Summary: Edward is fresh out of the Fire Academy and gets hired to the hottest fast paced fire department in the Seattle area meeting the closest tight nit fire family there is. Only they will help him get through the darkness he harbors from his past and see what's in store for his future. Perhaps a brown eyed beauty with a past of her own will help him along the way to becoming the firefighting hero of his dreams. Rated M for fire and medical situations you probably never thought you would know and of course – maybe some of the citrus variety along the way.

A/N: Hello my awesome readers, and new readers – welcome. This is my new story so let me tell you a few things, so PLEASE READ THIS AUTHORS NOTE. This is a firefighting story – I will not be glossing over anything regarding firefighting. I personally went through the Fire Fighter I academy and EMT course, my husband is a firefighter, all of our friends are fire fighters – I am sure you catch my drift. I will go into detail about things when they are fighting a fire and medical calls and I probably will use terminology and slang for firefighting the average person doesn't know. Now, I will try my hardest to explain myself or give small descriptions at the end of the chapters, but please if you are at anytime confused or need a better understanding – just PM me and I will gladly answer all your questions. Also, for those of you who know some things about firefighting – I will be adapting things to work for my story and how I need it to go, please just understand that its fiction and it's just for fun. You guys might also notice some things you've seen in popular fire movies and I might borrow some ideas for fun. I will also be using real life experiences and adapting them to this story as well. Other than that….enjoy….

Oh yeah, and at the start of each chapter I will put a quote, poem, facts etc that are fire related and have something to do with that chapter. I hope you enjoy them.

Thanks to my wonderful beta LittleLea05

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to S. Meyer, this story line belongs to me…..

Fireman's Prayer

When I'm called to duty god
wherever flames may rage,
give me strength to save a life
whatever be its age.

Help me to embrace a little child
before it is too late,
or save an older person from
the horror of that fate.

Enable me to be alert
to hear the weakest shout
and quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.

I want to fill my calling and
to give the best in me,
to guard my neighbor and
protect his property.

And if according to your will
I have to lose my life,
bless with your protecting hand
my children and my wife.

-Author Unknown

Chapter 1 – The Interview

Edward POV

Be on time. I have got to be on time. I eased the pedal down a little harder in my Toyota Tacoma as I raced through the streets of Seattle. I was pushing my truck as hard as I could trying to get through traffic. "Come on" I shouted at my dash board as I thumped my hand against the steering wheel. This interview would determine the rest of my life and I am not going to let anything stop me. I can't let anyone stop me. This had been my one and only dream since I was a little kid. Ever since I met those firefighters on that unfortunate day – I wanted this, I needed this to be able to move on. It was my last hope.

I craned my neck out the window trying to see past the puttering little sea foam green car in front of me so I could pass. I was ten minutes away and my interview started in fifteen minutes. If by the grace of god I could get there early enough maybe I could calm down and regain some semblance of a 'calm cool collected Edward' instead of the 'I'm so nervous I'm gonna piss myself Edward'. I saw my opening and quickly pushed the pedal to the floor pulling around the little car and screaming through the other lane and in front of him again just in enough time to have to stop at a red light. "Dammit." I sat back in my seat and strummed my hands impatiently against the wheel.

Five minutes later I was pulling up to the Seattle Fire Department headquarters. I turned off the engine and sat back. Oh man, this was actually happening. Years of fire fighting training and months of prepping for this interview has left me with a nervous ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed my leather bound notebook out of my front seat that had a copy of all my certifications, my college transcripts, my resume and my letter of recommendations from both my fire academy captain and the dean of my college. I had ten copies of each one stapled together ready to hand to each of my interviewers. I didn't know how many fire chiefs and captains would be interviewing me but I hopefully had enough copies for each one. "Always be prepared and have your papers organized." I could hear Captain Fuller from the academy's voice in my head which was not helping in one tiny bit with the turmoil in my stomach.

