by Alex Tryst

Disclaimers: See Part 1

Feedback: Feel free to drop me a line at alextryst@e-scribblers.com.

Copyright © January, 2005 by Alex Tryst. All Rights Reserved.

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As soon as they walked out onto the roof, the whole audience seemed to sense their presence as a curious hush fell over the usually loud firefighters. Hearing the silence, the redhead looked up to see her brother headed for the two women. Handing her duties off to a friend, she did the same. "Anna, Blair, good to see you both," she said with a smile and wave. "You two didn't have to dress up, you know."

"You promised me hot men," Blair joked, kissing the redhead on the cheek. "And boy did you deliver. I wanted to look my best."

"Knock yourself out. These boys aren't shy. Just stay away from Davin," she teased, hitting her brother playfully on the arm. "Davin, you remember Anna Porter, my girlfriend," she announced proudly, slipping her arms around the brunette's shoulders.

"Not as such. Nice to finally meet you officially, Anna. Dylan won't shut up about you," he teased, extending his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Davin. This is my friend, Blair."

"I couldn't forget your friend. Blair, allow me the honor of escorting you into the lion's den," he said with a bright smile.

"That would be great."

Once the two were alone, Dylan smiled at Anna again. "Thanks for coming. My da has been anxious to meet you. Are you ready to meet him?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Lead on," she answered, taking the redhead's hand.

Crossing the party they went over to a gray-haired gentleman sitting on the swing with two kids. He looked up and smiled as he saw them approaching. "Da, I want you to meet someone. This is Anna Porter. Anna, this is my da, Keane Flannery."

"Anna, wonderful to finally meet you," he said, standing to shake her hand.

"And these are my niece and nephew, Ainsley and Davin, Jr. Kids, this is my girlfriend, Anna."

Leaning down to their eye level, Anna greeted them politely. However, Junior asked, "Girlfriend? I thought you said that was boring stuff, Aunt Dylan."

Anna laughed at his comment. "I'm boring?" she quipped, putting her lover on the spot.

"I never said you specifically."

"Uh huh. I'll remember that later," she joked.

"Thanks, Junior," Dylan teased, ruffling his hair.

Just then they were interrupted by Stacie saying, "Well, this must be the famous Anna. I'm Stacie, Dylan's sister-in-law. She hasn't stopped talking about you in weeks."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" the redhead asked with a flush.

"Because it's true," her father answered. "Now, Anna, what can we get you to drink? Are you hungry? Dylan's been cooking up some good food while she counted the minutes until you got here."

Throwing up her arms in playful provocation, Dylan jested, "You all are making me sound some pathetic sap."

"Last time I checked that's what you were," he father said with a smile, slapping his daughter on the shoulder.

"Don't pay attention to them, Anna. They make it sound as if all I do is talk about you."

"And that's a bad thing?" the brunette teased, joining the fun.

Scoffing at the idea that her girlfriend was teasing her, she shook her head. "I'm going back to the grill to mind my own business. You fend for yourself."

Anna smiled after her retreating form before turning to Dylan's family. "She's not really mad, is she?"

"Not a chance. She knew we were going to give her a hard time about having you here, but she knows it's just in fun. It's been such a long time since she's dated anyone," Stacie informed her.

"Really? That seems odd. I mean she is a great catch if I can say so myself."

"Dylan's a sensitive soul, Anna. Her emotions run deep," Keane said. "But I'm sure you've already figured that out."

The brunette nodded. "Some things I have yet to figure out about her, though."

"Like what?" Stacie pressed in interest, but Anna didn't respond at first. "You know what, Anna? Let's go get a drink, shall we?" Seeing the reprieve, Anna agreed and was escorted away. Once she and Stacie were alone by the beer cooler, Dylan's sister-in-law said, "Spill it. Something's troubling you about Dylan that you didn't want to say in front of Keane."

The brunette smiled at Stacie. "You are quite the observant one, aren't you?"

"Have to be in this family. All the Flannerys carry their emotions so deep within themselves, you have to be quite the investigator. I think I have the hang of it after being married to one for a decade, though. Now what's on your mind?"

"A couple of things actually. First I guess is Danny," she hesitantly said. "She won't talk about him."

