This will follow the same main events from Season 3, Episode 14.
"Damn it," Buck muttered under his breath as he got Josh's answering machine for the third time. After Chimney had called him, worried about Maddie saying that she loved him and then hanging up, he thought he would try to get a hold of Maddie, just in case she was ignoring Chimney. But he couldn't get through to Maddie, and now he couldn't get through to Josh either.
All sorts of horrible thoughts started running through Buck's head. What if something had happened at the call centre? What if his sister was hurt? The next number Buck dialled was Jim's. He was fairly sure that his boyfriend was working that day but maybe he would have an idea on what to do next. They had been officially dating for about a few months now, and Jim did say to call him if he needed to.
"Hey, man. What's up? You know I'm at work, right?" Jim replied, glancing over at the rest of his team, who were pretending to ignore him. Luckily they had just been inventorying the armoury, so Jim was able to take his boyfriend's call.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'm worried about Maddie," Buck said, explaining the whole 'I can't say I love you' situation, how no one was answering their cells, and the high volume of calls to 9-1-1.
"It could be nothing, but it is a little odd that no one is answering their phone over there," Jim said, checking his watch. "And it should be a low volume of calls at this time in the morning...let me ask Hondo if I can take a quick break and swing by your place. Just give me a second."
Pressing the hold button, Jim poked his head back into the armoury. "Hondo, do you mind if I take a quick break to check on my friend's sister? He's worried that she might be in trouble."
Hondo frowned slightly at Street's request, worried that Street was getting into something that he shouldn't be.
Picking up on Hondo's concern, as he was very familiar with that frown being directed at him, Jim added "I promise I will call if I need back up."
"Okay kid, make sure to take your gear and radio just in case." Hondo instructed, turning back to his work.
Jim grabbed his duffel bag and headed out to his car, resuming his call with Buck. "Okay Buck, I'm on my way, I should be at your place in ten minutes or so."
"Thanks babe," Buck said, letting out a big sigh of relief. "I'm really hoping that I'm just overreacting, but my gut says otherwise."
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Buck waited on the front steps for Jim. He was slightly surprised to see him pull in with an unmarked patrol car instead of his motorcycle, but figured that it made sense as Jim was still on shift. Jogging over to the passenger door, Buck slid into the car before Jim even had a chance to put it in park.
"Change in plans, Athena and Chimney are on the move, so we have to catch up," Buck explained. He leaned over to give Jim a chaste kiss and then allowed himself a quick look, appreciating how his boyfriend's uniform hugged every muscle and curve tightly. "Do you have sirens in this thing?" he asked, straightening back up in the seat and doing up his seat belt, looking a bit like a little kid riding in a police car for the first time.
"Athena - as in Sergeant Athena Grant?" Jim confirmed, pulling out of Buck's loft parking lot and heading in the direction that Buck was indicating. He punched Sergeant Grant's name into the system, so he could track her patrol car.
"Yeah," Buck replied, remembering how Christopher had told Jim all about Athena when he was over for pancakes. "She was dispatched to Chimney's for an assault call, which was odd, since Chimney was the only one in his apartment. I guess the weirdness with the call helped convince Athena that something might be going on."
Jim shot a look over at Buck, concerned at his tone of voice and reached over to grab one of Buck's hands for comfort. "Even if something is going on, your sister sounds like a smart woman. I'm sure she will find a way to stay safe until we get there." Jim tried to reassure Buck.
Buck just nodded, squeezing Jim's hand in return. "There - there they are!" Buck pointed with his free hand. Up ahead was Athena's patrol car.
Jim uttered a slight prayer under his breath that Athena wasn't going to shoot him for this act, and turned on his sirens. Pulling over another police car was generally considered a major faux pas. "Buck, wait in the car for a second, and then come join me, okay?"
At Buck's nod, Jim stepped out of the car and walked up to the driver's side window. "Sergeant Grant?" He confirmed, resting his hands on his belt, waiting for Athena to finish rolling down her window.
