Title: My Soul to Keep

Summary: Maya's gone and 'A' is haunting Emily's dreams. As the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur Emily finds herself trapped in a waking nightmare, and seeking solace from the one person who seems to be able to anchor her in the real world; Paige.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars or any of the characters associated with the show.

When Emily's eyes opened she was surrounded by all-consuming darkness. It was thick and impenetrable and she felt desperation welling up inside of her as she lashed out and felt her arms and legs moving freely through the air in front of her; though she couldn't see them. She felt as though she were floating in a void, weightless and without being; like she was slowly disappearing. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound could escape as water flooded through her parted lips. She was underwater, deep beneath the surface where not even the faintest speckle of light could penetrate the inky blackness. Somehow, realising she was underwater helped to calm her and her fear gave way to relief. The water was like a second home, a sanctuary where she had always been able to leave behind her worries.

Pushing her arms up above her head she used her long powerful legs to propel her back up to the surface. Her lungs were aching by the time she broke free to the surface and she greedily filled them with air. As her legs kicked beneath her, keeping her afloat, she squinted against the harsh sunlight that reflected off the water. She had no idea where she was. The lake she had been at the bottom of was far too big to be the one that she had shared with Maya, and there were no cabins or docks in sight. There was nothing. The lake was surrounded by trees that grew thicker and closer together further inland. There were rocks at the water's edge and she started to swim towards them. Despite the heat from the midday sun the water was cold and the teenager's energy reserves were quickly wearing out. She needed to get her feet back on dry land before she attempted to sort her head out.

She scrambled up on to the shore, the jagged rocks biting in to her palms and snagging on her clothes. Her jeans were soaked through and the wet denim felt tight against her skin as she moved off the rocks. She sat with her back against a big oak tree, catching her breath as she took in the woods around her. She had done a fair bit of hiking with her dad over the years, but nothing of what she could see looked familiar to her. She couldn't remember how she had ended up in the lake. She didn't have her bag with her, or her phone or her car keys, just the clothes on her back; which were sticking uncomfortably to her skin. She pulled her T-shirt over her head and dropped it on the ground beside her. Her vest underneath was just as wet, but the material wasn't clinging to her quite so much without the weight of her tee.

She felt tired and groggy as sat there trying to get her bearings. Her dad had taught her what to do if she ever got lost in the woods, little tips and hints that would help her find her way on to a path or to call for help, but having no clue where she was or how she had even got there to start with was making her anxious and she just couldn't think of what she was supposed to be doing. She tried instead to focus on the last thing she could remember.

She'd said goodnight to her parents and had gone to bed early for the first day of school. She'd spent most of her summer in Haiti, working on a community housing project to help her try and forget about all the craziness with A and Maya. It had worked for a few weeks, but being back in Rosewood had brought everything flooding back to her; the pain, the grief, the anger. She'd been avoiding the others since she'd got back in to town and she hadn't been looking forward to going back to school and facing everyone. She and the other girls were still the talk of the town from the night of the Masquerade ball.

She frowned as she squinted against the glare of the low hanging sun. It had definitely been night time from what she could remember. Had she gone sleepwalking in the night and ended up in the woods? Surely she wouldn't have been able to walk so far? And for that matter, how had she managed to get in to the middle of the lake without waking up? She got to her feet and scanned the shore line, looking for any sign of how she had gotten there. There were no cars in sight though. There were no cars, no cabins, no nothing. Just thick clusters of trees that seemed to grow closer together with every passing second, as though they were moving in to get her. Shaking off the hysteria that was close to taking over, Emily decided to try and find a path of some sort that could potentially lead her back to civilisation, or maybe even just a ranger's cabin with a working radio.

The forest floor was littered with thick roots and dense undergrowth that Emily found difficult to manoeuvre. Her sneakers kept slipping on moss covered tree roots and she almost lost one of them when her foot got caught in some brambles. "Damn it!" She went over, twisting her ankle. The pain was immense and she sent the birds flying from the trees above as she cursed. Until then the forest had been eerily quiet. As the squawking of the birds died down Emily picked up on another sound; something much bigger than a bird was crashing through the woods. She barely had time to react when
something big and black jumped out in front of her, almost trampling her.

