Tales from the Firehouse.

Authors ramble: Right then, this is an alt story set around most of the gang (obviously) in a different setting to anything I've seen on here (hopefully). Give it a go and send me some feedback.

Authors ramble 2: IMPORTANT I've tried to keep it real without being too technical. Sorry if it seems that way. As I've said previously firefighters see and experience injures and death regularly, so you are warned reading this...I will not give a 32 page warning if I'm about to do anything to any of the characters as I feel it spoils the story for the reader. If you've been keeping up, you'll have realised by now

Let This Be the One Bad Thing That Happens Today

Naomi woke the next morning unsure of what time she'd finally fallen asleep. She had mentally kicked herself the entire way home and as she stared at the ceiling, trying to grasp the reasons that had been so clear back at Emily's apartment. Being noble and thinking it was too soon, yeah, fucking stupid. Grumbling, she kicked aside her blankets and slipped out of bed, automatically reaching for her mobile phone. When she realized the corner of the dresser was bare, she bent down and searched the pockets of her jeans. Nothing. She sighed and dropped the pants. She'd track her phone down later.

In the shower, she shampooed her hair and, fearing the wrath of Lyndsey, added in the conditioner she'd bought the day before. She was about to step out of the shower and, at the last minute, decided to shave her legs. The date with Emily was at the back of her mind; she'd had reasons for leaving the night before, but damned if she could remember them in the light of a new day. If the opportunity arose tonight, she didn't want her legs to be the deciding factor.

Once she was out of the shower and dressed, she headed downstairs and searched her front seat for the errant mobile phone. She was annoyed to find the remote for her car alarm was playing up and the car had spent the entire night unprotected. But it still sat in the same space, everything seemed in order, so she wasn't too worried.

The bad news was that the mobile phone was nowhere to be found, not even when she knelt on the passenger side and peered upside-down beneath the driver's seat. She sat down and stared at the floor in frustration. She reached over and fiddled with her CD's, frowning when she saw how cock-eyed they looked. "I thought Emily put these back a little neater," she muttered, straightening the cases.

With a sigh, she got out of the car and slammed the door. She set the alarm, making sure this time that the alarm chirped, and headed back upstairs. As she was unlocking her apartment door, it hit her.

The beach. The phone must've fallen out of her pocket when she and Emily were sitting on the beach with the pancakes. She kicked herself again - she was finding a lot of reasons to do that, it seemed - and headed to the house phone. She dialled her own number and leaned against the counter, chewing her bottom lip as the ring tone sounded in her ear.

After a minute with no answer, she sighed and hung up. She didn't fancy another drive all the way out to Crosby, but she couldn't exactly think of any other options. If she did, she'd have to do it soon in order to get back in time for her date. She dialled again, this time Emily's number.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice replied.

"I'm sorry, I can call back..."

"No, I'm up, I'm here," Emily said. "Naomi. Hi. I'm up."

Naomi couldn't help smiling. "Hi. How are you?"

"Sleepy," she said. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know I have to head out to the beach again... I lost my mobile phone, so I want to see if I dropped it when we had our snack."

"Oh, okay."

"I just didn't want you to worry if I was incommunicado today. And I will be there for dinner. What time should I be at your place?"

"I was thinking seven. We could eat and then maybe watch a DVD, listen to some music... whatever."

The 'whatever' made the hair on Naomi's arms stand up and she smiled. "Yeah, sounds good."

"I was thinking making a Salmon Bake... is there anything you're allergic to? Lactose intolerant, vegetarian, anything I should know before heading out to buy groceries?"

"Naaaaah, definitely not a vegetarian and I don't have an issue with allergies. The salmon thing sounds wonderful."

"Okay... so I'll see you at seven."

"I'll be there."

They hung up and Naomi grabbed her backpack. She left her flat, and prayed she could track down the right part of the beach.

x-0-x

Emily hopped out of bed and checked her watch as she dressed. She couldn't believe she'd overslept, but she'd spent a long time staring at the ceiling and wondering how she could have made Naomi stay the night before. She had a few errands to run, ingredients for the salmon bake to pick up. She attempted to set the world record for showering, dressed quickly and hid her wet hair under a baseball cap.

