each other's throats. But that really wasn't who Paige was. While winning was everything to Spencer, it wasn't to her. Plus, she felt like she was so far ahead in the game, it actually wasn't fair.
"I'm looking forward to it." Spencer bumped her shoulder with her own.
"I wouldn't expect any less."
Spencer studied her, her eyes briefly landing on her cheek before looking away. "I'm glad that you're okay by the way."
"Thanks." Paige bit her lip. She tried not to talk about what happened. But that didn't stop the rumors that spread around school. That Paige got hurt saving Emily from a gang of bikers to that she was in an underground fight club. The only time she got angry with the gossips was when two girls were talking about how bad things always happened to the girls Emily were into and that Emily Fields was cursed. She was so angry Pru had to drag her away before she did something stupid.
"And I'm not going to gush about what a hero you were. Because that's just what you do. If something needs to be done, you do it. Like that night when you distracted the cops so Emily could comfort Hanna, and when you saved me on the Halloween Train. I didn't forget that you did that. What you did for us."
They were stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Paige looked down the street. She felt a little tense. "If someone needs my help, I will do everything I can to help them."
She started walking towards where she knew the sub shop was.
"But you still feel guilty. Like you didn't do everything you could to protect Emily that night." Spencer said as she walked faster to catch up. "I know what that's like. I feel like I'm not doing all I can to protect them. They count on me."
Paige knew that Spencer had spent time in Radley. The pressure of everything broke her. The minute she thought she failed her friends, she collapsed under the weight of it all. "Thus you're going to all these martial arts classes and learning to fight. But what you really need is someone to help you carry the load."
"Exactly, as much as I hate to admit it. And that's what you need too."
It was true. She didn't want that person to be Emily. She knew Emily was dealing with something huge. Paige didn't want to give her one more thing to worry about.
Plus she wanted to keep an eye on Spencer. She didn't want the girl to end up in Radley again. Or worse. The girl was planning to do some weapons training. That could end badly. The way she saw it, once Spencer got something into her head, she would go through with it and not back down. Spencer was going to do this with or without her help. She might as well go along with her and maybe reign her in.
"Okay. I'm in." Paige nodded firmly. It was strange to have such a deep and heavy conversation with a girl she barely spoke to. But Spencer Hastings was very straight forward. The girl took the path full of resistance.
"Good. I knew I wouldn't have to say much to convince you. So let's eat. You're buying right?" Spencer strolled ahead victoriously.
"Am I going to regret making the offer to?" Paige said as looked skyward.
"Possibly. No, make that definitely." Spencer grinned as she held the door open to Sarge's Subs.
While Spencer was ordering, Paige sent Emily a text. Spencer ended up ordering a foot long called The Officer's Club, which had salami, roast beef, and turkey with provolone cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers. Paige just got Turkey on a Kaiser bun. She got both of them kicked up to value meals, which included a bag of chips and a drink.
"That's all you're going to get?" Spencer looked at Paige's sandwich. She was holding their drinks. Ice Tea, Raspberry and Lemon respectively.
"Yes. Is that all you're going to get?" Paige chuckled.
"I'm a growing girl." Spencer flashed her a huge grin.
"I'm only teasing. I like a girl with a big appetite." Paige thought that an appetite for food translated into an appetite for certain horizontal activities. She didn't say that out loud, but Spencer seemed to get her meaning.
"So Emily? She's a big eater then?" Spencer was grinning and wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
"Mind out of the gutter, Hastings." Paige smirked, but still felt her face get warm. "Well, if we are going to be doing all this training, you'll need the calories." For a moment, Paige thought about maybe the reason Emily was a big eater because she needed more calories than normal. Like way more.
"Exactly." Spencer picked up her sandwich and took a huge bite.
"Eat clean. And I think we should add in some circuit training. And build up functional strength." Paige started making a mental list of exercises they could do.
"Alright, I'll let you handle that stuff and I will make us timetables. You know so we can still have time to study. And you'll still be swimming." Spencer seemed to be making a mental list as well.
"Who needs sleep right?" Paige popped a chip in her mouth. She was becoming more and more thankful to have Spencer be her partner in all of this.
"I'll be sure to pencil in some Emily time for you." Spencer winked.
"Yeah. It's only fair since I'm sure you're making room for getting a room with Toby. For that face time." Paige gave her a suggestive half smile in return.
Spencer fell quiet. "Toby and I aren't speaking."
