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Captains Courageous By: Izzy

"It looks like rain though, doesn't it?"

Nick shook his head at the question, squinting up at the blue sky. He took in the single dark cloud without a moment's hesitation. "Just one cloud. The sky's clear-- it's perfect."

"I guess."

"You sure you don't want to come?"

AJ glanced at him, a smile playing off his lips. They had been home all of three days, but the kid looked like he had been resting for months. The Floridian sun had already deeply bronzed his skin, casting freckles across his nose and cheeks, and his blue eyes looked brighter than they had in weeks. AJ wondered if he had been inside once in the three days.

"Thanks, but no thanks, man," he steadily declined with a wave of his hand. "Sailing's not really my thing."

Nick's feet resounded on the dock that stretched out behind his house, the echoes sounding hollow below. He was enjoying himself. He had immediately jumped at the idea of the guys coming out to see his recently acquired home. The truth was, he had wanted people around him. It was weird always having a lot of people around and then suddenly having none.

He popped a smile at AJ. "You never know unless you try."

"Maybe some other time, okay? I promise."

"Sure," Nick agreed, unfazed by the refusal. He quickly turned toward the one person that was coming with him-- Brian. Clearly the more important individual at the moment. Nick started giving a quick and abridged Sailing 101.

"Wait, wait... slow down there a minute, Captain," Brian interrupted. He raised his eyebrows with a crooked smile. "What?"

Nick quickly shrugged away the explanations. He didn't have the patience. "Don't worry about it. You'll learn as you go along, you know?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's easy." Nick kicked off the flip-flops he was wearing and pointed at Brian's sneaker-clad feet. "You don't need the shoes."

"Remember, Brian." Howie clapped him on the shoulder with a smile. "If all else fails, just remember how to swim."

"Haha," came the unenthused retort. Brian liked swimming, and he liked the ocean, but swimming out in the middle of the ocean did not appeal to him. He gave Howie's arm a push as he pulled off his sneakers. "I don't see you hopping aboard with us."

Howie shook his head. "No thanks, man. Today's on land for me."

"You're missing out, Howie," Nick said. A warm breeze ruffled his light hair as he started to untie some ropes. "It's heaven out there."

"It's heaven right here for me." Howie leaned his head back and squinted up at the sky, a blanket made of a brilliant shade of blue with a few cotton-ball clouds drifting away slowly. He shut his eyes a second, the warmth of the sun feeling good on his face. "Right, Kevin?"

Silent until that point, the older man glanced in their direction with a lazy look on his face. He watched Nick, and he was content to see the pride the younger man took in his boat, and in his house. He was glad that they had come out. "My thoughts exactly."

Brian watched Nick hop into the boat, running a last minute sort of checklist through his head. "Hey, buddy, do we have everything?"

"Yup."

Kevin spoke up. "You need a map or anything?"

"I know these waters like the back of my hand," Nick said, stretching an arm out in front of his face. He grinned playfully, squinting one eye. "I could get us to Bermuda."

"I trust you, Nick," Brian allowed with a small smile. "But I don't trust you that much."

"No?"

Brian reached down toward him from his higher ground and gave the blondish head a rough pat. "My life is in your hands."

"That right there is trust, folks." Nick started to undo the last rope as Brian joined him aboard the boat. He turned to the other three on the dock. "And, for the rest-- Mi casa es su casa while we're gone."

And they were off.

Brian watched as Nick grabbed the tiller with his left hand and the sheet line with his right, the boat reacting to the movements by swiftly scooting across the water. The graceful sailboat moved over the blue-green waves just like a water bug on a pond.

He took a seat on a bench and with the gentle bouncing from the waves and the warm sun on his face, Brian felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. A day like this could not be ruined. He stretched out, shutting his eyes against the occasional thin mist of spray, and started to let himself drift off.

Nick shut his eyes too, but only for a moment. Then he opened them, taking in everything around him, and glancing back at Brian. The sails flapped in the breeze, the wind running its invisible fingers through his hair. He felt content.

Thoughts to himself, he was looking out to the right when a sleek dark shape just under the surface of the water caught his eye.

"Brian," he called out quickly without turning his head. He smiled as he heard a familiar clicking sound. Nick turned slightly then, kicking out a Brian's foot. "Hey, Brian..."

His friend quickly sat up, squinting at the bright light as he opened his eyes. "Yeah?"

"Look." Nick pointed just as one of the sleek shapes popped out of the water in a perfect arc through the air and then landed back down with a splash. He laughed.

"Dolphins," Brian exclaimed, his eyes widening slightly. "God, they're huge, aren't they?" He leaned over slightly, realizing they were on both sides.

"They're playing with the boat." Nick leaned on the tiller and the dolphins turned with them, playing in the waves. They let out little high-pitched noises. Another one leapt up, splashing them when it crashed back to the water. He watched them, almost enviously. "Wanna swim with them?"

"No, loony."

"No?"

Brian shook his head as one of the dorsal fins disappeared under the water. The idea of jumping in there with them scared him more than he wanted to admit.

"There's no sharks when dolphins are around," Nick said in his direction, blue eyes edging him on. He glanced back toward the water again.

"I don't think so, Nick."

"Yeah." Nick leaned on the tiller again as the sailboat picked up some speed. "It's kind of scary swimming out here anyway."

The dolphins didn't quickly tire of their game, and the two enjoyed their playful company for the next hour or so, until suddenly the friendly creatures disappeared into the depths below.

Nick felt something moist on his cheek, and for the first time in the last hour or so, looked up at the sky.

Brian's blue eyes followed as he felt a heavy raindrop on his arm. More started to follow. To the northeast, the sky was darkening and carried an ominous glare. He wondered why they hadn't noticed the choppy, white-capped water around them and the sudden strong, cold breeze.

"Shit." Nick looked in the opposite directions, already starting to swing the boat around, but the sky was darkening there as well. "Shit," he repeated. "I wasn't watching the sky." Idiot, he thought.

Brian heard distant rumbling as a nervous feeling fluttered into his stomach. "It's okay... it's fine."

"We should get home-- we can't get there in time." Nick started pulling out a crinkled piece of paper. "We can't stay out on the water, this looks bad."

"Is that a map?"

"Even Magellan had a map," Nick said defensively, lifting his chin a little higher.

"I'm glad it's a map, hotshot."

"Oh."

"What's the closest land we can get to?"

"There's an island around here somewhere," Nick mumbled softly. "I just don't know where..." He flipped the map the other way. In all his defensiveness at protecting his pride, he had been holding it upside-down.

Brian let him be, looking out to the north again. A few flashes of lightning lit up the approaching dark mass as the raindrops grew heavier.