"Well, that's not just your problem. Dylan won't talk about Danny with anyone except sometimes Davin. She's suffered a great deal since he died, more so than when her mother did. Something happened that day, something so horrific that she just can't voice it, but I see it in her eyes. I see her sorrow."

"The other night we were falling asleep and talking about her therapy, and she said something to me. It's the only time she's ever mentioned him."

"What did she say?"

"She said that it was just the two of them that day, and that's why no one could ever understand. Do you know what she was talking about? I haven't been able to stop thinking about that."

Stacie shook her head. "I've never heard her say that, and Davin's never said he heard her say that. That actually makes a great deal of sense to me. I see why she carries her grief so close to her heart. If it truly was just the two of them, she probably feels responsible for whatever happened up there."

"But she's not," Anna protested.

"We can say that, but until she believes it, it doesn't do any good, Anna. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has since that day she was rescued."

Both women looked at the topic of the conversation. Dylan was engrossed in conversation with some other guests as she manned the grill. "May I ask you something else?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"You've known Dylan a lot longer than I have, so you're probably a better judge of this than I am."

"I've known Dylan her entire life."

"Really?" Anna inquired in interest.

Stacie nodded. "Davin and I met at Sunday school at St. Patrick's when we were six years old. I remember Patricia being pregnant with Danny and Dylan. There is a seven-year difference between Davin and Dylan, so there were plenty of times when Davin and I were dating in high school that we babysat those two. The two of them were so wild together, a lot like my own kids. I see Danny in Davin, Jr. everyday," she mentioned with a sigh. "I'm sorry. We were going to ask me something."

"That's okay. What I was going to ask is if any of you thought Dylan had a drinking problem."

"A drinking problem? No. Why do you ask?"

"She just drinks so much when I'm around her."

"Well, all the Flannerys are big drinkers. They'd hardly be Irish if they didn't knock back a few. We joke that Davin, Danny, and Dylan were all born with a pint of Guinness in their hands," she joked. When Anna didn't laugh though, Stacie stated, "You're concerned over this."

Anna nodded. "I don't know if it's just a cultural difference, but I find it a bit excessive."

"Well, give me an example."

"Well, we went to lunch the other day, and she drank four beers in less than an hour. We went to the movies, and when we got back to my place, she had two more."

Stacie nodded. "That seems about right for Dylan. Drinking is a way of life in the Flannery house. It might just take some getting used to. Speaking of which, here she comes for a refill," she mentioned.

Dylan smiled at her sister-in-law and Anna as she approached them. "Are you telling all my secrets?" she playfully accused Stacie.

"I wouldn't be a good sister-in-law if I didn't."

"Well, leave a little mystery, will you? Anna will get bored with me if she knows everything at once."

"Somehow I don't think I'll ever be bored with you, Dylan," the brunette said, touching her on the shoulder. She received a raised eyebrow in response and wink before leaving them again. "Oh, I know that look."

"I think she's about ready to have you here in front of everyone," Stacie said with a laugh.

Anna nodded. "She gets that way at the weirdest times too. I guess I didn't realize the capacity she had for that when we met."

"Oh, from what I've heard, Dylan's quite the lover."

"From what you've heard? Where did you hear that?"

"From the excessive parade of women that have come in and out of her apartment. We live right upstairs. Her bedroom is right under ours, and for some reason we can hear her through the ductwork at times. She was quite the Casanova."

"Was?"

"She got serious about someone when she was nineteen, and they dated for over a year. Then September 11th happened, and Dylan just cut everyone off, even her girlfriend. Dylan broke up with her, and she hasn't dated anyone else since."

"She hasn't dated in three years?"

"No. I've seen the occasional women in and out of her apartment, but there's been nothing serious until you. She loves you, you know."

Anna smiled and nodded. "I love her, Stacie. When we met I had no idea things would go this far."

"How did you two meet? She hasn't told me."

"We just met at a bar. Actually I was sort of mad, because my ex was there with the woman she cheated with me on, so I was out to get back at her. I saw Dylan sitting alone at the bar and went over to talk. Now a month later here we are."

"Well, she's taking big steps with you, Anna. We're proud that she finally seems to be putting her life back together. You've been a good influence on her. Although I should let you in on a little secret."

