Title: Poseidon, Chapter 11, Part 3 of 4

Author: Kendall

Website: www.geocities.com/kendallxf/index.html

Fandom: X-Files

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: S/M/K.

Archive: All requests are welcomed

Date: December 15, 2002

Category: AU

Spoilers: None specifically

Warnings: Contains mention of m/m sex, and discipline. If this offends you please *LEAVE NOW*

Disclaimer: Skinner, Mulder, Krycek, Scully, and Doggett and the X-File all belong to Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, and the Fox Network.

Series: Greek Gods

Summary: Walter's choice is making him feel guilty, and Gabriel gets mad, and in trouble.

NOTE: Thanks go to Ursula for her beta skills (and the unbeatable turnaround time)

Poseidon (God of Water)

"WALTER! FOX! ANYBODY!" Alex screamed as loud as he could as he ran down the stretch of beach he had woken up on a few minutes before. "Please, please, please let them be all right," he murmured to himself.

When he had come to, Alex had been so disoriented it had taken him a few minutes to even remember what had happened. The memories of the previous night's disaster had come rushing back, and he had almost lost consciousness again, but the thought of having to find his loved ones kept him from slipping into oblivion once again.

Alex had been walking on the beach for nearly thirty minutes before his prayers were answered.

"Alex!"

Alex spun around on his heel, and nearly fell over with relief as he saw Walter Skinner running towards him.

"Walter, oh Walter!" Alex cried, as he flung himself into the open arms of his lover. "Walter…I thought…I thought you…oh Gods Walter…what…what are we gonna do? Where is Fox? Have you seen anybody else? My bro…brothers?"

Hugging his lover as tightly as he dared, Walter didn't answer for a couple of minutes. His emotions were so rampart at the moment that he feared he would collapse under the strain. When he felt he could answer Alex's question, Walter said, "First thing we have to do is not panic. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just scrapes and bruises, and I seem to have lost my arm," Alex said, looking down at where his prosthetic should have been. "How about you?"

"I think I coughed up half the Pacific Ocean, but other than that just sore," Walter said, relived to have found at least one of his lovers in good shape. "I guess by your questions that you haven't seen any of the others?"

"Walter, what…what if Fox…" Alex said, his voice cracking.

Walter put his hands on Alex's biceps, and shook him gently, "Alex, Fox is a very strong swimmer. I'm sure he is all right."

"But…but what if he isn't?"

"We can't think about that right now. We have to concentrate on finding them. Okay?"

"Okay," Alex said dispiritedly.

"Let's get started searching," Walter suggested, "Then when we've found everyone we'll see about getting shelter and food."

"You think they'll find us soon?" Alex asked, shivering slightly. His clothes were still damp, but thankfully the day was warm. It was amazing how different the morning was compared to the previous night. The clouds were a fluffy marshmallow white, not a trace of rain in them.

"Ted sent the mayday signal, I'm sure they are already looking for us," Walter said, "Look!"

"What?" Alex said, looking towards where Walter pointed. "Footprints. Two sets of footprints, Walter."

Walter knew he was grinning like an idiot, but didn't care. Two sets of footprints meant that there was a chance that Fox was safe. "They are heading in that direction," he said, pointing in the opposite direction they had come from. "Let's go. You think you are up for a run?"

"Try and stop me," Alex said, and took off running.

"We've been looking for hours," Cooper Donovan said, as he sat on the sand looking up at his lover.

"It hasn't been that long, Spud," Chris said, as he continued to scan the horizon. "It's barely eight."

"Well it seems like hours," Cooper said. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," Chris said, "I think we need to keep looking though."

Sighing resignedly, Coop came to his feet, and dusted the sand off his clothes, "Chris, what if…"

"No what ifs right now, Coop," Chris said sternly, "We have to keep the faith."

"And speaking of keeping the faith," Cooper said, suddenly excited, "Look, it's Gabriel. GABRIEL!"

