Everyone Knows It's Windy, 9/9
Title: Everyone Knows It's Windy, epilogue
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 1,367
Main Characters: Fictional Rockapella
Summary: Two weeks later.
Will be posted to 10_hurt_comfort.
Epilogue
It was time to return to New York.
For the last two weeks the ACME agents had lingered, both to keep Jeff and Mr. Gordon company while they recovered and to help in town with the rescue and clean-up efforts wherever they could. Now Mr. Gordon was well enough to fly back to New York. Rockapella had offered to take him and Jeff with them on the ACME jet that was arriving today to pick them up. He had agreed, grateful to be able to travel with people they knew instead of complete strangers. And Jeff was thrilled.
"A private jet?" he had exclaimed when the offer was extended. "That's awesome! Of course we'll be there!"
And Sean had grinned to see Jeff at his normal, cheerful self.
Brittany was sorry to see them go. She and her father had been staying in a hotel room while their house was repaired. Candace was recovering, but was staying at the hospital, as the doctors felt that would be better than sending her to a hotel room.
"Do you really have to go?" Brittany asked. She was standing in the hallway at the hospital, where they had come to get Mr. Gordon as well as to say goodbye to her.
"'Fraid so," Sean said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't where we live. We need to get back to New York."
Brittany sighed. "Okay then," she consented, and proceeded to hug each of them in turn. "Maybe you could come visit?"
"Maybe," Sean agreed when she came to him. He hugged back, as they each had. "Or you could come to Manhattan and we'll show you what it's like to live in the big city," he smirked.
She looked at him in awe. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Maybe when Mommy's all better."
"Sure," Sean said. "You and your parents can talk about it then."
The door down the hall opened. Jeff emerged, pushing his uncle in a wheelchair. His light brown bangs brushed against the sides of his face as he walked. When he noticed the others, he grinned and let go of one handlebar to wave.
"Hey!" he called.
Mr. Gordon shook his head. "We'll be to them in a moment," he said. "I'm sure they can see you." But there was a trace of a smile on his face. Time and again, Jeff had proven himself in dangerous and life-threatening situations. His uncle knew that, but he had still been stunned when Barry had revealed the full truth behind what had happened at the bank. Mr. Gordon was proud to have Jeff working with him as an apprentice private investigator. He knew without a doubt that he could rely on the boy in any scenario.
Sean waved back. "Right on time," he greeted as Jeff pushed Mr. Gordon to where they were gathered.
"We are more than ready to go," Jeff declared. "Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live here!"
Brittany scrunched up her face. "The tornadoes are scary," she agreed. "But it's nice here when there aren't any."
"Yeah, I guess," Jeff said. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. . . ."
"It's okay," Brittany said.
Sean patted her on the head as he walked past. "And we're off!" he announced.
Brittany stepped back, allowing them to proceed down the hall. "Bye," she said softly.
Elliott turned, giving her a gentle smile. "We'll see each other again," he promised.
She managed a smile in return.
****
Scott breathed in the fresh plains air when they stepped outside moments later. A soft breeze tousled his blond curls, blowing them around his face.
"It was good to come back to the country," he mused. "Too bad the tornadoes had to show up and ruin it."
"One of these days we'll go to Indiana on a case and you can show us around," Sean grinned.
"Sounds good to me," Scott said, stretching his arms above his head.
Elliott looked to him. "Do you miss living there?" he asked.
Scott looked over. "Sure," he said. "There's a lot that I miss---the open spaces, the farms, the quiet . . ." He smiled. "But I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything."
Sean smiled too. "That's our Scott," he declared.
As they continued walking to the ACME van they had been temporarily issued, Scott idly studied it. The car had not been totaled, but it certainly needed repair. And since it was not big enough for all of them, Sean had requested a van. He was still trying to figure out how it worked.
Suddenly Scott blinked in surprise. "Hey," he remembered, "that light I was following the night of the storm must have been the car's headlight."
Everyone turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?" Jeff wanted to know.
"Well, I was feeling pretty hopeless and discouraged when I woke up laying in the rain," Scott said. "I wasn't sure what to do at all. But then I saw this light off in the distance. It was the only light around, so I followed it. I must have been plogging on for blocks when I finally saw the car."
Barry raised an eyebrow. "Could you even have seen it from blocks away?" he wondered.
