Chapter Text
“Hey Mom.”
Buck grips the phone in his hands as he paces the small patch of carpet between the sofa and the TV.
“Evan.”
He bits his lip to keep from sighing. It’s been less than a minute since the call connected but already he’s regretting the decision to call them.
He already knows how this conversation’s going to go. He’s not sure exactly why he’s even bothering to call, but Bobby had asked him how many people he was planning on inviting to his shield ceremony and Buck had frozen in a moment of panic.
He’d been expecting Abby to be there, but she’s currently in Scotland… or, at least she’d been in Scotland the last time he’d spoken to her and not her voicemail.
“Hey, I was uh— I’m graduating next month and I, uh—” It’s hard to get the words out when he already knows the answer. “I want you guys here, when I graduate.”
The silence on the other end of the line stretches on and Buck feels his stomach sink. He knows his parents well enough that he never really let himself get his hopes up. Still, it’s hard not to be disappointed when his mom huffs and says, “You can’t expect us to just drop everything, Evan. Your father would have to take time off work, and we can’t pull Isaac out of school just to see you.”
It’s the same excuse his mom made last time, and the one before that.
“It’s just a few days,” Buck tries. “And it’s almost the end of the school year. Maybe Zac could come stay with me after. I could show him around L.A.”
His mother clicks her tongue at the nickname. “You want us to put your five-year-old brother on a plane by himself?”
It still completely blows Buck’s mind— that his parents decided to have another kid when they clearly hadn’t wanted the children they already had.
Or at least, they hadn’t wanted him.
When he’d first heard the news, the small voice in Buck’s head had whispered that he was the problem. His parents had loved Maddie and now they had the son they always wanted, and at first, Buck had resented Isaac for that.
Looking back, he can see how wrong he was. His parents have always been tight lipped on Isaacs existence, like he was some dirty secret. Buck hadn’t even known he had a younger brother until he returned to the US, stopping to visit his parents before he started at the fire academy.
It had been like watching his own childhood play out before his eyes.
“No, Mom. I want all of you to come,” Buck says, barely restraining a sigh. “Can I talk to him?”
“Fine. Just don’t make him any promises you can’t keep,” his mother warns. “It’s not fair when you do that to us.”
Buck has to bite his tongue. Of course his parents would find a way to blame him for their cancelled trips out to L.A. Somehow, even miles away his mom still manages to find a way to get under his skin.
“Mom. Can you just put him on?”
“Fine. He’s here.”
There’s some fumbling with the phone, then a small voice says, “Evan?”
"Hey Zac Attack," Buck says, gently. "I've missed you these last few weeks." He crosses the room to take a seat on the bed— Abby’s bed— and waits with bated breath for his brother to answer.
“Mom doesn’t like it when you call me that,” Isaac tells him, still quiet.
Isaac makes a soft noise. “I like it,” he says. “Sometimes my teachers call me that, but Mom always says they’re wrong. It’s not my name.”
“Your name can be whatever you want it to be,” Buck tells him, keeping his voice level. “Hey, you know I was thinking about you today,” he says, deciding it’s time to change the subject. “I was talking to one of my friends from work and she has a son who's about the same age as you and he loves dinosaurs."
"Dinosaurs are my favourite," Isaac says, starting to warm up but still quiet.
"Yeah, I know bud," Buck says with a smile. "It made me remember that it’s your birthday soon, and I thought maybe I could get you one.”
"A real one?”
Buck laughs. "I'm not sure I could wrangle that, but I found one at the store that walks around and can bite things.”
The line is quiet for just a beat too long.
"Zac?"
"I don't want a dinosaur," Isaac says finally, his voice almost a whisper. "I want—" he trails off, the words lost in a sniffle.
“Hey. C’mon buddy, what’s wrong?” He presses the phone to his ear as hard as he can, like maybe it can somehow close the physical distance between them.
Buck remembers what it was like living with his parents, feeling so completely invisible unless he actively sought it out with his reckless behaviour. He’d never been truly alone though, he’d had Maddie
Isaac has no one.
“Zac, kiddo, you know you can tell me anything,” Buck tries when Isaac still hasn’t answered him. “I won’t say anything to Mom or Dad.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
There’s no response for a long moment.
“I wanna come and live with you.”
It’s whispered so quietly that Buck almost doesn’t hear it at first.
"Oh, buddy, I don't know if—" Buck cuts himself off. God, he remembers so vividly having this exact conversation with Maddie so many years ago. He remembers how it had broken his heart when she said no.
"Please."
Fuck.
Buck scrubs a hand down his face. He’s got no idea what he’s supposed to do here.
He knows what his parents are like. He has his own childhood to draw from, and Isaac doesn't deserve that. He deserves to grow up surrounded by love, and if nothing else, Buck can give him that.
But Buck is also a twenty-six-year-old probationary firefighter, living in his girlfriend’s apartment while she travels the world. He’s not exactly in a position to look after a kid.
