I've got other's planned out, but I'm gonna have to rest a bit before artfight☹️ watch my rendering style change again after it's over
Rambling:
Dunk is blind and is ironically more spatially aware than canon Dunk. And Egg looks like an asshole for swindling a blind hedge knight into his antics
The Avatar either wouldn't exist or wouldn't be a known thing at this time. The first one is born after the last dragon dies. But they probably hid it in fear of being cast out. The next one did as well, until it got to Aegon, who has to figure this all out on his own while dealing his family's overbearing-ness
》 The most powerful being since the dragons died is just born as a Targaryen ? Oh buddy. He's obviously trained rigorously as well as paraded around as a warning to Blackfyre supporters. Is it really a surprise that he runs away ?
》 or maybe Daeron runs away with him in order for Egg to learn all the elements (he dreamt it 🙄 ) and picks up Dunk, Rafe or Raymun, and Lyonel for his Avatar team
I also wanted to make Aerion a waterbender for the irony, but the thought of him even having the possibility to bloodbend makes me wanna shoot myself. Maybe he chills out a bit with the firebending fueling his dragon delusion ? Doubt it
Daeron is a waterbender and isn't the most skilled fighter, but he can make intricate scenes very easily, usually for his younger siblings while he's reading, but sometimes he mindlessly remakes his dreams with his wine
If Maekar is a bender, he's an FB, but Baelor is where I'm having issues. Dorne is basically the Earth Kingdom, and he's more Dornish looking than Targaryen, so earthbender ? Lavabender ? My first thought was metal bender, but that doesn't exist yet (neither does lightning bending. I think that would bring on an industrial revolution, and Westeros isn't ready for that)
The Stormlands and the Vale are the Air Temples. I don't think the noble houses would be monks, but they'd still keep some fundamentals the same. Maybe there are a few nomadic groups out there
》 Baratheon's get their antlers added to the mastery tattoos, and Arryns get wings. And anyone else gets the normal arrows
》 Lyonel's specialty is storms, creating and chasing them away by messing with the currents and temperatures
FB used to be a only Valyrian thing, until they started spreading their dragonseed everywhere like whoring dandelions. King's Landing has a bunch of fire spitting children that people have to ignore
》 Which means Dunk could've been one, firebending was a very close second for him. His bending would be relatively weak, maybe from malnourishment or the fact that FB needs strong emotions to produce their fire or both
》 So, he learns how to use it in other ways. He's warmer by nature and can keep the other kids warm as well. He's able to hold a light on his fingers as a lamp. Food is easily cooked. He can make his touch scalding and sometimes can send fireballs to ward off anyone. And he quickly learns to caurterize wounds, which unfortunately comes in handy plenty of times. (Rafe lives, woohoo ! And maybe that one kid's brother too)
》 He also teaches Egg a new side to FB, learning that fire can give and not just take
I love making au's. I've got so many i need to spit them out somewhere. Maybe I'll actually write it 💀
Summary: While (Y/n) is out with her baby in the park, someone kidnaps them. Leaving Maddie and Athena trying to help and locate her while Evan falls into panic and despair, fearing for his family.
Enjoy.
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"Buck-"
"Buck don't-"
"That's her car! That's (Y/n)'s fucking car!"
Tears drenched Evan's face as he wrangled with the arms trying to hold him back. He didn't care who it was or what they were trying to whisper to him to calm him down. His elbows flung hard until he whacked Chimney in the ribs and clocked Eddie in the throat.
His chest banged against the door of the truck when he lunged forward but Eddie tried to pull him back.
They had all seen the car that had crashed against the railing and was one foot from sliding down the ditch at the side of the motorway. They knew from the cold look in Evan's eyes that it was his wife's car before he said anything, and they didn't want him going first. They didn't want Evan rushing over there and finding his wife and child in case they weren't okay or were in a bad shape.
A groan tumbled past Eddie's lips and he stumbled back against the seats when Evan's fist whacked him in the jaw. He knew it wasn't intentional, he knew Evan was in a state of desperation and by the look of how he flung himself down, Eddie knew none of them were going to be able to stop him.
Evan could scarcely breathe when he jumped down from the truck and scrambled across the hard shoulder of the motorway. They had been cruising down the motorway for a good five minutes now, looking for any signs of a car accident or a familiar face. And now they had found it. They had found (Y/n)'s car.
Desperation began to claw through Evan's system as he reached the all too familiar car that he saw every night when he went home.
Please be okay! Please be in there!
A rendition of (Y/n) and Evie tumbled past his lips and his gloved hands grabbed the door handle which he flung open with envy, but everything started to crumble when he looked inside.
Empty.
No wife. No baby. No kidnapper to beat to death for what he had done. No source of life. And when Evan peered closer, he realised that the car seat was gone too.
