AN: This is not beta-read, we die like useless Magikarps.

If you see any glaring mistakes, please don't hesistate to call me out on it (preferably nicely).

A bit short but hopefully enough fluff to make up for my slowness and the first chapter before we get trucking.

*splash splash*

Alarm.

That was the first thought that registered in her mind as the blonde jolted upright, completely disoriented and tangled in fabric.

Maya squinted into the light of the room, finally recognising her surroundings and the alarm to be her phone and not another call-out.

She fell back into the sheets with a harrumph and latched onto her girlfriend's pillow with one hand, blindly groping at the side table with the other for her phone and not even bothering to look at the screen or aiming particularly hard at the accept button to answer the call.

"What?" She grumped.

Laughter and the voice that always does funny things to her heart were the answer to her less than stellar greeting.

"Buongiorno mia bella," and Maya would forever deny the stupid grin that formed on her face which she promptly tried to smother into the pillow that smelled like the love of her life. It's too early for emotions. She half-heartedly bemoaned her internal sappiness as she worked up the courage to face the very bright and sunny room.

Her efforts were rewarded when her eyes finally focused on the beautiful face gracing her phone screen with a smile that equalled the light of her surroundings.

"There she is." Carina spoke gently, her smile softening as her eyes darted around on the screen—no doubt trying to find any hint of injury on what little she could see of her cocooned firefighter.

With only slight reluctance, the blonde finally emerged from her coverings and greeted the doctor properly as the tension seemed to ease from the surgeon's shoulders.

"Looks like we both had busy mornings." Maya looked knowingly at her girlfriend, noting her salmon pink scrubs, lack of white coat, hair in a tight bun, and most importantly, the early signs of exhaustion seeping into her features.

"Sì, two bambinos couldn't wait to greet their mama before I could even change into my scrubs and an emergency caesarean-section on a trauma patient." Carina sighed and leaned back into her chair with a groan, pressing her palm into her forehead. "The bambino is too small bella, but we had to get him out because the mama kept coding."

"Are they going to make it?" Maya looked worriedly at the doctor, wanting nothing more than to hold her and take some of the stress off her shoulders.

"Sì, sì, the mama is now stable, and we always have pointy looks on the bambino in the NICU."

"Keep a sharp eye."

"Che cosa?"

"I mean, the baby boy is very lucky to have you keeping a sharp eye on him and his mom." Maya smiled at the confused doctor tangled in another idiom. "Just like those twin boys are very lucky that the first thing they see in their new life is my beautiful and brilliant girlfriend who turns OB/GYN into an art form."

"Bella!" Carina tried to smother both her laughter and blush behind her hand, her eyes twinkling at her girlfriend relaxing back into their bed. "Ugh, I am too much of a mess right now for you to be saying things like that."

"Nope." Maya said simply, popping the 'p' for emphasis. "I think you look cute. I think your brain is gorgeous and I know you're amazing in everything you do and try." She sank back into the pillows and ruffled her already messy hair, her smile growing to dimpling proportions when her girlfriend's eyes instinctively darted to her flexing bicep that came into frame.

"My eyes are over here, Doctor DeLuca." Maya teased.

"Mhmm, I know." Carina did not even spare a glance away from the new expanse of well-muscled flesh on the screen.

The blonde laughed at the typical brazenness of her girlfriend's staring. She really did love this woman with every fibre of her being. "I miss you," she muttered aloud without much thought.

Finally, Carina managed to tear her eyes away from one appealing sight to another, far more alluring one and smiled ever so softly at the fire captain. "I miss you too, bella."

They stared at one another for some time, just basking in each other's company, even over a screen.

A shadow of something flickered past the bedroom window, distracting Maya just enough that their little bubble burst and the blonde could once again focus on Carina as a whole and not just on her squishy feelings for her.

"Hey, have you eaten anything? I didn't realise I'd manage to sleep so much." Maya finally noticed it was nearing lunch time and with the busy start to the morning Carina had, she would need all the energy and rest she could get.

"No, not yet" the doctor said mournfully. "I just wanted to see you before I started reviewing my appointments today, I was going to do it this morning but then the twins and the trauma mama, and ugh." Carina rolled her eyes with a sardonic smile, truly loving the work but not always appreciating the unpredictability—particularly today at the cost of one of her outfits getting 'gooed' by the surprise morning twins.

