Time Immemorial

Chapter 16: Diluvian

July 17th
0010 Hours

"I don't suppose there's a way to pry this door open from the inside, right?" John called back to Elizabeth. He stood in front of the closed door, thinking fast.

Several feet behind him and still facing the looming wall of water sat Elizabeth. She had succeeded in freeing both wrists and one ankle and was now working rapidly to untie the final bond between her and the chair.

"I would guess not. All I know is that Atlantis has detected trauma on this level and has automatically initiated protocols to contain the bleeding. It'll sacrifice this one section of the City to save the rest." She sighed, muttering under her breath, "Sometimes I think this base is too smart for our own good."

"Well, I don't know about you," John replied, "but I'm not really in the mood to be sacrificed today. I say we try to pry it open it anyway."

"I don't think we have any other choice. Why don't you look around the room and see if there is anything we could use for leverage. I'm almost free."

"I'm on it," John said, hurrying over to two sets of shelving on the east side of the room. Being in a marine biology laboratory, he found plenty of scientific equipment: microscopes, scalpels, syringes, several tablets, a few beakers and graduated cylinders... Why couldn't we be trapped in an underwater armory instead? he thought to himself.

Elizabeth, now free of the chair, mirrored John's movements over on the opposite side of the room. She hastily dug through several boxes of data sheets and cabinets full of preserved specimens, but came back empty handed. "Did you find anything over there?" she called.

"No," came the aggravated reply. "You?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth admitted. She joined him in the center of the room. She tried her best to keep her eyes off the cracked glass window, the only thing holding the water at bay. The hiss of a small geyser already spurting through one of the cracks reached her ears, keeping her on edge. "Well, got any other bright ideas?"

John bit his lip, tapping his fingers on his opposite arm nervously. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking..."

At that moment, a loud pop! erupted from the window. Their heads snapped round in unison to look, though they didn't need to to guess the source of the noise. Both cracks had propagated beyond their original extents. They now measured over a foot in length each. With that much of the window's surface area damaged, its structural integrity was completely compromised. It was only a matter of seconds before-

- it went.

The thousands of pounds of seawater fighting for entrance rushed in with great force. The sound of the cascade was booming. Within seconds, the entire floor of the small lab was covered by a thin sheet of water.

John grabbed Elizabeth and retreated as far away from the window as possible. They were both pelted by the spray of the blast. Luckily, as he studied the source of the geyser, he noticed that much less of the window had been destroyed than he had anticipated. Half of the thick glass had somehow survived intact, its broken edges ragged and askew. As long as it continued to hold back at least some of the water, the rate at which the room filled might be manageable. That bought them some time.

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as saucers at the sight of the deluge. She felt the water wash over her toes. She involuntarily drew in a sharp breath of air. It was freezing. With the sun now set and a storm erupting overhead, it was no wonder. The droplets of spray ricochetting from the main spout onto her head and shoulders didn't help.

"Time for Plan B!" she shouted over the clamor.

"What, you've got one?" John yelled back.

"Not exactly, no!"

At a loss for what else to do, the major hurried over to the door once again. He tried with his hands to find purchase on one side. His fingertips found a raised lip on the door's face. It would have to do. Just as he was about to pull, he caught sight of Elizabeth staring frightfully at the geyser. Sensing that she needed a distraction, he called her over to man the other half of the door. If nothing else, it gave her something to focus on.

"Okay, on the count of three," he told her. "Ready?"

She nodded tightly, tearing her eyes off of the incoming torrent.

"One, two, three!"

In unison they pulled in opposite directions. John poured every bit of strength he had into the task, grunting with the effort. Elizabeth, too, tried her hardest, but with both the surface of the door and her fingers now slick with water, she lost her grip and went stumbling backward.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He paused to catch his breath.

"I'm fine! This water is freezing!" she called back to him. "What about the knife?"

Frowning, Sheppard realized he had completely forgotten about Kyros' weapon. He pulled out the Lacedami blade and attempted to wedge it between the two door halves. But the seal was tight. John doubted he could fit a sheet of paper between them.

"Okay, Plan C!" the major said. "I'll radio for help!"

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Just as before, it was risky. Though the chances that the tactic would work for them again were slim, they had to try. The rising water level, now at her ankles, made it abundantly clear: without outside help, they weren't getting out of the lab alive.

"This is Major Sheppard!" John yelled into his radio. "Does anyone copy?"

