Sorry it took me so long to get this out! It's been a pretty hectic weekend.

Chapter Twenty

Carl, Darby, and Bruce were just stepping onto the bridge when a huge dinosaur burst from the jungle behind the party.

"Run! Run!" Englehorn shouted to the group.

And they did. They ran with all of their might, hopping from plank to plank across the strangely-fashioned wooden bridge.

Running along beside Jimmy and Preston, Jacobs, the sailor who had shot the snake, stumbled.

Preston and Jimmy reached to help him up, but he motioned for them to keep running. "Just go!" he yelled. He staggered to his feet, glancing behind him. The monster was close now, too close. There would be no time for him to make it across. Remembering how he was responsible for the breaking of the log bridge, Jacobs decided to make his death worth something. He suddenly dashed to the side, away from the bridge, waving his arms at the creature.

The giant reptile turned its attention on him and closed in. It opened its enormous maw to grab him up.

But Jacobs had different plans. He wasn't about to die between the jaws of a dinosaur. Feeling suddenly brave and heroic, he turned toward the cavern and threw himself into it.

The reptile reached down to bite onto him, but clamped its jaws on nothing but air. This threw the creature off balance, and it nearly fell into the cavern.

Jacobs' sacrifice had bought a lot of time for the rest of the party. Carl, Darby, Bruce, Jack, Ann, and David were already across. Clytie and Englehorn were halfway, moving more slowly because of his wounds. Jimmy, Preston, and Jake were catching up to them swiftly.

Suddenly, the pursuing reptile stepped up to the bridge and let out a deafening roar. Then, it reached out with one clawed foot and tested the strength of the bridge. The bridge jerked, throwing those standing on it off balance.

Clytie tried to stay on her feet, but ended up falling to her knees.

Englehorn reached down to steady her, but also collapsed into a kneel.

Seeing what was going on, Jimmy and Preston rushed forward, with Jake trailing behind them.

"Captain!" Jimmy called. "Hang on!"

Once again, the dinosaur tapped at the bridge with its foot. The wooden structure shook again. This time, with a scream, Clytie slid in between two of the slats. Somehow, she managed to grab onto one, and she hung on with all of her might, legs dangling over the chasm.

"Clytie!" Englehorn cried. He threw himself down against the bridge, ignoring the pain in his body, and reached down to grab hold of Clytie's arms. "Hang on! I'll pull you up!"

By this time, Jimmy, Preston, and Jake had reached them.

"Help me pull her up!" the captain yelled at them.

Hands reached down and fastened around Clytie's arms, pulling her up to safety on top of the bridge. Immediately, she fell into the captain's arms, closing her eyes, pressing her head against his right shoulder.

He whispered something to her in German. She wasn't sure what it was, but she liked it.

Then Preston said, "Uh, guys… I think we should start running again."

Clytie and Englehorn looked up and back at the reptile across the bridge. The creature was actually going to attempt crossing!

"Go!" Englehorn shouted, pointing to the other side, where Jack, Ann, and the others waited.

Jimmy and Preston helped the captain and Clytie to their feet, then the five remaining people on the bridge took off running again, leaping from slat to slat.

Still dizzy from her near fall, Clytie stumbled.

Running on adrenaline, Englehorn scooped her up in his arms and tossed her over his right shoulder.

Just as the last of the party was reaching the other side, the dinosaur stepped onto the bridge. For a moment, it seemed as if it would hold, then there was a loud crack as the bridge bowed, then snapped.

Jake and Englehorn (who was carrying Clytie) flung themselves onto the solid earth just as the bridge collapsed into the valley. The creature on top of it fell as well, flailing its limbs and roaring in rage. Its rage was useless, and it plummeted to its death, a victim of its own insatiable greed.

The party standing by the gate of the wall was quiet for a moment, watching, relieved that they were safely on the right side of the chasm.

At least, all of them were watching but Clytie, who was still slung over the captain's shoulder. Englehorn finally realized this and set her down on her feet. He then grabbed onto her shoulder and whispered to her, "I can barely stand. You'll have to help me walk."

