...and now for Something Completely Different...
Blue Forest Banshee Part 72
Heero snorted to himself, and wiped his hand over the steamed-up windshield. Terrific. The defroster didn't work. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Damn piece of crap car.
Fingertips brushed his hand and he glanced over. Duo smiled at him and batted his long lashes. Heero sighed and returned the smile. His fingers loosened slightly on the wheel. A moment later, a stretch of long auburn braid plopped into his lap. His smile broadened. Yeah, that felt good.
Now, if this bloody rain would just stop. Or even ease up a bit. Heero didn't like driving in the rain, but neither of the Weres could drive right now, and he wasn't about to put Duo behind the wheel in these conditions.
He wiped the steam off the windshield again.
~*~
Duo kept his eyes down and his concentration on the beading in his lap. He didn't like this weather, he didn't like this stupid rental car and he didn't like the twisting two-lane road they were on. He could hear the river off to their left; it sounded angry and vengeful.
::Bloody damn rain!::
He brushed his fingers over Heero's hand, and got a smile back. Not a terribly pleasant smile, but a smile nonetheless. He didn't need to be a mindreader to know that Heero would rather be home in bed than here.
Wufei kept muttering and grumbling from the back seat. He hadn't gone a full minute over the last two hours without some sound or comment. Trowa had swatted him a couple of times with those dinner-plate-sized paws, but he was quiet now, probably asleep. The Puma could sleep anywhere.
~*~
Wufei flicked his Dragon-tongue at Duo's ear, startling him into a squawk.
"Wufei! Blast it!"
"Heh heh heh..." snickered the Were-Dragon. "Just checking to see if you're awake."
From the driver's seat, Heero rumbled warningly. He cast a baleful glance at the rearview mirror.
"Well, he could have been asleep; he's so quiet!" Wufei explained hurriedly. He had draped himself over the front seats, since Trowa was sprawled out across the back seat.
"I'm working," replied Duo. He held up the small board to show the piece he was working on.
"Oh. That's very... beautiful, Duo," Wufei said slowly, carefully. "Um... What is it?"
Duo rolled his eyes. "Duh! It's a necklace made of beaded beads!"
"Oh. Well, it is beautiful. The colors are pretty." It looked awfully chunky to him. Who would wear something like that? But he wasn't going to say that to Duo. He shifted his hind feet and wrapped his long tail clockwise.
"Erph! Fei, get off me!" growled Trowa. Wufei had stepped on him.
"Sorry, puss." He squeezed into the corner while Trowa hitched himself around so that he was lying on his back with his enormous paws in the air. "It's just hard to get comfortable."
Trowa's eyes were closed again. "Next time, you ride in the front. Or else trim those claws."
"We'll stop at the next town," said Heero, using the term loosely. "We all need to stretch our legs." And get out of each other's space for a while, he thought but didn't say.
Heero wasn't any happier than the Weres at being crammed into this microscopic vehicle. Even his two-seater had more space than this thing. Should've rented a van in the first place, but that would have meant waiting hours for one to be delivered, and they all just wanted to be gone from the mountain.
Duo still hadn't managed to successfully teleport a passenger, or himself more than a few yards with any consistency, and the distance was too far for the Weres to travel in their animal forms. The weather was bad enough for Heero to be ground bound. And the topper to everything was that the cellphone service was apparently nonexistent, so they couldn't even call for transport.
Hence, a Puma, a Dragon, a Banshee and a Wyvern, all trapped in a subcompact sedan, driving mountain roads in rain that rivaled a monsoon.
::Oh, lucky us.::
An old-fashioned diner appeared soon after on the right. Its neon sign blazed bright and the interior lights glowed warmly. A smaller neon sign blinked between "Open!" and "Come on in!"
"Oooh!" cried Duo as they parked. "I want a chocolate shake!" He tucked his beadwork away in its case.
"I wonder if they have fish," said Wufei. "All these rivers and creeks, they must get fish out of them."
