Tales from the Firehouse

Did You F-in' See What Just F-in' Happened?

"You're missing the movie," Jennie said. She smiled and let her eyes drift shut as well. Her hands were under the hem of Lisa's shirt, her body pinned on the couch beneath the other woman.

"So are you," Lisa said as she nipped the point of Jennie's chin.

"I've seen it before."

They kissed. Lisa pushed her hand between Jennie's back and the couch cushion. "Is it really, really good?"

"Mm..."

Lisa rephrased her question: "Is it better than this?"

Jennie arched into Lisa, moaned loudly and bit her bottom lip. "Oh, it's only okay..." She reached for the remote to silence the movie. Her fingers went limp and the remote fell to the carpet with a thud. Lisa started to slip her hand beneath Jennie's dress, but the other woman squirmed and pulled her hand free. "Not down the back," she breathed. She put Naomi's hand on her thigh and looked up at her with gleaming eyes. "There," she said, spreading her legs.

As Lisa's hand moved north, Jennie tugged the hem of her dress up so the material wouldn't tear. She whimpered as Lisa's fingertips stroked her through her underwear. She brought her left leg up and hooked it on Lisa's hip. "Is this payback... for what I did to you... against the wall?" Jennie breathed, the words puffing around Lisa's face.

"This," Lisa said, moving her hand slightly, "is part one of payback."

"What's part two?"

Lisa moved her hand again.

Jennie cried out in pleasure.

x-0-x

They moved to the bedroom, Jennie taking the lead and sitting Lisa on the edge of the bed. Lisa stared raptly as Jennie slowly undressed, documented every article of clothing as it was removed and carefully laid to the side. Lisa shed her own shirt and underclothes, feeling silly in her jeans and bra as Jennie walked nude over to the bed. "I hate being the only one naked," she said, drawing her hand down Lisa's bare stomach.

Lisa took the hint and reached behind her back, finding the catch of her bra and releasing it.

"The-ere's a good girl," Jennie cooed. She bent down and kissed Lisa's lips hungrily.

As they kissed, Jennie raised one knee onto the bed, straddling Lisa's waist and sitting on her lap. Lisa moved her hands along the outside of Jennie's thighs, holding her up as Jennie scooted closer and intensified their kiss. Lisa moved her hands to tenderly cup Jennie's backside. "No higher," Jennie said against Lisa's mouth.

"Huh?"

"Keep your hands where they are," she breathed.

Liesa kissed her again and squeezed gently to let her know she didn't plan to stray. Jennie, showing her gratitude, reached down and moved her hand between Naomi's thighs.

x-0-x

Almost an hour later, both nude and tangled in the sheets, Lisa made a mistake.

She was sitting in the center of the bed, Jennie comfortably facing her, sitting on her lap kissing the tall blondes neck. She had her hands on Jennie's hips and casually slipped them to the small of her back to pull the other woman even closer. Jennie tensed in her arms and hissed, "Stop," but it was a second too late. Lisa frowned as her fingers passed over the rough and scarred flesh, leaning forward to peer over her lover's shoulder.

Jennie pressed her face against Lisa's neck, warm tears flowing from her cheeks onto Lisa's shoulder. She sobbed, "I was going to tell you."

Lisa flattened her palm against the burn, horrified to see that it spread beyond the span of her fingers. It ran from just below her shoulder blades, fanning out in a triangle, until it faded just above the cheeks of her rear.

"Jennie," Lisa breathed quietly.

"Can you not ask?" Jennie whispered. "Please, Lisa. Just... make love to me right now. Please?"

"Okay," Lisa breathed. She moved her hand to Jennie's shoulder. Her other hand went travelling as well, cupping a sensitive area. Jennie calmed and kissed Lisa's shoulder.

x-0-x

Jennie curled next to Lisa, her hair spread out on the pillow behind her. Lisa watched her sleep, the innocent way her lips parted to murmur at dream companions. She couldn't get her mind past the scar tissue; the way it had felt, the way Jennie's demeanor had changed as soon as it was touched... She eased her way out of Jennie's grasp and of bed, taking care not to jostle the mattress, and found her underwear on the ground.

She put them on, settling on her blouse for her top half. Semi-dressed, she sat in the chair across the room and looked at Jennie's sleeping form on the bed. It was just past three in the morning, the streetlight and the moon had melted across the window pane and was washing the room in a muted yellow-blue aura through the blinds. From the armchair, she could see Jennie's profile glow in the combination of lights.

