Well, it's not a monster like the last few chapters have been, but 8.2K is still nothing to sneeze at. Not too bad for someone who got burn-out after deciding to publish a Sylverasey collection.

The firehouses arrive back at the 126, Carlos compares dumbasses with Eddie, Matt, and Kelly, and a few more out-of-staters join the party in Austin.

Enjoy the filler before the next episode! Also, please check out the bottom of the chapter for a question that needs answering!

***

Buck had never been on a completely silent rig before. Even back in Los Angeles, there was always someone on the rig to keep everything from being dead silent.

On the three- and half-hour ride back to Austin, Squad 9 was as quiet as a tomb. Buck caught Marjan constantly looking from the road to him to the road to the rearview mirror at the trio in the back then back to the road. He, too, looked in the rearview to see Owen asleep on TK's shoulder, and TK's head was on his dad's. Michelle's phone was on her lap, most likely set with a timer to wake Owen up to check his concussion. A look out the side window showed Squad 3, predictably, was right behind them. The next two rigs he could see were the two from the 126, but he knew the rest of the rigs from 51, the 118, and Carlos's patrol car were bringing up the rest of the procession. They didn't stop at all during the ride back to Austin; everyone wanted San Angelo as far behind them as they could get.

A chirp from his phone made Buck look at the incoming text he received.

Eddie: We need to keep an eye on Casey and Severide when we get to Austin.

Eddie: Make that the rest of Squad 3, too.

Eddie: I'm 99% confident they're plotting how to get away with De Leon's murder.

Buck couldn't help but smirk.

Buck: Do they need an alibi?

Eddie: Cruz already volunteered.

Buck: Fine.

Buck: I'll supply shovels to bury the body.

Eddie: Who says with Severide's arsonist knowledge, they wouldn't burn the body?

Buck: . . .

Buck: You didn't actually say that in front of him, did you?

Buck: Severide would do that in a heartbeat for Sylvie.

Eddie: I'm not a dumbass like you, Buck.

Buck covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing, but he did smile when the familiar shape of Firehouse 126 appeared on the street.

Buck: Wrong, Eddie.

Buck: I'm a Dumbasser.

Buck: Or a Dumbassest.

Eddie: I hate you so much right now.

Buck finally burst out laughing as Marjan backed the rig into the station. "What brought that up after all that silence?" Owen mumbled.

"Eddie hates me," Buck chuckled, swinging the door open and jumping down. "Nothing new there, though."

"I'm with Lena," Marjan frowned, joining Buck on the apparatus floor as the ambulance and the ladder rig parked. "What label do we use for you and Eddie?"

"Best friends and partners," Buck answered promptly.

"That's it?" Paul asked incredulously from where he jumped out of the ladder rig.

"Oh, God," Buck sighed, leaning backwards and smacking his head on the door of the squad rig. "Not you guys, too!"

"Not them what?" Cap asked, poking his head into the station.

"Nothing!" Buck insisted.

Capp raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and looked around the station, whistling lowly. "Nice house."

"Thanks," Owen smiled, accepting TK's and Buck's help out of the rig. "A lot of work went into it."

"Really, a lot of work," TK nodded, pointing. "I helped demolish that wall over there."

"How the hell do you remember that, TK?" Nancy frowned.

"You're surprised he remembers destroying something?" Judd raised an eyebrow.

Nancy considered, and TK sighed. "Oh, screw you, Judd."

"Isn't that Grace's job?" Marjan asked cheekily.

Judd glowered at the woman as Paul and Mateo burst out laughing. "Watch yourself, Marwani."

"Do I even want to know?" Hen looked around cautiously.

"No," Judd shook his head. "Not at all."

There was abrupt barking, and TK perked up. "There he is!"

Buttercup bounded out of the locker rooms, his paws sliding on the floor before he bounded past everyone in the station. He went right to where Matt was helping Sylvie out of Chicago's squad rig, Kelly dropping down behind her. Buttercup barked excitedly, and the blonde paramedic giggled, carefully crouching down and hugging the dog around the neck. "Oh, I missed you, boy!"

"Aw, you guys have a dog, too?" Ritter smiled.

"Yeah, Cap got Buttercup for the station in the spring," Paul nodded.

"Third dog in the station," TK nodded.

"You have three?" Gallo looked excited.

"Yep," TK nodded, pointing at Buttercup. "Bernese Mountain Dog." He proceeded to point to Buck. "Golden Retriever." Hen burst out laughing, and TK finally ended up pointing at Sylvie. "Cocker Spaniel."

"Yeah, we have three dogs and a Grumpy Cat!" Buck smirked viciously.

Marjan and Mateo collapsed on each other in laughter, and TK scowled. "I hate you, Buck."

Buck smiled innocently, and Judd cleared his throat. "Well, Buttercup means a lot more to us than just the station mascot. He's got the same type of lung cancer Cap here had."

"Oh, really?" Violet frowned, crouching down.

"Hey, now," Owen sniffed. "Buttercup is a fighter."

"Just like his human counterpart," Boden smiled.

"Because Dad kicked lung cancer's ass!" TK whooped.

Owen chuckled as the rest of the firehouse gave a resounding cheer and as Boden walked over. "It's been a long time, Wallace."

"Indeed, it has," Boden agreed, giving Owen a careful hug. "I brought Casey and Severide with me to Ground Zero a few years ago. We tried dropping by the station, but you were out on call."

"We were always on call," TK snorted.

"Guess that's what you get for being part of the most successful house in New York," Carlos smirked.

"Now I wish we'd brought Tuesday," Herrmann smiled, offering his hand for Buttercup to sniff.

"Not sure what she would think of Buttercup here," Ritter tilted his head side to side.

"Maybe some other time?" Sylvie looked at Owen with wide eyes.

