Imagine Eddie didn’t find Buck, so Athena goes to New Mexico to bring him home.
Athena’s search leads her to Bonnie, whose son would’ve been Buck’s age if not for a terrible accident that left him brain dead. It said in his medical records that she brought him home. Her financial records show some concerning purchases though.
After talking to her at the diner and talking to her ex-husband, Athena feels even more suspicious of the couple. She watches them for a couple days before getting a search warrant for their house for the truck she sees in their yard.
Athena is also concerned with some of the comments Bonnie makes about her son, who should be incapacitated, not waiting for her to get home. It’s Earl that finally tells Athena the truth.
When she finally finds Buck, he’s locked in a child’s room wearing strange pyjamas and seems confused about what’s going on. She knows by now that Bonnie had been calling him ‘Derek’, acting like his mother, and forcing him to play along.
Athena’s hands are shaking as she unlocks the door to Buck’s room. He doesn’t wake up as she crosses the room or calls out his name. His eyes finally open as she runs a hand through his hair.
“Mama?” Buck asks as he blinks up at her confused.
“No, Buck. It’s Athena,” she corrects him softly.
“I know,” he replies with a soft smile, starting to cry as a single tear runs down the side of his face.
Athena smiles sadly down at him, “You’re safe now, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
Anyone feel free to write this as a fanfiction, but please tag me as I REALLY WANT TO READ THIS!!!
Imagine Bonnie seeing Buck randomly during the lawsuit era.
Like when he's at his most vulnerable, feels like he lost his family and friends and trying to grasp at any stability in his life he screwed up.
He's getting cheap groceries at a discount store when he hears a crash of things. He glances over and sees a woman, who looks she'll shocked. He's about to go and help but her husband comes over and helps her up. Buck glances away, not noticing the woman pointing at Buck.
Buck gathers his measly food and checks out. Doesn't pay attention to the couple following him out and back home. Doesn't notice the eyes tracking him as he drags himself back to his loft.
Buck goes grocery shopping one night. His heart is broken when he sees everyone at Bobby and Athena's place for BBQ.
His stomach growls. He's lost quite a bit of weight. From lack of hours and money during the lawsuit and bills stacking up, he's been drowning.
Its his day off and he had been sleeping away. He couldn't sleep because of the pain in his leg, and woke up with only an hour before the store closes. He makes it there just in time and leaves as they're shutting lights off in the store. There's another car there, a mini-van. There's a woman with her van hood up and she seems to be panicking.
She's a few lots next to him, so he plops his groceries down in his passenger seat before turning to help the woman.
"Hey, is your car not able to start?" He asks. The woman glances up, a bit teary eyed. She must have been stressed.
"I-I dont know. I remember my husband telling me to get the battery changed out and I have the new one in my trunk, it's just so heavy and-"
"Hey. Its okay. I know my way around cars a little. I can change that out for you?"
"Really? Oh sweetie that would be absolutely amazing."
"You said it's in your trunk?" He says as he walks towards it.
"Yes, its unlocked. You can open it."
Buck is in front of the trunk and feels around for a button latch. He doesn't pay attention to a door sliding open, assuming its the lady going in her car to grab something. As the trunk lifts open, he's perplexed.
There was nothing.
"Uh, ma'am? There's no-"
Buck's mouth is quickly covered by a rag. An arm wraps around his arms, pinning them to his side. His screams are muffled. He's flailing and suddenly feels a prick of a needle to his neck.
"Shhh, shh. It's okay, sweetie. Momma's here. Your daddy is too," she sniffles. "We've been looking everywhere for you. You took off on your bike and never came back."
What?
"They tried to tell us you were gone, but couldn't find your body. They just gave up. But we never did and look now!! We finally found ya."
His head is swimming, and his body feels heavier and heavier by the second.
No. No, no, no.
"Oh, Derek. Everything is gonna be okay now. You must have hit your head and forgot some things."
Soon, an unconscious Buck gets shoved into the trunk. The woman places a soft kiss on his forehead.
It's weeks by the time Buck is found. He's asleep in his bed. The gate had been smashed open. Mom had given him something to sleep better at night, so he’s out of it when he wakes up.
He's confused when the EMTs ask his name as he's asking why his parents are being arrested.
"What--Mom?! What's going on?!"
"I don't know, baby. Don't worry everything is going to be alright," she says before being shoved into the police cruiser.
"Sir, can you please state your name?"
He blinks. One of the other EMTs opens her mouth, but he answers before she said anything.
"Derek. My name is Derek Sheets. Why are parents getting arrested? If its the gate--I-I have bad sleep walking habits. I promise it's only locked when I sleep."
"Hey. Everything will be okay. We're going to take you to the hospital to get checked out. Everything will be explained there, okay?"
Derek shakes his head.
"Wait. My medicine. I've been on blood thinners-"
"We know. We'll get you all taken care of, alright?"
Derek huffs. He waves to his parents goodbye before he's loaded into the ambulance.
Okay but can we talk about the parallels between the Buckleys and Bonnie and Earl.
