Happy Sunday! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this one since you've been waiting for this moment! Love y'all!
Tris grabs her overnight bag and slings it over her shoulder. She really liked Chief Max Boden when she submitted her paperwork to the Chicago Fire Department. At Christina's recommendation, he reviewed her application and set up a video chat for the two of them. She could tell he was a strong leader and Christina raved about the family environment. He was impressed with her degree in fire safety science, and 6 years of experience on a fire truck, and as an EMT. She felt like this was going to be a good move for her.
It was 7:40, even though shift started at 8 am, she wanted to be sure she was on time for her first day and ready for the 8:30 am briefing. Christina bumps her shoulder as they walk up the drive into the firehouse and Tris gives her a smile. She had butterflies in her stomach like it was the first day of school.
"Hey, Preston, come meet my best friend" Christina calls to her partner on Ambulance 61.
Shauna walks over to extend her hand to Tris with a smile.
"You the new firefighter on 81? Nice to meet you"
"Yeah, Tris Prior, Nice to meet you"
"You are going to love it here and I am also excited to have a new face for Girls' Night Out"
"You don't let her drive the ambulance do you?" Tris asks as she scrunches her face up looking between Shauna and Christina.
"Don't make me regret putting you up for this job Prior" Christina threatens and playfully shoves her shoulder trying to knock her off balance.
"She really is your best friend if she knows how horrible of a driver you are Dawson" Shauna laughs.
Tris grins as they walk into the bay where the trucks were housed. She liked Shauna already, she could see why she and Chris got along so well. She slows her walk as she sees a group of men sitting at a table on the side of the bay.
"That's the Squad table, they are very territorial about anyone else sitting there just FYI" Shauna whispers.
"And watch out for Eaton, he's slept his way through half of Chicago" Christina adds in an equally hushed tone.
Shauna snorts at Christina's comment. As much as she loved Tobias, it was the truth.
"Hey, You must be Prior," A handsome tawny-toned man with a beautiful smile says loudly. Tris can see the single gold bugle on each of the red circle pins on the collar of his polo shirt signifying he was a Lieutenant.
"Zeke Pedrad, Lieutenant on Truck 81, Great to see you in person and not on Zoom, Glad to have you"
"Nice to meet you in person, Lieutenant" Tris grins.
Tobias leans back in his chair to get a better look at the new firefighter in the house and when he does it's as if the carpet has been pulled from underneath his feet. It was her. The woman that had been invading his thoughts after their magical day together over a year ago.
Still in shock Tobias doesn't even pay attention to the fact that he was leaning too far over and the chair topples to the side causing him to crash to the ground. Zeke, Shauna, Tris, and Christina all jump and look toward the squad table at the sound of the crash.
"Eaton, what the hell is wrong with you?" Christina asks with furrowed eyebrows.
Tris lets out a small gasp as she watches him scramble to get up. Her mouth falls open as she takes him in. Of all the firehouses in Chicago, this had to be his, the man that she hadn't gotten out of her head, the man that she promised Christina she would seek out.
"This is Eaton, Lieutenant on Rescue Squad 3, normally he's not this much of a bumbling idiot" Zeke teases as he walks Tris over to Tobias who was getting up off the floor.
"Nice to meet you," she says softly, extending her hand to him.
"Yeah, Ummmm, Welcome to 51" Tobias clears his throat, still jittery as he looks into her eyes and softly shakes her hand. His heart was pounding so hard he thought he might look like one of those cartoon characters where you could see it literally jumping out of his chest.
Christina squints her eyes at the interaction wondering what she was witnessing. Tris was never nervous like this and Eaton falling over, something had to be going on.
"Welcome to 51! I'm so happy to have some more estrogen on this truck!" A tall pretty dark-haired woman with olive-toned skin says coming around the corner interrupting the moment between Tris and Tobias
"Tris this is Marlene Vega, she's on truck too" Zeke explains.
Tris smiles again, this was the thing she was most excited about. The Chicago Fire Department was so much more progressive than Atlanta. There were very few women in the Atlanta Fire Department and most of them were working desk jobs, not out in the field. She was excited to get to ride truck along with another woman.
"Tú hablas español?" Tris asks, noticing Marlene's features and last name.
"Sí, mis padres nos mudaron a Chicago desde Puerto Rico cuando yo tenía 5 años. Y tú? (Yes, my parents moves us to Chicago from Puerto Rico when I was 5, And you?" Marlene replies excitedly.
She was happy to have someone else to converse within the house from a similar background and who was also bilingual. They actually had a lot of calls that required her to translate for victims.
"Mi madre es Dominicana (My mother is Dominican)" Tris explains and the two chatter back and forth in Spanglish as Zeke shows Tris where the turn-out gear is stored and then the equipment on truck.
