Archive of Our Own

Maya sat at the kitchen island with her laptop open in front of her, the screen glowing quietly in the evening light of the apartment. The document on it was blank. 

Beside the laptop sat a small yellow writing pad that looked far more productive. Half of the page was filled with bullet points written in Maya’s handwriting.

• Team morale
• Rebuild trust
• Communication adjustments

Underneath those, a few other words had been started and scratched out so aggressively the paper had nearly torn.

The pen rested between Maya’s fingers, not productive but tapping away matching the thoughts circling Maya’s brain.

Across the room, Carina stood at the stove stirring a simmering tomato sauce, the scent of garlic and basil slowly spreading through the apartment. The windows were slightly open, letting in the last warm air of the evening.

Every so often Carina glanced over her shoulder. Maya had been sitting there for nearly twenty minutes without writing a single new word.

Finally, Carina broke the silence.

“Are you writing a novel?” she asked lightly.

Maya didn’t look up.

“Strategising.”

Carina stirred the sauce once more.

“For war?” She asked, knowing the answer.

“For work,” Maya corrected.

Carina hummed softly, almost assumed. 

“Ah,” she said. “So basically war.”

Maya’s fingers tightened slightly around the pen. A second later she closed the laptop with a little more force than necessary, the sound snapping through the quiet kitchen.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly, already leaning back in her chair like the conversation was in fact, not ok. “It’s just, the camping was a disaster. They hated it, and they hated me. I need to fix it.”

Carina turned the heat down on the stove and set the spoon carefully on the side of the pan before turning around. She leaned her hip against the counter, folding her arms loosely as she studied Maya across the room.

“You are not hated.”

Maya finally looked up at her. The look she gave Carina was dry and deeply unconvinced.

“You weren’t there for the part where no one listened to me,” Maya said. “And Travis threatened to sleep in a tree.”

“He is dramatic,” she reminded her.

“He was right.”

For a moment the kitchen fell quiet again.

Then Maya shrugged. The movement was casual and dismissive, like it didn’t matter but in reality, it mattered more than most things. 

“It’s whatever,” she said. “They don’t trust me yet. I’ll fix it.”

Carina tilted her head slightly.

“You can not ‘fix’ people like they are a broken appliance.”

Maya huffed out a quiet laugh, the tension around her shoulders easing just slightly.

“Well,” she said, tapping the pen against the pad, “I’m going to try.”

Carina watched her for another second before speaking again.

“You think they are choosing not to be on your team.”

It wasn’t phrased like a question, more an informed statement Carina had made based on hours of listening to Maya talk.

“It’s not about choosing,” she said. “It’s about rank.”

Carina’s gaze softened slightly.

“And if it were a choice?”

Maya shrugged again, but this time the movement was smaller. This time she knew the answer, but she didn’t want to say it out loud.

“No one would choose me.”

Carina felt the weight of the words immediately.

For a moment she didn’t say anything. She simply watched Maya sitting there at the island, shoulders slightly tense, pretending that the words hadn’t meant anything at all.

Maya looked down at the pad again, tracing the edge of one of the bullet points with the tip of the pen.

“It wasn’t just messy,” she muttered after a moment. “It was… bad.”

Carina pushed away from the counter then, walking around the island instead of speaking from across the room.

When she stopped beside Maya, she rested her hands lightly against the edge of the counter.

“You lead differently,” Carina said gently. “They are adjusting.”

Maya leaned back in the chair, arms crossing over her chest.

“Or resisting.”

“Or learning,” Carina countered again.

Maya let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling for a second before looking back at Carina.

“I can’t exactly make them like me.”

Carina nodded in agreement.

“No,” then she added calmly, “but you could give them a reason to choose you.”

Maya’s eyes narrowed immediately.

“I don’t like that tone.”

Carina blinked innocently, half a smile appearing on her lips. 

“What tone?”

“The one that sounds like you’re planning something.”

The small smile grew, her eyes lit up and Maya knew she was in trouble.

“I was not planning anything,” she said, “yet.”

Maya pointed the pen at her.

“Carina.”

“What?”

Carina stepped closer, sliding easily between Maya’s knees where she sat at the island. Without even thinking about it she slipped her hands into the back pockets of Maya’s jeans, resting there comfortably like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I simply thought,” she said, “perhaps a little… friendly competition could remind them who you were.”

Maya stared at her.

“Friendly competition,” she repeated slowly. “With who?”

Carina’s smile sharpened slightly.

“Grey Sloan.”

Maya blinked.

“You want to pit surgeons against firefighters?”

“I want to give them something fun,” Carina said. “Something low stakes. Something where they follow you because they want to win.”

Maya raised an eyebrow.

“And if they don’t?”

Carina leaned in just enough that their foreheads almost brushed, her voice soft but certain.

“Then build a team that does.”

Maya tried very hard not to smile, she really did, but her girlfriend was making it very difficult not too. 

Girlfriend. Even the word could make her smile, it had only been a few months but Carina had changed her entire life for the better. Not that anyone knew, Maya’s friends were now nothing more than colleagues who despised her. 

“You’re serious?”

“Completely.”

Maya leaned back slightly, studying her.

“You realise if this goes badly it’s just another disaster.”

Carina shrugged elegantly.

“Maybe.” Then, very casually, she added,“I might also mention that I will cook afterward.”

Maya groaned immediately, dropping her head back.

“That’s cheating.”

“It is motivation.”

“They’re going to agree just for the food.”

Carina’s smile widened.

“And?”

Maya tried to stay annoyed, she really did. But after a moment her mouth twitched.

“You are unbelievable.”

-

They were right, Carina’s cooking was the turning point of the conversation.

When Maya first brought it up at the meeting, she briefed it as if she did any other item on her agenda. 

She stood in front of them with her clipboard in hand and read it without one flicker of eye contact.

“So,” she began, reading FRIDAY – INTERDEPARTMENTAL FRIENDLY across the board. “We’re doing a friendly competition next week.”

There was silence, and not the type where they waited for what she had to say next. The type that showed they had zero interest for what followed.

Jack blinked first. “So… it’s optional?”

Vic squinted. “Is this your way of testing us?”

Travis raised his hand. “Is this emotional team building? Because I already did the camping, and well, we all know how that turned out.”

A few small laughs echoed around the room.

Maya kept her expression neutral. “It’s not emotional team building.”

“It feels emotional,” Travis muttered.

“It’s a friendly match,” Maya continued evenly. “Three events, an obstacle course, capture the flag and a rescue mission. It will be good for morale.”

Dean tilted his head. “Whose morale?”

“Everyone’s.”

“Bold of you to assume I have any,” Dean replied.

Andy leaned back against the table, arms folded. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.”

Jack eyed the board again. “So… we lose and what happens?”

