A/N: Thank you for all your reviews. Just a quick note - I have no idea how the army system works at all but i hope you enjoy!

14th November – 125 days until Emily returns

It was 5.34pm and Emily had just returned back to Kandahar Airfield after serving some time at a British base in Musa Qaleh as one of their flight medics got injured in combat during an evacuation. Having been away from the basic luxuries that were only offered at the airfield: cooked meals, hot running water, a comfy bed, mail from family and friends and several computers with internet access, Emily soon began to appreciate being back at her base camp as she let the running water of the shower cascade down her back. It had only been 6 days since her deployment out to the British base but her skin felt grimy with dust, mud and sweat. Luckily for her, when she arrived back at base, there were several letters and packages from her friends and family and the only one she had time to open was the one from her mom which contained all the 'essentials' like toothpaste, shampoo and shower gel along with a few of her favourite snacks. She poured the raspberry body wash all over her body, embracing the fruity aroma that graced her senses before she began scrubbing all the mud and dirt from places you don't even want to know.

"Fields, I've put all your mail on your bed," One of the other medics, Liam Miller, called. They had their own quarters at the camp as they were stationed there most of the time. "Lucky for you, you have the whole day off tomorrow."

"Well I have been away for 6 days, working none stop unlike you who has been sat on your lazy ass in between shifts. I didn't even have shifts!" She laughed, causing the chestnut brown man to laugh, playfully throwing a pair of socks at her as she made use of the electricity to blow dry her hair.

"Well you are the only female Critical Care Flight Paramedic who is on their first tour of duty. Even I'm not as highly trained as you and this is my third!"

"Girl power." She shrugged, falling back onto her bed and letting the soft fabric of the duvet set Ali bought her engulf her body. She couldn't help but close her eyes for two minutes…

"FIELDS!" Liam shouted, walking into their quarters.

"Huh?" Emily said, adjusting her eyes to the now dimmer light.

"You've been out for 3 hours and I'm starving so come on move it."

Emily groaned, moving from her position on the bed as she plodded over to the mess tent where she had her first hot meal in almost a week and it was her favorite – pizza and fries. When she returned to her bunk, she noticed that she still hadn't opened all the mail everyone back home had sent her. She reached for the first gift from the bag and it had Christmas wrapping paper with snowmen on it and it literally gave her heart palpitations but her heart sank. She hadn't even thought about Christmas. Being out in the desert, it didn't feel like winter and she almost forgot that Christmas was just over a month away. Not that it mattered because it wasn't like she would be celebrating out here in the middle of a warzone.

She ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal an advent calendar and a Christmas card attached. She opened it:

Dear Em,

I'm not entirely sure when you will open it but we wanted to give you a little bit of Christmas even though you probably won't be celebrating. Also, we just want to say that we are all incredibly proud of what you are doing and we will all have our own Christmas when you come back.

Hope you're safe and well.

Love,

Hanna, Aria, Ali and Spencer

xx xx xx xx

She smiled, slight tears forming in her eyes at her incredibly sweet friends. It was moments like this when you are away from them without contact that you realize just how much you appreciate them. She reached into the bag and pulled out several other gifts such as food, clean socks and underwear and several letters from family members but there was one letter at the bottom of the bag which caught her eye. The writing on the front, perfectly scripted. It was from Ali. She eagerly tore into the envelope, confused as to why the blonde wrote her a hand written letter instead of a Facebook message but she didn't care because it's a piece of the blonde she can now keep with her.

Hey Em,

I know you're probably wondering why I am writing you a letter and the truth is because I need to. I need to tell you something and I don't know how I'll say it to your face. You know I prefer to write my feelings down rather than say them.

Something happened on Halloween and I was going to wait until you came back to tell you but I can't. I need to tell you now. Basically, on the Halloween train I caught Rollins cheating on me with Mona and long story short we are getting a divorce. Don't worry, it didn't end on a bad note. We are still friends but we are applying for a divorce and hopefully I will be divorced by the time you come home. You're probably wondering why the hell I'm telling you but I'm telling you because that means we can be together – I'm hoping we can be together. I know it's a long shot, we are different people now and a lot has happened but I'm sick of pushing my feelings for you away in the hope that one day they will go because they won't Emily because I am in love with you. I am hopelessly in love with you and I want a chance to see if we will work. I want a forever with you. I know you probably don't want to, but I don't care how long I have to wait. I will wait until the day I die for you to hold me in your arms because that's what I live for. This whole situation is so messed up and I'm sorry if I've made it difficult for you but I needed you to know and if you want me then I will be waiting for you when you return.

