Buck thanked the delivery driver and closed the door before turning his attention to his guest. He had reconnected with Taylor Kelly just two days ago and now they were hanging out. He hadn't really thought about it when he had texted her earlier asking if she wanted to hang out; strictly as friends - when they had reconnected two days ago during that weird showdown with the guy on the roof, Buck had told her he was seeing someone but it was still fairly new after she had asked after him. She seemed happy for him and even seemed happy to become friends. He placed the bag of Chinese they had settled on to order on the table as Taylor came around the kitchen island with plates and utensils; setting them on the table.

Buck started pulling containers from the bag and popping the lids open; lining them up on the table. "Okay we got honey walnut shrimp, teriyaki chicken, Mongolian beef, fried rice, white rice, chow mien, and spring rolls."

"This is a lot for just two people," Taylor laughs as she hands over a plate for him.

Buck waves a hand. "Leftovers for myself and Albert tomorrow."

"Where is he anyway, wasn't he suppose to be here too?" Taylor asked as they started scooping food onto their plates; she took a little of everything.

Buck did the same before setting his plate done and heading for the fridge to pull out two beers. "He was but I guess he's started seeing a neighbor down the hall. He's having dinner with her instead. Bailed like two minutes before you showed up." He shrugged as he popped the beers open and handed one over to Taylor.

"Thanks," Taylor took the beer and then followed Buck over to the couch after he picked his plate back up.

They settled at opposite ends of the couch; Taylor with her feet tucked under her while Buck rested his feet on the coffee table in front of them. Buck already had Netflix queued up and after setting his beer on the coffee table by his feet he snatched up the remove.

"So," He turned his head to look at her. "What are we watching?"

An hour later they had eaten what they could and both had finished two beers. They were only twenty minutes through some rom-com movie they had picked after thirty minutes of arguing on what to watch.

Taylor took a swig of the start of her third beer. "So you and Eddie Diaz?"

Buck had just taken a sip of his beer when she spoke and it caused him to snort which caused him to cough. After a minute of a coughing fit that had Taylor laughing lightly; Buck turned his attention to the redhead. "...What?"

She smiled. "You and Eddie Diaz. He's the someone you're seeing, right?"

"How did you... what?"

"Men," Taylor rolled her eyes. "I'm not blind. I saw the way he watched you the other day at that call. It was with the same subtlety you had checking on him the whole day. Which was none, but nobody else seemed to be paying attention to either of you."

Buck chuckled. "Yeah well, there were more important things for everyone to focus on that day, namely the guy on the roof with the gun." He turned away from her and stared at the TV. "But uh, yeah. I'm seeing Eddie."

"How new is this development?"

"Uh, pretty new. About a month." Buck scratched at the side of his neck with the hand not holding his beer. "We've been on three dates. Haven't told anyone yet."

"Yeah don't jinx it."

That got a startled but genuine laugh from the blond and at Taylor's confused look he laughed harder and shook his head. "That's." He coughed and sat up straighter; tucking a leg under him as he shifted to be fully facing the redhead on the couch and rested his arm on the back of the couch. "That's sort of how it started."

"I don't follow."

Buck nodded. "The probie said the Q-word at the start of our shift a month ago. Jinxed our whole day. But uh, the next morning he asked me on an early morning coffee date."

"Okay, I admit." Taylor sighed and leaned back against the couch more. "That's cute."

Buck could feel his face getting flushed and he cleared his throat before standing and setting his beer on the table. "I'll be right back."

Buck headed for the downstairs bathroom. Just as he was turning on the water he heard a knock at his front door. He tried to be quick about washing and drying his hands but when he was finished and opening his bathroom door; Taylor was already standing in his open doorway.

"Taylor, who is it?" Buck asked as he flipped the bathroom light out and stepped forward... just as he heard the kid's voice calling out to him.

Buck took quicker steps around the door and Taylor, stopping next to her and looking down. Yup, there stood Christopher. Suddenly the boy was hugging him. Buck looked down at him in confusion as he placed his hand between the boy's shoulders on his back.

