Just A Kiss

Summary: The four times that Spencer Hastings kissed Emily Fields. And the one time that Emily finally kissed Spencer back.

Pairing: Spencer/Emily

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings and events thereof, are properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

Author's Note: Just a little something that came to me. I beta'd it myself so I'm sure that I missed a few things here and there, but hopefully you will enjoy the story anyway! :)

i.

It is a sunny day at Rosewood Elementary, a perfect September day in which the breeze of fall is just enough to make the hot rays of the summer sun not so blistering.

Sitting in the sandbox is five year old Emily Fields, working to sculpt the perfect sand castle, like the one that she made at the beach with her Mommy and Daddy before he was shipped out again. A sand castle just like the one from her best day on earth, a day that she swears will never be topped, not even if she lives as old as Mrs. Baxter next door who is celebrating her ninety-second birthday Friday.

Emily knows this because her Mommy baked some cookies but Emily could not have any because they weren't for her.

Grabbing another pail, she begins to work on the towers of the castle when a group of kids come running toward her. She does not look up however, because Emily doesn't like kids. At least, not these kids, because she knows she can't get attached to them, in case they have to move again. Even though her Mommy swears they won't be moving ever again.

"Hey Emily, do you want to play house with us?" A little girl wearing a black vest and tiny black pants asks. Emily looks at the little girl who has dark brown hair that curls around her shoulders, her eyes squinting at the sunlight that practically burns in her eyes. She bites her lip before she shakes her head shyly.

"No, thank you."

"Come on, please. We need someone else to play and I want you to join us. Playing in the sandbox all by yourself is no fun. You don't have to be shy. We're all really nice." The little girl begs but Emily only shakes her head, removing the pale, patting down the sand of her tower.

"No, thanks."

"I'll give you my juice box." The little girl offers but one again, Emily shakes her head.

"Come on, Spencer, she doesn't want to play. Maybe Julia Ackers wants to play." Another little girl with dark raven hair states from the side and Emily hangs her head, working diligently on her castle. Spencer sighs, wrinkling her nose, looking back over the group before back at Emily.

"You can be my wife." Spencer says.

"What? No, she can't. Your girls, silly. You can't marry each other!" A heavier blonde states and Emily looks at Spencer, and then looks down once more. Smiling softly, Spencer steps into the sand box, taking a pail in her hand, filling it with sand, and then builds another tower with Emily's.

"Of course we can, Hanna. Girls can do anything boys can but only better." Spencer smiles at the crowd before she stops Emily, taking her hand in her own, "What do you say, Em? Want to be my wife?" Emily smiles, dropping her head with a warm blush before nodding her head with a giggle.

"Sure."

"Great!" Spencer practically beams. She leans forward, placing a quick kiss against her lips. Emily remembers because she tastes like strawberry lip gloss and cookies. Standing up, Spencer laces their fingers as she pulls Emily out of the sandbox, leading her with the group.

"Spence?"

"Yeah?"

"Do I still get your juice box?"

ii.

Emily is seven the next time that Spencer kisses her.

It is a hot day in May and school has finally, after what seems to have been an eternity to Emily, let out for summer vacation. Spencer promised that she would teach her how to roller-skate this summer if they could use her pool. Emily thought it was a perfect opportunity, because she really wanted to learn how to roller-skate so she could impress her Dad when he came home. And her Mom really doesn't like her swimming alone anyways.

Spencer had been teaching her all morning with her sister's set of skates that she 'borrowed', but they couldn't tell her or she would get really mad. And when it came Emily's turn, the little girl was practically shaking in her shoes. Spencer promised her that she would be fine but Emily didn't believe her.

Spencer holds onto her half of the way, and then she lets her go. Emily rolls for about a minute unattended, before she stumbles and falls face first into a set of bushes with a rather loud thud.