"Meatloaf," growled Trowa. "They'll have meatloaf. Diners always have meatloaf."
"Hn. We'll get what they have. And no acting out," Heero warned the Weres. "You two be on your best behavior," he ordered.
Wufei huffed out a small smoke ball. "I do know how to behave in public, Heero."
"Fine." Heero opened his door and stepped out of the car into the rain, and right into an ankle-deep puddle. "Gah!" He scrambled for the porch overhang and the door into the diner.
Duo ported into the restaurant, hoping the others wouldn't notice that he stayed dry. At least his reluctant ability was good for short distances, if nothing else. Wufei opened his door and leaned out to spread his wings and float to the porch. Trowa followed him; leaping over the puddle, but still getting his fur wet from the pouring rain and his paws muddy.
Various mutterings accompanied them into the restaurant. Duo came from washing his hands in the restroom, grinning.
"Come on, guys! We're out of the tin can for a while! Smile!"
Blue eyes, green eyes and black eyes turned to regard him balefully. So much for sneaking in...
His grin cracked. "Okay, don't smile, then." He turned toward the counter.
A woman in a waitress uniform was staring at them.
Her nametag read "Mona." She cleared her throat nervously.
"Um..."
Duo flashed his grin and his disk that identified him as an agent of the Department of Magick. "Hi! We're so glad to find that you're open! We are starving, and that weather is just horrible!"
She blinked, and relaxed slightly. "Well, come on in and find a seat," she said gamely.
They crowded into a corner booth, Duo winding up between Heero and Wufei. The menus were on the table in a metal holder.
"Would anyone like something to drink while you decide?" she asked brightly. Her eyes kept straying to Trowa and Wufei. "Coffee or water? Or soda?"
"Coffee," growled Heero. His mood wasn't getting any better with wet feet and he didn't have a spell to dry them.
"I'd like coffee and water, please," said Trowa. "In bowls, if it's not too much trouble."
Mona scribbled on her pad. "No trouble at all, sir."
"Tea," declared Wufei. "It's in bags, isn't it?"
"Yes sir."
The Were-Dragon sighed heavily. "As I expected. Well, it'll have to do." Heero kicked him under the table. "Ah! That'll be fine," he amended.
Duo flashed his purple eyes at the waitress. "I would love a chocolate shake. A large one! Maybe with whipped cream and a cherry and some chocolate sprinkles? But only if it's no trouble."
"No trouble at all," she smiled. "That's the way we always make it."
"Oh cool!"
Heero looked at him, not quite glaring. "Why are you so cheerful?"
"I'm out of that damn car!"
Heero blinked. The Banshee squeezed his knee and waggled his eyebrows.
"This is true," Heero murmured, stroking Duo's braid under the table.
"I'm having meatloaf," said Trowa, his paw on the menu.
Wufei glared at the menu. "They only have those fish finger things," he muttered. "Oooh... I wonder if they do breakfast all day?"
"What would you like, Duo?" Heero said quietly.
"Oh, I've got to try this bacon-double-cheese-mushroom burger! With guacamole on the side. And a green salad."
Heero sighed. "I'll have the tuna."
"Tuna?" Wufei looked up sharply.
Heero shook his head. "Tuna salad sandwich."
"Oh." Wufei puffed out a smoke ball.
Trowa nudged him with his shoulder. "No smoking, Wufei." He nodded his head at the sign on the counter.
Wufei glared back at him, but the tap of Heero's foot against his tail under the table kept him from replying.
Mona returned shortly with their drinks. Duo cooed ecstatically over the huge glass that contained his milk shake. Heero nodded politely as she set his coffee in front of him. Trowa sighed, as bowls of coffee and water were set before him. Wufei sniffed at the teabags and nodded his approval at the insulated carafe of hot water that accompanied his cup.
"Would you like to order now, or do you need a little more time?" Mona had her pad out, pen ready.