Margaret couldn't cope with the loss of Daniel so she erased his existence and tried to pretend he never existed. Phillip went along with this, but seemed to not fully want to based on the fact he secretly kept Daniel's bike as a reminder. While it's not explicitly stated by them, this difference in opinion likely contributed to their divorce, considering Phillip comes to apologise to Buck for not attending Bobby's funeral while Margaret is sleeping and openly admits for the first time they are terrible parents.
Bonnie couldn't cope with the loss of Derek and so she refused to let him go. Earl wanted to move on, but wasn't able to because Bonnie was still so affected by her grief. Their difference in opinions on the lengths they should go to preserve Derek's memory led to Bonnie divorcing Earl.
Buck had such a close resemblance to Daniel that Margaret didn't even like looking at him as she saw him as a reminder of what she lost. Also, Buck was born as a saviour baby, but Daniel relapsed after the bone marrow transplant so Buck, in his parents eyes, failed in what he was born to do, and didn't save Daniel.
Bonnie specifically kidnaps Buck because he looks like Derek so she believes he is a way to have her son back again. If Buck chooses to play along and pretend to be Derek he in effect saves Derek's life.
After Daniel's death Margaret Buckley struggles to cope with seeing her children in hospital.
Bonnie chooses to have a hospital set up at home so that she can keep Derek on life support and keep holding onto him.
And of course, in the photos of Daniel and Derek we see, they are both wearing striped shirts.
Ummm final thoughts about the episode? I liked it, it was fun! 🥰
though it did seem more like something that would happen over the stretch of a few days, and it threw me every time they were like, "we were at the diner last night."
The Maddie/Chim/Athena parts felt awkward and shoehorned in, but I guess that's preferable to them taking the focus and screen time away from Buck and Eddie's adventure? I don't think it's the actors' fault, but everything they said felt so stilted and uncomfortable. I assume it's the writing??
Eddie looked SO cute in his stolen outfit, and Buck looked SO ugly in his!! 😭😭😭 rip, Buck. What do we think it symbolized that they both spent a large part of the episode in another man's clothes? 🤔
I don't understand the deal with Derek? That did not seem to be a dead body in the Sheets' house!! And you really cannot secretly keep a comatose patient in your home for fourteen years. Caring for someone like that requires constant supervision, and a lot of supplies!! Like, it's doable, but not without anybody else noticing. And we SAW that Bonnie and Earl work the same shift, at least some of the time!
Sorry, I'm probably asking for too much realism again 🤦🏻♀️ It's my lifelong curse! (Yes, I am like this when I do community theater, as well. 😓)
It's just that I used to work at a clinic that served complex care patients, including some who were homebound or bedbound, and we would handle stuff like the prescriptions for the supplies and care they needed. So I have an idea of what would be involved.
Also the way Bonnie and Earl talked made it sound like Buck's not the first person they've done this to? And like they've killed people before?? Bonnie's "that's why I divorced you" jab did make me laugh, but I admit I'm not sure I see the point in divorcing someone who you still work with and live with and do kidnappings and murders with!
But, yeah, A+ Buddie content!!! 🥰 Happy for them, or sorry that happened. 😬 Personally I think they should rest up a couple more days before hitting the road, given how beat up they both are, but I can understand not wanting to spend another minute in that town!
before evan buckley, there were others, but none of them were right.
bonnie sheets is determined to find him.
pre-9x13. tw for murder, kidnapping, grief, and ableism
****
Dirt and sweat permeate every inch of skin. Bonnie sinks into the armchair with a groan and licks her dry, cracked lips. Eyes fluttering shut, she leans her head back and attempts to brush hair plastered to her sweaty forehead. Her hand comes back soaked, and she huffs before stopping short.
Nothing has changed.
Machines whir throughout the room. There's the shrill beep of the heart monitor, two alarms signaling the end of the formula and possible chest drainage, the soft woosh of the tracheostomy. Bonnie is acutely aware of the lines between normal, baseline, and distress, all without opening her eyes.
Machines work in tandem to keep her precious son alive.
Bonnie leans forward and smooths out Derek's blanket. It's far too thin and scratchy. Derek deserves the best, but his body can no longer regulate heat. Just over a decade ago, he could spring out of bed, whine, lash out over the heat or freezing cold. He hasn't so much as cracked a eye open since the accident.
She could spend hours in this room pouring over every bead of sweat, every inch of flushed skin. Machines do the hard work, but where does that leave her?
Earl doesn't understand. Neither did that foolish boy.
No matter, though.
He won't be a problem anymore.
****
"Why the hell did you let him escape?!"
Bonnie slams her fists onto the table and forces herself to take deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Just like that idiot therapist suggested. It does little to quell the storm raging inside of her.
"You had one job." Earl leans against the counter, eyes boring into a speck of dirt on the floor. His arms are crossed over his chest, and Bonnie barely resists the urge to shake him. "One job, and you blew it!"
"Oh, c'mon, Bonnie; we couldn't keep - "
"Like hell we couldn't." Bonnie hisses and stalks across the kitchen until she and Earl are toe-to-toe. "Now you tell me what we're supposed to do when the sheriff comes knockin' on our door - "
Bonnie drowns out Earl's apologies and explanation. None of it matters, does it? They're supposed to be in this together, just the two of them, the only two who could possibly begin to comprehend the hell they live. Typical Earl to back out, to plead and placate until there's nothing left.
