"First and Last"

Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).

-Chapter 9-

~Tris POV~

*June*

"First and Last"

Reminder: I strongly suggest you only read this story if you're of an appropriate age. This story is definitely Rated M/MA (for language and sexual content).

-Chapter 9-

~Tris POV~

*June*

"So, Justin asked you to accompany him to his work event?" I ask Julia as I push the cart through the aisles of the store.

Jack and I had stopped by to grab some food for the week, when we spotted her in the produce section. We of course decided we had to strategically and stealthily sneak up on her, causing her to throw her tangerine about a foot into the air from being startled. Which led him into the fit of giggles that therefore made me smile so much my cheeks hurt afterwards. But once she playfully scolded and then greeted us, we just went about our business. Continuing our shopping side by side, and catching up because we hadn't spoken for a couple days ago since she was out of town.

"Yeah, he seemed nervous. It was really cute."

"Mommy, can we get these too?" Jack asks, holding up a package of purple grapes after I've deposited a bag of apples into the cart.

I smile at the endearment, still not able to withhold my smile every time I hear him say it. I absolutely love this boy so much. I love him like he's my own. So to hear him call me that is pretty much the best thing ever.

"Sure." I reply, retrieving the bag from him. But then I catch Julia watching us with a smirk.

"So, this is a new development." she states.

I just bite my lip, still smiling, as I walk to the next bin of fruit.

"Yeah, it's turned out to be my new name this last week or so." I tell her, adding bananas to the cart next.

"Tobias told me." she admits, biting back another smirk, knowing how cute it is that he mentioned that to his sister. "It's just so sweet to hear Jack say it in person." she says happily, and I can tell she's supportive of this milestone of our relationship.

"It's a little surprising, to be honest. But definitely not unwelcome."

"I don't find it all that surprising. He's always been drawn to you. You guys have a connection." she says, twisting the cap off of a bottle of water before chugging some down. "And you're amazing with him." she adds after she's finished. Looking at me with a sincere smile.

"Thank you."

"He never did explain how the conversation went though, how it all started. Did he just call you that out of the blue?" she asks.

"He kind of- asked, in a way." I begin, chuckling as I recall the whole thing. "He went into this whole thing about soul mates and explained how I was Tobias'. Then he asked if we had to be married before he could call me mommy." I tell her.

"Aw- I have the cutest nephew ever, don't I?" she says.

He hears this and looks to his aunt, giving her a silly toothy smile.

"You do." I agree wholeheartedly.

"Let's pick out a cantaloupe, daddy likes them a lot." I tell Jack, and he helps me pick one out that's not bruised or too soft or too firm.

"And what exactly was your response to that question?" she pushes with a sly smile, obviously pushing for further details about the mention of marriage.

Thankfully she never pushes for the dirtier details like Christina does. But Julia's always encouraging and making comments about us, making her support of our relationship quite clear.

"Without even thinking about what Tobias might think, I immediately wanted to say NO, he doesn't have to wait for that." I tell her, recalling my first instincts after the words left Jack's mouth.

"But instead, I looked to Tobias for a reaction, and all he did was grin. Which I took as an approval on his end, so I told Jack he's more than welcome to call me that whenever he wants." I explain.

"And nothing else about marriage?" She prods quietly while Jack is distracted with the Batman water bottle he just found on the nearby display.

"No, but...we shared a look."

"A look?"

"Yeah, a look. Like...an unspoken agreement, that we were both excited about that being in our future" I try explaining.

I can still recall the hopeful grin Tobias gave me when his son had first asked that question. He seemed a bit surprised too, but more just proud and hopeful. I also remember how his smile somehow broadened even more after he heard my response, the way his eyes bore into me with adoration. It's like he was seeing right into my mind, reading all the thoughts and questions swarming around. For a moment, I almost felt as if he was asking me to marry him just with that single look. But still, we have yet to actually talk about it.

"Well, I may or may not have been the one to plant the idea with Jack, of you two getting married." she admits.

