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Chapter Text

Buck grinned as he kissed his 16-week pregnant wife, eight-month-old daughter Matilda "Tilly" Buckley, and five-year-old adopted daughter Elizabeth 'Betsy' Buckley, whom they adopted a year ago. Betsy was a savior sibling like him, and Betsy was given up for adoption after her mother committed suicide after Betsy's 12-year-old sister Rebecca passed away from Leukemia. Betsy's birth father got sick with ALS. Finally, "I hope you three all have a good day while I'm at work."

Vivian smiled at her husband of three years, "Think you can make it to my 16-week check-up today?" asked Vivian.

"Bobby said I can go as long as there's no call," said Buck.

"Alright," said Vivian.

Betsy, who loved it that her father worked as a firefighter, grinned at her father, "Have a good day saving lives, Daddy."

"And you be good for Mommy and then Julia, Betsy," said Buck.

"I will, Daddy," said Betsy.

Tilly grinned and babbled at her father as she said her favorite word, which she started saying a month ago, "Dada. Dada. Dada."

"You be good for Julia," said Buck.

Buck smiled as he entered the 118, where he had been a probationary firefighter for four months.

Hen smiled at Buck, "Did you have a good day off yesterday?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "Vivian and I got the news that we got the five-bedroom house we gave a cash offer on. Thanks to paying upright with cash, we can move in as soon as the house passes inspection and we get all the rooms painted in the colors we want."

"That's great," said Hen.

Buck nodded as he thought about the trust fund he was given when an Aunt who last saw him when he was a year old tracked him down and gave him his trust fund from his late grandfather, "We had the money that won't make us worry about mortgage payments and still have plenty of money outside of our salary as a firefighter and a teacher."

"While you can be moved in before Baby Buckley's born," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Tilly's going to need her own bedroom, and Vivian and I aren't going to make a five-year-old share her bedroom with her little sister."

"Talking about the newest Buckley that's coming this summer?" asked Chimney.

Buck nodded, "Vivian has her 16-week check-up at 11 AM, and Bobby said I can go if there's no call."

"I'm looking forward to when I get married and have children of my own," said Chimney.

Buck and Hen exchanged looks as they thought about not liking how Chimney's been lying to his girlfriend, Tatiana.

Minutes later, Buck was dressed in his uniform and went up to the loft, where he started helping Bobby make breakfast. 

Bobby, who had Buck, helped him with cooking when he learned that Buck had started learning how to cook as a teenager through high school cooking classes. "How are and your daughters?" asked Bobby.

"Vivian's glad to be finally done with morning sickness and eagerly awaiting to return to teaching second-grade science at Durand on the 8th. Betsy's looking forward to returning to preschool on the 8th. Tilly's growing way too fast for my liking because she's going to be nine-months-old on the 11th," said Buck.

"At least you and Vivian will welcome your third child in 24 weeks," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "We're looking forward to Betsy and Tilly getting another sister or finally a little brother."

"Are you and Vivian hoping for a boy?" asked Bobby.

Buck shook his head as his eyes no longer showed warmth as he thought about his father telling him about Daniel and dropping him off at boarding school when he was 14. His father even made the headmaster his legal guardian because his parents changed their phone numbers and moved away from Hershey without forwarding their new phone number or address. "No preferences."

Bobby noticed the warmth in Buck's eyes was no longer there. "What's wrong?" asked Bobby.

"Just thinking about how awful my parents are, but I'm not ready to explain why I don't talk about them or why they didn't visit over Christmas."

"If you need to talk, I'm willing to listen," said Bobby.

"I've been talking to various therapists and Vivian about my childhood," said Buck.

Buck hurried into the waiting room to find Vivian. "I'm not late?" asked Buck.

"No, but Tilly cried when I left her with Julia," said Vivian.

"How did Betsy handle you leaving her with Julia? I know she was excited to be there for the ultrasound four weeks ago," said Buck.

"She ended up having a last-minute playdate with her friend Rose," said Vivian.

A few minutes later, Buck watched his wife get her vitals checked before meeting with Vivian's doctor.

Buck looked at Sergeant Grant, who had brought out the teen mother after he, Bobby, Hen, and Chimney found a baby in a pipe, "We can't have them ride together, Sergeant. She flushed her daughter down the toilet, and protocol dictates that they can't ride together."

Hen quickly spoke up, "Buck's right, Athena. You also should have called for Chimney or I to come assist you while a backup ambulance came."

Athena looked at Bobby.

"Buck and Hen are right, and you have a crime scene to deal with and CPS will be contacted," said Bobby. 

After returning to the station, Buck punched away at the punching bag.

"I take it you were dumped somewhere like that baby?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "In 2005, not long after my 14th birthday, my parents told me they were taking me on a vacation to Oregon only to drop me off at a boarding school. They paid the tuition for the four years of high school, wrote a check to cover clothes, food, and all the sports and extra-curricular activities, and had one of the teachers become my legal guardian before they left. Not long after I got settled into the dorm,  emails unanswered found out they changed their phone numbers, cancelled my cell phone, while letters I sent had RETURN TO SENDER written on them. When police were called to do a welfare check, it turned out they had moved away with no new address."

Bobby felt anger towards Buck's parents: "You saw yourself in that baby girl."

Buck nodded, "Yes, and I'm grateful that the teacher who became my guardian treated me like one of his own kids while I got therapy. I'm still talking to a therapist today at Vivian's insistence since her uncle, who adopted her along with her Aunt when she was six, died during the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks." 

"Good, said Bobby. He tilted his head. "Did you ever hire someone like a private investigator to track down your parents?" asked Bobby.

Buck shook his head, "I decided not to bother tracking them or even my sister down."

After using rubbing alcohol to get the snake to loosen up so Buck and Bobby could remove the snake from Jesse's neck, Buck refused Jesse's number.

When they returned to the station, Hen looked at Buck, "How did you know rubbing alcohol would work?" asked Hen.

Buck grinned, "Betsy is obesssing over snakes right now I ex.pect she's going to be asking for a snake for her sixth birthday in October."

"And you'll get Betsy a snake if she asks?" asked Chimney.

Buck, amused over finding out about Chimney being scared of snakes, grinned, "If Betsy wants a snake, I'll get her one."

"Get her a puppy instead," said Chimney.

"As much as I want a dog, it's best to wait until Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, and I are moved into our new house and Baby Buckley is born," said Buck.

After helping Athena save a little girl named Lily, Buck looked at Athena, "I'm sorry about the other day."

"You were right the the other day, Buckley. Hen told me you have a good head on your shoulder while you're a father to two little girls with another baby on the way," said Athena.

Buck nodded, "Yeah, and I felt for that baby girl because my parents abandoned me at boarding school when I was 14 over 12 years ago. I haven't tracked them down, nor did they track me down."

"No wonder why I saw anger in your eyes," said Athena.

Buck nodded, "Even if I remember that they worked as teachers, they're bad people and parents who I don't want to meet my wife and children."

Chapter Text

Buck was preparing for his shift when his giggling and naked nearly nine-month-old daughter crawled towards him with a big grin on her face.

"Eee baa geee," babbled Tilly.

Buck smiled as he scooped his daughter up from the floor and laughed at the sight of his daughter being naked. He held his daughter away from his shirt just in case his daughter peed again. "Did you escape from Mommy before she could put a new diaper on you again, Tilly?" asked Buck.

Tilly giggled as her mother entered the room, carrying a diaper and a purple onesie.

"Boy, Tilly's getting faster with her crawling," said Vivian.

Buck laughed, "She inherited my speed."

Vivian glared at her husband before laughing, "She has your personality, Evan. Even if we adopted Betsy and I gave birth to Tilly, both of our daughters are menaces."

Buck chuckled as he accepted the diaper and onesie from his wife and wrangled his squirmy daughter into her diaper and a purple long-sleeved onesie with a firetruck on it that Hen and Karen gave them for Christmas, "This is what you get for asking me out for breakfast as your way to thank me when I helped you change your flat tire on the day we met five years ago."

Vivian thought about meeting her husband when they were 21 on January 2nd, 2013 when she was in her third year of college to earn her bachelor's to become a teacher while Evan was exploring Los Angeles during the time off he was given to recover from a broken arm he got during a deployment "I don't regret asking you out. We've been married for three years, parents to our beautiful five-year-old and almost nine-month-old daughters, and we'll be holding our second child in 23 weeks," said Vivian.

"I'm ready for my hair to get braided, Daddy," said Betsy.

Buck pulled Betsy's straight blonde hair into two French braids a minute later.

After eating breakfast with his wife and daughters, Buck drives to the 118, while Vivian goes to Durand, and Julia drives Betsy to her preschool before taking Tilly to the park.

After watching Devin let go of the roller coaster, Buck focused on rescuing everyone else who could still be rescued.

When returning to the station, Buck saw Vivian waiting with Betsy and Tilly. "What are you three doing here?" Buck asked.

"Another teacher was there and texted me that I should check in on you," said Vivian.

A moment later, Buck had both of his daughters on his hips. "What are you two girls still doing up?" asked Buck.

"Pain from my ear infection kept me up," said Betsy.

Buck nodded as he considered taking Betsy to the doctor the day before. "Did Mommy give you your drops?" asked Buck.

Betsy nodded, "Yes, Daddy."

"Dada," said Tilly.

"And this one is refusing to go to sleep for me and kept on saying Dada even if I put her in one of your unwashed shirts," said Vivian.

Buck gave Tilly a look, "You have to stop giving your Mommy a difficult time, Angel."

Tilly smiled at her father before she rested her head on her father's shoulder.

"She's only an Angel for you," deadpanned Vivian.

"You know she's a Daddy's girl," said Buck.

"As much as I enjoy watching you be a girl dad, I hope Baby Buckley ends up being a boy," said Vivian.

"We'll find out in three weeks," said Buck.

A few minutes later, Betsy lounged on the couch up in the loft, and Tilly was asleep in her father's arms.

Vivian sipped the tea Bobby made her, "How are you doing? I know this is your first direct loss."

"I've dealt with losses before and after I met you," said Buck softly.

Vivian nodded as she thought about the logical reason for her husband joining the Navy a week after her husband's 18th birthday. He joined the Navy in July 2009 and was discharged in late 2015 due to an injury. She knew her husband had yet to tell his coworkers that he was a Navy SEAL, "I remember."

"I have already sent out a message about needing a therapy session ASAP," said Buck.

"Good," said Vivian.

Buck thought about his wife's Aunt, who had adopted Vivian and her little brother Jacob when they were six and two years old. "How are Aunt Beatrice and Grandma Felicity doing?" Buck asked.

"Aunt Beatrice is looking forward to returning to her job as a History professor after having a minor surgery three weeks ago," said Vivian.

Buck nodded as he thought about Vivian's Aunt having spinal bifida, "Good."

Vivian thought about her 77-year-old grandmother, "Grandma Felicity was lucid and remembered Betsy, Tilly, and me throughout the entire dinner at her nursing home. She's hoping that she lives to hold Baby Buckley since it's been five-years since she got diagnosed with Alzheimer's," said Vivian.

"I hope so, too. Grandma Felicity has become the grandmother I never got to experience having," said Buck.

"Even if I turned 27 this past September, she's grateful I got married and started having a family when I did," said Vivian.

Buck nodded, "And you have a reason why we're having Tilly and Baby Buckley 14 months apart."

Vivian nodded as she rested her hand where the scar from where her father shot her before police officers shot her father to death when she was six, which resulted in a Fallopian tube being removed on Valentine's Day and Jacob's second birthday, "Yeah, but I do want to adopt one more kid to complete our family."

"You don't want to give birth three times?" asked Buck.

Vivian shook her head, "Getting pregnant twice is enough for me, and I'm already planning on getting my tubes tied after Baby Buckley is born."

Buck nodded as he thought about making a mental note to schedule a vasectomy after Vivian gives birth, "Then we'll start fostering again after Baby Buckley is six-months-old."

"I also finally video chatted with Jacob, too," said Vivian.

Buck smiled as he thought about his 22-year-old brother-in-law Jacob Walsh, who'll be 23 on Valentine's Day. Jacob decided to join the Navy like him and became a Navy SEAL, too. "How is he?" Buck asked.

"He's hoping to finish his deployment in time for the 20th anniversary of Mom's death on Valentine's Day," said Vivian.

Buck nodded as he thought about Vivian and Jacob losing their mother to childbirth. "I hope he comes home for a few weeks."

"Me, too," said Vivian.

An hour after Vivian left with Betsy and Tilly, Buck was drinking another mug of hot chocolate when Bobby stepped into the kitchen. "Can't sleep?" asked Bobby.

Buck shook his head, "No."

"Want to talk?" asked Bobby.

"I know I can't save everyone," said Buck.

"You can't," said Bobby.

"My parents abandoned me at boarding school because they blamed me for Daniel's death," said Buck.

"Who's Daniel?" asked Bobby.

"My older brother who I was created in a test tube and petridish to cord blood, bone marrow, blood, or anything else Daniel would need to stay alive after battling leukemia for a few years," said Buck.

Bobby blinked, "Are you saying you're a savior sibling?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "One of the first before they became known in 2002. I was one when bone marrow was extracted and Daniel died not long after due to bone marrow not grafting."

"No wonder why you haven't tracked down your parents," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I was pissed, and thankfully the teacher who became my guardian dragged my ass to therapy when I explained that my parents blamed me for not saving Daniel and decided I can be the school's problem for the next four years."

"Are you still in contact with the teacher?" asked Bobby.

Buck shook his head. "He passed away in 2016."

"Even if I shouldn't be judgemental as your Captain, but I hope you're not going to track them down and invite them to your eventual ceremony to celebrate the end of your probationary period."

"I'm not because I've survived the last 12 years without them and they don't deserve the title of grandparents to my kids," said Buck. 

Athena looked at Buck, who was eating fine, "That must have been a rough call with the roller coaster."

"It was," said Buck.

"You doing alright?" asked Athena.

"I talked to my wife and even my therapist contacted me after seeing me on TV," said Buck.

Athena then advised Buck about wearing the uniform before the bell went off.

As Buck went through another interview with a reporter in front of the 118, he said, "No comment," before stating that he was out of time answering questions and then headed back into the station.

Maddie's eyes widened as she watched the National News during a break from one of the rare second shifts Doug allows her to take when he's on call at night. "Evan."

After the interview ended, Maddie began mentally planning to escape Doug, as he had once stolen the money she had saved up in 2012 to escape him.

Buck was putting out a fire when he heard his cell phone ring. He decided not to put it out and focus on the fire, and could check it when he was done.

Buck frowned when he listened to the voicemail Abby Clark left him.

"What's wrong?" asked Bobby.

"I got a call from Dispatcher Abby Clark, but she used her personal number instead of calling me through 9-1-1 like she did when I helped Athena with the home invasion call when I was man behind," said Buck.

"And with you being married, you've been refusing numbers on calls," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I didn't give her my number, but I'd like to know how she got it."

"Text her," said Bobby.

Buck sent Abby a text message.

I WAS ON A CALL AND COULDN'T ANSWER YOUR CALL. HOW DID YOU GET MY NUMBER?

Abby replied a minute later.

I'M SORRY FOR CALLING YOU WHEN YOU WERE ON A CALL. I GOT YOUR NUMBER FROM THE REPORT. CAN I CALL YOU NOW?

Buck quickly blocked Abby's number before looking at Bobby, "I want to make a complaint. Abby took my number from the report."

"Which is a violation of privacy," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

During Abby's next shift, she found out she was getting written up and sent to seminars for taking Firefighter Buckley's phone number from a report.

"Firefighter Buckley told me he has blocked your number," said Sue.

LAFD liaison Bill Jenks showed Abby an Instagram account, "This is Firefighter Buckley's private Instagram account I follow. He permitted me to show you this since he only limits his Facebook and Instagram accounts to friends and followers."

A moment later, Abby saw a picture of Buck, a grinning woman with elbow-length blonde hair, a little girl with long armpit-length blonde hair who was happily holding up an ultrasound picture over her mother's belly, and a baby girl with curly blonde hair and a birthmark around her eyebrow. The family of four was in matching Christmas pajamas while sitting in front of a Christmas tree on Christmas Day a few weeks ago. The caption stated.

HAPPY THIRD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, TO MY LOVELY AND SUPPORTIVE WIFE, VIVIAN. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SPENDING OUR FOURTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND OUR SIXTH CHRISTMAS AND FOURTH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH OUR DAUGHTERS AND BABY BUCKLEY NEXT YEAR.

"Buck's married and a father," said Abby softly.

Bill nodded.

"I can't blame him for saying 'no comment' to that reporter about his relationship status. She shouldn't have asked that question for everyone to watch him answer," said Sue.

Buck looked at Bobby after the call with a window washer that Buck couldn't save due to a mental block, "Even if I've been going to therapy since I was 14, I was in the Navy from 2009 to 2015 and a Navy SEAL from 2011 until I got medically discharged when a mission went wrong."

"It wasn't in your file about you being a Navy SEAL," said Bobby softly.

"The information is only kept at Headquarters on paper because of my Navy career being classified," said Buck. 

"Which is why you don't talk about your time in the Navy," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I was on medical leave recovering from a broken arm when I came up here from Coronado to explore LA when I found Vivian with her broken down Jeep. I helped her fix up her Jeep, and she treated me for breakfast the next day to thank me."

"Then you two hit it off," said Bobby.

Buck nodded before asking Bobby about his first loss on the job. 

A minute later, Bobby handed Buck a card, "Even if I know you already have a therapist, here's another one you can talk to if you want to talk to someone different."

Buck looked at the card and frowned. "You didn't hear?" asked Buck.

"Hear what?" asked Bobby.

"I meet once a week with my former classmates from the Academy, and we talked about therapy after a first loss. This therapist got arrested for having sex with multiple patients."

"I didn't know that," said Bobby.

"They're keeping it on the down low as other patients get questioned," said Buck.

"Were you one?" asked Bobby.

"I see Frank because he's another veteran, while I see Dr. Copeland for childhood trauma, Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and ADHD," said Buck.

Before anything else could be said, the bell rang for another call.

After returning to the station following Buck doing the maneuver to stop a man from committing suicide, Chimney looked at Buck, "You and Vivian must have your arguments that result in guilt sex."

"Even if Tilly and Baby Buckley are proof that I have a sex life, I'm not going to talk about my sex life at work," said Buck before walking away.

Hen looked at her best friend, "You need to stop talking about sex before I report you to HR."

Abby was at a restaurant with Carla and her mother when she was pressured to call Buck. "He blocked me after the one time I called him, and he texted me about wanting to know how I got his number."

"How did you get his number if he ended up blocking you?" asked Carla.

"I admitted in a text that I took his number from a report and he reported me to my boss," said Abby.

Carla became serious, "What you did was against the law."

"I know, and now I'm being required to attend seminars and I'm being forced to see one of the therapists because my boss thinks I'd benefit from therapy due to Mom's Alzheimer's and me still being upset about Tommy breaking off our engagement," said Abby.

"Your boss is right. Instead of pressuring you to date, I should encourage you to make friends and talk to a therapist," said Carla.

"Either way, I can't date Buck because he's married and a father," said Abby.

"He's married?" asked Carla.

Abby nodded, "For three years. The LAFD liasion follows Buck on Instagram, and he showed me a picture of Buck with his pregnant wife and two daughters."

Chapter Text

After returning to the station following the call with the bouncy house that flew into the air and got stuck on the cliff, Buck's phone rang, causing him to frown when he saw that it was the number for the hospital. He quickly answered the call. "Hello?" asked Buck.

"Mr. Buckley, I'm calling you to tell you that your wife had a fall and she was brought in to be checked over due to her pregnancy. She's getting X-rays due to her wrist being swollen," said the nurse.

"I'll get there as soon as I can," said Buck before hanging up.

Bobby noticed Buck's pale face. "Is everything alright?" asked Bobby.

"Vivian had a fall, and she's getting x-rays right now, and I'd need to drive her home because the nanny is with Betsy and Tilly," said Buck.

"Go, and you can take the rest of the shift off," said Bobby.

"Are you sure?" asked Buck.

"I know you're taking two weeks off to move you, Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly into your new house and want to take a week off after the baby's birth, but go be with your wife and daughters," said Bobby.

"Alright," said Buck.

Buck rushed into his wife's cubicle and found her with her left hand on a pillow and a fetal monitor on her 18-week pregnant baby bump. "What happened, Vivian?" asked Buck.