He can’t leave Isaac there, though. Not again.
“Okay.” It comes out in a rush of air. “I’m gonna come get you. Alright Zac? I’m coming.”
He hangs up after asking Isaac not to say anything to their parents, and then he calls Bobby.
"Bobby, I need some time off. I can't—” he’s up on his feet and pacing again. “I can't explain why right now, but— I just need a few days."
"Buck, slow down." Bobby's voice is a calm wave that washes over him. "What's going on? Are you in trouble?"
"I— no. I'm fine. It's—" Buck lets out a long breath. "It's a family thing, Bobby. I— I’ll explain everything when I get back, I promise. I need to go.”
"Of course." Bobby's quiet for a moment. “If you need anything, anything at all, you’ll call me?”
“Yeah, I— thanks Bobby.”
Hanging up the phone, the panic Buck has been holding back finally grips him.
He's done some reckless things in the past, but this? He can't believe he's actually planning to go confront his parents.
Buck books a flight, forking out a ridiculous amount of money for a ticket that will get him there that night, then has to rush to the airport to actually make the departure.
He makes it, just, and then all he can do is wait.
It’s a four-and-a-half-hour flight from L.A. to Atlanta and Buck spends the entire flight trying to plan what he's going to say when he sees his parents. He sits, leg bouncing, as the minutes crawl by.
There’s more waiting in Atlanta for his connecting flight, and then finally, more than ten hours after calling his parents, Buck lands in Harrisburg. It’s late and he’s a wreck of frayed nerves as he navigates out of the airport and to the rideshare pick-up so he can get an UBER to Hershey.
The house is dark and quiet when he finally arrives. It’s almost one AM but Buck doesn’t have a key so he rings his parent’s landline.
He waits, his heart hammering in his chest, as the line rings once. Twice.
"Hello?"
"Dad? It's me," Buck says. "I—I'm outside. Can you let me in?"
There’s a soft murmur, too low to catch much more than his name mumbled between his parents.
“Do you have any idea what time it is, Evan?”
"Yeah, I do," Buck says with a sigh. "Can you please just let me in.”
The line disconnects with a click and Buck waits, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. The longer he stands there, the more he wonders if his father simply just rolled over and went back to sleep, but finally, a light in an upstairs window flickers on.
A few minutes later, his dad opens the door, a frown set deep in his face.
"What did you do?"
Buck stands there on the path, mouth hanging open, at a loss for words.
"Why do you immediately assume I did something wrong?" He doesn’t mean it to sound so acerbic but being at home again has already got him on the defensive.
Phillip fixes him with a pointed stare. "Because you've always done something wrong."
"I'm not a kid anymore," Buck argues. "You think maybe it's time you stopped treating me like one?" He sighs, letting go of all the tension that’s been building in his shoulders for the last ten hours. “Look, can we not do this right now?” he asks, exhausted.
“What is going on?” his mom calls from within the house. She pokes her head out the door, her face set in a deep frown. “Evan don't be ridiculous. Get inside before someone sees you."
Buck doesn't bother pointing out that it's the middle of the night and there's no one else around to witness this. Somehow, he doesn’t think that’s going to work in his favour, so he just shoulders past his dad and into the house.
"What are you doing here?" his mom asks, trailing after him.
"I'm just making sure you don't have to break another promise," Buck bites out, turning to face his parents. It’s a low blow, but by the bewildered expression on his mom’s face he can see she’s already forgotten their conversation.
"What are you talking about?"
"On the phone," Buck reminds her, "this morning. I asked if Zac could come stay with me."
"Evan—"
"It's Buck, Mom. I've told you this."
If anything, his mom’s frown just deepens at that.
"Evan, I told you. You can't expect us to just drop everything and—"
“Ha.” Buck barks out a bitter laugh. “Expect you? I’ve never expected you to do anything, not for me. But—” he hesitates, all his carefully planned words slipping away in the moment. “I thought, for Zac—”
His mom scowls. “You spoil him,” she says, her tone criticising. “You put all these ideas in his head and make us look like the bad guys when we can’t possibly live up to all of them.”
“Ideas? You mean that he should be happy, and loved?” Buck asks. “How is that hard to live up to? It’s the least you could do.”
“You don’t know what it’s like, Evan,” his mom says, her voice rising. "You don’t know what it’s like to be reminded every day of what you’ve lost. We already did it, once and—”
His dad puts a hand on her shoulder, and she stops, choking on the words.
Buck looks at his parents, trying to read the grief in their expressions. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re doing the best we can,” his dad says. It doesn’t answer Buck’s question. It just leaves him more exasperated.
“Yeah, well it’s not good enough!” He turns away from his parents, scrubbing both hands over his face. It doesn’t hit him until that moment how much he’d been hoping that maybe he’d blown the whole thing out of proportion. That maybe Isaac was fine, and Buck had just been projecting his own issues onto his brother.
But this— Buck has no idea what his parent’s problem is, but this just confirms all of his fears.
