#yes the firehouse is taking place of the restaurant

[overkill-max]

Wedding mini-fic

A mini-fic of what happens during and after the wedding. From the perspective of Maya’s mom. 

---

Looking back at the wedding pictures, she thinks she looks out of place. She sees herself without makeup, in a plaid shirt. Having left her husband that same day. He was on a rant about Maya and her “lifestyle choices.” Katherine was cowering, just as her daughter described her. Feeling suffocated. She looked at Lane, all the anger directed towards her daughter, that would soon turn to her, and she felt herself turn into the husk she was before she left.

For an instant, she thought about Maya.

“I have to go pick up ice.” Katherine whispered. Lane did not hear her. He never heard her. Or Maya. Or Mason. Or anyone else.

She grabbed her purse and her mask and left.

 //

She did not pick up ice.

Maya’s house was empty.

Katherine didn’t know where to go. The only other place familiar to her was the fire station.

 //

She walked in not knowing her daughter would be admitting she forgot to write her vows. Carina mentioned that it did not matter, that it was sweet and perfect that Maya, someone who was overprepared and had lists and clipboards, had forgotten to write down a list. She was too excited to start their lives together.

“I love you, and I choose you. Forever.” Hearing her daughter say that with such joy, made her cry. Interrupting their vows. She apologized but the way that her daughter and her soon to be bride looked at her, both lighting up, let her know she made the right choice.

//

Maya and Carina were happy for most of their wedding.

Then they realized that another firefighter had taken her job. Or cost her the job. Katherine was still confused about how a person can get fired so casually.

She thought she would need to hold her breath. Whenever Lane was upset, she would walk on eggshells to avoid setting him off.

Maya looked betrayed and sad. But not devastated. She was not angry. Her wife excused them with a polite smile, then took her outside.

Katherine did not know if she was allowed to follow or not. She wanted to comfort her daughter. Yet it had always been hard. Maya was so much like Lane. Hiding everything away until it exploded in unhealthy ways. Lashing out. Wanting to keep everyone from seeing her in pain.

She worried about Carina.

It was a lovely wedding.

She should not have followed them, but she did.

//

“Maya, it’s okay.” It was soft. “Bambina, you are a fighter and so smart and strong. If this captain job is what you want, you can get it back or get another captain.”

Maya said something too soft for her to hear through the door.

“No, you are an amazing good captain. This is just them punishing you for supporting your fire fighters and not the administration… remember what you told me? Why they were afraid to do what you did?”

//

Katherine went back to the party.

//

She does not remember the rest of the party. Only what the pictures tell her.

//

The thing she does remember is how her daughter interrupted her own wedding to ask her friends to help her move in with them.

Even fire fighters from the other shifts helped. Five men stayed outside with Lane. The rest carried things she pointed to from inside the home she used to call hers. Packed her bags. “Mama B, you need your passport.” Carina… her new daughter in-law said.

It made the room feel smaller. Lane controlled that. He had all of that in his gun safe. In the office he kept locked up.

“Maya.” Her daughter nodded.

They were alone in the room where before she had always been too scared to move. Constantly drowning. No wonder her daughter chose to be a fire fighter. She was used to the feeling of having to work hard to breathe.  

Carina talked at her. Katherine did not have the mental capacity to forms sentences or words. Still feeling on edge. Never safe. Never safe in this house.

She appreciated how at ease the other woman was. How kindly she smiled. Not in that ugly way others did. Where they pitied her. Seeing her as both a victim but also deserving of Lane’s anger for not standing up for herself. For going back.

Carina was just as she remembered her at the spaghetti dinner. Genuinely excited to spend time with her.

It made her feel uncomfortable and happy at the same time.

Even Maya’s patience with her ran thin. Often lashing out in anger. Raising her voice. Narrowing her eyes the way her father did. She was so much like him. It broke her heart to see it.

Yet, Katherine understood that. She was comfortable in that. Had lived with that.

Carina was unexpected.

//

Maya returned with a stack of folders and a gun.

Katherine flinched.

“Maya, no.” Her daughter-in-law commanded.

“But…” Maya tried to argue. “No. Bambina, look at your mother… look at this country… Look at what happens when you have so many guns in the house and so many fears… I don’t want that in my house.”

Maya mentioned her father. It struck a new type of fear in Katherine.

“What makes you think he cannot buy another gun if you take this one? How much angrier is he going to be if that happens?”

Katherine swallows. She hated that Lane had a gun. Feared that he would use it against her. Or worse, the kids. Maya knew that. If he was angry, he might.

Carina understood anger. Escalation. Violence. She saw blood and death. The result of things like this.

“You take your papa’s gun and you have to be ready to shoot him with it. This thing, it will not end well. Leave the gun… this is only about your mama… you take that thing into our lives and you make it about something he thinks is his. You make it into a fight.”

Maya leaves in a huff.

“You are not his. You are yours.” Carina tells her. Firm voice. Needing to be heard. Soft hands. Wanting to comfort.

She nods.

They leave.

//

Everyone that helps set up her room stays at their house.

“It’s the after party.” Carina shouts happily. She puts on music and begins making pasta in her wedding dress.

Warren and Bailey come from the fire station with the men and women that stayed behind to clean up.

Cases of alcohol get brought into the house and people keep drinking and dancing. Victoria sings. Maya comes out in a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. She kisses Carina and takes the knife from her. Telling her to get comfortable.

“Please don’t angry chop my pasta.” Her daughter-in-law begs. Maya shrugs. Pretending she’s not listening. Mimicking angry chopping.

“Mama B, make sure she separates the pasta and hang it to dry.” Carina shouts, laughing as she leaves the kitchen and bumps into Andy.

 //

The whole night was chaotic and filled with laughter and love.

//

Katherine wakes up early the next day. Not knowing what to do without Lane dictating every minute of her life, she lays there. Unsure of what she is allowed here. This place has her things, but it doesn’t feel like hers. It feels borrowed. Like last time.

She gets up and heads for the kitchen. Tip toeing around the place. Unsure of how quiet Maya and Carina need her to be. She is a guest.

“Suocera!” Carina enthusiastically greets her from the stove. Katherine nods. Confused. “Buongiorno.” She tries. It’s the only word she knows in Italian.

Carina laughs as she shakes her head. “Right... It… it is… you are the mother of the wife?” She asks. Not knowing the word.

“Oh. Mother-in-law” Katherine quickly fills in.

“Yes, suocera.” Carina repeats and smiles. Flipping over the French toast in the pan. Katherine stands there and Carina waves the spatula around. “I made espresso, but if it’s not your thing, you can add the water. Cups are there. Explore.”

“Can you grab me the thing?” Carina asks. Pointing vaguely behind her.

Katherine smiles. Uncomfortable. She likes the house. It is lovely. But Lane liked things to be a certain way. To stay there. For cabinets not to be opened unnecessarily.

“Uh.” Katherine stops. Looking at the counter.

“Maya, the thing! You know, the thing.” Carina says louder. Katherine freezes. Carina turns around, smiling and her face drops. She turns pale. Katherine waits for the explosion.

“I’m sorry.” Carina tells her. Voice softer. Hands moving wildly as she tries to find the words. “I’m sorry, suocera. I know when I get excited it seems like I am yelling. But I am not yelling at you. Or at Maya. I… I am not yelling.”

Katherine feels the tension in herself. In the other woman. As Carina wants to comfort her but does not step closer. She waits. Looking torn. “Boundaries.” Her therapist’s voice says inside her.

Katherine tilts her head down. Looking at the floor. She barely nods.

A small invitation is all it takes to be swept up in a tight hug. Carina pats down her hair and kisses it. “I’m sorry, suocera. I’m learning too.” Is all she says.

She cries and she is held.

The French toast burns, and Maya runs in to witness her wife running with a flaming pan, heading outside. Her mother is coughing. The water is on in the sink. Putting nothing out.

“Carina!” Maya shouts as she stares at her mom. Instead of finding the cold, angry blue she is used to, she finds worry. There is no blame. It feels like no time has passed but her daughter is different. This is not the same woman that told her she needed therapy for thinking what they went through together was abuse. For knowing it was wrong.

She runs out and takes command of the situation. Taking the hose from her wife and making sure there are no flames before heading back inside with a waterlogged piece of bread. Black from the flames. The kitchen is filled with smoke but there is no fire or damage.

Maya hugs her mother and Katherine feels like she can breathe. Even with the smoke. She cries. Her daughter had never been soft. But she changed for love. Katherine never felt strong. But she learned from her daughter. For her daughter.

She wonders what will happen if she stays. If this place becomes her home.

//

Katherine thinks she looks out of place. When the pictures come back.

She does not feel out of place.

Not then. Not now.

Carina is laughing beside her. Pointing out all the pictures that make her smile.

Three months feel a world away.

 //

Katherine was worried about Maya. The offer came from Carina.

She did not want to overstay her invitation. But finding a job as a home maker that was scared of men shouting or froze at every loud noise, meant her prospects were limited. Especially in a pandemic.

She wanted to find her own place. Or even a shelter. To let her daughter build a new life without the old once holding her back. But Carina was so nice. So welcoming. She was so soft and safe that it was hard to feel bad about not trying hard enough.

Maya was different too. She was still reserved. But she was brighter. In a way she never thought Maya could be. The last time she visited there was so much anger. Denial. She was closed off and lashed out when people got too close to the core of who she was. So much like Lane that it hurt to look at her and see nothing but steel staring back. Cold. Lifeless.  

Now she was nothing but awe and love.

Katherine liked it. She liked knowing who her daughter had become without all that pain. Without the constant pressure to achieve. To make Lane proud.

 //

She asked, once. When Maya was not home.

Carina was direct. She never made them guess. She never hid her feelings or what she wanted. She was stubborn. And she always answered. Even when she could not find the words. She would answer. Because Carina liked clarity.

Katherine understood.

Walking on eggshells while not knowing what would set Lane off made her appreciate Carina’s openness. Even when it made her uncomfortable. Or mad at herself for not being able to reciprocate. She still liked who Carina was.

“I get to have a family again.” Carina shrugged. Passing the sheet of pasta through the metal press.

Katherine waited. Carina was the daughter that she always imagined other parents had. She giggled easily and gossiped. Filled the silences with laughter and words.

“I did have a family. But it was before. Then mama left and I stayed so Andrea could go. And it was just papa and me. He was so angry, and their marriage was so terrible that I hated the idea of family… but then…” She smiled softly.

“Then Maya became my home and family was something I missed… I… in Italy… you are expected to move with your husband’s family. To have your suocera and their nonna and all these people constantly in your life… I wanted to have that…” Katherine nods.

“I know it’s selfish to want you to stay. Americans, you like your life to be individual and separate and borders and very yourselves. But… I feel like a momma chicken. I like all of the people I love in my house. In my roof. Happy and in each other’s life… it feels… warm. Like a home.” Carina shrugs. Cutting the pasta into small sheets.

Katherine smiles. Liking the idea that family, home, could be something other than what both her and her daughter have known. What her daughter-in-law has known. That it could be built on new traditions. Starting with a wedding she was underdressed for but still belonged in.

[roy-kents]

buddie + "it wasn't meant to be this way"? *hands you my heart*

"It — It wasn't meant to be this way." Eddie's fingers curl around the little black box in his pocket, gripping onto it like a lifeline, begging his gut to let him have this.

"What wasn't, Babe?" Buck says, taking a step towards Eddie with a concerned furrow in his brow. "Is everything okay?"

Eddie lets out a laugh that's borderline hysterical, because you see, he had a plan. Or well, the skeleton of one. Maddie was helping him put together dinner reservations at a fancy upscale restaurant by the water, Linda helping him with a nice hotel. Hell, even May was co-ordinating with Bobby to get them a few days off together. They were meant to start the rest of their lives together in relaxation, by the ocean.

And then Buck had gone and almost died saving a kid from a fire in their family home, and every atom in Eddie's body was screaming to ask him now. Before it's too late.

"I had a plan." Eddie begins, pacing the floor in the loft of the firehouse, swiping his hair away from his forehead. "I — we were gonna go on vacation at the end of the month for a few days, just you and me. And then on our last night, we were gonna have dinner by the beach, and we were gonna take a walk, and I —"

"And you what?" Buck asks quietly, taking a step towards Eddie. "What were you going to do next, Eddie?"

Eddie swallows harshly, the reality of the situation dawning on him. "I was gonna ask you —" He pauses, shaking his head as he takes a deep breath. "Buck. Evan. I love you."

"I love you too." Buck chokes out, having clearly caught onto what's happening.

Eddie smiles, tender and loving before continuing. "I love the person I am with you. You make me feel brave and free in a way I didn't think I'd get to ever feel. You allow me to be, well, me. It's taken us a long time to get here, and there were some points where I didn't think we ever would in all honesty. But you were patient, and kind, and you fought for me and Chris and the family we've built every single step of the way. And almost losing you today..." Eddie pauses as his voice cracks, closing his eyes briefly before looking deep into Buck's eyes as he sinks to one knee. The calm before the storm. Buck's eyes fill with tears to match Eddie's.

"Evan," he begins, smile watery but so genuine. "My life's been a bit all over the place these last few years, and there's been a lot of turmoil. But one thing I'm sure of is this — us. I've never been more sure of the fact that I want to take the next steps, all the steps I have left to take on this earth with you, by my side. So, with that in mind..." Eddie produces the box from his pocket, flicking it open. "Will you marry me?"

Tears stream free down Buck's cheeks as he sinks to his knees, pulling Eddie into a passionate kiss that has him gasping into the younger man's mouth. His free hand grips Buck's waist to pull him closer. However close he is is never going to be close enough, Eddie thinks.

Buck pulls back after a moment, a delicate but broad smile spreading across his face as he nods. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Is that a —"

"Yes! It's a yes!"

Eddie grins so wide it feels like he's going to split his face in two. And, as he reels Buck back in to steal the first of a lifetime's worth of kisses, he's so glad he decided to follow his heart.

[tomtenadia]

Blind mistake

Rowaelin month - day 8

So, this fic was fighting me at the beginning. as I started, deleted and restarted a million times.

Then slowly the idea came and here it is. What I was not expecting was to write a A Little Braver AU.

Aelin and Rowan meet under different circumstances and are two different people from thee actual story. Aelin is still the captain at east station and Rowan still the airforce captain.

Yes, this is a happier fic but as Aelin said in KoA... she loved Rowan because it was him, the man who had known pain as deep as hers.

IN order to enjoy this fic you do not need to have read ALB. A part from Pete popping up for a brief second at the end, this is a complete stand alone story and no knowledge of ALB is needed.

Rowan sighed. His love life sucked so much that he ended up using a dating app. Since Lyria dumped him a year before he had been struggling to go back in the game. He had been on a few dates but so far none of the women he met had sparked his curiosity. Far too bland and with almost no personality or far too bothered by looks. Some of them had been downright stupid and he had been a gentleman and played along when all he wanted to do was run away screaming. The last nightmare had been a woman called Remelle who Lorcan had recommended to him. He had to feign food poisoning and pay the chef to let him escape from the back of the restaurant to flee the monster. He had paid the bill sneakily, and once home he had insulted Lorcan and his poor taste in women.

Now he was again in a restaurant, ready for probably another fiasco. He and the woman had chatted a bit and she had seemed interesting so he had dared to ask her out and she had accepted. On the paper it was all good. In reality he was getting ready for another crazy escape. Maybe he should just give up and live alone and become a grumpy old man.

He had a kingsflame on the table near him, their code to recognise each other at the restaurant. The fact that they knew very little about each other made him nervous. It was a recipe for disaster. He knew she was a personal shopper and that she liked movies and music. He was really dreading the encounter now, and started to realise that perhaps it had been a mistake. She could have lied.

Until he raised his head and he noticed the woman who had just entered the restaurant. He then spotted the flower pinned on her green dress as they had agreed. Gods, the woman was way too hot for him. There was a catch somewhere. His heart raced when realisation dawned on her face and she waved and started to walk to him. The smile. Damn, the smile could stop a man’s heart. The woman walking toward him was a goddess. He was expecting her to turn away for another table until she sat down in front of him at his table. Rowan was speechless.

“Sorry, I am late. Accident on the ring road. I stopped to give a hand to west station.” She used her hand to brush off the smudge of grease he had only just noticed she had.

“You stopped?”

“Yes,” she looked at him with a strange light in her eyes “I am a firefighter. I am the captain at east station.”

Rowan blinked twice. Shit. She was the wrong woman. She was not here for him. Of course. It was too good to be true. She had sat at the wrong table and a part of him was sad.

“I am Aelin.” she said and he knew that it had dawned on her as well that he was not her date “You are not Chaol.”

Rowan shook his head “I am Rowan.”

“Holy shit. I saw the kingsflame. The restaurant. And you smiled at me when I came in. I just assumed...” He did not want her to go. 

“Ach, I was having second thoughts anyway.” He shrugged.

In that moment the waiter came and they were hesitant for a moment then Aelin grabbed the menu and started ordering, surprising him. Rowan got some wine for both and they placed as well their order.

“Our dates are late anyway. Maybe stuck in the horrendous traffic out there.”

“You will not hear me complain.” Said Rowan with a smile “so, you stopped and helped?”

Aelin nodded, sipping a bit of her wine “I couldn’t resist it. West station was there but there were so many cars involved that I had to something. The traffic wasn’t moving anyway.”

Rowan could not believe the woman in front of him. Not only she was a goddess. She had even stopped to help her colleagues save people from a car crash on her way to a date. Where had she been all his life?

The waiter came with their order and smiled at the expression of joy when Aelin looked at the amount of food in front of her. Another point for her. She had an appetite. He had no need of another date ordering a boring salad. He was a healthy eater but loved a woman with an appetite, especially because he loved cooking.

“So Rowan, what do you do?” She asked him while tackling the gigantic prawn on her seafood tagliatelle.

“I am an airforce pilot. I am a captain.”

Her face lit up “as in the uniform and all? And the awesome planes?”

Rowan nodded.

Aelin was about to take another sip of her wine when two figures stopped at their table. A brown-haired man and a blonde woman. Both had a kingsflames pinned on their dresses.

“Excuse me but you are with my date.” Said the stranger.

Rowan looked up from his risotto “finders keepers.”

“And he is my date.” Said the woman in a shrill voice.

“What he said.” Added Aelin while eating another prawn.

“We got stuck in traffic. There is a massive road accident on the ring road.” Chaol complained, not letting it go.

“Yeah I know. I stopped to help and I still made it here before you.”

“So what does this mean?” Asked Chaol.

Aelin stared at Rowan. It was a no brainer. Chaol was cute but Rowan was sex on two legs. Between the silver hair and the green eyes he ticked all of the boxes. And he was a pilot. Chaol was an accountant.

“You two can go on a date together.” She suggested and hoped they took the hint.

“That is rude.”

“Oh shoot,” said Aelin covering her mouth in fake surprise “I must have left the fucks I have to give in my bunker gear.”

Chaol looked at her aghast. The blonde woman turned on her heels and left.

“You missed an opportunity.” He added before he left as well.

As soon as he left Rowan burst into laughter and she joined him “no fucks to give…” he said trying to catch his breath “I have to steal this when my CO drives me nuts.”

“Ansel, one of my firefighters, she taught me that.”

“It’s fucking perfect.” 

And both resumed their dinner without the awkwardness of a blind date. No stupid questions like how many siblings do you have or what is your favourite colour. No, with Rowan there had been a connection from the start and the joke had been the final proof.

“Most guys would have left running at my joke. I have a big and foul mouth. Not very lady-like.” She apologised. “I work in a male dominated place. Apart from Ansel and my two paramedics, I am surrounded by guys and well, they are not easily scared.”

Rowan chuckled “I am in the military. My CO uses fuck you as a term of endearment and one of my lieutenants has the record for the most innuendos in a sentence.”

“How many?” Asked Aelin curios.

“Ten.”

“No friggin’ way.”

Rowan nodded solemnly. Then looked at her and he was glad she sat at his table mistaking him for another man. They had known each other only for twenty minutes but he was dumbstruck by the woman.

She was fierce, intelligent and with a wicked sense of humour.

The meal had been perfect. Aelin had polished every single plate in front of her and also ordered dessert. And when she offered to pay for half the bill he had smiled. He had plenty of dates where the woman didn’t even offer. She took it for granted that he, being the man, was the one paying. He had no issues with that, he was happy to pay, but the fact that Aelin offered made him realise that she was different.

They left the restaurant and he gasped when he saw a red pickup reading Terrasen fire department on its livery, parked just outside the restaurant.

“Way to scare the patrons away.” He joked.

“Sorry. Yesterday I took a lift to work from a colleague and I forgot for a moment that I had a set the date for tonight after my shift. So I grabbed my work pickup to get here. I need to go back to the firehouse and return it.”

“I’ll follow, you drop off the pickup and then I drive you home.”

“I can take a cab, you don’t have to come all the way to the station and back.”

“Humour me,” he said giving her a beautiful smile and she accepted.

Ten minutes later they were at east station and she parked the pickup in its corner at the side and out of the way.

She saw Rowan getting off the car.

“Welcome to east station.” She said extending her arms. She pushed a button and the rolling doors slid up and two big trucks appeared in front of him. He had always wanted to see one up close.

“Cap,” said a man at her back “what are you doing here? I thought you were on a date?” He smiled “that bad? I told you accountants were a bad idea.”

Aelin laughed “looks like I got myself an airforce pilot instead.” She winked at him and Rowan’s heart skipped a beat.

“I’ll tell you next shift, Pete. I just brought back the pickup before Dorian kills me.”

She waved at her relief captain and followed Rowan in his car and told him her address.

While he drove she studied him. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans, a shirt and a black leather jacket. She should have guessed he was military. Aedion had the same posture and he was ex-army.

“Which house?” Asked Rowan, waking her up from her thoughts.

“The one with the blue door.”

He parked and walked with her up to the door “I had so much fun tonight,” she said to him, not wanting him to leave her.

“I am so glad that you sat at the wrong table. This was the best blind date ever.” He looked at her and wanted to kiss her so badly but they had just met and he did not want to pass a a pig.

She moved a step toward him “I am glad too.” And her lips brushed his cheek in a kiss “perhaps we could go on a proper date. One where we are actually meant to meet each other.”

Rowan sighed relieved “It would make me very happy.”

Aelin rummaged in her bag until she found a pen then grabbed his wrist and pulled up his cuff a bit and wrote down two numbers.

“The first one is my personal mobile number. The second one is the direct number to my office. I am known to leave my mobile in my bunker gear.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me know a date and if I am not free we can find a better one. Us firefighters have crazy long shifts so I need to be off.”

He took her pen and her wrist and wrote his number “then you text me. A day that you are off shift. I work regular hours. This makes more sense.”

He took a step down from the few step and she hated the idea of him leaving.

“Goodnight, Rowan.” She opened the door and looked at him one last time.

Rowan waited for her to disappear behind the door and then went back to his car and was grateful for the best blind mistake of his life.

[morganaspendragonss]

Hello! Fic request please. Okay, so TK and Carlos never got together. During the Boba date, TK let Carlos know that they should be friends and Carlos understood. So they became good friends but TK just self sabotages a lot so he loved Carlos then but didn't want to let Carlos in so he thought it better to just let him go and settle for a friendship. So one day, they decide to check out this new place for lunch. TK excuses himself for the bathroom and he hears this huge explosion and feels the impact. When he gets out, it's a fiery mess. All that is on his mind: I have to find Carlos. Even when the 126 respond to the explosion, TK refuses to leave until he has found Carlos. Carlos is found unconscious, injured and with severe smoke inhalation. 📍

holly's august extravaganza day 13: couldn't utter my love when it counted

thank you! you've given me such wonderful prompts and it's been a pleasure to write every single one of them! 💚😊

ao3 | 3k | canon divergence, explosions, major character injury, angst with a happy ending, love declarations

TK has made a lot of mistakes in his life, but undoubtedly one of the biggest was letting Carlos Reyes go. He hates the person he was back then, the one who was too blind to see that what he needed—what he wanted—was right in front of him, in a very literal sense.

“How long are you going to avoid talking about it TK?”

“Us?”

“What are we? Are we even a ‘we’?”

TK wants to say yes. He looks at Carlos with his soulful brown eyes and kind tilt to his mouth and he just knows that this is someone he could let in. He’s already seen some of TK’s darkest depths, and yet he’s still here, still asking, still wanting to be with him.

Then again, Carlos isn’t the only one who has been with him despite, and the last person who did that ended up growing tired of him. Carlos would promise against it if he knew what TK was thinking, but it’s an impossible promise to make, far easier said than done. He isn’t that kind of person, TK knows this—but then, neither was Alex, until he was.

He can’t risk it. Besides, he barely recognises his life anymore, and he can’t ask Carlos to hang around indefinitely until he can get his head in order again. If there’s one thing TK is certain of, it’s that Carlos is a good man, and he doesn’t deserve to have to deal with all of TK’s bullshit, however much TK may want it.

So. That’s it.

“I like you, Carlos. I want to get to know you better. But as friends. I’m not in a place for a relationship—I don’t know if this is where I belong, or even if I can be a firefighter anymore. And I just. I just think that I have to work out who I am before I can let someone else in on that, you know? So… Can we? Be friends, I mean?”

Carlos would be well within his rights to say no, after all. But instead he smiles, a little sad, but still as gentle as ever, and says, “Sure. I’d love that.”

TK realised three things pretty quickly after that moment.

One: Austin is his home.

Two: He belongs at the firehouse—but as a paramedic.

And three: He is in love with Carlos Reyes.

But his moment has come and gone. That conversation is the kind that can’t be taken back; the damage has been done, and now TK has to live with the consequences. It’s not all bad—he still has Carlos in his life, and things are… Things are good. They hang out regularly, they have an ongoing text thread, there’s no awkwardness or resentment between them. All things considered, they’re in a better place than they were back during their pseudo-dating phase.

But still, TK misses him.

It’s a strange feeling, missing someone who’s right there beside him. TK hadn’t realised how much he would lose when they became ‘just friends’ for real, but now he finds himself noticing more and more the absence of a flirty twinkle in Carlos’s eye or the suggestive lilt to his words. There’s still an air around them, a sense that, if he just pushed a little, they could easily tip over into more. Into whatever they were on their way to becoming before TK drew his line in the sand.

He won’t, though. It wouldn’t be fair—Carlos has already put up with so much from him that it’s a miracle he’s even still around at all—and TK is not willing to risk what is now the best friendship of his life. If having Carlos in his life means keeping his hands to himself and forever refusing the urge to kiss him senseless, then it’s a small price to pay.

*

“You’re such an ass!” TK shoves Carlos lightly as they walk down the street, rolling his eyes at the smirk sent his way. “Why can’t you just suck it up and accept that maybe you don’t know Austin as well as you think you do?”

Carlos raises a solitary eyebrow. “Because I’ve lived here my entire life?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Besides,” he cuts in, before Carlos can come back with some other stupid, logical argument, “this place only popped up a few months back so there’s no way you’ve had enough time to make a proper judgement.”

“And you have?”

“Shut up.”

Carlos laughs and, though TK tries to glare at him, he can’t help but be drawn into it. He shakes his head and looks down to avoid Carlos’s eyes, only for his gaze to catch on their hands, swinging in sync mere centimetres apart. How he aches to close that distance and thread their fingers together; to tell Carlos everything he’s been pushing down for months—

Carlos lifts his hand to run his fingers through his hair, and the moment is broken. If he noticed TK’s lapse, then he doesn’t show it, instead turning to him with an amused smile. “Alright,” he says, “how about this? You take me wherever this is, and next time, I’ll take you to the actual best pizza place in Austin; then we’ll see who’s right.”

TK wishes he could kiss that self-satisfied smirk off his face. See how smug he is then.

“Fine,” he agrees. “Prepare to eat your words, Reyes.”

“Looking forward to it.”

God, TK hates him.

*

Carlos is being infuriatingly quiet as they eat, and it’s grating on TK’s every nerve. TK is well aware he’s doing it for that exact purpose, but he’s never been known for his patience—a fact which Carlos knows all too well and is rudely taking advantage of.

“So?” TK demands, folding his arms on the tabletop. “Was I right, or was I right?”

Carlos hums, pretending to consider the slice in his hand with great care. Then, he meets TK’s eyes and drops it back on the plate, re-settling in his seat with a shit-eating grin. “It was okay.”

TK’s mouth drops open. He blinks at Carlos for a good few seconds, then snaps his jaw shut with a click, shaking his head and sighing. “I hate you,” he grumbles, refusing to look Carlos in the eye.

Carlos has the audacity to actually laugh. “No, you don’t,” he says, and he doesn’t know quite how true that is. TK feels a blush start to rise on his cheeks, which cannot happen, so he clears his throat and slides out of his seat.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” he says. “Maybe you’ll have reconsidered by the time I come back.”

TK can’t stop a grin from forming the second he turns his back, his heart doing a stupid little dance in his chest. He doesn’t need a mirror to know that his face is bright red, and he’s going to have to splash a significant amount of water over him before he can even think about facing Carlos again.

He takes his time in the bathroom, stopping to stare at his reflection in the mirror for several minutes and trying to talk himself down from any more-than-friendly feelings towards Carlos.

Later, they’ll tell him that this saved his life.

But that won’t be for a long time, until after the smoke has cleared and the dead have been counted and the statements have been taken.

For now, TK steels his resolve and nods at himself, then turns to the door, a hand reaching out for the handle.

That’s when the explosion rips through the building.

*

He’s floating.

He’s… He doesn’t… Something’s not right. Something…

Underwater. He can’t hear anything and he’s floating and he’s underwater, except he can’t be because he was just in a restaurant with Carlos and they were talking and—and—

The world slams back into him with the force of a freight train and TK coughs as he instantly feels like his entire body is being compressed, his airways closing up. It takes a few seconds to realise his eyes are closed and several more before he can open them, only to be met with even more darkness.

He blinks—so he definitely has opened them—but he still can’t see a damn thing. Is he… He can’t be blind. He can’t.

TK’s chest tightens even further and the panic causes his limbs to twitch, to scrabble at the ground, and the movements must be enough to dislodge something because suddenly there’s light streaming into his eyes. He slams his eyelids shut instinctively, and it’s a long moment before he can crack them open again.

His surroundings come to him in bits and pieces. To his left, a pile of cracked porcelain—the sink, he realises. The floor glitters with a material TK can’t identify until he catches sight of his reflection in a shard of glass just in front of him. And on top of him, something heavy, rough—wood?

The door!

Slowly, agonisingly, he manages to shift to all fours, then to his knees, then finally staggers to his feet. He sways in place, watching the bathroom door hit the floor, and—that’s strange. It doesn’t make a sound.

He can’t hear anything, actually, aside from a faint, high-pitched ringing. The paramedic in him tells him that this is a bad thing, but he feels separate from both his brain and his body; he’s floating somewhere outside his body, this whole situation feeling like a dream, or perhaps a nightmare.

A thought drifts through his mind then. No, not a thought, a name.

Carlos.

He was with Carlos. He has to find Carlos.

TK stumbles forward, grabbing onto anything within reach as the battle to stay upright gets harder with each second that passes. An intense heat hits him as he makes it into what he thinks is the main seating area and the change in atmosphere is instant—thick, black smoke invades his lungs, sending him back to his knees, body heaving with coughs.

