𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 || 𝟗-𝟏-𝟏

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

The full moon allowed for the superstitious to fully believe in what they preach. For twelve nights throughout the year they can enjoy the gleam from the light that sits close to the earths surface. They believe the moon grants their wishes, the belief that whatever they want can come true if they simply preach to the moon. Cora however believed it was nonsense.

Some people saw it differently, they believed the full moon cast a curse down amongst people and for the night everyone went crazy. As if the clean, crisp air was poisoning people and making them manic.

Hen never liked to work on full moons, she thought the worst happened on those night as if the whole world was plagued. Cora loved her friend and fellow firefighter to death but she found it practically ridiculous the idiotic nonsense she believed to be true.

Cora only saw beauty in the moon, it's precious glance giving light and life to the dying earth. It was almost poetic in her mind, the untouched moon staring down at the decaying world that they had already killed unknowingly without a second thought. 

The woman found herself next to the man who had polluted her pristine mind, something about him had confused to her and she couldn't figure out how to feel.

"So you believe in this full moon stuff?" Buck asked while driving the firetruck to the beach pier. Cora turned her head from where she was just looking at the moon to face him.

"Nope, the full moon isn't like it is in movies. What about you?" She asked back. Her eyes glance over the one hand that rests on the wheel, the prominent veins that travel through his arms and up to his thick biceps which she quickly looks away from once he's looking at her.

Her eyes are fluttering from him to the people outside of truck as her cheeks warmth with embarrassment. See, her mind once again blurred and confused.

"Nah, it would be cool though- werewolves and vampires running around," He shrugs as he stops the truck and jumps out of the drivers seat. Cora follows grabbing the equipment and quickly following his footsteps inside the arcade.

"Only you would find werewolves and vampires running around cool," She jokes making him smirk as he looks at her, his eyes were soft as he looked into hers making her heart flutter. She put the feeling off to a small stroke and left it at that because having a stroke felt better than not understanding what she felt.

"Please help, I don't know how she got in but she just did!" A worried mother said quickly walking up to the two of them. Buck nodded and followed her to where a child sat stuck in a claw machine surrounded by stuffed toys.

"Here's a drill," Cora handed Buck the drill as she talked to the mother for a few minutes, "How did she even get in?" She asked curious and slightly intrigued.

The woman shook her head, "Oh I don't know, she must of climbed through the little opening," the two of them laughed until Buck finally got the glass panel of the side.

Cora picked up the little girl who was also laughing, her fingers grabbed for Cora's uniform as she held her, "I think you've earned this," Cora joked handing the young girl a zebra teddy from the claw machine before handing her to her mother.

"Thank you so much," She looked relieved and slightly embarrassed as she held her daughter who looked unfazed.

"No problem, glad we could help," Buck nodded before picking up the drill. The both of them walk out of the arcade.

"Why did they send two of us for that?" Cora asked looking out to the water where the moon light reflected.

"Oh, well I asked if you could come with me. I wanted to talk to you," Buck's nervous tone was well hidden although Cora could sense it still. She looked to him but he didn't look at her.

"About what?" She asked once again curious. Her fingers absentmindedly playing with the straps of the equipments bag out of nervousness.

"Well when I was in hospital, Abby said you were there to see me but then you never showed?" He questioned the woman who's heart skipped again. The stroke was starting again, "It's nothing big or anything but?"

"Well I'd thought you wouldn't want me interrupting the rest of your valentines date with Abby," She joked with a half smile and an unconvincing happy tone in her voice.

"You heard about that then?" He asked and she let out a genuine laugh at the realisation that he knew barely anything about her and that night.

"Buck. I was called to the scene, I was working, I was in the ambulance with you," She laughed and it made him smirk a little as he now looked at her, she put the bag in the back of the truck before getting back into the seat.

Buckley got in quickly after, "You were working on Valentines," He stated and the woman looked at him with a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.

"Hey- at least I didn't choke on bread on a date," She taunted turning the conversation on him so she would avoid the question that embarrassed her. He shook his head but couldn't help but laugh with her.

Cora listened to his contagious laugh and wished she could listen to it all day, his smile was something else completely that she was mesmerised by. Her face quickly drops at the realisation of her thoughts. She was definitely having a massive stroke or some kind of heart attack? She had worked with Evan Buckley for almost two years, what had changed so suddenly?

"You know my mom was a big believer in the moons all mighty powers," Cora commented once the laughter had faded away. She didn't know what made her mention her mom, whether it was the phone call she got not so long ago or the moon that she couldn't help but marvel at.

Buck on the other hand had never heard Cora mention her mom, "Really?" He said unsure of what to say.

"Yeah, she was all about the power of mother nature's healing and shit like that," she laughed remembering her childhood that was full of forests and trips to different cities instead of being at school.

"Was?" Buck questioned making Cora realise. Her eyes widened and she quickly spoke.

"She's not dead! She's just changed," She laughed awkwardly and Buck just chuckled along wondering about Cora's childhood. Was it better than his? Did she have parents who loved her and who didn't care about every little thing she did? His mind ran wild with questions and imaginary pictures of who her parents were. Cora thought the same, whether Evan Buckleys parents had the kindest souls and if he spent his childhood laughing and crying only at a scraped knee, "You probably would love her," A faint smile crept on Cora's face, was it nostalgia or simply a yearning for a childhood?

"What was she like?" He asked with genuine interest.

"She was so in her own world all the time, nothing could hurt her. She did everything she wanted whenever she wanted and nobody could stop her," She let out a small laugh as she remembers all the times she spent with her mom out in the woods instead of in school.

"She's sounds cooler then my mom," He laughs and she asks him about his parents but he doesn't say anything, he changes the subject instead.

ⴰ

Cora's shift ends and she's finally able to escape the full moon. She unlocked her front door and pushes it open with a heavy sigh, relieved now she's at her home.

Lacey lounges on the sofa in her pyjamas listening to music through her old headphones which she refused to replace, "How was saving lives?" Lacey asks with a lack of interest she just wanted to make conversation.

Cora opens the fridge in the open kitchen and looks for any food, "A little girl crawled in claw machine," She sighed closing the fridge in defeat.

"You wanna order a pizza?" Lacey asked as she sits up ok the couch, Cora's head turns and she nods quickly, "Yes please," Lacey pats her hand on the sofa as she picks her phone back up to order the food, Cora dragged herself over and threw herself down next to her with her head resting on Laceys lap.

Cora's eyes drifted shut and all she could think about was earlier on with Evan Buckley. How he had shifted in her eyes and she saw him differently and she liked it, "Let me know when the pizza's here," Cora mumbled and Lacey sighed.