The former priest was coming around a bend on the beach when he heard his name. He had been looking out towards the water, and turned towards where the shout had come from. His face split with a wide grin and he ran to meet the other two men. The brothers embraced, and held unto each other for a long time, before breaking the hug.

"You okay?" Gabriel asked, looking into his twin's face for any sign of injury.

"Yeah. You?" Cooper replied, doing the same check.

"Fine. I'm so glad to see you both," Gabriel said, "Any sign of the others?"

"No, not yet. How about Fox? Wasn't he with you?" Chris asked.

Gabriel shook his head as he said, "All I remember is hitting my head when we were thrown overboard, and someone, I'm assuming it was Fox, keeping my head above water. I lost all track of time, I have no idea how long we were in the water."

"Well the boat capsized about eight," Chris said, "But I have no idea when we hit land."

"Why don’t we start looking again," Cooper suggested. "If the three of us made it, I'm sure Fox, Walter and Alex did as well."

"I didn't see any signs from where I came," Gabriel said, "How about you guys?"

"No, but we might as well go back the way we came. I don’t know how big this island is, but it can't take too long to explore along the shore," Chris said.

The trio began walking in the direction Chris and Coop had come from, the twins walking side by side, Chris following slightly behind. The older man was deep in thought, 'God please let us find them alive. I don’t think my boy can handle loosing Alex.'

One second Walter was jogging side by side with Alex and the next he was looking at thin air, when the younger man took off running at full speed. Walter almost sagged with relief at the sight of his lover being surrounded by his brothers.

"Walter, god I'm glad to see you," Chris said, pulling his friend into a hug.

"Me too, Chris, me too," Walter said, "You…you haven't…"

"No, sorry Walter, but we haven't seen him," Chris said, his voice filled with regret.

"Walter, good to see you," Gabriel said as he approached them. Noticing the fearful look in the older man's face, he quickly added, "I don’t know what happened, Walter. I know that Fox saved my life, kept me afloat, but we became separated, and then I just woke up on the beach."

"You didn't see any sign of him?" Alex asked.

"No, I'm sorry," Gabriel said, wishing he could give his brother better news.

"So what do we do?" Cooper asked, "Do we split up, or do we stay together to keep looking?"

"At some point we also need to think about shelter and food," Chris said, "We don’t how long it will take someone to find us."

"How about this then," Walter said. "We will walk the beach for an hour, at which point we will stop, and if we see the area as a good point to set up camp, three of us will stay behind, and the other two will continue the search for another hour."

Looking up at the sky, Chris said, "It might get to hot to search soon, so we better get going."

"I'm going, Walter, and you can't stop me," Alex said, angrily glaring at his lover.

"All am saying is that, it might not be a bad idea if you stayed and…"

"No! You can stay here, and rest all you want, but I am going," Alex said.

"That's enough," Gabriel said, startling both men. "We are all tired, and we have a lot to do, including finding Fox. Fighting with each other is not going to accomplish anything."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Walter said, "I just wanted to make sure you safe. I know you are worried about Fox."

"I'm sorry to Walter," Alex said, "How about you and I go looking for our missing Foxlet. Chris and Coop are nature boys anyway, they should be able to have a three bedroom hut, with indoor plumbing by the time we get back."

"Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?" Gabriel said, in mock anger. "I happen to have survived in the jungles of Mexico, by living off the land."

"Good then you can be in charge of the food," Chris said, grinning. "Spud and I will get started on building that three bedroom hut." Grabbing his lover by the scruff of his tee shirt, he added, "Come on McGyver Jr. Guys, we'll see you in an hour. If you are gone longer than that, we'll come searching."

"Okay," Walter agreed.

"Alex, I'm sure you'll find him," Cooper said, and gave his brother a reassuring smile.

"From your lips to God's ears," Gabriel said, patting Alex's arm in a show of support.

The two groups parted company, and the search for Mulder resumed.