“You can’t— he’s— god.” Buck turns back to them. “Zac’s a kid. He’s just a little kid and he deserves more than this. I—I’m taking him back to L.A.” The words tumble from his mouth before he fully thinks it though. To be honest, he hadn’t truly expected it to get this far.
"What?" His mom barks out a startled laugh. "What makes you think you can look after a child?"
"I can do better than this,” Buck says. “I can love him.”
"What would people think?" his mom asks, looking stricken.
"Is that really your only concern?" Buck asks, his voice soft as his heart breaks. "What people will think of you?"
"You don't know what this town is like," his mom argues. “People are always talking. Always judging.”
"Is your reputation really worth more than your son?" Buck searches their faces, hoping for more than that.
"Evan—"
"Maybe it's for the best," Phillip says, turning to his wife. "He looks so much like—" he trails off, pulling Margaret into his arms. "It was never going to be the same."
Buck stares at them, slack-jawed in shock. “That’s it? You’re really not going to fight me on it?”
His mom looks like she’s about to say something, but she just shakes her head.
Somehow that doesn’t make it easier, it just makes the hot anger that has been churning in his gut for the last ten minutes burn brighter.
“Fine.” Buck has to fight to keep his voice steady. “I’ll, uh— I’ll go get him and we’ll be out of your way.” He drops his bag on the floor and turns for the stairs.
“You’re going to leave now?” His mom’s voice follows him up the stairs. “It’s the middle of the night.”
He ignores her and keeps walking, crossing the hall to ease open the door to Isaac’s room.
“Hey.” Buck sits on the edge of the bed, waking his brother gently.
Isaac shifts, blinking against the light that filters in from the hall. His eyes land on Buck, and as recognition sets in, he bursts into tears.
“Hey, you’re okay.” Buck scoops him up, holding Isaac tight while his small shoulders heave with sobs. “I told you I’d come.”
He sits and waits for the sobs to ease into shuddering breaths before finally evening out again.
“You ready to get out of here?” Buck asks.
Isaac nods, his lashes still wet with tears.
“Okay.” Buck takes a breath. Then another. He can do this. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
They get a plane back to L.A the next morning after spending the rest of the night in a hotel.
Their parents hadn’t suggested Buck stay the night, and honestly, he’d been too afraid they’d change their minds and insist Isaac stay if he did. So, he fills his bag with whatever he can fit from Isaac’s room and bundles them both into an UBER.
They stay at the Comfort Inn. It’s the only place with a twenty-four-hour check in, and the woman watches Buck with an openly intrigued expression as he juggles Isaac— dead to the world and limp in his arms— to free up his hands to grab his wallet.
He doesn’t sleep.
He can’t turn his thoughts off and keeps replaying the conversation with his parents over and over, wondering if maybe there was something he could have done differently, something he could have said to make his parents realise the mistake they were making.
He tries to distract himself, to think of anything else, and when that fails, he turns to his phone.
There’s a message from Bobby, checking in. Buck responds, letting Bobby know he’ll be back in L.A. the next day and asking if he can come over to talk. It’s late, he’s not expecting Bobby to respond, but his phone buzzes less than a minute later with a reply.
Fire boss [01:45AM]: Of course. Let me know when you land.
Buck rereads the message, the text swimming on the screen.
He swipes at his eyes and tells himself he’s just exhausted, then he closes out of the message and navigates online to book plane tickets home.
They check out early the next morning.
Isaac is quiet on the drive to the airport, but he gets more animated the more distance they put between their parents.
"Is that our plane?" They’re waiting to board, and Isaac is standing, his face pressed to the glass to watch the bridge slowly extend towards the plane.
"I think so," Buck tells him, a smile stretching his face. He’s exhausted, running on fumes and coffee but his brother’s excitement is infectious. "But I think it has to refuel before we can get on."
"I can see our bag!"
Buck glances down at the tarmac. There's a cart that has bags on it, but he thinks they're coming off the plane with the passengers who are starting to trickle out the gate. Still, he doesn't correct his brother.
He keeps an eye on the area around them. He doesn't actually expect their parents to stop him, but he can't quite shake the feeling that this is too good to be true. He’s half expecting his parents to burst in and drag Isaac away from him.
By the time they're allowed to board, Isaac is vibrating with excitement and Buck is an anxious mess. He doesn't relax— can’t relax— until the plane pulls away from the gate and starts its taxi down the runway.
He turns to watch Isaac beside him. His brother is peering out the window as the ground falls away beneath them, and all Buck can see is his curly blond hair.
He still can't believe their parents just let them leave. They hadn’t put up any fight as Buck carried Isaac out of the house.
As the loudspeaker announces that the captain has turned off the seatbelt lights, Buck makes a silent promise to always fight for his brother.
The team is— they're amazing.
Buck texts Bobby when they land. The reply comes through as he’s picking up his bag in the baggage claim, and he bundles Isaac into his car and drives them over to Bobby’s apartment.
