"The Raft"


Dean rushed to keep up as Emma led him through the woods. He'd rarely seen her so energized. Upon spotting the source of her excitement, however, he wasn't sure whether to be thrilled himself.

A number of old, splintered logs were laying scattered in a creek. Waves of mist hovered over the scene.

Emma turned around with a hopeful stare. "That rope we found. Do you still have it?"

Dean studied the logs, then slowly nodded. "Yeah…" he muttered. "I think so."

She hopped in place, then wrapped her arms around him. "I can't believe it. We can make a raft."

Dean lifted an eyebrow. "You've got to be kidding me. With those things?"

"Why not?"

He shook his head. "Do you think it's even safe to touch them? I mean, they might be crawling with something infectious."

Emma's face twisted into a cute little frown. "It doesn't look that way. But we can wrap our hands in some vines or leaves, and put some covering on the raft as well."

"All right. Let's say we can build this thing. What then?"

Emma turned away and fell silent for a moment. "I honestly don't know yet," she admitted with a smile. "I guess I'm still working on that part."

Dean chuckled, spreading his arms. "Where exactly are we supposed to go?"

Emma placed her hands on her hips. "All right. Let's review our options."

"Yes. Let's do that."

"We obviously can't reach Trinidad."

"Or America."

"Or anyplace else on a raft. I wouldn't even know which direction to paddle." She paused. "But if we're lucky…" Emma quieted while considering her next words.

"If we're lucky…" he repeated.

A hint of doubt entered her tone. "Well, we might run across a boat or something."

Dean flinched, eyeing her in confusion.

She glanced away with an awkward frown.

"Em, we haven't seen anything like that in three years. No boats, no planes, no helicopters, nothing." He looked around with a sullen gaze. "It's like we're in some uncharted area that the rest of the world doesn't care about."

"I know that our chances are slim…" She leaned forth, eyeing him with affection. "But we've got to try, don't we?"

Dean went quiet while eyeing the logs.

"Don't we?"

He ran both hands across his face, then shook his head with a sigh. "All right. Let's give it a try." He shrugged. "If I don't help, you'll just go and escape on your own anyway."

She squinted at him. "I would not."

"Sure you would." Dean wrapped his arms around her. "I'd wake up one morning and find a 'Goodbye and good luck' note or something." He chuckled again.

Emma narrowed her eyes while pulling him closer. "Don't even joke about things like that." She held Dean in another embrace. "There's no way I'm ever leaving this island without you."


After carrying the logs down to the beach, Dean and Emma got a good night's rest. The next morning, they began their work.

Emma's hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. She sat across from Dean while tying a knot. "I keep thinking, 'If only we'd found these sooner,' you know?"

Dean nodded while examining his progress.

She sighed. "Instead, we wasted three years of our lives here." Emma immediately regretted her choice of words. She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked over at Dean. "Hey. You know what I meant by that, right? I wasn't saying that living here with you was a waste, I just wish that we could've built this relationship back in the city."

"I know what you meant." He offered her a calm smile.

Emma grinned back, watching him to ensure that everything was all right. Then she lowered her gaze back to the ropes.


Dean and Emma couldn't help but laugh at their creation.

Several of the logs were longer than others, and the ropes were a jumble of awkward knots. It wasn't the prettiest raft in the world, but it did what it was meant to do: it floated.

A wave of awe crossed Emma's face. "I'd given up. I honestly thought that we'd never leave."

Dean smiled while rubbing the back of his head. "I thought that too." The moment was almost surreal for him. He couldn't help but feel a little conflicted, but he was more excited than anything else. He reached out and held Emma's hand.

Emma looked over her shoulder. "I want to visit my favorite places one last time," she said, hoping that it really would be her last time doing so.


After gathering as much food as they could fit on the raft, Emma and Dean were all set to depart. They watched their vehicle bob by the shore, then paused before turning themselves around.

A breeze ruffled their hair as they stood side by side, quietly watching the place before them.

Dean looked about, eyeing the island with affection. "I know that things haven't always been easy, but I'll never regret the fact that we came here, Em. If we hadn't, I might have never gotten to know you."

