Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 8: Unexpected Visitor

Edward POV

I felt as if the day was dragging on very slowly and it was only 10:00 am. Emmett and I came on duty just two hours before. I had spent the last few days researching Miss Isabella Swan. I had yet to find a way to contact her, but enjoyed learning more about her. She was a Master's student at the University of Seattle; she published papers, a few poems, and a few short stories. The papers were insightful and from what I could gather, they pushed the envelope. She had some radical ideas when it came to secondary education. After reflecting on my time in high school, I could see how her theories could be receptive by the student body; convincing your peers was another matter.

The poems were great, but there didn't seem to be one coherent theme. If I had to guess, I would say they were more of a hobby or written for an assignment, not to devalue them in any way. The short stories were incredible. They had been published at a steady rate, about one every six months for the past six years. They appeared in academic journals and school magazines and newsletters. She was very talented. I couldn't understand why she was pursuing a degree in curriculum when she showed so much promise with her writing. I didn't have time two dwell on the thought as tones sounded for a fire. Emmett and I hustled to the bus, following the engine and ladder truck towards the scene.

"Smoke reported at 2516 Erickson Drive," the dispatcher said over the radio. "Residential, neighbors called it in when they saw smoke. They think the family was home. Four members, mother, 37, father, 39, son, 16, and daughter, 6. Two story house, bedrooms upstairs. Cars are home."

Children; it was the hardest call you could ever get. Whether it be a car wreck scene, a fire, or a common playground accident, treating children was a heart wrenching affair. Emmett and I did not speak while driving to the scene. We both felt the same, and words would not be of any comfort. The fact that cars were home was never a good sign. But it was midmorning on a Monday; maybe the children were at school today. They could be out of the house. We turned onto the correct street, and I prayed we would see the family standing in the yard; no such luck.

It had taken longer than normal to arrive on scene due to the icy roads. Ben and Tyler hit the ground running. They had already donned their air tanks and were pulling on their masks. They were a great team, as if they were on their own wavelength. They anticipated each other's moves and could almost communicate without talking. I had heard from the boys at the station that they were the team to beat during trainings. No one moved as swiftly as them. Emmett and I readied the ambulance. I pulled out the oxygen while Emmett retrieved everything to treat burns. If the family were inside, we would most likely be treating smoke inhalation or burns. It was best to be prepared.

"She's not breathing!" I turned when I heard Tyler yell. He was carrying a little girl in a fireman's hold, over his shoulder. Emmett had already pulled the stretcher out of the bus. Tyler laid her onto the stretcher and headed back towards the house. I searched for a pulse, but couldn't locate it and began compressions. Emmett was at her head with the manual resuscitator. On the third set of compressions, she began to cough. I rolled her onto her side. Emmett slipped on the oxygen mask and tried to wipe her face clean.

"Hey sweetie," Emmett said as he gently wiped her eyes. "My name's Emmett. I want you to lay back and try to relax. Okay?"

"It burns," she cried between coughs. "It burns."

"What burns sweetie?"

"My eyes." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. The smoke caused irritation and it was the only way her eyes knew how to handle it. I pulled the eye drops from the back cabinet and handed them to Emmett.

"I need you to stay still for a second. I'm going to put some eye drops in that should help make it feel better, okay?" She tried but couldn't stay still. He put a few drops in each eye while I held her head still and dabbed her tears away. "There you go. That should help. Can you tell me if you're hurting somewhere else?"

"I want Bubba. Where's Bubba?" She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down. "No! I want my Bubba!"

I looked towards the other bus and saw that no one else had been brought out yet. That wasn't a good sign. The longer they were inside the lesser the chance of survival. The guys had hooked up the hoses and were waiting for the house to clear before they tried to suppress the fire. There was a loud pop and the sound of something heavy collapsing. The house shifted and everyone stilled. The Chief looked tense as he waited anxiously for the house to clear. Ben came running out with the boy over his shoulder. Tyler followed close behind him.

"Drown it!" Tyler yelled. Ben laid the boy on the stretcher by the other ambulance. He immediately sat up and tried to jump down. His movements were uncoordinated and seemed delayed. His eyes were darting around probably looking for his sister, but they were having trouble staying focused. My guess was that he had a concussion. Jeremy, the paramedic of the team, pushed him back down and placed an oxygen mask on his face.

"Bubba! Bubba!" The little girl was crying and screaming. I was trying to gently keep her still while Emmett checked for injuries.

