Under Pressure - HarleyJQuin - 9-1-1 (TV) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

February 2018

Buck walked into the frat house he shared with five other guys. The group of them had traveled back from Peru together; three were attending the local college, one was working, and the house belonged to the fifth guy, Patrick, or Pads as everyone called him, a trust fund baby. He spent most of his time at home working on his investment portfolio.

Dane, one of the college students, saw him arrive as he was leaving the kitchen. He waved and said, "Hey Evan, are you feeling better?"

Buck felt his throat, where only a week ago, his girlfriend, Abby, had to cut into his throat so he could breathe. He sighed and shook his head. At Dane's questioning look, he explained, "My throat is fine. They're hopeful I'll lose the hoarseness in a few weeks."

Dane asked, "So why do you look like someone pissed in your cornflakes, dude?"

Buck shrugged. "Just someone at work, the one I told you about who got rebar through his head. Since he returned after his medical leave, he's stepped up the snide comments. It makes working there a bit rough."

The criminal justice student dragged him into the kitchen, where it was more comfortable for a quiet discussion. One of their other roommates was at the counter making himself breakfast. Dane sat Buck down on one of the bar stools and asked, "What's he saying?"

Buck rolled his eyes and said, "He heard about my fail Valentine's date, the one they all pressured me into, and commented that I should have stuck with my therapist, as she would have been a safer date."

Dane sounded suspicious as he asked, "What do you mean, Buck?"

Buck admitted, "I slept with my therapist after the Devin thing. I—"

"Score!" From the other side of the kitchen, Chuck interrupted Buck's explanation. "Was she hot, or he, you know, no judgment or whatever as long as they were hot."

Buck stood and muttered, "This was a mistake," as he left the kitchen. He could hear Dane yelling at Chuck, but he was done. He'd been slowly losing respect for a few of the guys he lived with, especially as they had zero respect for his changing shifts, often blasting music when he was trying to sleep off a long shift.

He shut and locked his bedroom door and packed his things; the furniture was all supplied by Patrick when they all moved in. Once he was packed, he left his duffles by the door and walked down the hallway to Patrick's office, where he could usually be found during the day.

He slumped down in the seat beside Patrick's desk and said, "I'm moving out."

Patrick turned to look at him and asked, "Why?"

Buck explained, "I was trying to ask Dane for advice about that therapist as it came up at work again today, this time a comment about how it would have been safer for me to just visit my therapist instead of going on a date, and before I could mention the blackmail, Chuck butt in to congratulate me on a worthy conquest, as long as they were hot because no judgment or whatever."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that'd do it. I'm sorry, Buck. Are you going to be okay? I know most of your cash is still locked up in your investment accounts until the end of your probation period. Can your investment manager swing an early release?"

Buck said, "Don't worry about me, Pads; I'll be fine. I didn't tie everything up, just the bulk of it. I have enough to live on stashed away in an emergency account." He'd never confessed to the true value of his trust fund, and he wasn't planning on starting now.

Patrick asked, "You're leaving now?" At Buck's nod, he asked, "Where will you go?"

Buck shrugged. "A hotel for now. I need to get out of here, Pads; between the music at all hours when I'm trying to sleep, and the thoughtless comments, I'm going nuts. I'll let you know where I end up for my mail and stuff."

Patrick said, "Good luck in finding a new place, Buck. And seriously, dude, look into transferring at the end of your probation year; you shouldn't have to put up with so much hazing."

Buck said optimistically, "I'm sure it'll stop soon."

He turned and grabbed his bags, before he drove to the nearest hotel that offered meals and secure parking for his truck. He requested a room for a few days to start with, but he warned the woman at the front desk that his stay could be for longer. With a flirty look that Buck ignored, she assured him that would be fine as she handed over the keycard for the room. He'd booked a suite with a hot tub, as he knew after the sh*t day at work, then the crap at home, that he would want a long soak to relieve the stress of the day.

However, when Buck got to the hotel room, he could hear noises coming from the neighboring rooms, so he decided he wanted to find somewhere to live as a priority. Once he had something arranged, he would have a good long soak in the hot tub; it was only lunchtime after all.

Since there was no iPhone app for Craigslist that didn't look dodgy, he pulled out his laptop; that way, he could take notes while he was looking. Two hours of searching and he was no closer to finding anything he liked. Most of the listings for a roommate required a minimum commitment of a year before moving in. Others didn't have a car park space available for his truck, or the parking was on a first in first served basis, which with his shifts wouldn't work. Then he hit paydirt. 'Short-term roommate required. Share with 29M and 6M with special needs. Background check required. Call Eddie on…'

Buck pulled out his phone, and, noticing it was still early enough in the afternoon, he called the number listed. When it was hesitantly answered, he asked, "Hi, are you Eddie? My name is Buck, and I'm interested in renting the room you have available."

"Buck?" Eddie asked with a tone of disbelief. "Is that short for something?"

Buck laughed. "Sure is; my full name is Evan Darius Buckley. I was nicknamed Buck when I was in the Navy, and it stuck."

Eddie asked, "Can you send through your details so my lawyer can do a background check? I'm sorry to be a hardass about this—"

Buck cut him off, "It's fine, Eddie. You have a kid; any good parent would want to do a background check on someone they bring into the house. I'll email you my details and the name of my lawyer if you need further information. I've got the next two days off, then I'm on a 24-hour shift. If you could please reply with your details so my lawyer can also do a background check."

Eddie said, "It shouldn't take long for Leon to do the background check. If I hear back by tomorrow morning, are you free to meet for coffee tomorrow afternoon? My son will be at school, then spending the afternoon with his abuela, so I'll be free for a few hours."

Buck said, "That sounds great." He hit the enter key on his laptop, and he'd sent the email with his details to both Eddie and his lawyer with a link to the ad for his lawyer's reference. "You should have the email soon. I look forward to seeing you in person, Eddie. Just text me a time and a place, and I'll be there."

Eddie's lawyer was efficient, and Buck was walking into a cafe not far from the hotel the next morning. He wasn't sure what Eddie looked like, but the cafe was reasonably empty, and there was only one guy watching the door to see who was walking in. He approached the man's table and asked, "Eddie?"

The man nodded and stood. He held out a hand and said, "I'm Eddie Diaz; it's nice to meet you, Buck."

Buck shook his hand and said, "Likewise, Eddie." He motioned to the barista at the counter and asked, "Did you want me to order you a coffee?"

Eddie shook his head and admitted, "Your lawyer told me what you would order when I discussed meeting with you. The barista said they'd bring our coffees over when you arrived."

Buck grinned. "That's why Ralph is my lawyer; he's quick on the ball and efficient as hell. So, you must have questions for me; fire away."

Eddie asked, "Why do you want to move in, knowing it's a short-term rental with no specific time period?"

The younger man explained, "I've been living with a group of guys in a frat house type of situation. I took a gap year after the Navy to figure out what I wanted to do, and a friend of mine that I met in college, Patrick, invited me down to Peru. I followed him and the guys he was with back to LA at the end of the summer season. Not long after we arrived, I started training as a firefighter; we work long shifts, so 24 hours on, 24 off, that sort of thing, and several of those in the house would party up at all hours, not caring if I needed sleep or looked dead on my feet. I've had to stay in a hotel several times just to get a decent sleep. I'm still in my probation year, so I do what I can to not piss off my captain, and turning up looking hung over because I've had very little sleep has not done me any favors. I'm staying in a hotel again until I find a place, and as comfortable as they are, they can get noisy too."

Eddie sounded doubtful as he asked, "The ad did mention my six-year-old son, right?"

Buck felt slightly nauseated as he admitted, "Your six-year-old son wouldn't make the kind of noises as the hotel I stayed in last night. I saw the couple from the room next door as I was leaving for our meeting. She was younger than me by several years, and he was old enough to be my grandpa. While I get that her kink was definitely not my kink, I never want to hear her screaming 'Daddy!' again. Her voice carried."

"Okay," Eddie admitted with a smirk. "I get your point. So the sooner you can move in, the better?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, I have questions though. Can you tell me more about the short-term availability?"

Eddie explained, "The house I live in is a nine-bedroom house. It belonged to my late wife's mother. Janet died of cancer a month ago, and my wife died a week later in a car accident. We were about to finalize our divorce when she died, causing a few hiccups with the probate, especially since me and Christopher are their only two living relatives, and Shannon died without a will." He was clearly holding something back, some of which he'd already learned from Ralph, but Buck hoped that maybe he would share it once they'd gotten to know each other.

Buck grimaced. "That definitely sounds messy. So have they given you a timeframe for how long it's all going to take to sort out?"

Eddie said, "It depends on how long it takes us to get an appointment with a probate court judge. It may only be a few months, but because my parents are contesting Shannon's estate and how it's distributed, it could take a year to 18 months to go through the court system. They are claiming to have a will she made, but her lawyer is disputing it. Shannon told him she'd never made one before and asked him for help writing one. Leon was her mother's estate lawyer."

Buck shuddered visibly. "And I thought my parents were assholes, well they were assholes, but yours are pretty close in assholery. Look, the reason I ask is I'm looking for a house, but my money is tied up in investments until the end of my probation year, so for another few months, I'm a firefighter over at the 118. I wanted to be sure I was staying a the 118 before committing to a house."

Eddie nodded. "How about we play it by ear? You may decide after living with us that we suck entirely and that the hotel is your better option; we just don't know. I would like you to meet my kid before moving in though."

Buck nodded. "That makes sense. I can follow you to your abuela's, or we can arrange a meetup on my next day off if that works better?"

Eddie asked, "Are you sure you don't want to get to know me more? Ask more questions?"

Buck laughed. "That's why I pay Ralph, he already did the background check, based on what you provided last night, and he sent me the results. Former Army medic, single dad to Christopher, who is now six years old with cerebral palsy, your wife left when he was four years old, just a few days after you were discharged. You worked a sh*t tonne of jobs in El Paso until a few weeks ago when you moved to LA, two weeks after the death of your estranged wife. So when's good to meet Christopher?"

"Now's good," Eddie agreed. "He knows I am meeting a potential roommate, and I said I won't accept anyone he doesn't like."

Buck smirked, "So, no pressure then. I left my truck back at the hotel, so if it's okay, I'll go with you and catch an Uber back when we're done."

As they walked out, Eddie suggested, "How about I give you a kid-free tour of the house, make sure you actually want to move in, then we'll go face the gauntlet."

Buck raised an eyebrow and asked, "Should I be worried?"

Eddie chuckled. "Just the gauntlet of my kid who is six going on thirty with sass to boot, and then there is my Tia Pepa and Abuela, both of whom are protective latina matriarchs."

Buck jumped into the passenger seat of the old truck Eddie was driving and said, "Bring it."

When they arrived at the house, Buck was in awe. The house was a large sprawling Mediterranean design that loomed in front of them in the middle of Beverly Hills.

Eddie commented, "Yeah, it's a bit much, especially for the two of us. Shannon's family knew the designer or something. She never really explained it beyond an absent comment when she brought me here to meet her mom before we got married. Anyway, the house has a huge kitchen, nine bedrooms across three wings, a pool with a hot tub, and even its own movie theatre. It's crazy huge, and way too much for the two of us, especially while I'm finishing up the rehab for my shoulder."

As they walked through the house, Buck asked, "So I'm guessing the main house bills are being paid by the lawyers while probate is being sorted, but you're using savings for everything else? Having me here will help both fill the house and pay for food and other living expenses?"

Eddie nodded. "Basically, yeah. The longer my savings lasts, the better off me and Christopher will be."

Buck asked, "Why didn't you ask your abuela or tia to move in with you guys?"

Eddie said, "I tried. They are happy in their own homes. They aren't far from here, and Christopher loves staying with them when I need to go out. I need to arrange better childcare for him since my tia is still working and my abuela is pushing 80, so it's not ideal to leave her alone with Christopher."

Buck thought about the nurse Abby had hired to help her mom through the final stages of her cancer. Carla was a home health nurse who took on private patients. He made a mental note to talk to Carla next time he was at Abby's about Eddie's situation to see if she had any suggestions. He turned to Eddie and said, "Show me the rest of this mansion, and then we'll talk before we go and meet your son."

Buck stopped short when Eddie showed him the library, it was between the main entry and the dining room, and it was stunning, all oak shelving, and books everywhere. Several large beanbags were settled around the room, as well as a few chesterfield sofas and chairs to sit in.

Eddie explained, "The Morgans were all avid readers, something Shannon passed on to Christopher. He would spend hours in here if I let him. I make sure he balances out inside and outside time. However, he does prefer to do his homework in here."

Buck nodded slowly. "I would too. I love to read and often get lost in research spirals. Usually, the spirals are online, but real books can be fun too." He ran his finger along the spines of some older-looking books. "These look like fun books to get lost in."

Eddie chuckled. "Those were Shannon's contribution. She was a history major at UCLA. Shannon quit studying when she fell pregnant with Christopher, mostly due to my mother's constant interference. She'd started up again while she was staying with her Mom before she died."

Buck asked, "Not that you knew at the time? Ralph's background check was pretty thorough. It mentioned that she just left in the middle of the night with no notice, and you had to put your rehab on hold to earn enough to pay the bills."

Eddie nodded. "That about sums it up. I was mostly pissed off for Christopher's sake; she never once got in touch with him after she left. Not even a birthday or Christmas card. Even Janet was still sending her grandson cards right up until she passed. I don't think she knew her daughter had just walked out, and I wasn't going to be the one to tell her."

Buck asked, "How did Christopher handle her accident?"

Eddie said, "He just shrugged it off; he doesn't honestly remember much of her since he spent a lot of time with my parents while I was deployed. I have him in therapy though, and Dr. Maddison doesn't seem concerned."

Buck admitted, "It's probably healthier that he doesn't remember her than remembering her as distant and leaving. My parents were unavailable for most of my childhood; I was often left with my older sister, who seemed to alternate between being happy to take care of me and being put upon for having to take care of me. She left for college when I was eight. I last saw her when I was eleven, and I went to her for help after one of Dad's beatings was particularly brutal. She basically washed her hands of me and told me it was my own fault my sperm donor was beating me, the consequences of my own actions. My football coach found me as I left the hospital, and he helped me get in touch with my grandmother, who was pissed at all three of them."

Eddie frowned. "Your background check said you were a trust fund baby and had a full ride to college. I can't remember which one off the top of my head."

Buck replied, "Northwestern. Grandma Callister took me in and helped me finish high school in safety. I went to Northwestern and got my chemical engineering degree. I joined the Navy and was a SEAL for four years before I was discharged due to injury."

Eddie asked, "You didn't stop at one degree, though, right? Leon said you were working on a second degree."

As Eddie led him through the house, Buck replied, "Yeah, I'm working on a fire science master's degree."

Eddie said, "Smart. So if you did chemical engineering, that means you were likely the explosives expert on your team?"

"Yep," Buck said with a grin on his face. "I had a knack for building good distractions."

Eddie opened a door near the end of the hall and said, "This was Shannon's wing of the house." he gestured to the two rooms on the opposite side of the hall from the bedroom they were in, "I'm still sorting through Shannon's rooms, but she had this one earmarked as a guest room. I'm in the master suite in the central part of the house, beside Christopher's room."

Buck looked confused as he asked, "The master suite is in the central part of the house?"

Eddie nodded. "The house was retrofitted when Janet was diagnosed the first time about 15 years ago, so the pool was put in for her to use for exercise, the master suite was split into two bedrooms with a shared bathroom, and the master wing was converted into Shannon's wing. The central suite has modified bathrooms that are good for Christopher to use. The guest room here is plenty big; I'm sure you'll have room for your things."

Buck shrugged. "I literally live out of two duffle bags. I have a storage unit with the things I've been buying to fit out a house as I find them, but as long as I have a bed, I just need what's in my duffles. I'm pretty used to traveling light."

Eddie asked, "Is there anything else you want to see?"

Buck asked, "The kitchen? I like to cook and bake when I'm stressed."

The older man admitted, "I barely use it. I can cook the basics, but I'm not very good, and I have a son who sasses me whenever something is even slightly cooked wrong. I accidentally let a pancake catch fire once; he's never let me live it down."

Buck offered, "I can teach you to cook beyond the basics if you like? My CO in the SEALs made sure all of us could cook, and I've been learning things from my captain at the firehouse."

Eddie nodded. "That would be cool. My abuela has been trying to teach me, but she's so far beyond the basics. It just drives her to rant about how my mother thrives in a pit of toxic masculinity. That's about all I understand before she and Tia Pepa are speaking Spanish too fast for even my fluent ass to comprehend."

"Oh wow," Buck breathed as they walked into the large professional kitchen. "This is awesome. I'm going to have a field day in here."

Eddie said, "Well, provided you pass the kid test, you're welcome to move in any time."

Buck ran his hand along one of the granite benchtops, and he said, "I'm not above using bribery. Is Christopher into pasta? There is a pasta maker here, and provided you have the ingredients, I can make fresh pasta."

Eddie asked, "You can make pasta? From scratch?"

Buck chuckled, "My CO, Nico, had an Italian mother, so he taught us everything she taught him. I also learned a bit of polish cooking from Gordon, our sniper, Mexican from Diego, and French desserts from Peter."

Eddie asked, "Are they around?"

Buck shook his head. "They are on a long-term mission. Nico warned me they'd be out of contact for a couple of years."

Eddie suggested, "Let's go get Christopher. I'm fairly certain he'll want to adopt you on the spot once he finds out you can cook. Also, if Abuela finds out you can cook Mexican, she'll want to test your cooking."

Buck smirked, "I'm good with that. Diego's abuela said my empanadas were almost as good as hers, but my tamales needed work. Apparently, Diego sucked at tamales, so she wasn't surprised."

Eddie picked up a bunch of keys that had a keyfob attached and said, "There is an external garage out behind the pool house; you're free to use that for your truck. It's less likely to be blocked in that way. Depending on school and our various therapy appointments, I'm in and out all day. Although, I'm still trying to wade through that minefield. I thought getting Christopher into a local school mid-semester was bad enough, but getting insurance, doctors, and physical therapy worked out without paying an arm and a leg is next to impossible."

Buck stood. "Come on, lead me to your kid. You can drop me off at the hotel on your way home if it's on the way, or I can catch an Uber, and I'll be back here later."

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

February 2018

Buck was nervous. He was usually good with kids; he was the one that the 118 sent in when a kid was stuck in a claw machine, or was trapped and needed to be calmed down before the heavy equipment was brought in. But this was a lot more serious; this six-year-old could make or break him living in a sweet house for the next few months.

Eddie jumped out of the truck in front of a small bungalow and said, "Come on, Buck, they don't bite."

Buck followed him inside and watched as Eddie crouched down to hug his son. He shifted nervously when Eddie spun in place and said, "Christopher, this is Buck; he's our potential roommate, as long as you approve, of course. Buck, this is my son, Christopher, and my abuela, Isabel."

The six-year-old gave Buck a serious look and said, "I have questions. Let's go and get comfortable."

Buck said a quick hello to Isabel before he said, "Lead the way, superman."

Eddie got them comfortable in the living room, then he stood and waited by his abuela, who was watching them all with a soft smile on her face.

Buck leaned back on the sofa and asked, "So what would you like to know, Christopher?"

Christopher fixed him with that same cute-as-hell serious look and asked, "What's your favorite dinosaur?"

Buck grinned. "That's a tough one, Christopher. There are so many good ones. I used to like the Velociraptor, but I think my absolute favorite is the Ankylosaurus; it has cool armor and a massive club on the end of its tail. What about yours?"

Christopher admitted, "I like the T-Rex, even though it has short arms." He glanced back at Eddie before he asked, "What's your favorite Lego set?"

Buck gasped, "Wow, hitting me with all the good questions. I've seen a few good ones over the years. My grandmother got me my first set; it was a classic space set when I was just a wee boy. But the best one I've seen recently has to be the Helicarrier. It looks almost like the real one from the movie."

Christopher nodded solemnly. "They had that one on display at the Lego store in Austin. We saw it when we visited Tia Sophia. It's so big. Does that mean your favorite superhero is also from Marvel?"

Buck nodded. "I have two. I love Iron Man, especially MCU Iron Man. He doesn't have actual superpowers, but he's still willing to get in there and do what needs to be done to save people. My other favorite is comic Hawkeye; he's deaf, but still does the superhero thing, and that's pretty inspiring."

Christopher grinned and said, "I didn't know that Hawkeye was deaf in the comics; that's really cool. Okay, last question. What is your favorite animal?"

Buck admitted, "I don't have a favorite animal, but more a type of animal. I love the big cats, they are all cute, but if I had to choose just one, by a slim margin, I would have to pick the snow leopard. The way they hold their tails in their mouths is just adorable."

Christopher asked excitedly, "They do?"

Buck pulled out his phone, and with a quick google, he pulled up one of his favorite photos, and he passed his phone over. Once Christopher had stopped gushing at the photo, he asked, "So, do I pass?"

Christopher looked over at Eddie, and when his dad nodded, he yelled, "Yes!"

"Awesome," Buck said with a huge smile. "Then that means I have a very important question for you. What is your favorite pasta?"

The young boy looked confused as he asked, "Why?"

With a chuckle, Buck explained, "I noticed in that fantastic kitchen you have that there is a pasta maker. I was thinking I would make fresh pasta for dinner as a way to say thank you for letting me move in. So, superman, what's your favorite pasta?"

Christopher thought about it for a few minutes, and Buck could see him muttering under his breath. Eventually, he said, "I really like the tortoise one with chicken filling."

Buck raised his eyebrows and glanced at Eddie and his abuela, who were trying to stifle their giggles, before he realized what Christopher meant. He asked, "Do you mean tortellini?" When the young boy nodded, he asked, "What if I do a chicken, ricotta, and cashew filling?"

Eddie said, "We'll need to stop at the store on the way home, but that sounds great. At some point, Abuela wants to try out your Mexican cooking."

Isabel agreed, "I want to try out these famous empanadas of yours."

Buck grinned. "I would be honored to make them for you, Seńora Diaz. I still have Seńora Perez's cookbook that she gave me before I was discharged from the SEALs."

Isabel gasped. "She gave you her family's recipes?"

Buck shrugged, "Not all of them. Diego was her only grandson, and while he can cook pretty well when he puts his mind to it, Diego can be easily distracted when he's cooking. He lives with her in San Diego when he's not deployed, and she keeps threatening to move closer to the fire station because of how many times she's had to call 911 for kitchen fires."

Isabel laughed. "Like mi nieto, he is not so great in the kitchen, although he is learning, and he has that big fancy kitchen to practice in while he waits for the lawyers."

Eddie said, "Buck has offered to teach me too, starting with the basics; since you know Mom wouldn't let me in her kitchen because cooking is a woman's job."

Buck screwed his nose up, and making sure Christopher was distracted, he replied, "Toxic masculinity wrapped up in a nice neat bow."

Abuela said, "There is no helping her. It's why all three of my son's children have left Texas. The last to leave was Eddie."

Eddie explained, "I was planning to wait until the probate was done on both Janet and Shannon's estates before moving to LA. But then my parents were making noises about filing for custody of Christopher, and I just knew I had to get out of there. I talked to Shannon's lawyer, and he helped me work out a plan so we could live in Janet's house while probate was being finalized. My parents are why probate is stalled. They have submitted a will they claim Shannon wrote while I was deployed that gave them custody of Christopher and control over anything he inherits from his mom. It's from one of those do-it-yourself will websites."

Buck commented, "Wouldn't that only be legal if she had full sole custody? Like if your parental rights had been completely stripped?"

Eddie nodded. "In theory, but my parents are determined to push the issue and are threatening to contest whatever is decided until they get what they want. They want Christopher, and they'll move heaven and earth to take him from me."

Buck said, "How about we head to my hotel to get my things? Then I'll stop into a grocery store on the way back to the house."

Eddie offered, "Once Buck is settled, we'll host a family dinner.

The dinner went well, he spent most of the prep time being grilled by the two Diazes, and he learned a bit more about why Eddie and Christopher fled El Paso.

Eddie explained, "I was scared that they were just going to come into my house and take Christopher from me. They honestly believe they would be better parents."

Christopher sassed, "They aren't. They won't let me do anything; I wasn't even allowed to play outside when I was at their house."

Buck asked, "They see his CP, not him?"

Eddie said, "They are, what's the word… ableist. They failed at the three kids they raised, in that me and my sisters don't look up to them like they are gods, so my parents want Christopher as a second chance, and they would raise him to be entirely dependent on them."

Buck grimaced. "That sounds... unpleasant." He looked at Christopher and said, "I'm glad your dad got you out of there. How about we make it a mission to do lots of things that would scare them?"

Christopher asked, "Like what?"

Buck shrugged. "Rock climbing, surfing, maybe even hiking. There are lots of activities around that have CP-specific classes. My rock climbing instructor has CP, and after a year, he's still kicking my as… butt on the speed climb challenge."

Eddie said, "I bet he's pretty lean, but you've got a lot of body mass to drag up a wall."

Buck laughed. "He says the same thing. Keeps telling me if I want to beat him, I need to lose my muscle mass."

Christopher asked, "Why do you have a rock climbing instructor, Bucky? I thought you were a firefighter?"

"I am," Buck confirmed. "But firefighters do lots of things; we don't just fight fires, firefighters help with car accidents, rescuing people from high places, we even rescue the kids that climb into the claw machines for free toys."

Christopher asked, "What's your scariest rescue?"

Buck laughed. "Your bisabuela and tia may want to smack me if they find out, but my scariest was this full moon just gone. Full moons are crazy, Christopher, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We were called to help a woman who had who was stuck in a pose in a yoga class for pregnant women. Our paramedics were out on another call, so just me and Bobby, my captain, went. We were planning to just keep things under control until a paramedic unit could get there. But when we got to the gym holding the yoga class, three women went into labor, the yoga instructor fell to pieces, and it was chaos."

Eddie gasped, “Dios Mio. And only two of you to manage it all."

Buck nodded. "The last woman to go into labor was pregnant with her fourth kid, so she delivered her own baby; Bobby helped with the second one, and the third had to go to the hospital for an emergency operation to help with the baby."

Christopher asked, "Did she have that C thingy?"

Buck nodded. "She did. She needed a C-Section because the baby needed a bit more help with being born."

The young boy nodded solemnly and said, "I was damaged because Grandma talked Mommy out of a C-Section." He said the last word slowly, wanting to make sure he got it right.

Eddie facepalmed. He asked, "Did she tell you that, or did someone else?"

Christopher said guilelessly, "Mommy used to say it, and one of my tias said it again after Mommy ran away. I don't remember much about mommy, but I remember that because I thought the C-Section sounded funny."

Eddie explained, "I arrived at the hospital about an hour after the birth, so I missed all that. Shannon said she didn't want a C-Section." He told Buck, "She was lied to by my mother, who told her that I believed only weak women had C-Sections. My tia and sisters tried to convince her otherwise, but she was firm in her resolve by that point. Tia Pepa told me about it not long after Shannon left us. I think she wanted me to know just how bad it was for Shannon living practically under my mother's thumb."

Christopher whispered, "I don't like grandma very much."

Eddie said, "It's a good thing we're here in LA then, isn't it."

Christopher turned to face Buck as he was folding the tortellini into the right shapes, and being a curious kid, he asked, "What's the grossest call you've been on?"

Buck chuckled. "It's probably too gross for others to hear around dinner time, superman."

The older man said, "I don't mind, I saw some pretty gross stuff during my time in the Army, and Christopher likes gross horror stories and movies. We'll be fine, that is if you're fine telling us."

Buck stopped his giggles and said, "This one was straight after the crazy yoga studio, so still the full moon. We were called to the house of this crazy couple, and one of them was curled up in the bathroom complaining of stomach pains; he was screaming about a monster inside him, and his boyfriend was berating him for being dramatic. While we were driving him to the hospital, the guy on the gurney started screaming about something touching his leg, and it was a tapeworm. My captain was so grossed out I swear he went green, he wanted to leave it until we got to the hospital, but I thought if we did, we would lose it."

Eddie nodded. "More than likely. I would have made the call to at least anchor it if not pull it out slowly."

Buck nodded. "Which is what I did. It was 7ft long, and the poor guy was freaking out a lot. I doubt they'll eat sushi for a long time."

Eddie laughed. "I do doubt that. How did you know how to deal with it?"

The younger man explained, "I worked bar in South America, and tapeworms were as common as house cats."

Eddie narrowed his eyes and asked, "¿Hablas español?"

Buck nodded. "Sí. Un poco." He switched to English and said, "Most of what I picked up in South America was bar Spanish and what Diego taught me while I was in the SEALs. I actually learned more Italian from my CO."

Christopher offered, "We can teach you, Bucky."

Buck grinned as he plated up the meal. "Definitely, it will come in super handy in LA. We've already had a few calls where understanding more Spanish would have been helpful. I mostly learned Arabic and Farsi while I was in the sandbox; most of us did, thanks to our translators."

Eventually, they got Christopher into bed, and when the two men were alone, Eddie grilled Buck about life in the SEALs and the younger man's time living in LA.

-x-

Buck got changed and walked into the captain's office before the official start of his shift. When Bobby looked up from his paperwork, Buck asked, "Do you have the change of address form, cap?"

Bobby opened his file drawer and pulled out one of the forms. As he handed it over, he asked, "You moved? I thought you were set on staying where you were until the end of your probation period."

"I was," the younger man agreed. "But it's basically a frat house, and it's not been healthy to my schedule. Too many times where I'm trying to get sleep after a long shift, and the house is in full-on party mode. The few times I've been able to block out the noise, people have come bursting in looking for privacy. So I found a new place to live until my probation period is over."

Buck took a few minutes to fill out the form before he handed it over.

Bobby whistled as he read the new details. "Beverly Hills? Fancy."

Buck nodded. "You should see the kitchen, Bobby. I was seriously drooling." He pulled up a few photos he'd taken when he was making breakfast for the three of them, and he passed the phone to Bobby.

The captain asked, "How did you find this place? You must be paying astronomical rent."

Buck smirked. "I'm paying no more than I was at the frathouse. I found it on Craigslist; it's a house under probate, and the will is being contested. At this stage, it's considered a short-term rental, which is fine for me, as most of the rentals out there want a minimum of a one-year rental term. The house itself isn't being contested, just the custody of a minor child. So when the will is eventually sorted, I'll have time to find a new place."

Bobby entered the details into the computer, then he asked, "Do you need help moving your things?"

Buck snorted. "I literally live out of two duffles. Anything important is in storage until I get my own house. The good thing is, my new place is closer to the station. So I won't get caught in as much traffic as before."

Bobby chuckled. "I keep telling you, Buckaroo, you gotta avoid Sunset. It's a hotbed for stupid accidents."

"Well, it won't be an issue now," Buck agreed. "Since I moved to the other side of the station. Better roommates, too, quieter; even if one of them is six and likes noisy toys, he's still quieter than the frathouse. Can I ask a favor though? Can you please make my address details private, so only you can access them?"

Bobby nodded, "Sure thing, Buck." With a few quick taps on the computer, he commented, "Done. It sounds like you landed on your feet for sure."

Buck admitted, "The only downside is it's further away from Abby's place." He glanced at the door when he could hear Hen and Chim talking in the loft, so he said, "I'm going to get started on my chores."

He tried to get through the loft without the two paramedics noticing him, but he wasn't so lucky. Chim snarked, "In trouble with the principal again, Buckley?"

Buck shook his head as he kept walking. "Nope." He really didn't want the man to find out he'd moved. He'd just make it a bigger deal than it had to be. And if he was honest, he was still salty about the comments about what the therapist had done.

Hen followed him down, and as he was getting the cleaning supplies, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Buck nodded. "Peachy."

She disputed, "It doesn't seem that way, Buck."

The younger man shrugged. "I just want to clean the truck before we're called out."

Hen gave him a scrutinizing look before she nodded and went back upstairs, presumably to find out what was on her list for the day.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

February 2018

The shift was relatively easy, they got to sleep for more than a few hours, and they only had one major call out for a seven-car pile-up that took them a few hours to clear. Near the end of the shift, Buck had a text from Abby asking if he wanted to do lunch after his shift. So he replied and suggested a cafe near the station, so he didn't have to drive far to get home.

She was waiting for him when he arrived, and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. Once he'd sat down, she asked, "How did the shift go?"

Buck chuckled, "You mean beyond the seven-car pile-up you sent us to last night? It wasn't too bad. The pile-up was definitely the worst call of the shift; I even got some decent sleep."

Abby asked, "That's pretty rare?"

Buck nodded. "So rare. Usually, we get interrupted several times a night with calls, and often they are stupid calls. How's your mom doing after her big adventure?"

Abby smiled. "She's doing okay. Carla took on more hours to help wrangle her, so she's never on her own now. The extra hours give me some time to myself, something I haven't had for a while."

Buck said, "Oh, I finally moved out of the frat house. I found a place on Craigslist that should be good until my probation period is up."

Abby looked taken aback as she said, "Oh, I thought you would have moved into our spare room like I offered when you first started having issues with your roommates. It was a serious offer, Buck, and it's still open if you want to use it."

Buck nodded. "I know, Abby, but moving in, even to the spare room, isn't something I'm ready for yet. Sorry. All that's left for me to arrange is an address to give them that isn't my new one."

Abby looked confused as she asked, "Why?"

The younger man admitted, "So my old roommates don't turn up on my doorstep at the new place. They are young and get crazy ideas that they like to drag me into. I wouldn't put it past them to turn up at some ungodly hour, drunk or high as kites hoping to rope me into their shenanigans. My roommate has a child, and they are not something I would want to expose him to."

Abby suggested, "So give them my address. I live in a secure building, and they'd have to get past the security guard and the doorman. That will put most people off; if they get past the gauntlet, I can just let them know you moved out, and I don't know where you ended up."

Buck asked, "Are you sure? I was just going to get my lawyer to find a place to use. Right now, only Pads has my actual phone number; the others were given a burner phone which I left in my room when I moved out. I didn't want them drunk dialing me while I was on shift."

Abby nodded. "It's fine, Buck. I can understand wanting to protect a child from former roommate shenanigans. From what you've told me, they get up to some crazy stuff."

Buck nodded. "It's a frat house with near unlimited mischief funding. Not a great combination. It was fun for a while, but I think I grew out of it where I don't think they ever will."

She shrugged and admitted, "Eventually, I'd like to think you'll move in at some point, so it wouldn't be a fake address, just a not-yet address."

He looked pensive, and Abby looked curious about the change in mood. He didn't want to talk about moving in; he wasn't sure it would be something he'd be comfortable doing for a long time. So he changed the subject and asked, "Do you mind if I talk to Carla about my roommate? He's having issues with getting his son set up with therapists and doctors, and I remember you said she's red tape's worst nightmare."

She asked, "He has special needs?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, he's smart as a whip, but he has physical issues that require the care of a physical therapist and specialist pediatricians. I was hoping Carla could help get him all sorted. I'd be willing to pay her for her time."

Abby finished her coffee and said, "Why don't you follow me home? Carla will be finishing her shift when I get there, so you can ask her before she leaves."

Buck smiled. "That would be awesome. I can't stay for long though; I agreed to do a movie marathon with Christopher."

She stood with a look of displeasure; it was there and gone so quickly that Buck thought he might have imagined it. When Buck stood to join her, she said, "Let's go."

Carla was happy to see the two of them, and she gushed, "I just knew you two would be perfect for each other."

Buck gave the aide a curious look and asked, "Have we met before?"

Before she could answer, Abby quickly said, "Buck stopped by to see if you could help him out."

Buck noticed the deflection, but decided to ignore it for now. He nodded. "I've moved, and my new roommate has a young boy with CP. He's struggling a bit to figure out what his son is entitled to. I looked at the pile of paperwork he's been given by the various agencies, and it's so confusing."

"It can be," Carla confirmed. "But I'd be happy to talk to him about his son's needs. Do you know his availability?"

Buck said, "I'm not sure; I think he's free over the next few days. I know he'll be home this afternoon, since I have a movie marathon with him and Christopher when I get home."

Carla offered, "If he's free tomorrow, I can meet you both in the morning. I don't start my shift here until 2pm."

Buck sent a quick text to Eddie to find out if he was free; when he received a confirmation reply, he said, "Eddie suggested 10am if that works for you. He's got lunch with his abuela tomorrow, and apparently, I'm invited."

Carla chuckled as she handed over a card with her number on it. "How about you text me where you want to meet, and I'll be there at 10am."

"Thanks, Carla," Buck said gratefully. "I really appreciate it."

The aide said, "It's no problem, Buck; I'll see you tomorrow. How about you go tell more of your stories to Patricia before her nap. She's been mentioning them in her more lucid moments since I started here."

As he left after catching up with Patricia, Abby asked, "I thought we were doing lunch tomorrow?"

Buck shook his head. "Sorry, as I said to Carla, I already have a movie date tomorrow with Christopher. Did we have something arranged?"

Abby shook her head. "Just our usual standing lunch date when I'm on the afternoon shift, and you've got the day off. It's been like that for a few weeks now."

Buck admitted, "Sorry, I didn't actually realize that was a thing; we usually arranged those in advance. I agreed to have a movie day with Christopher a few days ago."

Abby pouted and said, "I just feel like I never see you much anymore between your shifts, my shifts, and your roommate and his kid; we keep missing each other."

Buck vowed, "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He left before Abby could pull him into a hug. He wasn't happy with the assumption that he would move in, let alone Carla's comment about them being perfect for each other. Buck thought they were still just dating, but Abby certainly seemed to think they were more serious. He waved as he walked down the hall and decided to take the stairs rather than wait for the lift. The younger man was a bit puzzled by the comment Abby made about barely seeing him. He felt like he saw her all the time when she was off shift.

When he got home, he mentioned the weird comment Carla made to Eddie, as he wasn't sure what to make of it, or the fact that Abby interrupted before she could answer.

Eddie asked, "Is today the first time you've met Carla?"

Buck nodded. "I've heard about her from Abby, but our paths have never crossed before now. I don't know; it just weirds me out a little that she's gushing about us being perfect for each other when I've never met her before. Abby said she's a great aide and even got some extra services for Patricia that Abby had no idea she was entitled to."

Eddie commented, "She probably learned a lot about you from Abby, especially if they spend a lot of time together."

"Maybe," Buck shrugged before he admitted, "I'm exhausted. I got a bit of sleep at work, but I still feel tired, so I'm going to take a nap before dinner."

-x-

Carla arrived promptly at 10 am as promised. Buck let her into the palatial house and showed her through to the library, where Eddie was helping Christopher with some reading. Chris was on a dinosaur kick, and he was researching Buck's favorite dinosaur, the Ankylosaurus.

Buck approached the table and said, "Guys, this is Carla, the red tape killer I was telling you about. Carla, this is Eddie and Christopher Diaz. Now I'm going to get everyone something to drink while you guys talk."

When he came back out, he could see that Carla had all the paperwork spread out in front of them, and Christopher was happily reading his book at the other end of the table. He asked, "How's it going?"

Eddie grinned. "She's magic, just like you said. She's going to introduce me to one of her colleagues who can stay with Christopher while I have my own rehab appointments. And when I'm back to work, they'll help with childcare around whatever I decide to do."

Buck asked, "And the state pays for that?"

Eddie nodded. "Most of it, for sure."

Carla said, "I've also got a list of doctors, therapists, physical therapists, and schools that are great for kids who need a bit of extra help."

Buck commented, "Just make sure the doctor is one that advocates kids being active. My climbing instructor, Matai, told me that some of the pediatricians in LA are stuck in the dark ages."

Carla put a hand on his arm and said, "I've only recommended ones that will support Christopher, not hinder his progress. The three doctors at the top of the list are all big advocates for active kids."

Eddie said, "That's good. Christopher has fun at the beach, and we've been doing little hikes on the easy trails around the area."

Christopher showed he was listening in as he said, "I want to try rock climbing with Buck. His instructor has CP like me."

Carla asked, "So, no limitations?"

Eddie said, "No. If it's something he can't do, I'll go to the ends of the earth to find a way so he can do it. I want my son to fly; I don't want him limited by what others tell him he can and can't do."

Buck added, "And I'll help. I might not have known the little guy for long, but I'd be right there with Eddie helping."

She noted the strapping tape poking out of the arm of Eddie's shirt, and she asked, "And what about you? It looks like you're recovering from something. Are you getting everything you're entitled to?"

Eddie nodded. "I think so. I'm working with the VA to get what I need. I was recovering in El Paso, then my parents threatened to sue for custody of Christopher when they heard my estranged wife died, so I fled to LA. This house belonged to Shannon's mother, and it's currently tied up in probate. The lawyers have agreed that we can live here, since we are the only likely beneficiaries."

Carla said, "I don't want to be nosy, but if you're the only beneficiaries, why is there a delay in probate?"

Eddie said, "My parents claim to have a will that Shannon wrote giving them custody of our son. We're sure it's not actually valid, but it has to be raised and denied in court before the probate can be signed off. My lawyer is investigating their claims, since the will they provided was created on one of those DIY websites."

"They'll get it sorted, I'm sure." Carla looked at her watch and said, "Let's get these forms filled out before you need to leave for lunch at your abuela's.

Buck sat and read with Christopher to keep him entertained while Eddie and Carla filled out all the relevant forms. After she left, Eddie pulled Buck into a tight hug and murmured, "Thank you. I've been struggling with those forms since we arrived in LA, and in one morning visit, you've managed to fix most of the issues I've been having getting Christopher settled."

Buck shrugged. "It's no problem, Eds. Anything for you and your ray of sunshine."

Eddie said, "I asked Carla how long she's known you for, and she said while she only met you yesterday, she feels like she's known you as long as she's known Abby. Abby's apparently been raving about you to her since the rescue you did of that little girl when you drove the fire truck around that housing development."

The younger man frowned. "But I didn't actually meet Abby until a few months later. She rang me a lot before we met, but we only really talked about work stuff."

Eddie asked, "You never called her?"

Buck shook his head. "No, I didn't start calling her until a few weeks before that disastrous first date. She knew through the call center when we had rough shifts and would call me to see if I was okay. It was nice, you know. I didn't really get on with those on my shift back then, still don't with some of them, but it was nice to have someone looking out for me."

Eddie grinned. "Now you have me and Chris and our family to look out for you too. We've adopted you fair and square."

Buck pulled Eddie into a hug and whispered, "Thanks, it's nice being part of a real family."

-x-

After a delicious lunch at Abuela's, the Diaz women decided to start their interrogation. Christopher was sitting in the living room on his tablet, playing a game.

Isabel asked, "So what made you decide to move in with my nieto?"

Buck admitted, "I was rooming with a group of guys that I was traveling with. And it was like living in a frat house. The last straw was when one of them congratulated me for sleeping with my therapist."

Eddie asked, "By choice?"

Buck shook his head. "Not entirely, no. I was just about to explain the situation to Dane, he was one of my roommates doing a criminal justice degree, and I wanted to get some advice since he's a pretty smart cookie, but Chuck interrupted me before I could explain."

Pepa asked, "It was a mandated visit?"

Eddie asked, "What do you mean, mandated?"

Buck explained reluctantly, "If something traumatic happens on the job, we get mandated therapy appointments. The therapist has the power to pull us off active duty if they believe our mental state is affecting us worse than we think. I was sent to Dr. Wells after losing my first rescuee."

Eddie said, "Did she threaten you, Buck?"

Buck looked away, and Pepa said softly, "Buck, do you understand that what she did was manipulative and illegal?"

The younger man shook his head. "I wasn't sure if it was illegal, asked one of the guys at work for advice, and Chimney found out, and he likes to tease me about it. I had a date with my girlfriend on Valentine's Day, our first date, and I was so nervous I choked on bread and ended up with a tracheostomy. I was hospitalized for a few days, and when I returned to work, Chim said I should have stuck to my therapist as it was safer."

All three Diazes looked shocked. Isabel asked, "Who is this Chimney?"

Buck explained, "He's our lieutenant at work. Bobby's second in command. He's the station funny guy, and as I'm the probie, I'm often the target of his humor."

Eddie asked, "Have you reported this therapist for what she did?"

"No," The younger man admitted. "Look, she has the power to take me off the job. She just has to send a letter to the chief, and I'm relegated to light duties, and I can pretty much kiss my career goodbye."

Eddie asked, "When's your next day off?"

Buck blinked at the sudden subject change and replied, "I'm working a 24-hour shift tomorrow starting at 8 am, so I'll be home at about 9 am the next morning, provided we don't get called out on a big job before the end of our shift."

"Okay," Eddie said with a nod. "Christopher will be at school, so how about after you get home and you've had a nap, we go into one of the local police stations to report what she did. They can get an investigation started, especially given she's a therapist for first responders, and it sounds like she's sending people back into the field without actually dealing with their issues."

Buck gave Eddie a sad look, and he said, "sh*t, I hadn't actually thought of that. The only reason I went to see her was because my captain suggested it. While it wasn't mandated, all she had to do was write a letter recommending I be benched due to issues, and he'd be forced to bench me— not that I think he'd fight it."

Isabel asked, "Have you found a different therapist? One who can actually help you?"

Buck shook his head. "I tried, but just trying to walk into the office almost sent me into a panic attack, so I called and canceled the appointment."

Isabel suggested, "What about doing the appointments over the phone. Like the video chats Eddie was doing with Shannon and Christopher while he was deployed. That way, it's safer for you. I'm sure there are others with similar issues where face-to-face appointments are not possible."

Buck nodded. "I'll have to look into seeing what's available that can sign off on my LAFD clearances. Better to find someone who can both do therapy and my sign-offs for mandated therapy."

Eddie suggested, "Why not try the VA. I know one of the Naval Corpsman I served with was seeing a therapist back home through the VA. He often had his appointments in our breakroom with headphones in. We all gave him privacy when we noticed his therapist on the line."

Buck grinned. "I keep forgetting about the VA. I'll give them a call after the police station, see what they can do for me. Thanks for offering to take me. I can't see anything about it being pleasant."

Isabel offered, "I'll cook up a batch of my special chicken enchiladas for you all. They are good comfort food."

Pepa grinned. "They are the best comfort food."

Buck was embarrassed at the fuss he was causing and said, "That sounds great, Isabel."

-x-

The following day while he was at work, Buck had been texting steadily with Abby, who was trying to set up a date for the next day after his shift. He'd said several times that he was busy with something that couldn't be rescheduled. After realizing that others may have been blackmailed and… he couldn't even think of the rest, but he didn't want anyone else to be duped by Dr. Wells. Eventually, Buck let Bobby know he had to make a call, and he ducked outside.

Abby skipped the pleasantries when she answered the call, which annoyed Buck. She said, "Are you sure you can't reschedule your other plans. Tomorrow is the only day Carla is available to help with Mom, so I can get some time for a date."

Buck scowled at the obvious guilt trip and said, "Sorry, my plans are fixed. I wasn't kidding when I said I wasn't available. Eddie, my new roommate, has convinced me to file a report about something that happened before we got together. He's only available tomorrow to come with me."

Abby asked, "Wouldn't you rather I went with you to support you instead of a stranger you've only known for a few weeks? I am your girlfriend, after all, and I've known you a lot longer."

Buck barely refrained from snorting; he didn't want the woman he was dating to know about the incident until much later, so he said, "I'll be fine with Eddie, but thank you for the offer." The alarm sounded behind him, and he jogged to the lockers and said, "I gotta go; I'll call you once I am done with my appointment tomorrow. I'm not sure how long it will take, sorry."

She snapped bitterly, "Go; I'll talk to you later."

Buck put his phone in his pocket, grabbed his turnouts, and jumped into the truck.

Chim asked, "Planning another hot date with your dispatch girl?"

Buck shook his head, "No, actually. She wanted to go out for lunch after my shift, but I have something else planned. The alarm went off before we could make any firm plans."

Chim snidely commented, "I can't believe she still wants to date you after that disaster on Valentine's Day."

Buck said, "Well, it's a good thing she's not you then." He turned and effectively shut down the conversation as he asked, "What's the call, cap?"

Bobby explained, "Caller reported a GSW to the chest, but he was alone in his backyard. LAPD have cleared the scene, so we just need to get him stable and to the hospital."

They were unsuccessful in saving him, and Hen realized that's why she was getting a sense of deja vu. She said, "We've been here before."

Buck asked, "When?"

Bobby nodded and said, "Before you joined us, kid."

Bobby assessed the scene and said, "The bullet she fired at him…."

"Did it fly out of the tree when he blew it up?" Hen asked. When the three men nodded, she snarked, "Karma's a bitch."

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

March 2018

When Buck finally got home, he was mentally exhausted. It had been a long shift of frustrating calls. As soon as the older man saw him, he asked, "Rough shift?"

Buck shook his head. "Not rough so much as weird. Karma seemed to be the theme of the day. We had a guy who was shot by his wife a year after she died, another who baked himself to death on a tanning bed the day after he nearly baked his dog to death in his car, then the tiger who ate the hunter who shot a lion in a protected reserve."

Eddie commented, "I saw that last one on the news last night; the reporter seemed to think it was a fitting end."

Buck laughed, "We also had a porch pirate that tripped and had to be rescued. The way Athena was glaring at her, I was fully expecting her to self-combust. Apparently, she was addicted to stealing packages."

Eddie laughed. "With the number of doorbell cameras that have motion detectors these days, it was a matter of time before she was caught. Did you get a chance to sleep?"

Buck nodded. "All rested, no need for a nap. I just want to get this over and done with. Are you sure you don't mind coming with me? We've only known each other for a few weeks."

Eddie said, "Honestly, Buck, it sounds like you need someone in your corner, especially if your workmates would rather tease you about it rather than help you report it."

"Thanks," Buck said gratefully. "Let me take a quick shower, and then we'll head out in my truck." He wanted to report the therapist to someone he was comfortable with. Buck knew a few of the guys that worked with Sergeant Grant, so he wanted to head to their precinct to make the report. He was really hoping his friend Shawn would be on duty; he felt comfortable with the officer.

Buck sprinted down to his room and had what felt like a super quick shower; then, as he was getting dressed, he sent Shawn a text to see if he was at the precinct. And when he got an affirmative response, he replied to say he'd see the officer soon.

As they were driving across town, Eddie asked, "I take it we're going to a specific station?"

Buck nodded. "I met a few of the out officers at a bar that caters to the LGBT firefighters and police officers in LA. We became good friends while I was going through the academy."

Eddie asked curiously, "One of your conquests?"

Buck snorted, "Yes, and no. I think it would be safer to say I was his conquest. We've become pretty good friends since though. But mostly, he's someone I'd feel comfortable explaining what happened. He won't think I deserved it, or that I asked for it or whatever… just because I self-diagnosed as having a sex addiction."

Eddie assures Buck, "You didn't ask for this; therapy should be safe, even if you think you have a sex addiction. Especially if you have a sex addiction… which I doubt, by the way."

"Look," Buck said as they pulled into the parking lot, "You didn't know me when I was in the academy. I was caught up in the lifestyle of the frat house, and word got around to other firefighters that I was easy. There are even rumors that I stole the ladder truck for a hookup last year." He didn't want to explain that the rumors were started by people he worked with who tried to use the story to get him fired.

Eddie put his hand on the younger man's arm and said, "That doesn't matter, Buck. Even if you went out every night and slept with a different person every night, that doesn't mean you have a sex addiction; you might just really enjoy sex. It also doesn't mean you deserved anything the therapist did. We really need to find you a therapist so you can work this all out in a safe environment, someone the VA has vetted."

Buck avoided the comment as he parked in one of the visitor parks and said, "Shawn should be here. He'll probably refer me to one of the detectives, but I want a cop I can trust who is aware of what's happening."

Eddie asked, "Why?"

As they walked inside, Buck murmured, "Dr. Wells treats firefighters and cops. I want to trust that the cop I speak to isn't one she's also seeing, that won't just brush my complaint under the rug. I'm pretty sure Shawn's therapist is a guy, just from throwaway comments he's made about his sessions, so he's safe."

Buck noticed his friend pacing in the lobby when they walked in, and he pointed him out to Eddie as they approached. Buck asked, "Shawn?"

Shawn spun around and seemed to look relieved. The officer said, "You're okay? I was worried when you said you were coming down."

Buck nodded. "I'm okay, just need to report something and wanted to do it with someone I trust." He motioned to Eddie and said, "This is Eddie Diaz; he's my roommate. He's the one that convinced me I needed to make a report."

Shawn murmured, "Is this a sensitive report, or will the bullpen do?"

Eddie suggested, "If you have a private interview room, preferably one without an observation area, that would be ideal."

"Follow me," Shawn said. "I'll get you to explain to me what's going on, then I'll figure out who should take the official report. Because of our past history, I wouldn't be allowed to take the case, as you know."

