"Shit. Shit. Fuck. Oh no, no, no. Oh my gosh!"

This is why I never try to cook, Clarke reasoned, watching as her oven mitt caught on fire. Swiftly, she grabbed for the tongs on the counter beside her and maneuvered the utensil to pick of the burning glove. Okay Clarke, all you have to do it get it in the sink so you can run the cold water on it. There's no way you can – Oh shit. Oh fuck. To her luck, she accidentally loosened her grip as she spun towards the sink, the tongs releasing the glove and sending it flying onto her carpet floor.

Suddenly, the carpet of her apartment floor began to catch on fire, creeping dangerously close to her couch and curtains. Clarke was frozen in shock; the fire was spreading, and all too quickly. When she noticed the path to her front door was no longer an option, she began to panic.

Shaking out of her haze, her feet moved her down the hall and into her bedroom. She lunged towards her phone, dialing 911 as soon as it was in her hand.

On the second ring, someone picked up on the other line. "9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"My apartment. It's on fire" she rushed.

The man on the other end of the line remained calm, like he had gone through this process countless times. "Is there anyone in the apartment right now?"

"It's just me. I'm in my bedroom; I can't make it to the front door!"


Not ten minutes later, the ladder of a firetruck below was being lifted towards the bedroom window. Her room was becoming increasingly warmer and Clarke knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the fire made its way into her room.

Because of the rapid difference in heat, the blonde was forced to rid herself of her long sleeved shirt, as well as her jeans. Her body had begun to sweat not even five minutes after closing herself off from the fire that was threatening to spread closer towards her.

She anxiously watched as a firefighter began to climb the steps of the long ladder, noting quickly that this is the first time she'd ever seen a female firefighter. With haste, she opened her window as the woman got closer.

"I'm Captain Woods and I'm going to lead you out of there, okay?"

Clarke nodded frantically at the authoritative voice, her mind still set on panic.

"Alright ma'am, this is really easy. All I need you to do is take a deep breath and follow me down this ladder, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The blonde wanted to follow the woman's directions, she really did, but once she saw how high up they currently were situated, she tensed in discomfort. Living on the 13th floor may have given a nice view of the city, but this situation gave her a whole other viewpoint on higher apartment rooms.

As if sensing Clarke's uneasiness, she spoke up once again, this time in a more gentle tone. "What's your name, ma'am? Mine's Lexa."

"Clarke Griffin" she nearly whispered.

"Alright Clarke, how about you come hang on to me and I carry you down? Sound better?"

She nodded for a second time and reached to wrap her arms around the firefighter, grasping tightly at the captain's thick uniform.

"You're doing great Clarke. Look at me while we move, okay? Let's chit-chat."

All of her belongings were most likely lost. She'd have to move back in with her mother. Oh god, anyone but my mother.Clarke was thankful for the attempt at distracting her mind from the current predicament. She felt herself instantly begin to gradually become calmer. Following the woman's instructions, she looked at the face of her rescuer – properly, for the first time since she arrived at the window. Holy shit. She was stunning. If the smoke from the fire hadn't taken Clarke's breath away, this woman surely had. "Since this is already awkward enough with me being only in my bra and underwear, it's only typical for me to make this even weirder…You should be modelling. Screw the dangerous job. You're totally the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen."

The firefighter stuttered her movement, taken aback by the sudden directness of the blonde.

"Seriously though, have you seen yourself? I bet your photo is the most popular one in the firefighter calendar." Clarke stared at Lexa's focused eyes; they're the kind of green you associate with the newness of spring.

Finally, the captain found her voice once again. "Actually, my squad doesn't have a calendar like most others do."

"What!?" That's insane! You should. If the rest of your squad look anything like you then I'm more than certain you'd have a load of donations pouring in." A slight pinkish tinge began to creep onto the woman's cheeks and Clarke grinned at the reaction. She experimentally ran a hand down the firefighter's arm, feeling the distinct muscles through the bulky uniform. "Wow, I take back the model comment. You can keep doing this. Lexa, it's like you're freaking photoshopped; your muscles are just killing it."

Clarke watched as the woman's lips curved upward into a smile before a chuckle escaped. "The strong and mighty Captain Lexa, reporting for duty, Miss Griffin."

"Say Lexa, what are the chances that a fantastic gal like you swings for my team?"

"I think it would be very unprofessional to truthfully answer that question, Miss Griffin."

"I think the sultry in your voice just gave you away, Miss Woods. Plus, that wasn't exactly a denial for the answer to my question." Clarke smirked. She knew she was probably taking this way too far – the woman was on duty after all – but Lexa was drop-dead beautiful, especially in the uniform. Also, she hadn't given Clarke any indication that she was uncomfortable with her antics, so where was the harm in a little flirting? "You can tell me you know. It's not like I'll report you or anything. I'm the one making hopeless heart eyes at you right now."

Lexa quickly chanced a look into Clarke's blue eyes before her gaze wandered down her body and then back to her task. "I can't say I'm not enjoying myself, but I can say this didn't nearly last as long as I wished it had."

Just then, the blonde felt herself being righted onto the ground. Somehow she managed to go the entire climb without even remembering how freakishly afraid she had been in the beginning.

The firefighter gave Clarke a once over before speaking. "The police are going to want to take your statement, but put this around you first, you have goosebumps all over."

Without realizing, at some point the woman had removed her helmet, revealing endless brown hair, neatly tied in a single side-swept braid. She felt her face burn up as Lexa moved to wrap the blanket around her shivering body. "I was serious when I said you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen…And thank you, by the way, for distracting me up there."

Lexa smiled timidly, her gaze meeting the ground.

"Because you seem a little shy on words, I'll just ask. I would love to take you out to dinner sometime, if that's okay?

Clarke's eyes finally met the captivating green ones of the brunette in front of her. This time they weren't so hard and focused on her job. Instead, they were soft and unhinged from the hectic events around her. "I think I'd like that."