When Aaron woke up the first few seconds were always the best. Those few detached moments when the consciousness hadn't quite closed in around him, those few detached moments before reality reminded him of who and where he was. He sighed and rolled his head along the plush blue seats of Hawaiian Airline Flight 308, staring out the window down the pristine white wing of the plane. He hadn't meant to fall asleep; in fact, he promised himself he wouldn't. He just felt so lethargic. Flying usually didn't do that to him, but he supposed in light of the reason for his flight he couldn't hold it against himself.

Sunlight and sound finally invaded his senses and Aaron found himself squinting against the light as his eyes fought to adjust. He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep, but however long it was it was probably not enough time to have been close to Kona by now. Regardless, he still looked down from his window seat to make out clouds and land pass them by.

"Care for a drink?"

Aaron jumped a bit in his seat at the sudden sound, looking over the empty seat next to him to a flight attendant pushing a small silver cart of refreshments. Normally he would have politely declined. Despite his disheveled, tattooed and pierced appearance and all of the stereotypes you could make from that, he wasn't a drinker. He never particularly cared for the taste of it, and he definitely never cared for impaired self control. Nevertheless, he found himself accepting gin and tonic in spite of himself. He was almost repulsed by how fast it disappeared down his throat. He pulled down the table from the back of the seat in front of his own, letting his glass rest lightly on top of it.

Aaron had almost dozed off again when he felt a light rattling followed by a light thud. He bolted upright in his seat, startled awake once more by the sound, only to find that the glass on his table was gone. It didn't take long for him to find it - it was rolling down the aisle, pouring whatever remaining alcohol and ice was left in it. He aimlessly felt for his seatbelt as he looked around at the other flight-goers. Idle chatter filled the plane, only quieting when a loud ding broke through and the voice of the flight attendant he'd spoken to before came over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the pilot has switched on the Fasten Seatbelt sign. We ask that you return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts, as the plane is experiencing minor turbulence."

The idle chatter picked up, and you could just barely hear the collective clicking of people fastening themselves to their chairs. Aaron left his off though, holding it loosely in his hand as he watched his glass roll further and further down the aisle. He pushed himself up from his seat, holding onto either side of the aisle seats to balance himself as he made his way down the plane. The rumbling of the plane grew louder, more insistent, and Aaron found himself stumbling over his own feet. He shouldn't have gotten up, but it was too late now. He reached his glass fairly quickly, as it caught itself against the base of another seat, whose occupant picked it up and handed it to Aaron. He quietly thanked the woman and turned around, keeping his hands clutched tightly onto the seats on either side of him.

Everything after that happened quickly and in slow motion, all at once. The sound of an explosion filled the cabin, echoing off the thin walls, and the plane jerked downward and out from underneath Aaron's feet. He flew upwards, his back slamming against the roof of the plane before he slammed downward instead, crashing against the blue carpeted floor right on top of his glass. The screams of the others drowned out his own strained groaning. He lay there for just a second before the reality sank in.

They were going down.

Oxygen masks deployed in unison, and Aaron found his feet to pull himself upward and climb the slanted floor up to the first free seat he could find, shaking hands finding his seatbelt and strapping himself in, the unforgiving polyester strands bolting him in place. He reached for the oxygen mask, grasping desperately at it as his vision faded at the edges. The sunlight pouring through the windows bled into a pale grey, and then the world went black.

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Kensi Davis was bored as she looked out the window. It was a beautiful sight, she thought. She was on her way to Hawaii for her twin sister's wedding. It was going to be such a grand affair, Kensi was sure of that. She knew her sister and she liked good things in life now. Ever since she had got famous with her modeling, Crystal liked living the good life. Kensi wasn't looking forward to it, she thought, as she rested back against the blue airplane seat. She didn't hate her sister, but she just couldn't relate to her anymore. Hadn't been able to since Kensi turned down the modeling offer and Crystal took it up. Since that day, Kensi felt closer to her dad then her twin and her mother. She and her dad shared the love of many of the same things, mainly outdoors stuff.

