Tim shook uncontrollably as he held tightly onto Avi. The smaller man had dozed off, his soft snores echoing in the well. Tim kept check on his pulse to make sure it didn't get to a dangerous point.

The hit man's ankle no longer hurt because his body had gone numb. Hypothermia? Exhaustion? Death? He didn't know.

He had prayed to any God that would listen. He prayed that if only one was to live through this, let it be Avi.

He had already gone through death once.

Tim fought hard to keep his eyes open. He was afraid that if he dozed off that his body would succumb to death.

Luckily, the storm had passed over. And only a small amount of water drained into the well.

His eyes were slowly closing when a sound reaches his ears. He opens his eyes and listens closely to the sound. The motor of a four-wheeler.

~~

"Where could they be, Adam?" Kirstie asks as she shined her flashlight around.

"I don't know. We're about to run out of places to look. But they have to be around here somewhere." Adam yells over his shoulder at the small blond behind him.

"WAIT! STOP!!" She yells as the light from her flashlight shown on something shiny. "What's that? Go that way." She points.

Adam turns the 4-wheeler around.

"Where Kirstie? I don't see anything." Adam says, straining his eyes to see in the dark.

"I saw something right beyond my light. It was in this pasture." Kirstie says.

"You sure it wasn't a deer or something?" Adam asks.

"No, it was shiny like chrome." Kirstie says. She was beginning to think that it was her imagination until she saw it again. "THERE!! RIGHT THERE, ADAM!! SEE?"

"It's their 4-wheelers!" Adam says as he sped in that direction.

Both 4-wheelers were sitting side by side, but the guys were nowhere to be seen.

"TIM!! AVIII!!" Adam yells.

"WHERE ARE YOU!!!!" Kirstie screams.

"Adam." Tim whispers to himself. He leans Avi against the wall of the well and tries to stand up. His legs had gone completely numb causing him to fall to his knees. "Adam. ADAM!!"

"That's Tim." Adam says, shining his light across the field. "TIM!! WHERE ARE YOU??!!"

"WE'RE DOWN IN THE WELL!!" Tim yells.

"Well?" Kirstie asks as they both shine their lights on the ground. Only then, did they see the cave in.

"OH MY GOD!" Kirstie screams as they jump off the vehicle and run toward the hole.

"NO!" Tim yells as mud falls in on him. "D..Don't get too close. It's liable to c..cave in!"

"Baby, are y'all alright?" Adam asks trying to crawl closer.

"W..We're alive." Tim shivers, looking up toward the hole.

"Avi?" Kirstie calls done.

"He's asleep. I..I can't get him to w..wake up. You need to hurry and get.. get us out." Tim says.

"Hold on. I'll call the others." Adam yells down to him.

"We .. We'll be r..right here." Tim says with a shaky chuckle. He crawls back through the mud over to Avi. "H..Hey, Sweet Cheeks, w ..wake up." He says as he shakes the smaller man.

"No." Avi moans weakly. "J ..just l..let me die, T..Tim."

"We're not .. not going t ..to die. Adam and K..Kirstie found us." Tim says as he brushes Avi's wet muddy hair out of his face.

"K..Kirstie?" Avi says softly as he opens his eyes slowly.

"Yeah, s..she's up there." Tim says pointing up to the opening.

"In H..Heaven?" Avi asks.

"No, d..dumb*ss." Tim answers.

Avi laughs, laying his head on Tim's shoulder.

"Tim, Chance and Austin are on their way. Chris and Nate are going by the house and get some rope and blankets." Kirstie yells down.

"Hey, Doll Face." Avi calls up.

"Avi? Sweetie, are you hurt?" Kirstie asks.

"I..I hit my head. But I t..think I may be al..alright." Avi says. "Please get m..me out. W..We can leave T..Tim down here, if..if you w..want."

"Are you nuts? I'm not leaving my baby down there." Adam chuckles.

Headlights caught their attention as more four-wheelers arrives. They had attached a small trailer to the back of one of the vehicles.

By the time they got everything ready, both men inside the well had gone quiet.

"Tim? Avi? Guys answer me!" Chris yells down into the well.

Silence.

"TIMOTHY REGAN!? ANSWER US!" Adam yells in a panic. "AVRIEL?!"

"DON'T Y'ALL DARE GIVE UP!!" Kirstie shouts.

"What?" Tim's tired weak voice finally answer.

"Tim, honey, you have to stay awake and talk to us, okay?" Adam says in a worried voice.

"I'm too tired. I can't" Tim answers in a slurred speech.

"Hypothermia." Nate says. "You need to get them out of there now! Someone needs to go down there to help them. They're not going to be able to do it by themselves."

