Every Breath You Take (I'll be watching you…)
Summary: Buddie fic. Mysterious gifts start appearing at the firehouse for Buck from a secret admirer, but as the gifts get progressively more sinister and the 118 grow increasingly worried, they must uncover the mystery before someone close to them gets seriously hurt, or worse. Protective!Eddie. Established Buddie relationship. Follows on from Turning Point but can be read as a standalone.
Disclaimer: I do not own 9-1-1 or anything associated with the show.
Author Notes: Thank you for reading! I love writing these characters so much.
Set after season 6.
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Chapter 4
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"Can't they arrest him?" Maddie questioned.
In an attempt to keep some form of control, Buck had decided not to cancel their dinner date, arriving with Eddie shortly before seven as Chimney had rushed off to pick Maddie up. They had filled her in on everything over the course of the night, or at least Eddie and Chimney had. Buck couldn't quite seem to put it into words. He was still having trouble comprehending it all. He was no stranger to attention and compliments, but all of this went well beyond that.
"Wouldn't do them any good," Chimney answered, picking up a fry from his plate as he did so. "They don't have any evidence to hold him on."
"Yet," Eddie added, firm, his hand squeezing Buck's slightly as he said it.
The small gesture could have been seen as a one of reassurance, but Buck could see the darkness in Eddie's eyes, the cold and calculated anger. Keeping a tight hold of Buck was as much for his benefit as it was for Buck's, and as Buck returned the gentle squeeze and saw Eddie somewhat visibly relax, he knew he was right. The touch was keeping Eddie grounded.
"But Athena said they're looking into him, right?" Maddie had barely touched her food, picking at it only mindlessly.
Her eyes kept wandering to Buck periodically throughout the night, and he felt himself squirm under the scrutiny. He wanted to play it off, pretend that it didn't bother him, but the thoughts circling his mind kept dragging him back into silence. The only reason his own plate was almost empty was that it gave him something to focus on.
He barely even realised he was lost inside his own thoughts again, the conversation washing over him, unheard, until Eddie's voice break through, concern lining it as he attempted to catch Buck's gaze, holding it firm once he finally did.
"Buck? You okay?" Eddie questioned, even though they all knew the answer was very clearly no.
Buck cleared his throat and forced a small and strained smile, gently freeing himself from Eddie's grip and pushing away from the table. "I, er, I'm going to get some air..."
He was moving away before any of them had a chance to speak, and though he heard the scraping of chairs, it was only Eddie's presence he felt following.
"Just give them a minute," he heard Chimney say, gentle and kind, and he imagined him to be guiding Maddie back into her seat.
Eddie waited until they were outside before he grabbed Buck's arm, bringing him to a halt and forcing him to turn around and stare down into those deep brown eyes of his. "Buck… Just slow down a minute."
"Eddie, I…" he started, trying to get his thoughts in order, but the words fell away from his lips as he caught sight of the reflection in the window behind Eddie. He spun around and swallowed hard, his body stiffening.
"Well, if it isn't Evan Buckley. What are the chances of running into you here?" Shawn Harris stood there, his grin wide and eyes alight with something akin to devilish intent.
Before Buck had a chance to react, Eddie was moving, brushing past him and toward Shawn, pushing him firmly in the chest and forcing him back a step.
"You're a real twisted freak, you know that?" Eddie growled out, but Shawn seemed more amused than fazed by Eddie's anger.
"Looks like your boyfriend has a bit of bite there, Buckley."
"Oh, you want bite-" Eddie started, only to be cut off by Buck.
"Eddie, Eddie," Buck pushed out, gripping Eddie and working his way between him and Shawn. Jaw tight, he shook his head as he held Eddie's gaze and moved his hands to Eddie's shoulders, pleading silently with him.
He was so focused on calming Eddie down that he didn't even register the sound of the restaurant door opening, or the gentle rush of air that breezed past him, until he heard the thwack of skin and bone and swung around in time to see Maddie staring pointedly at Shawn as she cradled her fist.
"Stay away from my brother."
Shawn let go of a scoff as he rubbed at his jaw. "Or you'll report me to the principal again? This ain't high school anymore, and guess what, taking pictures ain't illegal."
Maddie looked ready to go again, but Chimney called her name and saddled up beside her, phone pressed against his ear. His jaw worked and he took a breath before looking directly at Shawn as he spoke into the phone. "Yes, Sergeant Grant, please."
Shawn held his hands up and slowly started backing away, but the smirk stayed on his lips, growing as he looked Buck in the eye. "I'll see you around, Evan."
