39 | ❝ WAYS NOT SIMPLE AT ALL... ❞

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CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

❝ WAYS NOT SIMPLE AT ALL... ❞

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[season 3, episode 4 + own storyline]

LISSIE POV

SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT SHE WOULD FACE SUCH A DILEMMA AS CHOOSING WHAT TO WEAR FOR A DATE. After what they went through during the tsunami and their spectacular kiss, after which almost the entire 118th told them directly that they had finally made it, not much had changed in their relationship. At least, that's what she thought, because she hadn't been this stressed about simply choosing an outfit to meet Evan before.

Buck and his desire to surprise her with where he was taking her weren't helping at all.

"Pants and a shirt are always a good choice," May advised, watching her struggle. "I thought you wouldn't be nervous about meeting Buck. After all, you've been doing this for a long time."

"But what?"

She looked at May, somewhat misunderstanding. The teenager just shook her head.

"You've been seeing him at least twice a week for the past few months," May smiled smugly. "Treat it like any other meeting. You weren't stressed back then."

"At the time, neither of us thought it was a date. You know, a real one."

"Everything will be fine. You're stressing yourself out unnecessarily."

Lissie took a deep breath and decided to trust her sister. After all, what bad thing could happen on their first, real date?

Nash listened to May and opted for plain jeans and a burgundy shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She added simple, small silver earrings, and considered it the height of madness that she wore high heels for the first time in several months.

They weren't typical heels, but they still added a few extra inches, which could always come in handy with Buck.

"What do you think?" she asked, appearing in May's living room as the teenager was doing her homework. Luckily, there was no one else in the house, so she didn't have to worry about unnecessary questions about where she was going—neither her father nor Athena was aware that she had seen Buck today, much less that she had a date with him today.

May looked at her and smiled cheerfully.

"You look adorable. Buck won't regret taking you on a date."

Lissie didn't answer when the doorbell rang, but she didn't need to check who it was because she knew it was Buckley.

She reached for her bag, checked one last time to make sure May would be able to handle it on her own, and when she received an affirmative answer, she headed for the door.

"Have fun!" Young Grant called after her as Lissie opened the door and then stepped through.

"Hi," she greeted Buck, smiling a little wider than usual.

"Hi," he replied with that cheeky look and twinkle in his eye. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she nodded, but stopped him for a moment as he tried to walk her to his jeep. "Buck, isn't that weird in any way? I mean... I don't know how to put it... We've been hanging out as friends up until now, and now..."

"Are you nervous that what has connected us so far will suddenly change because we're together?"

"No... Yes..." she giggled nervously. "I guess so. Tell me not just how I feel, or I'll go crazy, but be honest with me."

"Sunshine," he grabbed her hands, sending those warm shivers down her spine that always came when he spoke to her like that. "You're not the only one stressed, I promise. So, instead of stressing out separately, we can do this together at that great Italian restaurant I'm taking you to."

"I'm warning you right now that if we don't order tiramisu, this date will be hopeless," she joked, the stress slowly starting to dissipate.

It was Buck. She knew him, so she had nothing to worry about.

"I'll remember that, now," he gestured toward his car. "Ladies first."

Lissie slapped him on the chest and headed for the jeep.

"Since when did you become such a gentleman, huh?"

"For you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, and she looked at him. "Always."

Nash laughed and allowed him to open the passenger door and get inside.

THE RESTAURANT HE TOOK HER TO WASN'T BIG. It definitely had a cozy atmosphere, and each table had a candle in the shape of a fruit. They had chosen one of the most recognizable fruits in Italy, namely an orange. Although the wax had already melted halfway through, only the orange color could tell it was that particular fruit.

Lissie smoothed out her napkin in her lap, desperately trying to find something to stop her from staring at Buck like an idiot. She failed miserably every time. He looked much more at ease across the table than she did. And damn handsome, too, because he'd even deliberately shaved off his last beard, which he hadn't paid much attention to after the embolism and the work situation.

"So..." she began, trying to break the silence between them. It wasn't embarrassing, but she slowly felt like she was going crazy just because they weren't talking. "How was your day?"

The moment she asked this, she immediately wanted to slap herself on the forehead. She was completely stupid.

"Liss, don't analyze it so much," he pleaded, then extended his hand to her, placing it on the table between them. "Give me your hand," she obeyed, and after a moment, she felt their fingers intertwine. Her heart beat twice as fast, but the knot in her stomach that had come from the stress seemed to vanish instantly. "Better?"

"Don't take too much credit, Buckley."

Buck laughed.

"There she is," he said with amusement. "Melissa Nash has returned to us, ladies and gentlemen."

Lissie shook her head and looked at him with a smile.

"Idiot."

"Which just made you laugh, so success achieved." Buck ran his thumb over her hand, and she had a feeling she could get used to it. "But since you asked what I did today, I can give you a full, detailed account, but I don't know if you really want to hear how I spent most of the time lying on the couch."

"That's not true," she replied quickly, remembering how he'd boasted to her earlier that he'd had his first day of desk work in the fire department that day. If he wasn't complaining, it couldn't have been too bad. But she knew it certainly wasn't brilliant either. "Was your first day back that terrible?"

"Different, but I decided that since it was the only option, I would commit myself to it completely."

"Don't say that... Nothing is decided yet, and I'm proud that you've finally started leaving the house and aren't lying in bed all day."

They smiled at each other and briefly focused on their own dishes. Buck ordered a simple spaghetti for himself, while Lissie had a plate of carbonara in front of her. The brief moment of peace was interrupted by an unexpected shout from the dining room. The room was small enough that when they looked around, they immediately spotted an elderly couple a few tables away. The man had his hand on his chest, and his partner was standing next to him.

"Help!" she cried in panic as the man fell to the ground. "I don't think he's breathing!"

Lissie and Buck just looked at each other, and then at the same moment, they got up from the table and rushed to the rescue.

"Please call 911." Lissie pointed to the girl closest to the couple, then knelt beside the unconscious man. His wife sobbed nearby and tried to wake him, but nothing happened. "Ma'am, what happened?"

