A/N: MAJOR time jump here; Emily's now in her 30s. Review?

I own Emily, Sam, Katie, Nate, Nate's friends, everything you don't see on the TV show, and the plot line.

Emily POV

I twirled the chip in my fingers, ten years now, almost eleven. I was sitting in a meeting, listening to the others speak. Three months, two days, eleven years, they were all different. I had come close to a relapse so many times, but I couldn't.

Jared came to the hospital not long after my siblings did. Except he had proposed to a different girl. He said they started dating after I quit school. He married her after they finished college. They had a baby not long after that.

I have been an alcoholic since age eighteen. It increased when I got out of the army. I was given a medical discharge when I was in an explosion that cracked my shoulder blade. The irony was that that was what saved me from being tortured even further. I used alcohol as a pain medication. Becoming a firefighter at age twenty didn't stop it either. The one thing that made me realize I needed to quit was the attacks on 9-11. I was there that day, and my whole squadron died. Jared was in my squad, and his wife was on the top floor of one of the towers. They had left me sole custody of their two-year-old daughter, Julia Lee Adams. The moment I picked her up from daycare that day I knew I had to quit drinking for good. Thankfully I lived with Sam. I brought her home to him, then went right back to the rubble.

I came back to the present when my sponsor walked over to me, "You haven't been to a meeting in a while Emily." He sat on the folding chair next to me. It seemed the meeting was over. "Everything okay?"

I nodded, "Just really busy at work lately. Preventative measures for the coming summer and all."

He nodded, he was the sponsor for a lot of New York's finest. He knew the risks that came with being a firefighter, even though he wasn't one. "You haven't had a drop in almost eleven years, I think you're doing good."

I nodded. After a minute I said, "Julia's birthday's coming up. She's asking more about her parents."

He nodded, "She should know." He worked with her parents briefly. Jared was the contractor for his home. Most firefighters had a second job to supplement their income.

I looked at him, "She should know that I was basically in love with her father, and he just left me for dead while he went and buffed my friend?" I shook my head, "No she doesn't need to know that."

"You tell her you're an alcoholic."

"Because she needs someone to blame occasionally."

"Now that's not fair. When has she ever done that to you?"

"Never, she's the perfect daughter."

"See? Maybe just tell her a little bit at a time. Tell her you dated her father before he met her mother. That's enough for now."

I nodded, "Yeah, thanks." My sponsor was also my sounding board when Nate didn't have the time.

Nate married Sarah, from the battalion. They were perfect for each other. They had two kids. Nate was in the position directly under me as a firefighter. I was the Captain of our firehouse. Nate was one of the top most Lieutenants. The only reason Nate wasn't any higher up was because he refused to be promoted. The only reason I was Captain was because our Captain got promoted to the Battalion Chief. He insisted either Nate or I take the position. I was just glad I had never finished high school. That prevented me from getting promoted even further.

I heard my pager beep so I grabbed it. It was the station. I was on-call tonight. I looked over to Jan, a member of one of the trucks I was in charge of, and nodded at her. She excused herself from her group then came over to me. "What's up Cappy?" That was a common nickname for Captains.

I showed her the page. It read, "10-14-17." I knew that meant there would be an engine and a ladder company on route. I dialed the communication board.

"Fire center communication board, please identify yourself."

"Hey Lisa, it's Emily."

"Hey chief, did you get the page?"

"Yeah, what's the location?"

"It's the tunnel. You're closer than other on-callers. Are you busy?"

"Nope. I've got Jan with me to. I'll send her back to the house. I'm on my way." By house I meant the firehouse.

"Ok. I'll let both teams know to be on the lookout for you."

"Radio the police on scene. Let them know I'm coming in civies. I'll need a spot to park my car."

"Got it. Bye."

I hung up and told Jan what the conversation was about. She nodded and ran to her car. I went and got in my SUV. It was great for times like these when I needed it clear I was a fire chief, and needed to get on location fast. I turned the lights on, and sped off.