"I know, he told us." I say with a chuckle.

"Hey, we all know it's coming one day. So just, please consider having me as one of your bridesmaids." she requests with a grin before pushing her own cart past me so that she can reach the tortilla chips.

-/-/-

By the time we reach the checkout lane, Jack helps me unload the cart and place the items on the conveyor belt while Julia pays for her groceries in front of us.

"Jack!" I hear from behind us and turn to see a young boy around Jack's age, with very blonde hair.

"Hi Nate!" Jack replies, and Nate begins showing him the bag of water balloons his mom is buying him.

He must know this boy from pre-school, although I haven't met him before. I look up to see who he's with, and they land on a tall blonde woman in her workout attire, her ponytail hair sprayed up just right.

"It seems our kids know each other." she tells me with a friendly smile, but I can tell she's still sizing me up, like some of the other more pretentious mothers from school.

Not all the moms are like that, but several are, and I can always feel their eyes on those of us who don't pick-up or drop-off our kids in fancy cars, or flaunt our designer purses and classy manicures. One actually scoffed when she heard I actually work at my own bakery, rather than hiring more people to do the work for me.

This woman standing before me, seems somewhere in between. Analyzing and probably judging, but at least she seems to be trying the friendly approach.

Plus, I can't help but smile at the fact that she said our kids, as if assuming Jack is indeed my child. The smile must seem welcoming, as she smiles back and reaches her hand out.

"I'm Vanessa, Nate's mom." she introduces.

"I'm Tris... Jack's mom." I say for the first time out loud in public, with a proud smile on my face.

We continue our small chat as Julia finishes up her transaction.

"We should set up a play date for the boys sometime. We have a pool and a huge jungle gym at our house, I'm sure Jack would just love it." Vanessa suggests.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure he'd enjoy that." I say politely, but not really finding that to sound like a fun idea. Even after just a couple minutes of talking with her, I feel like I'm more up to date on reality TV than I've ever been. But maybe it would be tolerable for Jack's sake.

So we exchange phone numbers and bid our goodbyes. Jack hops on the cart, holding onto the handle with me, as we wheel the bagged groceries towards the exit.

Julia, who had apparently parked only a few spots away from us, is just finishing unloading her own groceries when we get out to our car.

"So, Father's day is coming up, you doing anything?" she asks us.

"Yeah, we've got a surprise planned for him." I tell her, but my eyes go to sweet little Jack as he smiles at me covertly. He's excited about the secret idea we came up with for Tobias' Father's Day gift.

"Aw, that's sweet. But seriously, good luck with that." she chuckles and my eyebrows raise in amused question. "I think it's impossible to surprise Tobias, he's too intuitive and sneaky. I've tried several times, but to no avail."

"Well, I guess you're right." I say with chuckle after thinking about the time when we were younger and I tried to throw him a small surprise party, but he blew it not realizing it was supposed to be a surprise for him. "But I think he'll enjoy it either way."

"That's true." Julia agrees with a smile, then goes to give Jack a big bear hug.

"You still coming over for dinner tomorrow?" I ask her, referring to the plans we had made when we spoke last.

"Yep, gotta bring Tobias his Father's Day gift from me too. It's tradition." she says with a silly smile.

"Ok, I'll see you then." I say with a laugh and hug her goodbye as well.

-/-/-

When she comes over the next evening, Tobias is home from work and he helps me make dinner. He's working on the artichokes as I make chicken with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce.

"Hello Hello" Julia says, letting herself in the front door and making her way into the kitchen.

"Hey Julia." I greet, looking over my shoulder with a smile as I turn the heat down a bit on the stove burner.

"Was the door unlocked?" Tobias asks as she sets a bottle of wine on the counter.

"Hi to you too Toby. And no, I have a key, remember?"

"So you just let yourself in?" he teases. "What if we had been...ya know." he chuckles.