Buck nodded. "As long as Eddie can stay with me. I've only known him for a few weeks, but I already know he's got my back."

Shawn muttered, "It's about time someone did." He motioned them into one of the interview rooms and said, "This one doesn't have recording equipment; anything we use has to be brought in. It's mostly used by our… you know what, that's not important. Do you mind if I take notes?"

Buck shook his head. "It's probably a good idea."

Eddie squeezed his shoulder as he took a seat beside him, and they waited for Shawn to get his notebook out.

Once he looked ready, Buck said, "Do you remember that rollercoaster incident, where the guy let go rather than let me rescue him?"

Shawn nodded. "I sure as sh*t remember the bender you took after that shift."

The younger man sighed as he looked down at his hands while he talked. "Yeah, not my finest moment. So my captain, Bobby Nash, noticed I wasn't taking it well. It's not my first death, but the first as a firefighter, and such a senseless death, you know. So he referred me to see a therapist. It wasn't mandated, just a strong suggestion. He gave me a card for Dr. Maretta Wells."

Buck felt Eddie shift beside him, and he looked up to see Shawn grimacing. He asked, "Shawn?"

Shawn said, "It's nothing, just ignore me. What happened when you saw Dr. Wells?"

Buck said, "She basically blackmailed me into sleeping with her. I'll admit I put that I was a possible sex addict on the intake sheet, but when I tried to turn her down, she said she'd send a letter to my captain saying I wasn't cleared for active duty." He looked stricken when he said, "You know me and know I like to play, but not like that, not—"

Shawn interrupted, "Not when you're not the one setting the terms, not when there isn't agreement on both sides."

Buck snapped his fingers at his friend and said, "Exactly! She just jumped in my lap and expected me to be happy about it. And when I tried to push her off, she got angry and threatened my job. What was I supposed to do? The worst part is I tried to get help from a colleague, and another one overheard, and now he teases me about it all the time."

Eddie said, "That's how I found out about it. He was explaining to me and my family why he moved with literally no notice. One of his former roommates congratulated him on scoring with his therapist."

Shawn winced. "Well, yeah, but I'd expect that from what is essentially a frat house. But what's the deal with being teased at work?"

Buck shrugged. "Chim's way of welcoming me back after the tracheotomy was to tell me I should have stuck with my therapist, since dating will obviously kill me."

Shawn said, "Well, that's disgusting. But, it seems to be par for the course with Firefighter Han." He explained to Eddie, "We met up on calls occasionally, and I usually hear Firefighter Han being caustic as f*ck to Buck, just because he's a probie and needs to be educated. Right. Do you mind waiting here while I get a detective?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't mind; not sure if Eddie has anything planned for today?"

Eddie shook his head. "I figured this might take a while, so I didn't make any plans."

Buck and Eddie talked quietly while they waited. Eddie asked, "Is he right... about this guy being caustic?"

Buck nodded hesitantly. "He can be. Most of the time, it's just teasing, you know, hazing the new guy. I just need to stick out my probation year with no black marks, and then I can request a transfer if things don't change. As I said before, I already came close once. Someone accused me of stealing the ladder truck for a joyride, but I was actually following the orders of the shift engineer, and I was taking it out for a test drive, since I was one of the few on shift that was qualified to drive it."

Eddie was about to reply when the door opened, and Shawn was back with an older man. Eddie looked the man up and down and whispered, "Hello, Daddy."

Buck chuckled and whispered his agreement.

Shawn rolled his eyes at the antics and said, "This is Detective Connor James. Detective James, this is Evan Buckley; he prefers to be called Buck, and his roommate Eddie Diaz."

Eddie said, "I'm just here as a support person. I talked Buck into making the report after I heard what the therapist did."

The detective said, "Thanks for coming in, both of you. Please call me Connor. I'm glad you've come in to make a report. I've been doing a low-key investigation into Dr. Maretta Wells after hearing a few rumors that are floating around the LAPD and LAFD."

Buck asked, "What are the rumors?"

Connor sighed. "She's the go-to for those who want to be signed off fast without having to actually do the work, especially for those who would struggle to get sign-off from a legitimate therapist."

Buck admitted, "And then there are the people like me. My only visit with her was not a mandated appointment, but a few days before my appointment, I got an alert in my email that the therapist had sent me a Facebook friend request. I ignored it because I don't use Facebook anymore."

The detective wrote down some notes, then asked, "Do you still have the email notification, and did you do anything with the friend request?"

Buck nodded. "I still have it; I just archived it in my Gmail account. I'm not sure if the friend request is still valid on my Facebook account though; I was serious about not using the app." He searched for the email on his phone and slid it over to the detective so he could forward it with the time and date stamps.

Connor wrote down the details of the email, including the date and times, then asked, "How long after you made the appointment before you got that email?"

Buck thought about it and said, "It was actually only a few hours between when I made the appointment, and the request came through."

The detective asked, "So what happened during the appointment?"

Buck admitted, "She said she could help me with my sex addiction and climbed into my lap. I said that's not what I wanted; I wanted help beating it, not enabling it. That's when she threatened to have me benched if I didn't sleep with her."

Connor asked, "Can you remember her exact words?"

Buck shuddered and shook his head. "Sorry, I remember saying I didn't want it, and she replied with something about how if I didn't, she would send a letter to my captain saying I was emotionally compromised and should be benched until she clears me."

Shawn murmured, "I wonder if she's ever followed through on that threat."

Connor ran his hand through his hair and said, "I'm more worried about how many others like Buck are out there. That she's basically forced into sleeping with her. Beyond the obvious consent issue, it's actually illegal for a therapist to sleep with a patient in the state of California."

Eddie nodded. "I thought it was, I just wasn't a hundred percent sure. It differs from state to state."

Buck said, "I'm happy for you to use my case to make the investigation official, but please keep my name out of it. I'm already having issues with one of my colleagues who heard about it, and I'm still in my probation year, so I don't want anything upsetting that."

Connor frowned. "Wait, someone you work with is aware of what happened with your therapist, and they are teasing you about it rather than reporting it?"

Buck shrugged. "I have a reputation in the firehouse of being willing to f*ck anything with a pulse, just because I get a lot of numbers when we are out on calls, numbers I throw out when we get back to the station. Never mind the fact that I have a serious girlfriend. Admittedly our first date didn't go well, and she had to give me an emergency tracheotomy after I choked on a dinner roll. Not my finest moment."

Eddie said darkly, "They said he should have stuck to his therapist; she was safer."

Shawn asked, "Have you reported any of this to Captain Nash?"

Buck shook his head. "There's no point, nothing will happen, nothing ever happens." At Connor's incredulous look, he explained, "Look, about four months after I started at the 118, the ladder truck was offline for maintenance, and the engineer asked me to take it for a test drive. Someone, I suspect Chim, told the captain I stole it for a hookup. Bobby hunted me down and fired me on the spot, not even giving me a chance to explain that I was following orders. He found me in the middle of ordering coffee for the whole crew at Blake's request. He hired me back the same day after I saved Sergeant Grant from a gunman, but I don't trust him enough to report the teasing that goes on."

Shawn said, "Athena said you were hired back after the engineer clued him into the fact you were doing what he told you to do."

Buck shrugged. "I was told by Bobby that Athena pled my case, and that's why he reinstated me. I've felt like I've been on thin ice ever since. I checked with HR and confirmed that there is nothing on file about the incident, but that doesn't mean it won't be brought up later."

Connor huffed. "What a mess. Okay, I'll do what I can to keep your name out of it. At least with your report, I can get an official investigation started. I'm sure others will climb out of the woodwork now that we can get warrants. Just promise me something, kid, are you getting help for any of this?"

Buck shook his head. "I tried, but I had a panic attack just walking into the therapist's office. I called and canceled from my truck and I haven't tried again since. Eddie suggested I talk to the VA and see if one of their therapists can do skype or zoom sessions with me since I'm a former Navy SEAL."

Connor said, "Whatever works, as long as you get some help, both with the incident that took you there in the first place, and with the resulting—"

"Rape," Buck admitted for the first time. "It was straight-up rape. I didn't consent, and regardless of how free I was with my affections in the past, I didn't ask for it either." He sighed, "At least one good thing came out of it, I finally got the push to move out of the frat house I was living in, and I met Eddie and his unicorn, I mean son."

Eddie laughed. "He is a unicorn; all sunshine and rainbows. The perfect prescription to a bad day."

"Good," The detective said with a grin. "Just what the doctor ordered. I'll keep you updated where I can."

Buck stood and said, "Thanks Connor, Shawn. I appreciate all this."

As they walked out, Eddie suggested, "Disney movie marathon in our ridiculous home theatre?"

Buck laughed. "Sounds like a good plan. I'm glad Shannon updated it with the AppleTV; streaming is so much easier than worrying about finding the right disc."

Christopher loved the home theatre room, as it had comfortable recliner sofas, and he could cuddle up to his dad or sit on his own sofa, depending on his mood. When he discovered their plans, he suggested, "Why don't we watch Star Wars? We can start at the beginning and work our way through."

Buck laughed as Christopher turned his puppy dog eyes onto his dad as the young boy said dramatically, "It's a trav-stry that Bucky doesn't know why Han shot first, Daddy!"

Eddie corrected with a chuckle, "It's travesty. And if Buck wants to watch Star Wars, I'm cool with that."

Buck shrugged, "Sounds good. I'll get the popcorn sorted if you guys want to get the movies cued up."

Christopher asked, "Can you make your kettle corn again, Buck? It's yummy."

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

March 2018

Buck had taken Abby out for lunch a few days after filing the police report. She was still salty about being blown off when Buck wanted to make his police report. Especially when she found out through a friend that he'd met with one of the sex crimes officers.

Once they'd placed their orders with the waiter, Abby asked, "So you were making a report? That's why you were at the station?"

Buck repeated for what felt like too many times already, "I was, but I still can't discuss it. Sorry, Abby."

She frowned as she said, "I just want to support you the way you've been supporting me. You had a stranger with you, Buck. I could have been there for you; I had the day off."

Buck shook his head. He explained, "Eddie's not a stranger, it's hard to explain, but he was the best person to be there to support me with what needed to be done." He was done evading the subject, so he asked, "How's your mom doing?"

Abby replied, "She's having less and less lucid moments. Carla has warned me to expect her to pass soon. I'm sure she would love to see you again; we could stop in after lunch."

Buck smiled. "Sounds good. She always seems to like hearing my work stories. Especially the fun ones, like getting kids out of the claw machines."

Abby asked, "How did things go with Carla and your roommate?"

The younger man grinned. "It went great. She got all the paperwork sorted so his son would get what he was entitled to, and she introduced them to Natalie, who is able to care for Christopher when Eddie needs his physical therapy sessions."

Abby asked, "What was he doing before?"

Buck said sadly, "Either skipping his sessions or leaving him with his elderly abuela. Don't get me wrong, Isabel is awesome, but she's pushing 80, and that's not a good age to be looking after an active six-year-old. It's also given him time to figure out his next steps. So last week, he did a challenge exam for the Advanced EMT certification, since he was a medic in the Army, which he passed with flying colors."

Sounding a little odd, Abby asked, "He's joining the fire academy?"

"Yep," Buck confirmed. "He got accepted into the next intake. He should graduate just in time for the start of the new school year. I've agreed to help him train for the heavy rescue courses; I'm hoping I'll be able to convince Bobby to take him on as my partner."

Abby gave him a shocked look. She asked, "Seriously? But you've only known him for a few weeks."

Buck nodded. "I know, Abby. But we get along really well, and I have a good feeling about him being my partner. We already workout together, and we're planning a gym for his ridiculous house. One that will work for both of us as well as his son."

Abby asked, "Ridiculous house? You've called it that a few times."

He laughed. "Totally ridiculous and gorgeous. Nine-bedroom, ten-bathroom house with a huge backyard and pool in Beverly Hills. He is due to inherit it from his late wife, who inherited it only a week before she died from her mother. It even has a huge library and a movie theatre."

"Wow!" Abby sounded awestruck. "And he put an ad for a roommate on craigslist?"

Buck explained the lack of a timeframe, as it all worked around the probate hearings, which would put most people off. "I'm happy as I just need to wait a few more months until the end of my probation period, then I can access my house deposit fund. I locked it all up in investments that couldn't be canceled on a whim so I would have time to consider if I wanted to stay at the 118, and it would give me time to find the perfect house instead of the you'll do for now house."

Abby nodded. "It makes sense. Are you looking for anything now, or are you waiting until your investments free up and you know how much you're working with as a deposit before you start looking?"

"Waiting," Buck confirmed. "I would hate to find the perfect house and have it snapped up from under my nose before my money was available."

Abby grinned as she checked her watch. "I would cry if that happened. Especially if I really loved the house. Just remember, my spare room is always open if you want a break from your roommate and his kid or if you change your mind and want to move in." She looked down at her phone as the alarm went off. "We should get going, Carla will need to leave soon, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

He spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Patricia, entertaining her with more work stories and even repeats of some of the stories she'd enjoyed in the past. He noticed, though, that she was less present than she had been other days, less communicative, something he relayed to Abby before he left. He agreed with Carla that it wouldn't be long.

-x-

Eddie gave Buck a disgruntled look over his books when the younger man arrived home from his shift. He said, "I really regret letting the kid see the trailer for Speed with us."

Buck looked suitably confused when he asked, "Why?"

Eddie said, "Just wait; Christopher knows I'm in here studying, so he'll be back. Natalie is helping him help me study. Now come help me with this module. We're working on fire behavior this week."

They got to work studying after Buck made them a quick snack. Eventually, Eddie was proven right when Christopher walked into the room, followed closely by Natalie. When he was close to the table Eddie and Buck were working at, the young boy yelled, "POP QUIZ HOTSHOT: How can you tell when a fire is going to have a flash… flash…." He looked back at Natalie, who whispered the answer, "flashover?"

Natalie was holding the book, so she could check his answer.

Eddie thought about it for a few seconds, then said, "High heat or flames overhead, and a sudden rise in temperature, and a lot of heavy dark smoke."

Natalie nodded that he had it right, and Christopher leaned into his dad for a hug and said, "You're smart, Daddy. I gotta go find another question for you."

Buck was struggling to hold in his laughter. He said, "That was really f*cking cute. How long has he been doing that?"

Eddie said, "All day, he heard Natalie mention doing a pop quiz, and he remembered the bad guy from the Speed trailer. She's been helping him find questions all day. It probably helps that she has a copy of my syllabus from the academy."

Buck frowned. "I thought that was just so she would know what days you'd be doing the late classes."

"Yep," Eddie confirmed. "But it also means she knows what modules I'm doing each week, so she can help Chris find appropriate questions, even if he doesn't really understand them. He's pretty excited about me being a firefighter."

Buck grinned. "I'm pretty excited too. I already know from our training sessions that we'll work well together; you read me so well. We just need to get you up to speed on the different rescue techniques."

Eddie asked, "Are you heading to Abby's tonight. You mentioned helping her with the funeral."

Buck nodded. "I am, but not for funeral prep. She actually wants help setting her dining room back to a dining room; it's where her mother was living for the last few months, as it was easier to get all the machines set up in there. Her brother is due tomorrow, and she wants it all cleaned up before he and his family arrive."

The older man seemed confused when he asked, "They don't get on?"

Buck shrugged. "I've only met him once, and they seemed to get on okay. Abby just wants Patrica's send-off to be perfect for her, and I think they have different ideas on what that would look like."

"You'll be back tonight?" Eddie asked. "You did promise Christopher pancakes before school, after all."

The younger man nodded. "That's the plan. We're still taking things slowly, at my request, so I'll only be there for a few hours."

Eddie leaned forward on the table and said, "Can I ask you a personal question? Actually, a few personal questions." At Buck's nod of agreement, he asked, "Have you slept with anyone since the Dr. Wells thing?"

"No," Buck answered honestly. "Even with Abby, it's… I… no, I haven't. I like what I have with Abby, but we haven't taken it further than dates out, a few kisses… and even those I struggle with."

Eddie said, "We still haven't gone to the VA. They are open on the weekends; we could go down and see what's available for you. If they don't have the right therapist, they might know someone who would be right for you that's also willing to do the sessions via video conference."

Buck said, "You don't have to do that; I can go down on one of my days off—"

Eddie interrupted and said, "You can, but you don't have to; I'm happy to go with you so you don't have to do it alone. Abuela's been begging for some one-on-one Christopher time; she hasn't seen him as much since Natalie started taking care of him."

"Okay," Buck agreed. "Sure, it'd be good to have that push to go. Admitting what she did is hard, and admitting it to someone at the VA just feels wrong, you know. I'm a former SEAL, and this tiny girl was able to—"

Eddie covered his mouth and said, "Stop. Just stop. Look, from everything you've said, you were not in a position where you could consent. You were wrecked after what happened with that kid, you went to her for help, and she abused you. Look, after you told me what happened, I did some digging. I wanted to be able to help you, and I didn't want you to have to bring it up again. As a Navy SEAL, the people you rescue they wanted to be rescued. Either our own side or refugees you were getting to safety. If they didn't want to be rescued, they were enemy combatants, right?"

Buck nodded. "Usually, yeah. But even as a firefighter, the people we rescue want to be rescued."

Eddie shrugged. "Except for that kid on the roller coaster. One of the videos on YouTube, it's taken from a different angle from the others. It's at a slightly higher angle, maybe taken from one of the other rides, but it shows you reaching down, putting yourself at risk to reach out to him when he refused to grab the harness. From what I saw in that video, you were begging him to reach out and take your hand, and he just let go."

Buck agreed. "From what his sister said, he'd tried to kill himself when he was a teen; they got him into therapy, and they thought he was doing okay. But two months before the accident, he'd been isolating himself. I wonder if his sister had seen the video you saw after his funeral, because at the funeral she was happy to blame me entirely for his death, but then a week later, she turned up at the station to apologize."

Eddie shrugged. "It's possible; I know it's had more views than the others. I know I wasn't around when it happened, so I don't know how you were feeling and all that, but based on that video, you looked wrecked. There is no way you could have consented to sex with a complete stranger, someone who should have been helping you recover. Never mind the fact that I'm sure it's illegal for a therapist to sleep with a patient in California."

Done with the conversation and wanting a diversion, Buck stood and said, "I should get dinner started; any requests?"

Eddie shook his head. "Whatever you feel like cooking, if you feel like cooking. We can order takeout if you just want to head to Abby's?"

Buck said, "I'll cook. I'll go see what's in the kitchen and decide from there. I need the peace that cooking gives me."

Eddie sounded apologetic when he said, "Sorry. I guess she was on my mind with her suspension the other day."

Buck said, "It's fine, Eds; I'm just… do you remember the teasing I told you I faced at work over sleeping with her? Well, it's getting worse, and I guess I'm a bit sensitive to everything surrounding her right now."

Eddie nodded. "That's understandable. I still have some studying to do, so I'll stay out of your way. I can't promise the same with Christopher, though; you know he loves helping you out in the kitchen."

Buck nodded. "He's the best little sous chef. He's curious about cooking; it's nice."

He walked through the kitchen and, after a quick look through the cupboards and fridge, decided to make some ravioli. Christopher enjoyed creating the pockets, and they were a bit easier than the tortellini to create, especially for little hands.

He got to work making the filling, and as soon as Christopher realized he was in the kitchen, he and Natalie came to join them. Buck handed over the plastic cutter he'd got so Christopher could cut the pasta, and he said, "Have a think about what shape you want to use for the pasta, then we'll make lots of pockets."

Natalie sniffed before she asked, "What's the filling, Buck?"

Buck said, "Chicken and ricotta cheese. Nice and easy to make, and yummy to eat."

He started to spoon the mixture onto the pasta sheet, then asked, "Have you decided what shape you want to use, Christopher?"

Christopher nodded. "Stars, Bucky. Natalie can help me make them straight."

As Buck spooned the mixture onto the pasta sheets, Natalie helped Christopher cut the shapes with as little wastage as possible. Once the pasta was cooking, Buck said, "Time to get washed up for dinner. Can you tell your dad dinner isn't far away? I just have to let the pasta cook and make the sauce."

Christopher saluted with a giggle, and as he walked out of the room, he yelled, "Daddy, dinner's nearly ready; Bucky said you have to wash up."

Eddie snuck into the kitchen while Christopher was washing up, and he said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable; I just… I was trying to help."

Buck nodded. "I know, I'm just, I guess I'm still coming to terms with what she did. If your offer of coming to the VA is still open, I'd like you to come with me. Going alone is… nope."

"Definitely, Buck." Eddie agreed. "We'll go on your next day off. It'll give you less time to overthink it, like I'm already sure you're doing."

Buck smiled ruefully, "Little bit. Come help me set the table."

They'd offered dinner to Natalie, but she had to get home for a family dinner. Apparently, her sister had a big announcement.

Buck and Christopher, with encouragement from Eddie, spent the dinner planning out their trip to the zoo on the next weekend day Buck had off. Buck had been a few times on call outs; the most recent call was one where the tiger had escaped and killed a big game hunter. The media reports on the incident mainly concentrated on the hunter, and Buck wanted to see if the tiger had survived.

After dinner, he said, "I'll be going to the funeral straight after my next shift; it's why I'm taking my suit to Abby's. I'm planning to change at her place since I couldn't get out of work any earlier."

Eddie said, "Sounds like a good idea; her place is in the other direction from the station from here, right?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, about the same distance, but on the other side. So in bad traffic, it's about an hour's drive from here."

Eddie groaned. "That's one thing I miss about El Paso; there wasn't a rush hour where we lived. Sure, it was in the suburbs, but I didn't have to plan leaving the house around crazy traffic."

Buck said, "I know what you mean; Hershey was a pretty quiet town. But I balance that out with LA having lots of places to explore, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, and a beach. Win, win, win in my book."

Eddie grinned. "The beach is definitely a bonus. Although I'll blame you for Chris' surfing lessons." He passed Buck a piece of paper and a pen and asked, "Can you write down Abby's address for me? Christopher asked if we could send her flowers like people did for him after his mom died."

Buck quickly wrote down Abby's address. As he passed the paper back to Eddie, he said, "Patricia loved gerberas, especially the red and pink ones."

"Thanks," Eddie said gratefully. "I wasn't sure how to ask."

Buck nodded, then ran to his room to grab the suit bag he'd left hanging on the back of the door. He'd had to go and buy a new suit since the last time he'd bought a suit was during his SEAL days. While he'd been muscular back then, he'd still been quite lean; he'd bulked up during the academy as it helped with the heavy lifting he had to do as a firefighter. Thankfully he'd been able to find a suit off the rack suitable for a funeral that fitted him, so he didn't have to wait for a bespoke order to be made for him.

Buck carried the suit and his dress shoes into Abby's apartment, and she gave them a quizzical look. "Buck? What's going on?"

Buck explained, "I couldn't get any time off work, so I'll be coming straight here to meet you after work, so I thought it would be easier to leave my suit here, and I'll get changed here. I thought about leaving it in my car, but it'll get creased being left in the car for my 24-hour shift."

Abby said, "You can leave the suit hanging in my room. I'd put it in the spare room, but my brother will be using that when he arrives. Just think, if you'd moved in, it would have been a problem."

Buck nodded. "It's okay. I thought about driving home after my shift to get changed, but the funeral will be half over by the time I get home and drive back here. If it's too much, I can just take it to work and leave it in Bobby's office or something." He wondered briefly where her brother would've stayed if he'd moved in. He thought that he probably would've been guilted into sleeping in the master bedroom with her, so Matt had somewhere to sleep.

Abby shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. Sorry. Don't mind me, it's fine. Come on, we'll get it all hung up and ready."

Buck nodded. "Thanks. Even if I leave work on time, it's going to be cutting it close, but I couldn't get anyone to agree to cover my shift, and the captain wouldn't allow me to leave early, as the funeral is not for a relative of mine. Apparently, the LAFD is strict on that sort of thing."

Abby said, "It really depends on the captain, and I've heard Captain Nash is tough on probationary firefighters."

He admitted, "I thought we were doing okay, we even went to a Springsteen concert together, but these last few months, he's changed. Ever since the plane crash call." Buck was sure it was because he'd peeked in the notebook Bobby carried with him, but he knew from gossip around the station that he wasn't the only one to look. Just the only one to bring it up with the captain.

Abby took the garment bag from him and hung the suit up on a hook on the back of her bedroom door. She asked, "Will it need steaming?"

Buck shook his head. "It's a new suit, so it was pressed by the store when I bought it. It should be fine to just hang it in the bag until the funeral. You said you wanted to return the dining room to rights before your brother arrives?"

Abby nodded. "The hospice people are coming in a few hours to get the equipment we'd rented for Mom. So we just need to pack that up and have it near the door. Thank you for helping with all this, it's all quite heavy, and your muscles will help." She quickly placed the shoes under the bench at the end of her bed before she led him into the dining room.

They spent a few hours getting the hospice equipment packed up back into their boxes and ready for pick up.
Once that was done, they pulled the dining room furniture out of Patricia's old room, where it had been stored. It was almost midnight by the time they got everything set to Abby's satisfaction. They were sitting at the newly replaced dining table enjoying a wine when Abby asked, "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

Buck said, "I'm sure. I promised Christopher pancakes for breakfast before he goes to school tomorrow; I don't want to disappoint him."

She reached for his hand and asked, "I can't persuade you? I just don't feel like being alone tonight."

Buck shook his head; he really didn't think it would be a wise idea, especially with the signals Abby was putting out. They weren't yet at the sleeping together stage of their relationship, and he didn't think moving into it while she was grieving would be smart. He honestly thought it would be the death knell for their relationship. "Sorry, I do need to go home. I need to get to work early tomorrow. I'm hoping if I can get my chores out of the way, Bobby might let me leave a bit early at the end of my shift." He knew it would be a long shot, but he wanted to try.

Abby nodded. "Okay, I understand. My brother is arriving early tomorrow, which will be nice."

Buck stood and carried his wine glass into the kitchen; he rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher for the next time the machine was run. He didn't want to leave work for Abby to do. He'd noticed her follow him, so he hugged her and murmured, "I'm sorry I can't stay; I'm just not ready for us to take that step yet."

Abby looked sad, but Buck would not be moved on the subject. He kissed her temple, and after another firm squeeze, he said, "I better get going. Christopher is a big believer in waking before the birds."

She slipped him a key and said, "You might need it if your shift runs late."

He added it to his keyring with a hesitant smile as he left the apartment.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

April 2018

The shift went off without a hitch, and Bobby actually let him leave a bit early, only 20 minutes early, but it helped. He'd had a shower after his last call, so rather than change into his civilian clothes in the locker, he drove to Abby's to change into his suit and leave on time for the funeral.

When he arrived, Abby's eyes were red-rimmed, so he hugged her tight and asked, "Everything okay?"

Abby nodded against his chest, and sounding slightly muffled, she said, "Yeah, I just needed a hug. My brother can be a bit much sometimes."

Buck said, "Let me go and get changed into my suit, then I can drive you to the funeral."

Abby nodded. "I'll let Matthew know we'll meet him there. He was waiting to make sure you'd turn up."

Buck hurried into the bedroom to get changed; he knew he would be cutting it close when he'd left the station.

As they drove to the graveside service, Abby asked, "Can you thank Eddie and Christopher for me. The flowers they sent were beautiful; Mom would have loved them."

Buck nodded. "Christopher said flowers were an important part of the grief process. He's been through a lot of loss for a six-year-old; in a two-week period, he lost his grandmother and mother."

Abby gasped. "That poor child. To go through that so young, that's terrible."

Buck agreed, "He's a trooper. The carer Carla found for them is a godsend. She's been helping Christopher give his dad pop quizzes on his academy studies. It's cute; he comes into the room and yells, 'Pop quiz, hotshot!' He did it the other night when Eddie wasn't expecting it, and the poor man fell off the sofa he was sitting on. Christopher was in hysterics. Pretty sure he's going to try and catch his dad out again, if just to get his flailing on video."

Abby smiled. "That sounds like fun. I'd like to meet them one day."

Buck squeezed her hand and said, "I'll set something up once things have calmed down a bit."

They arrived at the cemetery, and Buck led Abby to the seats at the front. He stood as a silent sentry as people approached her to pass on their condolences.

Eventually, the priest cleared his throat, and everyone took a seat. Buck held Abby's hand as she cried through the moving tribute to her mother's life. He stood by her side as she stood and threw dirt on the coffin once it was lowered into the grave, and he held her close as she sobbed once it was all done.

Her brother Matthew approached when it seemed she was all out of tears and tapped her shoulder gently to get her attention before he said, "We're heading to the funeral home for the wake. Are you following us there or heading straight home?"

She looked at Buck, who shrugged. He wanted to tell his girlfriend that he was hers for the rest of the day, but he knew she would like him to stay over, but as much as he wanted to support her, the thought of that was pushing him closer to panic. So he said, "I'm free for a few more hours, so whatever you need, Abby."

She replied to her brother, "We'll follow you; it's not fair to leave you to the ravening hordes."

Matthew nodded in thanks to Buck before he left to find his wife and kids.

As they returned to the car, Buck said, "The service was beautiful. Patricia would have loved it."

Abby nodded. "She would've. She talked to the priest on one of her more lucid days so they could get everything sorted out before she died. She said she didn't want to burden me with the details. She even picked out the flowers, so I didn't have to worry."

Buck said, "Most moms worry about their kids. It's all part and parcel of being a mom."

Buck didn't know many people at the wake, just Abby, Carla, and Sue from dispatch. So he supported Abby as best he could until he needed to leave. As she was walking him out to his truck, she said, "Oh, we forgot to put your uniform into your car before we left."

Buck shrugged. "I've got a few spares; I can pick it up another time. I've still got the key you loaned me."

"Oh good," Abby said with a smile. "If you need to pick it up, just pop in and grab it."

Buck asked, "Is there somewhere specific you want me to leave the key?"

Abby shook her head and replied, "Keep it; I don't need it back anytime soon."

He was concerned at that comment, but decided the funeral was not the place to bring it up. So Buck hugged his girlfriend and said, "Thanks, Abby. And for what it's worth, I'm really sorry about your mom. I'll miss having a willing ear for all my stupid work stories."

Abby murmured, "Thanks for coming. Your support meant the world to me, Buck. I don't think I could have made it through today without you here."

Carla had come outside to look for Abby, and she said, "Come on, Abby, a couple of your mom's old friends were looking for you."

Buck waved as he drove away, partly sad that he couldn't stay to support Abby, and somewhat grateful that she let him go without a fight this time.

When he got home, he found Eddie sitting on one of the recliners by the pool, relaxing with one of his coursebooks.

Eddie checked his watch and asked, "Aren't you home early? I thought you'd be staying with Abby after the funeral."

Buck shook his head and sat on the recliner beside the man who was quickly becoming his best friend. He put his head in his hands and mumbled, "I couldn't do it. Just the thought of staying the night at her place sent me into a cold sweat. That is not at all comfortable in a suit."

Eddie suggested, "How about you go get changed, and we'll spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool; it's too good a day to waste brooding inside."

After he'd gotten changed into swim trunks and grabbed a few beers from the fridge, Buck asked, "Where's Christopher?"

"At Abuela's," Eddie confirmed. "She was lamenting not seeing him for the last few weeks, since he's been getting settled with Natalie and doing his best to scare me into an early heart attack with his pop quizzes."

Buck laughed. "You fell off the couch; it was epic… and honestly, it was good to see the kid laughing. He thought it was hilarious."

Eddie nodded. "It was good. It's clear getting him out of El Paso was the right thing to do. Even Dr. Maddison is pleased with his improvement. I attribute a lot of that to you, Buck. You see him as Christopher, a boy who happens to have CP. His grandparents and even his mother, to some extent, always saw him as a boy with CP who happened to be named Christopher. Too fragile to do stuff that normal kids do, that his brain must be all broken, so he's not going to learn as fast as other kids."

Buck scoffed at that. "Eddie, if anything, that kid of yours will be smarter than everyone in your family. He's reading books way beyond his age level, he may not understand them all, but he can read them and knows when to ask questions and when he should check if it's something he should be reading."

Eddie nodded. "Natalie suggested moving him to one of the schools in LA that caters to kids with mobility issues. One of the schools she occasionally works with does entry testing, so kids are put into a grade that will challenge them rather than just sticking them with other kids their own age. We're just working through all the paperwork to see if the fees can be covered by the state funding."

Buck offered, "If you need help with fees or whatever before the probate is done, I don't mind loaning you the cash. I'm sure living in Beverly Hills automatically disqualifies you from some of the aid programs."

Eddie nodded. "It does. It's assumed I must be loaded because I live here, so they want to save the funding for kids in other areas that need the help more. And I can understand that, once probate finally goes through and we can sell the house —as much as I'll miss it— I'll be able to afford the school fees, the lessons you suggested, the psychologist appointments, and even his surgeries."

Buck agreed, "It's a pretty cool house, still ridiculous, but between the pool, the library, and the movie room, it's pretty perfect. I was serious, though, I have a trust fund, and I don't mind using it if you need funds for Christopher while you're stuck in probate. I still can't believe your parents are putting you through all this. What's their damage?"

Eddie shrugged. "As far as I can tell, they want to raise Christopher… they want a do-over child. The sad thing is, what they're doing drove all three of their kids out of El Paso in the end. My sisters don't want my parents pulling the same thing with their kids, so when they decided to start having kids, they both moved to San Diego."

Buck asked, "They wanted kids?"

The older man admitted, "Sofia did. It was all she ever talked about growing up, she was going to be a working mom, and she was going to be badass. They don't trust that my parents won't sweep in and straight up kidnap their kids. So they barely speak to them."

Buck asked, "Is that something we need to be concerned with?"

Eddie snorted. "Hell no. For one, they don't know where we are living. I never told them Shannon's LA address, so they've decided we must be staying with Abuela. They've repeatedly told me off for being unreasonable and expecting my abuela to babysit me and Christopher."

"Holy f*ck," Buck said. "They honestly believe that you can't take care of yourself?"

Eddie nodded. "Or Christopher. He won't even speak to them if they call. They talk to him like he's a toddler. For Christmas last year, they got him a box set of books, which Christopher would normally be excited with, except they were board books for toddlers."

Buck looked confused as he asked, "Like those picture books people use to teach their kids about animals and counting and stuff?"

"Uh huh," Eddie confirmed. "Never mind the fact I told them several times he's reading way above his grade level. They just think I'm lying to make myself and Christopher feel good."

Buck snarked, "Well, we know better. I can't wait to get him rock climbing with me. He's going to flourish under Matai in that summer program I found."

Eddie commented, "I want to get pictures of him surfing and send them back to my parents. They would freak out so bad."

Buck said, "We should start an Instagram account for him; let him show other kids with CP what's possible. I'm sure we can post so others can see what he's getting up to without his face showing."

Eddie suggested, "How about we talk to Christopher about it?"

The younger man nodded. He admitted, "The LAFD want me to open mine up so the public can see some of my rescues, since I've gone viral so many times already. So we could involve Christopher in that, let him help pick out the photos I post."

Eddie leaned back and said, "I think he'd really get a kick out of that, Buck."

-x-

Hen cornered Buck in the loft when he got to the station a few weeks after the funeral. She asked, "How was your date with Abby last night? Did she like that restaurant I recommended?"

Buck nodded. "She did. She was a bit annoyed that I was running late. One of my umm… roommates was having trouble with his homework, and we both got lost in the research."

Hen frowned. She asked, "Does she get annoyed with you often?"

Buck nodded. "Lately, she does. I actually wanted to ask for your opinion on something." He glanced around to ensure the troublemakers were all out of earshot before he said, "She's starting to really push on the moving in thing. We haven't even slept together; I'm still struggling with… actually, the details aren't important."

Hen leaned forward and squeezed his arm in support as she said, "Your boundaries are your boundaries; it's not up to her to set them or decide what boundaries to accept. Does she push any other boundaries?"

The younger man shrugged. "Just the time thing, if I'm off shift, she expects me to spend all my time with her, which I don't think is reasonable for any relationship. She is starting to show some possessive tendencies I'm a bit wary of. Guilt trips to try and get me to stay overnight, and constant questioning about what I did when I'm not with her or on shift. She even somehow got hold of my shift schedule. Something I never shared with her. She's even started to get angry with me when I want to spend time with friends or even when I opt-in to do overtime."

Hen signed. "It's certainly signs to be wary of. All I can suggest is to keep pushing back and maybe do some thinking about whether the relationship is the one you want. She's not the only fish in the sea, Buck. I'm sure you'll find your perfect person one of these days. Hell, Buck, you could have already found them; they could just waiting for you to ditch Abby."

From behind them, Beal snarked, "He should be so lucky; even with dispatch girl, he's batting way out of his league."

Hen gave the firefighter an unimpressed look. "Jealousy is a really bad look for you, Firefighter Beal; green just isn't your color."

Buck shrugged and reassured, "Don't worry about it, Hen; I'm happy in the knowledge that even with the issues I'm having, I'm still the healthiest dater in the station. Despite the constant rumors to the contrary."

A few minutes later, an unfamiliar woman made her way up the stairs, and she approached Buck and asked, "Are you Evan Buckley?"

When Buck nodded, she started screaming vitriol about him ghosting her and how they'd been dating online for months. He couldn't understand why she was yelling about having a relationship with him, considering he didn't use any online chat apps. He held his hands up in an attempt to slow the word vomit.

Martin asked curiously, "Are you sure you have the right Evan Buckley?"

She looked offended as she snapped, "The Evan Buckley who's a firefighter? Who works here and was on the news, and climbed a roller coaster and looks exactly like you?"

Buck said, "Sure, that sounds like me, except anyone could get that information from the news and articles about me. I know a few of my rescues have gone viral. But I don't talk to girls online; I have a girlfriend, and I've been with her for a while."

The next thing Buck knew, she'd slapped him hard across the face, hard enough to leave a sting.

Hen stood as if to stop her from taking another hit, but she spun around and ran down the stairs.

Buck turned to the team and asked, "Did that really just happen?"

He was shocked that the majority of his colleagues looked disappointed in him, like he brought the slap on himself. He said, "I swear, I've never seen her before."

Chim turned with a roll of his eyes and said, "If you say so."

Buck growled, "I do say so. I've found real intimacy with Abby; I don't even flirt when on calls."

Thompson sneered as he said, "Sure you don't, Buck."

Beal added sarcastically, "Yep, you're proof that real change is possible."

Buck huffed, and with a dirty look at his teammates, he ran down the stairs, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he jogged. Even the ones that stayed silent seemed to look at him with disapproval, Hen and Martin being the few exceptions. He got to the doors just as the woman was pulling out of the car park, so he got a photo of both her and the car's license plate, so he could report the details to the LAPD. He was pretty sure that impersonating a firefighter, even just to get a date was still illegal.

Chim had followed him down the stairs, and he asked, "What are you doing, Buck?"

Buck turned and said coldly, "You are acting like this is all a joke, Lieutenant Han, but she's clearly been talking to someone that's not me, and the last time I checked, striking a first responder is illegal, so if you won't take this seriously, I will."

Chim looked disapproving as he said, "Buckley, it was just a slap. It's not worth involving the police."

Buck asked, "And what if this person had used your details, your name? Would you just laugh it off? Would you accept a random girl coming into the firehouse to slap you? You do realize the attitude you all have where I asked for this is just another form of slu*t shaming, right?"

Chim scowled; he didn't appreciate being talked back to by a probationary firefighter. "No… it's just teasing."

Buck crossed his arms across his impressive chest and said, "You all act like I asked for this, just because when I first started you all assumed I slept around. Well, guess what? I've never lied to get a date… When I started dating Abby, we agreed from the start we would be monogamous, and I have held to that. She makes me happy, Chim, but none of you see that; you just see the dumb frat boy image you've built in your head. None of you can see past that first impression. Hen cheated on her wife, and you lied to your girlfriend through your teeth, yet you all act like the past you've imagined for me is the problem. Y'all need to get over yourselves. So like I said, after my shift, I'll be heading to the nearest precinct to report the assault, since you don't seem inclined to do so."

The bells rang, and Buck used the opportunity to escape the lieutenant's scrutiny and ran to the turnout lockers to get changed.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

April 2018

The rest of the shift had been uncomfortable, but Buck was not backing down, and true to his word, as soon as his shift was over, he bypassed getting changed, sent a message to Eddie to let him know he would be late home, and drove to the nearest police station.

Before he could reach the desk, he heard, "Buck?"

Buck spun and saw his friend Shawn approaching from the other side of the lobby. He said, "Shawn, hey, how've you been? I haven't seen you since Eddie brought me here to file that complaint against Dr. Wells."

Shawn pulled Buck into a hug, and he said, "It's been too long, my friend. What brings you to the station?"

Buck sighed. "Some woman came into the station today, accused me of ghosting her after a long-term relationship online, then she slapped me when I denied it and left. My lieutenant was in charge today since Bobby was sick, and he didn't seem inclined to report it, so here I am. I got a photo of her as she left the station."

Shawn squeezed his shoulder and said, "Follow me; I'll get the details for the report."

When they sat down, Buck took him through what happened and everything the woman accused him of.

Shawn admitted, "I don't think we can do anything about the account. But we can have her charged with assault of a first responder, especially since she did it in the station while you were in uniform. Did she have any proof that it was actually you ghosting her?"

Buck shook his head. "No. And everything she mentioned was information from the rescues that have gone viral, information anyone could get by watching the news broadcasts."

The officer chuckled. "The downside of your popularity. Is that scrape on your cheek from her slapping you?"

Buck nodded. She must have had a ring on; it happened so fast. She slapped me, then just turned and left. I got a photo of her and her car as she was leaving. I hoped they would be enough to identify her. I'm going to be giving the same to the LAFD HR department."

Shawn said, "Leave that with me. We have a liaison for cases like this. They'll contact the LAFD to see if it's been reported by your captain once he's back at work, and if not, we'll send them the details for their records. In the meantime, we'll look up the car registration and see if that leads us to your mystery woman." He stood and said, "I'll just go type up your statement so you can sign it and head home. I also want to get a photo of the scratch for the file."

When Shawn returned, Buck had been playing with his phone. He'd considered texting Abby about what was happening. However, she was busy with her family, who were still in town after her mother's funeral the week before. So he was answering Eddie's texts about the slap and the accusation.

Shawn slid a piece of paper over, and as Buck read through it, he said, "We got hold of the woman. She's coming in to make her own statement. She's claiming you spoke to her on Myspace."

Buck snorted. "That still exists? Wow, no, I don't even use my Facebook account, Shawn. I only update Insta to share what's going on with my former Navy buddies. The LAFD are actually trying to get me to set up a public Insta for sharing some of my more out there rescues, since I keep going viral."

Shawn grinned. "You should. You'd gain a huge following pretty damn fast. Are you in a hurry to head home?"

Buck shook his head. "I don't have a shift for a few days, and I've let my roommate know what's going on. Abby is busy with her family, so I was at a loose end. What's on your mind?"

Shawn suggested, "I'd like you to talk to one of the officers here. He's part of the cyber team, and he deals with issues with online bullying, but he'll be great to talk to about keeping your private account and your LAFD account separated. He helps with the LAPD's social media presence. I'm actually going to talk to him about this Myspace account, because while it's not illegal, they are impersonating a first responder, which is not ideal."

Buck shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt. The brass are going to get insistent. I've already had a couple of veiled demands from one of the PR admins to take my Insta off private. Which, no."

Shawn led him through the bullpen to the desk of Officer Peter Sanchez. "Peter, this is Buck; he needs some advice on creating a public-facing Insta."

Peter looked up, and Buck could see him assessing him and scoping out his uniform. Buck knew the moment he'd recognized him when his mouth turned down, and he said, "The roller coaster rescue."

Buck nodded. "My first viral rescue, or not rescue as it turned out. No one mentioned the other six we got out safely, just the one that let go because of all the people recording."

Peter said, "That's rough, man. I hope you got therapy for that."

Buck cringed as Shawn started swearing up a blue streak beside him. He explained, "I was sent to therapy, and the therapist decided the best way to fix me was to sit on my dick and take me for a ride. I told my roommate a few months ago, and he dragged me down here to make a report for sexual misconduct."

Shawn said, "They've suspended her while they investigate the claims, and other firefighters and police are coming out of the woodwork to report her. There is already talk of a settlement payout to those she abused, and she's definitely facing jail time."

Peter grinned. "So what you're both saying is that you're a trouble magnet?"

Buck said, "No," as Shawn said an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

The officer laughed and said, "Take a seat, Buck. We'll get you sorted. Shawn, I got your email; I'll look into the account once you get the Myspace account details. It's likely there is nothing we can do unless the account is asking for money from these women, but I'll still take a look."

They spent an hour with Peter taking Buck through the do's and don'ts of running a public-facing Instagram account. The officer helped Buck lock down his private account, so it wouldn't come up in the search. It would mean he'd have to give the handle to anyone wanting the details of his personal account, but that was fine.

He also asked for advice on how to set up an account for Christopher to share his activities without exposing who he is to the world, given his age. Shawn had a document he emailed to Buck explaining the guidelines for posting when kids were involved. He figured it would be a starting point for them, and he included details on how to frame the photos, so the activity was clear without the child being identifiable.

The most important thing Peter told him. "Double and even triple-check what account you're logged into before posting. Think of it as wearing different hats, you wouldn't want to turn up to a formal wedding in a backward cap, nor would you want to go to the beach in a top hat. Then double and triple-check before you hit post, especially if you end up with the kid's account on your phone."

Buck grinned. "Makes sense. Thanks for all your help, Pete."

He left the precinct, narrowly avoiding the woman who'd slapped him. He stepped behind a pillar when he saw her coming up the steps, then jogged away before she noticed him. He sent a quick text to Shawn, warning him that the woman looked even more pissed off, before he jumped in his truck and headed home.

When he got home, Eddie took one look at his cheek and asked, "That's from the slap?"

Buck nodded. "Yep. She must have been wearing a ring or something. She's been called into the station for questioning; since she slapped a first responder, in uniform, in front of other first responders. Regardless of the reasons, it's still illegal."

Eddie tugged him into the kitchen, where they had a fully stocked first aid kit. He examined Buck's cheek under the kitchen lights before he said, "It's not too bad, just a scratch, but I'll disinfect it, just because we don't know what was on her ring. She must have turned it over before slapping you to make it hurt more."

Buck nodded. "That's what Shawn thinks too. He also introduced me to Peter, who runs the LAPD social media accounts. He gave me some great advice on setting up an official Instagram account; he said it might help with the catfishing if I have one official presence. He also gave me a document with a bunch of guidelines they use when posting images of children; he said it would be helpful if we set up that account for Christopher."

The older man said, "I definitely want to read that before we make any decisions. Why don't you set up your Instagram account? I'll read through the documents, and we'll talk to Christopher about him having his own for his adventures. He may not be interested."

Buck snorted. "He's a kid; showing off what he's doing to others will be right up his alley. Especially if he realizes that his grandparents might see all the things he can do that they said he couldn't."

Eddie smirked, "He'll figure that one out pretty damn quick. And I'll make sure they find out by telling my abuela, who will call them to gloat about her smart nieto. She hates how they treat Christopher, so she will go out of her way to show off."

Buck grinned. "Oh to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. Maybe we should teach your abuela about FaceTime. Gloating is so much more fun when you can see the reactions."

-x-

A week later, Buck was heading out for lunch with Abby as they both had the day off. Buck had just finished a 48-hour shift, but he'd gotten plenty of sleep as the night was not busy. She'd sent a text and suggested a cafe in Santa Monica on the beachfront.

Buck asked, "Did your brother and his family get away okay?"

Abby nodded. "They did. The kids were sad to leave, but Matthew and Beth have work, and the kids have school, so they couldn't delay it any longer."

"So, uhh," Buck hesitated. "What did your brother… you know, did he like me?" He was nervous about the answer. He knew Abby respected her brother and his opinions.

She laughed and said, "I think he did. Although he was acting funny when he thought you'd moved in with me."

Buck frowned and asked, "Why would he think that?"

Abby shrugged, "You were around a lot after the funeral, and I guess your uniform is still hanging up in my room."

"Oh right, I forgot about that," Buck admitted. "I have enough spares that I haven't had to worry about it."

Abby said, "I kept forgetting about it, there has been so much going on after the funeral, and you've been amazing with it all."

Buck grinned, "I'm happy to be there for you, Abby."

They were startled as a woman approached the table and said, "Hello, Evan."

Buck looked at her and said, "Um, hi?"

The woman gave him a scathing look as she said, "You seriously don't recognize me? I look exactly like my profile pic. Daphne B, the girl you've been DMing for the past three months… Well, until you vanished."

Buck raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, if I used social media to do more than post photos, I might. But since I don't, no, I don't recognize you. I'm guessing whoever's been impersonating me has messaged you too."

Daphne scoffed. "A nice story; it might work on your girlfriend," she said, looking at Abby, "but it won't work on me. Do you think it's cool to just blow people off?"

Buck shook his head. "No, but I think verifying before accosting random strangers in restaurants is cool. He saw her hand twitch and said, the last girl that decided to slap me for ghosting her now has an arrest on her record for assault. I will not regret doing the same to you."

Abby asked, "What's going on?"

Buck said, "It's nothing, well, nothing to do with me, much. Someone's been impersonating me online, and it would appear talking to multiple women before ghosting them."

Daphne shook her head and threw her drink at Buck. She said, "I just did you a huge favor, lady," before she flounced out of the restaurant.

Buck stood and tried to find a server to get something to clean the sticky drink off with when Abby asked, "What was that?"

Buck repeated, "It's nothing."

She interrupted and asked, "I thought you weren't doing that anymore."

Buck turned to face her and said, "And I'm not. When we got together, I promised you monogamy, and I kept that promise."

She gestured at the angry woman who had just left and said, "It doesn't look like it."

Buck frowned and asked, "You know me, right? Come on."

Abby said, "I don't know. I don't even know who I am anymore." She started to stand but stopped when Buck held his hand out.

Buck said, "Don't bother. If you don't believe me, that's fine; that's on you. Enjoy the rest of your lunch. It'll give me time to get my uniform. I'll leave your key on the counter."

Before she could say anything, he stormed out of the restaurant and drove to her apartment. He still had her key on his keyring. It didn't take him long to grab his uniform and spare boots from her bedroom, and he quickly noticed he wasn't the only one preparing to leave. As he walked around Abby's apartment, he could see where things had been moved or were missing.

He placed his uniform and boots by the door as he worked the key off his keyring and placed it gently on the counter; then, he had a final look around the apartment before he picked up his uniform and boots and left the apartment for the last time.

When he opened the door, he found Abby approaching the apartment. He gestured with the hand holding his boots at the door and said, "Your key is on the counter."

She asked, "You're leaving?"

Buck asked, "Why would I stay? You believed the word of a stranger over me, and worse, you believed I was cheating on you."

Abby said, "That's not true; I just didn't know what to believe."

"Thus," Buck stated, "There was a part of you that believed I would cheat on you. It's irrelevant anyway; you're packing, which means you're planning to leave. Was the lunch a thank you but see ya never lunch?"

Abby shrugged. "I actually hadn't decided until that woman said you were seeing her. Why would I stay if you're cheating on me?"

Buck snorted. "So you quit your job, booked tickets, and packed in the time it took me to get back from the restaurant? Whatever, Abby, your bags are packed; it's clear you'd already planned to leave; you just haven't decided where to and for how long. You just needed an excuse to walk away, or maybe you weren't even going to mention it, and you'd keep me hanging while you shopped for my replacement."

Abby looked embarrassed, but Buck noticed she didn't deny the accusation. He shook his head and said, "Enjoy your trip, Abby. Goodbye."

She offered, "Buck, you can stay and use the apartment while you hunt for your own place; sharing a house with a single father can't be easy. I fly out first thing tomorrow morning to scatter Mom's ashes in Ireland; then, I plan to spend some time exploring Europe."

Buck schooled his expression from a sneer to a blank expression before he turned and said, "No thanks. I'm quite comfortable where I am, I love the house, and the company is great. I'm actually thinking of making an offer on the house when probate is finally sorted." He ignored her shocked expression and turned to call the lift. He knew she would be shocked since he'd never told her that he could afford to buy a house on his own, let alone one in Beverly Hills.

Buck was sad about the end of the relationship, especially after how ardently she'd pursued him, but he couldn't stay around someone who believed he could be unfaithful.

-x-

Eddie sat up when he heard the back door by the kitchen close a bit harder than usual; he was in the library with Christopher helping him study.

Christopher looked at him and whispered, "Buck doesn't usually shut the back door like that, Daddy. You should go check on him."

