Title: Lost and Found

Disclaimer: I don't own Manny, Sid, or Diego and/or any other characters associated with them. I do own Nana though and her storyline.

Pairing:Diego/OC

Summary: What if Sid wasn't the only creature left behind that day?

Diego raised a paw ready to swipe the baby when Manny stirred, shifting the baby into an unreachable position.

He cursed. All his chances seemed to be melting away like snow in spring. Or tigers over rivers and into the distance.

Diego frowned. Now was not the time to be thinking about Nana. In fact why was he thinking about her at all? He shook his head. Clearly spending time with such a strange group of creatures was messing with his head.

He was just missing his own kind- that was all.

Not that his own pack had any females in it…not since the last attack by the humans, anyway.

When he found himself wondering what the exact colour of her eyes was he knew he had to get the baby and leave, or he'd never be the same again.

He was just about to stalk back over to the sleeping mammoth when there was a sudden noise. A rustling in the bushes just up over the top of the sand dune.

Crouching low he inched his way up and then sprang.

Startled, Zeke and Oscar tumbled backwards, and Diego retracted his claws, rolling his eyes.

He glared at the two sabers. "What are you two doing here?"

Zeke snarled, upset with being snuck upon so easily. "Soto's getting impatient. He says come back with the baby… or don't come back at all!"

Diego growled back, inching up into Zeke's face as Oskar watched fearfully from the side. "Don't worry," he said, ignoring the faint twinge of guilt he felt. "I've got a new plan…"

Manny's eyes shot open as he realised he wasn't holding the baby anymore.

His eyes narrowing as he realised who had taken the sleeping child he hurried over to the still sleeping tiger and slammed his feet into the ground, waking Diego up from his snooze spot.

"Where's the baby?" Manny demanded loudly.

"You lost it?" snarled Diego back. The two glared at each other when sudden realization dawned.

"Sid!"

"Where'd you find it?" said the female sloth, chucking the baby under the chin.

Sid preeened. "Picture this, the poor kid, all alone in the wild. Sabers were closing in on him - so I just snatched him!" Sid mimed his actions as the baby sank lower into the mud bath, blowing bubbles as he went.

"So brave!" cooed the female sloth on the other side of him.

"Yeah, well, he needed me," said Sid modestly, scooping the baby up hastily. "I only wish I had one of my own, too."

"The world couldn't cope with more of you," said Nana, reaching into the tub and scooping the baby out, teeth clamped around his tunic. She gently popped him on the ground. "Sid, a word please?"

"Excuse me, ladies," said Sid, his eyes widening. "You just keep marinating and I'll be right back." He hurriedly followed after Nana who was licking the child clean on a nearby rock outcropping under a pine tree. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be returning him to his herd, not using him to get yourself a mate." She looked him up and down. "Good luck with that by the way."

Sid folded his arms. "Did you follow us?"

Nana rolled her eyes, set the baby on the floor and let him play with her tail. "Please, give me more credit than that. This is a popular mud hole site, and the mud soothes my skin." She motioned to her scar. "Besides, you're the ones who are out of your way. You should be on your way to Half Peak by now, not having leisure time. Where are your friends by the way?"

Sid shifted uncomfortably. "I left them, um...sleeping. They don't know about this."

"Well, at least that means they're not as stupid as I thought they were. Still had to be pretty dumb to let you steal off with junior here." She flicked her tail up in the air and the baby gurgled delightedly. "I thought you'd learnt your lesson last time. This time the kid stays with me, where it's safer."

"Safer?" Sid scratched his head. "Have you seen you?"

"At least I didn't almost drown him in mud," she pointed out. "He stays on dry land."

Sid's face fell. "No, no, no. Nana, please, I'm begging you. I need him."

"A good looking guy like you?"

"You say that, but you don't mean it," said Sid.

"You're right, I don't," Nana replied sharply. "But don't let me cramp your style."