"I don't know..." she said with difficulty. "One moment we were talking, and then he started feeling sick... He'd been complaining of chest pain for some time, but he ignored every request to get it checked out."

"Relax. I'm a paramedic, so we'll try to help your husband, but we need space."

The woman nodded.

Buck moved her further away, so that she was cared for by the rest of the restaurant. Then he knelt on the man's other side, just as Lissie checked his vital signs.

"Buck, this could be a heart attack," she informed him, reaching to check his wrist for a pulse but finding none. "Shit, cardiac arrest."

Lissie placed her hands on the man's chest in the proper position and began compressions, just as she remembered from work. Buck stared at her, completely speechless, because for the first time he had seen firsthand what he had heard so many times—Lissie's ability to keep her composure while saving others. It seemed to him, in fact, far more impressive than anything he had ever seen in the 118th, performed by his sister, Hen, or Chim.

However, he probably wasn't entirely objective about it.

"We need an AED," she said after asking Buck for a replacement, looking at the frightened, young waitress. She must have barely finished high school and was probably working towards her studies. "Do you know what this is?"

The girl shook her head, and Nash wanted to curse. This was basic knowledge they should have been taught in school.

"There!" One of the restaurant guests pointed to a device hanging on the wall, and Lissie immediately ran to it.

When she returned, Buck was already unbuttoning the unconscious man's shirt, and she immediately activated the device and stuck the electrodes in place, without looking or waiting for the voice instructions.

"It's charging," she said to Buck, and he immediately raised his hands and stepped away.

Lissie pressed the appropriate button, and then the defibrillation began. The man's body rose and fell, and Nash checked for a pulse. When she felt one, she looked at her partner with a smile.

"He's back."

"You did it," Buckley said proudly. "You saved him."

The restaurant door opened, and the entire 118th team walked in. Of course, it had to be them.

"Buck?" Chim was the first to notice them. "Little captain?"

"Oh my God," Hen exclaimed. "Are you two on a date?"

"After their display at the field hospital, you shouldn't be surprised at all," Ian said, and Lissie just felt herself blush.

However, she decided to remain a professional until the end, even though she had long since stopped being a paramedic.

"A man, about sixty, stopped for a moment, but we got his heart going again," she told Chim and Hen as she and Buck cleared the way for them to attend to the patient.

"Nice idea with the AED," Hen praised. "Who came up with that?"

"Lissie," said Rosie, who looked at her friend with a smile so wide that Nash knew she wouldn't be leaving her alone anytime soon. "I thought I'd have to come to Buck again to perform a tracheotomy on his date, but here we are, surprise."

"Tracheotomy?" Lissie looked at the Buckley siblings curiously. "Do I want to know the story?"

"Yes."

"No."

They answered simultaneously.

"I'll tell her anyway if you don't," Rosie stuck out her tongue at her brother, and in the meantime, Hen and Chim took their patient towards the ambulance.

Lissie looked at her father, who had been watching them the entire time but had not joined in the discussion in any way.

"What's up, old man?" she asked him, trying to gauge if he was mad at her or just annoyed that she hadn't told him anything.

"Please don't call me that," he said with amusement, and she smiled innocently. "I didn't expect to see you in action today. And in action."

"Are you angry?"

"No," he kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you're having a nice evening."

"Even with Buck?" she asked uncertainly, still unsure what he thought of the situation. "We haven't talked..."

"We didn't have to," he interrupted her with a smile.

THE JEEP PARKED IN FRONT OF THE GRANTS' HOUSE, AND BUCK WALKED HER DIRECTLY TO THE DOOR. After the restaurant scene, they agreed they needed a walk, so they cruised around Los Angeles for a while before finally deciding to head back. Buck had to get up early for work the next morning, and Lissie had promised to take Marrie to school.

"So what's this whole tracheotomy thing?" Lissie asked as they stood at the door, but she still couldn't bring herself to say goodbye.

Buck gave a short laugh, and even in the evening light, she could see him blush.

"My date with Abby went wrong," he confessed honestly. "We were at this fancy restaurant... Totally not my cup of tea, but I wanted to impress her. I was so stressed about it all, I just choked. They called an ambulance, and I ended up in the hospital."

"Apparently, you're lucky that an ambulance has to be called on every date."

"But ours was definitely a success," he assured her with a smile. "Even without the tiramisu."

"Even without the tiramisu," she repeated, amused.

She felt something shift between them. Buck took another step closer, then raised his hand to rest on her cheek, his thumb massaging the skin. He leaned over her calmly enough to give her time to react if she wanted to stop. But she didn't move, eager to feel his lips on hers again.

This time, their kiss was calm and slow, not as frantic as it had been after the tsunami. Lissie brushed her fingers along his jaw, and Buck slid his fingers to the back of her neck, pulling her closer. She melted in his embrace, and when he sucked a little harder on her lower lip, she moaned into his mouth. The sound made her blush, for she had never heard anything like it from herself before.

She slid her hand down to his chest, where she could feel the muscles beneath his shirt, and above all, the steady beat of his heart.

When they pulled away, they were both breathing heavily.

"You're ruining my plan to be a gentleman," he whispered with amusement, his hand in her hair.

Lissie laughed shortly, her fingers clenching in his shirt.

"You're doing pretty well, Buckley."

This time, she initiated the kiss. It was shorter, a bit gentler, as if it were just a way of convincing them both that they should separate and go back to their own homes, which was definitely a difficult task.

Indeed, impossible at the moment.

"We should get going," she said, her face flushed. She looked into Buck's eyes and saw them sparkling with joy, and she wondered if he saw the same in hers. "We have to get up early tomorrow."

"I know," he said without conviction, standing in the same spot. "See you tomorrow?"

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Isn't it a bit early for our second date? You'll still be bored with me in a week."

"Never. I'll never get bored with you."

Lissie just smiled.

ROSIE POV

SHE HATED FIRE DRILL DAY. There was always someone "smarter than everyone else" who thought he knew every detail of their work, which was simply not true. She couldn't speak that way this time because one of the rescue team evaluators was Buck.

