A/N: Hi everyone! You guys are just amazing! I have way more reviews for this story than I thought I would ever get! I love it so very much. You all keep me going.

I would like to give special thanks to Book Soldier for giving me the idea for this chapter. You rock, Book Soldier!

Warning: Angst and descriptive illness and Will!whump.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice. *sighs dramatically*

24. No Time

"Will!" Halt called through the door, slinging his bag over his shoulder and grabbing his bow. "Come on, we have no time to laze about. The horses are ready!"

The door swung open and the apprentice stumbled out of his room, his hair a disheveled mess. He was still slipping his cloak on, his hands pulling a bag behind him as he closed the door with a kick of his foot.

Halt raised an eyebrow, watching as the apprentice grabbed his bow from the hook on the wall. "I'm ready, I'm ready!" he said.

Will stumbled outside, blinking as the bright sunlight hit his eyes, reflecting off the hard packed snow. "Where are we going?" Will asked excitedly, wrapping his mottled cloak around his body.

"We have to go meet up with Crowley. He has an assignment for us," Halt said, climbing up onto Abelard. Will mounted Tug, holding the reins tightly in his cold hands. Halt nudged Abelard lightly, and they headed into the forest

NO TIME

It was dark when they decided to make camp, the half moon spreading weak, silver light over the clearing that they had chosen.

Will swung down from Tug's back, his muscles sore and his knees feeling like jelly. He leaned against Tug's side as his head spun for a moment.

Halt glanced at his apprentice, his sharp eyes seeing the boy's pale complexion. He was careful not to show worry on his face as he started building up a fire, glancing every so often in the direction of Will, who was untying his saddle bags with fumbling fingers.

Will slowly made his way over to the warm flames, sitting down with a sigh and tossing the bag to Halt. The man raised an eyebrow, watching as his apprentice leaned tiredly against a tree.

Halt opened his mouth to tell the apprentice to get off his lazy butt, but paused as he saw how tired the boy looked. He turned back to the fire, putting a pot over the flames. He hoped there was nothing too wrong with his apprentice. There was no time for one of them to get sick.

NO TIME

Will blinked his eyes open blearily, his head pounding like a drum. He quickly shut his eyes again as bright, golden sunlight assaulted his vision. He took a deep breath, his throat and chest burning as cool air poured into his lungs.

"Will?" a voice called from behind him. The apprentice sat up, opening his eyes again and looking around the clearing.

Halt was coming towards him from his place by the fire, and Will could have sworn a look of worry flashed across his mentor's face.

"I'm okay," Will said quickly, coughing again as his throat burned in protest.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "You look terrible. And you probably have a fever."

Will shook his head, climbing to his feet. "I am fine!" he protested. "Just a bit tired, that's all."

"And that is why you are swaying every time a gust of wind blows by?" Halt asked the boy, who was trembling with the effort of keeping his body upright. Will sighed defeat, shivering as cold air brushed across his face.

"Come on. We are going home," Halt said, picking up the apprentice's bedroll for him and calling the horses over to where they both stood.

"Wait, what?" Will asked as his foggy brain processed what Halt had just said. "We can't go back! What about the mission?"

Halt shook his head, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Will apprentices ever change?" he muttered to himself. "You are sick, Will. Crowley's little mission can wait. Now mount up! I don't want you getting any more ill than you already are!"

Will complied, climbing onto Tug's back and leaning against the horse's neck, exhausted for a moment. Tug looked back at him as he straightened up, his eyes accusing.

"What?" Will muttered fondly as they set off back towards the cabin.

NO TIME

"Will!" Halt called, pulling lightly at Abelard's reins, the horse stopping. "Let's stop for lunch."

Will nodded, swinging his leg over Tug's side. The world seemed to tilt for a moment, and he slipped to the ground, crashing onto the snow with a thud. He squeezed his eyes shut against the nausea that assaulted him. He felt a hand grip his arm, pulling him out of the cold snow.

When the apprentice next opened his eyes, he was leaning against a tree, a thick blanket wrapped around his trembling shoulders. Halt was digging through his pack, pulling out dried meat and stepping closer to Will.

