Chapter Text
Chapter 3: Don't Push Your Luck
Buck sat on his bed in total darkness.
There was not a sound creeping around the entire house. He had made sure every door had been locked. Windows shut tight.
He couldn't bring himself to turn on the TV as he might get too distracted to notice if anything...or anyone...appeared.
He found some comfort in knowing Eddie and Chris were still out of state and this creep was still here in LA.
Just hours ago, the picture of Buck in his Jeep leaving Athena's house had sent a chill far down his spine. It had freaked him out knowing he had been followed, had been watched. Now, though still an unpleasant thought, it was less terrifying because he knew this person hadn't followed Eddie. The distance alone gave Buck the tinest bit of peace.
That being said, he still couldn't help his selfish thoughts.
He wanted Eddie to come home.
Come home to him. He knew he was probably safer away but he also knew he hated the distance between the two of them.
Earlier this afternoon he had made a deal with this creep. Eddie and Chris would remain safe and left alone if Buck "played along". Buck knew only one thing for certain right now.
He just had to play by the rules.
Problem was, he wasn't quite sure what the rules were just yet. The mystery freak hadn't really initiated another conversation as quickly as Buck would have hoped..
It was radio silent.
That was killing Buck. He felt like he couldn't move from this spot on the corner of his bed. He had been here for hours now. He had gotten home and went through the entire house to make sure it was secure. Once he had accomplished that, he took his spot on the bed. Right at the corner, facing the doorway. It's been 5 hours and he hasn't moved.
He couldn't.
He might miss something.
A movement
A sound.
A shadow.
Anything and everything could go wrong and if Buck wasn't paying attention, he could miss it. If he missed it, then he couldn't protect Eddie.
It's now almost 11 o'clock and Buck is exhausted. He had only gotten about 4 hours this morning and it wasn't exactly restful. Sleep tonight; however, was definitely not an option. He needed to know what these rules were. What this game was. Buck was at the mercy of this creep until he had more information, until then it was a waiting game.
Suddenly Bucks phone started ringing causing him to jump nearly out of his skin. Before he answered, he looked around the room for any movement and tried to steady his breathing. He didn't want to sound all worked up and anxious when he answered whoever it was.
He saw the name: Eddie.
Part of Buck was relieved it was just Eddie. He loved Eddie. He wanted to talk to Eddie all day. The other part was frustrated it wasn't this caller. He wanted to figure out what the hell he had agreed too, even if it scared him shitless.
Buck answered the phone anyways.
"Hey Eds."
"Hey Buck. You okay? Took you a second to answer the phone and I haven't heard from you since Athenas this morning." Eddie asked.
Buck wasn't okay but he couldn't let Eddie know that. Obviously he couldn't tell him about the texts from earlier; However, he also knew Eddie would figure out something was wrong if he didn't start acting normal either.
"Ugh ya, I just figured I would let you enjoy your time with Chris before you guys head back tomorrow. You know?" Buck let's out a casual chuckle.
"You sure? Thats all?" Eddie pushes a bit
"Ya, I'm sure. With everything being all weird here I just thought you needed a few good hours without the dramatics."
"I hope you know I wasn't implying you were being dramatic. I know you're just worried." Eddie says calmly.
Its weird, it's like Buck can picture that look in Eddies eyes even through the phone. Those dark brown eyes trying to find his gaze to show Buck that Eddie doesn't think he's the problem.
"Ya Eds I know. It's just...I don't like not knowing. Being unprepared."
"I know but Athena is on this and she's got my total and complete trust. Besides, a few creepy texts and calls don't mean it's a psycho path. Could just be a really annoying prank or 'ticky tok' trend."
Buck let's out a quick snort. "Ticky tok?...You mean Tik tok?"
"Ya, whatever...its all the same." Eddie teases back "stupid is stupid."
"Ya okay there grandpa." Buck laughs
They both tease each other and laugh about how out of touch Eddie is with the internet. Buck feels a sense of normalcy for a few minutes and forgets that things are far from just that...but just for a moment.
Bzzt bzzzt.
Buck doesn't here the buzz at first through his laughter.
