i write imagines / headcanons / whatever for evan buckley and evan buckley only (although other characters will make appearances occasionally)
!! new imagines 3-4 times a week !!
imagine / headcanon rating system
PG - family friendly content. little to no language, suggestive content, violent content, or sexual content
PG-13 - semi-family friendly content. some language, suggestive content, violent content, or sexual content
R - minors dni. lots of language, suggestive content, violent content, or suggestive content. if itâs rated R, itâs usually always for smut or nsfw content
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requests waiting to be posted: 0
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my other socials
instagram: evsbuckley
twitter: nelsonsbuckley / maliaworks
ao3: whoreforbuckley
other tumblrs: @whoreforbuckleyrecs / @charlies-gillespie
!! disclaimer !!
whatever i write is fictional and is not meant to be taken seriously. i donât write to cause any harm / any drama
!! most recent announcement: buddie fics on whoreforbuckleyâs tumblr ? (5.1.22)
hey hey. this is honestly just me making excuses as to why i havenât been posting so ⌠here we go
first of all, iâm working on a new buddie series on ao3 and thatâs been taking up most of my time recently. been spending my free time. my ao3 is the same as my tumblr url, but itâs mainly buddie fics
second of all, winter break is coming to an end and iâve been preparing for my spring semester of school. schoolwork, study hall, and athletics will take up a lot more of my time when the semester begins so i may not post a lot when the semester starts (as if i have been consistently posting for the last three weeks lmao)
MOST IMPORTANTLY - requests are closed until further notice !! i have a bunch of requests in my asks i will work on before i go back to school for the spring. i promise i will get to them soon and they will be out within the next two weeks. making the requests my number one priority from here on out
and thatâs it !! iâm excited to write what some of yâall have sent in over the past few weeks
authorâs note: this is the final part of this little series. i hope you enjoyed, and maybe iâll do something like this again in the future if yâall enjoyed it.
Ever since Buck told Maeve that he loved her, theyâve been practically inseparable.
But theyâre still sneaking around behind everyoneâs back, except for Eddie because Eddie knows. He drove Buck to the hospital with Maeve in the ambulance and he knows how Buck feels about Maeve.
One night, Maeveâs over at Buckâs apartment. The two lay in Buckâs bed in his loft. Maeveâs tracing the star looking tattoo on Buckâs with her finger lazily. Both of them covered in a layer of sweat, naked legs intertwined with each other under the covers. Maeve feeling sore, but in a good way.
Buckâs lips are pressed against Maeveâs forehead.
Post-sex Maeve likes to think. She does. This time, itâs her thinking about introducing Buck to her daughter. Harper is eleven now, and sheâs settled into the idea that Maeve is happy with someone. Yes, Harper knows that Maeve is seeing Buck, but she doesnât know that itâs Buck Maeve is seeing. Harper seems excited to one day meet Buck.
Now may be that day.
âBuck?â Maeve asks, looking up at him.
Buck raises his eyebrows. âHm?â he replies.
Maeve lays on her stomach against Buckâs side. âHow would you like to meet Harper tonight?â she asks. âWeâre going out for dinner, and Iâd like you to come.â
He looks surprised and caught very off guard. âMaeve, Iâd be honored to come,â he begins. âBut if you feel forced to do this because I told you that I love you, I donât have to meet Harper.â
Her face falls. âItâs not because you told me you love me, Buck,â Maeve states. âHarper seems happy that Iâm dating. She seems like sheâs okay with the idea Iâm seeing someone thatâs not her father. I want you to meet her. She wants to meet you. Please come to dinner with us?â
Buck hesitates for a second before nodding. âOkay, yes,â he says. âIâll come to dinner. Just tell me when and where and Iâll be there.â
Maeve smiles. âOlive Garden,â she tells Buck. âSix. Weâll wait for you before going to the table.â
âGreat,â Buck states. âI canât wait to meet your daughter.â
She leans up and pecks Buckâs lips. âShe canât wait to meet you too.â
***
Maeve stands outside the Olive Garden with Harper. There are minutes until six. Maeveâs growing nervous.
âMom, Iâm hungry,â Harper whines, pulling at Maeveâs blouse. âWhen can we go inside?â
âWeâre going to meet my friend, Buck, remember?â Maeve asks, looking down at her daughter. âHe should be here soon, okay? Then we can go in and eat.â
Harper pouts beside Maeve and Maeve smiles. Harper is so her daughter with all the pouting. Maeve looks around the parking lot to see if Buck got here while she was taking to Harper.
Sure enough, a man wearing a blue button-down shirt with black jeans is walking toward Maeve and Harper. Maeve would recognize that birthmark anywhere.
Buck approaches Maeve and Harper, saying, âHey.â
Maeve smiles and tries everything she can not to greet Buck with a kiss. Not until Harper knows itâs Buck that sheâs dating. âHi,â Maeve says back with a big smile on her face.
Meanwhile Harper is hiding behind Maeveâs hip. âCan I?â Buck asks, pointing at Harper. Maeve nods and Buck crouches down beside Maeve, now face-to-face with Harper.
âHi, Harper. Iâm Buck. Iâve heard so much about you. Your mom really likes to talk about you at work.â Buck holds out his hand for Harper to shake. Harper looks up at Maeve and Maeve gives her a little nod, almost to say âitâs okayâ. Slowly, Harper extends her hand, putting her little hand in Buckâs big hand. The two shake hands. âYou know, Harper. Iâm really good friends with Christopher.â
Harper practically lights up at the mention of Christopher. âYou know Christopher?â Harper asks, coming out from behind Maeveâs leg.
Buck nods. âWeâre like best friends,â he tells Harper. âI have a bunch of stories from before you met Christopher that I can tell you. Christopher likes when I tell the stories. Maybe I can tell you some over dinner.â
Maeve smiles as she watches the exchange between Buck and Harper. Sheâs very happy that this is going well.
âOkay, well, we have a table waiting for us inside so why donât we go in?â Maeve suggests. Harper nods and skips ahead a few steps. Maeve takes this second to greet Buck with a light kiss to his lips. âHi.â
A smile forms on Buckâs lips and he says, âHey. Thank you for inviting me. Iâve been looking forward to this since you asked me to come.â
âMom!â Harper calls. âBuck! Come on! Iâm hungry.â
Maeve and Buck both laugh before heading inside.
They get seated at a table. Harper elects to sit next to Buck so he can tell her the stories about Christopher.
When theyâve ordered their drinks and food, Buck asks, âHas Christopher told you he survived a tsunami a few years ago?â
Harperâs eyes widen. âHe was in a tsunami?â she asks. âHow did he survive? What happened?â
âHe and I were at the pier when we saw the wave,â Buck explains. âThe two of us got caught in it together but we were okay. I grabbed him and held onto him, putting him on a firetruck. We were sitting on top of the 136 ladder truck when some debris hit the truck. While I was helping someone else, Christopher fell into the water.â Harper gasps. âI spent all day trying to find him after that. I ended up looking for him at a temporary hospital where I ran into Eddie and everyone. I had to tell Eddie that I lost Christopher, but you know what happened as I was explaining to Eddie what happened?â
Maeve smiles as Harper, who is very invested in this story, asks, âWhat happened?â
Buck sips his drink and replies, âChristopher appeared. He was being carried by a woman.â Harper smiles. âHe was okay except for a few cuts and bruises.â
Harper giggles. âIâm glad he was okay,â she states. âYou saved him, Buck.â
âI did,â Buck laughs. âSometimes I donât think that I did, because I did lose him, but I did save him.â
Maeve swears, in that moment, she feels herself fall completely for Evan Buckley. Yes, she loved Buck before, but she completely falls head over heels for him in this moment. Watching him interact with her daughter. She loves it.
Curiously, Harper asks, âWould you save me if I was in a situation like that? Or Mom?â
Buck looks up and across the table at Maeve. âYeah, I would,â Buck states, smiling at Maeve. âIâve saved your mom on a few occasions.â
âOkay, relax, Buckley,â Maeve laughs. âI can say the same about you.â
Harper asks, âYou saved Mom? Really?â
âI did,â Buck says to Harper. âWe were on a call once, a few weeks ago, when I carried your mom out of a building that had collapsed. I saved her.â
Maeve takes a sip of her drink. Harper smiles and looks across the table at Maeve. âI like Buck, Mom,â she loud whispers. Buck smiles.
âMe too,â Maeve loud whispers back.
The rest of dinner goes off without any problems. As theyâre leaving, Harper asks, âMom, can Buck come over?â
âIf thatâs okay with Buck,â Maeve replies.
Both of them look up at Buck. He smiles. âOf course,â Buck says. âIâd love to come and spend some extra time with you and your mom.â
Harper gets excited and gets in the car. Maeve looks up at Buck. âShe likes you,â Maeve tells Buck. âI donât think Iâve seen her go from shy to talkative like that before.â
Buck grins. âI have that effect on kids,â he teases. âNo, but seriously, Harper is very cute.â
âShe is,â Maeve laughs. âDo you want to follow me to my house?â He nods. âSee you in a few minutes.â
Itâs a long few minutes, but Maeve canât help but smile as Harper gushes about Buck in the car on the way home. âMom, all your friends from work are so cool,â Harper states. âBuck and Eddie especially.â
Maeve just laughs and agrees, âYeah, they are. My best friends.â And boyfriend.
She pulls into the driveway while Buck parks on the street. Maeve gets out of the car and helps Harper out. Buck gets out and walks up to the front door of the house, waiting for Harper and Maeve. Harper practically runs up to Buck and Maeve follows suit.
The three of them walk inside. Harper asks Maeve, âCan I show Buck my toys?â
âYeah,â Maeve states. âJust remember to clean up whatever you take out of the bin. Iâm going to get into something more comfortable.â Harper then practically drags Buck up the stairs. Maeve follows them up, walking into her bedroom while Harper disappears into Harperâs room.
Maeve changes from her t-shirt and jeans into a white cropped band t-shirt and black sweatpants. She ties her hair up in a ponytail.
Then she heads down to Harperâs room, standing where Buck and Harper canât see her.
Things are quiet for a few minutes, and Maeve is about to walk away, when Harper asks, âDid you know my mom is dating someone?â
âI did,â Buck hesitantly says. âHow do you feel about that?â
After a moment of silence, Harper states, âIâm happy for Mom. Itâs been a while since Iâve seen her this happy. She doesnât think I notice when sheâs sad, but I do. She hasnât been sad in a while.â Maeve smiles. âI think she really likes whoever sheâs dating. Like really likes him.â
Buck asks, âYou think so?â
Maeve peeks into the room and watches Harper nod. âShe told me about my dad,â Harper explains. âAnd she was really sad when she told me about him. She said that she loved Dad a lot, and that she still loves him a lot. Do you think she loves her boyfriend?â
âI do,â Maeve speaks up from the doorway. Buck and Harper both jump, startled by Maeveâs voice. Her eyes are on Buck.
Harper looks over at Buck then looks at her mother. She must put two and two together because she asks, âMom, are you and Buck dating?â
âYeah, baby,â Maeve replies. âIâm dating Buck. I love Buck.â
There. She said it.
Buckâs eyes brighten when Maeve says the L word. Harper makes a face. âEw, does that mean that you guys kiss?â she asks. Maeve laughs and nods. âThatâs gross.â
âWe wonât kiss in front of you, Harps,â Maeve promises. âNot until youâre older anyway.â
Harper makes a face throwing up noise. âI donât ever want to see that,â Harper states. âKissing is disgusting.â
Maeve smiles. âCan I steal Buck for a second?â she asks her daughter. Harper just nods and Buck gets off the floor. Harper goes back to playing with the dolls on the floor. Maeve walks down the hallway a bit and Buck follows her.
She stops and turns around, facing Buck. âYou love me?â Buck asks. âAnd you actually said it?â
âYeah,â Maeve breathes. âYeah, I love you, Buck.â
Buck grins. âI love you too, Maeve,â he states. âSo much.â
Maeve smiles and pulls Buck into her bedroom, kicking the door shut with her foot. Maeve pushes Buck up against the door and Buckâs eyes widen. âMaeve, your daughter is just down the hall,â Buck reminds her.
âIâm not having sex with you right now, Buck,â Maeve laughs. âI just wanted to do this.â Then she gets on her toes and presses a light kiss to Buckâs lips.
But of course, it doesnât last long because Maeve ends up straddling Buckâs waist on her bed. Both of them mumbling that they love each other between kisses.
This is everything that Maeve has wanted since Luke died.
She loves Luke, she will always love Luke, but she knows that she can love Buck too without forgetting about Luke.
summary of part: while on a call at a collapsing building, Maeve gets locked in a room after taking a risk. Buck panics and tries to get to her. when Buck frees Maeve, he says the word that Maeve has been afraid of saying for years
rating of part: PG
warnings: description of an injured person, mentions of sex
Things have been good since that night in Buckâs apartment. Theyâve settled into a small routine with each other at this point. They donât do anything too sexual at work, nothing more than just a light makeout session after a rough call, but Maeve will ask Nylah pick Harper up from school and go to Buckâs apartment for a little after a shift so they can go a little further than just making out. Sometimes theyâll grab dinner, or breakfast together.
Neither of them was ready for the call they got today, or what happens after said call.
The bell rings while Maeve is playing a game of Go Fish with Hen, Chimney, and Buck. The four of them put their cards down, gear up, then pile into the ladder truck alongside Bobby and Eddie.
âListen up,â Bobby states through the headset. âThis will be a risky scene, and I will be the incident commander since weâll probably be the first to show up to the scene. You will listen to my every order, or you will probably end up getting hurt, or worse. There was gas explosion in a five-story building. The structure is not sound so when you go in for search and rescue, be cautious. Donât play the hero if you think youâll get hurt. Got it, Buckley?â
Buck smiles. âAye, aye, captain,â he says. âDonât worry. I wonât play the hero. Iâve already been crushed under a ladder truck; I donât want to be crushed by cement.â
Maeve looks over at Buck. The two make eye contact and Maeve canât help but smile.
The scene is chaotic. No other engines have arrived except for the 118. The building is on fire. People are running around screaming, some of them bloody. The members of the 118 get out and look around, assessing the scene currently.
Bobbyâs quick to bark out orders. âHen, Chimney, get a triage tent set up and start triaging people,â Bobby says, pointing to an open area. âBuck, Eddie, Maeve, I want the three of you on search and rescue. Stay on the first floor until we can make sure the floor wonât collapse from underneath you when you make your way upstairs. No heroics.â
âYou got it, Cap,â Maeve says, saluting Bobby before putting on her oxygen mask and grabbing her medical bag and heading inside with the guys.
As soon as Maeve enters the building, sheâs met with smoke. If she wasnât wearing her mask, her eyes definitely would be tearing up. Buck and Eddie yell âLAFDâ until the three of them finally hear back from someone. âHelp!â they shout. âOver here! My leg is crushed under this slab of cement!â
Maeve looks at Buck, who falters for a second before running off toward the voice that called for help. Eddie and Maeve are right behind him. âLAFD, weâre coming!â Buck calls back.
The three of them barge into a smoke-filled room. Thereâs a man laying against the wall, his knee down is crushed under cement. Thereâs blood. Lots of it too. âSir, whatâs your name?â Maeve asks, crouching down next to the man.
âEthan,â the guy breathes. âAm I going to lose my leg?â
She shakes her head. âNot under my watch,â she tells him. âIâm going to put this tourniquet on you, and it will hurt when I put it on, but it will stop the bleeding. Okay, Ethan?â He nods and Maeve puts the tourniquet on above Ethanâs knee.
Bobbyâs voice comes over the radio. âDiaz, Grier, Buckley,â he states. âEvacuate the building. Thereâs another explosive inside. I repeat, thereâs another explosive inside on the first floor.â
The three of them look at each other. Ethan begins to panic. âNo, please, donât leave me in here,â he says. âI need to get home to my husband and my kids. Please. I canât die in here.â
Maeve makes a very quick decision, probably the most spontaneous decision sheâs ever made since transferring to the 118. âIâm not leaving you,â Maeve tells the injured man. âHere, put this mask on. You need it more than me.â She pulls off her oxygen mask and puts it on Ethanâs face. The smoke hits her eyes, and she tears up.
âMaeve,â Buck begins. âGrab your mask. We need to go.â
She shakes her head. âIâm not going anywhere, Buck,â she tells him. âNot unless we can bring Ethan with us. Help me remove this slab so we can bring him with us.â
Eddie chimes in. âMaeve, the slab may be compressing veins and if we remove that, he might bleed out before we can even get him into the ambulance. We need to go, now.â
âNo,â Maeve says, holding her ground. âIâm not leaving.â
Buckâs eyes are wide and Bobbyâs voice comes over the radio. âBuckley, Diaz, Grier, do you copy?â
Buck says into the radio, âWe copy and weâre coming, Cap.â He looks at Maeve. âLetâs go, Maeve.â
Ethanâs looking at the three of them as they make their decisions. âIâm staying, Buck,â Maeve chokes out. âI canât leave him here to die. If he does end up dying, itâs not going to be alone.â
Then thereâs a huge boom. The building shakes and the ceiling begins to come down. Maeve pushes both Buck and Eddie out of the room before something hits her head and she blacks out.
The last thing she heads is Buck calling her name.
***
Buck was terrified that this would happen one day. That Maeve would play the hero and get hurt. He doesnât know whatâs happening on the other side of the blocked door.
âMaeve!â Buck is shouting, straining to hear if Maeve says anything. âMaeve, can you hear me?â
Bobby asks over the radio of the three of them are okay, and Eddie answers. âBuck and I are fine,â he states. âMaeve is trapped in a room with an injured man. We canât get to her without some tools, Cap.â
Buck tries to clear the doorway with his hands, but the concrete slabs are too thick, and he canât move them. âMaeve, please say something if you can hear me!â
Maeve might be hurt; Maeve might be dead. Maeve needs to be saved because Buck refuses to let Harper lose both her parents before sheâs eleven.
âBuckley, get back!â Bobby shouts. Hen and Chimney begin to dig at the concrete separating Buck from the woman that he fell in love with.
He realized that recently while lying in his bed, lazily kissing her after a round of sex. Both of them were panting and covered in a layer of sweat, but Maeve was beautiful. So damn beautiful, and Buck couldnât see a life without her in it. Her and Harper. He almost blurted it out right then and there, but he knew that Maeve probably wasnât ready to say it back. Maeve may not even feel the same way that Buck does.
The concrete crumbles after a few minutes of working on it and Buck can finally get inside the room.
Maeve lays unconscious by the door. Small pieces of rock surround her and are on her jacket. Her eyes are closed, and Buck canât tell if sheâs breathing or not.
The man, Ethan, lays dead in the corner.
Buck is quick to pick Maeve up, holding her bridal style. âYou are not dying on me, Maeve Grier,â Buck groans as he picks her up. âYou are not leaving me and youâre sure as hell not leaving Harper.â
âBuck,â Eddie calls, getting Buckâs attention. âGet her in the back of the ambulance. Iâll drive. Hook her up to oxygen because who knows how much smoke sheâs inhaled.â
She wasnât in there for that long. Twenty minutes, tops.
He does what Eddie says to do though. Buck is quick to get Maeve into the ambulance. He finds that his cheeks are wet as he works on Maeve in the back of the ambulance. He checks her pulse, finding that itâs strong. He hooks Maeve up to 100% oxygen.
But sheâs still unconscious. Blood oozes from the head wound she probably sustained when she fell to the found, causing a crimson mask to form on her face. Buck wipes it away with a towel.
Buck takes Maeveâs hand in his. âStay with me, Maeve,â he whispers, but he knows that Eddie can hear him from the driverâs seat. âI canât lose you, Maeve. You need to stay with me because I-â No. He wonât tell Maeve he loves her for the first time while sheâs unconscious in an ambulance.
Eddie looks back at Buck through the rearview mirror. âBecause you love her,â Eddie finishes for him.
âYeah,â he sighs, pushing a loose strand of hair out of Maeveâs face. âI do.â
***
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Maeve finally comes to, but sheâs not laying on the hard ground as expected. Sheâs laying in a soft bed. When her eyes flutter open, Maeveâs greeted by a white light.
She thinks sheâs dead for a second before the white goes away and she finds out that sheâs staring up at the light on the ceiling.
Maeve glances around the room, eyes landing on someone lying beside her with is head on her hand.
âBuck,â Maeve croaks out.
