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Part 7

There was hectic emotional stillness at the scene, and Buck kind of hated it. Ten cars, twenty-six people in various states of physical and mental injury was a lot but it didn’t account for what he was feeling. He took a deep breath and Eddie drifted closer, pressed his shoulder against Buck’s and took a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie questioned.

“I don’t know,” Buck admitted.

The rest of the squad shifted around them as his spirit animal appeared. Leto has twice the size of a real wolf, and she glowed with psionic energy as she prowled in a full circle around them, as if she was marking territory. The 133 had arrived first and made the call for another station almost immediately so they’d arrived in the midst of a big scene that was only marginally under control.

Buck listened to Bobby give orders, processing those while he allowed his empathy to spread out over the scene. He drifted mentally over the victims that hadn’t been removed from the situation. The critical injuries had been gone before they arrived.

A sleek black jaguar shimmered into the visual range, she was keeping pace with Leto—gaze intent and outright predatory.

Eddie’s hand drifted to the cuff he was wearing, and looked toward Buck. He didn’t know what his Sentinel needed in that moment, and it increased the deep ache he’d been trying to ignore since he’d set eyes on Eddie Diaz. His intrinsic needs were at war with his rational thoughts and acknowledgment of the boundaries his Sentinel was entitled to.

Bobby walked to stand beside him and the spirit animals shifted, allowing his closeness without overt acknowledgment. “Problem?”

“I don’t know,” Buck admitted. “Got a weird vibe.”

Bobby nodded and started passing out assignments and the squad dispersed. He didn’t give him or Eddie any specific assignment, which was an instruction of its own.

“We’re on watch,” Buck murmured and Eddie gave a nod.

They moved around the scene, and joined Cosmo on an entrapment. Eddie got ahead of him on grabbing the halligan which was kind of a bummer since Buck loved to pry stuff open with the halligan. It was better than getting the clipboard. He forced his brain to focus on the moment because he was meandering towards My Favorite Things thought-spiral. He hummed the song under his breath for a few moments and grinned when Eddie shot him a look.

The mood on the scene shifted slightly and the emotional restraint broke. Buck scanned the whole scene and Leto started to growl.

“It’s your fucking fault!” one of the men shouted and he shoved another man. “If you hadn’t braked for no damn reason I wouldn’t have hit you! My car is worth twenty of yours! You’d better have good fucking insurance!”

Athena Grant started toward the group, already glaring. Violent emotion surged and Buck moved toward her and Eddie followed. The man that got shoved, ground zero for the pile up, pulled a gun.

“LAPD! Put down the weapon!” Athena shouted, pulling her own gun and the victims who could move quickly got out of the way.

The man swung his arm around, eyes wild and furious, and pointed the weapon at her. “Stay out of this, bitch! This asshole put his hands on me!”

“Sir, put down the weapon.” Athena’s tone was firm, confident and the man’s temper started to burn.

He opened fire without hesitation and people started to scream.

Four shots.

“Athena!” Bobby shouted even as she sank to her knees. She raised her arm, and shot the gunman even as he turned the gun on the man who’d shoved him.

Buck reached Athena even as the gunman hit the payment and two LAPD patrol officers headed for the body and the gun. Athena shuddered and slumped to the ground, gun clattering to the ground. They rolled her over as soon as they got their hands on her.

In the background, Buck took note of one of the cops reporting an officer down on the radio.

“Fuck!” Athena hissed, hand scrambling toward her weapon.

Eddie hesitated briefly then picked up the weapon, slipped it into her holster and she relaxed even as Hen started to examine her.

“Should you have done that?” Buck questioned.

“Disarming a Sentinel in a near-feral spiral would be an incredibly dumb thing to attempt to do,” Eddie said frankly. “There are procedures for it, and not a single officer on this scene watching interfered with what I just did.”

“Right,” Buck said roughly.

They cut off her uniform shirt, and found that all four rounds had hit her bulletproof vest. Blood was pooling on the ground from her shoulder, where there was no armor plating. It had gone through the shoulder strap.