"Oh, don't you pout at me!" Owen sighed heavily. "You know I can't say no to you with those eyes!"

"That's exactly why she gives you those eyes," Buck snickered. "No one can resist those eyes."

"Seriously," Matt nodded. "No one can. Sev and I have tried for two years. No luck."

"You weren't her roommate for years!" Joe argued.

"Are you guys seriously arguing over who had it worst with Brett's puppy eyes?" Mouch asked incredulously.

Gianna snorted. "Well, once you get one of them started . . . "

Mouch conceded. "Fair."

Bobby sniffed, then frowned. "Did you leave someone to look after the firehouse?"

"No," Owen frowned, then noticed what Bobby had. "Who's cooking?"

TK peeked outside, checking up and down the lot and the street. All of the rigs from the 126, the 118, and 51 were present . . . and a car he recognized, making him perk up. "Oh, I know who's here!" he grinned, clapping excitedly and jogging for the stairs. "Where are my favorite Austin kids?" he shouted.

"TK!" two excited squeals came, and identical girls almost fell in their rush to get down the stairs.

TK laughed loudly as exclamations came from the 126, and he greeted Evie and Isabella with tight hugs when they made it to him. "Oh, it's good to see you two!"

"Girls!" Tommy ran for them, eyes wide.

"Mama!" Isabella pounced for her.

"Ah!" Charles peered over the balcony, smiling widely. "And the heroes return!"

"Charles?" Judd asked in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I might have let him know we were on our way back to Austin," Grace smiled, giving her friend a wave.

"And I thought you likely wouldn't have much, if anything, on the road," Charles nodded. "I hope you don't mind I took over your kitchen, Captain."

"Oh, please," Owen waved it off. "I've had your cooking. Take over any time you'd like."

Charles grinned. "I'll hold you to that." He frowned. "And I'm glad Grace mentioned there would be . . . a lot of others joining us."

"Oh, we couldn't ask," Boden began.

"Hey," Charles pointed. "I'm cooking, and if you were up in San Angelo, you're eating."

"Dad!" Evie pouted.

"And the girls are, too."

TK chuckled, rubbing Evie's back. "Your dad is awesome."

"Everyone, this is my husband, Charles," Tommy gestured. "Charles, meet the crew of Los Angeles Firehouse 118 and Chicago Firehouse 51. Buck came from the 118, Sylvie came from 51."

"Welcome to Austin," Charles nodded. "And I sincerely apologize on behalf of Texas for the actions of one chief. Honestly, talk about giving Texas a bad name."

"I'm a mandated reporter, right?" Eddie asked abruptly.

"Everyone here is," Bobby frowned.

Eddie hummed. "Got it."

"What happens in the rig stays in the rig!" Tony hollered as he shut his door.

"God, do you know what that sounds like?" Kelly groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Eddie balked, and Buck collapsed against his rig, laughing. "Oh, I have my new favorite guys right there! Oh, Squads definitely rule!"

"There we go!" Capp grinned, holding up his hand for a high five.

"I regret you guys meeting so much," Sylvie closed her eyes.

Matt chuckled, rubbing her back. "Sorry, sweetheart."

Mouch and Herrmann did double takes at the endearment, and Owen cleared his throat. "OK, I don't know about my fellow concussed captain, but I am going to eat and then sleep for however long Michelle says I should."

"Good idea," Sylvie nodded as she stood from Buttercup . . . and abruptly staggered, losing her balance when she was upright.

Kelly moved close, arm around her waist. "All good?"

"Yeah," she blinked slowly. "Just . . . wow. When was the last time I had a concussion?"

"Ambulance crash!" Tony, Joe, and Capp chorused in unison.

"Will cleared me!" Sylvie protested.

"Wow," Chimney blinked slowly. "Cap . . . we finally found crews more obnoxious and crazier than us."

"I love it," Lena grinned. "Buckley? Keep them."

Buck gave a salute. "You got it!"

***

"OK, I gotta ask," Violet swallowed the bite of pancakes she had taken. "How did this happen?"

"Define this," Judd deadpanned.

"This," Hen gestured between the crew of Squad 9.

"Oh, that's easy," Buck grinned. "TK found me after the train derailment climb, I had an adrenaline crash, and he called Sylvie over to check me for a concussion. Seriously, took less than ten minutes."

"Wait," Kelly sat upright, eyes wide. "You were the one who did that rescue?"

Capp choked on his scrambled eggs. "Yeah," Buck smiled shyly.

"Dude!" Joe stared in shock. "That was – !"

"Insane," Kelly shook his head, looking wide-eyed at Sylvie. "Why didn't you mention that? I would've stolen him for Squad 3 ages ago!"

"Yeah, I think a few people in Los Angeles would've had something to say about that," Sylvie smiled.

"Oh, yes, I would've," Bobby snorted. "And that would be after Eddie took major offense to someone stealing his partner."

Eddie shrugged, not arguing. "Pardon the language, Lieutenant, but I would've kicked your ass if you tried."

"And he probably would've won," Buck nodded. "Undefeated street fighter, after all."

Eddie sighed. "Let's not go there."

"Seconded," Lena held her fork up.

"Yeah, so I kept in contact with Buck and TK after that," Sylvie nodded, setting her clean plate down and scooting back on her bunk, flopping back against Matt, the man casually draping an arm over her shoulder; she could feel the scrutinizing gazes of not only the entirety of the 118, but also Stella, Herrmann, and Mouch. "You heard me take a few calls from them at the house."

"I would like to point out that Christopher actually saw them before any of us did," Eddie added.

"Seriously?" Josh's eyes widened.

"How?" Chimney demanded.

"He made a very convincing argument about how to meet them," Buck nodded solemnly. "He reminded me of a very useful app called FaceTime."

