Quick Notes: Pretty Little Liars is not mine; I'm just playing with the characters. Spoilers for this story include any and all PLL episodes.

This short was written for Paily Week 2012 Day 1: Meet the Parents. Please enjoy!

Crash

Paige lay on the asphalt face down as the sound of heels clicking rapidly approached her.

You have got to be fucking kidding me, she thought. Slowly and with a small wince, she planted her palms on the icy street below her and pushed her upper body off of the pavement. She did a quick inventory of her body. Nothing broken, nothing bleeding – wait, the spot on her elbow where she hit the ground was exposed to the cold air and blood dripping down her arm. Motherfucker! She practically spat out as she stood and verified that the rest of her body was just fine. Only her favorite shirt was ruined in today's disaster.

"Oh my God! Oh are you alright, sweetie? I didn't see you coming." A somewhat familiar voice called out to her before a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. Instinctively, she shrugged the hand off and turned to yell at the insane woman who had just hit her with her car. Upon turning around, however, Paige's words caught in her throat and she began to cough uncontrollably. Oh god, no. How does this stuff always happen to me? Her thoughts were racing as she struggled to catch her breath.

Pam Fields placed her hand gingerly on the coughing girl's back and patted softly. "Oh dear, are you going to be ok? Do I need to call an ambulance?" She reached in her pocket to pull out her cell. Before she could dial, however, Paige looked up in an almost panic and started talking through her cough.

"No *cough* I'm alright *cough* don't worry *cough cough cough* about me. *half cough* really." She took a deep breath to calm herself. What are the odds that the one person in this damn town you literally run into is your girlfriend's mom? That you haven't met yet. That you're supposed to have dinner with tonight. The night you've been painstakingly preparing for all week.

Without thinking, Paige reaches for her phone to call Emily, only to find that her phone is not in her pocket anymore. She looks around the ground where she landed and spots her phone lying face down just behind the front tire of Pam's car. She walks over – stiffly – and picks it up. The screen is broken and the glass falls away gracelessly. "Great." She says out loud. "Just great." She picks up her bike – with its newly bent and airless front tire – and drags it onto the Fields' front lawn before plopping down heavily onto the grass with a sigh.

Pam stands by as the girl drops her body onto the lawn in front of her house. Now that she finally has a clear view of the girl's face, she can see exactly who she hit with her car door. Paige. Her daughter's girlfriend, Paige. The girl she's been nervous about meeting all week, Paige. She very tentatively approaches her to make sure she's really ok.

"Paige?" she questions apprehensively, though she's seen enough photos of the girl to know what she looks like. "Are you hurt? Your arm is bleeding a little bit." She points to the tear in the elbow of her shirt.

Paige is startled that Pam recognizes her. She only knows who Mrs. Fields is because she's seen her at swim meets and in the family portrait Emily keeps by her bed. Surprisingly enough, she's spent many days at Emily's house without ever catching a glimpse of the woman. As Pam points to the still bleeding cut on her arm, she realizes it does sort of hurt and she should probably clean it. And put a new shirt on. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just…you know…making a good first impression." She lets out a low chuckle and chances a smile up at the woman. "I think I might be late for dinner though" she tears off a chunk of her shirt that was barely hanging on and tosses it to the grass "I need to change my shirt".

Pam stares at the redhead for a moment before letting out a laugh of her own. "I see. Why don't you come inside and we'll get that cleaned up? Em should be home in a few minutes with dinner." She holds out her hand to help Paige stand and lets out a nervous breath when the girl accepts her help and they make their way into the house.

"There we go, all set." Pam finishes sticking the bandage to Paige's injured elbow as the younger girl sits perched on a barstool at the kitchen island.

"Thanks, Mrs. Fields. I really appreciate it." Paige is on edge waiting for Emily to come home. She's not terrified like she thought she'd be. Maybe it's because the threat of physical harm has already been carried out – I mean, how much more damage could the woman do if she decided she didn't like Paige after all? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as her imagination generated those images for her. Thankfully, her thought process was interrupted quickly.

"Would you like something to drink?" The younger girl jumped, startled at the question, having almost forgotten Mrs. Fields was still in the room.

"Oh, uh. Maybe some water?" She gave a weak smile and fought the impulse to smack herself in the head as Pam turned to grab a bottle out of the fridge. Idiot, she muttered under her breath. Unconsciously she began to rub her hands over her exposed arms, having discarded her ruined shirt as they cleaned her cuts. She sat on the barstool clad only in a tank top and the cool air was raising goose bumps on her skin. Pam noticed the action as she turned back around and tried to offer some comfort while giving both herself and Paige a reprieve from the awkward tension of the shared room.

"Here you go" she handed Paige the water "How about I go grab you one of Em's shirts to wear? We keep the thermostat pretty cool in here since we're not home all day. Sit tight. I'll be right back." She gave her a curt smile and practically bolted out of the room and up the stairs to her daughter's bedroom. She sat heavily on the bed and took a few deep breaths, allowing herself to consider her situation.