Athena started to shake, eyes dark and the Sentinel rose up in her like the tide then crashed hard into a pain spiral. Buck cupped her head, and pressed against her with his empathic shield, but the pain was clearly her central focus—her point of zone out. She started to scream.

“Athena,” Eddie said sharply and her gaze focused on him—distant and near feral with pain. “Tell me I can put a suppression cuff on you.”

She reached out to him and he caught her hand. “Yes, make it stop. Please.”

Eddie unceremoniously loosened the strap on his conservator cuff, pulled it off and slid it over Athena’s hand. He tightened the strap, but it was too big—loose around her wrist—so he shoved it upward until it was snug on her forearm.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out. Bobby took a deep, shocked breath as he knelt with them. He picked up her hand with a shaky exhale. “I think I’m in trouble.”

“Damn it,” Buck muttered and activated his radio. “Firefighter Buckley to dispatch.”

“Go ahead Firefighter Buckley.”

“We need a priority Sentinel-safe transport for Sergeant Grant, who has a GSW to her left shoulder, and Captain Nash has also come online in response.”

“Understood Firefighter Buckley. A Sentinel-Guide Rapid Response Unit is en route.”

“The shooter?” Buck questioned.

“She got him—head shot,” one of the officer’s reported. “How is she? Captain Maynard wants to know.”

“Bleeding under control,” Hen said as the transferred her to a gurney. “The cuff is doing what it should, right?”

“It was customized for me by a shaman,” Eddie said. “But it’ll do the basics for her until she can be evaluated and given one of her own.” His gaze flicked to Bobby. “Or not, depending on the circumstances.”

Another ambulance came onto the scene—a specially built vehicle with dampening technology and physical shielding. A team of four paramedics took custody of Bobby and Athena quickly and gracefully, taking the information that Hen had on board immediately.

“Whose conservator cuff is she wearing?”

“Mine,” Eddie said and the man focused on him. “Eddie Diaz. I asked her permission first.”

“Yes, of course you did, sir,” the man said with a quick smile. “Lt. Joe Morrow. Can you maintain without it, or do we need to transport you as well.”

Eddie put a hand on Buck then shook his head. “I’m good.”

Buck shifted and took Eddie’s hand in his own, and laced their fingers together. “I’ll keep him even until you can return the cuff. We’ll be taken offline due to the circumstances, at any rate.”

Morrow’s gaze drifted between them briefly then he nodded. “Very well, Alpha Diaz.” He gave a quick nod and turned to trot after his team.

Vehicles from the 56 started to appear on the scene, crowding the already congested area and, after giving statements, they were released and told to return to their own station. Buck was relieved as Leto was prowling around, glaring at people, and making them uncomfortable.

In the ladder truck, she sprawled on the floor in front of him.

“You’re so rude, Leto,” Buck said to her and Cosmo laughed from the driver’s seat.

She just chuffed at him, then turned and nipped the jaguar’s ear when she slouched down half on top of her.

“Her name is Mars,” Eddie said.

“She’s gorgeous,” Hen said quietly and slouched back against her seat. “Fuck.” She closed her eyes. “She’ll be okay, right?.”

“She will be,” Buck said and exhaled slowly. “It could’ve been much worse.”

“Good thing he’s dead or he’d be going to jail for life,” Hen muttered. “Trying to murder a Sentinel is…does it count if she was latent?”

“We’re all the same under those laws,” Eddie said quietly. “It doesn’t even matter that he didn’t know she was a latent Sentinel. His life was over, one way or another, when that first bullet hit her.” His fingers clenched against Buck’s.

“You cool?”

“The smell of blood and gun powder is…difficult,” Eddie admitted roughly. “And that’s all I can really smell right now.”

Buck looked around them and exhaled slowly. “We’re not exactly in a good place for me to fix that, bud.”

Eddie grinned. “Shut up.”

“I’m just sayin’,” Buck said. “I don’t think I could change that for you with our clothes on.”

Everyone in the ladder burst out laughing and Eddie slouched down on the bench, fingers clenching against his. It helped the emotional landscape of the group as they all started to relax a little, even Eddie, which was good considering the trauma of watching a cop getting shot on the scene of a traffic accident. It was a reminder that the dangers of being a first responder often came from circumstances they couldn’t predict or control.

