Reading Time: 97 Minutes

Title: Freefall
Series: Becoming Evan
Series Order: 3
Author: chimera01
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Contemporary, Drama, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Kid!fic
Relationship(s): Gen
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Hate Crimes, Hate Speech, Rape/Non-con/Dub-con. Discussion of Rape.
Author Note: See main page for glossary
Word Count: 83,235
Summary: Adulting shouldn’t be this hard, should it?
Artist: Twigen

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Chapter Five: 2012

Evan sighed as he looked around his tidy apartment in Pittsburgh. This was it: his final classroom semester of college. Certainly, he could push for grad school if he wanted, and he considered going for his master’s in emergency management after being on the job for a few years, but right at that moment he was just done.

The lectures didn’t get any shorter with graduation on the horizon. They certainly didn’t get any less boring. He glared at the syllabi for his last few classes and noted how many research papers he needed to finish before walking the stage for his grandmother’s bragging rights.

Why did civil engineering seem like such a good idea anyway?

Evan’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a message from one of his classmates from the previous semester.

>>How was the frozen wasteland?<<

Evan laughed before thumbing a reply.

>>It was fine. St. Paul is very pretty at Christmas, so says my grandmother.>>

>>You up for a study group for Structural Analysis and Structural Design?>>

>>Only if you keep me sane through Defects in Materials>>

A long string of exclamation points drifted onto the small screen, making Evan laugh again.

>>How can our classes sound so freaking boring?!?!>>

The civil engineering group had been small when Evan began on-campus classes after returning from Peru, so making friends had been easy. There were the usual screw-ups in the major classes, just like in any other major, but Evan had clicked best with four young men in his calculus class. Wayne Jefferson, the person on the other end of the text exchange, was five years older than Evan and was attending college after an extremely short stint in the army. Evan never asked about the obvious injury that Wayne dealt with, but Evan always kept an eye out for when Wayne absently massaged his left leg during class, and he offered to carry the heavy messenger bag that Wayne used for classes.

The other three friends Evan had become friendly with were his age or younger: Stuart Younger and Wylie Keyes had been freshmen in the calculus class and were a couple of low-key stoners. Their eyes were frequently glazed and red-rimmed during class, but they were bizarrely stellar students. Ryan Miller had rounded out the newly formed study group, a basketball player on scholarship. Three years later Evan was the only one close to graduation, thanks to his online classes between semesters, and the study group held strong, encompassing more than just the engineering classes.

And in all that time, Evan had managed to avoid getting roped into a Dungeon and Dragons campaign with Stuart and Wylie. Ryan and Wayne could not claim the same.

Because they usually met at the college library before heading out to a coffee house or some other venue, their study group had garnered much attention from other students. Usually, they had no problem integrating other students, especially if a math class was involved. But somewhere in the middle of the last semester some drama had entered the study sessions; drama in the shape of a frequently arguing romantic couple who seemed to want everybody’s opinion on their relationship.

Evan was more observant than most, so he had plenty of opinions on that relationship—and none of them were complimentary. The young man in question, Ryan Wilcox, was a basketball player that was majoring in economics, was quite the player. Evan had personally witnessed his game of picking up co-eds at off-campus parties that his girlfriend, Erica Monroe, was absent from. Evan didn’t know Erica well at all other than her major in philosophy. She seemed to be intelligent, but Evan didn’t think she was very smart. Book smarts and street smarts were very different things, and Erica didn’t seem to be able to read people very well.

For instance, Erica didn’t seem to notice that her beloved wasn’t all that engaged with her during the group study sessions, choosing to sit closer with other women in the group. And Erica also didn’t understand when her efforts at conversation during the study group were redirected so that everyone stayed on topic rather than discuss the latest episode of whatever Real Housewife drama Erica was obsessed with. She was very attractive, but she was also very dim in Evan’s opinion, and she was a distraction during study sessions.

Evan was thankful that this was his last semester.

~~ ~~ ~~

“So how goes college on your end?”

Evan had made it a point to keep in touch with Geoff often because he saw the other man as another brother. The fact that Evan’s grandmother almost took legal custody of Evan’s best friend in high school just solidified their unofficial brotherly bond and most of Evan’s family felt the same way about the young man.

“College just ‘goes’, you know?” came the sardonic reply.

Evan laughed. “I do know what you mean. I know Micheal is heading to law school, but are you considering grad school at all?”

“Maybe at some point,” Geoff replied, and Evan could almost see the shrug. “There are requirements for being a social worker that demand a Master’s Degree, but I think both of us in grad school at the same time will be difficult for us. I think I can swing most of the classes online while working, but Michael’s law degree comes first for me.”

“Just as long as you don’t put your own dreams aside, man, because that’s not cool.”

Geoff laughed. “I’m not. But Micheal’s grandfather left a huge educational trust for Micheal and his brother, and if we can actually live off that while he’s attending law school, then I’ll go for my own grad degree as well. His father is looking into it for us.”

Evan nodded, even though Geoff could not see him. “Having a financial cushion can make a difference.”

“True that,” came the agreement. “So, tell me about that chick that’s been driving you nuts all month.”

Evan groaned. “She’s a pure dingbat, Geoff, I swear!”

Geoff started laughing and Evan almost disconnected the call out of spite.

“Fine,” Evan huffed. “Her name is Erica and she’s a Philosophy major.”

“Wow,” Geoff choked. “Did you just say Philosophy like it was something nasty stuck to your shoe?”

“It is something nasty stuck to my shoe, Geoff. I mean, philosophy is fine as a system of thinking. And I fully believe that everyone should find a way to see how they fit in this world. But to spend all that time in college just so you can show others how to think about their place in the world? No thanks.”

When Geoff finally stopped laughing (and why was Evan his friend anyway?), he asked, “So why does this lady have you so twisted up?”

“Maybe because she’s no lady?” Evan muttered. “She started hanging out with our study group in the library because her boyfriend was in one of the engineering tracts.”

“She has a boyfriend? Evan that is so not like you.”

“Do you want to hear this or not?” Evan asked peevishly.

“Please,” Geoff said contritely, “do continue.”

“Right,” Evan sighed. “The boyfriend’s name is Ryan and he’s studying to be a city planner or something, I don’t know. But the guy is a total player, and he’s not subtle about it. I mean, he openly flirts with other girls in front of Erica, and it seems like Erica doesn’t even notice.

“But none of that is my problem, right? Because I’ve been taking double hours and classes online between semesters…”

“And you’ve been exhausting your brain so much that you need to take long weekends in the freaking woods just to recharge,” Geoff interjected wryly, making Evan laugh again.

“Yeah, that. I keep up with the people that are important to me and generally have no time for other people’s drama. My apartment is my refuge, you know, and I’ve been spending some time in the local Dojo just to keep the chaos away, and I’m finally in the home stretch.”

“So it sounds like you haven’t had time for physical enjoyment outside of hiking, biking, and tossing people around in a gym.”

Evan blushed and was glad Geoff couldn’t see him. “I never said that, but I’m not dating anyone. I go to clubs occasionally, to dance off stress and to watch people, and sometimes I’ll go home with someone for a few hours. I’m not going to be ready for anything more until I start working in a firehouse.”

Geoff snorted. “I’m not judging, as long as you play safe.”

“Man, you should invest in condom stocks, I’m playing so safe.”

That set Geoff laughing again, so Evan took the pause in the conversation to mix a protein shake in his blender.

Once Geoff recovered his composure, he said, “So please continue with your saga,” making Evan groan again.

“Okay, so basically I’ve spent the past two years ignoring the relationship drama between Ryan and Erica—as have my main corps of study friends. We’re all mostly concerned with making the grades and surviving all the math, and Erica was an unwelcome distraction. Ryan was okay when he was on task, but I never had any classes with him so he was on the fringe of the group as far as I was concerned. When it was only him in the group before tests, he was on point.

“But Erica seemed to thrive on distraction, and she always wanted to gossip during our study time. It got so bad that me and my four main study pals took our small group to one of the coffee shops away from campus last year just so we could concentrate on the actual classwork.”

“Why not just study at your place? Or one of the other guys’ places?”

“Because home is supposed to be a sanctuary away from class stress,” Evan replied evenly. “We all agreed on that at the beginning. I mean, Wylie and Stuart host RPG sessions at their place, but I’ve managed to avoid that this whole time, but that’s their stress relief in their sanctuary.

Wayne’s place is off limits because he just got married and we don’t want to intrude on his honeymoon phase. The coffee shop is quiet, the Wi-Fi is free, and there’s coffee.”

“That makes sense,” Geoff agreed.

“Yeah, so anyway—this semester got off to a sterling start with four of my class syllabi announcing research papers, which I normally don’t mind because I love to research. But four papers is a lot for a semester. And since Wayne and I are in the same program, we’ve decided to stick together just to keep each other sane. Wylie and Stuart are cool just studying together, but we’re all still grouping together at the coffee house for support. And after the first two weeks of class, we realized that Ryan hasn’t been around.”

“Did he graduate already?” Geoff asked, genuinely curious.

“I doubt it, since he was two years behind me.”

“Dude,” Geoff chuckled, “I bet everyone was behind you! You were taking online courses for almost a year before you moved to campus classes, and you’ve been taking online courses since then.”

Evan huffed. “A lot of the online courses were for the Fire Science degree from Colorado.”

“Uh-huh, like taking two majors from two different colleges is normal. Please continue.”

“Yeah, so anyway, since Ryan hasn’t been around, we figured he transferred or dropped out, and we moved back to the library for regular study sessions since I have four freaking papers to write. Only Erica seemed to not have abandoned ship with Ryan and she still hangs at the library, and she’s been meandering toward our group when we’re together—and she’s been trying to flirt with each of us in turn while she’s there.”

“Bad flirting?”

“Not bad, but definitely obvious. She almost sat in Wayne’s lap a week ago, and she tried to squeeze between Wylie and Stuart on one of the lumpy sofas.”

“How did they deal with that?”

Evan hummed. “Well, Wayne just glared at her hard until she shrugged and moved along to another seat. Wylie and Stuart are usually high, so I doubt they even noticed what she did, but Wylie did get up and move to a chair next to me to make room for her. That was pretty hilarious.”

“Uh-huh,” Geoff grunted. “And what has she done with you?”

“Well, at first she just tried to cozy up to me and ask for help studying, but I pointed out that I wasn’t in her program and that the ethics I was studying didn’t mesh with what she was studying. And I suggested that she find a study group from her own program, which she could do by looking at the program board in each dorm and class building.”

“That was a very gentle brush-off,” Geoff commended.

“Well I didn’t want to offend her delicate sensibilities,” Evan replied sarcastically. “And she seemed to get the clue for a while, so I didn’t see her in the library for about a month. We never did hear what happened to Ryan, so we figured they broke up and Erica was trying to keep what she saw as her place in the engineering group.

“At any rate, right about the time midterms came around, I saw Erica while I was walking across the quad, and it looked like she was upset and had been crying.”

“Oh, no! Gallant Evan Buckley to the rescue!”

Sometimes Evan really hated his best friend.

“Yeah, yeah, mock me all you want but you would have done the same thing.”

“Of course I would,” Geoff agreed. “But I am most sincerely gay and not susceptible to feminine wiles.”

“You’re a riot, Geoff. So, yes, I went to check on her, and she started crying about catching Ryan cheating on her with one of her sorority sisters. As in, she actually walked in on them in the act when she went to Ryan’s apartment to see him.”

“So he’s still around, then?”

“Yeah, apparently. He took a semester off because of family issues—according to Erica—and would be coming back full-time in the fall semester. But he and Erica were still dating, right up until she caught him with another woman.

“So like a sappy idiot, I felt sorry for her and made sure she was welcome to join our group in the library if she wanted, but I also made sure to let her know that none of us could really help her with her studies. And one day, she asked me my opinion on one of the exhibits in the campus museum, and it’s one that my mother recently worked on so I had a lot of opinions about it.”

“You mean that Kusama exhibit that went in last October? That was great!”

“Yeah, that’s the one. All of the art was removed last month and returned to the galleries they were borrowed from, so the last available viewings were well-attended. Mom was really proud of that exhibition and she worked so hard on it.”

“She had a good reason to be proud of it. Michael and I both loved it, and I thought it was perfect for Mental Health Awareness Month.”

“Right, so I didn’t mention my familial connection to it, but anyone who looked would see Mom’s name all over that gallery, but we did talk about our impressions of the works that were on exhibit. Apparently, going to the gallery was an assignment for one of her classes, so our discussion was pretty deep. And after we talked for about an hour, Erica asked me to dinner. I felt bad for her so I agreed to the meal, and I spent the evening watching her drink most of a bottle of house red while moaning about Ryan and how much of a shit he was.”

“Well, you know how much of a shit he was, so this wasn’t exactly news to you. Did you refrain from rubbing that in her face?”

“I did,” Evan confirmed. “And I also manfully kept my hands to myself as I escorted her home because she was in no condition to find her way alone. And she got really handsy on that walk.”

“Yeah, that’s not good. Drunk and rebounding is not your style.”

“It’s really not. But after that, Erica would randomly pop up outside of class buildings when my classes were over. Sometimes we would get lunch together, sometimes I would just walk her to her next class. Since my apartment isn’t really near campus like hers is, I only ever saw her during the week, but she’s starting to really get to me.”

“Um, you mean get to you like maybe you’d have a fling, right? Because you’re not dating anyone seriously?” Geoff actually sounded concerned for Evan’s well-being, and that made Evan nervous.

“I’m not seeing anyone right now, Geoff. My last sexy fun-time was almost a month ago because of research papers and I’m really not looking into anything like that. But I like spending time with Erica when she’s not spouting off about the Real Housewives of whatever major city is involved right now.”

Geoff laughed, which is what Evan was aiming for.

“Don’t worry about me, Geoff,” Evan pleaded. “I’m not about to sink my college career this close to graduation just to get laid. And if I do get with Erica for more than lunch or conversation, it won’t be until after finals because I really don’t need that kind of distraction, and I’ve already told her all of this. She understands that I’m not looking for something serious and I’m definitely not looking to be someone’s rebound after a bad break-up. It’s just—I just think I’m looking forward to seeing her between classes more than I should. Spring Break is coming up, so I think I’ll head to a state park for a camping session and just be with nature for a while.”

