Siophiefandom/Guests'/melbevic2/naiel2017 – Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you like the next update.

Pailyanchormcfields – I'm glad you agree with the progression of tension between Emily and Paige. Both girls are dealing with their own feelings and despite missing each other, the betrayal and hurt they're both feeling counters that.

Thecatfromaliceinwonderland – I absolutely love your description of the last chapter. "Colorful memories" is just a perfect way to sum up the beginning. I never heard of 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' so I appreciate the new song on my playlist. I know I didn't get a chance to reply to your PM…it's been a bit busy on the work end. BUT I will! To answer your question concerning the number of chapters…there are 21 chapters just like my last story.

Sofiadc66 – Hey! I'm more than grateful that you find the time to not only read but review my story. You don't know how much you made me smile when you managed to describe perfectly my intention of each chapter. However, you won't find out right away why Paige left so abruptly. But you will find out through the flashbacks and hopefully feel the way she did so you understand why she leaves. Also, you are not wrong! I try to end each chapter with a bit of foreshadowing of the next. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters

Gripping onto the hand strap located above the open section of the large Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, Paige kept her eyes pinned to the Smoky Mountains below her as the vast aircraft continued its ascend through the immense wilderness as it had been for the last 2 hours.

"Dave, are we in position yet?" the auburn girl sternly asked as continued her focus on the area below her.

Refreshing the coordinates upon his GPS chart plotter, the dark eyed controller quickly responded. "Not for at least 20 minutes".

"McCullers" Skylar urgently shouted as she readjusted monitor to make sure what she was seeing was correct. "I picked up 3 unidentified targets on our thermal screens about 5 minutes out"

Closing her eyes in frustration, Paige knew exactly who it was. "Seriously? Already?" was all she was able to mutter out.

"What? A couple of Caminiti's men?" Aiden questionably asked.

"No. It's the girls." Paige harshly returned before making her way behind the hazel eye brunette. "Bring up the infrared camera"

"Are you sure? How the hell did they get out all the way over here?" Aiden retorted.

"They always find a way. Caleb probably told them about our whereabouts. Why is it taking so long for the camera to come up?" Paige aggressively asked.

"The thermographic camera isn't working. It looks like whoever is using the woods for their exertion was smart enough to place hot spots all around the area to distort all infrared cameras" Skylar quickly answered before trying to see what else she could do on her end.

"Rivers?" Aiden asked. "Isn't he that video game lackey back in Rosewood?"

Shooting an annoyed look at her co-leader, Paige decided not to fuel the statement. "He's the boyfriend of Hanna Martin. If I know anything about that group, I know he's is going to be the ears for the group so he's probably giving them the directions as the girls is following"

"And how did he figure out where to go?" Aiden judgmentally asked.

"If you're asking if I told them, you must be out of your mind. You think I'd leak our plan to ordinary civilians and our lives at even greater risk?" Paige sternly asked as she looked at her co-lead square in the eye. "If you don't trust me, tell me right now and I will leave this case"

"I trust you with my life McCullers" Aiden calmly stated. "When you mentioned they'd find ways to be involved in the case, I didn't realize how involved they'd get. You are my co-lead and I we wouldn't be where we are without you"

"Glad we got that cleared up. From what I recall from the girls files, I believe Hastings used her mother's jet to get as close as possible. Veronica Hastings private jet is the only thing I could think of that the girls could use at their disposal since she's currently running for senate. Dave, if we me make our jump here how far are we going to be off from our target?" Paige asked as she shifted closer toward her coordinator.

Calculating the directions as quickly as possible, the dark eyed intellect responded, "We'd be about 141 miles out"

"Shit. So you're telling me we either risk 3 civilians for our intended target or risk Caminiti realizing we're here?"

"I'm pretty positive Caminiti already knows someone is coming granted those girls aren't even hiding the fact that they're coming" Dylan answered.

"Or how about the fact that it looks like a group of 20 plus men are surrounding the girls right now?" Skylar fearfully responded.

