Chapter Text
"Wait your parents?"
Maddie nodded "Yes, they`ll be in tomorrow and want to have dinner."
"you want me to meet your parents?"
Maddie raised an eyebrow they`ve been going through the same conversation since she told him 30 minutes ago and she was having a hard time understanding how he wasn`t understanding her "Do you not want to meet them...because that`s fine...actually its probably more than fine, but they asked about you and-"
Chimney interrupted "No, no its not that, I just-" Chimney paused taking a bite of his salad as Maddie raised her eyebrows expectantly
"I just thought your parents were...dead?" Chimney winced at the wording
letting out a laugh Maddie asked " What made you think my parents were dead?"
Chimney shrugged "You just never talk about them...neither has Buck for that Matter and with the things that have Happened to you with Doug...and Buck with his leg...they never showed up to visit at any point or seemed to even call so I just assumed that they were not around anymore"
It was true Chimney has never heard word about Maddie or Bucks parents and he`d been working with Buck for years, He could tell you things about everyone`s family, how Eddies family could be strict but only wished the best for him, how Athena and Bobby blended together with the rest of her family almost effortlessly, how good of friends Bobby and Micheal became, how Hen was raised by a single mother who was nothing but love and support when she came out, how fully accepting she was of Karen, and Chimney knows he has shared his own stories, but he can`t think of one instance where Buck or Maddie have mentioned family or friends or one story relating back to childhood. He didn`t even know Buck had a sister until Maddie showed up.
Maddie nodded taking a sip of her wine and Chimney could tell he had made her uncomfortable
Chimney shook his head smiling at her "It does not matter i`ll be happy to meet them...is Buck coming?"
shaking her head still looking uncomfortable "No...and I don`t want you to mention it to him either "
Chimney raised an eyebrow confused he could understand wanting him to meet them with just her but he didn`t understand why he could not mention the visit to Buck "Okay?"
Maddie sighed playing with the stem on her wine glass "My parents are not- there is a reason why they have not come up before...and I didn`t...I mean"
Chimney could tell Maddie was starting to stammer and was avoiding eye contact with him and reached out and grabbed her hand "Hey, It`s fine we do not have to talk about them, we will have dinner tomorrow and I won`t bring it up to Buck"
"Do not bring Buck up to them either" Maddie let out an awkward laugh and Chimney could see her eyes were wet
"Maddie...whats going on? do you want to have dinner? because we can skip it"
Maddie shook her head raising her eyes toward the ceiling and Chimney could tell she was thinking
"you know there is a big age gap between me and Buck"
Chimney nodded answering her statement "almost ten years"
" well...there is a reason for that... Buck was not a planned baby, my parents planned for one child, one child to dote on, one child to plan a future for, one child to love and support... and then ten years later came along Evan Buckley"
Maddie had loved her parents once. For those short ten years her parents were everything to her, she remembers her mother letting her stay up late once a week to watch some trashy T.v show that she was probably to young for but telling all her friends the next day and seeing the awe on there faces, she remembers reading the newspaper in the morning with her father over breakfast she can still recall giggling over the Garfield comics. She remembers; exciting Christmas mornings and extravagant birthday parties and gifts, family vacations, she remembers attention, laughter, love, support. Then her Mother got pregnant months before her 10th birthday, the excitement Maddie felt at hearing that she was finally going to get a little brother or sister quickly evaporated at the disdain from her parents, the arguments they got into would always shake the house, the words they threw around "adoption" "abortion" "reputation" "Image to be upheld". So Maddie began to keep disdain for this unborn baby like her parents did, she was not excited anymore, she complained and sulked, her parents sympathizing with her, she sat outside the door listening in on interviews for nanny`s because she had heard her parents say they were far too busy to watch a new born baby and Maddie agreed because at the time she thought any of her parents attention and love should be reserved for her and for her only.
The day they brought home Evan, Maddie stayed in her room and her parents never summoned her to meet him. not long after the Arrival of her new brother was when her father began to drink more and keep himself locked in his office, her mother was barely home staying away and keeping busy and Maddie became acquainted with Emma the nanny and staying away from Evan the baby. In fact it was two months before Maddie even laid eyes on Evan, it had been in the middle of the night, Emma had gone home, her parents were asleep and only Maddie got the pleasure to listen to Evan scream, she pulled off her bed covers and angrily stomped towards her parents bedroom slamming the door open.
"he will not be quiet!" Maddie exclaimed loudly, her father laid there not moving probably more passed out than actually asleep and her mother sat up and stared blearily at her
"Who?"