Without the aid of her own radio, Elizabeth was kept in the dark. She wished Antigonos hadn't crushed it underfoot. She hung on John's expression, trying to ascertain if he had received a reply.

"If there are any Atlantis personnel listening: this is Major Sheppard requesting immediate assistance from anyone out there!"

John felt her hopeful, desperate eyes upon him. As another bout of silence answered him, he couldn't force himself to meet her gaze. He'd try, but he wouldn't be able to hide his own remorse and fear, not from her. John pictured how her expression would then fall to match his own—

"Major!" came a voice suddenly over his radio, its accent thick. "Major Sheppard, it is Dr. Zelenka!"

John had to restrain himself from literally jumping with elation. He remembered no one had seen the scientist since the Lacedami invasion had begun. "Radek! Radek - oh, I seriously like your timing, buddy!"

Seeing John's exuberant expression, Elizabeth burst into a smile of her own. She splashed through the water to him and huddled against him, attempting to overhear the other side of the conversation.

John put an arm around her shoulder as he listened to the Czech scientist over his earpiece. In contrast to his own shouting above the roar of the water, Radek seemed like he was whispering.

"Major Sheppard, what is going on?" A pause. "And what is that noise behind you?"

"I'll fill you in with the details later! Dr. Weir and I are trapped in the marine biology lab on the bottom floor - do you know where that is?"

"Ah... yes, yes, I think so."

"Good! Now listen to me carefully, Radek: the lab is flooding - fast! Can you tell me if there's a way to open the door from inside the room?"

There was silence as Zelenka mulled over the problem. For a moment, John was worried that he had lost the scientist until his voice cut over the airways with an answer. It was an answer John didn't like.

"Unfortunately, no. Being entirely underwater, all of the doors on the bottom level are equipped with an extra sealing and locking mechanism for precisely this situation. They're designed so that nothing can get out."

John bit his lip. "Is there a way to override that somehow?"

"Ne, I am afraid not, not from the inside."

Shit, Sheppard thought to himself. He cupped his hand over the mic and updated Elizabeth. "He says there's no way open the door from the inside."

"Somehow I'm not comforted by the fact that we were right," she chattered anxiously. "He's got to do it for us, from the hallway. It's the only way."

Nodding in agreement, John uncovered the microphone. "Okay, Radek: we need a favor!"

"All right..." was the cautious reply.

"We need you to come down here and open the door from the outside!"

"Suck ra ninski!" came the colorful response. "No, I don't know, Major... I don't have the proper equipment to interface with the control crystals... Perhaps Rodney would be a better option-"

"McKay is being held by the Lacedami, along with everyone else!" John barked. He watched the rising pool of water, now at his knees. They didn't have time for this. "You're the only one out there who can help us, Zelenka. Either you get down here now, or we both die!"

"Okay, okay," the nervous scientist answered. "But I am not exactly close to your position. I'm hiding in-"

"No, no, don't broadcast your location!" John cautioned. "In all likelihood, the Lacedami are monitoring this conversation - I don't want them heading you off at the start!" And now they're sure to be on their way here, too. We'll just have to hope that Radek can beat them.

"Wonderful," Zelenka said dryly.

"I don't want to rush you, but we're sort of pressed for time! We have maybe twenty minutes! You'll have to pick up whatever equipment you need on the way and haul ass over here!"

"Okay..." was Zelenka's doubtful reply.

Elizabeth leaned into John's mic and put every bit of confidence she had in the scientist into her next words. "Please, Radek! I know you can do this!" She pressed her cheek against John's, both to listen to the reply and out of the sheer need for physical contact. She could feel their one and only hope of getting out alive slipping away.

They awaited his answer, huddled together, assailed by thousands of drops that pelted their skin like stones.

"Okay," finally came the soft, yet decidedly determined response. "I will be there as soon as I can."

Elizabeth grinned and squeezed John's hand. "Thank you, Radek! And be careful!"

"Není zač," Zelenka said sincerely, with a touch of bashfulness.

Looking at Elizabeth huddled at his side, John was about to remark on her powers of persuasion. He noticed she was still was grinning... no, not grinning. Her jaw was clenched tightly in a vain attempt to arrest her chattering teeth. She stood as stiff as a block of ice and held a death grip on his hand. He hadn't noticed before, but the room's temperature had plummeted in the last several minutes. He could see the water vapor from their breath.

