Setting the Record Straight
Author: N'kala
Summary: It wasn't that Ana didn't like Buck; she did. It was hard not to. But his attachment to Eddie and Christopher wasn't healthy.
Author's Notes: This is just a little drabble that popped into my head. I saw quite a number of people post on Ana Flores, and while I'm not a fan of this particular direction the story is going, I don't exactly hate the character either.
The get-together at Bobby and Athena's was in full swing, the house and backward crowded with first responders and their families. Ana Flores glanced around for what seemed like the hundredth time, wondering where Eddie had disappeared to.
Shrieks of laughter drew her gaze to the grassy back lawn. Her eyes fell on Buck, draped in several children as he lurched after yet more. Laughter and bright smiles rippled among the observing adults, but Ana couldn't contain a wince at seeing Christopher plastered across Buck's back, braced by nothing more than a hand on the fingers clasped around his throat.
Her mind wandered back over the last couple of months. Her time with Eddie, and even with Christopher, had been enjoyable, if overshadowed by Buck's presence. While she knew it wasn't unusual for friends to get together once in a while, she couldn't help but wonder at just how close Buck's relationship was with Eddie. The level of attachment the younger man showed hinted at a sort of unhealthy codependence, and she worried at the inevitable fallout that would happen the more serious her own relationship with Eddie became. She'd been meaning to bring it up with Eddie, but Eddie's bright smile at the mere mention of his best friend always managed to crumble her words to dust before they left her mouth.
Seeing Buck set Christopher on the ground and jog inside the house, Ana had a flash of inspiration. If she couldn't talk to Eddie . . .
Buck had retreated to the kitchen, digging a water bottle from the fridge and downing it in minutes. Ana spared a thought for Buck's familiarity in his captain's house as she approached him. "Buck?"
Buck turned, his eyes lighting up and a warm smile blooming on his face. "Hey, Ana. How's it going? Having a good time?" He glanced over her shoulder at the crowd of coworkers that had mostly gathered in the backyard now that Bobby was removing food from his grill and passing platters over to Athena. "Did you lose Eddie? He's kinda sneaky like that. Last I saw, he'd been talking to Chim about something. Probably baby-related; with Maddie's due date so close, he's been peppering all of the parents with questions."
This was news to Ana, and she filed it away for later. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."
Surprise lit Buck's face. Ana idly wondered if he was always so expressive with his emotions.
"Me?" Buck replied. "What about?"
Ana took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Eddie talks a lot about you. Christopher too."
"Yeah?" Something soft and warm filled Buck's expression.
Which made Ana's next words that much harder. "You're clearly very important to both of them. But . . . don't you think it's a little . . . inappropriate?"
Confusion clouded Buck's face. "Wh-What?"
Ana sighed. "It's great that you're so close. It is. But you've taken it to a level of codependent that isn't healthy. Especially for Christopher; he's forming strong attachments that are going to do more harm than good when you leave."
Shock seemed to resonate in Buck, followed by fierce denial. "I would never-."
"Maybe not now," Ana amended quickly. "But it can't last. Eddie and I are seeing each other, and it's getting serious. Pretty soon I'll be around more often, and if you're there too, it'll just confuse Christopher. You don't want that; I've seen how much you care about him."
Buck nodded numbly, his shoulders slumping as pain began to fill his features.
Ana's heart went out to him. It was never easy to deliver hard truths to people, but someone had to do it. "I'm not saying you can't spend time with him, or with Eddie, but you certainly won't be able to be around like you are now. Maybe it's best if you start weaning yourself off of them before they get hurt."
Buck swallowed thickly. "I would never do anything to hurt Eddie or Christopher," he insisted weakly. "They're family."
Ana's gaze was pitying. "That's just it though," she said gently. "They're not."
"That's enough!"
Ana and Buck both gave a start at the sharp rebuke. Ana turned her head and watched as Bobby strode into the kitchen, thumping an empty platter on the table and facing Ana, his body placed squarely between her and Buck.
"Captain Nash-," Ana began.
"Ms. Flores, I think it's time you were going," Bobby said firmly, an uncharacteristic chill to his words.
Ana's jaw dropped in shock.
A slightly shaky hand grasped Bobby's arm, and Buck moved to stand beside his captain. "Bobby, it's okay. Really, it's not necessary-."
"Actually, it is," Bobby stated firmly. "Anyone who thinks they can come here and undermine the types of relationships we build with each other has no place as part of our family."
Denial clawed its way through Ana's shock. "I'm not undermining anything," she protested. "Captain, surely you understand that this level of attachment Buck has to Eddie and his son is unnatural."