"We're ready," said Heero. "Duo will have this special burger and a green salad. I'll have the tuna club."
"What kind of cheese on the burger? We have American, Swiss or Jack."
"Oh, Swiss and Jack, please!"
"Okay. And would you like fries with your club, sir?"
"No. I'll have a green salad also."
"And what would you like, sir?" She turned to Trowa.
"Meatloaf. A double order of meatloaf."
"Okay. Um... Do you want doubles on the sides also?"
"No... Just on the meatloaf."
"Would you like extra meatloaf to make up for the extra sides?"
"I can get that?"
"Sure can."
"Oh, absolutely! Thank you!"
"No trouble at all, sir." She smiled at Wufei. "And you, sir?"
"I didn't see any fish on the menu."
"We do a catch of the day thing on fish, but since the weather's been so bad, no one's been fishing. I'm sorry."
He sighed. "Do you do breakfast all day?"
"We sure do."
"Ah! In that case, I want four eggs, scrambled, ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast..." He scanned the menu again, in case he missed something. "Oh, make it double on the meat. I think that'll do."
"All right, sir. White bread or wheat?"
"White." Wufei looked at his friends who were all staring at him. "What? I like white bread."
Duo giggled behind his shake.
~*~
"It hasn't slacked off at all," Duo said a while later. He turned back in his seat to face the table. "Are we going to be able to get down this mountain, Heero?"
Heero had also been monitoring the storm. "I don't know," he said quietly. He signaled to Mona and she came to their table.
"More coffee?"
"Yes, thank you. We're trying to get down the mountain; have you heard whether this rain is going to let up soon?"
She shook her head as she poured for Heero and Trowa. "The Weather Service says no end in sight. The tail of the storm is still over the Pacific." She sighed, gazing out the window at the curtain of rain. "The rivers are getting high and we've had a couple of mud slides. So far, the roads and the bridges are okay, but the sheriff's deputies are all on call." She looked at Heero again. "What are you driving?"
He pointed. "That," he said distastefully.
"Oh, my god!" she exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"
"Strange," muttered Wufei, "That's exactly what I said."
"Unfortunately, that was all the rental company had available."
Duo was on his knees again watching out the window. "There's a sheriff's car pulling in," he said. "The lights are on."
"Something's happened then," said Mona. She hurried toward the door.
The sheriff's deputy met her at the entrance, shaking rain from his plastic-covered hat. "Sorry, Mona," he began, "but I need Rick. We've got a problem."
"Oh, damn," she muttered as she turned toward the kitchen. "Rick!" she shouted. "They need you!"
A man came from the back, already pulling off his apron and reaching for a heavy jacket on the coat rack. "Figured as much," he said shortly. "Weather like this."
"Sorry, Rick," the sheriff apologised. "Romy's Bridge. We got a truck in the river; couple of people inside."
Listening unabashedly, Duo caught his breath even as Heero slid out of the booth and started toward the Humans. Duo and the Weres scrambled after him.
"Can we help?" Heero asked.
"I don't think so, sir," returned the cop politely even as his eyes widened at the sight of the Weres. "We've had experience with this kind of thing."
"You know, Mack," said Rick thoughtfully, "We're gonna need all the hands we can get." He shook his head. "That channel shifted in the last rain, and none of us has any experience with the way it's lying now. And with Mortensen gone..."
The sheriff looked again at the Magical Creatures. "Come on along, then. Rick knows that part of the river better than I do."
Heero and Duo rode with the sheriff while Trowa and Wufei rode with Rick.
A pickup truck had hydroplaned going into the approach to the bridge and gone through the railing and into the water. It had caught, hanging precariously, on a rocky outcropping, but it wouldn't stick there for long. If they could get a rope on the truck and someone over to pull the occupants out, a rescue was possible.
Duo twisted his braid nervously in his lap. Dammit! This would be the perfect use of his teleportation! If only the damned skill would work!
