Summary:
"He takes a deep breath. 'You got hurt again,' he mumbles. 'Except, this time…'
'This time what?'
Jonas squeezes his eyes shut. 'This time I think you died.'"
OR
Present-Day AU. A malfunctioning time travel device and a harrowing mission force Sam and Jonas to finally confront what happened in Florida. But they're running out of time to clear the air before Jonas' latest vision comes true - a vision of Sam's impending death. Sequel to "band-aids don't fix bullet holes."
A/N: Hello! Apologies again for the huge cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter, I couldn't help myself 😆 Anyway, I don't have much to say to introduce this chapter, except to reiterate that this is going to be a rollercoaster. As always, thank you for following along with this story! I really appreciate it ❤️
CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER
-violence
-strong language
Chapter 8: like a river, always running (i keep losing you)
"NO!"
BANG!
Sam barely has time to register what's happening before Jonas' body slams into her and knocks her to the ground. She winces in pain as her head grazes the edge of a rock. For a moment the world spins around her, but she quickly regains awareness when she hears an inhuman shriek cut through the air. She blinks, suddenly taking notice of everything all at once.
She's lying halfway in the stream, with Jonas' body sprawled atop her legs. The grey-haired woman is sitting on the opposite bank, pointing a gun at them. In a flash, Sam realizes what must have happened. The woman tried to shoot her, and Jonas knocked her out of the way just in time.
The woman rises to her feet, her face twisting in rage. She begins to advance on them, this time aiming the gun at Jonas. Sam moves to yank him aside, but the woman pulls the trigger before Sam can grab a hold of him.
Click.
Relief floods through Sam's body when she realizes that the gun has run out of bullets. The woman pulls on the trigger again. And then again, and again, and again. When at last she's convinced the gun is empty, she lets out another shriek and charges towards them.
Sam bolts upright and seizes Jonas' shoulders. She begins to drag him away from the water, but the woman is too fast and pounces on him, swinging the gun at his head. He dodges the attack just as Sam leaps up and grabs the woman's arm. They wrestle violently, tumbling back into the stream. At first Sam gains the upper hand, but then the woman finds an opening and knees her in the stomach. Sam doubles over, gasping for air. The woman then knocks her down, clutches her neck, and shoves her head into the water.
Sam thrashes against the woman's grip, desperately trying to grab her assailant and toss her aside. But the woman's knee digs into her back, forcing her body down deeper into the stream. Sam's lungs start to burn as her nose fills with water and silt. She sees stars swimming in her vision. If she can't get free soon, she's going to drown in this godforsaken cave. Jonas' vision will have come true - although not quite exactly as he saw it - and oh god, oh god the water is freezing and she can't fucking breathe and this is it, this is it, she's going to die -
Sam hears a muffled howl from somewhere above her, and all of a sudden the pressure on her body releases. She vaults upward, choking and gasping as she rolls onto her side. The water clears from her eyes just in time for her to see Jonas ram his knee into the woman's gut, sending her careening towards the bank. The woman stumbles backward, throwing her arms out in front of her as her body begins to sway. For one terrifying moment Sam thinks she isn't going to fall. But then she loses her balance and crashes to the ground, her head slamming against a rock before her body goes limp in a pool of her own blood.
Sam blinks in shock, her chest heaving. Jonas is standing above her now, staring down at the woman's lifeless figure. He then turns to Sam and drops to his knees, the stream's cold current rippling around his already soaked fatigues.
He leans towards her, and she grabs his shoulders and pulls herself up into a sitting position. His face is frozen in a picture of both terror and relief. He starts moving his mouth as if to speak, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to make a sound.
Sam pats him down, checking for injuries. Her hands have landed on his cheeks when she suddenly remembers that his arms are still tied behind his back. "We have to cut you free," she croaks, drawing back and gripping his shoulders again.
