Fools.

chapter forty-eight , Caprisuns & Skateboards

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"So, did you finish your homework?"

Emery's back straightens and a smile of pride forms on her lips. "Of course." She rummages through her bag, which causes Dr. Sai to tilt his head.

He watches as Emery pulls a notebook out of her satchel and places it on her lap. Emery flips through it and raises her brows. "Joe." She points at the paper. "His name is Joe and he isn't a firefighter, but he was hanging out at a firefighter bar and..." she exhales a breath and hums. "That's all I got from him."

"And you had to write that down?"

Emery shrugs, "I enjoy writing things down. It makes me feel organized."

Dr. Sai softly hums, "I see. Did you and Joe talk about anything else?"

"Not really, someone scared him off." Emery sinks into her seat and growls.

Dr. Sai softly smiles, "Let me guess...Buck?"

Emery quirks a brow, "Buck." She confirms with a small nod.

"He seems to pop up in our sessions a lot."

Emery hums, "Really? I hadn't noticed." She looks to the side and folds her arms. It was obvious she wasn't ready to talk about Buck just yet. Which didn't bother the doctor. There were plenty of other things to talk about.

"How's everything going at work? Are you still on desk duty?"

Emery looks back at him. "Yeah, but I've got around a couple weeks left."

Dr. Sai smiles, "And how excited are you?"

Emery shrugs, "Meh."

Dr. Sai deadpans and he raises his brows which causes Emery's smile to grow. "Okay—I am so excited to go back into the field."

"Kind of figured that."

Emery shares a small laugh with the doctor.

"You know, someone told me that you're interested in looking more into psychology." Dr. Sai says with a small smirk.

Emery's face grows hot out of embarrassment. How humiliating was it for him to know that she was furthering her knowledge in mental health because of him? Emery just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide.

"Y-Yeah." Emery stammers and she gives him a small shrug. "You have...inspired me to look further into mental health." She looks to the side. "Before, I was adamant on looking deeper into anything that had to do with bettering mental health because I knew that meant I had to think about Helena."

Emery then pulls her brows together. "But, I'm not afraid of thinking about her anymore." She softly smiles. "I mean, if anything, I should be more than willing to share her story so people can remember her."

"Helena can still help people even if she's gone." Dr. Sai says with a small smile.

Emery's eyes burn and she nods her head. "Yeah, exactly."

Dr. Sai inhales a soft breath, "Now, back to business." he squints his eyes playfully. "This Joe you met...did you get his number?"

Emery then softly chuckles. She pulls her brows together when she notices that he is serious. "Wh-why would I get his number?"

Dr. Sai shrugs a smirk on his lips. Emery then raised her brows, realizing what he was trying to say. "I only had one conversation with him and now you think he and I should be best friends?"

"Not best friends, but acquaintances." Dr. Sai says. "There's nothing wrong with having friends outside of work."

Emery tenses, she rubs her now sweaty palms against her jeans thinking about making friends that weren't connected to her in any way. "I don't think I'll ever see him again anyway."

"How do you know?"

"I don't have his number. I don't know him."

"You know he recently started going to that firefighter bar, right?" Dr. Sai raises his brows.

Emery swallows, "Right..." She looks to the side, her nerves getting the best of her.

It's been so long since Emery has actually had to make friends. She's been so comfortable with everything the way it was, especially since Amaya died. Emery just wanted everything and everyone to stay.

...

Emery had to eat something. She ate before she left, but she had a craving. A craving for something she hasn't eaten in a few months.

Olives.

Emery didn't want to sound dramatic, but without her daily intake of olives; she was lost.

And the one thing she had been eating was salted peanuts. Such a downgrade.

Emery didn't want to make anything, because everything she made was disgusting even if she followed the recipe step-by-step. She pulls open the fridge. Emery stops and pulls her brows together. "The fuck?" she grabs the jar of olives with a note on them.

Everyone has been avoiding buying olives because Emery's dad told them she was eating them too much. So, who broke the rules for her?

I noticed we ran out.