As she was leaving her flat, her mobile phone rang. She pulled the door shut with her free hand as she answered the call. "Dr. Emily Fitch," she said, and looking at the display when there was no answer, "Who is this?"

No reply. She took the phone away from her ear and looked at the display screen again. 'Withheld.' She grimaced. "Hello?" she said again. When no one answered, she disconnected and shoved the phone into her coat pocket. She headed downstairs and had just stepped out of the building and into the car park when the phone rang again. She sighed and paused, checking the readout. 'Withheld', probably one of those irritating call centres trying to sell her rubbish. She silenced the ringer and decided to ignore it for the rest of the morning.

x-0-x

She blinked when he saw the woman outside the building pause and look down at her mobile phone. Surely it was just a coincidence... she couldn't be so lucky... She smiled as the woman stuck the still-chirping phone into her coat. She looked different than she had last night, but this must be the same woman she'd seen Campbell with. She put the stolen mobile phone down on the passenger seat and slipped out of the little side road she'd parked in as she followed the short red head's little car.

x-0-x

Naomi stepped out of the bakery and planted both hands on her hips. She scanned the promenade and tried to remember where they'd gone the night before. Three businesses were open, but none of them reported anyone turning in a lost mobile phone. She spotted a clump of bushes that looked familiar and shifted the sand with the toe of one shoe. She'd borrowed a phone from someone in the bakery, so she dialled her number and searched the sand again, waiting to hear the familiar ringing coming from one of the small dunes. Nothing.

She returned the phone to the man in the bakery and reluctantly headed back to her car, casting a look over her shoulder at the sand. If the phone wasn't here, where else could it possibly have gotten lost?

x-0-x

She followed Dr. Fitch through an assortment of local little stores and restaurants, pausing outside a fish store and waiting for her to come out rather than following her in. She took a moment to see what she bought and tried to get a picture of what she was planning. So far, she'd seen her pick up a small bag of lemons, some parsley and a bag of pecans. She was stymied. The fish store probably held the secret key ingredient, but she dared not go inside while she was still there, quickly buying a cheap LFC baseball cap from a street seller.

From across the street, she tried to peer through the glass from a safe distance, the peak of the cap pulled down over her brow, the low sun wreaking havoc with her spying.

The good doctor exited a few minutes later with a large bag, the shape of the box within giving her absolutely no clues. She waited until she got ahead of her and began to track her again. The red head seemed happy, practically gliding down the pavements as she completed her chores. She stopped at a cash machine and she got into line two people behind her. She had her head ducked, pretending to go through her wallet when she turned and walked past.

After a few minutes of wandering, she struck upon a brilliant idea. She almost jogged back the way they'd come, going back to the flats she'd spent all night in front of. She found countless ways to look busy without looking like she was loitering, smiling politely to passers-by, pausing to tie her shoe or to lean against the wall and speak into the phone she'd pilfered from Naomi Campbell's car.

Finally, after only twenty minutes of waiting, opportunity struck. She had Naomi's phone pressed to his ear when she saw a couple make their way to the pedestrian gate and use a code to unlock it. This was her chance. She hesitated just long enough so that they could open the gate, before starting a little jog to make up the distance as they opened the gate.

"I don't care if that's what he said," she sighed, faking a conversation. She grasped the gate and pulled it open, giving the tenant a courteous smile. 'Just here to see a friend,' the smile said. "Yeah, I'm right outside your building now, Emily. I'll be up in a minute."

The couple walked on and round to one of the other buildings, seemingly not hearing or not caring about the conversation.

She smiled. She was a damn good improviser.

x-0-x

Emily used her code on the door security and the door buzzed to signal that it had been accepted. She pulled the door open and made a bee-line for the elevator, hoping to get the fish into the freezer before they started to thaw. She'd lost a lot of time getting that idiot Odd Bin's off licence to admit he wasn't sure of the best wine for her meal and call someone else to help. She stepped into the lift and pressed the button for her floor just as a female voice called out, "Hey! Hold the lift, please!"

She did as she asked, sticking her leg out and letting the doors bounce off her calf. The woman stepped inside the car and exhaled, leaning against the wall. "Almost didn't make it," she said with a bright smile. "Thanks for holding it."