The scene of the accident was crammed with emergency vehicles. A firefighter was gamely trying to get a grapple with a rope attached to hook some part of the shiny red pickup truck. Thanks to the still-pouring rain, he was having no luck.
Heero growled impatiently. The Humans would never be able to get anyone out in time. Already the truck was teetering ominously. Getting a line on it would only delay the inevitable. He glanced over at Duo.
The Banshee was very still, eyes shut tight in concentration. It wasn't going to work this time; Heero could tell. Duo was too nervous, too tense, and too desperate. He'd had an idea though; he called to Wufei and Trowa.
Heads together, he explained his idea. The Weres nodded as one; they could do it, even with the rain.
"Heero?" Duo had no part in this plan; he had been speaking with the sheriff.
"Just stay here," Heero instructed. He turned away before he saw the sharply quirked eyebrow.
Wufei took the end of a rope and floated over the bridge railing. Trowa balanced himself on top or the railing, waiting for Wufei to reach the truck. He was within a few feet of his goal when a surge of water rose up and slapped at him, almost taking him down with it. He faltered, touched the raging river, and had to struggle to become airborne again. He spluttered and coughed from the faceful of water, and tried again to tie the rope off on the truck.
"Shit!" exclaimed Duo. "He's gonna drown!"
"He can fly, Duo," Heero reminded tersely.
"Not in this crap! Heero, he's barely hovering!" He leaned over the railing. "Wufei! Get back here!" he screamed over the roar of the water.
Another surge shook the truck and it tilted toward the Were-Dragon. He swore colorfully, his exact words fortunately lost in the rush of the water. He couldn't get close enough to attach the rope without getting caught by the water.
"I can get it!" Trowa shouted, and without waiting for anyone to argue, he leaped from the railing, landing awkwardly in the canted bed of the truck. He slid forward to slam into the back of the cab, and the truck lurched alarmingly.
"Trowa! You fucking idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!" yelled Wufei.
"Gimme the damn rope!" Trowa snarled back, claws reaching.
"NO! You'll get yourself killed!"
"GIVE ME THAT ROPE, LIZARD!"
"FINE! KILL YOURSELF, THEN!"
He tossed the end of the rope to Trowa, who caught it deftly with his claws. He scrambled back to the tailgate and managed to wrap the line around the tow hitch, double knotting it and pulling it tight with claws and teeth. Then back to the cab, where he curled one paw, looked away, and punched out the back window.
"It slides, you idiot!" yelled Wufei from his precarious hover.
"It was locked, dork!" He slithered into the cab and then out again. "One adult, three kids," he yelled to those waiting on the bridge.
"Three?!" exclaimed the sheriff. "Jesus Christ!" A mutter went up from the crowd of frustrated rescuers.
"Fuck," said Rick sourly. "This makes things... complicated." He turned away to the other rescue workers, and Duo looked at Heero.
"Complicated, how?" he demanded.
Eyes on the truck, he muttered, "They may not be able to get everyone out in time."
"The hell!" And he was gone.
Duo ran to the spot where the line left the bridge, shedding his jacket as he went. He hopped onto the railing, and without pausing, stepped carefully onto the taut rope.
"DUO!"
But it was too late to stop the Banshee. The Weres saw immediately and moved to help. Trowa steadied the end of the rope and Wufei floated over to offer his tail as a balance.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Did you catch some bizarre form of idiocy from Trowa?!"
"Kids," Duo returned tightly, concentrating on keeping his feet on the rope. He could do this; he'd run the lines with the other children all through his childhood. Banshees weren't just ground dwellers. They didn't live in the trees, as some Magical Races did, but they made good use of their trees, just the same, as shortcuts and focal points and lookouts, and their bridges tended toward rope rather than wood. He couldn't do the tricks that Trowa could do when in his usual form, but he could damn well still run a simple line. Especially if there were children on the other end.
