AN: This story was inspired by a prompt I saw on Tumblr, you know who you are! I ship Vicley so hard. I love reading all the fic's out there about them, so I decided to write my own. This is my very first story, so go easy on me. I had fun writing it, and had Lukas Graham's "Love Someone" playing on repeat the entire time I wrote it. There may be some grammatical errors, as I did not have that much time to check over it, since I have been working all week, but I invite your critiques and opinions! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
Summary: This year the department was creating a calendar to put out for charity. Victoria is chosen to be in it, and Ripley has to be at the photo shoot. This story explores the angst leading up to, during, and after the shoot. It also explores Ripley's vulnerable side. I like to imagine Ripley as being all hard and tough on the outside, but in reality hes really just a big soft, teddy bear on the inside with feelings too. Some of it may be out of a character for them, but its just a story of my imagination.
It was the day he had been looking forward to all week, yet equally dreading all the same.
Today was the day Ripley would be supervising the photo shoot for this years charity calendar that the Seattle F.D. would be sponsoring. Each year they did something to raise money for charity, and this year they decided to put out a calendar, featuring various firefighters from all over the department.
Anyone who wished to participate had to send in a few photos of themselves along with a little blurb about why they should be chosen. The winner would pose in a firefighter-esque, swimsuit edition, calendar. Not quite as risqué as Sports Illustrated, but still none the less a swimsuit photo shoot. It could only be as PG as the mind imagines.
He remembers back to a few weeks ago when Vic had came home, essentially barreling through the front door to tell him that she had been chosen to be the face of April.
He heard the front door swing open before he watched her come skipping into the kitchen, "guess what?!" Vic proclaimed.
Ripley had been starting dinner for them, so he finished chopping up the onion he was working on and looked at her with a grin on his face.
"You won the lottery and we're moving away to a tropical island to spend the rest of our days together" Ripley joked.
Vic let out a laugh and rolled her eyes at his sarcasm and he couldn't help but grin.
"Even better, I was chosen to be the face of April for the charity calendar the F.D. is doing this year!" Vic was practically jumping up and down, she was so excited.
"Wow, that's amazing Victoria. Do I get the first copy of this calendar?" Lucas smirked.
Vic giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh of course, I think I could pull a few strings and get the Chief his own personal copy" she said in a low, sultry voice and kissed him. "Maybe if you're lucky I'll even sign it" she whispered against his ear, sending chills down his spine.
They got lost in the sensation of each other for a second and just as Lucas had her pinned against the counter, she remembered there was one more little thing to tell him that he might not be too pleased about.
She took a deep breath before saying,
"I'm also sharing the cover of April with another firefighter from station 23" Vic rushed out and then continue to kiss him to soften the blow.
Lucas tensed and pulled his face away to look at her. "Sorry what was that?"
Lucas really looked at her this time, to make sure he heard it correctly.
Vic sighed, "they want me to pose with another firefighter from Station 23, I think his name is Mike or something. But honestly who cares, I'm just excited they chose me after Andy, Maya and I worked so hard on our entries for the contest."
Vic was proud of herself. She spent hours working on her entry and having all of her friends check it over before she submitted it. She wanted Lucas to be happy for her but she knew he wouldn't like the catch that came along with her winning.
Lucas was quiet and Vic couldn't decipher the look on his face, and she was hoping he wouldn't be too upset about that extra catch. It's not like the photographers asked her to get naked with this man or do anything completely bizarre like that, besides they'd be in bathing suits and part of their uniform, what harm could be done, she thought.
Ripley on the other hand, was struggling to voice what emotion he was feeling. Of course he was happy for her, he remembers the long day she spent with Herrera and Bishop taking photos throughout the station, attempting to find the perfect one to submit. Vic had shown him all the photos afterward and he thought they all looked incredible, but of course Vic, the stubborn one she was, was not satisfied with any of them. He couldn't understand why though because to him, Victoria was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, therefore he may be a little biased when he says he's not surprised she was chosen.
But that's the exact reason why he's in an emotional battle right now. He doesn't want to share the beauty that he is lucky enough to have to himself everyday with another firefighter, let alone the rest of the Seattle FD or anyone else who receives a copy of this calendar. If he didn't know any better he'd say he was feeling just a bit jealous.
Lucas is a pretty level headed guy, or at least he likes to think he is. Therefore, he doesn't really get jealous. This is an entirely new thing to him.
"That's great honey, I know you worked hard for it" he said with a not too convincing smile, in somewhat of a dry tone. Which was the wrong move.