Spencer races to her friend, pulling her out of the bushes quickly, her eyes glancing over her tiny body that is now covered in scratches and scrapes from the bush's thorns. And Emily is crying, something that she swore that she would never do in front of anyone ever again after her Grandpa died a few months ago.

Pulling out a box of band aids from her back pocket, Spencer begins bandaging Emily up. When she places the last Purple Puppy band aid on Emily's scratched cheek, Spencer leans in and places a kiss against her lips.

Emily remembers because Spencer still tastes like strawberry lip gloss.

iii.

Emily is thirteen when Spencer kisses her again.

It is the very first swim meet of the year and Emily is a nervous wreck. She cannot believe that she signed up for something like this, to go out in a swimsuit for everyone to see. Her body parts have not even came in yet, unlike her friend Hanna's have, or even Aria is starting to get her womanly parts. But Emily, she has nothing, she is as flat chested as an ironing board.

And she isn't even that good of a swimmer.

She is pacing back and forth in the changing room, practically biting a hole in her lip as the tears try to form within her eyes. This is a mistake, this is a huge mistake, she thinks, gulping. She wonders if she sneaks out the back, if anyone would miss her. Maybe her mother. But that would be it. It is not like people came for just her anyway. She stops her pacing, however, when she sees Spencer standing in the door.

"I can't do this." Emily hiccups.

"Em."

"No, I mean, I really can't do this. People are going to stare at me, and I don't even have boobs yet!"

"You look fine. You look more than fine. You are beautiful." Spencer pipes up, walking into the changing room. But Emily, stubborn as always, is having none of it.

"And I'm not even that great of a swimmer. What if I get in there and I forget how to swim?"

"That won't happen."

"How do you know?" Emily hiccups in a cry, "I shouldn't have done this. I should not have signed up for this. I should have done lacrosse with you, or… or… ran track or something. Something that doesn't involve getting in front of people in a bathing suit and swimming because I can't even swim that great, I am going to make a fool out of myself. Why did you let me do this? I can't—"She is interrupted when Spencer's hands cup her face and she kisses her. Emily remembers, because she, even now, tastes like strawberry lip gloss. Pulling away Spencer smiles at Emily, tapping her nose with her thumb, watching as Emily grins back at her.

"You'll be great." Spencer winks.

iv.

Emily is fifteen the next time the girls share a kiss.

The girls are having a party at their friend Allison's house and the hostess decides it is time to play spin the bottle. A group of adolescents surround the empty beer bottle that Allison supposedly 'found' in her father's study but Emily is not so sure that she believes her because the group of friends know that sometimes, when Allison's dad isn't looking, she sneaks into his liquor stash.

The group surrounds the bottle eagerly, a group of kids, most of which Emily knows, but some she does not. She notices Ben, the guy that plays football, smiling at her from across the bottle. She smiles politely back at him but she knows he wants more than that. She knows he is hoping the bottle lands on him, but she is hoping it doesn't.

She watches as the group takes turns spinning the bottle. Aria kisses some boy that plays baseball, Hanna kisses some boy from the accelerated math class but Emily cannot recall his name. Allison kisses some boy that Emily does not really know. Then it comes Spencer's turn. She spins the bottle, reluctantly, of course and Emily finds herself holding her breath, almost hoping that it lands on her.

And it does.

Across the bottle, Emily's dark eyes meet with Spencer's and both of the girls blush softly.

"You can have a do-over." Allison states.

"No, that's okay." Spencer speaks up and the entire group looks at her rather oddly, "I mean if I had a do-over then everyone else would want to have a do-over. Emily's my friend. That's how you show affection. And I obviously love her. Cause she's my f-friend. Unless any of you have a problem with two girls kissing." But the group shakes their head, no-one speaking up about their homophobic fears, even though Emily knows a few in the group who pertain them.

"We'll make it quick." Spencer promises, smiling at Allison as she leans across the bottle. Emily follows her lead, leaning toward her. Their lips meet in a soft kiss. Then, as quick as it happens, it is over, Spencer is pulling away and Emily's heart is still left racing.

