Paige slammed down the lid of her car's trunk and joined Emily, who was giving their roommates tearful hugs good-bye. Paige didn't want to rush them, but she and Emily needed to get on the road. They had a long drive ahead of them, and Paige wanted to avoid driving after dark.

This summer was going to be different from the rest of their high school and college summers. Paige and Emily both knew that they wouldn't be swimming professionally after they graduated, but they still wanted to stay involved with the sport that had been their passion for as long as they could remember. They were still going to swim for Drexel, as senior co-captains, in the fall, but rather than spend their summer in intense training camps, as they had the previous years, they decided to get some experience that would help prepare them for life after college; life as volunteer or paid coaches.

They had both worked, in some form or another, with youth swimming programs, but those programs were mainly about introducing children to swimming and teaching them how to be safe in the water. This was their first time working at a camp like the ones that had been part of their lives when they were growing up – a camp aimed at helping girls hone their skills for competitive swimming. It was also a first for them, in that they were going to be paid assistant coaches, not volunteers.

Emily, though she never said anything about it, viewed the camp as a trial run of sorts for her and Paige. They both expected to have a life and a family together after college, and Emily viewed camp as a way to see how she and Paige would work together in ways that parents did: Encouraging the girls when they needed it, disciplining them when they needed that, celebrating with them after their victories, consoling them after their defeats. Parents seemed to have a good cop/bad cop relationship with their children, and, although Emily was pretty sure that Paige would be the good cop – the pushover – she was eager to see how they would play off of each other, and whether it would cause any friction between them.

They got to the camp for staff orientation before any of the young campers arrived. The staff had a couple of days to get to know one another, to go over the rules and regulations, and to become familiar with the camp's layout and equipment. They also received their uniforms. Even though Paige and Emily had grown used to being issued uniforms and warm-up suits with their names and their schools' names on them, it still came as a bit of a pleasant shock to be issued jackets with the word "Coach" embroidered next to their names. They didn't feel very much older than the high school girls they would be coaching; it seemed almost fraudulent to have those girls to refer to them as "Coach" and to look up to them the way that they were used to looking up to their coaches. It was an adjustment to realize that their word was law: If someone asked them for permission and they said no, the girl might complain, but she inevitably complied. Paige, especially, felt a sense of guilt over that. Perhaps it was because of Emily's father's military background and his no-nonsense parenting style, but it wasn't as big an adjustment for her. She was, she realized, definitely going to have to be the bad cop.

Another difference in attending the camp as coaches rather than campers was that they had a lot more leeway. When it was lights-out in the cabin, or the campers had their study time, the coaches and counselors had free time. Paige and Emily enjoyed the opportunity to find some solitude in the woods – maybe to share a picnic, or just to sit on a tree stump and enjoy the stars, or to lie on a blanket late at night, enjoying the stars.

One evening, alone under the stars, they heard some giggling off in the woods, putting a damper on their private moment. They weren't doing anything inappropriate or even PG-13, but the giggles put an immediate chill on their time together. Paige sprang up, ready to give chase in the woods, but Emily restrained her, tugging at her shoulders

"They're just being girls," she reminded Paige. "Didn't you ever sneak out of the cabin when you were a girl?"

"Em, what if they tell somebody?"

"Tell somebody what? Paige, we weren't doing anything wrong. We're allowed to be out here, and it's not a crime to make out with your girlfriend!"

"Oh." Paige chuckled. "Oh yeah." She relaxed and sat down again.

"Besides, what are they going to say, 'We broke curfew and sneaked out of the cabin and caught Coach Fields and Coach McCullers making out?' They would be the ones who got in trouble!"

With a seductive smile, Paige took Emily in her arms again. "Where were we?"

So, whoever it was who caught them didn't say anything to the staff. Apparently, though, they said something to their fellow campers, judging from the looks and snickers that Paige and Emily got at roll call the next morning. Emily laughed it off, and even had some fun with it, giving Paige casual touches to give ammunition to anyone who had heard the rumors and may have wondered whether or not they were true. At breakfast, she put her hand on Paige's shoulder as she sat down at the table with their campers. "Oh, Honey…" Emily paused to let the word sink in before she continued, "I forgot to get some honey for my tea!" Paige shook her head and rolled her eyes as Emily stood up again and retrieved the honey.