She scuttled back, not able to run with her twisted ankle. Her frazzled brain quickly processed the beast in front of her and she realised she was staring up at a horse. A big black steed with a glossy mane and a proud face. "What the hell are you doing down there?" Emily's attention shot up to the rider and relief instantly flooded through her. It was Paige. Paige McCullers was sitting on a horse like a literal knight in actual armour and Emily almost laughed at the notion; she would have if the other girl hadn't been scowling down at her. "Are you simple girl? Why are you lying there? I could have killed you!" Paige's tone was sharp and cruel, and that wasn't the only thing different about her. Her expression was hardened, as though she hadn't smiled in years, and her clothes were just wrong. She looked like she was dressed for a renaissance fair. She wore black breeches tucked in to knee high cavalier boots and a deep green tunic under a brown leather armour vest. A long black cloak completed her ensemble, as well as a sword and holster at her side. Emily was lost for words as she stared up at the other girl; not quite sure what the hell was going on.

"These woods are not safe for a young woman to travel." Paige's tone softened just a little as she dismounted, her heavy boots thudding against the ground. Emily shuffled back again, trying to get to her feet. The other girl was acting like she had no idea who she was. She winced as her ankle gave way again and she ended up back on the floor. "You're hurt?" Paige knelt down beside her and reached out to check her ankle. Emily stiffened, but didn't pull away as the other girl pulled off her leather gloves and took a firm hold of her foot. She twisted and stretched it a little, testing the movement.

"I think it's just sprained. I can give you a ride to the nearest town…you really shouldn't be in the Rose Woods alone."
"Rosewood?" Emily finally spoke, finding her voice again.
"So you're not mute then? I was beginning to wonder." The corners of Paige's mouth twitched in to an almost smile. "And these are the Rose woods or the edge of them at least. Most of the girls in the neighbouring towns know not to come in here by themselves…but you don't look like you come from any town I've been to." Emily blushed as she felt Paige's gaze travelling up and down the length of her body; though the other girl was mostly just taking in Emily's strange clothing.

"I uh…I have no idea where I am or how I got here." Emily admitted as Paige helped her to her feet, taking on most of her weight to keep the pressure off her ankle.
"I get days like that too." Paige finally managed a smile and Emily relaxed in to her a little more. "I'm Paige."
"Yeah I know…" The other girl looked at her funny and Emily quickly covered. She had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't about to scare away her only lifeline. "I mean…I'm Emily."
"Well Emily, I can take you to the next town over and you can figure out what you want to do from there." Paige shifted to help boost Emily up on to her horse, but the other girl tried to back away, almost falling and taking Paige down with her. "Whoa, steady!"
"I…I can't get on that."

Emily had never ridden a horse in her life, and the huge black creature that towered over her seemed all too daunting. "Don't worry about old Thunder here; she's as steady as a rock!" Paige slapped the horse's side and it made a noise somewhere between appreciation and indignation. "You're not going to get far on that leg and you don't want to still be here after dark." Paige cast a glance at the low hanging sun, knowing they probably had less than two hours of light left. Emily reluctantly gave in and, with Paige's help, awkwardly mounted the horse. Paige took the reins and ran her hand through the horse's mane to soothe it before leading it on. Emily silently sat on the horse, watching the unfamiliar trees pass her by. Paige didn't try to make any small talk and that suited her just fine. She still had no idea what was going on.

They'd been travelling for about twenty minutes, Paige having directed the horse to a dirt path, when they came across an upturned cart in the middle of the road. It looked like it had been full of hay and most of it had spilled out on to the path. An old woman and a young child, dressed in little more than rags, were trying to clear it up. Paige steadied the horse, stopping it in its tracks. "Wait here." She muttered and Emily was pretty sure she was talking to Thunder, not her. She stepped closer to the car and for a second Emily thought she was going to offer to help them, but she stopped a few yards short and placed her hand on the grip of her sword. "You there, clear the road. Now!" Her tone was short, like it had been with Emily earlier.
"Paige!" Emily frowned, surprised by the other girl's outburst. Paige was hardly a saint, but she was never normally so impolite; though she didn't usually carry a sword either so it wasn't like her rudeness was the strangest part of Emily's day.

"Forgive us miss, but I'm just a frail old dear, could you perhaps lend us a hand?" The white haired woman was plump and jolly and she reminded Emily of Hanna's grandmother.
"No, I can't." Paige replied curtly as she took a firmer grip on the hilt of her broad sword. "Why don't you ask the man trying so hard to conceal himself in those trees over there? He's obviously not very good at hiding; maybe lifting carts is his strong suit?" The old woman lost her smile and she didn't look as jolly as a burly man stepped out from behind one of the thicker trees. Paige drew her sword from its sheath as he took a menacing step towards them. He stopped as his eyes narrowed on the weapon.

