Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters. However I do own my own characters.

Just a plot that has been rolling around in my head for a while now that I needed to write down. I have not abandoned my other story I just felt like starting a new one. I like to bounce between two stories so if I get stuck on one I can update the other one. I hope you enjoy.

This story is set after the season 3 finale where the liars are trapped in the burning house.

Paige stared out the window of Caleb's car at the endless expanses of dark forest as they hurtled down the highway towards the lodge Hanna had told Caleb about. Worry and apprehension was knotting her stomach together and causing her heart to beat just a tad too fast. Caleb had told her that Hanna, Aria, and Emily were going to the lodge tonight to go and confront A and put an end to A's machinations. Paige wanted to applaud them for their bravery in facing this horror that had been tormenting them for so long, but she also wanted yell at them and point out how stupid they were being. In the time she had been made aware of A's devious presence Paige had drawn one conclusion. It was nearly impossible to outsmart A. Paige just hoped that the girls weren't in over their heads and in trouble.

Paige glanced over at her friend to see if he was all right. Caleb's hands clenched the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white from the over exertion he was placing on the wheel of the car. His jaw was set in a firm line much like Paige's was, but his eyes spoke the true depths of his worry. A 'damn it Hanna' would slip out every now and then, but his gaze remained fixed on the road.

Paige turned and stared out the front and tried to push down the mounting dread that she felt. She had a feeling that Emily was in trouble. Even though for the past couple of days Emily had been quite distant from her, Paige still looked after Emily in any way that she could. But lately, especially after that whole Shana debacle, Emily had been pushing Paige away and constantly cancelling on her. She wasn't sure if it was from the stress from A or if Emily was starting to have doubts in their relationship. Either way Paige had stayed by Emily's side and been the silent comfort and strength that Emily could rely on. When Paige had asked Caleb if he was experiencing the same with Hanna he just shrugged and then nodded. So they were both in the same boat.

"How far away is this lodge?" asked Paige absentmindedly.

"We're not too far away now. I'd say about ten minutes or so. Keep your eyes peeled for the road that leads to it," replied Caleb. Paige nodded. A few tense minutes later Paige's phone blipped, alerting her to a new text message. Hoping it was Emily texting her that it was okay Paige pulled out her phone and quickly clicked it open. Her heart stopped beating and her breath caught in her throat. There on her screen was a picture of the lodge Caleb and her were looking for on fire. Below the picture was a simple chilling message from A. ~Looks like Emily is going to go up in flames just like your relationship~ A.

"Caleb Emily's in danger. Step on it," ordered Paige. Caleb took one look at Paige's face and floored it. Paige searched the treetops for any signs of smoke. In the near distance she saw a plume of dark smoke blurring the night sky.

"There," Paige pointed. Caleb turned down the private road and they peeled to a stop in front of the burning house. Flames licked up the sides of the structure and smoke was pouring from the windows. Paige flung her seatbelt off and jumped out of the car, running towards the house with Caleb hot on her heels. She reached the door, but saw that it was locked with a combination lock.

"Shit." Paige whipped around and frantically searched for anything to jimmy the lock with. Her eyes landed on a tool shed and she took off for it with Caleb shouting after her. She wrenched the door open and quickly scanned the interior looking for something to break the lock with. She spotted a rusty hedge trimmer in the corner and grabbed it before sprinting back to the door that Caleb was trying to bust down.

"Move," shouted Paige snapped the lock with the trimmers. She dropped on the ground and burst through the door. The whole floor was swathed in flames. Thick, acrid smoke stung Paige's eyes and choked her lungs. She turned to Caleb and motioned for him to go on way while she went the other. She dashed up the stairs, frantically dodging flaming pieces of debris and trying not to pass out from the smoke. The heat was unbearable. Her shouts for the girls were drowned out by the roar of the flames. The pressing heat and smoke was robbing Paige of her oxygen and she was beginning to feel dizzy. Black spots appeared at the corners of her vision and her breaths came in wheezing gasps. She stumbled and fell against a door and gave one last hoarse shout. A muffled reply answered her from behind the door. Immediately Paige sprang to her feet and began pounding on the door.

"Who's in there? It's me Paige," she shouted.