Camp ended up being a better experience than they had expected. They looked back fondly on their opportunities to help guide and mold young lives; helping give them confidence and direction, in and out of the pool.

And they had fond memories of their time alone, as well; the relaxing morning or evening swims, long, slow, walks in the woods - holding hands and dreaming.

And yet, they were really looking forward to getting back to campus. There's an excitement at the beginning of any undertaking, and a companion excitement, tinged with sorrow, as that undertaking nears its end. Emily and Paige had both looked forward to their freshman year at Drexel, and the new opportunities that lay before them. Both of them had high hopes that they would find new love and new friendships - hopes that, despite a few stumbles out of the box before they settled in with each other, they met and even exceeded. They had dreams of taking their swimming to the next level, and they lived those dreams as well. All in all, things were as good as could have been expected.

And now, as difficult as it would be to put the wonderful experience of college behind them, they were eager to get into their final year. They still had so much to look forward to.

Senior year was, in a lot of ways, easier than junior year had been. They had completed their internships, they had fulfilled all of their departmental requirements - so they could take the classes that actually interested them - and their class schedule was lighter.

As co-captains of the swim team, they had some increased responsibility, but they had been groomed for the position over the past two seasons, and they were thoroughly prepared for it. It was bittersweet, knowing that they would never swim or compete at that level again, but they had made the most of it. There was satisfaction in knowing that they had given it their best.

"Uh oh," Paige said with a smile, reacting to the smile on Emily's face. "Where is she?" Paige scanned the gaggle of young swimmers organizing themselves into lanes on the far side of the pool complex.

"Paige," Emily said dismissively, though her smile didn't dim.

"It's cute," Paige said, wrapping her arms around Emily as Emily stood perpendicular to her, "this little schoolgirl crush!"

"It's not a crush! She just... admires me, because I'm older, and, from her perspective, I've got it all together."

"Uh huh," Paige said skeptically. "Plus she wants to get into your pants!"

"Paige, please!"

Paige sighed dramatically. "It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type!"

"Yeah," Emily said idly, wriggling out of Paige's arms as she joked, "Get away - don't let her see you hugging me!"

Paige chuckled. "So, what would you do if I weren't in the picture?"

Emily turned towards Paige, all of a sudden serious. "Why wouldn't you be in the picture?"

"Hypothetically."

"What, like, you dumped me?"

Paige sighed. "I would never dump you. Let's say I died."

Emily smacked Paige's chest. "You died?"

Paige cringed. She wasn't making it better.

"Okay, sorry," Paige pleaded, putting her hands up as she walked back that last statement. "What if we never met. Let's say I went to Stanford, and we never knew each other. Tell me you wouldn't go for it with Freshman McCrushy!" Emily rolled her eyes at the name. Paige shrugged her shoulders. The name wasn't the point.

"We never met?"

"Never knew I existed!"

Emily's tone got theatrical. "Then I would live a life of dark loneliness and solitude, knowing that my soulmate was out there somewhere, but that cruel fate had kept us apart."

"Oh, you are so full of..."

"... Love for my girlfriend?"

"Yes. That," Paige said, giving Emily an affectionate hug. "That's exactly what I was going to say."

"Yeah, meanwhile, I love how you're so good at picking up on the one girl ever who has a crush on me, but you somehow manage to be completely oblivious to the never-ending stream of girls who are constantly flirting with you."

A consequence of their lighter course loads was that, after swim season, they had the opportunity to take little getaways on the weekends. They kept it simple - and, since they had to prepare for their lives and expenses after college, cheap. It was nice just to get off campus and have some time to themselves. They knew that, after graduation, their opportunities to do that would be far fewer. While they were at the same school and on the team, their schedules were automatically coordinated, to a large extent. Once they graduated and pursued separate careers, coordinating their lives would be more difficult.

It was a challenge that Emily looked forward to with relish: Leaving each other notes on the refrigerator about picking up dinner or dry cleaning; waking the other one up with a kiss on the way out of the door; the angry, "Where are you?" phone call, when one forgot that she was supposed to pick the other one up. It all seemed so real and couple-y. There would be some difficult times, but Emily had never shied away from those. Some people look at the mountain in front of them with dread - an obstacle between them and where they're going, while others look at it with relish - an opportunity to flex their muscles and grow stronger.

The mountain is the same; it's only the approach that makes people bitter or happy.