TK snorted into his coffee. "Careful, babe," Carlos patted TK on the back as he coughed.

"I still wanna meet your kid!" the firefighter pointed at Eddie.

"Noted," Eddie nodded.

"Right," TK swallowed. "So, fast forward a few months. Deputy Chief Radford – "

"I seriously love the man right now," Michelle murmured, making Tommy smirk into her pancakes.

" – made the decision to establish more Rescue Squads in Austin," TK continued. "Of course, I never knew this until he showed up at the station to announce we got the rig."

"TK and I were working on bringing back a Squad company to the 252 in New York before we moved here to the 126," Owen nodded. "We were both excited for it before we left, and I didn't want to get TK's hopes up if our house wasn't chosen."

"Like it wasn't gonna be chosen," Boden scoffed. "Remind me who holds the heavy rescue records at the academy?"

Owen sighed. "Me. And TK is right behind me on those scores."

"Seriously, we hit the top two for every record," TK nodded.

Capp whistled, impressed. "I really want to run drills with your crew now," Kelly looked greedily between Owen, TK, and Buck.

"OK, usually I'm very much not for that, but I agree," Joe nodded eagerly.

"Well, Captain Concussed here won't be doing that for another few days," Michelle nudged Owen. "If you want a race that'll leave you dead on the floor . . . well, on your own heads be it."

"Hey, we'll go easy on them!" Buck sniffed.

"Oh, you wish!" Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Boys," Sylvie sighed. "Storytime. Not finished."

Matt chuckled, watching the squad firefighters back down as Sylvie's words started to fade as she snuggled down into her bunk. "Maybe finish before she's completely out?"

"Yeah," Owen chuckled. "So we got the rig, we were planning who we were gonna recruit. I knew no matter what, I wanted a riding paramedic."

"And I got the idea to ask Buck and Sylvie," TK nodded. "I mean, I figured they weren't gonna say yes, but as Dad pointed out . . . the worst that could happen is they would say no."

"And they said yes," Herrmann nodded.

A shadow crossed Buck's face, and Sylvie curled in on herself. "Not at first," Buck shook his head. "Tempted . . . but not at first."

"I said no," Sylvie admitted. "I had my home in Chicago. I didn't want to leave."

"But you did," Gianna swallowed. "Without a word to anyone."

Sylvie ducked her head. "Just like I planned."

"Just like you – !" Mouch looked ready to yell.

"Mouch." Matt's voice could cut steel, and the firefighter's mouth clicked shut before it looked like he comprehended what was said. Matt's eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. "Concussion, remember?"

Sylvie took a deep breath, burrowing into Matt's side thankfully. "Something happened after I got Owen's call," she said briefly. "I made the call I would be going to Austin, and Joe overheard me on a call with Buck and TK. That's how he was the only one who knew I was in Austin prior to this."

"Gallo and I found out after the army tank incident," Ritter nodded.

Kelly blinked slowly. "Did you say army tank incident?"

Sylvie winced. "That's all you, Cap."

"Oh, thanks," Owen sighed. "As if I didn't need any additional reasons to give those two a reason to want to kill me."

"In our defense, Cruz told us not to tell you," Gallo pointed at Joe, eyes wide.

"Hey!" Joe protested.

"Don't worry," Buck smirked. "We didn't actually get hit with a tank."

"Dad almost got hit in the nose, but that was it," TK shrugged.

"Yeah, Cap should be thanked," Mateo nodded. "He was the one who stopped us from getting run over."

Hen's eyes were wider than saucers. "By a tank?"

Sylvie waved tiredly in Marjan's direction. "Firefox? Show pictures."

Marjan snickered, pulling out her phone and scrolling through Instagram. "What Sylvie means is I'm a little famous on Instagram and there's a picture I posted of us standing off against the tank."

"I can't believe you're talking about this like it's normal," Josh stared in disbelief.

"We've had to get a bull out of a car," TK snorted. "And get a boy out of a grain silo. It's Texas."

"Here," Marjan passed her phone to Paul, who handed it to Kelly.

He and Matt peered at the picture of the 126 squaring off with the tank, Carlos next to TK, then Kelly's eyes flickered around the room. "Only in Texas," he muttered, handing the phone back to Marjan.

"I blame Cap," Judd deadpanned.

Owen pinched the bridge of his nose as TK cackled. "Of course you do."

***

When he had arrived at the 126, Radford had ordered everyone in the house to get some sleep, and everyone had crammed into the bunks, onto the couches, and anywhere they could drop. Even Evie and Isabella had crawled into Tommy's bunk, relishing in being close to their mother.

Carlos almost wanted to take a picture as he quietly moved about the kitchen, trying not to disturb the sleeping firefighters and families. While he had driven Grace over, he hadn't been worked to the bone like the 126 and other firefighters had. He felt more comfortable with someone being awake at the station.

He was still surprised, though, when he was eventually joined by Eddie, the dual-certified firefighter running a hand through his hair as he walked into the kitchen. "You're still up?" he asked, voice thick with sleep.

"I think I caught sleep sooner than the rest of you did," Carlos nodded.

"Yeah," Eddie sighed. "I can't remember the last time I slept before we rolled into the fires."

"Meanwhile, I know I was sleeping during Captain Strand's briefing," Carlos smirked, gesturing to the coffee maker. "Want some?"

"Please," Eddie nodded, sitting on one of the stools. "I'm not going back to sleep for a while."

Carlos nodded, grabbing two mugs. "I imagine while on shift, a few hours is all you need from time to time."

"Nah, it's not just that," Eddie shook his head. "Let's just say seeing that helicopter crash . . . it brought back some bad memories I don't want to deal with."

Carlos paused in filling up one of the mugs. "You've seen one crash before?"

Eddie gave a wry smile. "Sure, if you call being inside a crashing Chinook 'seeing a crash.'"