His head shoots up, eyes wide. âHey,â he says, smiling. He brings Maeveâs hand up and kisses her knuckles. âHow are you feeling?â
She swallows. âLike I got hit by a train,â she replies. âHow long was I out for?â
Buck frowns. âThree days,â he tells her. âHarperâs been saying with Eddie and Christopher. I was going to let her stay with me until you were able to go home but I thought that youâd like to introduce me to her on your own terms. She seems to be okay, even after Eddie told her what happened to you.â
Maeve looks at Buck. âAnd you?â she asks. âAre you okay?â
The question causes tears to form in Buckâs eyes. âI was terrified, Maeve,â he admits. âWe broke through the concrete, and you were just lying on the floor. You looked dead, and I thought that I had lost you.â
âHey,â Maeve says. âIâm right here, Buck.â She lifts her hand and rests it on Buckâs cheek. âIâm not going anywhere.â
He leans into the touch for a second before Buck leans into Maeve, pressing a light kiss to her lips. It only lasts a second before Buck pulls back. Maeve moves a bit and pats the bed beside her. âCome here, Evan,â she says.
Buck hesitates for a second before he crawls into the bed with Maeve, avoiding any important wires. Maeve curls up to Buck before she falls asleep again.
***
Days later, Maeve is discharged. Buck drives her to her house. Harperâs staying with Eddie for one more night before coming home tomorrow, and Buck is going to stay with Maeve tonight.
Maeve crawls into her bed. She smiles as soon as her head hits the pillow. âIâve missed my bed,â she sighs.
Buck laughs and sits beside her. âDo you need anything?â he asks. âSomething to drink? Something to eat?â
âNo,â Maeve states, grabbing one of Buckâs hands. âI just want cuddles with you. Please.â
He happily obliges, crawling into bed beside Maeve. She lays against him, her head on his chest. Maeve listens to his heart beat in his chest. Buckâs arms wrap securely around her shoulders, almost like heâs protecting her from the world.
They lay in silence, but Maeveâs mind wonât stop talking. She enjoys spending time with Buck, even outside of work. She enjoys the cuddles, the kisses, the sex. Buckâs amazing, and he genuinely care for her. He cares for Harper even though heâs never really met her.
Maeveâs fallen for Evan Buckley, but sheâs scared to tell him that she loves him. Last time she said that she loved someone, it ended up with an officer showing up at her doorstep to tell her that Luke had died.
âMaeve?â Buck whispers near her ear.
Her eyes close and she goes, âHm?â
Buckâs quiet for a second before he says softly. âI love you.â Maeve feels her heart skip a beat in her chest. Buck loves her. âI love you, and itâs okay if you donât feel the same way. I know youâre probably not ready to say it back to me, and Iâll wait if you do love me back but are too scared to say it. I just wanted you to know that Iâm in love with you, and Iâm in love with Harper even though I havenât met her yet. If sheâs anything like her mother, then Iâm so excited to meet her.â
She lifts her head up and smiles. âI do feel the same, Buck,â she tells him, which causes Buck to smile. âBut Iâm scared to say it. Last time I did, Luke died.â
âThatâs okay,â Buck states. âIâll wait until youâre ready to say it.â
Maeve leans up and captures Buckâs lips in a soft kiss.
summary of part: several weeks later, Buck is held hostage alongside Eddie while Maeve was given the day off. when Maeve finally sees Buck sheâs relieved that heâs okay. the pair end up taking a step forward in their newfound relationship when Maeve takes Buck back to his apartment that night.
rating of part: R (minors dni)
warnings: SMUT. oral (male and female receiving), protected sex. mentions of being held hostage
Maeve gets the call while sheâs out with Harper. The call sheâs never thought she would get.
âMaeve, listen to me,â Bobby says on the other end of the line. âBuck and Eddie have been taken hostage by two escaped prisoners. Weâre trying to locate the ambulance theyâre in but we donât think theyâre hurt. We think we know where the ambulance is going but we need to make sure thatâs where theyâre going.â
Her heart drops into her stomach when she hears that Buck and Eddie have been taken hostage. She barely managed to get out, âCall me when theyâre okay, or when you know where they are.â
Bobby promises then Maeve takes Harper to Nylahâs for the time being. When Nylah asks whatâs wrong, Maeve responds with, âMy co-workers are currently being held hostage and my captain doesnât know where they are. I need to go and do something to help find them.â
Nylah says, âIâll take care of Harper as long as you need me to. Donât worry about payment today. Go make sure your co-workers are okay.â Maeve thanks her before getting back in her car.
Itâs almost nighttime. The sun is setting. Maeveâs mind is running a thousand miles an hour. Is Eddie okay? Is Buck okay? Have they been hurt? How did they manage to get held hostage, and in an ambulance? Itâs Buck and Eddie, and theyâre idiots sometimes, but theyâre definitely smart enough to not get held hostage.
Sheâs driving to the firehouse when her phone begins ringing throughout the car. Itâs Bobby. Maeveâs quick to answer it. âBobby-â
âTheyâre headed to the hospital,â Bobby says. âWe found out theyâre being held hostage by two prisoners who escaped after disguising themselves as guards. Maeve, theyâre armed so donât try anything until LAPD and SWAT get there. Please. I know youâre close with both of them but donât do anything reckless. You have a daughter.â
Maeve sighs. âIâm not going to do anything reckless, Bobby. I promise that Iâll wait for LAPD and SWAT to get there.â Then Maeve hangs up, hitting the gas.
When she gets to the hospital, she sees flashing lights. Cop cars surround the ambulance. She parks the car and gets out, finding Athena almost right away. âAthena!â Maeve calls out. âAthena, where is-â
Before Athena can answer, thereâs a gunshot. Both Athena and Maeve look in the direction of the ambulance.
Buck.
Maeve runs over to the ambulance. She sees Eddie performing CPR on someone then Buck comes running out of the hospital. âEddie!â he yells.
Buck doesnât notice Maeve standing there as he and Eddie get the guy inside. Eddie goes with the guy and Maeve assumes itâs one of the prisoners. Buck stays behind. âBuck!â she calls out, pushing her way past some of the LAPD. âBuck!â
His eyes immediately land on Maeve as she runs up to him. Maeveâs quick to wrap herself around the taller man. Buck wraps his arms around her waist. âOh my God, Buck,â Maeve practically cries into the crook of Buckâs neck. âBobby told me what happened and I didnât know if you were okay or where you were.â
âIâm okay,â Buck tells her. âI promise Iâm okay. Just a little bump on my head, but I promise Iâm okay. Iâm okay.â
Maeve pulls back from the hug and looks up at Buck, noticing that his head is bleeding. âYou promised me that you wouldnât do anything stupid, Buck,â Maeve states.
Buckâs hands come up to cup her face, drying the tears rolling down her cheeks with his thumbs. âI said that I wouldnât run toward literal bombs again,â Buck reminds her. âBut this wasnât me doing something stupid, Maeve. Itâs a thing that happened. Neither of us thought we were in danger.â
She buries her face in Buckâs chest, closing her eyes and breathing in Buckâs musky scent. âI canât lose you, Evan,â Maeve practically whispers, using Buckâs first name. âI canât.â
He rests a finger under Maeveâs chin, lifting her head up so sheâs looking up at him. âYouâre not going to lose me, Maeve,â he promises. âEver. Iâll do reckless things, Iâll get held hostage, but youâll never lose me.â
Not caring whoâs around, Maeve pulls Buck to her and gets on her tiptoes. She captures Buckâs lips in a kiss that is intense from the beginning. Their lips mold together quickly, like they have dozens of times before. Maeveâs fists are full of Buckâs t-shirt and Buckâs fingers have found a home in Maeveâs loose hair that she didnât bother tying up.
Maeveâs quick to push her tongue into Buckâs mouth, causing Buck to pull back from the kiss just a little bit and rest his forehead on Maeveâs. Both of them breathe the same air as they recover from the intense kiss.
Too far.
âWeâre in a hospital parking lot,â Buck reminds Maeve. âI know itâs been a rough few hours for you but we canât make out in the parking lot of a hospital where Eddie almost got shot, again.â
He has a point. âIâm sorry,â Maeve says, looking up into Buckâs eyes. Her hands now rest on Buckâs chest. Buckâs thumbs run over Maeveâs lips. âDo you wanna get your head bandaged then I can take you home? You shouldnât drive.â
Buck nods and says, âYeah. That sounds like a plan.â
Together, they walk inside the hospital and stays by Buckâs side as his forehead gets cleaned and bandaged.
***
Maeve drives Buck to the station so he can get changed then drives him to his apartment. When she parks her car, Maeve turns to Buck. âDo you need me to stay with you for a bit?â she offers. âI can have my sitter take Harper for the night or Harper can get dropped off here?â
He shakes his head. âI donât want to officially meet your daughter like this,â Buck states, referring to the bandage on his forehead. âI would like you to stay the night with me though.â
She nods. âIâll tell my sitter to watch Harper for the night then,â Maeve tells Buck. He nods in response then gets out. Maeve quickly sends a text.
co-workers are okay. staying with one of them for the night. can you take harper for the night and drop her off at school in the morning?
Nylahâs quick to answer.
of course, miss grier. enjoy your night. iâll give harper a kiss for you.
With that taken care of, Maeve gets out. She locks her door and follows Buck upstairs to his apartment.
Maeveâs been here a handful of times, sneaking in little makeout sessions with Buck on his couch or in the shower. Never have they gone all the way though. Buck respects Maeve and will do the sex thing when sheâs ready.
âI donât have any clothes to wear to bed, Buck,â Maeve realizes out loud. She turns toward Buck.
âGo put on my clothes,â Buck tells her. âWhatever you want.â
She nods and heads up to his loft bedroom. Maeve grabs his LAFD hoodie that has his name written on the back. She grabs a pair of his gym shorts and puts them on. Maeve hears his voice downstairs. âIâm fine, Taylor,â Maeve hears Buck say. âJust a bump on the head.â He pauses. âNo, Maeveâs with me. Iâm fine. Goodbye.â
Taylor? Heâs talking to Taylor Kelly?
Maeve stands at the top of the stairs, looking at Buck in the kitchen. âTaylor Kelly?â she asks. âAre you serious?â
Buck looks up at Maeve. âShe heard about the hostage situation and called to check in, make sure I was okay,â Buck explains. âThat was the first time Iâve talked to her in months.â
She relaxes, trusting Buck on his word. âOkay,â Maeve sighs. âIâm sorry.â
âCome here,â Buck says. Maeve walks down the stairs and walks up to Buck. He looks down at Maeve. When she stands in front of him, Buck leans down and surprises Maeve with a kiss.
Maeveâs eyes flutter shut and she melts into the kiss. Maeve kisses Buck back, slowly. She wants to enjoy the soft kiss for a second. She hums softly against Buckâs lips as she feels his hands rest on her waist. Maeve takes a step closer to Buck, almost flush against his body.
After a few seconds, Buck pulls back. Maeve looks up at him. âAnd that was for .?â she asks.
Buck looks down at Maeve. âWhat? I canât kiss my girlfriend?â
Both their eyes widen when Buck says the g-word. Maeve stammers, âI, uh, girlfriend?â
âI mean, if you, uh,â Buck states. âItâs you want to be. Itâs just you for me, Maeve. No more Taylor, just you. Itâs been you probably since that kiss in the club all those weeks ago. You, and Harper.â
No oneâs ever mentioned Harper when telling Maeve he wants to be with her. Itâs always just been Maeve, not Maeve and Harper.
Maeve smiles and pulls Buck down into another soft kiss. Buck smiles against Maeveâs lips, moving his hands up to cup her face. âMm,â Maeve suddenly hums, pulling back from the soft kiss. âI like the sound of girlfriend.â
Buck smiles down at Maeve. âMe too,â Buck admits. Maeve laughs.
The two of them look down at each other before the mood turns serious. âHarper and I are a package deal, Buck,â Maeve tells him. âShe goes where I go.â
âI know,â Buck says. âYou once said that no one wants that instant family that comes with being in a relationship with someone who has a kid. I do, with you, Maeve. You, me, and Harper, whenever I officially meet her.â
Maeve runs her fingers over the bottom of Buckâs shirt. âNo oneâs ever said anything like that to me,â Maeve admits. âNo oneâs ever mentioned Harper when theyâve wanted to be with me. Except for you.â
Buck tucks a stand of hair behind Maeveâs ear. âBecause I know that sheâs the true love of your life,â Buck tells her. âHarper will come before anyone you decide to start a relationship with. I also told you before that Iâd be willing to be that fatherly figure for Harper.â
A pout forms on Maeveâs face. âYouâre saying all the right things, Buck,â she states.
âGood,â Buck laughs. âBecause I want you to know that I am in this. I look forward to meeting your daughter, whenever you trust me enough to let me meet her.â
She smiles up at Buck before saying, âGive me a few days to think about it. In the meantime, letâs stop talking about my daughter and talk about something else for a little bit.â
âOr we just donât talk at all,â Buck suggests. âYou look good in my hoodie. Especially my hoodie that has my name on it.â
Maeveâs face heats up a bit. âEvan Buckley,â she gasps. âI didnât come here to makeout with you again. I came to make sure you were okay after getting hit in the head with the butt of a gun.â
Buck smirks and, in one movement, pins Maeve against the island counter. He traps her between him and the counter. âIâm okay,â Buck states. âIâm standing straight up, nothingâs spinning, and I donât have a headache. I promise that Iâm okay.â
His eyes shift down to Maeveâs for a second.
Oh, screw it, Maeve thinks to herself before she pulls Buck down for a rough kiss. Hands are roaming bodies; tongues are fighting for dominance. Itâs a heated kiss from first contact. Maeveâs back is being pushed against the counter, hard. It kinda hurts.
âBuck,â Maeve groans into the kiss. âIf youâre going to break my back, donât do it against the counter please.â
He smiles and picks Maeve up without breaking the kiss. Maeve wraps her legs around Buckâs waist while Buckâs hands are on her thighs, holding her up. Buck turns and begins to walk up the stairs. Maeve pulls back from the kiss and attaches her lips to Buckâs neck, right under his jaw. âGod, Maeve,â Buck groans. âWait until weâre in bed before you start doing that.â
Maeve smiles against Buckâs skin before mumbling, âI couldnât help it, Buck.â
Buck then drops Maeve on the bed with no warning. Maeve smiles and looks up at Buck, who stands between Maeveâs legs that hang off the bed. Maeve sits up and asks, âDo you want to shower before we do anything else? Youâve had a long day and probably havenât had the chance to. I donât want to kiss a sweaty Buck.â
âWouldnât be the first time,â Buck teases. Maeve rolls her eyes. âBut yes. Iâll go shower. Only if you join me though.â
With that statement and a smile, Buck turns and walks off to the bathroom. He pulls off his shirt, dropping it to the floor before entering the bathroom. Maeve hears the shower water turn on, and the bathroom door is wide open. She leans sits up and watches Buck. He kicks off his shoes and pushes his jeans down. Maeve bites her lip as Buck stands in the bathroom in his boxers.
Maeve stands up, and walks toward the bathroom, pulling off the hoodie sheâs wearing. She loses the gym shorts sheâs wearing on the way to the bathroom. Buckâs completely naked and in the shower at this point. Maeve completely strips and closes the bathroom door. She ties her hair up in a messy bun before stepping into the stand-up shower behind Buck.
His back is turned to Maeve, water droplets rolling down his back. Maeve stares for a second before she slowly wraps her arms around Buckâs torso, pressing her chest against his back. She leaves soft kisses on his back by his shoulder blades because thatâs about all Maeve can reach.
Buck turns and looks down at Maeve. He moves so Maeveâs back is pressed against the cool tile wall. She shivers before Buck leans down and kisses her. Maeve slowly kisses Buck back, savoring the kiss. She sighs softly into the kiss.
After a few moments, Buck pulls back and looks Maeve in the eyes. âI, uh,â Buck stammers. âTell me if you donât feel comfortable with me doing something.â Maeve nods and Buck sinks down to his knees in front of Maeve. Her jaw drops when she realizes whatâs about to happen.
Maeve watches Buck start to kiss up her inner thighs, getting closer to her sex. She bites her lip and makes eye contact with Buck as he puts one of her legs over his own shoulder.
He uses his fingers and begins to rub Maeveâs clit. She gasps, âBuck.â He smirks and soon replaces his fingers with his mouth. His tongue circles the clitoris and his fingers run up and down Maeveâs thighs. He knows this drives her wild. Maeveâs head leans back against the wall, and her fingers are in Buckâs wet, curly hair.
Then Maeve feels one of Buckâs fingers tease her entrance. âGo, Buck,â she cries out from all the pressure. âPlease, God. Go.â With Maeveâs verbal consent, Buck pushes a finger inside of her. Maeve whines and grips Buckâs hair a bit.
One finger soon becomes two, and itâs not long before Maeve releases.
She cries out Buckâs name as she comes over Buckâs fingers. Buck smiles and puts her leg down. Her legs are still shaking from the orgasm that she just had. Buckâs quick to stand up and keep her anchored. âThat was hot,â Maeve states before pulling Buck into a kiss. She hums as she tastes herself on his lips.
Maeve reaches down between them, taking Buckâs half-hard dick into her hand. It twitches happily in her hand. She pumps him slowly, causing him to groan into the kiss. Maeve smirks into the kiss.
Buck rests his hands on Maeveâs cheeks, pulling her away from the kiss. Maeve licks her bottom lip before turning them to Buckâs back is pressed against the wall. She begins to kiss her way down Buckâs chest and stomach, kissing his tattoos along the way.
Itâs now Maeveâs turn to sink down to her knees. The warm shower water now hits Maeveâs back. Sheâs eye-to-eye with Buckâs erect dick. She bites her bottom lip before she licks her way up the shaft to the tip. She knows Buckâs clean, he got tested and showed her the results. She knows itâs safe to suck him off without a condom.
âFuck, Maeve,â Buck practically growls. His words shoot straight to her core. Maeve smirks before she wraps her lips around the bright red tip thatâs already leaking with pre-come. Maeve moves her head so Buck fills up her mouth. She hollows her cheeks and begins to suck Buck off.
Her tongue swirls around the tip when sheâd pull her head back, and the tip would almost hit the back of her throat when sheâd move forehead. Buck bites his lip, and Maeveâs fingers would be on Buckâs thighs as she sucked him closer to an orgasm.
Then Maeve begins to think about sex, like all the way. She imagines how it would feel to have Buck thrusting in and out of her. She imagines maybe even riding him to both their orgasms. Him thrusting up into her as she rolls her hips until they both come-
Maeve pulls back from Buck, looking up at him. She stands up and before Buck can ask why she stopped, Maeve says, âI want you, Buck.â
âMaeve, if youâre not-â
She shakes her head and interrupts Buck. âPlease, Buck,â she pleads. âI want you.â
Buck considers for a moment before he reaches and turns the shower off. The two of them stumble their way to Buckâs bed. Maeve moves back on the bed and Buck crawls on top of her. Their lips connect as Buck hovers on top of Maeve. His dick pokes her inner thigh as she rolls her hips up against Buckâs. Both of them groan into the intense kiss.
His lips soon leave Maeveâs and connect to her neck right above her collarbone. She throws her head back and sighs, âBuck, please. I want you. I need you.â
He pulls back from Maeve and reaches over into his bedside table. He digs around for a second before pulling out a tiny silver package. Buck comes back and hovers over Maeve again. âAre you one hundred percent sure?â Buck asks her.
Maeve nods and looks up at Buck. âPlease, Evan,â she whispers, using Buckâs first name.
Buck considers for a moment before he tears open the condom package with his teeth. He slides itâs contents on himself and throws the open package to the floor. He looks at Maeve for a second before he leans down and kisses her. Maeve slides her tongue passed Buckâs lips.
After a few seconds, Buck lines himself up with Maeveâs entrance. A second or two passes before Buck pushes himself into Maeve. She gasps against Buckâs lips as he fills her up, eventually breaking the kiss.
Itâs been a while since Maeve has had sex. Sheâs not used to the feeling of someone inside of her, but she loves the feeling of Buck filling her up.
Buck waits for Maeveâs permission to move. âOkay?â he asks her.
âYeah,â she says. âGo. Move. Please.â
He listens to her, beginning to thrust his hips into her. Maeveâs breathing quickens. She gasps and drags her fingers down Buckâs back as his thrusts speed up. Buckâs lips brush against Maeveâs as he moves, their foreheads connected. âGod, Maeve,â Buck groans. âYou feel so good around me.â
Maeveâs fingernails dig into Buckâs lower back. Her moans are soft at first, but get louder as Buck picks up speed.
The apartment is filled with the sounds of Maeveâs moans and the creaking bed that theyâre on. The two of them move in sync against each other, like theyâve had sex before. This is the first time theyâve gone this far with each other though.
And Maeve loves it.
Buck pushes Maeveâs legs up over his shoulders, giving himself complete access to Maeve. âFuck, Buck,â Maeve moans.
Maeve feels like sheâs on cloud 9 from the pleasure. Buckâs moving at just the right speed, hitting all the right spots. Her legs begin to shake as sheâs fucked closer to a second orgasm.