Bobby takes everything in stride, barely faltering when Buck knocks on his door and says, "So, I uh— I did something."
He blinks down at Isaac, pressed in close to Buck's leg, and wordlessly steps aside to let them in.
"This is Zac, my brother," Buck explains. "Zac, you remember when I told you about my boss, yeah?”
"The fire captain?"
"Yep, this is Bobby."
And Zac looks up at Bobby with a wide, awed expression, and the rest of the story comes tumbling out.
Bobby listens in silence until Buck runs out of words, then says, “We’re here for you, kid. Whatever you need.”
It’s the absolute polar opposite of what Buck would have expected from his own parents, and he almost crumbles then and there.
Over the following month, Bobby teaches Buck how to cook. They'd already been working on breakfast foods, but Bobby takes him through some easy meals that a five-year-old won’t turn their nose up at.
Chimney comes over to the apartment and helps Buck turn Abby’s dining room back into a bedroom. It’s not a long-term solution, but until Buck can find an apartment— in his price range— with two bedrooms, it will have to do.
Hen invites him and Zac over on their first week back in L.A. She introduces Zac and Denny and while they’re off playing outside, she and Karen press bags of hand-me-down clothes into Buck’s arms.
“This is too much,” Buck tries to say, but they won’t hear any of it.
“Raising a kid is expensive, especially at this age,” Karen tells him. “Denny was growing out of clothes almost faster than we could buy them.”
“I can’t—”
“Just take the clothes, Buck,” Hen says, kindly, but leaving no room for argument.
They go over everything Buck’s going to need— finding a school, a paediatrician, childcare while Buck’s at work.
Then Hen hands over a slip of paper with a number. "You'll need a lawyer who can get you custody,” she says, pressing the slip into Buck’s hand.
“Angela is a godsend,” Karen adds. “She helped us with Denny.”
And Buck hadn't even considered that he’d need custody of Zac. They're brothers, and Buck had just assumed that would be enough.
He thanks Hen profusely and calls the number. Angela tells him it’s a complex process, especially if their parents contest the guardianship. They don’t, which honestly just makes it worse in Buck’s opinion.
Still, Buck has to go before a judge, and he's terrified they're going to take one look at him and decide he's not fit to raise a child.
"Are they going to make me go back?" Zac asks one night.
They're sitting on the couch, a kids movie playing in the background while Buck goes over the notes Angela gave him for the twentieth time.
"No." It comes out sounding more confident than Buck feels. "Never. It's you and me, Zac.”
“Promise?” Zac looks up at him from where he lies, tucked into Buck’s side.
“Here.” Buck puts down the paperwork, holding his hand up. “This is something Maddie taught me.” He holds out his pinkie and gets Zac to copy him. “This kind of promise is unbreakable,” he says, linking their pinkies together. “It’s you and me, kiddo. I promise.”
Bobby ends up giving him a glowing reference and, surprisingly, so does Athena. Buck has no idea how he’s ever going to repay them for what they’ve done.
“You can repay us by taking care of that sweet child,” Athena tells him. “You’ve done a wonderful thing Buck, and I know we’ve had our disagreements but you’re a good kid.”
“This is a big responsibility,” Bobby adds. “And while I have no doubt you can handle it; I want you to know that you can come to me if you ever need anything.”
“That goes for both of us,” Athena adds. “And you boys are welcome over any time.”
“I— thank you,” Buck tells them, sincerely. “For everything.”
And just like that, Buck is the sole guardian of his five-year-old brother.
He puts it all in a letter to send to Maddie, wishing she was with him. He feels so out of his depth, and Maddie always had the best advice, but Buck hasn’t heard from her in three years.
He adds his address to the back of the envelope, hoping that, maybe, he'll get a response this time.
“Zac? C’mon! We gotta go.” Buck grabs his bag, checking one last time that he’s got everything.
“I’m ready!”
Buck turns, hand raised to usher Zac out the door, and freezes, a smile pulling at his lips.
“Zac, you’re still in your pj’s, buddy.” He has to bite his lip to keep from laughing as Zac looks down at his pants.
“Oh, yeah!” Zac lets out a laugh. “I forgot.”
He drops his bag and rushes back out to the dining room while Buck watches on, amused. The difference in Zac since bringing him back to L.A still shocks Buck sometimes.
He’d been so quiet when they’d first arrived, keeping to himself like he’d been afraid to take up too much space.
Buck knows what that feels like, except he’d had Maddie to give him the love and attention his parents could never spare for him. Not for the first time in the last two months, Buck feels a wave of anger wash through him directed at his parents.
“Okay, I’m ready now.” Zac comes running back into the kitchen, this time dressed in his school shirt and shorts. “C’mon, Bucky!” He grabs at Buck’s arm, trying to drag him from the apartment.
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
He drops Zac off at school on his way into work, sauntering into the station with his phone clutched in his hand.