Bzzt bzzt.
Buck pulls his phone from his face still smiling and a half chuckle now.
He expects a smart ass text or GIF from Eddie to fuel into their teasing, but is met with a unsaved number and a new ominous text.
Bucks smile falls instantly as he reads.
'Evan, are you ready for round #1 of our little game?'
Eddie now on speaker, oblivious to these messages, begins filling Buck in on what him and Chris have been up too. Buck is not listening.
He's locked onto the messages coming in to his phone, one after another.
'Round 1
This game I chose
does not require a friend or foe.
Open eyes
Will show you your prize.
Can you spy with your little eye
Something that can help cover
Your little white lie?
Buck was frozen again. The idea of playing games with this weirdo was bad enough but speaking in rhymes and riddles added a whole new level of creepy Buck didn't much care for.
"...And now Chris is in bed. Already asleep, not suprised of course..." Eddie said as Buck tuned back in realizing he hadn't heard a single thing Eddie was talking about.
"Oh...ya...sounds like Chris." Buck trailed off.
He scanned his room trying to find this clue...'white lie?' He thought.
"You getting tired Buck?" Eddie asked
"Why do you ask?"
"I can tell you are starting to zone out."
"Oh..ugh ya. Tired. Long night last night ya know." Buck said while fake yawning.
"Okay, well I can let you get some sleep. We head home tomorrow after breakfast so I'll see you sometime in the afternoon. Call me if you need me. " Eddie says.
Clearly there is something on his mind but he doesn't reveal it. Even if he did, Buck is not paying attention. He is now off the bed looking around his room for this 'clue'.
"Ok. Sounds good Eddie. Good night, see you tomorrow." Buck replies back, entirely distracted.
Buck hangs up right after that and continues his search.
The problem is, he had no idea what the hell he was looking for.
Something to cover a white lie?
My white lie?
What does that mean?
Buck tore his house apart. Flipped the cushions off the couch, opened every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen. He looked outside in the bushes, under the sinks and in every nook and cranny he could think of.
He was frustrated. What the hell was he looking for? Where would it be? How the hell would he know when he found it?
Bzzt bzzt
He yanked his phone from his pocket faster than he thought possible.
'Hidden in the thing closest to your heart. '
"Closest to my heart? Buck whispers to himself.
He stands in the middle of the living room and looks around. Not moving. What's closest to his heart? He looked through his wallet, his favorite sweater, baking dishes, everything. He thought to himself...
"It wouldn't be a what...it's who...who's closest to my heart."
He makes a B-line for the picture on the wall near the doorway. It's of him, Maddie, the 118, and all the kids. A few years back at Bobby and Athenas BBQ. He had that framed and Eddie hung it up for him when he moved in. It was one of his favorite days. Everyone was together, happy, healthy, safe.
No embolisms, no fires, no bullets, no mystery illnesses, no lab, nothing. Just them.
How he wishes he could have that back.
He sat there staring at the photo for a little while before picking it off the wall.
To his horror, taped to the back of the frame was a small, black, phone. One of the burner phones you can get in a supermarket.
What scared him more than the mysterious phone that was left in his house, was the idea of how it had gotten there.
Someone had been in his home.
Without his knowledge.
Without his consent.
He turned it on and waited.
No numbers were saved, no pre-downloaded messages, no contacts. It was a blank slate.
Then just after midnight, a phone call...
Buck hesitated. Then accepted the call.
"Hello...?"Buck whispered.
"You've completed game 1." A robotic voice whispered back. It was low, and mechanical. It didn't sound automated though, more like a filter over someone's actual voice.
"This phone here is nothing to fear...use it to cover your lie for I'd hate to see him die..."
"Can we cut the weird rhyming BS. I get it...your trying to sound mysterious and play into this whole game shit but let's just cut the bullshit and stop wasting time. " Buck snapped back.
It was bad enough he had to go about all this but he didn't want to have to listening to rhymes and riddles while doing it either.
"Touchy." The voice bounced back.
"You'd be too." Buck said blankly.
"I can be accommodating Evan...the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable."
"So why the games? The calls? The texts? I think its pretty clear they make me uncomfortable."
