Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Ever since we were kids, all I've ever wanted to was protect you."

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

Buck could feel it.

Ever since he left the station to spend a cozy evening with Eddie. Ever since, he knew Chim and Maddie were going on a well-deserved date.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong.

That mantra kept repeating constantly in Buck's overworked, stressed mind.

"...Mi...or..." A distant voice called out for him. But Buck had no ears for it.

"...amor..." That distant voice called out again. This time, it was closer. The faraway echo was growing louder inside his mind.

"Mi Amor?" That voice said as it finally pulled him out of his own mind. Buck's black void turned into a familiar, cozy living room. With worn-out furniture and crayons and toys all cluttered around. The smell of cinnamon hanging in the air. And right across from him were familiar pictures hanging on a wall.

His eyes landed on a particular one. One of him, Chris and Eddie, is sitting on a picnic blanket together. And then it clicked.

Right.

He was at Eddie's.

"Buck? Mi amor, are you back with me again?" Eddie asked. And that's when Buck was finally able to see the man.

Eddie was crouched down before him from where he was sitting on the couch. One of his hands was resting on Buck's knees while the other was on his shoulder. He was finally able to register the firm grip that Eddie had on his knee. It was a grounding feeling. One that made him feel safe.

"Buck? Where are you right now?" Eddie asked gently, making sure that the man he loved was by his side. That he had fully pulled him away from his self-destructing mind.

"Your place." Buck answered quickly and quietly. He licked his lips for a moment. "I am at your place. Your couch." He added to his previous answer.

Eddie nodded. "Good. Good. Where were you? What happened? I was talking to you and suddenly you were gone. I've been trying to get you out of your mind for almost 10 minutes now." He explained and rubbed one of his thumbs against Buck's neck to provide some comfort.

"I don't know, Baby. Ever since we left the station, I've been having this feeling that something is wrong." Buck explained and looked into Eddie's eyes with fear and worry. He turned his head away but was stopped by the man before him.

Eddie quickly grabbed Buck's attention by turning his head back towards himself. "What do you mean? Tell me. Maybe I can help?" He suggested.

But Buck shook his head. "No. It's...Maddie. I've got this weird feeling about her." He answered, trying to sound out what he was feeling.

Eddie quickly looked at his watch. "She's supposed to be going on that date in 15 minutes. She'll be with Chim. She's safe." He responded and rubbed his hand over Buck's knee now.

No.

No, she is not.

And that is exactly what he was feeling. That feeling of dread. That feeling of panic. Of fear. Of anger. Of worry. Of danger.

Maddie was in danger.

And Eddie could see it. Eddie saw that Buck figured out what he was feeling. And that feeling overcame him as well when he saw the look in Buck's eyes.

So he forced himself upright, his knees groaning with age, and grabbed Buck's keys and jacket for him and walked right to the front door.

Buck arrived by his side just a few seconds later. Eddie helped him stuff his arms into the sleeves of his light jacket. He turned him around and zipped it up, and petted the clothing down so everything was smooth.

Eddie grabbed the keys from where he had laid them beside him on the small table and shoved them straight into Buck's hands.

"Eddie, I'm..." Buck tried to apologize, but Eddie stopped him by pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "No, Buck, I understand. Go, go check up on your sister. Text me when you get home. Text me when you find out everything is fine. Okay?" Eddie asked.

Buck nodded. "I promise. Thank you, Eddie." He responded before opening the door, sprinting to his Jeep. He stopped halfway and ran back to Eddie's side. He leaned down a bit, grabbed his cheeks, and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. "I love you, Baby." He whispered into his side.

Eddie smiled. "I love you too, Mi amor. Now go! Go, go, go, go, go." He urged him and shooed him away. He watched as Buck sprinted back to his Jeep and practically jumped in. The car started quickly and screeched off the driveway.

Eddie watched as Buck sped off down the street and around a corner. He was about to head inside when a terrible feeling nestled into his gut.

Not only was Maddie in danger, but Buck as well.

"Be safe out there, okay? I need you to come back to me." Eddie said to the beautiful dark night sky, praying for his lover's safety.

Buck was used to being dismissed when it came to his sense of danger. Especially when it came to his sister.

From the moment he had met Doug, he hated him. No, more like despised him. Buck could smell that he was an asshole from a mile away. He could see it in the way he acted. The fake smile. The fake happy look in his eyes. The angry tone hidden in his voice when a situation he didn't like occurred. Buck knew it.

He could feel it, too. And that feeling developed more and more over the years of seeing him and Maddie together.

That feeling flared up when he saw Maddie and Doug appear on their parents' doorstep for dinner. Maddie was wearing a long sleeved shirt. In the middle of summer. And when that sleeve rode up a bit during dinner, Buck could see a handshaped bruise around his sister's wrist. He was about to raise hell when a pleading look from Maddie caught his eyes. She was begging him not to do anything. So he didn't. And Buck regretted that ever since.

So there he now was, speeding home in his Jeep. He was 10 minutes into a 20-minute drive when that feeling sucker-punched him into his gut. It was so violent that he almost ran his car off the road and into a tree. Luckily for him, the streets of LA were much quieter in the evening, so he was able to correct himself without any danger.

Buck took a moment to collect himself. That feeling had never been as bad as now. This. This was something new. He needed to get to Maddie. Now.

So Buck did what any self-sacrificing brother would do. He stepped down on the gas and floored it down the streets of LA. Did he ignore some stop signs and perhaps a few empty red lights? Maybe. But that was an issue for later. He would gladly pay those fines in exchange for his sister to be okay.

What was left of his 10 minute drive was completed in almost 5. He rounded the last corner before slamming his foot down on the brakes, nearly flying himself out the window. He grabbed his phone, quickly shooting Eddie a text that he had arrived home, and wallet and jumped out the jeep. He just about remembered to lock it before bolting off towards the gates of Maddie's apartment building.

Buck was about to press the bell to get in when he caught something in the side of his eyes. The wooden gate, it was open. Just by a crack, but it was open.

Abandoning his previous idea, Buck crept towards the gate and peeked around it.

And oh no.

No, no, no, no, no.

No. This couldn't be happening.

Chim. Chim was on his side on the floor. Crushed up flowers were laying beside him in a steadily growing puddle of blood.

Buck immediately ran inside the complex and slid to his knees next to Chim. He pulled the phone from his pocket and quickly dialed 9-1-1. He slammed the phone down the ground with incredible force as he turned Chim on his back so he could check him out.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" The voice on the other side of the line asked.

"I'm at 1832 Bryson Avenue..." Buck practically yelled into his phone as he started to check Chim. "...I have an adult male with multiple stab wounds to his torso! Need medical and police response." He added as he spotted the wounds the blood was rushing out of.

"Okay, sir, can I get your name?" The voice asked next.

"Evan Buckley. I'm a firefighter with the 118!" Buck responded while shrugging of his jacket. He gathered the piece of clothing and crushed it up into a ball before pressing it down onto one of Chim's more deeper wounds.

"Buck?" That voice answered him.

"Yeah..." He responded quickly, not really realizing that the voice knew him. Not that it really mattered in the moment. "...victim is Howard Han. He's got profuse bleeding to his abdomen. Breathing is labored. It might have hit a lung." Buck called out to his phone.

He turned his attention back to Chimney so he could talk to him. To try and keep him awake. "Come on, Chim. Hang in there." He called out to the older man.

"Buck, RA unit's 7 minutes out. Do you know how this happened? How long has he been down?" That voice asked him.

Buck shook his head, but given that he was on the phone, they couldn't see his reaction. "I don't know. I just got home and found him laying on the ground. But given the amount of blood, but given the amount of blood, I would say a few minutes, not hours." He eventually explained.

"Okay. How is his pulse?" The voice asked.

Buck quickly pressed two fingers against the pulse point in Chim's neck. "Okay, for now, but it's getting weaker." He replied panicky. "Wait, wait, wait, he's talking!" He added once he saw Chim try and get his attention.

"Jason..." Chim mumbled loud enough for Buck to hear.

"Chim, it's me. It's Buck. I'm here, okay? I just need you to stay with me, Chimney." Buck almost yelled in Chim's face.

"Jason...still inside." Chim replied as he was losing his battle with consciousness.

Buck began to panic severely. "Chimney, who is Jason? Who is Jason?" He began to question the injured man.

Yet Chimney was far too gone to really understand. So he decided to gather and use what strength he had left to give Buck one last reply.

"Maddie..." He whispered as his eyes fell closed.

And that's when that previous feeling from when he was in the car hit him again. Like an 18-wheeler crashing straight into him.

"Where is Maddie. Chimney. Where is Maddie?" Buck called out desperately, but he got no response. Chim was out like a light.

So Buck, with the frantic need to go and protect his sister, raised himself upright and left Chim on the ground as he ran to the apartment. He had made sure that his jacket was tightly wrapped around the wound so that no more blood would spill.

"Maddie! Maddie!" Buck screamed over and over as he reached the widely opened door. He stormed his way inside but stopped when he saw his sister before him.

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. They were filled with terror and fear. Her lip was split open with a small trickle of blood underneath it. Around her left eye was a red and blue mark. Someone had hurt his sister.

"Maddie? Maddie? Are you okay? Wha...Aarghhh!" Buck yelled out until he felt a whole hot searing pain coming from the left side of his chest. A hand immediately flew up and pressed against the side where the pain sprouted. Buck gently pulled it back to reveal his hand covered in blood.

Buck's eyes traveled down his body until he found the source of the blood. A wound. A deep stab wound right under his stomach. Blood was gushing up and staining the gray shirt he was wearing. The immediate and rapid blood loss made Buck feel very dizzy. And the black and white spots appearing in his eyes didn't help. He fell down to his knees as he clutched his side, trying to control the flow of blood.

"Buck! Buck!" A female voice called from by his side, but Buck couldn't immediately register to who it belonged. Probably Maddie, but he wasn't really sure. His vision was getting more blurry by the second. It was getting harder to see.

"Leave him alone!" A new voice angrily screamed. Buck could feel a boot land harshly on his back, throwing him forward and making him kiss the ground. A pair of soft hands landed on his cheeks a few seconds later. They gently lifted them from the ground, making Buck look at his surroundings.

Buck's blurry vision landed on a face he never, never wanted to see again. A face belonging to someone who he promised to himself he would beat up. A face that didn't deserve anything but a good punch to knock out a few teeth.

Doug.

Buck audibly growled as he saw the man. The pain and blood were instantly forgotten as the need for protection took over. He braced himself on his hands and knees and pushed himself upright. Buck took a few staggering steps towards the male and raised a balled up fist, ready to slam in down on the man before him. But he was too weak.

Doug easily caught the flying fist in his hand. He raised his own fist and socked Buck right against the side of his jaw. He hit him so hard that Buck saw stars appear next to the black spots already crowding his vision.

