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 mammal left behind that day?

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The plan was risky and fraught with danger. It was either that though or face certain death at the hands of the remaining pack of tigers who had a score to settle.

Sid had gone off, per Diego's instructions and Manny found himself hoping the sloth was okay and that he didn't mess things up. Glaring in the direction of the tiger who had disappeared Manny settled down and waited - there was nothing much else he could do…except perhaps contemplating ways to kill Diego.

The betrayal hurt, and the trust and camaraderie that had built up between the four of them was now hanging in tatters. Illusions of trust and companionship were shattered. You couldn't just make it better again with a few bleated protests and apologies. Manny snorted.

Diego had confessed everything with remorse clear in his eyes, but the mammoth still held onto his doubt, knowing that if he let it go again he was leaving himself wide open for more hurt if this was another trick of Diego's.

And yet there was a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that Diego was truly sorry. That instead of telling them about the plan he could simply have gone and gotton his pack. The mammoth shifted uneasily on his feet and wondered where Sid was. He was taking his time…

"Sorry fellas! He got a little frost bite!"

Sid's voice echoed around the mountains. Manny rolled his eyes. The sloth was safe.

There was a loud, angry snarl. "Get him!"

Maybe not.

Sid rushed around the corner towards the mammoth and kept going to get to the real baby. Five seconds later three saber toothed tigers came hurtling around. They stopped short as they came face to face with a large angry mammoth.

"Surprise!"

Manny picked up the huge log lying in front of him and without further ado swept it round at them, hitting all three tigers, knocking them over the ledge they were standing on. Manny smirked, then turned as Diego and Nana came up behind him smiling, even if the smile on Nana's face was starting to look brittle.

"Come on, we'll pick up Sid and get out of here while we can," said Diego.

Nana nodded mutely and Manny looked at her in concern, but she steadfastly ignored his stare and started to walk after Diego. Manny followed them quickly, determined to speak with the moping tiger later when Diego wasn't there. Suddenly he stopped as another tiger came up on his right. He was a large sabretooth with impressive fangs and Manny watched him warily.

Without moving his eyes away the stranger called to Diego. "Come on, Diego. Let's bring this mammoth down!"

Diego froze, then turned around slowly and glanced at the other tiger that was stalking back and forth in front of Manny. Nana watched in growing horror as Diego approached, beginning to growl. The two tigers closed in on Manny, forcing back against the high cliff face.

He was trapped.

Nana's eyes narrowed and she ran back to Manny, coming to stop in front of him protectively, teeth bared and claws out. If this was the way Diego wanted it to play out then so be it. The other tiger looked surprised at the sudden appearance of a female, then leered.

Nana snorted in disgust. "Not on your life."

The other tiger merely growled in response but Nana knew he was smarting. To everyone's disbelief, Diego came to stand next to Nana, who looked at him critically, one eyebrow raised, but by the way she held herself close to him it seemed to Manny that he wasn't about to turn on them.

The other tiger pulled up sharply, seemingly more startled than anyone else.

"What're you doing?"

Diego's hackles rose and he spoke coldly to him. "Leave the mammoth alone Soto."

"Fine. I'll take you down first," said Soto, eyes narrowed in hatred.

Two of the previously felled tigers that Manny had knocked off the ledge had recovered their health and were now coming to back up their leader. They began to enclose the group.

Soto and Diego began to circle each other and as they leaped towards each other Nana moved to help.

Suddenly she was attacked by another tiger who had sprung out at her, knocking her off balance. She rolled a little way away, trying to shrug off this new threat, but not before the tiger managed to rake his claws across her body, gouging three deep cuts into her side. Nana snarled in pain and viciously swatted at his eyes with a paw, smiling grimly at the sound of agony that came from her opponent. Blood streaming from his eyes caused him to be practically blinded, and Nana wasted no time taking advantage of the opportunity.

She leapt at him and sank her teeth into the soft flesh of his throat, severing the jugular before the other tiger could utter another whimper. She let the body fall at her feet and stepped away from it in disgust. She wasn't proud of her actions but knew it was either do nothing and watch him kill her or get rid of the danger.

Licking away the blood coating her teeth and around her face she turned to see how the others were faring, just in time to watch Diego be thrown forcefully against one of the sheer dark cliffs and fall unconscious to the ground.

"Diego!"

About to run to him she noticed that the momentary distraction had caused the fat tiger to try and swipe a gash in Manny's side. This in turn forced the mammoth backwards, and Nana's eyes widened as she realised he would be hemmed in against the cliff if he moved any further back. By now Soto came to join his rather larger companion and together they started to advance on a hemmed in Manny. She saw the mammoth bump into the rock and look behind him, his eyes widening as he realised the tricky predicament he was now in. Diego was slowly lifting his head, but Nana realised that he was too dazed to do anything to help.

Narrowing her eyes she leapt with a cry of rage and landed on Soto's back, digging in her claws, causing the big cat to screech in pain. She leapt off him, his stunned companion simply standing there watching as Soto angrily turned on Nana.

"So you're Diego's little bitch eh?" Nana's eyes became slits.

"I'm not Diego's little anything," she ground out.

