Alison ignored her, even when Emily tried to explain. She knew that Alison was pissed, but she didn't even want to hear Emily out. She didn't even do anything with Hailey! Well...they did almost have sex, but she stopped herself. It didn't feel right, she knew that in the end it would always be Alison. But Alison didn't answer her texts, didn't return her calls, and Emily went to the furthest extent of having Olivia pass on the message.

"She said that what was going on between you and her was not appropriate for a student to be involved in, but appreciated the concern," Olivia said, after she got home from school. "What did you even do?"

"Nothing...I didn't do anything. She's just mad, don't worry about it," Emily said. "I'm sorry that I involved you."

A few days turned into almost two weeks, with no contact from Alison. She had Emily waiting by the phone, and the only messages she got were from Hanna, Aria, Spencer, or Hailey. As much as she liked to talk to them, Alison was the only notification that she would reply to the second it arrived.

The snow was melting away on the thirteenth of March, yet still a chilly cold. They were eating dinner in the dining room later than usual, since Olivia had stayed after school for tutoring. She was beginning to turn around, and the therapy she was receiving seemed to help her deal with the loss of her mother. Elliot still tried to stay in her life, and despite everything that happened, Emily was happy he was at least making an effort. It wouldn't be too much longer until her mom and dad would have officially adopted her.

"Christian and Jaden's funeral are this Saturday," Emily said, over their fairly quiet dinner. Emily hadn't been in much of a mood for talking. "It's at Arlington in DC."

"Who?" Olivia asked, as Pam and Wayne looked up from their dinner.

"Christian Foltz and Jaden Peterson. They were the two in my section who died when the building collapsed," Emily explained. "Christian's wife sent me the details last night."

Just the thought of the two brought a pain to her chest, it was dull and Emily shrugged uncomfortably. She hadn't stayed in touch with the others in her section who had also gotten caught up in the building when it fell. She knew that they were okay, and back in their hometowns, but that's all she knew. She assumed that all they knew about her was that she was okay as well. Maybe she would see them this weekend.

"Funeral? It's been four months, why haven't they been buried yet?" Pam asked, as she exchanged a nervous look with Wayne.

"I have no idea," Emily said, sipping her water as the pain in her chest tightened. She put down her fork, not feeling quite hungry anymore. In fact, she felt quite sick. "I really did not feel that it was my place to ask either. If anything, there was probably a complication with recovering their bodies."

"So, you're planning on going to DC?" Pam asked.

"Of course I am. Christian was a very close friend of mine especially, we all were a team. Jaden was like the big brother to us, and now they're both dead. It's the least I can do, and I know they would've done the same for me," Emily said, rubbing her chest in attempt to soothe the increasing pain that she felt. She had felt it earlier, not as badly. But now, it was returning.

"Are you going to go alone?" Wayne asked.

"I think I can do it on my own. I really don't need you guys to take a day off just for me. Besides, I'm in my twenties and even though I have a broken leg, I can still get around just fine. It's only for a day, maybe an overnight," Emily said, beginning to pant. "Okay, my chest honestly hurts so bad."

She felt like she was going to be sick, and yet she was winded at the same time. Why was she winded? From talking about her former squad members? She understood the chest pain, and the nausea, but why was she panting like a dog?

"Emily, are you okay?" Pam asked, standing up as Emily pushed back in her chair.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I think talking about them just worked me up," Emily said, trying to stand up. There was a shooting pain in her chest, added on to the fact her chest was already in an intense amount of pain. "My chest just fucking hurts."

"Emily, you look awful and you're panting," Pam said, putting a hand on Emily's back. "You said the pain is in your chest? Is it staying in your chest?"

"Not really, it feels like there's a ton of bricks on it and now my jaw is starting to hurt," Emily said, pounding her chest with her fist in an attempt to relieve some sort of the pain.

"Have you been taking all of your medicine?" Wayne asked, standing up.

"Yes!" Emily shouted.

"Wayne, I think she's having a heart attack. Call 911," Pam said, looking up at her husband as Emily cried out in pain.

"What?! A heart attack! Pam she's not old enough to be having a heart attack!" Wayne yelled back, clearly panicked.

Emily felt Olivia's arm wrap around her, and help her sit up from where she was bent over.

"Just call for an ambulance already! Do you want your daughter to die?" Pam yelled.