Athena took in the police officer that had pulled her over. He was young, with brown fluffy hair and a very muscular build. He wasn't in a normal patrol outfit, but had SWAT written on his chest, his badge down on his waist similar to how detectives wore theirs. "Officer," she barked, emphasizing his lower rank. "Why did you pull us over?"
"Ma'am," Jim replied, motioning for Buck to approach the car. "I believe that we are investigating the same issue?"
Athena groaned as she spotted Buck coming up beside the officer. How the heck did Buck know someone from SWAT?
"I called Jim just before you showed up at Chimney's," Buck explained, cowering slightly at the glare he was receiving from Athena.
"I just can't shake you off this, can I Buck?" Athena asked rhetorically. Looking over at the officer, she sighed. "Do you have a patrol uniform with you, Officer…?"
"Jim Street, Ma'am. And yes, I do." He thought about it for a second. "Are you thinking about doing a stop in at the call centre, checking it out?"
Athena just nodded, watching as Jim rushed to the back of his car, quickly stripping off his SWAT jacket and shirt and pulling on his patrol uniform. Athena couldn't help but notice that Buck didn't take his eyes off of the young officer. The officer pulled the unmarked car into a nearby parking lot and jogged back, securing his assault rifle and SWAT gear in the back of the cruiser.
Athena motioned for Chimney and Buck to hop in the back, so Jim could climb into the passenger seat. "Now," she said, looking carefully at each of the three men who were now in her patrol car as she resumed her drive to the 9-1-1 centre. "Does anyone else know what's going on? Because my car is getting rather full at the moment."
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Chimney and Buck waited anxiously in the back of the patrol car, as Athena and Jim headed towards the entrance of the 9-1-1 centre under the guise of checking on a call. Buck was feeling like he hadn't thought this through well enough. Because now, instead of being worried about Maddie and Josh getting hurt, he was also worrying about his boyfriend getting hurt. But there was nothing either of them could do, because they were literally stuck in the back seat of a police car.
"So, who's this Jim guy?" Chimney asked, figuring that both he and Buck needed the distraction.
"Um, he's just a friend," Buck replied, halfheartedly. He knew that Jim still wasn't out at work and he wasn't fully out at work either. They hadn't focused on that too much though, instead enjoying spending time together and getting to know each other. "You know that community centre over at Main and 8th? I've been volunteering there a bit, and so does Jim."
"Pretty handy knowing someone who works for SWAT," Chimney commented, not really sure if he believed Buck's 'just a friend comment'.
"Kind of," Buck replied, looking nervously at the side of the building where they had last seen Athena and Jim.
It seemed like hours, but it was probably only a handful of minutes when Athena and Jim returned to the patrol car with the bad news. That the 9-1-1 centre had been infiltrated, evidenced by the coded message that the head operator sent to Athena.
"Now what?" Buck asked, looking between the two police officers as they pulled out of the parking spot as if nothing was the matter.
"Now, we call Hondo," Jim said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. "And hope that he's in a happier mood than he was the last time I went off and found trouble on my own."
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"Okay, so show me a picture of Maddie again?" Jim asked Buck, double checking his vest while he looked at Buck's phone. "Okay, and then Josh?" He nodded as Buck flipped to a photo that he took of them all at poker night. Jim burned the images into his brain, planning on making sure that they were all right once the perpetrators were taken down.
He glanced over at Hondo to see if the team was ready to roll yet, but it looked like they were still gearing up. Moving in closer to Buck, ignoring Chimney's presence completely, he placed a hand on Buck's arm, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth over his tattoo. "Don't worry Buck, we got this." Looking straight into Buck's eyes, he repeated his promise. "We're going to get them out safe." He sealed the promise with a firm kiss, and then headed over to his team.
"So, just a friend?" Chimney repeated, as they watched the first SWAT team breach the main door from a distance.
"Maybe, more like my boyfriend?" Buck replied, now that the cat was out of the bag. "But no telling Maddie, that's my job." He added, starting intently at the 9-1-1 centre, waiting for any signs of movement. "Besides, it's still relatively new."