Scott shrugged. "It doesn't seem like it, but there it was," he said. "I was laying down when I first saw it. After it'd been there a few minutes, I tried to get up. I was surprised it stayed there, but it did. It kind of flickered when I started walking, and I wondered if it would go out, but it stayed there."
Barry frowned. "The car was on its side," he said. "I had to have Double Trouble help me turn it over. It was only a moment after I turned on the working headlight that the twins attacked me and you came. There wouldn't have been time for you to walk blocks."
By now they had all arrived at the van. But instead of getting inside, they were staring at Scott, who could only shake his head in disbelief.
"It was just a tiny pinprick when I saw it!" he protested. "I know I walked a long way. It wasn't just in my head."
Sean unlocked the doors and pulled open the one for the driver's side. "It's not that we don't believe you, Scott," he said. "It's that we're wondering what light you were really following!"
Scott frowned, sliding open the door in the middle while Barry helped Jeff get Mr. Gordon out of the wheelchair and into the van. Once they had him inside, Scott and Elliott began to fold up the wheelchair.
"I'm starting to wonder myself," Scott declared.
Elliott straightened up, giving his best friend a long, thoughtful look. "Well, whatever it was, it made sure you got where you needed to go," he said. "So I'm grateful to whoever turned it on."
Scott smiled. "I am too," he said, as they put the wheelchair into the back. "Am I ever grateful."
Elliott laid a hand on Scott's shoulder before they moved to get into the van. They definitely had been watched over on this case. Their pleas for help had been answered.
Sean climbed into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition once he was settled. "This is going to be interesting," he said.
Barry gave him a deadpan look. "You haven't figured out the gears yet?"
"I'm getting there!" Sean retorted.
Elliott chuckled as he and Scott got settled on the backseat. Jeff, sitting in the middle with his uncle, reached over to pull the sliding door shut.
At the same moment, the van shot backwards out of the parking space as several cries of shock issued forth. Sean slammed on the brakes.
"Whoops," he said, sheepish.
Barry shook his head. Scott and Elliott slumped back, exchanging looks. Jeff just gawked. Mr. Gordon crossed his arms.
"Let's try that again," Sean said.
Turning the key a second time, he maneuvered around the other parked cars and out of the lot at a normal speed. Slowly the others started to relax.
At least until it was time to shift gears.
Fandom: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Rating: T/PG-13
Word Count: 1,367
Main Characters: Fictional Rockapella
Summary: Two weeks later.
Will be posted to 10_hurt_comfort.
Epilogue
It was time to return to New York.
For the last two weeks the ACME agents had lingered, both to keep Jeff and Mr. Gordon company while they recovered and to help in town with the rescue and clean-up efforts wherever they could. Now Mr. Gordon was well enough to fly back to New York. Rockapella had offered to take him and Jeff with them on the ACME jet that was arriving today to pick them up. He had agreed, grateful to be able to travel with people they knew instead of complete strangers. And Jeff was thrilled.
"A private jet?" he had exclaimed when the offer was extended. "That's awesome! Of course we'll be there!"
And Sean had grinned to see Jeff at his normal, cheerful self.
Brittany was sorry to see them go. She and her father had been staying in a hotel room while their house was repaired. Candace was recovering, but was staying at the hospital, as the doctors felt that would be better than sending her to a hotel room.
"Do you really have to go?" Brittany asked. She was standing in the hallway at the hospital, where they had come to get Mr. Gordon as well as to say goodbye to her.
"'Fraid so," Sean said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't where we live. We need to get back to New York."
Brittany sighed. "Okay then," she consented, and proceeded to hug each of them in turn. "Maybe you could come visit?"
"Maybe," Sean agreed when she came to him. He hugged back, as they each had. "Or you could come to Manhattan and we'll show you what it's like to live in the big city," he smirked.
She looked at him in awe. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Maybe when Mommy's all better."
"Sure," Sean said. "You and your parents can talk about it then."
The door down the hall opened. Jeff emerged, pushing his uncle in a wheelchair. His light brown bangs brushed against the sides of his face as he walked. When he noticed the others, he grinned and let go of one handlebar to wave.
"Hey!" he called.
Mr. Gordon shook his head. "We'll be to them in a moment," he said. "I'm sure they can see you." But there was a trace of a smile on his face. Time and again, Jeff had proven himself in dangerous and life-threatening situations. His uncle knew that, but he had still been stunned when Barry had revealed the full truth behind what had happened at the bank. Mr. Gordon was proud to have Jeff working with him as an apprentice private investigator. He knew without a doubt that he could rely on the boy in any scenario.