And I know you can't last a shift without them :)

- Evan

Emery arches a brow, she pulls the note off the jar and the end of her mouth twitches. How the hell was she supposed to stay mad at him when he did shit like this?

Emery's grip on the jar tightens and she marches down the stairs. She sees Buck, cleaning the rig and she arches a brow. Emery had made a whole list of things to do around the station. The only time people around the station actually completed a task was when she asked them to do it. And this time, Emery hadn't assigned tasks to anyone yet.

Buck turns to see Emery walk over to him. He couldn't even stop his heart from accelerating. He was still so crazy about her. A smile forms on his lips and his hands tighten around the towel in his hand.

"Emi, hey. I was just polishing the engine. I know that's been on the list for a while, so I thought—"

"You bought me olives."

Buck slightly opens his mouth. He looks at the jar in her hand and raises his brows. "Oh, right. We ran out—"

"You bought me olives because you know I can't handle a shift without them..." She looks at the jar for a second, a lump forming in her throat. Emery then looks back up at Buck and sees a gleam of hope in his eyes. "You can't do things like this."

Buck's entire body feels deflated and his hands untighten from the towel.  "Emi—"

"And you can't call me that." Emery lets out an exhausted breath.

Buck watches as Emery goes through her own turmoil and he can't help but start to feel bad for trying to make things better.

"I just want you to know that I care about you and that you're important to me," Buck admits, his voice softer than before.

Emery swallows, "Yeah, and this does show that."

"But that is what's making this so much harder." Emery softly breathes.

Buck pulls his brows together. Emery inhales a breath, trying her best to get her thoughts and emotions under control. "This shows that you do care about me and that I am important to you..." she slightly tilts her head and a crease forms between her brows. "But it also shows that during the lawsuit, you still wanted your job more than you wanted me."

Buck's entire body tenses when a pain he's never seen before crosses Emey's face.

"This shows that you were willing to use things that I never told anyone else against me." It takes everything in Emery to speak without her voice shaking. "This shows that you were willing to hurt me, despite how important you say I am to you."

Emery looks to the side and sighs. "I understand how you feel. Because I used to feel that same way. When I was with Helena." She looks back at Buck. "And I pushed her away. I hurt her. I'm not going to go through that again."

Emery inhales a breath. "I am working on myself, Buck."

"I know that and I'm proud of you for that, Emery," Buck says.

Emery sighs, "But in order for me to work on myself, I can't...do this back and forth with you." Then her gaze softened, but he could see the sadness deep within it. "I forgive you, okay? I just don't think us as anything else outside of work is good for either of us."

With every word Emery spoke, Buck felt his heart sink deeper into his stomach. This entire time Buck had been trying his best to win Emery back. The small gestures, the encouraging words--he tried it all. But seeing the way her shoulders were pulled back with confidence, she meant what she was saying.

Buck swallows the pins and needles in his throat. "I really am sorry, Emerson." he softly speaks.

Emery lets out a soft breath, "Yeah, I'm sorry too, Buck." she presses her lips into a small line and walks away from him.

As Buck walked away he slowly but surely came to realize that this job that he had fought so hard for wasn't as fulfilling as he thought it was going to be. And that's because he didn't have Emery by his side. At the end of the day, that's all Buck wanted. He wanted Emerson. She was too important for him to let her go. But he also knew that Emery couldn't trust him. He hurt her and there was nothing he could do to get her back.

Buck had truly lost Emery in every way he wanted her.

☆

"Thanks again for having me. This was fun!"

"For some of us." Buck murmurs, still in a fit that he lost another round of poker to Maddie.

"Well, all our couple friends were busy, so we figured we would target 'the solos'." Chimney says.

Josh smiles, "If I didn't know better, I would say you were setting us up."

"Oh, no, I like you way too much to set you up with my brother." Maddie quips.

Buck's face drops, "Uh, hey now--"

"And I love you too much to let you keep being so incredibly...tragically..."

"Some might say embarrassingly." Chimney adds.

"Single."

Buck's mouth opens. "Tragic seems a bit much."

