First Responders

4

I know. It feels like ages since I've updated anything. My new job is taking up a lot more of my time. I've been working on this chapter for like two weeks! Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!


Alex was lying awake, resting comfortably propped against pillows to help support her ribs. Kara was curled on her side against her, light breathing puffing softly against the brunette's shoulder.

She wondered how her girlfriend could sleep so peacefully while Alex herself was so restless. And it really wasn't helping that the blonde's hand was under her shirt and cupping her...

The hand twitched a little and Alex swallowed hard. "You're going to be the death of me, Kara Zorel," she whispered as she eased the hand down to rest on her stomach instead. Not that she had any issue at all with her girlfriend's hand being on her breast, but she wasn't sure how Kara would feel to wake up that way. Then she chuckled a little. "Plus, you're completely missing your first time feeling me up."

"No, m'not," the blonde replied sleepily as she replaced her hand and snuggled even closer, eyes still firmly closed. "Want t'kiss you." She smiled dopily. "Too dangerous though."

"Why?" Alex asked with a grin.

"Wouldn't be able to stop there..."

"Ah." The brunette kissed her girlfriend's forehead, eyelids and nose. "Yeah, me neither." She paused and traced her fingertips down Kara's cheek. "But you and I live for danger, right?"

Blue eyes blinked open, pale in the moonlight coming in through the gaps in the blinds. "Right," the blonde replied. "I guess it'd be a shame to waste an opp..."

Then Alex was kissing her, and her eyes widened as a nip to her bottom lip made her gasp and then moan softly. "Oh God," she managed to get out as the brunette's hands pulled impatiently at her shirt, trying to yank it up. Their legs tangled... thighs pressing intimately and rocking...

KNOCK, KNOCK

"Alex, Honey?"

"No... no, seriously?" Alex groaned quietly into Kara's ear, making her laugh. "Yes, Mom? Are you ok?" she called back.

"I'm so sorry to wake you but I'm not feeling well. Do you have any Tylenol?"

"Holy cock block," Kara whispered as she straightened her shirt and then lay back, her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"You have no right to laugh, Miss Had-Your-Hand-On-My-Boob-Driving-Me-Crazy!" the brunette hissed.

"Alex?" Eliza called again.

"Coming, Mom," Alex said, sliding out of bed slowly as her ribs protested. She opened the bedroom door. "Do you need a doctor? There's an Urgent Care nearby."

"Or I can find a twenty-four-hour pharmacy, if you need something other than Tylenol?" Kara offered, joining them and leaning against the jamb.

"Sweet of you both, but it's just my stomach playing up. I'll be fine."

Alex went back to the bed to sit down and gingerly pull pants and sneakers on. "I'll go get some for you."

"Oh, Sweetie, I'm sorry," Eliza said regretfully. "I forgot to pack mine."

But the firefighter smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek. "It's no trouble, Mom, honestly. I don't want you to feel sick. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Kara, could you stay with her please?"

"Of course," the younger blonde smiled as she dropped a kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "Be careful, ok?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Alex smiled as she headed out, leaving Kara and Eliza to make their way to the kitchen.

"Are you sure you're ok, Eliza?" Kara asked gently, crouching next to the older woman as she took a seat at the kitchen table. "I'm a paramedic. If there's something you didn't want to say..."

The woman looked at the floor for a long moment. "I've been having trouble with abdominal pain for a while now. I went to the doctor and had some tests. They told me I have diverticulitis."

"Ah," Kara nodded, resting her hand on Eliza's knee. "How severe?"

"At the moment, not too bad. The doc wants me to eat more fiber and exercise more, but the Tylenol helps with the immediate pain."

"You should tell Alex," the younger blonde said with a smile. "She'd want to know."

Eliza nodded. "I will when she gets back."

"Want to get back into bed?" Kara asked. "I'll sit with you until she gets back."

"I'm sorry, Kara," the older woman said. "I didn't mean to disturb..."

"Hey... listen to me," Kara said with a smile. "You're not disturbing anyone. Family is more important than anything else, ok?"

"You're such a lovely person," Eliza replied. "And I'd love if you'd sit with me."

