Faithers and Amethyst: *at the same time exactly* WELCOME!! *look at each other* You said what I said. No, you said what I said!

Faithers: STOP SAYING WHAT I SAY!

Amethyst: YOU stop saying what I say!

Faithers: I'm not saying what you say, YOU'RE saying what I say!

Buck: *is not amused*

Amethyst: I think we should stop before Buck gets annoyed…

Faithers: I think he's already there... ^^'

Buck: -.-

Amethyst: ANYWAY: SORRY people! It's been forever hasn't it? We're so easily distracted…

Faithers: That's in literal form... we were planning out this chapter, the conversation got changed to butterflies, and suddenly we were roleplaying something completely different from Buck Up.

Amethyst: It WAS really fun though…

Faithers: Yeah... *dreamy look*

Amethyst: And so without further gilding the lily and with no more adieu, I give to you, the eighth chapter of Buck Up!

Faithers: See you at the end!

Peaches wondered why she was following the deranged weasel again. They were apparently going to the "Chasm of Death", and her uncles seemed more excited...though she could detect a slight hesitancy as well.

"So, what exactly…IS the 'Chasm of Death'?" She asked, looking down at Buck with a mixture of curiosity and circumspection. She wanted to know what it was, but at the same time she didn't want to know what his response would be. She tried to tell herself that he would probably just exaggerate and that it wasn't as bad as it seemed, but it did little to calm her nerves.

"Like I said befo'. We tried callin' it 'th' big smelly crack', but ev'ryone kept gigglin'."

She sighed and decided not to ask again. If he hadn't given her a straight answer by now, then he wasn't going to, and it would just make it easier if she were to just wait and see.

Even if she wasn't very fond of that idea.

Buck was striding on ahead with a wide grin on his face, the brace for his foot all but unnoticeable. He seemed more interested in the plants that were surrounding him than the fact that he unconsciously flinched every few steps.

Again, the thought that Buck was very confidant for a weasel crossed Peaches' mind. She could see it in his stride, the way he seemed to almost strut down the path, again like he owned the place. Well, in a way, he did, but that was beside the point. She still thought it was odd that, not only could he survive in this Isla Sorna, but he wasn't afraid at all. She wondered if it was merely because of his insanity or if he truly feared nothing.

Somehow, she suspected the latter.

Crash and Eddie were chattering again, about what she could only guess (what was that about a saber and a pinecone?). Her thoughts wandered again.

She really needed to stop thinking about her parents, her father in particular, but she couldn't help it. What if they tried to find her? What if they were down there right now, looking for her? What if, what if, what if. That's all that ran through her head. What if, what if, what if. She felt like screaming. What if, what if, what if.

She sighed, trying to focus on her surroundings. Maybe listening to Crash and Eddie babble excitedly for a while would calm her down.

"And he kept trying to get us, I remember that!" Crash was laughing, "Twisting and turning while we attacked him with the Pea shooters!"

Buck chuckled again, making "mmm" noises to give the appearance that he was impressed. He then turned around, looking up at Peaches and the twins. "Here we are! Chasm o' Death. You two already know wot ta do." He looked at Crash and Eddie. "Fruity, jus' hold your breath."

Peaches raised an eyebrow questioningly while the twins grinned at each other and jumped into the carrier. They both made big shows of taking deep breaths, before giving thumbs up to Buck.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked, looking out at the thick cloud of green fog, and then down at all the skeletons below them.

"Jus' hol' ya breath, Fruity."

"I told you before, my name is Peaches..."

He blinked. "Right, sorry." He grinned. "Well, ge' in!"

She hesitated before doing as she was told, wondering if she would later regret this.

She should have known better. OF COURSE she was going to regret this.

Resisting the urge to sigh, she continued to hold her breath, slowly but surely running out of oxygen.

And, of course, about half-way through, they run into some "technical difficulties". She hoped it wouldn't take long for Buck to see what was wrong; she didn't know how much longer she could hold her breath.

The twins both shared a look that clearly said "Not again." She raised an eyebrow at them as Crash began clutching at his throat. Eddie held his paw over his nose and mouth, trying to keep the air in.

