Title: Luck
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: No Warnings Apply
Fandom: 9-1-1
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Tags: Rule 63!Buck, Alternate Universe, Different First Meeting
Summary: Buck had a life planned out in front of her, just from a little luck of meeting a father and son as she worked in Texas.
Word Count: 6,204
Spoilers: Up Through Season 2
Beta: Grammarly



There was something about putting a stamp on something. Buck loved being able to put her stamp on things. To have something she took part in. It was part of why she loved working at LAFD until shit happened in front of her, and she had to react with nothing to help her.

"You are crazy!" someone yelled at her as she took off running for the pier. She dove into the water and made sure her goggles stayed in place. She started to swim with all she had toward the kid, still trying to get the anchor off his leg as he sank down. She got to him and helped to tug the rope down. As soon as the boy was free, Buck wrapped her arms around him and kicked with all she had to get him up.

They breached the water, and she tried to ensure the kid didn't go down until he got air in his lungs. He had been sinking for a minute before she could get into the water.

"Are you good for now?" Buck asked.

The kid nodded his head. He was clinging to Buck. Buck's legs weren't tired, so they stayed there like that until the kid relaxed his grip a little. Then she moved him to just one arm and started to swim to the shore. The kid never once tried to let go of her, even when they were on dry land, and his parents were trying to get him off her to hug tightly.

"Let me through!" someone else yelled.

Buck looked up, and she waited for the paramedics to get to her.

"He's in shock, and he's not letting go of me," Buck said when the duo got close to her.

"This is what you do on a day off, Buck?" Hen asked.

"Well, I was out here surfing and was headed to get lunch. He didn't pass out or anything on me."

"He's a good swimmer. What happened?"

"He had a rope wrapped around his leg that had an anchor attached to it. I am not sure of what happened beyond that."

The boy was still just trying to hold onto her tightly. He was probably in a fair amount of shock.

"Where is Bobby?" Buck asked.

"It was just us. They are out on a different call with the other ambulance. We took the hanging back this time since only a single was needed. I was a little worried when we got this call and then were told that a crazy woman jumped into the water in her underwear," Chim said.

"Well, it's not my underwear, but I can see why they thought so. I had one of my baggy shirts and a pair of shorts on. They are somewhere."

Buck was glad when the mother finally got the boy to let go of her. He was shaking; thankfully, his face showed no signs he had taken in too much water. Buck knew that Hen and Chim would check him over pretty well.

"You missed the new guy today," Hen said.

"I thought he was coming in two days?"

"Brass had him up his day since you took today off. Bobby was unhappy since he was down his heavy rescue asset and was training a new guy who is supposed to be your partner."

"My partner?" Buck hadn't heard that bit from Bobby before. She had assumed that he was being brought in to replace the guy they had lost nearly ten months ago to a station closer to where his new wife was. She hadn't thought much other than that. He had been like Bobby. Good at being a firefighter but not fit for the bigger stuff.

"You didn't know that?" Chim asked.

"No, I didn't. I thought he was replacing Jenkins, who left the week after Christmas."

"That's what we thought as well. It's not how it is, it seems. So, stop in the station so that the introductions can all be gotten over."

"Well, I can put this stuff back in my locker and head back to the station with you," Buck said.

"Or that," Hen said. She looked at the father and nodded away from the little group of them. He nodded and followed Hen over to a place to talk to her alone.

Buck hoped she was talking the man into getting the boy checked out no matter what. The only thing that Buck could see was the little boy she had left behind in Texas that she ached to see again.

"Thank you," the mother said.

"You are welcome."

"You are a firefighter?" the boy asked.

"Yes, I am. You are lucky you got these guys. They are the best. They will make sure you are just fine."

"Thank you," the mother said.

Buck nodded, and she stood up. She needed to find her clothes and get her gear squared away. She could come back for it later. She hadn't driven here but had taken an Uber, thinking she would leave the gear there anyway. She was coming back tomorrow and would bring her Jeep to take the gear back to her house.

