••••

HER HEAD WAS HUNG LOW AS SHE LEANED AGAINST THE COUNTERTOP. Victoria loved Eddie, she loved Chris and she would take waking up with them every single morning... if it wasn't for Eddie's uncomfortable bed. She feels a nudge and she lifts her head as best as she could. "Sleepyhead, you're gonna drool." Eddie teases her and Victoria turns a bit red as she brings her hand up to her mouth.

He holds a mug toward her and she lets out a sigh. "Thanks." She mutters as she takes a long drink of it. "Sorry, I'm just so tired. Your bed is so uncomfortable." Victoria admits and Eddie raises his eyebrows.

"I'll try not to take offense to that." Eddie responds as he leans against the counter.

"She just believes she has the best bed ever." Buck says, shaking his head as he takes a bite of his cereal.

"Because i do." Victoria complains and both of the men share a look. She pouts a bit. "I'm just used to it." She admits with a small shrug.

"Well, good news. Chimney moved back in with Maddie." Buck tells her and her eyes widen, a huge look of relief filling her face.

"Oh, my god. Finally." Victoria says with a smile. "Whyd he change his mind?" She asks curiously since they were trying to get him to leave for months.

"Something with the babies the other day." Buck admits and Victoria clasps her hands together.

"We can finally just live in peace and quiet." Victoria says, not seeing the hesitant look in bucks eyes.

"Chim is gonna be so glad to hear that." Eddie says with a chuckle.

"Oh, please. I complained every single day to him." Victoria mutters and Buck clears his throat.

"About that..." He trails off and Eddie makes a motion for him to stop until Victoria looks in his direction.

"What? Chimney's back with Maddie, what else is there?" Victoria asks him.

"Well, Albert, you know chimneys brother?" Buck questions her and she narrows her gaze.

"No. I never met him, remember?" She responds. She hadnt been in LA when he had first come to visit and she just hadn't met him since.

"He kinda of um... moved in." Buck mumbles the last words, underneath his breath.

"Say that again." Victoria says, taking a step closer to him.

"He moved in." He says again, barely able to look at the anger that encompassed her.

"To my face." She says, crossing her arms against her chest. Buck groans as he looks back at her.

"Im sorry, he needed a place and I wasn't gonna throw him to the streets."

"Then let him just stay with Maddie and Chim." Victoria points out. Why was it their responsibility to house him when he was chimneys brother?

"With the baby coming-- i was just trying to help him out." Buck admits and Victoria just lets out a sigh.

"This is a conversation you have with, I don't know, maybe your girlfriend?" She retorts,  placing her hand on her hip

"I know and I'm so sorry baby." Buck apologjzes as he puts his hands on her hips. "I'll make it up to you." He assures her and she just hums.

"I'd like to see you try." Victoria responds as she takes a sip of her coffee, moving away from him making him lean on the counter, dropping his head.

"Well, once we tell everyone you guys can just move in here." Eddie suggests, shrugging his shoulders. It wasn't like they weren't over here most of the time anyways. But Victoria looked hesitant, her eyes moving to his room.

"In that bed?"

"You can bring your bed." Eddie tells her with a roll of his eyes.

"Doesn't exactly fit three people." She denies, pressing her lips together tightly and Buck groans.

"We can get a new one." He suggests and Victoria puts on a smile as she steps toward him.

"Or, I have a better idea, me and Rosie move in here and you can have the apartment with your new roommate." Victoria suggests as she pats his chest before walking past him in order to go change in the bedroom.

"I told you she wasn't gonna like it." Eddie admits with a sigh, bringing his mug up to his mouth. Buck slowly turns his head in the man's direction.

"I told you she wasn't gonna like it." Buck mocks his voice before just heading to the bathroom. Eddie shakes his head, an amused glint in his eyes before continuing to get things ready for work.

••••

ARRIVING ON THE SCENE OF A CALL, the group make their way over to the very fancy house, Bobby ringing the doorbell. "LAFD." He calls out as they stand on the patio. Victoria glances around, noticing how nice the neighborhood was in general. Oh, how it would be to be rich.

"Dispatch said the patient was unconscious." Buck says, not thinking anyone was gonna answer the door.

"They also said it was a smart home." Bobby retorts as he looks up at the camera that was pointed right at them. Suddenly the door was opening.

"Welcome, Los Angeles Fire Department."

"Am I the only one really creeped out right now?" Hen asks them curiously and they all scoff.

