Chapter 7 – The River

Somewhere between trying to get Blair to rest before the night ahead of them and her insisting that she wouldn't be able to sleep, Chuck had come up with a perfect solution to tire her out. Now, she was lying against Chuck's bare side fast asleep, while he idly brushed his fingertips up and down her arm.

He could have lain like that forever, but he knew he had to prepare for crossing the river that evening. Slowly, he lifted Blair's head from his shoulder trying not to wake her, but she began to stir anyway.

"Where are you going?" She whispered, placing her hand on his bicep to keep him from moving.

Chuck gently removed her fingers and kissed the back of her knuckles. "I have to get some things ready for tonight, but we still have to wait a few hours. Go back to sleep, alright?"

Blair nodded silently, and tucked her hand under the side of her face, smiling softly as she closed her eyes again. As Chuck buckled his belt and watched her falling back to sleep, he couldn't help the smug smirk that twisted his lips. He had seen that expression on many women's faces, but on Blair's features, it looked so much better.

He left his jacket where it was draped over Blair's hips, opting to wear only his undershirt. After shrugging it on, he began making his way over the short distance of land which led to the river bank. He had to inspect the area to make sure that they would be able to cross in a fairly safe manner.

Standing at the edge of the water, Chuck raised his hand to his brow to block the sun, as he peered down at the water rushing by below. The current didn't seem too fast, nor did the water seem very deep, the width from bank to bank only stretched about fifteen yards, but he was still apprehensive about having to go through the vast expanse.

Just after he had convinced himself that everything would fine, he turned to walk back, but stopped abruptly from the faint sounds of voices carrying across the river. Chuck dropped down onto his stomach, and kept his head low, peering through the grass.

It took him a moment to place the location of the voices, but as he continued to study the area on the opposite bank, he could see men weaving in between the trees. There were three Yankees walking together along the river, each with a rifle slung over his shoulder as they appeared to be hunting

Chuck suddenly had a strong urge to run back to where Blair was still sleeping, even though he knew that at the small distance they were apart, he would have heard her if she needed him. He couldn't though, because the Yankees talking aimlessly across the river surely would have spotted him if he stood up straight.

He waited impatiently until he could no longer see their navy uniforms, and made sure their sounds were no longer audible, before pushing himself up and running back. Just as he had left her, Blair was still sleeping soundly and completely unaware of the dangers that lay just on the other side of the river.

Chuck grabbed one of his bags, and sat down against a tree, making sure to face the direction of the water. He spilled the items onto the ground, quickly taking one of the pistols and beginning to fill it with black powder and bullets. After he finished loading the first, he repeated the same steps with the second gun. When he laid them back on the ground, the clink of the barrels coming together caused Blair to flinch, but she didn't fully wake.

He needed her to stay asleep for just a little longer because he had already decided that he would not tell her about the Yankees. They would cross the river and be far from their presence before dawn, there was no need to worry her.

Slipping his boot knife from its sheath, he checked its edge by brushing it over the skin of his thumb, wanting to feel the drag of sharpness. For trying so strongly keep his mind on their safe crossing and escape, his own actions were belying his confidence.

"Chuck…"

Suddenly, Blair's sleepy voice nearly had Chuck stabbing the knife through his hand as his body started. Blair didn't even seem to notice, she was too busy stretching her arms over her head and rolling onto her back, making the jacket slide lower down her waist. This was something that Chuck might have appreciated at any other time, but instead he slid the knife back into place and moved toward Blair, trying to keep a cool exterior.

Chuck lay down on his stomach by Blair's side, and rested his hand on the soft skin over her hip bone. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Blair pursed her lips and fluttered her eyes closed, stretching out again before bringing one of her hands to the side of Chuck's neck. "Well…it was fine, but it would have been better if you were here with me."

For a moment the desire in Blair's brown eyes served in distracting Chuck from his previous thoughts, and he focused on her fingernails tracing through his dark hair. But before he could stop her, or even want to stop her, Blair had pulled his face forward and had begun kissing his jaw line.

"Blair…" Chuck whispered, as she pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips. Of all the times she could have chose, it had to be the most worrisome and inappropriate time of the entire journey, thus far.

Blair grasped his shoulders and kneaded his tense muscles in her hands, ignoring his comment and giving him a suggestive smile. Her head dipped down, and her warm breath brushed against his ear. "The sun isn't down yet, we still have time."

