••••

MADDIE LETS OUT A SIGH AS SHE GLANCES OVER AT VICTORIA, a smile on her lips. "I appreciate you dropping me home." She says as she looks at the woman. Victoria smiles back as she puts the car into park before returning the gaze. She didn't mind swinging by to pick Maddie up from work. Victoria was curious why it was her of all people but again, she didn't have a problem with it.

"No problem, I was in that part of town anyways." Victoria answers her. "But why didn't you ask Buck? Isn't he staying with you." She asks her, trying to make it a bit subtle like she didn't show up at the womans house just the other day to have sex with her brother. Not that it happened but still, Victoria didn't want Maddie to know that.

"Yeah, but then I'd have to hear him non stop talk about my personal life." Maddie mutters with a small groan. She loved her brother but he was just a bit annoying at times with him constantly talking about Doug and Chimney.

"About you and Chimney?" Victoria asks with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows and Maddie points her finger in her direction.

"There isn't a me and Chimney." She denies and Victoria snorts as she rolls her eyes.

"Girl, do you really expect people to believe that?"

"It's the truth." Maddie states while Victoria bites the inside of her cheek.

"Mhm." She hums before just laughing a bit and looking back in front of her.

"What about you? Seeing anyone?" Maddie asks her curiously and Victoria shakes her head, scrunching up her nose a bit.

"No." She denies. Victoria fiddles with her fingers, not knowing if she should say anything because well, Maddie was Buck's sister. "But I like someone." Victoria admits and Maddies eyebrows raise.

"Do tell." Maddie responds with a bright smile appearing on her face and Victoria groans a bit.

"It's um.... it's complicated." Victoria tells her. And it was. They weren't anything right now. Both of them had admitted having feelings but they haven't taken the first step because Victoria was still trying to wrap her head around all of it.

Maddie presses her lips together tightly.
"Oh... right." She answers. Victoria furrows her eyebrows, confused by Maddies reaction.

"What?"

"Uh, aren't you seeing Eddie?" Maddie asks her and Victoria just stared at her in shock before a scoff leaves her lips.

"No? Who told you that?" Victoria accuses. Maddie's eyes grew in size as she all but shrunk back in the seat. A nervous laugh leaves her as she takes off her seat belt.

"It's getting late, you should get home." Maddie says, reaching for the handle and getting out of the car as Victoria had her eyes narrowed at her.

"Maddie, next time you talk to Chimney, tell him I'm gonna kill him." Victoria tells her as she opens the window so she could still talk when Maddie closed the door.

"Have a good night!" Maddie shouts back with a wave before hastily making her way toward her door. Practically rushing the key into the lock, she opens the door, getting inside and noticing her brother on the couch.

"Hey." Buck says as Maddie closes the door, locking it.

"Hi."

"Did Chimney drop you?" He asks curiously as he picks up his beer, heading to the kitchen in order to dispose of it. Maddie glares at the back of his head, not that he saw it.

"For your information, not that it's any of your business, it was Vic." She corrects him and when Buck comes waltzing back into the room, he was confused.

"Vic?" Buck questions, wondering why she was dropping Maddie.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because she was nice enough to give me a drive?" Maddie answers with a small laugh. Buck puts his hands inside of his pockets.

"I didn't know you were friends." Buck says with furrowed brows. He didn't realize that Victoria was hanging out his sister. Not that he had a problem with it, he just didn't see why neither of them would mention it.

"I mean, she's cool and you do remember I asked her to help me move, right?" Maddie asks him and Bucks eyes widen in the slightest.

"No, I'm not saying you can't be friends with her, I just-- you know, nothing was mentioned to me about it." Buck explains to her and Maddie nods her head slowly before a small smirk forms on her face.

"Didn't know you had to be aware of all her friends." She teases him with a small wink.

"I don't." Buck responds, his cheeks turning a deep red for a second. "Were you guys hanging out?" He asks as he rubs the back of his neck and Maddie shakes her head.

"She just dropped me from work." Maddie answers him as she places her bag down on the table.

"Oh." She narrows her eyes at her younger brother before placing her hand on her hip.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Maddie asks him.

"I'm not." Buck denies but she just hums softly.