"Tina!" the boy yelled. I could barely hear him over the rush of water and the loud hiss as it hit the hot flames. He was still struggling in Jeremy's grasp. Emmett was holding onto Tina now to keep her from running to her brother. I jogged over to Jeremy. I vaguely heard Chief talking with Ben and Tyler saying it looked like an electrical fire. I helped him hold the boy down.

"Where's Keith?" I asked about his partner.

"He went to check on the neighbor," Jeremy said. "Apparently he tried to be a hero." Concerned citizens who tried to enter a burning building; we saw it often. I really wish they would just wait and let the trained professionals handle it. All they did was make our job harder by having to treat more people than necessary. I nodded towards the boy.

"If he can, let him sit with Tina. You can treat him there. They need each other right now," I said. I lowered my voice. "Ben and Tyler didn't get their parents. Let them have each other."

"My parent's went for a walk. They weren't inside," the boy said, still struggling and coughing.

"Jason, I need you to calm down," Jeremy said. "I will take you to Tina. Just give me five minutes first. Okay?" The boy stopped struggling.

"Promise?"

"Bubba!" Tina was still yelling for him.

"Yes. I promise. Now, are you sure you're parents weren't inside?" He pulled out eye drops and put a few in each eye.

"Yes. They told me to keep an eye on Tina. School was canceled today. Is Tina okay? Please, tell me she's okay. I tried to get to her. I tried to-"

"Tina's going to be okay," I said as I checked him over for injuries. "She's got some irritation from the smoke, but she's going to be okay." Jeremy cut off the left sleeve of his shirt and found what looked to be like a second-degree burn. Jason hissed at the pain.

"Can I go see her now? She needs me."

"I need to clean and bandage this burn." Jeremy was gathering supplies.

"Can you do it over there? I want to go to my sister. I need to make sure she's okay myself. Please."

"Fine." Jeremy sighed.

"I'll help him over there. You gather what you'll need," I offered. He nodded. Jason hopped off the stretcher and wobbled. I pulled his arm over my shoulders and placed mine around his waist. I placed his oxygen mask back on the stretcher. I would hook up an extra with Tina's tank. We walked slowly. He sat down beside his sister.

"Bubba, are you okay?" she asked in a small voice. He pulled her up to sit in his lap and held her close to his chest with his right arm as he quietly cried. I pulled two blankets out of the cabinet and wrapped them both up. When the shock wore off they would get cold; add to that the fact it was January with ice on the roads, and the chances of pneumonia increased exponentially.

"I'm fine, Squirt," he said as he rocked her. I put an oxygen mask on his face. "Are you okay?" She nodded as she continued to slightly wheeze. "I'm sorry. I tried to get to you. As soon as I smelled the smoke I went to find you."

"It's okay, Bubba. We're safe now. Where's momma and daddy?" Jeremy came over with all his supplies. He went to pull Tina off Jason's lap, but Jason wouldn't relinquish his hold.

"Leave her," I whispered in his ear. "He's just looking for assurance that she's okay." Emmett was setting up an IV for Tina. I went to get stuff from the other bus so Jeremy could start an IV for Jason as well.

I scanned the growing crowd of on lookers. Fires always drew an audience. There were a man and woman that looked to be in hysterics. An officer was holding them back behind the yellow tape. They both looked like Jason and Tina, and I could only assume they were the parents. The police had been told that the family was in the house. The officer would assume that meant the parents as well. I walked over to the pair.

"Newton," I said. "It's okay. They're the parents. We were misinformed. Let them through." He nodded and stood aside. "Ma'am, sir, your children are okay."

"I want to see them," the woman screeched. "Take me to see my children. I need to know they're okay. Please."

"Ma'am, I will take you to them, but first you need to calm down. They've been through something very tragic and are going to need you to be calm and collected. You're going to be their anchor, their strength. So, take a minute to compose yourself." She leaned against her husband and took slow, deep breaths. "I'm Edward by the way. Edward Cullen. I'm the EMT that is treating your daughter."

"William Davis," he shook my extended hand. "This is my wife Janice." She shook my hand as well.

"Mrs. Davis, I don't mean to come of rude, and I'm not saying you can't cry or comfort them. I just can't have you in hysterics. They're going to feed off your emotions. If you're calm, they will be calm."

"Please call me Janice. You weren't rude, Mr. Cullen. I understand."