"I'll go." Chris says as he ties the ends of two ropes to the back of one of the vehicles and made loops on the other end. "Austin, when I give you the ok, slowly back the 4-wheeler back to lower me down."

"Gotcha." Austin answers and runs to the vehicle.

"Chris, you need to check for a heartbeat when you get down there. It'll be really slow and faint. Their breathing will probably be shallow. Get them out, immediately. Avi first. He's smaller and lost body heat faster." Nate says.

"How do you know this?" Kirstie asks with a frightened look.

"I'm not only a waiter but also a medical student." Nate says with a slight smile.

"Alright. Austin, I'm ready. Take it slow." Chris says.

Austin nods and begins to back up slowly, lowering Chris into the well.

"How can they have hypothermia? It's not really that cold." Kirstie says.

"The temperature is probably twenty degrees colder down there. Along with the moisture. The water is probably just above freezing." Nate answers.

Chris's feet lands in the thick muddy water. The cold already chilling him.

"Okay, Austin! Stop!" He calls up. Adam flags Austin to stop.

Chris pulls his flashlight out of his pocket and shines it around. Seeing the two men leaning against the well's wall. Both covered with mud.

"Oh, my God." He whispers to himself as he removes the rope from around him. He trudges through the mud until he reaches them.

"Tim? Avi?" He reaches out and touches their face, both were ice cold. He lays a hand on Tim's throat checking for a heartbeat. He found one, faint but it was there. He then checked Avi's. It took awhile to find one but he did.

Carrying Avi over to where the ropes were hanging, Chris put one of the ropes around Avi and the other around himself. He would hold on to the smaller man, guiding him to make sure he didn't hit the wall of the well.

"Adam?!" Chris calls up. "Tell Austin to pull us up slowly."

"Okay, Austin. Pull them out. Slowly." Adam tells him.

Soon Chris and Avi was being lifted up to the opening.

As soon as they came into reach, Chance reaches and grabs Avi, easily pulling the smaller man from the hole.

"Oh, my God. Baby?" Kirstie begins to cry as she sees the unconscious body of her fiance.

"Chance, carry him over to the trailer. Kirstie, wrap him in some of those blankets we brought." Nate says as Austin begins to lower Chris back into the well. "You need to remove as many of the wet clothes as you can." Nate says as he follows them over to the trailer.

"Hey, Boss Man. Wake up." Chris says, gently slapping Tim's cheek.

Tim struggles to open his eyes. His eye lids seemed to weigh a ton.

"Chris? Did you fall in here?" Tim mumbles.

"No." Chris smiles. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Get Avi first." Tim says in a quiet voice as his eyes start to close.

"Tim. Stay awake, alright? Avi is already out of the well. He's with Kirstie." Chris says.

"Avi's safe?" Tim asks.

"Yeah. Can you try to stand up? I don't think I can carry you like I did Avi." Chris says.

"No. I hurt my ankle and my legs are numb." Tim answers.

"Hey, Adam? I'm going to need some help." Chris calls up.

"Gotcha." Adam says, then has Austin pull forward so he can get the rope.

Soon Adam was being lowered into the well.

"Oh, my God." Adam whispers as he shines his flashlight on his brother and semi-unconscious boyfriend.

"I need help getting him to the rope. I can't carry him like I did Avi. He said he's hurt his ankle and his legs are numb from this cold water." Chris says.

"Hey, Sweetheart." Adam says as he caresses his lover's muddy cheek.

"Adam?" Tim whispers softly, trying hard to open his eyes.

"Yeah, Baby, it's me." Adam smiles sadly. "We're gonna get you out of here and somewhere warm."

Adam and Chris lifts Tim out of the mud and carries him over to the rope, looping it around him. 

"You go up with him. Chance will need help pulling him out." Chris says.

Adam nods and slips the other rope around himself.

"Chance? Pull them up." Chris yells.

When they reach the opening, Chance pulls Adam out first and then the two of them pulls the hit man from the well.

As they carry Tim to the wagon, Austin backs up in order to get Chris. Soon they were all free from the abandoned well.

Kirstie had Avi wrapped snugly in a blanket and was holding him close allowing her own body heat to help warm him.

Adam undressed Tim as much as he could. Not knowing how bad his ankle was, he left his boots and jeans on but wrapped his upper body in a blanket.

Adam climbs into the wagon and pulls Tim close to him.

"Looks like you Rupp boys done saved the hit man again." Tim mumbles with his head laying on his lover's chest.

"Shhh." Adam quietens him shooting a quick glance to Chris. Then both men turn their gaze to a very stunned Nate.

***********

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