"Okay," Nick said suddenly. He was pulling on the tiller this time, adjusting it to get the best of the wind. "I think I got it."

"An island?"

"Yeah..." Nick started to fold the small map back up, mostly crumpling it in his haste. "Dammit. Sorry, Brian. I should have been watching the weather."

"Nick." Brian held the side of the boat as the water started getting choppier. "Nicky, I have eyes too, you know."

"I know..." He shook his head, chewing his lower lip. "Look at this... And AJ asked me if I thought it was going to rain."

"Hindsight."

"Yeah, I know, I know." Nick was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder that was only a prequel to the sky opening up and letting out a torrent of rain. The wind picked up, the gusts jerking the boat with it and whipping the waves into white-capped turrents. His knuckles turned white, holding on to the tiller.

Brian shut his eyes against the wind and pelting rain. The storm clouds seems almost right above them. He saw a bolt of lightning and prayed they wouldn't be hit. "How far is it?!" He had to yell to be heard.

"Not far..." Nick was struggling with the tiller. He was scared, but he tried not to show it.

To Brian, he looked completely in control. He wondered how many storms Nick had been out in like this. What were they going to do once they got on the island?

Nick was starting to panic. He was only guessing on direction now, able to see only about a foot in front of his face. The rain was blinding him. He could barely hold the tiller steady against the wind, never mind try and direct them on a course. He would never find that island.

Brian squinted his eyes, wiping away the water from his vision every few seconds. A flash of lightning illuminated what he thought he had seen. "Up there!" He pointed to the dark mass he thought he saw up toward the left. "That looks like it could be something!"

Nick tried his entire weight to move the boat in that direction. Worth a shot, might be it, please God. He wrestled against the wind, and his heart leapt as his eyes suddenly saw what Brian saw. Sure enough, it was land.

But then his eyes caught on the one thing that really was in front of them.

"Rocks," he muttered, pulling quickly on the tiller but knowing full well he had seen the jagged edge of the rock too late to help. He cursed under his breath as the boat barely made any sort of turn at all, waves crashing angrily against it.

"Shit," he heard Brian yell.

That was the last thing he heard before the boat smashed into the rocks with a loud crack. Nick watched in horror as the bow of his boat was split in two.

Brian didn't need to know anything about sailing to know that this was bad. Another violent wave slammed the boat against the rocks again, and he was tossed backwards off of his seat.

"Quick, under where you were sitting..." Nick had let go off the tiller and had climbed down next to where Brian had fallen. His voice was right in his ear. "Life vests." He yanked up the top of the bench and sure enough, the orange jackets stared up at them. Nick pulled them out, tossing one at Brian.

"We're going to have to swim for shore," Brian said.

Nick nodded, pulling on the lifejacket and buckling the straps. His stomach was churning, a mixture of emotions running through him all at once. Another wash crashed into them, and he licked his salty lips. He held on as they struck the rocks again.

"C'mon." Brian grabbed his arm tightly as he struggled to his feet. He pulled Nick up with him. "It's right there... not that far. We can make it."

Nick could barely hear him, but he nodded.

They plunged into the water.

Brian thought he was cold before, but nothing compared to the icy rush that swept over his body as soon as he hit the water. A wave immediately washed over him, and he bobbed back to the surface gasping for air.

He kicked hard, trying to ride with the waves so he wouldn't be immersed again, and he glanced around frantically, searching. Nick was right there. He tried to yell to him, but he couldn't.

"This way!" Nick motioned with his hand in a direction to the left, fighting to keep working his way against the course the waves wanted to take him.

It seemed to take hours to make any progress at all toward the blurry image of land in front of them. Brian coughed as another wave washed over his head, and he felt the salty taste in his mouth. His legs were starting to ache.

Keep working. Slow but steady. That was the way.

Nick was working a mantra in his head. Keep kicking, keep kicking. His legs felt like they were on fire on the inside. And then suddenly, his foot hit something soft.

Sand.

There was sand beneath his feet. He felt a rush of sudden strength, the water now working with him, and he suddenly felt a wave toss him onto the shore of a beach. He dropped his head, feeling the wet and cold grit of the sand against his cheek. Nothing had ever felt so good.

Brian? He tried to lift his head to look for his friend, but he couldn't move an inch.

He coughed, trying to get a voice to call out, but all he could do was gasp for air. In and out, in and out, his chest heaved. He heard thunder, and then something else.

Another cough. It wasn't his. And it was on land.

He relaxed then, and shut his eyes.

-

"Think it's hitting them?"

Howie looked unsure, eyeing the torrential rain through the glass pane. The blur of palm trees looked like they were holding on for dear life. "I don't know..."

"It looks like it's right over the water. Hell, it came from that direction."

"If they had seen dark clouds coming, they would have turned around, don't you think?" Howie turned to look at AJ as he said it. "Maybe it's not out where they are."

"Maybe... I don't know, man."

"It looks like a pretty big storm," Kevin called with a shake of his head. He turned away from the television when the Weather Channel went to a commercial. "I don't think they'll be able to avoid it. Maybe we should call the Coast Guard--- they don't even have a radio or anything."

"Nick knows what he's doing."

"I know he does. But they could still get in over their heads." A loud crash of thunder seemed to concur with his statement. "All I'm saying is... The news had a no boating advisory. We should just play it safe."

"It can't hurt," Howie agreed. And it would ease their worry. "I'll call."

Kevin dropped down into a chair next to AJ, letting out a breath. He reached for the television remote control and turned off the TV.

"He's been out on the water in storms before," the younger man said. The rain echoed off of the roof. "He's told me about it."

Kevin smiled. "Yeah. I bet we'll hear another one when they get back."

"Probably. Tidal waves and great white sharks."

"Killer whales and big typhoons."

"Swimming monkeys."

Kevin laughed. "Nice."

"Okay," Howie spoke up, back in the room. Kevin looked up. That was quick. "They've gotten a lot of calls. Right now though the storm is too bad for them to risk any of their men going out."

"That's it?"

"I gave them the boat description. They said as soon as the weather starts to die down, they're going to be out there."

AJ and Kevin nodded.

And that was it. There was nothing they could do.

-

Brian rolled onto his back, sucking so much air into his chest that it hurt his lungs. He breathed in and out deeply, squeezing his eyes shut. He was stationary. There was a hard surface under his back. Land.

He willed some strength into his body and sat up, taking in the world around him as he unbuckled his vest and pulled it off. He was on a beach, only a foot or two from where the surf was reaching. Behind him was a thick foliage of trees as far as he could see.

He looked down at his legs, feeling every muscle in them, and pulled at a piece of seaweed that had tangled itself around his ankle. Slowly getting up, he took a couple of minutes to catch his balance.

