Not at all surprising that this is, once again, the longest chapter at 10.7K words . . . and I'm only a third of the way into the episode! Guess I know what I like writing! XD

The cavalry arrives, Owen surprises a few people, a team is assembled, Buck and TK are certainly Dumbasses, Chimney is still putting his foot in his mouth, and Eddie learns two Austin captains are crazy (but we already knew that).

Enjoy the start of the crossover!

***

Sylvie's horrified scream still haunted Owen's nightmares for days.

The captain jerked awake at the 126, and he took several deep breaths, heading straight for the bathrooms. He sharply turned the faucet on and splashed water on his face, bracing his hands on the sink and taking deep breaths. Sylvie is OK, he reminded himself. She's OK.

That was when he realized there was a figure in the mirror, and he frowned, turning around to look. He stared right into the dead eyes of Tim Rosewater, the orbs milky, his skin pale and clammy, burns and blood caking him.

He backed up against the sink, eyes wide, and Tim tilted his head. "Captain Strand?" he asked . . . but it wasn't his voice.

***

Owen blinked awake for real that time, and the fuzzy face of Grace Ryder appeared in his line of sight. "Captain Strand," she repeated. "The wind shifted."

Owen blinked again, then shot upright on his cot. He hastily left the tent, Grace at his side. He looked around the smokey air, coughing as he asked, "How long was I out?"

Grace checked her watch. "About an hour," she answered.

Owen nodded, hands on his hips and staring up at the massive wildfire glowing on the horizon. "That's about all I need."

***

"The weeks-long battle against the San Angelo fire continues at this hour, with officials now saying the blaze has consumed more than 180,00 acres with less than 5% containment."

"Whoa," Gallo twisted in his seat, eyes wide in shock as he listened to the live news on the rig's radio. "That's what we're driving into?"

"That's what we're arriving at," Stella pointed. "This is our section here."

"Resources here in West Texas have been stretched to their limits, but help is now arriving from neighboring states," the reporter continued. "Fire companies from Oklahoma, New Mexico, and as far away as California, Illinois, and the Carolinas are sending equipment and manpower to aid in this fight, a welcome sight to the embattled Texans on the front lines of this blaze, one that has to look a lot like the arrival of the cavalry."

Stella parked the rig where Boden directed her, and Matt turned down the radio. As the engine stopped, he opened the door and jumped out, immediately grimacing when he emerged into a haze of smoke. Mouch whistled, leaning out from his seat behind Matt. "Welcome to the jungle, am I right?"

"With the humidity?" Matt tilted his head side to side, watching as Engine 51 pulled up behind them, Squad 3 and Ambulance 61 parking to their right. "It might as well be."

"Oh, God!" Gianna recoiled as she stumbled out of the passenger's seat of the ambulance, the rest of 51 piling out of their rigs. "This is . . . "

"Hot?" Ritter supplied.

"A swamp?" Capp offered his own suggestion.

"Suddenly I'm glad we're paramedics and likely not going to actively go into the fires," Violet looked uneasy.

"Alright, 51," Boden clapped his hands, drawing attention to him. "The briefing isn't scheduled to start for another fifteen minutes. Look around the base camp, get your bearings. I'll figure out where we'll be working. Mikami, Mackey, come with me and we'll get you sorted at medical base."

"Right," Matt turned to his crew, seeing the rigs from Firehouse 40 and Firehouse 20 park a few makeshift lanes away. "Get to know the camp. I want everyone at the briefing point five minutes prior."

"Copy that," Gallo nodded.

"You got it, Captain," Stella agreed.

Mouch split up to join Herrmann, Gallo with Ritter as Stella did another check of the rig. Matt walked over to join Kelly, who had split from the rest of Squad. "It feels worse than I thought it would be," Matt murmured.

"It does," Kelly agreed, the two of them walking to where Grainger and Delaney had exited their rigs. "Then again, we always know how it's one thing to see a disaster like this on the news."

"It's another thing to be at the disaster in person," Matt nodded.

Grainger walked away from the conversation with his house, shaking his head. "We're in for quite the fight, aren't we?"

"Sounds like it," Matt nodded. "Did you have the radio on as you pulled in?"

"We did," Delaney joined them. "Less than five percent containment?"

Grainger grimaced. "That doesn't bode well."

"Good thing reinforcements are arriving," Kelly looked around at the various rigs arriving, nodding when he saw rigs from the Los Angeles 118 pass them. "Doesn't sound like San Angelo has much time before the fires reach them."

"Let's try and make sure that doesn't happen," Matt squinted through the smoke.

***

"Maddie?"

The dispatcher started awake, blinking and rubbing her eyes when she felt Josh gently shake her. "Hmm?" she asked.

"We're here," Josh nodded to the door.

Maddie nodded, taking a deep breath and opening the door of the rig. She carefully hopped out, shuddering when she felt her skin dampen due to the moisture in the air. "Ugh," Chimney reeled back as he left the driver's seat of the ambulance. "What's up with the air?"

"The wildfire," Hen rolled her eyes. "Remember? That's why we're here?"

"I mean the way it feels," Chimney elaborated. "It's like – "

"Oh, man," Josh made a face as he jumped out after Maddie. "I feel like I just got slapped with a wet towel."

"That!" Chimney pointed victoriously.

"It's called humidity," Eddie rounded the truck with a smirk. "Welcome to Texas, y'all!"

"Right," Lena sighed. "You're from Texas. Here comes the accent."

Eddie punched her in the shoulder playfully, and Bobby rolled his eyes fondly as he rounded the engine. "Right, we got here in enough time that there's still about ten minutes before the briefing," he checked his watch. "I want everyone to do a check of your gear, then head to the base camp. Know your way around, and make sure you're ready when the briefing begins. Maddie, Josh, I'm sure you'll be directed from there."

Hen and Chimney immediately started checking the ambulance, and Lena nudged Eddie. "Go on up, I'll check our gear."

"Thanks, Bosko," Eddie said gratefully.

She nodded, and Maddie immediately stuck to Eddie's side as he trudged towards the base camp. "I don't want to spend a second longer near Howard than I need to," she muttered.

Eddie snickered. "Honestly, having God knows how many firefighters acting as buffers is going to be nice."

"I wonder where the dispatchers will be sent," Maddie rubbed her hands together, looking around. The majority of people she saw were firefighters. She saw some police officers and the occasional 9-1-1 operator uniform, but she couldn't tell if there was a certain pattern.

"I'm sure we'll find out at the briefing," Eddie assured her, and Maddie nodded in nervous agreement.

"Yo, Diaz? Buckley?"

Both jumped and spun around at their names from a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Eddie. He frowned, scanning the crowd of firefighters, then noticed a tall, burly man in bush gear gesture to them. "That's us," he said cautiously, keeping Maddie slightly behind him as they walked over.

"I figured," the man grinned as three other firefighters jogged over; one was a woman with her hair bundled into a black hijab, another was a muscular black man, and the final a young man who bounced with restless energy. "It's been a while since our friend called."

Eddie blinked, trying to remember, when Maddie gasped. "You're Grace's husband!" she realized, and Eddie made the connection a moment later. "Judd, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Judd nodded with a smile. "Good to finally meet two of Buck's favorite people." He waved to the three other firefighters, who were giving them wide smiles. "I'm running the ladder company at our house, and these are the three I got riding with me: Marjan, Paul, and Mateo."

