V+O; in the Alternate Universe **Completed**

Chapter 40

They entered a building and began climbing the stairs. Inside was silent but they were still on high alert, there had been no time to clear the whole building and it was far too large for that. As the pair ran up the steps and out onto the roof she made sure to block the door from closing completely in case it locked them out.

When she looked out onto a massive building she realized what city they were in, "We're in Washington." O turned then as if to speak to someone who wasn't there, her face fell in confusion for a moment, a hollow feeling eating away at her stomach. JungKook stepped up beside her, and they looked out at the U.S. Capitol building. "This area is where the national mall starts," she pointed to the side, "if Octavia is going to be anywhere my guess it is gonna be somewhere here... Self important cow." O mumbled the last part under her breath.

"What's the national mall?"

"Basically like a load of historic sites, things like museums." It was weird as she spoke she could feel the water, although she couldn't see it. The river beyond silently flowing, calling to her. O doubled over and grasped the left side of her chest, groaning and breathing ragged sharp breaths. JungKook grasped her, holding her up right.

"What's wrong?"

"I can. feel. the river. running through. my chest." She spoke through gritted teeth. The broken sentence didn't have to make sense to him but that's what it felt like. He seemed to understand, he bared all her weight. "Give me a minute." Sitting on an old electrical or air conditioning box; just focusing on her breathing. "I need to get to the water."

"Okay," he said the word but neither of them moved, "I think you should just rest for a while, there's no rush. Jin and JiMin know the plan."

Having no energy to argue with him, she nodded. He sat next to her, her breaths hollow, and they watched the sun descend the sky. The sky went pink then purple, it felt normal to just sit with him and enjoy something so normal. All that was missing was the picnic, but that would mean forgetting that below a minor apocalypse was going on fuelled by her sister.

They watched in horror as a helicopter flew into view and that just as quickly a massive snake-like vine whipped out and swiped it down from the sky. Fire erupted from where it fell; O had wondered why the United States military wasn't more inside this red zone, but she guessed this was why. How do you fight a giant plant, and zombies? The vine slithered around the fire and seemed to grow and thicken with the contact of the flame. "That doesn't look good." O breathed, imagining what bombing the thing would do. Looking as far as she could she did notice a clear line for where the green ended; imagining maybe she could see some kind of barrier preventing the spread of the greeneries take over. She was sure that if given the chance Octavia would take the entirety of North America, and potentially more.

Pressing her palms into her eyes she admitted to JK what she had been feeling for the last few days. "I feel like I've lost my driving force, I just don't want to deal with her anymore, with this. Of course it sort of feels like my responsibility but I just feel like something within me is just broken, it's missing and I don't know what it is. I just want to go home and be happy. But I don't even know where home is at this point. I feel.. lost." Her voice had broken, tears shined in her eyes.

JungKook wrapped his arms around her, feeling like he had no other choice he said, "I haven't said anything because I wasn't sure if I should. I think... those feelings have to do with losing your memories. Coa isn't the only one you don't remember..."

"V." She said his name without the same emotion as he'd heard her use so many times before. JungKook just nodded. "I thought so from the way you all reacted." Putting her head in her hand she sighed frustratedly.

"I'm sorry." Surprised by how much more she had observed than he'd given her credit for.

"It's not your fault, you're doing the best you can... JungKook, would you tell me about him?"

He bent his neck and looked up at the sky, the stars were beginning to come out, he imagined that with the lack of the city lights they had never been clearer. "V was the best," he laughed, "loyal with a really strong moral compass, although when you first met he almost managed to screw that up. I'd bet he was just afraid though. I've never seen him care for anyone the way he does...did you." He was still looking up at the sky, "he was fun, and funny, and smart. Very spontaneous. I really can't put him into words properly," the way he said it made her think he felt ashamed.

"It's okay," she put her hand on his arm, "I appreciate you trying... I do have one more question though... Did I love him?"

He smiled at the question, it was a sad smile. O desperately wanted to remember V as if that would help him now though. "You did. You loved him; I think more than anything. The way you two were together it made everyone jealous for that kind of love."

The feeling of the river's flow in her chest had eased, and she felt like she could breathe again. "Thank you... I wish.. I wish I remembered..." She whispered, holding onto his hand, they were strong and rough with calluses. Trying to think of a man she didn't know made her brain ache. It felt like JungKook was talking about someone else's life other than her own.

They sat the entire night side by side looking up at the stars in silence.

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"Are you not worried about Jin and JiMin?" She asked him as the sun rose in the distance, giving the clouded sky an orange hue. They could hear the birds come back to life with the rising of the sun; somewhere near an owl hooted. Her eyes lingered on the freckle under his bottom lip for a second longer than she intended; so she stared off into the distance instead awkwardly.

"Not really, no. They know the plan. They're good warriors, they'll be okay." With that he stood and offered her his hand, easily pulling her to her feet.

JK went to the door, as she looked out over the edge of the building. There was a fluttering of wings and on the ledge next to her landed a small owl of the darkest brown. Most striking of all were its eyes, dark and soft with a slice of blue in one of its eyes. They looked amazingly similar to the fox's.

"Are you coming?"

O ripped her eyes from the small creature, "yep!" following after JK.

They crept down the stairs, just before O's foot moved from the last stair clanging could be heard. JungKook moved in one sweeping movement, pulling her back and pressing her to the wall with his body. His chest pressed her back against the wall with his every breath, too busy to notice her blushing. An infected stumbled passed their hiding place in the doorway. Again JungKook moved without hesitation, pulling his sai blade free and stabbing it through the creature's head. Then lowering the body slowly before pulling his blade free.

Impressed by his fluidity, Orailia followed him through the building, her dagger with the khaki green stone set in its hilt tightly gripped in her hand. As they crept around the capitol building JK asked "Do you think she'd be inside?"

O shook her head, "Doubtful, it doesn't seem like her style, I don't think she'd choose to be so inside either. Remember how her place was when she chose to be Neisera. They kept moving and the area was completely swarming with infected. Their going was very slow at this point, taking hours for them to move cohesively from one spot to the next without being seen.

"I have an idea; do you trust me?" He looked worried at the question but nodded. "Wait here," he watched as she sprinted off, once he lost sight of her he became quite antsy. Shifting his weight from one foot to the next. Waiting between a parked car and a large tree, his back pressed against it.

A car sped past his hideout and went crashing into the capitol building, smoke, fire, and its alarm went off with the impact. He watched mouth open in horror. Orailia was standing next to him in the next moment. He held onto her face, "are you insane?" It wasn't the first time he'd asked her the question.

She smiled devilishly, "Maybe? Now get up the tree, get up!" He went first and pulled her up after him. They watched as the infected ran for the noise of the destroyed car.

"Next time a little warning please?"

She laughed, and it was the first time he saw that glimmer of her old self.