Reading Time: 157 Minutes

Title: Meeting the Future
Series: Like Ripples From a Small Stone
Series Order: 2
Author: DarkJediQueen
Fandom: 9-1-1
Genre: Drama, Established Relationship, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Romance, Slash
Relationship(s): Evan “Buck” Buckley/Tommy Kinard, Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Content Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Violence – Graphic , Discussion-Rape, Death-Canon Minor Character
Author Note: Eddie’s sister’s name is spelled Sophia in canon. I’ve changed it to Sofia.
Beta: ScarsLikeVelvet & Starkindler, Alpha: Starkindler
Word Count: 39,172
Summary: Buck thought he had everyone in his life he needed, then he meets someone new and Maddie comes back into his life.
Artist: Tintalle
Artist Appreciation: A big thanks to Tintalle who made me such beautiful art.

 

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Chapter One

Starting the workday out right was something that Buck had learned how to master with Emma in his life. There was always someone to pawn her off onto as he got dressed if she wanted attention. Someone to pick up something he left on the third floor. Buck understood why people raised kids in villages many years ago and hated that it was so taboo to do it now.

“Buckley, you got a little…” Hen waggled her finger at his shirt.

Buck turned his head and looked down to see spit up there. He groaned. Emma must have done that right when he was leaving for work. None of his asshole roommates had told him either, which was par for the course. He hated showing up with spit-up on him, but he had gotten used to it.

“Go and get changed,” Hen said.

Buck threw Hen a mock salute, and he went to get ready for the day. He had taken clothes with him as today was a late day. He came in an hour later and stayed an hour late. They nearly had a nanny picked out for Buck. There were a few good college kids that Buck had met who would work; he was just waiting on the background check on them first. Things had been good for a while, but now that Emma was a little older, everyone wanted to see about branching out to having a nanny around the house to help even when someone else was home.

When Buck left the locker room, he found that the team was all up in the kitchen. He wandered up there and waited to see what was going on.

“The lawsuit against the LAFD, myself, and Buck has been dropped by Chim,” Bobby said as soon as Buck was up there.

“Why?” Hen asked.

“I was not given that, but I assume that his lawyers finally got him to understand that while he could rail all he wanted, there was nothing there. He was the one that signed the honor clauses. He broke them, and the public backlash since someone in his lawyer’s firm leaked the traffic cam footage had been horrible. Many in the city are happy he’s not working here. They already put out that they won’t feel safe. I think it all became a circus nightmare that they all don’t want to deal with.”

“We can make a lot of guesses, but we will never know unless someone tells us,” Scott said.

“The other news is that the academy classes are nearly done, and I’ll be picking our newest probationary firefighter. I have the list narrowed down to three men. The only females to come out of the academy this round are already slated for various houses due to needs that the women are trained for, or they are paramedics, and we have a full run of them. If I can swing it, I’ll get our new guy right out and have him on our next shift. Dismissed.”

Buck stayed where he was, and he pulled his phone from his pocket before walking over to Bobby. He turned the phone around, the image already up on there. It was the tummy time, as Ming called it. Emma on Buck’s stomach as she wiggled and moved around in her world. They did it several times a day when Buck was there, and others took turns when Buck was working.

“Buck, what is your address?” Hen asked as she walked over to him with her phone out and looked like she was ready to type.

“Um, 4990 S Bedford Street. Why?”

“I was getting addresses for Denny’s birthday invitations to mail them out and realized that I had your old address still in my phone. I’m gonna text it to Karen to update as well. Is that okay?”

“Oh, sure. You guys doing the paper invites?”

“Denny fell in love with this one set in the store, and we can’t find ones like it enough for him on the online site we usually use, so yes. He’s deciding who gets paper ones and who gets just a generic digital one.”

“I lucked out?”

“Out of everyone here besides me, you are Denny’s favorite, so yes. You are the only adult who is a work-family member who is getting one. So you can crow about that.”

“I plan on it.”

“You can bring one plus one that is not Emma. Be it Kinard or someone else.”

“Sure. I’ll think about it. Obviously, we work the same shifts, so we will have that day off. I have no clue if he wants to go to a kid’s birthday party. I’ll ask him.”

“You don’t need to RSVP; leftovers are fine with us, and you know it.”

Buck nodded his head, and he jumped when his phone vibrated.

“You are jumpy.”

“No, I’m just not used to my phone vibrating. I have it set to that still from being at home. Emma wakes up at the slightest noise right now. So I have a setting for just home and forgot to change it when I left.”

“Denny was like that. She’ll settle down. You still doing well at caring for her?” Hen asked.

Buck tried not to bristle. He knew that he had been pretty wild, but he had calmed down after nearly being fired. He had learned how to fit in. He hadn’t been the smartest guy before but moving in with Kinard had been something he needed, and he knew it.

“Yeah, I’m reading all of those books that you and Bobby recommended. I think I’m at the toddler stage now. She’s already starting to act a little like she wants to start walking. Lily says that Sharon was walking at like six months. So that freaked everyone out, and the living room is now fully baby-proof, not just the stuff in crawling range. We have better gates.”

Hen laughed, and she clasped Buck on the shoulder. The bells rang out before she let go, and Buck turned to head to the pole. He was the first into the truck, already listening and making a few notes on the paper about the accident they were being called to. He looked up when the truck was rolling, and they were near to where they needed to be. He found Hen looking at him with a strange look on her face.

“What?”

“Nothing, just that you rarely are this intent.”

“Oh, I had a good session with Guentzel a few days back, and I was referred to a doctor who deals with ADHD in adults that’s undiagnosed from childhood.”

“What?” Bobby asked.

“Oh, yeah, there were a few things that I talked about with my therapist that had him questioning a few things. He gave me a few tests he got from his friend to try on people. He told me that many adults end up in therapy, and it’s then that ADHD is found. I don’t want to do pills just yet; I don’t want the issue that some of them can have when testing here. It’s not horrible but anyway, coffee.”

“Coffee?” Bobby asked.

“Yes, coffee, well caffeine has shown to help in rats, but the studies in adults are much less,” Hen said.

“Yes, that’s what my doctor told me. I’ve managed my control and attention for years, so I’m not dependent on pills. So we have been trying it for six months on coffee and tea. I was dragged to the local tea shop by Derek and forced to smell so many things. I left with enough tea to try for a few weeks, figure out what kinds of teas I like, what I hate. There is a spreadsheet, which makes Derek laugh. He likes everything, so he doesn’t have to do anything with it. I’ve found I don’t like most citrus in my teas, outside of bergamot and Earl Greys. It’s been a lot of fun. But anyway, I’ve been drinking coffee more regularly during the morning. Of course, here, I don’t have the issue at home. I stayed focused a lot more here, so you don’t have to worry about anything, Cap.”

“I wasn’t worried, Buck. I know you said you had trouble in school, but the fire academy was a piece of cake for you.”

“I think it was the dual nature of theory and practical. Also, I was really excited and intrigued by it all.”

“Yes, your scores were great coming out of the academy. So, I didn’t mind being given you.”

“I’m glad.” Buck felt that little bit of pride like he always did when Bobby praised him. He knew that he had not got enough of that as a kid and young adult until he had headed into the world.

The engine slowed down, so Buck turned back to his list of stuff written down. He dropped it into the empty seat across from him, which would hopefully be filled soon with someone he got along with. He wished for that more than anything.

—

Buck pulled in behind Tommy, not shocked that he had gotten home first. Buck rolled his shoulders, and he relaxed, taking his foot off the break, feeling his heart lurch a little when the Jeep rolled back just a little. That feeling was something he never got over. Buck tapped at his phone, and he smiled as the images on Instagram popped up. Abby was having the time of her life in Scotland. He looked at the time and then closed that app, opened up his phone, and dialed Abby’s number.

“Good morning, Buck,” Abby said.

“It’s just after noon there, isn’t it?” Buck asked.

“Yes. it is.”

“Then good afternoon. How are you doing?’

“I’m doing good. How are you doing with Emma?”

“Oh, she’s having the time of her life. She’s crawling like a boss right now. I’ll send you some footage of that later. Carla came over the other day to see her as well, and I think you’ll love seeing her holding her. I’ll send those pictures along as well.”

“I’m glad she’s doing well. How are you doing?”

“Good. Because of the shift work, there is always someone who is awake here, so it’s easy to get a good night’s sleep. That set of baby monitors you got us is working well. We have one in all communal rooms as well as my bedroom. It’s easy to turn them on and off as needed and not lose the one like we did that last one. We still haven’t found it. I still say Derek knocked it into the trash.”

“Could be. Especially when he’s tired. That night I stayed before I flew out, I swear he was like a zombie, moaning included.”

Buck laughed. He looked up to see that Tommy was looking out at him. Buck waved for him to go away.

“Still don’t regret selling your apartment?”

“No, I’ll crash with you or Carla when I get back and then see about finding a new place without bad memories. One day the good ones will be stronger, but right now, it will hurt too much.”

“I understand that. I’ve not been home to Hershey since I left. I don’t ever want to go back; there are just too many bad memories. The few good ones are all with Maddie.”

“Have you heard from her?”

“No. I texted her again but got nothing in reply. I bet that Doug has me blocked. He never liked me. There is still nothing from the letters and postcards I have sent her at her job. She might not even be there, but she had a lot of friends there, so I hope that someone is saving them for her. I don’t want to have Maddie lose those.”

“She’ll surface. If she had…you would know.”

Buck was glad that Abby didn’t say it.

“Are you just getting off shift?” Abby asked.

“I am. We got a full night’s sleep. There were no other call-outs in our area, and no other area needed us to support them. I feel like I could go the whole day.”

“Well, still, you need to relax. You are on tomorrow, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, and we get our new guy tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

“Could be a woman,” Abby said.

“Nah, Bobby said that all the women in the academy this round are already slated to other houses due to being paramedics or the other ways they have trained. We had an exodus of a few specialists in some ways from the various stations in the city, so there was pressure to have people take those. We have the highest number of women already, though, in the whole of the shifts at the house. B-shift is like one-third women, I think Bobby said. They all got along really well with the guys on that shift. Bobby would like to have more women on our shift, but we have the largest percent of LGBTQ+ people.”

“Why?”

“Well, no one knew that I was, and Hen was already here. Scott was his choice, as were a few of the other people in the rest of the shift; a few asked for transfers after Hen was treated well. A few more came out who had been here. They know that Bobby will treat them well, so they want to be with him. We have a few who are well on their way to being able to be pushed into being Captain down the road and to either take over for Bobby or other captains. I think that it will be good if that happens. So, what do you have planned for this evening?”

“Well, I have a date for dinner with a man who is here for work. I met him last night in the hotel bar I am staying in. He’s sweet.”

“Good. You deserve to have that.”

“How are you doing on the dating front?”

“Still not dating. I mean, I have sex with Tommy, but I don’t feel ready to get out there and date yet. I want to work on myself some more. Oh, a week ago, we were treating a bar fight. I walked out with seven numbers. Most were given to Scott and Hen by drunk people. It’s a high for an on-duty hit-a-thon, as Scott called it.”

Abby laughed, and there was noise from her end of the phone. “Sorry, I gotta go. The next tourist thing I’m doing is ready to go.”

“Have a good time, Abby.”

“Be safe, Buck.”

Buck hung up, and he popped the door on his Jeep open. He looked at the shell and decided that he would take them off. He had nothing in the Jeep that could get wet, so even if there was a little rain, he would not have to worry. He started to take off the pieces, and he looked over at the house down the street a couple houses had a kid outside. He smiled and then worked on his Jeep more. The garage had a spot cleared for the parts of his Jeep that he liked to take off. He wasn’t going to go anywhere with Emma at the moment, but if he had to, he could take someone else’s vehicle. Half of them had bases for her car seat in them.

When he was done, Buck went to get his bag from the Jeep when he noticed that the kid down the street had crutches. They weren’t the normal kind for an injury but the kind that meant that the kid has a movement disability of some kind. He was having fun playing with a soccer ball, though, kicking it toward a net and sometimes steadying himself and kicking it toward the goal with a crutch. He leaned on the overhead bar of the Jeep and watched the kid play while an older woman looked at him.

“Breakfast is going to get cold,” Tommy said from the doorway.

“Eh, I’m used to cold food. Just having fun watching the new neighbors.”

“Ah, yeah, that house has been on the market for a while. There was a moving van here earlier this week. I am glad it sold. It’s not the biggest, but I’ve only seen a guy and a kid there all that often. I think that’s like the guy’s mother? I haven’t gone over to talk to him yet. I plan to give him time to get settled into living there. The boy is pretty happy given his disability, so he’s doing well. I’ve seen the kid laughing more than anything.”

Buck jumped when Tommy tugged his bag out of his hand.

“Emma just woke up, and she looked personally offended that you were not here. So go and cuddle your daughter.”

“Sure.” Buck made himself look away from the kid. Soccer had been a sport that Buck liked to play. It just wasn’t as injury prone as football which was why Buck had gone out for football at school. He watched the kid for a few more seconds before turning to head inside, where Emma was dropped into his hands by Noah as soon as he was clear of the door. Then he was moved aside to let Noah out. “How are you, baby girl?”

Emma babbled at him a little, making noises and moving her mouth. She reached up and tried to snag Buck’s nose. He allowed her to touch it a little before he moved and snagged her fingers with gum-covered teeth. She squealed and kicked her feet, enjoying the play. She wiggled around more and tried to kick at Buck’s chest to give herself something to pull up on. Buck walked to the kitchen, and he found a plate already scooped up for him. He snagged a bite of biscuit while he got settled on the stool. As soon as he was settled, he moved Emma to where she stood up as much as she could, given her weak legs. He tried to hold onto her by just her back, but it was impossible with how much she was trying to move, so he wrapped his arm around her whole body to give her a stable element.

“How was work?” Kim asked.

“Pretty good. We got a full night’s sleep, so I don’t feel like death warmed over. How was she last night?”

“Good. She’s getting the hang of a schedule. You work tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. We have the new guy coming into work tomorrow as well.”

“I hope he’s hot. I like looking at all of you on the screen. You guys are the biggest firehouse to get on the news constantly. I like watching that.”

Buck picked up another piece of biscuit, and he tossed it at her. Kim caught the biscuit, and she popped it into her mouth.

“Bobby thinks we are cursed.”

Kim laughed, and a few of the others chimed in as well. Then Emma started to laugh. Buck pressed a kiss to Emma’s head. This was the kind of life he needed.

—

Eddie Diaz looked at his son as he played with his Legos before bed. They had a good dinner after Eddie finally got Pepa out of there to make her dinner reservation with her friend. Pepa was still worried a little about what Eddie was doing, but this would be good for them. He would have more time with Chris even if his time away from Chris were longer. Since Eddie had gotten home, there hadn’t been a day where he hadn’t seen his son, even with working three jobs. Yet, Eddie would have at least one day a weekend with Chris now and a few days a week where he didn’t have to rush off to work after Chris got off school.

“Hey, Dad,” Chris said.

“Yes, mijo?” Eddie looked Chris in the face.

“When can I meet who you are going to work with?”

“Soon. I need to make sure that I’m going to stay there. I don’t want to work with a lot of mean people.” Eddie caught himself calling them assholes. There were a few in the pipeline there at the academy that Eddie hoped he never worked with.

“Okay. I don’t mind waiting. Pepa asked if I had met anyone you worked with yet, but then I said you hadn’t even met anyone but that Captain.”

“Captain Bobby Nash,” Eddie said.

“Yeah, him.” Chris focused on his Legos again, so Eddie was sure that for now, he was free to go back to what he was doing, which was reading another book. The fire science side of things intrigued him. He didn’t mind learning more about it. Hell, he would do anything to make sure he could stay in the LAFD.

The urge to serve had never been there. Eddie had signed up for the Army to make ends meet when Shannon got pregnant, as it would pay better than anything he could get in El Paso. His parents hadn’t been happy, but then they had been unhappy with anything that Eddie had done in his life that they hadn’t told him to do. Which was pretty much everything after he had graduated high school. College wasn’t for him, and he knew it, so he started to work for his father. Then he met Shannon and fell in love pretty easily with her. Chris had been an accident as no one had told Shannon about how taking antibiotics affect birth control.

“Can I go to bed?” Chris asked.

“Sure, buddy. Are you feeling okay?”

“I played outside a lot after my nap. I’m just tired.”

“Well, how about I rub you down and then read a few pages.”

Chris nodded his head.

Rubbing down Chris took little time. There were no tight spots on him, so he hadn’t hurt himself playing, which Eddie worried about all the time. He hadn’t been able to get through all of the paperwork on getting things fully set up with Chris now that he had insurance fully through the LAFD. There was so much otherwise that made it hard as well. His relationship with Shannon made things a lot harder, but Eddie hadn’t been able to serve her with divorce papers yet. He wanted her to come home to them. He wanted her back in his life, in Chris’ life. There was a thing about wishes and horses that he was just too tired to think about.

Once Chris was out for the count, Eddie grabbed a beer from the fridge and moved to the front porch to settle in and listen to the world around him. The city sounded so different from El Paso, which was good. Much could be said about how LA was so much more fast-paced than El Paso, but that was the draw to Eddie. That and being a good distance away from his parents and close to other family simultaneously. Abuela and Pepa had been Godsends to him. He hadn’t wanted to think too much about how his father was vastly different from Abuela. There were many years between when Abuela had turned his father into the world and now. Many of them, with his mother’s influence changing his father.

“Catch!” a voice called out down the street.

Eddie looked down to see a man head butting a soccer ball into the air. Eddie remembered that he would have to see about getting them tickets to an LA Galaxy game. Despite having three different MLS teams in Texas, Chris had latched onto two different teams, LA Galaxy and the Columbus Crew. Chris’ favorite team was actually Liverpool FC, and there were weekend mornings over the last while where they were up at four in the morning to watch them if they played the first game of the day on Saturdays. It was a wonderful thing, and Eddie loved sitting with Chris on the couch with his son tucked into his body and both of them watching as the Reds got goals and won.

It wasn’t hard to know which house was which on the street. There was the huge mansion-like house that Eddie swore would have assholes inside of it when he had bought the house a month ago. It had taken a while to get things set up the way they were needed for Chris. The costs of that had come out of the last of the trust fund that Eddie had from his grandparents on his mother’s side. He had only gotten access to it when he turned thirty. He had used part of it to get Chris the last surgery that he had and then saved the rest for a house. He had used a portion of it to put a good down payment on the house while the rest was saved to renovate the house.

Eddie watched the people at the house down the street. It was nearly mansion-sized, and Eddie had been afraid. The place was huge, and usually, that meant assholes lived there, but then the real estate agent had been cagey about them. So Eddie had talked to the neighbors about them and found out it was a house full of single people, mostly first responders who didn’t want to live alone.

The house was rarely ever empty, and if it was, it wasn’t for long. Eddie had watched them for a week now, and he saw the baby that was passed around. Whatever happened there, no one talked about that. Eddie figured that he would have to get immured to the people before getting that story out of them. He wasn’t sure that he needed to know. The baby was well cared for, and she was never left unattended in the front yard. She was outside a good bit during the day, and sometimes her nightly feedings happened outside as well. Eddie could see it sometimes when he sat on his porch.

Eddie just wanted to know which one was the father or mother. He knew eleven people were living there, but there were twelve that he had seen coming and going with any regularity.

“Oh, hello,” a woman said.

Eddie looked up from where he had been looking at his hands. One of the women from the house was there, and she had the baby in her arms.

“Hi,” Eddie said.

“I’m April. You have a son who has CP, yes?”

“Yes, Eddie Diaz,” Eddie said as he held out his hand.

“April Miller and this here is Emma, she’s my niece, sort of. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and to invite you over. Half of the house is out having fun, a fourth is at work, and then there is me, Derek, and Emma here.”

“And who is Derek?” Eddie asked.

“My brother from another mother. I have many of them in the house. A few years back, it was swinging more towards women in the house, but now it’s seven guys and five women if you count Emma. We have one room open, and I think we are going to get Lily to live with us.”

“You are rather awake for this late in the day,” Eddie said.

“I work nights. Tonight is my night off. I like hanging with this one here. She’s about to go down for the count.”

“She’s adorable,” Eddie said. He stood up so he could see Emma a little better. “Her mother lives there?”

“No, her father. He’s not working, but he’s out having fun with the others. He doesn’t let go enough. He works tomorrow, so he’ll roll in and get as much sleep as he can. He is a good man. Tommy did well at picking him to live with us.”

“So, how does that work?” Eddie really wanted to know what was going on in that house, and April seemed all kinds of willing to talk.

“Tommy got the house from his family, and he didn’t want to sell it for reasons, and he didn’t want to live there alone. So he moved people in. He’s been doing it for a while. Some can take it, some can’t, but a few like it. I don’t think I’ll want to move out even if I find someone.”

“That sounds like a fun time, really,” Eddie said.

Emma reached out a hand, and Eddie held out a finger. The baby snatched onto it and held on.

“How old is she?”

“Four months. She’s fast as well. Your son is about seven?”

“Yes. His name is Chris. He’s been looking at you guys playing a little in what yard there is.”

“He’s welcome over anytime. We have a larger backyard, but for some reason, we never end up there.”

“I’ll talk to my aunt. She is the one that stays with him here when she can. Otherwise, he goes to my grandmother’s house. We aren’t here as much as I would like, but after tomorrow that will change. I’m starting a new job, and while I’ll be gone for longer sometimes, I’ll be home more as well.”