"Ten years of squat thrusts finally pay off," she said. 'Please let the fish be all right,' she whispered in her mind, watching the numbers. "Um, which floor?"

"Um, the, uh... fourth."

Emily frowned, her suspicions raised. "I'm the only person on the fourth floor. Unless... well, the management company keeps some supplies up there."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have my numbers mixed up." She reached over and pressed the button for the ground floor again.

Emily glanced at her, suddenly very wary. She was dressed casually, in a hoodie and jeans, but she seemed somehow uncomfortable in them. She was wearing a cheap baseball cap with a completely straight peak, meaning it was relatively new. "Who buzzed you into the building?"

"The maintenance man gave me the number. I'm helping him out a little today, you know, taking up some of the slack while I'm on holiday. He's my uncle."

She nodded, but wasn't particularly convinced. She made a mental note to call the management team and make sure this woman was on the up-and-up. She motioned at her shopping bags. "Had yourself a little spree, did ya?"

"I'm preparing something for dinner tonight."

"Ah. Nice"

"Yeah," the red head said. The lift doors opened and she stepped out, making sure not to turn away from the woman for too long. "Is there anything you need on this floor?"

"No, I should go find my uncle about what he wanted me to do. It was nice to meet you."

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. You, too..."

The lift doors closed and she headed for the stairs, leaning over the railing until she could see the sliver of the lobby below. Listening intently, she heard the ding of the lift followed by footsteps on the tile floor. Her heart pounded as she waited to hear her on the steps, coming up to catch her unawares. Instead, she heard the front door of the building open and close again.

She stepped back. Whoever the woman was, she must have scared her off, if she wasn't helping her uncle out that is. The petite doctor shook her head, if it had been a man she may have been more suspicious. Still, it never hurt to be cautious.

Putting the bizarre incident out of her head, she unlocked her apartment door and repeated her internal mantra: 'Please don't let the salmon be squashed and unusable.'

x-0-x

She kicked herself for giving in to impulse. She never should have gotten into the lift with her. But all's well that ends well, she supposed. The red headed bitch had been suspicious from the very beginning, but she felt that she wasn't overly concerned about her. She'd probably already put her from her mind. She wondered if she would mention the incident to Naomi over dinner. It was unlikely, unless her life was so without drama that such a bizarre interlude was all she had to talk about.

She walked back to her car, slipping out of the gates behind a different couple to earlier and sat behind the wheel looking at the mobile phone. She considered calling again, another hang-up, but decided against it. Couldn't have her putting two-and-two together with the crank calls and the weird woman in the elevator.

Putting the phone in the glove box, she sank down in his seat and prepared for another long stake-out.

x-0-x

Emily washed her hands, as the water on the hob slowly came to a boil. She wiped her hands off on a dish-towel and went back to them, eyeing the recipe she had propped against the seasoning bowls. "Okay... mix this and that and set aside. Mix these and..." She slowly lost herself in cooking for the evening. She put the mustard, honey and butter into a mixing bowl, nestling the phone between her ear and shoulder as she mixed it.

That done, she skipped to the next step. She quartered the baby potatoes and dumped them into one pot of boiling water. The green beans went into the next pot. With the side items going, she turned her attention to the main course and started by seasoning the raw salmon fillets. She didn't know how spicy Naomi liked her food, so she kept it at a happy medium. She used a basting brush to apply the mustard/honey mixture and glanced at the clock. "Right on time," she smiled. "I'm on a roll," she whispered as she mixed the pecans with bread crumbs. She added a small amount of parsley and smiled at the way it all looked on the fish. "Marvellous." She smiled to herself.

She withdrew the small ruler her mother had ordered her to always keep on hand and stuck it into the thickest portion of the thickest fillet, mumbling to herself. "Inch and a half thick... ten minutes per inch... fifteen minutes."

She set the tray into the oven and said, "Have a nice rest, fellas." She reached for the dial that turned on the heat, her fingers tensing as she gripped it. She took a shaky breath and whispered, "Stop it." As if she'd uttered the magic words, her fingers turned the dial to the right setting.

