••••

BUCK PACED BACK AND FORTH IN HIS LOFT. Victoria had just left after dropping the bombshell that she would be leaving the 118 and Buck wasn't taking it very well. He tried to act like he didn't care, that he was angry at her but he couldn't do it. No matter what, he couldnt bring himself to hate her. Maybe because he knew there was something more she wasn't telling him. But the fact that she was leaving instead of just talking to him made him feel crazy. Like maybe he was seeing things that weren't really there.

Eddie was just sat on the couch, silently watching him go back and forth. He couldn't take it for much longer since it had been twenty minutes now. He stands up, stopping Buck. "Okay, I can tell you're spiraling. Why don't you have a seat?" Eddie suggests as he holds bucks shoulders.

"Why would she do that?" Buck asks as he stares at Eddie who only lets out a small sigh.

"Buck, she's right. The 118 isn't the same and if she feels like she needs to leave--"

"She doesn't need to leave." He snaps at the man, not meaning to, he was just frustrated. Eddie doesn't take it to heart, just raising an eyebrow.

"Did you not tell her you wanted her to?" Eddie asks him and he could see the hurt that flashed over Buck.

"B-But that was just because I was angry." Buck admits. Eddie nodded his head slowly.

"So, you're not mad at her?" He questions and Buck was silent for a moment.

"No, I am, I just-- Fuck, everything's a mess."

"Vic coming back has brought up a lot of emotions and it's okay to be conflicted on what you want." Eddie admits as he takes bucks hand in his own but Buck moves it away causing Eddie to frown a bit.

"I just don't understand." Buck says as he brings his hands to his face. Eddie just rested against the side of the couch.

"What?" Eddie asks but Buck remains silent. "Come on, talk to me, Buck." He pleads, wanting to know what was on his mind.

"She comes back just out of the blue after walking out on me. She comes back to work, she apologizes, she talks about the breakup but she never made any effort to actually try and get me back."

"Did you want her to?" Eddie questions and Buck lets out a small groan.

"I-I mean, I don't know. I'm hurt over how things ended but just knowing she didn't actually cheat makes me wonder what else she said that night that wasn't true." Buck tells him and Eddie wanted to comfort him but he really didn't know how. "What she could've been keeping from me." He adds. Buck knew Victoria was keeping something and that Bobby was helping her.

"So, you're angry because she left you and came back but you're also angry that she isn't trying to get back together with you." Eddie states, getting it spot on apparently as Buck tilts his head back.

"It's stupid and crazy, I know." Buck states. He didn't know why he was feeling so many things at once.

"No, it's normal to feel conflicted over this type of thing. But you need to just talk to her, seeing as she obviously won't make the first move." Eddie points out. Victoria had an infinite amount of opportunities to talk to buck and she didnt. "You clearly still love her, that was never the problem." He denies.

"I just wanted her to try. Not say she loves me but hopes I find happiness." Buck says as he crosses his arms against his chest. "What happens if she leaves the 118 and never comes back? I mean, was our relationship truly nothing special that it isn't worth fighting for? Is there a reason she isn't trying or is it just that she doesn't see a future with me anymore?" He asks, mainly to himself. He had been questioning everything about himself since Victoria left. If it was something about him that forced her to leave.

"I can't answer any of that, Buck." Eddie says, wishing he knew all the right things to say but that would be impossible. "But I do know that love, especially what you had with Vic, it's rare. And although you may still feel upset with her, you may still need time to heal and you may never be able to fully forgive her, I don't think you should give up on it." He explains and Buck's eyes soften as he looks at Eddie. "You should talk to her and figure out what really happened." He admits and he saw the frown forming on Bucks face.

"What about you?" Buck asks him, wanting to know where that left them.

"What about me?" Eddie questions back, almost like he was expecting to just be abandoned.

"So, you... you are just gonna let me go running back to her?"

"If that's what you want to do." Eddie states, not seeing what Buck was having a hard time understanding.

"I don't want to lose you either. Lose what we made." Buck says, finally taking eddies hands. Eddie shrugs his shoulders, his eyes dropping lightly.

"We've barely made anything, Buck. I'd understand if this was just a short fling for you." Eddie responds and Buck was almost offended that he felt that way. Did Buck make him feel that way? Did he not male Eddie feel like he was worth it?

"It's not." He instantly denies as he squeezes Eddies hands. "Maybe I didn't fully understand what it was at first, maybe I didn't know what my feelings were but now I do. I really like you, Eddie and that isn't something I want to just toss to the side." Buck tells him. He never thought this was something that could happen between them but now that is has, he wouldn't change a thing.

"But you are in love with Vic." Eddie points out. If Buck wanted to go back to the woman he loved, Eddie wouldn't stop him. But he wanted to when Buck said things like this.

"I-i.. this is all just so confusing." Buck covers his face, becoming even more frustrated than he even was but mainly because he couldn't figure out what to do.

"Just take a deep breath, okay?" Eddie says, placing his hands on bucks shoulder and bringing him closer. "Everything will work itself out." He assures him and Buck relaxes against him, wanting to believe that so badly.

"I know." Buck responds. "God, I'm sorry." He apologizes, feeling like he ruined their whole night.

"You're fine."

"No, you wanted to talk and I just bombarded you with things about Vic and then she showed up here and..." Buck stops himself, taking a deep breath as he just wanted to go back to being with Eddie. "How can I make it up to you?" He asks, gazing into eddies eyes as he leans against his chest.

"You being here is enough for me." Eddie admits, bringing his hand up to stroke bucks cheek.  "Just relax for me, okay?" He says, not wanting Buck to stress about this anymore tonight.

