Work Text:
This Time
Evan Daniel “Buck” Buchanan (Once Buckley) awoke as though coming up for air, madly looking for his attacker, Chim. As far as he knew, it was October ‘21, but the weather wasn’t right. It was late-summer weather, and not early fall weather. And he was on the LA Fire Fighter Academy grounds parking lot instead of his old loft. In his old jeep that had long since been lost in the Santa Monica Tsunami of ‘19. The sun is going down on the horizon. And fresh memories of his first few months of summer at the Academy ’16, vying with his memories of working at the 118 through getting hit by a co-worker and brother-in-law.
“What the ever-loving fuck?”
He even remembered his being a SEAL and his last mission before being captured by the enemy for six hellish months and being discharged after that. Healing from that at the ranch in Montana and getting his civilian SAR III certifications, with his currently having as many of II as he could with his size. And being FEMA certified. Helicopter and jumpmaster certified. Including piloting certified. Something that got lost along the way last time in his need to fit in with his “family”.
He sat up and decided to himself, ‘If I had to choose family, it would be Chris and the kids, the adults could all go hang themselves.’
He would go and find out where his finances stood. Maybe actually see if his maternal uncle’s place was in any condition to be moved into since his estate was supposedly paying for it with Evan getting updates on that as it was now in his name. Uncle Paul had liked him better than the rest of the family.
He had let it go and sold it to split the money with Maddie last time, but not this time.
He got a wicked grin on his face and started the jeep, getting it in gear and heading off to the nearest shop he knew that would do tatts. Coming out a bit poorer in cash, but with a new ring tattoo on his wedding-ring finger in the color of dark silver and black. Nicely wrapped for now and a care kit to go along with it.
He had already set sperm aside and had had a vasectomy due to the cancer problems on both sides of his family that the military found during their background medical check and knew all about Daniel. That had been the first thing changed on his official paperwork when he had the chance and before the SEALs, changing his middle name to Daniel. To honor him. And had officially divorced his parents and changed his last name while at it. All of his social media sites were now private. And barred them specifically.
Hell, he even had his old CO on as his emergency contact instead of anyone else, and Steve lived on the Hawaiian Islands.
On the way back to the group house he was staying at, he grabbed a post card of the Redwoods and wrote a quick note to Maddie that things had gone sour where he was, so he was going to head up to Canada, with stops in Oregon and Washington. And mailed that off. No way did he want her to re-meet up with Chim, or Chim to meet up with Doug. Those two were too much alike.
And went to finally change his phone, plan, and number, for a new one. Let Maddie and her toxicity go elsewhere. He had enough of the family.
After he got everything done, he went to a little all-night diner he remembered, and got a booth to spread out on, getting all his books for the academy set up as he wanted them as he waited for his order. His tablet and pen were ready and started to take mission ready notes on updating his old knowledge from books from beginning to end on the tablet and correlating everything.
After he finished the books, he added the newer mandates that hadn’t been included and a new training regime for him to follow. Along with the nutritional needs he would need. And how he would get those once he was stationed. Especially with food thieves like Chim.
He had his books back in their pack, and his tablet recharging thanks to the staff, a nice morning breakfast with strong coffee, and had just sent a text to Steve to get him hooked up with three uniform/clothing camera systems like the cops used that would automatically upload to a cloud unit they both controlled and had access to for a trial basis for his probie year, at least. One for work, one for off work, and one to use as a spare, so he wasn’t caught off guard again by a toxic person like his old workmates and could get them on camera at any time. Or for times like Wells.
And being available to do background checks if he needed them and getting him a certified therapist who could handle him.
Copeland had been fine as far as she had been able to go, but he needed someone who was vetted higher.
A new text came through from a number in El Paso that he had somehow kept when transferring everything over and sent out the mass emails of the new number to everyone. Memories of Eddie came with it. Of being in the same general area in the Sandbox and becoming friends in the downtimes. Of Eddie patching him and his team up more than once. And promises made if the need was there.
And of Eddie and his son from the last life, all worn down by life and the maternal line with Ana Flores not helping.
He answered it immediately, getting a worn-out, injured, Eddie on the phone asking if he had a place he and his son could stay at. His wife had just left him, and his mother was being a bitch. He and his four-year-old son needed an out. He would have asked his Abuela, but she was visiting family in Mexico right now and Pepa was fronting him the money for the plane tickets, but…
“Do you have a safe spot at the moment? Or do you two need to evacuate right now?” Evan raised his finger for another cup. And there was a long pause on the phone. “Can you evacuate right now with help?”
“Yes, with help.”
“Alright Mark isn’t far from you right now; I’m going to text him from my tablet while I have you on the phone so things can get coordinated, ok?”
A sigh, “I remember Mark. He’s a good guy. And yeah, that works.”
Evan gave off the emergency text and what the emergency was to Mark, who wasn’t far from Eddie at the moment visiting family himself.
Getting a quick message back of needing the coordinates. “Ok Mark’s on board and needs directions if you want me to pass those on.” Doing so. “He says he’s about forty-five minutes from you and is on his way with some friends to help get the two of you out of there. I’ll line up some direct fare tickets for an adult and toddler so make sure to pack at least his travel seat and papers. Including any medical papers. The rest we can get here. Oh, get your financial and legal papers as well. I’m going to call Steve to come over and help get things squared away. But I was just thinking of moving into my uncle’s property which is handicap accessible due to an accident he had when he was younger. He ended up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life after that. So, ramps all over the place and at least one handicapped bathroom which he used.