Wufei rolled his eyes, but said, so quietly Duo almost missed it over the roar of the water, "Yeah, I know."
On the bridge, Heero had morphed and was pacing back and forth furiously. He could not fly in this downpour; his wings were tightly furled against his back, but if that fucking truck broke loose while his Banshee and his friend were on it, he would fucking throw himself at it!
A few feet from the truck, Duo jumped for the bed. Trowa braced himself to keep the Banshee from sliding into the cab, and used his big paws to steady Duo as he landed. The bedliner was slippery from the rain, and water was beginning to pool against the cab. The weight of the engine had begun to tilt the truck more and more, the rushing water undercutting whatever it had hooked up on. They didn't have much time.
"How big is the smallest kid?" Duo asked, trying unsuccessfully to peer into the cab.
"Two, maybe three years old," the Were replied. "Then one about four and one about six. Nice, even spacing," he muttered.
"The adult?" Duo poked at the unresponsive shoulder.
"I think she's dead," said Trowa. "No seatbelt."
"Crap." He concentrated hard for a few seconds, then touched the shards of glass in the opening. They vanished, leaving the back window clean and open. "Damn. Something worked," he muttered.
There wasn't room in the cab for him to maneuver, though. "Trowa, can you get the little one out to me?"
"Yeah. He's in a car seat; I think he's just knocked out." He slithered back through the window and a moment later had the belts free and was half-lifting half-nudging the child to where Duo could grab him.
The truck shifted again; they both swore. Duo could have sworn his heart leaped right out of his mouth. No shit they didn't have much time.
He took the child, who was making a whining sound, and looked around to where Wufei hovered anxiously.
"Wufei, he weighs about 25-30 pounds; can you handle that?" Wufei was not a heavy-lifting Dragon; his absolute limit when flying was about 50 pounds, and in this weather Duo didn't want to come anywhere near that limit.
"No sweat," he growled drifting closer. Duo stood up, leaning against the cab, and held the child up to the Were-Dragon. "I've got him," said Wufei. "Now, hurry the hell up, Banshee! If you go down with that vehicle, Heero will rupture something!" He flapped his wings vigorously and began drifting quickly toward the bridge.
"Get the next smallest out; I'll take him."
Trowa stared for a few seconds. "Duo... You can't."
Duo gave him a look. "I bloody well can! Get him out here!"
"Yes sir." The Were-Puma worried and stabbed at the buckle holding the other two children in a single seatbelt. When it parted, both children slid off the seat. He hooked his teeth into the shirt of the smaller and hauled her toward the window. Duo leaned in as much as possible to grab her arms and pull.
He gathered her close, noting a large lump on the back of her head and some bruises beginning on her face. He prayed to no particular power that moving her wouldn't cause even more damage. Then he settled her in his arms and eased up the bed to the line wrapped around the hitch.
On the bridge, Heero caught the child that Wufei half-tossed to him, then focused behind him to see what Duo intended. His heart stuttered, his shock showed clear enough for Wufei to recognise it and turn to see what was causing it.
In one voice, both Dragons shrieked.
"DUO!!! NO!!!"
But when did a Banshee on a mission listen to something as inconsequential as a hysterical Dragon?
Duo stepped onto the trembling line, and began to pace slowly along its length.
::Don't wake up, please don't wake up yet, don't move or wiggle... We'll be okay, you'll be okay, just have to get to the bridge... Only a few yards, no big deal at all, I can do this in my friggin' sleep!::
He could see Wufei from the corner of his eye, moving in anxiously, wringing his paws in helpless agitation. He wasn't yelling though; thank the Dragons that he understood that Duo needed every scrap of concentration to do this.
::Takes so long, damn... I hope this rope is strong... Stupid, it's holding the whole friggin' truck! But what if this extra is too much? What if it breaks? We'll fall... The truck will capsize... Trowa and the other kid... Not gonna break! Won't let it! Won't fuckin' let it!::
Then hands were reaching for him, for the child in his arms. Voices battered him from all directions. He tried to turn back to the rope, but Heero had hold of him.
