First Responders
2
"Hey," Winn said as he tapped on the door jamb of Kara's open office door.
The lieutenant looked up and then sighed as she saw the sympathetic look on the man's face. "I know what you're going to say and, while I appreciate it, I just can't right now, so… thanks but no."
Winn held up his hands and nodded. "Understood. Just wanted to make sure you were ok."
"Yeah… I'm not… but as I said, I can't deal with that right now. I have too much paperwork to do."
"Got it." The man turned and walked away, and Kara got up to round her desk and close the door behind him. She just couldn't take the sympathetic looks and questions about her feelings when she had to concentrate on working, so she sat back at her desk and picked up the next incident report.
Then there was another tap on her door, and she sighed heavily. "Winn, go away. Seriously," she called.
The door opened and Alex stuck her head in. "Wow, good thing I'm not Winn," she said. She came in and closed the door, chuckling at the frown on the lieutenant's face. "Sorry, but you told me to stay on your ass, right?"
Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Right, sorry. I just… I'm behind on this paperwork."
"That's why I'm here," the brunette replied. "Well, two reasons actually. Number one, I passed the lieutenant's exam and I'm just waiting for my promotion to come through, so I can help with those reports. Number two, I know you love suggestions, so I have one."
"Go on," Kara encouraged.
"Well, I'd like to suggest that tonight, you take me to the basketball game, and I'll take you out for dinner afterwards. We can get drunk and toast a 'fuck you' to your ex."
The lieutenant leaned back in her chair. "You know… I kinda like both of those suggestions," she replied. "I could certainly use a drink, but your shift is already over, Alex. You should get going."
"Meh," the brunette replied. "I'd just be sitting at home. Might as well do something constructive. Besides, yours is over too. We can get these reports done a lot faster if you let me help." She held out her hand imperiously. "Gimme."
Kara laughed softly. "Thank you," she said as she passed a couple of the folders from the stack to her waiting friend.
"Don't mention it."
Alex settled at the small meeting table and started on the documents, but Kara found herself distracted. Alex had an interesting face. It was always moving... a subtle quirk of an eyebrow, a slight purse of the lips, an eyeroll when she didn't like what she was reading. Her face was expressive, and the lieutenant just gazed at her for a long moment, taking it in. Then the brunette looked back at her and those eyebrows were lifted in question and brown eyes were making a light color rise in Kara's cheeks.
"I... uh..." she began but then just closed her mouth.
"Everything ok?" Alex asked. "Need something?"
Kara swallowed and took a breath. "I... need coffee. Want some?"
"Sure, thanks," the older woman replied, then went back to her file to circle something in red pen.
The lieutenant got up and strolled out into the hallway to find Lane and Mores standing at the bottom of the stairs talking quietly. However, they stopped when they saw her and offered her sympathetic looks. She forced a smile, went back into her office and closed the door again, pressing her forehead against it. "Shit," she murmured.
Alex chuckled softly. "Let me guess, fancy coffee machine is broken?"
"No..." Kara replied as she straightened and smoothed down her shirt. "They mean well, but I can't take the looks I'm getting from the team... like I'm going to break at any moment."
"Are you?" the brunette asked simply. For a moment, the lieutenant didn't say anything, but she watched as Alex got up and crossed the room to her. "Because if you feel like you are, better to lose it in here with me than in front of all of them." The blonde nodded and put her hands on her hips, looking down at the floor. Then gentle hands were covering hers and she looked up to find her new friend standing very close to her. "What he did sucks, Kara. It's ok to be human about it."
The lieutenant's breathing hitched but she shook her head. "I will NOT cry at work," she stated. "Especially not over him."
"Fair enough," Alex replied, drawing back a little to give the younger woman some space. "I'll go get the coffee."
"Thanks," the lieutenant nodded, and she watched as Alex headed out, making sure to close the door behind her.
