Buck was laying on his sister's couch, his head gently resting in her lap as her hand raked through his wavy blonde hair. He let out a content sigh which caused Maddie to smile.

"Feeling better?" she asked softly, looking down into her brother's crystal blue eyes. She had been jealous of those eyes when they were younger. Now, all she felt was comfort and love when she looked into them.

"Much. Sorry to just show up on your doorstep so late." He gave a sheepish smile.

Maddie waved away her brother's concern with a smile. "What else would I be doing at one in the morning on a Saturday other than taking care of my baby brother. Besides, I was about two minutes away from calling you over anyway."

Buck groaned at the title, but smiled softly, nonetheless. "Having nightmares about Doug again?" His eyes sparkled with empathy.

Maddie hummed as she stared ahead at nothing in particular, a faraway look on her face. Her fingers continued to play with Buck's hair, offering them both some comfort.

"You shouldn't be so worried. He's gone and he's not coming back. If he does, then I think we'd have a bigger problem on our hands. Although there have been cases of zombies in nature."

Maddie chuckled while Buck looked up at her with a slight smirk.

"I guess. I don't know. I just can't stop thinking about him."

"You regret it," Buck said and they both knew it was a statement and not a question.

"I loved him. No matter what happened, I loved him. How do you get over killing someone that you loved?"

Buck sighed as he reached to hold her free hand. "With love and support from your amazing brother."

Maddie only smiled. "What about you? What's got you up tonight?"

Buck sighed as he thought back on the reason why he had made the (admittedly short) trip to his sister's apart at one in the morning. "The tsunami. The lawsuit. The truck that crushed my leg," he replied truthfully.

Maddie tutted as she refocused on her brother, already knowing what he was thinking. "None of that was your fault." She would keep telling him until he believed her, or until her dying day. Whichever came first.

"Okay, I'll admit that the truck wasn't my fault, that was just bad luck. But I lost him, Maddie. And then I betrayed their trust in me by going along with that sleazy lawyer." His nose scrunched up as he tried to stop the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

It hurt Maddie to see her brother so upset. "No, you were separated during a natural disaster. You did everything in your power to keep that boy safe from harm. And when you were separated-" she kept stressing the word so it would hopefully stick in his brain "-you put all of your energy into finding him. Not to mention the countless lives that you saved that day. And as misguided as you were in suing the department and the firehouse, you were just trying to get your job back so you could get back to what you love with the people you love. It was a simple mistake. People make them all the time. It's what makes us humans."

Buck only huffed in response, which told Maddie that he still hadn't fully accepted anything she just said. She made a mental note to ask Chim about what was happening at the firehouse tomorrow, or more accurately, later today. She knew she would never get a straight answer out of her brother. But it didn't escape her how the thing that ate Buck up most about the tsunami was the fact that he couldn't find Chris and not the fact that he had almost died. Her brother had a heart of gold and she couldn't be prouder of him, no matter what stupid mistakes he's made.

"You need to stop taking responsibility for things that are outside of your control."

"I can't help it."

Maddie sighed. "I know." It's not like she was the best at that either. It must run in the family. Although, their parents never seemed to take responsibility for anything, so maybe it was one of those traits that skipped a generation. "So, what will it be tonight, Buckaroo? Finding Nemo and popcorn?" She changed the subject to something lighter, knowing that they could both use a good distraction from their (many) problems.

"We did that last time."

Maddie pursed her lips. "You're right. What do you suggest then?"

Buck's eyebrows furrowed in thought and Maddie had to restrain herself from saying how cute she found the sight. "Robin Hood and homemade pizza," he finally said as his sister smiled.

She should have known that's what he would pick; it's his favorite. "Robin Hood it is. I'll get started on the sauce if you start making the dough."

Buck beamed brightly as he quickly sat up, eager to help his older sister make their (well past) midnight snack. "Yes ma'am." He leaped excitedly to the kitchen, ready to start, causing Maddie to laugh at how childish her baby brother could be. She equated the sight to a golden retriever, although, she would never tell him that.

"Should we start the movie now or later?"

"Now!" Buck replied quickly as Maddie let out another laugh. Buck smiled, glad that he could lighten his sister's mood.

"Okay, okay. Get all the ingredients out, would you?" Maddie couldn't help but think of how glad she was to have her brother with her at that moment (and in her life) as she popped the worn-out disc into the DVD player before joining him in the kitchen.

