"That honestly sounds like the sort of panicked reaction I'd have in that situation, honestly. Worry back and forth on something and then and then blurt it out and run away." Buck said, thinking hard.
"She didn't sound panicked she sounded robotic." Chim said, still going back and forth between worrying and feeling stupid.
TK and Eddie were listening, concerned as the two worked each other up, and down, as they waffled back and forth worried about Maddie and then talking themselves back down again. They had almost both calmed down again when Athena and Carlos showed up at Chim's door.
With a shared glance they're directing him out the door and into the jeep, Eddie behind the wheel and TK in the back. Buck was warning them about letting whoever might be in the call center know they suspected something.
Chim was standing with Buck in his ear and Carlos in front of him, the first time he's been near him since the apology. He looked up at the man and waited for a comment, but there was no negativity or derision, he just looked interested and a little concerned. Chim breathed easier knowing his idiocy wasn't going to be held against him or Maddie, and felt ashamed of how he'd judged the man.
Athena and Carlos both headed towards the call center, Chim riding in the back. Eddie pulled up along side of them and then tucked Buck's jeep in behind Athena and followed them until she blinked her signals and then pulled over. Eddie pulled in behind her and the three of them jumped out of the car. Athena glared at the four of them, Carlos included.
"Look, don't be mad, but if you go in there, they're gonna be on guard. You might even scare them into doing something stupid."
She raised an eyebrow, knowing there was going to be a point she wouldn't like to this. "Go on."
"So I'm not a cop, and my sister works there. I go in tell them I need to talk to Maddie about something, and I have my phone turned on in my pocket. You hear immediately if something goes wrong, and then we know."
"Yeah, that is not happening." Carlos said glaring at Buck. He turned to TK and Eddie to back up his plan and found them glaring too.
"What? It makes sense, I have reason to be there."
"Yeah well so do I, following up on a call and oh yeah, I've got a gun on my hip." Carlos snarked, before getting a nod from Athena who pulled Chim from the car and watched Carlos climb in the drivers seat. He pulled his phone and dialed Athena before pulling closer to the dispatch building confirming she was on the line before dropping the phone in his pocket.
The cop stepped into the lobby and ambled up to the security officer, and Greg's eyes widened when he looked at the tablet screen. He stepped in the way of Foster seeing it, knowing there'd be no stopping the man from storming the lobby and blowing the cop away, so when Foster suggested they kill the man without even seeing who it was, he felt vindicated in his decision to hide the cop's identity.
He could have kissed the woman who spoke up, pleading with them to let her try to get him to leave. She send a code 77, public urination or something stupid like that, and the cop was walking back out the door, nodding at the man who'd been seconds from shooting him.
Greg breathed a sigh of relief when dispatch sent the cop back to his car with the fake call. He knew Foster was a hot head, and probably more than a little pissed about the two of them getting busted for the failed assault on Josh, but there was no fucking way he wanted the heat a dead cop would bring. He turned around as Foster was stepping up to watch the man leave and then hissed and glared at Greg.
"That mother fucker was here and you let her send him away? I wanted my shot at that bastard and all his little friends in a fair fight."
Hand to God, if laughing in that man's face wouldn't have ended with a bullet in his head, Josh would have howled with laughter at that. The irony of setting up an ambush and then whining when you get taken down not withstanding the fact that, any one of those four men would wipe the floor with the bald hot head in any kind of hand to hand. Greg though was apparently good for something, keeping Foster from demanding dispatch call him back in.
"Look, you want a shot at any of those guys you do it on your own time. In case you forgot, we are in the process of a major crime, if we can get away with not killing anyone that would be great cause anyone you decide to off is all our problem if we get caught, no matter who pulls the trigger."
Joey was furious and muttered, "Tell that to Jake." softly, while glaring at the men.
Greg turned to glare at Foster, who shook his head, and then to Ellis, who made a face and mouthed Oliver, and shrugged. Greg breathed a little easier, realizing it was probably a ploy on Jake's part.
