Disclaimer: I don't own anything but those poor words.

Summary: What happened during Ava and Beatrice's forced exile in Switzerland

Howdy everyone! I'm not really sure where I'm going with this one, but Mojo is speaking and my job is to listen so let's go forth on this new ride...

Enjoy,

So ;)

Times Like These

By SoFrost

Part 1

"Take Ava and go!" Lilith broke their stunned silence.

It took a second for Beatrice to register Lilith's words. Her first instinct was to protest but a few seconds were enough for her to run through every possible scenario and come to the same conclusion Lilith had. There were no positive outcomes for them right now because Ava was no Shannon and she was nowhere near ready to handle such a swarm of possessed people.

Beatrice glances at Camilla then back at Lillith. She put a hand on the shoulder of the taller girl as she was shielding them.

"In this life or the next."

"In this life or the next," Lilith replied with a nod of acknowledgement.

Beatrice grabbed Ava by the collar to direct her in the opposite direction. "Trust your team," she ordered firmly when she felt Ava about to protest.

"Let's go!" Camilla exclaimed, running ahead to clear their way.

Beatrice wrapped her hand firmly around Ava's wrist and started running. She forced herself to ignore the sound of Mary's shotguns or Lilith's battle cries and focus on the task at hand: getting Ava to safety.

"We're code black. Need emergency extraction for the Halo. Send massive back up in the chapel atrium, swarm of possessed, it's fubar," Camilla spoke with a hand pressed on her left ear.

They stopped in the first side street that seemed isolated. Beatrice and Camilla frantically looked around them to identify their position. Their training included an extensive knowledge of major cities to the point of them being able make mental maps within two minutes.

Beatrice closed her eyes and focused on the directives rushed into their earpiece. Her mind conjured a path to their extraction point, opening her eyes she pointed to her right. "This way."

Camilla ran ahead again; Beatrice gave the silent order to Ava to follow with a tilt of her head and closed the march.

Sharp turns were made in half a dozen of streets. Seemingly out of nowhere a dark van skidded to an abrupt stop in front of them and the back door slid open.

Beatrice pushed an out of breath Ava inside and turned to Camilla. They didn't need to speak to know they were parting ways here. As the most experienced, Ava's protection befell on Beatrice's shoulders. Camilla would go back to Lilith, Mary and the others to contain the situation.

Neither voiced the fact that this could very well be the last time they saw one another. They had been through many missions but this was unprecedented.

"It'll be fine," Camilla said with a trembling grin. She had made it her role to always keep the morale up, now was not the time to change her ways.

Beatrice went along with a nod of acceptance, ignoring the cold hand of dread twisting both of their guts. In a swift movement she put her hand on Camilla's neck to bring their foreheads together in a silent and affectionate goodbye.

"In this life or the next," she whispered before pulling back.

"In this life or the next," Camilla echoed with a steadier smile.

Beatrice jumped in the van, Camilla slid the door close behind her and sharply tapped the passenger window. "Go!"

She watched the van disappear into another street, then turned around to go back where they had come from, praying with all her heart that Mary and Lilith were okay.

"We left them…" Ava spoke as if in a daze. "We just… aband…"

"Don't!" the one-word order came out hotly. Beatrice tightened her jaw and immediately softened her tone. "Please."

Beatrice didn't mean to be aggressive; Ava had only voiced the facts after all, but she needed to keep a cool head and her ideas clear. That couldn't happen if she stopped to think about the others. If she did, she'd then think about the last time they had faced so many possessed, and the days it had taken for them to get the situation under control again, and the many losses they hadn't been able to prevent. She'd think about the fact that they had had Shannon by their sides then.

She couldn't think about the others right now. She couldn't let herself think that without the Halo bearer, right now her sisters were essentially fighting blindfolded with one hand behind their backs.

She couldn't…

She just couldn't afford to let her mind go there right now.

Right now, she had to focus on the directives pouring in her ear, unravelling the course of action and for the next 24h.

"That's why we have to make it through the night," Beatrice added softly.

Beatrice could only guess where Ava's mind was at; her first mission had turned into a gigantic display of Murphy's law, and that particular snowball was still gaining momentum for all they knew.

She wished she had comforting words to spare, but at this very moment she felt like saying anything else would be a lie.

Ava swallowed visibly, then bobbed her head in acceptance. Beatrice gently tapped Ava's knee, and watched her lean back on her seat, turning her head to stare at the window.

They had to make it safely through the night, otherwise everything would have been in vain.

Thanks for reading