••••

AS THE LIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE CURTAINS, Victoria tried to stay asleep as she didn't want to get up yet. It seemed she could never sleep in on her days off no matter how hard she tried. It didn't help that she felt movement on the bed. Buck had stayed the night but it seemed to energetic to be him. That, and the fact she could feel both sides of the bed moving. Her eyes open slowly, peering around the room. That's when she noticed Buck and Rosie next to her.

"Happy birthday!" They both shout at her causing her to wince slightly at the loud volume. Victoria had almost forgotten it was her birthday. The only reason she remembered is because Gabby sent her a paid spa day at one of the popular spas in town.

"Uh... morning?" She responds, sitting up, a yawn leaving her lips. Victoria rubs her eyes as she tries to actually see them as they wish her a happy birthday.

"We made you breakfast." Rosie says with a smile as she places the plate down on the nightstand. Victoria blinks a few times.

"Buck cooked?" Victoria asks, a bit wary as she stares at the plate. She knew he started watching Bobby Cook but that didn't mean he could.

"Wow, no confidence in me whatsoever." Buck responds, acting offended. Victoria just stares back at him, not believing it for a second.

"He didn't, I did." Rosie says, correcting her. Buck scoffs as he places his hand on his chest.

"Hey, I made the coffee." He points out and Rosie just raises an eyebrow. "Happy birthday." Buck says, leaning down and kissing her. Victoria sighs into it, feeling his hand on her cheek but it didn't last very long as Rosie made a comment.

"Ew, I don't wanna see that." Rosie grumbles as she scrunches up her nose. Victoria rolls her eyes playfully as they pull back from each other.

"Thank you both." She tells them, flickering her eyes between the pair.

"You're so old, almost thirty." Rosie teases her. Victoria only narrows her eyes at her sister.

"I take that back."

"I'm just stating a fact." Rosie states as she shrugs her shoulders.

"I thought birthdays were treating said birthday girl like a queen?" Victoria asks, crossing her arms against her chest. Rosie furrows her eyebrows.

"You make me go to school on mine so." She points out. Victoria snorts as she rubs her eyes a bit.

"The horror." She responds. Buck just settles beside her, taking the box from behind his back and holding it out to her.

"Well, I have something for the birthday girl." He admits. Victoria smiles as she takes it from him. Slowly opening it, her eyes widen as she sets her gaze on the bracelet.

"Oh, my god." Victoria gasps. Rosie also leans over in order to see it.

"Oh, my god." She says a bit more dramatically as she looked over at Buck. Okay, he was surely showing her that he will treat her sister well.

"It's just something I picked out." Buck says, not making it a big deal but Victoria smiles as she grabs a hold of his hand.

"It's beautiful." Victoria admits. "You didn't have to get me this." She denies, not wanting him to spend so much on her. But even if she did say something, he most likely wouldn't listen anyways.

"Just accept the bracelet like a good girlfriend." Rosie tells her and Victoria raises an eyebrow at her sister.

"I'm not a dog." She denies. Rosie shrugs her shoulders, laying back on the bed.

"At least thank him."

"Well, I was getting to that but you cut me off." Victoria retorts, rolling her eyes a bit before looking back at Buck. "Thank you, it's great." She says with a smile. Leaning in, she kisses him softly causing another groan to leave Rosie.

"You two are impossible." She mumbles, the bed dipping as she gets off and walks out of the room. Victoria chuckles as she pulls back from buck for a moment.

"At least I know how to get her to leave us alone." Buck points out. Victoria smiles, shaking her head before leaning back in for another soft kiss.

••••

STUMBLING ACROSS THE PAVEMENT, Victoria tries not to fall flat on her face as Hen guides her to wherever it is tjey were going. "Hen, you really don't need to cover my eyes." She denies with a sigh as she tries to peek through the cracks but Hen kept her fingers locked together. Victoria was bring brought somewhere by Hen for her birthday and honestly, Victoria wished she could wear an eye mask because being guided whole also being blinded was not a good combination.

"Uh, yeah I do because you won't know where we're going." Hen responds as she glances around the area, trying to avoid all the necessary hazards.

"We're at athenas." Victoria states bluntly. It was silent for a moment and they stopped walking.

"No were not..." Hen denies, although she didn't really do a great job at it. Victora just laughs as she crosses her arms against her chest.

"It was a half an hour drive from my apartment." Victoria points out. Hen had showed up at her apartment, telling her they were going somewhere. Hen had all but stolen her car, forcing Victoria into the passenger seat as she made Victoria look at her feet the whole way there.