I straightened my black tie as I made my way towards the entrance to the building. I dressed semi formal today trying to be respectful. Black slacks, white shirt and a black tie. I tried to tame my hair this morning but it had fallen back into its usual disarray. I stepped through the doors and up to the receptionists' desk, tensely looking around. The girl behind the counter didn't look up from her desk as she spoke, "Interview waiting room is down the hall and on the left. You can wait where all the others are waiting; just make sure to sign the sheet." She snapped her gum and turned the page of her magazine. It was almost like she stepped right out of a bad comedy where they portrayed receptionists as nothing but dumb blondes – she obviously fit that stereotype well.

"Um…thanks." I replied kindly. She may fit that dumb blonde stereotype but I need to be careful whose feet I stepped on today because it could end up being the ass I have to kiss tomorrow - unfortunately. She looked up quickly at the sound of my voice, smiled and immediately stopped popping her gum. She opened her mouth to say something more to me but I just smile politely and walked away. I didn't have time for this. I pulled open the door and was assaulted by the sight of seven other guys standing around nervously waiting too. I signed in quickly with the guy in uniform and he informed me that they were delayed in starting the interviews so there was going to be a thirty-five to forty minute wait before my time in. Great, all that fast driving and being afraid of being late and now I get to sit here and stew on what could happen behind those closed doors.

I glanced around the room and took stock of the other guys in there. From what I understood, some 250 guys were called in to interview to fill only five positions across the greater Seattle area. This was a high stakes game and I wasn't about to gamble my life away on the boneheads in this room. Most the guys in the room were not dressed appropriately for an interview in my opinion anyway. Jeans and t-shirts, shorts and sandals are not going to get you hired. The fire department was kind enough to offer refreshments as we waited but I knew better than to touch those. I was nervous enough as it was, I didn't need to add the need to use the restroom or the jitteriness of coffee to it. No thank you.

I sat quietly in a corner and kept to myself as guys left and new ones were called in. Each guy that left looked even more pale and sick then they had when they walked in. A few more guys showed up in the course of twenty minutes waiting to be interviewed like me. I looked over my materials to review and made sure I was completely ready for this. I eagerly waited as the time slowly ticked by. I thought back to a week ago to keep my mind occupied.

I had just graduated from the University of Seattle with my Bachelor of Science in Fire Behavior and just completed my Firefighter II Academy. I had finished both in a record time. Now I was twenty-three and on my own with a degree that I couldn't apply to anything but firefighting. I needed this interview to go right. I could always find another firefighting job in a smaller city but Seattle Fire Department had been my dream and I wouldn't settle for less. Plus, I needed to stay close to home for my father.

"Edward Masen?" I heard my name spilt through the quiet still room. A couple eyes snapped to me and I slowly stood up and walked to the door. I shook the gentlemen's hand as he led the way into another room. As soon I reached the double doors I froze to compose myself. I ran a hand through my hair, checked my tie and took a deep breath. I can do this. I stepped through the doors and paled as I looked ahead. Sitting around a half circular table were three of the oldest chiefs in the department and two guys around my dad's age sitting in their full uniforms all looking at me. Sitting directly in front of them was a single chair and a small table like you would see in high school detention. Fuck.

I stepped forward and patiently waited for them to begin. "Don't speak until spoken too. Don't introduce yourself until they do and don't sit until instructed too." Captain Fuller's voice rang out in my head again. So I stood there and patiently waited for them to begin. They shuffled some of the papers sitting in front of them into separate files without so much as a look or a smile at me. Soon the guy on my right introduced himself.

"Mr. Masen, I am Captain Cullen, to my right is Battalion Chief Marks, Chief Elliot, Deputy Chief Whitson and Captain Laforti." I quickly stepped forward gave them each a firm hand shake and their own copy of all my paperwork. I stepped back and waited for further instruction.

