Rocky looked at his parents in slight disbelief. "How could I save you? I mean, I didn't really do anything..."

"You did more than you know," Skye said. She looked at Chase and he nodded. Skye sighed, looking down a bit. "A little over a year ago, I became pregnant." Chase squeezed her hand gently, smiling sadly. "It was going to be a girl. But..." Tears filled her eyes as she struggled to say the next part. "Sadly, she never made it into the world..." She began sobbing, Chase holding her against his chest.

Rocky's own eyes had teared up. "I'm-I'm so sorry... I don't know what to say..."

"It isn't your fault," Chase said, speaking to both of them. "There was nothing you could do."

Skye eventually settled down. "After that, your father and I didn't really speak to each other. The firehouse became very quiet, ominously so. They weren't good times. But," she smiled. "One day, Chase came home talking about a young boy he had helped at school, whose parents were arrested. He told me all about how he saw the fear in his eyes and wanted so badly to help." Rocky's eyes widened and a smile grew on his face. "I agreed to see him at the orphanage and I've never regretted it, even to this day."

Rocky grabbed his mother in a tight hug. "I love you both so much."

"We love you too, Rocky," Chase said. "More than you know."

"Rocky?" Skye asked. "I told you that because... well, you've trusted us with everything about you, it's only fair we tell you the truth. That's our fear, losing people we love."

"We will do everything we can to protect you," Chase said. "No matter what the cost."

"And I will do everything I can to protect you," Rocky said. "Starting with the firehouse."

"You don't need to worry about that right now," Chase said. "We're on vacation. We're here to relax." Chase eyed the pool for a second. "What do you say? Wanna get in?"

Rocky visibly began shaking. "I-I-uh, I-"

"I'm kidding," Chase smiled. "It's getting late anyway. We've got a big day tomorrow."

This instantly excited Rocky as he began grinning. "What are we doing tomorrow?"

Chase looked at Skye. "What do you think, honey? Should I tell him?"

"Hmm... I dunno. I think he should wait."

Rocky pouted, forcing a laugh from the couple. "Trust me, it's going to be fun and you're gonna like it." Chase ruffled his son's hair. "Go shower, brush your teeth and get ready for bed."

"I don't need to shower," Rocky countered.

"Yes you do," Skye said. "You both do. I'm not allowing my men to stink up the cabin. Now go. Chase will show you your room, Rocky. It's got it's own bathroom, but please keep it clean."

"Yes Mom," Rocky said, rolling his eyes. He and Chase chuckled, leaving the pool room. Skye chuckled as well, walking out to the living room. Before she entered, though, she heard someone speaking quietly, almost as if they were hiding. Against her better judgement, she peered her head around the corner and saw Marshall on his phone.

"Are you sure, Everest?" he whispered. Skye gasped, covering her mouth and pulling back. Marshall turned but saw no one, shrugging it off.

Skye walked into the kitchen, wondering what Marshall and Everest could be talking about. She hoped the conversation was going well. Perhaps they'd see their friend once again.

~~~

Marshall and Everest had been on the phone for over an hour, laughing and reminiscing about their younger days. Marshall sighed. "I really missed talking to you, Ev."

"Same here. You said you and everyone are on vacation. Where?"

"The cabin we go to every now and then. It's our first time bringing the kid here."

"Kid? Who's kid?"

"I didn't tell you? His name is Rocky. Chase and Skye adopted him."

Everest gasped. "Really? How old?"

"12, almost 13. He's the sweetest and really smart too. He knows a lot about technology and engineering and is planning a whole bunch of projects for the firehouse and school. He's been a blessing."

"That's wonderful. I'll have to meet him one day." She paused for a moment. "You said you're at the old cabin?"

"Yeah, wh- You're not thinking of coming down here, are you?" Marshall exclaimed with a hint of excitement. His heart began beating at the thought of seeing her again.

"Well, if you don't want me to come, I understand."

"No!" He cleared his throat. "No, I-I want you to come. But can you just leave work?"

Everest laughed. "I've not taking a vacation in over three years, I'm sure one week will be fine. I'll come down tomorrow. Keep it a surprise, will ya Marshy?"

Marshall blushed. "Y-yeah, I can. Can't wait to see you."

"Same here. Well, I've gotta go now. Good night."

"Night." Marshall lowered his phone, a smile stuck on his face. His heart raced in excitement as he imagined being reunited with her. "I love you," he whispered.