'Who hurt you?' she wondered, the feel of that burn imprinted on her fingers. 'Who hurt you and how can I hurt him?'

After a few minutes, Jennie stirred beneath the sheet and stretched an arm across the now-vacant side of the mattress. Her hand hesitated for a moment and, when she realized she should meet resistance, her head came up off the pillow. "Lisa?"

The abandonment in her voice broke Lisa's heart. "I'm here Jen," she said softly.

When Jennie sat up, the sheet fell away to expose one bare breast. "I... I thought you left."

"I'd never do that. I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Come back," Jennie breathed, lifting one hand and holding it out in an imploring gesture.

Lisa, unable to resist, stood and undressed before climbing back under the blankets. When they embraced, she felt the scar tissue under her hand again, gently running her hand over the area. Jennie winced, but not as much as she had the first time. "Now you can ask," she said, her face against Lisa's shoulder.

"No, not if you don't..."

"It's okay. I can talk about it, but not during... I can talk about it now."

Lisa kissed Jennie's temple and, although she was already sure of the answer, asked, "It's a burn"

"Yes." She took a shuddering breath. "I was nearly fourteen. My sister pushed and dragged me and shoved me into a built in wardrobe and I was mad at her. Our parents and brother were out and I thought she was just being a mean bitch. I thought she wanted to be alone with her boyfriend, but he wasn't there. She ducked over me, covered me with her arms and... she..."

Lisa felt warm tears on her chest and stroked Jennie's back.

"The house was on fire, she'd been making pancakes" she said, her voice barely a whisper. Her breath was captured between her mouth and Lisa's breast. "She was on top of me, crying. Dad had fitted anti-burglar security bars on the windows, so we couldn't get out."

Lisa closed her eyes. She knew those damn bars; mildly efficient keeping burglars out, wonderfully efficient at keeping firefighters out. Jisoo called them "fuck-me bars."

"I don't know how much time went by. It was... s-so loud. I dream about it sometimes, but I don't know how much is real and how much I've just made up to fill the holes. I remember being curled up with my face in the corner. I remember Irene crying and screaming. I don't really remember the pain. I barely remember the hospital, but only because you don't forget a hell like that. It's funny... I was permanently scarred by the fire, but all I remember was being hurt afterward in the hospital. When I woke up, my sister was dead and my back was..." She swallowed hard and released an arm from the blondes embrace to wave over her shoulder indicating the burn before replacing the arm back in Lisa's grip. "My sister took the brunt of the flames. It... some of it got past, burned my back. The main thing I remember is Irene's voice in my ear saying, 'don't be afraid, Jennie, I have you, it's not going to get you.' Over and over again." she touched the necklace around her neck "this was hers, it's the only thing I have left of her."

After a long moment, she continued. "Since then, I've been terrified of fire. The cooker, sure, to cook... I can just about handle that kind of heat. But... matches. And cigarettes. It's why I got so bent out of shape about you playing with that stupid lighter. Why I asked you to light the candles in the first place. If I even hold a match I start shaking like a leaf. So when I saw you in the emergency room, I just thought... I thought, 'This woman ran into a fire. This woman faced a fire and won. I have to meet her.' You made my knees weak."

"Can I ask you... the first time I put my hand there, you tensed up. But afterward, you told me you liked it. Is it okay that I keep touching it?"

"It's numb most of the time," Jennie said. "It doesn't hurt or anything. But when you have your hand there, it's like you're... protecting it. Protecting my vulnerable spot. That's why I like having your hand there. It's... intimate."

Lisa held Jennie tighter and fanned all ten fingers over the small of her back, gently caressing the area. Jennie nuzzled into Lisa's shoulder and said, "Are you going to stay until morning?"

Her face in a mask of Jennie's sleep- and sex-mussed hair, Lisa said, "At least."

x-0-x

She jerked awake, checked her watch and looked into the car park. The jeep was still there. She supposed this was the night. She sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. No point in sticking it out here if they were just going to stay holed up for who-knew-how long. Manoban would be on duty later in the day. It would be the perfect time to spring her new trap.

x-0-x

LIsa took the first shower and Jennie hopped in immediately after, managing to restrain herself from joining the blonde. Dressed in the same clothes as the night before, Lisa ate a bowl of Coco Pops in Jennie's kitchen. When Jennie emerged from the bathroom in a terrycloth robe, they kissed and Lisa poured a bowl of cereal for her. "Milk?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Jennie said.

