Her body was dragging. That's the best way she could describe it, not that anyone asked. She was tired and hot and sweaty. Beca made her way to the showers knowing it would refresh her and get her ready for the day. She was up extra early. It wasn't on purpose it just happened. Her mind was on Chloe and her mother. Even though she played it cool yesterday on the phone with the jittery redhead, she was a little anxious to hear if her mother would confront the art teacher. She really had no idea how her mother would react. So she was up early deciding to she hit the house gym then the street for an early morning run through the neighborhood and now she stunk. Beca reached for the handle and flipped it up. The water sputtered too life. Beca stepped under the stream letting the water hit her in the head and flow down her body.

It reminded her of high school sophomore year. The night after she kissed Charlie Rosen in the bleachers on the soccer field. She felt like everyone was staring at her. Judging her. She glanced side to side as she walked taking stock of the students. "Hi Miss. Beale" one greeted. She mumbled a good morning at the unwanted attention and continued quickly through the hallway. Chloe pushed the strap of her purse back over her shoulder as she walked through the hallway quickly. All she wanted to do was make it to her classroom. Her sanctuary. She sat down at her chair and released a tension filled breath. She bypassed the office to reduce the chances of running into Dean Lewis. A loud knock caught her off guard. Chloe nervously knocked over the picture frame on her desk as she turned towards the door.

"Guess you don't need this" Tom said with a smile holding a coffee cup in his hand. "Looks like you're hopped up on enough caffeine for a Monday morning." He teased.

"No" Chloe smiled, "you just startled me."

"Apparently" He said as he entered the classroom. He sat the tall to go cup on the teacher's desk and backed up to lean against one of the student's tables.

Chloe reached for the cup slowly. She didn't have her morning coffee. She woke up late and was in a rush. She was on the phone with Beca for a while last night convincing the firefighter that she didn't need an easy out. After they hung up from their conversation, texts continued for a while. Chloe quickly learned that Beca didn't sleep much when she was on shift. So she stayed up too late texting.

"Oh that's so good" Chloe moaned after she swallowed the sweet drink.

"You're favorite right?" Tom questioned.

"Um" Chloe looked at him slightly confused. "How did you know?"

He shrugged and pushed himself off the desk. "You mentioned it a couple weeks ago. Caramel latte with a splash of vanilla."

She didn't remember mentioning it but she must have. She nodded. "Well, thanks."

"Anytime" He said before making his way towards the door just as the first bell rang. He leaned back in the door, "Have a good day Miss. Beale." And then disappeared.

Chloe felt her nerves calm as student began filling her classroom. She took another sip of coffee and then stood to greet them. As the second bell rang Chloe had just made it to the door. She pulled it closed and turned back towards the class ready to start her lesson.

"Squad radio check" Beca said into her comms system. After each member of her team reported in Beca crouched in the corner. The smoke was swirling and it was hot. The building was large and she had made it to the 4th floor of the brick structure. She knew Jesse was somewhere below her with Theo. Dax and Jeremy were on two. The first floor was clear because they all swept it before making their way up to the other floors. "Swanson" She heard Jesse announce his name, "I have one. Making my way out."

"Copy that" Beca replied. She began to sweep the floor. Looking for victims. Looking for booby-traps, looking for survivors. The smoke was billowing almost floating from the floor and up the walls and across the ceiling. This building had zero ventilation. It was one of the darkest structures she had ever been in. The beam of her flashlight reminded her of driving with her bright lights on down the pacific coast highway as the sea fog flowed over the road from the ocean. This smoke was thick and heavy and it didn't have anywhere to exit so it built making it harder and harder for her to see. She caught her shoulder on the side of something heavy. It almost knocked her out of her crouch and onto her butt as she tried to search the floor.

"Two all clear" Jeremy reported.

"Copy. Three all clear" Theo added. "Mitchell report."

"Mitchell searching four" Beca reported out. Her light hit a solid structure. She lifted the beam over to see it was an old couch that had been flipped on its back. She made her way towards hit sweeping her light from side to side. That's when she saw the feet. A pair of tiny ones. A pair of tiny white sneakers that were lightly dusted with dirt and soot. She made her way quickly through the space and then she saw hands. Large hands. "I've got two." Beca called out. "Child and adult."

"I'm coming back in" Jesse said from outside the building as he listened to Beca's report.

"Negative. I can get them both." Beca said as she looked around the room. She didn't see any other victims.

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked. He looked at Jeremy, Theo and Dax who were just as surprised that Beca didn't request help. They looked in Chief Smith's direction for instruction. He held out a hand prompting them to wait.