Xx
The hot water felt good on her skin, and Alex smiled to herself as she heard Kara humming softly in the cubicle next to her. They'd finished the reports in record time and were getting ready to head out to the basketball game. "You a Sharks fan?" she asked.
"I wasn't before I met Mike," the lieutenant replied, splashing noises almost drowning out her words.
Alex frowned. "I get it if you'd rather not go," she said.
"Nah," Kara said. "I enjoy it now. Plus... courtside seats... am I right?"
Alex could hear the grin and she nodded to herself. "You're absolutely right. Mike is a fucking idiot to have let you go." There was quiet for a long moment. "Kara?" Then, as she turned her shower off, she heard soft sniffles. The brunette grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body, then she grabbed another for Kara and reached blindly into her cubicle to turn the water off. "Hey," she said gently. "I'm coming in." With eyes averted, she stepped into the space with Kara and wrapped the towel around her, hugging her close at the same time.
"I was so stupid," the lieutenant whispered. "I should have realized. He was travelling a lot, making excuses for not being back on time..." Then she shook her head and swiped her hand over her eyes, pulling away from Alex. "You just met me. It's not your responsibility to make me feel better. I'm going to get dressed."
Kara grabbed her toiletries, eased past the brunette and headed for her locker. Alex just sighed and followed her.
They were in an Uber headed for the National City Arena before Kara seemed to relax a little. "I'm having three hundred hot dogs," she solemnly announced.
Dark eyebrows shot up. "Not that I'm averse to anyone having three hundred hotdogs," Alex mused. "But that's a very specific number. Why three hundred?"
"I'm just starving," the blonde shrugged. "But I'll share my three hundred with you, if you'd like?"
"I'd like that, yeah," Alex replied. "One hundred and fifty should be enough."
Kara's brow furrowed adorably. "Who said you were getting half?" she demanded indignantly.
"Oh, it's like that, is it?" the brunette laughed. "Remember who's buying you dinner after this game."
"Right," Kara smiled contritely. "I guess you can have half then."
"Epic."
They grinned at each other and then slid out of the Uber as it pulled up outside the large building. The lieutenant had the tickets on her phone, so she beeped them both successfully through the turnstile and led them into the rapidly growing crowd.
Alex was kind of focused on her ass in her tight jeans though, and almost walked into her as she stopped at the hotdog vendor. "Three hundred hotdogs please," Kara told him seriously, making the brunette splutter a laugh. "And a couple of beers."
"Ah," the man chuckled. "Another starving, came-straight-from-work guest. Four?"
"Make it six," she said, handing her driver's license and debit card over.
The man ran the payment and handed the cards back. Then he passed Kara three hotdogs and the other three to Alex, who was hovering at her elbow. Then he handed over the two beers, which the blonde tucked in the crook of her elbow. "Enjoy. Toppings are to the right."
"Thanks," the lieutenant replied.
"Enjoy the game," the vendor grinned.
Ketchup, mustard and relish later, they were carrying their booty to their seats and settling down, watching all the people clamoring to find their seats around them.
"Wow," Alex said, eyes wide. "We're close enough to touch the players."
"Well, you probably shouldn't do that," Kara deadpanned. "That's sexual harassment." The brunette smiled and Kara suddenly wanted to see more of that. "Plus, they're really tall so you'd probably need a step ladder."
Alex played along. "To touch THAT?"
"VERY tall," the blonde nodded seriously.
"Or maybe they're just that small?"
"Doubt it," the lieutenant laughed. "You've heard the rumor about guys who wear big basketball boots."
"I've heard the rumor but never experienced it." Alex shrugged and bit into one of her hotdogs making a sound of pleasure at its flavor.
"Ah, never slept with a guy with big feet?" Kara asked casually.
"Never slept with a guy," Alex shrugged again.
Blonde eyebrows shot up. "You mean you've never..."
The brunette started laughing. "I'm not a virgin, Kara... I'm gay."
"Oh... HA!" The lieutenant laughed herself and shook her head. "Wow, I was totally wondering how someone as hot as you would be a virgin."