Vic sighed, "well I figured you'd be a little more excited for me?" When he didn't look at her, She shook her head. "Does it really bother you that I'm doing the shoot with that firefighter? I'm a grown woman, Luke, i can handle myself if that's what you're worried about" Vic was a little angry at what Lucas' reaction or lack thereof had been implying.
Lucas looked up at her and could see the disappointment in her eyes and he quickly recovered, "no, no, Vic I am excited for you and I'm so proud of you, I am. And i know you can handle yourself. It's not you I'm worried about" Ripley sighed and rubbed his temples, this isn't how he expected this to go. "It's just- I don't like sharing..." he said all but shyly, looking down at the ground.
Victoria looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
Ripley sighed and with more confidence continued, "You're beautiful Victoria. So beautiful. And all I can think about is how you're gonna be up there doing this shoot with another guy being able to get close to you (from station 23, nonetheless) and you're gonna be in this calendar that probably thousands of people are gonna see and please forgive me, I know this sounds stupid but I don't wanna share you with anyone else.."
Victoria couldn't help but laugh. Ripley looked back at her with the same confusion in his eyes.
"It's not like I'm selling my soul to anyone Lucas. It's just a charity calendar to raise money for the less fortunate. Don't worry, honey, I'm still all yours." She leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Lucas smirked, that was all the confirmation he needed. He couldn't deny he was a little jealous that she'd be up there sharing the stage with another firefighter, but he was damn proud of her and was also very excited to see what she was planing on wearing for this shoot. That would definitely be the most exciting for him.
Today was the day.
Lucas and Victoria were still in bed, when Vic's alarm went off. They both groaned and Vic begrudgingly turned the offending object off.
"Do we have to go?" Lucas said, voice muffled as he was hidden in the crook of her neck.
Vic laughed. "Considering you are the chief and I'm part of the shoot, then yes we need to go. But as soon as it's finished we can come right back here and continue this" Vic looked down pointedly at their naked bodies tangled together in the sheets and kissed the top of his head and then released herself from his grasp and headed for the shower.
"Fine" Lucas said with an exaggerated sigh. "As long as when we get home, I get to personally inspect the outfit you have planned as a surprise for this shoot" Lucas smirked.
"Only if you're lucky" Vic shot back.
Lucas grinned and rolled out of bed to make them coffee and breakfast, before they would head over to 19 where the photo shoot was being held.
Lucas parked his truck outside the station, and they shared an endearing kiss before heading in. If Lucas was gonna have to be tortured by this photo shoot all day he needed a little bit of encouragement to get him through the day.
Vic on the other hand was bouncing the entire way there and couldn't wait to get inside. She was still so excited they had picked her to be in the calendar. They had also chosen Andy and Maya to be in the calendar, they would be sharing the face of September.
Bishop and Andy had been on the phone with Hughes a few weeks before the shoot, after she told Ripley she was gonna be in the calendar. The girls had been talking about the firefighter from station 23 that Vic would be posing with.
"I heard he's quite the player" Andy said all but too loud, as Lucas had heard that and looked over at Vic.
"Andy, shut up, all we're doing is standing next to each other, smiling for a picture for charity." Vic said in her best assuring voice in order to help calm down Lucas. It didn't work.
"Oh no, it's gonna be much more in depth than that. They're gonna make you-..." Bishop started.
Before she could finish, Lucas took the phone and told the girls to remember that Vic's boyfriend, who also happened to be the chief of the department, was not going to let anything more than merely smiling, happen. Vic couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes at how protective he was. The girls laughed and bid each other good night before hanging up.
Vic put her phone on the nightstand and rolled over to Lucas. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I could back out. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, especially being the chief, I know I would be if you had to-.." Lucas cut off her rambling with a kiss.
"Vic, even if I wasn't the chief, just being your boyfriend, of course I'm gonna be a little jealous of any man that gets to be closer to you than me. But I'm a big boy, I can handle myself" Vic giggled and started peppering kisses over his face. All the doubt Ripley was feeling washed away, because this girl made him feel like he was on cloud nine every day of his life. He could handle a simple photo shoot. What could go wrong.
Hughes and Ripley walked into the station, and were thrown a little at the scene unfolding before them.
The entire station had been turned into a photo shoot area. There were cameras everywhere, and different backdrops set up for different shoots, and a lot of hustle and bustle from the camera crew.
