Summary: The trio manage to find a way out of the cave, only to be faced with uncertainty and the daunting task of building a raft to get them home. Frank and Lily continue to dance around their growing attraction.

Soundtrack Suggestion: Track 9, Preparing to set sail (mostly for the end)

Chapter 5: Better Together

Beams of sunlight streamed through the rooftop, giving the cave an angelical aura. Frank had been up for about thirty minutes before Lily and MacGregor awoke, and managed to identify an escape route.

"Rise and shine kids - I think I found a way out of here." Frank shuffled about, and tossed a rag he had been using to wipe his hands at Proxima. She growl-yawned as she stretched and made her way over to Frank who gave her a hearty scratch behind both ears.

"Really? How?" Lily asked, sleep still in her voice.

Frank straightened up and put his hands on his hips. "Well, as the sun rose this morning, it dawned on me —".

Lily groaned, and pressed her fingers into her eyes. "Ugh, Frank…jokes…too early…"

Ignoring the interruption, he continued, "It DAWNED on me that if the impact of the boat was in the right spot, then the pillars holding the cave open may have landed on each other, giving us enough separation for us to climb through, or…" he paused and looked to Lily before continuing, "…swim under."

Lily's breath caught in her throat. "I really hope you found a spot to climb through…"

MacGregor reached out to grab Lily's hand in support. She gave his hand a squeeze in silent thanks.

"Listen, I didn't have enough light to explore all of our options - but now that you both are up, we can take a look together." Frank looked at Lily reassuringly. "Don't worry, we're all gonna get out of here safe and sound."

There was a moment of silent thought for each of them. The distant sounds of the jungle echoing into the chamber of the cave from the opening in the rooftop.

MacGregor caught Frank's eyes, and saw him make a curt gesture with his head indicating towards the boat wreckage. He squinted in confusion, and Frank repeated the signal, this time mouthing the words, "GO ON".

Taking the hint, MacGregor hoisted himself up and took a gulp from his canteen, the stale water making him shudder. "Well, I'll just head over the to the spa for my facial…" He announced sarcastically as he made his way over to the wreckage with Proxima trotting after him.

Frank felt bad for shooing MacGregor away, but he wanted a moment alone with Lily - He made a mental note to make it up to him later.

Satisfied that it was just the two of them, Frank walked over to where Lily was sitting. He offered his hands, and she took them, letting Frank pull her up gently. "How are you feeling?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Not bad actually - for sleeping on a stone floor. And I don't see myself climbing any trees in the foreseeable future." She smiled at him, appreciative for the concern, and motioned to the end of the cave, "Shall we?"

As she started to take a step, Frank held her back.

"You know you need to take it easy, right?" He cautioned.

"I am perfectly capable of lending a hand to our rescue efforts." Lily countered. As she reached down to grab the canteen, she couldn't hide a grimace of discomfort.

From the moment he met her he knew she was unlike any woman he'd crossed paths with. Most women he'd interacted with in the last few decades have been tourists - wide-eyed and in awe at everything he had to show them in the jungle. Some were high-society socialites vacationing with their husbands and wearing insensible dresses way too heavy and warm for journeying into a humid rainforest. Others were locals who were used to life in the Amazon and knew Frank as a loner and someone often owing money to someone else.

Her insistence and bold confidence struck a cord in him. She was independent and not afraid to rush head first into danger. It was perplexing to him. He wasn't sure if he felt extreme annoyance, or fierce admiration. Now, after all they'd been through, he sided with fierce admiration - with only slight annoyance.

Frank shook his head, "Do you have any idea how incredibly stubborn you are?" He leveled his gaze at her.

"It's been said."

He smiled at the familiar words - for it was the same remark she made when Frank whipped open the door to Nilo's office to reveal her on the other side. Her eyes shone of certainty then, and they still did now.

A comfortable silence fell between them. Neither could deny that there was a new energy that seemed to surround them… and it was feeding a growing attraction.

Feeling the need to be closer to her, Frank took a step towards Lily.

She held fast at his approach, thinking he was challenging her by stepping into her space. Instead she was surprised when he reached out with his left hand to play with a strand of hair across her shoulder.

Her demeanor switched immediately and she softened her stance.

Her mind carried her away momentarily. It was easy to banter with him, it came naturally. Although she was resistant to trusting him initially, things have most definitely changed. He opened himself up to her - sharing his story and his heartbreaking decision to end the nearly four-hundred year old curse with eternal rest. But now, with him here in front of her, having decided to return to the land of the living…she felt excited to show him the world - to be there for him they way he was for her and her brother.

