So I decided to take a little break from "Scar Tissue" and write this one shot. It's a AU, with some random zombie-elements and a couple of elements snagged out of Battlestar Galactica. If you haven't seen Battlestar Galactica, don't fret, the only things that you need to know is that Pyramid is a ball game and Triad is very similar to Poker. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one-shot. Make sure to review.

It is at moments like these that you stop and rethink your life, no matter the fact that you are pretty sure that it's about to end. Your life flashes before your eyes and you can't help but wonder if this is it, is this all there is? You are Emily Fields, only daughter of Pam and Wayne Fields. Your father was a great man, that is what you have been told time and time again. Since this horrid virus started spreading out, isolating your town and gauzing its residents step by step, people like your father became even more important in the community. They held up rule and order when nobody else would and protected you from these awful things that dwelled beyond the city gates. But even though he was a great man, your father was not indestructible and you found that out the hard way, when his section got ambushed on that devastating day in October. You still remember the last thing that he had said to you before he left base that morning, before going that day like all the other days to serve his community:

"You take good care of your mother Emmy."

And she had agreed that day, like all the other days, because she was sure that she would only have to wait until evening and then he would be back again. But this time she waited at the gates until long after the sun had set. It was not until her mother came to take her back to the base that the convoy returned with the devastating message:

"Mrs and Ms Fields, I am so sorry to have to report this to you but we lost sergeant Fields in battle today."

She would later learn that her father had sacrificed himself, pulling the pin out of a hand grenade while swarmed with attackers, giving his convoy a chance to escape. But at that moment none of that seemed to matter. All that mattered was that her father was gone and not coming back.

It was after that when she started volunteering for expeditions herself. She told herself that it was because she had to pull her own weight, that the time of innocence had passed for her and her friends who had started enlisting as well. But there was a part of her that wondered if she just wanted to go out in a blaze of glory -a martyr for the cause like her old man and join him in the afterlife. Ali had been the leader of the pack -strong, bold and sassy, she guided them with an iron fist, never considering any other point of view than her own. This attitude got her the admiration of many but also the anger of others -including her friend Spencer who thought that her intelligence should also play a role in the decision making of the group. Ali responded by this criticism by means of divide and conquer -she kept the girls on their toes, pining for her admiration but also not strong enough so the could band against her. Emily hadn't seen a problem with this, at least for the time being, because Ali always had her ways to make her feel special -like there was nobody else in the world that would ever see her as she did. This belief culminated one afternoon in one of the document rooms, when the rest of the squad had left after a particularly grueling strategy exercise. The girls were sitting together, laughing at a silly doodle that Ali had sketched over her briefing, stating that it help her memorize the most important points. It was then when Emily leaned forward, not really knowing why she was doing it but feeling a strong pull to do it none the less, and laid her lips tentatively on Ali"s. The other girl didn't say anything but didn't pull back from the other girls advances none the less. It wasn't until later when the girls were alone again, this time in the changing rooms after drill practice, and Emily tried pursuing Ali again that the other girl put her foot at the door:

"It didn't mean anything Em. Don't be so childish. I like boys."

After that, Emily hadn't really been sure where she had the girl that she used to consider her best friend and it wasn't long until more confusion got added to the mix -the night that Ali disappeared. There were many rumours that circulated about her disappearance. Spencer said that Ali would have loved it -everyone talking about her, wondering about her. Some said that she had found herself an older, handsome colonel and ran away with him to New York where they were suppose to have barricaded themselves against the outside threat in the Fitzgerald theater. Others said that she was living a couple of towns north under an assumed identity -Vivian Darkbloom was a name that got thrown around a lot. And then there were others that simply assumed that she had gotten unlucky, sneaking out after dark and become meat for the hordes that swarmed outside the barricades during the night. This theory got stronger a year later, once the four remaining girls had finally learned to live without their leader, when a decomposed body was found by a patrolman close to Ali's old residence. It was severely decomposed and lacking the technology that they once had, it could only be assumed that this might have been the beautiful blond that had disappeared almost a year ago.