"Just shut up." Hen groans, beginning to walk today.

"Wow, I feel like such a queen today." Victoria jokes as she smirks to herself. Hen narrows her gaze.

"You know I'm controlling if you fall down the stairs right?" Hen asks her as they stop again. Victoria laughs but she knew Hen would make her fall if she said anything more. Even though it wouldn't hurt her in the slightest because Hen couldn't hurt a fly.

"Geez, all right." Victoria responds, holding her hands up. They get to the door finally and as Hen opens it, she takes her hands away from Victoria's eyes.

"Surprise!" Everyone says loudly, smiles on their faces. Victoria bites the inside of her cheek, a bright smile forming on her face as she glances around at the whole group.

"Oh, my god. You guys are such losers." Victoria teases them as she shakes her head, making her way down the steps. Hen scoffs as she places her hands on the womans sides, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you mean, thank you darling friends for throwing me this delightful party." Hen corrects her and Victoria hums a bit.

"I guess." She says with a smirk before pulling Hen in for a hug. "Thank you." Victoria says and Hen nods, hugging her back.

"Happy birthday, hon." Athena tells her as her arms wrap around the woman.

"Thanks, Athena."

"Happy birthday." Bobby says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as they pull away. Everyone else also bids her a happy birthday separately, Buck hugging her for a bit longer than he should've but no one batted an eye to it.

"This is great, honestly guys." She says with a smile as she looks at the group

"It better be, hen forced us to spend all day blowing up balloons." Chimney grumbles, crossing his arms against his chest. Hen rolls her eyes as she glances over at the man.

"It wasn't all day, you're just overdramatic." Hen tells him. Chimney just shrugs his shoulders. It felt like all day. Bobby chuckles as he places his hand on Victoria's shoulder.

"Never get this one to plan anything for you, way too bossy." Bobby says as he points toward Hen. Victoria laughs as Hen seemed a bit offended.

"I wouldn't even tell Vic anyways, she can't keep a secret." Hen points out with a shrug. Victoria scoffs now, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, i can."

"You and Shay are literally two peas in a pod." Hen points out, knowing Shay couldn't keep a secret either. They probably got it from each other.

"I can most definitely keep a secret, thank you very much." Victoria admits, crossing her arms against her chest. Hen narrows her gaze a bit before she smirks.

"Hold up. You have a secret." Hen points out and Victoria immediately regrets her choice of words.

"What?" She asks, acting innocent but Hen just shakes her head.

"I bet I'll get it out of you by the end of the night." Hen states as Victoria glances at Buck for a split second. Buck was just finding amusement in this whole thing which made her sigh. She didn't need anyone else finding out.

"No, you won't." Victoria denies and Hen just places a hand on her hip.

"Twenty bucks." Hen suggests. She knew she would find out and she might as well make some money from it. Victoria glances at the woman before clearing her throat.

"Where are the drinks?" She says causing everyone to laugh.

••••

VICTORIA GASPS, covering her mouth as she listens to Eddie explain an embarrassing moment that happened when he was in the army with Anthony "So, there he was just in the middle of this choreographed routine, when the commander-- literally the person in charge of everything- walks in and sees him shirtless, waving his shirt in the air." Eddie explains to him and Victoria presses her lips together tightly.

"Oh, my god. He must have been mortified." She admits as her eyes widened. But she laughed a bit, just thinking about Anthony performing this routine in front of his peers.

"He was. He turned the brightest shade of red I've ever seen and practically threw himself behind me." Eddie says with a chuckle, shaking his head a bit. Victoria nudges his arm.

"You didn't join in on the routine?" She teases him with a slight smirk.

"No way." He denies, smiling over at her. Victoria scoffs as she gestures to him.

"Come on, you have the body, you may as well have made something from it." Victoria points out. Eddie raises an eyebrow at her, amusement in his eyes. "Yeah, I heard it." She admits, scrunching her face up a bit.

"Oh! I think I still have it saved." Eddie admits as he grabs his phone from his pocket.

"No, you don't." Victoria replies excitedly as she moves closer to him, watching him go on his gallery.

"Let me just scroll back..." Eddie mutters before his finger hovers over a video. He presses play and turns the phone toward her. Victoria went to grab it from him, but her hand only stops, her fingers brushing eddies as Anthony appears on the screen.

Her eyes soften as she just watches the video, her heart clenching a bit. She hadnt seen anything new in quite a while. The only thing she had was that picture that she looked at often. Victoria had put all the pictures from her phone in a file so she didn't have to look at them. But as he dances in the video, she couldn't help but feel sort of glad that she was truly seeing him again. That she was hearing his voice, his laughter.