Maddie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest "Evan"
her mother blinked owlishly at her and yawned "Go get Emma then"
"shes gone home"
laying back down her mother sighed "Just ignore him Maddie, he`ll settle down soon"
"its been an hour Mom, I`m tired and he will not be quiet"
her mother rolled over, her back turning to Maddie " go to bed Maddie, he`ll stop soon and you`ll wake your father"
"Mom!" Maddie exclaimed "he is your baby, can`t you go pick him up and make him be quiet"
"I said go to bed Madeline! now!" Her mother sat up quickly shooting her daughter a look
Maddie`s jaw dropped and she shot a glare at her mother and snapped back "Fine I`ll do it"
Maddie barged into Evan`s room where he was currently screaming and leaned over his crib and snapped out "be quiet"
the effect was instant but not the effect that she wanted and Maddie didn`t know that it was possible but Evan proceeded to cry louder than before and Maddie winced at the noise and glanced towards the hallway hoping one of her parents would wake up and come calm Evan down, but instead the hallway stayed dark and empty. rolling her eyes Maddie reluctantly bent over the crib and picked the crying Evan up and settled him in her arms as she made her way to the rocking chair to sit with him "you make a lot a noise for someone so tiny" Maddie told him softly rocking back and forth in the chair "just so you know, when you get older and enjoy sleep I am going to come banging into your bedroom banging pots and pans in memory of this night" Maddie watched as Evans scrunched up face immediately relaxed and stared up curiously at his sister and let of a series of gurgles and smiles
Maddies face reluctantly softened and she touched Evans hand where he quickly griped it tightly in his little fist
"well you`re not so bad are you?"
after that Maddie became inseparable from her brother, she remembers staying until he fell asleep, she remembers telling Emma what she did and how she had calmed him down and then just as quickly glaring at her and demanding to know how Evan got that bruise on his eye, How Emma laughed softly and told her that he was born with it, that it was called a birth mark.
Emma had only lasted until Evans fourth birthday, her parents deciding that Maddie herself could do a fine job at watching him at age fourteen, how Evan screamed and cried for 3 days that he wanted his Emmy back, how Maddie cried with him until her father screamed at Evan to shut up, that neither Evan or Maddie ever said Emma`s name again, that Evan would never remember who Emma was.
It did not take long for Maddie to lose any love or goodwill towards her parents, talking to them became a chore for her but they did try with her, asked her about school, her friends, if she was applying for jobs, but then she watched how her mother ignored Evan, how her father only had cruel words and Harsh hands towards her brother, That any pictures or gifts for the holidays that Evan made at school were given to Maddie after the multiple attempts he had tried to share them with his mom and dad, Maddie recalls her blood boiling at the utter lack of interest and the unkind words they had for his work, but Maddie kept most of them hidden away in a box happy to take what he made. Her parents eventually stopped trying so hard with her when they saw how she favored Evan over them.
Leaving for college when she was 19 and Evan was 9 was the hardest thing she had done she had debated back and forth for months if she wanted to go after taking a year off after high school, how her parents gave her the ultimatum of a paid for education or out on her own with no help, she ultimately applied for a nursing program. the day she left had her holding a sobbing Evan in her arms, shooting her father a nasty look when he made a snide comment and felt Evan flinch in her arms, how she reluctantly gave a hug to her mother and one to her father whispering that she would be checking up on her brother religiously daring him to make a move against him without her there to stop it, it never mattered in the end.
she was 27 when she was planning a wedding, and 30 years old when she had to cut off contact from her family but she had felt better knowing that Evan had been out of the house by then, how he tried to stay in contact with Christmas cards. how it took years to get back to her brother and create a new life away from Doug.
"Mads? Maddie?"
Maddie shook herself out of her thoughts her eyes watering and stared at Chimney
letting out a wet laugh Maddie said "I hoped I wouldn`t have to introduce you, that I may have gotten lucky. I mean they had only met Doug twice themselves and we had been togther for years before they did"
Chimney looked sad wondering what could be so bad about the Buckley parents instead he settled for a simple "that bad huh?"
Maddie choked back a laugh "they love me actually"
Chimney raised an eyebrow not quite understanding the situation"I am so confused then"
"It`s Buck...he was not a planned baby and they do not see issue in reminding him of this fact"
"My mother is full of neglect and disdain for a baby she never wanted and my father is nothing but cruel words and rough hands"
Chimney gaped at her " what..what are you saying, your father what? beat him?" of all the things Chimney expected he never would of guessed that Buck came from an abusive household
wiping a tear away Maddie shook her head she never had an easy time explaining her parents "not exactly...Just rough...there was never belts, or fists, or objects to be used just rough grabs and open hands and mean words...it`s why I don`t want Buck to know they`ll be here. he has not seem them in a few years and it never ends well, my father can never back off and my mother does not care, but once i ignore there calls they call Buck who always answers, who is always disappointed and then roped in to some horrible dinner because I won`t let him go alone and it just became easier to answer there calls and see them without Buck knowing and I just-"
Maddie broke off in a sob.