And leave all the planning to her.
"Don't worry." Earl's mouth snaps shut. "I'll take care of it."
****
If someone had told Bonnie fifteen years ago that this is where she'd end up, she would have cackled.
Bonnie Sheets. The perfect mother and wife, endlessly devoted to her son and husband. The perfect matriarch of the perfect All-American family. Nighttime is cruel, every dream a bitter reminder of a life long left behind.
Miss Bonnie, your home is so lovely.
Bonnie, your boy is so polite. You must be so proud of him.
I love you, Ma.
Morning arrives, and for a blissful moment, it's all forgotten. She's just turned forty again, running through a mental checklist. Laundry, grocery shopping, tidy the house before work, make sure Derek -
Oh.
And just like that, the facade shatters. Bonnie wakes up, fifty-four years old, achingly alone, running through a new checklist.
Check on Derek. Give him a sponge bath and change his diaper; make sure the clothes are clean. Refill the formula bag. Move uncooperative limbs to prevent bed sores. Groceries, laundry, tidy up, work.
Eat. Sleep. Repeat.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Metal clangs somewhere down the hall. "You can't keep me here! What the fuck - "
Bonnie rolls her eyes and grabs the taser.
If only her boy could see her now.
****
How the hell did I end up here?
The heavy shed door slams shut. Bonnie wipes sweat from her brow and surveys her hands. They're wrinkly from a long day's work, but clean up had been smoother than expected. Luring them home only gets easier.
Just go straight down until you reach I-10. You can't miss it.
Follow them from the diner. Oh, are you lost, honey? It's okay. These parts all blur together! Why don't you just follow me?
The desperation to see their faces would drive a lesser person mad. The bodies blur together after a while, all tall and broad-shouldered. What truly matters are the hair, the slope of the nose, the cheekbones. Personality is moldable. Enough training and the right one will finally understand. Looks aren't afforded the same luxury. The slightest physical imperfection could shatter the entire fantasy.
It's why this one - what's his real name? He'd screamed it enough times. Oh, that's right - Brennan's demise came so soon. Derek hasn't shrieked since childhood. Bonnie remembers hot summer days in the old house. They'd had a pool, the house a chorus of children running in and out for snacks. It'd changed as Derek grew, and the house became quieter.
She'd give her own life to have that silence back.
Brennan, though, had been too much. Constant screaming, kicking, reminding her of his name…Illusion shattered into millions of pieces on the floor.
Death doesn't care if you're a mother, a father, a teenager in the prime of his life, or a thirty-year-old man with a fiancee.
Death takes pity on no one.
Why should she?
****
The water is red.
Bonne frantically scrubs her hands under scalding hot water. Is this what Derek felt as his body skidded across asphalt? The doctors claim he didn't feel a thing, but that can't be true, can it? Her boy felt everything -
This isn't the same.
It's all that silly boy's fault. All he had to do was listen, and maybe none of this would've happened. But no! He just had to whine about his family and his girlfriend and his friends.
His life outside of these four walls.
The life Derek never got to have, and this boy couldn't even appreciate it until it was far too late.
Never mind. The boy's whining rings loudly in her ears, and her head pounds at the thought. Derek doesn't whine. Derek is adventurous and kind, funny and polite to a fault.
Derek appreciates everything his mother has to offer.
The boy's inability to comply isn't her problem. Finding a new one won't be difficult.
Bonnie laughs bitterly and takes a long sip of whisky. "Go to hell, Earl."
****
They keep coming, but none of them are right.
Bonnie yanks on the freshly-installed metal door. It's a jarring sight. From this side, Derek's bedroom looks more like a prison cell. Fourteen years ago, this was the liveliest room in the house. The sounds of her son yelling at video games, hanging out with friends, or talking late on the phone when he thought she couldn't hear linger just out of reach. They're right there, so close they're almost tangible.
But then she opens her eyes to a blood-soaked floor, dishelved bed, and a ripped, discarded T-shirt.
This one's a bit scrawnier, but no matter. A few weeks of freshly cooked meals, and he'll be right as rain.
I think it’s really important to acknowledge that when Eddie arrives at Bonnie’s house and meets Bonnie, it’s the first time that she sounds nervous.
She’s been this confident, cunning, and manipulative character so far. Lying to Eddie should be easy for her.
I think the reason behind it is it’s the first time that she’s been promised a chance with her son in 14 years.
Until this point, I’m sure there’s been others that she’s kidnapped and tried with based on the context clues, which obviously have not worked out in her favour. Even Buck didn’t work out as she had planned.
But now for the first time in 14 years, she has a guaranteed chance to have her son back and all that stands in the way is Eddie. She just has to make him leave.
Bonnie’s so close to her goal, to her son, and she is nervous. She’s terrified.
You can hear it in her voice.
How nervous she is. How bad she needs this. How much she needs him to leave without noticing anything wrong.
This is her last chance with to have her son with someone she was sure could give him to her. She can’t lose this.