"Edward, please. Now Tyler brought out Tina first. I don't know where they found her. She…well, she wasn't…breathing when she got to us, and we couldn't find a pulse." Janice chocked out a sob. "I know this is scary, but remember she's okay. We performed CPR, and she's okay. Keep remembering that.

"She's suffering from smoke inhalation. Her lungs are very irritated, and breathing is going to be hard and hurt for a while. There are no burns and no signs of any brain damage from lack of oxygen. We'll take her to the hospital, and the doctor will probably want to keep her overnight for observation. The big picture here is that she's going to be okay. My partner Emmett is treating her now.

"Ben brought out Jason next. He was conscious." Janice let out a breath she had been holding. "He's also suffering from smoke inhalation, though not as bad as Tina, and he has a second-degree burn on his arm. Jeremy, one of the paramedics, is cleaning and dressing the burn now. He also appears to have a mild concussion. He may have hit his head on something. I'm not sure yet. We've been addressing the other wounds first. He's going to be okay though." Both seemed to be calming down as I gave them information. "From what I gather, I only heard a snippet of the conversation; Jason went looking for Tina when he smelled the smoke. My guess is that he was moving some debris around and that's how he got hurt. He's a very brave young man. A neighbor saw the smoke and called it in.

"As soon as Tina saw him brought out of the house she didn't stop screaming for him until we took him to her. He hasn't let go of her since. When we transport them, they'll have to go in separate ambulances, and I suspect Jason is going to put up some resistance. Do you have any questions before we go see them?"

"Did they say anything about the fire? Do they know how it started? Did I forget to turn the oven off? I could have. I was in a hurry." Janice seemed close to tears again as she asked.

"Honey," William said. "Don't borrow trouble. We will find out what happened, but this is in no way your fault. Do you understand?" She nodded.

"He's right, Janice. Don't borrow trouble. Would you like to go see Jason and Tina now?" She nodded her head and gripped her husband's hand.

I lead them towards Emmett and Jeremy. Jeremy was taping the gauze over Jason's burn. I was glad Janice would not have to see it just yet. Jason still held Tina in his arms though she was turned away from his hurt arm. Emmett had done what he does best; he reverted back to a seven-year-old. He and Tina had syringes, minus the needles, and each had a cup of water. They were having a contest to see who could shoot the water the furthest from their 'water gun.' It was a great distraction for her. She wasn't looking at her hurt brother or the burning house. Her little eyes were still watering and she was wheezing, but she had a smile on her face.

"Oh, my babies," Janice said as she hugged Jason and Tina. She began to softly cry.

"We're okay, Mom," Jason said as he patted her back once Jeremy was finished dressing the burn. He was still lightly crying, hadn't stopped since he got Tina in his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't get Tina out earlier. I tried to find her. I really did. I thought she was playing upstairs. I wasn't paying attention. If I had been-"

"Stop it Jason. This is not your fault. You did everything you could, and she's safe. There's nothing to worry about. As you said, you're okay. That's all that matters."

"Mommy, Daddy, look at what Teddy gave me," Tina said as she held the syringe up to see. Janice tried to pull her into her arms, but Jason wouldn't let go. William got her attention and shook his head no, understanding that Jason needed to hold onto her more in this moment.

"Who's Teddy, sweetheart?" she asked the little girl. She pointed to Emmett.

"Hello, I'm Emmett," he held his hand out to shake. "To her I'm Teddy. She said I'm like a big teddy bear." We all laughed because it fit him perfectly. "I don't mind. We were just having a competition to see who could shoot water the farthest with their water gun."

About twenty minutes after arriving on scene, we told the Chief we were ready to transport. He released us to take the kids to the hospital. Janice rode with Tina and William with Jason. It took five minutes of coaxing to get Jason to release Tina. He was not handling the situation very well. He felt as if he had failed as Tina's protector. Once we arrived at the hospital, Jason insisted on staying with his sister. Emmett stayed at the bus to do inventory while I went inside to pass off the appropriate paperwork. When I went back outside William was talking to Emmett.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for Tina," I could hear William say as I approached. "She needed a distraction, and you gave her that. She's also terrified of needles, and she said it didn't even hurt when you started the IV. Really, thank you. I don't know what to do to repay you."

"You don't need to repay me," Emmett said. "I had fun. No one will do that with me anymore. I always loved using those things as water guns." William and I laughed; William because he thought it was funny, me because I knew it was true.