"Of course it's pony of all song choices." She says with a groan, shaking her head. Victoria smiles as she watches her ex fiance completely throw himself into this routine that he had apparently made up.

"Your future wife is one lucky girl." She could hear someone say through the video. Victoria sure was, and she hated that she wasnt able to actually become his wife.

"Please don't tell me you're gonna perform this for her." Eddies voice can be heard from behind the camera. Anthony now looks directly at the camera and Victoria smiles gently.

"I definitely am. I'm a master." Anthony admits and Victoria had to laugh, covering her eyes as the dance got even more provocative. Eddie smiles as he watches the video as well.

"Honeymoon, here he comes." Another voice cheers and Victoria shakes her head, trying to slow down her laughter as she brings her eyes to Eddie.

"That's amazing." She admits. Honestly, she wasn't surprised by his personality in the military either. It was the same as when he was home, just obviously a bit fluctuated because he was constantly around other guys.

"What would you have done if he actually did that on your honeymoon?" Eddie asks as he puts his phone down. Victoria raises an eyebrow.

"Ask for a divorce." She responds, snorting a bit. Victoria would've definitely loved it and she would've expected no less. "I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while. Thank you." Victoria says and Eddie nods, placing his hand on her knee for a split second.

"I can forward it to you if you want." Eddie suggests.

"Oh, yeah. I definitely need that on replay." Victoria says, laughing again as she wipes her eyes a bit.

"What are you guys talking about?" Buck asks them curiously, standing near the couch. He noticed them laughing, well, ir was hard not to since it was loud, but Victoria had been with Eddie the majority of the time theyd been at athenas and it was starting to annoy him. Victoria glances up at her boyfriend, sending him a smile. He sort of gives one back but his gaze was more on Eddie.

The man seemed to notice this, clearing his throat a bit. "Just watching old videos." He answers. Buck clenches his jaw but nods his head.

"Do you want another drink, vic?" Buck asks her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Victoria looked down at the glass in her hand, noticing how it was still almost full.

"Mines actually pretty--"

Buck didn't let her finish, grabbing her hand and bringing her off of the couch. "Great, come on." He tells her, pulling her away from Eddie and to an area where they could talk alone. Victoria scoffs a bit, annoyed that he had just interrupted her conversation.

"Uh, I was talking to eddie." She points out. Buck sighs as he looks toward her with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You've been over there for a while, I'm sure he wants a break." Buck tells her and Victoria glances behind her momentarily.

"I guess." She mutters with a frown. Was eddie really getting sick of her? If Buck had noticed it, maybe he was right. She had asked Eddie a lot about Anthony and maybe he was overwhelmed. Victoria felt a hand slide down her back causing her eyes to widen. She quickly turns to Buck. "What are you doing?" Victoria asked in a hushed whisper.

He just leans down toward her, his hand moving lower. "Do you want the other half of your birthday present?" Buck asks her, tilting his head. Victoria blushes, glancing around the room. Luckily everyone else was in the main living room and couldn't see them.

"Here?" She asks, wondering what had gotten into him. Buck's hand was now on her ass, squeezing it a bit which caused her to gasp a bit.

"Could be fun." Buck points out. Victoria chuckles as she takes a step back.

"Could be devastating." Victoria corrects him. "If Athena finds out--"

"Then we better go now." Buck tells her. Victoria bites her bottom lip. On one hand, having a sneaky hook up did sound like fun and like it would feel amazing. On the other, if Athena found out, she would surely set them on fire. Especially since May and Harry were in the house.

But she found herself following him anyways, being influenced by the way he touched her. No one seemed to notice them sneak off together and as Victoria kisses Buck, her back pressed against the bathroom door, she knew this would either end amazingly or become the worst situation they've ever been in.

"This is bad." She mumbles against his lips but she can't seem to stop herself, only pulling him closer as the kiss deepens. But Buck pulls away from her with a smirk on his lips.

"Then don't kiss me." He teases, his body still pressed against hers but his lips were only hovering, a few millimeters away from her own and it was killing her.

"You can't just stand in front of me in all your hot glory and expect me not to kiss you." Victoria points out with a sigh, pouting a bit. She had made it even worse by running her hands through his hair, his clothes now crumpled with how they were moving with each other.

"I don't see you making a move." Buck taunts her as he tilts his head. Victoria rolls her eyes but let's out a whine as she kisses him deeply. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Buck was quick to pick her up, her legs moving around his waist. The kiss intensifies as he places her on the counter, his hands squeezing at her thighs.