Buck felt numb, like an outsider looking in at himself and everyone else, aware of what was going on around him but unable to interact with it. Aware of Chimney finishing up his call to Athena, and Maddie shaking her hand and rubbing at her knuckles, and Eddie… Eddie was a powder keg, the only thing keeping him from darting after Shawn being the firm physical connection of Buck's hands.
"Does it usually hurt this much?" Maddie questioned as Chimney moved to check on her hand.
"A punch with that much power behind it? Oh yeah," Chimney breathed out, turning her hand gently. "We should get some ice on this. It'll help with any bruising and swelling." Then he held his hands up and lowered his head slightly at the raised eyebrow he received from Maddie. "Sorry, sorry… Force of habit."
"Maddie," Eddie spoke up after another moment, drawing Buck's attention to him once more. "What did he mean by pictures?"
Maddie looked to Buck briefly, but her gaze dropped when he looked back. She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out, prompting Buck to take a step closer to her.
"Mads?"
"They found them in his locker. He'd been developing them at school. I got suspicious when I saw him hanging about near the house one night when I got off from work." She took a breath and stepped closer to Buck, meeting his gaze and holding it as she grabbed his hand. "It looked like he was just starting out. They didn't find anything extreme… just photos of you at school, in gym, walking home… They suspended him and then just over a week later, his family was moving away. I never thought we'd ever see him again. I never even told mom and dad. I always assumed you knew something, but I didn't dare ask how much."
It wasn't a time of his life that he dwelled on all that much, but Buck remembered it. He remembered Shawn following him around, asking him random questions, asking him about Maddie… when she was picking him up, whether he would be walking home instead. He remembered the uncomfortable feeling, the warning Maddie had given him. He always thought he was the one being protective when he started taking his bike to school and getting out early so Maddie didn't have to pick him up.
Her frustration and anger at him during that time made sense to him now, as did the creeping feeling he would get down his spine when he thought he was alone. He had never understood the look in Shawn's eyes, never understood the intent written there, until he had seen it again, now that he was older, more mature, and more aware of the way the world worked.
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Buck's silence on the ride home was no surprise to Eddie. Even the radio was turned down low, until Eddie had had enough and knocked it off completely. He wanted to comfort Buck, but at the same time, his own anger wanted to dive down into the darkness with him. When they parked up, Eddie was already unbuckled and opening his door before he realised the engine was still running and Buck had yet to undo his own seatbelt.
"Buck?" Eddie questioned, gently closing the door again and turning to look at Buck.
Buck's fingers tightened on the steering wheel and Eddie could see his Adam's apple visibly move as he swallowed hard. He said nothing, despite his jaw working, his gaze flicking down a moment before returning to stare straight ahead.
"What's going on?" Eddie shifted so he was facing Buck fully. "Talk to me."
"He followed me, Eddie," Buck finally said, the words barely there. "He was there."
"Next time, he won't be so lucky."
But Buck shook his head. "I still have about a month on my apartment before the lease runs out. I think I should stay there for a while."
"No," Eddie answered immediately, "you're not."
Hands falling away from the steering wheel, Buck met Eddie's gaze, the raw emotion there turning his eyes red. "I'm not safe to be around right now. Wherever I go, he's going to follow me. How can I stay here, knowing you and Chris could be next?"
"And you think you'll be better off alone? Locked away in an empty apartment?"
"This isn't about me."
"Yes, it is."
"Eddie…"
Eddie let go of a low growl and surged forward, not giving Buck the chance to react. He twisted the keys and turned off the ignition before pulling them free and quickly pocketing them. "You're an idiot. You think I'm going to let you make yourself an easy target for this guy? He's going to mess up and when he does, they'll get him. So, you're stuck with me, Buck. Whether you like it or not."
Thinking back, Eddie knew it was because of this conversation that when Friday morning came and he went to collect the mail, he quickly shoved the envelope that simply read 'Evan Buckley' into his pocket and plastered a half smile on his face before returning to the kitchen. He said nothing of it, hell, he even tried not to think about it, but he swore he could feel every inch of it every time he moved. It taunted him as they readied themselves for the day and dropped Chris off at school, practically screaming at him the whole drive to the firehouse.
It wasn't that Eddie was hiding it from Buck. He was just trying to figure out the best way to approach it. That was what he kept telling himself. Watching Buck going at it with the punching bag, seeing the anger and frustration lining Buck's features, he didn't want to add to the turmoil of emotions wrapped up inside of Buck. But by the time afternoon rolled around and Athena turned up with Detective Romero, Eddie knew he couldn't avoid it any longer.
He lingered a little behind Buck as they retreated to the loft to hear the update from Athena, and pulled the envelop free, toying with it as he listened. They had found the body of Galloway, the drunk man with the missing finger, and they were now waiting on the toxicology report.
"And Harris?" Chimney questioned.
