The windows were down in the cab of Squad 10. Johnny's head practically hung out the window, either trying to dry off, or escape the overpowering smell of stagnant hydrant water, sweat, and the chemical smell of foam. "Did you hear?" his partner, Tony Freeman, asked. Johnny briefly retracted his head from the window and shook his head. "Deke's getting promoted."

John pulled his head in, fully invested. "Really?"

"He passed his tests right before you got here, it was only a matter of time."

Gage nodded, "He'll be a good Captain."

Conversations stopped as Tony drove. Squad 10 was out of service at the moment. They, and the rest of their station, were coming back from a fire, soaked, dirty, and tired.

"You know where he's going?" Johnny questioned. Tony was pretty close with Harver's Captain, surely he knew.

He did, "Some new station, only has an engine and squad assigned to it right now," Tony said as he contemplated the seemingly impossible small firehouse compared to their own.

"That's different," Gage agreed, thinking of their current station with a Chief, Tower, Engine, and of course, the squad.

"Gage," Tony said, turning to look, "Deke hasn't officially announced it."

"Okay," Johnny shrugged, he wasn't surprised Tony knew before everyone else.

"We're throwing a surprise potluck on his last shift,"

"What can I bring?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you about," he wanted to warn his highly strung partner, "Pincey has a sign up sheet hidden in his desk, so when he asks you to come in his office, that's what for."

Understanding lit Gage's eyes, when Captain Pince eventually called him into the office, he wasn't in trouble. "Thanks for the heads up." They turned onto the busy street the station was on. As Tony hit the button for the door and flipped the squad lights on, John asked, "When's his last day?"

"Next shift," Tony answered matter-of-factly.

"Huh," Johnny said as he closed his door, stopping traffic so Tony could back into the station.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Hey, everyone," Engineer Deke Harver said, getting the attention of C shift before they all left. Everyone, two Captains, a Chief, two rescue men, two linemen, and two truckers, all looked up expectantly, some knowingly. "I just wanted to tell you all that, next shift is my last shift." The entirety of C shift clapped, they knew why, it wasn't a secret but a matter of time. Captain Pince, smiled excitedly, but sadly, he was losing his engineer.

"Where's your first assignment?" one of the linemen asked.

"16, it's a new station north of the city," Harver answered.

"Far away from any brass I see," Battalion Chief Haber said with a smile, "I see what you did there," he added with a twinkle in his eye. "You'll make a great Captain, Captain," Haber said, moving forward to shake Deke's hand. One by one, the rest of C shift followed Chief Haber's example.

"You're not rid of me yet, I'll be back next shift," Haber promised with a smirk as he shook the last hand.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Next shift found Johnny checking out the squad before roll call. It felt like any other shift, and Johnny couldn't tell if he should feel guilty about that. It was Deke Harver's last shift as an engineer.

"Morning," Tony said, joining his partner at the squad. Johnny nodded, remaining silent. Tony raised an eyebrow, "Cat got your tongue?" he asked the normally talkative man. He wasn't surprised the newly minted rescue man was early, in fact, he hadn't been late once.

"No," John said, "Just thinking."

Tony smirked and walked around the squad, opening a compartment, "That's a dangerous profession ya know."

Gage raised an eyebrow, "And this isn't?" Tony shrugged. "I was just thinking of the juxtaposition of me and Harver is all," Johnny admitted.

Freeman blinked, "Jesus boot, calm down with your SAT words over there."

John rolled his eyes at the mention of boot, but he couldn't dismiss it, it was his only seventh shift as a rescue man at his station. "I just mean, I come in, and he leaves is all," Johnny clarified.

Tony shrugged again, not put out at the thought. He had been in the fire department for years, people always moved around. Not able to put his thoughts into words, he grunted and bent down to check out the squad.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

"Tower 10 to command," the radio squawked.

John, who had the radio in his pocket, ignored it, they weren't calling for them. Instead, he said to his partner, "This room's clear Tony!" he projected behind his facepiece. They were downtown in a cramped apartment building that was trying to burn down, despite the valiant efforts to put it out.

"Let's head up to the fourth floor!" Tony said, after he cleared his room. Gage nodded, not wanting to waste his air, they were tasked with the important job of search, and if needed, rescue.

"Command to HT 10," Captain Pince called from their radio. John pulled it out his turnout pocket and replied. "Reports of a missing child on the fifth floor. Back right of the building."

The two shared a look, "Let's go," Tony ordered.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Gage had the kid they were searching for thrown over his shoulder, his facepiece over the child's face. "Can we make it down?" He asked Tony, who was leading the trio out.