"It's great to finally meet you two," Marjan smiled happily, extending her hand.

"Good to meet you, too," Eddie shook her hand gratefully, already feeling more relaxed. And I thought it might be more difficult to figure out where Buck is, he thought. "Speaking of Buck . . . ?"

He trailed off hopefully, and Paul chuckled. "You're not at all subtle, are you?"

"Considering we haven't actually seen Buck in person aside from FaceTime calls," Maddie shrugged unapologetically.

"Hey, understandable," Paul assured her. "Actually, we're not entirely sure where he is right now."

"Yeah, as soon as our house was deployed here, Squad got split up," Mateo nodded. "Cap's the operations chief, Sylvie's at the medical base – "

"She normally is," Marjan amended.

" – and Buck and TK got put to work right away," Mateo finished.

"I don't know what kinda training he got in Los Angeles, but Buck's one of the finest heavy rescue specialists I've seen," Judd nodded. "He and TK are the most sought-after pair here on the front lines."

Eddie smiled proudly. "That's my partner."

"That's my brother," Maddie agreed.

Eddie blinked. "Wait, you said Sylvie's normally at the medical base?"

It was like a switch was flipped. Judd's expression hardened, Mateo ducked his head, and Marjan licked her lips nervously. "Not at the moment," Paul finally said. "Captain Vega, Nancy, and Sylvie . . . none of them are here right now."

"Are they OK?" Maddie asked in concern.

The four firefighters exchanged looks, then there was a sharp whistle. "That's the briefing call," Mateo looked eager for an escape.

"We'll explain later," Judd promised.

Eddie nodded, gesturing for Maddie to walk in front of them. "Is it really as bad as we heard coming in?" he asked.

"It's worse," Marjan admitted. "Be ready to work your ass off."

Eddie chuckled. "It's what we're here for, right?"

Dozens of firefighters were milling around the briefing area, and Eddie spotted Lena and Josh with Hen and Chimney on the other side of the informal circle. Bobby was on their side, and he turned when he heard them approach. "I wondered where you went off to," he remarked.

"Met a few friends, actually," Eddie smiled, gesturing to the four Austin firefighters. "Judd, Marjan, Paul, Mateo, this is Bobby Nash, my captain at the 118. Cap, these four are from Buck's house in Austin."

"Really?" Bobby smiled. "What a coincidence."

"What's more of a coincidence is that my wife is good friends with one of your dispatchers in Los Angeles," Judd snorted, shaking Bobby's hand. "That's the only reason I recognized Eddie and Maddie here."

"He came with us," Bobby nodded across the circle. "Is she here, too?"

"Yeah, she is," Judd nodded proudly. "She's assisting the base command."

"He's proud of her," Marjan stage whispered.

Maddie giggled. "Sounds like he should be."

"Where've you been?" Eddie asked.

"I met up with the leader of another one of the houses that came," Bobby nodded to another point in the circle, towards an authoritative black man in a navy jacket that read Battalion Chief. "We'll be working with his house up on the fire lines. All reinforcements with fire training are to help up on the lines, not in the medical tent. That's for paramedics with medical training only."

"So I can't use my dual certification as an excuse to stay here," Eddie nodded. "That means Hen and Chimney are stuck with us, too?"

"Unfortunately."

Eddie smirked. "For them."

"Are you guys staring?" Maddie suddenly asked.

Eddie and Bobby turned to see all four Austin firefighters had focused somewhere along the circle, but once Maddie had said something, they quickly looked away. "No," Marjan cleared her throat. "Just . . . thought we recognized someone."

Eddie frowned, trying to find where they had been looking. He thought it might have been at a group of four officers standing further down – a man with dark hair leaned over to a blond, green-eyed man in a white uniform shirt to say something that made the blond's eyes flicker over suspiciously – but a hush fell over the crowd, and he turned back to see a burly man, helmet under his arm, look around. "I'm Deputy Chief De Leon of the San Angelo Fire Department, acting incident commander," he announced. "For those of you just joining the party, welcome."

"Well, they've started staring back," Maddie mumbled.

Eddie looked back down the line to see the blond in the white uniform shirt was indeed looking back down the line, along with the man directly on his left, one in a navy uniform shirt with silver in his hair and piercing green eyes. Too many firefighters were in the way for Eddie to see any identifying FD logo.

"I want to introduce my operations section chief," De Leon stepped back and gestured to the side. "Captain Owen Strand, out of Austin."

Gasps and murmurs erupted around the circle, and as Bobby's eyes widened in shock, Eddie's head whipped back to see the man that stepped past De Leon, commanding all the attention without saying a word. His eyes were focused as he examined the reinforcements under his command, his gaze lingering on a few places specifically . . . including where Bobby, Eddie, and Maddie were located next to Judd, Paul, Marjan, and Mateo. "Oh, my God," Bobby whispered incredulously.

"I'm guessing Buck never mentioned his captain's last name?" Paul asked dryly.

"No," Eddie swallowed hard. "First name, yeah . . . not the last name."

"What's the significance?" Maddie looked around in confusion.

Bobby took a deep breath. "Captain Owen Strand was his house's only survivor during 9/11," he answered quietly. "Rebuilt the entire house from the ground up . . . and he did it successfully, too. The New York 252 for years was the house you wanted to come to the rescue while he was in command. He's not just a national hero, he's a legend."

"And the 126 is lucky to have him," Judd nodded. "Not to mention lucky to have Austin's best Squad Company, too."

No kidding, Eddie thought, turning his attention back to Captain Strand. The man looked right at home in the smokey air, at ease with the wildfires at his back, and appeared completely in control with a disaster on his hands.

No wonder Buck agreed to work under him.

***

The second Captain Strand's name left De Leon's mouth, Matt felt a chill go down his spine. Delaney let a quiet curse slip, and Grainger swallowed hard as the 9/11 veteran stepped past De Leon. "When the hell did Captain Strand leave New York?" he asked hoarsely.

"More like when did he choose Austin as the place to be?" Kelly added, a low, impressed whistle coming from him. "Damn. Of all the captains to be leading the charge here . . . "

"Pretty damn lucky," Matt remarked.

"No kidding," Delaney agreed. "He's gonna make sure we stop this wildfire no matter what."

Grainger nodded, then frowned. "Those four are still staring at you two."

"Are they?" Matt frowned back, side-eyeing the four firefighters Grainger had pointed out to him: three men and a woman, their sooty appearance meaning they were Texas affiliated. Sure enough, the moment Matt looked over, they averted their eyes. "Are we that popular?"

"Have you seen yourselves?" Delaney snorted. "I'm straight as an arrow, but I get what they see."

Grainger snickered, making Kelly shake his head. "Quiet," he hissed.

Matt's attention was drawn back to Owen when the captain opened his mouth. "The thing we were praying wouldn't happen has happened," he announced. "The wind has shifted. The fire's now on a collision course with the city of San Angelo. There's a possibility of weather coming in, but we can't rely on it, and we won't. We have one last shot to turn the tide." He turned to the board behind him, a map of the forests pinned in place. "Here, on Copper Ridge," he pointed. "We cut a containment line here, and we can stop this beast in its tracks."

"At least they're getting stared back at now," Grainger mumbled.

Matt glared at him in irritation for interrupting, but a quiet snicker from Kelly made Matt see what he meant. Gallo and Ritter had started staring at the woman among the four, and she had clearly noticed. "Remind me to pay for their drinks next time we're at a bar, even if their staring is unintentional," the squad lieutenant said.

