Thanks to my wonderful beta Kristen!

Important Note: I know it's very bad of me to leave you on a mini cliffhanger, but I have been reliably informed that the computer at home now takes 25 minutes from start up to being connected to the Internet. I simply cannot update on a regular basis while I am home for the holidays. In my defence, I will attempt to put up 2 Christmas stories on Christmas Day itself, and I will try to answer Reviews, PMs and emails. I also plan to work on EveryDay Thoughts and How To Kill Leon Vance. Sorry everyone!

Chapter 11: Rising Damp

Lily kept her head as she was swept off her feet. It was her only chance of survival.

The water was fairly warm, although she wished it were warmer. Her clothes wouldn't conserve any heat and they were plastered to her skin already. Her heels were waterlogged, but their familiar weight was comforting and she didn't want to get rid of them just yet.

Perhaps if the situation deteriorated further, she would revise her opinion.

When this was over, she planned to spend a few hours in her nice warm shower. She would take a bath, but it might remind her of this too much. She needed to feel clean again. Why this was not making her feel clean was beyond her, but she decided to ponder it later. There were more important things to worry about now.

Her hair was sticking around her face and she brushed it out of her eyes. She needed to see what was going on, even though it was dark. The only light came from their torches. Lily hoped that the torches were waterproof, but guessed they weren't.

Oh well. At least she wasn't scared of the dark. The CIA tended to cure most phobias. Although her snake phobia still existed, but she didn't mention that to anyone. If LJ or Darlene found out about it…

Charlie knew, because he needed to know. Arbourne had his suspicions. Jasper knew, only because she had found a huge snake in the bath one day and screamed the place down. He had found it funny, and she couldn't fault her son for his reaction. It had given them a good opportunity to talk about phobias.

LJ was suddenly swept of his feet by a big wave and Lily chuckled. "I thought you'd last a lot longer," she confessed. "Being a big, strong ex-marine and all."

She was treated to a furious glare.

"I mean McGee's still on his feet," she continued.

Tony laughed at that one. "I thought the boss would be the last too."

LJ turned his glare onto his agent; Tony slapped the back of his own head.

Lily didn't quite understand why LJ slapped his agents on the back of the head. He didn't do it to her, probably because he knew what her reaction would be. He would be lucky to be left with all his limbs. His boat might not survive either.

He also didn't slap Jenny. He had done, a few times, back at the start of their partnership. But he had stopped before he knew of her existence, so it wasn't her. Maybe he found a better way to deal with Jenny. Though if that was the case, why didn't he try it on her? His glares did not scare her either.

Not even Arbourne could do that. And Arbourne was capable of scaring Darlene.

Finally, McGee was swept of his feet and he joined the others who were all treading water.

"We need to start close," Lily urged. "The closer we are, the more we can help each other."

"You going to tread water for me?" Tony checked.

Lily was tempted to snort, but suspected it would only get a large amount of water up her nose and LJ would find it funny. "Encouragement," she corrected. "Together, we can keep our spirits up."

"Sounds like we need Abby," McGee suggested.

Lily smiled; the Goth would certainly keep everyone happy.

LJ decided to start giving orders. "Discard everything you can. Guns, knives, cameras, etcetera. The agency can buy new ones. Your lives are more important right now."

Lily reached down carefully and started disposing of her weapons. Gun at her hip, second gun by her left foot, three knives concealed in different places. For good measure, she removed her watch, which was supposed to function up to 600 meters underwater but had already stopped. She continued to wear her heels, still not willing to part with them.

As an extra precaution, she swallowed the tech. Her hand had not been the best place for it. Although her stomach was not the most suitable option either, it was the best of all those available to her.

The water carried them all upwards, and they focused on keeping their heads above the water. Due to their weight, Lily and Ziva found it easier than the men. Ziva was like a fish, while Lily had swum for her life before.

This was getting seriously out of hand. Lily's first priority had to be the tech, as far as she was concerned. Her swallowing it was providing protection for now, but would that remain if she drowned? Would they be able to find her body? If her body was swept out to sea, would they find it?

She made up her mind. She had to do this.

"I'm going to swim for help," she announced.

Tony spluttered. "You're kidding? It's suicidal. That's why we didn't try swimming out the cave entrance."

"Sydney Opera House is still standing," she pointed out. "I will survive. Even if you ignore that argument, the tech needs to get out of here. If my body ends up trapped somewhere, they will never recover the tech."

"She has a good point," Ziva concurred. "If you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

"Hang on a minute –" Tony started.

Ziva cut him off. "The most important thing is the tech, Tony. It does not matter whether we survive or not. The tech comes first."

"Cheery," Tony complained.

Lily looked over at McGee, but he was completely focused on staying afloat. She turned her gaze to LJ.

"I think you should go," he told her. "If you can get us some help, that would be great. If not, at least the tech is safer."

Lily nodded, her mind made up. "I'm going."

Lily forced herself to remain calm as she prepared to swim. It didn't help that the water was still rising, making her journey even longer by the second.

She thought about Jasper and Alex and how much she loved them. She thought about her former husband and how proud he would be of her if he was still here. She thought about Arbourne and whether he would scream at her over this or pat her on the back. She thought about Jenny and their unique bond. She thought about her nieces and all the things she could teach them.

She thought about her regrets. Surprisingly, these were few and far between. Her father's death a few months ago, her choice to leave her son behind, her stupidity in letting Jenny get hurt. Not many, but not none either.

She did not want to die as she still had things to do. Harass Darlene, increase Arbourne's blood pressure, cheat death again, watch her son and her nieces grow up, marry Alex, be there for Jenny, train Charlie, and harass LJ. Most of her list she did on a daily basis anyway, but some would take more time.

She looked around at the others and realized she would miss them. Even though she was only swimming for help, she would prefer it if they were with her. She knew they would die if they attempted to follow. She had to do this alone; she was the only one who could do this.

She smiled warmly at them. "Wish me luck!" Then she dived under the surface.

There was more light than she expected, making it easy for her to see where she was swimming. She kicked hard and swam back into the main cave.

Her lungs were screaming for air already. She aimed for the top of the cave and found an air pocket. Only her nose could fit against the cave roof, and she kept calm as she took in more oxygen. When she felt refreshed, she forced herself to continue.

Keeping close to the roof in case she found another pocket of air, she swam on. She hit her ankle hard against a rock and twisted it out of the way. She felt pain flare and realized she had managed to twist her ankle. Resisting the urge to swear and lose valuable oxygen, she found another air pocket.

Again, only her nose fit against the cave roof, and she stayed calm as she breathed. This time, a plant she couldn't quite identify brushed her nose and she tried not to sneeze. That would be disastrous. She took her time before she went back underwater. This time she would have to swim through the cave entrance, a distance she was not happy with. She would also hit the ocean outside. The currents there would be stronger and the waves would try to crush her against the cliff face. There was no room for error.

She kicked off when she was ready, and swam as fast as she could. Her lungs were screaming as she saw the surface above her. Only a few more feet…

She managed to get in a deep breath before a wave crashed over her head. Not good. She swam away from the cliff, using every last bit of strength she could find within her. She continued north, towards the beach she knew existed. She was almost there and she could get help for the others…

Something hit the back of her head and she fell into darkness.

Final A/N: Please review? (starts running)