"We can't…" Chuck groaned, fighting the sensation of her bearing the weight of her body against him.

"Come on, Chuck." Blair urged. Her voice was husky and low, as she rested the entire length of her naked body on his chest.

"No, Blair." Chuck stated simply, and gripped her hips, moving her off. "Now, you have to get dressed."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Blair complained.

Chuck had moved to a kneeling position, and at the moment he just couldn't handle Blair's temper or telling her about the Yankees, so he did something that usually worked in keeping her calm. He placed both of his hands on her cheeks, and turned her disappointed face up to his.

"No, sweetheart, I'll give you whatever you want later, but you're just going to have to wait for now." Chuck said and then smoothed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Blair cracked a pleased smile just as Chuck thought she would, but when she arched her eyebrow and asked her next question, it caught him off guard. "I'm your sweetheart?"

"Well…" Chuck began uncertainly and then just decided to answer her honestly. "Of course, you are."

"Alright, I suppose I can wait then." Blair smiled up at him, after letting the endearment sink in a moment.

*****

Chuck finished lighting the torch he had made from a length of branch and a strip of cloth, and then turned towards Blair, illuminating their faces against the darkness. "Are you ready, Blair?"

"Oh, Chuck, how hard can it be to walk across a river?" Blair asked incredulously, as she rolled her eyes.

Chuck lowered his head to give her a serious look. "I told you about this, we have to be careful."

"We will be careful, and yes I am ready." She replied, putting her hand into Chuck's so that she could stay close to him as they walked through the dark forest to the river.

It only took a few minutes for the sound of fast rushing water to meet their ears, and soon they were standing on the edge. Chuck handed the torch to Blair, and she held it while he took a long rope from one of the saddlebags.

"This will help us keep our footing…he's strong enough to hold us if one of us slips." Chuck announced, as he wrapped one end of the rope around the pommel of the horse's saddle multiple times, before securing it with a knot. He pulled heavily on the rope, testing his weight against its strength.

Blair nodded wordlessly and watched carefully as Chuck then tied part of the rope around his waist, the hard look of concentration on his features was beginning to make her feel nervous. After he finished, Chuck stepped closer to Blair and passed the remaining few feet of rope around her waist.

He kneeled down before her, and began weaving the rope together in knots that Blair could hardly follow. She studied his fingers lacing the rope through different loops, and then cinching it closed. Chuck slipped his fingers between Blair's body and the rope, tugging slightly to make sure it wasn't wrapped too loosely around her.

"Does it feel tight enough?" Chuck asked, keeping his fingers against Blair. She could only nod again, and even though she was assuring him that the knot was tight, he still pulled further until it began to squeeze uncomfortably at her skin.

"You're making me nervous." Blair blurted out suddenly. She hadn't thought that Chuck would take this situation quite so intently. He was usually so playful that surely his seriousness now had to mean something.

Chuck stood up again and put his hands on Blair's shoulders, looking at the apprehension that was starting to show in her eyes. "We're going to be fine, I just want to be sure."

"Alright…" Blair answered quietly.

"You just hold the torch until I get the horse into the water, and then I'll help you down." Chuck motioned to the somewhat high bank, before jumping down into the black water below. He reached up and caught the horse by his bridle, urging him to step down. But with the limited amount of light, it took a bit of goading from Chuck to eventual get the horse to work up enough courage to splash into the river.

Once in the water, the horse began tossing his head nervously and trying to raise himself onto his hind legs. Chuck kept his grip on the bridle and rubbed his muzzle, and after a few moments he had the horse standing calmly by his side.

"Give me that…" Chuck stated, and then took the torch which Blair held out to him. "Now, your hand…"

Blair clasped her fingers around Chuck's palm, and he helped her as she slipped down the bank. As soon as she stepped into the water, she could feel the cold water reaching to her thighs and the current pushing against her. A sudden tremor ran through her body from a combination of the chilled liquid and nerves. While Blair momentarily concentrated on the water seeping further up her pant legs, Chuck tested the knots in the rope one last time.

"Alright, Blair. I'll lead the horse, just follow behind me and walk slowly, the rocks can be slippery."

She gave a final nod, and she and Chuck began moving towards the west bank of the river. With every step the pressure of the current swirling past their legs seemed to increase and the water became deeper. The horse easily recognized the risks in the situation, and Chuck had to keep shouldering him along to move further.