“That sounds utterly reasonable,” Geoff agreed. “By the way, what do your other friends think about this situation?”

Evan chuckled. “Wayne keeps checking that I’m not thinking with my dick. He’s very happy to know that I’m serious about keeping my boundaries. And Stuart and Wylie want to go camping with me because they’ve never been. I just might take them, if they can promise to not bring their weed with them.”

“Make sure they keep their dice at home, too, or else you’ll become another D&D junkie!”

~~ ~~ ~~

Wylie and Stuart were hilarious camping companions.

Evan took pity on the newbies and rented a camping spot at the Outpost in New River Gorge. They slept in tents, but there was a tent platform with a roof overhang so they didn’t drown in the rain. Evan took the cooking duties since neither of the other men had ever cooked over a fire pit, and there was electricity available to them so they could keep their phones charged. It wasn’t as rustic as Evan’s other camping excursions, but there were hiking trails nearby and plenty of walking paths.

The weather was extra cool, as it was the end of March, but there were RV campers at the campground that invited the trio of college students to their firepit gatherings in the evenings. Evan told stories about cliff climbing in the area and about rafting down the New and Gauley Rivers. Wylie was upset that there were no river tours at that time of year, but he vowed to give it a try during the summer months. Stuart wasn’t convinced that drifting down the turbulent river in a rubber raft was such a great idea, but he said he’d give it a try if Wylie really wanted to.

All in all, the week was a fantastic respite for the three students. Neither Wylie nor Stuart seemed to miss smoking during the trip and they both admitted to using weed to deal with the stress of college but remained sober during test times. Neither young man was comfortable in extreme social situations and avoided parties like the plague. Camping, it seemed, was right up their alley, and both were eager to try it again.

Evan recommended a few camping guides to teach them the ropes, so they didn’t camp unsafely.

All too soon, they were back among the throng of students on the Carnegie Mellon campus, listening to stories of drunken trips to one beach or another and wondering how their classmates even remembered Spring Break with that kind of alcohol consumption. Wylie proudly showed off the photos he and Stuart took of the scenery of the hiking trails in West Virginia and boasted about enjoying everything without needing an altered state of mind.

“So they really didn’t smoke at all?” Wayne asked Evan as they trudged to their next class.

Evan shook his head and laughed. “Not one joint, not one bowl. I think they got a better high from the clean wilderness air, to be honest. By the third day there, Wylie was up before me to make coffee on the camp stove just so he could listen to the birdsong before breakfast. Stuart picked the hiking trail every day and they both exchanged addresses with some of the RV people so they could keep in touch.”

Wayne shook his head and laughed. “Only you could get the stoners hooked on nature.”

“It’s a gift,” Evan said with a grin.

The big change that Evan noted was how much more aggressively Erica seemed to be pursuing Evan. She turned up outside of every class at the end of the day trying to invite herself to Evan’s apartment. He deftly avoided such a thing by offering to take her to an early dinner at a café near campus. She even invited him back to her place, but he was kind with a brush-off, claiming the need to study or an important phone call he needed to make.

The phone calls actually were important as they involved wedding planning with both his brother and his best friend.

Erica remained good-natured about the brush-offs, but she was adamant about getting and keeping Evan’s attention.

“Don’t you want to be with me, Evan?” she asked one day

“Don’t you want to be with me, Evan?” she asked one day in April. The sun was warm, the scent of the dogwood blossoms filled the air, and Erica was wearing a ridiculously flowy sundress under a heavy knit cardigan sweater, fluttering her eyelashes at him like a heroine from a romance novel.

He bit back a sigh.

“Erica, you’re a nice girl, but I’m not looking to date now. I’m very close to graduation and I’ll be extremely busy in May and June with family stuff. There’s a lot going on with me right now, and there’s no room for a girlfriend.”

Erica laughed. “I’m not looking for a boyfriend, Evan,” she said with a sly smile. “I’ve had that and it’s too time-consuming. But you’ve got a great body from what I can see and I bet you know how to use it for incredible pleasure, so I thought we could have a fun fling.”

Evan stared at her for a long moment, wondering how he could have missed this devious side of her. She was up to something, that was clear, and he wasn’t sure if it was something he wanted to get involved in.

After he collected his thoughts he said, “That sounds like an intriguing offer, Erica. And as it was stated as an offer, hopefully for mutual enjoyment, I’ll ask if I can take some time to consider it and get back to you?”

“Don’t make me wait too long, Evan,” she warned. “I have needs that a battery powered friend won’t handle for long.”

Evan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Let me have a week, so I can finish my last paper.”

Erica raised up on her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

In truth, Evan had finished all of his research papers the week before, bitching to Wayne the whole time, and handed them in well before the deadline because he wanted the time to prepare for his online final exams for his Fire Science degree. Online tests were different, and Evan wasn’t as comfortable with them. He really wasn’t comfortable with the new video-conferencing tests that he had to use for his final semester.

After leaving Erica behind in favor of the long trek to his apartment, Evan considered Erica’s ‘offer’. It didn’t sit well with him, if he was honest with himself—and he always tried to be honest with himself. Erica was up to something, and she seemed happy to use him, or rather his body, to get some kind of result.

Evan shook his head and pondered the number of manipulative females in his past. It was almost enough to make him forgo women altogether, but he liked the softness of a woman’s body too much. Now, if he well and truly fell in love with someone…

Leaving that though alone for the moment, Evan veered away from his usual path home and headed in the direction of the Alpha Chi Omega house, which was just a block from the main campus in the Greek Quad. Evan had never been to any of the Greek parties because he wasn’t interested in joining a fraternity, but he knew where all of the buildings were because he frequently ran a route around and through the campus. Because of his running routine, his form was known around the campus even if his name was not.

“Hey, handsome!” came the greeting from a pretty redhead just in front of the Alpha Chi building. “Can I help you with anything?”

She gave a playful leer, so Evan played along and shrugged shyly. “Well, hello pretty lady, and I certainly hope you can help me.”

Laughing, she dropped the flirty attitude and stepped forward with hand outstretched. “I’m Michelle Cabot, secretary of Alpha Chi, at your service.”

Evan nodded to her and shook her hand. “Evan Buckley; it’s nice to meet you. Actually, as you’re an officer of the sorority, I assume you know all of the sisters?”

Michelle see-sawed her hand and shrugged. “I know most by name if they’re current students here, but I’m closer to some than others.”

“I understand,” Evan said as he tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. “I’m actually looking for information about an acquaintance of mine: Erica Monroe?”

Michelle’s eyebrow lifted sardonically. “You want information about someone you already know?”

Evan grinned sheepishly. “I do realize how that sounds, but if you hear me out maybe you can help me?”

Michelle gestured toward a bench under a streetlamp and said, “Well, I do know Erica, so I’ll hear you out.”

Evan took a seat at one end of the bench so as to not crowd Michelle and said, “I don’t know Erica that well, but we have become better friends recently. At least, I thought we were becoming friends. Now I’m not so sure.”

Michelle shook her head. “You’re not making much sense, Evan Buckley.”

Evan laughed. “Yeah, I figured. I was actually friends with Ryan Miller, mostly because of the study group I have with other engineering majors. Erica started coming to the study groups in the spring semester after the group formed, and to be honest—we found her to be a bit distracting.”

Michelle laughed. “She’s a bit of a chatterbox, isn’t she?”

Evan nodded. “I mean, I can have a conversation about common topics, or about things that I’m interested in, but I don’t do reality television. Me and three of the other guys sort of pulled out of the main study group so we could study in companionable silence, but really I was ready to move on because I was tired of seeing Ryan openly flirt with other women when Erica was sitting right there beside him. I don’t like ugly situations like that so I tend to avoid them, but if she was willing to put up with it, then who am I to judge?”

Michelle frowned. “I didn’t know about any of that stuff. Was it a recent development?”

“Nah,” Evan denied. “It was pretty much right from the start. I have a sort of bad history with cheating, so I back away from that as quickly as possible. Anyway, Ryan wasn’t back in the study group this semester and I don’t really know anyone that had classes with him, but I recently heard that he took the semester off for…reasons. And about a month or so ago I came across Erica sitting in the quad crying, and I guess I’m a sucker for tears, so I went to check on her and she told me that she caught Ryan in bed with one of her sorority sisters.”

“What?” Michelle exclaimed. “Oh, she did not!”

Evan blinked at Michelle’s vehemence and cautiously said, “That’s what she told me.”

Michelle shot to her feet and began pacing furiously in front of the bench. She pulled a phone from her shoulder bag and pressed a button before muttering a word that Evan couldn’t hear, and then she said loudly, “We’re in front of the building right now!”

Michelle thrust the phone back into her bag before turning to face him again. “Sorry about that, but that story is just…beyond the pale. I needed backup, so some other sisters are headed here. If you wouldn’t mind telling that…tale…again?”

Evan blinked up at her. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

In just a few minutes Evan was surrounded by women of varying ages. When Michelle said a few more sisters were coming to hear him, what she meant was that the entire sorority was coming to hear him. At least the sisters that were currently not in class came down. Evan tried to offer his seat, mainly so he didn’t feel like he was on trial by a tribe of Amazons, but Michelle waved him back to his seat.

“Please,” she said, “could you start from the beginning?”

Evan swallowed hard and nodded. Women in large groups were scary.

Evan began the story, just like he had when telling it to Michelle, and went through the whole thing, describing how forward Erica had been acting recently—and the offer of physical release without any relationship.

“I know, without being conceited, what I look like, and I know some people find me attractive, but coming from Erica this is all just…weird.”

One of the sisters, a pretty Asian woman with short hair, snorted and sat down beside Evan on the bench. “Oh, honey,” she soothed, “you’re drop-dead gorgeous and we’ve all noticed that. But I think I can shine some light onto the Erica situation better than anyone here because I’m her big sister in Alpha Chi and I’ve had the dubious pleasure of guiding Erica into Greek Life on campus—and listening to her concerns and woes just like a real big sister.”

There was soft laughter from many of the women who were still surrounding Evan like he was on exhibit, but Evan focused his attention on the woman sitting next to him.

“Okay, so maybe Erica did walk in on Ryan with another woman,” she said dryly, “but it wasn’t an accident, and it certainly wasn’t one of the sisters! Just before Christmas break, Erica bounced into my room to complain about Ryan taking a semester off because his mother wanted to do some river tour around Europe or something. Apparently, Erica wasn’t invited to go along, but Ryan’s sister was bringing her fiancé and his brother was bringing the woman he’s been living with and Erica said it wasn’t fair.

“And while I mostly tuned her out so I could finish packing, I tuned back in once she mentioned that Ryan was ahead of her in this stupid little game they played where they picked up random people and took turns ‘walking in on’ each other during sex, and she was afraid he’d find several sex partners on this vacation to—and I swear this is what she said—beat her score.”

“That’s disgusting!” Michelle declared, and most of the sisters voiced their agreement.

Evan’s nose wrinkled in disgust as well. “I usually believe in each to their own, but that…that’s a bit much.”

The woman by his side nodded. “And I know for a fact that Ryan is back in town because Erica was waxing poetic about how she may have dislocated her hips during their reunion, like I need to know stuff like that.” She turned her head quickly and glared at a blonde standing next to her. “Charity, you’re the chapter president so you should make it against the bylaws for big sisters to have to listen to stuff like that.”

“Um,” Evan began, causing every female there to redirect their attention toward him, making him shrink back into the bench. He cleared his throat. “Um, so…what do you think is…up…with…Erica?” his voice fading gradually as he glanced around the group seeing only dark glares.

After a moment, the woman next to him said, “While I can’t be sure, I can be almost positive that she’s chosen you to be the next game piece on her board, so to speak.”

Michelle shook her head sadly. “Yeah, sorry Evan. It really sounds like gentle flirting didn’t work with you, so she just came on hard, confident that she’s irresistible and that you’ll let her continue her game.”

Evan sucked in a deep breath, resolve rising inside him. “Right. Well, I don’t play games like that.”

“Frankly,” said the blonde called Charity, “none of us play games like that. We have a certain standard to uphold, you know. And I think I may be able to make a case for equating her little game with hazing, which will let us kick her out of the sorority for conduct unbecoming. But I need to call the National Office to make sure.”

Evan rubbed his hands over his knees before standing, forcing many of the sisters to back away from him. “Well, Erica is expecting me to give her an answer at the end of the week, so will that give you enough time to make that call?”

“I’ll make the call within the hour,” Charity confirmed.

Evan tore a page from a notebook in his messenger bag and scrawled his phone number on it. “Let me know what they tell you, and then maybe we can make arrangements for Alpha Chi Omega to witness this game in action—without seeing any actual action.”

Charity accepted the paper with a serious expression. “I’m sorry someone from Alpha Chi is using you like this.”

Evan offered a half smile. “I don’t blame the sorority, but I’d seriously like to have words with the people that raised her to think this was a good idea.”

Bowing slightly in respect to the ladies of Alpha Chi, Evan made his way away from the Greek Quad, and then to his regular route home. He was planning to make his way to the dojo because he needed to burn off some of his aggression before he burst. Evan was not a violent person, but he would gladly choke both Ryan and Erica right about then.

~~ ~~ ~~

Evan sank into the soft embrace as he pressed his mouth against willing lips, humming softly when long fingers wound into his hair.

“I am so glad I let you bring me home,” she murmured as he kissed down her neck.

Evan huffed a soft laugh against her skin. “Well, it only seemed like the proper thing to do since you’ve been drinking.”

Erica giggled softly and kissed his chin. “Let me have my fun, Evan. You graduate in a week, and I’ll never see you again.”

Evan pulled back slightly and quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, I plan on letting you have your fun,” he growled before sliding his hands under her ass and lifting her onto the countertop.

“You gonna do me in my kitchen, Evan?”

“I might, but I bet the bedroom is more comfortable.”

Evan deftly undid the buttons of her blouse and kissed his way to her chest. “Is this front clasp?” he asked, fingers sliding under the edge of her bra.

Erica shook her head. “Nope, sorry. I went for comfort today.”

Evan pulled back and took a better look, noting that it was a pull-over cotton bra. “Not a problem,” he said, and he pushed her blouse off her shoulders and deftly tugged the soft cotton over her head.