"Looking for these?" a woman asked.

Buck turned to the side to see the woman was holding out Buck's clothes. Her gear was further up the beach and, thankfully near the lockers, being watched by a few other people. Regulars were good about watching each other's things.

"Yes, thanks."

"As soon as I realized what you were doing and what you were wearing, I kept them to make sure no one took them from you as a joke. Then when you came out, I realized it was a bikini and top, not underwear."

"It's hard to tell them apart sometimes. Thank you."

The woman blushed and turned away, headed back to where it seemed a group of friends was waiting on her. Buck liked the look of her, but she also knew that it wasn't like every hot person in the world was into her. Just like she wasn't into every person in the world, despite what many thought about her being bisexual.

"Ready?" Hen asked when Buck made it back to the area of the beach.

"Yup."

---

Buck was let off just down the street as she needed coffee, and unlike the people at the station, she didn't mind the stuff from the place closest to the station. She was greeted with a smile like always and her coffee made with a smile.

She left and headed to the station when she had her coffee. She leaned against the open door and looked at the man she didn't know, wiping down a spot on the ladder truck. He was fit-looking, but he hadn't looked at Buck once yet.

"DIAZ!" Makepeace yelled from somewhere on top of the ladder.

The new guy tossed a mostly wrung-out sponge up there. It seemed the call had gotten the ladder truck messy.

"Aren't you a little underdressed unless you wanna help," Makepeace said.

"What?" Diaz asked.

Buck looked up to see Makepeace looking right at her. Diaz was looking at Makepeace, then he looked over at Buck. Buck felt like her heart tried its best to stop when she saw him.

"I'm sorry for him," Diaz said.

"It's okay; I can't teach him manners. I've tried. It just doesn't work." Buck smiled at Diaz, and it was then that he recognized her. "Welcome to LA, Eddie Diaz."

Eddie dropped the sponge on the floor and took off for her, pulling her into a tight hug and holding on like he was afraid she would disappear on him.

"BOBBY!" Makepeace yelled.

"I never thought I would find you. LA's so big. Chris was sure he would be the one to find you first."

"He's never told me you moved in the emails he sends me."

"No, I told him not to. If I hadn't found you after getting on here, I would have used the email, but I wanted to wait until the divorce happened."

"Buckley, Diaz, what is going on?" Bobby asked.

"I know I joked about Buck hitting on the new guy, but I didn't expect the new guy to cop a feel that quick," Chim said.

"Sorry, Cap," Eddie said.

"Bobby, remember that guy in Texas I met while I did a little bartending before heading up here? Got attached to him and his kid, and then I had to move on, and he promised to follow as soon as he got divorced?"

"Your luck in him picking here," Bobby said.

"Yes, Sir."

"Go outside or wherever to talk. If we get called out, you are the man behind Diaz. Work out what the hell, and Buck, out of here as soon as. I don't want you distracting him with your pretty face."

"My pretty face makes this place run." Buck grabbed Eddie's hand and pulled him over to the gym space. No one was around. She sat down on the leg press and waited for Eddie to find a place to sit down. "So...you didn't take as long as you thought."

"No. Shannon didn't fight it. She signed everything, including everything with Chris. My parents don't know about the divorce.

"Everyone here said I was insane for holding out hope. They think I am naive and stupid about falling for a guy I knew for a month while he was married. I just let that stuff go in one ear and out the other. They didn't like that I wasn't letting them school me. Bobby mostly kept his mouth shut when I told everyone about it. He did pull me aside and told me that he could put out feelers about finding you if you had come up here so I would know or not."

"You never gave him anything?"

"No, I never did. You were mine, and that was all that mattered. We have a long way to go on things, but I fell in love hard, and it never went away."

"No, I doubt it did because I feel the same. My abuela is watching Chris today, but I can message her, and you can go and see him."

