It started as a routine call. Then again, isn't that how everything starts?

"'Go into the hall of mirrors and find the dumbass duo,' Cap said. 'It'll be easy,' he said." Chimney groaned and kept his eyes closed as he tried to massage away the pounding in his head. "Yeah, tell that to my new migraine. The hell happened, anyway?"

There was a call to a carnival, Chimney remembered that. It was early in the evening and a car had crashed into the back of one of the attractions at the edge of the parking lot, the hall of mirrors. There were five people who had been inside the maze at the time and lacerations from shattered glass were the worst of the injuries. The driver of the car was extracted and taken to the hospital and that was that. They were just cleaning up, and Buck and Eddie hadn't come out of the mirror hall after being told to make sure there were no other injured parties in there.

So of course, Chimney had been sent in after them while Hen, Ravi, and Lucy helped Bobby finish up. He remembered picking his way through shattered glass and any mirrors that remained intact. He'd heard Eddie's voice, terrified and so unlike Eddie, yelling "Buck!" and Chimney had started running towards the sound as best he could. He didn't hear Eddie again, nor did he hear Buck reply, and that scared him. Chimney had reached where he thought the shout had come from and saw nothing unusual. He'd turned to continue searching, but then he thought he saw the reflection in one of the glass panes shift to reveal a flood of water and when Chimney stopped to really look at it, all he saw was his reflection.

"What is this?" he'd muttered, slowly stepping closer to the offending pane. The flash of water appeared again for a split second and Chimney hurriedly stepped back. "God, this is such a bad idea. Everything happens with mirrors. Gateways to trap evil, nothing good happens when magic is mixed with mirrors. No. No, I'm leaving."

And Chimney had turned to do just that, but when he'd walked through one of the broken frames… He didn't remember what came next. He'd blacked out or something and when he came to, everything around him felt… off.

Face twisted in a grimace, Chimney slowly blinked his eyes open.

Buck's loft.

He was in Buck's loft.

Which should have been impossible, because he was just in a hall of mirrors, on a call at a carnival. And now he was in his civvies, in Buck's loft and it was darker than it should have been outside. Chimney had the migraine to justify being knocked unconscious and waking up a day later, but he was standing in Buck's kitchen feeling much more aware than he would if he were just waking up.

Buck was standing in front of him, dressing in civilian clothes too. He didn't look confused. No, he looked distressed and—

Oh.

Shit.

Chimney remembered this. This was when he punched Buck. He felt horrible for that. Buck looked even more upset than Chimney remembered too.

"Damn it, not this moment again," Chimney muttered, already stepping back.

Buck's brows shot up and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're stuck too, huh?"

Chimney's jaw dropped slightly, because this was not how it was supposed to happen but he still blurted, "Stuck?"

Buck's lips thinned and his shoulders sagged in relief. "Uh, yeah. I think so, anyway." He moved past Chimney towards the fridge where he pulled out two beers. "Call at the carnival?"

"Yeah." Chimney frowned, taking the bottle once Buck had popped the cap. "Cap sent me in to find you and Eddie. One of the glass panes is acting weird, so I go to retreat. Then I black out and now I'm… somehow here. Again. Wait, are we in Groundhog Day?! Is this a time loop?!"

"This is your first one then?" Buck smiled wryly. "I've relived two other bad memories before this. First time someone else was aware of it though. It's not so much a time loop as a time knot, I guess, and it sucks ass."

Chimney gaped as he realized, "I saw the tsunami in the glass. That was— For a second, there was a flood of water in the reflection and I heard Eddie screaming your name, I— If he's stuck too, he's reliving the tsunami."

Chimney realized after that that might not have been the best thing to voice out loud, because Buck looked even more upset. Of course, Chimney should have known that would happen, and he did know, but he hadn't realized quick enough.

"Uh, when does the loop change?" Chimney asked awkwardly, trying to steer the conversation away from the sore topic.