"AGH!" Eddie exclaimed, gasping. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Dude, you breathed it again!" Crash shouted. But something wasn't quite right. His voice was getting much higher-pitched than usual.

"Ah! Not again!" Eddie squeaked, his eyes watering as he looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Why is it always me?" he let out a deranged giggle. Peaches saw Buck roll is eyes in annoyance.

"I dunno man, but you sound ridiculous!" Crash replied, laughing crazily. What was this stuff anyway? Laughing gas?

"Me? Hah! You should hear yourself!"

"I DO hear myself! That's what's so funny!"

"I thought I was the funny one!"

"Who cares?!"

Peaches watched in confusion as her uncles cackled hysterically, and idly wondered how they could breath.

She felt herself nearly ready to burst when Buck turned around and smacked them both, before going back to what he was doing. It took all of her self control to keep from laughing.

"Hey, hey, hey Eddie..." Crash snorted, "Ever...Ever wonder why Buck went BACK last time?"

"All 'cause of Rudy's roar!" Eddie responded hysterically.

Buck rolled his eyes, his cheeks puffed out with air supply.

"Y-ya think that…maybe…he LOVES Rudy?!" Crash asked, sniggering uncontrollably.

Buck's eye twitched, his expression that of annoyance. Peaches could tell he was trying not to say anything.

"Maybe he does!" Eddie laughed. Buck was obviously losing his temper now. "You know what, I THINK HE DOES!"

"I DO NO'!" Buck snapped at them, his voice going up four octaves as the laughing gas set in. He let out a weak chuckle, his eyes widening.

They paused, staring at Buck. Peaches was just beginning to think that maybe the laughing bout was over…

When they started laughing even more hysterically than before.

She rolled her eyes and sighed mentally. It looked like SHE was going to have to get them to focus.

...Not likely to happen.

"Hey, anybody think that this place seems familiar?" Diego asked, looking around.

"That's what I thought about everything else we passed," Ellie said, "'cause everything looks the same."

"...Is that...laughter?" Sid asked suddenly, his head tilted to the side. Everyone paused, eyes widening as they realized that Sid was right, for once.

"That sounds like Crash and Eddie!" Ellie noted, hopeful. Perhaps this would be easier than they had originally thought.

"But..." Manny paused before continuing, "That sounds like... more than just them laughing. Could it be Peaches?"

"Nah, not high enough pitched." Diego noted, "I've heard her giggling, rare as it is these days, and it's much higher."

"Could it be Buck?" Ellie asked, making Avery twitch and look up at her with a glint of hope in his eyes.

"Never heard him laugh before..." Manny muttered, "No way to tell."

"We should follow it." Sid declared, grinning.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sid is right. If that's Crash and Eddie, then we have a better chance of finding Peaches. I mean, maybe she's still with them." Ellie agreed.

That decided, the herd headed in the direction of the laughter.

Peaches had kicked twice at what Buck had been fiddling at, but it refused to budge. She was quickly running out of air and her uncles and Buck were gasping between laughs. If she didn't hurry, they'd end up stuck.

She gave another angry kick before whirling around and smacking all three of them, glaring light-headed-ly.

"Aha, ow, haha, w-wot was tha' for?!" Buck asked in-between laughs, looking up at her.

"Heh, heh, t-teenagers." Eddie said, sniggering.

"Y-yeah really. They're so c-crazy!" Crash replied.

"Shut up!!!" Peaches finally exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Oh, crud.

She shook her head, she would not laugh until she got what she needed to say out. She kept telling herself that as she ranted, her voice hitching upward as she reached the climax, "You three are such idiots!" she glared at her uncles, "You were told to hold your breath, and what do you do? You lose it! Then you provoke our GUIDE," she sent a glare at Buck, "Who shouldn't have fallen for it! And YOU SAID IT WAS FINE AND NOTHING WOULD GO WRONG!" Her voice raised into a fever pitch.

Then she let herself go and burst out in weak, crying laughter.

"Someone else is talkin' now." Avery noted, ear twitching.

"That's Peaches." Ellie said in relief. "So she is there."

Sid frowned, "But if they're all laughing..."

Diego glanced at Manny, "You think maybe..."