Emma started to fuss a little, and April shifted the baby in her arms to lie on her chest.

“I should get this one to bed. Come over some evening for dinner and bring the kid. We love kids, well most of us but the ones that don’t aren’t assholes to kids, we promise.”

Eddie nodded his head. April was gone, walking back across and joining the man playing with the soccer ball still.

April and the man outside headed back inside. Eddie had a feeling that he had been invited over and saying no was going to cause issues. He wasn’t above it, but the house seemed happy, Eddie could do with happy, and Chris could use friends, even if those friends were adults. Chris had never cared about who he made friends with. It was a burden that Eddie had to make sure that no one hurt him.

Grabbing his empty beer bottle, Eddie headed back inside. He rolled his wrist and remembered what it felt like to be injured. He didn’t have flare-ups of the phantom pain all that much anymore, just when his worry was high. He feared that he wouldn’t fit in where he was going. The 118 was kind of legendary. He had heard about it. It had a lot of different captains before the current one took over. Eddie had heard all of the gossip about the various stations. He had a few that he liked and two that really wanted him. He wanted to go where he was wanted, so he had picked Bobby because the man had made it seem like they were a family.

Family was something that Eddie wanted. He wanted it for him, and he wanted it for Chris. There was family enough up here in LA, and Adriana brought her kids over to see him and Chris not long after they had settled and then again a week ago. Mia had been more than happy to help him with pictures for the firefighter calendar. He had submitted his pictures already since he had been picked for a station already.

The house had been set up to his liking, a present from Adriana after they finally got the house how he wanted. The apartment they had been in had been good, the elevator worked, and things were good there, but they were too big for it long term. Eddie had picked his station and then picked his house. He had been happy to find a nice one-story in his budget.

Eddie walked around and made sure the house was locked up. They had the windows open to get the air flowing through the house, and Eddie was sure he had locked them, but he wanted to be sure before he laid down.

The bedroom was spartan, but Eddie hadn’t got much for himself since moving to LA. He planned to change that now that he was in a place where he wasn’t leaving for a while. Moving from El Paso to LA with all of their things had been something that had taught Eddie about not keeping too much on hand for a move. Shannon’s things were all in a storage pod down in El Paso that Eddie’s parents paid for so that Eddie didn’t have to keep it on hand here. It could be moved up to LA if Shannon contacted them. Eddie had texted her their old address when they had moved there and then the new one when they had moved here. She knew where they were.

Eddie was happy with his life for the first time since he had joined the Army. He was happy that things were turning up good for him and Chris. There were a few things left to do, but Eddie’s life was on its way to where it was supposed to be for the two of them. As long as he didn’t hate the 118.

Chapter Two

Buck looked at his phone and the newest body scan he had done. His fitness was still a priority, but he didn’t have to be as slim and fit as before. He was still more than good enough for the job, but he didn’t have the time to dedicate to working out like he did before. Now it was just maintaining what he was doing while Emma was asleep during the day.

It worked out well for him, and it got him time with Emma when he wasn’t doing anything. When she was a little older, he would get one of those strollers that he could use to run with. It would allow him to have outside time with her as well.

“How goes the body fat thing for the sexist pig calendar?” Hen asked.

“Well, pretty good, but really I stopped doing that part. I’m maintaining. I think you’ll like the stuff that I submitted this morning for it.” Buck pulled up the pictures that he had sent along. He flipped his phone around to show it off to Hen.

“I see using your daughter to get chosen, huh?”

“Hey, I thought you liked me all soft with Emma? Besides, I gotta work what I got. She’s a chick and dude magnet. I have gotten more numbers while grocery shopping with her than I have in a long time. I left with five the other day. Of course, I am not going to call any of them. I don’t mind people liking me with her, but I don’t want them just getting with me because I’m hot and have a daughter.”

“Good on you. She’s adorable, though. That one with the red dress she is wearing and how the sun is behind you guys? That’s something that deserves to be printed out and put on display somewhere.”

“Oh, I do. I have it in a frame in my bedroom, and I had one to tape in my locker here. Is the new guy here yet?” Buck looked around, and he stopped when he saw the guy in the locker room putting on a shirt. It was almost like he could hear the music from the dance floor in his head, exclaiming what a man he was.

Buck hadn’t really felt instant lust for anyone in a while. Yet this man, there was something there. Buck didn’t let his mouth drop open even though he felt like it might on its own.

“Ah, I see you have seen the newest to the 118 already, Buck,” Bobby said as he came over to him and Hen.”

“I can see why station 6 wanted him,” Scott said.

“Eddie Diaz graduated top of his class. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan as an Army medic. Guy’s got a Silver Star. It’s not like he’s wet behind the ears. Come on, I’ll introduce you to him. He likes to be called Eight Pack.” Bobby was smiling as he said it.

Buck stayed behind a little. He watched as Bobby, Scott, and Hen interacted with Eddie. Army guys weren’t all bad, but he had gotten more flack from being bisexual from the military than anyone else, and while he was good with that. He was who he was, and they were who they were; he wasn’t sure he could handle it today.

—

Turning to the side, Buck caught the look from Bobby and Hen as he looked out into the bay at the trucks. Hen was more used to taking flack, and it wouldn’t be long before either she or Scott talked about their partner.

“Want me to help?” Eddie asked as Buck was about to start the 14-gauge needle.

“Sure.”

“Okay, here. Down here. It’s thinner, and there is less chance of hitting anything important. With the pressure, we don’t know what’s been moved.”

“From being a combat medic?” Buck asked as he watched Hector deflate. It looked like Hector was going to make it. He would be in pain for a while, but the body could come back from many things. Buck had seen his fair share of things.

“Yeah. Treated guys with collapsed lungs before. You are calm.”

“This is an easy call. Not much to get worked up over.”

“The way I heard some of the guys talking, you are like a chatterbox.”

“Uh, some of that was my ADHD. I wasn’t diagnosed until recently. Working on managing without pills, so I don’t have to worry about drug tests here.”

“Late-onset?” Eddie asked.

“No.” Buck really didn’t want to get into that with someone new. His issue with his parents was his own, and he didn’t know this guy from Adam, though he did know Adam better. He would have to get back over to Riccardo’s place to eat.

“Okay,” Eddie said.

Buck saw Eddie look at Hen, who just shrugged her shoulders at him.

The trip back to the station was mostly silent, with Hen trying to engage Buck in a discussion, but he didn’t. He looked mainly at his phone. He was flipping through his pictures. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time, afraid to come out, afraid to be who he was, and he didn’t like it. He needed to get a hold of himself.

When he was done looking through the pictures, Buck texted Guentzel and put himself on the docket for a session tomorrow morning or afternoon, whenever the doctor could get him in. He wanted to talk before he went home. He ensured that Emma was taken care of for the day, using the online calendar that had everyone’s work on it. Noah was the one who kept that up as well as the dry erase one that ran week to week for big things. It had adapted from what it had been and just being around Emma to big things for everyone. It was nice to have the board there for easy looking at, but the digital calendar was the best.

“Buck, you okay?” Bobby asked as Buck was the last out of the truck.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I’ve got a session with Doctor Guentzel tomorrow right after work. I’ll get my head on for the downtimes, but I’m good at work.”

—

Buck ducked as the sound of the explosion ripped through the air. He looked at it, and he smiled when he looked at Eddie.

“You are calm under pressure, did you know that?” Eddie asked.

“I try to be,” Buck said.

“Well, you can have my back any day.”

“And you can have mine.” Buck gave Eddie a grin before he turned to look at Bobby, who was looking at the pair of them like he was afraid of what he had unleashed on the world.

“You are both nuts,” Scott said.

“We try to be,” Eddie answered.

Buck pulled himself into the truck, and he settled into his seat. Eddie slipped into the seat beside him and pressed his leg to Buck’s before pulling it away.

“You look exhausted,” Eddie said.

“Adrenaline crash, I think,” Buck said.

“I get that. I don’t usually get hit with it until I’m back at base and trying to lay down. Kind of taught to be that way.”

“It’s a good way. I don’t actually fall asleep until I’m in bed. I wish I was in bed.”

“We will be soon, Buck,” Bobby said.

“Thanks, Cap. I’ll do my paperwork first, though. It’s gonna be a fun report.”

Buck was sure that Bobby muttered something under his breath about idiots, but he just looked at Eddie with another grin on his face as the truck started to move.

“So, you warmed up to me?” Eddie asked.

Buck shrugged a shoulder before he looked out the window as the city passed by. “I guess. I just had a very different intro, and Scott was tenser when he came in. There were a lot of other things that were going on then. I guess I was freaked out by how easy it was for you to slot in with us, and it made me worried about how hard it was for me.”

“Everyone is different. I’m used to going in with new guys. My team make-up was the same over the years I was in the military. For the most part but we moved around bases in Afghanistan. I saw many new people and got used to fitting in as it were while I figured out what part of me to show the world. It’s easy here. I can be myself. Bobby’s already told me a little about each of you, nothing personal as he feels like everyone should tell their own stories. Just that you have little fun facts about a lot of things which with your ADHD, I can see that.”

Buck laughed. Eddie was one of the only ones to ever put that together without a little help from Buck.

“So, does anyone ever call you Diaz?”

“Not if they want me to respond, at least outside of commanding officers. It’s Eddie, or if you are my Abuela and pissed at me, Edmundo.”

“Edmundo. I like it.”

“And what is your name Buck Buckley?”

“Evan. I hate it for reasons I’m not ready to go into. There were two other Evans with me in my days at the academy, so I took on the name Buck and never looked back.”

“Nicknames can have just as much power as birth names. No one should ever call anyone by a name they don’t like. I like Buck. It’s got more character than Evan.”

Buck wasn’t sure if that was Eddie flirting with him or not. He looked over at Hen, who shrugged. Scott was next, but he was focusing on his phone. Buck just enjoyed the rest of the trip back in silence, and then he settled into bed at the station. Eddie chose the bed on the other side of him, putting himself between Buck and the door. It wasn’t exactly what Buck thought he would do, but he also had no idea what made Eddie do it. He wasn’t going to question the man, though. He could do what he wanted.

The night passed with ease, with them getting up just before dawn to head out to a simple fender bender. When they got back, Bobby released Buck to get breakfast before heading to his appointment. It wasn’t the best way to start the day, but it could be worse.

—

Buck eyed everyone around him as he ran through a group of moms talking. They were stopped on the walking track and took up all the space. He refused to run in the grass and risk falling, so he just yelled to get their attention. They split like the Red Sea and eyes him as he moved through them.

The ones he got a good look at were all wearing wedding rings. He assumed they were all moms, but he could be wrong on that. He turned his focus back to running and hoped that he could get himself worked down after his kind of brutal session. He had cried for a huge chunk of it, and in the end, he just wanted to curl up and not wake up for a while. He had eaten lunch and then gone on the run to hopefully make himself happier with Emma. He was fully prepared to nap in bed with her later when she went down for her afternoon nap.

Coming around the second to last turn before Buck started the loop again, he stopped when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it free from the arm holster and stopped the music, popping the headphones out and shutting off Bluetooth before answering.

“What’s up, Tommy?”

“Come home now. Emma is fine, but we have a situation we need you for.” Tommy hung up before Buck could even think about asking anything.

Buck slipped his headphones into a pocket, and he took off running across the grass as fast as he could. He checked to make sure that he wouldn’t hit anyone backing out. He was gone from the park before he could really think about anything. Emma was fine, but that didn’t mean that everyone else was. Despite the rush, Buck made sure not to do a thing that would get him in a wreck or hurt someone. He didn’t want to draw that kind of attention. He pulled into his spot in the driveway and saw Kim, Derek, and Tommy standing outside. That meant Noah had to be inside with Emma as they were the only ones who would be awake at the moment who were home. There was another person there with their back to them. Buck was pretty sure it was a woman.

“What’s going on?” Buck asked as he jumped out of the Jeep, shutting the door so hard that it even made him wince.

“Is this your sister?” Tommy asked.

Buck stopped as the woman turned around. He stopped as it was Maddie. He hadn’t even thought she was getting his things but for her to show up here.

“Maddie?”

“Evan, what’s going on?” Maddie asked. She looked at Tommy and then Kim. “Who are these people?”

“They are my roommates. What are you doing here?”

“She thought we were the help and tried to talk us into just letting her inside. You’ve talked about Maddie before, but I’ve not seen a picture.”

“Who else would be trying to get into his place?” Maddie asked. She looked a little pissed off.

“I don’t know, maybe someone like a woman who was catfished by some guy who was using Buck’s picture. One of them went to his work and slapped him there. I wasn’t going to trust anyone and fake IDs are easy to get, and I even saw his profile on Facebook that lists Maddie Kendall as his sister. It’s easy to find that shit online.”

“Aren’t you a little too paranoid?” Maddie asked.

“Nope, not when it comes to the safety of everyone in this house.”

Maddie looked at Buck like she was judging him for living with these guys. He was happy with where he was living and with who he was living with. If she didn’t like it, she could shove it.

“Let’s go inside. Maddie, a few night shift workers are asleep right now. Do not raise your voice.”

“I’m only going to yell if someone makes me mad.”

“Nope, that won’t cut,” Tommy said.

Maddie scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“This is my house, Mrs. Kendall. I will not let you just yell and wake up the people who live here. They worked all night and deserve respect and consideration. We will leave you and Buck alone in the kitchen.”

“Thanks, Tommy.” Buck waved for Maddie to head to the door. He opened it up and slipped inside with her, with Tommy and the other two coming in after them.

Buck went right for the kettle in the kitchen and started to make some tea. He looked at Maddie, who was looking around the kitchen.

“This place looks pretty good for a place you crash at.”

“Live. I live here. I pay rent. We all pay equal parts on that; we just don’t like to live alone. I think that someone compared it to Grey’s Anatomy only on steroids. I like living here, so it doesn’t bother me at all.” Buck fussed with picking a few of the teas from the shelf that held low caffeine teas. He picked one for himself and then three that he trusted himself to make right to have Maddie pick what she wanted. “What kind of tea do you want?”

“Something white and fruity,” Maddie said.

Buck found that of the ones he had picked, and he pulled out the scoop to drop the tea into the cup with the strainer. The cabinet dedicated to tea still kind of shocked him, but Buck found he loved tea more than pop. He would drink Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb when he was out and about, but there was rarely pop inside the house. Buck walked to the fridge and checked. There was no pop, but there was lemonade.

“Unless you would rather have lemonade?” Buck asked.

“Are you making tea for yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Then tea is fine for me. You look more settled, Evan.”

“Buck, I like Buck. Please call me that.”

“Buck. It’ll take some getting used to. I might mess up.”

“That’s fine. So why are you here? How are you here?”

“I got your letter with your new address.”

“Oh, so you have been getting all of my letters and postcards.”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. I was worried, except I could see you posted some things on your Facebook and the icon changed. I understand why you never made friends with me on there to keep Doug happy, but you could have sent me a word every once in a while over the last three years.”

“I did what I could.”

Buck nodded, and he wasn’t going to fight her on that. She had to have made the best choice for her.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“I was passing through and wanted to see my brother.”

“Passing through. Well, I’m glad you stopped. I just finished a therapy session, and I’m not a little emotionally raw, so if I tell you to stop talking about something, you will.”

“Therapy? Why are you in therapy?” Maddie asked. There was fear in her eyes, like she was afraid of him or at least afraid of something he was doing.

“Well, I had something happen on the job that I needed therapy to deal with, and then we just started to work on a lot of issues I had as a kid. It’s how I was diagnosed with ADHD.”

“You don’t have ADHD,” Maddie said.

“No, I do.”

“No, Mom and Dad took you to get tested when you started to have issues in junior high, and they said you didn’t have it.”

“Maddie, they never took me.”

Maddie looked a little heartbroken.

“They never cared too much about me after you left. I made my own appointment to get my yearly doctor’s visit done. Dad would drop me off and take care of the bill, and then I would head home on my own once his part was done.”

“Ev-Buck,” Maddie said. She looked like she was about to cry.

“So yeah, that’s happened and stuff.” Buck waved his hand, and he turned as the kettle went off for the temperature needed for the tea. He poured both mugs full, and he scooted Maddie’s over to her. Next, Buck went to the fridge and got out some ice. He hit the timer and grabbed the little tray that the tea strainers went onto.

“You make tea like this?”

“It’s a Derek thing. Okay, it started with Derek. Now the whole damned house is full of people who have a ritual around tea. Yeah, I was taught about tea. I use caffeine to maintain my brain when I’m at work with my ADHD. I use tea at home to soothe.”

“You’ve grown up,” Maddie said.

“It’s what happens when you don’t see me for years, Maddie. I went from that lost kid who was kicked out of college again to someone who pays his bills, cooks his food, and lives with a house full of idiots.” Buck was worried about telling her the rest of it, but he needed to. He didn’t want to keep secrets from her. “I’ve lived a lot of life, and I’ve taken on a few things that you will probably not like at all.”

“What do you mean?”

Emma started to cry from somewhere in the living room as if she knew. A minute later, Noah came into the kitchen with Emma and offered her up to Buck as the tea timer went off. Noah then started to pull the strainers from the tea. He added a little sugar to Buck’s and then offered the sugar to Maddie, who shook her head.

“She already ate; she just misses you,” Noah said before he left the room like he was never there.

“Misses you?” Maddie asked.

“My therapy session was unplanned, but I needed it. The doctor I see is very fluid, and he’ll even come to the station if I need it and can’t get away. So that meant I wasn’t home after work and couldn’t cuddle with her like I normally do. I’m going to take my shirt off as she likes skin-to-skin contact.”

“Do you want me to hold her?” Maddie asked.

“Thank you for the offer, but no, she doesn’t really like being held by strangers. If you are staying around for a while, I will work on making sure she knows you.”

“Where is her mother?”

“Passed away. I helped deliver her on a call. The mother was more injured than we assumed, and there was little to be done by the time she made it to the hospital. She left a will in place with the doctor and called her friend to make sure that she executed it. I was her first and only choice, really. The friend has never wanted kids, but she would have taken her if I hadn’t. She visits to see her and is a favorite. I think because her voice is known from being around Sharon, the mother, so much.”

“You are so young,” Maddie said.

“Maddie, I’m twenty-seven.”

“And you have a baby with no wife,” Maddie said.

“Didn’t expect those kinds of words from you. I do have a child, but I have a village of people who love her and help me take care of her. She doesn’t want for affection at all.”

Maddie flinched at that, and she lifted her cup of tea up and took a sip before she added another couple of cubes of ice to it.

“How are you so grown up?” Maddie asked.

Buck didn’t answer. He just let her think what she wanted. There was a lot of life that Buck had lived after he had left Hershey with Maddie’s blessing.

“Maybe I will stay around for longer.”

“Where is Doug?”

“Gone.”

“Gone as in?”

“I left him.”

“Good. He was never good enough for you, and he kept you from us. You deserve to be happy. Is he going to come after you?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because he always treated you like a possession instead of a person. He’s not going to be happy you left him. Even I understand that.”

“He won’t,” Maddie said.

Buck let her have the lie because it seemed like to him that she was trying to convince herself of that.

“Lunch is over, but you can stay for dinner. The rest of the house will be waking up soon; some will be getting off shift.”

“Sounds good. My things are in the car. Is there someplace I can freshen up? I slept in the car last night at a rest stop.”

Buck knew then that things were not an issue with Maddie and Doug. He wasn’t sure if her accounts were still separate from Doug’s, but he hoped so and that he couldn’t track her through them. Adults were allowed to go missing all they wanted. They didn’t need to hold dear to anyone on that, but Doug wasn’t going to let her go.

—

Eddie dropped his head into the seat and looked at what he could see of Chris in the rearview mirror of Buck’s Jeep. The baby seat back there had been a shock. Eddie had told everyone about Chris, but especially Buck on the trip to the hotel. He hadn’t been freaked out at all. If Buck had a baby, why wasn’t he worried about her?

“Turn-” Eddie started, but Buck was already turning onto Bedford Street.

“You said 4995, right?” Buck asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, will you be upset if we park a little way down? I’ll carry Chris into the house.”

Eddie turned his head to see that Chris was out like a light. He turned to see that the people from the big house were all outside. Buck pulled right into the parking spot behind a truck, and before Eddie could say a thing, Buck was out, and April was carrying the baby over to him.

“There is my princess,” Buck said and kissed Emma’s cheek.

“Dad?” Chris asked.

“Hold still, Chris. I’ll come around and get you out.” Edie got out, and he slipped around to the back seat and got Chris out, finding where Buck had stowed his crutches.

“Wait, you are the Eddie who set Buck all a twitter?” April asked.

“I am. He was kind enough to take me home when we found that a downed telephone pole blocked me in.”

“You guys have met?” Buck asked.

“Well, the night before he started his new job, he was outside and looked like he needed to see a baby to cheer him up. So I didn’t think anything of going over to him. So you two work together and live just a few houses apart.”

“Dad?” Chris asked.

“Chris, this is the people I live with here in this house.” Buck looked shell-shocked still but at least pretty happy about it. Eddie was glad. He loved his house, and while it could be easy to act like they didn’t live so close, it would be hard given how much Eddie wanted the firehouse to become his family.

“Oh, that’s cool. Like the house down the street from Abuelo and Grandma’s?” Chris asked.

“Something like that only these guys’ bonds are not blood but friendship.”

