Aspen Right Now…

Pushing himself off the tree was a painful task, but Van bit it back and stood up, reaching for his own gun in the process. He plodded in the direction she had gone, using the footprints she left in the show as his guide. Just as he reached a fallen tree branch a few meters from where he had been sitting, Van heard the sound of shots being fired.

The panic Van had been feeling earlier turned into full blown terror as he rushed into the forest to find his partner. 'Oh, God, what if she's been shot? What if she's bleeding? What if they've captured her? What if she's…?' Van didn't want to finish his last thought. He knew he couldn't think that way, not until he had proof. Searching was the only way to find out who was shot and who wasn't.

Van kept searching the forest even as the last bits of light faded into the horizon. He wouldn't let the overwhelming panic overtake him as he tried to find signs of Billie somewhere, anywhere. His head moved in every direction, and he would stop every now and then to listen for footsteps or gunfire.

"Billie!" Van yelled, becoming desperate. Maybe she'd hear him and call back.

"Van!" he could hear his name being screamed from a ways away. "Van!" It was Billie, and she sounded scared.

He started running towards her voice, hoping that they'd find each other soon. "Billie!" he yelled again. "Where are you?"

"I'm over here!" she answered, her voice sounding a little closer now, the fear having lessened significantly. Moments later, as Van was running back to where they had stopped, a body slammed into his. He fell back into the snow, the wind having been knocked out of him by the other person.

"Van! Oh thank God!" It was Billie. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up, not bothering to wait as he regained some of his balance as she dragged him through the snow. "Come on, we gotta go!"

"What happened? Who were you shooting at?" Van questioned as he followed her. "More importantly, who was shooting at you?"

"One of Drayden's men. They're still trying to find us. We need to move, now!" Billie ordered, tugging Van along as if he were a rag doll. With every little pull, the pain in his shoulder increased, something she was probably unaware of as she continued to lead them through the dark forest. Van knew not to complain, though. He wanted to remain a pillar of strength even though there were several points during this case where he was anything but. Biting down on his already swollen lip, he marched on, following Billie wherever she took him.

The only light guiding them that night was the light of a half moon. It cast an eerie glow on the trees, and added to the sounds of the waking nocturnal life, it gave the forest an almost frightening aura. The temperature had also fallen to well below freezing. Van could feel himself begin to shake. His shaking hands were the first sign that he was getting hypothermic. He could only pray that they'd find somewhere to stick it out that night without being caught, or even worse, being eaten by wolves or bears.

As the two partners walked into a clearing, the sound of rushing water permeated the night air. "Look!" Billie exclaimed as she pointed to a small bridge comprised of rope and wooden planks.

"You've got to be kidding me," Van skeptically replied. "There is no way in hell I'm crossing that thing! What if I fall through one of the planks and get swept away? I've already had enough brushes with death tonight to fill a lifetime."

Billie gave him a hard stare, her deep blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Fine, you wanna get caught and die at the hands of Drayden Abney, I'm not stopping you," she shot back, letting go of his coat and making her way to the rickety old bridge.

Van stood there for a little while, contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to go over that bridge. He got a little closer and saw there was at least a ten meter drop to the river below. Shuddering at the thought of being swept away by its swift current, he stayed put for a few more moments. There was an up side to this, though, and that was the fact that maybe civilization was just around the corner. Someone had to have built this bridge for a purpose.

Billie was already halfway across the bridge by the time Van had made his decision. With one foot, he tested the strength of the first plank and found that it was sturdy enough to carry his weight. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, he thought as he tested the next plank to make sure it could handle him as well.

"Move your ass, Van!" Billie was getting impatient as she stood on the other side of the river, relieved that nothing bad had happened, yet. Van still had to make it across, but at the pace he was going, she thought they'd be here all night. "Quit being a baby! Get across the damn bridge already!" She hoped that her "encouraging" yells would get him to move a little faster. But that wouldn't be the case.

In the distance, the sound of voices and dogs began to creep out of the woods. Both Van and Billie turned towards the noise and could see the flashlights of their enemy flickering in the distance. Van turned towards his partner, his grey green eyes fearful. Without a second thought he began to run across the bridge.

"Come on, Van! We gotta move!" Billie said as she pulled her switchblade out again. Her idea: cut the ropes so their enemies couldn't cross.

Van was at the very center of the bridge when the first dog, an angry German Shepard, ran through the trees towards him. He could hear the barking and turned to see the dog already hopping onto the bridge. It began to sway wildly. Van grabbed on to the ropes and tried to brace himself, but his trembling hands couldn't do much. The dog was getting closer. He needed to do something before it lunged at him. The first thought that popped into his mind was to grab his gun, but Billie had already gotten to hers. A shot rang out and the dog yelped, slumping off the bridge and tumbling into the river below.

