Six Months Later

The soft sounds of a Coldplay song drifted through the speakers of Charlie's cell phone while the twenty-seven year old busied herself with preparing lunch. She dipped the knife into the jar of mayonnaise, spreading a thin layer onto a slice of bread while Christopher watched television in the living room, taking advantage of a lazy Saturday before a party with Eddie's friends that evening.

"Aunt Charlie!" Chris yelled from the living room, causing the woman to nearly drop the knife onto the countertop in surprise before she managed to regain her composure, setting it down on the plate next to the half-finished sandwich. "Come quick, come quick!"

"What?" Charlie asked, hurrying into the living room and inspecting for any sort of damage. "What's up, kiddo?"

However, to Charlie's surprise and relief, there were no signs of damage throughout the living room. Instead, Christopher's eyes were glued to the television screen, where the banner across the bottom of a news broadcast detailed a high-speed car chase. Vehicles swerved across the I-710 lanes as a driver in a yellow vintage car sped down the road, going faster and faster as multiple police cars pursued after him.

"We're not sure where this chase started, but the vehicle is currently moving west on the 710 freeway." The announcer spoke on the news as Charlie took a seat next to Chris, both of their eyes glued to the pursuit. As they watched, the vehicle nearly hit a silver pickup truck before it swerved at the last moment, causing both of them to flinch from the near-wreck. "Oh, that was close! I count four LAPD vehicles in pursuit. He's gotta be going at least a hundred miles an hour."

"Whoa," Christopher breathed, still watching the police chase in awe.

The two of them continued to watch the pursuit, the sandwiches on the counter long forgotten as more and more police vehicles joined the chase on the 710. Charlie's heart began to pound with every near miss, hoping that those involved would all be okay. The news helicopter followed the scene vigilantly, the reporter giving them to-the-minute updates.

"We just received word from the LAPD that the driver is a minor operating a malfunctioning vehicle." the reporter announced, causing Charlie's heart to sink into her stomach. "They are working with emergency crews to handle the situation, but drivers are instructed to avoid the surrounding areas at all costs until it is under control."

"That poor kid," Charlie mused, shaking her head.

"What's he doing?" Christopher asked as the convertible moved into the exit lane, leaving the freeway.

The yellow car exited onto Woodley Avenue, where four police vehicles followed at a safe distance. Charlie watched in horror as the car began to slow down, the vehicle violently jerking in the lane as white smoke billowed from the engine. Suddenly, a red fire engine turned onto the road in front of the vehicle, E118 printed across the top as it now led the procession.

"It's my dad!" Chris exclaimed. "Why are they in front of the car?"

"I don't know, buddy." Charlie said, studying the screen in front of them with bated breath as the convertible grew closer and closer to the truck.

Charlie's heart leapt into her throat as the yellow convertible slammed into the back of the fire engine, jerking it forward with the momentum, but to her surprise, the truck held strong. Instead, the car stayed directly behind it, allowing the engine to slow it down before bringing both vehicles to a stop. However, even from the cameras on the helicopter above the scene, she could still see the wheels of the convertible spinning as it tried desperately to move around the obstacle pinning it in place, the wheels kicking up a cloud of white smoke.

"Is everybody okay?" Christopher asked, a concerned expression crossing his face as he looked back at Charlie.

"I hope so, kiddo." Charlie assured him, both of them turning back to the screen to anxiously await the rest of the save.

Charlie and Christopher watched as the crew of the 118 piled out of the firetruck, rushing towards the still-smoking convertible. Charlie let loose a deep breath as she saw a figure on screen that was unmistakably Eddie, appearing unhurt from the impact as they pulled a teenage boy from the wreck.

"There's Dad!" Christopher exclaimed cheerily, a smile crossing the boy's face.

"We've just received reports from LA Metro Dispatch that the driver of the vehicle has sustained what appear to be minor injuries and is expected to make a full recovery." the reporter finally said as the save came to a close, and Charlie and Christopher cheered on the team as the ambulance sped away from the scene. "Another successful save by the LAFD."

As the picture on the screen moved away from the coverage of the chase and moved back to the reporters in the newsroom, Charlie looked down to the coffee table, where Christopher had a piece of paper folded in half with an assortment of markers scattered around it. On the piece of paper was a man in a firefighter uniform next to a younger kid that was clearly Chris, and between them was a giant surfboard. On the top, in all capital letters, he'd spelled out BUCK in different colors.