Buck leans into him, their lips connecting softly. Eddie runs his thumb along his jaw as he brings him ever so closer. Buck wraps his around around Eddie as the kiss deepens, both of them just letting go. Eddie grabs Buck by the hem of his shirt softly, moving them to be able to lay on the couch. Buck lands on top of Eddie as eddies fingers trail underneath his shirt.

A soft moan leaves Buck's lips at the cold feeling, his tongue grazing over Eddies. Eddie allows it in, his knees enclosing around Bucks waist as the man grinds down ever so slightly. Neither of them were in a rush, not intensifying the kiss in any means, they just wanted each other's touch,  to be with each other in this conflicting time.

Eddie slowly lifts Bucks shift up causing the man to pull away for a moment to get it completely off. Eddie smiles gently, running his hands down Bucks chest before reconnecting their lips. The sparks between them blistered as Eddie ran his hands across Buck's bare skin. Buck couldn't lie and say that he hadn't thought about being with Eddie since the moment they met.

He thought it was jealousy over him coming to the team and fitting in so quickly. He thought it was jealousy because of Eddie flirting with Victoria. Buck wouldn't have thought until their first kiss, that they would've ended up here. Mainly because he thought Eddie was straight so to find out he wasn't and had relations with other men, it was quite shocking to Buck.

Maneuvering them around, Eddie moves on top of Buck, the kiss becoming more passionate as he also takes off his own shirt. Their skin moves against each other as the heat between them grows. "Eds." Buck mumbles, pulling away for a second. Eddie hovers over him, tilting his head as he gazes at the man. "I want you." Those words leaving Buck's lips was a bit surprising to Eddie but he was glad Buck felt comfortable with him.

"Are you sure?" Eddie asks, his fingers trailing Bucks hips. He never wanted to pressure Buck into doing anything he wasn't one hundred percent ready for but as Buck smiles at him, bringing him ever so closer, that solidified it for Eddie.

"I'm sure." He says, his hand moving down to eddies belt.  "I want all of you." Buck tells him, bringing their lips back together in a searing kiss. Eddie moans into it, his hips grinding down into Buck. A gasp leaves the man's lips but it was more because Eddie moaned.

As their hands roamed more, they both got down to their boxers, sweat already littering their skin as they kissed each other like they were oxygen. Buck seemed to be getting needy as he tried to press Eddie even further against him for any sort of friction. Eddie pulls back causing him to whine a bit. "Do you have any lube?" Eddie asks him curiously, not wanting to do anything without properly preparing.

"Uh, upstairs, second drawer." Buck answers him and Eddie raises an amused eyebrow. "What? I said I experimented with myself." He says, a deep blush on his cheeks. Eddie only chuckles before removing himself from Buck momentarily to go up the stairs. He stopped himself halfway.

"Did you want to do this on the bed? It may be more comfortable." Eddie suggests, wanting this to be good for Buck's first time with a man and not on his uncomfortable couch. Not that it was uncomfortable... okay it was. Eddie needed to suggest he buy a new one but discreetly so Buck thinks it's his idea.

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea."  Buck says, jumping up from the couch in order to join him. Eddie  chuckles at how eager he was before moving to the nightstand and taking out the lube. He lingers by the condoms, glancing back over at Buck.

"Did you want me to wear a condom?" Eddie asks him curiously. He was fine either way because he truthfully hadn't had sex since he was with Victoria and that was a while ago.

"I'm clean, unless you want to wear it for preference." Buck tells him as he shrugs his shoulders, moving more onto the bed. Eddie just closes the drawer, moving toward Buck and kneeling at the edge. Buck just smiles before bringing him back toward him, kissing him once more.

"If you ever need me to stop, just say so." eddie whispers to him and buck nods his head. As Eddie moves his boxers down, discarding them somewhere on the floor, he spreads bucks legs more causing Buck to have a tinge of excitement and nervousness build up inside of him.

Eddie kisses down his chest and abs, hovering around his hip bone. His fingers held his thighs before slowly moving down toward his ass. Buck shivers at just the brush of air that hit him, biting his bottom lip. Opening the bottle in his hand, Eddie puts some lube on two of his fingers.

He glances at Buck who was gripping the bed sheets in anticipation. Sliding one finger in gently, Buck gasps as he squeezes his eyes shut. It was definitely different having someone else doing it and at a different angle. "You okay?" Eddie asks, stopping for a moment.

"Mhm, you can keep going." Buck says, nodding his head as he didn't want Eddie to stop. Continuing to push in, he went slowly, allowing Buck to adjust before beginning to move his finger in and out. After a minute or two, he added a second finger, increasing his speed a bit so that he could get used to it. "F-fuck." He mutters out, his legs wrapping around eddie as he desperately needed more. Eddie thrusts his fingers in deeper causing Buck to throw his head back.

"Eddie, please." He whines as he starts to move against Eddie's fingers. Eddie didn't want to rush this, wanting to make sure Buck was actually ready before moving on. So, adding a third finger to stretch him out, earning a long, pornographic moan from Buck and making sure to get him ready for a few minutes, he eventually pulls out. Buck was annoyed at that, not wanting it to stop.

"I got you, mi amor." Eddie whispers in his ear making his toes curl. Grabbing some more lube, he rubs it along his dick, making sure it wouldn't be painful for Buck, more than it should be and hovers over the man. He was careful as he slid his way in, seeing Bucks face scrunch up.

Finally finding a comfortable place, Eddie starts to thrust into Buck, keeping a steady pace at first. Buck moans at the feeling, his legs tightening around eddies waist. He had never been the one truly on the bottom before. Sure, women he's slept with have been on top but none of them were truly dominant over him. None of them had a hold like Eddie did.

