this is what happens when the floor plans don't jive....
Steve gets destructive...
It was nearly 3:30 when the gang finally settled at the diner. Conor and Raoul were having a french fry battle, while DG watched Wyatt and Ambrose discuss the bridge of a song they'd been working on the last few days.
They'd cleared the last folks out of the Zone at 2:30 and got the place locked up, but all of them were still wide awake, for the first time in forever. Margaret had headed home at 1:30, due to having to open the store the next morning, and Hank had called it a night after the first set, leaving DG in charge.
Reaching for a slice of toast, DG leaned back and fought a yawn as the muffled sound of sirens could be heard outside. She threw a look to Raoul when his fry broke and landed on her plate, but he simply shrugged and picked up another one.
The sound of a second siren caught Wyatt's attention for a second and he glanced to the window, then back to the page of notes. A second later, a firetruck went speeding past the diner and both Raoul and Conor leaned over to try and see out the window.
The door to the diner opened and a rush of cool air wafted through the restaurant as a man pushed in and nodded to the waitress behind the counter. "What's goin' on out there?" they heard her ask.
"'paretnly a fight broke out in Chester's a while back," the man stated, thankfully accepting the warm cup of coffee she'd just passed over. "Good chance somebody came back to settle the score, y'ask me." Ambrose turned back to his friends and shrugged.
"Sucks to be Chester's," he said, making a face.
"That place is twice the size of the Zone," Conor mused. "Fire hits that storeroom and-" he breathed a laugh. Not half a second later, his eyes locked on DG's and they both jumped up from the booth and bolted for the door.
"Where's the fire?" Ambrose asked over his shoulder, turning again as Conor and DG passed the window.
"Chester's," Raoul replied, getting a look from Ambrose. Wyatt's eyes went wide a moment later and he hauled himself out of the booth, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few bills onto the table. He grabbed DG's jacket and stopped as Ambrose caught his arm.
"What?"
"Chester's storeroom," Wyatt replied and headed for the door. Raoul reached for his jacket and stood up, figuring it was best to follow the three of them. It took a second before he realized why Conor and DG had run out.
"Chester's backs up to the Zone," he breathed. Ambrose's eyes went wide and he reached for Raoul, who pulled him across the booth.
Wyatt saw DG and Conor cut across the street about a block up and he took the first cut-through. He wasn't sure why though, just that he needed to go that way. There was no way he'd catch up to the two of them, no matter which way he went.
DG and Conor cleared the corner and saw a crowd forming at the end of the block, watching the firemen do their thing. "Oh, God," she breathed. The ladder truck was raised to the upper floors and water was spraying along the length of the buildings. "The books," she whispered. Any thought of his equipment was gone the second he realized DG was going to try and get inside, but before Conor could catch her arm, DG had taken off for the alleyway, heading for the back entrance.
Wyatt realized why he'd gone that way a moment later, when he came up on the other side of the alley behind the Zone. DG appeared from the right and started running toward the loading dock. "DG!" he shouted and ran down the alley as fast as he could - he'd reach the steps before she would, as long as he didn't run out of breath.
Unfortunately, DG didn't go for the stairs like a normal person; instead, she used the dumpster as a step and heaved herself up over the railing. Wyatt was at the bottom of the steps when her hands gripped the door handle.
The pain was so sharp that she didn't register it at first, but Wyatt pulled her into a bear hug and away from the door at the same time as Conor reached the side of the dumpster and the door blew open from the pressure of the heat.
DG screamed into Wyatt's chest and he turned so that his back was to the door. The heat was intense and he was afraid to move. Conor ducked along the concrete and moved around to the bottom of the steps to help Wyatt and DG down.
Cain had to pick her up and carry her back down the alley because she was fighting to get away. Raoul and Ambrose came into view and met the three of them at the corner as another firetruck arrived. As DG watched the firemen fight the losing battle to save her home, she didn't cry. She didn't do anything, and that scared Wyatt.
She did finally flinch at the sound of explosions coming from behind the walls, knowing that both storerooms had been reached by the fire, and Conor had to sit down on the curb, accepting his equipment was lost. Wyatt held DG's hands in his, knowing she needed medical attention for the burns.
