Chapter Text
ATHENA'S BACKYARD – LATE AFTERNOON
The sun dipped low, casting a golden haze over Athena’s backyard — big, open, freshly landscaped, with smoke curling from the grill and children darting between folding chairs and picnic tables.
Laughter rose in waves from the gathered crowd — firefighters, family, friends. The 118 family was all here.
Maddie rocked her newborn in her arms, beaming and tired. Chimney hovered nearby, trying to appear calm, but clearly watching her like a hawk.
"He’s fine. You don’t have to hover," Maddie said, smiling at him.
Chimney chuckled nervously and sipped his soda, though his eyes continued flicking back to the baby.
Hen stood by the grill beside Athena, flipping burgers while Athena expertly managed the rest.
"Still feels weird hearing them say ‘Captain Wilson’ on the radio," Hen said.
"You earned it. Own it," Athena replied without missing a beat.
Just beyond them, Eddie played with Harry, Denny, and Christopher, their laughter ringing out as the boys reconnected. May and Karen sat with Ravi, sipping sangrias and trading work gossip, while Mara and Jee-Yun giggled in the grass nearby.
A congratulations banner fluttered in the breeze above them all. There was plenty to celebrate — the arrival of Baby Han, Athena’s house finally finished, Hen’s promotion, and Eddie’s upcoming move to the El Paso Fire Department.
From a speaker tucked near the porch steps, music hummed softly — one of Bobby’s old playlists. Something soulful. Something classic. It tugged gently at the heart without saying a word.
It felt like Bobby was there. Enjoying the moment. His family — all together, laughing.
Buck stood just outside the circle of noise, half-hidden in the shadows beneath the string lights. He held a warm, foil-covered casserole dish, his hands still. His eyes swept over the group — the easy smiles, the gentle touches, the team that had weathered every storm.
They were healing. Without him?
"You were wrong, Bobby," he murmured, too quietly for anyone to hear. "They don’t need me. They never needed me."
He stepped forward as if to join them… and then stopped. No one noticed. Not yet.
Carefully, he placed the casserole — Bobby’s mac and cheese — on the side table next to the paper plates and plastic cutlery. He lingered there for a moment, the sounds of joy drifting around him like distant music.
A glass clinked.
"Can I get everyone’s attention?" Athena called out.
The crowd began to quiet. Buck looked up.
"I just want to say — thank you. For being here. For holding each other up. For making this feel like home again. Bobby would’ve loved this. He’d be at that grill right now, arguing with me about how I season chicken."
Laughter rippled through the gathering.
Buck smiled — soft, broken.
And then, without a word, he stepped back.
Slipped through the gate.
Walked down the sidewalk alone.
No one saw him go.
Behind him, the laughter faded — but the echo of it stayed.
Buck walks alone.
The sounds of the barbecue have faded — laughter, clinking glasses, a family he once thought he was a part of... now carrying on without him.
The sun has slipped beneath the horizon. Streetlights flicker on as shadows stretch longer across the pavement.
You were wrong, Bobby.They don’t need me. Maybe they never did.
His footsteps echo. The night air bites a little, but he barely feels it. His shoulders are hunched like he's still carrying weight he never put down.
He passes a closed café. The glass reflects his face — tired eyes, haunted. He doesn’t stop.
I keep replaying that fight with Eddie.Him saying I make things about myself.And maybe he’s right.Maybe that’s all I ever do —bleed too loud. Hurt too visibly.Make my pain everyone else’s problem. I didn’t say goodbye tonight, Bobby. Because I didn’t want to make it about me again. I just left the casserole — the one you taught me to make —the one that will never be as good as yours. You always saw something in me. Said I was more than the chaos. More than the kid who ran headfirst into flames looking for reasons to matter. But Bobby...
What if you were the only one who ever believed that?
His breath catches — a flicker of emotion in a face that’s been too still for too long. He blinks fast, shakes it off.
They’ve all got each other now. Maddie’s happy. Chim’s glowing. Hen’s leading. Eddie’s... okay. He’s with Christopher and back to being a firefighter. And Athena... she’s trying. Healing. They survived losing you, Bobby. That means they’ll survive losing me, too. Hell, they might even be better for it.
He reaches Eddie’s place — or what used to be his too. He’d felt like walking... too much pain to hold on to while driving.
I think I’ve known for a while that I had to go. But I kept waiting for someone to stop me. For someone to look at me the way you used to — Like I mattered. Like I was worth keeping. But no one did. I’m tired, Bobby.Tired of fighting to fit into spaces that don’t feel like mine anymore. Tired of asking to be seen...when I already know the answer.
He leans back, looking up at the sky — stars just beginning to emerge.
You once told me to find my purpose.That I was made for more than just putting out fires. So maybe that’s what this is.Me trying to find out who I am... when I’m not saving everyone else. Maybe the only person left to save...is me.I love them, Bobby. God, I love them all so much. But I can’t stay where I’m not needed. Not anymore.
And with that, Buck heads inside Eddie’s place to pick up the bag he’d packed days ago and stowed in the closet.
It’s time to go.
Time to accept that things have changed.
And that he has to change too.