Carlos was incredibly paranoid walking back to the others, eyes checking every vantage point and the cameras. He quickly climbed in the car and drove back to the others. When he go there Athena ordered him to pop the hood and began climbing under the hood, Eddie next to her, as they looked for the wiring that powered the tracking system.
If they controlled dispatch, then they could track every move they made, time to leave them blind. Carlos removed his radio, and when she noticed she did too. Habit had them both reaching for their mic and those were sure to be monitored too.
Carlos and TK began working through his contacts list of other on duty cops, calling their personal phones and warning them about the issues with communications and the CAD system tracking them.
They met up at the rally point, Athena and Carlos meeting up with Captain Maynard, while the other four men stepped back and waited for news. Maynard requested they arrange for as many RA units as they could arrange, and they quickly started the whole phone tree again, only calling firefighters and paramedics instead, and talking them through removing the tracking on their ambulances temporarily.
Bobby was out of town with Michael and Harry, but Tommy and Nancy were free to help, once again appropriating the 118's parked ambulance, after discontinuing the tracking.
Greg panicked as the blips started falling off the screens. Thirty minutes more and the plan was falling apart. He wanted to run, that voice in his head warning him of impending doom, he could tell Foster already had one foot out the door, and now one of the hostages was writhing n the floor.
As for Foster, he was officially done with this place. He was out the door and into one of their borrowed cruisers seconds ahead of S.W.A.T. moving in. He was not going back to jail because they were soft.
The call center was retaken, and the traumatized operators were freed, and Maddie had her reunion with Chim, and Buck watched, curled against the men he loved, reveling in the sheer joy on their faces.
He gave Sue a pat on the arm and then turned to two of the men he loved, leaving Carlos to his job, and walkng back to the jeep before heading home. None of them noticed the car following them.
Carlos got off duty a few hours later and didn't notice the new car on the street either.
Foster watched, as the four who'd caused him to spend a night in jail over smacking that needy little bitch around settled in. He knew it would be worth it to switch cars and change and then watch the commotion from behind the police tape. The fact that all four were hanging on each other, well that would make getting payback a bit more satisfying, but he needed to figure things out.
The entire heist went south, so it would depend on how much footage they had of him, and if any of the others rolled. He'd put good money on that weak little weasel Greg. Still he always planned for rainy days, and staying in the city for a little revenge meant they didn't roll him up at the airport or train station, like a fucking newb.
By the looks of things, the four of them were living together. He'd either need to find a way to stagger their arrival or pick up a partner, and honestly, unless he stumbled across a real stone cold killer, he'd end up with another Greg type, good for a little bit of rough and tumble, but folding when things got a little, or a lot, bloody.
There didn't seem to be jack in the way of security, and he needed to get a closer look. He climbed out of his car, baseball cap and hoodie on, and strolled down the road until he was out of the range of the light, before slipping into the shadows and working back into the yard, peering into windows. They were cuddled on the couch. He very nearly threw up in their bushes.
He was going to have to work for this one, figuring out schedules and there were a few things that had him think there might be a kid around, though a few Lego sets in this day and age didn't mean shit.
He was in the driver seat before he saw the eyes in the rear view mirror, and felt the hand wrap around his throat holding him in place for a sharp pinch of a needle at his neck and a haze to come over his thinking. He struggled, the hand held him back against the seat of the car and soon the light faded.
In light of the dust storm they'd dropped the money to have a re-inspection done on the house, with the seller's blessing, and when the report came back with negligible damage from the storm, they reaffirmed their offer and within a couple days it was accepted. They were in closing on the house and carefully packing up both Buck and Eddie's places. TK still had a few things at Owen's place, but most of their things had gone up in the fire.