"I want to thank you also Edward. You saved my little girl, and you got Jason to her. That helped him more than anything else could have."

"No thanks necessary," I said. "I would have wanted to be with her if I were him. He's going to be very clingy with her for a while. From what I observed I feel like he has asserted himself her protector and thinks he failed."

"He did; not fail but assert himself protector. She wasn't planned. I mean, their ten years apart. He had a protective nature about her from day one. We found him countless times sleeping in the nursery because he was worried about her.

"I talked to him some more on the way here. He was in the basement doing laundry; Tina had been upstairs playing in her room. When he smelt the smoke, he immediately went upstairs, not knowing she had gone downstairs to the den. He got two washcloths and wet them holding one over his face, the other for Tina. He searched upstairs but couldn't find her. The stairs were starting to catch fire before he could get down them. That's when he saw the firemen. One grabbed Tina and ran. He heard him say she wasn't breathing. He tried to go downstairs after her, and that's how he burned his arm."

"He was very brave and smart. The washcloth was a brilliant idea. It helped minimize the smoke inhalation. Make sure he remembers that. They're going to be okay. This will become a dull memory and just something else that brought them closer. You have wonderful children."

"Thank you. I have to go back in now. If I wanted to reach you later, how would I do that?"

"We're at the station on 7th and Brentwood."

"Okay. I hope you have a boring rest of the day." I smiled.

"Thank you for that. Good luck with everything, and I'm truly sorry for your loss."

"I have my family. That's all that matters." He shook our hands and walked away. We finished cleaning and taking inventory of the bus before returning to the station.

I parked and headed towards the kitchen with Emmett. It had been quite a while since I ate. I really needed sustenance. There was a girl or woman-She sure is tiny- sitting by the door to the inner part of the station. She didn't look familiar. We, all those at the station, knew most all of the women in each other's lives. They came around often enough for each of us to be able to recognize them. She looked up at Emmett and me and smiled. She stood as we approached.

"Are you Edward and Emmett?" she asked in a cheerful voice.

"Yes," Emmett answered and held out his hand. "I'm Emmett. This is my partner and brother Edward." I shook her hand.

"Finally. I have been searching for you two for a week. Do you realize how many stations there are in this city? Also, searching for people without knowing their last name is difficult. I googled, I stopped in at stations, I even called which got me nowhere since they can't really tell me if you worked there. I just happen to drive by here today and decided to stop. I asked around and no one would say anything, but they gave it away. You better hope you never get a stalker. These guys are too free with information." My does she talk fast.

"I'm sorry. Do we know you?" I accidently dropped my bag and looked down at the spilled contents.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes I get ahead of myself. I'm Mary Alice, but I go by Alice. I'm actually here on behalf of a friend. Bella. Bella Swan." My head snapped up at the mention of her name. I looked at Emmett who just raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You know Bella?" She smiled knowingly.

"I sure hope so. She's been my best friend for eight years."

"Is she-does she-how did you-I'm sorry. Would you like to come in and talk?" I held the door open for her. She stepped inside and followed us to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Could I have a glass of water?" I nodded as I hurried around the kitchen, thoughts running through my head. Is she okay? Why would she send a friend? Emmett sat across from Alice.

"I'm really glad you showed up," Emmett said to her. "Eddie Boy here has been beside himself since she drove away." I sat the glass down in front of Alice and smacked Emmett on the back of the head. I heard her giggle.

"Bella hasn't been in the best of shape either."

"Is she okay? Did the doctors ever figure out what's wrong?" I asked.

"She's doing decently. She had an incident two weeks ago that landed her in the hospital for a few days. She's recovering, but it's a slow process. Aside from that, she's had you on the mind a lot." She was looking at me with a mischievous grin. I felt like she was up to no good.

"Does Bella know you're here?"

"No. She told me not to do anything rash. She's being absurd really. She's been trying to find you, wants to get to know you better. For Bella, that's big. Therefore, I decided it would be a good idea to help her look. She just doesn't know I'm looking."

"She's been looking for me?" I tried to suppress my growing smile. I didn't want Alice to think I was too eager. All this time I had been looking for her I never imagined she'd be doing the same.

"Don't sound so shocked. Wait. Do you want her to be looking for you? I thought you would want to see her. Oh God. You don't. I didn't see this. I thought you would. Damn. I have to go. I'm sorry. I just-" She stood up and was gathering her purse to leave.