She was glad he hadn't completely left the fire department, but when he received his clipboard... It made him a completely different person. She felt the same way, but with her brother, it all reached a whole new level. She secretly hoped that the fact that he'd finally started dating Lissie would make him less of a doyen. They might not have been there for their kiss, but they'd seen it all from the window in the hospital room. Marrie, of course, wasn't happy about not being there, even though Ian had recorded everything for her.

A nudge from Chim snapped her out of her reverie. That was the sign they'd arrived.

"Oh my God," Han said as they stood in front of the building. "The biggest fire I've ever seen."

Rosie rolled her eyes, then burst out laughing at the joke. She had to admit, considering his ironic tone, he actually managed it.

"I hate training," Hen muttered as she and Diaz tried to hook up a hose to a hydrant.

"The city makes us do them every three years..." Eddie replied.

"The alarm went off at 12:20, and the call came in thirty seconds later," Bobby said, checking his watch. "We started the operation at 12:43, four minutes after the planned response time."

Rosie walked up to the captain.

"What does that mean?" Ian asked.

"We'll lose a few points," Chim replied.

"Someone's going to have to explain this," Hen glanced at Nash. "After all, it's your future son-in-law who's judging us."

Rosie stepped forward, motioning for Wilson to back off.

"I'm taking Buck on myself," she said clearly.

"No... I'm in charge, so it's my job," Bobby interrupted.

"But he's my brother, and only I know how to approach him when he's holding a clipboard."

Their boss finally capitulated and decided to take her with him.

As they entered the building, Rosie's younger brother appeared as if by magic.

"The bus and cars were blocking the road, hence our delay," Bobby said immediately, seeing the boy's expression.

"The 144th got here in six minutes," Buck replied, pointing at the firefighters. "That's seventeen minutes ahead of you."

Rosa rolled her eyes and then nudged her brother.

"May I remind you how far our firehouse is from theirs?" she asked irritably. "Have you already forgotten that while you were on sick leave? It's FIVE crossroads from here!"

"Sorry, but I have to be impartial."

"Taking your responsibilities seriously definitely works to your advantage," Bobby said, more diplomatically than his subordinate. "But perspective also helps. We're not telling you this to justify ourselves. We can't predict traffic."

Rosie applauded the captain's words. They were both proud that he hadn't given up on his career, but his sniping... It was pure drama.

He was clearly having a great time.

EVEN DESPITE WARNINGS FROM HIS SISTER, BUCK DIDN'T LET GO. After an accident on the stairs, when one of the students had a seizure, and everyone fell, Rosie noticed her brother was trying to write something on the paperwork. She told him that if he tried, she'd make it so Lissie wouldn't recognize him. This scared him a bit, and he gave up.

As she and Hen were taking the man to the ambulance, a lawyer appeared out of nowhere, introducing himself as Chase Mackey. He was clearly looking for clients, but the two women didn't get involved, as it wasn't their case.

Still, Buckley felt he might have messed things up. She just didn't know to what extent yet.

After returning to the fire station, she decided it was time to contact Suzanna. There was no one else who could help her better.

"Hey!" the lawyer called, rather cheerfully for her. From the tone of her voice, Rosie was sure she must have just seen Jonathan. "I just left Johnny's, so you weren't interrupting anything. Since you're calling during your shift, something must have happened. My brother is safe and sound, I hope?"

"Hi, Suzie..." she replied. "Bobby's fine. I'm calling about something else. Do you know a lawyer named Chase Mackey? During a fire drill, a civilian had a seizure, and the person was trying to help him. You know, like, 'You should sue the building owners.' "

"I understand." She could definitely tell from her voice that she was in legal mode. "I haven't dealt with him myself, as I'm new here, but I could ask Wesley, a colleague from work. I think he might be able to tell me something about himself. He knows practically every lawyer in Los Angeles. Even in Chicago, I didn't have a contact list like his here."

"Thanks a lot," said the younger woman. "If you find out anything, let me know."

"I'll get to work right away."

After these words, she simply hung up, and Rosa hoped that her premonitions would be wrong this time and that nothing bad was haunting them again.

THE NEXT DAY, SINCE THE GIRLS GOT A DAY OFF, THEY ALL MET UP AT ATHENA'S HOUSE. Marrie was playing with Harry and Denny in the living room, while Rosie, Lissie, Hen, Karen, and Sergeant Grant were sitting at the dining room table. They were still waiting for Suzanna, but she was running late.

"You're siding with him," Denny muttered to Buckley-Han. He was clearly irritated. "It's my game, so I decide."

"But Aunt Hen specifically said you had to share with us," Marigold said. "The order was set. You, Harry, and then me."

"Let him play with his toys," said young Wilson.

"What's wrong with you?" his best friend asked him. "You never act like this..."

Rosie, Karen, and Hen looked at each other in shock.

"The young one is a talker, but I'll help her a bit," Lissie replied, getting up from the table. The blonde headed toward the living room. "Denny, give it up. Harry's not going to take that console away from you."

"But..." he began.

"You don't want one of your moms to come and take your game away. I'm still a good cop, but I can't vouch for them, or even Aunt Athena."

"That's true," Marrie replied. "I love Grandma Athena, but when she screams... She scares me terribly."

The boy gave up and handed the game to Grant. For a moment, there was peace, so Lissie returned to the others.

"Do I sound that bad?" the sergeant asked. "After all, Mary said that when I scream, she's afraid of me..."

"I think it's your charisma," Rosie said, taking a sip of her tea. "You have this certain something about you that makes everyone listen to you."

She nodded, and the entire group changed the subject to Karen and Hen trying to conceive through in vitro fertilization. They talked about the entire process, but at one point, Buckley completely zoned out.

"What about you two?" Lissie looked at her best friend. "Are you thinking about another Buckley-Han?"

Rosie felt herself blush.

"Yes... We're trying for a second child, without success so far... But I don't feel like it. Even if we don't get to have more children, I'm still happy we have Marrie."

"No, no..." Hen replied. "I'm sure you'll succeed. I can feel it."

"Exactly," Karen added, taking Rosie's hand to reassure her. "None of us knows better parents than you."

Rosie smiled slightly. These words actually lifted her spirits a bit.