Victoria was a whole different story entirely but that was an explanation for another day. Eddie starts to increase his thrusts, still not going too hard but the pace he set brought all new sounds out of Buck. Eddie couldn't help but smirk as he leans down, pressing hot kisses to the man's skin in order to edge him on, knowing how much Buck liked to have the nape of his neck kissed.

One of his hands moved from Bucks waist, moving down to wrap around his dick as he thrusted a bit harder into Buck seeing how he was getting such a positive reaction. Buck almost screams out as he clings the man's shoulders, feeling all of his bliss consume him at once.

The bed jolts with their movements, Buck trying his best to thrust himself onto Eddie as the man moves into him but he was so far gone that all he could do was lay there and take it. Not that he was complaining, Eddie surely knew what he was doing and Buck never knew feeling so helpless could feel so fucking amazing.

"E-eddie!" Buck moans out as his back arches off of the bed, his eyes roll back as a long groan leaves his lips. His cum spills between them, hitting eddies stomach as the man continues to thrust into him, getting him through his orgasm.

He didn't expect to last long, given this was his first time and Eddie being Eddie was all he needed. Plus he was already so talented with his hand and mouth, Buck had no doubts about his other skills.

Eddies fingers tighten around Buck's hips, his thrusts becoming sloppier until he was spilling into Buck, almost landing on top of him but catching himself. He moans Buck's name as he rests his forehead against his shoulder. Buck clings onto him, holding him close as he feels him soften. He also didn't expect Eddie to cum but in eddies mind, just looking at Buck was enough to make him hard.

Starting to pull out, Eddie rolls beside Buck, taking a few deep breaths. Buck knew he was preparing himself to get things to clean them up so Buck quickly grabbed a hold of him so he couldn't. "Not yet." He says, still a bit breathless and Eddie hesitates but rests back against him.

"I wanna clean you up, mi amor." Eddie replies gently, running a hand through bucks hair but the man shakes his head.

"Just a few minutes." Buck pleads and Eddie couldn't help but give in, wrapping his arms around the man and holding him close.

Buck rests comfortably in eddies arms as his eyes begin to drift closed. For the first time in a while, he felt completely relaxed, his mind clear. He didn't know if it was eddies presence or the fact that he finally allowed himself to feel completely free but whatever it was, he hoped it didn't go away anytime soon.

••••

AS THE GROUP OF GIRLS WALK INTO THE APARTMENT. Rosie closes the door behind them as Jennie was too busy complaining about her in order to do it herself. "No, because she completely lied to my face about it." Jennie admits as she looks toward May and Tamara. Rosie narrows her eyes as she heard Jennie scoff a bit.

"I did not lie." Rosie denies as she crosses her arms.

"Oh really? 'I don't like Jake, he's just a friend. Seriously nothing will ever happen.'" Jennie says, mimicking her voice before a blunt expression forms on her face.  "Sound familiar?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"That doesn't even sound like me." Rosie retorts and Tamara just smirks.

"It sounds exactly like you." She admits and Rosie hits her shoulder.

"And she's right, you literally said you didn't like him." May adds, wondering how she could go from that to kissing him in less than a month.

"Well, sorry, I can't help how I suddenly feel." Rosie states as she just shrugs her shoulders.

"Although I'm mad you didn't tell me right away, I'm happy for you. Jakes a genuine guy." Jennie says, glad that her best friend was able to pick a good guy even though Jennie herself couldn't see through a wildfire of bad choices.

"Yeah, you're so lucky. I've been single because there's no one decent out there right now." Tamara says as she runs a hand through her hair. May watches her closely before snapping out of it, blushing to herself.

"Are you sure that's why you're single?" Rosie teases and Tamara kicks her leg out to her but Rosie avoids it. As she turns, she notices Victoria on the couch, seemingly wiping away tears.

"Oh, Vic, hey. I didn't know you'd be home." Rosie says, stopping herself as she looks toward her sister.

"It's fine." Victoria responds, and even in her voice they could tell she had been crying.

"Are you okay?" Jennie asks, a frown on her face.

"Just a long day." She admits, taking a shaky breath as she stands up from the couch.

"We can go somewhere else." May suggests, not wanting to intrude but Victoria immediately shakes her head.

"No, no. Girls you can stay as long as you like, you know that." Victoria tells them, turning to face them and suddenly seeing someone she hasnt seen before. "Oh, who's this?" She asks, her eyes settling on Tamara.

"I'm Tamara, Rosie and I met a few weeks ago." She introduces with a small smile, her hands in her pockets.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Victoria says, smiling back at her but it didn't take away from her puffy eyes and red cheeks. "Do you go to school together?" She asks curiously.

"Yeah, yeah. We do. That's totally how we met." Rosie says, pressing her lips together tightly and her friends just looked at her with annoyed glances.

"You've always been a horrible liar." Victoria admits as she places her hand on her hip.

"They met in a stolen car." May admits and Rosie turns her glare to the girl for a second.

"Excuse me?" Victoria asks, her eyebrows raising, shock clear on her face. Why the hell was Rosie getting into a stolen car with anyone, let alone someone she just met?

"It wasn't stolen per say..." Rosie starts to say but she saw the unimpressed look on her sisters face.

"Roseanne."

"We met outside school, i found her cool, she asked if I wanted a ride. How were we supposed to know we'd get pulled over by a cop?" Rosie explains to her with a sigh, crossing her arms against her chest.

"And technically I didn't steal a car, I bought it from some guy and it ended up being a police officers car." Tamara tells her with a small shrug.