Hopefully she wouldn't feel too bored at the wedding, Kensi thought. She wished Eric, her boyfriend, could have come with her but Crystal decided to get married to guy she had only dated for six months and announced the wedding not too long afterwards. Eric hadn't had enough notice get off of work to join her. The stewardess asked if she needed anything and Kensi shook her head.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

Maybe she'd try to get a nap in before they arrived. Lord knew Crystal and their mom would be dragging her around, introducing her to people that spent way too much money on their clothing and makeup. Of course, the sun was coming through the window, and she tried to lower the shade to block it. She settled down into the seat and thought a nap could do her some good.

Kensi was able to fall asleep for a little while. She was a heavy enough sleeper to miss the light thud, but was jerked awake by the loud ding. She looked around and saw the seat belt sign. Her hands shook a little as she reached for hers. She had rarely flown in a plane, fear of something bad happening. Everyone told she'd be fine. Crystal and Mom had flown lots of times and nothing bad ever happened to them.

"What's going-"

Kensi started to ask, to no one in particular, when her question was answered. It was just turbulence...Okay, she would be fine. She told herself. Turbulence happened. Probably happened all the time. It was nothing to worry-

Kensi grabbed the arms of her seat in a panic when the rambling grew louder. It's not just-She screamed, although she could barely hear her own voice, when the explosion hit. She was pushed painfully back into her seat, keeping a death grip on the arms of her chair as they began to go down. She let go of the seat to grab the oxygen mask that fell in front of her face. Her hands were shaking in terror as she put it on.

Once Kensi had the mask secure, her hands went back to gripping the seat's arms. She closed her eyes tightly and thought, 'I'm going to die.' Her world went black as she thought that she hoped her boyfriend never forgot that she loved him.

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Jace Eliott had flow three times in his life and this flight wasn't going any better then those had. Jace had a secret. A secret fear and hatred of flying. Even though he never said anything. Just sat very very still and quiet through the flight only talking when talked to. Trying to focus on anything else outside of pulsing fear that made his palms sweaty and his heart beat a little too fast. Of course the first chance he'd gotten he'd ordered alcohol. Something strong, Rum probably, he didn't remember what he'd ordered only told the stewardess to keep it coming until he either was drunk, passed out, or no longer allowed to have alcohol due to flight rules. He really didn't care which they were.

He'd only agreed to go on this flight because he wanted to have another chance with Melissa. Something about her brought out the best in him. Something he hadn't felt in YEARS. So he'd wanted one more time. Maybe, maybe this could really work and then maybe he'd leave his wife who hated him now and start over. Maybe this was that start.

He didn't know. He didn't really want to talk right now, but he felt maybe he should say something. He was being terrible company on this flight, but maybe Melissa hand't noticed from her seat next to him. She seemed lost in thought. Which he was glad for. No he was more then glad she wasn't trying to talk. He really didn't feel up to talking just now. No he really was just trying not to show just how scared and terrified and nervous he was.

When would this blasted plane ride end. Was all that swirled around his mind.

He forced his thought to Hawaii and their final destination. How they would spend a week or so on a beach somewhere just enjoying their time. Yah that would be lovely. He focused on that and felt Malissa's gentle hand on his. He released the death grip he had on his seat and gently took her hand in his. At least for a moment. Until the plane began to shudder and he almost screamed out his fear. Instead he forced calm into his features and forced his body to relax the tension it was holding while he fastened his seatbelt in place. Oh this was such a horrible thing!

When the masks finally came down panic was wild and full blown. Logic and pretence forgotten Jace screamed as he grabbed the mask and kept on screaming until he couldn't scream anymore and blackness made itself known. Well at least I won't remember dying. He thought to himself his hand grasping Malissa's in the hope that this contact would follow him into the after life. His eyes drifting shut as darkness finally took him.

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Flying wasn't something that Malcolm was unfamiliar with. His family had some money, and so he'd flown to vacations with his family before on airplanes. Aside from typical airplane rides, one of Malcolm's brothers, Chandler, had gotten him up in helicopters many times. Malcolm had grasped some form of security with flying, so he paid no typical thought to it while he browsed social media on his phone. He'd seen many pictures of his older brother, Dante, lately. It was the reason he was heading to Hawaii after all; Dante was getting married.