"Move, Van!" Billie sharply yelled, her voice a higher pitch than usual.

Van turned around and made a run towards the other side of the bridge, but it continued to sway, knocking him off balance. He tried to steady himself by grabbing hold of one of the ropes, and just as before, was unable to, except this time, the consequences multiplied. His hands weren't the only things having problems with grabbing a hold of things, his feet were thrown off as well, and before he knew it, Van was hurtling down towards the river. He had managed to slip through the ropes somehow, his luck having run out ages ago.

"VAN!" Billie shrieked as she watched his body hit the water. His head went under for a moment or two, but it bobbed back up. This day just kept getting better and better, she thought, quickly slicing through the first rope of the bridge. If she could get Drayden's goons off their tail, maybe there was a chance they'd get through this alive.

Cutting the rest of the ropes to the bridge was her last shot to save her partner, and just as she cut the final rope, two men emerged from the woods holding flashlights and shotguns. Billie made a mad dash for the underbrush, disappearing in the thick, dark foliage before either one could fire off a round. The only thought going through her mind at the moment was of Van and where he could possibly be. She could only hope that he had found his way to an embankment, but knew there was a far worse fate for him if he hadn't.

You guys hate me right now, don't you? I let you find out what happens to Van in the woods, only to have him fall into the river soon after. I'm a cruel, cruel person. But cliffhangers can be so damn much fun sometimes! I'm sorry! I can't help myself! Anyway...

prplerayne: Billie can be bipolar sometimes, can't she? As for AA, well, let's just say, this won't be the first time Van will suggest it. You'll see what I mean soon enough. As for you and your story, you BETTER get your ass back soon cuz I'm DYING to know what happens next between Van and Billie. Write write write, chica, WRITE!

Avillie: Yes! Van and Billie finally get together! That was definitely one of my favorite scenes to write. It was too much fun! Oh, Billie will get an "I told you so" from Van by the end of this story. I just haven't figured out when. But you seriously hit the nail on the head about things getting much worse. As you can see, they already have. But don't think for one second I won't pull something worse out of my hat. There's still a lot of story left that needs to be written, and a lot of pain to be inflicted. As for Rousseau and Abney... I'll be getting to them soon, very very soon. Maybe next update soon.I dunno, we'll see. Still trying to find the direction I'm taking this story in the next chapter, but don't worry, it will be interesting.

agenttmk: Welcome! Hehe, so glad you reviewed! I'm glad you like the story so far. And I'm glad I haven't confused you either, cause I've been doing that to myself lately. LoL! This story is definitely a joy to write when people are reading and liking what I've been writing. Thank you so much for your review!

fan4fastln: Back to Van in the woods! Backstory is definitely important because there is so much I haven't told y'all yet about Abney, Rousseau, and Billie. Yes, I said Billie. I'm getting her backstory finished as well about why she's so cold and shows very little emotion. There's a lot we've been left to wonder about Billie, so I thought I'd create my own little story about her. Maybe one day I'll write a story based just on her. I dunno yet. I have to get the rest of the fics in my head on paper first. Thanks for reviewing. I hope you don't hate me for leaving you hanging again. Again, I to tell a little more back story before I reveal Van's fate.

FoxyWombat: I love your name! It's just so interesting. Are you from Australia? Cuz if so, that is totally friggin cool! LoL! I looked at your profile after you said that little bit about The OC reference... I LOVE that show! Definitely one of my faves! I guess you could say that was an OC reference I made, even tho I wasn't even thinking about it. Anyway, I've always wondered what would happen if Van and Billie ended up doing a case together, especially after Asslane. Hell, I wanted to know what would happen if Deaq hadn't walked in on them! That would have been sooo interesting! But, ya know, I guess we'll just have to wonder, huh? That's why I wrote this fic. Well, that and I had a really good idea I wanted to explore. I have yet to reveal my motives, hehe. You'll see in time. I'm so glad you like my fic and are reviewing. Thank you!

simbagirl: I'm soooooo glad you contaced me via email. I'm really sorry to hear about all that's going on in your life. It totally sux. But keep your chin up, things will get better. As I said in my letter, everything happens for a reason. And if you can't get any inspiration for your fic, it's okay. I get it from the weirdest places all the time. Believe me, if a term in chemistry class catches my attention and leads me to start daydreaming about my fic, something like that will probably happen to you. My prayers are with you, your friend, and your family. I hope everything works out soon for you.

And, of course, this is for all of you who have been reading and reviewing. Thank you! I hope you're enjoying this story, and I hope to hear from you sometime. But, really, I'm just glad to see people are reading. Thank you so much!

More story coming soon!