"Thanks, Nana-"

She pulled the baby closer. "Without the kid."

"Well he can't stay with you."

"Why not, scared I might eat him?"

"Honestly? Yes."

Nana rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I've eaten since we last met."

"Why does that not reassure me?" said Sid suspiciously.

"Trust me, I had a very nice dinner of bison, though he was a bit old and tough around the edges. Still, you take what you can get."

Sid turned slightly green. "Thanks for the visual."

"Believe me, a baby isn't worth my time. Couple of mouthfuls at most." Nana began to lick her paws. "Plus, all the little bones would get stuck in my throat."

"It didn't stop you last time," Sid pointed out.

"Last time I hadn't eaten for three days and I was desperate." Nana looked over his shoulder and then fixed him with a look. "Your lady friends are getting bored. I think they might be leaving soon."

Torn, Sid chewed his lip.

"Go on, we'll be fine. And you can see us from over there, anyway, can't you?" said Nana persuasively. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright," said Sid eventually, beginning to walk back to his two companions. "But if anything happens to him I'll..." he paused. "well, I'm not sure what I'll do but I'll sure I'll think of something."

Nana turned back to the baby and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? He's going to get you home?"

"MANNY!"

Turning at the noise the mammoth didn't fail to miss Sid's scream. He headed in the direction of Sid's voice to see what was going on and sighed resignedly when he set his eyes on the scene. Diego had his teeth clamped firmly around Sid's throat and the sloth was struggling to get out.

"Diego, spit that out. You don't know where it's been."

"I will," said Diego, "when he tells me where he left the baby."

Manny almost had a heart attack. "You mean he's not with you either?"

"Well, as I was about to explain before the rhinos tried to kill me," said Sid quickly. "I sortoflefthimwithNana."

"Sorry?" Said Diego. "I didn't quite catch that last part."

"It would probably help if you didn't have your teeth around his neck," said Nana calmly, walking up to them and depositing the baby on the ground. "But I think what he said was that he left the baby with me."

"You did what?" exploded Manny. "How could you leave him with her?"

"Gee thanks," said Nana. "I'm really feeling the love."

"No offence, but last time you tried to eat him," Manny pointed out. "I would hardly describe you as a suitable babysitter."

"Well at least I don't lose my charge, twice may I add. Or use him as an object to improve my standing with the opposite sex!" Nana rejoined. "You guys don't exactly have a stellar performance record either."

"That's hardly the point," said Manny uncomfortably. "The point is Sid was irresponsible. Again."

"But as punishment, he did almost get himself killed. Again," said Nana, "so I think you should probably let him go now."

Diego reluctantly dropped Sid to the ground. "Boy! For a second there, I thought you were actually gonna eat me!"

"I don't eat junk food," growled Diego.

"Wow, you guys really are dysfunctional, aren't you?" Nana commented, sitting down and placing the child in between her forelegs.

Manny pinned her with a look. "And a sabre-tooth tiger on her own isn't?"

"Touche," she replied.

The baby wrinkled his face and there was sudden loud wet noise, followed by a rather nasty smell.

"And this is where I hand him back over to you," said Nana hastily, pushing him gently over to the mammoth.

"That's Sid's job," said Manny and handed the stinky, wriggly child over to the sloth who shot him a look. "Like you barely notice anyway, your stench is worse than his."

"Haha, I forgot how to laugh," Sid retorted but began to set about cleaning the child anyway.

"Well, this is where we say goodbye, again," said Nana, getting to her feet and stretching out her claws. "And don't let me catch you off track again."

"You, you could always come with us," said Diego hesitantly.

"Oh I'm not sure that's a good idea," Nana said quickly. "I'd just slow you down and...and...well actually I don't have any other reasons but you'll never make it to the Pass in time if I come with you."

"You wouldn't slow us down, you're pretty fast when you want to be," Diego replied. "Plus you're good with the baby and it'd eb some company for you."

