by Sarah Markel
Aspen stared at her wife in disbelief. She’s lost her fucking mind! Aspen fisted her hands on her hips and waited as Lorelei finally seemed to calm down enough to breathe. Just as the redhead managed to resituate the bags, her eyes met Aspen’s and the joke finally set in for the young blonde. Ginger Snaps!
“Oh, you’re an asshole,” Aspen drawled, rolling her eyes as she spun around to start walking ahead of Lorelei.
Lorelei snorted and lunged forward, taking several long strides to catch up to her wife. “Admit it,” she said, slipping her hand into Aspen’s, “that was funny.”
“Her last name is La Roca,” Aspen said, releasing Lorelei’s hand to slip her arm around the redhead’s waist, “but thanks to you, I’m going to have to work extra hard not to laugh every time I look at her.”
Lorelei grinned unrepentantly. The couple walked in easy silence for several minutes, each enjoying the quiet comfort of simply being in the other’s presence. As they rounded the bend at the end of Main street to cross over the car bridge, Lorelei slowed her pace.
“What’s wrong?” Aspen asked, slowing to match her wife’s stride.
“Do you think any of your classmates are going to tease you?” Lorelei asked, genuine concern creasing the center of her brow. “You know, about being married to me.”
Aspen canted her head and studied her wife. Lorelei’s apprehensive countenance was a dead giveaway to Aspen that the redhead was worried she might be the cause of some kind of trouble. Hoping to soothe her wife’s fears, Aspen stepped in front of Lorelei and slipped her arms around the woman’s neck as she tiptoed to kiss her.
Whoops and hollers sounded from a group of teenage boys walking on the other side of the bridge.
Perfect timing, boys! Aspen thought with a chuckle as she broke the kiss. “No, baby. In fact, school doesn’t even start until Monday, and I’m already pretty much already a legend.”
Aspen had shared her wife’s concerns until she tried out for the cheerleading squad at the end of June. Securing a spot on the squad had been a cake-walk, and Aspen had been delighted to learn that her cheerleading coach from Dallas would be joining Falls City, too.
Aspen impressed her new teammates so quickly that none of them complained when she was picked by their exiting captain to replace her. In fact, Aspen had become friends with just about everyone she’d met since moving to Falls City.
Lorelei raised an eyebrow. “A legend, huh? How so?” she asked as they resumed their sojourn.
“Well, for one thing, everyone says I’m the first married student the school has had in, like, decades,” Aspen replied. “Then there’s the fact that you are so much older than me, which everyone assumes means that I have my own personal booze shopper.”
Aspen noted the deep frown her comment wrought and squeezed Lorelei’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Just because they think it, doesn’t mean I am going to ask you to break the law.”
Lorelei let out a sigh of relief. The subject of allowing Aspen to drink while underage had never come up before, but Lorelei knew it would happen eventually. She just hoped, for the sake of her job and her morals, that she would be able to say no to her wife.
“Is that it?” she asked, hoping to change the subject quickly, “is that all it takes to become a legend at Falls City High School?”
Aspen tipped her head back and laughed. “No,” she said with a shake of her head, “There’s also the fact that I’m legally an adult, so I don’t have a curfew, or parents telling me what I can and can’t do. I’m married to a woman, so I automatically get mad cool points. Then there’s the fact that I am both a cheerleader and a firefighter, and according to nearly everyone, being a firefighter is like being an NFL star; instant popularity.”
Aspen led them onto their front porch and slid her hand into Lorelei’s front pocket to retrieve her keys. She didn’t miss the twitch of her wife’s thigh under her fingers, and when their eyes met, Aspen gave Lorelei a seductive wink.
“Oh, there’s one more thing that makes me a legend,” she said as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She turned around in the foyer and met Lorelei’s gaze, her green eyes darkening with lusty intent.
Slowly, Aspen gripped the hem of her cheerleading top. In one swift motion, she bared herself from the waist up and dropped the clothing on the floor behind her.
Lorelei stood just outside the door, the bags falling to the floor as she stared at Aspen’s gloriously bare breasts.
