“Lets find out why we are here,” Rand urged, looking out over the churning waters, expectant.

Ellette didn’t budge, only shook her head. “No,” her voice was faint. “Not the water again...” Her chest tightened, making it heard to breath, as the images from her daydreams washed over her. She couldn’t loose him. Not now, not for real.

He looked up at her, where she stood up hill from him. “There’s a reason, right?” He glanced back out over the water. There was something going on behind his dark eyes, a reason for this conviction of his. She dreaded what he was pushing them towards, his clear determination to play out this dream. “Maybe this is your chance to save that boy.”

She shivered, shaking her head. “He’s dead,” she whispered.

It was his turn to look stricken. “What if you were given a second chance?” He tried again, his voice catching slightly. He turned abruptly, making his way towards the river. Ellette let out a protesting squeak, and ran to his side, grabbing his arm. If she couldn’t stop him, at least she could go with him.

Her heart was thundering painfully in her chest, the anxiety, the anticipation, overwhelming. “Rand,” she choked out, “he’s dead. I saw it on the news. This isn’t time trav...” her words were cut short by the all too familiar sound of splashing in the water before them. There he was. That fragile boy, struggling against the current.

Rand shot her a ‘I told you so’ look and began pulling off his sweater. He tossed it to her, and began kicking off his shoes.

“You can’t do this!” She pleaded, holding his sweater to her chest, thick and warm. Her hands began to tremble at the thought of it being the last piece of him she might hold. “Please, Rand, I can’t do this again!” Her voice felt tight, raw in her throat as the terror took hold. It was one thing for her to risk her life, but now... now that she’d tried and failed time and time again. She couldn’t bear the thought.

He glanced back out at the water one more time before pulling off his jeans as well, already beginning to shiver in the frosty night air. “I have to do this.” He told her, not meeting her eye. Steam rose up from the bare flesh of his arms and torso, and she grit her teeth at memories of the freezing cold of that water. “You said the dreams happen for a reason, right? I’m here for a reason.” He tossed her the jeans as well, and their eyes met briefly as he stood before her, shivering, clad in only boxer shorts. Her eyes already filling with tears, his were hard, strangely possessed and determined.

Ellette stood, stunned, holding a small pile of clothing as he tromped in to the water. Warm trails trickled down her cheeks as she watched him, helpless, frozen. With a shake of her head, she dropped the small pile of clothing and began working her boots off. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Taking off heavy clothing before diving into the black, churning depths. She kept an eye on Rand as he waded deeper, finally diving in and stroking forcefully to the small figure of the boy.

She smiled sadly, realizing how much stronger of a swimmer he was than she. Maybe he would make it. He could succeed where she’d failed. Still she kicked her boots off, and pulled her pants off, making her way to the water’s edge. She left her jacket on, dreading giving up that last bit of warmth. This last source of comfort she would discard very last. At the very least, she would help pull them to shore. At the most, the she would go in after them, and if Rand were to fail...

She would fail with him.