"No, no. I don't want that without you."

There was something about going and seeing Chris without Eddie that didn't feel right. That month where she knew the Diaz boys had been the best month of her life. She had gotten a lot of grief from the people she lived with about it, but she had endured it because even though every word out of their mouths tried to tell her that Eddie had been using her, she knew he wasn't.

They hadn't even kissed until the day she left them. She needed to be away from them while Eddie figured out his life and left Shannon. Buck had never wanted to be the other woman, but in this case, it was hard not to be when Eddie's wife had already done the leaving without even doing the courtesy of divorcing him.

That single kiss had been something that drew Buck back to Eddie time and again. She loved him and wanted to be with him, but she also knew she gave her heart too quickly. It had been nearly two years since the day Eddie had first come into the bar where Buck worked and not much less since Buck had left Texas to finally finish the trek to California.

"Okay, then tomorrow? When I get off shift, you can come here, or I can meet you at mine. I'll give you the address."

"Eddie, I'm not going anywhere; I'm going home because Bobby will throw me out and use Makepeace to keep me out. That bastard loves to manhandle me out of this place on my days off."

"Manhandle?"

"Not like that. No, God, no. He didn't fondle anything. Last time he threw me over his shoulder and dropped me in my driver's seat of the Jeep, swept my legs inside, and shut the door, leaning against it. I started to crawl across to get out, and there was Hen. I just wanted to hang out for the day. I had a sprained arm; I didn't need to be in bed being bed chicken noodle soup. It's cute you wanted to deal with Makepeace. He's a kitten."

Eddie started to blush at that, but he nodded his head.

"Tomorrow?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah. If I don't leave now, I'm never going to. Though I do have to wait for an Uber. I took one to the beach and then got a ride with Hen and Chim back here after dropping the kid off at the ER with his mom."

"You can take my truck. You can come and get me tomorrow."

"Eddie."

"No, I...I want that. And your number."

Buck nodded, and she took his phone when Eddie handed it over. Buck put her number into it, and because she could, she texted herself so she could get Eddie's number. The only thing Buck left him with in Texas was the email address Buck had set up in college and had used to keep track of most people she cared about in her life.

Maddie was the only one who got postcards but only at her job as, despite Buck trying to tell Maddie that Doug was not a good person, Maddie had run off and married him as quickly as she could. Even with Buck trying, Maddie would never leave him until he killed her.

Buck had pretty much already buried her sister in her head because of it. If she lived through him, she would be shocked. It wasn't the best thing, but it was what it was.

"Okay, I texted myself. I'll not respond while you are working unless I know you are not on a call. I am already a distraction to you."

"You've been a distraction since you trotted your ass out of El Paso and left me pining."

Buck knew what he meant. She leaned into him, pressing her head into his. The urge to kiss him was there, but it wasn't something she wanted to do right now. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Go get your truck keys."

Eddie nodded and stepped back like he was doing the worst thing in the world.

Buck knew she was fucked. She needed to pull back from Eddie, or she would be all in. Yet, she couldn't.

---

Buck couldn't stop her leg from bouncing. She had no idea how this was going to go. Her last email to Chris had been sent three days before she had seen Eddie at the 118. The present she had bought for him was sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Eddie and Chris were on their way home. Eddie had wanted her to go with him to get Chris, but she had refused. She didn't want to have Eddie distracted by Chris being hyper in the truck.

The sound of the truck pulling in nearly had Buck jumping up and running away. If this worked between them, Buck would be a parent. It was something she had wanted since leaving them. She had spent time away from her guys learning all she could about Cerebral Palsy. She didn't want to be caught unawares on that front. Her room in the house with her friends was on the ground floor, and there was enough room for Chris to get through with his crutches but also things placed around so he could get around without them.

It felt like it took forever for the front door to open up.

"Dad, why are you being weird? You didn't have to wipe that spot off my face. I was going to get it. And you fixed my hair. You don't even do that when we are going to see Abuela and Pepa, and you care about them more than anyone else we see."