“I’m the only student that gets to have sex whenever I want it, without having to hide it from anyone,” she said, her voice low and husky as she beckoned to Lorelei with the crook of her finger.
Lorelei wasted no time answering her wife’s call. In the blink of an eye, she crossed the threshold and kicked the door closed behind her as she enveloped Aspen in her arms.
Chapter 5
“Duty 121, Engine 121, Ladder 121, Rescue 101, Medic 101, Support 108. Structure fire 130 Sheldon Avenue. Duty 121, Engine 121, Ladder 121, Rescue 101, Medic 101, Support 108. Structure fire 130 Sheldon Avenue.”
The strident trill of their Minotaur radios sounding in stereo from either side of the bed had Lorelei and Aspen on their feet before their eyes were fully open. In less than thirty seconds, both women had their shoes on, keys and radios in hand, and identification badges around their necks.
On their way out of the bedroom, Aspen snagged a hair tie off the dresser and pulled her hair back. Seventy-three seconds after being jolted from their sleep, Aspen and Lorelei Blaise were running down the street toward the firehouse.
***
“Dispatch from Duty 121: You can show me en-route.”
“Duty 121 from Dispatch: Copy.”
Lorelei moved quickly, donning her protective gear as she listened to the dispatcher relay the details of the call to Chief Andrews; this week’s duty officer. Her heart pounded with adrenaline, revving her up and driving away any traces of fatigue.
“Dispatch from Duty 121: You can show me on scene. Structure is two-story balloon structure with dried overgrowth on Alpha, Charlie and Delta sides. Flames visible on Charlie and Bravo sides. Be advised: possible hazardous material storage approximately thirty yards behind the structure. Signs alerting to flammable substances. Smoke visible from the roof on Charlie and Bravo sides; appears black and mildly pressurized. Establishing Sheldon Command.”
“Duty 121 from Dispatch: Copy. Repeat tones?”
Lorelei pulled herself into the passenger seat of Engine 121 and took control of the radio before the Chief could approve Dispatch to reissue the tap-out.
“Dispatch from Engine 121: You can show us en route.”
“Engine 121 from Dispatch: Copy.”
“Engine 121 from Sheldon Command: Stage just past East Avenue.”
“Command from Engine 121: We’re approximately two minutes out,” Lorelei replied loudly over the shriek of sirens, gauging the distance as the Engineer turned the truck onto South Main Street. “Orders?”
“Engine 121 from Command: Assume search and rescue. Reports of two people in the structure on second level Charlie side. Details are sketchy at best.”
Lorelei grimaced and glanced behind her. Although she couldn’t see Aspen’s face in the poor lighting, she knew her wife’s eyes had just clouded over with worry.
“Command from Engine 121: On scene. Assuming search and rescue. Break. Dispatch from Engine 121, you can show us as arrived. Assuming search and rescue.”
“Engine 121 from Dispatch: Copy.”
Lorelei shifted to look over her shoulder as Tim Wilkes, the Engineer, maneuvered the truck into place. She made eye contact with each of the three people in the back, giving each a quick nod of acknowledgment and encouragement.
Seated behind Tim was the Engineer’s assistant, Marcus. It was his job to get the hose connected so fire suppression could take place. This was the eighteen-year-old’s first real fire, and Lorelei could see the trepidation in his eyes.
�
�Marcus,” she said with authority, “You’re with me this time. I know you’re supposed to be helping Tim, but I need a second for search and rescue.” Marcus nodded stoically, but Lorelei could see his hesitation and offered him an encouraging smile.
Behind Lorelei sat Lily Sheen, possibly the strongest primary attack that Lorelei had ever had the privilege of working with. She could man a hose with the accuracy and skill of three people combined. A few years older than Lorelei, Lily didn’t need the pep talk but accepted it out of respect for her Captain’s ritual.
“You heard the Chief, Douse,” Lorelei said to her, “Keep me clear for search and rescue.”
“You got it, Blaise,” Lily replied, smirking at the Captain’s use of her call sign, “You taking Rah-Rah with you, or is she coming with me?”