Glancing at Aiden, Paige gave him a quick nod; silently agreeing to what they were about to do.

"Suit up. We're making our jump here. Those civilians are now our priority. Prepare for everything. We don't know what we're about to fall into" Aiden firmly ordered as he began tightening the fabric around his wrists before heading to the opposite end of the aircraft to grab his pack.

Following suit, the rest of the team double checked their wrists and ankles before grabbing their own backpacks as well. Each making sure their weapon was safely positioned on them, the team lined up by the exit ready to jump.

"Dylan, Skylar, you know the drill" Aiden screamed over the noise of the aircraft. "You two will jump first yet keep at a slower pace to protect the area. Anyone that has a weapon, take care of from above. Dave, McCullers, we'll speed down a bit faster to make sure we protect the civilians at a closer range. Understood?" he asked before watching the team nod in unison. "Good. Be safe and remember…we got each other"

Within seconds, Dylan and Skylar both jumped off plane without a second thought as they instantly released the parapack fabric located between their legs and arms allowing their regular ops outfit to promptly turn into a wingsuit. Keeping her eyes on her team members that just started the mission, Paige waited until she noticed Dylan take out his long bow and Skylar extend her Axe Pistol before giving the rest of her team the go ahead to follow. Aiden was the first to jump out as he kept his arms and legs toward his body to increase his speed down. Next to follow was Dave as he acted in the same fashion as Aiden before Paige finally trailed behind descending quickly into the dark forest below.

Listening carefully of all surrounding sounds, Paige soon heard Skylar's Axe pistol to the right of her before noticing the 3 men surrounding one of the girls. As Skylar's aim immediately hit its target, Paige retracted her wingsuit before landing and tackling another guy and instantly hurling two of her throwing knives at the other. Immediately standing up to gain her footing, Paige reached for her machetes while realizing she just saved Spencer who was now terrified beyond belief as she braced against the tree behind her.

"I got Hastings" Paige screamed into her headset as she saw Aiden tackle two other guys to her left as he protected Hanna and Dave spear another man as he created a barrier around them. Instinctively realizing Emily was still missing, Paige grabbed Spencer's arm and shoved her toward Aiden and Dave as she began searching the area. In a matter of seconds Paige's eyes found the brunette being cornered by 4 men in the opposite direction the team had been planning on going.

Picking up her speed, Paige hurled out 4 more throwing knives to kill at least 2 men before she saw an arrow from Dylan hit one of the other guys in the neck giving the auburn girl enough time to counter a knife attack from the remaining guy as she drove one of her machetes into his side.

Retracting her weapon as the man immediately fell to his knees, her eyes shifted to the petrified beauty huddling in a ball near the trunk of the tree. Paige was more than livid. She never understood why the girls were so stubborn to allow anyone to help them. As though her body had a mind of its own, Paige found herself heatedly walking over as she was ready to give Emily a piece of her mind. But as she protectively wrapped her left arm around the brunette's waist to steady her, realization dawned on her of how close their faces were. Feeling her breath hitch at the proximity, the auburn girl couldn't help but drift her eyes down to the brunette's lips before refocusing them into the beauty's dark brown eyes as she whispered, "I got Fields".

Paige felt every emotion she once felt for the brunette come rushing back the moment her fingers made its way around the beauty's waist. Clenching her jaw, the auburn girl felt herself take in a deep breath before finally guiding the bronze beauty back to the team. As the two approached the rest of the group, Aiden began approaching the pair as he noticed Paige inadvertently using her body to somewhat shield Emily from the incoming argument.

"Are any of you injured?" Aiden sternly asked as he eyed each of the civilians' individually. When he saw them all nod, he continued. "Is there anyone else part of the group beside you 3?" he continued. As her friends shrugged their heads once again, Paige took a breath of relief before giving a quick nod to David to follow her.

