Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the little plot bunny (kinder!)
A/N: Here we are again... new chapter... Hope you like what's ahead! Thanks for the review as always
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"I can't," Penelope said almost breathlessly, "I can't keep going." She stopped altogether then, her feet seemingly given up, her stomach wreaking havoc, her foot killing her. She might have got lucky back at the bank, but the injuries she did have were proving problematic as they rushed to their final destination.
"Baby," Derek said as he felt her legs weaken some beneath her. He looked at the others as they all halted, "Keep going, we'll catch up in a moment."
Hotch shook his head, "We don't split up. We go together." He had long ago taken Jack into his arms to carry him and quicken the pace.
"Derek," Penelope whispered, "What if this is the baby? I can't lose it." She began to sob, the pain she was in flowing out freely.
"Baby?" The pair of them heard most of them gasp.
"Pen found out she was pregnant this morning," Derek cleared up their confusion and turned his attention back to Penelope. "I'm going to carry you, Pen. I don't want any arguments; I just want you to let me do my bit here." He saw her nod and he scooped her up into his arms again, her head falling to his chest. "Right, let's go."
"Sure?" Rossi asked, worried about Penelope's new predicament.
"Positive. I've got Pen sorted and this way we should be quicker." Derek told them, "How long have we got?"
Hotch looked at his watch, "Just under twenty minutes."
"And we're how far?" Derek asked him.
"About ten, fifteen minutes, give or take." Hotch answered him back.
Dotting a kiss on Penelope's forehead, he put on a brave face, "We've got plenty of time then if we stop hanging around." He said and began to walk passed them all to get them going again. He had more of a yearn than ever to get to the pickup point than before.
"So how did you find out about the pickup point?" Reid asked a little while later. The silence among them was becoming uncomfortable and almost deafening.
"Radio's weren't out," Hotch replied as he pulled Jack onto his hip more, "They were doing a rundown of all the different pickup points left and with it how much destruction. I knew as soon as they read ours out that we had to find you lot and just as I was leaving, Emily was just running down my road. She had the same plan as me."
"Well it seems we all had the same game plan," Derek chucked in noticing they all seemed to use JJ's house as a middle point to get them all together again and it had worked. "My mom rang me as they were being evacuated, I don't know if she made it, and all she told me was that they were being taken south."
"It seems everything south of us hasn't been destroyed, it's just getting the after effects of the heat," Hotch continued. "It seems that there's random countries that seemed to have been affected, whereas others have been left unharmed."
"So what's to say that they're not next?" Reid asked casually, "I mean, if they haven't yet been hit they might well be."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, Reid," Rossi calmed him, hoping that they weren't going to be leaving one point of destruction to be hit with another. "Look at this as our second chance."
Again the silence settled among them. All lost in their own thoughts.
They all cast a look from one to another as they saw a line of helicopters and a group gathering, army bods running around everywhere.
"We'll get heading off soon." They heard as they made their way through the small crowd to get to the front. "We need all those that are injured to go to the left. Once they've left, then women and children will go after. Followed by men."
Soldiers swarmed them, gently helping those that were injured. One of the soldiers came towards Derek as he placed Penelope on the floor gently.
"Miss, I'll help you over there," A young man said to them putting his hand out for Penelope to take.
"No," Penelope whispered as Derek's grip around her tightened as they listened to the soldiers, "Please let him come with me."
"Sorry Ma'am, the wounded are our priority, as are women and children. You're seriously hurt so our main aim is to get you South and get you medical attention."
Penelope began to cry as Derek pulled her to his chest and hugged her tightly.
"Surely that means that she'll be with her friends," Derek tried to optimise, hoping that Penelope would at least have Emily and JJ with her.
"I'm sorry Sir, protocol means that injured are in one helicopter, women and children in another." The soldier apologised to them all, "We have seven helicopters here, it seems that Virginia and surrounding areas were hit the worse and we're not expecting many survivors. We'll get those who are wounded on their way and work on getting the next lot of citizen ready to leave."
He then walked off, advising the others in his troop the plan and slowly the injured were loaded onto the helicopters that lie in wait.
"This is it then," JJ said as she turned to Will knowing he was going to have to go, "Keep her safe and promise me you'll be okay."
"You know me, Darling," Will told her in his Southern accent, "Protect my favourite girls and be waiting in the wings for my golden girl and boy." He said as he kissed the top of Henry's head and took him as he put his hands out. "Keep your mommy safe until you get to me."
"Dadda," Henry cooed and just nuzzled into his dad's chest.
Will put around his other arm around JJ the best he could, careless of the pain from his shoulder, "I love you," He said as the pair were torn apart. Will had to walk away from JJ and Henry and leave his family behind him.
Derek refused to let any soldier help her, if she was going without him he wanted to be the last one to hold her, to help her. He waited until Will was helped in completely and his seatbelt fastened before he helped Penelope in.
"I love you, Baby Girl," He told her as she bent down and kissed him longingly. "I'll be with you before you know it, Princess."
Closing her eyes, Penelope bated the tears, "I don't wanna go," She breathed.
"I know you don't, but we need to get you seen to, and the baby," He whispered to her painfully, "I promise you it won't be long." He said and kissed her just as he was grabbed to be pulled away to allow the door to be closed.
Putting her hand to the window, Penelope watched Derek's broken expression as the helicopter lifted off of the floor. They'd found salvation yet the reality of the situation tore them apart.
Derek looked for as long as he could before he had to turn away and wipe his face. He had thought they'd make it to safety together, he had promised her that, but that was not meant to happen.
He just couldn't bear with the different fear that rose in him like icy water. He had to wait to get to Penelope now. He had to believe that they were going to be reunited imminently.
Penelope felt Will take her hand as they both left the people they loved the most.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- When The Sky Falls -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-