“We don’t lose.”

That earned her a look.

Travis wasn’t convinced. “And who exactly is ‘we’?”

Maya met his gaze. “Station 19 and Grey Sloan.”

Another pause.

Then Jack asked the real question.

“Who’s on the Grey’s team?”

Maya hesitated just a fraction of a second. “Shepherd, Altman, Wilson, Karev, Pierce, Avery, The DeLucas.”

A collective groan rippled through the room.

“Of course Shepherd’s involved,” Travis muttered.

“And Avery?” Dean said. “That man looks like he was genetically engineered for sports.”

Vic frowned. “Wait. DeLucas as in..”

“Carina and Andrew,” Maya said immediately. 

“Is she… playing?” Andy asked carefully. A few had seen Maya and Carina together, but none of them knew Maya was dating her, let alone that she was her girlfriend who had moved in.

“She’s captaining the Grey’s team,” Maya replied.

“And,” she added, because she knew this was the moment, “she offered to cook dinner afterward, at the station, for both teams.”

Dean straightened. “Oh. Like… actually cooking?”

“Yes.”

Andy blinked. “Is this the pasta I’ve heard about? Miranda said there was a pasta?” Directing her question to Ben who nodded.

Vic gasped softly. “Wait. Is she going to make tiramisu?”

Maya tried not to look like she’d expected this.

“She didn’t specify the menu.”

Jack nodded slowly. “But she’s cooking.”

“Yes.”

There was a pause, a moment where Maya could see them almost having a private conversation without words that she wasn’t a part of.

“Well,” Dean cleared his throat, “morale does matter.”

Andy shrugged casually. “We should represent properly.”

Vic pointed at the board. “We cannot let surgeons win in our house.”

Travis sat up straighter. “I mean, if there’s food involved, that changes the stakes.”

Ben rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “I’ll rearrange my childcare.”

Jack simply shrugged.

“So you’re in?” she asked evenly.

Dean nodded. “For the tiramisu.”

Vic pointed at him. “You can’t commit to dessert only.”

“I absolutely can.”

Travis sighed dramatically. “Fine. But if this turns into trust falls, I’m out.”

“No trust falls,” Maya said.

Jack glanced at the board again. “Friday, right?”

“Yes.”

Vic’s eyes widened. “Wait. That’s Friday the 13th.”

A collective murmur.

Dean looked at Maya. “You planned that?”

“I did not plan the calendar,” Maya said dryly. 

If she had, she most definitely would not have picked Friday 13th.

Travis gasped softly. “Oh, this is cursed. We’re going to lose in a dramatic, ironic way.”

“It’s just a number,” Vic said, though she looked slightly unsure.

Andy smirked. “Relax. Worst case scenario we lose and still get fed.”

“That is not the worst case,” Dean said immediately. “We could lose and not get fed either!”

Maya didn’t respond, they had agreed and right now, that’s as much as she could have hoped for. 

-

When Friday arrived, the station was louder than usual. And not just because two teams were there, the ones working and Maya’s team preparing for the friendly.

Cones, ropes and equipment were piled near the truck bay. Someone had dragged a whiteboard outside that Travis had labeled “S19 vs GREY SLOAN ‘TRY NOT TO EMBARRASS OURSELVES’ FRIENDLY.”

Maya stood near the engine with her clipboard, scanning over the schedule for the morning.

• Relay obstacle course.
• Capture the flag.
• Rescue simulation.

She had organised it perfectly. She had a schedule, timings, how many were needed from each side for each game and who from her team would be competing. 

The first problem started before they even left the station.

The barn buzzed with the restless energy that always came before a shift change or a call, boots stamping on concrete, lockers slamming, radios crackling somewhere in the background. But today there was something different threaded through it all.

Curiosity, skepticism and maybe a little bit of amusement.

Station 19 stood scattered around the bay floor, pulling on jackets and adjusting gloves while the engine idled silently behind them. Someone had dragged a folding table near the truck where Maya’s clipboard rested, the neatly organised schedule for the day clipped to the top. It had taken her most of the night to plan it.

Ben climbed into the driver’s seat of the engine with the easy familiarity of someone who had done it a thousand times before. He slid the key into the ignition and turned it.

The engine sputtered. It sounded like it might catch, like it might roar to life the way it always did. Instead it coughed once then died.

Ben frowned.

Behind him, the team continued talking over one another.

Jack and Dean were arguing about whether firefighters or surgeons had better stamina. Travis had one boot up on the step of the truck while dramatically explaining why this entire event was already doomed.

Maya stood slightly apart from them near the front of the engine, arms folded across her chest.

She was watching and waiting.

Ben tried the key again.

The engine sputtered harder this time, coughing like it was deeply offended by the idea of functioning, then it died again.

Vic slowly turned her head toward Maya.

“Nope,” she said immediately.

She pointed at the truck like she’d just uncovered evidence in a crime scene.

“That’s the curse.”

Maya didn’t even blink.

“It’s not a curse.”

Travis folded his arms dramatically.

“It’s Friday the 13th,” he said. “We’re doomed.”

Ben sighed and turned the key one more time.

This time the engine roared to life like nothing had happened.

Ben clapped loudly once.

“See?” he said. “It’s not a curse. It’s just building suspense.”

Maya pinched the bridge of her nose. She had known this was a bad idea. The moment Carina suggested it, she had just known.

“Get in the truck,” Maya said.

Her voice was calm and firm, almost commanding.

For a second no one responded.

“Let’s go!” Ben shouted and they all climbed into the engine.

Maya rolled her eyes. This wasn’t her idea of fun either. 

Fifteen minutes later the engine rolled into the open field where the competition was going to be set up.

They had cones to mark the different stations. Equipment to lay out along the grass. Someone had packed up a folding table where Bailey’s clipboard would be waiting for her arrival.

But the field was empty. Jack hopped down from the truck and looked around.

“Did we scare them off already?”

“Unlikely,” Maya said as she stepped down beside him.

Dean checked his watch.

“Maybe they’re doing doctor things.”

Vic gasped suddenly, eyes widening dramatically.

“Maybe the curse got them.”

As if summoned by the comment, a small hospital shuttle bus rolled slowly into the parking lot at the edge of the field and everyone turned to watch. The bus pulled in unevenly before stopping at a crooked angle and the door creaked open.

Jackson Avery stepped off first, calm as ever. Maggie followed behind him looking deeply unimpressed by the entire situation. Amelia bounced down the steps next with suspicious enthusiasm while Teddy climbed down more carefully. Jo and Alex followed, Alex already squinting against the sunlight. Andrew climbed out last.

Jackson walked toward the firefighters with the steady confidence of someone who had absolutely no idea what kind of chaos he was about to step into.

“We got a flat tire,” he said simply.