Matt nodded as Owen turned to look around the gathered firefighters. "I know you're exhausted," he said. "A lot of you haven't had more than a couple hours' sleep in days. But on behalf of the city of San Angelo and their 120,000 souls, we're gonna get you up on that fire line and you are gonna cut like hell. Good luck, stay safe."

"No wonder he's so greatly respected," Delaney commented. "If that's his constant attitude, he'd have people walking into hell behind him with barely a 'please.'"

"That's encouraging," Matt snorted.

"I need to get back to my guys and figure out where we're going," Grainger said, turning to Matt and Kelly. "Stay safe, alright?"

"You, too," Matt gave him a half hug. "Both of you, OK?"

"You got it," Delaney nodded, giving him a hug as Grainger hugged Kelly, too. "We'll see you soon."

"See you," Kelly nodded.

"Captain!" Matt automatically turned to look, but the worried call wasn't addressed to him. A petite black woman in an Austin dispatcher's uniform ran up from one of the tents, right to Owen. "We have a situation," she said.

Owen's expression shifted to worry, and he and De Leon followed the dispatcher back to the command tent. Matt looked at Kelly, who looked just as curious as him.

***

Grace finished laying out the situation, waiting for the inevitable questions. "I thought your boys made sure all the evacuations had already happened!" De Leon scowled at Owen.

"They did," Owen nodded. "That was before the wind shifted." He turned to Grace. "How many people are up there?"

"Eight kids, one counselor," Grace answered, looking down at the information she gathered.

"There's been no contact?"

"Not in at least eight hours," she confirmed. "It's a camp for at-risk teens, so those kids aren't allowed cell phones."

"Can we get an evac chopper up here?" De Leon pointed on the map.

Owen shook his head at once. "It's too dangerous, and these access roads are all aflame," he pointed to the other roads. "Buck and TK have been using the rig for their runs, and they can't do that now."

"Excuse me, Captain?" Grace joined Owen and De Leon in looking up at the unfamiliar voice that spoke. She blinked as two out of state firefighters ducked under the tent, the sunlight silhouetting them before she was able to see them clearer. The firefighter who had spoken had his hand held up slightly, the silver-haired, green-eyed man wearing a dark navy polo, the bugles on his collar identifying him as a lieutenant. The blond, also green-eyed man next to him was an officer as well, the white polo and bugles marking him as a captain . . . and for some reason, both looked familiar to her. "Sorry, we couldn't help but overhear," the lieutenant said. "Can I suggest something?"

"Please," Owen nodded, standing up straight and folding his arms.

The lieutenant nodded. "We saw the ATVs in the motor pool when we rolled in," he said. "You could use those to get through the woods, couldn't you? My dad passed down a cabin secluded pretty far in woods just like these, and I could get around in an ATV easily enough."

Grace turned to look at Owen, who had a satisfied smile on his face. "So can my team," he said, nodding. "I don't suppose you wouldn't mind going with them, would you, Lieutenant?"

The man shook his head. "Definitely not." He twisted to look at the captain next to him with a smirk. "You in?"

"Like I'm letting you go have all the fun without me," he snorted. "Someone has to watch your back."

Their positions let Grace see the FD-identifying logos on their polos . . . and with a jolt, Grace realized why they looked familiar. These two men were on Sylvie's cell phone home screen and wallpaper. "Alright," Owen nodded. "My boys on Squad know the mountain better than anyone here, they'll join you. Make it an eight-man team, and take a medic. You don't know what you're gonna find up there."

"I'm a medic!" Grace knew that voice immediately, and judging by the grin on Owen's face, he did, too. They turned to see a dark-haired, dark-eyed man in an LAFD shirt duck under the tent, a brunette woman in a red Los Angeles dispatch uniform with him. "Eddie Diaz with the 118, Los Angeles," he identified himself.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Diaz," Owen grinned, looking at the woman next to him. "And this must be Maddie."

"Yes, sir," she smiled bashfully.

"Great to meet you as well," Eddie nodded.

"You a paramedic?" the captain asked.

"Dual certified," Eddie answered. "I was also a medic in the army, and on more than a few missions that looked a lot like this."

"Good enough for me," the lieutenant nodded, walking forward and holding out his hand. "Lieutenant Kelly Severide, Chicago 51. This is Captain Matt Casey, same house."

"Good to meet you both," Eddie shook both their hands.

"That's settled," Owen said. "I'll have my guys pick you three up from your rigs. They'll need to park theirs, anyway. They'll get the rest of the team."

"Copy that," Matt nodded.

"See you shortly," Kelly told Eddie.

He nodded, watching them go before turning back to Owen. "I hope Buck's one of them?" he asked as casually as he could.

Owen barked in laughter. "You aren't subtle at all, are you?"

"No, sir," Eddie shook his head, grinning unabashedly. "We ran into the rest of your house, so Maddie and I know he's here somewhere."

"And apparently he's popular," Maddie added.

"He is," Owen nodded. "He and my son, TK, are the go-to heavy rescue pair here on the front lines. They know this mountain like the back of their hands." He frowned. "Though I don't want to know how much coffee they've had to keep up the work they're doing." He shook his head. "Not the point. Buck's one of the best smoke-eaters I've ever worked with, let alone had under my command. I'm lucky to have him."

"That's my brother," Maddie smiled proudly, tears in her eyes.

"And you are right to be proud of him," Grace smiled kindly. "Grace Ryder, Austin dispatch."

"I remember you," Maddie nodded. "Josh will be excited to talk to you later."

"I'm excited to see him again," Grace smiled. "Captain Strand, do you mind if I find a place to put Maddie to work?"

"If she's anything like her brother, she'll excel wherever you put her," Owen nodded. "Go ahead."

"Yes, sir," Grace turned back to Maddie. "Let's see what we can find, hmm?"

***

"You worked 9/11 with Captain Owen Strand?!"

Joe winced, not used to hearing Mouch's voice pitched that high. "Yes, I did," Boden confirmed, adjusting the sleeves of his bush jacket. "Thought he was one of the hardest-working, determined firefighters I ever had the pleasure of working with. Considering his reputation now, I know I was right."

"That is so cool," Herrmann grinned. "Our chief worked with a national hero!"

"That's if he likes being considered that," Stella pointed out, finishing tying her braids up into a bun. "I don't think losing my entire firehouse in a terrorist attack would be something I want to be remembered for."

Herrmann winced. "Good point."

Joe finished with his bush gear, then turned to Gallo and Ritter, who were unusually quiet. "I'm surprised you two aren't more chatty," he said off-handedly.

"Cruz," Gallo swallowed. "Some of the firefighters we saw . . . one of them was Firefox. Brett's house is here!"

"I know," Joe nodded, unable to stop a smile from forming on his face. "I told you Sylvie's captain picked up the phone for her when she didn't answer? Captain Strand's her direct captain. I knew she was here the moment he started talking."

"Does she know we're here, though?" Ritter asked, eyes darting around the crew of Firehouse 51. "I mean, if she doesn't . . . "

He left the sentence hanging. "Hopefully she does," Joe said. "I think we'd all be a little . . . " He hesitated. "Much," he finally said. "All at once. I already know Squad's gonna dogpile her the moment we realize she's here."

