Authors Note: Anything in italics is not mine, their lines from the show.
Disclaimer: Not mine if it was I'd be rich and have many happy fans. I also don't own Alice in Wonderland.
Time Frame: During the episode with the fires.
Heather's Thoughts Part 2
"I need to get the rest of the Halloween decorations out of my car now.' Heather thought as she hanged the last banner she had with her up, it read Trick-or-Treat. She stepped off the footstool and headed out of the room and was in the hall when she stopped at the sound of a phone ringing. 'That can't be what I think it is, the phones don't work anymore, they haven't worked since the blast.' She thought as she quickly walked into the office where she found her fellow teacher Jenna looking at the phone in disbelief.
Heather hit speakerphone so both she and Jenna could listen to who was calling. "Hello, this is Assistanent Secretary Walsh from the Department of Homeland Security. Do not be alarmed. If you are safe stay where you are. Do not attempt to leave. We will be in contact again shortly, until then know that help is on the way." The voice on the line said then repeated the message.
"I'm going to try calling my cousin in Arkansas. I want to see if she's okay and if she has any information." Jenna said and dialed her cousin's number. "All I'm getting is a busy signal." Jenna muttered in frustration seconds later. "Everyone's probably trying to call their family and friends too." Heather gently reassured.
"Ms Lisinski." Julie's voice startled both Heather and Jenna. "Hey honey, what's up?" Heather asked. "We wanted to know if you wanna play at the library with us." Julie offered.
"Okay. Jenna let me know if you hear anymore." She told her friend. "I will." Jenna answered and Heather followed Julie out to the parking lot where the rest of her students were waiting. "Let's go guys." Heather said and led her students to the library.
Ten minutes later Heather was watching her students play happily. "Boys." She warned gently when Lucas and Tony splashed her as they played in the fountain.
"Wow, looks like business as usual." The sound of Emily's voice alerted Heather to her presence. "How'd you get your kids back so quick?" Emily asked.
"Always leave with recess." Heather answered with a smile. "Trying to get things back to normal?" Emily asked.
"Whatever that is." Heather answered right before they heard a crackling. popping sound. Heather and Emily looked up to see sparks coming from the transformer on the building right before a live line fell and hit the ground. The kids started screaming and the two teachers started yelling "Go! Go! Go!" as they pushed the kids away from the line.
Another live line fell caused Emily to pass out and Heather ran to her side. "Emily, Emily, Emily." She said urgently then looked over to where most of her students were standing.
Another crackling noise had her looking up at the building again. "Oh my God." She said. 'It's going to fall. I have to get Emily up and moved to safety.' She thought as she looked up at the last live line.
"Emily, wake up." Her voice was urgent as she tried desperately to wake her friend. A shower of sparks caused Heather to transfer her attention to her students. 'I need to get them moved somewhere safer too.' She thought.
"Um, everybody do you remember the emergency drills we did at school?" She asked her students. The children all answered with "Yes." "Okay go find your buddy and go sit behind the fence. One. Two. Three go!" She said looking up at Tony and Lucas causing Tony to run toward the other students. "Go!" She added to get the students to go faster.
"Is she going to wake up?" Lucas asked still looking down at Emily. "Yes." Heather responded. "With super powers?" Lucas asked. "Probably not. Now go. Go Lucas go." She added as another shower of sparks fell
"Come on Emily. Come on." She urged her friend to wake up as she checked on her students with a quick look.
'Where are the firefighters?' She wondered. 'I hope they hurry up.' She thought.
Heather was grateful when the firefighters and April showed up and took over. She quickly counted her students, then recounted when she didn't get the right amount the first time. 'Wait one of them is missing. It's Ashlee, where is she?" Heather thought frantically.
"Where's Ashlee?" she asked silently hoping that one of her other student's would know where the girl was. "She went to get Alice." Lucas answered.
"Alice?" Heather asked in confusion then it dawned on her that he was talking about a book. "'Alice in Wonderland' you mean inside?" She shouted urgently hoping she was wrong. "Ah ah." Lucas answered yes causing Heather to run into the burning building in search of the little girl.
Ashlee, Ashlee!" Heather's voice was urgent as she called to the little girl running through the smoke filled building. Not getting an answer Heather turned and ran back to the end of the aisle
Ashlee! Ashlee! Honey, its Ms. Lisinski." Heather called searching frantically for the lost student as burning boards fell around her.
'She has to be terrified, I know I am." Heather thought as she rounded an aisle and found only fire. "Ashlee! Ashlee!" She called opening a door as she heard more sirens arrive.
"Ashlee." Heather called after opening the door then she coughed as she stepped into the smoke filled children's room. 'There's 'Alice in Wonderland'. She's got to be nearby.' Heather thought seeing the book on a chair.
Then she saw the terrified little girl hiding beneath a table. "Hi Ashlee." She said almost crying in relief at find the girl safe. "Let's get out of here." She added holding out a hand for the child. "Let's go, come on." She urged.
"Is anyone here? Heather?" She heard someone call. 'Well at least they know I'm in here.' She half thought with most of her attention still focused on coaxing Ashlee out from under the table.
"Come on." She said to Ashlee as Eric Green entered the room. 'Figures it's a Green coming to save the day." She thought as he ordered "Hey, come on, let's go." The he stepped out of the room again.
"Better do what the angry firefighter says. Let's go." She said finally convincing Ashlee out from under the table. "Go this way. Let's go." Eric yelled.