"Easy little lady! That's a pretty sword, but it looks mighty heavy. Why don't I relieve you of it?" He took another step forward, his beady eyes never leaving Paige as she drew the sword up to her shoulder.
"Over my dead body." She growled back at him, eliciting a laugh from the man.
"Now that would be a shame." He licked his dry cracked lips as he looked Paige up and down; but then his gaze travelled to Emily. Her blood ran cold as the bald man stared at her like she was a prize piece of meat.
"Hey! Eyes front!" Paige snapped at him, bringing his attention back to her.

"You know, that looks like the kind of sword the Kings knights would carry…I suggest you put it down and hand over your gold, or you'll find yourself as dead as the king is-" Paige let out a howl of rage as she lunged towards the bandit, her sword narrowly missing his chest and crashing down against the ground. She recovered quickly and pulled back before he could land a blow to her head with one of his beefy fists. He used the second he had to pull a knife, though it looked pitiful in comparison to Paige's mighty sword. Emily watched helplessly from the top of the horse as the pair traded blows, Paige dancing around the bear of a man with the same kind of grace she had in the water when she was swimming.

The other girl didn't have long to worry about Paige though, she soon had troubles of her own as the boy who had been by the cart darted over towards the horse, intending to pilfer whatever was in the packs that were slung over each side of the saddle. He looked like one of those kids that was raised by wolves, with his long scraggily hair, grubby skin and wide eyes. His fingers made light work of the buckle on the saddle as he tried to get to the packs. "Hey!" Emily protested as the horse started to move. The little boy ignored her and carried on tugging at the saddle, intending to dislodge Emily off the horse. She kicked out at him with her foot, but he caught her sneaker. "Let go!" Emily tried tugging her leg back, but her moving around so much spooked the horse more than the boy and Thunder went darting forward. Emily's sneaker came off at the same time as the saddle slipped and she found herself crashing down to the ground. She heard Paige calling out for her as her head slammed off the ground and then everything went dark.

"Emily? Emily?" The shouting wouldn't stop and Emily found herself groaning as she opened her eyes. She found herself staring at the familiar magnolia walls of her room. "Emily are you up yet? You don't want to be late for your first day back!" She heard her mom shouting up to her from downstairs in the kitchen; the scent of waffles followed her voice up the stairs, causing Emily's stomach to grumble. She let out a sigh of relief as she flopped back down on to her bed, her head sinking in to her pillows. It had been a dream. A weird ass dream that she had finally woken up from. She hadn't gone sleepwalking in the night, or woken up in an alternate dimension where Paige rode a horse and carried a sword.

"Yeah, I'm up Mom!" She called back down as she pushed the covers away and slipped out of bed. She checked her phone and found she already had a text from Spencer, asking if she wanted to meet for a coffee in the quad before school started. It was nice to check her phone and not have any threatening messages from A; Mona was safely locked away in Radley Asylum. She couldn't get near a cell phone, or any of the girls. There was nothing she could to do hurt them anymore. Emily sent a quick text back to Spencer, promising to meet her by the coffee stand on campus in an hour, before setting her phone aside and heading for the shower.

When she was finally dressed she went downstairs to find both of her parents hovering about in the kitchen. "Hey Emmy, you ready to get back in the saddle?"
"What?" She almost choked on the orange juice her mother had handed her as her dad beamed at her from the other side of the kitchen counter. His smile wavered at her reaction.
"School." He clarified. "You know if you're not ready to go back-"
"I'm ready." Emily pushed aside her doubts and the lingering memories of her dream as she stood up straight, trying to reassure her dad that she wasn't about to have another breakdown. "I'm meeting Spencer soon so I've got to run-"
"Hold on young lady! You need to eat." Pam put a plate of blueberry waffles down in front of her and it wasn't exactly a chore for Emily to eat them. She knew her mother had gone to extra lengths to make her feel better on her first day back and she appreciated it. Once she'd cleared her plate she hugged both of her parents and kissed them goodbye before heading out to the school.

She was a little early for meeting Spencer, so she parked up and sat in her car, staring up at the imposing building of the High School. She had been dreading going back, to have everyone talking about her and Maya and what had happened with Mona and the others; but part of her was looking forward to getting back in to her usual routine of classes and practise. She was definitely looking forward to getting back in the water. She hadn't put in much practise over the summer, though Paige had tried to coax her out of her room for a swim a few times before she'd left for Haiti; but her feelings for the other girl had never exactly been plutonic and spending time with her so soon after Maya's death seemed a little inappropriate. She had thought about her a lot though and she was considering texting her as she got out of her car and made her way to meet Spencer.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear her name being called as she crossed the parking lot. "Emily!" She turned just in time to see Paige's bike skidding to a halt, barely inches away from her. "Jesus Fields! You just stepped out of nowhere!"
"At least you weren't on a horse." The other girl mumbled, more to herself than to Paige.
"Huh?"
"Nothing….sorry, I was a million miles away." She apologised as Paige hopped off her bike and started walking along beside her.
"Somewhere nice I hope?" She offered Emily that easy smile of hers and it felt like they had never been apart. Emily liked it when things were easy between them, when they weren't walking on egg shells around each other. She had hated it when Paige had started ignoring her after the whole Samara thing, though she could hardly blame the other girl.

