Final Chapter! Thanks for reading along.

Chapter 12

Today is the day. Paige is giving her genealogy presentation in Social Sciences. She is a bundle of nerves thinking of what lie ahead today and it has nothing to do with her presentation.

Before heading to school she had one stop she wanted to make. She walked through the creaking, rusty gate at Rosewood Community Cemetery. She had to walk pretty far back to get to the older section of the lots. Paige found the row she was looking for and read until she found the right headstone.

There on the weathered stone read "Paige Ann Adkins." It only seemed right for Paige to come visit her today. Paige sat down by the stone and began to talk. "Hi, Great Paige. That's what I call you- it's a long story. I'm Paige, your great-great-great granddaughter. Yes, my mom named me after you. Anyway, today I have to give a genealogy presentation in my Social Sciences class. I chose you to do my project on. I've learned so much about you over the past several months. I've actually learned a lot about myself in the process too. I'm partnered with another girl in my class, Emily Fields. She's the great-great-great granddaughter of Emily Adams. I know about your love affair with Great Emmy. I'm sorry that it ended the way it did. I want to thank you for the sacrifices you both made. Without you marrying Great Scott and Emmy marrying Great Jacob, I guess Emily and I wouldn't be here today. That's something I could never imagine. Emily has become someone so important in my life that I cannot comprehend her not being in it with me. I love her, Great Paige. Emily is an amazing girl. I almost let her get away because of my own fear. I pray that I am able to get her back. You are an inspiration to me, Great Paige. Through knowing you I now have the courage to pursue the girl of my dreams. We'll see how it turns out. All I can do is try. I have to go to school now. I'll come back sometime soon and let you know how things are going."

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Emily and Paige were sitting next to each other in Social Sciences. Emily was acting pretty frosty towards Paige, which she was not surprised at. They had not spoken since Emily ran away from her at the trails in the meadow. She hoped after her presentation the tables may turn a bit.

Paige is supposed to be the last to give her presentation today. As Mrs. Montgomery called her to the front, Paige turned to get one last look at Emily and made her way to the front of the class.

Paige begins, "I discovered what Mrs. Montgomery said to us at the beginning of this project is profoundly true. You can't know where you're going unless you know where you've been or in our cases where or who you come from. My genealogy project is about my great-great-great grandma Paige Stephens-Adkins. She's actually who I am named for. I learned so much about her life, and in turn, what I want my life to be like during my research. It wasn't until just last night that the focus became clear. My great-great-great grandma is the inspiration for that. I always thought she lead a good life. Her family was middle-upper class. She helped run a successful family business, and had a family that most would envy. But the more I learned about her the more I realized that she wasn't living the life she would have chosen for herself. There was a void in her life that she could not refill. It was left there by someone she deeply loved, but felt she had to give up. Our ancestors and our families help to shape who we become but our lives- our futures- are decided by us." She then looked directly at Emily, continuing, "If there is something you want out of your life, pursue it. That's what my great-great-great grandma taught me." She ended as the bell rang.

Mrs. Montgomery thanked her for her presentation and excused the class to leave. Paige quickly grabbed her bag off of the back of her chair and fled the classroom. She had something she needed to do and only had a few minutes to do it before getting caught.

Emily sat there in a daze. All of her classmates were filing out of the room around her and Emily didn't even notice. Hanna walked up to her and said, "Wow. Ok, Paige can call herself 'Great Paige' all she wants if she keeps giving speeches like that. What was that all about anyway?"

Emily didn't even look up at the girl. "Emily, hey, I'm talking to you! What's your deal?," Hanna asked her best friend.

"Huh, what? Sorry, I guess I zoned out," Emily mumbled in response.

Hanna smirked. "Well, you were Paige's partner on the project. What was that all about? Sounds juicy!"

"Oh, it's…a long story. Excuse me, I need to go find Paige," Emily said as she hastily gathered her belongings and rushed from the classroom.

Out in the hall Emily began scanning the faces looking for Paige. She couldn't find her anywhere. With reluctance she went to her locker to get her last books for the day. As she opened her locker a light blue envelope fell out. She recognized the stationary immediately. She opened the envelope only to find a small note from Paige that read: Meet me at our spot. Tonight. 8pm.

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Evenings were becoming cool in Rosewood this time of year. Emily was bundled in a sweater and light weight leather jacket as she walked towards the running trails. The tall grass lining the trails was rustling in the light breeze. She guessed the location correctly. There in the middle by the stretching station was Paige. The faint light from the crescent moon provided just enough illumination to see Paige's figure. She looked nervous.

Paige turned as she heard someone approach. Thank God, she came. "Thank you for coming, Emily. I really wanted the chance to talk to you."

Emily looked Paige directly in the eyes. "What's this about, Paige? That was some speech you gave today."

Paige moved a few steps closer to Emily. She was relieved when Emily didn't take any steps back. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I am so deeply sorry for the way I acted after our kiss. That kiss really shook me to my core."

Paige paused for a moment. "Go on," Emily said as she waited for what would come next.

Paige took a deep breath. "I started falling for you too; way before we found out that our Greats were lovers. Emily, you are all I've ever wanted in a girl. I fell so hard and so fast for you that it scared me. I couldn't stand the thought that I could have a great relationship with you then one day potentially lose you, like Great Paige lost Emmy. I wouldn't have been able to take that."

Emily reached for Paige's hand, "Paige, we aren't like them. More importantly- we AREN'T them. Our story doesn't have to end the same way. Not if we don't let it."

Paige took another step closer. She and Emily were now standing only inches apart. "I know. I get that now. Our fates are not intertwined with theirs. I let the complexity of the circumstances cloud my judgment."

She sighed. "My dad likes to give me these inspirational books to help me 'focus on swimming.' I read one not too long ago and the author put this question out there: 'at the end of your life, what is the one thing that you could look back on and regret?' Last night as I was reading a letter Great Emmy sent to Great Paige my answer became clear. My one regret in life would be not giving us a real chance. I love you, Emily. Please, give me, give US a chance." She looked at Emily as the tears she was trying to hold back finally broke free.

By this point Emily had a trail of tears flowing down her own cheeks. She gently placed her right hand on Paige's cheek and wiped away her tears. "I love you too. So much and it happened so quickly. We'll figure this out, Ok? We may be young and we both hopefully have long lives ahead of us. I know one thing for certain. I want you in my life, Paige- always."

The two girls leaned in just enough to brush their lips together. It was slow at first and each girl savored the contact. Their lips melted together felt so right. They soon were swept into their need for each other as the kisses turned passionate. Emily frantically ran her hands up and down Paige's back seeking any kind of contact with Paige's skin that she could find. Paige threaded her fingers through Emily's hair. Both girls wanted the other so much they could feel it in the pit of their stomachs….but not in the middle of a grassy field.

Their love was sealed in the heated kisses they shared in the meadow and the love they made later that night at Paige's cabin. The two were soul mates. The bond they shared would carry them through a life full of love and happiness.

The End