"No." The collective answer goes through as they walk into the house. Victoria was lingering behind as she was trying to put her hair up. Buck was staring at her as she did and she noticed it.

"What?" She asks, a bit confused as her eyebrows furrow.

"Nothing." Buck denies. Victoria blinked a few times, finishing what she was doing before following after the others. "Seriously how did we get so lucky?" He asks Eddie once Victoria was out of ear shot.

"We?" Eddie retorts as he raises his eyebrows.

"Oh please, she's out of both of our leagues."

"Speak for yourself, mi amor." He mutters, patting Buck on the back and his jaw drops but Eddie only winks toward him.

"Come on, let's go." Bobby says opening the shower so they could get to the victim.

"On it, Cap." Hen says, being the first one in followed by Victoria.

"Geez, how hot was the water?" Victoria asks as the man's skin was a blood red.

"How are his vitals?" Bobby asks them.

"Pulse is steady. Scalp is lacerated, probably a concussion. Anthony can you hear us?" Hen questions as Victoria checks him out.

"Looks like first or maybe second degree burns from the water. His veins are collapsed. Probably hypovolemia. We'll need a line in his ankle." She tells them with a sigh.

"There's still shampoo in his hair. He fell down with the water on." Bobby informs them as he looks at the shower head. "So who turned it off?" He asks curiously and they all look at the monitor that was giving them the message that the shower was complete.

"Let's go grab the gurney, buckaroo." Victoria says, standing up and he groans, following after her.

"Please don't bring that back." He pleads and she just gives him a smirk. She makes her way outside with Buck and Eddie, opening the doors of the ambulance. As she climbs in, she starts to unlock the gurney so they could pull it out.

"I can see you staring at my ass." Victoria states as she starts moving the gurney toward the edge, her eyes moving to Buck who had turned red.

"H-hey, Eddie was too." He points out and Eddie hits his shoulder.

"Idiots, the pair of you." Victoria says with a shake of her head, although she smiled gently at them.

"You do look damn good in that uniform." Eddie admits with a shrug and she raises an eyebrow.

"Oh do I?" She asks in a teasing voice, her eyes moving down them. "Do you boys need to be checked out, feeling faint?" Victoria moves closer to them and Buck tilts his head.

"I'm feeling something." But Buck only lets out a groan when Victoria moves the gurney into his stomach.

"Take the gurney, Buck." Victoria tells him and he gives a tight lipped smile as he and a laughing Eddie lift it off of the ambulance.

"Now, who would wanna live like this? Cameras and microphones everywhere, not knowing who's watching or listening." Eddie points and Buck just looks at him.

"I hate to break it to you, Eddie, but if you got a computer or a smartphone, smart TV, smart anything, really, then anyone can spy on you." He explains.

"Now I'm thinking i shouldn't buy that fancy smart coffee maker I keep seeing commercials for." Eddie mutters as they walk back into the house pushing the gurney.

"Hello, Eddie. Here are some popular coffee makers." Hildy appears on the screen and Victoria smirks to herself. "Would you like to hear the reviews?" She asks and Eddies eyes only widen.

"Welcome to the future." Buck whispers as he puts his mask back on.

"Why does it sound terrifying to me?"

"Because it is." Victoria admits as she shakes her head, making her way up the stairs.

Once they got the victim on, they were bringing him toward the ambulance when he started to come to. "It's okay. You fell in the shower. Lucky for you, we found you in time." Bobby explains to him and he still seemed a bit disoriented.

"How?"

"Your girlfriend called 9-1-1." Bobby tells him and the victims eyes go wide and he starts thrashing around.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Pulse is racing. Let's sedate him." Victoria informs, grabbing the needle in order to give the man the sedative. Once she does, he starts to calm down.

"Wonder what set that off?" Hen asks curiously.

"Maybe something about his girlfriend." Bobby suggests as he raises his eyebrows.

"It's my ex." The man mutters and everyone looked a bit surprised.

"Anyone can spy on you." Eddie states with a sigh.

"Bitches really do be crazy." Victoria mumbles, shaking her head before they start moving him toward the ambulance.

••••

VICTORIA FINISHES POURING THE COFFEE INTO THE MUG IN FRONT OF HER, placing it back on the counter. She opens the cupboard in front of her, reaching for the sugar when a pair of hands grip her hips tightly, moving her back against a warm body. She couldn't help but smile as a pair of lips press a kiss to the nape of her neck. "You really just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?" She asks, raising an eyebrow as she turns her head slightly to look toward Buck who was standing behind her.