The girls, along with the rest of their community were shocked of course, because this meant that the perpetrator had not been a ferocious beast, but rather one of their own. Emily battled with her own demons because of this, but decided to keep them from the other girls, fearful that they might not understand. Had her kiss doomed Ali? Was this some sort of divine retribution for what they had done? Did the gods who had already given the world so much horror by unleashing this virus upon the earth, have even more disgust for what had happened between the two girls?

Emily's head had been filled with those fears, when she came upon another person that made her question everything that she ever knew. Her name was Maya and she was extraordinarily beautiful and free, so free that it was almost like she didn't live in the same world as others did, where rations, curfew and regular population counting was a sad reality. Emily bumped into her one night where she was gathered with a group of people outside one of the bunkers, strumming on her guitar and singing a heartwarming melody. She stuck around, watching the other girl, humming peacefully, infecting the others around her with warmth and hope. She even waited until the others had packed up and left and the other woman was packing her guitar to approach her:

"Why sing songs in times like these?"

"Because my dear, it reminds us that there is more to this existence than staying alive. If we lose the things that make us human, then what do we have left to fight for?"

Emily had wanted to argue to that curious looking girl but when she had the words upon her lips that she realized that she was right. So, instead of bickering, she opted for walking Maya back to the barracks. Their conversation ranged from everything to nothing, their lives, their likes and dislikes and also went down the road of general silliness, with Emily giggling in a way she didn't remember when she had done last time. Their casual rendezvous turned into a habit, with Emily picking Maya up after her drill practice and them walking back together, taking just a little extra route before saying their goodbyes. It was during one of those nights when Emily was lingering on her goodbye, not really wanting to turn around and leave, that Maya had done something most peculiar: she leaned forward, took the other girl's face in her hands and planted a feather light kiss on her lips. While Emily had known what it was like to plant a kiss like that on someone else longingly, she had never had the experience of someone taking the first move, confirming that the feelings that she felt for her own sex were not just some wicked desire that she and only she felt, but something that she shared with other girls. Girls like Maya, that was pushing her lips against her oh so tenderly.

They didn't speak much about what had transpired between the two of them. Emily had started going on intensive tours that would sometimes take the better half of the week, but she made sure to always let Maya know when she was back in Rosewood. The other girl stated that they didn't need to discuss what they were in details, that the world was too backwards and their lives might get cut short any second, so it was better just to enjoy things while they lasted. And enjoy they did, basking in stolen moments behind buildings, in empty hallways, and finally that one time in an abandoned building that the other girls had pointed out to her. Turns out that they had known, for a long time now, what they two girls were up to, and were fine with it, as long as Maya didn't wind up breaking Emily's heart. At least that is what Hanna assured her of before she handed her the keys and told her not to light too many candles, because the building was after all, made out of wood. The night turned out to be magical, evoking many emotions in Emily that she didn't yet comprehend, but that did not stop her from submerge herself in it. She memorized every detail, every touch, every sound. Though she did not know it at the time, she would need the remains of that fire to warm herself up in the frost that was to come.

For the next time that Emily returned from a tour, Maya was nowhere to be found. She had been absent one time before when Emily came back, but then she had left a message, explaining that she had been called to do a tour in the woodlands, and that she would be back soon. This time there was no message, no word. When Emily went into her bunk to ask for her, she even found her guitar, that the other girl had left behind, and she knew that she usually wouldn't go anywhere without her guitar, not even on tour. This didn't feel like she had gone on her own, it felt forced, and her suspicion got confirmed two weeks later when a hefty thunderstorm dug a black bag up that had been hidden just beneath one of the barracks. This time the decomposition was only slight, and there was no doubt that this body had belonged to Maya. And this time the disturbing realization was clear as a sunny day: The dead walkers had never made it into town. This had to have been done by one of the living.

