Siophiefandom/Guests'/naiel2017/sackoftits/summersantos2009/Dee-Skystars- Thank you guys so much for reviewing! I'm so glad you all like the fic so far!
Sofiadc66 – Glad to be back! You have absolutely no reason to apologize. I hope all is well with the move and starting university. That's a pretty crazy change. Wish you all the best over there! Thank you for sharing your opinion about the story so far. I love badass Paige so I can promise you there will be more scenes with her showing off her talents.
Thecatfromaliceinwonderland – It's Friday! Don't worry, the first encounter between Emily and Paige is definitely coming. And I can guarantee you that you will be seeing more training sessions with Paige in the very near future. I hope I eventually mend your broken heart. In regards to the flashbacks, yes there will be flashbacks in practically every chapter. As for your assumption…you're partially right. This chapter will explain the other part.
To the Guest who asked for a quick picture of the tribal shark tattoo, I didn't take a picture of it when I saw it over the summer. However I did google a few pics and found one closest to the one I saw. I don't own this picture and give credit to whoever took it. I'll leave it up till Monday.
On a side note, who else saw that Locum Tenens will be updated soon!?
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters
As the sound of the doorbell resonated through the house, Spencer was more than frustrated when she turned to her right to see what time it was. 8:13am. Who the hell is ringing my doorbell at 8:13 in the morning? Concluding it was just another volunteer trying to get her vote for the latest mayor campaign, the slim brunette closed her eyes once more before snuggling back into her pillow. It wasn't more than 30 seconds later she heard the doorbell once again; sighing in complete defeat.
"Who the hell is that so early?" Hanna mumbled on the floor near Spencer's bed as she placed a pillow over her head to shield the noise.
"Probably one of Mayor McGraw's lackeys; they're just as annoying as he is" Spencer tiredly responded. Throwing her right arm over her eyes to cover them from the early morning sun, the girls soon heard a heavy knock follow the sound of the doorbell.
Groaning in complete annoyance, the belligerent brunette removed her blanket from around her as she aggressively made her way downstairs toward the front door. Ready to give the person disturbing her sleep a piece of her mind, Spencer slowed her progression toward her large fiberglass white doors as she saw a well-built man in a suit standing on her porch. That definitely does not look like one of Mayor McGraw's men. Gradually opening the door to peek through, Spencer finally answered. "Yes?"
"Ms. Hastings, I presume?" the blue eye stranger asked openly.
Scrunching her eyes in uncertainty, Spencer didn't want to answer directly. "Who's asking?"
Knowing full well the brunette standing before him was in fact Spencer Hastings granted he's seen her picture, the officer replied with a smirk; happy the brunette was in fact suspicious of his presence. "Special Ops Officer Weaver Ma'am; pleasure to meet you"
The sudden familiarity of the stranger before her struck Spencer immediately. "Right, you were one of the officers' training with Paige yesterday"
"That's correct" Aiden acknowledged.
"How can I help you?" Spencer asked as she opened the door a little wider to allow the curly brown hair man to enter.
Obliging her invitation, Aiden entered the premise; taking in the setting before turning back to focus on Spencer. "Thank you. From my knowledge, you girls are friends of Ms. Montgomery. Is that correct?"
"Is your knowledge coming from Paige?" Spencer directly asked as she folded her arms to her chest in defense.
Holding the brunette's alleging glare, the officer confirmed her suspicion. "Special Ops Officer McCullers did disclose she knew you three as well as Ms. Montgomery. She also acknowledged it would be best if the team dealing with the case were introduced to you three"
Somewhat pleased her suspicions were correct, Spencer made her way to the kitchen as she headed straight for her coffee maker. "Why didn't Officer McCullers come here herself to talk with us?"
As the sound of two other footsteps jarred Aiden out of his train of thought, he soon relaxed once again realizing it was the other girls approaching him. Leaning against the kitchen island he answered the question directed at him, "Because I am team lead of this case and given the situation that occurred yesterday, I thought it would be best if I did the introduction"
"Rather than have a familiar face do it?" Spencer continued as she took out four coffee cups from her cabinet.