“Can I hold the baby?” Chris asked.

“Eddie?” Buck asked.

“She’s yours.”

“Yes, I know, but him holding her requires him sitting down and that means going into the house.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine. Do you mind watching him while I check out the house before he goes in?”

“Sure thing. Derek, how is everyone?”

Eddie looked at the man that Buck was looking at.

“No one on the block needed more than things put back. One shelving unit tipped over in Miss Arlene’s, but we got it all. Most everyone was at work. I went around and checked houses and then went and got keys as much as I could to check for leaks and the like. It’s all safe.”

“Neighborhood watch?” Eddie asked.

“Something like that.

Eddie knew that the people who lived with April were good people, but he had never thought they were this kind of people. It made his heart ache for the comforts of a home that he had never got to spend much time in.

“Does anyone need to go check on your Abuela or tía?” Buck asked just as Eddie was on the edge of the yard.

“No, I checked in, and they are fine.”

“Okay. So, Chris, let’s go inside, and we can see if Emma likes you.”

When Eddie got back to Buck’s house, he found Chris looking at Emma like she was the best thing in the world and Buck looking at Chris like he was. Eddie had no idea what to feel about that.

“Does everyone at the station know about Emma?” Eddie asked.

“Yes. It’s…well, it’s not a secret, but they also understand that I’m a little hesitant to just gush about it.”

Eddie listened as Buck went over how he got Emma and how a few in the know from other places hadn’t said good things about him taking the baby in.

“I mean, I got her and then forgot about my own birthday. It wasn’t until July that I realized I had missed it and that we were only six days apart. June 15th for her and June 21st for me. I was born on the summer solstice of the year I was born. My sister once told me it was why I had a sunny disposition.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” a man said as he walked over. He held out his hand to Eddie. “Tommy Kinard from the 217. Steve from the 136 is working the shift that the other crew got pulled off of after a day of work.”

“Poor Steve,” Buck said.

Eddie raised an eyebrow at that.

“Steve hates being called in for shifts but does them.”

“Then why does he do them?”

“Cause therapy didn’t work for him, so he just lives with his inability to tell his captain no for fear he is going to get fired,” Derek said.

Eddie looked at Buck and tried to figure out if the man was playing with him or not.

“Derek’s an-” Buck trailed off and then shrugged. “Well, he’s mean when he wants to be and sometimes too blunt. But what he said was true. Steve has issues, but he’s a good firefighter. Everyone here has issues of their own. I think Tommy is the only one who is perfectly stable, and even he is allergic to romantic commitment.”

“I wish that the little ray of sunshine wasn’t here, Buckley; I would tell you where to stuff your words.”

“Well, I can stuff them wherever you like, but that wouldn’t be something anyone here wants to see.”

“I do!” Amber said.

Eddie was lost, but he had a feeling that until he learned these guys, he was always going to be lost. He had heard the rumor that Buck was with someone from another station, but it seemed that it was right, and he was with Tommy.

“Buck and Tommy are friends with benefits,” a woman said as she walked over.

Eddie looked at her, and he was pretty sure that she worked as a nurse, given the scrubs.

“Why are you in scrubs, Stella?” Buck asked. He grabbed Eddie’s arm and settled him on the couch beside Chris. “How are you doing, Chris?”

“I’ve never held a baby before.”

“Why not?” Stella asked as she dropped onto the couch beside Chris. “And I am wearing scrubs as I had someone throw up on me when dropping them off at the hospital as my last thing on shift. I put my stuff into a bag, and then I put it into my car while I waited to see if I was needed for more before clocking off. I was allowed to come home in them. My work clothes are in the wash cause yeah.”

“So, what does everyone do?” Eddie asked.

“OH!” another woman said as she sprinted away. She came back a few seconds later with a sheet of paper that had the first names, general job, and what floor they lived on.

“You guys are kind of crazy,” Eddie said. He looked at the woman who handed it to him. “Can I keep this?”

“Sure. I have many just for that. Tommy’s family visited a few weeks back, and it was confusing to them. So I made that up. So Chris, how do you like Emma?”

“She’s pretty neat,” Chris said. He looked up at Eddie with a smile on his face.

“So, how many babies have you been around?” Buck asked.

“Not many but this is the first I’ve held. Can I come back and hold her more?” Chris asked.

“Sure, whenever your father lets you. She likes being held, but also she just likes people. She usually doesn’t take to someone as quickly as she has you. My sister was over the other day, and Emma didn’t like her. I was very upset but no more than my sister.”

Eddie nodded. He looked at Emma before reaching out to touch her foot. She wiggled it, bouncing the foot and, therefore, Eddie’s hand a little before she started to giggle.

“I really like her,” Chris said.

“Well, she really likes you as well. I’ll be feeding her in a little while. If you are still awake, you can try and feed her.”

“Can I?” Chris asked as he looked at Eddie.

“Sure. I know you don’t have school tomorrow, and Buck and I don’t have to report until our next normal day since we worked the brunt of the day in difficult conditions.”

“Yeah, it’s the only good spot in what happened today,” Tommy said.

Eddie looked around the living room and saw there were enough couches for everyone who lived there to sit on as well as chairs scattered around.

“And we have an empty bed that you two can share if you don’t feel like going home alone,” Tommy said.

“Thanks. I’ll think about that.”

Tommy nodded his head, and he looked at Buck, who was looking away from Tommy. Eddie wasn’t sure what was up there, but at least Buck talked to Eddie more. Eddie could see why Buck might not want to bring things up with Eddie until he had learned him. There was a lot in his life that many could take potshots at. Buck was a hard nut to crack, but Eddie was pretty sure that he could use Christopher to actually do it.

Chapter Three

Buck hated being woken up by a phone call. It was never good, even if the call came at nine in the morning and he was getting a few hours of sleep since he hadn’t got a lot when he had been working. He looked at the number and frowned. It was his parents.

“Hello?” Buck asked. He looked over at where Emma was asleep in the crib. She was thankfully still fully asleep.

“What do you think you are doing adopting a child and not telling us about it?” Margaret Buckley said.

Buck looked at the phone, and he rubbed at his eyes. It was only eight-thirty. He rolled over, grabbed the monitor there, and turned it on before he slipped down to the kitchen.

“I’m going to go down to where people aren’t sleeping. Give me a moment.”

Buck found Derek standing at the water kettle and looking at it like it had betrayed him. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he really didn’t want to be up where she was.

Derek turned to look at him, and he eyed the phone.

“Mother,” Buck mouthed.

Derek rolled his eyes, and he picked up the kettle as soon as it clicked and poured water over two mugs. He tapped the timer and then walked over to take the phone from Buck’s hand. He tapped the button to turn it to speaker and then walked over to sit down at the island with his cup of tea. He waved at the second, offering it to Buck.

Buck snagged it and walked back over to where the phone was.

“Okay, mother. I’m in the kitchen now. Why would I tell you anything?” Buck asked.

“I am your mother. I don’t see anything on Facebook about this child.”

“That’s because I post to something else private for those that I want in my life.”

“Evan Christopher Buckley!” Margaret said.

Buck looked at Derek, who just shrugged. He snagged the tea bag and pulled it from the cup. Buck did the same.

“Mother, I’ve not lived in your house since I was nineteen. You have no control over me. So try again.”

“How dare you speak to your mother like that,” Phillip said.

“Dad, she’s the one that started this. If she wants to be spoken to with respect, she needs to speak to me with respect.”

Derek shook his head, and he leaned back in the seat and looked to the side at someone else. Buck looked over to see Tommy with Emma in his arms. She was bright-eyed. He looked at the baby monitor, and it was off.

“I shut it off when I went up to check on her. You didn’t get a lick of sleep, so that meant you had to be up for a reason.”

“Who is that?” Margaret demanded.

“Oh, that’s one of my roommates, Tommy.”

“Am I on speaker?”

“Yes.”

“I will hang up if you don’t take me off.”

“You called me, mother. I didn’t call you. So go ahead. Hang up, and if you do, I won’t answer again. Now, what is the reason you are calling?”

“Maddie called us to tell us that she’s staying around LA, and she told us about the baby. I had no idea you were so out of control that you think that you can take care of a baby that you accidentally created.”

“I didn’t. She was delivered by me on a call, and the mother died. Sharon wanted me to have her. So I took her because it was the only honorable thing I could do. I can’t see my life without her, and I love her.”

“When are you bringing her home to visit?” Phillip asked.

“Not anytime soon. I might do it someday to show her where I grew up and to take her to Hershey Park but never to see you.”

“What did we do to earn that kind of treatment?” Margaret asked.

“You never loved me, and I knew it. I only got attention from you when I did something to hurt myself. You barely paid any attention to me at all once Maddie was gone. You’ve never once called me once I left home. I know that the ranch called when I hurt myself, and you told them to make sure I didn’t die and then hung up. So no, mother, I’m not going to even entertain the idea that you deserve a place in my child’s life because you had never wanted one in my life until I got a child.”

“You are a horrible child,” Margaret said before she hung up.

“Well, your mother is a peach,” Tommy said.

“My father is worse. He does what she wants over the needs of his children.”

“Ah, been working out the parent issues in therapy?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah, I figured that I could not ignore them anymore. Emma’s been having fun crawling around on the office floor when I have my afternoon visits. We upped the visits due to the whole thing of becoming a parent. Guentzel thinks I’m a wonderful father so far. He likes that I’m getting help from people around me as I flail at life.”

Tommy laughed and was about to hand over Emma to Buck when the doorbell rang. Tommy cocked his head to the side. “Who the hell is here?”

“You are asking me?” Derek asked.

“I know you ignore everyone. Drink your tea and look pretty. I’ll get the door,” Tommy said. He handed over Emma, who was chewing on her fingers.

Tommy came back a few minutes later with Chris right behind him. Eddie wasn’t there. Buck looked behind, waiting for Eddie to come into the room as well.

“Dad has to go help Abuela with something, and Pepa can’t watch me. Can you guys?” Chris asked.

Buck looked at Tommy.

“Eddie asked, and I said yes. I guess there is an issue with a water pipe. He looked stressed. He promised dinner tonight as well, and he would pick up stuff when he was on his way if you would text him how many of us there are.”

“Hmm, I’ll make a list of what was got for dinner tonight, and then I’ll text him, so he doesn’t pick up anything we already have. He can tell me what isn’t needed or what he might need more of. It’s all of us tonight, so with Eddie and Chris thirteen.”

“Unlucky,” Chris said.

“Not really. Cause it’ll be fourteen with Emma. She just isn’t gonna eat any of that stuff.”

“So she’s Bilbo?” Chris asked.

“Well, she eats enough to be a Hobbit. Is that what you are reading right now?”

“Yeah, I saw a little bit of one, and Daddy never really watched them. So we are reading the Hobbit, and then we will watch it. I watched Lord of the Rings with Dad already, but he said something about there being longer versions, but he never saw the point in them.”

“Oh dear,” Derek said.

“Never saw the point?” Stella said as she came into the room. “Okay, so Buck, I know what we are watching today. All-day movie marathon. There is no getting away. This child is not leaving without watching as much as we can. Breakfast sandwiches, Tommy.”

“You got it, ma’am.” Derek got up, and he headed toward the stove. “Did you eat breakfast, little man?”

“Yes, but dad says I’m a growing boy, and if I’m hungry, I should try and eat. He thinks I’m growing again. I don’t want to keep on growing.”

“You’ve got years of that left,” Stella said.

“It’s a scam,” Chris said.

Buck laughed, and he walked over to get Emma’s breakfast ready for her to eat. He was pretty lax now, and he was good at making sure that she wasn’t getting hurt by her food but following what Emma wanted and her doctor’s words, not what the various people online said was best. Emma was slowly coming to like a little bit of cereal in her evening bottle but not any other time. It was all pretty easy really to keep her fed.

“So I’m going to go and feed Emma in the living room, Chris. Do you want to come with me?”

“Can I try feeding her?” Chris asked.

“Sure. We can do that. You’ll have to do exactly what I say.”

Chris nodded his head, and he turned to head into the living room.

“Were you going to mow today?” Tommy asked.

“I was in about an hour or so. I’ll take care of Emma, and then Chris and I can head outside and do stuff out there; why?”

“Eddie left a bag with a few changes of clothes just in case Chris was going to help you.”

“The whole block knows my schedule.”

“They liked to watch you get sweaty and strip your clothes off, then hose yourself off.”

“I know dad does,” Chris said.

Buck laughed, thinking about how much he liked watching Eddie do yard work. Maybe he could offer to help him with his some time and watch him up close.

“So, Chris, what else does your father like about Buck?” Tommy asked.

“Tommy, do not interrogate the child!” Stella yelled from the kitchen.

Buck laughed, and he bounced Emma in his arms a little bit as he headed to sit down. He laid Emma on the couch and braced her with a pillow so that he could get Chris settled into being able to hold her and feed her.

“Would it be easier to hold me in your lap and do it?” Chris asked.

“I think it might be, but I didn’t want to just tell you that I was going to do that.”

“I think I would like it more.”

Buck laid his cell phone down, and he picked up Chris and carefully put Chris in his lap. He settled the boy and still put the pillow in his lap before picking up Emma and laying her there. Buck stayed focused on Chris and Emma as they fed Emma. He didn’t look away for a single second. Until he heard snickering and looked up to see most of his roommates standing there. Tommy was holding his phone up like he was taking a video.

“Say hello!” Tommy was laughing too hard, and the sound came out a little garbled.

“Hi!” Chris said. He waved his hand back and forth before putting it back on Emma’s belly and rubbing it.

Buck felt his heart hurt a little at how good that looked. He had become too attached to Chris in a very short time.

—

Eddie felt horrible as he headed into the hospital. He was afraid of what happened to have his Abuela there, but he had been short on the phone. Buck hadn’t even hesitated to tell Bobby that he was taking him to the hospital to see what was happening. He saw Pepa standing and talking on the phone, but Chris wasn’t in sight at all.

“Eddie is here. I’ll call you back later.” Pepa hung up the phone and spent a few seconds looking at Eddie and Buck behind him. “Chris is in the ER with a Tommy Kinard. He said that you would know him, and Chris knew him well, said you lived close?”

“I live with Tommy, and we are a few houses down from Eddie,” Buck said.

“Yes, well, Chris was worked up a little, and Tommy took him back down there to show him around the place now that he’s not freaked out because Mama is hurt. Tommy got him calm, and his captain said he would hitch a ride back with someone else.”

Eddie relaxed. He wanted to see Chris, but at least Chris hadn’t been too freaked out. “How is Abuela?”

Pepa gave Eddie a glare and looked at Buck.

“No, he’s fine. What happened?” Eddie asked.

Pepa started the story and dressed Eddie down for leaving Chris with her like he was doing.

Buck wandered off at one point, texting with someone. He wasn’t too worried as Buck didn’t go far. The sound of laughter drew Eddie’s attention away from Pepa, and he saw Chris coming around a corner with a smile on his face and Tommy right beside him.

Chris looked just fine. He looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“DAD!” Chris yelled as he saw Eddie.

Eddie rushed over to hug him, picking Chris up and looking at Tommy and mouthing “thank you” to him.

“Derek will snag him later today if you don’t mind. I can’t find someone to watch him until then, but he will gladly pick him up from wherever when he’s off shift here later. Derek’s going to snag Emma at the same time from her daycare that she goes to for a little socialization with other kids her age, usually only when no one can watch her. Today is just one of those days.”

“We can take him back to the station. Bobby already cleared it for a little bit.”

“Good,” Tommy said. He held out his hand, and Chris reached out and did a fist bump. Tommy nodded at Buck and Eddie before giving Pepa a little bow before he headed off.

“How are you getting back to the station?” Buck asked.

“ER nurse is getting off. She worked a shift and a half, so she’s heading home. I’ll hitch a ride with her.”

“Okay, see you at home tomorrow then,” Buck said.

“I really get to go with you to work, Daddy?” Chris asked.

“You sure do.” Eddie looked at Buck and found him looking pretty happy about that. He was so very thankful for his friend.

“Hey, someone is going to come around the station later today. She’s going to want to talk to you about that paperwork you were talking about having so many issues with. Is that okay?” Buck asked.

“Um, sure.” Eddie wasn’t sure who could help him with that. Buck would have said the person’s name if it was someone he lived with. Eddie had that sheet of paper he had been given, and it was filled in with little things about each person as he learned them. He debated buying a notebook and starting to keep track that way, but he hadn’t yet. He really needed to.

“So ready to head back to work?” Buck asked.

“Sure,” Eddie said. He bounced Chris a little. “You ready?”

“Yeah. I wanna see where you work, Dad.”

“Then let’s go.”

—

Eddie was filling out paperwork on the simple run they did. Derek was on his way from work and would pick up Chris and take him back to the house. A few of Buck’s other roommates had woken up and offered to come and get him. But Eddie had been okay with Chris staying there.

“Are you Eddie?” a woman asked.

Eddie looked up at her, and he cocked his head to the side. He was not expecting to see someone who looked like her asking for him. He wasn’t really expecting anyone to ever look for him. The woman was beautiful, and she had a smile that looked like it could tame a wild beast.

“I am. Eddie Diaz,” Eddie said.

“Carla Price. Buck said that you were expecting me.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sorry he made it seem like someone who knew paperwork really well, and I assumed it would be someone old. I let my mind get the best of me there.”

“Buck said you stopped and picked up the paperwork and some stuff for Chris.”

“How do you know Buck?” Eddie asked. He was really confused about it.

“I met him under a year ago, but he was a sweet man who nearly started to date a friend of mine, but she realized that he needed help, not a girlfriend. She pushed him to talk to someone.”

“Ah, she is who got him to get therapy with Doctor Guentzel,” Eddie said.

“Yes, Abby. She’s still having fun wandering around the world. I was the home health nurse who took care of Abby’s mother before she passed. I’ve stayed in contact with Buck, especially with the little one in the picture. Now, tell me about everything.”

Eddie told her the entire story, he had made sure she understood that he had run from his family, but at least he had kept in contact and tried as much as he could. He also agreed that if they had been further away from his parents, things might not have gone to shit with him and Shannon.

“Okay, honey, well, the first thing that I would do is get a divorce or at least start it. I have a slightly different view after helping Buck get things settled for Emma. Divorce is the best option. Right now, she’s not contributing anything to his life, and to make sure that you get the best for the both of you, that needs to happen. Do you know where she is?”

“Yes, I have ways to get a hold of her. She ignores me, but I know where she is.”

“Good. Good. We can start with that kind of thing. I don’t have a good sense of the law side of that, but Buck can help you get in contact with his lawyer. Well, not his, but Lily is Emma’s Godmother but doesn’t want children. She would have taken Emma in but agreed that Buck was a good person to raise her. Lily’s good. She helped Buck with everything. Tommy’s even aiming to get her to move into the last room that’s open in the house. It could be interesting.”

Eddie nodded. He wasn’t sure what he felt about divorce. He knew that it did make sense. It had been nearly two years since she had left them. He was pretty sure that he would have to do what Carla said. He had to think of Chris. He hadn’t really put Chris first in the first years of his life, but now he needed to.

Chris had been his first priority after Shannon left, and he had then pushed himself into working three jobs, and things had just gone downhill from there. LA had been their restart, and Eddie needed to make sure that he was taking care of all of Chris, which meant making sure that he got what help he could to make sure that he wasn’t too stressed about money to spend time with Chris.

“So, how soon can you start working?” Eddie asked.

“As soon as we get some of this filed. Now, I will come over tomorrow to Buck’s house, and the roommates can all keep Chris entertained while we work on this paperwork. If you ask Buck, I’m sure that Lily can drop over and see you as well at some point. That stuff will take longer, but most of this can be done as long as it’s in the process. New evaluations can be done later once it’s all done. But I think that we can get a good chunk out of the way tomorrow.”

Carla closed the file and slipped it back over to Eddie. She gave him a smile and patted his hand. “We can get this going.”

“Good. Thank you.”

“Of course, I have been moving around since Patricia died; it would be nice to have a main client again, even if it’s staying at your place. Now, does your house have a spare room?”

“Yes. It’s small, but there is enough room for a good bed in there. I can make sure to get one, but you can sleep in my bed until then. I don’t mind others in my bed.”

“Good. Cause I’ll sleep there no matter what. I don’t do couches.”

“My couch is lovely to sit on to watch movies; it sucks to sleep in. I’ve found that out the hard way. So, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Have Buck text me when you are on your way. I may or may not be over there then.”

“Yes, Buckaroo talks about how much you and Chris spend time over there. Buck’s happy you feel like you can trust the guys there with Chris. Now, let me meet him. I hear that Chris is around here somewhere.”

“Oh, he’s down in the gym with Buck. I’m shocked you missed him.”

“Honey, I don’t look over there when I come in. Otherwise, I stand, stare, and drool. I learned that the hard way a while ago.”

Eddie laughed, and he stood up with the files. He would slip them back into his bag down in the locker room while Carla met Chris. He looked forward to what Carla could help him get for Chris. Eddie had been looking at a school that would make things better for Chris. It would be a good school, but it was out of Eddie’s price range, but with help, he could do it.

—

There was nothing better sometimes than the burn of a run. Buck rounded the corner, and he looked at Eddie’s house to see that there was finally light on. One of them was awake. Buck looked at his phone and decided he didn’t need another lap around the block. He turned his phone to silent as he popped his headphones out of his ears, and he jogged to Eddie’s door. He knocked softly, and it was the sound of shuffling feet that he heard on the other side of the door. That meant Eddie was awake.