'Oh my God, what happened?' Heather thought clutching the book to her in alarm as Eric fell back into the room shutting the door quickly with his foot. She didn't feel any calmer when Eric quickly jumped up and looked around the room.
"Um, Ashlee, were going to go out a different way." Heather said seeing flames at the window above the door and knowing now why Eric was back in the room. "Yahow! Ow!" Heather yelped in pain after she attempted to open the other door and succeeded only in burning her hand.
"Are you okay?" Eric asked in concern. "What wrong?" Ashlee's question came quickly on the heels of Eric's. "Um, nothing honey, we just need to use the other door." Heather answered not wanting Ashlee anymore scared than she already was.
"No, no this one's blocked." Eric said as he pointed to the door. 'Why is it when me and my kids, or kid in this case, are in danger a Green shows up to help? What do I have a beacon on me that says Help, Danger, Green Come Help?' Heather wondered in an attempt to block the pain in her hand.
"Smoke!" Ashlee cried. "We gotta stop it." Eric said stating the obvious. "Okay, okay can we use this?" Heather asked after spotting a long stuffed snake and tossing it to Eric.
"Yeah." He answered catching it as Ashlee started coughing. "Okay honey, I need you to get down and try not to breath the smoke okay? Heather said gently moving the little girl back beneath the table.
"It's all going to be okay Ashlee! It's going to be okay." Heather added trying to convince both her student and herself. As Ashlee continued to cough Heather looked toward the door that she'd burned herself on and saw smoke coming inform beneath it.
"Eric." She said alerting him to the new problem. "We need another snake." She added.
'Why haven't they got us out yet?' She couldn't help but wonder as Eric headed for the door with a snake. Seconds later Eric moved Ashlee to the center of the room. "I need you to crouch down here like a game of leap frog okay." Eric told Ashlee. 'I can rip this apart and me and Eric can tie it around our mouths to block the smoke.' Heather thought as she pulled a tapestry off the wall.
Heather busied herself with ripping it apart as Eric poured water over a blanket that he'd put over Ashlee. She held out the two ripped pieces of tapestry which Eric quickly poured water on then he poured the rest of the water on the blanket. This will protect and help you breath." Eric told the little girl.
"Here breathe into this." Heather said as she handed Eric a piece of tapestry. "Were going to be okay." Eric tried to reassure Ashlee and Heather just as the sprinklers started to work. 'I don't know who got those on but I could kiss them.' Heather thought.
"Hey, hey the pumps will do what they can. Let's get the hell out of here." He added and picked up Ashlee. "Come on, let's go." Eric said as Heather made sure that Ashlee's head was covered before she hooking a finger through Eric's belt loop and following him out of the building.
'Were going to make it.' Heather thought. 'Were safe. I've never been so happy to be out of a building in my life.' Heather thought as she released Eric's belt loop and was lead away from the building by a paramedic. As the paramedic lead her to a truck she quickly checked to see who had Ashlee and was relived to see that it was April.
'Was that Stanley?' She wondered as a man ran by in a black shirt about ten minutes later calling "April." "Now what's wrong?" April asked voicing Heather's thoughts before leaving her sitting on the back of the truck alone feeling incredibly tired with a new aching hand to go along with her throbbing leg.
"You're going to be okay miss." A paramedic said as he walked up and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. "At least the waters working now so the firefighters can put out the other two fires. Sure hope that April and Eric don't lose their house." He added. "Me too." Heather said sincerely hoping that after what Eric and April had done for the town that they weren't reward with all that by losing their home.
'I think that was Jake.' She thought as a good looking' guy in a red tee-shirt ran by right after the paramedic had walked away. 'Yeah it was Jake; well he doesn't look any worse for the wear. That's good; I wonder where he's been and what he's been doing.'
'They've saved some of the books, that's great.' Heather thought happily once the fire was out and some firefighters came out carrying the books that weren't damaged. 'I need to check on Ashlee.' She stood up and walked over to where Ashlee was sitting on a stretcher.
The short walk seemed incredibly long and Heather was coughing by the time she reached Ashlee's side. "Hey, how are you doing?" She asked when she could speak again stoking the girl's hair.
"I'm okay." Ashlee answered. "Minor smoke inhalation, but she's going to be okay." Eric said causing Heather to raise her green eyes to him. "You saved her life." He added. 'That was sweet of him, but I didn't do it alone he helped. Better not say that he'd probably give me Jake's I'm no hero speech.' She thought.
"Are the other fires still going?" She asked as she stroked Ashlee's hair. "The south sides under control." Eric answered.
"The one near your house?" She asked. "I haven't heard. My wife..." Eric stopped speaking and looked around for April.
"Hey where's April?" He asked. Heather shook her head at him thinking 'I haven't seen her in a while' and causing Eric to take off. Heather smiled down at Ashlee. 'Boy am I glad to have those Green boys around. This town should be too.' She thought.
Five hours later Heather was home from the hospital and in her bedroom. 'I'm glad Ashlee's mom finally quit hugging me for saving Ashlee's life. I don't think I could have survived one more hug.' She thought as she gathered clothes to sleep in.
"What the? Was that an earth quake in Kansas?" Heather asked herself as her belongings shook and she made her way out of her home.
"If you're ours go and kick some ass. If you're not go back to wherever you came from." Heather said quietly as she watched two jets flying in the night sky.