Everyone gathers in the briefing room for the daily update and Tris tries to keep a poker face but she can feel Tobias looking at her. She felt like her body was hot just thinking about him. She wondered if he was undressing her with his eyes, imagining her naked. She had to shake her head and clear her thoughts when she closes her eyes and sees him back in his bedroom with his impressive penis standing at attention, waiting for her. Tris bites her lip and then blows out a breath. She had to get a grip and quick.
"I'm very happy to welcome Beatrice Prior to the Firehouse 51 family" Max booms during the morning briefing.
"She's coming to us from the Atlanta Fire Department and has been on truck for 6 years and has a degree in fire science from Atlanta Technical College. She also spent 3 years as a paramedic prior to becoming a firefighter so she will bring great experience to this house on 81, Beatrice come tell us a little about yourself"
Tris smiles, she already knew how tight everyone at 51 was but it was more evident seeing it in person even though she had only been there an hour. Now the question was could she manage a working relationship with Tobias.
"Hi, It's great to meet everyone, I'm really excited to be here. I prefer Tris instead of Beatrice, I was actually born and raised in Chicago until my mom moved me and my brother to Atlanta when I was 12. My brother is a CPD detective"
"Prior, Intelligence Unit, right? I think we've seen him on a few cases" Zeke says putting the pieces together
"Yep that's him, I'm definitely the cooler of Prior kids. I also am a pretty good cook so I have no problem with lunch duty"
That draws a round of cheers from the room and Tris feels all her nervous energy about being the new person leaving her body even though she can feel Tobias still eyeing her.
"Trust me, she is not exaggerating, She will make the best Dominican and Soul food you've ever had" Christina plugs.
Tris chuckles "Yes, I'm half Dominican and half Black so be warned y'all are going to get all the seasoning and all the attitude of both cultures, just take it with love"
Max smiles, noticing the natural chemistry between Tris and the rest of the members of the house as another round of laughter engulfs the room. He was confident Prior was a good choice for 51.
After the morning briefing, Tobias pulls Zeke into his quarters, when Christina and Shauna volunteer to take Tris on a tour of the firehouse to find a locker and bunk.
"What is your deal, why are you acting all crazy?" Zeke asks as Tobias shuts the door quickly after he pushes Zeke into the room.
"It's her Zeke, what do I do?" Tobias hisses while pulling the blinds on the windows facing the bunkroom and doors.
"What do you mean it's her?" Zeke looks at Tobias as he sits on the bed and puts his head in his hands confused about what he was talking about.
"The one from that night, last year when we went to the club and I ended up spending the day with her…"
"Oh Shit, are you serious? That's her?" Zeke gasps with a chuckle seeing the panic on his friend's face as he remembers Tobias relaying all of the details of their hot and steamy night followed by a romantic day before she disappeared. He didn't have a clear memory of what she looked like so it hadn't triggered anything when he interviewed her for the spot on 81.
"How the hell did this happen?" Tobias groans still in disbelief.
His head was spinning. In all the years of him running the streets, he had never been shook if he ran into someone he had slept with. But he also had never felt the way he felt that day. He found himself thinking about her in the quiet moments late at night when he couldn't sleep. There were two pictures he had snapped of her laughing at Navy Pier that he had kept.
After he spilled to Zeke all about the 36 hours they spent together, he hadn't confided in anyone that he still thought about her. Yeah, a few more women had found their way into his bed but he didn't care about any of them. They weren't her.
"Well maybe you should talk to her, just you know clear the air…
Tobias groans again and flops back on the bed in frustration.
"How the hell is she Dawson's best friend? Why didn't I figure out she was a firefighter that day? She called me a smoke eater, I thought maybe her dad or her brother was a firefighter, not her! She told me she was going back to Atlanta….I should have put it all together….
Zeke looks amused as he leans against the wall crossing his arms as Tobias rambles out his thoughts. He had never ever seen him like this about a woman. Suddenly a light bulb goes off.
"Oh no,..." Zeke says solemnly while shaking his head.
"Oh no, what?" Tobias practically squeaks.
"I didn't think I'd live to see the day… The almighty Tobias Eaton is in love."
"I…I'm not in love" Tobias stammers sitting up not sounding very confident.
"Oh you got it bad, Don't even try to lie to yourself. You literally fell out of your chair when she walked up and now here you are flipping out and you haven't even had a conversation with her."
"I was in shock, it knocked me off balance in the chair… I can't be in love with her, we spent one day together" Tobias defends but still feeling
"Say whatever you want but you got it bad" Zeke laughs out.
He's still doubled over in laughter when Tobias throws his hands up and walks out.
"You can have this locker" Christina points to a locker opposite from hers.
Tris looks around the corner distracted, not hearing what Christina says.