"Oh. I'm sorry." While Emily spoke about her friends, the one thing she really didn't touch upon was her friends love lives. Well, Spencer and Aria at least. Emily didn't need to speak about Hanna and Caleb, because the blonde talked about it for all of them. She was friends with Caleb, but they didn't talk about their girlfriends when they hung out.
"It's okay. You couldn't have known." Spencer played with the straw in her cup.
Paige could sense that Spencer wanted to say something further. She waited for the girl to talk. She patiently ate her sandwich.
"Do you- Do you get irritated when Emily puts us before you?" Spencer didn't look up.
"I never feel like Emily puts you guys before me. I feel like she gives me just the right amount of time with her. I would never make her choose between her friends and being with me. She needs you guys." Paige studied Spencer.
"I wish Toby could be as understanding as you. Then again, he's not you and I'm not Emily." Spencer sighed. "For the record, she has never told us anything about you. I mean, nothing you wouldn't want us to know about you. She does tell us all about how cute you look when you laugh and how you get really determined and focused right before a meet."
"I know she wouldn't." Paige had told Emily all about how Alison had bullied her and how it had made her self destructive. She had hurt herself because it felt like the only thing she had control over in her life.
"But I'm not like Emily. I told them something Toby didn't want me to tell them. I was just trying to help, but I broke his trust." Spencer pressed her heel of hands into her eyes.
"I'm sure he'll forgive you." Toby seemed like a very level headed and laid back guy. He had to be to be dating Spencer. She picked up the other girl's hand and rubbed it with her thumb.
"Thanks. And sorry for throwing all of that at you." Spencer gave her a small smile.
"It's cool. We're friends, remember? It's what we do." Paige nodded with a grin.
Their moment was interrupted by the ring of a cell phone. Hers. Paige noticed how Spencer has tensed up at the ring, but she pretended not to notice as she answered. "It's Emily. Hey, Em."
"Hey, babe. I just read your text that you're having dinner with Spencer?" Emily said on the other end.
"Yep. You read that right. I'm sitting across from her right now." Paige looked at Spencer. She got an idea. "Do you not believe me?"
"I can see you extending the olive branch, but Spencer not so much. Unless I made her. So if you're pretending to be having dinner with Spencer so I'll let her off the hook, please don't. I mean I'd believe it if Hanna or Aria were there."
"I would never do that." Paige grinned. She so totally would. "Spencer, Emily doesn't believe you're with me. Just you and no handler."
"What! Hand me the phone." Spencer frowned. "Emily, I am hurt that you think I would not behave myself when I was with your girlfriend." She paused. "No, I don't need Aria to babysit me. And no, your girlfriend hasn't been physically harmed. What? Are you jealous that she's with me and not you? I thought you wanted us to be friends. Okay, so she did bribe me with food. But I'm going to return the favor. She asked me to tutor her, and I'm going to take the job, difficult as it may be. How does that sound? Good. Here's your girlfriend back."
"Hey." Paige said a little unsure.
"You asked Spencer to tutor you?"
"I did. I missed a few days of trig and don't want to fall behind." Paige glanced at Spencer, who was giving her a thumbs up. Spencer had just given them a cover story. But she grimaced since she knew Emily still blamed herself about the night after the club. She brought her free hand up to the scar on her cheek.
"Okay. I understand." Emily said weakly. There was that guilt rearing it's ugly head.
"How about I drop by when we're finished up here?" Paige soothed.
"That would be wonderful." Emily cheered up.
"I'll see you then."
"I can't wait." Paige could hear the smile in her voice.
"Bye, Em. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Paige ended the call.
Spencer was grinning at her. "Okay. Emily has got you wrapped around her finger. You are such a marshmallow. You're so fluffy I think I'm going to die."
"Eat your damn sandwich." Paige threw a chip at her.
"Keep that up and I won't tutor you."
"So that was for reals? You weren't just giving us a cover story?" Paige raised an eyebrow.
"It's both. We get a cover story and you get my help in bringing up your grades. I have a reputation to maintain after all. 100 percent success rate with everyone I tutored. Satisfaction guaranteed." Spencer took a bite out of her sandwich.
"You are very dedicated." Paige gave a nod and then burst out with a chuckle.
"You won't be laughing when you are rocking a higher grade point average." Spencer threw a chip at Paige and it hit her in the forehead.
"What the hell? Don't play with your food. The food I so generously paid for." Paige scoffed in mock hurt.
"Sorry, Mom." Spencer smirked as she sipped at her ice tea.
"Besides, I do pretty well without your help. Got into Stanford and everything." Paige winked.