"I'm not going to die! I'm not!" Emily yelled back, though it caused more pain in her chest as she continued to pant. She heard her father's footsteps thunder out of the kitchen, as her mom told her to try to control her breathing. She was feeling extremely dizzy, and her grip on Olivia's arm was loosening. The brightly lit room soon started to turn black, and in seconds she was on the floor.


Alison was just finishing up an episode of Chopped and was snuggling in bed at around eleven. She was still very angry that Emily had replaced her like that, especially with someone not nearly as good enough as her. She could've at least tried to find someone better. Things were still tense with her husband as well, who she had gotten in another row with over dry cleaning. Dry cleaning! Of all things to get into a bitter argument about, not even the fact he was going through a six pack of beer every two days. The dry cleaning argument had left both of them in a sour mood, which made him consume even more. In Alison's opinion, the recycling man was probably the only other person concerned with Rollins alcohol consumption. He hadn't said anything about it, but he had most likely seen all the empty bottle and cans that he picked up from their house every other week.

She turned off her TV, her husband already asleep next to her. She sighed, despite being mad at Emily, she still preferred her sleeping next to her over her husband. Elliot snored...loudly, and he didn't like to cuddle because it made him too hot. Despite the fact, his arms didn't feel safe anymore.

Just as she was about to turn off the light next to her, her phone started vibrating from the bedside table. Frowning, she picked it up to see the caller ID. It was Spencer, which was strange. She barely got calls from Spencer in the daytime, why was she calling her so late? She let it ring a few more times, thinking maybe Spencer had called her on accident and would figure it out in a few seconds.

When her phone continued to ring, she finally picked up. If Spencer was calling her this late, she obviously had something important to say.

"Hey Spencer, I was just about to go to sleep. What's up?" Alison asked, trying to be quiet as to not wake up Rollins.

"Hey, have you been to the hospital yet to see Emily?" Spencer asked, her voice slightly panicked. "I'm in Santa Barbara on business, and Aria and Hanna haven't answered my calls."

"Emily's in the hospital?" Alison asked, sitting back up in bed.

"Yeah didn't you hear? Toby called me about twenty minutes ago, she had a heart attack during dinner," Spencer said. "I was just wondering if you had gotten out to see her yet."

"No! I had no idea that she had a heart attack, wait how did she have a heart attack?" Alison asked, springing out of bed. Her eyes snapped around her bedroom as she looked for her clothes from earlier that day. "She's young!"

"Toby didn't say why, I think the doctor was still checking over the results when he called. They were doing an electrocardiogram on her last he said," Spencer said. "Are you going there now?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving as soon as I can. I just need to change out of my pajamas," Alison said. "Thank you so much for calling me, I had no idea."

"No problem, keep me posted if you hear anything. I'm so stressed that I can't go see her right now," Spencer said, sighing deeply into the receiver.

"Don't worry, she'll be in good hands once I get to her," Alison said, pulling on her pants from earlier that day. "I'll talk to you later."

After hanging up with Spencer, Alison snapped her bra back on, along with her blouse from before. She left her hair in the braid she had put it in, and pulled on her boots. She tried to rouse Elliot to tell him where she was going, but he was a heavy sleeper and she didn't want to stick around long.

Although she was still pissed, she couldn't sit at home after hearing that Emily had a heart attack. A heart attack at such a young age? Maybe it had to due with her leg, though Alison was no medical expert. Nonetheless, Alison was hurrying into her car and speeding to the hospital to see Emily. Even if she was mad, Emily still meant the world to her.

"Oh Emily," she said to herself. "What on Earth have you done?"


"I'm sorry miss," the nurse at the front desk said. "Miss Fields is only receiving family members at the moment."

Alison did not need this, she needed to see Emily. She huffed angrily, "I'll have you know that Miss Fields is my wife, and I am the other Mrs. Fields."

She held up her left hand to display to the nurse. Though it was the engagement ring and wedding band from Rollins, she figured it would help aid her in her white lie to get into Emily's room.

It seemed to be enough for the nurse, who typed away on her computer in a hurry.

"She's in room 23," the nurse said.

That was all Alison needed, as she raced down the hall in search for 23. She knew Emily's family would be with her, but she needed to make sure that Emily was okay. A heart attack that young was strange, and Emily could've died.