She playfully rubbed Buck's head (with a bit of effort since he was much taller than she was) as she came up beside him. She surveyed the carefully laid out ingredients on the counter and smiled.

They each got started on their own tasks, Maddie on the sauce and Buck on the dough (partially because he was stronger than her and better at kneading, but mostly because she didn't trust him with the stove), enjoying each other's company and the movie playing in the background. The pair of siblings didn't say much as they worked, but they didn't need to. They both felt relaxed in the other's presence. The traumas of earlier washing away into distant memories, at least for the remainder of the night (or morning, however you wanted to look at it).

"We really should be sleeping," Maddie said as she pulled their finished pizza out of the oven. "We both have early, and long, shifts tomorrow."

Buck only shrugged. "I think you mean later today. But I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. And I know you wouldn't either."

Maddie watched him for a minute before a sigh escaped her lips. "Touché."

Buck settled down on the couch with their pizza in hand as Maddie chose another movie for them to watch.

"Hunchback of Notre Dame?" she asked over her shoulder as Buck nodded enthusiastically, his mouth full of pizza. Maddie rolled her eyes at her brother but popped in the movie and settled on the couch next to him. She grabbed a slice of pizza before he had a chance to devour the whole thing and leaned against him.

Buck wrapped an arm around his sister and pulled her in close, not wanting to let her go just yet.

There was a long moment of silence before Maddie spoke, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you for all those years. I wasn't a very good sister."

Buck shrugged nonchalantly. "That's okay," he replied honestly. Sure, it had stung a little back then, but he was fine now. "Someone once told me that everything happens for a reason. If you hadn't kept your distance, then you wouldn't have had a safe place to go after leaving Doug. So, I don't mind."

Maddie smiled at how golden her brother was. "How did I get so lucky as to end up with you as my brother, Evan Buckley?"

Buck grinned widely. "I don't know, but you did get very lucky."

Maddie laughed as she playfully hit her brother. "Why don't we live together again? I'm sure it would save us both money on rent and you on gas since you're always over here."

"We both needed space to process everything and grow. And you said you were tired of my mess."

Maddie chuckled. "That is true. It amazes me sometimes how your place is so clean when you never learned how to clean up after yourself. Do you hire someone to clean it for you?"

"Hey!" Buck sounded offended as he began tickling his sister. She let out squeals and giggles as she tried to move out of his hold. "Take it back!"

"Never!" Maddie replied in between her fits of laughter.

"Take it back!" Buck repeated, continuing his assault, his own laughs joining hers and filling the apartment.

"Okay! Okay! I surrender! I take it back!" Maddie conceded as Buck finally released her. She leaned against her brother once again with a content sigh. She soaked up his warmth as her head rested on his shoulder. "I love you, Buckaroo."

Buck wrapped an arm around his sister and pulled her closer into his side again. He placed a quick kiss to the top of her head before letting his own rest against hers. "I love you too, Mads."

And that's how they finally fell asleep: cuddled together on the couch. The sound of Buck's steady heartbeat lulling Maddie into a blissful slumber. The smell of Maddie's lavender shampoo calming Buck as he drifted off to sleep in his exhausted (although he'd never admit it) state.

That's how they woke up. To the blaring sound of both Maddie's and Buck's alarms, still together on the couch, feeling as though they had a restful sleep, even if it wasn't quite long enough.

A/N: Hey guys and gals! It's been a minute since I posted anything. I know I should probably update my other stories, but I don't feel like it, so here I am. Being inside all day with nothing to do for a whole week has given me the time to watch and complete both 911 and 911 Lone Star. All I can say is that I am completely in love with all of the characters (mainly the Buckleys, Eddie and Chris, Athena, Chimney, and pretty much all of the 126). I watched 911 Lone Star first and fell in love within the first five minutes. I was a little on the fence when I started watching 911, but now I love it and can't get enough. I highly recommend both shows.

Anyway, this is my first story for this fandom so let me know what you think. And if you have any prompts that you'd like me to fill, also let me know. I need something to do to pass the time before my online classes start next week. Since this is my first 911 fic, I wanted to dip my toe in with a little one-shot, a fluff piece. I don't really do one-shots, so I wasn't really sure how to end it, but I hope it's okay.

Thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, following, or favoriting. You guys know you don't have to do any of that, but I really do appreciate it. I hope you all stay healthy and happy and I'll see you guys in my next fic.