"Affirmative. Conditions are deteriorating. We're coming out." Beca reported.

"Chief?" Jesse said walking over to the man who stood looking up at the large brick training facility.

"Let her finish the exercise Swanson" he instructed.

Jesse nodded and looked back to the building.

Beca pulled her rope from her pants. She gently picked up the smaller adolescent dummy that was representing a toddler probably around the age of 3. She placed the 25 pound dummy on the chest of the large male adult. She knew that dummy weight 185 pounds. She hated that dummy. She trained on that dummy. It out-weighed her by 70 pounds and now she was tying 25 more pounds around it's chest in the shape of a figure 8 and about to lift them enough to carry them down four flights of stairs.

"60 seconds" came Stacie's call over comms. She was in charge of keeping time. Their task on this training exercise was to clear this building within 4 minutes will all lives accounted for.

Beca squatted down as low as she could and hooked her arms under the adult dummy. She stood, lifting with her legs and began to walk backwards pulling them from the room. She lifted him high enough off the ground that as she walked backwards down the steps, dragging them that the dummy's feet dropped from step to step. She visually check the rope to make sure it was holding the child as she continued and rounded the stairwell. "40 seconds" Stacie's voice rang out. Beca continued as quickly as she could but her back was starting to tighten. Her arms were burning and her legs felt like they going to explode out of her pants but she continued as fast as her legs would carry her. Carry them.

"30 seconds."

Beca looked at the floor marker as she continued down the stairwell. 2nd floor. It was going to be close. She had to pick up the pace to get down two more flights of stairs and then out the front of the building and clear from the scene. Her boots hit the first floor landing loudly as she pulled as hard as she could.

"10 seconds."

Beca grunted as she leaned as far backwards as she could. The dummy felt like it weighed 500 pounds as she continued.

"Time's up" Chief Smith's voice carried over the intercom.

Beca dropped the dummies to the floor. The wooden panels that covered the building's windows opened streaming light through the building and releasing the smoke. Beca sat back on the ground with the two lifeless dummies at her feet. She leaned forward resting her arms on her knees. Once most of the smoke was clear of the building Beca pushed her oxygen mask off of her face. She saw boots out of the corner of her eye come to a stop right next to her. She looked up at Chief Smith who peered down on her.

"20 more feet and you would have been a hero" He said looking at the way the dummies were tied together. "But instead, you're dead."

Beca held her head down in shame. "Along with a family of three." He added.

Beca's head shot up.

"One tenant on three was successfully evacuated but three victims on the fourth floor were unaccounted for, along with one firefighter." He said as if he were reading it from a future newspaper article. "You missed one." He scolded.

Beca pushed herself to her feet and followed him back up the stairs to the fourth floor that was now smoke free and bright. She took him to the place where she found the two dummies. Now that the smoke was gone she could see the other dummy. A female. Less than 4 feet away. But she didn't see it.

"Mission failed" Chief Smith announced over the comm system. "Pack up and report back to the house." He ordered.

Beca stood in the space after he left looking at the female dummy. She missed it. They all died.

Chloe pushed the front door open to her and Aubrey's house after an unexpected calm day. She was grateful for it. There were no awkward run in's with Dean Lewis. No mention of her on the front of Saturday morning's newspaper. Nothing. It was just a normal day. She dumped her purse and school bag on the counter next to a post it. She smiled at the bubbly writing.

Car fixed. Working night shift. See you tomorrow – A

Chloe stuck the note back down on the counter and headed straight for her bedroom. She was tired from lack of sleep last night and unnecessary stress from waiting to be confronted by Beca's mother. She wanted a bath. She needed a bath. Chloe headed straight for her bathroom. She turned the water on and sat down on the side of the tub as she waited for the water to warm up. She tested it by running a hand under the faucet. Once it reached its desired temperature Chloe pushed in the drain stopper. She crossed the bathroom retrieving her lavender bubble bath. She poured a cap full under the stream. After watching the bubbles begin to form, Chloe went to her room and began taking off her work clothes. Down to only in her underwear, Chloe went back into the bathroom. The tub was already half full. Chloe reached behind her and unclipped her bra, letting if fall on the floor in front of her. That's when she remembered her phone. Chloe bounced back into the living room and to her purse. She rummaged through her bag until she felt it. Looking intently at the device as she made her way through the house back to her bathroom. Chloe pulled up a Spotify playlist and set her phone on the edge of the bath tub. She pushed her panties down her legs, stepping out of them, and into the tub easing in one foot at a time. Once she settled to the bottom the water level evened off and bubbles crept up her chest and around her body. She reached behind her and gathered up her hair, twisting it into a loose bun and pining it against the tub. Her eyes closed slowly as she let herself relax.

