Paige signed her name at the bottom of the small touch screen in front of her. She'd lost count of the amount of signatures she'd completed this morning and her usually cursive penmanship had turned into a hurried scribble. She was in the Control Room, and had been all morning, sitting at her work desk. It was located to the right of the main console, which took up most of the room. The large windowed walls were going to waste showing off an amazingly clear morning sky full of stars. Pressing send, she sent off the very last form needed to have Emily released from the holding cells.

It had been an eventful 24 hours since they last spoke, after hearing what Emily had endured, Captain McCullers had contacted every officer on the Peace Corps Board. They of course, had no idea that a former officer had been found after missing for 7 years. Lt. General McCullers had tried to keep it quite, he had been the head of investigations at the time and had made the decision to close the case. Paige had demanded release and after hearing the recording of Emily, The Board all agreed, under one condition, that Emily was to remain on The Mako until further notice.

Paige felt a wave of nervousness as she thought about having the brunette on her ship. The fine print in the conditions detailed that Emily was to stay to the recreation areas and her room, which was located directly across from the Captain's quarters.

Paige stood to stretch as another permission form popped up on screen. El notified her it was from , who was requesting all sorts of things and using various medical terms. Paige barely knew what he was talking about until she came across Spencer's name. The navigator's recovery had been proceeding better than expected and she had woken up this morning.

As Captain, Paige was required to be the first to speak to Spencer, she had been injured in service and it was protocol.

Paige felt another wave of nerves but this time it was followed by guilt and it made her take a sharp breath before settling in her stomach. Before her emotions could effect her any more, she quickly signed the form and left the room.

The halls were busier than usual. Due to the stand-by status everyone had a lot more free time and the Captain made a mental note to issue some extra duties to keep everyone in line.

As she stepped into the waiting room adjacent to the Med Lab she was not surprised to see Toby already there. Paige noticed his messy hair, crinkled shirt and dark circles under his eyes and assumed he had probably slept there last night.

He stood to attention as she approached.

"Captain, do you know if she's awake yet? No one has come out, no one will tell me anything."

His tone and face were desperate and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I've had word from Dr. Fitz this morning that she is awake. I have to speak to her first thing but I promise I won't be long." She looked him over and considered telling him to go and get something to eat but knew he wouldn't be going anywhere.

She was granted access to the Med Lab and gave him a small smile as the doors slid shut between them.

Spencer's room was located towards the back of the large, brightly lit lab. Numerous Doctors sat at their desks, staring into data pads or working varied medical equipment. Most officers were treated here for small injuries and ailments but the more serious cases were treated in the private rooms.

The door to Spencer's room was white with a small square window at head level and they were usually closed over with a shutter but this one wasn't. Paige glanced in and saw Dr. Ftiz speaking with Spencer, his hand on her shoulder, smiling. Spencer's face was paler than usual but at least she was smiling back, it was a weak smile but it was there.

Looking to the floor, Paige took a deep breath and tried to suppress all emotions, she needed to be Captain now. She was going over all the 'official' things that needed to be said when she realised Spencer had no idea about Emily.

Emily.

Her thoughts turned to the brunette and all attempts at controlling her emotions went out the door. It was strange thinking about Emily as someone she would be talking to in an hour.

Paige was brought back to the present by Dr. Fitz gently shaking her shoulder.

"Captain McCullers, are you feeling okay? I don't think you've heard a word I've just said." He was looking concerned.

Paige immediately felt guilty for thinking about anything but Spencer at this point in time.

"Sorry, I was just thinking..."

He smiled, "Yes, we saw you out here, Spencer wants you to go in before you scare away all her visitors with your frowning... Her words."

Paige forced a smile "I better go in then."

The temperature was a little different in the room, more comfortable than the colder air running through the labs. The bed was in the middle of the room, against the back wall surrounded by screens and machines all quietly humming away while monitoring their patient. There was a rectangular metal box on Spencer's injured arm, the small wires running from it joined to a screen beside the bed. It showed what Paige assumed was a 3D image of the inside of an arm, bones and veins were slowly being mapped out.

"Neat huh?" Spencer's voice was soft. "It's mapping out what's missing so a replica synthetic can be made."

Paige stood on the opposite side of the bed to the screen and stood to attention.

"Spencer Hastings, as your commanding officer and on behalf of the Peace Corps we would like to thank you for your outstanding service. Your recent injuries are unfortunate but all measures will be taken to see you to a full recovery. You are, as of now, an inactive officer not required to fulfil any regular duties but all services are available to you during your recuperation".