"What's that?"

"I heard her talking to Davin about you one night. She said she was having some issues with the money. I didn't quite hear all of it, because I was trying to get the kids in bed."

"I know what you're talking about. I think I bruised her ego one day by buying her lunch."

"That certainly would have done it. The woman has such gracious notions about courting someone. She's never dated someone with a different background, and I think she's still trying to figure out the best way to handle it."

"That would make two of us."

Later that evening as the more firefighters joined them after work, the crowd started to get rowdy as the alcohol flowed freely. As was usual with the group, the unruly company began singing drinking songs headed up by the youngest member of their troupe, the fiery redheaded Flannery. Anna and Blair watched from a distance with Stacie as the firefighters went through song after song. However, then she noticed Dylan huddle her boys for a moment.

Stacie turned to Anna and whispered, "I think you're about to be serenaded."

Sure enough, after a moment of deliberation between the redheaded woman and the other firefighters, they all turned toward Anna. With a smile only for her girlfriend, she started to sing with her fellow comrades as accompaniment,

"She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
She's got a way of pleasin'
I don't know what it is
But there doesn't have to be a reason
Anyway

She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She's got a way of talkin'
I don't know what it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin'
Anywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
She's got a way of showin'
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin'
She's got a light around her
And everywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her
Everywhere

She comes to me when I'm feelin' down Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
She's got a smile that heals me
I don't know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She's got a way about her
I don't know what it is
But I know that I can't live without her
Anyway,"

As the voices faded and the boys started to high-five each other on their singing accomplishment, Dylan came over to her girlfriend. Anna grinned and blushed as the firefighters started to chant for them to kiss. "Should we oblige them?" the brunette questioned, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's neck.

Nodding, Dylan dipped her while at the same time landing a smoldering kiss on Anna's mouth, much to the exultation of her co-workers. Knowing the taller woman was showing off, Anna allowed Dylan her moment, but when it was over, she whispered, "We're going to talk about this later."

"I have other plans for us later," the woman said with a brazen gaze.

Seeing Stacie and Blair suddenly try to find something else interesting, Anna knew they had heard Dylan's declaration. "I'm sure you do, but rest assured, we're going to have this talk first about your behavior." Looking around she decided they could slip away for a moment and took Dylan's hand, dragging her into the stairwell. "I don't like it when you do that."

"Come on, Anna. I'm just playing around."

"I know, but it makes me uncomfortable when you do that in front of the guys."

"Why? They're like my family. They just want us to be happy."

"Well, I just don't like being sexual in front of people I don't know. It makes me feel sleazy. You can't honestly say they want to see us kissing for our sakes."

The redhead laughed. "Well, probably not. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Can I still sing to you, though?"

"Of course. I love it when you sing to me," she whispered, caressing the firefighter's face sweetly. She couldn't help but notice the smell of beer circulating through the air between them, the aroma of the dark ale that clung constantly to her lover. It permeated Dylan's clothes and hair, and she tasted it when the firefighter gave her a stirring opened-mouth kiss.

"Good because I love singing to you," she admitted. "Now unless we go downstairs to my place and have some hot sex, I need to get back to this party. They'll notice if I go missing."

"I know. They wouldn't know what to do without their ringleader. Who would tell them what to sing?" Anna teased lightly, thankful for the small reprieve from intimacy. At the moment she felt less than inclined as she had watched her lover over the course of the evening. When Dylan was with her peers, she was a completely different persona than when they were alone. In fact she acted more macho than her masculine counterparts as if she felt the need to parade her own sense of virility to fit in with her adoptive brothers.

Late that night after the crowd had thinned to just a few stragglers, Blair said that she had to go. Anna saw her opportunity to slip away with her and commented she too should be going. Dylan nodded at both of them even though Anna could tell she was disappointed that she would be going to bed alone. "Let me walk you two out," she said, tossing back the end of her beer. Seeing that her brother was still there with the other guests, she waved the two women toward the door heading back downstairs. However, as she hurried down the stairs in front of them, she ended up tripping.

"Dylan!" Anna exclaimed in concern as she saw her girlfriend slip down several stairs onto the landing.

A moan was the only response at first and then she mumbled, "Fuck that's going to leave a mark."