For the second time that day Beca found herself in the shower with the water pounding her head and running down her body. Her hands rested on the tile in front of her as she leaned her body weight on them. Her eyes watched as the water flowed from the sides of her face and to the floor hitting her toes. She watched the water cascading to the floor. Some of it seeped into the corner of her eyes. It burned. But it didn't matter. It was better than closing her eyes. When she closed her eyes she saw the dummy. Except it wasn't the dummy. She saw a woman about her age. Lifeless on the floor. Burnt. Charred and unrecognizable. She's seen that in real life before but now, in her imagination, the training exercise was real. So she kept her eyes open.

"Beca?" Stacie called out as she stepped into the large communal bathroom. "The police department is here. They want to give everyone an update." Stacie wait a few seconds for a reply but knew she probably wouldn't hear one all she heard was the water stop hitting the floor.

Beca grabbed her towel and began to dry herself off. She wrapped the towel around her body and hurried to her room to get dressed.

"This is the person we're looking for" Amy said as passed around a grimy black and white photos outside of 10-70 the night of Benji's funeral. The firefighters took turns looking at the photos and passing them around. Beca entered the room just as Jesse finished with the pictures. He passed them to her and she looked through them shaking her head.

"So you have nothing?" She said frustratingly.

"What you're looking at Miss." The man standing next to Amy said sternly, "is who we believe is the arsonist."

"It's Lieutenant" Beca corrected immediately, "and yeah but this could literally be anybody." Beca said as she studied the photos. The person was in blue jeans and a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. He held his head down when most of the time except for when he was facing the brick wall. "You can't even tell if this is a man or a woman." She scoffed.

"We know the perpetrator is of average build. He or She" the man emphasized dramatically, "is 5'7 to 5'9. There is nothing unique about their walk. We couldn't identify any tattoos or scars. We do know they are right handed."

Beca laughed out loud. Not because it was funny but because it was anything but. She looked up at the room of firefighters who were looking at her questioningly. Her eye's glanced over to Chief Smith who had a disapproving look on his face. She cleared her throat, "There are 30ish people in this room." She said looking around. "I'm the only person in here who is left handed." The majority of the firefighters turned back towards the front of the room towards Amy and her partner. "What like 10 thousand people live in Hidden Hills? So you can eliminate like 300 people as suspects?" Beca tossed the stack of photos on the table in front of her. They splashed out spreading across the table. "That's if the person even lives in Hidden Hills."

"We believe he or she does. Why else would they target 72?" Amy asked.

"This could be anyone Amy." Beca said pointing to the picture of the person with their back to the surveillance camera they pulled the pictures from. "This could be some kid who was paid 100 bucks to do it. You guys have no idea."

"Look" Amy's partner stepped forward. "We know you guys are scared."

"Scared?" Beca questioned.

"Nobody's scared dude" Bumper jumped in as the rest of the house mumbled under their breath and shifted in their seats.

"Okay, not scared but nervous." The man tried to correct himself.

"What's your name?" Beca asked cutting him off.

"Detective Warren. I'm Detective Patricia's partner assigned to this case." He introduced himself.

"Detective Warren" Beca addressed him "We're not nervous or scared."

"Okay" He said quickly cutting Beca off. "I understand you're frustrated and angry after the loss of your friend."

"Jesus Christ" Beca said loudly.

"Mitchell" Chief Smith warned.

"How many fucking emotions could you possible list?" She challenged. "We are not frustrated or angry. People are dying dude. Kids" she emphasized, "have died." She took a second to calm herself. "Yes, we lost one of our own but he knew what he was signing up for when he joined. We all know exactly what we signed up for and what those consequences may be so no, we are not scared. People are dying. Innocent people. People who were trying to get through a normal day. So do you're fucking job and find out who is doing this before more innocent people die. Don't bring in photos of some random ass person spray painting a wall. Don't rattle off stats that literally describe the most average person I've ever heard. You guys have nothing. Don't come in here and pretend you know what you're looking for because you don't. And any minute now that alarm is going to go off and we are going to have to go out there and try to save more innocent people who are just living their lives because you guys can't trace this back to anyone." Beca ranted.

"Okay, let's all take a breath here shall we?" Amy suggested. She let the tempers simmer down before she continued. "We don't have much of anything." She said towards Beca. "We do believe this is the person we're looking for but other that we don't have any other leads and we need your help."

"Our help?" Jesse asked.