"The closest you've gotten to turning on a woman in the past few months is shouting out, 'Hey Siri'." Chimney adds.

Maddie and Josh laughs.

Buck swallows, "Well, she's very good to me. She sings me songs, she delivers me food, she tells me where to be when and how to get there,"

As Buck continues, Maddie and Chimney's smiles lessen. He really needed to get back on the dating scene.

"All right, all right, just ease up on the solos." Josh jumps in. "It's hard out here."

"See? Thank you."

"It's LA." Josh voices., "Everybody's always in their car or looking at their phones...or in their car looking at their phones."

"And we're stuck with online dating, which is--"

"An absolute nightmare." Josh finishes, understanding Buck's pain.

"The crazies, the randos, the catfishers, and not to mention the liars." Buck seethes.

"Profile pics brought to you by Photoshop." Josh lets out a sad sigh.

"Face it guys. You two got lucky." Josh looks at Maddie and Chimney.

The couple looked at each other and couldn't stop their matching smiles for one another. Buck nods his head as they clink their glasses together. "They did. You guys have no idea how hard it is out there for the solos."

Buck and Josh clink their drinks.

"Where's Albert tonight?" Buck asks,

Maddie and Chimney laugh which causes Buck to pulls his brows together.

"He's on a date."

Buck rolls his eyes and throws his head back. "Oh, come on!"

The table erupts in laughter from Buck's reaction.

"No, but seriously, Buck." Maddie starts with her laughter quieting down. "There was a time when you did have someone special."

Buck could feel his heart twist just thinking about the curly-haired girl. Maddie and Chimney reached out to Emery, inviting her to poker night but she said she was busy tonight.

From the devasted look now across Buck's face, the three at the table could tell something new had happened.

"What's wrong?"

Buck swallows and looks to the side. "She...said she forgives me." he starts. "But, anything outside of work for us is out of the cards."

Silence settles in the room.

"She can't...actually mean that, right?" Buck's voice had a hint of desperation as he lightly taps his fingers against his beer bottle. "After everything she and I have..." a painful lump forms in his throat.

Maddie could see just how much guilt and pain her brother was in over his imploded relationship with Emery. She wanted to help him in any way he needed it. But, she also knew that this was something Emery and Buck had to figure out on their own.

It just pained Maddie to see her brother hurting.

...

Emery was standing outside the bar again. She's been here every free night she had, hoping to see Joe again. Emery didn't know if it was because Dr. Sai insisted on it or if she just wanted it for herself, but she needed to see him again.

So, she quickly walked into the bar before she could psych herself out of this power move. Emery is immediately greeted with common chatter and clinks of glasses. Her eyes scan the bar, taking her time to find the one person she was looking for. Emery found herself aimlessly tapping her fingers against her purse as her hope began to die down.

She lets out a small breath and her chest tightens. Maybe meeting someone new isn't in the cards for me.

Emery lets out a defeated breath before she turns back towards the door. She makes her way toward the door when a voice stops her.

"Okay, I don't want to sound like a stalker or anything..."

Emery turns her head and a a soft expression that is filled with relief crosses her face.

"...but I think I know you."

A small breath escapes her lips. The man notices how Emery's eyes became glassy and his back straightens. "Hey, are you okay?"

Emery quickly wipes at her eyes, "Y-Yeah, I'm good. It's just really good to see you again, Joe."

Joe's smile forms on his lips again. "I had that much of an effect on you, huh?"

Emery chuckles nervously, "Actually...I told my therapist about you."

"Yeah? All good things, I hope."

Emery bites the inside of her cheek. "All good things."

Joe motions his head to the bar, "Wanna grab a drink?" he then raises his brows, ready to correct himself. "Water."

Emery's cheeks warm and she softly smiles, "Yeah, water's good."

A downward smile forms on Joe's lips. "We do need it to survive after all." He voices as they walk over to the bar. With a small soft laugh, Emery sits in one of the empty seats at the bar. Joe softly smiles and sits beside her.