"We need to get out of here as soon as possible before any more of those men come back here. Which direction do we need to head in?" Paige asked as she gave a quick glance toward Aiden however feeling a pair of eyes fixed on her. Knowing exactly who they belonged to, the auburn girl refused to allow Emily's presence distract them from their task at hand.

"The Southern Cross constellation is pointing in that direction" Dave stated as the two looked toward the night sky. "Meaning the Virginia headquarters is in that direction. That's our closest bet of being protected in this state."

"Can we get communicate out of here?" Paige asked.

"Not at all. The trees are interfering with the connection. We need to try to get out of the area" Dave recommended.

"Dylan, how safe are we from running into anyone else?" Paige asked as she turned to face her other team member.

"Not safe at all. Our position was probably instantly given away the moment our feet touched the soil" Dylan quickly responded.

Turning back to face Aiden as he continued yelling at her friends, Paige finally took a stand. "Hey, Aiden I think that's enough right now". Earning a surprised look at everyone in her party, the brown eye beauty continued. "Look, you could continue yelling at them at a safer position. We need to start heading south"

"No, we need to start heading north. We came from the south" Spencer quickly corrected.

"Do you know where we are right now?" Paige sternly asked.

"No, but-" the hasty brunette began before being interrupted.

"Then I suggest you follow us Ms. Hastings. Would you like to go north and continue your impressive self-defense stance I caught you in earlier after you encounter maybe triple the amount of men we just fought off?" Paige forcefully asked. Watching closely as Spencer's eyes dropped to the ground, Paige took that as her answer. "Then I recommend you listen to us"

With David taking the lead, Dylan followed as the girls found themselves tracking behind with Aiden and Paige to both sides of them and Skylar in the back. Gripping her backpack straps tighter, Paige fought every ounce of emotion flowing through her to turn her head to look at the brunette. Knowing she was standing closest to her out all the girls, the auburn girl relied on her other senses to know she was ok.

After about 2 hours of walking in silence, Aiden made his way toward the front indicating it was time to look for a spot to rest for the night. As the group descended their speed, Paige and the team huddled together to start building their tent as they threw their bags in the corner.

"You guys could use our spear clothing to change into something a bit more warm" Skylar suggested as she looked toward the girls slightly shivering. "It could get a bit nippy here at night"

As the team split up to get more done, Dylan took to the trees to make sure they weren't going to encounter any unwanted guests as Skylar and Aiden continued finishing building their tent. With Dave unpacking the food items, Paige took to the woods to find as much dry wood as she could to build a fire.

Finally finding a good handful of wood, Paige knelt down before she began setting them together in front of the tent as she ignited her match to light their campfire for the evening. Blowing lightly at the base of the fire, the sudden appearance of the brunette came into view stopping Paige from her efforts. The auburn girl couldn't help herself from fixing her gaze on the overlarge Green Day hoodie the bronze beauty decided to wear for the night as she combed her hair to the side giving the girl an effortlessly gorgeous look.

Out of everything Emily could choose from, the brunette had to pick Paige's spear clothes. Shifting her eyes upward, Paige found herself staring into the girl's chocolate eyes as Emily was staring right back on her. Swallowing lightly at the intensity of the gaze, something in the brunette's eyes told Paige Emily knew the hoodie had belonged to the auburn girl. Clearing her throat lightly, Paige forced herself to break eye contact as she pushed herself off the ground.

Brushing off her pants, the brown eye beauty made her way over to Aiden as she noticed the girls circle around the fire before sitting down comfortably.

"I'll stay up for the first shift" Paige stated as she helped Aiden straightened one of the sides of the tent.

"Agree. Dave and Skylar will take second. Dylan will take third. I'll take forth" the team lead scheduled.

Nodding in agreement Paige walked with Aiden over to the campfire before taking a can of turkey from Dave and sitting with the rest of the group.

"I don't think I've ever seen something as beautiful as the night sky over here. I didn't even realize you could see so many stars at once" Hanna stated as she leaned back on her elbows to take in the amazing view the group had.