Chimney got up and crouched down in front of Maddie grabbing her hands "Hey, we don`t have to have this dinner, we can cancel and stay home or we can tell them to meet us somewhere...at a restaurant with the lowest reviews and stand them up"
Maddie choked back a laugh wiping at her eyes, she would love nothing more but she knows her parents would not accept it. shaking her head and meeting Chimneys eyes "it`ll be easier to just get it over with...I just wanted you to be prepared...they`ll say things about Buck...I just don`t want you to be blindsided"
Chimney let out a chuckle "I can handle myself fine. It`ll be you i`ll worry about and...Well this certainly sounds like it`ll be quite the enjoyable dinner tomorrow
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Chimney tried not to immediately judge Maddies parents at first glance, but he spent all day trying not to give Buck any hints at who he would be having dinner tonight with, playing over and over in his head everything Maddie had told him, how they had treated Buck his entire life, how he pictured Maddies parents to be tall, wearing cloaks, dark eyes, pale skin, and sense of impending doom following in their wake. Instead he was met with two pleasant looking people,
Maddie and Bucks father was Tall and handsome and clean shaven with dark graying hair and brown eyes, there mother was also tall with lighter hair and lighter eyes. Chimney could see which parent Buck and Maddie took after.
"You must be Howard? I`m Rob and this is my wife Maggie" Chimney reached out to the hand towards him, he could feel Maddies stiff presence beside him
"you can call me Howie or Chimney everyone else does"
"Howard is fine" Chimney glanced at Maddie and she gave him an apologetic look clearing his throat awkwardly and clapping his hands together Chimney stated "We have dinner set up and ready if you want to come in...I hope you like lasagna"
Maggie scrunched her face up before quickly smoothing it back in a polite smile that neither Maddie or Chimney missed
"Lasagna is fine...a little heavy on the carbs but I can make do I suppose"
"Mom please be nice" Maddie sighed
Chimney could feel the tension in the air as he poured out wine into glasses trying not to stare at how quickly Rob drowned the entire glass and holding it out for a refill, he could tell Maddie did not want her parents here and he could tell that they knew she didnt want them there and if Chimney was being honest he wished he could speed this dinner up and get it over with
"So Madeline-"
"Maddie is fine dad"
"I would prefer to call my children by there given names...not by nicknames" Rob Buckley responded taking another sip of his wine
"I have always been called Maddie dad"
"as I was saying" Rob continued not acknowledging the comment
"How is the new job going?"
Maddie swallowed a mouthful of food and smiled "I really like it, I may have given up being a nurse but I like that I am still helping people"
"She is really good at it as well" Chimney chimed in grinning at Maddie who returned one of her own
"Thats wonderful dear...I just think...would your education not benefit you more at a hospital" Maggie stated reaching her hands toward Maddie who pulled them back
"I am Happy where I am mom, I`m satisfied with my job and the life Im building for myself here"
"I think its great Madeline, what you`re doing here with your life is a lot more impressive than what your brother is doing with his"
"Rob" Maggie warned under her breath
"What is it he is doing again? custodian work at a firehouse I presume...can`t imagine someone trusting him around a burning building"
Chimney watched Maddie grip her fork her knuckles turning white and he laid a hand on her knee to calm her
"Actually" Maddie replied with tightly " He works with Chimney...as a firefighter"
Maggie looked surpised while Rob looked unimpressed
"You work with Evan really?" Maggie questioned
Chimney nodded wiping his hands on his Napkin " Yeah Buck is-" Pausing at the small shake of Maddies head at the term Buck
Chimney looked back at her parents quickly clearing his throat and correcting himself "Evan is an essential part to our team, even with all the trouble he finds" he added chuckling a little
Chimney tried to ignore the scoff from Rob as he reached for another glass of wine or the way Maggie was averting her eyes at the change of conversation "an essential part in keeping the place clean I am sure"
"We all do our part to keep the firehouse in good conditions, and Evan does his part both in house and out, hes good man to have in a tough situation"
raising his eyebrows Rob replied "I am a little surprised, Evan has never been the brightest bulb in the shed"
Chimney winced knowing the team had made there own similar jokes to Buck
"Dad please can we-" Maddie started before Chimney interrupted her "In fact I dont think we give Buck enough credit for the things he does" Chimney put an emphasis on Buck
Rob let out a sarcastic laugh " you seem to hold my son in high regard"
"why wouldn`t I?" Chimney questioned trying to seem interested in what the older man had to say in response
"I just personally don`t see a lot of worth in Evan I suppose" Rob answered simply
"Maddie dear did you make this lasagna yourself because I must say-"
"Really mom?" Maddie interrupted bewildered before turning to her father "I dont want to hear another insult towards Evan from you"
rolling his eyes and taking a gulp of wine Rob replied "I just never understood the love you have for that boy, If it had been up to me I wou-"
"Enough!" Maddie snapped back gripping the stem of her wine glass
"I would-" Rob continued seemingly ignoring Maddie "Have left him on the steps of a firehouse...which is a bit funny I suppose considering...although your mother wanted an abortion, you should be thanking me for talking her out of it...especially considering the son we ended up stuck with"
"Rob please-" Maggie started at the same time Chimney slammed his fist on the table, making both Maddie and Maggie jump but Rob seemed unfazed Chimney cocked his head to the side his face showing disgust and anger "are you kidding me!?"