Xx

Alex's heart was swelling. She'd returned from the grocery store to find Eliza in bed already sleeping with her head resting against Kara's shoulder as she also snoozed lightly, sitting up against the headboard.

"Kara?" she whispered and blue eyes immediately blinked open. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she needs the painkillers. Go ahead and wake her."

Alex nodded and knelt by the bed, gently shaking her mother awake. "Mom, I've got the Tylenol."

Eliza nodded and accepted the pills and glass of water. "Thank you, Honey. I have diverticulitis and the painkillers really help. It's nothing serious, I promise. Now you two get back to sleep. I'll be fine now."

"Are you sure?" Kara asked. "We can stay with you if you'd like us to?"

"No, thank you, Darlings. Go back to bed."

With one last worried look, Alex nodded. "Ok, goodnight, Mom." Then she bumped Kara's hip. "C'mon, Daredevil."

Eliza chuckled as the two women headed back to Alex's room, Kara's quiet voice floating back to her. "You're calling me Daredevil? I'm not the one who took a nosedive off the side of a building..."

The brunette closed the bedroom door and leaned back against it silently as Kara got back under the covers and laced her fingers over her stomach. "The passion has officially been killed," the blonde said.

Alex nodded and then went to the bed to flop down face first, whimpering for reasons more than her ribs stinging. "Goddammit!"

"Do you want to take a couple of those painkillers the doc gave you?" Kara asked.

"Nah, it's ok, thanks," the older woman shrugged. "It's not that bad." She got back into bed and just lay on her back staring at the ceiling. Then she looked at her girlfriend. "What the hell, Kara? Is the whole universe conspiring against us?"

The blonde lieutenant just made a non-committal little sound.

After a moment, Alex looked at her again. "Jonn told me that the one-one-six is standing down permanently. He offered me a position at the one-two-eight. I took it."

Even in the dimness of the room, Alex could see Kara's mixed emotions, which finally gave way to a little grin.

"Epic," the blonde lieutenant replied. They chuckled softly together for a moment. "Hey, Alex?"

"Mmmm?"

"Can you tell me about that night? No one seems to know what really happened."

Alex was quiet for a long moment. "It's not a pleasant memory for me."

Kara rolled onto her side and took her girlfriend's hand, bringing it to her lips to kiss her knuckles. "I know but... can you try to tell me anyway?"

The brunette nodded but she took her hand back, fisting it against her chest as she swallowed and shook her head a little. "We were at a factory fire. Single story building, industrial textiles. The fire was raging out of control inside. Our captain told Ruiz and I to man the main hose while the rest of the team split up. Half went inside, half went up to vent the roof."

"Mmm." Kara nodded and kissed her shoulder. Alex stiffened, but then relaxed and rolled onto her side herself to look into her girlfriend's blue eyes.

"They thought they had enough time... but..." Her breathing hitched as the pain of loss stole her voice. She swallowed and took a breath. "There were barrels of dye inside... extremely flammable... and they exploded. The roof collapsed and took half the team with it. The rest of the guys inside were crushed under its weight. Ruiz and I tried to go in but... the cap wouldn't let us and by the time the other units got there and started hosing down..." She stopped, tears glittering her eyelashes in the moonlight.

"It was too late," Kara said very softly.

"The heat was so intense, it melted their turnouts and masks onto their skin," the brunette whispered. "They didn't have a chance."

"I'm so sorry," Kara said, just staying still as her girlfriend pushed her face against her shoulder, shaking silently as she cried. But then Kara threw caution to the wind and gathered Alex into her arms, holding her tightly, kissing her forehead and temple, and just being an anchor for her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again. "I'm here. Whatever you need."

Alex didn't say anything but when she finally fell asleep a while later, Kara just kept holding her, vowing silently that for as long as her girlfriend wanted her, she'd never let her go.

Xx

Alex was pouting epically. She was standing at the railing overlooking the vehicle bay and she scowled as her girlfriend managed to wave at her while super-speeding into her turnouts and boots. The alarm was wailing overhead, and the brunette crossed her arms. "I fucking HATE desk duty," she muttered. But when Kara's face fell and her eyebrows lifted, Alex told herself to get a grip and managed to smile and blow her a kiss. It was worth it for the beaming smile she got back though, and she chuckled as the blonde lieutenant leapt into the engine, leaving her with two thumbs up.