"What's this, buddy?" Charlie asked, picking up the paper.

"I made a card for Buck's party tonight." Christopher explained, a proud smile on his face as he took the card so he could show it off. "It's me and him, and we're going surfing." He opened the card then, to show her the message he'd written inside.

"Dear Buck, you are an awesome firefighter!!! Love, Christopher"

"It's beautiful," Charlie said, looking back over at Christopher.

"Do you think he'll like it?" Christopher asked.

"I think he'll love it." she assured him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a hug.

For the last week, all Christopher had been able to talk about was the upcoming party for Eddie's friend and coworker, Evan Buckley, who was set to return to the 118 after an incident with a ladder truck six months prior, shortly after the funeral for Shannon Diaz. While Charlie had yet to meet the famous Buck since moving out to Los Angeles due to his recovery, she'd heard plenty about him from both of the Diaz boys, and was looking forward to celebrating his return with the rest of Eddie's work friends that evening.

The excitement over both Buck's return to the team, as confirmed to Charlie later than afternoon by a text from Eddie informing her and Christopher that Buck had passed his re-entry exam that day and that the party was still on for the evening, coupled with the 118's successful save in the high speed convertible chase still hung high in the air when Eddie came home from work, causing an excited cheer to emit from Christopher when his father appeared in the doorway. "Dad, you're famous!" Chris exclaimed when he saw Eddie, rising from the couch to go greet him with a tight hug. "Aunt Charlie and I saw you on TV."

"Oh, yeah?" Eddie asked, giving Chris a proud grin. "How did I look? Did I look good?"

"You looked great, Dad." Christopher assured him.

"Great," Eddie echoed. "Alright, now why don't you go get changed for Buck's party tonight, and we'll all head over to Bobby and Athena's as soon as we're ready? I left your clothes on your desk for tonight."

"Okay, Dad," Christopher agreed, and Eddie exchanged a look with Charlie that she couldn't quite discern as the eight-year-old left the room.

"Everything okay?" Charlie asked, and Eddie nodded.

"I just can't stop thinking about that chase today." he admitted, an exhausted look crossing his features as he took a seat on the couch. "Fifteen-year-old kid, didn't even have a license, he just wanted to look cool in front of his friends. The clutch came loose, so it just kept going faster, and he couldn't stop it. He even thought his dad would be more worried about losing the car than losing him." Eddie shook his head. "I wouldn't ever want Chris to think something like that."

"He wouldn't." Charlie insisted. "He loves you, and he knows that you love him too. You should've seen him watching the save on TV today, he was so proud to see you out there saving that kid." Eddie nodded, a relieved expression crossing his face. "I know these last few months have been really hard for both of you, but you're doing a great job, Eddie."

"Well, I have a lot of help." he admitted gratefully. "Seriously, without you, Carla, and Abuela, I don't know how I'd manage."

"We're a team," Charlie reminded him, reaching a pinkie out in his direction, and he returned the favor, linking them together as they'd done ever since they were twelve years old, barely older than Christopher. "Now come on," she assured him. "Let's get up, go get ready, and have a great time tonight."

Eddie nodded, pulling himself up off of the couch as they went their separate ways, each going into their respective rooms to change for the party that evening. Charlie quickly changed into a purple top and a pair of jeans before fixing her hair and makeup, completing the look with a white pair of sneakers. When she'd finally finished getting ready, attempting to smooth down a strand of hair that threatened to stick up out of place, she could hear the sounds of Christopher's video game drifting in from the living room, where he and Eddie were both unwinding while waiting for her to finish.

Charlie grabbed her purse before leaving her bedroom, walking back into the living room to see Eddie and Christopher playing Super Smash Bros, both changed and ready for the evening. It wasn't a long drive from their house over to where Eddie's fire captain, Bobby Nash, and his wife Athena Grant lived, but he spent the drive over briefing Charlie once again on the members of the team and their families, who would all be in attendance that evening. Despite meeting a few times in passing while bringing Christopher to visit Eddie at the fire station, she hadn't had much of a chance to get to know them since moving out to Los Angeles.

