When The Walls Come Tumblin' Down (9-1-1s/Chicago Fire/Law & Orders)

Christopher I, Lily I, Griffin I

As the clock counts down to when everyone heads to New York, we get a peek into the minds of a few of the kids.

Enjoy the last chapter before everyone starts to arrive!

***

The shift before the Los Angeles crew flew to New York included Bobby taking the house offline for dinner, and the house's significant others and children gathered for a potluck of sorts. Harry and Denny had beelined for the videogame console immediately while Michael, David, and Karen watched in fond amusement. Maddie sat with Chimney, her smile seemingly pasted on her face as she gently bounced Jee-Yun on her knee. Her smile turned more genuine as Buck plopped next to her and started making funny faces for Jee-Yun's pleasure, and the baby's giggles made color return to her mother's face.

Christopher, meanwhile, sat in a chair close to the kitchen, giving May a toothy smile as they watched Bobby keep a critical eye on Eddie, Athena watching the two firefighters while hiding her grin behind her glass. "I've never been to New York before," he told the young dispatcher excitedly.

"I'm surprised you were able to get pulled from school for this," May admitted.

"I had to promise the school we would be on top of his work," Eddie answered, lifting one of the dishes to carry it to the table. "It helped that I could explain Captain Vega's daughters will be held to the same promise."

"And she has two of them," Athena nodded. "This is Captain Strand's paramedic captain, right?"

"And his son's captain, too," Bobby confirmed as he checked his macaroni and cheese. "According to Owen, TK switched from his ladder crew to Captain Vega's EMS crew a few weeks after the wildfires."

"So does that mean there's an open spot on the ladder?" May wondered.

Bobby shrugged. "If there is, Owen didn't sound too concerned about it."

"Who else is coming?" Christopher asked, tilting his head as he watched Bobby carefully remove his dish from the oven.

"Uh," Bobby frowned in concentration. "Well, it's me, Athena, May, Buck, you, and your dad from here. The Strands, the Vegas, and TK's boyfriend from Austin. I think TK's paramedic partner is coming, too. As for Chicago, it'll be Wallace, his captain, one of his lieutenants, his chief paramedic, and the captain's two wards. Wallace implied there might be another younger child coming, too, but I haven't heard anything since then."

Christopher blinked. "Then who's running his house?"

Eddie snickered into his arm. "Hey, it's a fair question," Bobby lightly chastised.

"Yeah, I know," Eddie laughed. "I'm just trying to picture what a house would look like without its officers."

Bobby chuckled and conceded with a nod. "Wallace has a captain and two lieutenants at his house," he explained. "The engine lieutenant will still be there, so the house will run under his command. They did figure out who would fill in for the missing officers while they're in New York, though."

"Good," Christopher nodded in satisfaction.

"Hey, Buck?"

"Yeah?" Buck's head shot up from where he had been playing with Jee-Yun, Maddie looking up curiously as well.

Ravi appeared at the top of the stairs, a small frown on his face. "Uh, there's someone downstairs asking for you," he said. "He said to ask why he had to hear from his former squad that you're going to be in New York at the same time as him?"

All heads simultaneously turned to Buck, whose jaw dropped. "No way," he breathed, rocketing up from the couch and bolting for the stairs. "Amaro?!"

"Buckley!" a jovial male voice called in return, and Christopher carefully got to his feet and made his way to the railing. "I have a bone to pick with you!"