Travis gasped loudly.

“It’s the curse!”

“It’s not a curse,” Maya said again.

Amelia glanced up toward the sky where the clouds were beginning to gather.

“The universe is clearly setting the tone,” she said thoughtfully.

Then Carina stepped down from the bus. Her sunglasses rested on top of her head and she looked entirely unbothered by the delay, the crooked bus, or the increasingly dramatic commentary.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. Her eyes immediately seeking out Maya who looked just as stressed as she had that morning. 

Andrew suddenly jogged toward Maya where she stood at the folding table reviewing her clipboard.

He held two takeaway coffees in his hands.

“I come in peace,” he announced. He liked Maya but she had always been wary of him. How he was the golden child over Carina she would never know but she did like the idea of coffee.

Maya eyed the cups suspiciously.

“You’re bribing the opposition?”

“I’m caffeinating the opposition.”

He leaned forward to set one of the cups beside  her clipboard, except he missed slightly. The cup tipped sideways and it was as if time slowed just enough for everyone to see it happen.

The coffee poured directly across Maya’s carefully organised papers and everyone completely froze. Andrew stared down at the spreading brown stain creeping across the page.

“…Oops.”

Maya looked down at the ruined schedule then very slowly lifted her gaze toward him. Carina appeared beside them almost instantly.

“Andrea!” Her voice cut across the field like a siren making Andrew winced. Carina switched to rapid Italian immediately, her voice sharp and disapproving.

“Ma che stai facendo? Guarda! Hai rovinato tutto!”

Andrew held his hands up defensively.

“È solo caffè!”

“Solo caffè?” Carina snapped. “Sei impossibile!”

Dean leaned toward Vic.

“I don’t know what she’s saying,” he whispered, “but I support it.”

Maya sighed quietly and peeled the soaked papers off the clipboard.

“It’s fine,” she said.

Carina turned back to her instantly.

“It is not fine.”

Then she shot Andrew one last glare.

“Idiota.”

While Maya tried to reorganise what remained of her schedule, Vic jogged over carrying a small equipment bag. Halfway across the field she stopped, then slowly turned around.

Dean noticed immediately.

“You forgot something.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You definitely did.”

Vic pointed toward the rescue scenario equipment stacked at the far end of the field.

“…the harness clips?”

Dean blinked.

“You had them.”

Vic looked down into the now empty bag.

“…I did have them.”

Travis groaned loudly.

“The curse strikes again.”

“It’s not a curse,” Maya muttered. Although she was starting to feel less confident about that.

Vic pointed back toward the truck.

“I’ll go get them.”

“Please do.”

Vic took off sprinting toward the engine.

Maya watched her go, silently grateful that the harnesses weren’t needed until the final event.

Meanwhile Andrew had wandered away from the growing chaos around Maya’s now coffee stained clipboard and toward the grassy field where the cones had been set up for the capture the flag area.

The grass was still slightly damp from the morning dew and the cones arranged in neat lines that suggested someone had spent a great deal of time making the course look official.

Andrew seemed completely at ease.

He stretched one leg out in front of him, bending forward like he was preparing for an actual sporting event rather than what was essentially a glorified workplace challenge. He rolled his shoulders, bounced lightly on his heels, then jogged a few short steps across the grass as if testing the ground.

Jackson followed a moment later, hands in the pockets of his jacket, observing with mild curiosity. He looked down, then back up and then down again.

“Andrew.”

Andrew straightened mid-stretch.

“What?”

Jackson slowly gestured toward his feet.

Andrew followed the direction of the gesture and looked down. On his feet were a pair of aggressively bright green soccer cleats, the studs clearly designed for gripping turf.

Jack happened to be walking past at that exact moment and stopped so abruptly he nearly tripped over one of the cones.

“…Why are you wearing soccer boots?”

Andrew frowned slightly, confused by the reaction.

“Traction.”

“This isn’t soccer,” Jack told him.

“It’s running.”

“Yes.”

Andrew shrugged, completely unconcerned.

“It’s the same concept.”

Vic wandered over, drawn by the tone of the conversation. She took one look at his shoes and burst out laughing.

“Oh my god.”

Andrew looked between them.

“What?”

Travis arrived next, already suspicious.

“What are we laughing at?”

Vic pointed. Travis bent down slightly, examining Andrew’s cleats like they were some kind of rare artifact.

“…Are those studs?”

Andrew lifted one foot helpfully.

“Yes.”

Dean walked up behind them, following the growing circle. He blinked twice, almost questioning what he was seeing.

“Did you think we were playing professional soccer?”

Andrew sighed.

“In Italy we play many sports.”

Jack shook his head.

“No, you don’t get to blame this on being Italian.”

Andrew gestured defensively toward the group.

“You Americans run strangely.”

“We run normally,” Vic said.

“You run like chaos.”

“That’s literally firefighting,” Dean replied.

Carina appeared beside them just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation. She looked down then immediately closed her eyes for a second like she was gathering patience.

“Andrea.”

Andrew looked up.

“Yes?”

Carina pointed at his feet.

“You are not blaming this on being Italian.”

Andrew spread his hands.

“I was simply explaining, ”

“No.”

Her voice was firm.

“In Italy we have the best shoes.”

The group went quiet for a moment.Carina continued, gesturing elegantly at the offending cleats.

“Beautiful shoes. Stylish shoes. Smart shoes.”

She tilted her head.

“These are none of those things.”

Vic leaned toward Dean and whispered loudly,

“She’s not wrong.”

Andrew looked wounded.

“They are practical.”

“They are tragic,” Carina corrected.

Jackson chuckled quietly and Jack shook his head.

“You’re going to tear up the field.”

Andrew shrugged again.

“I will simply run faster.”

Travis pointed dramatically toward the sky.

“The curse has chosen its first victim.”

Maya, who had been attempting to salvage the last readable parts of her schedule nearby, looked over just in time to see Andrew jog across the grass in his neon green cleats.

She sighed heavily. “Of course he did,” she said to herself. 

The field had slowly filled with noise. Firefighters were adjusting their gear while doctors wandering between cones. Alex was arguing about whether the obstacle course had been measured correctly. Laughter drifted across the grass in small bursts as both teams settled into the strange reality of the day.

But for Maya, it felt strangely quiet. Not because there was no sound, because there was plenty of that. But because none of it seemed directed at her.

She stood near the folding table where Bailey’s clipboard rested, her own coffee-stained schedule now sitting mostly useless beneath it. The team moved around her in easy conversation, slipping into their familiar rhythm with each other. A rhythm she still hadn’t found her way back into.

Maya cleared her throat slightly.

“Okay,” she started, her voice firm enough to carry but no one stopped talking.

