New team

3.Station Officer

For the first time in years, Sam felt he had a reason to wake up. All that happened almost ten years ago still had been haunting him in his dreams every single night. He still didn't quite understand what exactly had happened back then, but today he got, at least a small part of, a chance to change the past. He could build the team back and at least Pontypandy could be a little safer, of course if he don't mess up this time. 

He was checking every single thing at firestation for sometime which felt like thousandth time, when he heard footsteps behind him. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped and turned away only to see Elvis amused look on his face. 

"Elvis, you made me jump" Sam accused, but he couldn't help but smile as well, even if it was a sad smile. Losing the last of his old teammates was something he couldn't prepare himself for in any way. Even that invisible shield, everyone was talking about whne he wasn't around, wasn't any help.

"I didn't know you were so lost in thoughts, Sam" Elvis apologised. "I just wanted to give you this". 

"Promotional voucher to Bella's pizzeria" Sam looked up puzzled from a leaflet in his hand, after reading what a piece of paper Elvis had just handed him said. 

"You know I've been working there for a while. That way you could get away from Pontypandy once or twice" Elvis sat down next to Sam. "You haven't been with a visit to neither Newtown nor Cardiff or any other city for over nine years, Sam. Why?" 

"I don't want to talk about it, Elvis" Sam muttered defensively, but Elvis saw right through him. 

"You are afraid you could possibly come across one of our friends, aren't you?".

"Yes" Sam didn't know why he nodded in agreement, as he knew perfectly well that the truth was much more simpler, but for him still complicated. He didn't want to come across one person, that was the reason why he sticked to Pontypandy. 

"You, probably, may not know that, but Ellie and Arnold still come to Bella's cafe from time to time asking for you" Elvis gently patted his best friend's shoulder. "Station Officer Steele also passes by from time to time" he tried to cheer Sam up, but it onky made his best friend sadder. 'But one person doesn't' Sam sighed with resignation when the thought ran through his mind.

"Thanks, Elvis. I'll consider it" Sam put on weak smile as Elvis stood back up. "Thanks for everything" Sam hugged him as a brother one last time. 

Elvis didn't say anything, but both he and Sam had tears in their eyes, when Elvis closed the door of Pontypandy Fire Station last time after him. Sam couldn't hold back vivid memrories anymore when he was walking back and forth, waiting for the cadets to arive. Everywhere he looked he saw the ghosts from the past. Not only him and Elvis, but this time also with an entire team. It was too hard to remember all of the times they spent here as almost a perfect team, sometimes fooling around and sometimes having each other's back. Back then, ten years ago, Sam's life was perfect. Why he wanted more? Now nothing could bring it back...

A cold shiver ran down Sam's spine when he heard a bus stopping right before Jupiter's garage door. 

"Now it is only you and me, old friend" Sam almost caringly patted the worn red paint on Jupiter's door while he slowly tried to take control over his mind. 

He opened front door as three young men followed by a woman walked inside and saluted as soon as they noticed him. Typical Newtown Fire Acdemy's discipline. But one man stayed behind them, anxiously looking around. By the time Sam realized it was the same boy's face as on  the one in empty file from Cardiff Fire Academy, Chief Fire Officer Boyce approached him. 

"Sam, meet your new team" Chief Fire Officer Boyce put his arm around Sam's shoulder to push him a little closer into the light. "They're amazing, aren't they?" he pointed to the five men and woman he had chosen himself with a proud smile Sam saw for the first time in his superior's face from years. "Cadets! This is firefighter Sam Jones. Probably well known by you through news" Chief Fire Officer Boyce introduced Sam as all of the five young firefighters took a step closer. However the truth was different. Old fame still haunted Sam, but since the break up in Pontypandy Fire Team there was nothing too spectacular happening in Pontypandy. So the curiousness of ypung people could start to show when they got a little bolder as Sam began to showed them around their new workplace. "They're curious but as I said the best from the best. All for Pontypandy" Chief Fire Officer Boyce saluted briefly, as they reached the old picture in the office. "I'm sure you will get along great. I want to belive I'm leaving them in capable hands, Station Officer Jones" he titled Sam, but his smile hid the concern he had that his plan would fall apart if the team wouldn't be too rebelious for breaking this broken man.