"Actually I was just thinking about this dream I had." Emily had no idea why she was even mentioning the dream to Paige, but it had been so real and vivid, she could still practically remember every detail of it. "It was so weird, I woke up at the bottom of this lake, but it was so peaceful, like going home after a really long time, you know? Sorry, I'm rambling." Emily nervously tucked her hair behind her ear as she ducked her head.
"I'm no expert on dream interpretation, but I think I know what that means."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you're part fish, Fields." Paige grinned at her, earning a playful shove from the other girl. "So how was your summer? I tried calling you a couple of times last week, but you never picked up."

"I was sort of…" Emily stalled, trying to pick her words carefully to avoid any awkwardness between them.
"Avoiding me?" Paige helpfully supplied, causing the other girl to blush. She couldn't exactly deny it though so she nodded in agreement. "Look, I get it. I do. After everything with Maya...but I want you to know that I'm here for you. As a friend."
"Thank you." Emily managed a small smile, but the mention of Maya had definitely put a dampener on her mood. "I'm meeting Spencer for coffee, but we should hang out some time. Soon."
"I'd like that. I'll see you around." She waved Emily off as she left her to chain her bike up.

"Em! Over here!" Spencer wasn't alone at the table she was sitting at; Hanna called Emily over with a cheery grin and Aria offered her a wave as she took a seat. It looked like her friends had planned an ambush. "Hey! You look great, did you lose weight?"
"A little." She hadn't been able to eat much in the first few weeks after learning about Maya and working so hard in Haiti for the summer had definitely made her shed a few pounds. Some of it was lean muscle, which she would need to work on getting back before the start of the swimming season. Maybe she would ask Paige if she wanted to train with her. "Mom's been trying to feed me up ever since I got back last week."
"We tried to call you-" Aria started but Emily cut her off with yet another apology.
"Sorry, I just needed some time, you know?"
"Of course." Aria nodded as she put her hand over Emily's. "We're her for you, whatever you need. Even if it's space."
"And I'm always available if you want to take your mind off things with shopping." Hanna beamed.
"Yeah, by the time you've finished shoe shopping with Han you'll be too brain dead to think of anything."
"Hey!"

Emily smiled as her friends descended in to their usual spirited bickering. It felt nice to be back with them. She had missed the other girls over the summer, but she had needed the time away from Rosewood to clear her head. She felt in a much better place and Maya's death didn't sting quite so much anymore. The ache from losing her was still there, but it had dulled with time and she finally felt as though she could function like a human being again. She sipped at her coffee as she listened to the others. She still felt a little out of it and her dream was lingering in the back of her mind.

Despite being distracted she made it through the first day back at school without too much trouble. She'd done her best to catch up on the work she'd missed at the end of last year and, save for a few curious glances and whispers, no one seemed to be paying any extra attention to her or the others. She was still a little relieved when the final bell went though, she felt pretty run down and she was ready to go home. On her way out of class she bumped in to Paige in the hall and found her talking to one of the juniors from the swim team. Emily thought her name was Kate, but she couldn't be sure. She smiled at them both as Paige noticed her and turned her attention away from the blonde girl. "Hey Fields, Kate and I were talking about getting some pre-season practises in with the rest of the girls this weekend. You in, Fish?" She grinned, her invitation somehow coming out more like a challenge.
"Sure, I was going to ask if you wanted to get some practise in anyway. You'll need it this year if you want to beat me McCullers." She laughed as they enjoyed their usual camaraderie.
"Please, you're going to be eating my dust this year!"
"Uh, I've got to go." Kate interrupted them as she shifted her bag on her shoulder and shot Paige a shy smile that had Emily's stomach tying itself in knots. "I'll catch you later, Paige. Emily." She nodded at the other girl before walking off, leaving Emily and Paige alone together.

"I didn't know you and Kate were so…close." Emily tried her best to keep the jealousy out of her voice, but thankfully Paige seemed oblivious to it anyway as she laughed off her comment.
"We're not really. We just started talking more over the summer, she's been working on her breast stroke at the public pool and I gave her a few pointers."
"I'll bet." Emily remarked dryly. "Hey, do you need a ride home?" She quickly covered as Paige finally picked up on her tone and gave her an inquisitive frown.
"I've got my bike."