Malcolm hadn't in particular spent prolonged time with the girl. It made him uneasy to know that his brother was getting married to someone he didn't truly know. The Kraft brothers were close, almost to a fault, they backed each other up before they took anyone's side. Malcolm, even so far up in the air, almost expected one of his brothers to prank him in some form. "If there's a Malcolm Kraft on flight, your ointment for Crabs has been found." Malcolm imagined the potential announcement playing any second. Thankfully it didn't, but Malcolm smiled at the thought of a potential prank.

Malcolm locked his cell phone, allowing his thoughts to be lost while he looked out the window. The views from the air just simply weren't breathtaking any longer. His thoughts were caught somewhere between concern for his brother and excitement for Hawaii. Even when the plane experienced turbulence Malcolm still didn't pay any attention in particular. It wasn't in his character to be unaware, but he'd carried such a lack of concern for flight that he didn't think to take notice.

Then he started hearing voices. Worried and concerned ones.

Before he knew it, oxygen masks were deployed. Malcolm felt a fear that was very unfamiliar to him, and while he hastily grabbed his oxygen mask, he felt a deep regret that he hadn't gone with Chandler. Chandler was the Air Force expert of the family, and although it was irrational to think he could have stopped the plane crash, it was still Malcolm's last thought.

Then his world went black.

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Aaron's senses came back all at once in a sudden rush of adrenaline. He was surrounded by water, his head bobbing up and down as he sputtered and gasped for a full breath of air. There was sound everywhere, from everything; mothers screamed names of their children as their arms beat down on the water to keep themselves afloat, other passengers wailed from inside the plane as they struggled to get their seat belts off, and the plane itself... that was probably the worst noise, the most deafening one.

One wing of the plane was plunged entirely underwater, taking the first engine and subsequently two generators with it. The other wing stood straight up, and the aircraft stayed stagnant in that ominously vertical position. The plane, above the groaning and creaking of the body trying to separate from itself, made a high-pitched squealing noise as the remaining engine worked double-time to compensate for its counterpart being submerged in water. And through all of that, Aaron could hear his own heart beating out of his chest as he frantically kicked his legs against the water, putting as much distance between himself and that plane as humanly possible.

"**** no, no, no, no-"

The blood curdling scream that followed made Aaron push himself to move even faster. The plane's groans grew louder, more insistent, and Aaron risked a glance behind him. If he'd had the presence of mind to scream, he would have. Instead, he recited a prayer in his head to whatever deity bothered to listen as the formerly upright wing of the plane started to lean. He never stopped swimming, desperately trying to get out of the inevitable blast zone, but he did give up hope. When the plane went from a slow slant to a rapidly falling threat, his vision started to dull again, and by the time the wing would have hit the water, he was long gone.

The feel of tangible heat against his face stirred Aaron awake, mostly due to the pain of sand digging itself into a gash on his cheek. It took a moment for reality to settle around him, and even then he was still seeing doubles. But the fact of the matter was that he was seeing. He was alive. By some miracle, he was alive to feel the heat against his face, the stinging in his cheek, the damp stiffness of his saltwater-covered clothes.

With what little strength remained in his arms after abusing them so frantically to swim away, Aaron pushed at the unsteady ground, the sand sifting between his fingers as he rolled himself over onto his back. It took the wind out of him more than he thought it would, but he took two deep breaths and then propped himself up on his elbows, looking out at the vast spread of ocean that had carried him to whatever beach he was on. He couldn't see the plane itself, but he could still see black smoke billowing up skyward on the horizon. That had to be a couple of miles out, at least. Had he really floated that far? How long had he been out?

His head turned side to side, looking for someone else. Anyone else. For as massive a beach as this was, it was largely deserted. Some suitcases had made their way to short with him, some clothes that were stiff with salt and blood. The site made his stomach sink. Maybe there were people in those piles of clothes scattered about the beach. Maybe there were survivors in the water. Maybe. He couldn't have been the only person to survive... right?

With a groan of pain and discomfort, Aaron shuffled his way to his feet, his fingers idly coming up to his cheek to prod at the gash in his skin. It hurt. All of him hurt, but most of all that hurt. At least the salt in the water had caused the blood to coagulate. As a body modification specialist, he'd seen a lot of blood and couldn't afford to get queasy when someone else bled on him. However, if the cut on his face had been actively bleeding, he was sure he would have lost whatever food he had eaten before the flight.