"No!" growled the Wyvern. "You are not going out there again! Are you out of your fucking mind, Banshee?! You could be killed!"
"Let go of me! I have to get the last one!"
"No!"
Duo glared up at the reptilian countenance. "Heero Yuy, you are not the boss of me!" He tore himself free of the taloned grasp, and leaped for the rope.
"Duo; NO!"
Furious, Duo landed lightly on the rope, sliding along it for a distance, then running nimbly as a squirrel the rest of the way.
Trowa had the last child at the tailgate; Duo snatched him up. He looked at the Were. "Stay put; I'll be right back."
Trowa snorted. "Fuck that, Banshee! I'll be right behind you! Get moving!"
Duo turned, inhaled, exhaled, and started back along the abused line.
::Yeah, good rope; good rope. Hang in there with me, just a little longer... C'mon, Trowa... Don't let anything happen to him... C'mon...::
He felt the shudder as Trowa stepped gingerly onto the line. It bobbled slightly up and down as the Were-Puma moved slowly after him.
All at once, Wufei swooped down and snatched at the child. Duo grabbed automatically and found himself being flung bodily onto the bridge surface. And instant later, a 'twang!' let them know that the rope had given up the ghost.
"Trowa!" he screamed, even as the kid was pulled from his arms. "Trowa!"
"Right here! I'm okay!" came the shout.
Duo scrambled up to find Heero staggering under the sudden weight of the Were-Puma wrapped around his shoulders. He ran to them and wrapped his arms around both of the Magical Creatures.
"Omigod, omigod! Trowa, you're okay!" Furred and scaled arms gathered him into a group hug.
The Were-Puma snorted. "I said I was. Pay attention, Duo."
Wufei wormed his way into the hug then. "Great catch, Heero! You oughta play baseball!"
Heero rumbled automatically, and rearranged the group to bring Duo firmly into his arms. "Don't you ever, ever, do you hear me? Do something that stupid again! Not when I can't help you! Dammit, Duo..." Then he just shut up and changed back to his human form, pulling Duo against him in a painful grip. "I thought you were gone," he whispered. "I thought..."
"But I'm not," Duo breathed. "We're all okay..."
He looked over Heero's arm then, at the place in the river where the truck had been. Had been. And was no longer. The shiny red pickup was gone; submerged or carried away, it didn't matter. Duo hoped, really hoped that Trowa had been right, that the driver was already dead. Anything else would just eat him alive. But they'd rescued the kids, at least.
"What about the kids?" he asked. "Are they going to be all right?"
The hug broke apart and Trowa looked around to the group working near the ambulance. "I don't see any body bags, so there's at least a chance for all of them."
Duo blanched and Wufei smacked the Were-Puma in the head. "Fuck, pussycat! Have a little class, would you please! The EMTs are still working, Duo."
The rest was anticlimactic. The sheriff was there a few minutes later, thanking them for their help and bundling them all into his SUV, where he offered blankets and the heat running on 'scorch.' The emergency crews threw up temporary barriers; the ambulances pulled away, the firefighters gathered up their equipment. The rain came down unabated.
Duo sat on Heero's lap in front of the heater vent, shivering within a blanket and wrapped in the Wyvern's strong embrace. Heero wasn't dripping quite as badly, but fear does strange things to the body's internal systems and his shivers rivaled the Banshee's. They were both oddly silent, content with their proximity.
In the back seat, Wufei was using a second blanket to towel Trowa's dripping fur. The Were-Puma was literally soaked to the skin, and looked worse than a wet rat.
"Damn cat," muttered the Were-Dragon. "I hope this thing has a fucking drain plug; we've got six inches of standing water here. Why don't you ever listen to me, you idiot? I could've gotten the rope. You almost got yourself drowned," he ranted softly.
