Author's Note: First of all, I want to express how humbled, flattered, and in awe I am from the response to Setting the Record Straight. It was just a little drabble that I jotted down in a notebook and cleaned up for publication. I had no idea it would be so well-received. Thank you.
Nearly all comments I received asked for an Eddie's POV to the story. I've never actually done that before (writing the same story from a different perspective), but I was tempted by the challenge. I hope it doesn't disappoint. Also, any facts about babies were found from parenting websites.
Since a number of you are probably new readers of my works, I feel it necessary to point out that I don't write ships of any kind. It's not my thing, and I wouldn't do a very good job if I did. To be honest, I barely acknowledge canon ships as it is, and only as much as it serves to further my plots. If you want to squint and read pre-ships in my stuff, feel free. No judgment. But also no promise of it ever happening in my works.
Finally, a side note about Ana. Again, I don't hate her, per se, but I'm not a fan either. I am, however, very deliberately not addressing her role as a teacher. I am a teacher myself, and there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes in my profession that the vast majority of people not in education are unaware of. As a result, I will not acknowledge that aspect of her character. Ana's faults in this are entirely her own and not because she is a teacher. And as for her continued relationship with Eddie? I'm leaving it ambiguous, but unlikely that they will continue as a couple in this fic.
That being said, I hope you enjoy part two. Happy reading!
Chapter Two
". . . and that she won't actually be color blind, just that she will like monochrome themes better . . ."
A familiar peal of laughter stole Eddie's attention from the panicked retelling of new-parent facts that Chimney had somehow drawn him into. Eddie's eyes immediately flickered over to where his son was draped over a kneeling Buck, laughing riotously as Buck growled and swiped at the children surrounding him. Warmth filled Eddie at how happy his son sounded, and he spied matching smiles on the faces of the other parents gathered in Bobby and Athena's backyard.
". . . not that Maddie seems to think so, but Larson told me about this specialty skin cream . . ."
Chimney's words washed over Eddie as he continued to watch Christopher play. Buck glanced over his shoulder and said something that caused Christopher to nod excitedly. Within moments, Buck had hefted the boy onto his back and was lurching exaggeratedly as the rest of the children screamed with laughter and scattered around the yard.
". . . but that my daughter needs it or she'll be left behind in school, and that we should have started months ago as soon as we found out . . ."
"Wait, what?" Eddie turned back to Chimney, frowning. Beside him, Hen was rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"Chim, how many times do you have to watch Larson haze the probies before you learn to stop listening to him?" she asked pointedly.
Chimney frowned. "I'm not a probie."
Eddie tilted his head slightly, eyes squinting at a faint memory. "Didn't he try to convince Buck that Florida really did have alligators in their sewers? And that, at his last house, he answered calls regularly to deal with them?"
Chimney froze, eyes widening slightly before scowling.
Hen snorted. "Chim, relax. The baby isn't due for a while yet. Yes, babies prefer monochrome, but that doesn't mean you have to decorate the nursery in black and white."
"And the baby genius stuff is a myth, apparently," Eddie added. "Shannon looked up all these facts before Christopher was born, and I guess that, while it doesn't hurt, babies don't really process that stuff."
"And if Larson is starting up that bullshit with Buck's birthmark again, he and I are going to have words," Hen stated flatly.
"What?" Eddie's shock was rapidly smothered in a flash of white-hot anger. His eyes reflexively snapped over to Buck, who had somehow acquired more children on his arms and legs. He was staggering for real now under the added weight, but still smiling brightly.
"It was an issue before your time," Chimney explained, dragging Eddie's attention back to the conversation.
"Buck was still a probie," Hen told Eddie. "We were all doing the usual teasing and pranks. None of us knew that Larson was harassing him about his birthmark until Bobby happened to walk into the storage room and hear Larson do it."
Chimney gave an exaggerated shudder. "That was the first time I'd ever seen Cap angry."
"What did he do?" Eddie asked, his curiosity pulling him back from half-formed thoughts of revenge.
"Formal reprimand," Hen answered. "Dressed him down in his office for a good fifteen minutes. Unpaid suspension."
"Sensitivity training," Chimney added. "Gave him all the scut work for two months."
"And he moved Buck to our shift after explaining to him the difference between light-hearted teasing and bullying," Hen finished. She scowled at Chimney. "And made sure the rest of us knew when to step in if it happened again."
Chimney held his hands up in surrender. "He didn't actually mention Buck," he protested. "He just mentioned that babies have birthmarks when they're born!"