Love,

Alison x

Emily had to re-read the letter at least three times to get her head around what the blonde was saying. Was the blonde really saying that she wanted to be with her? Emily had waited since she was 14 for Ali to say those words and it felt good. She couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face because she couldn't believe it. It made her chuckle slightly at the fact that Ali seemed scared that she didn't want her. It's like the tables have changed because Emily remembers all too clearly the days when she was the one chasing after the blonde.

She glanced over at the clock as it read 11.14pm and she knew that today was Saturday so Ali wouldn't be at work. She quickly grabbed her shoes and headed out of her make shift quarters to the office area with the computers and groaned when all 3 had a white piece of paper with 'No internet access' scrolled over them.

"Sorry Fields, the internet is down for at least 2 weeks so it's back to the old ways of writing I'm afraid." One of the artillery men said. She headed back to her bed, grabbing some paper and a pen before going over to the desk to write her letter to Ali. She also decided she should write one to all the girls as well, thanking them for the advent calendar. She got as far as 'Dear Ali' before scribbling it out, crumpling up the paper and throwing it in the trash can. She tried several other greetings; 'Hey Ali' 'Hi Ali' 'Hello Ali' but nothing sounded right. It either sounded too formal or too awkward. She even considered 'To my beautiful Ali' but decided it was too much too soon. She sat, tapping the end of her pen against the side of the desk. She knew by the time this letter reached her that it would be within the first few days of December so she simply started it by wishing her a merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays Ali,

I would say that I'm sorry about you and Rollins getting a divorce but you and I both know that isn't true. I've wanted to be with you since I was 14 and I know things have been strained for us over those whole (nearly) 10 years but I do believe everything happens for a reason. It's the light at the end of the tunnel. A long and dark one haha. That light at the end of the tunnel was our future, we just didn't know it. Now we are there, everything is clearer and God or fate or whatever has finally decided that we should be together. I love you too Ali, so much .I am in love with you and of course I want you. As soon as I arrive home we can talk and discuss everything properly but knowing that you love me and knowing that you are waiting for me is all I need to get me – us – through these months. I have thought about you every single day and I will do until the day I come home. I can't wait to see you.

If I don't have the opportunity to talk to you have a wonderful Christmas with your family or the girls or whoever and have a happy New Year! Here's a New Year's kiss (I actually just kissed the paper).

I love you, beautiful.

Emily x

P.S I thought a hand written letter was more sentimental and romantic but we also don't have any internet and I don't know when we will :(

She folded the paper up, placing it into an envelope and filling out her Address before writing a letter to all of the girls:

Hey guys!

Sorry I haven't been in touch with you for so long, our internet has been down and still is for about another 2 weeks so I thought I'd write to you all instead. Thank you for your letter and the advent calendar, it made me cry! I don't know what I have done to deserve such amazing friends. I miss you all so much and I think about you all every day. I can't wait to come home and hang out with you all. We definitely need to have a sleep over or something like old times, I don't care if we are adults haha.

I can't wait to see you all. Love and miss you,

Em x

She filled out all the address information, deciding to send it to her Mom's house so she knows they will receive it. She didn't know what Ali's new address was so she also sent that letter to her mom's house.

December 12th – 97 days until Emily returns

It had just been over 4 weeks since Emily had sent her letters to Rosewood and she still hasn't heard anything back. With it been close to Christmas, everyone was wanting to send letters/was receiving gifts or letters which means the military postal service was absolutely manic. Unfortunately for Emily, she was once again recruited on a mission away from Kandahar Airfield for the next 4 weeks and therefore wouldn't even be around to see if she got a reply before Christmas. She finished packing her rucksack with her equipment, stuffing her food rations into the side pockets before sitting on her bed. Those food rations, as it looks, were going to be her Christmas dinner. Her mind wandered back to Christmases in the past, sat around the Christmas tree with her dad wrapping presents for her mom. She cringed slightly, having being reminded that this would be her first Christmas without her dad and her mom was back home in Rosewood alone. She knew her mom wouldn't be alone, Veronica Hastings already offered to have her for Christmas and Ashley Marin has said she is always welcome.