"Here," he said gruffly, pressing the food into Will's palm.

Will shook his head, another bout of nausea making his stomach churn. "Not hungry..."

"At least eat a little," Halt responded gruffly. He watched the apprentice eat the meat, satisfied when Will finally finished it off. The feeling of relief was soon replaced by worry when Halt looked up into the sky, seeing the dark grey clouds that gathered ominously around them. "We have to get going soon. Rest for now..."

As soon as he said this, thick snowflakes began to fall, and Halt realized that they had no time to pause. They had to get started now, or risk getting stuck in a snowstorm.

"Nevermind, we have to get going," he told his apprentice, lifting the boy to his feet and helping him mount Tug. Will could barely hold himself upright, his hands grasping Tug's mane so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

Halt mounted Abelard, nudging him into a canter, Tug following close beside them. It was a race against time now, Halt realized.

NO TIME

"Halt," Will called weakly behind him, trying to pull Tug to a stop. His hands slipped from the reins, but the shaggy horse understood his master, his hooves sliding a bit in the ice as he halted in his tracks. "Halt," Will said again, his master coming up beside him.

"Will?" Halt asked, not trying to hide his worry. He could barely make out the apprentice through the thick snow, white flurries clouding his vision. "What's wrong?" he asked, not attempting to hide his worry. He dismounted quickly, stepping over to the apprentice.

"I... I think I'm..." Will didn't finish his sentence, leaning over the side of Tug's neck and gagging. Halt quickly pulled Will down from the horse, the boy falling to his knees in the snow as he heaved again. Halt rubbed slow circles on Will's trembling back, trying to block his apprentice from the roaring wind.

Will wiped his mouth, his eyes looking up to Halt as he shivered. "H-halt..." he coughed. The grizzled ranger brushed the damp hair of off Will's forehead, alarm shooting through him when he felt the heat radiating off of Will's skin.

"Come on," Halt said, lifting the boy off the snow and helping him mount the horse again.

Halt led them on foot, fighting against the wind and snowfall. He could hear coughing from behind him, but he kept walking, knowing that they couldn't afford to stop. They would either reach the cabin or die trying.

NO TIME

They would come upon the cabin any time now, he thought to himself as the wind whistled around his head, making his gray-green cloak billow around his body. He could no longer hear Will coughing behind him, but he didn't' have time to check to see if the apprentice was still breathing. He had to press on.

He stumbled out into a clearing, his heart leaping with joy when he saw a small building covered in snow.

He pushed on with new vigour, leading Tug and Abelard to the stable and shoveling the snow aside from the door, pushing against the wood with all of his might in order to get the heavy door to swing open against the snow. He quickly pulled Will off of Tug, Holding the apprentice in his arms.

"I'll be back to take care of you in a minute," Halt told the horses. "Right now, Will needs me."

Abelard snorted, as if he understood what the ranger had said. Halt hefted the boy up into his arms, opening the door to the stable and stepping out into the gusting wind again. The cabin door was mostly clear of snow, and Halt sighed in relief, pushing the door open and stepping quickly inside.

He slammed the door shut, carrying Will over to the nearest couch and setting the boy on it. The air inside the cabin was considerably warmer, the cold wind howling outside, rattling the windows ferociously, trying to enter the warm building.

Halt started up a fire, the dark shadows shrinking as the flames licked up the wood greedily. Red light bathed the room, and Halt went back over to Will, placing a hand on the boy's hot forehead. His mind went blank for a second, his heart pounding as he looked down upon the shivering figure sprawled on the couch.

He took a deep, calming breath, realizing that panicking was doing his apprentice no good. He needed blankets, a bucket of water, and rags.

"Be right back," he muttered to the unconscious form as he stumbled into his bedroom, grabbing all of the blankets he could and bringing them back to where Will was lying. He wrapped the boy in a cocoon of blankets before he grabbed a bucket and stepped outside, filling it quickly with snow.

After he had done this, he set the bucket by the fire to melt the snow and then grabbed a few rags, beginning to bathe Will's face with the melting snow.