"Nick!" he hollered.

His eye caught on another body on the beach and he ran towards it, stumbling to his knees when he reached Nick's side.

"Nick!"

Nick's eyes opened when he felt his shoulder being shaken. "Brian," he whispered.

"We're alive." Brian shook his head, touching the sand. "I don't know where the hell we are, but it's solid ground."

Realization suddenly crossed Nick's face, and he rolled over onto his stomach in frustration, covering his head. "My boat," he moaned. His fist pounded the sand. "My goddamn boat."

"You're alive."

"I know." The younger man moaned again.

"Come on." Brian patted his back and then pulled at his arm. "Let's get under a tree or something. We're getting soaked."

"We're already soaked," Nick reminded him, but he struggled to his feet anyway, following his friend away from the surf and toward the protection of trees.

He collapsed under a large palm, its outstretched branches offering a decent shield from the rain. Brian slid in right next to him.

The storm was dying down, distant rumbles of thunder signaling its departure. The rain still kept up though, and random flashes of lightning lit up the sky.

"That had to be a nightmare." Nick wiped his face, the look of disbelief still in his eyes. "It had to be."

Brian nodded, looking down at his hands and realizing he was shaking. His eyes held the same expression.

Silence ensued, and the sounds from the storm took place of any words.

"I'm sorry," Nick said finally, curling his toes into the sand. He sighed, glancing over at Brian.

"Why're you sorry?"

"Uhh. I stranded you on an island?"

"Some things aren't anybody's fault, Nick."

He got silence as an answer.

"Besides, you got us on this island. We could be floating out at sea right now."

"Brian, man, I had no clue where I was going."

"Okay, well then your dumb luck got us here."

"No. I believe my dumb luck crashed us into rocks and wrecked my boat." Nick moaned again. "My boat..."

"At least we're okay."

"My boat..."

"Nick, shut up."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Nick."

"Yeah."

"It was the dolphins' fault."

Nick gave a short laugh. "Yeah. Damn them."

Silence.

"I wonder what the guys are doing."

"Probably eating all my food and sitting on my couch and watching my TV."

"Yeah, probably." Brian dug his fingers into sand. "I liked your new house, by the way."

"Thanks. I hope you get to see it again."

"I will."

"I don't know, Rok. Unless a giant seagull flies us out of here, I really don't see a way out."

"Don't be stupid."

"Okay."

Brian elbowed him.

"What?"

"You're moody."

"I'm sorry. I forgot everything I had to be thankful for right now."

"Nick."

"I'm sorry." Nick cleared his throat and then flashed the fakest grin he could muster at him. "Brian, I am so happy to be here with you now I could burst."

"Me too, buddy." Brian fed the sarcasm.

"I just want to celebrate. Let's celebrate. Let's crack open a few coconuts and just go wild."

"Okay, now you can stop. I think you swallowed too much saltwater."

Nick didn't answer. He had a far-off look on his face.

Silence.

Brian leaned back against the trunk of the tree and shut his eyes. He was so tired. The storm had sucked the life out of him. Exhaustion flowed through his veins instead of blood.

"Brian."

He opened his eyes. Nick was leaning over him. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm glad we're both okay and I'm glad you're here with me. I love you, man." He leaned down closer and licked his friend's face.

Brian shoved him away, wiping his cheek. "What the hell?"

Nick sat back on his haunches, a crooked smile on his face. "I'm going to go exploring so in case I get eaten by something I just wanted you to know that."

"Get outta here."

"You were supposed to say that you loved me back but I suppose that will do for now."

Brian just shook his head and shut his eyes as Nick got to his feet.

-

His attempts at rest were haunted by images from the storm. He felt like he was still out there. When he shut his eyes, he felt the rushing cold come back. When he opened them, it was sunny again. A falsely friendly sky.

"Damn," he mumbled, climbing to his feet. He kicked at the sand, starting to walk down toward the water again. It washed up on the shore in a light aqua hue. He couldn't believe the same gentle water had stranded them not too earlier.

Brian dragged his feet through the water absently, trying to think of how they were going to get off the island. They had no radio, no phone, no food, no water, no boat.

He couldn't think of anything.

They were stuck.

And then, something further down the beach caught his eye. Something drifting in and out with the waves, as if it was trying to wash up on the shore but couldn't quite stick itself there.

Something big.

He quickened his step with a renewed amount of energy, half jogging toward it.

Could it be, could it be...

It was.

Brian blinked, wondering if he was suffering delusions from heat stroke or something of the sort, but there it was. Nick's boat. Worse for wear, but there. The mast had broken off and was missing in action, but it was a boat.

He quickly acted, getting behind it and shoving it so that it lodged into the sand. The waves washed in and out without it now. Brian stepped back and studied it.

He knew nothing about boats, but even he knew that it couldn't stay afloat the way the bow of it had been ripped into. But even so, it was good for other things. He leaned over the side of it, reaching for the second bench and opening the top of it. The water bottles they had packed were still there. He grabbed one, twisting the top off and taking a quick gulp of the water.

Nick was going to flip. Brian let out a whoop. "Thank you, God," he said out loud.

He started back down the beach, glancing back every minute or so to make sure it was still there. He couldn't wait to tell Nick.

-

There was nothing on the island.

The point of his exploration, the planned point anyway, was to find something to get them on their way back home. Unfortunately, Nick didn't know what that something was, and all he knew was that he didn't find it.

A disappointed feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, which added to the slight confusion at Brian's excitement at seeing him back.

"Hey, man."

"Nickolas."

"Yeah?" Nick plopped down next to him in the sand, letting out a sigh. He started talking before Brian said anything else. "There's not really anything here. Just trees and sand and... and that's fine, but--"

"Want some water?"

"Sure," Nick said, absently taking the water bottle from his friend. He was only after he took a swig from it that confusion crossed his tanned face. "Wait."

Brian nodded at the look he got, no longer hiding his grin. "Something washed up on shore, my friend. Something big."

Nick scrambled to his feet. "You're bullshitting me. Where is it?"

"Right over there."

Nick took off in the direction he pointed to and Brian followed, only a step behind. Nick trailed to a stop in front of the damaged boat, his feet in the shallow water.

He said nothing.

"Can you believe it washed up," Brian said finally.

"No... crazy." Nick let his foot sink in the wet sand as water pooled around his ankles. "How're we going to... -- I mean..." He dug in a pocket on hiis shorts, pulling out a soggy crumpled mass. The map. "Can't use the boat. Can't use the map. Can't anything."

Seeing the boat was making him feel even more defeated.

"We'll think of something."