She approached room 23 in a hurry, and knocked politely on the door, though she was extremely antsy inside. It took a few seconds for someone to answer the door, and a doctor holding a clipboard excused himself past Alison. Pam exited the room next, looking surprised to see Alison.

"Ali!" Pam said, closing the door behind her. "I had no idea that you were going to come."

"I didn't either, I just learned about what happened twenty minutes ago from Spencer," Alison admitted. "I hope that you don't mind I'm here. I just wanted to make sure that Emily was okay."

"Well, the doctor did some tests on her and it looks like she's going to be just fine in a few days. She's going to need to take it easy, but it doesn't look like she's going to have any future heart problems," Pam explained.

Alison sighed in relief, "Thank God. I was so nervous. How did this even happen anyway? She's so young, that doesn't usually-"

"The doctor said it was due to a blood clot, most likely coming from her broken leg," Pam sighed.

"Blood clot? Was Emily not taking all of her medication?" Alison asked.

"Well, we found out tonight that Emily's been failing to take any of her blood thinning medication. Of all things not to take," Pam said, rubbing her forehead. "She had her prescription filled back in January by Dr. Kingston, but hadn't been taking it at all."

Alison sighed in disbelief, "She is so stupid," Alison said, voicing her thoughts.

"If you want to go in and see her you can. She woke up about an hour ago now, but she's been in and out now...still Emily though. They really can't knock the spirit out of her," Pam said. "Now if you excuse me Alison, I'm going to get a coffee down in the cafe. It's been a long night."

"That's no problem at all Mrs. Fields," Alison said. "I guess I'll just head on in."

Pam turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Alison to enter the hospital room. When she opened the door, she saw two figures standing over Emily's bed. There was a man and a woman, and at first Alison thought the woman was Olivia. But this was definitely not Oliva, and both turned to look at Alison as she closed the door behind her.

"Alison! It's good to see you!" Wayne said, leaving Emily's bedside as he crossed the room to hug her. "Emily's sleeping right now, but I'm sure she'll wake up in a little bit."

"It's good to see you too, is she doing okay?" Alison asked, hugging Wayne back.

"She's hanging in there. I swear, it's those Fields' genes," Wayne chuckled, pulling back to stand in front of her. "We dropped Olivia off at a friend's house so she could try to get a decent sleep for your class tomorrow."

"Oh believe me, I will not be fully awake for my classes tomorrow either at this point," Alison chuckled, turning her attention to the other person standing next to Emily's sleeping form.

"Hi again," Hailey said, waving casually. "I see you got the call too."

"Ah! I see you've already met. That's great, it saves me the introduction," Wayne said. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to sneak away and grab some coffee with Pam. I just wanted to make sure that Emily was in good hands before I left."

"No worries, I'm sure Emily will be perfectly fine," Hailey said.

Once Wayne left, Alison turned back to Hailey, "Did Spencer call you?"

"Actually Toby did, a few hours ago when it happened. I guess word spreads quickly in your town. I just got here twenty minutes ago, she just fell back asleep," Hailey said. "She definitely is a tough one."

"Well she survived a building collapsing on her, so of course she's tough," Alison said cooly, admiring Emily's sleeping form. Alison was glad to hear the heartbeat monitor going at a fairly normal heart rate.

"Emily says that you guys have known each other for a while," Hailey said, making an attempt at a conversation with Alison.

"Yeah, since first grade," Alison said.

"I'm sure you guys have a lot of history then," Hailey said.

"We do," Alison agreed, nodding and keeping her voice firm.

"Right, well I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I already talked to her, so I really don't need a reason to stick around. I'm sure you want some alone time with her anyway," Hailey said, picking up her purse and hoisting it on her arm. "I have a pretty long drive anyway."

"You drove all the way out here to make sure she was okay?" Alison asked.

"Yeah, it's just something I do. I would've stayed up worrying about her if I hadn't come," Hailey said, walking towards the hospital door. "It was nice to see you again, Alison."

"You too," Alison said, blandly.

Hailey turned the knob, but stopped and turned back around, "Hey, I know it's not really any of my business, but Emily really misses you. I know you guys have something going on between you two or whatever, but I really think you should know that we're not dating. You don't have to worry about me getting in between you guys."