"We haven't been able to locate him," Romero answered.
"He went off the grid shortly after the incident at the restaurant," Athena added. "He knows we're onto him. Hasn't shown up for work, hasn't used his cards. Even his cell record is clear for the past day and a half."
"Which means what?" Hen narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, studying Athena carefully.
"Either he's going on the run…"
"Or?"
"He's planning something…" Eddie muttered under his breath, the envelope suddenly feeling incredibly heavy in his grip. He swallowed hard and pushed forward, holding out the envelope for Athena to take. "I found this at the house this morning."
"Eddie…" Buck breathed out, and Eddie found himself unable to look at him, fearing the pain and betrayal he might see on his face.
Athena's lips thinned as she looked over the envelope before passing it to Romero, who had pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket. He opened it gently, no doubt attempting to preserve whatever evidence he could, and removed what looked to be a photograph from inside.
"What is it?" Chimney asked, trepidation in his voice.
"More like who…" Romero answered.
"Another victim?"
But Athena shook her head and took the photo with a folded-up glove and held it up, looking between it and Buck a couple of times before speaking. "How old did you say you were when you first knew Harris?"
"I don't know, fifteen? Sixteen?" Buck frowned as he answered.
"And Maddie said they found photos in his locker?"
Eddie didn't wait for the answer before surging forward and taking the photo from Athena. There was no doubt in his mind that he was looking at a teenage Buck crossing the street with his bike, the photo clearly taken from a safe distance and blown up to fill more of the photo paper. He wasn't sure what disturbed him more, how unaware the teenage Buck was in the black and white photo, or the smudge near the edge that looked a little too much like blood for Eddie's liking.
But when he turned it over and looked to see the writing on the back, fresh and sharp, he had his answer.
"One day you will thank me."
"This is proof it's him, right?" Chimney spoke up, rounding the table so he could look at the photo from beside Eddie. "This is evidence."
"Not enough to charge him," Athena answered, solemn and low.
There was silence for a moment, before Buck spoke up, his gaze downcast. "What about if you had a confession?"
Hen let go of a light snort. "I don't think he's dumb enough to confess to the cops when he's been smart enough to cover up his tracks so far."
At that, Buck looked up and his eyes met Athena's. "What about me? Would he confess to me?"
Bobby leaned forward, placing his palms on the tabletop as he shook his head at Buck. "No, Buck. No. I don't like it. I don't even want you in the same room as this guy, never mind actually talking to him."
If Bobby hadn't said as much, Eddie would have, but in the silence that followed, Athena carefully watching Buck, it seemed she and Romero were actually considering it.
"No…" Hen spoke up, rising from her seat to stalk forward. "Athena, no… You're not actually thinking about it, right?... Right?"
"It doesn't matter anyway," Chimney said, attempting to placate her and Bobby in Athena's silence. "We don't even know where he is, so it's a non-starter. You can't get a confession from someone you can't even find."
"Unless…" Athena said, her gaze unwavering as she watched Buck, no doubt attempting to get a read on him.
"We let him find me," Buck finished for her.
"Buck," Eddie breathed out, already moving toward him.
"He came to the house, Eddie," Buck answered, and there was anger in those blue eyes of his, but Eddie knew the anger was not directed at him. "It's me he's after and if I can help make sure no one else gets hurt, I need to do this."
"It would be dangerous," Athena spoke up, but her tone didn't suggest she was trying to dissuade Buck. If anything, it seemed as if she was judging how willing he was to make himself the target.
"Then it's not happening," Bobby answered, looking between Buck and Athena.
Eddie swung his hand out to motion Bobby, his eyes on Buck, hoping he would understand the 'even Cap agrees this is a bad idea'. But Buck pushed up from his seat and came to stand in front of Eddie, gently grabbing his other hand.
"I've got to do this, Eddie."
"No, you don't. You really don't."
"Eddie…"
Eddie shook his head. "No, Buck."
"What if he comes for Chris?"
Lips twisting up, Eddie turned his head away for a moment before glaring back at Buck, trying to fight the angry tears in his eyes as he all but snarled and pointed at Buck. "That's not fair. You can't…"
But Buck placed his hand on the back of Eddie's neck and leaned forward until their foreheads met, closing his eyes and holding Eddie in that moment. "I have to."
And Eddie hated that. He hated how sure Buck sounded in that moment, he hated the determination in his voice and the calmness of his touch. He hated that he knew Buck had already made his mind up and that he wouldn't be able to change it.
"Buck," he breathed, one last hopeless plea.
Buck's other hand moved to gently cradle Eddie's cheek. "I'll be fine."
Except, that was one thing that Eddie couldn't be sure of and he hated that above everything else.
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A/N: More soon...