"And to invest in good skin cream?" Hen echoed Chimney's earlier words. "He clearly didn't learn his lesson last time. God help him if Bobby hears about it."
"Maybe he should," Eddie muttered darkly.
More shrieks of laughter filled the air. All three of them turned to watch as Buck carefully knelt down, prying children loose and letting Christopher slide carefully off of his back and onto his feet. A subtle hand on Christopher's back steadied the boy, making sure he wouldn't fall. As soon as Christopher began to move away, Buck stood and jogged towards the house.
Eddie bid Hen and Chimney a brief farewell as he moved towards Christopher. A smile grew unconsciously on his face as he drew closer to his son.
"Hey, mijo." He dropped to one knee, bracing his arms over his other knee as Christopher reached him. "Did you manage to wear Buck out?"
Christopher giggled, the joy on his face reflected in Eddie's heart. "Buck said we could play after we eat, but that he needed to eat all of the food to slow us down."
Eddie let out a bark of laughter at that. "He did, huh? I think if he did that, it wouldn't be you that would slow down." He stood. "Well, if he wants to eat all the food, we better hurry and get you fed while he's distracted, huh?"
Christopher nodded vigorously. Eddie followed his son over to the table of food where several parents had joined their children. Bobby was just emptying a plate of freshly cooked hamburgers onto a platter as they arrived.
"First batch is up," he announced to the small group. "I'm going to grab the next plate in the house; Athena, can you keep an eye on the ones on the grill?"
Athena shooed Bobby away with a smile and turned to her children, helping them to build their plates. Eddie grabbed a paper plate from the table and looked down at Christopher. "Do you want to start with a burger or a hot dog?"
Christopher reached for another plate, which he passed to Eddie. "Buck and me want burgers," he stated.
Eddie's eyebrows shot up, but he took the second plate and balanced both on his left arm. "Oh yeah?" he said, setting a burger on each plate.
Christopher nodded. "He told me earlier; he said that it was important to start with burgers because those get eaten faster than hot dogs, and that if you didn't start with a burger, they might run out before you go back for seconds."
Eddie couldn't help the grin as he dressed the burgers the way he knew his son and his best friend liked them. He doubted that Bobby and Athena would run out of food, but he kept that thought to himself. "He did, did he?"
Christopher nodded again, pointing out the food he wanted and the food that Buck would want, Eddie obediently adding them to the plates. Christopher glanced around the backyard, a frown beginning to grow. "Where's Buck? He promised to sit with me for lunch."
Eddie looked up, then swung his head left and right. A second scan found no sign of Buck. "Maybe he's still inside. Do you want to go and check?"
Christopher immediately started heading that way, not bothering to wait for his father. With another light chuckle, Eddie shifted the plates to each hand and hurried after him.
The confusion in his son's voice as he called Buck's name didn't fully register in Eddie's brain until he came to a stop behind him. He noticed Ana first, surprise flickering in his mind. He didn't miss the shock and - was that guilt? - on her face.
Eddie noticed Bobby next, his expression hard and unforgiving. Before he could begin to question what had put that look on his captain's face, he finally noticed Buck.
His best friend was partially hidden behind Bobby, his shoulders hunched as if trying to make himself smaller. Eddie's eyes narrowed slightly at what clearly looked like devastation on Buck's face, despite the younger man's attempts at masking it.
Eddie turned back to Bobby, looking for answers. "Christopher was wondering where Buck was. He said they were supposed to eat together."
Silence answered him. Eddie watched Bobby glance over his shoulder at Buck, who looked like he was trying to will the floor to swallow him up. He glanced over at Ana, who looked sad but resolute. What the hell was going on?
Eddie could feel his protective instincts begin to rise, and he frowned. "Are we interrupting something?"
The smile Bobby pasted on his face was clearly fake; Eddie doubted even Christopher was fooled by it. He watched as Bobby swept Christopher into his arms and turn to approach Buck. A lead weight dropped into Eddie's stomach upon seeing Buck try to withdraw from Christopher, panic rising on his face.
It had barely been ten minutes since Buck had gone into the house. What the hell had happened?
Fortunately, Bobby was having none of it. He deposited Christopher into Buck's arms, and the adults all watched as Buck melted under Christopher's concerned gaze.
Bobby's displeasure returned as he looked at Eddie. "I'm afraid Ms. Flores needs to be going," he stated firmly as he took the plates that Eddie had completely forgotten about in his hands. "I'll make sure these two get fed if you'd like to see her home."