Pam Fields had freaked out when Emily first came out. She knew that and fully acknowledged that she had been in the wrong. Still, after finally embracing her daughter's differences and realizing she was still the exact same person, she had trouble adjusting to the idea of her with another girl. It wasn't that it was gross or upsetting anymore – just that it was strange for her to see. The adjustment was difficult with Maya, being Emily's first girlfriend and all, and she was uncomfortable with the troubled girl the entire time she'd known her. But for some reason she could see how well Emily and Paige fit together. It was as though nothing could touch them. They were both so quietly confident – and their faith in each other only reinforced that fact. She could see her daughter was happy, and she approved of their relationship whole heartedly. Pam was just afraid she'd screw it up and say the wrong thing and make Emily hate her again. She finally had her daughter back, and she was so happy. She didn't want her own ignorance and inexperience with this to ruin her chances of building a healthy rapport with the girl responsible for bringing back her daughter's carefree smile. She sat in the dark and took a few minutes to compose herself.

Paige sat uncomfortably on the barstool, fidgeting with her hands and the fruit basket on the countertop. The front door jolted open and startled her, causing her to jump and sending the fruit scattering all over the kitchen floor. Shit. She thought again as she hopped down and started picking up the fruit strewn throughout the room – banana in the island sink; clementines under the barstools; a single red apple stuck under the lip of the dishwasher; and plump green grapes peppering the tile of the floor.

"Paige?" Emily walked into the kitchen with a large bag of takeout to find her girlfriend crawling around on her kitchen floor. "What are you doing on the floor?" She put down the food and walked over to Paige, crouching down to smile at her with curiosity. Wait – Emily thought - "And how did you get here? I didn't see your bike out front."

Paige held up a grape with a bashful grin, dropping it back into the fruit bowl for washing and meeting Emily's gaze. "Oh, I rode my bike. I just had a little…accident so I put it over by the garage door."

"Accident? Oh darling, are you ok? Did you get hurt?"

Paige smiled at the endearment before grabbing Emily's hand and holding up her other arm to show her girlfriend the bandage. "Minimal damage. The only casualty was my favorite shirt. I might even be able to salvage it if I just cut off the sleeves. I'm alright, babe. Promise." She was hoping Emily would just kiss her hello and leave it at that. No need to tell her that Pam was the reason for the crash.

Emily ran her fingers lightly over the edge of the bandage before pressing a small kiss to the top of it. "All better" she purred at Paige. She gave the redhead a broad smile – her special Paige smile – and leaned in slowly, kissing her hello and smiling into the kiss. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt" she said in a whisper, resting her forehead against Paige's and speaking in between short kisses. "I hope your bike isn't too broken either. And thanks for coming over tonight; it really means a lot to me that you and my mom are willing to spend time together for me. I just really want two of the people I love the most to spend some time and get to know each other." She sat back against the lower cabinet and pulled Paige's hand into her lap.

Paige grinned like a madman as she put the fruit bowl back up on the counter. "I wouldn't miss it. I'd do anything for you, you know." She moved her body over so she was sitting next to her girlfriend, the sides of their thighs touching and hands curling around each other's in Emily's lap. She leaned in to kiss her again, more passionately than before – nipping and suckling lips and small gasps escaping. She pulled back enough to speak. "Did you mean it?"

"What's that?" Emily asked, confused by Paige's question.

Paige's smile grew. If she didn't know what she'd said was out of the ordinary, it meant she thought it often. "You said you wanted two of the people you love the most to spend some time. Did you mean it?"

Emily bit her lip lightly, still not understanding. "Of course I want you guys to spend time. I want my mom to like you. And I want you to like my mom. What's wrong with that?"

Paige couldn't help but laugh. So clueless. Instead of answering with her words, she simply shook her head and pressed a fierce kiss to Emily's lips. Remembering that they were partially hidden from view on the kitchen floor, she flicked her tongue over her girlfriend's bottom lip and bit down lightly – asking for a response. Emily complied and opened her mouth, flicking her own tongue out over Paige's and inviting her to deepen their kiss. The kiss grew needy very quickly as they tasted and searched each other's mouths, drawing gasps of air between connections of lips and letting out soft, quiet moans of satisfaction. Though almost completely immersed in the kiss, Paige pulled back as she heard Pam's footsteps in the hallway above them. She pressed a series of short, chaste kisses on Emily's lips as she pulled back and stood, using the counter to steady herself. She reached down and pulled Emily up to join her, drawing her into a tight hug as she heard Pam's footsteps on the stairs. Emily reluctantly left Paige's loving embrace as she heard her mother call out from the other room.

"Ok, Paige. I got you a t-shirt or a sweatshirt, which do you prefer?"

Pam walked into the kitchen carrying two shirts and repeating her new mantra in her head. Just be nice, be friendly, be supportive. Nice, friendly, supportive. See that, easy enough. To her surprise, Paige was no longer sitting on the barstool, but leaning against the countertop and adjusting the positions of the fruit in the basket as Emily emptied the take out bag and put food onto plates.