"I know where we are," he continued. "I know the direction to get to where we wanna get. But I don't know how to get there." Nick cast a frustrated look at Brian.

"We'll think of something," Brian repeated.

"You sound so sure."

"I'm not... but..." He trailed off. He didn't know. He wasn't sure.

Nick nodded slowly. For some reason, that hesitation started his brain churning. "Okay," he said finally. "Even if we fixed this tonight, which isn't possible-- it would be too dark to safely head back. So tonight, there is nothing we can do."

"Right," Brian agreed.

"Right," Nick echoed softly. It was more to himself. He needed the reassurance.

-

So they did nothing. But that didn't mean that their minds weren't struggling with the urge to think of something, anything at all, that would help.

Later, as they walked the island for the need of something to do, Nick suddenly stopped.

"We could stay here forever."

"What?" Brian was several yards ahead, kicking at a tiny coconut that had fallen out of one of the trees. He turned, squinting into the lowering sun. It cast a radiant golden sheen on everything, including Nick.

"We could stay... you know, live here. I always wanted to live on an island as a kid."

"Really? You did?"

"I tried once. But I never made it to the island."

Brian smiled slightly. "I see."

"Yeah, my dad sorta stopped me. Guess he thought I wasn't ready to leave home."

"How old were you?"

"'Bout... six, maybe. I got the keys to our boat and everything. I was all set."

Brian laughed. "I'm guessing he wasn't too happy about that."

"Yeah... I got it pretty good for that one." Nick shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head to the side with a carefree smile, his longish hair catching the light. "We could make it out here, I bet. If worse came to worse."

Brian stepped on a fallen branch, looking at him as he held his balance. "Like Gilligan's Island?"

"Sure."

"I don't know, Nick."

"Yeah..." Nick acted as though he cast the idea aside as a fleeting thought, but Brian knew he was still thinking about it. What if they had no other choice? Gilligan didn't have a choice.

"Someone must be looking for us anyway," Brian said. "Don't you think? Coast Guard or something?"

"Maybe..." Nick swallowed, looking around him as if he had lost something. "Man..."

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

Brian kicked the coconut toward him, and the younger man studied the misshapen object at his feet, cracking a small smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem, pal. Enjoy!"

Nick kicked it back at him, like a game. His eyes settled on the darkening thick foliage in front of them. "We should get back, huh? It's gonna get dark soon."

Brian looked up, the hint of a smirk on his face. "Afraid something might attack us in the dark?"

"No," Nick scoffed. Yes, he thought. He brushed at his arm as something buzzed at him.

"Yeah, you are."

"No, I'm not. Besides, the bugs are gonna start at us. There won't be any bugs on the beach."

"No killers either."

"Shut up, Brian." Nick spun around, his bare feet kicking the leaves on the ground as he started the walk back without waiting.

Brian had to laugh, quickly catching up. "You know what's funny?"

"What."

"Here we are, just you and me, on an island in the middle of nowhere, and you still can't admit when you're scared."

"I'm. Not. Scared."

"You see?"

Nick spun toward him, eyes flashing.

"Don't get mad." Brian held up a hand. "I'm just saying."

The younger man just kept walking.

Brian shook his head, keeping a distance.

-

"I don't know much about boats and that sort of thing, but sailing and darkness don't really seem to mix." AJ spun the ice cubes in his glass, looking at Kevin and Howie.

They had matching expressions.

"I hate being unable to do anything." Kevin stretched his legs out and pulled them back in, restless. He had been restless all night. "This is crazy."

"Maybe they're fine. Maybe Nick knew of some place and they went there instead of coming back."

"I think they would have called, Howie. They would have told us."

"Yeah, I think so too. I'm just trying to think of the possibilities."

Possibilities. That was something Kevin didn't want to think of. There were endless possibilities. There were not too many that he favored.

"The Coast Guard is out there," Howie said, glancing at the last glimmer of the retreating sun as it disappeared over the horizon. "Save going out there ourselves--"

"Not going," AJ cut in. He quieted then, as if embarrassed that he had expressed the anxiety that idea caused him. Kevin pushed at the younger man's knee absently as Howie continued, as if to give him some sort of reassurance.

"Save that, there's nothing we can do but wait."

"They might just be holding it out until morning. Staying in one spot until then."

"Yeah..."

They were having a difficult time thinking of the positive possibilities.

-

"We're getting a good sunset out of it at least," Brian offered.

There was a pause, and then, "Yeah..."

Brian glanced at the silent figure sitting in the sand next to him. Nick had been right, there were no bugs on the slightly breezy beach. There was no conversation either. "What. Is it what I said about you being scared?"

"No."

But it was. Brian knew it.

Nick stared at the water in front of them that had turned to golden flames in the setting of the sun. The waves rippled, reflecting the last of the retreating light, and suddenly he felt melancholy.

He laid back, trading the view of the water for one of the sky.

"It's not that," he said after a couple of minutes. "I mean, you were right, but that's not it."

"Then, what?"

"Mm," Nick mumbled, shutting his eyes. He avoided the question. "When I was a kid we used to pretend to be pirates."

Brian chuckled, welcoming the change of subject. "Really?"

"Aye, matey." The stars were popping through the blanket of the sky, one by one. "Give us an eye patch and a couple of old bandannas, and we would be entertained for hours. Days."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was. Come to think of it, I think I got in trouble for that one too. All of Mom's hoop earrings and bangle bracelets disappeared." Nick turned and gave his friend an impish smile, reminiscent of the one he wore back in the day, and shook his head at the sky. "Don't know how that happened."

Brian laughed. "Of course not."

Nick was laughing at the memory. He turned toward Brian. "What did you pretend?"

"What?"

"When you were a kid, what did you pretend?"

Brian smiled. "We had a lot of Cowboys and Indians going on."

"Haha. Yeah. We had that too. But you probably had real horses, huh?"

"Yeah, we did. Kevin's dad had horses. I remember I wanted to be a cowboy really badly. I thought there was still a wild west somewhere."

A smile passed over Nick's lips, imagining a younger Brian wanting to be a cowboy. "Did you have cowboy boots?"

"Of course. Doesn't every little boy have cowboy boots?"

"Yeah," Nick laughed.

"Those were the days."

"Yeah..." Nick rolled back onto his back. "I did a lot of pretend stuff as a kid. Everything was pretend."

"That's not a bad thing," Brian said, hearing something different in the younger man's voice.

"Yeah... I know, but--" Nick's expression darkened slightly. "I guess we had to entertain ourselves a lot."

Brian didn't answer. Nick's tone wasn't one of pleasant remembrance anymore. It quickly passed though, lost in a moment. He never stayed on one thing long enough to question it.