"Hey," he called reassuringly. "Let's get you moving around, keep your blood flowing." He enveloped her in a bear-hug and began to rub her arms and back quickly, hoping the friction would provide some warmth. John led her around the back wall of the room, in some sort of ungainly waltz, to get at least her legs moving. They had to wade through the water so deep was it now.

After several minutes of the activity, he asked, "Better?"

Elizabeth nodded stiffly. She bounced on her toes to keep warm. "At least Kavanagh c-can't be b-blamed for this one," she quipped weakly.

Despite himself, John had to chuckle. "Maybe not directly. Just hang on a couple more minutes. Zelenka will be here to spring us out soon-"

The remaining glass impeding the inrush of water suddenly and violently gave way. The ocean now had the full berth of the window - a large, gaping wound in the side of Atlantis - through which to invade the lab.

As the flooding abruptly surged in rate, the panic Elizabeth had been restraining just below the surface became suddenly uncontrollable. She scrambled backward, nearly falling in the process, until she reached the far wall of the room. She pressed against it, as if somehow she could force her way through to the hallway beyond. Her eyes remained locked on the menacing waterfall.

John stayed with her, paying no mind to the onslaught. "Hey!" he yelled at her forcibly. Getting no response, he grabbed her chin firmly. "Hey, look at me! Look at me, Elizabeth!"

Succeeding in getting her to tear her eyes off of the far wall, John moved directly in front of her to block her view of the deluge. He crouched down until he was eye level with her. "No matter what happens, you keep your eyes on me, got it?" he ordered, pointing at his own eyes. "Just keep looking here, nowhere else!"

Elizabeth nodded tightly, trusting in him. Though her eyes were wide, they remained fixed to his. He seemed so calm. She latched onto that.

"We'll find a way out, just hang tight," he said.

"If we can't find a way, we'll make one, right?" she echoed his previous words back to him.

"Right," he encouraged. "Zelenka!" the major called into his microphone. "Zelenka, we've, ah, got a bit of a problem!"

"Yes, what is it?" Radek replied immediately. John could tell by the strain in the scientist's voice that he was on the move.

"You know how I told you that we had twenty minutes before the room completely flooded? Well, that might have been a slight exaggeration!"

"Not to worry, Major. I have already picked up the necessary tools. I would say that I am still at least ten minutes out, though."

John cursed under his breath. "We may not have ten minutes!" He immediately bit his tongue. He knew Elizabeth was frantically hanging on to his every word.

Sheppard heard Radek echo his curse in Czech. "I'm sorry, Major, but I am going as fast as I can!"

Knocking his head with the heel of his palm, as if that would somehow shake loose a better plan, John sighed in exasperation. The situation was not promising. He pictured the mousy scientist dodging Lacedami patrols in the corridors, just as he and Elizabeth had done during the initial incursion. If Radek got caught or delayed, trapped in a room for even a few minutes as they did, it was all over for the two of them.

Trapped in a room, the major thought to himself. Just as we were when the Lacedami were hot on our heels. We escaped by...

"Zelenka," John called excitedly, "is there another way out of this lab? Like a crawlspace overhead?"

"Hmm, no... no, I don't think so," Zelenka answered. "Wait, there might be something. Most labs have a tunnel installed below the floor. Well, it is more like a - what is the word - a duct, a large duct, for electrical conduit and the like."

"Can a person fit through it?"

"Yes, although that is not what it was intended for, obviously. It will be tight."

"Good enough! How do we access it?"

"Given that it routes power and data from various places in the City to the lab, I would start by finding a data entry console. Pull up a floor tile directly in front of the console."

John did as he was told. The pool of water, now up to his waist, made it difficult for him to traverse the lab. Once he was at the console, he took a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface. The icy cold water stung his already aching arm.

He tried prying up the tile directly in front of the station with his fingers, but not surprisingly it wouldn't budge. Probably sealed like the door, the major thought. He tried his blade. Unlike the door, however, he was able to find a lip between the tile and the adjacent one, enough for him to pry the edge of the square panel upward.

Once there was a gap wide enough to fit a finger through, he pulled with hands and succeeded in wrenching the large tile free of its spot in the floor. Water immediately gushed into the empty chasm. The channel was only about two feet wide by two feet deep, but it appeared to run in the right direction: underneath the lab's door and past the perimeter of the room. Light from the ceiling pierced through the water and into the narrow tunnel for the first several feet of its length, revealing a tangled nest of wires and piping. Beyond that was pitch black.

John broke the surface and took in a lungful of air. He activated his radio. "You want us to swim through that?" he asked Zelenka doubtfully. "It's a goddamn rat's nest!"