The young man went down to the ground, hard. Maddie was immediately by his side again. She was on her knees next to him, a hand pressed against the bruising wound to check out the damage.

"Evan? Evan, are you okay? Talk to me!" Maddie whispered frantically to her younger brother. Baby blue eyes slowly trailed up to meet her own worried hazel ones.

"I'm f'ne." Buck muttered to her as he tried to force himself upright again. But to no avail, he fell right back on his knees.

"See, this is all really touching. But we have to go. Now." Doug mocked as he reached forward and roughly grabbed Maddie's arm to pull her upright and to his side.

Maddie yelped in surprise and pain as she was yanked up. Buck looked up in utter fury when he heard his sister cry out in pain. He growled again as he met Doug's eyes. "Leave...my sister...alone!" He bit out, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the meantime.

Doug snickered loudly as he watched the youngest Buckley try to be threatening in the state he was in. "And what are you going to do, Evan? Rescue her? You've been doing such a good job at that." He mocked, bursting out in laughter.

Buck looked down at the ground, defeated. Doug was right. He hadn't been able to protect his sister. And in the meantime, he had gotten hurt.

That pain decided to let its presence be known again. His adrenaline rush was over, and he was ready to crash. The stars and dark spots from before were rapidly darkening his vision. The dizziness set on again, making him feel nauseous. His hand was still tightly clutched to his side, making the blood flow slower.

"This has all been so much fun, but we need to go." Doug said as he turned back to Maddie and grabbed her arm to pull her with him.

Maddie shook herself out of his grasp. She stepped back to her brother's side and sank down next to him again.

"No! Not before you let me treat him. I promise to go quietly if you let me patch him up." She said and curled herself around Buck. Her brother's head lolled dangerously against her shoulder. His eyes were half open, trying to focus on her.

"Maddie...no." Buck whispered to her. She couldn't leave with him. He would never see him again. She would be dead before he would find her.

Doug seemed to think it over for a minute but eventually shook his head. "No. Far too dangerous. I know your brother, Maddie. He would follow us. No. We are taking him with us." He answered.

"No! Absolutely not! I am not dragging my little brother into this!" Maddie yelled back, standing up for the both of them.

Buck couldn't help but feel a little proud. This was the first time he saw her do that. But then he saw the look of rage pass on Doug's face.

"Maddie. It's okay. I promise." Buck whispered gently to calm his sister down. He leaned heavily against her as they slowly stood upright together. Maddie let go of his side and was immediately faced with a pissed of Doug, who was now holding a gun instead of his previous pocket knife.

Another white hot pain graced Buck's body. But this time, it struck his head. Buck groaned out in pain and almost fell to the ground again, if it wasn't for Maddie keeping him upright.

His vision swam heavily as the figures before him began to double and sway. His unoccupied hand traveled up and touched the new spot of pain. He hissed loudly and pulled his hand back to again reveal a bit of blood.

Buck was quick to connect the dots. The gun, the pain, the vision problems. Great. He had been pistol whipped a bad concussion.

"That'll keep you from pulling a stunt. Now move!" Doug yelled at the siblings and walked up to stand behind Maddie. He pressed the gun against her back and pushed her forward.

So Maddie couldn't help but do as she was told. She wrapped her hands tight around Buck's good arm, the one that was not attached to the wound on his side, and slowly helped him forward.

The walk to the car was agonizingly slow. Each step took more energy than Buck had available. His feet were dragging along as the car Doug was using into view.

Doug moved from behind him towards the car. He still had his gun pointed at them as he opened the backseat door. "Get your brother in and then go sit in the front." He ordered.

Maddie silently nodded. She slowly helped Buck inside the car. She watched as her brother crashed down across the backseat. The sight before her crushed her heart.

Buck was sprawled over the seats. One of his legs was outstretched while the other one was planted on the ground. His left arm, the one that was putting pressure on his stab-wound, fell limp down his body. His right, however, raised up and laid across his chest, now able to provide the much needed pressure.

"Doug. Please. Please let me help my brother. Let me help Evan. I don't want him to bleed out." Maddie begged Doug as she mourned the state her brother was in.

Doug shook his head. "I didn't stab anything vital. He'll be okay. Now get to the front seat." He ordered angrily.

Tears gathered in Maddie's eyes. She glanced back at Buck and gently stroked his cheek with her hand. Doug had enough of her theatrics. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away. He opened the door to the front seat and pushed her towards it.

Maddie gently crawled in and buckled herself up. She watched in the car's side mirror as Doug closed both passenger and backseat doors. He went around the car and got in the driver's seat.

Doug looked over his shoulder at Buck and raised his gun. He gave the injured firefighter a look before pointing the gun at Maddie's head. "Try something, and she's dead before you know it. Got it?" He threatened.

Buck slowly looked over from Doug to Maddie. Her eyes were still full of terror and tears. Buck knew that Doug was serious. So he did the only thing he could do right now. He nodded slowly, head filling with cotton with each movement.

"Good. Let's go." Doug said and started the car. He pressed his foot down the gas, and off they went to who knows where.

Maddie was reliving a memory of Doug and her when she was roughly pulled out of her memories by a punch to her cheek.

"Dammit, Maddie. I warned you. I warned you." Doug yelled at her as he focused himself back on the road again.

Maddie couldn't contain her tears anymore. Not only had she been taken. Of course, her brother was injured, and they had left Chim, lying on the pavement of her apartment building. A dreadful look appeared on her face. Oh God. Chimney. He'd been stabbed to. She had seen him and the blood.

"Is...is he dead?" Maddie asked as she let the tears flow down her cheeks.

"Who? Evan?" Doug asked as he glanced at her. "No. Chimney." She replied back gently. Doug sighed. "If he's not, he will be. He's not our problem anymore." He answered back quickly.

"Why would you do that? He's... he's such a kind man. He was so good." Maddie asked him.

Doug looked over. "You think I don't know that?" He answered her. "I didn't want to hurt him. I liked Chimney. We were friends." He added, voice laced with anger and frustration.

"Way to show it, buddy." Buck whispered sarcastically from the backseat. He coughed, blood spluttering from his lips and trailing down his chin.

Maddie wisely ignored her brother. She was glad Doug hadn't heard him. "What? What do you mean?" She asked, eyes giving him a blank look.

"But you cloud me, Maddie." Doug interrupted her questioning. "You fog up my head. You always have. If you'd have just stayed. This never would have happened." He added.

Maddie looked at him fearfully. "Doug, how long have you been here?" She asked him. "I needed to make sure you were safe. I saw you with Buck. I thought, 'All right. Fine. She's with that loser. She needs some time. Just give her some space. She'll come home. She always comes home. And them Chimney told me that you asked him out. And that your fuck-up of a brother supported that idea. He, apparently, suggested it. I knew. I knew I waited far too long." He explained.

Buck snorted loudly from the backseat, making Maddie flinch with worry. He rolled his at Doug's explanation. "Jesus..." He muttered to himself.

Doug glared at Buck from the rear-view mirror. "Got anything to say, Buckley?" He growled at the firefighter.

Buck was about to answer when Maddie stopped him by speaking up first. "No. Please. Can you just pull over? We can talk. It's not too late." She begged her former husband.

"Of course, it's too late, Maddie. I just killed a man for you. I stabbed your own brother, Maddie." Doug replied and glanced at her again. "There is no coming back from that. Not for me and not for you. Now shut up and stay quiet, or I will kill Evan next. Understand?" He said as he focused back on the road before them.

Maddie nodded her head immediately. He turned around in her seat and looked Buck up and down. It was such a pathetic sight. Her brother curled up on the backseat. His hand clutching what was still an oozing wound. The early signs of fever and exhaustion were starting to show as drops of sweat rolled down his face.

"Buck? You okay?" She asked quietly. Buck opened his eyes and gave her a pained, bloody grin. "Peachy." He responded as optimistically as he could before closing his eyes again. He needed to rest. Get some strength back.

"Evan? Are you sure?" She asked and tried to reach out, but Doug stopped her by snapping fingers in her face.

"Eyes on the road." He muttered. Maddie did as told, keeping very quiet.

Eddie was getting worried.

Really, really worried.

It had been almost an hour since he had gotten Buck's last text message, saying that he had arrived back home. Eddie had tried to call him, but the call landed on a voice-mail, saying that Buck's number was occupied.

And that was weird.

So he tried again. And again. And again. Eddie tried for 15 minutes straight but never received an answer. His calls went straight to voice-mail.

Eddie was about to call when finally, he got a call back. He picked up the call without looking at the caller ID and quickly regretted that.

"Evan? Mi Amor? Are you okay? I tried to call before but it went straight voice-mail." Eddie explained as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Uh...Eddie. It's me... Hen." a voice definitely not belonging to Buck answered.

Eddie could curse himself. He was ready to dig a grave and bury himself alive. But there was no time for that. "Hen? Why are you calling?" He asked, hoping that she would ignore his previous term of endearment.

"It's Chim. He's been wounded badly. Just. Come to the hospital." She replied back.

"Yeah. Absolutely. I'm on my way right now. Is Buck there with you? Could you hand him the phone?" Eddie asked as he grabbed his keys and the first pair of shoes he could find.

"Just come to the hospital. Athena and Bobby are here, too." Hen answered, tactfully working her way around his question.

Eddie noticed her weird behavior but said nothing about it. He said his goodbyes and hung up the phone. He stuffed the device into his pocket before slipping out the house and towards his truck. He got inside and tuned it on before starting his journey to the hospital.

Luckily for him, the streets were quite calm. So Eddie was quick to arrive at the hospital. He parked his truck and slipped out, pocketing the keys as he locked the vehicle.

Eddie walked to the doors and waited until they swisher open. He marched inside and looked around to try and spot Hen. She was already up and walking to his side.

"I got here as fast as I could. How's he doing?" Eddie asked as he met her in the middle of the waiting room.

"Alive, but he's got a punctured lung and a lacerated stomach." Hen answered as she fiddled with her phone.

Eddie sighed deeply and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Is he in surgery?" He questioned immediately.

Hen shook her head. "Not yet..." She sighed and looked up to meet his eyes. "... He lost a lot of blood. But as soon as he's stable, they'll prep him for surgery." She added.

"Who would do something like this? Where did they find him? Who called it in?" Eddie asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I don't have the answers to all your questions, but I can at least answer two of 'em." A new voice called out from by the hospital doors. It was Athena, with Bobby and an unknown person standing by her side.

"Buckaroo was the one who called it in. Found Chimney bleeding out right on the doorstep to his and Maddie's place." Athena explained and walked over. She placed a gentle hand on Eddie's shoulder. "For who did it? We don't know yet. They're investigating that right now." She added.

"Buck did? I'm glad. Chimney was in good hands. Do they have any idea who did it?" Eddie replied as a weight visibly fell of his shoulders. " And where is Buck right now? I haven't seen him since I arrived. Maddie neither." He muttered and looked around again, trying to spot the siblings.

