Chapter Text
Mackenzie O’Hare and Logan Fredrickson are 25 years old from the UK and have just completed their fire training at the academy. The pair have been together since they were 16 but have known each other since kindergarten. They have been practically inseparable since the first day they met. They thought the same things, found happiness in the same things, wanted the same career and wanted to live wherever the world took them. Which is how they both ended up applying for a job at Station 19 and making the life changing trip, from London to Seattle, to start this new chapter together.
If the two had learned anything about their time in the academy, it was that life was never easy or fair. They could make all the plans they wanted but plans rarely panned out. That did not stop the duo from trying their hardest.
The Seattle air this time of year was warmer than in London, so the thick coats they had layered on their bodies were extremely out of place in the midst of the Seattle airport. But their whole lives were packed in suitcases, so they would have to suffer for now. They made their way through the airport and out to the car they’d pre-booked before leaving London 10 hours earlier. They threw their suitcases in the trunk, climbed into the backseat, and were off into the big city.
“I’m exhausted!” Mackenzie exclaimed to her equally exhausted, disheveled looking boyfriend.
“You’re not the only one… I knew the flight was going to be tiring but I thought I'd get at least a little sleep.” Logan replied. Despite the strict schedule that they’d both stuck to during the academy, they still definitely loved to sneak in a nap wherever they could.
“Well Loges we better suck it up because our first shift is in T Minus 3 hours.” Kenzie dramatically lifted her watch and showed him, pointing for emphasis.
“Yeah thanks for that reminder Kenz…” He laughed, taking his girlfriend's hand into his. The pair were looking out the window in awe of their surroundings as they got their first real look at Seattle on their way to the apartment they rented. This was their new home.
Their arrival at the apartment was only a quick pit stop. The traffic in Seattle was no joke and somewhat made them feel like they were back at home in the busy capital. They were already running behind. If they were going to make it to their shift on time they would have to explore and unpack later. The couple ran around the apartment quickly, glancing at each room before leaving again and making the short walk to the station. Logan pulled up the location on google maps to ensure they did not get lost, they definitely did not want to be late for their first day.
“How are you feeling about today Kenz?” Logan asked, already knowing what his girlfriend's answer was going to be. Her palm was sweaty in his and her entire body was tense to say the least.
“Uh… excited, terrified, insanely anxious, nauseous. And whatever it was they served on the airplane isn't helping.” She took a few controlled breaths. “What if we made the wrong choice coming here, Loges?”
“Babe, everything will be fine. We have been here for a total of 3 hours, we haven’t had a fair chance. Besides, IF we made the wrong choice, at least we can say we tried.” He squeezed her hand in reassurance. “Look, everyone else we trained with back in the UK, haven’t even started looking for stations to join. We are at least trying. You’ve got me, I’ve got you, we can do this. I promise.” She smiled at him and felt her nerves calm down. “Oh and it was lasagna they served us on the plane… definitely not one that an Italian would be proud of but it was Lasagna nevertheless” He laughed trying to lighten the mood of this terrifying experience.
The duo continued making their way to the station and before they knew it they were turning the final corner to the road where the station was located.
“And there it is… Station 19 in all its glory!” Mackenzie squealed, her nerves now being overtaken slightly with excitement.
“It’s smaller than I thought it would be.” Logan judged from the pictures they’d spent countless hours looking at online.
“Loges this is like 5 times the size of the stations back at home…” Kenzie laughed.
“I know it’s just not exactly what I was expecting. It’s different. And definitely bigger than anything back home. I like it.” He grinned, squeezing his girlfriend's hand in excitement.
The two spent a minute standing outside the station, taking it all in. This was going to be their new second home. They smiled at each other and finally crossed the street to enter the station. There was a small conservatory before the reception that consisted of; a small bench, walls covered with ads, and pictures of the city and the different fire departments. Kenzie pressed the buzzer on the door, and the pair anxiously waited for someone to let them in. After a minute a tall man, who they recognised from the website as Ben Warren, let them in.
