Dad drops me off at the station today. I hop in to be met with everyone.

"Hi." TK says.

"Morning." I greet him.

I look around, but I don't find Blake.

"Where's Blake?" I ask TK.

TK furrows his brow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" I ask.

"Do you have a fever?" he asks, putting the back of his hand against my forehead.

"No, why?" I ask again.

"You didn't call Blake Fake."

Oh shit. "I meant Fake."

"You called him Blake."

"Oh my god! Just tell me where he is!" I exclaim.

"Why?"

I think quickly. "So I can murder him."

"Should I ask why?"

"Not if you don't want to be an accomplice." I say.

"I'll take the chance." TK says. "What did he do?"

Oh no. I have no clue what to say. Luckily, Blake walks in at the right time.

"You!" I say. He turns to me. "I need to talk to you."

"Why?"

"You know why, you stupid-" I suffer to find an insult. "You dumb, stupid animal!" I say.

"Woah, calm down." TK says. "Maybe we should let you two talk alone. I don't think anyone's in the sleeping quarters." he adds. "Lia, you can peacefully conduct your murder there."

Giving Blake one last look, I go towards the sleeping quarters, Blake right behind me.

We both walk into the sleeping quarters.

"Wha-" Blake starts once we enter the quarters, but I turn around and kiss him. It lasts for a few moments before Blake gently pushes me away. "Woah, okay." he says.

"You don't want me to-" I say. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry-"

"No, no, it's not that." Blake says. "I want you to. Really. But I just think we should talk about this."

"Right." I say, hopping back a couple steps. "Look, I'm sorry for all the things that I said to you. I'm not sure what this is exactly, but I think I might like you." I tell him. "Just a little." I add as an afterthought.

"That works for me," he says, smiling.

"Okay, but like, can we keep this relationship-"

"On the DL?" He completes for me.

I nod. "Yeah."

"Good idea. I don't think we should announce it to everyone before we're sure about it."

I nod. "Yeah. Plus, I highly doubt you'd be employed here if TK finds out."

Blake chuckles. "That's probably true. Or I would probably end up six feet under."

"Hmm. Yeah, probably the latter." I laugh.

"Probably."

"Okay, so we just go on hating each other, and since we're alone most of the time, we can do what people in a somewhat relationship do." Blake nods. "Okay, I'm gonna go before someone comes looking for me to help me carry your dead body."

He laughs lightly. "Yeah, sure."

I go towards the door, looking back and giving him a smile before hopping back outside and to the lounge.

****

It's been close to a month. My leg is in really good shape. I'm getting my cast off today.

TK sits next to me. After getting my cast off, we're going to meet the others at his and Carlos' house like we do every month. We drink, and talk(the kids stay at Dad's house). It's fun.

"Liara Strand." the nurse calls my name.

"Ready?" TK asks.

I shrug. "As ready as I can be." I tell him as we walk into the room.

I sit on the cot.

"Lia!" Dr. Fynn says, walking in.

"Hi Dr. Fynn." I greet him.

Dr. Fynn is an orthopedist. Dr. Johnson recommended him.

"Okay, let's get that cast off," he says, grabbing a cast saw. He turns it on, and starts cutting my cast off. It tickles. Once the cast is off, I finally see my right leg. It's really withered. "Okay, let's get you walking." he says, removing the cast.

I get down, keeping all my weight on my left leg. TK holds my hand. I look at him, and he nods assuringly. I gently put my right foot down, wincing as I feel pins and needles as well as pain. I hiss as I feel a stabbing pain, and immediately recoil, pulling my right leg off the ground.

"It's okay," Dr. Fynn says. He pats the cot, and I get onto it again. "Your leg will be sore. You most likely won't need physical therapy, but we can't be sure until after a few days. I'll put the brace on. You can take it off when you're sleeping, or taking a shower, but leave it on the rest of the day. It will make sure your bones stay in place." I nod as he shows me how to put the brace on. "Keep off your foot for a few days, but after that, you should try walking on it."

I nod again before hopping off and grabbing my crutches.

"Good luck." Dr. Fynn says.

"Thank you Doctor Fynn." I thank him before TK and I walk out.

****

"Well, cheers to Lia getting her cast off!" Carlos says, holding up his beer.

Everyone cheers.

"Thanks guys." I say, smiling. "I don't think I could have done this without your support.

"Aww," Tara says.

I look at her, giving her a come on look.

I suddenly feel something hit my left foot. I look down to see Blake's leg bumping into mine. I look up at him. TK is sitting to my right, and Blake to my left. Everyone is in deep conversation.

Blake gestures towards the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go get some more champagne." I say to no one in particular.

Getting up, I hobble over to the kitchen.

Blake follows me after a few moments, probably making up some excuse of going to the bathroom or something.

He walks into the kitchen.

"How was it?" he asks.

"It felt weird, but honestly, I'm happy. That cast weighed a ton."

He chuckles softly as he walks closer. Over the past few weeks, Blake and I took our relationship to the next level. I fell deeper for him as I learned more about him.