"I never had an imaginary friend though. I'm not crazy."

Brian didn't answer, a smile fighting his lips.

At the silence, Nick turned toward him, noticing his friend's expression. He punched him in the shoulder, laughing. "You did, didn't you! What was his name?"

"I didn't say I did!"

"You're not denying it!"

Brian sealed his lips, shaking his head forcefully. "I'm not saying anything."

"What was his name then, crazy?" Nick repeated through his laughter.

"Shut up, Nick! I never said I had an imaginary friend."

"Tell me you didn't then." Nick looked him in the eye as he tried to catch his breath.

Brian fought his own laughter, somehow managing to keep a serious face. "I don't see what's so hysterical, funny man."

Nick just laid back, giggling to himself. He would find out eventually.

-

"I can't find the bathroom in this place!"

Howie looked up at AJ's frustrated voice, a smile grazing his face. He had found the facilities before, after a good search. "You can do it." He pointed to a hall. "On the left."

"Good Lord. I'm asking Nick for a map when he gets back."

Howie laughed. "It's not that big. Your house is bigger."

"But I know my house's layout," AJ said matter-of-factly, disappearing down the hall. A triumphant 'aha!' was heard a moment later.

Howie glanced toward the older man on his left, but the amused smile left his face when he saw Kevin sitting there with his dark eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

"Kevin," he started, but a raised hand cut him off.

"I know, I know. Quit worrying. I can't help it, it's my nature." Kevin gave him a small smile, hoping to reassure his friend that all was well in his mind. He didn't know whether it worked, but he didn't try again. "I'm fine."

"Good."

The older man rationalized: "Nick knows what he's doing. Brian has good sense. I have complete trust in them both."

"Is that why when Nick asked to borrow your truck last week you said no?"

Kevin looked up at AJ as his words entered the room with him.

"As I remember," came the slow response, "he wanted to drag-race my truck because it was older than his."

"So?" AJ threw himself down into a large armchair, a frown creasing his forehead.

Kevin just shook his head. "Nicky knows I trust him."

"Does he?"

"Yes," Kevin stated, his tone growing frustrated. "He does."

AJ just shrugged, leaving it at that. He knew the truth. In his mind, Nick was constantly trying to prove himself and gain that trust, at the same time knowing he didn't have it. Kind of how he himself felt. Actions spoke louder than words, and Kevin's doubt always erased his claims of confidence.

Kevin watched AJ's expression curiously, but said nothing.

"Are you guys hungry?" Howie's interruption came just before the silence became uncomfortable. Both men nodded, and in less than ten minutes a pizza had been ordered and was on its way.

The action drew their minds away from the conversation, but not entirely. Kevin was still thinking about it as he looked through Nick's kitchen and realized something.

"He has no plates."

"What?" Howie pulled soda out of the refrigerator and shut the door, setting the bottles on the counter. "No plates?"

Kevin laughed, amused at the simple fact. "I don't know about this kid sometimes."

"Maybe he didn't unpack them yet."

The older man just shook his head, opening a few drawers around the room and finding them as empty as the cabinets. Every box was unpacked. "No utensils either."

Howie chuckled. "I guess he has other stuff on his mind."

"I guess so," said Kevin with a smile. He shut the drawer with a flourish.

They both laughed, and then there was silence.

"God, they better be okay."

-

Brian scratched at his leg, realizing his mistake as soon as he pulled his hand away. Now the bug bite begged to be scratched again, the urge ten times worse than before.

Evidently, they hadn't escaped from the foliage quickly enough, and the couple of bites on his legs were blatant testimony to that.

"It's probably almost nine," Nick was saying in the calculated way he often figured things out. "Because sunset was around eight-thirty. Yeah?"

"Uh huh." Don't scratch. Don't scratch. Brian brushed sand off of his arm, looking at the tiny salt crystals clinging to the blonde hairs. There was still some sand there too.

"Nine o'clock. It's going to be a long night."

Brian didn't answer the statement. But he agreed mentally. It was going to be a very long night.

"Don't scratch, you'll make it worse."

He was scratching again. Brian stopped abruptly, cursing. "I know," he said sharply.

Next thing he knew, Nick had slapped his leg, the motion so quick that he wouldn't have known it had happened except for the sting it left behind.

"Ow!" He glared at his younger friend, who merely smiled back at him. "You slapped me."

Nick ignored the statement of the obvious. "Doesn't itch anymore, does it?"

"You slapped me."

Nick laughed at him. "I told you we had to get out of the woods, didn't I?" The words were smug.

"Yes, Nick. I didn't argue with you, did I?"

"No, you mocked me as I remember. But I got the last laughs, so that's okay. Want me to lick it?"

"No, psycho," Brian said with a laugh. "God, you're weird."

A clownish smile was the response.

The itching wasn't going to stop after all, and Brian got to his feet in aggravated silence, hopping up and down on one foot as he tried to think of something to do with himself on the moonlit beach. He felt anxious.

"Doing the hokey pokey?" Nick questioned.

"No. I can't sit still." He started toward the water, but Nick's next words stopped him.

"Sharks feed at this time."

Great. Sharks could have his itchy leg. But they wouldn't stop there.

"Want to play a game?" came the next offer.

"What sort of game?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

"Well, want to play?"

"If you don't know what game, how are we going to play?"

Nick shrugged as Brian sat back down on the sand. He played with the tiny shells next to him, the ones that looked like tiny little painted fingernails. "You know what's funny?"

"Hm."

"I don't know what I'm more afraid of. Staying here or going back to my house."

Brian raised his head, masking his surprise. Nick was talking about being afraid. "Your house?"

"Yeah." Nick's tan face had lost its playful expression, replaced instead by somberness. It was suddenly a serious conversation.

"Why your house?"

Nick shrugged, looking a little embarrassed then. "I don't think I'm cut out for the whole owning a house thing," he said.

Brian frowning. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know." Nick let out a sigh, almost resignedly. He was going to say it. "I'm not used to being on my own."

"Nick," Brian started, but he was cut off.

"I don't think I can, Brian. It makes me sick thinking about it. I can't handle it." The flood of words came all at once, in an unrestrained torrent. "I can't be alone. Buying the house was easy but I don't know about it now. That's why I had you guys all over."

"I know."

That caught Nick off-guard. "You know?"

Brian nodded, giving his younger friend a reassuring smile. "It's okay. Everybody feels that way, buddy. I know I felt that way."

"You did?"

"Sure. First flight out here by myself, I almost bought the returning flight back. It's scary when it's just you."

"Yeah." That was for sure.

"But you're not being abandoned. You've still got your family. You've still got us. You can call me whenever. Any of the guys. They've been through it too."

