A/N: Here you go; a hopefully satisfying ending to this one! Enjoy!
P.S - Sorry that Ruby is kind of OOC in this, but I think it's kind of justified...
P.P.S - There will be a second part. ;)
...
"This is crazy!" Ruby shouted through the glass, banging her fists against it one more time. "What are you, some kind of Bond Villain?!"
"Rube-" Clancy moved to put a hand on her arm but she flinched away.
"Just a minute, Clance." She gasped, but it was weak and not in the least bit aggressive. She crouched against the glass and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
Clancy took the hint and and let her be, instead starting to hunt around for anything they could use to escape. This didn't last long; the glass tank they'd been sealed in was only about 3 by 3 feet, and completely empty, other than a drain in the very centre of the floor. Clancy had a very bad feeling about that. Their captor, meanwhile, was long gone - apparently not sticking around to watch their demise. He turned back to Ruby and noticed with panic that she was practically hyperventilating, no longer breathing deeply, but shallowly and rapidly.
"Ruby!" He crouched beside her and took her hand carefully.
"Clancy-" She warned.
"Deep breaths, ok?" He told her, gripping her hand tighter as she tried to pull away.
"Too- small-" Ruby finally gave in, letting him help her. "Can't- focus-"
"Hey, it's alright," Clancy stopped her muttering and was about to say something comforting when he felt something wet on his trouser leg. He trailed off, glancing away from Ruby and towards the drain in the centre of the room; water was flowing up through it. The tank was filling with water.
"Can't focus..." Ruby persisted. "Need... A plan..." She gasped as the water touched her feet, too. It had become a thing between the two of them, Clancy decided - having a plan to see them through the day. Ruby always came up with these, but today it looked like he'd just have to try himself.
"Right; you need to breathe with me." He directed. "In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four..." He had to raise his voice to be heard over the gush over the water, which was up to his waist already - they'd have to stand up soon. Suddenly, he grabbed Ruby and pulled her close to him, taking her hand and holding it on his chest. "Breathe in time with me." He instructed, then sat still whilst she did as she was asked and he formulated the next step of his plan.
About a minute later, the water was up to their shoulders, and Ruby was lucid enough to turn to Clancy and tell him thinly: "I think we should stand up now, Clance."
He nodded in agreement and they got to their feet - the water was only up to their knees now, but rising fast.
"There. That's better, isn't it?" He murmured, knowing the words didn't really mean anything but saying them anyway. A sudden thought occurred to him out of the blue. "Did you wear your watch today?" He asked.
Ruby looked up at him, her her eyebrows furrowed like she was in deep thought. "Smith took it." She answered shortly. Their captor hadn't taken any chances.
"So he has it on him?"
Ruby nodded.
"So theoretically, Hitch can still track it?" Clancy questioned hopefully.
"Theoretically." Ruby nodded distractedly, her eyes on the water now around their waists. Clancy clenched and unclenched his hands, before realising that if Ruby was panicking, surely he was allowed to. This was real life, not Crazy Cops or some spy movie. He'd never saved the day before, not really - why did he think that, for once, he actually could? He began to flap his arms, creating splashes and ripples in the water. Many things seemed inevitable to Clancy, but he had never thought that the method of his own demise would be one of them. He'd hoped, however unlikely it was, that he'd live through all these adventures, that they would become stories. Stories full of twists and turns and humour and horror; stories that he could tell his children, and his children's children. Stories of Ruby Redfort and Clancy Crew.
Clancy's shoulders were quickly soaked, and the two began to tread water together, Ruby's movements far too sharp and rigid.
"Relax." Clancy told her gently.
"I- I can't..." She stammered, glancing up. Her hand flew up to the ceiling, feeling how close they were to it, and she inhaled sharply. "I c-can't do this, Clancy, we're going to d-drown," Her breaths sped up again and her breaststrokes slowed. She started to slip beneath the water, and a wild, lost look filled her eyes. "Can't- breathe-"
Clancy swum towards her and wrapped on arm around her waist, using the other to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, leaving his hand on her cheek when he had done so. "You're ok." He murmured. "I've got you."
"Clancy!" She coughed desperately, grasping his shoulders with both hands. She steadied herself by kicking her legs and managed to keep herself afloat this time. She rested her forehead against Clancy's, and he let her lean into him. Their heads were bumping against the top of the tank now. "I don't want to die, Clancy." Ruby said quietly. "I'm s-sorry, I really tried but there's not enough space and I couldn't think and I-"
Clancy pressed his lips to hers gently, cutting her off mid-sentence. She stiffened and he pulled away reluctantly. Her eyes were wide and she stared at him, an unreadable expression on her face; he opened his mouth to apologise, but she kissed him firmly back before he got the chance. The water had risen to their necks, and they tilted their heads up to take one final breath, and kissed again. The water filled the tank, submerging them, and still they didn't break apart. Hands still linked with hers, Clancy opened his eyes, and the last thing he saw was Ruby, his Ruby, smiling back at him, dark hair fanned around her head in a halo. Then everything went black.
...