"So you were riding around in a cops stolen car?" Victoria drawls out, trying to see if she was even understanding it right.

"But we didn't steal it." Rosie says with a smile, nodding and Victoria only runs a hand across her face.

"And Lucy gave it to me afterwards. She was actually really cool about it." Tamara admits, also having Lucy's number as the woman said she could call her for anything.

"I leave for three months." Rosie mutters, shaking her head. She was just glad this cop was supposedly okay with it and Rosie didn't get in trouble.

"But seriously, are you okay?" Rosie asks, her concern back as she was wondering why her sister had been crying.

"Yeah." Victoria says, nodding as she clears her throat a bit. "Yeah, I just told Buck about the transfer." She tells her and Jennie shared a shocked look with May.

"Transfer? You're leaving the 118?" Jennie questions.

"It's just better that way." Victoria admits as she just leans against the counter.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mays voice was firm and loud, her eyes almost bulging out of her head. Rosie seemed to share her complaint.

"I told her that too but she's adamant about it." Rosie admits, crossing her arms against her chest. Victoria sighs, knowing they loved her at the 118, but sometimes change was necessary.

"I just need to go somewhere where... I just need a fresh start." Victoria tells them, taking a deep breath.

"Why not just talk to Buck?" Tamara asks, not knowing the situation but it was clear everyone was on the side of her not leaving.

"He's happy with somebody else." She admits with a shrug. If Buck found someone who he wanted to be with, who was she to stop him? Besides, she knew he found someone good, not that it was very hard.

"He got with someone already? Wow, what a traitor." Jennie mutters, narrowing her eyes as she places her hand on her hip.

"He had every right to do that. I did break his heart."

"Who's he seeing?" Rosie asks her curiously as May just stared down at the ground.

"I don't know and it's none of my business along with none of yours so if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go drown my sorrows in the bath." Victoria says as she starts to make her way to her bedroom before stopping and turning back to her sister. "Not literally." She adds before leaving them alone.

"Who the hell could Buck be seeing?" Rosie asks as she looks toward her friends. Jennie seemed as confused as she was, Tamara shrugged her shoulders while as May was just trying to hide the knowing look on her face. Because although she wasn't certain, she had a big feeling she was right.

Because there was no way there was that much flirting between the two and they hadnt done anything. Besides, Victoria didn't seem too upset up it, more so that Buck wasn't hers anymore. And that made May believe that she was okay with whoever he was seeing. But that raised the question of how she knew.

••••

STANDING NEAR THE BALCONY, Victoria was just peering over the apparatus floor. Her eyes watched as her team did their daily tasks. Well, on top of Bobby checking the radios and asking them to say something into them. She hadnt told the rest of the team she was leaving yet. Maybe because she had been with Hen and Chimney since she first started in Los Angeles and it will be so different not having them constantly in her life.

"Buck, sound off." She hears from her radio and as she glances over, she sees Buck making her way over to the railing she was at.

"We have visitors, Cap." Buck announced as they saw Carla and Christopher coming to the station. Bobby just shakes his head as he looks up at the man, Eddie moving beside him.

"Buck, the whole point of the test is to say it into the radio." Bobby tells him and Buck was sheepish as he grabbed his radio.

"We have visitors, Cap." He says again and Victoria smiles, shaking her head. "Hey, did I pass? Over." Buck asks with a cheesy grin on his face. Bobby chuckles, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Close enough." Bobby responds. Buck glances over to his side, noticing that Victoria was just smiling at him. He furrows his eyebrows, glancing around before settling his eyes back on her.

"What?" He asks curiously and Victoria just shakes her head.

"Nothing." She denies as she looks back in front of her. Buck lingers beside her, fiddling with his fingers. He glances around, seeing that they were alone right now.

"Hey, are you really leaving?" Buck questions as he leans against the railing beside her. Victoria drops her head for a moment before turning it to meet his gaze.

"I am, Buck. Today's my last shift." Victoria admits with a small sigh. It was official, Bobby had sent it in, much to his dismay.

"You don't have to leave." Buck denies with a small frown. "I've been a dick recently when I should've kept it professional at work." He knew he should have left his anger to outside work time but it had gotten a hold of him. He knew he shouldn't have let it happen because now this is what happened.

"It wouldn't have changed anything." Victoria denies. It still would have felt the same. Because it just would have been fake and she didn't want that. "It's not the same here anymore and that's my fault." She admits and Buck blinks a few times.

"O-Okay but is leaving really the solution?" Buck asks. Surely there was something else they could do? Maybe she just needed some more time off, or even just picking up a few shifts that weren't with this crew.

"I thought you'd be over the moon." Victoria admits, muttering it slightly as she shrugs her shoulders. She just moves past him. Victoria had done it because she thought Buck would have wanted it. She didn't know he was going to have such a problem with her leaving.

"I know, okay?" Buck calls out after her causing her to stop in her step. Victoria turns back to face him, a confused expression on her face as she narrows her eyes a bit.

"You know?" She retorts, drawing out her words. Buck steps forward a bit, crossing his arms against his chest.

"About what really happened between you and Kelly." Buck admits and Victoria felt all the air be sucked out of her lungs. She could only stare at him, like her mind went blank, not being able to think of a response.

What could she even say? She had no idea how he even found that out. Unless someone had told him but it's not like many people knew. "I don't know what you mean, Buck." Victoria denies, shaking her head as her eyes drop to the ground. Buck sighs as he hated that she just kept lying.