Eddie kissed the top of his head and said, "I'll do that while you work on the next few pages on your own, okay?" At Christopher's nod, he walked into the kitchen, and he found Buck with his hands on the counter and his head dropped down, his work bag by his feet. He approached the younger man, making noise as he walked, and asked, "Buck? What's going on? I thought you'd still be out with Abby."

Buck shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to slam the door so hard. I hope I didn't scare Christopher."

Eddie put a hand on his friend's back and said, "He was worried, and told me to come and check on you. So what happened? You look wrecked."

Buck stood, faced Eddie, and explained, "You remember that woman who slapped me in the loft last week?" When the older man nodded, he continued, "Well, we were out for lunch and this woman stormed up to our table and just started yelling at me about how I ghosted her. Abby started to question if it was true. I tried to explain, but she didn't want to hear it, so I ended it."

"Oh, Buck," Eddie pulled Buck into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault though, if she didn't trust you. That's entirely on Abby."

As much as he was enjoying the hug, the younger man pulled back and said, "It was an excuse. I went back to her apartment and she was packed for a long trip, when I confronted her about it she claimed it was a reaction to my cheating on her. I just said whatever and left."

Eddie looked shocked as he murmured, "Dios, what a bitch." He went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers. As he passed one to Buck, he said, "From everything you've said, I think you're better off out of that relationship. The increasing possessiveness was a red flag, Buck, and I think if your genders were reversed, people would have been telling you to get the hell away as fast as you can run."

Buck admitted, "Friends of mine did from the start; I just ignored them because I was happy. But lately, it's felt forced. I'm happier when I can spend my nights at home with you and Christopher, just vegging out and reading or catching up on my pop culture knowledge in the movie room. Abby always wants to go out. She brought her mom with us a few times when she couldn't get Carla to cover, but otherwise, she left her mom home with Carla so she could have a break."

"Or to show you off," Eddie snarked. "You've mentioned some of the more popular restaurants around LA, but from what I've seen, you're more comfortable in family diners or food trucks; at least with us, you are."

Buck agreed. "You get a far better meal with less judging and enough actual food to fill you up at diners and food trucks. The restaurants that she prefers, the portions are so small I end up still starving by the end of the meal." He sighed, "I think the break up was inevitable and would have happened when I saw the packed bags or the empty apartment. I have a feeling she would've just left without saying a word. Anyway, it's done, and I now have more time to spend doing things I enjoy with people that actually appreciate me for me. She offered me the use of her apartment while she was away; I turned her down and said I definitely prefer living with you and Christopher. She didn't like that."

"Tough cookies for her," Eddie said with a chuckle. "She'll never know that she threw away the best thing that could have happened to her. But, her loss is our gain. We love having you here, Buck. It might not have been long, but you've made such a difference to both of our lives."

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

April 2018

The following day, Buck dropped into the precinct to talk to his friend Officer Williams while Eddie was in class. He sent Shawn a message when he arrived, and when the officer came out, he said, "Shawn. Any news?"

Shawn said, "Let's go find Peter. He's been trying to backtrace the account to find out exactly who is behind it." He led Buck through to the bullpen and found Peter at his desk.

Peter looked up and shook his head. "I've reached out to Myspace, and they said there is nothing they can do. They said all the account is doing is chatting with various girls; there are no requests for money, so there is no fraud, just a simple matter of someone pretending to be you. We reported what happened to the LAFD liaison, which should cover you if anything happens on the job."

Buck asked, "What happened to the woman that slapped me?"

Shawn said, "It was a first offense, so it's on her record, but she was let off with a warning. In return, she gave us everything she knew about the Myspace account, which is what we used when we approached Myspace."

Buck said, "I had another woman approach me yesterday, threw her drink all over me while I was out with Abby."

Shawn winced and asked, "How did Abby take that?"

"Not well would be an understatement," Buck said bluntly. "I broke up with her. She honestly believed I would cheat on her after I promised I would be monogamous. She just accepted that I had reverted to the old habits she'd heard about. I think she was just looking for excuses. I'd come off a 48-hour shift, and when I went to her apartment to get my uniform, she was midway through packing for a long trip."

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Sounds like she just wanted a reason to feel okay about leaving you. Good riddance." At Buck's curious look, he explained, "She stalked you, bro; straight up, legit stalking. She started calling after you were on that news story about the roller coaster, when she got an eyeful of just how hot you are, and she didn't let up. She wanted an emotional support dick, and she got it."

Peter asked, "How did she get your number?"

Buck shrugged. "I never thought to ask. I guess from the home invasion call, that one after I got fired. Abby was the dispatcher for that call, and she looped me into the dispatch radio, so I could stay in touch with Athena."

Peter said, "She shouldn't have used your number for a personal call then. Not if it was only given to her for the 911 call. Is Sergeant Grant aware you didn't give this Abby your number?"

Buck was hesitant to answer, so Shawn said, "I'll go check, I saw her heading to her desk only a few minutes ago."

When Shawn disappeared, Buck slumped in his seat and muttered, "This is going to be a sh*tshow. I think Athena is good friends with Abby."

He shrunk back in his seat as Shawn approached with a cranky-looking Athena by his side.

Athena was trying to be gentle, but she was clearly furious, so it was a complete fail on her part. She asked, "How did Abby get your number, Buckaroo?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't know,' Thena. She called me after I lost Devon in that rollercoaster incident, and it just never occurred to me to ask."

Athena said, "She must have kept it written down after that home invasion. Officer Williams said she pretty much stalked you? Is that true?"

Buck shrugged again. "She called a lot, even after I told her I wasn't looking for a relationship. Eventually, I gave in and met her for dinner on Valentine's day, and you know how that ended up."

Athena looked livid. She pulled a chair over and sat in front of Buck. She said, "I heard a very different story from Abby. She told me you pursued her."

Buck shook his head. "No, definitely not. She started calling me out of the blue after bad calls. She obviously found out which calls the 118 were on that were hard on us as a crew through work, but she pursued me... aggressively. Anyway, it's a moot point, we're done, and she's left the country."

Athena asked, "What?"

Buck told her about the incident with Daphne and finding out that Abby was already planning to leave the country without even talking to him about it.

Shawn said, "It's like she expected you to tell her it was a bad idea or something."

Buck shrugged. "I would have offered to go with her. It just… I don't know... it pisses me off. She's going to Ireland, and I know from experience that overseas trips like that —unless you want to pay a stupid amount of money— need to be booked a few weeks in advance. So she's obviously known about this trip for a while, and she's said nothing. So what, was I the backup plan?"

Athena swore, "That bitch. Well, I'm going to report her using information from the calls for personal reasons to Sue, so if she tries to come back, she'll have to answer for it. There are rules in place for a reason."

Peter asked, "If she's done it to Buck, who else has she contacted from call info?"

Buck said, "Her last boyfriend was from the 118 as well; he moved to the 217 just before I started as the probie."

Athena huffed. "I'll be raising that with Sue too. We can't do much while she's not in the country, but we can at least look into it when she comes home. If she comes home."

Buck said, "I doubt she'll return to LA. Maybe Nevada, so she can be closer to her brother and his family. Who knows, she's out of my life; I'm not going to be with someone who will assume from the word of a stranger that I would cheat on them. She didn't even seem upset by it, just resigned, like she expected it to happen."

Athena said, "Well f*ck her then. It sounds trite, but there are other fish in the sea, as you well know. You were living with Abby, right? So what are you doing now?"

Buck asked, "Did she tell you that? Her brother made a similar comment to her, that it was weird that I'd moved in, but I haven't. I moved to Beverly Hills a few months ago. She offered to let me use her apartment while I looked for my own apartment. She was quite insulted that I turned her down, but f*ck ‘Thena, my place right now has a pool, a guy who is fast becoming my best friend, and the best kid in the whole universe. Why would I downgrade?"

Athena laughed, "Why indeed. Well, f*ck Abby Clarke and the lies she rode in on."

Buck sighed, "Can you keep the breakup to yourself, Athena? I'm already being given grief and a new round of slu*t shaming, thanks to that woman slapping me in the station. I don't need it to ramp up if they find out I'm single."

Athena squeezed his arm and promised, "Not a word will leave these lips until you say it's okay. And I also won't tell my kids about you having access to the best kid in the universe. You know they think they are your favorite kids?"

Buck chuckled, "I'll talk to Eddie about setting up a playdate for Harry, May, and Christopher. We can invite Denny too, I'm hesitant about inviting Hen, since she's good friends with Chimney, but she's been staying out of his bullying."

Athena said, "She's not impressed with Chim's behavior of late. I know she's had a couple of conversations with him, trying to get him to stop the hazing, but it's like it goes in one ear and out the other."

Buck said, "Alright, let me figure out the schedules and talk to Eddie, and I'll let you know."

Athena's radio went off, and she said, "Right, that's obviously a sign I need to head out. I'll text you later, Buckaroo. You'll have to tell me about this guy you're living with."

Buck shook his finger at her and said, "No snooping or background checks! Our lawyers already did thorough ones before I moved in."

Once she was gone, Shawn asked, "Are you going to talk to LAFD HR about the catfishing? What the liaison has done should cover you, but it would be good to be proactive. You've had two confrontations already; who's to say there won't be more? It'd be good to get in front of it before you find one of these women on a call."

Buck nodded. "That's my next stop. I also need to pass on my new Insta details to the PR lead."

The officer pulled out his phone and asked, "So what's your new Instagram account?"

"@LAFD_Buck," Buck replied. "Simple and sweet. Most people hear me being called Buck on calls, so it made sense."

Shawn pulled up the account and checked out the few photos that had already been uploaded of Buck from various callouts. He commented, "Nice choice of pics. Are they from others in your team?"

Buck nodded. "Two of them were taken by Blake and one by Tanika; she's got a great eye for what works well on social media. She gave me photography tips when she learned about my new Insta. Christopher helped me choose which photos to post and even suggested some fire safety tips I could post."

Peter said, "Nice job. I'll let you know if we hear about any issues from MySpace. They are monitoring the account to make sure it doesn't move to fraud or anything else illegal." He handed over a business card with his details and said, "Feel free to pass that on to LAFD HR if they have any questions about the issue."

Buck put the card in his pocket and replied, "Thanks. It's going to be tough to explain as it is. Right, time to head out, I want to try and catch Kyla, she's my best bet for getting me through HR and PR in one piece."

-x-

The visit to HR was eventful. Kyla met him at reception and escorted him to the HR department. He'd met her while out with his old roommates, they were hitting on her, and she was not into it, so he helped her escape and they'd become fast friends. She worked as Chief Alonzo's PA, and when he'd called to explain what was going on, she'd immediately offered to take him to the head of HR.

As they walked she said, "I'm glad you're not ignoring this like you tried to do with that Dr. Welles bullsh*t. I still owe that roommate of yours a drink for getting you to report the bitch."

Buck shrugged. "I couldn't ignore this. I'm mostly pissed that the rest of my team thought it was okay for a random woman to walk in off the street and just slap me, let alone Abby and her just accepting that I would cheat on her after promising I wouldn't."

Kyla looked pissed. She said, "I still don't like that woman."

"She's gone," Buck admitted. "I broke up with her then found out she was leaving the country without a by your leave. She's in Ireland now, and I'm pretty sure she's going to be up sh*t creek if she tries to return to dispatch, as Athena has concerns about how she got my number."

Kyla muttered, "She's not the only one."

Before Buck could reply, Kyla had knocked on the door of an office and poked her head around the door. "Megan, do you have time to chat?"

Megan, the head of LAFD HR, nodded. She said, "I've got 15 minutes before I have to leave for my next meeting. What's going on?"

Kyla waved Buck into the office and said, "This is Evan Buckley from the 118. Someone set up a MySpace profile using his name and photo and has been chatting with girls all over the city claiming to be him, talking about rescues of his that have gone viral, that sort of thing."

Megan asked, "Do you have proof of this, Firefighter Buckley? I have to ask, because we've had a complaint made by your Battalion Chief earlier this morning that you've been having an inappropriate relationship with his daughter."

Buck looked pissed as he said, "Ma'am I filed a report with the LAFD last week about the fake Myspace account, and their liaison passed it on to the LAFD. I don't use social media beyond Instagram. I have a Facebook account, but I haven't logged into it for over a year."

Kyla said, "He's been in discussions with PR about getting a verified Instagram account since he's often the one to go viral with his crazy rescues. He was also in a relationship with a 911 dispatcher until yesterday when she believed one of the jilted women over him. Stupid cow."

Buck hissed, "Kyla!" He pulled out Peter's business card and handed it to Megan; he noticed that Peter had written the case details on the back. He said, "This is the card for the officer who investigated the Myspace account. He said Myspace are monitoring it, but until the account owner does something illegal, there is nothing they can do. I understand that whoever set up the account is using it to chat with women while claiming to be me. A lot of women. So one of them may be the battalion chief's daughter. I'm actually here because Peter and Officer Williams agreed that LAFD HR should be notified in case one of the other women accosts me while on a scene. I don't want it happening in front of my team again."

The HR manager looked at Buck and asked, "Again? You've already had one of these women accost you on a callout?"

Buck shook his head. "No, I found out about all this when this woman stormed into the station, accused me of ghosting her before she slapped me and left. I followed her to get a photo of her and her car registration since the others I work with believed I brought this down on myself because of my perceived promiscuity."

Kyla snapped, "It's not promiscuity; it's a healthy sex life, and unlike the others you work with, you don't commit intimate fraud or cheat on your partners when you commit."

Buck snarked, "Try telling Abby that."

Megan asked, "Did your captain see the confrontation?"

"No, just my lieutenant," Buck admitted. "He reluctantly stopped her from slapping me a second time, but refused to take action, which is why I went to the local precinct to file a report. I believe she was arrested a few hours later and charged with assaulting a first responder."

Megan asked, "Is Myspace willing to shut the account down?"

Buck shook his head. "As far as I know, no. Whoever set it up isn't actually breaking any of their terms of service or any laws."

Kyla muttered, "Yet…."

The HR manager asked, "What did your captain say when you confirmed someone is impersonating you?"

Buck said, "I only found out an hour ago, I'll tell him when I return to work in a few days."

Megan shook her head and said, "The news is better coming from us; then it's more official. I'll get the details from Officer Sanchez and email a copy to the appropriate parties. I would also mention the catfishing to our PR department. It might be worth making a public statement that you only use Instagram."

Buck nodded. "I'd already thought about that, but I wasn't sure the right way to go about it, so that's why I want to talk to the PR department. I also need to let them know about my new Instagram account, now that it's set up."

Megan said, "Leave this with me; I'll CC you on the email to Captain Nash, so you'll know when it's been dealt with." She checked her watch before she said, "I would head up to PR now; Mitch usually leaves early on Tuesdays."

Kyla gasped, "Oh hell, I totally forgot. Come on, kid, we gotta jet."

As they walked to the PR department, Buck asked, "Aren't you going to get in trouble for escorting me around the building rather than being at your desk?"

Kyla smirked. "Nah, I let the bossman know what was going on, and he was happy for me to help you out. If anything urgent comes through, I have my phone." She led the way through what seemed like a rabbit warren of cubicles before she knocked on the door of a solitary office. When she heard a loud voice say 'Enter,' she opened the door and pushed Buck through before joining him and closing the door with a definite snick.

Mitch Evans looked up from the report he was reading and said, "Buck! I hope you're here with some good news."

Buck shrugged. "Good news and bad news, I'm afraid."

Mitch asked, "So good news, you finally agreed to unlock your Instagram account?"

"Nope," Buck replied. "But I set up a new one under the handle @LAFD_Buck. I've already started getting followers." He handed his phone to the PR manager, who looked through the Instagram account and said, "This is nice work, no first name, just Firefighter Buckley and your station number, short and sweet bio, and some great first photos. Nicely done. I gotta ask, who helped you out with all this?"

Buck said, "That all leads to the bad news, sir. Officer Peter Sanchez helped me get the account set up and gave me some hints and tips for managing a public Instagram account. He then investigated a catfishing account where a guy is using my identity to date women online through a Myspace account—"

Kyla interrupted, "Including, apparently, Chief Barnfield's daughter. He filed a complaint about Buck's supposed inappropriate relationship this morning, even though the fake account was reported a week ago through the LAPD liaison."

Mitch gave Buck an incredulous look and said, "Only you, Buckaroo. Okay, so damage control… I'll get in touch with my contact at Instagram and see if we can get you verified as a public figure, it shouldn't be too hard since you've gone viral a few times already. I'll get the details about the catfishing investigation to support my case."

Kyla said, "Megan in HR has all the details, including the case numbers and the contact information of the officer in charge of the investigation."

Mitch asked, "Will you let Tom know what's happening, Kyla?"

She nodded. "As soon as I get back to the office. The last thing I want is Barnfield trying to make Buck's life difficult."

The three of them spent some time hashing out the wording for Buck's updated Instagram profile and a post from the verified LAFD account announcing Buck's new official account.

Buck asked, "Do you have information for what's good for me to post? Stover at the 136 said he got a sheet from the last marketing manager with a list of posting rules."

Mitch pulled out a USB stick from his top drawer. He handed it over and said, "These are our posting guidelines, logo mockups, and watermark information. Everything you would possibly need to be an official account. I've subscribed, so if I see anything needing a reword, I'll flick you a text."

When it was clear the meeting was over, Buck stood and said, "Thanks for all the help today, Mitch. Kyla, we should see if Megan is back from her meeting; I just had an idea on how to prove my innocence to the brass."

Kyla grabbed his wrist and said, "Let's go."

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

April 2018

Back in Megan's office, Buck said, "I had an idea while we were talking with Mitch. What if you ask the battalion chief's daughter to chat with this account while I sit in the room. We could get her to ask questions that haven't come up in the viral videos or what can be found on my old Facebook account. Maybe we could do it on one of the computers here, so the guys in IT can try and trace the connection. I'm not sure if that'll work through MySpace, but it's worth asking."

Megan said, "It's risky. But I can see it working if Chief Barnfield allows it."

It took a bit of fast talking by Megan and Kyla, but Chief Barnfield eventually allowed his daughter Jennifer to come down to HQ to chat with this guy. They had set up a PC specifically with software one of the IT guys loaded to try and trace the connection. They had everything set up in a conference room, and when Jennifer arrived, she looked at Buck and said, "Dad told me it's not you I've been messaging. Is that true?"

Buck nodded. "I only use Instagram these days. I have a Facebook account but haven't logged into it since joining the academy. As for Myspace, I've never had an account. I didn't even realize it was still operating."

Jennifer snorted. "I'll admit, it's not the most modern social network, but it's great for music. It's how I met you… the guy pretending to be you. We bonded over our shared love of Springsteen."

Buck was a little freaked out but tried to keep it off his face as he said, "Oh, that's cool. I once went to a Springsteen concert with my captain; it was a blast."

"I know," Jennifer replied as she watched the laptop screen, "He already told me." She looked up and said, "He's replying. What should I ask him about?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't know. I don't do the online chatting thing. What do you normally talk about?"

She scrolled up through their previous conversations and said, "Work stuff, rescues he's done, how his probie follows him around like a puppy."

Chief Barnfield asked, "He specifically said his probie?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yep. Why?"

Buck explained, "I'm a probie; I don't graduate to a full firefighter for a few weeks. It'll be a few years before I get my own probie to train."

Jennifer frowned and asked, "What sort of rescues do you do? Maybe I can ask about those?"

He replied, "I specialized in heavy rescue and ropes work. So cliff rescues, structural collapses, vehicle extraction, that sort of thing."

She typed on the computer, starting with how they were doing and eventually asking if they had any cool new stories.

As Buck read the replies coming through, he started to pale. He murmured, "That never went viral."

Kyla asked, "Buck?"

Buck gestured at the screen. "That rescue he's talking about, it happened a few days ago, and yeah, it's one I did, but there were no news crews there, and as far as I know, it didn't go viral. Is this guy stalking me? Stalking my crew?"

The battalion chief had his laptop with him, and he logged in and asked, "Do you know the date, time, and/or the location of the call, Firefighter Buckley?"

Buck said, "Call me Buck, please, sir." He thought back to the call and said, "It was two days ago, mid-morning, and it was a difficult rescue; we were there for a few hours at least. Will Rogers State Park, a mountain biker was pushed off The Bridge by an irate walker. It took me a while to get down to him and get him secure."

Chief Barnfield turned his laptop around and said, "It could also be someone with access to the reports from your station. Since this one is already in the system."

Before Buck could ask, Megan said, "Unfortunately, that doesn't really narrow down the prospects."

Jennifer asked, "Why didn't you just go to the police? They are like, stealing your identity and making you look bad."

Buck said, "I did. They can't do anything unless the guy suddenly starts asking for money in my name. They gave me some advice on how to set up my new Instagram, so it's clear that it's my only social media account, that sort of thing. Mitch in PR is going to try and get it verified through a contact at Instagram, so that should help."

When the chat ended, the IT guy who had been tapping away at his own laptop said, "He's smart. He's connecting through multiple highly encrypted VPNs."

Buck asked, "Has he asked about meeting you?"

Jennifer shook her head. "I asked him, and he put it off, saying he wanted to get to know me better first. Maybe I should push for it, see how fast he ghosts me like he has these other women you were talking about."

Kyla snorted. "He obviously can't keep up the ruse if he meets you or any of the other women, so that's probably why he's ghosting them, if they are pushy about meeting up for a date or whatever."

Buck sighed, "I just don't want this affecting my graduation. I've already been accused of making some dumb choices this year; I don't need this on top of it all."

Chief Barnfield reassured, "It won't. I'm happy that it's not you that's been messaging my daughter, and Jennifer, we'll be talking about online safety when I get home."

Jennifer huffed and crossed her arms with a pout. But Buck said, "This person could have messaged you about meeting up, and it could be anyone at the other end of the chat. Dating is already hard enough without adding an element of danger to the mix."

She tilted her head and asked, "That sounded awfully pointed, Buck."

Buck nodded. "I was confronted by one of these women that was ghosted while I was out with my then girlfriend. Abby just assumed it was real, and I broke it off."

Kyla said, "Abby didn't deserve you, Buck. End of story."

Chief Barnfield said, "Drama aside, this won't affect your graduation. Please let us know if you hear anything else about this account. If it slips into illegal, please report it asap."

Buck nodded. "I already promised Officer Williams and Officer Sanchez that I'd let them know if I hear anything else. I think the moment this thing goes illegal, they'll pounce. They even contacted Myspace, who said their hands are tied since the account is not technically breaking their terms of service."

Chief Barnfield stood and shook Buck's hand. He said, "I'm sorry for reporting you; I was just going on the information that I had at the time. I'm glad we could get this sorted out." He turned to his daughter. "Jennifer, time to log out and have that discussion about internet safety."

Jennifer rolled her eyes but made sure she logged out of Myspace before shutting down the browser. She also shook Buck's hand and said, "If it's any consolation, you're so much nicer than the guy pretending to be you. He's very full of himself."

Buck snorted. "That does actually help, thanks." Once the Barnfields had left, he said, "I should get going; I want to beat my roommate home, let him know what's going on."

Kyla said, "I'll walk you to the lobby." They both said their goodbyes to Megan and the IT guy, and as they walked, she asked, "You didn't tell him what happened?"

Buck shook his head. "He and Chris stayed with his Abuela last night. Natalie had an appointment today, so she couldn't watch Christopher. Isabel offered to watch him while he was at the academy."

Kyla asked, "Why didn't you watch him? It's your day off, right?"

Buck sighed. "Eddie suggested that I should spend more time with Abby and see if I can get past the mental block I have going on. I think part of it is he knows how bitter she was about how much time I spend with Eds and Christopher, and she didn't want to see the intimacy issues I've been having."

"Instead, you broke up with her," Kyla commiserated. "So you're going to pick up Christopher?"

Buck shook his head. "No, I'll go home and get dinner started, something long and complicated; it'll help get me out of the headspace I'm in. Did I tell you Abby offered me the use of her apartment?"

Kyla snorted. "More like wanted you to wait at home like a kept boy."

"Yeah, pretty much," Buck agreed. "She got all offended that I preferred the company where I am. Then her jaw nearly dropped when I told her I was thinking of buying the place when my funds are available."

Kyla said, "I can see why; the photos you showed me earlier are gorgeous, and that kitchen would be your dream come true."

Buck laughed, "You just want to try out the pool and hot tub."

"Busted," She agreed with a grin. "Go on, get outta here. I'll call you if there are any issues."

He pulled her into a quick hug before he left to get groceries. Buck wanted to try the beef enchilada recipe he'd coaxed out of Isabel, but he'd checked the pantry before he left and found he'd need a grocery trip before getting started.

By the time Eddie arrived home with Christopher, Buck had the enchiladas waiting to go in the oven, and he was mostly finished with the tres leches cake he'd decided to try making. He'd baked it first so it would have time to chill in the fridge while the enchiladas were cooking.

When he walked into the kitchen, Christopher cried, "Bucky!"

Buck grinned. "Hey, superman, how was your night with your abuela?"

Chris replied, "It was fun. She taught us how to make empanadas." He looked around the kitchen and asked, "What did you make?"

Buck pointed at the dish waiting to go into the oven and said, "I made your abuela's beef enchiladas; hopefully, I did them justice." He caught Christopher's look at the oven and said, "I've got tres leches cooking, so I can get the second part done while the enchiladas are cooking."

Eddie came into the kitchen and asked, "Enchiladas?" He spied the dish on the counter and said, "Oh yum. Abuela's recipe?"

Buck nodded. "The one I coaxed out of her last week. I want to compare it to Isadora's recipe; her's is quite different."

Eddie nodded. "Recipes like that were often passed down through the families. Abuela refuses to pass the recipes to my parents though."

Christopher said, "That's because Grandma said Mexican cooking is third-world cooking, and what her mother could make was better."

Buck snorted. "Seriously? Wow, does she have a death wish?"

Christopher shrugged. "Tía Sophia said she doesn't have a filter, whatever that means. I'm going to play with my Lego in my room."

Eddie muttered, "Your tía needs to learn not to say so much. I'll come and get you when dinners ready, mijo."

Buck asked, "How was the academy today?"

The older man said, "We lost another one today. She didn't like all the coursework, and thought firefighting would just be going in with hoses. I guess they were right when they said only half of us would be there at the end of the course."

Buck said, "My class lost two-thirds by the end. Most, like your girl, thought it was too hard or too much work, while others failed out. It's not as easy as it looks."

Eddie nodded. "That's for sure. How was your date with Abby?"

Buck grimaced and said, "We broke up, well I broke up with her. I was accosted by another woman claiming I'd been flirting with her online, and I ghosted her." He snorted, "She claims I was doing this on Myspace. Anyway, Abby didn't take it well."

Eddie looked incredulous and asked, "Who still uses Myspace. I thought they'd gone under years ago."

The younger man shook his head as he swapped the cake for the enchiladas. He explained, "I went to HQ this morning to report what happened at the station the other day, and to let them know of my new Instagram account, and while I was there, I was told that I'd been reported for having an inappropriate relationship with my battalion chiefs daughter."

Eddie looked shocked as he demanded, "What the hell, Buck?"

Buck nodded. "Yep. Apparently, she's been chatting with me through Myspace, and her father took exception to it since she's just 19. I gave them Pete's details and said he was looking into it, and while I was there, I had an idea of how to prove my innocence. Jesus, Eds; this guy knows so much about me that it's creepy. She asked him if he'd had any exciting rescues, and he told her all about the rescue of that mountain biker up in the Will Rogers State Park. He knew enough details of the rescue that even Chief Barnfield thinks he's either stalking me or is someone with access to our reports. He checked the system, and our reports from the call were all filed."

Eddie grimaced. "That is creepy. At least the house has a premium security system, and we'll know if anyone gets close."

Buck nodded. "I am so grateful for that. Abby offered for me to use her apartment while she's off exploring Europe. She got offended when I turned her down. She made a snarky comment that having a roommate with a kid isn't relaxing, and I told her I prefer your company to hers right now. She assumed I would cheat on her just because I used to enjoy hookups."

Eddie muttered, "Bitch. So offering the apartment was a way of keeping you as an option?"

"That's what Kyla thinks," Buck agreed. "It's not happening, though. I won't be with someone who thinks I'd cheat on them. Before Dr. Wells, I enjoyed sex, but I made it clear to those I hooked up with that it was just a hookup, just like I made it clear to Abby that sex wasn't on the table for a while and that I would be monogamous if that's what she wanted. Which she did."

Eddie commented, "Wait… she's off touring Europe? When did that happen?"

As Buck poured the milk mixture over the sponge cake, he said, "She flew out late last night. I found out when I stopped by her apartment after we broke up to get my uniform. She was pretty much done packing, and she wasn't even going to tell me. She laid on a massive guilt trip about the supposed cheating, so I just said, 'Sure, Jan,' and walked out."

The older man sounded confused as he asked, "So, she was just going to ghost you or keep in touch with you from Europe without telling you she'd left the country?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't know, she evaded the question. She even tried to tell me she hadn't decided, but honestly, last-minute flights to Europe cost a pretty penny, so she must have booked this right after the funeral. Part of me is pissed off that she would pull this on me, and the other part is glad I got out before she ghosted me."

Eddie asked, "So why didn't you join us at Abuela's after the failed date?"

Buck said quietly, "I just needed some time to think. I'm always the one left behind, and honestly, I'm over it."

Eddie moved closer and nudged Buck's shoulder with his own. He assured the younger man, "We won't leave you behind, Buck. Christopher has adopted you fair and square; you're stuck with us now."

Buck nudged Eddie back and asked, "Just Christopher?"

Eddie blushed, and he admitted, "Fine, you got me. You're the best friend I never knew I needed. I won't be letting you go anytime soon."

Buck grinned. "It probably helps that we work really well together. I was thinking of asking Bobby if we had room for a new probie after I graduate."

Eddie wasn't sure he wanted in on the sh*t Buck had been telling him. He could understand a bit of hazing, but to tease a man about being assaulted, that was beyond the pale. He ducked the offer with a counter, "How about we decide after your graduation. I'd like to meet the team first."

Buck nodded. "That's next week. Thankfully the sh*t at HQ didn't get me an actual black mark on my record. Barnfield was awesome once he realized it wasn't actually me chatting up his daughter." He shuddered as he said, "She's way too young for me, for anyone. She's 19, but she came across as quite sheltered and open with whoever it was she was chatting with. I'm pretty sure there was a lecture there for her when they left about internet safety."

Eddie laughed. "I bet. I can't believe these women assume it's you just because the account says it is. I'm a technical luddite, and even I know that things online are never as simple as they seem. I saw the account when Pete pulled it up on his screen; the profile picture is your LAFD file photo, the one they took when you joined the academy; I recognized the backdrop."

Buck shrugged. "Well, whoever it is has access to our reports, so it wouldn't be hard for them to get my photo from my HR file. It still creeps me out that someone is out there pretending to be me. What if someone recognizes me on a call and slaps me, or worse, while I'm out with you guys and Christopher got hurt."

Eddie said, "We'll protect him, and if anyone does hurt us, we'll call 911. Get your sergeant friend on their case."

Buck laughed, "Oh, that would be fun to watch. Athena would have a field day, we got off to a rocky start, but she's become a good friend. You should have seen her at the station after she found out about the break-up, she wanted to rip Abby a new one for what she was about to do. I think if Abby returns to LA, she will find it difficult to find work at dispatch. Athena was as pissed off as Shawn and Pete when they found out she got my number from a call."

Eddie said, "I can see why. One of our classes at the academy was around standards of behavior on calls. They were pretty blunt about everything and made it clear that we'll get hit on while we're working, especially if the call is to a bar or worse, a strip club, and that we have to stay professional at all times."

Buck nodded. "I remember that class; they even gave us advice on what to do with the numbers people give us."

Eddie chuckled. "You mean the advice that if we are going to throw them away, do it out of sight of the people giving them to us. Especially if they are drunk?"

Buck nodded. "Exactly. One of the guys in the class before ours was… not hom*ophobic, but straighter than straight, if you know what I mean. He was given a few numbers from guys when they attended a call at a gay strip club up in West Hollywood, and he threw them away as he walked out the door. One of the guys who gave him his number got offended, and being drunk, his impulse control was non-existent, so he took a punch at the firefighter and got his ass thrown in the drunk tank for the night."

Eddie said, "We didn't get that story; we got one about a woman who stalked one of the stations when she found out the firefighter she gave her number to threw it away."

Buck laughed. "I guess they have a different cautionary tale for each class. It wouldn't do to be boring." He put the cake in the fridge to set when the buzzer went off on the oven, and he said, "How about you and Christopher set the table? Dinner will be in about five minutes."

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

May 2018

Buck was excited, his graduation ceremony was done, and he was finally a fully-fledged firefighter. Eddie approached with Christopher as soon as the official stuff was all done, and he said, "Congratulations, Buck."

Christopher held up a card he'd made with help from Natalie. Buck crouched down and opened the card, and when he was done reading it, he pulled the young boy into a hug. "Thank you, Christopher. I love it!"

Hen approached and asked, "You must be one of Buck's roommates? I didn't realize…." She gestured to Christopher in the hopes that the men would get it without her having to say anything.

Eddie understood instantly, since he knew Buck had only told a few people he'd moved out of the frat house, and at the station, only his captain knew. So he said, "This is my son, Christopher; he's six going on thirty."

Hen laughed, "I know the feeling; my son Denny is seven going on thirty. He's just upstairs with my wife and a couple of the other station kids kicking butt at Mario Kart. I can take Christopher up if you like?"

Buck could see his best friend's indecision, so he said, "It's just up there, and Karen is awesome with the kids; I think she prefers them to us sometimes. Oh, Christopher, Hen's wife Karen, she's an honest to god rocket scientist."

Christopher asked, "The one you said works for JPL, NASA's lab?"

Buck nodded. "That's the one; you could ask her those questions you had about the Mars Rovers."

Christopher was practically bouncing on his crutches as he begged, "Please, Daddy?"

When he saw Buck nod, Eddie trusted that Christopher would be fine with the two women, so he said, "That's fine, mijo. I'll come up and find you when we're ready to go."

As Hen led Christopher to the loft, Eddie asked, "Are you sure he'll be okay up there?"

Buck nodded. "He'll be fine. Karen is great with the kids, and she doesn't mind endless questions, especially intelligent questions, and you know after our recent research spiral, he will have smart questions."

Eddie grinned as he nudged Buck's shoulder, "You are great at dealing with his endless thirst for knowledge."

Several people came up to Buck to congratulate him on graduating. He accepted all their good wishes as Eddie stood back and observed. He could see a couple of guys on the edge of the large crowd who didn't look happy to see Buck enjoying himself.

When the last group left, Eddie moved to stand beside Buck as the younger man murmured, "Here we go," when he saw three men approaching. When Chim and two other firefighters reached him, he said, "Eddie, this is Chimney, Thompson, and Beal. Chim is one of our main paramedics, and Thompson and Beal are firefighters on the A-Shift and work mainly on the triple. Guys, this is my roommate Eddie."

Chim snarked, "I didn't realize a frat house was kid friendly."

Thompson asked, "How does that work with your invisible girlfriend? I thought you were living with her these days."

Buck shrugged. "Nope."

Beal leered at Eddie and asked, "So what, you've run out of females; you've moved on to the male population?"

Chim told Eddie, "You should watch this guy, he's been known to steal firetrucks for hookups; who knows what strange women he'll parade in front of your son. Even his therapist isn't off limits."

Buck turned, and after a quick word with Eddie, walked away to get them drinks from the buffet table. He didn't want to show a reaction to the teasing.

Beal asked, "Are you even sure you can trust Buck around your son? Who knows what he's teaching him."

Chim said, "He can't even be trusted online. Didn't you hear? He's been chatting up chicks and ghosting them left, right, and center."

Eddie sneered, "I trust him more with my son than you three, who just seem to want to bring others down to your level." He glanced at the captain, who was within listening distance but didn't say anything to stop the men from their cruel barbs. He turned to Buck when he returned with the drinks and asked, "How do you stand it here?"

Buck glanced at the three men and said, "I just ignore the teasing and overt bullying; I'm here to do a job. Simple as that."

Eddie dragged him away, and he whispered furiously, "That guy is your lieutenant? And he's giving you sh*t about what Dr. Wells did to you, and what really disgusts me is your captain is within listening distance, and he does nothing to shut that sh*t down. I promise you one thing: I won't accept any offers to work at the 118."

Buck grumbled, "Damn it, I was hoping you would so I would have at least one ally in the station who doesn't tease me. Most of them just ignore what Chimney says most of the time."

Eddie offered, "So why don't we offer ourselves as a rescue pair when I graduate. Whoever takes me has to be prepared to take both of us; we have gained a lot of attention at the academy when we train together on the academy training grounds on your days off." When Buck looked doubtful, he said, "I asked around, Buck; you graduated at the top of your class, you've helped me so much that I am likely to do the same, and you've been helping me get certified for heavy rescue and SAR. We will make an awesome team, especially since we can often communicate in our drills without words; think it over."

Buck murmured, "You really don't want to work here?"

Eddie shook his head. "Not if hazing and outright bullying is just swept under the carpet, no. Your captain just ignored those guys being assholes. How can you trust them to have your back in a fire or a complicated rescue?"

"f*ck," Buck said as he realized Eddie had a point. "I see what you mean. I would definitely trust you to have my back out there. So talk to your instructors, and see if a transfer is possible for me if we can be hired as a team. In the meantime, I keep my head down and stick it out here until you graduate." He looked around and said, "Everything's over and done with. Should we go and get Christopher and get out of here?"

Eddie nodded. "That's the best idea I've heard today. How about we celebrate your graduation with ice cream on the way home."

Buck grinned as he started up the stairs. "Christopher will love that idea."

Christopher heard his name from the sofa, and he asked, "What idea, Bucky?"

Eddie said, "I was thinking we could take Buck out for ice cream to celebrate his graduation in style."

Hen asked, "Our buffet not up to your standard, Eddie?"

Eddie shook his head. He glanced down and saw that his son was engrossed with his game, so he said quietly, "The buffet is fine, great even, some delicious food there. It's the snark, sarcasm, and bullying I can do without. I came here to celebrate my best friend's graduation as a full firefighter, and instead, members of his team feel it's appropriate to warn me off and say my son is unsafe with him. Something I know from experience couldn't be further from the truth, and even worse, this all happened within earshot of your captain, who did and said nothing. So I think I'd rather take my son and best friend somewhere less hostile to celebrate."

Hen asked, "Buck?"

Buck asked, "Are you aware that in the state of California, it's illegal for a therapist to sleep with a patient?"

Eddie added, "The therapist that forced Buck to sleep with her was suspended a few days ago. This is after I finally convinced Buck to report her after I heard about the teasing going on here. Your captain or his second in command should have reported it to the union at the very least; instead, Buck has been teased about it endlessly, and I was warned that Buck might bring a therapist home to sleep with them."

Karen looked up from where she was watching the boys and asked, "Are you serious?"

Eddie nodded. "As a heart attack. If I didn't know about it before, I definitely do now, thanks to the chuckleheads downstairs."

Buck snorted. "I'm just glad Isabel couldn't make it; she'd be throwing her chancla at them before they'd finished talking."

Christopher cheered when he won the race, then to prove he had heard most of what was said, he commented, "You're Bisabuela's favorite, Bucky. She's even sharing secret family recipes with you. Can we go get ice cream now?"

Buck nodded. "Sounds good to me. Any preferences on flavor?"

The boy thought about it for a few seconds, then said, "Mint chocolate swirl from that place a few blocks away from home."

Before they could leave, Hen pulled Buck aside and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't think they'd continue the teasing on your graduation day."

Buck shrugged. "It was just Chim with his usual sidekicks, Thompson and Beal. They wanted to make sure Eddie knew the truth about me, that story they keep telling about how I stole the ladder truck for hookups, and how I am chatting with girls online and ghosting them, and everything in between."

Hen sighed, "I'm sorry, Buck. I think they see you as a mashup of the guys that gave them a hard time when they joined the station under our old captain, before Bobby replaced him. He was one of the old guard who thought firefighters had to be well built, strong, and white to be good at their jobs."

Buck tilted his head and said, "You do understand that that excuse doesn't excuse their behavior, right? Eddie brought up a good point earlier, if I can't trust them to treat me with respect in the station, how can I trust them to have my back on calls?"

Karen touched Hen's arm before she could reply and said, "That is a good point, and all I can say is I hope, Hen, that you haven't been involved with the bullying." When Hen looked away, Karen said, "Seriously, babe. After the way you were treated, you allow another to be mistreated like that. You should be setting a better example, not lowering yourself to their level by ignoring it."

Buck shrugged. "I gotta go; I have celebrating to do with Eddie's family. They couldn't all be here today since Tía Pepa had to work, so Isabel is hosting a celebration dinner for me, and we have to hit up the ice cream parlor on the way."

Hen pulled Buck into a brief hug, and she murmured, "Congratulations on graduating, Buck. It's been a rocky road, but you got there in the end. I hope you stay, but I can understand if you want to transfer now that you're a fully-fledged firefighter."

Buck stepped back beside Eddie, who had Chris in his arms, and said, "No plans for change yet, but I'm definitely keeping my options open." He turned to Eddie and asked, "We good to go?"

When Eddie nodded, Christopher said, "Thanks for answering all my questions, Dr. Karen. You really are as smart as Bucky said."

The adults all laughed as they left the station.

On the drive to the ice cream parlor, Christopher asked, "Were they mean to you, Bucky?"

Buck didn't want to lie to the kid, so he admitted, "A few of them were, superman. I just ignored them, and your dad told them off."

Eddie commented, "It was good of your captain to hold the ceremony at the end of your last shift as a probie. Is that something he normally does?"

Buck nodded. "From what I've heard, yeah. He gave me a choice: a larger ceremony with A and B shifts in attendance at the end of a shift, a smaller ceremony with just those I wanted to attend, or a handshake and no ceremony at all. Since it was just you and Christopher, I opted for the larger ceremony; that way, the two shifts would get a good meal on the LAFD."

Eddie muttered, "And instead of thanking you, they give you sh*t and try to push me into what, kicking you out?"

Buck shrugged from the driver's seat. "I don't honestly know, and right now, I don't really care, I have you and Christopher, and your abuela and tía seem ready to adopt me too."

"Damn right," Eddie agreed. "You also have your SEAL buddies, even if they are out of town. Why didn't you invite them?"

The younger man laughed. "Oh, hell no. For one, they are currently on a long-term classified mission, but can you imagine how a protective group of trained SEALs would have reacted to the teasing from Chimney and his minions? It would've been a blood bath."

"Bucky?" Christopher asked from the backseat. "If they wouldn't react well to how the others speak to you, why do you accept it? You told me to tell someone if anyone is mean to me on the playground; shouldn't that be for you too?"

Eddie grinned, "My kid has a good point, Buck. You shouldn't have to take that level of harassment on the job. Seriously, I'll talk to the lead instructor on Monday and see if we can be optioned as a package deal. He's the one that's been watching our training on the weekends and after classes."

Buck suggested, "I'm coming in after your training on Monday. Why don't you see if he can meet with both of us then?"

Eddie nodded. "Sure. We were planning on some high-rise rope drills, right?"

The younger man nodded. "I booked the tower and equipment for us to practice with, since Monday is mostly classwork for you. Maybe he could observe us properly and then tell us if he's willing to help us get a placement as a team."

Eddie looked hesitant as they walked to the ice cream parlor from where they'd parked, so when Buck was sure Christopher was distracted looking in the shop windows, he murmured to Eddie, "Spit it out, Eds."

The older man blushed and asked, "Are there fraternization regs in the LAFD? It's not been covered yet in our classes, and I don't want to ask and put a target on my back."

Buck couldn't help the feelings of jealousy that boiled up as he asked, "You're planning on dating a firefighter? Anyone I know?"

Christopher looked at him like he was a few cans short of a six-pack and said, "Duh, Bucky. Daddy wants to date you. He's just scared."

Eddie admonished, "Mijo!" But Buck didn't notice because he was frozen in shock. It took Eddie and Christopher a few steps before they realized Buck was no longer beside them. Eddie turned and asked, "Buck?"

Buck looked at him and asked, "You want to date me knowing all that you know about me?"

Eddie nodded. "What I know, Evan, is that you are kind and loving, you treat my kid like he's your own kid, and we work together so well it's like we've been working together for years. Why wouldn't I want to date you?"

Christopher tugged on his hand and said, "Bucky, we both love you and think you're ours. Nothing anyone can say about you will put us off. We want you to stay with us forever."

Buck picked Christopher up and balanced him on his hip as he asked, "You both love me, huh? Probably a good thing I love you both too." He looked at Eddie, who was still a few paces away, and he asked, "You're sure you want me, baggage and all?"

Eddie framed his face with his hands and said, "I do; we both do. I know you're still getting over Abby, but maybe we could take things slow. I just thought I would ask so if there are rules around it, we would avoid—"

Buck grinned as he interrupted, "There are no rules that stop couples from working together. Working in such close quarters, relationships often form. We just have to declare the relationship to the LAFD, and be professional on the job. It also means we have to have someone else check us over if we are injured on the job. Couples have been known to cover each other in the case of serious injuries on the jobs, so they implemented the rule rather than ban couples working together."

Eddie glanced down at Buck's lips as he was talking, and when Buck stopped talking, he asked, "Can I kiss you?"

Buck nodded mutely, and the two men ignored the gagging noises from the six-year-old in Buck's arms as Eddie leaned in for what both men thought was the best first kiss of their lives.

Christopher leaned in when they'd stopped kissing and kissed Buck on the cheek. When the two men looked at him in surprise, he commented, "What? Kisses show you love them, and I wanted to show Bucky I love him too. Bisabuela and Tía Pepa kiss me on the cheek, so I kiss Bucky on the cheek."

Buck kissed Christopher's forehead and said, "Let's get some ice cream before we head to your abuela's place."

Since they were running quite late, they decided to appease the Diaz ladies with offerings of ice cream. So they bought several tubs of ice cream and put them in the cooler Buck kept in his truck before driving across town to Abuela's.

Isabel had piggybacked Buck's celebration onto a regular family barbecue, partially so that more of the family could meet the man that had befriended both her nietos, and partly so they could celebrate his graduation. It was a gathering of some of the California-based Diaz family, well, the Diaz and Martinez families, since most of those there were Pepa's kids and her grandkids.

Eddie wasn't close with the Martinez side of the family, just his Tía Pepa, since she was now living with Abuela full time to help her out when she needed it. Both women had been an enormous support when he'd fled El Paso.

Isabel hugged Buck when she noticed their joined hands when they came inside. She said, "I'm glad mi nieto finally pulled his head out of his ass and asked you out."

Eddie blushed and said, "I didn't; Christopher did it for me." He gave her a speaking look and asked, "I wonder where he got the idea to do that?"

Isabel looked innocent as she said, "It must have been one of those telenovelas he's hooked on. Come on, everyone's out the back."

Buck laughed as he followed Isabel through the house. He was a bit nervous about meeting Eddie's family but glad to have somewhere safe to celebrate his graduation. When he got outside, he was stunned at the number of people.

Eddie murmured, "They won't bite. I promise."

Buck commented, "Your family is huge. I'm used to my family, which is literally my parents and my sister. They are both only children of only children. Both sets of grandparents died when I was young."

Eddie asked, "So you have no aunts, uncles, or cousins?"

The younger man shrugged. "None that I know of. My paternal grandparents rarely visited; when they did, it was short visits. It was clear by how they acted that my parents didn't want them there."

Eddie scowled. "The more I hear about your parents, the more I hate them. How did your grandparents feel about the supervised visits?"

Buck snickered. "They hated it so much my parents got nothing when they died. Nana and Grandpop Buckley put everything in trust for me and Maddie; I think we got even shares of everything after their house was sold. They died when I was only eight. But Grandma Callister left everything to me when she died; I was twenty and still at Northwestern. My parents and Maddie were barred from attending the will reading, and her lawyer was blunt about why." He looked around the yard and asked, "So is this your whole extended family?"

Eddie laughed. "Not even close, Buck." He looked around the yard to take stock of who had arrived so far, then he explained, "So Abuela had four kids, you've met Tía Pepa, she's the oldest, then there is Tío Giancarlo, Ramon, my dad, and then Tía Andrea, she's the baby of the family, she's not here, she lives in Austin with her family. Tía Pepa had three kids with her husband Felipe, and they are all here with their kids. They all want to meet the gringo she's been talking about."

Buck asked, "Filipe died, right? When you were just a baby?"

Eddie nodded. "Yep, car accident, so Tía Pepa raised her kids mostly on her own with Abuela's help. Tío Giancarlo has two kids, and they are here with his wife Sarah and his daughter's twins Cassie and Mallory."

The younger man looked around, and he could count another six kids, so he asked, "And the other kids?"

Eddie took stock of who was around and where. He pointed at Christopher and said, "The three with Christopher are Lorenzo, Enzo for short, Isaac, and Xavier; they are Hugo's sons. Then over with Tía Pepa is Alexia and Marisa, and Elena is feeding her youngest, Julio."

Buck asked, "How do you keep track of everyone?"

Abuela said, "Lots of family gatherings. Eddie's sisters wanted to be here with their families but couldn't get away with such short notice. They both live in San Diego, but Adriana had to work, and Sophia's daughter had a hospital appointment she couldn't miss. They are planning to come for Christmas. I think they hope Eddito still has his ridiculous house so they can avoid a hotel."

Eddie laughed. "Perhaps. I'm still waiting on a date for the probate hearing. Mami still claims she has a will that she helped Shannon write."

When they were sitting down and were mostly alone, Buck murmured, "I wanted to talk to you about that. My investments are all freed up again, and I was thinking, since we both love living where we are, I could buy into the house, pay for half of it so you have money to invest and put away for Christopher... or whatever you want to do with it."

Eddie asked, "You like it enough to want to stay?"

Buck pulled him into a quick kiss before he said, "I like you and Christopher enough to want to stay; the ridiculous house is a bonus. You know, we could set up one of the rooms so Christopher can build a Lego city like in the movie."

Eddie laughed. "He's been trying to talk you into that too, huh?"

"Every time we're building with his Lego sets," Buck admitted. "I don't mind, and I think the three of us would enjoy it."

Eddie said, "I'll think about it. I agree it could be something fun for the three of us to do, but right now, he's mostly building without making anything. Maybe when he gets older and wants to build more."

Buck noticed Christopher was talking animatedly with his cousins. He asked, "Does Christopher see his cousins much? I haven't heard him talk about them."

Eddie shook his head. “Only Pepa and Abuela live in LA. Tío Giancarlo and his family live in San Diego, and Pepa's kids live in Bakersfield, and Santa Barbara. They come to town whenever Abuela is having a gathering though."

Buck suggested, "Once the house is officially yours—"

"Ours," Eddie interrupted. "You mentioned buying into the place, and it sounds like a great idea."

Buck grinned. "Once the house is officially ours, we'll have to have a housewarming party for your family."

Eddie nodded. "I'll make sure it's on a weekend that both Sophia and Adriana have off. They are both dying to meet the man who stole my heart."

Buck blushed, and Eddie squeezed his hand where he was still holding it. The younger man asked, "Do you mind if we keep it to ourselves for a while. I don't mind your family knowing, but I don't want the 118 to get wind of it. The teasing would get even worse than it is now. Especially if they find out you're training at the fire academy."

Eddie nodded. "I don't mind. The people I care about most know, and that's enough for me."

Buck leaned over and kissed his new boyfriend on the cheek. "Thanks, dulzura."

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

May 2018

Buck jogged into the training ground about half an hour late on Monday. He dropped his bags and said, "Sorry I'm late; we got held up at an MVA. One of the drivers threatened to sue anyone who damaged his car, so we couldn't cut him out until Athena calmed him down. Well, technically wound him up by showing him just how totaled his car was. She gave us permission to slice into it once he passed out from the shock."

Eddie reassured, "It's fine, Buck. I was just telling Instructor Pasdar our idea."

The instructor held his hand up and said, "It's after hours, so call me Andrew, please." He fixed Buck with a look and said, "I thought you'd landed a pretty good gig with Nash at the 118."

Buck nodded. "I did, if you ignore the low-level hazing that's been going on since I joined."

Eddie exploded, "That's not hazing, Buck. What they are doing is bullying, plain and simple. Instr— Andrew, have you heard of the Dr. Wells investigation?"

Andrew frowned. "The therapist that was blackmailing firefighters and cops for sex to let them go back to work?"

Eddie nodded. "Buck was the first one to report her. And instead of support from his team, he gets teased about it."

The instructor looked mortified and asked, "Can you give me an example?"