He wasn't sure why, but he moved over and flung open the passenger door too. There were droplets of blood on the dashboard and along the door handle. The windscreen had smashed and speckles of glass littered the dash and all over the seats and footwell like crystals or fallen pieces of a star.
Evan didn't realise he was crying until he stepped back from the car and felt a single tear rolling down his cheek. Where were his girls? Where was his family?
If they had left the car here, they couldn't have gotten very far on foot, carrying a baby carrier alongside them. Someone would have stopped, someone must have seen the crash and asked if they needed help or wanted a lift somewhere.
Evan tore the gloves from his hands and flung them down on the tarmac so he could run his fingers through his hair and scratch his nails along his scalp. He caught curls between his fingers and pulled until it felt like he was wrenching them loose. The burn and hissing pain it caused grounded him to the spot and stopped him from screaming. And with his elbows pushed out at his sides, he tried to take deep breaths.
Why them? Why take (Y/n) and Evie? Why not go for someone else, anyone else, but Evan's girls. He didn't care if that made him selfish, he just wished it was some other family going through this turmoil.
He could feel his mind racing with a million thoughts a second which made Evan want to collapse. His mind was fit to burst and he wanted to scream the length of the Earth until his voice could locate his girls.
But all the thoughts racing through his mind came to a standstill when the sound of sirens flooded his ears and short-circuited everything else.
A police car. Athena. She was climbing out her car and aiming for them. Maybe she had some news, maybe she had an idea of where this maniac had taken Evan's family and she knew of a way to get them back safely.
But a horrible darkness rolled in across Evan's features when he watched Athena lean in the back of her car and help out a familiar face. She had Jee sitting on her hip.
Why did she have Jee? His niece was supposed to be with his wife, not here with Athena. She was supposed to be somewhere with (Y/n) or have an inkling of where the girls were. Why did Athena have her but not (Y/n) and Evie? Why didn't she have Evan's family with her?
Athena slowed down in her steps and made a beeline for Chimney rather than Evan when she saw the look that crossed his face. She handed the toddler over to Chimney, who looked as confused and flabbergasted as Evan did. But he quickly took his daughter who was whimpering for him, a mix of old and fresh tears glued to her face.
"Why- why is she with you? Where's (Y/n)? Where's Evie?!" The malice in Evan's voice threw everyone off guard and made a surge of panic flood through them all.
Chimney couldn't help but hold his daughter closer to his chest and he took a step towards the fire truck while his lips attached to the top of her head. He could feel tears burning in the corners of his eyes but he tried his best to hold them at bay. His family was alright. His wife was at work and his daughter was safe and unharmed in his arms which was more than could be said for Evan's family right now.
But the way Evan was glaring holes into him made Chimney want to cower down and disappear. He had never seen Evan so heartbroken yet furious like that and he hated that the envy was directed towards him.
"Where's my daughter?" Tears of desperation streamed down Evan's face as his hands went from pointing towards his niece to grappling with his hair again.
His head tilted back and his teeth grated together as a bubbling sob tumbled past his lips. Why was Jee okay but Evie was no where to be seen? Why was Chimney's daughter here and safe but Evan's baby girl was lost somewhere in the wilderness with a complete maniac?
He didn't even know if she was alive or if she was hurt. She could be screaming, needing Evan to go and save her and he was none the wiser.
He didn't pull away when a pair of hands settled down on his arms and gently lowered his hands from his hair. He let his body go limp and slump back towards Bobby who easily held him up and kept tight hold over him. As if he were trying his best to hold all of Evan's broken pieces together.
Bobby ran his hands up and down Evan's arms, quietly muttering 'Okay, it's okay,' under his breath to see if it would do something to calm the younger man down.
Hen and Eddie were stood near the car, both looking for clues and trying to keep out the way because they didn't want to overwhelm Evan or get in the way and cause an argument. And Chimney focused on getting Jee settled in the truck so she was out the way too and could calm down.
The pleading look in Evan's eyes almost made Athena crumble as she walked towards him, her hands gripping her belt to try and hold her composure.
"(Y/n) took them to the park, it looks like this guy took her and Evie, but he left Jee at the park. We don't know why."
Shockwaves rattled through Evan as his hands started to twist and curl at his sides like he didn't know what to do with himself. Why not just take all of them? Why leave Jee? Did the man not know Jee was there with them? Did he strike upon opportunity and just grab whoever was easiest? What was so special about (Y/n) and Evie that he didn't bother trying to take anyone else at the park?
"They- they're not here." Evan's voice was filled with devastation as he flailed one arm out at his side to motion to the empty car.
His girls weren't here. They weren't being dragged down the motorway, no one had saved them or picked them up from the roadside. They had vanished into thin air and Evan had no way to find them or get them back.
"We're going to find them." The determination in Athena's voice was admirable, even if it might not have been believable to Evan.