"I overheard you and Hen." Buck tells her, knowing she would have a hard time walking back from that one. "And I finally listened to the million voicemails Kelly sent me and they explain everything." He admits as he rubs his face a bit. Victoria closes her eyes as she could almost feel the unbearable pain that he must have inside of him right now.

But he didn't care about that right now. He didn't care that she hurt him, or she ran away. All he wanted to know, right this second, was why. Why she had thrown it all away, why she had decided that he deserved someone better, why she just completely destroyed what they had together.

"Why did you lie?" Buck asks her calmly, just wanting her to tell him the truth. But he wasn't sure that would even happen.

Victoria takes a shaky breath, barely being able to look at him. "Because I guess it was just easier to make you hate me." She admits. Her voice was almost nonexistent as she felt ashamed.

"Make me hate you because of what?" Buck asks, his tone a bit frustrated but that was because she wasn't being honest, she was just darting around with her words.

But victoria couldnt do it. Not here. Not now. "Nothing." She quickly turns, heading down the stairs.

"Vic--" Buck goes to say, following after her but another voice cuts him off.

"Vic!" Christopher shouts excitedly. Victoria had hoped to bypass them without Christopher seeing her but of course that didn't happen.

"Hey, Christopher. You've been staying out of trouble?" Victoria says with a tight smile on her face. She wasn't even sure if Eddie wanted her still talking to Christopher since she hadnt been around for a few months.

"Sort of." Christopher says with a laugh and Victoria shares it, nodding her head a bit.

"Well, better than nothing." She admits as she crosses her arms against her chest.

"Are you back?" He asks her curiously. Victoria clears her throat a bit, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Uh, yeah buddy, I am."

"Does this mean Rosie can be my babysitter again?" Christopher questions and Victoria had to stop a frown from forming. She didn't know that Rosie had stopped.

"I don't know,.you'd have to ask her." Victoria admits, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Are you gonna come round for game night?" Victoria's eyes shifted awkwardly to Eddie who hadn't really said anything. Even if he didn't mind her going, she would feel out of place, especially since Buck would also be there.

"Not this week. Maybe another time, all right?" Victoria says, placing her hand on his shoulder and he nods his head.

"Is that what I think it is?" Buck asks as he stops beside them, gesturing to what Eddie was holding in his hand. Something that Victoria hadn't even noticed.

"Its a silver star cause my dad's a hero." Christopher states with a beaming smile. Victoria fiddles with her fingers, noticing the small amount of pain that ever so slightly formed in eddies eyes.

"We don't need jewelry to know that." Carla adds, smiling at Eddie who forces one back.

"Do you ever just wear it?" Buck asks him curiously as he holds it in his hand. Victoria shakes her head. It wasn't something just went around boasting. Majority of the time you got it because there was a horrible incident and people most likely died.

"Never found an outfit to go with it." Eddie denies, obviously answering it nicer than Victoria would've. But she understood those who didn't know anything about the military or weren't a part of it would only see it as a flashy medal.

"Ooh, if I had a medal, I'd  never take it off." Buck says with a smirk on his face a few Eddie raises an eyebrow.

"We know." Eddie retorts and Buck scrunches his nose up. "You sure this is what you want to bring to school on Friday?" He asks hesitantly, mainly because he wasn't sure it was a good show and tell project for elementary school.

"And you so you can tell a story." Christopher says with a bright smile on his face and Victoria could see that Eddie wasn't all for the idea.

"Is that a story you can tell fourth graders?" Buck asks, raising an eyebrow toward Eddie.

"Not really." Eddie denies.

"Definitely not." Victoria says with a scoff, shaking her head. They glance at each other before Victoria just looks toward the ground.

"Please dad. Please." He pleads and Eddie has an internal battle with himself before he finally gives in.

"Okay. I'll figure something out." Eddie admits.

"You promise?" Christopher asks him as the bells go off. Victoria just starts to head toward the truck, mainly to avoid any lasting conversation with Buck. The man follows closely behind, leaving Eddie with his son who she hears him yell and 'I promise' to.

••••

THE TEAM WERE AT A FARMHOUSE, searching for a missing boy. They didn't think he was taken but he was still somewhere on the property. They just didn't know where. "Hayden!" Victoria could hear Buck shout as they both glanced around the area.

"Hayden, can you hear us?!" Victoria calls out, using her hands to block the sun. She sighs as they had been searching for a few minutes and no one's got anything. Buck hovers beside her which she notices, slowly turning her gaze to him.

"Why won't you tell me why you left?" Buck asks her and Victoria clenches her jaw a bit.

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Victoria questions, this wasn't exactly the ideal situation to be asking this sort of thing.

"When will we? You've been avoiding me all shift." Buck points out. If they weren't out on a call she was running on the treadmill with headphones on or engrossed in a conversation with somebody.

"I'm trying to find a little boy, okay?" Victoria retorts, knowing it was an excuse but she also wanted to bring this kid home safe and sound to his family.

"Hey, guys. Over here!" Eddie calls out and Victoria moves over to him quickly, mainly to avoid anything else Buck had to say.

"Hey, Cap. Think we've got something!" Chimney tells him and they all peer down the discreet well in the middle of the property.

"All right, we're gonna need a visual." Bobby says as he looks at them.

As they got the visual set up, running the cable down the well, Chimney stares at the screen as he slowly feeds it down. "Thirty feet. Thirty five feet." He counts as he continues to go down.

"How far does this thing go?" Buck asks as he shakes his head.

"We're at forty feet, Cap and we got fifty feet of cable." Chimney warns and Victoria didnt want to think about if the kid fell farther than that.

"Can a boy even survive a fall that far?" Athena asks them curiously.

"Well, the wells narrow, so there's lots of friction to slow a fall. But if he's really down there...." Hen trails off, shaking her head.

