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It was in those final few minutes before pulling up to the 118 that Buck felt panic, the same panic that had coursed through his veins hearing his best friend’s voice for the first time in over five years.
Only two days had passed since the news hit that everyone who had vanished had returned to where they were when the incident happened. All three of the adults had been called right into work as Austin had descended into what could only be described as chaos, not unlike what their house was like in the mornings, but on a much larger scale. From what they were hearing on the news over the sounds of reuniting (either by phone in the case of the 118 kids or in person by the 126 families), most towns were the same way, especially the big metropolises.
Buck and May had never been hugged quite as much those first few minutes as they were when the entirety of the 126 arrived at what was formerly Captain Strand’s rental house. It took some time to try to give even just a barebones explanation of what exactly had happened to everyone present, along with the 118 present by speakerphone.
The only reason they weren’t on Facetime is because the 118 kids refused to see their parents until it was in person. It hurt the adults, but Buck understood, at least a little.
Arrangements were quickly made for the kids to travel back to Los Angeles with Buck and May. They wouldn’t be moving back until at least December due to having to unenroll from their schools and part time jobs (in the cases of Denny and Harry, who both worked at one of the local game shops), as well as step away from some academic teams (Christopher, to his dismay, as he had already been recruited to his school’s Model UN and their first meet was the following weekend).
May was able to get the time off pretty quickly thanks to the return of the original dispatchers, but Buck had to call in favors to be able to spend four days in LA before his planned month. That had been a loud argument that only ended when he said he could just quit and leave the AFD without one of their lieutenants when they had to retrain more than half of their firefighters.
He didn’t want to think about what might happen if or when he made the decision to return to Los Angeles permanently.
The day after the Blip (as the news was describing the event), they set off to LA, temporarily leaving behind their Austin family, as Carlos and Sebrina couldn’t get leave to come with. Not that Carlos was planning on being more than two feet from TK in the next decade, but the thought had still counted. TK, for his part, had pulled Buck outside for a truly heartfelt thank you for keeping his fiance afloat during the past five years. The conversation had been briefly awkward-
(“No, TK, we didn’t sleep together, not like that.”
“What do you mean, ‘Not like that!’”
“Sharing a bed because we were both depressed and lonely! I’ve only ever seen your man shirtless when we worked out together. Nothing else happened.”
“Okay.” Pause. “I mean, considering we were all basically dead, I wouldn’t have been angry. He has needs-”
“TK, for the love of God, please shut up.”)
-but they got over it. Somehow. Probably when May barged out, demanding to know when they were hitting the road, since they were driving on account of the airports being overcrowded.
And now, it was time. They were finally back in Los Angeles, only two lights away from the decommissioned Station 118, which had closed due to just not having enough firefighters to cover it. From his brief conversation with Chief Alonzo only hours prior when they stopped at a hole-in-the-wall diner outside of Tucson, after everyone that vanished was given retraining, many of the decommissioned stations would be reopened. And a spot for Buck would be held until he could come back permanently.
May was driving, having won the coin toss when they last stopped for gas. She was clenching and unclenching the steering wheel, excitement mixed with nervousness clear across her face. Buck had taken the passenger seat, better to stretch out his leg, which had been acting up the past week or so. (A careless probie may have accidentally hit him with a hallegan when working to restock the truck, but nothing was reported since the man was totally apologetic and Buck had unintentionally snuck up on him).
Jee was sitting next to Chris in the middle seats. She was keeping him from having a breakdown by making him watch her cartoons the entire drive, though it was clear that she and Charlie Ryder didn’t really get what was going on. It had just been so long…
The back seat held Harry and Denny, both of whom had to be reminded that they weren’t allowed to jump out of the back of a moving car to get to the 118 faster. They were too damn excited to see their families again, which everyone in the car completely understood.
May turned into the parking lot and parked right in front of the bay doors. Before the vehicle had completely stopped moving, all three teens were pushing their way out of the van with little Jee just behind them. They had only been back to LA once since the vanishing when a memorial dedicated to all that were lost was put into place. They didn’t want to think about it. But now, now they could.
It took Buck a moment to walk around to the open garage door on the side of the building, out of sight from the road. May walked with him, both of them hearing the sounds of reunion that they’d waited so long to hear. Buck gave May a little push to rush on ahead. She needed it more than anyone at that point.
It was a beautiful sight. All the families back together, even with all the changes that everyone had undergone. Buck leaned against the open doorway and just looked on.
May was locked up in Bobby’s arms, sobbing as he held her tightly. Harry had his head buried in Athena’s shoulder, with her whispering what was probably words of love in his ear. Both Grants had been so strong, especially when the news that Michael and David had also been part of the vanishing. They kept their little family strong during those first few weeks and Buck had come to rely on them in ways he would never be able to truly explain.
Next to them was almost the reverse, with Denny holding his sobbing mothers close. The youngest of the teens had the hardest time dealing with everything that had happened in the immediate aftermath, but had also stepped up once they all arrived in Austin. He became a big brother to the Vega twins and was the preferred babysitter of all the young kids.