The three firefighters were on duty and doing mic checks when Carla and Chris surprised them with a visit to ask about possible 'Show and Tell' options. His Army stuff had been in one of the boxes they'd packed and Chris had found it and wanted to bring it to class, along with Eddie. TK and Buck could both tell he was unhappy with the situation, and offered him quiet support as he agreed to Chris's request.
Only moments later, they got a call and all three men rushed to gear up, each of them dropping a kiss on top of Chris's head on the way past. The call was for a missing child and after Athena explained the situation they spread out and searched the field for the abandoned well. They found and confirmed his presence and more firefighters and equipment was brought to the site.
The 129 rolled up, with Paul, Marjan and Judd on the engine, moving in to support efforts. They walked into a rare argument between TK and Eddie, while Captain Nash looked ready to smack their heads together, as they both argued for the right to drop down a hole that was still in the processes of being dug.
Eddie was arguing that he'd been the one to speak with the poor kid, while TK was pointing out his smaller size and paramedic training, which Eddie countered with his army medic training. Both men were frustrated and terrified for the other, while Buck had a mulish look on his own face, knowing his lower level of medical training and size had him completely knocked out of the running and silently panicking about the situation.
Judd took a quick survey of the situation and then turned to Captain Nash. "Is there a particular reason you can't send both? Y'all got a time limit and two hands would be better than one, right?"
Buck closed his eyes, knowing both men would immediately pounce on the option and shift from arguing against one another to arguing Judd's suggestion. Bobby didn't even attempt to argue he just ordered them both to get geared up and ready to go.
Buck pulled them to the side to assist them with being geared up and pull each of them close, for just a moment while they waited for the drill to be removed from the hole. He was concentrating on lowering them one at a time only vaguely listening as Judd and Paul were asking why the drill itself needed to remain on site. They were debating the move when the safety officer refused, siting the vibrations of moving it might trigger a collapse, which was why they were avoiding lowering the drill rig itself, something Buck had been wondering as the storm moved closer and closer.
The pair dropped down and began digging, the pocket of space they'd discovered making it easier than either man had expected. They moved carefully, afraid digging too fast despite their 30 minute time limit would cause a collapse and the loss at their probably one shot at getting the kid. They got through the well wall with only a couple minutes to spare, and Eddie discovered the boy had slid lower.
He was just getting a hold on the kid when his line began to pull him back. He scrambled for purchase as he was pulled towards TK.
"Cut my line!" TK obeyed automatically, wincing as Eddie dropped, and then after a moment, long enough for someone to realize Eddie's line had lost the weight, TK was being pulled up and in the first sudden jerk, dropped the knife. He was screaming for them to stop and trying to pull back or unhook himself when Eddie told him to go, and send down another line, while he scrambled to pull Aiden out of the well and into the dubious safety of their tunnel.
TK was pulled out, wincing at the time it was taking, but knowing they didn't dare speed things up. He was pulled up and out of the well to face a fuming Evan Buckley, and a sad eyed Carlos, who'd been assigned to help keep the reporters back.
"What the Hell was he thinking?" Buck said, glaring at the hole.
"We got the kid, we were just pulling him out of the well, he'd dropped down and he was about to go under when the line started pulling. Eddie told me to cut it so he could save Aiden, and he had just got the kid out when you guys started winching me up. We need a second line. Get it ready and I'll drop back down, grab the kid and replace Eddie's line."
Buck's face softened, realizing what TK had been forced to do, and knowing Eddie had made the same choice any of them would have made. Chim grabbed the line and they set it up before dropping TK back down the hole, carefully but quickly.
TK hit bottom, and gave Eddie a quick hug, before he started getting Aiden into the harness preparing to take him back up as quickly as possible. TK dropped his extra gear when the tank got in the way of the harness and was smacking against Aiden. He took a minute or two to attach and then check Eddie's line before giving him a quick peck on the dirty nose and then pulling on his line, wrapping his arms around Aiden protectively, muttering softly at the shivering boy.
They reached the top and he'd passed the little boy off to Hen, before turning to Buck and Bobby. "He's harnessed and ready."
