Locum Tenens

PART ONE: "Mutantur Omnia Nos Et Mutamur In Illis"

~ All things change, and we change with them. ~  

DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters is the intellectual property of others. Some characters used in the writing of this fic belong to PLL. Events that transpire, will transpire and have transpired in this story are entirely of my own creation.

CHAPTER ONE

Emily Fields lived for Saturday mornings. For as long as she could remember, whenever Fridays came to an end, she found herself looking forward to waking up the next day knowing Saturday mornings were reserved for breakfasts at the Hayes household. It has always been like that. Since her freshman year in high school, after her girlfriend of almost three years walked up to her after a grueling first day and introduced herself, instantly making her day a hundred times better, Emily spent Saturday mornings having breakfast with her girlfriend's family and she wouldn't have it any other way.

As she looked around the table, Emily felt a sense of happiness and contentment. It was rare that for someone as young as them, she and Jai Hayes are in a mature relationship and had their entire future planned out. While all around them couples tend to fight about the simplest and silliest of things, their relationship was one of support and stability. They were secure about their importance in each other's lives and Emily loved that. She also loved the fact that her girlfriend is probably the most attentive girlfriend ever to walk the face of the earth, smiling when Jai took one look at her empty coffee mug and immediately stood up to refill it, making Emily's coffee the way she preferred it, two scoops of cream and one scoop of sugar.

For a while, Emily shifted her attention from the morning chatter to study her girlfriend as Jai walked back from the kitchen counter towards the dining table, moving effortlessly as if she wasn't holding a mug with a steaming beverage. At 5'10", Jai was easily a good two inches taller than her, the girl's slender build, clear skin, sleek shoulder-length layered black hair and attractive facial features making her a strong contender to be a runway model if she wanted to. But Jai isn't destined to be a model. She is much too smart for that. Jasmine Hayes was destined for far greater things in life and everyone around her knew that. The girl could be an engineer, an architect, a lawyer, a scientist, a doctor, maybe even someone who could discover a cure for some unknown illness. Whatever she decides to be people just knew she would excel at it. That was one of the reasons why Emily felt she was the luckiest girl on the planet when Jai asked her to officially be her girlfriend after just a few weeks of dating. Jai both had beauty and brains. Add to that a heart of gold and it doesn't really come as a surprise that the people of Rosewood eventually saw them as a match made in heaven. It was a label Emily had no problem living with because they really were. People didn't need to tell her that. She knew in her heart that she and Jai are perfect for each other.

As she returned to her seat beside Emily, Jai placed the steaming mug near her girlfriend's plate, careful not to spill any of it on the table.

Emily smiled, leaning her head on her hand to glance at Jai. "Thanks love." She said as she held the mug by its handle.

"Careful. It's hot." Jai warned as she watched Emily take a small sip before focusing her attention back to her breakfast.

"Thanks but I don't think I can finish another one, Logan." Emily said, gracefully declining the heaping plate of French toast Jai's father offered her.

"Oh come on. This is our Saturday tradition. Breakfast ala Hayes." Logan said jovially, setting the plate down beside him to offer Emily a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs instead. He was pleased when the girl accepted the plate of food and took a few pieces of the bacon before setting it down in front of her.