"Jesus, Alex," Jonn said as he sidled up beside her. "Someone steal your favorite toy?"

Brown eyes blinked. "Essentially yes!" she exclaimed. "You took away my fire engine!"

Captain Jones rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Oh my God, you and Zorel are like two peas in a pod. Alright, alright, take one of the SUVs but Alex you're in a supervisory role only. You are not to even get near to that fire, you hear me?"

Alex was already bounding down the stairs to grab her coat and helmet. "Scouts' honor, Sir!"

"Right," Jonn muttered doubtfully as he headed back to his office.

Ten minutes later, Alex was pulling up at the scene, her expert eye taking in the situation. Without Captain Jones there, Kara was in command, and she was striding from position to position, calling out orders.

"What are you doing here?" Brainy asked as he walked by with a hose. "I thought you were on desk duty."

"I was... I am," Alex replied with a shrug. "The captain took pity on me."

"Ah..." the engineer chuckled. "Yeah, I hate desk duty too. The lieutenant is about to go in if you want to catch her before she goes?"

The brunette shook her head. "I don't want to distract her."

Brainy saluted as he walked backward away from her and then jogged to the hydrant to connect the hose. Alex watched as Kara briefed the team. "Three story town home. Neighbors haven't seen the family, so we don't know for sure who's inside. Bedrooms are on the top floor. It's a family of four, two adults, two kids. Move it!"

Then they all ducked reflexively as the windows on the second floor shattered, raining glass down into the small front yard. Kara shook her head. "Double time it!"

Vasquez and Johnson were standing by at the aid car while Lane, Schott, Dox and Kara fixed their masks and gear in place and headed inside. Brainy led the way, opening the hose as he inched forward, spraying down the walls, ceiling and floor and giving the other firefighters space to search.

Kara went for the stairs with Lucy behind her as Winn searched the first floor. "National City Fire Department!" she yelled. "Can anyone hear me? Call out if you can!"

The smoke was thick, and she shook her head as she felt Lucy's hand on her arm, rather than being able to make her face out. "I'll keep going up, Lieutenant."

"Be careful, Luce." Kara continued walking the floor. It was a spacious open plan living room, dining room, kitchen layout. She didn't see anyone, but then she froze as sudden and ferocious growling came from ahead of her. "Uh oh," she murmured. "Ok, nice doggy."

The dog was big, and he was obviously terrified. He barked at her and then lunged aggressively. She put her hands up to protect herself, but he caught her glove between sharp teeth and tugged hard, pulling her forward and almost causing her to lose her balance. "Goddammit, Dog!" she exclaimed, letting her hand slip out of the glove and tucking it under her arm as she immediately felt the heat. Then she hit her radio. "Zorel," she said. "I'm about to get eaten by the family pet. Need backup. Second floor."

"First floor clear, on my way," Winn responded.

The fire was getting closer to Kara and the dog, and she was glad there was no one else there but then she heard Lucy's, slightly staticky voice over the radio. "I found the family. They're all huddled together in one of the kids' rooms. I'm gonna need help."

Kara sighed. "Sorry, Dog," she said and ran at him, causing him to drop her glove and yelp in surprise as he backed away. "Winn, get the dog out if you can," she said as Schott appeared at the top of the stairs. "I'm going to help Lucy with the family."

"Ten-four, Lieutenant," Winn replied, so Kara bounded up the stairs, cursing as she realized she'd left her glove behind. It was hotter on the third floor, and she was careful not to touch anything with her bare skin.

She quickly found Lucy, who was passing her oxygen mask around each of the family members to help them breathe. "Lieutenant, can you take the kids?"

Kara nodded and got down on one knee. "Hi Kids, I'm Kara, let's get you out of here, ok?"

The terrified children nodded and, as Lucy replaced her mask, Kara wrapped her arms around both kids and lifted them into her arms. They clung to her like monkeys, faces buried against her shoulders as she headed for the hallway. Lucy and the adults were right behind her but as she took the first few steps down the stairs, they groaned ominously under her.

"Kara," Lane said nervously.