Buck said, "Only if it stays between us?" When the instructor nodded, the younger man explained, "I was on a date with my now ex-girlfriend for Valentine's Day; they had pressured me into it after stealing my phone and seeing our texts. I was so nervous, I had an accident with a bread roll where it got stuck in my throat, and Abby had to perform an emergency tracheotomy."

Andrew nodded. "That explains why you sound different. Your voice is more gravelly than it used to be. Will that go away?"

Buck shook his head. "The doctors are pretty sure it'll be like that for the rest of my life. Anyway, when I got back to work after my hospital stay, one of the senior firefighters told me I should have stuck with my therapist; she's a safer date."

"Jesus, Buck," Andrew looked pissed off. "What did your captain have to say about it?"

Buck shrugged as he said, "Nothing. I think honestly that he's given up reprimanding the group that are responsible for most of the hazing and harassment in the station. They are leftovers from Captain Gerard's heyday. And you know, I get it, they went through a lot with him, but I think I'd rather be at a station that was less like a schoolyard during recess, you know?"

Eddie said, "I was at his graduation last week, and most of the station congratulated him and were happy to see him get through his probie year, but then this group approached once my son was out of earshot, and they proceeded to tell me just how much Buck can't be trusted around children. They tried to couch it as him being too free with his affections, and they tried to tell me he was a manwhor* without actually saying the word."

Buck added, "Don't forget the part where they warned you that I might bring therapists home for sex."

Andrew shook his head in disgust. "You mentioned senior firefighters?"

Buck admitted, "One of them is a lieutenant, and the two others have been with the station for over five years. Look, I love Bobby, don't get me wrong. In every other aspect he's a great captain, and I've learned so much from him. But he's not keeping the bullying under control at all."

Andrew asked, "So you want a transfer, but only to work with Eddie. You realize that's a hard ask sight unseen. Eddie here is so new he's squeaky, and you're only just off your probation period, and the word around the stations is you have a black mark on your record."

Buck frowned. "Bobby promised me that would be removed. He was lied to by Chimney, who'd told him I stole the truck for a hookup. He told the captain he overheard me making arrangements before I stole the truck. The truth of it was that I was asked by the engineer to take it out for a test drive after he'd done some maintenance on it, so he could fill out the paperwork while I was doing the test drive."

"As for the difficulty," Eddie smirked, and he pointed to himself as he said, "Ex Army combat medic with a Silver Star," he then pointed at Buck and said, "Ex Navy SEAL with a Navy Cross and a Joint Service Commendation medal. We've been training together on different drills for three months, and we're a dream partnership. We barely need words these days to communicate during the drills."

With a huge grin, Buck said, "He's not wrong. Most will overlook the rumors of a black mark when they realize just how competent we are as a rescue pairing. There aren't many others with our military training working in the LAFD."

Andrew gave Eddie a speaking look as he asked, "Army medic? Don't you usually stay at the base?"

"Most yeah," Eddie admitted. "But I was a combat medic, and I was often sent out with the Rangers on their high-risk missions, so I trained with them. Buck has also taught me quite a few things he learned while in the SEALs." He could see the doubtful look on the instructor's face, so he offered, "We are doing training here a few days this week after Buck's shifts. Feel free to observe us as we train and make up your own mind."

Andrew nudged one of the bags and asked, "What's your plan for today's session?"

Buck said, "High-rise rope drills. Jorge from the 133 is coming in later this week to work the winch for us so we can rappel rescues, and then we are spending Saturday doing cliff rescue practice at Stony Point."

Eddie grinned. "I can't wait to get out there. I want to be ready for anything in our final testing."

Andrew commented, "We have a certification test for pairs. It's usually to test couples—"He tilted his head when he noticed both men blush, and with a grin, he said, "So it's like that?"

Buck said, "Only for a few days, but we're taking things slow. I'm still getting over the whole Dr. Wells fiasco, to be honest. Therapy is helping, but yeah… still a lot of lingering issues from that one short appointment."

Eddie said, "We had to find a therapist who would agree to Zoom sessions. Once we found a good one through the VA, it's been good for Buck."

Andrew asked, "You'll be declaring this with the captain that takes you on?"

They both nodded. Buck said, "We figure we'll disclose during any interview we have a good feeling about. We do understand that it's an unusual situation, but we would prefer to keep our relationship quiet as it will just add to the teasing I'm going through at the station. They are still giving me sh*t over the invisible girlfriend, who is actually my ex-girlfriend, and the women I'm apparently chatting up online, which I'm not."

Andrew gave him a sympathetic look and said, "I can understand why you'd want to leave. Are you going to tell Captain Nash why you're leaving?"

Buck shrugged. "I would honestly prefer not to. I get that he's probably hamstrung by the brass wanting to avoid being sued by the chuckleheads, but he just ignores it, doesn't even try to get in their way."

Eddie snarked, "It makes me wonder how many others they've chased out of the station with their bullying."

Andrew nudged the bag again and said, "Before this gets even more melancholy, how about you two show me what you've got."

They spent the next few hours doing ropes drills on the high-rise tower. They were so engrossed in the training that neither man noticed that others had joined Andrew in observing their training.

Andrew murmured to his boss, "They're good. They've got the non-verbal communication down pat; you'd almost think they'd been working together for years."

Aaron Regent, the academy recruitment lead, nodded. "They're fluid. I've seen them out there a few times; they do these training sessions around Buckley's shifts?"

Andrew nodded. "They've got another session of ropes training later this week, then they are out at Stoney Point for cliff training on Saturday. I looked in the calendar, and Buckley has bookings for the flashover unit and the confidence maze over the next few weeks. He's working with Jorge from the 133 on anything that requires supervision."

Aaron grinned. "Jorge is taking the next available ropes training slot, something I'm sure Buckley has heard through the grapevine. What is that they are doing?"

"With their hands?" Andrew asked. When his boss nodded, he said, "I'm pretty sure it's Morse code and ASL combined somehow. They are both ex-military, so it makes sense that some things have carried over."

Aaron gave his subordinate a disbelieving look when he said, "And you're sure they only met recently?"

Andrew chuckled. "I talked to Eddie about what made him join the fire academy not long after he started. He mentioned that Buckley had moved into his place a few weeks before the session started and said it would be a good job for him. Buckley found the ad for a room to rent on Craigslist."

Aaron commented, "I'm surprised Buckley is looking to transfer; I thought he had a good thing with Bobby Nash." When he saw the dark look on the instructor's face, he said, "Oh, now you have to explain that look."

Andrew spent the next fifteen minutes going over what Buck and Eddie had told him about the 118 and the active hazing or bullying that was going on.

Aaron sighed. "I can see why he'd want to leave. sh*t. He doesn't want to be the one to report it either, right?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, I don't think he wants to get Nash in trouble. And the reality is, I don't think it's Nash that's the problem. I think he's being hamstrung by the brass, who don't want these guys to sue for what happened under Gerard. That asshole is the gift that just keeps on giving."

Aaron said, "I think we need to send someone in, someone undercover. Maybe someone who looks like Buckley, strong, fit, white."

Andrew said, "I know the perfect person. What about Dylan, the new instructor due to start next week? If we talk to Chief Alonzo, we could get him swapped in as a floater for someone due to take leave at the 118 for a few weeks. It would give him enough time to see if the issue is just with Buckley or if it's anyone who looks like Buckley. I was in the video interview with Dylan, and he could be Buckley's older brother."

Aaron said, "I'll talk to Tom. I want to look into the reprimand records and see if it's obvious Nash has been hamstrung and who by. I honestly can't see Alonzo approving this sort of inaction, not even to save the LAFD from a lawsuit."

Andrew asked, "Would it, though. If the behavior is the same as what Gerard was allowing, surely any lawsuit would fail?"

Aaron shrugged. "It would depend on the lawyer. I'll schedule a call with Chief Alonzo and Dylan tomorrow and see what we can arrange. As for those two," he gestured to the pair on the training tower, "start putting feelers out. I'm sure there will be stations out there looking for a heavy rescue pair, and those two are going to be fantastic. I've been observing their other training sessions, and they started rough, but once they worked out the teething issues, it's like watching a pair that have been working together for years. They are going to be a pair to watch. I knew Buckley would be one to watch, though."

Andrew frowned, "How so— you used to be a SEAL, right?"

Aaron nodded. "I was one of the trainers at Coronado when Buckley came through. I honestly thought he'd ring out; he has too much heart most of the time. He found a way to be himself at home and still be a cold hard SEAL when he needed to be. I think firefighting is good for him, a good use of his skills without the constant fighting."

Andrew said sadly, "I remember when we asked the students why they wanted to be firefighters. His answer was a bit of a heartbreaker. He said he wanted to help people without having to kill others to do it. It's easy to forget he was a SEAL sometimes, he's always so cheerful and looks like nothing gets him down, at least, during training he did."

Aaron asked, "How was he when you talked to him and Diaz earlier?"

Andrew admitted, "Not good. He was happy to be here with Eddie, that was clear, but the bullsh*t going on at the 118 is bringing him down. They are together, by the way. They'll be disclosing it to the stations that interview them. They want to keep it on the down low otherwise. I don't think Buckley wants it getting back to the 118."

Aaron snarked, "I wouldn't either if they are putting him through all that you explained." He looked up as the two men walked toward them.

Buck grinned and with a nod, he said, "Commander Regent."

Aaron smirked and replied, "Master Chief Buckley. You two are looking good out there. Very fluid."

The younger man commented, "Thanks, Sir. Did Andrew explain what we're planning?"

Aaron nodded. "I've already instructed him to start scouting stations for you both. Diaz is due to graduate in six weeks, so hopefully that will give the interested stations time to figure out how to slot you both in. Don't be surprised if you have other observers for your training sessions."

Eddie asked, "Won't Captain Nash find out if you put the word out?"

Andrew reassured, "We won't be giving names unless they are seriously interested. If Captain Nash asks, we'll tell him you aren't interested in the 118. He doesn't need to know why. He may understand when everything comes out."

Buck frowned and asked, "What everything, sir?"

Aaron explained, "Andrew told me of the issues you're having with bullying at the 118; I have a plan to get to the root of it without you being implicated. Don't worry, Bast. I know your feelings about not being a whistleblower."

Buck sighed, "I'll do it if it protects others, but the hazing just affects me, and I'm looking to transfer. I turned in Dr. Wells, mostly because Eddie reminded me she could be assaulting her other patients."

Eddie commented, "She was one of the main department therapists. It's highly likely you weren't her first."

Aaron agreed, "You weren't. This stays between us, but the current count is 15 from the LAFD and I've heard from a colleague that the LAPD wasn't spared. The LAFD lawyers are doing what they can to make sure they throw the book at her, several books I think. She blackmailed most of those with the LAFD."

Buck nodded. "I was threatened, not blackmailed, but it's the same thing at the end of the day. It's taken my VA therapist a few sessions to get that through my thick skull. I honestly thought I had asked for it, since I wrote that I had a sex addiction on my intake sheet."

Aaron shook his head. "You were sent to her after the rollercoaster thing?" When Buck nodded he said, "So, from what I saw of the interview you were wrecked, you put on a great show for the cameras, but to those who know you it was obvious you weren't handling it well."

Buck shook his head. "No, I really wasn't. It's weird; I'm used to losing people in the field, I'm a SEAL. We lost people we were trying to rescue all the time. But this guy, Devon, I had him; he just had to reach out and grab my hand, and I could have pulled him up, but he let go. He just let go, no warning, nothing."

Aaron huffed. "It's no wonder you were compromised. Trust us to handle your transfer with care; the 118 won't know about it until the transfer papers are signed."

Buck smiled, "Thanks, Commander. I appreciate it."

Eddie pulled his boyfriend into a one-armed hug and murmured, "Just six more weeks, and then you can transfer, cariño." He looked at his watch and said, "We need to head out; Christopher wanted us home for dinner at seven."

Andrew said, "Get going, I've met your unicorn, and you don't want to disappoint him. I'll keep you updated with the search for a station that'll take the pair of you."

Buck suggested, "Talk to the captain at the 217; I heard through a friend that Tommy wants to return to the 118. The 217 deals most of the heavy rescue overflow when the 56 is already deployed, so they might be happy to take on two ex-military newbies as a heavy rescue pair."

Aaron said, "Leave it with us, Bast. We'll see you right."

Once the two men were gone, Andrew said, "Need my help talking to Dylan?"

Aaron nodded. "Sure, I think between the three of us, we can do some digging and develop a game plan that keeps Buckley out of it."

Andrew asked, "Bast? That's what you called him, right?"

Aaron smirked, "He earned that name fair and square from what I heard. I don't know all the details, but someone called him a bastard, and the name Bast stuck. It helped that it was close to Buck."

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

May 2018

Buck asked, "Where are we going?" They were on their way back from Stoney Point, and Eddie said he wanted to make a stop on the way home.

Eddie said, "There is a food truck I want to take you to on the way home. I was thinking it would be good for a first date."

Buck grinned. "It must be good if you consider it first-date material."

"Best secret in LA," Eddie admitted. "Tía Pepa took me there when I first got to LA. She took pity on me and wanted me to de-stress. They do the best Mexican food in LA; at least, that's what Tía Pepa claimed. She said their tamales were almost as good as Abuela's, and she wasn't wrong."

They pulled up to a car park that was hidden away behind an office block, and there was a lone but unusually busy food truck buried in the corner. Eddie explained, "They don't advertise; they get all their business through word of mouth. Pepa used to work in the office building, which is how she found it. When she changed jobs, she kept coming back for the food."

They went up to the queue to check out the menu, mainly so Buck could have a read and decide what he wanted to order. Eddie already had his favorites, and he knew what he would order after a hard day of climbing.

Buck asked, "Any recommendations?"

"How hungry are you?" Eddie asked. "You did a lot of climbing, but I'm sure it's no different for you than an average cliff rescue."

Buck said, "Famished. Normally after a big rescue, I eat two servings of whatever Bobby cooks. He's pretty good at working with my dietary needs around my training. When he realized I was serious about my workouts and that I wasn't just mucking around in the gym, he had a good talk with me about what my training involved."

Eddie said, "Get a couple of empanadas, there is a good range to choose from, and we'll get a plate of tamales to share."

They placed their orders, and the girl at the counter handed over a flag with a heavy weight at the bottom. Eddie took the flag and said, "They bring the food to either one of the tables or our car; it's up to us."

Buck could see that most of the tables were full, and the ones left had little to no privacy, so he suggested, "Why don't we drop the tailgate of your truck and eat there? It's too nice a day to be sitting in the cab, but I don't feel like eating in such close quarters as the tables allow."

Eddie chuckled, "It also means we won't mess up the cab with messy Mexican."

They put the flag on the cab so the servers could see it, then sat and talked about the climbing they'd just done and things they both wanted to improve for next time. They were still working on the non-verbal communication and meshing together what Buck had learned in the SEALs and what Eddie had learned from the special forces soldiers he'd trained with.

When the server brought their meals, they laid them out on the tailgate between them so they could share and try each other's choices. When Buck took the first bite of his empanada, he moaned; it was damn near p*rnographic.

Eddie laughed and asked, "Good?"

Buck swallowed and agreed, "So good. It's almost as good as the empanadas Diego's abuela made for us on one of our liberty weekends. We should get some to take home for dinner; Christopher would love them."

Eddie nodded. "I was thinking about it. They have churro pancakes which is their specialty dessert. Christopher loves them." As they were packing up their trash and walking over to the truck to order their dessert to take away, Eddie commented, "I heard from my lawyer, they had a breakthrough in the probate case, and the hearing is scheduled to start in a month. Andrew said he'll work with us to get me the training I'll miss during the hearing. Hopefully, it won't last long with what my lawyer found."

Buck noticed the smug expression on his boyfriend's face, so he asked, "What do you know that put that expression on your face?"

Eddie grinned. "My lawyer finally found out what site the so-called will had been made on. He contacted the site as it's one he has an arrangement with, being an estate planning lawyer. He often refers people to the site when they only want a basic will, and the site will refer people to him if they are local and they want something complex. So they mentioned they were Shannon's lawyer, and that a will they were unaware of was being presented at her probate hearing. They agreed to send through the log files that show the date the will was created, location logs for each login, and the login details, things that don't show up on the will that was presented."

Buck asked, "And the log files were fruitful?"

The older man nodded as he turned to place their order. He chose a random selection of desserts and included two large servings of the pancakes as he was pretty sure Buck would like them just as much as Christopher did. They stood to the side to wait, and he confirmed, "The log files were evidence they needed to prove it as fake. They showed that the first login was in El Paso, weeks after Shannon moved to LA. The lawyer confirmed the dates and times in question were when she was in class at UCLA or at appointments with her mother. The last login, where the custody details were added, was while we were at her funeral."

Buck rolled his eyes. "So definitely your parents or someone close to them. You said earlier that Shannon didn't have a will, right?"

Eddie nodded. "Shan actually signed paperwork with her mother's estate planner stating she didn't have a will. With all that she inherited, she wanted to make sure it was distributed correctly. She hadn't finished deciding everything, as there were a lot of things to consider, but the main one was the house was to go to me, and any proceeds from selling it were to be split three ways, one-third to a medical trust for Christopher, one-third to a trust fund for him and the final third to me. Same for all the money her mother left her, and the books were all to be left to Christopher."

Buck commented, "She must have cared about him a lot; I know she left you, but she made sure he would be looked after. Did your parents know how well off Shannon's mother was?"

Eddie snorted. "No, they considered her a deadbeat with a military fetish. She never corrected them. When she left me, she made sure the mortgage on the house in El Paso we owned was paid, and the house was transferred into my name. Shannon cared; she just couldn't do the parenting thing full-time. The divorce she was planning matched the papers she'd sent me after she left; I got full custody with visitation at my discretion, and she'd written us a letter to warn that it wouldn't be for a few years. My parents made her hate being a parent; they blamed her for Christopher's cerebral palsy. My mother spent four years ramming it down her throat while I was deployed. I had no idea until after I got home, and my sisters let me know."

Buck offered, "Do you want me to take leave so I can be with you at the hearings? I have some leave accrued, and I don't mind using it for this. If your parents are desperate enough to create a fake will to get custody of Christopher, I think there is not much they won't do to get what they want."

Eddie looked up as his name was called, and as he took the bags from the counter, he said a quick, "Thanks," then he turned to Buck and said, "If it won't get you in trouble, that would be great. Abuela and Tía Pepa will be there, but I wouldn't mind the backup. I am going to ask Natalie to stay home with Christopher while the hearings are going on; since my parents don't know where we live, and the house we're in is still in Janet's name until the probate hearing is done. The probate hearing will only be a day, but I'm sure other issues will come up from that."

The younger man asked, "You don't trust them?"

Eddie snorted. "I trust them to try and take Christopher if things don't go their way. They were hell-bent on me leaving him with them since they claimed to have raised him. They got offended when I said all the video calls I had with Shannon said she raised him, and those calls were fairly frequent. Usually, two or three times a week, unless I was away with one of the teams. She never mentioned the gaslighting, but she did mention how Mom was often 'visiting' and putting in her two cents on the best way to raise a disabled child; advice that often contradicted the pediatricians."

Buck commented, "So we make sure they don't get any access. Is it worth hiring a family lawyer since their fake will claims to give them custody?"

Eddie nodded. "It's a good idea, bu—"

The younger man rolled his eyes and said, "I know what you're going to say, and before you say it, I'm offering; the lawyer I use has a firm he deals with for anything outside of his wheelhouse if something comes up. They have a family lawyer with experience in custody cases. We can call her on Monday, schedule an appointment, and maybe bring Shannon's estate lawyers along for the ride?"

Eddie asked, "Why do you have a lawyer? Is it for your inheritance?"

With a blush on his cheeks, Buck said, "My inheritance came with a few companies, I had the option of selling, but I didn't want to do that, so Ralph offered to run them for me. He and his team of associates keep things ticking over and make sure the managers are running things competently."

Eddie said, "Feel free to call her; it'll probably be a good idea to have the backup with the sh*t my parents are pulling."

Buck said, "I'll ask for a week off and make sure Bobby knows it could be extended. That is, if you don't mind me telling him what's happening."

Eddie said, "As long as it's just your captain. I don't want the whole firehouse to know my business."

The younger man said, "Definitely just Bobby, so he can plan in advance if I need more time. He works better with advance notice."

-x-

Buck had called on Monday and got them both an appointment with Freya Waterhouse, a formidable family lawyer. She'd agreed to meet with them on Tuesday after Eddie's training when Buck would be off his 24-hour shift. They'd decided to talk to the lawyer first, then bring in Shannon's estate lawyers to finalize any plans.

They entered her office, Buck was still in his work uniform, and Eddie was in Jeans and an LAFD tee-shirt since he'd just come from training. She greeted them and offered them both coffee. "Mr. Buckley, you look like you had a rough shift?"

Buck snorted. "Just call me Buck, please, and yeah, the shift ended with a warehouse fire that went on for hours. After this, I'll be going home for a long nap."

She nodded. "So, how can I help you, gentlemen? As far as I recall, Mr— Buck has no need for a family lawyer unless his circ*mstances have changed."

Eddie admitted, "They have, but it's not actually him that needs the lawyer; it's me. I'm Eddie Diaz, his boyfriend, and I'm having issues with my parents trying to get custody of my kid."

Freya frowned and asked, "Why?"

Eddie said bluntly, "They want a do-over child, and my son is the perfect child for it in their eyes since he has cerebral palsy and will be dependent on them for the rest of his life."

The lawyer wrinkled her nose and said, "Well, that's gross. What about the child's mother?"

Eddie sighed, "Let me start from the beginning. Shannon was a one-night stand while I was stationed at Fort Bliss. She got in contact when she found out she was pregnant, and we discussed our options. In the end, we got married so she and Christopher could go on my medical insurance. The Army has good health benefits for families. It came in handy when Christopher was eventually diagnosed with CP."

Freya asked, "Were you always assigned to Fort Bliss?"

Eddie shook his head. "I was deployed about six weeks after Christopher was born and spent the next four years in Afghanistan. I had planned to come home after just one deployment, but then Christopher was diagnosed, so I re-upped because I didn't think we could afford his treatments on just one income. Shannon tore shreds off me for leaving me at the mercy of my parents for another few years and made it clear she could have afforded his healthcare without insurance. We weren't the greatest at communicating, and she'd never told me her mother was loaded."

Freya looked skeptical as she asked, "It never came up?"

Eddie shook his head. "She was working on a History degree at the time, and I thought she was a poor student. I never really saw any signs that she had money. She was good at hiding it. Anyway, eventually I was sent home after being shot three times in an attack, and I was given a medal and an honorary discharge. A few days after I got home, I woke up to find Christopher in my bed and a note on the dresser saying sorry. A few years later, she contacted me to say her mom had died and was going to travel the world; she wanted to get divorced so I wouldn't be held back if I met someone."

Buck muttered, "Or if she met someone." He wasn't impressed with how Shannon vanished without contact information; Eddie didn't even know how to contact Shannon's mom. At Eddie's dark look, he held up his hands in surrender and said, "Look, ever since you told me the story, it's soured me on her. She left you a few days after you were discharged, which means you were still injured and only just released from the hospital. You were definitely incapable of supporting a four-year-old with CP on your own. And I'm willing to bet, from everything you've said and not said, that your mother was quick to fill the gap, all the while filling your head with nonsense about how she should just raise Christopher and how she would be much better at it, and how you're a bad dad."

Eddie nodded. "I see your point. She did it with Christopher as well. Like if Christopher wanted to do something, she would say that I couldn't do it because I was injured and she could take him."

Freya scowled, "So classic parental alienation."

Eddie nodded. "They attempted it. Christopher hates his grandparents and wants nothing to do with them. If they call, he refuses to talk. If they start nagging me, he yells at them to stop being mean. Mom has even slipped a few times and yelled at me that I took her son away from her when I moved to LA. The first time I thought she meant me, I realized she meant Christopher after the call. The next time, I made it clear that he's not her son, and she needs to stop calling him that."

Freya asked, "So you think they'll file for custody?"

Eddie nodded. "Yes. But that's not why we're here. So a week after Shannon's mom died of cancer, Shannon was hit by a car, and she died as well. After her mom died, she realized she didn't have a will and wanted to be clear about what went to who, given how well-off she was. She was good at procrastinating things like that. So she was working with Ashton, Reid, and Associates, her mother's estate planning lawyers, to create a will at the same time as the divorce papers. Both were almost finalized when she died. When I first heard about her death from her primary lawyer Leon Ashton, I planned to stay in El Paso until probate was done; then, once everything was sorted, I'd move to LA to be closer to my Abuela and Tía Pepa. There is no way I could afford it before then; housing in LA is so expensive. But then my parents challenged the probate, saying they had a will they helped Shannon create, giving them custody of Christopher."

The lawyer frowned, "That doesn't sound right."

"It's not," Eddie agreed. "She actually gave me full custody of Christopher about six months after she left. No contact details, just paperwork giving me full custody with the option of visitation at my discretion in the future. The letter from her lawyer said she contemplated giving up her parental rights, but she didn't want to lose the option of visitation in the future."

Freya said, "That makes sense. It's what I would have recommended if she was doing all this without your input. I'm sure the lawyer gave you their details if you wanted to dispute it."

"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "I didn't though. When she left, she transferred the deed of the house into my name and made sure our mortgage was paid off. It made things less of a struggle."

Freya looked up from her notes and said, "They don't have a leg to stand on. Even if it were a real will —which I can tell based on your tone, you doubt its authenticity— you have full custody, so Shannon can't give away what she doesn't have. If it is fake and they present it in probate court, they can be charged for filing false documents. Which I'm sure her lawyers are aware of."

Eddie nodded. "Her lawyers have been delaying everything in the hope that my parents would give up and withdraw their petition. They persisted in their claims that they had her will, so once the lawyers found the damning evidence proving the will as a fake, the hearing was scheduled. We would like you there as a backup; because I'm pretty sure that when this fails, they will sue for custody."

Freya assured, "They don't have a leg to stand on. If they try to sue for custody after being charged for filing false documents, I doubt the case will even reach a courtroom. No court would grant obsessive people willing to commit fraud custody of a child. Especially not over the wishes of the biological custodial parent."

Buck said, "I think they'd have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you're abusive and that he's suffering with you for them to be granted custody, and even then, they'd look at other options over your parents."

Freya pointed to Buck and said, "Exactly that. Buck's grandparents tried to get custody of him when he was young, and they were able to prove the neglect, but they were still denied because the courts did not want to tear him away from his biological parents. Buck gave me a brief overview of what they were doing to your late wife and son while you were deployed, and we can use that to build a solid case against them. That level of gaslighting is deplorable. We don't have much time today, but at some stage, I'd like to get you and your son in here for interviews so we can build a solid case against them. Just in case they do try and sue you for custody."

Buck suggested, "If all else fails, tie them up in motions and countermotions until they run out of money for the legal fees. Your pockets are a sh*t load deeper than theirs at the end of the day."

The lawyer chuckled, "It's not a great plan, but it's one that's worked for years. Does Christopher know what they're trying to do?"

Eddie rolled his eyes and said, "They told him. My parents thought they were comforting him when they said Shannon gave him to them in her will. He went off at them and screamed that he would run away a million times before he would put up with their nonsense. That's a direct quote, by the way. My parents got so upset, and even more so when I told them their phone privileges were at an end."

Freya asked, "Do you have the hearing dates?" She looked over the piece of paper Eddie handed her and said, "I'll contact Leon Ashton to discuss strategy, and I'll see you at the hearings. If you could please talk with my secretary as you leave to arrange those interviews. Add Buck too if he's observed any of their phone calls."

Eddie nodded. "Will do. Thanks for taking this on, Freya."

She smiled, "Anything for a friend of Bucks."

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

May 2018

A few days later, Buck was at work hanging out on the sofas with Hen as the others were busy finishing their chores downstairs. After a discussion he'd had with Eddie about introducing Christopher to the firefam kids, they'd decided to invite Hen and her family over for an afternoon in the pool. So he turned to her and asked, "I was thinking of having a barbecue on Sunday; want to bring Karen and Denny over for a relaxing afternoon?"

Hen asked, "Isn't your place too cramped for that?"

Buck looked around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered, "I moved several months ago. I'm living in Beverly Hills with Eddie and Christopher."

Hen asked, "What about Abby's? I thought I heard her talking about her hot firefighter boyfriend moving in when I visited Josh at dispatch."

The younger man snorted. "I dumped her before she left the country. She honestly believed I would cheat on her. It's about the only thing I can be grateful to the catfisher for. She was just going to leave the country; she was packed and ready to go when I dumped her."

She asked, "So, how old is Christopher? He's the boy you had at your graduation, right?"

"Yep, he's six," Buck replied. "Going on 42. He's so smart, Hen, and he's been helping Eddie study for the fire academy. He sneaks as best he can in beside Eddie while he's studying his course books, and he yells 'Pop quiz hotshot' before asking his question. His nanny has been helping him learn questions to ask."

Hen grinned. "That sounds adorable. So about this barbecue, do you mind if I ask Athena to come and bring her kids along? She's going through a rough patch, and I think she needs time to just relax."

Buck nodded. "I'll text you the address if you could pass it on to Athena. I'm sure I don't need to stress the importance of keeping all this quiet. Only Bobby knows I've moved, since I had to register my change of address with him."

Hen nodded and said, "But we will be talking about the details later."

"Sure," Buck agreed. "Don't forget to pack swimwear; Eddie's house has a pool."

He sent through the text; when it arrived, she put the address into google maps and whistled. "That is a gorgeous house, Buck. The pool looks huge on Google Maps. Is that a hot tub?"

Buck nodded. "There is one at the end of the pool. Christopher loves using it after his PT sessions."

Hen asked, "Do you want us to bring anything for the barbecue?"

"Nah," Buck replied. "We got it covered. Just bring yourselves and prepare for an afternoon of relaxation."

She confirmed later in the shift that Athena would be bringing the kids, and she was looking forward to relaxing for the afternoon.

Christopher and Buck were already in the pool the next day, having a blast while Eddie watched the doorbell camera.

Buck said, "Stop watching the camera; they'll arrive when they arrive; they won't mind waiting. Hen said they were all coming in Athena's minivan."

Eddie saw the car pull up the drive on the camera, so he said, "They're here; I'll just go let them in."

Christopher watched his dad go and said, "He seems nervous."

Buck nodded. "He is, bud. It's his first time hosting people in a group like this."

The young boy grinned. "I can't wait to meet Harry and May. Denny was telling me all about them when I met him at the station."

Eddie came outside through the library doors, and Athena dragged Hen as Denny pushed Karen from behind.

Buck chuckled and said, "Yeah, I like to get lost in there sometimes."

Hen said, "I can't believe you found a room here on Craigslist. It's amazing, Buck."

The younger man said, "I was lucky. Right place, right time, I think. It certainly worked out far better than I ever expected. Now, pull up a recliner and relax while I get the snacks out of the fridge." He'd made up a few snack plates for them all to nibble on while relaxing around the pool.

Athena asked, "So, Eddie, this place is yours? And you advertised for a roommate?"

Eddie could see the confusion on Athena's face, so he explained, "My late wife inherited everything when her mother died." He checked to see where Christopher was, and when he saw him busy in the pool with Buck, May, and the two boys, he said, "She then died a week after her mom, but without a completed will. The one she was working on left everything to me and Christopher."

"So it's still in probate?" Athena asked, "Do you have a hearing date?"

Eddie nodded. "A few weeks. My parents claim to have a will that they helped Shannon create, which is why everything is held up. When Shannon died, I was living in El Paso, and my parents were on me every day to give up custody of my son to them. I talked to the estate lawyers, who allowed me to move into the house as a caretaker while we waited. I jumped at the chance. I advertised for a roommate for the income to help with the bills, as I wasn't working at the time."

Karen asked, "Has the house always been in your late wife's family?"

Eddie nodded. "Shannon's lawyer said her grandmother was friends with the designer or something like that. They've owned it since it was built in the 1920s. They did some renovations over the years, the kitchen was upgraded about ten years ago, and some changes were made after Janet got sick. It's a great house and perfect for Christopher with his CP. Nice wide hallways, and room for us to place handholds once the house is actually ours."

They spent the afternoon relaxing around the pool, with the adults tagging each other in for pool time with the kids who were having a ball in the heated pool. Eventually, it was just Buck, Hen, and Karen sitting on the recliners as Eddie and Athena played a game of tag in the pool with the four kids.

Hen asked, "So what's going on, Buck? As much as I appreciate the day of relaxation beside the pool, I know something else is going on."

Buck smiled sadly. "You always could read me pretty well. When Eddie is done at the academy, I'll be leaving the 118. The instructors are offering us to captains they trust as a package deal."

Hen sighed, "It's the hazing, right?"

Buck shrugged. "Yes and no. I've been training with Eddie since not long after I moved in, and we work really well together. The trainers have been watching our training sessions at the academy and think we'll be great as a heavy rescue pair. Originally, I was going to talk to Bobby about taking him on, but after the bullsh*t at my graduation, Eddie won't step foot back in the station. He's pissed on my behalf that Bobby just lets it go."

Hen huffed. "He tried to do something about it when he got there, but someone higher up kept overturning his reprimands."

Karen asked indignantly, "Let me guess, because of how they were treated under the old captain?"

Hen and Buck both nodded. Hen explained, "I talked about it with Bobby, and he thinks it's a fear thing. That if they reprimand them for hazing or bullying or whatever, those who were mistreated by Captain Gerard might sue the department for their treatment. Part of me can see where they're coming from, part of me is sickened by it because of how they treat people like Buck. Those that meet the three Bs."

Buck asked, "Three Bs?"

Hen cringed, "Broad, Buff, and Blond. Chim, Thompson, and Beal are all considered to be small for firefighters. And they, at times, have a serious case of short man syndrome."

Buck frowned, "They aren't even that short or small. They just have a skewed sense of what people think the perfect firefighter is. It's stupid, and they've lost other firefighters from the 118 because of it."

Karen said, "There is no helping some people, Buck. Do you know where you'll be going yet?"

Buck shook his head. "No, they are asking around on the quiet, so word doesn't get back to the 118. The instructors think the bullying would get worse if they found out I was leaving the house."

Hen nodded. "I hate to say it, but it would. You're already taking enough sh*t over the whole catfishing thing going on. Has that slowed down any?"

Buck shook his head. "I went to HQ to report it, and found out one of the girls they've been chatting with is Battalion Chief Barnfield's barely legal daughter. I was mortified. I was able to prove my innocence when they brought her to HQ and got her to chat with the guy pretending to be me. Whoever it is seems to be stalking me, since he talked about rescues I actually did. It was so creepy."

Karen said, "So whoever it is either has access to your reports, or they're watching you. Have you swept the station for bugs or cameras? Maybe on the trucks, or where they can see the after-action reports being typed up.

Buck said quietly, "It might be on the engine, but they knew things from the last rescue that you'd only know through being there."

Hen asked, "What do you mean?"

He explained, "The rescue they talked about with Jennifer was the one with that mountain biker. We had to hike in to rescue them. We were miles away from the trucks, and I don't remember talking about the rescue on the drive back; I was exhausted."

Hen nodded. "You slept on the way back to the station, from what Tanika was saying. She spent most of the drive back getting Beal and Thompson to keep quiet so they didn't wake you."

Buck grinned. "She's good like that. She's awesome at deflecting their attention on calls, and she's guarded the bunkroom when I've needed sleep while they are on the warpath."

Hen asked, "How did I miss that?"

Buck shrugged. "Your friendship with Chim gives you goggles? You don't join in, but I don't think you see much of what he's doing either."

Hen shook her head. "I've seen some of the hazing and tried to get him to cool his jets, but I've never noticed the other stuff. Does your transfer have anything to do with the rumors that Tommy wants to return to the 118?"

The younger man shook his head. "No, those rumors have been going around for a while. I suggested they approach the 217, but that's all I know."

Karen said, "I hope that your transfer doesn't mean we lose you, Buck. I, for one, would miss you, and the kids get on so well."

Buck grinned. "I definitely plan to stay in touch, that's one of the reasons I wanted to have you guys here for the barbecue, so I could tell you what was happening in private, and so you'd know where to find us. We definitely plan to stay here for the long haul."

Karen laughed, "I can see why; I'm in love with your library, and I'd love to contribute some of my old textbooks to the shelves for Christopher. He had some really smart questions, and I think they'll help answer some he'll come up with in the long run."

Buck grinned. "We'd both love that, Karen. We goad each other into research spirals; it's fun. I think Eddie would join in too, if he wasn't busy studying for his academy exams. He's working on beating my scores."

Hen asked, "Didn't you graduate top of your class?"

"Yep," Buck said smugly. "Both in the academic exams and the physical tests. I think he'll do it though; he's had Chris helping him study."

Karen snorted. "I heard all about his pop quizzes; Denny thought it was hilarious."

Buck admitted, "The kid laughed so hard when he made Eds fall off the couch I thought he was going to fall over himself; I think if it wasn't for his crutches, he would have been on his ass. The best part is, Natalie, his aide, has been helping him learn how to sneak so Eddie doesn't hear him coming."

Eddie and Athena joined them as the boys sat on the edge of the pool talking, and Eddie asked, "What's so funny."

Buck snickered as he said, "Pop quiz, hotshot!"

Athena saw Eddie roll his eyes as he laughed, so she asked, "What?"

Buck explained the pop quizzes that Christopher has been doing to help Eddie study, and how one gave him such a fright he fell off the sofa he was sitting on.

Eddie said, "Natalie has my course schedule, so she's been helping Christopher find questions to help me prepare for the exams. Aside from the jump scare aspect, it's been great, but I think he gets a kick out of that, so I'm not stopping him."

They spent the rest of the afternoon just chatting and alternating between snacks and swimming. Eddie made some new friends, and Buck was secure in the knowledge he wouldn't lose the three women as friends when he transferred.

-x-

After Hen learned how bad the bullying was, she worked with Tanika and a few others in the station to deflect attention away from Buck when it got worse. She'd talked to Buck about what to help with, and he was honest that he just needed help when he needed sleep, the same as what Tanika was doing. The rescues he did often left him exhausted due to their physicality, something the bullies didn't seem to give a sh*t about.

Over the next few weeks, Buck was confronted by several women who had been ghosted by the online account while on calls, a couple while out with Eddie, and even once while at the zoo with Eddie and Christopher. Officer Sanchez had contacted MySpace a few times to try and get them to relent on the issue, but they held firm on their position that the account hadn't broken their terms of service, nor had the user of the account broken any laws, so they could not shut it down.

The last time it happened, which upset Christopher as he was there, Eddie had asked if he could go off on the next woman to accost Buck in his presence, to have full permission to handle it how he saw fit. Buck was nervous, but he agreed to let Eddie handle it.

They were trying out a new restaurant for lunch near the 118 before Buck's Saturday shift, since Christopher had a playdate with Harry and Denny at Athena's for the afternoon. They'd decided earlier that they weren't keeping their relationship to themselves anymore; if anyone they knew saw them, they wouldn't be afraid to be out of the closet. Eddie's family accepted Buck, and that was all that mattered.

As they waited for their food, between kisses, Eddie said, "Andrew has a few stations interested in interviewing both of us as a heavy rescue pair, the 217, 97, and 131. He's still got his feelers out though. I still have three weeks until my exams, and the probate hearing is in a week. He's pretty sure that I will miss at least a week of classes due to what we suspect my parents are planning. We had a good talk about it after class the other day."

Buck nodded. "It makes sense. Bobby confirmed that I have the week off. He struggled to find a floater to replace me; I think the same floater is covering Jones' leave, then mine, which is straight after. I explained what it was for, and Bobby said to let him know if the hearing goes for longer."

Eddie said, "I wonder if someone's had a word in his ear. That seems more accommodating than he's been in the past."

Buck shrugged. "I think he's come to realize that Chim, Beal, and Thompson have really stepped over the line when it comes to their bullying, but he's still not doing anything about it."

Eddie pondered, "Won't, or can't?

Buck said, "Isn't that the million-dollar question? Part of me wonders if he would bother doing something."

Buck was about to say more, but a woman stormed up to the table and demanded, "How dare you ghost me, Evan Buckley!"

Eddie stood, got in her face, and said, "I am sick and damn tired of women accusing my boyfriend of cheating. My very gay boyfriend who doesn't even use social media."

She floundered for a bit as she looked between them, then she gathered her wits and sneered, "A likely story."

Eddie rolled his eyes, "A story believed by both the LAPD and the LAFD. Every single woman who accosts Buck gets reported to the LAPD for the file they are building."

Eddie saw her about to lift her hand and said, "The ones who have assaulted him or anyone with him now have assault charges on their records."

She clenched her fist and said, "How are you so sure it's not him, he could be cheating on you, and you just don't know it."

Eddie gave her a filthy look as he said, "Because so far, he's been accused of ghosting eight women over the last month, and most have reported entire nights spent chatting. Nights he's actually spent with our family out at various activities or having quiet nights at home studying and enjoying family time. You need to accept that you were ghosted by a man using the identity of a popular firefighter to chat up women and move on."

She looked at them both and asked, "And if I don't, Evan. What if I go to your boss and report your frankly unacceptable behavior?"

Buck shrugged. "Go ahead. Did you not hear my boyfriend when he said the LAFD are aware of the account? They are getting legal advice on how to get the MySpace account shut down, since MySpace has refused even though they know the account is impersonating me."

Eddie commented, "The biggest giveaway that it's not you is that they all call you Evan. You hate being called Evan; you barely even let me use it."

"I don't believe you," the woman stated bluntly. "I think you two are just friends, and he's covering for you to get you out of talking to me."

From the next table, there was an inelegant snort. When the couple looked over, the man said, "Sorry, but that's hilarious; before she showed up, you two were practically in each other's laps, talking and trading soft kisses. It was sweet and nice to see young love these days. Lady, you need to get over your obsession with him and find someone real to have a relationship with. Catfishing happens every day, and it's never the catfisher who pays, just innocent bastards when their identity is stolen to make it seem real."

Buck commented, "I want to know where this guy finds all the time he has to message these girls."

The man said, "Multiple conversations at the same time. There is a series on one of the networks about catching catfishers; it's intriguing. Most do it for monetary gain, but some just to talk with someone who shows interest in the image they put forward." He looked at the woman and said, "I would suggest you watch it; see how you could have been taken by this impersonator. In the meantime, we'd like to get back to our meal without the free entertainment."

She screamed and flounced out of the restaurant.

Buck sighed, "I wish MySpace would just shut the account down. It's getting to the point where I feel like I can't go out."

When the waitress brought their food out, she said, "Don't let them change how you live your life; that's probably what the bastard wants. They lead the girls on until they are hooked, then ghost them so they will confront you." When they all looked at her, she said unashamedly, "The whole restaurant could hear your conversation; she wasn't exactly being quiet." She put the plates in front of them and said, "Enjoy your meal; if she comes back, she won't get past Dana at the door."

Buck smiled shyly as he said, "Thanks, we appreciate it."

Eddie nodded. "We really do."

The rest of the meal was enjoyable, especially when they watched the woman try and return, and the hostess at the door turned her away and threatened to call the police when she started to make a scene.

As they walked back to their car, once they were sure the woman had left the area, Buck said, "Your way of dealing with that was fun. She got so flustered when you mentioned I was your gay boyfriend."

Eddie chuckled. "I am definitely doing that again if I'm there when they confront you."

Buck said sadly, "I just want to find this creep and shut down the account."

Eddie pulled him close and kissed him softly on the temple. He murmured, "If I could, I would find them and shut it down for you."

Buck nodded. "I know you would, dulzura. And I love you all the more for it."

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

July 2018

When Buck was changing at the station the next day, Hen came into the locker room. He said, "We had another one last night; the total is now up to eight girls. The whole restaurant got involved this time."

Hen raised an eyebrow and asked, "She did it in a restaurant while you were on a date?"

Buck nodded. With a grin, he said, "Eddie went all diva on her arse; she froze and didn't know how to answer. He can be very imposing."

Hen laughed. "He can also be a complete pushover when you and Christopher unleash your puppy dog eyes."

Bobby walked in with an older man in uniform by his side, and after he'd introduced Buck and Hen, he said, "This is Dylan Larkin; he's the floater covering for Tanika while she's on leave; he'll also be covering for Buck's leave next week."

Buck held out a hand and said, "Thanks so much; I appreciate you covering my time off."

Dylan shook his hand and said, "It's no problem, Buck. I've heard a lot of good things about the 118."

Bobby asked, "Buck, would you mind giving Dylan the tour?"

As they walked around the station, Buck learned that Dylan had 18 years of experience as a dual-certified firefighter and paramedic, and he'd just retired from the captaincy of a station in New York. Buck asked, "Why are you a floater if you've got all that experience?"

Dylan shrugged. "I have a permanent role I'm moving into with the LAFD, but it doesn't start for a few months, so they offered me the option of floating for a few months to learn the ins and outs of the LAFD and how it differs from the FDNY."

Buck hoped that the fact he was only there for a few weeks would protect him from the hazing, given he was like an older version of himself. He definitely met the three B criteria that Hen had told him about. Given the barely civil welcomes he'd got from the three main instigators, he wasn't holding his breath.

Their first call was to an explosion where they had a couple of victims who were close to the blast with severe burns. Chimney and Hen assessed the scene as senior paramedics, they stuck to the more serious victims, and they assigned the firefighters who weren't tackling the blaze caused by the explosion to the ambulatory victims.

As Chimney dressed the burns on his patient, Hen said, "He's stopped breathing."

Chim went to help Hen, but Dylan said, "I can help; you've already got a patient on the go."

Chim snapped, "You're a firefighter; she needs a paramedic. Back up and stay in your lane, old timer."

"Wow," Dylan said as he looked deeply unimpressed. "For one, I'm dual certified and have been for the last 18 years, and you're calling me an old timer, seriously? I'm younger than you; I just happen to have more experience. Now, how about you stick with your patient and actually work on them instead of trying to put me in a place that doesn't exist?"

Bobby heard the tail end of the confrontation and warned, "Chim."

Chim huffed and returned to his patient as Dylan approached Hen and asked, "How can I help?"

Hen said, "He's not breathing, and I can't find a good reason for it. His lungs are clear; he's just not breathing."

Dylan poked at the skin on the patient's chest and said, "This feels like eschar; it creates a constrictive effect, like a rope around the torso, so even though his lungs are clear, he can't get a breath in. Can you run a line? We'll need to do an escharotomy here and transport him, priority one."

Hen got to work setting up the fluids as Dylan worked with Buck to prepare the patient for the escharotomy. Dylan asked, "Are you working on becoming duel certified, Buck?"

Buck shrugged. "I'm thinking about it. My boyfriend is a retired Army medic and a certified A-EMT; we're both considering getting the paramedic certification at some point."

Dylan took the scalpel Buck handed over and started to cut a Y incision deep into the patient's chest to cut through the burn tissue so his chest would no longer be restricted. As he worked, he explained to Hen and Buck what he was doing and why and answered their questions. As the former captain worked, he noted Chim's grumbling as he worked on his own less serious patient. Dylan could tell the older paramedic was not impressed with Buck being brought in to help with a medical situation instead of being relegated to the hoses. However, he was impressed with how the younger firefighter ignored the grumbling even though he knew Buck could hear him.

When they returned to the station, Chim demanded, "Why weren't you on the hoses like you were assigned, Buckley?"

Buck gave him a droll look and said, "I was doing exactly as my captain ordered, Chim. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still have a tour to complete."

Buck stepped around the shorter man and said, "Dylan, come on. I still need to take you through the kitchen do's and don'ts. Bobby is very fussy about his kitchen being just so."

Dylan asked, "Captain that doubles as a chef?"

Buck nodded. "And he's brilliant in the kitchen; he's our very own Guy Fieri. He's been slowly teaching me his old family recipes, and I've been adding them to the cookbook I was gifted by Señora Perez."

As Buck showed him where everything was in the kitchen, he explained what was free for everyone to use and what was restricted to the captain only. Dylan asked, "Is there a chores roster?"

Buck shook his head, "Not really. Bobby just decides on chores at the start of the shift, depending on what needs doing and what the last shift wasn't able to complete. My time is usually split between kitchen duties and helping Blake, our lead engineer. I don't have the engineer certifications yet, since I've only just graduated my probie year, but I worked closely with Diego in the SEALs; he maintained all our vehicles when we were in the field, and he was training me to take over when he retired, so I have more mechanical experience and certs than other probies."

Dylan gestured down the stairs, where they could hear Chim ranting with Thompson and Beal, and he asked, "How do you put up with that?"

Buck shrugged. "I was a Navy SEAL; their hazing is puppy play compared to hell week. I'm not telling them though. Especially not when it means they focus on me rather than harassing others on the team."

Dylan chuckled. "How very self-sacrificing, Buck. Have you tried reporting them to your captain? It's his job to stomp it out."

Buck nodded. "I tried when I first started, and it toned down a touch, but then it got much worse after an incident with a department therapist."

Dylan asked, "The one that was arrested?"

Buck nodded and quietly admitted, "My boyfriend, well, he was my roommate at the time; he helped me report her. He was sure that what she did was illegal, even if I had consented; which I only did under duress."

Dylan asked, "And your teammates found out and teased you?"

Buck nodded. "I was asking for advice from Blake; he's been around a while, you know. And Chim overheard the conversation. He can be sneaky, and he'd snuck up behind us and listened as I told Blake the story. Before Blake could answer, Chim butt in and made it out to be some sort of joke. Since then, he's brought it up several times, including after the time I nearly died while on a date with my then-girlfriend. When I came back to work after medical leave, he commented that I should have stuck with my therapist, as it was safer."

"f*cking hell," Dylan cursed. "And does he do this within earshot of your captain?"

Buck thought about it and said, "The smaller stuff, sure, but never the bigger stuff. I don't even think Bobby knows what happened with Dr. Wells. I haven't told him."

The conversation was dropped when the bells went off again, but Dylan stuck pretty close to Buck over that first 24-hour shift, just to get a feel for the team and where everyone fell on the hazing issue. Buck noticed that Dylan wasn't even given a grace period; they started in on the teasing and harassment of Dylan straight away. Chim had not been impressed at being shut down on the first call by the floater, and having Bobby warn him embarrassed him.

When Buck got home from the first shift with Dylan, he collapsed onto the recliner Eddie was relaxing on and said, "Kill me now."

Eddie laughed and asked, "What brought that on?"

Buck explained, "We got a new floater to cover Tanika's shifts, he's staying to cover my shifts during the probate hearings, and I think Jones took advantage of a floater being available, and he's taking leave when I get back. Anyway, Chim tried to order him around like he was a probie, and the new guy, Dylan, put him in his place. We had a guy with burns so thick it was constricting his chest, so he couldn't breathe. Surprisingly, Hen hadn't seen that before, and she was asking for help. Chim already had a patient in serious condition, but he was going to leave him to the mercy of the basic EMTs that were assisting him so he could take over from Hen."

Eddie snarked, "So he's a glory hog?"

Buck shrugged from where he was snuggled up beside his boyfriend. The recliner was not really built for two grown men, but they made it work. Buck continued, "Dylan said he could help, but Chim told him to get back to the hoses like the firefighter he was, and called him an old timer. Dylan politely told him that he was dual certified and had been for 18 years, and he reminded Chim that he was younger than Chim by a few years."

Eddie laughed. "I bet the bastard hated that. From what you've said, Chim can't stand being wrong."

Buck grinned. "He did hate that, and he hated the warning he got from Bobby telling him to back off. So I was assigned to shadow Dylan so I could help him with where things were in the station and how the 118 did things, you know what I mean. So Dylan ends up teaching me and Hen about escharotomies, and the entire time Chim is bitching about the two of us disobeying him and working outside of our lanes. The man is ridiculous, and I won't miss him when I transfer."

Eddie said, "Maybe stick to Dylan while he's there. If Bobby sees that Chim is willing to chase away even experienced people because of their build and the color of their skin, he might finally do something about it."

Buck snorted. "I doubt it. He's willing to put Chim in his place when he's acting out on calls, but I still can't see him doing anything about the bullying. It doesn't matter if he does or doesn't; you won't work for Bobby, so I'm transferring out as soon as a place can be found for both of us."

-x-

A few days before the probate hearing started, Buck arrived at the station for a half shift he had scheduled around the family lawyer appointments. He found the team upstairs crowded around a laptop. He asked, "What's going on?"

Chim gave him an evil grin and said, "Yet another disappointed young lady came into the firehouse today. After we convinced her to stop shouting and throwing rocks, she showed us this," he turned the laptop around to a familiar MySpace page. He said, "I bet if you updated your relationship status on your MySpace page, it might clear up all this confusion."

