Written by: Gemma

Date first published online: 5TH November 2003

Archive: Just ask me

Disclaimer: Jack Morgan, Carole Webb and George Green are copyright to London's Burning, all other characters are copyright to the author.

Authors notes: This fic is a sequel to Of Past Regrets and Futures Fears, which lead on from Ghost Watch. I haven't got a clue how long it'll last. This might be the last story, it depends on what ideas I have. This chapter might be a bit upsetting. Seeing as it is Bonfire Night, I thought I'd write a hard-hitting sort of chapter, regarding the misuse and carelessness. I was going to write a bit more for this chapter, but decided to end it where it is. I haven't written Carole directly into this chapter, I will probably keep her out of it directly for a couple more chapters. I'm still considering what to really do with her.

Starring: Main: Jack Morgan, Carole Webb, Leading Fire fighter Darren Downing, Fire fighter Bob McCallum, Fire fighter Andy Bacon, Fire fighter Marc Arun, Fire fighter Bryan Phillips and Fire fighter Gavin Austin. Guest: George Green, Mother and Control Woman.

Summary: The sequel to Of Past Regrets and Future Fears - Carole is now living in Liverpool and Jack is currently running the Green Watch who get cover from a nearby station and attend a firework related fire... PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

It had been about two months to the day since Carole had left London. It had all happened pretty quickly. The court case finished on a good note with Martin being sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment and then a number of shifts passed.

Jack was left in charge on a number of occassions while Carole was summoned to Headquarters, probably finalising the details of her transfer with D.O. Ackland.

Then she left.

Her last shift was like any other, the Watch attended a number of shouts - one hoax to the local Comprehensive and an RTA on the M25. But the shift proved to shock every one of them.

Carole called an unexpected role call at the end of the shift and revealed she was transfering. She wasn't being promoted, she wasn't moving across London, but up to Liverpool. Jack had decided to let her go. He'd tried on numerous occassions to change her mind, but deep down, he knew that in her heart she felt she had to go and if she felt that strongly, he wasn't going to stand in her way.

"She sprung it on me last night and she booked an appointment with the GP this morning..."

"Who sprung what on you?" Marc asked, as he appeared behind Bryan and Gavin, while Bryan was trying to explain his news to Gavin.

"Miranda, she's..."

"She's not sick of you already is she?" Marc asked with a smile, "You've only been married what? Three... Four months!"

"No!" Gavin glared at Marc with a grin, "She's pregnant isn't she!"

Marc glanced in Bryan's direction, "Ah, sleepless nights ahead for you then Bry!"

"So much for congratulations!" Bryan over-exaggerated a sigh.

"I know how you will get congratulations," Gavin began, as a cheeky grin formed on his lips as he glanced in the direction of the Watch room, after they had wandered down the stairs of the station.

Gavin then jogged ahead and Bryan glanced sideways at Marc, as they watched Gavin enter the Watch room, then the door closed.

"Attention all Green Watch personnel!" boomed over the station's tannoy. "I have some news curtosy of Fire fighter Phillips. His lovely wife Miranda is expecting!"

"I'm gonna kill him!" Bryan annouced, as a grin appeared on his face and he ran towards the Watch room, leaving Marc standing in the appliance bay laughing.

Jack was sitting in his office finishing off the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated over the last couple of days. As Gavin's voice boomed over the tannoy, he smiled. When he and Linda were together those years ago and when she announced she was expecting his baby, it was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world. He was so in love and happy, but how things changed. After Linda had moved away to America with Ian and had taken Stephen with her, all he could really feel for her was hate.

After that they spoke because they had to and Jack had never again been in a relationship with a woman where he could actually say he loved her. They were all just meaningless flings for both involved, and then when he did meet the right person, he had a knack of letting her walk away before he had the chance to tell her.

"How's Peter?" Downing asked, glancing in Bob's direction as they stood in the kitchen as Bob placed various items of food in cupboards and in the fridge. Bob had been appointed the new mess manager.

The Watch used to make do with them all taking it in turns, but after the rota mysteriously changed itself and the Watch always moaned at certain member's cooking, Bob volunteered his services.

"He's alright," Bob began, "He's ok enough, I think trying to find a job is making him down. He's had countless interviews and hasn't been contacted back. Being dismissed from the Brigade after drug abuse doesn't exactly look good does it?"

Downing offered a small smile, "I'm sure there are plenty of places who would take him on. It'll just take time. It's hard enough to get a job these days as it is."

Andy appeared out of the gym, after Gavin had made the announcement and approached Byran with a big grin on his face. "Congratulations mate! I'm sure you wanted to tell us a different way, but Gavin gets the prize for originality!"

As the four of them discussed Bryan becoming a father and the sleepless nights that were ahead of him, George Green wandered into the station. "Your Guv'nor about?" he asked, getting the lads attention. "I'm your relief for this shift."

"The Guv's gone mate," Gavin informed George, "Transfered up north, the Sub's acting up at the moment and he's upstairs. I'll just call him down..."

"Cheers..."

Gavin wandered back into the Watch room and took hold of the tannoy mic again, "Officer in charge to the appliance bay!"

After the announcement, Jack quickly stood to his feet and made his way from his office, to the stairs, before he wandered down and found himself in the appliance bay.

"Jack Morgan! Now I'd never thought I'd see the day, you running a Watch!"

Jack smiled, "George," he began as he gestured for George to follow, "I never thought I'd see the day when you would be sent anywhere as relief!"

They walked up the stairs and towards the Station Officer's office. Acting up when knowing Carole wasn't coming back still felt strange and having her office as his own until the new Guv'nor was appointed also felt weird. Jack had heard nothing from Carole after she left, even though she promised to keep in touch, it looked like that promise had already been broken so early after she had left.