"Move, now," Kara responded and picked up her pace. "Shit," she muttered. "Don't you do it, stairs."

They managed to make it to the second floor, where Winn was still grappling with the dog, but when the animal saw its owners, it calmed down and ran to them, leaving Winn to roll his eyes and shrug.

It was a soot laden, rag tag party that made its way down the last flight of stairs but, the steps groaned again, and Kara's eyes widened as she felt movement underneath her feet.

"GOGOGO!" she yelled, leaping with the kids in her arms as the wood underneath her feet began to collapse and flames licked at her, burning her bare hand and making her cry out as she landed and rolled, taking the children with her and squashing them a little as they came to a stop. She scrambled up and carried them out of the way as Lucy, Winn, the parents and a very unimpressed dog made the leap too and then followed her out the front door and into the yard.

"Fuck," Kara groaned, biting her lip as she looked at her hand and shook it out reflexively. "Dammit."

"Hey," Alex's hands were suddenly on her. "Let me see that." The palm was uninjured but the burns on the back of the blonde's hand were already blistering.

"What are you... never mind. Take care of the family first," Kara said, gritting her teeth against the pain. She could see they were burned a little too, but thankfully, the kids were both ok.

"Johnson and the other ambulance crew are taking care of them," Alex said gently. "Let Vasquez look at this, ok?"

Her eyes met the Latina's as Kara surrendered. "I don't think it's too bad," the lieutenant said. "Just hurts like a motherfucker."

"You're right," Vas chuckled. "You were lucky."

"It's the dog's fault," Kara joked. "He wanted to wear my glove."

But Alex was upset... too upset to see anything as funny, as the memory of losing her team overwhelmed her a little. She straightened and shook her head, watching as Vasquez treated the burns and obsessing on the fact that a stairway collapse could have taken her girlfriend away from her.

Kara noticed and her heart jolted. "Lieutenant Danvers, can you make sure the kids are ok, please?"

"But..." Alex paused as she saw the lift of her girlfriend's eyebrows.

"Vasquez has this, please check on the kids."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The brunette went to check on the family as Vas carefully bandaged Kara's burns with light gauze. "It's hard when someone you care about gets hurt," the Latina said softly, a little grin lifting her cheeks.

"Yeah," Kara agreed. Then she cleared her throat. "Do I need to go to the E.R.?"

"Nah," Vas replied. "I can just treat it for you at the station if that's ok with you?"

"That'd be great," the blonde lieutenant replied. "It'll be easier on Alex."

"You two finally got your shit together, huh?" the Latina said teasingly. "You seem really happy."

"Our shit is officially together, yes," Kara laughed. "That obvious, huh?"

"You're really good together. You can't hide stuff like that."

"Lieutenant Zorel," Dox said as he crouched next to her, the head of the hose looped over his arm. "The fire is out."

"Good job, Guys," Kara smiled as the rest of the team gathered around her. "Let's call in the investigators to see what's what."

"Hand ok?" Winn asked, wincing a little in sympathy.

"Still attached," the lieutenant confirmed. "Best outcome really."

Alex, who had just joined them, snorted and crossed her arms but didn't say anything.

"Alright, guys," Lucy said. "Let's clean up and pack up."

Kara straightened and looked at her girlfriend as the others dispersed. "Whatever it is, just say it."

"No, because it's not going to make any difference, Kara."

"Alex, get it out. Don't be shy," the blonde lieutenant prompted.

"Ok, look. We're firefighters and we have a fucking dangerous job. I've just never dated a firefighter before, ok? I've never experienced…" The brunette pulled her helmet off and ran a hand through her hair. "Is this how you felt when you found me after the fall?"

"Like I was going to have a damn heart attack? Like I couldn't breathe? Yeah, pretty much."

Alex was silent for a long moment. Then she moved closer and lowered her voice. "I want to kiss you so badly right now."

Blue eyes twinkled. "Me too, but we have to wait."

"I know," the brunette sighed. "Are you ok? Are you going to the E.R.?"

"Nah, it's not that bad. Vas will fix me."

Alex nodded. "Ok, if you're sure."

"Honey, I'm fine. Trust me. The painkillers are already kicking in."