Buck took a calming breath before he said, "Who even uses MySpace these days?" He was aware of the page, but he didn't think his colleagues knew that. He said, "What I want to know is how the bastard stealing my identity got my LAFD file photo."

Bobby asked, "What?"

Buck pointed at the profile picture and said, "That's the photo that was taken while I was at the academy for my LAFD file. No one outside of HQ and you, Bobby, should have access to it. I've already raised it with the LAFD HR Manager, who is looking into it."

Bobby asked, "You knew about the profile?"

Buck nodded. "I found out after that first girl that confronted me. The girl that was here earlier is the ninth girl to want a confrontation, and out of them, five of them have been violent. You all might think it's funny that she's out there throwing rocks and shouting, but what if I'd been here? Would those rocks have been aimed at me?"

Martin said, "He has a point, but I agreed with him from the start that shrugging these girls off was a bad idea. Buck told me a few days ago that one of the girls took a swing at him while he was at the zoo with his boyfriend and his six-year-old son. What if she'd missed and hit a kid?"

Beal said, "If it's such a bad thing, why not go to the police and have him arrested?"

Buck sneered, "Because, Beal, right now, he hasn't broken any laws. Apparently, it's not illegal to use someone's identity on social media; it's only illegal if you use it for financial gain, or to harm, blackmail, or coerce someone. So far, he hasn't done that, not yet." He looked around and couldn't see any strangers in the firehouse, so he asked, "Did the police arrest the girl?"

Chim snorted. "No. I asked her out, and she's coming to game night in a few days. So if anyone invited you, consider the invitation revoked."

Buck rolled his eyes and stalked off. He couldn't believe Chim was willing to date a girl who had been vandalizing the station. Well, actually, he could believe it, and he wondered just how many lies Chim would tell this girl.

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

July 2018

Eddie took a deep breath before he asked, "Buck, are you ready to go?"

Buck nodded. They were both dressed in good suits, wanting to make a good impression on the judge. Natalie was staying with Christopher, who didn't want to go to school while his grandparents were in town. He was scared they would try to snatch him from the school.

Natalie was happy to homeschool him with resources provided by the school during the hearing. They were all pretty sure that by the end of the hearing, restraining orders would be granted for both Eddie and Christopher.

Janet's estate was easy to finalize. She'd worked with Leon Ashton of Ashton, Reid, and associates to get the will in place before her cancer was terminal. She'd left almost everything to Shannon; however, she'd left a trust fund behind for Eddie and both a trust fund and a medical trust for Christopher. There were also bequests to Cure CP, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and other charities that supported CP research. It was surprising to some that there were no donations to cancer research, but she made mention in her will that the cancer charities got a lot more press, and that she'd rather donate to something that would hopefully benefit her grandson in the future. At no time during the hearing was the amount of money or what precisely was left to each person or charity ever mentioned, as the will was not being contested.

Once it was all settled and the lawyers were happy, the judge said, "Now we come to the matter of Shannon Diaz, née Morgan. If anyone has documents to present, please hand them to the bailiff."

Eddie watched from his seat between Leon Ashton and Freya Waterhouse as his parents approached the bailiff with paperwork before he could even reach the table where Shannon and Janet's lawyer held out a thick folder.

Buck leaned forward from where he was sitting with Isabel, Pepa, Adriana, and Sophia in the public gallery behind Eddie, and he whispered, "I can't believe they're going to try this."

Eddie shrugged and looked at his sisters to see how they were taking it. He was surprised to see them scowling at their parents. He then turned his attention to the judge, who was reviewing the two sets of paperwork he'd been handed.

The judge was silent as he reviewed the two sets of paperwork. The file from Leon also included the custody paperwork that had been included at Freya's suggestion, given what was in the will the Diaz parents were submitting.

After nearly an hour, the judge looked up and said, "In front of me, I have conflicting information. I have a will presented by Ramon and Helena Diaz, grandparents to Shannon's son, Christopher Diaz, and I have documents from Shannon's lawyer, Leon Ashton, that state she was working on a will with him after the death of her mother. She also signed a document that stated she had no other wills." He saw the Diaz parents about to protest and held his hand up for silence. "Now, in the will presented by Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, it states that she gives full custody of her minor child, Christopher Aiden Diaz, to Ramon and Helena Diaz. However, according to documents provided by Mr. Ashton, she does not have custody of Christopher Diaz. I have custody papers, also filed by Ashton, Reid, and Associates, dated just over three years ago, that give custody of Christopher to Edmundo "Eddie" Diaz with the option of allowing her supervised visitation at his discretion. It also notes that everything that belonged to Shannon Diaz would be left to Christopher Diaz, with Ramon and Helena acting as his regent until he comes of age… such an old-fashioned turn of phrase."

The judge looked up at the two groups assembled, and it was clearly two separate groups, with Ramon and Helena Diaz on one side representing themselves, and Eddie on the other, supported by a team of lawyers and his family. He asked, "Does anyone have anything to say before I make a decision?"

Helena stood almost before he was done speaking, and she said, "We got to know Shannon well when she was living in El Paso. We supported her while our son was overseas, shirking his responsibilities. He was barely even home for Christopher's birth. Christopher was born with cerebral palsy and will need assistance to protect him from the dangers of the world as he grows up." She ignored the scoffs and sounds of disbelief from her son as she said, "My son is not in a place to offer this. He is even now doing what he can to shirk his responsibility to his son, Eddie hired a nanny, and he's currently studying to be a firefighter, one of the most dangerous jobs a single parent could do. He lets Christopher do dangerous activities. Last week on our video call, Christopher told us about his rock climbing class and how he's signed up to do surfing lessons over the summer. They are far too dangerous for a child like him. He needs limitations so he doesn't get hurt."

Eddie scowled, and when his mother finally sat down, he stood, and when the judge acknowledged him, he said, "I don't believe in limitations for my son. He is a bright, happy, intelligent little boy, and I don't see why I should limit that."

The judge asked, "What about the rock climbing and surfing?"

Eddie sighed and said, "His rock climbing instructor, Matai, has CP. He teaches both able-bodied classes and classes for kids with various disabilities. He works with pediatricians to ensure the classes aren't too much for the kids, and Christopher has been having a blast with him. He also enjoys watching Matai and my boyfriend, Buck, speed climb the wall. Even though Buck is able-bodied, Matai still beats him up the wall. As for the surfing lessons, Buck found an instructor who works with children with CP, and like Matai's classes, they are developed with a medical team to keep the lessons at the right level for each child who wants to do the class. Buck and Christopher are close, and it was thanks to a friend of Buck's that we found Natalie; she's part nanny, part nurse aide. She and Christopher get along great."

The judge asked, "What's the difference between a nanny and a nurse aide?"

Eddie explained, "A nanny just watches the child, makes sure they are doing their homework, and that they are fed appropriate meals. A nurse aide can assist with PT appointments and stay with the child at school to assist in classes where appropriate. Also, Natalie is trained in massage for children with CP, so she can help with cramps and soreness after PT classes and stretches he does every morning. She's honestly a godsend, and without her help, I would have had to do the long course to enter the LAFD academy."

The judge asked, "What do you say to the claims by your parents that you were overseas shirking your responsibilities?"

Eddie scowled at his parents and said, "They'll quite happily boast about their son with his Silver Star when needing to boost themselves up, but otherwise, I'm a deadbeat Dad, hiding from my wife and son on the other side of the world. I served as a medic in the Army, sir. I originally planned for it to be a single deployment, but then Shannon discovered she was pregnant just before I deployed, so we got married at the urging of my parents, who said it was the right thing to do, and I was granted leave so I could come home to see the birth of my son. Near the end of my first tour, Shannon told me Christopher had been diagnosed with CP, she was only working part-time with no medical coverage, and the only thing I could think of was to sign up for another tour, as the medical coverage from the army is great and would cover most of what Christopher needed. I didn't know at the time just how much it wasn't necessary, but Shannon and I, we weren't great at the communication thing."

The judge asked, "So you eventually came home? The paperwork I have here grants you full custody, and it was given when Christopher was four."

Eddie nodded. "I was in a helicopter doing a medical evacuation when we were shot down by insurgents. I was sent home with an honorable discharge, a Silver Star, and three bullet wounds; my shoulder, wrist, and hip had taken fire. About two weeks after I got home, I woke up to find Christopher on my bed and a note on the bedside table saying that Shannon needed time. Six months later, the custody papers turned up, and I was granted full custody of my son. I was still in rehab for my injuries when she left, and I had to stop and ended up at one stage working three jobs just to make ends meet. Relying on help from my parents with childcare. I am still 100 percent sure that my parents drove her away. I ended up quitting and depleting my savings because I was worried that one day I'd get home and Christopher would be gone."

The judge ignored the hiss from Helena Diaz and asked, "Is there anyone else who would like to add their two cents?"

Adriana Turner stood and said, "I'm Adriana Turner nee Diaz, older sister to Eddie. I was the one to introduce Shannon and Eddie. In the time I knew Shannon, she went from being a vibrant, vivacious woman who studied hard to get what she wanted out of her classes, to a woman who was so run down by life she could barely get out of bed. My parents were the cause of this; if they weren't nagging her for not being the perfect latina wife, they were nagging her for causing my nephew's CP or for doing everything wrong in how she raised him. They would spend hours telling her she had to force Eddito to come back home, to be the man of the family. She spoke to Eddie every week, almost daily when he was at the main base, and at least weekly when he was out on a mission."

She glared at her parents when she could hear their muttering. "I agree with Eddie; my parents treated her like the dirt under their feet and often accused her of being a deadbeat with a military fetish. She never once put them in their place and often ignored them, but it's hard to ignore the level of gaslighting my parents are known to engage in. We were all raised to believe a woman's place was in the kitchen popping out babies, and a man's place was to work, ne'er the twain to meet. It's taken a lot of therapy to undo some of the lessons they taught us all, something they call us weak for seeing someone to talk about our problems."

The judge asked, "And does the rest of your family agree with this."

Sophia stood and said, "I am the youngest of the siblings, and I ran as soon as I was legally old enough to leave without being dragged back. I pushed myself to get a scholarship to a good school, and I've never looked back. I stay in touch with my siblings, Abuela, and my tías y tíos, but I haven't spoken directly to my parents since the day I left. I have no regrets."

Isabel stood once Sophia and Adriana had sat down, and she said, "I visited El Paso a few times, once after Christopher had been born and again after Eddie had been discharged. It was obvious on that second visit how unhappy Shannon was; Eddie was too sick to see it. As a former nurse, it's my opinion that he was sent home from the military hospital too soon. Shannon would flinch whenever Helena or Ramon tried to order her around or correct how she was treating mi bisneito. It did not surprise me that she left the day after Eddie's welcome home party. After Shannon died, Eddie had planned to stay in El Paso until the probate was finalized, but he realized that if he did, it was likely that Ramon or Helena, or both of them, would steal Christopher from him. So with the help of Mr. Ashton, he fled to LA. It has been good to see him come out of his shell, get the therapy he needed, and really grow as a father. Seeing him falling in love and being truly happy for the first time has been a joy. Don't get me wrong, he loved Shannon, but as one loves a friend, my Eddito, he is… I don't know the English; he prefers men, but his parents taught him from a young age that this was wrong."

When the judge looked at Eddie with a raised eyebrow in question, Eddie admitted, "Abuela's not wrong, sir. From a young age, I knew I was gay, but any time I looked at a guy wrong, I was punished for it, either with spankings or groundings. I slept with Shannon just the once, the only time I've ever slept with a woman. Even though we used a condom, she still got pregnant, and yes, we did a paternity test to confirm that Christopher is mine." He glanced at his parents, and the furious looks on both of their faces, before he admitted, "Your honor, my parents are deeply religious and have some ideals and opinions about child-rearing that do not mesh with my own; it's one of the reasons I fled El Paso. I tried to find affordable childcare, but it was either high prices or there were no placements available. I found out through a friend of Buck's, the one that helped me get the funding for Natalie, that there were federal services available to me in El Paso, that I was actually entitled to more there than what I get in California, which confused me, because when I had enquired with the federal aid agency about help back in El Paso, I was told I didn't qualify. I'm pretty sure the woman I was introduced to is a friend of Mom's from church."

Leon stood and said, "The information from that appointment is in the file I provided, with the blue flag attached."

The judge flicked to the right page in the folder and said, "You were denied funding because you were still getting army medical benefits?"

Eddie shook his head. "That's not what she told me; she said it was because I was earning too much and getting support from family. Also, my army benefits stopped when I was discharged. From then on, they only covered injuries I received while deployed, such as my shoulder, wrist, or hip."

The judge wrote the information down and asked, "Does anyone else have information to present before I make my decision."

Leon stood and said, "Your honor, I have information that proves the will provided by Ramon and Helena Diaz is a forgery. The site used to create the will works with law firms around the country, including my own. So they offer a service where you can create a simple will, or you can be referred to your nearest estate planners for more complex wills. I enquired with my account manager to find out if they had a will on file for Shannon Diaz, and mentioned she'd come directly to us to create one. They provided the will that was created on their site, but also log files showing login times and the IP address of each login. The IP addresses were all in El Paso, and the dates were after Shannon left Eddie. The real kicker, the custody information, was added during Shannon's funeral."

The bailiff took the information provided as the judge asked, "The site is willing to provide these details to the police?"

Leon said, "They understand that presenting a fake document is illegal, and they don't want their site implicated in a fraudulent situation."

The judge looked at Ramon and Helena and asked, "Do you have anything to add?"

Helena snapped, "Their log files must be wrong; that will was created with her while Eddie was in Afghanistan."

Leon stood and said, "That would be impossible; the site used to create the will was only started two years ago. After Eddie came home from Afghanistan."

The judge banged his gavel and said, "In the probate hearing for Shannon Diaz née Morgan, I rule that the will provided by Ramon and Helena Diaz is false and ask that the bailiff calls in officers to arrest them for fraud. As for the disbursem*nt of her assets, she has a mostly finalized will she worked on with Ashton, Reid, and Associates. So my findings are that Eddie Diaz is to work with Leon Ashton and a neutral third party to finalize any leftover details; otherwise, I am happy with the disbursem*nt of assets as listed in the almost completed will provided. I would be happy for Miss Waterhouse to be that third party. I will also request that a restraining order be put in place restricting Ramon and Helena Diaz from contact with Edmundo and Christopher Diaz. I believe there is a genuine risk of kidnapping in play here, which will be mentioned to the officers."

Chapter 16

Chapter Text

July 2018

After the hearing, Eddie had to go to Leon's office to sign all the legal documents needed to sign everything over to him and Christopher. He'd asked Buck to come with him as his boyfriend understood legal documents far more than he did.

Leon got them seated at a large conference table as there were a lot of documents to go through. Once they were all seated, the lawyer said, "So before her mother died, I started working with Shannon on her own will. She was on her way in for a final appointment to discuss the minor bequeaths and charitable donations when she was killed."

Eddie said, "I didn't know that. I was told she'd been hit on a pedestrian crossing by an out-of-control driver."

Leon said, "So first things first, obviously, the house. That is yours, but there is a caveat, if you sell any part of it while your son is a minor, the proceeds from the sale are to be split three ways, a third to you, a third to go into Christopher's trust fund, and a third to Christopher's medical and education fund. If you sell it when he's over 18, the funds are to be split in half."

Buck asked, "Christopher already has the two funds you mentioned?"

Leon nodded. "They were set up the day he was born by Janet Morgan. We take care of the investments to make sure they grow. You may wish to transfer the management of the various funds to a company more used to handling trust funds, such as Vesuvius Inc. The law firm used by Mr. Buckley since he was a teenager."

Eddie said, "How about you lay out the funds and how Shannon wanted them dispersed first."

Leon spent the next half an hour detailing the various funds, investment accounts, and shares in different production companies that the Morgans owned, most of which were split evenly between Eddie and Christopher.

Eddie asked, "Why was she splitting it between us? She was in the process of granting me a divorce."

Leon shrugged. "I don't know. I do know she was adamant that you get a fair amount. Maybe a few years down the line she might have changed it, but she was determined that since you were Christopher's primary caregiver and parent, that you got an even share of what she owned if she died. She's made sure that Christopher's medical and education fund is topped up, so he should be able to get whatever surgeries he needs without medical insurance if it's necessary, so the fund will allow him more leeway to get more than the basic care he would have got otherwise; however, with you going into the LAFD, they have a great medical plan for the families, so that's one less thing for you to worry about."

Buck nodded. "Karen said it was great when Denny broke his leg playing soccer last year. He needed surgery, and the insurance he was on meant they could go to a surgeon they preferred rather than the ER surgeon, who she said looked dead on his feet."

Leon said, "Shannon also researched pediatricians in LA, and left a list detailing the pros and cons for each one when it comes to Christopher's CP."

Eddie said, "We actually found an awesome one through a friend of Buck's who is a home care nurse aide. She worked out what programs I could use and what funding he was eligible for. Carla arranged a nurse aide to help me with Christopher for when I was at rehab, out at appointments, and during my class time at the academy. Anything not covered by federal aid was covered by Buck."

Leon asked, "Why?"

Eddie shrugged. "My savings were pretty much gone by the time we moved to LA; it's why I advertised for a short-term roommate. I thought I had explained all that to you when I discussed moving to LA earlier than expected. I had no spare cash to cover Natalie's extra time."

Buck shrugged. "I offered when I realized he was skipping therapy appointments because he couldn't afford to pay Natalie beyond what was covered by the federal aid. I didn't mind. I also babysit when she's unavailable, and he's got class or therapy appointments."

Leon sighed, "I'm sorry, Eddie. I misunderstood your financial position when you moved; if I had known, I would have released a stipend from the trust fund allocated to you until the hearing. Shannon always said you were great with money and always put away money for savings."

Eddie nodded. "I did, but I spent a lot of it on the house deposit, and what was left over was used for bills and childcare that my wages didn't cover. I also had to increase the security on the house in El Paso when my parents became a threat to monitored security. It was a sh*tty situation all around; I'm just glad the mortgage was paid off. I don't think I could have handled that on top of everything else."

Leon said, "From what I understand, you put the down payment on the house and made most of the payments; Shannon just paid it off after she left?"

Eddie nodded. "She didn't tell me she was a trust fund baby until I got the custody papers and a letter. The letter explained that she'd used her trust fund to pay off the mortgage once it was available to her. She had to wait until she turned 30."

Leon nodded. "She got an education allowance before that, but it only allowed for student accommodation and only while she was studying. Janet was pretty strict about the fund in an effort to instill the same values she had to money."

Eddie grinned. "Janet was a pretty strict woman, from what Shannon said, except where Christopher was concerned. She loved him, and he had her wrapped around his little finger. I swear several of the shelves in the library were replaced with books about things that Christopher was interested in."

Buck laughed. "That explains the dinosaur books. I thought they were a weird subject to be there, considering all the other books. I can't wait to get my books out of storage and add them to the collection."

Leon chuckled, "Let's get this out of the way; then I can help with your plans for the house if you still wish to go ahead with them now."

Eddie nodded. "Now is as good at time as any. My plans haven't changed, and I don't think Buck plans to ditch us any time soon."

"Never if I get my way," Buck admitted. "The Diaz boys are stuck with me."

Eddie looked at the lawyer and asked, "With the sh*t my parents are planning to throw in our direction, would being married or Buck adopting Christopher help?"

Leon said, "That's more of a question for Freya, as she's a family lawyer, but in my opinion, if it's something you both seriously want, it'll cut off any case they have at the knees… not that I think they have a case."

Eddie reached under the table for Buck's hand and squeezed it as he said, "Noted. It's something for all three of us to think about." He gave his boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek and asked, "So, what's left to sort out?"

Leon said, "She wanted to set up small trust funds for your sister's kids, college funds essentially, but if the kids decide college isn't their thing, they would be released to them at 25; she's not as strict as her mother. She was thinking 35 thousand each, and this would include future children if the funds are available."

Eddie laughed, "With everything she's left us, the funds would definitely be available."

"The last thing we have to sort out is in the cabinet behind me." He stood and pulled a small box out. "While you were deployed, she set up internal cameras to record confrontations with your parents; it was separate from the security system you had installed before you left. The recordings are on the hard drives in this box. She contacted one of my partners for advice, he's our criminal law expert, and he said that as it was happening in El Paso, she could record without repercussions as Texas is a one-party consent state. The files are sorted by month and are dated. She thought you might reach breaking point, and you could use these to get a restraining order."

Buck asked, "Why didn't she give them to Eddie before she left, or even better, get a restraining order back then?"

Eddie explained, "My parents are well connected in El Paso; they have friends at church who know people in high places. If Shannon had tried to get a restraining order, she would have been declared an unfit mother. Even if she got a fancy lawyer involved. There are three family court judges in El Paso; my parents go to church with two of them, and the third plays poker with the first two."

Leon nodded. "I have a satellite office in El Paso, and I was warned early on not to make waves until we got Christopher out of town. Here in LA, they don't have any influence, which is why they had no lawyer with them at the probate hearing."

Eddie asked, "I thought they had a lawyer for all this?"

"Had," Leon said clearly. "As in past tense. I believe when he found out about their plan, he noped out all the way back to El Paso. We were contacted by a few local firms to discuss mediation, but when we mentioned having proof that the will was fake, they declined to represent Ramon and Helena."

Eddie asked, "So what's the process? What do we do?"

Leon said, "Thankfully, I originally trained in criminal law, so I'll build a case that they are unsafe to be around Christopher, and as part of that, unsafe to be around the two of you. And I'll get that request for a restraining order filed asap."

Buck said, "We are pretty sure they are going to file for custody of Christopher. It's why we had Freya with us at the hearing."

Eddie commented, "I'm just glad the judge didn't mention the amounts involved. If they knew, there would be no end to their attempts to get custody of my… our son."

Buck laughed, "Dude, you make me look poor. The production companies you own are hella successful, and they probably have good people overseeing everything already."

Leon nodded. "Janet got everything in place after her initial diagnosis. She knew Shannon wasn't interested in running the smaller businesses. Still, she hoped Christopher might want to take over one day."

Eddie said, "It's too early to say where his interests could lay, but I'll definitely make sure he knows it's an option; if not as a full-time thing, he may opt to do it around whatever does float his boat when he's old enough."

Leon took the final signed form and placed it in a folder to be dealt with first thing the next day. He had everything set up to switch the names on the various funds, deeds, and company paperwork; he'd just been waiting for the judge to sign off on it all. He closed the folder and pulled another one close to him. He said, "Now, from what you were saying, you wanted Buck to buy into the Beverly Hills property; just to clarify, did you want to own it 50/50?"

Eddie nodded. "That was the plan. So the money Buck pays to buy into the house that will be split three ways… right?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, into the three different trust funds. Once the transaction is finalized, it's up to you if you want to release the trust fund to yourself now, or keep the trust fund separate from your main account."

Eddie asked, "Can I have some time to think about it? I knew a lot of money was involved, but I had no idea how much. Shannon never said anything, and I have no experience in dealing with money on this scale."

Buck said, "I'll take him in to see Ralph, so he can see what options are available to him. Ralph has been dealing with my funds since my Grandma Callister died, so he has a lot of experience."

Leon asked, "He's your lawyer?"

Buck nodded. "Ralph Vilkas; he has a dual master's degree in law and finance. I've been his only client for years now. He's still part of Vesuvius, but managing me and the companies I own is a full-time job, apparently."

Eddie nodded. "At least you stay out of trouble for the most part. Some trust fund babies that you read about in the tabloids need a lawyer on retainer just to keep them out of jail."

Buck nodded. "I know a few people like that; I just don't see the point."

They got the house purchase all sorted, and Buck had an appointment arranged for the next day with Ralph so he could talk Eddie through his options. Once they were done, Leon promised he'd call once he had an update on the restraining order."

Eddie asked, "How will I be notified if they file a custody case?"

Leon said, "They'll serve you with papers once they've filed for custody at the courthouse. So that will likely happen when you're somewhere they know about, like your abuela's."

Buck muttered, "So they'll probably serve you tomorrow at the dinner at your abuela's."

Eddie grinned. "And if a restraining order is filed against them, how will that affect the custody case?"

Leon said honestly, "They may attempt to get an emergency custody hearing, which usually happens within a few days. And we'll be trying to mitigate that by getting the restraining order in place asap. The fact that the probate hearing judge recommended it will work in our favor."

Buck pointed at the box of hard drives and asked, "Has anyone watched those to see what's actually on the disks? Is there anything on them that shows Christopher is at risk of kidnapping or even direct harm?"

Leon nodded. "We got one of our paralegals to watch them, and they flagged a few files, three where Ramon or Helena threatened to take Christopher as they thought Shannon was a substandard mother and wasn't doing what Christopher needed. And one they flagged where Helena grabbed Christopher and shook him when he was about two years old. He was yelling at your parents to leave because they were being mean to his mommy."

Eddie had been unaware that his mother had been physical with his son, so as he tried to rein in his temper, he said, "Use it all, throw the book at them, and let everyone see what they put us through as kids. They were like that to us throughout our childhoods. Nothing we did was good enough; we had to work harder, never cry, never talk about our feelings, and stay in our lanes. I learned what real families were like from my friends, and l learned how to parent by doing everything my parents didn't."

Leon said, "We'll do everything we can to protect that lil' unicorn of yours."

-x-

They were proven right the next night. Isabel had arranged a dinner for those that had supported Eddie during the probate hearing. So Eddie, Buck, Christopher, and Eddie's sisters and their families.

They were halfway through dinner when Ramon and Helena showed up at the door with paperwork. Helena handed it to Eddie and said, "The courts have granted us an emergency custody hearing tomorrow at 9am. The details are all in the packet."

Buck was glad Christopher was outside with his cousins, so he wouldn't be traumatized by his grandparent's obsessive need to take him back to El Paso. He asked, "How did you get someone to grant you an emergency hearing?"

Ramon sneered and said, "We were able to prove that with your help, Eddie was a genuine flight risk. That you could just take him out of the country. After all, you have no family, no ties to the country."

Buck laughed. "Oh wow, you need a new investigator. I do have family, I might not talk to them, but I have two parents and a sister, all living on the east coast. I might not have familial ties to California, but your son does. He loves his abuela, his tías and tíos, and all of his cousins. Why would I take him away from all that? It's not like you actually have a case."

Before Ramon or Helena could reply, Adriana said, "You're not actually welcome here. We'll all see you in court tomorrow. And just so we're clear, you're not getting custody of my kids. I've already followed Shannon's example and put a will in place that gives custody of my kids to a long list of people that aren't you. It specifically states that they should go into state care rather than you."

Sophia said, "I'm still drafting mine, but it has similar provisions. Also, if Eddie asks for a restraining order, I'll add my family to the list. I don't trust that if you lose, you won't make an attempt for my daughter, and the last thing she needs is assholes like you raising her."

Helena gasped. "How dare you!"

Sophia yelled, "How dare you! How dare you decide my brother isn't fit to raise his son because he allows him to grow and have fun. You wouldn't even let him play outside when you were babysitting. You made him miserable, and you treated him like a baby. I watched him a few days ago when he was rock climbing, and he was having so much fun."

Ramon demanded, "What the hell is he doing rock climbing? That's too dangerous for him."

Eddie shrugged. "Not according to his doctor, who is a specialist in treating children with CP, nor his instructor, who actually has CP. In fact, he has the same type of CP that Christopher has. He has been great in helping us understand what surgeries Christopher is likely to need and when, and how to help him when he has bad days."

Isabel could see her son winding up for an epic rant, and she snapped, "Ramon! You and your wife need to leave; you're not welcome here. When you come to your senses, you can call and apologize; otherwise, we don't wish to see either of you outside of the courtroom. We will all be there to support Eddito." She pointed out the door, and Ramon and Helena left, bitching the entire way.

When she returned from locking the door, Eddie was going through the paperwork while Buck was on the phone. She asked, "Eddito?"

Eddie said, "It's as they say, an emergency custody hearing because I am a flight risk with access to Buck's trust fund. They have no idea that Shannon was worth so much more."

Buck laughed, "Shannon made me look poor; now you and Chris have all that. I wonder if your parents know about it somehow?"

Eddie shrugged. "Even if they do, Leon and Freya have the ammunition to shut down any custody claim. That video of my mother shaking Christopher, because he yelled at them will likely sink their case."

Pepa demanded, "She did what?"

Eddie said, "Shannon put hidden video cameras inside the house while I was deployed and kept all the footage from when they visited. Leon said they have several videos where they were yelling at Shannon and blaming her for Christopher's CP and one where Christopher yelled at them because they were being mean to his mommy. Helena grabbed his arm and shook him."

Adriana gasped. "And she has the audacity to call us bad parents. I thought it wasn't so bad since they never hit us."

Eddie snorted. "Speak for yourself. Mom slapped me several times for made-up infractions when I was in high school. Do you remember when I had the black eye from the door opening by accident?"

Sophia growled, "I knew that was her; I just couldn't prove it. So what, she slapped you, and your head hit the door?"

Eddie nodded. "It was the last time she hit me. I told her if she did it again, I'd report her to the police for assault."

Isabel asked, "Did Ramon ever hit you?"

Eddie shook his head. "Papi was never home to hit me. He left the discipline and raising of us to our mother. I think that's part of the reason why he's fighting so hard for custody of Christopher. He wants the chance to raise a child now that he's semi-retired. He's just not getting it with my son."

Buck said, "Christopher would go out of his way to make their life hell. I think the few memories he has left of Shannon are tainted by their visits to her."

Eddie nodded. "They are. He said all he could remember was her crying after they visited and her trying to get them to leave. I think I'm lucky she waited until I was home before she left."

Adriana said, "I tried to help, I tried to keep them from constantly visiting, but it was impossible."

James, Adriana's husband, said, "It's one of the reasons we eventually left El Paso. We tried convincing her to come with us, but she refused. I think they'd threatened to sue her if she took Christopher out of Texas."

Sophia grumbled, "I wouldn't put it past them." Sophia was the baby of the family, nearly six years younger than Eddie. "After seeing what they put Shannon through, I left as soon as the ink was dry on my high school diploma. I'm just lucky I got a full scholarship, accommodation included."

Adriana admitted, "Shannon helped. She swore me to secrecy, but she asked that her education stipend go to you while she was doing the stay-at-home mom thing. Her lawyer talked the school into saying it was a full-service scholarship. She wanted you to follow your dreams."

Eddie nodded. "That sounds like Shannon. She's set up college funds for all three of your kids; if any of your girls decide that college isn't their thing, it will be converted into a trust fund and released to them when they are 25. She's not as strict as her mom, who made her wait until she was 30."

Buck said, "We are going to see if Ralph will take them on and invest with them; he's bloody brilliant with investments. He's been doing it for my funds for years."

Isabel asked, "The hearing is at 9 am?"

Eddie shook his head. "10 am, actually. Which is great; it gives Freya time to get in time to meet us early. Leon said he'd meet us at the courthouse half an hour before the hearing to give us time to discuss strategy."

Sophia muttered, "Throw them under the bus and throw a building on it. Also, if you apply for a restraining order, I want to be added to it. Stacy has an auditory processing disorder, and I dread to think what my parents would do to her if they ever found out."

James said, "Us too, please. I think we need to present a united front. Let them really see what they've lost by pulling this sh*t on Eddie. I know they forced him to stop rehab before he was even close to 100%."

Eddie nodded. "They didn't help. They would refuse to take Christopher when I had rehab appointments, or they would turn up late, so I would miss my appointment. Then I had to quit anyway when I had to get work to pay the bills."

Isabel stood and said, "Enough of this depressing topic. Someone go fetch Quinn and the kids, and we'll have dessert."

Quinn opened the back door and asked, "Is it safe?"

Sophia giggled. "You were totally listening so you could keep the kids distracted, weren't you?"

Quinn nodded. "I didn't want one of them to run inside into the middle of that confrontation, and honestly, I didn't want to walk in halfway through it either. Your parents are a legit nightmare, Soph."

Christopher climbed into Eddie's lap when the kids came in and asked, "Did I hear Grandma and Abuelo?"

Eddie nodded. "They were here, but they didn't stay long. We have a custody hearing tomorrow, which, unfortunately, you need to attend, but we are going to see if you can sit most of it out with Natalie. I think at most you'll be asked who you want to live with, and you just need to answer honestly."

Christopher laughed. "As if I would say I want to live with them, Daddy. They're mean, and they don't let me do anything fun."

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

July 2018

Eddie stood outside the courtroom surrounded by Buck, Christopher, Natalie, his family, and their two lawyers. He'd watched his parents enter a few minutes earlier with smug expressions on their faces.

Leon said, "We should head in. Ignore the looks they give you, they think they have the upper hand, but we have the evidence to see you win."

Natalie said, "I'll take Christopher to the family room they assigned us. The bailiff assured me your parents haven't been told where it is, and they won't get access as it's in a secure part of the building."

Eddie nodded, crouched down, and said, "You be good for Natalie, no shenanigans."

Christopher hugged his dad and said, "I promise. You do your best, so Grandma and Abuelo can't take me away."

Eddie whispered, "I'll do my best, mijo." He stood and watched as he and Natalie followed a security guard down the hall, then muttered, "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war."

Buck muttered, "That this foul deed shall smell above the earth."

Everyone looked shocked at Isabel as she added darkly, "My son will wish for burial when this is all done."

Leon chuckled, "Now that we are ready for war, let's go."

He opened the door and led everyone in; Eddie again sat between the two lawyers with this family gathered behind him. He steadfastly ignored the looks he was getting from his parents.

Once everyone was in the courtroom and the doors were shut, they had to wait for nearly an hour before the bailiff called, "All rise for the honorable Judge Callahan."

Once the judge had entered and everyone was seated, the judge said, "Calling the matter of Diaz v. Diaz. Now, this is a sticky case, and that's why it was assigned to me. Mr. And Mrs. Diaz, are you representing yourself?"

Ramon nodded. "We are, your honor."

Judge Callahan asked, "And you've filed for full custody of one Christopher Diaz?"

Ramon agreed, "We have, your honor."

The judge turned to Eddie and asked, "Mr. Diaz, now you've filed for a restraining order against Mr. and Mrs. Diaz citing abuse, both physical and verbal, against your son, Christopher, and your case mentions that your parents filed a false will to try and gain custody of your son."

Eddie nodded. "That's right, your honor. I believe one of my lawyers provided evidence of both."

Judge Callahan said, "I have the transcripts here. Have they ever threatened to take Christopher from you?"

Eddie nodded. "They would occasionally babysit while I had rehab when I was living in El Paso after my discharge from the Army. I was still recovering from the injuries that sent me home. They often threatened to take him or not bring him back, and I got so worried I quit going to rehab. It was just too much stress."

The judge frowned and asked, "Are you recovered now? I see your discharge was nearly two years ago now."

Eddie nodded. "After my wife died, I was planning to wait for probate to be sorted, but after my parents found out she'd died, they doubled down on the threats, so I talked with Mr. Ashton, and he arranged for us to be able to move into the house as a caretaker since my son and I were the likely beneficiaries. With help from my family in LA, after we moved, I got the rehab I needed, and I'm now training to be a firefighter with the LAFD. I graduate from the academy in a few weeks."

The judge looked through the folder of information and said, "I also have a recommendation from Judge Button that a restraining order be granted due to the, now this is his words, 'obsessive behavior exhibited by Ramon and Helena Diaz, that they seem to be bordering on desperate to get custody of Christopher Diaz.'

Freya spoke up and said, "Your honor, we've actually had a request to expand that restraining order to all three Diaz siblings and their families. Adriana Turner nee Diaz and Sophia Diaz don't trust their parents around their daughters. They fear that if Ramon and Helena Diaz don't get custody of Christopher, they'll focus their attention on Becky, Astra, and Stacy."

The judge said, "I did notice that was added to the paperwork early this morning." He read through the paperwork some more before he said, "Before I came in here, with the permission of his custodial parent, I talked at length with Christopher since he seems to be at the crux of everything. He's a very well-spoken and intelligent child, and he was adamant that he wanted to stay with his Daddy and his Bucky, and he didn't want that to change. He has zero interest in returning to El Paso, even to visit. He does not want to see his grandparents until they stop being mean and cruel to his Daddy. We had a good talk about his new school that he'll be attending at the start of the new semester, one that caters to his CP, and his health aide, Natalie, will be attending with him to support him where he needs it. He has regular rock climbing lessons that his Bucky introduced him to, and he was excited to tell me about his instructor who has CP just like him. With that in mind, and the evidence before me, I'll grant the restraining order. Ramon and Helena Diaz, you're henceforth ordered to stay 300 yards away from Edmundo Diaz, Christopher Diaz, Adriana Turner, James Turner, Becky Turner, Astra Turner, Sophia Diaz, Quinn Perez, and Stacy Perez - Diaz. This includes their residences, their workplaces, and in the case of their children, their schools. This is a permanent restraining order. Any contact with your children or grandchildren must be done through their lawyers. This is non-negotiable."

Helena yelled, "You can't keep me from my children. We raised Christopher because his mother couldn't be bothered; he's my son. I should have custody; he's mine."

Eddie looked at her, shocked.

The judge banged his gavel several times as he called for order. When her husband finally forced Helena into her seat, he said, "Your late daughter-in-law had placed cameras inside her house not long after her son was born. Turning up demanding access to your grandson at all hours is not raising him; it's tormenting him and driving a bright, vivacious woman out of her own home. Christopher is not your son, and your behavior only confirms why the restraining order was granted. End of story. If you approach any of the people named on the restraining order after this hearing, you will be arrested and held for the full 24 hours with no bail. Now, you're required to stay in LA until your fraud case has been heard; I understand that's in a few weeks, then depending on the results of that case, if you are not jailed, you should take this as a warning and return to El Paso."

Eddie slumped in relief as Buck leaned over the barrier and squeezed his shoulder in support. He couldn't believe how far off the rails his mother had gone.

Buck suggested, "How about once we are sure everyone is gone, you all come back to our place, and we digest everything that's happened over the last few days."

Eddie said, "I just want to hug Christopher until he's sick of me."

Abuela said, "Nietos, are you sure you don't mind us all coming over?"

Eddie said, "I think it's a brilliant suggestion."

Buck said, "If they follow us, I know a few LAPD officers who would love to get their cuffs out."

Eddie said, "Athena would love the chance to put them in their place."

Ramon and Helena stormed out, hearing the threat loud and clear, leaving the way clear for the family to leave without interference.

-x-

A few hours later, Eddie was on one of the inflatable loungers in the pool when Buck swam beside him. As he leaned on the edge of the lounger, careful not to tip it over, he said hesitatingly, "You know, your sisters are only in town for a few days; we could get married while they're here, if that's still something you want."

Eddie looked over in shock and asked so quietly it was almost a whisper, "You'd marry me, with all the sh*t going on in my life?"

Buck nodded solemnly and said, "In a heartbeat, Eds. I fell hard and fast for you, and you've been there for me through some pretty sh*t times and stuck by my side, supporting me when others who should have, didn't. You gave me a family, one that's pretty awesome. Something I haven't had since Grandma died."

Eddie tackled him into a kiss, and when they came up for air, he asked, "When?"

Buck said, "California has no wait time, so tomorrow? We just need to find someone willing to marry us. Make me a Diaz, Eds."

Eddie grinned and yelled, "We're getting married tomorrow!"

Eddie's family looked at him in shock as they realized he was serious. Christopher was cheering with the kids as Adriana asked incredulously, "Tomorrow? How are we supposed to arrange something that fast?"

Buck shrugged. "I was thinking City Hall and a party? They do say, good things come in threes."

Eddie pushed Buck under the water and said, "You're ridiculous."

Buck came up laughing and replied, "You love it when I'm ridiculous. I'm going to call the courthouse and see if there is an opening for tomorrow." He swam for the edge and pulled himself out of the pool, giving himself a cursory wipe down with the towel before he went inside to find his phone.

Eddie said dryly to his sisters, "You can stop staring now; he's gone."

James laughed and said, "Like you weren't staring too; it's one hell of a view."

Pepa said, "Sobrino, we ain't blind."

Buck came outside with his phone in his hand and said, "That was easy. The Beverly Hills Courthouse had an opening for tomorrow afternoon due to a cancelation; it's gorgeous."

Sophia pulled out her phone to look it up and yelled, "Quinn's doing the photos."

Her boyfriend looked at her and asked, "What?"

She showed him the photos on her phone, and he said, "Yeah, I'm totally doing the photos, and you're both wearing suits."

Buck said, "It's a good thing we got a few in preparation for the court dates. Even Christopher has one, as you saw."

Adriana said, "He looked so cute, even if he looked like he hated wearing it."

"He does," Eddie confirmed. "But he wanted to present a united front if he had to face the courtroom. The suit was his idea." He glanced at the other end of the pool, where Natalie kept the four kids entertained. I think he'll get a kick out of wearing it for our wedding. We'll go out tomorrow morning and get the license and rings sorted, then meet everyone at the courthouse for the ceremony."

Buck commented, "I told them it would be a confidential marriage. That way, your parents can't use it against you, since, as far as they are concerned, we've only known each other a few weeks."

Sophia said, "You might not have known each other for long, but anyone with eyes can see you're made for each other."

Buck settled down on the edge of the pool and said, "I think if I hadn't been with Abby when we met, we might have been together sooner."

Eddie pulled himself out of the pool in front of Buck to kiss him. He leaned forward so their foreheads were touching and said, "You promised her loyalty and monogamy; it's entirely on her that she assumed you were cheating on the word of a stranger."

Buck admitted, "She thought I was cheating on her with you too. Near the end, she accused me of spending more time with you and Christopher than she thought reasonable. She even offered a few times for me to move in with her, which I said no to each time she offered. We weren't even at second base, and she wanted me to move in?"

Eddie dropped back into the pool and said, "You know my thoughts on Abby Clark. If you see her again, it will be far too soon."

The younger man said," I don't think she's coming back though. She sold her apartment. She instructed her realtor to call me to give me first dibs or whatever. I laughed and ended the call. I wouldn't even buy it as a rental."

Eddie asked, "It was that bad?"

Buck shrugged. "Not bad as much as dated. It was her mother's, and I think the HOA keeps them pretty limited in what they can alter. So yeah, not even as a rental."

Abuela had snuck up on the two boys, and she said, "I think we need to celebrate. Evanito, do you have everything I need to make enchiladas?"

Buck nodded enthusiastically. "Always, Abuela."

-x-

Buck was nervous, even though he was the one that asked Eddie to marry him; he was worried about actually taking that step and making what they had a forever thing.

Eddie could see the nerves on his face and said, "We don't have to do this now; we can wait until you're ready."

Buck asked, "What if I'm never ready? What if—"

The older man reassured him, "If you want to wait, we wait; if that means we wait until we're old and gray, that's fine too. There is no rush, Buck. Christopher is safe; the judge has granted us the restraining order. I want you to marry me today, but only you want to and are ready to take that plunge with me."

Buck studied his fiance's face, then he nodded decisively. "Now or five years in the future, it's going to happen. I love you and Christopher, and being married and making us a family is everything I could ever dream of. Sorry if I seemed nervous; I still get attacks of self-doubt sometimes. After my childhood, I'm always waiting for that other shoe to drop, for people to realize I'm too much, too clingy… I'm a lot, Eds."

Eddie held his face between his hands and said, "I see you, Evan Darius Buckley; I see all of you, and me and my son love every part of you. Your endless knowledge is great for Christopher's perpetual research spirals; you are brave and courageous and give so much of yourself, Ev. You barely knew me, and there you were, finding me help with everything Christopher needed and then some. As for being clingy, you already know I have similar issues for similar reasons. We're perfect for each other; we fill in each other's gaps, the matching puzzle pieces, so to speak. So if you're sure you still want to do this, let's go get hitched."

Buck held out his hand, and when Eddie grasped it, he guided them out to the foyer of the large house where Christopher and Isabel were waiting for them, dressed to the nines. He said, "Sorry we took a bit longer than I thought. I had an attack of self-doubt, but a quick talk with Eddie reminded me why I love him so much."

Isabel said, "I could see my Eddito falling for you so fast, but you were with that horrible woman."

Christopher said, "At least now they both realize what we could see, and they are getting married."

Eddie grinned. "That's enough sass out of you, mijo."

Isabel said, "Pepa is waiting with your sisters and their families at the courthouse. Quinn is setting up some test photos before you both arrive." She gave Buck a speaking look and asked, "Are you sure there is no one you wish to invite?"

Buck shook his head.

Eddie checked his watch and said, "We'll have to do the ceremony first, then we'll do the photos."

They'd opted for a non-religious ceremony; Eddie's parents were devout Catholics, but he'd not been happy about how they treated him based on their beliefs. Buck, on the other hand, had grown up without religion and was happy to go along with what his fiance wanted.

They were in their best suits that they hadn't needed for the court dates; matching black three-piece suits with a fire engine red shirt and black tie.

As soon as the ceremony was done, Quinn pulled them outside. "We are losing the light, so we need to get the photos now."

Sophia murmured, "Just go with it. His usual subjects are animals, and he's tied to their whims, especially when he's out on location with actual wild animals. He's waited days at one location just to get a single shot of a rhino at a specific water hole."

Buck grinned. "The things we do for art."

They let Quinn pose them and their family for an hour before Eddie finally said, "Quinn, I'm sure you've got the perfect shots. Can we please go home and celebrate?"

Quinn nodded as his partner said, "We're taking Christopher to Abuela's after the party so you can enjoy your wedding night. We know you're not planning a honeymoon at this point, but we figure we can give you a night to yourselves before we fly home. The kids will enjoy the sleepover."

Eddie nodded. "Christopher will love it. I'm guessing Abuela already knows? Since she had an overnight bag packed for Christopher when we left."

Quinn shrugged. "It was her idea. She's a romantic at heart."

Buck grinned. "Abuela is awesome." He'd tried to call her Isabel while their photos were being taken, and she'd scowled and told him he was family and he was to call her Abuela. He knew better than to defy her edicts. Buck had seen the looks sent Ramon's way during the trials. If looks could kill, Eddie's father would be a molten puddle on the floor of the probate courtroom. She was pissed and not afraid to let everyone see it.

As they returned to the cars, Adriana asked, "So when are you back at the academy, Eddie?"

Her younger brother replied, "Monday. Thankfully we got Mom and Dad's shenanigans sorted out within the week I was allocated for the hearing. I could have extended it if they pushed it, but that would have affected my graduation and possibly put me back to the next course."

Buck said, "I'm glad they let you do your classwork remotely this week."

Pepa asked, "What about the physical testing? I'm sure I saw that on the schedule you emailed me."

Eddie opened his car door and explained, "I already passed them with the training I've been doing with Buck after school hours. It's why they granted me a week of leave to deal with the hearings. With Buck's help, I should finish near the top of the class."

Buck said, "I didn't do much; I just helped you out when you got stuck."

Eddie pulled his new husband into a kiss and said, "And that help made all the difference, cariño."

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

July 2018

When Buck returned to work on Monday, Hen saw the happy look on his face as they got ready in the locker room and asked, "What put that look on your face, Buckaroo?"

Dylan was getting changed beside him, and he chimed in, "You look… settled."

Buck grinned at them both. "That's because I am."

Hen asked, "You going to tell us why?"

Buck snorted. "Nope. Sorry, it's private. Let's just say my leave was productive."

Dylan asked, "Are you ready to get back to it?"

Buck nodded. "Did I miss much while I was away?"

Hen rolled her eyes and said, "Just the trouble trio picking on their newest target. Dylan has been great at shutting them down every time."

The younger man looked at her in shock. "They got worse?"

Dylan shrugged. "Not really worse, just—"

Hen huffed. "Without you here to split their attention, they fixated on Dylan. A real good impression to make on the newbie to the LAFD, that's for sure."

Buck noticed Bobby across the other side of the garage checking over some of the equipment and asked, "So, Bobby ignored it as usual?"

They both nodded. Hen said, "He noticed, but… I get the feeling he wants to say something but doesn't."

"Or can't," Buck replied. "There is a theory that he is hamstrung by the brass, but yeah, it sucks that he does nothing about it."

Hen nudged him and said, "Let's get upstairs for the briefing."

Dylan was only with the 118 for a few more shifts, covering for Jones. Near the end of his last shift, the crew was on a call to a pile-up on one of the freeways when a woman confronted Buck as he tried to extract her from her car.

The woman screamed, "Get away from me, Evan Buckley."

Buck said, "Ma'am, I'm just trying to free you from your vehicle so the paramedics can assess you."

"Get away from me," She screamed again, "Someone else can help me. Anyone else can help me, just not you."

Dylan approached and asked, "Is there a problem, ma'am?"

She huffed and said, "I don't want that bastard anywhere near me. He sucked me in with promises of forever and a relationship, then he vanished and stopped responding."

Buck handed over the halligan he was using and said, "I am so sick of this asshole ghosting women left, right, and center. I'll go see if Bobby can use me somewhere else."

Dylan got to work on the car and watched as Buck approached Bobby while the woman was still screaming vitriol at him.

Bobby asked, "What's going on, Buck?"

Buck huffed in frustration. "The lady in the car is another victim of the catfisher, and she's refusing my assistance. You got something else I can help with?"

Bobby asked, "Just how many women did this guy chat with and ditch?"

The younger man shrugged. "I have no idea, cap. She's the tenth that's accosted me so far, if we count Chim's new girlfriend, Darcy. Technically she didn't get as far as accosting me, but she still counts."

Beal wasn't far from them, and he muttered loud enough for them both to hear, "Catfisher my ass, he just likes leading women on."

Buck gave Bobby a speaking look because he knew his captain had heard the muttered comment, but Bobby just pretended like it didn't happen and ordered, "Help Hen with the triage; that will free up Chim to help with the more serious victims that are trapped in the vehicles."

As Buck jogged across, Bobby ordered Chim over the radio to help assess the victims stuck in their cars.

Hen asked, "What was all that about?"

Buck rolled his eyes as he handed her equipment and supplies and said, "Another catfish victim; she refused my help, so Dylan stepped in. I can honestly say I am over it all and wish MySpace would get off their ass and shut that sh*t down. I'm half tempted to use some of my trust fund to pay someone to hack the account and shut it down for me."

Hen admitted quietly, "It may come down to that. But then there is nothing stopping them from starting a new account and doing it all over again. I don't think it'll stop until you find the person responsible and figure out why they are trying to trash your reputation."

Buck sighed. "What I don't get is why destroy my reputation. Until recently, I was just a probie, sure I've gone viral a few times, but hell, most of us have at some point."

Hen gave him a rueful smile and said, "Most of us aren't pushed by the PR team to have a public-facing Instagram either." She could see the expression on his face and reassured, "Most of us don't have a problem with it, and honestly, as far as I'm concerned, rather you than me, Buck. I like being in the background, just doing what I do best."

Buck shrugged. "You've also been there to take some of the photos I've posted. You've got a great eye; you and Tanika both do. The only reason I don't credit either of your accounts as the photographers is because you've asked me not to."

When they were nearly finished, Dylan approached Buck and asked quietly, "Did Beal say something to you while you were getting new orders from Bobby?"

Buck said, "He made a snarky comment about the catfisher being a lie, that I'm doing it to lead girls on. Bobby heard it and ignored it as usual."

Dylan sighed, "The captain in me wants to know why he's doing nothing about it. And you know what, I think today, being my last day as a floater with the LAFD, is the perfect day to ask."

Buck gave him a deadpan look and said, "Commander Regent put you up to this, didn't he?"

Dylan said, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Buckley."

Buck stormed off and sat beside Tanika on the drive back to the station, ignoring Dylan the entire ride back. It was just the three of them and Bobby on the drive to the station, and Dylan had taken a seat in the front with the captain. Buck was grateful that someone had his back, but he didn't appreciate the sneaky way they'd gone about it.

Tanika nudged him, and when he took his headset off, she mouthed, "You okay?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, just annoyed at the lack of action with the bullying. Bobby was right there when Beal basically accused me of lying about there being a catfisher, and he did nothing."

She shook her head sadly and said, "He never does. Are you going to follow the other probies and transfer out?"

Buck nodded. "I already have feelers out through a friend, but keep it to yourself, please. Hen knows, and I'm pretty sure Dylan knows through his own contacts, but that's it."

Tanika grinned wickedly and asked, "Does your transfer have anything to do with that hot delicious hunk of a man you brought to your graduation? I know I've seen him at the academy when I was visiting my boyfriend after work."

"Who?" Buck asked, then he realized and said, "Andrew. You visited him several times when I was going through the academy. I completely forgot about that." He weighed up his options and then admitted, "It has a lot to do with Eds. They are trying to find us a placement as a rescue pair since we work so well together. I've been helping him with his coursework and training with him after hours."

