✆Season 1, Episode 2✆
Maria looks to Athena, "I want a new job."
"No, you don't," Athena shakes her head as she weaves in and out of traffic.
"We're chasing a grown man on a foldable mobility scooter down a highway. I could be sitting in an office color coding budget reports."
"Instead you live a life of thrill," Athena smiles at her before pulling out for the radio to get her voice out to the man, "Sir, I need you to pull over the mobility scooter."
He yells back to them, "Do you know how long it took to wire this thing to go over 20 mph? Months! I'm not stopping til I max it out."
Suddenly, the scooter lets out a bunch of smoke and stops, throwing the man off of it and to a rolling stop.
Maria sighs, "I saw that coming."
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Hen leads Athena and Maria through the firehouse to the kitchen, "I hope you guys don't mind, I invited some other members to join family dinner. Athena's going through some, uh, stuff at home, so she could use some TLC and Maria is actually family, so she's here."
Maria scoffs at Hen, "Thanks for making it seem like I just tagalong," She smiles at Chimney, giving him a hug.
"Well, we don't usually allow cops at secret firehouse meetings, but, uh, I'll make these exceptions," Her father, Bobby, says before hugging Athena and then Maria, "Hey, sweetheart."
"Hi, dad," She sits next to Buck, who hasn't really made any movement since they arrived.
Athena smiles, "All right. Appreciate that. Oh. Well. You know, I ain't sold on you yet, but..." She says to Buck, "I think helping us find that girl deserves a second chance," She holds her hand out for him to shake, which he does with a smile, "There won't be a third though."
They all laugh as Maria shakes her head, "She's bluffing, I'm on my, like, tenth chance with her."
"That's different. Most of your mistakes were just messing up my coffee order."
"You change it every day. How is that fair?" Maria sasses.
Bobby directs the attention to Buck, "Buck here is having a little trouble moving on from a call that didn't go his way."
Athena sits down, "Oh. You know why they make us wear these uniforms, right? Cops, firefighters, paramedics?"
"Uh...sex appeal?" Chimney asks.
"That's just the bonus," Maria winks at him.
Buck gives a more down to earth response, "So people can easily identify us."
She nods, "Both true, but it's also for our own good. Because when we take the uniform off at the end of the day, it symbolizes letting go of all of the sad, crazy, inhumane things we've seen that day."
"I see his face every time I close my eyes," Buck reveals to them, "That happen to you guys?"
"It'll pass," Athena tells him.
The bells go off, signally for the firefighters they have a call as they groan, "Be safe! I've got a meal to enjoy!"
Athena shakes her head, "Mn-hm, let's go."
"But Athena-a," She drags out the end of her name.
"No buts, let's go."
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Next shift, Maria drives this time as a call comes over the radio, "Need all available units. Please report to 673 Leland Way. We have a canine attack in progress."
"Eight-L-Thiry, handling it," Athena responds as Maria hits the lights and sirens.
She moves the car over a road bump and facing a communal area as Athena puts on the speakerphone, "This is an emergency, I need you to vacant the area."
The drive through clears up as Athena looks into the window, "Hey, girl, give me four cheeseburgers and fries. Put the fries in another bag, okay. Oh, and two medium root beers."
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Pulling up, they see Chimney almost running from the yard as Hen pokes her head in through the patio door.
"Hey, how big are they?"
"Take a look," She tells them.
Looking in, they see two huge dogs, "Oh, crap. Four bagger. I was hoping to save one for lunch. You ready?"
Maria sighs, nodding, "Got your back."
The two enter to see a man standing on the counter, holding a hose to spray the dogs, "You have a gun?"
"No, shooting them is just gonna piss them off. We've got something much more effect," She throws the burgers off to the side, drawing their attention away as Maria opens the pantry for Athena to throw a couple more in.
Once the dogs are in, Maria closes the door, "Got them."
"Thank you. You are a beautiful genius," The man flirts with Athena.