Buck lifted one shoulder in a weak shrug and took a long sip from his bottle. "I don't really think there's any pattern to it. Not yet, anyway. I watched Eddie get shot again and that loop changed as soon as we were on the way to the hospital. Then I had that fight in the grocery store, and it changed right as I got home, so—"

"You've been stuck for hours already?!" Chimney nearly screeched. "I saw you ten minutes ago at the carnival and it's been hours for you?!"

"Well, yeah, I guess—"

"No. No, not acceptable. Don't you dare try and tell me you're doing alright. Get your ass over here, Buckley, before I physically drag you into a hug because I know you need one."

Buck opened his mouth to protest, but then something in his resolve crumbled and he collapsed against Chimney, finally giving in to the exhaustion. A tired whimper broke past his lips and Chimney did his best to wrap his arms around Buck's wide shoulders and tall frame.

"I'm scared, Chim," Buck whimpered, and just from what was already said, Chimney understood that. "I don't want to be stuck in this forever."

"We won't be, Buck." Chimney tried to sound confident but that was hard when adrenaline was already bubbling beneath his skin. "We'll figure this out."

"But what if…" Buck trailed off, biting at his lip. "We need a code. A code word or something so that we know if anyone else is stuck too. If Bobby sends anyone else into the mirror house—"

"Oh, fuck."

"Exactly. Just changing what we did the first time is enough to let others know, apparently, but a code word is a quick and easy way to ensure it."

Chimney nodded in agreement. "I like the sound of that. What about Groundhog Day?" Buck gave him a blank stare and Chimney defended, "It's simple!"

Buck rolled his eyes. "Fine. Groundhog—"

The world tilted suddenly. Chimney threw his arms out for balance but it didn't help. Someone shook the snow globe of the universe and everything around him melded into a dizzying display of colour and bright lights. Chimney closed his eyes as the world threw itself around. Somewhere, he heard Bobby's voice yelling but then it was gone and the familiar weight of his turnout gear settled on his shoulders.

Slowly, gravity chose a direction to face and the movement settled. When Chimney peeked his eyes open, he found himself standing on a roof. It was dark outside. Fire crackled under him, and Chimney knew what this was.

He looked around, dread and panic already filling him. Smoke filled the air and noise filled the night. The woman was already outside, standing that short distance away over that treacherously weak section of the roof. Chimney needed to do something. Yank her away or take Kevin's place and sacrifice himself. He needed to do something. It was already too late though, because Kevin was moving by the time Chimney pinpointed what second it was.

"Kevin, no!"

Kevin disappeared and the world shattered again. With tears in his eyes, Chimney swore he was going to throw up next time. It felt like a roller coaster, but then his feet hit the ground and everything suddenly stopped. Headlights were the first thing he saw. Oncoming headlights and Chimney cursed loudly as he swerved the car he was suddenly driving and pulled over to get a grip of where—and when, and wasn't that an idea?—he was this time.

He took a deep breath, then took another when the first one was too shaky for his liking. Chimney wiped furiously at his eyes only for the tears to be replaced. He could still smell the smoke. He curled his lip in both anger and pain because he hated having Kevin's death brought back up like that. Reliving Kevin's death felt so wrong and… and filthy, in a way. He missed Kevin, he did, but reliving the memory didn't feel right or natural. It was… slimy. He hated it.

Chimney pursed his lips. There was nothing he could do about it. He needed to figure out where he was, and what to do.

It was still dark outside. He was sitting in a car—his car—along a stretch of highway. He didn't recognize where he was but then there was a little gurgle in the backseat and everything fell into place. Jee-Yun warbled in her carseat, sleepy and just waking up. Chimney turned the car off and maneuvered his way into the backseat. Jee-Yun giggled happily, reaching little hands out for him. Tired as he was, Chimney couldn't say no to her.

He settled in the empty space next to the carseat and pulled Jee-Yun into his arms. He was exhausted from everything and Kevin's death was still fresh in his mind, but Jee-Yun didn't deserve having to deal with the fallout of that. Chimney didn't know exactly when he was, and he was too exhausted to form a guess, but that didn't matter.