"Seriously?" Carlos's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded. "It's how I got my Silver Star and how I was discharged from the army. It's . . . not a story I'm sober enough to tell."

"Hey, then I won't push," Carlos shook his head, pushing Eddie's coffee to him. "But thank you for your service, man."

Eddie smiled dryly, taking a sip of coffee. "Yours as well, Officer."

Carlos snorted. "You drove up a mountain into wildfires to help my boyfriend save his dad. Call me Carlos."

Eddie chuckled. "Then I'm Eddie."

"You got it."

There was a muffled, startled noise from by the bunks, and Eddie frowned, lowering his mug. "Who was that from?"

"I have no idea," Carlos tried to peer into the bunks. "There are so many of you crammed in here now . . . seriously, how do three firefighters fit on one bunk?"

Eddie smothered a smirk behind his mug. "Was that Captain Casey, Lieutenant Severide, and Captain Brett?"

"That's not the surprising one," Carlos waved it off. "I think I saw Mateo bunking with Gallo and Ritter."

Eddie paused. "Yeah, that one's a little surprising."

They heard a muffled swear from the bunks, then Carlos straightened from where he leaned against the counter as two more tired firefighters joined them. "Let me guess, neither of you are getting back to sleep, too?"

"Is it that obvious?" Matt sighed, running a hand over his face.

Carlos just pointed to the coffee pot, and Matt nodded. "Join the party of insomniacs, in that case," Eddie nodded as Kelly slumped onto the next stool. "Though that may be the adrenaline talking."

"I don't think my adrenaline's gonna go down for a while," Kelly grumbled. "I mean, a tank one week, a volcano the next, and this week was wildfires? What's next, a tropical storm?"

Carlos tilted his head thoughtfully. "I mean, there was that solar storm before the 126 headed out to Santa Monica for the conference."

Kelly dropped his head onto the counter. "You're not helping."

Carlos chuckled as he poured the next two mugs of coffee. "Sorry. This is just how I deal with dating TK. Then again, I'm also often in the thick of it somewhere."

"We're used to it, too," Matt nodded, accepting the mug handed to him. "Add in we didn't even know Sylvie was here . . . "

He trailed off, and Eddie nodded. "Those of us in Los Angeles who knew Buck was here are lucky," he said. "But that just made us even more scared in the moment. Maddie and I were glued to the TV when we heard about Pilot Knob. Bobby had the TV at the station playing constantly when the wildfires first popped up." He shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if we didn't know where he went, because then we wouldn't have known how much danger he was constantly running into."

"He and TK drove into it constantly on that mountain," Carlos said. "Captain Strand was running operations, and Sylvie was practically running the medical tent. Buck and TK were the only members of Squad 9 left to head the evacuation efforts. For every hour of sleep the ladder crew got, Buck and TK had . . . oh, maybe five minutes or so?"

Kelly whistled, impressed. "Now I really want to run a drill with them."

"Only if I can join," Eddie grinned. "Whether it's watching Buck or actually running the drill."

"You two do that," Matt sipped his coffee. "I'll be running commentary with Sylvie on the sidelines."

"I don't know," Carlos shrugged. "She might want to run them, too."

Eddie looked at Carlos in surprise. "She runs the drills?"

"Some of them," Carlos nodded. "It was part of the conditions on her being the riding paramedic. From what TK said, Deputy Chief Radford gave her the rank and the position specifically as a paramedic attached to Squad. She had to know how to handle herself depending on the various situations and calls the rig got called for. That's how she was able to handle the cell tower call as well as she did."

"Cell tower call?" Matt frowned.

Eddie blinked. "You mean the one where there was someone shooting a crossbow at her and Captain Strand?"

Matt choked on his coffee. "Excuse me, what?" Kelly's eyes narrowed.

Carlos snorted. "Guessing you didn't hear about that, either?"

"No," Kelly ground out as Eddie reached over to hit Matt on the back, the captain trying to keep his coughing quiet so he didn't wake anyone else up. "We just learned 24 hours ago that our best friend is out here, and that was when we had to rescue her from a wildfire because the incident commander was a bastard and didn't authorize a team on his own. There hasn't been much time to catch up on everything."

Eddie winced. "When you put it that way . . . "

"Put that on the list of things to do," Carlos nodded. "Get all of you together with Squad so you can watch them all try to one-up each other while they tell stories about their calls."

Eddie snorted loudly. "You mean watch Buck and TK try and one-up each other."

Carlos smirked. "No, I mean all four of them. TK has to get it from someone, and it is very obvious who he gets it from. As for Sylvie . . . well, I think those two rubbed off on her."

"We did not," Kelly sniffed, offended.

"Right," Carlos smirked into his coffee. "Let me rephrase. These two and the rest of Squad 3 rubbed off on her."

Matt snickered. "I have never heard a truer statement in my life."

Kelly sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Remember you were included in that statement, Matt."

"Oh, I know. There's just more Squad members in that sentence than Truck members."

Kelly scowled. "Screw you, Case."

"Like I said, do it yourself."

Eddie laughed, startled, then hastily covered his mouth. "Oh, yeah," Carlos's shoulders shook in laughter. "I know where Sylvie gets it from." He shook his head fondly. "You know, I really didn't know if any of us would ever get the chance to meet you two. I'm glad Captain Strand called 51 to help in San Angelo."

Matt and Kelly turned to look at Carlos with wide eyes. "Wait," Eddie looked at Carlos, too. "Captain Strand is the one who called Firehouse 51 to San Angelo?"