"Uh, Cap? We have a man stranded over here." Hen pointed behind her to the man who was currently stood talking to Eddie who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. And she walked closer to be within range of them all. "He stopped to help a bit further down but the kidnapper got (Y/n) and Evie in the car and left him here."
"Were they okay?" A spark of hope flooded Evan's chest as he broke out of Bobby's embrace and turned towards Hen, but he didn't like the look in her eyes or the fact that she wouldn't look up at him properly.
He stormed towards her until Bobby gripped his arm and pulled him back, but a brutal "Tell me!" shouted past his lips and caused them all to tremble.
"(Y/n) looked in bad shape, from the crash, but she was conscious and Evie was crying."
"This is good news."
How was that good news? How in the world could it be good news that his wife was injured, in a bad shape and this man had managed to snatch her and Evie- again? How was it good that they had gotten away in another car and could be anywhere by now, heading in any direction?
(Y/n) could be bleeding out right now, she could be passed out, unconscious, having internal bleeding. There could be any number of complications and anything could be wrong with Evie too, she could be hurt without this kidnapper realising.
Evan's lips curled into a snarl and he glared towards Athena, about to argue with her until she turned to one side when her radio buzzed. "Go ahead dispatch."
"Sargent Grant, the kidnapping in process, (Y/n). Did you find the car, on the motorway? She had Evie with her, but not Jee."
Maddie's voice crackled through the air and made something twinge in Evan's stomach. He could hear it in her voice, the same matching panic that he was currently feeling. The desperation and the unknowing. She didn't know that her baby was safe and sound, which was more than could be said for Evan's baby girl.
He felt awful even debating what it would be like if it was Evie who had been found and not Jee, but it just seemed so unfair that Evan didn't know about either of his girls. And yet Maddie was about to find out that her baby was just fine. Her daughter was safe and unharmed.
"Jee was left at the park, where they were taken, she's fine and she's with me."
"Oh thank you." Maddie did her best to hold her composure while she tilted her head down and pressed her hand to her chest. It had been hard to try and keep her calm when she had no idea where her daughter was, and she had no more connection to her sister in law who very well could have crashed.
Knowing that one of them was okay was a small relief, but it didn't stop Maddie from worrying about (Y/n) and Evie and wishing there was more that she could do to help them.
"The car's empty and we have a casualty, a man pulled over to help and they took his car. We will get the plates and run searches for them now."
Athena glanced towards Evan as she spoke. This was okay. They had the owner of the car right here with them. He could give them the make, model and number plate on the car. They could search for his car and track down (Y/n) and Evie. If she was injured there was very little chance that this man could drag her from the car and get her to rush and hide with him and Evie.
Her being hurt and frightened and having Evie made them a big target to spot and find.
"Were they okay?" Maddie wasn't sure whether to be relieved about this or not.
The car had crashed, she had heard that right on the call. They had switched cars and were still on the run, away from police and any form of help. (Y/n) and Evie could be hurt, injured. This man could be hurting either of them right now and they weren't much closer to finding them.
"We don't know. Do we know who this guy is or what he wants?"
If they had an inkling as to who this man was, it would be easier to try and find him. If they knew his name, where he lived, people he associated with, they might be able to find familiar places he went to where he might have taken (Y/n) and Evie. They could at least put his name and picture out on an alert if they knew what he looked like and who he was.
Athena waited for a moment or two, wondering if Maddie was looking into something to try and find out who this guy was. But her next words surprised Athena.
"Can you put Buck on for me?"
Her eyes darted towards Bobby and Evan who were still stood to one side, perplexed and caught between changing emotions. Evan looked on the verge of a breakdown, being held together by one single thread that was close to snapping.
When Athena held the radio out towards him, Evan shakily stepped closer and took the radio held out towards him. Why did his sister want to talk to him? He had no idea who was doing this, Evan couldn't give any clue as to who had taken his family.
"Buck?"
"Maddie, Maddie you spoke to her? What did she say to you? Were they both okay, w-was Evie…?" He was trembling all over again as he clutched the radio so tight he almost split it in half.
Had (Y/n) asked for him? Had she been frightened and called out for him? Did she even get to talk to Maddie properly? Evan didn't know how she managed to call for help when she had been kidnapped and held in the car like that.
"They were okay when I spoke to (Y/n). But I need to know, when did you buy (Y/n) a red nightgown?"
A deep frown set in Evan's features and his blushing red lips parted into an oval shape, but no words came out. His eyes scoured round the street, looking around his team despite none of them but Bobby overhearing the words through the radio.
He gasped for breath like he was drowning again as a panic attack started to wash over him.
Why was his sister asking something like that? How did she even know about that?
Evan knew exactly what she was talking about. He had bought (Y/n) an item like that, he bought her a blood red nightgown two weeks ago, if he closed his eyes for long enough he could still see (Y/n) standing in front of him right now wearing that. The perfect image of her in that gown was imprinted into Evan's mind. What did it matter if (Y/n) had something like that? On what level could that be relevant right now? It wasn't as if (Y/n) would have been wearing that to the park with the girls when she was taken.