"I slipped on a wet floor after a kid knocked down some glass soda bottles at the grocery store. I landed on my left wrist and hip," said Vivian.

Buck looked at the monitor and sighed as he saw a stable heartbeat on the fetal monitor, thanks to the EMT training he went through when he assisted in the back of an ambulance. "Heartbeat looks good."

Vivian nodded, "An ultrasound will be done in a couple of minutes since they had me drink some water to expand my bladder."

"Then I made it just in time," said Buck.

Vivian nodded, "I'm still waiting for the results of the x-ray, too."

Ten minutes later, an ultrasound was done, and the on-call gynecologist said, "Both babies are looking good."

Buck blinked. "Babies?" asked Buck.

"Did you just say babies instead of baby?" asked Vivian.

"It looks like you have fraternal twins playing hide-and-seek in your womb, Mrs. Buckley," said the gynecologist.

Vivian chuckled, "I guess the twins are going to be chaotic and mischevious little shits like their Daddy and older sisters."

"Even if you're supposed to have your anatomy scan in two weeks, would you like to know the genders?" asked the gynecologist.

"You can see the sex of both babies?" asked Vivian.

"Yes," said the gynecologist.

"Please tell us," said Vivian.

The gynecologist looked between Buck and Vivian, "Your daughters are getting a little brother and a little sister."

"Good thing we bought a five-bedroom house and I had already planned on getting my one remaining tube tied after I give birth," joked Vivian.

Buck nodded as he looked at the monitor, "Hello, Alexandria and Andrew, Mommy and I are excited to meet you two."

"You two already came up with names?" asked the gynecologist.

Vivian nodded, "Even if we didn't know we were expecting twins for now, we had already decided on the names Alexandria Jane Buckley and Andrew Everett Buckley."

"Alex and Andy or Dria and Drew for nicknames since we call our daughters Elizabeth and Matilda, Betsy and Tilly," said Buck.

"Adorable, and I'm glad you get to use the final names you two picked for a boy and a girl," said the gynecologist.

"Even if we saved all of Tilly's clothes, we're going to need a baby shower for Andrew," said Vivian.

"Even if I know the 118 will gift us clothes for Dria and Drew," said Buck.

"Already picking Dria and Drew for nicknames?" asked Vivian.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

The on-call orthopedist entered the room and looked at the gynecologist, "If you're done, I'd like Mrs. Buckley to empty her bladder before I put a splint on her wrist."

"Is my wrist broken?" asked Vivian.

"Yes, and you'll be to avoid surgery," said the orthopedist.

A few minutes later, Buck and a nurse helped Vivian use the bathroom before Vivian's wrist got splinted.

Later, Buck and Vivian were in bed with Betsy between them.

Betsy looked at her mother's splinted wrist. "How's your wrist, Mommy?" asked Betsy.

"It hurts, but my wrist will be good as new in six weeks," said Vivian.

"Daddy said you're on bed rest for a few days," said Betsy.

Vivian nodded, "To ensure the babies are alright from my fall."

"Did you just say babies instead of baby?" asked Betsy.

Vivian smiled, "It turns out I'm pregnant with twins."

"A boy and a girl, two boys, or two girls?" asked Betsy.

"A boy and a girl," said Buck.

"Are they named Alexandria and Andrew like I helped you two pick out?" asked Betsy.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

Betsy smiled as she rested a hand on her mother's baby bump, "Hi, Dria and Drew. Tilly and I love you so much."

Buck and Vivian smiled at each other as they thought about how happy they were about Betsy loving her little brother and two little sisters, while not caring that she didn't share genetics.

On her father's lap, Tilly rested a hand on her mother's baby bump, and her eyes went wide when she felt something.

Vivian laughed, "Did you feel your little brother and little sister kick?" asked Vivian.

During Buck's next shift, Hen looked at Buck, "You look to be in shock."

"That's because Vivian and I found out we're expecting twins instead of one baby, thanks to them playing hide and seek during the first sonogram and then Vivian's 12-week ultrasound," said Buck.

"Congratulations," said Bobby.

"Thanks, and Vivian's glad she decided that she's done being pregnant after Alexandria and Andrew are born," said Buck.

Hen grinned, asking, "Betsy and Tilly are getting a little brother and sister?"

Buck nodded, "Yes, and we had already picked out the name Andrew Everett Buckley for a boy when Vivian was pregnant with Tilly. We finalized on the name Alexandria Jane Buckley as soon as Vivian reached 12 weeks pregnant."

"Good classic names," said Bobby.

"With the house you and Vivian just bought having five bedrooms, are you going to set up seperate nurseries so all four kids have their own bedrooms or have Andrew and Alexandria share a nursery before Tilly and Alexandria share a bedroom when Alexandria transitions to a toddler bed so there can be a guest bedroom?" asked Hen.

"Vivian and I decided that none of the kids will be sharing a bedroom when Dria and Drew are sleeping through the night, so we're going to create separate nurseries for the twins right away," said Buck.

"And you know we'll all be willing to help you with painting rooms and getting you and Vivian moved into your new house before the twins are born," said Hen.

"While a bunch of us will precook meals to store in your refrigerator and freezer to make mealtime easier for you and Vivian," said Bobby.

"I appreciate it," said Buck.

Chimney glared at Buck after arguing with Bobby, who had called out Chimney about lying to Tatiana throughout the entire relationship, "And you, you're just a rich white jock who gets everything handed to you on a silver platter. Why can't I live the life you're living for once? Gerrard would have loved you being one of his firefighters if he was still Captain here."

Buck gripped the back of the chair.

"That's uncalled for, Chimney," said Hen.

"You're suspended without pay for a month, Han. Expect a phone call from HR about various seminars I think you'll benefit for and getting therapy," said Bobby.

"You've been favoring Buckley ever since he started working here four months ago," said Chimney.

"Buck is certified in heavy rescue, high-angle rope rescue, and various other rescues due to his previous line of work and testing out of various courses in the Academy. That's why he's been doing the rescues our former heavy-rescue assets were trained to do before they transferred," said Bobby.

Chimney stormed off and started stomping down the stairs, only to lose his balance as he began to tumble down.

"Chimney!" called out Hen.

A moment later, everyone was gathered around an unconscious Chimney who had a gash on his forehead. After Hen claimed that Chimney had a pulse, everyone got into the action of getting a C-collar on Chimney before getting him onto a backboard and then the gurney.

Hours later, Buck and Hen found out that Chimney was in a coma from a severe concussion and skull fracture, while the rest of his body was bruised and didn't have any other broken bones.

Following the call at the shipping container, Hen looked at Buck. "You can speak and understand Spanish?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "I took Spanish classes in middle school, boarding school, and the military, where I learned more than Spanish."

"You went to boarding school and were in the military?" asked Hen.

"My parents never wanted me to begin with, since they had their two perfect children until my older brother Daniel got sick with leukemia, and they decided to have me as a savior sibling. After graduating from boarding school, I joined the Navy because I didn't have the money to attend college," said Buck.

"You were a   My Sister's Keeper type of savior sibling?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "I was, but my bone marrow didn't graft, and Daniel remained forever eight when he passed away when I was one. My older sister was forced to be a mother to me before she started puberty until she married her husband when I was 13."

Hen thought about Buck stating his birthday was June 27th, "So they enrolled you into boarding school for your freshman year after your sister left."

Buck nodded, "It was their way to legally get rid of me on the opposite side of the country. They had one of the teachers become my legal guardian so they didn't have to take me to the doctor, dentist, and eye doctor. Later on, it was discovered that they changed their phone numbers and moved out of Hershey after dropping me off at boarding school."

"If they changed your numbers, you haven't talked to them over the years?" asked Hen.

Buck shook his head, "I haven't seen or heard from them, and even my sister since I was 14. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided not to come here after seeing me on the news last week."

"Away from the topic of your parents and sister, you were in the Navy?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "I became a Navy SEAL, and I was on leave for a broken arm when I met Vivian."

"That explains the dress blues in your wedding picture in your house. I didn't ask because you never mentioned your time in the Navy," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "My time is pretty much classified, but I got discharged in 2015."

Two days after Chimney woke up from his coma, Buck looked at Chimney, "Even if I came from a family with old money that earned me a trust fund, my life wasn't always sunshine and roses."

"It wasn't?" asked Chimney.

"I wouldn't have been born if it wasn't for my older brother, Daniel, who was dying from leukemia, had a match for bone marrow, or responded to treatment before my egg and sperm donors created me in a lab. I was a perfect match, but doctors refused to extract my bone marrow until I was a year old. My bone marrow didn't graft, and Daniel ended up relapsing and passed away. Due to me looking so much like Daniel without my birthmark and them blaming me for not saving my brother, I never got attention from my egg and sperm donors unless I got injured or into trouble," said Buck.

Chimney realized what Buck was trying to tell him, "You were a savior sibling, and your parents hate you for not saving your brother?" asked Chimney.

Buck nodded, "If it wasn't for my older sister who's nine years older than me being the only one who gave a damn about me until she chose a man who I didn't like over me and ran off to Boston with him when I was 12, I would have been abandoned somewhere and placed in the foster care system. But, my parents took advantage of cutting off my sister for marrying a man they didn't like to abandon me at an Episcopal boarding school in Oregon for high school. They asked a teacher to become my legal guardian before they paid upfront for the next four years of high school, clothes, sports, and any clubs or trips I'd get to go on, changed their phone numbers, cancelled my cell phone, and moved away from Hershey so they wouldn't have to raise the child they never wanted," said Buck.

"How did your sister react?" asked Chimney.

"During the one time I got Maddie on the phone, Maddie told me never to contact her again and be grateful that I'm being sent to boarding school instead of the foster care system," said Buck.

"That's harsh from a sibling who cared for you until she met her husband," said Chimney.

Buck nodded, "After that call, I never tried to contact her about attending my high school graduation, graduation from basic training for the Navy, my wedding, Betsy's adoption hearing, Tilly's birth, or sending her Christmas cards. We're not even in contact with each other on social media."

"You were in the Navy?" asked Chimney.

Buck nodded, "My egg and sperm donors didn't leave me any money for college since they used my college tuition money to ship me off to boarding school for four years and I couldn't track them down to apply for financial aid and grants. I ended up joining the Navy so I could have food and a bed and sacrificed my life until I got medically discharged two and a half years ago while I used the GI bill to slowly earn a bachelor's degree in emergency management between deployments and entering the LAFD Academy."

"You're telling the truth?" asked Chimney.

Buck nodded, "Even if I never talked about my family except for the family I made with Vivian except with Bobby after the call with the baby in the pipe and dealing with my first and second direct loss on the job, I don't talk about my parents, sister, and my career in the Navy SEALs because my therapist and Vivian told me I don't need my parents or my sister and my career in the Navy SEALs being classified."

"We have a few things in common. My father left me here after my mother died from cancer when I was a teenager. He remarried and had danother son who he favors and is critical about my career choices."

"I was in a household with WASPs for 14 years, so I understand critical and judgemental parents. I know they'd probably be judgemental about me being a veteran, a firefighter, and probably for falling in love, getting married, and having children when Daniel remained forever eight," said Buck.

"I'm sorry for what I said the other day," said Chimney.

"Apology accepted, but I hope you consider talking to a therapist because you have a lot of issues to work through," said Buck.

"I'm being mandated to attend therapy due to my outburst before falling down the stairs," said Chimney.

"Hopefully therapy helps out like it helped me when I was in boarding school and now as an adult," said Buck.

Chapter Text

Buck, Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly were out grocery shopping together when a woman's voice spoke up.

"You were the firefighter on TV a few weeks back," said the woman.

Buck turned to find a much older, beautiful woman who reminded him of Athena and Hen, "Yes."

"I'm Carla Price. One of the best home health aides who is red tape's worst nightmare," said Carla.

"You already know I'm Evan Buckley, and this is my wife Vivian Buckley and our daughters Elizabeth and Matilda," said Buck.

"While I'm also pregnant with our youngest daughter and only son. Andrew and Alexandria will be here in June," smiled Vivian.

Carla winced at Vivian's pink casted arm, which had numerous signatures from kids. "That ought to hurt."

Vivian nodded, "It hurt at first, but pain is going down."

Carla looked between Betsy and Tilly before looking at Buck and Vivian, "How are you two dealing with childcare? I can help you two get an improvement on childcare."

"We have a wonderful nanny named Julie, and she'll become our live-in nanny when we move into our new house within the next few weeks," said Vivian.

"The VA helped us find her when we moved here, even if I was already discharged," said BVillagehat's good," said Carla.

"Mommy and Daddy adopted me over a year ago after I was their foster daughter for six months and I told Santa the only thing I wanted for Christmas was to become Elizabeth Buckle," said Betsy.

Vivian whispered in Carla's ear, "The Santa at Santa's Villiage worked as a family court judge, so he expedited the hearing to prevent Betsy's belief in Santa from being ruined."

Carla nodded.

A woman with long red-blonde hair came over with her mother, "We got the pasta."

"Did you help your mother find it, Abby?" asked Carla.

"I found it myself," said Patricia.

Abby then turned and saw Buck, "Firefighter Buckley."

"Dispatcher Clark," said Buck.

"You're the Dispatcher who stole my husband's phone number from a report," said Vivian.

"This is my wife Vivian and our daughters Elizabeth and Matilda," said Buck.

"We go by Betsy and Tilly," grinned Betsy.

Vivian grinned as she rubbed her baby bump, "I'm also 20-weeks pregnant with boy/girl twins."

"I'm sorry for stealing your number from the report a few weeks ago. I got written up, sent to mandatory courses, and sent to therapy when my boss told me you reported me," said Abby.

"I can't blame you for refusing to answer the question about your relationship status during that interview on TV. It was an innapproperiate question, and I didn't know that Abby only talked to you when you helped her on a call and never gave her your number," said Carla.

Buck nodded.

"I've encouraged Abby to just focus on spending time with her mother, and friends, and speak to a therapist than date someone if she's going to have her mother live with her," said Carla.

"Tommy, are you and Abby finally going to get married?" asked Patricia.

"This isn't Tommy, Mom. Tommy dumped me over a year ago," said Abby.

"I forgot," said Patricia.

Vivian looked at Abby. "Alzheimer's?" asked Vivian.

"Late stage," said Abby.

"My grandmother got diagnosed over five years ago. She checked herself into a memory care home as soon as she got diagnosed," said Vivian.

Judgment flashed through Abby's eyes, "You wouldn't move her in with you?" Abby asked.

"I was 22 and in my final semester of college to become a teacher when Grandma Felicity got diagnosed. She didn't want me to give up my dream of working as an elementary school teacher, fall in love get married, and become a mother to take care of her. She even refused to allow my Aunt who's wheelchair-bound and works as a college professor to take care of her while my then 17-year-old brother was in his final semester of high school and would be joining the Navy after graduation," said Vivian.

"I told you that nursing homes aren't always bad ideas for Alzheimer's patients, Abby," said Carla.

The smell of poop wafted through the air, causing Buck and Vivian to groan when they realized Tilly had pooped, and it was starting to leak through her long-sleeved pink onesie.

"Tilly has a diaper blowout," said Betsy.

"I'll take outside to change her and get her into a clean onesie before someone calls in a hazmat crew," joked Buck.

"Betsy and I will finish our shopping," said Vivian.

"I'll help Mommy push the cart," said Betsy.

A moment later, Vivian and Betsy continued their shopping, while Buck was soon taken to the break room by the kind manager he had passed, where he was instructed to wash his daughter's bottom in the sink and change her diaper and clothes on the table. When he was done cleaning his daughter's bottom, the manager quickly cleaned the sink and then the table after he got Tilly into a clean diaper and the spare change of clothes from the diaper bag.

As Buck and Vivian were checking out, they ran into Carla, who passed them a card and told them to call her if they ever needed assistance.

Buck grinned when he saw a text from his brother-in-law.

I'LL BE HOME FROM DEPLOYMENT IN THREE DAYS. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME SURPRISE VIVIAN, BETSY, TILLY, AUNT BEATRICE, AND GRANDMA FELICITY if she's HAVING A LUCID MOMENT?

Buck grinned as he texted his brother-in-law back.

YOU ASSHOLE. I'M ON SHIFT RIGHT NOW, AND YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY. YOU'RE MAKING ME CRY AS I THINK ABOUT THE TIMES I SURPRISED VIVIAN AND THE SURPRISE MILITARY REUNION VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.

FOR A BIG, SOFT, TEDDY BEAR OF A BROTHER-IN-LAW, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WERE A SEAL WHEN MY BIG SIS INTRODUCED US TO EACH OTHER.

Buck smirked.

I'M YOUR ONLY BROTHER-IN-LAW AND DON'T FORGET I KNOW YOUR COMMANDER WHO CAN GIVE YOU THE NASTIEST CHORES DURING YOUR NEXT DEPLOYMENT OR MAKE YOU CHANGE EVERY POOPY DIAPER OF TILLY'S DURING YOUR BREAK

"What got you smirking?" asked Hen.

"Can you please not tell Vivian if you talk to her at all?" asked Buck.

"Unlike Chimney, I can keep secrets," said Hen.

"My brother-in-law who's a Navy SEAL is coming home in a few days for a month off from deployments for the anniversary of his mother's death, his birthday, and the anniversary of his father trying to commit murder-suicide," said Buck.

"Murder suicide?" asked Hen.

"Vivian's mother Danielle passed away after giving birth to Jacob on Valentine's Day when Vivian was four. Then on Valentine's Day when Vivian was six and Jacob was two, their father, who was dealing with depression decided to commit murder-suicide on the three of them, but Vivian hid Jacob in her bedroom closet and hid underneath her bed after she barricaded her bedroom door and called 9-1-1. She was on the phone with the Dispatcher when her father broke through the barricade, and she was shot through a Fallopian tube just as the police killed her father," said Buck.

"Oh my, " said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Vivian lost her Fallopian tube since the damage from the bullet was too severe, and she refused to celebrate Valentine's Day after the day her father nearly killed her and Jacob. As a teacher, she'll just take a sick day if Valentine's Day fell on a school day while Jacob will just celebrate his birthday either the day before or after Valentine's Day."

"Can't blame them. They both dealt with trauma on Valentine's Day," said Hen.

"While Vivian refuses to celebrate her birthday on her actual birthday because 9/11 happened on her Golden birthday and she lost the man who helped raised her for four and a half years," said Buck.

"And you respect Vivian's and Jacob's wishes those days," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Yeah, and thankfully Durand is understanding about Vivian wanting to take Valentine's Day off."

"Are you going to take Vivian out on a date during your two weeks off as you move you and your family into your new house?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "We're signing the paperwork for the house that evening before we, Jacob, and Aunt Beatrice head to the nursing home to have dinner with Grandma Felicity if she remembers us to honor Vivian's and Jacob's mother and Aunt Beatrice's sister."

"That'll be a lowkey way to spend the anniversary of the worst day of your wife and brother-in-law's life," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Yeah."

"Thank goodness your landlord allowed you two to install a security system in your two-bedroom duplex," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "I know, and thank goodness we're moving."

Buck looked at Bobby, "Are you alright? I know you didn't have training to hold your breath underwater as long as I can or swimming in ocean water in January like I've gone through."

"I'm fine. What about you? You scared me when you were swept out of the plane by the current," said Bobby.

"I barely inhaled any water, and I did warm up with a blanket on the zodiac before allowing Hen to check me over. I'm already looking forward to a hot shower, comfy sweats, and hot chocolate when we're released from here before I go home and hug and kiss my three favorite girls and get an appointment with Frank," said Buck.

"I take it this scene brought back some memories from war?" asked Bobby.

"Yes, and I know Vivian will be struggling because of all the memories of 9/11," said Buck.

During the next couple of hours, Buck assisted with cleaning and bandaging scrapes, gathering supplies for the paramedics, and devising an outside-the-box solution to save the couple when they were trapped in the bathroom. The couple happily told him they had gotten engaged when they got back to shore.

Meanwhile, at the Dispatch Center, Abby Clark tried calling Buck only to be sent straight to voicemail, which made her realize that Buck still had her blocked.

"Who are you trying to call?" asked Sue.

"Firefighter Buckley. He's at the plane crash right now, and I was hoping to call him about searching for Dale Marks since he got ahold of me as the plane was going down," said Abby.

"I know he rightfully blocked your number after you stole his number from a report. Have Terry send the recording to the LAPD and they can forward it to Mrs. Marks if his name is on the list of the deceased," said Sue firmly.