"But you could be great." Spencer raised her fist in the air and looked like she was crushing imaginary enemies.
"Remember how we were talking about how people think you're scary. Giving what sounds like a supervillain trying to get the hero to join the dark side doesn't help."
"Join the dark side and rule by my side!" Spencer went further and then she grinned. "You're so lucky I only use my powers for good."
"Your intense color coding scheme and improbable aiming skills? I think the world is safe if you go rogue." Paige winked.
The two of them continued to chat while they finished up their sandwiches. Paige found that Spencer and her had a lot in common. They had a similar sense of humor, which was great since they could play off of each other and do this witty banter thing. It was like they were trying to playfully one up each other. That was expected because they were both competitive. And maybe it was that they were so alike that they had trouble getting along at first.
"This was fun." Spencer said as they left the sub shop and headed back towards their cars.
"Don't sound so surprised. It hurts my feelings." Paige chuckled.
"You know what I mean. Sorry it took me so long." Spencer bit her lip sheepishly.
"Another Hastings apology. It's my lucky day. I should buy a lotto ticket or something." Paige joked.
"Fine. Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You will." Paige gave her a little salute. They both had AP Gov second period. Then of course they had planned to check out the eskrima class after school. Spencer already had the details since she had called before and knew that the instructor allowed walk ins. The first session was free.
"I better. I know where you live." Spencer fixed her with a serious gaze.
"See, I knew you were spying on me. Perv." Paige nudged her in the shoulder.
"No. If I were spying on you, you wouldn't even know it." Spencer shook her head.
"You think I'm sexy." Paige said in a sing-song voice. "And you hide in the bushes."
"God, what does your girlfriend see in you?" Spencer said in frustration.
"My girlfriend knows I'm sexy." Paige smirked. She noticed Spencer blushing. "I was only kidding about you hiding in the bushes outside my house. But you actually have done that."
"I've never done that in my life." Spencer shoved her away.
Paige didn't mind. "That's not what Emily said. She said you guys once creeped on Jenna."
"That was a shrub!" Spencer crossed her arms in front of her.
"I think this round goes to moi." Paige put her fist against her chest.
"It's not a competition!" Spencer huffed.
"You're right. You're no competition." Paige said, and then maybe she had thought she had gone too far. But Spencer shook her head with a grin.
"I like this. The challenge pleases me. I accept." Spencer cocked her head to the side.
"Again. What you shouldn't say if you want people to stop thinking you're scary."
Spencer laughed. She stopped in front of her Toyota Highlander. "Well this is me. This was a nice warm up. Looking forward to our next verbal judo match. So get ready to lose."
"Lose? I don't know the meaning of the word. All I do is win." Paige stood with her hands on her hips, chest out.
"Oh really?" Spencer opened the door to the driver's side and got behind the wheel.
"Hey, I won you over didn't I?" Paige leaned her arm against the roof of Spencer's car. She looked down at the seated girl and flashed her a confident grin.
Spencer huffed again. She shook her head as she reached around Paige to shut her door. "Watch your thick head."
Paige stepped back and rapped her knuckles against the side of her head. "I always do."
Spencer shut the car door and then rolled the window down with a grin. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Hastings." Paige smirked. She got the feeling that this would be her default expression when she was around the other girl.
"Bye, Marshmallow." Spencer laughed and drove off before Paige could retaliate with a comeback.
Paige shook her head she got in her own car and drove to Emily's house. She parked her car behind Emily's. She got out of her car and walked up to the porch. She rang the doorbell.
"Hello, Paige." Mrs. Fields greeted as she answered the door.
"Hi, Mrs. Fields. Sorry for showing up this late." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Just wanted to say good night to Emily."
"Oh, sweetie. It's not even nine yet. But come in. I'm sure Emily will be happy to see you." Mrs. Fields gave her a bright smile as Paige moved inside. "She's up in her room. Go on up."
"Thank you, Mrs. Fields. In case I don't see you before I leave, good night."
"Good night, dear." Mrs. Fields went back into the kitchen.
Paige went up the stairs and knocked on Emily's door.
"Come in." Emily called out to her.
Paige went inside with a grin. Emily had no idea it was her.
"Paige!" Emily jumped off her bed and came to stand in front of her. She hugged her tightly. Paige winced slightly at her excited girlfriend.
"Sorry. Hey." Her girlfriend said shyly.
"Hey yourself." Paige pulled her closer. Emily leaned her forehead against Paige's. They looked into each other's eyes and then started laughing.
Emily kissed her. "Thank you for coming. I missed you."