~~~

As Rocky sketched in his notebook, he groaned, slamming his pencil down. "Why can't I come up with a simple design?" He thought out loud. An idea struck him.

Walking out of his room, he wandered down the hall, peering into the various rooms before he saw Rubble lying on his back, scrolling through his phone. He knocked on the door. "Hey Rubble."

Rubble looked up and smiled. "Hey kid, what's up?"

Rocky walked over and sat next to him, showing his notebook. "I'm trying to come up with something simple for the firehouse, but I can't think of anything. Everything I draw is too complicated."

Rubble studied the diagram. "What if you move the piping around, like this." He took Rocky's pencil and went to work. Rocky looked confused as Rubble redesigned everything into a simple image. "Straight line makes for good flow. The problem with your design was that you wanted everything to meet at a certain point. That's way too complicated to build and maintain." He tapped a finger on the design in front of them.

"You see the system works kind of like a tree," Rubble explained. "It starts with a main trunk line and branches into the smaller pipes to reach the different parts of the room. Too many turns in the pipe slows the flow down and makes it ineffective." Rocky suddenly understood and began working with Rubble to complete the drawing. "Then for each floor you start the tree again and it makes for easy maintenance later," Rubble said. "Water or Fire Suppressant, plumbing is plumbing."

Rocky smiled and hugged Rubble, surprising him. "Thank you! I'm not going to be able to install this myself when it's made. Wanna help?"

"Sure, anything for you kid. This is really going to help a lot of people. You're doing a great job."

Rocky chuckled and said good night. He left his sketchbook with Rubble so he could finalize the details. Curious, Rubble flipped through the other drawings. Some were very interesting and he couldn't decipher. One, however, caught his eye and made him smile.

It was a picture of all of them, together, drawn in cartoon style. Rubble himself looked much more muscular than in real life, that made him chuckle. Rocky stood in front of Chase and Skye, followed by Marshall, himself, and Zuma. Each one of them were labeled and colored in a specific color. Rubble smiled, recognizing them as their old uniform colors. "How'd he know?" Rubble thought aloud.

"I told him," Chase said, almost startling Rubble. "He's a real artist, isn't he?"

"It's amazing," Rubble said. He looked up at Chase. "I've got an idea. We should scan it and blow it up, make a huge picture for him."

Chase smiled. "He'll love it." Chase yawned and looked at his watch. "Hey, you better go to bed. Remember what we've got planned for tomorrow?"

"Right, right. But, how are you gonna get Rocky to-"

