- francesca's point of view -

[STATION HOUSE 118]

Later, when things have cooled off and the quakes have stopped, Athena drives Francesca back to the 118.

She'd managed to work it out with her teachers - who, by the way, had been less than impressed by Francesca's stunt to help Mike - considering she's a Sergeant while also getting verbal approval from Eddie over the radio. Athena tries to make small talk at first, but mostly she just lets Francesca rest her head against the cool of the window and close her eyes.

Absurdly, all Francesca can think about is the fact that her shirt is stained with Mike's blood. She feels all sweaty and grimy after a full day of baking in the LA sun while they waited for help with the bus. Mike's blood is on her neck and her shirt and she thinks there's even a little bit in the ends of her hair. Francesca will be glad when she can shower it all off.

The glowing lights of Station House 118 fade into view as Athena drives up the street. There are a few fallen trees and some cracked concrete but the station is still standing so the damage can't have been too bad. Service is still out so Francesca doesn't know if there was any more damage as severe as an overpass collapsing.

"You need me to walk you in, honey?" Athena asked, all sweet and soft and nothing like the tough cop Francesca has seen her be. She can probably tell that Francesca's feeling shaky, though, and that's why she's being so nice.

Francesca shakes her head, going to tuck some hair behind her ears before she remembers the blood, "I'm okay. Thank you for helping me today, and for driving me here."

Athena smiles, "It was no problem. I'm sure i'll be seeing more of you soon if Ingrid wants to introduce you to May. She's a good one - Ingrid. Seems like you two are becoming fast friends."

"I hope so," Francesca blurts, then ducks her head as she flushes. She reaches for the door handle. "She seems cool. Thanks again."

"You're welcome."

With one last parting smile, Francesca steps out of the car and waves goodbye as Athena peels out of the parking lot. There are more stars out than she thought there'd be, with all the pollution that comes with being in the crock pot of the USA. They twinkle in the velvet black sky like little diamonds.

Francesca wraps her arms around her middle, trying to get warm. It may have been one of the hottest days LA has seen in a while but the temperature drops insanely fast at night, she's starting to regret foregoing a jacket. The thought brings back the memory of Mike, and distantly she wonders how he's doing.

Exhaling, Francesca turns and walks through the open bay doors. She hasn't actually been by the station - actually, she's not even sure Eddie has told anyone about her and Chris. She has to admit the fire trucks are pretty cool. Not that she'd ever say that out loud in front of her Tío.

God, she's really looking forward to seeing Eddie.

Today has been... a lot, and the thought that just hours ago she practically had someone's life in her hands is throwing her for a loop. Three weeks in LA and there's already been a big natural disaster, to anyone else that would be a bad omen. But, well, she's never really been the superstitious type. She gets it from Eddie, she thinks.

Speaking of, two tall figures are walking towards her from inside the station. With the glare they just look like dark blobs but she can imagine she looks a sight. Tired and shaky on her feet, splatters of blood on her shirt and neck, looking so small in this fire station with its stupidly high ceilings and giant fire trucks.

The shorter of the two figures breaks into a jog and as he gets closer, Francesca can see that it's Eddie. His hair is wet so he's probably just had a shower and he looks okay, so even if there were big emergencies he couldn't have gotten too hurt. His face is clear and bright with worry, though.

"Francesca," He reaches her and folds her into his arms, she goes practically limp against his chest. Her limbs ache from the strain of adrenaline and holding herself upright for so long. When he pulls back he keeps one hand on her shoulder, scanning her up and down. "Mija, are you hurt? What happened?"

"What?" She asks, still dazed from the adrenaline crash and all the fuzzy feelings that come with being hugged in her Tío's arms. Right- Mike's blood. "Oh. It's- It's not mine."

Eddie's face does something weird at that, but it settles into an emotion that looks a little like awe and a lot like relief. "Athena said you saved someone's life today. How'd that happen?"

"Can we... Can we talk about it later- or tomorrow?" Francesca asks on an exhale. Embarrassingly, the threat of tears crests and crashes over her head like a wave, a lump forming in her throat. "It's been a really long day."

"Of course, chiquita," Eddie presses a kiss to her forehead and Francesca feels tears well up in her eyes. He hasn't called her that since she was a little kid. "You want to get cleaned up? You can borrow my spare shirt and use the station showers."