"Who're we dogpiling?" Capp peered around the rig, Tony poking his head out from where he was adjusting his cap in the driver's seat.

"No one!" Joe called back.

They frowned suspiciously, but their attention was drawn to Kelly and Matt, who arrived between the rigs. "Oh, and they finally snuck back home!" Capp grinned.

"Shut up, Capp," Kelly rolled his eyes, opening one of the rig compartments to search for his bush gear.

"He's right, though," Gianna frowned, hefting her medical bag onto her shoulder, she and Violet in their regular gear, as they weren't heading for the fire line. "You guys took a while getting back."

"That's because we heard something was happening on the mountain and thought of a way we could help," Kelly shrugged, finding his bag.

"Which translates to Kelly pitched an idea and volunteered himself for the strike team," Matt said dryly, scanning Truck 81's compartments before finding his gear. "And since I'm his designated back-watcher, I'm tagging along."

"Oh, like I had to pull your arm!" Kelly snorted, ignoring the surprised sounds from the house.

"Oh, you'd never have to pull," Matt grinned smugly.

"Are you two gonna get a room or what?" Tony asked, sounding half-serious.

Kelly pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring Joe and Capp's roaring laughter. "I work with children on my crew."

"So you two aren't coming with us?" Stella asked in surprise.

"Nope," Matt shook his head. "We're headed up the mountain with Captain Strand's Squad."

"Seriously?" Joe's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. "And a medic from the Los Angeles 118 is coming, too."

"The 118, you said?" Boden asked. When Kelly nodded, Boden had a thoughtful look on his face. "That's the other house we're working with on the fire line."

"How about that?" Matt whistled, surprised.

"What are the chances of that happening?" Mouch wondered.

Joe faintly remembered Sylvie saying Buck was from Los Angeles, and he smothered a smirk. If he thought correctly, the chances were pretty damn high. "This'll be interesting," he remarked.

"Is it just our two houses?" Ritter asked.

"There's one other house, but just one rig's crew," Boden nodded. "Ladder 126 from Austin Firehouse 126. Their paramedics work the medical base, and apparently their Squad firefighters are working on evacs."

Matt and Kelly paused in their actions, took one look at each other, then burst out laughing. "Oh, man," Kelly choked. "That's funny."

"Yeah," Matt chortled, shutting the compartment his gear was in. "That worked out perfectly."

"I don't get it," Violet frowned.

"Me, neither," Herrmann folded his arms. "What's the joke?"

"No joke," Kelly grinned, hearing the faint roar of an ATV behind them. "It's just I'm pretty sure the Austin 126 is Captain Strand's house."

"Home sweet home!" a cheery voice behind them called, and Kelly turned to see a dark-haired man in bush gear with a mischievous glint in his green eyes leave the driver's seat of the ATV. "Austin 126, home of the most outrageous calls to ever exist. Seriously, we got a volcano followed by wildfires. It's ridiculous." He patted the front of the ATV. "One free ride up a mountain for Captain Casey and Lieutenant Severide?"

"Matt Casey," the captain held up his hand.

"Kelly Severide," the lieutenant nodded.

"Awesome," the man grinned. "TK Strand. Great to meet you both."

"Wait," Ritter's eyes widened. "Strand?"

"You look just like your father," Boden smiled fondly.

"Yeah, I kind of expected to get that from you," TK smiled back. "My dad has a high opinion of you, Chief. Hopefully you'll get to talk to each other before you ride out of here."

"I hope so, too," Boden nodded.

"Right," TK clapped his hands. "You two have your gear? I can take you to where you can change, then we can meet up with the rest of the team."

"Sounds good," Matt nodded, shouldering his bag.

"Look out for each other, you two," Boden ordered.

"You got it, Chief," Kelly nodded.

"Oh, don't worry," TK tossed back, his voice taking a hard tone. "They're riding with Austin firefighters now. We know how to look after our own." Matt and Kelly slowed at the challenge they heard, giving TK a wary look. The firefighter just smirked and slid into the driver's seat, revving the engine. "Shall we?" he asked.

Kelly looked back to see the rest of 51 looked taken aback as well, and he shook his head to clear the surprise, climbing into the passenger's seat. "Let's roll."

Matt jumped into the back, and TK drove away, leaving their house in the dust.

***

"We seriously can't work at the medical unit?" Chimney asked in disbelief as he changed into bush gear.

"You can clearly see how bad the wildfires are," Lena gestured past the trees, tugging her braid under her cap. "They need all the help they can get."

"Hey, overtime is overtime," Hen shrugged, retying her boots. "And wherever we can help the most, that's where we should be."

Chimney sighed. "I wonder where that means Josh and Maddie will be."

"Maddie's been assigned to the medical base." Chimney yelped and jumped a foot in the air as Eddie appeared from nowhere, already dressed in his bush gear minus the jacket. "Josh is gonna be coordinating with the 118's section of the fire line," he continued, looking through the compartments of the engine rig. Lena silently opened another compartment, and Eddie nodded, finding his bag. "Thanks, Lena."

"Thought you jumped ship for a moment there," Hen eyed him.

"Is it jumping ship if I'm still helping out but not going on the fire line?" Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, what?" Chimney balked.

"Where'd you get assigned?" Bobby asked curiously.

"I volunteered," Eddie corrected. "I'm taking a ride up the mountain as the medic for a strike team."

"Lucky you," Lena eyed him.

"Why couldn't you pitch one of us?" Chimney complained.

"Well, with that attitude, it sounds like you wouldn't last long." Chimney jumped again, rapidly turning to come face to face with Judd, who had his arms folded, a smug smirk on his face. "Squad don't take complainers on their runs, and they don't have time for arguments."

"Hey, Judd," Eddie nodded in greeting.

"Nice to see you again, Hollywood," Judd nodded back. "Maddie get settled?"

"She was when I left the medical unit," Eddie nodded, shrugging into his bush gear. "What're you doing here?"

"So, exciting fact," Paul arrived next, Marjan and Mateo behind him. "We're actually assigned to the same section of the fire line."

Eddie blinked slowly, then threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, man, Captain Strand pulled strings, didn't he?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he did," Judd grinned widely. "'Cause guess which other house we're with?"

"Which one?"

"Chicago 51," Mateo grinned. "It's gonna be fun."

"You know the house?" Hen asked curiously.

"We know of it," Judd corrected. "Just like we know of this one."

There was a pause. "That doesn't sound ominous at all," Lena grimaced.

"Let's just say we're looking forward to it," Paul chuckled.

"Now I'm kind of regretting I'm gonna miss whatever's gonna happen," Eddie remarked, the faint sound of an ATV in his ears.

"Oh, that's a shame." The familiar voice made Hen squeak, Chimney drop his shovel, and Eddie spin around. Buck leaned out of the driver's seat of the ATV, covered in sweat and ash, but looking like he was having the time of his life. "So does that mean you're backing out?" he asked with a grin.

"Hell no, man," Eddie grinned widely, shutting the compartment door and walking over. "If anyone's watching your back on this trip, it's gonna be me."

"Oh, TK's gonna be disappointed," Buck leapt from the ATV and jogged over. "He's being replaced."

"More like he replaced me," Eddie groused, engulfing Buck in a hug. "God, I missed you."

Buck clung back just as tightly, chuckling. "I missed you, too, Eds."

"Buck?" Hen whispered in shock.

"See why we're looking forward to this?" Marjan smiled innocently.