"Right." She just shakes her head as she goes to move past him before quickly stopping. "Oh, by the way, if you hear her talk to Chimney about something I said, no you didn't." Maddie denies causing Buck's eyebrows to furrow. "I truly thought her and Eddie were a thing." She says with a shrug of her shoulders as she walks past. Buck seemed completely taken aback by her words.

"Wait, what? Her and Eddie?" Buck asks in confusion as his eyes follow Maddie who was walking up the stairs. "Maddie!" He calls out after her as he quickly moves after her. "What about her and Eddie?" His voice carries through the house and he tries to get Maddies attention.

••••

BUCK WAS PUTTING HIS STUFF INSIDE OF HIS LOCKER, his eyes catching Victoria jogging into the station. He raises an eyebrow as she walks into the room, taking her headphones out as she catches her breath. "Did you go on a run already?" He asks her curiously. Buck knew she went on runs often but it wasn't until the middle of their shift usually, not the start.

"Just needed to clear my head." Victoria admits as she stops beside him in order to open her locker. Buck frowns, his eyes widening as he wondered if Eddie had told her and that's why she needed to go on a run.

"Why, is everything okay?" Buck questions with concern laced in his voice. But with the way Victoria laughed and stretched her body, it was safe to say Eddie didn't tell her.

"Yeah, my body was just feeling all achey." Victoria says with a small groan. Buck glances away from her.

"Oh." He didn't know what else to say. Buck didn't want to make it obvious that he knew something but it was hard to keep his facial expressions in check. And he knew she noticed them too.

"Are you sure everything's okay between us?" Victoria asks, turning her head back to him.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Buck asks, clearing his throat a bit. Oh maybe because you're keeping a giant secret from her? Buck seriously just wanted to climb into bed and not get out until Eddie said something.

"You've been acting kind of weird since before Christmas." Victoria points out, having noticed his off behaviour around her. Seeing how he seemed fine around everyone else, she just figured he may be taking back what he said about wanting to wait for her. She wouldn't be mad if he did.

"Nothing to do with you, I promise." He denies as he shakes his head. Buck put a soft smile on his face to try and cover the obvious emotion in his eyes. It helps calm him when Victoria smiles back.

"Good. Cause I don't break deals." She denies with a small wink and Buck chuckles underneath his breath. Victoria grabs a towel, making her way to the bathroom and passing Eddie on the way. "Hey, Eddie." Victoria says with a small smile which Eddie returns.

"Hey." He responds, moving over to his locker. Buck waits for Victoria to leave before he walks over to Eddie, his arms crossed against his chest.

"You still haven't told her?" Buck accuses him, not happy with him in the slightest. He had been pushing Eddie to say something but everytime he thinks it's happened, it hasn't.

"Buck, just--"

"No, it's been weeks Eddie. And I'm not going to keep this secret for you because I might explode." Buck admits. He felt like he was going to blurt it out anytime he was around her. And it didn't help that he couldn't really keep a secret without his whole face showing what he felt.

"I'm gonna tell her, I'm just trying to find the right time." Eddie says with a sigh. He really didn't need Buck saying anything because that would make everything ten times worse.

"Do it right now." Buck demands. He didn't get why Eddie was waiting. He understood not telling her at Christmas but there's no excuse now.

"We're at work, Buck." He responds as he looks around the locker room.

"When are we not?" Buck retorts with a small scoff. "Seriously, you're with Christopher if you're not here or she has something with Rosie--- it's never gonna be the perfect time." He denies. Eddie just needed to pick a time of day and just do it.

"Oh, right so I should just spew it out over breakfast? That'll surely go over well." Eddie mutters with a scoff as he glares over at Buck. It wasn't as easy to talk to her about it as it was telling someone else. Because he truly didn't know how she would react and it scared him. He didn't want to lose what he had with her.

"Take her into Bobby's office, talk to her outside, there's so many opportunities for you to be alone to tell her." Buck points out, gesturing around the room. Eddie just glances toward the bathroom, double checking that Victoria wasn't listening in before he takes a step toward Buck.

