Title – Caught between a Herc and a hard place
Fandom: Hercules: The legendary journeys
Author: Ceindreadh
Genre: Slash
Characters: Hercules/Iolaus
Rating: T
Summary: Hercules and Iolaus get stuck in a tight situation
Notes: Set post season 6 HTLJ, but ignoring anything that may have happened in subsequent Xena episodes.

Word count: ~ 2,700

Warnings: none
Disclaimer. I don't own the characters, I'm only borrowing them, no copyright infringement is intended.

The first thing that Iolaus noticed as he regained consciousness was that it was dark, darker than he'd ever experienced before. A momentary wave of panic hit him, not helped by the feeling of a crushing weight that lay upon him. Iolaus's left hand was pinned between his chest and the unseen weight, and his right hand flailed around in the small remaining space before he got it under control enough to try to feel around and find out what was holding him in place. The hand touched cloth and then skin, and Iolaus breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized the familiar contours of Hercules's body. The rhythmic pulse of the other man's heartbeat beneath Iolaus's questing fingertips both relieved and reassured him.

The recognition brought with it flashes of memory. Travelling to a festival with Hercules, a storm brewing up without warning, taking shelter in nearby cave, investigating their surroundings and then a sudden rumbling that heralded impending danger.

Iolaus had been crouched down, examining some old tracks when he had heard a shout of warning and the next thing he knew a Hercules shaped whirlwind had knocked him off his feet. There'd been a momentary flash of pain as he'd hit the ground, and then nothing.

"Guess we both should have moved a little faster, Herc," said Iolaus. He lay there for a few seconds, collecting his thoughts. The familiar scent of his partner, his lover, as he lay only inches away, was soothing to his mind, and this situation was one that would require calm thinking and a clear head.

There was another scent though, a less calming one. That of blood, which Iolaus could taste in his mouth as well. Not good thought Iolaus as his effort to spit it out resulted in more of a dribble. It hurt whenever he took a deep breath, but whether that was simply down to the weight on his chest or as a result of an injury, he couldn't really tell. Iolaus ran his tongue around his mouth and teeth and almost sighed with relief as he felt a cut on his lip. Maybe that wasn't the only source of the blood, but for now it would at least allow him to pretend so and put any alternative from his mind.

With that cleared up, Iolaus used his free hand to try and explore the darkness around him. His hand closed over something round and when he brought it closer, he could see a small faint glow coming from it. It took him a few seconds to recognize the lantern that Hephaestus had given to Hercules as a gift the last time they'd crossed paths. Although Iolaus was sure that Aphrodite had been responsible for having him make it in the shape of an apple. But there it was and as Iolaus shook it gently, the glow increased. It gave off barely as much light as a candle, but it was enough for Iolaus to see by. Not he thought, that there was much *to* see. Above him was Hercules, and barely a hands span above *him* was a slab of rock that stretched to the limit of the lantern's range. To Iolaus's right, he could see a small gap between the rock and the ground, and stretching his arm as far as it would go, he could feel no obstacle, but there was no way either of them would be able to crawl through it.

"You know I'm sure that ceiling was a lot higher when we came in," said Iolaus. "Okay Hercules, time to wake up and get us out of here." He put down the lantern and patted Hercules gently on the cheek. "Wakey wakey Herc." To his relief, Iolaus could feel Hercules start to stir. "Rise and shine Hercules, just mind the…" Hercules jerked awake only to hit his head on the rock and collapse back against Iolaus. "…rock," finished Iolaus.

Hercules could hear a voice calling to him as if from a long way away. "C'mon Herc, snap out of it." He shook his head to clear it, groaning slightly as a wave of pain shot through it. "Iolaus? What happened?" Trying to raise his head, he could feel a hand gently but firmly preventing it from moving.

"Rock slide, I think," said Iolaus, his relief evident at the sound of his partner's voice. "Mind your head," he added, moving his hand away. "You've already cracked it once. Then again, maybe if you head butt the rock a few more times it might give way."

Hercules blinked a few times, trying to clear his head and make sense of his surroundings. He was sprawled on top of Iolaus, his right arm pinned beneath his partner's body. Above him he could feel a slab of rock, inches away from his back, preventing him from rising enough to free his arm. Hercules braced his left arm against the ground and pushed, managing to raise himself and the stone a few inches, but he couldn't make enough space to get to his knees and after a few seconds he flopped down again.