"Yes. Have you guys seen anyone suspicious at the fire scenes? Anyone out of place? Anything out of place?" Amy asked. "Arsonists tend to stay behind. Watch their work so they have probably been at all three scenes. Every call you respond to will have extra police presence but be alert. If you see someone tell a cop." She said as she looked around the room. "They seem to be targeting your shift. No calls have come in on the other shift so think, is there someone in your life who would want to hurt you? Any one you made angry?"

"You're being serious?" Beca asked. "You think someone is blowing up daycares and burning down apartment buildings and warehouses because of a personal vendetta?"

"We're just trying to cover all the bases." Detective Warren added.

"This is bullshit." Beca muttered.

"You're dismissed Mitchell." Chief Smith said quickly. "All of you are dismissed." He said to the group.

Chloe walked towards her bedroom with a fork hanging out of her mouth, her plate in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. She sat the wine down on her bedside table and climbed on her bed. She leaned up against the headboard and sat her plate in her lap. She speared a clump of broccoli with her fork and brought it to her mouth as her phone rang. Chloe smiled as she chewed the vegetable. She leaned forward and grabbed the phone and sat back. "Hey" She answered.

"Hi" Beca replied.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked immediately after hearing Beca's voice.

"Nothing. Nothing" Beca repeated trying to sound normal. "How was your day?"

"Baby" Chloe said softly.

Beca's breath caught.

"I'm" Chloe breathed. "I'm sorry. It just kind of slipped out. It's too soon for that, I'm sorry." Chloe quickly apologized.

"No. It's okay. Really." Beca replied sounding much calmer. "I didn't expect it. I mean I liked it" She revealed, "I just didn't expect it."

"What's wrong Becs?" Chloe asked.

"Rough day. But I'm fine. Really." Beca answered as she settled back on her bed. "How was school? My mom corner you?"

Chloe giggled. "No. I didn't see her actually."

"Hmm" Beca mumbled.

"What happened to you today?" Chloe asked. "Talk to me."

Beca closed her eyes. "We were running through a training drill and I missed someone." Beca said giving the short version.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby." Chloe said, the words slipping out again.

"It's okay. It was just a drill." Beca replied. She knew those were the words she was supposed to say but she didn't feel them. She felt the exact opposite.

Chloe could hear the emotion in Beca's voice. She knew she was trying to bury her feelings. "I miss you." Chloe said softly. She pushed her plate off her lap and on to the bed. "I can't wait for tomorrow night."

Beca smiled for the first time all day. "Yeah, me too."

"Do you want to come here?" Chloe asked. "You could stay the night? I mean, if you want."

"What about Aubrey?" Beca asked.

"Wow" Chloe replied quickly. "I didn't know you were into that. I mean she is hot. I could ask her." Chloe teased.

"You know" Beca could feel her face blush. "You know that is not what I meant Beale."

Chloe giggled. "Yeah, but it was just way too easy."

"I don't even know why I called you." Beca said trying to sound upset but failing.

"Oh, yes you do. You know exactly why you called me." Chloe argued playfully.

"Please do tell."

Chloe moaned. "Because you can't stop thinking of me." She whispered. "Because you're stuck in the smelly old fire house probably in that tiny room of yours wishing I was there with you." She teased seductively. "Because you can't stop thinking about kissing me, the way I can't stop thinking about kissing you." She finished with another moan into the phone.

"Actually I was trying to call someone else and hit your name by mistake. I was just being nice by talking to you but now you're like practically trying to having phone sex with me and if I'm being honest it's" Beca paused, "pretty weird" she sang.

"Whatever jerk." Chloe replied quickly.

"Sorry weirdo." Beca countered. "So I should probably let you go."

"Oh okay" Chloe said playing along.

"You know what on second thought, you're right. Aubrey is pretty hot." Beca added.

"Hey!" Chloe protested.

Beca softened. "No but really, I should go."

"Okay" Chloe breathed sadly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow." Beca agreed.

"Be careful" Chloe whispered.

"Good night Chlo." Was the last thing Chloe heard before the call ended.

Beca tossed her phone back down on her bed as she lay flat looking up at the ceiling.

XxXxXx

The school day couldn't pass quick enough for Chloe as she looked at the endless line of cars in the pick-up line.

"Hot date?" Tom asked coming to stand beside her.

"What?" Chloe asked turning away from the man. She looked over at the line of second graders, "Mark C." She called out. The little boy stood up quickly and ran towards her with his oversized backpack strapped to him and his lunch box flopping in his hand.

"You look like this is the last place you want to be. Looks like you're ready to get out of here so you must have a hot date tonight." Tom said as Chloe returned from escorting Mark to his mother's awaiting car.