Not long after this, Emily started receiving the messages. They were taunting, threatening to expose her to the town, promising that the community was not as accepting to her kind as they had been before the walkers became a reality. The other girls had also started receiving threats of their own, and they had all agreed that whoever the mysterious messenger was, they'd have to do whatever it takes to make sure that what they were threatening to expose didn't become a reality. And that was the moment where they had started taking real risks, sneaking around way after curfew and extending their tours outside the safe perimeter, to get ahold of things that the mystery person asked of them in exchange for their silence.

And that was the reason why Emily now found herself alone in an abandoned building, running for her dear life but finding nothing but dead ends. She had lost the other girls when the walkers had surprised them and now she wasn't even sure if they were alive or not. A couple of them were closing in on her and she was not sure for how much longer they would be kept off her scent. She silently counted the bullets that she had left, only three and there were five of them. One of the creatures turned its head and sniffed into the air. Emily tried to breathe even breaths and made some very sobering calculations. If she attacked right now, and if the other girls were still alive, she might be able to distract these things for long enough for them to make their escape. They already had what they came here for and their mystery writer would be satisfied for now. And Emily would go out in a blaze of glory, just like her dad had done, sacrificing herself for the greater good. Her mom would be sad, but she would surely understand. She took a deep breath, steadied her hand and cocked her gun. She felt a small tear roll from her eye. It might be painful but it would be over before she even knew it.

She was about to get up and face the music when a loud bang went off so close that she could feel the impact on her body and one of the creature's heads exploded into mush. Emily watched in awe as an auburn haired girl swooped in where the fallen creature had just stood and proceeded to blast two more of them into oblivion. She was cocking her gun and steadying it for a fourth kill when the other remaining one seemed to gain unusual momentum and soared into the air, preparing to claw the new arrival. It was then when Emily's senses finally kicked into action and she elbowed the attacking creature, knocking it down to the ground and then extending her arm to donate the fatal blow. The other girl, having finished the other creature off turned around and gave her a nod, a sort of a 'good job'-gesture, before grabbing her hand and making a run for the exit. They met Aria and Hanna, who were also running for their lives, on their way out, and the newcomer gestured toward an exit they had previously neglected. Once they got out, they noticed an armed vehicle parked that had definitely not been there when they had entered the building, and the auburn haired girl jumped in, gesturing for them to do the same.

"Wait," Aria exclaimed once they were inside. "We need to find Spencer."

In those said words they heard the racket of a terrified Spencer falling out the entrance, followed by a gnawing, drooling creature. Emily looked to get out of the vehicle, but before she could even open the door, the auburn haired girl had jumped out and ran out to her friend. In one swift motion, she kicked the creature that had seized a screaming Spencer by the shoulders, and let off one more shot from her piece straight into the creature's skull. Emily had just opened the door and was able to hear the exchange of words that went on between the two girls:
"Thank you."

"It's been a pleasure. Now get in!"

It's been three days now since Emily got back to base, back to Rosewood. Her mother had given her a fair share of fuzz over her 'sweet little girl', their commander has questioned them as of why and they have given their excuses, since the auburn haired girl dumped them outside the gates and told them that they should be fine from here and they had told him several convincing answers as to how they could have gotten back so quickly, being only a foot squad. Three days it has taken her to feverishly ask around, trying to find out the other girl's name, when she finally gets pointed to a barrack where some of the most elite soldiers train. It explains why they have never met before, these kids have been trained almost from the time that they've learned how to walk. She decides to use her time off, their reward since they completed their mission early, to go looking for the mysterious girl and finds her in the courtyard of the barracks, laughing and playing a game with people who look to be her squadmates.

"Paige," she says and notices how the other girl turns around immediately, and yet tries to play it cool.

"What's up? I'm sort of busy Fields," she says nonchalantly.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Can you do it once we're done playing?"