She knew they couldn't really waste any time as her hands were coming down to his shirt in order to pull it off. The kiss breaks for half a second for them to throw his shirt to the floor before he was kissing her again, their lips already puffy as they were kissing each other very needly. Buck pulls down the straps of Victoria's dress, his lips leaving hers to trail across her chest.

Victoria bites her lip, suppressing a moan as her hands yank at his belt. She gets it undone, pulling down the zipper as her head tilts back, her eyes closing as he sucks at the nape of her neck. He brings his lips back to hers as he was lifting her slightly up from the counter in order to yank her dress up. They were so caught up in each other, Victoria trying to bring Buck closer to her, that they didn't notice Buck's name being called until it was too late.

The door opens and there was a moment where it was just a blur of chaos. "Oh, sorry." May says in an apologetic way until her eyes truly adjusted to what she was seeing. Her jaw drops open as her eyes flicker between the pair. "Oh, my god." Was all she could say as Buck quickly pulls back from Victoria who pulls up her dress as fast as she could.

May felt like gagging as she was in such shock, her hand wouldn't even come up to cover her eyes. Luckily nothing was out, Buck was only shirtless with his pants undone which she was eternally grateful for. She didn't know him that well, especially to seem him and someone she's know for years doing.... this.

"May, did you find--" Athena stops short when she looks into the bathroom. Victoria just covers her face with her hands. Athena's eyes move from her to Buck who was in the middle of frantically buckling his belt up. "Buck, your sister is looking for you." She says, raising an eyebrow.

Buck could barely meet Athenas gaze, feeling like he was being scrutinized which he honestly probably was. "I'll be right there." He responds before quickly shutting the door. Buck leans against it, his head resting against it momentarily. He couldn't help the laugh that left his lips. "You didn't lock the door?" Buck asks Victoria in a teasing way, bending down to pick up his shirt.

As he throws it on, he notices she was no longer responding to him. "Vic?" Buck asks, looking over at her and although now dressed, she was just shaking as she leant against the counter. "Okay, just take a deep breath." He says as he moves over to her. She shakes her head as she grips the counter with her fingers.

"G-god, everyone's gonna know." Victoria admits, her voice cracking as she squeezes her eyes shut. Buck frowns as he stares at her.

"Well, maybe not. Maybe May won't say anything." He suggests.

"I-i can't." She denies as she starts to pace back and forth. Buck didn't know how to calm her down in this situation, he had walked out last time and he wasnt familiar with panic attacks.

"So, everyone knows. Half of them probably already guessed it anyways." He admits with a shrug of his shoulders. "No plan, remember?" Buck was trying to make it seem like not a big deal but it was in Victoria's mind.

"This isn't a joke, Buck!" She screams at him, her emotions running high as he just stared back at her, a bit wide eyed.

"I know it isn't." Buck responds with furrowed eyebrows. "Vic, I'm just trying to make light of the situation." He admits, bringing his hand to her arm but she pushed it off roughly.

"Don't!" She says, holding her arms to her tightly. Buck frowns as he doesn't try to touch her again but he was really worried. "I-i can't do this." Victoria denies, shaking her head.

"Let's get some air." He suggests but she only moves past him.

"N-no, leave me alone." And with that she was opening the door and rushing down the hall.

"Vic, wait--" Buck stops himself, just following after her.

The others were in the living room as May and Athena walked back over to them. May had a shocked expression on her face. "You guys will never believe what I just saw." She admits, still trying to process it. "Buck and Vic." May tells them. Chimney furrows his eyebrows. It seemed only Eddie and Rosie got what she was saying right away.

"Yeah, we all saw Buck and Vic." Chimney points out but May shakes her head.

"No, I saw Buck and vic." May states, making sure to draw out her words. Athena clears her throat causing everyone to look at her.

"In the bathroom. Together." Athena elaborates but everyone had already pieced it together. Nobody said anything for a moment, everyone trying to really process the fact that May had caught Buck and Victoria hooking up. Well, they didn't know how far she caught them at but it was probably awkward either way.

"Pay up!" Hen says with a large smirk on her face, holding out her hands. Chimney groans as he tilts his head back.

"Oh, come on."

"No, I called it. Give me your money." She demands as she wiggles her fingers. Chimney scoffs as he crosses his arms against his chest.

"You don't even know if they're together." He points out and Hen snorts as she rolls her eyes.

"Okay, but I also said they could be hooking up." Hen retorts. Chimney clenched his jaw as he shakes his head.