She whines and moans as Buck moves deeper into her. He hits her g-spot and she cries out, âRight there. God, donât stop, Evan.â
âMy name sounds so good when you say it like that,â Buck growls in Maeveâs ear. âKeep saying it.â
Maeve meets Buckâs eyes. âYouâre so fucking hot while youâre on top of me and fucking me, Evan.â
Buck smirks and begins to slam into her g-spot.
Then Maeve has whatâs probably the best orgasm of her life. She sees stars as she comes around Buck. She moans his name louder than she ever has before. Her legs are shaking with the orgasm she just had. Sheâs panting as Buck helps them both ride out their orgasms.
He pulls out and collapses beside Maeve on the bed. He pulls off the condom, tying it off and throwing it in the little trash can by his bed. Maeve lays on her back and stares at the ceiling, breathing slowing and unable to move after that Earth shattering orgasm.
Buck throws a blanket over them both, covering his waist down and Maeveâs chest down. âYou okay?â Buck breathes out.
âYeah,â Maeve sighs. âGive me a second to recover.â
He laughs and lays on his side, facing Maeve. Buck uses his pointer finger and runs it over Maeveâs cheekbones lightly. Maeve leans into his touch, closing her eyes.
Buck intertwines their legs together under the blanket. Maeve smiles and Buck whispers, âYouâre perfect, Maeve. Youâre just so ⌠amazing.â
Maeveâs eyes open and she looks over at Buck. âSays you,â she whispers back. âYou run toward literal bombs.â
âNot anymore.â
***
The next morning, Maeve and Buck are tangled up with each other. Buckâs face is buried in Maeveâs hair and Maeveâs face is buried in Buckâs neck. The blanket still covering their naked bodies and intertwined legs.
Maeveâs the first one to wake up. Sunlight comes in through the large windows. Her eyes flutter open and sheâs pleasantly surprised to see Buck still sleeping. Soft snores pass his slightly parted lips and it takes everything in Maeve to run her thumbs over them or kiss them.
She smiles when Buck begins to eventually stir. He opens his eyes and looks at Maeve. âHi,â she whispers to him. âGood morning.â
âItâs definitely a good morning,â Buck groans, voice deep. His morning voice is something else.
Maeve leans her head forward a bit, capturing Buckâs lips in a very soft kiss as theyâve both just woken up. Buck smiles and Maeve pulls back. âI could definitely get used to this.â she admits to Buck.
Buck nods and says, âMe too.â His eyes examine every part of Maeveâs face. Her hair is a mess, and she doesnât try and fix it. âDo you have a shift today?â
She shakes her head. âNo,â she tells him. âDid Bobby gives you a few days off?â
âYeah,â he says, lightly kissing Maeve again. âYesterday was rough, until I saw you.â
Maeve hums as they lazily makeout in Buckâs bed, neither wanting to move.
Then Maeveâs phone begins to ring on Buckâs bedside table. âNo,â Buck mumbles. âDonât answer it because itâs reality calling.â
She smiles and pulls back from the kiss. âIt could be Nylah, Buck,â she tells him, reaching for her phone. âMy sitter thatâs watching my daughter.â Buck groans when Maeve answers the phone, seeing that it is Nylah. âGood morning, Nylah. Is Harper okay?â
Buck leans in and presses his lips to Maeveâs cheek, kissing from her cheekbone to her jaw and down to her neck. Maeve has to stay quiet while sheâs on the phone. âEverything is okay, Miss Grier,â Nylah states. âJust through that I would remind you that Harper will be getting out of school at 11:10 today due to the teacherâs having an in-service day this afternoon. The teacher outside told me.â
Maeve looks at the time and sees that itâs 10:30. Sheâs almost late to pick up her own daughter. âOh, right,â Maeve sighs, distracted by Buck sucking a mark into the skin on her chest. âUh, thank you, Nylah. Iâll make sure to pick her up at 11:10.â She says the time out loud so Buck hears her. He looks up at her.
âWill I be needed tonight?â Nylah asks.
Probably. âNo, not tonight,â Maeve tells her. âI think Iâm going to spend tonight with her since I didnât get to last night. Iâll give you a call if things change though.â
Nylah says, âThen Iâll see you on Friday afternoon.â
âSee you then,â Maeve states before the line goes dead. As soon as Buck knows Maeveâs off the phone, his lips are on hers. âBuck. I have to go pick up my daughter from school in forty minutes.â
Buck groans and pulls back from the kiss. âHow am I supposed to not see you all day after what we did last night?â he asks.
Maeve practically giggles, âYouâll survive, Buck. Youâll have all these to remember me by.â She runs her fingers over the numerous marks across Buckâs chest that will be covered by his shirt.
He pouts when Maeve gets out of bed, but smiles when she puts on the hoodie she wore last night. âIâm taking this,â she tells him. âI wonât wear it to work, I promise.â
Buck sits up in bed, blankets covering him from his waist down. In the light, Maeve can see the damage she did to Buckâs chest. Damn.
âWhatâs the scar on your lower stomach from?â Buck curiously asks. âIâve seen it before but you never told me where itâs from.â
Maeve looks over at Buck as she ties her messy hair up in a bun. âMy C-section scar,â Maeve tells Buck. âHarper was a breach so I had an emergency C-section instead of a natural birth. I hope that one day Iâll have a natural birth. Itâs something Iâve wanted to experience.â
He watches her put on her jeans and says, âYou want more kids.â It wasnât a question.
She looks up at him. âWe donât need to have this conversation now,â Maeve tells him. âWe just made things official last night. We donât need to have serious conversations right now.â
âI want kids,â Buck blurts out. âI love practically co-parenting Christopher with Eddie because Eddieâs my best friend and Iâm always around Chris. I love kids in general. I want one or two of my own.â
That surprises Maeve yet causes butterflies to flutter in her belly at the thought of one day having kids with Buck. âGreat,â Maeve says. âBecause I want one or two more, but right now, I have to go pick up the one I already have from school so Iâll see you Friday for our shift.â
As Maeve goes to leave, Buck calls, âWhat, no goodbye kiss?â Maeve smiles and rolls her eyes.
She walks to Buckâs bedside, leaning down and pressing a lingering kiss to Buckâs lips. When Buck goes to deepen the kiss, Maeve pulls back and shakes her head. âI have to go, Buckley,â she states. âIâll call you tonight, when Iâm alone in bed.â Maeve winks then goes downstairs.
summary of part: Maeve and Buck have been sneaking around (rendezvousing at Buckâs apartment or the bunk room of the station) for two weeks. then the blackout hits, causing Maeve to bring Harper to the station so her babysitter can be with her family. the 118 meets Harper, and Buck is in shock that Maeve has a daughter. the two argue over why Maeve kept Harper a secret but they reconcile
rating of part: PG-13
warnings: NSFW CONTENT. a heavy makeout session and a shower scene. language throughout
The two weeks following Maeve and Buckâs secret little meeting in the bunk room are filled with other secret little meetings. The pair sneak around everyoneâs backs for two weeks. Maeve would go to Buckâs apartment right after their shift, or if sheâs working a shift without him. The two would meet in the bunk room while no one was in there if thereâs a lull in the day.
Buck likes to sneak glances at Maeve while everyone is around. Maeve likes to play with Buckâs fingers when no oneâs around, the same fingers that made her come several days ago.
But tonight, Maeveâs at home with Harper. Sheâs reading Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli to Harper. Itâs her daughterâs favorite book. Harper is curled up at Maeveâs side on Maeveâs bed while Maeve reads her to sleep.
Maeveâs phone buzzes on her bedside table but she ignores it, knowing who it probably is.
While Maeve is flipping the page of the book, Harper asks, âMommy, when will you get a boyfriend?â
Caught very off guard, Maeve stammers, âI, uh, where did that come from?â
Harper shrugs and says, âChristopher was telling me that his dad had a girlfriend and asked me if you had a boyfriend. I didnât know if you had one of them.â
Maeve sighs, having dreaded this conversation with her daughter. âUm,â Maeve begins, closing the book having already mentally noted what page theyâre on. âI donât have a boyfriend. Thereâs a reason I donât have a boyfriend.â
âWhy?â Harper asks, curiosity laced in her voice.
Unsure how to answer this question, Maeve grabs the picture from her bedside table. The picture of her and Luke after she just found out she was pregnant with Harper.
She hands Harper the picture. âYou see him?â Maeve asks, pointing at Luke. âThatâs your dad. Your dad passed away before he could meet you. I loved your dad very much, and I donât think I could ever love anyone like I loved your dad. Thatâs why I donât have a boyfriend.â
Harper looks at the picture then looks up at Maeve. âYou mustâve loved daddy a lot,â Harper quietly says.
Maeve feels tears prick her eyes before nodding. âI loved him a lot,â Maeve echoes. âI still love him a lot.â
âDaddy would want you to be happy though,â Harper tells her mother. âIf thatâs with a boyfriend then I donât think heâd mind as long as your happy.â
A light laugh leaves Maeveâs lips. âWhen did you get so smart? Hm?â
Then Maeve attacks Harper with kisses. Harper squeals and giggles. âMommy! Stop it!â
Maeve laughs and before she can say something, the lights go out. Confused, she grabs her phone. She looks at the four messages that sheâs missed. All of which are from Buck.
this shift is so boring without you here
technology has been going crazy all day
maeve, bobby wants you to come in. ransomware attacks caused the apparent blackout. they donât know when the lights will be turned back on, but it might be a while.
all shifts need to report to the 118 as soon as possible. bobbyâs orders. we were on a call but weâre headed back now. he wants you there before we get back.
âShit,â Maeve mumbles under her breath. She scrambles to get up out of bed. Harper looks at her with a very scared and very confused look on her face.
As Maeve changes out of her pajamas into an LAFD t-shirt and jeans, she says, âHarper, baby, I need you to go get your teddy and grab your backpack. Iâll be there in two seconds to pack some clothes for you.â
Harper gets off Maeveâs bed, putting the picture down. âMommy, whatâs going on? Iâm scared,â she whines.
Maeve walks over to her daughter, saying, âYouâll be okay, I promise. Youâre going to come to work with me for a little bit. Youâre going to meet my friends, maybe spend time with Christopher if his dad decides to let him come to the firehouse. How does that sound?â
Her daughter nods and walks off to her bedroom. Maeve grabs her phone and calls Buck when Harper is out of earshot. She puts the phone on speaker and puts it on her bedside table and she finishes getting ready.
âMaeve, where are you?â Buck asks when he picks up the phone. âBobby said that he wants everyone here now. Including you. Where are you?â
Maeve bites her lips and says, âIâm on my way. I have to walk. Thereâs no way Iâm getting there via my car if thereâs a blackout. The traffic is going to be insane and Iâll never get there.â
Buck is quiet for a second before he says, âAlright, well, hurry up. Be safe but hurry up. Iâll see you when you get here.â
âSee you in a bit, Buck,â Maeve says before hanging up the phone. She packs a duffel bag with some clothes and shower supplies. Then she does the same for Harper before she picks up Harper, holding her daughter on her hip.
While Maeve walks to work with Harper on her hip, she calls Nylah. The sitter picks up on the third ring. âMiss Grier, Iâm on my way but there is so much traffic. It might be a while. I know you probably have to go into work.â
âDonât worry about it, Nylah,â Maeve says, slightly out of breath from how fast sheâs walking while holding her daughter. âIâve been called into work but Iâm bringing Harper with me. Go home, be with your family. Iâll see you when all of this is over, okay?â
Nylah says, âThank you, Miss Grier. Iâll see you soon, hopefully.â
The line goes dead and Maeve walks the rest of the way to the 118.
***
Itâs close to twenty minutes later Maeve arrives at the 118. âCap!â Maeve calls. âCap!â
Bobby appears around the ladder truck. âMaeve, what took you so long?â he asks.
Maeve feels Harper hide behind her and says, âI had to pack a bag for her and for myself. I thought walking would be faster than driving. Thereâs a lot of traffic.â
Her captain looks at the little girl hiding behind Maeve, clutching her teddy bear close to her. The teddy bear is actually a little bear that Luke bought when he found out Maeve was pregnant with Harper. Luke never found out if it was a little girl or a little boy.
âItâs okay, Maeve,â Bobby says. âI understand. Um, weâll probably be here for a few days so Iâm glad you both brought a bag. I can get her set up in the bunk room if youâd like to go get changed. Christopherâs in there and having a blast with Ravi.â
Maeve looks down at her daughter and asks, âDid you hear that, Harps? Christopherâs here.â
Harper looks a little less scared and asks, âCan I go play with Chris?â
Bobby holds out his hand and says, âYeah, come on. Iâll show you where he is.â Harper reluctantly goes with Bobby. âSo, whatâs your name?â Maeve watches them until she canât see them anymore. She sighs and heads toward he locker room.
Maeve changes into her uniform for the time being. Technically sheâs not on shift but she wants to wear it just in case.
When she leaves the locker room, Eddie walks up to Maeve. âDid I see you walk in with Harper?â he asks.
âYeah,â Maeve replies. âI brought her with me, My sitter has a family so I just thought Iâd bring her here so my sitter can be with her family and keep them safe. Yes, Iâm nervous that sheâs here because I know everyone will ask questions about who she is and why sheâs here.â
Eddie blinks at Maeve, saying, âI was nervous for everyone to meet Christopher, but everyone fell in love with him. Especially Buck. Theyâll all love Harper. I promise.â
Maeveâs eyes land on Buck, who is sitting at a table with a clipboard. âMaybe not everyone,â she sighs.
âAna brought Christopher when she brought food,â Eddie tells Maeve. âShe grabbed some board games for the kids to play, or even for us to play. She thought that Christopher would feel better here. Kidâs never been keen on the dark so she brought him here with her. Iâm glad you decided to bring Harper so Chris wouldnât be completely alone since weâre technically at work.â
âSounds great,â Maeve says. âIâm gonna go check in on Harper. Iâll be back soon.â Eddie nods and Maeve walks off to the bunk room.
She opens the door and pops her head in. Ravi sits with Christopher and Harper on one of the bottom bunks. Heâs playing the game Hangman in a notebook with the kids. âHey, Harps,â Maeve says as she walks in. Harper looks up at her mother. âHaving fun?â
Harper nods and says, âYeah. This game is so fun. Chris is really good at it.â
âAm not,â Christopher says. âIâm just a good guesser.â
Maeve laughs and says, âIâm glad you guys are having fun. Itâs almost bedtime for you, Miss Harper. Iâll be back when it is bedtime.â
Her daughter nods. Maeve thanks Ravi before leaving.
While sheâs headed toward the stairs, Maeve is pulled to the side. Her back is suddenly pressed against one of the trucks and she looks up, meeting Buckâs eyes. âHi,â Buck says, smiling down at Maeve. âHow you doing?â
She rolls her eyes but smiles up at Buck. âDo you always woo women by pinning them against a firetruck and quoting Joey Tribbiani?â
Buck smirks and says, âNo. Only you, but I am glad you got the reference.â
âThe amount of times Iâve rewatched Friends could be considered unhealthy,â Maeve admits. Then she reaches up and pecks Buckâs lips. âHi, by the way.â
He smiles and moves his hands so theyâre cupping Maeveâs face. Buck leans down and slowly kisses her. Maeve sighs against Buckâs lips, having missed kissing him. Sheâs practically on her toes to kiss Buck because heâs so tall.
When the two pull back from the kiss, Maeve looks up at Buck. She has a serious look on her face and Buck realizes this. âUh oh,â he says. âAm I in trouble?â
Maeve shakes her head. âNo, but we do need to talk,â she tells Buck.
âOkay,â Buck slowly says. âAbout what?â
Before Maeve can reply, Ravi calls from the bunk room, âMaeve, Harper wants you to come say goodnight and wants you to tuck her in!â
Buck looks down at Maeve with a very confused look on her face. âWhoâs Harper and why does she need you to tuck her in?â he asks.
âI need to go do this then weâll talk, okay?â Maeve tells Buck, slithering out from between him and the truck.
As sheâs walking away, Buck asks, âWhoâs Harper?â
Without turning around, Maeve replies with, âMy daughter.â Buckâs quiet after that. Maeve walks into the bunk room, finding Harper in the same bunk as Christopher. The two are so small that they can share a bunk bed like this.
Eddieâs kneeling beside the bunk and Maeve kneels beside him. âYou both look tired,â Maeve comments, looking between Harper and Christopher.
âItâs past bedtime,â Christopher tells Maeve. âWe wanted you and dad to say goodnight to us.â
Maeve smiles and presses a kiss to her daughterâs temple. âWell, goodnight,â she says. âBoth of you.â
Harper smiles at her mother. âGoodnight, mommy,â she says, voice slurred with sleep. âGoodnight, Eddie.â
Eddie smiles and says, âGoodnight, Harper and Christopher. Sleep tight.â The kids settle into whatâs hopefully a deep sleep. Eddie and Maeve quietly leave the room.
Buckâs waiting right outside the room. Eddie looks at Buck and asks, âDid you need to get in there?â
âNo,â Buck bluntly replies. âI do need to talk with Maeve though.â Eddie nods and walks off. Maeve states up at Buck. âWhy didnât you tell me you had a daughter? Why didnât you tell any of us you had a daughter?â
Maeve sighs, âI had her at 18, Buck. I was a single mother at 18 years old because her father died. People pass judgement and I was scared because Iâve seen the look people give me when I tell them I had a baby at 18. I hate that look.â
âYou didnât have to lie to us, Maeve,â Buck tells her. âI love kids, and Iâd never judge you for how young you had her.â
She looks up at Buck. âIâm allowed to withhold that information from you, Buck,â Maeve says to Buck. âMy personal life isnât your business. If I wanted to tell you about my daughter than I would have. Weâre friends, Buck. Weâre not dating.â
A look of anger flashes on Buckâs face. âI finger fucked you two weeks ago and you think weâre still friends?â he asks. âWe makeout like weâre horny teenagers almost every time we see each other and you think weâre still friends?â
âIf I had told you I had a daughter, would that have changed anything?â Maeve asks. Buck opens his mouth to say something but closes it soon after. âExactly. It wouldâve changed everything. No one wants to be with a 28-year-old woman with a 10-year-old daughter. No one wants that instant family that comes with being in a relationship with someone who has a kid. I get it, Buck. Iâve been there, done that more times than you can count on my fingers.â
Buckâs face softens. âMaeve, thatâs not what Iâm saying-â
Maeve rolls her eyes and says, âThatâs exactly what youâre saying, Buck. Youâre not interested in an instant family and I understand that.â She pauses. âLetâs just end whatever this is with us now so it saves us both in the long run.â
He doesnât say anything so Maeve just walks off. She walks up the stairs, trying to keep her composure. Maeve really likes Buck, but she and Harper are a pair. If someone wants Maeve, they get Harper too.
She joins Eddie and Chimney on the couch in the loft with a sigh. âEverything okay?â Eddie asks.
âDefine âokayâ,â Maeve mumbles.
***
The B shift goes out on a call because theyâre technically on duty. Bobby goes with them, leaving Maeve, Eddie, Buck, Hen, Ravi, and Chimney at the 118. Maeve plays pool with Eddie. Hen, Chimney, and Ravi all sit on the couch. Buckâs nowhere to be found.
âWhere is Buckley?â Chimney eventually asks. âI havenât seen him since Maeve got here.â
Maeve shrugs and says, âMaybe getting some shut eye. We do have a shift in a little over five hours.â Itâs close to two in the morning.
Everyone knows about Harper so Eddie asks, âMaeve, have you heard anything from the kidsâ school about what theyâre gonna do?â
She shakes her head. âNada,â she tells Eddie. âIâm sure weâll hear something by the time the sun rises. I doubt theyâll be going into school so I guess the question we should be asking is who will be teaching them and helping them with their assignments?â
âThink your new girlfriend Ana would be willing to come in and help them for a bit?â Chimney asks, clearly teasing Eddie.
Eddie blinks at Chimney. âSheâs a vice principal now, Chim,â Eddie reminds him. âShe has more important things to do than teach my son math. Technically, she already did that.â
Hen says, âIâd be more than happy to help them. Us students need to stick together.â
Everyone laughs, but Maeveâs mind is on Buck. She has no idea where he went after she just walked off earlier. He could be anywhere.
Suddenly, Maeve says, âI need to use the little girlâs room. Excuse me.â She puts down her pool stick and heads downstairs.
Maeve looks everywhere for Buck. The bunk room, the locker rooms, even outside. Then she decides to check the showers. When sheâs right outside the menâs showers, Maeve can hear the water running. She sighs with relief, knowing Buckâs in there and not dead in the streets.
She pushes the door open, peeping inside and seeing Buck standing with his hands on one of the sinks. Heâs not wearing a shirt and Maeve can see the button of his pants is undone.
âGlad to find you in here instead of out on the street somewhere,â Maeve says, startling Buck.