"Ugh, ew. Please don't tell me you'd be doing that when you know I'd be here any minute. And with Jack playing video games in the other room, no less." Julia replies with a snicker.

"We wouldn't." I assure her with a laugh.

But Tobias just gives me a flirty smile and pretends he's going to pinch my butt with the metal tongs in his hand.

"You're gross." Julia tells her brother, reaching into the cabinet for a few wine glasses.

If only she had heard some of the things he was whispering in my ear a few minutes ago.

"So, did Tris tell you she made mommy friends at the grocery store?" Julia asks as she pours a glass of white wine for herself, then another and hands it to me.

"You did?" he asks me.

"I wouldn't say friends." I clarify, looking pointedly at Julia, before looking to back to him. "Her name is Vanessa. Apparently her son Nate knows Jack from school, so we introduced ourselves and exchanged numbers. She wants to have a play-date, but I don't know. It was hard enough making small talk with her for 5 minutes."

I notice Julia make her way in to see Jack in the other room, and I look back to my cooking, but I feel Tobias' eyes still on me.

"She...seemed to kind of assume that I was Jack's mother. And I didn't correct her." I add shyly.

He scoots closer to me and tilts his head to get me to look at his face. When I finally look up at it him, he looks at me with a soft smile, a look that seems to be a cross between amusement and admiration.

"I'm glad to hear you didn't." he says, and I bite my bottom lip as I smile back at him.

Each day, I feel more and more a part of this little family that we've created. I've always felt comfortable and welcome around them, but especially since I moved in to their place, it feels even more natural. I'm truly feeling more and more like Jack's unofficial adoptive mother, and there has been more than one occasion where my mind drifted to thoughts of actually making that official.

Just as he bends down to kiss me softly, we hear Julia clear her throat.

"Save the make-out session for when I'm not here. And open your gift." she says handing Tobias a long flat box wrapped with a dark blue ribbon.

He chuckles at his sister and looks over the shape box.

"Hmm...I'm thinking... tie?" he guesses, but with a jovial smile.

"See, I told you, no surprises with this guy." Julia tells me with a roll of her eyes.

"I just know the type of presents you get me for Father's Day."

"You're supposed to get 'dad-gifts', duh." she says, referring to her tradition.

She had confided to me yesterday, that since there was never a motherly person around to help Jack get his dad a Father's Day gift, she always made sure to get him something small, but it's always something cliche' and fatherly. Like a tie, or Old Spice after-shave, or a new tool or gadget of some sort. But even now that I'm in the picture, she couldn't get herself to break the habit.

They may tease each other, but I know how much she loves her brother, and has always been beyond proud of what a great dad he is. So I'm not surprised to hear any of this.

"Hey, I'm not complaining." Tobias defends with another chuckle. Then he calls Jack in to help him open it.

As predicted, it's a tie.

But he smiles wide and hugs her with gratitude. "Thanks, sis."

-/-/-

That Sunday, I wake up first, just like any other day.

I get up and start the coffee maker and then check on Jack, only to find him sound asleep. By looking at the time, my guess is that he probably won't be up for another hour or two.

So I softly turn the lock on our bedroom door and tip toe back over to the bed, only to find Tobias stretching and yawning. But instead of sliding in on my side, I crawl up the bed slowly, right over top of him.

His eyes flutter open a little and he offers me a tired smile. "G'mornin'." he murmurs just as I straddle his hips and lean down to gently press my lips to his.

"Good morning handsome." I reply, pecking his lips again before shimmying down, pushing the covers off him along the way.

He lays before me in just his boxer briefs, and I smile at the sight of him and his sexy bed head hair.

My hands cradle his jaw and his usual short trimmed facial hair there. Then my eyes follow my hands as they slowly move down the defined muscles of his torso, running through the smattering of chest hair, then down his abs and to the V that leads beneath his shorts.

I take in the sight of the taught cotton material stretched over his enticing package, which appears large and firm and ready for me.