Ms. Flores? Eddie wondered. What the hell?
"I was just trying to help," Ana insisted, her eyes pleading with Bobby.
The ice in Bobby's voice sent a shiver up Eddie's spine. "Who? Them? Or yourself?"
Eddie's attention sharpened on Ana as Bobby ushered Christopher and a protesting Buck back outside. "Ana? What's going on?"
The guilt and remorse on her face were the first things Eddie noticed, but the lingering resolve behind them only heightened the mystery.
"It's not what you're thinking," Ana told him. "Your captain came inside in the middle of my conversation with Buck and misheard me."
If anything, the explanation only made the conversation murkier. Eddie knew for a fact that, out of all of them, Bobby was the least inclined to act impulsively on half the facts. Not to mention Buck's unusually subdued presence in the midst of all of it.
Eddie's brow was furrowed. "What did you say?"
Ana bit her lip.
Unease began churning in Eddie's stomach. "Ana? What did Bobby mishear?"
Ana's shoulders slumped. "He . . . Captain Nash thinks I don't understand how important . . . how close you are to your coworkers."
That . . . was nowhere close to what Eddie expected. And it still didn't explain the tense standoff he and Christopher had walked in on between her and Bobby with Buck shrinking away . . .
Buck . . .
Eddie latched onto the thought and narrowed his eyes at Ana. "What were you and Buck talking about? Before Bobby interrupted?"
The shift in the conversation's direction caused Ana to blink, then blush lightly. "It's . . . I know how important Buck is to you. And Christopher. You both talk about him all the time, and you spend a lot of time in each other's company."
Eddie nodded slowly, unsure where Ana was going with this thread. "Yeah . . . Buck's my best friend."
Ana nodded, taking a step closer to Eddie. "He is; and he's a great guy. I mean, how can he not be? You and Christopher care about him very much."
Nothing was adding up. "Then why did Buck look so upset just now if you two were just talking?" Eddie asked.
Ana sighed lightly. "Edmundo, I promise, everything was fine until Captain Nash came in. He took something I said out of context and blew the whole conversation out of proportion."
Eddie picked up on the de-escalation techniques that Ana was trying to use on him, and that only ratcheted his concern and confusion higher. His imagination started to run wild with all sorts of possibilities.
"Ana," he said firmly. "What did Bobby hear you say?"
"Edmundo - ."
"Ana."
Ana met Eddie's eyes. Eddie watched as she seemed to harden herself for her next words. "Your captain heard me say that you and Christopher weren't technically Buck's family."
"What?"
"He missed the first part of our conversation!" Ana said quickly.
"What the hell kind of conversation were you having with Buck that you would even say something like that to him?" Eddie demanded.
"I had some concerns - ."
"About Buck?"
Ana fixed Eddie with a reproving look. "I can explain, Edmundo, but you have to let me talk."
Eddie felt his hackles rise at the admonishment and nearly snapped back that she'd clearly said enough, but he caught himself in time. He needed answers, and to get them he needed to keep a lid on his temper.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Eddie forced himself to take a deep breath. "Fine," he ground out around clenched teeth. "Explain."
He opened his eyes in time to catch a fleeting look of warning from Ana and found himself biting his tongue.
"I know that Buck has been a good friend, but I'm concerned that his involvement in your lives is rather . . . excessive," she stated.
"Excessive," Eddie echoed, his tone flat.
"He's always there," Ana told him. "If he's not at your house, you're texting or on FaceTime with him. Every story you and Christopher tell me, he was there with you. When you talk about plans for your days off, he's included."
"Yeah? So?" Eddie replied.
"It's not healthy!" Exasperation crept into Ana's tone. "Christopher is forming unhealthy attachments to someone who isn't even related to you. What's going to happen when Buck eventually leaves?"
"He would never leave," Eddie insisted firmly.
Ana gave him a pitying look. "You don't know that."
"I do, actually," Eddie countered. "What I don't know is why you decided to bring this up with Bcuk and not me."
"I tried," Ana replied, softening her tone. "I did. But every time I mention Buck's name, you get this look on your face, and I just can't bring myself to finish. I didn't want to hurt you."
"But you had no problem hurting Buck, is that it?" Eddie snapped.
Ana scowled lightly. "It's not like that!"
"Then what is it like, Ana?" Eddie threw his hands up. "Why would you suddenly decide, here and now, of all places, to just involve yourself in something that isn't actually any of your business?"