"Do you have a lot left?"

"Depends on how good you are," the girl throws her a blue ribbon. "You're in. Do you need them to explain it to you or are you a good observer?"
"I can get around," Emily says and ties the ribbon to her arm.

Emily doesn't know how much time has passed but it has to be at least a couple of hours. Her team ended up winning the match but as the teams disbanded, Paige demanded that they would have a rematch since the last goal was totally not fair. Her buddies didn't have the energy for another game and left already, but Emily agreed to a one-on-one rematch. She kind of enjoys seeing the other girl being so intensely challenged, loving the fact that she can get someone on edge like that and totally neglecting to tell her that her dad had taught her Pyramid and had played it with you since she was old enough to throw a ball.

The sun had already gone down and both the girls were sweaty and dirty from the dust, but showed no signs of giving up. Emily seized the ball and was making a go for the goal, when Paige suddenly gave her such a hard knock that they both fell to the ground.

"Hey! That was totally unfair," Emily spat out, noticing how close she was to the other girl, with her almost lying on top of her.

"Don't be such a baby Fields!" the other girl spat out.

"How do you know my name?"

"How do you know mine?"

"Why did you just save us and skip off like that?"

"I was patrolling around. And you failed to secure the spot before you went inside. I knew something bad was about to happen."

"I don't need you to take care of me."

"Well, you'd be food for the undead if I hadn't."

"Why are you so cocky? Who died and made you…"

Emily doesn't get any further because the other girl silenced her by pressing her lips upon hers. The kiss is swift, yet deep and somehow feels urgent, like the other girl had been holding her breath until the moment that she seized Emily by the lips. She starts caressing the side of her face, stroking through her hair and then pulls back, as the realization of what they are doing had just suddenly hit her. She skims around, seeing nobody around but not losing the fearful look:

"Don't tell," she says right before getting up and running off like the area had just gotten declared red alert.

Emily doesn't see Paige again for two more weeks. She tries keeping her off her mind, focusing on her assignments, spending time with the girls and trying to solve the mystery of who is sending them these damn letters. Per her usual luck, the mysterious messenger seems to have gone suddenly silent, now when she needs a distraction more than ever. So the girls let their hair down, go for strolls in town, horse around and are in the middle of an exciting game of Triad in their common room area when a familiar face suddenly appeared in the door.

"Hey, Fields. Can we talk?" Paige seems hesitant to let the words exit her mouth.

"I'm kind of busy here," Emily says, feeling annoyed.

"Don't worry about that. We're almost done here, besides" Spencer says and calmly winks at Emily as she spreads her cards on the table: "I'm about to clean Fields here out for all her worth."

The other girls convince Emily that they can clean up after the game and she, in exchange, accepts grudgingly that she could probably talk to Paige for a moment. They end up taking a stroll outside, away from questioning eyes. Paige apologizes about running off, explaining that this is not something that she's used to doing, the kissing or the running off. Emily tells her about how she wasn't so used to these things either, not until a couple of years ago, when her best friend who regretfully didn't love her back made the wheels start turning. Paige tells her off how she has spent most of her lives training in the elite squad, trying to impress a dad that barely even knows that she exists, for he sits at his mighty throne way over in California and how she can't help but wonder whether he sent her across the continent for her training as a way to test her or to punish her. Emily tells her about her dad, how he taught her to play Pyramid and took her swimming in the forest lake as a child before the river dried up. Paige tells her that she did in fact know her dad, that sergeant Fields had taught her most of what she knows, how she yearned to have a father like him, and the fact that she knew that Emily was her father that day that she saw the girls on her patrol, and decided to follow them, even though she knew that they were doing something that they shouldn't. And Emily thanks her, and Paige tells her that she really likes her spirit and the game of Pyramid they played, which is what prompted her to kiss her.

They end up at Emily's barracks again, when it is way too late and they should have both been in bed already.