He jumps at her voice and looks over at her. âJesus, Maeve,â he gasps. âYou donât need to scare me like that.â
Maeve looks around and asks, âAm I allowed to come in?â
Buck nods and Maeve walks in, locking the door behind her. Just in case. âLook Maeve-â
âShh for a second,â Maeve interrupts. âLet me talk first.â
He shakes his head and turns himself so heâs leaning against the sink. âI never said that I didnât want to be with you if you had told me that you had a daughter,â Buck begins. âI also never said that I would so I guess I deserve you walking away from me.â
âBuck-â Maeve tries to say before Buck interrupts her again.
âI would one thousand percent be with you, Maeve,â Buck tells her. âWith or without a daughter. Iâm in this, if youâll let me. Iâll never be your daughterâs father, but Iâd like to maybe eventually be that fatherly figure that she can go to if she needs me.â
Maeve looks at Buck. She waits for him to be done talking before she begins to say something. âHarper asked me if I had a boyfriend,â Maeve tells Buck. âNot even six hours ago. She said that Luke, my dead boyfriend, wouldnât mind if I found someone I was happy with. I couldnât help but think that maybe that someone is you, Buck. My mind went straight to you when she said that to me. Iâm so happy when weâre together, and I take back what I said about ending whatever we had. I donât want it to end. I donât want to be in that weird phase anywhere where weâre friends but your fingers have literally been inside me.â
Buck pushes himself off the sink and starts to walk up to Maeve. âI donât want this to end either,â he admits to Maeve.
Then Buckâs lips are on Maeveâs, moving quickly. Maeve doesnât have time to react before her back is pinned against the door. Buckâs quick to push his tongue past Maeveâs lips, causing her to groan into the kiss.
Maeveâs fingers hook into the belt loops of Buckâs pants, keeping him flush against her body. Buckâs fingers are working on unbuttoning Maeveâs uniform top, untucking it from her pants. Maeve doesnât stop it.
Theyâre both undressing each other before Maeve and Buck end up naked and under the lukewarm shower water. Itâs dark in the shower room, lit by one of the lamps that Buck brought in. Itâs even darker behind the curtain in the shower.
Water slides down both their bodies as Maeveâs lips move in sync with Buckâs. Buckâs hands roam Maeveâs body while Maeveâs fingers make a home in Buckâs wet hair.
âI love seeing you like this,â Buck mumbles into the kiss.
Maeve is pushed against the cool tile wall and pulls back from the kiss. She runs her thumbs across Buckâs swollen lips. âIâm naked,â Maeve says. âOf course you love seeing me like this.â
Buck shakes his head and smiles. âYeah, itâs definitely because youâre naked,â Buck tells her, sarcasm laced in his voice. âNo, I mean like vulnerable. You trust me not to hurt you when youâre like this, and I love that you do trust me enough to be like this in front of me.â
She rolls her eyes playfully. âWho knew Evan Buckley was such a clichĂŠ?â
âShut up,â Buck laughs.
Maeve bites her bottom lip for a second before saying, âMake me.â
Buck smirks and quickly captures Maeveâs lips in another intense kiss.
Okay, maybe Maeve can allow herself to be happy with someone that isnât Luke. Sheâs just not sure if sheâll ever love someone like she loved Luke. Sheâs so happy with Buck, but the million dollar question is will she love him the way he deserves to be loved?
summary of part: Maeve and Buck have been avoiding each other for weeks, until Buck does something reckless at a call and Maeve freaks out on him
rating of part: PG-13
warnings: NSFW CONTENT. a heavy makeout session, fingering. descriptions of a car accident, descriptions of injured people. mentions of death. some language
The kiss has been the only thing on Maeveâs mind for two weeks. Things havenât been the same since the kiss though.
Buckâs been avoiding Maeve at the station, and they rarely have talked unless itâs on a call. Since Eddieâs back, and back working as Buckâs partner on calls, Maeveâs been working with Hen and Chimney as a paramedic. Itâs been easy for Buck to avoid Maeve, but Maeve doesnât like the fact that heâs avoiding her.
Two and a half weeks after the kiss at the club, Maeveâs walking up to Eddie. As sheâs about to say something, the bell rings. She groans and goes to gear up. Of course thereâs gonna be a call when she was going to ask Eddie what she should do about Buck. She hates how things have changed between them since the kiss.
Maeve keeps her eyes on her hands in the ride to the call.
Bobbyâs voice comes from the headset. âOkay, listen up,â Bobby says, getting everyoneâs attention. âThis pileup is going to be rough. Triage and move on. If you can save someone, do it, but donât play the hero. That includes you, Buckley.â
Buck smiles. âGot it, Cap,â Buckâs voice says through the headset.
âMaeve, I want you to work with Eddie and Buck today,â Bobby tells Maeve. âYou will have your medical bag, Buck and Eddie wonât have a medical bag.â
She looks back at Bobby. âYou got it, Bobby,â Maeve says into the headset. Then she turns her head to look at Buck. âYou do understand that youâll have to talk to me now, right?â
He squints his eyes at her, saying, âNo, Iâm just gonna ignore you the entire time.â
Maeve rolls her eyes at him. âWouldnât be the first time.â
The rest of the ride to the call is quiet and full of tension between Buck and Maeve.
When they get to the pileup, Maeve grabs her medical bag and helmet before walking off with Buck and Eddie. The guys walk ahead of her as they look in every smashed up car.
âHelp!â someone calls. Buck, Eddie, and Maeve all run after the voice calling for help.
Buck gets there first and says, âLAFD. Do you need help getting out?â
Maeve runs up and stands beside Buck. âHi,â she says. âMy nameâs Maeve. Does anything hurt?â
âI-I canât feel my legs,â the guy in the driverâs seat stammers. âAm I paralyzed?â
âItâs only temporary,â Maeve admits. âYou couldâve bruised your spinal cord or thereâs internal bleeding. Letâs get you out of here before we come to any conclusions, okay?â
The guy nods and looks over at Maeve as she grabs a neck collar from her bag.
She practically stops in her actions when she sees the guyâs face. He looks like Luke with his face covers in the blood thatâs coming from his head wound. He has the same green eyes that Luke did.
Is this what Luke looked like moments before he died?
âHey,â Buck says, putting his hand on Maeveâs shoulder. âMaeve, hey. I got this.â Maeve looks over at Buck. His face is soft as he takes the neck collar from her. She releases a shaky breath as Buck puts the collar on the guyâs neck.
Eddie then asks the guy, âWhatâs your name?â
âLogan,â the guy replies. âMy nameâs Logan.â
Buck nods and says, âGreat. Can you tell me how old you are?â
Logan swallows hard. â19,â he states. âIâm 19 years old. I go to UCLA and Iâm a criminal justice major. I was going to take a test. Oh my God, Iâm gonna fail the test because I wonât be there.â
Maeve brings herself back to reality, saying, âIâm sure your professor with understand if you canât make it. Buck, can you go grab the gurney so we can get Logan to a hospital. Eddie, can you wrap his head for me while I make sure our friend can still see and has normal brain function?â
The boys nod with Buck running back to the ambulance. Eddie grabs the gauze from Maeveâs medical bag while Maeve gets in the passengerâs side. She checks his pupils with a flashlight. She has Logan follow the light with his eyes. Then she says, âIâm going to poke your leg with my flashlight. I need you to tell me when you feel something, okay?â
âGot it,â Logan says. Maeve sends him a comforting smile before she starts poking his leg by his knee. She pokes up his thigh. Itâs not until she gets to his chest where he says he can feel something. âWhat does that mean?â
With a sigh, Maeve begins, âYou may have a spinal injury. This could be anything from nerve damage to bleeding compressing the spine.â
Panic fills Loganâs eyes and he asks, âWill I be able to walk again?â
âWith surgery and physical therapy, yes,â Maeve tells Logan as Buck gets back with the gurney. âIt also depends on the extent of the injury. I can promise you that youâll be under the best care with the doctors at the hospital youâre going to. Theyâre some of the best in the city.â
With assurance, Logan begins to calm down. Maeve takes his blood pressure and finds itâs a little high, which isnât surprising considering the circumstances.
Maeve and Buck holds the backboard while Eddie carefully pulls Logan out of the car. He groans in pain as he moves. Once heâs on the backboard, the three of them put him on the gurney. While they transport him to the ambulance, Maeve looks around at the scene.
Smashed up cars everywhere. People with black tags hang from their necks. Paramedics working on people on the ground or in their cars. The sounds of sirens and people crying out for help or people just crying in general. Maeveâs throat closes and she feels tears prick her eyes, knowing the news that some of these peopleâs families are going to get.
The same news she got ten years ago when Luke was in a car accident.
âMaeve Grier?â
âCan I help you, officer?â
âI regret to inform you that Lucas Acker was involved in a fatal hit and run.â
Maeve is brought out of her head when Eddie says, âIâll drive him to the hospital. Will you be okay, Maeve?â
She nods. âIâm fine,â she chokes out. Buck turns his head to look at Maeve. Eddie gives her a look of uncertainty. âEddie, go. Iâll be fine.â
Eddie gets in the ambulance. One of the other 118 firefighters gets in the back with the patient. Eddie drives off a few moments later, leaving Maeve and Buck behind.
âMaeve, if youâre not-â She walks off before Buck can finish that sentence. âMaeve.â Buck follows her.
âI donât want to hear it, Buck,â Maeve tells him. âI really donât. You do this all the time. You act like my friend, then you kiss me, and now youâre ignoring me again. I donât want to hear it from you, Buck.â
As the two walk off to find the next patient, Buck states, âI broke up with Taylor. Well, if you want to get really technical, she broke up with me.â
Maeve sighs, âCanât imagine why she would break up with you, Buck. I really canât.â Sarcasm is laced in Maeveâs voice as she talks. âMaybe it was the fact that you kissed me two weeks ago at the club.â
Buck grabs Maeveâs wrist and Maeve turns to look at Buck. âIâm sorry,â Buck says. âWell, Iâm sorry for what happened after the kiss. Iâm not sorry for the kiss. I just needed a second to talk to Taylor.â
âWeâre not having this conversation right now, Buckley,â Maeve tells him. âThere are people who need our help right now.â
He nods and Maeve walks off to find their next patient. Buck carries a backboard with him this time. He follows right behind her.
Someone is screaming. Maeve and Buck turn their attention to someone sitting in a burning car. âThat car is going to explode in about thirty seconds,â Buck points out.
Then before Maeve can say anything, Buck is off and running to the person trapped inside their burning car. âBuck!â Maeve calls after him. She keeps her distance, eyes on Buck. She spots oil leaking underneath the car. In twenty seconds, that car will become a bomb.
âBuck!â Maeve yells at him. âYou have to get away from the car. Buck!â
Buck ignores Maeveâs calls, pulling at the bent in door. Maeveâs eyes fall on the flames that are getting closer to the leaking oil.
Ten. Nine.
âDid he ... is he alive?â
Eight. Seven. Six.
âIâm sorry, Miss Grier. Mister Acker didnât make it.â
Five. Four.
Buck finally gets the door open. âCome on!â Buck yells at the woman that was trapped inside. âThis thing is going to blow up in like five seconds.â
Three. Two.
âBuck!â Maeve practically screeches.
One.
Buck picks up the injured woman and runs toward Maeve. âMaeve, get down!â he yells at her.
Boom.
Both Maeve and Buck duck behind separate cars as the one the woman was trapped in explodes, sending debris everywhere. Maeve covers her head with her arms as sheâs curled in a ball behind her car.
Maeveâs heart races in her chest as the scene quiets down for a second. The scene gets so quiet that the only thing Maeve hears in her ears is her heartbeat.
Buck. Whereâs Buck?
She scrambles to get up. âBuckley!â Maeve calls out. âBuck! Where are you?â She grabs the backboard that Buck dropped before he went and played hero.
âMaeve!â Buck calls out. âOver here!â Maeve runs over to Buckâs voice. She finds him on his knees beside the woman he saved from the burning car. Heâs performing CPR on her. âI couldnât get a pulse after the car exploded. I need you to intubate. Hurry.â
Maeve is quick to pull out an intubation tube, carefully intubating the woman while Buck does CPR.
âBuckley, Grier,â Bobby says, running up to the pair. âWhat the hell happened?â
Buck pants as he explains, âWe heard someone screaming from the burning car that just exploded. I got her out and her heart just stopped.â
Bobby asks, âWhat did I say about playing hero, Buck?â
âYou also said if we can save someone to do it,â Buck retorts. Maeve gets a bag out and starts squeezing it while Buck does CPR. âI could save her, so I did.â
Chimney comes running up behind Bobby. âNeed any help?â Chim asks.
Buck checks the womanâs pulse before saying, âI have a pulse now. We need to get her to the hospital. Now.â
Chim and Buck lift up the woman onto the backboard while Maeve squeezes the bag at a steady rhythm. They grab a gurney and walk to the 118 ambulance that Eddie just brought back.
âIâll drive,â Buck volunteers. âWanna come with me, Maeve? Youâre doing good with that bag.â
Maeve nods, staying quiet.
Chimney and Buck load the woman into the back of the ambulance. Maeve climbs in, still bagging the woman. Chimney quickly puts an IV in the womanâs arm before letting Buck and Maeve drive off.
The ride is quiet. Maeveâs scared that if she speaks, sheâll just sob.
Those moments before the car explodes while Buck was standing right there, trying to get the woman out, scared the hell out of Maeve. She was afraid that sheâd lose the only other person she cared about as much as she cared about Luke.
Buck and Maeve drop off the patient, leaving her in the hands of the doctors. Maeve gets in the passengerâs seat while Buck drives.
Bobbyâs voice comes through the radio, saying, âBuckley, Grier. Head back to the 118. The scene has wrapped up and the incident commander said we could head back to the station.â
âGot it, Cap,â Buck says into the radio. âSee you at the 118.â
Then a silence falls between Buck and Maeve. Her eyes are looking out the window, watching the buildings pass.
Buck steals a few glances at her without her knowing.
âMaeve,â Buck says softly. She keeps her eyes on the buildings outside. âMaeve, talk to me. Whatâs going on inside that head of yours?â
Maeveâs eye close and she says, âIâm thinking about how much I hate you.â Her voice is shaky. âYou couldâve died, Buck, and I canât-â She cuts herself off.
Buck asks, âYou canât, what?â
She sighs and swallows hard, âLose anyone else that I care about. I canât, Buck.â
âYouâre not going to lose me, Maeve,â Buck assures her.
Maeve finally turns her head and looks at Buck. âYou ran toward a burning car knowing it was going to blow up within a few seconds. Fuck you, for that by the way. You literally couldâve been killed and I wouldâve hated you even more than I do now.â
Buck backs into the 118. âIâm sorry, Maeve,â he says as puts the ambulance in park. Theyâre the first ones back. âI am.â
âDonât do it again, Buck,â Maeve says as she gets out, slamming the car door behind her.
She does to shower, so she hops in. Maeve stands under the hot water as the day sheâs had washes off of her. She allows herself five minutes to relax in the shower when sheâs done washing her hair and body before she dries off, changing into a navy blue LAFD t-shirt, tucking it into her matching uniform pants.
Maeve leaves the showers, walking into the bunk room. She sits on the bottom bunk, French braiding her wet hair down her back.
The door opens and Buck walks in. His uniform shirt hangs open, untucked from his pants. His hair is wet and Maeve notices Buckâs curls. She spots a tattoo that looks like some kind of star on the right side of his chest and a second tattoo that looks like four Xs under his left pec. Thereâs a third tattoo that Maeve canât make out, but sheâs kind of distracted by the fact that Buck is practically standing in front of her shirtless.
âCan we talk, since weâre both here?â Buck asks, pulling Maeve out of her trance.
âThereâs nothing to talk about, Buck,â Maeve says, laying down and turning her back to Buck. âIâm tired so let me sleep.â
Buck sighs and says, âCome on, Maeve. We need to talk, about a lot of things.â
Maeve, growing ever so frustrated with Evan Buckley, sits back up. âYou want to talk?â she begins. âFine. Letâs talk about the fact that you kissed me then ran off to talk to your then-girlfriend. No, actually, letâs talk about the fact that you kissed me when you had a girlfriend to begin with. You donât wanna talk about that? Oh, letâs talk about the fact you ran toward a fucking bomb because you wanted to play hero.â
âI told you we had a lot to talk about,â Buck softly says.
She puts her head in her hands. âYou ran toward a bomb, Buck,â Maeve says. âPretty much a literal fucking bomb. Do you know what that did to me? Watching you struggling to open the door while I counted down the seconds until you died. You know what was going on in my head while I was counting? I was thinking about when a police officer showed up at my door, telling me that my boyfriend died in a hit and run. I was scared that Iâd have to get that news again, but about you. I donât ever want to get that news about you, Buckley. Got it?â
Tears have begun to fall down Maeveâs cheeks. Buck walks over to Maeve, crouching down in front of her. His hands are on her face, drying her tears with his thumbs. âIâm sorry, Maeve,â Buck says, his eyes soft as they meet Maeveâs. âI didnât mean to scare you like that. I really didnât. I just wanted to save that womanâs life.â
Maeve sighs, âYou didnât have to run toward a bomb, Buck.â
She pouts and says, âI will, but you have to promise me you wonât do something like that again.â
Buck nods. âI promise. No more running toward literal bombs.â
Maeve wraps her hands around Buckâs wrists as he holds her face in his hands. Her eyes close as Buck brings his forehead to hers.
The two of them sit like this in the dark room for a few moments. A comfortable silence falls between them.
âBuck,â Maeve whispers. âDid you really break up with Taylor?â
Their eyes meet and Buck explains, âWell, I told her what happened with us at the club. She said that she wasnât really surprised when I told her, but she thanked me for being honest. Then she said that she couldnât compete with you. Thatâs when she said we were better off with friends. That was two days later. I just couldnât bring myself to tell you right away.â
Maeveâs face falls. âI shouldâve pulled away before you could kiss me,â she practically whispers. âIâm sorry for ruining your relationship with Taylor.â
Buckâs lips brush against Maeveâs as he says, âDonât be. The relationship wasnât really going anywhere.â
âI still feel bad,â Maeve softly says. âIâd be mad at me if I ruined your relationship.â
âIâm not mad at you,â Buck tells Maeve. âI enjoyed the kiss.â
Maeveâs fingers grip Buckâs open collar. âI did too,â she admits.
He leans in closer to Maeve before he asks, âAre we allowed to enjoy another kiss?â
She smiles as she glances down at Buckâs lips. âAs long as you donât have another girlfriend.â
Buck makes the space between their lips disappear completely. Maeve is quick to kiss Buck back this time. He settles in between Maeveâs legs as his tongue swipes across her bottom lip, asking for permission to enter. Maeve grants him access, and Buck pushes his tongue in between her lips.
An involuntary groan passes Maeveâs lips as Buck deeply kisses her. Maeve pulls Buck into her as she lays on her back on the lower bunk. Maeve suddenly finds herself underneath Buck as the kiss rapidly intensifies. Buckâs hands press into the bed on either side of Maeveâs head, keeping himself up so heâs not crushing her. Maeveâs hands are in Buckâs damp hair.
Then Buck begins to roll his hips against Maeveâs, causing her to groan again into the kiss. âBuck,â Maeve mumbles against his lips. âWeâre at work. We shouldnât-â
âI wonât do anything that would get us in trouble, Maeve,â Buck interrupts. He pulls back from the kiss, his lips red and swollen from the kiss. âDo you trust me?â
Maeveâs eyes meet Buck and her mouth moves before she can even think about her answer. âYes.â
Buck smiles and leans down to kiss her again. Maeve smiles into the kiss before itâs her turn to push her tongue into his mouth. Buck lets out a soft groan as she rolls her hips up against his at the same time. âGod, Maeve,â Buck practically growls into the kiss.
The kiss is just a lot of tongue and dry humping, until Maeve take take it and more. She takes one of Buckâs hands and guides it down to the waistband of her pants. âMaeve,â Buck mumbles into the kiss, almost reminding her that they are at work.
âPlease,â Maeve pleads. âBuck, please.â
With that, Buck sits back on his knees. He untucks her shirt and unbuttons her pants, pushing them down her legs until theyâre on the floor. Maeveâs breathing has quickened as she watches Buck push up her shirt just so her stomach is exposed.
Buck leans down and presses soft kisses to her belly. Maeve hopes that itâs dark enough in the room so he doesnât see the scar from her emergency C-section that she had when Harper was born.
He kisses his way to the waistband of her underwear, fingers hooking into the sides. He looks up at her, eyes asking if this is okay. Maeve nods and lifts her butt off the bunk enough so he can slide her underwear off of her. The thin fabric finds itâs way down on the floor with Maeveâs pants.
Maeve feels Buck kiss her thigh, right by her naked core. She shudders at the feeling. Itâs been so long since sheâs been kissed and touched like this. Close to two years. âBuck,â Maeve sighs.