“I got another DXA scan and guess who dropped another half a percent.”
“What?” Hen blinks at him.
“It measures your body fat,” Buck explains. “You can see your percentage in every part of your body.”
“Oh yeah? They measure the fat in your head?” Chimney teases, falling into step beside them. “You know, I thought parenthood would change you, but really, I shouldn’t be surprised by all this.”
“I have changed,” Buck insists as Bobby joins them. “You’re looking at Buck 2.0. And Buck 2.0 is going to beat all of you. You know they’re only picking one candidate from each station for the calendar, right.”
“And you’re so sure it’s going to be you,” Hen says with a smirk.
“Oh, I know it’s going to be me,” Buck gloats. “Come on, Hen. Tell me you wouldn’t choose—”
“Okay, that is a beautiful man.”
Buck turns, distracted. “Who the hell is that?”
“Eddie Diaz, new recruit,” Bobby tells them. “Likes to be called eight-pack.”
Hen and Chim laugh, following Bobby over to introduce themselves but Buck can’t move, his feet frozen to the floor.
Because, yeah, Eddie Diaz is a beautiful man.
He’s also ‘top of his class’ with the experience of an army medic and the way he just settles into the team like he’s always been there just rubs him the wrong way.
“What’s your problem, man?”
“Okay.” Buck puts down his weights. “You. You’re my problem. Your comfort level.” He stands up, muscling into Eddie’s personal space. “You’re not supposed to just walk in here like you’ve been here for years. You’re meant to respect your elders.”
“You’re not his elder, Buck,” Chim chimes in, reminding him that he’s still the youngest member of the team.
“Look, I’m not trying to step on anybody’s toes,” Eddie says. “I know you’re going through some personal stuff right now.”
Buck frowns, his gaze flicking over to Chim. “What personal stuff?”
“I know your girlfriend broke up with you, and you’re coming to terms with that.”
“No, I’m not. I—”
“And there was some family stuff, but I’m not sure—”
“Who told you that?” Buck asks, glancing over at Chimney again who’s suddenly very focused on his pull-ups.”
“I'm sorry you're going through pain, but... you don't need to take it out on me or be threatened by me,” Eddie says. “We're on the same team.”
“Why would I be threatened by you?” Buck asks.
“Exactly. There's no need to be,” Eddie says, and Buck wants to wipe the smug expression off his face. “We do the same thing. I've just done it while people are shooting at me, is all.”
He turns and walks away, leaving Buck speechless and he hates it. He hates that Eddie’s managed to get under his skin.
He can feel Bobby’s stare on him as he turns and storms off in the opposite direction.
It comes to a head in the back of the ambulance.
“What are we measuring here, Buck?”
They’re sitting side-by-side in the ambulance with a patient who managed to shoot a practice grenade into his own leg.
Buck stares at Eddie, his lips pinched together to bite off the retort hanging at the tip of his tongue.
“Hold on.” Eddie’s hands go still above the patient. “I thought you said this was a practice round.”
“Uh, what’s going on?'' Buck asks.
“Practice rounds have blue caps,” Eddie says, banging his fist on the side of the ambulance. “Gold caps are live. Pull over!”
Things move quickly after that.
The ambulance is parked in an empty section of the hospital parking lot and roped off while they wait for the bomb squad.
Buck stands with Bobby and Eddie while they confirm the grenade, glancing up in surprise when Eddie volunteers to go extract it from the patients’ leg.
“I’m in.”
Bobby helps him put on the protective gear. “You don’t have to do this.”
“You think I’m going to let the new guy have all the fun?” Buck asks, checking the straps. “Besides, you wanted us to bond.” He claps Bobby on the shoulder. “We might end up real close.”
He climbs up into the ambulance behind Eddie and they work together to pull the grenade from Charlie’s leg.
“You’re a badass under pressure, brother,” Eddie tells him, and something inside Buck comes alive.
“Me?” he asks, ducking his head at the praise.
“Hell yeah. You can have my back any day.”
“Yeah. Or, you know. You could—” Buck glances over at Eddie. “You could have mine.”
Eddie laughs. “Deal.”
It's one of the rare days Buck finishes early enough to pick Zac up from school.
His brother is quiet in his booster seat as they follow the crawling line of cars out of the pickup zone.
"Sarah doesn't believe you're my brother."
"No?" Buck catches the shake of Zac's head in the mirror. "What does she think?"
"She says you're too old, but I said that brothers can be old too!" He says it so innocently, and Buck resists the urge to point out he's only twenty-six.
"Does it bother you?" Buck asks. "You don't have to tell people if you don't want to."
He watches the rear mirror out of the corner of the eye, smiling as Zac's face scrunches in deep thought.
"I like telling people,” he says finally. "Because I was sad with Mom and Dad, but then you came and got me and made me happy."
Buck has to bite his lip and remind himself that his parents are hundreds of miles away. They can't make Zac sad anymore.