"Are you all right?" Blair asked as both women assisted her to her feet.

"I'm fine. Just took the stairs too fast. I'll be all right," she assured.

Anna looked at her friend a moment as they held the firefighter by either arm. "I'll tell you what, Dylan. Why don't I help you into bed before we leave?" she suggested.

Green eyes flashed in excitement at the prospect. "Fine by me," she growled playfully.

Anna rolled her eyes at Blair as the duo took Dylan to her apartment. "I'll be right back," she told her friend as she assisted the redhead to the bedroom. Sitting Dylan down on the bed, she quickly started to undress her. However, her girlfriend had other ideas as she began to kiss over the brunette's neck. "Not now, Dylan," she complained. "Let's get your clothes off."

"You're going too fast. You know I like it slower than that," the younger woman pouted as her shirt was ripped from her body.

Anna ignored her as she did the same with Dylan's jeans. Kneeling by the bed, she started to take off the redhead's shoes, but as she did so, she realized Dylan's ankle was bruised and swelling. "Does that hurt?"

"I can't feel it."

"Well, it's going to in the morning. I hope you don't have to work. Here. Put your pajamas on while I get you some ice," she charged, tossing the cotton pajamas on the bed. Moving into the kitchen, she passed her friend standing in the living room. "Dylan sprained her ankle when she fell. She's going to be in so much pain when that alcohol wears off. Maybe I should stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. She might need to go to the hospital. I'm too worried to leave her."

"All right. Call me tomorrow then."

"I will." Getting some ice from the freezer, the brunette returned to the bedroom to find Dylan stretched out on the bed in her pajamas inspecting her ankle.

"That's going to smart in the morning," the firefighter commented.

"I hope you don't have to work."

"Actually I have to work lunch shift at the pub."

"Well, I don't think you can walk, Dylan. Your dad will just have to find someone to cover for you."

"I'll be fine. I've shown up for work in much worse shape than this. Don't worry. You'll see. Now come here," she said, trying to pull her girlfriend down onto the bed with her.

However, Anna resisted. "I have to wrap your foot. Here. Prop it up. Do you have a wrap for it?"

"In the bathroom under the sink."

The brunette went into the bathroom and found the bandage. Coming back to the bed, she carefully wrapped her lover's ankle and then applied the ice. "Now just rest it."

"But I had other plans," the firefighter mentioned, reaching for Anna's hand.

"Not now you don't. You're in no shape for it. You need to just go to sleep. I'll stay here with you, but you need to close your eyes and rest," she said, pushing Dylan onto her back. Curling up next to her, Anna just held her lover, and Dylan soon was snoring lightly.

The following morning the brunette was up first. The firefighter hadn't moved much during the night as she slept with her ankle still propped. Anna took the opportunity to examine it. It was twice the size it was normally and sported dark bruising along the foot. She knew her lover would not be able to walk in that condition and decided to take it upon herself to tell Keane of the situation before Dylan made herself worse by trying to work. Getting out of bed, Anna took a quick shower before throwing on some of the redhead's smallest clothes. Being that it was shortly before eleven, she knew the bar was probably already open in anticipation of lunchtime, so she walked downstairs and around the corner.

No one but Keane was there when she entered. He looked up and smiled. "Morning, Anna. To what do I owe this pleasure? Dylan's not here."

"I know. Actually I came to talk to you about that. She's upstairs in bed. She sprained her ankle last night and can't walk."

He shook his head in disappointment. "Damn, kid. I kept telling her that if she drank that much she'd end up hurting herself one day. She's just lucky it's a sprained ankle instead of a broken head. I worry about her drinking all the time. Now what am I going to do? Lunch starts in less than half an hour."

"Is there something I can do to help?" the brunette inquired.

He shook his head. "Unless you were a waitress in another lifetime, there's nothing you can do. I need a healthy body in here."

"Well, I could help you with customers. How hard could that be?" she inquired.

He looked at her with a raised brow, much in the same manner Dylan did. "Anna, that's sweet of you, but I can't subject you to these men. They're drunks."

"I'm sure it's not that bad. What would I have to do?"

"Well, take orders and deliver food mostly, but I can't. You're not even on the payroll. It would be a liability to have you working here."

