Author's notes

This is my first fic ever written and I know that the pairing is most likely not everyone's most favorite, but I've always liked the chemistry between the two (that includes what happened in The Sacrifice comic) and I wanted to experiment if when Zoey reflects on her feelings for Bill in the final moments of The Sacrifice. And I also ask myself how it would be like if Bill meets the new survivors from L4D2. Some characters may be OOCs but considering the pairing, those two will be a little OOcs but not much. Hope I can live up to the other characters.

Chapter 1: Epiphany

Rayford, GA – November 23rd 2009

It's amazing what people can realise when they are facing death. They see things, understand the feelings they are feeling when they are facing the final judgement. They also gain an understanding of themselves. For many, their own epiphanies happens when they are facing the prospect of changes or of losing someone dear to them. Some manage to realise it before it's too late, the others do not. Those that does mostly ending up happy in the end with themselves and others. Those that doesn't fall either to despair and depression and never recover for most of these people. Some recovers, but they must be surrounded by people they do care about.

For Zoey, it's like a switch. All it took is to see the four Tanks coming towards them with no way out except getting the bridge up so they could be safe from the zombie horde. In fact, after starting the three generators, it should have been only a flip of a switch on the top of the bridge to activate in order to get it up. As fate would have it, the generator closets to the bridge shut down unexpectedly, with the only course of action would be to have someone go down off the bridge in order to reactivate it. And of course, Bill, the old veteran, is the one that goes down the bridge. Zoey's eyes widen seeing the older man getting down the bridge and that's when it starts within her. As she sees the four Tanks coming closer to them, all it took was a few seconds to process what is happening. First, she knew that Bill wouldn't survive against four Tanks alone. Hell, he would be hard pressed against one so Zoey can't imagine Bill trying to hold off four fucking Tanks. Second, it's the flutter in her heart that told the younger woman what was happening. She knew that she always have a soft spot for him, but at this instant, she realises that Bill means a lot more to her than she thought. Could she have develop feelings for him? The moment she asks herself that question, the answer comes to her immediately. Yes, she did. She fell in love with the old veteran. Whether he returns her feelings or not is a different matter, one that she would cross once she finds a way to save him, although she is feeling certain he does considering he showered her with gestures of affection although they could also be seen as a father caring for his daughter. Right after that realisation comes the horrifying truth that is happening in front her. Bill knew it would be pointless to live considering his age. And it didn't help that she and him went into a fight because he had left the doctor behind. At this point though, Zoey didn't care about it, she only care about saving the man she loves. And it's this last point that makes her mind up. She didn't want to wonder in the next few years how a relationship with him could have been like if he died here today. She wants to have it all. She wants him to live so she could experience it for real instead of in her head. She imagines so many things that could happen if he dies this day and the more she thinks about all of this, the more her resolve to save him hardens as she didn't like what she sees what could become of herself as a result.

She sees one of the Tanks separating itself from the other three, and it made its way to the bridge, where Zoey, Francis and an injured Louis are standing on. That's when Zoey saw her opportunity. Grabbing the three bottles of Boomer Bile that she and the two men on the bridge found earlier, the former college student makes her way to the edge of the bridge where the Tank's hands could be seen. Just as she reach it, the bridge starts to go up. Knowing she only have seconds before she wouldn't be able to jump, she turns to Francis.

"Francis, protect Louis. I'll bring back Bill!" She says loudly in order to be heard through the noise.

Francis' eyes widens, realising what Zoey intends to do.

"Zoey, don't!" Francis screams in alarm, understanding what she plan to do.

"Girl, don't do this!" Adds Louis in panic.

Nothing could stop her now. She turn around then put her foot on the Tank's hand and then jumps down, managing to land perfectly on the road before the Tank could realise it. She looks ahead, seeing the three Tanks about to make their way to Bill. She took one of the bile jar and toss it right onto the closest Tank to her. It landed perfectly on the huge infected and the effects are instantaneous. The common infected starts to attack him, slowing him down. She throws the other two bile jars on the remaining Tanks, managing a perfect hit on each. It slows them down, just long enough for her to make her way to Bill, who is in shock seeing all the common infected attacking the Tanks. That's when he realises why it happened in the first place.

"Zoey?!" Bill hollers incredulously, seeing her coming to him.

The younger woman sees him, unharmed for now, but she knew it won't last long if they stay there.

"Come on, we have to find our way to the bridge." Zoey says.

Bill shook his head, not believing Zoey's reckless move to save him. To say that Bill is in shock would be a massive understatement. They'll talk about it later though.

Indeed, the Tanks were starting to make a path through the common infected. Unfortunately for them, Bill and Zoey manages to escape to the right of the generator, making their way out of the dead end they were in. That's when Bill sees it. On the side of the house on the right of the generator, there is a ladder that leads to the mounted gun there, which its platform is linked to the bridge. That what they did. They start to run towards the house, knowing the Tanks will soon make their way to them. Zoey hadn't realise it, but she had grabbed Bill's hand on their way to the house. Probably because she didn't want to lose him for good. They made their way inside the house, going to the right exit in order to reach ladder which leads to the bridge. They manage to make their way outside to the side path that leads to the said ladder. The earth trembling tells them that the Tanks are on their way towards them. They manage to reach the ladder at the same time, and they manages to make their way to the platform where the mounted gun is. That's when they saw another ladder was going up with the bridge. Their eyes widen, understanding what was happening. The two of them manages to reach the ladder and climbs to the upper levels of the bridge where Francis and Louis are, shooting any infected that tried to get up there. The Tank that had tried to get on the bridge was nowhere in sight, which means that the two men on the bridge had managed to kill it while the former college student and the old veteran were making their way up to the bridge. The three remaining Tanks that were trying to get to Bill and Zoey fell into the ocean below due to the fact that they tried to jump on the ladder and they missed it by a few inches thanks to the bridge still rising up.

"Guys, we made it!" Zoey exclaims to the surprise of the biker and manager.

They turn around and indeed they could see Bill and Zoey standing there with them on the bridge.

"Jesus, Zoey, do not scare us like that again!" Louis says in relief.

"Yeah, don't do that to us again, girlie." Adds Francis.

"Goddamn it Zoey, what were you thinking getting down there?!" Bill exclaims in disbelief.

"If you thought I was going to leave you down there, you've got another thing coming, William Overbeck! Do you realise the pain that you would have caused me had you died down there? You would have died without know… knowing how much I…" Zoey couldn't finish her sentence because she started crying, sobbing hard. "I… I love you Bill, can't you see that you dying would have broken me?" She continued, sobbing her heart out now that she realises the horror they almost witnessed didn't happen.

Bill's eyes had widened during Zoey's declaration. And here he thought his affections towards her had been one-sided. Louis and Francis, it seems, has given them some privacy for they left shortly after Zoey's confession. The older man is glad for that, although he is glad not out of shame, but simply he wants this moment to be private. He approaches her slowly and once he reaches her, he wrap his arms around her waist bringing her flush against him. Zoey look up in surprise, the tears still flowing from her eyes. With his thumbs, Bill wipes the tears from her eyes.

"Zoey," Bill starts, taking a deep breath. "I love you too, darling." He told her softly.

A sob breaks out of Zoey's mouth, this time though she was crying tears of joy. She wraps her arms around Bill's neck, bridging the gap between their lips for their first kiss. She tightens her arms around his neck as the kiss intensified, until they have to break out to breath. Zoey's hazel eyes looks into Bill's blue eyes, plunging into its depths. She smiles with Bill responding with a smile of his own before they kiss again, losing themselves in their moment of euphoria and survival against terrible odds.