"Helloooooooo, Earth to Tris"
"Huh, what?" Tris asks, snapping out of her daze.
"So you've been weird since we got here, I thought it was just first day nerves but now I'm not so convinced…..Spill it" Christina leans against the lockers and crosses her arms.
Tris bites her lip, she thought she could get through shift and fill Christina in later but of course, her best friend would pick up on everything.
Tris grabs her by the arm and pulls her into the women's bathroom.
"What's wrong, you have me worried," Christina says as Tris looks behind her nervously.
"Chris, it's Eaton…"
"Tris, I told you, don't even think about him. I know he's ridiculously handsome but you know how House romances go…And I already told you, he has a reputation.."
"Chris, It's him… Eaton…It's HIM" Tris interrupts gripping Christina by the upper arms and looking her in the eyes.
"Him as in ?…. Oh shit... HIM!" Christina's eyes go wide putting the pieces together.
"What am I going to do?" Tris groans as she lets go and wipes her face with her hands.
"Well….maybe this is fate" Christina shrugs. "You did say you would try and find him after you got settled…"
"He wasn't supposed to be in 51! Of all the houses…." Tris rants throwing her hands up as she paces back and forth.
"Wait a minute you knew he was a firefighter! Why haven't you mentioned this before?" Christina challenges and narrows her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.
"Well….I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, It was supposed to be a one-night stand, not fate!'' Tris huffs in frustration.
Just then the bells sound altering the house of a call.
Ambulance 61, Truck 81, Engine 51, Squad 3, Structure Fire 23 Wabash Ave
"To be continued," Christina says with a smirk as she and Tris hustle out of the bathroom to load up to respond to the call.
"Ready to go to work Prior?" Zeke calls Tris and the rigg stops in front of the building that was one fire.
"You bet Lieutenant" Tris grins as they hop out.
"Looks like the fire is on the second and third floor, Squad, get in for search and rescue on the third floor, 81 get in and look for victims on the first and second floor. 51 get that hose going on the B side of the building" Max barks out.
Tris can feel the adrenaline pumping as she watches the Rescue Squad mask up and enter the building.
"Prior with me, Foster, Vega that way and clear the first floor and then get out" Tris nods and puts on her mask to follow Zeke up the stairs.
"You got it, Lieutenant," Will says with a nod as he adjusts his oxygen tank on his back.
Truck 81 goes to their assigned floors looking for anyone who might still be in the building. Tris and Zeke stay low as they make their way through the smoke-filled hallway with Squad 3 moving ahead of them to the third floor. She could feel the sweat building as the flames emerged at the top of the stairs.
"Fire Department, Call Out" Zeke yells as they make their way through the bottom floor.
Suddenly a part of the ceiling comes down and a fire and is now in front of Tris. Even with the fire-resistant material of her turnouts, she can feel the heat from the flames.
"We gotta bail," Zeke calls to her, knowing that the structure wasn't going to last long.
"Wait, do you hear that?" She asks, grabbing his arm.
Zeke stops and Tris points to the other side of where the fire was the faint sound of someone crying. Zeke and Tris wield their halligan and smash through the drywall next to them. It takes his three swings before a hole big enough for Tris to squeeze through.
"81 you have two minutes to get out of there" Max calls over the radio.
"Got it chief, Prior two minutes move quick" Zeke responds.
Tris nods and grabs her halligan to keep moving. Tris follows the sound of the whimpering as the flames start to engulf the room.
"Fire Department, Call Out" Tris yells.
"Help" A weak voice calls to her and Tris quickly follows the sound to the floor beside the bed.
"Hey, Can you hear me?" Tris calls out as she reaches the body of a woman on the floor face down trying to reach out to her, passing out as soon as Tris kneels down beside her.
Tris looks back to where she came from as another part of the ceiling collapses with flames coming into the room blocking her path. She looks at her options knowing she needs to move quickly.
"Pedrad, my path is blocked, I'm going for the window on the B side" Tris calls in with her radio.
"Copy that, 81 get to the B side second floor now, move, Get that ladder up" Zeke yells into his radio as he moves down the stairs back to the front door where Tobias was moving the rest of Squad out of the building.
"On it" Will calls back on his radio from the front lawn where he and Marlene were after clearing the first floor.
Tris rolls the woman over and bends down to grab the woman under her armpits and drags her to the window. She quickly takes her halligan, and knocks out the window and the frame, clearing the glass.
She can hear the motorized sound of the ladder from the truck being moved to the window.
"She's unconscious, You're going to have to pull her out" Tris instructs when Will appears and Tris grabs the rope he offers to slide the victim on the backboard. Tris works as fast as she can to adjust the straps, the smoke was getting thicker by the second and she could tell the flames were consuming the building. It wouldn't be much longer befor the roof or the floor gave out.