"That's correct" Aiden answered. "Every second counts in this case. Rather than have you all bicker over some high school drama, I prefer we start as soon as possible" he continued honestly.
Glaring heatedly at the man at first, Spencer reduced her irritation realizing he was in fact correct. This was about Aria, not Paige. Closing her eyes to control her demeanor, the brunette looked at the other two girls before responding. "Well where do we start?"
"How about you girls follow me back to our training grounds so you can see the team for yourself?" Aiden stated as he stood up straight.
Silently receiving consent from the other girls by a simple nod, Spencer accepted the offer. "We'll be right behind you"
"Thank you for giving us this opportunity to work with you" Aiden started as he led the girls to back of the Rosewood Department where the rest of the team were practicing. "I always think it's best to get formal introductions out of the way so the rest will go over smoothly"
"Agreed" Hanna admitted. "Well you already know who we are, how about you start off with who you are"
Smiling a little at how direct the girls seemed to be, the officer only thought it was suitable to start with himself. "My name is Aiden Weaver, 32. I've been with the team for 6 years now. I am a graduate of Harvard University ranking number 4 in my class with a double major in International Development and Applied Physics" the sandy brown hair clearly stated as he opened the large wooden doors that led to the open field. "As you know, I am team lead and my weapon of choice is the Kamas"
"Kamas?" Emily asked perplexed. "I would thought it would be guns. What are Kamas?"
Approaching the area to wear several officers were practicing their moves against one another, Aiden stopped shy before turning to the girls. "The Kamas are a specific martial arts weapon some of us could use out in the field. They look like small hockey sticks, but are blades. When applying for our team, all possible candidates are put through a rigorous 8 month training camp" he began explaining. "We teach candidates how to handle all types of weaponry and they are allowed them to pick the weapon they feel best suited with once chosen. We test everything. How we handle weaponry, which you'll see today. How we handle hand to hand combat which you witnessed yesterday. Where we are mentally during a mission. How we handle stress. Plus we also put candidates through our own martial arts training. We put them through several different scenarios to see how they could handle the situation" he concluded.
Taken aback by the intensity of the material just presented to her, Emily tightened her jaw at the realization of what was happening around her; grasping the idea that Paige had to go through all those obstacles. "What kind of scenarios?" she quietly asked.
"Everything" he answered as he continued walking toward the first team member. "We could drop them on top a mountain peak and have them survive for a week with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Or we could drop them in the middle of an ocean and have them swim for miles seeking shelter"
Feeling her chest drop at such a circumstance, Emily suddenly felt protective of the auburn girl. "Paige doesn't swim"
"8 years is a long time Ms. Fields" Aiden stated as he looked the brunette in the eye." A lot could change in that time" he continued. Making their way to the first team member, the girls stopped shy of a drill session occurring. "Straight ahead is David O'Neil, 29. He is the team's coordinator" the team lead stated as he focused his attention on the medium built man currently in the fighting ring with another officer. "He's in charge of getting us in and out of all missions without being spotted. He has all our exit plans planned out and maps it out for us. He has been on the team for about 4 years now. Dave applied based on this Martial Arts technique and have been trained for over 8 years with some of the best masters worldwide" he continued as he watched his comrade skillfully whirl his weapon of choice. "As you can see, his weapon is the double blade staff"
Completely stunned, the girls watched in admiration as Dave skillfully dodged numerous attacks from his opponent before swiftly and tactfully inscribing his staff behind his opponent's knees to bring him to his knees before pointing one of his blades to the man's throat. "He's good" Hanna stated in awe.
"We only expect and accept the best" Aiden replied in sanction. "Let's continue" he stated before walking over to the archery section. "Next is Dylan Pinto, 27. He has been with the team for 2 years. He is the team's eyes and ears dealing with our communication back to base as well as giving us visuals during a field operation" the team lead stated as he spotted Dylan to his far right setting up his weapon. "He was an ex-marine for about 4 years before joining the team. His weapon of choice, the Long Shot Bow" Aiden continued as they watched Dylan deposit 12 arrows within 40 seconds; all hitting their target 90 feet away. Arching their eyebrows in amazement, the girls were completely silent over the skill set the team taking on Aria's case seemed to have.