She hauls Jonas to his feet and turns around to scan the area. The screams of the other bandits have tapered off into an eerie silence by now, broken only by the gurgle of the stream and the squelching of the blue worms. The bodies of their victims lie motionless by water, while the creatures in question are now crawling away towards a stone pillar in the center of the cavern. Several of them have already begun inching their way upward, no doubt looking to nest closer to the ceiling.
Determining that it's finally safe to approach, Sam heads towards the body of the first gunman. She fights the urge to gag when she sees the full extent of his condition. His skin is milky white, peppered by little red welts that Sam can only assume are the result of hundreds of worm bites. His one eye gazes emptily up at the ceiling. A spiderweb of purple veins fans out across his face and down his neck and arms, and a trail of blood trickles down from his mouth to the tip of his chin.
Sam bends over, closes the man's remaining eye, and then takes his knife from his belt. She beckons to Jonas, who holds out his hands behind him so she can cut his bonds. Once he's free, he rubs his wrists, turns around, and throws his arms around her, pulling her into a crushing hug.
Sam immediately returns the gesture, holding Jonas as close she can and clutching the back of his jacket. His arms tighten around her, and she closes her eyes, resting her chin on his shoulder. She can feel his heartbeat pounding in the midst of their embrace.
Jonas buries his face in her neck. "Are you okay?" he asks softly, his lips brushing her skin. His voice sounds hoarse, as if he's trying not to cry.
Sam pulls back to look him in the eye. Despite their shared exhaustion, she's struck by the sudden urge to kiss him senseless, if for no other reason than to convince herself that they're both really alive. If she can hold him and touch him and feel his breath and his body melding with hers, then that means this isn't a fever dream and that they actually managed to survive.
Instead, she leans her forehead against his and lifts her hands to his neck. "I'm okay," she whispers, splaying her fingers across his jaw. "Are you okay?"
He nods, his nose nudging hers. "Yeah," he answers. "I'm all right."
They remain like that for a moment, just holding each other. Then Sam pulls back again, only to see Jonas' brow creased in concern.
"What is it?" she asks.
"You're bleeding," he murmurs.
Sam lifts a hand to her forehead. Her fingers come away stained with blood. The cut must be from when he knocked her out of the way of the gun. "Is it bad?"
Jonas shakes his head. "I don't think so."
"Then we can patch it up later," she says. "Let's gather what we can and get out of here first."
Sam pockets the gunman's knife, holsters his gun, and makes her way over to the other two bandits, Jonas in tow. They find a couple of saddlebags there, each filled with some survival supplies, extra clothes, food rations, and local currency they have no use for. They retrieve more weapons from the other victims - another gun, two more knives, and a collapsible blowdart.
"I think we should change," Jonas remarks.
Sam looks up at him. "What?"
He gestures at their soaked clothing. "Hypothermia," he explains.
He does have a point. Sam pulls the clothing items out of the younger woman's bag. She isn't sure if they'll fit, but it's worth a shot. "I'll be over there," she says, nodding her head at a nearby stalagmite.
She retreats behind the rock, first yanking off her boots and changing her pants. Thankfully, the bandit's black trousers fit well enough, although they're a bit short. She shrugs off her jacket next, but it's when she moves to pull her shirt over her head that she runs into a problem.
She can't lift her arms all the way without a sharp pain shooting across her shoulders. Damn. She must've gotten hurt somehow during the fight in the stream.
"Jonas?" she calls out.
"Yeah? You okay?"
"I, uh, need help with my shirt."
Jonas is silent for a moment, and she wonders if she needs to repeat herself. But then he peeks around the edge of the stalagmite. "What happened?" he asks, his face twisted with worry.
"I'm okay," she reassures him. "I just might've sprained something."
"Oh," he says, kneeling beside her. He's already changed into his new set of clothes. "Can I - "
"Yeah."
He reaches for the hem of her shirt and slowly lifts it up, his fingers brushing against her sides. He helps her bend forward so she doesn't have to raise her arms too far, then gently tugs the shirt over her head.
Sam shivers as the cool air hits her skin. "Thanks," she says softly.
Jonas smiles. "Don't mention it," he murmurs. "Here."
