Aspen Right Now…
Using the moonlight as her guide, Billie followed the twists and turns of the river hoping she'd spot Van soon. The minutes ticked away as the moon inched higher in the sky. The unbridled fear coursing through her veins became thicker with each passing second. Billie prayed with every fiber in her body that Van had somehow made it to the shore and that all she had to do was help him up and they'd be on their way again. Lady luck had other plans.
Billie had just reached calmer waters when she spotted the body of her partner floating face down a meter from shore. She wanted to scream, but her lips remained sealed as she ran to him. Without a second thought, Billie hit the cold water, soaking her boots and the legs of her jeans as she frantically pulled Van's body to the shore. Once on dry land, she rolled him over and got down on her knees to check and see if he was breathing.
"No, Van, NO!" Billie cried, the tears streaking down her face when she realized he wasn't. Her panic had just reached epic proportions. "You can't die on me!" She began to push against his chest, hoping it would help him cough up some water. When it didn't work, she knew she'd have to resort to CPR. Forcing several deep breaths down his throat, Billie thought she was getting nowhere. It had been a while since she last saw him, and this was becoming an even direr situation as time ticked on.
"Breathe, DAMN IT!" she yelled at him. Billie wasn't giving up. She'd make him breathe one way or another. After forcing a few more breaths into his chest, Van began to cough. Involuntarily, he rolled to his side, coughing up the water that had filled his lungs. "That's it, keep breathing," Billie encouraged as she stroked his back, hoping it would help him get rid of all the water.
Van rolled onto his back again, blankly staring up at his savior. His body shook uncontrollably, but he was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. Billie quickly wiped the tears from her eyes as she leaned over him to give him a huge hug. She had never been more relieved. "B-B-B-Billie," Van stuttered, his teeth chattering just as badly as his body.
"I'm right here," she replied, placing her hand against his cold cheek. He was freezing. She needed to get him to someplace warm, and fast! "Come on," Billie softy said as she got to her feet. Her arms wrapped around his chest, helping him stand up. Van struggled to stay standing, but his legs were numb for the water, as was the rest of his body. "Use me for support." Billie wrapped her arm around his shoulders, bracing herself for his full weight. Once he had leaned against her, they began to slowly walk down the river, hoping to find some kind of shelter to hold them up for the night.
"B-B-Billie, I-I-I can't," his voice came out weak as he leaned against her. His numb, shaking legs could barely support his weight, and he almost fell to the ground if it wasn't for her tight hold of him.
"Yes, you can," she answered, the determination present in her calm voice. She looped her arm around his waist and helped him slowly make his way through the dense underbrush. They staggered for what seemed like hours in the woods until salvation came in the form of a house along the edge of the river, about a mile from where Billie had found Van.
"Look!" she proclaimed, pointing to the house. All the lights were dark, including the one on the porch. Either the people who lived there had forgotten to turn it on, or there was nobody living there at the moment. Billie wasn't about to take the chance. The first thing she did when they came up to the house was knock on the door and announce she was an officer of the law. Van stood beside her, his arms wrapped around her body, trying to get whatever warmth he could from her. He looked like a sick little boy holding onto his mother for dear life. "Stay with me, Van. We're almost in. Just a few more minutes," she said, glancing at him, the worry lines appearing on her face.
When no lights came on, Billie knew she had to pick the lock. She didn't care that she was trespassing on private property. That was the last thing on her mind. What she needed to do now was to get her and Van inside, and get him out of those clothes before he froze to death. Taking a pin out of her hair, she began to mess with the lock until it clicked open a few seconds later. A smile came across her lips as she pushed the door open and helped Van walk in.
The inside of the house was sparsely furnished; only a dusty old royal blue couch, a wooden coffee table, a royal blue easy chair, and a brown bear skin rug sat in the living room. There was also a fireplace and a stack of lumber on the hardwood floor sat beside it, something Billie knew would come in handy soon. She helped Van to the couch and laid him out then began to pile wood into the fireplace. Now all she needed was a match. A search of the mantle revealed an old, tattered matchbook with three matches inside. Billie carefully lit one and placed it on a log, but it quickly burned out. She needed to find something that she could burn slowly. Reaching into her pockets, she found an old piece of paper with something scribbled on it and quickly lit it with the next match then placed it on another log. Luck was beginning to shine on her when the first log lit up and the fire came to life.
One dilemma down, a few more to go, Billie thought as she turned to Van. His body lay so still on the couch that for a moment she thought he was dead. Her fingers immediately went for his neck to see if she could feel a pulse. He was still so cold. His grey green eyes opened and looked at her in agony. He was fighting for his life and all she could do was sit there and watch. But Billie was a woman of action, and she knew exactly what she needed to do now, even though it scared her somewhat. She needed to get Van out of those wet clothes.
Steeling herself for the task, Billie finally said, "I need to take your clothes off." Van merely gave her an empty stare before closing his eyes again and letting her do whatever she thought was necessary. The first item of clothing to go was his parka. She gently peeled it off his body, being careful not to hurt his right shoulder in the process. She'd have to redress the wet bandage as well, but that could wait. After having thrown it beside the fire, Billie started to pull up his sweater, again being careful with his shoulder. Van tried to help her as much as he could, but the numbing cold encasing his body had slowed his motor skills significantly. Pity and self loathing hit Billie like a rock as she gazed at his prone form, listless and half dead. Her eyes began to tear up and she turned away from him to wipe them with the sleeve of her coat. How could she have let this happen? The thought ran rampant in her mind as she reached for his belt to unfasten it, along with the zipper of his jeans. She pulled them down, leaving Van in only his wet boxers. The last thing she found was his gun, which she placed on the dusty coffee table in front of the couch.