Buck turned to switch over to Eddie's line when a bolt of lightening hit the drill. Buck slammed into TK and Bobby, shoving them both out of the way, breathing for a beat or two, before turning to see the hole had collapsed. TK was frozen, stunned by the rapid change in circumstances while Buck was screaming for Eddie and digging at the ground, frantically. TK would have nightmares about that scream for months, if not years, to come.
Carlos moved towards Buck, but Judd nodded at a stunned TK while he moved towards Buck, along with Captain Nash. They wrapped their arms around him and pulled Buck away from the dirt.
He collapsed nearly on top of Bobby and the look of agony on his face had Judd pulling him close. "Come on, we got work to do, Buck. No time for laying down on the job, we gotta get your pretty boy back topside. Let's go see what we need to be doing."
The twin grateful looks from both Captain Nash and Buck had Judd praying he wasn't just blowing smoke at the man. They grabbed TK and Carlos and began to work the problem.
"I'm telling you, the water was rising, but there was a stable pocket down there before we started digging to get to Aiden. Plus, I dropped my tank, before I came up cause it was in the way."
They were fighting on how to get him out, with no drill. Only TK's extra tank and the preexisting pocket was giving them hope.
They debated what to do for a long time, as the three remaining partners huddled together, ready at a moments notice to do anything it would take to get Eddie back. Finally they got the thermal imaging gear and were preparing to move out, searching for him, when he staggered out of the dark night.
The three men were wrapped around him, pulling him close, while the rest of the 118 closed in around him, each of them touching him to assure them he was there and real and alive.
Over the next few weeks, they split their time between work, moving, and volunteering to help with the clean-up of the 126, in preparation for an inspection and then dealing with any major structural issues from the explosion. It had been touch and go on getting the go ahead for the repairs, but between Billy and Owen pushing for the restoration of the 126 and the amount of volunteer work cutting down on the repair costs by a large margin, they'd finally gotten the approval.
They closed on the house finally and began the few issues they needed to deal with to make the house more accessible to Chris, and to fix the few known issues they'd found during the two inspections. While one of the three bathrooms were fine, Chris's en suite could be more open concept and have additional safety features, and the one for the master bedroom could use more space considering it was going to be shared by four grown men and their healthy sex lives. The pool also needed some minor tile work and updated to a salt water system.
Carlos was soon a little more busy, having been drawn into an investigation that had Athena on edge and Carlos silently furious, as they worked with detectives tracking a serial rapist.
Buck hated seeing the effect being on that task force was taking on Carlos and Athena. He got together with Bobby and planned out lunches and dinners they could make for their overworked and stressed out partners, as the days drug on. They quickly shifted to making things that could be shared with the other officers and detectives working the case, like pans of lasagna. Buck was proud of both of them for the job they were doing, but hated the fact that they needed to do it with a passion. Every time he delivered care packages he would glare at Hudson's picture, shutting out images of all the women that man had violated.
It had only taken TK visiting once for him to fixate on the lead detective. Buck would have been a little jealous over the mini interrogation, if TK hadn't spent the next three hours talking about how perfect the man would be for Josh.
Thinking about Ransone's answers, Buck decided he'd do a little questioning of his own once Athena and Carlos had more time. On the surface the man seemed great, but he was not going to let the man near Josh without a couple of character references from the people he loved and trusted. Josh had been through enough. Even now, he was dealing with the nightmare that was Greg, debating if he was strong enough to face the man again. Buck didn't push the issue, but he knew in the end Josh would do it, if only for his own piece of mind.
The run away balloon they'd chased down had brought up melancholy memories of Abby, but he looked around the cab of the truck at two of his three loves and just sent out a wish to the universe that she was happy and healthy wherever she might be now. God knows he was.
The 118 had been hopping from the moment the power dropped, practically a record number of car wrecks when lights dropped and left people at intersections unable to wait their turn or comprehend that no light doesn't mean they have the right of way.