She was just about to throw her backpack on her back and head out to the Chinook helicopter which was going to transport her to her new base when she noticed the advent calendar sat at the side of her bed. She picked it up, popping open the 12th door and sighing as the chocolate melted onto her tongue. She knew this was going to be the last time she tasted chocolate in a while.

"Come on Fields!" Miller shouted from the door. She threw the advent calendar on her bed before throwing her backpack on to her back. "How excited are you to work with me?" He said, smirking playfully.

"More than you could ever know," She smiled. It is true, over the past few months being in Afghanistan together Liam had become like a brother to her and she appreciated his company a lot despite how annoying he can be at times.

They arrived at their new base, a far cry from their home at Kandahar Airfield. The base was located deep in enemy territory and therefore heavily armed with snipers and machine guns at posts around the perimeter. When they were chauffeured to their new living quarters, they both simultaneously let out a disfavored sigh. They were lucky as they were out of the intense desert heat but they were sleeping on the floor with nothing more than their jackets and a sleeping bag as bedding – they didn't even have a pillow. They both shared a look of displeasure before laughing slightly as they knew they would have to resort to extreme measures to make sure the next 4 weeks go by quickly.

December 18th – 95 days until Emily returns

04.56am.

The sun was just creeping up above the mountainous surroundings of Helmand Province. The barren land had fallen silent in the early hours of the morning after several hours of heavy gunfight. Fortunately for Emily, she wasn't on Duty and therefore could catch up on as much sleep as she could as her shift started at 03.00am.

The emergency alarm pierced through the silent quarters of the evacuation flight crew causing both Liam and Emily to shoot up, grabbing their equipment before sprinting out. Being the member of the flight crew in charge, she raced to the Tactical Operations Centre to receive the details on the rescue mission before sprinting towards the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. It was like a scene from a movie as the pilots, Emily, Miller and 2 gunmen raced across the airfield to get to the aircraft. With Miller being an evacuation medic, it was his duty to collect the casualty from the battlefield and bring them to the aircraft and Emily was the trained flight paramedic who dealt with the patient on board, giving emergency, critical care in order to keep the casualty alive until they reached Bastion.

The helicopter practically catapulted off the ground and over the perimeter of the base as it flew over open territory to the location of the casualty.

"What have we got?" Miller asked, as Emily began preparing several pieces of equipment she may need to use.

"ANA, Cat Alpha. Amputation to left leg."

"Shit." Was his response, causing Emily to laugh nervously. This would be her first amputee victim and if Miller was scared then she knows she should be too.

"Get prepared, we're landing right at the POI." She ordered, as the aircraft began to descend quickly into open ground. The side door flew open as Miller jumped out, scrambling over to several troops around the casualty, who was already bandaged up and on a stretcher thanks to the combat medic amongst the platoon. Miller, with the help of 3 troops, was carrying the casualty when they were caught in enemy crossfire. Emily froze as she heard the cry of Miller, watching as he let go of the stretcher as fall down to the ground.

"Miller!" She screamed, scrambling out of the helicopter. "Get him in there quick!" She ordered the other troops, pointing to the casualty on the stretcher. "MILLER!" She screamed again, placing her hand on his lower stomach where a pool of blood began to seep through his uniform. "COME ON, LET'S GO." She ordered, heaving him up off the floor the best she could. He tried to steady himself but the loss of blood was making him weaker by the second. She got him into the back with the help of the other troops and laid him down next to the other casualty.

"Do you want me to come?" The combat medic asked. Everything seemed to be happening at such a rapid pace that she hadn't realized she was shaking her head. She was shaking her head at the scene in front of her, trying to tell herself it wasn't real. The combat medic nodded his head, obviously thinking she was shaking her head at him, and he closed the door as they helicopter took off.