Paige finished the speech and Spencer looked at her a little dumb founded.

"Did you just salute me?" Paige nodded. "Caleb is going to be so jealous." The navigator smiled.

The Captain felt herself relax a little and moved closer to the bed, resting her hands on the metal rail. She looked to Spencer's injured arm, what wasn't covered by the machine was barely recognisable as skin. A deep shade of blue and purple rose all the way up to Spencer's neck where it gradually faded out.

Paige felt nothing but regret and anger.

"Spencer..."

"No Captain...Paige," Spencer cut her off, "I know what you're going to say but please don't, its not necessary."

Paige gripped the rails tighter, "If I hadn't have taken you all in there, if I'd waited for more squads..."

Spencer shook head, "So you could be standing over someone else's bed feeling guilty? I chose to serve, I chose to follow your command. It's something I've never regretted and I don't plan to start now. I'm alive because you're an excellent Captain, it's that simple."

Paige sighed, she couldn't argue with that.

"Please tell me we at least busted the scum bags?"

Emily.

Paige had debated about telling Spencer, worrying it might be too much in her condition but it was clear Spencer was recovering better and faster than anyone expected.

"Yeah...yes, we have Daniel Jones in custody, he is being sent to Kolasis prison in 3 days. I doubt he'll even get a trial."

Spencer nodded and Paige knew who she was thinking about, a strange mixture of excitement and fear ran through her body as she continued.

"She's here Spencer, we found her."

Spencer's eyes widened as she realised what the Captain had just said. She gripped Paige's hand and searched her expression for more information, temporarily unable to speak.

"She's alive." Paige almost whispered.

Spencer leaned back onto her pillow as tears slid down her face.

Paige decided not to disclose anything about Emily's current state of mind, she wanted Spencer to relish this moment, she deserved it.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Spencer clutching the Captains hand as she let the tears flow. Sharing this moment was like making up for all the time spent searching.

Wiping the moisture from her face, Spencer eventually spoke. "When can I see her?"

"She's still tied up in political red tape and will be under civilian regulation for at least another week or more."

Spencer sniffed, "I want to see her as soon as it's possible." Paige patted her hand.

"Of course." She felt a little bad for not divulging the fact that Emily may not want to see Spencer but figured it for the best. "Although she'll have to get in the line that's forming outside, I think Toby's got a tent out there."

Spencer laughed softly as another tear fell and Paige knew that was her queue to leave, giving her hand a squeeze before leaving the room.

Toby and Dr Fitz were speaking as she exited the labs, the mechanic instantly on his feet.

"Can I see her now?" He cut the Doctor off mid-sentence.

Dr. Fitz smiled and motioned for Toby to follow him through the doors and Paige stepped aside in fear of being pushed out of the way.

When Paige had fully got use to the fact Emily Fields would be living on her ship she had made a list. A list of things to do, a list of things to make Emily more comfortable. On a military vessel a list like that was not very long and Paige realised how infrequently anyone but officers were on board.

The first problem she had were clothes, or lack of. She had searched every storage area and supply room and could find nothing but uniforms and she doubted Emily would be comfortable in those. The pants would be ok but the shirts with the Corps logo would not. Paige considered asking others or even offering her own clothes but decided it didn't feel right. In the end she spent a few hours removing the logos from the shirts herself, her fingers tips were still a little sore from picking the stitching out with a needle, all the while wondering why she hadn't had someone else do it.

Secondly she had made sure the room Emily would be staying had been thoroughly cleaned, all military equipment removed and the cooler filled with every food and drink available. If Emily didn't want to leave the room, she wouldn't have to.

Lastly she had left a blank data pad in the room, she wasn't sure if the brunette would even use it but it would be there if she ever needed to write her thoughts down.

The Captain checked over the list mentally as she entered the holding cells, confident she had carried out all the tasks.

The guard on duty stood to attention and handed her a metal container the size of a shoe box. A red neon number three shone on the front, Paige scanned the cuff on her wrist over the number and the box popped open.

Looking at the items that were confiscated from Emily she felt saddened, it was barely anything.

She took out the clothes Emily arrived in and added them to the bag of others she had brought, unfortunately she had been unable to find anything but a recruit's bag to carry them in.

A small watch whose neon numbers were dull, a belt and a thin gold chain were the complete contents of the box and Emily's life.

As she put them in a side pocket of the bag something on the chain caught her eye, it was a small gold shield, the size of a thumbnail but it was missing its left half. Paige stared at it as a memory flooded her mind.

Paige was in the very last leg of the Peace Corps Recruit Championship and wanted to win, badly.