"Alright, and remember, Buck has no idea we're coming over tonight." Eddie reminded Charlie and Christopher as they walked up to the front door.

Eddie led the three of them into the house, where a small group had already gathered to wait to surprise Buck. They all looked over at the sight of the newcomers, and Charlie felt a slight nervous feeling in her stomach at the sight.

"Alright, Charlie, you remember Bobby and Chimney," Eddie introduced, gesturing to where the two men were working on the food for the evening, and looking around for any sight of their other team members, but coming up short. "Hen's not here yet, but she and her wife Karen are coming, too. This is Bobby's wife Athena, and her ex-husband, Michael." he said, gesturing to the two people standing closest to them before looking back at another dark-haired man and woman both around their age. "This is Link, he's our newest probie over at the station, and Frankie, Buck and Maddie's cousin. Everybody, this is Charlie."

"Charlie, it's so great to meet you," Athena greeted, extending a hand, which Charlie instantly took to shake. "Eddie's told us so much about you."

"Likewise," Charlie said. "Thank you for having me, you have a beautiful home."

"Come on in, make yourself at home." Athena assured her, to which Charlie gave the woman a grateful smile.

"We're not late, are we?" another voice joined the mix from behind them, and Charlie looked up the stairs to see Henrietta Wilson entering the house, followed by another woman that Charlie assumed to be her wife Karen, along with their son, Denny.

"The guest of honor hasn't even arrived yet," Michael assured them as Charlie, Eddie, and Christopher wandered further into the party, joining in the mix, and Denny ran past them towards the backyard, where two older kids were hanging out.

"Can I go play with them?" Christopher asked, looking up at Eddie, who nodded in return.

"Of course," Eddie said. "You go play, I'm going to go see if Bobby and Chim need help with the food."

"I'll join you," Charlie offered as Chris went to join Denny and the others, and together she and Eddie made a beeline for the back grill where Bobby stood, flipping an assortment of burger patties and hot dogs.

"Anything we can help out with, Cap?" Eddie asked.

"You're just in time," Bobby assured them, beginning to place the cooked burgers onto a plate, and the hot dogs onto another. "Would you two mind taking these over to the table?"

"On it," they chorused, and Charlie picked up the plate with the hot dogs, following Eddie over towards a large table piled with food, setting them into the empty spaces.

When a doorbell sounded at the front of the house, the group stopped short, freezing with anticipation. Suddenly, the mood shifted, as everyone quickly finished setting up before rushing into their designated place near the backdoor, just out of view from where Buck would enter the living room. As soon as everyone was ready and in position, Athena rushed to the front door, pulling it open to let him in.

"I'm so glad you guys were able to come." Charlie could hear Athena say from the doorway, moving back into view along with two new figures.

"Thank you for having us over," the man, who Charlie quickly recognized as Buck from the pictures Eddie and Christopher had shown her, said, following Athena further into the house with a dark-haired woman behind him.

"I know it's short notice," Athena said apologetically, unable to hide the excited grin on her face as she looked back over towards the waiting crowd.

"Surprise!" everyone shouted, catching Buck off guard as he jumped, looking over towards the other side of the room with an awestruck look.

"What?" Buck asked excitedly, looking around at everybody before looking back at the woman behind him. "Did you do this?" he asked, to which she nodded in return, and his smile widened as he stepped forward to meet the rest of the group.

Eddie, Bobby, and Hen all stepped forward, pulling him into excited hugs as the 118 celebrated the return of their fallen friend, and Charlie's heart leapt with excitement at seeing the moment finally come to pass. All of the times Eddie complained about missing Buck at work over the past few months, the times she'd watched Chris after Eddie's shift so he could go cheer up his friend while he was laid up from his injury, all finally coming to an end, and setting the party for the evening into full swing. Music played from the speakers set up in the backyard, and one by one, as Buck greeted the rest of their friends, partygoers migrated towards the table for food and drinks.

"Chris, should we go give him your card?" Eddie asked, to which Christopher nodded excitedly, holding on tight to the folded piece of paper.

The three of them wandered over to where Buck now stood in the doorway to the backyard, and as his eyes fell on the little boy walking over to him, his eyes lit up in a bright smile. Buck knelt down to meet Christopher at eye level, and the boy passed him the card, which he took with an awestruck expression.