"You saw me at school. We even had lunch together." Paige teased. "I get it though. I'm pretty awesome to be around."
"And so humble." Emily still had her hand at the small of her back. It was like she was reassuring herself that Paige was actually there. That she was safe.
Paige took Emily's other hand and kissed her knuckles. "I'm here, Em. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere."
"I know. I was just so scared." Emily lead them to the bed.
"Don't worry. I'm going to live a annoying, long life." Paige grinned as they sat down.
Emily touched the scar on her cheek. "I was stupid and now you have this. It could have been so much worse."
"You weren't stupid. I don't blame you." Paige pushed a strand of Emily's hand behind her ear. "If anything I was the stupid one, taunting the guy with a gun. I know you don't want to be protected. But I want to. I need to know you're safe."
"Let me keep you safe. And if I can't blame myself, then you can't blame yourself either." Emily kissed Paige's scar. Her cheek still felt a bit sensitive, so Paige let out a little groan in pleasure.
"Oh my gosh. Did I hurt you? I'm sorry." Emily pulled back in a panic.
"No. That felt nice. Really nice." Paige rushed to put her girlfriend at ease.
"Yeah? I know some other things that feel nice. Really nice." Emily shoved her down on the mattress playfully.
"Emily, your mom is still up." Paige stammered. She was a mix of aroused and nervous. Aroused because her girlfriend was on top of her. But nervous because Pam Fields could be scary and she didn't want to get on the woman's bad side. It was the worst combination to be.
"Yes, Emily. I'm still up." Mrs. Fields voice called from the hallway.
Paige leaped out of the bed. "Mrs. Fields! Hi. Um… I guess I should be going now."
"Mom!" Emily yelled at the intrusion.
"Emily, it's a school night. I don't want you to keep Paige out any longer. I'm sure her parents want her home." Mrs. Fields seemed to the find the situation amusing.
"Exactly. I have to leave and find a hole to swallow me up." Paige murmured. She hung her head. She couldn't look Mrs. Fields in the eye. Her shoulders were slumped. This was bad.
"Paige, don't worry about it." Mrs. Fields said softly and it made Paige feel relaxed.
"Yeah. Okay." Paige said brightly. She smiled.
Emily was studying her. She looked between her and her mother with her brows furrowed. She sighed.
"Don't you feel better?" Mrs. Fields asked.
"Sure do." Paige didn't know why she had made such a big deal about her girlfriend's mother catching them.
Emily sighed again.
"What's wrong, Em?" Paige asked her girlfriend.
"Nothing." She smiled tightly. "I'm glad you've calmed down."
"Alright then. I guess I should be heading out." Paige glanced at Mrs. Fields, who nodded. She gave them some privacy by leaving the room.
"Good night, Mrs. Fields." Paige said as the older woman got to the door.
"Good night, dear. Now don't take too long saying good bye." Mrs. Fields warned playfully.
With that, Paige turned back to her girlfriend. Emily was biting her lip. She had something on her mind.
"Paige." Emily caressed her jaw as she pulled away. "I'm..."
Emily didn't finish her sentence. She just let the words hang in the air.
"What is it, Em? You know you can tell me anything." Paige squeezed her shoulders.
"Can we meet after you finish up in the pool?" Emily asked.
"Of course." Paige smiled. Her girlfriend knew her schedule. And she wanted to catch up on the hours she had missed. But that probably wasn't what she had wanted to confess.
Emily kissed Paige on the lips. It was short and sweet. It was more than a kiss. It was a promise. It was reassurance. Paige knew her girlfriend wanted to tell her, but for whatever reason she couldn't.
"Sorry about my mom." Emily looked at her sadly. "I'll talk to her about what happened."
"Don't worry about it." Paige chuckled. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was."
"If you're sure." Emily tried again.
"I'm sure." Paige said. "Now stop stalling. I know you're trying to buy more time with me, but I need to get home. I'm sure my dad is ready to call the National Guard to search for me."
"He should know by now that this is the first place he should check." Emily laughed. "And beside, my dad is in the National Guard so you're easily found."
"See, I knew he had surveillance on me at all times. He has to keep watch on his little girl. I am nothing but on my best behavior." Paige held her hands up.
"I know. But sometimes its when I'm not on my best behavior that he has to worry about." Emily put her hands on Paige's chest.
"Don't tempt me." Paige grinned. "I have to go. Or your dad will send the National Guard after me. With guns and tanks."
"My dad loves you." Emily laughed. "And so does my mom."
"What about you. Do you love me?"