His mother died giving birth to him in Britain. Shortly after, his father met a single American woman with a daughter. Blake's father and the woman got married, and decided to live in America. Blake got a stepsister who loves him. His parents apparently aren't perfect parents. Then again, whose parents are?

"I think you getting your cast off calls for a celebration, does it not?" Blake asks, cornering me against the counter. He places his hands on either side of me on the cabinets, and leans in.

"Oh? What do you have in mind?" I ask. "A little champagne? Some cake maybe?"

"Oh, desert sounds amazing right now," he leans closer.

I slap his chest. "Perv." I say.

He leans back and gasps playfully.

"Wow Lia, that hurt my feelings!" he exclaims.

I roll my eyes before pushing past him and going to get some champagne from under the island counter.

"You do realize that everyone is in the other room, right?" I point out.

He groans. "Why do you have to remind me?" He asks. "You know, I actually wanted to have this little gathering at my place today."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"So I could give you a tour of the house and my bedroom."

I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"Hold the bottle." I say, handing him the champagne.

We walk back outside, and spend the rest of the night with the others.

****

Usually, if I don't have an early shift the day after we all meet, I sleep till noon. Today, I wake up at 8. Blake has his extra shift later, and Charlie promised to drop me off at his house at 9:30, before she went to work. She also said she would drop me off at home around noon, her lunch hour.

I guess in some twisted way, god made me wake up early today to find out the truth. It's 9 by the time I finish everything. I walk downstairs. I use my crutches only downstairs now. It takes me a few minutes, but I slowly get down the stairs without my crutches. I hear Dad talking to someone in the kitchen. I'm about to walk into the kitchen when I hear his friend, Raj's voice.

"She's my daughter Strand." Raj is saying.

What?

I've known Raj from the time I was born, and he isn't married. He would visit every month. He's really kind too.

"You may have been the father, but I raised her." Dad's voice replies.

"Look, I want my daughter back, and I'm going to get her back."

"Gwen wanted me and TK to take care of her, and we did." Dad's saying.

"Does Lia even know that you're not her biological father?" Raj asks.

That can't be right!

"She doesn't need to know." Dad tells him.

"I think she does." Raj challenges.

"Get out."

"What?"

"I said get out!" Dad shouts.

I hear a chair against the floor, and quickly limp into the bathroom, closing the door as quietly as possible.

I stare at myself in the mirror.

Raj is my father?

****

I'm quiet as Charlie drives to Blake's house. Luckily, she knows me well enough not to bug me. If I wanted to talk, I would have. But right now, I just want to collect my thoughts.

I barely talked to Dad after Raj left and I came out of the bathroom. I can't get my mind off the fact that the man who I call dad is not truly my father.

I'm deep in thought when Char comes to a stop in front of Blake's house.

"Bye." she says.

I just nod. I knock on the door, and Blake opens it.

"Hey-" he starts, but I'm already inside and closing the door.

Quickly leaning my crutches against the sofa next to me, I kiss him. I push him against the door. I need to forget. I need to forget. I practically rip his shirt open. A few of the buttons pop. He gently pushes me away.

"Woah, woah, calm down tiger!" he exclaims. We're both breathing heavily. Blake looks at me. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine," I brush him off, kissing his neck.

"Okay, okay," he says, pushing me away again. He forces me to look him in his eyes. "Talk to me," he says.

I feel the tears forming. How is it that I can bear physical pain but not emotional pain?

"Hey, hey, it's okay." he says, gently helping me to the sofa and sitting me down. He sits next to me. "Alright, what happened?"

"Noth-" I start, but he stops me by putting a finger to my lips.

"Don't say that it's nothing."

"I'm fine, really." I assure him, blinking my tears away. "Why would you assume something's wrong?" I ask as an afterthought.

"Because, I know you, and you would never close the door on anyone, much less your best friend." He says. "Plus, you would never kiss me like that."

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" I ask, leaning in to kiss him again, but he stops me.

"Lia, tell me what's wrong." He insists.

I look down at my hands as I feel the tears forming again.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry." I cry. "I'm sorry." The tears fall freely now.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." He says, pulling me close to his chest. I breathe in his scent, which calms me a bit. "Tell me what happened."

And I do. I tell him everything that I heard.

****

When I finish, Blake is quiet.

"Say something." I say.

"They must have a reason, Lia."

"There's no reason that they could have to hide who my true father is." I say.

"Talk to them about it."

"Not a chance. I want to find out why I'm living with Robert and not Raj."

"Lia-" he starts, but I stop him.

"Shut up." I say, leaning close to him. "You're looking very hot today, and I need to take my mind off things." I bite my lip. We're just a couple inches apart, and he really is hot.

"Oh?"

"Mhm." I close the space between us and kiss him.

****

It's been a couple weeks. I haven't been able to find anything in the house about why I am staying with Robert instead of Raj. Nothing. Not a single clue.

My phone rings. It's Blake.

"Hey." I say, answering the call.

"Morning."

"Morning." I echo. "How are you?"

"Great, cause I can wake up an hour later because I don't have to pick you up." He says.

"I thought you loved picking me up."
"Meh."

"Haha, very funny."

