Playing with fire (Amelia Shepherd) ABANDONED

Seven

"Hey, why is Ripley holding all the interviews with the captain wannabes here? I don't like the idea of all the other candidates being in our space, all up in our business," Vic said to Andy as she sorted her gear out. Mallie and Maya nodded in agreement.

"Me either," Maya said.

"You didn't seem to mind too much last night," Andy smirked, starting to walk out of the locker room.

"I told you, I didn't know who she was!" Maya said, following after her.

"Wait. Hang on. Did we just miss something?" Mallie asked, she and Vic hurrying after them.

"What did we just miss?" Vic asked.

"Okay. What are you gonna say in your meeting today, if you've decided you've already lost this thing?" Maya changed the subject.

"What? No! No, no, no. Wrong attitude. Don't think that," Vic cried.

"No! Strong independent women, channel it!" Mallie said.

"I'm just gonna be true to myself, all right? That's all I can do," Andy said.

"Okay, hey. I am sensing some resignation here, and I don't like it. The Incinerator may have been bad, but that doesn't mean you're completely out of the running. Why would you think that way?" Vic asked.

"You know, just a hunch, I guess," Andy said. The front door opened, Travis stepping in with his new kind of boyfriend, Grant.

"Well, we might've bought the whole store. That's what I get for going shopping with a professional chef," Travis said.

"Grant, did you wake up at his place? 'Cause, if so, that is huge. He never lets anybody sleep over," Vic smirked, leaning into Mallie's side.

"Okay, this was on his way to work," Travis said, shoving a box of baked goods at Mallie.

"Oh," she said.

"And I needed the extra hands, and that's it. Okay, that's it? That's it," Travis said. He turned and started heading up the stairs, the rest of them following.

"Loving this view," Vic smirked, smacking Mallie's bum. Mallie laughed.

"You pervert," she said.

The team stood lined up in front of the breakfast table, hiding it as they waited for Bailey to bring Ben for his fifty fires present. The door burst open and Bailey marched in, Ben following quickly.

"Herrera!" Bailey said. She smirked happily. "He's all yours," she said. Ben sighed in relief.

"Okay, guys, I'm sorry. I wasn't able to get the tacos that you wanted," Ben said.

"Yeah, we know. That place has been closed for a month. We just wanted to make sure that you were late," Dean said.

"Oh," Ben frowned. Mallie snorted. They all moved out of the way, revealing the table piled high with food. "Okay, what's happening?" Ben asked.

"As of last week, you have officially run into 50 fires," Andy said.

"And you have run out of 50 fires not dead, so congrats," Maya smirked.

"I, for sure, thought that you'd be back at your cushy little surgery gig by now," Dean chuckled. "Well, either that or crispy fried," he said. Bailey raised her eyebrows and he looked down. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Fifty fires is a big rite of passage," Pruitt said.

"Congratulations, Warren," Mallie said, throwing him the present they'd gotten him.