"I do not know what to tell you, Major. Besides the door, it is they only way out of the laboratory."

Now completely soaked head to toe, Sheppard eyed the incoming cascade warily. There had to be a better answer. "What about the b-broken window?" he wondered aloud, his own teeth beginning to chatter. "We could swim out the window, into the ocean and up t-to the surface-"

"I'm afraid that won't work," Radek interjected. "Judging by the timeline you provided, the force of the incoming water will be too great. You will never be able to overcome it. It will simply push you back into the lab as you are trying to get out."

John stared in thought at the inky black square below the water, contrasting to the bright white tiles around it. If the water didn't do them in, hypothermia might. Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, soaked, shivering, and terrified out of her mind. They needed to get out of the lab, and fast. The utility channel was their only way.

"Okay then," John said more to himself than anyone. "Anything we should know b-before we do this thing?"

"You'll have to swim about thirty feet below the floor before you reach an identical access tile in the hallway floor on the other side of the door. Just remember to take a deep breath."

"Wonderful," John muttered to himself. He knew thirty feet didn't sound like much, but with the jungle of cabling with which they'd be sharing the passage, he was worried even the largest lungful of air wouldn't sustain them at their the slow pace.

"Hopefully I will be there by the time you emerge on the other side. Good luck, Major."

Once again, John wrapped Elizabeth in his arms and rapidly rubbed her own, attempting to get her warm again. He contemplated how to best spin the audacious plan to her. "I've got g-good news," he began. "Zelenka's found us a way out."

She just nodded stiffly and leaned into him. Her shivers were uncontrollable, almost epileptic in amplitude.

"We're going to have to take a s-swim, though," he continued. "Just stay behind me and I promise you'll be fine."

"D-do you remember how I t-told you that I ran track all the way through c-college?" Elizabeth said suddenly, her teeth still chattering with the cold.

He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected query. Perhaps she felt the need to talk, to distract herself. He was just glad that she was no longer reticent. He attentively brushed several locks of hair out of her face. Despite having remained above water, her entire head was now soaked from the spray.

"Well, it was only b-because I failed at s-swim team first," she continued, speaking into his chest. "I don't really l-like w-water."

"Hey, me neither," John assured her. "You d-don't see Navy wings on this uniform, d-do you?"

"No, you d-don't understand," Elizabeth said with a seriousness that made John realize her words were more than nervous chatter. Her eyes met his eyes with complete lucidness. "I can't s-swim."

John's heart almost stopped beating. "Say again?"

She looked at him almost apologetically. "John, I c-can't s-swim. I never l-learned how."

Major Sheppard just stood there, dumbfounded for several beats, trying to process what he had heard. It certainly explained her terrified behavior. "Are you serious?" he asked indignantly. "You're the l-leader of Atlantis, and you don't know h-how to swim?"

"Well I didn't actually think the l-lost city had literally 'disappeared into the depths of the sea' when I t-took the job!" she fired back. She tried to turn her head away from the oncoming ocean.

"Jesus Christ..." John breathed to himself, clasping his hands on top of his head in frustration. The situation was degrading fast.

"That's okay," he thought aloud, nodding to himself. "That's okay. New plan. We'll just have to f-find another way out that doesn't involve s-swimming."

"There is n-no other w-way!" she said resolutely, clutching herself tightly. She had heard enough of his conversation with Radek to deduce as much. "And we're wasting t-time pretending there is. The w-water is already up to my c-chest."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Elizabeth looked at him sternly. Her eyes were wide, terrified but keeping it together somehow. "Leave me here. You can s-swim out yourself-"

"No, absolutely not. Forget it," John dismissed. "Now grab onto me and I s-should be able pull you-"

"I'll only slow you d-down."

"This isn't open for discussion, Elizabeth."

"No it isn't-"

"I am not leaving you here!"

"Yes, you are! I can't swim through that t-tunnel, John. You can!" She took a deep breath to calm herself, but she held his gaze firmly. "Once you're through, you can open the d-door for me from t-the outside."

Dr. Weir tried to maintain her best poker face as he contemplated her logic. She could feel John studying her closely, his brow pinched in suspicion. She had no doubt that Sheppard could successfully escape the lab via the underwater conduit without her encumbering him. However, she wasn't naive enough to think that he'd also be able to somehow open the door from the outside before the room completely filled with water. She also knew that, given the choice, he would loyally stay by her side until the end. She needed to deny him that choice.