Softening, Lily brought her own hand up and laid it atop his, her own defenses lowering, and feeling the comfort of his touch as a welcome feeling.

Feeling bold, Frank gave her an encouraging pull forward, and she came willingly.

Lily's pulse quickened just as Frank leaned down to place a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. His mouth was warm and she wondered if she noticed that the first time they kissed. The intensity of their conversation shifted so quickly that they both were taken off guard by this quiet moment.

He pulled back slowly, feeling the upturn of a smile on her lips.

"That was nice." Lily murmured into his lips. Frank's hand fell away from her shoulder to her arm, and he pulled back to look at her.

He tilted his head and squinted, "Nice?" he repeated. "That was way better than nice." He declared.

"Nice is a perfectly decent compliment!" Lily retorted, feigning indifference. Matching his stare, she saw the glint in his eye, and she had to admit, she was enjoying the direction this was going.

Frank's mouth opened and shut as Lily smiled at him tauntingly. He felt heat rise to his chest. Was she flirting with me? This verbal sparring was indeed something they were both enjoying. Frank readjusted his hat, preparing for battle.

Before they could continue their tête à tête, MacGregor's voice called out, "LILY! FRANK! Come see! I think I found our salvation!"

Disengaging from each other reluctantly, they made their way over to where MacGregor was standing.

"Look!" He pointed. "See the space where the water is draining, just behind the broken ballast of the boat? Watch this…" MacGregor whistled.

Frank and Lily watched in amazement as Proxima appeared through the gap. Her fur was matted and wet, and she shook it out as she cleared the stone.

"Good girl Proxima!" Frank exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in elation. He gave the big cat a pat on the head as she sauntered by proudly.

MacGregor frowned. "Well I'm the one who showed her where the hole was…" He pouted.

Lily couldn't help but laugh at the look on her brother's face, and Frank grinned widely.

"This means we should all be able to get through to the other side. No swimming required." Frank looked to Lily, relief written all over her face.

It took them about thirty minutes to gather their supplies and stuff them into the burlap sack Frank found the night before. Frank threw his satchel across his body and made his way back to the opening in the wall. He insisted on squeezing through the gap first to ensure it was safe and when he did, he discovered a large portion of La Quila's hull was on the other side of the cave, along with the canopy, and some rope. He felt hopeful that there was enough lumber to pull together a makeshift raft to get them down the river. It seems the universe was looking out for them.

Once all three humans and one feline were on the other side of the wall, they took stock of what lay ahead. They realized that getting home was going to be quite a challenge.

Frank sighed, and dropped heavily onto a rock near the edge of the water.

"This is gonna take a while…" He wiped the sweat already beading on his brow with the shirt on his forearm.

The cavern they were in now protected them from the sun, but the heat of the Amazon was thick and heady. It was apparent that it was going to take a lot of effort to pull together what remained of La Quila to hopefully get them safely down the river.

"Frank, you're not alone in this. Jokes aside, we can do this together- just show us what to do." MacGregor spoke, sounding hopeful. Frank was affected by his optimism. MacGregor has made quite a change since his arrival in the Amazon and Frank was impressed at how much he has evolved since he first met him. Once a stuffy, scrawny Englishman afraid to sully his wardrobe - to this messy, still scrawny, but ready to get his hands dirty adventurer.

Frank looked at him with gratitude, and even though he knew they was up for the challenge - he wasn't sure if it would be enough. He hadn't mentioned this to either of his companions, but he felt…different. Tiredness clawed at his limbs, and his head had not stopped pounding since he woke up. An after effect of the curse? Was this normal? I'm sure it will pass. His thoughts invaded his mind.

He didn't want to worry them - so he kept it to himself.

"That's the spirit!" Frank stood and gave MacGregor a hearty smack across his back in gratitude. The action causing the much smaller man to nearly topple over.

Frank asked Lily to gather ropes and and the canopy - albeit carefully, as he and MacGregor waded into the waist-deep water to start pushing pieces of the boat back together.

Lily found a few pots and while MacGregor and (mostly) Frank did the heavy lifting, boiled some water to make enough to drink and rehydrate the weary team.

Lily was impressed by Frank's skills and knowledge of physics and construction as he was able to use planks of wood, the river rocks and the rope to create leverage and a pulley system out of nothing. His acumen and skill for building was on full display, and she was captivated by it. Frank was able to direct MacGregor in such a way that within hours they managed to pull together the fractured pieces of the vessel back together into a raft. It wasn't pretty, but it floated, and that's all they needed.

Lily and MacGregor jumped aboard their new vessel and Frank pushed it away from the bedrock. It took some effort, but soon Frank and MacGregor were paddling their way back out of the cave and towards the connection to the main river. Lily made sure Proxima found a spot to settle, and took to the rear of their raft to steer with the makeshift rudder Frank installed.