"Come on Walter, it's been nearly an hour," Alex said, putting his hand on the older man's arm, "We are going to be late getting back as it is."

"You want to give up?" Walter asked in disbelief, "I…I can't believe you just want to give up."

"You…you think…how dare you think I want to give up," Walter said, angrily waving his arms, "It's because of me he is lost…"

Alex stared at him incredulously, "What do you mean your fault? How is it your fault?"

"I chose you and…" Walter began, and seeing the look of hurt on Krycek's face, stopped. "Alex, I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that we, the three of us should have stayed together."

"Gabriel would have died. He said he is sure Fox saved his life. He would have drowned otherwise."

"Don’t you think I know that," Walter said, running his hand through his scalp, in frustration. "I didn’t want to choose, Alex. I love you both more than life itself, and choosing between you is tearing me apart."

"Why Walter? You made the right choice. I couldn't have saved Gabriel if you had paired us off…"

"But I could have taken Gabriel, and Fox stayed with you," Walter argued. "Now because I chose wrong, Fox is probably dead."

By this time the argument had escalated into a shouting match. Both men faced each other, glaring angrily.

"Hey guys. What you arguing about?"

"Hey Fox," Alex said, glancing at the man that had just joined them, and then back at Walter. "Walter here is feeling guilty about… FOX!"

"FOX!" Walter exclaimed, just having realized that Mulder was actually standing next to them. He pulled the younger man into a bone-crushing hug, and held on to him without uttering another word.

Alex, also came to his senses, and wrapped his arm around both his lovers, his face pressed against Fox's back.

After a few moments, Fox managed to squeak out, "Fellas? Guys? Brea…breathing…would be…nice, just about now…Big Guy?"

Walter let him go, and with tears streaming down his face said, "Oh Fox…I…we…we thought…"

Giving them a small smile, Fox said, "Yeah…it looked that way for awhile. Got to tell you, I was scared."

"Us too," Alex said, now grinning widely. "The others are all right too."

"That's great," Fox said, "I thought Gabriel might not have made it. I lost my grip on him, and I don’t know how we made it to land."

"We better get back, or they'll get worried," Walter said, "Where are you going, Fox?" he added, as their lover ran towards the tree line.

"Be right back," Fox shouted over his shoulder. He was gone less than a minute then rejoined them.

"Found this near where I came to," Fox said, handing Alex his prosthesis. "Gave me hope that you'd made it."

"Thank Fox," Alex said, taking the arm. "Too bad you didn't have anything that could get lost, so we'd have an idea you were okay. We were so worried, Fox."

The three men began their journey back to where their friends waited. They walked side by side, their shoulders, and hands brushing against each other occasionally.

"Think of it as sushi," Gabriel said, laughing at the expression on Cooper's face.

"We got a fire started," the cowboy said, his nose crinkling in disgust. "Why can't you cook the damn fish?"

"You said you were hungry. You said you could eat a horse," Gabriel said, smiling, "So why not raw fish."

"He is just yanking your chain, Spud," Chris said, elbowing his lover on the side. "That's what big brothers do."

"Where is Walter?" Alex asked, as he and Fox joined the trio. The pair had been setting up a bonfire on the beach, that they were planning to light later in the evening, in hopes of attracting a ship.

"He went into the jungle," Cooper said, "Said he was going to find some fruit for dinner. Been gone awhile though."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about," Chris said quickly, noting the look of alarm on the face of the two younger men.

"Come on Alex," Fox said, taking Krycek's hand, "Let's go find our Big Guy."

The two men entered the dense vegetation, following what they hoped was Skinner's trail. Ten minutes later they stopped as they heard an unusual sound.

"What's that?" Alex asked, his voice low.

"Not sure," Fox replied, "Sounds…sounds like crying."

"You think Walter is hurt?" Alex asked in alarm, and made a move to get closer.

"Wait, Alex," Fox said, stopping him, "If it is Walter, he would be yelling for help, not crying. Let's take it easy."