And with a wink back over her shoulder, Kara went to see how the kids were doing for herself.

Xx

"So, did she actually stay back like I asked her to?" Captain Jones asked as Kara dropped tiredly into his guest chair.

"Who? Danvers?" Kara asked.

"Yeah, I told her she could only go if she stayed back."

The lieutenant chuckled. "I didn't even know she was there until after we got the family out of the house so, yeah, she followed orders, Sir."

"Good. I've been thinking a lot about things, Lieutenant Zorel. I've just been informed that I'm to be promoted to battalion chief and I want you to replace me as captain here, so you'd better get going on that captain's exam."

Kara stood and offered him her hand. "Firstly, congratulations, Sir. Secondly, thank you for your faith in me. I won't let you down."

"You never have, Zorel," Jonn replied with a smile as he shook it.

"So," Kara added as she took her seat again. "That puts us in a bit of a situation. Normally, I would have moved Winn up to lieutenant but with Danvers here..."

"I think you should move him up anyway. Let Schott and Danvers share like you and she are doing currently."

"Ok, Sir. I'll register for the captain's exam and suggest that Winn should try the lieutenant's exam."

"Good deal," Jonn nodded. Then he held up a hand. "Oh... the rumor mill told me that you and Alex are together. How true is it?"

Kara shoved her hands into her pockets. "It's true," she replied honestly.

The man nodded. "Ok, good. Just..."

"Keep it out of the station, yes, Sir," Kara stated as she got up and sauntered out of the room, casting a little smile back over her shoulder.

"How's the hand?" Jonn called after her.

"Still works!" Kara called back with a chuckle.

She ambled along the hallway and pushed open the door of the locker room. It was the end of her shift, and she was tired after her various stunts that day, so she sat down on a bench to pull her boots off and undress for her shower.

A moment later, Lucy came in with a plastic bag for her. "Hey, saw you come in. Thought you might need this to cover your bandage."

"Thanks," Kara smiled. "Tape it on for me?"

"Finish undressing first," Lucy grinned. "That'd be hard one-handed. Washing your hair will too actually."

"I'll wash it for her," Alex said as she leaned against the door jamb. Her face was impassive, but her eyes were twinkling. "Girlfriend duty."

Lane's grin broadened. "I see. We're public now, are we?"

The brunette lieutenant just shrugged. "Everyone seems to already know anyway."

"It's impossible to keep secrets in a firehouse," Kara chuckled as she finished unbuttoning her shirt and slipped out of it. "Thanks, Luce."

"No worries, let me know if you need anything else."

Lane slipped past Alex, who came into the room then and took a seat next to her girlfriend.

"Jonn was impressed that you followed orders and stayed out of the fire today," the blonde said.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I do try to follow orders," she replied with a shrug. "But sometimes they just don't hold up in the moment."

"I know," Kara agreed. She took a breath then. "I got more news today. Jonn is moving up to battalion chief and he wants me to take the captain's exam so I can take over here."

"Honey, that's amazing!" the brunette replied, a huge smile lighting her face. "Congratulations."

"I have to pass first," the younger woman said.

Alex laughed softly. "C'mon, Kara. You can pass this with your eyes closed."

"We'll see. There's budget and staffing crap so I'll have to brush up on that."

"Is it later yet? Can I kiss you?" Alex asked.

Blonde eyebrows lifted. "I promised Jonn we'd keep this out of the station, but how about we skip the shower here and go to my place for one?"

Alex sighed. "As much as that sounds amazing, it's Mom's last night here. I should spend it with her."

"Of course," Kara said with a smile. "Can I stop by to say goodbye to her?"

"Sure, she'd love that," the brunette said. Then she laughed a little. "I honestly think she likes you more than me."

"Well, I AM charming, and mothers do normally love me," the lieutenant replied with a little grin. "Except for Mike's," she added then. "I'm pretty sure she thought her precious son was too good for me."

"Meh... bullshit," Alex groused. "So how about you just come home with me now? We can shower and have a send-off dinner for Mom."

"Sounds like a plan," Kara agreed. She quickly got into her civilian clothes as Alex changed too and then they headed out, hand in hand, chatting amiably as they headed for Kara's truck.