“So, you two…,” Hen began and waved a hand.

“He’ll do,” Eddie said and Buck laughed. “Every Sentinel has a cross to bear it seems.”

“His kid is great,” Buck retorted. “So, I’m tolerating him.”

“Sounds about right,” Hen said. “Funnily enough, Athena has spent last two months pretending she isn’t banging Bobby like a drum. I mean she straight up lied to my face, and I let her because I’m a good friend.”

“You should put a sarcastic note in the fruit basket you send her,” Buck suggested. “Can’t risk flowers, but they’ll let her have fruit if she doesn’t have any established allergies.”

“She doesn’t,” Hen said. “Now I just gotta figure out what to say that won’t look crazy and rude to anyone but her.”

Since that sounded like a valid goal for a best friend, Buck just nodded. At the station, they all ended up in the showers and Buck found himself prodding his Sentinel into the private shower room that no one really used on the regular. He’d used it sometimes in the past just to get some space after a difficult rescue.

“Is this weird?” Eddie questioned. “No one uses this one.”

“It was designed and put in the station for someone just like you,” Buck pointed out. “Even if they wanted to use it, they’d defer to you because they know that enhanced senses can and often are a burden. How are your levels?”

“Not great,” Eddie admitted. “I really thought not wearing the cuff at home sometimes was enough to say that I wasn’t using it as a crutch. Except, it clearly is a crutch, and I want to crawl all over you.”

Buck grinned and untucked his T-shirt. “Let’s give you a bit of a reset.”

Eddie exhaled slowly and nodded as he started to undress. “You said the cuff was the only reason we weren’t already bonded.”

“Oh,” Buck said. “I didn’t mean it was a literal barrier, Eddie.”

“What?” Eddie questioned and focused on him.

“No conservator cuff created could actually prevent a psionic bond,” Buck said gently. “The fact that you wear it, that you need it psychologically, is the reason we aren’t bonded and the reason a bond isn’t on the table right now. This emergency isn’t an opportunity for me to ignore your boundaries or for you set that boundary aside.”

Eddie’s shoulders dropped. “Sorry.”

“Trust comes with time and experience,” Buck said and unbuckled is belt. “Sex comes whenever we’d like.”

He laughed and Buck let himself relax. “Not on duty.”

“Nah, I prefer a big wide bed and an appropriate amount of lube,” Buck said easily.

“Yeah, same,” Eddie admitted.

A half hour later, Eddie dropped down on the couch in the loft and took a big bite of an apple.

“Update on Athena and Bobby?” he questioned.

“They’ve already been transferred into the care of the Burton Foundation at their mutual request,” Hen said. “Athena is coherent enough to arrange for Michael to pick up the kids. I reached out to him to let him know what happened so he could get to the kids before the news reached them. A cop getting shot in broad daylight isn’t going to be a secret and her name will leak as well.”

Eddie nodded.

“Already out of your private shower?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow at Chad. “Don’t make me hurt your feelings, kid.”

Hen snorted.

“It was just a question,” Chad said with a pout.

“Don’t mind him, Eddie,” Buck said breezily. “Anyone who actually knows me, knows if sex had been on the agenda we’d still be getting laid.”

Hen burst out laughing as Buck dropped down onto the sofa and started to eat a peeled orange.

Eddie considered that then nodded and focused on Chad. “His stamina is actually astounding.”

“Christ, I’m not sure I can handle this place with both of you working at the same time,” Cosmo said wryly. “Got an update on Bobby—he’s definitely online. I contacted Marcy and she got a little weird about it, but agreed to pick up the kids from school. She acted like it was a trial or something.”

“She doesn’t appreciate the requirements regarding their care because they’re both latent, and there are other issues,” Buck explained. “I’ll text her and offer to take them.” He pulled out his phone. “I might have to leave if she agrees and she probably will.”

“We’re offline for six hours as is,” Cosmo said and checked his watch. “I’ll get replacements for you and Eddie.”