"Well, mijo, maybe I just want you to look good."

"Right after school? It's not like we do anything. The only people we see are Abuela and Pepa. And you worked yesterday and this morning and are tired."

"Well, I took a nap today."

"Yeah, right, forced cuddling is more like it," Buck said, just loud enough the sound would carry into the hall.

The harder thud of Chris' crutches echoed on the hardwood as he made his way in.

"BUCK!"

Buck's heart was in her throat as she dropped to her knees and held out her arms. Chris dropped his crutches when he got close and all but fell into Buck's arms.

"Dad, Buck doesn't care if I'm covered in dirt; she usually gets me dirty and messes up my hair. Buck's the best like that."

"Well, I cared a little."

"You were fussing, Edmundo," Buck said. She held on tight to Chris. She didn't want to let go. She had missed these two like a limb.

Buck felt Eddie's hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to look at him. Buck moved just a little to be able to pick up Chris and move over to the couch to sit down with him in her lap.

"I missed you so much, Chris."

"I missed you too. Daddy, you didn't tell me you had found Buck."

"Well, I found her yesterday while I was working."

"Did you get hurt? Did Daddy need to rescue you?" Chris leaned back and started to touch Buck to check her over.

"No, I didn't get hurt. I work at the same station that your Dad ended up at. I had the day off, but I came for a visit, and there he was."

"You are going to protect each other?"

"Yes, we are. We will do our best," Buck said.

"Dad, is Buck staying for dinner?"

"She and I picked up everything we need for her tacos, mijo. The chicken is already marinating."

"I left you with the recipe."

"But it's not as good as when you made them." Chris glomped down into Buck again, holding on for dear life.

"Well, if you want her to cook, you have to let go at some point."

"Not for an hour," Chris said.

"Let's put on something for background noise and just get caught up?" Buck asked.

"What about his present?"

"Buck first, present second."

"Wow," Eddie said.

Buck laughed, and she hugged Chris back just as tightly as he held onto her.

Eddie gave Buck a smile, and he sat down on the couch beside her. Buck had worried about leaving Chris since his mother had just left his life but the email and letting first his father and then him type out what he wanted to send to her seemed to help a lot. Chris often told her how much he missed her but agreed that he and his father were a hot mess. Buck still wasn't sure where he had learned that phrase.

Things in Texas had been a hot mess, and while Eddie had started the divorce proceedings before Buck left, the distance and then Shannon's mother dying in the middle had stalled things out.

"I'm still upset that neither of you told me you were up here."

"We wanted it to be a surprise," Chris said.

"Yes, we didn't want to be a hot mess anymore; I think that hot mess is just our life."

"Ask Chim, and he'll tell you I'm a hot mess."

"Well, we can all three be hot messes together. You sound sleepy, Chris." Buck looked down at where Chris was leaning against her with his full weight like he would pass out.

"School is hard."

"He's in regular school while I get the financial stuff figured out. The first school fell through as I made too much with the things I was applying for. So I had to change what we were doing. I was hoping to get him swapped as soon as possible."

"Oh, I can help with that. Why don't we lay down, Chris? I'll lay here, and you can lay on top of me and take a half-hour nap. Your dad and I can talk about your school. You can sleep, and I'll be right here when you wake up."

Buck thought Chris would grumble about it, but he didn't. He just let her move him and get him up onto her fully as he got comfortable on Buck.

"He's out," Buck said a moment later as she felt Chris' breathing even out.

"He's horrible about that. I hate it. When he's upset, he still sleeps best on me like that or sick. I don't mind it, but I wish I could just pass out like that." Eddie reached out and ran his fingers through Buck's hair. "It's longer."

"Easier to pull back into a ponytail for rescues. I have wanted this for so long, I don't know what to do about it now."

