A/N: Based on the tumblr prompt where Buck saves Athena

Buck had always been able to tell when bad things were gonna happen. He didn't have a feeling about it, per say. It was more of an absence of feeling that tipped him off. A kind of numbness. An intense feeling of nothingness. Like he wasn't really there, wasn't really alive. Like he was just a spectator watching as life moved on without him. He had felt numb when he woke up that morning. That's how he knew that today wouldn't be a good one.

He had been pushing through the feeling as the day progressed. He had almost forgotten it was there. Thus far, it had been a slow day at the firehouse, thankfully. None of the emergencies had been too drastic. So, as he sat down at the table to eat with the people that he considered to be family, he was more than a little disconcerted when that feeling of numbness, of absolute nothingness, hit him like a ton of bricks for the second time that day.

He frowned as he stared down at his place, suddenly no longer hungry.

"Buck? You okay?" Bobby asked, noticing his unusual lack of appetite.

The others at the table looked to their youngest in slight concern.

Buck opened his mouth to reassure them that he was fine when the alarm went off. They all sprang out of their seats, their meal forgotten, and headed straight for the trucks.

Buck was somewhat out of it, not paying attention to what was happening around him, that feeling at the forefront of his mind. He knew that whatever bad thing was going to happen, it was going to happen now. On this call. He inhaled sharply at the thought. He tuned back into his surroundings just in time to hear the end of Bobby going over the details of the call.

"-three car pile-up."

That didn't seem too bad, Buck tried to reason with himself. Maybe this time he was wrong. Maybe this time he was just blowing everything out of proportion. He had been told before that he could be a bit dramatic. But he couldn't stop this nagging feeling of- of… nothing at the back of his mind.

Eddie gently nudged him with his shoulder, an unspoken question in his eyes. Are you okay?

Buck only nodded as Eddie rested a hand on his leg in a gesture of comfort.

"Buck and Eddie, try to get these people out of their cars. Chim and Hen, you'll check them over for any serious injuries."

The team nodded collectively, understanding their assignments.

When they arrived on the scene, Buck canvased the area. He saw the three cars in the center of the intersection. One car (a blue Honda) had smashed into the side of another (a gray Nissan). The third car (a black Lexus) had smashed into the back of the Honda. He saw that the police were already on the scene, trying to control the crowd. He noticed that Sergeant Grant was one of them. He didn't pay her much attention as she was working and that's what he needed to be doing too. He saw one officer talking to a tall man in a nicely tailored suit who seemed to be angry. The man had minimal cuts along his face but was otherwise fine. Buck assumed that he was the driver of the Lexus.

Eddie gently nudged him again. "You sure you're okay?"

Buck nodded, "All good. I'll take the Honda and you take the Nissan?"

Eddie simply nodded, still slightly concerned about his boyfriend, but that could wait until they were back at the station. He watched for a minute as Buck made his way over to the vehicle before he began making his own way over to the other.

Buck arrive at the Honda within the minute and surveyed the damage. It didn't look too bad. The driver side window had been smashed on impact, so he was able to easily converse with the driver (a young female, possibly in her early twenties). "Can you tell me your name?"

"Caroline. Caroline Thompson."

"Okay, Caroline. My name is Buck. How are you feeling? Anything hurt?"

"Uh-" she winced. "My leg really hurts. I think it's broken. And my neck kinda hurts too."

At least she could feel it, so she didn't have a spinal injury. "Ok. I'm going to get you out of here, I promise." He moved back a step to determine how best to do that. The doors had been crushed, making the extraction of the driver a difficult process. "I'm gonna need the jaws and a neck brace!"

Morgan, a fellow firefighter with the 118, came rushing over, jaws and brace in hand. "What do you need?"

"The door's jammed."

Morgan gave a nod as he positioned the jaws and then let them do their thing. The door popped open easily.

"Thanks. Okay, Caroline. I'm gonna get you out." Buck undid her seatbelt and held out a hand for the brace, which Morgan wordlessly gave to him. He gently fit it around her neck before he lifted her out of the vehicle as she winced, noticing that there weren't any other passengers. "Alright, we're gonna get you to the hospital now, okay."

"Okay," Caroline said as she clung tightly to Buck. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Caroline."