She got the carton she'd found in the fridge and brought it back to the table while Jennie poured a cup of coffee. Lisa poured her a bowl of cereal and presented it with a flourish, smirking. "It's not exactly Alaska salmon bake and stuff, but I think it'll do for breakfast." She kissed Jennie's temple and brushed a stray hair out of her face. "Happy anniversary, by the way," she said.

"What?" Jennie frowned. "Anniversary?"

"One week ago or so today. That was when we met in the emergency room."

"A week?" Jennie said, thinking back. "My God. Well, happy anniversary! Did you like the present I gave you last night?"

"Mm-hmm," Lisa said. "In fact, I think I'm going to play with it again the next chance I get."

Jennie blushed and sipped her coffee. "Do you have to go?" Jennie asked.

"Afraid so... duty at noon and I want to get some jogging in."

"Was last night not enough of a workout for you, dear?"

Lisa smiled. "That was a different kind of exercise, I think. A lot of different muscles involved, at least."

Jennie swallowed her mouthful and said, "Are we going out again soon?"

"The sooner the better," Lisa said. She covered Jennie's hand with her own. "I'll have to check my schedule, though, compare it with yours."

"Yeah," Jennie nodded. "Two people with crazy schedules and shifts... we're due for a long period of frustrating conflictions."

Lisa looked at the time and stood, "I should go." She leaned down and kissed Jennie, tasting Coco Pops on her breath. "And you really should know better, being a doctor and all... I expected to find bran or muesli or something."

"I have a sophisticated and eclectic palate. And I'll have you know I do have some muesli," Jennie countered. "Be safe today, okay?"

"Always," Lisa said. "But now that I have a reason..." They kissed again and Lisa stepped away, heading for the door. "Bye. I, err, I could fall in love with you pretty damned easily you know."

Jennie stopped the spoon halfway to her mouth and turned in her seat. Lisa was smiling at her from the door and nodded. "Yeah, I meant it." She waved again and stepped out into the hallway.

Alone in her apartment, Jennie looked down at her bowl of soggy cereal and smiled. She rested her chin on her hand and laughed, those three words echoing in her head: "I meant it."

x-0-x

Jisoo grabbed Lisa's shoulders from behind and started knocking her back and forth. "Ready? Huh? Ready?" Then she gripped her shoulders and squeezed, giving her the roughest massage she'd ever had.

"You're gonna kill me, Jisoo," she said.

They were standing outside yet another flaming warehouse, several different streams of water crisscrossing the face of the building. They'd just arrived and were waiting for word the fire was being held back before heading to the roof to cut ventilation. Jackson approached, tugging his ear. "Jisoo! Let's go, we've got the all-clear! Get up on that roof!"

"All right, all right, it's about time! C'mon, Lis," Jisoo said, moving to the ladder.

"No, take Rosé," Jackson countered. "Manoban, you're with me. Help me get these fans set up."

"Chief..." Lisa started to complain.

"Rosé has the saw, she's ready to go," Jackson said. "Plus, she needs the experience. Let's go!"

She followed him as Rosé climbed onto the truck with Jisoo. Jackson hoisted the big fan and she was right behind him, unwrapping the cord from another fan as they got it off the truck. They carried the fan to the front of the building and set it on the front steps, stepping back to watch Jisoo and Rosé scamper up the ladder.

Jisoo leapt onto the ledge with the grace of a dancer, Rosé following right behind her as if choreographed. Jackson grabbed his radio. "We're ready down here whenever you give us the call, Jisoo!"

"Things are a bit shaky up here, boss..."

"Rosé is new," Jackson said. "Give her a..."

"No, it's... Goddamn, I'm like a... holy shit, Jackson!"

There was a crash, a collapsing sound echoing from inside the building as the fire roared towards the sky with renewed life. Jackson automatically slammed himself into Lisa, his momentum carrying her away from the building in case of collapse. They both looked over his shoulder at the carnage, the flames licking the sky. Only one explanation for its renewed vigor; it had found a new and plentiful source of oxygen. "The roof collapsed," Lisa said, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Not again," Jackson breathed, agony in his voice. "Not another fucking one."

"God, Jackson. Jisoo!" Naomi exhaled.

Static burst onto their radios, followed by a very loud and very heartfelt, "Fuck me sideways!"