"I know I'm getting old... That could also be a problem."

"You're thirty-three. Okay, almost thirty-four," Athena said, glancing at Buckley. "You know how long Michael and I have been waiting for Harry to show up. Your time will come, too. You're not as old as you think."

The other women agreed with the sergeant's words.

"I think you'll have three more," Lissie replied proudly. "You'll remember my words. You'll see."

They all burst out laughing. A second later, they heard the front door open, and a breathless Suzanna burst inside.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, sitting down in the chair next to her niece, then looked at Buckley. "Good thing I caught you... I have the information you asked for."

The other four looked at them rather suspiciously.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that Rosie has some investigation of her own?" Athena laughed, handing her sister-in-law a glass of water she'd asked for in the meantime. "So, what are you two up to?"

"It's not exactly an investigation, Thena," Rosey replied. "It's about the lawyer who was trying to get through to our patient."

"Ambulance chaser," Hen remarked, taking a sip of coffee. "So, what did you find out?"

Suzanna looked at her friend.

"I spoke with Wesley, as I told you... It turns out this guy stops at nothing to make sure his client wins. His tactics are dirty and immoral, though damn effective. He specializes in finding clients who have been mistreated because of their health."

"Let me guess..." Lissie began, glancing at Rosie. "Do you think she might be into Buck?"

"You know him," his sister said. "If he had the chance, he would definitely take advantage of it to get back to work..."

"What's the lawyer's name?" asked young Nash. "I'll keep that in mind..."

"Chase Mackey," Suzanna replied. "From what Wesley said, he's a treacherous character, and a real rude one at that."

Her niece nodded, signaling to keep an eye on him.

LISSIE POV

THE MUTUAL GOSSIP WITH THE GIRLS, SOON OR LATER, HAD TO TURN TO HER AND BUCK. She hoped they would maybe take it easy, but it wasn't often they had the opportunity to all sit down and spend time with their girlfriends.

"Speaking of relationships," Karen began, looking at Lissie, followed by the rest of the group. "We have a new freshman in our group who can boast about her dating experience."

"Hen did tell you?"

Lissie looked at Wilson with amusement, and Wilson just held up her hands.

"Technically, it wasn't a secret."

"We'd all love to hear about your evening," Suzanna said, looking at her niece expectantly. "Except Rosie. She already knows everything."

Both friends laughed shortly, and for a moment, Lissie thought she might get away with it, but everyone else was looking at her, and none of them were letting up.

"Are you really that interested in what happened on my date?"

"With Buck," Athena said. "Your date with Buck."

"Besides, this is the first date since—" Karen stopped mid-sentence, but everyone knew what she was going to say. Silence fell over the table almost immediately, and Lissie's smile faded slightly. "I'm sorry, Liss. I didn't mean any bad—"

"I know," she nodded, then took a deep breath. "You're right. But it was still just one date."

"With you two, it looks more like a first date, which you officially call a date." Rosie nudged her shoulder, and Lissie looked at her in shock.

"Even you against me?"

Buckley shrugged, and everyone else laughed.

Their cheerful attitude was quickly interrupted by the sound of the children arguing again. Lissie had already lost track of whether it was just a game or something deeper, but the three of them were shouting over each other. Hen and Rosie had already started to get up to calm them down when Athena, without even moving or looking at the three of them, simply silenced them in an instant.

"Children!" she shouted, still holding her coffee mug.

All three of them fell silent almost immediately, looking at her in horror, and Hen and Rosie sat back down in their seats.

"If I ever become a mother," Lissie said to her stepmother, "this is what you must teach me."

"Just a moment ago, you said it was just a first date," Suzanna reminded her sarcastically. "Now you're mentioning children. It happened faster than I expected. At least you don't have to look for a potential daddy, because he's right there at your fingertips."

"And Buck, if anything, has a hand for children," Hen immediately picked up on that, and a moment later, they exchanged high fives when they saw Lissie's embarrassed face.

"Oh, back off," she simply commented, and the rest of them burst into laughter again.

THE PARK WAS BUSTY WITH LIFE. Buck had told her about the training tests, and although he sounded quite enthusiastic and seemed genuinely committed, he couldn't have fooled her that much. He missed fieldwork, but she didn't know what more could be done—every doctor's checkup ended with the same words: the congestion still persisted, and that disqualified him from active duty.

They strolled through the aisles, chatting happily. The stress of their first official date vanished. At some point, Buck linked their hands, and they walked hand in hand ever since. Lissie hadn't even realized she needed this kind of peace. She knew this new phase in their relationship would take time to fully explore, but she was ready.

It was a perfect day, at least until she noticed a strange man with a cheeky smile blocking their path.

"You two are a lovely couple," he greeted, and Lissie frowned. The man looked at Buck. "You must be Evan Buckley, right?"

"Yes?" Buck was as surprised as she was. "And you are?"

"Chase Mackey," he replied, and Lissie immediately recognized the name. It was this lawyer she and the girls had been talking about earlier. "A lawyer. We had the opportunity to meet during a fire drill."

"I remember," Buck nodded. "What a meeting. Is everything okay?"

Lissie didn't like this conversation or this meeting. Not only because the guy had just interrupted her date, but because she'd promised to keep an eye on Buck regarding his possible relationship with the guy.

"We're sorry, but we're in a hurry," she interrupted coldly, tightening her grip on Buck's to let him know they should go.

"Wait, a few moments won't save us," Buck stopped her, and she wanted to roll her eyes. "Mr. Mackey must have had a reason to come looking for me, right?"

Lissie couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Mr. Buckley." He smiled at him, and when he looked at her, she saw him looking at her coldly. "In private, if we may."

"Lissie is my girlfriend, so I have no objection to her staying."

"Thank you, but maybe it's better if I give you a moment." Lissie kissed him on the cheek. "I'll wait for you at the ice cream stand."

Maybe she shouldn't have left him alone with that lawyer, but she had a feeling that if she waited a minute longer, she'd murder someone—probably that damned lawyer. With him, she wouldn't have a chance to talk to him calmly about what he was proposing anyway. Buck would probably tell her everything anyway, and then she could calmly try to reason with him.

