Weekend is gone and I am almost done catching up with season 3, I only have to go through Fault Lines and I'll start season 4. Let me tell you: I LOVE THIS SHOW :D but I do think that sometimes we need more Sam centric or Spike or Wordy or Jules episodes. Greg and Ed get the most attention (I love them but you can't blame me)

Anyways here is the next chapter, thank you very much for the reviews and the alerts, made me very happy!

Disclaimer: not mine.


Chapter 4

Greg and Jules started running faster to get to the pond while Spike and Leah moved to get to where Sam and the others used to stand.

Spike got as close as he could to where Sam and Carly had fallen into the water; he kneeled and slowly lay on his stomach and started to crawl closer to the hole in the ice, talking to Sam so he knew he was there.

Sam was trying to push Carly to keep her as out of the water as possible, a couple of feet away Karl was in the middle of the water trying desperately not to sink. Carly was sobbing as she shook and Sam had to go under the water several times just to keep her afloat.

Why was his clothing so heavy, Sam thought, he wished he could let go of his vest and shoes. The water was attacking him now and it felt like needles all over his body, it was painful and at the same time numbing.

Spike reached as he laid flat on the ice while Jules got there and quickly secured Spike with a rope, he went as far as he could, his fingertips brushed Carly's clothing, she had this panicked eyes, she was staring at him with pleading eyes to help her out of the water.

"We are here Carly" Spike said with strained voice, they could barely see Sam now as he pushed Carly towards Spike, he stretched and was able to get the girl who was now quiet, "I have her Sam, I have her" he yelled as soon as he reached her, she was taken by Leah who wrapped her in some blankets and ran as fast as she could to deliver the girl to the EMT standing by around the pond.

Sam was now clutching the edge of the ice as only his head could be seen as he struggled to remain afloat; Spike was lying again on his stomach reaching for Sam who was coughing to spill the water he had swallowed. Jules was almost yelling to keep Sam's attention, experience made her knowledgably as all of the members of the team that at that temperature he was probably suffering from hypothermia already.

Sam wanted to be out of the freezing water and into a warm room with warm dry clothes, he was barely holding on as he was getting way too tired and his sight was becoming tunneled and his team's voices were muffled sounds, he realized he was shivering and was about to extend his arm to be pulled out when he remembered, how could he forget, he saw Karl, he wasn't fighting that much anymore and he looked up to see Ed with Greg trying to reach Karl but the ice was too thin to hold more people and Karl was too far from any edge. He took a deep breath and turn to see Spike.

"th..th..throw me the rope" Sam asked with his voice shaking and hoarse, Spike did it and was relieved when Sam fought to tight it to his waist, Spike expected to be pulling him out but Sam pulled the rope to give him more line and Jules just couldn't understand "Sam what are you doing?" he looked at her and then she understood, Karl was still in the water and no one close enough to reach him.

"Boss, Ed!" she yelled and signaled them to come closer.

"Sam, do you think can you help him?" Greg asked as he knew that his team member would never leave anyone to die, so instead of pushing him to get out he asked him.

"He…he..is maybe a foot away…I..I can reach him, when I get him p-p-p-p-pull" Sam struggled to say.

"Sam I want you out from the water" Ed said going somehow against Greg who turned around to face him, few things Ed had gone directly against Greg without discussing it first.

"Greg, I am sorry but we need to take him out of the water" Ed said offline

"Ed I know, I understand; but he needs to try" Greg answered looking at him like he always did when he knew more about them than themselves; he was right, Greg knew them better, somehow he always knows.

"Heee'll die, I have to…" Sam couldn't finish the sentence when he went under, now his body was numb, the water was frozen and it was hard to breathe now, he came out to hear some muffled sounds, it was the sound of Spike and Jules screaming, also Ed and probably also Greg saying something he couldn't make out but as soon as he could, he took a deep breath and started to swim or at least that's what he thought, it was just a foot or 2 to get to Karl but it felt like miles.