"I really enjoyed tonight," Emily said, before leaning in, feeling Paige move to meet her lips. "Next time that you want to kiss me, just ask me first, okay?"

"Okay," Paige says. "Can I kiss you again Emily Fields?"

"Okay," Emily says and caresses her hair. "As long as you drop the formalities and just call me Em."

"Em…"

She doesn't need to be asked again.

It turns out that Paige McCullers is a girl that is full of surprises. Emily knows that not much can be expected of life in these trying times, and therefore decides to keep her expectations to the minimum, yet the other girl always finds a way to amaze her. After a heated discussion where they argue about who should know about the fact that they are seeing each other, with Paige deciding that it should be no one and Emily arguing that at least her closest friends should know so they can have some sense of normalcy.

"Not everyone has been blessed with your friend group," Paige finally retorted before storming off.

When Emily was done being angry and realized that she didn't design the perimeter to their relationship she opted for walking back to Paige's barracks and see if they wouldn't be able to hash things out. However, when she was approaching, she was startled by the sound of harsh voices:

"What I'm saying McCullers is that I find that sort of thing to be unnatural."

"Cavanaugh, we live in a time where the dead can walk. Why would you really care about the definition of unnatural?"

"So what if I do? I'm entitled to my opinion on that."

"And I'm entitled to think that your opinion is shit!"

"Why do you care about that?"

"Why shouldn't I? It's not your business what other people like doing in their down time. Life is too short. We could be snuffed out by these blood sucking bastards at any moment. So, so what if I might like to spend that time getting some up close and personal with a lady?"

"You would what?"

"You know what Cavanaugh, forget it."

Paige almost runs into Emily when she is walking briskly away.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to...what are you doing here Em?"

"I came to see you. Want to get out of here?"

"Sure," Emily says, feeling warmth spread over her as Paige's hand finds her own. "Let's get out of here."

Paige turns out to be correct about the dangerous times that they live in. After their makeup, both of their assignments get more frequent, with Paige coming home from one with tears in her eyes.

"It's Toby… I mean Cavanaugh, they got him real bad. I'm not sure if he's going to pull through."

So she stays with him, and Emily comes to the hospital wing, making sure that her girlfriend is still eating and sleeping. And one day when she's taking Paige from the hospital wing and back to her barracks, when she notices a very distraught Spencer sneaking in, and realizes that like her, her friends too have secrets.

Once Cavanaugh is out of the woods and Paige's leave to help him get back on his feet is accepted, Spencer approaches Emily when she is getting her stuff together after their afternoon briefing:
"I know that you know."

"About what?"

"About me and Toby. And thank you for not telling on me."

"There's nothing to tell. It's your relationship. You let other people know once you're ready."

"Thanks. By the way, I think Paige was looking for you. She said something about waiting for you at her barracks."

"I thought she was stuck taking care of Toby."

"Well, I kindly offered to take over her nurse duties for today. Go ahead Em, have some fun. You never know which day is going to be our last."

"I hope you have a good time with your girlfriend," Toby says while seeing Paige and Emily off. He doesn't seem bad off himself, with Spencer catering to his every need and asking him constantly whether his leg is hurting.

"When did this happen?" Emily finally asks Paige once they have walked for a bit.

"Well, it turns out that falling from the third story of a building and then getting dragged back into the car, makes you indifferent to whether the girl that does that likes to kiss other girls or not," Paige says and smirks.

"You did not," Emily says open mouthed.

"I did and I would do it again," Paige says and blushes. "He is my best friend. I would do anything for him."

"Well, I would do pretty much anything for my friends too," Emily says before looking around, puzzled. "Where are you taking me?"

"There is this place. Not a lot of people know about it. You'll love it. Trust me."

It is and she does: the place in question is a small cabin in the forest, carefully covered in branches and moss.

"It was a secret caché for the military," Paige explains as she finally manages to get the door to open. "But once the location stopped being important, they lost interest in it and it sort of became redundant. Wait until you see what's behind.

