Hollywood Palm Hotel

The group of 4 made their way down via the fire exit Buck and Eddie came from. Eddie led them while Buck took the rear, taking extra precaution that Ali won't get injured as she lost her shoes during another aftershock. To relieve the tension and panic, the group started to get to know each other as they navigated down the stairwell, trying to be a little quick since they were trying to avoid being stuck there when another aftershock happens. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Buck hissed when they saw their exit being blocked by debris.

"The last aftershock might have done that." Alisa commented.

Eddie looked up, "We're going to have to go back up."

"Back up?" Ali whimpered.

"We're going to be okay, Ali." she reassured her friend.

Ladder 118, this is Capt. Nash. I need a headcount!

Eddie clicked his radio, "Ladder 118 responding. Diaz and Buckley. We're good cap!" their radios also echoed the other members of their station.

Chimney, responding!

Hen, do you copy?

The group looked worriedly at each other as they heard Bobby's voice over the radio.

This is Capt. Nash, calling for Henrietta Wilson. Hen, do you copy?

When no response came, they started moving again after sharing anxious looks. Silently praying that Hen was going to be alright.

Sometime later and judging from the exit window, the evening had arrived or possibly even later. They also counted 14 aftershocks, making their way up harder to do. Despite the building shifting too much, they found an opened door and went in. Eddie remembered the blueprints of the building and the floor had a possible exit for them as he and Buck removed the debris at the end of the hall. Ali and Alisa patiently waited by the housekeeping cart and made small talk. "Really, Ali?" Alisa raised an eyebrow as the blonde stole a small bottle of alcohol.

"What?" Ali sassed, "It's after 5." she downed it in one go, "It's not like it slowed u–"

"Shh!" Alisa's ears perked when she heard a faint moan and walked by the door, causing the group to stop what they were doing.

HELP! HELP! IS ANYONE THERE!?

"Do you guys hear that?" she asked, "It sounds like it's coming from in here."

"Stand aside, Alisa." Buck instructed as Eddie pried the door open with a halligan.

The door opened to another hotel room with the windows broken and all the furniture down by the window. The firefighters looked for the owner of the voice as the girls followed them but only until the bathroom where they watched. "Oh, I knew help would come…" an employee who was bleeding from the head cried in relief.

"Just relax." Buck kneeled by his head, "Please stay still. We gotta lean him over."

"Can you wiggle your toes?" Eddie asked as he removed the man's shoe and socks.

"No…" he moaned and Eddie shook his head.

"He might have a spinal injury since he lost the feeling in his legs and loss of bladder control." Alisa mentioned from her spot and Ali looked at her, "Grab me the ironing board."

"Okay!" Ali reached for it carefully.

"Eddie, Buck," she called for their attention before they were about to slide down, "we can use an ironing board to transport him in lieu of a backboard. It's stable enough for his spinal injury."

"You brilliant woman!" Eddie looked so proud of her, "Good work!"

"But how do we get him down the stairwell?" Buck asked as he got the ironing board from them.

"Not the stairwell, we're going to use the elevator shaft." Eddie replied as they secured the injured male on the ironing board.

Once finished, the group made their way towards the elevators. The firefighters set Batori down on the ground while the women kept him comfortable as the men pried the elevator door open. "Well, there's no debris…"

"Or elevator." Buck added before looking up, "Whelp spoke too soon."

"We just gotta move fast." the older male sassed.

"I like our chances." Buck said while the women raised their eyebrows in curiosity.

When they readied themselves for the self-rescue down the elevator shaft, Buck and Alisa, who now wore spare gloves Buck handed to her, helped belay Eddie and Batori down the lower floor. Ali was keeping an eye on them as Eddie rappeled down. "So, how are you feeling?" Buck asked Ali.

"Well, I'm not dead so that's a plus." Ali replied.

"I got the door open! Get down here!" Eddie instructed as he went through the door and into the hallway.

"Okay! We got this." Buck secured himself first as Ali clung to him, "Make sure you hold on tight. Eddie, keep the door open!"

CREAK!

"Is the building shaking?" Batori asked from his spot on the floor.

"Buck, Ali! Go! I'll follow!" Alisa yelled when she saw the elevator was about to fall due to the aftershock.

"What! No!" Both cried out.

"Do it! You're already out there!" She glared, "I'll follow, I promise!"

CREAK!

The blondes had no time to react as Buck pushed himself away from the door and rappelled quickly down the elevator shaft. Ali screamed when she saw the 2500-pound elevator going down fast and barely missed them as they went through the door and let go of the rope, landing on the floor. "See, told you I liked our chances!" Buck quipped as Ali gasped for breath.