"You can't do both, that's not fair." Chimney argues and Hen only shrugs her shoulders.

"You're just mad you have to pay." She retorts. Chimney goes to make a rebuttal but other voices cut him off.

"Vic, will you just stop and talk to me?" They hear from down the hall. Everyone glances over, seeing Victoria hastily making her way to the door, grabbing her bag on the way."Vic!" Buck calls out, trying to stop her but she just opens the door. "Vic, come on." They share a glance with each other and Athena just sends Bobby a look before following after the couple.

Buck gets to Victoria's car just as she closes the door. He tries to open it but it was locked. "Vic, please get out of the car." He pleads, not wanting her to drive when she was in this sort of state. But the car turns on and as he tries the handle again, she drives off. "Vic!" He calls out, putting his hands on his head.

"Is everything okay?" Athenas voice comes from behind him. Buck turns to her and she could see the tears in his eyes.

"I have to um, I have to go after her." He admits as he goes to move past her but Athena stops him.

"You've been drinking, you shouldn't drive." Usually she wouldn't mind if it was a beer or two, but she saw the way he was stumbling around in the house and she knew she should not let him behind a wheel.

"So has she!" Buck points out, gesturing to where Victoria had sped off. That's why he needed to go after her quickly.

"So I'll drive." Athena says, holding her hand out. Buck gives her his keys after a moment before they both rush over to his jeep in order to try and find Victoria.

••••

VICTORIA TRIES TO CONTROL HER BREATHING, her fingers gripped to the steering wheel as she squeezes her eyes shut. She had pulled over to the side of the road when her vision started blurring. Her mind was swirling around and she could barely make sense of anything. Her heart was racing and she was trying to take slow controlled breaths but they were only coming out fast and rugged.

Her eyes move to her phone which was buzzing once again. She expected to see Buck's name again but instead it was Kelly. Victoria felt a split second where the confusion triggered her brain into slowing down her breathing. But it didn't last for long. She just grabs the phone, answering the face time call and when she looks back at the screen, she saw Kelly and Shay, both with concerned looks on their faces.

"Surprised you picked up. Bucks been blowing up my phone, worried sick about you." Kelly admits as he sees Victoria with tears streaming down her face. He knew she was having a hard time breathing with the way the phone was shaking and how her breath came out in gasps.

"Yeah, he's really concerned, Vic." Shay adds with a small frown. Buck seemed to be all over the place when he called Kelly. "You wanna tell us what's wrong?" She asks, not wanting to pressure Victoria but they couldn't help if she didn't tell them.

"I-i can't do this." Victoria denies, shaking her head as she rests her head against the seat.

"Can't do what?" Kelly asks her. But she doesn't respond, only staring up at the ceiling.

"Sweetie, can you please just try and explain what's going on?" Shay questions with a soft sigh. Victoria covers her face with her hands.

"Everyone knows." She answers them. Kelly was a bit confused.

"Everyone knows what?"

"About us."

"Oh." Shay says, sharing a glance with Kelly. "Well, that's fine right? No one would really care." She points out. Victoria cries as she shakes her head, her hands gripping her hair.

"T-thats not the point." She denies. Kelly sighs as he didn't know what to say really, especially since he wasn't really there to know what was actually going on.

"Can you elaborate a bit?" Kelly asks her. Victoria takes a shaky breath, her hand pressing against her chest.

"He just--- I can't do this when my heart feels like it's gonna jump from my chest and i-i can barely breathe." Victoria admits. Shay frowns as she wishes she could hug the woman right now.

"You're just scared, Vic. This is your first relationship after Anthony and you wanted it to go on your terms." Shay tells her. Victoria shakes her head repeatedly.

"No one was supposed to find out."

"People were going to find out eventually." Kelly points out. They couldn't exactly hide it forever, working in the same firehouse and all. "Did you not want them to find out because you weren't ready, or because you don't know if you want to be with him?" He asks curiously. Victoria only frowns.

"Of course I want to be with him. I'm not doubting myself on that." She denies. Victoria liked Buck, that she knew for sure. And she wanted to push through and stay in this relationship with him. It was just her own self doubt that was stopping her.

"Then it's just nerves, Vic. And they will pass." Kelly assures her. "You just have to allow yourself to let him in, to make your brain accept the fact that you're allowed to move on." He tells her.

"Maybe you should come back to Chicago, see his grave. Maybe it'll give you some closure." Shay suggests, even though there was probably nothing they could do to ever get her back to Chicago.