"Mrs. Marks deserves to find out the status of her husband sooner than later. She's going through a difficult pregnancy and might have to bury her husband," said Abby.

"It's not our job to notify loved ones of the deaths of their families. There are 9-1-1 calls that need your attention, so go answer them now or I'll be suspending you or firing you," said Sue.

Abby silently returned to her desk while knowing she needed her job, or her brother would be placing their mother in a nursing home.

When Buck returned home after the plane crash, he found Vivian and Betsy building a fort over Tilly's large playpen, which had a door wide enough to fit Aunt Beatrice's wheelchair, while Tilly was in her bouncer. "What are you two ladies doing?" Buck asked.

"I saw the news before you texted me. I called in a sub while stating I'm dealing with PTSD to 9/11."

"While Mommy called my preschool to say I have a sore throat even if I'm not sick right now," giggled Betsy.

Buck gave his wife a shocked look, "As a teacher, I thought you wouldn't encourage our kids to play hooky from school."

"You need to hold your kids and me close today, and I did mention that my husband was called to the crash last night. Principal Summers was very understanding," said Vivian.

Buck gave his wife a small smile as he hugged Betsy before grabbing Tilly, "Meeting you and deciding to date and marry you were some of the best things I've done in my life."

"Are Tilly, Drew, Dria, and me some of the best things in your life too, Daddy?" asked Betsy.

Buck nodded, "Ending up with three amazing daughters and one amazing son are some of the best things."

"Even if Drew and Dria aren't here yet," said Vivian.

After spending almost two days in their fort playing games like Go-Fish, Guess Who, Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, coloring, making up stories, singing nursery rhymes, and binging on junk food between Buck talking to his therapist, Buck and Hen showed up at Bobby's apartment where Buck learned that Bobby had a substance use disorder. Buck told Bobby it'd be all right to ask for help.

A moment later, Buck grinned when he saw a text message from Jacob.

I'LL BE IN LOS ANGELES TOMORROW.

"What's going on?" asked Bobby.

"My brother-in-law will be back in LA tomorrow, so I'll be taking Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, and Aunt Beatrice on a scavenger hunt that would lead them to Jacob," said Buck.

"That's a creative military homecoming reunion," said Bobby.

"I surprised Vivian a few times myself, so I'm willing to help my brother-in-law after he's been away for eight months," said Buck.

As Buck and Hen dropped Bobby off at an NA meeting before they returned to work, Bobby looked at Buck, "Even if Hen knew I was in recovery, I'd understand if you insist on transferring to another shift for the remainder of your probationary period and never bring your kids around me again."

"As long as  you remain sober, Vivian and I will allow you around our kids because Betsy would cause a riot if you no longer stop by to teach us new recipes or she doesn't visit us at the station."

Meanwhile, in Erie, Pennsylvania, Maddie was reuniting with her parents after Doug was shot to death by the son of a patient who died on the operating table.

"I saw that Evan's living in Los Angeles and working as a firefighter after he made the National news a few weeks ago," said Maddie.

Margaret, who had lived on a crew ship with her husband for five years, traveling the world after they abandoned Evan at boarding school, nodded, "We saw the news, too. I'm not happy about him working a dangerous job. The Los Angeles Fire Department shouldn't be trusting him to save lives after he couldn't do his one job of saving Daniel."

"After the funeral, I'm going to go visit him and see if he has his trust fund. He can share with me because I raised him until I moved to Boston, and Doug spent my trust fund to pay for medical school," said Maddie.

"He doesn't deserve that money after he couldn't save Daniel," said Margaret.

Phillip remained silent as he thought about not telling Margaret that the main reason he had decided to enroll Evan in boarding school was that he believed Evan deserved better.

Chapter Text

Phillip Buckley looked at his daughter, "When was the last time you spoke to Evan?" Phillip asked.

"His 14th birthday," said Maddie.

"You haven't talked to him in over 12 and a half years?" asked Phillip.

"Even if I promised him I'd be one phone call away and pinky promised I'd never leave him completely, I was tired of his constant phone calls and text messages as I worked, studied to became a nurse, and married Doug who was abusing me," said Maddie.

Phillip shook his head, "And now you're heading to LA to ask your brother to share his trust fund with you. You don't deserve to be given money by your brother."

"Phillip," snapped Margaret.

Maddie spoke up before her parents could fight, "Now that Doug's out of the picture, I can take care of Evan again."

"He's a 26-year-old adult who has figured out his life. He's working a job that suits him," said Phillip.

"Firefighting is dangerous, and you remember how Evan was as a kid with those stunts," snapped Maddie.

"Maddie's right. Firefighting is a dangerous job," said Margaret.

"Every town and city needs men and women brave enough to work as firefighters, police officers, and serve in the military," said Phillip.

"Serve in the military?" asked Maddie.

"Four years ago, your mother and I were at the airport in Greece. When your mother was in the bathroom, I was reading a book when I saw Evan walking past me in fatigues that are issued to men and women in the Navy," said Phillip.

"You didn't say anything, Phillip," said Margaret.

"I decided not to speak up that I saw Evan walk by because he was over 18 and we didn't have any legal rights over him," said Phillip. He looked at his daughter, "If you're going to reunite with your brother, how are you going to find him? Los Angeles is the second largest city in the country and his phone number isn't shown on his private Facebook page. I know he wouldn't accept any friend requests from him because we all abandoned him and have no right to be in his life."

"Even if I know he works at the 118, I was going to ask my boss to run a background check on Evan and find out his address that way," said Maddie.

"You shouldn't track down your brother by cyberstalking him. You and your boss can get in a lot of legal trouble if NCIS or even the Navy gets alerted when background checks are done on him," said Phillip.

"I just don't want to track him down on Facebook or Instagram and message him and not get a response. Nor, do I want to show up at his job because firefighters do shiftwork that can vary, so he might not be there," said Maddie.

"Even if he's not on shift, the current Captain can call his Captain to send Evan a message if you leave your number and Evan would contact you if he wants to," said Phillip.

"You're really against me tracking down, Evan, aren't you?" asked Maddie.

"Evan doesn't deserve to have people who abandoned him over 12 years ago to pop back into his life. Your mother and I should have gotten arrested for abandoning your brother in boarding school," snapped Phillip.

"I married Doug as my ticket out of Hershey due to yours and Mom's grief and me being tired of having to take care of Evan," snapped Maddie.

"If you didn't want to spend the last few years of your childhood and then your teenage years taking care of Evan, you should have said something. We had realtives who had offered to take in Evan or I could have asked the staff members at the hospital to call CPS to take Evan away from us so he could have a good chance of being adopted by a good family," said Phillip.

"No matter what, I'll track down Evan and reunite with him the way I want," said Maddie.

"If you get yourself arrested, I won't be bailing you out or pay for your lawyer," said Phillip sternly.

"Mom will help me," said Maddie.

"Yes, I will help you, Maddie," said Margaret.

Phillip stormed out of his daughter's house and quickly headed home, where he grabbed cash and headed to the nearest Greyhound station to take a bus to Los Angeles.

The following morning, in Los Angeles, CA, Buck entered the apartment. He and Vivian had been going through belongings as they packed up, "Let's get a clean diaper on Tilly because we have plans today."

"What plans, Daddy?" asked Betsy.

Buck handed Vivian a sheet of paper, "This is the first place we're going."

Even if it's not the healthiest option for breakfast, sometimes we enjoy this frozen treat as a morning treat.

"Frozen treat for breakfast?" asked Betsy.

"Are you saying we're going to eat ice cream for breakfast?" asked Vivian.

Buck nodded, "After last night's mass-casuality event call, I need ice cream for breakfast."

"Since I'm craving chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, I'll let it slide," said Vivian.

"Yay!" squealed Betsy.

After getting ice cream for breakfast, Buck handed Vivian the following few clues, which involved picking up Aunt Beatrice, going to McDonald's for lunch, and shopping for a new dress.

After paying for the new dresses for Vivian, Betsy, and Grandma Felicity, as well as a new pair of pants and blouse for Aunt Beatrice, Buck handed over a note with the final clue.

Even if we're taking pictures of Tilly once a month to announce she's another month older and mention likes and dislikes, we're overdue for all of us to dress up and get together to have the professional ________ done that would allow us to look at for the rest of our lives on our walls and fireplace mantle of our new house. So get ready to change into your new outfit, smile, and 'say cheese' thanks to a last-minute cancellation.

"You booked some professional photographs to be taken?" asked Vivian.

"You were talking about wanting to get a maternity photoshoot done, so I figured we should buy new clothes and get professional portraits done," said Buck.

Grandma Felicity, who had been lucid for the last couple of hours, smiled. "I was going to ask to get some professional photographs done so I'd have professional photographs of Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly to show off."

Buck grinned, "Let's head to our session because it's in an hour, and after our session, we got reservations at Vivian's favorite Italian restraurent for dinner."

"Let's go," said Vivian.

"Sorry we're late, Debbie. We came across an accident that involved me saving a three-year-old girl who was trapped on a floatie in an electrified swimming pool," said Buck.

"It's alright, Buck. You guys are my final customors of the day and you paid for a three-hour session," said Debbie.

Buck looked at his wife, daughters, Aunt-in-law, and grandmother-in-law, "Why don't you all use the bathroom before we start our session."

"Thank goodness Tilly already has a clean diaper," said Vivian.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

A moment later, Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, Aunt Beatrice, and Grandma Felicity went to change into the new outfits Buck had bought for them, with Grandma Felicity's assistance, while Buck went to see Debbie.

"I already took a few solo pictures of Jacob, and he'll remain hidden before we do da final picture of everyone together with Jacob crashing the photo," said Debbie.

"Then you get pictures of the reunion?" asked Buck.

Debbie nodded, "We'll start off with solo pictures."

"Then pictures of Betsy and Tilly with me before doing pictures of Betsy and Tilly with Vivian," said Buck.

Debbie nodded, "Then a picture or two of you and Vivian together and then some pictures of you and Vivian with your daughters."

"I agree, and my daughters need pictures with their Great-Grandma and then their Great-Aunt," said Buck.

For the next two hours, Debbie took pictures of Buck, Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, Grandma Felicity, and Aunt Beatrice in various combinations before it was time for the group pictures and then pictures involving Vivian, Jacob, Aunt Beatrice, and Grandma Felicity.

"Now for a final series of photos, we're going to do a few pictures of the entire family together," said Debbie.

As everyone got into position, Vivian and Aunt Beatrice were busy getting Betsy, Tilly, and Grandma Felicity to focus on the picture, unaware that Jacob had silently snuck into the background.

After the first picture of the entire family together was taken, Vivian held up her hands, "I can't do anymore because Jacob isn't here and we don't know if this is Grandma Felicity's final time for professional photographs."

"Who says I'm not here, Vivian?" asked Jacob.

Vivian, Betsy, Aunt Beatrice, and Grandma Felicity turned around to see Jacob wearing dress pants and a dress shirt like Buck and gasped as all four ladies called out, "Jacob/Uncle Jacob!"

Buck and Jacob were crying and laughing as the photographer took multiple pictures of the family reuniting.

Vivian looked at her husband, who was now crying, "You knew Jacob was coming home and booked this session and took us shopping for new clothes?" Vivian asked.

"I didn't know until a few days ago, but thankfully Debbie had a last-minute cancellation," said Buck.

"You're a little turd for dragging us through the city to surprise us with this military homecoming," said Vivian.

Buck laughed, "Does this homecoming tie with the homecoming that involved you being taken throughout San Diego with your friend Olivia and my credit card before being taken to a jewelry store where I was waiting to propose to you and bought you your bridal set?" Buck asked.

Vivian nodded, "Yes."

"We thought about me surprising you guys with pizza at the nursing home, but Buck and I agreed we should do a family portrait session as a way to use photographs to help Grandma Felicity remember this homecoming," said Jacob.

Grandma Felicity hugged her grandson, "Doing this portrait session was perfect. One of the solo pictures of me can be used for the blown-up picture of me at my funeral."

"Don't talk about your funeral yet. You can still have another couple of years, Grandma," said Vivian.

"I know, but we never know when our time will come," said Grandma Felicity.

"I understand because of Mom, Uncle James, and not knowing if Buck or even Jacob will make it home from work or the risk of me having to deal with a potential school shooter," said Vivian.

During Buck's next shift, he was happily showing the video of Jacob's homecoming that Debbie's assistant had recorded for him.

"Now that's a sweet surprise homecoming," said Hen.

"Even if I heard about you using a hose to rescue a three-year-old girl trapped on a floatie in an electrified swimming pool yesterday," said Bobby.

"Even if passing that accident happened and I heard the cries for help as I stopped to assist the motorist, at least Jacob's and my plans still happened," said Buck.

"Now what's Jacob going to do?" asked Hen.

"He's getting an honorable discharge because he wretched his knee so badly that he needs a knee replacement," said Buck.

"How's your brother-in-law handling it?" asked Bobby.

"He's sad, but he's looking forward to finally follow his dreams of using the GI Bill to study towards becoming a physical therapist," said Buck.

"That's good," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Yeah."

As Buck had dinner with Bobby, Hen, and the rest of the 118 sans Chimney, who was still on leave, Bobby had just finished telling everyone about his late wife and children when a voice sounded from below the loft.

"Hello?" a man called out.

Buck frowned as he recognized the slightly familiar voice he hadn't heard in over 12 years. He stood up and went to the railing, and his eyes widened when he saw his father. He looked at his colleagues and spoke softly, "My father is here, and I still have the right to press charges for child neglect and abandonment until my 30th birthday. I promised myself I'd file charges if Mom or Dad showed up before I turned 30."

"Want me to call the police?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, and I'll keep him talking so he doesn't flee," said Buck.

"OK," said Bobby.

Buck slowly headed downstairs as he closed off his emotions and placed his hands in his pocket so his father wouldn't see the silicone wedding band he wears on shift, "What are you doing here, Dad? Even if you and Mom weren't arrested for abandoning me at boarding school because you threw a lot of money at the school to keep me there for four years and the teacher who you assigned legal guardianship over me agreed to step in my foster parent because they didn't want me to be bounced between foster homes and group homes, you and Mom can still face charges until my 30th birthday since I was under the age of 16."

"I decided to risk going to jail for child abandonment and neglect to warn you about what Maddie's planning on doing," said Phillip.

Buck's eyes narrowed. "What's Maddie planning?" Buck asked.

"Doug was murdered by a family member of a patient the other day, so your mother and I decided to be there for Maddie. We learned that he's been abusing her for their entire relationship," said Phillip.

"I remember how Doug always wanted to know what Maddiie was doing," snapped Buck.

"Well, Doug drained Maddie's trust fund to pay for medical school and Maddie's planning on coming here to force you to share your trust fund with her if you gaind access to it," said Phillip.

"I appreciate the warning about Maddie, and I already spent most of the trust fund on a few vacations over the years, my honeymoon, college education accounts for my kids, and to buy a house my wife, kids, and I are moving in this month. I won't be giving her a penny of what's left of my trust fund. Even if her bastard of a husband is in Hell, she broke her promise to always be there for me by telling me she never wanted to see or speak to me again when I was 14," said Buck.

"You're married and a father?" asked Phillip.

Buck nodded, "Yes, and I'm not telling you how long I've been married or how many kids I have, their names, or ages. You lost your right after being a rotten father to me."

"I understand," said Phillip.

Buck then saw a police car show up, "Police are here."

Phillip saw the police car as he looked at his son, "I'm not mad at you for calling the police because your mother and I should have been arrested over 12 years ago, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you and I don't blame you for not saving Daniel like your mother does. I abandoned you at boarding school because I thought you deserved better."

"I do deserve better, and that's why I never tracked you, Mom, or even Maddie down when I came of age and decided to have the police contacted when you showed up. I've gotten a lot of therapy and vowed to be a better father than you were," said Buck.

Officers then entered the station, and Phillip held up his hands.

"Phillip Buckley?" asked Detective Romero.

"I'm being arrested for abandoning Evan at boarding school over 12 years ago?" asked Phillip.

"Since Firefighter Buckley was 14 when you and Mrs. Buckley abandoned Firefighter Buckley at boarding school the warrant for yours and Mrs. Buckley's arrest expires when Firefighter Buckley turns 30," said Detective Romero as he held up the warrant that was transferred from San Diego.

"I understand," said Phillip.

"Now, where is your wife? The warrant includes her on the arrest, too," said Detective

Phillip gave the names of places where his wife could be found in Erie, Pennsylvania.

"Since the crime was committed in Oregon, we'll place you in holding until officers or US Marshalls arrive to extradite you to Oregon," said Detective Romero.

"I understand," said Phillip.

A moment later, Phillip was being arrested, "I don't want my one phone call because it's time for my wife to face the consequences, too."

"Good," said Detective Romero.

An hour later, in Erie, Pennsylvania, Maddie was watching her mother be arrested for child abandonment 12 years ago. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll find Evan and force him to pay for a lawyer to defend you and Dad."

"Don't bother getting a lawyer for your father. He most likely went to Evan's firestation and begged to get arrested before giving my location," snapped Margaret.

Chapter Text

Athena was visiting the 118 for a bit.

"What are you and Vivian doing for Valentine's Day?" asked Athena.

"We're having a lowkey family dinner dinner at Grandma Felicity's nursing home with Vivian's brother, Aunt, and Grandma since Vivian has been through two traumatic events on Valentine's Day in 1995 when her mother died giving birth to Jacob and then when her father almost tried to kill Vivian, Jacob, and himself on Jacob's second birthday when Vivian was six. Vivian was shot through a Fallopian tub just as police killed her father in 1997," said Buck.

"The 21st and 23rd anniversaries," said Athena.

Buck nodded, "Vivian already called in for Valentine's Day, and her boss at Durand stated it'd be alright to call in for every Valentine's Day as long as she's a teacher there."

"You'll do something special for your wife after Valentine's Day?" asked Athena.

"During the past five years, we've always done something special after Valentine's Day when I wasn't deployed before my discharge from the Navy," said Buck.

Athena nodded before changing the topic. "How's the mess with your parents and sister going?" asked Athena.

"My parents have been released after a night in lock-up, but they're remaining in Portland with ankle monitors and their passports in custody until the judge determines the punishments of fines, community service, or probation since I'm over 18," said Buck.

"Are you going to be issuing restraining orders?" asked Athena.

Buck nodded, "I issued one against my egg and sperm donors, and Bobby has already decided that they're banned from stepping foot into the 118."

"What about your sister?" asked Athena.

"I know Maddie most likely hasn't shown up following the arrests yet because of trying to be there for my egg and sperm donors and dealing with hers and Doug's house and Doug's belongings. With my sperm donor warning me that Maddie's planning on coming here to demand I share my trust fund with her and treat me like the kid she left behind in Hershey than the 26-year-old adult who has figured out his life, I had managed to figure out where Maddie's been working as a nurse and sent a letter telling her that I won't be giving her money from my trust fund because I have already spent most of it. I told her in the letter that I'm sorry that she's been through trauma, but she has a job, whatever money Doug in the bank, what would have been his final paycheck, the money from Doug's life insurance money if Doug had one, and the money she can get from selling her house," said Buck.

"You really told your sister that?" asked Athena.

Buck nodded, "Even if her late husband could have forced her to tell me to never contact me again, I have a right to decide if I want to reconnect with her or not. Whether she was pressured to or not, she told me that it's my fault that Daniel's dead and she wished that Mom and Dad decided not to have a savior sibling which ruined some of the progress I had made in therapy."

"Even if you don't know if your late brother-in-law forced your sister to say all of that or not, I agree you shouldn't give your sister the time of day or give her money," said Athena.

Hen nodded, "Even if you and Vivian have Vivian's brother, Aunt, Grandmother, and any friends you two have made on your own, you have a family with the 118."

"You even have me because you became mine when you saved my life," said Athena.

Then decided to bring up the trust fund, "You really spent most of your trust fund?" Hen asked.

"Aside from creating $300,000 college savings accounts for each kid, created accounts to pay for private school through 12th grade, various vacations over the years between deployments, buying new vehicles that fits all four kids for both of us outright, Vivian and I did buy a single-level five-bedroom and three and a half bath house for $5,00,000 outright so we won't have to worry about making mortgage payments. We each have around $400,000 left in our trust funds to save for emergcies and future family vacations," said Buck.

"And you both work full-time jobs even if it means Vivian has the summer off," said Athena.