"My girlfriend is incredibly sexy, what can I say?" Buck mutters in her ear and she giggles a bit, biting her bottom lip.

"I guess my boyfriends all right." She teases him and he hums, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Damn, eddies gonna feel really sad when he hears that." Buck states before pressing another kiss on her neck. "I'm crazy about you. You really got me wrapped around your finger, hm?" He tells her and she smiles.

"Says the man whos got my mind running in circles." Victoria responds as she places her hands on top of his. Buck squeezes her hips and Victoria turns her head a bit. He pecks a kiss on her lips before planting some alone her cheeks and jaw. Victoria smiles softly as she leans into him.

"Buck, did you steal the screwdriver again?" Chimney asks with a sigh and when he doesn't get a response, he looks over to where the man in supposed to be, only to see them making out. He rolls his eyes. "Buck, when you're done groping your girlfriend, can I have the screwdriver?" He calls out causing Buck to pull away a bit annoyed.

"It's right here, don't need to be all uptight." Buck tells him, walking over and tossing the screwdriver in his direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get our apartment ready for your future niece or nephew and you're fondling your girlfriend in our kitchen." Chimney retorts and Victoria places her hand on her hip.

"Well, Mr righteous over here just had to let your brother move in with us so suck it up." Victoria tells him and Buck groans, tilting his head back before looking at his girlfriend.

"How many times do you want me to apologize for that?"

"Until your groveling at my feet." She says with a smirk playing on her lips. Buck narrows his eyes before looking at Chimney.

"And i finished baby proofing the place, Chim. I can multitask, you know." Buck tells him making Chimney look a bit disgusted.

"I do not need to know how you multitask." He denies as Buck turns to the windows.

"Hey, I'm wondering if we should put some alarm sensors on these windows."

"You know we live on the second floor, right?" Maddie asks her brother, raising an eyebrow.

"And what if the baby tries to get out?"

"Buck, I said that you could babyproof the apartment, not turn it into an inescapable fortress." Maddie says as she crosses her arms.

"I just don't wanna underestimate the curious interiority of my nephew." Buck tells them.

"He's right. I would take my eyes off of Rosie for two seconds and she'd be trying to get out the patio door." Victoria explains to them and she sees the fear that floods through Chimney.

"Maybe we should take up his idea." Chimney says and Maddie rolls her eyes.

"You're all being paranoid. And we don't know if it's a boy." She denies as she makes her way over to the kitchen.

"The last ultrasound, the baby was in the wrong position to tell the sex. Maddie said it looked like the baby was mooning them." Chimney tells them and Victoria laughs a bit as Buck puts his hands on his shoulders.

"Ah, well, hey, definitely yours then." Buck teases and Chimney narrows his gaze. "Well, if it's is a boy, I had some name ideas." He admits and Victoria tilts her head back a bit.

"Here we go." She scrunches her nose up and Buck sends her a playful glare.

"You know, there's Buck or uh, Buckley. Kid could be an Evan?"

"Really dug deep for those, huh?" Chimney mumbles

"Stayed up all night." Victoria adds with a small smile.

"Seriously, Buck? It's an upper cabinet. How's the baby gonna reach that?" Maddie complains as she turns to look at him.

"Maybe you can save those amazing name suggestions for when a mini evan terrorizes the neighborhood." Chimney suggests and Bucks eyes go wide.

"Woah, woah, we are not even close to that happening." Buck denies instantly, his eyes going to Victoria. "Unless-- like, I mean--"

"No." Victoria denies and Buck has a small sense of relief. "Besides why would you want a psycho baby anyways?" She asks, mainly saying it as a joke but she knew her mom's genes would be passed to her and etcetera. But she didn't see the way Buck looked upset.

"Vic, our baby won't be psycho." He denies with a frown and Victoria meets his gaze.

"Hm, having you as a father, it wouldn't be too far fetched." Chimney says with a laugh but Maddie coughs, getting his attention.

"Chim." She gives him a shake of her head.

"Hey, our little future mini me or mini you is gonna be fine, okay?" Buck assures her with a smile and Victoria wanted to believe that but she couldnt.

"You know schizophrenia's genetic?" Victoria asks him and she could see his face fall. "I mean, you're right, our kid will probably be fine cause I'll probably get it before we even get pregnant, so." She mumbles, shrugging as she went to move back to the kitchen but he grabs onto her hand softly.

"Can we not talk about this?"

"Right. Just ignore the reality, Buck." She mumbles and Chimney shares a glance with Maddie who just clears her throat.

