True Love Waits. Part 1. free porn video

By the cold blue light of the Winter moon, two small figures ran hand in hand into the undergrowth as the snow continued to fall all around them.

The girl turned to her best friend and pressed a finger to her lips. Her younger companion nodded and huddled closer as they both stared wide-eyed watching and waiting to see if they had made good their escape.

Reaching up, the older girl pushed the stray strands of her long black hair back under her red woolen hat as she tried to control the pounding of her heart with the blood coursing through her veins. It had been a good twenty minutes since they had left the compound and she knew it was only a matter of time until they came this way.

They being the hunt.

The snow was falling heavier now as the raven-haired girl squinted into the early January gloom trying to see any sign of their pursuers. Behind her, her blonde haired friend fiddled nervously with her pigtails as she shivered with the cold. "Can you see anyone?" she whispered as she eased closer to the taller girl.

Her friend was about to shake her head when she stopped. Straining forward, she listened intently, trying to make out what she thought she heard above the swirling snow. Then she saw the flickering beams of light in the distance.

It was them. They were here.

She felt a tug on her coat.

"Let's go!" the smaller girl urged as she saw them getting closer. They had to go. They had to go now or it would be too late. Her friend kept silent and stared intently at the approaching group. How many were there? Three? Four? Where were the rest? There was only one answer to that question. They must have found the other girls and taken them back.

As they came into the clearing, she saw there were four of them. All searching for her and her friend. They needed to stay hidden. Quiet. They had to wait until they passed. As she watched, her attention was drawn to the one walking to the rear of the group. Blinking away the snow, she stared at him as her heart rattled like thunder in her chest. To her, he was the only one that mattered and he was here. Searching. Searching for her.

The breath caught in her throat as she saw him suddenly stop and turn in their direction. Instinctively, both girls shrank back further into the thicket trying to make themselves as small as possible to avoid the searching light. Had he seen them? Everything slowed to a single heartbeat as they watched him take several steps towards them and shine the light over the snow-covered bushes they were hiding in. The moment became frozen in time as he took another step closer. Then another.

"Jyn.." hissed her friend, tugging at her coat before she scrambled to her feet and broke cover with a shriek of fear as she made her break for freedom.

"No! Wait!" But it was too late as the blonde-haired girl disappeared into the swirling snow as she still knelt there in the bushes. "Carrie," she whispered, hearing the surprised shouts of those looking for them as three of the boys chased after her friend.

It was then she realized someone was standing over her and she turned slowly to find herself in a circle of light. Raising a hand to shield her eyes, she looked up wide-eyed to see the remaining boy staring silently at her. He was a shadow silhouetted against the night sky but she could feel the intensity of his gaze as he stood there.

"Hey," he said suddenly, breaking the spell that had unknowingly been woven between them.

Startled, she gasped a silent, "Oh!" as he reached for her and, rolling to her right, she quickly sprang to her feet and exploded from the undergrowth in a cloud of freshly fallen snow as she tried to escape. Stumbling, she ran as fast and hard as she could for she knew he would come after her and would never give up until he caught her.

Up ahead, she could just make out a line of trees that were the beginnings of a small copse and if she could just make it to them she might be able to lose them in there. Behind, and to her right, she could hear the others shouting at her to stop but she ignored them as she gasped for breath with her lungs aching due to the cold.

Run. Just keep running.

It was then she sensed someone behind her. The sound of crunching snow was getting closer and closer as she ran. Don't look back. Keep going. Every muscle and sinew was screaming in agony as her eyes filled with tears at the sheer effort. If she could only reach those trees...

Then her world turned and she found herself stumbling forward until she was face down in the deep snow. Gasping, she twisted around onto her back as she saw his shadow falling over her. There was nowhere for her to go as she shrank back from her captor. Panting, she lay there stunned for a second as she waited for him to come closer. She had one last chance. One last chance to escape.

Seeing the sudden fire in her eyes, the boy began to reach for her. "Now don't go and do anything stup.."

The slap echoed loudly around them as she brought her right hand hard across the left side of his face and he fell back into the snow in surprised shock. Rubbing his cheek, he suddenly grinned at the girl which seemed to irritate her more than anything as she twisted around trying to get to her feet.