"Well, I know he pulled as many strings as he could," Carlos shrugged. "I know he was thinking what a bunch of us were . . . we wanted to meet Sylvie's former firehouse, the one she originally turned the 126 down for, then all of a sudden left for Austin. But after Pilot Knob . . . " He shuddered. "I saw how everyone from the 126 handled the aftermath of Tim's death. I saw Sylvie the least . . . and when I did see her, she looked awful. I think Owen thought if there was anyone who could possibly help her that was him, Buck, or TK . . . it's the two of you, no doubt."

Kelly swallowed hard, looking down into his coffee. "Sylvie called us less than 24 hours before we drove out to the wildfires," Matt admitted. "She asked us to come out once she was done with the fires. I don't think she knew we were going to be called to the lines."

Carlos sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God."

Eddie looked at Carlos, chewing his lip. "What Maddie and I saw on the news looked horrible . . . "

He trailed off, and Carlos sighed. "It was worse up close. As a police officer, I was one of the patrollers who aided in evacuations. I had to evacuate one woman from her food truck which was full of scorpions."

"Scorpions?!" Matt's face drained of color.

"Scorpions," Carlos nodded. "Ask Grace for details, she was the dispatcher who took the call. But watching the lava come closer . . . " He shuddered. "I can't imagine what it was like to be among the lava bombs." He sighed, putting his mug on the counter. "I still don't know all of what happened," he admitted. "I remember the call from TK that Tim had been killed, but I never heard details until I talked to Captain Strand a few days later. It was him and the two paramedics, no one else was close enough to see what happened. Captain Strand had been asked by Sylvie to help transport a patient when the lava bomb headed for them. He heard Tim shout for a captain and dive, but he didn't know who until he heard Sylvie scream. When he looked back, Sylvie was frozen and Tim . . . " He shook his head. "There was nothing for them to save. Dead on impact."

Eddie closed his eyes. "Oh, my God."

"She sounded so wrecked," Matt's voice broke. "And to not hear from her for months and then for her to call sounding like that . . . "

Kelly shook his head. "I'd like to go my entire life without hearing her sound like that again, thank you very much."

"I think we can all agree with that," Eddie nodded. "When Buck called to tell me what happened . . . I wanted nothing more than to be here with him. I know it killed Maddie not to be here, too."

"All of you are here now," Carlos said. "And even though it was to help with the wildfires . . . you're still here, and you can do whatever you can that the 126 and I can't."

Kelly turned to look over the bunks, where all of the firefighters were still piled. "Based on what we saw from the house, they're in pretty good hands."

"The best, in Captain Strand's," Carlos agreed. "Then again, I'm biased, and I'm sort of obligated to say anything that gets me on my boyfriend's father's good side." Eddie snorted loudly, and Carlos grinned cheekily. "Yeah, sue me. But you two have known Sylvie longer than any of us have known her combined, and I know how much Buck values what you have with him, Eddie. I think the three of you are what they need right now."

Eddie nodded thoughtfully, then Kelly sighed, checking his watch. "Guess I'm calling Grissom first thing when CFD headquarters open."

"It really pays to be on good terms with the commissioner," Matt smirked.

"Oh, definitely," Kelly agreed.

"Who?" Eddie asked in confusion.

"The head of the CFD," Matt explained. "Commissioner Carl Grissom. He and Sev . . . well, they go back."

"One of the few times it pays to basically be the son of CFD royalty," Kelly rolled his eyes.

Carlos snorted softly. "I know a similar feeling." Kelly tilted his head, interested, and Carlos shrugged. "My dad's a Texas Ranger. I just hope your dad was more accepting of you following the career you did than mine."

Kelly scowled. "No offense, but I hate parents like that."

Carlos chuckled. "None taken, considering I love my job and I can't imagine doing anything else."

"Amen to that," Matt raised his coffee mug. A phone trilled an alarm, and Eddie frowned, checking his pockets. "Oh," Matt waved him off, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "That's mine." He checked the alarm. "You or – ?"

"I got her," Kelly stood up, heading back to the bunks.

Carlos frowned, confused, but Eddie nodded in understanding. "Concussion protocol."

"Bingo," Matt nodded.

Carlos braced his hands on the counter, watching as Kelly bent over Sylvie's bunk, his hand gentle as he shook her shoulder. A pitiful whine came from the blonde, and Carlos wasn't the only one who winced in sympathy. "God, how many people does she have wrapped around her finger?" Eddie asked Matt in disbelief.

"A lot," he deadpanned.

Sylvie came shuffling into the kitchen, a grumpy look on her face, trailing her blanket behind her like a cape. "Hi, Carlos," she mumbled. "Sorry I didn't say it earlier."

"You're forgiven," he gave her a comforting smile.

Sylvie nodded, slipping onto one of the stools before dropping her head onto her arms. "Ow," she huffed.

Eddie couldn't help the laugh he let out. "Oh, there it is. There's the family resemblance."

Sylvie's response was muffled by her arms. "What was that?" Matt grinned, putting his hand on the back of her neck and squeezing gently.

She made a sound similar to a cat purring. "To which brother?" she asked, more clearly this time.

Carlos snorted. "Yes."

Sylvie scowled at him. "Traitor."

"I'm a traitor to my boyfriend," he corrected. "I agreed with you."

Sylvie paused, thinking. "I blame the concussion."

Kelly snickered. "You're adorable when you're concussed."

She sniffed. "I'm adorable all the time, thank you."

"No argument from me," Matt smirked.

***

"It's times like this when I'm glad I said I claim the couch!" Buck declared as he held open the door to the Strands' house.

"I hate you so much, Buck," Sylvie groused as she stormed in, dropping her duffel on the ground.

Buck snickered. "No, you don't."

She glowered, collapsing on said couch. "No, I don't."

"Honestly, the day Sylvie hates somebody is the day hell freezes over," TK chuckled.

"I honestly believe that," Maddie nodded, looking around the house appraisingly. "Wow. This is . . . really nice."