As everyone looked up, Paige kept her eyes on a certain brunette. Taking in every detail she could as the glow of the fire illuminated her features; the auburn girl was in denial that everything she once felt for the brunette had left.

"It's because of light pollution" Dylan explained. "The closer you are to a major city, the more lights the buildings tend to give off. And in turn is why you could probably see maybe a dozen if you're lucky. I'd say we could probably see about 2,500 right now"

"Geez" was all the blonde beauty was able to reply. "It makes what Ms. Nicholas told us about the star constellations believable"

"You do know star constellations are real right?" Spencer retorted as she raised an eyebrow at her futile friend.

"Well yeah, I know it's real" Hanna quickly responded. Leaning back to continue her gaze, she needed to take it all in. "But I just never actually seen one"

"Ok, do you see that bright cluster over there by the large pine tree?" David asked as he felt the need to pass on some basic knowledge to the group.

"Yeah" Spencer and Hanna replied in unison.

"Great, do you see that other bright cluster about 2 feet away?" the team coordinator continued.

"Yes" they answered again.

"Now, I want you to follow my finger as I point out a few of the other bright stars" David instructed. "It's going to create the Hercules constellation. Once of the largest constellations in the night sky right about now"

"That's absolutely amazing" Spencer responded. "How do you know so much about the constellations?"

"We all do" Aiden stated. "We were trained to use them as our compass if we ever get lost"

"I guess Ms. Nicholas really was right" Spencer quietly stated as she looked up in amazement. "We definitely need to get of our little bubble of a life at home"

"I wonder if those Latin myths she use to tell us about were also true" Hanna asked as she began thinking back to the high school days.

"Well they're myths" Spencer simply replied. "It's kind of hard to determine if they are or aren't"

"But it would be pretty awesome if they were" Hanna responded with a smile. "Like the story of Cupid and Psyche. Come on, how adorable was that one?"

***9 Years Ago***

Paige felt more than elated to attend English. Maybe it was because the weather was amazing outside. Maybe it was because the big science fair was coming up. Or maybe it was simply because she was surrounded by her friends. Paige couldn't pinpoint why she was so happy, but she didn't care. She felt rejuvenated; especially when her eyes landed on a certain brunette.

Biting her bottom lip, Paige wanted to talk to her. Besides the fact that they were on the phone last night for 4 hours talking about everything from music to shows to class; the auburn girl still sought out to be near her. Parting her lips to propose an idea, Paige was interrupted as the tall curly hair teacher entered the classroom.

"Good afternoon class" Ms. Nicholas began as she cordially greeted the class before erasing the board behind her. "Hope everyone is enjoying their day so far" she continued before turning to face the class as she pulled out a few English novels from her dark brown Hulme leather briefcase. "Now to conclude our discussion on the Renaissance, I figured what better way than to end it with a one of the best classical traditions we have out there; Cupid and Psyche"

Inwardly sighing at the timing of their English teacher, Paige took out her Android Sidekick from her back pocket to achieve her sudden craving. Setting up a text toward the tanned beauty, the auburn girl needed a direct answer so decided to be blunt.

From Paige: Free for dinner today? I know you have your calc exam after lunch, so don't want to disturb you before then

Pressing send, Paige looked up in time to hear another student respond to the curly hair teacher's statement. "Psyche?"

"Cupid fell in love?" another student asked.

"Of course" Ms. Nicholas replied with a smile. "He was the God of Desire. How could he not?"

"Who's Psyche?" Hanna interjected as the teacher had her fullest attention.

Paige could feel her chest drop when she noticed Emily didn't even glance down at her phone. Does she have plans?