Her top scores in shooting, combat and theory had allowed her to represent her sector of the recruits...along with Emily Fields. Usually only one recruit from each sector would compete for the title but Emily had matched her scores in every skill and now they stood ready to contend for the last time.

The final trial was endurance, a large obstacle course lay in front of them and the recruit with the best finishing time would win, if they even completed it. This course was notorious for injuries and was nicknamed 'Big Red' referring to the amount of blood that it had spilled.

They lined up with the other recruits.

"Come on Paige, you can do it!" A blond girl called from the side of the field as Paige tried to block out the cheering and shouts.

"I think you have a fan." Emily laughed as she looked over to the crowd. Paige gave an embarrassed wave.

"Uh yeah, but she's kinda hard to notice amongst all the 'GO EMILY' signs. Who is this Emily anyway I don't think I've even heard of her."

Emily rolled her eyes as she began to stretch, Paige tried not to stare.

"Keep up the bravado McCullers, you'll need it when I win this."

Paige laughed and dragged her eyes away from the brunette. As she stood up to the starting line she felt a hand on her arm that ran down to grasp her hand. She turned around with butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"I don't think you need it but, good luck Paige." Emily smiled.

Paige felt the blood run to her cheeks as she ducked her head and glanced at the floor. They had been rivals in almost everything they did but had still remained friends regardless. Paige had constantly battled with self doubt and Emily was always there to offer encouragement. Something that warmed Paige's heart and made her unable to not blush whenever Emily was near.

"Yeah you to, Em." There was an awkward moment where both girls seemed to want to say something more but they both turned away before doing so.

A sharp whistle indicated there was thirty seconds to start and everyone became very serious.

The course was hard, harder than Paige had expected but she had done it. Her calf muscles felt numb and her arms were burning as she ran towards the finish line, everyone had been cheering her on but they suddenly became louder and more excited. Someone fell into line beside her and she didn't have to look to know who it was. They sprinted for what seemed like minutes but was really barely ten seconds, both girls crossing the line at the same time.

Paige bent over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath, over the cheering she heard the announcer say the word 'tie' but all she could see in her mind was her father's disappointed face.

Emily embraced her in a hug and she become even more breathless as she felt the heat of the other girl press against her.

"Paige, you're amazing, congratulations!" She pulled back and placed a small kiss her on lips before being forced away by the crowd now surrounding them.

To everyone it probably looked like a kiss between friends. It was so quick and fleeting Paige was a little unsure it had even happened but the tingling on her lips and heat rising in her cheeks told her otherwise.

She placed her fingers to her lips in a daze, she knew Emily didn't kiss her friends like that...maybe she was just really excited? Or maybe she'd actually passed out on the course and was now dreaming.

Paige's confused thoughts were interrupted by her friends who were hugging and yelling praise at her.

After a quick freshen up Paige now stood on stage waiting to be awarded, Emily beside her. They hadn't spoken since winning and Paige couldn't stop herself from glancing at the other girl, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Emily caught her eye and grabbed her hand, holding it tight as the official announcements began.

They were presented with an obnoxiously large trophy and each was given a half of the small gold shield that represented a recruit champion. This was of course the fist time anyone had tied for the title and only one shield had been made so it had been laser cut in half specifically for them to share.

Later on that night as celebrations continued Paige left the crowd and made her way to the cafeteria and was surprised to find Emily and her close group of friends sitting at a table.

They waved her over as she grabbed a drink and sat with them.

"Nice going today Paige, you were awesome." Caleb leaned over and gave her a high five, while the others agreed.

"I can't believe they made you guys share the badge though, if that was me I would have demanded they make me a new one...with diamonds." Hanna added.

Paige shrugged "I don't mind sharing".

"Sharing? What's that?" Hanna screwed up her face and everyone laughed.

After a few more hours of talking they decided it was time to leave when the rowdy crowds started to stream in looking for a late night snack.

As they exited, Emily quietly spoke to Paige.

"I don't mind sharing either, especially with you. It'll be nice to have something that kind of connects us after we graduate."

Paige found the ground incredibly interesting for the second time that day, her feelings were no longer confusing but it didn't stop them from rendering her completely mute when Emily did her 'flirting but not flirting' thing.

Emily shook her head at the pink faced girl as she took her hand and pulled her to catch up with the others.

"Uh Captain? Are you okay?" Paige snapped out of her revere as Caleb stared at her.

"Sorry, yes, I was just...thinking." She needed to think of another excuse if she was going to continue to be caught in thought like this.

