I don't know what came over me, but Suddenlysencha's (tumblr) AU is just making me feel things so I had to write.
~0~
Jack knew he wasn't going to make it the second he felt the freezing water seize up his legs. He very quickly stopped being able to feel his arms, it was getting harder to move, his lungs screamed for air, and he could barely see through the water. But, at the very least, Emma was okay..
Or at least, she would be, had she not lunged forwards the second he plunged through. She didn't really know what she was doing, but Jack was going to freeze and drown and die and it was all her fault and instinct told her to move forwards. Just inches where she had landed was the weak ice, weaker from the large hole that had just broken through it, and just the slightest movement would break it. Her knees hit the ice with a dull crack, she was belly down and wailing.
It was either a useless tragedy or a mercy that she plunged through only seconds later.
At the very least, Emma was okay would have been his last thought had his waterlogged ears not heard the muffled sound of ice cracking and a body plunging through the water. He turned his head as much as he could to see his sister emerge from the resulting cloud of bubbles, flailing in the broken ice.
No.
Emma didn't really know how to swim, but neither did Jack. Even if he did, at this point he couldn't even move, and was already halfway gone. Not that she knew that. She'd never seen anything like this happen before, she hardly knew what drowning was. In her small way, as far as she could tell, if she could somehow propel herself through the water and get to Jack before the pain in their lungs overtook them, everything would be alright. They'd get out, they'd go home, they'd get better. Everything was going to be alright. It had to.
So she worked her screaming muscles as much as she could to get as close to Jack as she could, even as she could see his horrified expression, even as she was slowly losing her ability to move as well,
Even as Jack lost conciousness before she reached him, even as she couldn't even make it to him before her even-less-bundled-up than he was self lost as well.
And there they sank.
238,900 miles away, a man watched with great sorrow, pity, and pride. The magic he had would bring them back, surely. What would happen after that? Who knew, but they deserved... not a second chance. There are no second chances. But to continue living in some way, yes,
They deserved that.
~0~
This ended up shorter than I thought it'd be, but I hope it satisfies!