After mentally memorizing the picturesque view before me, I slide my fingers around the edges of the waistband, and tug the boxers down and off. I don't even realize how I lick my lips at the sight of him and waste no further time before taking him in my hand.

The gruff sound that omits from his mouth encourages me to move forward with my plan, so I bend down and look up at him as I take him in my mouth. He lets out a deep noise of pleasure that seems to vibrate through his body.

His jaw is slack and he's watching me intently as I lick up and down his length, moving my wet lips along the silky skin in a slow rhythm to start.

His eyes float shut every so often, but he keeps attempting to keep them open to watch me as I suck him. I use my hands too, to stroke along with my mouth, as well as fondle his sack and caress his thighs.

It's not long before he gives me the warning that he's close, and I happily continue until he's released every last drop.

His head drops back down against the pillow then, mouth agape.

"You're- I- That was" he starts, but can't seem to form a coherent sentence. "Fuck, Tris. You're amazing." he says, shaking his head as if in awe.

"Happy Father's Day." I tell him with a pleased smile.

I've always enjoyed giving him head, so it wasn't a burden to me. But I figured that might be a nice way to start his day. Thankfully, he seems to agree.

-/-/-

When we eventually make our way down for breakfast, I tell him to sit while I make him a big potato and egg scramble, and a side of bacon.

When Jack joins us, he has his gift hiding behind his back.

He hands it to Tobias who sits at the table, with a big grin on his face.

"Happy Father's Day Daddy." he grins back, handing over the big square box wrapped in batman wrapping paper.

Tobias looks slightly puzzled as he lifts the large item up and shakes it to listen to what's inside. But it just seems to confuse him more. He has a puzzled smirk as he looks at Jack, then at me, then at Jack again.

"No guessing, just open it!" Jack exclaims finally, laughing that his father is still trying to figure it out.

"He pulls off the ribbon, then the paper, to reveal a box full of packing peanuts. Nestled on top are tickets to the Cubs/Phillies game this afternoon.

His eyes go wide and he looks back up at us. "Are these for real?" he asks, surprised.

"Nope, those are fake tickets." I say sarcastically with a light laugh. Tobias just smiles bigger at me.

"We're going to a baseball game, daddy!" Jack explains to him. "at Wiggly field."

Tobias and I laugh at Jack's wording.

"Thank you bud, this is great!" he tells him, giving him a big hug and kiss on the forehead. "And you haven't been to a baseball game yet, this will be your first one." Tobias adds.

"Yep." Jack grins, then looks up at me as I serve them their plates of food. "Have you mommy?" he asks.

"Nope, this will be my first one too." I tell them.

We continue to chat about the plans of our afternoon, while enjoying our breakfast together.

When we go to clean up and Tobias picks up the box, he shakes it again.

"What's at the bottom making all that noise?" he asks, looking down at the white Styrofoam packing material that we filled the box with.

"Rocks." I say with a shrug.

He just laughs and shakes the box again.

"We had to deter you somehow." I add, poking his stomach with my finger while walking past him with our empty juice glasses.

After I deposit them in the sink, I turn to find him right in front of me.

"Thank you." he tells me, resting his hands on my hips as he kisses me.

"You're welcome." I say once we've pulled apart.

He bops me on the nose. "And you're cute. And I love you. And I can't wait to buy you your first real ballpark hot dog."

-/-/-

Once we arrive to the stadium, we follow the signs to our seats. They're not half bad, and I'm glad to see the grin on Tobias' face as he takes in the field before us. He inhales deeply, as if smelling the fresh cut grass.

"I haven't been to a game in years." he says, taking his seat on the other side of Jack, whose grin currently matches his dads. He seems just as excited about all of this.

"I'm glad we're having good weather today." I say, referring to the sunny skies and 70 degree temperature.

"Me too. Perfect Father's Day." he says, leaning over Jack to give me a quick kiss.

After the game begins, we settle in and watch intently. But when the first player hits an awesome fly ball, Jack and Tobias stand up to cheer with the other fans. I almost do too, but I'm stuck in a trance watching my boys.