Alex almost choked on her bit of hotdog. "Hot?"
Kara pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened the camera app to hold it in selfie mode in front of Alex's face. "You DO see you, right?"
The older woman swatted at the phone. "Kara! Seriously!"
The woman on the other side of Alex was laughing and she leaned in a little closer. "Honestly, Hon, she's not wrong. Own it."
The brunette was blushing now, and she just stuffed her mouth full of hotdog as Kara chortled beside her.
Xx
"YES! WHHOOOOOOOO!" Alex screamed, leaping out of her chair as the Sharks made a final winning basket just as the final buzzer sounded. She turned and grabbed Kara for a hug, holding her close as the blonde laughed and hugged her back. "Thanks for letting me come tonight. This has been so awesome!" she said into the lieutenant's ear. She felt Kara's arms tighten just a little more.
"You're welcome. Thanks for helping me to take my mind off things."
They eased back and gazed at each other for a long moment as the cheering went on around them. Then Kara cleared her throat and looked away, shoving her hands into her pockets. "So, where for dinner?" Alex asked.
"How about we round off our evening of healthy eating with some pizza," the lieutenant said. "I know a place if you're game?"
"Ugh, of course I'm game, but I'm SO gonna need an extra thirty minutes in the gym tomorrow."
Kara laughed and turned to lead them toward the exit but the woman next to Alex touched her arm to catch her attention. "She's into you," she said with a grin. "Don't let her get away."
The brunette sighed wistfully. "If only that were true. Have a good evening." She followed Kara then, who was waiting for her at the end of the row with a smile on her face.
"What did she say?" the lieutenant asked curiously.
"She said you're really nice."
"Awww. That's sweet."
Once outside the arena, they walked the three blocks to the pizzeria and got a table at a window overlooking the brightly lit street. "What a game," Alex said. "I was on the edge of my seat."
"And mine," Kara chuckled. "I thought you were going to leap into my lap in excitement at one point."
The brunette grinned. "I may have underrepresented how much I love the Sharks and how excited I was to be in a courtside seat. Thank you again, Kara. I know this dinner isn't remotely enough to pay you back."
"Maybe you could take me out for dinner again then," the blonde replied softly, leaning on her forearms with blue eyes twinkling. "I'm really glad we met, Alex. It's so nice to be able to just chill with a new friend."
Just then the server arrived with two glasses of water, and it forced them to look away from each other. "Hey, Kara. The usual?" she asked.
"Hey Brook, this is Alex. She's going to choose the pie tonight."
"Hi, Alex," the young woman replied, opening her notepad and flipping to a new page. "What's it to be?"
"How about a large meat lover?" the brunette said, looking at Kara for agreement. Then she laughed as the younger woman's face lit up. "Like that idea, huh?"
"A woman after my own heart!" Kara exclaimed. "The meat lover here is amazing. And a couple of beers please, Brook."
"Coming right up, Ladies," Brook replied as she flipped her notepad shut and headed for the terminal to enter the order.
"You must be a real regular here to know the staff by name," Alex said as she sipped from her glass of water.
"Oh... no...well... yes, I'm here a lot but... Brook is my ex."
Alex blinked. "Your ex?"
Kara shrugged. "Yeah."
The brunette looked down, a little grin lifting her lips. "Oh."
The lieutenant chuckled. "Why? Surprised?"
"Kinda," Alex laughed, slightly flustered. "Sorry, I'm not sure why. I just... sorry, I shouldn't have assumed..."
"That I'm straight?"
"Something like that... yeah." Alex looked sheepishly back at her new friend. "I guess it was the whole, I have a boyfriend thing."
"Well, I kinda assumed you were a virgin for a second back there so..." The blonde looked equally sheepish.
They laughed at each other's rosy cheeks.
"Jesus. Lesson learned," the older woman said as their laughter wound down.
"So, now that THAT'S straightened... or bisexual-ed... out..." Kara laughed at her own joke, making Alex roll her eyes affectionately. "How about you tell me why YOU'RE single."