"Buck?"
"What? I… two weeks ago, why? What does that matter?"
Evan didn't want to be talking about this right now, especially not with his sister. She didn't need to know the kind of things he bought his wife, that wasn't something their relationship needed to talk about.
"The kidnapper mentioned it, he knew (Y/n) had that." Maddie winced and shrank back in her seat when she heard her brother howl down the line like an animal.
"How?" He whined as he dragged his fingers through his hair and tilted his head back like he wanted to see stars shining in the sky in the middle of the day.
Athena carefully took a few steps closer so she could rest her hand on Evan's shoulder and speak into the radio. "So this wasn't random? This was a kidnapping?"
"He was talking about that gown, he said (Y/n) looked beautiful when she wore it… I think he's been watching her."
A spluttering "Oh God," passed Evan's lips and he thrust the radio back towards Athena so he could scuttle away from her and slump his body weight against the truck. He couldn't listen to this. He couldn't hear anymore sickening things like that today. Evan wouldn't stand and listen to people telling him that some freak had been stalking his wife.
He didn't want to believe or listen to this, to someone saying that the things he bought his wife had been seen by others and someone had the nerve to start watching and saying how 'beautiful' (Y/n) looked. That wasn't right. Evan didn't want that thought in his head.
It was better to imagine this as an opportunist taking (Y/n) and Evie for some sick twisted joke or because he saw them and decided they could be his. Evan didn't want to think of this being pre-planned. Of someone watching them, stalking (Y/n), following her and then pouncing on her and Evie when he got the chance.
If he had planned this, then he might have something bigger in mind.
What was this guy doing?
***
Evan's foot bashed against the metal floor of the truck with such fierce intent that he could have been a drummer hitting the base drum with every beat of his heart.
His hands deadlocked together until his fingers were squashing down on his knuckles and the blood drained from his fingertips and disappeared down his arms. He was sending himself into overdrive. He could feel every pounding of his heart surging through his body. He was counting every breath which was irritating him even further, and he could feel the seconds physically running away from him.
His elbows were resting on his knees, jittering up and down with each thump of his boots against the floor which sent his knees jerking up.
He didn't like this. He didn't know what to do with himself. Evan couldn't go home. It wasn't as if this kidnapper was going to take the girls back there, he was trying to escape somewhere with them not take them home. And Evan couldn't sit there on his own, waiting around while he looked at all their things and cried himself into oblivion.
He couldn't work, he was in no fit state to try and help and he couldn't do anything anyway, he would be too much of a liability.
The team didn't want to let Evan go home or wander off on his own, they wanted him close by so they could keep an eye on him.
Especially if he got bad news.
So he was slumped in the back of the truck, sat with his thoughts that were overwhelming him and threatening to push him over the edge.
It felt like Evan had cried enough to flood the entire Atlantic ocean by now, but still, his eyes were threatening to let loose another flood wave. He was exhausted from crying alone, never mind his brain that was over running itself and the panic that was physically draining him.
Where were his girls? Were they alright? Was (Y/n) asking for him? Was Evie crying her little lungs out, needing someone to help them? Were they even alive?
Unlatching his hands, Evan moved to scour his hands up and down his face, scratching into his scalp and his hairline while he doubled over and bowed his head. He strained until the back of his neck ached and he thought his neck was going to snap, but bowing his head down momentarily stopped the overwhelming thoughts from being too loud.
The feeling of his phone buzzing and ringing in his jacket pocket made Evan's body jerk and almost had him toppling forward off his seat.
He had switched his phone off silent so if Maddie or Athena rang him, he would be able to answer and find some news. He had also been praying that (Y/n) might call, that she would tell him she had managed to get away with Evie and needed him to come and get them. Or even if this kidnapper rang to say he wanted something and to make demands. Evan would accept anything, he just had to have some news about his girls, whether it be good or bad.
He sat up straight, pressing his back into the seat with his head tilted back as he rummaged in his pocket for his phone.
It was Athena.
"A-any news? Have you heard from them?" Terror ransacked Evan's body as he waited for Athena to talk to him.
Had they been given ransom demands? Had she finally located the car they were using and pulled them over safe and sound? What was happening with his family?
"No news yet, Buck." It was clear Athena was trying to let him down gently, and she wouldn't go and say no news was good news because she knew that wasn't always the case. She wished she had something good to tell him or just something in general.
Maybe he was never going to see them again. Evan had seen it plenty of times on calls where people got hurt, they died without getting back to their family. And he knew people disappeared. This guy could vanish with them or he could kill and hide (Y/n) and Evie somewhere and Evan might never find them. The morbid side of his brain was coming out and he didn't know how to shut it off.