"Which helps pay for our soon-to-be live-in nanny/housekeeper and pay our monthly bills and groceries even if Vivian is talking about growing some fruits and vegetables since the previous owners were into gardening," said Buck.

"Which means you'll have to spend days off during the school year doing the weeding," said Athena.

"I don't mind cooking, cleaning, and even mowing Vivian's and my half of the yard during days off bbecause I've already been taking the girls to their swimming lessons and even Betsy's ballet lessons," said Buck.

"Betsy does ballet?" asked Athena.

Buck nodded, "Betsy voiced that she wanted to do ballet like Vivian did from kindergarten through senior year of high school even if she's also a fellow adrenaline junkie."

"Who has to take a break due to pregnancy," added Hen.

Buck nodded, "She doesn't mind taking a break because we have already gone on vacations to Peru, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Italy, a few other countries during school breaks that lasted a week. On long weekends, we went on camping trips in National Parks, and visited various other cities between the time we met, fostering children, and my honorable discharge from the Navy. So we had our fun before we found out about Tilly being on the way,  moved here from San Diego so Vivian could teach at Durand and I could join the LAFD, and adopt Betsy."

Before anything else could be said or asked, the bell rang.

The following morning, Buck was helping Bobby with breakfast as he grinned when he saw a picture message from Vivian of pictures of Betsy and Tilly both wearing outfits consisting of red long-sleeved t-shirts saying SORRY BOYS, DADDY'S MY VALENTINE with red tights and red tutus. He quickly texted his wife back.

AWW, MY HEART IS MELTING INTO A PUDDLE OF GOO. 

Buck then showed Bobby the pictures, "Look at my little girls, Cap."

Bobby smiled at the picture of Betsy and Tilly in their Valentine's Day outfits, "They're adorable."

Buck grinned, "I know, and I can't believe that Tilly just turned ten-months-old three days ago."

"Already plotting her birthday party?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Yes, and I got her a onesie that says I'M THIS MANY with a hand flipping the bird. Betsy was giggling when I showed her the outfit, and I sworn her to secrecy on not telling her mother with ice cream and going shopping for three new dresses to choose for our next father//daughter date."

"Knowing Vivian, she's not going to be happy about that onesie," said Bobby.

"I don't care if I end up on the couch or our tent in the backyard or not," said Buck.

"Speaking of Tilly, do you think she's going to start walking before her first birthday or after?" asked Bobby.

"She's been able to stand while holding onto the coffee tables and the couch as she takes a few steps while hanging on," said Buck.

"That's good," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "And she loves trying new food, too. She already enjoys pasta, scrambled eggs, and the fruits and vegetables we puree into baby food."

"Not giving her peanut butter, honey, or any other foods you shouldn't give a baby until their first birthday yet?" asked Bobby.

"We haven't because I did a lot of research when Vivian and I first applied to become foster parents and then when Vivian was pregnant with Tilly. I still read books about babies, toddlers, and child development today because I want to be a better father than my sperm donor was to me," said Buck.

"You're a great father, Buck," said Bobby.

"So are you," said Buck.

"Even if I made the mistake of leaving the space heater on while high and drunk?" asked Bobby.

"You said there were a lot of fire code violations in that apartment building, and I know that every parent makes mistakes," said Buck.

Buck, Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, Jacob, Aunt Beatrice, and Grandma Felicity were having dinner together in Grandma Felicity's room.

Aunt Beatrice looked between Vivian and Jacob, "Your mother would be proud of the adults you two turned into."

Grandma Felicity, who was having a lucid day, nodded, "She'd be so pleased at how you are her mini-me, Vivian."

"And love you, Betsy, Tilly, Dria, and Drew," said Aunt Beatrice.

"While Lyle can rest in Hell. He nearly killed my only two grandchildren," said Grandma Felicity.

"You said a bad word, GiGi," said Betsy.

"Blame my failing memory for forgetting that there are kids in here," said Grandma Felicity.

The following morning, Buck, Bobby, Chimney, and a few other firefighters Buck had befriended at the 118, during his time filling in for someone else, or while meeting firefighters at first responder VA meetings.

Chimney looked between Buck and Tommy Kinard, "I can't believe I didn't realize you two knew each other until today."

Bobby nodded, "Tommy was supposed to be your trainer right now, but he transferred due to an opening at the Harbor Station."

"We had a good laugh about it when I told Tommy I got placed at the 118," said Buck.

"I heard from my ex-fiancee when her mother went missing a while back," said Tommy.

"Abby Clark?" asked Buck.

Tommy looked at Buck in shock, "You know her?" Tommy asked.

"At the beginning of the New Year, I helped her on a call when it was my turn to be the man behind. Later on she stole my number from the report, and she called me after she saw me on the National News as an attempt to see how I was doing after my first direct loss on the job went viral," said Buck.

"Abby stole your number from the report?" asked Tommy.

Buck nodded, "She did, and she didn't even bother calling me until after she saw what I looked like on TV when she thought I was single when I refused to answer the question about my relationship status."

"The Chief did call that reporter's boss about her question not being on an approved list of questions," said Bobby.

"I didn't state I was married because I don't want my egg and sperm donors and even my older sister near my wife and children after they all abandoned me when I was 14 or emotionally abused me with their words," said Buck. 

"Did you tell Abby you're married right away when you talked to her?" asked Tommy.

"When she texted that she got my number from the report and was hoping to call me, I quickly blocked her number on my cell phone and reported her to Dispatch because I was creeped out."

"I know she was trying to move on from me when I broke off the engagementt, but I can't blame you for blocking her number and reporting her to Dispatch. She's 16 years older than you, and wanting to ask out a much younger man she didn't know is married isn't healthy."

"At least Abby's boss isn't allowing her actions to slide. She got written up, sent to mandatory retraining, and mandated to attend therapy due to everything that's going on in her personal life."

Meanwhile, in Erie, Pennsylvania, Maddie Kendall had gotten her husband cremated, dumped his ashes down the toilet, put the house on the market, and decided to start the process to change her name from Maddie Kendall to Heather Johnson due to deciding to take her mother's maiden name after her father got her mother arrested. She didn't want to make it easier for her brother to realize she would be getting a job as a Dispatcher at the Dispatch center as soon as she sold the house, got rid of her late husband's belongings, and found a place to live in Los Angeles within the next couple of months.

Chapter Text

Buck and Vivian entered their new house with Betsy, Tilly, and Bobby, who was going to be babysitting Betsy and Tilly while Buck and Vivian went on their belated Valentine's Day date. They held off until they were moved into their freshly painted house, with furniture arranged to their liking and TV and internet set up.

Betsy's eyes widened as she took in the living room, which was painted a light blue and featured a brand-new dark blue Lovesac couch. "I love the living room."

"Good because it's nice to finally escape having white walls in the apartments we lived in," said Vivian.

Buck looked at Tilly, who was settled on his hip as she looked around the living room, "What do you think of our new house, Tilly? This is the very first house your Mommy and I bought, and we're looking forward to having you and your brother and sisters grow up in this house."

Tilly babbled.

"I think Tilly likes the house, Daddy," said Betsy.

Vivian rested her hands on her 24-week pregnant baby bump. "I'm grateful we quickly got the house painted and furniture set up while I'm still in the second trimester."

"Can I please go see my bedroom now?" asked Betsy.

"I need to pee because Dria and Drew are playing soccer and tap dancing on my bladder," said Vivian.

"I'll show you your bedroom," said Buck.

A smell was emitted, causing Vivian to look at Tilly. "Did you poop?" Vivian asked.

Tilly giggled.

"I'll change her so you can use the bathroom and Buck can show Betsy her bedroom, Vivian," said Bobby.

Buck passed Tilly to Bobby, "Thank you, and you know where Tilly's nursery is."

"I know where it is, and I'll take Tilly to the kitchen after," said Bobby.

Buck smirked at Bobby, who had already been given a key to the house, "I take it you're looking forward to invading the kitchen here?" Buck asked.

'It's huge, like the one at the 118, and the stove and countertops are better than the kitchen in my apartment," said Bobby.

Betsy took her father's hand, "Come on, Daddy. I want to see my bedroom."

"Let's go, Betsy," said Buck.

A minute later, Betsy's eyes widened as she stepped into her new bedroom. She looked in awe when she saw the shade of candyfloss pink she had picked out for her bedroom. Decorating the walls were posters featuring The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, as well as old pointe shoes and tutus that her mother had saved from when she was five through eighteen. There were even wall decals of ballerinas, pointe shoes, and the word DANCE on the walls. The floors consisted of hardwood floors that matched those in the dance studio she attended for ballet, with pink plush rugs, pink beanbag chairs by her bookshelf filled with her favorite books, and a white desk where she completed her schoolwork and artwork. There was a white queen-sized bed with a white comforter featuring pink roses and a pink bed skirt. Betsy's favorite part of her bedroom was the wall where a mirror with a ballet barre was attached. "I love my new bedroom, Daddy."

"I'm glad you like it, Princess Eliabeth. Pleease make sure to thank the 118, and other firefighters from other stations that have helped me put your bedroom together," said Buck.

Betsy hugged her father. "I will, Daddy. Can I see Tilly's nursery?" she asked.

"You can," said Buck.

A moment later, Betsy was exploring Tilly's nursery that had the crib her parents had in their bedroom at the apartment, lilac-colored walls with wall decals of lilacs, a quilt with lilacs, a fake lilac tree in the corner of the nursery, a rocking chair, white dresser, "Tilly's room is pretty like mine."

"I want the best for my three little girls and my one little boy," said Buck.

"I take it Dria is also going to have a nursery with bedding with flowers like Tilly and me?" asked Betsy.

"You got it, Betsy," said Buck.

"Are the nurseries for Dria and Drew done?" asked Betsy.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

"I want to see them, too," said Betsy.

A moment later, Betsy was grinning when she looked around Alexandria's nursery, which had a theme that dealt with sunflowers with light yellow paint, wall decals of sunflowers, a quilt with sunflowers over the white crib, "Dria's room is pretty, Daddy."

"I know," said Buck.

"What does Drew's nursery lool like?" asked Betsy.

"Let's go check it out," said Buck.

A moment later, Betsy was looking around the nursery that was a hot air balloon theme with the words OH, THE/ PLACES YOU WOULD GO, "Dr. Seuss, Daddy."

Buck nodded as he pointed at the pictures on the wall, "And there are pictures from my travels before and after I met your mother on the wall."

Betsy looked at the pictures her father had taken on trips. "Will we go on trips like you and Mommy went on when Tilly, Dria, and Drew are bigger?" she asked Betsy.

"We'll have future family vacations," said Buck.

"Can I please see yours and Mommy's room now?" asked Betsy.

"Sure," said Buck.

A moment later, Buck was showing his eldest daughter the bedroom she wouldn't be allowed in unless she was sick, had a nightmare, or ran in on his and Vivian's birthdays and Christmas Day.

"Your room is much bigger than mine," pouted Betsy.

"This is called the master bedroom, and it's known to be the biggest bedroom in a house," said Buck.

"It's dark blue," said Betsy.

Buck nodded, "Your mother and I picked a dark color for these walls and added room darkening curtains so I can sleep easier the morning after shifts I spend the night at the 118."

"Makes sense because it's sunny here a lot," said Betsy.

"Want to see the bathroom, too?" asked Buck.

"Yes, please," said Betsy.

Twenty seconds later, Betsy was drooling over the huge bathtub, which was a jet pool tub, and the walk-in shower located in a corner. "I hope Mommy and you will let me take baths in your tub like you two promised when we looked at this house."

"You'll still be allowed the occasional bath in this bathroom," said Buck.

As Buck showed Betsy the four bedrooms for her, her brother, and sisters, Bobby, who was over to babysit Betsy and Tilly so Buck and Vivian could finally go on their belated Valentine's Day date, looked at Vivian, who was already dressed up in a maternity dress with her hair curled up, "You and Buck found a great house and did a great job decorating with the help of a painting party."

"I appreciated the help because Buck refused to let me inside the house until the paint fumes smell went away," said Vivian.

"Do you think Betsy enjoyed seeing her new bedroom?" asked Bobby.

"I know she loves it because Buck and I allowed her to pick out the paint and paid the money to add a mirror and ballet barre so she can practice her dance moves in her bedroom. I just contributed my old tutus, pointe shoes, and the same posters dealing with ballet performances that I saved when I moved out," said Vivian.

"Buck said he doesn't have any decorations from his childhood bedroom to pass down to his kids," said Bobby.

Anger flashed through Vivian's eyes. "I know, and he described a blue jersey that had his last name on it, skateboards he had hung on his walls, a sports-themed lamp, and other decorations," said Vivian. She sighed, "At least his legal guardian helped him replace the clothes and his treasured books he left behind in Hershey."

"I take it you're glad Buck decided not to track down his parents when he married you and then became a father?" asked Bobby.

Vivian nodded, "I am because as an elementary school teacher, I dislike parents who don't give a damn about their child or allow their children to act like entitled spoiled brats and get away with their behavior."

"Mama," said Tilly.

Vivian turned to find Tilly standing alone, without anything to support her. "You're standing on your own, Tilly."

"Dada?" asked Tilly.

"You want Dada?" asked Vivian.

Tilly grinned and babbled.

"BUCK!" called out Vivian.

Meanwhile, Buck and Betsy were now unpacking Betsy's toys when they heard Vivian.

"BUCK!" shouted Vivian.

Buck and Betsy sprinted out of Betsy's room and hurried to the kitchen, where they found Tilly standing unsupported with a massive grin on her face.

Buck grinned at his ten-month-old daughter, "You're standing on your own, Angel."

Tilly took a bunch of wobbly steps towards her father, "Dada. Dada. Dada."

Buck grinned as he watched his youngest daughter walk towards him, "You're walking, Angel."

"Good goy, Tilly!" exclaimed Betsy.

Tilly reached her father with a huge grin, "Dada."

Buck swooped up Tilly, causing Tilly to giggle, "Daddy's so proud of you for taking your first steps during our first afternoon in our new house."

Vivian wiped at the tears that were flowing from her eyes, thanks to pregnancy hormones. "Watching Tilly reach a new milestone in our new house is the first big memory we're making in our new house."

"Are hormones from Dria and Drew making your cry, Mommy?" asked Betsy.

Vivian nodded, "Yes, Ladybug."

Bobby, who was wistful about Robbie's and Brooke's first steps, looked at Betsy, "Did you enjoy seeing your new room, Betsy?" Bobby asked.

"I did, and thank you for helping Daddy set up my room. I love the little area that was set up for me to practice my ballet moves," said Betsy.

"I'm glad you love your new bedroom, Betsy. Your Daddy, Bobby, Chimney, Tommy, and a bunch of other people worked hard and fast to paint all five bedrooms, the living room, dining room, the bathrooms, and even the kitchen between shifts and setting up the furniture before today."

"It helped I was able to be given the past two weeks off so I could focus on the house," said Buck.

"Working overtime with B-shift, C-shift at the 118 and other stations helped you get the past two weeks off," said Bobby.

"Now I just have to think about how I'm going to handle paternity leave to bond with Dria and Drew," said Buck.

"We'll figure it out even if it means switching you to 12-hour shifts for a few weeks and you can work as man-behind to catch up on some sleep," said Bobby.

"And we also have Julia living with us to help out with nighttime feedings and diaper changes," said Vivian.

"At least deployments from my time in the Navy and now working as a firefighter helped me adjust to getting less sleep," said Buck.  

A while later, Buck, who was in his best suit and had yet to tie his tie, was grabbing the Brita pitcher from the fridge and pouring himself a glass of water.

"I take it Vivian is getting ready?" asked Bobby.

Buck looked over at the table where Tilly was in her high chair, eating a snack, and Bobby and Betsy were coloring together, "She's dressed and doing her hair right now. I have to tie my tie, straighten my curls with gel, and get my shoes on."

"Leave your curls loose, Daddy. I like it when your hair is curly like Tilly's," said Betsy.

"Are you sure?" asked Buck.

Betsy nodded confidently, "Mommy hates it that you straighten your hair with a lot of gel and wishes you'd leave your hair curly. She hopes Dria and Drew have curly hair like you and Tilly."

Buck laughed, "Then I'll leave my curls along, Betsy the fashionista."

"Back on topic of your tie, let me tie your tie for you," said Bobby.

"I learned when I was a teenager when my guardian showed me how to tie a tie when I was 14," said Buck. He then thought about Bobby, missing the opportunity to tie Robbie's tie. "Since you want to, I'll let you tie my tie for me."

A moment later, Bobby was quickly tying Buck's tie.

"Thanks," said Buck. He then grabbed his suit jacket, which he had draped over a stool, and put it on. "How do I look?" Buck asked.

Bobby quickly fixed the lapels of the suit jacket. "You look great."

"You look handsome like you did when you took me on a Daddy/Daughter date the other day, Daddy," said Betsy.

"Thank you," said Buck.

"Are you ready to return to work soon?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I'm looking forward to seeing the craziness that can happen during the upcoming full moon. I've read the journals that Vivian's uncle wrote that described his shifts and the shifts he worked during full moons."

Vivian entered the kitchen with her hair done in loose curls. "If you're talking about full moons, Tilly was one of the many babies born at First Presbyterian during the full moon on April 11th. last year."

"Are you sad about Tilly turning one in a month and a half?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I am, but I'm enjoying the personality she developed."

"Aunt Bea statedTilly didn't inherit my personality, but I'm hoping Dria is calm and collected like me if Drew ends up being like his father," said Vivian.

Buck grinned at his wife, "I know you don't regret asking me out for breakfast after I helped you with your Jeep.'

Vivian kissed her husband's cheek. "Meeting you, marrying you, and having children with you have been some of the best moments in my life."

During the next couple of hours, Buck and Vivian enjoyed a lovely dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant, then went to their favorite diner for milkshakes, and finally took a walk together along the beach.

Vivian looked out towards the ocean, where waves were breaking. "I can't wait to get back to surfing when I'm cleared to go swimming together."

"I know Betsy's looking forward to learning how to surf after she turns six," said Buck.

"At least we got her into swimming lessons when we first took her in and she excelled," said Vivian.

"While Tilly has excelled in her ISR courses we enrolled her in," said Buck.

Buck's phone vibrated, causing Buck to see a picture message from Julia. He smiled when he saw a picture of Bobby dozing on the Lovesac couch, which had been converted into a bed with Tilly sleeping on his chest and his arm wrapped around a napping Betsy. On the opposite side of Bobby, there was a book on the couch: "Even if it was sad to learn about his late wife and children, Bobby sure adores Betsy and Tilly."

"I've known you jokingly called him Pops a few times, but do you think we should ask him to be Betsy, Tilly, Dria, and Drew's grandfather since the kids don't have a grandfather?" Vivian asked.

"We should ask him because he'll think about the grandchildren he could have gotten from Robbie and Brooke," said Buck.

Chapter Text

Buck was cleaning the engine when he heard his eldest daughter's voice, "Hi, Daddy."

Buck turned around to find Vivian pushing a stroller holding Tilly and Betsy, walking a chocolate lab puppy. "Why do you three have a puppy?" asked Buck.

"You know the hole in the fence in the backyard you have yet to fix and the dog door we have by our patio door?" asked Vivian.

"Yes," said Buck.

"Julia found this puppy lying down underneath Tilly's crib at lunchtime, and realized it was a stray due to how dirty it was and how thin she was," said Vivian.

"Tilly, Julia, and I took Dory to the vet, and the vet said there was no microchip and Dory looked to be the size of a six-month-old puppy," said Betsy.

"Did you already name the puppy before we talk to Daddy about whether we should keep her or not?" asked Vivian.

"She needs to be named Dory because she was using Tilly's stuffed Dory as a pillow, Mommy," said Betsy.

"I take it you begged Mommy about us keeping Dory if she said I should be asked, too?" asked Buck.

Betsy nodded, "I always wanted a dog, Daddy. Now we have the space and yard for a dog, and Julia's home every day to take care of Dory when you and Mommy are at work or you're sleeping off a shift, Daddy."

Buck looked at his wife, "What do you think? We were talking about getting a pet when Dria and Drew were a couple of months old."

"We should keep her. Betsy and even Tilly already love Dory, and Dory got excited when she sniffed my baby bump when I came home from Durand," said Vivian.

"Then we'll keep her," said Buck.