"Eh." Emily shrugged. "You're all right."
"Wow. Thanks. That should make it easier to leave." Paige made no move towards the door.
"But really, Paige. You're my strength. And my weakness." Emily had her hands on Paige again. "What would I be without you?"
Paige choked up at hearing the words flow from Emily's mouth. She couldn't think of a reply that would show just how much Emily meant to her. The words would come out wrong. They say actions speak louder than words. So Paige kissed Emily back, longer and harder, accepting her promise.
"You're really trying to get me in trouble with your mom here," Paige said when she ended the kiss.
Emily laughed. "Well, I wouldn't want that."
"I think your mom is scarier than the National Guard." Paige pulled away. She made it towards the door.
"Let me walk you out." Emily offered.
"Yeah. So we can continue this long goodbye in the driveway?" Paige chuckled.
"You caught me." Emily smirked.
The two of them held hands as they walked towards the front door. It was one more kiss before Emily finally said good night and the door closed behind her. Paige started towards her car.
"Paige."
"Mr. Fields!" Paige had fallen into a defensive stance with her hands up, ready to block or strike. That's how startled she had been by the appearance of her girlfriend's father.
"Sorry about that." The older man chuckled. "Shouldn't have crept up on you."
"No, it's fine. I was just saying goodnight to Emily." Paige rubbed the back of her head.
"You're a good kid, Paige." Mr. Fields nodded at her.
"Thank you, sir." Paige felt that Mr. Fields was assessing her.
"Relax. You look like you think I'm about to chew you out." Mr. Fields laughed again. "You won't be getting that from me. Let me walk you to your car."
"I appreciate that, sir." Paige accepted even though she was still nervous screwing up in front of the man.
"Emily is a very special girl. We both know that. And I count myself lucky to know that my daughter is with someone who not only treats her right. But also will do anything to protect her." Mr. Fields walked beside her. He waited for Paige to unlock the car door before he opened it.
"I would, sir." Paige got behind the wheel.
"And I believe you. Good night, Paige." Mr. Fields shut the door behind her.
"Good night, sir." Paige started her car and drove away. She glanced in her rearview mirror. Mr. Fields was still standing on the street, watching her drive off.
The whole exchange had been unnerving. Even though she was nervous when she spoke to Wayne Fields, Paige knew him to be an easy-going man with a wicked sense of humor. The first time she had met him, he had given her a stern look and asked what her intentions towards his daughter was. But she realized he was having her on when Emily and Pam started laughing.
But this conversation tonight was laced with seriousness and importance. Every parent wanted their child to end up with someone that thought the world of them and would support them. Paige got the feeling that this went beyond that.
Emily had a secret. And if that one on one she just had with Mr. Fields meant anything it was that he was in on it too. Probably Mrs. Fields as well.
She got the feeling that the other girls had no idea about Emily. Aria, Spencer, and Hanna were Emily's best friends but they were in the dark.
It was okay. Paige already knew. At least some of it. Paige could wait for Emily to share her secret with her. At first she felt a little hurt that she hadn't been told. It was as if Emily didn't trust her enough to tell her. Or that Emily thought so little of her to think that she would be afraid of her or think that she was a freak. But this wasn't about her. It was about Emily. Paige thought it was almost like coming out. There was this thing deep down about her, that she felt she had to hide. There was something about Emily that if she exposed herself it would change the world. And maybe in a bad way. Paige could see all the dangers that would come with people knowing about what Emily could do.
People would definitely treat her differently. That's why Paige had to protect Emily. She was sure nothing could physically hurt her girlfriend. But there were other pressures that could weigh her down.
And then were would be people that would want to use her. For personal gain, or as a weapon. Emily was too good a person to use her powers like that. But if someone forced her to. Someone like A.
Or worse than A. She thought of some shady government organization, that operated outside the law and there was no proof that it existed. They could take Emily. They could experiment on her, and turn her into something to be feared.
Paige was familiar with enough superhero tropes to be afraid for Emily.
Because Emily had superpowers.
That night in the parking lot, that bastard had shot Emily. Paige had seen it with her own eyes. Her girlfriend had moved faster than anyone possibly could. Emily and the Fields were trying to cover it up. In the hospital, that was when she felt the most hurt at being lied to. The EMTs and doctors treated her story like it was a symptom of a head injury. And for a bit she thought she was going crazy. But she had to get over it.
And she did.
Everything told her it was a dangerous secret to keep. But Paige was going to keep it. And if knowing the secret, if knowing Emily made her a target than she would be ready. No one was going to use her to get to Emily.