The restaurant is on fire and TK can barely keep his eyes open as he searches for any sign of Carlos. He forces his aching body further, any pain taking a back-seat as the need to find Carlos grows. He’s still not sure what’s happening or how they got in this mess, but he knows that Carlos is in danger, and TK isn’t going to let him die. Not now. Not ever, if he can help it.

He crawls through the restaurant, blind and deaf to where he’s going, but he’ll know it’s Carlos when he finds him. He knows he will. There’s nothing that could stop him from recognising Carlos.

TK doesn’t know what’s happening when he suddenly feels himself being lifted, something bulky being placed over his face. It’s a shock, the sensation of being able to breathe clean oxygen, and it goes to his head for a moment, the dizziness growing even as his vision begins to clear up.

He catches sight of 126 emblazoned on a helmet and familiar, worried eyes looking down at him, and that’s when it connects. His family are here, they’re here, but Carlos is still somewhere and TK is not leaving without him. He struggles in his father’s grasp, managing to squirm and flail enough to get his feet on the floor and for his dad’s grip on him to falter.

But the relief is momentary; no sooner is he standing than the vertigo and nausea takes over, and he crumbles.

This time, when the world goes black, it stays that way.

*

They tell him it was a gas explosion in the restaurant’s kitchen. They say he’s lucky to be alive, that his trip to the bathroom saved him. They say he needs plenty of rest and time to heal.

They don’t tell him anything about Carlos.

TK asks, he’s been asking since the moment he woke up in the hospital. But the team knows nothing and the doctors keep saying to focus on his own injuries rather than worrying about someone else.

Someone else, as if that’s all Carlos is. He’s the love of TK’s fucking life, but they might never get the chance to be anything more than friends; TK has seen the news. His dad had switched it off the second he caught him watching it, but he’d seen enough to know that survivors are few, and, of those, most of them weren’t as lucky as TK.

His injuries were serious, but they’ll heal. He’ll probably have scars from the shrapnel from when the explosion first went off and from the burns he acquired looking for Carlos, and he’s going to have one hell of a tinnitus case for a while, but it’s nothing. Less than nothing.

He’s alive, which, if Carlos is dead or dying, is far more than he deserves.

*

On his fifth day in hospital, they tell him he can go home later. He should be grateful, but it just feels like another thing that’s happened to him in a long line of things. He’s waiting for his dad to come back from picking his prescription up when there’s a knock at the door, and TK looks up to see an older Latino couple, the woman looking at him with a deep sadness in her eyes.

“I… Are you TK?” she asks haltingly.

TK frowns and nods, surprised by the relief that floods her face when he does. He doesn’t have to wonder for long, though.

“I’m Andrea. Carlos’s mother. This is his father, Gabriel.” She gestures to the man next to her, who nods at TK, his mouth pinched. TK swallows nervously, terror building in him at the thought of what Carlos’s parents could be doing here. “The doctors tell us you’ve been asking about our son,” Andrea continues. “We wanted to come and talk to you and give you the news ourselves.”

TK swears his heart stops in his chest. “Is he…”

He can’t get the words out, can’t put the idea into existence, but Andrea clearly picks up on what he’s thinking as she crosses the room, taking his hands in hers.

“He’s alive,” she says. “He… He lost a leg in the explosion and his lungs were damaged from the smoke, but the doctors have told us that the worst danger has passed. We’re just waiting for him to wake up now.” Andrea pauses, biting her lip. She looks at Gabriel, then back to TK, releasing his hands. “How do you know our son? Are you…”

“We’re friends,” TK says, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “He’s the best friend I’ve got. Thank you for telling me.”

*

He leaves his number with Andrea and Gabriel, and they promise to keep him updated on Carlos’s condition.

Four days after TK goes home, he gets a phone call to say that Carlos is awake. He’s back at the hospital within the hour, racing as fast as he can (which, infuriatingly, isn’t very fast right now) to the room number they gave him.

The sight he’s greeted with just about takes his breath away.

Carlos smiles at him, and he’s covered in bandages and scrapes and he’s clearly exhausted, but he’s smiling, and TK swears he’s never looked more beautiful. He stands in the doorway for a long time, just staring at Carlos for the first time in nine days, so captivated by him that he doesn’t notice the knowing look that passes between Andrea and Gabriel.

“We’ll give you boys some time to catch up,” Gabriel says. He pats TK’s shoulder when they walk past him, and it’s enough to spur him back into action.

TK crosses the room in three quick strides, reaching for Carlos’s hand the second he’s settled in the chair. He almost sobs when he feels Carlos squeeze his hand back; it’s weak, more just a twitch of the fingers, but it feels like everything.

“Hi,” Carlos says, his voice quiet and raspy.

TK sniffs, opens his mouth to say hi back, but maybe the explosion knocked him about more than he realised, because what comes out instead is, “I love you.”

Their eyes widen at the same time, a flush rising on TK’s face as he processes what he just did. “I—I’m so sorry, Carlos, I—” He shakes his head and tries to pull his hand back, but Carlos’s grip tightens, keeping him firmly in place.

“Say it again,” he demands.

TK blinks. “What?”

“Say it again.”

He hesitates another second, but the slight uptick to Carlos’s lips gives him the confidence he needs to look Carlos in the eyes.

“I love you. I’ve loved you for the longest time and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t see it before. I was scared, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle a relationship, and I figured it would be easier to let you down than risk hurting us both when we inevitably realised it couldn’t work out.

“But I was so wrong, Carlos. Back at the restaurant, after the explosion, all I cared about was finding you and making sure that you were okay. I couldn’t stand the thought that anything might have happened to you, and I’ve been going out of my mind since it happened because I didn’t know how you were. I—I can’t lose you, Carlos.”

He takes a deep breath and blinks away the tears beginning to gather in his eyes, attempting a trembling smile to match Carlos’s own. “I love you,” he whispers. “If it’s too late, then I understand. I just. I need you in my life. I need you, Carlos. However you’ll have me.”

Carlos holds his gaze for a long time after TK has finished speaking, and it feels like he’s seeing right through him. Eventually, after so long that TK’s lost all sense of time, he slowly raises his hand, brushing his knuckles across TK’s cheek, then coming to rest on the back of his neck.

“I love you, too.”

And the light pressure from Carlos’s hand is all the invitation TK needs to close the distance between them, his heart pounding as he kisses Carlos for what feels like the first time.

Hopefully, it’s the first of many, and the first of the rest of their lives.

[myonechicagoworld]

CHICAGO FIRE – AMBITION (S01E20)

                                       [locker clanking] Leslie Shay: Hey.

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Leslie Shay: So we’re off and running.

Kelly Severide: For what?

Leslie Shay: [exhales] I went to the doctor’s office this morning and

                      got my hormone shot.

Kelly Severide: Oh yeah.

Leslie Shay: Yeah.

Kelly Severide: How you feeling?

Leslie Shay: Fine. Yeah, it’s not affecting me at all. Just, uh, it

                     means the, uh, window for ovulation is gonna be in the

                     next couple days so don’t make any plans. And um,

                     as soon as these say that I’m good to go, we gotta get

                     to the clinic and perform our respective duties [sniffles]

                     Uh, okay. Yeah. Well… [clears throat] Sorry, I’m just…

                     I’m really excited.

Kelly Severide: I can see that.

Leslie Shay: Yeah. All right.

Kelly Severide: Hey.

Leslie Shay: Hm?

Kelly Severide: I am too.

Leslie Shay: [chuckles]

                                                 cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: Oh!

Joe Cruz: Oh, yeah. Pecan caramel popcorn. Let’s get into this

                  before Herrmann finds out.

Matt Casey: Herrmann’s gone hunting with his brother. It’s all the

                      pecan caramel popcorn you can eat.

Otis Zvonecek: All right!

Joe Cruz: Sweet!

Otis Zvonecek: Who brought this in?

Peter Mills: Uh, a paramedic candidate who’s riding with Dawson

                     and Shay.

Otis Zvonecek: Oh, yeah, Tara. Uh, apparently she spent a couple

                           of shifts over at 95. Bob Macelroy, uh, said she’s

                           pretty cool.

Joe Cruz: What, are you stalking her now?

Otis Zvonecek: No, I’m not stalking her.

Peter Mills: [sniffs]

Otis Zvonecek: I just like to know who I’m working with.

Peter Mills: Are you wearing cologne?

Joe Cruz: [sniffs]

Otis Zvonecek: No.

                           Body spray, maybe.

Joe Cruz: [chuckles]

Otis Zvonecek: Hey, Tara!

Tara Little: Okay.

                    Hey.

Otis Zvonecek: Uh, Severide, I think Capp’s looking for you.

Kelly Severide: No, I just left him.

Tara Little: Hi, everybody.

Otis Zvonecek: Hey.

Joe Cruz: Hey!

                  Did you bring this popcorn ‘cause it’s amazing.

Tara Little: I am not above buying people’s affection.

Otis Zvonecek: So, um, I hear that you are quite a graphic

                           designer.

Tara Little: So is anyone with a laptop [chuckles]

Otis Zvonecek: [laughs]

Tara Little: Yeah, I wish I’d figured that out before I racked up

                    $60,000 in student loans.

Otis Zvonecek: Uh huh.

Peter Mills: W-what made you wanna be an EMT?

Tara Little: Uh, my roommate’s a paramedic at 35. I didn’t have to

                   hang out with her very long before I realised the

                   firehouse is where it’s at.

                                   [alarm buzzes & blares]

(Over PA): Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61.

Gabby Dawson: Here we go.

(Over PA): Industrial accident, Racine and 15th Street.

                                          [siren blares]

                                      [indistinct chatter]

Gabby Dawson: Hey, what happened?

Peter Mills: Uh, a worker backed a forklift into the shelves and the

                     whole thing came down on top of him.

Matt Casey: Don’t move the pallets.

                      Give me a hand with that.

                      Here, watch your back.

                      Hang in there buddy. We’re gonna get you out.

Otis Zvonecek: Coming to ya.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, can you tell me your name?

Victim 1: Phil. Phil Manfreddi.

Gabby Dawson: Okay, hi, Phil.

                                        [barrels clanging]

                                        [indistinct chatter]

Gabby Dawson: Okay, Phil, I want you to breathe slow and easy for

                             me, okay?

                             You see his nail beds, how blue they are? What’s

                              that mean?

Tara Little: Shock. He’s in shock.

Gabby Dawson: Very good. We’re gonna keep his C-spine nice and

                             straight. And we need to warm him up.

                             Okay, I’m gonna lift your head, hun.

Matt Casey: Let’s get the spreaders.

Kelly Severide: Forget the spreaders. Get the torch in here. We

                          need to cut this beam.

Harold Capp: Copy that.

Peter Mills: Wait, why-why don’t we try and lift it?

Kelly Severide: It’s too unstable. Anything shifts, and it’ll all fall right

                           back on top of him.

                           Hey! Is there anything flammable in these boxes?

Man 1 (Foreman): No, sir.

Kelly Severide: Need water over here.

Matt Casey: Severide, kill the torch!

Kelly Severide: What?

Matt Casey: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Look out! Everybody get

                      down!

                                                   [explosion]

                                                    [grunting]

                                                - title screen -

                                        [fire extinguisher spraying]

Kelly Severide: Is it out?

Matt Casey: Can’t tell. I need to get in there.

                                         [overlapping shouting]

Matt Casey: It’s still smouldering. This can go up again any second.

                      We gotta move him.

Kelly Severide: I didn’t make it through the beam.

Peter Mills: Wait. [pants] Wait. How about this?

Kelly Severide: It’s worth a try.

                           Hadley.

Kevin Hadley: Yeah.

                                               [metal creaks]

Victim 1 (Phil): [screams]

Gabby Dawson: Focus on his face and keep him calm.

Tara Little: All right. You’re gonna be okay, Phil.

Kelly Severide: Quick thinking, candidate.

Peter Mills: [pants]

Otis Zvonecek: Gear’s all picked up, Lieutenant.

Matt Casey: All right. Let’s get back home. Where’s Mills?

                                   [compartment door closes]

                                         [indistinct chatter]

Matt Casey: Leave his ass.

Joe Cruz: You got it.

                                   [compartment door closes]

Peter Mills: So then, what’s the difference between an

                     oxy/acetylene torch and an exothermic torch?

Kelly Severide: For starters, an exothermic will cut through a solid

                           block of concrete.

                                   [compartment door closes]

Peter Mills: Cool.

Kelly Severide: Yeah. Here, let me show you what else we use.

                                         [engine drives away]

Peter Mills: [sighs]

Kelly Severide: [laughs] He’ll get over it.

                                                cutscene

                                       [backup alert beeping]

Kevin Hadley: [chuckles]

Otis Zvonecek: Your Lieutenant says the bathroom needs a good

                            cleaning, candidate.

Harold Capp: [chuckles]

                                                 cutscene

Tara Little: Hey. Kelly, right?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

Tara Little: We have a mutual friend. Jennifer Robinson? She tends

                    bar at Cubby bear.

Kelly Severide: Oh.  

Tara Little: She said to say hello.

Kelly Severide: Okay. Yeah, tell her I said hello.

Tara Little: Will do. It’s nice to have a connection to someone here.

Kelly Severide: Yeah, it’s a-it’s a great group at 51. I’m sure that

                           you’ll fit right in. Shay and Dawson taking good

                           care of you?

Tara Little: Yeah. I actually have some copies to go make for

                    Dawson right now. So I’ll see you later.

Kelly Severide: Sure.

                                                    cutscene

Gabby Dawson: Hey, Otis. Check this out.

                            My grandparents in Madrid. My grandfather

                            proposed to her there.

Otis Zvonecek: Hmm, you will never see Russian grandparents

                           smiling like that.

Gabby Dawson: [laughs] The place they’re standing in front of is

                            one of the oldest restaurants in Europe.

Otis Zvonecek: You been?

Gabby Dawson: No. Someday.

                            I think Molly’s needs a big, wooden door like this.

                            Something timeless and beautiful.

Otis Zvonecek: How did I know there was an agenda attached to

                           this story?

Matt Casey: It is a nice door.

Otis Zvonecek: Look, Dawson, now is not the time to be making

                           design decisions, okay?

                           Herrmann’s unreachable in the woods of Ontario

                           somewhere.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, exactly why now is the time.

Otis Zvonecek: Well, we don’t have any money left.

Matt Casey: There’s a salvage place I use. There’s all kinds of old

                      structural pieces. Might take some searching, but

                      we could take a look.

Gabby Dawson: Really?

Matt Casey: Mm-hmm.

                      Yeah?

Gabby Dawson: Yeah.

Matt Casey: All right.

Gabby Dawson: Sounds good. Thanks.

Peter Mills: Bathrooms are done, Lieutenant.

Matt Casey: Showers need a good cleaning, too.

Peter Mills: Okay… uh, can I talk with you for a minute first…

                     in private?

Matt Casey: Sure.

                      [clears throat]

Peter Mills: I want to apologise for this morning. I know I screwed

                    up and it won’t happen again. But I also wanna

                    formally let you know that I will be pursuing that open

                    opportunity in Squad.

Matt Casey: I heard. But right now, you are on Truck. And while

                     you’re here, you better act like it.

Peter Mills: Yes, sir.

                                     [alarm buzzes and blares]

(Over PA): Ambulance 61, laceration injury. 670 North Talman

                  Avenue.

                                              [siren blares]

Lady 1 (Wife): So sorry about this. My husband, Dennis, he was

                        working on the garage door and it just started

                        opening.

Victim 2 (Dennis): [groaning]

Gabby Dawson: His arm’s caught in there. We’re not equipped

                            for this. Call it in.

Leslie Shay: (into radio) Dispatch, this is Ambulance 61. We need

                      a truck company to 670 North Talman Avenue.

Victim 2 (Dennis): My shoulder! I heard the muscle make a

                               ripping sound.

Leslie Shay: [pants]

Victim 2 (Dennis): [grunts]

Gabby Dawson: Okay… We’re gonna get you down, Dennis.

                            Let me support your weight, okay? Tara, take

                             hold of his legs with me. We’re gonna lift him up.

                             Tara! I need your help.

                              All right, come here.

                              Okay, it’s okay.

Leslie Shay: Dawson, see if you can lift the door.

                      [grunts]

Victim 2 (Dennis): [groans]

Leslie Shay: Tara, get up here and help me.

                      Lift this, come on.

Victim 2 (Dennis): [groans]

Leslie Shay: Dennis…

Victim 2 (Dennis): [grunts]

Leslie Shay: This is gonna hurt like hell, but it’s gonna be quick,

                      all right?

Victim 2 (Dennis): Tell me, what are you gonna do?

                               [screams]

Leslie Shay: All right, get him down.

Victim 2 (Dennis): [groans]

                               Arlene, my arm!

Lady 1 (Wife/Arlene): Sweetie, you’re all right.

Victim 2 (Dennis): [groans]

Gabby Dawson: All right, come on. You can come with us.

                                                 cutscene

Leslie Shay: Where’d Tara go? She off crying in a corner

                      somewhere?

Gabby Dawson: Oh, come on, that was pretty gnarly. Cut her some

                            slack.

Leslie Shay: So you and Casey going, uh, treasure hunting after

                      shift, huh?

Gabby Dawson: Don’t even start that. I gotta say though, it’s just

                            nice to be back to normal with him.

Leslie Shay: Normal? Normal as in buried romantic feelings and

                      unspoken sexual tension? [laughs]

                      Hey, I ran into Mike, and he said Hallie, she’s-she’s

                      long gone. She’s history. She’s off finding herself,

                      doing some medical aid work in South America or

                      somewhere…

Gabby Dawson: I don’t care, Shay. I got my man, all right?

Leslie Shay: Hey, hey! [snaps fingers] Excuse me, don’t touch that!

                     That’s not yours! Put it back.

Gabby Dawson: How long ago since that hormone shot?

Leslie Shay: Just don’t mess with my gurney.

Tara Little: Grabbed a couple coffees for you guys.

Leslie Shay: Thank you.

Gabby Dawson: Thanks.

Tara Little: I, uh, I saw the doctor in the hall. She said you saved

                   that man’s arm.

Gabby Dawson: Well, we got him here fast. That’s the key. A quick

                             response is everything.

Tara Little: Okay.

Gabby Dawson: Okay?

Tara Little: Mmhmm.

                                                cutscene

Kelly Severide: Mills.

Peter Mills: Yeah, Lieutenant?

Kelly Severide: C’mere.

                           Have a seat.

                           Pretty good article on the different types of cutting

                           torches and what situations they’re best for.

Peter Mills: Oh, cool. Thanks, Lieutenant.

Kelly Severide: How are the classes going?

Peter Mills: Good. They’re really good actually. I-I couldn’t get into

                     vertical rescue this time around so… it’s full up.

Joe Cruz: What are you doing? You can’t stop it.

Mouch: Where’s the defense in this game?

Joe Cruz: There’s no defense in paper football. I get a penalty kick.

                  Put up your uprights.

Mouch: Aw! [groans]

Joe Cruz: [laughs]

Otis Zvonecek: Can someone please explain to me why our truck

                           candidate is sitting at the Squad table?

Joe Cruz: Does Severide know?

Otis Zvonecek: Severide’s there. They’re all there. It’s a little tea

                           party, and Peter Mills is the guest of honour.

Kelly Severide: Call Lieutenant Brunson. Tell him I want you in his

                           class.

Peter Mills: Great. I will.

Kelly Severide: Good.

Joe Cruz: I guess we’re not good enough for him anymore.

Mouch: What a slap in the face. Mills could use a lecture on

              company loyalty.

Otis Zvonecek: I’ve been here, what, five years? Nobody ever

                           talked about grooming me for Rescue Squad, but

                           Mills, oh Mills…

Matt Casey: Maybe that’s because he’s busting his ass.

                                         cutscene

Kelly Severide: Bet you a dollar you miss that.

Tara Little: Make it a beer.

Kelly Severide: You’re on.

Tara Little: Gee, I guess I owe you a beer.

                                           cutscene

Matt Casey: Chief, got a sec?

Chief Boden: Yeah.

Matt Casey: This business about getting Mills on Squad, you sure

                      he’s ready?

Chief Boden: Severide thinks so.

Matt Casey: Yeah. I’m sure he does. Have you talked to Mills about

                       it?

Chief Boden: Yeah, I have.

Matt Casey: A real conversation? Or just long enough for him to say

                     what you wanted to hear?

Chief Boden: Look Casey, I get it. You are tired of sniffing out talent

                       and training them up, only to have them poached by

                       Squad.

Matt Casey: This isn’t about me, Chief. It shouldn’t be about you,

                      either. Or your feelings of obligation toward Henry

                      Mills.

Chief Boden: Your concerns… are duly noted.

                                              cutscene

Peter Mills: Yeah, no, I-I know I missed a couple sessions, but,

                     uh, Lieutenant Severide, he really wants me to take

                     this class. So I’m hoping that there’s still time to

                     jump in? 

                     Yeah.

                     Oh, that’s great.

                     Great, I’ll wait to hear from you.

                     Okay.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, what are you doing here?

Peter Mills: Um, taking care of some business.

Gabby Dawson: Okay.

Peter Mills: I feel like I’m doing something wrong. I… I see the way

                    that people look at me, and I can just imagine what

                    they’re saying behind my back.

Gabby Dawson: Ambition makes people uncomfortable. You just

                            have to remind yourself that you’re not doing it

                            for them.

Peter Mills: Yeah, well, I think it’s something a little deeper though

                     with Casey, isn’t it?

Gabby Dawson: What do you mean?

Peter Mills: You think he’d be riding me this hard if I wasn’t with the

                     girl that he likes?

Gabby Dawson: [nervous chuckle] You-you don’t know what you’re

                            talking about, Pete. You messed up. Casey rapped

                            your knuckles for it. You know how many times

                            Otis had to mop this house top to bottom when

                            he was a candidate?

Peter Mills: Uh-huh.

Gabby Dawson: Uh-huh.

                                                cutscene

                                    [footsteps approaching]

Leslie Shay: Cindy.

Cindy Herrmann: Hi, Leslie.

Leslie Shay: How are you feeling?

Cindy Herrmann: Fat.

                                              [laughter]

Cindy Herrmann: Uh, Christopher left his set of car keys here. I just

                              need to grab them.

Leslie Shay: Okay. Did he, uh, call you yet to brag about how many

                      innocent birds he’s killed?

Cindy Herrmann: Uh, No, they’re… they’re deep in the woods up

                              there, so I don’t expect to hear from him.

Leslie Shay: Mm, well, I’m sure we’ll all get an earful once he’s

                      back.

Cindy Herrmann: [panting]

Leslie Shay: You okay?

Cindy Herrmann: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I just got real winded walking in

                              here. That’s what I get for gaining 25 pounds in

                              the first two trimesters.

Leslie Shay: When did the, uh, shortness of breath start?

Cindy Herrmann: Oh, I guess it got tricky about an hour ago. I-I

                              should sit…

Leslie Shay: Mmhmm.

Cindy Herrmann: A few minutes, maybe.

Leslie Shay: Yep. All right, well, just to be safe, I’m gonna just go

                      ahead and take your vitals, okay?

Cindy Herrmann: Oh, it’s probably nothing.

Leslie Shay: Yeah.

Cindy Herrmann: E-Everything look okay?

Leslie Shay: Yeah, yeah, everything’s all right. I just wanna get you

                      to Lakeshore and have a few things checked out,

                      okay?

Cindy Herrmann: Okay.

Leslie Shay: So just stay here. Take nice, easy breaths, and um, I’m

                      gonna go tell Chief Boden, okay?

Cindy Herrmann: Okay.

Leslie Shay: Okay.

                      Chief, Cindy’s oxygen levels are way too low. It could

                       be a P.E. We need to get her to Lakeshore now.

Chief Boden: Go. Go!

                                        [siren blaring]

Leslie Shay: All right, Cindy, nice, easy breaths.

                      In and out, you just relax.

                      Dawson, she’s lost consciousness. Call ahead to

                      Lakeshore, give ‘em the report. I gotta tube her.

Gabby Dawson: You need my help?

Leslie Shay: No, just get us there as fast as possible.

                     Give me the intubation kit.

Gabby Dawson: Lakeshore this is Ambo 61…

Leslie Shay: Tara!

Gabby Dawson: Be advised we are on route with a pregnant

                            female.

Leslie Shay: Come on.

                      Hurry up.

                      Hand me the 7 ½.

                       Ambu bag.

                      Come on, Cindy.

                      38 year-old female, 26 weeks gestation. She went

                      unresponsive, stopped breathing and I had to intubate.

Gabby Dawson: She’s a friend, the wife of one of our guys.

Doctor: Sounds like a P.E. Let’s push tPA. and tell the CT scanner

              we’re coming.

Nurse: Right away.

Doctor: We’ve got her.

Leslie Shay: She shouldn’t be here alone.

Gabby Dawson: You should go with her.

Leslie Shay: You sure?

Gabby Dawson: 100%.

Leslie Shay: Thanks.

                                               cutscene

Leslie Shay: Hey, how is she?

Doctor: The clot travelled to her lungs. We did a thrombectomy and

              fished it out.

Leslie Shay: And how’s the baby?

Doctor: The baby’s fine. We’re starting her on blood thinners so

               she’ll be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

               But other than that, she’s fine.

Leslie Shay: Okay.

Doctor: You can go in and see her.

Leslie Shay: Thank you.

                      Hey, girl.

Cindy Herrmann: Get over here.

Leslie Shay: [exhales] I’m so glad you’re okay.

Cindy Herrmann: Thank you, Leslie.

Leslie Shay: Of course.

                                              cutscene

                                        [knocks at door]

Gabby Dawson: You and Mouch get a hold of Herrmann?

Chief Boden: Yeah, uh, park rangers tracked him down. He’s on his

                        way home now. Great news about Cindy. Thanks to

                        Shay.

Gabby Dawson: Uh, oh. What’d I do now?

Man 2 (Chief Hatcher): Morning, Dawson.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, Chief Hatcher.

Man 2 (Chief Hatcher): I came by to see how Tara Little’s doing on

                                       the rig.

Gabby Dawson: Uh… yeah, she’s a nice girl. Putting in a real effort.

Man 2 (Chief Hatcher): Dawson, one thing I know I can rely on with

                                        you is a straight story. And that’s what I’m

                                        looking for here now.

Gabby Dawson: She’s not cut out for a busy house, Chief. She’s

                            game, has a positive attitude, but she doesn’t

                            have the stomach for it.

Man 2 (Chief Hatcher): Sound like city work’s not for her. Maybe

                                       the suburbs. Thanks, Dawson.

Gabby Dawson: No problem.

Man 2 (Chief Hatcher): Been nice… not seeing any violations with

                                        your name lately. Keep it up.

                                             cutscene

Matt Casey: I love how solid all this old construction stuff is.

                      Houses were built to last [grunts]

Gabby Dawson: Cool, let me check it out.

Matt Casey: It’s pretty heavy.

Gabby Dawson: I’m sorry, are you saying I can’t manage?

Matt Casey: Mm, look at that game face.

Gabby Dawson: Give it to me.

Matt Casey: All right.

Gabby Dawson: I got it. It’s fine. It’s not that bad.

Matt Casey: Yeah, you look like you got it.

Gabby Dawson: Okay. No, it’s… take it.

Matt Casey: Yeah? Sure?

Gabby Dawson: Take it. Ta… take it.

                                             [laughter]

Matt Casey: Doors.

                      [claps]

Gabby Dawson: Oh, Casey.

Matt Casey: Ooh.

Gabby Dawson: This is it.

Matt Casey: Yeah, we can strip it down, stain it a dark mahogany

                      or something.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah. It’s perfect. If my mom sees this hanging up

                             at Molly’s, she is gonna go nuts.

                                             [phone rings]

Gabby Dawson: Let me get this.

                            Hey.

Peter Mills: Hey there. Uh, look, I’m gonna have to blow off dinner

                    tonight. Yeah, they’re letting me jump into this vertical

                    rescue class, and I just can’t.

Gabby Dawson: Oh yeah, no worries. Um, we can-we can do it

                            tomorrow night.

Peter Mills: Okay. Where you at?

Gabby Dawson: Um, I’m looking at doors for the bar.

Peter Mills: By yourself? You wanna wait until tomorrow? I can help.

Gabby Dawson: Um, no, I’m good. Thanks. Talk to you later.

Peter Mills: Okay.

                                             cutscene

                                      [knocks on door]

Tara Little: I always hold up my end of the bet.

Kelly Severide: Ah…

Tara Little: [giggles]

Kelly Severide: …Very honourable of you.

Tara Little: Am I interrupting something?

Kelly Severide: Uh, not really. Um… come on in.

                                            [laughter]

Tara Little: Okay.

                                         [door closes]

Tara Little: It was kind of a rough time when I started my EMT

                   certification. My family thought I was crazy shifting gears

                   from design.

Kelly Severide: Do they support you now?

Tara Little: Not really. But they will as soon as I show them I can

                   hack it. I could tell that you didn’t really remember

                   Jennifer. That bartender I asked you about.

Kelly Severide: No, I do, the-the blonde.

Tara Little: Black hair. Black.

Kelly Severide: Oh.

Tara Little: Nice try.

Kelly Severide: [laughs]

Tara Little: She remembered you [clears throat]

                   When I told her I was gonna be working at 51, she

                   warned me about you. She said that you were just my

                   type. That I’d have a hard time staying away.

Kelly Severide: Really?

Tara Little: She’s a smart girl, that Jen.

                               [door opens and slams shut]

Leslie Shay: What the hell, Kelly?

Kelly Severide: What’s wrong?

Leslie Shay: What’s wrong? I called you, like ten times!

Kelly Severide: I-I must have left my phone at the gym.

Leslie Shay: I told you to be on alert. I’m in the window.

Kelly Severide: I…

Leslie Shay: Now the clinic’s closed!

                     Unbelievable. Unbelievable!

Kelly Severide: Hey, I’m so… look, hey! Listen Shay, I’m sorry,

                          okay? We can do to the clinic tomorrow morning.

                          That’s still in the window, isn’t it?

Leslie Shay: No! There’s no way to be sure about that.

Kelly Severide: I gotta ask, is this-is this you talking or is this the…

Leslie Shay: Don’t blame this on the hormones! You can’t even

                      bother to look at your phone? You can’t even think to

                      look at it?

Kelly Severide: I didn’t have it!

Leslie Shay: A baby isn’t an afterthought, Kelly.

Kelly Severide: I know that.

Leslie Shay: Do you?

                      So I release you of the obligation.

                                          cutscene

Peter Mills: Okay, save some for the lady.

Otis Zvonecek: Why? She tanked Tara.

                           You tanked the single attractive EMT.

Gabby Dawson: I didn’t tank her, Otis.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: I just said that she wasn’t cut out for the streets of

                            Chicago, okay? They’ll probably move her to

                            Mayberry or something.

Otis Zvonecek: Wrong. Her probationary status was revoked,

                           Dawson.

Matt Casey: Hey, did you show Otis?

Gabby Dawson: Uh… no not yet.

Otis Zvonecek: Show me what?

Matt Casey: The new door for the bar.

Otis Zvonecek: Oh, Dawson, I was happy with the one we had.

Matt Casey: Don’t worry about it. I know the guy who runs the

                     place. Dawson has expensive taste, granted but I

                     managed to talk him down.