"Chim-" Maddie said putting a hand on his shoulder, But Chimney threw his napkin on the table and pushed himself out of his chair and stood up so he was staring down at Rob Buckley
"Buck has one of the biggest hearts out of anyone I know. He is kind, generous, brave, smart, He likes to have fun and laugh and spend time with those that he loves and cares about."
Rob let out a scoff opening his mouth before Chimney shoved a finger at him and all but snarled "I am not finished"
"Buck...hes also strong... he had to be if he had to grow up with you two and still turn out the way he did...I want you both out of my house" Chimney finished more calmly
"I apologize if i have made you upset Howar-"
"Out" Chimney repeated not wanting to hear more from this man
"Maggie lets go" Rob ordered not bothering a glance at Maddie as he looked Chimney up and down with disdain
"Maddie dear please, you know how he gets" Maggie said looking at Maddie
Maddie glanced at Chimney and then back to her mother "We would both like you to leave now please"
Maggie looked sad before nodding and collecting her things and following her husband who was standing by the door waiting for her, Chimney following so he could slam the door as loud as he could at there retreating backs. Chimney let out a breath he didnt realize he was holding and looked back at Maddie who was wearing an apologetic look on her face
"Hes had to put up with that" Chimney stated running a hand over his face
Maddie reluctantly nodded "His whole life...tonight was pretty mild considering"
Chimney could feel his blood boiling again that statement baffled him, that tonight was tame in comparison to other things Maddie has heard...that Buck has heard."
sighing Maddie stepped out of reach of Chimney "I should of prepared you better...I just foolishly hoped it would be different for once"
shaking his head Chimney pulled Maddie towards him " I do not think anything would of prepared me"
"Thank you" Maddie mumbled into his chest
"For what?" Chimney asked confused
"For defending him"
"Always" Chimney replied
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Chimney walked into work the next day and looked around for Buck who was upstairs at the table laughing with Eddie, Hen on the couch texting on her phone while Bobby was over the stove making breakfast.
Chimney went to make a beeline towards Buck but stopped short and watched him. He could still feel anger at Rob Buckley`s words towards his son, the way his mother sat there and could not be bothered,that he had to put up with that for years, that it probably got worse once Maddie had left and It made sense to him the way Buck looked at Bobby sometimes, how he lit up at a simple praise or compliment from the man, or from anyone really, how he leaned into hugs or shoulders for any kind of physical contact, the string of woman he used to date made a lot more sense, that Bobby was Buck`s number one emergency contact in any situation, Chimney was surprised that he never saw the signs earlier they`d always been there staring him in the face and wondered if anyone else had made the connection, though Chimney wonders if Bobby may have a vague idea.
He almost wished his fist could of made contact contact with Rob Buckley`s face but he`ll have to take kicking he man out of his house as win.
"Hey Chim" Buck called grinning at the older man taking notice to him standing at the top of the stairs
"You going to have breakfast?"
Striding over quickly Chimney grabbed Buck out of his chair and pulled him into a hug, he did not miss the way Hen and Bobby shared a look or Eddies confused stare and when Buck tried to pull away. Chimney held on tighter
Buck let out a laugh and squeezed Chimney back "what brought this on?" Buck asked as Chimney let him out of the hug but still holding onto his shoulders
"I just think you`re pretty great" Chimney replied sincerely
Buck grinned his cheeks reddening and shrugged his shoulders "I think you`re pretty great too Chim"
shaking his head Chimney squeezed Bucks shoulder and made eye contact with him "Im serious Buck, your pretty great, don`t let anyone tell you different"
Buck looked concerned shooting a look towards Bobby who looked just as confused as Buck felt "You okay Chim?"
Chimney nodded "I just thought you should know is all"
Buck grinned sheepishly "Can we eat breakfast?" looking uncomfortable over the scene that was being made
Chimney clapped Buck on the back and took a seat beside Hen ignoring the questioning look she was sending him, and thanked Bobby for the food he was serving out instead of acknowledging Hens stare.
Eddie still looking bewildered at what just transpired gave a look to Chimney and asked " What about me?"
Chimney rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders "Eh...your okay"
Buck let out a laugh at the insulted look on Eddies face