"Only you could remain so bloody hot in a snowstorm," Halt growled.

Will's eyelids fluttered as he said this, the boy blinking his eyes open, a grimace of pain on his face.

"'Halt," Will moaned. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Halt asked. "You got sick on the way to meet Crowley and we had to turn around..."

Will let out a weak smile, nodding his head and making himself wince. "That would explain why it feels like a herd of horses are pounding around inside my head," Will whispered.

Halt nodded and Will closed his eyes, falling into a restless sleep.

NO TIME

"You don't look any better than you did yesterday," Halt commented a few days later. The snow storm had passed, leaving the cabin and it's surroundings covered in a thick, white blanket. "If you don't improve soon, I will have to go get a physician."

Will was sitting on the couch, propped up by pillows, a cup of water resting in his hands. "I don't feel any better than I did yesterday," Will groaned. His headache was pounding, his muscles aching and his stomach lurching every time he moved.

Halt took a sip from his mug, as he studied the boy worriedly. "Can I have some coffee?" Will asked his mentor hopefully, spotting the mug. Halt shook his head, standing up.

"No, but I can make you some tea," Halt said, standing up and making his way to the kitchen. Will wrinkled his nose up.

"Tea?" he groaned.

"Yes," Halt said. "Tea. I don't want to pump your body with sugar and caffeine. You can survive one day without your precious coffee."

With that, Halt turned his attention towards the task of making a cup of tea, wondering when his apprentice had become so addicted to coffee. He supposed he had only himself to blame for that.

Will pulled the blankets tighter around him, wishing that the fire wasn't so bright. He closed his eyes, every sound from the kitchen making him feel as if a knife was driving it's way into his skull.

Halt came back into the sitting room, a mug of steaming tea resting in his hands. He noticed the pained look on Will's face with a flash of worry.

"Will?" Halt asked, and the boy moaned. "What's wrong? What can I do for you?"

"Head..." Will said through clenched teeth.

"Can you open your eyes for me?" Halt asked, setting the tea down. Will gave one, tiny shake of his head, whispering, "Light... hurts..."

"Ok," Halt said. "Why don't we go to your room where there is no fire..." Halt helped Will to his feet, guiding him through the hallway and into his small room, which was dark, the curtains pulled shut against the sun.

"Do you need anything?" Halt said softly. There was no answer from his apprentice, so Halt exited the room, shutting the door as silently as he could. He knew that all he could do was wait the sickness out.

NO TIME

Will rolled over, throwing the blanket that was wrapped around him onto the floor. He almost missed feeling cold now, sweat dripping off his brow as wave after wave of heat passed through him.

"Can we open a window or something?" Will croaked miserably.

"Sweating is good," Halt commented, standing up and pouring Will a cup of water. "It means your fever is breaking..." Halt paused and raised an eyebrow as Will rolled his eyes. "Plus, I am quite comfortable," he added as an afterthought.

Will rolled his eyes and sipped his water, resisting the urge to dump the cool liquid on his head. "When can I start training again?" he asked after a few moments.

Halt raised an eyebrow. "Your questions tell me you are feeling better," the ranger growled. "And you won't leave that bed until I say so."

"When will that be?" Will asked innocently.

Halt gave his apprentice a look that would make grown men cry and then stood, stepping out of the room. He was about to shut the door behind him when he turned to look one last time in the room.

"Feel better soon," he said gruffly. "We can't have you getting soft and fat." Will smiled as his mentor left the room, leaning back against the pillows, the world quiet around him, peaceful and serene, the sun slowly falling in the sky, bathing the cabin in darkness.

A/N: So that was a lot harder to write than I thought it was. I kept having to erase little sections of the story because Halt kept sounding OOC and it was really starting to frustrate me. But I had to get some of the angst out of my system.

I just realized how long that chapter was! Wow... XD

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that one shot. Next up will be 'Trouble Lurking'. As always, I accept requests.

Please drop me a review and let me know what you thought. XD

Live long and prosper.

-Dawn