Sean waved back. "Right on time," he greeted as Jeff pushed Mr. Gordon to where they were gathered.
"We are more than ready to go," Jeff declared. "Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live here!"
Brittany scrunched up her face. "The tornadoes are scary," she agreed. "But it's nice here when there aren't any."
"Yeah, I guess," Jeff said. Embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. . . ."
"It's okay," Brittany said.
Sean patted her on the head as he walked past. "And we're off!" he announced.
Brittany stepped back, allowing them to proceed down the hall. "Bye," she said softly.
Elliott turned, giving her a gentle smile. "We'll see each other again," he promised.
She managed a smile in return.
****
Scott breathed in the fresh plains air when they stepped outside moments later. A soft breeze tousled his blond curls, blowing them around his face.
"It was good to come back to the country," he mused. "Too bad the tornadoes had to show up and ruin it."
"One of these days we'll go to Indiana on a case and you can show us around," Sean grinned.
"Sounds good to me," Scott said, stretching his arms above his head.
Elliott looked to him. "Do you miss living there?" he asked.
Scott looked over. "Sure," he said. "There's a lot that I miss---the open spaces, the farms, the quiet . . ." He smiled. "But I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything."
Sean smiled too. "That's our Scott," he declared.
As they continued walking to the ACME van they had been temporarily issued, Scott idly studied it. The car had not been totaled, but it certainly needed repair. And since it was not big enough for all of them, Sean had requested a van. He was still trying to figure out how it worked.
Suddenly Scott blinked in surprise. "Hey," he remembered, "that light I was following the night of the storm must have been the car's headlight."
Everyone turned to look at him. "What are you talking about?" Jeff wanted to know.
"Well, I was feeling pretty hopeless and discouraged when I woke up laying in the rain," Scott said. "I wasn't sure what to do at all. But then I saw this light off in the distance. It was the only light around, so I followed it. I must have been plogging on for blocks when I finally saw the car."
Barry raised an eyebrow. "Could you even have seen it from blocks away?" he wondered.
Scott shrugged. "It doesn't seem like it, but there it was," he said. "I was laying down when I first saw it. After it'd been there a few minutes, I tried to get up. I was surprised it stayed there, but it did. It kind of flickered when I started walking, and I wondered if it would go out, but it stayed there."
Barry frowned. "The car was on its side," he said. "I had to have Double Trouble help me turn it over. It was only a moment after I turned on the working headlight that the twins attacked me and you came. There wouldn't have been time for you to walk blocks."
By now they had all arrived at the van. But instead of getting inside, they were staring at Scott, who could only shake his head in disbelief.
"It was just a tiny pinprick when I saw it!" he protested. "I know I walked a long way. It wasn't just in my head."
Sean unlocked the doors and pulled open the one for the driver's side. "It's not that we don't believe you, Scott," he said. "It's that we're wondering what light you were really following!"
Scott frowned, sliding open the door in the middle while Barry helped Jeff get Mr. Gordon out of the wheelchair and into the van. Once they had him inside, Scott and Elliott began to fold up the wheelchair.
"I'm starting to wonder myself," Scott declared.
Elliott straightened up, giving his best friend a long, thoughtful look. "Well, whatever it was, it made sure you got where you needed to go," he said. "So I'm grateful to whoever turned it on."
Scott smiled. "I am too," he said, as they put the wheelchair into the back. "Am I ever grateful."
Elliott laid a hand on Scott's shoulder before they moved to get into the van. They definitely had been watched over on this case. Their pleas for help had been answered.
Sean climbed into the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition once he was settled. "This is going to be interesting," he said.
Barry gave him a deadpan look. "You haven't figured out the gears yet?"
"I'm getting there!" Sean retorted.
Elliott chuckled as he and Scott got settled on the backseat. Jeff, sitting in the middle with his uncle, reached over to pull the sliding door shut.
At the same moment, the van shot backwards out of the parking space as several cries of shock issued forth. Sean slammed on the brakes.
"Whoops," he said, sheepish.
Barry shook his head. Scott and Elliott slumped back, exchanging looks. Jeff just gawked. Mr. Gordon crossed his arms.
"Let's try that again," Sean said.
Turning the key a second time, he maneuvered around the other parked cars and out of the lot at a normal speed. Slowly the others started to relax.
At least until it was time to shift gears.