Tobias looks so good in his Chicago Cubs T-Shirt and matching baseball hat, not to mention the grin that takes over his face as he high-fives his son. And then there's Jack in his matching hat and sunglasses that look like mini Ray bans.

They are both so freakin' adorable, and I can't seem to peel my eyes away from them as Tobias explains to Jack what happens when the batter runs to each of the bases towards home plate.

Jack has always seemed interested in baseball when Tobias watches it at home. But being at an actual game like this, seems to have boosted his interest, and he's asking all sorts of questions to learn all about it.

After a while, I offer to go get us some food.

Tobias looks up at me as I return with my arms full, and he stands immediately to help retrieve the delicious smelling food. He takes them off my hands, as well as the beer I got him. Then I take two bottles of water out of my bag and hand one to Jack.

"Thank you, babe." he says, taking a sip of his beer so it doesn't spill, before setting it in his cup holder.

"Of course." I reply, distributing out the food. A hot dog for each of us, and nachos to share.

Jack happily starts munching on the nachos and tells us how good they are.

I've grown up in Chicago, and I've always loved my hometown's well-known favorites; hot dogs and pizza. But I know Tobias is excited for me to try an authentic Chicago Dog here at Wrigley Field. I suppress a laugh when I see him watching with an eager smile as I bring it up to my mouth, waiting for me to take my first bite.

As I take the bite and chew, his eye brows go up, awaiting my response.

"This is so good." I tell him before going in for my second bite.

He smiles bigger and holds his own hot dog up to mine to bump it, as if in 'cheers'.

"To another first I get to share with you." he says looking at me with delight, before leaning over his lap to inhale his own hot dog.

Later on, towards the end of the game, I'm looking off to my right towards 2nd base when I feel a tug on my braid. I look over expecting to find Jack or Tobias trying to get my attention. And I guess in a sense, I'm right. But I'm not expecting Tobias' lips to abruptly press to mine.

It's chaste enough for public, but it's full of love and makes me smile against his mouth.

"I love you." he whispers in my ear.

"I love you too." I say.

-*September*-

"Is Tobias getting sent out too?" Christina asks immediately after I answer her call.

"Yeah, he just called and told me he was on his way home to pack his bags real quick." I tell her.

"I can't believe they requested them all the way out from their station." she says.

"I know, but this fire is huge. He thinks they're pulling him, Will and Amar to go out on it, as well as a few people from several other nearby stations.

"Will says the last strike-team he went on, he was there for almost 2 weeks straight!"

"I hope they're not stuck out there that long." I say, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I pull the shots of espresso for the drink I'm making Tobias.

Today was his third day to work already, now he got called for this. So who knows how many days straight he'll have to work.

"Me either." she says, but then I hear the front door open.

"He's home. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Okay." she says, then hangs up, knowing I'm eager to get to Tobias. After all, he'll only be here for a few minutes.

I twist the lid shut on his thermos and drop it into the canvas bag that I've prepared on the counter.

"Hey." he says as he enters the kitchen.

"Hi." I reply, smiling at my handsome man. Damn he looks sexy in his uniform.

He comes over and envelops me in his arms, lifting me off the ground a few inches. He buries his face in my neck, causing my hair to curtain around him.

He holds me like that for a few moments, before setting me back down on my feet. But he doesn't let go, and I lay my head against his chest.

"Are you nervous?" I ask quietly.

Because I personally, am feeling a bit anxious about all of this. I mean, I know it's part of his job. This is what he does. And he's a great firefighter. But this is a huge fire, and this is a giant crew they're pulling together to fight it. He'll basically be camping out there until they get it under control.

"No, not really. My adrenaline is pumping, but it's oddly a bit exhilarating. I like to be a part of this." he says, pulling back to look at me. He keeps one arm around my waist, as the other reaches up and he cradles my face with his large hand, rubbing his thumb along my cheek. "I don't want you to be nervous either."