Erica giggled again and tugged his hair gently. “I love having your attention on me.”

Evan grinned. “That’s good, because I love paying attention to you.”

Not that he planned on spending much attention on her. There was a plan in place, thanks to the lovely ladies of Alpha Chi, and all Evan had to do was play a very small part. The Alpha Chi Omegas would do the rest by bringing an official sanction against Erica for questionable conduct. In order to do so, they needed Erica and Ryan to be together and Ryan hadn’t been seen around campus since before the Christmas semester break.

Evan dutifully kissed down Erica’s throat, moving slowly toward her breasts. He inwardly sighed, because they were truly lovely breasts; round and full and slightly more than a handful. It was too bad that they were attached to someone with such a treacherous heart.

Messy relationships weren’t his style at all, especially after learning more about his threesome couple in Peru.

“You know,” Erica said when Evan had divested her of her bra, “I like this side of you. I mean, I love how dedicated you were to your studies, but I really like what you can do with your body.”

Evan chuckled and nipped and sucked from her collarbone to her breasts, before saying, “You haven’t seen what I can do with my body.”

“I have a really good imagination,” Erica moaned, pulling his head even closer to her body. Kissing from one breast to the other, Evan ran his hands down her legs to the hem of her short skirt. He tickled a bit behind her knees before he pulled her to the edge of the counter, causing her to brace herself with her hands.

Erica gasped loudly with the sudden movement. “Eat me, Evan,” she moaned. “We’re clean, I know that. Eat me in my kitchen.”

Evan huffed a harsh laugh. “Not here, Erica. Are you sure you don’t want to move to the bedroom?”

“Not yet,” Erica moaned. “I want to feel your mouth on me right here.”

Evan shook his head and pulled back. “You’ve got a real kinky side, Erica, but the kitchen isn’t really the place for this. Besides, this formica counter is gonna make your ass go numb any minute now. I really think you’d be more comfortable on a soft surface.”

The reality was, Evan had a strong suspicion that Ryan was waiting in the bedroom. As cliché as it was, he was probably hiding in the freaking closet, waiting to step out once the deed was done—or at least until the deed was underway, depending on how they played their twisted little game.

Evan played with Erica’s breasts for a bit, pinching the nipples gently as he kissed her neck and throat. As far as biding his time went, he could figure worse ways to do it. The sorority had managed to round up six young women, mostly inexperienced freshmen, that admitted to being with Ryan in an intimate setting before realizing that his girlfriend was close enough to witness things. Three of those women were lucky enough that the physicality hadn’t progressed to more than heavy petting before they stopped things. Most of them were going to have major trust issues for the rest of their lives.

Evan could totally relate, given what happened to him in high school.

A noise, much like soft footsteps, sounded behind him, and Evan figured the game was over. He had taken too long teasing Erica without baring much of her body and exactly none of his own. Impatience would bring the end of things.

Evan spun around slowly, moving to protect Erica from an unknown intruder, only to find Erica’s ‘ex-boyfriend’ standing in the entrance to the kitchen, a ring of keys dangling from his thumb.

“What the hell?” Evan exclaimed, feigning surprise, and he turned to Erica, only to find her smiling over his shoulder.

“I thought you said you could get him to perform, Erica,” Ryan drawled in irritation, “but it looks like he doesn’t have it in him.”

Evan stepped away from Erica and she dropped from the countertop and reached out to him. “Don’t be mad, Evan,” she cooed. “You were great, really. But Ryan and I need special stimulation to make our relationship work.”

Evan backed further away, steering clear of The Ex, and asked, “So he didn’t actually cheat on you?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

Erica shook her head and pulled her skirt down around her hips. “Oh, Ryan cheated, alright. And I really fucking hated that bitch he cheated with, but I knew he’d be back. He really does love me, but I needed to make things even between us.”

Evan snorted and turned to grab his own keys from the dining table. “Well, I’m glad I could provide a distraction, Erica. And I’m doubly glad I wasn’t invested in you because I don’t do crazy.”

Erica actually pouted. “I know you want me, Evan. Nobody plays that hard when they’re not all in. And I was hoping for a threesome before I got married.”

Evan shook his head and turned away, heading toward the door. Through the window beside the door, he could see several Alpha Chis approaching, and they looked serious.

Looking over his shoulder, he said, “For what it’s worth, Erica—I was never into you. You’re not my type on many levels. And threesomes rely on a level of trust that I don’t think you and Ryan can manage. But I really hope you’re ready to reap the rewards of your little game because I don’t play that way and I never will.”

Evan opened the door and nodded to Charity before heading to his car, never once looking back. He needed to get ready for graduation, after all.

~~ ~~ ~~

“She did what? No, wait—she said what?”

Evan laughed at the outrage pouring from Geoff over the phone connection.

“The worst part was that she was completely convinced that she was that great a lay and that I would totally change my mind about sleeping with her. She even approached me after getting kicked out of the sorority, hoping for another try.”

Geoff sighed. “I’m just happy that you have a healthy ego, Evan. I know you’re not looking for your Ever After right now, but I had hoped you would find someone to spend quality time with.”

“I will, Geoff, I promise. But I always knew I wasn’t going to be around here for long.”

“Right, yes,” Geoff agreed. “Denver calls, as it were. So, Michael and I got our invites to your brother’s do a month ago, but we weren’t sure until recently if we would be able to make it. It’s not too late to RSVP, is it? The wedding is only a week away.”

“I don’t think so,” Evan replied, “but let me text Daniel just to be sure.”

Text sent, and response received, Evan said, “Daniel said he would be totally hurt if, and I quote: my brother’s found family missed his wedding. So I guess a late RSVP is better than none at all, and they planned for extra people just in case. Of course, I’ll be paying for your trip because you don’t need the expense right now.”

“I’m not even going to argue that point. But let me ask this: is it really going to be a Harry Potter wedding? Because that could only be beaten out by getting married by Elvis in Vegas.”

Evan laughed. “I thought being married by your best friend trumps all else.”

“True that,” Geoff agreed.

Evan and Geoff talked for a few hours more, making plans for the flight in and arranging wizarding robes for Geoff and Michael. Before heading to bed, Evan checked his mailbox and found a postcard from Maddie, forwarded by his grandmother, this time sent from Lyon, France. It seemed that Maddie was taking a cooking course there.

~~ ~~ ~~

Evan’s Best Man Speech was full of ‘magical’ puns and family-friendly jokes overlaying the pure love that Evan felt for his brother.

The wedding itself was awesome. The Franklintown Inn really went all out to provide a true Harry Potter experience, with ‘floating’ candles hanging from the ceiling, Hogwarts House banners on the walls, and a Quidditch-themed wedding cake. Before the guests were shown into the venue, everyone had a proper sorting—by way of a talented ventriloquist with a Sorting Hat puppet—and then they were seated by House rather than bride’s or groom’s side.

Evan had been sorted into Ravenclaw House, just like he had been every time he took one of the online sorting quizzes, so he wasn’t sure if Daniel had prompted the sorter or not. Daniel and Helle were both happy Hufflepuffs, and their house colors were glaringly presented in their wedding garb. Evan didn’t know wedding dresses could come in gold and black.

Evan’s parents, Margaret and Philip were sorted into different houses, Slytherin and Ravenclaw respectively, and were seated separately. This led to Margaret befriending Helle’s older sister, Matilda, and Philip escorting Daniel’s favorite professor, Dr. Agnes Boothe, around the venue like a proud father.

The only thing missing—the only person missing—was Maddie, who had received an invitation via Magdelina but had not responded to it. She didn’t even send a card congratulating Daniel on his nuptials.

Evan loaded his Instagram account with photos from the wedding, which had Helle’s family following him en masse. Since Evan’s Instagram was titled “My View of the World”, Helle warned them that they would mostly see rafting or climbing videos, but Evan assured the curious family that he also posted safety announcements regarding his personal rescues as well as vacation videos from his travels.

Daniel and Helle stayed at the reception until the venue was ready to shut down, rather than leaving for their honeymoon earlier in the evening. Helle wanted to spend as much time as possible with her family, whom she saw infrequently since moving to America. Daniel was happy to indulge her, especially since it allowed him to visit longer with Evan. The honeymoon was to be a week in Spain, in one of the Rubio resorts along the coast. Helle had never been to Spain, and Daniel hadn’t been since he graduated high school.

Evan helped Daniel set up an Instagram account so he could post photos of their trip. That account, like Evan’s, was public, all in the hope of Maddie following and perhaps getting in touch. Evan also had helped set up a family Facebook group so that family members all around the world could stay in touch easily.

Maddie remained absent and distant.

Chapter Six: 2012 Continued

After packing his small apartment in Pittsburgh and removing himself to the townhouse in Philly, Evan had one last task to complete before packing and heading to Colorado: Making sure Geoff and Michael got married.

The plans were simple enough, as Michael’s mother took on the task of arranging everything. Because it was taking place in Philadelphia, where most of Michael’s family resided, Mrs. Healey reserved Stotesbury Mansion, utilizing their catering services as well as the event space. The wedding itself would be a small affair considering that Geoff’s ‘side’ would be mostly absent. Only Geoff’s sister, who was well over the age of eighteen and able to do as she pleased without parental permission, and his grandmother, who was most sincerely getting on in years, were present. Friends, from high school and college, filled in seats for both Geoff and Michael, and Evan’s own grandmother was there because Geoff insisted.

The big surprise of the day was Jill Taylor, who had only said she would try to make it but wasn’t sure if she could.

But she could, and she did—and she did so dragging along her new boyfriend, Roger Stager.

Evan wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he had hoped that the boyfriend that Jill gushed about in her letters was good enough for her. What he saw met every hope that he had.

Roger Stager was two years older than Jill, and about her height, so Evan mostly towered over him. But he had a bright smile that reached his eyes, and he seemed to be nervous to meet Jill’s oldest friends. As far as looks went? Well, Roger had bright orange-red hair that curled riotously around his head, indication a strong Scottish heritage, and soft brown eyes that matched the freckles that covered his nose.

And he was pale, which Evan could sympathize with.

“How do you deal with the sun in California with that skin tone?” Evan had asked with a laugh, and Roger laughed along with him.

“It isn’t easy,” he admitted. “I basically paint myself with zinc oxide before hitting the beach, which makes me glow like a ghost. But I’d rather be pure white than red like a cooked lobster.”

Evan nodded sagely. “I hear ya, brother. I can’t even tan from a can.”

By the middle of the reception, Jill had visibly relaxed, so Evan sought her out and shouldered her playfully. “You didn’t actually think we were going to flay him alive, did you?”

Jill grimaced. “No? It’s just that, well, you know what it’s like for me. My mom loves Roger, and Alicia seemed to, but I don’t dare introduce him to my father.”

Evan nodded in agreement. “Is it serious enough between you and Roger for that to be an issue?”

Jill shook her head. “It might be serious enough, but Roger isn’t really interested in meeting my father. He said he has no room in his life for that kind of hate.”

Evan smiled and draped an arm around Jill’s shoulders. “I think he’s a good guy, and he might be perfect for you.”

Jill wrinkled her nose. “Ew! Who wants perfection?”

~~ ~~ ~~

Evan spent a week driving from Pennsylvania to Colorado, stopping at roadside attractions, state parks, and other sights. The whole drive, if he’d wanted to take it all at once, would have taken twenty-one hours, but Evan wasn’t actually insane. He took photos and videos for his Instagram, sharing the journey with his alarmingly amassing followers. For one stop, he spent an entire day in Sandusky, Ohio and rode all of the roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park. Another stop had him visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and yet another saw him on a tram, riding to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. The excited comments from extended family members and various friends urged him on to find more interesting things to see on his journey. The Henry Ford Museum got the biggest response from his father, who begged for as many photos as Evan could get away with.

He took more pictures than he posted, but he sent most of them to his father’s email address.

Evan’s mother enjoyed the post from the Frederik Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.

The weather took a stormy turn once he was past Chicago, so Evan didn’t make many stops after that. The long stretch of highway allowed him to make use of the audiobooks that he packed to play in the vehicle’s CD player. Those books also came in handy when he lost the radio connection while driving through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel on his way into Denver. Evan figured he might feel a bit claustrophobic driving underground for more than a mile as he crossed the Continental Divide, but he decided that the whole experience was just way too cool.

Once he arrived in Denver, Evan had been instructed by his grandmother to check in at Rubio of the Rockies for a much-needed rest. Evan had timed his arrival to be just around lunch time, so he’d called ahead and arranged to meet Magdelina at one of the resort restaurants. After the meal, Magdelina had offered a proposition to Evan: Live in a fully furnished townhouse in a comfortable neighborhood that would give him easy access to any firehouse he may be assigned to—as long as he accepted his cousins as roommates.

Yelena and Tomas Rubio were the twin children of the youngest child of Magdelina’s youngest brother, and they were just eighteen years old and would be attending colleges in Denver, and neither wanted to live on campus or with their father at the resort. Jasper Rubio had argued that the twins were too young and unworldly to live alone in a city like Denver and Magdelina had agreed, so she came up with the idea of them living with Evan—independent, but with someone older and more mature to help them navigate their independence.

Evan tentatively agreed but insisted on seeing the property for himself before he committed to the idea. He’d met Jasper and the twins while Jasper was running the resort on the New Jersey Coast, and he thought he could get along with them enough to be housemates. Magdelina was amenable to that idea, so she called for a driver since Evan had to be tired of driving, and then she called Jasper to bring the twins to them so they could all see their proposed housing.

Yelena Rubio was short and curvy, like many of the Spanish women Evan was related to, with dark brown eyes, long, curly brown hair, and a bright smile. Evan could see the good humor in her eyes and knew they would either get along well, or he would be spending a lot of time keeping her out of trouble.

In contrast, Tomas was tall and thin, standing only two inches shorter than Evan, and he had the light hair and blue eyes that Magdelina herself was born with. Tomas carried himself almost rigidly, eyes serious behind wire-rimmed glasses, but he had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, so that gave Evan some hope that the young man wasn’t a total stick in the mud.