They had gone from call to call worn out by the end of the shift, when Maddie's voice came over the air about an officer in distress. They all froze a moment, particularly Buck and Chim who could hear the shake in Maddie's voice, hidden by professionalism to most everyone who didn't know her so well.
When they confirmed Athena's call sign, their patient was sent off and they rushed to the engine, cramming in as the radio was turned to channel 2 instead of following orders. The engine was filled with the meaty thumps and grunts of Athena fighting for her life. The shot and then silence had them all holding their breath, waiting and hoping to hear Athena, but there was nothing, but silence.
When the engine arrived it was surrounded by cruisers as officers poured in to render aid. Bobby was cold with fury as he jumped from the truck and pulled the fire axe. Eddie pulled the two tools left in that compartment, while TK grabbed two from a separate one. Eddie stormed after Bobby, passing a haligan to Buck, while TK passed his extra off to Chim.
They all followed their captain into the building, even as officers called out that the building wasn't clear, and there was obviously no fire, except the one in the heart of the 118, burning like ice as they rushed in.
Hen stood at Bobby's shoulder, the rest of the team falling in behind, as Bobby looked down on the cuffed and bloodied man, hands tightening on the axe handle. Only the call from an officer further down the hall stayed his hand. That same officer, Williams, wisely, secured Athena's weapon, even as the paramedics rushed towards her. TK, further down the hall, looked down at the cuffed man, and at where he'd been shot and stepped back, out of the way when Detective Ransone rushed in followed by Carlos.
When Ransone called for aid for the downed man, and Nash said he could wait, Carlos noted TK stepping back behind Buck and Eddie, and suggested they might want to get a different unit called in. The 118 was far to close to this scene, as their very presence signified.
Athena was rushed to the hospital, and everyone else with the exception of Bobby rushed to get back to the station to clear for the next shift, and rush to the hospital.
Carlos and Detective Ransone were busy for a few more hours finishing off their shift and making sure the scene, including Hudson's storage locker, were properly processed. Both of them wanting every nail in the bastard's coffin they could manage.
TK, Buck and Eddie went to the hospital in the morning, leaving Carlos sleep. Hen and Chim both went home, planning on coming to the hospital for the next shift of sitting by Athena's bedside. Buck was nearly in tears at the sight of Athena's injuries. Horror at what she'd suffered fought with gratitude that she'd survived and rage at the monster who'd hurt her so badly.
They set up a decent rotation, keeping in mind that Bobby was spending every night in a roll away by her side, they made sure she didn't have to spend a lot of down time, where she could wallow in dark thoughts and dark memories. Buck also scheduled time when he could do prep work and put together a few meals simple enough that even the kids could make on their own, if need be.
Athena healed and the crew tried to move past it.
Buck took a stack of pans over to Bobby and Athena's and heard some racket going on. There were hoots and grunts, then thwacks and the clatter of something breaking and falling. Juggling his pans he let himself inside, concerned. Bobby had stopped mid swing with a sledge hammer, peering up at him through safety goggles.
He took in the state of the fireplace, and then gaped at the two some more. They both looked like guilty kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
"Don't tell Athena." The two of them said in near unison, and Buck lost it. He quickly sat down the food, and then sat down on the top of the stairs hard and laughed like a crazy person while the two of them looked on in concern.
When they stepped towards him, he held up his hand, wiping the tears flowing down his eyes with the other hand, still giggling. "I'm okay, promise. It... it just hit me, is all. The two of you scared of her kicking both your asses for this, and it just hit me. She's gonna be okay. I just... since we heard that shot until just now, I don't think it registered that she wasn't dead. I mean I knew, obviously I knew, but I didn't know, you know?" Strangely enough both men seemed to follow his line of thinking and just nodded.
Micheal held up a sledge hammer, and a pair of safety glasses. "You want a go?"
"You just wanna make sure I can't go tattling." Buck said, with a smile.