They moved closer towards the sound, and stopped behind a big tree. To their immense surprise, they found the source of the tearful weeping to be indeed one Walter Skinner. Walter was sitting atop a fallen tree, his face buried in his hands, and his shoulders shaking with sobs.

Alex looked at Fox, who was looking right back at him. "Why is he crying?"

"I have an idea," Fox said, his voice filled with sadness, "Come on, let's go straighten him out."

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, confused.

"Just follow my lead, okay," Fox said. Smiling reassuringly, he said, "Trust me."

Alex gave him a curt nod, and followed him out of their hiding place.

"Walter?" Fox said quietly, not wanting to startle his lover. He did not succeed, as he saw Walter jump in surprise.

Not turning around to face them, Walter said, "Hey guys, what are you doing here." He quickly swept away the tears off his cheeks, and sniffled loudly to clear his nose. "Must be allergic to something here, I guess."

"Why were you crying, Walter," Alex asked, taking a seat next to the bigger man.

"Allergies, I told you that already," Walter said, a little gruffly.

"If you don't want to be crying over a red bottom, Walter, you better tell us the truth," Fox said, standing in front of his lovers.

Walter looked up at him through tear-laden lashes, and said, "Sorry. I…I…I guess all that has happened, just got to me. The near drowning last night, not knowing if you guys were alive…everything."

"Well, that story can save you from about half the punishment you deserve for lying," Fox said, his face stern.

"What do you mean," Walter said, taken totally by surprise by Fox's words.

"I mean, that what you just told us is only part of what really is bothering you. If you don't tell us what the other half of the story is, you are going to be having a hard time sitting."

Alex wanted to argue with Fox, but he had agreed to trust Mulder, and Mulder seemed to have an idea what was making Skinner cry like his heart was breaking.

"I told you, Fox," Walter said, his teeth clenching slightly, "It was just the pent up emotions of everything that's happened."

"Bullshit," Fox said plainly.

Both Alex and Walter looked at him incredulously. Of the three of them, Fox swore the least.

"Fox, I don’t like your tone," Walter said, trying to regain some control of the situation. He knew, Fox would probably spank him for lying, but he saw it as a way of easing his guilt.

"I don’t really care at this point," Fox said. He knew exactly what Walter was trying to accomplish with his surliness and lying. If it made it easier for his beloved to release his shame through a spanking, then he would accommodate him.

Walter came to his feet, and stood inches from Fox, glaring at him, "Look Fox, I just don’t want to talk about it. Okay?"

"No. Not okay," Fox said, shaking his head, "I know what is bothering you, and it's time you face it. So if it takes me spanking it out of you, so be it."

Before Walter could refute, Fox took him by the wrist, and in one fluid motion propped his foot against the tree trunk, and pulled Walter over his upraised knee. He delivered three quick spanks to the shorts- covered behind, and said, "This is just a preview. We can skip the main feature, if you tell me what's bothering you. The truth this time."

"Fox?" Alex said, uncomfortable with what was taking place.

"Alex," Fox said, understanding, "If you are not comfortable with this, you can go back to the others. Let them know Walter and I will be joining them in a awhile."

"No. I'm part of this. I'll stay," Alex said.

"Let me up, Fox," Walter said, struggling to come to his feet.

"I'll let you up," Fox said, sweetly, "Just so I can sit on the log, and put you over my knee. This is a very uncomfortable position."

"No shit, Sherlock," Walter growled, as he straightened.

Fox smiled at him as he said, "Now is really not the time to be throwing insults around, my love. You are in enough trouble as it is."

"I don’t want you to spank me," Walter said, crossing his arms over his chest, "I don’t consent to it."

Fox arched his eyebrow, and shrugged, "Very well, it's your choice. Come Alex, the others should have lunch ready by now." With that, Fox turned away from Walter and started to make his way back to the beach. He didn't get far, when Walter's voice stopped him.