Dean and Jack were still debating something about tyre flips. Vic was halfway through explaining a story to Travis. Ben stood near the engine checking equipment with the quiet focus he always had.

Maya tried again.

“We should talk through the first event..”

A whistle cut through the air before she could finish which everyone turned.

At the far end of the field Amelia Shepherd had gathered the Grey Sloan team into a loose circle near the cones.

“Okay!” Amelia announced brightly. “Before we begin, we are setting intentions!”

Carina, standing within the circle, closed her eyes briefly.

“No,” she muttered under her breath.

Amelia clapped her hands enthusiastically.

“Everyone join hands!”

Maggie sighed loudly but complied, Jackson extended a hand with visible reluctance. Andrew joined in enthusiastically, practically bouncing where he stood while Teddy looked like she wasn’t entirely sure what she had agreed to, and Jo was staring off toward the coffee table like she might abandon the whole thing at any moment.

Amelia lifted her face toward the sky like she was addressing the universe itself.

“We are grounded, we are focused, we are connected.”

Carina leaned slightly toward Jackson.

“This is ridiculous,” she murmured.

But even as she said it, her eyes drifted across the field, and towards Maya. She could see Maya standing slightly apart from her team. Not quite in the middle of them but not quite outside of them either, almost hovering.

Carina had hoped today might help. Not fix everything because she knew Maya well enough to know that wasn’t possible in a single afternoon. But maybe it would remind the team who she was. Maybe they would remember why she had been their captain in the first place.

Back on the Station 19 side of the field, Andy had also been watching the surgeons’ strange pre-game ritual.

“If they’re doing that,” Andy said, gesturing toward the Grey Sloan circle, “we have to.”

Maya blinked.

“No we don’t.” Vic replied had already started walking toward the center of the field.

Dean followed without hesitation. Travis groaned dramatically but trailed behind them anyway.

“If surgeons get affirmations,” Andy said, “so do we.”

Maya barely had time to protest before she found herself pulled between Vic and Andy. Their circle wasn’t nearly as neat as Grey Sloan’s. Travis kept adjusting his footing, Jack hovered half in, half out of the group and Dean looked like he was trying not to laugh.

Travis cleared his throat dramatically.

“Okay,” he announced. “But ours should be cooler.”

Vic squeezed Dean’s hand like she was committing to something very important.

“I affirm that we will absolutely destroy them.”

Dean nodded solemnly.

“I affirm tiramisu.”

Jack muttered from the edge of the circle, “I affirm Andrew falls over in those cleats.”

A few of them laughed but Maya noticed something else. No one had looked at her and no one had asked what she thought.

Carina’s gaze found Maya again.

From this distance she could see the faint tension in Maya’s shoulders. The way she stood slightly apart even when she was technically inside the circle.

Carina rolled her eyes toward her in silent apology for Amelia’s chaos.

For just a moment,  Maya almost smiled.

Then Travis leaned toward Dean and whispered loudly enough for half the field to hear.

“Just saying… every bad thing so far has happened today.”

Maya exhaled slowly.

“Travis.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not the curse.”

Right on cue the electronic scoreboard beside the field flickered once, then shut off with a sharp electrical buzz. The entire field went quiet.

Dean slowly pointed at it. “…The curse.”

Everyone stood loosely gathered around the starting line while Miranda Bailey inspected the setup with the seriousness of a surgical checklist.

She held a whistle and a clipboard.

“Let’s make one thing very clear,” she announced. “I am officiating, I am not cheering, I am not encouraging and I am not participating in whatever childish nonsense this turns into.”

Ben nodded respectfully.

“Yes, Chief.”

Bailey pointed the whistle at him.

“And you especially should behave, Dr. Warren.”

Ben raised both hands. “I am extremely professional.”

Behind him Travis whispered to Dean, “She’s totally rooting for Grey.”

Dean nodded. “Absolutely.”

Bailey turned sharply. “I heard that.” Her tone made both of them straighten immediately.

The course looked far more complicated up close. Five stations had been set up in a line across the field: a heavy hose drag, two giant tractor tyres for flipping, a ladder raise mounted to a training frame, a low crawl net stretched across the grass, and finally the sprint to the finish line where Patient Bob, the unfortunate training dummy, waited to be carried across the line.

Cones marked the path where ropes and equipment lay neatly arranged. Which meant, of course, that it would not stay neat for long.

Miranda Bailey stood at the center of the field with a whistle and clipboard, looking deeply unimpressed by everyone.

“Listen carefully,” she said. “This is a relay obstacle course. Five participants per team, first team to get Patient Bob across the finish line wins.”

She paused, scanning both teams.

“And before any of you ask, no, this is not a contact sport.”

Travis raised his hand.

“What about emotional contact?”

Bailey glared.

“Montgomery.”

He lowered his hand immediately.

Behind Bailey, the two teams gathered.

On the Station 19 side: Maya, Andy, Dean, Jack, and Travis.

On the Grey Sloan side: Carina, Jackson, Andrew, Amelia, and Alex.

Maya stepped forward slightly, gesturing toward the stations, about to direct her team but Andy began before she had a chance too.

“Okay,” Andy said. “Dean starts with the hose drag. Jack takes the tyres. Maya leads the ladder climb. Travis is first to crawl. I’ll command with the dummy carry.”

Dean nodded.

“Got it.”

Jack shrugged. “Sure.”

Travis saluted dramatically.

“Ready to suffer.”

Maya opened her mouth but soon closed it again. She didn’t think this was the right approach at all, but Andy had already taken over and everyone had listed and started moving.

Across the field Carina had gathered the Grey Sloan team into a tight circle.

“We move together,” she said. “Five people on each station for faster transitions.”

Jackson nodded once and Andrew grinned.

“Teamwork. How inspiring.”

Amelia bounced lightly on her feet.

“I love collaborative chaos.”

Alex shrugged.

“Fine, but I’m not carrying the dummy.”

“You are helping carry the dummy,” Carina replied.

Bailey raised the whistle.

“Ready.”

The whistle blew.

Dean ran toward the hose drag, alone.

Across the field, the entire Grey Sloan team ran together. Five people grabbed the hose at once, Jackson took the front, Andrew and Alex hauled from the middle and Carina and Amelia steadied the line behind them. The hose moved instantly.

Dean grabbed the Station 19 hose and began pulling, it moved but slowly. He dug his boots into the grass and leaned his full weight into it.

Across the field Grey Sloan’s hose slid smoothly forward as five people hauled it across the grass.

Vic stared.

“Oh that’s smart.”

Dean was still halfway down the field when Grey Sloan finished the drag entirely.

Bailey blew a quick whistle.

“Hose station complete for Grey Sloan.”

Dean groaned.

“Seriously?”

Grey Sloan arrived together. Jackson and Alex grabbed the first tire. Andrew, Carina and Amelia took the second.