"Wait, where's Alisa?" Eddie asked frantically before running towards the open door, "Alisa!"

"I'm okay!" She poked her head out from the floor they were previously on, "It wasn't safe for Buck to carry Ali and I both down."

"Hold on, I'm going to come back up there!" he yelled, looking up at her.

"It'll be fine." she positioned herself as they did earlier, "The rope's more than 50ft."

Before he could say anything, he watched in both awe and worry as she pushed herself down and rappelled towards him. When she was in front of him, rappelling down by using an emergency rappelling technique, he swiftly grabbed her in his arms and both of them could feel their rapid heartbeats. "Never do that again, please." He locked eyes with her.

"I'll try not to but if I have to, I will." she responded and kissed his cheek.

"That's all I ask." he nodded before letting her go and was surprised that Ali and Buck engulfed her in a hug, "Okay, let's get out of this building!"

Hollywood Palm Hotel Triage and Command Center

"Hey, are you feeling better now that you're on solid ground?" Alisa asked Ali, sitting beside each other on a cot in the triage area.

"I'm good, better." Ali sighed, pulling the blanket closer to her person, "You?"

"Same but you know, still synching in." she replied, "Worried though now that Eddie and Buck managed to convince the Incident Commander to join the 118 in the basement."

"You mean them and you, right?" Ali joked, laying her head on the shorter female's shoulder.

"They only listened cause I told them every possibility before another possible aftershock occurs." she giggled a little, "Nobody left behind, right?"

"Definitely." Ali agreed.

Before they could continue their conversation, the family a few cots from them got up and started sobbing as a little girl screamed for her mom and dad. They looked to find the 118 and the rest of the firefighters walking towards the base, along with Hen who was carrying a dog. Alisa knew she was going to make it, there's nothing more powerful than a mother who would do anything for their child. Chief Williams and Bobby shook hands at the command center while Chimney was giving Hen a quick exam to check on her. Ali nudged Alisa to go to her husband and she didn't need to be told twice as he swept her in a kiss while Buck took a seat next to the blonde. The firefighters and rescue workers lined up as another group carried a fallen firefighter from the 122 and saluted him for his bravery. The survivors of the earthquake also paid their respects.

When all was over, they were all packing up and getting ready to leave. Ali was escorted by a police car going home at the insistence of Alisa while Bobby insisted that Alisa could join the 118 back to the station with Eddie, the Diaz's looked very grateful to the man as they didn't want to be separated after today's events.

BZZT!

"Hey, there's service again!" Buck commented.

"Thanks, Buck!" Eddie nodded and took out his phone, "Do you still have your phone?"

Alisa nodded, "Got it right here." she reached in the buttoned back pocket of her pants.

"Christopher!" the boy's parents burst into the school where they found their son waiting with a teacher.

"Mommy! Daddy!" he smiled brightly.

The teacher patted their shoulders and gave them some privacy. Alisa couldn't thank him enough for keeping Christopher company and explained that she was stuck at the Hollywood Palm Hotel and Eddie was doing rescue efforts at the said establishment. "We're so glad you're safe, superman." Eddie hugged him tightly.

"I'm glad you guys are safe, too!" Christopher replied.

"I don't know about the both of you but I'm ready to go home and sleep with the both of you." Alisa smiled, wiping the tears that were pooling in her eyes, "I would like to have both of you in my arms tonight after such a terrible day."

"We'd like that too, mommy." the boy smiled, "Don't we, daddy?"

"We sure do." Eddie got up and pulled her into a kiss, "Let's go home."

The family of 3 exited the school and headed towards the truck where Buck sat in the back seat. The Diaz's invited him to stay the night since he shouldn't be alone tonight and they have a guestroom and his sister was going to sleep over at a friend's apartment. "Hi there!" Christopher greeted as he entered the back seat next to the blonde firefighter. "My name's Christopher. What's yours?"

"Hi, Christopher." Buck greeted, "My name's Evan Buckley but you can call me Buck."

"Hi, Buck!" his smile lit up the car, and Buck couldn't help but smile back, "We're going to be the best of friends!"

"I think we are going to be the best of friends, too!" the older male replied.

"O-oh." Eddie stage whispered, "We're going to be looking after 2 children tonight. I hope you're not so tired."

"Oh stop being silly." Alisa swatted his arm, "I'm already taking care of 2!" he balked at the implication, "You're a kid, too, mi amor."