"I'm round at your place now… Who lives next door?" Athena knew other officers were on patrol looking for the car, and dispatch was trying to locate it too.
She couldn't go driving the streets when she didn't know where to look or if she was going to find anything. She wanted to try and find any clues as to who this guy was because she knew if they had a name and identity, it would be a little easier to locate him or find people who knew him and knew where he might be going.
She had come over to Evan and (Y/n)'s place, wondering if she could find any clues. This man had been stalking (Y/n), Maddie was certain about that and it seemed rather evident. That meant he could have been at or nearby their house, watching them. There might be something here that could help them.
Evan carded his fingers through his knotted curls that were close to being ripped out after today. He leaned his head against the window on his left and sighed. He didn't bother opening his eyes, he didn't need to look out at the bleak world while he spoke.
"Uh, an old couple, t-they're out of town, having renovations done. Why?" Evan liked the neighbours, he had never really liked the neighbours at home when he lived with his parents, or the weirdos who lived in the apartment building when he was down in California.
This was the first home where Evan had actually introduced himself to the neighbours and got along with them, and (Y/n) was always helping them with shopping and the gardening.
What did it matter who the neighbours were? They hadn't done this or played any part in this. Chasing after the neighbours was a dead end all around.
When he didn't hear anything, Evan muttered her name and tiredly opened his eyes. Athena hadn't responded, but he could hear her walking around so she hadn't hung up on him yet. What was she doing?
"Buck, anyone working on their house could see into yours. That's how he knew about the gown, he saw her through the windows."
It was as if an icicle had pierced through his heart. Someone had been peering into their home. Someone had been watching, lying in wait for the right moment to strike and try to take (Y/n). He had chosen her, this wasn't at random and he had clearly thought about this a lot. He had put the effort in to watch (Y/n) and try to get to grips with her routine.
"Fuck!" A harsh thud sounded through the truck when Evan slammed his forehead into the window.
Tears began to trace down his features once again while his hand clenched around his phone and his other hand curled into a fist and rammed into the door. This guy had chosen (Y/n). He had seen her in her own home, probably watched her getting changed and when she was sorting Evie or putting her down for a nap or taking her out.
He had probably watched (Y/n) do a number of things and followed her when she went out. This had been planned, set in motion long before today, Evan just didn't know it.
"He- he wants (Y/n), but he's taken Evie too. He's taken both of them from me."
He had taken both of them from Evan. He had taken his whole world, his heart from him and he wasn't about to give them back. Evan might have lost them both because this guy had decided that he wanted them and that he could just walk up and take them if he decided to.
What was Evan supposed to do now? Did he sit here and wait while this guy took (Y/n)?
It was going to take time for Athena to get hold of the contractors and find out who had been working on the house next door and who would have had access. It would take even longer to pinpoint the exact man who had taken them and by then he could be far away with (Y/n) and Evie.
What was Evan supposed to do in the meantime?
"Buck, it's okay. We can find out who he is and we're tracking the car, we'll-"
"No." Evan wasn't sure he believed anything like that anymore. It had been hours since the girls had been taken this morning. (Y/n) had been hurt over two hours ago, she could have bled out by now or had internal bleeding and caused problems. The longer they waited, the less likely Evan was to see them again.
"I'm not getting them back."
***
Whatever Eddie muttered to Evan went unheard and he sighed to himself, patting Evan's shoulder before he climbed out the truck.
They couldn't exactly drag Evan from the truck and make him follow them around on calls so they could keep an eye on him. But they couldn't afford to sit in the truck with him and act as a babysitter, nor could they lock him in the truck.
Evan was practically unresponsive by now. He wasn't acknowledging any of them or talking to them. He was sat, mute and distant in the corner of the truck like he didn't know what reality he was stuck in. They all thought it was best to keep him with them rather than take him back to the fire house or to the station. God knows if something happened, they would all have to keep him calm.
Evan kept his head resting against the window, a disassociated look on his blank face as he stared out at the scene.
A few cars had crashed on an intersection so the team were weeding out causalities and evacuating everyone from the scene.
It was starting to get late. The sun was setting low towards the horizon and soon the moon and the stars would be out. Evan wondered if Evie had been fed yet. He wondered if she had been fed before lunch when (Y/n) took the girls out, and if she had been given a bottle since then. If she hadn't then she wouldn't be well and she would be distressed.
But then again, if Evie was starving and crying in distress, people might notice something was wrong if this guy was trying to take her somewhere.
He wondered if (Y/n) was awake or if she was passed out, whether she was holding her nerve and remaining calm or if she was panicking. He wondered if they were still driving in the car, if they were out of LA by now or if they were now walking on foot. If this guy had ditched the car to try and get further away on foot.
He wondered so many things while he sat here in the truck, looking lifeless and broken beyond repair.