"We are in the same boat. So don't feel alone." Eddie's hand tightened in Buck's hair for a second. "So you can help?"

"Well, I made friends with a woman after I talked to after a horrible rescue where I was the person behind for a call-out. I was the only one that could get there in time and stopped a couple of robbers from killing a kid. It was one of the best saves of my life and I kind of connected with the 9-1-1 operator. She and I hung out as friends for a while before her mom died, and she left. Her mom had a nurse who cared for her in the home, and I think Carla would be a big help in getting you what you need."

"Carla, huh?"

"Not like that; she's happily married. I wasn't celibate while I was up here. I do want to put that out there. Mostly women but a few guys. I wasn't going to push myself to be skin hungry when I didn't have to be, but I can be faithful. A few people at the 118 don't think I can be. I figure that more than a few of them will bet on how long it will take me to cheat on you. One of which has cheated on several girlfriends of his but has never been turned into the ethics committee, even if I want to."

"I don't doubt that you can be faithful."

"He's beautiful, Eddie. He's still so full of love."

"He wanted to follow you up here as soon as possible, but I had to get to where I could do it without burdening my family up here. I also took my time in making sure I could pass before I even applied to the academy. I didn't want anything to keep me from getting in."

"You were a shoo-in from the start, Eddie." Buck started to rub her hand up and down Chris' back. The boy had to have been tired from school and emotionally overwhelmed to find Buck there.

"So, what kind of horrible toy did you get him?" Eddie asked.

"It's just a Lego set. He said he loves Legos, so I picked one I thought he would love."

"That's a big box."

"Yes, well, the Death Star is pretty big."

"You didn't."

"I did."

"You don't have to buy his affection."

"I'm not buying his affection; I'm getting something that he and I will enjoy putting together. The hours spent working on it while talking and getting to know each other better is worth the amount of money spent on it."

"I see that. The cheaper Legos don't take as much time."

"No, plus every kid who loves Star Wars needs a Death Star in their bedroom." Buck smiled.

"You are just the time, which is good. I'm afraid I am not. The time under my parents' thumb wasn't good. I am afraid that they threatened to sue for custody of Chris once I moved up here without telling them anything about it. I did not take that well at all. The help programs you set me up with for discharged military didn't like it either. There was a lot of horribleness the first two months up here. I shielded Chris from it as much as possible. I have you on his pick-up list for school now. I called the school yesterday. I know we will mostly work the same shift, but we will sometimes work different ones if we are covering for someone else."

"We will. I work a lot of extra ones because I have no one, but I know you need the money more than I do."

"I do. Especially over the next while before whatever help your friend can give me starts up."

"I'm sure Carla can do wonders with what you need."

Eddie walked over, and he dropped to his knees beside Buck. "We had a month where every moment we could steal was spent together; I want that as well. I want everything you are willing to give me, Buck. I just want you in my life. I want you to meet Abuela and Pepa. I want you to meet my sisters when they come up in a month for a visit. I want our life to start right now."

"I do too."

Eddie leaned in and pressed a kiss to Buck's lips. The first kiss of many to come, Buck hoped.

---

"How are you feeling?" Eddie asked as he tucked his shirt into the pair of jeans he had put on.

"I'm not sure," Buck said. She leaned on the crutches that were keeping her from falling over. Eddie had dressed her first; the pants she was wearing had been cut off and hemmed by Abuela to make sure Buck could dress in what she needed to be dressed in for the ceremony of Eddie being a full firefighter.

"What's wrong?"

"I am not sure what it will be like there with your parents."

"Ah, that. I keep forgetting they are coming. It's not like they had talked to me since I told them off for everything when they tried to come up and get the LAPD and CPS to take Chris away. Which didn't go well."

"Athena's going in her uniform, just to make sure."

"DAD! Abuelo and grandma are here!" Chris yelled from outside the door before his bedroom door shut.

"Good luck getting him out of there," Eddie said.

