This is my disclaimer for this whole story. I don't own NCIS or the quotes that I use at the beginning of the chapters. And enjoy the story!
Death is peaceful, easy. Life is harder.
How did her life get this way? She had fought for her country, by some miracle had come out alive – and now this was happening. All she wanted was to get home to her Ricky – who had waited for her for over two years, and marry him. She wanted to have his child and live a peaceful life with him.
She sure as hell didn't want this.
She ran blindly through the forest, but knew it was no use. They were coming up behind her, and fast. She saw their shadows through the trees, bearing down on her, closing her in. She tried to outrun them, but suddenly felt a cold hand closing around her ankle, making her fall to the ground. Another hand came upon her other ankle. She whimpered at this sudden, unwelcome touch - and determination suddenly overcame her. She was not going to die this way. She was a Navy Marine and she would not go down crying and pleading. Kicking out at the hand, she heard a cry behind her. Getting up, she ran as hard as she could until she heard something.
Water.
Sweet, wonderful, cold water that could sweep her up and take her to a place far, far away from here. Or could refresh her and strengthen her enough to fight against her attackers. Already, she could see the forest began to fade away to hard, craggy rock and clear night air.
Dead end.
The water she had heard was a waterfall, hundreds of feet tall. The water crashed its way down unmercilessly.
And she was at the top of it all.
But – there was no other way out. Despair overcame her and she bent down, putting her hands to her knees, allowing herself to draw in a few ragged breaths. Then drew herself up. Proud, strong.
If she was going to go out, she was going to go out on her own terms.
She raised her arms up to the sky, like a diver would. Permitted herself to have one last thought of her fiancé – the wonderful man she would never see again. Took a long, deep breath. And then she began to run to the tip of the rock, to dive with the graceful precision of a swan.
Out of the corner of her eye, as she was making this run, she saw a man, jump towards her. His hand became entangled in her hair, his arm wrapped around her side… But she twisted in a fluid, almost graceful motion, and continued to run. Finally she was there. She jumped over the edge and let the nothingness take her –
But then, as she began to fall, she felt something hard catch her and she realized it was the man – he was pulling her back, back to the land of the living, of them –
A wild, feral scream ripped through her into the night air – with no one but her enemies to hear it.