"Christopher. Um, hi." He turned his attention to Taylor and silently asked her to check the hall. She did so and shook her head in the negative. Buck looked back down at the boy in front of him. "Christopher, where's your dad?" Eddie wouldn't just drop his kid off and not follow him up to make sure he got inside would he? No.

He heard Christopher huff in annoyance as he pulled away to enter the apartment. "At home."

Buck seemed to choke on air as he tried to think of something to say. He and Taylor looked at each other in bewilderment and then as one followed the boy back towards the couch. Taylor hung back as she leaned against the stair railing with her arms crossed just watching. Buck pushed a plate out of the way and sat down on the coffee table in front of Christopher.

"Christopher." Buck took a deep breath. "Chris, buddy. How did you get here?"

Please tell me you're joking and that your dad is actually about to come crashing through that door!

"I used Uber!" Christopher chirped and smiled like it was the biggest thing ever.

Buck was going to have a heart attack. "You used... you." Oh god Eddie was going to kill them both! He took a deep breath. "Chris I need you to be honest with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"Does your dad know you're here?"

"No." There was that huff again. "He was busy."

Busy? Busy with what?

"Shit." He stood up and started pacing; running his hand over his mouth. His eyes were wide and he felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. His boyfriend's - boyfriend? - nine year old son had ordered an Uber and driven in said Uber - alone - on what is a normal thirty minute drive from the Diaz residence to Buck's apartment. Oh yeah, Eddie was going to murder someone and it was most likely going to be him even if it wasn't his fault! He turned back towards Christopher as the boy leaned back into the couch.

"That's a bad word, Bucky. I wanted to see you. I tried to call but you didn't answer!"

Shit. Buck looked down at the coffee table but didn't see his phone. He started patting down his jeans pockets and frowned. Where the hell had he dropped it after ordering dinner for himself and Taylor? He glanced at the woman for a second before he headed for the kitchen. They had been standing at the island counter; leaning on opposite sides to look over his phone as they had decided where and what to order.

It wasn't there so he turned to the table where a pile of junk mail he had yet to throw away laid jumbled across the table; mixed in with the now messy takeout containers. His frown deepened as he still couldn't find his phone. He was about to ask Taylor to ring him so they could listen to it but then he remembered he hadn't turned it off silent since work early. Well fuck!

"You're on a date."

Buck's head snapped up. "What?"

He watched as Christopher struggled to stand from the couch and instantly he was moving back over to the boy. He sat back down on the coffee table and placed his hands on Christopher's shoulders as he saw the tears welling up in the boy's eyes. He wanted to cry himself when he felt Christopher try and shrug him away.

"Hey."

"You're leaving just like dad!"

"What, no. Chris." Buck shook his head as he leaned back slightly; realising what Christopher meant when he noticed Taylor shift from the corner of his eye. "I'm not leaving. Why would you think that?"

Christopher sniffed and refused to look at him. "Dad's dating. He told me and now he doesn't have time for me. And you don't have time for me because you're dating too. I want things to go back to normal!"

Buck leaned back again. "Your dad told you?" That couldn't be. Eddie had wanted to tell him together when he was ready. Christopher had to have misunderstood something else but whatever it was Buck needed to get Eddie here to fix it. "No, listen Christopher. I'm not dating Taylor. She's just a friend."

Christopher stopped trying to stand up and push him away. "Really?"

"I promise." Buck gave him a genuine smile. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Never." Christopher sniffed.

"Exactly." Buck wasn't going to mention the omitted lie he and Eddie were keeping from the kid; Eddie had just said he wasn't ready to tell him yet and Buck was okay with that; mostly. "Okay, I think I need to call your dad. He's probably going out of his mind with worry." If he hadn't already phoned Athena to report the kid missing.

"Doubt it." Christopher mumbled as he slumped backwards. "He was talking to her when I snuck out."