Eddie opened the door and glared.

“Hey, I didn’t wake you up!” Buck said.

“You invaded my early morning silent time,” Eddie said. He waved for Buck to come inside, though. “You are sweaty.”

“Yes, I just got done with my run and wondered if you want to get breakfast with me. Well, you and Chris since it’s Saturday.”

“Sure. He’s nearly ready to get up. I have that outfit you wore over that one time all washed up. You can go and hop in the shower if you want, and we can head out as soon as you are done in there.”

“Are you sure?” Buck asked.

“Yeah, don’t go home, you never know who is going to talk to you, and then you will be stuck talking to them.”

“That happened once,” Buck said while laughing. He shoved at Eddie’s arm. “I will have to head over to get Emma. Tommy was up with her while I ran. I was supposed to go for longer, so he’s not going to freak out.”

“Shannon’s attorney got a hold of mine yesterday. Chris has been a little distraught. I didn’t want to keep it from him since he’s already suspicious of the mail that I have been getting from people with long names. She’s not contesting a thing. He’s just upset as hell. A day out with his Buck is just what the doctor ordered. I was going to text you later.”

“He’s been wanting to go to the pier after seeing it, and you said you didn’t want to take him alone.”

“We will see what he feels like. I think the pier will be a good idea. So I’ll broach that with him while you are in the shower. Go get your stinky ass cleaned up.”

“Well, if you weren’t looking at my ass, you wouldn’t know it was stinky,” Buck said.

“That made no sense.”

“No, it really didn’t, but I don’t care. Breakfast at a little place I know and love, and then we can head and do something else until the pier is closer to fully opening. How does that sound?”

“What is this other thing?” Eddie asked.

“That’s a surprise.” Buck stuck his tongue out before slipping into Eddie’s room to find his clothes. They were stacked on top of a dresser. Buck snagged them and headed into the bathroom. He only partially shut the door since it was the only one in the house as the main bathroom was getting a little bit of an update to the shower, so Eddie was using Chris’.

Buck rushed through his shower but still ensured that he waited inside of it when he heard Chris in there getting ready. He shut off the water when the door shut a little louder than Chris normally shut it.

“How are you feeling?” Eddie asked when Buck emerged from the bathroom. Eddie was leaning against the wall, looking hotter than any man had any right to look.

“Why?”

“You had bruises on your arms. I didn’t remember you getting them on shift.”

“Oh, no. Tommy got a little rougher than we normally do. It felt good, but it left bruises.”

“You and Tommy are together. Hen said you were single,” Eddie said.

“Yeah, I am technically. It’s like friends with benefits. We both like sex. I’m not ready for an emotional relationship right now. I’m still trying to wrap my head around things and then with Emma being dropped into my life. It’s not anything too much anymore, just comfort. Sometimes we don’t even have sex; it’s just sharing a bed, so we remember that we are not alone.”

“Then that makes sense based on what I heard from a few from the other shifts. So, I guess I understand that.”

“It’s not freaking you out, is it?” Buck asked. He waved for Eddie to go out first, and he followed the man to the living room. They both looked in on Chris in the bedroom to see him nearly ready to go.

“Oh, no. I get it. I can’t cheat, and even though Shannon’s been gone for like two years, I can’t make myself do it. I can’t cheat on her. I take our vows very seriously. I love her, but not like I used to. It’s a faded and past love more than the bright one it had been. She didn’t like the man I became after I was in the Army.”

“Well, when you get that divorce, I know many who wouldn’t mind helping you celebrate being free. Not like sleep with you, but you know the being your wingman.”

“I’m not sure if that sounds like a promise or a threat.”

“Depends on who you go with, honestly. So I’ll be honest, there are a few that would even do the whole sleeping with you thing.”

Eddie laughed, and he shook his head.

“Dad, I’m ready!” Chris said as he started down the hall.

“Okay, let’s head over to Buck’s and pick up Emma.”

“I got the new sling stuff in so I can carry her around like that on my front.” Buck had tried them with one of the stuffed animals his friends bought for Emma all the time, even if all she did was sleep with them when she was getting sleepy before a nap. It wasn’t the strangest thing in the world, but it was pretty up there. Still, he had been able to use them to get what he wanted. He could get the sling on without any issues.

“I’ve seen people with those. I love the idea of them,” Eddie said.

“What are they?” Chris asked.

“Well, I’ll just show you. They are sometimes a little hard to understand without a visual to someone who has never seen them before. One of the wives of the guys that Tommy works with makes them. She does little sewing things on the side, really for fun. She barely makes any money, but it’s something to do with her hands now that their kids are out of the house.”

Eddie nodded his head, and he grabbed Chris’ backpack lying on the couch. He waved for Buck and Chris to head out.

“Can I go with Buck to get Emma?” Chris asked.

“Sure. I’ll join you over there as soon as I can.”

—

Eddie laughed as Buck kicked a little water at Chris, who was dressed in his swimming trunks and a T-shirt to help with the sun. Buck was similarly dressed, which was good as Eddie was sure that Eddie would see more people hitting on him if he was shirtless.

Emma made a noise, so Eddie looked down to pay attention again. He reached down and wiggled her hand a little. Emma babbled at him and then made a screeching noise that was new to what sounds she made. Eddie was pretty sure that one of the roommates had taught her that. He wasn’t shocked about it. They were a good bunch.

The beach wasn’t nearly as full as he assumed it would be, but it seemed that he was pretty sure it was due to the slight chill to the water at the moment, and the air was pretty cold. It wasn’t nearly as bad as summer could get, but those who loved the heat didn’t do well in weather like this.

“You guys are a lovely little family,” an older woman said as she passed by Eddie. By the time he remembered that he should say something in response, the woman was gone.

Eddie frowned, and he looked down at Emma before looking out at the ocean where Buck was picking up Chris and carrying him up. Eddie had chosen to stay in the shade with Emma as he wasn’t the biggest on ocean swimming. They had dinner plans and would need to leave soon to clean up a little before making them. Eddie looked around to see that they did look like a family. Many parents were there with their kids, and they fit right in.

Buck laughed as he settled Chris down onto the blanket with his crutches going down next. Eddie snagged both of them and pulled them back as Chris dropped down.

“Did Emma eat enough of a snack?” Chris asked. He reached out and tickled her stomach. Emma laughed and clapped her hands before holding them out for Chris.

Eddie hesitated, but Buck was looking and didn’t try and stop Chris from picking her up. Chris turned her around carefully and settled her into his lap. It looked like Chris had been doing that kind of thing a lot. Eddie looked at Buck.

“Tommy and I have been practicing with him. As Emma gets bigger, we will have to make sure, but Chris is good with her. He lets us know immediately if picking her up is too much. When he was there the other day, we worked with him.”

“I really like helping with her as much as I can,” Chris said.

“Except stinky diapers.”

“Well, duh, she’s not my kid. I don’t have to change those, and Stella told me so.”

Eddie laughed, and Buck looked affronted.

“You haven’t smelled them, Dad. They should be labeled toxic.”

“She had a bad reaction to one of the cereals we tried with her. It was horrible. It took forever to clear it out as well. We made sure to note what was different in that one compared to what I normally get and see if we could figure it out. There are three different things, so we will make sure the next time to get one that’s only got one of those things, so we can start to narrow the list down. She wasn’t sick, just had foul bowels.”

“Really foul, Daddy. It was worse than the time that you drank that stuff that made you really sick.”

“Ah, yeah, well, let’s not talk about that in front of a lady.” Eddie had hated the colonoscopy that he got. He had been sick for a few days after for the stuff he had to drink. It had felt like he had gone on a three-day bender without the fun of actually being drunk.

“So what else are we doing today?” Buck asked.

“I’m tired. I want to go home.”

“Sure, we can do that. Movies at Casa Diaz?” Buck looked at Eddie with a hopeful look on his face.

“That actually sounds wonderful, but on the way home, we need to stop to pick up stuff for dinner.”

“I want the stuff you make,” Chris said.

“We can pick up the stuff for tostadas. Buck can learn how we do them in the Diaz household and have fun with us while doing it.”

“I always look forward to that kind of thing. I like learning new things.”

Eddie knew that of Buck. It was one of the fundamentals that made him and Chris such a good pair. They both fed off of each other. It made for an interesting life, and one that Eddie was pretty sure was one that he could see himself being happy with if he and Buck did grow closer.

Chapter Four

Buck splashed water back at Emma and waited for her to giggle and kick her legs. It was bath time, but she was not yet clean, so playing in the water was good. She had been so afraid of water for so long that her time now was something that Buck enjoyed most. She would kick her feet in the water and play as Buck got the water ready to bathe her. She was in a bouncy seat that he used for giving her baths at first. She still loved it, and up until he had to wash her back, she was good in that for a long time. Her legs were long enough now that she could kick and splash. Buck came out of bath time pretty wet most nights.

“Hey, Buck,” Eddie said.

Buck looked behind to see Chris and Eddie there. He swallowed. He had never had them in his room before. He was sure that Stella had told them to come up. He looked down at Emma when she splashed him again.

“Bath time?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah. She got a little bit of dinner on herself. It’s normal. What’s up?” Buck asked.

“We were going to head out to get a little ice cream. Did you two want to come?” Eddie asked.

“Oh, that sounds fun as hell. Give me a few minutes with this thing here, and I’ll get her into some clothes to head out. You guys can hang out in my room. I have her clothes here, and then I need to change. So like ten minutes?”

“No rush. It’s not a school night, and we don’t work tomorrow. So take your time,” Eddie said.

“I will.” Buck turned back to look at Emma, who was smiling at him and trying to kick out of her seat like she always did. “You are trying to show off, aren’t you? Show off for the Diaz men? That’s okay. I like to do it as well.”

Buck didn’t rush through bathing her. He made sure that Emma was nice and clean. He tried his hardest to ensure that she never developed something he could prevent. He might go a little overboard, but he took care of Emma, and that was the only thing that mattered.

Eddie was the one that drove with Buck in the front seat, and Chris and Emma strapped into the back seat of the truck.

“Where are we going?” Buck asked when he realized that Eddie pulled out and headed a way that wasn’t the normal place they got ice cream from.”

“It’s a new shop. Pepa told me about it.”

“Oh, so I can talk about it now?” Chris asked.

Buck laughed. Chris did well at keeping those kinds of secrets.

“Yes, you can. Pepa said she told you to keep it a secret. So we are going to go there, and you can get what you want.”

“YAY!” Chris said and he kind of danced in his seat.

Buck looked back at Emma to find her dancing along with Chris.

“She’s almost big enough and strong enough to where I won’t have to keep her secure in the bath anymore, and then I’m really going to get soaked.”

“Yes, you are. Chris loved to do that well until he was too old.”

Chris laughed from the back seat, and then he started to sing. Buck recognized the song as having heard it, but he had no idea what it came from. He looked at Eddie for help.

“It’s from The Little Mermaid.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve seen that before. I’ll have to add it to the list of things to watch.”

“You’ve never seen it? What about Lion King?”

“We didn’t watch a lot of movies when I was growing up, at least kid ones. I think I watched many really older movies that bored me to death, and I forgot everything about it. So I’ll make sure to slip in a few Disney movies with you two as much as we can do it. How does that sound?”

“Yeah. We can make sure that Emma has a good grasp of good movies.”

“I am not sure that you can call The Aristocats a good movie,” Eddie said.

Chris gasped and was all dramatic before singing a song about how it was good to be a cat.

“So, what’s so fun about this place?” Buck asked.

“Nothing really. They allow you to add all of the toppings you want; you pay for them but still. The paperwork is done. Shannon and I are divorced, and I have everything settled about who gets Chris next if I die.”

Buck looked back at Chris, who was still singing along to a song in his head. He had to have heard that, but he wasn’t reacting. So it seemed he was expecting that talk.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah, Carla is happy about it all, and everything is set for Chris to start that therapy trio once a week each after school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He’s gonna be unhappy about all three, but he’ll adjust.”

Buck laughed when Chris stuck his tongue out at Eddie. His phone went off, and Buck raised it up to look to see who texted him. He found it was Maddie. He smiled and opened up the message. Maddie was staying longer than she thought, willing to make sure that Doug knew he wasn’t wanted in her life anymore. Buck was nearly certain that Doug wouldn’t take it kindly, but she was settled into an apartment building with a lot of security.

Maddie had wanted a more open place, and Buck understood that, but he also knew that Doug had been weird since Buck had first met him. Buck didn’t trust Doug as far as Chris could throw him. He felt like there was something that Maddie was keeping from him. He hadn’t been able to crack her yet.

“How does Maddie like working at the call center?” Eddie asked.

“How did you know it was Maddie?” Buck asked.

“You get a look on your face when it’s her. I’ve learned that look. She’s been there a month now, right?”

“Yeah, she has. She really likes it. The location is closer than the one she would be slotted into at first. She’ll be working our calls sometimes as well. I think she’ll like it. She loved being a nurse, but I think that she can’t handle fearing Doug just walking in there.”

“Everyone knows what he looks like, right?”

“Yeah, Ming has been kind of the point on that one. She and Maddie get along a little bit. They talk sometimes, and Ming met her for drinks the other day. It’s been going good with Maddie and me. I think. Doctor Copeland wants me to keep the boundaries that I have and to keep on telling people when they say something that upsets me.”

“That’s good. How has that worked?”

“Well, there were a few times that a few of the guys on shift said that I can’t take a joke which has then turned into Hen and the other women laying into them that it’s what’s been used for years to cover up the sexual harassment of women by men. Which turned their heads a little, but it’s slowly getting better. I’ve never noticed how many jokes were made that upset me. It had mostly been from Chim before.”

“I’ve heard a lot about him, how he used to be the heart of the 118.”

“Yeah, he was. He was the reason we have the staff we have now. He refused to sit down and take it, then leave the 118 when the former captain was a racist and a woman-hater. When Hen came along, a few stepped in to complain about things that hadn’t when the captain hated on Chim. Chim was good, he said a few things I really didn’t like, and sometimes I said things back that I didn’t like coming out of my mouth. Then I started therapy just before things went to hell. I never realized how much I internalized everything about what Chim said. Especially the jokes on not understanding pop culture.”

“That’s never a good joke to have. Depending on what part of the country you are raised in, your pop culture would be different. Also, it’s pretty sad that you don’t understand things because your parents didn’t allow things. That’s like saying you are deficient in something that you can’t help. I would rather teach you about things than to make fun of you for things you didn’t know you were missing out on.”

“Yeah, I would rather teach you about Mulan than to make fun of you, Bucky,” Chris said.

“Mulan?” Buck asked.

“You’ll learn. Hell, Buck, we will make a man out of you,” Eddie said.

Chris broke into laughter in the back seat, making Emma giggle along. Eddie started to laugh a few seconds later.

“I’ll get you back for that, mister Texas,” Buck said.

Eddie was shaking his head but still laughing.

Buck pulled his cell phone out, and he googled making a man and found that it was a song from the Mulan movie. He wondered how horrible the movie would be, then he saw a meme on an image page. “That’s where the dishonor on your cow thing came from?”

“Yeah, dishonor on your whole family, dishonor on you, and dishonor on your cow, or something like that.”

“I’ve seen that meme all over the internet, and I have heard people say it. I never thought it would be from a Disney movie.” Buck scrolled through a few more things before Eddie covered the phone with his hand.

“Why don’t we watch it after ice cream? You can come back to the house with us and stay the night if you are too tired and don’t want to bother Emma to get her up.”

“Well, I will have to take her home. You don’t have a place she can sleep.”

“I bought a Pack ‘n’ Play for her to use at my place. You are over enough that I thought it was a good thing, especially with the holidays coming up. My Abuela has demanded to know this Buck that has taken over Chris’ life.”

“Are we really at the meet the family stage in this relationship?” Buck asked. He laughed, but when he looked at Eddie, he saw the look there, and Buck was pretty sure he had said something just a little wrong. He wasn’t going to take it back. He didn’t want to draw Chris’ attention to it.

“Well, my family knows that I don’t get attached to people too easily. They are just surprised that I did after I griped about you for a little while. Pepa is all about meeting you and thanking you for having my back with the bomb. I just want them to see that I’m not the loner I was in El Paso, but most of that was the fact that I barely had enough time for Chris, and I felt like I needed to give him my all when I was around him and had time. Going out for drinks with the guys was not something I could do and have fun. Why do it if I’m not going to have fun.”

“Well, if you want to head out to make friends other than me, I’ll gladly watch Chris, and you can go and do that or find a person to talk to.” Buck looked back to see that Chris was still bobbing his head along to songs that were only in his head. It wasn’t the best, but he figured that Chris wasn’t paying that close of attention at the moment.

“I’m good. I’m still processing the final end of the relationship with Shannon. I am not ready for that kind of relationship, even a one-night one. So I’ll just cuddle my kid, enjoy crashing your house, and having friends like that for now, but I’ll remember the whole thing for later.”

Buck nodded as he could understand that. He thought about how he and Tommy were pulling away on the sexual stuff but still shared a bed. They were not nearly as close as they had been, but Buck still felt like that friendship was still strong as hell.

—

There was something that felt wrong, but Buck wasn’t sure what it was. He looked around the outside of the house, and he stopped when he saw it. He froze and then turned to look at Eddie’s house before he pulled his phone out. He dialed Athena’s personal number.

“Grant,” Athena said.

“Athena, I’m at my house, and it felt a little wrong, and now I see that there is a camera there that was not put by us. It’s one of the smaller ones, not like the ones we already have. Its location means that the person came in from the side and placed it while bypassing all of our cameras.”

“I’ll send a unit to secure the place and then a team to get the camera down. How long has it been there?”

“I have no clue. I don’t look at that part of the front of the house often. I’ll go through the stuff with my friends, and we can figure out when there was no one here, which is very freaking rare. Even at night, someone is always awake. Our night shift people don’t get too off schedule.”

“Okay, well, stay there, and the unit will be there in a few minutes. I’ll be along to get statements. Don’t draw attention to it. We can’t stop the person from cutting the feed and dumping it when the cops show up, but hopefully, they don’t show up to take it by force.”

Buck nodded his head, and he looked back at Eddie’s again, seeing Chris in the front yard. The fact that Chris came over to their place to play a lot made Buck’s stomach turn.

The front door and Tommy were standing there looking at him as he leaned in the doorway. Buck held out his hand to stop him and then covered his mouth with his finger. Tommy’s eyes widened in shock, and he nodded before going back into the house.

It wasn’t long before a unit showed up, and then the main unit that would take down the camera and look for more. Buck was sure that this case would get some attention; enough first responders lived in the house.

“Why aren’t they just taking it down?” Buck asked Athena when she finally got there with Bobby on her heels.

“They want to tap into it. It’s a stationary camera. Its gaze doesn’t move, so they want to see what it was aimed at to make sure it’s your place or the place across the street.”

Buck felt a little bad that he hadn’t thought about that. It was a mother with three kids across the street and a father who was overseas in the Army. They were more alone than most people, and Buck knew that Tommy and Stella checked on them often. Kim was over there some nights to cover when the mom needed to work longer hours. So he could understand the worry about who was across the street.

“Sergeant Grant?” an officer called out.

Athena walked over to him with Buck on her heels; Buck saw the feed. It was the front yard, most of the parking spots for those living there, and the place where guests parked. Buck didn’t like it.

“Well, Buckaroo, someone is stalking one of your friends or you.”

“Yeah,” Buck said. He looked at his phone. “Or my sister.”

“Your sister?” Athena asked.

“She left her husband. I never liked him, and I’m pretty sure he was controlling as hell. He would call her all the time when she was out with me like he was worried she was cheating on him, even from the start.”

“And what is this man’s name?”

“Doug Kendall, he should be in Hershey, but I can’t vouch for that.”

“I’ll run the prints if there are any on the camera and make sure that we try and track things as much as possible. Call your sister and tell her what is going on, even if it has nothing to do with her; it’s best to take care of that now. What are you going to do?”

“Well, I don’t like that people are watching us in some way. I might see if Eddie doesn’t mind a roommate while we figure this out for a few weeks. I don’t like someone watching Emma on there.”

“As no parent would. Don’t worry. I’ll do my damnedest to figure this out, Buck. Just settle in and do what you need to feel safe.”

Buck nodded. A glance at Eddie’s showed that he was looking their way. Chris wasn’t out in the yard, which was a feat. Buck felt like he needed to shower after being spied on, even if he wasn’t the target. It felt right that it was Doug, but it was probably a lot of projection.

“Go inside and get stuff to go stay with Eddie,” Athena said before she pushed Buck toward the front door of the house. “I’ll be sending in the unit over there to look, just to be safe, so expect to be invaded.”

“I’ll probably talk him into leaving for that. I’ll get you a key, and you guys can lock up when you leave and give the keys to Bobby to bring back to Eddie on the first shift.”

Buck headed inside. Tommy had been listening in to everything, and everyone knew. Buck felt all of their eyes on him when he came inside.

Tommy was the first to get close, wrapping his arms around Buck and holding on tight. “You go to Eddie’s. We will make sure that every time someone is coming home, someone else is awake, just to make sure. The LAPD will find this person.”

“Yeah, I just feel like I need to shower. So I’ll probably do that first. Can someone go talk to Eddie? I don’t want him to worry about me when I don’t go back outside. I’m sure my phone is blown up, but I silenced it. I’ll call Maddie before my shower. So maybe an hour?”