By the time they had made it nearly half way, the water was lapping at Blair's chest and making her clothes cling to her body. Her pulse was beginning to quicken, and she searched under the surface for the rope connecting her to Chuck.

He was only leading by a couple of paces, but Blair didn't like even the short distance between them so she stepped forward quickly. But just as she was about to put her foot down, the horse stumbled and the rope around her waist jerked her body and threw her off balance. She desperately clawed at the back of Chuck's jacket, fisting the material in her hand to keep her upright.

"Damnit, you stupid beast! Come on!" Chuck yelled, suddenly pulling and straining harshly on the bridle to guide the horse out of the hole his hoof was caught in, causing him to drop the torch into the water.

The hiss of the flames being extinguished punctuated the rushing of the water, and they were immediately enveloped by the blackness of the night. Blair frantically reached her other hand out for Chuck's back in the blindness, but still struggling with the horse; he violently shrugged her hands away.

"Don't move, Blair!" He barked over his shoulder, and she immediately let go even though she didn't want to lose the contact, because she couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, the sounds of both the horse and Chuck thrashing in the water stopped, and all that could be heard was Chuck's labored breathing. Blair was trying to stay still, but her heart was beating so fast now she could hardly think. She didn't want to feel the water pulling at her anymore, nor did she want to cross the remainder of the river without the guidance of light.

"Chuck, let's go back!" Blair pleaded, and stretched her hand out in front of her until her fingertips brushed Chuck's arm.

"We're not going back, just keep walking!" Chuck answered, his voice sounding uncharacteristically gruff and irritated. He was just as shaken as Blair was, considering that if the horse's misstep had been any worse they all could have been swept away.

Blair bit into her lip and did as she was told, feeling the rope going taut as Chuck started moving forward again. The next few steps brought the water level nearly to her shoulders, and just as she was about to beg Chuck to stop, the horse shrieked loudly and her head was rapidly pulled under the water.

As the river pushed her downstream, disorientation struck quickly and her arms flailed, trying to reach the surface. But before Blair could break through the water, her body collided with something, and the most intense pain she had ever felt exploded through the left side of her face.

The sensation made her reflexively gasp from the pain, and she inhaled deeply, bringing water into her lungs. Her chest had begun to burn from lack of oxygen anyway, and in the haziness of pain and being underwater, she could feel another source tightly constricting and pulling against her.

But then suddenly it was gone, and some of the pressure was released. Her hands, which were still in a panic, grasped whatever objects the river had pushed her into and she was able to break through to the air. Blair was coughing as she worked to breathe again, and by touch she realized that what she was caught against was a tangle of boulders and logs.

Water was still washing past her swiftly, but she slowly began extending her hands into the direction in which she believed the opposite bank to be. Fortunately, she could grasp the branches that were stuck in the mass of debris, and she began pulling herself along.

Blair repeated her actions, until finally, she slapped her hand out and it landed on a thatch of grass hanging from the bank. Her feet felt heavy, but she pushed herself up onto the bank, which made her head throb in a dizzying way.

As soon as she felt the dry, solid ground beneath her hands and knees, she began choking up the water she had inhaled, desperately trying to breathe again. The more deep breaths she took, the stronger the pain in the side of her face became, and her eyes involuntarily filled with tears.

Sobbing heavily, Blair experimentally brought her fingertips to her left brow, lightly touching the area where the pain seemed to be radiating from. She felt the stickiness of the blood, but since she was already wet and in the dark, she wasn't aware that the blood from the two gashes across her eyebrow was already spilling down her face, neck, and chest. Blair held her palm over the injury, trying to hold back the shaky sobs which only seemed to intensify the pain.

After several long minutes, Blair calmed herself down enough to realize through her shocked state, that something was missing. It wasn't as if she could see through the night anyway, and even if she wanted to, she could already feel her eye beginning to swell. But all she could hear around her were the noises of the river and nothing else, and she raised her head abruptly.

"Chuck?" She cried quietly, sending the stabbing pain shooting through her temple again. She pressed against the cuts a little harder, trying to block some of the pain.

"Chuck…" She called out louder, but the only answer she got was the rushing of the river and her head.

So the drama begins! My apologies for any mistakes, I stayed up to write this and I'm suuuuper tired!