But he was too quick. Instantly, he crouched behind her and grabbed her around the waist as she wriggled in his grasp trying to break free. The girl certainly had spirit as he held her tight, and after a moment he could feel her beginning to tire from the effort. Slowly, he brought his right hand up to her bare throat so that he could hold her head back against him.

"Hey, hey, easy," he whispered to her. "Easy now. You did good but it's over now."

Her head was back against his right shoulder and she turned slightly so she could see his face which was so close to hers. He was right. It was over. She was exhausted and with a shudder she let herself collapse in his arms as he laid her back down in the snow. She knew only one thing: despite everything, if she was going to be caught, she wanted to be caught by him.

Suddenly, he crouched down in front of her which made her huddle deeper into her thick black coat. "What's your name?" he asked as she continued to avoid his gaze.

Staring at her boots, she shook her head slightly and didn't say anything. Not that she could, for her heart was in her throat and saying anything at all was impossible. Her thoughts were tumbling and the emotions she was feeling made her feel like she was floating on air. Then she heard footsteps approaching and the boy turned from her and stood up.

"You caught one?" said another voice.

Now that he wasn't looking at her, she glanced up at him and her gaze fell on the coil of rope hooked onto his belt. He towered over her as she lay there at his feet and she noticed he was standing between her and the other boy as if he was marking her as his.

"She was hiding in the bushes with her friend," he replied. "Did you get the other one?"

The boy nodded. "Tully got her when she ran." He stepped forward to get a better look at the girl. "Oh, you got her. Everyone was after her. Don't think Mitch will be happy you got there before him. Did she put up a fight?"

Her captor shook his head. "No," he lied.

"Really?" said the other boy sounding surprised. "She usually scratches does that one." He shook his head. "Guess she was tired. This was a long run," he reasoned as he turned to where the other girl had been caught. "It's getting late. Better bind her up and take her back to the compound."

Taking the rope from his waist, the boy stood over her and she watched as he looped one end into a slipknot which he held in front of her. He didn't say anything but she knew what he wanted. To her, it felt like they were the only two people in the whole wide world as she got to her knees in front of him. She was looking down at her hands and the only sounds she could hear were the teasing whispers of the Winter breeze as she slowly clasped her hands together and held them up for him.

As she saw him slip the noose over her clenched fists and draw it tight, she let out a soft gasp as the moment and its meaning resonated through her whole being knowing nothing would ever be the same again. Feeling a slight tug of the rope, she stumbled to her feet and waited as he stepped closer and wrapped the other end of it around his hand.

Lifting her head slightly, she saw something on the inside of the dark brown coat he was wearing. There, just inside the collar and partially hidden by the black scarf wrapped around his neck. Was that a tag? A name tag? Was that his name? Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at it and she realized she had to remember it, no matter what.

Suddenly, he brought his face close to hers. For a brief moment, they stared at each other before she blushed and her shyness made her look back down at her snow-covered boots as he reached up and rearranged her red woolen hat that had slipped to one side. She could feel the warmth and intimacy of his breath against her left cheek as he whispered something to her that made her step back in surprise at what he said.

The boy nodded at her before turning to lead her back to where she had escaped from as the snow fell silently all around them.

Remembering the words he had whispered to her, she stared intently at him as he walked in front of her. "Zhidao (I know)," she whispered in her native tongue as the Winter moon sat watching.

*

The sudden rumble as the Metro train crossed over a junction woke the woman from her daydream as the imaginary world turned real. Blinking, she sat up slightly as her mind returned from her special place with a brief flush of frustration. The place where she knew she was happiest. The place where she was at ease with herself. The place where he was.

The carriage was packed as usual during morning rush hour and the claustrophobic weight of the people around her filled her senses. Most, like her, were heading into the city for work with the rest probably traveling for a day of sightseeing or shopping. As always, she found herself the center of attention with lingering glances or fixed stares from the majority of men both sitting and standing in the carriage. Some curious. Most deliberate. All hoping for a reaction. The slightest hint she may be interested. She was very careful not to give them one.