A few minutes later, she was enjoying her vanilla ice cream, and another was waiting for Buck next to her. When he joined her, it was hard to guess what he was thinking, but she hoped he'd find out soon enough.

"This lawyer invited me to his office tomorrow."

Buck reached for his slowly melting ice cream.

"For what purpose?"

"He said something about helping me get back to work."

A red light went on in Lissie's head.

"How so? It won't suddenly make your congestion problems disappear..."

"I don't know," Buck sighed.

"And you're going to meet him?" she asked, though she knew what the answer would be.

"I can always talk to him, right?"

"Of course, but Buck... Be careful. He's a bit slippery."

"Easy," he said, taking her hand, trying to calm her down. "I told him that no matter what he offered, I didn't think he could help me."

Buckley leaned over her and kissed her briefly, and despite her fears, she began to melt under his touch.

SHE SPENT THE NEXT EVENING WITH BUCK AT HIS APARTMENT. Under the guise of dinner and a movie night, the movie was only playing in the background, because, first of all, Buck had a lab report to write, which he was clearly struggling to handle. She wasn't a math genius herself, but she helped as best she could, gently tweaking the 118th's scores, which she did with Buckley's permission.

Buck put the folder containing the completed documents in a locker so he could take it to the unit tomorrow, then settled down on the couch next to Lissie. He slung his arm over her shoulder, gently stroking her skin, and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I was at that lawyer's office today," Buck said, looking at the screen where they were finishing watching Top Gun. "He told me I should sue the city for keeping me from going back to work."

Buckley shook his head in amusement, but Lissie was definitely concerned.

"Really? Where did he get that idea?"

"He says it's the city's fault they won't let me back," Buck snorted. "I'll fight to get back to work, but nothing will convince me to go against the 118th, or the entire watch."

Lissie let out a quiet sigh of relief. She knew Buck sometimes made crazy decisions, but she was glad this wasn't one of them. She lifted herself up a little, sat on her feet, and placed her hand on his chest.

"Will you promise to be careful with him?" Buck grabbed her wrist, gently massaging the skin there. "I talked to Suzanna... I wanted to ask around a bit about this guy, and apparently, he's hell-bent on getting what he wants. He'll stop at nothing to win a case. He's generally not a fair player."

"Relax," he smiled briefly at her. "I know what I'm doing, and suing the city is the last thing I take seriously."

Lissie nodded.

"Don't let him get you, okay?" she asked, and instead of answering right away, he put his arm around her waist and moved her so she was sitting on his lap.

She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he held her waist to keep her from sliding down.

"I have no intention of suing the city," he assured her. "I want to go back to work, but not like this, but I don't want to talk about it right now. I want to spend some time with my girlfriend."

Nash laughed briefly, then felt Evan lean forward to kiss her lips. She moaned briefly at his touch and pressed her whole body against his, wanting to feel him more deeply. Buck wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back, and she threaded her fingers through his tousled hair. She felt the warmth spreading through her body, the excitement of what might yet come.

When they paused, it was only for a moment before they started kissing again. This time, Buck was more daring—he ran his tongue across her lips, and when she allowed it, he began to gently explore the roof of her mouth. Lissie purred with satisfaction, tugging on the ends of his hair.

Her blood was pumping through her veins so fast it made her head buzz with it all. She wanted to savor him and caress him, to let him completely take over her soul in that moment, but then something changed. His fingers slid lower, first to her hips, then to her thighs. Lissie froze, for in that instant she felt as if it wasn't Buck touching her, that she was no longer safe, and that she was about to relive the nightmare.

She pulled away from him without warning—not completely, but Buckley immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What's going on?" He asked immediately, with concern and an audible fear that he had hurt her. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she assured him immediately, feeling her eyes well up. She was angry with herself, because it was Buck, after all. She was safe with him and knew he wouldn't do anything against her will. Meanwhile, her mind was treacherous, telling her that exactly what happened in Chicago would happen. "Everything's okay."

"It's definitely not, because I can see tears in your eyes," he said gently, then helped her sit down next to him. Lissie took a deep breath, but was afraid to look at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

Nash just shook her head.

"Liss..." he began, but she gathered her courage and interrupted him.

"It's me, okay?" She looked up at him. "Don't think I want this." She wiggled her fingers between them. "I really do, but I feel like my body still remembers what happened and... It'll react defensively. Like now, when I went completely stiff, when..."

"I touched you," he finished for her. He looked at her patiently and simply placed his hand on her cheek and turned her head to the side so she could look at him better. "I won't do anything without your permission, Liss."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize to me for something you can't control... All in good time, right?" He ran his thumb under her eye, brushing away a tear. "One step at a time. I didn't tell you I loved you because I just wanted to have sex with you, but because I wanted to do a whole bunch of other things with you. Sex would be a great addition when the time was right. When you were ready."

ROSIE POV

SINCE THE TSUNAMI DESTROYED A LARGE PART OF THE CITY, EVERY NIGHT IN THE BUCKLEY-HAN APARTMENT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE. Marrie woke up terrified, and neither of her parents could fully calm her down. They did, to some extent, but until she heard Lissie and Buck on the phone, she couldn't go back to sleep.

"It's nice to know my family life bores you," said Chloe, with whom she'd been FaceTime shortly before her shift started. "But to yawn about it?"

"Sorry..." she sighed. "We haven't been sleeping well since the tsunami. Marrie's been having nightmares."

"So does half the city. Did you tell her I was coming in a few more weeks?"

She denied it.

"Neither she nor Ian nor Lissie knows anything. It's supposed to be a total surprise..."

Fontaine smiled.

"Mom needs me, and if they want to transfer her to Los Angeles, it means I should be close to you. Chicago wouldn't be even one percent the same without you five."

Rosie laughed.

"You'll love LA. There's always something going on here." Rosie glanced toward the locker room entrance, where Hen was gesturing to her that she was needed. "I have to go. Give the whole team a hug from us."

"Sure, boss," she replied, then smiled and hung up.

Buckley approached Wilson, and together they went to Chim, Ian, and Eddie, who had also emerged from the locker room. The alarm from her friend was caused by the appearance of Rosie's brother.