"Mr. Flannery, with all due respect, you said you needed someone, and I'm free to help. I don't care about the money, and I'm not going to sue you if something goes wrong if that's what you're worried about."

He looked at her seriously as if he were contemplating the offer. "All right but just until I find someone else to cover the shift. I doubt you would even make it that long anyway."

"I can do this, Mr. Flannery. I eat out all the time. I know what to do."

"I'm sure you do, but it's different when you're on the other end of the table, kid. These drunks will run you all afternoon to chase down their beers," he grumbled. However, then he grinned and said, "Seeing as you're working here now, you better get used to calling me Keane. And I will pay you for today if you fill out an application that I can submit to my payroll company."

"It's fine, Keane. I'm not doing this for the money."

"All the same, if you work here, those are the rules. Even Dylan, Danny, Davin, and Stacie had to do it, so let's get you the form while it's still quiet," he said, gesturing toward the back.

While they were sitting in the office filling out paperwork, Anna tentatively asked, "Did I hear you say you worried about Dylan's drinking?"

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

"Because I thought I was the only one. I thought she was a bit excessive, but Stacie and Davin seemed to think it was fine."

Keane shook his head. "They might, but I don't. She drinks more than Davin and I put together. Sometimes I think she uses it to suppress her feelings of what's bothering her. After Danny died, she really took to the bottle in a way I've never seen anyone do, and it's been a concern of mine for some time. I had hoped it would wane over time, but I just don't see that happening."

"Do you think she's an alcoholic?"

He shrugged. "That's hard to say. Flannerys by nature are heavy drinkers, but Dylan's taken it to a new level. She uses it as an escape. That much I know."

Back upstairs Dylan awoke to realize she was running late for work. Panicking since it was her father who she had to answer to, she immediately picked up the phone to call him. "Da, hey," she said when he answered the bar phone.

"Dylan, how are you feeling? I heard you busted up your ankle."

"Yeah. I sprained it pretty badly. How did you find out about that?"

"Anna told me."

"Oh. Well, I'm going to try to get dressed here and then be down. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No. You should stay where you are. Anna said you could barely walk. You don't need to be on it if it's hurting that much. Besides, I got someone to cover your shift."

"Who? Stacie's busy."

"Anna's down here busing tables and doing a damn fine job of it if I may say so myself. The customers love her. I may have just found my new favorite employee," he joked.

"My Anna is busing tables? Da, she can't do that."

"Why not? She offered. I wasn't going to let her, but she talked me into it."

"But she can't handle those miserable drunks."

"Well, that's what I thought at first, but then I realized if she can handle you, she can handle them."

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Dylan inquired irritably. She was upset that her girlfriend was doing her job.

"One Irish drunk or twenty, it's all the same. She's actually quite the worker. I didn't think she had what it took, but I was mistaken. She's a natural with these guys."

"Da, I'm getting dressed and coming down there. She will not be working there. She's too good for that."

"What are you saying, Dylan? We aren't good enough for her? She apparently doesn't feel that way. Now you stay where you are and rest that ankle, and whatever you do, stay away from the Guinness, will ya?"

"Da, this is no joke."

"I'm not joking, Dylan. Now I have to go. I'm working the bar. Bye."

Irked that her father ended their call so abruptly, Dylan rolled out of bed and stood. Pain shot up through her ankle into her leg, but she limped to the bathroom anyway to shower. That accomplished she managed to put on her work clothes and then hobble to her closet where she had her crutches stored from her last major injury. With those in place, she decided to see the spectacle of her high-class girlfriend working in the bar.

When she made it down to the pub, it took her a moment to get through the door with her crutches, but then she found an empty table near the bar where she could observe. Her eyes instantly found what she was looking for. There was Anna dressed in some of the firefighter's shorts that were so large for her she had them bunched up in the back with a belt to keep them from falling. She was also wearing a Flannery's pub t-shirt, and her hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail. Dylan's eyes wandered down the brunette's legs to discover her favorite pair of tennis shoes on her lover's feet. When Anna turned around to take care of a customer at another table, Dylan noticed the apron she had tied around her waist. She just watched as Anna greeted the customers with a large smile and diligently wrote their order. For a moment the firefighter thought she looked so natural being there as if she had always been a part of the notorious drinking hole.