Part of him wanted to get out the truck and try to help, he was useless just sat in here and he could try and make himself less of a burden by trying to do his job. The other part of Evan was telling him to get out the truck and begin walking and don't stop for anything. But the lack of energy in his system stopped him from doing anything but staring out the window in sorrow.
He watched a few people scrambling out of their cars and be redirected towards a paramedic or somewhere safe to wait.
He watched his team flit about like flies, trying to help as many people as possible with the little resources they had on them. He watched Chimney and Hen provide IV fluids and neck braces and get people out of their cars with more serious injuries.
But Evan's tired, bleak eyes started to narrow and zoom in when he looked at one man in particular.
He was struggling. The man was practically crawling out of his car like a child or as if he had broken a few bones. Blood was coating his temple and running down his face. He was trembling as he clambered onto the floor and crawled a few feet away so he could get up. At least he managed to stand, that proved he didn't have broken legs or a damaged spine or any nerve damage.
The man looked shell-shocked, but he also looked frightened. Fright was something Evan would expect in the moments leading up to a car crash, not the ones following.
Instead of scrambling away from the car like Evan expected, the man turned around and hurried to open the back door. Funny, he had just crashed but he was desperate to get his belongings out the car.
How trivial some people could be.
Evan's chest tightened when he watched the man meddle with something for a few moments before he stumbled away from the car with a baby carrier in his arms.
One of the team needed to help him, they needed to check on the baby. Figures, someone here in the middle of a crash could be assured that their baby was fine, but Evan's little girl could be in peril and he had no way of knowing.
He found himself muttering "It's not fair," under his breath, but the longer he stared at that man and his baby, the more unsettled Evan began to feel.
He found himself pressing his face closer and closer to the glass until the end of his nose was almost smushed up against it.
He recognised that carrier.
He recognised the plush toy star and moon that were dangling down from the carrier handle. He had chosen those himself. And when he scrutinised the baby in the carrier, it was as if Evan was fired up and imploding like a star yet he couldn't breathe, all at once.
A dark red onesie reading 'daddy's princess' across the middle. A pale red hat covering her head. Those chubby cheeks and piercing blue eyes that were constantly squinting as she cried out for attention.
Evan had dressed Evie this morning before he went to work, he put her in that onesie and he knew that carrier. That was his baby.
"No. No!"
His hands fumbled for the handle and he wrenched the door open with such force that he fell down the steps and rolled his ankle when he landed, but it didn't stop him. Evan barely felt a thing as he surged forward, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he hurried to catch up with the stranger trying to walk off with his baby.
"Hey- hey, where are you going?" Evan's voice was guttural and he pointed a finger at the man so he knew exactly who Evan was talking to. He didn't care how his tone sounded or how he looked to on lookers, all he cared about was getting Evie back.
The closer he got, the more his heart started to pound like it could physically sense his daughter was within his grasp and was trying to reach out for her. He could see her better now he was less than ten feet away. He could see her features were scrunched up in distress, her lips were dry and parted as she whimpered and mewled. She looked like she wanted to cry but she didn't have the energy. She probably hadn't been fed since this morning, just like Evan suspected.
"We're fine, I just need to-"
The stranger tried to juggle the carrier in one hand and wave his free hand out towards Evan, without losing his sense of balance. He was clearly somewhat disorientated and pained from the crash. Good. He deserved to be after what he had put Evan's family through today.
It didn't matter to Evan about finding out whether this was the guy that had kidnapped (Y/n) and Evie or whether he had just found Evie and was trying to help her. Evan knew. He could feel it in his gut that this was the man that had stalked them, that had pounced on (Y/n) and took their baby too. He knew this guy was trying to abscond with Evie, and Evan wouldn't let it happen.
"You're fine? That's my daughter." Evan almost laughed at the ludacris response.
He was really going to tell Evan he was fine when Evan knew the baby he was trying to walk off with wasn't his?
Both Chimney and Eddie whipped around, pausing with what they were doing when they heard Evan's raised voice. He had found Evie? Someone was here at the crash site with Evie?
The pair of them scanned around, but when they saw the man backing away from Evan, with that particular baby carrier in his arms, they knew. That was Chimney's niece. That was the little girl Eddie thought of as his niece, the girl Chris was always begging to see and babysit because he thought he was old enough to look after her.
They tried to get closer while Chimney also waved his hand out towards Bobby to gain his attention and alert him that they had a situation going on here.
But as they and Evan tried to crowd around the man, he visibly got agitated. He switched from holding the carrier in his hand to binding it against his chest which must have hurt, especially after being in a car accident. He held Evie close but it didn't look very comforting or like he was seeking solace with her.
It looked like a threat.
"Put my daughter down-" Evan took a step closer and pointed his hand towards the idiot who was threatening his daughter. She was crying, clearly disgruntled and frightened and upset and probably hungry too. Not to mention that this would be the second time this man had crashed a car with Evie involved. She could have an injury.