"Oh, I think I am, too," Lena smiled, leaning against the engine and nodding to Buck, who still hadn't let go of Eddie. It wasn't like Eddie wasn't letting go of Buck, either. "Looking good, Buckley. Texas suits you."

"Thanks, Bosko," Buck grinned. "The company helps a lot."

"Oh, we're a joy to be around," Paul grinned smugly.

"I meant my company," Buck tossed back at once. "I got a dad, a brother, and a sister all at once. Who'd've thought a train derailment was the place to be for all that?"

"Now I'm regretting leaving you alone," Eddie remarked.

"You would've regretted staying," Buck grinned. "You wouldn't have been able to keep up with us."

Eddie's eyebrows raised. "You think I couldn't?"

"I know you wouldn't."

Eddie snorted loudly. "I'm taking that bet when this is all over."

"Oh, you're gonna regret that," Judd warned. "There's a reason I call those three Team Dumbass."

"Team Dumbass?" Hen repeated dubiously.

"That's not including Captain Strand," Judd waved it off. "His three kids, on the other hand? Dumbass, Dumbasser, and Dumbassest. I'm still trying to figure out which of the latter two Buck is."

"Yeah, TK and I are still figuring that out, too," Buck admitted, smiling sheepishly.

"As long as you're taking care of yourself," Bobby said.

"I am," Buck nodded, reluctantly leaving Eddie's side to bound over. "It's good to see you, Bobby."

The captain visibly relaxed, hugging Buck tightly. "Good to see you, too, kid."

"Wait," Chimney whipped around. "You knew where he went, Cap?"

"Only after the mudslide," Bobby nodded. "And after Athena kept me in the doghouse and May verbally put me in my place every other day."

"Are you kidding me?" Chimney looked around wildly. "How did Lena of all people know before me and Hen?"

"Well," Buck held out slowly. "Eddie has had my back since day one of this entire nuclear bomb. Lena never had any part in it, so that's not really fair to her. Bobby has done everything he can to make up for his part in it. I decided that means they should know."

"You still could've told us!" Chimney protested.

"Chim!" Hen jabbed him in the ribs, scowling.

"No, we were a family before Buck up and left!" Chimney insisted, almost not able to be heard over the roar of an approaching ATV. "And without even saying where he was going?"

"Let me get this straight," a very welcome voice said loudly. "The man outs a secret that belonged not just to you, but also your sister, to your entire firehouse. He even gets the information wrong. And then he's pissed that because of that lost trust, you decided not to tell him where you went?" Eddie turned to match the voice of TK Strand to the man himself, and found the firefighter sauntering from his ATV with the stance of a man ready for battle. Matt and Kelly were in the back and passenger's seat respectively, eyeing the standoff with interest. "Yeah, I'm confused," TK declared, folding his arms.

"Now you know how I felt when I left the 118," Buck nodded.

"Sorry you went through that, brother," TK shook his head.

"Hey, I got a new family," Buck smiled. "Eddie, Bobby, this is TK Strand. He's the one who convinced Cap to give me a shot. TK, meet Eddie and Bobby. That's Lena over there."

"Great to put the faces to the names," TK smiled, shaking hands with the 118 members.

"Thanks for making Buck welcome here," Bobby smiled.

"He made me welcome in Santa Monica," TK shrugged. "Least my dad and I could do."

"It still means more than you know," Eddie whispered.

Buck flushed a little, and TK grinned. "I think I might know a little." He clapped his hands. "Right! Up the mountain we go . . . again." He wrinkled his nose, heading back to his ATV. "How many cups of coffee are we on now?"

Buck snorted. "I lost count at some point after nine."

"Nine?!" Hen balked.

"Oh, hell," Judd sighed. "I'm telling you. Dumbasser and Dumbassest, right there."

"And proud of it!" TK grinned cheekily as Buck gave off a mock salute.

Eddie looked from Buck to TK, then at Matt and Kelly, both of whom looked far too amused. "We're gonna have our hands full, aren't we?"

"With the kids or these two?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't they the same thing?" Kelly twisted to look at him.

"Hey!" Buck protested.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Not you, too, Sev."

"Oh, come on," Kelly grinned. "Lighten up a little. You don't need to be the grim captain for this. Delaney's already got that covered."

Matt sighed. "I hate you."

"Yeah, really convincing there, man."

Paul snickered. "Correction, Eddie . . . you've got your hands full with all four of them. Casey and Severide are just as bad as Buck and TK."

"No, we're not!" Matt glowered.

"Yeah? So you two didn't jump a suicide bomber in a subway?"

Eddie's jaw dropped. "Wait," Mateo looked a mixture of horrified and awestruck. "How did we not hear that story?"

"There's always the serial arsonists, too," Paul began.

"And on that note," Matt hastily turned around.

"Yeah, these at-risk kids aren't getting any less at risk," Kelly agreed, clearing his throat.

"Busted," Marjan snickered.

TK got a glint in his eye as he backed up to the ATV, and Buck narrowed his eyes. "TK . . . "

"Hey, the lieutenant's right," TK grinned, jumping into the driver's seat. "They're getting more at-risk."

"I swear to God, TK – "

"Hang on!" TK grinned, revving the engine loudly.

"TK Strand!" Buck yelled.

TK whooped with glee, putting his foot down on the accelerator, and the ATV sped off down the path; Buck heard Matt yelp in surprise and Kelly laugh. "Honestly, TK," Judd shook his head in exasperation.

Buck turned to look at Eddie, and the man grinned. "You're gonna let them keep that head start?"

"Hell no," Buck laughed, skipping to the driver's seat of his ATV. "Let's go!"

"Hey, you guys be careful!" Marjan shouted.

"We will!" Eddie nodded.

"Oh," Buck turned back, snapping his fingers and pointing at Paul. "You know Cap likely wants you to – "

"Oh, I know," Paul nodded, face serious. "I'll keep my eyes open."

"You're the best, Paul!" Buck climbed into the ATV.

"I know it!"

Buck looked at Eddie as he climbed in next to him, and he gave a grin. "Ready?"

"Let's roll," Eddie nodded.

Buck cheered, turning the key and taking off, and Eddie held on for dear life as they barreled to catch up with TK and the Chicago officers.

***

A vibration in Owen's jacket signaled an incoming call, and he quickly excused himself to duck into the tent the 126 was bunking in. He sat down on his, checked who was calling, then took a deep breath and answered.

The exhausted face of his chief paramedic filled the screen, her hair twisted into milk braids around the crown of her head. "Hi, Owen," she smiled tightly, the slight jostling of the screen suggesting she was in a moving vehicle. "How're you doing?"

"I feel I should be asking you that," Owen said gently. "Tim's funeral was today." Sylvie flinched, and he sighed. "The rest of us would've been there in a heartbeat – "

"But De Leon couldn't spare you," Sylvie nodded. "I know. It's a miracle he let the three of us attend." She paused, swallowing. "I'm glad he did."

"I am, too," Owen nodded. "Like I asked, Sylvie . . . how're you doing?"

She took a deep breath. "I could be a hell of a lot better. I could also be so much worse." Owen nodded in understanding. "And you?" she asked. "With the wildfires? Squad?"

"The fires are closer than ever," Owen said. "We're working on it."

"Nancy's foot is all the way on the floor," Sylvie said. "We should be making it to base shortly."

