Authors Notes: Thanks for the prayers and stuffs. I am now sporting dark blue and purple hair. I heard there is a woman in her 70s here that has bubblegum pink hair cut into a Mohawk for the same reason I got mine colored :D She also drives a Harley. Its okay though I'm doing good. Looks like the cancer cell is small enough to suck up into a needle. So I'm good.

In a Heartbeat

Chapter 8

Without

Donny woke up in the morning to it snowing. She could just see it through the crack of the tent door. She saw that her fathers cot was empty, but she felt warmer then normal. She turned slightly to see that her father was laying against her. He had bundled her up in a large blanket and pulled his own blanket over and lay it over the both of them. Combined body heat in the night would help them survive. Specially if they weren't used to such a thing.

She turned over and wanted to fall back asleep only the tent door was thrust aside and in walked the man they talked to the day before. "Nazi's have been spotted at the edge of our wood. We're moving everyone." He said and left the tent.

"Looks like we've got to get going." The Professor said kissing her nose and sitting up stretching. "Pity was looking forward to some coffee." He said and started to fold up his blanket and fitted it into the bag. "Were you warm last night." He asked

"Yes I didn't know you had climbed into the bed with me. Although I did have a dream that I was being smothered by a large bear." She said which got a long laugh out of Horatio. "Come then...lets get you dressed and packed back up. I'm sure those soldiers are going to be looking for these people. Can you swim?" He asked. This caught Donny off guard. She nearly tripped out of her night gown.

"Swim?"

A little Later

Horatio and Donny looked down at the river below them. They had left the large group of people behind. They were just going to move a little east away from the spot they were before.

The Professor began to climb down and then waited at the bottom. It was probably a five to six foot drop. It wasn't very far down so he climbed down and caught onto Donny as she jumped down.

"We'll follow this river through Belgium...We'll take a ship from there to England. It'll take us a better part of the day to do it." He said

"Doesn't that mean we're going to eat waffles?!" She giggled and pulled up onto a rock with the professors help.

"I don't think they'll have anywhere between this river and the ocean that sells waffles." He chuckled and looked around at the river. He had this really strange thought that they were being followed.

"Is it alright?" She asked and looked around at the man who had been watching over her for almost two weeks now.

"Yes I thought I heard something." He said. His hand in hers. "Just stay close for me alright?" He finished walking along the river. "I'm pretty sure we can catch some of these fish up the stream." He said and smiled at her only to frown.

"I...don't like fish." She said and looked at the stream.

"Ah...yes well...hum..." He said and suddenly stopped just as an apple hit his head.

"Gravity...such a heartless friend." Donny said with a soft smile picking up the apple. She opened her pack and began to fill it with apples.

Evening

Donny sprinkled salt onto the fish. She didn't like the look of them, nor how it looked when the Professor cleaned them. As a matter of fact it looked very gross and she nearly threw up the apples she had just ate.

"I'd imagine we're in Belguim now." The Professor said as he poked at the fire. "Nazi's can't get us here. Its a free country."

"I heard one of those men talking...they say they want to rule all of Europe. Do you think they'll...try to take over England?" She asked taking a bite of her piece of apple while the Professor snacked on the other half while waiting for the fish to cook.

"I really don't know. But I can tell you this with some sort of confidence child. England won't stand for it. There will be a war." He said and sighed. "They'll want me to join again."

"Again? You were a soldier? I thought you were a pacifiest."

"Oh I am and its because of war that I am child. I don't think...I could go back to flying a plane bombing unsuspecting people, but I'm afraid that might happen if things don't get better." He said and looked down at the fish and blew on the fire to keep it hot. Donny looked down at her apple. Suddenly she wasn't hungry. She didn't want her father to go off to war. She wanted him to stay with her.

"Don't go..." She said and her eyes watered up. "I don't want you to go." She said and threw her arms around the Professors neck and hugged him tightly. He looked bewildered for a moment then hugged her tightly.

"I'll try my best, but if I must go...I have a good reason to fight now. I have someone to protect." He said and hugged her tightly as she cried.

A little later after the fish was eatten and the baths were had...which wasn't a very fun afair, the water was cold. The Professor wasn't very good at braiding hair but it was how he kept her warm and away from the cold. Her hair wasnt that long, it went down to the middle of her back. It however was very thick, and very bright red.

He sat with her back to his chest. There only blanket that wasn't wet from the previous rain lay against them. Mostly tucked in around Donny who buried her face in his chest. "You smell like pine and camp fire." She said. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.

"Sorry I was hoping the bath would help." He said. She shook her head and played with one of the buttons on his sleeve.

"No...but thats okay, you've always smelt that way." She said and was almost asleep when she felt the Professor hold her tightly. "When I tell you to run...run into the woods and don't look back." He said. "If I don't find you keep following the river...it'll lead you to to the ocean. I'll find you there." He said and jumped up pushing her toward the woods. "Go!"

Donny jumped up and ran into the woods. She couldn't see a think, so she followed the sound of the river. She could see a bit of the rocks and leaves because of the moon light, but it didn't show what she was hearing. She wanted to run back, she could hear his yells for her to keep running. She heard his paniced cry, and then a loud splash. They threw him into the river. She looked at the river as it rushed by. It was getting stronger and stronger as she ran down stream.

Wait...there he was. She ran along the stream faster. She had to get to him, she needed to. She ran along a large rock and stretched grabbing his hand.

He was barily conscious, when he felt a small hand incircle his he opened his eyes to see her. Oh such an angel she was trying to save him, but his body mass and the weight of the heavy clothing being weighed down by water was almost to much for her. She kept holding onto him with as much as she could. She pulled in almost to the rock now. He reached out only in time to see someone step up behind his daughter and kick out. They both fell into the river, both being sweaped away...both lost from each others arms.