"Don't worry about it, I've got a plan to make sure he enjoys himself."

~~~

The next morning, Marshall couldn't stop smiling. All through breakfast, he was the cheeriest person out of them all. They knew him as a morning person, but no one ever expected him to be this happy.

"What's with you?" Chase asked him.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Marshall said. "Just really excited about today." Rocky looked up at him, wondering what was so special.

"It's not like you haven't done it before dude," Zuma said. "We've been going since we were kids."

"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about-" Before he could finish, the doorbell rung. "I'll get it!" Marshall ran from the table, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"What's going on?" Rocky asked. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Skye said. She looked at Chase and the others, but they only shrugged.

"Guys," Marshall yelled. "Come out here! There's someone who wants to see you!" Everyone looked at each other curiously before getting up and heading to the front door. There stood Everest, wearing a fur lined coat, her dazzling lavender hair coming down past her shoulders and her bright blue eyes smiling at them.

"Everest!" Everyone, but Rocky, shouted, rushing forward to greet her. Rocky stood back, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

"It's so good to see everyone!" Everest said. She noticed Rocky trying to slip away. "And you must be Rocky. I know you don't know me, but I've been friends with your parents and friends for a long time."

"Nice to meet you," Rocky said. "I like your hair."

"I like yours," she said, chuckling a little. Rocky rubbed a hand through his hair, blushing a little.

"Everest," Marshall said. "We were just eating breakfast. Why don't you join us?"

"Thanks, but I ate on the way here. I'm stuffed."

"Tell me you don't still like liver?" Chase said.

"Oh, yes I do. In fact, I brought some snacks. Want some?" A series of no's and nope's had them all chuckling as they made their way back to the kitchen. "Anyway, are you guys still planning on going jet skiing like we always did?"

Rocky's eyes widened. "J-jet skiing?" He looked to Chase. "Is that the surprise?"

"It was," he glared at Everest. "Look, I know the water scares you, but I really want you to enjoy this. I'll be right there for you to hold onto. It's safe."

"How d-deep?" Rocky asked. "How deep is the water?"

"Honey, don't psyche yourself out," Skye said. "It's perfectly safe. I even got you some arm floaties to wear. Plus, Zuma's a lifeguard. He'll help you."

Rocky looked at each of them. They all smiled back at him. He looked to Everest. Something about her made him feel calm. He smiled and nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

~~~

"I don't know about this." Rocky stood at the shore wearing a wetsuit, arm floaties and a tether connected to Chase. The roaring of jet skis could be heard in the distance. He watched in awe as they zoomed across the water at high speeds.

"Come on, buddy," Chase said. "You have to face this."

"I only put my feet in the water yesterday, now you want me to-"

"You're not getting in the water," Chase clarified "You're riding a jet ski."

"On water," Rocky pointed out. "And it looks deep."

"You can do this, I know you can." Chase knelt in front of his son, looking up at him. "I believe in you, 100%. You can face this and overcome it. Whatever happened in the past is never going to happen again, not while I'm alive, not while your mother's here or the other guys. We will all be there for you no matter what."

Rocky trembled. He knew they cared about him, but he was just completely terrified. He looked down at Chase and tears formed in his eyes. "I-I'm scared," he whispered.

Chase looked down at the ground and sighed. "Okay. If you don't want to do this, I understand. I won't force you to do something you don't want to." The others had already gone out and were racing against each other. Rocky and Chase sat on the shore, the waves crashing in front of them.

Rocky looked up at Chase. He could see how much his Dad wanted to be out there. He didn't want him to miss out because of him. He knew what his Dad wanted: for him to face his fear. With a shaky sigh, he nudged his Dad. "Let's go."

"Are you sure?" Chase was surprised.

"I'll-I'll try." Rocky forced a smile on his face, though it was apparent that he was nervous. They both climbed on a jet ski, Rocky sitting behind Chase. He wrapped his arms around his waist and clutched on and tight as he could.

Chase started the jet ski and slowly pulled out farther and farther into the water. Rocky shook and trembled, but never made a sound. "How ya doing, buddy?"

"O-O-O-kay," Rocky stuttered. His eyes were clamped shut and his grip tightened. Chase slowly picked up speed, soon reaching the others. Skye smiled once she saw them, though she was a bit heartbroken to see how scared her son was.

"You're doing awesome, Rocky!" she encouraged.

"Look at the little dude out on the water!" Zuma yelled with a smile.

Marshall, along with Everest sitting behind him, pulled up. "Rocky?" Everest said. "I'm scared too. I haven't been on one of these things in a long time." Rocky opened one eye, saw the water, and instantly shut it. "It's okay to be scared sometimes, but you've gotta live up to the fear, show it who's boss."

"How do I show it who's boss?" Rocky asked.

"By facing it. Don't even think about it, just do it. And, soon, you'll realize you aren't scared anymore." She loosened her grip on Marshall. "Hey, can we switch spots?" she asked him.