"Looking forward to having you back," Owen smiled.

"Looking forward to being back."

"Captain Strand?" Owen turned to see Grace poke her head inside. "You requested a list of all air resources and call signs? I have that for you."

"Yes, thank you, Grace," Owen smiled, then looked back. "Safe travels, Sylvie."

"Stay safe, Owen," Sylvie nodded.

***

"You two and Chief Boden tried visiting the 252 in New York a few years ago, didn't you?" TK suddenly asked as he drove along the trails.

"Yeah, we did," Kelly nodded. "Chief took us to visit the 9/11 memorial. We tried dropping by the station, but he didn't mention why."

"We heard later on Boden was there," TK nodded. "We were out at a four-alarm and didn't get the chance to run into you later. That's a shame. Dad and I woulda loved to get to know you two sooner."

"When did you guys move to Austin?" Matt asked, leaning forward to hear better.

"January," TK answered. "After the silo explosion that took out all but one of the original 126, Deputy Chief Radford asked Dad to rebuild the house like he rebuilt the 252 after 9/11. Dad was hesitant, but eventually he decided to take the job. Judd was the lone survivor of the firefighters, Mateo was also local, but Marjan came from Miami and Paul from Chicago. Then a few months ago, Dad got the green light to form a squad company at the house. That's when Buck got recruited." He smiled happily. "Best decision Dad ever made about a house."

Kelly smiled wistfully. "Sounds like you've got quite the house."

"We do," TK nodded. "I was really hesitant about coming down . . . but it's home now. Nowhere else I'd rather be. When you're with your people . . . you just know."

A glance out of the corner of his eye made him see Kelly swallow hard and Matt bite his lip. "Yeah," Matt finally said. "You know."

The moment was interrupted by the roar of an engine, and TK swerved as Buck's ATV ripped past them, the firefighter whooping with excitement, Eddie's laughter ringing out as they took the lead. "Evan Buckley!" TK yelled in annoyance, amusement still in his voice.

"Keep up, man!" Buck bellowed back, making Eddie laugh louder.

TK scoffed, shaking his head. "I'd be pissed off if I didn't recognize this is the happiest I've seen him since he moved," he said.

"Is he always like that?" Kelly asked.

"An adrenaline junkie?" TK snickered. "Oh, yeah. No wonder he's in such a good mood. Eddie was his partner back in Los Angeles. They basically co-parented his kid."

"Seriously?" Matt blinked.

"Seriously," TK nodded. "And that kid is adorable. Seriously, best kid you'll ever meet."

Kelly tilted his head side to side. "We might know one to one up him."

TK smirked. "Challenge accepted, Lieutenant."

"TK!" Buck leaned out of the ATV. "Look sharp!"

TK nodded, driving up closer, and Kelly stood in the ATV, leaning out the side when they passed the sign for the Great Oaks Camp. He started doing a head count when he saw kids rush towards the incoming firefighters, and he frowned. "I only count seven kids!"

"I thought Captain Strand said there was supposed to be eight?" Matt jumped out.

"Dad said there was a counselor, too," TK joined them.

"They're missing!" one of the campers burst out as they came near.

"Hey!" Kelly barked, grabbing everyone's attention. "We're gonna get you all down the mountain, OK? Diaz, check everybody out, make sure they're OK."

Eddie nodded, swiftly looking through his medical bag. "I can help," TK walked over. "Dual certified."

"Same," Eddie nodded.

"Really?" Buck blinked. "That's new."

"Got it just before the dam broke," Eddie grinned.

"And that wasn't worth mentioning?"

"There are seven kids only," Matt flagged one of the campers. "Who's missing?"

"Mr. Gomez," the kid answered. "He left last night looking for JJ, and he never came back."

"Did he run away?" Kelly frowned.

"No, man," the kid shook his head. "He was out doing his solo."

Matt blinked in confusion. "Solo?"

"Two nights mandatory alone in the woods," Buck piped up. "It's supposed to build character and self-respect, but it's usually pretty well-monitored."

TK looked up from checking one kid's heartrate. "Do I wanna know how you know that?"

Buck rolled his eyes, and Kelly scratched his head, thinking. "Does Mr. Gomez have a cell phone?"

"He's the only one that does," the camper nodded. "We're not allowed."

"No call in eight hours," TK frowned. "It could just be bad reception."

Something caught Eddie's eye, and he leaned past the kid he was checking. He blinked, then abruptly stood. "Or something else!"

He took off running, and TK started when Buck took off after him. He stood up to see the two firefighters catch a man that was stumbling towards them, his breath rattling. "Please help," Gomez rasped before pitching forward.

TK scrambled forward to help ease him down, Matt and Kelly right on his heels. "Whoa, easy!"

"Where's JJ?" Matt asked.

"Couldn't find him," Gomez gasped, eyes shutting.

He became eerily quiet, and Eddie leaned down, listening intently. "He's not breathing," he gulped. "Buck, let's get him up."

"Yep," Buck nodded, helping Eddie lift Gomez from the ground.

Matt beckoned them to one of the picnic tables, quickly clearing it off. "There we go," Eddie narrowed his eyes, going into medic mode. "TK, grab the IV bag from the kit. I'm gonna run a line." TK disappeared from view as he crouched down, going through the bag, then he hopped back up, IV bag and valve mask in hand. "OK, Buck, hold this," Eddie handed him the IV bag. "TK, the mask."

"OK, everyone, let's give them room to work," Matt turned around, gesturing the kids back. "Come on, back here."

Eddie inserted the IV, then nodded for TK to start delivering breaths with the valve mask. After a few squeezes, Eddie checked his lungs with the stethoscope. He frowned, confused. "I'm not hearing any air escaping," he said. "Lungs are intact . . . "

"Then why isn't his chest rising?" Buck asked.

Eddie ran through different ideas in his head, then landed on one he hoped wasn't the case. He carefully ripped open Gomez's shirt, and he hissed when he realized he was right. "Ah, damn," he sighed, seeing the harsh burns on his chest. "We need to do an escharotomy."

"A what?" Kelly frowned.

"That burn tissue?" Eddie gestured. "That's called eschar. It's constricting his chest like a rope."

"Which means his lungs can't expand," Kelly concluded.

"Yeah, exactly," Eddie nodded. "So we need to cut it so they can."

"Now?" Buck's eyes widened.

"Now," Eddie confirmed, looking through his bag for a scalpel. "Hope none of you are squeamish!"

"Just do what you need to do," Kelly ordered.

TK watched carefully as Eddie poured alcohol over Gomez's chest, then carefully used the scalpel to cut vertically down through the tissue, then two diagonal cuts after that. "Rescue breaths," Eddie prompted, and TK carefully squeezed the bag.

After three attempts, Gomez's eyes flew open, and he sat upright, gasping for breath. "Whoa!" Buck jumped, startled.

"JJ!" Gomez gasped.

"Easy, buddy," TK stood up, grabbing the oxygen mask. "Easy!"

"Sir, we're aware of the missing kid," Eddie said. "I need you to take nice and steady breaths."

The kids behind them cheered, and Buck grinned. "Good job, Eddie."

Eddie grinned back. "You, too, Buck."

TK took one look between them and barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Lovestruck idiots, he thought fondly.

***

"Put your backs into it!" the section chief in charge of the fire line shouted. "We're almost there! This road is everything! We hold the line here, we put this fire on the ropes!"