And this man was shouting and raving and shaking the carrier which was frightening the two month old even more. Evan couldn't stand and watch but he didn't want to make a move and have this man do something to hurt Evie in the process.
"She's supposed to be mine!" The violent rage held within the stranger's voice made Evan pause, although the wild rage in his eyes was uncontrollable.
How was she supposed to be his when she was Evan's girl? She was his baby and he had waited years to finally have a child of his own and start a family. No one could love Evie more than Evan and (Y/n) did, she was theirs and she wasn't supposed to be anyone else's.
The stranger looked down at the carrier with desperation written across his face, and it was almost sympathetic. "We were supposed to be happy. (Y/n)'s so pretty, she- she should have been mine."
Evan's stomach twisted in disgust and he couldn't help the way his lips twitched into a grimace and his eyes creased.
"Where is she?" He wanted both his girls back. One of them was right here in front of him, dangling in a carrier like he was trying to taunt Evan with his own daughter. But no one else had been in the car, (Y/n) wasn't there and Evan wanted to know where she was and have her back.
He waited for as long as he could, hands twitching at his sides as the rest of the team slowly tried to inch closer, but the stranger was still backing away from them. Looking between them and Evie with a sense of desperation and longing which wasn't doing anything to make Evan feel sorry for him. If anything, it was riling Evan up even more.
"I saw her, in that red gown. I should have been the one to give her that. It should have been me kissing her, taking it off h-"
"Stop it! Where's my wife?" Shudders coursed through them all at the shrill tone of Evan's voice which raged into a deafening shout.
He wouldn't stand and listen to this man's delusions about (Y/n). She wasn't his wife, she was married to Evan and nothing was going to change that in this man's favour. He couldn't just take her hostage and expect her to go along with it and expect everyone else to leave them be. That wasn't how it worked.
Now Evan wanted to know where his wife was and he wanted to know right this moment. He wasn't going to tip toe around any longer or stand and wait and play nice. If he had to attack this man, then that's exactly what he would do to get the information he needed.
"She wouldn't play along, if- if she just agreed… She didn't want me, she kept begging for you. I couldn't listen to it anymore."
That both enlightened and infuriated Evan at the same time. (Y/n) had been asking- no, begging for him, and he hadn't been able to help her. She wanted him to save her and he couldn't. But it made his heart soften just a little at knowing that (Y/n) didn't try and play along or give in to this maniac's delusion. She didn't tell him she wanted him or play along and pretend to be his wife instead. She wanted Evan. And he was going to find her.
When Evan stepped closer, the man turned. He could see he wasn't going to get away, but he still tried.
He started off into a pelting run, stumbling and tripping with the carrier in his arms as he scuttled onto the pavement and tried to make an escape through the messy collision scene. He must have felt a presence behind him though, because when he turned, his face paled significantly.
Evan was right behind him. He was pelting his way with such speed it looked like he wasn't touching the ground, even though his boots were hammering away at the concrete. Eddie was also running alongside while Bobby and Hen were moving to the side to try and corner and cut the man off.
He could sense the trap closing in around him. Desperation was clear on his face and with a broken sound, he thrust the carrier out to the side and let go without breaking a stride.
Evan had never screamed so loudly in his life; he had never sounded so desperate and his steps faltered when he watched the man launch the carrier.
If it landed upside down it would crush his daughter.
Chimney didn't think twice before he lunged. His arms stretched out in front of him, aiming for the carrier which was like a beacon of light he was desperate to catch. And the moment it was in his grasp, he tried to force it upwards and slow down the fall.
It didn't matter as long as the carrier landed the right way up and his niece wasn't jostled too much, as long as it didn't land on its side or upside down.
Ragged breaths left his lips which curved into a small smile when he looked at the carrier and saw that his niece was relatively unharmed. "I got her, she's okay. Hey, it's uncle Howie, you're okay."
That was all Evan needed to hear to spur him into a lunge. He rugby tackled the man to the ground, barging his shoulder into the man's stomach and using all his weight to force him down onto the road on his back.
The force caused the man to cry out in agony as Evan landed on top of him and it felt like he had snapped in half when his legs bent high in the air.
"Where's (Y/n)? She wasn't in the car." Evan's breaths tumbled past his lips in spates as he pushed up onto his knees and grabbed the man by the scruff of his collar. He yanked him up so their faces were level and their noses were almost touching as Evan spat down at him.
"Tell me!"
He needed to know. He needed to know where his wife was. He had to have her back, he had to find her and this man knew where she was. He needed to say something before Evan pummelled the life out of him right here in the middle of the road.
"Buck! That's enough!"
"Buck get off him!"
As soon as Athena pulled up, she shot like a bullet from her car and reached Evan at the same time as Bobby. The couple grappled for one arm each and yanked Evan between them until he had no choice but to let go and give in to them dragging him away.
"She- she's not in the car." Desperation clawed in his voice as more tears began to flush down his face.
