"Where on earth are we?" Kurt raised an eyebrow as he followed his friend further into the wooded area. Boots crunching on the snow, he cast side glances at the bare trees around him. "I sort of feel like I'm in 'The Blair Witch Project'…"

He stopped walking, coming to a stop alongside his fellow diva as the goal to her little 'quest' came into view. His eyes widened slightly. Just ahead of the two friends was a small clearing with an even smaller looking pond that appeared to be frozen over, a light dusting of snow making the ice sparkle in the December afternoon sunshine.

"Ta-dah!" Rachel sang, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "Finn and I found this place a few weeks ago! Isn't it just so secluded and so…so romantic?"

Kurt thought for a moment. Sure, it was pretty cool. Who would've thought a place like this existed just outside of their crappy town? He wondered if Rachel would let him and Blaine 'borrow' this neat little area from time to time. But even so…

"Rachel? You do know that there is a local skating rink in Lima that we could've gone to, right?"

"Are you kidding?" She linked arms with him, pulling him along as they made their way to the edge of the pond. "We can't go to a local spot! Who knows who will see us? A fellow classmate? One of my dad's? Coach Sylvester? She's everywhere, as you well know. She'll kill us for ditching."

"Ditching isn't the worst thing in the world! I'm sure everyone you mentioned has done the same. I just can't believe you drove us ten minutes outside of town for this! Blaine and Finn might get worried. I told Blaine I would be somewhere in town…" Kurt tried again. Still, he smiled fondly at her. Leave it to them, the two goody-goodies of the Glee Club, to spend their Senior Ditch Day skating on a frozen pond. Santana would have a good laugh at this. "With that being said, I admire your preparedness….even if it does stem from paranoia."

"That's more like it!" Rachel beamed. "I'm so glad we're friends again, Kurt."

"Me too, Rachel." Kurt returned her warm smile. Nervously, he cast a glance over his shoulder. They'd walked so far into the woods that he could barely, just barely, make out the sliver of purple that was Rachel's car through the thick woods that surrounded them. It was parked on the side of the road, maybe twenty or thirty yards away from where they had walked. It seemed farther than that in Kurt's mind, though.

"Will you stop worrying?" Rachel teased him lightly, elbowing him in the ribs. "You look terrified! Come on, Kurt…let's live a little! When we're famous and on Broadway, thousands of kids from McKinley High will be coming to this area…the place where Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel came to ditch a class!"

"Hmmm. That doesn't set a very good example, does it?" Kurt remarked dryly. "I'm going to get a rock or a stick or something. I want to test how thick this ice is…"

"It's fine, Kurt! Finn and I have been on the ice before…last weekend, in fact. It's perfectly safe. Besides, the pond isn't even that deep…not even in the summer."

"You've taken Finn skating on this ice before?" Kurt's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Well, not exactly." Rachel admitted with a shrug. "I love him, but he's rather large and un-coordinated. He sat on a tree stump and watched me skate. It was a lovely experience. Anyway, you and I should be just fine."

"I question your logic." Kurt sighed. "We didn't even bring our skates…"

"We don't need them!" Rachel gripped his hand in hers. "Please?"

Kurt shook his head, staring warily at the pond before them.

"What has gotten into you?"

"I've just…realized the importance of living a little, you know? There is nothing wrong with having a little fun once in a while." Rachel followed his gaze for a moment before looking back at him. "It's either this or a snowball fight, Kurt. Think of what a snowball fight could do to your hair…"

"Rachel Berry, you are such a child sometimes." Kurt grinned at her. He could feel himself giving in.

"Come on, Kurt!" Rachel begged. "It will be fun! Skating on a frozen pond will be magical, just like in the movies!"

"I just don't want either of us to die, just like on the news." Kurt countered, rolling his eyes. "But if it makes you happy…"

"Is that a yes?" Rachel gasped, so happy that she wanted to skip in place.

"Fine!" Kurt groaned good-naturedly. "Yes, yes. I'll skate with you, okay? But don't scream for joy…it might crack the ice."