"Can anyone answer that?" the brunette educator asked. Slowly shifting his eyes from left to right, Ms. Nicholas nodded her head at the realization no one had heard of the classic romance. "No one huh? Ok. Well Psyche was the youngest daughter of a king and queen down on Earth. The rumor was Psyche had this beauty about her where men fell at their feet to be with her. The love goddess Venus, aka Aphrodite, was jealous of this. So she asked her son Cupid to help with her revenge and make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man alive. Cupid however ended up scratching himself with the arrow and falling for Psyche himself. Keeping it a secret, he kept in the dark yet somehow persuaded Psyche's parents to allow her to marry him. And she did, but she never saw his face. Cupid would only come see her at night and fly away in the morning. Through time Psyche began to fall for Cupid and told her sisters about him who were somewhat jealous of their marriage. Her sisters then persuaded her that Cupid was really a monster and he was going to kill her one day; so she should kill him first. And so Psyche began making her plot to kill her husband. One night after Cupid fell asleep, Psyche got her oil lamp and knife and hesitantly lifted the light to her husband's face making her slip backwards and tripping over her own feet at how beautiful the man really was" Ms. Nicholas explained. "It's scary how easy it is for a person to plant a seed in your mind before it takes on a lifeform of its own"

"But isn't it a good thing that her sisters told her this lie or else she would have never seen her husband's face?" Hanna asked.

"I'm sure they could have come up with a better lie than that" Ms. Nicholas retorted. "But what about you? Has someone ever planted a seed in your mind that took on a lifeform of its own?"

'Have you ever thought about it?' the blonde beauty asked.

'Thought about what?' Paige asked honestly confused.

'You know' Hanna began. 'You and Emily' she finally stated. 'Having more than a…platonic friendship'.

'Are you serious? No way!' the auburn girl bawled. 'I love that girl, but not love love her. She's the complete opposite from me…but somehow brings out the best of me. I honestly don't even know why she's friends with me'.

"Has that seed ever got you thinking about that person whether it was in a more positive or more negative way?" Ms. Nicholas persisted as she watched the class contemplate her statement.

'You want me to compare myself to Emily?' Paige asked. 'The Emily Fields? The star swimmer of Rosewood High? The bronze goddess who walks the halls and has basically every girl, and guy for that matter, tripping over themselves to just get a glimpse of her? Not to mention, I'm pretty positive when she talks bunnies and unicorns tend to come out of the woodworks just to listen to her'.

Continuing her intention, Ms. Nicolas continued. "Now even though that person who planted the seed hasn't brought it up again, do you find yourself thinking about that person at least a little bit more. Doesn't you're curiosity get the best of you? Where they are? What they're doing? If they're ok? If they know what you're feeling or thinking?"

Paige felt her heart pounding at the statement her teacher made. Feeling the small blood vessels in her ear beat harder to her heart beat, the auburn felt her phone suddenly vibrate. Paige could feel her mouth go dry as the brunette's name appeared on the front of her phone. Swallowing to help the dryness in her throat, she worked up the courage to read the girl's reply.

To Paige: Yes please! I don't think I've eaten since breakfast yesterday

It felt like she was in a complete trance. Paige didn't understand what she was feeling. She felt overjoyed. She felt emotional. She felt scared.

"And when they finally answer any of those questions, do you feel somewhat relieved when they answer the way you want them to?" Ms. Nicholas asked. "I want you to close your eyes" the slim brunette instructed. "I know I know, you're not in middle school anymore. But do me this favor and satisfy my own curiosity. Close your eyes" she continued as she waited for her class to follow her advice. "Now think of that person who the seed was planted for. Do you see yourself thinking about them as soon as you open your eyes in the morning? Do you see yourself thinking about them when you close your eyes at night? Do you find reasons to be near them throughout the day? Do you find yourself trying to put their happiness before yours? To put their wellbeing first? If you honestly answer these questions, you might find yourself actually falling in love with what was once a seed"

Gradually opening her chocolate brown eyes, the sudden awareness dawned on Paige like a ton of bricks. Holy shit.

***Present Day***

"What do you think Paige?" Hanna unexpectedly asked as she broke the auburn girl out of her recollection.

Clearing her throat as she bit her bottom lip, Paige stood up as she brushed off the bottom of her pants. "I think we need to go to sleep. We have 4 hours before sunrise"

"I agree" Aiden retorted as he stood up as well before the team soon followed.