Jasper Rubio had a thin and wiry frame and stood around six feet tall. His handshake was firm and assured, and his smile upon greeting Evan was one of pure pleasure. Jasper shared light blue eyes with Magdelina, but his hair was almost black, and his skin tone was olive. He was a widower, having lost his wife when the twins were only ten years old, and Yelena half-whispered that she hoped the move to Colorado gave her father the incentive to date again, making Jasper blush.

Evan refrained from laughing outright, noting his cousin’s embarrassment. He would, Evan realized silently, both get along famously with Yelena and spend time keeping her out of trouble.

Before leaving to see the townhouse, Evan talked with Jasper about the new resort and how Jasper hoped to run it. Far from the formal facades of the other Rubio resorts that Evan had visited, Rubio in the Rockies had a cozy, log-cabin feel to it, making it seem more homey and less ostentatious. It looked good online, when Evan had been showing it to Captain Bobby Nash while in St. Paul, but it looked even better up close and in person, like a natural part of the landscape. Evan couldn’t wait to explore the place once he was settled.

~~ ~~ ~~

The townhome was in a gated townhouse/condo community.

From a security standpoint, it looked good as far as Evan could tell. He read the literature about the community, and he approved of the maintenance staff that cared for the grounds of each property and the amenities like the pool, tennis courts, and clubhouse—not that he intended to hang out at the clubhouse or start playing tennis. Evan just hated the idea of an HOA. He wasn’t a rule-breaker by habit, but he’d heard horror stories about how HOAs tried to enforce things like grass length, what colors homes could be painted (even interior walls), and how many people/pets could occupy a residence.

Evan didn’t have a pet, but he might get one some day. And he certainly didn’t want to deal with rumors about two men living with a beautiful young woman in a single residence, even though they were all related. Yelena didn’t deserve to deal with that nonsense.

Also on the ‘minus’ list was the lack of a nearby gym; Evan needed to keep his fitness level high for the job. The clubhouse in the development boasted two Bowflex machines and one treadmill, and that was not going to cut it.

While Yelena, Tomas, and Jasper were exploring the upper floor of the townhouse, Evan turned toward his grandmother and raised an eyebrow.

“Really, Lina?”

Magdelina laughed merrily. “It was only one property that I had in mind, and it looked good on paper.”

Evan waved the paper in question and said, “Where in this document does this place look good?”

Magdelina sighed. “In the place where there is lawn maintenance. I detest yard work.”

“You,” Evan said, shaking the paper close to her face, “are not going to be living here.”

“Si, well,” Magdelina shrugged and batted the paper away from her face. “There are two other properties to see before the day is out, and if neither suits, then I shall call a realtor tomorrow.”

At that moment, Yelena and Tomas entered the kitchen with expressions of distaste on their faces.

“This kitchen is too small for more than one person,” Tomas declared, already assuming that the trio would all work together for meals.

“There are only two full bathrooms upstairs,” Yelena added, “and neither has a soaking tub.”

“Tia Magdelina, en qué estabas pensando?” said Jasper when he joined them, and Evan laughed.

The second of the properties that Magdelina had lined up to view had one master suite, and two smaller bedrooms that shared a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. Evan just took one look and backed away.

“Just…no. A bed that will fit me will not fit in one of those secondary bedrooms, and it would be extremely unfair for me to take the master and make the twins live like toddlers.”

The twins in question frowned in agreement.

The third place, and the final residence of the day, was in the Jefferson Park area of Denver, and was located on the edge of the actual park. It was a large condo complex with no lawns to speak of. The unit Magdelina had led them to was a large two-storey condo that was clearly meant for multiple generations. The kitchen area downstairs was large, with double ovens, a huge fridge, a farmhouse sink next to a modern dishwasher, and a large grill/range insert in the island. There was a dining nook under a bay window and another formal dining room just across a narrow hall. The living area was also large and roomy, with built-in bookshelves on either side of a huge fireplace, and it was already furnished with two deep, plush sofas, two oversized armchairs and a generous coffee table. There was a separate television/game room on the main floor, complete with a full sized pool table and a narrow bar.

There was also a mother-in-law suite downstairs, with a large bedroom, a large full bathroom with a jetted tub and a separate shower, and a sitting room with more built-in shelves.

The second floor included two master suites and two smaller bedrooms with another full bathroom, enough for a large family. There was another sitting room/library/media room upstairs.

While the twins and Jasper explored the upstairs area, Evan had propped himself against the door jamb of the kitchen, watching his grandmother smile in a most satisfactory manner.

“So, Lina, when did you purchase this condo?” Evan asked softly, startling the older woman.

Magdelina blinked and turned slowly to face her grandson, expression blank. “I’m certain I do not know what you mean by that, Evan.”

Evan laughed. “Going with that, are you?”

Magdelina shrugged nonchalantly and examined the manicured nails on her left hand. “I bought this as soon as you informed me that you would be attending the fire academy in Denver, rather than staying in Philadelphia. Once I realized that Jasper’s children would chafe at living with him while attending college, I knew that moving them in with you would be the best choice for all of you.”

Magdelina gestured toward the separate suite down the hall before continuing. “You shall have the main floor suite for security purposes, and that will also give you privacy for entertaining any guests you may have. Yelena and Tomas will have their own private places as well as room to study, and the kitchen is large enough for multiple cooks. The other bedrooms will be nice enough for guests such as your friends or your parents.

“There is a decent modern gym two blocks away that also has a climbing wall, not that you will need that with all of this nature at your beck and call.”

Evan crossed the small distance and pulled her into a tight hug. “You’re something else, you know that?”

Magdelina tutted before pulling back and looking into Evan’s eyes. “It is not wrong of me to want you to be comfortable in this new home. You are dear to me, nieto.”

“And you are dear to me, Lina,” Evan whispered before kissing her cheek and pulling away. “Does Jasper know this is your property?”

“He does not know such a thing,” she denied, “because it is not my property. I purchased this condo with money from your dividend account, so you are the owner. If you choose to not live here permanently, you will still have this as a rental property for extra income.”

Ah, yes—the dividend account. Evan had almost forgotten.

Every member of the Rubio Family, regardless of their roles in the resort conglomerate, received stock in the company. Because of the success of the business, those stocks paid back large dividends. Most of the family reinvested most of the dividends back into the business, keeping costs down for the clientele, but there was enough of an income to pay for…an extended tour of Europe, for example. Daniel came into his shares in the middle of his undergraduate program, so medical school was well in hand. Maddie most likely lived on her dividend income, seeing as she probably didn’t have a job while she was going through therapy and traveling around the world. Evan’s own dividends were mostly forgotten, but only because that account wasn’t his main account. He put his money from part-time jobs into an account he’d set up while in high school. He’d had the same educational trust from his grandmother that his siblings had, and that was in an interest-growing savings account specifically set up for school. Tuition payments were made from that account, as were the costs of certification classes, but Evan worked hard when he was not in class so that he could pay his way in the world. Certainly, he could afford to not work thanks to the stock dividends, but that just wasn’t his style.

Evan looked upward as they heard the twins bicker good-naturedly about which bedroom went to whom. “I’m not taking rent from them. They’ll be spending enough on college and extracurriculars as it is.”

“You will accept payment to help with the utilities, Evan. And groceries.” When Evan tried to protest, Magdelina just raised an eyebrow at him. “It is more than fair, and Jasper will insist.”

Evan nodded in acceptance. “Is that why you made us see those other sub-par units?”

Magdelina lifted one shoulder delicately. “I did that to make this place all the more enticing, nieto. If the twins thought they would be paying full rent and utilities from the start, they would have chosen the second apartment and forced themselves to live like toddlers.”

“You are a horrible woman.”

Magdelina’s laughter rang through the condo.

~~ ~~ ~~

“Do you enjoy dancing, cousin Evan?” Yelena asked after he deposited the last box of books onto her desk.

Evan wiped his dusty hands on his jeans. “I do, I suppose. I mean, I’m not great at it, and clubbing just isn’t my thing, but I muddle through.”

“Good! Then you can go with me!”

“I can go with you where, Yelena?” Evan was instantly suspicious.

“There’s this place that I learned about when we moved here. I want to try it, but I don’t want to go alone, and Tomas is not interested,” she said with a pretty pout.

“That look has been used on me by women older and more experienced than you, Yelena, and it hasn’t worked on me in years,” Evan admonished. “What place?”

Yelena huffed. “It’s called the Mile-High Swing Club. I’ve wanted to try swing dancing for the longest time, but I don’t want to go to a club alone.”

Evan’s brow furrowed. “Swing dancing? Huh, I’ve never even considered that.”

Yelena’s smile brightened. “It looks like so much fun!” she enthused. “It seems to be very athletic and energetic, and there’s a lot of improvisation. There was a swing contest back in New Jersey and I got to watch some of it, and I’d love to try it. Say you’ll go!”

Evan blew air forcefully between his lips. “I’ll be starting at the Academy in a month, so I don’t know how busy I’ll be.”

Yelena jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a gleeful hug. “That gives us a month to see if we like it!”

By the time Evan’s birthday came at the end of July, he and Yelena had become constant fixtures at the Mile-High Swing Club, although they could sometimes convince Tomas to join them on nights that swing dancing was put aside in favor of Latin dancing and a heavy techno beat. Several coaches worked with Evan and Yelena as they learned spins, flips, and tosses. Evan’s height almost worked against him as the Jive was notoriously difficult for tall men, but his strength more than made up for it and he never went without a dance partner. Yelena’s bright energy also made her a popular newbie at the club, so she made Evan promise to take her at least once each week, depending on her class schedule and his work schedule.

“Has it ever occurred to you that I might be too tired after Academy classes to come dancing every week?” Evan asked before twisting the cap off a water bottle during a break in the dance lessons.

Yelena laughed and drank deeply from her own bottle. “No, cousin, it has not! Mostly because there are six other first responders that are members of this club.”

Evan just laughed at her and finished his water while watching some of the coaches energetically demonstrate the Lindy Hop. The dancing was fun and extremely physical, so he did enjoy it, but it did not take the place of a proper workout.

The fact was, once the dancers and coaches at the club knew Evan was going to be attending the Fire Academy and searching for a job as a firefighter, a small core group of dancers convened upon Evan and Yelena and brought the duo fully into their group: Autumn Kirkpatrick, a petite paramedic at one of the Denver fire stations, and her wife Evelyn, a cool-as-a-cucumber lawyer; Charlie Munoz and Emily King who were firefighters at separate stations and were definitely not dating; Paul Savitch, another firefighter, and his pastry chef wife, Caroline. Evan and Yelena were enfolded into their not-a-clique, practicing dance moves with each other at the Swing Club, having dinner meetings to get Evan accustomed to the city he would be living and working in, working out in a decent gym that Evan eventually joined. Evan had made professional contacts through the Mile High Swing Club, Yelena and Tomas made friends with other dancers before their own classes began at their respective colleges, and Denver finally started to feel like home.

~~ ~~ ~~

“Happy Birthday, Little Brother!”

Evan laughed when he heard his brother’s voice over the phone. “Thanks Daniel. How have you been?”

“How have I been? Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? Abuela hasn’t exactly been forthcoming on your life since you’ve moved.”

Evan shrugged even though Daniel couldn’t see him. “I’ve been getting my bearings, you know? New house, new classes, new friends. Yelena and Tomas are great housemates, so the living situation is good. We help each other out.”

“That is all good,” Daniel agreed. “Have you been climbing at all since you’ve moved to the Rockies?”

“No,” Evan laughed. “And I haven’t dipped so much as a toe in a river, either. But it’s only been a month and I’ve had other things on my mind.”

“Are you having any fun at all?” Daniel asked in exasperation. Evan could almost see the eye-roll.

“Funnily enough,” Evan said casually, “I am having fun in an indoor setting. Yelena roped me into attending a swing dance class, and it’s a lot of fun.”

“Swing dancing, huh? Have you managed to cut a rug with Abuela?”

Evan laughed again. “Oddly, Lina heard the words swing dancing, and she shuddered and beat a hasty retreat. I’m happy if I can get a waltz or a foxtrot out of her during the holidays.”

“Yeah, I know how that goes,” Daniel agreed. “Have you had time to make friends, at least?”

“Yes, Daniel, I have made friends. All by myself, without needing a teacher around to force me into a play group.” Evan paused to allow Daniel to laugh his freaking ass off. “Actually, there is a small group of first responders that belong to the swing club, and they happily dragged me, Yelena, and Tomas into their gravity.”

“So you’re just going to this club and dancing? That hardly sounds like you, Evan.”

“Well, no,” Evan admitted. “I’ve joined a gym that Paul and Charlie belong to, so we workout together. Tomas and I are taking a weekend pastry course taught by Paul’s wife, so I hope to master pie crust by Thanksgiving. Emily and Charlie are trying to get me to join a darts league, but the one they’re in is station-based and I’m just going into the Academy.

“I’ve been getting to know this city before my academy session begins,” Evan continued. “Taking evening drives to the city limits so I can see various neighborhoods, finding the hole-in-the-wall diners where the really good food hides.”

“It sounds like you’ve got a good plan going,” Daniel said happily. “And speaking of plans…”

Evan’s ear twitched. “What’s going on with you, now that the honeymoon is over?”

Daniel laughed. “I sincerely hope the honeymoon is never over, Evan. I know Abuela is worried about it, but I know you’ll find your forever person, and when you do, you’ll understand how I feel right now.”

“I know I will, Daniel,” Evan confided. “It just hasn’t been time yet, that’s all.”

“Yeah, so,” Daniel said, excitement evident in his voice, “Helle received an offer for a position in Los Angeles.”

Evan’s breath caught momentarily. “Just a position?”

Daniel chuckled softly. “Just a Head of Department position.”

Evan’s jaw dropped. “That’s awesome! Is she as thrilled as you are? I mean, of course she is, right?”

“Yeah,” Daniel confirmed with a laugh, “she’s thrilled as all get-out. Actually, Helle is in L.A. right now, finalizing her interviews. I’ve put out my own applications, so now I’m just waiting to see who bites.”

“Do you want to work in the same place as Helle? I mean, you won’t be in the same department, obviously, but is that the goal?”

Daniel hummed. “Ideally, I would be working in the same hospital, yes, but there is an option for me to take a position as a roaming surgeon, working within several hospitals. That would give me privileges as a doctor and orthopedic surgeon in a large general area. My mentor, Dr. Boothe, has a position like that and she travels all over the Baltimore/D.C. area for her patients.”