Alison stood there for a second, trying to think of what to say. If they weren't dating, why did she sleep over? Did she say she lived far away? How late was it when they left the party?

"Thanks, I guess," Alison said. "You're not family though, how did you get the nurses to let you in?"

"I said I was her cousin, you?" Hailey asked.

"I said I was her wife."

Hailey left without another word, and Alison moved to sit on the edge of Emily's hospital bed. Emily's face looked drained, though at least she was resting now. She thought about what Hailey said, about how they weren't dating, and how Hailey knew of she and Emily's affair. Emily must've told her, which did slightly irk her since now someone knew about it. But, hopefully Hailey wasn't the type to spread drama to Spencer and Toby, and she didn't seem like it.

She sat next to Emily for another ten minutes, when Emily began to stir next to her. Alison's heart jumped as Emily's eyes began to flicker open, the anger she had for Emily was dissipating.

"Ali?" Emily asked, upon recognizing it was Alison standing over her.

"You are such a fucking idiot," Alison said, though she was smiling slightly.

"I'm so sorry," Emily said, a hand reaching out to rest on top of Alison's.

"For what?" Alison asked. "You're the one who could've died. Do you know what would've happened if that blood clot had happened in your brain or your lungs? You would be dead right now."

"I know, I'm so stupid," Emily said. "I should've taken the medicine."

Alison felt tears stinging her eyes, she ever only seemed to cry when it involved Emily. "I could've lost you!" Alison said, wiping the threatening tears from her eyes. "Do you know how shitty it would've been to have to visit you at a fucking gravestone?"

"I know, I didn't want to take the blood thinner because I was the excessive bleeding if I ever got hurt," Emily said. "It was stupid of me I know, but I'm here now."

"Don't you ever scare me like that again Emily Fields," Alison said, quickly bending down to quickly kiss Emily twice. "You could've left me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Emily said. "And I promise I'll take the blood thinner."

"You better," Alison said. "I need you in my life, you're a necessity at this point."

"Listen Ali, about Hailey. We really a-" Emily began.

"I know, she told me," Alison said.

"What did she say?" Emily asked, questionably.

"That you aren't dating. And I believe her, both of you. Though, I can tell she does want to be with you like that," Alison said. "Too bad you're all for me."

"But you're not all for me," Emily pointed out.

"Soon Emily," Alison said, tracing a pattern into the back of Emily's hands as she held them. "But, I'm practically yours already. You're the only one who's touched me in months."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Emily asked, as Alison kissed her cheek sweetly.

"Mmm, a little bit," Alison mumbled against her ear.

"So listen, I have to go to a joint funeral on Saturday down in DC," Emily began, causing Alison to sit back up.

"Are you asking me to come with you and be your moral support slash fake wife?" Alison asked.

"No...well yes, my parents are never going to let me go alone after this, but not to the second part. I will not be introducing you as my wife," Emily said.

"I already said I was your wife in order to get in here," Alison laughed mildly. "But yes, I will definitely accompany you there if that is what you want. I'll follow you anywhere."

"I knew you would," Emily said, tugging on Alison's hands to pull her down for another kiss. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Alison didn't answer, and instead bent down to kiss Emily's full bottom lip. Kissing Emily never got old, especially the soft and gentle kisses that they shared.

"I'm assuming that's a yes," Emily said, when Alison broke away. "I'm sorry again, by the way."

"What for?" Alison asked, stroking the stray hair out of Emily's face and behind her ear.

"Because now I can't be sexually active for like two weeks," Emily said. "Don't want another heart attack now do we."

"If it means that you'll stay alive, I'll be okay with not having sex with you for two weeks," Alison said, laughing as she stroked Emily's hair. "Though it will be really hard. And, I'll most likely be a horny rabbit by the end of this."

"Even better," Emily laughed. "Thank you for everything."

"You're my person, Emily," Alison said, sincerely as she smiled down at Emily. "We're supposed to be here for each other."


Emily was recovering. Already three days since she had her heart attack, she was on a train to Washington DC. Alison was sitting next to her on the train, an arm linked with Emily's as she rested her head on her shoulder. They had been on the train since eight AM, and would be arriving in DC at 10:30 in the next ten minutes.