Paige could feel a particular pair of eye focused on her which made her somewhat uneasy. Not wanting to have to deal with the proximity of the brunette just yet, the auburn girl waited outside to collect herself.

As the group made their way into the tent, Paige and Aiden began throwing dirt upon the campfire to force it to out. With Aiden making his way into the tent, Paige took over Dylan's place and began her watch. Thankfully the area was completely silent, allowing the auburn girl the advantage of knowing if anyone or thing was approaching the campsite.

2 hours managed to fly by without Paige needing any help to force her eyes to stay open. Climbing down from the large tree she used to keep watch, Paige quietly made her way into the tent. Unconsciously looking for the brunette first, Paige was silently thanking the stars when she took note the beauty was sleeping between Spencer and Aiden. Skylar took to the end of where Hanna was and David and Dylan was to the right of Aiden. Gently giving Skylar a quick nudge, the hazel eye beauty woke up without a stir as Paige made her way to Dave to give him a gentle nudge as well. As the two made their way out for their shifts, Paige gently took over the position of where Skylar slept and easily fell asleep within minutes.

After working with the teams for four years, Paige naturally found her body waking up with the sun. Slowly opening her eyes, the auburn found herself on her side facing the tent wall before giving her body a quick stretch without really moving. Taking in a deep breath, the auburn girl suddenly froze as she realized the position she was in without even turning around. Clenching her jaw, Paige closed her eyes as she reveled in the feel of the bronze beauty right near her. Taking in the smell of the sweet freesia and red plum Emily always wore in high school, Paige couldn't help but feel instantly aroused. Paige could feel the small puffs of warm air the brunette managed to let out every time she exhaled. But what gave the auburn girl an even more certain sense that it was Emily right behind her was the way her body reacted to the simple heat radiating from beauty. Paige was certain that even if it was pitch black, she'd always find Emily by mere instinct.

Terrified to turn around, Paige let out the breath she was unintentionally holding before confirming her suspicion. Just like that, Paige found her face to face with the sleeping brunette right in front of her. Emily had kept her distance but was still close enough to auburn beauty to feel safe.

Without worry of anyone noticing her, the auburn girl found herself studying every inch of the bronze beauty's face. Why are you so beautiful? Watching as a strand of hair fell into Emily's face as the brunette twitched a bit, Paige forced herself not to brush it away. Instead, she used her free hand to fully cover the brunette with the royal blue blanket that had fell off the girl during the night. Lingering a few seconds in the warmth, Paige felt as her fingers made contact with the Emily's shoulders before she forced herself to get up and check on Aiden outside without waking anyone up.

Stretching as she made her way outside the tent, Paige looked up as she watched Aiden descend from the top of the tree.

"How's the weather looking?" Paige asked as continued stretching out her triceps.

"Perfect. I think we'll be able to get reception within 3 hours. Not too bad" Aiden asked as he took a sip of his instant coffee he had made during the night.

"Not at all. Gives us enough time to regroup and see how bad it is now that Caminiti knows we're onto him" Paige responded as she grabbed an empty cup from her pack before pouring herself a cup of instant coffee.

"You and Fields. Did you guys have a thing?" Aiden asked openly.

Almost spitting out her coffee, Paige looked at her co-lead realizing she was as obvious as she felt when it came to the brunette. Licking her bottom lip, Paige looked at her cup before answering. "We never had a thing" the auburn girl admitted. "But I wanted one" she continued as she looked Aiden straight in his eyes.

"And you just left her behind when you left Rosewood?" Aiden asked.

"Yes" Paige simply responded.

"And now?" Aiden directly asked.

Before Paige was able to respond, the pair watched as the rest of the group made their way out of the tent; the last being the focus of their conversation. Paige parted her lips at sight of Emily's hair flipped over to her right side as the brunette did a quick stretch revealing just a small bit of skin by her waistline. Aiden didn't need to ask the question, he knew immediately where his team co-lead stood with the daughter of one of their acting commanders.