In the shadows of the stairs, Maddie and Chim held their now six year old daughter. She looked more like Chim every day, but with Maddie’s temperament. It looked as if she was telling them all about her “sister” Charlie and “brother” Jonah, and that was going to go over well in the light of the whole Greenway incident.
But it was the Diazes that stole his attention. Eddie held a crying Christopher in his arms, now nearly the same height as his father. But Eddie wasn’t hiding his emotions either. The two stood near their gym, rocking side to side in silence. After a moment, Eddie spotted Buck and jerked his head, silently demanding that he join them.
Two steps away, Chris stepped back and Eddie dragged Buck into the tightest hug he’d ever received. All he could hear was his best friend whispering thank yous in Spanish into his ear.
“I’d do anything for all the kids. You know that, Eds,” Buck whispered back, holding him just as tightly. He’d missed this more than he’d ever care to admit to anyone that wasn’t Carlos and May and under the influence of a lot of alcohol.
It was like the dam broke when Maddie spotted Buck next, just as his hug with Eddie was loosening. She let out a shriek and practically flew to her brother, falling into his arms. He held her close, shifting his weight just slightly. His leg was killing him.
“Thank you for protecting her,” Maddie said. “For raising them all. You and May did a damn good job, from what I can see.”
Buck shot a glance over to May, who was standing with Harry off to the side with Athena, as Bobby was making his way over. She gave him a watery smile.
“We did it together. May, myself, and Carlos Reyes, TK Strand’s fiance. We made sure they would all be okay.” Buck didn’t want to downplay Carlos’ place in their lives. The man had single handedly taught the teens how to drive, took the little ones to their first day of school, kept them afloat when they were all getting down and depressed.
Bobby’s hand settled on his shoulder, gently pulling him away from Maddie and into another hug. His (former?) captain didn’t say anything, just gave the younger man a squeeze before stepping aside.
Once by one, Athena, Chim, Hen and Karen came up to him and talked for a moment. With every hug and touch, the little pit of anxiety and worry in his gut got a bit smaller.
Hours later, they were gathered in the backyard of the Grant-Nash house.
In the five years, Buck had held on to all of his friends’ properties, even when he was advised to go ahead and let things go. There was just this small part of him that didn’t want to let go of their homes, so instead he kept paying all the bills as necessary. During his month-long stays in LA, he would rotate through the houses, doing any repair work in his downtime and keeping an eye out for anything that would be detrimental in the future. His plan had been to sign each property back over to the owners’ kid as soon as they came of age if they wanted it, or at least give them the choice.
May had thought he was nuts, especially when he had signed over the loft to Taylor, who was still living there. But she did appreciate the gesture, even as she gave up her own lease when they made the Austin trip permanent.
Athena and Bobby had been surprised upon arriving at their home to see it mostly the same way it had been when they’d gone to work that morning, over five years ago. The personalized items were packed away in storage for safety, but the furniture was still in almost the exact same spots and the kitchen was spotless. It only took a bit of prodding for Buck to admit that he spent most of his time at their home.
Once everyone had arrived and pizza was ordered and delivered, the group stood around in the backyard and talked. It had taken a long while to explain the immediate aftermath of their vanishing, especially since none of the ones left behind really wanted to remember those terrible first weeks. The story came out in stops and starts, mostly just keeping it simple with promises to go into detail in the coming weeks.
They must have talked for hours, Buck figured, when the discussion turned to the move back to Los Angeles. It was clear that the parents wanted their kids back under their roof immediately, and Buck had agreed to it. But then the conversation turned to May, who was willing to come back quickly, and Buck, who… hesitated.
“You don’t want to move back?” Bobby kept his tone even, trying to understand. No one had expected that.
“It’s not that I don’t want to, I do. But I have some obligations to finish up first,” Buck tried to explain. “I’ve been splitting my time between being a lieutenant with the AFD and a part-time instructor at the LAFD academy. I have to finish there and hand over the 126 once everyone finishes their recertification.”
“So it’s work tying you to Austin.” Eddie sounded relieved, but was trying to hide it. He still only knew the barebones of the last five years. Buck was waiting until he and Christopher could get him into privacy to break the news of his parents’ deaths. “Not a-”
May burst into laughter, knowing exactly where Eddie’s thoughts were going. “See Buck? Even Eddie thought you were getting laid.”
Buck threw his napkin at her. “Shut it,” he grumbled. The entire backyard easily chuckled at the little exchange. “No, I just need to finish that up, get all the kids unenrolled and back over here, deal with a mountain of paperwork that Deputy Fire Chief Tyson is threatening to bury me under…”
“Just throw Jee and Charlie at him, Buck,” Chris said, leaning against his dad with a mischievous smile. “He’ll go running again!”
The teens all laughed while the adults (barring May, who was laughing too) looked at him in confusion.