"So, um, are we ever gonna find out who you secretly face time all the time? I'm sure Vic isn't face timing you while in the same room." Maddie asks, her eyes going to her brother who seemed hesitant to answer.

"It's a therapist." Buck admits, placing his hands in his pockets. Maddie furrows her eyebrows.

"Uh... okay. Why wouldn't you tell me?'

"Yeah, we've all had our turn in the hot seat. It's the cost of doing our jobs. It's not a big deal." Chimney points out.

"She's not a department shrink. Uh, and it's not about the job. Its-- it's about me."

"What about you?" Maddie questions.

"I don't know, um, just-- just stuff. I mean everyone has issues, right." Buck says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Some just run from theirs instead." Chimney snorts causing everyone to stare at him. He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "Badly timed joke... my bad." He mumbles, going back to the crib. "Hey, maybe instead of college funds, new parents should start therapy funds." He suggests and Buck gestures at him.

"There you go. Hey, I know what I'm getting you guys for a baby gift." Buck adds and Maddie places a false smile on her lips.

"I thought that's what the baby latches were." Chimney says as he raises an eyebrow and Buck nervously laughs.

"So i-is it therapy just for you or.. or like couples therapy?" Maddie didn't want to ask but seeing how they were arguing, she wondered if they were going through something. Buck looked a bit confused though.

"It's just for me."

"Well, maybe we need that too." Victoria says and Buck closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before he looks toward her.

"Can we not start?" He pleads.

"Whatever." She mutters just walking over to the kitchen and placing her mug down on the counter before heading to the bathroom. Buck let's out a sigh as he runs a hand along his face, Maddie sending him a sympathetic look, not having meant to start an argument between them.

••••

IT HAD BEEN QUIET THE WHOLE RIDE TO EDDIE'S HOUSE. Buck was focused on the road, never once glancing over at Victoria while she just scrolled aimlessly on her phone. And as they got there, nothing changed as they walked into the house, Victoria swinging the door open a little more forcefully. And then there was Eddie who greeted them with a big smile. "Hey, just in time, I was just setting the table." He informs them. Victoria sighs as she walks over, squeezing Christopher's shoulder who was sat on one of the chairs.

"Looks great, Eds." She admits and Eddie raises an eyebrow, laughing underneath his breath.

"Well, it is take out." Eddie responds making Christopher laugh as well.

"Yeah, dad can't cook." He denies with a smile. Victoria lightly smiles at the boy while Eddie narrows his gaze at his son.

"Watch it." He warns playfully, pointing his finger before seeing the tension that seemed to envelope the room. Eddie looks between Buck and Victoria. "Everything good?" Eddie asks curiously

"Fine." Buck responds and Victoria scoffs as she looks away from him. "What, you wanna tell him about how insane you're being?" He asks Victoria making her raise her eyebrows.

"Wow."

"Okay, that's wasn't the best word but you know what I mean." Buck admits with a sigh, closing his eyes momentarily.

"No, i know that you're being unreasonable." Victoria denies.

"Unreasonable when I just don't want you to call our kid psycho?"

"Unreasonable because you won't just listen to the facts."

"Both of you, stop." Eddie raises his voice a bit to get them to stop fighting. "Now, one of you explain why you're so pissed at each other." He demands, crossing his arms. Buck looks at Victoria who just kept her eyes on the ground.

"Chim made some lame joke about calling our little mini mes Evan and I said we were not even close to having babies yet and Vic called our future kids psycho." Buck explains to him and Victoria groans annoyed.

"I did not just randomly call them psycho. They'll most likely have the genes, buck." Victoria retorts and Buck looks toward her.

"You're dreading a future that won't even happen, Vic."

"Won't happen? Most women don't develop it until their early thirties. Last i checked, I'm nearing thirty."

"Okay, develop what?" Eddie asks, still not one hundred percent sure about what they were on about.

"She believes she's gonna get schizophrenia and so will our kids." Buck answers him and Eddie's face falls a bit and he could see the frustration on Victoria's face.

"My mom was diagnosed when I was fourteen. She was thirty five." Victoria points out.

"Thirty five, so why are we even talking about this now?" Buck asks, not getting why they were worrying about a future that might not even happen.

"Because it could still happen earlier."

"Or you could never get it at all." Buck retorts and Victoria scoffs, clenching her jaw.

"Oh, so we're supposed to just act like everything's normal, have kids and then when I'm thirty five, hope and pray that the bomb doesn't drop?" She snaps back at him.