"It'll take a few m-minutes for me to swim through, and even more time to jerry rig the door open..." she heard him reason aloud. "By the time I get back in... this room could be completely flooded and you could be-"

John stopped himself short. He couldn't believe what he had been about to say. The realization hit him like a sucker punch; he looked her way in dismay. But her stony expression didn't match his own shock, having long before arrived at the same conclusion. She looked into his eyes, looking grim but resolute.

"I guess you'll just have to s-swim faster," she offered weakly.

As she spoke, he heard the catch in her voice, saw her eyes flicker away for the briefest moment - two telltale signs he had never seen her display before. She was lying. Even she didn't believe her own words. It suddenly dawned on him: Elizabeth was trying to save him, her own self be damned.

John shook his head with renewed vigor. "No," he maintained, sounding sick. "No fucking way. I w-won't let you do it."

"John, I'm s-staying here," Elizabeth said measuredly.

"Like hell you are!"

"Now this is what you're going to do: you're going to s-swim out to the other side of the door-"

"You're damn right I will, and you'll b-be right behind me!"

"Dammit, John, s-stop arguing with m-me and listen! Every second we waste bickering p-puts this plan at risk of failing."

John scoffed. "You staying behind - what the hell kind of plan is that? At best, this s-sounds like some halfcocked John Sheppard operation."

"W-which is w-why it will work," asserted Elizabeth.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Elizabeth suddenly felt the weight of her all but certain death pressing upon her. It was terrifying. She fought to control her breathing and squeezed her eyes shut.

She cleared her throat and prayed her voice was there. "Listen, there are s-some t-things you need to know about t-the Lacedami, some things that I f-found out that you should hear..."

John brushed another lock of hair from her eyes, silencing her. Despite their frigid environment, she melted at his touch. She leaned into his palm, wanting nothing more at that moment than to stay there indefinitely.

"Elizabeth," he said quietly. "I won't listen to that kind of talk, not from you. I am not leaving this lab without you." His tone was firm, matter-of-fact. "I've come too far to let you do this."

Elizabeth smiled sadly at him, admiring that ever-present devotion she loved so dearly. "And I c-care about you too much to l-let you stop me."

Staring into her delicate brown eyes, John found only raw conviction staring back at him. It scared him, for he suddenly realized he would not be winning this battle. Her mind was made. He had this image of Fate opening a bottomless pit below them, ready to swallow her up forever. But he wasn't about to let it. He was unwilling to give up just yet, as if he didn't know how, as if the thought of failure hadn't occurred to him.

"Zelenka," he shouted into his radio, "where the hell are y-you?"

"I am still making my way to you," Radek's voice replied over John's headset. He was breathing heavily, probably running.

It wasn't the news John wanted to hear. Grabbing the nearest object within reach, a life-signs detector on one of the top shelves, John flung it across the room in legitimate frustration. It busted to pieces against the far wall. "Goddammit, Radek, what the hell is t-taking you so long?"

"I - I had to hide from some passing soldiers," Radek said apologetically. "I'm still several minutes out."

"You said that s-several minutes ago!"

"I am sorry, Major - I am trying!"

"Well try faster!"

"John..."

"What!" he snapped, before realizing it was Elizabeth speaking.

She addressed him calmly. "John, you need to go." Spotting a flashlight on the shelf erected beside her, she fumbled for the item and pushed it firmly at him. "At least w-we found one useful thing in this lab, right?" she quipped weakly.

John stared at the flashlight, in disbelief that this was actually happening. His next words were said with morbidity, his gaze unfocused. "Zelenka, there's one m-more thing I need you to do."

"Yes, Major. Anything."

John swallowed and closed his eyes. The mere thought of what he was about to say made his stomach turn. "Radek, I need you to get a hold of Dr. Beckett - I d-don't care how, just do it. Have him meet us down at the l-lab's entrance ASAP." He looked to Elizabeth. "Make sure he brings a defibrillator, oxygen, and a s-shot of adrenalin, got it?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Understood," came the somber reply. "Be careful, both of you."

After several more seconds of deliberation, John accepted Elizabeth's flashlight reluctantly. He hated himself for it, feeling as if he was yielding to her. But his feet didn't budge. He hesitated, unsure, looking at her dubiously.

She found his scrutiny uncomfortable and had to break eye contact before she lost her nerve. "Look, about the Lacedami: Kyros told me they're here f-for Rodney's Ancient device. Make sure they d-don't get it," she stressed.