Athena placed a hand on Eddie's arm, stopping him from looking around. "Eddie. There is a suspect. Chim apparently mentioned a Jason on the phone, but we have other ideas. We think it was Doug." She said.

Eddie looked at her a bit confused. "Doug? As in ex-husband Doug? How? Isn't he all the way in Pennsylvania." He asked. His gut feeling from when Buck left settled back in his stomach. There was more going on. He could feel it.

"Yes. But we think that Maddie was put on his radar again after she filed for the divorce. He may have come here and pretended to be this Jason to get close to Chimney and use him so he could get close to Maddie." Athena explained and rubbed her hand up and down Eddie's arm.

Eddie nodded. "I understand. But can't you use his phone to find something out? Chimney had mentioned once or twice that they had exchanged numbers or something?" He suggested and nodded to the phone the detective, whose name was apparently Marks, had placed on the receptionist desk.

Detective Marks shook his head. "No. Phone's locked. Can't open it without the victim's consent." The man answered and glanced at the phone. "They'll subpoena his phone records, but it'll take some time." Athena added.

Eddie nodded once again. "Okay. Okay. I understand." He said and raked his fingers through his hair. "God's. I can't believe this. Did Maddie get hurt? Is Buck with her? Is that why they aren't here?" He asked, his eyes filling with more worry.

Athena pressed her lips tightly together. She slowly crossed her arms. "That's the issue, Eddie. All we found when we arrived was Chim on the ground." She answered.

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, a sudden fear striking him. Athena placed her hand back on his arm.

"What I mean, Eddie, is that all we found was Chim. Buck and Maddie were gone. We only found their wallets and phones. But that was it." She explained.

Eddie kept quiet for a moment. His eyes widened, and panic began to settle in his stomach. His breathing got a bit harder and faster.

Where was Buck?

Where was his Buck?

A light-bulb went off inside his head. "Oh God. Buck was right. Maddie was in danger. Doug took them. Didn't he? He took them." Eddie answered and looked at her as he began to panic.

Athena nodded. "We think he did." She said and rubbed the hand continuously up and down his arm. The sergeant looked away from him. It was obvious she was hiding something, something bad.

"Athena. What aren't you telling me? Oh God. Did something happen to Buck? Or Maddie?" Eddie questioned quietly.

She sighed deeply and collected herself before delivering some heartbreaking words. "We found blood. Lots of it. Inside the apartment." Athena said.

Eddie could feel his world crashing down before him. They had found blood. Inside. Blood that certainly couldn't belong to Chim.

"Wh... What do we do now? We have to go and find them." Eddie asked as he turned his eyes back to Athena and the detective.

"Well, as Sergeant Grant said, we have to wait so we can subpoena the phone records. But it's gonna take some time." Detective Marks answered.

Eddie could feel anger rising up inside of him. Either Buck or Maddie, hell, even the both of them could be hurt, and all they could do was wait. That wasn't an option.

"Well, Buck and Maddie don't have time. Okay?!" Eddie said as he raised his voice at them. "Come on, we know who did this! He almost killed Chimney. And... and he could kill them next." He added. His voice was starting to choke up with desperation.

"But he didn't." Bobby said, saying his first words ever since they had arrived at the hospital. "Bobby..." Eddie called out and threw his hands up in the air and into his hair, pulling softly on the strands.

"Eddie, just listen to me. Maybe you are right. It's Doug. And he found out where Maddie and Buck were. And he came here, and he hurt Chimney. But Buck and Maddie aren't here. And if all be wanted to do was kill them, especially Maddie..." Bobby explained as he placed his hands on Eddie's shoulder.

"Then you would have found them." Eddie finished the sentence for Bobby. The older man nodded.

"And we didn't. So they were alive when he took them. Hurt, but alive. And that's what we have to hold on to right now. Okay? Keep that hope alive." Bobby said and squeezed Eddie's shoulders to ground him.

Eddie nodded. "Okay. Okay, okay, okay." He whispered gently and raised his hands to drag them over his face.

He stepped out of Bobby's grasp and turned himself around to catch his breath for a moment. The first thing he saw was Chim's phone on the desk. And a, arguably very bad, idea came to his mind.

Eddie walked to the desk and leaned against it. He quickly swiped Chim's phone and hid it in his pocket, pulling his shirt down a but to fully cover it. "I'm going outside for a minute to catch my breath. Let me know if you find out anything else. Okay?" Eddie explained as he walked past everyone. Yet instead of turning right and outside the door, he turned left, right towards where Chimney would be.

Eddie slowly crept his way around nurses, hallways, and corridors. They were all too busy to notice him, and the sneaking he learned in basic training was an advantage as well.

He was standing in an open doorway, watching as a nurse closed the privacy curtains to Chim's emergency bed. He looked around quickly before slipping inside. Eddie pulled the phone from his pocket once it was safe and lit up the lock-screen.

"Sorry about this, buddy, but it's for a good cause." He muttered and leaned over to press Chimney's thumb against the scanner.

"You are not supposed to be in here!" The nurse that had just left called out as she came to check up on him again.

Eddie, needing a way to distract the nurse so he could continue, began to use his only option. Dramatics. "Oh, Oh, God. Please don't let him die." He fake cried as he continued to try the fingerprint scanner.

"Sir, please, you need to leave!" The nurse almost yelled and quickly moved to his side to try and pull him off of Chimney.

Eddie continued his dramatics until he heard the lock-screen unlock. Yes. Finally. The nurse called out again for him to leave, and Eddie immediately stood upright. "Okay. Okay. I'm going. I'm going." Eddie said and turned around, smirking to himself. His smirk fell, however, as he saw 2 cops and a furious Athena standing before him.

"You know, Detective Marks wouldn't believe me. Said no one could be that stupid to steal evidence from underneath his nose." Athena said and rested a hand on her hip.

"You know what I said? 'You don't know Buck or Eddie. Both share one brain cell. Especially when the other one is in danger. And you didn't prove me wrong." She added and stared him down. Athena held out her hand towards the phone and flicked her fingers in certain motion. "Here. Now." She said and nodded to the phone.

Eddie swallowed and slowly stepped forward. He held out the unlocked phone and looked down at his shoes. The sergeant snatched the unlocked phone from his hands. She pointed to the bench that was against the wall. "Now sit down right now, or I swear I will arrest you." She muttered. Eddie didn't day anything. He just sat down on the bench and looked down at his lap.

"So. That was a bold move." A certain voice said. Eddie to see Hen standing by his side, a playful smirk on her face.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know." Eddie chuckled and watched as the woman at down next to him. He turned his eyes away from her again, back to his lap.

He looked back up, eyes getting red. He was barely holding on to his emotions. "What were you thinking, Diaz? I already got that lecture from Athena." Eddie added and looked over at the Sergeant at the same time as Hen.

Hen chuckled. "And what did you tell them? That Buck would have done it for you as well? That you have sisters to and you know the need to protect them?" She asked and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Something like that." Eddie muttered and let a single tear fall down his cheek.

Hen glanced at him, her smile going soft. "Want to tell me the actual reason?" She suggested quietly and placed a hand on Eddie's leg. "How long have you been together now?" She whispered so only Eddie would hear.

Eddie looked at her in shock. "How did you?" He asked but was interrupted by Hen chuckling. "Eddie. I'm a lesbian. I can clock that from a mile away. You two were more touchy than normal. More closer. And I have seen the two of you kissing by your truck. You love him." She teased but eventually turned more serious.

"Still, you didn't actually think you were getting away with that, right?" She questioned.

Eddie shook his head. "Honestly, I wasn't worried about that." He answered and sat up to fully look at her. "The police, they have all these rules. Rules that could get them killed. But I'm a civilian right now, not a soldier, not a firefighter. They don't apply to me right now." Eddie explained, trying to make her see his reasoning.

Hen shook her head playfully. "So is that why you are in hospital jail right now? You know you did something wrong. I know you know. But I understand. If something were to happen to Karen, I would have done the exact same thing." She said.

Eddie nodded. "But that's not really the point right now. Is it?" Hen said and squeezed his knee for a minute. "Wanna tell me why you feel guilty?" She asked next.

Another deep sigh left Eddie. Like he was letting go of secret. "Buck came to me before. He was having a hard time. He told me that he constantly had these feelings of dread that would consume him. That even though he promised Maddie she would be safe here, that she could start over here, he always felt that it wasn't enough. He wanted to keep her safe. But that he couldn't." Eddie explained and turned his eyes away from her.

"I told him that Maddie was at the safest place she could be. By his side. I told him that if she had kept running, she would be less safe. She would be alone. But right now, she had him in her corner. But Buck was scared, not only for her, but for the both of them." Eddie continued to explain. He leaned his head down and raked another hand through the messy hair.

"So I made him a promise. I told him that I would keep them safe. That Buck only needed to worry about her for now. That if it ever came down to it. I would take care of them. Protect them." Eddie finished and looked up at Hen. His eyes were growing glossier by the second. "I broke that promise, Hen. I should've been by his side as promised. But I wasn't. And now I've broken that promise." He whispered, voice quivering as he buried his head in his hands.

Hen looked at Eddie with soft eyes. "Eddie..." She whispered, ready to pull him out of his own mind, when two pairs of footsteps joined then.

"I spoke with Detective Marks. He's not happy with you. And that's explained lightly." Athena started as she arrived by her side, Bobby on her heels.

"I just..." Eddie tried to explain his side, but Athena interrupted him. "You broke chain of custody. You unlocked Chimney's phone without his permission. Marks can't use any of it now." She added to her lecture.

Eddie nodded. "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I was trying to help. I needed to do something. Buck. He...I." He stuttered and looked into her. Eddie was not really ready to come out about their relationship just yet, but the look in his eyes betrayed him.

And Athena knew. Eddie could see it in her eyes. How she figured it all out in a second. Her stern look dimmed down to one of understanding. "Okay. Let's go. The car's out front." She finally said.

Eddie looked up at her. His eyes filled with defeat and hopelessness. "You're arresting me?" He asked quietly and leaned back against the wall.

"Not for now. But I can't make any promises. The night is still young." She said as she walked away. Eddie sat there for a second, stunned at what was happening. His looked up at Bobby, who held a hand out.

Eddie scrambled upright from the bench. He stumbled his way to Athena's side. "Where are we going?" He asked and followed her determined steps.

The sergeant turned her head to look at him. "Well, to find the siblings." She replied. "If that Jason really is Doug, which I am pretty sure of, this phone is the way to find him. But first, we need a little help." She explained.

Eddie nodded. "But, I thought you said we couldn't use the phone?" He asked. Athena gave him a sly smirk. "No, baby, I said Marks can't use it. This isn't my case. I'm just a concerned friend of the victims." She replied.

Eddie was ready to jump in her arms and hug her. "Thank you, Athena. Thank you. I knew there was a reason I love you." He said.