Tony paused at the foot of the staircase, "We're gonna try," he said without confidence. They successfully made it down two floors, before the heat of the floor beneath them engulfed them, the heat waves visible. John coughed and instinctively stepped back. "That's all she wrote!" Tony called, backtracking.

Since Gage was carrying the toddler, Freeman had taken the radio and was currently updating Captain Pince, who had command. "Let's get to that window!" Gage suggested, backing further away from the flames and heat.

"Command to Engine 10," Captain Pince's voice blared through the radio after hearing their predicament. The two rescue men listened intently. Once their engine responded, they heard Command ask, "Can you spare a man to throw a ladder to the back corner? We have two trapped men and a victim."

"Engine 10, we're sending someone right now," Harver's voice replied. Hearing the engineer's voice didn't surprise them, it was still early in the fire, only the initial dispatch was there, and Chief Haber hadn't arrived yet either.

Gage and Freeman were both silent as they waited, wondering who was free at the engine to send. Harver was operating the pump panel for the two linemen actively flowing water, and Captain Pince was Command. The snorkel company was spilt into two between gaining access to the various locked rooms in the apartment building, and venting the roof.

"It can only be Harver," Gage thought as he shielded the child from the window Tony was breaking.

"Surely it's not Pincey?" Tony asked as he used his helmet to get rid of the glass jutting out around the edges of the window frame.

"I thought it'd be Harver," John said, amused at their opposing thoughts, "Cap has command."

Their conversation came to an end when a ladder suddenly appeared in the window. "Now we're talking!" Tony said, a relieved look on his face. Johnny coughed, but was smiling. To their surprise, Harver's face greeted them. "Deke?" Tony blinked.

"Couldn't let you two have all the fun on my last day huh?"

"Fair," Tony said with a grin. He reached out to Gage for the kid so that Johnny could replace his face piece. Tony held the child, until Harver indicated he was ready. Stepping closer to the window, Johnny looked out. A rumble shook the building, causing all three men to lose their footing. The rescue men's eyes bulged as Deke's head dropped out of view. Gage reacted, and grabbed Harver's quickly falling hand. He stuck his head out the window to see the damage, just as Deke found his footing again.

"All the fun huh?" Johnny said while Harver steadied his step and gripped the window, his knuckles white.

"Yeah, all the fun…" Deke trailed off. Then nodded at Tony, indicating he was ready, opening his arms for the rescued child.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The fire was out, the toddler and parents were at the hospital. Everyone was cleaning up, except Johnny, who was sitting on the pump panel running board of the engine, with an oxygen mask on his face. He had been ordered down by Captain Pince, as John couldn't say a single sentence without a cough. John rolled his eyes at the order, but was thankful otherwise. He was happy the kid was safe, despite the cost to him, it was just a little smoke.

"Hey kid," Harver said, joining him on the roomy running board. Harver leaned back without looking, expertly avoiding all the uncomfortable pump levers, knowledge only one intimate with an engine could have. "You doin' alright?" John nodded, allowing the oxygen to continue cooling his lungs. The atmosphere between the two then suddenly changed, it was charged. Johnny sat up straighter, not knowing whether he should stay or bolt, ready for either. "Just wanted to say thanks for earlier," Deke said, looking at the smoldering apartment building.

John relaxed, he didn't need to bolt. He pulled the oxygen mask down from his face, "Hey now," he said with his crooked grin, "I couldn't just leave ya hanging."

Two Years Later

"How ya feeling Gage?" Tony asked from the driver's side of the squad, leaning on the hood. It was John's last shift at 10 before he was reassigned to station 51.

"Mmm," Gage replied, not really sure how he was feeling. The past couple months had gone by in a blur, between going to paramedic class, his regular shifts at the station, doing shifts in the hospital, studying, and test taking.

"Are you done testing and whatnot?" Freeman asked, still confused as to how this 'paramedic thing' was going to work.

"Yeah," Gage answered, moving away from Tony's gaze.

Tony followed, "But you're not allowed to use it yet?"

"Nope," Gage said cynically. "Not until it's a law."

"But they're still moving ya?" Freeman asked. He wasn't going to lie, he didn't want Gage to get reassigned. He was proud of his boot moving up in the world, but this was the longest partnership he had ever had. He didn't want to start all over.

"Yeah," John echoed himself. "51's new squad and a couple others are all decked out with the medical stuff, so when it does pass," John said with false confidence, "We're ready to go." He smiled faintly, when he got his official transfer paperwork he learned he was actually going to be partnered with Roy DeSoto. He hadn't taken Roy's passing comment seriously. John picked up his helmet and fondly looked at the 10 sticker. "Didn't think I'd be adding another sticker to my collection quite yet," John admitted.