Chief Elliot was a balding man with a jet black mustache with long thin salt and pepper colored hair pulled back in a low pony tail. He was sitting in the direct middle of the half moon table and cleared his throat, "You may take a seat Mr. Masen." I sat down quickly and sat up straight. I looked around and watched each of them as they flipped through my paperwork and made little notes. Some of them leaned over to each other to whisper comments and ask questions. The silence was deafening and I had to wonder if they used this as a scare tactic.

"Mr. Masen…" Chief Whitson's voice rang out in the room. He pulled his glasses off his aging face and set them down as he looked up at me. He smiled and I felt comforted by it. "Your qualifications are impressive I must say. I believe just a few question should suffice our curiosity today." He made a quick note on my paperwork before he looked up again. "Besides the necessary course work, what other preparations have you done to become a firefighter?"

I thought for a few seconds before fully answering his question. I just needed to make sure my voice didn't waver and give me away. "I grew up in a large city and met my first firefighter when I was seven. From then on it was my aspiration to become just like him. When I was fifteen my family moved to Port Angeles. When I was old enough to drive I joined the local volunteer station there. I took first responder and CPR and then directly started making trips to Seattle after school to attend their Emergency Medical Technician course at the university. By the age of eighteen I had been volunteering for three years at the department working there every chance I got when I wasn't at school. I left for college soon after but my volunteer status did not cease. I have been heavily engrossed in the fire atmosphere for the past eight years and plan on doing it for the next thirty." I made sure to keep eye contact with each of the interviewers as I answered the question. Their stillness was really starting to get to me.

They all paused for a moment to make notes. The sound of their pens scratching on the papers was the only thing you could hear; short of the blood rushing through my ears as my heart pumped wildly. Chief Elliot, Chief Marks and Captain Laforti fired off numerous questions over the course of the next twenty minutes. I wanted to laugh out loud at Chief Whitson's remark of 'Just a few questions'. I felt like I was literally getting the third degree. But I answered them all in that cool calm collected manner even though on the inside I was still scared shitless and on the verge of pissing myself.

Finally, as if it all came down to his decision alone, Captain Cullen asked me his one and only question. "Mr. Masen, There is a lot of competition for this position, why should we hire you?" I could feel his piercing blue eyes bore into me with such intensity; he made me more nervous than the chiefs sitting in front of me, if that was at all possible. But there was something about him that seemed good natured and almost fatherly. He was probably an amazing captain and I'm sure his men respected him unwaveringly.

But how in the hell do I answer this question? It's not like I can just say, 'Because you have to. I'm better than all those other guys. Please just do it.' No matter how much I wanted this job I couldn't act like an ass. I needed to come up with a standard answer of why I am better without dogging on all the other guys and without making myself look bad in the process.

"You should hire me because of my strength and dedication to the fire service. I follow through with everything I start; I'm loyal and responsible. I don't take things for granted and I apply myself whole heartedly to what I am pursuing. I'm an honest, dependable hard working man that would be an invaluable member for your department. Give me the chance to prove it to you and you will not be disappointed." There that sounded good…right? I watched anxiously as each man started writing feverishly on my paperwork. All I can do his hope that I impressed them enough to consider me. I could just pray that they think about me.

Captain Cullen cleared his throat and looked up at me again. "Thank you Mr. Masen for coming in for this interview. We will be reviewing all of our notes over the next several days and you will be hearing from one of us by early next week."

I quickly stood and walked over to them shaking each one of their hands. "Thank you gentlemen for giving me the opportunity to speak with you today. I greatly appreciate it. You have a good day." I turned and gingerly made my way out the door. I wanted to bolt and run through those doors thankful I had made it through the interview seemingly without a hitch. As soon as the doors closed behind me I let out a huge long breath. Done. It's done. Thank god.