Once they ordered their drinks, Joe didn't let up on the questions. Emery was totally fine with small talk. She was one of the few people who didn't mind it. Yes, she could go into asking what everyone's deepest and darkest desires were off the bat, but she liked to get to know someone first. I mean, she wasn't trying to hook up with Joe. She was genuinely interested in having him become something more. Emery just needed to figure out what that 'more' was.

And as Joe continues to talk, he realizes that Emery was staring at him intently. Her eyes were squinted like he said something wrong. Joe trailed off his words and took his lower lip in his mouth. "Uh, sorry--did I say something wrong or weird? Should I stop talking? Do you want to talk--oh, god--"

"No, no." Emery softly laughs and holds a hand out to him. "You're all good, Joe, I promise."

Joe lets out a small breath. Emery couldn't help but pull her brows together from the way he freaked out. He reminded her so much of Thomas at that moment. She smiled even harder.

"I was just trying to figure you out."

Joe raises his brows, "Oh, well, you can ask me a question if you want."

Emery bites the inside of her left cheek and thinks. "Okay, what's your favorite color?"

The corner of Joe's mouth twitches, showing his amusement at the simple question. He noticed how Emery slightly leaned forward. She was genuinely interested in this question.

"Red."

Emery then quirks a brow. "Like a firetruck?" she then smirks. "Or...like a cherry?"

Joe laughs, "More like a dark red," he then frowns. "like crimson red."

Emery then frowns, "Red firetruck is super bright, so crimson red is a good choice."

Joe presses his lips into a small line. "Glad, I didn't say red firetruck then."

Emery slightly opens her mouth, "Oh, god. I didn't mean to make it seem like I would judge you if you chose that bright-ass red." she holds her hands up. "Bright-ass red is good."

Joe laughs softly, "No, I get it... bright-ass red hurts my eyes."

Emery watches as Joe takes a sip of his beer and she bites her lower lip. "I hope you know I never do stuff like this."

Joe pulls his brows together. "Do what?"

"Talk to strangers."

"Well, what's changed?" Joe tilts his head. "Why did you decide to talk to..." he points his thumb at himself. "...this stranger."

Emery inhales a small breath. She heard a voice in the back of her head telling her not to open up. But she also knew that the reason she had spent many nights trying to find Joe again was so she could talk to someone.

"Because I feel like my friends and family...walk around eggshells with me," Emery explains. "It's like they're waiting for me to break again."

Emery then pulls her brows together. "But, I don't blame them. After everything I've done and said...I would be on my toes too."

"It seems like they care about you." Joe voices.

A small smile forms on her lips. "They do." her smile then wavers. "But, sometimes I feel...alone." she looks at Joe and her jaw goes slack. "Oh, shit...I'm sorry. That was a lot."

A smirk twitches onto Joe's lips. "It was a lot," he admits. "But, that's okay. It seems like you needed to get that out."

Emery lets out a small breath as her eyes begin to burn. She looks to the side and drinks her water. Joe tilts his head and watches as she gulps her water. Emery then sets her glass down and turns back to Joe who had a small smile on his lips.

"So, your favorite animal," Emery bunches her shoulders. "what do you got?"

☆

Ever since she's become a deputy, Wren hadn't helped Athena on a case in so long. So, being here in the hospital with her former T.O. was almost nostalgic to her.

"Athena!"

The sergeant turns away from the doctor and a smile forms on her lips when she sees Wren walking over to her. "Deputy Marshall, good to see you."

Wren smiles from her title. "That's still taking time for me to get used to."

Athena nods her head with a soft laugh. "Just wait until you get to Sergeant."

Wren chuckles and looks at the ground. She looks around the hospital, "What's the news on the gunshot victim?"

"The woman is in her fifties," Athena starts. "she came in complaining about headaches and disorientation. But here's the thing..."

Wren pulls her brows together and her back straightens.

"She's had a bullet in the base of her skull for the past 2 or 3 months."

And just like Athena had predicted Wren's expression changes from confused to shocked. Wren's furrowed brows spring high up her forehead and her mouth hangs open. "Wait...wait what?" she softly whispers, but the shell shock is evident.