Once Will and Marlene haul the woman out, Tris climbs through the window. She sits on her butt and slides down the ladder. Even though she had just been in a burning building she felt like smiling. This was part of what she loved about her job.
They work quickly together to carry the woman around to the front of the building to the paramedics where Engine 51 is working the hoses to put out the fire. Christina runs over and she and Shauna work to place the woman on an available gurney with the help of Marlene and Will.
"She passed out as soon as I got to her," Tris tells her. Christina nods and starts to work pulling out her stethoscope to check her breathing. Tris steps back to let Christina and Shauna place a breathing tube in and load her into the back of the ambulance.
"Nice work Prior," Zeke says as he tosses Tris a bottle of water as she takes her fire hat off.
She gives him a smile as as she catches it.
"Thanks Leuitenant"
Zeke makes his way to update Chief Boden. She notices Tobias makes his way towards them to give his status update. Tris had to shake her head, she could not let herself go there but good lord he looked incredibly sexy, his face smudged with soot, his gait wider than normal because of his turnouts.
"Squad, Let's pack it up" Tobias calls out and everyone moves toward the truck.
Zeke does the same thing for 81 and Tobias feels his mouth go dry as he watches Tris grab her turnout jacket and halligan. Seeing her in action, God it was sexy. Her hair was frizzy after she took her helmet off, and she had some soot on her face, he doesn't think he's seen anything more beautiful. He had to get it together and quick.
"Caught a fire on her first day, I think Prior might be good luck, Chief" Amar yells as he walks by carrying a hose.
Tris sighs with relief and a smile that she made a good impression on her first day.
Tris had known that 51 was going to be a busier house than she saw in Atlanta but not just how much. She saw why the houses in Chicago had 24 hours on and 48 hours off compared to the 48 hours on 48 hours off in Atlanta. There was so much going on it felt like as soon as they got back to the house and cleaned up, they were off to another call. There had been two car accidents, a fire, and a chemical spill all in one day.
As everyone in the house tried to get some sleep in the bunk room, Tris found herself restless. It was 1 am and she couldn't get comfy in her bunk. She knows part of the problem is Tobias. They had been circling each other awkwardly in between calls. Every time Tris or Tobias would start to say anything past hey, the bells would go off signaling another call or someone would need one of them. She hadn't even been able to process how she was feeling.
She wanders into the common room to turn on the TV and she decides on reruns of Martin and pops a bowl of popcorn. She cranes her neck when she hears movement coming from the hallway.
"Trouble sleeping?" Tobias asks. He had tried to sleep but his mind had been racing ever since he laid down knowing Tris was right outside his quarters.
"Yeah, new bed" She replies in a shy voice biting her lip. Tobias has to fight off a groan. He quickly moves his attention away from her mouth.
"So I heard you kicked ass today during that fire and on the crazy tractor-trailer crash"
Tris smiles and looks down at her popcorn bowl, feeling the sexual tension rise just looking at him.
"I was just doing the job, I'm sure anyone else would have done the same as I would have"
For Tobias, it made her even sexier than he remembered, she was tough and strong but still delicate and soft. The perfect combination of all the things he loved.
"I can't believe I didn't pick on the fact that you were a firefighter too but our almost matching tattoos make a lot of sense now" He chuckles looking down at the floor again.
"Well we didn't necessarily share a lot of details about our personal lives" Tris says with a grin.
"Yet somehow you knew I was a smoke eater?" He flashes her that smile that made her knees go weak.
"I saw your Squad jacket in your closet the morning I left" She confesses pulling her lips over her teeth in a smile.
Tobias shakes his head and chuckles as he moves to sit down on the opposite end of the couch.
"Tris…Today has been crazy but we need to talk..." Tobias starts.
He wanted her to know that he'd never stopped thinking about her, that he wanted to find her, but he had no idea where to start. Even then he was fighting the urge to pull her into his lap and kiss her senseless.
"Tobias, I don't want this to be awkward, I want to fit in here, I can really see myself growing here and I know this is the best house in Chicago. We don't have to make a big deal about this, it was over a year ago, I wasn't working for the CFD then…" Tris interrupts hoping that if she said it first, it wouldn't sting as much. She wasn't in the mood for rejection right now.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say…We can be friends though" He adds quickly not wanting to let on that he was about to spill his feelings.
"Friends sounds good" Tris wishes she sounded more confident, be she didn't know how else to navigate the situation. At least the two of them were on the same page. She just had to quell the desire for him running through her veins.
Tris holds out the bowl of popcorn for him with a smile. He grabs a handful and settles back on the couch. They both focus on the tv, chuckling at the scene but both unsure of how long they were going to hold back their feelings.