Along with everyone's photo shoot, each winner was going to be recorded, giving a brief background about themselves and what they enjoy most about being a firefighter for Seattle Fd.
Ripley was in charge of overseeing everything, but If he was being honest all he wanted to do was watch Hughes. It would be hard for him to keep his focus today. Especially, if Hughes would be posing for a photo shoot of this caliber with another man.
Victoria must have sensed his apprehension and grabbed Ripley and pulled him to the side, out of eye sight of the camera crew and the rest of the station.
"I'm gonna go get ready now, I'll catch up with you later okay? Try to relax a little and not get too wound up" with that she gave him a knowing smile and a quick peck on the cheek.
"I'll try, but no promises" he shot her a signature grin and let her walk towards the locker room. He sighed and turned around, just as he was being called to talk to one of the camera men.
Ripley spent the first couple of hours watching the shoots that came before Vic's. There wasn't much for him to supervise, as one could imagine, so he just watched the shoots instead.
He did not realize how in depth these shoots actually were, Bishop had been right. You'd never guess they were doing a shoot for charity, rather you'd think it would be for sports illustrated or some other fancy magazine.
A female firefighter he recognized from another station was posing with a guy from station 6, who had been a known sleaze ball. He knew the guy going through the academy, he was a gym rat, always in great shape and was just the kinda guy you'd imagine being in one of these things. The woman was only in the department maybe 5 years. He remembered conducting her review. She was a gymnast before this. Therefore these two made perfect models for this thing.
Ripley couldn't help but feel nervous seeing this couple have to get so close to one another and do what the cameraman was asking. If Vic had to do this with the other guy he knew he would lose his mind. This was gonna be a tough afternoon for him.
It finally came to Victoria's turn, and Ripley couldn't help but drop his jaw when she walked out. She was wearing a red halter bikini top that crisscrossed at the bottom and showed off her toned ab muscles. Her caramel skin was glowing under the spotlight the photographers had set up, and the makeup crew must have sprayed some water on her because she looked a little wet, he guessed it was to complete the look. She had her uniform pants and boots on, and you could see the top of her bikini bottom poking out, since the pants were a little big without everything tucked in or the straps to hold them up. She was so stunning, Ripley had to remember to breathe. She couldn't help but send him a wink, his reaction was everything she hoped for.
If Ripley was worried about the shoot before, he's even more so now. He's having trouble holding himself back and not jumping her bones, so he could only imagine what everyone else is thinking.
Now came the tough part, the guy she would be posing with came walking out. He was unfortunately, the perfect combination. Tall, dark and handsome. He was about an inch taller than Rip, looked about 8 or so years younger than him and had the cliche washboard abs. If looks could kill, Ripley would be sitting in a prison cell right now rather than where he was. No way did he want this Abercrombie model posing with his girl. He knows that sounds irrational, Vic wasn't anyone's to be claimed, and she was more than capable of taking care of herself, he knew that ever since she yelled at him, and this was just a photo shoot, but he couldn't help the emotions he was feeling.
He promised Vic he wouldn't do anything uncalled for, but the second he senses this thing going south and this firefighter taking advantage of the situation, he was calling it. Ripley prided himself with making level headed decisions, and removing the personal from the problem at hand, but this was all personal. There was no room to be level headed. He didn't know why he was so angry all of a sudden, this whole thing was for charity after all but it still grinded his gears the wrong way.
Everything was going fine so far, Vic thought. She could see that Lucas was not entirely happy. She knew as soon as he saw Mike, or whatever his name was, that he'd be pissed. But it was for charity, she kept reminding herself. Nothing serious.
That was until the photographer asked Mike to look a little more intimate with Hughes. So he did what the photographer asked and grabbed her hips from behind and they both posed. She attempted to smile even though she knew Mike was milking the situation a little too much and she could sense the agitation from Ripley and knew things would not end well. But what she didn't know was that Mike saw it too, and that only spurred him on.
Victoria had always been hit on and even hooked up with a couple of firefighters before she and Ripley got together, and in her defense she was usually drunk and they were always just one and dones. When her and Lucas got together and went public, most of the guys had backed off of her and they knew that she was off limits, however today Mike seemed unfazed by that.
What had happened next, was not by the photographers direction and it made Vic's blood boil. Mike leaned over and whispered in her ear, quiet enough that neither the photographers nor Lucas could hear. Of course, to the photographers it was exactly what they were looking for but to Lucas it was exactly what he was looking for to wreck this guy. "Is the chief still satisfying you? I could show you a much better time than him, if you'd let me" he then sneaked in a kiss on her cheek and went to grab her ass, but she shoved him away much harder than necessary and continued to tell him that if he ever so much as breathed in her direction she'd be showing him a better time with her fist.