"Is that a no?" Bobby asked.
"Hell, no, that wasn't a no, give me that thing." He passed the stack of food to Bobby and then slipped on the safety glasses and swung with all his might.
With Buck's help they actually finished the demo, and ended up eating the pan of lasagna Buck brought over for dinner. Micheal got to work, designing a new fireplace, while Buck and Bobby carted the old one out in a wheel barrow.
The call came in for a mass casualty event and the slow small panics gave way to professionalism. Buck put a bug in Bobby's ear about having Mateo help him with running their part in set up and logistics. The man had thrived in that area in the dust storm, and with the sheer amount of insane emergencies this city saw, the more people versed in that area the better and safer everyone would be. When some one could calmly direct people and patients like he had, that skill needed to be encouraged. Who knows, in a few more years Mateo might be scene commander.
They arrived and took one look at the twisted mess of train cars and got to work. When Buck heard Eddie trying to calm down a freaked out passenger, he headed in that direction. He didn't expect to be the one to feel like he'd been run over by the train.
Something in Eddie's voice, something in the voice he was talking to, drew Buck towards them. He stopped and pulled his helmet off, confused, wondering if he was really seeing her, here, after all this time. He turned to Eddie, almost asking if she was really there, but remembering Eddie had never seen Abby. So instead he stood there, staring. Both of them were drawn to his unnatural stillness in the smoke filled night.
"Hey, you okay?" Eddie asked.
At the same time Abby spoke. "Buck?"
"Yeah." He said, answering both of them at once. Then his mind kicked back in and he realized that yes it was Abby and if she was here, she'd been in the train wreck. "Hey, are you... You were on the train, we need to get you checked out. TK!" He called out turning to look around for him.
Abby was pulling away though. "No, I'm fine. I just... I need to get back in there, I need to find somebody!"
"Look, we'll find em, you just need to tell us who, we'll go inside-"
"My Fiance!" They both froze for a moment, and then TK rushed up beside him. "He fell asleep and I went to the bar car."
"TK, this is Abby, we're gonna go look for her fiance, but could you take a look at her for me?" TK nodded and Abby looked ready to protest when Eddie jumped back into the conversation.
"What's he look like?" She pulled her phone out and showed them the screen. "We were in that top car, all the way in the back."
"What's his name?" Buck asked.
"Sam. His name is Sam Egan." She said, quietly, looking at Buck with wide sad eyes. "Thank you, Buck."
He could feel TK looking at him, questions in his eyes, and he just shook his head. There'd be time enough to deal with everything after they did their jobs. "We'll find him, Abby. We'll do everything we can, I promise."
He nodded at the two of them and then turned, catching Eddie's eye to let him know his head was in the game, with another nod, and then they turned and rushed towards the upended train car.
They worked their way up the train car, finding only bodies, until they got to the top, only to find Sam was pinned in place, and then find out it had become an either or situation. Beyond any care for Abby, the man had kids, and the promise of one more death in the face of the bodies they'd passed was one body too much.
Buck floated his idea about rappelling down the outside and cutting the girl out, giving them both a chance, but Bobby stood firm, citing the risk he'd be in if the car fell. Buck was gearing up to argue, more than a little convinced Bobby's denial was a trauma response, triggered by his own injuries earlier in the year, and Athena's recent near death. He almost said something he'd regret, frustrated with what came across as a lack of faith in Buck's abilities, when he got a flash of inspiration, remembering TK and Eddie's leapfrog through a minefield.
"Cap, what if we get the ladder truck as close as possible and extend it up. I can repel down from that instead of the train car. If it goes, I push off and let it fall."
Bobby took a moment or two to mentally work through the logistics before nodding. "So long as they get the truck close enough, that should work. I'm going to send TK up to help with the guy, I'll get the truck in position, you get geared up and up that ladder."
