Fitzsimmons

Part Four

Quick Note: DOUBLE UPDATE AREN'T YOU ALL LUCKY!!!

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"Jemma!" Leo shouted from outside her room. He was pounding frantically on her door for some reason, but it was still dark outside. She tried wiping the sleep from her eyes and cleared her throat.

Just then a light flashed outside, and shown harshly through the shut curtains. It was shortly followed by a thunderous boom, which startled Jemma into sitting up straight.

"Bloody hell Leo!" she shouted, hopping out of bed swiftly.

"It's the Germans!" he shouted as Jemma swung open the door. It hit the wall with a thud.

"Get the kids," Jemma ordered, instincts kicking in.

"Where do we go?" Leo asked as they began rushing about.

"Christ, Fitz, the cellar!" Jemma shouted, to which Fitz started running to kids rooms.

"What's going on?" John yelled, peeling his head out the door. Lily emerged from her room across the hall carrying blankets, a candle, and a book.

"Get Ron and Will, please." John followed, still confused.

Leo was running down the stairs carrying Emily in one arm and Henry in the other. John exited the boy's room with Ron and William trailing behind like frightened ducklings. Jemma swept up blankets and sheets from several of the kids' beds, and grabbed a matchbox for light, then followed the train down to the main floor, then to the cellar.

Once the group was downstairs, Jemma handed the pile of blankets to Leo to pass out. John lit candles while she counted heads.

"Seven," she muttered, then double-checked. "Seven. Where's number eight?"

Leo's head snapped up, concerned. "Beth!"

In a single syllable Jemma was up the stairs calling Beth's name frantically. She checked all of the first floor rooms, then tromped down the hallway of bedrooms upstairs.

She nearly missed the bump under the covers in Leo's room as she ran past. Sighing lightly, she ran up to Beth, who was crying under the covers, and scooped the tiny girl into her arms. She carried her down the hallway quickly. Leo met her at the top of the stairs and helped the two of them down.

Once the entire family was settled, Jemma took a moment to actually breathe. Emily, Henry, and Beth spoke sleepily to each other in a sort of blanket tent across the room, while Lily read on the steps and John, Ron, William, and Leo moved crates of potatoes and flour to the side wall to make room.

An hour later everyone was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep while Leo and Jemma stayed up and nervously looked out the small window in the cellar.

"My father was an architect before the war," Leo breathed to break the tension. "He taught me some things about structural soundness. We'll be fine down here."

Jemma nodded, but kept staring outside, counting the seconds between light and sound, trying to calculate whether they were getting closer or farther away. Leo stayed silent, simply watching her face and gauging her thoughts.

Eventually the sun began to rise, and Jemma's blinking became slower, a yawn passing her lips every half minute. Leo wasn't less tired than her, but he offered to keep watch while she caught up on sleep. The children likely wouldn't be up until noon, bless their scared, sleepless hearts.

"Sweet dreams to you, Jemma," Leo whispered once she had fit herself into the warm pile of sleeping nieces and nephews.

"Thank you, Leo," she barely managed through a yawn.