Further down the shoreline, a pile of clothes stood in a solitary heap in the sand. A little down from that.. "Hey!" he called out to someone sprawled out on the sand, though it wasn't nearly as loud as he had wanted it to be. His throat felt dry and cracked and his voice was more strained than it had ever been. "Hey, are you okay?!"

_________________

Kensi was jolted awake by the cold ocean water. She threw the face mask off.

"What the hell-"

Kensi said to herself and heard so many noises. Most that didn't make sense, at first, as she came back to her own senses. She remembered the plane falling before she had passed out. They crashed! The plane was in the ocean, Kensi realized. She looked out the window and saw the ocean against the window. The water was cold and her hands were shaking as she tried to undo her seat belt. Kensi was vaguely aware she broke a few nails due to how hard she had dug her fingers into the seat's arms. People were yelling the names of their loved ones and the plane...

"Oh ****!"

Kensi yelled, she had to get out of here. This wasn't a movie, no one was going to come save her. She had to save herself. Panic set in as she realized that if she didn't get out of the plane and fast, she was going to die in it. It felt like an eternity but she got her seat belt undone and pushed off the seat. She wasn't a great swimmer, never had been, but she'd be damned if she died in the Pacific Ocean. She used the seats to push herself along towards the escape door. Somehow it had gotten open during the fall. Maybe someone had opened it, trying to escape before they hit the ocean. Maybe the crash had flung it open. It didn't matter how it got open, it was her way out. She could see the sun and water on the other side.

The noises the plane made scared Kensi. It was deafening to her ears, it wouldn't be able to stay like this much longer. The engine was working too hard to allow the plane to try to remain upright in the ocean. Very soon it would sink to the bottom of the ocean. If she didn't get out, it would take her with it. She would drown. She thanked God that she had been given a seat near the escape door. Since Kensi had been so scared about flying, she had made an effort to see where the door was and be near it. Just in case she had needed it. Perhaps it had seemed silly then, but she was thankful now. She rushed as she fast as she could in the water towards it. It wasn't easy, the water had soaked her shirt and jeans. It reminded her of fourth grade water safety class. Clothes weighed you down in the water. She didn't have time to strip down, though. She needed to get out!

Kensi reached the door and jumped out into the ocean. The plane terrified her and she knew she needed to get as much distance as possible between her and it as she could and fast. She might not drown inside it but she was still in danger. It could fall on her and crush her. Or it could explode and she'd die from the blast. Kensi saw a small suitcase floating in her arm reach and grabbed it. She held onto it like it was a boogie board and kicked her legs as hard as she could. Adrenaline and survival instincts were in hyper drive for Kensi. She should be tired, but her mind wouldn't recognize it and told her to keep fighting. Put as much distance as possible as she could between her and the fallen plane. She didn't look back. In the distance, Kensi thought she saw a tree and her goal was to reach it. Nothing else mattered suddenly, all she had to do was reach the tree.

Kensi's mind blocked out everything else now that she had a goal. The people, the plane, everything else was blocked out for the time being. 'I just need to reach the tree. Once I get to the tree, I'll be safe. I get to the tree, I can get home.' Kensi told herself. The tree was salvation. Kensi kept kicking her legs in the water, swimming with the suitcase, even as her adrenaline began to wear off. Swimming towards the tree came as a natural as breathing to her. Escaping the plane and trying to reach a tree that seemed miles of away was tiring, though. Eventually, Kensi closed her eyes and eventually just started to float. Thankfully she floated towards the shore. She didn't even realize when she hit the shoreline and laid on the sand in a heap. Looking like a dead body.

Kensi was jolted awake when she heard Aaron's voice. He wasn't very loud but it was so eerily quiet now. Especially compared to what had happened around the plane.

"I...Did I reach the tree?"

Kensi asked him, looking up at the man.

_________________

Malcolm didn't see, or feel anything for some time. The next sensation he felt was the washing of the ocean tide, which seemed gentle at the time. When his eyes finally opened the world seemed sideways, which was likely a result of disorientation and waking up on his side. For a moment, the surreal feeling left Malcolm unaware of the reality, but that only lasted for a moment before panic set in. Memories poured into his head like a waterfall of the plane crash, it seemed like it couldn't possibly be real, but Malcolm was sure he wasn't dreaming it.