The joint funeral started at 11:30, the meeting point being on Memorial Avenue, a few blocks from the cemetery. Christian and Jaden would be buried next to each other in Section 60 of Arlington Cemetery, a cemetery dedicated to the fallen heros of America's military. Alison had kept her eye on Emily, who didn't talk much and held Alison's hand tightly through her white gloved hand. She was wearing the class A formal wear of the US Army, which consisted of a navy blue coat and royal blue pants. She had a hat on her head, and various pins and badges were on her coat. They detailed what rank she was, how long she had been overseas, that she was a combat medic, and that she was wounded at war. Alison noticed the new badge added to array of pins and badges on her coat. The purple heart badge, which Emily was given a few months ago to symbolize the fact she had been wounded while serving. She and the other members in the building were awarded the purple heart, and this would be Emily's first time seeing them since the day it happened.

Alison rubbed her hand soothingly on the top of Emily's and kissed her shoulder. Emily's hand tightened in hers, squeezing it to let Alison know she was doing okay.

They arrived at the train station at 10:30 like expected, and Emily followed Alison silently from the passenger car and onto the platform that the train was stationed in. Alison held her hand firmly as they walked through the station. Although she wouldn't have done it back home in Rosewood, no one here knew any better and Emily needed the extra moral support. After all, Emily had voiced to she and Cece that it was her fault that Christian died.

Emily barely said anything as they got in a car to Memorial Avenue. In fact, one of the only things that Alison remembered that Emily had said to her today was that she looked beautiful. Alison was wearing a black dress with long sleeves that went down to her knees. It was simple and plain, and Alison wore a black pea coat over it, but to Emily she looked beautiful.

Alison spotted the two shiny black hearses before Emily did, as the car they were in pulled alongside of the already waiting guests on Memorial Avenue. There were about fifty people there already, some talking to other, and some shivering in the cool March air. Emily sighed heavily next to her, and Alison knew that Emily was going to have to maintain her composure throughout the entire service.

Emily exited the car first, and thanked the driver. She held the door open for Alison, who got out shortly after. She held her arm out of Alison, who slid her hand inside as they approached the others.

Alison spotted about a dozen more people wearing the same formal army attire that Emily was, a few talking to each other while others stayed silent. Alison remained quiet and followed Emily towards a man wearing the same outfit as Emily. He was taller by about five inches, and had smile lines despite his young age. On his uniform there was a pin that read "FUHRMAN", and his pale face was covered in freckles.

"Little worse for wear, are we Fields?" he said, smiling as he recognized Emily.

"Ryan! Did you just get here?" Emily asked, instantly lighting up as she hugged him tightly. He hugged her with a firm grip as well, and Alison watched as he closed his eyes when he hugged her.

"The rest of us flew in yesterday, and we go back out on Monday," he said. "It's pretty hellish out there."

"I can imagine," Emily said, releasing him from the hug. "I guess it's good to be back for a few days then."

"It's definitely better than being in dry heat," he said, his eyes flickering to Alison. "Who's this you brought here? Girlfriend?"

"Uh, actually we're just friends. Ryan this is Alison, we're childhood friends. And Alison, this is Ryan. He was in my squad," Emily said, as Ryan extended a gloved hand to shake Alison's.

"You're lucky to have a friend like Emily," Ryan said, making his smile lines next to his eyes visible. "She's the kind of friend who'll give you her Skittles from her Meal Ready to Eat."

"It's only because Skittles were your favorite candy and I don't like Skittles," Emily said. "Listen, I'm going to find Greg and Danielle, I'll see you again soon."

"10-4 Fields, I still miss your extra Skittles," Ryan said, winking before leaving them. "I have to get ready to do my pallbearer duties."

Emily tugged on Alison's arm, guiding her down the street that they were standing on. Alison shivered in her coat, and could only imagine how Emily felt since she wasn't wearing a wool coat like Alison.

Twenty minutes later, the hearses began to move down Memorial Avenue at a slow pace. The guests followed behind the two funeral cars, and passersby turned to watch the funeral procession. Alison had never been in a funeral like this, she'd never been in a military one before.

"How are you doing, hun?" Alison asked, rubbing Emily's arm.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Emily said, looking at Alison and giving her a sad smile. "I'm really glad you're here for me."

"Anything to help you get through," Alison said, as they continued to walk behind the two black cars.

"You're sure Elliot was okay with this?" Emily asked, as Alison adjusted her hand in the loop of Emily's arm.