His fingers begin to work at her already sensitive clit. A gasp passes Maeveâs lips and she grips the blanket on the bunk. Her breathing is labored as Buck pleasures her like no one has before.
âYou have to stay quiet,â Buck tells her. âOr Iâll stop.â
Maeve nods quickly. Then she feels one of Buckâs fingers enter her. She gasps softly and lets out a soft moan. Buck pumps his finger in and out of her at an excruciatingly slow pace. âFaster, Buck,â Maeve pleads. âPlease.â
Buck makes his way back up to her lips, kissing her softly. âI got you, Maeve,â he mumbles against her lips. âI promise, I got you.â
He moves his finger faster, curling it slightly so it hit her g-spot. Buckâs lips on hers keeps Maeve from crying out in pleasure. He soon adds a second finger and a third, which drives Maeve crazy because how is this man so good at pleasuring her? Itâs almost like he knows every single one of her spots.
His fingers bring Maeve closer and closer to her climax. âBuck,â she moans into the kiss.
âLet go, Maeve,â Buck mumbles into the kiss. âIâll catch you.â
So she does. Maeve sees white as she comes around Buckâs fingers. She whines into the kiss as Buck helps her ride out her orgasm.
When she comes down, Buck pulls a blanket over Maeveâs naked bottom half. He moves so heâs laying on his side next to her. His back is practically against the wall. Maeve lays on her back, panting slightly. Her fingers are under Buckâs chin, and her eyes are on his.
Buck asks, âAm I forgiven for running toward a bomb now?â
Maeve rolls her eyes and smiles. âNot yet,â she says, reaching up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. âYou still have a lot to prove.â
He smiles back at Maeve and chases her lips, capturing them in another kiss.
Maeve has let herself fall too hard for Buck. Thereâs no going back now.
summary of part: Eddie comes back to the 118 three months after getting shot. Maeve realizes her feelings toward Buck. She finds out that sheâs here to stay at the 118, so she goes out with the 118 for drinks the next night.
rating of part: PG
warnings: mentions of Eddieâs shooting, cheating (Buck would never but for this universe, just once)
Maeve is up in the loft cooking with Bobby. They decided to treat the 118 to a large dinner before their shift actually begins. They have a 24-hour shift ahead of them.
Buck shows up first, Chimney and Hen right behind him. The three of them change before making their way up the stairs. âSmells good, Cap,â Buck states, sitting at the dining room table. âHey, Maeve.â
âHi, Buck,â Maeve says, feeling her face heating up as she feels Buckâs eyes on her as she cuts some carrots. âWeâre making you guys dinner before our shift begins.â
Hen asks, âWhatcha making?â
Bobby replies with, âMaeveâs making chicken soup and Iâm making garlic bread to go with it.â
Maeve smiles and says, âI make a mean chicken soup.â
Buck gets up and steals a carrot slice and before Maeve can object, Buck asks, âIs there anything you canât do?â
Maeve rolls her eyes. âNo more carrots for you, Mister Buckley.â
He laughs and steals one more before heading down the stairs. Maeveâs eyes follow him before Hen says, âMaeve, no.â
âI didnât do anything!â Maeve exclaims.
Hen smiles and shakes her head before reading a medical book on the couch. Chimney sits beside her and reads a book on babies. Maeve and Bobby go back to cooking the meal for everyone.
A voice comes from downstairs a few moments later. âAlright, where is everyone? I come back and no one is here.â
Maeve, Bobby, Hen, and Chimney all look over to see Eddie with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Buck comes running out of nowhere to his best friend. âWelcome back, buddy,â Buck says. âWeâve missed you.â
âCome on up, Eddie,â Bobby says. âMaeve and I are just making dinner. I also have an announcement when dinnerâs done in about ten minutes.â
Eddie smiles up at Bobby. âLet me go get changed and Iâll be up,â Eddie states. He walks off, probably to the locker room. Buck goes with him.
âYou know,â Maeve begins. âIf I didnât know that Buck was in a relationship then I wouldâve thought that he was in a relationship with Eddie. Theyâre always attached at the hip, and Christopher is always talking about Buck.â
Chimney laughs, âEveryone thinks that at first, trust me.â
Maeve laughs and helps Hen set the table for dinner while the soup is simmering in the pot itâs in on the stove. Bobby puts the garlic bread he made in a bread basket, setting it on the table.
Buck and Eddie come up the stairs. Maeve looks over at the guys, seeing Eddie in his LAFD uniform for the first time. âWoah, look at you,â Maeve says. âIâve never seen you in your uniform before. You look good in it.â
âStop flirting, Maeve,â Buck says. Maeve rolls her eyes and stirs the soup.
As soon as itâs ready, everyone sits at the table. Bobby sits at the head of the table, Hen sitting across from him. Maeve and Eddie sit beside each other while Chimney and Buck sit beside each other. Everyone serves themselves, humming as they eat the soup and the garlic bread.
While everyone eats, Bobby says, âIâd like everyone to welcome Eddie back to the 118, and Iâd like everyone to officially welcome Maeve to the 118.â
Maeve almost chokes on her bite of garlic bread when she hears Bobby say those words. âYou, I-â she stammers. âIâm staying?â
Bobby nods. âI talked to the fire chief about letting Maeve stay and become a permanent member of the 118. He agreed and he signed off on her permanent placement. Youâre staying, Maeve.â
She smiles and everyone congratulates her. âOkay, this calls for a celebration,â Maeve states. âWhen we get off duty tomorrow night, weâre going out and all drinks are on me.â
âHell yeah,â Buck says. âHell fucking yeah.â Maeve looks across the table at Buck, who she finds has a huge smile on his face. She smiles at him as the bell rings.
***
Itâs about midnight when they get back from that call that they went to right after dinner. Itâ was a large fire with a lot of medical emergencies so it took a while. Maeveâs exhausted so she finds herself in the bunk room. Sheâs laying on the bottom bunk with the light off in the room.
Her eyes are closed when she hears the bunk room door open. Maeve turns her head and looks over at the door. âOh, Iâm sorry,â Buck says when he sees her on the bunk. âIâll leave you alone.â
âItâs fine, Buck,â Maeve says, voice hoarse from running into a burning building without her mask on. âIâm not gonna bite you in your sleep.â
Buck laughs lightly and says, âThat was dumb, by the way. You running into the building with no mask on. You couldâve died.â
Maeve shrugs and turns her back to the door again. âIt almost sounds like you care, Buck,â she yawns.
âYeah, well, I do,â Buck admits. âIâve told you before.â
She doesnât say anything else as she hears Buck crawl onto one of the bunks.
Maeve definitely had feelings for Buck. Itâs been a month, and Buck treated her badly when she first arrived at the 118, but theyâve reconciled. The two of them work so well together during calls. Maeve definitely cares for Buck a lot more than she should, especially when heâs in a relationship with someone he really likes. She hates herself for falling for a guy with a girlfriend.
Then her phone begins to buzz next to her head, pulling her out of her thoughts. She checks it, seeing that itâs Nylah calling her. Worried, Maeveâs quick to answer the phone. âNylah, whatâs wrong?â Maeve asks, talking quietly and sitting up.
âHarper had a nightmare and she wants to talk to you,â Nylah says. âI can do something else if now is a bad time.â
âNo, put her on,â Maeve says, leaving the room and walking into the locker room area. She keeps her eyes on the doorway.
Her daughter whines on the other line, âMommy, when are you coming home?â
Maeveâs heart breaks at the sound of Harperâs scared voice. âNot tonight, my love,â she says. âI wonât see you again until tomorrow night. Iâm sorry, Harp.â
Harper cries, âI want you, mommy. Please come home.â Maeve pouts and sighs.
She could ask Bobby to leave. She only lives about ten minutes away and she can have someone text her if thereâs a call so she can go to the call.
âIâll see what I can do, my love,â Maeve says. âBut I canât promise anything. Can you put Nylah back on the phone?â
Thereâs a moment of silence before Nylah asks, âDo you need me to do something?â
âNo,â Maeve says, heading out of the locker room. âIâll see if I can come home for a few minutes. I just need to get permission from my captain to leave. Be there in about fifteen minutes.â
Nylah hangs up the phone and Maeve approaches Bobby, whoâs reading a book on the couch in the loft. âHey, Bobby,â Maeve quietly says. âI need to go home for a few minutes.â
Bobby looks up at Maeve. âEverything okay?â he asks.
Maeve bites her lip, hesitating to tell Bobby why she needs to go home.
Now that sheâs a permanent member of the 118, she might as well start telling everyone about Harper.
âMy daughter,â Maeve explains. âShe had a nightmare. She was crying to me on the phone. When she has a nightmare, they are usually about me because Iâve gotten hurt on the job before. I just need to go and assure her that Iâm okay.â
Bobby looks almost shocked when Maeve says that she has a daughter. âGo, and donât worry about making it to the next call. Go comfort your daughter.â
Maeve nods. âThank you, Cap. Please, um, donât mention to anyone that I have a daughter yet. Iâm not ready to tell them,â Maeve says. Bobby nods, agreeing to keep Harper a secret, before Maeve runs downstairs. She gets in her car and drives ten minutes from the station to her house.
After walking inside, she walks straight to her daughterâs room. Maeve finds Harper in her bedroom, curled in a ball at Nylahâs side. Her cheeks are wet with tears.
Harper sees her mother and gets up, running over to Maeve. Maeve crouches down and envelopes her daughter in her arms. âIâm right here, my love,â Maeve mumbles into Harperâs messy hair. âIâm not going anywhere.â
âI had a really bad dream, mommy,â Harper cries. âYou and daddy both left me. I was alone and scared.â
Maeveâs heart breaks again in her chest. âHey, look at me,â Maeve says, pulling back from the hug. âIâm not leaving you like daddy did any time soon. Iâm going to be here to tuck you into bed as much as I can. Iâm going to be here to take you to Christopherâs house for sleepovers or to play Mariokart. Iâll be here to take you to school every morning. Iâm not going anywhere.â
Harperâs eyes fill with tears again as she nods. âI love you, mommy,â she says to Maeve.
âI love you more, Harps,â Maeve states, pulling Harper into another hug.
After a few more moments of this, Maeve tucks Harper back into bed. She reads Harper a story until she falls asleep.
Maeve sneaks out of Harperâs bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She rubs the back of her neck and yawns. Nylah, who now sits down in the living room, asks, âEverything okay, Miss Grier?â
âYeah,â Maeve sighs. âJust got back from a rough call a little bit ago and I was going to nap then you called and said Harper needed me.â
Nylah watches Maeve gather her things before saying, âI wouldnât have called if I had known that-â
Maeve waves her hand. âItâs fine,â she says. âHarper comes before any job. End of story. Thank you for calling me. If she wakes up, just call me again and Iâll sing her to sleep over FaceTime or something, okay?â Nylah nods and Maeve heads back to work.
***
End of shift takes forever to get to the 118. Itâs six, but everyone agreed to meet for drinks at nine at the Royal Nightclub. Itâs just going to be a 118 affair, no significant others this time. Maeve enjoyed meeting everyoneâs wife or girlfriend, but she wants it to just be them this time around.
Maeve goes home, has dinner with Harper, reads Harper to sleep, then heads out to go meet everyone for drinks. She told Nylah sheâd be back by midnight.
It takes Maeve forty minutes again to get from her house to West Hollywood. She finds Buck and Chimney in the line to get in.
âWow, look at you,â Chimney says. âYou look very nice tonight, Maeve.â
She smiles. âThank you, Chimney,â Maeve practically giggles. âThis is nothing though.â She just threw on a black mini-dress, a pair of black heels, and put her hair in a tight ponytail on top of her head. Nothing too spectacular.
Maeveâs cheeks turn red and sheâs grateful that itâs dark outside right now and the lights from the sign arenât bright enough to show that sheâs flustered.
Hen, Eddie, and Bobby show up a few moments before Chimney, Buck, and Maeve head inside. The six of them sit at a high top table, with Hen and Eddie bringing two other chairs over.
Eddie looks over at Maeve and asks, âHowâs it feel to be permanent member of the 118?â
âReally nice,â Maeve admits. âIâm usually sent station to station as a temporary addition if someone is injured. Iâm glad to be a member of a station for once. You all have been super nice to me, except for Buck when I first got to the 118.â
Buck rolls his eyes and Hen says, âItâs nice to have another woman at the 118 in our little group.â
Maeve smiles and Bobby says, âIâm going to go and get us some drinks. Who wants what?â
Everyone tells Bobby their drink orders, and Eddie goes with him to carry the drinks. Hen and Chimney go and use the bathrooms before the real fun starts. Maeve and Buck are left alone.
âIâm really glad youâre staying, Maeve,â Buck tells her. âYouâre actually a great addition to the team. Youâre insanely smart and you work quickly.â
She smiles across the table at Buck. âYou donât need to kiss ass anymore, Buckley,â Maeve tells him. âIâve already forgiven you for acting the way you did when I first got to the 118. I understand why you acted the way you did. You donât need to apologize or kiss my ass anymore.â
Buck lets out a breathy laugh, saying, âWell, I like to overkill sometimes. Youâll come to learn that part of me.â
Maeve rests her head in her hands with her elbows on the table, looking at Buck. âNo way,â she says, sarcasm laced in her voice. âTell me more about how you overkill it on apologizes.â
He rolls his eyes. âShut up,â Buck says. Maeve laughs and everyone comes back.
The 118 have the best time together while theyâre out. A lot of laughs and drinks. Maeve drinks more than she probably should but she can always catch an Uber home.
She eventually finds herself with Buck on the dance floor, dancing to abcedfu by Gayle. Maeve has let herself get loose, and stay loose this time. No walking out this time, not on Buck. Hen and Bobby have gone home, but Chimney and Eddie sit at their table. Theyâre out of Maeve and Buckâs eyesight because of how many people are on the dance floor.
The song goes from abcedfu to You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. Of course it does.
Drunk Maeve screams the lyrics, and Buck watches. Heâs clearly amused as Maeve shakes her hips to the beat of the song and yells the lyrics.
âThis song seems to be hitting you hard,â Buck yells over the music.
Maeve looks over at Buck and yells back, âBecause it is.â
Buck laughs and takes a step closer to Maeve. She stares up at Buck as he walks closer to her.
Oh, I remember you driving to my house
In the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh
When you know you're 'bout to cry
I know your favorite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
Think I know where you belong
Think I know it's with me
One night, earlier in the week, Buck did end up at Maeveâs house. Luckily, it was while Harper was sleeping. He seemed upset after he got into a fight with his girlfriend. He didnât seem happy, so Maeve helped him feel better with some online Among Us.
Both Maeve and Buck make eye contact with each other. Maeveâs very conscious at the fact that Buck is standing very close to her. Her chest practically touches Buck. Even with heels on, sheâs six inches shorter than Buck.
Maeve feels Buckâs hands slide around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Maeve instinctively wraps her arms around his neck. Sheâs softly singing the words now. Her forehead touches Buckâs and theyâre suddenly breathing the same air.
Can't you see
That I'm the one
Who understands you?
Been here all along
So, why can't you see
You belong with me
As soon as those words pass Maeveâs lips, Buck is pulling her flush against his body. A voice in Maeveâs head tells her to back away from Buck, before he does anything stupid.
But she canât pull herself to pull back. It feels right but itâs so wrong.
Buckâs lips ghost over Maeveâs, and an audible gasp comes from Maeve. He waits to see if she pulls away from him, but she doesnât.
Their second kiss is more intense than the first. Maeveâs lips move against Buckâs in sync, like they have shared thousands of kisses before this one. Buckâs hands press into the small of Maeveâs back, and Maeveâs hands have moved so theyâre cupping his cheeks.
Maeveâs heart is racing, beating probably a thousand times a minute. Sheâs enjoying this much more than she should be. Buck has a girlfriend. He has a girlfriend.
That thought draws Maeve back to reality. She pulls back from the kiss, looking up into Buckâs blue eyes. âBuck,â she starts, but Buck shakes his head.
âDonât say anything,â Buck pleads. âPlease. Letâs enjoy this for a few moments.â
Maeve pouts a bit. âYou have a girlfriend,â she tells him. âA very nice one at that. Iâve met her and had drinks with her.â
Buckâs eyes close and he sighs. âI know,â he says. âI just, I need to talk to Taylor.â
At the mention of her name, Buckâs phone begins to buzz in his pocket. Maeve feels it against her leg. Buck pulls it out and sees who it is. Maeve can see that Taylor is calling him. Buck gives Maeve an apologetic look before he walks off, leaving Maeve alone with her thoughts.
She just kissed Buck. She shouldâve pulled back, but she didnât.
Honestly, Maeve doesnât know if sheâll pull back if thereâs a chance to kiss Buck again. She doesnât want to pull back. Maeve likes to kiss Buck and be that close to Buck.
Maeve promises herself that next time, sheâs going to pull away.
summary of part: a week later, Buck and Maeve havenât talked about what happened at the bar. Buck opens up to Maeve about why he acted the way he did when he Maeve first arrived. meanwhile, Eddie and Maeve get closer as a friendship between their children grows.
rating of part: PG
warnings: mentions of Eddieâs shooting, mentions of death & a car accident
Itâs been a week since Maeve went to the bar with the 118 and their significant others. Except for some short, two of three sentenced conversations while on duty, Maeve and Buck havenât talked. She doesnât plan on talking to him about it either.
Theyâre not friends. Maeveâs leaving in two weeks when Eddie comes back anyway. Thereâs no point.
Eddie did invite Maeve and Harper over Saturday night for a sleepover.
Thatâs another thing thatâs happened in the past few days. Maeve asked Eddie to pick Harper up from school when he got Christopher. Both Harper and Christopher begged Eddie for a sleepover this weekend when he picked up the kids. So Eddie called Maeve that night and they planned a sleepover with the kids.
Maeve isnât so scared to tell the 118 about Harper now, knowing that sheâs not the only single parent that works at the 118. Maybe they wonât judge her.
Sheâs not holding her breath though.
The day of the sleepover, Harper is up super early. Like seven in the morning early.
âMommy!â Harper says, shaking her mother awake in the morning. âMommy, when can we go to Chrisâ house?â
Maeveâs eyes open slightly and she says, âHarper, itâs barely seven in the morning. I donât think Chris or his dad are awake at this time. Give me an hour to sleep some more then Iâll call Chrisâ dad to see what time weâre allowed over, okay?â
Harper pouts but reluctantly agrees. âFine,â she says, laying down beside Maeve on the queen sized bed. Maeve wraps her arms around her daughter and buries her face in her little girlâs dirty blonde hair. Maeveâs asleep again in a few minutes.
***
âIâm sorry, Miss Grier,â the officer states. âMister Acker didnât make it.â
âLuke.â Maeve sits up quickly, looking around. Her daughter isnât in her bed anymore and Maeveâs grateful for that. She doesnât know how to explain to her daughter that she dreams about when she found out Harperâs father died.
Her eyes fall on the picture of her and Luke as soon as they moved to Los Angeles. Maeveâs cradling her belly, though she isnât showing yet. She just found out she was pregnant with Harper when that picture was taken. She couldnât have been more than eight weeks pregnant when she found out she was pregnant.
Maeveâs phone ringing brings her out of her disassociative state. She looks over at the device on her bedside table. Itâs Eddie.
âHey,â Maeve yawns when she answers the phone. âWhatâs up?â
Eddie asks, âWhat time do you and Harper want to come over?â
âUm,â Maeve stammers. âWhat time are we allowed over?â
The other end of the line is quiet for a minute before Eddie says, âWell, my son has been bugging me all morning about letting you guys come over as soon as possible so just let me know when youâre in your way over?â That sounded more like a question.
Maeve sighs, âAlright. Weâll be on our way in about a fifteen minutes. Maybe sooner once Harper hears that we can come over whenever. Do I need to bring anything?â
âNo,â Eddie states. âJust bring yourself, Harper, and your pajamas over. Do not bring anything else, Maeve.â
She laughs and says, âOkay, okay. Fine. I wonât bring anything. Weâll be over soon.â
Eddie hangs up the phone and Maeve begins to get ready, putting on a cropped red t-shirt and black sweatpants. âHarper!â Maeve calls. âGet ready to go to Christopherâs house! We leave in fifteen minutes.â
Maeve hears her daughter squeal and a door shuts. She smiles and packs a duffel bag with her toothbrush, face soap, and her pajamas. As Maeve goes into the living room, thereâs a knock on her door. Confusion fills her as she goes to answer the door.