The reception was exactly how the pictures had perceived it to be. The desk was located on the right of them as they walked through the doors, and there was an office window on the left. Behind the reception desk was a window, where the new eager firefighters could see the large red engines in the barn. That was what they had been most excited about. Especially seeing the engine that the station had dedicated to the late Captain Pruitt Hererra.
“Hi, are you here for the clinic?” Warren asked the pair, distracting them from the trance they had immediately entered as they walked through the doors to the reception area.
“Uh, no we’re actually here for our first day… we’re the new firefighters for A shift.” Logan responded, sensing his girlfriend was a little too stunned to speak.
“Oh of course, my apologies, the chief did mention that she was expecting new recruits this morning. I’ll let her know you’re here.” He smiled “And welcome, I’m Warren, Ben Warren. I work A shift too. It's nice to have you join the family.”
Warren took off up the stairs. Kenzie and Logan had over analyzed the floor plans of the station online, and knew the stairs led to; the beanery, the lounge, and most importantly the chief's office. The couple continued to stand in complete silence, neither one knowing what to do. To say all of this was overwhelming would be an understatement.
“Can I help you?” The two heard a voice say from behind them, breaking the deafening silence. Kenzie and Logan turned around to see a short blonde woman standing in front of them. Kenzie felt her heart rate skyrocket as she realized who it was.
“Hi, uh… Captain Bishop.” Kenzie said, glancing obviously down at the captain's name pretending to read it. She didn't want her captain to think they were stalkers. “We’re just waiting to see the chief, we’re the new members joining A shift today.” She was proud of herself for not completely making a fool out of herself and took a mental note to reward herself with 5 less push ups in the morning.
“Oh of course, It’s great to meet you. What are your names? I apologize I haven’t had the chance to read through the brief from Chief Ross quite yet.” Maya smiled, her curiosities about the pair instantly running wild.
“I’m O’Hare, Mackenzie, Kenz or Kenzie for short” The blonde smiled at Maya.
“I’m Fredrickson, Logan.” The messy haired brunette responded.
Before they could make any further conversation, Chief Ross made her way down the stairs and over to the newest members.
“O’ Hare, Fredrickson!” She smiled, shaking both of their hands in turn. “It’s lovely to finally meet you both in person instead of looking at each other through a screen. I see you’ve already met Warren and Captain Bishop.” They smiled and nodded at her. “I will take you to meet the rest of the team but first, please follow me up to my office and we will get you both sorted with everything you’ll need.” The woman smiled. They followed her up to the office, and shared a secret and subtle glance with each other as they reached the top of the staircase, still not quite processing that they were here.
The pair were handed their uniforms and locker keys, and signed their final contracts before making their way back downstairs to change.
“Okay 19!” Maya started as it was finally time for line up. “Today we have two new members joining our team, would you both like to introduce yourselves?” Maya smiled.
“Hi everyone I’m O’Hare, Mackenzie. Kenzie or Kenz for short.” The blonde smiled, she already knew everyone’s names but it was nice to finally see everyone in person and not just be reading about them and looking at their pictures on a computer screen.
“Hi, I’m Fredrickson, Logan.” He said simply. Logan had been full of confidence and excitement prior to entering the station. Now he was nervous and anxious and his girlfriend had taken on the more excitable emotion.
Each member of the team introduced themselves and shook their hands, informing the newest members that they would take on the name ‘probie’ from now on. They nodded expectantly and turned their attention to Captain Bishop to receive their assignments for their first shift.
“I expect you will all look out for and assist our probies with anything they need today 19, let’s show them how much of a family we are and welcome them both with open arms.” The captain said, looking at each member of the team. They all nodded and the team dispersed to carry out their duties.
The captain had scheduled a full tour for her newest recruits and decided that she’d be the one to carry it out.
Maya had changed a lot, especially over the past year, getting her captaincy position back wasn’t an easy adjustment, nor was it easy to accept when the chief offered the position. She had talked it through heavily with her wife before accepting. She feared a lot about going back to the place she used to find comfort in, the place where she always won. That was now a place of the past, and the blonde was working hard every day to keep herself on this new track; a track where it was okay to let your guard down. A track where new people coming into your life wasn’t a threat, it was a gift. So here she was walking two Probies around the station to prove that to herself.