Clytie nodded, flashing him a tender smile. "All right, Eric." She frowned suddenly at the look on his face. "You're hurting aren't you?" she asked quietly.

He nodded quickly, fairly gasping for air. "Yes. But I'll be all right."

Clytie gently slipped an arm around his lean waist. "Just lean on me," she whispered.

Jack quietly approached them. "Englehorn, should we head out now?"

The captain nodded. "Yes. Have Carl lead us to the boats," he managed breathlessly.

Jack frowned. "You sure you don't want to rest? You look worn out."

"Maybe later. We need to get to the boats as soon as possible," Englehorn replied.

"All right, Captain." Jack gave him an encouraging smile, then turned to the others. "Carl, lead us to the boats," he ordered.

Carl gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

Darby quickly prodded the man with his rifle. "Get going, Denham," he snapped at him.

Carl hesitated.

"That chasm is located quite conveniently nearby," Englehorn spoke up. "We wouldn't have to go far to throw you in, which is good for an injured man like me, since I'd like to do the honors myself."

"All right, all right." Carl rolled his eyes, but started walking. He had no intentions of having to face Darby's rifle, Englehorn's pistol, or Clytie's claws. He glanced sharply at the girl. She was pressed up against the captain, obviously supporting him, her eyes glued to Englehorn's face. He shook his head. She would fight for that man, he was sure. And he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that fight, so he readily obeyed his orders, however annoying they might be.

The group followed Carl through the eerie, quiet native village, with its cave-like dwellings and skeleton-covered stakes. The people of Skull Island were obviously in hiding, now quiet afraid of these foreigners to their island.

Soon, Carl had brought the party to a small cove in the rocks. And there, bobbing on the dark water, were the lifeboats.

A cheer rang up from the party. David, Bruce, and Jimmy ran toward the boats, hollering and skipping.

Englehorn closed his eyes and leaned his head back, breathing a sigh of relief. Then, he leaned down to kiss the top of Clytie's strawberry-blonde head. "We made it," he whispered.

She smiled at him, her green eyes saying far more than could words.

Suddenly, he frowned, feeling dizziness crash over him like a mighty wave. He managed to say her name once before his knees buckled.

(LINE)

Clytie sat in the lifeboat, cradling the captain in her arms, her eyes never leaving his face. He had saved her life… How many times? And now he was unconscious, barely clinging to life.

"Row faster!" Jack called out to the men in his boat, which he shared with Clytie, Englehorn, David, Jake, Ann, and Schmidt. He eyed the captain with worry. The man had simply collapsed on the shore. Fortunately, Jake had been close enough to catch him, and together, they had managed to carry him to the boat and to lay him, of course, in Clytie's arms.

Ann sat near the couple, gently touching Clytie's shoulder. She remembered the words the two women had shared on the ship, words about falling in love, and that rainbow… She sighed, praying silently that Englehorn would be all right, for Clytie's sake.

"Is there anyone on the ship with medical training?" Clytie asked suddenly, her voice shaky as she held back a sob.

Schmidt spoke up. "The cook, Hofstetter, has some, I think. I'm not sure." He shrugged, continuing to row with strong, steady strokes.

"Good," Clytie whispered.

In his fitful sleep, the captain murmured something unintelligible.

"Shhhh," Clytie soothed. "You'll be all right." She turned to Ann, her eyes large and shiny. "Ann, will you--will you hand me one of those First Aid kits?"

Ann nodded quickly and proceeded to do so.

(LINE)

Captain Eric Englehorn dreamed that he was on the island. He was running, carrying his rifle and his pistol, not sure if he was hunting or being hunted. And he kept calling for Clytie, but for some reason, she wouldn't answer. Day and night passed by rapidly, and still he ran. The temperature was sometimes freezing cold, and he shivered. Other times, it was burning hot, and sweat dripped down his face. There was a nagging pain in his left shoulder and weakness in that arm. And his waist was stiff, ribs stinging sharply if he drew in too deep a breath.