"It is my business," Ana argued. "I'm your girlfriend."
"And Buck's my family," Eddie countered immediately. "If you can't handle that, then maybe we shouldn't be together after all."
A stunned silence fell between them.
"You don't mean that," Ana said quietly, half-pleading.
Eddie dragged a hand down his face. "I don't know," he finally admitted.
Ana slowly closed the distance between them and laid a gentle hand on Eddie's arm.
"Let's set aside this conversation for now," she suggested, "and save it for a time when we both can be objective. Nothing good can come from pursuing it now, when emotions are running high."
Eddie stared at her hand on his arm, his mind stuck on the memory of Buck pulling away from his son.
"Edmundo?" Ana asked.
Eddie dragged his eyes up to meet Ana's. Ana smiled faintly at him.
"You should go," Eddie stated.
Ana's eyes widened in shock, her hand falling away. "Edmundo -."
"Whether we have this conversation today, tomorrow, or even a month from now, my feelings won't change," Eddie told her. "Buck will always be a part of mine and Christopher's lives. If that's a problem for you, then it's good to learn that now. Before this gets serious."
"It's not a problem," Ana stated, taking a step back.
"Clearly it is," Eddie replied. "Or you wouldn't have brought it up." He glanced around, running a hand through his hair. "Look, if you want to talk about this again in a couple of days, I'll listen, but I need you to understand that those people out there," he pointed to the group in the backyard, "are my family. The fact that we don't share blood doesn't matter. To them or to me."
"I understand," Ana said, her posture stiff.
Eddie wasn't entirely certain what it was she understood, but he wasn't in any kind of mood to try and find out. "Come on," he told her quietly. "Let's get you home."
The drive to Ana's house was made entirely in silence, both wrapped up in their thoughts. It wasn't until Eddie had pulled into Ana's driveway, engine idling, when Ana finally spoke.
"I'll call you tomorrow, Edmundo," she said. She opened her door and slid out of the truck, then turned to look at Eddie. "Maybe we can meet for coffee and continue our discussion?"
Eddie made no move to leave the truck. "I have a twelve-hour shift starting at five," he told her.
Ana nodded. She made a move as if to close the door, but hesitated. Turning back to Eddie, she said, "It wasn't my intention to hurt anyone, Edmundo. You have to believe me. I only wanted to look after your best interests. Yours and Christopher's."
Eddie's fingers flexed on his steering wheel. Another memory of the hurt on Buck's face, and the anger on Bobby's, flashed before his eyes.
"I know," he finally replied. "I know you thought you were helping us. The thing is, Ana, you and I haven't been together long enough to know what our best interests are. What you think they are isn't the same thing."
Ana nodded, almost to herself. "I'll call you tomorrow," she repeated, and shut the door.
Eddie waited until she was safely inside her house before backing out of the driveway and steering his truck back towards Bobby's house.
He didn't know where things stood with Ana, and he didn't know what she thought tomorrow's impending conversation would accomplish, but Eddie was one hundred percent certain that he wasn't going to change his mind. Buck was family.
By the time Eddie made it back to Bobby and Athena's, the barbecue was still going strong. His gaze swept over the backyard, skipping over bright smiles and happy faces before finding Buck holding court at the kid's table, teasing and laughing with the children. Something loosened in his chest at the sight.
Detouring to the food table to fix himself a plate, Eddie met Bobby's searching look and gave him a slight nod. Bobby smiled faintly and nodded back.
Armed with a plate of food, Eddie made his way over to the kid's table, grinning brightly as the children cheered at his arrival. Buck's worried gaze sent another flare of anger at Ana through him, but Eddie merely smiled at Buck, patting him on the shoulder as he sat beside him.
"Dad!" Christopher said excitedly. "Buck said that we can catch fireflies tonight and keep them in jars like night lights!"
Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Oh he did, did he?" he replied lightly. "Don't the fireflies get a say in this?"
"Hey, we could offer them a fair wage," Buck replied. "All the leaves they can eat."
Across from them, Harry frowned. "Fireflies don't eat leaves," he said. Uncertainty crept into his expression. "Do they?"
"Better find out before making your offer," Eddie teased, taking a bite of his burger.
The children at the table suddenly burst into a lively debate over what to feed fireflies to other insects in general. Eddie let the sense of family wash over him, pushing away the lingering cloud of anger Ana had left behind in her wake, and he smiled.
END