"Now I understand why you called me," she said to the dark-skinned woman, then sighed. "I wonder what he wrote in his report..."

"The firehouse seems smaller," Buck observed, approaching the crew.

"Maybe you've grown?" his sister asked him. "And that's why you feel that way."

Ian cleared his throat to mask his laughter at his friend's joke.

The youngest Buckley ignored Rosaline's remark.

"You bringing the report yourself?" Bobby asked, coming downstairs. "A sign of maturity or revenge?"

"You passed," the boy replied. "I bumped up the scores a bit."

"You were always bad at math, so I bet it was Lissie," Rosie grinned at her brother.

Her interlocutor fell silent, which was rare—it brought a burst of laughter from the others, especially when they saw Buck blush.

"I don't want to know the details of what you do with my daughter in the evenings." Bobby turned his head away, embarrassed. "But if you hurt her..."

"You gave us your own blessing a few months ago," the boy remarked.

"Yes, but only if you respect her. Besides, you still have a fight with Athena to face. Come to us for dinner tonight."

He nodded.

"I will come with great pleasure."

Chim burst out laughing, surprising everyone else. At least, except for Rosie.

"What about you?" Eddie asked him. "I guess it's normal for people to be dating..."

"Buck doesn't know what's coming for him," he patted him on the back. "I went through the 'Athena interview' the first time Rosey and I got together. This isn't an innocent conversation."

"Chim, don't scare my brother," the older Buckley laughed. "Although it's true that Athena watches every candidate very closely. Especially if she knows them."

"I expected that from her," Bobby replied. "But still, Lissie and I won't throw you to the lioness."

"I hope so," the boy replied.

LISSIE POV

SHE WAS PROBABLY THE LAST TO KNOW THAT HER FATHER INVITED BUCK TO DINNER. Not that she minded, but she didn't really know the reason. Athena said they didn't want Buck to feel alone in all this and to know he still had his family behind him. But she had a feeling they weren't telling her something. She just hoped the whole dinner wasn't about them grilling Buck about their relationship.

When the doorbell rang, she offered to open it. Buck stood on the other side, holding a bottle of wine and a cream-colored rose.

"I was hoping you would open it; otherwise, I would have had to explain myself," he said with a smile, handing her the flower and leaning over to give her a quick kiss.

"Come in. Dinner's almost ready," she invited him in, then led him into the dining room, where all the dishes were already laid out on the table. Her father and Athena were still bustling around the kitchen, searching for the last of the essentials. "Our guest has arrived."

"You took a while to open that door." Bobby looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but she saw that after a moment, he smiled mischievously, and she was sure he was just kidding her.

"Come on," Athena said to him, looking at a blushing Lissie. "Buck, I'm glad you managed to drop by. And you brought wine, great."

"Thanks for the invitation... It's good to get out of the house again."

Bobby just smiled.

"Take your seats at the table," Athena told them. "We'll join you shortly."

"Do you need any help?"

Lissie glanced at her stepmother, and the woman simply shook her head. She took her usual seat, and Buck sat down next to her, looking at her with a gentle smile. He grabbed her hand under the table, probably not wanting to further anger her father—she knew from Rosie that he'd given Buck a bit of a scare when he'd stopped by the firehouse today to deliver the report they'd been working on together.

The entire dinner passed in a calm and pleasant atmosphere. Buck laughed at the lawyer, but it turned out he'd managed to convince dozens of building employees to file a class-action lawsuit over the inadequate fire escape route. Then the conversation turned to Marrie and how she was coping after the tsunami, and Lissie had the most say in the matter, as she'd been caring for her almost daily lately. She knew the young woman was putting on a tough act, but the nightmares and phone calls she received just so Marrie could reassure her that she and Buck were okay proved otherwise.

At one point, Athena offered Buck a portion of lettuce, but she was definitely surprised when he refused. Lissie knew that while he was on medication, he'd been given instructions from his doctor not to eat too many greens because they provided too much vitamin K. When Athena and Bobby heard this, they seemed genuinely impressed that he was finally taking his health seriously.

"The better I take care of them, the sooner I can get back to work," he commented immediately, and Lissie noticed that her father definitely tensed.

"That's very mature, Buck," Athena praised. "That's good to hear, especially now that you and Lissie are together."

The sergeant looked at him with her suspicious policewoman's gaze, and Lissie said her name half in warning, half in amusement. She didn't want Athena to start questioning him just yet.

"What?" The woman looked at her. "I just want to make sure one of my daughters is treated properly."

"I would never do anything against Lissie's will..." Buck assured him seriously. "I respect her too much to even think of something like that."

"Okay," Athena capitulated for the moment, "but remember, I'll be watching you."

Buck looked almost terrified, but the sergeant laughed briefly, lightening the mood a bit.

"Athena's just kidding," Lissie replied nervously, and Grant clicked her tongue and moved her index finger from side to side.

"Definitely not." Athena leaned her elbows on the table. "You have my trust, Buck, but it's up to you to keep it."

Lissie wanted to sink into the ground. She hadn't expected Sergeant Grant to be the one to take the bad cop approach to her relationship with Buck. She'd more or less expected it from her father, but maybe she shouldn't look at it that way just yet, because she still didn't know what he thought... He supposedly said they didn't need to talk about it, and with everything that had been happening lately, they hadn't even had time.

Fortunately, Athena quickly changed the subject.

"You know what?" Buck said as the plates were put in the dishwasher and Lissie set the carrot cake she'd baked with Harry on the table. She'd packed half the pan for him to share with May and Michael. "That conversation with the lawyer gave me something to think about, though." Lissie felt her heart race with stress. "There's strength in numbers, right? Maybe I'll ask everyone to sign a waiver to show the bosses I'm not a threat to anyone—" She almost breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out he wasn't referring to a lawsuit. "They'd have to listen." Buck looked at Bobby, addressing him directly now, growing increasingly agitated. Lissie understood that, but she didn't know what to make of the sidelong glances her parents were beginning to exchange. "Those idiots wouldn't have the right—"

"That idiot is me," her father interrupted him firmly.

