Hi everyone. Here is the first chapter of my secret project, a Rio fanfiction. I hope you will enjoy it. In this chapter, the story starts right after Nigel is lauched out of the airplane using the fire extinguisher.

Chapter one : Leap of faith

"BLU! Help me! I am falling." Jewel cried, trying her best to grab something to keep her in the plane. But the floor of the plane was plane and she had nothing to grab on. Blu was frozen in place. He looked at Jewel as she fell. He might have seemed shocked, but his brain was working furiously. What should he do? Should he jump and have at least a second more with Jewel, or should he stay in the plane and die a couple of minutes later? What was more important to him? His life or his love? Should he try to save her or should he save himself? What could be concequences if he jumped and what could be the concequnces if he stayed on the plane? Without a second thought, Blu ran towards the entrance of the plane and jumped after Jewel. After a second of falling, he grabbed Jewel in his wings. Jewel looked at him and cried:

"Blu! Are you nuts? Why did you jump? Now we are both going to die..."

Blu's voice however was calm and calculated:

"Jewel, you said it yourself. We are chained to each other birds. And we will always be." Jewel's eyes grew almost out of her head as a smile formed on her beak. Without a second to lose, she pressed her beak against Blu's and gave him a big and sincere kiss. She realised that, even though for a second more, she was no longer alone. She had someone that loved her truly and that he was willing to spend the last seconds of his lives with her. But, what Jewel didn't know was that now, Blu's hearth was working hard. If until now it was slow in beats, now it pumped as much blood as it could to support the need of Blu's wings flying them away from the water of the ocean.

"Blu...y-y-you are flying?!Oh my gosh Blu! You are flying!" Jewel began screaming as she saw Blu with a smile on his beak and his eyes closed. He opened hie eyes and looked at Jewel who was now in his talons, and, with a sheepish smile, he said:

"Indeed I am. And it's all thanks to you. It looks like all I really missed was motivation. And now that I had to save the bird I love...well, let's just say it was all the motivation I needed. More important, however is how does your wing feel?"

"I think it broke. God damn that Nigel. Now I won't be able to fly with you" Jewel said in a sad voice.

"Don't worry Jewel. I know someone who can help you. Tulio can fix any injury that a bird has. He should be more than capable of healing your wing" Blu said in a soothing tone. " And here is the runway. Let's land and see what Tulio can do" Blu added.

"O-okay" Jewel said since a little in shock from what happened. After all, who wouldn't be in shock after such an experience: almost dying and then beying saved by the bird that loves and that you love too.

"Tulio...is Blu. Look Tulio, is Blu!. And he is flying and carrying Jewel!" Linda said excited because her Blu was alive and flying.

"She looks injured" Fernando said.

Blu and Jewel landed on the runway and Tulio aproached and asked:

"What is the problem?"

Blu showed his left wing and then did something that resembled a stick being broken in half.

"She broke her left wing?" Tulio asked to e sure. Blu nodded and then told Jewel:

"Don't worry Jewel. All is going to be just fine."

"But, Blu...what is Tulio going to do to me?" she said in a scared voice.

"Not much really. He is just going to examine your injured wing, put it in plaster for a while, until it is healed and then we can go to the jungle" Blu answered.

"But, Blu...we will be again in that cag - did you just said that we are going together in the jungle?" Jewel asked with her fear gone, and her frown replaced by a big smile.

"Yeah...and I don't know where we will be staying, but I will be there to keep you company and to keep you happy" Blu said with a sheepish smile, and his cheeks getting a little red under the blue feathers.

"Oh, Blu..." Jewel said almost crying as she gave him another big kiss, right in front of everyone. By far, Tulio's reaction was the funniest. He actually fainted for a couple of minutes, while Linda and Fernando just clapped and cheered a little. After Tulio came about, he took Jewel in his hands, carefull not to touch her broken wing too much, while Blu was on his shoulde, and carryed her to the float which they used to get there and, after all of them were inside, he drove them all back to the Cage Place, as Jewel would call it. They got out of the car, Tulio got them all inside the lab and in front of the door that led to an examination room. He placed Blu on a table, and Jewel near him and said:

"You two stay here while I go get my equipment. I'll be right back." After Tulio left, Jewel said:

"Blu, I am scared." Blu came closer to her, wrapped his wings around her and kissed her forehead, then he said

"Don't be. All is going to be alright. I will be waiting just outside this door until he is finished with treating you."

"Aaaaand...I'm back. Let's get to it then, shall we?" said Tulio as he came back to the table where the two birds were. Blu let Jewel go, smiled at her and gave Tulio space to grab her gently. Tulio did it and with Jewel in his hands, went straight into the room. Just then, Linda appeared with two cups of hot chocollate. He put one near Blu and said:

"I brought you a cup of hot chocollate. Thought you might need it."

Blu nodded and drank some of the chocollate. Linda looked at him and, without losing any moment, asked him:

"Blu...are you going to stay here until Jewel comes out?" Blu nodded. "You really love her, don't you?" Linda asked once again. Blu nodded again. "Then, it is decided. You will do as Tulio said. You will leave with Jewel in the jungle to save the species?" Linda asked, this time a tear almost excaping her eye. But Blu saw it, and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper that were there on that table. Tulio had brought them when he brought his equipment and probably forgot them. Blu quickly wrote a note and handed it to Linda. Linda took it and read: Don't cry Linda. Me and Jewel will visit you and Tulio as often as possible.