She watched her brother and Frank on either side of the raft paddle and push with two large planks of wood turned oars. This is going to be a long return to Porto Velho. Trepidation began to creep into her veins.

Frank's head was swimming. They had not eaten at all today, and the physical exertion to build the raft was really taking a toll on him. He knew something was wrong the moment the sun hit him and they were no longer under the protection of the cave.

Lily noticed Frank sway slightly, and she moved from where she sat to stand beside him. She went to catch his arm when he took another wobbly step. It was her turn to be concerned.

"Frank? Are you OK?" She tried to look in his eyes, but he had them squeezed shut.

"Uh - actually - maybe I should sit down for a minute." He was going to argue, but decided it was just not worth the energy.

MacGregor stopped paddling and let the raft drift towards the shore where they came to stop.

"Lily, here…" MacGregor offered his canteen to Lily to give to Frank. He took it and gulped down the much needed liquid.

"I don't know what's wrong…I mean, I know I'm hungry and tired - but that's nothing new. I can usually go a day or two without eating much." He paused, feeling a bit embarrassed by his body betraying him like this. "I just can't clear my head right now."

"Frank - you've gone through more than either of us these last twenty-four hours. I don't know how curses work exactly…but if I were to take a stab at it, I'd say that your body is acclimating to being…mortal again." Lily took a rag and poured some water from the canteen onto it saturating it just enough. She pressed the damp cloth to the side of his tanned forehead and temple, then down to his cheek. Frank leaned into her hand.

Frank was thankful for his companions, but still felt he was letting them down. He was responsible for them and their safe return back to town. How would he be able to get them all home if he could hardly stand?

"I just don't know how we're gonna do this —"

Frank started to speak, but his words were cut off by the sound of a blowdart whizzing past his ear. It embedded itself in the wood near Proxima, and she let out a low, threatening growl.

Frank, Lily and MacGregor all blanched and looked towards the shore. Out from the large green foliage came a dozen men from the Puka Machuna tribe. They were not painted or adorned in any masks - but instead wore their traditional hunting attire. Frank's face lit up and the sense of panic he initially felt melted away to relief.

"Well well well…You're all alive!" Trader Sam's voice suddenly came from the other direction and the the trio's heads snapped around simultaneously to find her approaching in a large boat - with an engine!

Lily' heart leaped into her throat and she and MacGregor both came to their feet immediately - elated at the sight of the Puka Machuna's Chief.

"Trader Sam!" Lily shouted, the excitement in her voice palpable. "Where on earth did you get that boat?"

The boat in question actually once belonging to Mr. Nilo. It was barely recognizable however. The entirety of it was painted and covered with dried branches, leaves, and parts of the jungle hanging across it. No doubt to offer camouflage and cover when needed.

"Well - Frank can tell you…" Trader Sam smiled at her old friend, then took in his appearance, and frowned. "Frank? You look like hell - more than usual. What happened?"

Frank sighed. "It's a long story - and I promise to tell you all about it. But perhaps we can ask for a little help first?"

The tribe worked with the trio to attach ropes to the raft and then to Trader Sam's boat. They ensured it was secure and once Frank, Lily, MacGregor and Proxima were aboard the larger vessel, they began make their way down the river towards the Puka Machuna village, towing their raft behind.

Relief flooded Frank's veins and he felt his body relax knowing the help being offered would save them precious time and energy to get back to Port Velho. Trader Sam offered the group some food and they ate, eagerly. Nuts and fresh fruit gathered by the hunting tribe along with some sort of dried meat that tasted a bit gamey - but they were grateful for the protein. Frank felt life flowing through his veins again, and his energy level returned. The only thing that remained was a headache that seemed to linger.

As the group chugged down the river, MacGregor inquired about the boat again. "So - the boat?"

"Well - one of my first trades with Sam was this boat. I happened to have …acquired it from Mr. Nilo when he was away - and I traded it to Sam for their help in charting the Amazon." Frank and Lily sat next to one another at the bow of the boat. Frank was fiddling with his hat in his hands, as he was enjoying the breeze across his skin.

Trader Sam smiled at the memory. "That was also the first time I pulled a knife out of your leg!" She said with a disgusted look on her face. Frank nodded, "Oh yeah. I guess I did have a little trouble getting the boat out of the harbor."

Lily grimaced at the thought of needing to sew up another injury on the Skipper next to her.

MacGregor was laying on the floor, his head propped up on a sack of rice. "Well, that sounds like a fair trade."

They all laughed - grateful to be together.