"Ouch, you wanna be a little careful there," said Iolaus, gasping slightly. The release of pressure as Hercules moved had given him the chance to take a few deeper breaths, and while he could feel his ribs protesting, he knew from experience that they didn't feel broken. And then Hercules's weight had come down on them again and they protested even more.

"Sorry," said Hercules. He took as much of his weight as he could onto his elbows to give Iolaus a bit more breathing space. "Better?"

"Just a little," said Iolaus. "So now what? Got any bright ideas?"

"Maybe," said Hercules, looking around their surroundings. "Have you got a knife?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" said Iolaus with mock indignation. "I *always* have a knife…well, except when I'm naked, or when I've been captured by bandits, or thrown in a prison cell, or had to dress in a hurry, or…" He saw the look of exasperation on his partner's face, "Yes, I have a knife…but if your question is 'do I have a knife I can reach', that might be a different matter." Iolaus definitely had a knife tucked into the back of his belt; he knew it was still there because he could feel the hilt digging into the small of his back every time he moved. Unfortunately with the rock keeping Hercules effectively pinned against him, Iolaus was pretty sure that the knife was going to stay where it was for the time being. "There's one in my boot, the right one, think I can reach it…"

Iolaus reached down with his right hand, feeling his way down the leather of his pants and then froze.

"Iolaus?" said Hercules, seeing the expression on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"I…I just don't think my leg should be pointing that way…"

Hercules almost cracked his head on the rock again as he twisted around trying to see what Iolaus meant. He had to squint in the dim light to see it; Iolaus's right leg was bent back so the ankle almost brushed the hip. Hercules reached down, trying to feel where the damage was. Iolaus yelped when the hand touched his knee and then continued along the bent limb.

"Well it doesn't feel like there's anything broken," said Hercules. "Can you straighten it out?"

Iolaus gritted his teeth and tried to move his leg but he only managed to shift it a few inches before the narrow confines proved too much. Even that small movement sent a wave of pain through the limb.

"Okay," said Hercules, "The sooner we get out of here the better."

"No argument here," said Iolaus, shakily. Gritting his teeth, he reached down again and pulled out the knife. "So, what's your big plan, gonna dig us out from under?" Iolaus stopped when he saw the look on Hercules's face. "You are kidding, that'll take forever!"

"We don't need to dig all the way out," said Hercules, hoping he was right. "Just enough to give me a bit more space. If I can get my hand free and my knees under me, I should have enough leverage to shift the stone." Or, he added mentally, "Shift it enough for Iolaus to slide out."

"Well what are you waiting for," said Iolaus, handing him the knife. "And if you're thinking of just making enough room for me, forget it. We leave together or stay together."

"Never even crossed my mind, buddy," said Hercules.

"You always were a rotten liar," said Iolaus. He yawned theatrically. "Wake me when it's time to get moving."

"You don't get off that easy," said Hercules with a grin, "Somebody has to move the earth away as I dig."

"Some vacation this is," said Iolaus.

"How long do you think we've been doing this?" asked Iolaus. He tried to wipe away the sweat from his forehead but only succeeded in adding a layer of dirt.

"About ten minutes longer than the last time you asked me," said Hercules. He dug the knife into the torn up earth for the umpteenth time, loosening another clump before Iolaus pushed it away. "Don't you have any old hunter's tricks to tell you how much time has passed?" Another gouge with the knife and another handful of earth was freed.

"Oh sure, I've got plenty," said Iolaus. "But they pretty much all rely on being able to see the sun or stars or something, and the only stars I've seen in here were when you head-butted me."

"That was an accident and I've already said sorry," said Hercules, "The knife hit a stone and I lost my balance."

"Yeah, well next time give a guy some warning," snapped Iolaus. He didn't mean to sound so tetchy, but the cramped surroundings were starting to strain his nerves. He did indeed have other tricks that he could use to count the passing of time, but they tended to rely upon him having a steady heartbeat and pulse. Which weren't really much use when he was staring at a slab of rock and trying not to think of how much it looked like the inside of a tomb. Iolaus swallowed hard and tried to regain his centre. This wasn't a tomb, he wasn't dead and most importantly, he wasn't alone. But you weren't alone then either, were you, a voice in his head reminded him. Dahak was there just waiting for you. "No," Iolaus said to himself, trying to push the memories away. He'd been unable to move, to speak; all he'd been able to do was watch as Dahak had brought him back to where his body had lain. He could still remember the brief flash of panic as he'd felt the stone walls around him, and how for an instant he'd thought that Dahak had been going to leave him there. Iolaus closed his eyes and tried to focus on the here and now. "Not alone," he told himself, "Herc is going to get us out of this."