"Thank you," Owen smiled, nodding as he let Buttercup off his leash. "TK and I couldn't believe what the rent was worth when we heard it."

"I'm assuming when you put it that way, it was surprisingly cheap?" Bobby asked.

"That's one way to put it."

"You look like you're gonna fall asleep right there," Matt smiled in amusement at Sylvie.

"Would you let me?" she asked hopefully.

He laughed, gesturing for her to sit up. "You know the answer to that, Sylv."

She sighed, sitting up for Matt and Kelly to sit down. "You can't blame a girl for trying."

Boden chuckled, shaking his head. "Austin is a good fit for you, Brett."

"Thank you, Chief," Sylvie smiled, lying back on the couch, her feet now in Kelly's lap, her head pillowed in Matt's. "I think so."

"And as much as I wish you were in Chicago," Boden turned to nod at Owen, "I have to say I can't imagine a better man for you to serve with."

"Ah, Wallace," Owen ducked his head, smiling widely. "Still have your charm, I see."

"How long is everyone here for?" TK asked, looking around as he joined his dad on the other couch. "I mean, surely you've got to go back to your cities soon."

"Soon," Boden nodded. "I got word from Grissom before we came here. Most of 51 is expected back by the end of the weekend."

Matt knitted his eyebrows. "Most?"

Boden chuckled. "Apparently there was a request sent to him even before we got called out to the wildfires. You and Severide have been cleared to stay up to two weeks after we leave."

Kelly's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!" Sylvie shot upright, only to wince and pinch the bridge of her nose.

"You mean we're staying?" Kelly grinned widely.

"The two of you store up furlough days like nobody's business," Boden snorted. "At least you can keep Brett occupied while she has a concussion."

"Yes!" Sylvie whooped, laughing gleefully.

"Guess we need to find a hotel," Matt laughed, slinging his arm around Sylvie's shoulders.

"You'll need to give it to Maddie and Eddie, too," Bobby smirked.

Three heads whipped in his direction. "What?" Maddie's eyes widened.

"Chief Alonso likes Buck," Bobby grinned. "When I gave a rundown of what happened, he arranged it so the 118 could stay a few more days. As for Maddie and Eddie . . . well, it turns out if Buck likes someone, he likes them, too. So Eddie's staying, too. Josh talked to Sue, and the rest is history."

"Yes!" Maddie cheered, pouncing on Buck in a hug. "I didn't want to leave so soon!"

"I knew I liked your chief and commissioner for a reason," Owen grinned.

"You like Grissom because he agreed to send 51 to the front lines when you asked," Kelly raised an eyebrow.

Owen shrugged. "And he helped get Sylvie here."

"Wait," Boden turned to Owen, surprised. "You specifically requested 51?"

"I did," Owen nodded, catching the water bottle tossed to him by TK. "Mostly for Sylvie's benefit, but I wanted to make it clear to whoever from your house made her leave . . . she's with a house that has her back."

"I thought it was curious the way your firehouse reacted to 51," Bobby frowned.

Owen smirked. "My house is protective of their own."

"You seriously should've seen Nancy rip into Howard," Maddie's eyes lit up. "Oh, my God, she was awesome."

Buck's eyes filled with mischief. "She's also single."

Maddie squawked, eyes widening as Eddie burst out laughing. "Evan Buckley!"

Bobby's shoulders shook with laughter as he turned to Owen. "They're all yours for a while, Captain Strand."

"Joy," he deadpanned, making TK snort his own water up his nose.

***

"Alright, serious question here," Mateo turned to Matt and Kelly that weekend outside the Strand house, eyes wide. "Are you two superheroes or something?"

"Oh, please don't inflate their egos anymore than they already are," Mouch groaned, even as the rest of Squad 3 roared in laughter.

"No, I mean, the jumping off the building itself is cool," Mateo insisted. "But being bait for the FBI and dogpiling a suicide bomber? Badass!"

"They're the best," Sylvie gloated, leaning into Matt's side.

"Oh, ouch," Buck pretended to clutch his heart in pain. "TK, did you hear that?"

"Dude, we know they're her favorites," TK snickered, patting him on the shoulder. "We knew that long before we teamed up."

"Honestly, jumping on a suicide bomber sounds like something Buckley would do," Lena remarked.

Buck nodded. "No argument there."

"Well, that's our Buckaroo," Hen smiled hesitantly. "Buck's gonna Buck."

"This is the same Buck who volunteered to take Tim and Nancy into houses to find someone shooting a crossbow at Owen and Sylvie," Tommy added.

"Seriously?" Chimney gawked.

"And TK shot her with a hose!" Isabella grinned.

"Hey, your mom helped me aim," TK patted the top of her head.

"Yes, I heard you almost got shot with a crossbow bolt," Eddie glared at Buck.

"Wait," Buck blinked. "Who told – " Carlos cleared his throat, and Buck glared. "Traitor!"

"There's another resemblance!" Kelly burst out laughing.

Buck shook his head, then saw Hen bite her lip and walk over. "Hey, Buck," she smiled timidly. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Buck looked around at the three firehouses mingling with each other, then gestured to the side. "Yeah, over here." Hen followed him off to the side, and Buck turned to her. "What's – ?"

"I owe you such a big apology," she hurried to say, and Buck's eyes widened. Out of everything, he hadn't expected that. "I should've stopped Chimney before he spilled everything. I should've known better than to take him at his word, especially since he said he overheard you talking about it. There's so much that can not be learned in that situation, and I just . . . I should know better than to assume without hearing the full story."

Buck blinked, then took a deep breath. "Uh . . . thank you, Hen. What made you realize?"

"My partner in medical school," Hen answered. "I was such a bitch to her when she was being a bitch right back . . . and then I realized what she was going through. It's . . . confidential, but she's going through hell. Once I knew everything she was going through, we got along so much better." She took a deep breath. "So I'm sorry for not waiting to hear the full story. That's not going to happen again."