However, when Anna looked up and saw Dylan sitting at a table, her face became serious as she came to where she was sitting. "You aren't supposed to be out of bed," she said without greeting.

"And you aren't supposed to be working my shift. Why are you doing this?"

Anna shrugged. "Your dad needed help, and I was available."

"You don't have to do this, you know."

"I wanted to, Dylan. I wanted to make a good impression."

"Well, I'd say you did that. Now take off that apron. You look silly."

"No more than when you wear it. What's your problem with my working here?"

"You deserve better," she countered.

Anna shook her head. "You know, I don't want to talk about this. I have tables to wait on. Are you going to order something or not?" she huffed.

"Yeah. Get me a Guinness, gorgeous," she said with a smile.

Rolling her eyes, the brunette went to the bar. Meeting Keane there, she said, "I need a couple of Guinness."

"What's Dylan doing here? Is she bothering you?"

"She just came down for a beer and to be snide."

"Well, I think she's had enough beer for awhile. Take her this instead," he said, filling up a cup with water. "She shouldn't be drinking if she's taking medication for that ankle."

Taking the water, Anna returned to the redhead's table. "Here you go. A special drink from the bartender," she quipped.

"This isn't even close to a Guinness," the firefighter complained.

"If you have grievances, talk to the management," the brunette said before heading off to see to customers.

A few minutes later Keane approached her table as she sat there pouting and sipping her water. "What's the cross face for, Dylan?"

"Anna. I asked her to get me a beer, and she brought me this."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I'm the one who told her not to. You drink too much as it is. I won't have you drinking on medication. Now have you taken anything for that ankle? It looks like you did a number on it."

"It's just a scratch. I'll be as good as new in no time."

He nodded. "That's what happens when you get intoxicated, you know. You end up doing stupid things like this."

"I wasn't that drunk," she protested.

"You were drunk. That's enough."

"So was everyone else," she pushed.

"Well, you aren't everyone else, Dylan. I've let this go on for far too long. Anna's worried about you and quite frankly so am I. Next time it might not be your ankle, kid. Next time it might be your life. You need to cut back on this drinking habit of yours, or you're going to find yourself in a world of hurt."

"Like I'm not already," she mumbled, lifting her leg from the chair on which it was propped.

"You don't know the pain I'm talking about, but keep this bad habit up and you will. Now you just sit here and be quiet. And whatever you do, don't go harassing Anna. She's working." Dylan nodded in understanding. "Do you think you're going to be okay to play tonight?" Keane inquired.

"I'll be fine, Da. Get me a barstool to sit on. Besides it's my left ankle, so I can still play the piano. If I start to feeling bad, we'll just change the set, but it shouldn't pose a problem."

"All right. Well, I suppose I'll have to help Davin set up for this gig since you can't walk. I told Anna she only had to work until I could find a replacement for your shift, but she's doing so well, I think I'll just let her work the whole thing. Is she coming tonight?"

"I hadn't mentioned it to her. I'll ask later. If I asked now, you'd think I was pestering her."

Her father smiled and ruffled the redhead's hair. "Well, if you need anything, let me know."

That night when the brunette was finally told her shift was over, she went to the table where Dylan was still sitting. "You feeling any better?"

Dylan shrugged. "I'd be better if I had a Guinness to numb the pain, but seeing as I can't get one of those around here, I suppose I'm fine. Could you do me a favor, though? I think I might need help getting upstairs to change for work tonight."

"Work? What do you mean work? You can't work, Dylan."

"I can do this kind of work. My band is singing here tonight, and I need to get dressed. Davin and Da are going to set up the stage since I can't move. All I have to do is sit and sing. Is that okay with you?"

Anna nodded. Assisting the firefighter to her feet, she said, "I didn't know you were in a band. What's it called?"

"Firehouse 5. We sing here all the time." Looking for her father, she yelled over to him, "I'll be back in a bit, Da. Anna's going to help me upstairs to change."

"All right. Anna, I just want to thank you for what you did today," he said, making his way over to them.

"I had fun, Keane."

"Well, if you want, I can let you take all of the cripple's shifts until she's better," he proposed.

"Sure. That sounds good."