Tanika said, "I think I've seen you on the course a few times, but you've been in turnouts, so it was hard to tell."

Buck said, "We're usually out there after his classes when his son, Christopher, has physical therapy, and I'm not on shift. His aide takes Chris straight from school, so we use the extra time to do drills."

Tanika put two and two together and said, "So you'll be transferring in the next few weeks? Graduation for the current class is only a week or so away, isn't it?"

He nodded in agreement. "Commander Regent said he's close to finding us a house that will take both of us. He's setting up interviews with the captains around my shifts."

They jumped out of the truck and got their turnouts off, and Buck nudged her and pointed at where Dylan was corralling Bobby into his office. He murmured, "That's going to be explosive."

-x-

Dylan sat in the visitor's chair in the captain's office, and when Bobby stopped fidgeting, he demanded, "Why the hell aren't you reprimanding those insubordinate bullying assholes out there? In case you hadn't worked it out, you're about to lose one of the finest heavy rescue assets the LAFD has ever seen."

Bobby snapped, "You think I don't want to? Christ, the last thing I want is to lose Buck the same way I've lost my last few probies, but my hands are tied. I've been warned if I reprimand Chimney, Thompson, or Beal for harassment, bullying, or hazing, it's me that will face the consequences."

Dylan demanded, "Who the hell told you that? Because from what I've seen, that lot have realized they're untouchable and they're out of control. Your lieutenant is the worst of them; if he'd been my lieutenant back in New York, I would have fired his ass for the sh*t I've seen him pull over the last few weeks. He doesn't even listen when you give him orders, Bobby."

Bobby nodded. "I know, and I've tried, believe me, I've tried to get them reined in within the bounds of what I can do, but it's impossible. They know they are safe, and in my first year here, there were several threats from the three of them to sue the LAFD for how they were treated. That's when I was ordered by our battalion chief to back off."

Dylan asked, "Have you tried to go higher up? To the union?"

Bobby nodded. "I've tried everything; I even tried putting through reports into the system detailing their behavior only to have them vanish. When I say they're protected, I mean they're protected."

Dylan scowled, "From the research I've done, you've been here for five years; surely whatever the last captain did couldn't be that bad that they get a free pass to be assholes for five years?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty bad. The last captain, Gerard, he was a racist and sexist bastard. Most of his house was staffed by people like you and Buckley, broad, tall, built, and white. Chim started here as the probie, and for the first few years, he was basically the man behind and relegated to all the station chores. He only escaped because one of the paramedics took pity on him and started to train him up."

Dylan asked, "What about Thompson and Beal? They seem just as bad?"

The captain said, "They are also leftovers from Captain Gerard. Hen was the last one, but she never bought into the bullying and other crap those three pull. I'm not sure what he did to Thompson and Beal, but I got the same hands-off warning that I did regarding Chimney."

Dylan gave the captain a long, hard look and asked, "What do they have on you, cap? They must have something pretty big for you to let this go as far as it has."

Bobby looked away from the former captain and eventually said, "There were extenuating circ*mstances around my move from St. Paul. While the LAFD brass are aware, my team is not. I was warned that if I reprimanded any of Captain Gerard's former team, the information about my transfer would be leaked to my team, and they'd never trust me after that." He swallowed nervously and admitted, "Hen and Buck know part of the story, and they accepted me regardless, but there are others here who will be less forgiving, less accepting."

Dylan asked, "What's the name of the battalion chief who hamstrung you?"

Bobby asked, "Why? There is nothing that can be done, he's now deputy chief of the LAFD, and he's in line to become fire chief when Alonzo retires in a few years."

Dylan smiled, he'd done a lot of research into the LAFD upper brass while he'd been covering for the three firefighters at the 118, and he knew that there were two deputy chiefs, and one was a female. He said, "That's fine, cap."

Bobby asked, "I'm going to lose Buck, right?"

Dylan nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised. Why would he stay? He's treated like sh*t by the three musketeers, and he really only has a few people at the station who stand up for him. I think you should be grateful he's got the patience of a saint."

"Why?" the captain asked in a confused tone. "What difference does that make?"

Dylan replied frankly, "Because he's a former Navy SEAL, some of their altercations have been physical, and most SEALs would hit back. It's just been shoulder barges and attempts at tripping him at this stage, but eventually, he will give them a taste of their own medicine."

Bobby asked, "What do you plan to do with all this information? It's pretty clear you're not a standard floater."

Dylan said, "I'm going to do what I can to get those three reprimanded and re-educated on the correct standards of behavior of an LAFD firefighter. If that means going to Chief Alonzo, I'll go to Chief Alonzo. This has gone beyond the realm of too far, Bobby, and if it continues, someone is going to go public with the fact the LAFD condones bullying; and that will kill the public's trust in us."

Bobby pulled a couple of thick files out of the filing cabinet and admitted, "Just because I wasn't filing the reprimands doesn't mean I wasn't keeping a record for just such an occasion. This file contains each incident that I personally witnessed, including the incident at Buck's graduation ceremony where the three of them tried to warn off Buck's roommate. These are all copies; I keep two digital and two physical copies of everything, one here and one back at my apartment."

"You knew," Dylan commented.

Bobby shrugged. "I figured one day they'd push someone too far, and while I can't do anything about it, I figured the information would still be useful."

Dylan asked, "They really do have you by the short and curlies, don't they? How bad can it be?"

Bobby sighed, "I was captain of my house back in St. Paul, and I was injured on the job, a back injury. I ended up addicted to pain pills and alcohol to numb the pain. One night while on a bender, I left a space heater on in an empty apartment I was using to hide my drinking, and it caught fire. 142 people died in that fire. I went into voluntary rehab, but it's still a black mark on my record. I've had one slip since coming out of rehab, and that's how Buck and Hen found out. After a brutal shift, they came to check on me and found me out cold after a bottle of bourbon."

Dylan asked, "Were you found at fault for the fire or even charged?"

Bobby shook his head. "The space heater was found to be faulty, and ended up being the subject of a recall after a few different fires. It was supposed to have an automatic cutoff, but it didn't work half the time, which is how the fires happened. None were as bad as the one in St. Paul. I don't know if they let me off lightly since I lost my wife and kids in the fire or what, but until recently, I was still trying to make amends for the 142 souls that were lost."

"The notebook," Dylan said in realization. "That's why you assaulted Buckley? He found the notebook everyone was talking about, and he was the one that got caught taking a peek?"

Bobby nodded. "I recorded the names of all those I saved in the hope that the scales would balance. Buck made me see that it was not the greatest motivation for coming to work each day. Not that I ever told him that. When we got closer, I noticed that the three musketeers ramped up their harassment, so I stepped back. He's a good kid; he doesn't deserve the sh*t they pile on him."

Dylan commented, "He's hardly a kid, cap. He's a decorated Navy SEAL, served in the military, and probably has more life experience than the rest of A shift combined. Regent over at the academy was singing his praises when I spoke to him about Buckley; he's also an ex-SEAL and one of Buck's training commanders. The Navy was apparently gutted that he left, but also accepting, given the circ*mstances, none of which were explained to me; classified above top secret apparently."

Bobby said, "When I asked Buck why he left, he just said a mission went FUBAR, and he was given an honorable discharge. It's the same answer he's given anyone who asked, including you."

Dylan took the folders and asked, "I think you owe Buck an apology for both pulling back with no explanation and letting the bullying get as bad as it has. I can tell you that the reputation of the 118 at the academy is so bad that very few probies are willing to take a job here. Firefighters gossip cap, and the other probies have talked about why they left the station to anyone who will listen."

Bobby nodded. "I know, and I hope you can do something I can't. I'm just gutted it'll probably cost me my job."

Dylan asked, "In your documentation, do you have evidence of the blackmail?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nothing usable. I recorded my calls with the battalion chief, but he wasn't aware, so they can't be used. Otherwise, he was careful not to put anything in writing, and we haven't spoken since he was promoted to deputy chief. He called for the last time while he was still a battalion chief, saying that even if he's promoted, his orders still stand."

"I don't get it," Dylan said, sounding confused. "Why is this former battalion chief so determined that the three musketeers keep their jobs. There are plenty of other firefighters out there who can do a better job than they do with half the angst."

Bobby admitted, "He hired Gerard and didn't do anything to shut down his racism. He had a reputation for keeping a white house while… he was battalion chief. And I think he's afraid that if it gets out that he swept complaints under the rug even back then, it will screw up his chances of getting to fire chief."

Dylan snarked, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

Chapter 19

Chapter Text

August 2018

Eddie and Buck had been to two interviews with captains interested in taking them on. The first one was short and anything but sweet. The guy was more interested in pairing Buck with one of his more experienced assets and wasn't interested in Eddie at all.

As they drove home, Eddie asked, "You didn't disclose our relationship?"

Buck shook his head. "I got a bad feeling about it, so I decided not to say anything. He seemed leery of taking us on as an established rescue pairing."

"Which is weird," Eddie replied. "Since that's exactly what they were told we were by the instructors. Is it worth feeding it back to Andrew before the next interview?"

Buck shook his head. "Maybe if the next one doesn't go well. It's with the 217, who are losing a couple of people due to retirement and a possible transfer. Tommy wants to return to the 118; the 217 is too far a commute since he lives out past Abby's place."

Eddie asked, "How far away is it for us? Isn't it the one just down from the cafe we like?"

The younger man nodded. "Yeah, we could easily run to work when we don't have the school drop-off. The captain there is also supposed to be pretty accepting, so he should be okay with the fact that we are married and want to work together."

Eddie suggested, "If the interview goes well, we could drop a few hints to Tommy about us working as a married couple and let him spread the news."

Buck laughed. "The first person he'll call will be Shawn. The three of us often went out clubbing while I was going through the academy. I still see Tommy sometimes when we are on the same calls; it's how I found out he's trying to get a transfer to somewhere nearer his place."

Eddie asked, "Anything I need to know about the captain of the 217?"

With a shrug, Buck said, "Not really, he's a lot like Bobby in his command style when he's out on a scene from what I've seen of him. Tommy respects him a hell of a lot. He's known to be very blunt, but listens to those on his team when they have ideas for rescues, especially those with the experience to back up the ideas."

As they exited Eddie's truck, Eddie said, "Which you've said several times Bobby doesn't do with you."

Buck nodded. "Exactly, although that's probably due to my probationary status more than anything else. Probies don't often have the experience to back up the ideas I have for rescues. He's seen my military jacket, well, the bits that aren't blacked out and redacted, but that doesn't exactly translate to experience in the field in his eyes." He leaned against the doorframe as Eddie unlocked the door and said, "I think the only way that wouldn't have happened is if I worked for one of the captains in the city who are former military like Captain Cooper of the 136. He's former Air Force, but even they understand the duties of the SEALs and the various jobs we end up doing, not just what the public gets told."

Eddie huffed, "You mean that public perception where all special forces, regardless of branch, are just government-sanctioned assassins, and all you do is kill terrorists and anyone loosely associated with terrorists."

Buck laughed, "Exactly so. My jacket details that I was a rescue asset with demolitions experience, but that doesn't seem to translate to anything but someone who goes in and blows everything up to the average civilian."

Eddie opened the door and gestured him inside as he said, "Are there many ex-military captains in the LAFD?"

"Just a few," Buck answered. "And I've only met Commander Regent and Captain Cooper so far."

They got changed in the master bedroom, where Buck had moved to a few weeks earlier, and Buck contemplated the last interview on their current list. He'd already planned to send Andrew an email declining the first two captains they'd interviewed with, detailing that the captain of the 87th was only interested in Buck transferring and didn't want a probie at all. The captain had spent the entire interview trying to convince Buck to leave Eddie to the probation pool and join his house.

Their last interview was the following day, the third of Buck's four-day off cycle. He was hopeful that it would go well, so he could take transfer papers to Bobby at the start of his next shift.

-x-

As he ate his pancakes before school, Christopher asked, "Where is the firehouse you're interviewing at today, Bucky?"

Buck replied, "It's not far from here, only a ten-minute drive, even in bad traffic. It's near that cafe we like."

The young boy asked, "If you take the job there, will I be allowed to visit?"

Buck said, "Wherever we end up working, we'll talk to the captain and see if you can visit; if you can't visit on your own, we'll try and arrange one of the school visits for your class."

Christopher cheered, "Thanks, Bucky."

Eddie looked up from his first coffee; he was still trying to dredge his humanity up from the bottom of the mug. He said, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school, mijo? Natalie will be here soon to pick you up."

Christopher nodded and swallowed his last bite of pancake before he climbed out of his chair and made his way to his bedroom without his crutches.

Buck said, "His gait is improving. The physical therapist Natalie recommended is working wonders."

Eddie nodded. "The handholds we put in gave Christopher more confidence about leaving his crutches behind in his bedroom. I'm still looking into the hydrotherapy pool that Steve recommended. I think we can remove the hot tub we currently have by the pool and replace it with one of the hydrotherapy pools, one with the treadmill."

Buck grinned. "It's not a bad idea; it'll also help us if we're injured on the job; running on the treadmill underwater is much less stress on the body than running on the street."

Eddie said, "I'll get some quotes sorted next week. Steve gave me the details for a few companies that can do that type of install." He checked his watch when he heard Natalie talking with Christopher from the hallway. "We should get moving; we don't want to be late."

They gave Christopher a quick hug before he left with Natalie, then got ready for their interview with Captain Taylor of the 217.

As they drove to the interview, Eddie asked, "Tell me about the 217?"

From the driver seat, Buck said, "It's one of the biggest houses in the LAFD, they run one of the few squad rigs, a heavy rescue rig, a triple, two ladder trucks, and they run the air support with two helicopters and a C-130 water tanker. We'll likely be interviewed for the heavy rescue or squad rig."

Eddie asked, "They have their own airfield?"

Buck nodded. "It's restricted to LAFD use only. We have another four helicopters out at LAX and another two water tankers in the San Fernando Valley."

Eddie asked, "Is it possible to work your way up to tanker pilot? I know that was something you were interested in."

Buck shrugged. "It's certainly worth asking. Their pilots usually work in pairs, so maybe we could do that together. I know you're not interested in going up in another helicopter, but the C-130s are a whole different beast."

Eddie laughed, "They really are. Learning to fly them could be fun; maybe even learning how to fly the helicopters would help me with my apprehension. My therapist has recommended I try a few simulator flights and work my way up to being comfortable on a helicopter again."

Buck nodded. "It's a good idea; there are times when firefighters are called in to help with the winch rescues. It's not often, since the helicopters usually have their own crew, but occasionally they'll use the firefighters from the station that called them in to help with the winching."

Eddie nodded as they pulled into the station. "We were warned that it could happen at the academy; they gave us the basic training, but said most of the instructions would come from the crewman running the winch. My issues with helicopters are documented, and I've let the instructors know I'm working on them with the VA therapists."

They walked in together and noticed most of the trucks were out. A man approached them and said, "You must be firefighters Buckley and Diaz. I'm Captain Eric Taylor. Follow me; we'll get settled in my office."

They spent an hour talking through basic interview questions, and the captain had them detail Buck's time with the LAFD and their military experience. They explained how they'd been training together while Eddie was at the academy after his regular training shifts.

The captain finally broached the elephant in the room and asked, "Firefighter Buckley, sorry, Buck, why do you want to leave the 118. I've heard good things about the work you've been doing there."

Buck said, "It's great; it's just not somewhere—"

Eddie interrupted, "We'd prefer to work together, and I won't work at the 118, not after the bullying I witnessed when I went to Buck's graduation ceremony."

Eric nodded. "I can understand that. So why the 217 in particular?"

Buck explained, "We've been focusing on heavy rescue, and the 217 takes the overflow from Rescue-1. I heard that Tommy wants to transfer to a station closer to home, so if the two of us swap places, Eddie can take the probie slot that should be opening. The 217 is also closer to home and Christopher's school, making it more convenient for us both."

Eric asked, "Christopher?"

Eddie said, "Our son. He attends school at Durand Academy. It's a school for children with mobility issues. Christopher has CP, cerebral palsy, so he needs a bit more help than the average student."

Eric smiled. "Quite a few team members have children, and we have a few gatherings a year so they can all get together. The station kids are also welcome at the firehouse if you have an emergency, like childcare that's fallen through, that type of thing. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, everyone chips in to help out."

Buck explained, "Christopher has a home health aide, Natalie, who attends school with him, and when she's not available, Eddie has family in town who are usually able to take him." They were looking into hiring Natalie full-time as a live-in aide for both their sakes, as she was still scheduling them around other clients she had while living at home with demanding parents. "The other thing you should know before we make any firm decisions is we're married; we got married a few weeks ago."

Eric smiled, "Congrats. As you're aware, there aren't any frat regs, so to speak; you'll be expected to declare the relationship while you work together, which is fine, I can get that paperwork through as part of your transfer. I'm sure you're both aware of the standards of behavior you'll have to adhere to as a working couple, but I'm sure you'll both do just fine. I certainly have no issue with it. It would be hypocritical of me to have an issue with it since my lieutenant is my wife. Buck, has your name changed with the marriage?"

Buck nodded. "I took Eddie's name, which I can see being a problem for our turnouts, since we are both E. Diaz. But I was thinking, everyone knows me as Buck, so B. Diaz for me and E. Diaz for Eds?"

Eric asked, "You don't want to keep Buckley for work purposes?"

Buck shook his head. "The sooner I am rid of the Buckley name, the better."

The captain said, "Well, I'm happy to arrange the transfer. I understand you wish to start two weeks after Eddie's graduation?"

Eddie nodded. "It gives us time to settle the arrangements for Christopher, and we have a few house upgrades going on right now that'll need sign-off during those two weeks." He glanced at his husband before he said, "Buck also has a deposition coming up, and I want to be there to support him."

Eric said, "I can work with that. I'll put your transfer in the system, so by the time you get to work tomorrow, Captain Nash should have already been notified. Do you think the depositions will last longer than that two weeks?"

Buck nodded. "I have no doubt, but I'm the first in the list of interviews, and my testimony should only take a few days at most, depending on how brutal the defense wants to be. It's the depositions for Dr. Wells' upcoming trial."

"OMG," Eric said sadly. "I know one of our B shift boys is testifying; he's a bit of a mess about the whole thing. She's completely ruined him for therapy."

Eddie suggested, "Find a therapist willing to do video sessions by Skype or Zoom. We went to the VA and found someone that works well with Buck; I'm not sure if the department has therapists willing to offer it, but maybe reach out to them and see if they can recommend someone to help. I think after this mess, the department will bend over backward for those she's abused."

Buck explained, "I tried going to a different therapist after Dr. Wells, and I could barely walk into the waiting room without a panic attack. I ended up calling from my car to cancel the appointment. Eddie reminded me that the VA has a good range of therapists and probably had a few that could do remote sessions. Dr. Dowling has helped me get past most of the trauma surrounding my single appointment. Some of the men testifying saw her multiple times before she'd clear them for duty."

Eric asked, "How did you get away with a single appointment?"

"It wasn't mandated," Buck explained. "It was after I lost Devon on the rollercoaster when he let go. I struggled to get past it, and Bobby gave me her card. While it wasn't the first time I'd seen someone die, it was the first needless death I've ever dealt with. He just gave up rather than reach out."

The captain nodded in understanding. "I can see why you went to see someone to talk it out. Did she help at all?"

Buck shook his head. "She was taking a ride barely five minutes into the appointment. I tried to turn her down, but she threatened to send a letter to Bobby stating it was unfit for duty due to trauma."

Eric rolled his eyes. "So she couldn't threaten you with withholding the paperwork, so she threatened to create it. What a bitch."

Eddie nodded. "I thought so. That one appointment messed him up for months." He recalled just how touch adverse his husband was when they first met. That even shaking hands made him sweat. He was grateful for the therapy that helped get Buck to the healthier place he was at now.

Eric asked, "Is there anything you want to know before we end the interview?"

Buck asked, "Is it possible to train to be pilots while working here? Or is that something we'll have to explore privately?"

"I'll be honest," Eric said ruefully. "The waiting list for those in the station wanting to train is long, so if you have the resources to train for it privately, that's definitely the way to go, especially if you can qualify for both fixed wing and rotorcraft. I can give you the details of the local school we use for our training. They offer private classes in several different aircraft types; they also have simulators that can be used for those with flying issues, so to speak."

Eddie huffed. "It's on my list to work on my issues. It's difficult to get over a crash after being shot out of the sky by an RPG."

The captain said, "I've been in two crashes in my lifetime, neither of which was quite that traumatic, but both required sessions in the simulator with my therapist to get me past them, so definitely no judgment here. I took note of the issues you have noted in your file for rotorcraft and thought I would suggest them as an option for both training and desensitization."

Eddie took the card the captain was holding and said, "Thanks. Sorry, it's still a sensitive subject."

Buck said, "We'll look into the private lessons once we're both settled into the shift. I'm looking forward to working in a less… fractious workplace."

Eddie scowled. "I still can't believe what happened with Wells was fodder for harassment. The only good side was it helped us meet."

Eric smiled. "And through that meeting, I end up with one of the best rescue pairs in the LAFD if Andrew is to be believed. I'll get your transfer into the system and let Tommy know there is a spot available at the 118 for him if he wants it. I know Nash will take him back in a heartbeat. If you could come in an hour early for your first shift, we'll get all the relationship paperwork out of the way."

Buck and Eddie stood and shook the captain's hand before he led them out onto the garage floor. As he walked them out, Buck was pulled into a hug by Tommy with a grin.

Buck recognized the arms around him, and with a laugh, he demanded, "Unhand me you oaf."

Tommy picked him up off the ground and said, "Make me!"

Buck winked at Eddie and replied, "If you don't put me down, my husband just might make you."

Tommy dropped him in shock and demanded, "Husband?"

With a small wave, Eddie said, "Hi, I'm Eddie; I think we've talked a few times on the phone."

Tommy smiled, "You fella's got hitched? Damn, that was kept on the down low."

Eric still had paperwork to do for the transfer so he could get it into the system, so with a wave, he left them in Tommy's capable hands.

Buck said, "We've been keeping it quiet because I don't want to give the three musketeers more ammunition. They already tried to tell Eds I'm a man whor* who can't be trusted around kids. I didn't want them to make my marriage feel like something cheap, which is what they'd do."

Tommy said, "I hope I get transferred back there, so I can give them all the sh*t they've been dishing out."

Eddie said, "Good news, a slot just opened up. Buck and I are coming here as a rescue pair, so Bobby will need a replacement for Buck."

Tommy rubbed his hands together like a cartoon villain. "It's a good thing Captain Nash knows I already want the next available slot on his team. How bad has it been? Shawn said they've been pretty brutal."

Buck huffed. "Brutal is right. So there is someone out there using my identity to catfish women on MySpace and then ghosting them. After they've been ghosted, the women confront me, and a few have even slapped me for it. One girl was throwing rocks at the firehouse to get revenge, and rather than report her for vandalism, Chim asked her out on a date after commiserating with her over his manwhor* workmate."

Tommy looked shocked as he asked, "Seriously?"

Eddie nodded. "It's ridiculous; we've even been accosted while on a date. Myspace refuses to shut the account down, as they aren't breaking the terms of service." He checked his watch and said, "We should get moving, Buck. We have to pick Christopher up from school today."

As he walked them out, Tommy said, "Let me know how your next shift goes. I'm willing to bet Bobby will be disappointed you're leaving."

"He should have done more to stop the bullying," Buck said sadly as he waited for Eddie to unlock the truck. "If not for the three musketeers, the house would be a great place to work."

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

August 2018

Buck saw Hen in the locker room as he walked into the station. She was sitting on the bench doing up her boots. He sat down beside her and said, "There will be fireworks today."

She asked, "You found a place to land?"

As Buck pulled his uniform shirt on, he nodded. "I'm transferring to the 217. My first day will be two weeks after Eddie's graduation. It's very likely you'll be getting Tommy back in my place."

Hen chuckled. "That will be fun. He had no tolerance for the bullsh*t you've been putting up with."

The younger man admitted, "Even less now, since he knows what they've been putting me through. Do you remember Officer Williams? He works with Athena sometimes."

Hen nodded. "He usually chats with you if you're on the scene he's working, right?"

Buck nodded. "He's a good friend. We met while I was in the academy. He introduced me to Tommy before I started here, and we became drinking buddies. Shawn's seen the way those guys treat me on callouts and told Tommy before I could ask him not to."

Hen chuckled, "So basically, he's like the big brother you wished you never had. Complete with threats to deal with the bullies, even though that would be embarrassing as hell?"

"Exactly that!" Buck exclaimed. "It's why they weren't at my graduation ceremony; they refused to behave, so I refused to let them know when it was."

Hen gave him a speaking look. "You planned it for when they would both be on shift, right? That way, Eddie and Christopher would be the only guests who could attend."

Buck nodded sheepishly. "It was also to make sure Eddie's tía was working, so she and Abuela couldn't come. They wouldn't take someone harassing me with any sort of grace. They would make Eddie look calm."

"Oh boy," Hen said in perfect understanding.
She'd witnessed Eddie dressing down Chim and his two cohorts in hazing and overheard the dig about how she just ignores what they do. "They'd kill them. I have to admit, I'm surprised he didn't say more at your graduation. Eddie looked pissed."

As they walked upstairs for the briefing, Buck explained, "He knew what to expect, so we had a deal; I wouldn't bite back, and he wouldn't lay into them too badly. I didn't want him to get fired before he graduated, you know what I mean."

They took a seat for the briefing, and Buck was assigned to work with Tanika on the ladder truck equipment check. Before he could head down though, Bobby said, "Buck, can I see you in my office first, please."

Buck nodded and headed into Bobby's office as Tanika went downstairs to make a start on the equipment check. As Bobby shut the door, he reassured, "This won't take long."

Buck took a seat and asked, "Is this about my transfer?"

The captain agreed. "It is. I didn't realize you were looking to transfer."

Buck said, "I'm sorry, Bobby, but there is only so much a guy can take. I decided to cut my losses and put my skills to use somewhere they'll be appreciated." He held his hand up when Bobby looked like he was about to protest. "Look, I get it, I've only just graduated from my probie year, but I have experience in pararescue that's gone ignored because all people see is Navy SEAL, and they assume I'm just a hired gun for the US government. But I could ignore that and work my way up to proving myself, but the bullying went too far. There are days it's so far over the line I don't think the line is even visible."

Bobby said sadly, "I'm sorry about that, Buck. My hands are tied when it comes to Chimney, Thompson, and Beal. I've tried to rein them in and reprimand them in the past, but I was warned that my time here would end before theirs. Unfortunately, it means losing talented firefighters like yourselves to other stations with more tolerance and less hamstrung captains. You're not the first probie to leave at the end of the probation year, and I doubt you'll be the last. I wanted to try and get your friend Eddie to join us in the hope he would support you, but he wouldn't even accept an interview with me. According to the instructor, he refused point blank to work for the 118."

"Are you really surprised, Cap?" Buck asked incredulously. "You saw how he reacted to the nasty comments those three made about me being a womanizer who can't be trusted around children. He was pissed, and the only reason he barely reacted was because I asked him not to do anything that would get him fired before he graduated."

Bobby asked, "Is Eddie the reason why you've decided to transfer?"

Buck shook his head. "Not him, but something his son said. He asked why more of my friends weren't at my graduation, and I said I didn't want them there because I knew there would be trouble if some of my former SEAL teammates heard how Chim, Thompson, and Beal spoke to me. Christopher asked why I should tolerate the way they speak to me when I tell him not to accept it from others. I realized he had a good point."

Bobby sighed. He does. I was going to ask if you want your transfer announced, but thinking back, I think it's best to keep it quiet. The last couple of probies that transferred out after they graduated caught hell from those three when the news got out."

Buck shook his head. "Yeah, if they find out, it will just make the teasing even worse. You should be aware that Tommy is a good friend, and he's heard all about the bullying from Shawn, sorry Officer Williams. I think he'll make life interesting here when he arrives... if you take him on to replace me."

Bobby grinned. "That should be entertaining; since he's also on the list of people I can't reprimand. How about you head down and get started on that equipment check. I'll keep the details of your transfer quiet until you've started at the 217."

When he got downstairs, Tanika asked, "What was all that about?"

Buck shrugged, "Just some admin stuff that needed to be done; nothing major. Now how can I help?"

She handed over the clipboard and said, "I was waiting for you; I know you prefer to do the checklists."

Buck chuckled. "I got lots of experience with equipment checks during my time with the SEALs. Whenever we were deployed, everything had to be triple-checked before leaving, then everything had to be checked over, and reports had to be written on our return. The commander was the only one who could sign off on the paperwork; the rest of us were assigned to the various equipment checks."

Tanika asked, "You were assigned to the pyrotechnics, right?"

The younger man nodded. "I was the team's demolitions expert, so it was usually my job to check over the explosives we needed for the mission, ensure everything was in working order, and account for supplies used on missions. I also worked with the other teams to teach new ways of blowing sh*t up without actual explosives."

As they went down the list, Tanika asked, "How do you mean?"

Buck explained, "It was mostly for if we were caught or trapped without an easy means of escape. We would work together to teach the other SEALs how to create explosives out of everyday items so they could use them to escape."

Tanika said, "I have to admit, I had no idea how much regular household items could be accidental explosives until I became a firefighter. It was eye-opening the first time I saw flour explode."

Buck chuckled and asked, "Before my time?"

Chim walked past at that time, and he snarked, "Less talking, more working, Buckley."

Tanika glared at Chimney until he disappeared, then she nodded as she continued the story, "Just after Bobby started here. It was a pile-up that caught up a delivery truck full of flour; it was just a bad confluence of events. Thankfully we got the cars all cleared before the truck exploded. The driver was panicking when we were extracting him from his truck. When Bobby asked him what was going on, he mentioned he was transporting flour. Bobby was quick to get everyone away from the truck as he could see the rear of the truck had opened, and there was already dust in the air. The hoses were at the other end of the crash trying to extinguish a fire that had started in one of the cars."

Buck nodded. "Let me guess, the dust was blown into the fire, and it caused a chain reaction?"

She mimed a massive explosion as she said, "Boom! We were just lucky Bobby had seen it before in St. Paul, so he'd ordered us to move the people we'd pulled out of the cars and the onlookers further away. It's probably the most impressive explosion I've seen that wasn't caused by actual explosives."

The bells went off, finally, in Buck's opinion, as he'd been getting sick of the looks from the three musketeers as they worked on stocking the two ambulances with Hen. The rest of the shift was fairly busy with calls, including a five-alarm fire at a production studio after a pyrotechnics stunt went wrong.

-x-

By the time Buck got home at the end of his 24-hour shift, he was exhausted. Christopher was at a workshop at the La Brea Tar Pits with Natalie, and Eddie was sitting in one of the recliners by the pool reading a book. Buck dropped his bag when he saw his husband and squeezed onto the recliner with him.

Eddie ran his fingers through Buck's curls, which were loose after the shower he had before leaving work, and he asked, "Rough shift?"

Buck nodded as he buried his face in Eddie's neck, trying to hide from the world.

The older man asked, "You were at the studio fire?"

Buck nodded again as he muttered, "Idiots." He rolled over slightly and said, "From the smell of the fire, I think they screwed up the chemical mixtures, so rather than small timed explosions, the first one set the others off early, and the set caught fire. Thankfully there were only a few stunt doubles on set, and they got out of the way pretty damn quick, so there were only minor burns from the initial blast. The hard part was putting out the fire due to the chemicals they used to create the explosions."

Eddie rubbed his back and said, "It looked pretty impressive on the news. They were going on about how the fire would delay the filming of the latest Star Wars movie, which might push back the release date." He shrugged. "Honestly, I think they were just trying to add drama."

Buck nodded. "It was just a generic soundstage, and from what the production manager said, it was just one of the backup soundstages; the fire was contained pretty quickly, and the only reason it was a five-alarm fire was because of the chemicals involved in creating the explosions, and the location."

Eddie asked, "Because the studios are big money for Hollywood?"

The younger man shook his head with a laugh. "No, because a lot of the studio buildings are close together, so if one catches fire, it can often spread pretty fast. We were lucky with this one that the soundstage involved was away from the other buildings; it's one they use for testing explosive stunts rather than risking one of the main buildings."

Eddie nodded. "Was the building salvageable?"

Buck shook his head. "They'll have to bring it down and rebuild. The blast did a lot of structural damage, and the fire just made it worse. They'll do an investigation to find out what went wrong before anything happens."

Eddie asked, "Do you get many callouts to the studios?"

Buck shook his head. "They aren't usually in our zone. Those calls are usually picked up by the 86 and the 147. We only get called in on the big ones when we are the closest and not on a call already."

The older man asked, "How did the team take the news about the transfer?"

Buck sighed. "Bobby is disappointed, but he's going to keep the news to himself so that the bullying doesn't ramp up. The last few probies who transferred caught hell after their transfers were announced. Bobby did slip up though; he said Tommy is also on the list of people he's not allowed to reprimand, so I'm definitely going to leak that to him so he can give them hell for me."

Eddie laughed. "Oh to be a fly on the wall when that sh*t hits the fan. Is Chim still dating Brandi or whatever her name is?"

"Darcy," Buck corrected, "And yep, they're still dating. I have to assume Chim learned his lesson from how he treated Tatiana, since they've been dating for a few months now. He doesn't say much about her at work, just the odd comment about places they've been and restaurants they want to try. She's apparently a real foodie; it's what attracted her to the fake MySpace account."

Eddie said dryly, "Let me guess, Chim enjoyed rubbing that in. Are they still commenting that the catfisher is bullsh*t and that it's just you ghosting these women?"

Buck nodded. "Just the three musketeers, but the others are starting to agree since there haven't been any new girls confronting me in the last month or so, not since the woman at that crash. I guess whoever it was got bored and moved on to a new target or whatever."

Eddie hugged him tight and murmured, "It's just a few more weeks, then you'll be hell and gone from the bullsh*t at the 118. Did Bobby give you the time off for my graduation?"

Buck nodded. "And he confirmed my time off for the depositions. He wanted to know what the interview was about, but I managed to put him off. The last thing I need is someone overhearing that it's my fault everyone she'd cleared had to be reassessed by one of the other department therapists."

Eddie said, "It's not your fault, it's her's; she's the one who was clearing people who were willing to let her satisfy whatever kink she had going on. You were just the first to get enough support to report it. You heard what the lawyer said; most of the others she targeted were men who didn't have close ties to the people they worked with, loners. You were more of an opportunistic victim than someone she deliberately targeted."

Buck nodded. "I made the mistake of noting on my intake form that I was a possible sex addict. Which makes what she did even worse."

Eddie murmured, "And she'll be going away for a long time. They found several people that shouldn't have been cleared to work, and others who had been blackmailed into sleeping with her. She's a predator, pure and simple."

Buck burrowed into his husband's neck and muttered, "Can we talk about something else? Was Christopher excited when he left?"

Eddie laughed. "Beyond excited, he was nearly vibrating as he was waiting for Natalie to arrive. She looked stressed when she showed up, I reiterated my offer of her moving in and becoming Christopher's full-time nanny slash aide, and I made it clear the offer we made her was serious. That she would have time to study around our schedules. I think she's seriously considering it this time."

"Good," Buck said tiredly. "Her parents think she should be making more of an effort to find a husband and making babies rather than working and studying. She was saying the other day they've been ramping up their campaign to get her to quit working."

Eddie suggested, "We should offer her a pay rise to sweeten the deal."

Buck said, "Do it when they get home. Maybe add a partial scholarship for her studies, since they'll help us in the long run." He made himself more comfortable and said, "I'm gonna nap now; you can keep reading your book."

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

August 2018

Buck was getting changed in the locker room for his next shift as Thompson came storming into the locker room looking pissed off. He exclaimed, "I didn't think you could sink any lower, Buckley, but then I found out you're the reason why I had to go through the surprise psych assessment last month."

Buck frowned and asked, "What?"

Thompson yelled, "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut and had to go blabbing about Maretta." At Buck's confused look, he said, "Dr. Wells. Word around the LAFD is that you reported her for sexual assault."

Buck raised an eyebrow and said, "What business is it of yours what I do, Thompson. So you had to get a new assessment; you're here, so you obviously passed."

The man yelled, "Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut?"

Buck screamed, "Because she f*cking raped me, you asshole. I said no, so she threatened my job. Why the f*ck should I keep my mouth shut about that? Because she's a woman, and I'm a guy?" Buck could see the crowd of firefighters outside the locker; he ignored them and said, "What she did is illegal, and what's worse, she has over 20 victims that she blackmailed besides me, and that's not including all the men who offered sex to get free passes on the psych assessments."

Thompson yelled, "And some of those men got fired because of you."

Bobby ordered, "That's enough."

Thompson whirled on the captain and said, "Like hell it is; this bastard cost good men their jobs because he couldn't keep his mouth shut and take it like a man."

Bobby yelled, "Pack your bag and get the hell out of my firehouse; you're suspended. I don't care if reprimanding you gets me suspended; victim blaming and snide comments about rape are never okay in my firehouse." When Thompson looked like he was about to protest, Bobby ordered, "Get the f*ck out of my firehouse, Thompson. I'll be sending the details of this discussion to the chief, and he can decide what to do with you, but you won't be coming back here. Anyone who has a problem with that can join him."

Hen barged through the crowd and pulled Buck into a hug. She murmured, "Are you okay?"

Buck shrugged. "I'll be okay. I just didn't expect Thompson to lay into me for reporting what she did. Honestly, if I didn't, someone eventually would have. I'm just one of many she used and abused."

Bobby turned to the rest of the firehouse as they watched Thompson stomp out the garage doors, and he said, "Show's over; let's head upstairs for the briefing. Buckley, are you good?"

Buck nodded. "I'll be fine, cap. As long as no one blames me for his suspension." He glanced at Chim and Beal as he said it, noting they looked pissed off.

Bobby noted the look and said, "If they do, they'll follow him to the same meeting. I'm done with the bullying, and I was serious; I don't care if it gets me fired."

Tanika gave Chim a dirty look and demanded, "Cap, can you explain that comment about you being fired?"

Bobby shook his head and said, "Upstairs now. I want to get the briefing done before we get a call, and I'm sure C Shift want to get home."

A firefighter Buck didn't recognize from C Shift said, "Actually, cap, we'd like to know what you mean about that comment too. Because it sounds an awful lot like you've been allowing certain people to get away with the bullsh*t they've been pulling since you started."

One of the other C-Shift members said, "Actually, Evans, it sounds like Captain Nash is being forced to let them get away with it, possibly something I think certain people know, and they've been abusing it to bully others the way they were bullied under Gerard without consequences."

Bobby sighed, "All I can say is there is a list of people I'm prohibited from reprimanding. Anything I put into the system for certain members of the station are removed, and I was warned that my job was on the line if I persisted."

Buck asked, "Are they holding what happened in Minnesota over your head?"

Bobby nodded in confirmation. "Look, things are going to get messy for a bit while this all shakes out, but I couldn't stand by and watch what was happening without taking action. I'll be sending my report directly to Chief Alonzo, and he'll decide how to proceed." The bells went off, so A shift got into gear. Bobby looked at Buck and asked, "You sure you're good?"

Buck nodded. "I'm good, cap. Therapy has its uses, even if I had to get creative with it, thanks to that bitch."

While they were driving to a multi-car pile-up, from across the cab, Hen asked, "You had to get creative with therapy? How?"

Buck said, "A friend took me to the VA, and they found me a therapist willing to do the sessions over Zoom. Considering that the last time I tried to step foot into a therapist's office, I went into a full panic attack, it's the only way I can do it. That one session with her did a lot of damage."

Hen nodded. "I can imagine. I'm glad you had good support to help you get through it all."

As he touched his wedding ring, which he put on a necklace at the start of every shift, Buck admitted quietly, "I am too. It's worked out pretty great for me, if I'm totally honest with you."

They jumped out of the truck at the scene and listened as Bobby started barking out orders. Buck was grateful that he'd assigned Buck to work with Tanika and Blake; he knew the two of them would watch his back. Buck was pretty sure there would be backlash from the remaining two musketeers when he least expected it. He could also see Bobby watching the two of them like a hawk.

As they worked on getting the passenger out of a Honda, Tanika murmured, "They wouldn't dare do anything on a call, especially not while LAPD are floating around."

Later, as he was working with Blake to clear the scene, he noticed Athena slip around behind one of the trucks with Bobby. He nudged Blake and asked, "Did you see that too?"

Blake smirked and said, "That's been going on for a few weeks now; they are really sh*t at keeping it a secret. I've seen them a few times now sneaking in behind the trucks at the end of a call-out. He seems a lot happier, so more power to them both."

Buck grinned. "Athena has certainly been looking much more like the Athena I first met over the last few months." At Blake's curious look, he explained, "She and Hen bring their kids over to see Christopher, my roommate's son. They've all become quite close. Michael, her ex-husband, has even come with her a few times. They are still really good friends, just not married anymore."

Blake chuckled. "It's good to see her change her tune when it comes to you. That first confrontation you had with her, man, I thought you had the biggest set of brass ones to go up against Sergeant Grant; I thought she was about to blow fire she was so steamed."

Buck laughed. "Yeah. Not my finest moment, but we got it worked out; I got fired because of lies, saved her life, and she got me rehired when she explained what was going on to Bobby. Win, win as far as I'm concerned. She's become a good friend; I think sometimes she considers me to be one of her kids."

Blake asked quietly, "She has no idea about the bullying those three put you through, does she?"

The younger man shook his head. "None. If she did, she'd be reading Bobby the riot act. But to be honest, I don't think Bobby had a choice. Look, what happened in his past is his business, but it affected him badly, and he's pretty convinced if the rest of the station finds out, they won't trust him as the captain."

Blake asked, "And the person blackmailing him threatened to out him?"

Buck shrugged. "I think so. Look, his past is exactly that, his. Hen and I only found out by accident; we don't think it's as bad as he thinks it is. This is just speculation on my part due to comments he made when we found out, but I think part of the blackmail is the threat that what happened in Minnesota will be put in the worst possible light, designed to make everyone lose trust in him."

Blake suggested, "Maybe the report going to Chief Alonzo directly will start an investigation?"

Buck grinned. "I bloody hope so." He gestured to the hoses and said, "We should get a move on with these hoses before Bobby and Athena come out from behind that truck."

They finished rolling the hoses, and Buck was grateful that Beal had been ordered to drive the ambulance as Chim and Hen worked on one of the more seriously injured patients. It gave him a bit of breathing room, something that didn't go unnoticed by Blake.

As they drove back to the station in the ladder truck, since it was just the two of them in the truck, Blake asked, "Why did you stay at the end of your probation period? The last three probies we had left as soon as they graduated, transferred out to other stations."

Buck tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and said, "I thought I could stick it out until Eddie graduated from the academy, then he'd join me at the 118 and be someone on my side, so to speak."

The older engineer admitted, "We've all tried to rein them in, but without reprimands, it's useless. At least now I know there is a reason why they get away with their sh*t."

Buck shrugged. "It's a moot point; Eddie refuses point blank to work at the 118. I've been training with him outside of my shift hours, and we both got offered positions at another station as a heavy rescue team. My transfer goes through in a few weeks."

Blake asked, "Bobby knows?"

"Yeah," Buck admitted. "I asked him to keep it quiet. You know those three will just get worse if they find out I'm leaving."

Blake nodded. "They did with the last three probies when they learned about the transfers. Called them cowards; it was disgusting. A couple of people even tried reporting them to the union, but still, nothing was ever done. Whoever is protecting them is high up in the LAFD."

Buck commented, "I don't get why someone would go that far to protect them when their behavior could be some seriously bad press for the LAFD if the wrong people notice. I know some of the LAPD cops that are on scenes with us have seen it, not just with me. They are careful to only do it when lower ranked cops are on the scene."

Blake added, "They also don't do it when a battalion chief is present. They probably know they would expect an onsite reprimand for some of the sh*t they pull."

As they were stopped at a red light, Buck asked, "Is it just probies that have transferred? I know Tommy transferred, but I understand that was at the request of the other station."

Blake said, "Others they've targeted have transferred or just straight up quit. Those of us who have stuck around are minorities they won't touch or like me, and they just ignore their bullsh*t."

As he pulled into the station, Buck snarked, "Part of me hopes that when the sh*t hits the fan for those three, someone records the fallout, because it's going to be epic."

Blake tapped his pocket and said, "If you're not here to see it, I'll make sure I record it. Honestly, I'm sure many people will; they aren't as popular as they like to think, and when people on the team find out we lost a heavy rescue pair due to their sh*t, it's going to piss people off." Before Buck could jump out of the cab, Blake gripped his forearm and said, "Part of the reason they've been so aggressive with you is because you're popular with everyone else; the more competent you looked, the more popular you got, the worse they bullied you. Some call it cause and effect; I call it straight-up jealousy."

Buck huffed. "I'm just glad I only have to deal with it for a few more weeks."

-x-

A few days later, Buck was with Eddie and Christopher as they drove across town to Eddie's graduation. Christopher was in the back watching something on his iPad, and Natalie was using the free time to finally move into the suite they'd set up for her near Christopher's room. She wanted to move the big stuff while her parents were at work. Eddie had offered to pay a removal company to move her across town, but she turned him down; she told him she didn't have much more than a single carload of stuff that was hers. Buck asked, "You still thinking about Natalie?"

Eddie nodded. "Her parents aren't happy about her moving out and living with a pair of strange men, but she's old enough to decide for herself, which is what she said in the end. They don't seem to understand that she's taking the offer of a full-time job so she can afford to do her Ph.D. studies."

Buck shrugged. "It's their loss. Oh, I got a text from Hen just before we left; Karen was able to get her tests run early, so she's joining us at your graduation."

Eddie asked, "Are you serious? She didn't have to do that."

"She wanted to," Buck admitted. "When they found out most of your family couldn't attend, they wanted to be here for you."

From the back seat, Christopher asked, "Will Denny and Harry be there?"

Buck nodded. "They will. May can't make it, she has a basketball game on, and she got her dad to take her so Athena and Harry could attend."

Eddie grinned. "We'll have to attend her next game. It's been a while since I've been to a school basketball game. I skipped most of my school games because Dad had me in training for baseball. He wanted me to get a baseball scholarship for college."

Christopher said, "He has unreal stick expectations, Daddy."

Eddie corrected, "Unrealistic, and he's paying for it, mijo. They both are." They'd heard from their lawyer that Ramon and Helena only just avoided a jail term; they were fined the maximum they could be in California and ordered to pay restitution to both Christopher and Eddie to cover therapy, moving costs, and lost wages since Eddie wasn't able to work while in El Paso due to a valid fear of his son being taken from him. Eddie decided to let his lawyer take care of the details.

They pulled up at the academy and found their family waiting to one side for them. Karen and Abuela were chatting up a storm to one side as the others looked on in amazement. When they approached, Abuela said, "Karen works at JPL, where my Javier used to work."

Karen added, "He's listed on the Voyager achievement wall as one of the main engineers for both Voyager missions. I always wondered if he was related to you but kept forgetting to ask. He was one of my inspirations when I was deciding what to study, as one of the only minority engineers in JPL at the time."

Abuela said, "Karen even met him on a campus tour when she was a freshman at CalTech. I think that was a year or two before he passed away."

Eddie grinned. "Wow. It really is a small world. I loved going to his lab to see what he was working on when I was little. I was only twelve when he died. He always said we should follow our dreams, even if they seem impossible."

Karen commented, "He said that to us during our tour too. It really stuck with me."

Buck looked across to the training ground and saw the other graduates lining up. He nudged Eddie and said, "You should go gather up with the others. We'll find seats with a good vantage point." Both he and Eddie's Abuela had brought cameras to record the graduation. He was sure his husband would be the last one onto the stage to receive his certificate from Commander Regent, since Andrew was pretty sure he'd be graduating at the top of the class. The commander called each person on stage by announcing both their name and what station they would be working for.

He was proven correct when Eddie was skipped in the alphabetical order of the other graduates, and he was being nudged by some of his classmates and congratulated as they waited for their turn to get their certificates. As he remained on the side of the stage alone, Commander Regent said, "Our last graduate has exceeded all our expectations, and with help from one of our former graduates, he has broken several records in the process. Records that were set by that same graduate last year. Eddie Diaz will be joining the 217, specializing in heavy rescue and urban search and rescue." He glanced at Eddie and gestured him onto the stage. He handed over the certificate and said, "Congratulations on graduating top of your class, Firefighter Diaz. The 217 are lucky to have you."

Eddie grinned and replied, "Thank you, sir. I couldn't have done it without your support."

The assembled friends and families of the graduates all cheered as Eddie and the commander left the stage. As they descended the stairs, the commander asked, "I understand you've also decided to train to do air support when needed?"

Eddie nodded. "We have; we've signed up for pilot lessons in fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. Buck's really looking forward to it."

Commander Regent said knowingly, "You still a bit nervous about getting in a helicopter again?"

"Yeah," Eddie confirmed. "It's why we're starting with fixed-wing lessons as I do their desensitization course. Buck's sure I can get over the nerves; I just need time in the simulator, where I know it's safe."

As they approached the group gathered to congratulate Eddie, the commander said, "I look forward to watching your career," he glanced up at Buck and added, "Both of your careers."

Buck shook his hand and said, "Thanks, Commander," before he turned and pulled his husband into a tight hug.

The rest of his family and friends were quick to join the hug, congratulating Eddie for graduating at the top of his class. As the hug ended, Christopher said, "See, Daddy, I told you the pop quizzes worked. And now you're both doing more training, so I can give you more pop quizzes."

Eddie picked him up and hugged him as he murmured, "You're a menace with those pop quiz jump scares. At least now it's spread out between us both for the next lot of courses."

Hen asked, "What's next on the training agenda? I thought you both completed all the heavy rescue modules."

Buck said, "We've both signed up to get our pilot's licenses. The 217 is one of the few that does air support, and we figured it sounds like fun." At Eddie's look, he corrected, "I thought it sounded like fun and convinced Eddie to join me. He's not so sold on the helicopter piloting, but I'm talking him into it."

Eddie wanted to change the subject, so he said, "How about we all head back to our place to celebrate?"

Athena grinned and asked, "Is it okay if Michael and May join us after her game?"

Eddie quickly agreed. He liked the sassy teenager, and he could see she was slowly coming out of her shell after a horrific year. From talking to Karen and Hen, he knew that May had attempted suicide earlier in the year due to severe bullying that the school she'd been attending refused to deal with. One of the things her therapist had recommended was a school change, and it had done wonders for her.

Chapter 22

Chapter Text

August 2018

A week after Eddie's graduation, Buck was in the firehouse kitchen, alternating between helping Bobby prepare lunch and checking out the construction photos Eddie was sending to his phone as the workers updated Christopher's bathroom to be more CP-friendly.

Bobby asked, "How's the renovation going?"

Buck nodded. "It's good. We got all the handrails installed over the last week. They are height adjustable, so they'll grow with him. Eddie's been sending me photos of the bathroom renovations; both our bathroom and Christopher's are being updated. Christopher's is getting a wet room, basically, which will be easier for him to manage. Ours is getting an upgrade since it was a bit out of date, and we worked with an architect to create a bathroom that would work for us if we're ever injured on the job. Eddie's already been through it once when he was in the army. He was shot through the shoulder, wrist, and thigh in the evac which earned him the Silver Star. Eds said he struggled to manage bathing without help when he got home, so he wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to go through it all again."

Bobby nodded. "Make sense. Even small injuries can make showering a pain. Any other upgrades?"

Buck grinned. "A few minor changes to the kitchen; including upgrading the cabinet doors and drawers to soft close options, and a few of those pull-out rolling pantries; including one smaller one that's Christopher sized for his snacks."

The captain grinned. "I've heard a lot about this kitchen of yours from Hen and Athena. It sounds like a dream to cook in."

Buck agreed. "It really is. It has loads of benchtop space, storage space for all of my favorite appliances, and a pasta maker. You should come to our barbecue this weekend; Christopher, Denny, and Harry have become best friends, and May gets on well with Christopher's aide, Natalie. We usually get together on our four-day off stretch when it falls on a weekend."

Bobby smiled. "If the others don't mind, I would love to come. I run a mean grill."

"Great." Buck enthused. "Me and Eddie try, but we're still getting the hang of the outdoor kitchen."