“I’m fine,” Eddie said.

“You’re fine right now because Buck is here,” Cosmo said plainly. “Are you going to be okay without the cuff with him gone? Will you be cool to drive in the morning? We don’t know when the cuff is going to be returned to you. I’m sure the Burton Foundation prevented it from being collected as evidence by the LAPD.”

“Right,” Eddie said then slowly nodded. “But outside of an emergency situation, it’s not really fair to foist me off on Buck for management at this point.”

Buck nudged him even as he focused on his phone. “That’d be easier for me to accept as valid if you’d lodged even a token protest regarding sharing a shower with me.”

Eddie huffed. “Who’d say no? Except for the married ones?”

Buck turned to stare at him in shock even as everyone around them slowly nodded their agreement.

“I’d be tempted, but Karin would get mad as hell if she missed out on it,” Hen admitted. “She might accept a video, though. I’ll ask for future purposes.”

Chad pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” Buck asked suspiciously.

“Asking Jami if he’d settle for a video, too,” Chad said earnestly and didn’t even bother to pretend like he wasn’t serious.

Eddie snorted and Buck exhaled slowly beside him.

“I hate every single one of you,” Buck muttered.

“No, you don’t,” Eddie responded and shook his head when Buck pouted at him.

“I think she was writing her agreement before I even texted,” Buck said and focused on Cosmo. “So, Brook and Robbie get out of school in about three hours, but I can pick them up early and I probably should. They know Athena well and we can’t control what they get told if we don’t have them.”

“Agreed,” Cosmo said and stood. “I’ll get you both replaced before we come back online.”

And just like that Eddie found himself essentially sent home like a badly calibrated tool and it was kind of annoying. But, also it was a relief because he could still only smell blood and gun powder.

An hour later, while he was slouched down in Buck’s passenger seat while the man went to retrieve Brook Nash from her elementary school prison he texted Shannon and let her know he’d been relieved of duty for being himself. Then, as an after thought, he told her he’d been on the scene of the shooting that was all over the news, but he was fine.

Shannon: Is Buck okay?

Eddie stared for a moment, and shook his head.

Eddie: He’s fine too

Shannon: Good. The news coverage has been low on details. Just that a cop was shot on the scene of a large traffic accident. Sorry you saw that shit. Can’t have been good for you.

He didn’t know how to tell her that the actual gun violence hadn’t been all that traumatizing at all, as he’d been the most focused on Athena in the moment. If he were hard-pressed to provide an opinion it would probably involve a great deal of pride in her superior targeting after getting shot. Fortunately, no one had asked him.

Eddie: Did you need us to pick up Christopher?

A few moments passed.

Shannon: Carla is schedule to pick him up in about three hours to take him to yours since I have a shift tonight. They have plans already so probably leave it that way. You’ll be home when he gets home right?

Eddie: Yeah that’ll work. We’re picking up Bobby’s kids since he came online as a Guide in the midst of that crap this morning. Then we’ll probably grab Wyatt and Buck will take me home

His phone started ringing and answered the FaceTime call reluctantly.

“Why aren’t you driving?” Shannon questioned. “Did you get hurt?”

“No, but the cop who was shot…came online,” Eddie said roughly. “And she was screaming and shit had gone from stressful to attempted murder in a matter of seconds, so I took my cuff off and put it on her.”

“Oh,” Shannon said and exhaled slowly. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, but Buck’s handling it and managing me at the same time so it’s fine. I just didn’t want to take any risks driving.”

“No, that’s good that you didn’t risk it,” Shannon said quietly. “Do I know the cop?”

“Yeah,” Eddie said and cleared his throat. “But her name hasn’t been released by the LAPD, yet.”

“Jesus, okay. I can figure it out from that. Is it bad? Is she going to survive?”

“Took four bullets,” Eddie said frankly. “Three to the vest and one to the shoulder—in stable condition from last report.”

“So, probably broken ribs too depending on the impact and caliber of bullet,” Shannon said and grimaced. “Christ, that had to hurt like a son of a bitch—even the ones that just hit the vest.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “But she took out the shooter before she went down.”