He helps her pull on the new shirt and fasten a vest over top of it.
"Thanks," she says again, reaching for her boots. She manages a small grin. "You don't look half bad."
Jonas glances down at the similar ensemble he's wearing and snorts. "They're kind of big on me."
"Better that than too tight."
He shrugs. "I guess so. At least they're dry."
They stuff their wet clothes into their bags, double-check for any more supplies, then head back towards the stream. Jonas stops by the older woman's body to grab her gun and the pouch carrying the venom darts.
"Hopefully we won't have a reason to use these," he says, " but it can't hurt to have them handy. You know, in case we run into that other group of bandits."
Sam nods. "Good idea," she agrees.
"That's assuming Cam, Celia, and Stella haven't escaped too," Jonas continues.
"I hope they have," Sam says. "There's no guarantee we'll cross paths before we get out of here, and I don't know how long these bandits were planning on keeping us here before handing us off to their buyers."
"Yeah," Jonas murmurs.
They follow the stream into the tunnel, lighting their way with the glow rods they found in their bags. More clusters of worms cast a faint blue glow over their surroundings, adding to the light. The tunnel, thankfully, is wider than expected, giving them more than enough room to walk side by side on the far bank of the stream. They continue on for a little while before deciding to rest in a small alcove.
"Can I take a look at that now?" Jonas asks, pointing at the cut on Sam's forehead.
Sam nods. "Yeah, okay."
Jonas rummages through his bag and pulls out a clean cloth and what looks like some bandages and a salve. He runs to the stream to wet the cloth, then returns and sets to work tending to Sam's wound. He gently brushes her bangs aside, letting his fingers trail down to the side of her face.
"Can you turn your head a bit?"
Sam does as he asks, wincing a little when he starts dabbing at the cut. "How does it look?"
Jonas continues wiping the blood away. "It's not too deep," he says. "Hopefully that salve will help."
He reaches for the salve, his free hand still cradling her face. His thumb absentmindedly strokes her chin, and she shivers when it traces the edge of her bottom lip. She's reminded suddenly of that moment on the cliff before the bandits attacked, when he promised her that she would live a long and happy life. It hits her then, just how close she came to dying. If Jonas hadn't knocked her out of the way of the gunshot, if he hadn't saved her before that woman had the chance to drown her -
"Thank you," she whispers, turning her head a little more so that her lips brush against his fingers. "For what you did back there."
Jonas pauses. "I should be thanking you," he murmurs, running his index finger across the outline of her upper lip. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for you attacking her."
Sam turns back to look at him. His eyes are soft in the dim blue light. Yet again, she wants more than anything to lean forward and kiss him. "Let's just call it even?" she says, holding his gaze.
Jonas nods. "Okay."
Sam smiles at him, covering his hand with her own. She laces her fingers with his and lowers their joined hands to her chest. His fingers flatten against her collarbone. "I should wrap up your hand too," he says, nodding at the bite mark the woman left there. "Does it still hurt?"
Sam shakes her head before letting him continue tending to the cut. "It's a little sore, but otherwise it's fine."
Jonas applies a bandage to Sam's head before gently taking her hand and repeating the process with the bite mark. Once she's all patched up, he pulls back, still holding onto her fingers. "How do you feel?" he asks.
"As good as I can be," she replies. "Thank you."
He strokes the back of her knuckles a few times before finally releasing her hand. "I'm starving," he says. "You?"
Sam chuckles. Of course he's thinking about food. "I could go for a snack."
They spend the next few minutes taste-testing the rations in their packs, which seem to be nothing more than the Asterion version of power bars. They're not particularly appetizing, but they're better than nothing.
When they're finished eating, Sam leans her head against the alcove wall, a wave of exhaustion overtaking her. She knows they need to keep going, but her muscles are screaming in protest. All she wants to do is sleep.
"We can take a few more minutes," Jonas murmurs, reaching for her hand again. "You went through a lot back there."
