"Hi, I'm Ben Flores," A boy introduces himself to the new girl. She flushes but smiles. He's handsome. They were freshmen in high school.
"I'm Ana Vásquez. It's nice to meet you, Ben," Ben blushes shyly.
'Ana's really pretty,' Ben thinks.
"Do you want to go see a movie with me?" Ben asks. Ana brightens.
"Do you want to see 'The Sister Act'?" Ana asks, making Ben laugh.
"I would think that you would want to see something with romance," He says, and Ana laughs.
"Let's be friends first," Ana says, and Ben smiles. Agreeing. Halfway through the year, Ana and Ben started to date.
"What do you want to do for a career, An?" Ben asks his girlfriend. She's lying on top of him. The two are at Ben's place alone. His parents are consistently gone. They're getting good at Ana riding him.
"A teacher. I want to teach the younger generation. What about you, Ben?" Ana replies. She's drawing invisible shapes on his chest.
"I want to be in the Army. Make a career out of it. Once I'm eighteen, I'm going to join," Ben says. Ana looks up.
"Let's get married before you join," She says. Ben beams, kisses her, rolls her over, and shows her his love. Three years later, both eighteen, are at a small church, wearing white.
"Groom, you may now kiss your bride," The priest announces, and Ben pulls her close and kisses his wife. People cheer for them.
"Ana, this is Eddie Diaz. Eddie, this is my wife, Ana," Ben introduces his wife and good friend—both smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Ana. Ben is crazy about you," Eddie teases his friend, and Ben goes to his wife and pulls her close.
"She's my soulmate, Eddie. She's my person," He says, and Eddie smiles at them. Ana looks at Ben with love in her eyes.
"Ana, I'm so sorry," Eddie tells her. Sasha and Sonya are with him. They're comforting her as Ana cries. Eddie's heavily injured but wanted to be the one to tell Ana.
"What happened?" She asks, after calming down enough to ask. Eddie sighs.
"Mission gone wrong. Ben's MIA. Ana, I'm sorry," Eddie says. It's all he could say.
"Ana?" Eddie asks in a wondering tone. The woman looks at him.
"Eddie! How are you? You're Christopher's father?" Ana greets. Carla looks between the two. They know each other. Maybe Carla can get Eddie to date her.
"I'm good. Yes, Chirs is my son. How are you?" Eddie asks his friend. She smiles sadly at him.
"I'm doing okay. You are raising an amazing young boy. His reading and writing are above grade level. Whatever you've been doing, keep doing it," Ana says, and Eddie laughs.
"That's my partner. He's been helping Christopher since they met," Eddie says, and Carla sees Ana brighten.
"You have a partner? Is he good to you?" She asks. Eddie chuckles.
"Buck's amazing. He's a good man," Eddie says, and Carla smiles. They're friends. After they are done talking, Eddie and Carla leave.
"She's pretty," Carla comments. Eddie sighs and looks to the sky.
"She's a friend. That's all," Eddie says, and Carla drops it. A year later, Eddie meets Ana again from the shift from hell. The two are talking again.
"Am I interrupting book club?" Eddie asks, and Bobby smiles. Without looking up, Hen points to her, Chimney, and Buck.
"Medical, babies, women," Eddie nods.
"I was wondering why Buck had a book in his hand, but now it all makes sense," Eddie says, making Chimney look up and laugh. Buck tilts his head back and asks.
"Eddie, what would you say, Ana's love languages?" Eddie gives him a 'what the fuck, Buck' look. Hen looks up.
"Ana, who?" She asks, and Eddie says, traitor, to Buck. Buck shrugs.
"Wait, are you talking to someone?" Hen questions Eddie. Chimney closes the book, saying,
"Baby's not here yet. Who's Ana?" Bobby walks past, giving him a look.
"She was Chrstiopher's old teacher last year. She has a new job, but we're old friends. I'm catching up with her," Eddie says. All three look at him with disbelief.
"How do you know her?" Hen asks him. She was looking at him for something. Eddie doesn't talk about himself often. Now and again, Hen overhears him talking to Lydia. He doesn't speak about Lydia, but she is someone close to him. She can see that Eddie's younger than Buck, but not by much.
"She's married to a guy I served with," Eddie says. The others can see a hint of sadness when talking about them.
"What happened to him?" Chimney asks, making Eddie flinch, and Hen hits him.
"Ow! Hen," Chim says, glaring at his best friend.
"MIA," Eddie says and walks away. The others are shocked. Buck is about to rush, but Bobby holds him back.
"Let him have a few minutes alone," Bobby says, and Buck looks at his partner with worry.
The blackout happened, and Ana stays with Chris while Eddie and Buck are at work. Chris has taken a liking to her after being reassured that Ana and Eddie aren't dating. At Eddie's house, Ana gets a phone call.
"Mrs. Ana Flores?" A familiar sound reaches her ear. It sounds like a man.