He set her down carefully on a gurney and allowed the paramedics to place her in the back of an ambulance. He looked around, noticing that Eddie had also managed to get his driver out of the car in one piece. It looked like their work was done here. The rest of the team was still running around, checking others for any injuries and making sure everything was okay. The police could handle the rest.

He turned and headed back to the truck, figuring that there was nothing more he could do, noticing that Athena had taken over for the other officer in dealing with the third driver. He looked angry and Athena looked frustrated. Buck naturally gravitated towards the pair to make sure everything was okay. His eyes drifted down to the ground as he walked, and he noticed for the first time the giant puddle that was pooling under the Nissan. He glanced up and his eyes widened when he saw that the car was leaking gasoline. This couldn't be good. He also noticed that the Honda was sparking. Had it been doing that before? One spark in the wrong place and all three cars could… oh no.

Buck rushed over to Athena, trying to get her attention so she and the civilian could move out the way. They were too close. "Sergeant!"

Athena's gaze shifted from the driver to Buck, her brows furrowing as she took in his frantic expression. She was about to ask him what was wrong when the pile-up of cars caught on fire. Her eyes widened at the sight and the driver began freaking out.

"My car! There's no way it can be salvaged now!"

Athena grunted as her attention was drawn back to him. "You can just buy a new one! It's not like you don't have the means to." She eyed his suit that no doubt had cost a pretty penny, his Rolex that sat neatly on his wrist, and his shiny leather shoes. Before she knew what was happening, she was being pushed to the ground and there was a heat rushing over her.

She heard a ringing in her ears as she moved to get up, her head spinning. She had a scowl on her face, intent on punishing whoever had pushed her. As she looked around her and saw that the three cars had exploded, her anger subsided. She saw the civilian she had been conversing with a little ways away (also on the ground), staring at the fire in shock. She saw police officers trying to calm the crowd. She saw paramedics rushing to their side. She saw firefighters trying to put out the fire. She saw Buck lying next to her, his faced pinched in pain, and she knew exactly what had happened. As grateful as she was for him saving her, she couldn't stop herself at being annoyed at him for always putting his life in danger.

"Buck? Are you okay?" she asked as she sat up fully.

"A little sore," he groaned as he slowly tried to sit up.

"Everybody get down!"

She looked confusedly at the voice, her eyes widening when she heard the shots being fired rapidly, one after the other. She quickly moved to lay back down, taking Buck down with her, until it suddenly stopped.

Her eyes drifted back to the youngest member of the 118, needing to make sure that he was okay. "Buck?"

No response.

Athena noticed that he looked a lot paler than he should have. She figured he must have hit his head pretty hard. "Buck, you know the drill. You have to stay awake." She moved to gently shake him awake, when she felt something wet and immediately pulled her hand away. She looked down and saw that her hand was stained with red. Blood. Buck's blood. Buck was bleeding.

"Hen! Chim!" Athena called out as she tried to find the wound so she could apply pressure.

The pair rushed over, asking what was wrong.

"He's bleeding. He needs to get to a hospital. Now."

The duo nodded, calling out the supplies they needed. Eddie and Bobby rushed over.

Eddie was frantically trying to make sure that Buck was at the very least alive, muttering incoherently in Spanish.

Bobby looked her over for any injuries while the others worked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she insisted, and she could see the relief in his eyes. "Make sure he's taken care of."

Bobby gave a firm nod as he and the rest of his team carried Buck off on the backboard.

Athena watched helplessly, a pit forming inside of her. He had to be okay. She pushed that feeling down as she got to her feet. She still had work to do.

Buck groaned as his eyes fluttered open. The intense lights burned, causing him to close them again. The incessant beeping next to his ear let him know that he was once again in the hospital. He let out another groan.

"Evan?"

Buck slowly peeled one eye open as he turned his head to the side. Maddie was sitting next to his bed, her eyes red and puffy.

"Thank God you're okay," she breathed out as she tightened her hold on his hand.

"What happened?"

"You were shot."

"I was- I was shot?" he repeated in confusion. He didn't remember being shot. When was he shot? Who shot him? Why didn't he remember any of this? Buck racked his brain. He remembered responding to a call. A three-car pile-up. He remembered the fire and the explosion. Why didn't he remember being shot?

