Thank you very very much to Trouble Kelp, my only reviewer for this chapter. Yes, I was trying to make it sound as if Trouble liked Holly so I'm really glad that you picked up on that :) Please keep on reviewing and to everyone else (if anyone else is reading it) please review also, as there is really no point in me updating if no one reads this. I'm sorry that this chapter is so short and that it's taken me so long to update, I hope you enjoy this chapter, thank you very much, and have a nice day o

Far up in the air Trouble zoomed around on the giant bat –clinging grimly on for dear life- He swerved to avoid the smelly clouds of smoke and the hoops of fire which were trying desperately to knock him off the animal. On the ground Holly covered her pale face with her hands.

"I can't watch this," she murmured.

"Don't then, speak to me instead," Cochiti said.

"No, I have to watch, if I can't be with him in body for the task I'll be with him by watching." Replied Holly.

"So he means a lot to you then, you two are going out?"

"No! My boyfriend's name is Foaly…but I do have stuff in common with Trouble. With Foaly I talk about-" Holly stopped. What did Foaly and Holly talk about? Come to think of it, what did they have in common? A love of nettle smoothies, sure they're nice but they don't exactly keep a conversation going. Actually Holly and Foaly were totally different; he was a technical genius who hated exercise and she was super-fit and couldn't sit still for more than ten minutes. If you're a magnet opposites attract –but Holly wasn't a magnet, she was a confused elf who, for the first time in her life, knew what was right…but it wasn't what she wanted.

Meanwhile, Trouble brought the bow up and narrowed his eyes. TWANG! The arrow flew in a perfect arch, slicing the smoke as it soared to catch the hoop mid flight.

"How many of these things do I have to extinguish?" Trouble yelled triumphantly to Rojelio.

"Five." He said bluntly, so Trouble flew on, putting all his trust in the bat. The smoke from the fire down below made his grey eyes water and the heavy human-sized bow made his arms ache, but nevertheless he managed to put out two more hoops.

"Two more to go," Trouble thought "I'm going to be fine." But then a hoop flew right past the bat's nose, singeing its fur. The bat squealed in pain; she was fed up of this tiny person using her as a common mule –and the burning of her hair was the final straw. The bat plummeted down into the ravine trying to shake Trouble off her back. The hoops followed, flying just enough behind them to tease the elf as he couldn't hit the stupid things. As they got nearer the bottom and the fire that dwelt there, Trouble's face got redder and redder, and the amount of sweat that dripped off his forehead could have probably extinguished a fire –although sadly not this one. "I don't want to die," Trouble thought. "I wanted to get married to that certain someone and have kids…become a commander! Not die at the age of eighty-six on the back of some dumb bat!"

The ground got nearer and nearer and Trouble got redder and redder. "Stop!" He pleaded desperately.

"So you surrender then?" Grinned Rojelio, toothily.

"Yes! Let me go!"

"You won't get the treasure…"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Rojelio pulled out a long tube and when he blew into it a long low note was omitted, immediately the bat turned around and landed on the rocky floor. Trouble disembarked shakily. "That wasn't fair! This bat was at your beck and call the whole time!" Trouble complained angrily.

"Your choice," Rojelio leered. "Now be off with you, run along back to your girlie. She'll have sympathy for you –that's what you want isn't it?"

Trouble sighed and turned around, almost bashing into Holly. Her face was drawn and pale.

"Trouble? Oh my gosh are you ok?" She enquired worriedly.

"I didn't do it, I didn't make it. We've failed." Trouble slumped to the ground –almost sitting on Rojelio's paws (he turned and stalked off in disgust)- "I'm a failure. I've let Root down, Vinyáyá down, the whole of the LEP down, Haven down; and most of all I've let you down." He cradled his face in his hands. Holly was shocked. She had never seen this side of Trouble before –but then, Trouble had never failed before-

"We tried our best Trouble, that was all we could do." She took Trouble's burnt hands into her own and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Anyhow, no matter what happens I'm proud of you."

"Really?"

"Sure, I mean…I could never have done that," Holly comforted.

"Exactly. You would never have failed." Trouble moaned. Holly sighed and sat down beside him with a comforting arm placed around his shoulder; suddenly a shadow was cast over them, it was Cochiti.

"As you have not completed his task you have to leave. Take a boat over the exit –and just so you know, well done, not many people have got this far."

Holly and Trouble stood up and made their way over to the shores of the lake where a group of boats was waiting.

"Which one will we take?" Holly asked.

"Take your pick m'lady," Joked Trouble weakly.

"Well then sire I choose this fine specimen of a vessel." They clambered into the boat and Holly grabbed the oars to row. They were both silent as they listened to the quiet sounds of a new day dawning, the water splashed against the boat soothingly as they came into the middle of the lake. Trouble sighed and lay back, it wasn't that bad –he'd get over it…he choked and sat up again with his head completely soaking.

"We've sprung a leak!" And sure enough they had, and water was covering the tops of their regulation LEP boots.

"D'ARVIT! What do we do?" Holly shrieked and stood up, almost falling into the lake as the boat began to shake. A tremendous creature was rising from the deep in the lakes depths, it's eyes fixed on the sinking boat and it's occupants.

"Oops."