“In the midst of coming online,” Shannon said. “Sometimes it’s easy to overlook what it means to be a Sentinel, you know? Then you get it thrown in your face—the way you’re all different from the rest of us in the moments that hurt the most.” She cleared her throat. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll let Carla know she needs to hose Christopher down extra and that you don’t currently have your cuff. No need to add a big rash to your current mess.”

“Thanks,” he said and glanced out the window just in time to watch Buck exit the elementary school with Brook. “I have to go. I don’t want to say anything weird in front of her because we still have to tell her that her Dad came online.”

“Try to get some rest, you look tired. Stay safe,” she ordered then ended the FaceTime call without saying good bye.

It was a nice moment, a reminder of a time when he’d been half way around the world and Shannon was his only real contact with civilian life since his parents were a lot of his parents and he’d avoided them. She’d never told him goodbye during their FaceTime calls because she hadn’t wanted them to be the last word he heard from her if the worst happened.

Buck opened up the back door and Brook climbed in looking pensive and already upset. “It’s fine, sweetheart, I promise.”

“Okay,” Brook said. “I heard the teachers talking about the shooting. It’s all over the news.”

Eddie winced and Buck exhaled sharply as he buckled her seatbelt.

“Listen,” Buck said gently. “Your dad is fine, but he came online in an emergency so he’s being evaluated by a doctor. You guys will see him as soon as it is safe, okay? In the meantime, you’re with me. I talked with your mom about it.”

Brook nodded slowly. “I get it, Buck. Mom doesn’t care.”

Eddie winced.

Buck cleared his throat. “I really wish I’d never promised to be honest with you. Because a lie would probably be a comfort to us both right now.”

Brook laughed then. “No take backs!”

Buck slouched down briefly in the driver’s seat then shared a look with Eddie. “Okay, info on Christopher?”

“With his mom then with Carla.”

“Can you ask Carla to bring him to my house?” Buck questioned. “Because I’m not sure you should be on your own right now. You’re psionics are all over the place, and you have zero discipline on that subject probably because no one bothered to tell you that you should.”

Eddie huffed. “That’s…my senses are fine.”

Buck sent him a narrow look. “You think that’s all the cuff was doing for you?”

“Daddy says Sentinels are a hot mess nearly all the time,” Brook reported from the backseat and Buck laughed. “And as Guides we just have to accept that. He said there are perks, but I don’t know what those could possibly be.”

Eddie sighed and they both laughed at him.

Fifteen minutes later, and one stop at a junior high later they were plus two kids in the backseat.

“Two down and two to go,” Buck muttered and Eddie glanced his direction.

“Got weird, fast, right?”

“Don’t be surprised if Denny gets tossed in our direction in the future. It’s like the whole squad decided I was prime childcare after Wyatt was delivered.” He paused. “Not that I mind, I love kids. They’re uncomplicated and brutally honest in ways that most adults can’t accomplish.”

“Daddy says we’re old enough to not know when it’s rude to be honest,” Brook said. “Though Robbie is pretty close to not getting a pass on that kind of socially abhorrent behavior.” She paused. “Though I don’t know who decided that dishonesty through pretense is socially acceptable.”

Robbie grunted and Eddie glanced briefly over his shoulder to see the kid on a cellphone.

“You got a screen limit, kid?” Eddie questioned.

“Just on games. I can read and stuff as long as my homework is done,” Robbie reported. “I got a pass on homework for the week due to stress.”

“Way to lean in,” Eddie said wryly and the boy laughed.

Robbie took a deep breath. “Do we know the cop that got shot?”

Buck winced and exhaled slowly. “Can we wait for that conversation when I’m not driving? My plate is a little full and I want to give you guys my full attention.”

Eddie glanced back again and found that Robbie had taken his sister’s hand. “The cop that was shot is in recovery and in stable condition. The only person who…died was the bad guy.”

Buck huffed.

“Oh, good,” Brook said and slouched against her seatbelt in relief.

