Chapter Text
It had been a long day.
A long week.
A long year if she was being honest with herself.
Her choice to return to Seattle hadn't been an easy one, but when her best friend sent her the listing for an open Captain's position with the Seattle Fire Department, it felt like kismet. Leaving for Atlanta had been the bravest decision she had ever made, one that had been borne of necessity… but she had never felt truly at home there. Though her career had taken off and she had found success within the fire department, making new friends wasn't easy.
It was one thing to make friends at work, that was easy, it was automatic – the firehouse was a family and that meant building bonds that stretched beyond the confines of the station. Making friends outside of that bond wasn't quite as simple because who had time to build adult friendships?
She stripped out of her gear, making her way to her office with thoughts of a long, hot shower on her mind. In her position as Captain with the AFD, having to go into a burning fire was a rarity. She had only been back with SFD for a week and she'd run into two burning fires. She hadn't been prepared for that part of the job, well… she hadn't been mentally prepared for that part of the job, she was always physically prepared.
One hot shower later, she was stepping back into her office in a fresh uniform. She sighed when she realized one of her Lieutenants had followed her, already perched in the seat across from her desk.
"I wouldn't have suggested this if I didn't think you two would hit it off."
Maya rolled her eyes, "This isn't the first time you've tried to set me up with one of Duda's friends," she pointed out.
Her friend shrugged, but there was a smile on his face, "Sure, but all of those were Duda's idea, this one was both of us."
Maya shook her head, "Ricky, don't I get time to settle in before you start setting me up again?"
"No," he smirked. "We've missed you and we've missed trying to find you a spouse even more."
"A spouse," she spluttered. "I don't think so man, it's way too early for all that."
"It's way too early for all that," he mimicked with a snort. "Maya, we're the same age."
Maya wrinkled her nose, "Yeah, sure, we are, but-"
"But what?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
She lifted her eyebrows in retort, "You've always been an old soul," she teased.
He groaned, "Just- do this one thing for me," he sighed.
Maya groaned, partly because that was how she genuinely felt and partly because if Ricky could groan, she could groan. "Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"
He sighed, "Look, Carina is Duda's best friend and we really think you two are perfect for each other."
She wrinkled her nose at the idea that she was perfect for anyone or that anyone would be perfect for her. Maya had enjoyed watching her friend fall in love, but she didn't think it was for. One of the reasons she and Ricky had gotten along so well in high school was the fact that they shared a singular focus – Olympic success. The difference between them was that after achieving Olympic success, Ricky found a way to return to normality and it was something Maya still struggled with. Even after leaving Seattle.
"Fine," she sighed. "Fine, I'll go on one date with Duda's friend, but if she sucks, you owe me big time."
Ricky scoffed. "Carina's great, she definitely doesn't suck. And, uh, make sure you turn up with flowers, Carina loves flowers."
~~~
"So, you'll go?"
"Ammazza," Carina said with a roll of her eyes, "Yes, I will go, I already told you I'd go, but I will not pretend to be happy about it."
Duda shrugged, "You don't have to pretend to be happy about it, but you do have to try… for real."
"For real. I am honestly a little tired of being your blind date guinea pig. I know you are desperate for a couple to be friends with, but wouldn't it be easier to find an existing couple than try to find me a match?"
Duda arched a brow, a slight smirk on her face, "Well, we did try Owen and Teddy, but-"
"They're boring," Carina nodded, she didn't even need to ask questions, she just knew that to be true.
Duda hummed, "And we tried Miranda and Ben, but-"
"They're too mature for you," Carina already knew the answer and she understood. Her friends just wanted people on the same level as them and none of their friends were at that point in their lives. Then again, Duda hadn't been at that point in her life either, until she was… and from the moment she had fallen for Ricky Caldwell, Carina had watched their story unfold and even she was big enough to admit when two people were made for each other.
"Exactly, so you see why we keep trying to set you up."
"I guess I see, but you're also terrible at it," Carina said with a sigh. She wasn't against finding a long-term partner, she wouldn't mind settling down… it was just that her friends were objectively terrible at finding suitable matches for her. For two people who knew her so well, they were genuinely terrible at nailing down her type.