Nick smiled slightly.

"Besides, we may never get off this island. In that case, your house will probably go up for auction and you'll never have to worry about it again."

Nick laughed, but his response was serious. "Thanks, Brian."

-

The Coast Guard had found various stranded parties of people. None of those parties, big or small, included Brian or Nick. They listened to an old CB radio that the youngest had around for boating, already on the frequency that other boaters seemed to be on, hoping to find out something. They heard nothing.

In an unspoken agreement, all three rejected the prospect of sleep. Sleeping while your friends, your brothers, were missing was just wrong. It wouldn't happen, and worry did not permit it. Instead, they kept a silent vigil.

A semi-silent vigil.

"This is insane."

"A helicopter." AJ answered Kevin's words through a stifled yawn, in a non-sequitor of his own, his posture slouched into the sinking leather couch.

"What?"

"Hel-i-cop-ter."

"I wasn't questioning the pronunciation, Aje, I was questioning your meaning."

"We take a helicopter..." AJ flicked his wrist in a circle in an unknown demonstration. "And we look ourselves."

"The Coast Guard has a helicopter," Howie said.

"Good for them," came the reply. "We need to get one, too."

Kevin seemed to be turning the idea over in his brain. Howie watched him, a frown crossing over his calm features.

"No, Kevin. We can't get a helicopter."

"Maybe we can. AJ has a point. What use are we just sitting here? We need to do something."

"Killing yourself in a helicopter crash isn't going to help anybody."

That seemed to stop Kevin, but AJ kept on.

"We wouldn't f--"

"No, shh," Kevin interrupted seriously. He shook his head. "He's right. You're right, Howie." His words came slowly. "I just hate this. Not being able to do anything."

"I know. Me too."

"Maybe they did go to Bermuda," Kevin said absently. It was an attempt at lightness.

AJ cleared his throat, sitting up slightly. "What we should really be doing is partying somewhere, that's what we should be doing." He pulled himself off of the couch, sliding a pack of cigarettes out of his jeans' pocket. "Not sitting around talking shit about everything that 'might be' the case."

"You should be working on not smoking, that's what," Howie argued, watching the younger man slide the fourth cigarette in the last hour out of the crumpled Marlboro package. "You're addicted."

"I'm not addicted. I'm in control."

Kevin chuckled at the old argument. "Here then. Come 'ere and give me those."

"Why?" AJ looked at the man's open palm with a suspicious eye. He opted for another one of his lines. "It's like a fat kid and cake, Kev. The fat kid just likes his cake, okay? Doesn't mean he's addicted to it."

"Then give 'em here, fat kid." Kevin caught his wrist and smoothly snatched the Marlboros, pocketing them himself. The look he got in return was one of pure surprise. "Just 'till the boys get back."

"Kevin."

"Quit your whining." Kevin took a swipe at him. "You're not addicted. It's only for a little while."

AJ sat down heavily, a disappointed pout on his face.

"Oh stop, you baby. You're so pitiful."

AJ just crossed his arms over his chest, in a silent objection to the idea. It was going to be a long night.

-

Brian jerked awake, not even having realizing his departure into sleep until he was already back from it. Some noise had awoken him, but he knew not what. A glance to the side of him assured him that Nick was still sound asleep, an arm strewn above his head in a haphazard position.

He listened. The waves washed against the beach in their own rhythm.

There.

He heard it again. Brian sat up slowly, rubbing the sand out of his light tousled hair and concentrating on the noise. A motorboat, that was what it was. It was getting closer. His eyes caught on what appeared to be a headlight approaching the island about a hundred yards down from them, and he heard a voice yell.

The sound of another voice beside his and Nick's sounded foreign.

"Nick," he hissed, glancing down the beach. A cloud had stretched in front of the moon, spilling a shadow over them, and the picture it created was eerie. Brian pushed at the younger man, pinching him in an effort to rouse him.

"What..." came the mumble.

"Look," he whispered. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Nick said sleepily, curling into a fetal position in an effort to be left alone. His efforts failed as Brian pinched him again.

"Nick, there's someone else here."

The younger man opened his eyes, blinking at Brian with a confused expression on his face. "People?" He copied Brian's whisper without a thought.

"Yeah, on a motorboat."

Nick pulled himself into a sitting position, the sleepiness draining off of him, but not the tiredness. "That's good... in the middle of the night?" His ears perked up as he heard the voices, both of which were male.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Who's out at this time? Do you boat at this time?"

"No..." Nick glanced at him, chewing the inside of his cheek as he thought. Something gave him a funny feeling.

"We'll observe."

"Yeah..."

The motor had been turned off, but the headlight stayed on. The conversation drifted in and out to them.

"... here yet?"

"Doesn't look... What's that over there?"

"Just an abandoned boat."

"Check it."

Nick glanced at Brian.

"Pirates," he mouthed.

Brian rolled his eyes and tried to concentrate on the conversation.

"He'll be here." The deeply spoken words came from the man who seemed to be older.

"Better be," said the other man. "I can't hold this stash for much longer."

"Drug-dealers," Nick hissed.

"Shh," Brian hissed back.

Nick just widened his eyes at him anxiously.

"Shh," Brian repeated, but he felt his own courage starting to sink. This could be an opportunity to get rescued, but the situation seemed to be fishy. He felt stuck. He wished that they could pause time and try and think out some sort of plan.

"They're going to the other side of the island," Nick whispered, elbowing him. He sat up a little from the prone position he had maneuvered himself into, no longer feeling in view. "What do you think?"

"Not sure. I can't tell a thing."

"Let's go check out their boat." The younger man seemed to be filled with a sudden bravado. "Yeah?"

The butterflies in Brian's stomach were ceasing, but the anxiety was still with him nonetheless. "And what?"

"Take it." Nick's eyes shone with excitement, making Brian frown. "Like pirates."

"This isn't play, Nick. What if they are drug-dealers or something weird like that?"

Nick shrugged slightly, hesitating.

"We can't steal someone's boat."

"If they're bad we can."

But how did you know that? Was it written across them? "Let's check it out," Brian said finally, hoping he wouldn't regret it. The perfect situation would be if friendly people took them back to the mainland. He heard a distant rumble in the distance and hoped it wasn't a forewarning. "We'll go quick."

Nick hopped up, racing down the beach towards the bright light of the craft. Brian caught up quickly, almost knocking into the younger man when he suddenly halted a good ten feet from it. Brian gave him a push.

"Go," he whispered.

"You go," Nick hissed, shoving him back.

Brian pushed him again. "This was your idea."

They moved together the last couple of feet, Nick grasping his arm as if expecting something to jump out. Brian wondered where the bravery that had been present only seconds before had gone. They peered over the side of the motorboat, squinting through the shadows. He saw nothing but some tarps and some life vests.