They haven’t really had any contact since Buck got custody of Zac. Their parents have been acting like Zac never existed, like he was never theirs and it makes Buck so angry when he thinks about it.
Zac runs ahead when they get back to the apartment. He likes to be first to reach the door, even though it means waiting there for Buck to catch up.
“Buck!” Zac drags his name out in a whine. “Hurry up.” He stands with his hand on the door handle, waiting for Buck to unlock the door.
“I’m coming.” Buck jogs over and unlocks the door.
Zac immediately pushes past, dropping his bag on the floor and disappearing into the apartment.
“Bag, Zac!” Buck calls after him, shutting the door with his foot. He hangs his own bag by the door and digs out his uniform to wash. "Hey, what do you want for dinner?"
"Eggs."
"Again?" Buck picks up Zac’s bag and follows him into the apartment. "How am I supposed to practise cooking different meals if you ask for the same thing every night?"
He doesn't notice Zac's stopped in the middle of the kitchen until he nearly runs up the back of him.
"Bucky." Zac twists to look up at him. "Who's in the bathroom?"
Sure enough, Buck can hear the shower running and for a brief moment he thinks Abby has come home.
He quickly dismisses that thought, she would have called him.
"Uh, I'm not sure kiddo," Buck says honestly. "Why don't you go wait in my room while I find out." He ushers Zac out of the kitchen and crosses the hall to knock on the bathroom door.
"One minute."
Buck's breath catches in his throat because it can't possibly be her.
"Maddie?"
The shower stops, and after a moment of rustling the door opens and Buck's sister pokes her head out.
"How?"
Maddie grins. “How did I get here or how did I get into your apartment?”
“I, uh—” Buck falters and Maddie laughs. “Both?”
“I drove,” Maddie tells him, shutting the door so that she can finish getting dressed. “And I told the building manager I was your sister.” She emerges from the bathroom.
“And he just believed you?”
“Well, having boobs doesn’t hurt.” Maddie grins and lets Buck lead the way to the kitchen.
“How did you know where I live?” Buck asks, leaning back against the counter.
"I got your letter." Maddie tells him. "About Isaac. Is he here? Can I see him?"
"Yeah, of course." Buck turns towards the hallway to call their brother from his room. "Zac?"
"You call him Zac?" Maddie raises an eyebrow. "Mom’ll love that."
“Yeah, well she doesn’t get a say anymore," Buck reminds her. "Neither of them do."
“I'm sorry I haven’t been in touch much lately." Maddie lays a hand on his arm.
“Three years, Maddie,” Buck reminds her. “I haven’t heard from you in three years.”
“Yeah, I know,” Maddie says. “And it’s not what I wanted.”
At the soft shuffle of footsteps in the hall, Maddie turns, her expression softening as her eyes land on Zac.
He trudges into the kitchen, his eyes immediately going to Maddie as he hovers in the doorway.
"This is our sister," Buck tells him, beckoning Zac over. "This is Maddie. She took care of me when I was your age." History repeats in their family.
"Hey Zac," Maddie says, crouching to his level. "You probably don't remember me."
He shakes his head, half hiding behind Buck.
"That's okay," Maddie tells him. "Hopefully we'll get to know each other soon."
"How did you find us anyway?" Buck asks, going to the fridge to pull out the things he'll need for dinner.
"You put your address on the back of your letter," Maddie reminds him, poking around in the cupboards. She finds some glasses and pours wine for herself and Buck.
"Oh. Right." Buck sets a pan on the stove top and chucks some bread into the toaster for Zac. “So, where’s Doug?”
Maddie shrugs. “Don’t know, don’t care.” She goes to the fridge, pouring a glass of juice for Zac who takes it with a shy “thank you.”
“Wait, you left him?” Buck finishes cooking, dividing the eggs up between three plates.
“What can I say? Mom was right.” Maddie takes her plate.
“Do they know?” Buck asks, following her out to the living room with his and Zac’s plates.
“No one knows,” Maddie admits. “And please don't tell them if they call.”
“You don’t have to worry about them calling,” Buck says, passing Zac his plate so he can eat at the coffee table. “We uh— we don’t exactly keep in touch.”
“When was the last time you spoke to them?”
“Not since…” Buck trails off, shooting a pointed glance at the back of Zac’s head.
“Oh.” Maddie looks down at her plate. “I’m sorry,” she says. “But you look like you guys have been doing well. This place is nice, and you just cooked me actual food.”
"Bobby's been teaching him," Zac offers around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "He makes the best Mac'n'cheese, and spaghetti." He pauses, his face crinkled in deep thought. "And cookies."
"Your boss?" Maddie asks.
"Yeah, we started on breakfast foods," Buck says, gesturing to the spread in front of them. “And the apartment belongs to Abby. She’s out of town, but she’ll be back soon.”
Maddie raises an eyebrow. “How soon?”