Bobby offered, "I can bring over my ribs marinade. It's a recipe I came up with while working in St. Paul." He took advantage of the fact that Chimney and Beal had been given the day off so they could attend interviews at LAFD HQ, and he said, "I wanted to apologize for not reining in Chimney and his cohorts. What they did to you and the others was beyond a joke, but I had my interview with Chief Alonzo yesterday, and I took in all the records I kept on their harassment. I may not have said anything, but I kept detailed records of what they were doing with dates and times so they could pull up the footage from our security cameras. I handed it all over with details of the blackmail."

Buck winced. "Any word on repercussions for you?"

Bobby shrugged. "Nothing yet. I wouldn't be surprised if I got demoted, at the very least. While I was being blackmailed, I also didn't say anything to anyone about it."

The younger man frowned. "Wasn't the guy blackmailing you the deputy chief? Who were you supposed to tell? The chain of command exists for a reason; it's unlikely Chief Alonzo would have met with you. He would have referred you to the deputy chief in charge of your district."

Bobby nodded. "That's exactly what Chief Alonzo said when he met with me yesterday. They're actually looking at charging the former deputy chief with extortion. I wasn't the only one he was blackmailing. While he's trying to justify it as an attempt to prevent the LAFD from facing charges for what the former captain did, it's still blackmail and extortion."

Buck nodded. "Honestly, any case those three could have tried would have been thrown out, given they are pulling the same sh*t as the former captain. I will miss being here, but I want to work with Eddie, and he refuses point-blank to work with Chimney or Beal. Honestly, though, the 217 is going to be great for me. Eddie and I have both signed up to get our pilot's licenses so we can do air support in the future."

Bobby squeezed his shoulder and said, "That sounds great, Buck. I'm not sure if it will mean much, but I am proud of you. You've achieved a lot in your short time here, and I'm sure you'll achieve even more with the 217. I'll be watching your career for sure." He looked pensive as he looked down at the chopping board and said, "I'll also miss the best sous chef ever."

Buck was about to reply when he saw a semi-familiar figure climb the stairs. He nudged Bobby and murmured, "Isn't that Chim's girlfriend, Darcy?"

Bobby nodded and wiped his hands on a dishcloth as he approached the girl. He asked, "How can I help? I assume you're not looking for Chimney since he's at HQ today."

She nodded. "I know. I was actually wondering if I could speak to Evan Buckley? In private, if possible?"

Buck shook his head. "Not in private, sorry. However, I'll talk to you if Captain Nash can accompany us."

She nodded her head. "That's fine. Is there somewhere less open we can go?"

Bobby said, "How about we go to my office. Everything here will keep; I'll just get Tanika to keep an eye on it, since Martin likes to bogart the raw veggies."

From the couch Martin clutched his chest in faux offense, and said, "I would never, cap."

Tanika waved them away and said, "I'll keep a beady eye on him, Bobby."

Bobby led Darcy to his office, with Buck following behind. He could tell the younger man did not want to be alone with the woman, and after the rocks incident, he could understand why.

When they were seated, Buck asked, "So how can I help you, Darcy?"

She took a steadying breath and asked, "Do you know about the catfishing? Chimney never said."

Buck nodded. "Yeah, I lost count of how many girls accosted me for ghosting them. It's died down over the last month, so I'm hoping they got bored and found a new person to impersonate."

Darcy said softly, "Or he's been too busy with his girlfriend to be on MySpace all night."

Bobby asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Darcy said slowly, "Chimney is the catfisher. Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about the catfisher, and he seemed to know more about the discussions I had on MySpace with the Evan Buckley profile than he should. So one night, when he'd fallen asleep during a movie, I grabbed his laptop, looked through his history, and found the MySpace account. It was still logged in, so I grabbed screenshots of all the conversations I could find. He'd been chatting to about 20 women that we know of over the last six months. From the dates, it looked like he had at least four or five on the go at the same time." She handed Buck a USB drive. "This has all the screenshots I took. Don't worry; I deleted all the evidence of my presence off his laptop so he won't know the screenshots exist."

Buck looked down at the USB drive. He honestly didn't know what to think. He asked, "How did you get into his laptop?"

She smirked, "He has no password on his laptop; anyone can get into it."

Bobby scrubbed his face with his hands. Then he said, "Thank you for reporting this, Darcy. It's good to finally get answers about the catfisher."

"Even if that news isn't the greatest," Buck admitted.

Darcy nodded. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of such news, but I thought you'd want to know, so I took advantage of Chim and his friends not being in today. My contact details are on that flash drive, so if the LAFD or LAPD want to get in touch, they can."

Buck gratefully said, "Thank you!"

She nodded and left the office. Once the door was shut, Buck said, "Well, this explains how they got the details of the calls so perfect. Chief Barnfield was sure they had access to the reports, and he does."

Bobby said, "I'm going to call in a couple of floaters, then we're going to LAFD HQ to hand that into the chief. I think it's important, given the interviews they are doing today."

Buck offered, "I'll go out there and finish lunch so the team can eat."

It took an hour for the floaters to arrive, including Dylan, who would take over for Captain Nash while he was busy with Buck. He gave them a curious look as they got into the battalion vehicle, but didn't ask any questions.

When they arrived at HQ, they could see Chim sitting in the waiting area. They ignored him and approached Kyla, who was waiting for them near the lifts. They got in, and she gave Bobby a filthy look before she asked, "What do you need, Buck?"

Buck said, "We need to see Megan and the Chief before he interviews Chimney. We have information that could affect how his interview goes." He looked down at the copy of the USB drive he'd made while waiting for the floaters. He held it up and said, "This drive proves that he's the catfisher that's been impersonating me on MySpace."

She growled, "You've got to be f*cking kidding me. That bullying asshole has been using your name and rescues to talk to women after spending the first six months slu*t shaming you?"

Buck nodded. "Exactly that. His current girlfriend is one of the catfish victims, and he asked her out when she came to the station to confront me. She's the one who brought me the proof from his own laptop, since he left it out, and it has no password; she considered it fair game. She figured out he knew too much about the conversations than someone who worked with me would, so she went hunting."

Megan asked, "So what's actually on the flash drive?"

Buck explained, "It's got screenshots of all the conversations the Evan Buckley account had with over 20 women, sorted by their usernames. Darcy's contact details, in case you or the LAPD want to talk to her, and his notes file on the various women he was talking to, including what rescues he'd talked about with each one, when he started talking to them, when he got bored of them and why, and if he heard they confronted me, he noted it down."

Bobby asked, "Seriously?"

Buck nodded. "Yep, very detailed notes. I'm not sure if Darcy looked into the notes files, but if I was her, I'd be pissed. He even detailed their dates and mentioned that he should try and pick up other women that confront me. I went through the drive and made a few copies; one is already on the way to my lawyer; bike messengers are fantastic. He wants to see if there is enough evidence for a civil suit for identity fraud."

Megan said, "I hope you sue the bastard into the ground. Hopefully, the evidence on here will be at least enough to get him fired. The LAFD has a stringent morals code, and impersonating another firefighter to chat up women and ghost them affects the reputation of said firefighter, and thus the reputation of the LAFD."

Bobby admitted, "You're not wrong. I still can't believe he's been doing this, and his cohorts have been using it to slu*t shame Buck over the last few weeks. If I keep my job, I hope those three will be transferred out of my house at the minimum. I'm so done with the lot of them right now."

Buck said, "You've been done with them for a long time, cap; you just couldn't do anything about them." He glanced at Megan and said, "I'm not sure Beal and Thompson know about Chim being the catfisher. I don't know… it's just that their anger over the whole thing doesn't seem fake."

Bobby added, "Whereas Chim is nearly impossible to read since he's always popping gum and smirking no matter what mood he's in."

Kyla said, "Bossman is on his way down; he wants to see what you've got before he interviews Howard Han. Megan, can you print out the screenshots. It would be good to have them handy."

While Megan and Bobby were working together to print the screenshots, Kyla dragged Buck to the side and asked, "How did the deposition go?"

Buck shrugged. "It was awful, but the prosecutor was awesome and made it much easier than it could have been. I had Ralph with me to protect my interests, and I Skyped my therapist afterward to talk it through."

Kyla said, "And a wonderful husband to cuddle once you were done."

"Husband?" Bobby asked from where he was standing at the printer. Buck and Kyla were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't seen him approach.

Buck nodded. "Yeah, I married Eddie just over a month ago now. We were going to announce it to the fire fam this weekend."

Kyla snarked, "The bastards got married at City Hall without telling us. We first heard when he came here to file the HR paperwork."

Buck placated, "That's why we are having the barbecue for everyone this weekend. The photos Quinn took arrived this week. So we thought everyone could look through them together. Tommy and Shawn are coming too."

Bobby smiled, "Congratulations, Buck. I won't say anything to Hen or Athena."

"Thanks, Bobby," Buck said gratefully. "I think if Hen found out at work, the whole shift would find out from her shrieking."

Kyla started laughing. "You're not wrong. But I'm looking forward to Sergeant Grant's reaction. She's gonna be pissed she missed it."

Megan cleared her throat, "I've got everything printed out. I can honestly say I will be calling our legal team about this. They'll contact Darcy directly to arrange an interview with her; she even included that conversation with Jennifer. Chief Barnfield will be gratified to know she blocked him after that last discussion."

"Phew," Buck said with a sigh. "I was a bit worried about her, to be honest. She seems very young and naive."

Kyla said, "I suggested an internet safety class for her that one of the local community groups runs. Her dad said she learned a lot from it and is now more careful about what she does online."

There was a knock on the office door, and Chief Alonzo entered. He said, "Kyla mentioned you have important information for me?"

Megan said, "Sir, we've received information that Firefighter Paramedic Han has been impersonating Firefighter Buckley online to chat with women, then ghosting them in order to provoke confrontations with Firefighter Buckley."

The chief said, "I'd heard about the catfishing, but you're saying it was another firefighter?"

Buck nodded. "It explains how they could go into so much detail about my rescues."

Megan said, "From the screenshots, it would appear he told them quite freely where Firefighter Buckley worked, coffee shops he frequented, and even the gym he uses, and he also provided many photos of him in uniform. The only thing he didn't share was Buckley's address."

Buck interrupted, "That's because he didn't know it. I gave it to Bobby and asked that he lock it down because of the hazing."

Chief Alonzo took the folder that Megan handed him and said, "I'll definitely bring this up in his interview. How did we get the information?"

Buck explained Darcy, her suspicions, and her visit to the station earlier in the day.

The chief asked, "She was dating Han? After being ghosted by this fake account?"

Bobby nodded. "She came to the station to accost Buck, but he wasn't at work at the time. While she was there, Chimney invited her to a games night, and they've been dating ever since. She's honestly pretty pissed off, sir."

Megan added, "I've sent an email to legal with all the details from the flash drive and Darcy's contact details. What this firefighter has done has broken the morals code of his contract three ways from Sunday."

The chief looked at Bobby and asked, "Does anyone else have a copy of this information?"

Buck cleared his throat and said, "I made a few copies while we waited for the floater, and one copy was sent to my lawyer by bike messenger. He wants to see if there is enough to sue him in civil court for identity theft." He could see the worry on the chief's face and reassured, "He will keep it quiet; he's just very protective of me. He's been my lawyer since my grandmother died."

Megan said, "One thing I do want is the login details for this account. I want a way to message these women to make it clear that it was not Firefighter Buckley contacting them, and reiterating what it says on his Instagram account, that he has no other social networks. I want to talk to Mitch about the best way to handle it."

"Great idea, Megan," The chief said with a rare smile. "I'll see what I can do about getting the login details. Kyla, I'll get you to join us in this interview and take notes. Your RBF could come in handy."

Once he was gone, Bobby asked, "RBF?"

Buck laughed and explained, "Resting Bitch Face. I call it her Resting Murder Face, but potato tomato." He grinned when he heard Megan snort and said, "We should head back to the station. Make sure Martin hasn't scoffed all the veggies. Do you need anything from us, Megan?"

She shook her head and said, "I'll be in touch if I have any information I can share with your lawyer."

As they drove back to the station, Bobby shook his head and said, "What a mess. I can't believe he thought he would get away with this."

Buck said, "Can I ask why he and Beal were at HQ today? I know a few around the station were curious, but no one seemed to know. Not even Blake, and he's usually in the know."

Bobby sighed, "I'm surprised no one has worked it out yet. Dylan wasn't an ordinary floater; he was placed at the 118 undercover to get information on the hazing issue. He was chosen specifically due to his history, being unknown to others in the LAFD, and his looks."

Buck rolled his eyes and said, "The three Bs. Broad, Blond, Buff. It explains why he was so protective of me. Who sent him in though? If it was HQ, rumors would have been flying."

Bobby said, "It was Commander Regent from the Academy. He was concerned at the number of probies who had transferred out at the end of their probation year. He wanted to know why it was happening and how to stop it from continuing."

Buck admitted, "He's also aware of the hazing, since he's actually someone I've worked under before. He was one of my instructors when I was doing SEAL training. We talked a few times while I was waiting for Eddie to get out of his classes and after our joint training sessions."

Bobby sighed. "He helped you transfer, didn't he?"

Buck confirmed, "He did. He put the word out to a few captains who took on heavy rescue assets. The first two interviews we had were a joke; they both wanted to hire me on my own, and were put out to find out we were only looking for work as a matched pair. That they had to take Eddie if they wanted me."

Bobby grinned. "You've earned a stellar reputation while you've been with us. Your ability to pull off difficult rescues is amazing, and something that the 217 will love."

Buck was blushing and wanted to change the subject, so he asked, "When will you get the results of the investigation?" He was basically asking when Bobby would find out about his job, and he hoped it would be before he finished up at the 118.

"Nice deflection, Buck," Bobby said with a roll of his eyes. "I think they are trying to finish it pretty quickly, hopefully in the next few days. It turns out Dylan interviewed most of the crew on the sly, adding the details and incidents you all mentioned to his file. It saved interviews being done at HQ, which would raise a lot of red flags."

Buck asked, "I guess we'll be told about the unofficial interviews when the investigation is over?"

Bobby nodded. "I think so."

Chapter 23

Chapter Text

August 2018

A few days later, on Buck's last day at the station, he looked up when he heard footsteps coming into the station. He was surprised to see Chief Alonso and Commander Regent walking in with Kyla, Megan, and someone he didn't recognize behind him. He nudged Hen, who he had been chatting with, and gestured with his head at the garage doors.

Hen whispered, "This can't be good."

They watched as Bobby approached the chief, then walked up the stairs to the balcony as he whistled to get everyone's attention. When he had everyone's attention, he said, "We've been taken offline for two hours while the chief speaks with several members of the team, starting with me. I'm sure you can all find something to do to keep you busy in the meantime."

Hen said, "How about you come and help me restock the ambulance? We should have a good view of the fireworks from there."

As they worked and subtly watched the office door, Hen asked, "Do you think Bobby will be staying?"

Buck murmured, "I hope so; he's not a bad captain, just hamstrung."

They watched him come out of the office, and he gave them a quick smile before he went to find the next person on the chief's list, Beal.

Hen asked, "Do you need us to bring anything for the barbecue tomorrow?"

Buck shook his head. "We got it all sorted. I invited Bobby, and he's going to bring some of his special ribs. Apparently, the marinade is one he created when he was living in St. Paul."

Hen grinned. "I heard all about that from Athena." She moved closer and whispered, "I'm pretty sure they're dating on the quiet."

Buck smiled in return. "Good for them. I'll keep an eye out at the barbecue."

A few minutes later, Bobby entered the ambulance and said, "I'm staying; I'll be under supervision for the next six months, then, provided I do okay, I'll be back to normal."

Hen gestured at the office and asked, "What about Thompson, Beal, and Chimney?" She was not aware of Chimney's involvement in the catfishing, and neither Buck nor Bobby wanted to be the ones to tell her.

Bobby said, "You'll find out soon, I'm sure. I'm going to head upstairs to get some paperwork done."

They kept working as they looked up at the office door every so often. Eventually, Beal came out of the office; first, he found Chimney and sent him into the captain's office, then he looked around until someone pointed out Buck to him. He approached the back of the ambulance while Hen was in the supply room and said, "I'm sorry, Buckley. I didn't know Chimney was the one catfishing you, and if I did know, I would have talked him out of it. I honestly thought we were just teasing; what Chimney was doing was so far over the line I doubt he can see it."

Buck nodded. "I hope you realize now it wasn't harmless teasing?"

Beal nodded. "If I don't, the anti-bullying seminars and mandatory sessions with Frank will drum it into my head. I guess I'll see you around."

Buck shook his head. "Today's my last day with the 118. I'm transferring to the 217, I've been training with a heavy rescue partner, and he refuses point blank to work here, so I transferred with him."

Beal nodded. "Sorry again. I gotta get out of here before Chim is done." Hen came back to the ambulance with an armload of supplies. As she placed them on the gurney, Buck said, "Beal just left. He actually apologized for the teasing, and he now understands that it wasn't teasing."

Hen shrugged. "Whatever he got, I'm sure he deserved it. The way they treated you and the other probies was beyond a joke. I know I was blind to a lot of it when you started; I like to see the best in everyone, but you opened my eyes to it, and I thought back, and I could see what they were doing. It was mostly subtle and easy enough for most to miss, but they went all out with you. Maybe they were braver, or maybe they took exception to you for being exactly the type of firefighter they hated; who knows."

Buck shrugged. "No matter what happens, I'll barely have to deal with them after today. I'll be at the 217 working with Eds. I'm really looking forward to it. Although, I'm sad I won't be working with Tommy though. He let me know last night his transfer to the 118 was approved."

Hen grinned. "It'll be good to have him back here." She murmured, "I wonder if he's being brought in to replace Chim, since he's also a lieutenant. One with more experience than Chimney. I can't see Chim staying if they transferred Beal."

Buck shrugged. "Tommy didn't say much. He just texted to say we were swapping places, and that he'd see me on Saturday at the barbecue."

They watched Megan let Chimney into the office, and Hen asked, "Who is she? I've seen her around HQ but never met her."

Buck explained, "That's Megan. She's the HR manager for the LAFD. She's the one that was helping me with the whole catfishing thing from the start."

She asked, "You took it to HR?"

"Of course," Buck said. "Even though I didn't know who it was, they were impersonating an LAFD firefighter, so I talked to the other woman in the meeting, Kyla, Chief Alonzo's assistant, and she suggested talking to Megan. I'll tell you what, it saved me from getting fired, considering one of the women that profile was talking to was Chief Barnfield's barely legal daughter."

Hen grimaced. "Jesus, that's creepy as f*ck."

Buck nodded. "We did a chat with the catfisher while I was sitting beside her and her father, and proved it wasn't me. We also learned that whoever the catfisher is, they have access to the after-action reports we file. They knew way too much about that mountain biker rescue we did up in the Will Rogers State Park." He was about to say more, but Hen shushed him and leaned out of the ambulance.

"Damn," Hen said quietly. "I can almost hear them from here. I can't hear the words, but there is a lot of yelling in that office."

They saw the door start to open and jumped back, but not quick enough to avoid the angry gaze of Chimney, who was storming over to them.

Chimney bellowed, "Buckley, you asshole, you tattled and got me fired!"

Buck jumped out of the ambulance and chuckled. "I did nothing of the sort; you did that all on your own when you decided to chat up women using my name, my face, and the hard work I put in on tricky rescues. I mean, the LAFD had a vested interest in finding the catfisher, considering one of the women you chatted with was Chief Barnfield's barely legal daughter."

Hen gasped as she demanded, "Chimney was the one catfishing all those women?"

Buck nodded. "It explains how they got all those details of my rescues, all the details the public wouldn't know and the media didn't see."

"Like the mountain bike rescue," Hen said in understanding. She scowled at Chimney and said, "That's low, even for you. I don't even know who you are anymore, Howard. Get help!" She jumped out of the ambulance before Chimney could reply and joined the rest of A shift, who were all standing at the loft railing watching Chimney lose his sh*t.

Chief Alonzo and Bobby had approached to investigate the yelling, and the chief demanded, "What the hell is going on?"

Before Chimney could explain anything, Buck said, "Chimney came out to accuse me of getting him fired. I was just explaining to him that he did that all on his own."

The chief looked around and sighed. At least half the shift had been watching. He said coldly to Chimney, "Howard Han, I ordered you to leave the station. It was non-negotiable."

Bobby suggested, "Buck, how about you head up and make lunch? Leave Chimney for Chief Alonzo and me to deal with."

Chimney was standing there going red in rage, and while Buck was distracted swung his fist, connecting with the side of the younger man's face. Before the chief or Bobby could react, Buck had grabbed Chimney's wrist as it glanced off his face, and within seconds Chimney was face down on the ground with his hands held behind his back and a knee between his shoulder blades so he couldn't get up.

As he heard Bobby radioing dispatch for police backup, Buck leaned forward and growled, "What did you hope to achieve, Howard? I'm a Navy SEAL, and we're well trained in most forms of combat, including drunk octopus fighting."

Bobby ignored Chimney yelling vitriol at Buck, and he sighed. "Please don't provoke him, Buck. Officer Williams is two minutes out, and he'll deal with him."

Kyla approached with zip ties from the truck, passing them to Buck as she said, "We can't take you anywhere; you're a total trouble magnet, Buckaroo."

Buck secured the zip ties and pulled Chimney to a sitting position, leaning him against the side of the ambulance. He denied, "I don't go looking for trouble; it sure as sh*t finds me though."

She reached up, examined his face, and said, "You need to get that checked out at the hospital; it was a lucky hit, and he might have actually done some damage."

Buck pointed up at Hen, who was coming down the stairs, and said, "Hen can check me out, and Sha- Officer Williams can take photos for evidence. I don't need a hospital visit for a glancing blow to the face."

Kyla finally had enough, and she turned to Chim and yelled, "Will you shut up. No one wants to hear what you have to say. You screwed up, and you lost your job. It's nothing to do with Buck beyond the fact you were using his details to lie to women and then ghosting them when they wanted to meet him."

“Kyla,” Chief Alonzo warned. He said loud enough for everyone to hear, "While she's blunter than I'd prefer, she's not wrong. I talked to our PR team, and they said it's best to get everything out in the open for a case like this. That's not to say I want y'all running to the media, but they made it clear we needed transparency after everything that's happened here."

Officer Williams walked into the station and scowled when he saw the developing bruise on Buck's face. He took in the scene and noticed Chimney sitting on the floor, silent but seething. He gestured to the angry man and asked Buck, "He did that?"

Buck just nodded as Kyla said, "While he was distracted. It's the only reason the hit landed in the first place."

Hen finished her examination, and she said, "He's okay, no concussion, just a doozy bruise and maybe a black eye. I don't think he needs an x-ray, sir."

The chief nodded. "That's good to hear. Once Mr. Han has been taken away, I'll explain more about what's happened."

Shawn asked, "Buck, do you want to press charges."

Buck nodded and explained, "You should be aware of extenuating circ*mstances. Chimney is the catfisher, and he finally got caught, which resulted in his being fired. He is blaming me for his dismissal."

Shawn looked up at the gathered crowd and asked, "Anyone willing to make a statement about what they saw?"

Almost everyone at the railing raised their hand, as well as everyone in the garage. The only ones who didn't raise their hands were the ones who didn't see the incident, just the aftermath.

Shawn said, "I'll get Mr. Han down to holding, and I'll return with a few officers to get statements. Will that give you enough time for your announcements, sir?"

Chief Alonzo said, "The station is due to go back online in just over an hour, so if you could get most of them done within that timeframe, that would be great."

Bobby said, "We've got some forms here that we can start with. Athena dropped a new supply off last week. We'll get everyone to write up their statements before you get back, then you can go through them and ask any clarifying questions. Sound good?"

Shawn nodded. "Perfect, actually." He pulled Chim up and marched him over to the cruiser that was parked outside as he read him his rights. The former paramedic started to struggle, and Shawn was clearly heard saying, "Sure, struggle, try and get away. I'll just manhandle you into the cruiser and add resisting arrest to the charges."

Chief Alonzo looked at the gathered crowd who were clearly waiting, and he asked, "Is there anyone missing?"

Bobby shook his head. "Everyones gathered either at the railing or down here. I'll send the security footage to Officer Williams while you make the announcements."

The chief said, "We've been looking into the 118 for a while after reports of hazing, bullying, and even intimidation started to filter through. The academy instructors were even more worried after the last three probies transferred out at the end of their probation periods. Then Firefighter Buckley requested a transfer a few months ago."

Tanika asked, "Seriously, Buck?"

Buck nodded. "Today's my last day. I didn't want a fuss… and I didn't want to add fuel to the bitchy fire. I had a friend going through the academy recently, and we've been accepted together at the 217 as a heavy rescue team."

The chief cleared his throat. "The academy sent in a floater to try and see what was going on, and I have to tell you, he was not impressed. Most of you did well to ignore the bullying and deflect it when it got bad. However, when he came to me with the information gathered from his time here, as well as the details he learned from Captain Nash, I can honestly say I was gutted by what I learned. Needless to say, Deputy Chief Lloyd has been fired, and our legal team is working with the LAPD to see if charges of blackmail and extortion can be pursued. Captain Nash is on probation for six months; we realize that he was put between a rock and a hard place, especially as there is currently no way to report someone above you in the chain of command, so he'll be working with a co-captain for the next six months and provided things go smoothly, things will go back to normal. You'll be getting a new lieutenant, Tommy Kinard, to replace Mr. Han, who was fired for the systematic bullying of those who he disapproved of, but also for breaching the morals code of his contract when he impersonated Firefighter Buckley online and proceeded to chat up women all over LA."

Buck ignored the gasps as they realized Chimney was the catfisher causing women to accost Buck for the last few months. He asked, "What about Thompson and Beal? I understand they didn't know about the catfishing."

The chief said, "They've been transferred to the 136 with other stipulations, and they are also on probation for the next six months. They'll be working under retired Army Colonel Ronnie Cooper. And he'll be reporting to me on their progress. It's up to them if they let you know the other stipulations, but I have high hopes they'll sort themselves out without Mr. Han to wind them up."

After a few minutes to let the team process, the chief admitted, "I'm disappointed, mostly in the lack of ability for someone to report behavior that wasn't being dealt with. So to make sure something like this doesn't happen again, we're implementing an anonymous reporting system for reporting hazing, bullying, and other unwelcome behaviors. It will be via an online form on the intranet, and the HR department will look for someone with an investigative background to deal with the complaints." He looked at the gathered firefighters and asked, "Any questions?"

They all shook their heads, still a bit shocked at the changes.

Bobby exited his office with the forms and a box of pens and said, "If you could write out your statements for Officer Williams and leave them on the pile beside me. If the officers have questions for you, I'll send them in your direction."

Hen muttered, "I hope, for Chimney's sake, that Athena doesn't get wind of this. She's going to want to rip his throat out." At the chief's curious look, she explained, "She's very protective of Buck. A group of us have built up a little mini firefam, and we often meet up at Buck's place for barbecues since the kids all prefer his backyard. My son and Athena's son are best friends with Christopher, Buck's roommate's son."

Kyla whispered, "Pop quiz, hotshot," and Hen couldn't help but giggle so hard she snorted. Kyla reassured her boss she would explain when they got back to HQ.

Hen said, "I should go fill out my statement. Thank you, sir, for coming in and dealing with this all personally. I'm gutted we lost Buck, but I'm confident we'll remain friends."

Kyla laughed. "Of course you will. Christopher wouldn't have it any other way. I'll see you tomorrow, Buck." She left the station with Chief Alonzo. Megan and the legal rep were staying to finalize details of the transfers and replacements with the captain.

Buck followed Hen upstairs so he could start writing up his statement. As he wrote, he watched Shawn and three other officers climb the stairs. Shawn made a beeline for him as the other officers went around the room to see who was ready to give their statement.

Shawn nudged Buck and murmured, "That takedown was badass. I should get you to give me lessons one of these days."

Buck muttered, "I'm still pissed off that he landed that shot. He waited until I was distracted before he sucker punched me."

The officer admitted, "It was the only way he was going to land a shot, and he must have known that. It's well known you're a former Navy SEAL, even if he didn't want to believe it. How's your statement coming along?"

Buck slid over what he'd written so far so his friend could read it. As Shawn was reading, he asked, "Should you be the one taking my statement since we're friends?"

Shawn nodded. "I already cleared it with Captain Maynard since his case has been assigned to a detective due to the catfishing. They want to make sure everything is processed correctly. Are you going to sue him for identity theft?"

Buck grinned. "Right to the heart of the issue. Ralph is investigating; I sent through copies of all the screenshots Darcy brought in while Bobby was busy. He's livid. Some of those girls looked young. Younger even than Jennifer."

Shawn murmured, "Yeah, I think that's the main reason the case was passed on to a detective." He tapped the statement and asked, "Anything else you want to add?"

Buck shook his head. "He was pissed, but that's kinda to be expected since he was fired, but it felt excessive."

The officer slid the paper across so Buck could sign and date it before he said, "I think he's more pissed off about being caught out as the catfisher than he is at being fired. But that's just my opinion. I better get on with the rest of the statements. I'll update you when I can."

Hen sat beside him as Shawn started circulating. She said, "Chim's shot himself in the foot this time. I can't believe he was the catfisher. When did you find out?"

Buck admitted, "A few days ago. That day Chimney had his interview at HQ, his girlfriend came in with screenshots from the fake MySpace account she found on his laptop. She'd been getting suspicious when he knew more about her conversations with the fake me, so she went snooping. The LAFD got the login details from him when he was interviewed, and they messaged all the girls to say that the account was not mine. The message had a link to my public Instagram, the verified one, to say that it was my only social media presence. A few called the PR department to verify, but hopefully, it means no more women accosting me."

She held up her crossed fingers and said, "I hope so. Although I hope I'm there if Eddie goes diva on one of them again. That sounded hilarious."

Chapter 24

Chapter Text

September 2018

Buck was happy; everyone they invited had been able to make it for their barbecue. They all thought it was to celebrate Buck and Eddie starting at the 217. Buck waited until everyone was sitting down with their food before he stood with Eddie by his side. He said, "I know we invited you here to celebrate my transfer and Eddie starting at the 217, but we actually had an ulterior motive."

Eddie could see he was hesitant, so he said, "Last month, while my family were in town for the hearings, we got married."

They both pulled an album out from behind their backs, and Buck said, "We wanted to wait until we got the photos before we said anything."

Shawn was the first to move, putting his plate back on the table and barrelling in for a hug. He murmured, "I am so happy for you both."

The rest of their little firefam dogpiled in for hugs and congratulations before they absconded with the albums. When Buck sat down, Hen said, "I can't believe you kept this a secret for so long. Does your new captain know you're married?"

Before Buck could answer, Tommy said, "He won't have an issue with it, given his second in command is his wife."

Buck said, "We were honest with him and let him know we were married, and as Tommy said, he was fine with it. There are rules around PDA that are relaxed after big fires or close calls, obviously."

Eddie said, "I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. The 217 gets some pretty out there calls."

Bobby laughed, "Not as out there as the 118. Although our out there tends to lean more towards the weird than the difficult."

Buck laughed. "Like the night we had the three women in labor at the same time, and the tapeworm."

Wanting to keep the conversation child-friendly, Athena said, "Don't forget the zombie; I'm pretty sure that was the same night."

Hen laughed, "And the Casanova breaks, also the same night. I never put credence into the full moon thing before I became a first responder, but after that night, I sure as hell respect the full moon now."

Tommy asked, "I heard something about a karma day?"

Buck snorted. "Sorry, snorting was bad, but yeah, karma was the only way to describe it, three victims all falling karma to their own actions. Did anyone find out what happened to the tiger?"

Athena said, "Public pressure forced the authorities to back down on a kill order. Especially when security cameras showed the man throwing things at the tiger before it escaped. They've altered the enclosure so he can't escape the same way again. Oh, and the injured keeper will be fine too, with no loss of mobility or feeling. And that's thanks to your quick treatment."

Hen grinned. "That's great news."

Eddie asked Buck, "Is that the tiger we saw last weekend at the zoo? You mentioned you'd seen it before on a call."

Buck nodded. "Yeah, the guy he... um, the guy was a big game hunter who'd taken out a tagged and protected lion on one of his trips."

May looked up from the album she was going through and said, "These photos are great. Where did you get married, it's gorgeous, but I don't think I've seen this building before."

Eddie said, "It's the Beverly Hills Courthouse, and it was gorgeous inside and out. I can see why it's popular for weddings. We only got in at such short notice due to a cancelation."

Buck said, "Eddie's brother-in-law is a wildlife photographer, but I have to admit, if he ever wanted to change to a different style, he'd do great as a wedding photographer."

Eddie said, "As soon as Sophia saw the building, she quickly said he'd do the photography."

Chris, Harry, and Denny had moved in to surround May while she was going through the album. Chris found a photo of the grooms with Christopher between them, and he said, "This one is my favorite. My dads look so happy."

At the other end of the table, Eddie squeezed Buck's hand when he saw the emotional reaction to the first time Chris called him his dad. The older man murmured, "He's considered you his papa for a while now; he's just never said it when you were listening. I think he was a bit worried you wouldn't want him to call you Papa."

Buck whispered back, "Nothing would make me prouder. He's a great kid, Eds."

Eddie said, "Don't be surprised if he asks you to adopt him one of these days. I think he's working up to it, but in his own time." At Buck's shocked look, he explained, "You've been helping me parent him since you moved in, finding him things to do that are fun but still work for him with his CP, you help him with his Instagram account, since I'm a technical luddite. You found us Natalie, who has been a godsend, and you treat him like he's yours." He could see the protest forming, and he reassured, "You're not overstepping, Buck. Dios, you have done so much for both of us; you're like our own miracle in human form. I was nervous when I put that ad on Craigslist, but I think it's the best thing I ever did for both of us, because it brought us you."

Buck kissed him and murmured, "You're a sap. Eddie, you have to know, you two are everything to me. You've given me what I always craved, a family, a real one that actually loves me and appreciates that I exist."

Eddie pulled Buck into his lap and whispered, "Your family aren't worth the air they breathe, cariño. I think if I meet any of them, I'll be hard-pressed to keep my opinions to myself."

Buck snuggled in and nuzzled his neck as he said, "I won't stop you. Hell would freeze over before I willingly saw my sperm and egg donor, and my sister is… complicated. I definitely don't want any of them to meet Christopher. They can be cruel and callous to the extreme. The last time I saw her, she refused to help me after my sperm donor beat me. I ended up calling Grandma for help as a last-ditch effort."

"Second best decision ever," Eddie said with a grin. "The best one being calling me from an ad on Craigslist, obviously."

Buck looked up and was glad everyone was giving them privacy by crowding around the albums at the end of the table. He kissed Eddie's cheek, and as he stood, he said, "I'm going to get the cake we bought for the party."

He found the cake sitting on the bench in the kitchen; it was a simple cake with two firefighters on top and 'Just Married' iced in around them. When he placed it on the main outdoor table, Hen said, "So this is why you needed the details for my cake guy?"

Buck nodded. "It was a simple one for him, but he said he had fun making the firefighter toppers."

She grinned, "He did a great job. Although I still say Chimney's cake was the best one he's done so far."

Tommy laughed, "Buck showed us the photos of that one; it was pretty spectacular."

Eddie asked, "Did I see that one?"

Buck pulled out his phone, pulled up the photo, and slid his phone across to his husband. "It was for when he returned to work after the rebar incident."

Eddie laughed, and Shawn and Kyla were snickering as they looked over his shoulder at the photo. Eddie said, "The Twizzler was a nice touch."

Athena said, "It was very realistic." Under her breath, she muttered, "Not that he deserved it."

Bobby asked, "Does this mean I can check out the kitchen now?"

Buck laughed. "Of course. I just wanted to keep the cake a surprise. Come on, I'll give you a tour of the house." He had a feeling if things between him and Athena went well, he'd be welcomed into the small firefam they were building.

-x-

When the boys woke up on Monday morning, they found Natalie was already hard at work in the kitchen, with Christopher's helping out as sous chef. She said, "We have to make your first day special."

Christopher said, "We're making waffles and bacon. Lots of energy for your first day."

Buck and Eddie gave him sloppy kisses on his cheeks before they thanked Natalie and helped set the table.

Once everything was on the table and ready to eat, she asked, "Are you nervous about your first day?"

Eddie shook his head. "Nope, I've got Buck with me, and he'll steer me right. I think I'll have a much easier time than what Buck had at the 118."

Buck snorted. "Like that's hard."

Eddie commented, "Tommy said Captain Taylor is vehemently against hazing. In his interview, the captain also made it clear that he stomped out bullying in the house when he took over."

Buck smirked. "Tommy is going to have fun at the 118, the three main ringleaders are gone, but the others aren't great at recognizing what actually counts as hazing. Bobby can at least shut it down now with Tommy's help."

Christopher asked, "What's hazing?"

Buck snarked, "It's bullying with a nicer name, basically. Something that mean people do to new people when they start with the station. It used to be simple things like asking for a left-handed halligan for left-handed doors or getting the hose stretcher, both of which don't exist but can keep a newbie busy looking for it. But sometimes it goes too far like it was for me at the 118."

Eddie could see Christopher winding up to ask what he was subjected to, and he interrupted and said, "Something we won't be going into until you're older."

Christopher huffed and said, "I'm almost seven, Daddy. Surely that's old enough to learn stuff?"

Eddie shook his head and said, "Not this, mojo. Now you need to get ready for school while we tidy up in here."

Natalie said, "Leave it; I can do it while Christopher is getting dressed. You two are going to be late if you don't get a wriggle on. You have to go an hour early, remember?"

They saluted her and left the dining room to shower and prepare for their first day.

When they entered the station forty minutes later, Captain Taylor was waiting for them. He said, "Welcome, Diazes. We've got your lockers and new turnouts waiting for you. To save confusion, we went with your suggestion of B. Diaz and E. Diaz on the turnouts and your badges. Your name badges are waiting in your lockers."

Buck said, "Thanks."

While checking out the lockers, Eddie asked his new boss, "What do you prefer to be called?"

The captain said, "Either Eric or Cap. Cap if we're out in on a call. I'm not big on formality, and using my last name would get confusing since my wife works here. Are you all squared away?"

Buck nodded as he pinned his new name badge to his shirt discarding the Buckley one for a sacrificial burning later. "We'll sort them out properly later."

Eric said, "Right, let's head upstairs so you can meet my second in command." As they walked up the stairs to the loft, the captain explained, "What we normally do is introduce newbies to everyone when they first arrive, then over the next few shifts, the others will introduce themselves to you slowly so you're not bombarded with new names and faces to remember all at once. We find it makes it easier in the long run."

Eddie sighed in relief. He said, "That sounds so much easier."

Eric grinned. "First one you need to meet though is my second in command and wife, Lisa. She's our paperwork goddess."

Lisa smirked and explained, "I used to be an executive assistant for a Fortune 500 CEO before I decided to switch to firefighting. I learned how to make paperwork dance to my tune. Which is why the two of you need to follow me so we can get through your onboarding paperwork before your shift starts. We'll introduce you once everyone is here."

She led them through to an office beside the captain's office, and once they were seated, she pushed a clipboard towards each of them with the piles of paperwork they had to fill in and sign. When they were done, they both shook out their hands after all the writing they had to do.

Lisa said, "I'm still campaigning for the LAFD to digitize all the onboarding forms, but the higher-ups are resisting. They still like to do things old school."

Buck grinned. "It's fine. Anything digitized would probably be on a tablet, and I hate typing on those things. It always feels awkward without the feedback from the keys."

Eddie laughed. "I don't mind old school, but then my husband and son call me a technology dinosaur. Especially after I protested the Hildy coffee machine Buck bought. I love my dumb coffee machine."

Lisa put down the forms and said, "This is all in order, so let's head upstairs, and we can introduce you to the rest of A shift, who should have all arrived by now. Hopefully, we can get something to eat before the bells go off."

They followed her to the main living area of the station, and Lisa cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. She announced, "Everyone, our new heavy rescue pair have arrived. On the left is Evan Diaz, who prefers to be called Buck; he's formerly of the 118, and before joining the LAFD, he was a Navy SEAL and often worked rescue operations. On the right is Eddie Diaz, Buck's husband and our current probationary firefighter; he's a former Army medic, and they both graduated top of their respective classes at the academy."

Everyone seemed happy to see them and were welcoming without being overwhelming. Despite their claims that they already ate, Lisa gestured them into seats for breakfast.

Across the table, one of the men said, "I did too, but I'm not going to turn down second breakfast. I might not be a hobbit, but Fraser is cooking, and he makes spectacular breakfasts. I'm Simon Clarke, by the way, the senior engineer for the shift."

"Nice to meet you." They both said. Buck then asked him, "So how do the chores work? Rotation basis or assigned?"

Simon said, "Rotation to a point. Lisa puts the chores on the board at the end of each week, then we can haggle or swap with others."

Eddie chuckled, "So I could swap my cooking duties with Buck so you don't all end up with food poisoning then?"

Simon nodded. "Definitely. We have a few on the shift who either can't cook or just hate it, so they usually swap with the better cooks on the shift. Once the haggling and trades are done, Eric gets together with those on cooking duty to plan the menus for the week and sort out the shopping list for those assigned to the shopping."

Buck nodded. "Sounds like a good system. It's a good thing I've learned to cook a lot of stuff over the years that's designed to be eaten on the fly."

Eddie grinned. "You could do your breakfast burritos; they are good any time of day."

Buck was about to reply when the alarm went off. They ran for the turnout lockers and got kitted up before jumping on the truck.

As they drove to the scene of the multi-car pile-up, Eric explained to the newbies, "I run the triple, and Lisa runs the ladder. We also have two paramedic teams. Right, now, we've been called to a five-car pile-up in Van Nuys. Someone ran a red and got shunted into another few cars. There is a low injury count, but a few people are trapped in their cars. Clarke and Gray, I want you two on triage. There are reported to be a lot of people who have exited their vehicles who need to be checked over. Thomas, Brown, and Diazes, I want you four working on extracting those who are trapped. You'll need to work with our paramedics to assess for serious injuries."

They all chorused, "Got it, Cap."

When they arrived, Eric jumped out and assessed the scene; he pointed, "Thomas and Brown, take the blue Mazda; there are two people still in it. Diaz's, you're on the black Toyota. Hop to it!"

Buck and Eddie tapped their wrists, in their own form of a fist bump, before they ran to the compartments, thankful that there was uniformity around the LAFD for equipment storage. Buck grabbed a set of jaws and a halligan, passing the halligan to Eddie before grabbing a med kit for Eddie from a second compartment and another halligan for himself. They jogged over to the black car they were directed to and found a dazed woman sitting in the driver's seat.

Since Eddie had more medical training, he climbed in through the back seat on the other side of the car and did an assessment. As he put on the c-collar, the woman, Sara, said her legs were killing her, but she couldn't articulate how or why. Eddie was sure she had a concussion from her head hitting the steering wheel. From the angle he was on, he could see that the dashboard was pressing down into her legs, but he couldn't see how badly. Through the shattered back window, he told Buck, "We're going to need to get the dash off her legs, but slowly so I can check her legs as we move. I also want to get the paramedics here before we start."

He leaned forward between the seats and said, "Sara, we want to break the driver's window so we can check on you while we work to extract you; I'm just going to put this blanket you've got here in the backseat over you to protect you from the glass, okay?" She nodded slightly, so he covered her in the blanket from the back seat as best as he could, then nodded at Buck, who smashed the window and cleared out the glass.

As Eddie climbed out of the car, Buck radioed the captain to get the paramedics to hit their vehicle next. Eric confirmed he was sending one of the paramedic teams over to help.

Buck said, "Let's get the door off so you can get a proper look at her legs; then we can work on lifting the dash and getting her out of there."

They worked together in almost complete silence to remove the door, as they were used to communicating non-verbally, and found the dash had just crumpled across Sara's shins. It didn't look like she'd have any major injuries beyond some wicked bruising. They got her out with the help of Doyle and Gonzalez, and she was taken straight to one of the waiting ambulances. Once they were done, they gathered their equipment and returned to the captain for their next orders.

When they got back to the station, Eric said, "You know, Andrew said you're going to be one of the best rescue pairs the LAFD has seen in a long time, and I thought he was just exaggerating, but I take it back, the way you two work is like poetry. You barely spoke when removing that door, yet you worked in sync better than some pairs I've seen that have been partners for years."

Buck blushed, and Eddie grinned as he said, "Thanks, cap. It's good to know all that training we did together helped."

-x-

A few hours later, nearing dusk, the alarm went off again. They all jumped into the trucks, and as they drove, Eric reported, "Our patient is Charlie; he's reporting that he shot a grenade into his thigh."

Eddie asked, "Do you know what type of grenade?"

Eric shook his head. "Dispatch just said it's a grenade. No specifics."

Buck offered, "I should go in with you. I've got explosives experience, cap."

Eric nodded. "Sounds good, Buck."

They pulled up outside the suburban house, and as they jumped out of the trucks, the captain called, "Buck, Eddie, you're with me. Time for a trial by fire."

Eddie and Buck both chorused, "Right behind you, cap."

They followed the captain into the house and helped track down Charlie, who was yelling from a small workshop deep in the house. Eric waited at the door watching as the two newest members of his firehouse assessed the patient. He asked, "How's it looking."

Buck said, "Give us a chance to check him over, cap. Shesh." He introduced himself and his partner to the patient before he asked, "So what happened, Charlie? Dispatch just told us you shot a grenade into your leg."

Charlie nodded. "I was taking it apart, and the damn thing went off."

As Eddie went in to assess his leg, he frowned and asked, "Why were you taking it apart?"

The patient explained, "I was cleaning it; I'm a collector."

Buck asked, "It's a 40-mike-mike for the M203?"

Charlie nodded. "It's just a practice round; I picked it up in Brea at a flea market for my Nam collection. My screwdriver must have touched the propelling charge. I…”

Eddie shook his head and said, "It's not a practice round. It's got a gold cap; gold caps are live." He looked at the captain and said, "There is a lot of shrapnel in here, and it looks like he's nicked the femoral artery. I want to get him transported, but we need the bomb squad to deal with the grenade first."

Buck agreed. "We can't take him to a hospital with a live round in his leg."

Eric said, "I'll call them in."

Before he could go, Buck said, "Call in the military team from Pendelton. They'll have the tools needed to deal with the disposal of the grenade."

Eric nodded in confirmation. He asked, "Do you need anything more from the truck?"

Eddie said, "More gauze, some fluids, and a sedative. I don't want him awake when we extract the ordinance."

"I'll send someone in," The captain confirmed before he ran out of the house.

Stoker, one of the paramedics on the shift, ran in with the required medical supplies and said, "Cap sent me in for medical backup if you need it."

Eddie smiled, "Could you set up a tourniquet while I pack the wound?"

The paramedic nodded and said, "Sure thing."

Buck crouched next to the patient as they worked and explained, "I'm sure you've heard what Eddie said about the grenade being live. We need to go and talk with the bomb squad about the best way to extract the ordinance from your leg."

Charlie gripped his arm and said, "Whatever you need to do." He looked around at the rest of his collection and said, "You might want to get someone in here to check over the rest of my collection. Most of it was bought from flea markets and the like."

Buck said, "I've already noticed a few I want to flag for review. That's something the squad from Pendleton will take care of."

Stoker offered, "I can stay here and wait with Charlie while you talk with the bomb squad outside."

Eddie said, "Thanks, Stoker. Radio if you need us."

Buck and Eddie jogged out of the house to where the bomb squad had just arrived. Buck reported, "From what I can tell, it's a live 40-mike-mike; he hasn't triggered the explosive as it didn't travel far enough to set off the proximity sensor."

After the introductions, the bomb squad captain,Jesse Tucker, said, "I've sent one of my guys in with a portable x-ray so we can get a good look at what's going on; he's also taken in a vest for your paramedic."

Buck grinned. "Thanks, Captain Tucker."

They waited for the image to load on the captain's tablet, and Buck breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the explosive part of the grenade looked mostly intact from what he could see on the screen. He said as much to the bomb squad captain.

Eric asked, "You mentioned a proximity sensor, Buck; what is that exactly?"

Eddie explained, "It's a little smart sensor that tells the cap it's traveled a safe enough distance from the shooter to explode. From his hand to his leg wasn't far enough."

Jesse said, "I've called in the military team from Pendleton, but they're at least an hour away."

Buck said, "He doesn't have an hour. If he doesn't go into surgery soon, he'll die. If you give me the tools and protective gear, I can go in and remove it."

Eddie nudged him and said, "We can go in and remove it."

Jesse looked at them both and asked, "You've done this before?"

Buck snorted. "None of my guys were dumb enough to shoot a live round in themselves, but I'm familiar with the ordinance. I was an EOD Tech for my SEAL team, and my husband was an Army medic."

Jesse slumped in relief. "Follow me; we'll get you both kitted out with the protective vests and tools you'll need." As he passed them the gear, including the tools and a box to store the grenade, he said, "You get that thing out of him, put it in here, and get the hell away from it. I'll send in the robot to pick it up."

Buck nodded. "So, the usual procedure then. Got it, Captain Tucker." He took the claw and the box and nodded to Eddie as he said, "See you inside."

Eric nabbed Eddie before he went into the house, and he said, "You don't have to do this. Buck is the explosives expert."

Eddie said, "You think I'm going to let my husband have all the fun. Hell no."

He jogged into the house, passing Stoker, who was on his way out. When he entered the room, he asked, "How are you doing, Charlie?"

Charlie moaned, "I feel like a world-class idiot. My wife, if she was still alive, she'd be here now saying, 'I told you so.'"

Buck shrugged. "Accidents happen, Charlie. We're going to add a sedative to your IV; it'll prevent you from moving while we do the extraction, okay?"

The patient nodded. "Go for it. A nap sounds great about now."

Eddie injected the IV into the line, and they waited to make sure it worked before Eddie started removing the packing around the grenade. As they waited for the sedative to kick in, Eddie asked, "What branch did you say you were in, Charlie?"

"I didn't," The older man said sadly. "I always wanted to be a marine. I tried to enlist during' Nam, but I was 4F, an enlarged heart. So instead, I spent the last 40 years teaching seventh grade."

Buck grinned. "See, Charlie. Not all heroes serve on the battlefield."

Charlie was about to reply when the sedative kicked in, and he was out cold. When he confirmed the older man was out, Eddie said, "You're good to go, Buck."

He started to put pressure around the wound as Buck got the claw ready to grab the grenade. Eddie had the box prepared at his feet for when Buck had the grenade out.

As he pulled the round out of the patient's leg, Buck explained, "The hard part of this is having to be careful. The sensor measures the distance traveled based on how many rotations the shell made after the launch. The key is not to turn the shell while we pull it out."

Eddie nodded. "That's why I packed gauze into the box so there was a bed for the grenade to lie on so it couldn't roll once we got it out."

Buck exclaimed, "f*ck, I'm going to have to turn it just… a… bit." At the last word and the last slight twist, the grenade came out of the leg with a gross sucking noise.

Eddie had the box ready, and he held it open so Buck could drop the round in the bed of gauze. When his husband released the grenade, he sealed the box and placed it on the table beside him. "Let's get Charlie out of here."

They wheeled him out to the ambulance, and as they passed the bomb squad captain, they heard him order the robot into the house.

Stoker checked the wound was packed again before they loaded Charlie into the ambulance, and it set off at speed for the nearest hospital.

Eric approached with a few of the other firefighters, and he commented, "Now I see what all the fuss was about. That was seamless, boys."

Buck frowned and asked, "How?"

Jesse explained, "My guy set up cameras in the room before he left. He's right; you look like you've been working together for years. But Captain Taylor said you only met at the start of the year."

Simon said, "I've been working with my partner for years, and we're not that in tune with each other. We are so glad we have you on the team."

Eddie grinned and said, "And we're just as happy to be here."

They returned the protective gear as Eric called, "Saddle up; we've got another call."

Chapter 25

Chapter Text

September 2018

Near the end of their first week, Buck looked up when he saw Athena walk through the garage. He nudged Eddie before he approached the sergeant, who was definitely heading in his direction.

Athena asked, "Buckaroo, do you have a sister?"

Buck shrugged. "Yes, but I haven't heard from her since I was eleven. So I'm not sure what's going on."

Athena asked, "Can you come down to the station to answer some questions?"

Buck asked, "About my sister?"

Athena confirmed, "She's currently in holding, and we are trying to confirm her story, so if you could come down."

Buck said, "I'll see if Captain Taylor will let me leave early; we've only got an hour left on shift."

"Thanks, Buck," Athena said gratefully. "I tried to call your phone, but it went to voicemail, so I thought you must be on a call."

Buck explained, "We just got back a few minutes ago; I haven't had a chance to retrieve my phone from my locker."

When Eric saw Athena, he asked, "What's going on, Buck?"

Buck admitted, "I think my sister was arrested, and I need to go down and confirm her story or something."