Athena nods her head, "I know."

"And...it wasn't reported?" Wren inquires. "Does she even know?"

Athena lets out a soft breath and shakes her head. "Not until she came in today."

Wren shifts her eyes to the ground and shakes her head, her mind racked with too many thoughts. "Is Detective Romero on his way?"

"Yeah, he'll be here in a few minutes."

...

Something that Emery has been avoiding was planning anything that had to do with her father. The funeral planning, life insurance, the will. She wasn't strong enough for this. She couldn't do this. And yet here she was, sitting at the table with all these papers and files spread across the table. Even though she was wearing her black thick-rimmed glasses, it was obvious from her bloodshot eyes that she had been crying.

"So..." Emery's voice was hoarse. "uh, would you prefer an open casket?"

Elijah keeps his eyes on his tea. "Closed." he nods his head.

Emery nods her head. Despite her shaky hands, she writes down her father's preference. He had started getting too weak to write on his own. There were so many things Elijah couldn't do anymore and she felt like everything was getting worse again. And there was nothing she could do in order to make it better.

"Buried or..." she trails off her words. Emery's voice begins to shake. She wipes her upper lip and closes her eyes for a moment. "...c-cremated?"

Elijah shakes his head, "Emery." his voice is soft. "We don't have to do this."

Emery inhales, "Dad, I don't want you doing this with anyone else." she tilts her head to the side. "Just...let me help you, okay?"

Elijah takes a moment to look into his daughter's red-rimmed eyes. Despite all the tears and pain this took, Emery was still determined to help. She didn't want him to go through this alone. When she said it was "you and me" she meant that.

Emery watches as tears of gratitude rise in her father's eyes. Her eyes soften and she reaches over the table and grabs her father's hand. "I'm right here, Dad." her voice was soft and shaky. "I'm with you until the end."

Elijah softly squeezes her hand back.

☆

"No sign of the gun," Romero states. "or any gun."

Wren lets out a soft breath with her hands on her hips. "I don't get it..." she looks at Athena. "There was no ammunition, no gunshot residue, no blood--the house is perfect."

"Ha!"

The three officers turn to the woman raking leaves. They all exchange a look before walking over to the woman.

"Ma'am? Hi, LAPD." Romero introduces them. "May we speak to you a moment?"

"I don't see why not." The woman shrugs. "Just doing a little yard work."

"Yes, Officer Marshall was remarking on how lovely your yard looks." Athena voices.

Wren nods her head, "I love the hydrangeas!"

The woman smiles, "Thank you. Being out here does take up most of my day."

"Oh, I'm sure you see everything that goes on around here." Athena motions around the neighborhood.

The woman shrugs a smug shoulder. "I am also the president of our neighborhood watch." she then squinted her eyes, her smug expression was now replaced with a stern one. "I take that responsibility very seriously."

Wren slightly opens her mouth and nods her head. "As you should. Your neighborhood's safety is very important."

"How well do you know the Wallaces?"

"We wave occasionally. I always liked Joan." She then winces. "Never that sure about Henry. Then he retired, and I finally was able to make up my mind."

"I don't like the man."

Wren couldn't stop the small smirk that formed on her lips.

"Between you and me, I'm not sure Joan does either."

Athena pulls her brows together. "They weren't getting along?"

"You know, people used to retire at 65 back when life expectancy was 68." The neighbor explains. "Now, it's all early retirement and late-life divorce."

She then pulls her brows together, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what any of this has to do with the break-in."

Wren's back straightens. "Someone broke into their home?"

"I assumed that was why you all were here." The woman says. "Though honestly, you are a little late to the party. That must've been three months ago."

"Did the Wallaces tell you they'd had a break-in?"

"No. Their contractor did."

The officers exchange a look. Wren is the first to speak the thought they were all thinking.

"Ma'am, would you mind showing us what the contractor had to fix in the house?"

It's like the woman lived in that house herself, she knew everything.