And just as she was about to make another threat to Mike, she felt gentle hands pulling her away. She looked up to see Lucas, eyes glazed over with anger, gently pulling her aside and telling her to step back. What Lucas did next probably would have costed him his job had there been a bigger crowd there. (Thankfully Vic was one of the last shoots and many of the people had already cleared out.)
Lucas forcefully grabbed Mike by the suspenders of his uniform, and shoved him against the wall with so much force that the entire station got quiet as Lucas got in his face, "if you ever so much as glance in Victoria's direction again, I will end you. I do not fucking tolerate the behavior you just displayed in my department nor do I tolerate scum bags like you passing a feel on my girlfriend. You think you're a hot shot, mate? Wait until I have your ass in HQ for harassment charges. Don't think for one second that I haven't seen the accusations made against you in your file already" Mike's glare turned into one of shock.
Victoria's never seen Lucas filled with so much rage. She's seen him angry before but never to this extent. His eyes were wild.
"Now get the hell out of here before I really do some damage" Lucas was seething. The Australian accent was out in full swing. It only came out on rare occasions, but it was very prominent when he was angry.
Mike walked away, staring at the ground, looking like a dog with its tail in between its legs. She couldn't really hear everything that Ripley said but whatever it was set Mike in his place.
Lucas stormed out before Vic could get to him. Travis had been the one to pull her aside and ask if she was okay. He and the rest of the Station 19 crew minus Sullivan and Warren who were not in today, saw it all unfold. He told her to give him some space before she went to find Lucas. He was probably still raging and would need a second to calm down.
"Do you want me to go talk to him first?" Travis asked. He hated what Mike did to Vic and if Ripley hadn't stepped in, he would've. He would've beat that guy to a pulp.
Vic was thankful for her friends, especially Travis. He was always looking out for her, and even Lucas since they started dating.
She smiled and said, "No thanks, I think I need to be the one to go find him." She squeezed Travis' hand before setting off to find Lucas.
It took everything in Lucas not to go grab that guy and beat him senseless. He couldn't believe how much it bothered him. He never felt jealous rage like that in his life. Not with any of his previous wives. But with Victoria everything was different. She was his everything, he wanted everything with her, and that scared the hell out of him. He never cared so much for someone the way he does for her. So to see someone taking advantage of her like that , bothered him immensely.
Victoria came bounding down the hallway, checking every room for him, until she found him sitting in Sully's office, since Sullivan was out of the station today. She closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry" she muttered, before taking several steps towards him.
He was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands, and looked up at her with an emotion in his eyes she couldn't quite decipher. He was becoming harder to read recently.
"You have nothing to apologize for. It was my fault, i got upset and then stormed out like a child" he said, guiltily.
She looked at him with empathy in her eyes, "Lucas I would have done the same thing if i were in your shoes. If that was you up there with another woman, I'd be tackling her to the ground" Ripley chuckled but still looked away from her.
"Seriously, it's okay babe" Vic rubbed her hands over his shoulders and down his back. He leaned into her touch. "Besides, if you weren't there, and Mikey over there still got handsy then i would've gotten a little handsy myself and let's just say he wouldn't be coming near me again"
Ripley couldn't help but laugh at that. That's my girl, he thought.
He sighed and then turned to her and looked her in the eye.
"That guy's a dick, Victoria. He's bad news. You should see what's in his file, I honestly can't believe he still has a job with the department. I'm definitely going to be talking to Frankel about that. I knew he looked too perfect to be true, until I read his name on the photographers list. But by then it was too late, he already made a pass at you."
Lucas tensed at the recent events that just unfolded. Victoria continued to rub circles on his back until he was calm again.
After awhile, Lucas was the one to change the subject.
"You looked incredibly sexy in that bathing suit up there. Hell, I thought i was gonna have a stroke right there and then just from staring at you for so long" Lucas said, resting his hands on her waist.
Vic giggled and for the first time that day,
Lucas smiled a genuine smile and it made her heart bound in her chest.
"Yeah well, you looked pretty good being all aggressive and macho when you shoved Mike against the wall" Vic winked at him. Lucas chuckled.
"Wanna lock the door?" Vic whispered suggestively in his ear.