Buck nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Hen." He smiled. "You can ask Athena for my new number, if you'd like."

She smiled. "Thanks, Buck. I'd like that."

"Alright!" Judd bellowed from the grill with Bobby and Charles. "Marjan gets first dibs on the meat, then everyone else!"

"Yes!" Marjan cheered.

"Hey, Cap?" Paul poked his head out of the house, a concerned look on his face. "I just heard a knock on the door."

Owen blinked. "That's odd." He looked around. "We didn't forget anyone, did we?"

Buck looked around, doing a headcount: everyone from the 126, 51, and the 118, families included, were present. "It looks like everyone's here."

"I'll get it," TK volunteered, heading inside.

"I'll need to get Athena, May, and Harry out here some time," Bobby remarked. "What I've seen of the city is amazing."

"I'd be worried about what kind of calls you get here, if a crossbow-firing lady and a volcano says anything," Josh shuddered.

"Well, Maddie's going to have first-hand experience with some," Grace grinned.

"What?" Maddie looked at her with wide eyes.

"I talked to my supervisor at the call center," Grace smiled. "I've got permission for you to help me out when I'm on shift."

"Really?" Maddie brightened. "That would be awesome!"

"And that segues nicely into my news," Owen grinned. "Deputy Chief Radford's already signed off on it. When we get back into action at the 126, our visiting firefighters will be riding with us."

"Seriously?" Buck's eyes widened.

"Seriously," Owen nodded with a grin. "Severide and Diaz will ride with us on Squad, and Ladder will actually have a captain riding with them again."

"Does that mean we'll have two people to listen to?" Mateo asked.

Matt burst out laughing. "Only if Ryder lets me get a word in."

"Be polite, Cap, and maybe I will," Judd smirked.

There was a surprised shout from inside the house, drawing everyone's attention. "Whoa!" Paul was heard faintly.

"Incoming, Dad!" TK's gleeful voice shouted.

Sylvie frowned in confusion, then a little blonde blur hurtled out onto the patio with a delighted squeal of "Uncle Owen!" "Oh, my God!" Owen's eyes widened, and he crouched down, arms open, to catch the girl that jumped onto him. "Jesse?"

"Surprise!" the girl giggled, clinging to Owen's neck as he stood, hugging her tightly. "Mama said you were hurt bad."

"Oh, did she?" Owen sighed. "Your mother is such a gossip."

A loud snort came from the doorway. "Don't let Rollins hear you say that, Strand," an older man with an NYPD badge on his belt folded his arms, eyes narrowed. "Captain or not, she will absolutely punch the hell outta you."

Owen smiled innocently. "That's why she's not gonna hear me say it, Tutuola." He looked at Jesse. "You didn't hear me say it," he whispered conspiratorially.

Jesse giggled. "Hear what?"

Owen squeezed her tightly. "Atta girl." He bent down and set the girl on the ground, then straightened. "God, Fin, it's been a while."

"That's an understatement," Fin stepped out of the house, meeting Owen with a firm handshake, then pulled the man into a hug. "We shoulda come down here when we heard your boy got shot."

"Instead, we had to get down here when we heard you decided to crash a helicopter into wildfires!" a loud, Southern-accented voice barked, and a blonde who could only be Jesse's mother stepped out next. "Which we had to hear from the chief of the NYFD instead of you!"

Owen blinked, caught off-guard. "You heard from the chief of the NYFD?" he repeated.

"Oh, what?" Owen heard surprised gasps from Sylvie and 51 as a man with dark blond hair stepped out next, smirking wryly. "You think just because you left, that doesn't mean the fire department and the police department are civil with each other anymore?"

"Stone?" Boden asked in disbelief.

"Peter!" Sylvie cheered, ducking under Matt's arm and flying towards the attorney.

He laughed, hugging Sylvie tightly. "And imagine my surprise when I heard you were the new paramedic on Owen's team!"

"You really do have connections everywhere, don't you?" Bobby asked, impressed.

"Believe me, Captain Nash," a female voice said dryly, and a brunette woman with a bouncing boy older than Jesse stepped out onto the patio next, arms folded. "Captain Strand can get connections anywhere."

Owen smiled widely. "Hey, Liv."

"The only reason I'm not punching you is because you're still recovering from a concussion, Owen," the captain gave him a glare before walking forward and engulfing him in a hug. "God, it's good to see you."

Owen rested his chin on her head. "Missed you, Liv."

"Aw, that's sweet," TK's voice said teasingly. "Look at that, Mom and Dad are back together again."

Another voice snickered. "I'll never understand why you enjoy riling Cap up like that."

"Oh, it's because after Dad, I'm her favorite from the NYFD."

"And you're no longer in the NYFD, TK," Olivia glowered.

"Whoops," TK grinned innocently from where he stood in the doorway, a snickering man with slicked-back hair in a three-piece suit with his arm around his shoulders. "I forgot."

"Great," Owen sighed. "The trouble twins."

"Who, us?" the man with TK tilted his head at the same time as TK, leaving the dark-haired woman bringing up the rear laughing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Carlos? As a heads up, if you can't find TK while this group is here, look for Carisi over there. Or Rollins. Or both Carisi and Rollins. You don't want to know what they got up to with TK back in New York."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Carlos gulped.

"It has been many years since I saw any of Manhattan's Special Victims Unit," Boden hummed. "You appear to have grown in number."

"The girls and I count!" the boy behind Olivia chirped.

"Yes, you do," Owen smiled, ruffling his hair. "How's my favorite nephew doing?"

He beamed up at Owen. "Really good, now that I've seen you!"

"See?" Owen pointed at him. "My favorite."