Hand in hand, the two friends slowly and carefully began to make their way onto the ice. They moved in such a cautious, inch-by-inch way that Kurt was reminded of that famous, adorable scene from Bambi when the young deer had taken his first, wobbling steps onto ice for the first time.

"We probably look like two penguins, waddling out there like this." Rachel giggled breathlessly.

Kurt was about to say something, when he was stricken with an unmistakable feeling…a feeling that chilled him more than this winter day ever could. He didn't hear his mother's voice exactly, but he got that same feeling in his gut when she used to scold or warn him from doing something he should not have been doing. It was so long ago, that Kurt has forgotten what it had felt like until now. It had came rushing back to him with a remarkable and sickening clarity. It felt like a warning…they should not be doing this. Kurt squeezed Rachel's hand and stopped dead in his tracks, frozen with fear. He shook his head.

"I don't think we should be doing this!" He voiced his thoughts.

Rachel's face fell with disappointment as she looked at him. Still, she slipped her small hand out of his with ease and continued on her journey. He made a desperate grab for her, but it was too late.

"Get back here!" He cried, flustered. "Please!"

Rachel padded out towards the center of the pond, smirking like a little snow nymph. She carefully turned around and struck a pose, her hands on her hips. She was still in a playful mood. Kurt just stared after her warily, giving up on telling her to come back when he knew that his pleas were falling upon deaf ears. He had his arms wrapped protectively around himself and he was biting his bottom lip nervously.

"You see?" Rachel giggled. "No harm done. You're worrying over n-"

Then, it happened. There was a sickeningly loud crack that echoed off of the trees that surrounded them. Rachel's eyes widened just a little as she locked her gaze with his, an unmistakable fear in them. Then she just…dropped out of sight. Disappeared into the icy water with a splash. There was no time to scream.

Kurt gasped, his mouth hanging open and his blue eyes tearing over with horror. He stared at the hole in the ice where Rachel had disappeared into, a part of him not believing what had happened just now. It was only when she resurfaced seconds later that he seemed to snap out of his initial shock.

"Kurt!" Rachel was gasping and sputtering, grasping onto the ice as best she could.

"Rachel!" Kurt cried. Forgetting his fear to be on that ice in the first place, he charged forward. He half sprinted, half skated across the ice and dropped down to his knees beside the hole that Rachel's body had made. He grasped his ailing friend as tightly as he could, wrapping his arms around her, clawing at the water logged jacket on her back in fistfuls as he braced to pull her up. She clung desperately to his shoulders, her brunette hair plastered to her head like a helmet. He leaned in close to her and shuddered involuntarily as his skin came into contact with hers…she was already so cold. He whispered into her ear, hoping that his voice sounded calmer and more soothing than he let on because he was terrified.

"It's okay. I've got you."

But as he pulled, there was another crack. He could feel the ice beginning to give away underneath him. Rachel screamed hysterically and clung onto him tighter. His heart dropped to his stomach.

Oh no. Please, no…

There was barely enough time to squeeze his eyes shut and hold his breath before Kurt was plunged below into the icy hell that was holding his best friend captive. Everything stung. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he couldn't see. He couldn't hear anything aside from rushing water and muffled cries from Rachel. Kurt felt as if his heart was going to burst from his chest at any moment. He has never been so cold in his life.

Those first few seconds seemed like a lifetime. He broke to the surface, sucking in huge gasps of air in shaky, uncontrollable pants. He pried his eyes open, the icy water stinging them just a little. Rachel was in front of him, treading water and looking like a miserable, half drowned puppy.

"I'm s-s-so sorry, Kurt!" She whimpered.

"D-don't worry about it, doll." He tried to smile at her, his expression coming off as little more than a pained grimace. He began treading water as well, hoping to keep warm as long as possible. "Oh, God….this frickin' hurts!" He hissed.

"I know…" Rachel gripped into the edge of the ice, her arms quivering as she tried to pull herself up. "Help! Somebody help us!"