"I would never say no to seeing you, too. Is there anything I can do to help?" Maya asked, getting the sense that Italian really just needed to see that she was safe after she didn't come home when she was expected to, and to vent about the little things after an intense morning in the privacy and safety of her office and confidence.

"No, Bellissima, grazie. I just wanted to know that you were okay. Your text was very vague, and I missed you this morning." At that, Maya winced slightly. The last call had been a hectic one and she only managed to shoot off a 'Late call. Don't wait up. Love you' message to Carina before switching her attention to learning about the scene to better coordinate with their comrades already on-site.

"It was a 2-alarm fire, meaning the captain that answered the call needed more help when a car crashed into a telephone pole and the live wires landed on a tree which started cooking inside out and the fire started spreading towards some dwellings." Maya rambled before cutting herself off when the doctor's eyes widened, and she hurriedly tried to stop any panic before it came to a head. "We're all fine, the main reason we took so long was that we had to wait for the utilities to turn off the power."

Carina let out a small laugh at the blonde's somewhat frantic placating gesticulation. Their conversation was a bit of a hot mess, but it was their hot mess. Maya's smile returned at the sound of her musical laughter and it set her off on her own little giggling fit.

Their little bubble of serenity was popped once again by the harsh beeps of the surgeon's pager. Carina's hand automatically stopped the beeps, with barely a glance registering the need for her presence in the pit.

"Bella, as much as I would love to talk with you forever, I need to go. A lot of mamas have vagine impazienti today."

"That's okay, I understand. Go be a hero. I love you!" Through sheer force of will, Maya held in her guffaw, the only sign of her amusement at the Italian's absentminded muttering as she gathered herself being the attempt of her eyebrows to touch her hairline.

"Ti amo anch'io. Ciao, bella!" The screen darkened as Carina finished blowing her a kiss.

Maya promptly threw her phone down and let out a burst of laughter that had been threatening to beat its way out of her ribcage. Her girlfriend truly had a way with words.

After collecting herself, Maya got around to preparing for a relatively late—for her—start to the day, an idea already forming in her mind.

She finished tying of her shoelaces, checked she had her wallet, keys and iPod before locking the door behind her.

— 19 —

"Hi, is Doctor DeLuca in her office right now?" Maya waited as the nurse checked the system, absently glancing at the signage along the walls and corridor, noting the locations of the exits and the fire emergency implements on hand.

"No Doctor DeLuca is currently in surgery; do you have an appointment ma'am?" The nurse looked up at her, pausing slightly before recognition flashed in her eyes. "Oh! You must be Captain Bishop!"

Maya smiled and nodded politely, "That's me. Just here to drop off some things," she lifted her hands, so that they were in view of the nurse behind the desk.

"Right of course, her office is down the hall, second door on the right."

Maya nodded her thanks and bid the nurse farewell. Nimbly, she manoeuvred the door open while both hands were occupied and deposited her precious cargo on the neat desk.

She bit her lip unsurely for a moment before making up her mind and grabbing a leaf of note paper—making sure it was vacant of any notes and wasn't some important piece of hospital stationery—and a pen.

— 19 —

Sometime after, Carina returned to her office, feeling the weight of the day on her back muscles and feet. She was already halfway across the room when she finally registered the newest additions to her desk.

Biting back a smile when the scent of fresh pastries and the sight of a familiar thermos greeted her, she carefully reached for the note, immediately recognising her firefighter's neat handwriting. The restrained smile turned into all-out laughter which she tried to cover behind her hand.

To my favourite person,

It's a beautiful day to save lives, and you're the best there is.

I got some of your favourites in case you needed it.

Ti amo.

P.S. I'd be careful, I know babies slowly slide out, but some hot doctor told me there is a lot of impatient vaginas today, so you never know.

P.P.S. Amelia, if you are reading this, you can have ONE pastry, but the rest are for Carina.

God, Carina loved this woman.

AN: Congratulations for making it this far. I promise there is an end-goal, I've just learned over the years to take small victories and not try to do too much in one go rather than burn myself out trying to do everything all at once and achieve nothing.

Hope y'all stick with me!

Have a great day everyone!