"I'm debating joining him in there. You told them to go with Adriana and Sofia to the station. Why can't they do what they are told?"

"Because they feel like they are the only ones in the world who are right. I'll deal. I would like you to get your leg up on the couch."

"Okay. I'll not hide with Chris in his room."

The doorbell rang, and Eddie rolled his eyes before waving for Buck to go out the door first. Buck made her way down the hall and turned into the living room, eyeing the door as she did. Eddie fussed over her, making his parents ring the doorbell two more times. Buck kind of enjoyed that. She loved how Eddie took care of her and made sure that this was her home in the wake of her leg being crushed.

"Hello, mother, father," Eddie said when he finally opened the door.

"What took so long?"

"I was getting Buck settled in the living room with her leg up since we have no clue if she will be able to do it much at the ceremony. What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you before the ceremony," Helena said. Her voice grated on Buck's nerves, but she could get through this.

"I told you not to. The party is tonight for the family that can't come to the ceremony."

"You didn't mean it," Ramon said.

"I didn't mean it. Yet, I said it and sent a reminder text about it four hours ago," Eddie said.

"Edmundo, are you going to invite us in? We want to see Christopher," Helena said.

"No, he went to his room and shut the door as soon as he saw you get out of the car. Outside of scheduled leave times, food, or him being trouble, if he's in his room with the door shut, we don't bother him. He's allowed his alone time."

"He's a child; he doesn't get to dictate that," Ramon said.

"No, actually, he does. He doesn't fight me on a single one of his chores. He's allowed to control his space. Adriana and Sofia always did that; I was less successful."

"Well, you sisters are girls," Helena said.

"And what does gender have to do with being allowed to have his own space he's in control of?"

"Well, he's a boy," Helena said.

Buck couldn't keep her noises to herself anymore. It was like walking back in time with that one. She wasn't sure what the hell either of them thought. She almost wished they would have thought he wasn't allowed to have the space to himself because of his disability.

"Who is that?" Ramon asked.

"Buck, as you well know."

"The harlot you fell in love with while still married?"

"Wow, so it's okay for you to try and set me up on dates with other women while I sought my divorce from Shannon, but I can't meet anyone on my own?"

"It's not the same, and you know it. So you are not going to let us in at all?"

"No, I'm not. I need to get there so that I can get changed. Buck's stuff was brought here so I could help her get dressed with her leg in a safer spot than the locker room. I'll change there while Buck watches Chris play with Denny and Harry."

"Yes, he's talked of these boys. Have you talked to them about how they need to treat him?"

"Their parents raised them to be respectful, Mom. They know how to treat everyone they play with."

"Children can be mean without knowing it. Like keeping crutches away from Chris."

"Okay, if you think I would let him play with kids like that, you are crazy."

Buck couldn't take it anymore. She picked up the backpack that held things for her and Chris to keep them entertained, as well as Buck's medicines. She slipped it over her shoulders and grabbed her crutches to get up. She went to the kitchen instead of down the hall right behind Eddie.

"Chris! Time to leave," Buck called down the hall. She ignored the talking at the front door and hoped Eddie would get his parents out of there as quickly as possible. They were going to be late if he didn't.

Chris peeked out of his room and sighed before he came out and shut his door behind him. Chris went right for Buck, and they both went into the kitchen. Chris leaned into her, and Buck rubbed her hand up and down Chris' back for as long as she could while balancing on her good leg.

"They are gone, but they are not happy. It's not going to go well." Eddie held his arms open, and Chris and Buck came over for a hug.

"Bobby's prepared."

Buck nodded her head. She turned her face into Eddie's neck, enjoying the feel of being in Eddie's arms even for a minute before she was forced to be around the team again.

There was little to do but head outside. Eddie's parents had already left, thankfully, so Buck allowed herself to relax.

"Sofia texted that they had slipped out of the hotel room. I love my parents, but they are nothing but stress."