"Mhhmm, remember that for later when I say something you don't like. Now, I'll be in that car. Don't take too long." She said and left Eddie with Bobby, who was patiently waiting so he could have a talk with Eddie.

"Eddie." Bobby said, voice already filled with warning. "There are some ground rules. Okay?. You do not leave her sight. You don't lie. You don't break the law. You don't do anything that's gonna force her into early retirement. Understand?" He basically threatened.

Eddie nodded. "You got it, cap." He said confidently. Bobby nodded. "Good. Now go and bring them back to us. And good luck!" Bobby said. He stayed put in his spot and raised his hand, waving the two of them off.

"And for everyone's sake, please, be safe." Bobby whispered to himself as he turned back around, ready to join Hen and the other again.

It had been hours since Buck had been stuffed into Doug's car together with Maddie. An eerie silence had overcome the 3 of them the farther they traveled over the highway.

Not that Buck really cared about the silence. He mostly thanked it. He had spent most of the trip going between in and out of consciousness. The damage that Doug had done had taken its toll on him.

The stab-wound he had received on the side of his body had finally, finally stopped bleeding. The blood that had flown from it dried up and started crusting, creating its own sort of seal that stopped it. But he had lost a lot of blood. He could feel it on how weak and exhausted he was. Buck didn't trust the makeshift seal a 100 percent yet, so he kept his hand pressed against it.

The concussion, however, was alive and thriving. It bothered him with every slight movement. A bump in the road, a sore neck, a sudden speck of light. Everything turned it up to a full blast. Like he was standing next to 12 boomboxes blasting some weird techno music.

The side of his face, where he had been punched and pistol-whipped, was growing a nice, big black bruise around the previous opened wound. A trail of blood was smeared all over the side. Buck didn't need to see it to feel it.

The fever that had spiked during it all didn't help his situation either. Mixed with the blood loss. He practically looked like a ghost. Buck was glad that he was able to stay alert and take everything in. He figured he had to thank the adrenaline for that one.

It had been hours since Maddie had last turned in her seat to look at him. To check him over. Buck could see how she noted every little thing wrong with him down inside her mind. The stab wound, the concussion, the fever, the pale color to his cheeks. He could see her noting it all down neatly inside her mind.

The telepathic bond the 2 had came in handy. Buck could feel that he was losing the battle with consciousness. His eyes had fallen closed numerous times, but he sh9ok himself awake. He had to be awake. For Maddie.

So when she turned in her seat hours ago, studying him up again, she could see the exhaustion bothering her brother. Her eyes turned soft, and she gave a tiny nod. One that Doug couldn't see. She gave her permission for Buck to close his eyes. To gather his energy during a well-deserved rest.

Buck didn't know how long he slept for, but it wasn't all too long. It was still dark outside, so it couldn't have been more than a few hours. His eyes opened groggily as an irritating voice woke him from his slumber.

"Come on, come on. Where is it?" The irritating voice, obviously belonging to Doug, called out. An annoying little beep sounded through the car. Gas. The tank was going empty.

Buck chuckled loudly as he heard the beep of the gas. A devilish smirk appeared on his face. "Hey, Buddy. Next time you decide to kidnap someone, make sure you actually have enough gas, or at least know where a gas station is." Buck taunted the man in the driver's seat.

Maddie visible tensed up as she registered Buck's comment. She clutched her hands together in her lap. Part of her couldn't help but be proud of Buck!

Doug's eyes snapped towards the rear-view mirror. He growled and abruptly stopped the car in the middle of the highway. The motion made Buck almost face-plant the seats before him.

"That should shut you up." He mumbled and continued to glare at Buck in the mirror. He waited for a few moments to press his foot down on the gas again. "Now, where is it? I don't see anything." Doug mumbled to himself as the GPS said to continue to follow the road for another 1,7 miles.

Maddie didn't look at him. She had raised her hands and stared at the zip-ties that were around her wrists. "I don't get it. Why not just kill me?" She eventually asked, grabbing Doug's attention.

"Why would I, Maddie? I love you. So much. You are all that I have." Doug asked, flabbergasted that she would ask him such a thing.

"Again, weird way of showing that." Buck muttered from the backseat. Maddie, however, stared at Doug with a look of pure rage.

"You don't have me. You'll never will." She answered him and looked away again. The GPS stopped the conversation from continuing, notifying them that their destination was on the right.

"Finally. There it is. Never give up hope." Doug mumbled and turned right towards the gas station. He drove his car right up to the front of the store attached to it. "Don't move. Both of you." He said as he stopped the car and got out.

Maddie watched the man stalk away before taking action. She opened the little glove box and pulled out whatever she could find. Which happened to he some papers. He stuffed them away as best as she could before opening her car door and getting out and opening the backseat doors.

Maddie slipped in next to Buck and looked him up and down. "Oh, Evan." She whispered as tears gathered in her eyes.

Buck opened his eyes and slid them over to his sister. "Maddie. Are you okay?" He asked gently. Maddie nodded. "I'm okay for now. I promise. And you?" She answered as she saw the state her brother was in. Buck only nodded, not wanting to elaborate on it.

"You have to watch out, Buck. I don't want Doug to hurt you again." She warned and laid her hands on his leg. Buck flashed her his signature smirk. "Better me than you, Maddie. I would take thousands of hits for you." He responded.

Maddie gave him a sad look. "But you shouldn't have to. Now. Promise me to sit tight. I have a plan. I'll be right back." She whispered and leaned over to press a kiss to his unharmed cheek. She crawled back out again, barely standing upright as a familiar voice grated her ears.

"Hey, where you going?" Her ex-husband questioned as he came around the car. Maddie decided to use the best acting she could muster. "I was looking for you. I have to pee." She said and crossed her legs.

"Yeah? You sure that's all. I saw you coming out from Buck's side." He said and took a step closer to her, trying to intimidate her.

"I just wanted to check on him. Look at him, Doug. He's lost a lot of blood, concussed and delirious with fever. What's he gonna do? Besides. Look around. Where am I gonna go? There's nothing around, and you still have my brother. So can you finally let me go? I don’t want to pee in the car." She answered her captor, hiding a sarcastic tone.

Doug didn't say anything else. He clicked up the knife and cut the zip-ties from her wrists. He laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her towards the store. "Keep your head down." He muttered.

Buck watched from inside the car as they disappeared into the store. He took a deep breath before trying and sitting up. He needed to do something.

A painful scream almost left his lips as he felt the dried scabs of blood pull on his wound. He puffed his cheeks in and out as he sat upright. Buck's whole body tensed up in extreme pain, but he couldn't think about that right now. He needed to do something. Leave a clue in case someone would come.

Buck felt around his pockets with his unoccupied hand. His hand eventually landed on the front pocket of his jeans. A moment of victory overcame him as he felt something meet his fingers. A receipt. A receipt to his and Eddie's favorite pizza place. The place they had gone to before he went over to Maddie. He pulled it out of his pocket. That could work. But it wasn't enough.

His eyes landed on the ring he had on his finger. A simple silver band, but one that meant so much. He and Eddie had gotten it together when they first started dating. A little reminder to always come back to each other. Buck slipped the ring from his finger and curled the receipt tightly around it so it was stuck inside.

Buck slowly turned his body and opened the car door where he was resting against. He braced himself as his point of support moved away from him. He slowly leaned over and threw the receipt ball on the ground, not far from the pump.

That should do it. Eddie would find it. He knew he would. He would understand and would alert the others. That's was Buck's only hope.

Buck was so focused on his own task that he didn't see Doug storm out from the store and past the car. He had barely managed to close the door and lean back against it when he heard a sound he dreaded most.

A gunshot.

And that was it. Doug had gotten to Maddie. At least, that was what he believed. He gathered his strength once more and forced himself upright. Buck could feel the scabs rip open from his stab wound. He could feel the blood start pooling from it again, staining not only his shirt but also the sheets.

But that didn't matter to him. He needed to get to Maddie. To save her life if he could. He was about to open the door again when both Maddie and Doug came from around the corner of the shop.

Buck's eyes widened in horror as he saw a fresh specks of blood over Maddie's face and hands. He was about to raise hell when Doug opened the passenger door again and threw his sister inside her seat.

"What the hell did you do to my sister? I swear to God, if you laid so much as one finger on her. I will kill you!" Buck threatened as loud as he could.

Doug didn't immediately answer. He started the car once he was buckled in and sped off to the empty highway. "Hey, answer me, you asshole!" Buck threatened again.

Doug stopped the car in the middle of the road and turned around in his seat. "One more word out of you, and I swear I will kill that pretty little boy-toy of yours. What's his name? Eddie, right? Maybe I'll go after his kid as well. Make him an orphan." He argued back.

That immediately shut Buck up. He didn't mind any threats to him, but to Eddie and Chris. That terrified him. So he saw no other option but to hold back, for now. "Okay. Okay. I'll stop." Buck said and held up a hand in defeat.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest. God. Eddie must be so scared right now. Chimney hurt. He and Maddie gone without anyone knowing where. If it had happened to Eddie, he would be frightened. He would be going crazy.

Unknown to Buck, Maddie had been watching him from the side of her eyes. She had heard the comment Doug had made about her brother's 'boy-toy'. And she immediately knew. It had to be Eddie, especially with how close they were and about how they talked about each other. With how Buck loved to spend his time together with the Diaz boys. She knew.

A gentle smile grazed her lips. That tiny spark of hope she had grew a thousand times.

And she had good reason to.

Eddie had been more than going crazy. He was going feral. Every hour without a sign from either Buckley sibling caused him to lose another year of his life. The darkened sky from the night before had turned into an early dawn.

Right now, he was back next to Athena in her car. He'd been staring out the window, deep in thought, as the sergeant made a very important call.

The two of them had just come from the 9-1-1 dispatcher where, luckily for them, Sue and Josh had been able to help them. Eddie would forever kiss Josh' feet for going against the book, for blatantly 'remembering' he had taken a call from that number.

Thanks to their 'hypothetical' 9-1-1 call that came from Jason's/Doug number, they were able to get a pin for his last location.

After a quick thank you and a swift exit, both were stuffed back into her car. Eddie couldn't take his mind off Buck. Hadn't he gone through enough already.

"Andy, it's Athena. Listen, you're gonna get a call from Sue Blevins at 9-1-1 dispatcher. She might have a lead on Doug's location." Athena said as she phoned Detective Marks from the car.

"Do I wanna know how she obtained that information?" Detective Marks' voice crackled from the speakers.

"Let's just call it an anonymous tip and not look any gift horses in the mouth. Now, we're on our way. We'll meet you there." She answered.

"Copy that." Marks sighed from the other side of the line and hung up. Athena turned her attention tion to Eddie, who was still as quiet as a mouse.

"Eddie, talk to me. I can see those gears spinning." She said gently, pulling Eddie from his mind.