"Shit." She said, quickly carrying out a blood sweep on the amputee. He had no other sustained injuries but the loss of blood from the amputation is enough to kill him if Emily doesn't act fast to give him blood. She glances over at Miller, she could tell he was struggling to breath. "Hang in there Miller, please." She said, frantically grabbing the blood bag and accurately inserting the needle into the casualty. "Hold this?" She asked the gunman, but it was more of a command. The gunman, realizing her situation cautiously turned around and held up the blood bag whilst Emily began to give the amputee sedative ketamine to reduce the excruciating pain.

"Em… Can't….Breath" Miller managed to say, as Emily placed an oxygen mask over his face. "I know, I'm sorting it." She said, fumbling around in one of the boxes for a chest dart. "The gunshot wound is putting pressure on your lungs and that's why you can't breathe. I'm going to help that okay?" She said, effectively removing the dart from the packet at the same time. She knew with him being an evacuation medic that he knew what she was talking about. She inserted the dart into his chest, sighing in relief when she can feel is breathing return to normal. She pressurized the wound on his lower stomach before giving him a dose of sedative ketamine.

"Please stay with me," She pleaded, her voice reflecting the exact shakiness of her hands. Miller reached his hand to hers on his stomach, giving her a weak smile before his eyes started to flutter close. "No, no, no. Miller, stay with me." She pleaded, lifting her free hand to his face, tapping his cheek until he opened his eyes but it didn't happen. She quickly maneuvered so she could check the pulse in his neck – there was no pulse. "Shit." She muttered under her breath. She urgently needed to start CPR but she couldn't take pressure off of the wound. She turned to the gunman who was still holding up the blood bag.

"Fields I can't leave my post."

"He is going to fucking die if I don't do something now stop being selfish and help me save his life." It was a demand and Emily herself was shocked at her harsh tone but at the moment her only priority was keeping Miller alive. The gunman, Todds, reluctantly moved away from his post at the side of the helicopter and moved over to Miller, applying pressure to his wound whilst Emily began CPR.

"Come on Miller," She spoke through gritted teeth as he showed no signs of a heartbeat. She was running out of time so quickly opted for mouth to mouth. Just as the helicopter was about to touch down, Miller drew a long breath, gasping as he breathed in oxygen for the first time in minutes. Emily leaned back, sighing in relied as the gunman smiled at her.

"Well done Fields," He smiled, just as the doors flew open and the ground paramedics removed both casualties from the aircraft. Emily went through all the ins and outs of their injuries and the treatment she gave them before sitting back and taking deep breaths. Her heart was beating way faster than it should, mostly filled with panic and adrenaline but now with pride because she had just brought someone back from the dead. That person being one of her best friends.

By the time Emily reached back to her quarters news had gotten around about her heroism. She was congratulated by several people of higher ranks before she was called into the Tactical Operation Center by the Battle Captain.

"Sit down Fields," He said, offering her a chair. "So I am very aware of the situation you were put in today and you should never have been put into that situation in the first place. But, I wanted to personally congratulate you on how you handled the situation because you certainly put a lot of people to shame." He smiled, causing her to smirk slightly.

"Thank you Sir."

"Both Miller and the amputee are doing fine but Miller will need surgery. The gunshot wound caused one of his lungs to collapse. He is stable but he is going to be flying out to Bastion in approximately 2 hours where he will undergo surgery and then fly to a Personnel Recovery Center in Germany."

"Okay." Emily nodded, not exactly sure why he was telling her this.

"Emily, I want you to go with him. He will benefit from your support and I think you deserve early leave. You've had a fantastic 3 months but I don't want to push you too soon especially since I now know what you're capable of. So pack your stuff and get ready. You'll be arriving back in Texas around the 20th."

"Wait, What?! I'm going home?"

"Merry Christmas Fields," He smiled, standing up and patting her on the shoulder. "Now go pack your things." He smiled.

Emily couldn't believe it. She was going home.

A/N: Will Emily tell them she is coming home or will she surprise them? Will she make it home for Christmas? Let me know what you think!