"Jisoo?" Jackson said into his mike. "Jisoo, copy; are you there?"

"Boss! Oh, fuck, Jackson, fuck me blind, hold on."

Jackson looked at Lisa, eyes wide. After a few minutes of silence, Jackson was going for his radio to call again when the door of the building was kicked open. A firefighter, uniform charred black, burst out. Judging from size alone, there was no doubt that it was Jisoo. She had another, taller firefighter held against her side as she stumbled into the cool evening air. She made it only a few steps before falling on her face.

Lisa and Jackson rushed over and dragged the two away from the collapse zone, calling for paramedics at the top of their lungs. Jisoo thrust her head forward and her helmet hit the ground with a solid 'thud.' She yanked off her air mask and looked up at Jackson with wide, half-crazed eyes. "Did you see? Did you f-in' see what just f-in' happened?"

"Did you fall through a roof?" Lisa asked. She knew how stupid the question was but was unable to keep from blurting it out.

"Chief never told me not to," Jisoo said. She turned and said, "Is Rosé okay?"

Lisa moved to Rosé, who was being tended to by a paramedic. "Rosie, you okay?" she asked, grasping the other woman's hand.

"Jisoo saved my life," she said, coughing between every other word. Blood was streaming from her blonde mop of hair, her steely brown eyes moving back and forth without focusing on anything. "Jisoo saved me," she repeated. "She fucking saved me."

"Yeah, she did," Lisa said, clasping her shoulder and drawing the woman in for a reassuring hug.

She stood and walked over to Jackson who was standing by the ladder truck. Jackson looked at her and said, "So, Jisoo tells me the roof is ventilated now."

Lisa laughed softly at the dry humour. "Guess we can turn on the fans." They headed for the front door, picking up the fan Jisoo had knocked over during her hasty retreat. As they turned on the monstrously noisy contraption, she glanced over at him and asked, "Are you okay, boss?"

"Thought I lost both of them," he said softly. He ran his thumb across his bottom lip, shook his head and walked away. Lisa watched him go, looked down at the fan and then headed over to Jisoo.

x-0-x

Both of them?

Both of them? How was that fair? That wasn't fucking fair!

She smacked her fist against her thigh and allowed herself a mini-tantrum inside the safety of her car. Damn. She had put so much thought into that. It was supposed to have been perfect. She exhaled slowly and let the rage slowly seep away until she was calm again. She threw the binoculars into the passenger seat and started the car.

She'd have another chance. She would just have to be patient.

With any luck, her next trap would get the entire damn watch.

Appalled, she pulled away from the curb with her headlights off to avoid anyone noticing her. As she merged with the flow of traffic on the main road, an idea came to her. Perhaps there was a way to salvage some fun from this fire after all. It wouldn't be the same as a death, but what in life was, really?

x-0-x

Jennie slid the file back into place and smiled at one of the medical student's jokes. She was about to head down the hall to check on a patient when her mobile phone vibrated in the pocket of her lab jacket. She had already forgotten about the silent calls the day before and withdrew the phone, hitting the 'talk' button and saying, "Dr. Jennie Kim."

A hoarse, low voice mumbled. "Your girlfriend just died in a fire. My condolences." and hung up without another word

She looked down at the phone in her shaking hand, eyes wide as her brain processed the words. One part of her brain told her that it wasn't true, couldn't be true, it was just the cruelest joke anyone had ever played on her. But then, another part of her brain whispered, 'but what if it is true?'

She moved down the hall, slowly building speed until she was running. She burst into the waiting room and snatched the remote from a man sleeping in an armchair.

She changed the channel, surfing aimlessly until she found live footage of yet another warehouse fire. She saw the ambulance on the scene with its lights flashing, saw the firefighters milling around on two sides of the building... saw that the entire roof had collapsed, leaving a gaping maw spitting fire angrily at the sky. From another dimension, she heard the reporter say that two firefighters had fallen through the surprisingly weak roof.

She hit the floor, her knees crying out in protest as they smacked the carpet. Later, they told her that she'd screamed loud enough to be heard at the nurse's desk, but she didn't remember that at all.

x-0-x

Jisoo sat on her stretcher, finally calmed down enough to sit still, looking down at Rosé as she breathed through the oxygen mask. The fire had been knocked down and all that remained was clearing the wreckage. Jackson approached the medic truck, climbing onto the bumper and glancing at Rosé before he said, "All right, Soo, what the hell happened up there?"