                                       [alarm buzzes & blares]

(Over PA): Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61. House fire,

                 4800 block, West Thomas.

Joe Cruz: Oh look guys, Mills is gonna ride with us.

                                         [siren blaring]

                                  [indistinct radio chatter]

                                        [car door shuts]

Chief Boden: Severide, get that gate down.

Kelly Severide: Hadley, grab the K12.

Kevin Hadley: Got it.

Matt Casey: Windows are all covered up, Chief. Can’t get a look 

                      inside.

                                          [k12 whirring]

Chief Boden: Not seeing a lot of signs of occupancy here.

                                             [grinding]

Kelly Severide: Smell a little skunky to you?

Matt Casey: Yup.

Matt Casey: (into radio) Patched into the city service just below the

                      weather head.

                      (over radio) They’re stealing electricity. Looks like…

                      (into radio) …we’ve got a marijuana grow house, Chief.

Chief Boden: (into radio) Give me a small primary...

                       (over radio) …search team. And be careful in there.

Matt Casey: (over radio) Power’s disconnected.

Kelly Severide: Bring Mills in. Teach him how to breach a grow

                           house.

Matt Casey: Mind if I run my own company?

                                         [door breaks open]

Kelly Severide: All right, Mills, pay attention.  

                          Wow.

                          Watch out for booby traps. Don’t get tangled up in

                          wires or duct work, and keep an eye out for

                          chemicals or fuel.  

Peter Mills: Copy that, Lieutenant!

Matt Casey: Fire department, call out!

Kelly Severide: Anybody here?

                          Capp, pick him up.

Harold Capp: You got it!

                                     [glass shattering]

Kelly Severide: Pass him to me.

Harold Capp: All right [grunts]

Kelly Severide: Watch the glass. Unh.

                                    [electricity crackles]

Harold Capp: [grunts & groans]

Peter Mills: What was that? Sounded like electricity.

Gabby Dawson: Get him on the gurney.

                            Okay, we got him.

Chief Boden: Where’s Capp?

Kelly Severide: Right behind me.

                                     [PASS alarm beeping]

Kelly Severide: Capp!

Chief Boden: Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Kelly Severide: Chief!

Chief Boden: Take it easy. We have already got two men inside.

                                      [PASS alarm beeping]

Chief Boden: (over radio) Casey…

                       (into radio)…you got eyes on Capp?

Matt Casey: (over radio) Not yet.

Peter Mills: Capp, call out!

Matt Casey: Capp, where are you?

                     (into radio) Chief, the electricity is still on.

Kelly Severide: Come on.

                          (into radio) We’re looking for a secondary line now.

                          Hang on.

Kevin Hadley: There. Right there.

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

                                      [PASS alarm beeping]

Peter Mills: Capp, call out!

Matt Casey: Capp?

Chief Boden: (into radio) Talk to me Casey.

Matt Casey: (into radio) He’s caught up in some wires. I can’t tell if

                      they’re energised.

                      Don’t touch him! Stay back

                                      [electricity crackles]

Kelly Severide: (over radio) Casey, the secondary line is cut.

                           (into radio) We’re still looking for other lines.

                                   [PASS alarm beeping]

Matt Casey: (into radio) Can’t wait.

                      Stand back, Mills.

Kelly Severide: (into radio) Hey Casey, do you hear me?

Chief Boden: Get in there! Help him!

Matt Casey: Can’t tell if he’s breathing.

Kevin Hadley: [grunts]

Gabby Dawson: Hey. How you feeling, Capp?

Harold Capp: Smells like a Phish concert out here.

                                            [laughter]

Gabby Dawson: We’ll take him in to get checked out.

Kelly Severide: Okay.

Gabby Dawson: Come on, get up.

Kelly Severide: I got him. I got him.

                                       [indistinct chatter]

Otis Zvonecek: Rescuing Rescue Squad. Nicely done, Mills.

Peter Mills: [scoffs]

                                       [indistinct chatter]

                                  [indistinct radio chatter]

Matt Casey: Not gonna miss your ride this time, huh?

                                         [door slams]

Peter Mills: Lieutenant… how come you never went for Squad?

Matt Casey: Mills… all the lives we save, the people we help… you

                      think they give a damn which company insignia we

                      wear?

Dispatcher: (over radio) Truck 81, are you available to assist in a

                     shooting incident?

Matt Casey: (into radio) Truck 81 responding.

                                          [pounds on door]

Matt Casey: We gotta go!

                                  [compartment door shuts]

                                               cutscene

                                          [sirens wailing]

                                   [indistinct radio chatter]

                                      [ambo door shuts]

Uniform Cop: No rush, ladies. He’s not going anywhere. Territorial

                        dispute. Couple of corner boys ran up and shot him.

                        Same old story.

Gabby Dawson: How do I know this guy?

                            Curtis. This is the guy who helped Antonio bust

                            Voight.

                                           [siren wailing]

                                          [horns blazing]

Gabby Dawson: Hey, we’re too late.

Matt Casey: Okay. How’s Capp?

Gabby Dawson: He’s good, he’s good. No electrical burns or

                            anything. They gave him an EKG.

                            Yeah, I know.

                                                  cutscene

                                                [drill whirrs]

Joe Cruz: So what does this mean?

Mouch: According to Boden, the D.A’s office remains committed to

              its case against Detective Voight. And after all, Curtis’s

              testimony wasn’t the only arrow in their quiver.

Gabby Dawson: Is that what you’re hearing, Casey?

Matt Casey: I thought we were here to celebrate.

Gabby Dawson: [chuckles]

Otis Zvonecek: Exactly! Come on, guys! It’s time for the inaugural

                           round of beers at Molly’s.

Leslie Shay: Hey, Casey.

Matt Casey: Hey, Shay.

Leslie Shay: Hey.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, how’s Cindy doing?

Leslie Shay: She’s good. Herrmann’s back, glued to her side, which

                      is driving her crazy.

Otis Zvonecek: All right, guys. Belly up. Come on.

                          Oh, wait, wait, wait.

                                             [cheering]

Gabby Dawson: Hey.

Otis Zvonecek: To Molly’s.

All: To Molly’s.

                                         [glass clinking]

Matt Casey: Ah.

Kelly Severide: Mm, it’s delicious, Otis. But are you gonna chill it

                          before opening?

Otis Zvonecek: God, I swear I plugged that in.

Matt Casey: Okay, who wants to see this door?

Gabby Dawson: Me.

Leslie Shay: Hey, can I talk to you?

Kelly Severide: Yeah, ab… Listen about…

Leslie Shay: Look, I’m so sorry.

Kelly Severide: About the other day, I messed up big time. I know

                          that.

Leslie Shay: It…

Kelly Severide: I’m sorry.

Leslie Shay: [scoffs] I’m sorry. I mean, it was the hormones. Or… I

                      think. I’m-I’m not sure, but look, I… I think I should

                      make other  arrangements, ‘cause it’s like our

                      friendship is one of the only really good things I have

                      going on in my life and I don’t wanna mess that up.

Kelly Severide: That’s the silliest thing I’ve-I’ve ever heard.

Leslie Shay: But Kelly…

Kelly Severide: You’re trying to give me an easy out, I get it. I do.

                           But I don’t need one, okay. We’re doing this.

                           Okay?

Leslie Shay: Okay.

Kelly Severide: Come here.

                                           [kissing sound]

Otis Zvonecek: I have to admit, it [chuckles] looks pretty damn

                           good.

Gabby Dawson: Right?

                            And, hey, can you… I need a picture.

Mouch: Okay.

Gabby Dawson: Come here.    

Matt Casey: All right.

Mouch: I hope this comes out okay. I don’t have my glasses.

Joe Cruz: Just give me this.

                 All right guys.

                                        [door unlatches]

Gabby Dawson: Oh.

Matt Casey: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, hey.

Leslie Shay: Whoa. Whoa. Sorry

Joe Cruz: Come on, come on, come on. We’re trying to take this

                  picture.

Kelly Severide: Looks great.

Leslie Shay: Sorry, sorry.

Kelly Severide: All right, guys.

Joe Cruz: Ready?

                                        [camera clicks]

Joe Cruz: One more.

                                        [camera clicks]

Gabby Dawson: Hey, Pete. Hi. I thought you had classes all day.

Peter Mills: Oh I do. Just wanted to carve out a couple minutes to

                    come see this door. Looks great.

                                        [kissing sound]

                                       [phone buzzing]

Kelly Severide: Uh, I gotta go to the firehouse.

Leslie Shay: What for?

Kelly Severide: I don’t know. See you guys.

All: See ya.

       Later, man.

                                              cutscene

Kelly Severide: Hey Tara.

                          Okay.

                                       [knocks on door]

Kelly Severide: Chief?

Chief Boden: Come on in, Kelly. Take a seat.

                                      [door closes]

Chief Boden: Lieutenant Severide. A subordinate has accused you

                        of luring her to your apartment… and trying to force

                        yourself upon her.

Kelly Severide: What?

Chief Boden: She hasn’t pressed criminal charges as yet and we

                       are trying to convince her to keep this an internal

                       matter.

Kelly Severide: Are you-are you-are you talking about Tara Little?

                          What did she say I did?

Chief Boden: You’re gonna wanna talk to your union rep. See about

                        getting a lawyer.

                                              cutscene

Gabby Dawson: I really appreciate this, Casey. It means a lot.

Matt Casey: I know. That’s why I did it.

                      It seems like things are going pretty well with you and

                      Mills.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah. They are.

Matt Casey: He’s a lucky guy.

                                            [door opens]

Gabby Dawson: Uh, sorry, we’re closed.

Matt Casey: Hallie?

Hallie Thomas: Hey, Matt.

Matt Casey: What?

                     I thought you were in South America.

Hallie Thomas: I was. I just got back. The guys at the station said

                          you might be here.

                          Hey, Gabby. How are you?

Gabby Dawson: I’m good. I’m good. You look… you look great.

Hallie Thomas: Thanks.

Matt Casey: Uh… You wanna grab a coffee or something?

Hallie Thomas: I’d love that.

Matt Casey: All right.

                                                 - end -

Definitions:

C-spine – The cervical spine (neck region) is the most superior position of the vertebral column, lying between the cranium and the thoracic vertebrae. It consists of seven bones (C1-C7 vertebrae)

Oxy/acetylene torch – Widely used for welding purposes

Exothermic torch – Used in cutting. An exothermic torch works by feeding oxygen through an exothermic carbon steel cutting rod that is charged by the 12-volt battery. The exothermic torch has the ability to cut through mild steel that is three inches thick and makes quick works of re-bar, coated steel, bridge decking, concrete lined pipes and highway guard rails. It will burn through common metals even when they are covered in mud, dirt or rusted out

P.E. – A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in the lung artery. It usually happens when a blood clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs

7 ½ - Size of tube for intubation. A 7 – 7 ½ endotracheal tube (ETT) is generally appropriate for an average woman and 7 ½ - 8 ETT for an average man

tPA – Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only FDA approved treatment for ischemic or thrombotic stroke, which is stroke caused by a blood clot interrupting blood flow to a region of the brain. It has also been used in treatment for pulmonary embolism and myocardial infraction. tPA is a blood thinner

Thrombectomy – Removal of a thrombus (blood clot) under image guidance

Phish concert – American rock band

EKG – Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) records the electrical signal from your heart to check for different heart conditions. Electrodes are placed on your chest to record your heart’s electrical signals, which cause your heart to beat

[shelby-love]

Brian Zvonecek

The better sister

Prompts: none

Requested: yes

Warnings: none

Author's note: Hey kids! I'M BACK IN BUSINESS KSJDJAKDHJDA and honoring the comeback of our favourite shows (and my continuation of watching my favourite firefighters) I am bearing gifts! ENJOY

Y/H/C - your hair color; I don't know what happened here honestly. I didn't know how to finish it so I'll leave it at that (no plans for part two guys I'm sorryyyyyy)

~

"Hey I didn't come here willingly!" You pump your feet to move faster as you try to keep up with your brother's huge strides.

Peter Mills doesn't look behind. "Yeah right."

"No seriously!" You object, swooshing in front of him. "Mom sent me."

"Y/N you can't be here." He warns.

His words make you huff loudly. After placing your hands on your hips and taking a deep stance you shoot him a look. "And why's that? Don't tell me you work with a bunch of serial killers. Do their victims usually have Y/H/C hair like me?"

Peter rolls his eyes and continues to walk towards the firehouse. This time, by the time you catch up to him you're inside.

"Mills brought a girlfriend!" A man, sat at the majestic squad table, sings the moment he sees you next to your brother.

You can practically see your brother's eyebrows fly to his forehead. He turns around and you smile cheekily. "Why are you still here"?

"I need verbal confirmation that you will be there," You state simply. You're not leaving without his word.

You can practically see the wheels turning inside his head, trying to think of a solution that will get rid of you. Your smile intensifies.

"Well, well, well candidate," A new face appears by your side. "You didn't tell us that you're spoken for."

"I'm not Otis," Your brother replies. "This is my sister."

How does one act in the company of a man that's not your brother or a customer? You do not know. That's why you wave awkwardly and squeak out a simple hi.

"Otis" smiles at that, finding it amusing. "I thought Elise was your sister?"

"She is," Peter's patience is thinning by the second. "This is my other sister."

You gasp. "The better sister." No offence to Elise.

"Can you cook?" Otis asks, looking straight into your eyes.

"No," You reply simply, frowning deeply when you grasp the full meaning of his question. Hypocrite. "Just because my family owns a restaurant doesn't mean that I know how to cook."

That seems to confuse the handsome man in front of you and Peter pipes in, "She's a waitress."

"Ooooh," Otis says, almost as if Peter's answer gave him the knowledge of the world.

"Y/N." You smile sweetly, after realising that you didn't even tell him your name.

Something about the man in front of you intrigued your curiosity. Perhaps it was his mustache, the one you surprisingly found very attractive or maybe the way he carries himself. The walk of ease and tease, like he has no care in the world. Like you.

Brian thought the same thing. He wanted to know more.

"Hey Mills," Otis jogged towards the younger firefighter, a few moments after he watched you drive off. "Any way you could think of something to get your sister back here?"

Peter laughed airily, thinking that he was joking. Although he quickly stopped when he noticed how serious he was. "Wait for real?"

"C'mon Mills help a brother out..." Otis dragged in desperation.

After rolling his eyes at him he shrugged his shoulders and disappeared towards the squad table. "You owe me one."

Otis sighed in relief.

He knew there was a strong possibility for something big to happen between you two.

He just had to be patient.

MASTERLIST

[ikleesfiction]

Will you follow through if I fall for you?

Fandom : One Chicago Word count : 2,276 words Author Notes : Rated M Disclaimer

Previously on this fic : Part 1 🞂 Part 2 🞂 Part 3 🞂 Part 4

Part 5

Jay didn’t text or call you further until the next day. You feel your phone vibrating on the desk as you are working with your headphones on. You see Jay’s name on the display before you pick it up, “Hello?”

“Hey, Y/N! I’m downstairs. Let's do the dinner date now. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?” Jay spontaneously announces.

It was just past 7 PM. You have been working since 1 PM and didn’t notice the time goes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Couldn’t you give me more time to prepare?”, you sound annoyed but he can hear the smile in your tone.

“Don't want you to accuse me of bailing again. So I have to be sure I can make it”, Jay says grinningly.

“Why don’t you come up and wait in my living room?”, you let Jay know your apartment number and buzz him up before you disconnect the call. Soon you hear knocks on your door.

“Hi, come on in”, you usher Jay into your place. “Sit wherever you like, make yourself at home. If you’d like to drink, feel free to take it from the fridge. I’m gonna go get ready”, you tell him.

As you turn your back to leave, Jay grabs your wrist gently and turns you around. His hand then cups your face tenderly and he leans to kiss your lips. You freeze up for a tick before melt into it. Your hand moves to his chest, palm over his denim jacket.

Jay pulls away after a while, “Hi. I miss you”, he murmurs. You just blink owlishly and stay speechless.

“Now you can go get ready”, he commands you with a smile. You voluntarily follow his order. Jay shakes his head, amused. He was being honest when he said he misses you. For the whole day, he was hoping the unit wouldn’t get any urgent cases. Once it’s time to clock out, Jay quickly moved out of the district. The kiss though been something that he wanted to do since he met you at Will’s place. When Jay saw you opened the door before, he thought you’re cute with faded pink shorts that were drowned by an oversized white t-shirt. He just felt like it was the right time to properly kiss you.

As he waits for you to get ready, Jay looks around at your place. It’s an open-plan apartment. He can see almost every corner of it from the living room. A flat tv was hanging on the wall, in front of a cozy couch and a simple coffee table. On one corner, there is a small desk table with a mismatched but comfy looking chair. A laptop, headphones, and a microphone are sitting on the table. Next to it, there are an electric keyboard and a guitar. Cables plug and scatter around messily. He figures that’s where you do your work.

Jay walks to the kitchen to take a bottle of water from the fridge. You don’t have a dining table. Only a kitchen island with chairs on its outer side. On the fridge door, he can see a training schedule and some recipe cards. There are no pictures or drawings. Actually, he cannot find any family photos or even band posters around the place. The place looks kind of bare without any personal decoration. Jay wonders how long you’ve been living in this place.

Fifteen minutes later, you come out of your room in a cream-colored blouse and skinny blue jeans. Because Chicago weather always feels chilly to you, you put on a black light-jacket that fell slightly above your wrists. “Okay, I’m ready”, you fluff your hair a bit. You don’t have time to style it the way you like. So brush and fingers should do.

“You clean up nice”, Jay compliments you. He offers his hand for you to take.

“Well, thanks for the heads-up”, you respond jokingly as both of you step out of your place after you lock it down.

You and Jay casually chat while he drives. “How was your day?”, you genuinely want to know.

“It’s good. Any day without getting shot at is actually good. The gang told me to say hi to you, by the way”, he informs you.

“Really? How many people are there in your team? I was lowballing for breakfast the other day. I hope it’s enough”, you tilt your head curiously.

“No, you were great. No one was left hungry. Let’s see, there is my partner, Hailey Upton. We got Ruzek, Olinsky, and Dawson. Hank Voight is our boss. Who else did I miss? Hmm…Oh, Burgess and Atwater! So there’s eight of us”, Jay counts.

“And Sergeant Platt at the desk”, you remind him.

Jay lets out a laugh, “Right, that’s sweet of you to remember her”

“Well, no one can go in 21st District without her permission. So I have to take good care of her”, you humorously explain your reason.

Soon Jay parks his car. “The restaurant is just around the corner”, he shows you as you step out of his car. You walk side by side to the restaurant.

“Dawson told me this place is good but I’ve never been here before”, Jay informs you when he opens the restaurant door for you.

“Great, I like unknown places”, you cheerfully comment.

There is a friendly-looking older guy greets them at the door. “Hola! Welcome! My name is Carlos. Are you looking for a table for two?”

Jay gives him an affirmative nod, “Yes, please”

Carlos then guides both of you to a table. He lets you settle down and gives menu cards to review. A few minutes later, he comes back, “Ready to order?”

Jay looks at you questioningly. “Ah, can you tell me more about this one?”, you ask Carlos, pointing out an appetizing picture of a dish on the menu. The discussion is certainly longer than normal, but Carlos happily explains it to you. Finally, you pick your choice and so does Jay.

“I’m sorry. It must’ve been annoying to listen to”, you apologize to Jay once Carlos left.

“Not at all", Jay brushes it off. "It is actually interesting to see. The guy was ready to narrate all the tales about each dish when you ask”

“Yeah, thankfully he’s patient about it. Other places might have kicked me out before I can decide”, you snort a laugh. “That happened before. We were in New York. My best friend, Alex is a DJ. He was scheduled to play a gig at a club there. We planned to have an early dinner before going to the club. It was a fairly fancy restaurant. I remembered asking at least three questions for each dish before the waitress lost her patience, accused me of pranking her, and kicked us out. We were too shocked to say anything”, you giggle through your story. “Whenever we try new places now, I’m not allowed to order anymore”

"You're not just being polite when you mentioned you like unknown places", Jay remarks after laughing at your story.

"No, I truly like it. When we travel for work, we like to try places recommended by locals. Sometimes they do well, sometimes they don't. That's the fun in that", you justify.

"Is that why your place is rather bare? Because you travel all the time?", he pries.

"Ah no, not really. I.. I haven't been staying there long. Two months now", you hesitantly unfold.

"Oh, where do you live before?", he continues to probe.

"Amsterdam", you quickly respond, wishing he doesn't ask more about it.

"That's far. What made you move here?", Jay intrigues, unaware of your discomfort.

Before you can reply, a waiter comes with an appetizer and wine. He pours the wine into both of yours and Jay's glass, then leaves the bottle on the table. You softly exhale your relief, grateful for the distraction.

“Hmm, this is good”, you say after sipping your wine and tasting the food. “This place is very nice", as you look around the restaurant. "A good recommendation you received here, Jay”

"Yeah, Antonio rarely stirs us wrong", Jay agrees with you.

"Antonio is Gabby's brother, right?", you ask him.

"Yeah, you know her?", Jay returns with a tad surprised.

"Uhuh, Met her at Molly's", you answer shortly. It is not exactly a lie, but it is not the whole truth either. You did come to Molly's the night before the incident where Firehouse 51 saved you.

"Seriously? I can't believe we never met before. Our unit is a regular there! Even Will also frequently goes there", Jay baffles. You just giggle in response.

Easy conversation flows during dinner. Both of you certainly enjoy it. Soon the meal is finished and dessert is polished. While Jay settles the bill, you compliment the staff for the nice meal. Carlos bids farewell at the door with a small package of dulce de leche cookies. "Hope you enjoy the rest of your night!", he wishes you and Jay goodbye.

“What if we take a walk for a while, sober up from the wine?”, Jay suggests to you after leaving the restaurant. “Okay”, you readily agree.

Jay holds your hand when you both stroll along the sidewalk. The sky is quite clear. Even though you cannot see a lot of stars, the moon shines prettily. Both of you glance at each other a few times. Until you lock eyes with him, Jay stops his walk and turns to look at you. “Gosh, you’re gorgeous”, he states before kissing you tenderly on your lips.

One kiss turns two and another and another. It got more intense for each kiss. You’re not sure how long until you have to take a breather.

“Might be better if we go back now?” you sigh to his lips. He steals another kiss before replying, “Okay, we’re going now.”

◢◤

Your hand is shaking when you try to open your apartment door with Jay’s hands wrap around your waist. His body presses on your back while his lips nibble on your neck. Once you get in, you lead him to your bedroom. Jay sheds his and your clothes one by one in between kisses along the way. Both of you are topless when you reach your bedroom. You push him lightly to your bed and straddle him on his lap. The make-out session keeps going for a while. His hands then move from your ass to take off your jeans. He rolls on top of you and starts to peel your jeans from your legs.

You suddenly realize that he’s going to see the scar on your left leg, a souvenir from the incident. Jay can feel you stiffen when his knuckles graze your scar. “You okay?”, he tentatively asks you.

“Ah, yeah. I don’t know how I could forget about it. I’m sorry. I could cover it so you...”, you falter.

“What? What are you talking about?”, Jay confusedly interrupts.

You sit up and pointedly look at your left leg. There’s a long jagged line that goes along your left hamstring. Jay delicately touches it, but you jerk your leg away in reflex, “Sorry! Am I hurting you?”, Jay sounds worried.

“No, you’re not”, you fall back to your pillow and avoid looking at Jay. He moves to your right side and leans on his left elbow, facing you as he waits for you to speak.

“There’s was an incident, a couple months ago”, you begin to fill him in. “Alex was playing a gig at a nightclub on Fulton River District. I assisted him behind the stage”, you shudder as you recount the nightmare.

“One moment everything went alright, but then I saw the stage started to wobble. It collapsed quickly. I pulled Alex out of the way but I moved too slow...” Jay stays silent but holds your right hand and kisses the back of it.

“I was trapped under the rubble. My leg got pinned. Until Firehouse 51 pulled me out of there”. Jay instinctively squeezes your hand. “Torn the ligaments, got some nerve damage too. Been working on it ever since”, you unreliably conclude your story.

Jay is quiet for a while, but his hand moves to caress your face. “I’m gonna buy drinks for the whole 51 next time I see them at Molly’s”, he declares and then closes the gap to your lips. “For them to save you, so I can have you here, with me, right now”

He continues to kiss your neck, down to your shoulder, on top of your breast, your ribs. His lips keep moving south until he gets to your thigh. You try to pull your left leg away, but he is just not having it. He peppers your thigh and knee with soft kisses. “You don’t have to do that”, you whisper. “I know it’s off-putting”

“That’s where you are wrong. I see this as a beautiful sign that you survive” Jay fiercely says. “I got scars too, Y/N. Some even invisible. Are you appalled about my scars?”, he questions you.

“Of course not!” you exclaim.

“So you understand that I am not revolted by it”, his eyes look at you sincerely, before he puts your left leg on his right shoulder to kiss your scar.

Soon, he takes off his trousers and underwear, follows by pulling yours off. When he crawls back on top of you, you circle your hands around his neck and pull him down to kiss his lips passionately.

"I'm so glad I got a chance to meet you", Jay says before continues the night to make love to you.

Next on this fic : Part 6

+x Taglist +x

@shipshipshipau @itsdesiree86 @thevelvetseries @annaallicce

[soyforramen]

Anyways, here’s part one Sunday:

It had been seven long years away from the only home he’d ever known.  Away from the heartache and death and depravity.  Seven years in the real world, where parents didn’t try and kill their kids; where drugs weren’t rampant on the streets; where people didn’t pretend like their small town hadn’t descended into corruption years ago.  Seven years to mend and try to heal from the scars this place had carved out of his flesh.

Archie looked through the windshield at the sun clawing through the sky, steam rising from the river below to cover Sweetwater Bridge in an ominous fog.  He wanted to turn back, put his back to this hell hole of a town.  After everything they’d been through, after all the pain, grief, and heartache, they both swore they’d never go back.  Riverdale was no longer theirs, if it ever had been.  It’s innocence had long been dragged down under the dark, rushing currents, taking their youth with it.

But, as Romeo Void always said, never say never.

He glanced over at Betty, still curled up in the passenger seat asleep, and wondered.  What would have happened all those years ago if he had said yes to her?  If he’d lied, and said he loved her the same, would they have ended up like his parents?  Separated by half a country, filled with bittersweet memories and regrets of what they could have been?  Or would they have turned into her parents, forcing a smile, married with kids and miserable, the perfect couple to everyone but themselves?

It didn’t matter.  Not really.  One what if lead to a thousand, each a domino lined up against the others, ready to topple a mountain with a simple touch.

They were here now.  Together.  And that’s the only thing that could matter right now.

Archie pulled the visor down to block out the sun and turned the old Ford’s engine over - newly rebuilt by his traveling companion - and pulled onto the old wooden bridge.

Back to where they’d started.

It was strange to see one’s childhood, once so precious and simple, changed so completely.  The old Southside High was now littered with shops selling cheap tourist t-shirts and even cheaper urban legends.  Sunnyside Park had been forgotten altogether, now nothing more than a run down jungle of rust and flora, a faded ‘For Sale’ sign crying out for salvation.  And they gym, the one he’d risked his life -

- and those kids’ - god he’d been so stupid - nothing had been worth that, especially not his pride what had he -

- had been converted to a used car lot, Reggie’s face beaming out from an overly large billboard with blinding veneers and thinning hair.

Pop’s was the only thing that hadn’t changed, its neon light guiding him home, still a beacon to wayward travelers in need of a place to call home.  Wary of the woman asleep beside him, Archie kept driving.  His weren’t the only memories he had to be careful of disturbing.  This return was hard on the both of them -

- Memories can take you back, home sweet home, You can never go home anymore -

- a necessary strain on the future of their relationship.  They’d stayed up for months arguing about it, voices raised and doors slammed.  She claimed it was necessary for her future; he disavowed the past in that place.  They’d both lost their parents; their youth; their innocence; their sanity there.  Neither wanted to admit how badly they needed to stay away.

He didn’t want to admit how badly he needed to return.

It didn’t matter, in the end.  He knew it was a fight he’d end up losing.  A twenty round TKO with determination like hers.  Nothing could dissuade her from going; nothing could keep him from going with her.  Because it was Betty who was asking him.  Betty his lifelong friend; his soulmate; his other half.  The one person who knew him inside and out.  He’d only ever told her no once in his life, and it had broken both their hearts so badly it had taken half a decade to heal.

Kintsugi, she told him when they’d come back together again.  Mending things with gold so the scars never went away.  Instead, they were made more beautiful by having survived the break.  

“That’s the last of it,” Archie said, his breath coming quick.  

With a clang, he set down the last box - a mishmash of utensils, pots, and pans.  They’d lived minimally for so long it was routine to load everything up into the bed of the Ford.  Military transfers had convinced Archie he really only needed a change of close, a pen, and a piece of paper to make it through.  Betty, though, had taken the opposite tack and had her entire lifestyle planned out to the minute.

“The furniture should be dropped off tomorrow afternoon, if we’re lucky.”  He stretched his arms up to hang his hands on the doorframe and watched as she moved to the newest box.

“Portland all over again,” Betty said.  

She cut into the packing tape, her hands constantly on the move.  Nesting, she’d once called it.  Settling into a new space and making it hers as quickly as possible.  Every where else, she’d been able to relax upon arriving.  But here every movement held a nervous, frayed energy.  He worried what would happen when she ran out of things to do.

Betty had been quiet since yesterday, refusing to leave the house until everything was settled.  Distracted by unpacking she barely acknowledged him.  Every call was sent to voicemail, each text left on read.  He’d had to prompt her throughout the day to eat.  

Ever since they’d arrived, her eyes had been haunted, trapped in the past.  No doubt reliving every moment and analyzing what she could have done differently.

Archie reached for her when she passed him.  Betty went rigid, but relaxed as he smoothed down the stray hairs that had come loose from her ponytail.  They’d talked about this.  About how easily she got stuck in the eddies of memories, her streams of thoughts unable to sweep her back to the present.  It was how her mind worked, the lines of thought etched deep into the ground with time and practice.  Just as he had to focus on the present to make it through, she had to relive the past to move to the future.

She slipped her arms around him, her fingers worrying at the fabric.  In times like these she likened him to her anchor in the storm.  Archie never saw himself as that; she was too strong to ever really need anyone.  Time had proven that.

“Pop’s for dinner?”

Betty shook her head, her hair tickling his nose.  “I can’t.  Not yet.”

He kissed her on the forehead and they rocked together a moment, a primitive soothing gesture for the both of them.

“But I could do with take out.”

For all the things that had changed, at least the bell above Pop’s door was still there.  Everything else - the formica tables, the jukebox, the old Polaroid's - had all disappeared, replaced by the same modern kitsch found in every other family restaurant across the country.

“Eating in?”

Archie turned to find a young woman standing in front of him, an apron around her hips.  She was dressed all in black, with nothing to distinguish her from her patrons.  It was dizzying, this old imposed on the new.

- the more things change, the more they stay the same, we shouldn’t have come, this isn’t for us -

“Picking up, for Andrews.”

She nodded and turned to the line of plastic bags behind her as soft jazz played above him.

First days were always hard.  Never knowing what to expect, Archie never felt as if he was enough.  That he’d fooled everyone into thinking he was capable enough to do the job.  Once push came to shove, though, he’d trip over his own feet and show the world just how useless he really was.  A disappointment to the end.