"Clytie!" he called. When she wouldn't answer, he sometimes cursed to himself in German or muttered over and over that he would find her.

Then, finally, he gathered up enough courage to look over his shoulder, to see if he was being chased. And he was--by the gigantic skeleton of a huge gorilla. It took his breath away how terrifying it was. He gave a sharp cry, then turned and continued to run, knowing that it would be useless to try and fight the thing. He knew suddenly what it was. It was the ghost of Kong… haunting him once again…

And where was Clytie? Surely she could save him.

"Clytie!" he cried again, his voice echoing back to him.

(LINE)

Clytie sat in a chair by the captain's bed as he was examined by Hofstetter. Nervously, she alternated in scratching the rough arms of the chair and biting at her fingernails when they broke off.

Abruptly, the small, dark cook turned around and snapped, "Stop doing that! You're breaking my concentration!"

"Sorry," Clytie muttered dejectedly.

Hofstetter sighed, chagrined at the misery in her voice. "It's okay. Just… Don't do that anymore. You're hurting your fingers, anyway."

"Okay," Clytie replied. She opted for tapping her fingers quietly on her knees.

The cook was quiet for a long time as he examined Englehorn and changed his bandages. Then he sat back on the edge of the bed, still silent.

"So… uhm…. Is he going to be all right?" Clytie asked, her voice catching embarrassingly a number of times.

Hofstetter sighed again. "I don't know."

Clytie's eyebrows raised. "What--what does that mean?"

"It means I'm not sure," the cook replied quickly. "I never made it all the way through medical school, you know. I ran away from home to be a sailor."

Clytie stood up and walked to the side of the bed, looking down at the captain. He was still unconscious and feverish, sometimes shaking with chills, sometimes muttering in his sleep. What bothered her the most was when he called her name and she replied, but he did not seem to know that she was there. It shook her up inside, made her feel almost physically sick. "Is it possible that he will make it?" she asked quietly.

"It is possible," Hofstetter replied. "His fever is dangerously hight, his ribs are cracked in several places, and he's lost far too much blood from that shoulder wound, but…" He shrugged. "He's the captain. He's a strong man, Miss Seaborne."

Clytie nodded, sitting beside him on the bed. She gently took the captain's hand. "Yes. He's a strong man."

Englehorn muttered something then, some sentence or phrase ending in her name.

A violent sob suddenly tore from Clytie's throat and shook her whole body. She balled her hand into a fist and shoved it against her mouth, trying to hold back another sob. "I'm here, Eric!" she cried suddenly. "Don't you feel my hand?"

Hofstetter stood and patted her back awkwardly. "Miss Seaborne, maybe you should take a break," he suggested gently. "I'm worried about you."

She shook her head fiercely. "I won't leave him," she insisted. "He wouldn't leave me."

Suddenly, the ship's horn sounded. They were heading home at last.

Clytie squeezed Englehorn's hand. "We're free now, Eric," she whispered to him. "We're leaving the island." The thought came to her then that if she had never asked him to come along, he wouldn't be lying there wounded and sick. She should never have asked him. She should have come on her own. She couldn't hold back the sobs then, and she laid down at his side on the bed, weeping bitterly.

Hofstetter shook his head and backed out of the captain's cabin, nearly running into a small group of people. He turned around to face David, Jake, Jack, and Ann.

"How is he?" Ann asked quickly.

"He's in pretty bad shape, Miss Darrow," the cook explained. "There's a chance that he'll make it, and an equally large chance that he won't. It all depends on the care he receives, his constitution, and the mercy of God."

Jack studied the cook with interest. He had had no idea that the little man was so eloquent, or that he had received medical training for that matter.

"I am quite worried about Miss Seaborne, as well," Hofstetter added.

"What's wrong with my sister?" David asked quickly.

"Nothing physically," said the cook. "But the captain's condition is weighing heavily on her. She feels guilt, I believe and…" He glanced cautiously at Jake's stony face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but… I do believe she is in love with him. If he should happen to… If he doesn't make it, it will break her."