Kurt winced, her shrill, panicked cries making his overly-sensitive ears ache. He knew very well that there was no one around to hear them. He wished now, more than ever, that they were back in Lima and not out in the middle of nowhere.

"R-R-Rachel…." He stuttered breathlessly through chattering teeth. "Calm down, okay? We've got…five minutes before h-hypothermia starts to set in…"

Kurt hated the sound of his voice here. So weak, so breathy, so high…both from the sting of the cold and the terror of the situation. He couldn't breathe properly...the ice water was taking his breath away, causing him to gasp for oxygen.

"You're right. We need a g-game plan." Rachel tried to sound confident. But honestly, she didn't think she had the strength to get herself out, much less Kurt. She didn't doubt that Kurt felt the same way. Her eyes widened as her friend momentarily stopped treading water so that he could unzip his water logged coat and shrug it off into the water, letting it sink into the abyss below. Now, just a T shirt clung to his thin torso. He clung to the ice now, too exhausted to continue treading water.

"It was weighing me down." Kurt explained when he caught sight of her questioning gaze. He pouted a little. "Such a nice jacket, too. What a sh-shhh-shame…"

Rachel laughed, close to tears. Kurt shared her laughter, seemingly a bit manic himself.

"This is worse than a thousand slushies combined." Rachel choked out. "If we ever get out of here, a slushie facial will never bother me again."

"There we go. Something to look forward to." Kurt shuddered. He wondered if his muscles were going to lock up, he was shivering so hard and uncontrollably.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"We're just like Jack and Rose from "Titanic", aren't we?" Rachel was quiet now, a sadness creeping into her tone.

Kurt looked at her and narrowed his ice blue eyes. He calmly let his breath out, the icy water becoming more bearable now that numbness was setting in. He shook his head, trying to ward off that numbness from settling in his brain. He suddenly felt hyper-focused and aware. He had a job to do.

"No." He began quietly, slowly. "Because you're getting out of here."

And with that, he sank below the surface.

"Kurt?" Rachel cried, feeling that panic begin to overtake her again. What on earth was happening? She suddenly felt very alone and very, very scared. The only sounds that answered her back were her own shuddering and ragged breaths. Was he drowning?

"Kurt!" She tried again. Warm, salty tears streaked down her frozen face. "Where are…?"

She was cut off as a solid force from below propelled her upwards. With a surprising strength that belied his lean frame, Kurt was supporting her weight on his shoulders, pushing her up as hard as he could. Before she knew what was happening, Rachel was lying on her belly on solid ground. Well, solid ice, to be exact. But still….she was out! Elated, she rolled over to face him.

"Don't come near me…." He was shaking his head before she could even open her mouth to thank him. "You'll fall in again. Go get help!"

"There's no time! You'll freeze to death!" Rachel moved in closer. She didn't like the look on Kurt's face. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be resting his chin on the ice, almost looking content and…peaceful. It disturbed her that he appeared to no longer be pained by the ice water. His lips were turning blue.

"Hey…" Rachel began nervously. "No falling asleep on me, okay? You're not going to die here. We're going to New York together, remember?"

"Hey, Rachel…" Kurt opened his eyes slowly and with great effort. Beneath the heavy lids, the blue orbs held a glint of delirium to them. "I just want you to know that…when I saved you, you know? That will be the only time I ever put my head in between a girl's legs."

Rachel was too terrified and too determined to laugh. Gritting her teeth and fighting the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her, she grasped his torso like the way he did with her when he first tried to get her out.

Please, don't let the ice break….

"Up we go, Kurt. Come on." She began pulling, and this seemed to snap Kurt back to reality. He gripped onto her tightly and kicked his legs, kicking against the water as she pulled as hard as she could. And finally, finally…he was out. Her grip faltering because of the numbness setting in, Rachel dropped her friend onto the ice with a 'clunk'.

"Sorry!" She cringed, laughing because she was just so overwhelmed with joy that they were both out. Kurt lay there on his side with his eyes closed; he had curled into a ball seemingly involuntarily. He hadn't moved since she dropped him.