"I'll be right back," Billie whispered as she got up and headed for another part of the house, hoping to find blankets and warm clothes. Using the wall as her guide in the near darkness, she made her way down the hall. When her hand hit a light switch on her way down, she tried to turn it on, but it seemed the electricity had been cut off. 'Damn,' she thought. It was another problem they'd have to deal with tomorrow. She focused all her energy on finding another room that might yield something warm to wrap Van in. Her search revealed a bedroom beside the living room, also sparsely decorated, with just a bed, a dresser, and a closet. In the closet, Billie managed to find a couple of thin blankets. They weren't the best for warming someone up, but they would have to do.
Van had curled up into a little ball on the couch, visibly shaking in the pale light of the fire. Billie threw the blankets over his shivering body and thought about what else she could do to get him to warm up faster. The fire wasn't as hot as she hoped it would be, but there really wasn't much she could do about that, and throwing more wood into it would only make it dangerous. Then she remembered something from survival class way back in high school. Her instructor told the class that if it ever came down to the worst case scenario, which this technically was, the best way to warm up a hypothermic person was skin to skin contact with another person.
As unappetizing as that sounded, Billie stripped down to her underwear, placing her switchblade and gun beside Van's. She slipped beneath the measly pile of blankets until she was flush against the cold, shivering body of her partner. Her body conformed to his, encasing him in a warm embrace as her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tight. His head fell into the nape of her neck, allowing her to feel each soft, warm breath he took. It eased her mind to be able to feel his chest rise and fall against her own.
The apprehension of being so close to someone began to lessen as Billie got a little more comfortable. She didn't feel as strange as she thought she would. It actually felt kind of nice, something she could live with right now. Maybe she did have a soft spot for her partner after all, even though she'd only ever show it on rare occasions such as these.
With their crisis finally over, each could breathe their own sigh of relief now that they were together and out of danger. There were still some bumps they'd encounter down the road, but Billie decided to push them out of her mind and just live in the moment. She'd think about those obstacles tomorrow. Right now, her attention was on Van. He needed her, and worrying about things to come would only distract her. She focused on his slow, gentle breathing, and the way it seemed to gradually lull her to sleep. It was only a matter of time before she had dozed off, her arms tightly wrapped around him, and her cheek pressed up against his forehead.
And there you go! Don't really need to say much else, do I? Well, onto the individual review responses:
tara: Hi there! I'm glad you got to read that last part of the story. Sorry about your computer. Anyway, thanks for reading! I'd also love to see more Van/Billie stories on this site too. I've always wondering what would have happened between them had the show continued to run. Oh, well, I guess we'll all just have to figure it out ourselves, or in some cases, try to keep that question alive. Here's my interpretation. Glad you like it!
agenttmk: I'm also enjoying the jumps between the past and the present. I just wish I was doing a better job with it. Not many people know this, but I'm not very happy with what I've been doing, so I might change it in a later revision, if I ever get around to it. We'll see, though. I just might leave it the way it is.
FoxyWombat: I, too, am a victim of a crazy life! OMG! I spent the entire weekend working on 2 projects, which turned out awesome, BTW. I didn't get to do ANYTING! And usually I'm out partying till the break of dawn on the weekends. Oh, well, sacrafices had to be made. I chose my social life. Anyway, Van's not in the river anymore! Hehe, he's in a much better place now. LoL! OMG... I gotta stop that. Hope you liked the update. I certainly loved writing it. Suspenseful enough? So, you have a fascination with wombats... Interesting.
fan4fastln: nods head and keeps writing Okay, so now that the foreshadowing is over... I think I pretty much answered every single question you put to me in your reviews. Wow, that's a first for me. I hope Billie's guilt really came out in this chapter. I mean, come on! She cried twice! Well, sorta. Maybe just shed a few tears works better. But you get my drift. And she ain't done yet! Oh, there's plenty more I have in store for her. She's not getting off the hook that easy!
prplerayne: You know me too well! The review whore thing was a gimmie! But, yeah, I was contemplating Billie swinging at Van again, but thought against it. Just hanging the "I'll send you back to writing parking tickets" thing over his head was enough, cuz we all know Van loves his job, maybe a little too much for his own good. But you're right, Billie really does need some anger management, doesn't she. Hmm... That's another story idea to add to my list! Billie's Anger Management. LoL! That would be hilarious!
simbagirl: She should have hit him, I know... But she didn't. And he was right. Now she's paying for it, big time! Oh, poor Van. Poor Billie! And the awful things I still have in store for both of them. Someone was right when they said Van's getting off easy with just a bullet wound. Not anymore!
Avillie... WHERE ARE YOU? (just had to ask...)
To all the anon. people: YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Thanks for reading! I hope this update makes you wanna continue.
Luv Y'all! MORE STORY SOON!