"And what if I don't?" Eddie asks him. He didn't want to keep it from Victoria but would it be such a bad thing if he did? Buck just shakes his head, looking down at the ground before his eyes go back to Eddie.

"Then I will." And with that, Buck turns and leaves the locker room before Eddie can even think of a response.

••••

AS THE TEAM ARRIVES ON THE SCENE, Victoria follows behind Buck as they walk over to the accident that had occurred on the highway. But as Buck comes to a halt suddenly, she hits his back. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering why he didn't warn her or anything. "What the hell?" Buck mutters. Victoria peeks her way around him and she couldn't stop the gasp that left her lips as she saw the big shark attached to a man's arm.

"Oh, hell no." Victoria denies, shaking her head as she pushes Buck back in front of her. Buck chuckles as he glances back at her.

"You don't like the pet shark?" He teases her with a smirk on his lips. Victoria glares at him before a groan leaves her lips.

"This is exactly why I don't like the ocean." Victoria points out as she was practically hiding behind Buck. Hen raises an eyebrow at her with a amused look on her face.

"You go to the beach all the time." Hen says and she just narrows her eyes a bit.

"But do I go in the water? No." Victoria retorts and Hen rolls her eyes playfully before looking back at the victim.

"What happened?" Bobby asks the workers.

"Tiger shark. We were transporting her for release into the wild. Truck jacknifed." The worker responds and Victoria get they were trying to do a good thing but this is exactly why you don't have wild animals in containment.

"Jaws!" Bobby demands and Chimney let's out a snort.

"Yeah, right." He responds but Bobby just looks at him. "Oh, those jaws. Jaws!" Chimney says, clearing his throat.

"On it." Eddie tells them, turning to head back toward the truck.

"It's still real life jaws." Victoria mutters as she holds her arms around herself. Buck looks down at her.

"Technically we'd have to be on a boat." Buck corrects. Victoria just looks toward the man.

"Buck." She says, making his eyes meet hers. "Shut up. Please." Victoria pleads and Buck presses his lips together tightly.

"How'd his arm get in here?" Chimney asks curiously.

"Diego was trying to get what water was left in our pump system. She can't breathe without it."

"How much time she have left?" Hen questions, referring to the shark.

"Minutes." The woman answers with a frown. Buck glances at the group.

"Uh, do we wait that long or, just, you know..." Buck makes a swinging motion with the halligan he was holding. Victoria couldn't help but laugh, but it was because she was in such close vicinity with the shark. Everyone looks at her and she quickly covers her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Nerves make me very jittery." She admits.

"No, no, no! Don't kill her. She's come so far." The victim pleads as he stares at them.

"All right, guys. We're gonna do this really carefully." Bobby tells the group who nod their heads, everyone but Victoria. "Let's get in there." He says and Victoria groans.

"Do I have to?" She asks, fear in her voice. She hated sharks, fish, well, anything that came from the ocean. Bobby just stares at her causing her to sigh and walk over to them in order to help.

"Let's get him transported now." Bobby says once they get the victim free.

"Don't let her die, please." He pleads to them.

"Okay, let's get him up!" Chimney says, pulling the gurney up so they can bring him to the ambulance. Bobby glances at the firetruck before looking back at the shark. Victoria's eyes widen as she realizes what he's thinking.

"We're not seriously picking that thing up?" She asks him. She barely liked touching the thing.

"You can wait by the truck." Bobby tells her and she puts her hand on her chest.

"Oh, thank God." Victoria mutters, quickly getting into the truck so she wasn't anywhere near that thing.

They were able to strap the shark up, using the firetruck to transport it to the ocean so they could release it back into the wild. Once Victoria was sure that it was gone, she climbs back out of the truck.

"Too bad Diego is missing this." Buck says over to the worker who only smiles back at him.

"I wish i was." Victoria mutters.

"He's not missing anything." He denies, referring to the video he was taking. Buck makes his way over to Victoria, glancing around for a moment.

"So, jaws is not in the question for our first date?" He keeps his voice low, a teasing glint in his eye. Victoria meets his gaze, not impressed by his playful banter.

"Keep making fun of me and there won't be one." Victoria warns him, pointing her finger at him. Buck chuckles as he raises his hands before backing up and making his way to the truck. Victoria glances back at the ocean, a shiver leaving her before following after him.