With nothing left to do, she checked her watch. The food was cooking, the table was set and the waiting game had begun. She nestled the bottle of wine in a bucket of ice as she tugged off her apron and headed down the hall for a proper shower.

x-0-x

Naomi was home in time to change, put on the bare minimum of make-up and checking her messages. No one had called to tell her they'd found her missing phone. She sighed and dialled the number once more, hoping for a miracle. Still nothing. Okay... so it was official. Her mobile phone was missing. Not great, but not the most terrible thing in the world.

"Please," she whispered as she headed back out. "Let this be the one bad thing that happens today..."

x-0-x

Hair blow-dried, make-up applied, dress half-on, Emily returned to the kitchen and bent down to check the progress of her meal through the glass front of the oven. Everything looked good and the kitchen had a wonderful smell building in it. Shrugging into the shoulder straps of her dress, she zipped herself up using a hanger and straightened the bodice. Perfect.

She sliced two lemons and lay them on the edges of her finest china plates. They were just regular, black china - no one to pick a pattern with, sadly - but they were the nicest dishes she owned. She found her wine glasses, holding them up to the light and wiping away any watermarks she could see. She put those down on either side of the table and went to the kitchen to dig through her groceries. She found two decent-sized pieces of parsley to accent the plate with and placed them next to the lemon-halves.

Her oven timer dinged and she removed the fish from the oven. They smelled divine, but she used a fork to flick the corner of one to make sure it was flaky enough. "Perfect," she smiled.

She turned off the oven, looking all the way down the row of dials that lined the front of the stove top. She fiddled with them, turning them all a half-turn to the right before turning them off again. They were all off, the little red light was dark, the oven was off. She bent down and peered through the glass; making sure the red-hot coils were fading back to black.

Finally convinced the stove was actually off, she carefully transferred the fillets to the plates. She took special care arranging them just so, and then added the potatoes and green beans to complete the picture, popping them back into the still warm oven. Her stomach growled its approval and she smiled, looking at the clock. Seven minutes until seven. Her intercom system sounded. Could she time it or could she time it?

After buzzing Naomi in through the main gate and then into the building, she removed the bucket from beneath her sink and filled it with ice. The bottle of wine - pinot noir - was placed in the bucket and wouldn't be opened until dinner. She realized she was breathing hard, anxious about her date with Naomi. All she could think about was what Naomi thought of this meal.

x-0-x

She watched Naomi pace outside the building, going into the alcove a few times but retreating before she made her move. The third aborted attempt made her groan in frustration. She wanted to pound on her horn and yell at her to just get it over with, but she didn't want her to know she was being watched. Finally, after an excruciating wait, she pressed the intercom button and went inside.

"About time," she muttered, sliding down in her seat and watching the highest window.

x-0-x

"I'm sorry if I'm early," Naomi said. She looked down at Emily's dress. "Woah. You look beautiful."

"You're right on time, actually," Emily said. She ignored the compliment and tried not to blush at the scrutiny she was under from those bright blue eyes. Naomi had worn a buttoned-down shirt and black jeans, going with what had worked for her on the first date, but Emily was in a low-cut black velvet dress that ended just above her knees. Her hair was up but loose, a few strands curtaining her face.

Naomi broke off her examination long enough to hold up the meagre assortment of flowers. "I-I didn't know if I was supposed to bring anything... this was all they had down at the shop on the corner."

"They're lovely," Emily said. She took them and bent to sniff one petal. "I'll just go find a vase, okay? Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, please. Whatever you have is fine." While Emily was in the kitchen, Naomi took the opportunity to wander the apartment. She edged towards the dining room table, and admired the beautiful setting; two candles, two water glasses. All it was missing were the flowers, which she had actually remembered to bring. Hiding a triumphant smile at the thought of doing something right, she said, "It smells amazing in here."

"Mum was a chef," Emily said as she returned from the kitchen with the flowers in a bell-shaped vase. In her other hand, she held two glasses of wine by the stems. "Would you..." Naomi took the glasses and Emily placed the flowers between the candles. "She taught me how to make a delicious feast in under an hour. It's a helpful trick when you spend half the day before a big date in bed."

Naomi laughed and said, "Well, I'm sure it will be marvellous. You look marvellous. Did I say that?"

"You did," Emily laughed. "You can say it again, too, but three is your limit."