Evan frowned at the phone. “Does something like that appeal to you? Being always on the go, I mean.”

“Actually, it’s more like I’ll be based in one location, but I’ll be on-call at several others,” Daniel explained. “I’ll have a home base, and while I would love it if that base was at the same hospital as Helle, I think I’d rather we had the same shifts so that we could be at home together.”

Evan sighed. “Yeah, that sounds like a good goal to have. Have you told Mom and Dad that you’re headed to California?”

“They’re the next call,” Daniel admitted. “It was more important for me to wish you a happy birthday.”

“And I do appreciate that,” Evan smiled. “Um, I usually hate to ask this question, but have you ever heard from Maddie in regard to your awesome nuptials?”

There was a long silence through the phone, almost long enough to make Evan think the call had been dropped, before Evan heard the heavy sigh.

“No, I can’t say that I have,” Daniel said heavily. “I get an occasional postcard that has been forwarded by Abuela, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I have personally heard from her. Abuela says she’s healing and living a good life, so I have to believe that, or I’ll go just a bit crazy.”

“Yeah,” Evan agreed with a bitter half-laugh. “I look forward to every postcard that Lina forwards to me, but I’ve come to understand that she does that because Maddie doesn’t know my address and probably doesn’t want to. I may have moved around a lot for training, especially this past year, but my mailing address has been the apartment in Pittsburgh for the last three years. That never changed.”

Evan took a moment to wipe burgeoning tears from his eyes. “I think the last time I saw Maddie in person was just before Lina shipped her off to that clinic in Switzerland. She was so hurt back then, and I understood that she needed a lot of healing, but she never came home. I last saw my sister when I was fifteen years old, and that hurts me very deeply.”

“Jesus, Evan,” Daniel muttered. “I never considered that. I mean, logically I know that the last time we saw Maddie was when she was in the hospital. I guess I just got on with my life.”

“Yeah,” Evan choked. “Yeah, we both got on with our lives. But the difference between all of us is, you and I never got out of contact with the rest of the family. I know Lina occasionally meets with Maddie in Europe because that’s how she gets the postcards, but I don’t know if Maddie ever calls Dad or Mom.

“I call Dad once a week; more than that if something important happens. I write letters to Mom because she thinks it’s cute, and I’m constantly in contact with you. And I’ve met and made friends with more cousins than is probably realistically necessary, and I send DMs to them over Insta along with my regular Instagram posts.”

Daniel began laughing, which led to Evan laughing as well.

“Evan, I swear, you’d know the whole world if Abuela had her way. You both can enter rooms as strangers and leave as besties with everyone in there.”

“Hey, I’m not nearly as much a social butterfly as people think I am,” Evan protested. “I just find it easier to get along with people if I can because it minimizes stress, and I really hate stress.”

“I get it, but it is funny. Listen, I’ve got to call Dad soon because I have rounds in a couple of hours, so I’ll let you know how the California Adventure comes out.”

“I’ll cross my fingers for both of you,” Evan promised.

Chapter Seven: 2012 Continued

Evan sighed and dropped his work bag by the front door before locking it behind him and kicking off his shoes.

It had been a long fucking day, and Evan was over it.

Over. It.

Evan figured he’d have a slight head start at the Fire Academy by obtaining degrees in Civil Engineering and Fire Science Technology. The fact that Evan had obtained various other rescue certifications along the way was only to the good. His instructors at the academy were incredibly impressed with his CV, but they were smart and didn’t play it up.

What they did play up was Evan’s experience as a climber and his specialized training with the Task Force in St. Paul. Evan quickly found himself used as an example for correct rope techniques and harness rescues.

Evan didn’t mind much, and it was eventually revealed that Captain Robert Nash not only sent a raving recommendation for Evan, but he had also detailed Evan’s impromptu rescue on the bridge during a training exercise. The training staff were suitably impressed, but they did not treat Evan with any favoritism. Evan was studious and serious and was sought out by other cadets as a study partner.

Except.

There were a couple of legacy cadets in Evan’s training class, and they were clearly of the opinion that they should have been given special consideration. The instructors tried very hard to deliver the message that, just because they came from families of firefighters, that didn’t automatically impart generational knowledge. The legacies would not be permitted to merely skate through the entire fifteen-week course. They would have to work hard, just like every other cadet in the academy, and if they showed promise due to outside training, that would be considered appropriately. Their names and their fathers’ reputations would not help them graduate with honors or get them jobs right off the bat.

For some reason, this became Evan’s fault.

As was his wont, Evan just brushed that attitude aside. He was there to work and didn’t care about reputations—other than not wanting to get a reputation as a dumbass. Evan kept his head down and took notes. Then he kept his head down and took the tests.

For fifteen weeks, Evan had worked hard in classes, worked hard in certification training, and worked hard to get himself fit and ready to become a firefighter. He did eventually make friends because he was a personable guy. Evan was invited out for drinks with a few of his fellow cadets, and he went just to blow off steam from classes. He eagerly talked ‘shop’ with his instructors during breaks, comparing wilderness search-and-rescue in the West Virginia forests with the urban S/R that firefighters in Denver went through.

For fifteen weeks, Evan studied late into the evenings, memorizing manuals and strategies. He woke early and organized his notes over coffee and granola. For fifteen weeks, Evan joined his cousins when their classes were over for the day and they cooked and laughed and reviewed the silliness that sometimes invaded their day.

And on that particular day, Evan was all set to keep his head in the game for his final certifications. The legacies, however, took offense to the fact that Evan managed to beat more than a few records earlier in the course, so they spent a great deal of energy trying to screw with Evan.

The big plan had apparently been to mess with Evan’s mask while everyone was on lunch break. The final certification that day was a Live Fire trial. Full turnouts, full gear—including tanks and masks.

A mask that somehow acquired a damaged seal. After it had been inspected.

Evan was most of the way through the trial, heading into a burning tower, when one of the other cadets burst from the main building, shouting for Evan to stop and take off the mask. The grading instructors halted the trial while the cadet told them what he overheard the legacies bragging about.

Yeah, that was a whole shitshow, and Evan wanted nothing more than to avoid it. But he could not.

The training officers called in the Chief of the Fire Department, the Deputy Chief, and a few division chiefs, all of whom took turns reaming out the legacy duo—who were assured that they would not only never work for the Denver Fire Department, but they would never work for any American fire department, so mote it be.

And Evan just got to stand there, in his turnouts and holding the sabotaged mask, and listen to the entire reaming and castigation.

And also– his final cert test was rescheduled for the following day because the shine was off that coin for the moment.

So, yes, Evan was so fucking done with that day. But he was not done with the Academy.

He really needed a break.

Evan was undressing for a much-deserved shower when his phone rang—a ringtone dedicated to his cousin Yelena.

Yelena and her twin brother, Tomas, were the children of Magdelina’s youngest nephew, Jasper Rubio—who was the new managing director of Rubio in the Rockies. The twins were just a few years younger than Evan and were new students at colleges in Denver, for Design and Marketing respectively. The three had been roomies in a luxury condo that had been purchased in Evan’s name since he moved to Denver and they were both in class at that time. Or, rather, they were supposed to be.

Answering the phone, Evan said, “Hey, cousin. What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Yelena laughed. Evan! I’m calling to ask where we’re celebrating, primo! It was your last day, yeah?”

Evan sighed and sank down onto his bed. “It was not, in fact, my last day. There was a brouhaha and I was rescheduled for tomorrow.”

“Huh. Well, then we need to go out and have some commiseration dancing.”

Evan laughed despite himself. “Yeah, I think I really do need to burn off some steam. Shall we hit the regular club? I’ll start dinner so we can eat before we head out.” It was Latin Dance night at the Mile High Swing Club, so Tomas would definitely be joining them.

“It’s a deal! I’ll call Tomas when he gets out of class in half an hour. But be warned—Dad wants to take you out for a congratulatory dinner, too.”

“Tell Jasper that he can take me out when I get hired, okay? Then we’ll really have something to celebrate.”

Evan disconnected the call and headed for the shower, washing away the stress of the day. Yelena loved to dance, so she’d made it her personal mission to find the best clubs for dancing in Denver when her family moved there. Once she decided that swing dancing was going to be fun, she roped Evan into joining her for classes–and then for a full membership–at an exclusive club that catered to the swing dance lifestyle. Evan enjoyed both the physicality and the creativity of swing dancing as most of it was pure improvisation. As he became more comfortable with the moves, the more the coaches taught him. He wasn’t sure he would ever want to compete, but he never lacked partners when he was there. The club was popular and that night was open to non-members, so Evan knew he would have a good time despite his lousy day. He wasn’t pro-level by any chance, but having many, many cousins in Latin America that thought it was a tragedy that Evan never learned to dance ‘properly’ made Evan a confident dancer, and that had attracted loads of partners when he went out while he was in college. Moving to Denver did not change that.

Letters from Jill mocked his lack of dancing prowess at the formals he took her to, so he had to promise to take her dancing if she ever visited him. He had to prove that he now had moves, after all. And the amazing plus of training with dance coaches meant that Evan now was more consciously aware of his own body and how it moved, which was good for someone of his size and musculature. It really came in handy for the rescue training.

After his shower, Evan dressed carefully, mindful of the heat that could be generated in the clubs. Magdelina made sure Evan had a wardrobe that wouldn’t embarrass him, so he donned a green silk shirt and black chinos. He was staring at his shoe options when his phone rang again, this time with his grandmother’s ringtone.

“Good afternoon, Lina,” Evan answered. “And how are you on this fine day?”

“You seem in fairly good spirits for someone who has not finished his certifications, nieto.”

Evan laughed softly. “Yelena tattled? There was an incident during the last round of testing, Lina. Some perdedores decided to make my life difficult because they couldn’t measure up to their own expectations. Luckily, someone overheard the premature boasting, so I was unhurt during the whole debacle.”

“I am glad to hear that, nieto,” Magdelina said dryly. “And what was the reason for the…what was the word? Ah, si, brouhaha. What was the reason for the brouhaha?”

Evan laughed in spite of himself. “The perpetrators were legacy cadets at the Academy. That means they were sons and grandsons of firefighters, and they were more than a bit put out by the performance of several other cadets in my class. They were particularly upset about the records I broke during some of my qualifications.”

“I do not understand,” Magdelina confessed. “Is it not a good thing to break records?”

“Yeah, of course it is. But those two chuckleheads were of the opinion that they were the ones who should have been setting and breaking records. And all of the chiefs agreed with them.”

“They agreed? Are you well with all this agreement?”

Evan sighed. “Yeah, Lina. I’m fine. The thing is, I sort of agreed with them, too. Those guys should have been the ones setting records. They should have been the stand-out cadets; the rising stars of the Academy class. But instead of working hard and improving their physical condition, they decided to skate by and barely study for the exams, as if they believed that their fathers’ reputations would carry them through rather than their own work. And instead of working on their own trials, they decided to lower my score by committing sabotage on my equipment.”

“You could have been seriously hurt, Evan. That is untenable.”

“And I also agree with that, Lina. As do the Chief, the Deputy Chief, and all of the Division Chiefs.” Evan sighed and pulled a pair of soft leather loafers from his closet before shoving his feet into them. “Everybody in the entire hierarchy of the Denver Fire Department agreed that those two cadets were to be dismissed and banned from the DFD. And then the police were called in and the idiots were charged with assault on top of everything.

“As to my potential injury, well…I had already sensed the damage to the mask I was wearing because cool air was leaking into it before I was approaching the burning structure, which was emitting hot air.”

“So you could have prevented any injury those men had planned for you, si?” Magdelina asked calmly.

“I’d certainly like to think so,” Evan stated as he pushed his wallet into his pants pocket. “According to the former cadets, they claimed that I should have only inhaled a bit of smoke, but it would have been enough to slow me down during the trial.”

Magdelina huffed loudly into the phone, causing Evan to stifle a laugh. “I understand,” she said peevishly, “that you do not court trouble, my love, but since you insist on joining such a dangerous career it would please me if you could be much more careful.”

“I promise, Lina,” Evan assured. “But I have to let you go now because Yelena is determined to get me out dancing tonight despite the fact that I have my new final trial tomorrow. And I really need to burn off some aggravation.”

“Have fun dancing with your cousin, Evan. I will be arriving at the end of the week to celebrate your final graduation.”

“Then I’ll see you at the end of the week, Lina.”

Evan disconnected the call and exited his suite of rooms, pulling the door shut behind him. Yelena and Tomas never entered his domain without his permission, but Evan kept the door closed to discourage visitors from going in.

In the kitchen, Evan raided the pantry and fridge for the basic ingredients for a simple sausage paella. The whole grain rice and fresh veggies would perk up his energy levels, and the bright fragrance would perk up his mood. By the time the food was finished cooking, Evan heard two vehicles entering the large four-car garage beneath the main level of the condo.

“What are we eating, Evan?” Yelena yelled as she climbed the stairs from the garage. “I’m starving!”

Yelena was the first to enter the kitchen, followed closely by her twin brother.

“Is that paella?” Tomas asked with a deliberate sniff. “It smells amazing! I forgot to eat lunch because one of my professors decided to change the course syllabus and I had to reorganize my study planner.”

“You shouldn’t skip meals,” Evan admonished. “You’re feeding your brain as much as your body.”

Tomas laughed and hip-checked Evan as he moved to get glasses from a cabinet. “Yes, Papa, I hear you,” he teased. “Water or iced tea?”

“Tea for me,” Yelena replied as she gathered flatware to set the table.

“Tea for me as well,” Evan agreed as he filled plates with the savory rice dish. “I’ll be drinking lots of water at the club.”

Though the kitchen had a perfectly serviceable snackbar, the trio preferred to eat in the formal dining room at dinner, choosing the breakfast nook for morning meals and snacks.

As they ate, Evan listened to the twins chat about classes and the friends they had made in school. He did not go into detail about the incident at the academy, mostly because he didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. It was bad enough that his grandmother was worried.

“I’ll wash the dishes since you cooked,” Tomas told Evan. “There is no reason to risk your silk shirt with dishwater.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t make a mess of himself while cooking,” Yelena teased. “I know I would have.”