Eddie registered her voice and pulled the finger he was biting from away from his mouth. He pulled his gaze from outside towards her. "When we get there..." Eddie started and took a deep breath. He pushed his hand back into his hair and clutched onto a few strands to ground himself. "...what do you think we're gonna find? I mean he threatened to kill Maddie. But he was able to get them both. He almost killed Chimney. I don't think he wouldn't do it. There was already so much blood in the apartment. What if he... " He asked.

Athena glanced over at him for a second to interrupt his train of thoughts. "No. Eddie. Don't think about that for now. My gut is telling me not to count them out just yet. We both know Buck. He would do everything in his power to protect his sister. And Maddie. We've seen her rebuild her life, rebuild herself. She is a fighter. Doug may have them, but I don't think he has any idea of who he is dealing with right now." Athena explained and slapped his knee for a second.

Eddie didn't immediately reply. He gave a shirt courtesy knock and turned his eyes away again, looking outside the window. He raised his finger again, biting down the nail nervously.

A soft smile appeared on Athena's face. "When were you gonna tell me? Tell us?" She asked playfully.

Eddie turned his eyes back to her. He had a questioning look on his face. "What do you mean?" He responded.

"Eddie, Baby, I didn't become sergeant by twiddling my thumbs. We all have been seeing it for a while now. And that ring around your finger doesn't help your situation. So spill." Athena explained with the intention of distracting the man next to her.

Eddie sighed and chuckled out loud. "It's that noticeable? We thought we were being subtle." He answered as he spoke his head.

Athena fixed him with the look. The 'are you serious' look. "You two were as subtle a brick to our faces. The closet was made of glass. Hell it wasn't even a closet. It's more like a shelf." Athena answered responded, making Eddie burst out in laughter. It was a sound both didn't know they needed it right now.

"I can't deny it anymore can I?" Eddie asked and watched as the sergeant just shook her head. "You're right. We have been together for a few weeks now. He went with Chris and me to see Santa. And someone mistook us for a couple. Told us 'our' son was adorable. And instead of correcting her, Buck just thanked her. And it just...clicked for me, you know?" Eddie smiled, explaining how it all happened. Athena mhmn'ed, letting it know she was listening.

"So that night, after we put Chris to bed, I kissed him. I was scared, honestly, scared I might have misunderstood the signs and the looks and the touches. I was wrong. Kissing him, being with him, it's like my world got a little brighter. That all my worries got a little lighter. He's been living with us ever since, Athena." Eddie finished explaining. He looked down at his own silver band on his finger.

Athena saw him looking at the ring and smirked. "So would fiancé be a more appropriate for word for you two? Seeing as you're wearing a ring?" She asked him, eyes going back to the road

Eddie shook his head. "No. But I would love for us to be. For now, it's more of a promise ring. With both of our jobs, there might come a day where one of us doesn't come home. And we did talk about this. Numerous times. It's something that prevented us from getting together earlier I think." He explained and gently stroked the silver band with his thumb.

"But I didn't want that to stop us. So I surprised him with a visit to a jeweler and we picked out these rings together. A ring that reminds us that, even though we can't promise to come home every night, we can promise to always try." He finished and pressed his lips against it. Eddie was getting a little choked up about it. It was the first time either of them told anyone the story.

Athena smiled gently. "Does anyone know?" She asked. Eddie immediately shook his head. "Not until today. Hen mentioned it earlier when I was in 'hospital jail'. Said she knew it from the second she saw us. And now you. We didn't want to tell anyone immediately. We just wanted to first get used to it ourselves. But being with Evan. It's been magical. Like everything fell into place." He answered.

Athena nodded. "I understand. I'm glad you two found each other. You two are a good match. And I can see how much you love him. You're head over heels. Absolutely smitten." She chuckled.

Eddie grinned. "Athena, you have no idea what that man does to me." He replied. The sergeant grinned back at him. "Oh I think I know, Eddie. I've got my own copy at home. So take it from me when I say this. Ask him when we find him." She suggested and gave him a wink.

"But for now, let's focus on getting them back. We're almost there." Athena added as she looked at the GPS indicating to turn right at a certain gas station.

Buck had watched as night turned into day. They had been on the road for so long that he lost track of the minutes and hours.

In some weird and frustrating way, he had managed to fall asleep during the car ride. The logical side of his brain knew why. Blood loss, concussion and fever were all to blame, yet Buck couldn't help but be disappointed in himself. He should've stayed awake.

He had woken to the sounds of hushed and angry whispers flying all around the car. "We have to get off this road." Maddie whispered to her ex-husband.

"Shut up, Maddie! This is all your fault!" Doug answered, already getting furious again. Buck kept silent in the backseat, pretending he was still asleep.

Maddie nodded. "I know, Doug. I know. It's all my fault. You've made that very clear over the years. That's why I'm done." She answered back, turning to face him a little.

"Done with what?" Doug asked immediately. "Running. I'm done running. I don't want anyone else to get hurt." Maddie said.

"You must think I'm an idiot." Doug muttered to her. Maddie shook her head. "No, Doug. I think you're a monster for everything you've done to me. To Chimney. To Buck. You're a monster." She answered, hate spewing from her lips.

Doug let out a frustrating noise and grabbed Maddie by the hair in her neck and gripped it tight. Buck immediately sat up and grabbed Doug's arm, pulling it away from her.

"Let. My. Sister. Go." He barked and stared at him intimidating. Doug did as he was told, releasing Maddie. He needed to if he didn't want them to crash.

Buck sat back against His seat and took a few deep breaths in and out. His quick movement flaring everything up again. "Besides. She is ring on both cases." He panted and looked down at where his hand was still pushed against stab-wound. "You are a monster. And we do need to get off this road. Less chance you get caught." He groaned in pain and closed his eyes to control it.

"So what do you suggest we do? Huh?" Doug yelled and stared at him in the rear-view mirror. "Turning back is a good start." Buck answered quickly and quietly, the words not loud enough for Doug to hear. So Maddie answered.

"I saw some signs for Big Bear a few miles back. A big nature preserve. There are vacation homes. Probably empty now that it's out of season." She explained.

"Like the Poconos." Doug said. Maddie nodded. "Exactly. Nice. Quiet. You'll love it." She answered.

"Good." Doug whispered and turned on the turn signal as soon as he spotted one of the signs on the side of the road.

Maddie looked over her shoulder at her little brother. She gave him a small nod, silently thanking him for stepping in and agreeing with her. Her eyes flicked up and down to his blood covered hand. Buck shook his head. She didn't need to worry. He'd be okay.

"Listen to me, I have no idea where it came from!" An angry voice Greeted both Eddie and Athena as they got out of her car. It belonged to a disgruntled truck driver standing next to his vehicle.

The pair walked over to Detective Marks, who was next to the driver. "We found the phone. However, no sign of our suspect nor the Buckley's." He said as he held up the device.

"But then how does he have Doug's phone. That makes no sense." Eddie asked and held up a hand in frustration. Did they really come all this way for nothing?

"Well, driver said he left Salt Lake City yesterday. Been on the road ever since. Says he got no clue how it ended up on his truck." Detective Marks answered and looked equally as frustrated.

Eddie pressed his hands against the sides of his head and groaned. Athena, however, turned full sergeant. "Sir!" She called our to the driver. "You make any stops?" She questioned.

"Yeah. Gas Station. A few hours ago." He answered immediately. Athena nodded. "See anybody else there?" She added to her questionnaire.

The driver nodded again. "Yeah. A couple going into a store. And someone in the backseat of the car they came out of. He looked kind of out of it." The man answered. Those words caught Eddie's attention. He stepped up and stopped next to Athena.

"Did any of them seem hurt?" He asked quickly. The driver shrugged. "Not that I really saw. The couple at least wasn't. although she did seem to have a bruise. I don't know about the guy in the car. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." The driver explained and crossed his arms.

Athena shook her head. "No, Sir. You did plenty. Thank you." She said and turned around to face the two other men. "He knew we could use the phone to track him. Probably dropped it in the truck to throw us off." The sergeant said and placed a hand on Eddie's shoulder.

"So they could be anywhere right now?" Eddie asked, defeat overtaking him. He looked down at the ground, having to reel in his emotions.

"Yeah, sweetheart. And Doug's way ahead of us. But that gas station could perhaps help us. Don't give up hope just yet." She added silently and nodded back to the car, letting him know to get in.

Athena waited outside the car as Detective Marks asked the truck driver about the gas station. As soon as they got the address, she thanked the man and speed-walked back to her car.

"We got an address." She said to Eddie as soon as she was in her seat. "It's not far from here. Barely an hour drive." She added as they sped off in the opposite direction.

The drive to the gas station was extremely quiet. Emotions, feelings and thoughts were going through Eddie. The truck driver had said that the couple didn't seem hurt, but the guy in the backseat was another story.

The thoughts ate Eddie up alive. He was so in his own word that he didn't notice an hour pass by as they pulled up to the addressed gas station.

Athena stepped out of the car first, right as Detective Marks and the rest of the police patrol arrived. She waited until the detective was out of his car before following him inside the attached store.

Eddie stepped out of the car as well. He needed some much-needed fresh air. He leaned heavily against the car and closed his eyes for a second. Eddie began to pray. He prayed for their safety, prayed for their well being and most of all, prayed for a sign that could help find them.

Eddie opened his eyes again and dragged his hand over them. He was getting so tired. It was mentally exhausting. He pulled his silver ring from his finger and clutched it tight into his fist. He held his fist against his heart and prayed again, this time specifically for Buck. He needed a sign.

His hope faltered as a sign didn't immediately appear before him. What was Eddie even thinking. Of course it wouldn't. He sighed deeply and swallowed hard. He opened his fist up with shaky and reached for the silver band. He was about to put it on again when it accidentally dropped from his fingers. The ring rolled away and stopped against a crumpled up white piece paper.

Eddie went after his ring as soon as it stopped moving. He crouched down before it and picked it up, inspecting if it had any damage. That's when he saw it. A glint of metal caught the corner of his eye. It came from the paper that had stopped his ring from rolling further away.

Eddie reached out his hand and picked up the crumbled thing. He opened it up gentle, and his heart stopped. Inside was a silver ring. An exact copy of the one he had around his own. It couldn't be. It couldn't.

That's when he took a look at the paper. It was a receipt of some kind. His breath got stuck in his throat once he inspected it thoroughly. It was a receipt for Buck and his favorite pizza spot. The spot where they had gone the day before. The spot where Buck had paid for their dinner before Eddie could, because it was his treat this time. The spot where Buck had paid with his card instead of Cash. His name neatly written under the card holder name.

Eddie shot up at the speed of sound. He held the ring and receipt tight in his hand as he yelled out for Athena. He sprinted past numerous officers and ran inside the store. "Athena! Detective! Athena!" Eddie yelled out and stopped barely an inch away from them.