"Oh... just... drama. My last relationship didn't work out. She decided after being together for six years that she didn't want kids... and I couldn't live with that."
Kara blinked. "Alex, that's... I'm so sorry."
"We had talked about it early on, when we were together about a year, and she was enthusiastic about it. But when I turned thirty-one and wanted to start planning it, she'd changed her mind totally. It destroyed our relationship. We broke up over a year ago."
The lieutenant leaned back in her chair and blew out a long breath. "Relationships are hard."
Brook came to the table with the beer and pizza then, sitting the pie on a stand and then setting plates in front of them. "Thanks," Alex said with a smile. "Keep the beer coming please, Brook."
The server took a moment to look her over and then winked. "Sure will, Babe."
Kara rolled her eyes as she walked away. "See… that's why we broke up. She's a shameless flirt and she wants to date multiple people at the same time. I'm not sure she'll ever settle down. I'm more of a monogamist though."
"Me too," Alex admitted.
"I kinda guessed," the lieutenant smiled as she served Alex a slice and then grabbed one for herself. She took a big bite and chewed with her eyes closed, making noises of pleasure that should have been kept for the bedroom.
Alex just stared at her in total rapture. "Oh God," she murmured as her body woke up.
Blue eyes opened and Kara tilted her head in question. "What?"
"This pizza is really great," the brunette said, taking a bite herself and enjoying the flavor of the pizza on her tongue. Then she wondered what KARA might taste like on her tongue, and she had to stifle a groan. "Excuse me... bathroom break."
Alex wiped her fingers and lips and then got up, following the signs to the restroom as the throbbing between her thighs made her knees a tad shaky. Kara smiled as she watched the older woman's escape and then chuckled to herself wondering if Alex found her attractive after all. She'd had her doubts but now... She sobered a little as she rested her chin on her hand. She'd just broken up with Mike. It wasn't the right time to jump into something with Alex, despite the attraction that was clearing growing between them.
In the bathroom, the firefighter looked at herself in the mirror. "God," she groaned. "Get a grip, Alex, and calm the fuck down."
"Kara has that effect on me too," Brooks said from the stall behind her. "And yeah, she's REALLY good in bed."
And Alex just groaned again.
Xx
"Hey! We should gggo to the parkkk. I bet the duckkks are hungggry," Kara slurred as Alex guided her out of the restaurant.
"I think the ducks are as full as we are," Alex replied. "We have to get you home. Can you call an Uber... or tell me your address?"
The lieutenant took her phone out of her pocket, fumbled it a little and then squinted at the screen. "Oh no... I cccan't read," she said sadly, epic pout in place.
"That's just the beer goggles," the brunette chuckled. "Give it to me."
Kara handed her iPhone over and then leaned against Alex as she found the saved entry for home and then ordered a car. "Alright, five minutes. Let me take you home? I'm not a fan of the idea of leaving you alone, right now."
"Alex, I likkke you but I cccan't sleep with you," the younger woman said softly. "I'm not... we're..."
And Alex nodded, cupping her friend's face gently. "Shhh," she said with a smile. "I know, it's ok. Maybe we can have this conversation sometime in the future when we're both sober." Kara nodded and basically let most of her body weight slump onto her friend. The older woman held her up in strong arms. "Don't throw up on me," she warned.
Kara closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of her friend's affection. "No promises."
Xx
"Ungh..." Kara groaned as she shielded her eyes from the much too bright sunlight streaming in her bedroom window. "What the... how did I..." She lifted the bedcovers a little and was relieved to find she wasn't naked, so she sat up and looked around. Her boots were on the floor under her dressing table and her pants were folded neatly on the chair next to it, but she was still wearing her t-shirt and underwear.
Then Alex wandered into the room, two mugs of coffee in her hands. "Morning. Your couch is insanely comfortable."
Kara blinked.
"Oh... wow... you don't remember..."