“We got your guy and his cute kid,” Kim said as she grabbed her light jacket to put on before she headed out.

“They will find who did this,” Tommy said again.

“Yeah, Shawn, David, and Stella are going to be fucking pissed. We can’t rule out it could be about them and a case they are working on. Stella just passed her exam to move up to detective, and she has a few cases she’s been working with other detectives. We can’t make assumptions,” Derek said.

“No, we can’t. I just feel like this is Maddie’s husband. I can’t give you more than that.”

“And we will make sure everyone is safe. Go shower, and when Emma’s up from her nap, I’ll take her over to you,” Tommy said, and he shoved Buck toward the stairs.

Buck did as he was told, and by the time he was ready to go, it had been over half an hour but not near a full hour. Maddie had been freaked out, and she warned the security that watched over her place and made sure her alarm was fully up and working. She’ll be very careful going to and from work, and Athena has already called her to have a unit look over the whole public area of the building.

The fear that there would be something found there had Buck sweating. He didn’t want to be right, but he was afraid that he was.

“Buck?” Eddie asked.

Buck looked up and realized that he had made it all the way to Eddie’s without even thinking about it. He looked back at the officer who was behind him, glad the man had been there to make sure Buck didn’t get hit as he crossed the road without looking.

“I’m just a space case today,” Buck said.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m working on some of the stuff for Thanksgiving. Did you want to watch a movie with Chris?”

“Sure.” Buck looked at the officer and nodded his head before entering the house. Chris was sitting on the couch, under a blanket with a stuffed fox in his arms. He looked like he was upset. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. That’s how he likes to watch movies when he’s alone. He’s going to want to sit in your lap. He knows that something is going on. He is the one who saw the cops milling around your place.”

“I think that cuddle time with Chris is just what I need. Emma’s taking her nap for the morning, and Tommy’s gonna bring her over when she’s up.”

“I’ll get the Pack ‘n’ Play out of my room then.”

“Nah, leave it there. She can wander around here with no issue. She’s walking a lot more than she was before, and she’s frustrated when she’s not talking as much as she wants, which is still mostly just pulling herself up and holding onto things as she goes around the room but still.”

“We pulled all of the stuff that she could harm up and out of the way. So if you are sure.”

“Yeah, leave it in there for her next nap.”

Buck walked over to Chris, and he nudged Chris’ knee as he dropped his bag down on the floor. Chris looked at him with a grin on his face.

“Bucky, come cuddle,” Chris said.

“Sure thing, superman.” Buck waited for Chris to sit up so he could slide into the corner of the couch.

Chris got into Buck’s lap, and he settled in before covering them both up with blankets. He turned his face to the TV to see that Chris was loading up a movie that had something to do with cats. Buck was watching, and he enjoyed it, even if that stupid song was getting stuck in his head. He wasn’t that upset about it. He knew that Chris sang the song a lot so Buck would be able to get it stuck in Chris’ head when the boy was being a little brat about getting stuff stuck in Buck’s head.

The smell from the kitchen had Buck’s stomach growling.

“What’s he making?”

“Stuff for tamales. We won’t be able to eat them today. But he’ll make tacos or something while he’s doing that. He makes sure we are fed, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried. It just sucks that we won’t be eating whatever smells like that until Thanksgiving. It’s only Sunday.”

“It’s just going to get worse. The smells will get better and better.”

“I’ve never been around someone making tamales or anything like it.”

“He makes all of the good stuff.” Chris leaned his head back into Buck’s body, and he seemed to go limp. It was just like with Emma, this trust that Buck was never going to break. He didn’t want to hurt either of them, ever.

“I’m looking forward to this,” Buck said. Thanksgiving was one of the holidays that was a show at the Buckley household. Buck felt like a puppet, and since leaving there, he had bounced from place to place. There were times he was on the road at Thanksgiving. Times that he felt like he wasn’t going to find a home, find a place to be.

He had the chance with Tommy and the others, and things had been good with them for other holidays, but this one, he kind of liked the idea of it just being him with Eddie and Chris, at least for a little while. He knew that they had their own family they would do things with.

“I’m shocked your tía and abuela aren’t the ones making this.”

“Oh, Dad does it really well, and they feel like this part is his job now that he’s the youngest. Next year he’s going to start teaching me. I can’t wait to start learning how to cook.”

“Yeah? I love learning how. Think your dad would teach me his secrets as well?” Buck asked.

“I don’t know. They are family secrets. You’ll have to be good to get them.”

Buck nodded his head, and he shifted a little to get comfortable. He brushed his fingers over Chris’ head, and he found he had a little bit of a fever. No wonder Chris was clingy, but Buck was okay with that as it meant he could do it without feeling bad.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m feeling pretty good. I woke up with a little fever, but Dad was sick the other day, and he said I probably just caught it.”

“Ah, yeah, everyone at work had that. We passed it around. I’m not shocked you got it.” Buck was pretty sure that everyone in the city had it. Emma even had it; it was why her naps were weird right now. He wasn’t worried about her getting it again since she already had it, and he assumed Eddie assumed that as well since he forgot to warn Buck.

“Is everything okay at your home?”

“Yeah, we just had something happen, and since there are a lot of special people living there, the cops are taking it really seriously. There is also the fear of it being someone going after the mom and two kids across from us.”

“And cops don’t like it when kids are gone after.”

“It’s never good when kids are threatened. I also have Emma. Things are fine with her; I’m not afraid of someone coming after her. There would be a lot of people who would go after them.”

“Are you afraid for your sister? I heard Daddy talking to Abuela about her once, and he said something I didn’t understand, and when I asked Carla, she told me it was something that adults needed to worry about but not something I needed to because my Daddy would never do it.”

“What did you hear?”

“Domestic violence.”

Buck swallowed, and he held Chris tighter to him. “Yeah, we will tell you more about that when you are older but know that if someone tells you that they have been subjected to it and they are asking for help, you get ahold of us, and we will get Athena. Do you promise?”

“Yeah, I promise,” Chris said. He stretched a little and then moved to where he was leaning more on Buck from his side, and he curled up like he was going to take a nap. Buck waited and watched the TV as Chris slowly started to pass out.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

“Buck, can you answer the door?”

“Um, no?” Buck called back out.

Eddie huffed, and he came through into the living room, and he stopped and looked at the pair on the couch. “Okay, yeah, he didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m not shocked he’s asleep.” Eddie opened the front door while wearing a purple floral apron. Buck shook his head.

Athena came in with Emma in her hands. Emma was playing with Athena’s badge as she tried to teeth on it as well. “Tommy will be along with the teething stuff.”

“Good. She’s been trying to cut a few molars all week, and I guess it’s time.”

“Well, look at you, Buckaroo. You look all comfortable there.”

“Yeah. I am. This one has that virus that’s been going around that Emma’s got as well.”

“Ah, yeah. I blame Bobby for making its way around the LAPD. It’s fun. Though I also am pretty sure we have all just shared it around. So where should I put this one?”

“I’ll take her into the kitchen and let her bang on pots. I have a good solid wooden spoon I am not using, and I can shut the doors and keep her contained.”

“Well, okay then. Child swap it is. I’ll tell Tommy to come around and bring the stuff to the kitchen door. That work for you both?”

“Sure, Athena,” Buck said. He gave her a smile. “Thanks for everything.”

“The team finished, and there was just the one camera, and there is none around your place, Eddie. So we can go with this being someone after someone in Buck’s place. Still, be careful.”

“Sure. I don’t always lock the door when I’m in the back of the house, but I’ll start to do it more often.”

“Bobby’s been made aware of this, and he’s going to make sure that bay doors are kept closed more at work as well. Word is spreading around all the LAFD and LAPD as well as the hospitals. So you guys shouldn’t have to worry too much about all of that when you are working. Stella also got a hold of the nanny that sometimes watches Emma and told her what was going on. She will tell the main family she works for as well, just to be safe. I’m sure that she will call you. I am needed elsewhere, but I wanted my Emma cuddles, so I offered to walk her over while Tommy got her things.”

“Thanks,” Eddie said. He walked her to the door, taking Emma from her hands at the last moment. After Eddie shut the door, he turned to Buck. “So, Maddie?”

“In my gut, I feel like it’s Doug.”

“I do as well,” Eddie said. He looked down at Emma.

Buck closed his eyes, and he laid his head against the back of the couch for a few minutes as he heard Eddie puttering around in the kitchen, the sound of Emma banging pots coming out a few minutes later. Buck smiled.

“What is that?” Chris asked.

“That’s the sound of Emma banging on pots.”

“I missed her coming here?”

“Yeah, but you needed a nap, even if it was a short one. Your body is telling you it needs rest.”

“Yeah, I know, but I miss Emma and you when you aren’t here, or we aren’t there.”

“I miss you too, Chris. What do you want to watch next?” Buck asked.

“Escape to Witch Mountain,” Chris said.

“Oh, that’s a Disney movie?” Buck asked. He snagged the remote to try and find it in the listing of stuff.

“You know that one?”

“Yeah, it was one that Maddie really liked, so sometimes she was able to watch it and me with her.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing, Buck.”

“No, not really. Maddie was given a lot of things that I wasn’t, but I assumed that I was always the kid they didn’t want.”

“That’s never good. I know that Mom didn’t want me.”

“Chris,” Buck said.

“No, it’s okay. She still loves me in her own way, but she never wanted me, and she didn’t like how she and I were treated by grandma and abuelo. It made her resent me a little. It’s why she took the divorce and ran with it, giving up all rights to me in the process. Dad gave her the out that she wanted.”

Buck felt for Chris, but he wouldn’t tell the boy that he was wrong because he wasn’t. Buck had heard Eddie say the same thing one night at work when he talked to Hen about it all.

“Well, you have more than enough people that love you, no matter what else you feel, know that.”

“I do. I know that Daddy loves me. I know that Abuela and Pepa love me. I know that you do, and Emma does in her baby way.”

“She does like to sit in your lap, and she doesn’t like to sit in a lot of people’s laps.”

Buck listened to the kitchen and heard that the banging had stopped. Emma was probably scooting around on her butt somewhere or walking around while holding the cabinets. Buck hit play on the movie since it seemed Chris was done talking.

A sound from behind had Buck looking back, expecting Eddie to be there with something, but he wasn’t there. Buck frowned before he heard the noise to the side. It was Emma holding onto the couch and walking around it toward him.

“Ah, the escape artist strikes again,” Buck said.

Chris laughed, and he moved to where he could pick Emma up when she held out her hands. Buck leaned forward with him and braced Emma’s butt as Chris settled her down into their laps. Chris pulled a stuffed animal out of the blankets that had been hidden.

“I wondered where that had gone.”

“Dad found it on the couch yesterday, and he cleaned it up.”

“She likes to stuff it down there. She does it at home as well. I think that she’s putting him in timeout when she does that.”

“Probably,” Chris said.

Emma started to play with the stuffed animal with no name, but Buck gendered as male.

“Dios,” Eddie said from the kitchen, and there was the sound of feet pounding as someone ran.

“SHE’S IN HERE!” Chris yelled.

Buck looked back in time to see Eddie come from the hall into the living room.

“The other door has a pull-down handle since it’s easier for Chris. I wasn’t watching as closely as I thought,” Eddie said.

“It’s fine; she came right to us to cuddle, I think.”

Eddie nodded his head. “I’ll shut the other doors, and she can go back and forth.”

Buck loved how Eddie cared about Emma; it was the same way that Buck cared about Chris. No matter what, it seemed like they were working their way toward something more between them. Which made Buck so happy.

Chapter Five

Eddie felt like he was waking up after a three-day bender. He wasn’t sure what happened until his brain woke up a little more. He remembered the call that kept them out from noon until two in the morning. They had all been so damned tired that they had just dropped into bed after cleaning up. Yet there was something wrong. Eddie wasn’t alone in bed. He forced his eyes open and blinked a few times. The bunk room wasn’t fully dark; there was a little glow at the ground level so that they could see in the dark without having to turn on a light if they got a call.

Someone was lying on him, and it wasn’t until he saw the barely tamed curls that reminded him of Chris’ hair that he knew it was Buck. Eddie looked to the side, but instead of Scott’s bed, he saw that it was empty, and the bed on the other side of that was Scott’s. He was in Buck’s bed. He wasn’t going to hear the end of this.

The scent of food had Eddie’s stomach growling. He lifted his arm and bent his wrist to where it pressed against the little thing that lit it up. It was just past seven. B-Shift would be in now, and Bobby would come in and get them in about half an hour if they hadn’t wandered down yet. Eddie felt like he could sleep longer and debated texting Bobby to tell him to just let him sleep. Carla would be taking Chris to school and then coming back and grabbing Emma to watch during the day while she did a few things around the house for Eddie, cleaning that Eddie hated, and it helped her feel like she was helping.

Eddie had stopped fighting her on what she was doing when she told him that she was paid for the hours that Chris was in school most days just so that she was on hand to help him if it was needed. There were other days when she was called to go fill in somewhere else, especially when Eddie was off after his shift. She could get pulled in today to do something, but she would drop Emma at the nanny’s place if she was.

“Well, this is something,” Buck said where he was half laying on Eddie.

“Yeah.”

“Am I in yours, or are you in mine?”

“I’m in yours.”

“Oh, good. I didn’t sleepwalk into your bed or fumble in there after a bathroom break.”

“No, I remember having to pee not long after laying down and nothing after. So we can blame me for this.”

“Well, don’t go anywhere too quick. I’m kind of stiff here and can’t move.”

Eddie nodded his head. He looked over to see Scott looking at them and laughing. Eddie felt like it was childish to flip the man off, so he just laid there and did it in his head. He wasn’t above being a giant child in his head.

“How come I never get a cuddle buddy?” Hen asked.

“I’m too afraid that you’ll bite my head off,” Buck said.

“Did you just compare me to a praying mantis?” Hen asked.

“No, as that only happens during copulation, and there is no copulation to ever be had between us. You are just prickly, and I never knew that I was allowed to cuddle with you in sleep.”

“You can cuddle with me,” Scott said.

Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck tighter. “Nope. He’s mine now. Never allowed to cuddle in the buck house with anyone else.”

“You are pretty good to cuddle with, just as good as Tommy. I’ll make sure to tell him that he has competition. I might just go home with you instead of going home.”

Eddie knew that Buck was joking, but Eddie kind of wanted that. He knew that Buck and Tommy were just friends, and sex sometimes happened as they were both pretty sexually active men. Eddie understood it, but he also knew that he wasn’t the kind of guy built for that kind of relationship. He wouldn’t expect someone like Buck to stop that until things were exclusive.

Though the thought of him and Buck being together was getting bigger and bigger in his head. He snagged his phone, something he was glad he set on the stand between his and Buck’s bed instead of the one between his and Scott’s. He looked to make sure there was nothing he was missing that he needed to take care of. He had a single text from Carla that showed Chris sitting at the table with Emma as Chris fed her. Eddie wondered what had Chris up that early and why Carla had Emma so early.

“Did something happen?” Eddie asked.

“No? About what?”

“Emma. Carla has her, and Chris is feeding her breakfast.”

Buck groaned, and he started to get up, his body really was stiff, and Eddie knew it. Buck had been battered around a little on the rescue, and while he hadn’t needed to see a doctor, Hen had told him he would be a walking bruise and to go to his doctor if he needed something to deal with that.

“Let me see.” Buck reached over and grabbed his phone. He still wasn’t that much off Eddie’s body, and Eddie found he didn’t mind at all.

Despite being married, Eddie had stopped seeing himself in a relationship with Shannon long ago. He wasn’t too worried about feeling like he was cheating on her.

“Ah, Chris woke up wanting her, so he and Carla grabbed her as soon as she was awake. I guess that Chris woke up early just to feed her. It’s fucking adorable. Carla sent me a picture as well as a video.”

“Let me see.” Eddie held out his hand, but instead, Buck laid down and angled the phone to where they could both watch it at the same time.

The video played, and Eddie agreed it was adorable. Emma had eyes just for Chris even though Carla was moving around the kitchen getting breakfast ready for Chris and herself. It was the same way whenever even Buck was in the room. Emma and Chris only had eyes for each other.

“Chris asked me the other day if someone can have a sister who isn’t blood or adopted, and I said that Hen’s like my sister. I think he’s pretty much adopted her as his sister,” Buck said. He stretched a little and then seemed to melt down into Eddie’s body again.

“Well, that’s okay; he’s always wanted a little sister. He said that I deserved to have another kid. I couldn’t break his heart that his mother never wanted another kid after him, and she got her tubes tied. We had a scare at one point while I was on leave, well after I was done with leave. She loved Chris as much as she could, and if she could have earned as much as me, she would have been the one working, and I was going to be the one who stayed home.”

“I bet that would have pissed your parents off,” Eddie said.

“Who knows. I never brought it up with them at all. Shannon couldn’t even find a single job that would have allowed her to bring in half of what I was after insurance, and everything else was taken out. We had a lot of fights about that when I re-upped. I should never have done it without asking her, but it was a moment of me being freaked out. We would never have been able to get a job with enough insurance to cover Chris while also covering both of us working and daycare. There was also the big fight of leaving him with people that were not my family. My mother was big about that. It’s why she freaked out about Carla after I told mom about her. If it wasn’t for Adriana having another baby, I think she would have been up here to make sure that Chris was only ever watched by her.”

“That kind of sucks, though you’ve not exactly given me much hope on your parents ever getting their heads out of their asses when it comes to that.”

The alarm had Eddie nearly jerking upright, but Buck stayed right where he was, pushing him down to lay flat.

“The next shift is here,” Hen called out.

Eddie let his head slump down. He had been called in early before for times where the team just didn’t have it in them to cover shit. He never minded it as he could always drop Chris off earlier at Durand than he had been able to at the public school. It was something that Eddie loved. He didn’t do it often, but sometimes he did just to make sure he was getting as much time with Chris as he could sometimes.

“I’m gonna pass out again,” Eddie said.

“Here, here,” Buck said. He laid his phone on Eddie’s chest and then settled in to go to sleep again, it seemed. Eddie was okay with that. He just wanted to sleep, and if Buck wanted to sleep on him. He was all for it.

“I’ll have Cap make sure some food is saved for you,” Hen said as she wiggled Eddie’s foot using his toes.

“Thanks,” Buck said.

Eddie closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep.

—

Buck stretched out his back, and he looked at where he saw Eddie and Chris carrying bags of stuff in from the truck. It looked like a lot more than their normal week of groceries. He frowned because it wasn’t Christmas yet. There was still a little time before that. It was barely even December, with Thanksgiving coming so early that year. He looked at what he was doing and then at Emma, who was enjoying sitting in her Pack ‘n’ Play in the front yard.

Eddie looked up on his next trip out to the truck with Chris on his heels. Eddie waved and then started to motion for Buck to come over. Buck nodded and grabbed up his things to put them in the front room of the house to make sure they were out of the way. His yoga could wait. He looked at Emma, who was now looking over at where Chris was standing at the edge of the yard waiting. Buck grabbed the sling from the back of the door; one of them always was left there to make sure that someone could use it when Emma had a day where she wanted to be as close as possible to them.

“What’s up?” Tommy asked as he came down the stairs, jerking on a shirt as he moved.

“Heading to Eddie’s. He’s bringing in a whole bunch of bags. I’m hoping to snag more of the great food he makes.”

“You have a crush on him and his food and love his child more than just about everyone except for your own.”

“Well, Chris is a unicorn, and Emma loves him a lot as well. They sat and talked for two hours the other day.”

“Hey, Lily is moving in this weekend. We will be on shift when she starts, but she’s got enough people to get help. She is fine with the basement, even though Derek offered to move down there if she didn’t like it. I think she likes how isolated it really is.”

“Cool. I’ll give her a proper greeting when I can. She can let me know how much time with Emma she wants. It’ll be nice to have the place full again.”

“Yes, it will. So, you get out of here and go be with your second family. We will understand,” Tommy said.

Buck glared at him and flipped Tommy off as he threw the sling over his shoulder and then the diaper bag he had packed for the day if he and Eddie did anything outside of the house. He laughed when he saw Kim leaning over the side of the Pack ‘n’ Play to make faces at Emma, who was laughing loud enough that Buck was sure a few neighbors could hear it. He scooped up his daughter and carted her off.

“You always leave right when I’m getting into having a lot of fun, Buckley!” Kim yelled as he crossed the yard.

“Sue me!” Buck yelled back.

“I will!”

Buck laughed. As soon as he was across the street, he stopped so that Chris could get a good look at Emma. Chris pressed a kiss to Emma’s cheek as he held him down for Chris to give her love.

“Can I hold her?”

“Why don’t we get you settled on the couch, and then yeah. I’ll help your dad with the rest of the store he brought home in the truck.”

“Yeah, we went a little overboard, but I love it. I love Christmas.”

“I like Halloween the best, honestly, but then that was a holiday that I was able to kind of do my own thing for, and I didn’t need my parents once I was old enough,” Buck said.

“Halloween is fun. I can’t wait to dress up with Dad this coming year.”

“We could have fun with that. Find the best costumes for the both of you,” Buck said.

“And you!”

“Am I going to get some help?” Eddie called out.

“Let’s go so your father doesn’t have a heart attack,” Buck said.

Chris laughed, and he followed along beside Buck as he headed into the house. Chris went right to the couch, and he dropped down and grabbed the pillow that was the one that was only used when he was holding Emma.