Huddled in the warmth of her ruby-red knee-length winter coat, she glanced to her left as the train pulled into the main station and the doors automatically opened to let passengers on and off. Waiting until the immediate rush had passed, she quickly got to her feet and left the carriage to make her way out of the terminal into the heart of the city where she worked.

*

"So what happened?"

Staring at herself in her locker mirror, Jyn Halliday glanced at the reflection of her friend who was standing behind her fixing her root ginger hair into a tied bunch with a clip. She gave a slight shrug as she smoothed down the front of her sea-blue nurses uniform and clipped on her name tag.

"Happened?" she said innocently. "Nothing happened."

The younger woman made a face. "That's not what I heard."

"And, what exactly did you hear?"

Nurse Connie Lewis frowned at her. "That you'd finally agreed to go on a date with him. There are no secrets in this place, Jyn. You should know that. God knows, most of them involve you anyway."

That was true enough, despite her best efforts to ignore them. It had always been this way for as long as she could remember. The center of attention. Every time she walked into a room she could feel the mood change as people reacted to her being there. The way she looked made her feel like she was living her life in the spotlight and she knew it would always be like that.

As for this latest adventure...

She turned to her colleague. "Well," she smiled, trying to hide her frustration at the constant interest in her love life. "What he thought happened didn't. What he thinks is going to happen won't. No matter how many times he asks. As for what other people say, there is nothing I can do about that."

The other woman began to say something but stopped. Her friend seemed oblivious to the effect she had on those around her - both male and female. The woman was practically ethereal in her presence and could render the unwary mute with surprise and admiration. She remembered their first meeting during the initial induction at St. Barnards Central and smiled at the memory. There had been twelve new nurses in the group and Jyn Halliday had arrived late due to the traffic. A brief knock before rushing into the classroom to stand there slightly flustered and breathless with that huge twisted storm of long black hair whipping around her pale blushing face. Everything and everyone stopped and stared with the student behind her muttering, "Holy shit!" under his breath. It was definitely the kind of entrance that you never forget.

All that had been two years ago now. Two years of gossip had followed with everyone wondering why her close friend was apparently happy to be on her own.

"But I don't get it," she said, confused. "It's him. The main man. Don't you like him?" she asked, before adding, "Alright, so he's a little older than you." She stopped. "Okay, make that a lot older but he's not exactly Mister Ugly and he's probably loaded. He also has a serious case of the hots for you and everyone knows it."

Jyn rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she sighed. "I may be his type, but he certainly isn't mine. The fact that he does not take no for an answer says everything about him. Humility and manners are there for a reason. Besides," she said as she opened the door and turned to look at her friend. "It doesn't matter."

Nurse Lewis shook her head. "Why?"

Jyn raised her chin. "Because I already belong to someone else."

*

"Ah, if it isn't my angel of the morning."

The nurse smiled as she entered the room, opened the blinds to let in the rising sun, and went through her routine of checking her patient as he continued his recovery from open-heart surgery a couple of days ago.

"Chinese."

Jyn looked up from the clipboard she was reading. "Excuse me?" she asked with a bemused smile as the old man sat up in bed watching her.

"You remind me of someone I used to know a long time ago," he repeated as she came to his bedside and checked the monitor above him. "She was from China."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

He laughed. For someone who was recovering from such a major operation, he seemed in good spirits as he let her check the various drips and drains that kept his system flushed as well as the strapping across his bare chest. "Ah, definitely good." He winked as she leaned over to tuck him in. "You're certainly an attractive young lady."

Jyn smiled at his compliment. "You're saying all the right things at just the wrong moment."

The man eased forward so that she could plump up his pillows to make him more comfortable. "Am I right?" he asked, enjoying the way her nose turned pink as she blushed. But he was only saying what was true. The girl had a demeanor about her that all women from the Orient seemed to possess. From the way she carried herself to how she interacted with others. She was quiet. Composed. Considerate. Polite. Graceful. She was also very easy on the eye as she stood there with her hands on her hips trying hard not to smile at the besotted old man in the bed.