••••

VICTORIA SIGHS AS SHE RESTS BACK IN THE CHAIR. She was grateful that they hadnt had a call in the past hour. She was also grateful for her tacos and that Bobby let them stop to pick them up. He usually insisted on cooking but decided to let them get something else today. This day was actually turning out to be pretty great. That was until her eyes went to the plate in front of her and she realized her last taco wasn't there anymore.

Her eyes widen as she sits up, her gaze going around the room to see where it went until her eyes landed on Buck who had his mouth full. A scoff leaves her lips as she couldn't help but hit him on the arm. "You little bitch, that was mine."
S

he scolds with a glare on her face. Buck only smirks as he chews the food in his mouth.

"You weren't fast enough." Buck denies with a mouth full making her scrunch her nose up a bit, her glare only increasing.

"Shut the fuck up." She snaps back at him, crossing her arms as she just shakes her head. "That's just so rude." Victoria tells him and Bobby gives her a stern look.

"Vic, you do realize children visit this firehouse, right?" He asks her and she just shrugs her shoulders.

"You should've taken the chance back when you had it and kept buck fired." Victoria states making Bobby shake his head.

"Vic, eating your taco does not constitute someone getting fired." Bobby denies, amusement crossing over his face.

"It should." She grumbles as she crosses her arms against her chest, her eyes going back to Buck who looked smug. "Yeah, you're smirking now, but you won't be later." Victoria threatens. Hen laughs loudly.

"You're gonna get it." She tells him but Buck didn't look too scared.

"Never steal Vic's food, you learn that the hard way." Chimney says with a sigh, shaking his head. He remembered when he accidentally ate her slice of pizza, the wrath was never ending.

"It's one taco." Buck points out, not seeing the big deal.

"It's Vic's one taco." Bobby adds, also joining in on the commentary making Buck groan.

"She already had two anyways."

"Boy, you're just digging your own grave at this point." Hen says as she looks at the man. Victoria was glad she wasn't the only one saying anything, her taco deserved some justice. But as she glanced at Eddie, she noticed how quiet he was. He was barely looking at anybody which made her frown. Although she wouldn't say anything right now because it seemed it didn't really want to talk.

"So if she murders me, you won't avenge me?" Buck asks, placing his hand on his chest. Hen just snorts as she shakes her head.

"I'd be helping get rid of your body. I know how." Hen admits as she shrugs her shoulders. Buck seemed offended but also a bit odd as he just stared back at her.

"That's oddly disturbing." He admits and Hen just smirks before going back to her taco. Buck was brought back to Victoria as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"So don't cross me again." She warns as she points her finger at him. "Cause I'm watching you." Victoria states, making the gesture before walking over to the kitchen. Buck follows after her, glancing around to see everyone just going back to their food.

He stops beside her as she grabbed a coffee mug. "I'll buy you another taco, Vic." Buck tells her but she only scrunches up her nose, shaking her head.

"It won't be the same." Victoria denies and Buck looks at her with an amused expression.

"Pouting, really?"

"You always do it." She points out and he furrows his eyebrows, letting out a small scoff as she fills her mug.

"No, I do not." Buck denies and she just laughs, tilting her head.

"You so do." Victoria retorts before a smile creeps onto her lips. "It's cute." She admits, her eyes running over him. Buck licks his bottom lip as he leans on the counter beside her.

"Oh, really? I'm cute?" He flirts a bit, keeping the volume of his voice down so the others didn't overhear his playful banter with her. Victoria just narrows her eyes.

"I said pouting is cute, not that you're cute." Victoria denies but Buck just shrugs his shoulders.

"It's all the same."

"Your ego needs to be crushed at this point." She says with a small groan, tilting her head back. But of course Buck was cute in her eyes, she would never openly admit that to him right now though. That would just give him the upper hand.

"Whatever, I can now sleep peacefully knowing you called me cute." Buck says, nudging her shoulder. Victoria takes a step closer to him, batting her eyelashes before her face goes void.