“Lift together,” Carina said.

“Ready,” Jackson confirmed.

They flipped, both tyres landed cleanly. They flipped them again immediately.

Dean finally finished the hose pull and tagged Jack who ran towards the tyres. By the time Dean reached Jack, Grey Sloan had already flipped both tyres twice. Jack stared at the enormous rubber tyre in front of him.

“…Okay.”

He grabbed it and pulled it but nothing happened. He tried again and still nothing.

Dean jogged up beside him.

“You need help?”

“I don’t want help.”

“You need help.”

Travis ran over too.

“Team effort!”

The three of them grabbed the tyre together.

“Lift!” Dean said.

They heaved, the tyre flipped halfway and Travis’ boot slid on the wet grass. His foot shot out from under him causing the tyre to tip sideways and landed directly on Dean’s foot.

Dean screamed.

“Aaaah!”

The tyre rolled off immediately and Dean hopped backward clutching his boot.

Vic pointed dramatically from the sidelines.

“The curse!”

“It’s not a curse!” Maya called.

Dean hopped again.

“Pretty sure it’s a curse!”

Across the field Grey Sloan had already moved to the ladder station. Carina looked up at the ladder frame.

“Together,” she said.

Jackson steadied the base while Andrew and Alex lifted and Amelia guided the top.

The ladder slid smoothly into place.

“See?” Amelia said happily. “Teamwork.”

They climbed quickly and moved on. Grey Sloan moved together to the crawl net. Alex dropped first and Andrew followed. Jackson slid under smoothly while Amelia crawled through laughing and Carina followed last. They emerged almost immediately on the other side.

Meanwhile Maya reached the Station 19 ladder alone. She grabbed the frame and lifted it but the ladder jammed halfway up.

She frowned and pushed again. It scraped loudly against the metal mount.

Travis shouted from behind her.

“THE CURSE STRIKES AGAIN.”

“It’s not the curse,” Maya said through clenched teeth.

She shifted her grip and finally the ladder slid into place. Behind her Dean was still limping and Jack looked apologetic.

“Sorry.”

“You dropped a tyre on me.”

“Technically Travis dropped it.”

Travis raised his hand.

“Also the curse.”

They climbed with less grace than the other team due to Dean's foot. Travis dove under the net dramatically and immediately his helmet caught the mesh again.

He stopped moving.

“…Guys.”

Dean sighed.

“You’re stuck again.”

“I am aware.”

Maya crouched beside him.

“Roll onto your side.”

“Oh right.”

He rolled free instantly.

“…Okay that one was a user error.”

Grey Sloan reached the final station where patient Bob waited for them. Carina pointed.

“Lift together,” She instructed. 

Jackson and Alex grabbed the arms while Andrew and Amelia took the legs. Carina guided them forward and they carried the dummy easily across the finish line.

Bailey blew the whistle.

“Grey Sloan.”

Cheers erupted from the hospital team. 

Across the field Station 19 had just reached the dummy. Andy grabbed it quickly.

“Okay we still finish strong!”

She lifted it and the arm flopped loose and smacked Travis in the chest.

He gasped.

“Haunted dummy!”

Maya sighed.

“It’s not haunted.”

They carried it across the line seconds later and Bailey scribbled the time on her clipboard.

“Grey Sloan leads.”

Dean limped back toward the team, rubbing his foot.

“I blame the tyre.”

Vic shook her head.

“I blame the curse.”

Across the field Carina gathered her team again, already discussing the next game.

They listened, they nodded and they adjusted.

Maya watched for a moment.

Behind her Dean said, “Okay but next round we turn this around.”

Travis pointed toward the sky.

“Unless the curse escalates.”

Maya exhaled slowly.

“It’s not a curse.”

Right then one of the cones tipped over in the wind causing Dean to stumble over it.

Dean pointed.

“See it’s cursed.”

-

The teams gathered near the middle of the field, the capture-the-flag cones stretching out across the grass in two mirrored territories. The air had warmed slightly since the morning, the sun now peeking through thin clouds as if it too wanted a better view of the chaos.

Bailey stood between them with a whistle and a clipboard, already looking like she regretted agreeing to officiate.

“Rules are simple,” she said flatly. “Tag the opposing team to freeze them. Capture the flag and bring it back to your side. No tackling. No breaking bones. And if any of you embarrass this hospital or this fire department, I will personally disqualify you.”

No one doubted that she meant it.

The teams split off.

On the Station 19 side, Maya stood slightly ahead of the group: Ben to her left, Vic bouncing on her toes beside him, Travis stretching dramatically behind them, and Andy standing with her arms crossed, already scanning the Grey Sloan lineup.

Travis studied the layout like a battlefield.

“So the goal is theft.”

Bailey blew a short warning whistle.

“The goal is strategy.”

Dean leaned toward Vic.

“Strategic theft.”

Vic nodded. “I’m comfortable with that.”

They loosely clustered around Maya, but everyone was half-listening and still talking about the tyre incident.

Maya cleared her throat.

“Okay. Vic and Andy go wide. Ben stays mid…”

“Or,” Travis interrupted, “we all just run really fast.”

Maya paused.

“That’s not a strategy.”

“It’s a vibe.”

Across the field Carina calmly pointed to positions.

“Jackson, defense. Teddy with me. Andrew and Jo run wide.”

Everyone nodded, they actually listened to her, something Maya could only wish for her team.

Bailey raised the whistle.

“Round one.”

Andrew took off immediately, not cautiously or strategically but he sprinted straight toward the Station 19 flag like a neon-cleated missile.

“SUBTLE APPROACH!” Travis shouted while chasing him.

Andrew did not slow down. Ben moved instinctively to intercept him on the left.

Maya pointed quickly.

“Ben, cut him off”

Ben nodded but Travis sprinted past him mid-sentence, arms flailing dramatically.

“I GOT HIM!”

He did not have him.

Andrew zig zagged around Travis with surprising agility, his bright green cleats digging into the grass as he slipped cleanly past both of them.

“Hey!” Travis yelled indignantly. “That was suspiciously athletic!”

On the other side of the field, Jackson Avery stood directly in front of the Grey Sloan flag like an immovable wall.

Vic ran straight toward him at full speed. She attempted to dart around him but Jackson simply stepped sideways. Vic stopped abruptly in front of him, nearly colliding with his chest.

“Wow,” she said, impressed. “You’re tall.”

Jackson smiled politely.

“Thank you.”

Meanwhile Maya hovered near the center of the field, trying to pull the chaos into something resembling strategy.

“Ben, fall back and guard the flag!” she called.

Ben started to turn but Travis was already sprinting in the opposite direction.

“DISTRACTION MANEUVER!” he yelled.

“You don’t shout ‘distraction maneuver’!” Vic shouted back.