"I know, it's just- well, it's a little scary." I admit. But how could I deny it? The man I love is about to go do a very dangerous job. And I will have limited contact with him.

"It'll be fine, please don't stress while I'm gone." he says, kissing my forehead, then the tip of my nose, before finally my lips. "I'm just gonna go be a badass and put out a really big fire with my buddies, then come home to my amazing family. Maybe we can go on a little fishing trip when I return." he tells me.

"Okay." I say with a chuckle. He's always good at making me smile, even in circumstances like this.

Then he leans in for another much deeper and longer kiss. He tilts his head and explores my mouth with his tongue, and I do the same, while clutching him and not wanting to let go. His lips feel so soft but insistent against mine, and I feel him let out a deep noise of appreciation when I tug on his hair.

After a couple minutes, we reluctantly pull away, knowing he's got limited time until he needs to head out.

"I guess I have to go pack my stuff up. Where's Jack?" he asks.

"In his room in his fort."

"Okay." he says with a nod, before turning towards the coat closet to get out his large heavy duty duffle bag. The dark green bag with EATON embroidered on it along with the CFD logo.

After filling it with everything he needs, he heads into Jack's room to say bye.

"I'll try to call you if I get cell phone reception, okay?" I hear him say as I make my way over and stand in the doorway.

Tobias is standing and holding Jack, who looks back at him with a curious look.

"How long will you be gone?" Jack asks.

"I don't know yet. It could just be a few days, or it could be longer. I'll come home as soon as I can though, okay?" Tobias tells him.

Jack nods and hugs his him, which Tobias returns eagerly. "You going to keep mommy company while I'm gone? Make sure she doesn't get lonely?" he asks.

"a'course." Jack replies, nodding again with his head resting on Tobias' shoulder.

He keeps him in his arms as I walk him to the front door. He gives Jack one more hug and kiss before setting him down, and giving me one more lingering hug and kiss as well.

"Here, a sandwich and some coffee for the ride there." I tell him, handing the canvas bag over that also has some granola bars and an apple.

"You're the best, thank you."

"Be safe." I tell him.

"I will, I promise." he says, picking up his duffle bag and keys.

I pick Jack up and rest him on my hip.

"I love you both, so much. I'll see you soon."

"We love you too." Jack and I both reply.

With a deep breath, he turns to leave. After pulling his truck out of the driveway, he slows down to wave and we wave back from the porch.

I continue standing there holding him until he drives out of site, and I almost feel my eyes water. But I don't want Jack to see me like that. It would only cause him to worry too. So I turn and make my way back inside.

"Alright, how about you help me switch the laundry real quick, then we'll go do something fun." I suggest.

"Okay!" he says excitedly, and runs towards the laundry room once his feet hit the ground.

-/-/-

10 days later, I find myself at the dining room table eating chinese food for dinner with Christina, Evelyn, Julia and Jack.

"Chopsticks are hard." Jack says with a sigh.

"You don't have to use them, there's a fork right next to your plate." Christina replies with a chuckle.

"I know, but I wanna." he says.

"They just take practice." I tell him, again showing him the easiest way to hold them.

"So, you said you talked to Tobias yesterday?" Evelyn asks before taking a bite of her egg roll.

"Yeah, it's only the second call we've been able to get from him. Thankfully this time he called just before Jack went to bed, so he was happy to be able to talk to him too."

"Daddy's putting out a reeeeally big fire." Jack adds, gesturing with wide arms to emphasize the enormity.

We smile all him, and I admire how cute it is that he's so impressed and proud of his father, just like I am.

"I hope they can come back soon." Christina says.

"Did he say how they're doing on it?" Evelyn inquires. "Last I heard on the news it was only 50% contained, but that was a few days ago."

"Yeah, he said they've got it closer to 90% contained now. Thankfully the weather has been on their side lately. So hopefully they'll be heading home to us soon." I explain, taking a sip if my water. "Jack's been worried he might miss his birthday, but I don't think they'll keep him that long." I add, thinking about how Jack's birthday is still almost a week away.