Jyn saw him glance at her name tag. "On my Mothers side," she told him. "She is from Nanjing in Jiangsu province. My father is English. He is an engineer and met my mother when he was in China because of his job about twenty-five years ago. They married and came to live here when I was six. I very much take after my mother."

The old man understood. "Then your mother must be one special and very lucky lady to have a daughter as charming as you."

The nurse from China bowed her head formally before granting him a wide smile that made him wish he was fifty years younger. "Xie Xie," she blushed. "Thank you."

Behind her, the door suddenly opened and in walked the consultant with his junior and half a dozen medical students behind him. Instinctively, Jyn took a step back as she tried not to draw attention to herself from the all-male group as they approached the bed. Clasping her hands in front of her, she stood there quiet and composed.

The consultant stared at her for a moment before turning to his patient. "How are we feeling today, Mr. Hall?" he enquired as he swiped through the notes on his tablet and looked at the monitor. "Nothing out of the ordinary hopefully. That was quite the exercise you put me through the other day."

The man frowned slightly as he glanced between the young woman and the group of men on the other side of the bed. He had already noticed the way she had reacted when they came into the room. The mentality of the pack as he called it. He gave her a reassuring smile when he saw her glance at him. He could only imagine what it was like for someone who looked like her. He turned to the man standing next to him.

"No, Mr. Strickland," he replied pleasantly. "The world can't get rid of me that easily. Thank you for everything."

The consultant ignored the compliment and turned to his group to explain the procedures that his patient had undergone and the various options required for his recovery. After answering some questions from the students, he turned back and looked directly at the nurse standing quietly opposite him. "I'm sure nurse Halliday is looking after you and taking care of everything you need," he said smoothly as he continued to stare at her. "From past experience, I can tell you she is an expert in matters of the heart."

Jyn looked up at the consultant. Strickland was tall, thin, angular, grey, and single-minded in everything he did. In his late forties, his reputation and influence went before him and lent him an air of superiority that he wore to effect. He was also pompous and rude which made her dislike him even more.

"Only for those who have a heart to care about," she said as she turned her attention back to the man in the bed. "Or need a good one fixed."

Even her unwanted admirer smiled at that one as those around him tried to hide their amusement at the barb. "Indeed," said Strickland as he folded his arms. "As I said, Mr. Hall, you're obviously in very good hands." He turned to his entourage and nodded. "Gentlemen, let us continue on with our morning round."

Watching them leave the room, Jyn breathed out and tried to relax as she saw her patient looking at her with a knowing look on his face.

"He's an asshole," he said cheerily.

Jyn tried not to smile as she handed him a glass of water.

**

People were already at the compound when Jyn was brought in and she saw a group of girls sat huddled together in a corner of a brick shed as their captors registered their catches to a boy called Mitch who was the leader of the hunt.

Seeing a familiar face, she gave her friend a brief smile before she felt a tug on the rope binding her hands together. Glancing up, she saw her captor staring at her as a group of older boys approached them. He pressed a finger to his lips and shook his head. The yard was lit by two lamps and as she looked up at him she noticed he had a small scar just under his left eye and those eyes were an intense dark green.

"Is this your claim?" asked the boy in charge.

There was a shuffling amongst the group and a sudden tension in the air as the two boys stared at each other warily.

"I caught her," he replied. "Fair and square. Ask Dank. He was there when it happened."

Mitch, taller, wider, with a brown buzz cut, stuck out his chin. "Nah, nah, nope," he said as he waved a pencil in the other boys face. "See, here's the deal. I'm in charge. I'm the leader. And being the leader makes me the most important kid here. What I say goes. What I want I get. And that one," he pointed to the girl in the red woolen hat, "is the one I want."

Jyn stood quietly behind the boy who had chased her down as she listened to them argue who she should belong to.

Subconsciously, she moved closer to him and her gaze fell on his left hand which was holding the rope which bound her to him. The twine was wrapped around his fist and she watched as his grip tightened as the argument continued.