“Charlie Ryder is Judd and Grace Ryder’s daughter. She was born during that freak ice storm. Billy was there and tried to help and Grace just about strangled him due to some other things that happened in the months prior. The last time he came by the 126, the girls and Jonah were visiting. He saw Charlie and Jee and left without saying anything. To this day, the 126 says that the girls should just move in because no one likes Billy Tyson,” Buck explained.
He actually felt a bit sorry for the Deputy Fire Chief. The man had made a lot of mistakes and missteps, but he also seemed like he did care. What he didn’t tell the others was that Billy stayed away from Charlie out of respect for her parents’ wishes. He wanted to make amends with them first, somehow, someday, he had told Buck once when they ended up in the same shield and ladder bar. He had been the one to push to allow Buck to have this time in LA, even though it wasn’t the best time to do so.
The conversation shifted toward the kids and what’s been happening for them. As Denny started talking about the school they’d been attending, Eddie caught Buck’s eye and nodded towards the door back inside. The two made their way in, with Chris moving across the circle to sit next to Denny.
“I figured you needed a moment. You and May have been doing all the talking for hours now,” Eddie said as soon as the door shut behind them.
Buck was touched. Back for two days and already looking out for him. “Yeah, thanks. This is hard, and awkward.”
Eddie sat down at the table with a sigh. “I’m seeing that. You two, and Carlos, plus how many kids? You have every right to be overwhelmed right now.”
Buck collapsed in the seat across from him, glad to finally get the weight off of his leg. “We were. Some days, we still are. The boys have been an amazing help, once those first few weeks passed and we realized that this might be permanent. Captain Vega’s twins were amazing as well. Now, three kids going through the terrible twos one right after another, that was my living nightmare.”
The other man barked out a laugh before pointing at his outstretched leg. “And that? Getting worse over the years?”
He shook his head. “No, work accident. Probie dropped something during restock, my leg was in the way. Normally I don’t really feel it unless I’m doing a 48 with a crew I don’t know.”
Eddie shook his head. “I can’t wrap my head around this. Chris was almost eleven. Now he’s close to sixteen. And you, you look older too.”
He shifted. “I know. I’m older than you now. It’s weird.”
“Be real with me. How bad was it?”
Buck wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Bad. That day was horrific. Car accidents everywhere, planes dropping out of the sky, whole teams of doctors vanishing… More than half of the first responders in America were gone. Hell, I delivered a baby on my way over to the 118, and the station was about to go up in smoke. I’ll never be able to look at Bobby’s baked mac and cheese again.
“And we knew nothing,” he continued. “I had to work quickly to keep the kids. Thank god all of you made me an option to take them all, because otherwise we’d be having a very different conversation. We almost stayed here in this house, but then Carlos called. He had the ten-year-old Vega girls as well as two babies. He needed help. The boys were depressed, May was doing her best not to show her panic, and we needed a change. So we went to Austin. And it worked for us. And sure, things got easier. The kids started thriving. The little ones grew up. May got awards, Carlos got his detective’s shield, I’m a lieutenant. Chief Alonzo has been hinting that if I come back here permanently, I can take the courses for captaincy.”
Buck cleared his throat and looked at Eddie, who looked torn with defeat and wanting to punch whoever did this to split up their family. “I won’t lie. I spent every day wanting you guys back.” He fished his necklace out from under his shift, which held Eddie’s St. Christopher medal and everyone else’s wedding rings. “I wore this every minute I could. At work, I took the rings off and kept them in a box that Chim and Maddie had and kept it in my locker. You guys were with me every day, but you weren’t. I just… never gave up that hope.”
Eddie reached over and clenched the hand that wasn’t holding the necklace. “I’m sorry, Buck.”
He shook his head. “You can’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault, so please don’t. I just blame the universe.” He carefully replaced the necklace back under his shirt, making a mental note to take it off before he left and return all the items.
Shaking his head, Eddie stood and came around the table. “Look, you know I don’t believe in that stuff. But thank you for never giving up hope. Maybe that’s what brought us all back.” He gave the other man one of his small smiles. “Well that, and you obviously still need a wingman. Why are you not with anyone?”
Buck rolled his eyes. “Way to ruin the moment, Diaz.” He gave Eddie a soft shove and shook his head. “There wasn’t anyone I wanted to be with.”
Either the other side taught Eddie how to read between the lines or Buck had lost the ability to be subtle. “Well, maybe the universe was trying to tell you something. What is it that I told Chim? Tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone?”
“Can we not? I still have nightmares,” he mumbled.
“Fine. Just… Let’s actually talk it over before Christopher starts up with his threats about locking us in a closet again.” Eddie grinned.
For the first time in years, Buck really felt like things were going to be okay. This was the Eddie he knew. “Sure. Just, let’s keep that convestation until tomorrow. It’s been a long day.”
As if summoning the others, the slider opened and everyone was making their way inside. It was clear that the night was over, everyone was exhausted.
Plans were made for the next few days to get everyone back on track, reopen bank accounts and sign property back over. It was going to be a chaotic few days filled with paperwork and planning.
But after so long, it was worth it. Their family was back together again. A little different looking, a lot of change ahead, but together. And that was what mattered.