"That window there was replaced." The woman points. "The contractor hauled away some furniture and a rug, a bunch of Christmas decorations. Said he painted and redid the floors too."

"Redecorating the crime scene?" Athena questions.

"That's why we couldn't find anything," Romero says.

"Didn't see Joan or Henry for weeks. They were out of town."

Wren slightly opens her mouth, "Do you remember when all of this happened?"

The lady looks at her phone, checking her notes. "January 11th."

"Would you like the contractor's information?"

Wren raises her brows and a smile forms on her lips. "She's amazing..." she then pulls her brows together, realizing something. "She's...she's Emerson."

Wren looks at Athena and the Sergeant opens her mouth, realizing the same thing.

"I'd like to hug you," Romero speaks, grateful for the woman.

Wren and Athena watch as the neighbor's face heats up and she bashfully chuckles.

☆

The knock on Emery's door was soft, but there was a sense of urgency to it. She had the next 2 days off and she had decided for the first day, she was just to stay in bed and watch cheesy reality tv all day. So, whoever was at the door was interrupting that.

Emery walks out of her room and pads through the apartment with a small huff. She pulls open the door and her breathing is caught in her throat. "Buck." her shoulders instantly pull back, forcing herself to be shown as confident and unfazed by his presence.

Buck opens his mouth to greet the girl, but his eyes trail down. Emery pulls her brows together. She looks down and notices she is in athletic shorts and a large graphic tee. Emery's face heats up. She crosses her legs, as it if that would help hide her revealing ass (it didn't). "Can I help you?" her voice was harsh.

Buck blinks and refocuses on Emery's face. "Uh, sorry." his cheeks warm. "I had a favor to ask."

Emery raises her brows out of disbelief. "You want me to help you with something? You're joking, right? Please, tell me that you're joking."

Buck bunches his shoulders and smiles. "I'm not joking."

Emery's jaw then clenches which causes Buck's puppy dog smile to waver.

"Em--"

"I told you, that anything outside of work was out of the question--"

"And I know that." Buck takes a small step toward her. Emery doesn't take a step back, she just slightly tilts her chin up without backing down. "But my favor that I need--"

"Need?" Emery then scoffs. She looks to the side. "And you just think that I'm going to help you? After the shit you pulled--"

"I'm not asking you to forgive me." Buck's voice was soft.

Emery then folds her arms and shakes her head. Buck stays silent for a moment. He watches as Emery doesn't give him an ounce of attention. Buck lets out a small breath, "It's about Christopher."

Emery's ears perk and her back straightens. She snaps her eyes over to Buck. "What? Christopher? Eddie's Christopher--our Christopher? Is he okay?" her mind begins to race. Eddie had told her that Christopher had fell off the skateboard at school. He had a few cuts and bruises. But maybe there was an internal injury he hadn't noticed--

"Christopher's okay, Emery."

Emery's thoughts of worry are silenced and a breath of relief escapes her lips. She feels her shoulders slightly drop. "Okay, then what's going on?"

"He's just...been a little down," Buck says. "So, I had this idea about making him something--a skateboard that he's able to ride." he then scratches the back of his neck. "But, I need help with the execution."

Emery slightly tilts her chin up. Buck watches as Emery glowers at him. "Look, I promise you, this isn't some ploy to get you alone. I want to do this for Christopher--"

"I'm in." Emery takes a step aside. "Let me get dressed and we'll head out."

Buck blinks, "Wait, seriously?"

Emery shrugs a shoulder, "Yeah, you wouldn't lie about Christopher." she shakes her head. "Not your style." she motions her head inside, signaling Buck to walk in.

Buck swallows thickly before stepping into the apartment. He hasn't been here since the last time he and Emery had sex. There weren't any changes. Still, the same bright minimalistic atmosphere perfectly embodied who Emerson was as a person.

Emery walks into her room, leaving Buck alone. He sits on the couch with his hands in his lap. It took everything out of him not to stand up and explore. Buck looks around the living room until his eyes land on a family picture. It was a photo of Emery, Amaya, Elijah, and Amara. Elijah was on the far left while Amara was on the far right. They had their hands wrapped around their daughters who were standing in the middle with the happiest smiles on the face of this earth.