"Elizabeth..."

"Please, let me f-finish," she pleaded. This was hard enough as it was. "Antigonos is also p-planning on using the city's star d-drive to get to Earth. No matter what h-happens, above all else, you cannot l-let that happen, okay?"

Sheppard found himself nodding at her direction, so easy was it to follow her leadership. He had to jolt himself back into reality; this wasn't some Tuesday all-hands briefing. He didn't care about the Lacedami, he didn't care about Earth. Right then and there, he didn't give a damn about anything but her. He cursed under his breath.

Elizabeth noticed his doubt. "John, you can beat these guys."

He shook his head vigorously. "I can't," he choked out, his voice cracking. "I - I don't know how, not without you."

"Yes, you do. What you d-don't know how to do is fail. You don't know how to give up. I've seen that one t-too many times," she said with a melancholy smirk. "Now you're out of t-time. Go."

John brushed away a drop of water he suspected wasn't from the deluge as it streamed down her cheek. The familiar gesture that sent even more tears cascading down her face. She tried to smile, to show him that she would be okay, but the expression was full of so much pain and sorrow for all the things she hadn't yet and never would tell him.

John studied her closely, admired her delicate yet strong features. Her face was pale from the cold, her lips blue. She shook forcefully. She may not hold out hope for herself, but there is one thing she's right about, he thought to himself. I can't fail, not now. I can do this.

With renewed determination, the major waded over to the open hatch in the floor. The floodwater had risen to his chest, which meant that it hit about shoulder-height on Elizabeth. She struggled as she followed him the short distance to the console. It was a challenge for her to keep her eyes averted from the gaping hole in the exterior window.

"When I s-said that I'm not leaving you here, I meant it," John affirmed as he readied himself for the plunge. "I will get that d-door open from the outside - I swear to God I will."

Elizabeth forced herself to nod. But she knew he wouldn't succeed, and not for his lack of trying; she knew he'd fight until the end. The odds were just stacked too heavily against them this time, even for him. John thought he could win, though, and she needed him to believe it. If a lie is what it takes to get him out of this lab and to safety, I would tell him a thousand, she decided.

He put his hands on her shoulders and emphasized his next points. "When I g-get through to the other side, I w-want you to try to pull the door open on this s-side again, okay? Maybe together we c-can get it open without Radek in case he hasn't shown up by then."

"Okay," she placated, unable to keep a hint of despondency from entering her voice.

"And just s-stay as far away from the window as you can. Here, hang onto these shelves."

She just nodded.

He let out a lungful of air, at last ready but still unwilling to leave. "I'll be back for you," he said softly. "I promise."

Realizing that this was it, the last time that she would ever lay eyes on him, Elizabeth suddenly balked. "John..."

"Don't," he said quickly, fearing what was coming.

"John, I... I need you know that I-"

"Elizabeth, don't. Just don't."

Looking at him forlornly, she was hurt by his rebuff, though she understood his reasons. She knew he was afraid, afraid of letting her go, of defeat... of the words she finally had been ready to express to him. But she wasn't about to let him go forever without letting him know what she had felt for him, words notwithstanding.

Before he could protest, Elizabeth brought her lips up to his and kissed him deeply. Into the embrace she poured all of her repressed desire, adoration, and longing for the man before her, and also her regret for not having the courage to express it until the end. It was only then that she could confirm something she had suspected for a long while.

She loved him.

After overcoming the initial shock, John found himself kissing her back. His cold lips instantly warmed against her own. He instinctively stepped in closer, surprised himself at the emotions he was allowing to surface. Before he knew what he was doing he deepened the kiss. He drank in the smell of her hair, felt the softness of her skin, the elegant curve of her chin. Pulling her tight against him, fiercely, desperately, he didn't want to ever let her go.

Then he felt the tiniest shiver form her. He sensed her despair as she kissed him yearningly. He reached up with a thumb and wiped a last tear from her cheek that he had somehow known would be there. John suddenly recognized the kiss for what it was: a kiss goodbye.

Brow furrowed with torment, the major quickly broke away before he persuaded himself to stay with her. He knew, as difficult as it was, that leaving Elizabeth was her only hope of surviving. Not daring to look back, he plunged underwater without another word.

Her eyes still shut, Elizabeth felt him pull away, gone. She suddenly felt the most alone she had ever felt in her life, trapped in a room with only her fears, regrets, and an impending end as company.

Elizabeth held her head in her hands began to sob.

TBC