"Yes?" Ana asks. The man chuckles.
"Back in high school, you threw Slobby Joe at me," He hints, making Ana grasp and cry. Christopher looks at her with worry.
"Ben?" She cracks.
"Hey, love," He greets.
"Visit Eddie," He tells her, and Ana grabs Christopher and rushes to the 118. Eddie freezes at the sight of the man who has been MIA for twelve years.
"Ben?" Eddie whispers. The man grins and opens his arms out. Eddie rushes to the man. Both hug for a long time. Buck's on high alert by Eddie's reaction.
"Twelve years, uh. It's been a while. How's Ana?" Ben asks the other man.
"Ben?" Ana's voice reaches them. Ben laughs, and Ana runs full speed to her husband.
"BEN!" Ana cries. The firefighters froze. Hen sees Eddie in a corner and goes to him.
"He gave himself up to rescue me. We thought that he was killed. He was alive while they killed Charles and raped me. He was alive. He was in the next room over," Eddie curles, and Hen runs cold. She hugs him with all her might.
"He was married to Ana for three years. I was seventeen when he was taken captive. He tried to save me," Eddie leans into her—panic in his chest. Hen holds him close as she watches Ben and Ana talk. Ben looks her way and smiles towards her.
"I'm sure that he doesn't hold you responsible for any of this. You were a kid," Hen says, watching the man approach them.
"Hey, Baby Diaz," Ben whispers. Eddie looks at him and tears down his cheeks. Before Eddie could start talking, Ben put a finger on his lips.
"I would do that again. Thank you for being a friend to Ana. We can watch Chris for you as you work. How does that sound?" Ben says, and Hen smiles. Eddie nods.
"She's a friend to me," Eddie mutters. Ben smiles.
"Thank you for not giving up on us," He says. Ben walks away with Ana, and Eddie starts to sniff.
"I got you, Eddie. I got you," Hen says. Buck approaches.
"I got him, Buck," Hen says as Eddie starts to cry. Bobby shoos everyone away.
"What can I do to help? Is he okay?" Bobby asks, concerned.
"He'll be fine. We got him," Hen says. After the power returned, Ben and Ana went to her place, and Buck stayed with Eddie.
"Are you okay, Eds?" He wraps his partner in a hug.
"I will be. Ana has Ben back. They can have the family that they want. I love you, Buck," Eddie says. Buck knows Eddie rarely says, 'I love you,' but he means it with his heart.
"I love you too, Eds," Buck kisses his partner's forehead. "Hi, I'm Ben Flores," A boy introduces himself to the new girl. She flushes but smiles. He's handsome. They were freshmen in high school.
"I'm Ana Vásquez. It's nice to meet you, Ben," Ben blushes shyly.
'Ana's really pretty,' Ben thinks.
"Do you want to go see a movie with me?" Ben asks. Ana brightens.
"Do you want to see 'The Sister Act'?" Ana asks, making Ben laugh.
"I would think that you would want to see something with romance," He says, and Ana laughs.
"Let's be friends first," Ana says, and Ben smiles. Agreeing. Halfway through the year, Ana and Ben started to date.
"What do you want to do for a career, An?" Ben asks his girlfriend. She's lying on top of him. The two are at Ben's place alone. His parents are consistently gone. They're getting good at Ana riding him.
"A teacher. I want to teach the younger generation. What about you, Ben?" Ana replies. She's drawing invisible shapes on his chest.
"I want to be in the Army. Make a career out of it. Once I'm eighteen, I'm going to join," Ben says. Ana looks up.
"Let's get married before you join," She says. Ben beams, kisses her, rolls her over, and shows her his love. Three years later, both eighteen, are at a small church, wearing white.
"Groom, you may now kiss your bride," The priest announces, and Ben pulls her close and kisses his wife. People cheer for them.
"Ana, this is Eddie Diaz. Eddie, this is my wife, Ana," Ben introduces his wife and good friend—both smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Ana. Ben is crazy about you," Eddie teases his friend, and Ben goes to his wife and pulls her close.
"She's my soulmate, Eddie. She's my person," He says, and Eddie smiles at them. Ana looks at Ben with love in her eyes.
"Ana, I'm so sorry," Eddie tells her. Sasha and Sonya are with him. They're comforting her as Ana cries. Eddie's heavily injured but wanted to be the one to tell Ana.
"What happened?" She asks, after calming down enough to ask. Eddie sighs.
"Mission gone wrong. Ben's MIA. Ana, I'm sorry," Eddie says. It's all he could say.
"Ana?" Eddie asks in a wondering tone. The woman looks at him.
"Eddie! How are you? You're Christopher's father?" Ana greets. Carla looks between the two. They know each other. Maybe Carla can get Eddie to date her.
"I'm good. Yes, Chirs is my son. How are you?" Eddie asks his friend. She smiles sadly at him.
"I'm doing okay. You are raising an amazing young boy. His reading and writing are above grade level. Whatever you've been doing, keep doing it," Ana says, and Eddie laughs.