"No way," Emily excitedly exclaims as they arrive back, seeing a small lake that is carefully hidden. "Is it really safe to swim here?"

"It used to be emergency reservoir, so I guess it is," Paige says as she strips her shirt off. "Come on. I'll raise you!"

After the swim, the girls cuddled up in the cabin, with Paige stoking the fire and Emily placing their canned goods on top of the stove. With their stomachs filled, they retreated to the lower of one of the bunks, chatting in lowered voices, even though there was nobody around to hear it. Finally, after having gone through every detail of her mission that turned out to be the nightmare that almost cost her her best friend, the discovery of their friend's secret tryst and the fact that she feels that she should have told Toby about her feelings way sooner, Paige whispers:

"Can we just not talk anymore?"

Emily nods silently, and there is just a moment's hesitation before she they come crashing together. It is strange the motions that they make together. Like two planets crashing into each other, a commotion that is powerful and explosive, yet so slow and delicate, for they each want the other, more than anything, for this to happen, for to be as close to one another as humanly possible and yet they don't want to rush it, for this is something that neither one of them wants to ever end. They end up spending the entire night exploring one another, with Emily finding out a completely new side to Paige McCullers; a side that is soft, vulnerable and yet unyielding, as for that time, their first time, she never once looks away. Afterwards, they hold one another and as the sun rises up and bathes them in its golden beams, Emily trails the red lines that are spread across Paige's body. Each mark has a story, and Paige tells them without even being prompted, because for once in her life, she seems to be at complete ease:

"Elite drill practice, eighth grade. I fell from the barricade."

"Fight in the mesh hall. Sean Ackard. I won"

"Explosion during my fifth mission. I didn't think I would make it out in one piece."

But once she traces over a criss crossed scar on her upper arm, the other girl hesitates, before taking a look at Emily and then finally saying with a guilt ridden voice:

"Last semester. I was feeling really confused, by how I felt, by everything really. And it somehow just felt like it helped take it all away. It wasn't my first one. But it was my last."

Emily smiles before giving her a kiss:
"Thanks for sharing all this with me."

"There is something more," Paige gnaws on her lip. "Em. I don't know how to tell you this. But there was an official transition request that came up today. From way up. They want me to transfer to California. It's pretty dangerous, but I can't help but feel that finally my old man has changed his mind about me. You know, gotten over the fact that I'm not the boy that he always wanted."

For a moment, Emily is at loss for words. California is really far away.

"Are you going?"

"I'm considering it. But whatever happens Em, I just want you to know that I have treasured the time that we spent together. Every moment. Even that time when you whooped my ass in Pyramid."

"It's been my pleasure," Emily says and smiles before rewarding Paige with another kiss. "And we will figure it out. Whatever you decide. Maybe I'll file in for a transfer too. Get away from Rosewood. From everything here."

"You would?"

"Yes I would. What? What's that look on your face?"

"Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing."

"It's just that, Emily, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but, Em, I really do love you."

"I love you too."

The words exit her mouth so effortlessly, so naturally, that their severity don't even dawn on her for a few moments. She drags the other girl into a tight hug:
"Whatever happens, we'll always have each other."

They must have fallen asleep because once they wake up again it is dark again and there is a ruckus outside. Emily pulls her clothes on hastily and runs out the door with Paige straight at her heels, armed with a small wood axe. The mystery intruder turns out to be Hanna, who jumps back at the sight of the weapon:

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just really need to talk to Emily for a moment and Toby told me where you guys were."

"Okay, sure. I'll be inside Em," Paige says before giving Emily a quick kiss and strolling back inside.

"That's quite the stride of pride isn't it?" Hanna remarks playfully.

"See, I don't even know what that means," Emily said, not really ready to get back into the real world. "What is this about Hanna?"

"It's Ali Emily. She's back. Ali is back!"