The touch of a hand against his cheek made his eyes open and his smile came unbidden as Hercules traced circles with his thumb.

"Look at me," said Hercules, waiting until Iolaus made eye contact. "We're going to get out of here, both of us." Hercules brushed his lips across Iolaus's, while continuing to caress his cheek. He could feel Iolaus's free hand move its way up his side before coming to a rest on the back of his neck. "Trust me."

"I always do," said Iolaus, softly, his centre reached. Thoughts of Sumeria and Dahak receded as he focused on Hercules. For a few seconds he lay there unmoving, taking comfort in their proximity. "You know the accommodations in this place leave a lot to be desired," he caressed the back of Hercules's neck.

"Agreed," said Hercules, "But I've got no complaints about the company." Reluctantly he pulled away from Iolaus, noting that he was now able to raise his head a little higher before touching the rock. "Come on, back to work." Before Hercules could pick up the knife again, Iolaus had pulled his head back down until their lips met, blending them so seamlessly together that for an instant it felt like they were a single entity.

"Just to keep you motivated," said Iolaus. "You'll get another when we're out of here!"

"And I'll return it with interest." Hercules grabbed the knife and set to work again.

"Hercules," said Iolaus, as he pushed another handful of dirt away. "Think it would help if the dirt was maybe a little wet?"

Hercules would have shrugged, but there still wasn't enough room. "Maybe, might make it easier to cut through. Why, do you have a water skin?"

"Not exactly," said Iolaus. He looked Hercules straight in the eye until he saw a look of understanding followed quickly by a look of shock.

"Oh no," said Hercules, "You don't mean…can't you hold it?"

"I've been holding it for the last, I don't know how long," said Iolaus. "But when you gotta go…"

"Well hold it just a bit longer," said Hercules, increasing his pace with the knife. "Try to think of something else."

"Like what?"

"Anything," said Hercules. "The festival we're going to."

"The festival with all the beer?" Iolaus grimaced, "Because that has nothing to do with needing to go…"

"Okay, okay. Think about fishing!"

"Fishing? As in catching fish, gee Herc, what do fish live in? I know, water…"

Hercules didn't think he'd dug so fast in all his life, but finally after what seemed like an eternity, he and Iolaus between them had managed to lower the floor of their prison by several inches. Hercules just hoped that it would be enough to get them out of there. Iolaus had stopped complaining about needing to 'go', and Hercules would have been less worried had he not known that it was simply Iolaus doing his best to distract himself from the situation. He hadn't complained about his leg or ribs, but Hercules could see for himself how much pain they were causing.

"Okay," said Hercules, finally. He'd managed to pull his arm free from under Iolaus, and now he shifted position until he was on his knees, beside his partner. "On three, I'm going to push. You be ready to slide to my left. Once you're clear, I'll follow. Ready?"

"Wait," said Iolaus. "Is this 'three' as in 'one two three', or 'three' as in 'three' and what happened to 'one and two'?"

"Three as in 'three'," said Hercules. "Okay, *now* are you ready?"

Iolaus slid the knife back into his boot, grabbed the lantern tightly and nodded. "Ready."

Hercules braced himself, "THREE!" and pushed. The slab of rock resisted his initial efforts but finally there was a loud scraping noise as it slid upwards.

As the slab moved, Iolaus waited until the gap to the side was wide enough and then half slid, half scrambled out from under it. Pain shot through his leg as he moved it but he gritted his teeth and kept going until he was clear. Shaking the lantern, he held it up so Hercules could see the way. "Come on Herc," shouted Iolaus, "Don't hang about!"

Hercules grunted with the effort as he tried to inch his way towards the opening without dropping the slab. This was going to be tricky. With a final strain, he shoved the slab up and to the side before letting go and rolling away.

There was a loud crash as the slab slammed back into the ground only inches from where Hercules had ended up. "That was a little close for comfort," said Hercules, brushing dirt off his clothes as he sat up.

"You're telling me," said Iolaus. He lay back on the ground, stretching out his limbs. "Oh, feels good to be able to do this properly."

"Let's get out of here," said Hercules. He stood and then pulled Iolaus to his feet as well.

Iolaus stumbled slightly as he put weight on his leg but regained his balance when Hercules slid an arm around his waist. "The sooner the better," he said, "Because I really *do* have to go now!"

"Hercules," said Iolaus as they continued their journey. "If we get stuck like that again, promise me something."

"What's that, buddy?"

"I get to be on top!"

The end