Plan in place they moved quickly and were able to pull out both of them, alive and with a fighting chance. Tk and Eddie pulled Sam out, and Abby thanked the three of them before climbing into the ambulance with him.
"Are you okay?" Eddie asked, quietly.
Buck gave him a bittersweet smile. "I owe her so much, both good and bad, but yeah, I'm great." He pulled Eddie into a side hug, nodded at TK and then jogged back into the frey, looking for more people to help.
They finished with the scene and Bobby caught Buck's eye, then nodded in Mateo's direction and nodded again at Buck, letting him know the probie had done a good job with site management. Buck smiled and nodded, before boosting a tired TK up into the cab of the engine. There was a lot of clean up left at the site, and search and rescue would be looking for remains, but the 118's part of the cleanup was done.
He smiled at Eddie and TK and was glad they were going home once they returned to the station. Seeing Abby had been a lot, but he was beyond happy with his life, so while a part of him was hurt by her leaving, and by her disregard, another part of him had to be thankful, because he knew, had she not fell out of his life, the three men he'd come to love so fiercely wouldn't have fallen into it.
He spent the next day or so appreciating his boys, from the oldest to the youngest, realizing how different his life could have been, if only God had answered a prayer he'd made a hundred if he'd made it once. Maybe fate and the universe knew more than one Evan Buckley, and he was humbled to acknowledge that fact, grateful someone or something had looked out for him.
When the call from Abby showed up on his phone, he answered with an ease and warmth Buck from a year ago would be stunned by. "Hey, Abby. How's Sam doing?"
"He's... he's doing really good, thanks to you. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you were there and able to... able to help." There was a carefulness to her voice, as if she was watching every word afraid of breaking him, and while he appreciated it, it wasn't needed, not anymore.
"It's my job, but you know you can always count on me to help a friend." He said warmly. "I hope we can still be that, and I'm so glad you found what you were looking for."
"Buck... I..." She was at a loss.
"Abby, it's okay. You needed to get out into the world, to learn to live again, and I'm happy for you. I'm happy for me too, seeing you really brought home how lucky I am. I'm in a great relationship with people I love, I'm helping raise the best kid in the world, and I have a job I love. We were great, and being with you helped me be the man I am today, and I finally realized despite how we ended, you and me and our time together isn't something I regret, despite the way we ended. It put me on the path to where I am now, and I wouldn't trade that for anything, and I hope you and Sam, and his girls... the life you're building in Arizona... I hope that is the same thing for you. That you found your home and your people." He said smiling out at Chris and Buttercup playing in the yard.
"I did and they are. I'm happy for you too, Buck. I owe you so much and I want to apologize for how things ended between us, even if it worked out for the best."
Buck was sitting with the rest of the Grant-Nash family, holding one side of a big sign, ready to raise it up, with Harry holding the other side, once May's graduation ceremony was concluded. He was so proud of her, and pleased to be included. He glanced at Athena, and struggled to stuff the rage at Hudson back into its tiny little box in his mind, and think on the joy of the day instead.
They were going to a nice family dinner, tonight and then this weekend there was a big bash planned for family and friends at the house. Eddie had an end of the year school thing with Chris, and Carlos and TK had tentative plans with Owen. Buck hoped the day worked out for TK's sake. At least Owen was trying to rebuild their relationship.
When the class was announced everyone stood and cheered and he and Harry jumped up and waved the glitter covered poster board that congratulated May, probably spreading glitter far and wide in their enthusiasm. He caught Bobby's eye for a moment, and they shared a look, both so proud of being included in this family, even if Buck's status wasn't actually official.
TK and Carlos had spent the day visiting with Owen, and then helping out with clean up at the 126. The inspectors had finally cleared it for safe access and if the city was going to take forever on the repairs, well they had plenty of capable people who could at least do a proper clean up, and attempt to salvage what was important.