“Uh, I’m not really sure,” Buck admits. He’d messaged her about his graduation but had never heard back. To be honest, he hasn’t really thought about her in a while. “So, uh, how long are you staying for?” he asks, changing the subject. “We could show you around. I’ve got some days off coming up.”
“Oh, I’m just passing through,” Maddie says, reaching for her glass.
Buck tries not to be disappointed, but it’s been so long since they’ve seen each other. Buck’s not sure who he blames more— his parents for pushing Maddie away, or Doug for keeping her from ever returning.
It feels like he just got her back and she’s already thinking about leaving. It doesn’t seem fair.
“Listen, you’re welcome to stay here with us,” he tells her. “Even if it’s just for a few days.”
Zac warms up to Maddie quickly.
“I love having Maddie living with us,” he insists one morning, climbing up onto the sofa beside Buck. “I want her to stay forever.”
“Me too,” Buck tells him.
Despite insisting she’s only passing through; she’s been staying with them for a few weeks now and has just started working at dispatch.
The one-bedroom apartment is cramped with the three of them. Zac is in the dining room and Buck gives Maddie his room, taking the couch. Still, Buck wouldn't trade his family for the rooms in the world.
“Did you miss her when she was gone?” Zac asks.
“All the time.” Buck ruffles curls and pushes up from the couch. "Come on, you need to get ready for school."
It’s still early, but Maddie doesn’t have a car, so they have to drop her off at work on their way in. By the time he makes it to the station he’s only just on time for his shift.
"What's going on with you, kid?" Bobby asks.
“Just—” Buck sighs. “Traffic sucks in this town unless you're driving ten tons of engine with sirens.” He pulls up a seat by the counter. “It took me almost two hours to get from Abby's place to the call centre downtown, then to school, then back here. I just told Maddie she needs to start UBERing.”
“How's your sister settling in down there?” Hen asks, taking a seat beside him.
"Well, she's a Buckley,” Buck says, smirking. "So she’s practically running the place."
"Ha. Keep dreaming Buck," Chim tells him, passing the counter on his way to get coffee.
“Alright,” Bobby tells them. “Briefings in five. I’ll see you all downstairs.”
It’s midmorning when the earthquake rocks the station, sending shelves and equipment tumbling to the ground.
“Woah,” Buck stumbles back against the lockers as the glass windows shatter. “Go, go!” He lurches out the doorway, pushing Thomspon though as the last window explodes.
“Is there anyone else back there?” Bobby calls, his silhouette obscured by the dust and vapour that fills the room.
“No,” Buck calls back. “Everyone’s out.”
He lurches over towards Bobby, reaching him just as floor evens out and the rumbling eases.
For a second there is nothing, just silence as the world reels in the aftermath.
“You okay, kid?”
Buck nods wordlessly, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.
In the distance, car alarms wail and dogs bark as sound explodes back into the world, punctuated by the ringing of the station alarm.
The team races to grab their gear and climb into the trucks.
Buck shoots a message through to Maddie, letting her know that he’s okay. He can’t get through to Zac’s school, so he sends another message to Maddie, asking her to call them if she gets the chance.
It goes through right as the signal goes out on his phone.
With a sigh, Buck pockets his phone and looks up. Around him, Chim and Hen and Eddie are all looking at their phones.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, leaning in closer to Eddie.
“Yeah. There's no service.” Eddie thumbs at his phone. “Texts won't even get through.”
"Who are you trying to get a hold of?"
“My son.”
“Woah.” Buck reels back in his seat. “You’ve got a kid?”
“Christopher. He's seven." Eddie passes over his phone with the picture of his son open on the screen.
"And super adorable," Buck says, glancing at the picture. The boy in the photo has Eddie's brown hair and curls everywhere. "I, uh, I love kids."
“I love this one.”
"You know, he’s only a year older than Zac," Buck notes, handing back the phone.
"Zac?"
Buck digs his own phone out of his pocket to show Eddie the photos from Zac's sixth birthday. Hen had hosted it, with all the station kids invited.
"You have a kid," Eddie says, his expression unreadable.
"Kid brother," Buck corrects. "It's a long story," he says when Eddie shoots him a questioning look.
"It was wild," Chim cuts in, leaning across the cab. "He didn't even tell anyone, just made this mad dash across the country to steal him from their parents."
"I didn't steal him," Buck argues. "They didn't even fight me for custody." It's still a sore point, that his parents had given Zac up so easily. It’s only been a few months, but already Buck can't imagine a life without his little brother.
"He’s okay," Buck says, catching Eddie looking at his phone again. “He’s at school. It’s the safest place he could be right now.”
He keeps reminding himself of that while they pick through the rubble of the hotel, trying to reassure himself as much as he is Eddie.
It’s late by the time they get back to the station. The power is still out in places, but cell service has finally been restored.
Buck’s phone buzzes with missed calls from Zac’s school, and several unread messages from Maddie. The last message from his sister says she’d managed to get in touch with Zac’s school, but that she’s still stuck at dispatch.