It was quiet. There weren't many other cars on this highway and it was… peaceful. Not exactly the place where Chimney would want to be, but there wasn't anything alarming either. It was just him and Jee-Yun.

"What do you think, Jee?" Chimney murmured, cuddling her close. "I'm stuck in some sort of time knot, Uncle Buck and Uncle Eddie are stuck too, and I have no idea how to get out."

"Bwuh," Jee-Yun replied solemnly.

Chimney chuckled softly. "Precisely. You're such a good listener. If I ever get out of this, I'll be sure to give you all the hugs and kisses."

He blew a raspberry on her chubby little cheek and Jee-Yun squealed happily, giggling wildly. Chimney smiled slightly, remembering the way Jee-Yun had babbled the first time around. She didn't deserve being cooped up, driving for weeks at a time without the comfort of home. She didn't deserve that, but that's what Chimney had put her through.

He sighed heavily. He had no idea how long he would stay in this loop. He could start heading back to LA, but there was no way to tell if that would leave any effect when—he tried hard to not think of it as if—he got out of the time screw up. He had no idea if anything he changed would last, and that was a scary thought. Buck and Eddie were stuck too, and he didn't put it past either of them to change something, where purposely or by accident. Would he remember what happened the first time and everyone else would remember the changed version?

Well…

Chimney carefully leaned forward to the front seat, being mindful of Jee-Yun in his arms as he reached for his phone in the cupholder. Whether it would last or not, he had to try because both Buck and Maddie at least deserved an apology. Jee-Yun babbled wordlessly, curiosity in her voice as she watched Chimney pull up Maddie's number.

He pressed the call button and the loop broke. It was just as dizzying as the first two times. There was no sound but there was a faint roaring in his ears regardless. It was like being sucked through a thin pipe, bones sliding over each other to squeeze through and it was the worst feeling Chimney had ever felt. He wasn't as nauseous, thank whatever god may be listening, but he still felt sick when shapes solidified around him this time.

Taking a slow breath to steady his stomach and his fear, Chimney started cataloging everything around him. He was still in a car. He was back in the driver's seat and his hands were on the wheel. It was still night time. There was something wet on his forehead and the driver's side door was missing and Bobby—

Fuck.

Fate really had it out for him, didn't it?

Chimney couldn't move his head. Bobby was crouched where he was the first time, at the side. Hen was in the passenger seat and Buck was leaning on the hood of the car on the cracked windshield. Chimney almost laughed, being here again, but the scared looks on the faces of his team stopped him. His eyes met Buck's, and the other man gave a terribly weak smile.

Please…

"Hey, Buck. You haven't happened to see the movie Groundhog Day lately, have you?"

Buck frowned in clear confusion. God, he really had been so young back then. They all had been. Buck hadn't grown into himself yet and Hen wasn't as wise as she was now. Over time, Eddie had learnt to understand emotion, Bobby grew to be synonymous with safety, and their family had truly become family. Back then… They hadn't had any idea what they would grow to mean to each other.

"No, I…" Buck floundered, at a loss. "I don't think so…? Is it any good?"

So Buck wasn't stuck here. Chimney let out a dry, disappointed huff and almost missed the stare Bobby had pinned him with. He frowned. Bobby didn't stare like that the first time, did he? Chimney had been fairly out of it but he's sure he would have noticed a stare like that. Bobby's eyes were wide, face pale in shock.

"Bobby?" Chimney implored, and the captain blinked.

Bobby shook his head as if to clear it, then refocused. "Yeah, uh… Hen, Buck, go get something to brace his neck and keep him from moving. Let's get him out of here." Chimney frowned—this was happening faster than the first time, right?—and once the other two were out of hearing range, Bobby went on, "You said Groundhog Day. Hen mentioned it was a code."

At that, a wry smile curled Chimney's lips. "You and Hen went into the mirror house, huh?"

"You didn't come out," Bobby returned. "I ordered Ravi and Lucy to call for back up if Hen and I didn't make it out either. What loop is this for you?"

"Uh, my fourth."