“I’m improvising!”

On the Grey Sloan side of the field, the difference in movement was almost calm.

Carina and Teddy had positioned themselves near the center line, quietly adjusting their positions each time Andy tried to push through.

Andy darted right but Teddy stepped neatly into her path. Andy tried left and Carina moved smoothly to block her, arms folded casually.

Jo, meanwhile, had slipped quietly behind them.

While the firefighters argued with each other in the middle of the field, she reached the Station 19 flag almost unnoticed. 

She picked it up, looked around then started jogging back toward her side of the field, laughing to herself.

“Are we winning?” she called.

Ben noticed first.

“Oh come on!”

He lunged forward to intercept her, but Andrew suddenly appeared between them, arms spread wide like a very enthusiastic obstacle.

“Defensive positioning!” Andrew announced.

Ben stared at him.

“Is this soccer terminology again?”

Before he could push past, Bailey’s whistle shrieked across the field.

Everyone froze.

Bailey raised her clipboard slightly.

“Grey Sloan.”

Jo lifted the flag triumphantly.

Vic turned immediately toward Travis, pointing accusingly.

“You were supposed to tag him!”

“He zig zagged!” Travis protested.

“That’s how running works!”

By the time Bailey called the second round, the atmosphere around the field had changed.

The laughter from the first round had faded into something more competitive. Station 19 had lost, and even if no one had said it outright, they all knew why. Grey Sloan had moved together, calmly and deliberately, while the firefighters had scattered across the field like five separate missions happening at once.

For a moment she considered letting them figure it out themselves, letting the round begin and hoping instinct carried them through. But instinct was what had lost them the first game.

She stepped forward instead.

“Okay. Let’s huddle.”

The word felt strange leaving her mouth. For a second she expected the same indifference she had been getting all morning.

Vic blinked in surprise.

“We’re huddling?”

“Yes,” Maya said simply.

Jack and Ben moved closer first, almost automatically. Emmett jogged over a moment later, still looking slightly unsure of his place but clearly willing to be there.

Across the field Grey Sloan had already formed their tidy circle around Carina.

Maya didn’t rush her explanation this time. She looked at each of them instead, making sure they were actually paying attention.

“Grey Sloan wins when they move together,” she said. “They’re watching the center and adjusting to whoever runs first. So we stop reacting to them.”

Ben nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

“Vic,” Maya continued, turning slightly toward her, “you’re fastest. I want you wide left to pull Jackson out of position.”

Vic’s expression brightened immediately.

“Okay, I like that plan already.”

“Jack, wide right. If Jackson shifts toward Vic, you cut behind him.”

Jack flexed his hands once.

“Got it.”

“Ben stays with me in the middle.”

Ben gave a quick nod.

Maya turned to Emmett last.

“You guard our flag. You don’t leave it unless someone is physically carrying you away.”

Emmett straightened slightly, clearly relieved to have a defined role.

“I can do that.”

For the first time all morning, the plan felt structured.

Across the field Carina was finishing her own quiet strategy discussion, gesturing calmly toward different sections of the field as Maggie nodded uncertainly beside her.

Maya glanced over briefly, then looked back to her team.

“Once they commit an offense,” she said, “we move together.”

The whistle blew.

Vic exploded left across the grass exactly as planned. Jackson reacted instantly, stepping toward her to block the path. Jack slipped right across the field at the same moment, moving low and quick along the cone line. Ben remained beside Maya in the center, waiting.

Grey Sloan pushed forward confidently. Alex charged toward the Station 19 flag with Teddy close behind him, while Maggie hovered protectively near their own side looking like she deeply regretted agreeing to this.

Jackson was still focused on Vic when Maya saw the opening. It appeared for only a second so she nodded once.

“Now,” she whispered.

Ben took off immediately.

Jack cut behind Jackson exactly as Maya had predicted. Carina noticed the shift almost instantly, turning her head sharply. But the timing was already working because Ben reached the Grey Sloan flag first and grabbed it.

The field erupted into motion. Jack pivoted and sprinted back toward their side, Jackson now chasing him with long strides. Vic darted across his path just long enough to slow him down. Ben crossed the line seconds later with the flag raised high.

Bailey’s whistle cut through the noise.

“Station 19.”

The firefighters on the sidelines exploded. Dean practically launched off the bench, shouting loud enough for the entire field to hear. Vic jogged back toward the group laughing, adrenaline bright in her eyes. Jack clapped Ben hard on the shoulder and even Emmett looked stunned that it had worked.

Maya allowed herself a small smile because across the field Carina was already watching her and smiling back. 

The third round happened almost by accident.

Andrew loudly insisted the second round “didn’t count,” which started a debate that lasted approximately twenty seconds before Bailey blew her whistle again and declared there would be a decider round.

This time when Maya gathered the team, they stepped in closer without needing to be asked twice.

The shift was subtle, but it was there. They weren’t ignoring her anymore, it was almost like they were waiting for her instructions.

“Same formation,” Maya said calmly. “Vic wide left. Jack right. Ben with me.”

No one interrupted her and no one questioned her judgement.

Across the field Carina stood with the Grey Sloan team, just as composed as before, outlining something with small, precise gestures.

Bailey raised the whistle.

The field held its breath and then the third round began.

Andrew tried the same aggressive sprint he had used in the first game, cutting straight across the field with the confidence of someone who believed speed alone could win it. Vic met him halfway this time and blocked his path long enough to slow the momentum.

Jack slipped wide around Jackson again, circling quietly toward the Grey Sloan flag while Ben remained beside Maya in the center.

Maya watched the field carefully, tracking how the players shifted, where the openings formed. Then she saw it, she subtly nodded once and Ben ran.

He grabbed the flag and turned back across the field in one smooth motion.

Andrew gave chase.

From the sidelines Travis had begun providing what sounded like extremely enthusiastic sports commentary.

“RUN LIKE THE CURSE IS CHASING YOU!”

Jack sprinted across the line seconds before Andrew could reach him.

Bailey’s whistle blew again.

“Station 19.”

This time the celebration was louder. Vic whooped as she jogged back. Jack bent over laughing, catching his breath. Dean pointed triumphantly toward Grey Sloan.

Carina shook her head across the field, though the smile on her face betrayed how entertained she was.

Maya stood a little straighter this time because when she spoke, her team had listened.

-

By the time Bailey called everyone back to the field for the final event, the mood had changed again.

The laughter was still there, but it had sharpened into something more focused. The score was tied now with one win each, and both teams knew the final round would decide everything.

The field had been rearranged while they played the earlier games. What had once been an open stretch of grass now resembled a chaotic training ground. A collapsed metal frame leaned at an angle near the center with ladders tossed aside as if dropped mid-rescue. Fire hoses twisted across the grass like obstacles and a small smoke machine puffed out thin grey clouds that drifted lazily across the course and training dummies had been scattered through the wreckage.