Quietly following Aiden toward the gun range, the blue eye specialist made his way behind the protective glass area before resuming. "Over in the next field we have Skylar Hensley. She is the team's technician. She deals with all computers as well as making sure we have the latest and best weapons of our choice. She graduated MIT, ranking number 1 of her class. She has been on our team for about 2 years now. Her weapon of choice, the Axe Pistol" Aiden clearly stated before hearing the sound of a shotgun echo through the entire course; compelling the girls to flinch at such a sound.
After watching Skylar emptying out her shotgun on a target 120 feet away, Hanna swallowed to clear her throat. "What's with the animal tattoos?" she observed.
Smirking at the detailed observation the young blonde made, Aiden turned to face the girls. "You have a good eye Ms. Marin"
"You have the Lion on your forearm" Hanna stated. "O'Neil has the Jaguar on his right calf. Pinto had the eagle on his back. Hensley has the Wolf on her lower back" she continued.
"Paige has the Shark on her rib cage" Emily suddenly stated earning a surprise look from the other girl's. "I…caught a glimpse of it yesterday"
Nodding his head in agreement, Aiden confirmed the statement. "That's right. We all received a tattoo when we joined the team that sort of represents who are. In the army, soldiers receive dog tags as an identification card. On our team, our tattoos are our identifications"
Feeling her stomach tighten at the last station, Emily felt her entire body freeze at the mere thought of Paige risking her life; with the possibility of getting killed. Swallowing hard, the brunette was only able to look up when she finally heard Aiden announce the brown eye beauty. "And here is the famous Paige McCullers you girls have been looking for; 26 and is the team's current co-leader" he proudly stated.
"Co-lead?" Emily notably stated as she walked closer to where Paige stood; focusing on her target at hand.
Folding his hands behind him to stand in an upright position, Aiden confirmed. Watching as all the girls eyes were glued on their old friend, the leading officer continued. "Yes. She's been with the team for 4 years and is probably one of the best hand to hand combat officers we've seen. Her weapon of choice is the twin machete as well as throwing knives"
Emily could feel her mouth go dry as she watched the auburn girl speed toward her target before vaulting in midair and throwing 3 knives simultaneously; each hitting her target. Observing in complete admiration, the brunette was entranced as she continued watching the beauty tumble in expertise before conducting a wall spin as she threw out 3 more knives toward her target. Emily couldn't shift her eyes away from the beauty. Traveling her gaze up the auburn girl's black capri jogger sweats which perfectly showed off the girl's lean legs, up to her perfectly sculpted abdomen and arms which was easily seen in the girl's simple grey workout crop top; the brunette felt as though the air around her was sucked out the area the instant she noticed a trickle of sweat on the nape of the auburn girl's neck.
Unexpectedly feeling an arm link itself up with her own, Emily was brought out of her thoughts as she noticed Hanna had to stop her from moving any further; realizing she was inching closer and closer toward the auburn girl without apprehending what she was doing.
"When did she apply?" Spencer asked as she couldn't remove her eyes from her old friend.
"She didn't" Aiden admitted. "We recruited her"
Feeling a surge of anger flood through her, Emily snapped her head toward the team lead. "You have hundreds of applicants vying for a seat on this team and you recruited her?" she exclaimed.
"That's correct" the built officer admitted as he took in a deep breath. He knew talking about Paige's past wasn't part of his responsibility. However noticing the way his co-lead's old friends were looking at her, Aiden felt as though it was only reasonable to tell them a little more about the auburn girl. "There was a fire that broke out in the Stanford science lab while she was still attending her freshman year. While everyone ran out, Officer McCullers was the only one to run back in"
Scrunching her eyebrows at such a senseless move, Emily felt herself becoming angry that Paige would dare do something like that. "That was dangerous of her to do" the brunette mumbled as she continued watching Paige expertly train with her knives.
"It was. She was reprimanded for it" Aiden admitted with a smile. "But the way she handled herself, sparked interest for the rest of us"
"What did she do?" Spencer asked curiously.