Betsy ran to her father and hugged him, "Thank you so much, Daddy. I already promised Mom that I'll help take care of Dory. I'll give her food and water, pick up her poop, and teach her how to sit, lay down, and shake hands"

"You're welcome, Princess Elizabeth," said Buck. He then knelt to the floor and started petting Dory, "Hello, Dory. Aren't you a beautiful girl?"

Dory started kissing Buck's face, causing Buck to laugh.

"Dory likes you, Daddy," said a grinning Betsy. She then smiled when she saw Bobby at the railing, "BOBBY, COME MEET DORY!"

"Dory?" asked Bobby.

"My new puppy that Julia found napping under Tilly's crib while using Tilly's stuffed Dory, you got her for Christmas as a pillow. Her full name will be Dory Luna Buckley because of her loving Tilly's stuffed Dory, and she came into our life around the time of the full moon," said Betsy.

"Dory Luna Buckley is a beautiful name," said Buck.

A moment later, Bobby, Hen, Chimney, and a few other firefighters came to meet Dory.

"She's adorable," said Hen.

Betsy nodded, "She started kissing me when she saw me enter Tilly's nursery with Julia and Tilly."

"Don't give Denny ideas on getting a puppy, Betsy," said Hen.

"I can't make any promises," said Betsy.

Vivian shook her head, "You've been extra sassy today, like all of my students were this morning before I took the afternoon off for my doctor's appointment."

"Must be the full moon that's happening tonight," said Buck.

Vivian nodded, "If I weren't pregnant, I'd be drinking a glass of wine right now."

"As soon as you're ready to drink wine again after birth, you can join Karen, Athena, and me for a wine night where you can drink all the wine you want to while Buck's on kid duty," said Hen.

"That sounds good," said Vivian.

Betsy looked at Bobby, who was petting Dory, "Mommy said that her Uncle James had a chocolate lab named Ember as their station dog when she was a kid. Dory can become the station dog for the 118."

Dory barked as she kissed Bobby's face.

"I think Dory's begging you to be a station dog, Bobby," said Betsy, as she gave Bobby her puppy-dog eyes.

"I can see about getting Dory trained to become a search & rescue dog and take her to courses that are mandatory on my days off," said Buck.

"Please, Bobby?" asked Betsy.

"You don't want to have Dory home with you when you're not in school?" asked Bobby.

"Fire stations need a dog, and I'll share my puppy with the 118," said Betsy.

"Fine," said Bobby.

"Mommy?" asked Betsy.

"Yes, Betsy?" asked Vivian.

"Can we please go to the pet store to buy Dory toys, a new collar, a leash, a pet bed, food, and bowls? I took the $50 I had in allowance out of my bank to buy things for Dory."

"We can go to the pet store to buy Dory everything she needs," said Vivian.

Buck pulled out his wallet and pulled out $100, "Here's extra because $50 isn't going to be enough to get everything Dory needs."

"Thank you, Daddy," said Betsy.

After getting a little girl out of the claw machine and giving her a stuffed cow, Buck, who had given an employee $1 for the cow, walked out of the arcade with his bag of tools. He quickly decided to call Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly to say goodnight.

Vivian, who answered on the second ring, said, "You're just in time to say goodnight to Betsy and Tilly because I'm going to be putting Tilly down. Betsy's with us."

"Dory is with us, too," chimed in Betsy.

Buck started to howl like a coyote, and he laughed as he heard Dory try to copy his howls.

Betsy cackled with laughter, "You're silly, Daddy."

Tilly giggled, "Dada."

Vivian laughed, "I married an adorkable man-child who makes me swear that I'm about to be a mother to five kids instead of four."

Buck laughed, "I know you love me for being a big kid around children."

"You being great with children is one of the reasons why I married you," said Vivian.

Buck grinned despite his wife not seeing him smile, "I'm so ready for tonight."

Vivian laughed, "Due to it being a full moon?" Vivian asked.

Buck thought about what Hen and Athena knew: that Vivian's students misbehave on a day when there's going to be a full moon. "Yes. We both know that during every full moon, the freaks come out. Crime increases, emergency rooms are packed, animals and kids go nuts."

Vivian laughed, "Speaking of kids going nuts, Tilly had a massive blowout earlier, and I've just been playing a lot of music for Betsy to dance to so she can release her energy."

"I love dancing, Daddy. Dory tilts her head to the music," said Betsy.

Buck laughed, "I know the feeling when Tilly has diaper blowouts. Just wait until Dria and Drew are here and we go through their first of many full moons."

"When you're not on shift during the first full moon after Drew and Dria's births, you're changing both Tilly, Dria, and Drew's diapers all night long," said Vivian.

"We'll take turns," said Buck.

"Have any calls that dealt with the full moon yet?" asked Betsy.

Buck laughed, "I just pulled a kid out of a claw machine before giving her a stuffed cow as a reward for getting through the hole."

"You sure love those calls, Buck," laughed Vivian.

"They're one of my favorite calls," said Buck. He took a breath, "As much as I love talking to my three favorite ladies, I should hang up and focus on work."

"Stay safe and I love you, Daddy," said Betsy.

"I love you, too, Betsy," said Buck. He then addressed Tilly, "Be good for Mommy, and don't keep her up all night, Tilly."

"Dada. Dada. Dada," said Tilly.

"I love you, Tilly," said Buck.

"She just smiled as she closed her eyes," said Vivian.

"I love you, Vivian," said Buck.

"I love you, too. I know you texted me that you're partnered with Bobby tonight, but don't drive him crazy tonight," said Vivian.

"I can't make any promises," said Buck before hanging up.

After dropping off the woman who needed an emergency c-section at the hospital, Bobby looked at Buck, "You might be a probie, but I'm grateful that you're already a father because you knew what to do without me instructing you."

Buck grinned, "Even before I met Vivian, my former teammates and I came upon a woman in labor during one of our deployments. Due to there being no doctor or midwife nearby, we ended up assisting with the delivery of the baby. Then, I was also in the delivery room for Tilly's birth while the moon was full outside."

"You mentioned that Vivian does yoga, so I take it that you've done yoga with her?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "We always wake up an hour before the girls to do some yoga together and work out on the workout equipment we own. Even if I'm on a 24-hour shift, Vivian will wake up to do some yoga and use my hand weights and the treadmill. She also goes to the same yoga studio we were at."

"No wonder the instructor recognized you," said Bobby.

"She came to the hospital to meet Tilly, and I was in the room napping on the couch, having skin-to-skin contact with a sleeping Tilly," said Buck.

"Are you looking forward to Alexandria and Andrew arriving in June?" asked Bobby.

"I'm excited and sad," said Buck.

"Sad?" asked Bobby.

"Vivian decided she'll be done being pregnant after the twins are born. She opted to get a c-section so her remaining tube could be surgically removed since her other tube was removed when she was six," said Buck.

Before Bobby could say something, Buck's phone then vibrated, causing Buck to laugh when he saw a text message from Vivian.

STUPID MOON. BETSY WON'T FALL ASLEEP BECAUSE SHE KEEPS ON GOING TO CHECK ON DORY, WHO I LOCKED INSIDE HER KENNEL.

"What's going on?" asked Bobby.

"Betsy won't fall asleep because she wants to keep checking on Dory. She usually gets less sleep during the nights with full moons," said Buck.

A short while later, Buck and Bobby were sitting on the edge of a bathroom tub examining a man named Connor, who complained about intense stomach cramps and felt like John Hurt from "Alien" when he called 9-1-1.

Connor's partner, Paul, started talking about having sushi for dinner and claimed that Connor had an upset stomach, while Connor gave Paul a warning, complaining that he felt something moving inside him.

Buck, who had heard the word "sushi" and was thinking about a few of his deployments in areas where clean water was scarce, and even how careful he and Vivian were when cooking fish they caught during camping trips over a campfire, looked at Paul. At the same time, Bobby felt around Connor's stomach, "Do you guys eat a lot of sushi?" Buck asked.

"He does. About four or five times a week," said Paul.

"If you've been eating sushi about four to five times a week and complaining you're feeling something moving around you, I believe consuming raw fish that often could have caused you to ingest a tapeworm that's finally making itself known, Connor," said Buck.

"A tapeworm?" asked Connor.

Buck glanced at Bobby, who looked a bit green at the mention of a tapeworm, before he focused on Connor, "Eating raw fish or meat that's not frozen properly or cooked thoroughly can cause you to unknowingly ingest a tapeworm or develop salmonella due to eating raw fish. Most people may not be aware that they have a tapeworm inside them if it passes through their intestines and is expelled in their feces. Sometimes. Parasites and tapeworms don't pass naturally through your body and cause you a lot of pain and diarrhea."

"Which he has been dealing with," said Paul.

Connor groaned and cried in pain while Buck gestured to the door with his chin.

Disgusted at what Buck described, Bobby said, "Let's get him into the ambulance."

A short while later, Buck was applying tape over the IV he had inserted into Connor's hand while Connor complained about his pain, with Paul comforting him as Bobby mentioned he'll get a scan at the hospital.

Connor, who felt something under his leg, said, "There's something under my leg. It's slimy."

Buck looked at Bobby, "It could be the tapeworm."

Bobby shuddered, but decided to follow Buck's instincts, "All right, let's turn him and check it out."

Buck and Bobby worked together on turning Connor onto his side, and Buck gave a slight grin when he realized he was right about Connor having a tapeworm inside him.

Bobby became disgusted when he saw the tapeworm coming out of Connor's butt, "Oh."

Buck, who wasn't grossed out, touched the tapeworm that was Connor's neither region with his gloved-up fingers and a grin, "I was right about you having a tapeworm inside of you."

Paul realized where the worm was coming out, "Wait, it's coming out of his…," Paul said. He became more disgusted as he watched a grinning Buck still touching the tapeworm with his gloved hands, "Oh, I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh, get it out. Get it out!" begged Connor.

Looking at the worm, despite being grossed out, Paul saw the open mouth. "Oh, I can see the mouth."

Buck looked at his grossed-out boss, "I mean, we can pull it out."

Bobby, who was utterly grossed out, shook his head as he protested, while mentioning that they were almost to the hospital, where the worm would be taken care of. Connor would be given medication to kill any further worms, while they'd get to go home since their shift is pretty much over.

Connor started protesting the drug, calling it toxic and a medication that turned his urine brown while begging for the tapeworm to be removed.

Buck gave Bobby his puppy dog eyes as he silently begged his Captain to let him remove it.

Bobby shook his head before looking at Buck, "It's all you, Buck."

An amused Buck looked at his Captain, "Really? So you have no problem delivering a baby, but this creeps you out?" Buck asked.

"Seniority has its advantages," said Bobby.

Connor continued to plead for the tapeworm to be removed.

Buck started slowly pulling the worm with his fingers, "Okay."

Bobby, who was grossed out, frowned at the slow pace Buck was going at removing the worm, "What are you waiting for? Get it out."

Buck, leaning forward as he slowly worked on removing the tapeworm, spoke up, "I have to be careful, all right? If it breaks, it'll crawl back inside and regenerate."

Bobby turned his head as he started to gag, "Oh..."

Buck then spent time pulling out the tapeworm while giving out multiple facts, which grossed out Bobby, Connor, and Paul.

As Buck neared the end, Bobby looked at Buck, "How do you know so much about tapeworms?" Bobby asked.

"I've been to countries in South America, Central America, Asia, and even Africa for humanitarian trips through my high school, deployments when I was in the military, and vacations," said Buck. He realized that the worm was almost entirely removed. "These things are as common as house cats," said Buck as he pulled out the worm with a loud pop.

Bobby, Connor, and Paul groaned at the sight of the long tapeworm, which Buck placed into a bag Bobby held out while calling the tapeworm a boy as Connor passed out.

When the shift was over, a grinning Buck changed into civilian clothing while Bobby shook his head as Hen and Chimney entered the locker room.

Hen shook her head at the sight of Buck excitedly bouncing around the locker room, talking about full moons, "Seems like you had a fun full moon shift full of chaos, Buckaroo."

Buck laughed, "Imagine extracting a child from a claw machine, assisting in a multiple births at a yoga studio, and having to be the one to remove a seven-foot tapeworm that was sticking out from someone's ass."

Hen held up her hand, "Hold you, you ended up having to remove a tapeworm instead of allowing the doctors at the hospital to do it?" Hen asked.

Buck grinned, "The patient begged for it to be removed, and I have witnessed tapeworms be removed during community service trips in countries where tapeworms were common, deployments, and vacations I've been on between deployments and becoming a father. Bobby was so grossed out that he gave me the honor to remove the worm before we could drop the patient off at the hospital."

A grossed-out Chimney said, "You were warned about parasites during your travels?" asked Chimney.

Buck nodded, "I ended up doing some research so I'd know what to expect about the conditions. I learned that there would be areas that have a lack of proper sanitation, only drink water that is bottled or purified by boiling, wash utensils well, don't eat raw meat, be careful around dogs that didn't get treatment, and wash fruit and veggies."

"Good," said Hen.

Buck nodded, "Did you know that there are three tapeworm species? One is Taenia saginata, a beef tapeworm. Then there's the Taenia solium, which is a pork tapeworm. Lastly, there's the Taenia asiatica, which is an Asian tapeworm," said Buck. He grinned, "The longest tapeworm that was removed from someone in India and it was 82 feet long."

Bobby paled, "Please stop talking about tapeworms."

Chimney nodded, "I'm with Bobby."

Buck looked at Chimney with wide eyes, "You're afraid of tapeworms like you are of snakes?" Buck asked.

"Yes," said Chimney.

Buck opened his mouth, but Bobby rested a hand on his shoulder, "Get home to your wife and daughters so you can take over Tilly duty so Vivian can sleep."

When Buck got into his and Vivian's apartment, he found his wife fast asleep on the couch with Tilly on her chest. He went over to his wife and daughter, pecking Vivian's lips while gently removing his daughter, "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Tilly, who recognized her father's scent, opened her eyes and grinned, "Dada."

Vivian opened her eyes and smiled at her husband, "I thought I told you not to drive Bobby crazy tonight."

Buck smirked, "Bobby tattled?" Buck asked.

"He texted me that you did great at assisting in your first call that deals with women in labor," said Vivian. She glanced at Tilly and decided not to swear, "But you were quite the little stinker all evening until he sent you home."

Buck laughed, "I take that as a compliment."

"Were you going on about full moons causing craziness throughout the night?" asked Vivian.

"Yes, and I finally learned what can gross Bobby out," said Buck excitedly.

"What grosses him out?" asked Vivian.

"Tapeworms," said Buck.

Vivian shook her head. "You ended up having a call about a tapeworm?" Vivian asked.

"Someone called 9-1-1 complaining about intense stomach cramping and is feeling like he's about to give birth. When Bobby and I were examining him, we learned that he eats sushi four to five times a week," said Buck.

Vivian realized what her husband meant: "Even if sushi is healthy, it has lean protein content and provides healthy fats and carbohydrates, eating raw fish often would cause the risk of devouring a tapeworm to be higher."

Buck nodded, "He wasn't feeling that well for a while because he had a tapeworm that was possibly taller than me coming out of his nether region."

"Thank you for not saying the A-word," said Vivian.

Buck nodded while continuing, "He was begging to get it removed, and because of me not being grossed out, Bobby gave me the go-ahead to remove the tapeworm myself."

Vivian, who wasn't grossed out because she loved biology in high school, grinned, "While you're being little stinker part that comes in, would you be telling Bobby and the occupants in the back of the ambulance facts about tapeworms and grossing them out?" Vivian asked.

Buck nodded, "I was even giving facts at the station, and Chimney got freaked out."

"After all the crap you dealt with from Chimney about his jealously, I would have loved it if he was the one whohad to watch you pull a tapeworm out of someone's ass," said Vivian.

Buck laughed, "You just swore in front of our daughter."

Vivian put her hands over her mouth. "Hopefully, Tilly doesn't remember that I said the naughty word for tush."

"Ass," said Tilly.

Vivian groaned, "Fuck."

Buck laughed, "Stop swearing in front of Tilly."

Tilly grinned, "Fuck."

Buck passed Tilly to Vivian; as he slid to the floor laughing with a proud look on his face, as he sputtered, "Tilly's almost 11 months old and said her first two curse words while a full moon is still out."

Vivian, whose face was fire engine red, groaned, "Please don't encourage our daughter to swear. We knew that she was going to be smart because I'm a teacher, I was raised by a teacher, you lived with teachers in Hershey and then Portland, and you're intelligent even if math was your weakest subject in school."

Buck nodded as he thought about his habit of reading what he was researching out loud to Tilly, "While we read a lot to Betsy and Tilly too."

"While Betsy practices her reading by reading out loud to Tilly," said Vivian.

"Mommy?" asked Betsy.

Vivian groaned as she looked at her eldest, "What are you doing up, young lady? I had to keep tucking you back into bed tonight."

Betsy held up her tumbler, "I ran out of water. Can you or Daddy please fill it up for me?" Betsy asked..

"Yes," said Vivian.

Tilly toddled around the living room, "Ass. Fuck."

Buck continued laughing as he ended up rolling around on the floor.

"Tilly said ass and fuck, and Daddy's being a little shit laughing after Tilly says bad words while rolling around the floor, Mommy," said Betsy before putting her hands over her mouth. "Sorry, Mommy and Daddy."

"Ass. Fuck. Shit," said Tilly.

Buck continued laughing, "I'm dead. Tilly said her third swear word during the full moon."

Vivian looked at the ceiling, "Dear God, please make Alexandria and Andrew take after me instead of their father."

"It's your fault you swore the first two words, and Tilly repeated them," said Buck.

Vivian looked at Betsy, "Close yours and Tilly's eyes, please."

Betsy followed her mother's orders: "Are you going to stick your middle fingers out at Daddy, Mommy?" Betsy asked.

Vivian flipped the bird at her husband, who laughed even harder.

Buck laughed, "I love our blissfully chaotic family and the chaos we deal with during full moons."

"I'm hungry," said Betsy.

"It's time for bed, Betsy," said Vivian.

Buck looked at his wife, "How about you get to bed while I feed Betsy before getting the girls tucked into their bed or crib," said Buck.

"Are you sure? I doubt you got any sleep yet," said Vivian.

"Positive," said Buck.

"Alright," said Vivian.

Two minutes later, Buck was fixing Tilly a bottle as he looked at his eldest. "Do you want to help me play a prank on Bobby right now?" Buck asked.

"What type of prank, Daddy?" asked Betsy.

"My last call of this shift involved me pulling a huge tapeworm out of someone's butt due to how much sushi they eat," said Buck.

Betsy's eyes widened. "Cool."

"I don't think they'll be eating much sushi anymore," said Buck.

"What does tapeworms have to deal with pranking Bobby?" asked Betsy.

"He was very grossed out when we found out we encountered a tapeworm, and I was thinking we could make ramen noodles because they're long enough to mimic tapeworms."

"And take a picture to send to Bobby?" asked Betsy.

"Yes," said Buck.

Betsy grinned, "Let's do it, Daddy."

A short while later, Bobby got a picture message from Buck of Buck and Betsy eating ramen noodles.

DON'T RAMEN NOODLES LOOK LIKE TAPEWORMS?

Bobby shook his head as he replied.

I TAKE IT YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO LET ME LIVE IT DOWN?

Twenty seconds later, Bobby got a reply.

I'M NEVER GOING TO LET YOU LIVE IT DOWN. BEFORE YOU ASK, BETSY'S STILL AWAKE BECAUSE SHE'S BEING A NIGHT OWL TONIGHT INSTEAD AND COMPLAINED THAT SHE'S HUNGRY. TILLY'S STILL AWAKE, TOO. I OFFERED TO REMAIN AWAKE WITH THE GIRLS SO VIVIAN CAN GET SOME SLEEP. I'M SO PROUD OF TILLY BECAUSE SHE SAID HER FIRST THREE SWEAR WORDS, THANKS TO VIVIAN AND EVEN BETSY.

Chapter Text

Buck and Vivian walked through a park, with Betsy riding her training-wheel-clad bike next to them, Tilly napping in a stroller pushed by Vivian, and Buck walking Dory.

"With how well you're doing, we're soon going to be taking off your training wheels, Princess," said Buck.

"How old were you when you got rid of training wheels, Daddy?" asked Betsy.

"I was your age, and my older sister taught me," said Buck.

"The same sister I heard you talking to Mommy about wanting to take your trust fund?" asked Betsy.

"You shouldn't be evesdropping," said Vivian.

"Sorry, Mommy," said Betsy.

"Either way, I spennt most of my trust fund on our house, multiple vacations, buying vehicles, and money to send you and your siblings to Durand and college," said Buck.