“It’s not socially acceptable to be relieved that someone is dead, Cookie,” Robbie said dryly and his sister laughed. “Even if it’s a bad guy.”

“I’m gonna milk my age-related self-serving depravity for as long as I possibly can,” Brook retorted.

“They don’t have any right being this entertaining,” Eddie said and Buck laughed.

* * * *

Carla Price was already at his house when they finally managed to get free of the Psionic Center with Wyatt.

“Maybe they’re in the backyard?” Eddie said when they parked beside her empty car.

“She has a code to get in,” Buck said easily and turned off the truck. “Carla helped me out here and there when I was recovering from coming online. I paid her to just handle stuff for me because I was overwhelmed and I didn’t want people from the Burton Foundation in my business more than they already were.”

“I hope Ursa is home!” Brook said.

Buck really didn’t know if he could handle that much attitude in his house all at once but maybe he needed to learn how to get used to it since Eddie’s general disposition was probably visible from orbit. Wyatt had slept through the pick up, his transfer into a car seat, and right back out. He carried his son into the house and Eddie sort of herded Brook and Robbie behind him.

“Daddy! Hi! Carla said we should just come in. She’s making dinner.”

“Oh, thank fuck,” Buck muttered then huffed. “No one under eighteen is allowed to repeat that.”

“Don’t worry, Buck, we’re keeping a list for future usage,” Robbie said wryly then focused on Christopher. “Hey, Chris, did you get your iPad charged?”

“Yep,” Chris said and headed back toward the living room.

Brook and Robbie trotted after him, so Buck followed along with Wyatt and Eddie.

“Okay, guys, let’s talk about what happened today,” Buck said and the three of them focused on him as he sat down in a chair. All three slouched down on the sofa and stared at him despite the devices in their hands. “Today there was a big traffic accident, and a lot of people were hurt. There was an argument that got very difficult and violent. A man pulled a weapon and Sergeant Grant responded.

“She was shot but is in stable condition. The bigger issue is that she came online as a Sentinel in the middle of the shooting. It was physically very traumatic.” He glanced toward Eddie.

Eddie took a deep breath. “So, I took off the conservator cuff I’ve worn since I came home from the Army and put it on her so it could help her the way it has always helped me.”

“Are you okay, though?” Christopher questioned. “You’ve only ever gone without at home.”

“Buck is helping me,” Eddie said.

“So, Daddy came online for Athena,” Robbie said quietly. “Right? With her?”

“Yeah,” Buck admitted.

Brook leaned forward. “They’re having a seedy affair for no real reason. I think they just like to have a secret even though absolutely no one is going to care.”

Buck grinned at her.

“We have a group chat with Harry and May,” Robbie continued. “And a betting pool. Absolutely none of us bet on them coming online together on the job as the way everyone found out.”

Christopher huffed. “I did.” He paused. “Sort of.” He flicked through a few screens on his iPad and tapped it. “I said they’d probably get outed because of work. A shooting on a traffic scene is definitely work for them.”

“Man,” Brook muttered. “I hate that he’s right. That means we gotta watch all those dumb shark movies that Denny likes because Christopher always gets Denny exactly what he wants no matter what the rest of us think. The next slumber party is gonna suck butt.”

“I can’t even with any of you,” Buck said frankly. “Do you have any questions that doesn’t involve a betting pool I’m going to forget as soon as I can or dumb shark movies?”

“Athena is really okay?” Robbie questioned. “May and Harry haven’t said anything in the group chat. Do they know?”

“They’re with their dad,” Buck said. “And he’s probably already gotten them into see her since a Sentinel is going to be hyper focused on her kids.” He paused. “That might extend to you and Brook so we’re going to be on stand by for that, okay? At the very least, I’ll work with your dad’s medical team to get you into see him tomorrow unless there are issues. He’s already had all the training he needs so right now he’s probably focusing on building his shields and managing whatever situation he has to manage with Athena’s care.”

Ursa took that moment to appear, and settled down on the sofa next to Brook. “I asked Carla to make a chocolate cake. I ordered groceries for it—they’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”

“That sounds great,” Eddie said and the kids nodded their agreement.