"She didn't fight back as we expected any other freshman to do" Aiden began. "She didn't argue. She just listened. Even when she was being threatened to be kicked out of the school, it was as though she didn't regret her decision. She shouldn't have. She saved 7 people that day"
Gasping at piece of data, Emily turned to face the solid man. "What?" she asked breathlessly.
"She didn't have one physical fitness characteristic about her" Aiden continued, remembering back to how Paige first started off. "Yet she saved 7 people by purely using her familiarity around a science lab"
"What did she do?" Spencer asked again.
"She knew the fire department wasn't going to come in time; especially with all the chemicals being used in the laboratory. So she ran instead. Aiming for the fire blankets first to wrap around the people trapped in the lab with no concern to herself" Aiden began. "It took her about 3 minutes to figure out what she could use in that lab that would get them out there safely. First she used liquid nitrate and she poured some into an old Pepsi bottle before putting that Pepsi bottle into an old paint can. Then all she had to do was make a big enough hole in the wall that led to the next classroom before placing the paint can in it. If you guys know chemistry, you'll know the expansion of vapor would cause a massive explosion. That explosion caused their exit, allowing everyone to use window of the next door classroom to escape"
***9 Years Ago***
Watching at how worried the rest of her friends were, Paige placed her lunch tray down between Emily and Caleb before taking her seat. "What's going on with you four?" the auburn girl asked concerned.
"Spencer was just called into Principal Tamborelli's office" Aria quietly answered as she stared at the empty spot Spencer had been sitting in a few minutes ago.
Feeling relieved, Paige opened her fork from its plastic before responding. "That's nothing new. Maybe she won some scholarship" she stated as she took a generous bite out of one of her chicken nuggets.
"I doubt it" Emily acknowledged. "Jenna was eavesdropping on her with that stupid smug grin of hers"
"Is there something we need to be worried about?" Paige asked as the recent statement caused the auburn girl to be concerned.
"We think Spencer may have some pills in her locker from when her mom caught her" Emily quietly answered.
"What?" the auburn quietly exclaimed. "I thought her mom personally cleaned out her locker to make sure that wasn't case"
Looking around her, Emily made sure no one was listening before responding. "She did. But we think someone may have planted it there"
Taken aback by the new details, Paige sat back realizing how grieve the situation was. "If that's the case, Spencer would be on grounds of being suspended"
"Exactly" Caleb finally stated. "They're going to raid her locker after they interrogate her"
"Nobody has her combination?" Paige asked.
"I tried texting her, but obviously she's not going to be able to respond without a distraction" Aria answered.
"I could pull the fire alarm" Hanna quickly volunteered.
"Yeah and then have to worry about you getting suspended too?" the brown eye intellect pretentiously stated. Thinking quietly for a few second, Paige widened her eyes. "I have an idea. We need to go to the chem lab"
Secretly making their way up to the third floor, the group made sure no one was able to see them; especially as Principal Tamborelli's office was directly across from the laboratory. Making their way into the room, Emily looked around to make sure no one was there. "Ok what's the plan?"
"Caleb, make sure no one is coming" Paige immediately directed. "Hanna, grab me the fire extinguisher. Em, grab me that cotton sheet covering the chem equipment. Aria, grab me those two buckets by the back door" the auburn continued as she began trying to finding string or rubber bands for her plan.
"Are we going to fog up the principal's office?" the blonde beauty asked before handing over the fire equipment to the motivated intellect.
"No, but you gave me an idea" Paige responded as she pulled the safety off the fire extinguisher handle and placed the sheet over the hose before placing a rubber band over it to keep the carbon dioxide from coming out. "If we pull the fire alarm, that's automatic grounds for suspension. But if we were working on a science experiment, they can't do anything" the auburn clearly stated.
Making sure there was no space between the sheet and the hose, Paige looked over at Aria holding the two buckets. "Can you guys fill that with boiling water and put it by the door?"
"What are you doing?" Emily asked as one of the buckets was filling with water.