“I was raised to be clean in the kitchen,” Evan said wryly. “Lina would have been disgraced if I ever made a mess while cooking. I only allowed a pot to boil over once, when I was in high school. After that, Lina taught me the wooden spoon trick and gave me an apron for Christmas.”

Yelena grinned wickedly and shot a long glance toward the corner of the kitchen, where said apron hung by a hook on the wall. “It’s cute.”

Evan rolled his eyes. “At least it doesn’t have ruffles and lace.”

“At least it doesn’t say ‘Kiss the Cook’,” Tomas added cheekily.

~~ ~~ ~~

“Hey, Muscles! We heard what happened at the academy.”

Emily King’s sultry voice greeted Evan when he entered the club with his cousins and immediately made him smile. Emily had begun teasingly calling him ‘Muscles’ when she learned his main goal was to become a heavy rescue asset within the fire department. Paul Savitch and Charlie Munoz, who were heavy rescues as well, responded to the information by structuring Evan’s workout routine at the gym they all attended. Evan had increased his strength, stamina, and muscle mass significantly thanks to their help. It was another thing that had impressed the instructors at the academy.

Evan meandered toward Emily’s table, a large U-shaped booth, with a wry grin, Yelena and Tomas following closely behind. “Yeah,” he laughed shortly, “it sucked large. I got to witness the dressing-down of the century, which was unfortunate for everyone involved.”

Emily pulled Evan into the booth next to her and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “We see legacy cadets every freaking year,” she said with a frown. “Usually, they’re stand-out cadets. There was one in my class, and he rocked the class. Broke speed records left and right, helped other cadets with things they struggled with. And he never bragged about any of it.”

“I taught a few legacies during my time as an instructor at the academy in Chicago,” Charlie said seriously, “and I wouldn’t have known about their family connections if I hadn’t met their families at graduation. It was all about the job for them.”

Evan nodded. “It’s all about the job for me, that’s for sure. I’ve been working for this in one way or another since I was sixteen years old. It’s just too bad that Rocker and Calloway didn’t feel the same.”

“No,” Paul said, leaning forward cautiously. “What’s too bad is that I overheard some of the pre-graduation haggling downtown when I was turning in some paperwork for my captain, and Captain Rocker was seriously looking at you because of all of your certifications. His house gets a lot of wilderness calls because it’s on the outskirts of the city.”

Evan grimaced. “Well, I probably would have liked to work there.” He shrugged and glanced over the drink menu on the table before deciding to stick with a fruit juice concoction that was non-alcoholic. “Want to share a pitcher?” he asked Tomas.

“Not drinking tonight?” Emily asked, and Evan shook his head.

“I’m here to burn off steam, energy, and frustration, but I still have qualifications tomorrow. That whole debacle set everything back for the entire class.”

Yelena scooted out of the booth and waved to someone she knew. “I’ll order the drinks before I hit the dance floor.”

“Save me a Mambo,” Charlie called after her, and she waved over her shoulder.

By the time the pitcher and glasses had arrived at the booth, Autumn Kirkpatrick had arrived–without her wife and constant shadow. Everyone shifted to make room for the diminutive paramedic and Tomas gamely poured her a glass of juice.

“No Evelyn tonight?” Tomas asked with a raised eyebrow. Around the table, there were subtle winces, but Tomas’ face was blank and without guile. He could be a total straight man when he wanted to.

Autumn shrugged, oblivious to the discomfort at the table. “She’s got a big case coming to trial next week, so it’s all hands on deck at her office.” Autumn took a drink and sighed happily, glancing at Evan. “You don’t mind dancing with an old, married lady, do you?”

Evan laughed. “You’re what? Five, six years older than me? I think I can handle that.”

Just then, the music changed to a thumping, driving beat. Autumn turned pleading eyes to Evan, who just laughed and slid out of the booth, holding out his hand to her. Evan and Autumn often paired together at the club, switching off between Lead and Follow positions in order to get a feel for dancing in different positions, so they moved gracefully together on the dancefloor. Evan’s eyes were bright with laughter as he spun Autumn in circles before dipping her low, allowing her to spin between his long legs before popping up deftly behind him and wrapping her arms loosely around his waist. They danced through one more energetic song before the music changed to the Mambo that Charlie had been waiting for, so Evan led Autumn back to their table, signaling to the bar for another pitcher of Jungle Juice.

Evan allowed Autumn to slide into the booth ahead of him, noting briefly that Emily and Tomas were probably already on the dancefloor with the growing crowd. When the waiter brought the pitcher, Evan poured for Autumn first before filling his own fresh glass–something delivered without his request as he’d become known for wanting a clean glass if he ever left his table.

“Why do they do that?” Autumn asked, gesturing to his glass as Evan swallowed a mouthful.

Evan carefully set his glass in front of him, rolling it between his hands gently. “Why do they bring a clean glass?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I mean, it just seems wasteful somehow; like they’re just giving themselves more work to do.”

Evan glanced at the bar and folded his hands together. “Have you noticed that sign behind the bar? The one that lists the special drinks?”

“You mean the drinks women can order if they feel unsafe for some reason?” Autumn asked, and Evan nodded.

“I picked up on that the first time I came here with the cousins,” he said carefully. “I’d never seen a sign like that in any of the bars or clubs I went to with my college friends, and it looked like a good idea to me, but it seemed a bit female-centric. Not that women aren’t more at risk from casual dates nowadays, so please don’t think I’m dismissing that.”

“I doubt someone your size would feel threatened in a club situation,” Autumn said dryly, and Evan huffed a laugh. Autumn stood barely to Evan’s bicep and was deceptively strong, as she had to be to work as a paramedic. The height disparity was what made them an interesting pair on the dancefloor.

“When I was in high school, I got roofied at a party,” Evan confessed lowly, and Autumn gasped. “I was already leaving the situation when I realized that something wasn’t quite right, and my best friend got me to the hospital before I completely fell out of consciousness, so nothing happened. But I was…disheveled when Geoff found me, and the person that did it tried to say that I got her pregnant. Since I didn’t remember much about that night, well, let’s just say I always open my own water and soda bottles. And I had a chat with the bar staff about that sign after I’d been coming here for a few weeks.”

Autumn nodded in understanding. “So they took you seriously, then?”

“Yeah,” Evan agreed. “Very seriously. I never specifically asked for fresh glasses when I’m drinking from a pitcher, but they never open the beer bottles for me when I order them, and nobody has ever said anything nasty about it.”

Autumn frowned slightly and drew her fingers through the condensation on her glass. “I wasn’t trying to be nasty,” she said hesitantly.

“Oh, no,” Evan gushed. “I didn’t think you were. But I have had people get huffy with me about wanting to open my own water, especially at the academy. I pushed it off as a harmless quirk, but it’s something that I doubt I’ll ever get over.”

Autumn nodded and took another drink of the cold juice before looking Evan right in the eye. “Okay, so I made you uncomfortable, and I really didn’t mean to. And I know you’re far too nice to call me on it and you’ll just sit there and blush and be entirely too charming for your own good.” Autumn grinned when Evan laughed, face already red. “So I’ll do you a solid and grant you an entirely uncomfortable question–just one–that I will answer honestly before anyone comes back to the table.”

Evan nodded, tilting his head sideways as he regarded his friend. “Okay, I have one. Kirkpatrick is an…Irish name, isn’t it?”

Autumn grinned, her ebony eyes glinting in the dim light of the club. She lifted one hand, running it through the tight box braids that hung from her head. Evan had always thought her to be a beautiful woman, with skin the color of fresh coffee and dark eyes rimmed slightly with honey-brown around the iris. Autumn was a definite contrast to her wife, Evelyn: Autumn was barely five-and-one-half feet tall, slight in shape with a runner’s physique, and always had a smile on her face, while Evelyn was a tall, olive-skinned blonde who always wore an austere expression and rarely smiled, which made her quite intimidating. Most of Evan’s friends couldn’t figure out how the two seemingly different women made it together. Evan tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that Evelyn had to have some hidden golden qualities for Autumn, who was a freaking ray of sunshine, to love her.

“It’s not difficult to understand,” Autumn said dryly. “I’m adopted.”

Evan blinked. After a moment, he said, “I was going to ask if you were Catholic.”

Autumn broke into giggles, dropping her head onto her folded arms on top of the table. Charlie was the first to return to the table, and he dropped into a seat across from Evan and nodded to Autumn.

“What set her off?”

Evan shrugged. “I asked if she was Catholic.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said with a frown, scooting down his bench to allow Yelena and Tomas to join them. “Religion really cracks me up, too.”

Autumn calmed down with a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry. It’s just, most people want to know how a Black Goddess like me got such an Irish surname, and Evan just wanted to ask me which church I attended.”

“Well, no,” Evan said, “because I’m not a Church-twice-a-week Catholic myself. But Thanksgiving is coming up, and that means my grandmother will probably be in town. I’ve been casually attending Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe since I moved here, with the twins and their dad, and I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you there.”

“Si,” Yelena broke in. “Tia Magdelina is a wonderful person and I can’t wait to see her again! She has not been around since this summer, when Evan came to live here.”

The booth filled again, with Emily King finally leaving her dance partner to rejoin them, and Autumn leaned closer to Evan in a small bid for privacy. Another pitcher of juice appeared, along with a round of beers for the drinkers in the group. The noise of the music and dancers practically faded into the background as conversations began in the booth; some serious, some light-hearted. Autumn stared into her glass, her eyes unfocused for a moment.

“My mother was best friends with my birth mother,” she said as she drained her glass. “The sperm donor was out the door when pregnancy was confirmed, so Mother stepped in to support her friend.”

Evan nodded and leaned back in his seat. “I almost gained another brother in much the same way,” he confided. “Lina certainly would have taken him into her home if she hadn’t found a better solution.”

Autumn offered a half-smile. “Tracy and Alan Kirkpatrick adopted me when my mother passed from cancer. I was only three-years-old at that time, and I really didn’t understand what was going on. I have photos of my birth mother, a few letters that she wrote while she was pregnant and after she was diagnosed, and an insurance policy that paid for college, but memories from that age are practically non-existent. Aunty Tracy became Mama before I ever started school, and I officially took the name when I was seven.”

Autumn’s gaze turned wistful for a moment, and then she shook her head. “When I was in high school, Mama and Pop became Mother and Father when I realized I had profoundly different spiritual leanings. I’d just learned too much about the Catholic Church to fully embrace it anymore, and they took great offense to that. I’d also figured out that I was gay when I was fifteen, and I knew they would frown on that hard.”

Autumn sighed heavily. “And then I decided to publicly exit my closet while in college.”

Evan grimaced. “I assume they took it as badly as you thought they would?”

Autumn grimaced and glared at her empty glass. “I believe the words ‘Your mother would be ashamed and horrified’ may have been uttered.” She tapped the rim of the glass with her fingernail. “That was the first time since I could remember that Tracy Kirkpatrick ever referred to herself as anything other than my mom, and it was the last time I ever spoke to her. I was nineteen and I’d just fallen in love for the first time.”

Evan wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Not with Evelyn?”

“God, no!” Autumn laughed. “I met Evelyn after I transferred to UC Denver from Loyola. I wanted to get as far away from Chicago as I could after that day, but I guess I got stuck in the mountains.”

“Just like the early settlers,” Evan joked, making Autumn laugh. “I’m sorry you had to go through with all of that. My friend, Geoff, went through the same thing when we were fifteen.”

Autumn pulled back and stared at him. “And your grandmother almost adopted him? That’s what you said, right?”

Evan shrugged. “She was legitimately offering to, but only if that was the only way to keep him safe. She got her lawyer on it, because she’s very savvy, and then she found Geoff’s grandmother and explained the situation. But up to that point, Lina was very willing to make Geoff a permanent member of our family. My older brother was all in, too.”

“Yeah,” Autumn sighed. “Family is what you make it.”

“Then how on God’s Green Earth did you end up with a sourpuss like Evelyn?”

Charlie’s question broke the small intimacy that Evan and Autumn had built, causing the entire table to grow silent in shock. Evan looked across the table to find his friend sitting quietly with eyes wide open.

“Oh, wow, I am so sorry,” Charlie stammered. “That just…slipped out?”

Autumn began to giggle again, shaking her hands in front of her to assuage Charlie’s guilt. “No, it’s okay. Evelyn’s a lot sometimes, I know. She’s ten years older than me, as I’m sure you all know. I met her my last year of college, at a Pride event here in Denver. I’d had a few casual girlfriends since I realized I liked girls; most of them were extremely girly-girls who were experimenting with bisexuality. I thought that was what I liked. I thought I liked being the strong one, because I’d had to be strong since I figured myself out, and I had to be stronger after my adopted parents basically told me that they wished they could take it all back.

“And then I met Evelyn, who makes strong people look like wet paper towels, and she just flipped a switch inside me.”

“Man,” Charlie murmured, “I do not need any details.”

“I do,” Yelena objected. “I haven’t ever been in love or even had a crush, so I want to know what it’s like when you find your perfect person.”

Autumn rolled her eyes. “Evelyn is not my perfect anything. We fight over stupid things, like who forgot to buy milk or toilet paper. She squeezes the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube and I squeeze in the middle. But she said she would give me everything I wanted if I was willing to work for a real relationship.”

“That sounds almost transactional,” Charlie said. “I mean, I’m happily married and I’d gladly give my wife the world, but I’d never just say it like that.”

Autumn nodded and held out her empty glass for a refill. “I know it sounds bad. But Evelyn was practicing law when I met her, and was a senior associate in her firm, and she’d been in some really short and abusive relationships. She was married to a man while she was in law school, and he wanted her to quit and get a paralegal job to support him because ‘men make better lawyers’ and he thought she would just be wasting her time in school.”

“Sounds like she was wasting her time with that loser,” Emily chimed in. “I’m sure Evelyn is really sweet with you, so I’m glad you’re happy.”

Autumn laughed. “We started our relationship by making deals so that we knew we were being fair to each other. She’s happy as a corporate lawyer and she supports my work as a paramedic, but I think she’d worry a lot if I actually ran into burning buildings, so one of our deals was that we’d do our best to always be as safe at our jobs.