Her captor shook his head. He was wearing a baseball cap and his dark brown hair escaped from it in waves and curls that reached the base of his neck. "No," he said firmly. "The rules are the rules. I caught her. That makes her mine this time. She belongs to me and no one else. Anyone that tries to take her from me will regret it."

"Oh yeah," said Mitch as he stepped forward raising a fist. Suddenly, there was a shout followed by another one. The boy stopped as everyone got up. "That's my mom," he groaned, throwing his head back in embarrassed exasperation. "She always does this. It must be getting late and I have a ton of homework to finish." He glanced at the exotic girl in the red woolen hat. "Damn it."

The spell was broken and there were laughs and murmurs as the group of friends broke up and began to make their own way home. It was late and their little game was over for another time. The hunt would begin again another day when the mood was right and the only thing that remained for childish pride and posterity was the notebook record of it and the memories that it left behind.

Memories that would mean so much more to some.

*

"He's watching you," whispered her friend as they trudged home arm in arm through the lamp-lit snow.

Jyn didn't reply but quickly glanced over her shoulder. She already knew he was because she could feel it somehow. She didn't know how or why but it made everything inside her feel so much more vital and alive.

They stopped outside the gate to her house and she hugged Carrie. "See you tomorrow," she promised and watched the girl run towards her own home.

Just as she was about to open the gate, she stopped. Slowly turning, she looked back up the lane and saw he was still standing there watching her. Shyly, she raised her right hand and gave a little wave. After a moment, he did the same and she smiled as she ran into her house with the lights burning brightly in the dark.

Little did she know that would be the last time she saw him.

*

The warm water lapped gently in the valley between her breasts as Jyn opened her eyes and sighed. The dream faded as she relaxed in her bath letting the strains of the day slip away by returning to her secret place. For her, it was all about recreating the feelings she had experienced all those years ago. The sense of belonging. To someone. To that boy.

Stepping out of the bath, she reached for a towel and began to roughly dry her long black hair. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she stopped and stared at her naked reflection looking back at her. She looked so pure. Wet. Glowing. Feminine. Oriental.

Wearing a bathrobe, she returned to her living room and went to the sixth-floor apartment window to look out at the city that lay sprawled like a concrete maze to the far horizon with the late evening sky a vibrant golden amber as the sun slowly set in the west. The world was turning and life would continue on as it always did but there was only one thing that mattered to her as she felt the familiar ache in her heart. Her world was his world. And in that world, he was out there.

Somewhere.

*

Fire was everywhere. Flames twisted and curled igniting everything they touched as the world turned into a fiery hell. The old tenement building was well alight and glowed like a furnace against the blackness of the midnight sky.

Below, surrounding it like flittering fireflies, the rescue and containment continued apace as small groups of firefighters entered the ten-story building searching for survivors.

One group, a pair, had reached the top floor.

Firefighter 47 crouched low as he forced open the door of the last apartment they had managed to reach. The air was thick with black acrid smoke as he looked over his shoulder at his companion who was kneeling in the stairwell watching him. He reached up and tapped the side of his oxygen mask shaking his head. His comms were intermittent and even if he could hear them they were mostly drowned out by the roar of the fire.

His companion, firefighter 38, nodded and held up two fingers.

Two unaccounted for. Two missing people. Two little girls.

They had already rescued their unconscious mother and another older girl who had told the others about her missing sisters as they were passed down the line.

There was a sudden loud crack and 47 turned back to see the floorboards behind him beginning to smoke as the heat from below made them expand and buckle. Time was of the essence and time was running out. The fire had spread to the outside of the building and had snaked its way up the cladding to every floor. The ceiling above him flared brightly and as it burned he could see the crisscrossing joists turning black as they began to smolder.

Inside his mask, he was breathing hard as he tried to open the last bedroom door. But the wood had expanded and it was stuck. Grunting, he twisted around so he could use his feet to kick it open.

It was a children's bedroom. On top of cupboards and along several shelves were toys of every description all sat together unaware of the danger they were in. There were two single beds but both were empty as he crawled into the room with the light from his helmet lamp searching the smokey gloom.