Part of him wanted to yell at her for being so reckless, but he realized that he would have done the same thing, were he in her situation. The Zone was her home, her safety blanket; it was her. And there they stood, watching it all fall apart.
Wyatt turned to Ambrose and gave his best friend a nod. "Call Hank," he ordered.
"But, it's-" Ambrose shook his head. Wyatt said nothing - he didn't have to, because his expression said it all - and Ambrose nodded, reaching for his cell phone.
As the firemen got the flames under control, Wyatt let go of DG and stepped between her and the Zone. "Deeg, sweetie, look at me." His hands went to her neck and he repeated, a bit louder: "Gracie!" She flinched and locked on his blue eyes. "Come with me," he said slowly, pulling her toward him.
Wyatt took her to the end of the street and nodded to one of the officers keeping the gawkers back. The officer glanced down to DG's burned hands and held up the tape, waving them under and pointing to one of the firetrucks. Wyatt nodded and pulled DG along.
Lieutenant Rick Harper noticed movement off to his right and wondered how someone had made it past the barricade. Turning, he saw the brunette holding her hands against her stomach, being led toward him by the blonde. He didn't need to have a clear shot of her to see that she was in shock.
Nodding to his partner, Rick moved toward Wyatt and DG. "Lieutenant," Wyatt nodded, seeing the bugles on Harper's collar. Rick nodded and looked down at DG's hand.
"What have we here?" he asked, motioning for the two of them to move to the back of the truck. Wyatt nodded toward the building and walked DG over as Rick pulled a first aid kit from behind one of the roll-up doors.
"Club on the other side is us," he said, assuming specifics weren't necessary. Rick nodded and took DG's hand in his. "Heat got to the door before the fire," he shrugged. Rick nodded and tried to catch DG's eye, but she was purposefully avoiding eye contact.
"Well, we'll get you fixed right up," he said with a smile. "Sorry about your club," he added a moment later, trying to get DG to say something.
Wyatt watched her, as well, and knew she was lost in her thoughts. "What happened?" he asked, waving to Chester's blackened storefront. Rick sighed and glanced over his shoulder.
"Not sure, really. Soon as the temperature is down, we'll have a team in there, though." He made quick work of covering the burns with ointment and smiled to himself as he watched Wyatt watch DG. "So," he said quietly, still trying to catch DG's eye. "My name's Rick."
DG looked up a second later and blinked. "Grace," she said quietly.
"It's nice to meet you, Grace. Wish it was under other circumstances," he smiled and reached for a gauze pad. "Were you inside?" he asked slowly. DG shook her head.
"We left about an hour ago?" she said, looking to Wyatt for confirmation. He nodded, giving the man a thankful look for getting her to talk.
"So you live around here?" Rick asked as he began to wrap DG's hand.
"We were at the diner," she said off-handedly, pointing over her shoulder with the other hand. Rick nodded and looked up for a second, as if he was trying to remember something.
"Around the corner... Jax?" he asked DG, fairly certain he was wrong.
"The Zone. Other side of the street," she corrected. Rick nodded and gave her an embarrassed smile.
"I have to admit, I've never been in there." DG's eyes went wide and she turned to Wyatt.
"I have to call Hank, he's-" Wyatt leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head.
"Gee already called him, sweetheart."
"Okay," Rick said a moment later. "All set." DG looked down to her wrapped hand and frowned. She was to blame for that; she knew better than to try and go into a burning building. "Do me a favor," Rick continued, directing the thought to her, but glancing at Wyatt. "Stop by the hospital later to get a fresh bandage." Wyatt nodded, seeing that DG was starting to phase out again.
"Thank you," he said, holding out a hand. Rick nodded and began packing up the bag as Wyatt pulled DG up from the bumper of the truck. He could see Hank and Emily across the street with the guys and sighed heavily. There'd be no sleep for any of them tonight.
Just before they reached the barricade, Wyatt pulled DG to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We'll get through this, Gracie." She nodded and wrapped her arms around him.
what's to follow:
-assesing the damage
-new floorplan, complete with storage room on outer wall
-re-opening night - and I think Feels Like the First Time can go here. ;)
which may or may not include Wyatt's propsal
BTDub: I stole Rick from myself
There's more to this.. but I'm tired.