"Mmm," Emily said as her lips separated from Paige's. It was supposed to be a quick kiss good-bye, but Paige's lips felt surprisingly soft that morning. Emily rubbed her finger across them. "Your lips are so soft this morning."

"Huh?" Paige was still half asleep.

Emily chuckled and kissed her again. "I love you."

"Love you," Paige said, her eyes already closing.

The hardest part of senior year was knowing that they would never be as close - physically or relationally - to their best friends again. Of course, they would still keep in touch, but it wouldn't be the same. Emily didn't have to look any further than her closest friends from high school for proof. They all still kept in touch; yet, Hanna and Emily's relationship was stronger than her relationships with Aria and Spencer, since she and Hanna had been together as roommates throughout college. She still saw Aria and Spencer, but it wasn't the same. And that would be the case with Hanna and Pru after graduation. Hanna was headed for New York, Pru was headed for Pittsburgh, where most of her family lived, and Paige and Emily were staying in the Philadelphia area, close to Emily's family. Pretty soon, marriage and children would take up more and more of their friends' lives. Those were good things, of course, but things that would make it even harder to stay close while they were physically apart.

They would still maintain those friendships, of course, and Paige and Emily would develop other good, enduring relationships with the people around them wherever they ended up working. None of it was bad. Like everything else about senior year, it was bittersweet.

"Isn't there a fashion scene in Philly?"

"Yeah, of course there is!" Hanna stepped back from the hug, her hand still resting on Emily's shoulder. "And I want to end up there, someday. But I have to get established before I can strike out on my own, and the best place to do that..."

"I know," Emily said sadly, stretching out the word. "It's just going to be hard, after spending the first 22 years of my life with you always right there..."

"I know, Em," Hanna said empathetically. "But I'm only a train ride away! You guys always have a place to stay in Manhattan!"

"What about you?" Paige asked, turning to Caleb for a hug.

"Oh, you know," he said softly. "It doesn't matter where we live. Anywhere I've got WiFi is my office."

With some final hugs and a few tears, they settled into the car and off to where life was taking them.

Epilogue

Paige slid her thumb and her forefinger through her hair, her other hand firmly gripping the wheel. She and Emily weren't really talking, but they were enjoying being together. Paige wasn't even aware of the faint smile that was on her face as she drove.

She had been thinking about all of the time she and Emily had spent on the road over years. So much of their relationship, it seemed, had been forged in cars.

The first trip was to Rosewood for Thanksgiving , when Emily couldn't stop apologizing for missing that turn and getting lost. Paige, remembering, looked over at Emily, who looked back with a smile. Things were so much different then. Even though they were best friends, they were both so unsure and tentative around each other.

In their later trips, they really got to know each other, from their taste in music to their relationships with their families and friends, to all of the little things that made them who they were.

Paige used to dread long trips in the car, but that changed once she started traveling with Emily.

Emily could tell that there was something on Paige's mind, but Paige wasn't saying anything, and that was okay. Emily just returned the smile that Paige shot her way. Driving with Paige always made her smile. Paige seemed to get such a kick out of being behind the wheel - like a kid fooling around in her mom's car. It was one of the many endearing things about Paige that Emily had collected in her memory over their years together.

Emily put her hand on Paige's thigh and rubbed it gently. Paige, now smiling full-on, looked over at Emily, enjoying the attention but wondering what had brought it on. She had no idea the effect she had on Emily sometimes - nor did Emily, for that matter, have any idea of her effect on Paige.

Paige hummed at the feeling of Emily's soft hand against her skin. Everything was serene and perfect. It was hard to believe that life could be so good.

The peaceful scene was abruptly interrupted by booming din of a tractor-trailer's air horn and the screech and smell of burning brakes. The last words Paige heard were Emily's desperate cry of, "Paige! Look out!"

Paige sprang up into a sitting position on the bed, breathing heavily and clutching at her heart. She looked over to where Emily was curled up, facing away from her, sleeping peacefully. Paige reached her free hand onto Emily's back just to ground herself. Her touch was feather-light; she didn't want to wake her.

But Emily stirred, scowling as she reached for her phone to see what time it was. Her scowl dissolved into a look of worry and concern when she turned over and saw Paige, eyes wide open, still clutching her heart, her chest heaving up and down in forced, rapid breaths.