"It's car line Tom. Nobody likes car line." Chloe replied.

"So no plans then?" Tom said quickly. "If you're free maybe we could hang out."

She looked down the line at the next car. She smiled and turned towards the gathered fifth graders. "Come on Harry" She said towards the boy. Since fire safety day the curious little boy had quickly become one of her favorite students.

"Bye Miss Beale." Harry smiled as he climbed in the back of his mom's car. "See you tomorrow!"

Chloe waved to the little boy as the car drove away.

"Sorry but I can't. I do have plans tonight." Chloe said to a clearly disappointed Tom.

"With the girl from the other day?" Tom asked.

"Um" Chloe paused.

"I saw you and her in the newspaper. You two looked close."

"Yeah, we are." Chloe confirmed.

"Miss Beale?" Chloe shuddered. She turned slowly and greeted the older woman with a smile. "May I have a word?" Dean Lewis requested.

"Yes Ma'am" Chloe answered. "Do you want me to meet you in your office after I'm done here?"

Dean Lewis looked around at the other teachers who were working the pick-up lane. "I think they have it under control Miss. Beale." She looked around Chloe towards Tom. "Math scores are looking excellent this year Mr. Evans. Keep up the great work."

"Thank you Dean." Tom beamed.

Chloe smiled shyly at the man before following Dean Lewis back into the building, through the hallway and into her office. Dean Lewis stepped aside for Chloe to enter. Once the redheaded art teacher was in Dean Lewis closed her office door. Chloe nervously took a seat in the chair in front of the Dean's desk and folded her hands in her lap. She closed her eyes tightly at the sight of Saturday's newspaper on the Dean's desk.

"I think you're a great teacher Chloe."

Chloe was taken aback. She didn't expect that. She looked up wide eyed at the older woman.

"I have no doubt that you are a great person. Mr. Evans definitely seems taken with you" Dean Lewis acknowledged as she leaned back on the front of her desk. "And so it seems is my daughter."

Chloe took a deep breath. "Yes ma'am. Thank you?" Chloe questioned nervously.

"Relax Chloe." Dean Lewis said hoping to comfort the very nervous redhead. "This is not an interrogation. You're not in any trouble here. I just wanted to talk to you."

Chloe nodded. "Okay. What did you want to talk about?"

"Are you and my daughter seeing each other?" Dean Lewis asked.

"Um." Chloe winced. She didn't want to betray Beca's trust by revealing anything about her or them to her mother whom the brunette was admittedly distant from.

"I know that's a very personal question and I know that my daughter is very private. But I'm still her mother and even though you seem like a great person with a good head on your shoulders, she is still my daughter and I want to make sure the person she is seeing has the appropriate intentions." Dean Lewis explained carefully.

"We haven't officially declared ourselves anything yet" Chloe disclosed, "But I like your daughter very much Dean Lewis."

The older woman nodded in understanding. "I can see."

Chloe looked at her boss questioningly. "You can see?"

"The look on your face when you speak of her. I've seen that look before." Dean Lewis said sadly. She pushed herself from her desk and moved to sit in the chair next to Chloe positioning her body so she was facing her. "I've seen it on my own face before. When I was with Beca's father."

Chloe listened intently.

"We met when we were just kids in high school. He was charming and funny. People liked him a lot and for some reason he liked me. I was kind of" She thought back "what do the kids call it these days? A dork or a nerd?" Dean Lewis laughed at the thought of herself. "I fell in love with him almost instantly. He was everything. He was handsome and brave and caring. We got married a month after we graduated high school. I got into UCLA and he joined the fire academy."

Chloe was engrossed in this story.

"I got pregnant with Beca in the middle of my sophomore year. He was so happy. He loved her so much even before she was born and when she was born he was the absolute best father. And boy did she love him back just as much. She was always a daddy's girl." Dean Lewis smiled recounting her family. "Life was great. It was amazing for 14 years, it was perfect. And then one day out of the blue it was over. I kissed him goodbye that morning and never saw him again." Dean Lewis whispered.

"I'm sorry" Chloe said offering her condolences.

"I'm telling you this because the way you were looking at my daughter in the photo on the newspaper is the way I used to look at Jack." She sighed longingly. "And it makes me nervous for you Chloe. Beca is the master at pushing people she cares for away under the pretense to protect them from her. To protect them from pain. Maybe she's right to do so, I don't know but sometimes" Dean Lewis stilled herself and straightened up, "one doesn't fully recover from a broken heart." She warned softly.


AN: Hey guys... hope you liked it. Reviews please, they keep me motivated.