It was nearly 3:30 when the gang finally settled at the diner. Conor and Raoul were having a french fry battle, while DG watched Wyatt and Ambrose discuss the bridge of a song they'd been working on the last few days.
They'd cleared the last folks out of the Zone at 2:30 and got the place locked up, but all of them were still wide awake, for the first time in forever. Margaret had headed home at 1:30, due to having to open the store the next morning, and Hank had called it a night after the first set, leaving DG in charge.
Reaching for a slice of toast, DG leaned back and fought a yawn as the muffled sound of sirens could be heard outside. She threw a look to Raoul when his fry broke and landed on her plate, but he simply shrugged and picked up another one.
The sound of a second siren caught Wyatt's attention for a second and he glanced to the window, then back to the page of notes. A second later, a firetruck went speeding past the diner and both Raoul and Conor leaned over to try and see out the window.
The door to the diner opened and a rush of cool air wafted through the restaurant as a man pushed in and nodded to the waitress behind the counter. "What's goin' on out there?" they heard her ask.
"'paretnly a fight broke out in Chester's a while back," the man stated, thankfully accepting the warm cup of coffee she'd just passed over. "Good chance somebody came back to settle the score, y'ask me." Ambrose turned back to his friends and shrugged.
"Sucks to be Chester's," he said, making a face.
"That place is twice the size of the Zone," Conor mused. "Fire hits that storeroom and-" he breathed a laugh. Not half a second later, his eyes locked on DG's and they both jumped up from the booth and bolted for the door.
"Where's the fire?" Ambrose asked over his shoulder, turning again as Conor and DG passed the window.
"Chester's," Raoul replied, getting a look from Ambrose. Wyatt's eyes went wide a moment later and he hauled himself out of the booth, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few bills onto the table. He grabbed DG's jacket and stopped as Ambrose caught his arm.
"What?"
"Chester's storeroom," Wyatt replied and headed for the door. Raoul reached for his jacket and stood up, figuring it was best to follow the three of them. It took a second before he realized why Conor and DG had run out.
"Chester's backs up to the Zone," he breathed. Ambrose's eyes went wide and he reached for Raoul, who pulled him across the booth.
Wyatt saw DG and Conor cut across the street about a block up and he took the first cut-through. He wasn't sure why though, just that he needed to go that way. There was no way he'd catch up to the two of them, no matter which way he went.
DG and Conor cleared the corner and saw a crowd forming at the end of the block, watching the firemen do their thing. "Oh, God," she breathed. The ladder truck was raised to the upper floors and water was spraying along the length of the buildings. "The books," she whispered. Any thought of his equipment was gone the second he realized DG was going to try and get inside, but before Conor could catch her arm, DG had taken off for the alleyway, heading for the back entrance.
Wyatt realized why he'd gone that way a moment later, when he came up on the other side of the alley behind the Zone. DG appeared from the right and started running toward the loading dock. "DG!" he shouted and ran down the alley as fast as he could - he'd reach the steps before she would, as long as he didn't run out of breath.
Unfortunately, DG didn't go for the stairs like a normal person; instead, she used the dumpster as a step and heaved herself up over the railing. Wyatt was at the bottom of the steps when her hands gripped the door handle.
The pain was so sharp that she didn't register it at first, but Wyatt pulled her into a bear hug and away from the door at the same time as Conor reached the side of the dumpster and the door blew open from the pressure of the heat.
DG screamed into Wyatt's chest and he turned so that his back was to the door. The heat was intense and he was afraid to move. Conor ducked along the concrete and moved around to the bottom of the steps to help Wyatt and DG down.
Cain had to pick her up and carry her back down the alley because she was fighting to get away. Raoul and Ambrose came into view and met the three of them at the corner as another firetruck arrived. As DG watched the firemen fight the losing battle to save her home, she didn't cry. She didn't do anything, and that scared Wyatt.
She did finally flinch at the sound of explosions coming from behind the walls, knowing that both storerooms had been reached by the fire, and Conor had to sit down on the curb, accepting his equipment was lost. Wyatt held DG's hands in his, knowing she needed medical attention for the burns.