"I'm going to make some dry ice" Paige replied with a smile as she pressed the leaver.
After a about two minutes of pure carbon dioxide being formed within the sheet, Paige checked to see if she had enough dry ice for a plan. Smiling as she recognized she did, the auburn girl looked up to the rest of the girls. "Perfect" she stated as she held up a piece of it. Placing the safety back on the extinguisher, Paige knew she had to clean up any evidence that they were there as well. "Em, can you put this sheet back over the equipment? Hanna, can you put the extinguisher back to where you got it?" she asked as the two girls did as they were told. "When we drop the dry ice in the water; run to your lockers. It's going to cause a whole lot of smoke giving us the perfect opportunity for Spencer to text us since Principal Tamborelli will be a bit occupied" the brown eye genius stated with a smirk. "Aria, make sure you're by Spencer's locker ok?" Watching the girls all nod in agreement, Paige finally asked, "Ready?"
Instantly upon impact of the dry ice within the boiling water, a flood of smoke came pouring out of the two buckets; allowing the girls to lock the door and run in accordance to the plan. Right on cue, security came rushing into the halls forcing Tamborelli to stop his interrogation and tend to the matter. Within seconds, Aria received the expected text she was waiting for and swiftly opened Spencer's lockers to remove the articles she was about to be accused of.
Everything happened in merely minutes. The girls all returned to their lunch table as though nothing happened; waiting to see if a certain brunette was going to be discharged of all charges made against her. Feeling as though time was crawling by, the group couldn't help but smile in excitement as the one and only Spencer Hastings made her way back into the cafeteria. Not wanting to draw any attention toward their table, the girls all focused energetically on their lunches without looking at one another to give away their scheme.
Taking another bite of her chicken nugget, Paige couldn't help but glance over to the tanned beauty sitting beside her as Emily gave her one of her classic smiles that always made her feel as though she just won the key to the city.
***Present Day***
Seemingly out of breath, all Emily was able to do was mumble. "She's amazing" she admitted tearfully.
Nodding in accord, Aiden agreed. "She has excelled faster than anyone I've seen while here. I'm proud to have her as my co-leader" he admitted.
"I think I remember hearing about that fire in the chem lab" Hanna recalled. "I thought they couldn't find the girl that saved those people"
"That's what we had to tell the media" Aiden revealed. "We couldn't just put her name out there. Especially since we wanted her"
"So what now?" Spencer asked as she turned to face the commanding officer. "Given the fact that a team with this many skills needed to be called in to find our friend kind of indicates the situation is more serious then we initially thought"
Looking at his watch as he noted it was half past 11, Aiden shifted his gaze toward Paige and Skylar noticing the pair making their way out of the training course. "We were called in because we were trained to handle any situation; no matter how dire. Now, we're about to be debriefed about the additional findings we have regarding the particles and pictures we took back at the Montgomery's residence"
Following in accordance with Aiden's gaze toward his team members, Emily clenched her jaw as she watched Paige leave the training grounds as she playfully tackled Dave. "And what are we going to do?"
"You guy's now need to sit tight and let us do our job. This is what we've been trained for. We will find Ms. Montgomery and bring her back home" Aiden stated as he began making his way out of the training facility as well.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Spencer retorted as she followed the commanding officer. "Our best friend is out there missing"
"I need you to stay out of our way" Aiden forcefully acknowledge as he glared at all three girls. "This could be a dangerous situation. We rather focus our attention on the missing person than have to worry about saving you as well"
Silently formulating a plan in her head, Spencer crossed her arms in seemingly defeat before responding. "Fine"
Narrowing his eyes in disbelief, the officer was reluctant to accept Spencer's promise, but didn't have time to argue. "Thank you. I'll see you girls later"
"You really want us to sit tight?" Hanna asked as the three girls watched the brawny officer make his way toward the rest of his team.
"Of course not" Spencer answered back as she began making her way toward her SUV. "Ask Caleb to hack of Officer Weaver's cell phone. We'll listen in on their findings as well" the brunette stated as the other two girls followed.