Lorelei arched an eyebrow and considered the woman sitting between Lily and Marcus. Aspen’s job was to assist Lily on the attack line. She would use the hand tools to clear away obstacles that could get in the way of the hose or to create openings that would allow better access for the fire suppression.
This wasn’t Aspen’s first fire, nor was she an amateur when it came to her duties. In fact, if the need arose, Aspen could trade places with the person on either side of her and be perfectly confident in what she was doing.
“She’s yours, Douse,” Lorelei replied with a wink to her wife, “Don’t let all that blonde hair fool you, she knows what she’s doing.”
The trio in the back chuckled, but the moment ended quickly and as soon as Tim set the brakes on the truck, the team went to work.
***
“Command from Engine 121, level one is clear. Moving to level two.”
Lorelei carefully moved up the untouched wooden staircase with the pretty metal railing, her eyes on the thermal imaging camera for any sign of the two teenagers that had been seen breaking into the house before the fire started. Aside from one very terrified opossum, there were no signs of life.
“Why did you tell me, Blaise?” Marcus asked, his eyes following the sweep of Lorelei’s flashlight, just as she’d instructed.
“I could see that you were starting to develop a crush,” Lorelei replied, “I’m fine with pranks and jokes, so long as no one gets hurt in the process. Seeing that you thought you might have a chance with Aspen, well, I couldn’t let you get your hopes up like that.” She called out the all-clear and led them toward the next room, yelling for anyone in the area to make themselves known.
“I can’t believe that I fell for it like that.”
Marcus had only been with the department for a little over a month. During his first drill night, some of the other volunteer firefighters noticed the way he’d been watching Aspen, and convinced him that he should ask her out. For the next three drill nights, Marcus had slowly been working up the courage to do just that, until Lorelei pulled him aside and explained what was going on.
Lorelei grinned and eased into the room at the far end of the hall. The fire had spread up the rear of the house, and the angry red flames were rolling over the back wall.
“Command from 121: Charlie side on second level is fully involved on internal.”
“Don’t worry, Marcus,” she replied, sweeping her gaze around the room as she listened for the Chief’s acknowledgment, “One of these days we’ll get a new recruit and you can pull the same prank on them. It does seem to be the favorite hazing technique lately.”
Marcus groaned and moved past Lorelei, checking behind a shelving unit near the wall to their left. Lorelei checked behind the remaining shelving units and had just radioed the all-clear to the Chief when she heard a distinctive hissing sound emanating from near her feet.
She glanced down and noticed a line of sparks moving rapidly across the floor, lighting up the shape of their footprints on their way toward what appeared to be a leaking bag of sand. Lorelei needed no time to process what she was seeing. She knew exactly what was in that bag, and in the smaller, fully intact bags that were currently being engulfed by the hungry flames.
“Emergency traffic from 121: Hazard in last broadcast location. Emergency out and off! Abandon structure!” she screamed into her radio.
Marcus, who was standing with his back to the shelf full of bags, had no time to react. Lorelei grabbed the terrified man by the front of his turnout jacket and yanked him toward the door. The hissing sound grew impossibly louder, mingling with the roar of the flames and the blood screaming in Lorelei’s ears.
Marcus’ feet barely had time to find purchase on the floor as Lorelei dragged him toward the stairs. The hissing sound had stopped, replaced by mere milliseconds of silence in which Marcus looked over his shoulder. The young man’s heart leaped into his throat when he distinctly heard his Captain breathe the word shit into her mask.
With a burst of speed and strength that surprised him, Lorelei wrapped her arms protectively around him as they reached the top step and flung them forward. At the same moment, a deafening blast tore through the second story of the house, knocking the pair off-kilter and into the wrought-iron balusters.
***
“Emergency traffic from 121: Hazard in last broadcast location. Emergency out and off! Abandon structure!”
Chief Kevin Andrews’ eyes widened and he began calling out to his crew. “Everyone out! Abandon structure!” His eyes scanned the scene, taking a headcount as his firefighters fell back to the safety of the staging area.
Ladder 121 had arrived and unloaded her firefighters just moments before Lorelei’s call to abandon the structure, causing the Chief to fumble as he tried to remember how many people he now had on scene. Before he could gather his thoughts, an explosion rocked the street.