But I look back down at my plate and mindlessly pole at my king pao chicken, thinking about how much I miss Tobias. 10 days is a long time….especially when you know the person you love and miss, is working their ass off in harsh conditions. I'm sure he's exhausted, and is just as ready to come home as we are ready to have him here.

We spend the rest of the dinner chatting and Jack goes on about what he wants his Halloween costume to be, who he wants to invite to his birthday party, and how excited he is to start kindergarten.

Us girls end up out on the back porch to chat even more, after Jack goes to sleep.

They don't end up leaving until close to 10 o'clock, but I don't feel tired enough to go to sleep right away. So I go upstairs and decide to get in bed and read for a while. But I end up falling asleep after only a couple of chapters.

What feels like hours later, I feel a rustling in the bed beside me. I assume it's Jack and instinctively reach out to run my hands through his hair soothingly as he lays beside me. I know it always helps him fall asleep.

But in my mostly dormant state, it takes me a moment to realize the hair I'm feeling is wet. I guess I hadn't realized the dip in the bed was from a much larger human being, such as Tobias.

As I run my fingers through his hair again, I let my eyes open slowly and take in the depths of his intense deep blue ones gazing back at me. He lays on his side facing me with a smile. And although he seems to have recently showered, he still smells a bit like smoke.

My hand stills, and I just hold it there on the side of his head. "It's you." I say groggily, my smile growing.

"It's me." he confirms with a soft chuckle. "I didn't mean to wake you." he adds.

"I'm glad you did." I say, becoming a bit more awake by the moment, too eager to acknowledge that he's home.

"Just because I'm not Jack, doesn't mean you have to stop that." he says, nudging my hand with his head so I'll continue with my fingers on his scalp.

I smile and pick up where I left off stroking his hair.

"I missed you." I say, feeling overjoyed that he's home and laying here with me.

"I missed you too. I'm so happy to be home." he says, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me closer to him for a kiss.

"What time is it? How long have you been here?" I ask, snuggling into his chest.

"It's almost 12:30, I just got home about 15 minutes ago. I came in quietly and kissed you, but you looked too peaceful to wake up. So I took a quick shower, and went and laid with Jack for a couple minutes."

"He's going to be so excited to wake up and see you." I tell him between the kisses he's planting lazily on my lips every so often.

He smiles and kisses me again.

"I like when you wear my shirts to bed." he says with a smirk, pointing out the black t-shirt of his that I'm wearing over my flannel shorts.

"I like that they smell like you." I say.

"As good as you look in it...I'd prefer to take it off." he says.

"Mmhmm." I murmur, kissing the hollow of his throat.

It's not long before he removes it, along with the rest of our clothes. Then he shows me just how much he missed me, as he makes love to me.

As proud as I am to have him be an amazing fire fighter, and I'm glad he enjoys his profession, I'm sure glad to have him home.

-/-/-/-/-/-

A/N-

Sorry I didn't get this posted over the weekend as I had hoped.

Also, I apologize if there are inaccuracies with this chapter. I know here on the west coast (U.S.), it's not uncommon for fire fighters to be called out -or volunteer- to fight a large wild land fire for days, or even weeks at a time (aka, a Strike Team). And they often have to camp or stay in local hotels in or near their base camp. (Especially for those who have to travel from further away). But I'm unfamiliar with the east coast and how Illinois does things. So forgive me if it's inaccurate or unrealistic. It's a good thing this is just my made-up fanfic story!
:-)

Thank you SO much for all the feedback and wonderful reviews on that last chapter.

And as always, thank you again to my beta/friend Ractre1127!

The picture collage to go with this chapter will be posted on my Tumblr soon. You can find me at: madisonr1129

I have something coming up this week, so won't have as much time to write. Which means Chapter 10 may be a bit shorter. But I will try to get it posted around my usual time (on or around the weekend).

Thanks for reading!

-Madison