Eric asked, "You have a sister? I didn't see that in your paperwork."

Buck shrugged. "I haven't seen her for years. So I don't list her or the donors who made me."

Eric said, "That's fine. We don't have long left on our shift. Do you need Eddie to go with you?"

Buck shook his head. "Nah, I'll get him to pick me up from the precinct after the shift ends. I should be done by then. If it is my sister, I'd like to know what's going on."

He let Athena know he'd meet her at the cruiser; he just wanted to explain what was happening to Eddie. His husband promised to head to the precinct after the shift ended or earlier, if Eric let him go early. Buck gave him a quick kiss before he sprinted out of the station.

Athena was waiting for him outside beside her cruiser. After a short drive, she took him straight to the interview room, where an officer was waiting to interview him. When he was seated with a coffee, Athena said, "Sorry to bring you in like this, but we have a few questions about your sister. This is Officer Dean Scerbo, and he'll be asking the questions to keep things impartial."

Buck nodded. "Sure, then can I see her?"

She smiled, "I'll see what we can do."

Officer Scerbo took out his notebook, and after making sure the recording equipment was working, he asked questions about where Buck had been living for the last year. Buck went through the details of the frat house he was living in until he moved in with Eddie.

The officer asked, "So you never lived with Abby Clark?"

Buck shook his head. "No, but with her permission, I gave her address as a forwarding address to Pads, sorry Patrick, my old landlord at the frat house. When I broke up with Abby, I set up a redirection with the postal service for anything that might have slipped through. She offered it because the building was secure with security guards and a doorman."

Officer Scerbo frowned and asked, "Why would she offer that if you weren't moving in?"

Buck explained, "I moved in with Eddie and his son Christopher. I didn't want my old roommates stopping in drunk… or worse. They pull some crazy sh*t when they get drunk, and I didn't want any part of that. Abby suggested the security on the building would put them off, and I think she was hopeful that eventually, I would move in. But when the catfishing started, I called Pads and told him I had moved again. He didn't ask for the new address."

The officer looked at his notes and asked, "The address Mrs. Kendall gave us, you call it a frat house?"

Buck nodded. "I had five other roommates, Pads owns the house, and he's old money rich, and then the other four were either in college or on gap years. I met Pads when we attended Northwestern together. When I mentioned moving to LA, he offered me a room. A few of them are taking their studies seriously, but honestly, it's like a non-stop party house. It's one of the reasons I moved out. Noisy parties are not a fun way to try and sleep off a hard shift."

Officer Scerbo asked, "Tell me about the postcards you sent your sister?"

Buck frowned as he wondered what he was talking about." What postcards? I haven't spoken to her since I was taken in by Grandma Callister when I was eleven."

The officer made some notes, then asked, "So you didn't send her a postcard every time you moved?"

Buck shook his head. "No, I went to her for help after a beating from my sperm donor when I was eleven, and she turned me down, saying I needed to accept the consequences of my actions. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I left; I refused to beat a dead horse. I was taken in by Grandma Callister after my teacher helped me track her down."

Athena said, "Tell him, Dean."

Dean nodded. "Your sister was arrested in the apartment that used to belong to Ms. Clark this afternoon. The new owner called us when they found her in their shower. She's been charged with breaking and entering and assault. She told us about the postcards and how she used those to track you down."

Buck asked, "She's lying out her ass. I don't know how she tracked me down, but it wasn't anything I did."

Athena nodded. "She said she couldn't stay in touch with you because her husband didn't like you. He's reported her missing in Boston."

Buck sighed, "I've never actually met him. I was taken in by my Grandma before she got married. Neither of us were invited to the wedding. Can I speak to Maddie? I need to figure out how much of a problem she and her husband are going to be."

Athena said, "I'll escort you down to holding so you can speak to her." As they walked to the holding cells, she said, "I can probably drop the breaking and entering, given that the manager let her in because she has boobs, something that will probably see him fired, but the assault charges won't be dropped. When the owner confronted her, Maddie threw a large soap dish at her giving the owner a black eye, and it also fractured the zygomatic bone."

"sh*t," Buck winced. "Hence the assault charge. Just how pissed off is she?"

Athena asked dryly, "The owner or your sister?"

Buck smirked, "Both."

Officer Scerbo admitted, "The apartment owner is out for blood. She's a model, and this is affecting her ability to work. She's already put in a call to the HOA for the manager to be fired for letting Maddie in while she wasn't home."

Buck said, "A major selling point for the building was the security. It's why Abby let me use the apartment as a forwarding address. There should've been two security guards on duty in the lobby as well as the manager."

Officer Scerbo led Buck into an interview room where Maddie was still in cuffs and looked pissed off at the whole situation. She looked up and said, "Finally, Evan! You took your time."

Buck raised an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?"

Maddie snapped, "I've been here for hours while you've been off—"

"Working," Buck growled. "I got pulled out of work to answer questions when you broke into my ex-girlfriend's ex-apartment and assaulted the new owner. None of which was necessary, since I've had the same number since I was ten, Maddie. You could have called me at any time to arrange to meet with me. Much easier than conning your way into an apartment in a secure building and assaulting someone."

Maddie said, "I don't have a phone that's not being monitored; Doug watches my call history."

Buck looked unimpressed when he said, "And that's why there is such a thing as burner phones, or even better, payphones."

Maddie admitted, "I don't have your number."

Buck shrugged. "I'm sure you still have your parent's contact details. They call me every few months on a new phone that gets blocked, so they definitely have my number." Buck smiled when he saw his friend Shawn peek his head in. But then he frowned when his friend gestured for Athena to follow him outside.

Maddie was about to demand more answers from Buck when Athena slipped back into the room and asked, "Do you know a Laurie Taylor?"

Maddie nodded. "She was my charge nurse when I worked in the ER at Boston General. Why?"

Athena said, "She's just tried to implicate your husband in your disappearance, and claimed that he must have killed you."

Buck checked his watch, and he knew Eddie would be worried about him by now since their shift ended an hour ago, and he'd left his phone in his locker before the last callout. He turned to Athena and asked, "Did you let my partner know I'm still here?"

Athena nodded. She picked up on the lack of details and said, "I called after I spoke to Officer Williams, they're on their way to pick you up and said to remind you that you've got plans tonight that can't be rescheduled."

Buck smirked. They didn't have anything beyond their usual date night; now that Natalie was living with them full-time, they set aside a night each week for the two of them.

Maddie demanded, "You're just leaving me here?"

Buck said, "I'm sure you'll be fine. You've got things to work out with the officers, and I can't just drop everything in my life because you've decided to visit after years of zero contact. I'll leave my number, but I really need to get going."

Athena offered, "I'll walk you out; I need to have a word with your partner." She passed over her notebook and pen and said, "Write your number on this, then we'll get going."

"Evan!" Maddie snapped. "I need your support."

Buck handed over the piece of paper with his number and said, "You'll have it, but as I said, I can't just drop everything to hold your hand while you deal with the consequences of your own actions."

Maddie growled, "You're throwing that in my face."

The younger man nodded. "I needed your help, Maddie, your parents were mentally and physically abusive, and when I came to you for help, you told me I had to deal with the consequences of my own actions. I assume now that you were talking about my brother Daniel, who I couldn't save despite being created for that very purpose." He looked furious now when he said, "I was one when he died, Maddie! I'd only just turned a year old. How in the ever-loving f*ck was that my fault." He snatched the number back off the table. "Actually, on second thoughts, forget my number, and like your parents, you can forget that I exist. I'm done."

He stalked out of the interview room, slammed the door, leaned against the opposite wall, and waited for Athena.

When the sergeant came out of the interview room, she held out her phone and asked, "Can you call Eddie and see if he would mind if you hung around for a bit longer? I want to get my captain's permission for you to listen to her interview. Something just isn't sounding right about her story; it has more holes than that werewolf show my daughter likes to watch. They're just waiting for her lawyer to show up before they start the interview officially."

Buck checked his watch and said, "Eds should be here by now, so we can ask him."

Eddie was disappointed that their date night was being disrupted, but he completely understood how family could throw spanners in the works at the most inopportune times.

Buck promised, "We'll get In-N-Out on the way home?"

Eddie grinned. "Deal." He turned to Athena, who'd arrived with a man in a suit and asked, "Can I join you in the observation room. I'd like to be there to support Buck."

She said, "That's fine, Eddie. This is Detective Romero; he's going to interview Maddie to try and get to the bottom of what's going on. Accusations are being made in Boston that we'd like answers to."

Buck asked, "Can you find out how she got my address. I figured out she got the details for Abby's old apartment from the frathouse, but I don't know how she got those details since I never registered that address anywhere."

The detective nodded and made notes in his notebook.

Athena passed Buck a pad of paper and pen and asked, "If you think of anything, write it down. Any little details will help." She led the couple through to the observation room as the detective entered the interview room. He got himself settled as Athena sent off a text. He paid attention when the detective started the interview after a lawyer entered the room.

He went over the details of breaking into the apartment and assaulting the owner, asking questions about how she got in and why she reacted so violently. Then he asked, "Why did you break into that particular apartment?"

Maddie rolled her eyes and said, "According to my brother's last address that he sent me, that was his new apartment; he'd moved in with his girlfriend."

Detective Romero frowned and asked, "According to the notes from Officer Scerbo, your brother never sent you his address. So care to try answering that again?"

Maddie huffed and said, "I paid a private investigator to track him down. I knew he'd have the resources to help me."

When he heard that, Buck wanted to scream. He said flatly, "She's after the money Grandma Callister left me." He frowned, "How did she pay for a private investigator if Doug was keeping watch on her so closely he monitored her call history?"

The detective must have had the same thought since he asked, "How did you manage that. From the interview notes from earlier, you claimed your husband watched your finances and call history."

Maddie hesitated for a few seconds before she said, "I've been putting away money here and there to save up for an escape plan. I used it to pay the private investigator to track Evan down. He finally hit pay dirt when he found the flowers at my grandmothers grave. They had his address on them."

Detective Romero asked, "And the resources? He's a firefighter, not a cop."

Maddie huffed, and after a short stare-off, she admitted, "He has money, enough to hide me. Not that I'll see a cent of it now."

Buck muttered, "She wouldn't have seen a cent of it before."

Athena asked quietly, "Just how much are we talking?"

The younger man replied in a near whisper, "Several hundred million that is invested wisely by my lawyer, who is also a qualified investment advisor. I also own a couple of large companies he oversees for me with help from the CEOs we hired. The thing is, both sides of our family are from old money, so my parents are still living on their trust funds, and neither actually has to work a day in their lives. Maddie and I inherited ten million each from our Buckley grandparents, which was released to us when we were 21. She blew most of hers, but I added mine to my investment portfolio. I don't know if she knows about Grandma Callister leaving everything to me; she was blocked from the will reading."

He paid attention to the interview room when he heard the next question. As it was not one he was expecting.

The detective asked, "You mention your husband kept track of your finances and cellular account." When she agreed, he continued, "Because you were declared missing, and there were fears for your safety after your boss accused your husband of killing you, warrants were granted to look into your financial and cellular records. Both are in your name alone, and according to the records, the only logins have been from your cell phone. He's never logged in on his laptop or cell phone."

Maddie shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. He always knew who I had called and how much I'd spent on things. He's possessive, and he considers me his property."

The detective made some notes, and Buck noticed Maddie's lawyer looked uncomfortable the longer the silence went on. So far, beyond the basic introduction, she hadn't said a word.

Detective Romero asked, "Is your husband abusive?" When Maddie refused to answer and looked away, he said, "Your boss, Laurie, she claimed your husband has been beating you for years. Yet no one else in the hospital could agree. Laurie claimed you'd been to other hospitals with injuries related to your husband hitting you. Can you give us the names of the hospitals and the names you used when you visited?"

Maddie shook her head. It was clear to Buck she was trying to look cowed, but she just looked annoyed with the questioning.

Athena asked, "Who is she trying to kid. I've seen abused women, and she puts on a good show, but the annoyance is showing. Rick will pick up on that pretty damn quick. I know he was on a call with Boston PD for quite a while, so I'm not sure what they told him. She was declared missing a week ago. She rented a car and drove across the country."

In the interview room, Detective Romero said, "It's ok; we already know there were no visits. We were granted access to all your financial records, including the account you set up in your husband's name. None of them have payments to local hospitals, nor have there been any cash withdrawals that would be enough for an off-the-books hospital visit. We also interviewed those you worked with, and none of them reported seeing any bruises or injuries. The only injury any of them remember is when you broke your arm after being hit by a drunk driver while driving to work."

Maddie sneered, "They're lying; they're all friends with my husband. They'd do anything he asks, including lying to the police."

Detective Romero said, "I'll be honest, that's not the Boston PD's opinion. Sure, there were those on staff in his unit that seemed unusually loyal, but in the ED, where you worked, half of them had no idea who he was beyond him being your husband. Some weren't even aware he worked in the hospital, despite him being the head of the cardiothoracic unit for the last two years."

The lawyer finally spoke up and asked, "What exactly are you implying here, Detective?"

Detective Romero said, "I'm implying that she's built a good narrative around her being an abused spouse, coming to her baby brother for help, but the story doesn't match the evidence. What it does match is someone unhappy in their marriage, and trying to get her husband accused of murder. You said it yourself; you hoped your brother would help you to disappear. Thus leaving your husband in a cloud of uncertainty, tainted at the hospital with your old boss spreading the word that he's abusive. You obviously couldn't touch your bank accounts, which seems unimportant to you since they are mostly drained. You were hoping your brother would give you money and pay for a new identity?"

Maddie huffed. She ignored her lawyer's hand on her arm and said, "Yes, actually. Look, my husband wanted the dream marriage, and he'd finally reached the chief job he'd been aiming for since we met, so now it was time for the next stage in his perfect life, and he wanted kids; at least two, and I'm not interested in being a broodmare for an overgrown man child. Especially since he keeps talking about how his mom started her career as a nurse, but then decided she preferred to be a stay-at-home mom after he was born. I tried to tell him I didn't want kids, but he kept harping on about the conversations we had when we first got together and apparently made all these plans. I just wanted a rich husband; I don't recall mentioning kids. I already raised my brother because my parents didn't want him; that was enough for me."

Athena blinked as she looked at the stunned expression on Buck's face and asked, "Are you sure you weren't adopted?"

Buck snorted. "I do wonder. She really is just like her mother. Is there anything in what she said that she can be charged with?"

Athena said, "Not really. Not unless she conspired with her boss to report her missing in the hopes that her husband would be charged with murder."

Buck snarked, "I wouldn't put it past her, to be honest. Do you need us here? I think I've had my fill of Buckley's for today. I've written down some information about my parents and the inheritances that might help, but I haven't seen them in years, so I'm not sure if it will help."

Athena said, "Let me get Shawn in here to monitor the cameras, then I'll escort you both to the lobby."

As they walked, Athena asked, "How's things going at the 217?"

"Great," Buck said enthusiastically. "I miss working with Bobby and Hen, but it's stress-free without the hazing."

Eddie added, "We had a great first week. We even saved a guy who fired a grenade into his leg. It was pretty out there."

Athena raised an eyebrow and demanded, "A grenade? How did he manage that?"

Buck snorted. "It wasn't a pull-pin grenade; it was the type used in the M203 rifle. He was cleaning what he thought was a practice grenade and accidentally set off the propelling charge. He'd bought it from a flea market in Brea."

She asked, "Not a practice grenade?"

Eddie and Buck both shook their heads. Buck explained, "It was a high explosive round, and it turned out he had a few other live rounds in his collection. The Army are going to send out one of their explosives experts to do the rounds of the flea markets these collectors use and see if they can find out who is selling the live rounds."

Athena pondered, "I wonder if it's worth involving the LAPD in their investigation?"

Buck shrugged. "You could ask. I know the LAPD Bomb Squad captain is involved." He turned to Eddie, "What was his name again?"

Eddie said, "Jessie Tucker. He rolled with the punches when the military were an hour away, and our patient had a nicked femoral artery. Rather than waste time arguing, he got us kitted out and let us do what we were trained to do."

Buck snarked, "I'm willing to bet if he has military ordinance involved in the future, he'll call us as well as Pendleton. Pretty sure I saw him get a business card from Captain Taylor."

Athena shrugged. "Sometimes you need an out-of-the-box tool for the job. If that's you guys in a pinch, why not." She checked her watch and said, "You still have plenty of time for your date night; why don't you go enjoy yourselves. I'll see you both at the next barbecue and give you an update on Maddie's case if I can."

Buck commented, "I'm going to let my lawyer know what's going on. Just in case she tries to make a play for my inheritance since this entire trip seems money motivated."

Athena nodded. "Great idea, Buck."

Buck and Eddie walked out to the truck, and Buck muttered, "What a cluster f*ck. We definitely deserve some In-N-Out after all that."

Chapter 26

Chapter Text

September 2018

A few weeks after the mess at the precinct, Athena flopped down in the recliner beside Buck and groaned. "What a mess, Buck."

The younger man asked, "I… what's going on, Athena?"

With a long sigh, Athena said, "Your sister was sent back to Boston. It turns out she was working with her old boss on a two-part plan, one you were instrumental in foiling by refusing to help her hide."

Buck sat up and gave her a curious look. He asked, "Two parts? So, the first being her disappearance and her husband being implicated in her murder? What's the second?"

Athena rolled her eyes and said, "The second was getting her life insurance paid out with her boss as the beneficiary. Doug had her sign an ironclad prenup before they married. Their marriage had separate finances since she didn't want to share her trust fund. Doug didn't want her claiming anything if they divorced after she ran out of money, so she was going down the life insurance route. She's been escorted back to Boston to face charges of fraud and making false reports. I'm sure they'll tack on other charges as their investigation continues, but I don't think you'll see her again."

Eddie approached and planted himself in his husband's lap. He asked, "How pissed was she that Buck refused to visit? He had several requests from various officers for him to visit the station."

The sergeant laughed. "Oh, she was wound up to hell and back. She couldn't believe that the sweet kid she raised wouldn't help her out just because she refused to help one time."

Buck growled, "That one time, I was suffering from several broken ribs, a broken arm, and a serious concussion. They couldn't prove the history of abuse, just that one beating, so they agreed to a plea deal, resulting in a fine, and my grandmother filed to have their parental rights stripped. I got a permanent restraining order, and my grandmother was given custody of me."

"It sucks, but it makes sense," Athena commiserated. "I also have news about the Dr. Wells trial. Once she learned just how many were interviewed in the deposition phase, she changed her plea to guilty and took a plea deal. As part of that plea deal, her medical insurer has agreed to make a substantial payout to each victim for emotional harm and damages. She's accepted a sentence of over 25 years, with no allowance for good behavior."

Buck sagged in relief. "That's… well.. f*ck that's a weight off my mind."

Athena added, "They also took your advice about the video therapy sessions, and have offered to cover appointments for each of those affected with department therapists who are willing to do video or even voice sessions."

Eddie smiled, "You did good, Ev. So good. Others will hopefully have a chance of getting over this now."

-x-

It took a few weeks for the two men to get used to how things worked at the 217. Eric had found out that Eddie had worked as a mechanic back in El Paso, and that Buck had been working with Blake, the senior engineer at the 118. So he assigned them to work with Netsuke "Nate" Sato, the senior engineer for the 217. When they arrived for work, Nate snagged them and said, "We need to check over the engine on the triple. The driver on the last shift reported that the engine sounded off on the way back to the station, like it was missing. I was thinking we give it a once over and maybe do an oil change and check out the state of the oil we drain out. Eddie, I'll get you to do the undercarriage inspection, while I work with Buck on the oil change and the topside inspection."

Eddie saluted and ran to get the creeper and a drain pan for the oil, while Nate and Buck organized the clipboard checklists. The clipboards were magnetic, so they could be stuck to the truck while the engineer checked off each item.

Eddie chuckled when he saw his husband's glee at the magnetic clipboard. As he laughed, he said, "You and your clipboards."

Buck nudged him and said, "How about you get that oil drain started? Then you can start on your inspection." He handed over a clipboard, then returned to Nate to start the engine inspection.

Eddie stuck the clipboard to the side of the truck, and as per protocol, got his phone out of his pocket so he could report anything he needed to note down on the report. He started the oil drain and watched the state of the oil coming out; when he noticed the flow of it, he yelled, "Nate, do you have the details on the last oil change?"

Nate crouched down and asked, "Why?"

Eddie asked, "Can you pass me something I can use to get a sample for you? As soon as you see it, you'll understand."

The engineer passed Eddie a plastic cup and waited while Eddie got a sample. As soon as he saw it, he started cursing. "The muppets used the wrong oil. No wonder it's noisy and feeling clunky. It's too thin for the engine." He saw the captain approach and said, "The triple will have to be taken offline for a full engine flush and check. God only knows what damage was done while it was running on the wrong oil. The last oil change was weeks ago."

Eric said, "I'll contact HQ and see if we can get a loaner vehicle while this one gets a full system workover. In the meantime, I'll call dispatch and note that the triple is offline for maintenance. It'd be worth completing the inspection to make sure nothing else was screwed up. Nate, while Eddie and Buck finish the oil change and inspection checklists, can you pull up the last maintenance reports for me?"

Nate nodded. "On it, cap."

They completed the oil change, and were halfway through the inspections, with Nate assisting Buck, when disaster struck in the form of a 7.1 earthquake. Nate ran to help everyone evacuate as Buck sprinted after Eddie, who'd been flung across the floor on the creeper. He managed to grab his husband's hand and pull him to the side before he was crushed by a falling equipment cabinet. "Come on, Eds. We need to get our asses out of here."

They ran for the doors, following everyone else outside, using the trucks for stability as they ran. When they joined the team, Lisa was busy doing a head count as members of the house ran outside. Eric approached them and asked, "Did you see anyone else still inside?"

Buck shook his head. "I think we were the last ones out, cap."

Eddie snarked, "Welcome to California."

Lisa said, "Everyone's accounted for, Eric." She turned to the firefighters and called, "Everyone listen up. It's going to be all hands on deck. While we wait for orders, clear the floor of any debris so we can get the vehicles out safely. We're putting the triple into service." She could see the scowl on Sato's face and said, "I do understand that we could do more damage to the engine, but we need everyone on deck.

The crew got to work picking up the cabinets and tank storage that had fallen over, while Eric and Lisa were conferring with dispatch on where they would be needed."

They worked fast, and a few minutes later, the alarms were going off, and the crew were sprinting to get changed.

As they drove, Eric said, "We're heading to a hotel that's partially collapsed into the next building. The hotel is tilted on a 45-degree angle, and there are reports of people trapped inside."

When the team arrived, they found a hive of activity with people being led out of the building, some by force, because they wanted to go back in to search for family members or friends. In some respects, it was a chaotic dance as emergency services and the SAR teams worked together to get the search parties organized."

Eddie was looking worried and fiddling with his phone. So Buck said, "Relax, Eds, Natalie's with him; she'll get him home safely."

Perez asked, "Who are you worried about, Eddie?"

"Our son," Eddie confirmed. "He's just turned seven."

Buck already had his phone out with a photo of Christopher loaded, and he passed Perez his phone so he could see. Eddie explained, "This is Christopher. He's my son from my first marriage. Buck is in the process of adopting him. He's at school with his health aide."

Perez grinned. "He's a cute kid and honestly looks like he could be either of yours. It's uncanny."

They found the Incident Commander, Miranda Williams. After the introductions, she reported, "The hotel manager said they were between check-out and check-in when the quake hit, so they were light on guests. We've made contact with most of those, and multiple evac operations are in progress. All but twelve of the 68 staff have been accounted for."

Eric asked, "What do your engineers have to say?"

She gestured to the building plans she had up on a board and said, "It looks like we had a brittle failure in the prestressed concrete section of the building's underground parking garage, causing it to pancake at an angle. Right now, the reinforced steel is the only thing keeping it from completely collapsing. One good aftershock…"

Lisa sighed, "And the whole thing could come down."

The battalion chief explained, "This quake was a 7.1."

Buck frowned. "Northridge was only a 6.7. It means this is the largest quake in SoCal in 20 years."

Eric asked, "How many crews do you have in there?"

Chief Williams replied, "Not enough. We've put in a request for Heavy Rescue 3, but they're on their way to a freeway collapse. We can use every hand we can get."

A police officer ran over and said, "We've found something you need to see."

The chief waved them away and said, "Check that out; then anyone you can spare can go in and help the search of the lobby. There are still guests unaccounted for there, including a young girl, Kat." She gestured at the couple sitting on one of the cots with their son looking up whenever someone came out. "Their daughter is one of the missing, and we keep having to prevent them from going in to search."

They followed the officer around to the side of the building, he pointed up, and they could see a man pinned to the window of one of the penthouse suites on the upper levels.

Stoker said, "We could set up a bag street-side in case that window gives."

Buck nudged Eddie and murmured, "One good aftershock, and he'll fall."

Eddie nodded in agreement before he asked, "You think that's the 11th floor?"

Buck confirmed. "I'd say so." He pointed to a window and said, "We could take the ladder to the fourth floor. Cut the distance in half."

They looked at the captain, who nodded and said, "Head on up."

Buck and Eddie saluted before they ran to the truck to gear up while Perez got the ladder into position for them. As they were climbing, Buck could still sense that his husband was worried about Christopher, so he explained, "After Northridge, FEMA spent $200 million retrofitting every school in the LAUSD. Ceiling tiles, lighting fixtures, the works. Eds, our son is in the safest place he can be."

Eddie nodded. "I know you're right, Buck. I just can't help but worry. And I think I'll worry until I hear from him or Natalie that they are both okay."

As they took a rest partway to the 11th floor, Eddie said, "It's only six flights, not exactly Mount Everest."

Buck snorted. "Yeah, but Everest is less likely to tip over and crush you like a bug." He was puffing as he climbed over a large chunk of concrete, and he said, "The sooner we get to the top, the sooner we can get the hell out of the leaning tower of LA."

"Firefighter's got jokes," Eddie snarked as he sent a piece of debris plummeting down the stairwell. He held on as an aftershock rocked the building and asked, "Buck, you all good?"

Buck nodded. "All good, Eds. Let's keep going. Only three floors to go."

They finally made it to the correct floor, and they discovered that standing in the corridor was awkward at the angle the building was on, to say the least. They started to walk the hall and yelled, "LAFD, call out!"

Halfway down the corridor, they heard a couple of voices yelling from one of the rooms. They tried the door, but it was locked, so Buck pulled the saw around from where it was hanging on his back and cut through the lock while Eddie rigged up an anchor point for the ropes.

When they got the door open, Buck and Eddie leaned around the frame to assess the scene. They found the man they'd seen from the ground being pinned to the window by what looked like all the furniture in the room, not just the couch like they thought, and out of sight from the ground, with her hands wrapped around one of the pillars, was a younger woman. The two of them were sniping at each other like fifth graders on a playground.

Buck muttered too low for either of them to hear, "He's going to be a long shot. One good aftershock, and with all that weight on the window, it'll shatter. So, I'll anchor you from the doorway, on your way down to free him, put a line around the girl so if the worst happens, she's secure. Make up a quick triple bowline harness for her from the rope, just to be sure. You'll need the webbing to try and secure the guy.

Eddie got to work making up a triple bowline harness; since he was better at knot work than his husband, then he hooked himself to the rope Buck had ready for him so he could drop into the room. As he descended, Eddie said, "My name is Eddie, and at the door anchoring the ropes is Buck. We're your rescue party for today." He reached the woman and said, "I've got a harness here for you to put on so my partner can use it to help you out of the room."

From the window, the man said, "I think this might be a situation where 'woman and children first' does not apply."

As Eddie secured the harness, the woman rolled her eyes and said, "I'm Ali, and that sweaty, fat, pock-marked pig is Harlow, my boss."

Eddie braced himself as he stood and said, "Well, Ali, you're all secure; I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Buck while I try and rescue Harlow from the furniture."

She muttered, "Good f*cking luck."

Eddie made his way down the floor, pushing furniture out of the way as he went. Suddenly Harlow yelled, "Hurry, it's starting to crack!"

Eddie moved a bit faster, being less careful about the furniture he was pushing away. As he stood beside Harlow, he quickly assessed the window and said, "Don't move, don't even breathe. I'm going to throw this webbing around you to…" Before he could throw the webbing, a large aftershock started to shake the building, knocking it even more askew than it was before, and to Eddie's horror, the glass cracked. He was stunned, speechless, as Harlow plummeted to the ground. It took Buck screaming at him to knock him out of his daze, and he called up, "Sorry, Buck. I'm here."

Buck said, "Can you help Ali out of the room, Eddie?"

Eddie nodded, and with Buck's help, he started to make his way up the floor to where the woman was lying. He commented to Buck, "The floor feels steeper. It's going to be a tough climb out."

Buck grinned from the doorway and said, "I've got your back, same as always, Eds."

When Eddie reached Ali, he glanced down at her bare feet and asked, "Are you okay to climb out? Buck's got the rope and will help us climb, but we'll still have to do a lot of the work."

Ali steeled herself then she nodded. "Let's do this."

He helped her to her feet, and as soon as she was steady, he said, "Buck, we're ready. Concentrate on Ali's rope. I've got enough grip in my boots to climb out."

Buck saluted before helping Ali climb out of the tilted hotel room; Eddie stayed slightly behind her to catch her if she slipped. Thankfully there were no significant aftershocks before they finally reached the corridor.

As Ali leaned against the wall and caught her breath, Buck and Eddie wound up the ropes in butterfly coils and got them ready in case they needed them again before they got out of the building. Buck started loading up with the ropes and other equipment they'd brought with them, and when he was done, he explained, "We're going to make our way out of the building via the stairwells. Reports from Incident Command say they are clear. But that could change if there is another decent aftershock."

Ali asked, "So the quicker, the better?"

Buck nodded. "Honestly, this building is hanging on by wish magic as far as I can tell. I'm amazed it's still standing."

Eddie agreed, "It's one of the reasons we can't use the ladder to climb out the way we climbed in. The building has shifted too much to make it a safe option."

Ali stood and said, "Lead the way."

Buck made the call to tether Ali to himself, using the webbing as a harness, as an anchor for her, so he could help her if she fell, and Eddie would lead the way. As they slowly guided her down the stairwell, Eddie asked, "So, Harlow was your boss? You didn't seem to like him much."

Ali snorted. "That pig was supposed to meet me in the lobby for a design meeting. However, he claimed he'd been stuck on a call and invited me to do the meeting in his room; about ten minutes into the meeting, he offered me a drink and a shower with him."

Buck asked, "Seriously? Didn't he watch the news?"

Ali shrugged. "I don't know. I said I was going to report him to the board and HR, and he basically admitted he had them all eating out of his hand, and nothing would happen beyond me getting fired. The earthquake happened right after, so I don't know how real his threat was, but it had me worried."

Eddie said, "I can see why. People like him suck. It's hard to feel safe after an encounter like that. My late wife had a teacher like that in college; she ended up transferring to a different school which is how we met. After that, she went out of her way to make sure most of her professors were female."

They helped Ali climb over a particularly tricky part of the stairwell where the stairs had been hit by debris and were partially missing. Once they were back on safer stairs, she asked, "Did it help her? Switching schools and finding mostly female teachers?"

Eddie nodded. "She also got a boatload of therapy to help her get past it."

Ali snarked, "My therapist is going to have a field day. She looked hesitant when she asked, "Do you think he'll still be on the sidewalk when we get down there?"

Buck stopped, looked up, and said, "No, we'll be going out the other side of the building, as the area under the tilted part of the building is off-limits."

While Ali was taking a rest break, Eddie went on ahead to scope out the next lot of stairs. He returned quicker than expected and said, "The stairs are completely blocked. We need to head back up and find another way."

Ali looked incredulous and demanded, "What other way?"

Buck said, "We'll find something. Let's get back up to the next floor, then contact incident command to get new directions."

They helped her up to the next level, and as they walked, she asked, "So what's the deal with the two of you?"

"The deal?" Eddie asked with amusem*nt in his voice."

She replied," You're weirdly in sync. You barely have to speak, yet you each know what the other needs. I've never seen two people work together as well as you two."

Buck laughed. "Yeah, we get that a lot. It helps when your life partner is also your work partner." He froze when he heard the radio call for a headcount of members of the 118. "sh*t, that's not good. Hen's not checking in."

Ali asked, "She a friend of yours?"

Buck said, "Yeah, she's a good friend of ours. I used to be part of the 118; I transferred out a few weeks ago so I could work with Eddie."

Eddie said, "Let's get moving so we can go down and help with the rescue party."

Chapter 27

Chapter Text

September 2018

The men got Ali settled against the wall on the next available floor while they explored to see what their options were for leaving the building. She settled in beside an abandoned housekeeping cart and took a drink from one of the minibar bottles of alcohol. When Eddie scowled at her, she retorted, "What? It's after five, and it's hardly going to slow me down more."

Buck murmured, "Let it go; she's not wrong. We should keep an eye out for some shoes for her. Bare feet have got to be a nightmare in all this debris."

Eddie shrugged, and he started to move furniture that had gotten jammed up against an exit door while Buck radioed the incident commander to get updated information on a way out of the building. He was relaying the report to Eddie, so they could plan their way out when they heard a voice yelling for help.

Buck broke into the room where the voice was coming from with a decisive push from his halligan, and they slid into the room while Ali stayed near the doorway. They found one of the housekeeping staff lying on the floor, covered in small furniture items. Eddie glanced at the name tag before he said, "Batari? How are you doing?"

The young man said, "I knew help would come."

They did a quick assessment and reassured Batari that they would help him. Then they slid down further into the room so they could talk out of earshot of the patient."

Buck said, "Numbness in his legs and lost of bladder control."

Eddie nodded. "Spinal injury. We gotta get him out of here, now."

The younger man said, "On what? We don't have a backboard, and every millimeter counts."

Eddie said, "Look around; there must be something we can use as a backboard in here."

They started to search the room. Buck held up a pair of sneakers and said, "It's not a backboard, but they might fit Ali."

She called out from the doorway, "How about I trade the shoes for this ironing board? It should work, right?"

Eddie grinned. "Should do; we just need to figure out how to get him down the stairs."

"We don't," Buck said with a smirk. "Building like this should have relatively sturdy elevator shafts. Sturdy enough to get us down past that blockage on the stairs."

The older man said, "It's risky, but we don't have any other options at this point. Let's get Batari safe and secure; then we'll work on getting us all out of here."

Ali was nervous about going down the elevator shaft, but they made it down safely with just a close call, thanks to a badly timed aftershock. As if something like that could be anything else.

They finally made it to the ground floor and safely out of the building. As they gave the report for Batari and Ali to the triage teams, they heard Bobby's request for heavy equipment and the responding evacuation order from their radios.

They watched the stream of firefighters and USAR team members leaving the building, and Buck had a sinking feeling when he didn't see either Bobby or Tommy leave the building. He nudged Eddie and said, "Bobby and Tommy are still in there. I bet they're going for Hen."

Eddie nodded. "You wanna go in to help?"

Buck confirmed. "I do. Bobby wouldn't stay in there if he wasn't sure he could reach her. He's not one to defy orders for no reason. Tommy sure as sh*t wouldn't stay if he didn't think it was a good idea."

The older man asked, "So what's the plan? Sneak our way in, or plead our case to the battalion chief?"

Buck glanced at the battalion chief, he'd worked under her a few times on large calls, and she had been reasonable and could be convinced that out-of-the-box ideas were worth trying. So he said, "We try the chief; if that doesn't work, we sneak our way in."

From behind them, Eric said, "That's a lot of us to sneak in. How about we go plead our case."

Buck nodded and gestured for the captain to lead the way. He knew that any case pleading would be better off coming from the captain rather than a firefighter only just out of their probation period."

They waited while Eric talked to the battalion chief, and she approached and asked, "Firefighter Diaz, you know Captain Nash?"

Buck nodded. "I was based at the 118 until recently when I transferred. He wouldn't have defied the evacuation order if he wasn't sure he could rescue her with minimal risk."

Eric nodded. "Tommy is the same; he's not a big risk-taker. Ma'am, we'd like to go down and help Captain Nash rescue Firefighter Wilson. We understand that there are significant risks, but we accept those and still want to try."

She nodded. "Anyone else want in on this crazy plan?"

Several other firefighters raised their hands, not just from the 217. So she said, "Let's gear up and go rescue us a firefighter," she glanced at the family who were still waiting for their little girl and added, "And anyone else we find along the way."

Buck and Eddie ran for the 217 ladder truck, pulling out a couple of equipment bags before they sprinted into the building, heading to where the USAR team had located Bobby, Tommy, and Hen's GPS signals."

They could hear a truck revving its engine, so they ran toward the noise, hoping that it was their friends working to free Hen. Buck nudged Eddie when he could hear Bobby mention that the chains have snapped.

They rounded the corner, and Buck said, "Heard over the radio you could do with some equipment and available hands down here."

Tommy grinned and said, "It's about time you guys arrived."

Eddie laughed and said, "We didn't want you having all the fun."

Bobby came around the truck and asked, "What are you guys doing here? The building is under an evacuation order."

The battalion chief, who had the other volunteers gathered around her, said, "And they'll be duly reprimanded, Captain. Your firefighters made a compelling case for the rescue."

Bobby said, "They're not mine, ma'am, as much as I wish they were. But I do appreciate the help." He turned to the walls of pancaked concrete and said, "According to the GPS signal, she should be right behind that wall. We just need to clear out a tunnel so we can find her."

Buck held up one of the carry bags he was holding and said, "Need some chains?"

Bobby grabbed the bag gratefully and ran to hook it up to the truck as Tommy got in the driver's seat. The rest of the firefighters got in position, ready to clear a tunnel once the large piece of garage flooring was pulled out of the way.

It took them nearly an hour, but they all cheered when Hen appeared with a young girl hanging on to her koala style for grim death and a puppy who was merrily barking around all the new people. Hen grinned and said, "Man, it's good to see you guys."

Buck pulled her into a hug which everyone else joined in on, and he murmured, "I'm just glad you're okay."

Chief Williams said, "How about we escape the crazy building and get this young lass back to her worried parents."

Kat asked, "Are they okay? I lost them."

The chief nodded. "They're absolutely fine, just worried about you. Come on, let's get you out of here."

They packed up all the equipment and made their way back out of the building, picking up the fallen firefighter Hen mentioned on the way out. The first responders all stood as a guard of honor and saluted as Russ, the fallen member of the 133, was carried past them into one of the waiting ambulances. Buck and Eddie bracketed Hen, who looked gutted.

When he was loaded, she murmured, "I was with him when he passed. There was nothing I could do for him."

Eddie pulled her into a side hug and said, "Sometimes it happens that way. I'm sure he appreciated you being there rather than being alone."

She nodded, "He did. I was drawing up morphine to ease his pain when he was just gone," she snapped her fingers. "Just like that."

Buck thought to himself if he was as badly injured as they said, he'd rather go quickly than suffer trapped like the fallen firefighter was. He knew better than to say that to Hen though, as she always took deaths like that hard.

Instead, he asked, "Are you going to be okay, Hen? Need us to give you a lift home?"

She shook her head and motioned to the dog in her arms. "I'm going to take this little guy home and surprise Karen and Denny. I've left my details and the details on his tag with incident command, so they'll call me if his owner is found. And if not, he can stay with us; Denny would love to have a dog."

Eddie said, "Bring him for the next barbecue, the yard is fenced, and Christopher would love some puppy interaction. Buck and Christopher want a dog, but Natalie isn't a dog person, and she'd end up looking after any pet we get when we are on shift. She's trying to talk us into a couple of cats."

Hen grinned. "If you get the right breed, they are pretty self-sufficient." They all glanced down at their pockets when their phones started to beep simultaneously.

Eddie cheered, "Service is back." He was the first to have his phone out of his pocket, and he sighed in relief as he said, "Christopher and Natalie are at home. They are reporting a bit of damage in the library, with most of the shelves emptied onto the floor, and the pool is half empty. Everything else seems okay though."

Buck said, "I'll get Ralph to arrange an engineer to check the house over, just to be sure."

Tommy overheard from where he'd been talking with Bobby and offered, "How about we all come over on our next day off for a library clean-up party? Otherwise, it's a lot of work for you guys to get everything sorted again."

Eddie said, "That would be fantastic, Tommy. You guys bring the help, and I'll talk Abuela and Tía Pepa into making a monster batch of empanadas and tamales to pay for all the help."

Hen and Bobby both said, "We'll help!" at the same time. Bobby had heard all about Eddie's grandmother's cooking from Hen and Athena and was eager to try it, especially the famous tamales.

Buck suggested, "I think we all have Sunday off; why don't we combine our regular barbecue with a clean-up and tamale fest? It'll give us time to check over Abuela and Pepa's place for any damages and time for them to make the tamales."

Eddie said, "Can you talk to Ralph and see if he can get the engineer to check out their place, just to make sure it's safe. They're a bit closer to the epicenter than we are."

Buck asked, "Have you sent your sisters a message to tell them you're fine?"

The older man shuddered and said, "Dios, they're going to kill me."

Buck said, "You know they won't believe you until they see you with their own two eyes. Especially if they saw the news reports on the hotel; since I saw several news cameras as we were working that scene. They would have seen the truck numbers."

Hen laughed. "You're up sh*t creek, boyo. They're probably already on their way here."

Tommy said, "Look on the bright side; they can help your Abuela and Tia Pepa with the tamale making."

Before they all left to go back to their stations to sign off, Buck took Hen aside and said, "Can you try and convince Athena that Michael is welcome to our firearm barbecues? I've tried, and Eddie's tried. He hasn't been back since he dropped May off after her game. We can't figure out what we did to scare him off."

She promised, "I'll see what I can do. I suspect he thinks it's a pity invite. So I'll make it clear it's definitely not."

The entire way back to the 217, Eddie's fingers were flying over his phone as he messaged his sisters to try and keep them in San Diego. When they got out at the station, he admitted defeat and said, "They're already halfway here. I said they could stay with us in exchange for helping with the tamale fest. Adriana said they're about an hour away."

Eric said, "Good thing our shift is over then. Go hang with your kid and prepare for invasion family style."

Lisa said, "I'm so glad both our families are East Coast based. Less chance of surprise visits."

Buck laughed. "I think my sister's visit a few weeks ago shows surprise visits from the East Coast can still happen."

Stoker asked, "Did she stick around?"

"Uh, no," Buck admitted. "She was escorted back to Boston by the marshal service to face charges relating to her trip to LA. It's a long story, and one I don't really want to get into."

Stoker nodded. "I can understand that. Families can be a bit like that sometimes. I moved four states away from my family, and some days it still feels like it's not enough."

Eric said, "Head home, guys. Call me if you need time to meet with the engineer."

Buck said, "We won't. I'll get Ralph to let them in and supervise the inspection. He'll let us know if there is anything major. So far, the only damage reported is the library emptied itself onto the floor. There are several thousand books that will need to be sorted and resolved. The firefam are coming over on Sunday to help us reshelve everything. I'll have to check the kitchen over too. I had a few smaller appliances on the bench; I'll need to see if any of them fell on the floor and are damaged."

Eddie said, "You're just worried about the pasta maker."

"It's Italian, Eds," Buck groused. "I wouldn't even know where to start if we had to replace it. It's not like I can ring Nico and get his parent's number in Italy."

Eddie shrugged. "That's what Google is for. Come on, let's go make sure your pasta maker is okay. We'll just bypass the library to save that heart attack."

They'd already talked to Eric about their place being added to the rotation for the A-shift barbecue gatherings at some stage, once they've been on the shift for a while. He said there was no rush, but judging by the curious looks on everyone's faces, they would be added to the rotation sooner than planned.

They got changed and jogged out to the truck, eager to make their way through the earthquake-ravaged streets, so they could make sure everything was okay at home.

-x-

By the time Buck and Eddie had reached the four days off in their work rotation, they were exhausted; every shift since the earthquake had been flat out with rescues and assisting FEMA with recovery efforts. When they'd got home from the last shift, Adriana and James had fed them and then shuffled them off to bed, promising they would take care of everything while they caught up on much-needed rest.

Christopher snuck into their room the following day, and Eddie, who had a finely tuned Christopher detector, woke up and lifted him onto the bed. Christopher lay between his dad and his papa and asked, "Is everyone coming today?"

Eddie nodded. "Later on this afternoon. They are going to help us clean up the library. We invited some of the 217 to come and help too. Cap and his wife Lisa are coming with their kids Gemma and Tyler, who are around your age, I think. Nate Sato and Damien Stoker are joining them; they were both curious about the library."

Buck snorted. "They are both avid readers. Haven't you noticed they have a book in their hands whenever we have downtime? Usually a different book each shift."

Eddie nodded. "I noticed they swap books a lot. But I hadn't noticed how fast they were reading."

Christopher asked, "What do they like to read?"

Buck said, "Fantasy books, I think. Sometimes biographies."

Eddie laughed. "I saw Sato reading Harry Potter last week."

Christopher asked, "When can I start reading Harry Potter?"

Eddie gave Buck a panicked look and said, "Soon, maybe. Not all the books, but we can start on the first couple. I'll need to reread them to make sure they're safe."

Buck said, "The first few should be okay. And they have illustrated editions of the first couple now, which look great."

The young boy nodded solemnly. "One of the older boys at school read them all, and he said the last few books are scary and we should wait until we're at middle school before reading them. But I would like to read the first one and see what all the fuss is about." He poked Buck in the ribs and asked, "Did the engineer's report come in yet?"

Buck looked up at Christopher and said, "It did. There are a few cracks in the drywall that should be easily fixed. He couldn't see any damage in the foundations, which was our main concern. He is going to come back with some of his more heavy-duty equipment and double-check everything, just to be on the safe side."

Christopher started to wriggle, a sure sign that he wanted to get off the bed, and he said, "We should start getting ready. You know everyone will turn up early just to be helpful, and Tía Sophia sent me in here to get you up for breakfast."

Eddie helped his son down to the floor and handed him his crutches so he could head back to the kitchen to his tía to report that his parents were awake. When he was gone, Eddie said, "He's not wrong, you know; everyone will be here early. Karen sent a text asking if we wanted to add her books since we had to redo the shelves. I told her that would be cool, so she's bringing a couple of boxes over."

Buck snuggled into his husband and pleaded, "Just five more minutes, please."

Eddie pushed him out of bed and said, "If we take much longer, Adriana will send her twins up with water bombs. I'd rather not go through that again. She did it just after Shannon left when I refused to get out of bed. It was her version of tough love, and it stopped my parents from discovering just how much I'd fallen apart after she left."

From the floor, Buck said, "It's understandable that you would fall apart. She left you days after you got home, and you were still injured and undergoing intensive PT to get back on your feet."

Eddie shrugged and admitted, "I needed the tough love before my parents turned up. If they'd seen me wallowing like that, they would have taken Christopher, and it would have been a battle to get him back. They are well respected in the local church, where many of those in positions of power in El Paso also attend. So paperwork giving them custody would have been straightforward if they could get evidence of my wallowing."

As the younger man headed for the ensuite, he said, "It's lucky your sisters were visiting to welcome you home then."

The two men took turns showering, mainly to ensure they didn't get distracted; then, they went to the kitchen to see if Abuela and Tia Pepa needed any help with the food. Over the four days since the earthquake, they'd cleaned up the mess around the rest of the house. Ralph had already filed an insurance claim for the TV in the movie room that came off the wall and a few other items that had broken around the house. They had left the library until last, knowing it would be a huge undertaking. They'd decided to set up a buffet in the dining room, which was next to the library, then people could eat as they worked.

Abuela shooed the two men out of the kitchen with a wildly waving wooden spoon, so they headed to the library to take in just how bad it was.

Buck surveyed the damage and said, "It literally looks like the shelves threw up their books, and they got completely jumbled during the quake and subsequent aftershocks. The only shelf unaffected is the first edition cabinet, and that's just because the books are locked in."

Eddie said, "The easiest way to sort everything would be to stack the books by subject, then we can decide where they go from there. Christopher will probably know where each subject used to be; he's got a good memory for that sort of thing."

Buck laughed. "He's very particular about his library. I heard him telling his cousins off for putting books back in the wrong place the last time they visited."

The older man said, "We'll need trestle tables; there are too many books for the few tables we have here. We can probably rent some from a party rental place."

Buck said, "I'll go and take James and Quinn with me. If we take your truck, we should be able to find somewhere with a few tables we can rent for a day or two."

By the time Buck returned with his brothers-in-law, the firefam, including the additions of the members of the 217, had gathered and were already picking up books in the library. Well, Stoker had found a book that interested him and had settled on the floor to flick through it."

Before they got stuck in, Bobby pulled Buck and Eddie aside so they could check over the appliances in the kitchen. As they worked, the captain said, "The verdict finally came in on Chim."

Buck looked up and asked, "And what did the brass decide?"

Bobby said, "He didn't meet the criteria for a criminal conviction." Before Buck or Eddie could protest, he quickly added, "However, he did break the morals clause of his contract by bringing disrepute to another LAFD Firefighter by his impersonation, made worse by the fact he was targeting young girls. He was fired and blacklisted by the city, which means he can't work in any department that is attached to the city; he also won't be getting a letter of recommendation for his next job, nor is anyone he's worked with or for who currently works for the LAFD allowed to be a reference for him. He's also been warned that if anyone calls the LAFD looking for the reason for his termination, HR will be honest about why he was fired."

Eddie commented, "So basically, he'll never be a firefighter or paramedic again, not for anyone legitimate who does background checks."

Bobby nodded. "Essentially, yes. The brass thought you should know as the injured party, mostly so you would know it wasn't swept under the rug like the rest of his behavior was."

Buck asked, "Can you thank the Chief for me, please? It's good to have that peace of mind that his bullsh*t was finally dealt with."

They left the kitchen when Adriana called for help setting up the tables. As they worked, Lisa asked, "Is there any subject not included in this library?"

Buck smirked, "Egyptian Mythology. We have Norse, Roman, Celtic, Aztec, Incan, and Greek covered but not Egyptian. It's on the list for our next Amazon shop since the Natural History Museum has an Egyptian exhibit coming that Christopher is excited about. Christopher's mom, Shannon, was a history major, and she did a minor in mythology. So most of those books are hers, and we've added a few to the collection as we've found gaps."

Eddie commented, "I think we spend more time in here than we do in any other room in the house. I'll often grab a book and sit outside on one of the loungers after work."

Nate asked, "Was there any major damage to the rest of the house?"

Eddie replied, "Just drywall repairs, some cracks in a few walls, which will be easy enough to fix, but we also have to replace a sheet in the gym down in the basem*nt, since one of the free weights flew across the room so hard it embedded in the wall."

Eric laughed, "That's impressive, Eddie. Was it a heavy weight?"

Eddie nodded. "50lb. I think we're lucky no one was down there when the earthquake struck. It was a mess down there when we got home; it was one of the first rooms we cleaned up though. Our morning workouts are sacred."

Once the tables were set up, Karen said, "I brought post-its to label each pile, I thought by genre for the bulk of the books, and the fiction books can go on their own table for sorting later. If I remember correctly, the fiction shelf was rather small."

Buck agreed, "Just those few shelves under the first edition's display cabinet. This library was more about collecting whatever the family was studying at the time."

Christopher said, "Mommy liked to read a lot. I don't remember her very well, but I remember that she always had a book with her, and she would read to me a lot from whatever she was studying."

Eddie laughed. "She said it was the best way to get you to sleep while in your terrible twos."

Hen smacked her forehead and said, "Why didn't we think of that."

Karen laughed at her wife and said, "I did. It didn't work. I tried most of my textbooks when you were on overnight shifts. Nothing even came close to working. I think Eddie just lucked out with Christopher."

"I really did," Eddie admitted. "He was such an easy-going kid. By the time I got home from Afghanistan. Shannon had done all the hard stuff. All while dealing with my hell beasts that call themselves my parents."

Sophia huffed. "They were way worse with her than they were with James and Quinn. Although I think that's because they took advantage of you being overseas. I wasn't surprised when I heard she left. She was determined that our parents did not get unsupervised access to Christopher, but they made her life hell. It's why she quit going to classes while you were away."

Eddie nodded. "She said she didn't trust them enough to leave him at home with a babysitter. She feared that they would turn up one day and scare the babysitter into handing him over because they were his grandparents. You saw the look on the judge's face, he was disgusted with their obsessive behavior, and it's why we were granted the permanent restraining order."

Buck pulled his husband into a half hug and said, "Look around, Eds; I think we have all the family we need."

Eddie looked around the room at his blood family and his found family, and he agreed, "To misquote one of Christopher's favorite movies, 'This is our family. We found it all on our own. It's little and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good."