"You are leaving? Just like that?" Walter asked incredulously, "I'm right. You hate me." He said this, so forlornly, that Fox's resolve to make him sweat it out flew away in an instant.

"What do you mean I hate you? Why would I hate you?" Fox asked, his brow furrowed with confusion.

Looking down at the ground, Walter shook his head, "Never mind."

"Okay, I have enough of this," Fox said, taking a seat on the log. "I'm starving, I'm so tired I don’t know how the hell I'm still functioning, and this whole conversation is about to push me over the edge. So before that happens, I'm going to get to the bottom of this…through your bottom. Come here."

"No, Fox…please…" Walter said, suddenly afraid. Not of the spanking, but of having to reveal is true feelings.

"Now, Walter," Fox said, extending his hand.

"Come on Walter," Alex said, giving him a gentle push, "It'll be all right, you'll see. Fox will take care of you."

Walter, nodded once and swallowed hard. He felt, Fox's hand on his wrist, and after a little struggling, settled over Mulder's lap. He was determined not to reveal his true feelings, especially not in front of Alex. He knew that if Krycek knew of his guilt over having chosen him over Mulder, Alex would be deeply hurt.

"Brace yourself, Walter," Fox warned, after just having lowered Walter's shorts and the swimming trunks he had been wearing under them.

Walter gasped as the first blow landed, and then struggled to maintain his composure as the barrage of spanks continued. He almost missed the question when it finally came.

"Why are you being punished, Walter?" Fox asked again.

"You…you think…I…I lied to you," Walter managed to say, between clamped teeth.

"I don’t think, I know you are lying," Fox said, matter-of-factly. "Now please tell me the truth."

"Can't," Walter whispered, between broken sobs.

"Okay, how about this," Fox said, desperate to bring this to an end, for all three of their sakes. He could tell by Alex's expression, how much the younger man, hated this. "Let me tell you what I think is really bothering you." When Walter did not say anything, Fox continued, "You think, that I am angry, or hurt, or somehow otherwise upset with you. You think, I feel this way because you chose to stay with Alex, instead of with me. Am I right so far?"

"Ye…yes," Walter, wailed, his heart breaking.

Fox, immediately stopped the spanking, and with Alex's help, assisted Walter to his feet. Grabbing the still sobbing man by the shoulders, Fox said, "Walter, Walter listen to me. Honey, I love you more than life itself. Nothing, and I mean nothing, you do will ever changed that. As a matter of fact, I love you even more for the decision you made."

"You…you do?" Walter asked, taken aback by the revelation.

"Yes. All three of us, we each bring something different to this relationship. We've talked about this before. You can't help be decisive; you are just a take-charge kind of guy and that is one of the things I love about you. You did what had to be done. If you hadn't made that decision, we would have been separated, and may not have survived. Do you get what I'm saying babe? I love you, and I never felt that you chose Alex over me. I saw the man I love, make a decision that I know must have broken your heart, but you made it because you loved us, not because you were choosing one of us above the other. You would have felt the same way, if you had chosen me over Alex, or if you had chosen Gabriel, and had me and Alex stay together. Any of those choices, would have been impossible for me to make…"

"Or for me," Alex said, interrupting, to let Walter know, that he shared Fox's feelings.

Fox, smiled at him and then turned back to Walter, who was trying hard not to sniffle, "Walter, am we clear now? Do you believe me?"

Taking a long, shuddering breath, Walter nodded, "I believe you Fox. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I know you are, sweetheart," Fox said, and finally did what he had been dying to do, he kissed his lover. The kiss was deep, and passionate, and Fox tried to convey every ounce of his love for Walter, through that single action.

Walter's hand stretched out as he searched blindly for Alex. When he felt the younger man's hand in his own, he pulled him into an embrace.

Alex began to kiss any part of Fox and Walter's face he could reach from his position next to them.

After a few minutes, Fox broke the kiss, and said, "I think we better get back and let the other know we are okay."