Duda nodded. She couldn't exactly disagree. "Well, that's true, but this time is different."
"And why is this time different?" Carina challenged.
"Because this time, Carina, my husband and I are in agreement."
That caught Carina's attention because she knew how often they set her up on blind dates despite the fact that one of them was doubtful about how suitable the candidate was for her.
Duda nodded. "Yes, Ricky thinks you and Maya are as perfect for each other as I do."
~~~
Maya was punctual, anally so. She was famously early for everything to the point where people joked about setting their watch by her. Her inner clock had been key to her success, from her daily runs through childhood to her ascent through the ranks in the fire service. Of course there was more to it than timekeeping, but she would swear it was one of the key elements to her success.
Unfortunately, it had failed her spectacularly today.
Well, that wasn't strictly true.
She was fully aware of the time… it was just… well, she might have been a Captain with the Seattle Fire Department, but she was also new to the Seattle Fire Department and she wanted to make a good impression.
Was her shift over?
Yes.
And while another station had been assigned to handle overhaul, the Battalion Chief himself was on scene and he hadn't exactly demanded she stick around, but the fact that she had arrived in her truck rather than on the engine had certainly played a role in his suggestion she shadow him for the rest of the call.
It wasn't until her phone buzzed with a message from Ricky wishing her luck that she realized she was supposed to be going on the date he and Duda had scheduled for her. She'd barely had enough time to race back to the station to shower and change into street clothes and well, that was also not strictly true because she didn't actually have time to do either of those things.
She was already late for the date, and though she resisted the urge to look at the clock on her dashboard, she knew she was incredibly late. Luckily, it was a traffic-free time of night, though she was fully aware that they would have more than missed their reservation.
It wasn't until she reached the path to Carina's place that she remembered Ricky's admonition. To show up with flowers. She muttered under breath, spotting a well landscaped garden next door. Carina's neighbor probably wouldn't miss one flower, right?
When the door swung open, she was only slightly taken aback by the woman who greeted her. She was way more attractive than Maya anticipated, "Hi," she waved.
"Hi," Carina greeted in return, making no attempt to conceal her annoyance.
"Sorry I'm late," Maya offered, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. She pushed the single rose into Carina's hands, "For you," she tried a smile, pulling her hand back quickly when she realized she was bleeding. She hadn't actually noticed pricking her finger on a thorn; she wasn't exactly off to a great start.
Carina just nodded, sizing the woman up. "You're covered in soot."
Maya's eyes widened as she fumbled for her phone, using the front camera in embarrassment. She groaned a little, "I was held up on a call."
Carina hummed. She was pissed that Ricky's best friend had turned up so late, but she'd heard Duda's complaints enough to know it was an inevitable outcome of firefighting and hell, it often happened to them as doctors.
"A heads up would have been nice," Carina said folding her arms across her chest.
Maya nodded. It would have been, yes, but she wasn't sure how to explain that her boss had been on the scene and it wasn't exactly an option. "So uh, I guess we missed the reservation, but I know a good spot," she tossed it out there because she had promised Ricky she'd go on this date and she had promised she would try to get to know Carina. She had promised that solely because the woman was Duda's best friend, but- given how late she was, she would forgive her for passing on the "opportunity" to spend her evening with her.
Carina just nodded, "Sure."
Maya sighed quietly in relief.
She could tell this woman hated her already, that she didn't have time for any of her bullshit and she understood, but she knew how important it was that she smooth it over. She spent a lot of time with Ricky and Duda before she moved to Atlanta and now that she was back, well, she would likely be spending a lot of time with them again and running into Carina would be inevitable. Even if they had avoided it for this long.
Maya tried to smooth things over, starting by opening the passenger door for Carina. "So, uh, how do you know Duda?" she asked as she pulled out of Carina's driveway.
Carina hummed, "We met in college," Carina informed her. "My mother had moved to the US with my brother several years earlier and she suggested I apply for some American universities so I was closer to her and Duda's family had moved from Brazil when she was in high school, she didn't want to go too far for school. I guess we hit it off because we were both foreign," she laughed a little. "What about you and Ricky? Duda said you're his best friend?"