“It should be in pretty good condition according to the papers I recently received after I got the estate in the will, so that will work. And I’ve been thinking of moving out of the house-share I’ve been staying in anyway. Cause gods those college kids are young.”
He got a snort from Eddie. “No, they’re not, we’re just jaded Ev. But thanks for this.”
“No problem. I have classes the rest of this week, so I’m going to make arrangements for the three of us to stay at a motel till the weekend and we can check out the place then. How does that sound?”
“Heavenly.”
“Good.” He thought for a moment on old memories, then, “Make sure to record any conversations with your family for legal reasons as well. Verbal abuse is still abuse, no matter what. And it can be used against whomever.”
He got a sigh back and a long “Riiiiight. Didn’t think about that. And I should pack the house papers too or they’ll just take the house over from me for one of my sisters or mom’s cousins and make me keep paying everything on it.”
Evan agreed with that. While taking a sip of his new cup of coffee. “I can pick you up from the airport after classes, I’ve got you two first-class tickets to LA that will leave this afternoon and texted the times to Mark so he can get you there in plenty of time. With those, you shouldn’t have as many troubles.”
“God Ev….”
“Don’t worry about it for now, I owe you for saving my hide the last time, just wish I had been available when your own chopper went down.”
Silence on the other end, and just deep breaths. “Mark is here, and we need to pack.”
“Alright, call or text if you need anything before you get here and I’ll meet you at the airport.”
“’K. And Ev, thanks for this.”
After they both hung up, Evan called Steve who bitched him out for waking him up right after he got to bed. Evan asked him to check on the military background of their old medic friend from the Army, Diaz, as he was in trouble and he needed to know just what programs he could get him into.
While he waited as Steve mumbled while on the computer, Ev ordered breakfast as he would soon have to head off to get ready for class. Right after that, Steve got back to him with the fact that their medic got the Silver Star and Purple Heart before being released from the Army because of his injuries. His unit had been sent to pick up the injured from snipers and the chopper got hit on the way back. According to the reports he was reading, it was due to Diaz’s actions that all aboard his chopper survived even after he was severely wounded. One in the shoulder which required surgery. One in the thigh near the hip. Through and through. And one taking out his spleen.
Quick surgery for the gut shot on sight, then surgery for the rest in Germany. Supposed rehab at the base near his home in El Paso, but according to reports no one is taking him to them, and the medical services are about to call medical negligence on his parents who had signed him out and added signatures that they would make sure he would be at each appointment.
Steve asked the redundant question of they weren’t doing it were they, and Bastard told him what Eddie told him. And that he needed him where he was to help coordinate things to go against Eddie’s soon-to-be ex-wife and his parents.
Steve told him that he would be there that evening and they coordinated the hotel they all would stay in with Steve making the online arrangements for several suites with one of them being the handicap room.
Ev worked on his tablet as he quickly ate to get things lined up and letters from the military and the California Government sent to his lawyers about what Eddie qualified for from both as he had the Silver Star and Purple Heart and was Medically Released from the Army for his injuries.
One of them was for school tuition from the State to any State university or college minus the books, dorms, and food. With his son, he had the same, with both of them still covered by the VA medical coverage and State Medicaid for both while Eddie recovered, then just Chris. Chris also got Medicare and WIC.
Eddie would also be getting nearly 60,000 because his injuries were combat related but weren’t completely disabling. That, plus what he got for his house should set him and Chris up well for a while.
Chris had liked Durand, except Flores was there and Chris also liked Art, so he looked for STEAM schools that started at his age, finding Trinity, which wasn’t far from his uncle’s house. And like Durand, they also were a small school that worked with the physically handicapped, and that worked well for them.
By the time classes were out and he was picking up Eddie – whom he had arranged to have a wheelchair ready for him at the door of the plane and medical personnel there for him and his son – they were whisked away to get a complete check up at the nearest hospital then an overnight for all three of them.
Steven picked Eddie and Chris up and worked with them for both their doctor appointments and PT while Ev was in classes. His lawyers working CID to serve both Eddies parents and his wife for criminal neglect for their actions against him and his son. His wife was also served for her actions in abandoning her son when there was no one in a position to properly take care of him. Of which both Ev’s lawyers and CID had arranged to have LA’s finest arrest her so she could explain herself before the federal courts.
Eddie’s parents had an added federal restraining order for their actions against him and his family. Another thing they would have to explain before the federal courts. Federal courts that had moved their trials to Austin as they now had the added charges or bribery and corruption of government officials in the city against them.
All are sent to federal prison for decades for their actions, while Ev takes care of his family at their new home, and the threats of legal action for Nash’s harassment leads Ev to being sent to the 217 instead of the 118 as his qualifications put him more in line for the 217 than a light brigade Nash wants him for.
A year later, his new partner joins him, and life goes well for the family away from the toxic families they had in their past, that are now gone.
Fin
6/12/2026
Edit
6/29/2026