"Give me a minute," Walter said, wiping at his face. He turned to follow Alex, who had already started down the path, when the shorts around his ankles, made him stumble and fall flat on his face, red butt up.

"If either of you, so much as chuckles…" he warned, as he heard the barely suppressed giggles above him.

"Wouldn't dream of it Big Guy," Fox said, with a wide grin, as he helped Walter up. After helping him readjust his clothing, he was surprised to be pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you Fox," Walter said sincerely. "I also, love you more than life itself."

Fox's blinding grin was his only response.

"Hey you guys, you have to come see what Chris and I found," Cooper said, excitedly as he returned to camp. The group had split into teams, and took turns exploring the island. Alex had suggested that he pair up with Gabriel, knowing that Fox and Walter needed some alone time.

"What?" Alex asked.

"We found the neatest waterfall," the cowboy said, "It's not far, and it's fresh water, and we can go swimming in the pond."

"Great!" Walter said, with relief. The couple water bottles they had in their packs would not have lasted much longer.

"Come on let's take a look," Alex said, helping Fox to his feet.

"Someone should stay here, and watch the bonfire," Fox said. They had lit the fire the previous night, and took turns watching it to make sure it didn't go out.

Noting the look of disappointment in Alex's face at the thought of not going with his lovers, Gabriel said, "Alex, you go with them, I'll stay."

"No. We are a team," Alex said, shaking his head.

"It'll only be for an hour or so," Gabriel said, "I'm a big boy Alex, I can handle being on my own."

"But not when you don’t have to be," Alex said, insistently.

"I don’t want to pull big brother rank on you, Alex," Gabriel said, with a wicked grin, "But I will if I have to."

"Oh, all right," Alex said, "We'll be back soon."

"Enjoy yourselves," Gabriel said to the departing group. When he found himself alone, he sighed deeply. He was used to being alone. Even when he had been fighting along side the guerillas in the mountains of Mexico, he had often been alone. He had given up on finding a relationship a long time ago. First, as a young boy he had traveled with his parents, never spending too much time in one place. Later, as a young man, he had chosen a path for his life that left only one choice as far as relationship went. He had chosen God, and had believed himself fulfilled. As he matured, however, he began to feel as if something was missing. Finding out he had brothers, had filled some of that void, but not completely. Watching the loving relationships his brothers enjoyed had re-ignited the feelings of loneliness, he thought he had put behind.

Gabriel shook his head, to clear the gloomy mood, and took a seat next to a tall palm tree. He always carried his Bible with him, this trip being no exception, and now began to read. It was for only an hour anyway, he told himself, and he could entertain himself for an hour.

"This is nice," Alex said, stretching languidly.

"All that salt water was making my skin so dry," Fox said, lying next to him, "I'm glad they found this place."

"It was nice being able to swim in fresh water," Walter agreed.

The trio was sunning themselves in a small clearing next to the waterfall. Cooper had been right, and the place was incredibly beautiful. They swam, jumped into the water from a rock ledge, and had essentially behaved like children. After awhile, Chris and Cooper had drifted off to the other side of the small pond. Walter, Fox and Alex decided it was not a bad idea, and exited the pond on the other side. They pretty much knew what Chris and Cooper had in mind, and wanted to give them their privacy.

"We should really get back," Walter said, "Gabriel will be worried."

"Just a couple of more minutes," Alex begged. He was feeling better than he had in a couple of days, and didn't want to loose the feeling.

"Okay," Walter agreed. He also was reeling from everything that had transpired in the last day and a half, and figured a little rest would not be bad. He glanced to his side, and smiled when he saw that Mulder was already dozing off. "We'll just relax for a few minutes…"

"Shit, shit, shit, where is he?" Alex said, as he rushed back into their camp, Fox, Walter, Chris and Cooper following him.

"I'm sure he is fine, Alex," Walter said, trying to reassure his lover.

"Why would he leave the camp," Alex said, his eyes darting around the empty campsite.