"If I hear that from her one more time," Lena gritted her teeth, hacking away at the ground.

"Yeah," Marjan grunted, throwing a few branches away. "I hear you, girl."

"So LA, huh?" Mateo asked from a bit further down. "That's cool. I got a cousin in LA. Marvin. People say we look alike. Maybe you know him?"

Lena chuckled. "Doesn't ring a bell, kid. Besides . . . it's a big place."

"No, I know," Mateo nodded. "His last name's Chavez."

"I'm telling you, I don't know him," Lena shook her head.

Mateo nodded. "He's in jail anyway."

"Probie!" Marjan stared at him.

"What?"

"Is that what candidates are called in Austin?" Gallo asked from a few feet away with Ritter.

"Yeah," Mateo nodded. "You one?"

"Me and Ritter," Gallo pointed, the man giving a quick wave before tossing sticks away. "He's been at 51 a year longer than me."

"I wondered why you didn't look too familiar," Paul nodded. "I saw my fair share around Chicago when I was there."

"By the way," Ritter turned to Marjan. "We're sorry for staring at you earlier. It's just . . . "

He trailed off, and Marjan frowned, seeing he looked truly worried about something. "What?" she asked, leaning on her rake.

Gallo swallowed. "I follow you on Instagram," he said. "And a few weeks back, I saw the picture you posted about the tank and the VA hospital." He fidgeted, looking around to see how occupied 51 was, then leaned forward. "Is Brett OK?" he asked quietly.

Mateo dropped his rake in his surprise. Paul was expressionless, and Marjan sighed. "Well, she's as good as she can be given what we dealt with last week."

"That's the last member of Buckley's new crew, right?" Lena asked.

"Yeah," Marjan nodded. "That's her."

"Thanks," Gallo smiled in relief. "I'm sorry, too."

"It's fine," Marjan promised. "I'm just glad you weren't being creepy."

"Oh, God, no," Gallo quickly shook his head. "Definitely not."

"Are we the only normal crew out here?" Capp abruptly asked.

The rakes halted. "Seriously, Capp?" Joe groaned.

"No, really!" he insisted. "The craziest thing we've had to deal with is a flesh-eating bacteria."

"A what?" Hen balked.

"He does have a point," Mouch said reluctantly. "I mean, we've seen on the news how hectic your areas get."

"That's one word for it," Bobby snorted.

"Hey, if you're in Los Angeles, have you ever gotten a call at Disneyland?" Mateo wondered.

"That's Orange County," Hen shook her head.

"The 118 did get called to an amusement park once," Chimney piped up. "Buck had to scale the loop of a roller coaster. Guy was hanging on by his bare hands."

"Buck saved a guy handing from a roller coaster?!" Mateo's eyes widened.

"Unfortunately, no," Bobby shook his head, giving Chimney a warning look. "He let go."

"Damn," Paul sighed.

"Well, TK had a woman almost drown on him last spring in less than a foot of water," Judd said.

"How does that happen?" Herrmann asked in surprise.

"She was trapped in a bus upside down in the middle of the street," Paul answered.

"That was a wild day," Marjan whistled.

"We had a bus rescue a few weeks ago," Lena smirked. "Ours was sticking out the fifth floor of an office building."

"What?" Stella's jaw dropped.

"No way!" Gallo grinned.

"Oh, yes," Lena snickered. "And Han over there said, and I quote – "

"'That does not go there,'" she and Bobby chorused at the same time.

"Because it didn't!" Chimney defended himself as Hen rolled her eyes.

"Didn't you guys just have an active volcano?" Tony asked the 126.

Their rakes stopped at the same time, the four exchanging looks. "Yeah," Judd cleared his throat. "Yeah, we did."

Boden frowned. "How did it go for your house?"

Mateo looked nervously from one firefighter to the next. "Um – "

A creaking sound distracted them, and Joe's eyes widened. "Get back!"

Tony and Capp leapt to the right, Herrmann and Mouch to the left as a flaming car careened into their path. When the car stopped, Marjan threw her rake aside and ran to look inside. "It looks like just the driver!" she called.

"Extinguishers!" Boden bellowed.

Gallo and Ritter swarmed with handheld extinguishers, Mateo snatching his. The three started spraying the car at the same time, and Bobby tried the driver's side door. "Captain!" Lena called.

Bobby looked up, catching the Halligan she tossed with one hand. "Watch your eyes!" he warned before jabbing it into the window.

Glass shattered and rained on the ground, and Stella reached in to open the car door. It popped open . . . and a black Labrador jumped out, whining up a storm. "You have got to be kidding me," Herrmann's eyes bugged wide open as the dog beelined for Ritter, knocking his poor candidate over.

"Clyde!" a bearded man stumbled into view. "Oh, damn it! Clyde!"

"Uh . . . " Hen slowly pointed towards the Lab. "Clyde?"

"Oh, thank God," the man sighed in relief, hurrying for his dog. "Oh, bad boy! Bad boy, Clyde!"

"Sir?" Boden asked with a frown.

"I'm so sorry," he gulped. "I left him alone for, like, ten seconds. He must have unlocked the parking brake!"

"Your dog has a lead foot," Mateo chuckled.

Marjan frowned, stopping by Lena and watching the man leave with his dog. "Now that was weird," she declared.

"So weird," Lena agreed.

***

"Keep it dry," Gianna ordered the patient she was treating. "Change the dressing every 24 hours."

"Captains on scene!" one paramedic called.

Gianna and Violet turned to see the flaps of the tent open, and a dark-skinned woman with her hair tightly pulled back stepped inside, her uniform showing she was Captain Vega from Austin. "At ease," she chuckled, waving everyone down as there was more movement. Another paramedic, her tag reading Gillian, came in after her – "This isn't my scene."

– followed by a blonde in black, her uniform identifying her as Captain Brett. "Brett!" Gianna leapt up, eyes wide.

Sylvie spun around, looking just as startled. "Mackey?" she asked in disbelief.

"Oh, my God!" Gianna stumbled around the bunk, and Sylvie stumbled at the force of her hug. "I had no idea – !"

"I think that was her original intention, Gianna," Violet smiled, much more calm as she walked over. "Good to see you, Sylvie . . . or is it Captain?"

"Whatever works for you, Violet," she smiled, patting Gianna on the back before disengaging herself. "Captain Vega, Nancy, these are the paramedics at my old house, Chicago 51, PIC Violet Mikami and Gianna Mackey. This is the crew of EMS 126, Captain Tommy Vega and Nancy Gillian."

"Welcome to Texas, ladies," Tommy smiled. "Looks like you're doing good work."

"We're doing our best," Violet nodded.

"Did you say Sylvie Brett?" the dispatcher at the radio spun around, eyes wide.

Sylvie turned, too, recognizing the voice . . . and she recognized the looks of the brunette Los Angeles dispatcher looking at her. "Oh, my God," her eyes widened. "You're Maddie!"

"Yes!" she laughed, standing up and walking over. "Oh, I've been wanting to meet you!"

"I've wanted to meet you, too!" Sylvie grinned, hugging her tightly. "Buck's talked so much about you!"

"Me?" Maddie giggled. "You should know how much he talks about you!"

Sylvie blushed, then Nancy coughed meaningfully. "Oh," Sylvie shook herself. "Sorry. Uh, this is Maddie, she's Buck's older sister." Nancy's eyes lit up with understanding. "Maddie, this is Tommy Vega and Nancy Gillian. They're the other paramedics at the 126."