Checking under each bed, 47 frowned as he looked around the room. Where were they? Had they somehow gotten out and made their own way down the fire escape? No, that was impossible. Every exit was covered and had been cleared. They had to be here somewhere.

There was a sudden hiss and he looked up through his breather to see flames flickering above him as they reached the ceiling. Fiery spittle dropped onto the far bed setting alight the duvet and sheets. Alright. Enough was enough. It was time to think of their own safety and get the hell out of Dodge.

The heat was intense as he started to turn back when something caught his eye. He looked at it for a second before realizing it was a doll. A rag doll with bright-orange hair that was lying slumped next to a large inbuilt cupboard at the far side of the bedroom. As he stared, one of the doors suddenly opened slightly and a small hand reached out to grab the toy before disappearing back inside.

"Oh shit," he muttered as his heart leaped in his chest. There was a sudden burst of static in his ears. "Back out!" said a panicked voice. "We need to get the hell out right now!!" He looked over his shoulder and saw his partner gesticulating wildly at him. "Let's go!"

Ignoring the command from his superior, he turned back and began to crawl across the room to where the ragdoll had been. Reaching the cupboard, he grabbed the bottom of the door and yanked it open to find a girl of about eight wedged into the corner holding the doll to her chest. She was wide-eyed with fright, covered in dirt, and he could see her struggling to breathe as she gasped for air.

Instinctively, he tossed his yellow "47" helmet to one side, ripped off his breather, and placed it over the girls face. Immediately, she took great gulps of oxygen and began to move towards him. He was about to reach for her when she shook her head and pointed to the other side of the cupboard. It was then he noticed a pair of bare feet sticking out from under a pile of clothes.

The other girl. Her sister.

He reached for the first girl who wrapped her arms and legs around him then leaned in for the other by grabbing her by the right ankle to drag her out from where she was hiding. She was barely conscious and as he knelt there he switched his mask from one to the other and watched as the younger child began to stir in his arms.

Suddenly the room was lit by a bright white light and the firefighter turned to see a blinding spotlight shining through the bedroom window. Above the sound of the fire, he could just make out the "whup, whup, whup" of a helicopter's rotors. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and automatically thought it was Police or Rescue. And they had seen them.

Taking deep lungfuls of air before handing his mask back to the older girl for her and her sister to use, he held them to him as he began to edge back towards the door. There was a sudden loud cracking sound and he looked up as the ceiling gave way and burning debris began to fall on and all around them.

Crouching over both girls, he realized his suit was beginning to smolder and burn. The only thing that mattered now was to get them out. Whatever it took, whatever sacrifice he had to make, he had to do it. Still, in the circle of white light, he slowly inched back and could feel the heat from below cracking the wooden beams as the inferno continued to consume everything in its path.

His lungs were on fire and he glanced down at the pair of girls wrapped around him. The youngest had on the mask and gave him a thumbs up which made him laugh despite himself.

Once they reached the doorway, he could see his partner through the smoke and heat laying flat out on the top step of the stairwell urging him on with another Fire-fighter hunkered down against the wall behind him. He handed over each girl to his backup who quickly turned and passed them back down the line to be taken out of the burning building.

It was then everything changed.

There was a sudden explosion from below as the window shattered and the backdraft blew him across the room where he hit the wall hard. The last thing firefighter 47 remembered as the pain rolled over him in electric waves was the memory of a girl in a red woolen hat looking up at him as she knelt in the snow.

*

Far below, the pale blue dot slowly turned as the silver 747 banked gracefully and headed out across the Atlantic towards home.

The boy sat staring out of the window in a world of his own with his thoughts firmly rooted in the recent past. All he could think about was the one thing he was leaving far behind as their trip came to an end.

"You look sad," said a voice to his right. "Everything comes to an end, hon. Maybe we'll go back again one day."

Fifteen-year-old Joss Vandenburg turned to see his mother watching him. She tilted her head and he could see the question in her eyes. The trip had been a grand tour with his family visiting various relatives who were scattered across Europe. Their last port of call had been just outside London and they had spent three days with a distant cousin in the old country. And now it was over. He didn't reply but smiled and nodded.