A faint, raspy voice answered her back. "Paige it's me Aria, Hanna and Emily are in here along with Mona, but the doors locked" Emily was in there. That was all Paige needed to hear. In a moment of rash desperation Paige grabbed the doorknob with both hands and tried to push open the door. The handle was scalding hot, and Paige let out a cry of pain and surprise and jumped back, looking down at her burned palms. She ignored the pain and instead leveled her shoulder at the door and threw her body against it. Her shoulder erupted in pain and the door didn't budge. Paige repeated the action again and again and the door began to crack. Her shoulder throbbed in agony and her hands burned, but Paige's only concern was Emily. The fire was all around her now and the smoke was so thick she could barely see. Beams and pieces of the ceiling were raining down around her. In absolute fear and desperation Paige's adrenaline kicked in to high gear and with one mighty kick from her right foot she kicked the door off its hinges and it crashed to the floor. Paige stumbled blindly into the room and saw Aria barely conscious and slumped over the prone forms of her two best friends. Paige briefly wondered where Spencer was, but pushed that thought aside. She heard the sound of Caleb stumbling in and turned to see if he was alright. Soot and dirt smudged his face, but he appeared to be fine. Paige sunk down next to Aria and touched her shoulder. Aria's face snapped upright and her large brown eyes wildly darted around.

"Aria we need to get out of here." Aria nodded in understanding and shakily stood. She motioned for Mona to follow. "Caleb grab Hanna, I've got Emily. Aria, hold on to the back of my jacket and Mona hold on to Caleb."

Paige slid her arm around Emily shoulders and her other under her girlfriends bent knees and picked her up. Her muscles screamed in protest and Paige wondered if she had the strength to do this. Pushing the thoughts back, Paige decided that no matter what she would get her girl out of here safely. Once Caleb had Hanna safely in his arms he quickly exited the burning room and made a beeline for the stairs and the front door. Paige followed as quickly as possible, careful to make sure Aria wouldn't loose her grip on her jacket or trip. The fire was now roaring all around and it was reaching out with its bright orange and red fingers, trying to ensnare them. Paige could feel Aria weakening and stumbling. Paige could make out the front a few feet in front of them. In desperation Paige threw Emily over her shoulder, and turned firmly grabbing Aria's upper arm and dragging her out of the burning house, thanking whoever was up there that Aria was the size of a pixie and weighed next to nothing. Paige weakly limped out onto the grass away from the smoldering lodge and ungracefully dropped both girls weakly to the ground. Paige coughed and spluttered, while taking deep grateful breaths of clean air. She rubbed her eyes trying to clear away the ash and sweat.

"Where's Spencer?" That question caused Paige's heart to lurch. Where was Spencer? The four girls were never separated. Unless A separated Spencer from the rest of the group and had her locked in another room.

"She's in the house," said Paige standing and finding her second wind. "Call the fire department." Paige burst the doors and ran blindly through the house calling out for Spencer. She dodged debris and flames as she raced up to the top floor. She stopped in the middle of the hallway where a section of flooring had fallen away due to the weakening structure. Paige guessed the gap was about three feet. She could make it. She had jumped gaps much bigger than this. Internally steeling her nerves, Paige ran forward and leaped across the gap. The floor groaned and buckled from her weight putting unneeded pressure and stress on the already fragile floor. Paige darted forward and began throwing open doors to different rooms. She reached the last door at the end of the hallway and flung it open.

"Spencer! SPENCER are you here?" Paige shouted. No response, no one was in the room. If Spencer wasn't up here then she had to have made it out of the house and was somewhere else. Paige ran back to the door, but fell to her knees when the entire floor gave out. Beams and fire blocked the doorway. Paige was trapped in the small room. She scrambled backwards and bumped into a large, heavy metal can. Paige saw that there were three of the exact same cans behind the one that she had bumped into. Paige kicked it out of frustration, and heard the sound of a liquid sloshing around inside. Desperate to ward off the approaching flames Paige vainly tried to pry the lid off the unmarked can. Her muscles strained in protest and her injured shoulder throbbed mercilessly. Finally the can popped open and Paige dumped the contents over the floor near the window on the other side of the room. The fire immediately extinguished and Paige breathed a quick thank you to the big man upstairs before running to the window and opening it. She peered down from the second floor and estimated that the drop was about ten to fifteen feet into a patch of bushes. If she landed it just right she could probably walk away with a few cracked ribs and a broken leg, which was better then burning to death. The fumes from whatever liquid was in the unmarked cans wafted up and mixed with the smoke causing Paige's to tear up and her throat to be coated with the thick soot from the air. She coughed violently and swung one leg out the window.