Maya nodded, "Uh, yeah, we've been friends since high school actually," she smiled a little. "We were on the track team, we were both on the path to the Olympics, so," she shrugged. "We pushed each other and then we won our golds at the Olympics and joined the fire department together, we did the academy together, and," she shrugged. "That's that really."
"And you just moved back to Seattle?" she questioned.
"Yeah, from Atlanta," she nodded.
"Did you not like it or?"
"Um," Maya sighed. "I wouldn't say I didn't like it, I just- my entire world revolved around work and work friends, it's tough to make friends outside of work when you're a firefighter and," she shrugged. "I guess life felt small there even though I was climbing the ladder. So, when Ricky said there was a job coming up because his Captain was retiring, I guess I couldn't resist applying. He's my Lieutenant," she smiled. "And my other Lieutenant, Andy Herrera, she was in the academy with us too, so it's pretty cool."
Okay, maybe the night wouldn't be as bad as she first thought… so Maya was an hour late, she seemed alright so far. She was a decent conversationalist and she appeared to be good under pressure, given she had a restaurant in mind despite their missed reservation.
She groaned internally when Maya pulled in to a fast food restaurant, parking up as though she intended to go inside. Perhaps she had spoken too soon.
"I uh," Maya rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I was gone for years so, I don't really know my way around Seattle anymore," she confessed, more than slightly embarrassed that she was taking Duda's best friend in the world to Dick's Drive-In.
She certainly felt like a dick.
"Hand dipped shakes," she said, nodding to the restaurant. "I'll even spring for a root beer float," she said with a wink, hoping a bit of cocky confidence could override yet another date blunder on her part. Judging by the look on Carina's face, it didn't.
Still, Carina ordered a strawberry shake to go with her deluxe burger and fries. It would probably be too much for her, but she noted that it was the most expensive burger on the menu and that sealed the deal in her mind. She wasn't going to be rude to Maya, even though she'd been incredibly late, but she could make her spend more money than she'd planned to at… she cringed as she took in Dick's aesthetic.
It wasn't fair – the burger was delicious, the fries were outstanding, and the hand dipped shake was clearly worth the hype. Still, it wasn't Aerlume, which was what Duda had told her she would be getting.
Once her attention was fixed on the food, she couldn't help but notice that Maya had ordered two plain cheeseburgers. It was just beef and cheese on a bun, nothing else. "Do you have a problem with condiments?" she asked.
"No," Maya frowned, shoving fries in her mouth.
"Plain cheeseburgers," Carina pointed out.
Maya's brow furrowed as she looked between her burgers and Carina's. "I have a problem with some condiments," she conceded.
"Relish?" Carina hazarded a guess.
"And mustard."
"Why not just order it without?"
Maya shook her head, "Oh no, that's a trick. This is 15 cents cheaper than the standard cheeseburger. I ask for something without and I'm still paying for the whole thing, that's crazy, why would I do that when this is on the menu 15 cents cheaper?"
A cheapskate.
Carina had to wonder if the reservation for Aerlume existed in the first place.
Maya's phone vibrating on the table broke the brief silence and she huffed a little when Maya actually picked it up to answer. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise at the tone of the conversation, certain that the exchange with the woman she could clearly hear on the other line was… a booty call. She couldn't hear everything, but she clearly heard the words "can you come?" and that was enough.
"Yeah," Maya was nodding as if the person on the other line could see her. Carina supposed video calls had blurred the lines. "Okay, sure, yeah, I- I'm on the other side of town," she informed the caller. "It'll take me half an hour at least. Sure, yeah, okay." She was still nodding and Carina wanted to strangle her. She had gone from annoyance over the late arrival to being mildly charmed by Maya's ability to make conversation to downright disdain at the fact this woman was literally arranging a booty call while on a date with her. They still had half a meal to eat.
Maya hung up and looked at Carina apologetically, "I'm really sorry, but that was work."
"Work," Carina was unconvinced.
"Yeah- my Battalion Chief wants me on a scene, it's a big one and it's not a 5-alarm or anything, but he thinks it's climbing and he wants to see me in action."