"Well, are you excited?"

"Excited to be getting back into the game?" I ask."Hell yeah! But am I ready to have TK and Cap hovering over me? No."

Blake chuckles.

"Alright. I just wanted to check up on you cause I don't need to pick you up anymore."

"Aww, look at you, being a concerned boyfriend."

"Boyfriend-" he repeats.

"I-uh-" I stutter, unsure of what to say.

We didn't really talk about what to call us yet.

"Lia, breakfast's ready." Dad shouts.

"Uh, I gotta go." I tell Blake.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely. See you soon."

"Yeah, bye."

I end the call and walk down the stairs.

"Hey pumpkin." Dad says, walking over to me.

"Morning."

I don't call him 'Dad' much anymore. I don't know what to call him, so I don't call him anything. 'Dad' comes out once in a while, 'cause I'm used to it, but other than that, that's it.

"Breakfast?" Dad asks.

"No, I'm good." I reply, grabbing my purse off the kitchen counter.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drop you?" Dad asks as I wear my shoes.

"I'm not a little kid Dad, I can drive myself to work."

Today is my first day back to work. I didn't need to get any physical therapy, and I can use my right leg without breaking a sweat. I even passed the mandatory physical exam that I needed to take before I could join the department again.

I can't wait to get back to work. It's been three months. Sure, if I hadn't broken my leg, I wouldn't be in a relationship with Blake, and I probably wouldn't have found out that Raj is my biological father, but still, being away from work killed me more than the broken leg.

Dad gives me one more hug, and a kiss on the forehead before I walk out to my car. Oh, I missed my baby.

I get into the driver's seat, and put my seat belt on. I drive to Mia's Coffee Shop on my way to the station to pick up coffee for us.

"Hey Lia! Long time!" Tina exclaims when I walk in.

"Hey girl!"

Tina and I went to the same middle and high school. I wouldn't say we're best friends, but we're close.

"It's been what, four months?" she asks.

"Yeah, I broke my leg." I tell her.

"You what?!"

I nod. "Yeah, three months ago, it was on a call. It was either break my leg or be buried alive."

"Hmm. When are you going back to work?"

"Today."

"Ah! Okay. The usual?" she asks.

"Yeah, two cappuccinos, one espresso, one french macchiato, three coffees, one with milk and sugar, one black, and one with milk and sugar with whipped cream, and one caramel latte." I say.

"Oh, the coffee with whipped cream?" she asks, raising her eyebrows.

That one's for Blake. Usually, I don't have the whipped cream added. It pisses him off like hell. But, I guess going back to work counts for being nice, right? Well, that and the fact that we're seeing each other now.

"Yeah."

"Isn't that the one for Blake?"

"Fake? Yeah."

Oh no, please don't think that we're seeing each other!

"I thought you hated him. You usually forget the whipped cream." She puts air quotes around forget.

"Yeah, well, it's my first day back to work after three months, so I guess I can be a little kind, right?" I say, laughing as I slide my card out of my purse.

"Hmm, I guess you can." Tina replies, handing me the cup holders.

"Thanks Tina." I thank her before walking out with the drinks.

Gently setting the coffees on the passenger seat, I drive to the firehouse.

****

I park and get out, taking the coffees with me. I walk in through the garage, and am met with the entire team. They're waiting for me.

"Welcome back!" they shout as soon as I walk in. They pop confetti cannons, and confetti rains down on all of us.

I smile as I walk up to them.

"Aww, thank you guys!" I exclaim.

"You got coffee!" Tara exclaims.

"Coffee for everyone!" I say. Tara takes the drinks from me.

"Well, I made pancakes." Matt says.

"Let's eat!" Trav exclaims.

We all chuckle as we walk towards the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" TK asks.

"Excited."

"I bet," he says. "Just, be careful. Please."

I nod as we walk over to the table.

It's set for everyone. Each place has a plate of pancakes waiting. We all sit down at our usual places. Tara hands everyone their coffees.

"Well, this is one hell of a welcome back party." I laugh as I take a bite of my pancake tower.

"You are getting back into the game! You need to be ready for anything Austin throws at you today." Blake says, putting some pancakes in his mouth.

Everyone stares at him, me included.

"What?" He asks as we all stare at him. "Do I have something on my face?"

"You just said something nice to Lia." TK points out.

"Oh-" Blake freezes when he realizes what happened. "I was trying to be nice to her. You know, because she finally remembered to get me whipped cream on my coffee."

Shit.

Now everyone turns to me.

"Well, don't get used to it." I mutter towards Blake, putting some pancakes into my mouth. "It's a one day thing."

"What?" Blake asks.

"Yeah. What, do you expect me to get you whipped cream every day?" I ask. "Nah ah. It's my money."

Everyone rolls their eyes and resumes eating.

I mentally sigh.

Thank god they're convinced.

Heyyyyyyy!!!!! So, thoughts? Let me know in the comments! ROBERT ISN'T REALLY LIA'S FATHER??????? Let me know what you think!

So I know I was not supposed to update today, but I'm just very happy! So, why not? Right? Hope you enjoyed the chapter!