"There's no closure there. There never will be." Victoria denies, shaking her head. She never felt like going there with fix her problems. Anthony was gone and his soul wasn't in Chicago. She couldn't let him go, not until his body was found and that was never happening.

"But you can't keep feeling like this, Vic. It's not healthy. And it probably isn't too good for Buck either." Kelly adds.

"I don't want to hurt him." She denies, tears in her eyes as she stares down at her hands.

"What are you doing right now?" Kelly points out. She says she doesn't want to hurt him but running out like that, saying she couldn't do it and not answering his calls, that was hurting him. Because he was worried about her. "Take a few deep breaths. You remember what to do when the walls are closing in, right?" He asks her and she nods her head, following his words. "Then do that instead of pushing him away." He says.

Victoria sniffles as she wipes away the tears from her cheeks. "I guess it just made it seem so real." She admits. Her mind just went into overdrive when May and Athena saw them. She couldn't slow it down and she couldn't calm herself down without being out of that space.

"While when not a lot of people knew, It was contained and you could act like it was all a fantasy." Kelly says, nodding his head. "There is this great thing called talking, and Buck will understand if you just do that." He says, teasing her slightly. Victoria knew Buck would understand and that was the great thing about him. But she also didn't want to dump everything on him when it wasn't his problem.

"Maybe you need more time and that's okay. But you have to tell him, Vic or you have to push through and fight for him." Shay states. She couldn't do both because that wasn't healthy. She either had to let him go for the time being or allow him to try and help her.

Meanwhile in Athenas car, Buck was still trying to message Victoria while keeping an eye out for her car. That's when he notices the one pulled off to the side of the road with their hazards on. "Athena, slow down." He tells her and Athena presses the break, furrowing her eyebrows. "There." Buck says, pointing to the car.

"She must've pulled over." Athena says, taking notice to the vehicle before pulling up behind it. Buck leaps out of the car, rushing toward the car. Luckily the door was open so he could pull the handle, which probably wasn't the best course of action since it scared her a bit. But she relaxed noticing it was Buck.

"Vic? Vic, Oh my god." Buck says as he wraps his arms around her tightly. "You're okay." He whispers, almost to himself, glad she was safe.

"Yeah." She says with a small nod once he pulls away from her. Athena was now standing behind him, a relieved look on her face.

"I-I'm sorry that I pushed against a boundary. I-I was just wanting your attention because you were barely around me and I thought that was the only way to get it. I should've made sure nothing would happen but I'm dumb and stupid so I didn't. Everyone knows and I know that seems like it's scary but I promise you, the only thing they care about is the money they apparently bet on us. But if this all seems too much for you, if you feel like I betrayed your trust or you genuinely don't feel like you can be with me, that's okay. Because I know you're still dealing with a lot and trying to persevere through it. But even if you do break up with me, I'll be here with you every step of the way and i-i can be your punching bag or whatever you need me to be."

Victoria felt her heart melt at his words. She could tell he was upset with himself while being concerned for her. But she didnt blame him for what happened. Sure, they could've locked the door but that was on her just as much. He truly cared for her and she could see that. She didn't want him thinking this was his fault or that this would cause her to hate him. But someone beat her to it before she could say anything.

"Dude we already fixed her." Shays voice comes through the phone and that's when Buck notices that she was on a FaceTime call. "It was a nice speech though." She says with a smile. Buck rubs the back of his neck, redness spreading on his cheek as he sees Shay and Kelly.

"Oh, hi." He says, giving a small wave. Victoria looks down at her phone.

"Thanks, guys." She tells them and they bid goodbyes before she hangs up. Victoria sighs gently, her eyes moving to Buck and Athena. "I'm sorry I ran out." Victoria apologizes, her gaze softening. Buck just shakes his head as he lifts his hands to her cheeks.

"No, it's okay. I promise you, it's okay." Buck assures her, his eyes gazing into hers. Victoria sniffles but nods.

"We're just glad you're all right." Athena admits and Victoria glances at her.

"You're not gonna arrest me for driving while impaired, are you?" She asks, joking, but she wouldn't be surprised. If it was an on duty cop that came over, she probably would be ticketed.

"You had two drinks, you're fine." Athena tells her, waving it off. "Now, if it was Buck, I definitely would have." She says as she points to the man.

"Wow, I see how it is." Buck says with a playful scoff and Athena shakes her head, her eyes settling back on Victoria.

"You driving home, or are you coming back?" She asks curiously. Victoria frowns, thinking how she left the party so abruptly after they had planned it.