Carina didn't believe the story, she was certain Maya had set it up so she'd have an out, but she didn't call her on it. She just shrugged, rolling her eyes a little.
"Look, you can stay, finish your food, Dick's is always a guaranteed good time," she assured her, tugging her wallet out of her back pocket, "I just- I'm new, it's important I make a good impression," she tried to explain as she slipped a few bills out of her wallet and set them on the table. "That should cover the Uber home," she said, taking a final bite of her first burger, shoving fries in her mouth and rushing off with the other burger in hand and her shake in the other.
"Unbelievable," Carina said shaking her head in annoyance.
~~~
Carina shook her head, grumbling the moment Duda appeared in her office with a cup of coffee and an apologetic smile.
"So?"
"I have nothing against casual sex," Carina started, "But why would you set me up with someone who is interested exclusively in casual sex?" she asked, genuinely flummoxed as to what her friends had been thinking.
Her friend shook her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Uh, I'm pretty sure the phone call she took while we were at dinner, which was fast food by the way because she arrived late and we missed our reservation," Carina stared at her friend pointedly before continuing, "was from a woman looking for a hookup."
Duda pursed her lips, and it was clear that she didn't have an answer for that – she knew Maya was a player… at least, she had been a player, but she wasn't rude. "Are you sure?"
Carina crossed her arms defensively. "She literally grabbed her burger and shake and ran out the door after she hung up."
Duda cringed.
"Seriously, Duda," Carina sighed. "Why would you think Maya and I would fit together?"
Duda sighed heavily, "Because you are kindhearted, care giving, and beautiful and she's brave, loyal, and she has such a big heart when you get to know her."
Carina rolled her eyes, "Well, I guess I will never see her big heart because I will definitely not be getting to know her."
Duda made a face.
"What?" Carina sat up straight. "Why did you make that face, Duda?"
"You can't really avoid her," Duda pointed out. "She's Ricky's best friend and now that she's back in Seattle, well, she will be around a lot."
Carina sighed loudly, dramatically, as heavily as she could as if she wanted to make her point abundantly clear.
Duda smiled awkwardly, shoving her hands in her coat pockets. "Plenty of time to get to know her better," she singsonged, awkwardly backing out of Carina's office.
~~~
Duda was ready to give Maya hell, standing at the front window watching for their friend to turn up.
She had been so certain that Carina and Maya would hit it off, but for Maya to turn up late and take a call from another woman?
That was beyond the pale.
She hadn't gotten around to telling Ricky about the disaster Carina had relayed, and he hadn't mentioned Maya's side of the story. So, when he suggested a barbecue and said he'd invited Maya to join them, she decided to keep it under her hat and confront her in person.
"Maya Kathleen Bishop!"
Duda waited until Maya had joined Ricky in the backyard, watching as they clinked the neck of their beer bottles together in a cheers, each of them downing half the bottle in one long gulp before clinking necks again.
Maya jumped at the sound of Duda's voice, turning to look at her friend with a slight look of terror on her face. "Duda!" she greeted, plastering a large grin on her face. "How the hell are ya?" she threw out, hoping to soften whatever blow was coming her way.
"Ricky told me you agreed to go on that date and make an effort."
Ricky was looking between the two of them with wide eyes, unsure what to say because as much as he wanted to defend his best friend, he knew better than to take sides with anyone other than his wife.
"I did!" Maya could definitely handle this herself. At least, she'd have to.
Duda's raised eyebrows made Ricky doubt that his best friend was telling the truth, finally shifting his attention from his wife's face to Maya's. She looked guilty as hell.
"Did you?" Duda challenged.
Maya bit her lip nervously and that was when Ricky knew she was in deep shit. "I tried," Maya assured her. "But I was late," she admitted.
"Late?" Ricky had never known Maya Bishop to be late for anything.
"Chief Griffin wanted me to stick around," she turned to explain, "Because I had arrived separately from the team, he wanted me to see the scene from his angle."
Ricky lifted his eyebrows in surprise, eyes wide, "Yeah? Oh wow, dude, that's so cool!"