"She goes out the back window, husband catches her..." Detective Marks explained to Athena before he was so 'rudely' interrupted by Eddie screaming bloody murder.

The two looked over at Eddie, who was hunched over and panting. They stared at each other, obviously confused, before turning back to Eddie. "What's wrong?" Athena asked curiously.

"This. I found this outside." Eddie said and opened up his hand, showing off the ring and the receipt. "It's Buck's, Athena, it's his." He added.

Athena took the receipt and looked it over. A bit of relief swept through her eyes as she also saw Buck's name at the bottom. "Good. This is good. Proves he is alive as well." She said.

Eddie nodded hopefully. He let Athena keep the receipt on her while he kept the ring. He pulled Buck's ring on his left ring finger. He smiled at the band. This was good. Real good.

"What did you two find out?" Eddie asked as he came down from his euphoria. "They were definitely here. Caught them on camera. Maddie tried to escape but ex-husband caught her." Detective Marks explained as he turned the camera screen to Eddie.

"Yeah. Cashier sees something's wrong, goes to help and winds up getting shot with his own gun." Athena explained as Eddie watched the footage quietly.

A new officer appeared by their side. He was holding a stack of, mostly pink, papers in his hands. "Sir, found this in the bathroom." He said and handed the stack to Marks.

Marks took the stack and checked it over. "It's a car rental agreement for a dark gray, four-door sedan. Looks like she started to write help on the back. It was rented near Burbank Airport. I'll put out an APB." He observed.

Athena immediately stepped up and took the papers from him. She checked them out as well. "Well, we know where he rented the car. Maybe we can use it to track him." She suggested.

"Most rental car companies don't use tracking. It's too expensive." Marks commented back, disagreeing with her. "Yeah, major companies don't. But if you're Bob and you only have 12 cars in your fleet, you might want to know where they are at all times." She argued back.

Detective Marks hummed, admitting defeat as he pulled out his phone. "Hey. It's Marks. I think we got a lead on our suspect." He said and turned away from them for some privacy.

It had been another long hour since Doug pulled the car onto the road toward Big Bear. It had been extremely silent, so Buck kept himself busy watching the scenery change from the window. Beautiful lush greens to a white, frosty blanket of snow that immediately chilled him to the bone.

They had been traveling up a mountain road, weaving in between woods and beautiful lake views. When suddenly, the GPS pinged once more, indicating they were close to their final destination.

Doug hummed and drove the car of road and behind a weird little cement building. He stopped the car and turned the engine off. "Out. Now!" He said to the siblings as he got out himself.

Maddie immediately did as she was told. She unbuckled herself from her seat and got out. Buck however, was having more trouble.

Unlike the night before, he was actually sitting up now. But his body was weak, too weak. That stab-wound he had received before was getting a little infected, which worsened his fever and concussion.

Buck struggled as he tried to open the car door with his unoccupied hand. He weakly slapped his way towards it. It took him a couple tries before he managed to grasp it and open the door. It took him everything he got as he shuffled his way to the opening.

Doug was impatiently waiting outside. He was tapping his feet against the ground. "Jesus Christ Evan, hurry up." He whisper-yelled at the injured man.

Buck glared at him through his eyelashes. He cried out in pain as he pushed his leg over the edge of the car, planting it on the ground. He leaned heavily against his seat, breathing through the pain.

Maddie stared at her brother with regret, shame and guilt. She reached over to try and help him, but was stopped by Doug pushing the gun against her side. "What do you think you're doing, Maddie?" He yelled.

"Helping him! Look at him, Doug! Evan can barely move. How do you expect him to hike up this mountain? I promised you I wasn't gonna run anymore! So let me help my brother!" She yelled right back at him, actually managing to shock Doug.

"Fine. But hurry up. We need to go, now!" He yelled back at her after a moment. Maddie nodded. She leaned over and grabbed Buck's arm, gently slipping it over her shoulders. She placed a hand on Buck's chest and back and helped him stand upright.

Buck took a few deep breaths. A few tears of pain rolled down his cheek as he leaned heavily against his sister. "You okay?" Maddie whispered as she held her brother upright.

"No. I'm not. I'm sorry. You should leave me here, Maddie. I'm not surviving this. We both know that." He answered as his legs began to shake. Buck wouldn't be able to stay upright for long. Both he and Maddie could see that.

Maddie held onto Buck a little harder. She didn't immediately answer, especially with Buck's admission of not surviving.

"Come on, Evan. One foot in front of the other. You can do it." She whispered and encouraged him to finally try and take a step. Buck nodded. He took a deep breath in and out before slowly dragging his foot over the ground. A hiss left him as he felt the movement pull on his wound, stretching it open. He covered it up with his free hand, clutching it tight.

"I'm not leaving you here, Evan. It's either we both go or we both die. No inbetweens." Maddie continued to encourage him.

Doug's patience was running thin. He pulled the gun out from the back of his pants and pushed the barrel against Buck's back, almost pushing him over.

"Move. I won't say it again." He threatened and pushed the barrel harder against his back. Buck didn't answer. He hissed in pain and took another slow forward. "I can do it." He whispered to himself and Maddie as he took another step.

Maddie smiled at her little brother and the power he possessed to keep on going. "Good job, just focus and lean on me. We'll do it together." She whispered into his ear.

Doug pushed them forward again, getting more and more agitated. Maddie glared over her shoulder before helping Buck walk further up the road and the mountain.

Her heart hurt more and more for her brother as she heard every pained sound. She could feel the sweat rolling down his back as he was straining himself.

"So, a boy-toy named Eddie, eh?" Maddie whispered as she tried to distract her little brother. Buck chuckled painfully. "He's a little bit more than that." He answered her.

Maddie chuckled as well. "I assumed yeah. When were you going to tell me?" She questioned as they continued to struggle through the woods.

Buck whimpered as his foot struck a little rock, almost making him trip. "Soon. After you and Chimney had sorted everything out. We didn't want to take away from you two." He muttered and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"That's really kind of you guys. But you know you can tell me these things." She answered back and held Buck more steady.

"I know. We know. It's also still new so we just...I mean..." Buck answered and Maddie nodded, understanding what he meant. "You wanted to let it bloom a little more." She suggested to which she received a nod.

"Yes. But it's already so wonderful. Like it was the last piece of the puzzle." He added and blushed a little. His eyes glanced over to his ring finger, where the indent of his ring was still visible. Maddie saw his look at his finger and smiled. "So you two skipped some steps and went straight to the ring department?" She asked quietly.

"Kind of? It's more of a promise ring. But I left my ring for him at the gas station. To show him we were there." Buck whispered into her ear, making sure Doug wouldn't hear. Maddie nodded. "Good. We are getting out of here. And you're going to get that ring back. I promise." She whispered back.

Their hushed conversation ended as Doug dug the barrel back against Buck's back, urging them hurry up and walk.

Birds were loudly chirping throughout the woods surrounding them. They had been walking for ages, passing by cabin after cabin, until Doug stopped them. Finally, the perfect cabin had been found. A perfect place to take shelter. Far enough from people and also far enough from the car. Nobody would find them there.

Maddie watched as Doug kicked in the door and walked his way inside. She followed him in, Buck still hanging limp from her shoulder. The cold and the strain from walking had worsened his condition much more.

She guided her barely conscious brother inside and towards the couch. Maddie helped him sit down before tipping him on his back, helping him stretch out so he was fully laying on the couch. She sat down next to him and pressed a soft hand against his forehead to feel his temperature. She pulled her hand back quickly. Buck was scorching hot.

"You're lucky there wasn't an alarm, you know." Maddie mentioned as she felt Doug walk up to her. She barely looked over her shoulder at him, not taking her eyes off her brother.

"Why do you think that I cut the phone line?" He answered sarcastically. "So I couldn't call for help." Maddie immediately answered back.

Doug glared at her before walking towards the little fireplace. "I'll make us a fire. Give us some warmth." He said as he walked past her. Maddie stood up from Buck's side. "I'll see if I can get some food. Maybe find a first aid kit as well." She said.

Maddie felt her arm being grasped harshly. Harsh enough that she was sure bruises would appear soon. "In the kitchen? Where the knives live? I don't think so. Sit down. Your brother will be fine." Her ex-husband argued and pointed to a chair.

"You remember you and me and that place in the Poconos? What was it, our second anniversary?" Doug asked after a moment of silence. He was back at the fireplace, starting to tend to the fire while glancing at Maddie from time to time.

Maddie shook her head to herself. "Fourth." She said quietly, taking a shaky breath. "Don't forget to open the flute this time. The cleaning fee was almost as much as the cabin rental. Smelled like smoke for a week." She added and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the cold seep into her bones.

"Oh I remember, clearly. The firefighters laughing at the city kid who fucked it up again. I was trying to impress my wife while they were flirting with her." Doug muttered, getting agitated again. He rose from his position and stared at her. "What is it with women anyway? They get all swooned over a man in uniform." He said and crossed his arms.

"Not only woman. Men to." Buck muttered from the couch, but only loud enough so that Maddie could hear. Of course he had been listening in. His reaction almost made Maddie chuckle. But she knew better. She needed to please their captor. "I wouldn't know." She said to Doug. "I married a guy who wears surgical scrubs." She added.

Doug couldn't help but chuckle at that. "So, guess I'm a man in uniform to, won't you agree?" He said and turned back to the fire.

Maddie was lost in her memories, remembering happy and frightening times, when Doug pulled her away from them. "We can be happy again, Maddie. A fresh start in a new place. New names, we can become new people." He suggested and sank on his knees before him. "Not just to the world, but to each other. You'll forgive me and love me again. I know it. What do you say?" He added and looked at her hopefully.

Maddie gave him a broken smile. She placed her hand on his cheeks before standing up. Buck was watching her closely through half-opened eyes. She had a plan. He knew it. "Yeah." His sister whispered as she walked to the box with the fire pokers. "I always did find a way to forgive you." She added and turned her back to the box, sneakily grabbing one of the sharp tools.

"So we try again. Start right now?" Doug said as he stood up to face her. He pulled the gun from his pocket and pointed it towards Buck. "But first, we get rid of the biggest problem, and then we can be together again. No one would be in our way. Just you and me." He said and pulled back the safety, pointing it at Buck's head.

Buck ignored the gun pointed at his head. He stared deep into Maddie's eyes. They had another moment of understanding. He would give the signal for her to strike. He kept his eyes trained at Maddie, even though he could see the gun getting closer and closer to his head.

Doug looked away from Maddie for a second. After all, he needed to line up his shot perfectly. And that was his mistake. "Now!" Buck yelled at Maddie, who immediately raised her fire poker and struck Doug right across his face, opening up a big gash right above his eyebrow. Doug fell down face first on the floor, smacking his face against the wood. That was Maddie's cue to go.