"Let's just hope that it did slow his fall." Victoria states. It was only the hope that it did the job, it wasn't always certain. But as they watch on the monitor, luckily the boy comes into their view.

"There! Right there." Eddie points out.

"He's alive." Buck says.

"Look at the way he's pinned. Arms forward, chest constricted, shallow breath." Hen states, there was no way that he was getting proper air flow down there.

"Forty five feet. At that depth, oxygen an issue. Cap, we gotta get a line of compressed air down there ASAP." Chimney tells the man who nods bis head.

"All right." As they stood near the monitor, the mother rushes over to them.

"You found him? Is he--"

"Okay. He's alive." Athena assures her and the mother looked grateful and relieved as she collapsed into athenas arms.

"Let's just be grateful for that." Victoria mumbles as she shakes her head. She was just glad it was a rescue and not a recovery.

••••

TO SAY THIS RESCUE WASNT GOING TO PLAN.... yeah, it definitely wasn't. Because on top of the boy being stuck forty five feet underground, it had also gotten dark and started pouring rain. Victoria felt like this was just the universe taunting them. "We need to cover the mouth of the well STAT. I need trenching to divert the rainwater away from the opening. Buck, where are we at?" Bobby asks as he looks toward the man.

"We're at forty feet. At the rate we're going, I'd say another hour, but this rain is really gonna slow us down. Could be two, maybe another three." Buck explains to him as he wipes his face. Victoria groans as it seemed like they hadnt made any progress at all.

"Shoring up as we go is killing us. The ground is too unstable, it's eating up time." Eddie tells him.

"Time we don't have, Cap. The boys been there for ten hours already. He's wet now and almost certainly hypothermic." Hen states. They had to get him out now or there wasn't any point of this rescue.

"He can't last for very much longer. I mean, kids are resilient but this is pushing it." Victoria says. Kids can survive much harsher things than adults but in these conditions, there was no saying how much longer he would last.

A strike of lightening and thunder comes down causing them to look at it. "It's barely a mile away. We gotta pull the plug." The official says as he shakes his head.

"Hey, no, no, no, no way!" Buck denies.

"We got a five story lightning rod sitting in an empty field out here." He points out.

"We're not just gonna abandon this kid." Victoria denies as she glares at the man in front of her. They haven't even tried to rescue him yet and he was just expecting them to give up.

"It's still a mile away." Bobby points out.

"It gets any closer..." the official states, shaking his head and bobby sighs.

"I know." He retorts before turning to the team. "Okay, get the winch and the harnesses and once we hit depth--"

"I'll go in." Eddie says suddenly causing everyone to look at him. "I'm the one who was talking to him on the radio. He knows my voice. Makes sense it's me. Suit me up, I'm going down." He states and Victoria was hesitant as she stepped closer to him.

"Eddie, the conditions you'd be going down in... there's not a one hundred percent chance you'll come back up." Victoria didn't think anyone would be the right choice to go down but everyone on their team would do it with no questions asked. She knew that.

"Guess we'll have to take that chance." Eddie says as he shrugs his shoulders before a small smirk forms on his lips. "Come on, I'm too pretty. You'll probably be jumping down to save me anyways." Eddie says, winking at her a bit which causes her to laugh, rolling her eyes.

"Right, because what would we do without Eddie Diaz and all of his glory?" Victoria retorts as she just shakes her head.

"That's the thing about this team, lose one of us and it won't be the same." Eddie says as he starts to gear up and Victoria could only stare back at him. "Even if that person feels like they don't deserve to be here." He adds, sending her a warm look before moving out of her eye sight.

Victoria knew what he was doing, what they all were. But she didn't think staying was the right answer. She couldn't process why Buck would even still want her there. Sure, he knew about Kelly now but even if he did know about the drugs, she still hurt him. And she didn't think that should vet forgiven so easily.

She never wanted to leave the 118 and she wouldn't if it wasn't a necessity. But it was, and there wasn't much that was going to change her mind.

••••

VICTORIA WAS NERVOUSLY FIDDLING WITH HER JACKET. Eddie had gone down to get the kid and she didn't know how long it had been. But this was nearing the dangerous zone and she wasn't sure whether to worry now or not. "He's been down there too long." She admits as she stands near the team. Buck shakes his head, not wanting to abandon the kid just because they were scared for Eddie.

"The monitor hasn't gone off yet." Buck denies. Eddie still had a few minutes so they should trust him to get things done.

"You wanna risk that?" Victoria asks, raising an eyebrow. "Cause I'd rather not lose anyone else." She denies with a scoff. Victoria didn't mean to be rude but she didn't think they should risk eddies life.

"Hey, we're not gonna lose him." Buck denies with a frown. He was going to come out of there with the kid, Buck believed that. Victoria shakes his head as she turns back to the team.

"I can't raise him on the radio. Prep the rig. We're bringing him up." Bobby states, agreeing with Victoria.

"No. Cap. Can't we give him more time? He could have the kid, o-or almost have him." Buck admits but it seemed he was the only one that thought that.

"Or he could be suffocating in mud five stories below ground." Hen adds as she crosses her arms against her chest.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Victoria admits. Even if he didn't have the kid, he was out of time.

"We're almost down to one minute." Bobby tells them as he shakes his head. He wasnt about to let it go a second past it. "Times up! Pull him out, now!" He demands and Buck pulls at the rope which in turn would end up pulling Eddie back up the hole.

Victoria watches the monitor, seeing it get closer and closer. "I lost the weight!" Buck shouts at them and Victorias eyes widen.