"You guys did so much for me--"

"Sweetheart, if you're not up for it that's okay. No one will judge you for leaving early." Athena assures her. Everyone understood the moment she ran out. May was upset with herself because she didn't realize that no one knew about them. She just found it funny how they were in the bathroom together. She truly thought the others wouldve known since they didn't seem to be hiding it.

Hen had to tell her that it wasn't her fault, not that May even listened. Victoria sighs as she didn't feel like facing everyone again. "I'm gonna go home." She admits. Athena squeezes her knee and nods her head.

"Okay. I'll be waiting." Athena tells Buck before she points her finger at them."But we will talk about what you two were doing later." She states in a stern tone. Victoria blushes, dipping her head down as Athena walks back to Bucks jeep.

"Honestly, I'd rather walk into traffic." Buck mumbles as he knee Athena was going to give them a scolding of a lifetime.

"Please, don't. You're too cute to lose." Victoria tells him with a soft smile. Buck chuckles as he tilts his head a bit.

"I'm cute?"

"Compliments are everything to you, aren't they?" Victoria asks as she raises her eyebrows. Buck smirks as he leans closer toward her.

"Obviously. You think I'm cute." Buck points out and she rolls her eyes a bit.

"I'll still hit you." She warns him and he chuckles but nods his head. He grabs a hold of her hand, his head tilting. He was still knelt down, people probably wondering what the hell he was doing as they drove by but he didn't care.

"Did you want me to come over, or did you want to be alone?" Buck asks her curiously, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. Victoria didn't want to be alone. She knew Athena would have Rosie stay at her place for the night and Victoria didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts. She wanted the comfort that Buck offered her.

"Can you come and just lay with me in bed?" She questions, her voice wavering a bit. Buck nods as he smiles back at her.

"Of course." He says, glancing around for a moment. "You sure you're okay to drive?" Buck didnt want to leave her to drive but he also knew he had drank too much to be able to. Victoria nods her head though and he sighs a bit. "Okay." He says, standing back up. Buck gives a thumbs up to Athena before moving to the passenger side as Victoria closed the door. He couldn't drive it anyways and he could just pick up his jeep from athenas tomorrow.

He got into the car, sitting in the comfortable silence as she pulled back onto the highway.

••••

BUCK AND VICTORIA WALKED TOWARD THE FIRESTATION, there fingers intertwined as Victoria had her head resting on his shoulder. "Is this gonna be weird? Working together while everyone knows we're together?" Buck asks her curiously. He had never even thought about it that way, how their friends were also their coworkers. Buck had honestly never factored that part in and when everyone knew he was fine with it, but he didn't know if working together would be weird.

Victoria glances up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You know we're all professionals, right?" She questions with a laugh. It had crossed her mind as well but she was going to ask the others about it, she didn't want to put them in an uncomfortable spot.

"Mm. I don't know. What we did in the locker room was definitely not professional." Buck states with a smirk on his lips. Victoria stops beside him, shaking her head as she hits his arm. If anyone ever found out about that, she would surely die. And that's of embarrassment, not even the fact that Bobby would kill them.

"Buck." She scolds and he chuckles as he squeezes her hand. Victoria glances down for a moment. "I um...." She trails off, chewing her bottom lip. Her eyes meet his curious ones and he waits for her to finish her sentence. Victoria just leans up, pressing a deep kiss to his lips. Buck furrows his eyebrows but kisses her back, his hand coming up to stroke her jaw.

When they pull away from each other, Buck was delighted but confused. "What was that for?" He asks her, tilting his head a bit.

"For being there for me." She admits with a soft smile on her lips. Bucks gaze softens as he returns the smile. "Also, I don't think Bobby will allow any sort of pda while we're inside so." Victoria adds with a small laugh.

"Definitely not." Buck denies, shaking his head as they turn to walk into the station.

Making their way up the stairs after putting their things away, Buck had grabbed her hand again, mostly subconsciously as they see the others sat at the table. "Look, the lovebirds have arrived." Hen announces as soon as she sees them. The others glance over, all of them making whistle noises toward them.

"Aww, arriving together with their hands held tight, how romantic." Chimney adds with a smirk on his face. Buck presses his lips together tightly as he drops his head a bit.

"Keep em coming." He tells them. Victoria just laughs as she shakes her head.

"So, everything's good?" Hen asks after everything calms down a bit. Victoria looks up at Buck and he squeezes her hand again. She looks back at the others and nods.

"Yeah, we're good." Victoria tells them, finally letting bucks hand go so she can have a seat at the table.