He couldn't breathe. Adrenaline was overriding everything else in his body but his lungs were seizing up. They weren't working properly, he could barely get them to expand and with his vision blurring with tears, Evan felt like his whole body was giving up and shutting down on him.
His head flopped back and a mewl left his lips as he looked up at Athena with melting eyes that were petrified of the thoughts rushing about in his head. He could think of a million bad things that could have happened to his wife and a dozen more about where she might be right now. She should have been sat in the front seat of that car, but she wasn't. So where was she?
"Did anyone check the boot?"
That was enough. That one question was enough to get Evan's system restarted once again and he thrust his elbow out at Bobby as if they were now in a race and he wanted to win. If anyone was going to check, it was going to be Evan. He wanted to be the one to open the boot in case (Y/n) was in there. He had to be the one to find her, the first one to see her. No matter what condition she might be in.
His feet tripped and bent awkwardly beneath him, but somehow Evan managed to stay upright as he aimed towards the car. His hand flagged and waved out at his side until Athena leaned into the driver's side and popped the button to open the boot.
Please! Please!
Evan wasn't sure what he was begging for. Whether he was begging for (Y/n) to be in the boot or for her to be alive or for some indication of where she was if she wasn't here; any of the above would be okay. Evan just needed something. He needed his wife back.
Something between a howl and a sob wracked past Evan's lips when he flung the boot open and peered inside.
(Y/n).
His wife. There she was, crumpled up in the boot that was far too small for her to be comfortably compacted inside. Her knees were pulled up towards her stomach and she was laid on her side with her arms pinned against her chest. Her hands were bound with what looked to be a tie and it was so tight the circulation must have been cut off to her hands.
"Oh God! (Y/n)… (Y/n), baby it's me. It's me." Words rambled past Evan's lips as he reached his trembling hands down towards his wife.
He wrestled with the tie that was so tight around her wrists that it made Evan wince simply to look at. He wrenched it free and tossed the useless item down to the floor, not giving it a second thought as his hands moved down for (Y/n).
The slight twist of her head and the quiet noise she made was like music to Evan's ears.
He cradled the back of her neck and slid his other arm beneath her waist so he could lift her up so she was somewhat sitting up in front of him. He needed to check her over, he needed to look for injuries.
"Baby, look at me." Evan tried to get (Y/n) to open her eyes which he was studying, looking for a sign that she was still conscious so he could talk to her.
And he was flooded with relief when he felt one of her trembling hands flop against his wrist. She didn't have much willpower to move, and the circulation was only just coming back to her hands after being bound for so long. But when Evan glanced down, his stomach churned and turned itself into knots when he noticed blood on her arm.
His hand left her waist in favour of taking her wrist so he could pull her arm out for him to examine, but there was no wound on her arm. No cut or scrape or abrasion.
A frown etched across his features while (Y/n) managed to splutter his name as she tried to open her eyes. Her head flopped forward, bashing her temple into Evan's chest and she let herself slump against him so he was holding her up.
But when Evan traced his hand across her arms, her chest and down to her waist, he stuttered as she winced and jerked away from his touch.
She was hurt. Evan couldn't tell whether it was a stab wound or not and in the back of his mind, he remembered Maddie mentioning to him earlier on the phone that the kidnapper was armed. He prayed it wasn't a gunshot wound. He didn't know how long (Y/n) had been trapped in here or how long she had been bleeding out for.
He almost cried when a heavy hand settled on his shoulder and he turned to see Bobby stood behind him, leaning over to try and see what state (Y/n) was in. "Bobby…"
"Get a stretcher over here!" Authority flooded Bobby's voice and both his hands moved to Evan's shoulders while he stepped to the side so Eddie could wheel a gurney over to them.
"It's gonna be okay, come here." Evan tried to be as careful as he could when he moved (Y/n)'s head so her temple was resting on his shoulder rather than his chest. And he slid one arm around her lower waist and the other beneath her knees.
Having her back in his arms after going all day reckoning that he was never going to see her again was relieving. But seeing her hurt and barely conscious dwindled down the relief he should have been basking in right now. He tried his best not to hold onto her too tightly or imbed his fingers into her skin as he twisted round and gently laid her down on the gurney.
He snatched the wad of gauze from Eddie's hands before Eddie could blink and pressed them down onto the wound to pack it and stem the bleeding.
The action made (Y/n) shudder and whimper and her hands fumbled to latch around Evan's wrist, either to gain his attention or try to make him stop, he couldn't be sure.
"It's okay baby-"
"Evie- E… Evie?"
"Chimney's got her, she's safe now. You're both safe, I've got you back and I'm not letting anything else happen to you both."
His lips attached to the back of her hand, causing a few stray tears trickle down from his cheeks onto her skin, but neither of them cared. Evan had them back and he wasn't about to let either of them disappear from his sights ever again.