Nana's spine straightened. "Who said I needed company? I like being on my own thank you very much." She made to leave but Diego leapt in front of her and blocked her path.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said that." He fixed his impossibly green eyes on hers. "But please. Stay."

When she hesitated Manny gritted his teeth. "Diego. A word. Now."

Sid, the baby and Nana watched as the two wandered over to a clump of trees and began arguing. Loudly.

"You know, I think he likes you," said Sid innocently.

Half an hour later and Manny had given in and let Nana join them on their journey, though he made sure she and Diego were always upfront where he could keep an eye on them. Which suited Diego fine, he could spend time with the other tiger, once again revelling in being with someone of his own kind.

"So how did you join up with these three?" Said Nana as they followed the path to the Pass.

Diego shifted uneasily. "Well, we all found the baby at the same time and decided to return it as a group."

"You didn't strike me as the mothering type," Nana replied mockingly. "I thought male tigers were all about the hunt and proving themselves in battle with other tigers. And here you are, alone with two other guys, not of your own species, raising a child together. Interesting."

Diego glared at her. "That is not what it sounds like."

"Relax, I'm only joking," laughed Nana. "I know you're in love with Sid. It's really quite adorable actually, in a really disturbing way-ah!"

Diego had thrown a snowball at her head.

She grinned and launched one back and soon it was out and out war, snow flying thick and fast through the air.

"Oi!" Said Manny as a snowball accidentally hit him in the face. He swiped at the snow with his trunk, his face unamused. "Watch where you're throwing that stuff."

There was a loud wet splat.

Manny blinked the snow from his eyes and glared. "Cut it out you two. I don't care who started it, but I'll finish it!"

"Concede Diego!" Nana yelled, her fur sodden through with snow.

"Never!" he shouted back, giving away his location.

Crouching in the snow she shuffled her way forward, keeping her body low to the ground and out of Diego's sight, tail twitching in anticipation. She spotted the smooth slope of his shoulders in front of a mound of snow, and she stilled. Counting under her breath she breathed once, twice...

She leapt.

Diego's collapsed in the snow face first and Nana leapt from him lightly, her mouth curved into a grin, fangs glinting in the weak sunlight.

"Game over, Diego, I win."

The sabre-tooth pulled himself up gracefully from the snow, eyes glaring daggers, and shook himself, ice cold powder spraying everywhere, his body a coil of anticipation, muscles straining beneath his sleek fur.

"You're going to regret that," he murmered darkly and leapt for her.

Nana raced off still grinning, body humming with exhilaration and adrenaline. She hadn't had this much fun in years. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her Diego was catching up, his speed greater than hers. but she was nimbler, sleeker and she put that to her advantage, weaving in and out of trees and then doubling back on herself, racing around Manny and Sid who watched in silence, Manny rolling his eyes.

"It'll all end in tears," he muttered.

Nana ignored him and raced on, speeding over the snow, until her leg began to throb, her scar beginning to ache. Suddenly her feet went from beneath her, but it wasn't her fault.

She was on a large lake of ice.

Diego appeared beside her, having slipped on the ice as well, his greater speed making him pass her as they sped along the surface, straight for a giant pile of snow.

The two of them shared a look before Diego hit the snow.

Nana hit Diegio.

Coughing and spluttering Diego came up first, as Nana, blushing, detangled her limbs from his.

"I still won," she said, as she pulled herself out of the snow drift after him.

Before Diego could reply Manny walked up beside them in the thick snow, having safely walked aorund the lake whilst they'd dug themselves out.

"I don't care who won," the mammoth interrupted, baby atop his fur, Sid by his side. "What I want to know is: where are we?"

"Well," said Diego looking around for any familiar land marks. He scented the air and then checked the ground anxiously.

Nana sat down in the snow and began to smooth her fur. "Oh dear. It appears the great tracker is lost."

"No," he snapped. "I know exactly where we are."

"I do too," she replied brightly. "It's called Lost. Population: Us."

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