“She makes breakfast on our shared weekends off, and I usually cook dinner. I do the laundry and she takes out the trash.” Autumn grinned. “We each took the jobs the other hates.”

“That sounds like a good compromise to me,” Evan said. “Relationships should take work. Nothing really good should be easy.”

“Yeah,” Charlie agreed. “There’s a lot of back and forth in my marriage. Of course, once the kids started coming, more compromise was needed. My wife wanted to be a stay at home mother, but that’s not fiscally possible right now. I make good money, but Denver is expensive.”

“Won’t you have to pay for childcare if you both work?” Emily asked. “I mean, how old is your kid?”

“Only three months right now,” Charlie confirmed. “And you’re right about childcare. My mother-in-law is close, so she’s helping, but I hate that she is. I mean, I love that woman, but she already raised her kids, you know? She should be able to enjoy grandparenthood without doing all the work.”

Autumn smiled sweetly. “At least you get along with your mother-in-law. Evelyn’s mother hates me like fire because I’m so much younger and I’m just a public servant.”

“Wow,” Emily dead-panned. “What does Evelyn’s mother do?”

“She hosts fundraisers,” Autumn said dryly. “That woman has never worked a day in her life. She didn’t even raise her own kids because her husband came from money and could afford a nanny.”

Emily snorted. “At least she’s not homophobic.”

“Oh, no,” Autumn corrected. “She is totally homophobic. And racist and classist. The only reason she still pretends around Evelyn is that Evie is the only one of the kids that still talks to her. Both of Evie’s brothers have moved away and have gone no-contact. One is in Vancouver, raising three kids and practicing Family Law, and the other is a deep-sea fisherman in Florida. That one has no kids, no wife, and is living off the trust fund his grandfather left him.” She shook her head. “I think he runs charters, too.”

“That’s…a lot,” Yelena said with a frown. “Maybe I don’t want to fall in love after all.”

~~ ~~ ~~

Because of the interrupted Live Fire trials the previous day—and the reason for the interruption—the new Live Fire test was very well-attended. Not only were the academy instructors present for each and every cadet undergoing the trial, so were various Station Captains and Division Chiefs.

Evan’s records were well-known by all of the spectators present by that time. His instructors were happy to brag about his certifications and extra training while at a Ladder and Badge bar near the City and County Building, and any Station Captain with an opening was giving him the look-over because he was now considered to be THE cadet in that Academy class.

Not to put any pressure on him or anything.

Evan managed to ignore each and every one of them as he raced into his heavy turn-out gear, ran the length of the training area carrying heavy hoses, and dashed into a burning tower to climb narrow stairs with said heavy hoses. He listened carefully to his radio, receiving instructions for his final trial, step by step.

Once everyone was finished with the live burn exercise, Evan retreated to the locker room for a much-needed shower. Once he was in his DFD uniform, Evan returned to the training center, where he was introduced to several hiring Captains.

Once Evan again listed his qualifications for heavy rescue, swift water (river) rescue, wilderness S/R, and rope rescue, as well as his degrees in Civil Engineering and Fire Science. Evan also stated that he was willing to study for SARTEC III and Engineer/Mechanics because he didn’t want to stagnate in his career in any way.

By the end of the week, when all of his written tests were finished and his final scores were published, Evan Buckley was hired as a probationary firefighter at Metro Fire and Rescue Station 4, which ironically placed his new ‘office’ very near Rubio in the Rockies.

Magdelina politely kept her silence on that when she arrived to celebrate Evan’s graduation. She was also politely quiet about the fact that Evan had settled quite nicely into the luxury condo that she had chosen for him.

Evan just vowed to admit that his grandmother was always right.

Geoff would be laughing about that for a very long time.

Chapter Eight: 2012-2013

Evan liked his new workmates. Genuinely liked them.

Captain Roger Sewell, the man in charge of A Shift, the shift Evan was hired for, ran his team firmly, but with good humor. He doled out daily tasks at the beginning of each shift with a smile and was available to help with training as Evan needed.

The man, however, was not a cook, so he was happy to give that task to Evan from the start once he found out the probie knew his way around a kitchen. Evan happily began ingratiating himself to his new crew with actually edible, home-cooked food, using recipes he’d learned in his grandmother’s kitchen.

Evan’s training leader was Firefighter Arnold Ruiz, a ten-year veteran firefighter. He was happy with his work and never bothered to train for advancement as a technician, but Evan didn’t hold that against him. Ruiz was trained in rope rescue, but not heavy rescue, so Evan was partnered with Sewell in those instances.

There was a two-person paramedic team, Angie Taylor and Mitch Degas, who bickered like an old married couple, and Evan often found himself laughing softly when he heard them go at it. According to Ruiz, Angie’s husband was a brother-in-law to Mitch’s sister, so the two knew each other before they began working together.

Desmond Wright, and Kelly Wilkes rounded out the firefighters on the shift, with Firefighter Technician Leslie Sanchez, Engineer Carlos Walker, and Lieutenant Julio Martinez finishing the seniority of the crew. Sewell ran a tight ship, and everyone had their places and jobs to do every day. Evan quickly slotted himself into the routine of the station house. He eagerly learned while doing chores, so that he could keep the trucks and ambulances stocked properly and make sure the inventory was up to date. Evan learned basic vehicle maintenance and advanced oil changes. He learned how to roll hoses and he taught new, efficient methods of rope inspections and storage. He listened closely to the stories of rescues gone wrong and told his own accounts of wilderness searches for people who thought they were smarter than nature.

And Evan managed to get along well with almost everyone on the shift.

Almost.

For some reason Evan could never understand, Shift Engineer Carlos Walker just didn’t seem very welcoming to him. He spoke when spoken to, but he never initiated conversation, and Walker made sure to stay as far from Evan’s training sessions as possible while still doing his own job. When Evan shot a questioning glance to Captain Sewell, he only got a shrug in return. Despite the quiet hostility, Evan found that he was learning a lot about being a firefighter from his entire crew.

Well, from most of them.

~~ ~~ ~~

“For some reason, I actually thought this was some old-time, silly stereotype.”

Evan was standing on a sidewalk in a well-manicured, suburban neighborhood. Cookie-cutter houses lined both sides of the street, and tall trees lined the sidewalks.

And at the top of one of those tall trees was a (probably) frightened orange and yellow kitten.

Captain Sewell cheerily clapped Evan on the shoulder and said, “There is a reason for those stereotypes, Buckley. Grab a ladder and get to it.”

Evan sighed and removed his helmet as he returned to the truck.

“Is this your first cat up a tree?” Ruiz asked with a grin.

“Yep,” Evan confirmed. “But I suppose it won’t be my last.”

Ruiz laughed again. “Relax, Buckley. And I mean that. Cats can sense fear, and that little kitty won’t make it easy for you if you’re nervous.”

Evan shook his head and picked up his heavy gloves and a fire blanket. “I’m not afraid of cats or heights. I’m just imagining my brother’s reaction when I tell him that my first big rescue was a two pound cat up a tree.”

“Yeah, okay. Remind me when we get back to the station, and we’ll go over the easiest way to get a kid out of one of those claw machine games.”

Evan turned to stare at Ruiz. “Are you fu…freaking serious?”

“Kids,” Ruiz confirmed, “will get into anything.”

Evan chuckled and headed back to the tree, where Leslie Sanchez and Desmond Wright were propping a long, free-standing ladder against the tree.

“You know I don’t mind going up after the cat,” he said as he prepared to climb up, “but why aren’t one of you going up?”

“Because you’re the probie and you’ve only been on the job for a week,” Desmond quipped. “So up you go.”

Evan’s first week on the job had been fairly uneventful, with one small kitchen fire, and a three-car accident on a main road in town. Not that Evan had wanted to be non-stop busy, nor would he wish misfortune on anybody. In fact, he was happy to be easing into the job, because it could be a heart-wrenching career.

Evan scaled the ladder quickly, slowing once he reached the higher branches of the tree. He ducked under the dry branches to locate the now-silent cat. It was lucky that most of the leaves had already turned and fallen due to the season, so an orange cat should be easy to find. He pushed some of the smaller branches out of the way while softly clicking his tongue, and he was immediately rewarded with a soft mrrrr-ow.

“There you are, cat,” Evan muttered. “Want to wander closer for me, please? There’s a little girl down there fretting away over you.”

Evan tugged one of his gloves off and wiggled his fingers at the cat, drawing it closer. Once it was close enough to grab with his gloved hand, he lifted the fire blanket off his shoulder and dropped it over the cat, allowing him to safely wrap it for descent.

“I’ve got her!” he called. “We’re coming down.”

Evan hustled down the ladder, whispering comfort nonsense to the cat the whole way. At the bottom, a smiling Mitch Degas gamely examined the trembling cat before handing it over to her relieved owner–a weepy seven-year-old girl. The girl whispered her thanks to Degas while her father shook Evan’s hand.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t let the cat out again. The deal was for the cat to be indoors only.”

“It’s healthier for cats, that’s for sure,” Evan agreed. “You have a good day now.”

On the ride back to the station house, Captain Sewell commended Evan for being good with animals, and then mentioned one of the fund-raisers that was coming up for the next year.

“The Denver SPCA has requested submissions from the other half of the Denver stations for a calendar,” Sewell said seriously. “I’ll be posting the memo on the bulletin board in the kitchen, but I want to state right out that in no way will anyone be forced to submit photos or to volunteer for the calendar, but your time will be compensated–probably with lunch or something.”

Evan perked up. “Wait. I can play with puppies and get a free lunch, too?”

Sewell cocked an eyebrow. “You’re interested in the calendar, Buckley?”

Evan shrugged. “Why not? It’s for charity, and it’ll be a wholesome calendar, right? I mean, animals will be involved, so I doubt it’ll be more than shirtless pics. I could buy one for my mother for Christmas or something.”

Sewell laughed. “You’re something else, Buckley.”

~~ ~~ ~~

Evan spent New Year’s Eve rescuing drunken idiots in Downtown Denver. Fortunately, not all of them were driving.

Unfortunately, some of them had handguns. Because of course they did.

Fucking Colorado.

“I can’t believe I got shot,” Evan muttered as the ER doctor cleaned the wound on Evan’s leg.

The doctor looked up and grimaced. “I can only hope this is the worst GSW I will treat tonight. Your turnout pants took most of the damage and the bullet didn’t penetrate deeply past the surface.”

“Yeah, but it still hurts like a bi…um, it really hurts.”

The doctor laughed as he finished the stitches in Evan’s leg. “You can swear in here, Buckley. It’s not the worst thing we hear in the Emergency Room.”

“Yeah, well, my grandmother showed up this morning, so I can’t guarantee I’ll stop swearing if I start now.”

He heard laughter on the other side of the curtain and realized Captain Sewell was nearby waiting for him. After the stitches were bandaged, Evan pulled on the scrub pants that were brought to him and he limped over to his captain.

“Sir, I would like to respectfully complain that this is a horrible way to ring in the New Year.”

Sewell laughed again. “I agree, Buckley. Unfortunately, I’m now a man down for the rest of his hellish night.”

Evan shrugged. “Sorry? Anyway, do you have any advice about telling a doting grandmother about getting shot while on the job? I know she must understand that there are risks, but I think she’s trying to be in denial, and this is going to shove it right in her face.”

Sewell shook his head. “Sorry, Buckley, but I’ll have to leave that to your best judgement. Telling my wife about possible dangers was the worst day of my life, and she still stuck with me. Gave me three swell kids, too, but I think they’re all in therapy. Are you okay to drive home?”

Evan nodded. “I refused painkillers, sir. I don’t like not being in control of my body. I’ll take Tylenol when I get home.”

“You must have one hell of a pain threshold.”

“No, sir, I do not. I cry like a baby when I stub my toe, but I’d rather suffer at home alone than with a minder because I’m stoned out of my head.”

Unfortunately, he did not get to suffer alone because both of his cousins decided not to go out and party and were spending the night trying new recipes from some cooking show they all loved. And Magdelina had joined them.

Evan winced when he opened the front door and found all three of them gathered around the television, waiting for the televised count-down to begin.

“Evan? You are home early, si?”

“Si, Lina,” he sighed and limped into the living room. “There was an incident.”

“You are injured,” she accused and pulled him to the sofa, forcing him to sit. “Did you take a fall? You do not sound as if you inhaled smoke.”

Evan rolled his head back and he rubbed a hand over his face. “I got hit by a stray bullet at a rescue scene.”

“You were shot?” Yelena cried. “Are you going to be okay?”

Tomas, obviously trying to become Evan’s favorite, brought Evan a glass of water, a bottle of Tylenol, and a plate of some sort of pasta. Evan saluted him with the water glass.

“I’m fine, really. I mean, it hurts like a bear, but I was wearing my turnouts, and they took the brunt of the shot. I did get hit, but I only needed six stitches.”

“What does that mean, Evan?” Magdelina asked.

“It means I left shift early tonight and I’m off for the next four days, but I’ll be on light duty until after the stitches dissolve and the doctor clears me for work.”

Magdelina picked up her abandoned champagne and patted Evan on the knee. “While I understood that your chosen career would be dangerous, I thought perhaps you could avoid guns.”

“That is patently unrealistic, Lina. There are a lot of gun owners in Denver, both legal and otherwise. Literally anybody could be at risk of being shot, especially when the gun owner has been drinking.”

“Is that what happened?” Tomas asked, showing real concern.

“Yeah,” Evan sighed and swallowed his bite of food. “The rescue was pulling a drunk off a window ledge—some sort of drunken bet, I think, but I wasn’t paying attention beyond keeping my balance and reaching out for the guy. I was more concerned that he’d try to pull me off the ledge with him, really. But down on the street, where there was another party going on, some idiots started shooting up in the air, and I got hit on my way back from the ledge. Luckily, my turnout pants are heavy and insulated, so they halted the momentum of the bullet.”

Magdelina tutted and made to move her hand closer to his leg, but he caught it and brought it to his mouth to kiss it. “I’m fine, Lina. Really.”

“Si, so you said. But I am allowed to worry.”

“Si,” Evan agreed. “And you will, no matter what. So let’s ring in this year and ponder how Daniel’s New Year is going. Isn’t he on call tonight?”

Magdelina laughed and turned her attention back to the count-down on the television.