The next week crawled on slower than any other week I had previously lived. Not the week before high school graduation or even college graduation. Even the week before getting my license didn't take this long to pass. But I needed to keep busy while I patiently waited for a phone call. Every time my phone did ring my heart leapt into my throat and then shortly plummeted back down to the pit of my stomach when it wasn't the fire department.

So to occupy my time I started sending out applications, resumes, copies of certificates and letters of recommendations out to several other sought after fire departments across the nation. San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York just in case I didn't get hired on with Seattle. But as the time passed through the days and I had still not received a phone call – I thought for sure they had decided against me. I was positive I wasn't good enough for their department.

On Monday of the next week I received a phone call from the San Francisco Fire Department asking me to come out for an interview. I thought it couldn't hurt my chances to go so I immediately booked the next flight out of the Sea-Tac airport to San Francisco. I stepped into the airport with my bag slung over my shoulder. I looked at the departure boards to find my terminal and make sure everything was on time. I suddenly got a whiff of strawberries and looked to my left to see a petite brunette beauty start to walk away from me. I didn't see her face but my eyes settled on her ass. It was round and toned and quite distracting. I took a few steps to walk towards her when my phone rang. Dammit. I could have had hot bathroom sex with her before my flight. Maybe.

I looked at the caller ID and I instantly felt like I had gremlins attacking my stomach. Seattle Fire Department – great, here goes nothing. I stepped outside to get a little fresh air as I answered my call. "Hello?"

"Mr. Masen?" His voice was familiar though I couldn't quite name which interviewer it was.

"This is Captain Cullen, Seattle Fire Department, Engine 17. We interviewed you last week for a position with the department."

"Yes, Captain Cullen. It's good to hear from you. How are you?"

"I am fine, thanks. And yourself?" His pleasantries were not easing my worries. He sounded to deadpan, no emotion. I.E. too fucking serious.

"I'm doing well…." I let the sentence just hang in order for him to hurry up and get on with it. I was sure I would need to catch that plane here in a few moments.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. I am calling because of your interview. I would like to offer you a position on my engine as a probationary firefighter effective immediately." Holy shit. Holy shit. HOLY SHIT YES!

"When do I start?" I tried to ask calmly while keeping the smile out of my voice.

"Tomorrow morning eight AM. We are four day effective Monday through Thursday twenty-four hours a day. Friday through Sunday are our days off. Bring all your P.P.E with you and change of clothing and toiletries you can leave in your locker at the station. Engine 17 and Ladder 17 are housed in the same building, one of the few stations like that in the city. I am sure you can find where we are located. Any questions?"

"No sir. I will see you first thing tomorrow morning." I glanced around and saw a few people looking at me funny. I'm sure I had the biggest shit eaten grin on my face, but I didn't care.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. See you tomorrow Mr. Masen."

"Thank you sir, you have a good day."

"You too." I hung up the phone and had to fight the urge to start doing my victory dance in the middle of the drop off lane at the airport. I was so fucking ecstatic I didn't know what to do to vent off all this energy and adrenaline. Tomorrow would be the first step of my new life, the accomplishments of my goals and the recovery of my hope. Maybe things in this life do turn out right.

A/N: Firefighting 101: Definition – P.P.E. means personal protective equipment, i.e. turnouts. Those would be the yellow jacket, pants, helmet, boots etc that firefighters are required to wear in order to fight fires. They are all standard issued OSHA required equipment that majority of city firefighters have to purchase for themselves (somewhere around $2500+). You can usually tell who the rookie/probationary firefighter (also known as a probie) is by the color of their turnouts – bright yellow without any signs of fire (captains turnouts usually resemble the same wear and tear since they rarely go into fires.)

Also, city fire departments are rarely, if ever, four day on three day off. That is usually wild land firefighting MO. But like I said before, I needed to adapt things to work for my story.

Anyhow, Hope you enjoyed the first chapter; next chapter should be out soon. I will be trying to update at least once a week. Questions or comments and all that jazz? Just click the little button below to review for me – please? Thanks!!