Emma quivered a little at the thought of that. She frowned while flashing an awkward smile. "I can't even imagine not having you in my life."

Dean and Emma drew each other close, sharing a deep kiss as a burst of water rose behind them.


Nearly an hour into their voyage, Emma noticed the latest in a series of waves. "Incoming," she said, bracing herself.

The force rocked the raft, picking it up and throwing it down with a violent shake.

Emma took a deep breath, letting it out through her nose. Her nervous eyes glanced back and forth.

Upon noticing her tension, Dean grinned at Emma and tried to lighten the mood. "What do you think our official status is?" He shrugged. "I mean, how does the government handle things when someone comes back from the 'dead?' "

Emma looked a little curious herself. "I'm not too sure at this point." Her thoughts began wandering elsewhere. "Do you think the world's gone through any big changes?"

"Probably. Without us, I imagine that they're barely keeping everything together."

Emma giggled, staring at him in silence.

"What?" he asked.

"You're going to be a great addition to the Robinson family. Some of my relatives are going to love you." She glanced elsewhere. "But in all seriousness, I was talking about innovations. I wonder if there are any big advancements now."

He smiled. "What, like The Jetsons or something?"

Emma rolled her eyes.

"I think- -" Dean paused, then pointed outward. "Whoa. Incoming."

Another powerful wave hit the raft, nearly knocking them overboard this time.

A slow frown crossed Emma's face. "They're starting to come in harder now."

Dean licked his lips, then reached out and touched her hand. "We're going to be all right."

Emma wasn't quite sure what to believe. Dean always said that when he was trying to comfort her.

"Hey." Dean flashed an excited grin. "What are you looking forward to doing most? I can't wait to play the new Madden video games."

Emma glanced around, eyeing the water with caution. "From what I hear, if you've played one, you've basically played them all."

Dean flinched in surprise. "You know video games?"

She smiled a little. "Not really, but my sister does. I- -" Another wave shook their vessel — taking one of the logs with it. As a number of ropes came undone, the raft began steadily breaking apart. Emma trembled, eyeing Dean in shock. Seconds later, both were scrambling to hold their craft together.

Fish and fruit drifted across the water. More logs began scattering about.

After several minutes of failed efforts and retied knots, only about half of the raft was left intact.

Emma briefly closed her eyes. Her face became solemn as reality sunk in. "We've got to turn back around."

A rumble of thunder filled the sky, and a slow downpour began hitting the sea. Amidst a slew of rain and a series of waves, Dean and Emma paddled as hard as they could.

Around 20 minutes into their effort, Emma's eyes had become less timid, and more determined. "Come on," she said. "We're getting there."

Dean could see the island off in the distance. He took a deep breath, then paddled on.

"Keep swinging, Dean," she said, wiping the rain out of her face. "We're not losing each other. We're going to make it."

Nearly 10 minutes later, the raft's remains finally broke apart. Dean and Emma splashed into the water, and both began swimming with all their might.

"Keep going, Em," Dean said with a choke.

Emma caught her breath and cleared her throat, swinging her arms about with abandon.

The waves pushed them forward. The rain pelted their heads.

And finally, after the swim of their lives, Emma and Dean washed up on shore — the very same one that they'd first arrived on.

As they collapsed on the sand and looked up at the sky, the two reached out and held each other's hands.


Hours later, Dean and Emma were laying naked together, staring over at a distant fire.

"I don't think we can take a chance like that again," he said.

Emma held utterly quiet.

Dean frowned, then sighed a little. "Sorry, Em. I know how much you wanted to leave. I did too."

Emma shook her head. "Leaving is the last thing on my mind." She stroked Dean's hand. "I'm just glad that you're okay. I'm glad that we both are."

He placed a kiss on her head.

"It's hard to describe," she continued. "It's like a part of me still wishes that we'd left — but at the same time, I don't hate being here." Emma looked around. "After what we just went through, this place feels so familiar and safe right now."

Dean agreed while looking about himself.

"It feels like we've been welcomed home." She chuckled under her breath. "Maybe not the one that we had in mind, but still a nice one nonetheless."