A sudden explosion from downstairs rocked the entire lodge to its foundation and Paige gripped the window frame to steady herself. Paige took a deep breath and counted to three.

"One, two-." Paige never reached three. The explosion from downstairs triggered a series of smaller blasts to go off. The kitchen below the room Paige was in blew and the fire and force of the blast catapulted Paige out of the second story window and onto the lawn below. The liquid from the three other cans showered over her. Paige vaguely felt the intense heat of the fire and strangely enough it felt as if it were flowing through her veins and changing her. She hit the ground hard and immediately lost consciousness.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWM

Caleb was just finishing up calling the fire department and checking on the girls when the lodge behind him exploded. The force of the blast threw him flat on his back and knocked the wind out of him. He lay there disoriented for a few seconds before remembering that Paige and Spencer were still in the building. He shakily got to his feet.

"PAIGE! SPENCER!," he called out. He shouted out their names again and again with no answer. He fell to his knees in numb shock. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't be dead. His lungs constricted painfully. Shit what did he tell Emily? Her girlfriend and best friend both lost in one day. Not mention Aria and Hanna losing their best friend. How would these girls recover from this?

"Caleb." The forlorn young man perked up at the distant sound of his name being called. Could it be? No it was just his mind playing tricks on him. "Caleb." There it was again. He squinted into the darkness and could just make out the blurry shapes of two figures approaching him at a fast pace. Relief swelled up in his chest. They were okay. Somehow they had found a way out before the explosion. However his relief turned to confusion when Spencer ran up with Toby at her side looking shocked and bewildered at what had just happened.

"Caleb what's going on? Why are you here?" asked Spencer breathlessly.

"Where's Paige?" asked Caleb feeling that same dread rise up in his chest again.

"What?" Spencer seemed lost. "Why would I know where Paige is?"

"She went into the lodge to look for you. She thought you were still in there. Where IS SHE? Shouted Caleb towering over Spencer.

Toby pushed Caleb back and stepped in front Spencer. "Look we don't know where Paige is okay. We didn't even know you two showed up," reasoned Toby. Caleb was still shaking, whether from anger or remorse or maybe a bit of both.

"We have to find her," said Caleb walking off towards the remains of the house.

"Hey wait-." Caleb wrenched his arm free from Toby's grasp and ran off in the direction of the decimated lodge.

"Go after him," said Spencer motioning in the direction Caleb went.

"Spence." Toby started afraid to leave her alone.

"Go Toby. I can take care of myself and the girls," she assured him. Toby hesitated before turning around and loping off after Caleb. Spencer sighed and stared down at her three best friends and the girl who had been making deals with the devil. In her heart she hoped that Paige was alright for Emily's sake.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM

Paige felt like she was swimming in sludge. Not that she knew personally what that felt like, but it was the closest thing she could compare to how she was feeling now. Her body felt heavy and was wracked with pain. Her bones were like jelly and her muscles were turned to mush.

'Well I did just get blown out of a window,' thought Paige ruefully. Her eyes were sealed shut and as hard as Paige tried to move she couldn't. 'Shit. I'm paralyzed.' As soon as that thought invaded her mind Paige felt strangely at ease. 'At least I'm alive. Not many people can say they survived being blown up. I'm like one of those elite survivors. I'm right up their with shark attack victims and people who get struck by lightening.' Paige's insane rambling thoughts were probably the first hint that something was wrong, but she was so out of it that Paige just chalked it up to shock. She again tried to move, but was met with the same results. The pain was still there in her bones, but now a powerful itch was spreading across her skin.

"Damn itch," Paige slurred softly as she tried desperately to move her hands to scratch her inflamed skin. Paige suddenly did an internal double take. She just moved her lips. If she could move her lips then she could open her eyes.

'Open your eyes you damn fool,' thought Paige as she berated herself. Slowly, very slowly Paige's brown eyes cracked open before sliding shut. Paige mentally congratulated herself before again forcing her eyes open. She blinked slowly to try and clear her vision. Her head was pounding and the itch covering her body was becoming unbearable.

"God damn it. Fucking itch," cursed Paige rocketing upright and rigorously scratching every part of her body. Her hands scratched up her thick neck and over her closely shaved hair. Paige froze. Her hair was gone. All that was left was a shorn buzz cut. She rubbed her scalp in confusion then stared down at her body.

