The church was quiet when he snuck back in, trying not to wake anyone. He didn't want the questions yet. He knew they would come, but he couldn't deal with them now. He wanted to stave them off until morning. It wasn't really any of their business anyways.

Most of the pews were empty. BBA, Steve, Jessie, Angie, and Buck were all sleeping on their own pews towards the front of the chapel. There were plenty of places he could choose to sleep, but as French chose his bed for the night, he couldn't help but be drawn towards the one closest to Buck. Buck. French looked down upon Buck's sleeping form. He didn't look restful in his sleep. He was sitting up, leaning against the back of the pew. His brow was scrunched together and he looked upset, as if having a bad dream. French resisted the urge to try and soothe him, not knowing how it would be received. Instead, he threw his jacket on the pew behind him and sat down to take off his shoes. He was a little sore from his earlier rendezvous, and he moved carefully.

Suddenly a buzzing sounds caught his attention. He froze, one shoe still on, and looked up at the mirror. He saw nothing amiss, but he could've sworn the buzzing was coming from that direction. He was approaching it before he even realized he had gotten up, hobbling over unevenly with his left shoe still on. But as he neared it, the sound went away. French watched the mirror for a moment longer before admonishing himself for buying into this whole "Rachel's ghost visiting them through a mirror" thing for even a second. He turned around and walked back towards his makeshift bed. Buck was shivering in the cold night air. If this old church had heat, they certainly didn't leave it on for their overnight guests. He grabbed Buck's coat from where it was hanging on the back of the bench and draped it over him, then sat on his own pew to finish taking his shoes off.

"French?" Buck asked sleepily.

French looked up to see Buck watching him with heavy-lidded eyes, looking half asleep.

"Yeah," French replied as he dropped his left shoe next to it's pair. "I didn't mean to wake you, go back to sleep."

But Buck ignored him, blinking at him sleepily over the back of the pew. "Where have you been?" He asked.

Though there was no accusation in Buck's voice, French suddenly felt guilty for leaving him. He knew it was silly, it's not like he left Buck all alone in this big church. The others were with him. But he should have been there too.

"Just out." Was his only response.

"Oh." He said. "We were worried." He sounded exhausted, and French felt another stab of guilt to have worried them. Steve and Jesse and Angie could shove it. But he hadn't meant to worry BBA or Buck.

"I'm fine. I'm here now." French said.

Buck nodded, looking down quietly and avoiding French's eyes. French knew Buck well enough to know that he had something he wanted to say, but either didn't know how to say it or wasn't sure he should.

"Buck?" French prodded, then waited until Buck met his eyes. "What's up?" He asked him gently.

Buck hesitated for a moment longer before saying in a rush of breath, "I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here. I know you don't believe me but I really did see her and we need you here with us." Then added, "I need you here."

His eyes were wet with tears and the sadness on his face broke French's heart. He didn't know what to say, so he just leaned forward and put his left hand on Buck's right shoulder. Buck grabbed his wrist and held it there, as if believing that French would pull away from him at any second, and squeezed his eyes shut against the tears.

"I miss her so much" Buck choked out as a few tears finally made their way down his face.

French wrapped his arms around Buck over the back of the pew and Buck in turn wound his arms over French's shoulders and around his neck, squeezing tight.

"I'm here." French told him gently. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." The back of the pew was pressing into his chest, but he ignored it.

Buck tucked his face into the crook of his neck, and as his body shook with sobs, French tried to maneuver them so he could be on the bench next to Buck. Buck tried to pull back self-consciously when he felt French moving away from him, but French quickly sat on the pew next to him and pulled the other boy back against his chest.

"They didn't even let me go to her funeral." Buck choked out quietly.

French heard a pew creak under one of their sleeping friends. "Shh," he soothed. "I know. I'm so sorry, Buck. I'm so sorry."

Finally, after what felt like hours to his aching heart but was probably only a few minutes, Buck's sobs quieted and the boy just stayed there shivering in his arms. After a moment of deliberation, briefly wondering what the others might think come morning before remembering that he didn't give a fuck, French grabbed Buck's jacket from where it had fallen on the floor and tucked it behind himself to serve as a pillow, then grabbed his own jacket from the pew behind them and laid it over Buck's shaking form. Buck again tried to pull away when French moved, as if he thought that French could possibly want to be anywhere else than right there, but he stopped pulling away when French draped the jacket over his back and wrapped his arms around him again, squeezing him tight for a moment in a hug before relaxing again. Then he laid back against his makeshift pillow, pulling Buck down with him. He kept his feet on the floor, and he knew he would regret the awkward angle of his back come morning, but then Buck tucked his feet up onto the bench with them and snuggled further into French's chest, fisting a hand in his shirt, he really couldn't bring himself to care. He would do anything to stay right there forever, and the thought was startling to him. He wouldn't be anywhere else in the world if it meant leaving Buck's arms. The realization was startling, yes, but it wasn't as scary as he thought it maybe should've been. He liked Buck. He liked him a lot, and he knew now that that feeling wasn't going to go away anytime soon, no matter how much he ignored it or pushed it down. He pushed the thoughts away. He was so tired, and for now he was just going to hold onto the boy he more-than-liked, and get some much needed sleep.

And if the next morning, he was suddenly all gung-ho to go to a medium to try and contact Rachel, well, what could he say? He didn't know if he truly believed what Buck saw, but he knew that Buck believed it. And if seeing this crazy physic wannabe would help Buck, well he was willing to try anything to keep Buck happy.