"Yeah. Apparently one of the cars had a gun in it or something. The explosion caused it to go off. You were hit in the shoulder."

"Oh. Was anyone else hurt?"

"No. Everyone else is good."

Buck leaned back. "I really do have the worst luck."

Maddie chuckled. "Yes you do, baby brother."

Buck scrunched his nose. "I'm not a baby."

"And yet you need 24/7 surveillance and care," Maddie teased as Buck let out a huff.

"I do not." He looked around the room, mainly so he would no longer have to look at his sister's self-satisfied smirk. It was a standard hospital room. You've seen one, you've seen them all. And he's seen plenty. "Where is everyone else? Is Athena okay?"

Maddie smiled at her brother. "Athena's perfectly fine. Everyone just got caught up at work."

Buck nodded, satisfied with that answer.

Maddie ran a hand through his hair, and he let out a content sigh. "Get some sleep. I'm gonna go get some coffee."

All Buck could do was nod as he drifted back into unconsciousness.

It took Athena a lot longer to get to the hospital than she would have liked. She had to go back to the station and deal with all of the paperwork. However, she had been more than happy after she arrested the arrogant owner of the Lexus for having an unregistered firearm.

When she finally managed to get to the hospital, everyone else was already in the waiting room. "How is he?"

Bobby hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "He's okay. Maddie's with him now."

Athena sighed in relief as she leaned against her husband. "I swear, one day that kid is going to give me a heart attack."

Bobby snorted. "You and me both."

Maddie walked into the waiting room, an empty cup of coffee in her hand, which she discarded in the nearest trashcan. "You guys can go see him now. He's up."

The large group of five rushed after her as she led them to the right room.

"I'm back and I brought some people who really want to see you," Maddie announced as she entered the room.

Buck's attention was brought towards the group and he smiled. "Hey guys."

Athena narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you 'hey guys' us."

Buck looked at her in confusion. Had he done something wrong? He looked to Bobby who only shrugged; the older man watched the scene with interest and mild amusement.

"I appreciate you saving me, but I am more than capable of saving myself. I don't want you throwing yourself into danger for me anymore. Am I clear?"

"But I-"

"Am I clear?"

Buck looked to Bobby for help, but the other man only held up his hands and gave a shake of his head, a smile on his lips. "Yes, ma'am," Buck conceded in defeat.

Athena gave her 'I win' look before she smiled. "Good." She moved and hugged the youngest of the 118. "I'm glad you're okay."

Buck smiled brightly at her. "Likewise."

Bobby moved to hug him next. "Thanks for keeping her safe."

"Anytime."

Athena fixed him with a look.

"I mean not anytime, or sometimes, or…" Buck fumbled over his words trying to find something that would please the woman. The others laughed at his predicament.

"Deja de hablar, mi amor," Eddie instructed, trying to save his boyfriend, as he placed a kiss against Buck's temple.

Buck pouted but shut his mouth. "So what did I miss?"

"There was a cat stuck up in a tree that really missed you," Chim supplied.

"Fluffy got stuck in a tree again?"

"Oh, yeah," Hen added. "I swear that lady throws her cat up into the tree on purpose just so she can see you, Buck."

"That's definitely the case. She always mentions that her daughter is single," Chim laughed.

The others joined in with Chim while Eddie frowned. "Well, then someone needs to tell her that he's taken."

"Or maybe," Hen began as she pat Chim's back. "We should start sending Chim up into the tree."

Chim and Maddie began to protest while the group laughed. The laughter seemed to fill the small space.

The rest of the night was filled with smiles and laughter. Everyone enjoying each other's company.

A/N: Hello guys and gals! I hope you are all happy and healthy! How is quarantine treating you all?

As I mentioned, this story was based on a prompt from tumblr. If you'd like to suggest an idea/prompt let me know and I'd be more than happy to fill it for you.

Let me know what you all thought of the story. Sorry if there are any mistakes (grammar or facts wise). There's probably plenty of mistakes. Thank you all for following, favoriting, reviewing, or even reading any of my stories. It really means a lot to me. I know I haven't been the most active.

See you guys and gals in the next story! Which will most likely be another 911 fic (probably not a one-shot, we'll see)