A/N: It's been quite the ride, thanks to everyone who has stuck it out with me! I may do a sequel at some point that would theoretically take place between the previous chapter and this epilogue, but I'm not making any promises… except that I will still be writing more fics, just not necessarily related to this one lol.
It had been a little over three months since they moved into their new apartment, and life had basically gone back to normal… well, their new normal, she supposed. It still felt strange to her sometimes – not having anyone to take care of – but in those times she tried to remember that she was taking care of herself now. It hadn't been easy in the beginning, but she was feeling much stronger and more self-sufficient these days. Buck had been amazing through it all, and she was incredibly grateful. He was always there when she needed him, but she could also count on him to be honest with her; she didn't always want to hear it, but he knew when she needed to. He had also figured out that she needed to be pushed sometimes. Occasionally she wondered if he had spoken to Matt about that, but she never asked.
She saw a therapist now. It had been Carla's idea. She had called her up shortly after returning home, and they met up once a week for coffee or drinks. One day Carla had handed her a business card for someone who had worked with the families of her clients before and suggested she give it a try. It was definitely helping. Buck was a great listener, but it was also nice to talk it out with someone who was removed from it. It provided a different perspective, and she had also learned some good coping strategies. One of those was her journal: another new thing she did now.
In addition to Carla, she also hung out with Hen and Athena too. They had sort of taken her under their wings and made sure she got out for some fun and girl talk. She suspected the idea had gone from Buck through Bobby to Athena, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter how it came about. She had started making some new work friends as well, though no one she saw outside of work just yet. But it was still nice to just spend lunch and coffee breaks with someone, or have someone come check on you when they know you took a tough call. She was back working full time, but she had cut back her hours. Now she had one and a half or two days off. As much as she loved her job, she wanted to be sure she didn't try to use it to fill the void in her life. She was taking some time for herself every week, whether she liked it or not.
On Buck's advice, she had started going to the gym with him a few days a week as well and was swimming again. She had forgotten how much she loved it, and she found it helped clear her head. Every so often he would come and time her, and she was pleased with her improvement so far. At first she had been a little dismayed with how out of shape she was, but once she let go of that and focused on just enjoying the workout, things had started to turn around. He had challenged her to a race last week and despite his obvious physical advantage, she hadn't been too far behind. She was fairly confident that in another month or two, she would be able to beat him.
They had also become cat owners recently, though she wasn't big on the idea at first. In her defense, they hadn't actually talked about getting cat, she just came home one day to find one sleeping on the couch beside a sheepish-looking Buck. He claimed it followed him home, which of course she didn't believe… until she heard the whole story, anyways. Apparently it wasn't entirely untrue. To his credit, he actually had texted her first and asked if she was allergic to cats, which in hindsight should have been a big red flag. She had to admit though: he was a pretty cool cat. And it was kind of nice to have someone come greet her at the door if she came home while Buck was still at work. Even if he only came to see her because he wanted food.
If you had asked her four months ago where she would be today, almost none of this would have been part of her answer. Actually, she's not sure she could have even answered that question. Her life had seemed so upside down and confusing then. She wasn't typically the kind of person who bought into things like "everything happens for a reason", but she couldn't help but speculate if she was meant to cross paths with Buck. She never would have pictured him in her life either, but she wasn't sure how she would have found her way through this without him. They were each exactly what the other needed and they came together at just the right time, and that seemed like a pretty big coincidence. Fated or not, they had somehow weathered everything together so far, and she wouldn't trade what they had for the world.
A/N: That's all, folks! Side note: the cat idea is actually from a video I saw on Facebook about "Flame the Firehouse Cat", if anyone else likes cat videos lol.