Sheâs shocked when she sees Evan Buckley standing at her front door. âBuck,â she gasps. âYou shouldnât be here.â
âWe need to talk, Maeve,â he says. âWe canât keep working like we have been. Bobby isnât very happy that weâre not working together on calls like we were before last weekend.â
Nervous, Maeve pushes Buck back and stands outside with him. She closes the door. âYou canât just show up at my front door and demand to talk to me, Buckley,â Maeve states. âHow did you even get my address?â
Buck looks down at Maeve. âItâs in the LAFD database, like mine,â Buck tells her. âDonât go off topic. We need to talk.â
âNo, Buck,â Maeve sighs. âWe donât need to talk. Iâm leaving in two weeks when Eddie gets back, and weâll probably never speak again. You can go because I have plans.â
The taller man stares down at Maeve. âI didnât mean to bring up something that was obviously sensitive to you,â Buck apologizes. âIf I had known-â
Maeve waves her hands, shutting Buck up. âStop,â she says. âBuck, stop. You didnât know, and youâll never know. Just stop.â
âContrary to popular belief, Grier,â Buck begins. âI do want to be your friend. The 118 want to be your friend. If youâd just talk to us then weâd be able to be your friends, and maybe convince Bobby to let you stay. You donât have to go when Eddie comes back in two weeks.â
Maeve rolls her eyes. âA month ago you were ignoring me because you thought I was replacing your injured best friend,â Maeve says. âNow youâd ask me to stay?â
Buck throws his arms up in the air. âI donât know what else you want from me, Maeve. Iâm trying to be your friend here. I want to be your friend, if youâd let me.â
She stares up at Buck. âYou treated me like shit when I arrived and now you want to be friend, what, because you know Eddieâs job is safe? Because you knew that I was leaving? Eddie comes back, assures you that Iâm not replacing him, and now you decide to try and be my friend,â Maeve says, growing more and more frustrated with every word. âThatâs not a friend, Buck. A friend wouldâve supported me and welcomed me into the 118 when I got here. Not a month later when Iâm leaving in two weeks.â
âIâm sorry, Maeve,â Buck almost whispers. âI really am. I just, I watched my best friend get shot, his blood was all over me, and it was starting to feel like he was dead. It didnât have anything to do with you, Maeve. I promise.â
Maeveâs eyes soften. âYou didnât have to be such an ass to me though,â Maeve tells him, voice low too.
Buck looks down at his feet. âIâm sorry for that too,â he says. âOld habits, I guess you can say.â Then both Maeve and Buck hear a little girlâs voice come from inside the house. âDo you have a child in there?â
âItâs the TV,â Maeve lies. âI was watching Disney Plus when you knocked on the door. Um, I was watching Moana.â
The man in front of Maeve still looks kind of suspicious before he says, âWell, Iâll let you get back to your plans. Iâll, um, see you for our shift tomorrow afternoon.â
âYeah,â Maeve says. âUm, Iâm sorry that you went through that with Eddie. Watching him get shot, getting covered in his blood.â
Buck sends Maeve a smile before he says, âIâll move past it. I always move past traumatic events.â
Then Buck walks off, getting in his car and driving off. Maeve walks back into the house, leaning against the door. Her eyes are closed.
He genuinely sounds like a good guy. Buck sounds like heâs very possessive over anyone he cares about, and Maeve likes that in a guy. Luke was the same way. Luke protected Maeve and he was so excited when Maeve found out she was pregnant with Harper.
Luke protected Harper in the few days that he knew she was inside Maeveâs belly.
Buckâs not Luke. No one will ever be Luke, and she hasnât wanted to be in a relationship with anyone that wasnât Luke.
The one guy she could possibly ever see herself in a relationship with after Luke is in a relationship with someone else,
***
Maeve and Harper get to Eddieâs around ten that morning. Christopher is very happy to see Harper, and vise versa.
âI made pancakes,â Eddie tells the girls when they arrive. âI canât promise that theyâll be edible but I did make them. Chris likes to make fun of me because I canât cook.â
Christopher pipes up in the living room, âYou canât cook, dad. Buck is a better cook than you.â
Harperâs voice pipes up next. âWhoâs Buck?â
Both Maeve and Eddie look at each other before Christopher says, âHeâs my best friend. He works with my dad, and I guess your mom.â
âYeah, since the tsunami a few years ago, Buck and Chris have been pretty much attached at the hip,â Eddie explains. âBuck saved Christopher during the tsunami. They were at the pier when it hit. Buck literally saved my son.â
Maeve thinks back to the tsunami. She helped with search and rescue, but never ran into the 118. âWhere were you?â Maeve asks, curious.
Eddie sighs. âWith Bobby, Hen, and Chimney. I saved people on the ferris wheel at the pier right before it fell. I met one of my friends, Lena Bosko, while we were saving people on the ferris wheel. Buck was out with his leg injury and Lena was brought in temporarily like you until he came back.â
âWait, Buck was the one that had his leg crushed?â Maeve asks. âI heard about that. I didnât know it was Buck.â
Eddie nods. âIt was Buck,â Eddie states. âThat man has been through a lot. Between the leg and the tsunami and me getting shot right in front of him. Heâs been through so much shit. I donât know how heâs still a firefighter.â
Maeve doesnât know either. She wouldâve quit after her leg got crushed under a ladder truck.
It makes sense now that Buck reacted the way he did when Maeve was brought in. Heâs probably tired of people coming in and out of his life. Heâs tired of change. Everything makes sense now.
âUm, can I ask you for Buckâs number?â Maeve asks, catching Eddieâs attention. âI said somethings to him earlier when he showed up at my house that I need to apologize for. I donât have his number but he has my address.â
Eddie sends Maeve Buckâs number, and sheâs quick to text it.
hey, itâs maeve. grier. i got your number from eddie, i hope you donât mind. can we meet tomorrow before our shift? at the cafĂŠ near the station?
Buck texts back almost immediately.
of course. see you tomorrow, say, 1?
Maeve replies with an âokayâ before turning back to Eddie.
Laughter comes from the living room and Eddie asks, âShould we go see what our children are up to? They sound like theyâre up to no good.â
âTheyâre definitely up to no good,â Maeve laughs.
***
That night, Eddie, Maeve, Christopher, and Harper all lay in the living room. The four of them built a massive pillow fort, and they all lay underneath it.
âDad,â Christopher says, catching Eddieâs attention. âBuck should be here. He wouldâve loved this pillow fort.â
Maeve runs her fingers through Harperâs hair and looks at Eddie. âOne day itâll be the five of us,â Eddie tells his son. âMaybe this week, Buck can come by and build a pillow fort with us. But you canât tell Buck about Harper, because Maeve hasnât told Buck about Harper yet.â
Christopher looks at Maeve and asks, âWhy?â
Now itâs Maeveâs turn to answer. âBecause Iâm scared,â Maeve admits. âI had Harper when I was really young, and Iâm scared of being judged because of how young I gave birth to her.â
Eddie looks at Christopher as Chris says, âBuck wouldnât judge you for how young you gave birth to Harper. Buck doesnât judge anyone.â
âChristopher,â Eddie says in a stern tone. âWe will not be telling Buck about Harper, okay? Not until Maeveâs ready.â
Christopher nods and says, âOkay.â
Maeve smiles. âThank you, Christopher,â she says to the younger Diaz. âThank you for understanding.â
Soon, both Christopher and Harper are sleep. They lay beside each other on the other side of Eddie. Maeve lays on her back under a blanket.
âThank you for telling Christopher to not tell Buck about Harper,â Maeve whispers to Eddie.
Eddie turns his head and looks over at Maeve. âHeâs not as judgmental as you think he is,â Eddie tells Maeve, his voice a whisper. âWhen I told him I had a son, he was shocked but he didnât judge me. Heâs not like that. None of them are, but I understand why you havenât told any of them yet.â
Maeve sighs, âI just need to know that Iâm not temporary, Eddie. I donât want to introduce my daughter to everyone then have them leave her life.â
âWell, youâre stuck with me because of that,â Eddie states, nodding his head toward the kids. Maeve leans up a bit to see Harper and Christopher practically cuddling each other. Maeve smiles.
âWeâre gonna have to keep our eye on that,â Maeve says, laughter evident in her voice.
Eddie nods and laughs softly.
Both of them get comfortable for the night before Maeveâs phone buzzes. She checks it quickly before she goes to sleep.
goodnight, grier.
Maeve smiles as she texts back a goodnight to Buck.
***
The next morning, Maeve drops Harper off at home where Nylah is already waiting. Maeve gets ready for work, putting on an LAFD t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She leaves early to go meet up with Buck before their shift.
Sheâs nervous, but sheâs excited to finally talk to Buck about whatâs happened in the past few weeks.
Maeve grabs a table outside the cafĂŠ, ordering a cup of coffee even though itâs nearly one in the afternoon. She drinks it, waiting for Buck to get there.
When he does, he sits across the table from her. âSo, explain to me why you decided to meet up with me before our shift,â Buck says.
âI just thought we should, you know,â Maeve begins. âTalk. A lot of things have been lost between us because of miscommunication these past few weeks. I wanted to clear the air.â
Buck orders a glass of water and a salad. âSo, in other words,â Buck slowly says. âYou want to start over.â
Maeve slowly nods. âYeah,â she says. âI do.â
The two look at each other before Buck holds out his hand. âHi,â he suddenly states. âName Evan Buckley, but everyone calls me Buck. Welcome to the 118.â
A smile forms on Maeveâs lips as she reaches out and shakes Buckâs hand. Itâs more callused than Maeve thought it would be, but itâs also kind of soft at the same time.
âMaeve Grier,â she says, smiling at Buck.
Buck smiles back at her before she pulls her hand away. Maeve sips her coffee before clearing her through.
A comfortable silence falls between them before Buck breaks it. âI really am sorry for the way I treated you when you arrived at the 118,â he states. âIt just felt like Eddie was dead and he wasnât. Iâm also not the best at communicating my feelings, like youâve recently found out. You didnât deserve the way I treated you, and I hope you can forgive me.â
Maeveâs face softens. âYou donât need to apologize, Buck,â she tells him. âTrust me, I know how you feel.â Then she sighs. âMy boyfriend, Luke, died in a hit and run car crash. Ten years ago, right after I moved here with him to get away from my parents.â
âMaeve, Iâm so sorry,â Buck says, reaching across the table and resting his hand on Maeveâs as theyâre wrapped around her cup of coffee. Maeveâs eyes are on their connected hands, and it feels like electricity is spreading from where their hands are connected. She pulls her hands back.
Then she continues. âI treated a lot of people like shit after Luke died,â she explains. âMy friends, I avoided my familyâs calls. So trust me, I understand why you treated me like shit.â
Buck looks at her with a soft expression on his face. âThank you for telling me,â Buck says after a few moments of silence.
âWeâre friends,â Maeve says. âYou deserved to know why I ran out last week.â
He smiles at Maeve and she smiles back, her heart racing in her chest.
She hates how sheâs reacting to Buck smiling at her. How she felt electricity course through her, starting where their hands were connected.
summary of part: three weeks after she began to work at the 118, Maeve finally meets the infamous Eddie that everyone keeps talking about, and finally starts to see a kinder side of Buck as he slowly realizes that sheâs not replacing Eddie on the team. Maeve also discovers that Buck is actually in a relationship like she thought he was.
rating of part: PG
warnings: Taylor Kelly briefly appears. fighting between Buck and Maeve, mentions of a shooting.
Itâs harder to get on Buckâs good side than Maeve originally thought. Itâs been weeks since she started working at the 118, and Buckâs been either giving her the cold shoulder or reluctantly working beside her on calls. Thereâs no in between.
Three weeks have passed since her first day, and Maeve finds herself cooking dinner for the 118 after Bobby discovered that she isnât a terrible cook. Sheâs making her famous mac n cheese that Harper loves.
âSmells good,â Hen says, standing beside Maeve.
Maeve has gotten considerably closer to both Hen and Chimney since she came to the 118. Henâs introduced Maeve to her wife, Karen, and her son, Denny. Maeveâs also met Chimneyâs girlfriend, who also happens to be Buckâs older sister, Maddie, and their daughter, Jee-yun. Maeve loved spending time with baby Jee. It reminded her of when Harper was a baby.
A smile forms on Maeveâs lips as she says, âIt tastes a lot better than it smells. Itâs super gooey and cheesy.â
Hen puts her hand on her heart and says, âJust how I like it. Itâs been three weeks and you already know the way to my mac n cheese loving heart.â
Thatâs when Chimney walks up and says, âBobbyâs mac n cheese might have some competition now.â
Both Maeve and Hen laugh before Maeve continues cooking.
As soon as she gets the pan of mac n cheese in the oven, Bobby says from the level below, âHen, Chimney, Buckley, come here.â Hen and Chimney look over the railing.
âMr. I Survived a Gunshot on Duty,â Chimney says. âFunny seeing you here.â
That catches Maeveâs attention.
Is the famous Eddie here that sheâs heard so much about but has never met?
Maeve cleans the counter and the dishes before joining everyone downstairs. As she walks down the stairs, she notices a guy standing in the middle of Bobby, Hen, Buck, and Chimney. His arm in a sling and dressed in plain clothes. He has a bit of facial hair and his hair is short but growing out.
Buck looks over at Maeve and she makes eye contact with Buck, whose smile fades when he sees her. The guy, Eddie probably, notices and looks over at her.
âHi,â Maeve brightly says. âMy nameâs Maeve Grier. You must be Eddie.â
He shakes hands with Maeve and says, âEddie Diaz. You must be what has Buck freaked out. I keep telling him that Iâm coming back and that no oneâs replacing me.â
Keeping the already forced smile on her face, Maeve says, âWell, I keep telling him that Iâm here until you get back. Iâm not here to replace you.â
Eddie looks over at his friend and asks, âFeel better, buddy? Both of us now have assured you that Iâm not going anywhere.â
Buck rolls his eyes and asks, âWhenâs dinner? Because Iâm hungry.â
âThirty minutes,â Maeve says to Buck. She turns her attention back to Eddie. âAnyway, howâs your shoulder, Eddie? I heard about what happened and Iâm so sorry that happened to you.â
Eddie nods and says, âFeels good. Docs say I can come back in a few weeks if things keep progressing as quickly as they are.â
Maeve talks to everyone until the oven beeps, signaling that dinner is ready. She goes up and pulls it out of the oven. Everyone follows her up and sits at the table. âAnd here we go,â she says as she serves the pan of mac n cheese. âI made a lot so there is enough for you if youâd like some, Eddie.â
He thanks her and everyone sits to eat.
***
The end of the shift arrives quickly, and just in time for Maeve to get home to eat dinner and have movie night with her daughter.
As sheâs leaving to go home, Buck calls, Hey! Grier, wait up a second.â
She turns and watches Buck jog up to her. âI have to get home, Buck,â she tells him. âI do have a family Iâd like to see sometime today.â
âI just wanted to apologize for the way Iâve been acting,â he states, catching Maeve off guard. âItâs not fair to you. Eddie got shot and Iâve been taking everything that Iâve been feeling out on you. I was so worried that Eddie wasnât going to make it and now Iâm worried that I wonât have my partner back because youâre filling in for him while heâs gone.â
Maeve raises her eyebrows and asks, âPartner? Like work partner or-â
Buck immediately cuts her off. âWork partner,â he says, a light laugh leaving his lips. âI actually have a girlfriend.â
A little âohâ falls from Maeveâs lips. Buck smiles and says, âSorry that I had to break your heart.â
She rolls her eyes. âYou wish, Buckley,â Maeve says. âI do have to go though so if thatâs everything then Iâd like to leave.â
He shakes his head, saying, âThatâs all I wanted to say. Plus, weâre all getting together for drinks and stuff later, probably around nine tonight if youâre interested. Iâm sure someone wouldnât mind picking you up, or you can catch an Uber. Weâre going to go to that bar in North Hollywood called Royal Nightclub if youâre interested in coming. Weâre all bringing our significant other if you have one of those.â
Maeveâs face unintentionally falls, but she recovers quick enough so Buck doesnât realize that somethingâs wrong. Or so she thinks anyway.
âIâll have to see. Iâm usually a night owl,â she lies. Maeveâs always up until the middle of the night for a variety of reasons. âRain check if not?â
Buck nods and says, âYeah, sure. Have a goodnight, Grier.â
As he turns to walk away, Maeve calls after him, âItâs Maeve. You can call me Maeve.â
He puts a hand up to say goodbye before calling back, âGoodnight, Maeve.â
She smiles and heads to her car. She puts her duffel bag in the backseat before getting into the driverâs seat and driving off.
***
Harper greets Maeve as soon as she walks in the door. âMommy!â her little girl yells. Maeve drops her bag and leans down to pick up her daughter.
âHello, my love,â Maeve says, smiling. âHow was your day at school?â
Maeve stands up, holding Harper in her arms. âI made a new friend,â Harper happily says. âHis name is Chris. Heâs super nice and let me borrow his crayons.â
She laughs and says, âLook at you, making new friends. Letâs eat dinner and you can tell me all about Chris.â
Maeve makes her and Harper some dino chicken nuggets with fries to eat for dinner after Nylah, the babysitter watching Harper, leaves âSo, Harper,â she says to her daughter. âTell me more about this Chris. How did the two of you meet?â
Harper says, âMy teacher partnered everyone up with a person from another class. She said it was the âspecialâ class because they need a little extra help learning. Chris was in that class. Heâs really nice, mom. He should come over and play for a bit.â
She laughs and says, âNot tonight, my love. Maybe over the weekend. Iâm sure his parents donât want him going out on a school night.â
âItâs just him and his dad,â Harper says. âHe said his mom died a few years ago before the tsunami.â
Maeve looks at her daughter and says, âThatâs terrible.â
Harper nods and says, âBut his dad is a firefighter. He works for the LAFD or something. I donât remember what station he said though. I think it had an eighteen in the number, or an eight.â
Maeveâs eyebrows draw together. Does someone have a kid at the 118 besides Hen and Chimney. Dennyâs younger than Maeve and Jee-yun is a baby. Who else has a child.
This question wracks Maeveâs head until she realizes what time it is. Itâs nearly six and she wants to watch a movie with Harper before Harperâs bedtime at eight.
She sends Harper into the living room to pick a movie on Disney+ while she cleans the dishes.
Bobby is definitely old enough to have a ten year old, but Maeve vaguely remembers that he has stepchildren. One graduated high school and the other is slightly older than Harper. Buck doesnât have any kids, that Maeve knows of. After hearing about âBuck 1,0âł, there could be several Buckley Jr.s running around Los Angeles.
Maybe itâs Eddie. She kind of remembers him mentioning a son earlier in the day but she was caught up in a conversation with Hen while Eddie was talking.
Out of curiosity, when Maeve walks into the living room for the movie, she asks, âHarper, do you know Chrisâ last name?â
Harper looks back at her bother. âDiaz,â she says to Maeve.
Diaz. Eddie Diazâs son. Chris.
Maeve wasnât planning on going out for drinks tonight, but she needs to talk to Eddie.
Cinderella begins to play on the TV in the living room. Maeve pulls out her phone and texts Nylah.
hey nylah, can you come back at eight? something came up and i need to go out for a few hours tonight.
Sheâs quick to respond.
of course, miss grier. see you at eight.
Maeve sighs with relief as she tries to enjoy the movie.
***
Harper fell asleep halfway through the movie so Maeve carries her to bed, gently tucking her in. âGoodnight, my love,â Maeve whispers to her daughter. âSweet dreams.â
She quietly leaves her daughterâs bedroom before making her way down to hers. Itâs nearly eight, and itâs going to take her about forty minutes to get from her house in West Covina to Royal Nightclub in North Hollywood.
Not wanting to go over the top since it is just drinks with co-workers, Maeve picks a casual but sexy outfit. She grabs a white bodysuit with a U neck that reveals some cleavage. The straps on the shoulders are thin and the back is open. She grabs a pair of high-waisted black jeans to put over the bodysuit and a Gucci belt to put around her waist. Maeve puts on a pair of white heels to complete the outfit.
Maeve puts on light makeup, just enough to cover any blemishes and dark circles, and brushes out her naturally wavy brown hair.
As sheâs grabbing her ID, car keys, and phone, thereâs a light knock at the front door. Maeve walks downstairs and opens the door, revealing Nylah. âThank you for coming on such short notice,â Maeve quietly says. âHarperâs fast asleep. I should be back by midnight. Iâll let you know if something changes though.â
Nylah nods and says, âOf course, Miss Grier. Enjoy your night. If you need me to stay overnight, I will.â
âI donât think youâll need to stay overnight but thank you for the offer, Nylah,â Maeve says, âSee you later.â
Then Maeve leaves. Sheâs quick to hop in her car and drive to the club where sheâs meeting everyone.
She has no idea if Chris told Eddie about Harper. Honestly, she doesnât know how much longer she can keep Harper a secret. She just doesnât want to be judged for the fact that she got pregnant and had a baby at 18 in Los Angeles with no job and a dead boyfriend.
Not that she thinks the 118 will judge her, but sheâs been judged before and she hated that feeling and doesnât want to go through that again.
A very short forty minute drive later, she arrives at Royal Nightclub. Maeve notices the group waiting in line to go inside. She gets out of her car and joins them.