The first day of school - the iguana got loose and wrecked the cafeteria.  The first day of football - half the team were sent home with broken bones.  The first day of training camp - half the squad were lost in the woods.  The first day out in the field -

- oh god raj, the blood, i’m so sorry, it should have been me, where’s the medic, the blood, stop th-

“Andrews?”

Archie blinked the sun out of his eyes, back in front of the fire station.  Its sign gleamed bright in the morning sun, washing away the dark memories.  Forcing a grin, he turned only for his grin to blossom into a genuine smile.

“Mad Dog?”

They embraced, arms tight around each other, laughing, saying everything words never could.  Archie had lost touch with almost everyone but Betty after high school, friends drifting away on the currents of time and distance.  Every now and then he’d hear about weddings and babies, deaths and divorces.  Each a tragedy in their own way, celebrations he’d never know of.

He’d never truly regretted any of them, at least not until Munroe was in front of him again.

“Man, I haven’t heard that name in years,” Munroe said.  He stepped back, hands still clasped around Archie’s shoulders.  “What graces you upon my door?  Don’t tell me you remembered about that twenty dollars I owe you.  Last I heard you were slumming it up in San Francisco.”

Archie laughed at the (in)accuracy of it.  “Riverdale was in need of a new fire captain, and for some reason Sheriff Keller thought of me.”

“Chief Keller, Red,” Munroe said with wink.  “Old man gets testy when you forget.  Maybe seeing the prodigal son return will lighten his mood a bit.”

The warm feeling of home, the one he’d almost forgotten entirely, returned easily, a rising tide that almost made this trip worth it.  Archie threw an arm around Munroe’s shoulders as they walked into the firehouse.

“Good day at work?” Betty asked.

She handed him a bowl of ice cream - Neopolitan - and tucked herself against his side, her own half-eaten pint of strawberry ice cream in her other hand.  In return he tucked an old knitted throw around them and turned the tv volume down.

“Yeah, really good actually.  You?”

Betty dug out a chuck of ice cream too big for the spoon, and bit half of it.

“That bad?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled through the mouthful.

“No questions?”

She shook her head.  “No questions.”

The sounds of a muted space battle filled the silence around them.  Sometime between when the movie ended and the next began, Betty fell asleep against him, her empty ice cream carton tucked against her side like a teddy bear.  It was a moment of normalcy he’d been afraid to lose.  Domesticity in all its comforts.

He knew it wouldn’t last.  It couldn’t, not here.  Normal was a smokescreen, ebbing and flowing among the darkness that fueled this town.  Solving one small case couldn’t fix that.  They both knew that.

But it was nice to pretend it could.

A few minutes past midnight, Archie cradled Betty into his arms and took her to bed.  When he knew she was settled, he shut the door behind him and went to his own room.

“No.  Fuckin’. Way,” one of the probationaries said, his mouth hanging wide.  “You two were vigilantes? Like The Red Circle?”

Archie blushed and looked away, uncomfortable with how close he was.  Munroe, though, smiled, revealing in the shock and awe he could procure.  

“And this one,” he jerked his thumb at Archie, “wore spandez.”

“We both wore spandex,” Archie reminded him.

“You realize that’s worse, right?” Chief Keller, nee Sheriff Keller, said as he walked into the break room.

A half-dozen chairs hit the floor at once as the probates stood quickly.  A snicker cut through and soon the whole room was cracking up.  Archie smiled, not knowing what else to do other than scrum under all this attention.  He’d been stupid enough -

- so stupid, why hadn’t anyone stopped him, he was just a kid, jesus they were all kids, what the hel-

- and the last thing he wanted to be remembered for was wearing spandex.

“Alright, now that we’ve broken in the new guy,” Keller said.  He poured himself a cup of coffee, taking his time to scrutinize the room.  “Sanchez, Gilbert, Edison.  You’re on rotation for fire safety training at the school.  Pickens, Cho - Mrs. Green need help with that damned ramp of hers.  If I have to listen one more time to how she can’t get her wheelchair over those rotten out boards I’m giving her your personal numbers.  Andrews, Munroe - Sheriff wants somebody to look over a small fire at the old Twilight.  Probably nothing, but they need a stamp of approval for an insurance payout.”

Groans came from the younger firefighters, but they didn’t hesitate to get a move on.  In less than a minute the break room had emptied, leaving Munroe and Archie to bring up the rear.

“Just like the gym, huh?” Munroe asked as they followed Cho into the parking lot.

“Only better trained,” Archie replied.

Munroe unlocked an old white suburban, R.F.D. written along the side in bright red and gold letters.  On their way to the Twilight, Munroe pointed out the little things that had happened in Archie’s absence - new residents, car accidents; minor high school pranks, major vandalism; and one case of a loose alpaca.  All small town quirks that hit Archie with a sudden homesickness.  

Despite all the bad that had taken root here, it seemed there was still life in this town.

Munroe parked near the old projection booth, now nothing more than a few loose boards held up by a decade of graffiti.  He reached behind the seat and pulled out a pair of boxing gloves.  

“One more for old time’s sake?”

Archie took them from him, the oily, cracked leather like old friends.  On the cuff was the El Royale logo, faded almost to nothing in some places.  A choking sensation rose up in his throat and he had to swallow hard.  Of all the things to keep, and Munroe had unknowingly chosen the only thing from Riverdale Archie still held close to his heart.

“You’re on.”

“I saw him yesterday,” Betty mumbled when Archie woke up that Saturday.  “He had a woman with him.”

She spun a spoon through her soggy Cheerios, eyes dark and downcast.  From the sweatshirt and slacks she worse Archie knew it had been another all-nighter.  Betty also had an obsessive drive when it came to work, but this was going too far.  Not for the first time he wondered whether her insistence on taking this case was a way to gain experience and attention, or whether it was just another way for her to prove - to herself or to him - that she was over it.  Over them.  

Over that two syllable word that hadn’t been spoken in years.

It cut deep to see her like this.  And Archie didn’t know if he could pick her up off the floor again, if he’d be able to put together all those pieces that had shattered years ago.  He’d lost so many pieces, filled her with so much gold, that he was afraid that there wouldn’t be enough to keep her together for a second time.

“When was the last time you slept?”

She shrugged and dipped the spoon back into her milk.  Like a child Betty lifted it up only to watch it rain down again.

Archie sighed and picked up the coffee pot.  He’d been against her going into the FBI from the start, and he’d said as much when she’d been accepted into the Academy.  She had her own trauma to deal with.  And working on some of the worst cases - kidnappings, murders, rapes - was too close to reality for her.  

That was a lesson he’d learned the hard way.

But this was Betty, after all, the most self-assured, stubborn person he knew, determined to prove she was stronger than the white-noise of the past, desperate to push memories just past the edge of consciousness. And now they were back in this place tinted by the ghosts of their past.

“Betty -“

“I’m fine, Archie,” she snapped.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  The last thing either of them needed was another blow-up.  

“Look, the cookout’s today.  How about we eat junk food and watch that awful movie channel you like so much?”

Betty frowned, her lip pursed in a way he knew he’d won.  At least it wasn’t that awful, plastic smile of hers, the one she’d spent hours perfecting in the mirror when they were eight.  

“Fine, but only if you get wontons and dumplings.”

“And who is this lovely lady?” Cho asked.

Betty turned, the picture of suburban perfection she’d been raised to be, and held out her hand.  “Betty Cooper.”

Cho’s eyebrows lifted in delight and they bowed over her hand to kiss it.  “Teddy Cho, at your service.”

Their eyes met Archie’s, and he shook his head at the unasked question.  Betty bit her lip at the exchange, tickled at Cho’s obvious interest.  With a grin, Cho lead her towards the rest of the probates, their arms linked together as he tried out one of his new jokes on her.

Munroe handed Archie a cold beer as he walked up.  “The All-American couple.  You two are a big hit tonight.”

Archie shot him a confused look, and Munroe nodded towards Betty.

“No, we’re not…” Archie stammered, finally realizing how it looked when they showed up together.  “That’s….”

How did one explain what they were?  Friends, more-than-friends-but-less-than, family, what-if’s, drunk and lonely nights spend on the sofa, thank-god-we-never-did,-wouldn’t-that-be-so-weird?

“Funny, I would have pegged the two of you as a couple.”

“You and a bunch of other people.  But it’s not for us.”

Archie took a sip of his beer, a cool relief from the lingering hot summer sun.  The sounds of the barbecue brought back memories of his own childhood, memories of better times when his family wasn’t broken, when his father…

- mr. andrews, regardless of what you continue to think, none of what happened to your father was your fau-

Neighborhood cookouts were kids played long after dark, and dads drank beer and shot the shit about football while moms talked small town politics.  It would be nice to go back to this, he realized with a start.  Only this time he was part of the older group, a single man in a swathe of couples enjoying their lives for one more day before the return of the inevitable Monday morning grind.

“So, got a girl back home?” Munroe asked.  He sat down in one of the lawn chairs and kicked his feet up, the picture of American prosperity.  “You keep checking that phone a lot while we’re at the station.  I just figured out it was Betty, but now…”

Archie shook his head and settled in on the grass.  “Nah, nothing like that.  Last time I dated anyone was almost a year ago, and he’s been married almost two months now.”

Munroe raised an eyebrow, a question that could easily be side stepped, ignored as nothing more than a muscular tic.  After all, it had once been an El Royal running joke that Archie was the Casanova of the group, the one who could jump from one woman to the next without a beat between.  Munroe especially had given him the hardest time about it, constantly throwing out bad pickup lines for Archie to rate.  It was that strange sort of camaraderie only a group of men, posturing and posing, their masculinity fragile at that age, that needed to be reassured in their ability to pickup barbells and broads.

But Archie had never been uncomfortable with Munroe.  He’d always been the most easy going, non-judgemental man he’d ever met.  And besides, he owed him a sort of honesty, now that they relied on each other in the grips of life and death.

“Jake wanted kids, marriage, the whole thing.  Only once we dated for three years, he realized he wanted it with someone else.”

Munroe let out a whistle.  “Harsh.

Archie nodded.  They finished their beers in silence, moving onto the next one with talk about college rankings and score spreads, the mood still light between them.

“So…”

Betty let the words hang in the air, that gleam of curiosity in her eye.  Archie ignored her and turned onto Old Ash Road, the radio crooning an old country ballad about love, loss, and whiskey.  He made the mistake of glancing over at her and she fluttered her eyelashes in expectation.  

“So?”

“You and Munroe seemed pretty cozy.”

“You and Cho seemed pretty cozy too,” he shot back.

Betty’s lips pursed and she settled back into her seat with a pout.  “I was being nice since you didn’t seem too keen on hanging out with your coworkers.”

“I hung out with them.  Hahn and I played cornhole for an hour with Roxie and -“

“Munroe.”

Betty echoed him with a pointed look.  

“It’s been over a year, don’t you think you should -“

Archie shook his head.  “We agreed.  We’re here as long as you’re working on the case.  No roots.”

“Yeah, but -“

“We’re friends, and it’s going to stay that way.”

She chewed her lip, her mind going a mile a minute.  He’d have to be wary of any of her scheming, especially now that he knew Jughead was back in town.  Meddling in other people’s lives had always been Betty’s go to to get her mind off of her own problems, and while it had been worked out in the past now there was no way it would ever work.

It would be nice, though, to have someone like Munroe to date while he was in town.  But it wouldn’t be fair to either of them, not when Archie was dead set on leaving Riverdale the minute Betty's work was done.

After all, it had been Munroe he’d turned to in highschool, whether he needed help or just wanted to shoot the shit.  He’d been the second person Archie had wanted to spend time with, after Ronnie, of course.  Their bond had always been close, and it was more than just a bond formed through shitty circumstances.  They watched the same movies, loved the same sports, and Munroe could argue musical theory like no one’s business.  

So why couldn’t they at least be friends while he was in town?  

[forevermyalwaysphff]

Chapter 17

A/N: Next chapter is here! Enjoy and let me know what you think about it!

---------

Alexa glanced around the restaurant, sitting across from an empty seat waiting for her father to join her for their lunch date at the Ivy. He was on duty that day as Battalion Chief of Firehouse 21 and most likely got late finishing up a call. Alexa was used to this so she went ahead and order for the both of them.

Taking a sip of her drink, she spotted her father asking the hostess where she might be. The women pointed to Alexa as her fathers eyes locked on to her whereabouts. He waved with an elated smile at the sight of his daughter and made his way over to her, still wearing his Chief’s uniform with a proud smile.

Standing up out of her chair, she was embraced into a tight warm hug by her father as he kissed her cheek lightly. “Hello sweetheart! You are looking beautiful as ever.” Ben complimented his youngest while settling into his chair. “You must have gotten your mothers genes!” He cracked a joke making Alexa giggle softly.

“Oh you are too hard on yourself dad! You are handsome for a guy your age.” Alexa chuckled lightly.

Ben turned around and took a glance around the restaurant searching for something. “So, no paparazzi here today?” He forced a playful grin, hoping to make light of his daughters current situation.

“No, daddy. Guess I lost them on the way.” Alexa followed along with his humor. When her father saw how the media had been following and harassing his daughter, Ben did not take too kindly to it. He even phoned Prince Andrew like any protective father would to try to help her in anyway he could. He was advised that it would blow over soon and they would be onto the next royal news.

“I see that you have already ordered for me. Thank you, sweetie.” His dad smiled.

“Yes, I got you a steak, medium cooked with a fully loaded potato and salad instead of fries.” Alexa informed her father who narrowed his eyes at his daughter.

“What? Mom told me you and her were on a diet and made me order a salad!” Alexa tossed the blame towards her mother.

“That sneaky little women. I thought I would be able to get this passed her today.” Ben shook his head and pointed his finger at Alexa. “You can never get anything past that women I swear.”

His features morphed into a more serious tone. “Now, how have you been doing with everything? I know a lot has changed in the last few weeks.” Ben alluded to the fact of the release that his daughter would a part of the royal bridal party and with that came the hounding of the press.

“Dad...” Alexa was hesitant to bring it all up again. When the news first broke, she had ignored her family and to this day never gave an explanation as to why. It took her a few days before she would even send them a message and explain everything. Each member of her family had been supportive of her and even her brothers attempted to both walk her to and from work until things died down, to which she graciously denied.

“Things are getting better honestly. Like Andrew told you they have now moved on to someone else.” Alexa began. “But, there was something I wanted to tell you and I do not want you to tell mom yet, ok?”

Ben nodded in understanding and silently waited for her to continue.

“Promise?”

“Lexi bear, I am not going to tell your mother... unless...?” His eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Alexa sat back in her chair and sighed. “No, I am not pregnant dad.”

Ben released the breath he was holding. “Oh thank god.”

“I have a boyfriend.” Alexa knew this would almost warrant the same reaction out of her father after what happened with Reese.

Her father sat there in utter silence no doubt his mind going through on how to get rid of the guy already. “When did this happen?” Ben curiously asked.

“We have been dating for a few months and its been official for almost two.” Alexa confessed with a soft smile spreading her lips. “The reason why I wanted to tell you is that....” She paused briefly. “I was with him that week when the news broke... those days that I was ignoring you.” Benjamin angled his head at his daughter, his blue eyes starting to form a glaring stare.

“No, no.” Alexa stopped to explain. “He was the one encouraging me to talk to my family, but I just couldn’t. I told you now...well, because I wanted you to know I wasn’t alone when it happened. I know you guys were worried about me....”

“I see.” Her father was short for words. “I take it things are going well then? He’s treating you right?” Ben’s fatherly instincts came forth.

Alexa’s blue eyes smiled, matching the beaming grin on her lips. “Yes, daddy. He treats me very well.” She giggled lightly. “He can be quite protective like you sometimes.” Alexa drew the similarity between Harry and her father.

“Why can’t I tell your mother then?” He leaned in from across the table. “Why are you hiding your relationship with this guy?”

She took in a deep breath and sighed. “It’s a bit complicated...” Alexa did her best to try and explain without letting on the whole truth. “We are taking our time getting to know each other... yes that was my idea...” She added before continuing. “We don’t want any outside pressures in our relationship at the moment and we all know if you tell mom then she will want to meet him.”

“And you aren’t ready for that yet?” Benjamin nodded his head. “Or are you afraid that if we do meet him.... then you are in a serious relationship like you thought you were in with Reese... and that terrifies you?” Her father hit the nail on the head.

Alexa was rendered speechless, being unprepared for her fathers truthful statement hitting her square in the chest. She sat there across from her father and slowly nodded, not even realizing that was the real reason for her holding back in her relationship with Harry.

“Yeah... it’s scary dad.” Alexa squirmed in her seat. “Putting yourself out there to trust someone again like that.” She confided in her father like she always had.

Ben sat back in his chair and glanced at his daughter for a few silent moments before speaking. “You know, Alexa. It’s ok to be fearful of things in life, but you cannot let that fear chose how you live your life. Sometimes all it takes is a little trust and a little faith.”

Alexa let those words sink in. “You always give the best advice dad.” She smiled warmly at her father. “You aren’t upset that I kept this from you...?”

“No! Not at all! Why would I be?” Ben shook his head at his daughter. “Look, Lex. If you think your heart is ready for a relationship again then go for it.” A grin stretched across his lips. “But, promise me this one thing. Don’t hold back because of the past, because that is the past and not the future.”

Alexa reached out and placed her hand on the back of her fathers. “Thank you daddy, I needed to hear that.”

“Of course, sweet heart. You know I am always here for you.” Their food had arrived just on time and they dived into their dishes as silence fell between them.

“I do want to meet him though.” Ben chewed on a bit of his steak. “Show him that I am definitely more protective of you, than he is.”

“Oh no....” Alexa giggled nervously. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

—————————

Alexa sifted through her purse to try and find the keys to her flat while Harry stood patiently beside her carrying the alcoholic drinks and snacks for tonight. “Ah! Found them!” She giggled lightly seeing Harry role his eyes.

“It’s about time! Thought my arm was going to bloody fall off.” He teased back at her.

She turned the doorknob to unlock the door. “I did offer to help you!” Alexa opened the door to allow his royal protection officers in to ensure the flat was safe for the prince to enter. Alice, her roommate was home and had become accustomed to these searches.

“I’m happy that you are going to meet, Jay. I think you two will really hit it off.” Alexa talked quietly with Harry at the entrance waiting for the all clear.

“I am more concerned about your other friends. Which one is the one I need to charm again?” Harry tilted his head down at his girlfriend.

“Hallie. She’s the tough one to crack.”

Today was the day that Harry was going to meet Alexa’s closest friends. It had been a week since their fight at Kensington Palace and even though Harry was required to go back to base, they spent long hours in the evening working out things in their relationship that had come to light during the fight. Harry did admit that he had never fully forgiven Eugenie for making Alexa cry that night at the pub and everything seemed to re-surface during the fight.

Harry had witnessed that his fighting with Eugenie was literally tearing Alexa apart and if he had any hope of staying with her, then he would have to grin and bear it with his cousin and find somehow to move on from all this with Eugenie. Alexa did confide in him that Eugenie was less willing to forget things with Harry and move on. She had been ignoring Eugenie all week simply because she could not deal with it all at once. All Eugenie did was complain about either the wedding or Harry and quite simply, Alexa needed to take a step back for a while. The decision she made with a heavy heart and held onto the hopeful fact that this would blow over soon and she could get her best friend back. 

The prince received a call midday during the week from Alexa and she basically told him that he was staying with Alexa at his flat this weekend so she could introduce him to her friends. He did not hesitate to agree and when he asked her what changed her mind about it all, all she said was she received some good advice to take a chance. They had spent the night in last night, helping one another create a meal to enjoy with a few bottles of wine and a suspenseful action film that Harry chose, enjoying each other’s company in the process.

“All clear, sir.” His RPO returned and stated that they would wait down in the car and lobby for the prince.

Alice was close in behind the RPOs and greeted the couple. “Hey Lexi!” She pulled her flat mate into a warm welcoming hug before welcoming Harry back in. “Harry, pleasure as always!” They exchanged kisses on the cheek before Alice insisted on taking the groceries to the kitchen.

Jay was standing there quietly in the kitchen and quickly enveloped Alexa into a hug. His tall frame, nearly the height of Harry had to bend down and embrace her. “Jay! It’s been forever since I last saw you.”

He flashed a warm smile down at his girlfriend’s flat mate. “I know, training has been keeping me busy in Germany lately.”

Harry placed the packs of beer and bottles of wine on the kitchen counter, making Alexa turn back and smile at him. “Jay, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Harry.” The prince had rounded the corner of the counter and shook Jays hand firmly.

“Your highness, pleasure to meet you.” Jay’s grip was firm, but his kind smile made Harry feel right at home.

“Just Harry is fine, Jay. Nice to meet you finally.” He leaned up against the counter. “These girls have told me a lot about you.”

Jay tossed his head back in laughter. “Nothing good I am sure.”

Alexa leaned into Harry and placed an arm around her boyfriend, snaking it around his waist. “Jay works for the Military in Intelligence, developing software of some sort.” She explained to Harry, giving him a hint that they had the military connection between them.

“Oh, that’s really interesting.” Harry looked back up to Jay. “How long have you been doing that for?”

“Eight years now. Four years overseas and now been steadily between London and Germany.” Jay had asked Harry about his military background and talked about his flight training.

“Why don’t you two boys go and watch the rugby game while we prep some food for tonight.” Alice suggested as the two guys seemed to really hit it off right from the start like Alexa knew they would.

“You sure babe?” Jay locked in Alice’s gaze and she smiled a beaming quiet smile in reply. “I hope you are not an All Blacks fan, Harry!”

Alexa had grabbed two chilled beers from the drink fridge and set them on the counter for Harry to take into the living room. The prince came back around the kitchen island and placed a hand on Alexa’s hip while grasping the beers. “Let us know if you need any help, ok?” He watched her green eyes staring up at him fondly.

“I will, go have fun with Jay.” Alexa stood up on her tippy toes and captured the princes lips in a quick tender kiss.

—————

Alexa blindly reached down and grasped Harry’s hand, holding onto it with a tight grip. The nerves within her were building with each passing minute and Alexa’s friends had just rang to be allowed in. Harry sensed his girlfriend’s anxiety and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Come on, let’s go meet your friends.” He spoke with an air of confidence.

Pushing himself off of the sofa, he pulled Alexa along behind him towards the door. Alice had followed in behind them, but went into the kitchen to allow the couple to greet them first.

The blonde closed her eyes and released a deep sigh before peaking up at the calm prince. “I know they will love you, I am just nervous.” She confessed to Harry.

“That’s understandable. I promise I won’t embarrass you... too much.” A cheeky grin formed on his lips as he winked.

“Henry!!” Alexa shook her head back at him. Before she could speak another word, a knock on the door interrupted her. “Well.” She breathed out. “No turning back now.”

Alexa took a step forward with Harry behind her and grasped the handle of the door, opening it to reveal a smiling Naomi carrying a bottle of wine and Hallie behind her with a stack of games and snacks.

“Alexa!” Naomi pulled her friend into a close hug and squeezed her hard. Opening her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Harry standing behind Alexa. “Hi Naomi, thanks for coming tonight.”

Naomi literally was frozen in place as she locked eyes with the prince. She had never met a member of the royal family and now one of her good friends was in a committed relationship with one. Not only one, but the world’s most eligible bachelor. Alexa had moved on to greeting Hallie as Harry stepped up and introduced himself to a shocked Naomi.

Harry recognized what was happening and this wasn’t the first time that it had happened to him. He offered a welcoming smile and held his hand out to shake Naomi’s hand. “Hi, I’m Harry.” The prince kept the introduction casual.

Naomi robotically stuck out her hand and gave Harry’s hand a weak shake. She was mesmerized by his deep blue eyes she that were no doubt given to Harry by his mother. Nodding her head, she broke the trance and smiled warmly back at him. “Hi.... Harry.” Naomi paused to gather her composure. “I’m Naomi.”

Alexa had greeted both of her friends and stepped back towards the prince, wrapping her arm around his waist casually. “Guys, I want you to meet my boyfriend.” The blonde lifted her head and locked in Harry’s gaze for a moment. “Naomi, Hallie.... this is Harry.” Her eyes drifted back towards her smiling friends as Naomi offered to shake Harry’s hand again awkwardly. Alexa couldn’t help, but giggle at her nervous friend but was thankful in how Harry down played it all and shook it again like nothing happened.

Hallie stepped in and opened her arms up to embrace the prince. “Hi, Harry. I’m Hallie! Sorry, but I am a hugger.” Alexa watched her friend offer Harry a welcoming hug. Stepping back out of the hug, Harry found his place back by Alexa’s side.

“It’s about time we met you!” Hallie broke the ice. “I almost didn’t believe Alexa when she told us that she was dating you!” Harry barked a laugh at Hallie’s comment.

“Well, you know I didn’t believe it myself that I convinced Alexa to date me!” Naomi and Hallie tossed both of their heads back in laughter.

“You and your jokes.” Alexa shook her head at the prince. “Alice and Jay are here too. Babe, can you take Hallie’s games into the living room and I can get these girls a drink?”

“Sure, love.” Harry kindly grabbed Hallie’s games and bags of snacks while the girls followed Alexa into the kitchen.

Naomi placed her bottle of wine on the counter and held her head in her hands feeling embarrassed. “Oh, Lexi I completely embarrassed myself in front of a royal!” Naomi’s black curls fell forward covering her embarrassed face she hid.

“It’s fine, Noe. Don’t worry about it.” Alexa placed her hand on Naomi’s back and gave it a re-assuring rub. “Besides, he’s not a member of the royal family tonight. He’s Harry, my boyfriend.”

“But, I SHOOK HIS HAND TWICE!” Naomi moaned again as the rest of them started to giggle at her expense. Alice had poured them all a drink and started to set out the rest of the prepped appetizers and snacks for tonight.

“Wow! Look at all of this food!” Hallie had already started to dive in. Alexa knew that Hallie would be the hard one to crack tonight and convince her that Harry was different than the man she read about in the gossip columns and papers.

Harry and Jay had returned to the kitchen, opposite of the girls. “Damn, seems like we are a bit outnumbered Harry.” Jay cracked a joke as the girls started to fall into laughter.

Alexa had remained silent and locked eyes with Jay. She silently mouthed a ‘thank you’ to her flatmates boyfriend who had welcomed Harry like he had been a long time friend. That afternoon, she kept hearing the guys chatting while watching the rugby game and it appeared they had got on well.

“Dig in everyone!” Alice opened the snacks up for grabs as everyone grabbed a plate to stock up on before they started the games.

——————

“A BIRD?!” Naomi hollered at the top of her lungs as the timer was nearing its end. She was trying so hard to figure out what Alice was gesturing for their, but it seemed so outrageous. “I DON’T KNOW! A FREAKIN PTERODACTYL!?” Alice stopped and shook her head in silence, having to remain quiet.

Jay sat back and carefully analyzed Alice’s gestures. “Babe, please don’t ever pursue an acting career, I have no idea what the hell you are doing?!” He was fed up and grabbed his beer to sip on.

The buzzer rang. “TIMES UP!” Alexa bounced in the seat next to Harry. “What was it Alice?”

“Flight of the Phoenix.” Alice tossed her arms up in the air. “You see... I rose from the ashes like a phoenix...” Her flatmate re-inacted slowly. “Then took flight.”

“Ya...Alice. I don’t think anyone would have gotten that.” Hallie sipped on her wine before releasing a light chuckle.

The group had decided to play a game of charades and split themselves into two teams. Jay, Alice and Naomi were on one team, while Harry, Alexa and Hallie made up the other team. Hallie was next up to act. She jumped out of the big lounge chair and grabbed a card that gave her a clue as to what she needed to act for Harry and Alexa.

Her eyes locked onto the couple that were sharing the love seat. She saw Alexa’s hand settle on Harry’s knee as they both were sat on the edge of the seat eagerly ready to start guessing. “Ready?” Hallie’s dark brown eyes widened as they both nodded simultaneously. “If we get this, we can win!”

“Let’s go Hallie. You can do this.” Harry was sweetly encouraging Hallie, giving her the confidence to proceed. Hallie smiled and nodded for Naomi to start the timer and begin the round. With Hallie acting out gestures silently, Harry and Alexa started yelling out their guesses.  

“Song?” Alexa questioned as Hallie held up a pretend microphone to her lips, but shook her head no, wanting them to keep guessing.

“Singer?! It’s a singer.” Hallie nodded with a beaming smile at Harry’s guess and started to point to her hair and ran over to Harry and tapped his hair.

Alexa looked completely confused at what Hallie was doing. “The singer Prince?” Hallie started to giggle as did the rest of the group, but it still was not the correct answer. Her friend continued the same gesture until she made the connection. “Oh! HE’S A GINGER SINGER!”

She yelled as Harry barked a laugh along with the rest of the group.

“ED SHEERAN!” Harry screamed the correct answer finally.

“YES! OMG! I thought you were never going to get that.” Hallie came and high fived the couple.

“Wait...” Harry spoke up, “Hallie were you comparing me to Ed Sheeran or just the ginger hair?” He jokingly teased the mixed Asian beauty.

“Clearly...” Hallie paused for a moment. “Comparing you to Ed Sheeran!” Harry made a less than impressed face as the rest of the group laughed at his expense.

Alexa tossed her head back in laughter knowing for a fact that Harry hated being compared to the singer. It felt good watching Hallie and Harry being able to have a banter with one another despite Hallie’s voiced concerns about Harry.

The game had finished and the group fell into a comfortable conversation as they got a chance to learn more about Harry first hand while the drinks flowed steadily. Naomi and Hallie had cuddled up together on the big lounge chair silently watching their friend beside Harry, seeing how close they were together and hardly went a second without having some sort of physical contact.

Naomi rested her head on Hallie’s shoulder and silently observed how relaxed both of them appeared. The couple had settled back comfortably on the sofa next to one another. Alexa was explaining a story to the group, but Naomi’s eyes stayed on Harry. His eyes had drifted to his girlfriend, silently sitting there and listening to her tell the story, but his eyes stared down at Alexa adoringly and appeared to be quite captured by the blonde beauty sitting next to him.

She saw how they blindly found each other’s hand and entwined their fingers together. Harry soothingly rubbing his thumb along the side of her hand, letting Alexa know that he was there.

Naomi was foremost a hopeless romantic, the one that believed that true love existed and that it was out there for everyone. She had seen Alexa at her worst after the breakup and heartache of Reese. But, seeing how happy her friend was sitting next to the prince of England made her heart swell with happiness. It wasn’t though Alexa had snatched a prince, it was the evident way how they outwardly showed care for one another as a couple truly falling in love. It wasn’t a facade or a relationship of means to Harry like Alexa’s relationship with Reese had been. Naomi could sense that this was different not only to Alexa, but how serious Harry was trying to get know every aspect of Alexa’s life.

Alexa had ended the story as a silence fell between the group. “Who needs more drinks?” Being the host, it was her duty to ensure everyone had a full glass.

“I will have more wine, lovely.” Hallie stuck out her hand being unable to get up as Naomi nearly had her body plunked down on her fully. Alexa grabbed the glasses as Harry stood up behind her to help.