"How I got home. No." Kara accepted the coffee gratefully. "I take it you were my knight in shining armor?"
The brunette grinned. "Something like that. I had to carry you up the stairs. The elevator's out."
The lieutenant groaned. "Of course, because not being sober enough to walk it myself isn't embarrassing enough."
"At least you didn't throw up on me," Alex pointed out with a shrug. "Although it was touch and go for a while there I think." She sat on the edge of the bed and her smile broadened. "I had a great time last night."
"Me too," Kara replied. "Wait... did we feed ducks?" She scratched her head as she dissected the memory.
"You made the Uber stop at the park. The driver thought it was hilarious." The older woman winked then. "I, on the other hand, thought you were adorable."
"Please don't tell anyone," the blonde whined pitifully.
Alex mimed zipping her lips. "What goes on tour, stays on tour. Promise."
Kara chuckled then. "You thought I was adorable, huh?"
"Utterly. Although you DID make it clear that we weren't going to be sleeping together."
The blonde cheeks heated. "I said that?"
"Yeah, and I wanted to remind you because you also agreed to revisiting that conversation in the near future."
Kara's face sobered. "Alex, this is not a good time to start..." She indicated between the two of them.
"No, I know," the older woman said. "We're on the same page. I just really enjoy your company."
"I'd like to go out with you again," the lieutenant said. "As friends."
"Me too. Thanks for being so honest with me."
And Kara knew that this thing... whatever it was... was shaping up to be very important to her and she didn't want to mess it up. "You deserve that."
Alex nodded and got up then. "I'll get out of your hair."
"Oh, hey," the blonde said. "Can I have your number?"
The brunette laughed. "The dreaded morning after," she said with a wicked glint in her eye. "Normally I don't give people I've had not-sex with, my number."
The lieutenant shoved her playfully. "Stop or there will be punishment."
"Ooohh promise?"
Kara flopped back onto the bed. "Dude!"
"Ok, ok!" the brunette laughed. She grabbed Kara's phone off the nightstand, pointed it at her face to unlock it, entered her number into it and texted herself. "Done." She leaned down without thinking then and kissed her friend's forehead. "See you in a couple of days."
Kara's face gentled and she caught the brunette's hand to squeeze it gently. "I can't believe I've only known you three days."
"Right?" Alex replied. "Guess we're kindreds spirits."
But as she turned and left, Kara was already missing her, and she wondered if the theory about soulmates… could actually be true.
Xx
"LADDER ONE-TWENTY-EIGHT, AID CAR ONE-TWENTY-EIGHT, REPORT OF A FIRE AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE. DOWNTOWN NATIONAL CITY. ONE-TWENTY-EIGHT MCMARTIN STREET."
"Seriously?" Kara muttered as she got into her boots, pulled her pants up and settled her braces into place. Then she grabbed her coat and got into it. "Same number as the firehouse? I don't like it."
"Are you really that superstitious?" Alex asked as she slapped the lieutenant's helmet onto her head.
"Shut up," Kara laughed. "I'm not superstitious. At least not any more than your av-er-age bear."
Alex smiled. Fuck me, she's adorable. "Riiiiiiight. I believe you, millions wouldn't!"
"C'mon," the blonde said as she hopped up into the engine. "You've known me like three months now. How on Earth can you say I'm superstitious?"
The rest of the crew we in the engine now and Lucy pointed at her. "Ladders, black cats, saying we're not busy jinxing us, the matching addressed to the firehouse number… shall I go on?"
"Don't forget the broken mirrors. That's a big one," Winn added seriously.
"Ok, fuck all Y'all!" Kara said with an indignant sniff.
"Your hill Billie is showing," Alex laughed.
"There are no hills in Kansas," the lieutenant said as the engine moved out of the bay with Brainy at the wheel. Vasquez and Johnson chortled over the radio from their aid car. "And no comments from the peanut gallery!"
