Those Camsten One Shots (Stitchers)

All is Fair in Love and War

I have no regrets.

Kirsten didn't know how she got here. Hiding in a building, waiting for the man she fell in love with to just shoot her and get it over with. But, she supposed, in war, that was fairly normal.

It all started a year before the first bomb dropped.

Kirsten was working at a coffee shop in the busy part of town. She had student loans to pay off, and she had to get out of debt before going to grad school. A hometown cafe seemed like the best place.

He walked in on a Tuesday, his eyes looking down at his phone. Kirsten had been cleaning a table and the two bumped into each other. His phone dropped and she dropped the rag she had been holding. Both bent down to pick up their items, and then once again bumped into each other.

When they both had their items and their heads didn't hurt, they exchanged hurried apologies.

"I am so sorry," said the man. "I shouldn't have been so engrossed in what my phone had to offer. I guess I'm no better than a teenager." Kirsten finally got a good look a him. His hair was brown, and extremely curly. He had bright green eyes that held the fainest specks of a blue. He was dressed casually, just in a blue button up and jeans.

"It's fine," said Kirsten. "I should have been watching where I was walking. Can I get you anything?"

The man smiled at her. "Hmm. I came for coffee, but a name from the cute barista would be nice."

Kirsten could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. "Is that so? Well, I'm pretty sure the cute barista is going to need payment."

"Of course. What do you think she'd take? Cash or card?"

"I think she'd like a name from the cute brunette she just met." She paused. "Only after she gets off her shift in three minutes."

The brunette nodded. "Well, I am fairly sure the cute brunette will be sitting at a table by a window when the cute barista is ready." He headed toward a window seat, giving Kirsten the most perfect view of- well, you know what.

For the next three minutes, Kirsten calmly did her job. She rang up two orders, cleaned one more table, and cleaned up in the back. She looked at her watch. It ticked for a few seconds, and then her shift was done. The blonde took off her apron, then headed over to where the man from a few minutes earlier was sitting.

"The cute barista requires payment first," she said. The man looked up as she sat down.

He once again smiled at Kirsten. "Of course. My name's Cameron. Cameron Goodkin."

Kirsten let out a gasp of surprise. "Like the super smart, super rich, super never-to-be-seen-anywhere Cameron Goodkin?"

Cameron looked down. "So you've heard of me." His voice now took a grim turn. Kirsten could see she had said the wrong thing.

"I didn't mean it like that! It's just, you're practically an urban legend. Nobody ever sees you, but you've published two books and you've helped create some of the most cutting-edge technology. I just never expected to see you, much less-" She was going to say something along the lines of "slightly fall in love with you upon first sight," but decided that it might be too soon for that.

Cameron smirked. "Much less what?" he asked.

"Nothing." The earlier blushed that had graced itself upon Kirsten's cheeks returned.

"Mhm. Anyways, can we forget that I'm Cameron Goodkin for a minute and just let it be Cameron and-" he broke off. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Kirsten. Kirsten Clark."

Kirsten gasped at the sound of shots firing. She calmed down though when she realized they weren't being shot at her. So this is what I'm reduced to, she thought. Jumping at the slightest of sounds.

War took everything from you. That's what Kirsten learned.

Over the course of a year, two things happened. One, the world broke out into a world war three. Two, Kirsten and Cameron had begun to fall in love with each other.

One tragic, the other amazing. But add one with the other and an even bigger tragedy struck. As the war continued, the army had to start pulling from regular citizens. Cameron didn't agree with what they were doing. So he left. Without Kirsten.

Kirsten supposed she should hate him. But she couldn't bring herself to do so.

Cameron joined the war on the opposing side, shortly after Kirsten was pulled to start fighting herself. And now, here they were, somewhere in a fallen London, one chasing after the other.

More shots. More jumps. More being scared that her next second would be her last.

From behind her, Kirsten heard footsteps. She knew whose careful footfalls those were. She could easily identify the man that came around the corner and faced her with a loaded gun. He was pretty much unharmed, except for a small cut on one chiseled cheek. In comparison, Kirsten looked like someone had put her through a torture chamber. Which, she supposed, was equivalent to this.

Kirsten was out of bullets. Cameron had a loaded gun. They were on opposite sides of a war.

Kirsten felt frozen with fear.

And then Cameron put his gun down.

"It wouldn't be fair to shoot you. You don't even have a weapon."

Kirsten's eyes narrowed. "All is fair in love and war, Cameron. Didn't they teach you that?"

Cameron looked down at her. She was obviously fearing that he'd change his mind, decide that all was fair in war. But he didn't change his mind. His words eased her every worry. "I love you too much to let war get in the way of that." He leaned down and helped her up.

Kirsten nearly fell on top of him, gasping in pain when she put weight upon her right ankle. Cameron caught her, his face turning into one of worry. "You're hurt. How did you manage to do that?"

"It's war, Cameron. Hurt is just a part of it."

"Maybe for you, but I know your camp can't have the medicine mine has. Let me take you there."

"Are you kidding Cameron? They'll interrogate me until my brain is fried!"

"I'm sorry. You're right. Look, I have supplies on me. I'll fix you up here."

Kirsten looked up at him. Those bright green eyes had turned hard with the war. But they still held the love that he had looked at her with when they met. Kirsten laced her fingers with his, her fingers fitting perfectly with his. "Okay," she whispered.

Cameron gently put her back down, propping her against the wall.

Things were in no way what they were. But maybe, just maybe, there'd be a day when she'd finally take her engagement ring off and replace it with a wedding ring.

As I said, no regrets. Although this is by far the weirdest AU I've ever written.

~Noelle