Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the little plot bunny (kinder!)
A/N: Another day, another chapter... hope you enjoy! =)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Streets are clearer towards my house and Hotch's," Rossi commented as they all tried to suss out a plausible plan. "If we could find a car that works, then we could get there in no time."
"That way Pen and Will won't be trying to keep up," JJ commented as she tried to keep Henry calm in her lap. "We can't find the pickup point without getting Hotch and Emily. We need to find them too."
"Well then we need to get going," Penelope said and ready to head off.
Derek stopped her, taking her to the porch, "First you're going to sit and rest for a moment before we head off anywhere. You can't keep going forever. Plus we need fix your ankle up a bit better." Derek told her, he saw her face wash with pain, and still he refused to believe anything was wrong with the baby. To him, it was all bruising and a whole lot of nothing else.
"It's basically only the stairs that are gone in the house," JJ told them all. "Rossi go find the first aid kit. We'll get Will sorted and Pen and then we need to get going."
Rossi disappeared into the house as JJ handed Henry to Reid and then sat next to Will, deciding on the best plan to sort her husband out.
Penelope put her head down on Derek's shoulder, "I'm so tired," she admitted to him. She just wanted to sit there and fall asleep, but she knew she was no help if she was doing that right at that moment.
"I know you are, Baby Girl, but we need you to last just a little bit longer for us." He kissed the side of her head, "Think you can do that for me?" He felt her nod but he knew she needed to rest up more than anyone. It wasn't even more than a few hours ago that he had saved her from being crushed to death before his eyes. "We'll get your foot sorted again, clean it up a little bit then we'll make a move."
"I just want to be safe," Penelope said lowly to him. "I want to know we're all going to be safe, Handsome."
Rossi stepped in front of Derek and Penelope then, "Gonna let me look at that and fix a better bandage to your foot?" He watched her nod and sit up a little as she stretched her foot out gingerly. "Ready?" He asked as he took the tape off.
"Do it now, my Italian Stallion or leave it the hell alone," Penelope joked nervously, not sure she wanted to know what the walk to JJ and Will's house had done to her ankle and foot.
Derek kept his arm around Penelope's shoulder, all the while watching the bandage getting nearer and nearer to the flesh on Penelope's leg and soon he saw it soiled with blood and dirt. He felt Penelope grip his hand as the support weakened and her ankle became more vulnerable.
"One more bit," Rossi said as he began to remove the last layer.
Penelope looked away from her foot. The moment she saw the colour change and the blood she looked up at the sky. "Have you noticed it seems to be calming a little," She commented in an attempt to distract herself, "Touch wood it stays like this."
Just then a meteor stuck a building in the distance.
"Spoke too soon there, PG," JJ teased, but even she had noticed the considerable silence and calm that had now settled in over the town. She couldn't even mistake the heat that had seemingly broken a little.
"Okay so not stopped, but it's slowing. Like the skies given up."
Rossi laughed, "Someone either took mercy on us, or decided we weren't worth being obliterated," He joked with them as he inspected Penelope's ankle furthermore before deciding that they needed medical help to really know the true extent of damage. "How's Will looking?" He asked as he began to clean Penelope's ankle before he even began to wrap it back up.
"My shoulder's definitely not going to go back in on its own," Will shouted out as JJ helped him put his shirt back on properly. Will looked up at Reid as he held Henry and watched on, he didn't care how hurt he was just seeing his son unscathed made it all worthwhile.
"And he's got bruising coming out on his ribs," JJ added on concerned, "Think he might have a couple of broken ones, but we're not going to know until we get some proper help." She finished telling them. Her whole attention on Will, "You are okay right?" She fretted.
"You know I am, Jayje. I'm made of stronger stuff than you ever give me credit for." "He teased her and pulled her close, "I'll be as good as new before we all know it."
She smiled lightly then, "That's what I like to hear," She told him and put her head on his shoulder and looked over Reid's dirtied attire. "So what's got you wearing ripped clothing, Spence?" She asked cautiously, not entire sure she wanted to hear some near death experience.
"He fell down a hole," Penelope shouted out, "A massive, hell wants earth type of hole."
"You are kidding?" Rossi asked and looked over at Reid, "And you survived?"
"It wasn't my time," He shrugged off their attention, "Plus, if Derek and Pen hadn't been there. I wouldn't exist anymore."
"Well then it seems they were definitely in the right place at the right time," Rossi commented, "Or well, wrong time for you," He joked lightly, the tension lightening some between them all. "Right, I say we move now." He changed the subject as he stuck the bandage down and secured it around Penelope's foot, "Think you'll be able to walk, Bella?"
"Probably not, but I'll make it so I can," Penelope told him in a response.
"Or I'll carry her," Derek said as he stood and scooped her up in his arms, "Like this."
Penelope giggled, which Derek stopped with a kiss, "I think I can walk for a bit, Hot Stuff." She said and Derek gently placed her down and allowed her to distribute her weight accordingly against his body.
"Ready?" Reid asked and got an affirmative from everyone.
They all walked together, slowly and carefully. Looking out for any potential dangers that might befall them.
"If there's a safe ground surely that means that not everywhere is affected?" Penelope asked as she put most of her support onto Derek as they readied to head off again, "Surely that's hope?"
"There's always hope," JJ agreed with her friend, "We just need to believe in it."
"See, Baby Girl," Derek started, "You gotta show the optimism now because, at the end of the day, pessimism really isn't your thing."
"I think it's just gotten better as well," Rossi joined in as he stopped walking. "I think we found the last members of our party."
Everyone looked ahead as they saw three figures coming towards them. As they started up again and got closer they saw the cuts and bruises like they all wore and they felt the relief wash in and they couldn't deny that their lives had gotten better at just knowing that some of the most important people to them
There was no reunion when the two groups met, just urgency. They all guessed there was only time for that later.
"We're about a twenty minute walk from the pickup point," Hotch pointed out, "But that's if we were all uninjured." He added on as he surveyed the damage to his team.
"So we're looking at double that time," Rossi commented, "We can do this though."
"We got to be quick though," Emily added on, she couldn't hide her smile to see them all alive. "The last of the helicopters leave before three, and it's just gone ten past two."
Everyone looked from one to the other; they were on time limit for sure if they wanted to find any form of salvation.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-