"Run!" Buck yelled at his sister. He wasn't able to run with her, but right now, she needed to go. She needed to safe herself. He would follow. Maddie was out the door just seconds later, fire poker still in hand. She stumbled out the doorway and ran towards the woods. She ran and ran as Doug started to scramble upright. Buck saw the man glare at him, debating if he should just shoot Buck right now, before he ran outside, following his sister.

"Maddie!" Buck heard Doug scream outside. Three gunshots sounded through the air a few seconds later, but nothing happened. Buck couldn't hear the sound of someone falling down. He didn't hear the sound of her crying out. She was still alive for now. "Maddie!" Doug scream reached Buck's ear again as he went after his wife.

Buck waited a full 30 seconds before he sat up from the couch. He cried out in pain as he forced himself upright. With Doug gone after Maddie, he could release all his pent up pain and rage in a bunch of pained moans and groans.

Buck limped his way to the window and where a beautiful array of kitsch curtain were hanging. He grabbed the closest one, an awful red and orange flowery one, and ripped it to shreds. He grabbed the longest strip and wrapped it tightly around his stomach so that his stab-wound was tightly bound. Next he grabbed another fire poker from the open box. He needed a weapon to protect them. He took another deep breath and stumbled his way outside, following the trail of blood Doug had been nice enough to leave for him.

So Buck stumbled behind the couple. Using the fire poker as a tool to get him forward, he went after them. He was going to protect his sister, no matter what. So he stumbled and staggered his way over the walkway and into the woods, following the trail left for him.

If only he had waited just a couple more minutes. He could have seen Athena and Eddie arrive. He could've gotten their help.

Maddie fought.

She fought like hell.

But she wasn't going to give up. Not this time. She had enough. She wanted to be free. She was going to survive. Survive for Chim, for Buck, for herself

So when Doug first tried to shoot her and failed, she couldn't help but be a little pride of herself. Fuck him for trying it the easy way. She won that round.

But next came the knife. That was far trickier. Doug had experience with them, seeing as he was a surgeon. He swung that blade around, trying to harm her as much as she could.

Yet Maddie was able to dodge most of his blows. The anger that fueled his hatred for her made his actions, while powerful, very sloppy. She managed to evade everything until she got a fist to the face that forced her to the ground.

And before she knew it, Doug was on top of her. She cried and screamed at him to get off. To give up. To leave her alone. It was no use of course. Doug grabbed his knife tight and stabbed her deep in her side. At the same exact place where he had stabbed her little brother.

Maddie screamed out in pain as she felt the knife twist inside her body. This was it. She had lost after all. Doug had won. She was gonna die in a bed of red snow.

That was until a shadow began to overtook the couple, slowly but surely growing in size. Maddie opened her eyes and looked up to see Buck stumbling their way.

Seeing him made her almost freeze up. Her brother wasn't just scary. No. He was downright terrifying. He was limping their way, fire poker slowly raising in the air. One side of his body and face was completely covered in blood, most of it still coming from his freshly reopened stab-wound. His face was also completely bruised up in various spots of red, black and blue. Most of his face was covered in dried up blood, thanks to being pistol-whipped by Doug. He had one eye shut, covered by the crusted blood. It was an ungodly, sickening sight, but a sight Maddie was so glad to see.

Finally Buck arrived before them. Maddie could see the look of pure hatred and rage in his eye as he towered over the two of them. His shadow completely consumed them both. Doug looked up once he registered the shadow above him. "What the..." He muttered but was met with a face full of fire poker.

"Leave. My. Fucking. Sister. Alone." Buck said as he landed his hit on Doug, voice filled with hatred and disgust. He had hit the guy at the same place Maddie had before, opening the wound up further and making it bleed severely.

Buck was about to swing again, but his body gave up on him. It was over. He fell to his knees in the snow, immediately painting it a crimson red. He tipped over onto his side, eyes turned to his sister. "You...can...do it...Maddie..." Buck whispered as he closed his eyes, falling unconscious.

Hearing Buck say those words was all she needed. A newfound power shot through her body. She was gonna win for the both of them. She turned herself around and reached for the knife Doug had dropped when Buck had swung at him.

The man was fighting back, scrambling over her to reach for the knife. But Maddie was stronger. She managed to kick Doug off of her as she reached her hand out. She grabbed the knife tight in her hand and raised it up before slamming it down in her ex-husbands back.

She did so, over and over and over again. She kept going until she could feel the life draining away from him. Until she felt his last breathe on her face.

Maddie laid there, in the cold snow.

She had done it.

It was over.

It was finally over.

She had won.

Maddie closed her eyes, letting her body get rid of it's adrenaline. She let the darkness overtake her, knowing that she was finally safe.

They had found the car. They had actually fount it. They were a step closer to the lost siblings. Eddie could feel it. He didn't care that they had found it empty. If it was here, that meant they were close by.

Athena was the one who suggested going to talk to the owners of the lodgings. She had managed to ask all the important questions as she picked up a flyer, checking it over. 'Where these the only properties they had?' 'Are there more?' 'How big was the terrain?'

"Well, how many do you manage?" Eddie eventually asked the woman before him, listening to her and Athena talk about the cabins. "In total? 300." She answered. Eddie looked at the Sergeant with desperate eyes. By the time they had checked them all, Maddie and Buck could have been long gone.

A light-bulb went of in Athena's mind. "What do you mean by 'in total'?" She questioned. The woman turned back to her. "Well, we are out of season, so for now we manage those close by. We have a bunch of cabins more secluded on the other side of the lake." She explained.

"How many?" Eddie asked desperately. He looked ready to jump out of his own skin and run across the water to the other side of the lake. The woman turned back to face him. "Only around 10." She answered.

Athena fixed both Eddie and Detective Marks with a look. She liked those odds far better. The sergeant asked for directions, which the owners gladly provided.

Detective Marks' radio crackling caught all of their attention. The man listened carefully, muttering an 'okay' into the device. "Sheriff got report of gunshots from the lake cabins. We need to leave, now." He said, making them all run to their respective vehicles and drive off towards the lake cabins.

Luckily for them, the drive didn't take to long. The quiet road ended on a gorgeous lookout point, with one cabin right next to it. Eddie jumped out the car as soon as Athena parked it.

A new sense of hope went through his as he inspected the little cabin. One thing immediately caught his attention. The door. It was opened. And not just that. It had been kicked open. Eddie was ready to fall to his knees. They had been here. This must've been the place. He thanked his God that the first cabin they encountered was also the correct one.

Eddie walked up, followed closely by Athena and Marks. Their eyes went around, making note of everything they could see. Blood on the floor and couch. A little fire in the fireplace. Ripped up curtains. This was definitely them. But where were they?

"Someone was definitely here." Athena started her monologue. She walked Eddie and towards the door. The splintered wood and blood were an eerie sight. But it was a fresh clue. And she couldn't be more glad.

"But they left in a hurry." Athena added and turned to the two men still inside the cabin. "Question is. Which way did they go?" She questioned and crossed her arms, looking around.

Eddie joined her by her side after inspecting the splintered door. He rested against the green railing of the mountain walkway and sighed deeply, head tucked against his chest. "Buck...please...please be okay." He whispered to himself, needing his Buck to be okay.

"I'm gonna look around for a bit. Maybe I can fi..." He mentioned to both Athena and Detective Marks after he was done praying. He stood himself upright and looked around, until something made him stop in his tracks. There. On the walkway. Right smack in the middle. A small puddle of blood. Eddie looked over the puddle and found another one, not far from the first.

This was it.

The one clue they needed.

A trail that could be followed.

"Evan! Buck! Maddie!" Eddie began to yell as loud as he could, hoping they were close by and they could hear him. His yelling made both sergeant and detective look over. Both of them hoped to see the siblings come out from the woods, but instead they saw Eddie running towards it.

The two stared at the man running in the woods, utterly confused. Athena was the first to recover, immediately running after Eddie. Detective Marks was hot on her heels.

Eddie was crossing some rough terrain as fast as humanly capable. He'd been jumping over rocks, tripping over roots of thick trees and slipping on patches of ice. Not that he really cared. He needed to get to the siblings as quick as he could.

The thick woods gave way to an open field of piled up snow and rocks. Eddie ran past a tree onto the field, with nothing immediately appearing in sight. Eddie stopped and began to desperately look around from left to right, hoping to spot the figures of the Buckley siblings.

Which he did.

He actually did.

In the distance, just coming over a little hill, were the two figures slowly approaching, struggling to navigate the terrain as they clung to each other.

"Buck! Maddie! Buck!" Eddie screamed and began to run towards them. He continuously yelled for them, over and over again, hoping to get their attention as he ran their way.

His whole body filled with dread as he got closer and closer to the both of them. He was able to finally assess what they looked like. And it was bad. Horrendous even.

Both siblings were stumbling together. Buck kept his sister upright while Maddie did the same with her brother. In what Eddie could see, Buck seemed the one more physically injured. He was leaning heavily on his sister while he dragged his leg behind him over the rocky terrain. There was a bloody rag, what actually seemed to be more like a curtain from the cabin, tied around his waist. The side of his face was blotted in bruises ranging from red to black. He saw that Buck's eye was also shut tightly with dried up blood coming from a bad head wound.

Maddie didn't look much better. She was covered, head to toe, in spots of dried blood. She had a matching bruise and a matching wound to the side of her body. Her's however wasn't bound. And the blood gushing out of it seemed more red and fresh.

Eddie was ready to throw up. What had Doug done to them? What had they been through. Honestly, how were they even still alive?

"Buck! Maddie!" Eddie yelled once more, and luckily for them, he got one of theirs attention. Maddie was the first one to see Eddie coming their way. She muttered something to Buck, who was finally able to look up and see him.

They were found.

They were finally found.

Maddie was the one who registered the thought first. She almost immediately burst into loud sobs as an overwhelming feeling of safety came over her. Seeing her cry made Buck start to tear up as well, especially as Eddie came more clearer into view.

Both sibling used the last of their power to fall into Eddie's open and awaiting arms. He fell down to his knees with either sibling tucked into one of his sides, consumed by their tears and grief.

"I didn't give up. I didn't give up." Maddie cried over and over again, burying her face in Eddie's shoulder. Her whole body was shaking by her violent sobs. Her arms were curled against Eddie's chest, clutching at his jacket.

Buck, however, wasn't as loud as his sister. He had also buried his head in Eddie's neck, weeping silently. One of his arms was wrapped around Eddie's neck while the other was clutching his jacket. He hated to admit it, but he had been absolutely frightened ever since they had been taken By Doug. He was convinced he would never see Eddie, Chris or anyone from the 118 again. He was so convinced he was gonna die, not only because of his injuries, but also by the gun being held against his head not so long ago.

Eddie held both siblings very close to him. He was stroking Maddie's back while his head was buried in Buck's hair, scratching his fingers inbetween the curls. "Maddie...Buck, Mi amor. You did it. You survived." He whispered to them, letting them cry their hearts out against him. He couldn't help but pull them a little closer every time he felt one of them sob.