"Well, then," Naomi said, "I'll save the last one for later."

Emily blushed slightly and pulled one of the chairs out. "Have a seat. I'll go get our dinner." She got halfway into the kitchen before she said, "Oh, do you mind lighting the candles? There's a lighter right on the edge of the table."

"Sure," Naomi said. The lighter had a long neck with a trigger below. There was a child-safety roller that Naomi had to push with her thumb before she could activate the flame. It took her two tries before she realized that the trigger was locked in place. She released that and lit both flames as Emily returned. "Have a lot of kids around?" she asked, waving the wand jokingly.

Emily tensed slightly. "Don't play with that."

"Okay," Naomi said. She put the lighter down on the table. "Sorry."

Emily smiled self-consciously and put the plates down. "No, I'm sorry. I'm Ms. Worry-Wart about stuff like lighters and leaving the oven on and all that."

"Ah, a fire-fighter's dream woman."

Emily grinned and said, "Have a seat."

Naomi sat as instructed and allowed Emily to push her seat in. When she was settled, Emily bent down and nuzzled the back of her neck. She whispered, "I'm really glad you came tonight."

Naomi shuddered in response.

Emily stroked her arms once before retreating back to the other side of the table. "Dinner is served," she said, placing one in front of Naomi and one in front of her seat. She vanished again and returned with a bottle of wine in an ice bucket. "And here is the wine, in case you need a refill."

"Wow," Naomi said. "I thought we weren't going to a restaurant tonight..."

Emily smiled self-consciously and said, "Well, I couldn't exactly defrost a couple of microwave dinners and plop them down in front of you, right?"

"A bag of fish and chips would still be wonderful as long as I ate it with you."

Emily ducked her head to hide her blush. "You keep making me blush," she said shyly.

"Should I stop?"

"Stop and I'll hurt you," Emily warned.

Naomi took the wine from the ice and popped the cork, managing to accomplish the feat without the cork flying across the room. She stood and poured a little more into each of their glasses. When she sat again, she lifted her glass and toasted, "To Jeremiah Jones."

"To Jeremiah Jones," Emily agreed. Their glasses chimed against each other and they each took a sip. "Now... let's dig in. I skipped lunch and I'm famished."

x-0-x

"So. The numb comment from the other night," Emily said without prompting.

Naomi looked over the rim of her wineglass and raised an eyebrow.

Emily dabbed her lips with a napkin and cleared her throat. She looked down at her half-cleared plate and shifted slightly in her seat. "I feel I should tell you about just so... you'll know. I had an older sister, my twin. She was only a few minutes older than me, but I just adored her. She protected me." Her eyes drifted and then snapped back to Naomi. "Anyway, when I lost her..." she let that fade off. She licked her lips and took a drink before starting again, "When I lost my sister, it was like my arms had fallen off. I was... adrift. When I was sixteen, Katie - that's my sister - had been gone for two years, but I was still adrift. So I started hanging out with women that were stronger than me. Women who could... protect me like Katie had.

"The girl I was seeing when I was eighteen, the girl I lost my virginity to, liked to prove she could protect me. She hit me... broke my little finger just to prove she could."

"Emily," Naomi whispered.

She shook her head. "It's fine. I got out before graduating university, she vanished... I got help. It was my first and last abusive relationship. I just... have a hard time trusting people."

Naomi nodded. "So... why did you trust me? I mean, not to sound ungrateful..."

Emily smiled. "I stepped out of the staff room and I saw you sitting on that bed... and they told me you needed help. Something in me..." She shrugged her tanned shoulders and looked down at her wine. "I don't know. It was like it was the last step of putting the past behind me; helping someone stronger."

Naomi shook her head. "I'm not stronger than you."

"You are," Emily said. She reached across the table and touched Naomi's hand. "I promise."

Naomi stroked the back of Emily's hand. "So... am I replacing your twin?"

"No. I've given up trying to replace her. You're someone with strong arms that I want to feel wrapped around me."

Naomi shuddered - a very good shudder, a kind she hadn't felt in quite awhile - and smiled. "Can we finish eating first?" she asked.

