Chapter Text
April 2021
Buck dug through Eddie's drawer, searching for a shirt he was sure he left at Eddie’s. Just as he was about to call out and ask Eddie if he knew where it had gone, he found it. Not the shirt but a ring. Contained in a small velvet box, wrapped up in one of Eddie’s old shirts, yet hard to miss.
He stared at the ring in awe. They had discussions about marriage, of course they did, but Buck hadn’t expected Eddie to have a ring already. Eddie wasn’t even out yet. At least not to anyone who wasn’t himself or Chris.
Buck smiled and put it back, knowing they had all the time in the world when he came back home.
As Buck threw his suitcase in his Jeep, he smirked at Eddie.
“What? You look suspicious.”
“I’m a firefighter! I just know things.”
“How does that correlate, Buck?”
“It just does, trust me.”
Eddie rolled his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. “You dork.”
“Yeah, yeah, but you love me.”
“I do.”
When the four of them arrived at the airport, a heavily pregnant Maddie fussed over Chim while Eddie grabbed Buck’s bags for him.
“I wish you would’ve gone. You deserve to take this trip as much as me.”
“It’s fine, Buck. Chris has a lot coming up at school I’d rather be here for and besides, Maddie couldn’t go either. Solidarity.”
Eddie flashed Buck a smile and handed him his bags.
“Have fun for me, and bring me back a baguette!”
Buck chuckled as he spoke. “I don’t know if that’s allowed, but I’ll try.”
“You better.”
“Oui oui!”
Chimney approached them and smirked. “I don’t think they actually say that, Buck.”
“I’ll have you know, I took exactly three Duolingo courses and they definitely do!”
Buck hadn’t realized how necessary the trip was until it was over. The busy schedule he had typically didn't allow for time off. He missed everything about Paris, but there was one thing Buck missed more—his family. He missed long conversations with his sister, cooking with Bobby in between calls, and most of all, he missed the nights he spent tangled in the sheets with Eddie.
About an hour out, they faced some turbulence that was enough to make Buck pray to a God he didn’t believe in. It couldn’t have been longer than a minute but it was enough to frighten them all.
“Terribly sorry, folks! Looks like we ran into an unexpected weather surge not on the radar that caused the extreme turbulence. Rest assured engine controls are okay, but we advise keeping those seatbelts fastened for the duration of the flight.”
The remainder of the flight went by smoothly, no more unexpected turbulence.
When they landed, Buck pulled out his cellphone to text Eddie but was met with no service.
“Hey, Chim. Your phone working?”
Chim pulled out his phone to text Maddie and got the same result.
“Weird.”
When they got off the plane, dozens of emergency vehicles greeted them. It was strange, considering the plane hadn’t burst into flames midair, at least not to Buck’s knowledge.
There was a fluttering of activity yet no word on why they were all stuck there.
The passengers were merely bystanders to the chaos around them until someone shouted, “Excuse me, there are sick people here. Can you tell us what’s going on?”
“The problem is, ladies and gentlemen, that your plane departed April 9th, 2021. Today is June 12th, 2026.”
"You have all been missing and presumed dead for more than five years."
Buck stood in the hangar for what felt like hours just waiting for something. Anything. Every second felt like torture. It was almost a relief when he had finally been called in for questioning.
There were no words exchanged between he and Chim during the waiting period. For two men who usually had so much to say, they were unable to conjure a single word.
The reality they had been placed in felt wrong. Buck already heard the whispers from workers that claimed they weren’t human, that something supernatural occurred to them during their time on flight 359.
Finally, they allowed families to come in. Buck watched as they filed in one by one and families that had previously been torn apart were once again reunited.
Then there was Maddie. She ran to them like her life depended on it. She took both of them in her arms and just held them. When she let go, she glanced back and forth between the two, still in a state of shock.
Maddie cupped Buck’s face in her hands as if she couldn’t believe he was real, as if he would disappear again, then turned to Chim, hands suddenly unsure.
“You two look exactly the same…” She breathed out.
Buck laughed dryly, “I was only on that plane for a few hours, Mads.”
“Not for me.” There was a sadness in Maddie’s voice that could only be explained by the years of grief she had to endure.
Buck didn’t want to consider the gravity of the situation. The truth much too raw for him to accept.
He was too caught up in seeing Maddie again that it took him a moment to realize the rest of his friends— more appropriately, family, waiting for them.
Athena, Hen, Ravi, May, and even Harry made an appearance.
But two people were missing. Eddie and Bobby. Two of the most important people in his life.
Buck turned to Maddie, automatically assuming the worst.
"Where are Eddie and Bobby?” Buck sensed her hesitation in the way she bit her lip. “Maddie, where are they?”
Maddie opened her mouth to speak but looked as if she changed her mind. “Eddie… he’s home.” Buck’s relief that Eddie was alive was tinged by a sense of bitterness. He hadn’t bothered to come see him? Not after all the time that had passed for him? Then Maddie spoke again, “Bobby’s gone. I’m so sorry, Buck.”
Buck turned away from Maddie, all his senses going numb. He made his way to Athena, where he embraced her.
“How? When?” His voice cracked.
“Oh, Buck, sweetie... He got sick last year.”
Buck felt like the rest of the night went by in a blur. He soon discovered that in the five years he was presumed dead, most of his earthly possessions were discarded of and what was left had been reduced to a box in Maddie’s apartment.
He didn’t have a home, a car, nor a job. At least not until someone could squeeze him back onto the roster.