"Yeah, he was totally okay with it. Besides, he was taking Olivia out for something. He won't miss me," Alison said.

They walked the street to the cemetery, and entered the front gates of the famous Arlington National Cemetery. It was a few minutes walk to Section 60, where both Christian and Jaden would be buried.

The white clouds in the sky didn't match the mood of the funeral, as the hearses came to a stop in front of Section 60. Identical white gravestones went on for row after row, and Alison could see two freshly dug spots with a tarp over top of it.

The pallbearers who were following behind the caskets in the same uniform as Emily, moved to the back end of both hearses. The pallbearers were the members of the military who transported the coffins to their final resting places, and participated in a few other customary events during the service. The men and women who made up the pallbearers were members of the squad that Emily served in along with Christian and Jaden. Emily and the other two who were injured in the building collapse were not pallbearers due to the fact they were injured. If she hadn't broken her leg in the building collapse, she would probably be up there too.

The guests were asked to move towards the two freshly dug gravesites, and Alison could feel Emily stiffen next to her. She had been holding back her emotions for the entire time, and Alison could only wonder when she would begin to break down over her two close friends.

There were cushioned chairs in front of each gravesite, for family members exclusively. Two white gravestones were freshly placed, and looked identical to every other gravestone in Section 60. Alison looked at the two photos on a stand in front of each gravestone. The man in each photo was had an American flag background, and was wearing their uniform.

The first man had a pearly white smile, and had a scar on his left cheek. He had short black hair, and tan skin like Emily's. He looked fairly young, yet older than both Alison and Emily, maybe in his late twenties. Under the photo, Alison looked at the name on the gravestone. It read, "CHRISTIAN JARRETT FOLTZ, SGT US ARMY, AFGHANISTAN WAR, IRAQ, DECEMBER 12th 1988 - NOVEMBER 2nd 2017, PURPLE HEART."

This was the man Emily was trying to save before the building collapsed. He had gotten shot in his hip and was bleeding out. Alison looked at the family members occupying the chairs in front of his gravesite. In the front row was young woman holding a young boy. Despite the fact the woman was tearing up, the two-year-old boy in her arms was smiling and drooling a little bit. He looked strikingly like Christian, and it didn't take long for Alison to put the pieces together. This must be Christian's wife and son. She remembered Emily mentioning their names, Juliette and Donovan. His wife had bright red hair, and pale skin that had only a few freckles. She was holding their son firmly, and trying not to cry as Donovan played with her hair. Alison's heart ached for her, and didn't even want to imagine having to raise she and Emily's child without Emily being there. Wait...what?

Behind Christian's wife and son was his mother and father, or so Alison assumed. They had similar looks to him, and his father was sobbing loudly into a tissue.

Next to Christian's gravestone was Jaden's, who was strikingly handsome in his photo. He had a lopsided grin, and sandy brown hair. He reminded Alison of those guys you would make constant eye contact with at bars, but would never talk to. On his headstone it read, "JADEN COLLIN PETERSON, SSGT US ARMY, AFGHANISTAN WAR, IRAQ, MARCH 3rd 1984 - NOVEMBER 2nd 2017, PURPLE HEART."

Alison saw what she assumed to be a wife and two children. An older daughter who looked about eight, and a younger son who looked five. The daughter was solemn faced, already witnessing so much sadness in her eight years of life. Her brother didn't seem to understand what was going on, or that he would never see his dad again.

The pallbearers began pulling the caskets out of their hearses, and standing next to Alison, Emily raised her right hand to her hat and saluted. Alison didn't really know much about the military, but assumed that it was customary for them to salute. She looked around and noticed that other military members were also saluting, as the pallbearers began walking towards the final resting place of Emily's fallen squad members.

Alison noticed a woman in the crowd of people, dressed as Emily with her right arm completely gone. She was the only one who wasn't saluting, as she was physically unable to do so. Another man in the crowd in uniform was in a wheelchair, but still saluting and keeping a firm face.

The two coffins approached their gravesites, both coffins had an American flag draped over it. The pallbearers approached the racks that would hold the coffins above ground while they were given their final prayers and respects. When they were done, the flag on top of each casket was held up by the pallbearers and rested overtop both coffins.

"Come on, let's sit," Emily said, after she and the others had let their right arms fall to their sides.