Maddie was the first one to pass out in his arms. Her cries had suddenly stopped as she went limp against Eddie. Exhaustion finally hit her like a brick. Knowing she was safe, sound and alive was everything she needed to close her eyes and let go For now.

Buck followed closely behind. His cries had turned to loud sniffles. He could feel himself losing the battle against consciousness. Knowing Eddie had come for him was everything he needed. And he needed him to know before he let the darkness overtake him. So he let his head fall down against his shoulder. "You came...for me..." Buck muttered into Eddie's neck as his own body began to grow numb and tired.

"And I always will." Eddie whispered and planted a kiss against Buck's hair. "Rest now. I'll be there when you wake up. So will Maddie. I'm keeping you two safe." Eddie added and pressed his lips against Buck's hair again.

Eddie didn't know how long he sat there, but it was long enough for his knees to turn wet from the snow staining his jeans. He wasn't letting go of them anytime soon. He kept the two siblings tightly pressed against his body, showing how protective he was of them in the moment.

A strong hand pulled Eddie back to reality. He looked up to see three medics with a backboard next to them. "Well take her first. We're right over that ridge." The captain explained and pointed to an ambulance that was parked not far away. She turned her attention to Maddie and helped strap her in, listening as her two colleagues assessed her situation and began to patch up the more severe wounds.

Eddie looked down at Buck in his arms. Buck was shivering, bleeding and obviously very sick and injured. He couldn't really wait for thee next ambulance. So he did the only thing he could think off.

Eddie shrugged of his jacket and placed it over Buck's shoulders, covering him up as best as he could. He maneuvered each one of Buck's arms over his shoulders and let his head rest on one of them. He placed an arm around his back while the other went under his butt. He pulled Buck forward so he was resting on his hip, legs hanging loosely on each side of Eddie's body.

It was with great difficult that Eddie managed to get himself upright. He may have also had to quietly thank Athena for that. That woman had strength. He was about to say something to her. To thank her for everything she had done for them, but the sergeant just shook her head. "Go now. Maddie is gonna need Buck. And Buckaroo is gonna need you." She explained and made sure the man in Eddie's arms was covered up as well as possible.

"Thank you." Eddie quickly whispered and ran after the medics with Buck in his arms. He waited outside as they loaded Maddie onto the gurney of the ambulance. One of the medics quickly ushered Eddie in. They didn't have time to wait for another one, so the tight fit had to do for now.

Eddie had situated Buck next to him on the little bench of the ambulance. He had sat him down and pulled the man's legs into his lap. Buck had his head leaning back on Eddie's shoulder, with his face unknowingly buried away in his neck.

The medic that sat in the back with them didn't know where to start. She was constantly looking between Maddie and Buck. Eddie quickly noticed, and knowing he could provide some help, explained that he was an army medic turned firefighter. If she would allow it, he would take care of Buck so she could focus on Maddie.

Her answer was a very swift yes. "Take whatever you need." The medic had added as she started working on Maddie, getting her vitals and covering up the worst of her wounds.

Eddie thanked her and began to check Buck more thoroughly, quickly noting that he had some infected wounds that need immediate treatment. "I've got you, Mi Amor. I've got you. You're in good hands." He whispered to an injured Buck as the man whined and moaned in pain.

"I got you. You just gotta hold on and come back to me. I love you so much, My Love." Eddie whispered to his unconscious boyfriend, hoping he would hear it.

He did.

"Wa....u..."

That was weird.

"Wak....p..."

There seemed to be someone calling for him. But that voice. It sounded so...familiar.

"Amo...wa...up"

Who owns it? And why is it calling for him?

"Buck? Won't you wake up for me?"

A mental image appeared before him. A beautiful man. A man he knew. A man with brown hair. Brown eyes. A bright smile. A man he had fallen for the first second he met him. A man that had been making him feel so happy and loved.

Eddie. His Eddie.

"Eddie?" He unknowingly whispered, slowly waking up from his hospital induced sleep. "That's right. Your Eddie. Open your eyes for me, Mi Amor. Let me see those pretty blues I missed so much." Eddie's voice whispered back.

So Buck did. He opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was blinding white light. It was like looking into the brightest flashlight made on earth. Buck groaned and tried to move his head, shielding his eyes away from the bright spot above him. He could feel the aftershocks of his concussion drumming inside his head.

"Evan? You okay?" Eddie's worried voice questioned as he watched the man wiggle around. Buck shook his head once. "No. Light. Pain." He whispered, keeping his own voice down so not to aggravate his head.

Eddie's gentle chuckle graced his ears. "Well, you do have a concussion, but I've dimmed the lights. Try to open your eyes again. I promise that it won't hurt as bad." He replied and placed his hand on Buck's arm, encouraging him to do what he asked.

So Buck tried again. And this time, he was able to open them, and actually keep them open. He was met with worried gentle brown ones staring at his own blue ones.

"There you are. Welcome back." Eddie whispered, keeping his voice as low and quiet as possible. Buck slowly looked over towards Eddie. "Where...am...I?" He asked slowly, trying to look around.

"The hospital, Mi amor. You and Maddie both are." Eddie answered and placed a hand on Buck's cheek, preventing him from moving around to much. He got up from his seat and moved to sit next to him on his bed, letting the injured man focus on him.

"Maddie? Is she okay?" Buck asked, clarity starting to come to him when he heard Eddie say her name. Eddie gave him a soft smile. He grabbed his hand and stroked the smooth skin with his thumb. "See for yourself." He answered, nodding his head to the left of him.

And Buck did. He slowly turned his head towards the mentioned direction. His eyes softened as they landed on his sister peacefully sleeping in her bed.

"How are we in the same room?" He whispered, but Eddie gently shushed him. "I asked them to room you two together. I know that you two needed to see each other when you'd wake up." He explained and moved his hand up to Buck's cheek again, gently cupping it.

"Thank you. You're right." He answered silently, ready to fall asleep again. "What's the damage? How long have I been asleep for?" Buck muttered and nuzzled his face against Eddie's hand.

"Almost 3 days. Damage is extensive. Infected stab-wound. High fever. Severe concussion and a lot of blood loss. You're gonna have to stay in the hospital for a few days. And at home for a few weeks." Eddie answered, moving his hand from Buck's cheek to his hair, smoothing his curls down.

"Maddie?" Buck asked Eddie next, needing to know. "Physically she's doing a lot better than you. Stab-wound, but infected. Lots of cuts and bruises. And a bad case of exhaustion. She's beat. She did wake before you though, a few hours ago." He explained as he continued to stroke Buck's hair.

Buck nodded. "Okay. Okay. Good to know. How was she, you know?" He questioned. Eddie raised his eyebrow. "Mentally? She's crushed. She got another trauma for life added to her already existing pile. I think that once you are healed, you two would benefit from some therapy together. You did some things she never expected you to do, and probably vice versa. But for now, she's resting peacefully. The meds she's getting are helping her with that." Eddie whispered and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Buck's forehead, right over his stitched up head wound.

"Just like you, my love." He whispered into Buck's ear. "Why don't you close your eyes and rest. I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not leaving you anytime soon." Eddie said and stood up. He took the blanket that was covering his boyfriend and raised it up to his chin, tucking it around him.

When Buck woke again, only a few hours had passed, yet he felt like he had slept for days. The day sky had made way for a darkening dusk. He opened his eyes to see Eddie sitting in the same spot as before. His hand was still on his arm, stroking his skin before it moved down and over his hand. Eddie slowly linked their hands together, fingers brushing against each other.

He watched Eddie closely. It was so endearing to see him. Eddie was so preoccupied with Buck's hand in his own, that he didn't see him wake up. His thumb was gently stroking the skin of his ring finger, where the indent of his ring was before.

Buck followed his eyes. And ah. That's right. He once had a ring around that finger. One that now was lost to time and space. One that he had taken off in the hope that Eddie would have found it. One that he would have hoped would get back to him in some sort of way.

"It seems I really did lose it." Buck said after a while of watching Eddie, pulling the man out of his trance. Blue eyes met confused brown ones.

"What do you mean?" Eddie questioned after fretting over Buck for a second. He stared into baby blue eyes. "My ring. I had taken if off and left it at a gas station, hoping you would find it." He answered quietly, tears gathering in his eyes. He couldn't believe he actually lost it.

"You mean this one?" Eddie asked as he pulled Buck's ring from his pocket. He held it up into the light for the other man to see.

"You found it?" Buck whispered, a cute sheepish smile appearing on his face. Eddie nodded. "Of course I did. You left it for me to find. And you knew I would. It was my sign of hope. Hope that I would get you back." He answered as he watched the ring shine in the white light above them.

Buck held out his hand. "Well, can I get it back?" He asked, moving his fingers in a way to motion for the ring back. He couldn't wait to pull it onto his own finger again.

Eddie laughed gently and closed his fist around the ring. "Nope, Not yet." He answered playfully. Buck gave him a confused look back. "What? Why not?" He asked, genuinely shocked by his words

Fear settled deep inside his eyes. They began to shine with unshed tears. "Are you mad at me? Or don't you love me anymore?" He asked, voice getting small and choked up.

Eddie's two hands moved slowly and captured his own open one. They curled protectively around Buck's own before pulling the limbs towards his chest. Buck watched as Eddie took a deep breath.

"Because, Evan..." Eddie started, staring right into his eyes. "...I don't want them to be promise rings anymore. I want them to be engagement rings. I know our relationship is still a bit new and this might be to fast bu..." Eddie began to ramble but was interrupted by Buck pushing their lips together in a sweet and tender kiss.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Eddie grinned at Buck. He raised the silver band and slipped it onto his finger once again. Buck raised his hand and held it up to the light. Their old new promise/engagement ring strengthening their bond.

"Congratulations, you guys." A new voice called out. Both men turned to see where the voice came from. It belonged to Maddie who, thanks to Athena, had been able to film the proposal with her phone once she saw what was happening.

"You're awake." Buck whispered, which immediately earned him a nod from Maddie. "And just in time apparently. I wouldn't wanted to have missed this. This was the cutest proposal I've ever seen." She explained, making the two man laugh and shake their head at each other. "Now, as they would say, you may kiss your groom." She chuckled happily, focusing the phone on them again.

"Eddie, I love you so much baby. You're my everything." Buck whispered.

"Mi amor, you mean more than the world to me. There is no place for me here if you weren't by my side." Eddie answered.

"I love you. So much."

"I love you to. You have no idea."

The two men looked into each other eyes, drowning in the love they had for one another. Baby blues were focused on chocolate brown's. They kept silent for a while, just staring at each other.

Eddie was the first to move. He slowly raised a hand gently cupped Buck's cheek. He nuzzled his cheek against the warm palm. Buck did the exact same thing. He raised his hand and cupped Eddie's cheek in his own.

Both men slowly leaned in, sealing their newfound fate together with a deep, loving kiss.