Locum Tenens

PART ONE: "Mutantur Omnia Nos Et Mutamur In Illis"

~ All things change, and we change with them. ~ 

DISCLAIMER: Pretty Little Liars and all its characters is the intellectual property of others. Some characters used in the writing of this fic belong to PLL. Events that transpire, will transpire and have transpired in this story are entirely of my own creation.

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CHAPTER SEVEN

Paige tossed and turned in her bed, determined to find the sleep that has eluded her for weeks. She glanced at the glowing numbers displayed on the digital clock on her bedside table and sighed. 2:13 AM. Staring at the ceiling, she slowly closed her eyes again, trying to empty her mind of any and all thoughts of what's to come later today. Of what today was supposed to be.

To the casual observer, she was just lying motionless in her bed, seemingly in a deep slumber. But in reality, Paige's mind was starting to grow restless again. Opening her eyes, she sighed in frustration when she checked the time and saw that not even a minute has passed. She finally sat up and let her eyes adjust to the darkness of her room before she stood up and headed for her bathroom, careful not to make a sound.

Paige knew her father has been worried sick about her lately and that he's probably in his room right now, half asleep while straining his ears to listen for any sound coming from her room. She had to be cautious. When she finally reached her bathroom, she flipped the light switch slowly, bathing the room in a pale yellow glow. Paige stared at her reflection in the mirror, studying the dark circles under her eyes before slowly turning on the faucet a little to splash some water on her face.

When she was done, she turned off the light and headed back to her bed, sitting on it with her knees drawn to her chest as she patiently waited for the first rays of the sun to enter her room once again. Paige knew it wasn't for at least a few more hours. But she also knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep at this time of day. Just like she hasn't been getting any sleep for the past two weeks. A feeling of dread overwhelmed her. It was starting again.

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The instant Emily spotted Jai's familiar slender build and sleek, shoulder-length, layered black hair, she felt her lips break into an eager smile. At the moment, her girlfriend of more than three years was scanning the crowd but Jai hasn't seen her yet. Emily took the opportunity to study Jai. In the six months that her girlfriend was in London, although they spent the early part of their separation doing video chats, she still missed seeing her girlfriend in the flesh and now that Jai is making her way towards her, Emily couldn't help but shed tears of happiness. Her girlfriend looked skinnier than she remembered and the girl was obviously worn out but that couldn't hide the sheer happiness in Jai's gorgeous face as she got closer to Emily.

"Excuse me for the trouble miss but I seem to have found myself lost. Can you help me?" Jai asked, giving Emily a charming smile.

Emily brushed the tears from her eyes and went along with Jai's charade. "Sure. Where do you need to go?" She asked, smiling back.

"Rosewood, Pennsylvania." Jai answered. "Actually, my girlfriend was supposed to pick me up but I can't seem to find her." She added, looking around them helplessly.

"What does she look like? Maybe I can help you look for her." Emily offered.

"Well she's really beautiful." Jai began. "And not just on the outside. She's the kindest person I've ever met."

Emily laughed. "That's a really nice thing to know about your girlfriend. That she's kind." She said teasingly. "But you need to give me something more to go on. I can't exactly help you find someone who's beautiful and kind in this airport."