"What does that mean?" Chimney asks.

"I don't know, somethings wrong!" Bobby tells them as Buck just continues to pull at the line.

"All right, fifteen feet... ten.. five." Buck stops himself as he only holds a severed piece of rope.

"Oh my god. He cut the damn line." Hen states as she shakes her head.

"Damn it, Eddie." Victoria mutters as she couldn't believe he would do that. Now it would be even harder to rescue him, let alone the kid.

"Chim, I want you to gear up. I'm sending you down." Bobby says, quickly turning to him.

"Copy that."

"Cap, I should be the one to go down." Buck says, complaining that he was sending Chimney instead. He needed to know if Eddie was okay for himself.

"So we can end up with two cut lines?" Hen snaps at him, glaring a bit. She didn't need him to go down and do the same exact thing. Victoria had to agree with Hen here because truthfully, she would do it as well.

"Cameras back." Chimney tells them and they all rush toward it. "I still can't see.... cameras underwater." He admits reluctantly and Victoria backs up a bit, her hand going to her stomach. She felt sick.

"Hopefully it's just the camera." Hen mutters as she shares a glance with Victoria. If Eddie had gone under water, there was no saying what his chances for survival were.

••••

VICTORIA HAD NEVER FELT SO NERVOUS AS SHE WAITED BY BOBBY. They didn't know if Chimney had made it down to Eddie and the kid or if they were even okay. She felt like the world was moving in slow motion. Victoria just needed to know if Eddie was okay. She needed him to be okay. Although they were at odds because of what happened between her and Buck, she still felt their connection. Mainly because of what Eddie had said earlier. He wouldn't have said that if he hadn't meant it.

And as she looked toward Buck, she could see that he was just as nervous. Just maybe for a different reason. Her eyes go to the monitor, hoping to hear something from Chimney. But as the line tugs, she just covers her face with her hands. Chimney was coming out.

As they get the line to the top, they see Chimney holding the boy who Hen instantly takes, the mother enveloping them. "Let me get you two somewhere quiet. I need to check him out." Hen tells them, moving them away from the well.

"Eddies fine. He just needs a ride." Chimney tells them and Victoria was glad that it all seemed to work out in the end, even if there was a moment where she was terrified.

"All right, I need to drop another fifty foot line to get my guy. Buck, Vic, let's pull Eddie up and let's all go home." Bobby says with a smile on his face. Victoria moves to where the end of the line is. She was so ready for this day to be over with.

And isn't the universe always agreeing with her? Wrong.

A bolt of lightning strikes the truck causing it to start falling toward them. Buck's eyes snap over to Victoria who was in the direct line of impact. "Vic!" She glances over at him and she only saw him for a second before he tackles her to the ground and the truck ladder lands beside them. He was cradling her as he glanced around, seeing if there was any more danger before his eyes move to her panicked ones. "Are you okay?" Buck asks her, bringing his hands to her cheeks absentmindedly.

"Y-yeah." Victoria replies as she nods her head, her eyes gazing into his. "Thank you." She hadnt even seen it coming and yet Buck had been right on top of it. Buck's slight relief turned into fear as his eyes moved to where the hole was. The truck had landed right on top of it, filling it with dirt and debris.

"No. No!" Buck moves toward it quickly and Victoria follows after him. "Eddie! Eddie!" Buck claws at the ground, desperately trying to get to the man. Victoria felt tears prickle her eyes but she pushes them back as her and bobby try and pull Buck back. "Eddie- no, no! Eddie!" He screamed in agony and Victoria could feel it with her entire being.

"Buck." Bobby says softly as he grabs the man's arms, moving him so he didn't hurt himself by trying to pry at the ground.

"N-no. Eddie." Bucks voice sounded broken as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Buck, doing that won't save him." Victoria denies as she holds him back with Bobby. Buck just silently cries as he leans back against them. Victoria looks back toward where the hole was, her eyes closing momentarily.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't lose someone else. Not again. And not Eddie. Because she knew that she would not only feel the pain herself, the excruciating, relentless pain scratching inside of her, but she'd have to feel bucks aswell.

And she knew she had a tendency of closing herself off when something happened to her, she didn't like being a burden, she didn't like being the centre of attention. That was why she liked being there for other people, because then it distracts her from what she's feeling.

But that in itself could be mentally taxing over time. Especially when it was constant. Victoria didn't care though. Because Buck deserved to feel what he needed to Because she was the one who hurt him in the first place. And If Eddie ended up not making it.... which God forbid that were to happen, she did
n't want him feeling like he was alone.

Because as much as he may hate her right now, that would never make him go through something like grief alone.

••••

BUCK WAS COMING DOWN THE STAIRS INTO THE HOUSE, passing Victoria as he does. He notices her stood near the wall, rubbing her hand along her face. He stops, a frown forming on his face. He was hesitant at first, not knowing if she even wanted him to talk to her. But if anyone, it should be the other way around. "You okay?" Buck asks her curiously. Victoria brings her hand away from her face so she was able to actually look at him.

"Yeah, just got mud in places I'd rather mud not be." Victoria admits with a small laugh. Buck just looks down at his hands and she could tell he was still very concerned for Eddie. She was too but she just had to keep a positive mind because if she didn't, she would spiral. "Eddies a fighter, Buck. He won't go out that easily." She denies, knowing he already survived so much, there was no way this was going to take him out.

"You really think so?" Buck asks, his voice cracking a bit. Victoria sighs as she tilts her head a bit before a gentle smile forms on her lips.

"Ten bucks says he makes it out without even needing us." Victoria states and Buck looked at him with slight surprise on his face. He brings his fingers up to the crease in his eyebrows.

