Title: Yesterday to Tomorrow: Chapter Twenty-one, Fire in the Sky
Rating: R [violence, swearing]

Summary: There's an explosive situation at the couple's house.

Previous Chapter More Every Breath

Current Chapter Fire in the Sky

Next Chapter Prickling Revelations

Eyes intently focused on her left foot, Alyssa willed it to move, just as she had been for the past hour while Chris hurried about the house. She knew he was up to something, more so from the look on Tim's face. And so she focused on getting her other foot to move to distract her curiosity. Seemed like a good idea.

Not that it was working. Her foot wasn't moving and her thoughts kept drifting to whatever Chris had in mind. It especially wasn't helpful that he kept walking by the room, glancing in. She wasn't sure if he was checking in on her or making sure she wasn't snooping around.

Soon the buzz of other voices began to fill the house. Alyssa's brows furrowed, not entirely sure what to make of that. Especially since her patience had worn out. Clicking the brake off on the wheelchair, she headed to the door. Leaning forward in the chair, she looked both ways down the hall, trying to discern where everyone was.

"Lyss? Need something?" Chris asked, approaching from her right.

"Well it's just... I can hear people here, Chris. What's going on?" she asked, brown eyes looking up to him.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"Okay, okay. We're ready for you now anyways," he winked, moving behind her chair.

He seemed to be pushing her impossibly slow. Had she been able to walk, they would already be wherever, Alyssa was certain of that. Had she been able to walk.

"Chris," she whined.

He merely chuckled in response before turning her chair into the room. Her eyes went wide, seeing how many had comprised the soft buzz of talking. A few peopls she expected. Not a few dozen. But everyone from Chris's band to some of Alyssa's friends from college were there.

And she knew it wasn't her birthday.

"Chris?" she looked over her shoulder at him.

"We wanted to show you our support," he answered. "So everyone stopped by tonight... a little unexpectedly actually. But I blame that on Tim for forgetting to tell me earlier today."

Tim's hands went in the air, "Totally not my fault."

"I...." she glanced at everyone, smiling slightly. "Thank you."

Most of the evening was a blur to Alyssa. People talked to her, some even gifted her with things hoping to cheer her up. It all just kinda blended together.

Until Brad grabbed her wheelchair and pushed her outside. He had something special just to cheer her up. Something didn't feel right about it.

Chris pulled a patio chair up next to Alyssa, sitting down and grabbing her hand, "This should be... interesting."

It wasn't until Brad pulled out his lighter and a handful of long matches that Alyssa really got nervous. Whatever he was doing couldn't be a good idea. At all.

"Chris," she muttered, "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Don't worry, darling. Brad's taken all the proper precautions," he assured her.

A few moments later the sky lit up with shooting stars. The small party crowd 'oooh'ed and 'aaah'ed as the fireworks filled the dark backyard with light. Despite everything going off well, Alyssa still remained tense, her hand tight around Chris's.

And then it happened.

One of the fireworks did not lift off like it was supposed to. Oh it left the base all right. But did not shoot into the sky. Instead it shot over the partygoers' heads, towards the house. Alyssa's eyes widened, unable to turn fully around in the wheelchair to see what happened after the firework disappeared. But the sound of shattering glass was enough.

It had shot clear through a window on the second floor.

"Fuck!" Brad dropped his unlit matches and bolted towards the house.

For a moment Alyssa thought that Chris was going to charge after him. Instead he scooped her out of her chair, carrying her as far from the house as possible in the backyard. Making sure she was safely sitting on the grass, others staying with her, Chris returned to the now smoking house, the sound of sirens in in the faint distance.

"No! Chris! Come back!" Alyssa pleaded, reaching towards him.

He stopped halfway between the house and her. Turned halfway he looked from the house to Alyssa and back again. She could sense the fight in him: to fight the fire or to quiet his panicking fiancee.

He chose the last, returning to her and wrapping his arms around her, "Shhh. It's okay, Lyss. The firemen will be here soon."

As if on cue the sirens stopped just outside the house. The lights of the engine reflected off the trees in the front of the house, giving glimpses of light over the roofline. Alyssa bit her bottom lip and buried her face on Chris's shoulder.

Sometime later Chris pulled away from her to speak with the fire marshall with a very apologetic Brad. As Brad did have the proper permits, no charges would be filed, not that Chris was intending to sue his bandmate or anything. Luckily the damage had been minimal, the fire contained to the upper level's two guest rooms. Smoke damaged the children's rooms and the master suite, but nothing that couldn't be repaired.

However Alyssa and Chris would not be staying the night in the house for some time. And that didn't sit well with anyone, especially since they all knew that Alyssa needed stability in her recovery.

"Baby," Chris knelt before her as the firemen left, "you have a choice. We can go and stay with Brad and Selene or we can stay in a hotel."

"I don't care," she muttered, not looking up at him.

His fingers pushed hair from her eyes, "Lyssa, I'm sorry things went so horribly tonight. I think going to Brad's house might be a good idea, better than an impersonal hotel."

"Whatever, Chris," she replied, still not looking at him.

Sighing he stood, "I'll get our things together and we'll be over soon, Brad."