Lucas laughed and shook his head. "This entire office is made of glass, people might see us and not to mention this is Sully's office." The mere thought of not only having sex in his best friends office but getting caught, weighed heavy in his mind, but it excited him more than he was proud to admit. God, the things this woman did to him.
"I won't tell anyone, if you won't" Vic said in a suggestive tone and began to loosen the lower string on her bikini top.
"Ah Hell" Lucas all but growled and before Vic could respond he had her backed up against the door, locking it and then continued by sucking and biting on the sensitive skin at her neck. He reached behind her neck and pulled the bikini string the rest of the way releasing it from her neck and then leaned down and took one breast into his palm and took the other into his mouth, lightly sucking and nibbling on her nipple. Vic was seeing stars already and could only manage to bury her hands in his thick curly hair.
Lucas continued to kiss down her belly, and then began to remove her uniform pants after helping her out of her boots. He than planted kisses on the inside of her thighs leading to her core. Her bikini bottom had strings on both sides, and before she knew it, he had both strings undone and had the piece flung across the room. Lucas then reached her core, exactly where she needed him most and her scent was enough to drive him crazy. He placed a kiss to her center, and then used his thumb to test her folds.
"God you're so wet Victoria." He moaned into her. Before using his tongue to lap her up in one swipe.
This made Victoria's legs feel like jelly. She moaned and yanked him up by his hair until he was face to face with her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip asking for access. She readily granted it to him, moaning low and twisting her fingers even tighter in his hair, causing his breath to hitch. He bit into her lip eliciting the same response, and then soothed the bite with his tongue and stole another maddening kiss. She began undoing his belt and uniform pants. "I need you Lucas"
Lucas didn't need to be told twice, he stepped out of his pants, and before she knew it he had her waist in his hands and was spinning her around. He bent her over the side of Sullivan's couch, and entered her in one swift motion. He sank all the way deep inside her, and just stayed like that for a minute and let her adjust to him. God she was so tight and felt so amazing. The sensation was overwhelming and Victoria bucked back into him encouraging him to continue. After thrusting hard and fast into her several times, they both found their release, and came off their high together.
After laying spent on the couch, spooning each other, Vic decided they had disappeared for too long and needed to get back out there. By the time they dressed and got out there, it was time for Andy and Bishop to do their shoot. They were the last of the day. They looked great, they had a large fan blowing on them so the wind lifted their hair in just the right way and made them look like firefighter goddesses. Vic was so proud.
Lucas was attempting to fix his hair when a photographer stopped him and said that was the perfect, messy look they were searching for all day after a firefighter couldn't make it in for his shot today. The photographer asked Lucas and Victoria if they wouldn't mind posing together for the August cover. They both grinned at each other and said they wouldn't mind at all. They posed together and their pictures came out amazing. The photographer said they may have been the best he's seen all day. Lucas was happy he was able to get in the pictures with Victoria, he felt bad for what happened earlier, and he knew Victoria was looking forward to this for awhile, so to be able to do this with her made him feel a lot better.
Later that evening, they were laying together in bed after going two more rounds after Sully's office rendezvous. Lucas was on his back with Victoria resting her arm across his chest and her face buried in his neck.
"Who knew you could pose so well for a photo shoot? You should've entered the contest originally!" Vic poked his side.
Lucas laughed, "yeah I guess I have a natural talent for it, don't I? Maybe I should consider a career change."
Vic rolled her eyes, "okay easy there Chief, I didn't say you were that good"
"Really, that's not what you were saying in Sully's office earlier?" He winked at her.
"Oh my god you are incorrigible that's not what I meant!" She laughed. This man really was something else.
"I'm only joking Victoria, I'm glad we got to do the shoot together, it made me really happy to be up there with you." His expression turned serious and he looked her in the eye before saying, "I'm sorry again for storming out earlier. When I saw Mike grab you, I just- i just lost it. I love you so much Victoria. I would never let anyone disrespect you like that." He then got a little quieter and admitted, "I'm so scared that one day I might lose you to someone else, like Mike, younger and better looking than me..."
She cut him off with a kiss, she never realized how vulnerable he felt, "Lucas you don't give yourself enough credit. You're such an incredible man and an even better partner, and I couldn't imagine my life without you" she said looking into his bright blue eyes.
All he could do was smile. He loved Vic more than anything. He never wanted to get married again after his second divorce, but he wanted it all with this woman, if she'd let him. He couldn't imagine his life without her either.
They fell asleep together, both with a smile on their face, happy to just be with each other. Ready to take on whatever their future would bring them, together.