When she got home, Paige said goodnight to her parents and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. Then she went straight to her room. The minute she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Someone had been in her room.
"Mom?" Paige called out.
Her mother had just come up the stairs. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"Did you go into my room?" She hoped her tone wasn't coming off as rude, but she was a little on edge.
"You keep it so neat and tidy, I really don't need to daughter of mine." Beth McCullers grinned. "Unless you want me to go poking around your stuff and read your diary."
"I don't keep a diary." Paige tried for a smile.
"I know. Which is what I told your father when he wanted to read it. You know how he gets." Her mother shook her head.
Nick McCullers was good at worrying. But he wasn't very good on acting on it. He acted without thinking, a trait Paige got from him. It usually ended in him getting scolded by her mother or yelled at by Pam Fields that one time. Paige knew that when she stopped talking to her parents when she was dealing with her sexuality and with Alison, her father wanted answers. His brilliant solution was to read her non-existent diary. Which amused her mother to no end and she never let him forget it.
After she ended up in the emergency room a couple of days ago, her father was ready to never let her out of the house. But Mrs. Fields got him calmed down. It was very strange, but Paige was grateful for it. Her dad wasn't completely sold on the self defense classes, but her mom convinced him it would be good for her. He ended up agreeing as long as she could balance it with swimming and school.
"How was your class, Batwoman?" Beth teased her daughter.
"Mom! I should have never lent you those comics." Paige rubbed her temple. Her mother was one of those moms that tried to take an interest in what her daughter was interested in. It was how her mom ended up a huge fan of Arcade Fire.
"Too late." Beth McCullers deadpanned. "So?"
"Well, I learned some basic moves. I really enjoy it. And Spencer Hastings was there." Paige supplied. She had talked to her mother about Emily and her friends enough times for her mom to find that interesting.
"That scary and intense friend of Emily's?" Beth laughed.
"Yes. That's the one."
"I know her mother. We've played tennis before and let me just say scary and intense runs in the family. Well, I'll let you go. I know how much you want to text your girlfriend until you both fall asleep." Beth smirked, letting anyone that saw it know where Paige inherited the expression from.
"I'm just going to go now." Paige shut the door behind her.
Someone had definitely been in her room. Nothing seemed out of place. It would have been obvious if room had been trashed and turned upside down. Whoever had been here, didn't want her to notice.
But she did.
The first suspect that came to mind was A, who had broken into Emily and the other girls' homes before. But A wanted her targets to know they had just been visited most of the time. A left a mark. A wanted their fear.
This didn't feel like that.
She didn't know who it could be, but she knew what they were looking for.
Paige went to sit down on her bed. She picked up her laptop. She didn't want them to know she was onto them, just in case they were still watching. She checked her email. Already she had gotten an email from Spencer with the subject of "Schedule of Activities." She opened it and saw there was an attachment. She smirked and shot back a reply.
She glanced around her room. Maybe they wanted her to know they had been in here. But she couldn't figure out why. Her trophies and ribbons had been touched. Her bed had been remade with the pillows facing a different way. Some of her books were out of order. She kept her multivitamins and other supplements by her bed. A bottle was facing the other way. That was what had her worried the most.
She picked up the bottle of iron tablets. The things were huge. But it wasn't her hiding spot. She just had to take her iron supplement. Her sense of humor wanted to make a joke about lead supplements, but she couldn't really form one that worked and lead was toxic to humans. It was probably good that she hadn't said anything out loud. Even if no one was around to hear (She wasn't sure about that one, maybe her room had been bugged), it would have been awkward and awful. She shook out a tablet and swallowed it.
Besides bullets weren't made out of lead.
She was sure they hadn't found what they were looking for. The smoking gun they needed. Or bullet actually. That bastard had shot Emily.
But the bullet had just bounced off of her. Paige had found it by chance, her fingers wrapping around it that night and slipping it into her clutch.
She was going to make sure she could keep something like that close to her when she could. When she had asked Aria about making jewelry, the girl's eyes had lit up with excitement. It seemed that it was an interest that none of her friends shared. Aria helped her once she had gotten all the materials. Pleather and metal made for an interesting piece.
Paige showered and got ready for bed. She got under the covers. She ran her fingers along the cool metal in her bracelet. The scar on her cheek wasn't the only reminder of that night. The bullet was a challenge to do better. To be better. She might not lose Emily to a bullet or a knife, but she could lose her.
She couldn't just be Emily's protector, she had to be her support as well.