"Really?" He smirked. "Well then it won't cause him any pain if I get rid of you, will it?"

Nana simply smiled. "I'd love to see you try. Now are we done with the verbal insults?" She yawned dramatically, inwardly smirking at the look of fury in Soto's black eyes. "Because this is getting boring."

Soto roared and leapt, but Nana nimbly dodged out of the way and raked a claw along his male tiger whirled and caught her off guard, managing to get in a good blow to her head. Shrugging off the dizziness, she spat in his eyes, causing him to momentarily lose his vision as he tried to blink away the moisture. Nana knocked him to the ground in his blindness and pounced on him, hearing a satisfying crack as some of Soto's ribs splintered.

She leapt off, but fell flat on the ground, as one of his paws wrapped around her foot. It appeared he wasn't giving up without a fight. She tried to kick him off but he was having none of it. He grabbed her back leg and wrenched. She cried out in pain, knowing he'd dislocated it from her hip. Feeling the paw at her other leg she wriggled desperately, trying to escape the crushing grip. And then he pulled that one sharply too.

She whimpered in agony, trying to crawl away from the sudden certainty of death. She tried to get up, but the pain in her hips was like nothing she'd felt before, excluding the pain she had felt from receiving her scar. She saw Soto stand, saw him wince at the pain his broken ribs caused, saw him circle her, pathetic as she lay on the snow.

Looking around her she noticed Manny was helping up Diego, unaware of what was happening to her as he tended to the fallen tiger, who was now much more lucid than he had been. Obviously, Manny was putting the betrayal behind him. The other sabre had disappeared, and for that she was grateful, knowing Manny would only have to deal with Soto now.

"And look at you now," murmured Soto sadistically. "Not so bored anymore, I think." With a sudden movement he was looking her right in the face, and she was helpless to do anything. "Goodbye."

Sinking his fangs into her throat, she felt his teeth slice into her tender body. Closing her eyes, she knew she wouldn't survive this last encounter and resigning herself to her fate, it was with shock she felt Soto ripped away from her. She opened her eyes watching as the tiger flew through the air, before his body smashed into the rocks.

Soto shook his head, slightly stunned from the impact, which had jostled his broken ribs, and he waited a few beats trying to shake off the nausea. Nana saw the shaking icicles before Soto did, watched as they quivered and knew what would happen, even as Soto tried to stand. The icicles fell, impaling the tiger where he lay and she watched as his body went limp. Sighing in relief Nana watched as the rest of the group turned and wandered over to where she lay.

Sid wandered over with the baby smiling. "We did it!"

Nana managed a weak smile at his enthusiasm. "Are you alright?"

Sid nodded, and she saw his former happiness start to drain away as he finally started to take notice of the situation. "Yeah," he said softly. "We're all… all alright."

Nana nodded. "Good." She closed her eyes, suddenly very tired.

"I'm uh, sorry I tried to set you up," murmured Diego, as he came and lay down next to her, ignoring the blood and the pain, and trying to offer as much comfort as he could.

"Ah, you know me, I'm too lazy to hold a grudge," said Sid. Manny nodded in agreement.

Nana smirked as she cracked open an eye. "You're too lazy to hold anything, sloth," she said weakly.

Setting the baby down on the ground Sid backed off a step and the group watched as he crawled over to Nana and put a hand on her nose. Nana smiled slightly at the baby and opened her other eye.

"Hey, little one." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Look after everyone for me, huh? Take care of Manny and Sid and especially Diego," she rolled her eyes at the growl from the tiger next to her. "Be strong and grow up and make me proud, okay?" She found the strength to lift her head and give the baby a soft lick, and then nudged him away from the blood-speckled snow towards Sid and Manny.

"Come on, you can lick this! You're a tiger!" Cried Sid.

Nana smiled wistfully. "I'm a tiger Sid, but I'm not invincible." She shifted slightly and let out a small whimper as the movement jolted her legs, which lay limply splayed out next to her.

Sid pleaded with Manny."Tell her she's gonna be alright!"

Manny remained silent, his dark eyes boring into Nana's. She shook her head imperceptibly, her expression one of resignation.

"You should go," she said, her voice weak and accepting.

When Manny spoke his tone was quiet and serious."You didn't have to do that."

"That's what you do in a herd," she replied, echoing his words in the lava pits when he'd saved Diego.

"Now go. Return the kid." She closed her eyes and then let out a long shuddering breath.

The baby whimpered and Diego dropped his head, closing his eyes, his breathing ragged. Manny picked up the baby as he reached over for Diego, leaving the tiger to mourn in peace. Sid followed silently, understanding the tiger's need for privacy.

They walked a little way off, leaving Diego next to Nana's limp body. Sid stood next to Manny, neither creature saying anything in the silence that followed.

Finally Sid could stand it no longer. He turned to the mammoth.

"Do you think…?"

He was cut off by a loud roar that echoed around the cliffs, a roar full of anguish and self-loathing, of pain and of love. Grief, yes it was full of grief, but the resounding emotion was of bitterness, over what was lost and what would now never be. Manny turned to Sid, his eyes shining with tears and he nodded.

"Yeah, I think he did."

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