"Thank God, cause the way that party ended, everyone was wondering how long you guys lasted." Chimney says with a chuckle. Buck narrows his eyes as he sits down in the chair next to him.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chim." Buck responds and Chimney just pats his shoulder.

"You got it, buckaroo." Chimney responds with a smirk on his lips. Victoria fiddles with her fingers nervously.

"Seriously, though, you guys are okay with it?" Victoria asks them. She never wanted to make anyone in the house uncomfortable. Another reason why she didn't initially want to tell people. She knew what it was like when people dated in house, sometimes it was awkward.

"You earned me a hundred bucks, I'm cool." Hen says with a shrug and she really couldn't care less unless Buck did something to hurt her. Then he would feel a wrath.

"I'm not. I'm out thirty because of it." Chimney grumbles with a scoff.

"Wait, so who bet that we were together?" Victoria asks, wanting to know who else thought they were together.

"Just me and Bobby." Hen admits. Victoria seemed shocked, Buck as well as they both looked toward the man at the end of the table.

"Wait, you knew?" Buck asks him, his eyes wide.

"Well, when you were complaining to me about this girl who you liked but she was very stubborn and didn't date firefighters, with the way you also stared at Vic, I put the pieces together." Bobby explains to him with a small smile. Buck blushes as his eyes drop to the table.

"You stared at me?" Victoria asks in amusement as she raises an eyebrow.

"Gazed." Buck corrects her and she just shakes her head with a roll of her eyes.

"And I didn't really know but I guessed and I won." Hen says with a cheeky smirk, shrugging her shoulders. Truthfully, it was a guess. She had an inkling but honestly, she thought Victoria was dating Eddie.

"So Chimney was the only one that lost?" Victoria asks curiously.

"Athena also lost, she thought you two were just close friends." Hen says with a snort. She tried to explain to athena all of the evidence she had, and for being a sergeant, youd think she would swe the signs. But Athena only said they mightve hooked up once but are just friends. "Maddie said it seemed unfair to vote because she knew Buck too well and well, Eddie why didn't you vote?" She asks, her eyes now going to Eddie.

The man in question freezes, his spoon halfway to his mouth. He notices everyone was now staring at him. "Hm?" Eddie hums, clearing his throat a bit as he places his spoon back down. Hen furrows her eyebrows for a second before she gasps, seeing the way Eddie was glancing toward Buck.

"Oh, my god. You knew." Hen states, crossing her arms against her chest. "He-- Wow, I'm betrayed." She says in a dramatic voice.

"In my defense, Buck told him." Victoria states, pointing at Buck who narrows his eyes.

"I didn't tell him, I told you that he already knew." Buck retorts. Chimney looked confused as his eyes moved back over to Eddie.

"Wait, how did you find out?"

"Buck was so obvious with it even before they were together. I was here a week and I saw it." Eddie admits as he shrugs his shoulders. Hen sighs as she sits back, looking at Chimney.

"We're blind." She states and Chimney shakes his head before gesturing over to Victoria.

"She's blind, she's the one that didn't notice the lovestruck probie." Chimney points out. Buck groans as he rests his head in his hands.

"Please don't bring that back." He pleads. Victoria only smirks over to him and he sends her a playful glare back. Bobby smiles as he shakes his head.

"The point it, we're happy for you two." Bobby tells them. Victoria and Buck smile back at him. "But I will need you to sign some forms for HR, okay?" He states. Victoria scrunches her nose up a bit.

"I thought we would skim past that." She admits. She was honestly hoping he would forget about that part but it was Bobby, he was on top of everything.

"So close." Buck adds as he rests his arm behind her on the chair. Victoria leans back against him, her eyes moving to the man. Buck meets her gaze momentarily, smiling a bit before beginning to eat his food.

She was happy. Well, as happy as she could allow herself to be in this moment. Having everyone know, it did feel like a relief, that she didn't have to hide it anymore. And she did enjoy being able to now speak with Buck freely and not have to hide her words or not look at him a certain way. Victoria was glad that everything happened in the way it did.

She just hoped this happiness didn't fade away.

••••

Authors note;

Finale is next chapter.....

So... I just used a generator to pick Anthony's faceclaim because I felt it was the most fair 😭 anyways it's ahn hyoseop who's a cutieeeeeeeeeeee it went literally down to Sebastian and him so it was fate

6. Carlos got out first
5. Minkyu was next
4. Jensen
3. Mason
2. Sebastian
1. Hyoseop

Also what the fuck is Eddie doing in the new episode ? I don't want Buck and Eddie together if this is the shit he pulls. Like seriously?