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SURFACING

Cuddy fought the weight of the water, thrashing her limbs while still grasping out helplessly for House's hand - anyone's hand. She opened her eyes, trying to ignore the sting of the salt, and tried to make out her surroundings. A few emergency lights on the interior of the plane remained lit, and she was able to make out her surroundings - she was still inside the body of the plane, but it was sinking quickly.

She felt a hand grasp her wrist, and she was pulled forcefully towards what appeared to be the torn opening in the plane's body, above which a faint light shone.

She fought the urge to inhale, and squinted in an attempt to make out who was dragging her quickly through the water. Her lungs burned and her vision began to blacken. She needed to breathe, she needed to take a breath so badly...

Chase broke the surface, his eyes burning from the harsh salt water. Frantically, he looked around for Cameron admist all the wreckage. He had been holding her, but the force of the impact had broken them apart. He pushed his sopping bangs out of his face as he looked for a hint of brown hair. His hand was stinging and he lifted it out of the water to see it covered in blood.

"Chase!"

At the sound of her voice, he turned around wildly, searching for the source. He found her some feet away from him, struggling to retrieve the red and white cooler containing the virus vials from one of the seats. Quickly, he swam toward her, trying to ignore the pleas for help and terrified cries that met his ears.

"Cameron, what are you doing?" he shouted when she was close enough to hear. "Leave the damn cooler and let's get out of here!"

"I can't leave it behind!" she shrieked as she tugged on the plastic handle. "Chase, help me! We need to bring this back to Princeton!"

He had reached her by now, and grabbed her by her thin shoulders. "Let's go, we have to go, we have to get out of here!"

"Not without this!" With valiant effort, she tried again to remove the cooler from where it was trapped. Suddenly, it came out from between two seats, and she wrapped her arms around it. She tried to swim toward him, but Chase could see that something was wrong, the cooler was too heavy, or she was too weak, because she was no longer moving toward him.

"ALLISON!" he screamed. "Where are you?"

Thirteen forced her eyes open as she searched below the surface for Foreman. She could only make out blurry legs and arms of her fellow passengers as they struggled to reach the surface. Suddenly she felt something on her arm. She turned and saw Foreman had grabbed her elbow. With a jerk of his head, he indicated which direction they should go to reach fresh oxygen. Her mind spinning, she swam with him through the gap between broken plane pieces where a faint light was waiting…

Cuddy could feel someone dragging her through the water, away from the sinking body of the plane. She spluttered and coughed as her head finally broke the surface, spitting up water. Twisting around, she managed to make out the face of her rescuer. "House?"

"Who'd you think it was, Flipper?" he huffed. "For someone who wears such tiny sizes, you are ridiculously heavy."

Now a substantial distance from the wreckage, he stopped, and Cuddy was able to tread water. She took in her surroundings. "Where are the others?"

"I was kind of busy rescuing your huge ass. They're on their own. I'm sure they're fine – everyone knows that doctors float. Or was that witches?"

Suddenly Foreman and Thirteen came into view. "Look!" Foreman shouted to Thirteen. "It's Cuddy and House!"

"But where are Chase and Cameron?" Thirteen said worriedly.

"Help!" All the doctors turned around looking for the source of the voice. It was too young to be from Chase or Cameron, but they couldn't just sit there and listen to a child cry. "Help, somebody! Anybody!"

"House!" Cuddy began swimming toward the source of the shouting. "I think it's a child!"

"But I already rescued you," he whined.

Cuddy kept swimming in spite of him. She could see a little boy clinging to a seat cushion and shouting, "Help! It's my sister! She can't swim!"

"Foreman!" It was Chase. "I need your help. It's Cameron – she can't swim with the cooler!"

Foreman rolled his eyes. "Remind me again why we took the damn things with us?" But he swam toward Chase all the same.

Cuddy took a gulp of air before plunging back under the icy water. She squinted and tried to make out the various shapes under the surface. It was a terrifying sight – she could see the plane sinking in the dark water, and the shapes of what she could only imagine were bodies. Movement caught her attention, not far away.

"Come back!" Thirteen screamed. House wasn't sure if she was talking to Foreman or Cuddy.

Suddenly Chase and Foreman reappeared with the cooler and Cameron in tow. "Where's Cuddy?" Cameron asked frantically as she treaded water in front of Thirteen and House.

"Fulfilling her hero complex," House replied, but there was obvious worry in his voice.

"Over here!" Cuddy's voice carried toward them. "I need some help!" The little girl in her arms wasn't breathing, but she could feel a pulse. Still clinging to the cushion, the little boy began to sob.

"Chase!" Cameron thrust the cooler toward him. "Hold this!"She began swimming toward Cuddy and the children.

"Emily! Emily!" the little boy cried. "Please wake up! Wake up!"

Suddenly Emily began to cough, spasming in Cuddy's arms and spitting water. Cameron reached them, and helped Cuddy to elevate the child above the water.

"Emily!" the boy cried again, though this time there was relief in his voice. "I'm here, right here!" He tried to reach for her, but the seat cushion he was floating on was pulling him in the opposite direction.

"Ethan," he said, reaching out and clinging to Cameron's arm so they wouldn't be separated. "I'm nine. And Emily's my sister. She's six."

"I'm Allison," Cameron told him. "And this is Lisa." She pointed to Cuddy. "We're doctors. You and your sister are going to be okay."

Emily clung to Cuddy as Cuddy struggled to tread water without the use of her arms. "Cameron, I need something to put her on."

"What about my mom?" Ethan asked.

Cameron glanced around worriedly. "I don't know. She might be around here, but right now, we need to swim away from here."

"No! No!" he shouted. "We can't leave without her!" He broke apart from Cameron and tried to paddle using the cushion. "Mom! Mom!"

"Ethan." Cuddy reached out to stop him. "We need to make sure you and Emily are safe. I'm sure if you mom is out there, she wants you to be safe."

"Mom!" he cried again, but he allowed Cameron to take him by the arm and lead him away.

Aw they swam toward the others, a rumbled sounded. Moments later, the sky lit up with a bolt of lightning.

"We need to find land quickly!" Cameron shouted.

"Or we could give Foreman a big metal pole and have him swim far away from us," House offered.

"Foreman," Thirteen snapped. "Make yourself useful and take the girl from Cuddy. Can't you see she's exhausted?"

"Make Chase do it," he grumbled in return.

"I'm going to give you to Chase," Cuddy told the little girl. "Can you hold onto his shoulders really tight while he swims?"

Emily shook her head and clung tighter to Cuddy.

"Come on, sweetie," said Thirteen in what she thought was a placating tone. "He's really nice, I promise."

"Emily, do as they say," said Ethan, swimming toward them and dragging Cameron with him. "It'll be okay."

Cameron gave Thirteen a wary look. "Yes, he's very nice. It will be fine, Emily."

"Come here," Chase said kindly, reaching out for her. "Want a piggy back ride?"

"Okay," Emily sniffled.

Cuddy handed Emily over to Chase, then squinted and looked around. "I think I can see something over that way." She pointed into the distance. "I think it's our best shot at land."

"Okay," said Foreman. "Let's go then – quickly," he added as another clap of thunder sounded.

They began to swim, hoping against hope that they would find land.