"Her?" Buck was really confused now as he stood and took his phone from Taylor as she approached.

"The lady he's dating."

Buck opened his mouth but what was he going to say? Then he snorted as he realised what Christopher was saying. "I don't think he was talking to the person he's dating, Christopher. Give me a minute so I can call your dad and we'll get this all cleared up. Okay?"

He watched as Christopher shrugged and then got more comfortable on the couch. Buck quickly switched the TV over to some cartoons to keep the kid distracted; then followed Taylor to his front door. She had her keys and jacket in hand already. He held up his phone in question.

"You plugged it in upstairs after we ordered."

"Ah." Buck sighed and ran his hand over his face. "This is a mess."

Taylor chuckled. "And I don't envy you. Good luck."

"Thanks," Buck watched as she opened the door. "Hey, you okay to drive home?"

Taylor turned and smiled. "I ordered an Uber."

Buck groaned. "I'm deleting that app after tonight and making Eddie do the same."

"Good idea." Taylor laughed as she headed down the hall. "Night."

"Night!" He called after her as he closed the door.

He took a moment to just breath before unlocking his phone and instantly dialing Eddie's number. It rang twice.

"Buck, you gotta help me. Christopher..."

"...Is here." Buck heard Eddie sigh in utter relief through the phone. "He used your phone to call an Uber."

There was an intake and then deep breath blown out. "Alright I... I'll be over there in a second."

"Yeah."

Buck moved the phone from his ear only after he heard the click of Eddie hanging up on him. One semi-crises averted Buck stumbled his way back over to Christopher. Once again he sat down on the coffee table; setting his phone down next to him and again pausing the TV. Christopher blinked and looked back at him with a frown.

"Christopher..."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Uh," Buck leaned forward and crossed his arms over his knees. "Yeah, kiddo. Probably. The important thing is you're safe and you're dad is on his way." He sighed as Christopher seemed to deflate. "Chris, can you tell me what you meant about your dad and I leaving you?"

"Dad's dating."

"Uh, yeah." Buck knew there was no point in denying that when Eddie had clearly started to tell the kid; and Christopher had already said it twice himself in the fifteen minutes he'd been there. "It's gotta be weird for you huh. May... maybe it feels like he's forgetting your mom, but Chris, I promise you..." This was a conversation he and Eddie had had on their second date; about Eddie finally being ready to move on from Shannon. Buck had been worried that he wasn't, but Eddie had assured him he was.

"I wish I could forget."

Buck blinked in confused. "Uh... what?"

"People go away, not just mom." Chris sighed deeply. "Abuelita, Carla, my friends. They leave and then I miss them." Chris looked up at him. "I don't wanna miss anyone else."

Buck looked down at his hand. "Yeah, um." He blinked and looked back at Chris. "People go away. And it's sad. And it hurts. But you know not everyone goes away forever. Sometimes they come back. And as much as we miss them that's how happy we are to see them again. Your grandma, your friends, Carla, you're gonna see them all again."

"You promise?"

"I do." Buck smiled. "And until that happens, you still got me." He reached out and tapped Christopher's knee with a knuckle. "Cause I'm not going anywhere." And he was glad he could mean it in more ways then one when he thought about his new life he was starting with Eddie... with Eddie and Christopher.

And then Christopher was standing up and hugging him. Buck hugged him back; patting his back.

"Hey, Buck."

"Yeah, buddy."

"You're a good friend."

Buck smiled and squeezed him a little closer. He was worried what Christopher would think about him dating his dad, but at the same time Buck felt like after this conversation Christopher wouldn't have a problem with it. It would mean he would be around more often; and that it wasn't actually another new person coming into his life and possibly leaving him down the road. Buck was going to do what he could to stop that from happening. Even if he and Eddie couldn't make it work - and he doubted they wouldn't fight tooth and nail to make it work - Buck would make sure their friendship stayed intact, if not for their sakes at least for the boy in his arms.

Eddie found them curled together on the couch ten minutes later as he came crashing through the front door calling for them.