The Dòchas danced over the waves, Captain MacLeod at the helm, guiding her movements. There was a brisk breeze, and as he eased her into the wind, she took off like a sleek greyhound. It was exhilarating. Connor felt good to be out at sea again, a lively ship underneath his feet. It had been too long.

Duncan had not returned by the time he had provisioned his ship, so Connor left without him. It was better for someone to be searching by land as well anyway.

After trying out her wings, testing her seaworthiness, the Captain set sail once more to the mainland. As they sailed along the shore, every man not busy with other duties was tasked with looking for any signs of life. They found two nice little coves, but there was no one there. It was getting dark, and not wanting to sail unfamiliar coastal waters without daylight, the Dòchas was anchored for the night in the second one.

But Connor couldn’t sleep. Leaving his small berth, he stepped out onto the deck, nodding to the sailor standing watch. Moving to the rail, he stared out over the moonlit water of the bay, wondering what Katherine was doing, and praying she was safe.

Rufus Meyers Lloyd stood looking out to sea. He knew Jamie wasn't out there - they had buried his son in the cold, cold ground. But that was where he was, out there. The last time he had seen the boy smile, the last time he'd heard his laugh, had been out in the ocean. Jamie was out there, and he needed to be out there, with him.

Walking to the edge of the dock, Ru clasped the black "Clint Eastwood" hat, and jumped.

The sound of a loud splash made Connor jerk his head up and do a quick scan of the bay. A short distance away, he saw a figure floundering in the water. "What the hell!" he said. "MAN OVERBOARD!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, then without a moment’s hesitation dove over the side of the ship and with a strong overhand stroke, made his way to the drowning man.

Ru felt himself brought up to the surface. Believe it or not, the *hat* was floating! But he wouldn't let it go. He dived down deep again, hoping the sea would take him this time.

But as he was going under, a hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back up. Ru tried to struggle, but whoever it was had him in a tight grip. Connor pulled the man to his chest, holding him tightly. He had rescued too many men in the past, and knew all to well how to do it.

The Welshman came up sputtering. "Leave me alone!" he cried. "I need to find my son!"

"You're not going to find him by drowning," Connor growled, backstroking towards the dingy that had been lowered over the side and was being rowed towards him. "Let me get you in the boat, and I'll search for your son. I'm a better swimmer than you anyways."

"No," Rufus said. "You'd have to die to find him. Let me go!"

"Shite," Connor muttered, as hands reached down and pulled the almost hysterical man into the boat. Connor rolled over the side himself, and then helped hang on to him while the boat returned to the anchored ship. Ru was then hauled on board, and a blanket wrapped around him and a mug of coffee heavily laced with whiskey pressed into his hand.

"Ok, man," Connor said sternly. "I want to hear your story. Now."

He shook his head. "He's dead. I need to be with him. That's all."

"Who knows," Connor said thoughtfully. "You may have already succeeded in your goal." He went on to explain about the new world they were on, and how some of the people, like himself, were actually dead in the old one. "For some reason," he said, his intense eyes boring into Ru's, "you have been given another chance at life, as have we all."

He walked up to the man, pulling the blanket off his shoulders. "If you don't want the second chance, feel free to jump. None of us will go after you this time."

Ru looked around. "I don't know if I can. I miss him so . . . but back in Wales, my mother wouldn't even look at me any more. I mean, I've screwed up before, but this . . . she couldn't forgive me."

"We all make mistakes. Sometimes others suffer because of them," Connor said with the voice of experience. "You have been given another chance, take it or leave it."

He then turned and walked away, suddenly feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. ~ Oh, Kat, are we going to have a chance in this world? Where are you? ~