Buck wonders if this was near the time that Emery moved out to be with Helena.

Emery's door swings open and she's changed her lounge look for denim Levi's and a white long-sleeve button up. Buck couldn't stop his heart from jumping when he saw Emery rolling up her sleeves. "All right, you driving or am I following you?"

Buck swallows as he watches Emery's hands meticulously button her sleeves back. "U-Uh...you..." he trails off his words when Emery tucks her shirt into her jeans. Emery walks away from Buck and grabs her white sneakers. "I've decided--you're driving."

Buck slightly opens his mouth and closes it. "Yeah, that sounds...good."

After Emery finishes putting her shoes on, she grabs her bag and turns to him. "I'll give you gas money after we're done."

Buck then shakes his head, "Oh, no. You don't have to--"

"I don't want to owe you anything," Emery says as she stares at him with disinterest. "So, yeah. I'm giving you gas money. Now, let's go."

Buck quickly stands up as Emery pulls the front door open. She didn't hear him say it, but Buck had muttered the words that would normally drive Emery wild. "Yes, Princess."

☆

Emery and Buck had been working in Eddie's garage all day on Christopher's skateboard. Eddie had gone back into the house to get Emery a water and Buck a beer. There was a tense silence between the two as they continued to work.

Buck's eyes lift to Emery and he watches as she works. He felt his heart begin to accelerate from the determined and concentrated look on her face. Emery was so intent on helping Christopher she had put aside her anger for Buck and decided to work with him. A small smile had begun to form on his lips, when Emery lifted her head up.

She pulls her brows together. "You're seriously staring?"

Buck then blinks, "Uh--sorry." he looks down at his part.

Emery lets out a harsh breath. "Can you...come over here, please?"

That causes the boy's stomach to clench. He snaps his eyes up once again and sees Emery holding her hand out towards him. "What?"

"Come over here with your pieces." Emery waves him over.

Buck's mouth then opens, "O-Oh, right. Yeah...of course." He grabs his things and walks over to Emery. Buck could feel the air grow thicker as he walked crouched beside her. Emery's anger towards Buck has completely disappeared, but he could feel that she was indifferent about him. And Buck was 100% sure that was worse.

He wanted Emery to feel something toward him. Didn't matter if it was positive (even though he would prefer positive) or negative.

"Buck!"

The boy blinks and he focuses on Emery's pissed expression. Shit.

"You weren't listening..." Emery lets out a breath and motions her head over to the tool. "Hammer?"

Buck shifts his eyes to the hammer beside him. "Right, sorry." He grabs the hammer and hands it to her. Emery's fingers brush against his as she grabs it from his hand. A chill rushes down Buck's spine and he has to look away in order to catch his breath.

"Did Eddie tell you to ask me for help with this?"

Buck looks back at Emery. Her eyes were still glued to whatever she was working on, but it was clear she was talking to him.

"Uh, no. I thought of you when Eddie said we needed help."

Emery frowns, "I never told you that I knew a thing or two about construction or engineering."

Buck nods his head, "I mean, I just guessed since your dad taught you and Amaya everything he knew about cars."

Emery looks back at Buck for a moment. Her gaze was intense but Buck didn't even want to look away. If he could, he would stare into her eyes forever. "Huh..." she raises her brows. "Good guess, then."

Buck raises his brows. He didn't want to read too much into it, but did Emery compliment him? Don't read too much into it.

"Thanks, Em."

Emery softly huffs and looks away from him. The door leading to the garage opens, Eddie steps into the garage with a tray of drinks. Eddie walks over to her, "Look at you two."

Simultaneously, Emery and Buck look at Eddie. Emery pulls her brows together, "Look at us two...what?"

Eddie frowns, "Nothin'." he tries his best to act nonchalant. But the fact that Emery and Buck were able to be alone with each other for almost 30 minutes without Emery snapping at him was a shock to Eddie. A relieving shock. Eddie was praying that the two didn't catch on to the fact that he took his time--

"What took you so long anyway?"