"It's a girl," said his eight-year-old sister sitting reading a magazine to his mother's right who looked from her youngest child to the oldest.

"Oh?" she asked, amused at the look on her son's face.

Joss glared at his sister who was innocently chewing gum and blowing bubbles. "No, it's not. Don't listen to her, mom," he frowned. "Carly doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Do too," replied the girl under a bushel of brown shoulder-length curls with a sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her pert nose. "Last night when we were out playing. There was this girl. She was really pretty and sort of different."

Their mother shook her head. "Different?"

Her daughter continued to flick through her magazine. "Uh-huh," she explained. "Think she comes from Japan or something."

"She was Chinese, dummy," Joss blurted out before turning red.

Carly sat forward in her seat and stuck out her tongue at him. "Told you," she said to her mother. "Everyone was playing catch and he caught her."

"Is that so?" his mother said turning to him.

"He doesn't even know her name," continued his sister. "And she's only about ten or so."

His mother raised an eyebrow at her son. "Only ten?"

Joss ignored the question and stared at his sister. Did she know her name? How could she know her name? They had only been there for a couple of days. His younger sister could be a right pain in the ass when she wanted to be. But she knew the girl's name and he needed to know it.

"You don't know her name," he said.

"Do too."

"No, you don't."

"Do too two times."

"Then what is it?"

His sister looked at him. Her big brother could be such a dork. Why hadn't he just asked the girl himself? "Her name is," she stopped chewing her gum and screwed up her face as she tried to remember. "Jyn. Or something like that. Like I said, Japanese."

Joss glanced at his mother.

"What a nice name," she smiled. "Though she sounds a little on the young side. Don't worry, we'll be home soon and you'll forget all this ever happened once you get back with your friends."

He shrugged. "Sure, mom," he nodded before turning back to look out of the window. "I'm fine. It was nothing." He felt strangely light-headed as he sat there. It was like he had taken a step forward into something he didn't yet understand. He had asked the girl her name but she had kept silent and not knowing irritated him more than he cared to admit. But now he knew her first name as it echoed around inside his head.

The girl in the red woolen hat was called Jyn.

*

Everything was organized chaos.

It had been nearly an hour since she had received the text for all emergency personnel to report for duty because of a major incident. Along with a group of other nurses, Jyn ran through the main hospital entrance to find the lobby and waiting area being cleared.

A section had been cordoned off and was packed with photographers, reporters, and tv crews as Jyn and the other personnel waited for the first responders to arrive. Standard operational procedure meant that specialist teams had already been set up based on what sort of event it was so that everyone knew their roles and were ready to go.

"Big story," said a voice behind her. "Everyone is covering it. Even the foreign news channels. Especially now they've got something to pin their hat on."

Jyn turned to see the main receptionist standing there. The man was in his late fifties, black, bald, tall and thin dressed in a pressed white shirt, black tie, and pants. Jyn shook her head in confusion. "What?"

George Hobbs scribbled updates on a large white notice board that had been set up for the latest information. "Haven't you seen the news?" he asked her. "About what happened earlier?"

"No," replied Jyn. "I just know there was a big fire over on the east side."

"Everyone is talking about it."

"About what?" Jyn looked around as more injured people were brought in mostly suffering from smoke inhalation.

The receptionist glanced at her as his assistant handed him another batch of notes. "The man. The one who rescued those two kids. The firefighter. The tv news showed the whole thing live. He's a real-life god damned hero." He stopped and frowned. "Well, he will be if he's still alive."

Jyn didn't say anything as she saw a crowd of people standing watching a news channel on the large tv at the other end of the room. Making her way through the throng, she stopped and stared at the screen with the others. At first, it showed the side of a building on fire but then the image zoomed in to an apartment window on the top floor that had been lit up by a spotlight. Thick smoke obscured the view but suddenly cleared to show someone crawling under the flames towards what looked like a small cupboard.

There was a gasp as they saw the firefighter reach in and pull out two small figures. Jyn felt her heart flutter when she saw him hug the two girls to his chest and realized what he was doing. He was using himself as a shield to protect them from the fire as he slowly made his way back out of the room. Somebody clapped when they saw him handing each girl over to someone out of sight but then there was a bright flash followed by a loud bang as the apartment disappeared in a cloud of smoke and debris with the helicopter backing away to hover at a safe distance.