"Uh, sure, I guess." He dropped into the water, only to resurface and climb on the back. "You sure you've got this?"

She smiled and looked over to Rocky. He had been watching her, wide-eyed. "I know I do." WIth that, she squeezed the trigger, zooming off down the water, Marshall screaming his head off.

Chase, Skye and the others laughed as they heard him scream. "Looks like she got the hang of it," Rubble said.

Rocky smiled. He looked down at the water and gulped, but simply shook every bad though from his head. "Dad?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Chase them," he said, a smirk on his face. "I wanna watch Marshall scream."

Chase laughed loudly. "You got it!" Chase picked up the speed. Rocky shut his eyes, but forced them open. Soon, a smile grew on his face and he was cheering and yelling as they raced across the water. Chase smiled, knowing Rocky wouldn't be afraid anymore.

~~~

Rocky had fallen asleep on the ride home. He was still smiling, even in his sleep. "He's so cute," Everest commented. Rocky had leaned against her without realizing, but she didn't mind. She stroked his hair as he continued sleeping. "How did you meet him?"

Chase frowned. "It wasn't under the best of circumstances, but, in the end, Skye and I talked about him and we just went from there."

"Technically, he chose us," Skye said. "He nearly got hit by a car chasing us down the street."

Marshall laughed. "Yeah, the kid has guts, I'll give him that." He pulled into a gas station. "Van needs gas. Everyone can get out and stretch their legs if they want."

"I'll fill 'er up and stay with the kid," Rubble offered. Everyone got out and walked into the store, leaving the two alone. As Rubble was about to pump the gas, however, the van began moving on its own. "Hey! Wait!" Rubble chased after it, but it picked up speed rapidly as they were on a hill. "Rocky!"

Jolted awake by a sudden bump, Rocky looked around. The car was empty, yet moving very quickly down a steep slope. "Dad?! Mom?! Anyone?!" he yelled. He removed his seatbelt and climbed over seats until he reached the steering wheel. He regained control of the van, steering clear of any cars. Unfortunately, he veered into oncoming traffic. A huge tractor trailer was approaching fast. He slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel. The last thing he heard was the truck's blaring horn.

~~~

The guys walked out of the convenience store laughing when they realized the van was missing. "Must be Rubble playing a prank," Zuma laughed.

Marshall pulled out his phone and started tracking Rubble's phone. "They're at the bottom of the hill."

"Weird," Chase said. "Why would he head downhill?" Sirens could be heard as a few police and fire trucks raced passed them, heading down the hill. Fear gripped Chase and he looked to Skye. Skye had the same thoughts and the two started running, chasing after the emergency vehicles. Marshall and the others followed behind them.

Staring down at the bottom of the hill, they saw a wrecked tractor trailer, which had obviously spilled its goods all over the road. On the other side, their brown family van completely untouched. "Rocky!" Chase and Skye yelled, rushing down.

"Sir, Ma'am, please step back," an officer said, intercepting them. "You cannot walk into the scene."

"I say they can," Marshall said, pulling out his badge. "Chief Marshall, what's going on?" The tractor trailer had burst into flames just a few feet away.

"Driver of the truck claims that van swerved into his lane. He turned his steering wheel and wrecked. It's a miracle that van didn't crash."

"My son is in there," Chase yelled. "You let me through, now!" Marshall nodded and the officer complied. Chase ran over to the van, Skye following behind.

Rocky sat in the driver's seat, hands clutching the wheel tightly, his eyes wide and unblinking. Chase opened the door and pulled him out, holding him tightly in his arms. "He's okay," CHase gasped. "Not a scratch on him."

"He's in shock!" Skye said. "Honey, you're safe, can you hear me?"

Rocky couldn't. The scene replayed in his mind over and over again. He was paralyzed with fear.

Marshall looked inside the van and his heart dropped.

He had left the car in neutral.