"Let's take it." Nick had one leg over the side of the boat when Brian grabbed him by the shorts.

"Nick."

"Come on, Brian."

"We can't steal someone's boat. We don't even know--"

"Okay, fine," came the interruption. Nick shook him off and continued his boarding. "I'm not taking it anywhere. I'm just trespassing. That's fine, right? I'm just looking..." He kicked at the tarps, freezing when his foot hit something.

Brian caught his expression. "What..."

"There's something..." Nick trailed off as he squatted down, pulling at the tarps cautiously. "Holy mother."

Brian glanced around quickly and then hopped over the side of the small boat too, kneeling down next to Nick.

Beneath the tarp were bags and bags of white powder. Brian's eyes widened as he surveyed the small mountain hidden there, his voice caught in his throat. Nick pulled the tarp back over it quickly, his blue eyes darting to Brian's.

"That ain't flour..." The words came in a whisper.

"No," Brian agreed softly.

Nick wiped his hands on his pants, suddenly feeling his palms getting sweaty. He stared at Brian as if waiting for the next move. 

"We have get out of here," Brian said, starting to pull his arm. He swung a leg over the side of the boat, his mind racing and his heart rate speeding up just as fast.  "We can't stay here."

Nick's eyes swept cautiously around the still empty beach before he caught his friend's arm and pulled him back in. "But this is out."

"What?"

"This is our only way out, Brian," he hissed. "This. This boat."

"Nick--"

"No, listen. We're not going to get out of here any other way."

"And what about them?" Brian motioned to the beach with a limp hand, his mind imagining shadows that weren't even there. His eyes went back to Nick, whose apparent calmness still surprised him. He wondered what his own face looked like.

"We'll call the cops as soon as we get home. We can't stay here though, right, what good will that do??"

A moment passed and then Brian quickly nodded, knowing that time was their enemy if they were going to take the boat and actually get away with it. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah." There was no other way. "Let's hurry. They've been gone awhile."

Nick was pulling the cord to the motor before Brian even finished his sentence. His second jerk got it going, and its sputtering roar filled the air. Nick grimaced at the noise. If they hadn't been noticed before, they certainly would be now. He felt his heart thudding in his chest.

"It'll be fine," Brian said, noticing the younger man's hands shaking slightly as he controlled the rudder. The first hint of fear. Talk was different than action. "We're fine. We're away."

"Yeah..."

Yet the next few minutes wiped any truth of that sentence away.

Brian heard the yell first, and he was never so relieved to be somewhere as he was to be in that boat and leaving that island and the two men behind. He had a frozen feeling over his body, the one that inconveniently takes over when being chased, but he couldn't help but keep glancing back at the shore. But they were home free.

The next thing he knew something had slammed into his shoulder and knocked him down.

Nick heard the explosive sound of a shot before he heard the yell, and that was after he saw Brian fall down next to him. He twisted around, trying to get a better look at his friend, and it was only when he heard another echoing shot and saw the growing red stain on Brian's t-shirt that his confused mind put two and two together. He instinctively crouched in the boat, almost falling to his knees, one shaky hand gripped on the rudder.

"Brian?!"

No answer.

Nick called out his name again, his voice rising with a slight quaver.

Brian had been shot.

When he couldn't see the island any longer, Nick cut the motor on the boat. He sank to his knees next to Brian, staring at him with wide eyes for a second before shaking him slightly.

"B-Brian?"

The older moaned a little, opening his eyes and squinting dizzily at the face in front of him. His blue eyes looked a little hazy, but he started to try and push himself up immediately.

"No, don't move," Nick said quickly, automatically pushing at Brian's good shoulder. "You were shot." The words sounded foreign to him, and he quieted, at a loss.

"I know," Brian hissed, wincing slightly at the pain the movement brought him. He decided that staying still was a pretty great idea after all and let himself lie there, drawing in deep breaths and trying not to concentrate on the burning in his shoulder that was starting to overcome his initial numbness. The hands pressed at his sides were shaking.

Nick was trying to think. Gunshot, gunshot. What do you do with a gunshot wound? How was he supposed to know?

"Are you okay?" was all he got out, and he immediately cursed under his breath. Of course Brian wasn't okay. He had been shot.

"I'm alright..."

Nick was staring at his friend's shoulder, amazed at how quickly the white t-shirt was turning red. So much blood. Too much blood. He had to stop it. Pressure. He glanced around frantically. Pressure on the wound. That was what you were supposed to do.

At a loss for anything in the boat that could do just that, Nick started to pull his own shirt over his head.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked, each word between a breath.

Nick said nothing. His shaking hands were struggling with the task of trying to rip the shirt into long pieces. Pieces that he could tie around Brian's shoulder and stop the bleeding. It was harder than it looked.

"Have to stop bleeding," Nick told his friend, whose eyes were now shut.

"I'll try," came the confused answer. His mind was elsewhere. Brian was trying to pretend that he was at a certain basketball game his junior year in high school when they thought he had dislocated his shoulder.  God, that had hurt. Almost as much as he hurt now.

"Not you. Me," Nick said. "I'm gonna wrap it tight to stop it, okay?"

"I made the shot," was the soft reply. He had made the shot. Then he had gotten slammed into the wall. The gymnasium had had brick walls. But the shot had gone in.

Nick pursed his lips in confusion at the words but said nothing. He just went ahead with his strips.

Brian cried out when he realized the pressure on his shoulder was not imagined from the past. It was happening currently. He pushed at the hands.

"Brian, quit, I'm stopping the bleeding."

"It's fine," Brian said, trying to sit up again. He felt dizzy again at the movement. "It's just bleeding a lot."

"I know, that's why I'm stopping it." As he said the words, Nick knew he had no idea what he was doing. But he was determined. "Just shut up. You'll be fine."

He had to be fine if he was arguing with him, right?

"Mm," was all Brian said, clenching his teeth. The pressure became a constant throbbing on top of the pain, and he opened his eyes. Nick was staring at him.

Brian looked really pale. "I'm sorry," Nick whispered.

The older shut his eyes against the words. "Keep going."

"This is all my fault--"

"Shut up, Nicky--"

"You said keep going."

"I meant the boat. Keep the boat going."

Nick immediately sprang to his feet, wiping his bloody hands on his pants absently. Right. How stupid was he. Brian needed to get to a hospital. Every second he wasted was probably making things worse.

"I'm okay," Brian whispered, and Nick didn't know for whose benefit those words were for.

-

Howie's eyes opened to stillness. It was quiet. He had a plate of half-eaten pizza in his lap.