"Are you really betting on this right now?" Buck questions and Victoria goes silent for a moment.

"No..." Victoria responds and they both couldnt help but laugh a bit. Buck shakes his head as he rubs his face. "Why? You don't have ten bucks?" She teases, nudging his arm a bit. Buck meets her gaze and she can see something that she can't quite place.

"Fine, he makes it out alive and you don't leave the 118." Buck tells her and Victorias smile slowly drops. She knew he would find a way to bring it up once more, even in the most dire of situations.

"Buck--"

"Just think about staying, okay? Just think about it." He just didn't think she was really doing the right thing. Sure, she was doing it because since she got back, the environment at the station hadn't been the best but that didn't mean she should just quit and give up.

Victoria doesn't say anything. She didn't know what to say because she couldn't just say she would, because she truly didn't know if she would even if she did think about it. She just wanted this chapter of her life to end and she wasn't sure how that would happen without her closing behind the door to this part of her life.

Buck only moves further down the stairs, getting to Bobby and Victoria reluctantly follows after him. "Cap, we've gotta go dig." Buck tells him and Bobby only lets out a sigh.

"We don't have a drill, Buck. And even if we could get another one up here, their access road is flooded." He explains but that didn't seem to satisfy Buck.

"Okay. Well, then, we dig by hand." He suggests and Victoria looked at him like he was crazy, as did the others.

"Not with all this rain. We could trigger another collapse." Chimney tells him.

"And that would take too much time." Victoria says, they barely made a dent with all the machinery.

"How long can he last down there?" Buck asks the official beside him who sighs.

"We're talking thirty feet of wet earth coming right down on top of him." He states and everyone was silent. Buck sees the looks on their faces and came to a conclusion that he wasnt exactly happy with.

"Wait, you all think he's dead?" Buck asks them, a scoff leaving his lips.

"Nobody thinks that." Bobby denies quickly.

"We just don't know how to get him out." Chimney admits as there was no way to go about it without risking another collapse.

"Nobody's giving up on him, Buck. Nobody. We're gonna find him." Hen assures him, placing her hand on his arm. But Buck wouldn't believe that until Eddie was actually in front of him.

A few minutes later, the team were centered near the entry way. "Okay, listen up. Buck here is gonna get some thermal cams and we are gonna fan out and do a grid search. Chimney is gonna hev oxygen tanks and warming blankets standing by." Bobby explains to them as the rain pours down on them. "I want to start at the well and got outward in concentric circles." He states and Victoria glances around the area.

"LAPD copters are on the way. We'll use their thermal imaging to scan this wider area. Try and pick up Diaz's heat signature." The official says as he looks at the group.

"Won't be easy." They hear from behind them and as they turn, they see a figure walking toward them, hunched over.

"Eddie?" Buck asks, his eyes going wide. Victoria's breath hitches in her throat as she notices the man.

"I'm pretty cold." Eddie admits, beginning to fall forward but they all rush to catch him.

"Let's get you checked out so we can get you home." Hen tells him, bringing him over to the ambulance as they instantly cover him with warming blankets.

"I have a big date Friday, I can't miss it." He states and they laugh. Victoria felt a flood of relief wash over her, knowing he was okay. She was worried for a second that they were going to lose someone else.

And she didn't want to lose this good mood she was now in, her gaze turning to Buck who was beside her as they checked out Eddie. "Ten bucks, pay up." She says, holding out her hand although she doubted Buck had money on him right now.

"What?" Eddie asks in confusion as he just looks between them. Buck only shakes his head.

"She's just being annoying." Buck admits and Victoria raises an eyebrow.

"No, we made a bet."

"We never actually shook on it." He says, pointing his finger at her. Victoria simply crosses her arms against her chest.

"So your part of the deal doesn't hold up either?" She retorts and she could see him deflate a little bit. Buck hadn't meant that as a joke, he wanted her to stay but Victoria most likely wasn't seeing it that way.

"What deal?" Eddie asks curiously, wondering what they were talking about especially with the saddened expression on Buck's face.

"It's nothing." Buck mutters, not wanting to argue with Victoria after Eddie near almost died. Eddie seemed to let it go, but it was mainly because he couldn't think with all the mud he inhaled. Victoria suddenly pulls him in for a hug which surprised him, but Eddie hugs her back gently.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Eddie." Victoria says as she pulls away from him. He nods, his gaze on her momentarily.

"Yeah, me too." Eddie says with a light smile. His eyes move over to Buck who seemed to be holding himself back while simultaneously holding himself together. He wanted to throw himself into Eddies arms and cling to him until he was physically pulled away. But Buck knew he would end up kissing him if he did that, just so glad that the man was alive.

Eddie seemed to notice this, just bringing his hand to Bucks shoulder. His eyes said everything he couldn't bring himself to say out loud. It showed the desperate loving feelings they shared between each other. And it didn't need to be said to be heard. Not for them.

••••

Authors note;
please do not make fun of the sex scene 😭 I am not a man nor have I had sex so I am only going off of things I've read. Thank you.

I didn't realize how long this chapter was, that's why it took longer.

Making the bed by Olivia Rodrigo is CORE season 3 and 5 Victoria

Just a few lines which are LITERALLY her.

"Push away all the people who know me the best. But it's me who's been making the bed."

"Every good thing has turned into something I dread. And I'm playin' the victim so well in my head."

"And I tell someone I love them just as a distraction."

"I got the things I wanted, it's just not what I imagined."

Also what was I made for .... omg the scene in season 5 it's used for.... SOBBING

Also prepare yourself for next chapter. It's gonna be a doozy.