"Wonderful. You two take your time. The show doesn't start until nine anyway. Have some dinner and relax a little."

Heading upstairs the two women made it into the firefighter's place only after a great deal of effort. Once inside Anna placed Dylan on the loveseat in the den. "I need to shower after the day I've had. Will you be okay here for a little bit?"

The redhead nodded. "I'll be fine. I'll just be sitting her thinking of what you look like in that shower," she teased.

The brunette flushed lightly as she smiled. "I'm sure you will. When I'm finished, I'll make some dinner, and then we can get you dressed for tonight."

As Anna turned to go, Dylan grabbed her by the hand and asked, "Aren't you forgetting something? You haven't kissed me all day."

Shaking her head and smiling, she gave her girlfriend a quick kiss before disappearing into the bedroom, returning twenty minutes later in a pair of Dylan's sweat pants and a t-shirt. "Now what to do about dinner? What are you in the mood for?"

"Whatever you are. Do you want some help?"

"No. Just stay there. You'll be more of a hindrance than help in your condition." Doing as she was told, the taller woman sat reclined on her sofa watching TV as Anna made them dinner. When it was ready, the brunette brought it to her along with her own. "So, tell me about this band of yours. What kind of music do you sing?"

"We do a lot of Irish songs of course. Then I like to throw in different stuff, usually something where I can play the piano, Billy Joel, Elton John, stuff like that. Of course we take requests. Sometimes I'll pick a guitar song, but Davin is a better guitar player than me, so I usually just leave him to that."

"And who is in this band with you?"

"Well, it's Davin and two of our friends from the firehouse. You might have met them last night, Peter and Michael. Then I'm sort of the lead singer now, but we all sing as well as play instruments. Sometimes if we can catch Da in the right mood, he'll play with us."

"How did you end up with the name Firehouse 5?"

"There were five of us, and we all belonged to the same fire company. It's kind of goofy but catchy, so we kept it."

"Who was the fifth member?"

"Danny. He was our lead singer for a long time. We just don't have the heart to replace him or call ourselves anything else. We have quite the reputation in the pubs across the city. You know, we are all hot firefighters that sing. Can't get much better than that," she joked.

"No you can't," Anna replied.

"So, do you have plans tonight? Do you want to watch us play?"

"Of course I want to watch you play. I love listening to you sing. Why would I pass up that opportunity?"

"Good. I was hoping you'd hang around. I'll even sing you something special."

Anna smiled. "I love it when you do that."

That night when Dylan's band took to the stage at Flannery's Pub, Anna took the chance to call Blair as she had promised the night before. "Hey. Sorry I didn't call earlier. It's been quite a day."

"It's fine. Where are you? What's all that noise?"

"I'm still with Dylan. Her band is performing at the pub tonight."

"Her band? I didn't know she was in a band."

"Neither did I until I few hours ago. You want to come down?"

"Are there cute guys there?"

Yeah. Michael is here from last night. He's in the band."

"I'm so there," Blair joked. "He's hot. I wonder what he looks like without his shirt on."

"Don't know but I'm sure he'd let you see if you asked him. He asked me about you before they went on tonight."

"Oh, guess that means I better bring some protection, just in case," she mentioned with a chuckle.

Anna laughed. "Just get down here, you glutton. I'm sure he'd be more than happy get in your pants, but you have to be here for him to do that."

"All right. I'm on my way. Don't let him out of your sight."

"Hey. I have my sights elsewhere. Dylan looks so sexy up there. Makes me almost forget the shit she pulled last night. That girl has me worried."

"I know, but we'll work it out. For now just enjoy the music. I'll be there soon."

As Dylan sang that evening, she could hardly keep her eyes away from Anna as she sat at the far end of the bar, whispering conspiratorially with Keane and Blair. However, as the set started to come to a close, she knew she had promised her lady a song and hushed everyone to make her announcement. "All right. Tonight I want to break from tradition for a moment to sing a special song to a woman some of you may or may not know. Over in the corner there, is my girl Anna, and I promised her that I would sing her something. The boys and I thought of just the perfect song, and so we'd like to sing it now. As most you know, my favorite singer is Billy Joel, and he wrote this song for his then ladylove, and now I want to sing it to mine. If you feel so inclined, feel free to sing along as we serenade her with words that are especially appropriate, 'Uptown Girl'. Let's go everyone. You all know it. Sing with me." Even though she couldn't walk, the redhead stood and gazed fondly at her girlfriend as the entire bar lifted their voices to belt out the words of the lively ballad.