Buck knew that everyone meant well regarding everything to do with the bombing of the truck and its fallout. Yet, they didn't agree with what was going on with Buck's treatment.

"How is the pain today so far?"

"Very little unless I hit it. Which I have done twice today. It's okay, not hard ones. Don't worry."

Chris seemed to be unaffected by the arrival of his grandparents, where they weren't supposed to be. Despite Eddie's best efforts, Chris knew his grandparents were unhappy with Eddie. It wasn't the best option, but Eddie wouldn't lie to Chris when Chris asked questions.

"How long do you think they will stay?" Buck asked as they turned onto the street with the parking for the firefighters.

Eddie bypassed that and went for the handicap parking that was a lot closer. Buck had a tag for that temporarily while she went through all of her healing. Eddie had tried to use Chris' for her, and she had just gone and got her own with her doctor helping her. There were days that they parked in normal spots if ones were open, and it was just them.

"I have no clue. Dad's not retired, so he will have to head home at some point. He'll be shipped out somewhere to do his job. He'll be gone for weeks, so he does what he can to make mom feel better. He'll indulge her to a severe degree."

"I know about father's indulging mothers. I think he also wants that to do over. He's home more from what you said, spending less time on job sites and more time at the main hub in El Paso. So he'll try his hardest to do what she wants."

Eddie nodded, his face tight, showing how the stress was getting to him. This was supposed to be a happy day. His parents were supposed to come up and be happy with how Eddie and Chris settled in. Only it was screaming about Buck being a harlot and other words that were not good for Chris to hear, how Eddie was ruining Chris.

"Ready?" Eddie asked when he parked.

"No," Chris said.

"Just stick with Denny and Harry. They will ensure you get away from your grandparents or go sit in Buck's lap. She'll protect you if they can't."

"I will," Chris said.

Eddie shook his head and got out to get Chris out of the truck first. After Chris was settled and heading into the station, Eddie came around to help Buck. She could get out on her own, but Eddie liked to do it, which made him not have to go in and face his family. Buck wrapped her arms around Eddie and held on tight as Eddie helped her down.

"This is not helping; my parents are staring."

"I don't care. I love you. You love me."

"We're a happy family?" Eddie sang and asked at the same time.

"What?"

"You didn't? Of course not. Sorry, that's a joke. I'll explain later when I can show you that horror that is the purple dinosaur on YouTube."

"That sounds like I need alcohol to get through it."

"Something like that. Let's go."

Buck nodded, and she put on her happiest smile, ignoring Eddie's parents as she made her way into the fire station to settle in at the spot for her. Eddie had already told her people were to go to her, not her to people, until the food part. Once done here, there was a party at Eddie's Abuela's house for the rest of the family that had come in but since the ceremony itself was small, not all could come to it.

"Buck, you look like you are getting around well," Hen said.

Buck just glared at Hen a little before sitting down in her chair. She put her leg up because once at Eddie's Abuela's, there might not be time for her to do it much.

"I am. The surgery went well, and the doctor thinks that things will proceed much faster and better now."

"Did you really need to get it?" Hen asked.

"Yes, I did. It was the best option for the best outcome not only now but later in life. I have a family, Hen, and I have to ensure I'm able to be as fit for as long as possible."

"Your sister and her husband didn't approve of it. Maddie tried to get everyone here to talk you out of it. Eddie was pushing to ensure that none of us stuck our noses where it wanted."

"He's lucky; I would have told you all off. I didn't ask for opinions on my medical issues. You wouldn't like it if I intruded on yours, would you?"

Hen made a face that said no, she wouldn't. Buck figured that by the time she stopped by for a visit soon, no one would say a thing to her about it.

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and Buck recorded Chris carrying Eddie's new helmet to him. It made Buck smile as she looked at her family. She had wished for them so hard, and it had just been luck in El Paso, Texas, that had her finding them. She wasn't ever going to let them go either.

Together they could face anything in the world and come out on the other side.

The End