Eddie snaps his eyes over to Emery. She grabs the water from the tray and takes a sip with raised brows. Eddie swallows. He tries his best to recover and lets out a chuckle. "I-It wasn't that long--"

"It was pretty long," Buck adds, grabbing the beer bottle.

Eddie's jaw clenches. He looks between the two as they stare at him with suspicious eyes. Eddie begins to grow nervous, "Uh--wow, you guys finished!" he points.

Emery looks over at the skateboard stand and raises her brows. "Oh, yeah." she sets her water to the side. "You and Carla ready?"

Eddie nods his head as Emery and Buck stand up. "Yeah, I'll pick Christopher up from school and we'll meet you three at the park."

Emery frowns, "Cool, we'll go get Carla and head out."

Eddie watches as Emery and Buck walk to the door. He swallows and opens his mouth, "Uh, guys!"

The two stop and turn to Eddie. He looks to the side and rubs the back of his neck. Eddie inhales a breath and looks back at the two. He notices the smug smiles on their faces. "Thank you. Seriously."

Emery raises her brows, "Ah, don't sweat it, Eddie." she waves a hand. "We would die for that kid."

"Almost have," Buck adds.

Emery then nods her head, "Both of us."

Emery and Buck look at each other for a moment which causes Buck's heart to jump and Eddie to smile. The girl looks back at Eddie, "See that? No need to thank us." she sputters and walks out of the garage.

Eddie turns to Buck his smile even wider. "She looked at you--"

"She looked at me," Buck whispers with excitement.

"She looked at--"

"Guys!"

Carla steps into the garage with a smirk. "We can hear you out here."

Buck's heart drops, "Shit."

...

The smile on Christopher's face was worth all the cuts and bruises Emery had suffered from the crafting was worth it. And Buck's entire day had been worth it when he saw Emery pushing Christopher down the sidewalk.

"When was the last time she actually smiled like this?"

Eddie and Carla exchange a look before they laugh at the way Buck watches Emery push Christopher on the skateboard. She was laughing with a spark in her eyes that made his stomach and heart flutter. A giddy smile formed on his lips and all he wanted was to tell Emery that she would be the best mom in the world.

Emery slows her runs with Christopher. The three watch as Emery and Christopher talk to each other for a moment. Then the two look back at the three causing them to pull their brows together.

"Hey, Buck!"

Buck raises his brows as everyone turns their attention to him. Emery waves Buck over. He looks over at Eddie and Carla who were quietly encouraging him. Buck walks down the sidewalk towards Christopher and Emery.

"Christopher says he wants you to give him a ride next." Emery clicks her tongue.

Buck raises his brows, "Oh, what? Is Emery not doing a good job?"

"I'm doing a great job!" Emery looks at Christopher for support.

"You almost ran over two kids."

Buck's mouth drops and he turns to Emery. The girl parts her lips, "All right, they were getting in our way!"

"I like how you play, Sharpe." Buck voices with a smug smirk.

Emery glances at Buck and a smile ghosts her lips. "All right, whatever." She quickly speaks. Her face hardening. "I'm going to get a Caprisun. You guys..." she looks from Christopher and her eyes land on Buck's once again. "...have fun."

Buck watches as Emery's face softens when she looks at him. It causes his face to flush out and his heart beat to quicken. Emery ruffles Christopher's hair and walks away from the two.

"Those Caprisuns are for me, Emery!"

Emery looks back at the kid. "Eddie said I could have one, so HA!" She then sprints away from them without a word.

A smile sprawls on Buck's lips as he watches Emery dig into the cooler like a maniac.

Christopher lets out a heavy sigh and shakes his head. "She's such a child."

Buck laughs from Christopher's reaction. "Okay, buddy. Let's keep going." He grips the bars of the skateboard and begins to push Christopher down the sidewalk once again.

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author's note.

even i think this slow burn is slow burning. but i promise you we are moving in the RIGHT direction

words : 6514