"Did you need something Caleb?" He was standing outside the doors to the holding cells as the guard controlled the doors to stay open, Hannah and Aria were beside him.

"We're here to see Emily, duh!" Hannah called out.

"Yeah, you're letting her out now aren't you?" Caleb leaned into the doorway a little more.

"I can't believe we're going to see her again!" Aria's face was filled with excitement.

Hannah grabbed his Caleb's arm and bounced on the spot. "Is she like all tough now? Does she have any scars?" She gasped, "Does she have any tattoos?"

Paige felt irritation towards the group and their blasé attitude towards Emily and what she had been through.

"This isn't a welcome home party. Emily has been to hell and back. She was out there making decisions that could save or end her life while we were here choosing what to have for breakfast."

The groups faces grew sombre.

"Hey, we know how serious this is. We've been upset since it all happened, we just thought with Spencer and all the crying the girls have done it was time to be happy, to be excited about something." Caleb put his arm around the girls.

Paige sighed, he was right. When she thought about it, half of her annoyance was actually worry. She had no idea what Emily was going to be like once she was out, or if she would even want to see them.

"I'm sorry guys, this is just a very difficult situation." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Emily isn't going to be the girl you remember, she...she's angry and I just don't want anyone to be more upset then they already are."

"We're big kids now Cap..." Caleb reassured her.

"Yeah...we just really want to see her again." Aria smiled sadly.

Paige put the bag over her shoulder.

"Okay, see you in a bit then." She turned as the doors closed behind her.

Emily was standing at the door to her cell, waiting, it was clear she was ready to get the hell out of there.

"I was thinking I'd have to start scratching the days off on the wall." She joked.

During the last few times Paige had visited Emily they had developed a comfortable repertoire, it was nothing like in the past and it was not even close to being called friends but it seemed to be working. There were certain subjects that made Emily angry and some she flat out refused to speak about. Paige had noted not to bring them up.

"Ha ha." Paige mumbled as she scanned her wrist cuff over a small sensor panel. It flashed red and El's voice sounded around them.

"Please confirm identity Captain McCuller's."

"McCuller's, Paige, Captain, First Class number 36706"

"Voice recognition confirmed." The panel turned green and the lock clicked over.

The door slid open and Emily slowly stepped out, Paige handed her the recruits bag containing her belongings.

"Sorry I couldn't find anything else to put it in, there are some extra clothes in there and the stuff you came in with, excluding your pistol and knife of course".

Emily hesitated for a second, the bag making a wave of nostalgia run through her, before thinking about it to much she put it over her shoulder.

"Thanks"

Shit Paige thought I knew I shouldn't have given her that bag. It was obvious Emily's previous light mood was now gone.

"Emily, before we leave, you should know Caleb, Hannah and Aria are out there, waiting to see you."

Emily's face remained blank.

"I can ask them to leave if you want..."

The brunette shook her head.

"No, it's okay."

Paige scanned her face for any clue to what she was feeling but was left unsure. Walking to the holding cell doors she braced herself and become Captain McCullers, she was going to have to detach herself from the situation.

She heard Emily take a deep breath behind her as the doors opened and they exited.

The three people standing outside went quite as they approached, Emily staying a little behind the Captain but to the side.

Aria was the first to speak.

"Emily, you don't know how good it is to see your face again." Her expression almost dreamy, like she was looking at something she didn't really believe.

Hannah nodded, "And you're still so pretty...god Emily we missed you!" She stepped forward for a hug and Paige felt the girl behind her stiffen. She gently placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder stopping her.

Hannah, realising it was too much, stepped back.

"Hey Emily, we're all so glad you're back...if there's anything we can do..." Caleb was cut off by Emily speaking softly.

"You don't have to treat me like I'm an injured animal." She changed her tone to try and sound a little friendlier, she was having trouble with her confliction emotions "I...thanks for seeing me out."

Paige gave Caleb a pleading look and he nodded.

"Ok well, I think we'll let you settle in...maybe we'll see later." He ushered the other girls in the direction of the hall.

Paige sat on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes, she had just finished showing Emily to her room, she had looked a little shell shocked at first and Paige had to fight the urge to grab her hand and comfort her, like they use to.

She opened the draw beside her and lifted out a small velvet bag, tipping it up, a gold half shield fell into her hand.

The cold metal became warm in her hand as she thought about the other half and where it was right now. She had done this numerous times over the past few years but now it was different, now it was right across the hall and possibly hanging around the perfectly shaped neck of Emily Fields.

She sighed again dropped back into the bed, she had no idea how she was going to make it through the next few weeks.