"Okay, okay, okay, asses yourself, Malcolm." Malcolm was talking aloud, it was an exercise used to keep a hold of yourself in times of stress. At least, that's what Dante had told him. That, and if anyone else was around, being vocal was what was best, to find other survivors. "Assessment is always the first thing you do after a disaster." Malcolm desired to scatter to his feet, especially with his body still on the shore. Considering he'd washed up on the shore, he figured that the sea wouldn't pull him in, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

Malcolm slowly brought his arms up, taking deep breaths and mumbling instructions to himself. "My arms can move... my arms aren't broken, okay, good start." Malcolm assured himself. He slowly brought his torso up so that he was in a sitting position, everything was seeming to be intact. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was able to confirm that his legs were just fine. Malcolm wasted no time making some more distance on shore, the sight of the plane wreck still existed. "Hello?" Malcolm yelled out, to nobody in particular. Several daunting thoughts crossed Malcolm's mind.

What if no one else survived? What if no one was coming to find them? More importantly, Malcolm wondered, was there anything left in the wreck? Would it be even relatively worth the swim?

_________________

Jace drifted in the darkness and cold. Somehow finding it peaceful. He'd always loved the darkness and had always found the cold refreshing. Slowly memories returned and with a cold splash of water on his face Jace jolted awake to find himself alone in his seat. Oh dear lord. "MELISSA!" he thought at first and his thoughts ended in a terrifying scream of the single important name. The total chaos around him didn't seem to matter. The fact that he was waist deep in water didn't seem to matter. The fact that it sounded like the plane was about to explode didn't matter. Malissa was missing and he didn't know where she was. As quick as his cold and shocked fingers would allow he managed to get the seatbelt off. His ears still ringing from lord only knew what he stumbled towards the opening that yawned like the mouth of hell before him. Ocean. Ocean and bodies. That's all he saw. Maybe Melissa was amongst them. Maybe he'd find her there. Wherever she was she wasn't in the plane. A quick glance as he made his stumbling way had told him as much. He had no idea how long he'd been out. Or how long the plane would hold together.

Shaking, frightened and cold. Lost and confused and terrified and with only one single thought he dove into the water. Melissa. He had to find her. He had to... The thought broke off as an all too familiar head appeared in view swimming frantically away from him. The ten seconds of relief he had coursed through him before he took off towards her. His head pounding a steady rhythm in his skull. The pounding of his heart against all odds still beating. He was not in shape enough for this. He knew he was not going to get far enough away as the plane tilted. He only hoped that Melissa made it away. Everything he had left in him was slowly bleeding out in strained muscles and pounding head. He was just not strong enough. For her he had to be. He struggled and fought as hard as he could to make it to Melissa before the plane hit the water, but he couldn't. The first fall under the water seemed to never end. Dragging him down. Down down down. And darkness.

Jace slowly woke up. To the icy feel of water lapping against his legs. Certain that he was dead he shot up into a sitting position and regretted the movement almost instantly. The world spun around in a dizzying mass of brown and blue. And he fell backwards. Laying on his back staring up at the expense of spinning blueness. Everything was just so perfectly blue and his head hurt like hell. He wondered where he was and why he wasn't dead. For surely dead men didn't hurt so bloody much. Everything hurt. His lungs burned. His chest felt like it was stripped bare of skin and outer limbs felt like they weigh three thousand pounds. Overall he wanted nothing more than to lie here and sleep. Oh did his head ever hurt. He brought his hand up only to feel a trickle of thicker wetness. He had no doubt it would be blood and water mixed. Sure enough it was. Blood from his hair. He didn't even know if it was his. He didn't really care at this point.

Slowly pushing himself back up until he was sitting. His legs were in the water and he was on a beach. He looked around very slowly to keep the world from tumbling around in a kaleidoscope of insanity. He felt mildly sick, but didn't care. He needed to find Melissa. To see if she had survived. Tears stung his eyes at the thought. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat when he heard her voice. Oh gods she was alive. He pushed himself up. Looking everywhere for her. He saw her. Just a few feet from him. He stumbled and staggered and fell down almost on top of her. "Melissa," he called and promptly lay back down on the sand with a moan. "ow" he mumbled as he pressed his hand into his face.