Jisoo pulled her mask off and shook her head. "Okay, uh... we made it onto the roof, but something was hinky up there, man."

"Kinky?" Jackson asked.

"No, hinky. Not quite... right."

"How?"

Jisoo seemed lost for a moment. After she'd had a moment to think, she shook her head. "All I remember clearly is falling. I thought I was dead meat for sure..." Clearing her throat, she said, "The roof was way too unstable. Shaky. It got really bad after Rosé started cutting... like we were just standing on a surfboard made out of plywood. The roof started to buckle, so I jumped and grabbed Rosé. Figured I'd..." She exhaled. "I don't know. I guess I figured she could use me to break her fall or something, I don't know. I wasn't thinking."

"And you just walked away?" Jackson asked, sounding as if he wouldn't believe it if he hadn't seen it with his own two eyes. "That was a three-story drop in there, man."

"Rosé hurt her knee and hip. Not bad, but I had to help her walk outta there."

"Where did you land?"

"There were no fucking floors, Chief... just air, all the way down to the ground level. We hit this big pile of crap... I don't even know what it was. I was on fire, but Rosé patted me out and we got outta there like the hounds of Hell were on our heels." She shrugged and muttered, "Probably ain't too far from the truth..."

Rosé said something into her mask, so Jackson moved to her side and removed it.

"The rafters," she said. "I saw them when we landed... just barely... They were all screwed up..."

"It's an old building," Jackson said.

"No... They looked like clean cuts. Like someone sawed through them."

Jackson looked over his shoulder and spotted Manoban amid the clean up crew. "Sounds like the arsonist theory might hold water after all." He clapped Rosé on the shoulder and said, "Get well soon, Park. They only give us so many replacements during the calendar year and we kinda like you."

"I'll be back ASAP, Jackson promise."

Jackson climbed out of the truck and grabbed the doors, seeing Rosé take JIsoo's hand before he shut the door on them. He turned and stalked back towards the building. If someone was setting traps, like Manoban suggested, if they were trying to kill his firefighters... this was going to be the last damn time.

x-0-x

"It was like something out of the movies," Lisa said, "the way Jisoo came strutting out of that building with Rosé? Oh, man, me without my camera."

Jungkook slapped Jisoo on the leg. "I thought I told you to leave the heroics to me, ay? Or at least time them so I'm around to see it! Man, I cannot believe I missed Ms. Hero here. Three damn floors, man!" The black haired man still grousing at being called up and told his friends were in hospital and then making his own panicked drive to the place he'd not long been discharged from.

"Excuse me," a nurse said from the edge of the curtain.

"Sorry you missed the big show, Kookie. But did Superman time his heroics so the spectators could watch? Did Batman?"

"You calling me Lois Lane?" Jungkook asked.

Lisa nodded at the other bed. "If anyone's Lois Lane, it's Rosé here. How's that IV drip working out for you, Rosie?"

Rosé gave a thumbs-up. "I'm thinking of coming here after shifts from now on."

"Excuse me," the nurse said again.

Jungkook finally heard her and stepped to one side. "Sorry, sweetheart," he said as she walked in.

"Look, Jisoo," Lisa said. "You do realize we're never going to let you live this down, right? The teasing begins now! Okay, so, how many drivers does it take to completely screw up a ventilation cut?"

The nurse put a hand on Lisa's arm. "Excuse me."

"Can it wait?" Lisa asked. She had a whole list of jokes she couldn't wait to unleash on Jisoo.

The nurse tried to smile, but it didn't work very well. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you know Dr. Jennie Kim?"

Lisa frowned. "Yeah."

"There's been an incident."

The blood drained from Lisa's face.

x-0-x

The nurse looked up at the smell of smoke, automatically prepared to bollock whoever had lit a cigarette. Instead, she saw a frightened looking woman with a soot-blackened face charging towards the desk. "Jennie collapsed?" she asked. She put her dirty hands on the counter and left two starfish-shaped smudges. She was wearing bunker pants, wide braces holding them up over her once-blue department t-shirt. Her hair was messed up, dark brown eyes wide, scared and searching. "Is there someone here who..."

"You mean Dr. Kim?" the nurse said.

"They said she collapsed," the firefighter said, snapping her eyes forward again, locking onto the voice of someone who might be able to help her. "Where is she, is she all right?"

"She's fine," the nurse said, coming around the edge of the desk. "She's right this way."