"Wow," Buck breathed, studying the front of the card. "Thanks buddy. Wow, this is great."

"It's you and me," Christopher explained.

"Oh, and what's that?" Buck asked, pointing to the surfboard between them, his smile growing.

"It's a surfboard, right?" Eddie prompted, and Chris nodded, causing Buck to laugh in response. "He's obsessed."

"Dear Buck, you are an awesome firefighter," Buck read aloud, opening the card. "Love, Christopher. Very sweet, Christopher, thank you." he said gratefully, looking back up from the little boy to the adults behind him, rising to his feet as his gaze finally settled on the brunette standing next to Eddie.

"Charlie, this is Buck." Eddie introduced the two. "Buck, I'd like you to meet Charlie. My best friend from back home, the one who moved out here to help take care of Chris."

"So this is the famous Charlie," Buck mused, reaching out a hand to shake. "It's great to finally meet you. Eddie and Chris both talk about you a lot."

"It's great to meet you, too," Charlie said. "They talk about you a lot, as well. Good to see you back on your feet."

"Good to be back on my feet," Buck agreed, chuckling.

"Hey, Buckley!" Chimney exclaimed from near the food table, where the cake was waiting. "Come on over, we'll let you cut the first slice!"

"Coming!" he called back to Chimney before turning back to face the three of them. "I should get over there, but thank you guys so much for being here. Great to finally meet you, Charlie,"

Charlie watched as Buck made his way back over to where Chimney was waiting with Frankie and the woman who arrived at the party with Buck, who she guessed to be his sister, Maddie, and as the cake was cut, Charlie, Eddie, and Christopher found plates of their own, moving for the dinner table. As the party continued, drinks flowing and the music continuing to drift through the speakers, Christopher went back to play with the other kids as soon as he was done eating, and Eddie found himself in a conversation with Bobby and Link.

It was much later in the evening, after finishing her own slice of cake that Charlie reached for another beer, standing near the edge of Bobby and Athena's garden and taking in the view from their backyard of the city beyond. She could see the buildings lit up in the distance at night, of the city she'd dreamed of living in since she was a little girl, and a newfound sense of excitement settled over her at the realization that, no matter how many times she looked out at the view, it would never get old.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked from behind her, and Charlie looked back to see Buck coming to a standstill next to her, arms crossed over his chest as he looked out over the hill at the space she'd been studying moments prior.

"Absolutely breathtaking," Charlie agreed. "Have you lived out here long?"

"A few years," he explained. "I moved around a lot after I got out of school, but never really stayed in one place for long until here. Is this your first time moving out of Texas?" he asked, and she nodded. "Settling in with Eddie and Chris okay?" he asked then.

She nodded. "Yeah, it's great." she explained. "We used to live together a long time ago, back when Chris was younger, before they moved out here. It was weird, not having them around for a while. I missed them a lot, that's for sure."

"I'm sure it wasn't easy," Buck said. "Chris is awesome, I'm sure you missed him a lot. He's a really, really great kid."

"Yeah, he's the best." she agreed. "Eddie needed a little help with him, and I always knew I wanted to move out here one day, so it wound up working out for both of us."

"Eddie said you're into acting, right?" Buck asked, reaching up absentmindedly to rub at a spot on his chest, and she nodded. "Great place to be for it, for sure."

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Have you booked anything yet?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Nothing yet," she admitted. "I have an audition on Monday for a commercial, but we'll see how that goes."

"Well, break a leg," he said, before stopping short and glancing down at his own leg for a moment before looking back up, a slight panicked expression on his face. "Not, you know, like actually, or anything. Trust me, you don't want to do that, but you know what I mean." he assured her, his cheeks tingeing pink.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Charlie chuckled. "Thank you."

"Of course," he said, before glancing back at the party. "So are you having a good time?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's been nice, getting to know everyone. It's a lot to celebrate, that's for sure." she said. "More importantly, are you having a good time?"