Buck was consumed with the fact that nothing in this life was his anymore, maybe except Eddie.
Buck hadn’t allowed himself to question his absence much, though it did sting to know his boyfriend hadn’t made the effort to see him. It had been five whole years for Eddie, after all.
As everyone exchanged hugs and promises of only temporary goodbyes this time, Hen offered to take Buck home with her for the night. Buck agreed, not wanting to impose on Chimney and Maddie’s reunion. Plus, he couldn’t deny the exhaustion seeping into his bones, and Hen’s house was the closest.
“Karen and the kids will be excited to see you.” Hen spoke as they entered the car.
“I’m sorry, kids? Plural?”
"Mara is the new addition," Hen chuckled. “We fostered before adopting her. She’ll be turning ten soon.” As she spoke, she had a fond expression on her face.
To Buck, this was only a reminder of how much time he somehow lost.
The reunion with Karen wasn’t any less teary eyed than with the rest of them. Though unlike everyone else, she told him he was to never get on a plane again.
The next morning Buck awoke to a bustling household. Hen was getting ready for work, something he longed to be doing right now. He was informed of Hen’s captaincy and couldn’t be happier for her, even though it came at the expense of losing Bobby. A loss he struggled to accept. While Karen got the kids ready for school and herself ready for work.
Everyone had a place in the world except Evan Buckley.
Buck retreated back to the guest room, searching for his phone. He turned it on, making an attempt to call Eddie before he realized it was now obsolete technology. Even if it weren’t, nobody would’ve been paying his phone bill in all the years he had been gone.
Buck felt trapped in a house that was so familiar yet so foreign. Much of it had stayed the same over the years but so much had changed. There were new photos scattered along the wall and a room now furnished for a little girl. All a reminder of the time he had lost and memories he had no part in creating.
He sat in the living room, not knowing what else to do with himself aside from watch television. He made the mistake of turning on the news channel. They were reporting on the disappearance—and reappearance—of their flight. To no surprise, it was the same speculation of otherworldly circumstances and conspiracies Buck couldn’t wrap his head around.
Upon the fourth hour of his sulking around, there was a knock on the door. Hell, he’d even take interacting with a solicitor at this point. But much to his delight, Maddie was at the door.
“Maddie! My savior.”
Maddie rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry for dumping you here. There was just… a lot Chim and I had to catch up on.”
“Hey, I get it Mads! You want some time alone with him. I know how long it’s been for you.”
Maddie’s smile seemed a bit forced as she nodded.
“Come on, we’re going back to my place. Oh, and I got you a new phone.” She pulled the box out of her purse and handed it to Buck.
“You are a godsend, Maddie. I was losing my mind not being able to contact anyone.”
Maddie smiled more genuinely this time. “Yeah, just don’t call me too much. I don’t have the time for your hour-long phone calls.” She was bluffing. After five years of not hearing his voice, she’d listen to him for hours without complaint.
When Buck arrived at Maddie's apartment complex, he immediately realized it was the same one she had shared with Chim all those years ago. An instant sense of normalcy rushed over Buck as they approached.
A normalcy that was very short lived.
The first thing he saw as they pulled up to the building was Eddie. Had Maddie invited him over for Buck?
He missed Eddie so deeply. The ache he felt each time he was away from the other man slowly subsided just by seeing him. For him it might have only been a week but for Eddie it was years. He couldn’t imagine how Eddie had felt all this time.
Maddie had barely stopped the car before Buck jumped out.
He didn’t run, not like people did in the movies. He took the time to study Eddie. His Eddie, yet not his at all. His hair was a bit longer now, a loose strand threatening to fall into his eye at any moment. He wore more casual clothing. The thing most obvious of all was the mustache. Buck found him even more beautiful than ever.
Buck made his way to Eddie who was nearing the entrance of the building, keys in hand.
“Eddie!” There was no hesitation in Buck now. He wrapped his arms around Eddie as if it had been ages, and in a sense, it had been.
He felt those same arms that had held him just a week ago so surely now hesitate as he returned the embrace. Buck didn’t question that hesitation, all that mattered was seeing Eddie again. The same scent that comforted him hundreds of times before instantly made all the stress and confusion of the last day melt away.
The hug hadn’t gone on longer than a minute before Eddie was pulling back to stare at Buck in disbelief. Eddie opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t conjure up the right words. Nothing he truly wanted to say would be right now.
“You look exactly the same.”
“And you—“
Up close Buck was able to see the smaller changes in Eddie. The newfound wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, his arms slightly more defined than he recalled, and the golden band on his finger that was unmistakably new.
“You are married.”
He heard the footsteps of what only could’ve been his sister approaching. He didn’t care, his focus was entirely on Eddie now.
“Who is it, Eddie?” Buck’s mind had been slowly putting the pieces together but he wanted to hear the words come from Eddie’s mouth.
“Maddie.” Eddie's voice had been no more than a whisper as he averted his gaze.
That was enough for Buck. He turned and walked away, not wanting to hear whatever bullshit the two would concoct. Everything in his life had been ruined in the matter of a week. Nothing was his anymore, not even the one thing he thought would be his forever.
He didn’t have a car, nor a place to go really. He just walked, ignoring the shouts from Maddie and Eddie. The thought of facing them now was unimaginable.
Buck pulled out the obituary card now housed in his wallet. A card that shouldn’t have been there. In all his grief and confusion, there was only one person he wanted to speak to.