"Evening folks" the sturdy commanding started as he closed the conference room door behind him. "Hope you all are enjoying the simple life here at Rosewood"
"I don't think simple is the right term to use when describing Rosewood" Dylan quickly retorted as he took a seat to the far end of the conference room table.
"Well said" Commander Mahoney replied with a smile. "Officer Weaver, how was the meet and greet with the girls?" the older man asked he placed his files down before taking a seat at the beginning of the long wooden table.
As her head shot up at the statement, Paige turned to face Aiden. "You already met them?"
There it was. There was the raspy voice Emily hadn't heard in over 8 years. There was the voice she always counted on since middle school. Closing her eyes to allow it to sink in, the brunette removed herself from the kitchen table as she made her way over to the kitchen sink to pour herself a glass of water to calm her nerves. With the rest of the girls surrounding Caleb as they continued listening to the reveal on his laptop, Emily took in a deep breath to control her nerves.
"Yes I did. I decided to do it first thing this morning since I knew our findings would be coming in later in the day" Aiden confirmed as he looked at the rest of the team.
Taking in the revelation, Paige looked forward in complete surprise. The girls came to base today; Emily came. Suddenly a flood of questions began racing through her mind. Was I good? Did I perform up to par? Did I impress her? Am I good enough for them? Selfishly, all Paige could think of was herself; until Skylar's voice broke her out of her own train of thought.
"And?" the hazel eye beauty simply asked.
"They just left base" Aiden began. "I showed them around and introduced them to each of you while you were all training. They seem satisfied with the team. Hopefully they'll get use to us and let us do our job"
"Doubtful" Paige chimed in louder then she expected. Looking up to see the bewildered glances from her team, the auburn girl continued. "If I know those girls, well for one the fact that you woke them up early in the morning is probably not the best start"
Spencer couldn't help but smile as she heard that familiar voice speak about them again; it was as though no time had passed.
"Second, the fact that you told them we were waiting on findings is like dangling a bone in front of a dog. You were teasing them. Of course they're going to want to know what we found out" the auburn girl continued.
"You won't have to worry about that for long" the commanding voice suddenly stated. "You won't be here for that to happen"
"We found something commander?" the lead officer asked as he stood up.
"You did" Commander Mahoney stated as he began to hand out the files to each member. "We actually overlooked it the first time around. Whoever broke into the Montgomery residence did a great job at cleaning up after themselves" he continued as he looked on with the rest of the team.
"Was it the brand of paint?" Dave stated as he began going through the laboratory results of chemicals.
Grabbing the remote to power the projector, the commander answered. "No, it was actually the dirt on their boot that was found in the victim's room" he concluded. With a picture of a thin piece of grass appearing on the screen, the team looked on as the commander continued. "There were some residual particles called Elymus Virginicus. It could easily be mistaken for wild rye"
"So what makes you think it's Elymus Virginicus?" Paige asked as she continued observing the element.
"Surprisingly the sample we gathered had a bit of seed left in it allowing us to determine its origin" Commander Mahoney responded.
Nodding at the answer, Aiden knew what that meant. "Where are we heading?"
"Pack your camping gear" the well build commander acknowledged. "You guys will be examining the Washington and Jefferson National Forest"
"The forest covers 1.8 million acres" Paige quoted. "Where exactly should we be aiming for?"
"We're still determining the exact location, but should be able to get you that in an hour or two" Commander Mahoney answered. "In the meantime, prepare to leave Rosewood"
"Copy" the team all replied in unison.
"We will be contacting Commander Collins at the Virginia base" the commander addressed. "He'll be your point person once you are airborne. Understood?"
"Yes, sir" the team once again replied.
"Good luck to you all" the older man responded before leaving the room.
Still in a bit of shock, Paige sat for a few seconds longer than the rest of her team; taking in the fact that the girls still saw her without her knowing. A part of Paige wanted to talk to them; she honestly did miss them. But on the other hand, a part of her knew once she crossed that line she'd be emotionally involved all over again. That's the last thing the team needed, but it was what she wanted. Coming to a compromise, the auburn girl decided she could go visit her old house. The girls wouldn't be there. But their memories were still implanted everywhere.