_________________

"I...Did I reach the tree?"

Aaron's brow pulled down in confusion, only serving to make his head throb. He put his hands on either side of his head, adding pressure to his temples in any feeble attempt to get the pain to stop. His eyes raised from the girl to the rest of the island; there were trees all along the beach, some raining coconuts and palm fronds, and one in particular towering about the rest of them. He wasn't sure that was the tree that she was talking about, but he offered a pained smile down at her regardless. "Yeah. You reached the tree," he assured her, dropping his hands from his head and offering one down for her to pull herself up.

There were other cries. Shouts of names on the beach, cries to God coming from the water further out. God couldn't hear them, and if he did, he didn't seem to want to help very much. The most God had ever done for him was put him on this ****ing island instead of in the sea, drowning alongside the other fliers. He could at least be thankful that he wasn't the only survivor, but what good would that do them, in the long run? Larger groups were easier to find on cays and isles like this, but they didn't exactly have food to feed even one person, let alone four or five.

As Aaron reached down to take the woman's hand, an explosion rang out and fire rained down from the sky around the mostly-submerged plane, along with various luggage, pieces of plane and what Aaron refused to acknowledge as blasted apart bodies. Luckily they were too far out to be impacted by the explosion, but he could still watch as what was supposed to be a much needed vacation erupted in flames and began to sink fast to the bottom of the ocean.

Some trip to Hawaii this turned out to be. He'd left his life, Jade, Alexis, everything in Florida. He'd promised Jade he'd come back, that they'd talk about things when he had a fresher outlook. He never should have left. He should have told Jade that they'd forget about it, that they'd start over. Alexis was still his daughter, even if she wasn't. If he'd just stayed and not over reacted, he wouldn't be here, on this cay, wondering about what would have happened if he just never left.

Well that was just his ****ing luck wasn't it?

_________________

In hindsight, Kensi would have realized her question sounded crazy. After all, she was the only one thinking about the tree. Surely the only person who made it their sole mission to get to it. When she hit the water, that tree had became the single most important thing in the world to her. Nothing else had mattered in the water but that tree. The tree had kept her alive. Kensi had survived because of the tree. When Aaron told her she had reached the tree, she smiled.

"Oh, good."

Kensi sounded relieved and she was. The first part of her mission was accomplished. She had gotten to the tree, which meant she had reached the land. From there, she'd have to find a home. That might be a little harder. 'One thing at a time, Kens,' she told herself. She had reached the tree, the rest would come after that. At least she wasn't totally alone.

"Thanks."

She told Aaron, reaching for his hand to sit up. Being with another person, brought Kensi back into the world and all the sounds that came with it. When she had been trying to escape the plane and reach the sand, Kensi had blocked out everything else. The only thing that mattered to her was the tree and she could ignore the rest of the world. Now, though, reality was coming back and she realized how pretty damn lucky she was. People were yelling for loved ones, for God to come. God couldn't save them.

When the explosion hit, Kensi turned her head towards it and gasped.

"Oh, my God."

Kensi said, she wished she hadn't looked. Thank God for the tree, if she hadn't seen it and been focused on it, she'd be dead. It made her sick to her stomach. The airplane was destroyed and people were dead...Kensi knew it wasn't just luggage flying through the air.

Why the hell hadn't she just told her family she couldn'tmake Crystal's wedding? If she had, she'd be home. Safe and sound with Eric. Not here, not on some tree filled island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

_________________

Malcolm's decision became pretty simple when the remnants of the plane exploded. Anything useful on there was most likely gone, and even if it wasn't, it was going to cost a lot more than just risk and energy in order to get back there. Just the sight of distant body parts was enough to solidify Malcolm's choice. There was no way he was swimming out; he'd simply never get passed the trauma. Malcolm's facial expression twisted into desperation. He'd been told by all of his brothers that in times of emergencies and danger never to panic and that a clear mind could be the difference between life and death. That advice wasn't on his mind at the moment.