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Maria walks up to Athena and Hen, "Hey, Hen, when you got here, was that sliding door opened or closed?"
"Closed."
A car pulls up when Maria looks to Athena, "So was the front door. Dogs couldn't get inside unless they live here."
They head to the back when a man approaches them, "What's going on here, officers?"
"Sir, is this your house?"
"Yeah, everything okay? What happened to my dogs?"
Hen asks, "The Dobermans?"
Athena tells him, "You'll be happy to know they've been fed and they're safe. The problem is, you've been burglarized, and I let him get away."
Maria sighs, "I'll get the car ready for a witch hunt."
Hen snorts at her as she passes.
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Maria rests against her car outside of the firehouse, waiting for Buck, "Maria, what are you doing here?" Hen asks.
"Waiting for Buck," Maria says as she looks at the man, "Come on, we're going for a drive."
"Look, I don't need-"
She turns to him, "Did I make it seem like I was giving you an option. Get in the damn car, Buckley."
Bobby claps him on the shoulder, "I'd listen to her. She's not going to go away easily."
Buck sighs before putting his bag in the trunk of Maria's car and getting in the passenger seat. He allows her to start driving before asking, "What's this for?"
"I'm the most recent person to suffer their first professional lost. Everybody else has been doing this so long, that they forgot what it was like. Look, there probably was things you could've done differently, he probably could've tried a little harder, but it's not what happened. Some people, just don't want help."
"I know, losing people is part of the job and we just have to move on," Buck sighs, looking out the window.
Maria shakes her head, "That's not what I'm saying. If you ever just move on from losing someone, from watching them die, then you need to take a step back from the job. That's when something is terribly wrong."
"So what are you saying?" He turns to her as she parks at the pier, overlooking the water.
She sighs, "I have two first lost. The person that I could've saved, and the person I killed. Gene Sibanski, 25, mother to a three year old little girl named Sydney. She was hit by a car while crossing the street. I watched it all happen. I ran over to start administering CPR but...I couldn't get her to hold on long enough for the paramedics to arrive. The last thing she said to me was, I'm sorry. To this day, I have no idea who she was truly trying to say that too."
Buck bows his head, "How'd you move on?"
Maria scoffs, shaking her head, "Buck, did any of that sound like I moved on? I remember every detail of what happened. How many breath's she took and how many I pumped into her. I didn't move on. I learned to live with the heartbreak. I talked to counselors, Athena, my dad. I talked to any and everybody I thought could help. Eventually, you use the heartbreak as a tool to help you save others. Knowing you never want to feel like that again."
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Athena stops the car, aggressively folding up her visor that showed a picture of Michael before pulling out the number of the guy from the break in and dialing.
"So, couples therapy went well?" Maria jokes.
Glaring, Athena puts the phone to her ear, "Hey, boo. Who is this? Oh, come on now. I'm disappointed in you. I thought you and I had something. Yeah, well, I guess it has been a minute. I was married. You told me to call you when I needed a real man. Well, here I am. So, uh, you gonna come get this, huh?" She backs the car out as Maria stares at her, "You could meet at my place for a little afternoon delight, if you know what I'm saying. Mmm, I'm not far. You like dogs? Dobermans? I have one at my place. You called 911, dumb ass."
He spots the car as Athena and Maria wave before he starts running. When he tries to climb the fence, Athena gets out and pulls him down.
"No, no, no, no. You think I'm stupid, huh? You think you can just make me look like a fool and walk away? Huh?" She slams him against the hood of the car as Maria steps out.
"Athena, easy. Easy," Maria says before taking him and cuffing him.
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AN: Short chapter. It's kind of hard these first few episodes to really get Maria involved but once Season 2 hits and Eddie's there, I'm gonna have so much fun and play around.
Remember, at the end of this episode, May overdosed so we get to see older sister Maria next chapter.
QoC: What are you looking forward to the most?
Thank you for all of the votes and reads and comments!!