"Hey Mom" Em said as she watched Pam walk into the room, quirking an eyebrow at the clothes in her hand. "What are those for?"

Pam held up the shirts and extended them both to Paige, giving her a small smile when she grabbed the sweatshirt and quickly pulled it over her head with a quiet "thanks".

"Oh, I told Paige she could borrow a shirt since hers ripped when she fell. Em, it was awful. I didn't even see her coming and all the sudden she was flying over the handlebars. I'm so sorry again, Paige. I really didn't see you."

"Wait!" Emily's voice rang out over the spacious room. She turned to Paige. "I thought you said you fell? What happened?"

Paige looked at her feet and scuffed her toe against the floor tile. "I did fall, Em. I just had a little help is all." She looked up sheepishly at the absurdity of the situation. "It was really an accident. Nothing to worry about."

Emily looked furious though as the slammed the bowl in her hands down on the counter and narrowed her eyes at her mother. "What did you do? Is it so much to ask that you at least be civil to her?"

Pam flinched at her daughter's words. She deserved them after the way she'd treated Maya, she knew that, but they still hurt. "Em, honey. I swear it was an accident. I was getting out of the car and I wasn't watching my mirrors. Paige was coming up beside the car on her bike, but I didn't see her and I opened my door right in front of her. She hit the door and fell right off the bike. Thankfully there wasn't any significant damage. A few bruises, a couple of scrapes on her elbow – but I cleaned it and made sure she was ok. I really didn't mean to, I swear." She looked at Paige, pleadingly. "Paige, I'm really very sorry."

Paige felt horrible as she listened to Pam's explanation. It was just as much her fault for not paying attention to where she was going. "It's my fault too, Mrs. Fields. Emily, I'm fine, I promise. Just a few scratches. She didn't do it on purpose and there really isn't any harm done." She placed a reassuring hand on Emily's back and felt her body relax under her touch. Emily nodded to Paige and picked up a couple of plates, starting to make her way to the dining room. Pam watched her turn and decided it was the perfect time to make sure both girls knew how supportive she was of their relationship.

"Emily, wait. Please." She paused and waited for her daughter to turn around, setting the dishes back on the counter. "Honey, I just want to let you know. I mean, tell you. I'm not putting this very well, but I'll just dive in, ok? When you first came out to me I was scared for you. I wasn't supportive and I didn't understand why you are…the way you are. I thought it was a failure on my part – like I did something wrong." She held up her hand as Emily opened her mouth to protest. "Let me finish, please." Emily simply nodded and Pam continued. "I saw you with Maya and I didn't get it. I didn't see it. Maybe I just didn't want to see it. But I've noticed you lately. You're so happy and confident, and I've never seen you look and act this…content in your whole life. It's like a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders and I realized that's exactly what it is. Paige is sharing your burdens and helping take care of you – and you're doing the same for her. You two make a wonderful pair and I've seen you, from afar that is, I've seen you when you think you're alone and you just – click. It reminds me of when your father and I first started dating. It's all I've ever wanted for you." She notices Emily's eyes starting to tear "I'm thrilled that you're so happy, and I'm grateful to you, Paige, for helping her get to this point. No matter what stupid or inappropriate things I may say – please remember I'm still getting used to all of this – I'm really, really happy you two are together."

With a look of shock and disbelief, Emily threw herself into her mother's arms and wrapped her in a huge, tight, hug. Paige couldn't help but smile at the pair and let out a few tears of her own at the kind words directed at her. She'd never heard such nice things said about her before. After a few minutes and more than a few whispered "thank yous" and "I love you are" between mother and daughter, the trio made their way to the dining room to sit down for dinner. As they sat, Pam's eyes set on the empty vase where the centerpiece should have been. With a heavy sigh, she lamented "Oh no, I forgot the flowers".

With a quick "Oh!" and a "be right back", Paige jumped up from the table and ran outside to the curb where Pam's car was parked. She dropped to her belly and started reaching blindly under the car. Emily looked on confused from the open front door before calling out to her. "Paige, what the hell are you doing?" Paige laughed at the question, realizing how strange it must look for her to be practically crawling under her mother's car in the middle of dinner. Her hand hit the crinkling plastic and she grabbed the item she was looking for before drawing it out from under the car and making her way back to the door where Emily was waiting. She handed her girlfriend the slightly disheveled bouquet of flowers she'd brought with her to dinner.

Emily laughed and smelled the flowers – they had a lovely floral scent mixed with a hint of rock salt and motor oil – and grabbed Paige's hand, pulling her back into the house. Before they could make it back to the dining room, Paige stopped, causing Emily to stop as well and turn to her. "What's wrong, darling?"

Paige smiled broadly – her special Emily smile – and stepped into her girlfriend's arms, pressing a soft kiss to her lips, no longer worried about Pam catching them. She gave Emily a firm hug before pulling away and looking her square in the eye. "I love you too, Em." She declared out loud – for the first time – before kissing her again and taking the flowers from her girlfriend and into the dining room. Emily's smile was blinding as she finally understood their conversation in the kitchen and made her way back into the dining room to start their family dinner.