Sam nods, and after a moment's consideration, rests her head on Jonas' shoulder. He turns and buries his nose in her hair. Sam lets her eyes slip closed, basking in the comfort of his touch. She's about to drift off a little when a sudden thought springs to mind. She opens her eyes again.
"Jonas?"
Jonas' lips brush against her forehead. "Yeah?"
She takes a deep breath. "When that woman tried to shoot me," she starts, "was that what you saw in your vision?"
Sam hears him inhale sharply before answering. "I'm not sure," he admits. "I saw us in a cave and you getting shot with something, but I don't think I saw any other people there. At least not that I can remember."
She's quiet for a moment, thinking. Then - "Is it possible you just missed that detail? I mean, your visions aren't always complete."
Jonas sighs. "Maybe," he murmurs.
Sam pulls back to look him in the eye. "So it could be over already," she says. "That might've been it."
Jonas holds her gaze before answering. "I guess so."
She squeezes his hand, desperately wanting to believe her theory. "Then you did it. You saved me."
He doesn't look entirely convinced, but he squeezes her hand back anyway. "I hope you're right," he whispers. "I hope it's finally over."
Jonas is still holding her hand when they decide to get moving again. Sam finds that she doesn't want him to let go. The contact, however minimal, makes her feel safer somehow. They'll be all right as long as she can feel him there with her.
They continue down the tunnel for some time until they reach a fork in the stream. "Which way?" Sam asks, looking back and forth between each option.
Jonas frowns. "Theoretically, they'd both lead outside, so it shouldn't matter."
Sam glances at him. "But?"
"But," he sighs, "there's no telling which one goes on for a longer distance."
Sam holds up a hand, feeling the air in front of each entrance. "I can sort of feel a breeze coming from over here," she says, indicating the left tunnel.
"Then we'll go that way," Jonas replies.
At first their trek proceeds much like it did before. While not as large as the main tunnel, this one is still wide enough for them to walk comfortably beside each other. But as they go on, the ground begins sloping upward, leading them onto a cliff-like path that rises some distance above the water. The stream itself expands to the size of a small river.
Eventually the cliff path narrows, making it so they have to walk in single file. Jonas lets Sam take the lead while he hovers protectively behind her.
"I'm fine," she reassures him, carefully picking her way around a cluster of rocks. "You don't have to - aah!"
Jonas lunges and grabs her by the waist before she slips off the edge of the path. A chunk of rock tumbles down towards the water, leaving a gaping hole where her foot just was.
"You okay?" Jonas asks, pulling flush her against him.
Sam nods, leaning back into his chest. "Yeah," she gasps. "Thanks."
Jonas holds her for a beat before letting her go. "Be careful."
Sam continues forward, taking care to scoot past the hole. The path starts to grow slick with condensation, making it harder to maintain her footing. She braces her hand against the cave wall.
"Take your time," Jonas says from behind her.
She slows her steps, which works at first. But then her foot comes down on another loose piece of rock, this one much larger than the last. The ground falls away from her, and before she can even register what's happening, she feels herself plummeting down towards the river.
"Sam!" Jonas shrieks.
Her body hits the water just as she opens her mouth to scream. The river rushes in, causing her to choke as she struggles to keep her head above the surface.
"Jonas!" she cries, swallowing another mouthful of water. "Jona - "
The current drags her under, and everything goes black.
A/N: Yeah I know, I know, ANOTHER cliffhanger 😆 When I said this was going to be a rollercoaster I wasn't kidding lol
The title of this chapter is taken from the lyrics of "Find Me" by Sigma ft. Birdy (I'm partial to the acoustic version). I chose it in reference to the final scene.
I went back and forth on whether I wanted Sam to patch up Jonas' injury or Jonas to patch up Sam's injury, but I ended up settling on the latter because like I mentioned in an earlier chapter, I like the idea of him taking care of her when she's hurt. Especially since in canon he's the one always getting beat up 😆 Don't worry, there will be more protective Sam coming up - right now it's just her turn to get knocked around for a bit. This is an equal opportunity whump scenario 😆