“Here love, let me help you.” Alexa’s boyfriend grabbed some of the glasses from her and followed the blonde into the kitchen that would give the couple a quick break to check in on one another. He sat them down on the counter and turned around to see Alexa reaching up top to grab a bottle of wine. Her shirt had rode up exposing her abdomen. Harry came up behind Alexa and placed his hands on her hips as she felt them running up along side of her abdomen.

Alexa started to giggle as she had successfully grabbed the bottle of wine and came back down to his level. But, his hands still wandered beneath her shirt, feeling the sensation of his fingers trail to the middle of her abdomen. Harry rested his chin on her shoulder and released a sigh.

“You ok, love?” Alexa placed the bottle of wine on the counter and reached back to play with his ginger hair.

“Mmmhm. I’m great. You ok?” He felt Alexa start to turn around to face him, loosening the grip on her waist. She turned around and placed her hands on his chest before lifting her head to smile back up at him adoringly.

“I really love that you are meeting my friends tonight. You don’t know how much this means to me and how amazing you are with them, being so welcoming and playful.” Alexa stood up on her tippy toes and nudged Harry’s nose with hers. “I want them to know the man I am falling in love with...” She rested her head against Harry’s forehead as a comfortable silence fell between them, letting those expressed words settle.

They stood there in a silent embrace, not needing words to further convey their feelings for one an other. Alexa and Harry had already expressed to one another that they were falling in love when she had made her trip out to Suffolk, which of course had changed the trajectory of their relationship in many ways. But, with the recent fights with Eugenie and Alexa questioning her future relationship with not only the princess, but with Harry, it still felt amazing to hear Alexa say it again.

“You know that if it’s important to you, it’s important to me now.” His finger lifted Alexa’s chin delicately before he leant down and captured her lips softly. Their lips locked in an embrace as the world around them disappeared for a moment. All their cares and fears drifted when they were with one another. There connection was so deep, neither one of them could find the words to explain what drew them toward one another.

Alexa felt Harry start to break away, her hand flew to the back of his neck and indicating for Harry to not stop. He took in a quick breath and continued their kiss, deepening it further as he cupped Alexa’s cheek to hold in tenderly.

They had become oblivious to their surroundings as footsteps approached the kitchen, but their minds were still trapped in a cloud of lust that they didn’t hear a thing. All that the couple was focused on was one another.

“Do I need to send out a search part- ” Hallie rounded the corner and had caught Harry and Alexa locking lips. Alexa tore her lips off Harry and looked towards Hallie for a brief second before becoming embarrassed. Alexa’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she buried her head into Harry’s chest. The prince turned sideways to see Hallie standing there with her mouth open, starting to laugh at Alexa’s response.

Hallie smiled cheekily and locked in the prince’s gaze and he simply shrugged his shoulder. “Sorry Hallie. We can fix the drinks in a moment.” Harry broke the awkward silence between them.

“Ya, I am sure you will Harry.” Hallie popped her hip out and came further into the kitchen, surprising the prince. “Having a snog in the kitchen...” She couldn’t help but tease the couple.

Alexa lifted her head to glance up into Harry’s eyes. “Sorry.” She whispered up at him, knowing that this may put the brownie points he had won with Hallie to no good use.

The black haired beauty poured a few drinks and watched the couple come out of their embrace through the corner of her eye. “What’s your poison Harry?” Hallie glanced up at the prince waiting for his drink order.

“Bourbon, neat. On the rocks.” He ordered and saw Hallie grabbing a bottle of Bourbon that Harry had brought.

“Lexi, why don’t you take these drinks back to the girls.” Hallie pushed them towards Alexa. “While I have a little chat with Harry.” It wasn’t exactly a question more of a demand coming from Hallie.

Alexa sharply breathed out. All day she had a feeling that Hallie would interrogate Harry at some point this evening. She thought that after everything so far, that Hallie had seemed to get past the issues she harboured with the prince and moved on after getting a sense of who he was.

“Ya, that’s alright Hallie. Would love to have a chat.” Harry had down played it, having heard Alexa warn Harry that Hallie might want to talk to him tonight. “Is that alright, babe?”

Alexa’s eyes drifted towards Hallie and gave her a warning glare. She did appreciate how protective Hallie was over her, a trait that she had become accustomed to. “Be nice to him.” The blonde smiled kindly at her friend.

“You know I don’t bite...” Hallie paused for a moment. “... that hard at least.” She teased Alexa. “He’s a big boy, he can handle a little chat with me.”

Harry’s hand rubbed down the small of her back re-assuringly. “I will be fine, love.” He leant down and kissed her temple softly to convince his girlfriend that he would be ok with a little interrogation from a concerned friend.

Alexa took a few steps out of the kitchen before glancing back over her shoulder at Harry, seeing him staring at her as she walked away.

“Shall we take our drinks outside to the terrace for a chat?” Hallie suggested as the prince happily agreed.

“Lead the way.” He grabbed his drink and took a healthy sip of bourbon.

Harry followed Hallie out of the kitchen and passed by the living room through to the terrace. He sat down diagonally from Hallie and placed his drink on the smaller circle ceramic table. The sun was almost set but gave off enough light. The prince waited for Alexa’s friend to start the conversation and ask whatever she wanted about him. He was willing to be an open book for Hallie if it meant he could put her mind at ease about him dating Alexa.

“So...” Hallie began. “I have known Alexa for a long time now. I have seen her at her best of times.... and at her worst.” The black beauty eluded to the time after Reese and Alexa broke up.

“You mean what happened with Reese Kellington?” Harry already knew that was what she was trying to convey, but he wanted Hallie to know that Alexa had already confided in him about that whole situation.

“So, Alexa has told you what a complete jerk face that money hungry asshole did to her?” Hallie had quite a few choice words for that man.

“Yes.” Harry nodded and grabbed a quick sip of his drink. “We talked about that pretty early on and it was the reason why we were taking things slow for not only me, but Alexa. She had her own reservations about me because of who I was and the apparent social circles I run in, nearly the same ones as Reese.” He gave Hallie all the information she wanted from him.

“Then you can understand me not being easy won over again by someone like him.” Hallie narrowed her eyes at the prince, not being afraid to speak her mind like Alexa had warned him.

“I’d like to not be compared to Reese in anyway.” Harry firmly spoke. “I can understand your reasons to be cautious of me in order to protect Alexa from what she went through again... but Hallie.” His voice spoke her name. “I am not him.”

“Then who are you Harry?” Hallie was relentless. “Are you who the papers say you are? Are you still the same seem to be player like you were in your early twenties?”

The answer was relatively simple.

“I’m Alexa’s boyfriend who is falling in love with her more every single day.” Harry let down the walls and admitted it to Alexa’s friend, being as candid as possible. His answer took Hallie back a bit, being caught off guard.

“Look, Hallie.” The prince continued as he noticed Hallie remaining speechless. “I know you want to protect Alexa and quite frankly so do I. I never go into a relationship without thinking it through or feeling guilty that eventually if our relationship gets revealed, the amount of pressure and scrutiny Alexa would be under. I do not take those things lightly.” Hallie nodded silently, making Harry know that she was following it all.

“Alexa had been wanting me to meet her friends for quite some time now. She hasn’t said this right out to me, but I feel like she does need more support and people to vent or talk to about our relationship. She really only had Alice and Eugenie that knew about us seeing one another and I am happy that she can now confide in you and Naomi.” Harry leaned forward as a serious expression graced his face. “All that I am asking is that you get to know me like this, rather then put me in the same labels the press has done. Because I am more than a prince, more than a soldier and more than what they have made me out to be.”

Hallie sat silently for a few moments and let the words settle.

“Don’t stop questioning me or my intentions. Alexa needs a friend like you on her side.” Harry added one last comment.

Her headed lifted to lock in Harry’s gaze. “I won’t. But please don’t hurt Alexa.” Hallie’s features softened. “She will be the best thing that has ever happened to you, but people take advantage of her kind sweet soul.”

“She already is.” Harry’s lips spread into a beaming smile. “Any other questions or concerns?”

Hallie shook her head no. “Not at the moment, you seemed to have answered quite a few and for what it’s worth Harry. I can tell how happy you make Alexa.”

“Thanks, Hallie.” Harry stood up and enveloped Alexa’s protective friend into a hug. She caught a glimpse of Alexa staring at them in the living room through the French window paned door. A smile crept up on her lips seeing the two of them ending their chat in a hug.

“Let’s get you back to Alexa before she blows an aneurism at me interrogating you.” Hallie joked with the prince causing him to bark out a chuckle. He liked Hallie’s sense of humour at least.

The prince followed Hallie into the living room and sat down beside an anxious Alexa. He immediately grasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze before turning his attention away from the conversation to his girlfriend. She was peaking up at him with her beautiful green eyes that softened when she witnessed a beaming grin spread across Harry’s lips. Clearly, his conversation with Hallie had gone well and there was no further need for Alexa to worry. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek for a quick peck silently whispering, “thank you.”

Naomi had been sitting next to the prince wanting to engage in a conversation with him to be friendly, but she did not know how to start. Harry had glanced towards her way and offered a warm kind smile having picked up on Naomi’s hesitancy. “So, Naomi how long have you known Alexa for?” He opened the conversation.

Naomi’s face lit up at the mere thought of it all before she even started to tell Harry the story of how they met. “Alexa and I went to the same primary school. I had just moved back from Geneva with my family and was the new kid in the school. When the teacher asked if anyone would like to show me around, Alexa’s hand flew up in the air.” Naomi started to giggle at the memory. She looked up to Harry and could feel his genuine interest in her story, giving Naomi his complete attention.

“So, friends at first sight then?” Harry added.

“I guess so.” Naomi nodded with a beaming smile.

“Are you Swiss then?” The prince was genuinely curious because of Naomi’s apparently mixed ethnicity, he was unsure of her background.

“No no.” Naomi shook her head. “My mother is half Philippino and half Scottish, while my father is English. Hence my mixed ethnicity. Most people are very curious of my background.”

“That is a wonderful mix though, I honestly would not have guessed it.” He smiled kindly towards her, making Naomi feel as comfortable as possible.

“We did grow up in Geneva for my first few years as my father was working for the United Nations there in the Human Rights sector. He still does to this day, but does most of his work out of London now.” Naomi leaned forward and grabbed her glass of wine.

“That’s quite remarkable. What do you do if you don’t mind me asking.” Harry had completely relaxed Naomi and she was able to put her anxiety aside and delve into a great conversation with Alexa’s boyfriend, even being able to ask some questions of Harry too in order to get to know him better.

———————

“It was great meeting you again, Harry.” This time Naomi was comfortable enough to give Harry a hug goodbye. His arms wrapped around her frame and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You as well, Naomi. Hope we can do this again sometime.” He smiled out of the hug before turning to Hallie to say goodbye.

Naomi moved to Alexa next and pulled her into a long embrace, whispering in her hear. “He’s a keeper, Alexa. I approve.” She had to let her friend know her thoughts about her new boyfriend. Even from the few hours that she had spent with the couple, she already believed that they were going to be something more. Maybe it was her hopeless romantic self coming through, but she wholeheartedly believed that Harry could be the one for Alexa.

Alexa closed her eyes and squeezed her friend tight. “Thank you, Noe. You have no idea how much that means to me.” She broke out of the hug and smiled down fondly at her friend. “Get home safe, send me a text when you do ok?” Naomi offered a quick nod before gathering up the rest of her things.

Hallie was next to say goodbye to Alexa as she stumbled into her embrace. Alexa tried to steady her, but the prince had to intervene. “You ok there Hal?” Alexa stood her up on her feet.

“Ya... I am fabulous!” Hallie slurred out her words. “NAOMI WAIT!” She hollered at her friend taking a step forward and nearly stumbling towards the door.

Alexa grabbed her friend again before glancing back over her shoulder at Harry. “I am going to help Naomi get her into the car.” She informed him. Harry offered to help as well, but she thought it was best if he stayed inside just in case some pap straggler was still outside.

Pushing through the door into her flat, Alexa could hear someone in the kitchen cleaning up. She rounded the corner to find Harry gathering the trash and tidying up. “You don’t have to clean up, Henry.”

“I don’t mind love.” He felt Alexa’s arms wrap around his waist and place a peck on his cheek.

“Where did Alice and Jay go?” She glanced around for any sign of them.

Harry stacked a few plates into the sink to wash up. Alexa grabbed a wash cloth and a drying towel. “Jay has an early flight back to Germany tomorrow. They offered to help clean up, but I told them to spend some time together if they wanted.” He admitted with a soft smile.

The prince handed Alexa a wine glass to dry. “Awe, Henry.... you are so sweet.” She continued to help Harry dry the dishes as he washed them. “I think my friends really like you Harry. Thank you for just being yourself and making them feel so at ease so they could get to see the man I know.” Alexa was really amazed at how well everything had seemed to go tonight and how easily Harry fit into her friend circle.

“Well, you have surrounded yourself with some great people Lex.” Harry glanced down at his girlfriend. “Thank you for letting me get to know them. I know this was a big step for you.” He leant down and placed a gentle kiss to her temple before handing Alexa another dish.

Feeling Harry’s lips pressed against her skin reminded Alexa of the moment earlier in the night when Hallie walked in on them locking lips. “I cannot believe Hallie walked in on you kissing me!” She groaned with a slight embarrassment.

“Well, maybe we should finish what we started?” The prince winked at his girlfriend.

Alexa bit down on her bottom lip as a playful side started to come out. She reached her hand down into the warm soapy water and flicked her wrist, splashing the prince in the face with some water while some landed on his shirt, soaking him. “Ooops.”

The prince’s mouth flew open in shock. “Ooh, baby don’t start this game if you can’t finish it.” Without warning, Harry splashed Alexa but aimed for her shirt right where her breasts were.

“Ahhhh!” Alexa drew in a quick breath. “HENRY!” She glanced down at her soaking wet chest then slowly back up to Harry as he was prepared to do it all over again. A cheeky grin was plastered on his lips.

“Don’t you dare!” Alexa warned him, but silently was wanting to continue their fun. Too quick for the prince she grasped the sink sprayer and turned on the water, aiming it at the prince. He noticed her fast movement and splashed her for all she was worth before she fired the water at him.

Alexa had quite literally doused him in water as she stood there and dissolved into a fit of laughter seeing his less than thrilled expression. He came over to her and wrap his arms around Alexa, soaking her in the process. Harry bent down and grasped the back of her thighs, lifting her up onto the counter.

“You are in so much trouble...” His voice became deep as he locked in Alexa’s green eyes as they held his hostage.

Alexa’s fingers ran down Harry’s chest feeling the wet material of his shirt grip his muscles and accentuate them. She reached the hem of the shirt and started to lift it off of him. “Let’s get this wet shirt off of you...” Harry helped Alexa rid him of his shirt and tossed it aside.

His hands went straight to unbuttoning her blouse while Alexa admired his  naked body, feeling the lust coursing through her veins. Harry leant down and placed a soft kiss over the mounds of her exposed breasts, eliciting a desire filled moan from his girlfriend.

His lips trailed up to her neck, attacking the sweet skin by her collarbone. Harry felt Alexa’s legs wrap around him to lock the prince into place while her fingers combed through his ginger hair, pushing his head down further onto her neck while he continued his sweet assault.

“Take me to my room.” Alexa’s tone was filled with lust. “I want you Henry.”

Harry did not need to be asked twice. He found her lips and captured them in a quick kiss. His hands gripped the back of her legs as Alexa wrapped her arms around Harry. He lifted her off of the counter and carried Alexa to her bedroom where they made love until the early hours of the morning.

[evan-buckley-diaz]

Under Pressure - Chapter 3 - Eddie/Buck

Life takes an interesting turn when Buck’s latest hook up turns out to be his new coworker as well.  

About a week after Eddie shows up at the firehouse and starts a panic for Buck.

words: 2316 warnings: sexual content, swearing

Sitting in his parked car outside the firehouse, Buck smiled as he texted Eddie. ”You still coming over?” He texted and started his engine. ”Yeah, be there soon. Pick us up some food? Starving” Eddie texted back. Buck grinned and started driving to his favorite Chinese place that had take away.

Unlocking the front door, Buck smiled as he saw a bottle of wine and a glass on the counter. Eddie was here already. Putting the food in the living room, he grinned wider as he heard the shower going. Taking off his jumper, he started walking to the bathroom, undressing as he went. Sneaking into the bathroom, he checked his hair looked good before grasping the shower curtain. ”I didn’t thi..” Buck said as he opened the curtain before screaming. ”Maddie?!”

Maddie screamed as well and grabbed the shower curtain and covered her body with it. ”Jesus, Buck, don’t you knock?” Maddie asked shocked and looked at him before grimacing and looking at the wall. Buck blushed and grabbed a towel that was nearby and covered himself. ”Me?! What the hell are you even doing here?” Buck asked shocked. ”Well I was in town and wanted to see my little brother!” Maddie replied and tightened her hold on the shower curtain. ”Well.. you did” Buck shrugged and grimaced. ”Yeah” Maddie said and gave him a look. They both stared at each other for like two seconds. ”I should go, I’m gonna, yep” Buck said and held on to the towel as he walked out of the bathroom.

”Oh my god” he muttered and started picking his clothes back up and getting dressed again. Looking up as there was knocking on the front door, Buck groaned again and hurried to close his belt and pull his jumper back on. ”Eddie!” Buck said cheerily. ”So something came up and” Buck started. ”Buck! You took my towel!” Maddie shouted from the bathroom. Eddie crossed his hands over his chest and looked at Buck. ”It’s not what it sounds like, hold on” Buck grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. ”Please don’t go until I’ve explained” Buck said, looking at him desperately before grabbing the towel off the counter and putting his hand over his eyes as he opened the bathroom door again and held his hand out for Maddie to grab the towel.

Closing the door behind him again, Buck ran back to Eddie. ”Okay, listen, so here’s what happened! I came home, saw a bottle of wine and the glass on the counter, thought you were here already, put the food away, heard the shower, got undressed to join you and it wasn’t you. It was my sister, we screamed, we freaked out, I came back out, got dressed and then you knocked and… are you laughing?” Buck rambled before asking Eddie and looked at him somewhat offended.

Eddie cleared his throat. ”What? No” He chuckled. ”Maybe a little. Did you really walk in on your sister in the shower?” He asked and laughed. ”Eddie, I’m traumatized for life and you’re laughing” Buck pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. Eddie laughed and walked over to Buck and wrapped his arms around him. ”I’m sorry I laughed but it’s a little funny” he said and pulled back. ”I’m guessing you didn’t know she was coming here?” Eddie asked and leaned against the counter. ”Well clearly!” Buck huffed before shaking his head. ”No. We haven’t really talked in like three years” he continued and glanced towards the bathroom to make sure Maddie was out yet. ”It’s complicated” Buck frowned, looking at the floor.

Eddie nodded. ”It sounds like you guys have a lot to talk about so I’m going to head out. Call me later?” He asked. ”No, you don’t have to go!” Buck protested. ”I got food from that Chinese place. And your favorite dish” Eddie smiled. ”You’re very sweet, baby, thank you but you two should talk. At least 60% of what I had hoped to talk or do with you would be highly inappropriate to do with your sister here anyway so” Eddie pressed a kiss to Buck’s cheek. ”I’ll see you later” Eddie smiled at Buck’s disappointed face. ”I’ll get your food before you go” he sighed and headed to the living room.

Smiling as he watched him go, Eddie stood up straighter as he heard the bathroom door open and watched as brunette woman came out. He raised his hand and gave a little wave as she approached. ”Hi, I’m Eddie. I work with your brother” He said, introducing himself. ”Hi, I’m Maddie, Buck’s sister. It’s nice to meet you” Maddie smiled and they both turned to look at Buck as he came into the kitchen. He handed over the boxes of food to Eddie. ”Okay, thanks for this. I’ll just be going than” Eddie said and gave them both a smile before turning around. ”Bye, drive safe. I’ll call you later” Buck called after him before he closed the front door.

”So, think there’s any way we’re ever going to unsee that?” Buck asked as he reached for the kettle to boil up some water for some tea. Maddie chuckled. ”Oh come on, I used to give you baths” she replied. ”Yeah, when I was two!” Buck protested. ”How did you even get in here?” he asked and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and put them on the counter. ”I told the building manager I was your sister” Maddie explained and sat down on one of the chairs. ”Having boobs didn’t hurt” she added. Buck shot her a look before putting the box of tea bags on the table. ”So how’s Doug?” Buck asked quietly as he looked at her.

Maddie sighed and looked through the tea bags before finding one she wanted. ”I don’t know, I don’t care” Maddie said as she opened the bag and put it in her cup. ”You left him?” Buck asked surprised. ”Yeah. Finally. Everyone was right about him” she replied. Buck grabbed the kettle as the water started boiling and filled up Maddie’s cup before filling up his own. ”No one really knows I left, so please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want word getting around I’m here” Maddie explained. ”Not an amicable split then?”  Maddie just looked at him. ”I’m just laying low for awhile” she shrugged. Buck didn’t really know what to say to that. ”So, what happened to you? This place is nice. It’s clean and you have proper porcelain cups” Maddie asked and held up her cup to make a point. Buck chuckled and started explaining.

—

Waking up the next morning, Buck groaned as he rose from the sofa and stretched out. Seeing a note on the coffee table he picked it up and read it. ”Gone out to be a tourist. Back later. M” Buck yawned and put the note in the kitchen as he grabbed his phone. Dialing Eddie, he rubbed his eyes and waited for him to pick up.

”Hello?” Eddie answered the phone. ”Hi, it’s me, can I come over?” Buck asked and checked if there was any coffee in the pot. ”Yeah, is everything okay with you and your sister?” He asked. Buck nodded. ”Yeah. We talked. She says she’s only staying for a few days but I don’t know. She’s gone out to be a tourist apparently so I want to see you” Buck sighed and put his shoes on. Grabbing his wallet and keys, he headed out the door. ”Okay, I’ll see you soon than” Eddie replied. Buck smiled as he hung up the phone and took the lift down to the parking garage.

—

Knocking on the door at Eddie’s place, Buck grinned as he opened the door. ”Hi” he greeted him and stepped into the apartment. When Eddie closed the door behind him, Buck wrapped him up in a hug and sighed happily as Eddie hugged him back. ”First off, it’s really weird being here knowing what we did last time I came over” Buck said as he pulled back. Eddie laughed and led him into the living room, sitting down on the sofa. ”What about me coming to your place?” Eddie asked. ”Don’t be logical, it makes my brain hurt” Buck joked as he stared at Eddie’s bedroom door.

”Buck? Whats going on in there?” Eddie asked and tapped gently on Buck’s head. Sighing, Buck turned his head to look at him. ”Too much” he started with a grim smile. ”Trying to act normal at work, figuring out how to act around you, think about you. And now Maddie is here. And I think she’s in trouble. Her husband isn’t a kind man I guess you could say” Buck scratched his neck. Eddie moved closer and opened his arms in invitation. Buck hesitated for a second before getting close and cuddling up to Eddie.

”I’m sorry for everything that’s going on with your sister. I suppose all you can do is let her know that you are here for her and that the whole firehouse is behind you. Neither of you are alone. There’s strength in numbers. When she’s ready” Eddie said softly as he rubbed his hand up and down Buck’s back. ”Now when it comes to work, I can’t decide that for you. However, I would like to take you out on a date” Eddie said. Buck pulled back and looked up at him. ”Really?” He asked with a little smile and a slight blush. ”Yes, really” Eddie teased back. ”I should tell you that on my last date I nearly died and Abby had to do an emergency tracheotomy on me. In the restaurant. On the floor. In front of everyone” Buck sighed.

Eddie looked at him shocked. ”How? What? I swear to god I’m going to wrap you up in bubblewrap and spoon feed you liquids only so you’re safe” Eddie said amused and pulled him back in for more cuddles. ”I only told you so you know what you’re getting yourself into. I’m a bit accident prone” Buck chuckled. ”You sure you want to go on a date with me?” Buck half joked. Eddie smiled and put his hand on Buck’s head to tilt his head up. ”I am” he said confidently before leaning in and giving him a little kiss.

”Now tell me how you ended up with an emergency tracheotomy so I know what danger signs to look for” Eddie smiled. ”Well, I was eating bread” Buck said slowly. ”And then I choked” he finished with a shrug. ”Okay so soup place for our first date. Maybe we can work up to eating solids on the second or third date” Eddie chuckled. ”You suck!” Buck groaned and poked Eddie in the chest. ”Now see I remember you sucking” Eddie whispered into Buck’s ear. ”Did such a good job too” Buck promptly melted on the spot.

”Eddie!” Buck groaned. ”You can’t say things like that” he pouted and put his arms over his chest as he pulled away. ”Aww, why not? What if I want to talk about how good your lips felt around my dick? Coming down your throat, listening to all those precious little sounds you made?” Eddie teased and put his hand on Buck’s crotch. Buck shuddered and gripped Eddie’s hand. ”I think you love me telling you how much of a good boy you are. Did you know how hard I’d get when we’d be texting? How I would jerk off to the pictures of your lips, your cock and ass?” Buck whimpered as his cock twitched in his pants and he gave Eddie’s hand a squeeze and tried to move it. ”Yeah, you like it” Eddie smirked before leaning in and kissing him firmly whilst he worked on unzipping Buck’s pants.

”Lift your ass up” Eddie said as he broke the kiss. Buck quickly obliged and Eddie dragged down Buck’s pants enough so his dick was free. Eddie ran his thumb over Buck’s cock head before bringing his hand up, he stroked his index and middle finger over Buck’s lips before easing them in. ”Get them nice and wet for me” he said, moving them in and out. Buck moaned and kept eye contact with Eddie as he sucked and licked at Eddie’s fingers. ”See? There you go being such a good boy for me” Buck closed his eyes and moaned.

Pulling his wet fingers out of Buck’s mouth, he wrapped them around his cock and started stroking it up and down. ”Eddie” Buck said breathlessly and jerked up into the hand. Eddie pressed a kiss to Buck’s head and started stroking him faster. ”Oh god” Buck moaned and grasped Eddie’s free hand tightly. ”I’m going to cum” he moaned and looked at Eddie. Eddie just smirked wider and increased his speed and held him a bit firmer. ”Sir, sir, fuck, Eddie!” Buck groaned as he shuddered, coming hard as his whole body did a little spasm.

Breathing heavily, Buck leaned on Eddie on and whimpered as he continued to stroke his cock for a while more. ”Look at you, got your t-shirt all messy. Guess you’ll have to take it off and wear one of mine when you need to go” Eddie said innocently as he wiped his dirty hand on the t-shirt, spreading the cum and spit even more on the shirt before grasping the edge and pulling it off. Buck covered his nipples and cock with his hands. ”You did all of that on purpose!” Buck accused Eddie. Eddie threw the shirt to the floor before pushing Buck down on his back and pulling off his pants completely. ”Sure did, pretty boy, sure did” He grinned as he straddled Buck and started kissing him again. ”Any protests?” He asked as he bit Buck’s bottom lip. ”God, no” Buck moaned and kissed him back eagerly.

Chapter four

[anotheronechicagobog]

Please can you do one with Kelly Severide where he looks after y/n when she’s drunk and they both have feelings for each other🥰

Reasons To Imitate A Banshee written by @anotheronechicagobog

Kelly Severide x reader

(gif not mine)

Work sucked. Plain and simple. People were rude, shipments and orders didn’t come on time, and your boss took credit for your work to save his lazy ass. A quick text to your best friend Kelly and you knew everything was going to be alright. You were going to go to Molly’s and get drunk. Which was exactly what you needed.

You didn’t even bother changing out of the sleek black dress you wore for work. You sat in front of Hermann at the bar and ordered vodka. He raised an eyebrow and cracked a sympathetic grin. “Rough day?”

“Yup.”

“Mind if I ask what happened?”

“Three bridezillas back-to-back.”

“Ouch, so I take it we’re gonna be doing shots tonight.” A voice said from behind you. You swivelled and sighed in relief. Wrapping your arms around his neck you put your head in the crook of his neck and nodded as he rubbed your back. “Finish your drink and eat something, then we’ll do shots.” Thank goodness for Kelly, you don’t know how you’d manage working as a consultant at a bridal boutique while in med school without him.

One vodka and six tequila shots later you were beyond tipsy, but Kelly wasn’t. “Dance with me!” You exclaimed as you pulled him away from the bar to dance barefoot, you’d decided that high heels suck and kicked them off somewhere two shots ago. “Anything for you, Y/N” Kelly chuckled. You danced and twirled around even though there was no music playing. Kelly just laughed and did the macarena with you. “Let’s do more shots!”

“Woah, there, Y/N, I think you’ve had enough.”

“Well, I disagree.” Kelly rolled his eyes, you were very argumentative when you were drunk. “C’mon Y/N, let me take you home. I’ll get you pizza.”

“I want pizza but I don’t wanna go home. Max came by yesterday to get his stuff. He got mad when I told him I got rid of it all. I don’t get it though, he was gone with that bitch for three years! Why did he have to come back now? Why did he have to come back today? The three year anniversary of the day he left me at the altar for my sister! And then there were the entitled brides and mothers today and I just...” You took a deep breath and tried not to cry. You didn’t love your ex or your sister anymore, how could you? But their betrayal, obnoxiousness and callousness stung you all over again. “Alright, we’re going to my place, and I’ll order a deep dish pizza for us, how does that sound?”

“That sounds amazing. Thank you, Kelly. You’re always so amazing. And hot. I love you so much.” You were too drunk and too worn out to do anything but lean on his chest. That included seeing the delight that briefly flashed in his eyes when you told him you loved him.

The next morning your head didn’t hurt all that much, which was surprising considering how drunk you were. Then hazy memories came back of you and Kelly eating pizza, drinking a ton of water, and drinking (your favourite drink), your best hangover cure. Looking around you could see that you were in Kelly’s room, but there was no Kelly. You got up and went to his bottom drawer, where you kept spare clothes and toiletries for events like this. After cleaning up you’re about to go downstairs when you run into Shay. “Morning-”

“Cut the crap Y/N.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Stop playing around with Kelly, he can’t take much more of this. You told me that you’re in love with him in confidence, and you promised to do something about it.”

“I did.”

“And I don’t want to hear any more excuses- wait, what? When?”

“I’ve asked him out three separate times, he either made it a group thing, brought you, or brought a date, who wasn’t me, with him! Believe me, I’ve tried. He just doesn’t like me like that.”

“When did all that happen?”

“In the last eight months, after you told me I needed to ask him out.” Shay met your sad face with a furious glare, and you took a step back. Something you were glad for because a minute later- “KELLY SEVERIDE! GET YOUR SORRY ASS UP HERE NOW!”

“Woah, where’s the fire, Shay.” He chuckled at his own joke, obviously trying to diffuse the tension. “Do NOT joke with me right now. You have spent forever moping over Y/N and how you believed she doesn’t love you back, when she has, apparently, asked you out three times. Explain.”

“I- What? Y/N?”

“Remember, Kelly? First I asked you out to a movie, you brought the entire firehouse and their families, I asked you out to dinner at a romantic restaurant, you brought Shay, I asked you out to a special exhibit at the aquarium, you brought Renee.”

“Those were supposed to be dates? You were asking me out?”

“Yes.”