"Good," said Betsy. She looked at her mother. "Are you excited to get your cast off soon?" Betsy asked.

Vivian nodded, "I have an appointment next week, and I'm looking forward to having two hands again."

A woman walked over and noticed Buck's birthmark before she noticed the silicone wedding band on Buck's left ring finger, a young pregnant woman with a bridal set on her left ring finger, a little girl with blonde hair and big hazel eyes, and the baby girl who looked like Buck down to the birthmark in the stroller. The woman looked at Buck with a furious look, "Hello, Evan."

A confused Buck looked at the woman. "Um, hi?" Buck asked.

"You don't recognize me?" the woman asked.

Buck shook his head. "I've never seen you before."

"My name is Daphne B. We've been sending each other DMs on MySpace for the past month. You said that I had the prettiest eyes you'd ever seen. They're real, unlike your profile status. You said you were single, but is being married and a father the reason why you refuse to meet me in person?" Daphne asked.

Buck looked at his wife, "I'm not having an affair with you, Vivian nor do I have a MySpace account."

"I believe you because I didn't see recognition in your eyes," said Vivian. She glared at Daphne, "I'm Vivian Buckley, Buck's wife. I agree with my husband that he doesn't have a MySpace account because we only stick with Facebook and Instagram. We do keep our accounts private for the safety of our daughters and the twins we're expecting."

"Even before I went viral, I'm always careful about what I post and who I friend and follow," said Buck.

"Plus, Buck never flirts with women he meets on a call because he's been faithful to me during the five years we've been together," said Vivian.

Daphne thought about the profile Evan claimed to be fake and started asking questions to ensure Evan was telling the truth. "Are you a Yankees fan?" Daphne asked.

Buck shook his head, "I'm not a Yankees fan because if I was into baseball, I'd be cheering for the Phillies or Priates because I'm from Pennsylvania."

"When's my birthday?" asked Daphne.

"I don't know," said Buck.

Daphne asked a few more questions that she answered on MySpace. When she realized the man in front of her was being impersonated, she sighed, "You're right that I wasn't chatting with you, and I was catfished by someone impersonating you. I'm deeply sorry for confronting you in front of your wife and daughters."

Vivian looked at Daphne, "I think we should head to the police."

Buck nodded, "He could be talking to multiple women at once, and it's better to have either the police or NCIS deal with him now instead of later. I'm a probationary firefighter, and my career can be tarnished if this guy who is impersonating me is talking to multiple women at once when my station, a few other stations, and headquarters know that I'm married and a father."

"Let's go," said Daphne.

"What's catfished, Daddy? I take it this isn't the catfish that people can go fishing for?" asked Betsy.

"We'll explain later," said Vivian.

A short while later, Buck, Vivian, and Daphne sat before Athena after Buck and Vivian had dropped Betsy, Tilly, and Dory by Julia, who was done mopping the hardwood floors in the house.

"What's the problem, Buckaroo?" asked Athena.

Buck looked at Athena, "Someone started impersonating me on MySpace after that call that made me go viral after I climbed that roller coaster in January."

"I know that my husband doesn't have a MySpace account because we only use Facebook and Instagram, and you know that Buck is careful about who he friends or allow to follow him online," said Vivian.

"I know, but who is this woman?" asked Athena.

"I'm Daphne, and I've been messaging someone who is claiming to be Evan Buckley on MySpace," said Daphne.

"Can you show me the account, Daphne?" asked Athena.

"I'll pull it up right now," said Daphne.

A minute later, Buck looked at the profile of 'Evan Buckley' on MySpace, "That's my Facebook picture, and nothing in that bio is true."

"While you didn't know the answers to the questions I asked you on topics I talked to the fake Evan Buckley about and I answered the questions you asked me about your birthday, hometown, hobbies, and favorite books and movies incorrectly," said Daphne.

Athena spoke up, "I believe that we should get Cyber crimes involved so they can track down whoever is impersonating you through the IP address, find out if this guy is messaging anyone else, and have someone message each person and tell them that they're not messaging you."

"Maybe we should involve NCIS because I was a member of the Navy and there's an office here in Los Angeles," said Buck.

"You were in the Navy?" asked Daphne.

Buck nodded, "Joined in 2009 and got honorabally discharged in 2016."

"Back to NCIS, you think it's their juristiction?" asked Athena.

Buck nodded, "We never know if anyone the fake 'Evan Buckley' is talking to was someone who's trying to get back at me from my time in the Navy."

"Then we'll get NCIS involved, too," said Athena.

"While Buck should also let Human Resources and Bobby know what's going on too, so the rest of his probationary period isn't affected," said Vivian.

"I agree," said Athena.

Vivian looked at her husband, who had some fury flashing through his eyes, "I know that you're angry and want to deal with this guy yourself, but please let the police deal with him."

Athena nodded, "Even if I know you can shoot a gun, you're still a probationary firefighter. You don't want to get in trouble for wanting to beat up this guy yourself."

A half hour later, Buck, Vivian, and Daphne met with someone from Cybercrimes, accompanied by NCIS members. Within half an hour, the IP address was identified, leading to the arrest of multiple individuals.

Later on that evening, Buck, Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, and Bobby were eating dinner that Buck and Vivian cooked together at the Buckley family home.

"What's going on that caused you two to ask me over for dinner at the last minute?" asked Bobby.

"I found out that someone decided to impersonate me on MySpace after seeing me on the news following the call at the Winter Carnival I went viral," said Buck.

Vivian looked at Bobby, "We only use Facebook and Instagram for social media, and we're careful about who we allow to friend us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram."

"I know you two are careful about who you allow to see pictures and videos of Betsy and Tilly online. Pus, Buck never accepts phone numbers or flirt while on calls," said Bobby.

"Do you believe us that Buck doesn't have a MySpace account, too?" asked Vivian.

"Even though catfishing isn't illegal in California unless the perpetrator is asking for money, we did go to Athena for this, and we also consulted with NCIS and Cybercrimes just in case this guy or anyone who was talking to this guy was from my past in the Navy," said Buck.

"Buck also managed to get an appointment with HR tomorrow because one of the interviews took place in front of the 118," said Vivian.

"You believe that there are more women being catfished by the guy who's impersonating you?" asked Bobby.

"That's how cat-fishers work. They'll lose interest and move on to the next person," said Vivian.

"I also added to my profiles on Facebook and Instagram that I don't have a MySpace account, too," said Buck.

"Good, and hopefully, this guy is found; all the victims are told that they aren't talking to you, and the page gets shut down," said Bobby.

"I hope so, too," said Buck.

ccccccccccc

The following day, Buck, who chose to get dressed in his work pants and his LAFD t-shirt at home, was meeting with a human resources representative to let them know that he found out that someone was impersonating him on MySpace ever since the roller coaster call and went to the police and told his captain. He ended up meeting with a union lawyer to discuss options for what can be done when the person impersonating him is found.

Two hours later, the guy who was posing as Buck on MySpace was being interviewed by NCIS when he had a heart attack when the NCIS agent told him that Evan Buckley was a former US Navy SEAL and is a husband and a father.

After meeting with a union lawyer, Buck hurried into the station to find Hen and Chimney cleaning the ambulance. He quickly checked in with Bobby to let him know that HR and the Union were on his side before heading downstairs to work on the chores that the C-shift team had been doing.
xxxxxxxxx
Buck was doing inventory in the firetruck when Hen and Chimney approached him.

"Is everything alright with Vivian, Betsy, or Tilly?" asked Hen.

"They're fine," said Buck.

"You're late, and you didn't mention any doctors' appointments during our last shift," said Chimney.

"I arranged it with Bobby something happened that caused Vivian and me to involve the police and even involve NCIS to be safe," said Buck.

Concern flashed through Chimney's eyes, "What happened?" Chimney asked.

"After I went viral in January, someone decided to impersonate me on MySpace, which I don't have an account on, to chat with women after I refused to answer the question about my relationship status. One of the women who was talking to this guy recognized me from seeing me on the news and my Facebook profile picture that was stolen, and accused me of cheating on my wife when she saw my wedding band, Vivian's bridal set, and noticed Betsy and Tilly. Vivian believed me because she didn't see recognition in my eyes when the victim approached me and knew that I never lie to her about what I did on calls or what I cooked at the 118," said Buck.

Chimney mimicked the move of being shot in the heart, "Low blow about the lying to a significant other."

Hen, who recently slept with her ex-wife and didn't want to say anything, said, "I know you wouldn't cheat on Vivian because you've been talking about her non-stop since your first day."

Chimney, who realized that it could have been a fun way for him to haze Buck, decided to hold back that he wished he had thought of a prank like that. "I believe you, too. You don't lie to your wife like I did with Tatiana about rescues."

"Please tell me that you went to Athena for help," said Hen.

"I did, and she had me talk to someone from Cybercrimes and NCISbecause the woman who confronted me showed the page to the police, and an IP address was found," said Buck.

"You're going to let the police and NCIS deal with it instead of confronting the guy who could have ruined your marriage if Vivian didn't believe you?" asked Chimney.

"Vivian begged me to let the police handle it before I could say that I wanted to confront the guy," said Buck.

Before Hen or Chimney could respond, the alarm went off.

Later on that afternoon at 3 PM, Buck was at the station cleaning the engine when he saw Athena enter the station. He saw Athena gesture towards Bobby's office.

Buck, Bobby, and Athena were in Bobby's office minutes later.

"I have told Bobby what's going on and met with HR this morning, but are you here with an update?" asked Buck.

Athena nodded, "The man who was impersonating you was found at a trailer park where he lived as a shut-in for almost two years, messaging with a different woman on the fake 'Evan Buckley' MySpace page."

"Did he get arrested?" asked Buck.

Athena nodded, "He did get arrested this morning. Before I came here, an officer from the IT department, who got access to the laptop, found all the women this guy had been talking to. Every woman was contacted to be told they weren't talking to you and your only social media platforms are on Facebook and Instagram. They were also warned to be careful about what they talk about online and police will be contacted if they show up at the 118 to confront you."

Buck thought about sending his Union Rep's contact information to the officer who took his identity theft case. "Was my lawyer's contact information included in the messages?" asked Buck.

"Yes," said Athena.

"I hope that the account got deleted, too," said Buck.

"The account will be deleted after all the conversations are looked through by NCIS," said Athena.

"Good," said Buck.

"He hasn't been released on bail and won't be allowed access to computers. NCIS will also be double checking that the guy didn't use your identity for anything else," said Athena.

"Good because Vivian and I agreed that we need to find out what else this guy used my name for even though I already changed my passwords and checked my credit score," said Buck.

"Athena then became grim. "When another officer questioned him at the station five hours ago, he ended up having a heart attack after being told that you're married."

Buck paled, "Did he get to the hospital in time?" Buck asked.

"Yes, and he's currently having surgery. If he makes it through surgery, he'll be handcuffed to a hospital bed until he's stable enough to be in a hospital infirmary in prison," said Athena. She got serious, "Even though my colleagues are letting all the other victims know that they were being catfished, it might be a while before he gets his day in court."

"I understand," said Buck.

"How about you send Vivian a text message to let her know what I told you so you can get back to your chores," said Athena.

"I will," said Buck, as he texted his wife.

Athena's phone chimed, prompting her to see a text from her colleague at the hospital regarding the catfisher: "The catfisher is out of surgery and is expected to recover with the help of diet and exercise."

"That's good because it would have been sad if he had a heart attack at home and ended up dying because none of his neighbors checked on him," said Buck softly.

Athena looked into Buck's eyes and saw the softness that Buck would show Vivian, Betsy, Tilly, Harry, May, and even Denny, "You have a heart of gold."

"It wasn't easy being alone in boarding school until I made friends and then being alone between deployments until Vivian entered my life," said Buck.

"Now you're not alone anymore," said Bobby.

"I have an amazing wife who's supportive, a spunky five-year-old daughter, an 11-month-old daughter who's a firecracker, and I'll be holding my youngest daughter and only son in June," said Buck.

Athena thought about the text she got from Vivian asking when May and Harry said their first swear words before mentioning that Tilly said her first three swear words after she swore in front of her husband and daughter, "Speaking of your daughter, did Tilly say her first swear words while the full moon was still out?" Athena asked.

Buck's eyes lit up in amusement, "Vivian and I were talking about the text Bobby sent my wife about me being a little shit without us saying that word in front of Tilly due to our rule of no swearing in front of Tilly, causing me to tell her about the last call I worked that night. Vivian, who wasn't grossed out, wished out loud that she wished that Chimney was the one to watch me pull that tapeworm out of someone's ass; Tilly ended up repeating the word right after I told Vivian that she just swore in front of our daughter."

Bobby turned green at the mention of the tapeworm, "Please stop talking about that tapeworm, Buck. It's already bad enough that you sent a picture of you and Betsy eating ramen while asking if ramen noodles look like tapeworms."

"Back on topic, Vivian's reaction to our daughter repeating the word ass was saying the F-word loud enough for our daughter to hear, and after I told my wife to stop swearing in front of our daughter, Tilly repeated the F-word. After Tilly said the F-word, I just wordlessly set Tilly down as I slid down to the floor, laughing my ass off as I sputtered out that our 10-month-old daughter said her first two curse words while the full moon was still out. Betsy was awake and tattled that Tilly swore, and she said shit, which caused Tilly to say shit. I ended up rolloing around the floor laughing."

"It seems like you, Vivian, and the kids thrive on chaos," said Athena.

Buck smirked, "We do love our blissfully chaotic family."

The next day, at lunchtime, Buck was having lunch in Vivian's classroom with Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly after he had picked Betsy up from preschool.

Vivian munched on the fries from In-N-Out, which she had been craving so much that her husband had picked up for lunch. "I know you texted me updates on the police report you filed out, but are there any other updates on the catfisher's condition?" Vivian asked.

Buck took a sip of the water before speaking, "The guy is still in the hospital, and will be hospitalized for at least a week before getting transported to a medical prison where he'll get cardio rehab."

"I'm glad his actions aren't going to be let go unpunished," said Vivian.

"Thank you for believing me right away," said Buck.

Vivian thought about sitting at the dining room table with Buck as he read all the paperwork he got about the code of ethics when he was in the process of entering the fire LAFD academy as she covered Betsy's ears, "Due to you signing a moral clause when you became a firefighter, I know you wouldn't cheat on me."

"I'd never do anything that would affect your career as a teacher," said Buck.

"I know," said Vivian.

Buck looked at the clock and realized that Vivian's students would soon be returning from lunch and recess. "Betsy, Tilly, and I better get going before your students might hold me hostage so they can ask me questions about my job and not follow your afternoon schedule."

Vivian laughed, "I won't be getting any teaching done if you, Betsy, and Tilly stay."

"Even if I start going to school all day next school year," said Betsy.

"Which I'll be sad about," said Buck.

"You'll have Tilly, Dria, and Drew to keep you company on your days off, Daddy," said Betsy.

"Until they go to school all day unless it's a weekend or school breaks," said Vivian.

"I know," said Buck.

"Any special plans with Betsy and Tilly that I should be jealous about?" asked Vivian.

"Aside from Tilly taking her post-lunchtime nap, I'm not sure yet because Betsy hasn't picked out our activity," said Buck.

Betsy's eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm thinking about going to the small reptile zoo to look at snakes. If I get to hold one, I want to send a picture to Uncle Chimney."

 Buck laughed, "I taught you well, Princess."

An hour after eating dinner, Buck, Vivian, Betsy, and Tilly were at the playground in their new neighborhood so Betsy could run off some energy.

"I'm going to be going down the slide," said Betsy.

"Have fun, and I'm going to be taking Tilly to the baby swings," said Buck.

"While I'll watch you from the bench," said Vivian.

A moment later, Buck was pushing a giggling Tilly in the baby swing.

Buck laughed along with Tilly's laughter, "You're sure loving the baby swing, Tilly. I'll make sure to add a baby swing to the swing set Mommy and I bought for you and your siblings."

"EEEEE!" screeched Tilly.

"Your daughter sure loves the swing.. Mine also loves the swing," said a man.

Buck turned around to find a man with a baby girl, who looked to be about nine months old, on his hip. He quickly recognized the man, "Staff Sergeant Diaz."

Eddie's eyes widened as he recognized Buck's birthmark, "Firecrackker."

"Last time I saw you, I was saving your and your teammates butts after your helicopter went down. I know you lost one member, but I didn't know the status of you or the rest of your team," said Buck.

"Everyone else made it out, and I got a medical discharge," said Eddie.

"Two weeks after saving your life, I got injured out of the SEALs myself," said Buck.

"How long have you been in LA? Shannon, Christopher, and I moved here in 2016 due to Shannon's mother having cancer and ended up having Gabriella last May," said Eddie.

"We moved here in the summer of 2916 so Vivian can teach at Durand. We ended up adopting our daughter who's playing on the slide in December of 2016 and we welcomed Matilda last April," said Buck.

"I know you're a firefighter because I saw you on the news in January," said Eddie.

"I am. What are you doing now?" asked Buck.

"I ended up deciding to become a firefighter thanks to my time as an Army medic. I shall be starting my probationary period after Labor Day," said Eddie.

"What a small world. We both end up having baby girls within a month of each other and decided to become firefighters," said Buck.

After pushing their daughters for ten minutes, Betsy ran over with Vivian, a boy on crutches, and a woman with brown hair and blue eyes, following. "Daddy! Chris's Daddy is going to become a firefighter like you!" exclaimed Betsy.

"I know because I met Eddie a few times during my deployments," said Buck.

"You were in the Army with my Daddy?" asked Christopher.

Buck shook his head at the adorable little boy, "I was a Navy SEAL, but I came across your father for a few owies."

"He even saved my life so I could go home to you and your mother," said Eddie.

Shannon looked at Buck, "I'm Shannon Diaz. Thank you for saving Eddie and telling him that he should cut his controlling parents out of our lives when it came to them babying Christopher after his diagnosis of CP."

"You're welcome. I was griping about having parents who abandoend me at boarding school when I was 14 when he asked me about my family when giving me stitches."

Tilly and Gabby were happily babbling at each other.

"I guess our daughters might need playdates," said Vivian.

Shannon nodded, "I think so, too."

Eddie then looked at Betsy, "I'm Eddie Diaz, Christopher's father and Shannon's husband."

"I'm Elizabeth Buckley, but I go by Betsy. I'm five and will be in kindergaretn at Durand next school year." 

Christopher grinned, "I'm in the first grade at a public school, but I will be going to Durand next year."

"That's awesome, Christopher. I'm a second-grade science teacher there, so you might end up being in my class next year."

"Even if you're pregnant?" asked Christopher.

Vivian smiled, "I'll be giving birth in early June, but I'll be recovered from giving birth to Alexandria and Andrew to teach again in August.'

"When Mommy had Tilly, she didn't go back to work until Tilly was five-months-old."

"I gave birth during spring break, and it's not uncomommon for teachers to plan their pregnancies so they'd give birth during spring break and have the rest of the school year off," said Vivian.

Christopher looked at his parents, "Since Betsy has a puppy named Dory, a little sister, and a baby brother and another baby sister on the way, can Gabby and I please have a baby brother and a puppy?" Christopher asked.

Chapter Text

Buck was with Vivian for Vivian's 28-week check-up for the start of the third trimester.

"With how much weight you gained and the results of your blood-work, I want to do an additional ultrasound," said Dr. Jane Mackenzie.

"Go ahead. I haven't peed in four hours, so my bladder should be expanded," said Vivian.

Ten minutes later, Buck and Vivian were watching the screen, and Dr. Mackenzie shook her head. "It seems like one of the babies is a master of hide and seek."

"What do you mean?" asked Buck.

"You've been expecting girl/boy/boy triplets instead of fraternal twins, Mrs. Buckley. Andrew is hiding his identical brother."

"I guess this is karma for taking fertility medication to help promote fertility with my one functioning ovary when we were trying for Tilly and then this pregnancy," Vivian said.

"We're going to need to buy another crib for Andrew's nursery," said Buck.

"At least we have the money to afford five kids and the vehicles to transport five kids," said Vivian. She looked at her husband, who looked a bit pale. "Are you alright?" asked Vivian.

"I'm in shock, but I'll survive," said Buck.

"At least Julia's wife will be coming home from working as a traveling nurse and agreed to be an additional live-in nanny with Julia until all the kids are in school all day," all day.

"We'll need to think about names," said Buck.