"Let's rephrase...more uncomfortable than necessary...all this is a necessity."
He could feel the smile from the caller through the phone. They thought they were clever, cute. Buck was just down right pissed.
"From now on this phone is how I will contact you, every call, every text, everything...that is...unless you break a rule."
"Unless I break a rule?" Buck questioned.
"If you break a rule there will be consequences. Perhaps it won't be from behind this phone. I'd hate to have things...escalate."
Buck hated that this person had been listening. All the hairs on Bucks neck and arms stood up.
"Like what..." he asked quietly.
"I'm not one to ruin a supirse."
"What are these rules?" Buck asks quickly.
"Each game is different from one to the next, to find your answers just check your texts..."
"I thought we said enough with the rhymes" Buck scolded.
"I apologize friend." Snickered the called.
"Not much of a friend" he taunted.
"Thats not very nice of you Evan." The voice whined.
"Maybe, but we aren't. We can't be."
Buck could tell his friend comment had gotten under the callers skin for some odd reason. Why did that obvious statement bother him? He decided to take advantage of that and fish for some information.
"And why can't we be friends Evan..."
"Well for starters you made threats against my friends. Two, we know nothing about one another. It's a bit hard to befriend someone like that."
"Well, no more threats if you follow the rules...that parts up to you..and...you're wrong though. I know everything about you..." the voice mused.
"But I know nothing of you. Can't be friends until I know something about you. I don't even know what to call you?"
"Call me...M."
"M?...okay well that doesn't change anything...we still can't be friends..." Buck insisted.
"And why not. I told you something about me." The voice bounced back...angrily though. Buck knew his plan was working but WHY was it working. Why did this caller care?
"You didn't. You told me a fake name...in fact you only told me a letter, not even the full fake name. I still know nothing about you."
Their was a long pause. The voice was clearly thinking.
"Okay...you know who I am." The voice giggled.
"I know you?" Buck questioned. His mind started to go through every voice, face, name, body he could think of. Who would do this? Nobody sane, nobody that came to mind.
"You do! Like I said...we can be friends. We've already met."
Now Buck had noticed the voice...M...had become more childlike. This behavior was giving Buck whip lash. The mechanical, sick caller, the rhyming creep, the sneaky and calculated intruder, and now this? This childish voice who was trying to be...friends with him.
"It's almost time for round 2...rest up, Buck up, almost time for your new clue!"
And with that M hung up.
Buck sat in total silence confused as hell.
What. The. Fuck.
What had he'd agreed to?
Although he was nervous...well scared shitless to say the least...he found hope that this M person wanted to befriend him. Hope that they would slip up if Buck got close enough.
He sat down and wrote all the things he thought could be important. He pretty much rewrote their entire conversation. He wasn't sure what would be helpful but he didn't want to forget anything.
Then he wrote down every single name of the people in his life. From before LA, everyone from now, people he met once on a date, anyone he could think of. Who had he crossed paths with or let in his life who would snap like this?
He was spiraling.
He was so focused on everything he didn't hear the knocking on his front door.
"Buck? Hey u awake? Your cars out front but you didn't answer?"
A long pause. Buck still oblivious as he keeps writing down names, leads, anything.
"Buck...Buck? What the hell. BUCK!"
Then a hand on his face physically lifting it up from his notes to look at him.
Eddie.
"Eddie?" Buck gasped. "What you are doing here? It's like 1 a.m.?"
Eddies face twisted up in confusion. A not so subtle look of concern also tied in.
"Buck, it's almost noon. I told you we'd be back today?"
Buck looks at his own phone. Very aware the burner is tucked into his back pocket in which he is now sitting on. He thinks to himself, just keep it out of sight.
The time 11:50.
When did it get so late? Early? It was just midnight? It was dark? When did it become Sunday morning? Had he really sat there for hours?
"Buck? Are you okay?" Eddie now has a hand on each shoulder. "I didn't mean to freak you out. You didn't answer and I just wanted to check. What's going on?"
"No, it's fine. I'm fine. I just...lost track of time I guess." Buck puts his notebook face down casually to avoid Eddie seeing the spiraling thoughts and notes that have now filled most of the books pages.