âMaeve!â Hen says as soon as she notices Maeve walking up to them. âYou came! We werenât sure if you were going to come or not. Buck told us you didnât give a definitive answer and that you looked upset when he brought up that we were going out.â
She puts a smile on her face, saying, âI wouldnât miss drinks with my favorite co-workers.â
Buck, who has his arm draped around a redheaded woman, says, âI think I figured out why you looked so sad when I brought up that we were going out and bringing whoever we were seeing or who weâre married to. Considering you walked up alone.â
Maeve blinks at Buck and says, âNo, Iâm not dating anyone. I donât know how youâre dating someone though. Youâre annoying as hell sometimes.â Then she sends him a smile so he knows sheâs messing with him.
He laughs and shakes his head, looking at his girlfriend then back to Maeve. âMaeve, this is my girlfriend, Taylor Kelly. Taylor, meet Eddieâs replacement, Maeve Grier.â
Maeve rolls her eyes and says, âIâm not Eddieâs replacement.â
âAnd Iâm not annoying as hell,â Buck retorts.
Taylor says, âOh no. You are, sometimes.â She puts her hand on Buckâs chest as she looks up at him.
The group laughs.
Then Bobby introduces Maeve to his wife, LAPD sergeant Athena Grant. âWonderful to meet you, Maeve,â Athena says when Bobby is done introductions.
Eddie then walks up and says, âHope I didnât miss the fun part.â
âJust in time,â Hen says as they slowly make their way in one-by-one.
The club has a stage, a bar, and a large dance floor thatâs surrounded by high-top tables and booths that line the wall. Neon lights flash as some dance song plays. A bunch of people are on the dance floor.
Maeve finds her way to the bar, Eddie right behind her.
After ordering drinks, Eddie looks over at Maeve and says, âA daughter, huh?â
And there it is.
âHarper,â Maeve says, looking over at Eddie. âWho is apparently a very big fan of your son because he let her borrow his crayons. He seems very proud of the fact that youâre a firefighter.â
Eddie laughs and says, âChristopher loves to brag that Iâm a firefighter. Heâs also a big fan of your daughter. Said she was super nice and helpful. Apparently he wants Harper over to play video games with him.â
Drinks arrive and Maeve says, âHarper loves Mariokart so you better have that if sheâs going to come over and play video games with Christopher.â
âWe got al kinds of video games,â Eddie states. âDoes everyone know about Harper?â
Maeve shakes her head and says, âNo. I havenât told them. I donât know how to tell them about my ten year old daughter that I had at 18 after I had just moved to Los Angeles and right after my boyfriend, her father, died. I feel judged when I tell people that, and the only reason Iâm telling you is because our children will probably grow to be friends with each other.â
Eddie gets his drink and says, âTheyâre not the ones that usually judge people. Except Buck. I wouldnât tell him until you absolutely needed to.â
She laughs and the two rejoin the group.
Itâs about eleven when she finds herself alone with Buck. Everyone went to dance and Taylor went to the bathroom. Maeve sits alone with Buck at their table.
âEnjoying yourself?â Buck leans over and asks. âYou seem loose. How much have you had to drink?â
Maeve looks at Buck before saying, âIâm sober enough to drive home if thatâs what youâre asking. I can have fun and be sober.â
Buck laughs and says, âIâm just making sure. I wouldnât want you to get into an accident on your way home.â
Without thinking, Maeve says, âI donât want to end up like my dead boyfriend, thank you very much.â
The mood shifts and Buckâs face falls. âSo thatâs why you looked sad when I told you we were all bringing the person weâre with. Itâs not the fact that you were single but because your boyfriend died. How did he die? How long ago?â
She shakes her head and says, âIâm not doing this. We donât have to do the thing were we get to know each other because Iâm temporary, right? Iâm leaving as soon as Eddie recovers from his gunshot wound anyway so why would I tell you anything about my past?â
Buck blinks at Maeve. âIâm your friend, Maeve,â Buck states. âOr so I thought.â
âYou didnât start treating me like a normal human being until today and you want to act like weâre friends?â Maeve asks. âSeriously, Buck?â
He shrugs and says, âI was worried for my friendâs job.â
Maeve says, âThat doesnât give you a right to treat me like dirt, Buck. You made it sound like I was a bad person for temporarily filling in for an injured firefighter.â
âI didnât mean to-â Buck begins but Maeve just gets up and walks off. âWhere are you going?â
She calls back, âHome. Iâm no longer having fun.â
Maeve leaves the nightclub and gets in her car. Her hands are shaking and her mind is racing. She feels justified in her reaction to Buck asking about Luke. She didnât even mean to bring up the car accident Luke was killed in, but she needed to leave. She hates talking about it, especially when she knows she has to drive home and right past were Luke was killed.
With a sigh, she begins her long drive home.
Nylah sits on the couch watching some kind of late night show on low volume. She looks back at Maeve and asks, âEverything okay? You look exhausted.â
âIâm fine,â Maeve lies. âYouâre free to go. Iâve got it from here. Thank you.â
Her babysitter nods, collects her things, and leaves. Maeve sulks upstairs and changes from her outfit that she went out in into her fuzzy pajama pants. She ties her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head before she goes and checks on Harper.
Harper lays on her side facing the door. She sleeps peacefully and Maeve smiles at her daughter. She looks so much like Luke, sometimes it scares Maeve. Harper has his green eyes but Maeveâs brown locks. She has Lukeâs nose and facial structure but Maeveâs lips.
Maeve quietly shuts the door and goes to her own bedroom, crawling into bed and falling asleep with nothing but the look of Buckâs hurt face on her mind.
summary of part: itâs Maeveâs first day at the 118, and sheâs not greeted by one Evan Buckley the way that she hoped. then she finds out why heâs so hostile toward her.
rating of part: PG
warnings: slightly angsty, some language, mentions of a shooting, mentions of a car accident. description of an injured person on a call
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Maeve was more nervous to join the 118 than she was to take the exams she needed to take to become a paramedic, and even the firefighter certifications she had to get before she could work for the Los Angeles Fire Department. Sheâs worked for the LAFD before, but it was something about the 118 that made her nervous.
Maybe it was the fact that Captain Bobby Nash told her that he was bringing her in temporarily while one of their guys was out. She had no idea how the team was going to react to a new paramedic coming in. Maeve had no idea why they needed to bring in someone temporary, and itâs making her slightly nervous.
She hopes that even though sheâs a temporary addition to the 118 that theyâll welcome her with kindness and open arms.
But, that was not the case when she entered the 118 with her duffel bag full of personal items for her locker.
Captain Nash was standing on the second floor, looking over the railing, âMaeve Grier?â he calls down at her.
Maeve stops walking and looks up at her temporary new captain. âThatâs me, uh, Captain Nash,â she says.
He waves her upstairs and she jogs up the stairs, slightly winded from the climb up.
The first thing she notices is everyone sitting around the upper floor. Firefighters and paramedics sitting on the couches, the comfy chairs, the chairs at the dining room table. All over the place.
All those eyes land on Maeve as she makes her way to Captain Nash.
He offers Maeve his hand, saying, âWelcome to the 118, Firefighter Grier.â
Maeve shakes his hand and says, âGlad to be here, Captain Nash.â
âCall me Bobby,â he says. âLet me introduce you to everyone.â
Bobby begins to point around the room. âThatâs Howard Han,â he says, pointing at the guy sitting at the dining room table. âWe call him Chimney though. Donât ask how he got that nickname.â Then he points to the woman sitting with Chimney. âThatâs Henrietta Wilson, also known as Hen.â
Then he points to the attractive man sitting on the loveseat. He has blonde hair and his blue eyes are looking right at Maeve. She notices the mark around his eye, coming to the conclusion that itâs some kind of birthmark. âAnd thatâs Evan Buckley,â Bobby says. âBuck.â
Buckâs eye flicker away from Maeve, looking at Bobby. âThis is Eddieâs replacement, huh?â Buck says to Bobby. âReally? Heâs not going to be gone that long. Just a few weeks.â
âBuck, weâve talked about this,â Bobby sighs. âMaeve is just here until Eddie gets back.â
Maeveâs eyes widen and she looks at Buck. âI donât mean to be anyoneâs replacement,â she tells him. âI promise Iâm only here until this Eddie gets back to work. Iâm temporary.â
âRight,â Buck says. âExcuse me.â He pushes himself up from his seat and walks down the stairs. Maeve flinches when she hears a door slam.
With a sigh, Bobby says, âHen will show you to the locker room and go over the rules of the house with you. I need to go deal with Mister Buckley.â Then Bobby walks down the stairs, following Buck.
Thereâs a presence behind Maeve and she turns around. The woman named Hen stands behind her. âDonât worry about Buck,â she says. âHeâs just been going through a lot. Come on. Iâll show you around a bit.â
Hen leads Maeve downstairs and back into the locker rooms. She opens Maeveâs locker for her and she begins to put her things inside.
Maeve can already tell that Buck isnât her biggest fan. He thinks sheâs replacing Eddie, whoever Eddie is. Obviously Eddie is very close to Buck, and the 118, but sheâs not here to step on any toes or be anyoneâs replacement. Thatâs not what she wanted to happen, and now she got off on the wrong foot with someone.
Day one is already a disaster and she doesnât think it could get any worse.
Maybe Maeve can find out who Eddie is so maybe she can understand why Buck is acting the way he is. Maybe itâll help to understand what Buckâs going through so she can avoid upsetting him any more than she already has.
âWhoâs Eddie?â Maeve suddenly asks Hen.
Hen, who sits on the bench in the locker room, says, âEddie Diaz. He works for the 118 but he was injured in the line of duty a few days ago. We donât know when heâll be back so Bobby brought you in so weâre not down a man until Eddie gets back.â
Maeve closes her new, and temporary, locker. She turns toward Hen. âIâm so sorry that your friend got injured,â she says. âGetting injured is my worst nightmare. I donât think that my-â Maeve cuts herself off before quickly recovering. âFamily. I donât think that my family would appreciate it if I got injured.â
She just met Hen and sheâs not ready to disclose the fact that she has a 10-year-old daughter at 28-years-old. Harper is the love of Maeveâs life, especially after Harperâs father died. She vowed to protect Harper with her life.
Then Hen asks the question she didnât want to answer.
âDo you have a husband? Or kids?â she asks.
Maeve contemplates her answer before saying, âNo husband. Not one thatâs living, anyway. He died about 10 years ago, and he did tell me that weâd get married eventually but he passed away before it could happen.â
Maybe talking about her dead boyfriend will get Hen off her case about kids.
Henâs face softens. âOh, Maeve,â she practically gasps. âI am so sorry that you went through that. I canât imagine losing my wife, Karen. I donât think I would survive.â
Maeve gives Hen a soft smile, saying, âItâs been a few years so I can talk about it.â
âHow did he pass?â Hen curiously asks.
She sighs and thinks back to the day her daughterâs father died. Maeve bites her bottom lip gently, wondering if she should go into complete detail. Maeveâs temporary, she knows that, so why should she open up about her past?
Odds are, Maeve will never speak to any of the 118 after sheâs reassigned when Eddie gets back.
Although, no one in Los Angeles knows about her past. Her past co-workers have never met her daughter. Some how, some way, she trusts Hen enough to tell her what happened.
âHe was driving home from a job interview,â Maeve begins. âWe had just moved to Los Angeles from Chicago. I had enrolled in an EMT program a few days prior and he was going to work while I trained to become a paramedic. It was a hit and run accident, and the driver hasnât been caught yet.â
Hen listens to every word that you say, âI am very sorry for your loss, Maeve. How long has it been?â
Maeve plays with the locket around her neck that she had pulled out of her shirt at this point. The locket with a picture of her, Luke, and Harperâs ultrasound picture inside. The only family picture she will ever have of the three of them.
She misses Luke dearly even though itâs been ten years since he was killed. She often finds herself wishing that Harper had a father or a father figure around for Harper as sheâs grown up. Maeveâs dated around since Lukeâs death, but there hasnât been anyone that she trusted enough to introduce him to Harper.
âTen years,â Maeve says quietly, responding to Henâs question.
Henâs eyes soften and she says, âWow, so young. You canât be older than thirty years old and you lost someone you loved so young.â
Maeve sighs, âIâm 28. I lost him at 18.â
Then the bell goes off, signaling the a call. Hen gets up and Maeve follows her. After being given her temporary gear, Maeve dresses into it before joining Hen, Chimney, Bobby, and Buck in one of the trucks.
Buckâs eyes are on Maeve as she takes a seat. She puts the headset on and Buckâs voice comes through. âThatâs Eddieâs seat,â he tells her.
Chimney blinks at Buck and says, âThereâs nowhere else for her to sit, Buck.â
âIâm just saying,â Buck mumbles.
The rest of the ride to the call is uncomfortably quiet.
Maeve wants to meet this Eddie that Buck keeps bringing up. Are this Eddie and Buck involved in some way or are they just really close friends and heâs just really protective of Eddie?
She also wants to know what actually happened to Eddie. All Maeve knows is that Eddie was injured on the job, but what happened?
Her mind wanders to what couldâve happened to him as they pull up to the scene.
A fire blazes in a large building. Smoke comes from multiple windows and people are running around. Chaos is how Maeve would probably describe this scene.
Everyone piles out of the truck and Bobby starts giving instructions. âHen, Chimney,â he says. âBegin doing triage over there and if thereâs a call for someone that needs medical assistance, go and help.â He points Hen and Chimney in the direction of the blue tents before Bobby looks at you and Buck. âGrier, Buck, you two assist on search and rescue inside. Floors one through five have been searched and cleared. Floors six through ten are being searched now so go and help in any way that you can.â
Buck looks down at Maeve and walks off. She nods at Bobby before grabbing her mask and walking beside Buck.
âIâm not replacing Eddie,â Maeve says as she walks toward the burning building with Buck. âI hope you know that.â
He doesnât say anything to Maeve before walking into the building. A sigh passes Maeveâs lips before she follows him inside.
The two of them walk up several flights of steps with several pounds of firefighter gear on them. Maeve falls behind a bit and Buck doesnât stop to help. Sheâs practically gasping for breath as they make it up to the seventh floor.
Buck pushes open the emergency stairs door and begins to call out âLAFDâ and âLos Angeles Fire Department, is anyone here?â Maeve joins in and calls out.
Then Maeve hears a banging noise. Like metal on metal kind of banging. âBuck, over here,â she says before running off down the hallway.
âGrier, hold on,â Buck says, catching up to her. âYou canât just go running down a smoke filled hallway like that. Itâs not safe. What if you ran into something and hurt yourself because you couldnât see?â
Maeve looks up at Buck. âIt sounds like you do care for me, Buck,â she teases.
He rolls his eyes and says, âI donât care that youâre only filling in for Eddie, but you are a part of this team so I do care for you and will watch your back.â
She blinks at him then realizes the banging sound is closer. Maeve walks away from Buck and checks in every room before finally finding the one that the banging is coming from.
âLAFD!â Maeve calls out. âIs someone in here?â
A voice by the desk in the room calls back, âOver here! I canât move.â
Maeve makes her way over to the voice and finds a woman impaled by some kind of thin metal pole. Another metal pole is in her left hand. âHow did this happen?â Maeve asks, kneeling beside the woman.
The woman looks almost relieved when she sees Maeveâs face. âThere was an explosion,â she explains. âShook the entire building. I think it was a floor or two above me. A piece of the ceiling collapsed on me and impaled me.â Buckâs eyes are on the metal pole coming out of the womanâs side. âI cleared the part of the ceiling away but the pole stayed.â
âWhatâs your name?â Maeve asks as she grabs her med kit off her back.
âPam,â the woman says. âAm I going to die?â
After a quick examination, Maeve shakes her head. âThe pole missed your kidney and every other important organ,â she explains. âItâs just gonna hurt like hell until they take it out at the hospital.â
Pam lets out a breathy laugh and says, âMaybe I can sue the department for this and get that raise Iâve deserved for the past few years but never got.â
Maeve cranks her head and looks up at Buck. âCan you find something we can transport her on?â she asks. âWe donât have a backboard to carry her on and I donât want her to walk and risk actually hitting an important organ that she needs.â
Buck nods and walks off.
âHeâs kinda cute,â Pam says when Buckâs out of earshot.
Maeve shrugs and says, âHavenât seen much of him to know that. He said like three sentences to me today and practically has been avoiding me. I think heâs a little upset with me.â She wraps gauze around the pole so the bleeding stops.
Pam laughs and says, âIt was all in those icy blue eyes that were on me. I could tell thereâs a load of cute under that mask. I donât know how you work with that.â
She shakes her head, saying, âItâs my first day working with him.â
Maeve wonât lie though. In that two seconds she talked to Buck at the firehouse before he ran off, she thought he was attractive. Any guy that looks like Buck though either sleeps around or is in a relationship. Maeve knows that from experience.
Then Buck comes running back. âAll I found was a broken piece of a wooden desk. It looks like the top of it,â Buck says, playing down a long piece of wood. âThink itâll work?â
Maeve nods and says, âOkay, Pam. Weâre gonna get you on your side on the wood. Itâs what Buckley and I will carry you on to get you out of here.â
Buck pulls out a little oxygen tank and puts the mask on Pam. Maeve points at Pamâs feet and Buck grabs her ankles. Maeve grabs under her arms saying, âThree, two, one. Move.â
The two of them lift Pam up, laying her on her side on the makeshift backboard. Pam groans in pain as Buck and Maeve move her.
âHow are you feeling, Pam?â Maeve asks, handing Pam the oxygen tank to hold so they can move her.
Pam gives a thumbs up and Maeve laughs.
Buck grabs one end of the board and Maeve grabs the other. Both lift with their legs before making their way down the stairs. Maeve prays they get down safely and without any trouble. Pam needs to get to a hospital as soon as possible. While the pole hit no vital organs, thereâs that risk for internal bleeding.
Ten minutes later, they find themselves outside. Buck and Maeve hand Pam off to two of the doctors working in triage. Maeve pulls off her mask to breathe in actual air. Buck does the same.
âNot bad, Grier,â Buck says.
Maeve looks up at Buck, who finally took off his mask. She examines almost every part of his face.
Buckâs eyes arenât really icy blue but they are definitely blue. His blonde hair is all over the place from his helmet and back. Maeve notices some curls trying to come through. Soot from being inside a burning building covers any of his exposed skin. Heâs also really tall, definitely over six feet. His gear covers whatâs probably a muscular figure.
Damn, Maeve thinks to herself. Too bad he hates me. Heâs definitely more attractive than she first thought.
âEarth to Grier,â Buck says, waving his hand in her face. âWhereâd you go?â
Maeve gently shakes her head. âSorry, zoned out. It happens sometimes,â she states. âUm, do we go back in?â
Buck nods and says, âYeah. Thereâs someone on the eighth floor that needs our help. Hen and Chimney are up there now but they radioed in saying that thereâs another person that needs our help.â
She nods and puts her gear back on before following Buck back into the building.
As they climb the stairs for the second time, Buck helps Maeve up if she falls behind. Maeve takes this as a sign that hopefully Buck doesnât completely hate her guts and is beginning to accept that sheâs part of this team until this Eddie person gets back.
***
Back at the firehouse after theyâre dismissed from the call, Maeve takes off her gear. Chimney walks up to her and says, âHell of a first day with the 118, huh?â
âDefinitely,â Maeve says, hanging up her gear in the gear lockers. âIt was nice to just be thrown in though. I really feel like a part of this team, even if it is temporary.â
Chimney chuckles and says, âStop saying youâre just a temporary addition to the team. If Cap likes you enough then maybe heâll decide to keep you around.â
âExactly,â Hen says. âRight now youâre filling in for Eddie, but when heâs back then maybe Cap will make you a permanent addition to the team.â
Maeve nods and finishes hanging up her things. âWhat exactly happened to Eddie?â she curiously asks. âHen said that he was injured in the line of duty but what actually happened?â
A voice behind Maeve speaks up. âHe was shot,â Buck says, making Maeve spin around. Heâs pointing to his right shoulder. âRight here. His blood was all over me. He was shot right in front of me by Ethan Copeland, a guy targeting firefighters. Thatâs whoâs spot youâre taking. He was shot and now heâs being replaced.â
âBuck, Iâm not replacing Eddie,â Maeve says to him. âIâm here until Eddie comes back. Thatâs it. If Captain Nash wants me to be a permanent member of the team when Eddie comes back then great, Iâll stay. The plan right now though is for me to leave when Eddie comes back from his injury, okay? Thatâs it.â
Hen jumps to your defense. âBuck, the girl has just been thrown into the job on her first day,â she says. âYou worked with her all day. Does it seem like sheâs really going to replace Eddie? Does she seem like the person that will beg to stay and get Eddie transferred?â
Buck looks down and mumbles, âI guess not.â Then he walks off. Maeve looks at Hen, mouthing âthank youâ to her. She nods and follows Buck.