She led the firefighter down the corridor and knocked on the door frame as she stepped inside. "Dr. Kim? There's a..."

The firefighter shoved past her and made a bee-line for the bed. "Jen, what happened? Are you all right?"

"Lisa," Jennie gasped. She held her arms out for a hug and caught Lisa just before she hit the bed. The nurse who'd been sitting with Dr. Kim rose from the easy chair, heading for the door. Both nurses smiling as they closed the door behind them.

x-0-x

Lisa sat on the edge of the bed, cradling Jennie under her arm while the petite woman was sipping her apple juice and staring at her trainers. "I feel like such a fool," she said. "Everyone making such a fuss over me..."

"You collapsed in the waiting room... correction, they said you screamed and collapsed. What happened?"

"Someone called me," she said, keeping her voice low. "They said 'Your girlfriend just died in a fire.'"

"What?" Lisa growled.

"Honey," Jennie said quietly, touching Lisa's blackened hand. "Of course, I... figured it was just a crank call. I got a couple of those yesterday. But I turned on the news and there was this huge fire and they were talking about firefighters falling through a roof..."

"That was Jisoo and Rosé."

Jennie gasped. "Not that sweet woman I met at the funeral... oh, God, and the pretty blonde.."

"Nah, they're fine. They're a little banged up, they're downstairs getting the royal treatment from your guys, but I'm fine and they're fine."

Jennie sighed and closed her eyes. "I need to get over this. I can't panic and flail and fall down every time you leave for work in the morning. You could die in a fire, but I could get pricked with an infected needle. It's a crap shoot. We shouldn't spend all our time worrying about what may happen."

Lisa rubbed her shoulder and said, "Maybe you're just... maybe last night..."

With a grin, Jennie pressed her face against Lisa's shoulder. "What, you think now that we've slept together, I'm going to turn into an obsessive loony?"

Lisa smiled. "You're the one getting all melodramatic and wailing in the waiting room."

Jennie sat up and said, "I'll be fine. I just have to call my mobile company about these damn crank calls."

"Have they all been this bad?"

"No, the ones yesterday were just hang-ups... More annoying than anything else. This is the first time the person spoke to me, couldn't figure out if it was male or female though."

Lisa shuddered. "It's a little frightening, though, right? That someone knows you at least well enough to know about me."

"I'm choosing to ignore that at the moment. The last thing I need is a stalker."

Lisa hugged Jennie and kissed the top of her head. "Yeah... I got here first."

Jennie laughed and pushed away, sliding off the bed. "I have to get back at work before they declare me legally dead. Thank you for coming to make sure I was okay."

"I couldn't stay away," Lisa shrugged. They kissed at the door and parted ways. As she reached for the lift call button, the doors parted and Jackson stepped out. He scanned the corridor before glancing to his left and seeing her. "Boss, what are you doing here?" she asked, moving over to him.

"Been looking for you... they said you were up here. How is... uh..."

"Jennie. She's fine. Just a little episode."

"Glad to hear it," he said. He took her by the elbow and dragged her into the elevator car he'd just vacated. "Based on something Jisoo and Rosé told me, I called the arson investigator and had him take a quick look at the latest fire. Turns out the rafters were cut by some sort of power tool. It was deliberate and it looks like it was done recently."

"How can he tell that?" Lisa asked. Her mind was racing at what she was being told. An arsonist was targeting them. God, how could that be true?

"Something to do with weather and exposure... He said that the, uh, wear and tear were uneven or... something," Jackson said. He waved dismissively. "I don't know the details, its why I'm not an investigator. The important part is that I'm sorry for not listening to you before. These fires were definitely set. Someone out there is trying to hurt us."

Lisa shook her head. "Okay, playing devil's advocate... how do we know this fire is related to the other ones?"

"It's just like the other two; the building was also designed and developed from the ground up by Han Designs, Incorporated. Project headed by one Han So-hee."

Lisa groaned and slumped against the wall of the elevator. "So who is the target? Us or Han?"

"Martin is on his way over to talk with Han now. I figured with your history..."

"Aw, Jackson, do you actually hate me?" she groaned.

He held up his hands. "Hear me out. Your history, plus... if you walk in looking the way you do now, she may feel sympathetic. We might learn something useful."

"So I'm there to be pitied?"

"No. I meant the look in your eye when you thought Jisoo and Rosé were dead. I'm talking about how Jisoo said you looked half insane with rage when you heard Jennie might be hurt. I want you to scare that smug bitch into cooperating."