Buck settled Emma down into Chris’ lap, and he turned to head out to the truck to help Eddie. What was left was a whole bunch of boxes. Buck saw that it was all Christmas stuff.

“Don’t you have anything from last year?”

“No, we were with Abuela still. I hadn’t figured out the stuff I wanted yet. I have a storage building, and we bought stuff slowly. I have a collection of totes in the attic that this will all go into when it’s all cleaned up after New Years’ Day.”

“Good thing looking ahead. You didn’t bring your stuff from Texas with you?”

“Most of it was Shannon’s from her mother. I put it into storage down there. I have a few things, ornaments that Chris made, left some with her. So we picked out stuff we liked. Chris got a few ornaments just for you and one for Emma’s first Christmas. I’m sure that you have one ready for her for the tree at the main house, but we can find a nice spot there for it on our tree.”

“Sounds good.” Buck pulled a few boxes toward him, and he carried them inside. There was also a box with a few small, broken-down boxes inside. Buck dropped his boxes down onto the other end of the couch, and then he headed out to get the last ones with Eddie. There was a lot of stuff in there. Eddie went a little overboard.

“We are going to have fun. Will you stay and help us, Buck?” Chris asked.

“Sure thing, if you dad feeds me,” Buck said.

“You are lucky that I like you,” Eddie said.

Buck laughed, and he started to pull stuff out of the bags that were all around the living room. He looked at Chris, who was playing with Emma still. When she was ready to get down, she would get fussy, and Chris would help her get off his lap and allow her down. Buck had a goal of getting all of the bags unpacked and put up where she couldn’t get them before then.

It took most of the morning for everything to be unboxed and sorted into piles and the tree mostly strung with lights.

“I think it’s lunchtime,” Eddie said.

“Pizza? You promised,” Chris said.

“I did. We will, and I’ll work on getting dinner started. You can direct Buck on putting up the bulbs and the more general things on the tree. I’ll take Emma with me into the kitchen so she can be contained, and this time I’ll keep an eye on the door.”

Buck shook his head and started to get out the bulbs from the tubes. He reached over for his phone to take a picture of Emma slipping off Chris’ lap and onto the couch. Chris helped her down to the floor, and she got to her hand and knees and followed Eddie into the kitchen, which she did a lot when they were over. Buck watched her until he heard the door shut.

The alert from his phone actually had Buck jumping. He grabbed his phone and checked it was from Maddie.

Buck smiled as he opened the app for texting, and he found that it was a mess. Until he realized that it was just a key smash. Buck tapped the icon to call Maddie. It rang and then went to voicemail, and when he called back again, it went straight to voicemail.

“Chris, stay,” Buck said. He rushed to the kitchen. Eddie looked up at him as soon as he came in.

“I think something is wrong with Maddie. She sent me a key smash message, and now she’s not answering. I called once, and it rang a few times then went to voicemail; now it’s just going to voicemail. I am worried.”

“Then go. I’ll get the kids to the house and then follow you there. Don’t do anything stupid until I get there. I’ll call Athena as well and have her join you at Maddie’s place.”

Buck couldn’t remember the drive to Maddie’s apartment. He let himself in using the key that he had and stopped to look at the guard who was sitting at his desk, his eyes on the bay of monitors.

“I think something is wrong with my sister,” Buck said.

“What floor?”

“Fifth, apartment 4.”

The guard nodded his head and stood up. He radioed someone, and Buck didn’t hear enough of it.

“Bob’s on three doing the walk-through. He’ll meet you at her place, and I’ll lock everything down.”

Buck nodded his head. He looked at the elevators but chose not to. He instead ran to the stairs and ran up them. He didn’t stop until he was five floors up, making good time as he didn’t have seventy pounds of gear on him as he ran up. A guard was standing outside of Maddie’s door, and he was knocking.

“Who is there?” a voice called out from inside who was not Maddie. It was a male voice. It had been so long since Buck had heard Doug, but he was sure that it was him.

“It’s Bob from security. I have a report of a strange noise.”

“No, sorry, that was the TV. We hit the remote, and it turned up rather rapidly during a weird point in a movie.”

“May I speak with Mrs. Kendall?” Bob asked.

“She’s in the shower right now.”

“Doug?” Buck asked.

“Ah, the brother is here. Leave us alone. We don’t need anyone interfering in what is going on.”

“Don’t do this. Let Maddie go.”

“We are fine, leave,” Doug said.

Buck looked at Bob, and he saw the look on Bob’s face. “I’ll go down and wait to hear from the cops. There is already one on the way. I’ll also see how he got inside the building using footage of the doors. I know what he looks like.”

“That’s the man that we are supposed to keep an eye out for, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Buck spun on his heel, and he made his way to the door to go down the stairs again. He found the other security guard who had his bay of monitors already ready for him.

“Who is coming?” the guard asked.

“Sergeant Athena Grant,” Buck said.

“Okay, you know how to work this? I have each door queued up. This is the main door.”

“Yeah, I can do this,” Buck said. He dropped into a seat, and he pressed play using the mouse. He watched as people came through and found that the guard had it set to triple time. Buck stopped the fast forward, and he watched the guy who was talking to a group of ladies before he followed in with them. The guard looked up, and he greeted the women and the man, but the women were talking. They said nothing to the guard as they walked to the elevators. Buck clicked the little icon at the bottom to open up more feeds at the same spot. He found the one for the elevators and opened that. He found Doug’s face looking back at him.

“Buckaroo?” Athena asked.

Buck waved her around the desk and showed Athena Doug’s face in the elevator.

“When?” the guard asked.

“He came in with the gaggle of women. You called him another name.”

“I assumed it was the guy who had gone out with them. Harold is on the seventh floor. They had all gone shopping. I didn’t even think about it.”

“No, and I bet he assumed that. He’s good at this kind of thing. He’s learned how to act like a normal person.”

“So we have a hostage situation?” the guard asked.

“Yes, we do. I’ll get the teams down here. Buck, don’t do anything stupid, do you hear me?” Athena asked.

Buck nodded his head. He was just stuck staring at the face in front of him.

Eddie waited at the door for Buck or Athena to notice him. He could see the way that Buck’s shoulders were slumped. He wasn’t broken, so Maddie was alive. She had to be. Buck would not be like he was right now if she was dead. It wasn’t good, but at least she was alive. There was the chance to keep her that way.

Athena looked up after another minute, and she said something. Buck’s head shot up, and he looked at Eddie with heartbreak all over his face. This really wasn’t good. An officer that Eddie hadn’t even seen came up and opened up the door.

“Thanks,” Eddie said to the officer before he rushed across the room to where Buck was.

“Eddie,” Buck said, and he sounded heartbroken.

“It’s Doug, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, he’s got Maddie trapped in her apartment. I can’t…Eddie, I can’t lose her.”

“I know. So what is being done?”

“Well, I have more units, and the 217 is on its way.”

“Tommy’s at home, though,” Buck said.

“Which is good as he won’t have a level head, and we need level heads,” Athena said with a glare at Buck.

Eddie almost would have laughed if this was any other day.

“I need to call Tommy.”

“I will,” Eddie said. He shoved Buck back down into that seat. He wasn’t going to call but text as it was what Tommy said to do so that Chris couldn’t hear what was being said. Chris knew that something was wrong; there was no other reason for Buck fleeing from the house as he did. Then Eddie had left Chris with the others.

Buck looked lost, and Eddie that there was nothing that could be done to fix this. Not until Maddie was free and Doug was in jail.

“Okay, so, Buck, come with me, and I’ll see if we can take care of this before it escalates.”

“Sure,” Buck said.

“You too, Eddie, as you know how to handle this chaos,” Athena said.

Eddie nodded his head and finished off his text before he started to follow them to the elevator. They had to wait for the car to come down. Buck was so silent that Eddie didn’t like it. He was worried about what Buck would do. They might have only known each other a few months, but he knew him enough to know that Buck was rarely ever silent unless he was working. He wasn’t in a working mindset right now, so Buck could end up doing anything.

Athena was first off the elevator, making her way to Maddie’s door and knocking.

“Go away, Evan!” Doug yelled through the door.

Eddie had never heard his voice before, but he hoped that it was Doug in there.

“This is Sergeant Athena Grant of the LAPD. Security called in to report a man who didn’t belong. You can come now, Mister Kendall, and things will be okay, or we can play the long game, and you’ll end up in cuffs.”

A noise sounded, and Eddie grabbed Buck’s arm to stop him from rushing forward when it the sound of Maddie whimpering. Buck made a wounded noise, but he barely fought Eddie’s hold.

“I think I’ll take the one where you let me leave when I want to and not a moment before. I have to make sure that Maddie knows that she can’t just leave me.”

“You don’t own her!” Buck yelled.

Maddie whimpered again, and Buck took a step forward, but Eddie caught him in time before he rushed the door.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Athena said.

“I want to just punch him,” Buck said.

“SWAT is on their way,” an officer said

“Is there an open apartment we can use as a staging area?” Athena asked the guard who was standing there.

“Yes, I have one on the other side and down a few. Also, the place is wired so that we can cut the services to just this place and not the whole building. We are working on a plan to get the people in the places all around. We actually don’t have a plan for that kind of thing that’s not an apartment on fire, which would have everyone leave. I’ll work with SWAT when they get here.”

Eddie was glad that the guard wasn’t trying to overcorrect what they were doing. He hadn’t heard a lot about what was going on with Doug had gotten inside, but he was crafty; most abusers were. He had hidden while also working in the same hospital that Maddie worked at. He had to be good at acting like a normal human being.

“Buck, let’s go,” Eddie said as he pulled on Buck’s arm to get him into the empty apartment. It was furnished, it looked like, so he shoved Buck down onto the couch that was clean of dust.

“It was shown two days ago to a few, so the dust covers came off, and things were cleaned up. So, just don’t wreck anything, and I’ll get a hold of management and work on things from that end, as well as getting people out. Do you know if he has a gun?”

“Unsure of that,” Buck said.

“We will work on that as soon as we can,” Athena said.

Eddie wasn’t sure how long he could keep Buck settled, but he would lock him in the bathroom if he had to. He knew that there were no outside windows from there.

“Eds,” Buck said.

“I know.” Eddie sat down beside Buck, and he started to rub up and down Buck’s back, soothing him as much as he could. “What do you need?”

“Is it horrible I want to hold Emma?” Buck asked.

“No, it’s not horrible at all. When I was lying there, three bullets in me in the dark in Afghanistan, that’s all I wanted. I wanted to have Chris there in my arms. Hold my little boy and promise him that I would always come back to him. It was my first thought when the other chopper came through and started to lay down cover fire, and they blew the assholes to hell and back. That I was going to get to go back home to Chris. That I would hold him again. I promised him right there that I would be a better father to him. I never expected what would come next. I’m not upset, though, especially at choosing LA over Chicago. I was slotted into a class as soon as I got here, and then there I was with the 118, and I had found a family that loved me for who I was. Even if Scott’s a dessert thief.”

Buck laughed, and he leaned into Eddie; his eyes were not really focused on anything. He didn’t sound like the laugh was anything good, but at least it was an emotion.

There was a lot of silence on Buck’s part as Athena got everything rolling on her end.

SWAT arrived with little fanfare as well as a hostage negotiator. Eddie hated how Buck pulled in on himself as everything got more and more serious.

“I should have talked her into staying in the basement. I should have just…no one would have touched her there. It’s rare that someone wasn’t home.”

“Then he would have got her when she was shopping. She couldn’t live in her apartment and never leave it,” a man said.

“Hey Hondo,” Buck said.

“I have to say that when I saw you sitting there, I got a little worried that something happened to one of your team on a call then I noticed the clothes. I’m sorry that this happened to your sister.”

“Where is Deacon?”

“He’s going to come up here and sit with you as soon as he can. He’ll be the point in here while I head outside and see what we can see. Three buildings have a good line of sight of the rooms in Maddie’s apartment.”

“Why is Deacon the one babysitting me?”

“Cause he’s the only one who can get through to you. This your boyfriend?” Hondo asked.

“No, my friend and co-worker. Eddie Diaz, this is Sergeant Daniel Harrelson.”

“Ah, Nash finally got someone to help rein you in. Good. So, I will head out, and Deac will come in here. Introduce him to your new partner. He’ll enjoy talking to Deacon, I bet.”

Buck nodded his head, and Eddie wondered who Deacon was. So far, the 118 had not had a rescue that involved working with SWAT. Which was something that Eddie had been happy about.

The sound of a man talking had Eddie looking up at the doorway. A man walked in wearing the same gear as Hondo. He was tall and looked to be on the older side of age. He was pretty hot, though. If Eddie had a kink for older men, he might crawl in that man’s lap.

“Bucky,” the man said.

“Hey, Deac, this is Eddie.”

“Yeah, Hondo said you had a handler now. Nash approved and all of that. So walk me through all of this, yeah?” Deacon asked.

Eddie stayed where he was as Deacon crouched in front of Buck and talked to him, listening when Buck talked and only interrupted when he needed more information.

“Hondo is going to handle the main negotiations from his perch. I’m here to listen and relay information as needed. So you just stay seated unless I tell you otherwise. I will handcuff your ass to something if I need to. Again.”

“That ain’t fair.”

Deacon just glared at Buck.

“SWAT handcuffed you?”

“I let him have the cuffs to do it,” Athena said as she sat down on Buck’s other side. “Bobby’s been made aware of what is going on. Maddie’s job as well as a make sure that her shift today is covered but also to make sure that all calls about things that might have to do with this are routed to us.”

“What’s going to happen next?” Eddie asked.

“Well, they are going to try and get something inside of the ducts to get a visual of the place. He’s not answering her cell phone; it’s still turned off. We don’t have his yet. We are still working on that,” Deacon said.

“Don’t let her die,” Buck said.

“You know as well as I do that it’s up to Doug.” Deacon’s tone was soft but no less unforgiving with his words.

Eddie hated how Buck slumped down into the couch and withdrew from them all.

The shout followed by a scream, and then the sound of glass shattering all happened so quick that it took a minute for Eddie’s brain to process it all. Then there was the sound of the door being broken in. Eddie lunged over Buck to hold him down, but Buck fought him.

“MADDIE!” Buck screamed.

Athena moved to help Eddie keep Buck down until it was figured out what the hell was going on. Eddie hoped it had a good ending, but he would be braced for the worst of it.

Chapter Six

Buck looked at the monitor that showed the beat of Maddie’s heart. He looked at the window again as he adjusted his hand holding Maddie’s. He felt so tired even though it was morning and he had been at home asleep. The doctors said she should wake up at any point since they had weaned her off the medication that kept her sedated. Buck just wanted her to wake up.

“Hey,” Eddie said as he came into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand. There was a bottle of water in the other.

Buck reached for the coffee, but Eddie held the water over first then tipped the coffee toward Buck. There was a pair of small brown pills there.

“Advil, take them. I can see the stress headache. Down the water, and then I’ll give you the coffee. Chris and Deacon are coming with breakfast.”

“Deacon? Why?” Buck tried to figure out why the man would be there.

“I think Hondo sent him. Or he came himself. He and Chris hit it off in the cafeteria while waiting for breakfast to come up. They do made-to-order stuff here. It’s kind of nice. Chris told me to give the pills to you since you were so focused on Maddie that you didn’t notice us when we looked in before. I saw the headache building.”

“She’s the only family I got left that I care about,” Buck said.

“She’s not going to die. She’s fighting. She fought Doug as well. She might not have got the kill shot off, but if he hadn’t fallen on her, she would have been able to walk out on her own. It’s not her fault his body fell on her, and she hit her head.”

“Dad, is Maddie awake?” Chris asked.

“No, buddy, she’s not. Come on in,” Eddie said. He sat down in the chair beside Buck, and he held out his arms so that Chris would crawl into him. Chris handed over the food to Buck, and then he crawled into Eddie’s lap before taking the food back to sort it out.

Deacon leaned in the doorway, looking calm and collected even though his face was anything but.

“So Buck, Tommy said you were doing pretty good. I wanted to see for myself, though.”

“Keeping in contact with Tommy, huh?” Buck asked.

“He’s the one who keeps an eye on you. Everyone in the LAPD knows that. How are you doing, Buck?”

“I’m here. Every day that I don’t work, I’m here.”

“Well, Tommy is working today, so you should be.”

“Yeah, but I also needed to be here. She’s waking up today,” Buck said.

“Hondo wanted me to tell you that he thinks your sister is fierce as hell. He got to hear what she said to Doug. He said that he would make a transcript if you wanted a listing of what she said to him.”

“Uh, if Maddie says it’s okay after she wakes up.”

“Okay, that’s fine. If you need anything, reach out. You know how.” Deacon tipped his head in goodbye, and then he was gone.

Buck looked at Eddie and Chris. Chris was holding out a fork, so Buck gave into eating even though he was pretty sure he would throw it up. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like that Doug had gotten to Maddie. He didn’t like that Doug had hurt Maddie. He didn’t like many things, but the one thing he did like was that Eddie was there for him. Eddie and Chris.

“Where is Emma?”

“At the house. We’ve got the nanny with her today. Anna is pretty happy to stay there right now. She’s on a break from school for the holiday and is using the time to work on papers for classes that she is taking. She took over the dining room and covered it in papers, and none of us even tried to touch them. It’s like a book blew up in there.”

“I bet that’s fun,” Eddie said.

“It’s not horrible. We rarely use it right now anyway. It’s not like most of us eat at the same time anyway. Mostly we eat in the kitchen. Christmas dinner is going to be in there. Late enough at night that the night shift workers are up for the day. The day people will feel like shit if we have to work the next morning.”

Maddie’s arm moved, and Buck nearly dropped the food in his hand. It was only Eddie’s quick grabbing that stopped it. Eddie then shoved Buck back in the seat and shoved the food into his chest.

“Eat fast. She’s going to be coming up for a little while. Eat while you can.”

Buck inhaled his food then. Never once looking away from Maddie or his food. Eddie wrapped his arms around Chris a little tighter as Chris worked on the breakfast burrito that he had picked. Eddie had his food in the boxes still, and he was going to eat when Chris moved from his lap to Buck’s, which was going to be as soon as Buck was done eating. Buck wouldn’t drop Chris like he did the food and would settle him down into the chair when he got up to sit on the bed with Maddie.

Eddie’s trust in Buck to protect Chris was strong. Buck was never going to hurt Chris if he could help it. He wasn’t someone who did that. He didn’t hurt anyone on purpose unless they were hurting him first. Hen had called Buck a Golden Retriever once, and it stuck in Eddie’s head. Buck was just like a Golden Retriever. He was happy and full of life but backed into a corner; he would bite to protect himself. There was no one in the world that Eddie trusted more with Chris than Buck.

Buck closed up the to-go container, and he dropped it to the floor and kicked it back under the chair so no one would trip on it. Chris finished off his last few bites and wiggled to get down so he could comfort his Buck.

Maddie’s head moved on the bed, and Buck stood up, holding Chris as he did before setting Chris down into the chair as he moved to sit on the edge of Maddie’s bed.

“Hey, Maddie, come back to me,” Buck said. His tone was full of emotion, and Eddie was sure he was close to crying.

Eddie leaned back and held onto his breath as Buck reached out his hand. He stopped just short of touching Maddie.

Maddie’s eyes fluttered.

“Chris, go get the lights,” Eddie said as he stood up to move out of Maddie’s line of sight. He didn’t want Maddie freaking out about what was going on by seeing Eddie behind Buck.

“Evan?” Maddie asked as her eyes fluttered as the lights dimmed down to where hopefully they wouldn’t hurt Maddie’s eyes as she fought to keep them open.

“Hey, Mads, it’s me,” Buck said.

Maddie turned her head to look more at Buck and then to the side when Chris moved. “Who is that?”

“That’s Chris, Eddie’s son. They came to give me comfort while I waited for you to wake up. He’s a cutie, huh?” Buck asked.

“Yeah, he is. Where am I?” Maddie asked. She tried to sit up, but she fell back.

Buck reached out, and he pressed the button to call the nurses to him. Eddie waved for Chris to come to him. Chris crawled into his lap. The room was flooded with a couple of nurses and a doctor. Eddie noticed that it was all women. He felt good about that. They were taking Maddie’s trauma before arriving very seriously.

“Is Eddie here?” Maddie asked when one of the nurses stopped in asking her questions.

“Yes, I think he moved so you wouldn’t see him and freak out.”

“He doesn’t have to hide.”

“Miss Kendall,” the doctor said.

“Maddie, please. I’ll be working on changing my name back to my maiden name.”

“Maddie, we are going to be taking you to get some tests done. Your brother can come with you to at least the waiting areas outside of there. The boy too if he wants to go. Mister Diaz will have to stay behind.”

Eddie looked at the doctor and frowned. He had not said his name. Buck hadn’t either.

“You have your name on the back of our shirt, Eddie. You are wearing an LAFD shirt.” Buck was smiling as he said it.

“Ah, I see. Well, that explains that. I will have to leave later; I’m going in late as Arnold needs coverage tomorrow morning. We are both working normalish shifts once the hours are added together.”

“Bobby likes it when we can do that kind of thing. Arnold is gonna be dead when he gets off shift, working more than twenty-four in a row.”

“It’s only thirty. Then he will have a shorter shift the day after. It just worked that it was us back to back like that. He’s happy to not have to pull in someone from a shift that is off during it.”