Chimney says, âCome on. Iâll show you all the pictures of my new baby girl that my girlfriend sent to me. Baby pictures cheer everyone up.â
âI just need to shower really quick,â Maeve states. âCan you point me in the direction of the showers?â Chimney nods and points back at the locker room. Maeve thanks him before walking back to take a quick shower.
While standing in the hot water, Maeveâs mind wanders to Buck. She donât know why he has it in his head that sheâs going to keep Eddie from getting his job back once heâs recovered. Obviously Buck and Eddie are close, and Buck will do anything to make sure Eddie stays with the 118. Sheâs not here to replace anyone.
But sheâd certainly like to stay. Maybe she can talk to Bobby about it before sheâs transferred when Eddie gets back. Until then, sheâs going to get on Buckâs good side.
summary: Eddie and reader are held hostage, and Buck is freaking out
rating: PG
warnings: some of the events of 5x06 (Eddie and reader being held hostage), mentions of anxiety, description of an injury. back and forth povs between reader and Buck
Anxiety runs through your veins as the engine pulls up to the prison. Even from out here you can hear the alarms and see some smoke coming from what are probably broken windows. You glance over at Buck sitting beside you, and his blue eyes meet yours. He mouths, âOkay?â
You shake your head in reply. The engine stops and Buckâs hand rests on yours. You send him a small smile before everyone gets out of the truck.
Bobby begins talking to one of the guards, who says, âWe managed to put out the smaller fires, but the biggest oneâs still burning in the HVAC corridor.â
Concerned, Cap asks, âWhat are we walking through to get to the fire?â
The guard looks up at Bobby and says, âDanger. The riotâs only forty percent contained at the moment, so youâll be escorted by four of my men in full protective gear carrying nonlethal weaponry. The main corridor is clear and locked down tight. Weâll get you in and out safely. You just have to take care of that fire.â
You, Buck, Eddie, Bobby, Hen, and Ravi all begin to walk into the prison. Youâre on edge, and walking closer to Buck than you probably should be. Your shoulder bumps Buckâs every so often as you make your way through the smoke-filled hallways of the prison.
The six of you find your way to the HVAC corridor, working together to put out the fire. Ravi shuts off the system thatâs sucking the smoke into the vents and distributing it throughout the prison.
Buck and Eddie put out the fire almost as soon as Ravi shuts off the system.
One of the guards that escorted you guys to the fire says, âAll right, guys, letâs go.â
Bobby nods at the guard, saying, âYou got it.â Then he looks at the main guard, Garcia. âOkay, Garcia, fireâs out.â
Garcia looks at Bobby. âSorry. Block threeâs blowing up. I got to go deal with that,â he says. You look at Bobby, eyes widening.Â
âWhat about our escort?â Bobby asks.
âBlock two is still locked down,â Garcia says. âWilkinson can handle your walk out. Come on, letâs go.â
You look at Buck, who is carrying the hose. He looks back at you.
Then Bobby says, âOkay, 118, letâs go.â
As you walk out with the 118 and Wilkinson, Bobby stops everyone. He and Hen stop walking and look around. When everyoneâs quiet, you hear a wheezing man.
Henn asks, âWhat is that? Is someone else in here?â
Wilkinson looks surprised. âNo,â he states. âThis area should be secure.â
Bobby looks at a part of the room, saying, âOver here.â Then he leads the group over to where he heard the noise.
You spot a two injured men on the floor, injured and bleeding. All of you assess the situation, deciding on saving the pair. You carry the men out of the room and one of the men start having a seizure. Hen stops them. You and Eddie, carrying the second man, turn and look as they lay the man behind you on the floor.
âAll right, you guys go,â Bobby tells you and Eddie. âYour guy can barely breathe. Go, weâre gonna be right behind you. Thatâs an order. Now, go.â
Wilkinson says, âProtocol says you got to have two guards with you.â
As you and Eddie are leaving, Eddie calls back, âPlenty of room if you want to join.â
You hear a guard say into a radio that they need a guard escort for the ambulance. Wilkinson walks you and Eddie out. âI got to get back in there. Donât try to leave without that escort, all right?â he warns the two of you. He walks back inside and, with Eddieâs help, you load the inmate into the ambulance.
Two guards walk up a few moments later. âYou guys our escort?â
One of the guards says, âYes, sir. Letâs get moving.â One climbs into the back with Eddie and the inmate and the other sits up with you in the front of the ambulance. You drive, leaving the prison property.
Somehow, you canât shake the feeling that something is off. The guard beside you keeps looking at you, and you glance in the mirror to look at Eddie and the guard sitting with him.Â
A few moments later, Bobbyâs voice comes in over the radio. â118 ambulance, come in,â he says.  âEddie, Y/N, come in.â You glance at the radio and the guard beside you looks at you. Before you can reach for the radio to answer Bobby back, the guard pulls a gun on you. You sigh and feel your hands get sweaty.
âMm-mm,â the guard says as Bobbyâs voice comes in again, calling for you or Eddie. You look over at the guard trying to stay calm. âKill the lights and sirens.â You do as your told, not wanting to get shot today.
AÂ âwhat the hellâ comes from Eddie in the back.
The guard, well prisoner, says in the back, âI canât thank you both enough. Iâve waited eighteen years to get the hell out of that place.â You glance in the rearview mirror at Eddie, who is staring at the escaped prisoner in front of him.
The escaped prisoners make you pull over, and force you and Eddie out of the ambulance. Both of them have weapons pointed at you and Eddie. The one prisoner shoves you toward Eddie. The one man, who takes off the jacket, says, âCheck âem.â
You do your best to stay calm in this worst case scenario situation. You find yourself wishing Buck was here, but you know Eddie was in the army so you feel somewhat safe with Eddie.
The second man begins to check you, hitting every pocket. He takes your phone and your wallet, as well as Eddieâs when he checks him.
Eddieâs the first to talk.
âOkay, so you broke out,â he says. âWhat now? Patient in there currently fighting for every breath. That your handiwork?â
Shut up, Eddie. Sarcasm isnât getting you out of this one.
Your eyes are on the other prisoner while Eddie gets searched. When both men are by the ambulance, you lean over and ask, âSo, what do we do?â
âDonât know yet,â Eddie says, voice as quiet as yours is.
âMaybe they just want the ambulance?â you suggest, watching the prisoners go through your things.
Eddie shakes his head. âWhy would they search us if theyâre gonna leave us behind?â he asks in reply to your question. âThereâs two of us. Thereâs two of them. Thereâs two-â
His sentence is cut off by one of the men saying, âCute kid. Yours?â You look up at the prisoner to see heâs holding a picture of Eddieâs son, Christopher. You glance at Eddie before looking back at the men. âIâm guessing he lives with you at 4995 South Bedford Street?â Eddie looks pissed off that he mentioned Christopher.
The other guard looks at your phoneâs wallpaper. âCute dogs,â he says. âWhoâs this guy standing with you though? Boyfriend? You look kind of cute with the dogs. Itâd be a shame if something happened to any of them.â
âHey, man,â you say beginning to moves toward the men. âHey, donât even-â Then you get hit with the butt of a gun, making you stumble back. You pull your hand back to find your fingers covered in your blood.
âOkay, no now that weâre all on the same page,â the other prisoner says. âHereâs whatâs gonna happen next.â
You look up at Eddie to find heâs staying unnaturally calm for someone to just threatened his son.
***
Buckâs POV
As soon as we found out that the guards that were with Y/N and Eddie werenât actually guards, Iâve been trying to get in touch with either of them. Both of my closest friends are in danger, and thereâs nothing that I can do to help them.
Y/N was so freaked out as we were pulling up in the truck, and now itâs possibly her worst case scenario. I would do anything to tell her that sheâll be okay and that sheâll get out of this situation alive. We donât know which prisoners are with Eddie and Y/N, but all I know is that they better keep their hands off of my best friends.
While Ravi and Bobby go and take care of the solution to our problem, Hen and the prison medic work on our injured guard. I sit in the corner and call Eddie and Y/N repeatedly.
Hen glances back at you, saying, âYouâre worried.â
âOf course Iâm worried,â I say, ending another call where Iâve been sent to voicemail.
âAbout Eddie? Or the fact that the girl youâre in love with is possibly in a hostage situation?â Hen asks.
I call Y/N again, saying to Hen while the phone rings, âEddie can handle himself in combat. Y/N is a paramedic with no hand-to-hand combat experience. Iâm not in love with her.â Right?
Iâm sent to voicemail again and this time, I leave one. âY/N,â I say. âCall me back as soon as you can. I need to know that youâre okay, that Eddieâs okay. Please call me when you get this.â
Hen rolls her eyes. âRight, you donât love Y/N, at least admit you have feelings for her,â she tries again.
âY/N and I are not together,â I restate for whatâs the millionth time. âWeâre friends, and thatâs all weâll ever be.â
Okay, maybe I do have some feelings for Y/N, but she doesnât like me like that. She probably never will. Sheâs seen the side of me that hasnât been apart of me since before Abby. She wouldnât want to be with me, but thatâs not me anymore.
Or maybe that today is the reason why I should just tell her how I feel because Iâm terrified of losing her.
***
Your POV
Youâre now sitting in the back with Eddie and the lead prisoner out of the two that escaped with you and Eddie. Eddie continues working on the patient while you sit and make sure the prisoner doesnât try anything, like shooting one of you. Eddie doesnât need to be shot in the line of duty again, and youâd like to make it home to your dogs.
âIs he alright?â the prisoner holding a gun to Eddie asks.
Eddieâs smartass says, âOther than choking on his own blood? Y/N, hand me the Yankauer suction tube.â You do.
The prisoner says, âHey, just make sure he doesnât die in here.â
Now itâs your turn to say something sarcastic. âSuddenly, you care about the guy you almost beat to death?â you ask.
âHey, if I wanted this guy dead, heâd be dead,â the prisoner states. âI kept him alive. Now you do the same.â
After what seems like hours later, the prisoner finally speaks. âWhat are you doing now?â
Eddie, whoâs busy with the patient, says, âIntubating him. Y/N, hand me the bougie. Long blue tube in the cabinet.â You hand Eddie what he needs, eyes on the gun now pointed at you.
The man up front, driving the ambulance, says, âAlmost there, Mitch.â
You look out the window and see the emergency sign. âWait, you guys are serious?â you ask. âWeâre really going to a hospital?â You shift your attention to Mitch.
âThought thatâs what you wanted,â says Mitch. âYouâre so concerned about the health of your friend here. Now you can walk him through the front doors.â
The prisoner driving the ambulance pulls up to the hospital and Mitch says, âOkay, one of you gets to walk this guy inside and the other stays with me.â
Eddie looks right at you and says, âY/N, go.â
âEddie-â you begin to protest. He puts his hand up to stop you from talking.
 Mitch looks between the two of you as Eddie says, âIâll stay with him. Go. Iâll be fine.â
You look at Eddie and say, âYou need to this about your son, Eddie. Donât intentionally put yourself in harms way when you have him to think about.â
âIâm not,â he says. âIâm thinking about what will be best for everyone. I donât think Evan would be very happy if I let you sit in an ambulance with a gun pointed at you for who knows how long.â
Evan. Oh my God, Buck. He has to be going crazy. You and Eddie are his closest friends at the 118. The three of you spend so much time together.
Eddieâs right though. Buck wouldnât be very happy if he let you sit in an ambulance with a loaded gun pointed at you.
âIt doesnât look like we have any company,â the still unnamed prisoner says as he opens the back doors.
Mitch says, âAll right, pretty boy stays with me. Dom, you and the girl take our friend inside. Hand him off, then you know what to do.â
You decide to open your mouth. âHey, man, listen, I donât know what you want, but there is a hospital full of sick people-â
âJust go, or Iâll shoot you,â Mitch says. âOr better yet, I shoot him. And then I find his kid and I shoot him, too. Or even better yet, I find this âEvanâ and I shoot him.
Eddie, whoâs now bagging the injured man, says, âY/N.â
You look around and stay seated.
Then thereâs movement, and everything happens quickly. You find yourself on the ground outside the ambulance. Thereâs a sharp pain in your wrist after you landed on it weirdly. You notice a bone protruding, causing a lump in your wrist.
âY/Nâ Eddie says, now very worried.
You groan, âIâm fine. Letâs get the guy inside.â Eddie helps Dom get the injured man out of the ambulance since you now have a broken wrist.
Dom helps you roll the guy inside. âNice and steady,â Dom says. âJust like youâve done it a thousand times before.â
The ER doors open and you walk insideÂ
âOkay,â the escaped prisoner says. âWhere do we go?â
You push through another set of door. âThis way,â you mumble, using your good hand to bag the injured man on the gurney.
There is no one walking around. No patients on the beds.
âWhere the hell is everyone?â Dom asks.
Then heâs grabbed. Then your grabbed, being forced to the ground. Someone grabs your wrists and you cry out in pain. âHey, hey,â you cry out. âIâm a firefighter.â Youâre brought down to the ground. âY/N L/N of the 118, ah!â
Thatâs when you hear Athenaâs voice. âY/N? Y/N!â she says. âUh, hey. This oneâs good. Let her up. Let her go.â
Once youâre back up on your feet, Athena asks, âYou good?â
âYeah,â you say. âHowâd you know we were coming here?â You clutch your injured wrist that will most likely need surgery to repair.
Athena tells you, âWe figured out why Mitchell broke out. Where is he? Whereâs Mitchell?â
You sigh and say, âStill in the ambulance. With Eddie.â
She glances down at you grasping your wrist. âYou should get that checked out,â she tells you. âLooks serious.â You nod and she walks off. You go and find an orthopedic doctor that can help you out.
***
Buckâs POV
I get to the hospital as quickly as I can as soon as Athena calls me.
âOkay, Buck,â Athena said when I answered the phone. âListen to me closely. Y/N is fine, she just broke her wrist and a light concussion after getting hit with the butt of a gun. Sheâs upstairs in surgery because the doctors were worried about the functionality of the wrist and range of motion so theyâre putting in screws to help the wrist heal properly. She should be out soon. Eddieâs in the waiting room with Mitchell Trentâs ex awaiting news about her son.â
That call was nearly an hour ago. Who knows how long ago Y/N went into surgery. I could feel my heart breaking at Athenaâs words as she tells me that Y/N was hurt today.
I burst through the doors of the emergency room, Bobby and Hen right behind me because Athena called Bobby right before me. Athena sits in the emergency room waiting room with other LAPD officers.
âIs she out?â I ask, walking up to Athena. âIs Y/N out of surgery?â
Athena says, âSheâs in recovery and sheâs awake. I told them that only you and Eddie are allowed to go up to see her for right now. Poor girl is probably traumatized from today. Glad sheâs going to get a little break while she recovers.â
She motions for a nurse to bring me upstairs. A nurse in mint green scrubs leads me to the elevator, pressing the third floor. I rub my hands together as the elevator ascends.
âGirlfriend?â the nurse asks.
Not yet. âNo,â I say. âA close friend. I just want to make sure sheâs okay after the day sheâs had.â
The nurse glances at me before saying, âWell, sheâs lucky she has a good close friend like you. Do me a favor, tell her how you feel because today couldâve gone a lot worse than it did for her.â Yeah, youâre telling me.
Once the elevator doors open the nurse walks to the desk. She grabs a visitor sticker, writing my last name from the little metal tag I have on my uniform shirt and what I assume is Y/Nâs room number on it. She hands it to me and I stick it to my chest, opposite my badge.
âRoom 325,â the nurse says to me. âRemember what I said, Buckley.â
I nod and walk off to find room 325. I knock on the door and peak my head in. Y/N sits up in bed, her left arm wrapped up in a large cast. Her hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. Thereâs a small bandage on her forehead.
Sheâs a beautiful mess. My beautiful mess.
âGood thing Iâm right handed,â Y/N jokes.
I close the door and walk over to her. âShut up,â I tell her.
My mind takes over my body before I can stop myself, and suddenly on leaning over Y/Nâs bed with my lips on hers. I donât pull away, and neither does she. My lips move in sync against Y/Nâs, like we had shared a million kisses before this one. I even feel her uncasted hand reach up and cup the back of my neck, not letting me pull back from the kiss.
I thought about how I would greet Y/N after today. I was in a prison in the middle of a riot and she was held hostage by escaped prisoners. I had no idea how I was going to greet her, but knowing I couldâve lost her made me realize that I do actually have feelings for my best friend.
This was the best greeting that I could think of in the few minutes I had before I opened the door to her room. As soon as I saw that she was okay, I just had to kiss her. I had to let her know how I felt without telling her.
Now that Iâm kissing her, I regret not doing it sooner
I am the first to pull back from the kiss. My eyes meet Y/Nâs. Both of us are quiet before Y/N breaks the silence with, âItâs good to see you too, Buck.â
âI was terrified,â I tell her honestly. âAs soon as we figured out that escaped prisoners went with you instead of guards, my heart dropped into my stomach. I couldnât stop thinking about what was happening to you. I couldnât stop thinking about how I couldâve lost you without telling you that I have very strong feelings for you.â
Y/N smiles up at me and says, âI have very strong feelings for you too, Evan.â
My first name has never sounded better.
I smile back down at her before she pulls me back down into a second, more passionate kiss.
***
[ two weeks later ]
Your POV
You decided to surprise the 118 today. You had been on medical leave for two weeks, and just got the screws taken out of your wrist yesterday. Your arm is still in a cast and will be for a few more weeks, but you wanted to see your best friends.
The Uber you called to drive you from your house to the 118 drops you off about a block away. You thank the Uber and walk toward the building.
Youâre thankful that you got that big, bulky cast off and now have a smaller, blue one on. Youâre a lot more comfortable in the smaller cast than the big one you were put in after surgery.
Itâs business as usual in the 118. You smell chicken so you assume Bobbyâs cooking upstairs. There isnât anyone downstairs. Perfect for your surprise.
You slowly make your way up the stairs. Hen and Chimney are reading on the couch. Eddie is talking with Buck at the dining room table, Ravi is helping Bobby in the kitchen.
âWow,â you say. âI have never seen a more bored group of people in my life.â
Your voice catches everyoneâs attention. You donât think youâve ever seen Buck move quicker in his life than he did when he heard your voice. Youâre pretty sure he gave himself whiplash from how fast he turned his head.
Hen smiles and says, âHey, Y/N. How ya feeling?â
âGood,â you say. âScrews are out, my concussion is pretty much gone, and Iâm ready to get back to work.â
Bobby laughs and says, âWhen youâre cleared by the doctors, you can come back to work. You know that, Y/N.â
You smile and walk from the top of the stairs over to Buck. Heâs been quietly staring at you since you walked up here.
âYouâve being awfully quiet since I got he-â you say before youâre cut off by Buckâs lips on yours. You gasp from the sudden kiss. Suddenly, everyone in the room gets super quiet and you feel almost every pair of eyes on you and Buck.
Thatâs when it hits you. No one knew about the kiss that happened in the hospital, and no one knows about the multiple other kisses that have happened since the kiss in the hospital.
Buck pulls back and looks down at you. You like how he has to practically lean down to kiss you but hate how you have to crane your neck to look up at him after kissing him.
Someone clears their throat. Chimney says, âI donât know why youâre all surprised about this. Honestly, itâs about damn time this happened. The sexual tension was getting to be too much sometimes.â
You turn and face Chimney. Buck practically drapes himself over your shoulders as you ask, âNone of you guys are surprised by this?â
Hen points at the two of you wrapped around each other before saying, âLook at the two of you, honey. You two were doing this for months and expect us to be surprised by a kiss? Girlie, you were dating before the two of you even knew it.â
Chimney says, âWell, you two and Eddie. I was thinking some interesting things for a little bit when it came to the three of you.â
Eddie throws his hands in the air and says, âLeave me out of it. I always knew Buck and Y/N would be the ones getting together. Honestly, I also think itâs about damn time it happened. It only took me and Y/N being held hostage for it to happen.â
âI third that,â Hen says.
Bobby raises a spatula in the kitchen and says, âI fourth that. You two were always looking at each other and sitting with each other and in some way touching each other like you were each otherâs drug and you needed a fix.â
You and Buck both raise your eyebrows at Bobby.
âExactly,â Eddie says. âWeâll leave you alone now. Go back to being disgustingly cute.â
Chimney says, âNow I can finally tell Maddie it happened. Just, please donât be that work couple and go sneak off for makeout sessions where one of us might catch you. Or worse.â His eyes widen and he shivers. âEw, okay. Iâm leaving. Bye.â
Everyone goes back to doing their own thing and you look up at Buck. âThey knew it before we did,â you state.
Buck laughs and says, âOh, definitely. But now we know what they know.â
âThat we do, Mr. Buckley,â you say, turning in Buckâs arms. âAnd I agree with them. Itâs about damn time.â
He smiles and shakes his head. âItâs about damn time.â