Emily reached her hand up to stroke Paige's cheek "Did you have a bad dream?" Paige nodded, not yet able to speak. "Oh, my poor baby." Emily eased Paige down onto the bed and held her close. Usually, Paige was the big spoon when they slept, but, this time, it was Emily clutching her protectively.

Paige's heartbeat began to slow to its regular pace in Emily's soothing embrace, their hands clasped against Paige's belly; Emily's body pressed tight against Paige's back. But Paige was not calming down; rather, she was becoming defiant. She knew why she had had that dream. It was her fear of happiness; or, more accurately, her fear that she wasn't allowed to be happy - the fear that, if things were going right for her, it just meant that she was being set up for a fall.

She had had the dream before, or others like it. The dreams were different to match the circumstances. When she was named the first sophomore in the history of her high school to anchor the varsity relay team, the dream was of her, training solo, hitting her head during one of her turns and going under, as blood filled the pool. When Drexel offered her a full scholarship, the dream had her being publicly exposed as a plagiarist and a fraud, her name in all the local papers as she was expelled from school.

And, now, when she was at what should've been the happiest point of her life, the dream returned, to try to take that away from her: Sharing love with Emily; then, both of them wiped out in a moment. She squeezed Emily's hand tight. She was not going to let fear win.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked softly. Paige could feel Emily's lips against her shoulder, and they felt warm and sincere.

She turned over in the bed and faced Emily. "Everything's great," she said, with a genuine smile and a hard kiss. "I love you so much," she whispered.

"I love you, too," Emily replied, smiling cautiously at this revitalized Paige. She smoothed her fingers through Paige's hair. Looking intently into her eyes, she asked, "Do you want to talk about the dream?"

"Nope!" Paige was still smiling like a kid in a commercial as she kissed Emily again. "Later, maybe. Right now, I just want to enjoy you - us - and our incredible life."

Paige's eyes were sparkling in the semi-darkness. Emily recognized the look.

"Ooh, enjoy me? You want to enjoy me?" she teased, their kisses becoming deeper.

"Yes, I do," Paige asserted. "I want to devour you!"

Emily shrieked at the challenge and tossed the blanket aside as Paige slid on top of her, her hands seemingly everywhere.

Their solitude was interrupted by a creak of light as their bedroom door pushed open and tiny, running feet padded inside. Paige rolled off of Emily and chuckled to herself at the thought that he fates really didn't want her to be happy. Not that night, at least. She looked up to the ceiling, shaking her head, conceding that the fates had won that round.

Emily shot her a sad smile before turning her attention to the tiny intruder. "Hey, Little Man," she said softly. Emily leaned up on one elbow so that she could see over Paige, who had ended up stretched out on her back. "You couldn't sleep?"

Evan extended his arms, holding up a teddy bear with its arms spread out wide, like a gymnast on the rings. "Teddy," he mumbled.

"Teddy couldn't sleep?" Evan nodded. Emily gave Paige a slight pout and mouthed the word, "Sorry."

Paige winked at her before turning to their son. "Well, he'd better come up here with us," she said, reaching down to pull the pair of them up into the bed. Evan lay between them, facing Paige as he clutched Teddy tight against his chest. Paige and Emily lay facing each other, two pieces of warm toast sandwiched around the future that they were building together.

Evan and Emily were asleep in no time, but Paige lingered awake, watching them. She smiled as she placed a kiss on her wife's forehead. This was it, she realized. This was her "happily ever after." Whatever happened, whatever life threw at them, nothing would ever take that away from her.

A/N - Thank you so much for reading! This would have been an awfully lonely ride without all of you. Thanks especially for the reviews and PMs, which are really what kept this story going. Special thanks to those heroes who took the time to review each and every chapter. I can't tell you how much that means.

Here's a bit of trivia: fanfiction dot net assigned this story the number 12346785. Does anyone else find that as frustrating as I do? :)

I'm going to take some time to get caught up on the stories that some of the other incredible authors on this site and on AO3 have been creating. I don't have any stories in my mental queue right now, but, based on past experience, I'd be surprised if we've heard the last of each other.

You have all been kind beyond measure with this story. I know that it was a very personal version of Paige, quite different from the Paige we know and love. Thanks so much for indulging me.

I wish I could give each and every one of you a hug. I honestly love you all.