Your number 1 fan

An Awkward Party

MAYA POV
The day had come finally for the union party, the party where Carina had finally decided on a dress that she already had. Those 8 hours of shopping still haunts me. I'm not too excited about going to the party, I'll be surrounded by the old misogynistic men who run our union and a team who hate me. It's not exactly going to be a relaxing time. But Carina said it would be worth my while and the least I could do is entertain her idea. She was wearing a mermaid styled dress which was black, lacy, had a low cut back. It shaped her body perfectly, every inch of her was defined except for her legs, I wish she'd cut the bottom of the dress off so I could see them. Hell, I'd want her legs wrapped around my head, but I've learnt recently that what Carina says, does in fact go.

The party is being held in an old hotel in the middle of Seattle, we decided to take advantage of being in a hotel and booking a room. We'd entered the banquet hall and I couldn't see my team at all, I saw Bailey, so I knew Ben was here somewhere.

"This is going to be okay" Carina whispered in my ear as I tightened my hold on her waist, any physical contact with her can be soothing when my anxiety is present.

"I know, I just wish we were in the hotel room and not around actual people" I say back, and she smiles at me, grabbing my hand and leading me to the bar. No doubt, to buy herself a white wine and me a whiskey.

"You have such a hate for people don't you" She jokes, and I smile at her as she laughs.

"I don't necessarily hate people, but I won't put effort into fake friends." It sounded like it was a dig towards the people I once considered a family and maybe it was.

"It looks like your team has arrived, bella." She muttered to me as she looked behind me, a heavy sigh left my lips as I knew it was time for me to talk to them.

"Hey Cap, you look nice" Andy says and I roll my eyes.

"Thank you" I say and pull Carina away and towards our seat, only to find out that I was sharing the table with my team. The people I was desperate to ignore, luckily enough I was sat next to Bailey instead of Ben. There's nothing wrong with Ben but he's a bit of a fixer, he needs to be involved whereas his wife couldn't care less for the most part. Bailey was scary but at least she didn't have to make everything awkward.

"Ah Captain Bishop how are you on this not-so pleasant evening" Bailey says as she sits next to me, she has her usual unimpressed look, and it honestly makes me smile.

"Not-so pleasant, you're not enjoying a party. I thought you loved a party" I say sarcastically, and she smiles slightly before returning to her previous facial expression.

"I've heard from Ben that your team aren't acting the way they should. It's disappointing" she says as our team arrives.

"It is, but I'd rather not talk about it or to them tonight." I reply, I can feel their eyes on me as I speak. The table is silent on their side.

"That's fair enough, Bishop. You know my opinion, if Ben can come home, I think you are an excellent and trustworthy Captain" she says and I can't help but feel my eyes become glassy. It's nice to get the recognition, even if it's from outside the station.

-

I never thought 20 minutes could last so long, the opening speeches by our chief had only inspired all of us to jump off of the closest bridge. He'd talked about firefighting policies, something I'd usually love but without the buzz of alcohol not working yet, and the stares from the team, I felt as if time stopped. There was a massive bronze clock in front of the table, I guess maybe watching the time pass was what ultimately slowed it down.

"Do we really have to stay for this whole thing?" I asked Carina and she gave an apologetic smile, a smile that means I do indeed need to stay here.

"Why couldn't this be a doctor thing, I get on with all of your friends there. Even Amelia, and she teases me all the time" I say, and she smiles proudly.

-

CARINA POV
3 hours sitting at the quietest table in the hall isn't quite as fun as it probably seems. Sure, there were the polite smiles every now and then, random people coming over to introduce themselves. But there was nothing to do, we'd eaten dinner, which was tasteless, and despite wanting to talk to Maya, it was too awkward to attempt.

"I'm going to the bathroom" Maya randomly announced before hastily walking towards them.

"You know we are sorry" Vic said as soon as Maya was out of ear shot. If looks could kill, I'm sure my look would.

"Act like it to Maya, I couldn't care less about any of you. Honestly you guys should be proud of yourself, get a medal for how you've treated your captain. I'm sure your dad would be proud of you" What I had said was directed to everyone but ended up being purely directed in Andy's way and she looked downright shocked and betrayed.

"How do you know about my dad?" she asked in a loud voice, a few people around us were staring in our direction. I'm sure whatever this is, was more interesting than an hour speech from a man who probably hadn't seen fire in 20+ years.

"You don't think Maya never mentioned the man she looked up to an awful lot." I muttered and the conversation ended abruptly as Maya returned.

"Why is that as soon as I leave, you decide to talk?" She questions as she sits down, she can see them all look at me.

"Oh bella, they were just telling me about how sorry they are for how they treated you" I say sarcastically, and she straightens her back.

"That's interesting, I was talking to our chief earlier about the Jack gave me as well as you lot. He didn't seem too impressed. He said something about visiting the station and talking about it" she said in a proud way, I'm so proud of her. She held a smile that never wavered, a smile that showed she'd won this war.

"I think it's home time, bambina" I whisper, and she couldn't have acted more excited if she tried. She quickly grabbed my hand, downed her drink, and just about ran out of the hall.