“Are you ready to go?” one of the nurses asked.

“Yes, please,” Maddie said. She looked at Buck for a second and then at Eddie. “Buck, you stay here with Eddie. The nurses will take good care of me. You stay here. Get some relaxation. I doubt you are going to leave unless they have security throw you out until I leave.”

“Speaking of leaving, depending on what you need when you leave, staying with me is an option. You’ll end up with around-the-clock care then.”

“Hmm, that sounds like fun. Having a whole house of people looking after me.”

“And we can see about getting you a therapist,” Buck said.

“I don’t need therapy,” Maddie snapped.

One of the nurses who had been getting Maddie’s wires all moved around to where they could take her to the tests in her bed just gave Maddie a look like she was crazy. Buck was looking at Maddie, Maddie was looking at Buck, so Eddie was the only one to see it. Eddie didn’t like therapy that much either, but he had embraced it kind of after Chris had asked him about his nightmares just after Shannon left. Eddie had found someone in El Paso that was former military and had gotten Eddie’s upbringing better than he had. It hadn’t been the best thing in the world, but he had at least gotten himself under control to where he could do what he was doing now, which was trying to find someone here he could work with. He had met a few of the people, and the only one he had been even close to liking was gone weeks later.

After hearing about the issues with Doctor Wells, Eddie was glad that he hadn’t met with her.

“We will be right here,” Buck said when Maddie was taken from the room.

“Good,” Maddie called out as the bed turned and her face disappeared.

—

Buck dropped down onto his bed, and he groaned before dropping back to lay the wrong way across it.

“What’s up?” Tommy asked from the doorway.

Buck popped his head up to look at Tommy.

“Oh, just life. Now that Christmas is over and Maddie’s in a different apartment, things are looking like she’s going to like it there; she’s looking at me and refuses to leave me alone on dating.”

“Why?”

“Well, Maddie had boyfriend after boyfriend in high school. Then she met Doug in college and latched onto him.”

“She didn’t date a high school boy and try the long-distance?”

“No, she wanted someone with her, and her boyfriend near the end of senior year wasn’t going to the same school or even a school near her. He went to a school on the other side of the country, while Maddie went to college a little closer to home. Greg came here to LA for college. She can’t be alone. She hates it. She even kind of started to date again after she got here. She was working through the divorce papers and just wanted a guy.”

“And you don’t need someone to be happy?” Tommy asked.

“No. Casual sex is good enough for me. You know that. Do I want a family one day? Yes, I do, but I’m not gonna go from person to person to find the one who is perfect for me. I’ll date when someone comes around that intrigues me. Doctor Guentzel is happy and thinks that I would be mentally stable enough to do so now if I wanted to date. He’s not happy with how Maddie is treating me when I’m choosing not to date.”

“Well, at least you are in good company. We are the misfits, you know that, right? The ones who don’t do what the world wants us to and don’t care. If there is an issue with Maddie and her not respecting you…” Tommy trailed off.

“Yeah, I know.” Buck dropped his head back to the bed, and he sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. He looked to the side to see that Emma was still kind of out of it in her nap.

Tommy walked across the room, and he got onto the bed, straddling Buck’s hips. He had the kind of smile on his face that promised something wicked. Tommy grabbed his shirt and stripped it off. He leaned over Buck, a smirk gracing his lips as he looked down at Buck’s body. “Though I know there are people who want this. They want to take a ride or be ridden until they are nothing but a sobbing mess. I like being a sobbing mess as well when it comes to sex.”

Buck grabbed Tommy’s head and pulled him down into a kiss. Buck bucked up into Tommy’s body, finding the friction he wanted. Yet, it didn’t feel like it used to. There was no want of Tommy sliding over his body. He wanted to get off, but Tommy being there wasn’t making it more.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Tommy said.

“What?”

“You might not want to date because you have your eye on someone, and you want to see what happens. You and Eddie are quite close.”

“Dude, that’s beyond the pale,” Buck said.

Tommy slipped off Buck and grabbed the shirt from where he had dropped it on his legs. Buck glared since he knew that it meant that Tommy knew that it wouldn’t get that far.

“No, it’s not. Look, even when we were doing the deed regularly, I knew you didn’t want me long-term. I knew it, but there were things you did that were more for boyfriends than friends with benefits; I figured out you needed it to be happy, and I was willing to give it. You do them with Eddie. You want more. With Eddie.”

Buck glared at Tommy, but he couldn’t fight the words. He was pretty sure that Doctor Guentzel knew it as well. Everyone knew it but Buck.

“He’s not ready,” Buck said.

“No, and really neither are you. Not to be with him, not with Chris in the picture. So be his friend. I knew that we were ending when the sex wasn’t coming up as much. I don’t mind it. I think I might be ready to settle down and try and date someone. We can see about going out and seeing what we can see for me.”

“Maybe someone here can watch Chris as well, and we can go with Eddie. Make it a fun night out for the ones who like that sort of thing.”

“You can see if a one-night-stand is what you need. You’ve been with me a while, so maybe it’s the whole almost relationship we have that you can’t get into right now. See if maybe getting something else will help you.”

“So you are telling me to get laid by someone other than you to see if it’s Eddie I want. Isn’t that something a little wrong?”

“No. Look at it as an experiment. You need to know. Maddie’s in good hands at her new place. She’ll be happy there, and things will work out well. You have been on edge since she left. Doug is dead.”

“No, I know. Maddie still has nightmares about it, but she refuses to see someone about it. Doctor Guentzel thinks getting her into a good therapist was the best thing. I think his partner, Doctor Copeland, might be good for her. A woman instead of a man. I don’t know, though. Our parents had real issues with seeing any kind of doctor that wasn’t normal. I have no clue why.”

“Well, there is a large gap between you two. Who knows what happened between all of that.”

“I would know. Wouldn’t I?” Buck asked.

“Well, who knows. Who do you remember ever meeting that was before you were born?” Tommy asked.

“No, okay. No one. Maddie did tell me once that we used to live somewhere else before Hershey. I didn’t think anything of it, really, but it doesn’t change what is going on now, and knowing why my parents hate therapy isn’t going to help me right now.”

“No, you are right. Maddie needs to step up and do what is best for her. You can’t make her, though.”

“I can’t, and I need to let go,” Buck said.

Tommy laid down beside Buck and wrapped an arm around his belly. “Why don’t you go do something? Take a run around the block or something? Or three million runs around the block?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I can do that.” Buck waited for Tommy’s arm to leave him, and he got up. He shucked his clothes to get dressed in his running outfit, and given how much he was planning on running, he was going to go shirtless. He put on shorts that would go down to his knees to make sure his thighs didn’t rub, but he didn’t need them for warmth.

“I’ll go out and stretch with you and then watch Emma when she gets up from her nap.” Tommy grabbed the baby monitor on Buck’s stand as he rolled off the bed. He turned on the one at the edge of Emma’s crib.

Buck snagged his music gear, and he slipped the headphones into his ears. He never liked talking much when he was warming up, wanting to focus on his body and making sure he didn’t hurt himself.

There was something peaceful about the thudding of his feet on the ground. The way his heart picked up and the blood pumped to keep up with the way he was running.

Buck went around the block a few times before deciding that it wasn’t what he needed. He stopped and texted Tommy that he would go further out and then headed toward the park two miles away. There was a closer park, but he didn’t like it as much. So instead, he usually headed toward the park that was a little further away.

The park was usually packed, but the running path on it was wonderful, and it allowed Buck to not think too much. He only ever had to check what was in front of him because there were signs all over that said that runners and those on the track didn’t stop for people crossing said track.

Buck ran until he was sure that he would pass out and sleep that night without issue, and then he ran a little longer until his thigh didn’t like him anymore. When Buck got home, Emma was awake and running around in the living room. Keeping Tommy busy with making sure he had an eye on her. Buck watched from the doorway for a few seconds before heading up to shower.

Pulling on a shirt after the shower, Buck heard Emma’s laughing getting closer and then the thumps of her feet on the stairs. He checked himself in the mirror and sighed at the loose curls. He would have to see what Eddie thought of the curls. He didn’t like having them lose when he was working, but it was not the worst thing in the world when he wasn’t.

“Hey, so, Emma wants Chris,” Tommy said.

“Well, Eddie and Chris are hanging with Eddie’s Abuela’s house today.” Buck snagged his phone from the bedside stand, and he tapped on the texting app to bring it up. Eddie was the last person he had texted, so he asked when Eddie and Chris would be home. He dropped the phone down, and Emma started to try and crawl up his legs.

“Da,” Emma said.

“Yeah, yeah, Queen of my Heart, I know. You want your brother,” Buck said.

“Brother?”

“Yeah, that’s what Chris calls himself, Emma’s brother. He calls her his little sister, and neither Eddie nor I have the heart to tell him no.”

“Well, there is nothing wrong with making your own family. We all did here,” Tommy said.

Buck got Emma up into his arms as the phone went off. He sat down to settle her into his lap and checked the message.

It was just an address and the words “join us.”

“So I think that Emma and I got an invite to Casa Diaz,” Buck said. He turned his phone around to where Tommy could look at it.

“Well, you have that trio of cakes you made when you couldn’t sleep. You can take one of those over to the house for everyone to eat. Then we can eat the last two here. If you want to go and box that up, I’ll check over Emma’s go bag.”

“Go bag, why did we let Dave name it? He’s a cop; it’s gonna have a cop name.”

“I think it’s from Criminal Minds, actually.”

“What’s that?”

“TV show. We will see you like it, it might not be something you like. You go and take care of the food, and I’ll get Emma squared away.”

Buck grabbed the overshirt he was going to wear and kind of tossed Emma on the bed. She laughed as she bounced a little and then crawled back toward Buck. Buck got up off the bed as quick as he could, making Emma screech and move quickly to the edge of the bed. He snagged her when she got close and zoomed her around the room a little before putting her on her feet. He slipped out the door and shut it so that she couldn’t follow while Tommy got the bag together.

It was simple to get the cake in one of the transport boxes. He found the bottle of wine that he liked and slipped it into the bag along with food for Emma. He wanted to make sure that he had enough. He knew that sometimes Eddie stayed the night with his Abuela.

“Ready?” Tommy asked.

Buck turned to see Tommy standing there in the doorway of the kitchen. He had Emma’s go-bag over his shoulder and Emma in his hands.

“Mostly. I need to throw some stuff together for me.”

“I already did. It’s in Emma’s bag. I packed her clothes but figured that all else fails; she could go around naked if she dirtied them all up. She’s done it before.”

“She has.”

Emma could go through eight outfits in an hour if someone was there to change her. She liked to strip it off and get it dirty to where no one could put it back on her. It wasn’t the best thing in the world, but she was picky as hell and not all that forgiving when it came to throwing a fit. She was going to be a diva, but Buck figured that she could easily get over that enough to snag someone to marry if she wanted at some point in her life.

—

Eddie looked outside again, hoping that Buck did come.

“You look like you did on your prom night waiting for Sara to show up,” Pepa said.

“I didn’t hear back from Buck. I assume he’s not coming.”

“And who is that?” Pepa said as she pointed out the window that Eddie had been looking out.

It was Buck, pulling in behind Eddie on the street.

“You like him.”

“I do. Neither he nor I am really ready for any kind of relationship. He’s got something with a friend of his, but there are no feelings there beyond friendship. Though I heard one of their other friends say that they hadn’t been having sex for a while now, mostly just sharing a bed.”

“Ah, those kinds of friends are good. It’s been a long time since I had one like that. My last was a very good man who didn’t want to forget his wife but also really liked sex.”

“Please, Tía, no,” Eddie said, and he covered his ears, laughing as he did. He waited for Pepa to shake her head at him before he walked to the door to open it up to head outside. Buck was typing on his phone when Eddie got close to the Jeep. He was engrossed in whatever he was doing, so Eddie got into the backseat and got Emma out.

“Hey,” Buck said as he looked back at him. “Sorry. Athena texted me about something for Bobby. I wanted to answer it and then ignore my phone once I was here. So this is your Abuela’s house?”

“Yes, it is. Come inside. Abuela and Pepa both want to meet Chris’ Buck.”

“Just Chris’ Buck? Not Eddie’s Buck?” Buck asked.

Eddie swallowed as he reached up to rub at Emma’s back. She had her head tucked into Eddie’s neck, her breathing soft and gentle as she was half asleep from the car ride. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but Emma was getting bigger, and soon this wasn’t going to be possible. Eddie had missed a lot of this for Chris, and it made him remember the few nights he had it with Chris with done memories. It had always taken a little while for Chris to get used to him again when he came home from a visit.

“Is it weird that I’m worried?” Buck asked as he slipped out of the front seat. He shut the door and walked around to grab the bag.

“No, I mean, I was a little worried meeting all of your friends. The meeting the rest of the 118’s family. It’s not weird to be worried about meeting the people important to someone important to you. Let’s go and get this part over with. Abuela made a good meal; she’s been working on it for days. Not to meet you obliviously but just like a big thing.”

Buck nodded his head. He looked like he wanted to take Emma from Eddie, so Eddie quickly took off toward the house. He heard Buck laugh behind him and then rush to catch up. Eddie stopped when he saw his grandmother in the doorway.

“Edmundo, introduce me to this lovely little girl,” Abuela said.

“Abuela, this is Emma Grace Buckley, Emma, this my Abuela.”

“And this handsome man behind you?” Abuela asked.

“Evan Buckley, ma’am, please call me Buck. It’s wonderful to meet you.” Buck stuck his hand out to shake her hand, but she gave it a look and used it to pull Buck into a hug.

“Ma’am, what’s this ma’am stuff. You call me Abuela, Buck. Now come inside before Pepa tries to shove her way out here. Let’s see this little one who had captivated the heart of my two boys.” Abuela took Emma right from Eddie’s arms, and Buck looked for a few seconds like he was afraid he would never get her back.

The afternoon and evening passed with ease, and Eddie found himself a little drunk on the wine that Buck brought and the feeling of being around family. Buck was sitting on the couch as they watched a few telenovelas. Eddie leaned into him, and Buck wrapped his arm around him. Chris and Emma were asleep in the bedroom that Eddie and Buck would be sharing to sleep in if Buck stayed the night. There was a small bed that pulled out from under the big one.

“Hey, this okay?” Eddie asked as he leaned into him more.

“Yes, it’s fine.” Buck even brought his arm up, wrapping it around Eddie’s shoulder before he rubbed up and down the upper part of his arm. “It’s nice, being this close to someone when it’s been a good day.”

“Yeah, it is.” Eddie closed his eyes. He felt truly happy for the first time in a while and safe.

Eddie wasn’t sure when he started to drift off, but he knew that he did because he knew the moment he was picked up. The strong arms under his shoulders and then his knees told him that Buck had picked him up like a princess.

“Eddie’s never really drank like that before, Buck. I promise,” Pepa said.

“He’s not fully drunk. He might have been an hour or two ago with the beer and the wine, but I honestly think he’s just high on good feelings. With it and the drinking, he’s gonna sleep damned good tonight.”

“Oh,” Pepa said.

Eddie knew he should tell them he was awake, but he didn’t want to do anything. At least not yet. He would rather just bask in being carried to bed by Buck. Buck had drunk just as much as him, but he could still carry Eddie to bed, and that was more than a little arousing.

“After I moved into the house I live in, and I had gotten to know my roommates, we had a drinking night since most of us were off either that night or the next day. We were all having a lot of fun, and I only drank three beers, and I was drunker than the others. I was accepted by them. Eddie’s the only other person in the world who has accepted me for who I am without having an issue with part of me.”

“What about the 118? Eddie says that they are all very accepting.”

“They are, but they still have moments where they make me feel like I am two feet tall.” Buck laid Eddie down on the bed and then worked on getting his socks off him before he started to speak again. “Like when I had someone use my identity online to catfish women. One of them showed up and slapped me in the face. The rest of them were all more than willing to think that I deserved it. Scott was the only one who didn’t, but he hadn’t known me long. I am and have always been upfront with my partners, be they longer than a night or just a night. I don’t need to catfish women to get attention. The person who did it was found, and things were fixed, but they thought I could do that. They also didn’t like that I was free with sex with willing partners. I felt…slut shamed for it and I think a lot was jealousy as the one who did the most was someone who lied to his girlfriend about pretty much everything.”

“It sounds like your station grew just as much as you did just before my Eddie came there,” Abuela said.

The bed dipped a little, and Eddie tried not to react when he felt Buck’s hands on his jeans. He had underwear on, but there was something about Buck stripping him some while his Abuela was in the room that just made Eddie feel like this was more intimate than it had any right to be.

“Yes, they did. It’s good to see it, especially to know that I can change myself even as I get older. Though there are people, who are set in their ways.”

“You’ll do fine in life, Evan Buckley. So, how do you feel about a good breakfast that you don’t have to make in the morning?”

“Oh, that sounds lovely, but I would love to learn from you. I can help, right?”

“If you wake up in time. Now it’s time to get some sleep. He clings like a lapa when he’s this tired and happy. Was a trial when he was a niño.”

Buck laughed as he pulled the blankets up over Eddie. The lights went off a few seconds later.

“Dulces sueños,” Abuela said.

“Y tú, abuela,” Buck said.

Eddie stayed where he was until Buck got into the bed in a pair of sleep pants. Eddie could feel them brushing his legs. He was unsure why Buck hadn’t tried to dress him, but he wasn’t that upset about it. He was tired and could sleep in anything, really. He had slept in less and in a hell of a lot more. So he allowed himself to do what his brain and body wanted: sleep. As he was finally drifting off the rest of the way, he rolled over and wrapped himself around Buck.

The last thing that Eddie knew was Buck threading their hands together where Eddie was laying over Buck’s stomach. The position is more intimate with that simple gesture.

I could want this for the rest of my life, Eddie thought as he was drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Seven

Eddie looked around the bar, and he wasn’t sure what was going on. Not really. This was like any of the places the 118 had gone to before. Hell, this place was seedy as fuck looking from outside, but inside, it was something that looked a hell of a lot better.

“So, are you here alone?” a man asked as he leaned against the table beside Eddie, his arms on the table and his body facing out.

“I am, but I’m not looking for anything right now.”

“Cool. If you change your mind, I’ll be over there.”

Eddie glanced at the man to see him looking across the room. Eddie followed his gaze to see it was Buck talking with a table of women. They were all wearing tiaras, but one was wearing a full-on crown. “Bachelorette party?”

“Yes. They all made moon eyes for that guy as soon as he came in with the group of firefighters. I recognized him from the TV. They were all just looking pretty easy to snag at least one for a fun night, but then he came in.”

“Yeah, he’s a pretty bastard who doesn’t even understand how people look at him.”

“Oh, I should have known. You came in with him, didn’t you?”

“We work together, yes. Best friends as well.”

“And you came here to get over him?”

“No. I just want to see him happy. He’s not looked at me in a way that makes me think he wants me, so I backed off. I come with the baggage of a divorce and a kid. He’s got a kid but in a vastly different way. And don’t get me wrong, Buck loves my kid, but he also probably doesn’t want to be saddled with another kid when he’s still getting his feet under him with his daughter.” Eddie paused and took a drink of the never he had been nursing. It was now too warm, and he didn’t like the taste of it. He made a face as he pulled the bottle from his lips.

“How about we go and get a new beer each, and you can vent at me more? I can tell you all about the boyfriend that I let go of two years ago when he said he wasn’t fully ready to settle down, and now I feel like an idiot for letting him go when he wasn’t ready but was willing to still date me.”

“Eddie.” Eddie stuck out his hand, and he waited for the other guy to do it as well. “Nice to meet you.”

“Clarence. Everyone calls me Ren. Don’t make jokes about angels, and we can be drinking buddies for a night.”

“Sure. I’ll get the beers. What do you want?” Eddie asked.

“Whatever IPA is on tap. You should try it too, better than the piss in a bottle you are drinking.”

Eddie snorted, and he nodded his head. He headed to the bar, looking over at the table where Bobby was talking with Athena and Hen. Buck was having fun with the bridal party, and Scott and Riccardo were laughing along to something another patron was saying.

“What are you having?”

“Two of whatever IPA you have on tap, please.” Eddie handed over the cash, and he looked over at Buck while it was being poured.

Buck was having the time of his life, it looked like. He was wearing someone’s tiara and wasn’t even caring that people were looking at him.

“They aren’t going to share,” the bartender said as he walked back over with the pair of beers.

“No, I know. I’m more just making sure that one of them doesn’t slap Buck.’

“Buckley can handle himself; trust him on that. He will make sure that he is safe.”

“You know him?”

“He comes in a good bit along with the people he lives with. Not as many since he got the rugrat, but still enough. You the new friend they talk about bringing here?”

“Probably.”

Buck had been the one to drive the pair of them there, and Eddie hadn’t been paying much attention. They had driven to work together, so it was understandable that they left together. Yet, he hadn’t been paying that close of attention to where they were going. He wasn’t sure how close to home they were. Chris was staying over at Buck’s with the rest of the house so that Eddie could just pop over and get him in the morning when he was told he was allowed to come and get him.

Eddie was looking forward to the morning of sleeping in and then doing what he wanted as he was sure that Chris and Buck would head out for breakfast and with Emma. Eddie may or may not be invited along. Eddie turned to head back to the table, and he set down the drinks before smiling at Ren when the man took a drink of his beer.

“So, you are in love with him?”

“In love is a very strong word, but I do really like him.”