Carole had definitely been the women he had been closest to in a non-sexual way, although there was a time years earlier when they both wanted more, he couldn't help but wonder if the feelings he was feeling was because he was on the rebound and she wanted someone because Martin wasn't being a husband.

Jack could talk to Carole and reveal things a lot better than he ever did with his ex-wife Linda or any of his ex-girlfriends.

He did miss her, he'd be stupid not to, and running the Watch without her and using her office, it did remind him of her. He missed Carole when she was away in Guildford for those weeks after the attack, but now he knew she definitely wasn't coming back, his thoughts did differ.

"So you're Guv's transfered away I hear," George began, as the two men stood in the office. "What did you do, drive him so mad he had to move across the country?!"

Jack smiled and looked down, "No... She needed a change, she'd been through a lot lately and decided she needed a new start. Carole Webb, remember her? She was the Guv'nor of this Watch."

George nodded, "Now I'd love to see Poison's reaction when he finds out that Carole made it up to a Station Officer while he's still a Sub!"

After a brief chat, the whole Watch found themselves down in the appliance bay, as Jack called a role call.

Jack and Downing stood ahead of the Watch, as they all stood in a line.

"Riders on the Pump, myself in charge," Downing announced, "Fire fighter McCallum driving, Fire fighter Phillips and Fire fighter Arun. "Riders on the Pump Ladder, Sub Officer Morgan in charge, Fire fighter Bacon driving, Fire fighter Austin and Fire fighter Green." Downing then turned to look at Jack, "Watch details Sub..."

"As you've probably all noticed, the D.O. has finally gotten round to giving us some relief... Fire fighter George Green from Blackwall. As far as I know, he's only covering today, so we'll just have to wait to hear from D.O. Ackland." Jack then turned to Downing, "Carry on Darren..."

As Downing opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted as the bells went down. The Watch quickly fell out of line and Gavin ran towards the Watch room, after being placed on Watch duty after he had displayed great enthusiasm for using the tannoy!

"Fire caused by fireworks," Gavin announced, after pulling the fax off of the roll. "12 Monument Lane, both!"

As the Watch arrived on the scene, they were confronted by a house, which had thick black smoke and fire pouring out of two upper floor rooms.

"My daughter! My daughter's in there!" a frantic woman screamed at Jack and Downing as the Watch grouped around and Jack and Downing stood forward. "Some yob set a rocket off in my front garden and I thought my daughter was somewhere downstairs!"

"Madame how old is your daughter?" Downing asked her softly, trying to keep her as calm as possible.

"Seven and... and... her name's Maria," she added as Downing glanced in Jack's direction as he quickly took charge of the situation and rallied his Watch together.

"Gavin... Bryan, I want you to both kit up in BA and go inside. George - BA control. Bob - get onto control, we'll need an ambulance and the police in attendance and keep control posted. Andy... Marc... get started on these flames."

Gavin and Bryan immediately kitted up in their BA kits and George checked to see if they were working fully, before the two entered the house. There were no flames in the downstairs of the house, but the whole area was covered in thick layers of smoke.

Bob, meanwhile entered the cab of the Pump and took hold of the radio. "M2FS for Echo 551, priority over."

"Go ahead Echo 551..." the woman on control prompted.

"An ambulance is required to the fire at 12 Monument Lane," Bob informed her, "The top floor is ablaze and a young girl is inside, further details are currently unknown."

Gavin and Bryan made their way to the staircase and quickly made their way upstairs. "Hello Maria?" Bryan called out loudly. "It's the Fire Brigade, we're here to get you out!"

As they touched the top floor of the house, it was noticable that the two bedrooms, which were adjacent to each other, were in fact alight and after peering in one bedroom, they could see clear damage from where a rocket had broken through the window, damaging the wall between that bedroom and the daughter's.

The daughters bedroom door remained closed. But there was a visible width of a gap underneath the door and it was obvious that smoke was pouring in.

"Control from Fire fighter Austin," Gavin began.

"Go ahead Fire fighter Austin," George prompted.

"Two rooms are alight up here George, the mother's and the daughter's. We still haven't located the daughter, but we suspect she's in her bedroom. Over."

Bryan and Gavin then approached the door, while Watch members outside tackled the blaze as Jack tried to get as much information as possible from passers by, before the police arrived.

"Maria? Are you in there?" Bryan called out loudly, "'Cause if you are, will you stand away from the door?"

There was no answer, not even a slight squeek. Bryan glanced sideways at Gavin, who nodded, before he walked forward and forced the door open. As the door swung back, then stopped, they could see that the room was fully consumed with flames, that licked the ceiling and walls. There was so much smoke and flames that it was difficult to make anything out, even though the room wasn't that big.

They both began searching the room and their hearts sank immediately as they noticed a young girl, 'asleep' on her bed. Bryan approached her slowly, he checked for a pulse, then turned to Gavin and shook his head.

Gavin took a deep breath, then took hold of his radio, "BA Control from Fire fighter Austin. We've located the girl..." there was a long pause, "She was asleep, obviously didn't hear the explosion..."

Sombre faces covered those of the Watch members as they cleared up the scene. As Bob gave control the full story...

"The fire was caused at eighteen hundred hours when a youth, who is currently unknown, set a rocket firework off in the front garden on 12 Monument Lane. It travelled upwards, breaking through a bedroom window, causing wall damage between the two bedrooms. The mother and daughter live alone and the mother found her way out of the house, after the explosion, thinking her daughter was following. Our crews entered the building and discovered the daughter asleep on her bed. The room full of smoke and flames..."

Gone - Chapter 1 - 05-Nov-03 - Gemma Lambourne©