Emily laughed softly. "Sure, I can wait until we finish eating."

x-0-x

Naomi resisted the urge to lick her plate, settling instead for stealing a potato from Emily's plate. "That was the most delicious piece of fish I have ever tasted," she said as she leaned back in her seat. "You're a culinary goddess."

"A culinary demigoddess, maybe," Emily countered as she stood. "My mother holds the title, even though she's not cooking professionally any more. But I accept your compliment." They gathered the dishes together and carried them into the kitchen, placing the dishes in the sink for another time. Naomi put an arm around Emily as they walked into the living room, the plan being to choose a DVD for part two of their date, but halfway there Naomi stopped.

"What is it?" Emily asked.

In lieu of a response, Naomi bent down and kissed Emily's lips. She cupped her face with both hands and moaned quietly. Her fingers lightly brushed Emily's cheeks and moved the feather-soft waves of hair out of the way. Their tongues duelled, exchanging the essence of the meal they'd just shared, and Emily's body went limp. When they parted, Naomi looked down into Emily's eyes, "It's been a while since anyone looked at me the way you have tonight Em's."

Emily didn't know what to say, so she simply pressed her face against Naomi's shoulder. As they embraced, she felt the sinewy muscles of Naomi's back moving, her strong shoulders filling out the back of the shirt. "Remember what I said about wrapping your arms around me?"

Naomi flattened her palms against Emily's shoulders, holding her tight, breathing the scent of her hair. "Tight enough?" she whispered.

"I feel so safe with you," the red head whispered, the feel of Naomi's arms around her blocking out the rest of the world. Her lips moving against the crisp material of Naomi's shirt, she asked, "If I asked you to stay tonight..."

"It would save me having to ask you," Naomi interrupted. Her hands were on the bare part of Emily's back between her shoulder straps. Her fingertips were practically searing the skin.

They moved together, Emily angling Naomi back until she was against the wall. "What-" Naomi asked, but quieted when Emily shushed her. They kissed again, but only briefly before Emily began to kiss her way down Naomi's neck.

She worked the buttons of Naomi's dress shirt, parting the two halves and kissing each exposed bit of flesh before she reached the arch of the white tank top underneath.

The feel of Emily's tongue on her skin was almost too much for Naomi to take. She reached her hands out to either side, chin against her collar, watching as Emily moved lower. She kissed through the material of Naomi's bra before moving lower and nuzzling the exposed flesh of her abdomen with lips and tongue.

As her zip was tugged down, Naomi scooted her feet apart and looked across the room. She could see herself in the window, breasts pressing against her bra as she took a deep breath. She was a crucified supplicant, her fingers digging at the wall for any kind of handhold as Emily lowered her jeans and underwear down to mid-thigh.

What followed was a miracle of the lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue and points south. Emily made quiet noises, spoke half-words, but the meaning wasn't important. The sound of her voice was, the vibrations her lips made, the thrumming of her tongue as she concentrated on what she was doing.

Naomi turned her eyes skyward and focused on the black veins of the skylight. She could see the moon, could see everything, and there in a hazy reflection, herself. Herself, pants around her knees, with a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress kneeling before her as if in worship. She arched her back and moved one hand down to gently thread Emily's perfect hair through her fingers as she came.

With kisses along her thighs and then slipping over her abdomen, Emily stood again. She kissed Naomi with meaning; wet lips sliding along dry, hands slipping around her waist. "Good?" Emily asked as she pressed her forehead against Naomi's.

"Mmmmmhrrrr," Naomi replied, eyes closed.

Emily bent down and pulled Naomi's clothes back into place, helping her fasten the jeans. They kissed again and Emily stepped away, going over to the couch. "Wha-what about you?" Naomi asked.

"We have all night," Emily smiled, patting the cushion next to her. "You should probably pace yourself."

Naomi followed her, sitting on the couch and letting Emily curl happily against her side. 'Pace myself,' she thought. 'Yeah. Definitely something I can do.' Still trembling in the elbows and knees, she kissed the top of Emily's head and wrapped her arms around her as the movie started.

A/N: I know a girl, a strong girl, very successful and very confident like our Em's. She had an abusive relationship like the one I've written here (It's based on her's). Just a boring grown up note. Don't stay with a person who hits you.