Bailey stood in front of it all with her clipboard, looking as unimpressed as ever.

“This,” she announced, “is a rescue simulation.”

The firefighters leaned forward slightly while the doctors glanced between the debris and the dummies with varying levels of enthusiasm.

Behind Bailey, the scene looked like a miniature disaster.

“This exercise combines emergency extraction and trauma treatment,” she continued. “Each of you will locate your patient, perform the rescue, and treat them on site using the trauma kit.”

She lifted the clipboard slightly.

“Your time starts when you reach the patient and ends when treatment is completed.”

Travis raised a hand as if he were in class.

“So we save them and medically fix them?”

“Yes,” Bailey answered without even looking up.

Dean leaned toward Vic beside him, voice low.

“So basically firefighter Olympics plus doctor homework.”

Bailey continued speaking as if she hadn’t heard him.

“You will assess the patient, secure the airway, control bleeding, stabilise any injuries, and prepare them for transport.”

She looked up then, scanning both teams.

“Fast is good. Correct is better. Do not kill the dummy.”

A few people laughed but Bailey ignored them.

“We have eight firefighters and eight doctors. You’ll run in pairs but you have separate patients. Your individual times will be recorded and added together for your team total.”

For the first time all afternoon, when Maya said, “Station 19, quick huddle,” the team moved toward her without hesitation.

Vic, Andy, Ben, Jack, Travis, Dean and Emmett formed a loose semicircle around her.

Across the field Grey Sloan gathered around Carina just as naturally.

Maya gestured toward the debris course.

“Efficiency,” she said. “Extract fast, treat once you’re clear. Just like we would on a real call.”

The firefighters nodded. No one interrupted.

Across the field Carina spoke calmly to the doctors.

“Assess first. Then treat,” she instructed. “We stabilise before we move.”

Bailey checked the first names on her clipboard.

“Ben Warren and Teddy Altman.”

They stepped forward immediately. Two identical dummies lay several yards into the debris field, partially trapped beneath scattered equipment.

“Separate patients,” Bailey clarified. “Same objective.”

She raised the whistle.

“Go.”

Ben moved the way firefighters always did, fast and direct. He reached the dummy in seconds, shoving aside a fallen ladder before dragging the body free. Within moments he had the dummy hauled across the grass toward the treatment zone.

Teddy moved differently. She dropped to her knees beside her patient first, opening the trauma bag with careful precision. Her hands worked automatically, going through her mental checklist of airway, mask, and positioning before she even attempted to move the body.

Two different disciplines meant two different instincts.

Ben reached the treatment area quickly and dropped beside the dummy, already pulling open the trauma kit.

“Okay buddy,” he muttered under his breath as he began working through the steps. He moved the dummy slightly and one of the dummy’s arms fell clean off. For a moment he simply stared at it.

“…Did I break it?” He half asked. 

Teddy glanced over briefly while finishing her airway stabilisation.

“Traumatic amputation,” she teased before finishing just seconds before he did.

Bailey scribbled the timings on her clipboard without reacting but the glare at Ben said anything without words.

“Next pair. Jack Gibson and Jo Wilson.”

Jack jogged forward immediately. Jo followed, tying her hair back as she ran.

The whistle blew again.

Jack reached his patient and immediately hauled it free from the debris. Station 19’s strategy was obvious now, get the body out first, worry about treatment later.

Across the course Jo crouched beside her patient. She opened the trauma kit and reached for the oxygen mask, well she reached where she assumed the mask would be.

“…Where’s the mask?”

She rummaged deeper in the bag but she found nothing.

Jack was already dragging his dummy across the grass toward the treatment area.

“Curse!” he shouted as he passed her by.

Jo spotted the missing mask lying several feet away in the grass, apparently knocked loose earlier. By the time she retrieved it and finished securing the airway, Jack had already reached open ground.

Which allowed Station 19 to shave several seconds off the time difference.

As the rounds continued, the contrast between the teams became clearer. Grey Sloan worked methodically, stabilise, treat and then move. While Station 19 worked like firefighters always did, they got the patient out of danger, then dealt with the injuries.

At first the doctors were faster but as the debris field became more complicated with dummies wedged behind barriers and tangled in equipment, their careful stabilisation became harder to perform.

Bailey glanced down at the last names on her clipboard.

“Maya Bishop. Carina DeLuca.”

A murmur spread across the field.

Dean leaned toward Vic and whispered, “Oh this is the main event.”

Vic nodded eagerly. “Captain versus captain.”

Across the field, the two women stepped forward at the same time. They stood beside each other at the start line, both studying the course ahead.

Their dummies had been placed deeper into the wreckage than the others. One was wedged beneath a collapsed training beam. The other lay tangled behind a metal barrier and a looped fire hose.

Maya glanced sideways and Carina glanced back. A small, competitive smile appeared on both of their faces.

Bailey lifted the whistle.

“Rescue and treat. Time stops when stabilisation is complete.”

Then the whistle blew.

Maya moved instantly, the firefighter instinct took over the moment her boots hit the grass. She scanned the debris while she ran, already calculating the fastest route.

Carina reached her patient seconds later, slowing just enough to assess before touching it.

Maya ducked under the collapsed beam and began yanking the dummy free with a powerful pull.

“Okay,” she muttered under her breath as she dragged it toward open ground.

Across the field Carina crouched beside her patient.

Her hands moved automatically through the first steps of airway, mask, positioning. Grey Sloan’s method was to stabilise first.

Maya had already begun dragging her dummy across the grass. 

From the sidelines Vic shouted encouragement while Dean added commentary that sounded suspiciously like a sporting event.

Carina finally lifted her patient and carried it carefully through the debris.

By the time she reached the treatment zone, Maya was already kneeling beside her dummy with the trauma kit open.

The gap between them was small, very small. They worked carefully side by side, two different professions performing the same life-saving steps.

Carina reached into the trauma bag for the supraglottic airway and her fingers brushed it immediately. She knew exactly where it was because she had packed the bags herself that morning.

Across from her, Maya worked quickly and methodically, focused entirely on the steps in front of her.

Carina glanced up and she could see the firefighters gathered behind Maya. They were watching their captain now, like really watching her.

Carina remembered the last few months. The hesitation and the distance, the way Maya had slowly started standing just outside the center of her own team.

But today something changed. She had seen it, she saw the way they had begun listening to her again. They followed her lead and trusted her judgement.

This was Maya’s moment, this was potentially the moment that could change everything. The moment that was the entire reason they were doing this in the first place.

Her hand pushed the item she needed aside as if it didn’t even exist. Instead she shifted the items around inside the bag, pushing aside gauze and tape as if searching deeper. From the outside it looked like she simply couldn’t find what she needed.