Silence fell over the table, and Lissie was as surprised as Buck. She had no idea that it was her father who was preventing Buck from returning to work. All she'd heard was that the higher-ups refused to agree, and yet... Bobby was behind it. And he hadn't told her anything. Worse yet, it seemed Athena knew it perfectly well.

"What?" Buck asked in shock.

"You're not ready," Bobby said calmly. "When they asked if you could come back, that's what I told them."

"Is it because of you that I can't go back to work?"

"You can't come back because of the medication you're taking."

"I'm not ready?" He repeated, still in shock, as if what he'd just heard hadn't sunk in. He wet his lips and suddenly tensed. "You let Rosie go back to work even though she was in worse shape, and I'm the one who's not ready?" Then he glanced quickly at Lissie, and all she could see in his eyes was betrayal. "Did you know about this?"

"No..."

She began, shaking her head.

"Buck," Athena said, drawing his attention. "We're just worried about you. Bobby doesn't want anything to happen to you, just like the rest of us."

"I thought you were on my side." He looked back at Bobby. "You were my friend."

"I still am," he assured him, but Lissie could tell from his expression that he hadn't said everything. "At the same time, I'm the captain of twenty other firefighters, and I'm responsible for them. I can't endanger them, and if I have any doubts about your full recovery..."

"I'm ready!" Buck shouted quickly, slamming his fist on the tabletop. Lissie stepped aside, startled by the unexpected attack. She knew he hadn't intended it, but her body's defenses were reacting. "I feel great, and I've never felt better."

"You went through a lot during the tsunami. That goes for both of you. And maybe you think you can survive anything..."

"Whatever," Buck interrupted, rising from his seat. "Like a knife in the back."

"Buck..." Lissie tried to stop him. "You don't have to..."

"We'll talk later," he told her quickly.

He thanked Athena for dinner and then headed for the exit. Lissie immediately ran after him, calling out to him even as they both left the house. He stopped at the jeep, and she finally managed to catch up with him.

"Buck, I had no idea..." she began, trying to smooth things over between them. "If I had known, I would..."

"Would you tell me?" he asked, and his question was so unexpected that she had no idea what the answer would be. "That's what I thought."

"Buck, come on... Let's talk calmly."

Buckley shook his head, deep disappointment smoldering in his eyes.

"We don't have anything to talk about yet, Liss," he replied with an icy indifference she'd never heard from him. It was enough for her to know that this hurt him terribly.

"I know it's upsetting you..." She reached out her hand to him, and when she placed it on his chest, and he didn't push it away, she felt that maybe things weren't that bad yet. "Dad's worried about you because you're important to him... Nobody wants anything to happen to you."

"I'm not a child who can't take care of himself! Everyone thinks they know better than me what I should do, and it would be good for me to return to the unit. It's the only thing that makes sense in my life."

"That's not true... You know that."

For a moment, his gaze softened, as if what she was saying had sunk in. But then he sighed heavily and looked away.

"I'd better go." He pulled her hands from his body and took a step back.

Lissie said his name softly, and he leaned over her and kissed her hair anyway. "I need to calm down and be alone."

JONATHAN TOLD HER TO GIVE BUCK TIME. He pointed out that he must have felt betrayed, and she understood that, but she didn't want him to lock himself away. She'd done it herself before, and she knew it wasn't good at all.

If he didn't want to talk to her because of her connection to the captain, he could have done so with literally anyone else. But she knew he hadn't spoken to his sisters or anyone from the 118th since last night.

She didn't feel like a long visit, and Jonathan understood. He mentioned that if she needed to talk outside of his office, she had his private number and could call him. Apparently, she and Rosie had this privilege because of their connections to Suzanna.

As she left the clinic, she saw her father leaning against the car, apparently waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, approaching him.

"I thought I'd take you to lunch," he replied immediately. "Unless you're in a hurry?"

"No," she shook her head. "Rosie and Chim are having a day with Marrie, and Buck—"

She sighed heavily. Her boyfriend—something she still found hard to believe—despite his assurances, hadn't spoken to her since last night. She had a strange feeling this relationship would end sooner than it had even begun.

"He hasn't spoken to you?" He asked with concern, and she knew he was worried about what Buck might do. "I thought—"

"You meant well, and I understand that. But you should have told me."

"I know," he tilted his head forward. "I didn't want to involve you because I know you and Buck are dating. It wasn't supposed to affect your relationship."

"I just hope he doesn't think of anything stupid. I know that the lawyer was suggesting some way for him to get back to work... Something about suing the city and department itself..."

"I don't think Buck would do something like that," he said confidently. "I know he's offended and thinks I'm working against him, but he'll get over it. He'll think about it and see we're right."

"I hope you're right," she muttered without conviction.

"You'll see." He placed a hand on her shoulder, then smiled briefly. "So? Lunch with your favorite old man?"

Lissie agreed, and less than an hour later, they were sitting in a restaurant, each with their order in front of them. Her father asked how her session with Jonathan had gone, and she inquired whether she and Athena were ever planning to go on a honeymoon, as there were no signs of that happening yet.

"I know I told you before that we don't have to talk about you and Buck..." he began rather hesitantly, and she looked at him.

"But now you want to," she added quickly. "I expected it. We didn't really have a chance to do it before."

"I just want you to be happy. That's all."

"Buck was there for me the whole time," she replied, remembering that Buckley was one of those people who couldn't be deterred by anything. "When that video leaked, and then after the kidnapping, and even when I tried to commit suicide... I know from Rosie and Chim what he did before and how he felt about relationships, but... he never acted like that around me. And... I like him. A lot."

She hadn't yet been able to openly admit to her father that her feelings for Buckley were much deeper. After all, she'd confessed her love to him, and she felt it with every fiber of her being. But now she began to wonder if Buck had only told her the same thing out of the emotional stress of the tsunami. In such situations, people often said things they later realized weren't entirely true.

"I've complicated your relationship," he remarked, and she didn't respond, not wanting to offend him by agreeing with him. "I'm sorry about that."

Lissie shrugged.

