Chapter One

She could see him through the soft ripple, a barely there movement at the surface. His forehead appeared first, the skin wrinkled as wary eyes came into view, followed by his nose, and then mouth that was set in a parted slit.

And she merely watched him, there, as if her own body was frozen in time amongst the murky depths in which she laid. She didn't hurt here. She was soothed beyond all belief and she hadn't known it was possible.

She blinked once, eyelashes causing the tiniest of upsets, and she watched as he moved a bit closer, jolted even. As if into action, but he didn't do more than kneel beside her.

"Kate." He spoke to her, but she couldn't hear him.

She was lost in a peaceful place with no sound and no disturbances of heartache and pain too physical to comprehend. But staring out at him now, seeing the concern etched across his face as she laid lifeless, Kate knew that he could help her escape all of those things.

"Kate?" He asked this time and his voice carried in a vibration along the surface, dipping under and floating to her ears.

She blinked again, let the corners of her lips curl up, all the while releasing a bubble that rolled and manifested till it broke free at the top. It was her life source, and upon seeing it, he smiled, and reached out his hand.

Kate shook her head, ripples and tides forming all around her, and then she lifted, effortlessly with both hands clutched at either edge.

She emerged from the inner waves, rejuvenated and warm. The steam rising from her sparkling wet skin as she sat upright and pushed the water from her eyes, up and over her hair until it trickled down her back.

With a small seductive ease of her lips, Kate looped her wet fingers around the hair at that nape of his neck and guided him down to her. He chuckled, taking her dripping hand into both of his, kissing her knuckles before standing and letting her go. She sunk back into the water, watching as he removed his clothes and then she slid over as he stepped in.

Kate crawled along the giant tub when he settled, her mouth pressing kisses to his chest, and then his jaw until she turned and rested her back against him..

"Mmm." She hummed, relaxing into him completely.

He kissed her shoulder, moving her saturated hair out of the way, and sucking on her pulse. She closed her eyes, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder, and wrapped her arm around his head, turning her face to watch as he slowly caressed her damp skin. Fingers following the droplets as they sped down her arm.

"What are you going to do now?" He asked, kissing and licking at her skin. Tasting the expanse of flesh before him.

She turned hearing the water around them lap at her and the sides of the tub. "Live." She replied leaning in for a kiss. Wanting to feel his life, body and soul as he met her greedily.

She smiled into his mouth, nibbling his lip and steadily started to lean back, pulling him with her under the surface of water. Her eyes closed, and she gave herself over, melting into him, into the warmth around her and completely losing herself.

When she felt the stress, and strain of her muscles finally relax, that epiphanal ease of her soul. She was jolted out of her sanctuary.

She couldn't breath.

Kate panicked, gasping for air, her nose clamped shut as water entered her lungs. She gripped the side of the tub, trying to pull herself out of the water.

But she was held down.

Pushed into the murky depths that had once held her salvation from the constant ache, and had now turned into a endless abyss of suffering unbearable pain.

Water lapped treacherously around her, spilling over the sides and sending her body into a stormy wave of struggle. A tsunami of turmoil, Poseidon himself had thrown her into and she couldn't escape from it.

No matter how hard she tried she sunk deeper and deeper, held down by the force of her failure, that tiny voice in the back of her mind that told her it was no use, give up.

She couldn't scream for help, for her lungs were burning, and she was choking. All she got out was a gurgle, bubbles of air stealing from her body and bursting around her instead of setting her free.

The life she had sworn to finally live, strangled out of her until she couldn't do it anymore. Kate fought with everything she had, but it didn't seem to be enough, and so she let her body go lax.

Drift or sink, or drain away, and her eyes opened, forest green drowning in the raging tide above her.