His gaze turned soft and vulnerable. Shay left to go downstairs when Kelly stepped closer to you. “I love you. Do you love me back?” His voice was so delicate and quiet. “Yes,” you said earnestly, as tears welled in your eyes, “I do.” Kelly softly placed his hands on your face. “I love you so much, Kelly.” Your lips met and it was amazing. Everything you’d ever dreamed of and more. Your hands fisted his shirt and he smirked before pulling away. “I made pancakes before Shay started imitating a banshee. We should probably go down there before she eats them all. Afterwards, maybe we could go to the aquarium?”

“That sounds like an amazing plan.” With your hand intertwined in Kelly’s you’d never felt better.

[118eddie]

Helping Buddies || BUDDIE

"Chris? You're almost ready there? We have to go, come on!" Eddie was currently looking into the backpack, making sure he had all the things they might need for their outing that day, which included plenty of snacks and bottled water, along with juice boxes for  them to have. He figured they could munch on those and if they were still hungry they could stop at a restaurant somewhere, no problem. "Coming, dad!" The boy's joyful voice came from the hallway, and Eddie looked up and smiled as he watched his son making his way over. "Great. Let's go then. Let's go and get Buck!" Christopher responded with a sounding yayyy! and they both walked out of the house and made their way to where his truck was. 

Eddie was determined to make sure his friend would get out of the funk he had been slowly sinking recently, with his accident and the fact his legs was in a cast. He could understand his anxiety, having been wounded once while he was on tour, and he didn't want him going down the same road. For now, a nice day out with friends would be a perfect start so that Buck would get his groove back, especially that smile which Eddie felt light up anywhere he was. 

They made the drive over to Buck's place and after he parked the truck outside, he sent a quick text to him to let him know they were there, not really wanting to leave Christopher alone in the truck.

Buck hadn't left the house in the entire week he'd been back from the hospital - save for that one trip to the firehouse to celebrate Eddie's probationary period being over and him being an official firefighter. It had been a good party, and seeing Christopher present Eddie with his helmet was heartwarming. But after that, everybody went back to work and Buck... well, Buck went back home to his nothing life and his TV. He couldn't believe he was this bored after only a week - and he still had a long road ahead of him for his leg to heal, the cast to come off and then to regain the strength he had before so he could return to work. 

Getting ready with a cast was a much slower process than getting ready without him. Maddie had bought him over some loose fitting pants so at least he didn't have to struggle getting them on over his cast, but he still had to balance and manoeuvre it on without being able to bend his leg. He managed though and wondered if he'd have time for a quick bite to eat when his phone buzzed, a text from Eddie letting him know him and Christopher were there. 

Buck: Give me a minute - I'm not as fast as I used to be. 

He quickly replied to Eddie and then hopped over to where he'd propped his crutches against the wall. Christopher had commented on them at the party, saying now he and Buck matched and Buck couldn't help but smile. It had been the only good thing to come out of needing to use them.He made his way out of his apartment, locking the door behind him, moving his crutches forward each time. When he got to the front door of the apartment building, he awkwardly pushed it open (now he realised why staying home was better) with his back and got through, turning left to go down the side ramp instead of the stairs situated at the front of the building. 

"Hey," he said when he reached Eddie's truck, leaning on his crutches for a moment, before reaching for the door handle to open the door. Christopher grinned at him, "*Buck, we match again!" And Buck chuckled, "we sure do, Chris - we're going to be matching for awhile if my doctors have anything to say about it!"

@118buck

Eddie looked down at the phone when he heard it vibrating and chuckled when he read Buck's response. They had the rest of the afternoon, so there was no need to hurry his friends up. When he saw him coming down the ramp he got out of the truck so he could help him with the crutches, that way he could get inside a lot easier. "Hey yourself" he said back as he took the crutches from him and placed them on the back of the truck while he got onto the seat. He waited until he was properly sitting in and closed the door for him, then went around the truck and got it himself. "Yeah, you two do. Maybe we should consider putting the two of you singing a duet together sometime too." He looked at Buck and smiled, then started the truck and drove away.

Buck laughed and shook his head, "that'd be a bad idea - I'm a terrible singer. What about you?" He asked Christopher and the boy just shook his head with a smile and Buck already felt better. Maybe Eddie was right - it was hard to be bored and depressed when he was around a kid with as much joy and enthusiasm as Christopher had. "So where are you taking us?" He asked Eddie, looking over at him.

Eddie looked quickly to the side where Buck was and smiled, glad to see his son had that positive effect on his best friend. Against all the odds, Christopher was the beam of joy in his life, and he was happy to share that light with whoever needed it. "We're going to the park by the beach, near Venice. Have you ever been there? It's very beautiful. We get both the fresh air from the trees and the cool breeze from the sea."

Buck nodded at Eddie's question. "I have - but only on a call. I've never been in a way that you could say was relaxing" He laughed, though part of him was already thinking about the half dozen calls they'd responded to at Venice Beach over the few years he'd worked for the fire department - and how he already couldn't wait to get back to work. He looked down at the cast on his leg and sighed, a constant reminder of that it was hardly his choice about returning to work. "It's a good choice though - Venice Beach. Maddie keeps telling me to get fresh air and what better place than the beach?"

Eddie took the following exit, going down the street that would lead them to where the parking lot was. "Yeah, she's smart. She also cares about you a lot, like any sister. Like all of us do, Buck. You do realize you can't go into the water, right?"  He looked at him and made a funny face of sort, which only made Christopher laugh, while he said, something about Buck sinking like a rock if he did. "Yup, that's just one of some things that could happen, buddy!" he told his son, then he finally stopped the car when he found a good spot. "Ready? he said to both of them and got out of the truck, grabbing the backpack and going around the car to wait for Buck and Chris to get out of the car.

Buck rolled his eyes when Eddie mentioned the water, looking down at the cast on his leg. "Yeah," he replied, "I figured that, but thanks for the reminder." He laughed, and then added, "I'll have you know I'd float like a butterfly - even with this cast on. It's just good genetics." When he climbed out of the car he half hopped, half limped to wear Eddie has put the crutches at the back of the truck. He took a deep breath in and couldn't help but smile, "yeah, yeah. Okay, maybe you two and Maddie were right - fresh air will do me some good."

"Yeah, I bet you do" Eddie said, but more to himself before he got out of the truck, then after they were all out he locked it down and patted his son's shoulder so he could go ahead of them, leaving them both to also slowing walk behind him. "Look, man... I know you think that this is easy for me to say because I'm still working and all that. But you need to be patient, and get out of that funk you're in. The less you do that, the faster you'll be back. Your leg will heal and everything will like before. I mean, we all want that." He looked up to make sure Christopher was doing okay. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you this before... I'm sorry things didn't work out with Allie. I bet that's a downer too."

Buck look confused for a moment, and then realised what Eddie was talking about and shrugged, "thanks but if she couldn't handle me being a firefighter then I'm better off without her. She was cute and fun but it's not like I was in love with her." He'd barely thought about Ali for several days because he had other things - more important things - to care about. "Getting back to work is my priority. But don't worry, I'll listen to what the doc says, as tempting as it is to just saw my leg off, I don't think that'll win me any brownie points with Bobby."

Eddie nodded while he walked alongside Buck, also keeping one eye ahead where Christopher walked in front of them. "You're right. There are more important things." They finally reached a spot where they could sit on the grass and Eddie put the backpack down and pulled the blanket out so he could spread it on the grass. "Yeah, you better now saw anything off, or I'll handcuff you to your bed. Let's see how you saw those off." He chuckled and helped Christopher to settle down.  The spot from they were was perfect, they could see the ocean from there. "You need any help sitting down?" he said to Buck.

Buck coughed suddenly, wondering why that image had popped into his head at Eddie's words... but he played it off, laughing heartily. "Yeah? I'd like to see you try, Diaz. I can hold my own, cast or not, thanks." He shook his head, determined not to need any help - especially for something like sitting down. Though it may have been the easier option, he managed to sit down - not particularly elegantly though. "See, I got mad skills, right Chris?" He grinned at Christopher who laughed.

Eddie narrowed his eyes at him, a small smirk curling his lips. "You haven't tried my handcuffs yet, Buckley, so don't push it." While everyone took their place on the blanket, Eddie worked in taking everything they needed out of the bag, starting with some fresh fruit to refresh their trip there, along with some water too. "It's a pretty nice spot, right?" he asked, looking at the ocean in the horizon, to which Christopher answered with a sounding yes! .

Buck raised an eyebrow, wondering why Eddie had handcuffs in the first place, they weren't exactly standard issue for a firefighter and - huh. Though he didn't say anything because Christopher was sitting right there after all. "Mmm, it's nice. Beats a plain white wall, I guess." He laughed and reached for a slice of apple Eddie had put out. "Maybe you should draw me some more pictures, Chris," he said, remembering the picture Christopher had given him at his original welcome back party, before the blood clots had even become an issue.

Eddie rolled his eyes at him a bit. "Anything beats a  plain white wall, Buck" he said, then when he asked the boy to do some drawning he smiled, thinking that was a good idea. And since Christopher seemed equally eager to do what Buck had asked of him he reached inside the backpack and pulled out everything he might needed to do just that. He said he was going to paint Buck as an astronaut, to which Eddie chuckled softly. "That should keep you busy for a while, buddy" he told his son, then he grabbed a pear for himself and turned to look at Buck. "Have you checked on any physical rehabilitation facilities yet? I could recommend a couple."

Buck leaned back on his hands and smiled as he watched Christopher begin to start drawing. Maybe he could buy a frame for what the boy drew, he was sure he'd like that when he saw it. When Eddie asked him about the physical rehabilitation, he shrugged, "not really... I can't really do much until I get this fuuuu-hdging cast off anyway. Which is awhile away yet. Wait," he paused and looked over at Eddie, "how do you know recommendations?"

Eddie looked at Christopher with a bright smile on his face, as he watched his son getting full focused on what he was drawing for Buck. Having visited Buck at his place already, he was wondering how was it that he still had any place left on the door of his fridge with all the drawings that he had made for him. He helped himself to a pear and chuckled. "Dude, I've been known to get injured before I got to the 118. I have a friend of mine who's an excellent physiotherapist. She'll get you good and ready in no time... after they take off this 'fudging' thing , of course. Would you at least consider it?"

Buck shrugged, not wanting to think about the even longer road ahead he had once the cast came off. He was just counting down the days until the cast came off but he had to remember that there was plenty of rehabilitation after that, and plenty of work to get back to the 118. "Yeah," he said, reaching for a slice, "yeah, okay. When I get the cast off, I'll consider it. Have to do the physio somewhere, right? Oh- that looks awesome, buddy!" He leaned over, looking at what Christmas was drawing, "you're a modern day Michael Angelo aren't you?" He said, laughing when Christopher replied that Buck was being silly, he wasn't a turtle.

Eddie was about to tell Buck there were not many things to consider, since physiotherapy was necessary after having such a huge surgery. His accident had not been a small thing, and so the recovery would be equally huge. He looked at his son's interaction with his best friend and smiled, his heart warm with seeing them being as close, and he didn't feel like he should correct Christopher about the turtle issue. "Who wants to take a walk down at the beach later?" he asked to both of them, then pointed at the broad sidewalk near the shore.

Buck laughed, leaning back on his hands as he looked out over to where Eddie was pointing, "I don't know if hopping on one leg can be considered walking but sure..." He looked over at Eddie and smiled at him, basking in the sunlight that he had rarely seen lately... other than out of the window of his apartment.

Eddie rolled his eyes playfully at him. "You're not the first person in the world with a cast on the leg, and surely won't be the last one, so stop whining, buddy." He patted his back and then looked at Christopher, who was completely focused in giving his drawing the finishing touches, and who also happened to walk on two crutches. After he seemed happy with the result he gave it to Buck, while Eddie quickly gathered their things back into the bag. "Okay then... Let's go for a walk!"

"Maybe not, but I'm definitely the cutest," Buck said with a laugh, winking at Eddie. He also didn't point out that most people with a crushing injury like his, probably also didn't work a job like theirs - mostly because he was trying not to think about that part himself. He was focused on getting back, and that was that. "Wow, Chris, that's awesome!" He took the drawing from the boy and admired it, much to Christopher's delight, "definitely going up on the wall when I get home, thank you." When Eddie told them it was time for a walk, he stood up cautiously, grabbing his crutches to lean on.

Eddie made sure he had all their stuff packed inside the backpack, then also gathered all the trash and threw it in a nearby can, and came back where both Christopher and Buck were getting on their feet. His son made a joke to Buck about him being faster on getting up, and Eddie chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder. "It takes practice, ain't that right, Chris?" He laughed and nodded, then Eddie stepped back to make way for Buck. "Let's walk, or hop, whichever is best." He winked at him playfully and started walking, the sun already not so scorching up above so the air was fresh, and also salty when it mixed with the sea breeze.

"Aw, Chris, that's mean," Buck replied with a laugh, ruffling the boy's hair, "but true - you are much faster than me." He put his wait on his crutches and swung himself forward as they walked along the path built by the beach. He pointed out a crab scuttling along to Chris and they stopped to watch it for a few moments. At one point they stopped to take a photo of the three of them, grinning widely at the camera (though Christopher's smile was the widest, as always). Eventually though, they had to pack up and head home, Eddie dropping Buck off at his place. He leaned against the door and smiled at his colleague, "thanks, man... I needed a day like that. And Maddie will be glad I got some fresh air. And thank you for the art, Christopher... it's going up on my fridge tonight." He grinned through the window at Christopher and waved at the two of them before hobbling back inside and collapsing onto the couch - after doing nothing for so long, even a slow paced day at the beach had taken it out of him.

END SCENE.

[vernonfielding]

Life Writes Its Own Stories

Chapter 4 (and on AO3).

AN: In case anyone's paying attention, I'll be screwing around with my posting schedule over the next few chapters, just to account for Real Life events. Chapter 5 will be up tomorrow, though.

Jake scrubbed a hand over his face and sat back in his chair with a sigh. He and Rosa had been stuck all week in the Terrible Case Trifecta: boring crime (vehicle break-ins), asshole victims (Williamsburg millennials), and no leads. The thefts hadn’t even been in their precinct, technically, but the Eight-Four had offloaded the case because the first report had come from a victim who worked nearby and had filed through the Nine-Nine.

But it wasn’t just the tedious case that was making Jake irritable. He propped his chin in his hand and glanced at his cell phone again – no new messages. He glanced covertly at the desk across from him, making sure Rosa was still in the bathroom, and picked up the phone. Maybe he’d somehow missed a text. He pulled up the app and nope – his last text from Santiago had been 10 days ago.

“Dude, stop it,” Rosa said, from way too close behind him. Jake jerked up in his chair and dropped the phone.

“But I don’t want to miss a text from your mom,” Jake said, snidely.

Rosa shot him a solid death glare as she sat back at her desk.

“What have I told you about bringing up my parents?”

“Don’t.”

“Exactly.”

Jake flipped the phone over  so he wouldn’t be tempted to glance at the screen every few seconds.

The past week and a half had been, frankly and disturbingly, torture. After meeting Santiago, he’d left Prospect Park feeling euphoric – a word Rosa had thrown at him (as in “You look euphoric. What’s wrong with you?”) and that he’d denied but later admitted to himself was fitting. He couldn’t have said where the euphoria came from, exactly, or why he practically floated around the precinct the rest of that day. Clearly Santiago herself had something to do with it, but he’d also thought that maybe after so long under the Vulture, he just missed feeling like he was helping people – and Santiago had reminded him that was still his job. He was still one of the good guys.

But as the days wore on with no further contact from Santiago, and as his good mood hadn’t just faded but reversed itself, he’d had to admit that Santiago herself was the central theme. And it wasn’t just that she wasn’t texting him – he hadn’t seen her byline once in the Bulletin, and he’d been looking every day. Usually three or four times a day. He wondered if she’d quit, or moved. He’d even googled her name, to see if her byline appeared in some other publication, but nothing interesting came up (other than an “Amy Santiago” who was president of the Brooklyn Buttonholers, which was either a knitting club or something much more interesting/alarming and possibly naked).

He didn’t know what to make of her sudden absence, and he didn’t want to take it personally. But it was hard not to when she’d disappeared immediately after they met. Jake hadn’t expected them to become best friends or anything like that, but he’d thought maybe they could be friendly...somethings. He was interested in getting to know more about her, anyway.

“Stop sulking and look at the interview transcript I just sent,” Rosa said.

Jake glowered at her but obediently opened his email. “Which one is this?”

“Second- no, third interview,” Rosa said.

“Bully Mom or No-Sugar Dad?”

“Vegan Dad.”

“Oh!” Jake said, perking up. “He was actually kind of fun.”

“Right?” Rosa said.

By the end of the day, they’d figured out that Vegan Dad, though extremely affable in his witness statement, was also a meth addict and solely responsible for the car break-ins. The Vulture seemed disappointed that they’d cracked the case, probably because he’d bet against them with the captain of the Eight-Four. Jake and Rosa grabbed drinks after work to celebrate both solving the case and pissing off Pembroke.

“So,” Rosa said, after they’d each tossed back a shot and were nursing beers. “What gives with this Santiago thing? Do you like her or something?”

“What? No.” When Rosa just stared, he glared back at her. “Seriously, no.”

“Just seems like you’re pretty caught up in her,” Rosa said with a small shrug.

Jake shook his head and took a long swig of beer. He had to admit that Rosa had a point. And if she’d noticed that he was bothered by what was happening, or rather not happening, with Santiago – well, that wasn’t good.

“I guess I kind of liked texting with her, and now she’s gone MIA and-” He paused, a shiver of distaste racing across his shoulders at what his next words were going to be. Rosa just stared some more, not even blinking. “Fine, I miss her. It. The texts. I liked giving her a hard time.”

“Uh huh,” Rosa said.

Jake rolled his eyes.

“I swear, that’s all there is to it.”

“Look, I don’t care if you like her or don’t like her or just want to fuck her or honestly just like teasing her over text messages – just be careful. I know you trust her-” She held up a hand when Jake started to deny it, kneejerk. “Shut up. Even if she really is a good person, she’s got a job to do and it’s not necessarily compatible with the job we do.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t really matter if we’re not talking anymore anyway.” Jake drained the rest of his beer and stood up. “You want another?”

“Sure.”

Jake walked up to the bar and signaled the bartender for two more. While he waited, he took out his phone to check the time. On the locked screen was a new text: “Can you talk?”

Jake quickly looked back over his shoulder at Rosa. She was leaning back in her chair, watching a pair of women playing pool with a smirk on her face.

Jake wrote back: “Not now.”

The bartender set two bottles in front of him and Jake handed over a twenty.

His phone vibrated. “Tomorrow? Can we meet in person? I can buy coffee.”

Jake studied the message, thumbs poised over the keypad. He’d be busy with Rosa most of tomorrow wrapping up the break-in case – they may have solved it, but there were a lot of loose ends that needed tying up, and it would be hard for him to steal away from Rosa without her giving him shit about it.

“Can’t meet during the day,” he wrote. “Dinner?”

He paused before sending. He could suggest they grab a beer, or even that they just meet at the park again. Dinner was a lot. Dinner was date-adjacent.

He hit send.

Her reply was immediate: “7pm. Salty Dog.”

Jake sent her a thumbs up. He made sure to wipe the grin off his face before he brought Rosa her beer.

+++

The Salty Dog was a sports bar-slash-restaurant located in a converted firehouse, therefore, Jake hated it on principle. But he gave Santiago props for picking a spot that was a good 20-minute subway ride from the precinct. He managed to get there five minutes early, but he wasn’t surprised to find her already there, sequestered in a corner table at the back of the restaurant with papers spread all around her. Jake didn’t creep on her from a distance this time, but he still managed to startle her when he walked up and said hello.

“Shit!” She dropped the papers she’d been holding in each hand. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“You told me to meet you here.”

“No, I know, sorry.” She blew a strand of hair out of her face and began stacking her papers again, in some precise order that seemed to require a fair amount of concentration. She gave Jake a quick, apologetic smile. “Sit down. I just need a second.”

Jake took the seat adjacent to her, so they both had chairs with their backs to a wall. There were a few empty tables in the restaurant, but the place was fairly busy for a Wednesday night with no big sporting events scheduled, as far as Jake knew. He picked up one of the menus that had been left at the edge of the table and scanned through the entrees. On the one hand, the mac and cheese was $13. On the other, the place had a “build your own mac and cheese” bar.

“Okay,” Santiago said, and Jake turned back to her just as she was carefully slipping a thick folder into a messenger bag at her side. “Thanks for coming. I’m sorry I asked to meet in person again, but I needed to show you something.”

“It’s fine,” Jake said. “I think I actually prefer it this way. Texting and phone calls make me nervous. Too much of an electronic trail, you know?”

“I totally get it,” Santiago said. “I actually have an alias for you in my contact list. Just in case.”

“Oh yeah? Me too.” Jake nodded toward her phone, which was sitting on the table next to her menu. “What’s my name?”

Santiago ducked her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Instead of answering, she picked up her phone and opened her contacts, then handed it to him.

“Pineapples?” Jake said. “Wait, is my picture a pineapple wearing a thong?”

“Yes.” Santiago tilted her head to the side to look at the image with him. “I wasn’t wearing my glasses when I found it, but I feel like it works?”

“Somehow, I agree.” Jake handed the phone back to her and said, “Okay, you want to know your name?”

“Yeah I do!”

Jake pulled her up on his contact list and gave her his phone.

“Eldora Senegal,” Jake announced, as Santiago snorted with laughter and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Former prostitute-turned-madame-turned-cupecaketeur, who specializes in children’s birthdays and bachelorette parties. She’s from Latvia.”

“That is very specific,” Santiago said. “But there’s no photo.”

“Yeah, I was so focused on the backstory I guess I didn’t get around to it.”

A waiter came around then, and they both ordered mac and cheese – with bacon, buffalo sauce, and jalapenos for Jake, and shrimp and kale for Santiago – and drafts. After the waiter brought their beers, Jake turned to Santiago and debated whether he should ask what she’d been up to for the past 10 days when she wasn’t texting him or, alternately, not come across as a total loser and just ask why she wanted to meet. It was a tougher call than he cared to admit.

“So, what did you need to show me?”

“Right, yeah,” Santiago said. “First though, I’m sorry I just disappeared. Or, I mean, I’m sure you didn’t even notice that we haven’t communicated in like a week and a half. But if you did- you know what? Never mind.”

She tucked another lock of hair behind her ear. She had the rest of it pulled back into a loose ponytail, wisps breaking free here and there like she’d been messing with it throughout the day. It was endearing. Jake didn’t reply to her rambling, just smiled benignly at her even as he felt a pleasant warmth in his belly.

“I’ve been on a special assignment – the jail story you gave me, actually,” Santiago said. “My editor has me working on it full time, so I haven’t been doing any other cops stories lately.”

Jake felt a swell of relief. “Special assignment. That’s great. Very, um, special.”

“It really is great,” Santiago said, beaming at him. “I mean, it’s crazy stressful and I’m terrified of letting down Holt – he’s the editor in chief. You have no idea what a big deal this is to get to work on an investigation. But it’s amazing. Anyway, today I got a ton of documents from the corrections department in response to my public records request. At first I was surprised that they’d come through so fast – I guess sometimes those requests can take months – but then I realized that they’d purposely dumped, like, every single record on me. They’re trying to overwhelm me with information.”

“Okay,” Jake said slowly, watching as she took out the same folder full of papers she’d been looking at earlier. It was at least two inches thick. “I can see how that’d be a problem, but how can I help?”

“What I need,” Santiago said, “is a system for determining which records are important. This is a sample of the kinds of papers they gave me-”

“Wait, that’s just part of it?” Jake gaped at the massive file.

“Oh my god, yes,” Santiago said. “I have three cardboard boxes filled with papers back in the newsroom.”

“Dear lord.”

“Exactly,” Santiago said. “I was sort of hoping that you could take a look at these papers and help me figure out some key words or codes to focus on. The papers are full of legal jargon and criminal codes, and I can look them up one at a time, but you must know them already.”

“I think you are way overestimating my familiarity with the New York penal code,” Jake said, but he plucked a paper off the top of the stack anyway. “Okay, for starters, you probably want to stick with the felonies. I can help you ID those. And yeah, I can help you put together a list of offenses to look for. How far back do these go?”

“I asked for five years of data,” Santiago said. She’d pulled out a notebook and was already scribbling furiously in it.

“Whoa, right there, you can ditch everything older than a year,” Jake said. “The rumors have only been going around for about six months.”

“Yeah, but this could have been going on for ages before word got out, right?”

“No way,” Jake said. “Cops are huge gossips. I’d guess the longest this has been going on is a year, and that’s stretching it.”

“Okay, that makes the story slightly less compelling but much more manageable, so I guess I’ll take it,” Santiago said with a small frown.

The mac and cheese arrived, and they decided to start going through papers while they ate. Jake scanned them for familiar codes and called out the ones that were most interesting; they both figured that if he didn’t recognize a code then it probably wasn’t common or important.

Santiago explained her plan as they went. A source in the corrections department had told her that only some inmate-lawyer meetings were recorded, and that they tended to be for suspects who were not native English speakers. So after pulling out only the most interesting and potentially damaging cases, Santiago would go through the rest looking for inmates who had requested a translator or a lawyer who spoke another language to represent them.

Jake whistled under his breath as she walked him through the reporting. That sounded like an insane amount of work, made incredibly difficult because she only had access to physical papers, instead of electronic documents that she could quickly search and sort. Santiago scoffed when he said as much.

“Yeah, the cops don’t typically like to make our jobs easier,” she said. Then she looked up, aghast. “I mean, present company excluded, obviously.”

Jake laughed. “It’s okay, a lot of cops don’t like to make my job easier either.”

He turned back to the papers, but looked up again in surprise when Santiago reached out and placed her hand on his arm.

“Seriously, Peralta, thank you,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Jake glanced at her hand on his arm, and she quickly withdrew it, picking up her fork instead to dig back into her mac and cheese.

“Jake,” he said.

“What?”

“Call me Jake,” he said. “The only people who call me Peralta are cops. And weirdly, sometimes my aunt.”

“Okay, Jake.”

CHAPTER 5

[getalittlecountry]

Roses

Welp. I finally finished and feel as if this beast is ready. It started as a tiny fic based on a song (as always) and turned into this emotional mess. So be prepared and I hope you like it.

Roses

It was the tenth of February and he brought not one, but a dozen, to my door. I always hated roses, but for some reason I loved the white ones in his hand. Whenever I think back, that’s how I see him. Standing there holding a dozen roses with a smile on his handsome face. I guess in my head he’ll never fade. Him standing there with that stupid rose. That crooked smile that pushed the dimple into his chin. The way he made my heart flutter. The fact that he knew he could make my knees weak by combining all the moves.

I still don’t know how he knew it was my birthday.

But nothing could wipe that smile from my face. The one he always knew how to bring forth.

It took him three months to break me. I have no idea how he did it. Maybe it was because he refused to take my no as an answer. Maybe it was because he wouldn’t stop coming around every time I thought I had finally gotten rid of him. Either way he managed to do what no one else had ever done. He won me. And once he broke me, I gave him everything.

Before I knew it four years flew by and I couldn’t see anyone else but him in my future. I didn’t want anyone else but him in my future.

Roses became our thing. He brought me roses and somehow the girl who once hated flowers fell in love with flowers from him. They made me feel classic. Cassian with his leather jacket over his button down shirt. Me with my sweetheart dress that made his eyes linger. God we were my idea of perfect.

It was amazing; while it lasted.

I never thought time would change, I never thought anything would happen to break us. For the first time I was confident in myself. I was in love with Cassian and I wanted everyone to know it.

Four years together and yet it still felt brand new.

It was my 25th birthday. Cassian brought pink roses this time. He knew I hated the color pink and yet he brought them anyways. He showed up while I was still getting ready, my dress wasn’t even zipped yet. He was all put together, that leather jacket, faded with time and love, pulled on over his dark gray button down shirt. His hair was slicked back behind his ears. It was almost to his shoulders now. God I loved and hated that hair.

It was perfect for our nights together. But sometimes I wanted him to cut it all off.

“Happy birthday my love,” Cassian’s deep voice made the fact that I was holding pink roses disappear. I smiled as he kissed me gently, pulling the door closed behind him.

I blushed as a shiver ran down my spine from the cold air that had made it’s way inside, “thanks Cass. These are very… pink.”

I grimaced as he wiggled his eyebrows, “I know. You’re welcome.”

I rolled my eyes. He was cocky as always. Sometimes it was endearing, sometimes it was annoying. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it tonight seeing as it was my birthday and he should’ve gotten me flowers that were to my liking. I took them to the kitchen, my bare feet barely tapping against the floorboards as I walked. I felt Cassian’s eyes on my back as he followed me. I put the flowers in a vase that I had already filled with water.

“Well don’t just stand there. Be useful and zip me up,” I waved my hand over my head waiting for him to come and assist me.

Cassian snorted, but I heard his heavy footsteps make their way towards me. Then his cold fingers brushed against my back, “usually you’re begging me to take your dress off.”

Cassian’s lips pressed against my neck before I could even think of a response. I shivered against his touch. Four years together and he still gave me butterflies. My heartbeat picked up, my own hands started to shake as he kissed up my neck, his breath tickling my skin.

“If you want to take me out to dinner,” I could barely form a sentence as his hands touched my hips. The cold seeped through my dress, “we can’t get distracted.”

Cassian’s teeth grazed the skin on my shoulder. I had to bite my lip to suppress my moan, “what if I want to distract you?”

I giggled, “as much as I love you, as much as I love this, I am also starving and you promised me food.”

His nose pressed against my shoulder and his laugh hit my skin, “yes. Yes. Don’t worry, I’ve got an exciting night planned for after dinner. I know you, food always comes first.”

He winked and I couldn’t help but laugh. God if I could’ve froze that moment I would’ve lived in it forever. Me and him standing there in the kitchen, those stupid pink roses on the counter. I wish I would have let him distract me.

I wish we would’ve left that restaurant late, or taken a different way home. I wish I could have changed everything that had happened that night. But that’s the thing about wishing. No matter how hard you wish it will never come true. You can’t change the past, you can’t undo something that has been done.

That’s probably the hardest thing I’ll ever have to accept. There was nothing I could’ve done. Nothing I could’ve changed. It all happened too fast. It all happened on time.

“Nes,” Cassian’s voice stopped me as I slipped on my shoes. He was smiling when I turned around and looked at him. He stood in the doorway, looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes. I let out a slow breath and I felt the air in the room change. I smiled back at him, “I wanted to give you your present now. Instead of at the restaurant.”  

I raised an eyebrow, “okay?”

He cleared his throat and fiddled with his pocket, “I love you, Nesta Acheron. Even when you’re hard to love, there’s no one else i’d rather be with. I’d rather fight with you than get along with anyone else. And I know you’ve always said you’re happy with the way things are. But, well.”

He knelt down on one knee and my breath caught in my throat, my chest squeezed tight, “I don’t see or want a future without you, Nesta. You’re my rock, my love, my life. Will you marry me?”

My eyes filled with tears as I covered my mouth with my hand, in shock. I never thought this moment would come, this moment would ever be real. And yet here was this man who I loved with all my heart proposing to me. I couldn’t believe it, and yet I couldn’t deny it either. I nodded my head slowly, my head taking a moment to catch up with my heart.

“Yes. Yes, oh my god. Yes I’ll marry you.”