"Wufei," sighed Trowa, sprawled out on his back on another blanket, and content to just lie there and be dried off. "I was worried about you too..."
"Hmph! Idiot pussycat."
"Dork-lizard."
Rick came, after a bit, to offer them a ride back to their car. He even held an umbrella so that they could switch vehicles without being re-soaked. Driving back, he cleared his throat before saying roughly, "I want to thank you for what you did. That's a situation that even trained swift-water rescuers hesitate over. You guys just jumped right in. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know."
"We happened to be able to help," said Heero with a shrug. "Sometimes we can, sometimes not."
"I wish we could have gotten the driver out," said Duo quietly. "Trowa thought she was dead, but..."
Rick shook his head. "If you'd tried, there'd be three dead now, instead of one. I knew her, and she always drove like a bat outta hell. Grew up around here, thought she was invincible. Mack and the boys ticketed her more times than I can count." He left off with a heavy sigh.
"But," said Trowa hesitantly, "With children in the truck with her? What about them?"
Rick shrugged. "Never even entered her head, I expect. Sunny wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree."
"What happens to the children now?" asked Wufei.
"Probably go to their fathers."
"'Fathers'? More than one?" said Duo in surprise.
"Like I said, not the brightest bulb on the tree."
Duo shivered rather convulsively, but said nothing more.
Back at the diner, Mona met them at the door anxiously.
"Hot drinks, Mona," said Rick before she could ask. He moved toward the kitchen, shedding his coat as he went. "Need to get these guys warmed up. Nasty job out there."
"Dammit, Rick; what happened?!" she demanded. "I've been worried sick!"
"Sunny finally met a curve she couldn't finesse."
Mona stopped still where she was. "Oh. Oh... Not... not with the babies..."
"Kids are fine," came Rick's laconic reply from the other side of the grill. "Thanks to these fine gentlemen. They lassoed that truck and went over and pulled those kids out neat as you please." He stuck his head up. "By the way, their meal is on the house."
Mona looked at the four creatures drooping in the corner booth where they'd been seated so much earlier. She'd just finished pouring hot coffee and tea for them. "Oh... Oh, my god," she breathed. "Rick...?"
"Sorry, Mona. She wasn't wearing a seat belt."
She made a little noise and sat down hard on the floor. "But the kids... All of them?" she pleaded.
Rick came out from the kitchen to crouch beside her, a hand on her shoulder. "Bumps and bruises. Hospital will keep them overnight. Sheriff was calling Ronnie and Cameron when we left. You give me a chance to shut down back here, and I'll drive you to the hospital."
"O-okay..." she said automatically.
Rick looked past her to the Magical Creatures who were all warming their hands, or paws, on their mugs. "You know, I've got plenty of room, if you guys would like a ride down the mountain. You can call the rental company and tell them to pick up their roller skate here."
Heero looked up wearily. "That would be... outstanding. Thank you; we will gladly accept."
Rick nodded. "You got it. Ten minutes." He put his hand under Mona's arm and helped her to her feet. "It'll be all right; your brother's a smart guy, and Cameron's no slouch either; they'll take good care of the kids."
"I know... It's just..."
"Yeah. But it wasn't a surprise; you know that."
The woman nodded reluctantly. "I know..."
~*~
The drive to the hospital was almost silent. Mona sat in front with Rick and sniffed quietly. Heero and Duo shared the middle seat, the Banshee drooping against the Wyvern in an exhausted doze. Heero held him firmly and rubbed at his shoulders and back and petted his hair. Duo purred, and snuggled closer, arms around Heero's waist.
::Yep, good place to be... Good place.::
"Heero," asked Wufei after a while. He had tucked himself into the corner of the third seat; Trowa sprawled bonelessly across the rest with his head resting on Wufei's tail. "Do we have to write a report on this?" His paw moved absently over Trowa's still-damp fur.
"Yes."
"Crap."
"Sorry."
"Not very."
"No, not very."
"...."
TBC...
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