"I should have known sooner, that's for sure. I didn't feel good when it turned out to be my own father keeping my boyfriend from coming back to work..." Lissie took a short breath. "Buck needs some time to think about this. When he calms down, I'll try talking to him again."

Bobby nodded.

"I just want you to know that if he does anything to you, hurts you in any way, I will never forgive him."

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiled curtly. Meanwhile, a waiter approached them, clearing away the dirty plates. Lissie reached for her mocktail and, twirling the glass in her fingers, bit her lower lip, trying to find the right words to ask her father. "Dad?"

Bobby grunted, indicating he was listening. He took a sip of his black coffee and looked at her.

"Do you think I could meet with the chief to talk about my return to the fire department?"

"What?"

He looked at her in shock, and she looked up at him.

"I've been thinking about this for a while now," she began to explain. And it was true. She'd thought about it almost every day since talking to Rosie on the roof of the fire station. "Then the tsunami happened, and recently, that situation at the restaurant... I thought I could go back to dispatch, but I don't feel like it anymore. And the thought of coming back to that building every day where he kidnapped me..." Lissie tried to look away from her father, so he wouldn't see the effect the memory had on her. He just grabbed her hand in support. "I just miss it... Saving others."

Bobby was silent for a long moment. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but the smile she saw on his face suggested he wasn't opposed to the idea.

"I'll talk to the chief and see what I can do," he assured her. "I just need to be sure this is what you really want? Just because you worked for the Chicago Fire Department doesn't mean you have to do it here to somehow curry favor with me. You know I never expected you or your siblings to follow in my footsteps."

"I know," she replied confidently. "And if it works, I won't be doing it for you, Dad, but for myself."

"And that's what I wanted to hear."

Bobby smiled at her again, and she couldn't believe how calmly this conversation had gone.

WHEN THEY RETURNED HOME, A SURPRISE AWAITED THEM. Buck's car was parked in the driveway, and he was waiting for them at the door. Lissie smiled at the sight of him, because that was exactly what she needed—to see him and know he was okay after all the silence of the night.

However, when she looked at him more closely, she noticed that he was holding a brown envelope in his hands, and he looked determined about what he wanted to do, but unsure if it was the right way to do it.

"Buck, are you okay?" her father asked after a brief greeting.

What immediately alarmed her was that he didn't even look at her or even smile at her, which definitely hurt her.

"I wanted to apologize for leaving like that yesterday," he began calmly but uncertainly.

"I understand." Bobby nodded. "You had to think about it, and no one blames you."

"Exactly," Lissie interjected, trying to get his attention, but it was no use, which she didn't quite understand. Just yesterday afternoon, before dinner, he couldn't stop looking at her, and now...? "That was a lot of information for one evening. Maybe we should go inside, eh? We can't talk like this outside..."

Lissie took out her house keys and went to the door to open it, but Buck stopped her with his words.

"I can't." She looked at him, not understanding what he meant. "This is our last conversation for a while."

"What are you talking about?" She turned directly to him, and she could hear her voice begin to tremble. She felt as if something had gripped her insides, and panic was slowly flooding her body because she had no idea what was happening.

Buck looked at her for a moment, but then lowered his gaze, as if afraid to see her reaction to what was about to happen.

"I should do it," he said, still keeping his head down. He took a short breath, and when he looked up, he was staring only at her father. "So I brought the lawsuit."

Buck handed the captain the brown envelope he'd been holding. Lissie thought she'd misheard, and her heart stopped for a few seconds, hoping Buckley would immediately say it was a joke. A decidedly unfunny one.

But nothing of the sort happened.

"I'm suing the city, the firehouse..." he began to list off. "And you. For wrongful termination. I told you I wouldn't stop fighting until I got my job back. Even if that meant fighting you."

Buck didn't look at her again, then turned and headed for his car.

Young Nash stood paralyzed, trying to understand what had really happened, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

ROSIE POV

TWO DAYS AFTER BUCK'S VISIT TO THE FIRE STATION, ROSIE FELT SOMETHING WAS IN THE AIR, AND SHE WAS NOT WRONG. The shift continued as usual—they had just returned from a rescue operation where they had rescued a family from a car that had fallen off a cliff. Fortunately, neither the mother nor her sons were hurt.

She had barely stepped out of the ambulance she and Chim were riding in when her phone rang. A picture of Lissie appeared on the screen, surprising her.

"Is everything okay?" Han asked her. "You've turned pale."

"Tell the others I'll be right back," she said, apologizing. "I feel like this is pretty important."

The man nodded and then went to Ian, Eddie, and Hen, who were waiting for them at the stairs.

Rosie stepped aside to answer the call. She turned on FaceTime.

"Hey, Liss. What's wrong?" she asked, but seeing her friend's devastated expression, she knew it was bad. "What did Buck do?"

"How do you know it was him?" the girl asked.

"I know you both well enough to put two and two together," the older friend replied. She looked at Nash. "What happened, sweetie?"

Melissa told her about Buckley's one-sided argument with her father during dinner two days ago, but the climax of the problem was when he came to them last night with the lawsuit and the information that he could not contact anyone from their unit during the trial.

"That explains why he didn't answer Maddie's and my calls last night," the middle sibling replied. "We were having a board game night, and he was going to tell you about it... He promised you'd come over..."

"He hasn't said a word... I love him, but he's been completely irresponsible... As if the whole back-to-work situation had clouded his mind again..."

"I'm not leaving you with this," Rosie said. "My shift ends in two hours, so let's do something just for the two of us..."

"Go," Bobby appeared out of nowhere behind Buckley, which also startled Lissie because he moved so quietly. "You'll make up for those two hours by helping me with the paperwork. Okay?"

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, glancing at the screen where Lissie was listening to their conversation.

"Dad, you don't have to..." the girl began gently. "I'll wait for Rosa for those two hours..."

"You need company because of my decision, and I know it," he said to his daughter. "This is my order to her, so she must obey it."

"Yes, sir," they both said, quite mechanically.

He smiled and left them alone. Lissie hung up a few moments later, just as she received a text from her brother, telling her they couldn't contact each other because of a lawsuit he planned to file.

"Jerk..." she muttered, putting away her phone and heading to the locker room.