"No! Don't go. Please." I reached across the table and clasped her wrist lightly. "I do want to see her again." She sat back down slowly.

"Eddie was an idiot and didn't get her number," Emmett said. "Although, I'm sure you know that already."

"Don't call me Eddie." I gave him a light shove as I sat back down. "I've been trying to find her as well. I've found out a lot about her. Since she's been published I can find the typical biographical stuff but no contact information." Alice seemed to be bouncing on her seat.

"I know where you can find her. However, I'm not sure I want to give you that information. I don't know anything about you. So, Edward, tell me about yourself."

"Before that starts, I'm going to grab a sandwich and head to the bunks. A nap sounds nice right about now," Emmett said. "Alice, it was good to meet you. After you finish grilling Eddie feel free to find me. I can give you information about him that he wouldn't dream of volunteering." He stood and clapped me on the back as he laughed.

"What do you want to know?" I turned my attention to her and tried to ignore my brother. We talked for twenty minutes, her questioning me relentlessly. "So, that's my abridged life story. What else would you like to know?"

"How do you feel about Bella?" she said. It was still a little astonishing. She could ask any question unashamedly without blinking. I didn't mind though; as long as it led me to Bella.

"Well, honestly I don't know that much about her. What I did see of her I really liked. She was great to talk to and easy to be around, brave, and caring. She's a very talented writer, and I would like to read more."

"How do you know about her writing?" She seemed suspicious.

"I told you I've been looking for her. I googled her name, and her work showed up: papers, poems, and short stories. I read them, and they're very good." She smiled like a proud parent would.

"Why do you want to see Bella?"

"I would like to get to know her better. She's a fascinating person. I think she'd be great company. I also felt something with her, some connection. I was drawn to her, enamored by her. I want to explore that aspect; see if there's something there for us to build on. More importantly, I want to be her friend, because she's simply a fascinating person. If friendship is all she wants from me, I'll take it." She sat and I watched as she contemplated my answers. Did I go overboard? Emmett came back into the kitchen then to get another bottle of water.

"I like you and your answers. I think you're trustworthy enough to meet her again. How does that sound?" I nodded my head enthusiastically.

"Well, the incident that landed her in the hospital two weeks ago also gave her a very nasty burn."

"Burn? What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's going to be fine, but she has to go to Mason Medical everyday to get it cleaned and redressed. Dr. C didn't trust her to do it herself." Why does this sound so familiar? "She's a little stubborn and refuses to admit she's not well sometimes." Emmett and I laughed, remembering well our encounter a few weeks back. "Maybe you'll be around there on Thursday at 5:45 that afternoon."

"Maybe we will," Emmett answered. "We're working on Thursday. Perhaps one of our calls will be routed to Mason. Oh, now that I think about it, I need to get over to Mason sometime. Dad's doctor friend has some stuff for me to pick up." Dr. C. Could she be-?

"Yeah. We can do that," I replied absently as I started piecing things together.

"Well, it was nice to meet you both. I must be going now. Work calls," Alice said as she stood and gathered her things. I escorted her out of the station and waved goodbye as the yellow Porsche pulled away. Nice car. I distractedly walked back to the kitchen.

"Well, what do you think about that?" Emmett said. "Did you ever think her best friend would search you out? You've had an effect on her brother."

"Didn't that sound oddly familiar to you?" He looked at me puzzled. "She got a burn. It's being treated daily at Mason Medical. She mentioned a Dr. C."

"No." He sounded more like he trying to convince himself than agree with me. "Bella can't be Brown Eyes. You're reading too much into it. Right?" He sat down, his brows furrowing together.

"It's too similar to be coincidental."

"Naw, man. You just need some rest. Head to the bunks. We're bound to get a call before the night is over." I had no time to consider because the tones went off. I was off to a scene, pushing Bella and Brown Eyes to the back of my mind.

AN: So, who expected it to be Alice? Is it really that surprising? I hope you enjoyed the fire scene. I don't know any firefighters or paramedics/EMTs so it was hard to write. I did a lot of research for it. Please review, and let me know what you think. There's one more chapter before Edward and Bella meet. If you have any suggestions for things you want to see when they meet, just let me know. Also, please let me know if you would rather see their meeting in Bella's or Edward's POV. I want your input. Review and I'll send you a sneak peek at the next chapter!