The smallest thing can change your life. In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance. When you least expect it, sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined.

Where will it take you? That's the journey of our lives. Our search for the light, but sometimes finding the light means you must pass through the deepest darkness.


In a deserted, dark, and hot night like this soldiers have to stick together as one. It was their mission - a duty.

"Security team is ready to go. Move 'em." Sargent Emma Swan whispered to one of her members under her command. They were given orders to undergo a night raid in what looked like an abandoned house. As another soldier gave the order by a drop of his hand that was held up in the air, another group made their way in ahead, Emma looked over her shoulder to others in her command; finger on the trigger.

"Ready? Go." she gave command, and went through the door quickly and quietly, as she was trained.

Dogs were barking, choppers were being heard off the distance, broken glass was crunching under their feet as Emma lead them through one room after another, weapons aimed and ready to fire. The instant she came to a closed door, a drop of sweat made its way down her cheek from inside her helmet.

"Ready? Go." she gave command once again as she brought her leg up, breaking the door in front of her with a kick.

"Don't move!' Emma shouted, as the flashlight from her weapon revealed the faces of scared women and men shouting out at Emma, as to why they were invading their country. "Three civilians, check 'em!" she ordered once again, continuing her way through the room. Her hand instantly pulled away a dusty curtain in another room of the house revealing a woman and her screaming child. Screaming no doubt of pure fear. "Woman and child!" her foot breaking in another door. "Three children, three children!" she shouted as she drew back another curtain on her way through. "I'm chasing one to my left!"

The screams and cries were distant as she made her way through a dark tunnel. Panting, she continued her way through, not a big fan of the instant silence that surrounded her. All you could see was her flashlight shining through the pathway. Had she not heard another set of lungs panting beside her - watching her back, she could of sworn she was in this alone.

As they made their way farther into the tunnel, Emma's breathing became more rapid. She really didn't like this silence. It wasn't so much as fear, just that something inside of her told her something was wrong. But, as passionate as she was about serving her country - she pressed forward.

Suddenly another flashlight shined in her direction causing her to quickly aim her weapon directly at eye level.

"Cassidy!" another voice shouted from the shadows as he made his way, along with his platoon towards the soldier facing opposite Emma. Emma immediately relaxes her body, lowering her gun from fellow soldiers.

"We're bumping heads with third platoon. Get on the radio before somebody shoots somebody." August ordered Neal.

"I'm on it, Pinocchio." Neal replied while making his way between August and Emma.

Emma sighed with a bit of relief, as August aka Pinocchio was another good sergeant she had the pleasure of serving with before. "Pinocchio? You guys showed up just in time, we thought-"

Emma's words were cut off by instant gun fire and bullets flying everywhere. Emma's instinct had been right. They had been ambushed.

Between men shouting and shots being fired, Emma took her position and began shooting at her targets up ahead. It was dark, but the blonde had been trained for situations like these. Her eyes and instincts were immediately heightened as she fired one, two, three shots… making them count.

"Get down on the ground!" a soldier shouted as he took cover. "We're under fire!"

"We have a man down! I need a medic down on the first floor corridor." August spoke into the radio, as he was kneeled in front of Cassidy who had been shot. Turning his head towards two of his own men, he ordered, "Secure the hallway!" eyes fall back on Cassidy "Talk to me, Cassidy! We're going to get you out of here!"

More shots were fired, this time taking August down in the process.

Emma's green eyes grew wide as he went down before her.

"Shit!" was all the blonde could say, as she quickly took aim and fired her weapon without a second thought; taking down more enemies.


By sunlight everything was calm.

Emma was positioned just outside the tunnels, sunlight hitting her face as she called in her last coordinates when out of her peripheral vision she caught something small shining directly her way. Pushing herself away from the wall, she began making her way towards whatever was on the ground giving an order to a soldier walking by, "Let's move out."

Her eyes were glued to that item as she kneeled down in front of it. It was almost as if it was meant only for her to find. She couldn't help but take it into her hands, wiping the dirt off of it with her thumb revealing it to be a wallet sized picture of a beautiful brunette woman.

Her hair jet black, she was sporting a pair of blue jeans and a white blouse that complemented her form quite well. And her smile… it was like no other. That's what captivated Emma the most. In that moment - she felt some hope.

As she placed the picture securely in her breast pocket of her uniform, and turned to walk back to her men, a loud explosion went off sending her flying face first onto the dirt.


Emma found herself sitting up on a medical bed after that explosion, as many bodies of her men were being brought in badly injured or dead.

"Mortar. Right where you were sitting. Three other guys didn't make it. The corpsman found this in your saw pouch." a fellow soldier said as he handed back the picture Emma had found to the blonde herself.

Emma taking it into her hands once again, found herself staring at it. The picture had been cleaned from all the dirt.

"Looks like it saved you." the soldier continued, "You got yourself a guardian angel."

In that moment, Emma's brows furrowed wondering where in the hell did something this beautiful come from? More importantly, who did it belong to?

"She's not mine." the blonde replied in a low voice.


War could be hell. Your life was constantly on a thin line. You never knew when your number was going to be called. Which is why, any good time you could get at war, you savored every moment of it.

Soldiers were off duty for the night doing exactly that. Drinking, and laughing from what seemed like the longest time. Some were dancing and cheering on to the band that was there that night, playing a cover to Ace of Spades by Motorhead.

Emma however wasn't worried about having a great time tonight. Her worries were focused on that one picture that had saved her life that day. She didn't understand it herself, and probably never will. But, she needed to find out who this picture belonged to.

She made her way through the crowd, as she began to ask around for the owner of that picture.

"Do you know whose picture that is?" she asked in a loud voice as the music only grew louder.

She spent hours making her way through the crowd, asking around for such owner only to be let down by the answers or shakes of the head.

8 MONTHS LATER…

It was yet another hot but slow morning, and it was the most relaxed Emma had felt while on duty. She was assigned to make her rounds on a jeep along with a fellow soldier, that was fine by her. She needed the break.

As ordered, she was behind the wheel, laughter filling the inside of their jeep as her companion was amazed by her story of the photo Emma had stumbled upon.

"I'm telling you, Swan, you gotta set eyes on that girl one day. You gotta thank her!" her companion continued around Emma's own laughter, as she took such picture out of what had been its home for 8 months now to glance at it for what felt like the hundredth time. "No question. She's the reason you're still breathing!"

It'd be a lie to say that didn't make the blonde feel great. She was starting to believe it herself in fact, in that moment, she couldn't help but smile down at the picture as she brought it up to her lips placing a quick but sweet kiss.

"Give her a kiss from me too. I'm only alive because I followed your crazy ass!" her companion continued as another laugh escaped from Emma's chest.

"We just got a couple of good breaks is all." she replied.

"Bullshit, Swan! Things like this don't just happen. She's got you out of this mess. We're going home!" his smile widening to the thought of being home soon.

It was definitely a good morning… had another explosion not gone off. Another explosion in which Sargent Emma Swan was lucky enough to live through.

She was going home.