Bang Bang!

The Episode Where Athena Got Hurt Bad, And So Does Maeve

The first call was a little girl trapped in a hot air balloon.

"Cap, the ropes don't look like they are over 30 feet. She's gotta get lower." Eddie said, staring at the hot balloon in the sky. "Maeve, can you see if you can get balloon down more."

Shape-shifting into a dragon, the youngest firefighter dove after the balloon. She then grabbed it, shaking the whole thing.

"Ah! What was that?" The girl inside asked, she looked over and saw a dragon. "Woah.." she whispered as the dragon pulled on the balloon.

Suddenly, the radio in the balloon screeched. It was the girl's mother, and she sounded worried. "Sophie?"

The dragon screeched a little, beckoning the kid to take it. Hesitantly, Sophie picked it up. "Mum? They sent a dragon?"

"She's going to help you, okay...?"

The balloon shook more but the wind pushed more, and eventually, the wind pushed Maeve down.

Maeve let go and looked around, beforshe flew above the balloon and pushed downwards. "Good girl, Maeve." Bobby said over the radio.

"Oh my god I'm going to crash!" Sophie shouted. The dragon took that as her cue and lifted its weigh. Thankfully, Eddie and Buck were able to grab the ropes.

The little girl got out and so did Maeve.

"Nice job, girl." Eddie said, picking the firefighter up and setting her on the ground. Maeve shape-shifted back and panted, holding a thumbs up.

...

Later that day, Bobby and Maeve went to Micheal's house.

"Hey Bobby! Maeve, I thought Athena was doing the pick up." Micheal greeted, raising an eyebrow confused. "She's working the case again."

"You guys hungry?" Micheal asked, and Bobby shrugged. "I haven't fed her yet so sure." Maeve instantly ran in and hugged May,, who greeted the girl with open arms. "May!"

"Maeve!" May chuckled, picking her up. "You know, for a shape-shifter and someone who can carry 100 tons of weight, she is pretty light."

"I promise you that I have been feeding her." Bobby put his hands up jokingly.

Bobby and Micheal started talking and it didn't take long for the kids to pick up on their conversation. "Ever since Athena picked up that case, it has been texts and sticky notes instead of talking."

"What case?" Harry asked. "The realtor rapist case." May added, not looking up from her phone. "Hm, what's a rapist?" Maeve asked, and May paused, looking up at Bobby and Micheal with wide eyes.

The two fathers looked at each other and back at the seemingly innocent kid.

"It's someone who steals.. wrappers." Micheal nodded. "Yes, and that's... illegal when you collect... a certain... amount." Bobby added, sounding unsure of his own word choice.

"Okay!"

"Thank god..." May whispered, giving Maeve a bowl of rice to eat. "How about you kids wash up and play with Maeve?"

In 10 minutes, the little girl found herself building legos with May and Harry. "Can I tell you a secret?" Maeve asked, and her siblings turned to her. "But promise you won't tell Bobby or Athena..?"

"Of course, we're your siblings. We may fight but never spill secrets." Harry smiled. "... I think my foster parents know where I am."

And of course, Brin May and Harry paused. "Wait, the same foster parents that took a gallon of your blood every year?" May asked, and Maeve nodded.

"Technically it was my birth parents who did that, but they donated my blood every year to that black market to earn a little bit more cash."

"How?" Harry asked, putting his blocks down. "I-I don't know, I answered the door on my birthday and there was a.. box with a cupcake."

"Let's not assume the worst, maybe it was from Buck or Chimney... It will be okay, I-I mean... Mom's a sergeant, you're safe." May suggested, though she still sounded worried.

"I hope so... I like it here with Bobby and you guys.." Maeve frowned. "Don't worry, if I know bobby, he and the rest of the 118 would kill if they ever took you."

...

The next call was a man and a lady.

Maeve didn't need to do much, but shape-shift into a dragon and hose down the fire with her blasts of air.

"Good girl, Maeve." Bobby smiled, everything was going great until someone hit the lights. A blackout struck the city.

Or half of it, at least.

"Are you serious?" Bobby sighed, staring into the darkness. "Huh, power's out." Maeve shape-shifted back, crossing her arms. "Are you trying to act like me?" Bobby smirked.

"Yeah, I thought it would make me look more professional, you know." Maeve smiled, before frowning at their coos. "You're adorable." Buck added, and Maeve unfolded her arms.

"And you're a jerk."

The few calls later, a man was trapped in a freezer.

"Maeve, we're going to need that blast right now." Eddie asked, Maeve shape-shifted into a dragon and threw a blast to the door.

But it barely made a dent. "... Alright, we're going have to hot-wire the door." Hen said. Maeve stood by and watched as the rest of the crew tried to open the door.

But again, it didn't budge.

Maeve thought for a moment and shape-shifted into a dragon again, she concentrated her blast of fire and blasted the ridges of the door.

"Good girl, nice thinking."

Soon, the door fell open and Hen and Chimney could go in to help the man. "Fever of 89." Chimney said.

"Dispatch, we got him. He'll be just fine." Everything was going great, until Maeve heard something over the radio. "All units switch to tac channel 50, 727 L 30 open mic distress."

That was Athena's number.

Before she heard what was happening, Buck covered her ears. "Mama..?"

"Take him to the hospital, everyone else, back on the truck. Let's go!" Bobby yelled, but Maeve didn't move.

"Maeve, we-"

"Where is she?" Maeve asked over the radio. "Warehouse on the 4th wallbert street..." Maddie replied. (Not the actual name, but I didn't know what it was)

Someone was out there hurting Athena, and it made Maeve's blood boil. "Maeve, we gotta-..."

Before Chimney finished his sentence, she shape-shifted into a dragon and took off. "Maeve!" Bobby shouted. "Cap..." Hen whispered. Bobby looked at the lesbian and at the dragon.

