Danger Zone (File One of The First Responders Files)

Chapter Forty-Five

Well, I am once again a liar. No actual episode yet, that'll be next chapter. There was a lot of filler stuff to cover here, and there's 10K+ words of it, so . . . whoops? XD

Owen gets a surprise, Sylvie gets a phone call, the AFD really needs to stop stealing CFD firefighters, officers get new assignments, and Cruz is the ultimate shipper.

***

Owen woke the next morning to hear clanking in the kitchen and the woofs of Buttercup. He checked the time on his phone, relieved that this time, he'd woken with his natural alarm clock and not some Godawful time after noon. He swung out of bed, resolving to quickly run through the shower and check out what was happening downstairs.

As he jogged down, he saw Charles taking command in the kitchen, directing Izzy and Evie to distribute dishes of food around the island. "Good morning, Owen," the man gave him a smile. "We thought we'd give you a break after you flew in."

"That's . . . really nice of you," Owen smiled, accepting a plate offered by Izzy. "That ended up being a trip that . . . did not go how we thought it would."

"No, I don't think it did," Tommy agreed, setting a plate of sausage links on the island, and she brushed off her hands before offering a hug. "I'm so sorry, Owen."

Owen sighed, sinking into her hug. There was something about the Vegas that drew him in like a moth to a flame. "Thank you, Tommy."

"Maddie took Christopher over to Buck and Eddie's with Paul," Izzy recited. "Uncle Judd and Aunt Grace took Paul to Carlos and TK's."

"And Nancy and Marjan went to visit Sylvie," Evie finished.

"So no one spends the morning alone!" Izzy beamed.

Owen's smile widened with every word the twins spoke, and he shook his head, crouching down. "That is unbelievably kind of all of you."

He held his arms out, and the girls crowded in for a hug. "Mama said you lost someone like family," Izzy mumbled. "We're sorry, Captain Strand."

Owen smiled sadly, giving her an extra squeeze. "Thank you, girls."

"You should thank Mateo the next time you see him," Tommy smiled. "He laid the groundwork for this master plan."

"I will do that, thank you," Owen nodded, accepting a plate from Evie. "And . . . wow, I never knew my kitchen could produce so much food."

"That is why I am the kitchen master," Charles winked. "Dish up, Owen. Take anything you want."

Owen eyed the mountains of food. "That's dangerous to say."

Tommy laughed. "Welcome back, Owen."

***

Sylvie sighed in relief, closing her eyes as she took a sip of her mimosa. "Oh, that tastes good."

"Yeah, we thought it might," Marjan sat next to her, giving her a hug around the shoulders. "You were outnumbered most of your trip, so we thought you might want a girls' hang-out today."

"While Maddie entertains her three boys," Nancy smirked, sitting on her other side. "And the Vegas called dibs on Captain Strand."

"Oh, he probably needs the twins today," Sylvie admitted, taking a large gulp of her drink. "The Stablers . . . Elliot is a widower with five kids."

"Ooo," Marjan winced. "Poor kids."

"Twin hugs in abundance for Owen," Nancy nodded. "Understood."

"Yeah, he needs – " She paused when her phone rang, and she blinked when she recognized the ringtone. "Excuse me," she muttered, searching through her pockets and answering her phone before it went to voicemail. "Peter? What happened?"