He straightened up slowly. He fell asleep eating? The sea air always made him tired at the end of the day, but this was overdoing it. Glancing around the room though, he saw he wasn't the only one taken by the salty air. AJ was facedown on the long leather couch, out for the count. Howie wondered how he could breathe.

And Kevin... Kevin was nowhere in sight.

Howie got up, and after making a cursory search around the house, came to the conclusion that unless the older man was hiding in a closet somewhere, he was not inside. He looked at the clock. Eleven o'clock. What was he doing this time of night?

"Hey, AJ," Howie called, shaking his friend's shoulder.

His response was a groan.

"Wake up, man, it's early. You can sleep later."

AJ said nothing, but he opened his eyes with a scowl.

"Morning," said Howie.

Again, AJ said nothing. The scowl deepened.

"Do you know where the heck Kevin went?" Howie asked, ignoring the look. The younger man pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Three down, one to go. My plan is coming together perfectly." AJ rubbed his hands together and placed a malicious smile on his face. He immediately stopped when he saw the expression on Howie's. "Sorry. Joke."

"Funny," Howie said, but his voice conveyed just the opposite. "Look, AJ, I know you sometimes like to deal with things in a different way--"

"It was a joke, Howie, geez." AJ watched as his friend ignored him and started clearing up the clutter they had made in the room. Picking up paper plates and crumpled up napkins. What a do-gooder. Instead of helping, AJ threw an empty soda bottle at him. "Hey, Mr. Mom." He paused when Howie looked at him expectantly. "He's probably outside, D. Walking around or something."

"Yeah... "

AJ nodded to himself. "And he better be just outside. He's got my last pack of cigarettes--"

"AJ."

"What."

Howie just shook his head to himself. He continued his quest to clean until he realized he was still being watched. He looked up and gave AJ a questioning look. What.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You wanna go outside and look for him?"

Howie stared at him a minute, then dropped his handful of collected cleanup back onto the coffee table. "Sure."

It was nice outside. The storm had taken the heat with it and left behind a gentle breeze blowing off the water. There was hardly a cloud in the dark blanket of the sky, and its expanse was filled with stars.

AJ listened to the waves lapping at the shore as he followed Howie down to the docks. Their gentle rhythm was relaxing. It could be nice living by water. He would probably tire of it.

"I don't see him."

"Mm."

"Do you?"

"Nope."

Howie turned to look at him. Did he even look? He continued out on the docks, thankful that the sky was so clear. The moon was a built-in flashlight, softly casting its shimmer on everything.

"You feel like no one else is around out here for a million miles..." AJ mused softly.

"What?"

Having been thinking out loud, AJ just shook his head. "Nothin'."

"It looks so calm now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," AJ said. "Tricky little devil." The water did look devilish, its surface black and fathomless except for the moonlit ripples. AJ unconsciously shivered.

"I wonder where Kevin went."

"Who knows." AJ walked closer to the edge of the planks, one hand on a piling for security. "Probably rented a helicopter and crashed it by now."

"Funny, pal."

"Howie." AJ gave him a horrified look. "That's not funny at all. Tragic, maybe."

The response he got was more than he expected, and it caught him off guard when Howie playfully gave him a shove. He almost lost his balance and for a second thought he was actually going to die in the devilish waters, but Howie was prepared and already had his arm. AJ didn't realize that until after he had let out a scream.

He stared at Howie, eyes wide. The older man still had his arm. He didn't trust him.

"Are you still afraid of fish?"

"I've never been afraid of fish," AJ said shakily, pushing him away. "God, Howie."

Howie just laughed.

"Damn." AJ shook his head, wondering why everyone always thought Howie was so innocent. He punched him in the arm.

"C'mon. Let's try his cell phone," Howie said, giving him a gentle tug backwards. At the look he got, he rolled his eyes. "Oh, relax! You act like I almost killed you."

"You did almost kill me."

"I would never kill you, AJ."

"Thanks, man. Thanks."

"Not like that anyway."

-

The shore was really far away. Normally, the trip back from something always seemed shorter than the trip there, but not this time. This time, every wave seemed like another mile.

Nick swore every wave was another mile.

Every half a minute that passed, he looked over his shoulder at his friend on the floor of the boat. And every time, he said the same thing.

"We're almost there."

But he didn't know that. He was only hoping. Because, as he explained to the half-conscious Brian, he didn't really know where he was going.

"I know we need to get east though," he reasoned. "I think. And the moon rises in the east..."

Brian only half listened to the voice of his young friend. Nick was explaining why he was going in the direction they were going, but Brian was more listening to the sound of the voice than its content. He hoped he kept talking until they got somewhere.

Besides, Nick got them to the island, he could get them back home.

He wasn't worried about that.

In fact, he wasn't really worried. Mentally, he felt kind of apart from what was going on. He couldn't tell the difference between being awake and dreaming. And that was fine.

Nick wished he was dreaming. Things like this just didn't happen. He wanted to close his tired eyes, go to sleep, and wake up in bed.

When he shut his eyes, for only a second, he heard a siren and the sound of another motorboat. Nick's heartbeat sped up as a pulse of relief shot through him like a shock.

"Brian," he called behind him, but he got no response. He was already slowing down and had the police boat in his line of sight when a voice came over a speaker.

"Cut the motor!"

Nick did just that, watching as the boat pulled up next to them, side-by-side. The knocked together a few times, rocking on the choppy waters.

The last thing he expected to hear out of the officer's mouth was his rights.

"You have the right to remain silent..."

"Wait," Nick started, blinking at him in exhausted confusion. Were those handcuffs in his hand? "We--"

"--if you choose not to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law--"

"Wait," Nick repeated, a pleading sound entering into his voice.

The officer must have taken pity on the bewildered look in the young man's blue eyes, because he halted his spiel long enough for Nick to get out:

"I need a doctor."

"Where are you hurt?" the older man immediately questioned. As he gave Nick a critical eye, another officer came out from the cabin of the small-sized police boat, a freshly faxed piece of paper in his hands.

"Not me, him," Nick said, motioning to Brian.

The first officer leaned over the side of his boat for a better look, not having seen the hurt young man before.

"This is it," the other man, older and mustached interrupted. He began reading off the numbers on the fax, which he matched up with the ones on the side of the boat in which Nick and Brian were in. "Boys, we're taking you in."

"This yours?" the first officer motioned to the tarp that only partially covered the stash.

Nick felt overwhelmed with the sudden influx of words and the flashing light on top of their boat. It wasn't what he had expected any rescue to be like.

"This isn't..." Nick glanced behind him at the stash on the floor and at Brian's motionless body. "This isn't our boat."

"We know it isn't."

-