"Have you been up all night?" Eddie asks wide eyed.
"Ugh. No. Ya. Kinda..." Buck stumbles.
"I thought you were going to bed after we hung up, you seemed out of it." Eddie then looks around the rest of the house. He slowly stands up, his hand goes to cover his mouth as it falls open.
Bucks house has been trashed.
Papers thrown about, every cabinet and drawer still wide open with pots and pans covering the counters and floor, his couch flipped on the side, cushions on the ground, he could see through the doorway Bucks bed was not on the frame, clothes all over, and sitting in the middle of the mess was Buck on the floor, notebook in lap, and a look of total confusion.
"Buck...what is going on?" Eddie demanded. "Don't you dare say nothing."
Buck just stared at Eddie. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and closed it once more. Finally settling on...
"I lost something."
Eddies mouth about hit the floor.
"Ya...your damn mind." He yelled back at Buck.
"Buck...what's going on?" He pleaded this time.
"It's fine Eddie, I was just looking for something, got distracted, and haven't picked it up yet. Been kinda a busy weekend with...everything." Buck said.
"This isn't fine." Eddie said. Bucks eyes dart to the note and quickly look away.
Eddie pretended like he didnt see it.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Eddie casually asks.
"Um, yes." Buck squeaked. He was trying to be as broad as possible.
"And what was it..."
"My phone..."
"Buck..."
"Eddie..."
Eddie snatched the notebook before Buck had time to react. When he realized what Eddie had done he panicked.
"Eddie wait! Stop!" He launched himself forward to grab it but Eddie blocked him with one arm as he began to read it.
Typically Buck could body Eddie to the floor if he ever wanted but he didn't have it in him to be rough with Eddie on purpose.
Buck couldn't help but relax a bit when he remember the written conversation was now ripped out of the notebook and folded into his pocket. All that was left in the notebooks were the names of everyone he knew. He could work with that. Still though, he was nervous seeing Eddies concern smear across his face.
"Buck...what is this?"
"Their names." Buck said sheepishly.
"Well I can see that...I mean why did you write them all down?"
"Its nothing. I was just thinking." Buck looked away.
"Of what? You wrote over 200 names down? Do you know these people? I recognize a few...but Buck? What is going on?" Eddies voice was clearly hiding his worry.
"I know them. Some more than others. I just...I was just thinking that the person who called me has to know me. They've got to KNOW me. Otherwise, like you said, how would they know about the legal guardian stuff? They clearly have our numbers and your address. So I figured...if I wrote out everyone I knew, something would click. I could figure it out." Buck avoided his eyes.
This wasn't entirely a lie...but it also wasn't entirely true. He couldn't look Eddie in the eyes and half lie to him.
He couldn't say anything about M. Not yet...
"Buck, hun...I know your stressed. I know you worried, but your going to drive yourself crazy trying to figure this out yourself. Athena is doing a full investigation with the department, the team will update us if they hear anything, and me and you have one anothers backs, remember?
Besides, how do we know this person only knows you? Maybe its someone I knew or know. They could find all of this out about us through me too. There's the possibility of total strangers and hackers, and a million other weirdos that could explain this. You can't freak yourself out trying to solve this alone." Eddie insisted.
"I just want to help. I hate not being able to do anything. I don't want to see if this will escalate. I want it to stop. Be over with." Buck muttered, looking at the floor.
Eddie pulling Bucks gaze back to him.
"I know. Me too. But we have to do this in a safe and healthy way. Look at the house Buck. Look at you! You clearly haven't slept in awhile. Right now, your eye bags are the scariest part of this situation."
They both chuckle.
"You go get some sleep, I'll clean up, and when you wake up, we can ask Athena how we can help." Eddie smiles.
"I'll clean it up. Then we can ask Athena."
"No sir. Off to bed. I got this." He helps Buck to his feet and starts leading him to his room by his hand.
Together they clean the bedroom and mattress and Eddie shoves Buck down on the bed.
Buck wants to argue but he can't help but doze off the moment his head hits the pillow