"Right?! I mean, maybe if I'd stuck around in Atlanta, I would have been due a promotion in the next couple of years, but I figured moving to Seattle would set me back a bit. So, I had to take the opportunity-"
Duda cleared her throat, recapturing their attention. Ricky had the decency to look embarrassed, but Maya shuffled her feet, her hand rubbing at the back of her neck. "And the booty call?"
"The booty call?!" It was Ricky's turn to explode, catching Maya by surprise when he shoved her shoulder.
"No!" Maya was shaking her head vigorously. "No! Are you serious? No! Dispatch called me, there was a big fire across town and Chief Griffin wanted me to go. I'm new, I couldn't say no!" she defended. "I mean, I could have, but I'm new," she reminded. "And with him asking me to stick around on that last call, well, it feels like he's trying to size me up. I need to be at my best."
"So what happened exactly?" Ricky asked, entirely confused now.
"Maya was late," Duda reminded him. "And because she was late, they missed their reservation, so Maya took Carina DeLuca out for fast food."
"Well, it was Dick's Drive-In," she pointed out, "And Dick's isn't fast food in the traditional sense. It's home cooking."
"It's burgers and fries," Ricky said with a laugh.
"Sure, but the shakes are hand dipped," she sighed.
"And then she left Carina there for what Carina thought was a booty call, but was apparently work related."
Maya nodded, "Yes, work!" she pointed at Duda as she nodded.
"You left her there?" Ricky questioned, cringing a little as he watched his best friend nod.
"The fire was across town," Maya shrugged. "I didn’t really have time to take her home before going and she was still eating, it would have been rude."
"Oh, it would have been rude?" Duda rolled her eyes, now fully annoyed with her friend. Though she was relieved to hear the call had truly been work related, she was still pissed. This wasn't the Maya she knew – sure, Maya was… well, she was Maya, but she was a good person. If Carina had shared that story about anyone else Duda would have been horrified. Hearing Maya's side of the story didn't do much to change that, even if the call had been valid. "She left money on the table for an Uber," Duda said, ignoring Maya's presence entirely to speak to her husband directly.
"Exactly," Maya nodded. "I left money on the table for an Uber! I didn't leave her high and dry!"
Ricky's eyes widened and he was shaking his head in surprise, "Dude."
"It was work!" Maya could see she was fighting a losing battle.
Ricky sighed, "You just made game nights so fucking awkward, dude."
Maya huffed, folding her arms across her chest, as though she was about to mount another defense of her actions. "Fine," she said, her hands dropping to her side for a moment before she held them up in apology, "In hindsight, I can see the mistake." She was mostly lying because she didn't really see her mistake beyond arriving late. Sure, it wasn't ideal, but work was her priority. "But in all seriousness, why would you think we were compatible?"
Ricky rolled his eyes. Maya might have been his best friend, but she was making it tough. "Because despite your behavior on a first date, you're a really good person and Carina deserves to be with a really good person."
"And despite your behavior on a first date, you're loyal and kind and Carina is compassionate and funny and wonderful and that sounds like a good match me."
Maya couldn't really speak to that – Carina could be all of those things, they really didn't have much time to find out. Then again, the fact that she didn't slam the door in her face when she arrived an hour late was indicative of her being some, or all, of those things.
"Can you be on your best behavior from now on?" Duda asked, clearly running out of patience.
"Uh, yeah, I wasn't mean or anything," Maya scoffed.
Ricky nodded in agreement.
"I am so serious, Maya," Duda said through gritted teeth for emphasis, "You are our two best friends."
Maya nodded, "Totally. Best behavior from here on out."
~~~
Despite her promise, she didn't have to be on her best behavior much at all. Given her firefighting schedule, there didn't seem to be much time for group hangs. She honestly had no idea why Ricky and Duda had been so worried, there was two events in the first six months after the "first date" and there were enough people at each of those events for Maya to mostly avoid Carina altogether. Given their penchant for drinking in bars, Maya could grab a drink, mingle with friends, and hang out around the pool table or dart board. The most conversation she'd had with Carina since running out with a burger and shake was great to see you again as they waved each other goodbye.