“O’Hare, Fredrickson, we will start your tour out by the desk.” Maya told them, they both quickly followed her out the barn door and into the reception area. “So as you know this is reception, for the first few shifts I’d like you both to carry out a couple of hours on desk duty. It’s not exactly the most exciting part of the job but it's just as important as being out in the field fighting a fire.” Maya told them, they clung onto each and every word she said. “Once your time comes to have a shift on desk duty I will get one of the guys to show you the ropes.” Kenzie nodded and nudged her boyfriend to make sure he was responsive. To the naked eye it looked like the pair were just staring aimlessly not paying attention, this however was far from the truth.
Maya’s next part of the tour was something old Maya never would have done with new recruits. She liked her own space and was terrified to show others just how in order she liked things.
“Please follow me into my office.” She smiled at the blonde and brunette, opening the door to the captain's office.
“It’s bigger than I thought it would be.” Kenzie said to the Captain, her boyfriend nodded in agreement.
“We’re very lucky to have the space we do. So you’re from the UK? What brought you all the way to Seattle?” Maya asked the two, gesturing for them to take a seat on the new couch that resided in her office. She had purchased it as a ‘well done, you did it’ present when she finally worked her way back to captaincy.
“This place…” Logan answered the captain, unable to say anything else. He was looking around the office in awe, completely enamored.
“Meaning?” Maya pushed, wanting more than just one word answers.
“Nineteen” Kenzie started, she surprised them both with how confidently she portrayed herself. “As part of a project in the Academy back in the UK, we had to do research about a fire station of our choice. Everyone else in our class did the obvious ones to them. One of them branched out and chose the biggest station in London, while most of them stayed local to their hometowns. We wanted to push ourselves a little bit more and our research took us on a journey. We spent weeks researching the entire history of nineteen and SFD and were left completely in awe of the work everyone who has worked here has done.” Kenzie tried to judge Maya's reactions. As the captain's eyes widened she felt confident and relaxed herself more comfortably into the couch. “We both then decided that we didn’t want to be stuck in the UK forever, we wanted adventure and to challenge ourselves so after an insane amount of work and planning we managed to land here in Seattle at nineteen. It’s a dream come true for both of us.” Kenzie finished. She always felt great pride when telling the story of their journey to Seattle, and signing on to one of the most prestigious fire stations in the world. This time was no exception.
“That’s a really great story, thank you for that insight. You both seem passionate about this job and willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals. Which is exactly what you need, if you want to be one of the best.” Maya commented. “Just remember though winning isn’t everything, sometimes things don’t go as you planned and that’s okay too. Keep that passion and drive regardless of the outcome.” She smiled, pride filled Maya. A year ago that kind of advice was something she’d never say, but she had grown. “Shall we carry on the tour?” Maya asked.
Maya showed them around the firehouse, giving them a slight history lesson too. Most of which the pair already knew from their research but with Maya throwing in the odd story or two, the two new recruits felt as if they were right back in the Academy learning everything for the first time. This place was so much more than a job, and the stories and small personal touches in every room displayed that beautifully.
“And now we are back in the barn!” Maya finished her tour glancing between them expecting questions. Neither of them spoke and Maya laughed at their awestruck expressions. “Alright well if you have any questions or concerns my door is always open. Despite the fact it's literally always closed, it is always open for my team. I’m here for you both.” She smiled. Maya had learned a lot about Mackenzie in their short time, but Logan was still a slight mystery to her. They nodded and went to start their assignments. “And O’Hare, I wanna see those track meet videos you mentioned!” Kenzie turned back around smiling widely at the captain.
“Of course Captain, I'll get them ready for the next shift!” Mackenzie was thrilled that Maya and her had bonded over their time as runners and she couldn't wait to show her videos.
The couple shared a glance full of emotion and love for one another, very self aware they were at work and had to remain professional. As they both started their assignments for the day, the pair already felt at home, they were finally where they wanted to be.