Alex gazed affectionately at her friend as she set her own helmet on her head. Lane and Mores exchanged a small smile. It was getting hard to ignore the vibes between the two women.
"Alright," Captain Jones said. "ETA five minutes. Game faces."
Alex was no longer shadowing Kara, but they somehow mostly ended up together at a scene. Jonn had just gotten used to it. They were an excellent team.
The ladder engine pulled up at the construction site and the firefighters all piled out to evaluate the situation. "Hey!" a man called to them and Jonn strode toward him. "I'm Robert Nolan, the construction manager. We laid gas lines a few days ago and it seems like we have a leak somewhere. A guy cutting some rebar sparked a fire. We haven't been able to get in to evaluate where it's coming from."
"Understood," Captain Jones nodded. "Lieutenant Danvers, Lieutenant Zorel, gas leak. Get in there and find the source of the flames. We need to know where it is before we turn off the gas."
"Yes, Sir," the two women replied and jogged away toward the fire, slipping their masks on.
"Bet it's a dodgy weld," Kara said as she looked around.
"Kara…" Alex said then. "Look."
"Oh shit." The blonde keyed her mic. "Captain, we have a body in here. Going to evaluate."
They dodged through the flames, turnouts protecting them well, and crouched next to the still form of a young man. Since she couldn't feel for a pulse through her gloves, Alex pulled out a small mirror from her pocket and held it to the man's mouth. It fogged a little and she breathed a sigh of relief. "He's alive. Let's get him out of here."
"I'll take him," Kara said. "See if you can find the source of the fire." Alex nodded and a moment later, the blonde had the man slung over her shoulder and she was running as fast as she could to get him away without catching him on fire. She laid him down on a gurney and let Vas and Johnson take over. Then she keyed her mic. "Alex, you got the source?" She waited a moment. "Alex?"
Nothing.
"Lieutenant Danvers, respond please."
Jonn looked over at her and then keyed his own mic. "Lieutenant Danvers, respond."
Kara felt her stomach drop as she locked eyes with the big man. He nodded grimly and she nodded back, then turned to run back into the flames, followed by Mores and Brainy. The hoses were ready now and water rained down on her as she moved through the breeze-blocked sections of wall. It caused a lot of steam to rise around her, but she kept going until she reached the edge of the concrete floor slab. She carefully looked over and then her eyes widened as she saw Alex, lying unconscious in the dirt below. She'd fallen about twenty feet and she was unmoving.
"ALEX!" Kara screamed. "NO!"
She looked around frantically for a way down and then Brainy pointed. "There!"
The blonde nodded and ran to the unfinished steps, taking them two at the time and then leaping the gap to the ground. Seconds later she was with Alex, pulling her gloves off as she knelt next to her. "Alex, can you hear me?"
The brunette's facemask was fogged, and Kara couldn't see whether she was conscious or not… but then Alex's hand lifted, and she groaned as she tried to lift the apparatus away from her face. "Kara…"
"Take it easy," Kara said gently as she helped Alex to get some fresh air. "I've got you."
"Kara… there was… I…"
"You fell, Sweetheart. Stay still, ok?"
But the older woman shook her head groggily. "No. Pushed."
Kara was shocked to the core, and she leaned closer. "You were pushed? Are you sure?" she asked.
"Sure," the brunette said… and promptly passed out.
Kara took her limp hand and pulled her glove off, then brought it to her lips to kiss it. "Jesus Christ."
Then the others were joining her. They got Alex onto a backboard and rigged a ground hoist to lift her up to the level where the aid car was waiting. The other young man had gone to the hospital in an ambulance, so Vasquez and Johnson loaded her gently into the back.
Kara looked at Jonn, eyes welling with tears. "Go," he said gently. "Stay with her. We'll be there as soon as we can."
"Thanks," the lieutenant replied. "She's important to me…" Her voice trailed off into a whisper and Jonn smiled.
"I know."
Kara jumped into the back of the aid car with Vas, as Johnson took them to the hospital, lights and sirens blaring.