"There's no bomb."

"It's genetic, Buck. And the sooner you face the reality of it, the sooner you can see that I'm scared for a reason."

"Buck, it didn't seem like she intended to just call our kids psycho." Eddie adds, looking toward the man.

"Thank you." Victoria was glad that at least Eddie was understanding her. "Buck, I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to hurt any future kids we have." She denies. She didn't hate her mom, she knew it wasn't her fault, but she didnt want her future kids to go through what she did.

"You're not gonna chase after us with a knife, Vic." Buck denies, rolling his eyes a bit.

"You don't know that." Victoria responds. He didn't even seem to realize that it was  a real situation that could happen.

"Eddie, can you please tell her that she's overthinking this?" Buck pleads, turning to the man who had just been watching the argument happen. But before he could say anything, Victoria steps forward a bit.

"Buck, can you just listen to me for a second?" She asks, getting a bit frustrated as she runs her hands through her hair. "This is a very real thing that can happen to us, that can happen to me. A-and i don't want to be a burden to you and pray that I don't go crazy and attack you." Victoria explains to him. "If it happens, you can send me--"

"No! No, why the hell are we talking about this? We're not sending you to some nursing home, regardless." Buck denies with a scoff, turning away from her. Christopher looks toward his dad who was only leant against the wall with his hands covering his face.

"I have a friend who will do it, it's the right thing."

"The right thing? To just watch you waste away by yourself?" Buck questions and Victoria crosses her arms against her chest.

"So, if it's get diagnosed you're just gonna take care of me?"

"Of course I will."

"Really? You'll shove pills down my throat, crazy proof the entire house so I don't get out?"

"I'll do anything to keep you home, Vic."

"That's exactly what my dad thought." Victoria retorts and she could see the pity that both of them had in their eyes. She didn't talk about her father much, but when she did it was clear how much she had loved him. "He believed he could medicate my mom, he could handle her when she had her moments, that we could still be a happy family together." She bites her tongue as her eyes move down to the ground, feeling her breathing get a bit heavier.

"And then one day, he went to get groceries, leaving me alone with my mom and baby Rosie who was had just turned two She seemed fine, normal. I mean, how could I tell? I was fourteen." Victoria says with a scoff, leaning back against the counter. "She told me she was gonna give Rosie a bath and I didn't think much about it because what did I think was gonna happen?" She closes her eyes momentarily, remembering the day as if it was yesterday.

"After a few minutes, I heard muffled cries so I went to go see if my mom needed any help." Victoria tells them, tilting her head up a bit. "When i walked in the bathroom... She was drowning her." Buck and eddie didnt know what to say, what could they? Neither of them had experience with someone who had a mental illness. So comfort for something like that was hard to come by. "Her two year old. I was frozen, I couldn't move, I couldnt do anything but just stand there and watch." Victoria states.

"And when my mom finally saw me... She didn't even recognize me. Her own daughter." It was one of the reasons why she had to put her in a home when her dad died. It was hard to take care of your little sister when sometimes your mother thought you were an intruder in your own home. "Luckily my dad came home then and stopped her, calling an ambulance for Rosie and she was thankfully okay. My dad realized that day that he couldn't... he couldnt have her in our home. Not when she was a potential threat."Victoria tells them and she could see the guilt in Bucks eyes as he barely looked at her.

"And well... he died before he could truly make the decision so it fell on me. And i couldnt--" She stops herself, taking a deep breath as she tries to force her tears back. "I don't want this to happen, Buck. I'd truly never wish for you guys to go through the same thing with me." Victoria says, her eyes landing on the man who nods his head slowly, his stomach twisting with nerves.

"But it could."

"It's okay, Vic." Chris says, standing up slowly to wrap his arms around her. Victoria hadn't meant for him to hear everything, she hated burdening the poor boy with more than he should know. But Christopher was a sweet boy and as he hugged her, she couldn't help but break down. "You're gonna be okay." He tells her and she sniffles as her eyes stay on the ground.

Eddie softly smiles at his son, grateful that he was comforting her and knew when someone was very upset. Buck however was just staring down at his hands, regret on his face as he could barely look at Victoria. Eddie sighs as he moves over to the man, not saying anything but simply placing his hand in Bucks.

Buck feels the squeeze of Eddie's hand, silently sending comfort his way as the house was engulfed in silence.

••••

Authors note; yeah remember when I said season 4 was gonna be a breather season??? I kinda lied about that....