His smile was blinding. I jumped into his arms as he stood up after pushing the beautiful vintage ring onto my left hand. It fit perfectly, as if he had been planning this whole thing for longer than today. I kissed him as his arms wrapped around me, my hands framing his face. I laughed, tears falling down my cheeks. I was happy. Happier than I had ever been.

“I love you,” I whispered, “so much, Cassian Moten.”

“I was,” he paused as I kissed his mouth, then his nose, then his cheek. His laugh vibrated through his chest into me, “going to wait for dinner. But then the light was there, the roses beside you. It just felt right, to do it here, in our home.”

I smiled, his arms tightening around me, “I love you. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

Cassian’s heartbeat mirrored mine as I pulled away. I brushed my nose against his as he slowly lowered me to the ground. Cassian kissed me hard once more before he pulled back and laced our fingers together. The perfect birthday. At least that’s how I thought I would remember it.

It was a dream I never knew I had come true. A dream that turned into a nightmare in the blink of an eye.

“We have to get going if we don’t want to be late,” Cassian’s dimple pressed against his chin as he continued to smile.

I sighed happily, my ring sparkling as I grabbed my bag off the counter. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried. I never thought I could be so happy, so in love with life. I went from a cold and bitter person, closed off and wishing love would never try to find me again. To finding a man who saw me. Who looked at me and for some reason thought I was worth all the trouble in the entire world.

I held Cassian’s hand as we drove down the quiet street, the sun already starting to set so early in the winter’s evening. There was snow on the ground, but it was warmer than a few nights ago. My birthday was weird that way, in the middle of winter. It could be snowing or it could be slightly warmer. Cassian drove slow, just to be safe, as we made our way to my favorite little italian restaurant in town.

Cassian spoiled me. He had a good job working with his friends. He told me he prefered to spend his money on me than spending it on himself, than spending it on anyone else. So he took me places, he showed me the world. He showed me what I never knew I could see. Places I never thought I could go.

I grew up with two little sisters and a father that checked out the moment our mother died. She died and we lost our money and our father lost his spirit. So Feyre took over, she took to providing for us, when it should’ve fallen to me. But I was selfish and I was cruel, so I did what I always did. I pushed my sister's away. Because if my father could check out that easily, then so could they.

Cassian grew up without a family. HIs mother never knew his father, who left the moment the night was over. She abandoned him on the doorstep of a firehouse and he was floated from foster home to foster home until he was old enough to venture out on his own. Then he met his brothers, Azriel and Rhysand. Not brothers by blood but brothers by choice. He found a home for himself among the wreckage of his life.

Maybe that’s why we fit together. My family has been torn apart by grief, he never had a family to call his own. Maybe two broken souls finding each other is the perfect remedy to mend the hurt inside of us.

I leaned into his side, holding up my hand, “Cassian it’s beautiful. It’s perfect,” I whispered softly, “I love it. How did you find it?”

He kissed my other hand, the one holding his, “your sister helped me. We went to a lot of pawn shops, antique stores. We called out of state and even overseas. It took a lot of searching. Hell I’ve been looking for the past two years.”

My heart stopped, “what?”

Cassian laughed as he pulled into a parking spot, “I knew I wanted to marry you the moment you agreed to that first date. I didn’t want to scare you, so I waited. Then when Feyre told me your love of old things I started small. The stamped locket, those shoes you always wear. I knew then that I had to find the perfect ring. An old one, with a story to come with it.”

When he mentioned the locket I instinctively touched the pendant that never left my neck. It was stamped with a beautiful vine like pattern and inside were Cassian’s initials beside mine and the day we started dating officially. It was the sweetest thing I had ever received and I cherished it above everything else. If I had to take it off it never went far. I loved old things and Cassian had found the perfect old thing when he bought me this locket.

“No story will be as beautiful as that one,” I whispered softly, brushing my nose against his. I let out a breath and kissed him softly. He shut off the car and ran his fingers down my cheek.

“Nessa. If you keep doing that we won’t make it inside,” he whispered, his eyes still closed as he nibbled my jaw.

I giggled, “maybe that’s my plan, sweetheart.”

“Hey that’s my line,” he opened his eyes and smiled, “don’t worry there will be plenty of time for that later. First I feed you. Then we dance. Then we go home,” he wiggled his eyebrows and opened his door. I never wanted this night to end. I never wanted to lose this moment, this feeling. I knew it was fleeting, I knew it would never last.

But for one night I knew what it felt like to fly. To fall in love all over again.

Somehow we got free wine with our food. Someone saw my ring and then we were telling the story of getting engaged. The wine poured and we drank more than we should have. We laughed and ate food, we talked to the people around us. Time seemed to be a figment of my imagination. Before I knew it Cassian took my hand, dragging me out onto the dance floor. He was steady on his feet, his hands solid on my waist. He pushed hair off my neck and leaned in to kiss me.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

I didn’t have time to reply, to even thank him for the words that never seemed to lose any meaning whenever he whispered them to me. He spun me around quickly, making me giggle as he dipped me down. My cheeks were flushed, but my heart was full. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as the song changed and we danced slowly together.

“You’re sure you want to spend forever with me?” I asked as I took in a breath and steadied myself in his arms. His grip was loose but firm as he held my hips. I ran my fingers across his scalp. Cassian leaned in like a cat would when you scratched their ears.

He laughed, a sound I would spend forever trying to produce, “Yeah. I think I am.”

He leaned down and kissed me. I still had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his mouth. His arms were tight once they wound around my waist and I couldn’t help but remember all the moments he would pick me up and hold me close as he devoured me. God I loved this man. I would spend forever trying to understand what I did to deserve a love like him.

Cassian pulled back, something flashing in his hands. I watched as he brought it up and then his fingers pressed a flower in my hair, right behind my ear. I had no idea where he had gotten it, but it was a pink rose. Exactly like the ones he brought me. The stem scratched my skin as it situated itself behind my ear, “you’re beautiful, Nesta. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I did. I love you.”

I brushed my nose against his as I traced my fingers down his cheek, “yeah. I think I might just love you too.”

We swayed together as the wine coursed through our system. Cassian was warm, so was the air in the room. I smiled as I took in a deep breath, pulling myself closer. I laid my head on Cassian’s chest and closed my eyes, imagining the rest of our lives together. This moment was just the beginning. I could spend forever in his arms, in this moment. I was happy, safe, content, and in the love of my life’s arms. I felt his lips on the top of my head, it was sweeter than anything I had ever felt before.

And even though it was far too good to be true, I let myself believe that my happily ever after was finally coming true.

***

There was blood on my engagement ring. It’s the first thing I noticed as the lights brightened and the room became clear and my eyes adjusted to the hospital’s waiting room. Not only was there blood on my ring, but it was covering my hands too. There was blood all over me, my dress was ripped, my hair was a mess. I’m sure there was blood in there too.

It was nothing compared to the mess of my emotions. The chaos inside of my head. In the ambulance they said I was in shock. I could barely tell them my name let alone look at anything other than Cassian laying there bleeding on their bed. My hands shook as I continued to stare down at them.

It wasn’t my blood, I was aware enough to know that. The blood that covered me was not my own, although it felt like it could be mine. It belonged to the one person who’s life meant more to me than my own. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to stop myself from replaying the accident yet again.

The waiting room was empty save for me. The quiet unsettled me as I sat there staring at the doors, waiting for them to open. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands yet again. The light cut across my ring, scattering patterns across the waiting room ceiling. No one was telling me anything, no one had come out from that back room in what felt like hours. I shivered, pulling the sleeves of Cassian’s leather jacket closer to me.

It still smelled like him. It smelled like home.

I didn’t like to cry. But my body was tired of fighting. Tears gathered in my eyes, my throat felt like it was made of glass. My fiance, my best friend, the love of my life, was on the other side of that door. And I had no idea if he would live or die. I had no idea what was happened to him.

All I knew was that when the ambulance arrived they took one look at him and I knew it wasn’t good. Their faces paled and they started to talk in numbers and riddles that meant nothing to me. I was assessed, but Cassian was the priority.

I looked at my left hand, trying to keep it together. I realized as I sat there that the ring had little roses on the side, outline in black with a little diamond in the middle. Roses. I couldn’t help but smile, even when he wasn’t, he was here. My throat closed up, Cassian was a pain in my ass. But he was my pain in the ass. He loved me, for some reason the roses on the side of this ring made it even more real.

When we first started dating he thought it was weird, the fact that I hated flowers as much as I did. Maybe that’s why he was so hell bent on bringing me roses. Because I wasn’t the kind of girl he usually dated. I didn’t want flowers or fancy dinners. I didn’t want to be spoiled with gifts every other day. I just wanted someone who would be there when he said he would. Someone who realized that when I pushed them away I really wanted them to force their way through my walls.

Cassian proved time and time again in the last four years he could be both. The guy who brought me flowers and the one who stayed even when I was convinced he would walk away. No matter how much we fought, we always found our way back to each other.

The first sob escaped my throat the moment the lobby doors slid open and my little sister walked in. She didn’t stop walking until she was right there in front of me. Feyre wrapped her arms around me as I finally fell apart.

“Nesta we got here as soon as we could,” she hugged me tightly, then slid down so she was on her knees at my level. Her blue eyes, the ones we both got from our mother, met mine. Her hands were warm against my knees.

I hiccuped, “I don’t know what’s happening. No one has told me anything.”

Rhys sighed, “okay, let me see what I can do.”

I nodded as Feyre stayed in front of me, trying to comfort me and yet give me space. Her hand brushed my ring and she smiled, “he finally did it.”

I couldn’t help but smile myself, “yeah. Before dinner. But then we were driving home and he swerved. I kissed him, we were happy and celebrating. I had a little too much wine and he was excited to get me home. There was ice and I shouldn’t have distracted him. The truck came out of nowhere,” I stopped as the memory played, I choked, “we spun, then the car flipped. They said I was lucky to get out without a scratch.”

Feyre slid into the seat beside me, “he’s strong,” she pushed my hair behind my ear, “he’ll find his way back to you, I know he will.”

I closed my eyes willing off the tears, but they wouldn’t stop. My little sister kept touching me and I wanted to scream, to tell her to stop. I didn’t want touched, I didn’t want to be here. I wanted this all to be a dream. But I knew it wasn’t and that made it worse.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t be back there getting checked out?”

I shook my head, something tickled my scalp, “no the paramedics said I was fine. Just superficial wounds, nothing major. I’m fine. They need to focus on him, on Cassian.”

A noise came from the back of Feyre’s throat, but I ignored it. I reached up to push my hair out of my face. That’s when I caught my finger on something. I pulled and then a rose fell from my ear into my lap. There was blood on the light pink petals, it was crushed. But even in the middle of all this chaos it had survived. My heart squeezed and the world tilted on itself.

It was as if a little piece of Cassian was here with me. His jacket. This rose. My ring. My heart hurt but I held onto the little shred of hope I had in my hands.

“Where did you get that?” Feyre’s voice cut through the humming inside my head.

“Cassian,” I lost air as I said his name.

He put it behind my ear while we were dancing what felt like hours ago. I could see it all happening as I sat there, my heart hurt. He told me I looked beautiful and that  the pink matched my black dress. I told him he was full of shit, laughing as he spun me around. It felt like a lifetime ago, when we were celebrating our engagement. When life seemed like a dream instead of this nightmare.

But it had only been a few hours at best. Hours since we laughed and kissed. Hours since I knew what my future held. Now I had no idea what would happen when the doctors finally walked through those doors.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to breathe as I pushed my arms through the sleeves of his leather jacket. He couldn’t be broken. He would be okay, they would fix him. People got into car accidents all the time. He would survive and we would live happily ever after. I refused to believe anything else.

“They said he’s in surgery,” Rhysand broke the spell of the floor I had been focusing on to keep more tears from falling, “he’s pretty bad, Nesta. Broken leg, a  few broke ribs. Apparently he took most of the collision. He’s got swelling in his brain, which they’re concerned about..”

I bit my lip, “but is he going to be okay?”

“They aren’t sure yet. They said the doctor will find us when he’s out of surgery.”

I nodded, looking away as Rhysand sat down beside his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her. It wasn’t fair, that they got to lean on each other and I was left to wait to hear if my love, my life, would walk out of these doors again.

——

It felt like days later. The sun had set long ago, the cold was coming in through the sliding doors. We were the only people left in the waiting room, the quiet was even more unnerving than before. I could hear the ticking of the clock above us. The lights flickered every three minutes. Someone was tapping their foot on the tile floor. Feyre was falling asleep, her head on Rhysand’s chest. I blew out a breath as the doors finally opened.

“You came in from the car accident?” The doctor asked, his eyes glancing over me. The blood all over me clearly gave him the answer before I could.

I stood up and met him halfway into the waiting room. Rhysand was there beside me. I all but leaned on him for support. “Yes.”

He nodded, pulling off his hat, “okay well your boyfriend is lucky. He had a lot of bleeding but I believe I stopped all of it. There’s a lot of swelling in his head, but that will have to heal on it’s own while he’s sleeping. Now he’s got a broken rib, a fractured calf, a shattered ankle, and a sprained wrist. We’ve fixed everything we could in surgery and set him up in a few casts.”

“But he’s going to be okay?”

He nodded slowly, “Time will tell for sure. But he’s out of surgery and resting. You can go back and see him if you’d like.”

My chest expanded, as if knowing he was on the other side eased the pressure that had been building inside of it. I all but ran to the doors once the doctor told us which room he was in. Rhysand and Feyre followed behind, letting me go into the room first.

I had known Cassian for a long time now. We had only been dating for four years but he had been in my life for longer than that. It took me a moment to process what I saw when I opened the door to his room. I had never seen him so vulnerable, I had never seen him so broken. He looked like a little boy laying on the bed, his leg elevated up in a cast.

“Cass,” my voice broke as I took the chair beside his bed and took in a deep breath. I picked up his hand and kissed the back of it, “you scared me. You promised me forever, I’m holding you to that promise.”

Rhysand let out a sigh as he came into the room and Feyre held him while he tried to hold himself together. I took in a deep breath as I watched them come around to the other side of the bed. I wanted to crawl in and curl up beside him. But there were so many casts, so much damage I didn’t want to hurt him. So I wrapped my arms around his forearm and kissed his shoulder.

I was ready to settle into this spot until he opened those brown eyes of his.

“I remember when Cassian met you, seven years ago. God he was in love with you the moment you kicked him in the shin. He told me you were the girl he was going to marry,” Rhysand’s eyes were filled with tears as he looked at me, “I told him he was crazy, since I had known you for longer than a day and I knew you weren’t the marrying kind. At least not according to Feyre. But Cassian likes a challenge. You were his biggest challenge yet.”

I smiled, “he never did give up. I was so mean to him too, he never let that scare him. He told me he would prove to me he was worth it.”

“Did he? Prove that to you?”

My eyes were bright when tears as I looked at Cassian’s brother from across the small room, “no. I knew after that very first date he was too good for me. And yet. He never looked at another girl.”

Feyre wiped away a tear as I looked away from Rhysand. That was the truth. Cassian never needed to prove to me he was worth it. He proved that on our very first date. He proved to me he was out of my league and yet for some reason he only wanted me.

It took me four years to truly believe I was worth it. That I was worthy of him.

I squeezed Cassian’s hand three times, something he used to do whenever we were together in the early days and I was afraid of people seeing us. He would squeeze my hand to reassure me that everything was okay, that we were supposed to be together. A tear slipped down my cheek, I waited for him to squeeze it back. But he didn’t move, his fingers didn’t even curve around mine. He looked so vulnerable, so pale and injured that my chest squeezed tightly. .

I needed him. I never let myself admit that I did, but I didn’t want to go on without him. I wanted that wedding, I wanted a house with a fence and little ones that looked more like Cassian than me running around in the yard. I wanted to spend forever rolling my eyes at his stupid jokes and wondering why he puts up with my moods.

There were a million ways to say I love you without ever uttering the words. I didn’t realize it until that moment but every day Cassian said the words without saying them. Proving to me yet again that I didn’t deserve him.

But that didn’t mean I loved him any less.

“You should wear mom’s dress,” Feyre was staring at my hands. They were still covered in blood, I needed to wash them. I needed to change, but I didn’t want him to wake up alone. I wanted to be here when he opened his eyes again, “when you two finally set a date.”

I laughed, “well right now that is the last thing I’m worrying about. I’ll marry Cassian naked if I have to,” Rhysand’s cheeks flushed as I looked at my sister, “I just want to marry him.”

“Well that would be one hell of a wedding ceremony,” Feyre smiled as I looked back down at the man I loved laying there on the bed. I took in a deep breath and reached up, pushing a few strands of hair away from his face.

The room was quiet for a few moments, the three of us sitting there waiting for the man we loved in different ways to wake up and tell us all to stop crying. I knew he wouldn’t want us to cry, he would tell me to man up, be the hard girl he had tried so hard to break, because he wasn’t going anywhere.

I let out a slow breath, “one of our first nights together Cassian told me how he met you and Az,” I brought my eyes up to Rhysand’s and felt my chest squeeze. My sister’s boyfriend raised his eyebrows, “he said that until that moment he never met anyone he wanted to be friends with. He was rowdy and angry as a child and then you came along and gave him a run for his money. You gave him a black eye and Az gave him a cracked rib. He said he knew it would last after that.”

Rhysand laughed, “he was this big kid who shouldn’t have looked as big as he did. He was awkward and clumsy. He thought he would bully us and I made him think twice about laughing at the skinny kid who looked like he couldn’t hold his own.”

“He loves you,” I said softly as I leaned into his shoulder, “he’s never uttered a bad word about either of you. You’re his brother. He calls you family. I know he wants you there for our wedding, for our life. I can’t see it happening without you or Az or Fey or Elain.”

Feyre leaned into Rhys and he kissed her temple, “don’t worry. Cassian already has it all planned out. He doesn’t want to do it without your family either.”

I nodded, “he’s always been my family, with or without this ring.”

I let out a slow breath as I brought our clasped hands up to my forehead and leaned against his warmth. His hand was still bigger than mine, his skin was still a shade darker. I just wanted him to open his eyes and tell me everything would be alright. I wanted him to be the strong one, like he always was.

Time seemed to stretch on forever. Feyre was falling asleep on Rhys’s shoulder. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, but I didn’t want to fall asleep until he was awake. I knew that the chances of him waking up soon were slim to none since he had been hurt so badly. I sighed, closed my eyes and holding onto him. The machines kept beeping, his chest kept going up and down with each breath he took.

I counted each breath he took. It passed the time, it helped ease my fears. He was still here with me, on this earth. Even if his eyes were closed he was breathing. He was breathing on his own. There were no tubes helping him take in air. That was a good sign. At least that’s what the nurse kept saying. That and the swelling in his head was going down. The doctor said he would wake up faster once the swelling was down.

I was almost asleep when his hand moved. I had let go of his hand when it got warm and sweaty. Instead I crossed my arms and laid my head on the bed. My neck was stiff and my body was sore and I was exhausted. I felt the bed move and my heart soared. The sun was starting to come up, it was a new day. A new day to erase the nightmare that I had been living in for the past however many hours now. I sat up faster than I should have, my body groaned.

Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t help but smile when his eyes fluttered and I knew he was coming around.

“Nessa?” Cassian’s voice was soft and scratchy. He opened his eyes slowly. His hand started to move around the bed, searching for something. He smiled weakly when  his fingers once again found mine. I gasped, all but crawling into his arms as he opened his eyes.

A sob escaped my throat, “I’m here,” I said softly as he sat up and I wrapped my arms around him. I was gentle, but Cassian’s lips found mine before I could be sure this wasn’t a dream, “I thought I’d lost you.”

He smiled as he pulled away, the tips of his fingers grazing my cheek, “never, Love. Forever, remember?” He touched my ring and I smiled.

“Forever,” I agreed. I closed my eyes and shook my head, “do you remember? The accident?”

He shook his head, “barely. I swerved so they wouldn’t hit you. We rolled. It was cold. I remember darkness. But I heard you,” his deep voice got smaller, “begging me to stay. I held on to that voice, I held onto you.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, “I didn’t think I’d would ever get to tell you I love you again, Cass. Because I do. I love you so much.”

“I know,” he kissed me again as the door opened, “but I love hearing you say the words out loud.”

The nurse smiled when she saw Cassian awake, I pulled away but he held me in place there beside him. I kissed his temple as she checked his vitals, “I’ll go get the doctor, we didn’t expect you to wake up so quickly.”

I held onto him, afraid he would fall back into that restless sleep again if I let him go. I never expected to need him, to miss him as much as I did when he was hurt. I took in a deep breath as he brushed his fingertips up and down my thigh, as if he took couldn’t bare not to touch me now that he was finally back with me. I kissed his cheek, trying to be positive.

Cassian sighed, “well this might sound weird but I’m tired.”

I pressed my hand against his forehead and he leaned into it. The nurse stopped checking his vitals and nodded, “it’s probably the medicine. I’ll get the doctor and be right back.”

She disappeared out the door as quickly as she had appeared. Feyre was still asleep, but Rhys opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Cassian awake, “Cass. You had us all worried you giant prick.”

He laughed, then winced as the vibration hit him, “well I couldn’t let Nesta get all the attention,“ his thumb touched my ring once again.

I squeezed his hand and this time he squeezed mine back, “I love you,” I whispered softly as he kissed my temple.

“I love you, sweetheart. I’m sorry you worried,” he sighed as he leaned back against the pillows and blew out a breath, “just preparing you for the rest of our life together.”

I glared at him as the doctor came in, “if you do something like this again I’ll kill you myself.”

He laughed and it was the best sound in my world, “I wouldn’t put it past you, love.”

----

They promised me that he was out of the woods. They even said they would release him soon. He was talking and smiling, he even held me before he fell asleep the first night. It looked like we were going to make it to the other side. The doctor couldn’t believe he was awake and alert, that his injuries weren’t giving him more problems. Everyone said his recovery was truly a miracle.

But then it all fell apart overnight. One of the machines woke me up, beeping loudly and wildly. Cassian was pale, coughing up blood. He was sweating and breathing heavily.

The doctors rushed in before I could process what was happening and pushed me out of the way. His brown eyes held mine before they took him away. I held that stare, praying it wouldn’t be the last time those beautiful hazel eyes looked into mine.

Snow fell as I stood there beneath the oak tree. The ground was already cold where we buried him. All I had to remember our life, our laughter, our love, was a tiny dash between two dates. It was so small and yet his life had been so big. All I had left of the beautiful man whom I loved, who had fallen in love with me, was his ring. The ring I refused to take off my finger.

His promise of forever. I guess our forever wasn’t as long as I believed it would be.

I still don’t truly understand what happened. When they told me he was gone I collapsed. I woke up and they told me my body had shut down with the news. They told me I was in shock and that I needed to rest. I fell apart, I demanded to see my fiance. Feyre was the only one who thought it was a good idea. She took me to see him and then she’s the one who told me what the doctors were too afraid to tell me.

I held the roses be had brought me for my birthday. They weren’t fresh anymore, some had wilted. The cold bit into my fingers, I couldn’t see for the tears in my eyes. I took in a breath and laid them gently on the dirt pile in front of his grave. It was easier now, to stand there and look at his stone. It wasn’t as world shattering as it had been the day of the funeral. When Feyre and Rhys were the only ones who held me together.

It wasn’t hard to let go of the future we were supposed to live together. The wedding, the idea of marriage, I let those things go when they told me he didn’t make it. I let the future I never knew I wanted dissolve as quickly as it had appeared. Because I didn’t want that future with anyone else.

What I couldn’t let go of was him.

He came to me at the end of my world. When I thought life was over. When I thought love would never find me again. He had been the light at the end of a very long tunnel. My knight in shining armor if you will. Cassian came and saved me. Even when I didn’t want to be saved.

Now I would never be able to give my heart away again. Because he had taken it with him.

Everyone had given me space at the funeral. They let me grieve as we buried him, but now they started to worry. Feyre refused to leave me alone now that everything was said and done. She followed me home and held me while I cried. She stayed that night and now she wouldn’t leave. She made me dinner, she forced me to get up. To shower, to get dressed. My little sister forced me to live when I didn’t remember how to live without him.

Fourteen days. I had survived fourteen days without him. I just had to learn how to live the rest without him now too.

I pulled his jacket closer to me, it was too big to do it’s job and keep me warm. But I wore it because it was the last thing that still smelled like him, like home. It was the last piece of Cassian I had left to get me through the day. To remind me of the happiest moments in my life, wrapped up in his arms.

Tears filled my eyes as I held the locket in my hand, my wrist resting against my neck as I held it close. I would never let Cassian go, I would never forget the way he made me feel. He made me feel like I was the most beautiful girl in the world, like I was the only girl in his entire world. He taught me that love could be real, that love could be all consuming. He taught me that even at the end of the world there was someone waiting there to save you.

“You changed me. You made me into a girl I barely recognize, the girl I always wanted to be. You loved me for who I was, even when I was cold and hard. I used to wonder why you bothered, no one ever cared to stick around as long as you. When you didn’t leave, when our first fight didn’t scare you away I started to wonder if maybe I finally found someone worth giving it all to. I gave you everything, Cass. Every piece of my heart is yours. You took it with you and now I don’t know how I’ll ever find it again. Because I don’t want someone to replace you. I don’t want someone else to love. I just want you.”

The snow kept falling as I let out a breath, “god this feels like a cruel dream. I mean, I keep thinking I’ll go home and find you waiting for me. I turn the corner and wait to see you standing there holding a dozen fucking roses. God I hated roses. But I loved the ones you’d bring me,” I sighed, “I’m so mad. You left me, after you promised me forever. You forced your way in, you’re the first person I wanted a forever with. The only one. God I loved you. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you.”

A tear fell down my cheek, “I love you. I hate you. Because I don’t remember how I ever lived without you. I don’t know what I did, who I was, before I was yours. Cassian,” my voice broke. I shook my head, “I wish I could go back and change it. I wish I could’ve asked for one more glass, or danced with you a little longer. I wish.”

I stopped, the quiet surrounded me. I’d never hear him laugh, or listen to his boring stories again. What I would’ve give to be annoyed with him one last time, “it doesn’t matter. Wishing won’t bring you back. Nothing will bring you back.”

I brushed my cold hand across my eyes and shook my head. I had no idea how to even begin to move on without him. God I missed him, every day it felt like I lived with a knife inside my chest. I missed the stupid fights, the stupid moments. I missed the life we had made together.

But I knew I would do it all again. If only to learn a real love, to find a true love. I would rather have loved him for four years than to have never loved him at all.

“I won’t forget you, ever. I wish I could go back and tell you that in person. I wish I could look into your eyes and memorize every color, every sparkle that made you, you. If I had known it wouldn’t last. That you wouldn’t make it. I would’ve held you tighter, I would’ve kissed you longer.”

Another tear slipped down my cheek. I ran my hand over the stone. My ring clicked against the cement. The cold hit me straight down the middle. It numbed the pain that would never go away. I would have to learn to live without him, I knew time would never completely heal the break inside my heart.

“I wish they could’ve met you,” I whispered as I pressed my hand against my stomach, “I wish you could have met them. I don’t know how I’ll do it without you. I never wanted this without you.”

I had to figure out how to become someone I never thought I’d be. But would do it, because Cassian would want me to be strong. Especially now, since there was a piece of him still inside me, one that would grow. One that would one day smile at me they way he used to. I knew it would shatter my heart when it happened.

If that was the price I had to pay, then I would. To carry him inside me. To remember what it was like to be happy. To let his love consume me. To pass on the things he taught to me to someone who was the last piece of his soul.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, making him one last promise. I spoke the vows I never knew I already had written, to the cold stone grave. I tried not to dwell on the fact that he was suppose to be my future. Instead we were given a tragic ending to our love story.

“I promise to remember you, to always love you. I promise to smile, to laugh the way you taught me to,” I smiled despite the ache in my chest as I opened my eyes, “your child will know you. They will love you as fiercely as you would’ve loved them. As much as I will always love you.”

I ran my finger over his name, tucking my beautiful brown eyed boy back inside my heart. Where I would carry him for the rest of my life.

“You used to bring me roses. Now it’s my turn to bring them to you.”

[pedroscurls]

Title: The New Candidate (Part 8.) 

Character(s): Patrick Sullivan and Ashley Wright (original female character) Summary: Ashley cooks dinner for Patrick as their second date. Word Count: 3,844 Warning: None. Author’s Note: Woot! First kiss!!! Yesssss. Enjoy! :-)

(GIF Source: @mypapawinchester)

Patrick had invited Ashley over to his apartment for their second date. He offered to pick her up, but Ashley insisted that she would drive there herself. He was enjoying their teasing banter with lingering stares between one another. She was becoming more and more of a woman that he wanted to settle down with—he was always known to fall in love too quickly. Though, Patrick knew that Ashley wasn’t like any other woman he had been with.

She was different, and he liked it.

At the end of their shift, Patrick and Ashley walked out of the Firehouse and to their parked cars.

“So, tonight?” he asked.

Ashley smiled, “Yeah. Any special requests on what I shall make for dinner?”

“Nope. Surprise me. You’re the cook. Plus, I’ll eat anything. I’m not picky,” Patrick grinned. “I also texted you my address, so don’t be late.”

“Me? Late? Please,” she teased.

Patrick walked her to her car, looking down at her. They had to keep their relationship a secret from the people in higher ranks, but everyone around the Firehouse was aware of their affair, and no one bothered to say a word.

Ashley opened her door and tossed her duffle bag into the passenger seat. She turned around afterwards to look up at Patrick, tilting her head as she stared into his eyes. They hadn’t kissed one another, but Ashley was sure that the thought was looming in his mind just as it was in hers.

“I’ll see you tonight, Ashley,” Patrick smiled.

“Yes you will.”

“Just bring the ingredients and you can cook at my place. I don’t mind learning.”

“Well, that sounds great to me. I’ll see you then.” Ashley nodded, climbing into the driver’s seat. She buckled the seatbelt and smiled up at Patrick before he shut the door behind her.

Patrick stepped away from the car and pocketed his hands, staring at her from the window and waving. “Drive safe.”

Ashley smiled, pulling onto the main road. She was more than excited for her second date with Patrick. It was unorthodox for her to go to his apartment and cook him dinner, but she liked how different this relationship was becoming. Not only did they have physical attraction, but she enjoyed how their banter had come so naturally.

Despite her growing relationship with Patrick, Ashley had grown close with the firefighters at the Firehouse. Many had begun to warm up to her and the way they treated her before was completely different than they were treating her now.

At first, the title of being a Candidate seemed like a curse, but now it was simply a joke that the rest of the guys liked to tease her about. It was like she had gotten the respect of her coworkers and since her incident with Patrick, Ashley was working twice as hard with the drills that he made her do. Her hard work was being recognized by her colleagues and it was the greatest feeling in the world. She was on the path to becoming a great firefighter like the rest of the firefighters.

Ashley finally made it to her apartment. She was in need of a shower before going to the grocery store to buy the needed ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Patrick hadn’t specified on a particular dress code, so she decided to wear a dress.

After parking her car in her designated parking spot, Ashley stepped out of her car with her duffle bag draped over her shoulder. Quickly, she walked to her front door and unlocked it. She made a mental note to have a cup of coffee before leaving since she was a bit tired from today’s shift.