"Will you sleep peacefully knowing I know where you live?" Victoria asks him, just blankly staring back at him. Buck's smile drops as she narrows her eyes, walking past him. He honestly would think of it as a joke but he also wouldn't be surprised if she showed up in the middle of the night and stood over him in order to scare the living daylights out of him.

Buck really hoped that didn't happen because that would be held over his head from now until eternity.

••••

HEARING A KNOCK AT THE DOOR, Victoria makes her way towards it, running a hand through her hair. It had already been a long day and she kind of just wanted to relax. And even though she had no plans, someone seemed to need her anyways. As she opens the door, she sees Eddie standing in front of her. "Hey, Eddie. What are you doing here?" Victoria asks him curiously. She didn't think they had anything planned but then again, she often forgot things.

"Uh, hey. Can we talk?" Eddie asks her. Victoria nods as she moves out of the way of the door.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in." She answers and he steps inside of the apartment. "Did you want a drink?" Victoria questions with a soft smile.

"I'm good, thanks." He denies. Although being slightly tipsy would probably help him right now. "Is Rosie here?" Eddie asks, glancing around.

"No, she's out with May, why?"  Victoria wondered if it had something to do with her but Eddie just shakes his head.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? You seem pretty tense." Victoria points out. It seemed that something was on his mind, otherwise he wouldn't have came over.

"Raising a kid can do that to you." Eddie says nervously and Victoria laughs as she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Are you calling me tense?" She teases with a small smirk.

"Not at all. You do it with such grace." He responds and she just rolls her eyes playfully with a shake of her head.

"Mhm." Victoria lets out a hum. "What's up?" She asks, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Look, um, there's something I've been keeping from you and it's not like I've wanted to, I mean I have, i did, but it's not because I didn't want to tell you, it's because I'm just scared of what you'll say." Eddie starts to say, stuttering over his words as he does. This causes Victoria's eyes to widen as she holds her hands out in front of her.

"Wait, Eddie, don't."

"What?" He asks, a bit confused on why she had stopped him so abruptly.

"This isn't..... you don't like me too, right?" Victoria didn't know if she could handle another confession right now. Especially since she was just trying to figure out her feelings for Buck and they hadnt even gone on a date yet. But luckily Eddie shakes his head.

"No, this isnt-- Vic, this has nothing to do with you." He denies and she lets out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he wasn't handsome or wouldn't make a good boyfriend, he probably would. But Victoria also knee Shannon was back and his whole life seemed to have enough drama in it already. "Well, it does. But it's more towards-- god, how do I even say it?" Eddie groans as he rubs his face.

Vicroria frowns as she didn't know what Eddie could be wanting to say that would be this difficult. "You're starting to scare me." She admits. Eddie takes a deep breath, knowing he just had to say it and then it was out there.

"When I was in the army--"

Victoria's phone chimes which makes him stop talking. She gives him an apologetic look as she takes it out of her pocket. "Sorry." She says, glancing at it, thinking it was Rosie needing something but instead she sees Buck's name flash across the screen and she was not expecting what he had texted.

Chimney was stabbed and Maddie's missing, I need you.

Victoria almost dropped her phone as she stared at the message. She felt her stomach twist. Who would do that and Buck didnt even put in the message id Chimney was okay or not. "Oh, my god." She gasps causing Eddie to furrow his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Chimney he... he's been stabbed." She tells him as her eyes move up the man. Eddies face fills with shock as he takes a step closer to her.

"Are you serious?" Eddie questions but he knew she wouldn't joke about something like that.

"And apparently Maddies missing too." Victoria felt awful, she couldn't imagine how Buck was feeling right now. She barely knew Maddie and she was terrified for her.

"Who took her?" Eddie asks her but Victoria just brings her phone down.

"I-i don't know." Victoria responds as she shakes her head. "We have to go." She says but Eddie was already opening the door for them. She stops mid way, turning back to him. "The thing you were gonna say--"

"Forget it. It can wait." Eddie responds. Victoria was hesitant but leaves anyways with him trailing behind her. Eddie didn't think this was the right moment anymore, Chimney was just stabbed. She wouldn't hold it against him for not telling her for another day.

Right?

••••

Authors note

60k thank you so much ! Also if you ever see a double of a gif...... no you didn't.