"Figure out another name that starts with an A or replan names so the triplets don't have names starting with an A?" asked Vivian.

Buck nodded, "Different names so they don't all start with an A."

"I agree to give them individuality," said Vivian.

Buck nodded, "At least we requested that the babies don't get anything monogrammed, just in case we change our minds on the names or create baby boxes yet."

"Even if I understand you two have to change names, but I think it's time for you to start maternity leave now, Vivian. I also want you to do workouts like walking and swimming."

"Good thing our house has an in-ground swimming pool surrounded by a fence," said Vivian.

Buck nodded, "Yes."

After returning home, Buck and Vivian sat Betsy down.

"We got some news at the doctor's office," said Vivian.

"Did something bad happen to the babies?" asked Betsy.

"What do you think about your mother expecting triplets instead of twins?" asked Buck.

"Does this mean I have four little brothers and sisters instead of three?" asked Betsy.

Vivian nodded, "I'm carrying triplets instead of twins."

"That's fucking cool," said Betsy before putting her hands over her mouth. She looked at her parents with wide eyes. "Sorry."

Vivian laughed, "We'll let it slide, but next time you'll be putting $1 of your saved-up money into the swear jar."

"OK," said Betsy.

"My doctor decided I can no longer work until the next school year starts because I have to take it easy and reduce stress," said Vivian.

"OK," said Betsy. She tilted her head, "Will Dria and Drew be getting a brother or a sister?" Betsy asked.

"We're having girl/boy/boy triplets," said Buck.

"Cool, but what is my other baby brother's name?" asked Betsy.

"We're rethinking names. We decided that the triplets won't all have names starting with an A," said Vivian.

"I still love the name Andrew Everett Buckley," said Betsy.

"Then we'll keep the name Andrew," said Vivian.

"What names do you like?" asked Buck.

"For girls, I like Joanna, Louella, Aurora, and Briella. We can call Joanna, Joan, Jo, or Anne. Louella can be called Lulu or Ella. Aurora can be called Rory. Briella can be called Bree or Anna," said Betsy.

Buck, who was Googling the meanings of the names Betsy mentioned, grinned. "They're great names. Joanna means God is gracious. Aurora means dawn. Louella means famous warrior. Brielle means, high, noble, and exalted," said Buck.

"I love the name Joanna," said Vivian.

"Then we'll go with Joanna as soon as we pick a middle name," said Buck.

"Joanna Louise Buckley?" asked Betsy.

"Joanna Louise Buckley is perfect," said Vivian.

Buck nodded in agreement, "We have the name for your new little sister. What are your favorite boy names that don't start with an A?" Buck asked.

"Theodore, William, and Benjamin. Theo, Liam, and Ben," said Betsy.

"Gift from God. Resolute Protector. Son of the right hand," said Vivian.

"I personally love Theodore because of Alvin and the Chipmunks ," said Betsy.

"What about Theodore James Buckley? My late Uncle, who died on my 11th birthday, was named James," said Vivian.

"Theodore James Buckley is perfect. We'll call him TJ or Theo," said Buck.

"Joanna Louise Buckley, Andrew Everett Buckley, and Theodore James Buckley," said Betsy.

The following morning, Aunt Beatrice and Jacob were over for breakfast.

"What news do you guys have for us?" asked Jacob.

Vivian looked at Betsy, "Do you want to tell Uncle Jacob?" Vivian asked.

Betsy grinned, "Mommy has triplets in her tummy instead of twins."

Jacob did a spit take, "Triplets?" Jacob asked.

"Two identical boys and one fraternal girl," said Buck.

Aunt Beatrice grinned, "I'm happy. Know you struggled getting pregnant with Tilly."

Vivian nodded, "I'm happy, too, but I'm done being pregnant after Joanna, Andrew, and Theodore are born."

"Not keeping the name Alexandria?" Aunt Beatrice asked.

"We decided to be against naming the triplets with names that start with A," said Vivian.

"Less confusion," said Aunt Beatrice.

"Their nicknames will be Joan, Andy, and Theo," said Betsy.

"Good shortened versions," said Jacob.

"Joan will be given the special nickname, butterfly, by me. Andrew will receive the special nickname "Tiger." Theodore's special nickname will be monkey," said Buck.

"Cute," said Aunt Beatrice.

"Uncle Jake?" asked Betsy.

"Yes, Lizzy?" asked Jacob.

"When will you fall in love and get married? I want to be a flower girl before I'm too old to be one," said Betsy.

Uncle Jacob pointed to his crutches from the repair surgery he managed to have instead of a knee replacement like doctors thought he'd need, "Let me recover from getting my knee fixed up first."

"OK," said Betsy.

"Just don't wait too long. Your grandma said she hopes to see you married and a father before she joins Danielle," said Aunt Beatrice.

"I know, but let me recover from surgery and adjust to civilian life first," said Jacob.

When Buck got to work, he found Bobby, Hen, and Chimney. "Vivian and I got some news during her 28-week check-up and ultrasound."

"Are you and Vivian expecting Aliens instead of human babies?" asked Chimney.

"Try expecting triplets instead. Theodore was playing hide and seek with his identical triplet brother. At the same time, while Joanna doesn't have an identical sibling hiding behind her," said Buck, as he showed off the new ultrasound pictures and pointed out the additional hands and feet.

Chimney's eyes widened. "You got Vivian pregnant with triplets instead of with twins?" Chimney asked.

"You and Vivian changed Alexandria's name to Joanna?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "Vivian calls getting pregnant with triplets naturally Karma for deciding to take fertility drugs."

"Vivian took those drugs because of what happened when she was a little girl, right?" asked Hen.

Buck nodded, "When we got married, we were trying for a baby right away because Vivian only has one functioning ovary. After not being successful for a year, we decided to start the process of becoming foster parents, which gained us Betsy and Vivian being prescribed fertility drugs because of their dreams of getting pregnant."

Hen nodded, "Fertility drugs give a higher risk of multiples."

"Which we were warned about, and it's possible to find out you're expecting triplets instead of twins at the start of the third trimester," said Buck.

"What's Vivian going to do now? With her pregnancy being riskier now, is she on maternity leave?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Her long-term sub is starting now instead of when Vivian reached 30 weeks. When it comes to childcare, Julia's wife, a traveling nurse, will return to the country on Monday. So either Carina or Julia will stay home with Vivian while the other is out with Betsy and Tilly when I'm on shift."

"That's good," said Bobby.

"What about cribs, carseats, swings, and strollers?" asked Chimney.

"We already bought another crib and car seat," said Buck.

"While baby showers can provide clothes, strollers, swings, and other things, as long as you and Vivian update the registry and send out a mass message to everyone," said Hen.

"We're going to announce that we're expecting triplets instead of twins after I get home from this shift," said Buck just as the alarm went off about a man who shot himself.

Buck looked at Bobby as his inner elbow was being searched for a vein. "Would you like me to hold your hand?" Buck asked.

Bobby, who was grateful that Buck didn't convince him to donate blood even if he laughed about him biting and fainting, raised his eyebrows, "Really, Buck?" Bobby asked.

"I struggled with getting vaccinations and blood drawn for a few weeks after I found out about Daniel. Even if I was 14, I ended up needing someone to hold my hands," said Buck.

"How about you distract me with Betsy and Tilly's latest antics," said Bobby.

"Alright," said Buck, as he started talking about Tilly removing the folded laundry from the laundry basket.

"Babies and toddlers do that," said Bobby.

"I can't believe that Tilly will be one in less than two weeks, Bobby," said Buck.

"At least you and Vivian will be welcoming your triplets within the next month," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "The plan is to keep Vivian pregnant until the 34th week at the latest."

"With time in the NICU after?" asked Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Yes, and I'm planning on saving the little amount of paternity leave I'm being given for when the triplets are released from the hospital. Vivian is supportive of my decision because we have Julia and her wife Carina to help out."

"That works," said Bobby, as he winced when he felt a prick.

Buck grinned, "You did great, Cap. Now the bag needs to fill up, and you'll be done."

"How are you feeling about Vivian expecting triplets instead of twins?" Bobby asked.

"I'm in shock, but Vivian and I have the money and space to afford five kids," said Buck. He chuckled, "Vivian fears we're going to be having mischievous hide-and-seek masters."

Bobby laughed, "I think so, too."

"Even if we didn't expect to end up with five kids, Vivian and I agreed we have plenty of love for our five children in our blissfully chaotic household that's full of love, laughter, and chaos."

Following the call at the zoo, Buck looked at his teammates, "I hope Kobe isn't put down. Kobe is one of Betsy's favorite animals here."

"Athena and I believe the public will petition to keep Kobe alive after word gets out that the man Kobe ate was the one who killed Ellie the lion," said Hen.

Buck was about to exit the showers when he heard Bobby tell Chimney that he was planning on killing himself so he could be reunited with Marcy, Robbie, and Brooke after he saved the same number of lives that died in the apartment fire that killed his wife and children. He quickly had a flashback to the last time he spoke to Maddie.

Flashback to September of 2005

Buck had just gotten off the phone with Maddie, as Maddie's final words to him repeated in his head.

"I don't blame Mom and Dad for leaving you at boarding school and leaving Hershey. It's your fault Daniel is dead, and I wish Mom and Dad didn't try to have a savior sibling so I wouldn't have to spend the remainder of my childhood and teenage years taking care of you. I never want to see you or speak to you again, Evan."

A while later, when everyone realized that Evan had never shown up for dinner, he was found crying in the showers of the boys' locker room, fully clothed, as cold water streamed over him. As he told his roommate, David and his legal guardian, Mr. Patrick Samson, about the phone call he had with his sister, he admitted his thoughts about buying pain medication he's allergic to so he could die. When they hugged him, he begged his foster father for help because he was in a dark place. He ended up having an emergency appointment with a psychiatrist, insisted he needed therapy, and was under supervision to ensure he wouldn't kill himself. Later on, a few classmates vowed to become the brothers and sisters he deserved. He'd even go home with a few of them on weekends for sleepovers and dinners.

Flashback ended

"Buck?" asked Bobby.

Buck, who was dressed in uniform pants and a t-shirt due to not liking the creepy glass walls outside the locker room, looked at Bobby, "Are you suicidal?" Buck asked.

Bobby paled, "You heard what I admitted to Chimney?" Bobby asked.

"I had just gotten out of the shower and was going to grab my comb and hair gel, I had forgotten when I heard you two talking," said Buck.

"You didn't walk out to announce your presence," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Yes, and I ended up thinking about the time I had thought about ending my life when I was 14."

Bobby's eyes widened."You thought about it?" Bobby asked.

"I had just gotten off the phone with Maddie, and she had told me she wished I wasn't born, blamed me for Daniel's death, and told me she never wanted to see me or hear from me again. I thought about riding the bike my legal guardian bought for me to the nearest drugstore to buy naproxen."

Bobby thought about the allergies Buck had in Buck's file, "Which you're allergic to."

Buck nodded, "Yes, but instead, I headed to the boys' locker room and sat in the shower fully clothed. When I was found after missing dinner, I ended up telling my roommate and my legal guardian about the phone call and what I thought about doing. I had an emergency appointment with the same psychiatrist who diagnosed me with ADHD, and I was put on antidepressants, upped therapy appointments, and was under constant supervision for a few weeks. A few classmates, who didn't have any siblings, declared me their brother. I'd spend weekends having sleepovers at houses of daytime students and had fun playing football, soccer, going to the pool, horseback riding, playing laser tag and paintball, hiking, camping trips, and even going on day trips to the ocean where I learned how to surf with my classmates."

"I'm glad you didn't go out and buy naproxen that day and ask for help," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "Me too because I wouldn't have joined the Navy, met Vivian, gotten married, traveled to other states and countries, become a father, and joined the LAFD."

"Are you still in contact with those classmates?" asked Bobby.

"We follow each other on Instagram, and they even showed up for Vivian's and my wedding, even if it was Christmas Day, showed up for Betsy's adoption party, and evenTilly's baptism. They're even planning on coming for my shield ceremony and the triplets' baptism," said Buck. He looked into Bobby's eyes, "Please don't kill yourself when you save the same number of people who died that night in Minnesota. Betsy and even Tilly, who doesn't know what grandparents are yet, look up to you as the grandfather they never had. You need therapy to help you with your grief instead of talking to your Priest."

"I'll seek therapy," said Bobby.

"Please do because having a suicidal Captain is dangerous for the 118. As a mandated reporter, I'm not afraid to report, I'm not afraid to ask for a transfer before and after my probationary period is over," said Buck.

Chapter Text

On April 11th, Buck grinned as he entered Tilly's nursery to find Tilly standing in her crib with a huge grin on her face.

"Hi, Dada," said Tilly.

Buck grinned at Tilly as he swooped Tilly out of the crib, "Happy first birthday, Angel. You're a one-year-old now. Let's get you into a clean diaper before we go downstairs for a yummy breakfast of pancakes and eggs."

A few minutes later, Buck had changed Tilly's diaper and got her into the onesie that said I'M THIS MANY with a picture of a hand flipping the bird. "I won't be surprised if Mommy gets mad at me for getting you this onesie. It was too cute and funny not to buy for you to wear today."

Tilly grinned and babbled at her father.

Buck grinned as he entered the kitchen with Tilly, "Here's the birthday girl."

Betsy giggled when she saw the emoji of a middle finger. "You're silly, Daddy."

"I know, Princess," said Buck.

Vivian, sitting down on a stool by the kitchen island where they usually eat breakfast, gave her husband a look of fond exasperation, "Seriously, Evan Buckley?" Vivian asked.

"Ooh, Mommy first-named and last-named you instead of calling you by your chosen name, Daddy," cackled Betsy.

"I know, but this onesie was too cute not to buy for Tilly's first birthday, Viv," said Buck.

"I'm not surprised you bought this for Tilly, but I don't want other kids mimicking the gesture this onesie is showing," said Vivian.

"Even if you give me that gesture a lot?" a smirking Buck asked.

Vivian stuck her middle finger out at her husband as Buck, Betsy, Julia, Carina, and Tilly, who didn't understand but loved laughing, cackled with laughter.

"It's going to be so much fun working here," said Carina.

"I told you that the chaotic Buckley family will be a fun family to work as nannies for," laughed Julia.

"Even if we didn't expect that we were expecting triplets," said Vivian.

"I thrive on chaos because I was the chaotic child out of my siblings and myself," said Carina.

After Tilly covered herself in the chocolate cake Bobby made for her birthday, Buck took Tilly to the bathroom for a bath.

Bobby looked at Vivian, who was resting her feet, How are you feeling?" Bobby asked.

"I'm sad my rainbow baby is finally a year old, but I'm grateful that Joan, Andy, and Theo will be here within the next five weeks," said Vivian.

"Buck said your doctor is trying to keep you pregnant until week 35," said Bobby.

"With me being 27 and healthy, they want me to remain pregnant as long as possible," said Vivian. She looked intoBobby's eyes, "Now, how are you doing? I know you handled Betsy's fifth birthday party without revealing you had two kids, but I can't imagine how difficult it'd be for you to celebrate a first birthday."

"I ended up thinking about Robbie and Brooke's first birthdays, and I miss them a lot," said Bobby.

"April 11th will always be one of the days that I'll miss my mother even more. She would have doted on Betsy, Tilly and would have been excited about Joan, Andy, and Theo. She'd also love Buck, too."

Boby, who had already started going to therapy with a therapist who isn't affiliated with the LAFD and even found a support group that focuses on grief, looked at Vivian, "Marcy, Robbie, and Brooke would have loved Buck, too. Marcy would probably share my dislike of Buck's parents and older sister, like I do. Buck and Robbie would share facts, as both of them loved research. Buck and Brooke would have gotten into many shenanigans together because Brooke was quite the firecracker," said Bobby.

"After learning about Buck's past during our first couple of dates, I was glad he didn't try to track down Maggie, Phil, and Maddie when we got married or found out Tilly was on the way. Even if Phil did the right thing by warning Buck about Maddie planning on demanding he give her his trust fund and apologized for abandoning him at boarding school, Phil doesn't deserve to be a father to Buck or a grandfather to the kids," said Vivian. She then groaned as she felt multiple kicks, causing her to start singing Trouble by Avicii out loud.

When Vivian was done singing, the kicking had stopped. "You three munchkins sure love Avicii like Betsy, Tilly, and me. Your Daddy and I once attended one of his concerts between Daddy's deployments."

"You have a lovely singing voice," said Bobby.

"Thank you. As a little girl, I loved singing and dancing, learning how to surf, rock climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, and other sports I did with Aunt Beatrice."

"You chose to teach instead of pursuing a career in singing and dancing?" Bobby asked.

"I always wanted to be a teacher like Aunt Beatrice. Grandma Felicity was disappointed when I didn't apply to Juilliard and other performing arts schools, but I didn't want to become famous," said Vivian.

"I'm a fourth-generation firefighter," said Bobby.

At the call about the broken elevator that was flooding, Buck grabbed two harnesses after he and Hen put on their harnesses and checked each other's to ensure they were secure.

"Even though I trust you guys, I can't wait for another firefighter to be hired as my partner during rope rescues. Tommy said I was supposed to be his partner, but then he transferred to Harborside so he could fly regularly," said Buck.

"Don't worry. We'll be getting a Probie for you to train as your partner in September," said Bobby.

"Good because Vivian keeps asking when I'm going to have a permanent partner," said Buck.

Later, Buck stood with a blanket wrapped around him. He looked at Bobby, "Mind if I spend time at the Academy to train with trainees so I can find a field partner who can keep up with me? With all of the additional training I had in the Navy, I don't think many can keep up with me."

"I was already thinking about the former military. That's why I originally hired you to replace Daluca as Tommy's partner before Tommy decided to transfer," said Bobby.

"I know someone who's starting at the Academy that I came across a few times before I saved his ass before his discharge from the Army. He lives two blocks away and would have attended Tilly's party with his wife and kids if his son didn't have strep throat and Eddie and his wife didn't want to risk Vivian or the kids," said Buck.

Bobby locked eyes with Buck, "You think you can work with this Eddie-"

"Diaz," said Buck.

"If he does well and doesn't wash out, I'll see if I can convince him to join the 118 when he graduates from the Academy," said Bobby. He clapped Buck's shoulder, "Now, how about we get back to the station where you can shower and change into a dry uniform?"

"Even if I spent time in the ocean in training uniforms during BUD/S training, dry clothes sound wonderful," said Buck.

Buck had just left Betsy's room and was about to check on Tilly when his cell phone rang, revealing that it was Sue Blevins calling him. She had given him her number in case Abby contacted him again. "Hello?" Buck asked.

"It's Sue Blevins calling,' said Sue.

"I saved your number as a contact with your name just in case I need to report Abby again, Sue. Is everything alright?" Buck asked.

"Sergeant Grant, who is off-duty, called 9-1-1 and needed me to have you call Paramedic Hen Wilson. She doesn't have her phone on her or has Hen's number memorized. She needs Paramedic Wilson to call her back at this number," said Sue as she recited a cell phone number.

Buck, who had typed the number into his phone, said, "Is Sergeant Grant alright?" Buck asked.

"I don't know," said Sue.

"I'll call Hen and have her call the number you just gave me," said Buck before hanging up.

Vivian looked at her husband. "What's wrong with Athena?" asked Vivian.

"All I know is that she doesn't have her phone and needs someone to call Hen," said Buck.

"She did tell me that she had a date tonight to get back into the dating game after divorcing her husband when she asked me to see if everything was alright after I asked her if she could have officers keep an eye out for your parents at our apartment building," said Vivian.

Buck nodded as he called Hen, who answered on the second ring.

"Do you want me to come to check on you after you nearly drowned in that elevator today?" Hen asked.

"I'm not calling you about the elevator," said Buck.

"What do you need?" asked Hen.

Buck looked at his phone. "Athena called 9-1-1 on a phone that doesn't belong to her because she didn't have her phone on her and doesn't have your number memorized."

"What's the number?" asked Hen.

Buck listed the number.

"I wrote it down," said Hen.

"Will you let me know if she's alright? She helped me with the whole cat-fisher debacle before it could get worse," said Buck.

"I'll let you know," said Hen before hanging up.

A short while later, Buck got a text message from Hen.

THENA'S ALRIGHT, BUT I'M LAUGHING MY ASS OFF.

"Was that Hen?" asked Vivian.

Buck nodded, "Athena is alright, but Hen is laughing her ass off."

Vivian's phone vibrated with a text message from Hen.