"Kurt?"

Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at her with a gaze that seemed both disbelieving and grateful. Rachel had gotten him out of the pond! He had made a mental note to nickname her 'Mighty Mouse' when they got back to Lima later that night.

"Rachel…" Moving ever so slowly and painfully, he unfolded himself and sat up to meet her at eye level. "You…thank you so much! We're…"

"We're alive!" Rachel finished for him. She surged forward and hugged him, cringing because of the disgusting, gross feeling of squishy wetness between them. He pulled back to look at her, gripping her upper arms more firmly and with confidence.

"Come on…let's get out of here."

Slowly and carefully, the two friends began crawling, inch by painstaking inch, back the way they came. Rachel seemed to be muttering "Don't let the ice break!" to some unknown entity under her breath over and over again.

"This is so undignified…" Kurt groaned.

"Just pretend we're auditioning for CATS, the musical." Rachel smiled, though she kept her eyes straight ahead, trained onto the edge of the pond.

The next few minutes seemed like a blur. When they finally reached solid ground, they stood up and made their way through the forest together. They were clinging to each other desperately, and it wasn't the most graceful exit. Muscles ached and burned with a freezing pain and someone stumbled over a tree root, but both Kurt and Rachel seemed to be on autopilot now and when one of them stumbled, the other would help them out. Never in their lives did a few yards worth of walking seem to stretch on forever. When they made it to her car, Kurt helped Rachel into the passenger seat, making sure she was comfortable before shutting the door and making his way around to the driver's seat. He got in, shutting the door behind him. He took Rachel's keys and turned the engine on and, with that, turned the heat onto full blast. He sagged back into the seat and let his breath out, shutting his eyes wearily.

"We made it." Rachel whispered softly.

Despite his low energy levels, Kurt opened his eyes and turned his head to see her smiling at him. He returned her gentle expression and gripped her hand in a protective grasp.

"Yes, we did. Technically, I think we're supposed to get out of these wet clothes…but there is no way I'm going to strip in front of you."

"Likewise." Rachel laughed, emotion welling up in her throat. "I'd cry right now, but I think my tear ducts are still frozen."

"You're lucky that's the only thing that is frozen on you." Kurt remarked, biting his lip to keep from bursting into laughter. "As soon as I get home, I'm going to take a hot bath to thaw out. Blaine will be so mad at me if…oh, nevermind." He faltered, his cheeks turning a little pink.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Nevermind." Kurt repeated. "It's too vulgar. Let's just say that Blaine would be upset if a certain body part of mine wasn't working properly."

Rachel gasped, her eyebrows shooting up in amusement.

"You're right, that is a vulgar thing to say…for you, anyway!"

"I know!" Kurt laughed, leaning his forehead on the steering wheel in embarrassment. "Don't judge me! I think my brain is still frozen."

The two friends dissolved into a fit of laughter, all of the pent up emotion from the day's events catching up to them.

"So, what now?" Rachel giggled breathlessly.

"First, we're going to spend a few more minutes warming up." Kurt counted off the points on his fingers. "Then, we're going back to Lima to get out of these wet clothes and to dry off. Then we're going to the Lima Bean for some hot chocolate to ward off this nasty head cold I feel coming on. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds perfect." Rachel grinned. "You know, we're going to be in so much trouble when everyone finds out."

"I know." Kurt shrugged. "But after the day we had, that hardly bothers me."

"Hey, Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for saving my life." Rachel blinked at him, tears threatening to spill over.

"Well, thank you for saving mine." Kurt smiled warmly at her. The two friends spent a few seconds in comfortable silence before Rachel spoke up again.

"Kurt, do you think we'll be on the news now?"

Kurt just had to laugh.

THE END

A/N: I've always wanted to write something like this! I just love the Hummelberry friendship so much! I hope you enjoyed this! And Happy Holidays, everyone! I know that almost freezing to death in a frozen pond isn't very Christmas-y but still….(smiles manically)Please review!