"You really do look like Buck," Nancy tilted her head. "You've got an awesome brother."

"Yeah," Maddie smiled proudly. "I do."

There was a crackle from the radio, then a familiar voice came through. "This is Great Oaks strike team. Do you copy?"

Maddie hurried over, picking up the radio. "Go ahead, Eddie," she said.

"Hey, Maddie," Eddie sounded relieved. "Sending seven minors your way. Mild dehydration, smoke inhalation, few lacerations, but they're fine. One adult male, critical. Gave him eleven milligrams of morphine. He will need a life flight."

Maddie nodded absently, then blinked. "I'm sorry, you said seven minors? Captain Strand said there were eight."

"One kid's still missing," Eddie confirmed. "Buck went up the mountain with Captain Casey to search for him."

Sylvie's eyes widened in shock, and she turned to look at Gianna and Violet, looking like a deer in headlights. "Yeah," Violet smiled softly. "We're all out here."

Sylvie swallowed hard, tuning back in, seeing Maddie frown. "Eddie, you've only got about two hours of daylight left, and the wind reports are not good."

"Yeah, it's getting a little toasty out here," Eddie admitted.

"Then put a clock on this."

Eddie chuckled. "Maddie, you know Buck, and we've talked to TK. Based on what I've learned from Captain Casey and Lieutenant Severide, none of us are leaving without this boy, clock or no clock."

Maddie sighed. "So they're just like you."

Eddie laughed. "Yeah, basically."

"Both of them are up there?" Sylvie squeaked.

Nancy frowned. "Now it's confusing because there are two sets of 'both of them' I know you could be referring to."

"OK, bring me up to speed," Sylvie turned to Maddie, eyes narrowed. "What's the strike team doing?"

"When the winds shifted, there was a camp of at-risk kids that needed evacuating," Maddie answered. "Captain Strand said his two from Squad were going, then Captain Casey, Lieutenant Severide, and Eddie volunteered to go with them. They went up for eight kids and a counselor."

"And only seven kids and a counselor are coming back," Sylvie pursed her lips. "Thank you."

She pushed past, heading for the exit, and Maddie blinked. "You're welcome?" she called hesitantly, then looked at the other women. "Where's she going?"

Tommy sighed heavily. "Considering who's up with that team . . . she could be doing anything."

***

"I need reinforcements on that line," Owen told Grace, moving nimbly around the tables at the command center. "Tell Tulsa Company to take Houston's engine up there."

"Yes, sir," Grace nodded.

"Owen!"

He turned when he heard his name, and he found Sylvie heading for him, face full of concern. "Sylvie," he nodded, walking over. "What's going on?"

"I just heard about the strike team," she said. "Eddie checked in. They're missing one of the campers."

"They are?" he blinked.

"Yes," Sylvie nodded. "Seven kids and one counselor are coming back, but one of the boys is missing. Owen, you've got to send a chopper up to help look before it gets dark. I've heard Buck and TK describe the woods. They'll never find one boy in those trees without some form of help."

Owen walked over to the maps, frowning and looking over where the strike team was. "That's right on the edge of the fire line," he said. "That wind's blowing 20 knots. I don't feel good about sending anybody up there." He pursed his lips, then sighed. "Grace!"

"Yes, sir?" she appeared.

Owen turned to Sylvie, face determined. "Tell Commander De Leon I had to take a run up the mountain."

***

"You sure Buck knows the mountain?"

TK looked up at Kelly's question, and he nodded at once. "We've been making runs up and down in the rig ever since we got here," he said. "We probably know this mountain better than Austin by now . . . which is a little scary to think about."

Kelly sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll take your word for it."

"Worried about Casey?" Eddie guessed.

"Is it that obvious?" Kelly groused.

TK held up his forefinger and thumb, spacing them just a hair apart from each other. "Just a little."

Kelly rolled his eyes. "He's been my best friend since we went through the academy together. And right now, without knowing – " He cut himself off, then sighed. "He's all I've got right now."

Eddie frowned, confused at why he cut off, then TK cleared his throat, looking at him. "Well, at least Buck was right . . . you really are calm under literal fire."

Eddie grinned. "Pretty easy when no one's shooting at us."

Kelly smirked. "I've had that happen, actually."

"Seriously?" TK turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"Last winter," Kelly nodded. "An old friend from the CPD was in town trying to find his sister, and he was investigating a house we pulled up to. Next thing the house knows, we're taking fire from the basement."

Eddie whistled, impressed. "OK . . . and this is more worrisome?"

Kelly gestured. "We're in San Angelo, Texas. Nowhere near Chicago, and no offense TK, but I usually prefer my best friend either in the city or where I can see him."

"None taken," TK shrugged. "It's the same with my crew. I just know that Buck knows this mountain blindfolded." He paused. "Not that he'll actually drive it blindfolded. At least I hope he doesn't . . . he might have enough caffeine in his system to try it."

"The IC seemed a little annoyed when Captain Strand said you needed a medic with you," Eddie recalled.

"Well, there is a paramedic we would typically take," TK allowed. "When Dad built the new crew, he wanted a riding paramedic. Since she got here, she's been doing most of the agility, ropes training with us. If the 126 paramedics were here, she'd be out here, too."

"Why aren't they here?" Kelly frowned.

TK sighed. "Our entire house didn't walk away from the volcano last week."

Eddie winced. "I remember that."

"Yeah," TK nodded. "The paramedics were the only ones we could spare for the funeral. We're tight as it is. None of us could leave to go with them." He shook his head. "What any of us would've given to be at that funeral, too."

Eddie nodded, then tilted his head, seeing a flash of suspicion in Kelly's eyes. "You alright, Lieutenant?"

Before Kelly could answer, their radios crackled. "Great Oaks search team, give us your current location," Grace's voice came over. "We're sending air support."

"Air support?" Eddie parroted, frowning in disbelief. "Who's crazy enough to go up in something like this?"

Kelly looked just as confused, but TK groaned, palming his face. "I can think of someone."

***

Owen brought the ATV to a stop, grabbing his gear and running for the chopper preparing for lift-off. "Appreciate this, Mark!" he called to the pilot. The pilot nodded in acknowledgement, and Owen looked over as the other door opened, and Sylvie hauled herself inside, out of her Austin uniform and into bush gear. "I'm still not comfortable with you coming out in this, Sylvie," he said.

"There's no way you're going out in this without a medic," she said determinedly. "And there's no way I'm sitting at the medical base on today of all days, not to mention when not just Buck and TK are out there, but Matt and Kelly, too."

Owen sighed, unable to argue with her. "Not crazy about this, my dear."

Sylvie snorted, shutting the door behind her. "Yea. Me, neither."

Owen fixed the headset over his ears, seeing Sylvie do the same thing as their chopper lifted into the air, heading for the hills. He silently prayed for a safe flight, even though he knew the winds were harsh.

He had a feeling there were two Chicago officers who wouldn't be afraid to kill him if something happened to Sylvie.

***

Oh, Owen . . . you really have no idea just how protective the boys are of their girl, do you?

Yeah. All of those 10.7K words? One third of the episode. This is going to be a long ride through the wildfires, folks. Though I did have a lot of original content to write, so that'll cause a bit of a back-up.

The (hopefully) epic crossover continues next time!

graphic by marvelity