Evan sighed again and ate more of the pasta.

It needed more oregano.

~~ ~~ ~~

At the end of January, Captain Sewell posted the information about the charity calendars on the station bulletin board. As it turned out, there were to be two different calendars released by the Denver Fire and Rescue Department for the following year: The SPCA calendar, which Evan readily signed up for, and a DFSD Hot Rescues calendar, which needed a release form. Evan asked about the second calendar since it seemed unusual, and Sewell confirmed that the second calendar was the brainchild of the DFSD PR Department, and it meant that a photographer would be following various department vehicles while they were on calls, hoping to get photographs of the firefighters being all heroic and shit. That was the reason for the legal release papers; a signed release would be needed for publication of images even if names and faces of actual firefighters were not shown.

Evan shrugged before asking for a release form. “I mean, I assume I’ll be allowed to preview any photographs of me, right? And I think any photographs of us actually doing our jobs well would only shine a good light on us.”

“You know what? You’re absolutely right,” Firefighter Kelly Wilkes said as he also reached for a release form. “If they catch a shot of me being a big damn hero, it’ll be a photo I can proudly send to my mama.”

There was a lot of laughter, but there were also more release forms being handed out.

“I’m not going to volunteer for the SPCA one, though,” Wilkes said. “My allergies won’t allow it.”

Evan laughed and said, “I don’t blame you there. But I love animals and I often donate to local shelters. There was a vet in Philly that does discount treatments for the companions of homeless people, and my grandmother donated to his practice to offset the cost.”

“Did you have pets at home?” Ruiz asked.

“No. We really didn’t have the time for them. My grandmother still travels a lot, and I had wrestling in high school and extracurricular activities after school, so maybe a cat would be doable because they’re more independent, but I’ve always wanted a dog.”

“Yeah,” Leslie Sanchez piped in, “I can totally see you with a dog. But you’d need one of those hearty breeds that could go hiking with you.”

Evan half-shrugged. “I had a friend in Peru that carried his little Min-Pin in a harness when he went hiking. He had a different front-facing harness for when he rode his motorcycle.”

“That’s hilarious!”

Evan pulled out his phone and began searching his photo gallery. “Oh, it’s very cute. I have pictures and everything.” Evan handed his phone to Sanchez, and she flipped through the photographs featuring a dark-skinned Hispanic man and a small miniature Pinscher wearing a denim vest.

“How do you know someone from Peru?” she asked when she handed back the phone.

“I have family there,” Evan explained. “I lived there for a few months after high school, before I moved to Pittsburgh for college, and I’ve been back to visit a few times since then.”

“Ooh! Do you have relatives in any other exotic places?” Sanchez asked. “I’ve always wanted to travel the world, but I have a severe lack of travel funds.”

Evan laughed. “I usually travel to easy-to-reach places that I can drive to, but family visits are a different thing. I’m obligated to at least call once a month, but large family gatherings are a different story. We only get together maybe once a year, so I save vacation time for that. This year, the gathering will be in September and will be at the family anchorpoint in Rota, Spain. I’ve already put my vacation on the calendar for that.”

Lieutenant Julio Martinez crossed his arms over his chest and looked Evan over closely, from head to toe and back up again. “How does a pasty white boy like you have family in Spain and Peru?”

Sewell objected loudly, but Evan held up his hand to stop the building argument. “It’s okay, Cap. I actually get this a lot, but usually it’s because of how well I speak Spanish.” Evan turned to Martinez and said,” My grandmother–my father’s mother–is Spanish. As in, she’s from Spain. She met my grandfather at the end of his tenure in the Navy when he was stationed there.”

Evan found a nice photo of him and his grandmother from the last family reunion and held it out to Martinez. “This is my grandmother, Magdelina Francesca Rubio Buckley. I don’t have any pics of my grandfather because he died before I was born.”

“She’s blonde,” Martinez said dryly.

“Yes, she is,” Evan confirmed. “Her three older brothers, however, were not, but a few of their descendants are. My family on my mother’s side is extremely small and I’ve only met a few distant cousins, but on my father’s side–huge. Gigantic. My grandmother is the only one of the siblings that only had one child. Her oldest brother had six kids, and they all had several children. My grandmother’s youngest brother had two kids with his first wife, and three with his second wife before he passed. One of my cousins that I live with has hair lighter than mine, and also has blue eyes, just like me and Lina.”

Evan took his phone back and flipped to a photo of him with Tomas and Yelena, showing it off to the gathered squad. “He’s studying business management, and he’s only eighteen and entirely too serious.”

“Is that his sister?” Wilkes asked casually.

“Yeah. Yelena and Tomas. They’re twins by birth, but as different as night and day,” Evan explained.

Angie Taylor frowned at the photo when the phone got passed to her. “She’s your cousin? How old is she?”

“Eighteen,” Evan said. “Just like her twin brother.”

Angie frowned at him, almost pouting. “I’ve seen you two together, dancing. I tagged along with Paul and Caroline Savitch to some dance club before Christmas. I asked him if you were dating your dance partner.”

“I sincerely hope he told you we weren’t,” Evan said, frowning himself. Paul was a good friend, but Evan didn’t see him every week when he went out with Yelena. In fact, Evan saw Paul’s wife, Caroline, more often than he saw Paul because Evan and Tomas were still taking the weekend Pastry Class that Caroline taught in her bakery.

“Nah,” Angie said. “Paul said you were related in some way, so I just let it go, but you don’t look alike. Not like most family members who sort of look alike.”

“Well, Yelena and Tomas are the offspring of the youngest son of Lina’s youngest brother. And the man’s second wife. So there are genetics going on there, you know? The light hair and blue eyes crop up every now and then within the family, just like my birthmark.”

“So if we see someone with that birthmark, we could assume you are related to them?” Martinez asked.

Evan shrugged. “Well, I’ve met a few cousins with the same birthmark, both older and younger than me, but I’ve never met someone that I’m not related to that had one like this. My grandmother said her grandfather had it, and one of his aunts did. A cousin of Lina’s had it, but they were all from the Rubio line. There’s not many Rubios around Colorado, and the ones that are here recently moved from New Jersey.”

“Rubio?” Captain Sewell asked. “As in ‘Rubio of the Rockies’?”

Evan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “The family business is a hotel and resort chain. I worked for them briefly as a bartender after high school. In Peru.”

Sewell laughed. “Relax, kid. I’m not going to ask for inappropriate favors, and neither is anyone else.”

“I might,” argued Mitch Degas. “I might need an in for an anniversary dinner reservation.”

Evan grinned. “I can actually do that,” he said with good humor. “Local dinner reservations are easy. Just don’t ask me to get you a resort stay in Switzerland.”

~~ ~~ ~~

Evan’s father visited in February because Magdelina decided to spend her birthday in Denver.

“Your mother wanted to come, but she managed to get the flu,” Philip said to him after he answered the door to his condo. “But she did send a birthday card for Mother and a Valentine for you.”

Evan grinned at the sight of the red envelope in his father’s hand. “Thanks, Dad, but should Mom be home alone if she’s sick?”

Philip shook his head. “One of the neighbors is looking in on her. Personally, I think Mrs. Davis is using your mother as an excuse to avoid her daughter-in-law, who is visiting for a month.”

Evan laughed easily. “As long as she’s okay, that’s what matters.”

“The flu is never easy,” Tomas agreed. “A lot of my classmates have been out since the semester began because of it.”

Evan nodded and prodded his father and cousin to the kitchen, where they were joined by Magdelina and Yelena.

“I guess I’ve been lucky to never be really sick,” he said, accepting a glass of wine from Yelena.

“Si,” Magdelina said. “Cast iron constitution, but not bullet-proof.”

Evan had been back to full duty after his shooting for only a month before Magdelina’s visit, but he no longer had a limp. The scar, he thought, was annoying. Sewell called it a badge of honor, but Evan had replied that he would feel that way if he ‘earned’ it in combat of some sort. Evan had plenty of scars from climbing, one truly memorable scar from fixing the sink in his grandmother’s kitchen when he was in high school, and several from climbing out of rafts on Class Five rapids to retrieve rafters, and he said he’d earned every single one of those.

Evan had called his parents after the shooting to tell them what had happened, but as there was nothing they could do but fret, Philip decided that he needed to visit personally to make sure Evan wasn’t downplaying the injury. Not even Magdelina’s assurance was good enough for him, so she declared that her birthday would be the best time for a visit.

Evan’s father was planning on staying for a few days, just to visit, so he and Magdelina had a suite in an inn on the edge of the city rather than staying in the guest rooms in the condo. Evan was surprised that they weren’t staying at the resort, but Magdelina had stated that they would not invade Jasper’s home base unless there was a formal family meeting there. That’s how they always were when the resorts were concerned–they converged when business was concerned, but respected boundaries otherwise. Even when Magdelina stayed at a Rubio property while traveling, she paid full price. They all did. Just like they all reinvested in the company when the dividends paid out.

Evan had told his father that winter in Denver wasn’t all that great, especially since snow sometimes began as early as October or November, but Philip said he planned on visiting later, as well.

“You can show me the city then, and we’ll stay indoors this time around.”

The conversation around the dinner table was light. Evan explained the basics of his job, stating that he was in more danger, realistically, crossing a street than doing the job he had trained for. Once the dinner plates were cleared away, Evan called his mother to commiserate over her illness and to reassure her that he was well and alive.

“So I have news,” Philip stated once Evan was off the phone.

Evan glanced back to his phone briefly and said, “You’re not getting divorced, are you? I mean, is this news something Mom doesn’t know?”

Philip snorted into his coffee. “Your mother not only knows the news, she heartily supports it. We’re relocating to California, as part of a Rubio Properties expansion.”

Evan leaned forward in his seat, elbows braced on his knees, and glanced briefly toward his grandmother, who also looked confused but unconcerned. “What kind of expansion, Dad?”

Philip leaned back in the overstuffed chair. “There was talk at the last shareholder’s meeting about what kinds of properties Rubio Enterprises should look into.”

“Si, I remember,” Magdelina confirmed. “Bruno Alverez had made a convincing argument about building affordable housing communities in various parts of the world.”

“Sustainable affordable housing,” Philip corrected. “It’s important, especially with the dwindling resources, to create housing that utilizes new building methods and recycled materials. We’ve been researching this for almost a decade now, and we’ve finally decided to put our plans to work.”

“That’s really great, Dad,” Evan enthused. “What kind of communities are you going to be building?”

“Well, ground has already been broken on a few lots in Peru and Spain,” Philip explained. “We’re looking at single- and multi-family homes, rather than apartments, since it’s common for extended families to live together. But the reason I’m headed to California is that Javier and Isla Alverez Rubio have managed to get approval for a large housing development in Los Angeles County, and I’ll be the lead architect on the project. I’ll be working with a local firm out there, and we’ve already finished several housing designs.”

“Wow! That’s fantastic!”

“Si, Philip,” Magdelina said, “it is very exciting! You must tell us all about it!”

The rest of the evening was spent with Philip expounding upon his new project and how excited Margaret was for the move.

“I think Hershey has finally gotten too small for us,” Philip said softly. “Daniel’s in California now, so we’ll be closer to him and Helle when we move. Evan’s settled in nicely here, so I expect we’ll be vacationing at Rubio of the Rockies this summer just to reconnect with him. It’s time to find new scenery.”

Evan noted that his father did not mention his sister, Maddie, while speaking of being in contact with the children. Deep down, Evan was absolutely certain that his grandmother knew where Maddie was and what she was doing at all times. Magdelina traveled a lot, more so after Evan graduated high school and went off to college, and she was often visiting family at the many Rubio resorts. Sometimes she was working, even though she should have retired long before, but she had always said the work kept her young. And even though she never specifically said so, Evan knew she kept tabs on Maddie because she was able to forward postcards to the rest of the family from the absent daughter. Evan got one every month or so; a simple proof of life, detailing nothing, and offering only the brief glimpse of the life Maddie was living in Europe after her marriage exploded.

Sometimes, when he was talking on the phone to his father or brother, or when he was penning a letter to his mother because she’d said she preferred that form of communication, Evan would wish he could write back to his sister. Sometimes he wished there was a give-and-take in their communication; that he could tell Maddie personally about all the wonderful (and maybe sometimes boring) things that he’d done or thought of doing. Evan wished that he could hear her voice so that he could really believe that she was doing well.

Maddie Buckley had been the sunshine in Evan’s life when he was a child. Daniel, his oldest sibling, had been Evan’s rock, but Maddie was his sunshine; always laughing, singing, and dancing with the boy almost a decade younger than her. Evan missed her when she went off to college and relished every phone call while she was gone. Of course, by that time, Evan had been living away from his parents, so the phone calls were rare, but they allowed him to hear about her life in Boston. But she never talked about her romantic life, never talked about falling for a doctor that would eventually bring her back to the homestead–and who would ultimately turn violent and try to kill her.

Evan’s last physical contact with Maddie was while visiting her in the hospital, just before his grandmother arranged medical and mental treatment far away from him. She promised that she would be back once she was healed, that her family was the most important thing to her and she needed the connections in order to move forward in her life. Evan couldn’t blame her for leaving; both he and Daniel had been all for anything that would help her heal after everything she had been through.

While she was gone, the rest of the family drew together despite their physical distance. Evan called everyone as often as they would allow him, and he invited the whole family to follow his personal Instagram account, allowing them to see the world through his eyes. Daniel called often and wrote cards and letters, keeping his family in his very busy life even as he traveled with his now-wife to meet her family. Evan’s parents had begun their own small Instagram, mostly showcasing Margaret’s garden, new recipes, and gallery shows that Margaret helped put together, thus pulling the family into their own small world. And Magdelina, the Buckley matriarch, made personal visits to family members all over the world while also working as a print model in Spain and one of the Marketing Directors of Rubio Enterprises.

But Maddie was completely out of contact with practically everybody, Magdelina being the only exception. Evan liked to think he would never give up on anyone important, but he was close to closing the door on his sister and locking it behind him. From what he understood, even Daniel had almost given up on her because he barely heard from her anymore. The fact that his father hadn’t mentioned Maddie while he was visiting Evan in Colorado made Evan think his parents also barely heard from her.

The thought made him sad.

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