"In the truck, now!"

Everyone got into the fire engine and drove off. During the ride, they had to endure the pain of listening to Athena's struggles silently and Bobby refused to turn it off.

However, all of a sudden, there was a switch.

"Wait, what- AHH! SHIT, AH, GET OFF!"

"GET OFF, GET OFF! AH!" The man yelled, yet no one could do anything. The snarls of the dragon turned into a wolf's growls, and the man screamed in terror.

"Stupid- Little- AH! SHIT-!"

Maeve was fighting the man.

Fighting, taking on punches and kicks, just for Athena. All of it until there was a bang.

A gunshot.

A gunshot that silenced Bobby's mind.

There were no more growls, no more whimpering or shouts.

Just a heavy breathing.

Buck and Eddie exchanged looks of worry, it couldn't have been her, right?

The firetruck pulled up, with police cars already around in the carpark in the storage unit. Bobby practically barged inside, and there Athena was.

She was banged up pretty bad, her face was bruised and bleeding, but nothing seemed broken. Maybe just sprained.

Thankfully, she was conscious enough to talk.

However, the other guy was worse. He had two compound fractures on both legs, his left arm was bent the wrong way and there was a bite mark on his face.

"Help me.. please... it hurts.. so much." He said breathlessly. "You can wait." Bobby said angrily, glaring him down so hard it may kill him.

"Oh my god." Hen said in disgust. "I don't know which is worse.. this or.. that." Chimney chimed. "Get her help." Bobby ordered. "B.. Obby.." Athena gasped, as her husband kneeled next to her.

"Shh... don't talk, Athena.." Hen said, checking her pulse. "M.. M.."

"Maeve." Buck whispered, he was backing away from something. "Buck..?" Bobby called out, and Chimney went over to see what was wrong. As soon as he was next to Buck, he froze like a statue.

"... Cap, you have to come see this." He gulped.

Hen and Bobby looked at each other and Bobby rushed over to a horrifying sight. Maeve laid against the wall, in a pool of blood.

Her hand was pressed against her side, and she looked up at the firefighters tiredly.

"Sweetie." Bobby rushed over. "Bobby, she lost a lot of blood, we gotta get her to a hospital." Chimney added, putting pressure on her wound.

"Did I.. get him..?" she asked. "Y-yea... yes, you did, you-.. you did." Bobby smiled, tears in his eyes.

"Is.. Mama... okay?"

"She's alright sweetie, you did so well."

"Why is he... crying?"

"It's.. it's nothing, Maeve.."

"Don't cry... cap's orders..."

Maeve felt a lot of pain, sharp and white.

It wore her down, she felt so tired. This always happened to her, she got hurt 3 times in a row. Some kind of record, right? Two near death experiences and one small injury.

Next thing Maeve knew, she woke up next to Athena in the hospital. "This is a different hospital." Maeve yawned.

"Yup, they thought it would be good to move you next to me." Athena replied, Maeve looked down and her stomach was heavily bandaged.

Again.

"Do I have to ground you? You keep getting hurt." Athena joked, "I was protecting you.." Maeve giggled and Athena almost stopped smiling.

"Maeve... you took a bullet for me."

"You would too for me... at least I got the guy."

"You got him good, even Hen was horrified." Athena chuckled, and Maeve hummed. "Why? She has seen bones stick through the skin before."

"She hasn't seen it be done on both legs, an arm be twisted that way with a bite on his face and all of it be done by a 6 year old."

"Hey.."

Just then, Bobby walked through the door, still in his work uniform. "Hi you two.." He said, running to kiss Athena on the cheek.

"Hey, you listened, you're not crying." Maeve smiled, and Bobby smiled back." Gotta listen to Captain's orders, right?" Bobby replied, kissing her forehead.

"You are suspended until further notice for reckless behaviour, though." He added, making Athena laugh. "A question, was I being paid before?"

"... actually you were. Apparently, even 6 year olds who work as firefighters have to be paid for duty."

"Huh, look at that, earning money and I can't even spell restaurant." Maeve giggled. "I don't think Buck can, either."

"You two will be in the hospital for a while." Micheal laughed, walking in with May and Harry. "Did you really break a guy's arm?" Harry asked, starstruck.

"It's actually not that hard, you just-..."

"Ok, ok, but you will not do it again... understood?" Athena pointed out, interrupting her. Maeve pouted and nodded, but she knew she would do it again someday. Maeve stayed in that hospital for a very long time, she was almost grateful she got shot.

Athena was safe and that's all that mattered.

Even though it hurt.

Everyone came back a few days later for May's prom pictures.

"You too, Mum."

"I am not good for these photos right now." Athena refused. "I want you in my prom photos, Maeve too."

"Alright, fine then."

Maeve positioned herself next to May and smiled for the cameras, even though she didn't know what prom was.

At least there was cake later.

...

When Maeve got home later that week, Athen and her returned to a broken chimney.

"I'm in the hospital for a week and you two loose your damn mind!" Athena shouted, making Maeve giggle. "I was trying to make Bobby feel better." Micheal argued.

"I don't think the chimney feels better though." Maeve said, pointing at the dismantled fireplace. "Are you guys going to finish taking it down because i can help!" Harry chimed.

"Ooh, ooh, me too!" Maeve raised her hand. "No, no, your fathers broke it down, they're going to fix it." Athena glared, sending shivers down Micheal's spine. "Your mother is right, I'm going to do a sketch and come back tomorrow."

Then, Micheal sped out the house, very quickly.

Even injured, Athena was still terrifying.

Maeve found the time suspended useful, she learned how to write words and Bobby learned that she made for a great lighter for the barbecue.

However, she still can't spell restaurant.

No more lore for now 😀