"Oh my God," whispered a nurse who was standing beside her.

"Like I told you," said George who had followed Jyn to stand and watch the news. "Man is a hero. He saved those kids," he said. "All that happened half an hour ago. They managed to get him out. He's due any minute. That's why all the press and tv are here."

For Jyn Halliday, the world was about to come full circle.

*

There was an explosion of light with a wall of flashbulbs going off as the ambulance screeched to a halt and reversed into the area in front of the main hospital entrance.

News crews and press surged forward to be held back by the Police and security as the paramedics wheeled their injured passenger inside on a stretcher to be met by the crash and rescue team.

Jyn was standing to one side with two other nurses as the firefighter came into view. The man had been packed either side for support with his head secured by a pair of straps across his chin and forehead. He was still in his uniform which had been cut open down the front and there were the beginnings of bruises either side of his ribcage. Under the oxygen mask, his face was covered in dirt and scorched red from the heat and flames. Both hands were burnt and clenched either side of him as he laid there unconscious.

One of the paramedics turned to the lead doctor. "Patient was non-responsive when he came out. Had to defib him on the way here. Vitals are critical but stable. He has flash burns from the explosion and from what we can tell definite breaks and fractures to his lower body. He's a mess."

Along with two other nurses, Jyn was overseeing the basic requirements of intensive care so that the patient could be connected up to the various drips and monitors surrounding him as soon as possible. But first, they had to get him out of his clothes. Using scissors, she was standing next to the bed cutting away the sleeve to free up his right arm as the doctor used a small pencil thin light to check his pupil response. The man looked to be about twenty-five or so as she glanced at him with the mask still in place to help him to breathe.

Gently turning his arm so that his hand was palm up, Jyn saw his fingers move and she had a sudden urge to comfort him. Glancing at the others, she slipped her hand into his and held it for a moment as she watched his chest slowly rising and falling.

The senior nurse turned to the injured man's colleague who had accompanied him in the ambulance. He was still in his uniform and holding his safety helmet which had "38" on it. "Were you there with him?"

"He's part of my team," replied the man. His face was covered in sweat and dirt. "We were clearing the top floor. The last apartment. There was a report of two missing girls. The place was well alight when we managed to reach it. He was on point. We got orders to back out but he ignored them. He must have seen something because he went in and got them out." He looked over her shoulder at the man on the bed as the medical team worked on his friend. "And then everything went to shit."

The nurse nodded and put a hand on his arm. "Can you tell me his name?" she asked. "We're going to need things like his personal details so we can check his medical history. Address. Next of kin. That sort of thing."

"Uh, yeah. Sure," the man replied. "Vandenburg."

Jyn turned her head in surprise. There was a sudden jolt through her whole body at the mention of his name. She stared at the older man. "What did you say?"

The firefighter glanced at the senior nurse standing next to him. The injured man was connected up to the system and the slow beep of his heart broke the silence.

"Vandenburg," he repeated. "His name is Joss Vandenburg. He's uh about twenty-five. Originally from America. Moved here about three years ago. Is something wrong?" he asked. "Do you know him?"

Jyn ignored the question and turned back to the man on the bed. Her world had suddenly become very small as she let go of his hand and took a step back. It couldn't be him. It was impossible. She blinked as a particular memory of a name tag flashed before her and she knew there was only one way to be sure.

From a dispenser on the wall, she pulled a wet wipe and moved around to the right side of the bed as the other people in the room continued to work on the man. Jyn could feel her heart thudding in her chest as she stared down at him as he lay there. He was still wearing the mask but she could see the side of his blackened face.

The nurse on the other side of the bed gave her a curious look as she reached forward and gently wiped away the dirt on his left cheek until she could see what she needed to see.

Jyn gasped and stepped back in shock.

There on his cheek was the scar she remembered.

It was him.

The boy from long ago. The boy who had chased and caught her.

The boy she had been waiting for.

*

End part 1.