She even pulled out the wrong tool once, frowning at it in confusion before setting it aside but Inside the bag the stabilizer remained exactly where it had always been.

Right beneath her hand. She could feel it every time her fingers brushed the fabric.

Across from her Maya secured the airway mask and adjusted the straps with practiced focus.

Carina searched again for just a few more seconds, just long enough for Maya to complete her final step and signal she was done.

Bailey clicked the stop watch and blew her whistle.

For half a second the field was silent then the firefighters exploded in celebration.

Dean tackled Travis in a hug that nearly sent them both to the ground. Vic screamed in triumph and Jack threw both fists into the air. Ben laughed openly as the team rushed together into a jumping, shouting celebration in the middle of the grass.

Bailey calmly totaled the numbers on her clipboard.

Then she looked up.

“Station 19 wins overall.”

The cheering only grew louder.

Maya stood slowly from where she had been kneeling, brushing the grass from her hands.

She turned her head and Carina was already looking at her.

Maya’s lips moved silently, ‘Thank you’.

Carina smiled softly.

But when Maya turned back toward her team, the celebration huddle had already formed. They were packed together in the center of the field, arms thrown over shoulders, jumping and laughing.

Once again, Maya was outside of it. 

Across the field Carina felt something tighten in her chest because even now, after everything Maya had done today, she still wasn’t being celebrated by her team. 

Maya stood like she didn’t belong, she just simply smiled and watched on. Maybe that’s just how it was supposed to be. 

Then Andy looked up. She saw Maya standing just beyond the circle and for a moment she froze.

Because Andy had once been Maya’s best friend but she had also been the one who helped create the distance that still existed now.

Andy stepped sideways, it was a small movement but it opened a space in the circle. She lifted her arm slightly away from Jack and all eyes turned to Maya.

Of all the people she expected to welcome her in… Andy had been the last. For a moment she didn’t move but then she looked across the field and Carina gave her a small nod.

Dean turned first.

“Cap!” he echoed, grinning as he reached out and grabbed Maya’s arm, pulling her the rest of the way into the circle.

Vic laughed and wrapped an arm around both of them.

“Get in here!”

Jack clapped her on the back as Travis nearly knocked them all sideways trying to pull her closer.

Within seconds Maya was no longer standing outside the huddle, she was in the middle of it.

The group bounced together, cheering and shouting over each other, the energy loud and infectious. Dean was still yelling something about “curse-breaking champions,” while Vic insisted the victory had clearly been because of her “elite athleticism.”

Maya laughed for the first time that day as the team crowded around her.

Across the field Carina watched the moment unfold, and this time, when Maya looked her way, the smile on her face was brighter.

By the time everything was packed away and the smoke machine shut down, the sun had started dipping lower in the sky.

The Grey Sloan bus was still sitting crooked in the parking lot with its unfortunate flat tire, which meant the firefighters happily loaded themselves back into the engine instead.

Ben slid into the driver’s seat again and the engine started immediately this time.

Travis leaned forward from the back.

“Oh so now it works.”

“The curse has lifted,” Dean declared from behind him.

Vic rolled her eyes.

“Or maybe it was just the battery.”

“Stop ruining the narrative,” Travis told her.

Maya sat near the front of the truck, listening as the team talked over each other, the tension had lifted and all that remained was the chaos that was Station 19. 

When they returned to the station, the bay doors rolled open and the firefighters piled out of the engine still buzzing from the day.

Inside, the kitchen smelled incredible as Carina had already taken over the space. Several large pots sat simmering on the stove, steam curling toward the ceiling. Fresh bread sat on the counter beside bowls of pasta, and the rich smell of garlic and tomato sauce filled the entire station.

Dean stopped mid-step.

“Oh my god.”

Vic inhaled dramatically.

“I love this woman.”

Carina glanced up from the stove with an amused smile.

“I assume this means you are hungry.”

The firefighters didn’t even pretend otherwise.

Plates were pulled down from the cupboards. Chairs scraped across the floor as everyone gathered around the long table. The noise filled the station as people talked about the games, arguing over moments that had already become exaggerated stories.

Dean insisted he had “carried the entire team emotionally.”

Vic loudly disagreed.

Jack claimed the tyre flip had been sabotaged by the curse.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, Travis had started discussing the following week’s chore rotation like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m not doing laundry again,” he declared.

“You burned the last load,” Vic reminded him.

“That was experimental heat.”

“Cap,” Dean called across the table. “What’s the schedule next week?”

Maya looked up slightly surprised because they were actually asking her. She answered easily, outlining the shifts and chores while plates were passed around the table. They accepted exactly what she offered, they didn’t argue or challenge it, just simply nodded and carried on.

Near the counter Maya lingered beside Carina as she finished plating the last bowl of pasta.

Up close, the smell was even better.

“Your team is very loud,” Carina said lightly.

Maya huffed a quiet laugh.

“That’s them being happy.”

Carina handed her a plate.

“You did well today.”

Maya hesitated.

What she wanted to do was wrap her arms around her girlfriend and kiss her properly. To thank her and tell her she knew exactly what she had done out there on the field.

But the team didn’t know about them, and she wasn’t entirely sure what the Grey Sloan doctors knew either.

So instead she just stayed close beside her as they walked toward the table.

That lasted all of about thirty seconds because everyone barely had a chance to sit down when Vic leaned across the table, eyeing them both suspiciously.

“Okay,” she said. The entire table quieted slightly. “What’s the deal with you two?”

Maya looked down immediately, suddenly very interested in her pasta but Carina didn’t hesitate. She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Maya’s lips then she smiled at the stunned table.

“Having a firefighter captain as a girlfriend,” she said calmly, “is officially my flex.”

For a second there was silence then the table exploded into laughter.

Dean slapped the table. “I KNEW IT.”

Vic pointed dramatically. “I CALLED IT.”

Jack shook his head, grinning. “Cap’s got game.”

Maya rubbed the back of her neck, cheeks slightly warm, but the smile she tried to hide refused to disappear.

Dean leaned forward eagerly.

“So does this mean you’ll be cooking here more often?”

Carina tilted her head thoughtfully.

“That depends.”

Everyone leaned in, intrigued to know exactly how often Carina would be cooking.

“If you treat your captain well,” she said, nodding toward Maya, “then I will treat you well.”

The firefighters immediately erupted into promises and exaggerated agreements. Maya just sat there for a moment, listening to them, feeling the warmth of the room around her because for the first time in a long time, someone had stood firmly on her side.

It might have been Friday the 13th.

The day might have been cursed with flat tires, broken dummies and spilled coffee.

But maybe Carina had been right, maybe the team had just needed a reason to choose her.