"We were gone a long time," Fox said, "He probably got worried, and went to look for us."

"So why didn’t we run into him on our way back from the waterfall?" Cooper asked.

"He is lost," Alex said, angry with himself. They had all fallen asleep, and their hour trip had turned into four hours. When they had woken up and realized how late they were, they had rushed back to the camp. Now Gabriel was out there in the jungle, all alone, and it was their fault.

"We don’t know that, Alex," Walter said, putting his hand on Krycek's arm.

"I was supposed to stay with him, I'm his teammate and I left him alone," Alex said.

"We dealt with one guilt trip yesterday," Fox said, "We don’t need to deal with another one today, all right Alex?"

"Wait, what's this," Chris said, interrupting anything Alex was going to say. "It's a note…from Gabriel."

"What does it say?" Alex asked anxiously.

"Waited for three hours. Worried about you. We'll take a quick look, and be back soon. G," Chris read out loud.

"That was an hour ago," Alex said looking at his watch. "Where could he be?"

"I'm sure he is fine, Alex," Walter said again. The look the green eyes were giving him let Walter know without a shadow of a doubt, that Alex highly doubted him.

Gabriel looked around the empty clearing. He cursed himself silently; he had taken a wrong turn at some point along the path, and what should have been a ten-minute hike, turned into a forty-five minute trek through the jungle. He hoped he was at least at the right waterfall. He had no idea, whether he was or not until he saw the indentations three bodies had made in the nearby foliage.

"Damn it," he cursed, this time out loud. "They were having sex. That's why there were late. Here I was all worried that something had happened to them. Damn, damn, damn. They can't keep their hands off each other. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind when I get back."

He looked at the pond one more time, and turned to head back towards the camp. He stopped, and turned back towards the water. "Well, if they could have fun, so can I, and if they get a little worried it serves them right."

Taking off his shorts and tee shirt he dove into the pond. He swam for a few minutes, trying to get the kinks out of his body. As he got closer to the waterfall, he noticed an opening into the rock wall. His curiosity raised, he swam closer, until he found himself actually behind the cascading water.

"Cool a cave," he said out loud, "I bet those guys were too busy having sex to find this. I think I might just take a little nap in here, and see how they like it."

He pulled himself up onto the rocky ledge, and walked through the narrow opening. He had to duck to avoid hitting his forehead, but once he had entered all the way, he found that he could stand easily. There was just a sliver of sunlight streaming from the cave's opening, but it was enough to show Gabriel, that the cave extended further than he had expected. He took a few tentative steps forward and felt loose rock under his feet. One moment he was standing, and the next he felt himself lurch forward and then down.

"Owww," Gabriel yelped as he landed on his butt, his ankle having gotten caught in the loosen rocks. "Just great. I survive drowning just to break my ankle." He tried to pull his foot out, but it was wedge tightly between two rocks. "Ooooh, that hurts," he grimaced, as the rocks scrapped the sides of his quickly swelling ankle. "Great. What the heck do I do now."

Taking a look around, he was glad he could still see the opening to the entrance. If he was lucky, and the guys came looking for him he could yell for help. 'Only if I can be heard above the waterfall,' he thought after a moment of listening to the thundering water just a few feet away.

'Don't panic. The most important thing to do is not to panic,' he thought to himself, and then added out loud, "Okay, I think now is a good time to panic." He swallowed hard, as his eyes came to rest on a line on the cave's wall. "I hope to God I'm wrong, but that's a high tide water mark, and if it is then I am in a hell lot of trouble if the guys don't find me soon."

His mind swirled with possible scenarios. If he indeed was looking at a high tide watermark, it meant that at some point in the afternoon, as the tide came in the cave would fill, and he could very well drown. Even if the guys came looking for him at the waterfall, they would have no way of knowing he had gone behind the curtain of water, and had foolishly entered the cave.

"I guess this would be a good time to start praying," he said, then added, "After I call myself an idiot. What was I thinking?"