"This is my fifth. Hen mentioned that time is all knotted up. When I saw her back in my third loop, she was in her ninth loop, but she said she saw me in her second loop too, except it was my seventh loop then. It's going to get even more confusing, Chim."

"Wonderful."

Hen and Buck returned then, still worried and they couldn't exactly talk freely if Buck and Hen didn't understand. Luckily, it didn't take long to get the neck brace on and properly immobilize Chimney, and then they were on their way to the hospital. Bobby was in the passenger seat like he had been the first time, but they weren't scared this time. They knew what would happen. If Chimney had to go through the surgery again though, he was going to throw a fit.

"What?" Chimney asked when he saw Bobby biting back his words for the fourth time so far.

Bobby let out a heavy sigh. "I just… I'm sorry for this, Chim. I—"

"Wait, you're sorry? For what, sending me into the mirror hall of death? That's not your fault—"

"No, for the loop—"

"The loop?"

Bobby paused, brows furrowed. "The loops are memories you feel guilty over. You relive some of your worst moments."

"You relive your— Dammit, that makes sense…"

"Chim?"

"Yeah, I'm guilty, Bobby." Chimney sighed, feeling the panic creeping up on him. "I feel guilty over a lot of things, but what does that mean for how we get out? Do we relive every guilty moment we've ever had?"

In the corner of his eye, Bobby pursed his lips. "I don't know. I sincerely hope not, but we don't know how we got here in the first place..."

Chimney tried to nod, then stopped when he remembered his current predicament. "Have you seen Buck or Eddie? I know Buck's already been hit hard and I saw him in his third. Eddie, I saw a glimpse of the tsunami in one of the mirrors before I got stuck, I don't… This is gonna hit all of us hard, isn't it."

"Yeah." Bobby sounded so tired then, and Chimney knew that guilt was going to be everywhere. "I haven't seen either of them, but I did hear you before Hen and I got stuck. I heard you yelling for Kevin. Hen heard you say Groundhog Day. Whatever is in that mirror house… I have no idea."

Chimney scoffed. "You can say that again."

Bobby nodded with a scowl, then softened. "How are you doing so far, Chim?"

"Well, I've had better days."

A dry bark of laughter passed Buck's lips. "Yeah, same here… We'll get out somehow—"

Chimney was getting tired of the lack of warning before the loop changed. He was, fortunately, getting used to the spinning gravity though. He hadn't yet decided if closing his eyes made it worse or not. He didn't have to see the glitching colour around him, but closing your eyes while spinning was always worse than having your eyes open.

The world stopped spinning, but the mess of colour didn't go away. Chimney blinked a few times but the wild colours stayed. Hen was next to him, and the woman Chimney recognized as Lena Bosko was walking towards a room nearby, a sledgehammer in her grasp. That's when he noticed what he was wearing, and that's when he saw the sign.

Rage Room.

Chimney frowned. Did he feel guilty over this? The team had had a good time, he didn't think he felt guilty—

"Uh, hey guys."

Ah. That would be it. Chimney turned to see Buck walking over with Bobby. His hands were in his jean pockets, shoulders hunched inwards and head ducked. He looked so unsure that it became easy to see why Chimney felt guilty for this memory. It was a team bonding experience, and they'd left Buck alone. They'd left him alone and Lena had taken it upon herself to provide Buck with company.

Chimney definitely felt guilty for that. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, but Hen looked more understanding than Chimney remembered, and Bobby hadn't had his hand on Buck's shoulder the first time around, right? There was no way…

"Groundhog Day," Chimney blurted out, trying not to hope because all of them together seemed like too much.

But Buck's eyes widened, and so did Bobby's and Hen's. Buck and Bobby shared a look, then Bobby nodded.

"No way," Hen breathed, and Chimney almost laughed in relief.

And if it couldn't get any better, Buck's phone rang. They watched as he pulled the device out of his back pocket, his brow furrowing in confusion before a spark of hope flashed in his eyes.

Buck answered the call with a prompt, "Groundhog Day for you too?"

There was only one other person it could be then. Eddie was in the loop too. They were all there.