DELETE THIS TEXT WHEN YOU'RE DONE READING. DON'T TELL YOUR HUSBAND BECAUSE THENA FEELS LIKE SHE HAS ADOPTED BUCK OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. I FOUND 'THENA AND HER DATE HANDCUFFED TO HER DATE'S BED AND SHE NEEDED ME TO UNLOCK THEM. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE STRAIGHT, BUT DO YOU EVER DRESS LIKE A SEXY OR NAUGHTY TEACHER AND HAVE BUCK BE A NAUGHTY STUDENT IN BED?

Vivian burst out laughing before telling her husband she needed help to the bathroom to pee.

When Vivian was on the toilet, she sent Hen a reply.

I ENDED UP LAUGHING SO HARD THAT BUCK HAD TO HELP ME GET TO THE TOILET BEFORE I COULD PISS MY PANTS. DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT MY SEXUALITY BECAUSE I'M NOT STRAIGHT.

A few minutes later, Hen replied.

YOU'RE NOT STRAIGHT, BUT MARRIED TO BUCK?

Vivian sent a reply.

COME OVER, BUT DON'T KNOCK OR RING THE DOORBELL BECAUSE BETSY AND TILLY ARE ASLEEP.

A while later, Hen was sitting across from Buck and Vivian.

"You're not straight, Vivian?" asked Hen.

"I'm bisexual. I experimented with dating both men and women while in college before Buck came into my life," said Vivian.

"I'm also bisexual. I figured that out when Vivian caught me staring at a guy's ass when we were out on a date," said Buck.

"I then told Buck that I'm bisexual instead of breaking up with him. I had him take a quiz to prove that he's bisexual, too," said Vivian.

"And you two are still married to each other," said Hen.

Vivian nodded, "We both loved each other so much that I didn't want to dump someone with abandonment issues and RSD. We had a rule about looking, but no touching due to moral clauses we both signed on our contracts. I know if I cheated on Buck after we got married, my job as a teacher would be affected."

"Even when I was a SEAL, I had a moral clause to follow, " said Buck.

Hen thought about Karen walking out with Denny after Eva sued for custody a few weeks back, "Moral clause with firefighting, too."

"That's why I went straight to the police when I found out I was being impersonated on MySpace," said Buck.

"Thank you two for being safe to tell me you two aren't straight," said Hen.

Buck had taken the morning off due to an appointment with his lawyer following a phone call he received.

Buck frowned when he saw a check for $5,500,000 from Phillip Buckley in his name, along with a letter.

Buck,

Even if we last saw each other when I got arrested, and I told you I'm proud of you and don't blame you for Daniel's death, I want you to know that I'm proud of the man you've become.

I want to give you half of what I have left in my trust fund. I've had my lawyer give Maddie the other half, along with a message stating that I've given her 90% of what I had left and donated the rest to help families struggling with cancer, in the hope that she won't order you to share what I've sent you. It's our secret. I don't care if you decide to donate the money to charity, use it towards your kids' future college education, pay off any debt, save it for emergencies, or use it towards trust funds for your kids, vacations, or a new vehicle. The money is yours to spend as you see fit.

I don't know how long you've been married or how many children you have, but I hope you don't make the same mistakes I've made with you and Maddie following Daniel's death. I should have gotten your mother, Maddie, and me into therapy and asked relatives who have offered to raise you or have social services take you away before your mother and I were told the bone marrow transplant didn't work. I started going to therapy after I got released, and I've been taking it seriously, while your mother has filed for divorce and hasn't talked to me since we were released. Your sister is angry at me for giving your mother's location and refuses to speak to me, except to ensure I didn't give you a penny.

I know I didn't show you that I love you, but I do.

"Did your meeting go alright?" Bobby asked.

"Outside of my father enclosing his health history of him and even my mother, since he thought I needed that information for my kids' pediatrician and my physicals, remember me telling you my family came from old money?" Buck asked.

Bobby nodded, "You and even Vivian had trust funds that helped you two buy your house in full, so you two didn't need to get a loan or pay a mortgage."

Buck nodded, "Apparently, my father still has a lot of his trust fund left, and he decided to give me over $5,000,000 from it and gave Maddie the other half. He even wrote me a letter telling me he had his lawyer tell Maddie that he didn't give me any of his trust fund so Maddie wouldn't order me to give her what Dad gave me."

Bobby's eyes widened. "He did?" Bobby asked.

Buck nodded, "I'm shocked."

"It seems like he's been working to right the mistakes he made following your brother's death and abandoning you at boarding school. He risked getting arrested to tell you your sister's plans."

"Even if he wrote that he respects the restraining order I sent him, it's because he knows he was an awful father to me. Aside from divorcing my mother, he's even taking the therapy he's been mandated as part of his punishment for abandoning me seriously," said Buck.

"I take it he has a lot of regrets about how he handled everything after he was trapped in a marriage that was full of grief after your brother died," said Bobby.

"Even if the restraining order keeps my parents from being within 200 feet of me, phone calls, text messages, and emails are allowed."

"Even if they don't have your phone number or email address outside of social media," said Bobby.

Buck nodded, "I managed to find Facebook accounts for my parents and Maddie's Facebook and Instagram accounts. I have them blocked."

"If you're talking about phone calls, I take it your father left his number?" Bobby asked.

"He did just in case, and he stated he wouldn't give it to my Mom or even Maddie if I contacted him," said Buck.

"Are you thinking about contacting him and ending the restraining order against him if you ever decide to meet up with him in person?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know, but when I talked to Vivian on the phone, she thinks I should talk to Dr. Copeland," said Buck.

"Vivian's right," said Bobby.

Following the shift with the hoarder house, where Buck managed to dodge getting hit by a bowling ball thanks to all the self-defense training, even if it meant hanging on the window sill for a moment, Buck dialed the number on the letter from his father.

"Hello?" Phillip asked.

"Hi," said Buck.

"Is that you, Buck?" Phillip asked.

"Yes," said Buck.

"If you're calling, I take it you got the trust fund and my letter?" Phillip asked.

"I did, and I appreciate it. Vivian and I decided to split the money into the accounts we formed for the private school we're enrolling our kids in and college because our savings will possibly be drained with the upcoming NICU time," said Buck.

"Vivian is the name of your wife?" Phillip asked.

"Yes," said Buck.

"I know this isn't my business, but NICU time is going to be needed?" Phillip asked.

"Vivian is almost 31 weeks pregnant with our third, fourth, and fifth children," said Buck.

"Triplets?" Phillip asked in shock.

"We found out that the twins were hiding a triplet during the 28-week appointment. We were shocked, but grateful we have enough bedrooms, even if two will have to share a room and two seven-seater vehicles," said Buck.

"And now the money I sent you will help even further," said Phillip.

"As you said in your letter, you're right that this money won't buy your forgiveness or allow you back into my life. I only contacted you because my therapist and Vivian thought we should talk for a few minutes so I could thank you for the money," said Buck.

On the morning Vivian reached 31 weeks of her pregnancy, Buck and Vivian were at Vivian's 31-week check-up when Vivian's water broke.

"I guess Joan, Andy, and Theo decided they couldn't wait any longer being trapped inside my uterus," joked Vivian.

Chapter Text

Two hours after Vivian's water broke, Buck was in the waiting room with the 118 as he was told the triplets were delivered by emergency c-section and were taken to the NICU. When he asked about Vivian, he was told Vivian was currently getting an emergency hysterectomy after she started hemorrhaging when Baby Buckley C was removed.

"I can't lose my wife. Outside of my high school classmates, Vivian's been my rock for over five years now," said Buck. 

Bobby placed a hand on Buck's shoulder, "Vivian's going to be fine, Buck. She's getting the care she needs."

"I know," said Buck before he was taken to the NICU so he could see the triplets.

A few hours later, Buck was looking at Andy, Joan, and Theo when Vivian's gynecologist found him and told him Vivian was in recovery. He sagged in relief.

Buck smiled as his wife was brought into her hospital room. "Joan, Andy, and Theo are all safe in the NICU. Joan is three and a half pounds, Andy is three pounds even, and Theo is three pounds and one ounce. In a few weeks, they're going to be checked for blindness, deafness, and their hearts and lungs will be monitored, too."

"We were warned about the health issues that could happen, but we'll figure it out and get Joan, Andy, and Theo what they need so they can thrive," said Vivian.

"Exactly," said Buck.

Vivian looked down at her bandaged abdomen, covered by a hospital gown. She barely felt pain due to the pain medication she was given when she woke up in the recovery room with oxygen. "Did the doctor tie my remaining tube?" Vivian asked.

"They ended up doing an emergency hysterectomy when you started hemorrhaging after the last triplet was removed," said Buck.

Vivian let out a watery chuckle before wincing, "That's alright because we both agreed no more pregnancies after the triplets were born."

"I'm glad you're not upset about the hysterectomy," said Buck.

"It's alright because that means no more needing to buy any pads until it's time to prepare Betsy for her first period," joked Vivian.

"I don't want to think about our three little girls going through their periods, yet," said Buck.

"Then we'll stop talking about periods. Did you see the triplets in the NICU at all?" Vivian asked.

Buck pulled out his tablet from his duffle bag and pulled up the pictures he took of Joan, Andy, and Theo in separate incubators inside the NICU, "Here they are, Viv. Joan, who has a pink hat on her head, is on the left."

"Based on the dark splotch on her right cheek, it looks like Joan has your birthmark in the form of our loved ones in Heaven kissing Joan's cheek, Evan," said Vivian.

"She does, and I have yet to decide which boy will be Andrew and which one will be Theodore," said Buck.

Vivian then noticed both boys have birthmarks on opposite eyebrows, "It looks like Andrew and Theodore are identical mirror twins based on one twin having a birthmark around their right eyebrow while the other boy has a birthmark around their left eyebrow."

"That's what the doctors said when it was discovered that one twin's heart was on the right side of his chest when taking his vitals. When Theo or Andy can spend a few hours outside of the incubator, scans will be done to see if his stomach, liver, spleen, gallbladder, and any other singular organ are on the opposite side of his body."

"Good," said Vivian.

"I'm already looking into ordering a medical alert bracelet when we determine which boy will be Andy and which one will be Theo," said Buck.

"I take it the EMT in you is already thinking about paramedics, pediatricians, and ER doctors needing to know about one twin's organs being placed on the opposite side of his body in a medical emergency?" Vivian asked.

Buck nodded, "When I messaged my teammates a picture of the triplets and told everyone that Andy and Theo look like they're going to be mirror twins, both Hen and Chimney told me to get a medical alert bracelet for medical emergencies."

"When can I go to the NICU to meet the triplets?" Vivian asked.

"The doctor wants you to rest for a few more hours, and then I'll take you there by wheelchair. Then later on, you're supposed to take walks in the hallway," said Buck.

"To promote healing and pain management from having open abdominal surgery and keep the blood flowing down my legs for blood clot prevention," said Vivian.

Buck nodded, "You're already sporting compression stockings and an IPC device right now."

"No wonder I feel a squeeze in my legs," muttered Vivian. She looked around. "Why are you the only one here?" Vivian asked.

"No one will be visiting until dinnertime, and Julia and Carina will bring Betsy and Tilly over for dinner. Your colleagues at Durand and mine at the 118 will hold off visiting until tomorrow," said Buck.

"OK," said Vivian before closing her eyes to sleep off more of the anesthesia.

Betsy frowned when she looked around her mother's hospital room. "Where are Joan, Andy, and Theo?" Betsy asked.

"They were born a bit too early, so they're in a special ward called the NICU. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, they're getting a lot of care from doctors and nurses to help them grow big and strong until they come home when they have gained enough weight and their hearts and lungs are working on their own," said Vivian.

"Can I visit them?" Betsy asked.

"No children are allowed in the NICU, but I took some pictures to show you," said Buck.

"Please show me," said Betsy.

A minute later, Buck was pointing at each baby, "The baby on the left is Joan. The baby boy in the middle is Andy."

"Then the baby on the right is Theo?" Betsy asked.

Buck nodded, "To tell Andy and Theo apart, remember that Andy's birthmark is on the right and Theo's birthmark is on the left."

"OK, and they're so tiny. They're tinier than Tilly was last year and my dolls," said Betsy.

Vivian nodded, "That's because Joan, Andy, and Theo were born earlier and didn't have a lot of room to grow like Tilly did when Tilly was in my belly."

"Daddy?" Betsy asked.

"Yes, Betsy?" Buck asked.

"Can you please make a video of me saying hi to my baby little brothers and sister?" Betsy asked.

"That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart," said Vivian.

A moment later, Buck filmed a video of Betsy and Tilly.

"Hello, Andy, Joan, and Theo. I'm your oldest sister, Elizabeth, but please call me Betsy. This is your other big sister, Matilda, but please call her Tilly."

Tilly grinned and waved, "Hi."

Betsy laughed, "Tilly is one and I am five years old. Tilly and I are so excited about you three being here, and we can't wait to hold you when Mom, Dad, the doctors, and nurses let us meet you in person. We're going to be having a lot of adventures together when I'm not in school, and Mommy and Daddy have days off from working as a teacher or a firefighter. Our Daddy's job as a firefighter is one of the coolest jobs ever, and it's fun when he gives a fire safety talk to my preschool classmates and me."

Tilly then babbled a bit.

Betsy laughed, "Tilly is talking about how much we're going to have. Tilly and I love you three so much, and we can't wait to meet you three."

Tilly waved, "Buh buh."

Vivian wiped tears from her eyes. "You two girls are going to be amazing big sisters to Andy, Joan, and Theo."

Buck and Bobby geared up for the NICU, before Buck led Bobby to the three incubators that held the triplets, "Here are Joanne, Andrew, and Theodore."

Bobby looked at the triplets, who were all hooked up to IVs, oxygen, and feeding tubes, "They're beautiful, Buck."

"They are," said Buck, as he slipped his hand through the opening of Joanne's incubator and stroked her cheek. "Hi, Joanne. Daddy's here. Mommy's in her hospital room, but Mommy, your big sisters Betsy and Tilly, and I are proud of how you, Andy, and Theo are doing here."

"Any complications aside from Theo having his organs on the opposite sides of his body?" Bobby asked.

"We won't know if there's any premature retinopathy, deafness, heart, or lung problems for a while. This baby's heart, lungs, and brains are being monitored, and in a few weeks, their vision and hearing will be checked due to risks of premature retinopathy and deafness from being born at 31 weeks," said Buck.

"No matter what, you and Vivian will make sure the triplets thrive like Betsy and Tilly," said Bobby.

"I know, and I do have an appointment with Dr. Copeland set up," said Buck, as he made his way to Andy's incubator and said the same thing about being proud of him before repeating the exact words to Theo.

"Any idea on when you can hold them?" Bobby asked.

"The doctors and nurses want to wait and see how they are in two weeks, but we're allowed to touch them as long as our hands are clean," said Buck.

"Is that your way to tell me I can touch them?" Bobby asked.

Buck nodded, "They need to get to know their honorary grandfather."

"Honorary grandfather?" Bobby asked.

"From Vivian's side, she has no grandfather alive, and I'm not in contact with my father, nor will I let him in my kids' lives," said Buck. He looked into Bobby's eyes, "I know you're thinking about not being able to get grandchildren from Robbie and Brooke, but you've quickly become a father figure to me, and my kids need someone to step up as a grandfather for them," said Buck.

"I'm honored to be an honorary grandfather to Betsy, Tilly, Andy, Joan, Theo, and Buck. Just don't have the kids call me Grandpa. We can think of another version for Grandpa," said Bobby.

"Since I've called you Pops before, how about Granpops?" Buck asked.

"Granpops is perfect," said Bobby.

After eating lunch in the hospital cafeteria, Buck looked at his wife, "Since you've already been discharged a few days ago, I'm kicking you out for the rest of the day and night," said Buck.

"Why?" Vivian asked.

"Carina is going to stay here throughout the rest of the day and night so we can keep the reservations we had made for dinner tonight and allow you to sleep in a proper bed," said Buck.

"I can come back tomorrow?" Vivian asked.

"After breakfast," said Buck.

"Alright," said Vivian.

"Now let's get you to the store to buy a new dress before going to the salon to get your hair and nails done," said Buck.

"You're spoiling me?" Vivian asked.

"You're the mother of my children, so I'm giving you my Mother's Day gift a bit earlier," said Buck.

"Thank you," said Vivian.

Later on that evening, Buck and Vivian were dressed up and at one of their favorite restaurants for date night. When ordering drinks, Buck avoided ordering wine for himself since Vivian couldn't drink alcoholic beverages due to pain medication or drive due to having major surgery.

"I know the past week has been rough," said Buck.

"It was, but our family will be under one roof when the doctors decide that Andy, Joan, and Theo are ready to come home," said Vivian.

"Even if it's April, what type of plans should we make for summer vacation?" Buck asked.

"Taking Betsy and Tilly to the zoo, park, aquarium, the beach when I get the all-clear to swim again, and various other places," said Vivian.

"Those are good places to take the kids, and we'll get date nights in with the help of Julia, Carina, and some babysitters," said Buck.

"I agree," said Vivian.

Vivian's eyes widened when she saw Bobby and Athena taking a seat at a table. "Look."

Buck looked in the direction Vivian was looking at, and he grinned when he saw Bobby and Athena dressed up a bit, "I know Bobby decided it was time to start dating again."

"Good for him. I always liked Athena when I encountered her on calls at Durand and the past couple of months," said Vivian.

"I don't know, but I feel ike leaving and eating the cake Betsy made with Julia today," said Buck.

"Then let's go," said Vivian.

Buck waved down a waitress and told her that he and his wife were ready to go. He pointed at a couple and said that dessert was on him. When the waitress walked away with the card and cash for the dessert, Buck sent Bobby a text message.

When Buck and Vivian paid their bill, Buck told the waiter to put dessert for Bobby and Athena on his card, as he had sent Bobby a text message.

LOOK TO YOUR LEFT. DESSERT FOR YOU AND ATHENA IS ON US. WE PROMISE NOT TO TELL ANYONE THAT WE SAW YOU TWO OUT ON A DATE. SEE YOU DURING MY NEXT SHIFT.

Bobby looked around, causing Athena to follow him before he noticed Buck and Vivian, dressed up a bit, smiling and waving at them, while the latter gave a mischievous smile as they stood up and left the dining area with their arms wrapped around each other.

"After learning how awful that sweet boy was treated by his parents and older sister, I'm glad Buck has Vivian and their kids," said Athena.

"Buck's a sweet kid," said Bobby.

"With a heart of gold," said Athena.

"I know it's rough for them to deal with their three youngest kids being in the NICU right now, but I'm glad they're taking time for themselves," said Bobby.

"Me, too," said Athena.

Bobby's phone vibrated again, causing him to see another text message from Buck, which made him shake his head.

DON'T FORGET TO USE PROTECTION. MY KIDS DON'T NEED AN AUNT OR UNCLE MUCH YOUNGER THAN THEM.

"What?" asked Athena.

"He might be a sweet kid who has a heart of gold, but he is a little shit too," said Bobby.

Three weeks after Vivian's emergency c-section and hysterectomy, Buck and Vivian were holding hands as they learned that Joan had premature retinopathy and Andy was deaf in both ears. They discussed the options of eye surgery for Joan and Andy, possibly handling hearing aids or a cochlear implant when he's older.

On June 1st in Chimney's apartment building, Chimney was about to get himself some breakfast at the nearby bakery when he bumped into a woman getting off the elevator as she gazed at her phone.

"Sorry," said Chimney, as he gazed at the woman with dark brown hair that swept past her shoulders and brown eyes.

"Sorry. I just moved into the building today after moving to LA from the Northeast," said the woman.

"Welcome to Los Angeles. I'm Howard Han, but you can call me Howie or Chimney," said Chimney.

The woman smiled, as she remembered to introduce herself as Heather Johnson instead of Maddie, "I'm Heather Johnson. What type of nickname is Chimney?" Hether asked.

"It's my firefighter nickname," said Chimney.

"You're a firefighter?" Heather asked.

"I've been a firefighter at the 118 for around 13 years now," said Chimney.

Heather perked up a bit as she wondered if Chimney knew Evan. "I'm in the process of training to become a 9-1-1 Dispatcher."

"I guess we'll be hearing each other a lot," said Chimney.

Heather's stomach growled. "Sorry."

"I was just about to get some breakfast from my favorite bakery. Would you like to join me?" Chimney asked.

"Sure, but let's not talk about work or family," said Heather.