“And you’ve talked to him about this?”

“Hell, no. We work together. He’s pretty open when he likes someone, though from what I have heard from our co-workers who have known him longer. He doesn’t look at me like he looks at people I know he likes. Like those women over there.”

“Ah, but he just wants to have sex with them,” Ren said.

“Well, there is there, but he’s never even tried to hint that he even wants that. Right now, he doesn’t want a relationship anyway, so even if he wanted a roll in bed with me, it would be all he wanted, and I can’t do that. So I’ll just stay his friend because it’s what I need more than anything else.”

“I get that. So why aren’t you with the rest of your team?”

“They are talking relationships. While Hen’s wife is at home with their kid, Athena and Bobby have Athena’s ex watching Athena’s kids. Then we have Scott and Riccardo; it’s little too fluffy over there.”

“I can drink to that.” Ren held up his beer, and Eddie clinked his off it before taking a sip.

Eddie wasn’t sure what he thought about the beer. It tasted much better than the one he had gotten in the bottle. He would have to figure out what this was and get it in bottles for the house.

“So why did you let him go?”

“I wasn’t prepared to just wait for him to fall in love. He told me he loved me; he just wasn’t ready for the white picket fence and daycare. I found that I was pushing too much onto what he wanted when my last boyfriend left me because I was too hesitant. I did some soul searching, and I hope that I can figure my shit out.”

Eddie held his glass up, and then he heard a cheer, so as he took a drink of his beer, he looked over at where there was Buck with a girl in his lap and another leaning of his shoulder, doing something on the table.

“There are times where you just want to hate people who can get someone in their bed that easy.”

“You think he’s leaving with one of them?”

“I think that he’s going to get something in the bathroom, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he did it with more than one of them before the night is over. He looks like he’s trying to prove something to himself.”

Eddie agreed with that. Something had been off with Buck the day before at work.

“So you guys on tomorrow?”

“No, we are at the start of our long period off. We get to sleep this off, and Buck’s already promised to watch my kid in the morning, so if he drinks too much, it’s his own fault.”

“Ready?” one of the women at Buck’s table said too loud as Buck was headed across the room.

“Sure. Let me check in with my people and then we can go and have some fun,” Buck said. He stopped at Eddie’s table. “Hey, I’m gonna head out. You good?” Buck handed over his keys to Eddie. “If you drink too much to drive, Tommy’s DD, call him, and someone will drop him off to drive you back in the Jeep.”

“Sure. Go have fun.”

“I plan on it.”

It wasn’t until a moment later that all of the bridal party left with Buck that Eddie realized that Buck had pulled all of them.

“Where is the bride?” Eddie asked.

“She went with them, but I heard them talk before, and she’s just going home. She expected all of them to find someone to go home with since they are all single.”

“You know a lot.”

“They tried me before, but I haven’t had sex with a woman since I finally accepted I was gay. Your boy is bisexual, right?”

“Yes, and so am I. My ex called me open to anyone who would have sex with me, but I have met some people I wouldn’t fuck with someone else’s fake cock. So I do have standards.”

“So if you aren’t going to go after your boy, then what are you going to do?”

“No, clue. It’s just been in the past little while I’ve even realized I have feelings for him. So I just think I need to focus on what I do want cause my ex-wife has proved that I know what I don’t want.”

“What about your kid?”

“He just wants me happy. We are pretty happy right now, so I know that he’s not going to be setting me up with anyone.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“What are you really going to do?”

“Put myself out there and see who I can snag with my new idea that I am enough and I don’t need to be perfect to have a good relationship with someone. My therapist told me that I needed to be open instead of closed off. I think half the time he’s smoking something, but then I realize that I’m just looking at things wrong.”

Eddie understood that. He had that issue with some of his therapy while in El Paso.

“Hey, Eddie, we are going to head out,” Bobby said as he walked over. He looked at Ren and then turned to fully face Eddie. “Do you want a ride?”

“Nah, Buck left me the keys to the Jeep. I’ll be good to get home. I promise, and I’ll call Tommy if I need a ride. I’ll be safe.”

“Okay, Scott and Riccardo took off a few minutes ago; Hen’s leaving with us. It’ll just be you left here.”

“Sure thing.” Eddie turned his focus back to Ren, who was looking at where Bobby was walking away.

“Sounds like they all are pretty good people.”

“I think that people try and be yeah. There were issues before I got there. I didn’t ask too much about it.”

“Not all houses can be perfect. I had a friend who used to work for the LAFD. He transferred to New York City when his wife moved there for her job.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a technical writer, and no, I will not bore you with what it is.”

“That’s okay. It’s not like you don’t know my job already and what it entails. What do you like about your job?”

“I like writing but creative writing; this allows me to not use my creativeness up on work and not have anything left for my creative writing.”

Eddie enjoyed talking with Ren for another hour before he decided that maybe he was tired enough to head home. The second beer with Ren was accompanied by a basket of food, so neither of them was anywhere near drunk.

“I had fun,” Eddie said.

“Well, I am here a lot, so if you see me and I’m not talking to someone, come on by. I don’t mind having more friends.”

“Neither do I. Maybe next time we can exchange numbers.”

Ren nodded his agreement to that before he dropped a tip onto the table.

Eddie felt a lot lighter for having someone outside of the 118 and his family to talk to. He considered Buck’s friends the 118 on the whole since they all connected back to Buck. He maybe did need to find some new friends outside of work and family. He hadn’t had many back in El Paso, but here he might be able to find someone who would accept him for who he was that wasn’t Buck.

—

Buck pressed Angelina against the wall of her house. He felt the heat of Sabrina behind him, and he enjoyed it. They had offered him a night of fun, and he said he was feeling up for it right then, but even if he wasn’t going to get something, he would get them off if his mood changed. They had looked at him like they had won the lottery with that, and Buck felt that they had asshole lovers before.

“Where did the rest of them go?”

“Well, the good thing about all of being them bisexual and used to not SOs. They get off together sometimes.”

“That’s a very pretty picture, but I think I like taking part and not just watching. So which one is your room?”

“This one to the left. Sabrina’s is the one to the right. So it really doesn’t matter which one we go into.”

“Good. Good.” Buck reached out and opened the door to his left. He laughed when Sabrina ran into the room and jumped on the bed. He cupped Angelina’s ass and started to hike her up. She groaned and wrapped her legs around him, letting him take her whole weight.

“You could lift us both, couldn’t you?”

“I could. I’ve deadlifted Eddie before.”

“Who was Eddie?”

“The one who ended up talking to Ren for most of the night.”

“Oh, he’s a cutie. I heard him talking a little at the bar when I was getting drinks for us before we left.”

“He’s my best friend,” Buck said, and he dropped Angelina onto the bed. She let out a laughing scream before she gripped the bottom edge of her shirt and ripped it off.

Angelina wore a lovely bra that looked pretty and something too horrible or uncomfortable to wear. Sabrina stripped her shirt off as well, and she was wearing a matching bra in a different color.

“Favorite bra among you guys?”

“Yes, we share all of that because if you find a diamond in the rough when it comes to bras, why not share?” Angelina said as she used her legs to pull Buck in. She stripped his shirt off him as well. “Yeah, you are just as ripped as I thought you would be. I have a fantasy of being fucked against the wall. Is that something you are willing to do?”

Buck looked at Sabrina.

“I like watching her get fucked.”

“Aren’t you two just a perfect pair?” Buck asked.

“Well, I would hope so. The other bedroom is a showroom.” Angelina pulled Buck down by his belt buckle and licked at his ear before her lips were pressed close. “We like to share everything. The other room is just because Sabrina’s parents pay for her schooling and wouldn’t if they knew we were together. A house full of women is safe to them.”

“Ah, well, that’s good a thing she found someone who fits her so well in all things. So sometimes you pick up men to give you a good time?”

“Yes, but never another woman. It’s always just us two and our man of the night.”

“I’m happy to be your man of the night. Now, how about condoms and dams?”

“Dams?” Sabrina’s eyes lit up at the word, and she dove for the drawer at the bedside. “We have those.”

“Good.” Buck pulled out of Angelina’s hold even though she pouted at him enough to make Buck almost regret it. They were both in skirts that went down to halfway down their thighs. Short enough to be easy to walk in but long enough to cover everything up. Tight enough to show off their asses as well. “Lie back and see if you can even think of England.”

Angelina laughed, and she laid back. Buck heard the smack of something on Angelina’s stomach, and he reached up to grab the dam packet. He found it was in date when he looked briefly and it was one of the better ones, not flavored but the taste wasn’t the worst in the world.

“I’m kind of shocked you even know what a dam is used for.”

“I give good oral, no matter the sex,” Buck said.

“You are making us want to keep you.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all, but I think you two wouldn’t be happy with that long term. If we have a fun time, I don’t mind leaving my number for repeats later.”

Sabrina leaned down to where she could kiss Angelina as Buck opened up the dam and got his hand positioned with it to where he could eat her out with ease. He made sure he had it good before he lowered it again, needing to work her up a little bit. He kissed up and down a thigh before going to the other. He nipped once, feeling her hips thrust up. She liked a little bit of fun.

Buck hadn’t found a pair of women like this before. If they did have a good bit of fun and were still good after, he might just have them come over for a meal to see if they go on with anyone else in the house.

Angelina was a moaner. She let out so many noises, and only part of them was muffled by Sabrina kissing her. Buck knew that Angelina was close, and he looked up to see Sabrina kissing her while working a breast that was out of the bra. Porn might not be his thing, but he was all about that. He loved watching that kind of thing in the flesh.

“Fuck, Buck, please,” Angelina said as soon as the kiss was broken.

Buck went back to work on getting her off. There was almost no time between Buck getting his lips and tongue on her again before Angelina was coming, her legs clamping on Buck’s head and holding him in place. It was a good thing he didn’t mind it. He let the dam drop to the floor and kissed at things as Angelina came down.

Buck looked up at Sabrina to see that she was playing with herself, skirt still on, hand down inside her panties. He crooked a finger at her, and she shook her head before laying back on the pillows and crooking a finger back at him.

Waiting until Angelina was moving out from under him, Buck headed up the bed. He moved to go down on her, but she stopped him and, with a finger under his chin, got him where she could kiss him.

“She likes big fingers inside of her,” Angelina said.

Buck broke the kiss long enough to look back at her. She was lying on the bed, stripped down to nothing.

“Underwear on or off?”

“On for now, and then you can rip them off when you get pissed at them being in the way.”

“Sure thing.” Buck surged up and kissed her, balancing on one arm as he got his hand on her stomach. He wiggled it down her skin, letting her feel how big his hand was before it got it under her underwear and found her mound. She gasped and thrust up into the hand as he barely touched her clit.

Angelina got closer, her hand brushing Buck, and he would have looked, but he didn’t want to stop kissing. Sabrina groaned, and her whole body shivered as Buck finally got his fingers into her folds. She was soaking wet, and when he found her hole, she tried to move to get him inside of her.

“Greedy thing, isn’t she?” Buck asked. He looked to the side to see that Angelina was playing with Sabrina’s breasts.

“How about you get naked? I’ll keep her worked up.”

“Sure,” Buck said. He had little to take off, so it didn’t take long until the only person with clothes on was Sabrina, and it was just her skirt that didn’t stop him from doing a thing and her underwear which he was going to get off her as soon as he felt he could.

Sabrina didn’t like being apart from him as she pulled him down to kiss her again before he even got a hand on her body again.

“Greedy,” Buck whispered as he broke the kiss to take in a deep breath before he kissed her again.

Sabrina was easy to get off, her hole squeezing on Buck’s fingers as tight as she could get it.

“I can see why you two don’t let each other go.” Buck rolled as quickly as he could, snagging Angelina and carrying her to the wall that bordered the bathroom, just to silence what noise he could.

“Dear mother of God,” Angelina said as she got her legs around him.

“You said you wanted fucked against the wall.”

“I did, but dammit, I didn’t expect to be manhandled and like it. Looks like I know what type we are inviting into our bed from here out.”

“I’ll introduce you to some friends. Most of them can do this, and none are assholes.”

“You are my new best friend, but you won’t stay there if you don’t get your cock in me.”

“Need a condom first.” Buck helped Angelina down to stand on her feet and turned around. Sabrina was there with a condom wrapper in her hand. It wasn’t open yet. Buck raised an eyebrow, and he laughed, and Sabrina shrugged.

“We don’t like to open them when we aren’t in front of the guy. We had one a few years ago that was upset and thought we had done something to the condom.”

“Well, I mean, if I was really that paranoid, I would have my own with me, but I get it.” Buck ripped the package open, and he got the condom on his cock with no fanfare. “Do I need lube?”

“No, she’s gotta be soaking wet at this point,” Sabrina said. She walked away, and as Buck turned to Angelina again, he saw her bringing a chair over and set it where she could watch.

“It’s a good thing I’m pretty vain when it comes to my body,” Buck said.

Angelina was a dream to move where he wanted her, and she didn’t even fight him at all when he lowered her down onto his cock.

“How is that?” Sabrina asked.

“Fucking good. I can’t wait to see you slide down on it. Fuck me. You are gonna make someone a wonderful husband one day if you suck cock and eat ass as well as you eat pussy.”

“Sometimes, I think I’m better at it than pussy.”

Buck moved Angelina just a little to get a bit deeper inside of her but also make sure he could keep her pressed into the wall as hard as he could do it.

“How fast can you get it up again?” Sabrina asked.

“If I have someone helping me? Pretty quickly.”

“Good, then fuck her until you both come.”

“Bossy,” Buck said, but he did exactly what he was told to do.

Angelina came with a bite to Buck’s shoulder, muffling the cry of pleasure she let out. The spike of pain didn’t usher in Buck’s own orgasm, but it at least didn’t stop it either.

Buck’s legs started to shake, but he stayed up; Angelina settled in his arms as she panted out the after-effects of orgasm. He loved the feel of her in his arms. It seemed he could do sex with no emotions, but even the thought of Tommy in his bed set him to feel like he was betraying Eddie.

“Good?” Angelina asked.

“Yeah,” Buck answered. He walked backward until he was able to drop onto the bed, letting Angelina settle on top of him, his cock still buried inside of her.

Angelina carefully lifted up, making sure to keep the condom on his cock.

“You just lie there; we will take care of this,” Sabrina said as she got up from the chair.

Buck stayed down as Angelina got the condom off him, and then Sabrina came with a warm rag to clean him. She gave him a cheeky smile and then started to stroke his cock. Buck jerked when she paid attention to the oversensitive head.

“Up,” Sabrina said a moment later.

Grinning at her, Buck moved up the bed and turned to where he had his head on the pillows. He wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do, so he just lay there and waited for her to tell him. He didn’t mind being submissive to his partners, be they male or female. Hell, he just liked sex and feeling good.

“Look at you,” Sabrina said as she crawled onto the bed and up to where she was straddling Buck’s waist. Her pussy rubbed on his cock for a moment before she moved up a little further to where her skirt was covering his cock from view.

Buck could feel the fabric on his cock, and he wasn’t sure that it should really feel that good.

“He looks like the kind of man who loves to be on top.”

“No, ma’am. I don’t care where I am. If I hadn’t just already come like a freight train, I would say that you could put on whatever strap-on you own and use it on me.”

“Hmm, I guess that I will have to save that for another time. Angelina’s the one that likes to do that more than I do. I love her using it on me, though. She’s so damned good with her cock.” Sabrina made a noise, and then she was scooting forward to look behind herself. “You really do like that idea, don’t you?”

“He does,” Angelina said. She got onto the bed with a fresh condom wrapper in her hand. She ripped it open and then got behind Sabrina to start to roll the condom down Buck’s cock.

Buck was startled to find that he was fully hard already. The thought of what they wanted to do to him was arousing. He would let the pair of them wreck him in the best ways.

Instead of leaning down, Sabrina stayed upright after she sunk down onto Buck’s cock. Angelina was right behind her, hands on Sabrina’s hip before sliding around and up to cup her breasts. The visuals of the two of them were just enough that Buck knew he wasn’t going to have an issue with orgasm.

Buck almost felt like he was watching a porno with how the women were touching and making out, but he was also perfectly okay with it. Sabrina was working his cock and touching and allowing him to touch as well, which Angelina got into with fervor.

Sabrina came first, with Buck following behind with how she felt as her walls closed around him.

They were going to get his number to do this again and maybe soon.

—

Buck ran the towel through his hair as he walked into the bedroom. He heard Emma making noise as she entertained herself in her crib with the soft blocks that Eddie had bought for her a week before. He had no idea what he would do the rest of the day. Eddie still had his Jeep keys, but that wasn’t that big of a deal. He knew that Eddie would bring them back soon.

The door opened up, and Buck looked down to make sure he had his shorts on before looking up to see Eddie there.

“Oh, I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

“Hear me come in last night? You stayed the night?”

“Yeah. Chris and I sacked out in Derek’s room. He’s at the hospital with one of the kids from the ward so that the parents can get some sleep at home in bed. He offered Chris his bed so he could be pretty close to Emma without being in yours when he left and then texted me to tell me I could sack out there as well.”

“Cool.”

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, they were a lot of fun. They are a couple and like to invite other guys into their bed on occasion. We didn’t talk much about anything other than sex.”

“So you and Tommy?” Eddie asked.

“It was something good when I needed it and didn’t want a relationship, but I think I am moving toward wanting one. It might be a little while before I find one, and I’ll play the field until I do find someone that I can fall in love with and build a family or slot into their family.” Buck tried not to cringe at his wording.

Eddie didn’t seem to catch onto what Buck had accidentally said. He really didn’t need Eddie freaking out about that. He didn’t want to lose his friend because he liked Eddie in a way that Eddie didn’t like him and thought that Buck was pushing it on him. He just needed to settle into his life and figure out what he would do. He had time, but it was a daunting task.

“Are you worried about those at the 118 talking about your days where you slept around too much?”

“Not too worried about that. Bobby said some things, but I can handle what he says. The problem child on that is gone, so I don’t really need to worry about it.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your words because even Tommy backs up what you have said on things, but Chim sounds like he started to become really jaded to life and unhappy with how his own life was going and then became nearly as bad as some of the people he railed against.”

“He changed as the job changed him. I’m sure that I am not going to act the same in a decade, but I hope that I don’t make someone feel like crap for doing something that harms no one.”

“So, have you fully decided you don’t have a sex addiction?”

“I was touch starved, which I think is part of why I started to change on that front as soon as Tommy and I were getting our freak on.”

Eddie laughed and shook his head. There was something in his eyes, but he didn’t seem willing to talk about it, so Buck let it go for now.

“So Abuela said that she expects you the next Saturday we have off bright and bushy-tailed at dawn with Emma. What are you two doing?”

“She’s going to teach me about how to make tamales.”

“Buck, did you ask her?” Eddie looked shocked and a little off-kilter.

“No, she told me that she would figure out when was a good time for her and then go from that. Why?”

“My mother asked a year after she married dad about it. Abuela said that she would only teach it to her biological family. She taught my sister and me, and mom was so upset that even when Adriana offered to teach her, she refused.”

“Well, you’ve talked about your parents before, Eddie. I’m not shocked she refused to teach her. Those things are fucking awesome.”

Eddie’s gaze moved to Emma.

“Yeah, I decided that I would just teach her not to cuss rather than try and curb this entire house.”

“You plan on staying here that long?”

“When Noah and Shawn finally admit they are dating and have been for a long time, I figure that Shawn will move down with him. They spend most of their time in that room. So I have already told Tommy that I want it for Emma when a room opens up on the third floor. If things don’t go as fast as I think they will, then I’ll have a small room kind of built up here so that she’s not fully in my room.”

“Shawn and Noah are dating?”

“According to them, nope. They haven’t even allowed themselves to get caught having sex. They just forgot about the baby monitor one day, and I heard them. I had Emma down for a nap in the living room, and I was in the kitchen. So don’t go spreading that around.”

“I won’t. So what are the plans for the day?”

“No clue. I was going to bug you to find out what you wanted to do. Is Chris up?”

“Mostly. He’s milking, being warm in bed. Though if he knew that Emma was up and getting ready for breakfast, I bet he would love to feed her.”

“Using my kid to get your kid out of bed?” Buck asked.

“Yes, always.”

Buck laughed, and he walked over to snag a shirt from the drawer and put it on. He had pants laid out already for later, but for now, he was okay in the shorts he had put on before leaving the bathroom.

“So, park?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah, let’s go to the park for a while in the late morning, and we can go someplace and get food and then do a picnic there before we choose to do something else.”

“Well, there is always a hockey game. We can make sure to pack stuff to stay warm. Chris has been talking about wanting to go to one since soccer isn’t in season over here right now.”

“Sure. I’ll do some research while making oatmeal for breakfast. You go and get your kid. I’ll get mine and meet you in the kitchen.” Buck walked over to where Emma was, and she raised her arms up.

“Da, da.”

“Yeah, I know. You need your morning cuddles. You’ll have to settle for some with me and then more with Eddie.”

“Di, di, di.”

Eddie laughed. Buck looked up at him after he had Emma in his arms. Eddie was looking at the pair of them with a grin on his face, looking happy as hell. Buck felt that happiness down deep inside of him. He could be happy with this; as long as he kept Eddie as his friend, he didn’t care about anything else.

They could make a little family unit and exist as they were. It could be wonderful and happy and something that neither of them had too much of before this. It would take work, but it was work that Buck was willing to put in.

The End

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