Buck lets out a breath, relieved to know everyone is okay and lets her know he’s off shift, then he calls Zac’s school to let them know he’s on his way.
Beside him in the locker room, Eddie is also on the phone, having finally got through to Chris’ school.
“Everything okay?” Buck asks when Eddie finally disconnects the call.
“Yeah.” Eddie tucks his phone away. “There are a couple of teachers watching the kids who haven’t been picked up yet. You?”
“Yeah, I think they have the same set up at Zac’s school,” Buck answers, falling into step beside Eddie as they make their way out to their cars. “I told you he’d be okay.”
Their shoulders brush together as Buck turns towards his car. “Hey, I’ll uh, see you tomorrow.”
He climbs in behind the steering wheel, watching from the corner of his eye as Eddie does the same. He starts the engine, waiting for a moment to make sure they’re not about to reverse into each other, but the truck beside his Jeep just makes a strangled noise and goes silent.
Buck winds down his window to shout across to Eddie. “All good?”
“It won’t start.” Eddie slams his hands against the steering wheel, his head dropping back in a frustrated sigh.
“You need a lift?”
“What? No, you don’t need to do that, man.” Eddie has his phone in his hands. “I can call my tía or— I don’t know. I’ll work it out.”
Buck cuts the engine so he doesn’t have to keep shouting. “Eddie, it’s fine. Just get in the car.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah.” Buck waves him over. “Come on. Get in.”
Zac’s school is closer, so Buck’s heads there first.
“Everything was shaking so much,” Zac tells him, giving a play by play of his day as they were walking back to the car. “And Lisa was crying ‘cos it was scary, and I wasn’t even a little bit scared ‘cos I remembered what you told me.”
They get back to the Jeep and Zac goes quiet when he notices Eddie.
“Zac, this is Eddie,” Buck says. “He’s my, uh, friend from work.” It’s probably a bit of a stretch to call them friends, but things have definitely improved between them since the hand grenade incident.
“Are you a firefighter too?” Zac asks.
Eddie nods. “I am.”
“Probationary,” Buck teases, unable to help himself. He opens the back door and waits for Zac to scramble up into his seat. “We’re going to pick up his son next.”
“Did he have to stay at school too?” Zac asks. “We got to watch movies in the library.”
“Yeah.” Eddie’s expression clouds over for half a moment before clearing. “Your brother and I got stuck at work.”
“‘Cos you were saving people,” Zac insists, leaning as far forward as his seatbelt will let him.
He keeps up the chatter the entire drive to Christopher’s school, and when they arrive, he strains in his seat trying to catch a glimpse of Eddie and Chris inside the building.
They’re both quiet as they’re pulling away from the school. Buck watches them in the rear-view mirror, sizing each other up. Finally, Chris turns to Zac and asks, “Do you think dogs know they’re dogs?”
Eddie snorts softly.
By the time Buck pulls into Eddie’s driveway and cuts the engine, Chris and Zac are chatting like they’ve known each other forever.
“Alright, superman,” Eddie says, turning to his son. “Time to say goodbye.”
Both kids groan.
“No,” Zac whines, clutching at Christopher. “I wanna stay. Please Bucky! Can we just stay? Please?”
Buck twists in his seat. “We gotta go home, kiddo. It’s been a long day, Eddie and Chris probably just want to get some dinner and go to bed. We should do the same.”
“Are you cooking?” Chris asks, his nose wrinkling.
Buck bites back a smile at the look on Eddie’s face. “No, I’ll order something.” He glances across, catching Buck’s smile. “You want to come in?
"Please Buck!" Zac and Chris both lean forward in their seats, pleading.
“Yeah, okay.”
The kids cheer, scrambling with their seatbelts and climbing out of the car. They hang around long enough for Eddie to unlock his front door before disappearing down the hall into Chris’ room.
"So it's just the two of you, then?" Buck asks, following Eddie into the kitchen.
“His mom’s not in the picture,” Eddie explains, pausing to order pizza on his phone. “But we get by. We’ve got family here who help out.”
“Your parents?” Buck guesses, leaning against the kitchen bench.
Something flashes across Eddie’s face. “No, but my Abuela watches him sometimes while I’m at work.”
“It’s tough,” Buck says, nodding. “I mean, I had no idea what I was getting myself into with Zac, but I had Bobby and Hen and the rest of the team to help me before I found something more permanent.”
“It’s hard,” Eddie agrees. “I’ve been trying to find childcare, but— there are a lot of hoops to jump through, and all these different programs have different requirements.” He leans back against the counter beside Buck. "So is Zac really your brother?" he asks. "Or was Chim just messing with me?"
"We're really brothers," Buck tells him, running with topic change. "It's, uh— it’s a long story."
"Well—" Eddie crosses the kitchen to pull two beers from the fridge "—we've got thirty minutes until the pizza arrives."
Buck accepts the bottle and twists off the lid.
“Okay, so I’d just come back from Peru…”