"I am," he said with a smile, looking back at the group around them. "Though honestly, I thought my sister and I were just having dinner with Bobby and Athena, I didn't expect everyone to be-"

Buck stopped short, pausing to cough for a moment before reaching down to rub again at the spot on his chest. "You okay?" Charlie asked, and he nodded in response.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm fine," he apologized. "Sorry, I was just-" Buck stopped again, being sent into a much larger coughing fit than before, but as it came to an end, he laughed it off, though Charlie could see an uneasy look in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's-"

Buck continued to cough, doubling over as it got worse, leading the man to try and catch his breath. "Buck, are you okay?" Charlie asked again, looking around to see the attention of the other partygoers now trained on them, concerned looks written on their faces.

"Yeah, I-" Buck attempted to answer her, but the coughing grew worse, and as a wet sound echoed through the space, he doubled over once more, coughing into his hand before slowly unclenching his fist to reveal a trail of blood now dripping from his palm.

"Buck?" Charlie asked again, her own blood turning to ice in her veins at the sight.

Buck's panicked eyes locked with Charlie's for a moment before he coughed again, this time sending a dark spray of blood onto the ground in front of him, covering Charlie's shoes as well as the front of his own white t-shirt, and he staggered backwards, eyes rolling into the back of his head as he lost consciousness. Instantly, the party devolved into chaos as the rest of the team came running for Buck, along with Maddie as they sprang into action to get him help.

"Buck!" Bobby shouted, being the first to reach him as Charlie watched the scene in front of her, stunned.

"Karen, call 911!" Hen shouted as the others kneeled in front of Buck, and as Eddie reached them, he reached into the back pocket of his jeans, brandishing the keys to his truck and tossing them to Charlie.

"Charlie, get Chris out of here, now," Eddie instructed. "I don't want him to see this. Take him home, I'll meet you guys there as soon as I can."

"O-okay," Charlie nodded shakily, sparing one last look at where they were helping the unconscious man on the ground before running back over to Christopher.

"What's going on with Buck?" Chris asked, a panicked look now in place of where the happy expression had been only moments ago on the boy's face.

"He's just not feeling well, buddy." Charlie said, fighting to keep her voice steady as she could hear Karen calling for help a few feet away from them. "But you and I are going to go home, and your dad's going to meet us there once Buck's feeling better, okay?"

"Okay," Chris agreed, and she grabbed her purse, leading the boy out of the house and away from the scene as they made their way towards Eddie's truck.

The mood was tense between the two of them as Charlie drove home, waiting anxiously for any sort of call or text from Eddie that Buck had received the help he needed, that he was okay after the episode. Although, she tried to shake the part of her that feared the worst had happened to him, even if he was perfectly fine in the moments leading up to it.

"Aunt Charlie?" Chris had asked when they finally got home, after getting changed into his pajamas and tucked into bed.

"Yeah, bud?"

"Is Buck going to be okay?" Chris asked, his voice small.

"I think he's going to be just fine," Charlie assured Chris, though she wasn't quite sure if it was for his benefit or her own. "He's in the best hands possible. The 118 can do anything, remember?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "They can do anything."

Charlie gave him a reassuring smile, leaning down to give him a kiss on the forehead. "Get some sleep, okay kiddo?" she asked, and he nodded. "I love you. Goodnight,"

Charlie turned the light off in Chris's bedroom, shutting the door behind her and making her way into the living room. She couldn't help the pacing she wanted to do, would've worn a path through the wooden floor if she was able, and she looked back with a pained glance at where she'd discarded her formerly-white shoes at the door, now covered in a dark red stain. Instead, she forced herself to take a seat on the couch and reached for the remote, flipping to a late night sitcom to try and take her mind off things.

It felt as though an eternity had passed by the time the front door opened, revealing a tired looking Eddie. Like Charlie's shoes, the front of Eddie's shirt was now covered in blood, a sight that made Charlie's stomach turn as she studied the man in front of her. "What happened to him?" she asked.

"Blood clots," Eddie explained in a tired voice. "Complication from his broken leg. He got lucky that it happened when it did, that the team was there to get him help. If we weren't, things might not have gone the same way."

"So how's he doing?" Charlie asked.

"He's alright," Eddie assured her. "He was awake when Hen and I left. Mad as hell about not being able to come back to work Monday, though."

"I bet," she said thoughtfully. "But he's okay?"

"Yeah," he assured her. "He's going to be just fine."