"That's my partner. He's been helping Christopher since they met," Eddie says, and Carla sees Ana brighten.
"You have a partner? Is he good to you?" She asks. Eddie chuckles.
"Buck's amazing. He's a good man," Eddie says, and Carla smiles. They're friends. After they are done talking, Eddie and Carla leave.
"She's pretty," Carla comments. Eddie sighs and looks to the sky.
"She's a friend. That's all," Eddie says, and Carla drops it. A year later, Eddie meets Ana again from the shift from hell. The two are talking again.
"Am I interrupting book club?" Eddie asks, and Bobby smiles. Without looking up, Hen points to her, Chimney, and Buck.
"Medical, babies, women," Eddie nods.
"I was wondering why Buck had a book in his hand, but now it all makes sense," Eddie says, making Chimney look up and laugh. Buck tilts his head back and asks.
"Eddie, what would you say, Ana's love languages?" Eddie gives him a 'what the fuck, Buck' look. Hen looks up.
"Ana, who?" She asks, and Eddie says, traitor, to Buck. Buck shrugs.
"Wait, are you talking to someone?" Hen questions Eddie. Chimney closes the book, saying,
"Baby's not here yet. Who's Ana?" Bobby walks past, giving him a look.
"She was Chrstiopher's old teacher last year. She has a new job, but we're old friends. I'm catching up with her," Eddie says. All three look at him with disbelief.
"How do you know her?" Hen asks him. She was looking at him for something. Eddie doesn't talk about himself often. Now and again, Hen overhears him talking to Lydia. He doesn't speak about Lydia, but she is someone close to him. She can see that Eddie's younger than Buck, but not by much.
"She's married to a guy I served with," Eddie says. The others can see a hint of sadness when talking about them.
"What happened to him?" Chimney asks, making Eddie flinch, and Hen hits him.
"Ow! Hen," Chim says, glaring at his best friend.
"MIA," Eddie says and walks away. The others are shocked. Buck is about to rush, but Bobby holds him back.
"Let him have a few minutes alone," Bobby says, and Buck looks at his partner with worry.
The blackout happened, and Ana stays with Chris while Eddie and Buck are at work. Chris has taken a liking to her after being reassured that Ana and Eddie aren't dating. At Eddie's house, Ana gets a phone call.
"Mrs. Ana Flores?" A familiar sound reaches her ear. It sounds like a man.
"Yes?" Ana asks. The man chuckles.
"Back in high school, you threw Slobby Joe at me," He hints, making Ana grasp and cry. Christopher looks at her with worry.
"Ben?" She cracks.
"Hey, love," He greets.
"Visit Eddie," He tells her, and Ana grabs Christopher and rushes to the 118. Eddie freezes at the sight of the man who has been MIA for twelve years.
"Ben?" Eddie whispers. The man grins and opens his arms out. Eddie rushes to the man. Both hug for a long time. Buck's on high alert by Eddie's reaction.
"Twelve years, uh. It's been a while. How's Ana?" Ben asks the other man.
"Ben?" Ana's voice reaches them. Ben laughs, and Ana runs full speed to her husband.
"BEN!" Ana cries. The firefighters froze. Hen sees Eddie in a corner and goes to him.
"He gave himself up to rescue me. We thought that he was killed. He was alive while they killed Charles and raped me. He was alive. He was in the next room over," Eddie curles, and Hen runs cold. She hugs him with all her might.
"He was married to Ana for three years. I was seventeen when he was taken captive. He tried to save me," Eddie leans into her—panic in his chest. Hen holds him close as she watches Ben and Ana talk. Ben looks her way and smiles towards her.
"I'm sure that he doesn't hold you responsible for any of this. You were a kid," Hen says, watching the man approach them.
"Hey, Baby Diaz," Ben whispers. Eddie looks at him and tears down his cheeks. Before Eddie could start talking, Ben put a finger on his lips.
"I would do that again. Thank you for being a friend to Ana. We can watch Chris for you as you work. How does that sound?" Ben says, and Hen smiles. Eddie nods.
"She's a friend to me," Eddie mutters. Ben smiles.
"Thank you for not giving up on us," He says. Ben walks away with Ana, and Eddie starts to sniff.
"I got you, Eddie. I got you," Hen says. Buck approaches.
"I got him, Buck," Hen says as Eddie starts to cry. Bobby shoos everyone away.
"What can I do to help? Is he okay?" Bobby asks, concerned.
"He'll be fine. We got him," Hen says. After the power returned, Ben and Ana went to her place, and Buck stayed with Eddie.
"Are you okay, Eds?" He wraps his partner in a hug.
"I will be. Ana has Ben back. They can have the family that they want. I love you, Buck," Eddie says. Buck knows Eddie rarely says, 'I love you,' but he means it with his heart.
"I love you too, Eds," Buck kisses his partner's forehead.