"You're not wrong," Jake spoke up. "She is in love with him. That's easy to see." He was quiet for a moment, and everyone watched his face for any sign of emotion. Then he sighed, his gray eyes suddenly sad. "Cook, do whatever you can for that man. I don't want him dying in my goddaughter's arms." Then, abruptly, he turned on his heel and walked away.

(LINE)

Jimmy and Schmidt were ordered by Darby (who had taken over the position as captain) to lock Carl up in one of the cages--again. This time, they searched him before doing so, and Jimmy managed to find the pocketknife with which he had picked the lock last time.

The two sailors were none to gentle with Carl as they shoved him into the cage, making sure to pick the smallest and the smelliest.

"Come on, fellas!" Carl protested. "I led you to the boats, didn't I?"

"Yeah, only when the captain pointed his gun at your face!" Jimmy shot back. "If he hadn't threatened you, you would never have helped us find the way."

"I'll admit, I may have needed a little motivation, but--"

"Shut up, Denham!" Jimmy snapped suddenly.

"Yeah. We don't want to hear any of your trash," Schmidt added. And they left the movie producer alone in the dark.

(LINE)

Clytie had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed, unwillingly, but quickly. Exhaustion had overtaken her, and weakened by her tears, she had been unable to fight back.

David stood in the doorway of the cabin, watching his sister sleep. Seeing her there beside of Englehorn seemed so right. They were as they should be--together. He frowned suddenly. That little cook was right. It would tear Clytie apart if anything happened to the captain. She was like that, always had been--strong and calm, until what she loved was taken away from her. She had never been able to stand being separated from what she wanted, what she loved. Heck, that was why she had come after her him. Then David knew that, if Englehorn lived, Clytie would separate herself from David and Jake for the captain. She would never be able to be away from the man. She would leave with him on his ship, would always be at his side, if he let her.

David felt a moment's pain at this thought. Then he smiled. "I hope you make it, Englehorn," he whispered. "'Cause if you do, my sister will be the happiest woman in the world."

(LINE)

"Clytie…"

Clytie opened her eyes slowly. For a moment, she was disoriented, then she realized that she was lying in the captain's bed, curled up at his side. This took her aback, and she quickly sat up.

"Clytie," said his voice again.

She quickly looked at him. His eyes were still closed. She sighed. He probably didn't realize that she was there. Angrily, she swiped at the tears in her eyes. She was angry that she had allowed herself to hope.

"Are we on the Venture?"

Clytie gave an exclamation of delight and threw herself to her knees at his bedside. "Eric! Eric! Can you hear me?"

Slowly, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes.

Clytie had never in her life been so happy to see the color blue.

"You've been crying," he said quietly. His voice was weak, and he still trembled a bit with chills, but he was awake at last!

"Yes," she replied happily. She quickly felt his forehead. It was still warm, but not nearly as hot as it had been before. "Eric, your temperature is going down!"

He closed his eyes and frowned suddenly.

"What is it?" Clytie exclaimed, taking his hand.

"My shoulder…" He groaned. "I can feel it again."

"That's good, actually," came a voice from the doorway.

Clytie turned around. "Preston!"

"He's right," said the captain. "The pain is a sign that my nerves aren't badly damaged."

"Jack sent me to check on the two of you," Preston explained. "I take it things are going much better."

Clytie nodded quickly. "Eric's fever is going down."

"Shall I get Hofstetter to come up here?" Preston asked.

"Yes. Do that," said Clytie. "Thanks, Preston."

He gave her a quick smile and a bow, then left the captain's cabin.

Clytie turned back to Englehorn. "You're going to make it, Eric," she whispered, grasping his hand tightly.

He smiled crookedly at her. "I think I might… That is, if you kiss me again."

Clytie grinned at him, then bent down to gently kiss his lips.

(A/N: Thanks once again for reading this story--and for all of those inspiring reviews! Without them, this story would be a lot harder to write, so keep 'em coming! This is so much fun! And don't worry--there are still ten or more chapters to go, and I'm thinking of a sequel to this one, too. Anyway, thanks again! Hope you enjoy!)