Chapter Text
Even breaths. Eyes forward. Even pace. Eyes forward.
This mantra plays in a loop in her mind as it always does when she’s running. Her feet hit the floor at a regular, constant speed and she loses herself in the slight burn of her leg muscles and the air on her face.
“Hold up there, Bishop! You’re killing me. We’re not all Olympians, y’know” pants Vic to her left as she slows and stops, putting her hands on her knees and breathing harshly.
Maya slows down as well but doesn’t stop and instead starts jogging in wide circles around Vic “Come on Hugues, this is nothing! It’s all mental, you only think you can’t do it” she repeats the words she heard throughout her childhood as she moves into quick high knees.
Vic lifts her head, eyes rolling to the heavens as a drop of sweat trickles down her curly hair to her forehead: “Sure it is. Why run so early in the morning, the sun is barely up, and I should still be asleep. There are much better things to wake up that early for, if you know what I mean…” she replies, wiggling her eyebrows.
Maya always thought of herself as a serious, focused and determined person (she won a gold medal after all) however, being a firefighter meant that more often than not, she dealt with situations of life or death and needed to think fast and act faster in her job. That tended to make her grateful to make it out alive and needing to express that by indulging in a different kind of physical activity than presently. Sex was her form of self-care and like everything in her life, carefully scheduled and curated to achieve a specific goal.
“That was yesterday. Besides, nothing beats a good ol’ morning run” Maya states as she resumes her run, albeit at a slightly slower pace, indulging Vic.
“If you say that, it means someone didn’t do their job right” Vic chuckles as she matches Maya’s pace. “Miss what’s-her-face from Station 12 no good or what?”
“I don’t kiss and tell. But I will say, she’s got good stamina” Maya answered as she leveled a sideways and suggestive smirk at Vic.
“Ohh, BBF!” Vic exclaimed.
“What?”
“Bonus of Banging a Firefighter” she explained as they rounded a corner and avoided colliding with a toddler on a tricycle and an exhausted-looking and stroller-pushing mother.
“You’d know all about that” Maya chuckled. “How’s it going with Ripley? I still can’t believe it!”
Vic had been having a passionate and illicit affair with Lucas Ripley, Seattle’s Fire Chief. The relationship was impossible due to his position as her (and well all of Settle’s firefighters’) superior, but they’d decided they wanted to be together regardless and he’d proposed and now they were happily engaged, although neither had officially announced it yet.
“It’s good. We’re not in a rush but we kinda are in a rush because of the shitstorm that’ll come down on us whether or not we rush to get married so yeah, it’s all a not-so-rush rush” Vic’s tone betrays her nervousness but her pace remains even, and Maya decides to redirect.
“It’ll all work out! And no matter what, you have your job. The best job! He’s more at risk than you are so just focus on fighting fires and the rest will work itself out.” Maya reassures. “And by then, the station will have a new Captain and I’ll make sure to keep our team together no matter what” she adds, her face breaking from its neutral façade to smile confidently and maybe a little haughtily.
Following their previous Captain’s retirement, Chief Ripley was their interim Captain at Station 19 until a new Captain was appointed. Maya was in the running for the position, along with her best friend Andy and her ex, Jack. As lieutenants, they were all automatically considered for Captain as well as other station’s lieutenants and had a series of written and physical tests to pass before a final interview determined their fate.
“Feeling confident there, Bishop” Vic states, grinning.
Their latest task was called “the Incinerator” and consisted of teams of 4 lieutenants with a rotating Captain position so they all got their shot at locating and rescuing a dummy in a controlled warehouse fire.
Maya and Jack had both done well, both able to recover their dummies and get their team out in impressive time. Andy, however, had struggled against the odds, being the last of their group to go in, meaning the structure had been compromised and a large beam ended up falling on the lieutenant from Station 42. After that, they’d had to call a mayday and vacate the premises as soon as possible without finding the dummy.
Since then, Andy had been understandably sour about the whole thing and refused Maya’s attempts at comfort, not even congratulating Maya and Jack on their own performances. Maya understood her reaction, but it still stung coming from her best friend, especially since she, herself, had always been Andy’s n°1 cheerleader. So, she decided to push that out of her mind and focus on her goal.
“Feeling determined as always” she answered. She recognized that corner up ahead of them and knew it meant the end was near. “Speaking off, this is the last stretch and we’re done!”
Ripley had organized a rotation with a different Shift-Captain for every shift between all 3 lieutenants at Station 19 - and next shift was Maya’s turn. She could not afford to be unfocused; this was her chance to prove she could be the best Captain and she wouldn’t let anything come between her and her goal. Eyes forward, the only thing that matters is the finish line, like her father would say.
“Can’t be late for my shift as Captain! Come on!!” she yelled, running full speed ahead.
--
“You got this, kiddo! Job’s yours for the taking, you just have to want it hard enough”
Maya looked at her father’s text, smiling. Ever since Lane Bishop had been informed about the shift-Captain rotation, he had made it a point to know exactly when his daughter was shift-Captain and kept her motivated through texts and calls.
She made her way to the beanery, having changed in her uniform and looking for some much-needed caffeine.
Travis was already pouring himself a mug and she slid hers next to his, in an obvious hint. He smiled playfully and poured her coffee. “Sup’ Cap?”
She opened her mouth to respond when Andy, Miller and Warren came in, loudly discussing the benefits of drinking water in between every alcoholic drink to avoid getting drunk, with Dean firmly in favor of the practice.
“That’s just dumb because your body still takes in the alcohol hours after drinking so it amounts to the same thing” Warren insisted.
“Nope because water helps to literally water things down! So it’s not as much alcohol. Especially if you substitute the shot of tequila with a shot of water”
“And why would anybody do that?” Andy laughed. “If you don’t want to get drunk, know your limit and stop drinking is the point” she finished, nodding at Travis and Maya and joining them at the breakfast table.
“Montgomery! Bishop! Back me up here” Warren asked, looking at them expectantly.
“Oh eggs and bacon!” Dean’s smile lit up his face and he rubbed his hands together before throwing himself into a chair, grabbing a plate and helping himself to his favorite breakfast.
“Sorry Warren” Maya chuckled, hungry herself and not wanting in on this particular debate.
“Go for it, kids! I’ve been slaving over this for the past.. 9 minutes maybe” announced Travis, merely raising an eyebrow at Miller’s chipmunk cheeks and the rest of them mauling the eggs and passing juice and coffee around.
“Yess. Hungry!” they all looked up to see Jack striding in, sitting himself at the head of the table, shoving a piece of bacon into his mouth and happily holding up the plate of bacon.
“Hand that over, Gibson” Miller took it from him and placed the plate in between himself and Andy.
Jack took the eggs offered by Travis and was shoving spoonfuls into his mouth when Vic walked in, complaining they started without her. Just as she was pulling back the chair next to Warren, the klaxon rang out.
“Engine 19, Ladder 19, Air Car 19…”
They all shoved one last bite into their mouths before rushing out, Vic complaining she didn’t have breakfast and throwing one last longing glance at the eggs before hurrying after the rest of her team.