Part of him wanted to yell at her for being so reckless, but he realized that he would have done the same thing, were he in her situation. The Zone was her home, her safety blanket; it was her. And there they stood, watching it all fall apart.
Wyatt turned to Ambrose and gave his best friend a nod. "Call Hank," he ordered.
"But, it's-" Ambrose shook his head. Wyatt said nothing - he didn't have to, because his expression said it all - and Ambrose nodded, reaching for his cell phone.
As the firemen got the flames under control, Wyatt let go of DG and stepped between her and the Zone. "Deeg, sweetie, look at me." His hands went to her neck and he repeated, a bit louder: "Gracie!" She flinched and locked on his blue eyes. "Come with me," he said slowly, pulling her toward him.
Wyatt took her to the end of the street and nodded to one of the officers keeping the gawkers back. The officer glanced down to DG's burned hands and held up the tape, waving them under and pointing to one of the firetrucks. Wyatt nodded and pulled DG along.
Lieutenant Rick Harper noticed movement off to his right and wondered how someone had made it past the barricade. Turning, he saw the brunette holding her hands against her stomach, being led toward him by the blonde. He didn't need to have a clear shot of her to see that she was in shock.
Nodding to his partner, Rick moved toward Wyatt and DG. "Lieutenant," Wyatt nodded, seeing the bugles on Harper's collar. Rick nodded and looked down at DG's hand.
"What have we here?" he asked, motioning for the two of them to move to the back of the truck. Wyatt nodded toward the building and walked DG over as Rick pulled a first aid kit from behind one of the roll-up doors.
"Club on the other side is us," he said, assuming specifics weren't necessary. Rick nodded and took DG's hand in his. "Heat got to the door before the fire," he shrugged. Rick nodded and tried to catch DG's eye, but she was purposefully avoiding eye contact.
"Well, we'll get you fixed right up," he said with a smile. "Sorry about your club," he added a moment later, trying to get DG to say something.
Wyatt watched her, as well, and knew she was lost in her thoughts. "What happened?" he asked, waving to Chester's blackened storefront. Rick sighed and glanced over his shoulder.
"Not sure, really. Soon as the temperature is down, we'll have a team in there, though." He made quick work of covering the burns with ointment and smiled to himself as he watched Wyatt watch DG. "So," he said quietly, still trying to catch DG's eye. "My name's Rick."
DG looked up a second later and blinked. "Grace," she said quietly.
"It's nice to meet you, Grace. Wish it was under other circumstances," he smiled and reached for a gauze pad. "Were you inside?" he asked slowly. DG shook her head.
"We left about an hour ago?" she said, looking to Wyatt for confirmation. He nodded, giving the man a thankful look for getting her to talk.
"So you live around here?" Rick asked as he began to wrap DG's hand.
"We were at the diner," she said off-handedly, pointing over her shoulder with the other hand. Rick nodded and looked up for a second, as if he was trying to remember something.
"Around the corner... Jax?" he asked DG, fairly certain he was wrong.
"The Zone. Other side of the street," she corrected. Rick nodded and gave her an embarrassed smile.
"I have to admit, I've never been in there." DG's eyes went wide and she turned to Wyatt.
"I have to call Hank, he's-" Wyatt leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head.
"Gee already called him, sweetheart."
"Okay," Rick said a moment later. "All set." DG looked down to her wrapped hand and frowned. She was to blame for that; she knew better than to try and go into a burning building. "Do me a favor," Rick continued, directing the thought to her, but glancing at Wyatt. "Stop by the hospital later to get a fresh bandage." Wyatt nodded, seeing that DG was starting to phase out again.
"Thank you," he said, holding out a hand. Rick nodded and began packing up the bag as Wyatt pulled DG up from the bumper of the truck. He could see Hank and Emily across the street with the guys and sighed heavily. There'd be no sleep for any of them tonight.
Just before they reached the barricade, Wyatt pulled DG to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We'll get through this, Gracie." She nodded and wrapped her arms around him.
what's to follow:
-assesing the damage
-new floorplan, complete with storage room on outer wall
-re-opening night - and I think Feels Like the First Time can go here. ;)
which may or may not include Wyatt's propsal
BTDub: I stole Rick from myself
There's more to this.. but I'm tired.