Buck flinched back, withdrawing behind Bobby at the bald statement. Bobby bristled protectively.
"The only thing 'unnatural' I see is you trying to tear a family apart," Bobby fired back. He gestured behind Ana. "Look out there."
Ana hesitated, but turned her head to look out at the crowd of people laughing and talking with each other. She noticed Eddie beaming at his son, two plates balanced along one arm as they collected food.
"Do you know why we're so close?" Bobby asked, drawing Ana's gaze back to him. "Because day in and day out, we put our lives on the line to help people. Cops, firefighters, paramedics; no one else understands the kind of toll it takes to do what we do except other first responders. We understand that, and we also understand that the next time we have a barbecue, someone in that group might not be there. And, God forbid, should that day come, every single one of us will be there to help those of us left behind. This life isn't any easy one, Ms. Flores, and not everyone can handle it. That's why we form attachments; that's why we're a family. And if you can't accept that, here and now, then it's time for you to leave."
A thick silence hung in the air for a long moment.
"Buck?"
Eyes shifted to Christopher standing in the doorway, frowning in confusion at the scene. Behind him, holding two plates heaped with food, stood Eddie. Astute brown eyes leaped from Ana to Bobby to Buck, narrowing slightly at whatever he read on Buck's face, then back to Bobby.
"Christopher was wondering where Buck was," he stated. "He said they were supposed to eat together."
Bobby glanced over his shoulder at Buck, who had shrunk further in on himself. Another wave of anger swept through him at the sight.
Eddie was frowning now, not missing Buck's reaction. "Are we interrupting something?"
Bobby forced a bright smile on his face and stepped forward. "Not at all," he replied, swinging Christopher into his arms, crutches and all. "I bet Buck is starving. He looked like he worked up an appetite out there."
Bobby ignored the panicked shake of Buck's head and simply handed Christopher over to him. Buck sucked in a sharp gasp, but instinct took over and his arms wrapped securely around the child.
Christopher stared at Buck solemnly, far too observant for his age. "Are you sad, Buck?"
Buck's smile was heartbreaking. "How can I be sad when you're here, Superman?"
Satisfied, Bobby turned back and met Eddie's questioning gaze. "I'm afraid Ms. Flores needs to be going," he told Eddie. He took the two plates from the younger man. "I'll make sure these two get fed if you'd like to see her home."
"I was just trying to help," Ana stated, her eyes pleading for Bobby to understand.
Bobby met her gaze, unmoved. "Who?" he asked. "Them? Or yourself?"
Not bothering to spend one more minute on her, he turned to Buck and Christopher. "C'mon boys. We've got the kid's table set up behind the grill."
The captain ushered Buck out the door, ignoring the young man's protests. He placed the plates on the table, smiling at the children's cheers at Buck's arrival. Buck's smile was genuine, if weak, as he set Christopher down on one of the chairs. Before Bobby could escape, Buck's hand darted out and latched onto his arm, holding him in place.
"Bobby, I know what you heard probably sounded bad-," he began.
"Probably?" Bobby glanced at the children, then led Buck several paces away. "Buck, she told you that Eddie and Christopher weren't family to you."
Buck winced but pushed on. "You didn't hear the beginning."
"I heard more than enough." Bobby could be just as stubborn as Buck when he wanted to be.
Buck wilted slightly. "Bobby, she's Eddie's girlfriend."
Bobby fixed him with a steady gaze. "Buck, do you honestly believe that Eddie would want to be with someone who didn't care about you every bit as much as he does?"
The look on Buck's face answered the question for him. Bobby placed a comforting hand on Buck's shoulder and squeezed.
"Whatever Eddie decides is up to him, and we'll support him no matter what," he promised. "But that doesn't mean I have to allow anyone to come into my home and hurt my kids. Any of them."
A blush blossomed on Buck's face. Bobby squeezed his shoulder again.
"In any case, I'd be surprised if Eddie wants to continue a relationship with someone who isn't as invested in our family as he is," Bobby stated. "It'll be okay, kid. I promise."
With a final pat, Bobby left Buck to help finish getting the food out for their guests. He gave Athena a peck on the cheek, nodding at the knowing look she gave him as they finished setting out the food.
One eye stayed on Buck throughout the rest of the barbecue, watching as he settled back into his role of beloved uncle/big brother for their children.
And if Eddie's return an hour later, joining the kid's table with a plate of his own and a pat on Buck's shoulder as he sat beside his best friend didn't finally dissipate the last of Buck's lingering tension, well, Bobby had other ways of convincing Buck that he was part of their family.
Athena was impossible to argue with, after all.
END