Sam griped Karl's jacket. The man got startled and he turned around and crazed eyes met Sam's; Karl felt some support and he started panicking and started pushing Sam underwater, he tried to calm him down but his words were cut by the incoming water; if Karl didn't relax they were both going to die. Ed was yelling at Sam, he heard him with clarity now let him go Sam; he'll pull you in, let him go.

He knew that was the reasonable thing to do, Ed always looked for the let's talk down the subject first before we kill solution but right now he was asking him to give up on Karl; well he couldn't just let go, for some reason he couldn't give up on Karl, he felt the rope get pulled by his waste and he locked his grasp on Karl, but he kept fighting and Sam was getting tired, too tired.

Jules was screaming now, as she was pulling the rope with the help of Ed and now Leah, the three of them were pulling his friend as his body was heavy weight. Greg continued to say something to Sam over the com link. They didn't have time. Spike almost had a lock on Sam, when Karl jumped on him and they both went down, Jules was thrown forward but Ed was able to stop her from falling on Spike, Karl was too strong and now Sam was completely under water; Spike reached wet clothing that danced under water as he helped pulled the rope too, he could feel the ice cracking a little bit and backed down a little, with a big effort they pulled Sam who inhaled desperately as his head came out of the water. Karl followed as Sam hadn't let go.

"Sam, I have you" Spike said somehow relieved that he had Sam, he pulled harder and they got Sam almost half out when Karl just looked at him with dead eyes.

"P-P-Please p-p-pr -protect her…" Sam knew that was a goodbye Karl let go of his hand and Sam almost went back to the water to reach him, he just muffled a small "no" even though he wanted to scream, with a sudden pull he was taken out of the water, but exertion and hypothermia was making him want to go back for Karl, he felt hands all over as he was pulled out entirely from the water.

"Let me…let me go" he said as he fought to get away, "Sam, calm down, Sam please just calm down" Jules repeated.

When the air hit him it hit him hard, it was cold, his body was shaking but not as bad as when he was in the water. He saw Spike and Jules as they pulled him away from the broken ice, they were saying something but all he could hear were incoherent noises, his vision started to blur and he closed his eyes tightly trying to clear it, he opened his eyes again and they stung and his vision did not get any better. He didn't feel that much cold anymore and even though he saw his team mates holding him he could not feel their touch, he tried to say he was cold but he couldn't even articulate a word as his thoughts could not get in any order. He remembered he was in the water with Carly, he panicked and tried to get away, but Jules and Spike were now half carrying him.

He felt too tired to keep struggling, he suddenly felt peaceful as he turned to see up, he saw the sky and some trees, the snow was falling, and his vision turned black and he was taken by the darkness.

When Ed took over for Jules and grabbed Sam from under his arm, he felt how he barely moved and he was mumbling, Spike and Ed had to half carry him as he was heavy by all the water and his suit; suddenly his body just went limp. They never ran this fast as Greg was on the phone asking to have everything ready for Sam where the ambulance was parked.

They got to the ambulance and he was placed on the gurney, the EMT started to take his vest off as several heat blankets were ready, he was now quiet and was not moving at all his eyes were closed and was not making any sounds, Jules fought the tears as he was stripped slowly of his gear and the EMT worked on him by placing the blankets on his upper body, they had to try and elevate his temperature slowly to avoid a metabolic acidosis, he was whiter and blue tinges in his lips and now his unprotected fingertips crept. The EMTs were gentle, moving slowly and taking their time to get all the gear and part of his clothing, rough or sudden movement would cause more damage to the already shocked body.

The whole team had backed down a little and only Jules remained there next to Sam wanting to touch him, to comfort him to make him know he was not alone, but the stillness of his body made him look dead and the thought was overwhelming, the EMT worked as fast as it was possible to place him on the ambulance and Jules hopped in as she turned to see her team, with unspoken words Greg nodded. The doors were closed and the ambulance was gone.


Thank you again. I keep on learning to organize my ideas into the story and hopefully you can see an improvement, if not let me know!