"And my favorite nieces, too," TK added, giving a little wave to the baby in a carrier held by the dark-haired woman before turning to Jesse. "Right?"

"Right!" she giggled, hugging TK's legs.

Tommy had a soft look in her eyes, watching TK be animated with Jesse. "I can see why he's so good with our girls now."

"Since Amanda and I got together, TK's been the girls' godfather," the man Owen identified as Carisi smiled. "He's great with them."

"Right," Owen clapped his hands. "Introductions. I think a few Chicago folks know, and I know Carlos likely does, but meet the Special Victims Unit from Manhattan. Their commanding officer, Captain Olivia Benson; her second in command, Sergeant Fin Tutuola; the Three Musketeers of detectives, Amanda Rollins, Sonny Carisi, and Kat Tamin; and the prosecuting attorney, Peter Stone. I'll, uh . . . introduce everyone else later."

"Hey!" Jesse pouted up at him.

"Right," Owen grinned. "And the junior detectives: Liv's son and my godson, Noah; and Rollins' daughters, Jesse and Billie."

"Though Billie here could have a bullhorn in her ear and sleep right through it," Kat smiled, setting the carrier down.

"Like her mother," TK smirked.

Amanda whipped around, her ponytail narrowly missing Fin. "Tyler Kennedy Strand!"

"Oops," TK ducked around Sonny. "Gotta go!"

"Get back here!" Amanda took off, and TK laughed loudly, rushing around the yard to escape.

Owen sighed happily. "I missed that."

"I did, too," Olivia admitted, leaning into Owen's side. "We all missed you two."

"Just like I miss Chicago sometimes," Peter smiled, rubbing Sylvie's arm comfortingly. "Also, don't think you're not getting an earful from me later when you don't have a concussion."

She wilted. "Heard."

"Wait," Gallo blinked. "TK's name is actually Tyler Kennedy?"

Owen blinked, then Sonny threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, he's gonna kill 'Manda now."

"Front row seat, please," Kat raised her hand. "Please. I call dibs."

Fin shook his head, chuckling. "And to think New York is actually quieter with the two of you gone."

"So how did that happen?" Bobby asked.

"I met Liv and her old partner, Elliot Stabler, not long after 9/11," Owen answered. "Occasionally at the same bar, occasionally on the same calls. The three of us met up often after that. You know, I bounce fire department stuff off them, they bounce police stuff off me."

"It's a big part of why our departments are so tight," Fin nodded, plucking a beer from the cooler. "Liv and Owen made it possible."

"And when my partner left the force, Owen and I became even closer friends," Olivia further explained. "It was honestly a toss-up between him and Fin over who would be Noah's godfather, and I ultimately decided . . . no godmother, two godfathers."

"The 252 and SVU hung out often," Owen nodded. "Especially once Liv took over as the commanding officer. When TK joined my house, he became best friends with Rollins and Carisi, and . . . well," he gestured to where Amanda had caught up to TK and leapt onto his back, screeching in his ear while TK laughed. "You can see how that ended up."

"Then Stone became the ADA," Sonny nudged Peter in the side. "And . . . let's just say TK is a romantic at heart."

"TK?" Marjan's eyebrows raised.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sylvie muttered; when Buck silently held out his fist in agreement, she bumped it with her own.

Matt frowned, confused, but Joe snickered. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall for those conversations."

"Of course you would," Sylvie rolled her eyes.

"Kat joined SVU just before we left New York," Owen gestured to the last woman, who gave a playful bow. "She fit in well with Rollins, so she clicked easily with everyone else. I can honestly say leaving this crew was the hardest part about leaving New York."

"Easily!" TK jogged over as best he could with Amanda clinging to his back like a koala. "They grow on you like a fungus."

Amanda swatted him on the back of the head. "You're not concussed, so I can get away with this."

Sonny grinned. "I love you so much."

Amanda beamed at him. "Love you, too."

"Hang on," Chimney blinked, pointing between everyone. "So the entire Manhattan squad is here?"

"Yeah, how did all of you get down here?" Herrmann asked. "Who's left in New York?"

"Since you left, Deputy Chief Garland's worked closely with Chief Alvarez to keep the bonds you helped create," Olivia told Owen. "That was how we heard about what happened in San Angelo. When he got the news, Garland granted us a few weeks' leave. He's pulling together another team to work cases while we're here."

"So you're staying a while?" Owen perked up.

Olivia chuckled. "You're stuck with us, Owen."

"Yes!" TK cheered. "It's a party now!"

"What, it wasn't already?" Maddie grinned.

"Lord help us," Judd sighed.

"Oh, believe me, Judd," Owen grinned, arm tight around Olivia. "You're in for one hell of a ride."

***

Oh, that's a lot of people for the next episode. But I think they'll all have something to bring to the table for "Friends With Benefits!"

Also, that question to ask . . . Matt's head injury is the next Chicago Fire plotline to hit. There's a few options for how I handle that, depending on what people think fits best. I'm honestly not sure which one would fit best, but here's what you need to know: Matt and Kelly will be back for the Lone Star midseason finale, and then they will be back for the arson arc (because come on, arsonist chasers not being in the arson episodes? A crime). The end of the arc is also when I plan on Sevasey becoming established.

With that in mind, there are three choices for how I handle the arc.

1: Matt's injury occurs after "Friends With Benefits," and the entire arc is wrapped up before the LS midseason finale. Probably my least likely route, even though there are three LS episodes that happen between then.

2: Matt's injury occurs after "Friends With Benefits," he's in the middle of the arc by the LS midseason finale, and the arc wraps up prior to the LS arson arc.

3: Matt's injury occurs after the LS midseason finale and it is solved by the arson arc. Also not very likely because that's two episodes between 2x08 and 2x11.

Take your pick, folks!

graphic by marvelity