Emily remembers because it is the first time in nine years that Spencer doesn't taste like strawberry lip gloss.

v.

It is storming that fall night when Emily is staying over at Spencer's. The girls have been through a lot in the past few years, from Allison's disappearance, to her death, to the annoying A texts they have been getting, to Maya's death and Spencer's parents plus Melissa acting all weird. It is almost amusing to Emily how, even after everything the two of them have been through, they have remained the closest out of their group of friends.

They are watching a Romantic Comedy. It is neither of the girls' thing, especially after Maya's death, but they are trying to get through it together. Recently, Toby and Spencer separated and Maya died, and neither of the two women thought they would be able to get through a romance, happily ever after kind of movie ever again. So, tonight they are enduring the cheesiness together while making fun of it and eating popcorn.

It is a showing of The Lucky One. Not exactly either of the girls' favorite because they both swear that Zac Efron is gay and watching him try to be heterosexual is painful. After all, who has eyebrows like that, Spencer jokes quietly and Emily can't help but laugh. She used to think he was cute back in the day that really should have been her first sign that she liked ladies.

"Em." Spencer calls out and Emily looks at her, the glare of the television the only light in the room and it dances across the perfect corners of her face. Emily wonders if Spencer has always been this beautiful. The taller girl looks down quietly, taking a piece of popcorn, placing it in her mouth, chewing quietly. Emily sighs, returning her attention back to the television, reaching in for a piece of popcorn when their hands accidently brush. Blushing, Emily pulls her hand back with a quiet giggle and Spencer smiles a little.

"I am sorry about Maya." Spencer sighs and Emily feels a bitter ping in her stomach. She hates when people say that, when people look at her like 'Poor ol' Em', when people think she is going to break. Her girlfriend died, and yeah, it has been hard, but it is not as hard as everyone looking at her like she is some type of porcelain doll, ready to break. She thought Spencer understood that.

"And I know how you feel about people saying that, how you hate it when people feel sorry for you. And I am not doing that. I am not feeling sorry for you. Because I know that you are okay and I know that you can handle it. And I know that we have gotten our revenge by Garrett being in prison. But I just wanted to say it. I know what it is like to wake up alone and I know how much it hurts and I never wanted you to ever hurt. Ever. So, I'm sorry that you had to. I wish I could take it all away." Spencer sighs weakly and Emily looks at her through tear filled eyes before she nods quietly.

"I know."

For a moment there is a long silence, Emily and Spencer only eat their popcorn.

"I'm sorry about you and Toby." Emily sighs and Spencer shrugs quietly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Things happen for a reason, I guess. Although I wish we would have realized that earlier before I had sex with him on our couch. Now, I have to convince Mom that we need a new one. And she hasn't exactly been 'yay Spencer' since Garrett got arrested." Spencer grumbles, popping in another piece of popcorn and Emily nods. Quietly, she moves closer to her best friend, reaching in for another piece of the buttered corn.

"I never wanted you to get hurt either." Emily whispers and Spencer looks at her with a gentle smile.

"We're quite a pair, huh? Brains and brawns." Spencer teases with a laugh and Emily chuckles with her.

"We always have been." Emily smiles in return. For a moment there is another silence as Emily leans closer to the intelligent athlete, "Spencer." It is a hush baited breath as the woman looks at her. And then suddenly, it happens. Emily's lips collide with Spencer's, her hands sliding through her hair as she pulls her close. Breaking the kiss, Spencer looks at her gently.

"Em, I don't think we should…"

"We always have been this, Spence. But life got in the way. Now, I'm here. With you. And we're together. We've always been together. Brains and brawns, remember?" Emily smiles before she places another gentle kiss against Spencer's lips. The lacrosse super star smiles into the kiss as she allows her swimmer best friend to gently lay her back, deepening their kiss.

Spencer Hastings remembers the first time that Emily Fields kissed her.

She remembers because she tasted like home.