"Yes please." Francesca breathes, laughing a little at the impossibility of this whole day. There is sweat in places she should not be sweating and she really wants to get the blood out of her hair. "God, yes please."

Eddie just chuckles and puts an arm around her shoulders to lead her towards the locker room. It has glass walls, which is honestly pretty weird, but who is she to judge. She takes a short but scalding hot shower and can't help but scrub vigorously at her neck and hands as if the blood won't come off. But it's fine. She's fine.

She comes out with red skin and clean hair, changing into the LAFD uniform shirt that Eddie gave her. It is so big that she's practically swimming in it but the fabric smells like the laundry detergent they have at home and Eddie's aftershave, so it's comforting. Eddie's standing with another man when she comes out - he's slightly taller than Eddie with a head of blonde curls and a bright pink birthmark over his eyebrow.

Ah, so this must be Buck.

Eddie had come home from his first shift raving about the new guy at work that hated him for everything he did. Then, second shift was over, and suddenly they were best of friends. Francesca gets it - stressful situations like the damn grenade they pulled out of a guy's leg tend to bond people. Even if she'd practically lost her mind after seeing it on the news.

"There she is! Dios, that shirt is massive on you," Eddie chuckles, shaking his head. "Fran, this is Buck - Buck, Francesca. He's gonna give us a ride to pick up Chris and then home, my truck..." He points to the parking lot, where a palm tree has smashed through the front window. "Is indisposed."

"Well, at least we have insurance." Buck and Eddie both laugh, which makes Francesca smile even if its a little wobbly. "Let's go get Chris. I am really excited to sleep when we get home."

Buck and Eddie chat to each other quietly while Francesca rests her eyes in the backseat. She's not quite on the edge of sleep yet but she's definitely getting more tired. Whether it's the adrenaline crash or the warm shower or the long ass day, she's got like an hour before she starts falling asleep against her will.

It's a joyous thing, watching Eddie and Christopher reunite from the backseat of Buck's Jeep. Eddie wraps his arms around his son and weeps from joy that he's alive and unharmed. He picks up Chris and spins him around, carries him on his back, eyes bright with happiness. It's a beautiful thing.

A beautiful thing that should be making Francesca happy.

She's relieved and happy that Chris is fine, of course she is, but something ugly and distinctly green is roaring in her gut. Watching that - a parent and child reunite - is making her heart ache. After a day like today, after any day, Francesca just wants a hug from her mom and dad. Wants to be held in their arms and never let go before she gets too old for that kind of affection from her parents.

A lump forms in her throat, making it hard to breathe. Tío Eddie loves her, she knows that, but in his and Chris' life she's really just the spare. The niece who lost her parents and ended up in her Tío's custody. Eddie doesn't begrudge her for that and he loves her like she's his own, she knows that, she feels it. Right now, it's just kind of hard to believe.

And god, she misses her parents.

Francesca clears her throat and swallows back the tears because she doesn't have to ruin this moment. She can feel lonely and sad another day but right now? It's about Eddie and Chris and the joy of a father and son reuniting. It's not her place.

Christopher is as happy to see her as he's ever been, which just makes her feel infinitely worse for being jealous of him. It's not his fault that her parents are dead and he's practically lost one himself. She shouldn't be feeling like this, so envious.

Buck and Christopher make fast friends on the drive home, spouting little fun facts about each other and debating the best superhero. It's cute, honestly, and Francesca would have taken part in the conversation if she wasn't so tired. As it stands, though, she's content to listen to the sounds of them talking as she watches the world rush past outside the window.

When they arrive home Eddie carries a sleepy Christopher inside while Francesca grabs her bag, Chris' bag and Eddie's work gear from the trunk. They all thank Buck profusely for the ride before heading inside, toeing their shoes off by the door. Eddie takes Christopher to bed as Francesca deposits each bag where it belongs before heading to her room.

She changes from Eddie's giant work shirt into her pyjamas and climbs into bed, burrowing into the warm covers. It's not long before Eddie comes in to say goodnight, having already tucked Chris into bed.

"Goodnight, mija." He presses a kiss to her forehead and smooths the soft brown strands away from her eyes. "We'll talk about it all in the morning. Get some sleep."

"'Night Tío," She mumbles back.

Francesca's asleep before Eddie even closes the door.

MOONS' MESSAGE

eddie and francesca's relationship just means so much to me

i hope y'all are enjoying reading this as much as i am writing it <3