"Fucking hell," Paige screamed jumping to her feet and ignoring her body's screams of protests. Or whoever's body this was because the last time Paige checked she was a girl and not a guy. Her shirt was gone and her jeans were ripped and soiled. She turned around several times to view the rest of her body. The thick muscles on her new body rippled as she tried to comprehend what was happening to her. How was she a guy now?

"This is a dream. Yeah that's it a hallucination caused from the explosion. Any second I'll wake up and be a girl again," Paige rambled feeling like she was loosing her mind. She pinched herself, hard, several times. That didn't work so Paige slapped herself. Still nothing. Full blown panic was now starting to well up in Paige. How could this have happened to her? It didn't make any sense.

"Paige." Paige's head snapped to the left at the sound of her name being called.

"Caleb," she shouted back. Damn even her voice was much deeper. More manlier and well guyish. She stumbled off in the direction she heard Caleb's voice. Fuck if she was a man now would Caleb be a girl? She rounded the corner of the burnt down lodge and ran smack into Caleb.

"Holy shit who are you?" he shouted roughly pushing her back. Paige fell back and held up her hands to show she didn't mean any harm.

"Caleb," Paige started tentatively.

Caleb stared at her confused. 'Of course he won't recognize me. I'm a dude now,' thought Paige in exasperation.

"How do you know my name? You know what never mind that I'm looking for a friend of mine who was stuck in this building. Did you see anyone come out by any chance?"

"Caleb I know this is going to be uh hard to grasp, but it's me Paige." Caleb just blankly stared at her.

"Look I don't know what type of game your playing here, but my friend Paige is a girl not some ripped shirtless dude who wanders around in the woods," snapped Caleb.

"Look man I'm not playing…hold up I'm ripped?" questioned Paige absentmindedly flexing one of her biceps.

"I don't have time for your shit. I have to find my friend," growled Caleb pushing past her. Paige grabbed Caleb's arm and was surprised when she easily pulled him to a stop.

"Caleb I'm not kidding right now, it's really me Paige." Caleb stared at her for a few tense moments before releasing a deep breath.

"I can't believe I'm going along with this. Fine tell me something that only Paige would know," demanded Caleb. Paige was silent for a few seconds as she racked her brain for something only Caleb had told her in private confidence. Suddenly a smirk overtook Paige's face.

"Your biggest fantasy is for Hanna to be your Batgirl to your Robin. You know her Barbara Gordan to your Dick Grayson," said Paige waggling her eyebrows a bit. Caleb's eyes bulged out of his head and Paige would have laughed at the sight if the situation weren't so dire.

"Paige, what the hell happened to you?" asked Caleb.

Paige shrugged. "I'm not sure. There was the explosion and I was knocked out then I woke up on the ground with no hair or boobs," said Paige.

"How are you not freaking out about this?"

"I trust me I am totally freaking about this. I'm just freaking in," grunted Paige swaying a bit. The pain from her injuries was starting to spike.

"Whoa careful there uh big ummm guy," said Caleb steadying Paige. "Those burns look pretty serious." They began to limp back to the main group out front. "Ah shit Emily's going to freak when she sees you." Paige gulped when she thought about Emily. What would she think when she saw her? She would most definitely be weirded out by her impromptu sex change. Hell Paige was freaked out and mystified by it. They rounded the corner and saw that the girls were all sitting up and coherent. That's good, at least none of them were injured. When they got closer Spencer got up and came over. Caleb waved off her questions promising to help better explain things when all the girls were there. When they were amongst the others Paige's eyes immediately sought out Emily's. She looked okay. Disheveled and frightened, but safe.

"So Caleb who is this stranger you dragged back here you?" asked Spencer finally.

"Guys I don't want you to freak out about this, but this is Paige," answered Caleb. Silence then the floodgate of questions and remarks of disbelief poured forth. Paige pulled herself away from Caleb and approached them. They all shrunk back. Even Emily. That hurt, but Paige could understand her apprehension.

"Look I know this seems impossible, but it really is me. I can't quite even begin to explain what happened, but you have to believe me when I say it's me. I'm Paige."

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This story is mainly just humor, fluff, and maybe a little bit of smut. Not sure, but I will update soon along with updating my other story Remembering Emily.