Tony nodded. It was always a bittersweet moment when people left stations. "You've come a long way, boot," Tony said with a smirk, using Gage's older nickname before he earned his keep. "Remember when you used to jump to attention whenever Chief Haber walked in?" Tony asked.

Johnny shrugged, determined to not let Tony think he was getting to him. Redirecting the conversation from emotions, "I wonder how he's been doing since retirement?" John asked. It worked, the two's thoughts wandered safely away from John's last 24 hours. After going through a bag, Gage grumbled. "Why does B shift never bother to untangle the ropes, I don't get it Tony," he started ranting as he dumped the entire contents of the bag on the ground, Tony just smiled.

"Roll call in 10!" Captain Pince yelled from the bottom of the firepole, so everyone in the locker rooms could hear. There were various shouts of response and the sound of hustling feet could be heard from upstairs. Tony smirked, normally that was Johnny as of late, always running 'Just on time'. Expect today, Tony frowned, when he walked in early that morning, Gage was there too, cleaning out his locker.

"So what does 51 have?" Tony asked as he shut a door and walked over to John, who was sitting amidst their collection of tangled ropes.

"An engine and a squad," Johnny replied.

"That'll be different," Tony said, feeling a touch of deja vu.

"Less brass," Johnny said with a smile.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

John was belaying down a steep drainage canal, Tony at his feet. "Ten feet to go Gage!" Tony hollered up. John looked back up at the group of firefighters above him, feeling small in the ditch, shadowed under the tall skyscrapers of LA. "I'm at the bottom!" Tony announced. At the bottom was an unfortunate cyclist who wasn't paying attention and biked off the sidewalk. Johnny's paramedic brain itched to be used, but he couldn't, he didn't even have equipment. "Get an ambulance on the double!" He yelled to the top after raking a single look over the cyclist. There was a wave from up top as the stokes basket was getting lowered down.

John walked up to the prone patient, Tony was already trying to untangle the bike that was laying on top of the poor man. "How's he look Gage?" he asked, cursing under his breath when the bike's gears caught on the cyclists clothes.

"Not good," John stoically replied. A clatter interrupted Gage's assessment of the man, the stokes had been lowered down.

"I'm good here," Tony said, freeing his partner. John noticed he had given up untangling the clothes and was cutting them off. With a smirk, Gage nodded and jogged to grab the stokes.

"Watch his spine when we move him," Gage murmured, wishing he could do something, thankful the man was at least breathing.

When the victim was back at ground level and whisked away to an ambulance, Tony and Gage started their climb up. The wall face was smooth cement, no place for foot or hand holds, "I guess we'll pull ourselves up," Tony grumbled. Between the team pulling him and Tony climbing the rope, he made it up in no time. John attached his harness to the line next, getting ready to retrace his partner's steps.

Midway, he paused to catch his breath. Suddenly, his line gave way with a snap and he felt himself falling. A panicked shout came from above, "The line!" As he fell, he frantically searched for any cracks he could get a handhold in. Not finding anything, and with no way to stop himself, he prepared for his painful landing. It never came, but instead an abrupt stop, strong enough to knock the breath out of him. "GAGE!" a terrified and strained voice yelled.

Willing his diaphragm to start working again, he forced out, "I'm alright!" He gave himself a few breaths to calm his heart before he started again. When Gage neared the top, a familiar face greeted him. Johnny didn't immediately look at the man's face because what was in the man's hands caught his attention. The end of a frayed rope. Once he had crested the top and swung his legs over, he finally looked up at the man holding his life line, "Well if it isn't Captain Harver!" he said with a smile. Deke clasped Johnny's shoulder before he dropped the rope. "Thanks," Johnny breathily said.

Harver chuckled loudly, dispelling his stress, "I heard you were moving up to 51's, not going six feet under, Gage," pulling Johnny further away from the edge.

Johnny took Harver's hint and stood up, increasing his distance. Unbuckling his harness, he looked at the rope rigging set up behind Harver, immediately recognizing the problem. The turnout gear he put between his rope and the brief stretch of metal railing had shifted, causing his line to rub against the rusted rail, fraying it. "You have good reflexes," was all Johnny said after observing the scene.

"I was standing close," Harver explained. "Glad I was too," he added.

"No kidding," Johnny said seriously, kneeling down and picking up the other end of the completely frayed rope.

"Can't lose one of our brand new paramedics now could we?" Deke said, causing Johnny to smile, not surprised Deke knew, he was a Captain after all.

John shook Deke's hands, "Thanks again Cap," he acknowledged Harver again.

"Hey now," Deke said with a smile, "I couldn't just leave ya hangin' now could I?"