The news from Billy that there was a push to phase out the 126, and reintegrate them into other houses, was met with a fury. Owen was quick to point out the slow response time for the fire at Carlos and TK's place, and how it showed a need for the 126. Billy agreed, but ultimately it wasn't just his decision, so time spent with Owen turned into Billy and Owen strategizing as Owen looked over his own damning proposal and tried to find a way to make the repairs needed to reopen the 126, and her operational costs fiscally viable for the city.
TK shared a glance with Judd at the closeness between Billy and his dad. He shook his head and got back to work. His dad had a long history of enjoying contentious partners, and by the looks those two had been sharing, well history was right on course.
Eddie wished he'd taken at least one of his guys up on the offer to join him at this stupid thing. Chris was having fun and that was the only thing that really mattered, honestly, but Eddie had reached the end of his ability to people. Carla usually acted as a buffer between him and the teachers and parents, but she'd had a family thing. Buck would have been out, just on the timing with May's graduation, but TK and Carlos could have visited with Owen anytime, or quite frankly never, so far as Eddie was concerned.
Ms. Flores approached him, smile beaming. He tried to smile back, but figured it had to look like a grimace at this point. Still, Chris seemed to like her, and he could strive for polite at least.
"Ms. Flores." He said, nodding at her, when she reached out and took his hand in hers, not to shake it, but it seemed, just to hold onto it, in both of hers.
"Mr. Diaz. How are you? I'm going to miss having Chris in my class next year, he's been such a delight to know." She said, somehow not noticing the way he was trying to retrieve his hand, while she smiled and batted her eyes.
"Oh, I've been doing good. Chris and the rest of our family just bought a house."
Her smile seemed to sharpen. "Oh, really? So you've moved your family in with you?"
"Yes, it took the four of us awhile to find a house to accommodate all our needs. I mean finding a bedroom with closet space and a big enough bathroom to handle four large men at once, was... well difficult, you know?"
"F-four large men?" She asked, smile frozen.
"Oh, yes, me and my three boyfriends. For the longest time we've been split between three houses, and just figured between the fire and the end of Buck's lease that it was time to invest into our future. I can honestly say I don't regret it for a second. Having everyone under the same roof has been wonderful. Oh, here comes Chris, its been nice catching up, Ms. Flores, but I think we're going to be on our way."
He noticed she seemed rather quiet as he left.
The five of them had a great time at May's graduation party, watching amused as Micheal preened over the new fireplace design, while still crediting his great 'crew'. Athena, who'd spent the first half of the week grumbling about it, admitted she loved the updated look, and was pleased about the work all her boys put into it, with even Harry having layed a brick or two, just so he could say he had a hand in.
As a treat to May they did a couple boy band hits at karaoke, including End of the Road, by graduate demand. As a group they splurged for a nice weekend spa holiday for May and Athena, plus a card with a nice chunk of cash went into the pile as well. They were a little concerned when Maddie and Chim vanished in a rush, but when they returned flushed and all smiles, Buck decided he didn't want to know... until they announced to the room that they were pregnant.
He was quick to give Maddie a careful hug, and congratulate them both, with a playful growl at Chim, before giving him a heartfelt hug. He was incredibly glad he and Chim had worked through their issues, even if he and Maddie were still being a little too careful of each other.
A few days later the four of them saw Chris onto the bus for summer camp. They waved and hollered, and generally made menaces of themselves to keep Eddie and Buck, who were taking it the hardest, in good spirits. There was a feeling of being stared at, and Eddie turned around to look, noticing Ms. Flores quickly turning her head away. Huh... weird.
The four of them had plans that night to eat at a nice restaurant that Athena had let slip, was to be the first date for Micheal and the man he'd met during his recovery, David. Honestly, none of them expected any issues, but after the last few months why risk it, besides it wasn't like eating a nice dinner while keeping an eye on a friend was a hardship.
Thankfully the date went exceptionally well, and aside from Micheal sending them a nice bottle of wine as a snarky little 'caught you.' the night was good fun. The rest of the evening, was a success too. Many times, in many ways.