Of course, she could have predicted that the holiday season would change all that. What she couldn't have predicted was how early Duda planned to kick off the holiday season.
They had invited her for dinner to celebrate the autumnal equinox – she had no idea what that was or why anyone would celebrate it, but she wasn't one to pass up a free meal. If there was one thing she had learned since Duda came into Ricky's life, it was that she was an incredible cook.
She hadn't expected there to be so many people at the dinner event, though. She had factored in the rest of A shift, she had even factored in Carina and some of the Grey Sloan doctors Duda worked with, but now that she was seeing all of them crammed into Ricky and Duda's house… well, it was a big house but the crowd made it look decidedly smaller.
As much as she wanted to stick to the rivers and the lakes she was used to, she also wanted to make Duda and Ricky proud by striking out and mingling with the doctors. It wasn't like she couldn't hold a conversation, she could, she just wasn't quite sure what to talk about with a group of doctors who probably spent most of their time talking about work.
Still, she found herself in a small group of doctors and quickly realized that Owen and Teddy were a married couple and Amelia wanted to fuck Monica, but Monica appeared undecided. If it was any other time, if it was any other setting, Maya might have put a cat amongst the pigeons by hitting on one or both of them, but Duda had asked for her best behavior and she was quite certain that request didn't have an expiry date. So, she resisted the urge to charm the two beautiful doctors, and tried to stay on topic.
"Duda said you only recently moved to Seattle?" Teddy asked with a friendly smile.
Maya nodded, "Uh, yeah, well moved back," she corrected. "I'm originally from Seattle, Ricky and I went to high school together, but I moved to Atlanta a few years ago."
Monica's eyebrows lifted in interested. "What took you to Atlanta?" she asked, leaning in just enough for Maya to get the message. A message she was intent on ignoring, especially when she noted the irritated look on Amelia's face. She cleared her throat, shuffling enough to move away slightly without making it obvious. "Well, I guess I just needed a change of scenery," she shrugged.
"And now you're ready for the same old scenery?" Owen questioned with a laugh.
Maya nodded, her smile tight. "It's changed a lot more than you'd think," she offered.
She blew a breath out as she moved from one group to another, working on calming her breathing just enough to keep herself grounded in the room. She was out of practice. There was a major difference between playing a social butterfly in a bar and this – this had stakes, and she wanted Duda and Ricky's other friends to like her.
It had been a long time since she'd worried about people liking her, and it made her feel uneasy.
"Hi!"
She turned, trying to put a bright smile on her face before meeting Carina's eyes. "Oh," she said, slightly surprised by how friendly the hello was. "Hi," she said with a nod. "How are you?" she asked, taking the opportunity to show Carina she could be a totally polite, completely normal person.
"I'm great," she said with a shrug before taking another sip from her glass of wine. "You?"
"Oh, yeah, good," Maya nodded. "Just uh, mingling," she gestured to the room at large, as though she had spoken to everyone.
Carina nodded awkwardly, "Meet anyone interesting?"
"I mean, it's a room full of doctors, so I guess they're all interesting." It felt like the right thing to say even if she did feel slightly intimidated.
Carina smiled at that, "It's all most of them talk about, they're not that interesting."
Maya laughed at that, blushing only slightly when it drew looks from a few other people, notably Monica who had obviously not taken the hint. She gulped as she looked down at the drink in her hand. It was looking a little low on liquid.
Carina arched a brow, taking note of the interaction. She knew Amelia was interested in Monica, but as far as she could tell, Monica had yet to return that interest on a romantic level. Whether they were destined for friendship or romance, she wasn't surprised that Maya would get caught in the middle of it. She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I should keep mingling."
"Sure," Maya nodded. She'd seen the look – the look she'd gotten from Carina after she noted Monica's gaze directed toward her. Okay, she might have made a mess of their first interaction, but this one wasn't on her at all. She had literally put space between them, she had literally escaped at the first opportunity, she did not deserve smoke for this. She sighed heavily the moment Carina was out of sight, shaking her head slightly.
It didn't matter how good her behavior was, she was obviously not going to win Carina over any time soon.