"I'm happy for you Buck," Chimney said simply, reaching up and patting Buck on the back. The two stood there together, waiting for their family and friends to come out safe and sound.
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Jim waited for the all clear from Hondo and then rushed into the main dispatch room, looking for his boyfriend's sister and friend. Spotting long, wavy brown hair over in the corner by the paramedics, he bee lined over to the woman, who as luck would have it, was standing next to a man who appeared to be Josh.
"Maddie? Josh?" Jim confirmed, receiving slightly confused nods from both. Turning towards the other officer present, Jim indicated that the two were with him and motioned for Maddie and Josh to follow him out to the exit. "I have a worried b-," Jim caught himself, not knowing if Buck would want Maddie to know who he was yet. "I have a worried Buck and Chimney outside waiting for you two."
Maddie and Josh exchanged smiles while continuing to clutch each others' hands. As they exited the building, Jim waved to the patrol officer to let Buck and Chimney come through.
Maddie raced into Chimney's arms, allowing herself to finally feel safe. Buck came up behind them, resting a hand on his sister's back while swinging an arm over Josh's shoulders. "Man, I am glad to see the two of you." Buck said, frowning slightly as he took in the wound on Josh's head. "Josh, let's get you over to one of the paramedics and get that head checked out."
Josh nodded, wincing at the pain that that action caused. Buck grabbed his arm and started in the direction towards the nearest ambulance.
"Buck," Jim said, reaching out an arm to stop Buck for a moment. "I'm going to have to stick around here for a bit, help with the processing, and take some statements. Can you give me a call later - let me know how everyone is doing?" Jim motioned to Maddie, Chimney, and Josh.
Buck nodded with a smile, appreciative of how concerned his boyfriend was. Buck ushered Josh into a seating spot on the back of an ambulance as they waited for a paramedic to check him out. Letting out a sigh of relief, Buck sat next to Josh as well. This could have turned out a lot worse.
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"Turns out - " Maddie started to say, returning to the living room with a cold beer in her hand when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" Maddie asked, after all, Chimney, Josh, and Buck were all already there.
"I got it!" Buck said, jumping to his feet and heading over to the door. He opened the door with a grin, knowing that it would be Jim on the other side. Seeing his boyfriend standing there, safe and in one-piece after the day that they all had, made him feel a sense of relief that was hard to describe. He placed the flowers and beer that Jim had in his hands for Maddie and the rest of the group on the island. Taking a deep breath, Buck grabbed Jim's hand and led him into the living room, nervous but excited to introduce him to his sister.
Maddie's eyes were instantly drawn to Buck and Jim's clasped hands, while Josh and Chimney's watched for Maddie's reaction, as both of them had figured out the relationship earlier in the day. "Buck?" She asked, looking for more of an explanation. "Wait, you're that SWAT officer," she realized, swinging her gaze to Jim. Then she stood up and punched Buck lightly in the arm. "You're dating someone and you didn't tell me? I'm your big sister, you have to tell me these things!" She said teasingly, and then swung her arms around both men.
"Chimney, go get - " Maddie paused for a moment, not remembering the officer's name.
"Jim," Buck filled in, while being squeezed by Maddie. He looked over at Jim, who seemed surprised but happy at Maddie's reaction.
"Chimney, go get Jim a cold beer," Maddie ordered, waving her boyfriend towards the kitchen. "Please sit down Jim, you must be tired after today."
Jim sat down while shaking his head. "Nope, the way I hear it, you guys had it pretty much handled by the time we came in. Buck, your sister is a badass." He said with a grin, thanking Chimney with a nod when he returned.
"That she is," Chimney agreed, sliding back next to Maddie on the couch. "Here's to Maddie!" Chimney added, raising his beer in the air.
"Here here!" Everyone cheered and took a drink of their beers while Maddie blushed. "Okay, so back to the story. It turns out…." Maddie continued to tell the rest of the group how the thieves planned their heist and how it all went wrong while trying to hide her excitement at watching her brother with his new boyfriend. Buck seemed to have the worst luck with relationships so far in LA, so she hoped that this one was a good one.