"Chasm of Death?" Manny finished for Diego, "I don't know, but it's likely."

Avery raised an eyebrow, looking at Diego. "Do I wanna know wot th' Chasm o' Death is?"

"No, you really don't." Diego insisted, "But if they're in the Chasm of Death..."

"We have to hurry." Manny nodded.

Avery turned to Ellie. "Shoul' I be worried?"

"If they're in the Chasm of Death? Probably." She said simply, following after the others.

Peaches felt the tears streaming down her face, but while her mind registered she was upset, her lungs were telling her to laugh. She couldn't stop. Buck looked like he was at least trying to control himself, and was moving toward the vine with determination. She judged by her uncles' gasping breaths that they didn't have much time to dawdle.
Getting them out would be a lot easier if Buck wasn't laughing his head off.

Crash and Eddie were holding each other up, their eyes wide and fearful even as they laughed. Crash gasped for air, flailing his arm weakly. Buck managed to slice at the tugging vine with his knife, and the knot that had been on the vine snapped loose. He grabbed it as it fell away and pulled as hard as he could, his eyes clenched shut. Peaches wrapped her trunk around it and yanked, jerking them forward.

Pulling on the rope as hard as they could, Buck and Peaches managed to inch their way to the end of the Chasm. Just a few more tugs, and they'd make it…

Crash had managed to grab onto her leg as she pulled, her eyes watering dangerously and no longer from crying. She felt his tight grip on her fur slacken, and his gasping was loud. Eddie was in a similar state.

Peaches began to realize exactly WHY it was called the "Chasm of Death". That knowledge only renewed her vigor and made her pull harder, desperate to get out of there without laughing to death.

Death by laughter was not as fun as it sounded.

Diego looked down into the fog, "They're down there alright. Dunno how we get over there though."

"I don' undastand," Avery said, frowning, "they're only laughin'."

"They died laughing." Ellie quoted, gesturing toward the skeletons below.

Diego frowned, "And if all four of them are laughing, they don't stand as well of a chance of getting out."

Avery's eyes darted toward a vine that was tied around a tree. It appeared to be moving. "Are vines s'posed ta move on their own down here?"

Manny narrowed his eyes at the vine, "I don't think so...Something's moving it."

Ellie grabbed it with her trunk, pulling on it. "Might as well help 'em." They all looked at her strangely. "What?" Tug. "This is how I got you all out last time." Tug. "I'm pulling them to us."

Manny shook his head before joining her and helping her to tug. Avery helped as well, not really seeing a point but wanting to be at least somewhat helpful. After all, the only thing he had been doing was walking silently beside them and asking questions, rendering him quite useless.

A shadow appeared in the thick fog, coming straight toward them.

Weak laughs were easily heard along with gasps for air, and Manny could see one large and three small forms, all of them shaking with laughter they couldn't stop.

As they drew closer, the forms of Peaches, Crash and Eddie were unmistakable, and everyone, save for Avery and Sid, knew exactly who the third figure was.

Diego reached out and grabbed the bone carrier, pulling it up to the edge and helping the two possums who stumbled out. Peaches followed them, gasping, and Buck staggered forward last, his paw on his chest.

It was while everyone was all over Peaches and the twins, hugging them and asking them if they were alright, that Buck and Avery locked eyes.

From there, everything went downhill.

Faithers: CLIFF... HANGER... DUN DUN DUNNNNN!

Amethyst: Le gasp!!!

Buck: *is very not amused*

Faithers: BEWARE THE UNAMUSED WEASEL.

Buck: *STABS THE WALL THREE INCHES FROM HER*

Faithers: ...you missed...?

Amethyst: I don't think he's very happy with us…o.o;

Faithers: I don't think he is either... Course we did put that little canonical detail in there...

Buck: I'S NO' CANON!

Amethyst: You mean the Buck/Rudy hint?

Buck: *GLARE*

Amethyst: O.O;;; I'll…take that as a…yes. ^^;

Faithers: We're... gonna... go... before he kills us... ^-^;

Amethyst: BEWARE THE IRATE WEASEL!

Faithers and Amethyst: *RUN FOR THEIR LIVES*