Anna and Blair both sat attentively and listened as all the men in the bar took great pleasure in bellowing the words to the classic song. As the music died though, the model leaned to her friend's ear and teased, "Looks like Dylan's getting laid tonight."

Anna swatted Blair on the arm as she blushed. "You make me sound like a slut saying that."

"You are a slut when it comes to that woman. As for me, Michael is about to become one lucky man. Excuse me."

"Have fun."

"Oh, I will. You too."

As Dylan slowly made her way through the crowd to where Anna was sitting, she noticed where Blair was headed. She laughed as she got to the brunette. "I see our little girl is on the prowl."

"Blair is a woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants. I just hope Michael can handle it."

"Oh, he'd love to die trying at the very least. If he calls in sick at the firehouse tomorrow, we'll all know why. Did you enjoy the show?"

"Very much. You all are really quite talented."

"I felt a little off tonight. Must be the pain in my ankle. It was a little difficult to play the piano as well as I normally do."

"I thought it was wonderful all the same. I especially liked my song."

"I thought you would. Billy has a song for every occasion."

Leaning to her lover's ear, Anna whispered, "Does he even have one for making love?"

Green eyes flashed brightly as she answered, "Most definitely. Perhaps you'd like to hear it?"

"I most certainly would but upstairs."

"Let's go then." Standing up, Dylan looked for Blair. "Is she going to be all right down here alone?"

Anna nodded. "I'll just tell her good night quickly and ask Keane if I'm scheduled to work tomorrow. Then we can go."

"You're not on tomorrow. I'm supposed to be at the firehouse, not here."

"You're not going to be able to work."

"I have to go all the same. Let me just make sure Davin can help me get there. He's working tomorrow too."

After each other them ran their respective errands, the brunette helped Dylan upstairs to her apartment. The two of them made their way back to the bedroom where the redhead took a seat on the bed. Anna smiled at her and asked, "What do you want to wear to bed?"

"You have to ask?" she questioned with a smirk.

Shaking her head, Anna replied, "After that, Dylan. Any preference?"

"None at all. Just do me a favor and hand me my guitar. I believe I promised you a song."

"No guitar. Just your voice but wait until I'm ready. I want to get ready for bed first and so should you."

"This sort of takes the spontaneity out of it, you know."

"It's still going to be good, because you're singing it," the brunette assured. "Now just give me a few minutes."

Shrugging the redhead answered, "Fine. You're running this show. We'll get ready for bed first. It'll save time later anyway."

Both did their nightly routine using Dylan's toiletries before changing into some of the firefighter's pajamas. As they stood together in the tiny bathroom, Anna mentioned, "I really should bring some clothes over here seeing that I'm here almost every night. Your clothes don't exactly fit me."

"Well, you're more than welcomed to. I have some space in my closet even though it's nothing like yours."

"I think I'll do that. It's either that or just walk around naked while I'm here," she teased.

"On second thought, that sounds even better," Dylan said, leaning to kiss the brunette on the neck softly.

When the two were ready, they both got in bed, but being that the firefighter had to sleep with her ankle propped, she merely lay on her back as Anna curled up into her shoulder. Once she was comfortable, she said, "Now tell me about this song. What's it called?"

"It's called 'The Night is Still Young', and I've always imagined it's for a moment just like this, for two lovers entwined in each other's arms late at night."

"Sing it to me," Anna murmured.

With a nod Dylan obliged her lover, softly singing the intimate words. When she was finished, she smiled as she gazed lovingly into blue eyes. "You know, I've never sung that song to anyone before. That's always one I've wanted to have reason to sing, and now I do."

Anna gave a dreamy nod as she kissed her lover. "You certainly do, but for now you need to do what you just promised me in that song," she mumbled, tossing her hair to one side as propped herself up on her arm.

"Anything you want, Anna," Dylan vowed, pulling the smaller woman on top of her body as she met her lips in a gentle kiss.

Continued in Part 6

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