No challenge this time, just a silly idea I had to write. It's what happens with Emil and Lalli after the transitionon page 689. Watch me get proven wrong in a few pages though, but still!

Warnings: No warnings this time \o/

"A little help please?!"

Emil continued struggling, then heard a light "plopp" as Lalli's pinecone landed in the water. He gave up hoping for the other's help, switched the rod to his other hand and made a new attempt to reach the hook. The line pulled at it and he was certain it had gotten even more hooked to him. Okay, no need to panic. What would Sigrun do? Emil tried cursing in Norwegian ("Forbannede lusekofte"), but it didn't sound correct. At least Lalli was looking at him again.

"Lalli, please."

And any attention the Finn had given him was gone again. Okay, there still wasn't any need to panic. What would Mikkel do? Wow, he sure was getting desperate if he was trying to reason like a Dane. Still, Emil took a deep breath and tried arranging his face in a neutral expression. Mikkel would... Emil put the rod down, unbuckled his belt and unzipped his coat. Mikkel would be calm and solve it with some carefully calibrated decisions. Emil pulled off his coat and started pulling at the hook. As it started coming off Emil took a step.

Something rolled under his foot. He took a step back to regain his balance, but there was nothing there. He dropped the coat, flailed helplessly and then cold. There was water everywhere and he splashed around in it, dug himself deeper into the mud before he sat up. His body shook as he tried to cough the water out of his lungs, it shivered in an attempt to heat up again. He pulled his hand over his face to dry off the water, but instead covered it with mud. As the coughing subsided he got up, took a step towards the jetty.

Except, his boots were stuck in the mud. Emil fell forward, lost his breath as his stomach hit the wood. A short snrk could be heard from above and Emil tried glaring but was disturbred by another cough as his body tried to regain the ability to breathe. Then thin hands pulled at his shirt, helped drag him out of the water and Emil fell to his back, breathed heavily. Lalli looked at him, then dropped to his knees, started searching the water with his hands. Emil sat up, watched as Lalli pulled his boots free from the mud and poured the water out of them. Emil shook his head, tried to wring the water out of his shirt.

"You know, none of this would have happened if you had helped me from the beginning."

A/N: "Forbannede lusekofte" is probably not even Norwegian, I have no idea, but it's good enough for Svorsk (swedish norwegian) and more than good enough for this story. Translation would be "Cursed lusekofte", so... yes. Over and out! \o