"Oh, yeah. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then… or whatever." She fidgeted uncomfortably as they walked out the main doors and down the front steps.
"Um, do you want to go for a coffee or something?" Paige suggested as they lingered by the bike stand, reluctant to let Emily slip away so easily.
"I don't think so. I'm pretty beat. Another time?"
"Sure." Paige sighed, trying not to let her disappointment show. "See you around."

When Emily got back home she was glad to find the house empty. She didn't quite feel up to being interrogated by her mother on how her day had gone. She felt tired and restless and a little bit annoyed at herself for how she had reacted to seeing Kate and Paige together. The other girl was simply her friend, nothing more, and that had been Emily's choice. Paige had opened her heart to her, more than once, and she had shot her down. She didn't have the right to be jealous when some other girl was sniffing around her. Shrugging of her jacket and dropping her school bag on her desk she lay down on her bed and wrapped the comforter around her. She felt like she'd barely gotten any sleep the night before and she figured a quick nap before dinner wouldn't hurt.

Emily's eyes snapped open as she felt a searing pain in the back of her head. Her vision was blurred at first, but as she blinked the world around her came in to focus. She found Paige leaning over her, concern written all over her face as her long auburn bangs fell in her eyes. Emily reached out to brush the hair aside without really thinking. Paige caught her wrist and quickly dropped it before pulling back. "You're awake. That was some fall."
"What happened?" Emily frowned as she pushed herself up so she was sitting. She found her back resting against the bark of a tree and her hands resting in the dirt. She was back in the forest; back in the dream.
"Thunder got spooked and threw you off. Don't worry, I sent those bandits on their way." Paige shifted so she was sitting beside her and handed over a canteen of water. Emily barely noticed it; she was too busy pinching herself, trying to wake up. She rarely had the same dream twice, and her dreams never picked up after each other like a story in a book. She knew she was dreaming, yet the dirt beneath her fingers felt as real as the sheets on her bed. The bark digging in to her back was uncomfortable and it was real; just like the pain in her head. "It's getting dark, we should get moving again. Emily?"
"Huh?" Emily finally focused on the girl beside her. "Go where?"
"The next town, it's not far from here. Like I said, I'll get you there and then you're on your own-"
"Don't leave me." Emily blurted out. Knowing this was all a dream made it easier for her to say the things she really wanted. She had wanted to stay with Paige, to go for coffee with her after school, but she had been too afraid to admit it.

"Emily, I…" Paige faltered as she looked away from Emily's big brown eyes. They were boring straight in to her and she couldn't stand it. The girl was a stranger, she meant nothing to her, yet Paige found herself inexplicably drawn to the strangely dressed young woman. "I can only take you as far as the next town. I have things to do. Important things."
"Like what?" Emily challenged.

Paige held her head up high as she stared Emily in the eyes, her gaze unwavering. "I'm going to kill a witch."
"A witch?" Emily scoffed, though she stopped laughing as Paige's expression hardened again. "Sorry. So, this witch, what did she do to you?" The other girl shifted uncomfortably, clearly it was personal and she didn't want to talk about it. Emily took the canteen of water from her and drank in silence, waiting for Paige to either answer or change the subject. Clearly her imagination had given dream Paige some issues.
"She took everything from me." Paige finally answered; her expression was dark and smouldering. "A took everything-"
"A?" Emily scowled. She was done with 'A'. She had finally gotten rid of 'A' in the real world, she didn't need her haunting her in her dreams too; even if those dreams brought an armour clad Paige with a big ass sword. "A's not a witch. She's just a girl, a screwed up girl called Mona-"
"What do you know of her?" It was Paige's turn to scowl as she jumped on Emily's words. "No one knows her. Where she came from or how she got her powers, it's a mystery…two years ago she killed the King and Queen of the Rose Woods…she's taken the throne for herself."
"Mona's ruling Rosewood?" Emily was beginning to think she had a really messed up imagination. She had finally gotten rid of 'A' in the real world, yet her subconscious refused to cut her a break.
"Not for long." Paige set her jaw again as she got to her feet, her hand findings its way to the sword at her side like it was a comforter. "I'm going to kill her; and you're going to help me!"

A/N: So I'm trying something new, a sort of Paily fairy-tale that's been bugging me to write it for a while. I'm still working on my other PLL fic 'Cold Front' as well as a ton of other fics for different fandoms, so I can't promise speedy updates, but if people are interested I'll definitely carry on with this.