Lisa smiled. "That, I think I'm capable of."

x-0-x

She watched the news coverage, smiling the entire time despite the failure to kill anyone. Three fires, one casualty. She was so far behind schedule it was barely tolerable, but this mass panic was wonderful. Every major news station in the north west was playing footage of the fire. It had even made the national news, the BBC combining their coverage with shots of all the fires in the past week. "Must be a month for fires," one reporter intoned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yes," she responded to the screen. "Oh, yes, indeed."

Helicopters had circled the latest building like maverick honeybees, each making sure their station got its fair share of tragic entertainment.

It was magnificent. She only wished the fire had burned longer. The firemen were far too efficient in getting the blaze to die down. Still, she had got a kick out of the phone call at least.

She turned back to the table, her hand brushing over the photographs. She got a thrill out of the terror emanating from her partner as they sorted through the photos. She'd taken the camera out of her glove compartment, knowing mere words wouldn't convey the true wonder of the moment. Her partner was near-tears at the sight of a few, gasping out loud at others.

"Well?"

"These are horrific."

One photo showed Lisa's anguished face, as she stood with the other man, Jackson, listening to their radios. The arsonist noticed her partner put that one face-down on the pile.

"Are they what you wanted?"

"No." This was said softly, almost a thought.

"The buildings are living again. Just as you wanted."

"I never wanted this. Not this." A weak, lame wave of a hand indicated the photos. I just wanted the buildings to live, to be magnificent again.

"You make me do your dirty work because you're too weak to do it yourself."

"I didn't know you'd have pictures."

"I wish I had had a video camera!"

Her partner pushed the photos away. "Go away. I don't want you here anymore."

"Kicking me out?" She laughed. "As if I'm going anywhere".

"FINE. I'll leave then."

She stood and gathered the pictures. "I'm not going to stop because you're getting squeamish."

"Lisa Manob.."

"..is a fire-fighter and the entire point was that they're expendable. The point is the buildings. Giving them life by taking the lives of others. That was your plan. Not mine. You broke the rules and got attached"

Her partner retreated and left, finally leaving her alone. With a sigh, relishing the silence, she laid her art out once more. Oh, that she'd had a high definition video camera! To relive the anguish in Manoban's face over and over again. She snickered at that, imagining forcing her partner to watch the tape... that would be must-see TV, for certain.

She turned back to her desk, threw the photos in a draw and opened a new file. She sorted through the paperwork and tried to decide which would be her next project. Seven buildings, all abandoned and none scheduled for demolition. All standing, skeletons of their former glory, homes to rats of both the vermin and human variety. They gathered garbage, blocked sunlight, they were called eyesores and bore embarrassing "Condemned" signs over their shamed faces. She could get them legally, demolished easy enough, but... the thought of big machines pushing them over would make her nothing more than a bully. No, with fires, they ended their lives with dignity at the very least.

No more would they be ignored, she had vowed. They would not only be given a proper burial, they would go out in a literal blaze of glory. Their final moments would be seen by all and feared by anyone who had the misfortune to be nearby. But the damn firefighters...

She admitted she needed them. By taking a life, the building fulfilled its destiny. It accepted its place in the hearts of at least a handful of firefighters who would never forget the building that took their friend. A sacrifice to the gods.

She had a few things she wanted to try... new accelerants, new traps to set up. She was still furious that her rafter snare had come up empty. She'd worked damned hard on that, nasty horrible manual labour. She hated manual labour as much as her pen-pushing partner in crime. Ah, well... she would just have to up the ante next time.

She pulled Manoban's mobile phone from another desk drawer and stared at it for a long time. Was it too soon to put in another call to Jennie Kim? Her finger was poised over the button when an intercom on his desk buzzed. She sighed and answered. "I asked not to be disturbed during the news."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry. But there are some people here to see you."

Frowning, she stuck the mobile phone back into her desk drawer and glanced at the door of her office. Who would be here to see her? She had no appointments. "Yes, sure, send them in."

The door opened and her secretary escorted the unannounced visitors in. She couldn't resist smiling. "Lisa! How nice to see you... and who is your friend?"

"Fire Investigator Bill Martin," the portly man said. "We need to have a talk about the recent fires, Ms. Han."

She had to fight to keep her smile. Things had just taken a definite turn for the worst.

-------------------------------------------