“Status report,” he barked into his radio, a feeling of dread crawling down his spine.
“Command from Ladder 121: Assembled and accounted for.”
“Command from Rescue 101: Assembled and accounted for.”
“Command from Support 108: Assembled and accounted for.”
“Command from Medic 101: Assembled and accounted for.”
Chief Andrews’ heart rate began to even out as the calls came in. He waited for a beat, breathing a sigh of relief as he gave Engine 121 a chance to get her people accounted for. As the seconds ticked by, his heart rate began to increase again, and the dread skyrocketed.
“Engine 121 from Command: Status report,” he instructed, listening intently to the slight crinkle of static even as he turned to look in the direction of the truck parked only twenty yards from him. He could see three figures silhouetted against the truck by the light of the blaze.
Bile rose into the back of the Chief’s throat. They didn’t make it out. “Engine 121 from Command: Status report,” he repeated, his voice firm despite the constriction he felt threatening to choke him.
“Command from Engine 121-pump: Rah-rah and Douse assembled and accounted for.”
Chief Andrews sucked in a breath and swallowed hard. Fuck! “Engine 121-pump from Command: Copy. Break. C122 from Command: Status.”
The radio was silent for a long moment as Chief Andrews made his way toward Engine 121. Other fire and rescue personnel began moving in the same direction, all of them having heard the radio traffic. C122 was Captain Blaise’s official radio handle, and if the Chief was calling out for her specifically, it could only mean one thing; they were about to be called to all hands on deck.
***
“Marcus?” Lorelei groaned and winced as she tried to push the oppressive weight off her chest. The weight shifted but caused a sharp pain in her side. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck!
“Marcus, you with me?” Lorelei called out again.
This time, a strangled cry of pain responded. Lorelei gingerly rolled over onto her stomach, grunting as she pushed herself onto her knees. Every inch of her body hurt, and she couldn’t for the life of her remember why. She remembered throwing herself and Marcus down the stairs, but that was it. After the explosion, it was all a blank.
Steel
ing herself against the pain, Lorelei managed to get to her feet. The haze and smoke from the fire curling all around her made her dizzy and disoriented. She closed her eyes, hoping to steady her stomach as the world suddenly tilted on its axis. Once she was sure she wasn’t going to vomit, Lorelei opened her eyes, blinked against the acrid black smoke, and made a quick assessment of her surroundings.
Her SCBA was gone, leaving Lorelei with no fresh oxygen to breathe. She was going to have to get them out of there and fast. Her radio was still clipped to her coat, but the cord had been severed. Lorelei scanned the room, noticing a large window at the far end that hadn’t yet been reached by the flames.
Huh. Well, would you look at that?
She didn’t have time to dwell on the why’s and how’s. Casting around for Marcus, Lorelei realized that the weight she’d pushed off her chest had been the young man. His SCBA and radio were missing, as was his helmet, but he appeared to be in one piece.
“Come on, buddy,” she said as she bent to help him sit up, “We’ve gotta get out of here.”
Marcus groaned but didn’t respond. Lorelei tried again, pushing her arm further under his shoulders and lifting the man’s upper body to get him into a sitting position. A coughing fit overtook the redhead, forcing her to drop to her knees to get under the smoke.
“Marcus!” she snapped between bouts, “I need you with me. Wake up.” Lorelei held the man’s weight with one hand and used the other to tap on his soot-smeared cheek.
Marcus didn’t even flinch. A faint cry escaped his lips, and Lorelei realized she was going to have to get them out on her own. Glancing back toward the window, Lorelei judged the distance at about fifty feet. Without wasting another second on logistics, Lorelei ignored the screaming protest of her body and scooped Marcus off the floor.
She stood tall in the midst of the fire with a man draped over her shoulders, pausing only long enough to thread an arm between Marcus’ legs and clasp his hand, effectively turning him into a human necklace and thus distributing his weight a bit more comfortably.
“I’m never calling you a bean-pole again,” she grunted to the unconscious man as she hurried past the rapidly encroaching tendrils of flame that seemed to be snaking up through the floorboards.