Linda smiled at Blu, and said: "You know Blu? I think it is for the best that you go with Jewel in the jungle. Me, I will see what else I'll do...but I'll be staying in Brasil until Jewel's wing is healed because Tulio asked me too...but then...I don't know what should I do." Blu looked down and thought for a moment, before a mad idea came to him. He took the paper and pen and wrote another note that he handed to Linda. It said: Why don't you sell the bookshop back in Minesotta and you move here?

"Blu, I don't know...if I sell that shop, where would I work. And without work, how will I buy food or a house to live here in Rio? I really don't know. Anyway...I am going to sleep. It is already 2 in the morning. Have a good night Blu" Linda said as she got up and went throught a door and climbed a flight of stairs. Blu was now alone on the table. And he was worried...Jewel was inside there for over an hour...what could take so long? It was only a broken wing. He started pacing up and down the table, stopping from time to time to take some hot chocollate.

-2 hours later-

The door opened and out came a Tulio with a smile on his face and a Jewel in his hands that was scared out of her feathers. Her left wing was bandaged and under the bandage, it was surely plaster to keep it imobile so the bones can fix.

"Jewel had her wing broken in 4 places. It would take at least a couple of weeks for it to heal. If you want, I can put both of you in the same room you met" Tulio said, as Blu flew on his shoulder, while Jewel looked at him and Blu smiled at Jewel a loving smile. Tulio looked at Blu and asked again:

"So do you two want to stay in the same room?"

Blu nodded and then kept looking at Jewel. They got to the door to the said room, but before Tulio opened it, Blu saw a paper with a pen on a clipboard, and he flew at them and wrote something on the paper, then he flew back to Tulio's shoulder. Tulio opened the hatch at the base of the door and put both Jewel and Blue through it. He said:

"Don't forget...3 knocks for open and many knocks for emergency." He then closed the hatch. When Jewel saw the hatch closed, she just gave Blu a hug from all her hearth with her right wing, while she cryed on his shoulder. Blu put his wings around her and stroked or head, soothing her:

"Blu, I was so scared. I was scared for my life. He did a lot of things and it hurt and...and"

"Jewel, calm down. It is over now. I am here for you" Blu interrupted her as he took her face and looked her straight in the eyes. She stopped crying and looked him in the eyes. Her breaths calmed as she looked at Blu.

"Are you okay?" Blu asked now.

"Yes. I am fine now. Thank you Blu. What do we do now?" Jewel said.

"I have an idea" Blu said. " It is about 4 in the morning...we should get a little sleep. Do you remeber the tree under which I slept when we were inside here for the first time?" Blu asked.

"Yes. Why?" Jewel asked.

"Well, if my memory is good, there was a hollow that looked just big enough for both of us" Blu said.

"It does? I don't remember about it, but if you say it is there, we should at least go and see" Jewel said.

"Blu. I got your message. It is done" Tulio's voice could be heard in a speaker.

"What is all that about?" Jewel asked.

"Nothing important. Let's go and see that hollow" Blu said. Jewel shrugged it off and followed Blue towards the tree.

They got to the tree, and Blu flew above Jewel, grabbed her in his talons and flew her up in the hollow.

"Thanks" Jewel said.

"No problem" Blu responded looking around the hollow. He saw a camera that he went ahead and covered with a leaf. Right after that, he heard Tulio's voice:

"Blu, please remove the leaf." He removed the leaf, shook his head at the camera and put it back. Tulio said:

"Fine you can cover that one."

"You were right Blu. This hollow is perfect for both of us. For our staying here, I mean" Jewel said.

Blu went in a corner and sat down, then said:

"Well, we should get to sleep." He put his head under his wing. Jewel, however, had another plan. She went and sat down right beside him. Then, she looked like she was cold, so she started to shiver a little. Blu looked over at her and said:

"Come here. I'll keep you warm." That is exactly what Jewel was waiting for. When Blu put his wing over her, she scooted closer and put her head on his chest. Blu just brought her even closer and said:

"You know, you are a terrible liar. If you wanted to sleep with me, you could just have asked. I just supposed that it would have been more comfy for you because of your wing. Besides, I also wanted to sleep with you too."

Jewel just looked at him, and sighed in relief. Then she said: "Good night Blu."

"Good night my Jewel" was all Blu said before he fell asleep. Jewel, however just stood there thinking for a couple of minutes about how lucky she was to have a caring bird such as Blu take care of her. He even jumped after her, even though he didn't know if he would survive. After looking at Blu once more, she fell asleep with her head on his upper chest and with a smile on her beak.

If you enjoyed, please leave me a review. All the support is important, and I will answer each and everyone of you. Now, since I have another story to finish, the time between the chapters might be a little long, but fear not, I won't abandon something I started, without giving a shout to my readers.

The song refered in this chapter is "Keep the faith" By Bon Jovi.

Until next time, LionPrankster, over and out.