Ashley shut the door behind her and locked it, walking to the kitchen to brew herself a cup of coffee. While she waited, she decided to take a shower. She didn’t mind drinking lukewarm coffee.

Setting her duffle bag on the floor of her bedroom, Ashley walked to her bathroom and turned the water on in the tub, allowing it to heat up. She stripped from her clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. Ashley had never felt as confident as she did now. She was seeing a man that she was thinking more and more about and her career was even better. Everything going on in her life made her content.

Finally stepping into the shower, she stepped underneath the water and allowed it to wet her skin. Ashley shut her eyes and allowed her mind to drift to Patrick.

Their first date was great. Everything about it was simple, but Ashley enjoyed every second of it. Its simplicity allowed her to gain a better understanding about Patrick. Instead of going to a high class restaurant, they decided on a small pizza shop downtown. All she could remember was dancing with him in the middle of the restaurant with quiet music in the background. It was spontaneous and sweet.

After applying shampoo and conditioner to her hair, Ashley washed her body thoroughly with her body wash that was scented with vanilla. Despite her thoughts about the first date, she wondered if she was going to allow him to kiss her tonight. Since breaking the boundary and going out with Patrick, Ashley wondered what his lips would feel like against hers.

Once the suds washed away from her body, Ashley stood underneath the water for a few moments. Afterwards, she shut the water off and stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her dripping body. Walking to her closet, she tucked the front of her towel to hold it against her body as she shifted through her clothes.

Finally, she found a white, short-sleeved dress with a floral print on it. Ashley grinned and brought it out with her, walking out of her closet and back into her bedroom. After setting the dress on her bed, Ashley removed her towel to wrap it around her wet hair. She applied a decent amount of lotion to every inch of her body and removed the dress from its hanger.

The white, floral dress was collared and buttoned down with a strings that matched the color and print of the dress. Sliding it over her head, Ashley buttoned it up a quarter of the way upwards. After tying the strings around her waist, it provided the tightness she needed to reveal her curves.

She removed the towel from her hair and allowed it to air dry, walking back to her closet to look for shoes that would match her dress. Settling with beige ankle strapped heels, Ashley picked it up from the rack and grinned. She was more than ready to show Patrick how good she looked.

Once she finished dressing up and her hair had dried and her make-up was put on, Ashley sent a quick text to Patrick saying she was going to the store. She quickly walked to the kitchen to drink her coffee as her mind drifted once more. Ashley wondered if this relationship with Patrick would lead anywhere, which also left her thinking about what the Chief had said. There was no way for Patrick and her to be in a relationship while working under the same Firehouse.

After she finished her coffee, Ashley set it in the sink and then left her apartment, walking to her car. As she climbed in, she set her purse in the passenger seat and shut her door, buckling her seatbelt.

Ashley knew what she was going to make. She decided on making Alfredo pasta with spinach and a side of garlic bread. So, as she drove to the nearest grocery store, the nerves began to pick up. She was getting slightly anxious to see Patrick again.

The trip to the store didn’t last long since Ashley went a time where it wasn’t as busy. After she bought the needed ingredients, she began driving to Patrick’s apartment. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could feel a drip of sweat trickle down her temple.

She pulled up along the curb and parked her car. Sending a quick text to Patrick, Ashley stepped out of her car and grabbed the groceries from the backseat. Though, she looked over her shoulder when she heard someone whistling from behind her. Ashley’s cheeks almost reddened at the sight of Patrick.

Though, once he made it to her car, Patrick took the bags from her and allowed his eyes to look at her from top to bottom. He cleared his throat. He wasn’t expecting her to dress up this nice.

“You look—”

“Different?” Ashley finished.

“Beautiful,” he corrected.

Ashley blushed further. Patrick laughed quietly, motioning to his apartment with a swift nod. “Thank you, Patrick.

“I have to let a woman know when she’s looking beautiful.”

Ashley followed him inside his building, biting her lower lip. She walked upstairs, smiling politely at the people who left their door wide open for her to see. She looked up at Patrick and noticed him grinning from ear to ear. Once they made it to his apartment, Patrick opened the door and allowed her inside first.

She stepped in, glancing around the unfamiliar space. It was small and compact, but she liked it.

“Kitchen’s this way,” he smiled.

Ashley set her purse down on the couch and followed him to the kitchen, pulling her hair up into a neat ponytail. Patrick had begun removing the items from the bag, setting it on the counter.

“Pasta?” he asked.

“Mhm, and garlic bread.” Ashley smiled.

“I like it. I’m ready to help out too.”

“Oh no, we’ll never get to eat if you help me,” she teased.

Patrick chuckled, looking over at her. “You think you’re funny, huh?”

“Hilarious, actually.”

He smiled, shaking his head. He grabbed the necessary pots and pans and set it on the stove. Ashley washed her hands thoroughly before walking around the small kitchen. She liked how everything was within arms reach.

“So, what’s first, Chef Ashley?”

“Chef Ashley? Really?”

“What? Don’t you think it has a nice ring to it?”

“No,” she laughed. “Not at all.”

“Well, at least I got you to laugh,” Patrick smiled, flashing her his dimples.

“That you did, Patrick… That you did.”

“Okay, seriously… What’s first?”

“Well, we’re going to go ahead and boil the water for the noodles to soften. While that’s happening, we can go ahead and make the sauce,” she smiled.

Patrick was trying to listen, but watching her maneuver around his kitchen made him grin lovingly. He was also surprised to see her wearing a dress. She looked just as beautiful as she did when she would wear her usual navy blue pants and FDNY t-shirt at work.

“Are you even listening?” Ashley asked.

“Honestly?”

She nodded.

“Nope. You’re distracting,” Patrick admitted.

“Oh, okay. Blame it on me,” she laughed, poking his abdomen.

“I will blame it on you because it’s your fault why I’m not paying attention.”

Ashley smiled, looking up at him. The water was boiling in the pot and she had begun on creating the sauce, but Patrick was a bit too close. She was peering up at him and his hands yearned to rest on her hips.

“Patrick?”

“Yes, Ashley?”

“Can you grab me some milk?” she blushed.

Patrick grinned, “Of course.”

Once he pulled away, Ashley took a deep breath and focused on cooking. Soon enough, the aroma of her cooking filtered throughout his apartment. She poured the milk into another pan and allowed the sauce to cook on a medium-low heat.

Patrick was watching carefully, getting closer and closer to her every chance he could. He opened a bottle of beer and handed one to her which Ashley took eagerly. He felt his stomach growl at the scent of her cooking, grinning to himself.

He could get used to this.

“All right. Sauce is done. Come here and try it,” Ashley smiled, setting her beer down. She grabbed the wooden spoon and stirred the contents, scooping a decent amount of sauce onto it. Patrick walked towards her, stepping into her personal space as he leaned down to taste her sauce.

“Wow,” he grinned, pulling back just a bit. “That’s delicious.”

“I haven’t even added the spinach yet,” she smiled.

“Well? Go on and add it.”

Ashley giggled, pouring the fresh spinach into the sauce and mixed it with the sauce. While it was bubbling, she turned the oven on and preheated it for the garlic bread. As she turned around, she bumped into Patrick and his hands immediately rested on her hips.

“Clumsy much?”

“Nope. Just not expecting you to stand right there.”

“Where else would I be?” he laughed.

Ashley didn’t respond. Instead, she took a step closer to him until their bodies were mere inches apart from one another. Patrick cleared his throat, bringing a hand to cup her cheek. She leaned into it, staring into his eyes.

“Ashley?”

“Yes?”

“May I kiss you?” he asked.

Ashley bit her lower lip, feeling his thumb brush against her jawline. This was it. All she had to do was nod and lean up on her toes to kiss him, to feel his lips.

The second trickled by slowly. Patrick was awaiting her answer patiently, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes deviate to her lips continuously.

Finally, she nodded. “Yes… You may.”

Patrick grinned, leaning down to press his lips against her own. His hand on her hip tightened and moved to wrap around her waist, bringing her flush against his chest. Ashley whimpered against him, the feel of his soft lips against her own managing to clear her mind of nothing but the feel of his lips.

Slowly, Patrick moved his lips against hers. She followed his lead eagerly. Though, at the sound of the loud beep, they pulled away and turned to look at the oven. It was ready for the garlic bread.

Patrick grinned, licking his lips and pulling away. He set the garlic bread into the oven carefully and put a timer on it before turning around to face Ashley once more.

“I enjoyed that,” he admitted.

“So did I…”

“I’d like to do it again.”

“Me too…”

Patrick grinned, opting to peck her lips instead. “After dinner.”

She nodded in agreement. “After dinner.”

The entire time she was cooking, Patrick lingered around her. He would rest a hand on her lower back or even drape his arm around her shoulders. Finally, when the oven beeped once more, he released her to take the garlic bread out of the oven to let it cool down on the countertop.

Ashley had drained the water from the noodles and mixed it in with the sauce and spinach. She smiled to herself, looking down at the dinner she made. She was more than ready to sit down and eat with Patrick.

She glanced over her shoulder, watching him carefully take out the tray of garlic bread with two oven mitts. Ashley giggled to herself—it was a funny sight to see Patrick wearing oven mitts. He seemed so manly that wearing a simply kitchen item made her smile.

“Want to help me set the table?” he asked.

Ashley nodded, turning the stove off and allowing the pasta to sit on the counter once she set it aside. “Of course.”

Patrick took her hand, lacing their fingers together as he reached for two plates with his free hand. He ran his thumb across the back of her own and smiled to himself, leading her to the dining room.

“Forks?” she asked.

Patrick nodded, setting the plates down across from one another. He led her back into the kitchen and opened a drawer to reveal the utensils, grabbing two forks and bringing her back into the dining room.

“Looks great,” he smiled.

Ashley looked up at him and used her free hand to cup his cheek, leaning on her toes to peck his lips lightly. She sighed happily once she pulled away, looking into his eyes with an innocent gaze.

“What was that for?” Patrick asked.

“I missed your lips.”

He grinned, watching her walk towards the kitchen to retrieve the food. However, Patrick tugged on her hand and turned her around. His free arm wrapped around her waist to bring her flush against his body and immediately, he leaned down to press his lips against her own. He sighed contentedly against her and dropped her hand to cup her cheek.

Ashley gasped, though, she relaxed immediately against him. Her hands went to rest on his chest and she slowly moved her lips against his own which he eagerly followed.

Patrick dropped his hand from her cheek to rest gently against the side of her neck as his thumb brushed against her throat. He smiled against her lips and slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

“We are definitely going to do more of that,” he smiled.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Ashley giggled, kissing his cheek and gently pushing him away so that she could get the food in the kitchen. Patrick followed her, deciding to grab the pot of pasta and the tray of garlic bread. Ashley smiled to herself and wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissing the back of his shoulder.

“You’re being very touchy feely tonight,” he chuckled.

“Is that a problem? I can tone it down a bit if you’d like,” she giggled.

Patrick shook his head, setting the food onto the middle of the table. “Don’t tone it down. Not at all.”

He held her chair out for her and smiled, kissing her cheek once she sat down. Patrick pushed her chair in and smiled to himself, sitting across from her.

“Dinner is served,” she smiled.

Patrick laughed quietly, “This smells delicious, by the way. Thank you for making it, Ashley.”

“Now you just have to try it… I hope it meets your expectations,” she smiled.

Patrick took her plate and placed a decent amount of pasta onto hers before tending to his own. After her put a large amount onto his plate, Ashley grabbed two slices of garlic bread and placed one on her plate and the other on Patrick’s.

“I have dessert, just in case you were wondering,” he commented.

“Ooh, what dessert?”

“Ice cream,” he chuckled.

“My favorite,” Ashley smiled.

They began eating and she watched Patrick carefully. Once he took a forkful of his pasta, Patrick grinned and dabbed at his lips carefully. “Holy shit.”

Ashley grinned. “Good?”

“Amazing,” he corrected. “Wow. This is really good.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

“I think I want you coming over every night to make dinner,” he teased.

“I wouldn’t mind just as long as you help,” Ashley replied.

Patrick continued to eat, taking forkfuls of his pasta and bites of his garlic bread. Being in Ashley’s presence made him happier than he had been and he didn’t know what it was, but there was something about her that lured him in.

“How are you liking the Firehouse?” Patrick asked.

“It’s hard not to like it,” she laughed. “I love everyone in it. They’re all so nice and welcoming. I definitely enjoy the fact that you guys don’t treat me like I’m a woman… You all treat me like I’m one of the guys. It’s nice.”

Patrick smiled, “Well, you didn’t want any special treatment so, we all decided it was best to listen to you.”

“I’m glad you and the Chief and everyone else have been so nice. I mean, the drills are tough, but I enjoy it.”

“You enjoy it?” he asked, arching a brow.

“Helps me become a better firefighter.”

Patrick grinned. “I knew from the first moment I met you that you’d have the passion and motivation to be great. Everyone at the Firehouse started like that and we’re all so lucky that we still have that same drive. Don’t lose sight of that.”

Ashley smiled, “I’m lucky to be part of a great group of guys.”

“And you’re dating your Lieutenant,” he chuckled.

“I did not plan that,” she giggled, blushing.

“Of course not,” he winked.

“Chief says that if this goes somewhere… I can’t be in the same Firehouse?” Ashley asked.

Patrick nodded, “Yeah. The department is strictly against having in-house relationships. It’s happened before and it just—it didn’t work out and it caused a rift between the firefighters.”

“That makes sense…”

“What’s on your mind then?”

“I know this is just the second date and I honestly don’t want to scare you—”

“But?” Patrick asked, arching a brow after taking a bite of his bread.

“Do you see us going anywhere?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah,” he answered immediately. “I don’t want to scare you either, but there’s just something about you that is just—you’re different, Ashley. I’d be stupid not to try and see where this takes us.”

She grinned, staring up at him. “Cool…”

“Cool?” Patrick laughed. “That’s all?”

“No, no. I meant—I’m glad you said that. I just never had any luck with dating and guys before, so this is kind of too good to be true, but I like you, Patrick.”

“Good because I like you too, Ashley.”

After their dinner, Patrick and Ashley both washed the dishes, bumping their hips with one another. She was enjoying her time with him and when his arms wrapped around her from behind, she stiffened only to relax when he pressed his lips against the side of her neck.

“Thank you for dinner,” he whispered.

Ashley smiled, shutting the water off once she finished with the dishes. “Thank you for inviting me over.”

“You can come over anytime you’d like,” Patrick winked. He turned her around and pecked her lips, grabbing two beers and leading her to the living room.

“Want to watch a movie?” he asked.

“I’d love to.” Ashley removed her heels and set them aside, bringing her legs onto the couch once she sat down. Patrick put in an old movie and when he sat next to her, he propped his feet onto the coffee table and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to bring her flush against him.

“Ghost, really?” she asked.

“What? I like this movie.” Patrick smiled, kissing her forehead.

As the movie started, she rested her cheek against his shoulder and sipped periodically at her beer. Ashley could get used to this: Coming home after a long shift at work to have dinner with Patrick and watch a movie afterwards. It was relaxing.

Halfway into the movie, Ashley had fallen asleep against Patrick. Apparently, the coffee she had before leaving her apartment didn’t work at all. He looked down at her and noticed that she was sleeping. With a smile, he set their beers down and picked her up, bringing her into his bedroom. Setting her down, Patrick lied next to her and wrapped his arm around her before allowing himself to fall asleep.

He could get used to falling asleep next to her.

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[hailey-halstead]

Birthday Dinner

hope you guys enjoy 😊 i don't own anything! except i guess laura's snooty boyfriend that i gave the most snobbish name to😂 ——————— Sylvie wanted to be optimistic about this. She really did. But she knew that something about this night was going to go terribly wrong. Today was Diego's birthday, and his only wish was to go out to eat as an entire family. Antonio and Laura had tried to get him to agree to a separate dinner, but he had refused. Over these past couple months of dating Antonio and getting to know Diego and Eva, Sylvie has realized that Diego was actually the one who had taken the divorce harder than Eva. He knew his parents were not getting back together, but still enjoyed any time when the original four were back together. He didn't even mind if Sylvie and Laura's boyfriend Gerald were there as well. Sylvie had never been to one of the infamous Dawson post-divorce dinners that Diego always requested, but what she heard from Eva has given her a pretty good idea. They were extremely awkward, with Diego being the only one who had a good time because he was completely oblivious. "Ready to go?" Antonio called from the living room. Sylvie finished putting on her nude shade of lipstick, throwing it into her purse. They were only going to a casual local restaurant, there was no need to dress up. She stepped out of the bathroom, approaching the patiently waiting Antonio. "Sorry I took so long." She apologized, grabbing her jacket off of the coat rack. "You can take even longer if you want." He offered, which made Sylvie roll her eyes. He really didn't want to go tonight, they actually were going to have a nice dinner at the apartment tomorrow for Diego. Probably make up some excuse for the reasoning in case he gets mad. "We are already running late." She told him, opening the door. She stepped out into the hallway, awaiting for him to join her. He locked the apartment before turning around towards her, stuffing the keys into his pocket. "This is going to be a night in hell." Antonio grumbled as they headed towards the elevator. "Hopefully Diego and Eva can dictate the conversations....?" Sylvie pointed out, pressing the button to go to the main floor. "We can only hope for Diego." Antonio told her, leaning against the elevator wall. "Eva hates this kind of stuff, she will probably be hiding in the bathroom multiple times tonight." "Oh." Sylvie managed to say, wondering if there actually was any hope for tonight's dinner. She only hoped so for Diego's sake. Some divorced parents are able to get along, but some can't, and unfortunately for the boy, his parents fell under the can't category. The way Laura ended hers and Antonio's marriage still was a grudge held by Antonio against her. Yes, he had moved on, Sylvie was positive about that. Their relationship was strong and serious. But Laura had hurt Antonio, and how she handled it hurt their kids as well, which was something Antonio definitely couldn't forgive. "How about you?" Antonio turned the conversation on her, a soft, concerned expression on his face. "Are you going to be okay?" With that question, Sylvie couldn't help but grimace. Her and Laura.....didn't get along too well. Ever since she embarrassed her in front of everyone at the firehouse, Sylvie couldn't help but feel negative towards her boyfriend's ex. And time and time again, Laura continued to display behaviors that didn't help improve Sylvie's view on her. "You could just stay—" Stay home? That wasn't an option. "No, no." Sylvie shook her head in protest. "Diego is looking forward to this. I would feel like I was letting him down." They exited the elevator, heading towards the front doors. "I hate how she talks to you though." He sighed with frustration. "It seems harmless, but we both know that they are jabs she's throwing at you." "I've handled it before, I can handle it again." Sylvie replied, but internally her stomach was twisting with nerves. Ever since she got back together with Antonio, she was more confident than she ever has been with a relationship. But when the person throwing your insecurities at you was your boyfriend's wife for 15 years, it's pretty hard to just shrug your shoulders and move on. However, since she didn't want Diego and Eva to begin hating their mother, she kept her mouth shut and took it. "I don't know if I can handle it again." Antonio grumbled, hitting the unlock button for his car. Sylvie rolled her eyes as she got into the passenger seat. "Yes you can, for Diego." She reminded him. "And if you can't....well, you can go hide in the bathroom like Eva does." Antonio snorted, but didn't protest to her idea. "I'll keep that in mind." When he slowed down as they were approaching the red light, Sylvie leaned over to press a kiss on his cheek. "This is more of a special occasion." She tried to not only assure him, but also herself. "I think everyone will be on their best behavior." He briefly removed his hand from the steering wheel to squeeze Sylvie's own. "I'm glad that you are going to be there with me." "Wouldn't miss it for the world." She squeezed right back, until he removed his hand from her's to place it back on the wheel. "For both you and Diego." Their talk had given Sylvie some confidence, but as they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, the nerves began to take over. Every encounter she has had with Laura has been unpleasant and awkward, she wasn't too optimistic about this one being any different. She might not be nasty while her children are present, but somehow she will probably get in a side comment that will rile Sylvie up. "Don't let yourself get anxious." Antonio cautioned as he pulled into an open spot and stopped his car. "Don't let yourself get irritated." She echoed back at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well there are our goals for tonight then," He said as he got out of the car. "As well as making sure Diego has a good time." "And that Eva doesn't get too upset." Sylvie added, shutting the car door and approaching Antonio's side as they began to walk into the building. Her boyfriend sighed at the mention of his eldest child. "I'm afraid that I don't have much hope on that." He muttered. Eva and Laura especially have been butting heads lately, over a magnitude of reasons. Sylvie couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Laura, even though she knew that the woman was the cause of everything. Her treatment of Sylvie was not going unaware to Eva, one of the main issues of their relationship currently. When they walked into the restaurant, they spotted Eva, Diego, Laura, and Laura's boyfriend right away. To Sylvie's relief, they were sitting in chairs, not a booth. At least they weren't being forced to sit super close to one another. Sylvie and Antonio took the seats between Eva and Diego, meaning directly across from them were Laura and Gerald. "Sylvie!" Eva excitedly greeted her, throwing her arms over her shoulder. "I'm so glad to see you!" The teen gave a big smile towards her mother, using her interaction with Sylvie to piss her off. Seeing this, Sylvie quickly detangled herself from her, not wanting to start drama as soon as she arrived. "Hey, Eva." She responded warmly, but making sure to keep her distance. She stretched her neck to view Diego on the other side of Antonio, wanting to say hello to him as well. After all, he was the reason why they were all here. "Happy birthday, Diego!" She then decided to tease him. "Maybe I'll let you win at chess as a present." He rolled his eyes at that. "Let me?" He shook his head, disagreeing with her. But the smile on his face let her know that he knew that she was teasing. "I think it's the other way around, Sylvie." Out of the corner of her eye, Sylvie could see a relaxed smile on Antonio's face as he viewed their reaction. Maybe this wouldn't go too badly after all. Then the woman who seemed to cause all the drama spoke up. Sylvie herself couldn't help but cringe when she heard Laura's voice. "Aren't you going to introduce yourselves to Gerald?" She questioned. It was obvious that she didn't like the interactions between Sylvie, Diego, and Eva, and she was trying to divert the four of them. Sylvie took this time to actually look at Gerald, Laura's boyfriend. Antonio had only met him briefly one time, and really didn't have much to say about him. So Sylvie only really knew a few things about the man. That he was older, in his 50's, divorced, had children in their 30's, and was pretty rich. And according to Eva and Diego, he treated them like babies. Sylvie reached her arm over the table to shake his hand. "I'm Sylvie, nice to meet you." She politely said, before giving a smile to Laura to try to be amicable. However, her returning smile was definitely fake. "Nice to meet you." He answered back. And just when Sylvie began to think that maybe he would be different than what she had been told, that he would maybe be a decent guy, he opened his mouth to speak again. "Wow, Laura told me you were young, but I didn't expect this! Can you even drink yet?" At that rude, blunt statement, Sylvie couldn't help but drop her jaw. She was taken completely off guard, in such surprise that she didn't know what to say. Next to her, Antonio started to get defensive. "Hey—" They had barely been here for five minutes, she didn't want this night to go to hell this early. "I'm 30, actually." Under the table, she pinched Antonio's side to warn him to calm down. Luckily, he listened, leaning back into his chair and the tension on his face and in his shoulders disappearing. Thankfully, Diego began to tell a story from school and that slightly eased the tension of the adults. The waiter came by, asking them what beverage they wanted. As time passed, it seemed like things were looking up and they were going to get through this dinner unscathed. Eva and Diego were the ones who controlled the conversation, while everyone else contributed here and there. Eva only escaped to hide in the bathroom once. And when their dinner came out, Sylvie was feeling optimistic that tonight was going to be a success. Until Laura decided to confront her children on something that had been apparently bothering her for some time. "Why haven't you two looked or talked to Gerald this whole dinner?" She asked them, a frustrated look on her face. "Actually, this isn't the first time this has happened. She turned her head towards Sylvie. "You talk to her all the time." She regarded Sylvie like she was nothing but scum at the bottom of her shoe. That made Antonio enter the conversation. "Laura—" "Because we like Sylvie." Eva said, shrugging her shoulders. "She is actually interested in us, treats us like actual human beings, and also has a personality instead of being a robot." "Er—" Sylvie tried to insert herself, with the goal of somehow changing the subject, but everyone ignored her. "Maybe because Sylvie's practically the same age as you and you view her as a cool friend, while Gerald is an actual mature adult—" "Again, I'm 30..." Sylvie said. Yet again, no one paid attention to her. Now Antonio was getting angry at Laura for attacking Sylvie. "God dammit Laura, we are trying to have a nice dinner for Diego's sake, but all you're worried about is your boyfriend's ego!" Sylvie placed her hand on his back, but unfortunately he was too riled up for this small action to calm him down. "And you're attacking Sylvie for it! This is not the time and place for this shit!" Oh, hell. There was no going back now. Their voices weren't too loud, but they were still getting attention from nearby tables. The overwhelming tension was very noticeable. "So how's everyone's food?" Sylvie interjected, just as Laura was opening her mouth. "I know for me, this chicken parmesan is really good." She babbled, wondering how much she was currently sweating from nerves. "Laura, you got the same dish, right—" "I don't find Sylvie to be a good influence on our children." Laura stressed out the word our, sending a nasty look towards Sylvie's way. "I like Sylvie." Diego piped in, an attempt to break the tension between all of the adults. However, he was ignored. "Laura, seriously—" Antonio was gritting his teeth, seeming like he was about to blow, but then stopped talking, took a breath, and got out of his chair. "I'm going to get some air." He muttered, before placing a hand on Sylvie's shoulder. "Come on, you probably need some too." Sylvie shook her head. "No, go by yourself." She told him, gently taking his hand off of her shoulder. "I'll be fine, I promise." He didn't budge until Eva spoke up as well. "She'll be fine, dad. She has me and Diego." She reassured her father. With that, Antonio left to get some air. Sylvie turned back to face the table, fully aware to the awkward silence. "I guess Antonio couldn't handle being embarrassed, but he shouldn't be surprised." Sylvie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to count to ten to calm herself down. Laura's shrill voice wasn't helping, though. "That's what you get when you date an immature, college blonde—" "I'm 30!" Sylvie hissed, slamming her hands against the table. Everyone's eyes widened at her outburst. She couldn't help but be surprised at her reaction too, she usually just bit her tongue and took Laura's words. But now that she had opened her mouth, words kept falling out. "I'm a full grown adult! In a mature, consenting relationship with, guess what? Another adult! Pretty sure that's none of your business!" Laura tried to speak, but Sylvie's burst of confidence meant that she continued to speak. "And I am not this evil woman who is trying to steal Eva and Diego away! I'm not trying to be their new mother! I just want to get to know them and spend them with them because they are great and fun and amazing! Which I don't know how with you raising them—" Next to her, Diego began choking on his water. Her pumping adrenaline was slowing down. "Anyways, I'm not going anywhere, so I would appreciate you getting off of my ass and start treating me with decency. You're not only making me feel upset, you're making Antonio as well," Sylvie brought attention to the pacing Antonio outside of the restaurant. "And you are damaging your relationship with your kids!" "Point is, I love Antonio, I love your kids, and I don't really love you, Laura. Actually, you are kind of a menace. But no matter what you say, it's going to affect you more than me in the long run." She stood up, fed up with the disastrous dinner. She turned to hug Eva and then Diego, whispering "Happy birthday, I'm sorry." She then dashed out of the restaurant, not wanting to hear Laura's response, or anyone else's for that matter. It was bad enough seeing everyone whisper and stare as she left. Antonio was confused when he turned around and saw Sylvie appear out of the doors. "Sylvie, what are you doing?" "Oh. My. God." She gasped out, finally coming to terms about what just had happened. "Holy shit! I can't believe—" She was incapable of staying still, walking around aimlessly, in complete shock. "What? What happened?" He grabbed her shoulders to stop her pacing. "Did Laura say something—" His voice was beginning to become dark, as he seemed to think about marching back into the restaurant. He was eyeing the door... Sylvie realized that she had never vocally said her disgust of his ex wife when she was in their presence, so her bursting out all frazzled would certainly have him concerned. "No, no! It was me!" Sylvie denied his accusations, shaking her head rapidly. God, after their worrying about Laura ruining today.....it ended up being her! "I was the bitch!" She moaned, dropping her head dramatically against Antonio's chest. "You talked back?" He seemed amazed by this. Sylvie took it as a good thing that he wasn't yet mad. He was the one who took the high road, stepping outside. While she attacked like a crazed lion. "Oh no, more like screamed back." She shuddered at the memory. "She again referred to my younger age, saying I was some stupid blonde bimbo basically...and ugh! I just hate it when she refers to me as the blonde so...that's when the dam broke." Sylvie began, allowing herself a quick moment to catch her breath. "That—" Antonio tried to interject, but she wanted to fully explain the whole story first. She ignored him, continuing on. "So I said that we were two consenting adults in a relationship, and that it was none of her business." He widened his eyes at that, which made Sylvie want to laugh. She wasn't even halfway done. "Yeah, that is practically nothing compared to the rest." She sourly told him. "Then I said I wasn't some evil witch trying to steal her children away, that I just enjoy spending time with them because they are sweet and awesome kids," She hesitated before saying the next part, knowing it was pretty bad. "......and that I don't know how that is with you raising them—" Sylvie was appalled when Antonio began laughing. "Don't laugh! It's not funny, I was so immature and inappropriate—" "Sylvie, baby, she's the one who has been immature and inappropriate ever since you've met her." He softly told her, as he rubbed her arms. "You weren't any of those things. You were badass because you stood up for yourself." "......that wasn't all of it." She said, wishing it was. "I told her I wasn't going anywhere, and she should treat me with more respect. Er, and then I said I love Antonio, your kids, but I don't love you. And that she's a menace." Sylvie finished, glad she was finally done explaining. "So, that's it. That's how Sylvie Brett ruined Diego's 14th birthday—" "Sylvie. You didn't do anything wrong." Antonio pressed his lips against her forehead. "I bet the only ones mad in there are Laura and Gerald, and who cares about them, right?" "What about Eva and—" The door opening behind them caught her attention, as she whirled around to face whoever joined them. "Diego? Eva?" Sylvie was surprised to see the two teens, coats on and looking ready to go. "What are you two doing—" "Whatever you two plan on doing." Eva shrugged. "We couldn't be in there anymore, mom's being too unfair and.....well, excuse my language dad, bitchy." "I'll pretend that I didn't hear it." Was Antonio's response. "How did your mom react when you said you were leaving?" He asked his children. Diego was the one who answered. "Uh....not good." He looked pretty nervous when thinking about her. "I've never seen her so mad...." To Sylvie's surprise, he now turned towards her. "It was awesome what you did! Mom didn't know what to say when you left!" "Um, thanks?" She responded, glad he wasn't mad at her for yelling at his mother, but at the same time feeling guilty about making a bigger wedge between Laura and her kids. Yes, it was definitely Laura's own fault, but Sylvie couldn't help but feel bad. "What are we going to do now?" Eva said the question everyone was thinking. They definitely couldn't go back into the restaurant, after the chaos that occurred. "We could go get ice cream?" Diego suggested, eyes going back and forth between Antonio and Sylvie. "That sounds good, since we did just eat dinner. Well, most of it." No one protested, which Antonio took as a sign of an unanimous agreement. "That sounds like a great idea." And for the first time that day, Sylvie felt completely stress free. They would all be able to enjoy and celebrate Diego, without the presence of Laura.