Alison followed Emily silently, and in the third row of Christian's side seats. Standing behind the chaplain of the mass was an older man with many more badges and pins than Emily did on his suit. Just by the way he looked, Alison could tell her was an officer.

"Is that your commanding officer?" Alison whispered, as the chaplin prepared to start the service.

"Yeah, that's Officer Montana," Emily whispered, her breath hot on Alison's ear. She held Alison's hand tightly, with a very firm grip. Alison could tell she was slowly breaking.

During the service, Alison constantly looked at Emily to make sure she was okay. She knew that Emily was going to have to keep her composure, but she swore she saw tears threatening her eyes at one point when Officer Montana gave a small speech about both Christian and Jadne, and their passion for their country.

They all rose again as the officer signaled for the three-volley salute. Seven men stood on a hill a ways from the grave site, all holding rifles. They raised their rifles and fired three blanks as a sign of respect for both Christian and Jaden. Emily had raised her arm into a salute once again, and this time Alison saw a solitary tear roll down her cheek. It dripped off her jaw and fell onto the dark blue suit jacket she was wearing, and Alison knew how much it must hurt her inside. These were her close friends, those she had tried to save during warfare. They spent countless days and nights together through thick and thin, and now she was watching them be buried.

Immediately following the three-volley salute was the infamous "Taps" song played on the trumpet by a single player. It was a sad and short tune, that Alison had only heard during her school's Memorial Day ceremony. To hear it in a context like this really moved her.

When the song finished, Emily let her hand drop to her side and they all sat down. The flags that had been hovering over both coffins were folded by the pallbearers. Each flag was folded into a triangle and both given to Officer Montana. He presented each flag to both Christian and Jaden's family. He knelt down and gave Jaden's daughter the flag, but she was crying uncontrollably. As for Christian, he gave his wife the flag, who was holding her son.

It wasn't much longer until the service was over, and Alison followed Emily so that she could extend her condolences to both families.

Emily wrapped Juliette in a hug, and Juliette cried into her shoulder.

"Juliette, I'm so sorry that I couldn't save him," Alison could hear Emily say. "I tried my hardest to make sure that-"

"You did everything that you could do, Emily," Juliette said. "That's all that I could ever ask for from you. I'm sure Christian is proud."

Alison stood a few feet back, and watched as Emily broke free from their hug. She smiled, and played peek-a-boo with Donovan for a few seconds before moving on. Alison watched Emily handle everything with such control and ease. She hugged each of the squad members who were not injured in the building collapse, and reunited with both Danielle, who had lost her right arm in the collapse, as well as Greg. Greg was paralyzed from the waist down, making Emily the one who got the least hurt in the building collapse.

After a few more minutes of exchanging her condolences, Emily flashed Alison a pained look. She looked mentally exhausted, and Alison could see more tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. She took this as a sign that it was their time to leave, and reached for Emily's hand.

Emily said goodbye to everyone as she left, saying that she needed some air. Alison held onto her tightly, trying to get across any support that she could to prevent Emily from breaking down just yet.

They slowly walked away from the gravesites, arm in arm as they descended the hill towards the paved road that would lead them to the exit. She could hear Emily sniffling next to her, and didn't dare ask her how she was. She already knew.

They were out on the street, when Emily finally tugged her to a stop. They were standing under a cherry blossom tree, which was just starting to bud.

"What is it?" Alison asked, turning to Emily. She saw tears rolling down her cheeks, and Emily wiped them away quickly.

"I just wanted to thank you, for everything," she said, looking sincerely at Alison.

"Of course, Em. Anything for you," Alison said.

"You know without you, life would probably be way shittier having to deal with what happened out there," Emily said, wiping away at the new tears threatening to leave her eyes. "And I just wanted to say thank you."

"Emily, you are one of the strongest people I have ever met in my life. I admire you so much," Alison said, cupping Emily's neck. "I am so proud of you."

Emily began sobbing slightly, unable to hold the tears and sadness back anymore. Alison immediately pulled Emily into a hug, squeezing her tight as Emily sobbed into her shoulder.

"I love you," Alison said, as she continued to hold Emily. "I love you more than anyone else in the world."


Ah! So now I have a lot more time to write! Frequent updates for everyone!

Tell me what you think in the reviews, the more reviews the more I can update! :)