"Oh my God... ****... ****!" Malcolm began shouting the curse word as he spoke. Malcolm's thoughts rested with his family and his future, two things he was now maybe permanently separated from. Malcolm felt a weight on him, now severely, he could hardly stand. Everything about it seemed surreal, to the point where the adrenaline of the situation wasn't enough. "Wake up..." Malcolm pleaded to himself in a whisper, but he already knew that he wasn't going to be that lucky. All of his will wished that he would wake up on that plane, landing in Hawaii.

Malcolm forced slow breaths. Help would come, right? All he had to do was wait a few hours. Malcolm mustered up the courage to stand strongly again, catching his second wind of survival instinct. He'd heard some voice in the distance, though he hadn't registered them during the initial shock.

"Hello? Who else made it?" Malcolm yelled, exercising his lungs to their fullest. He knew he'd feel better seeing people, and not pieces of them instead.

_________________

Jace felt her head come to rest on his shoulder and instantly his arms encircled her. Holding her tightly in his embrace. Whispering words of love in her ear in response to her words. "I love you more then anything else in the whole world Melissa, I love you. I love you. I love you." He kept whispering over and over until the sound of his voice faded to nothing. Tears threatened to choke him as he held her tightly to him. He wanted nothing more then to lie here forever with her, but he knew he had to let her go. Letting his arms fall back he watched her rise until she sat looking down at him. He gave her his best smile. So happy to see her alive.

"I'll be ok. And your hurt too," he started and then added quickly, "it's just a flesh wound to my head, I think. Those bleed like mad, but I don't think it's too bad. I'll be ok love," he reassured her quickly. He had almost forgotten the pain in his head in the joy of having her in his arms again. How he had been so certain she had been hurt or killed and here she was alive and well not well, but alive and in relative health. "Yah I can shout, it seems others are shouting too, maybe once we can stand we should go look for the others." He suggested wondering if that was a good idea. Until he heard the explosion that is.

Jace was mixed between relief and distraught. Relief at having found Malissa and being here by her side no matter how much he hurt. He didn't care. She was alive, he was alive. He was so damned happy to be alive. And watching the destruction out to see made his stomach clench in fear and many other things he couldn't even process. It was so overwhelming he felt like screaming. All the death around him. He just never was good at dealing with death. He watched the flaming wreck of his relaxing vacation and reunion with his lover sink bellow the waves and wanted to weep.

Suck it up! Your a man after all act like it!

He chastised himself in his thoughts, but damn this was just not his cup of tea. Well who's would it be. No one wanted to be stuck on some island after a crash. Did anyone know they had crashed? Would there be a rescue sent? Would the airline notice? How long would it take? So many thoughts swam one after the other in his brain he felt like it might explode. He was just too tired for all this and wanted nothing more then to let his aching body fall into unconsciousness and sleep. Knowing full well that wouldn't be the answer to his survival he forced himself to sit back up. Letting the waves of dizziness pass and wondering what their next move was. After all others had survived too. Guess they would need to work as a team if they were going to survive. Lucky for him that wasn't something he frowned upon. He'd do what it took to survive. He couldn't change the past. Damn he wanted a strong drink right about now.

Enough lollygagging you moron, get up and move forwards.

He mentally screamed at himself. He couldn't allow himself to just sink into self-pity. Deal with the situation there would be time to feel sorry for himself later. He had Melissa to look after. He had to focus on that. He had to make her his number one priority, maybe this time he could save her. Maybe this time he wouldn't be a failure. Maybe this time things would be different. He hadn't failed her yet. Maybe. Just maybe. He could outlive the pain of his past just this once. Maybe he could do a good deed this time, one that didn't mark him as the failure he was. He swallowed hard at those thoughts brought on others of his past of his child. He had to close his eyes as tears threatened to blind him. He couldn't go there.

Act don't think!

He demanded of himself. Now was the time for action. Thoughts would come later. Right now survival was all that mattered. He gently took Melissa's hand in his, "come on we need to find the others, we need shelter and supplies, your injured, I'm injured, their probably all a little banged up. The sooner we find the others who survived and assess our situation the better," he said lightly as he slowly got up and offered to help her up. The world was still spinning slightly making it hard for him to focus fully when he was standing, but he could cope with that. Just like being a little drunk, he figured.

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