The 126 reborn

Chapter 1

Note: For a multitude of reasons I have aged Buck up to 45 and Owen down to 44. Buck looks younger than he is and Owen looks older.

Buck sighed as he grabbed a rag to wash the rig with. He had barely been out of his probationary year when the bullying within the station had gotten worse. The only two people who seemingly supported him were Paramedic Wilson, or Hen, and Captain Nash, or Bobby. He knew that they were going to get a new probie soon, but wasn't sure who that would be. He had wanted to put in for a transfer but he decided that he would talk to Bobby first. But the others were exhausting him. He would most likely burn out at this rate. And that was only a few weeks after he had graduated.

He wasn't honestly sure why he had gone into firefighting. Maybe part of it was that his brother in New York was a fire captain, or maybe it was that he wanted to help people without shooting at them. Before he had come to the 118 he was a soldier. Well, a SEAL to be exact. And before he was a SEAL he had been a Naval Aviator, he had a long history with the Navy, but he was looking forward to being in the reserves until his contract expired. He was terrified when he had been alerted that his brother had been a first responder to the terror attacks of September 11th, 2001. He was saddened to hear that he was the only survivor of his team. Although deep down he was relieved.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Hen came beside him. "You need any help?" She had asked him. He thought for a moment before ultimately nodding. "That would be appreciated, thanks. I'll have my earbuds in though, so get my attention before you talk to me please." Buck chuckled. Once Hen had nodded, he put his headphones on and got to work. A while later, just after they had finished cleaning the ladder truck, his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket to look at the caller ID. His smile greatly widened when he saw who was calling him. He answered the call with a "Hey Owen!" Hen had looked over at Buck when he had picked up the call, but she thought nothing of it. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she did. She heard a faint "Hello Evan, it's been a while…" On the other side of the phone. Buck thought for a moment. "Are you alright?" He had asked, hearing the stressed out and worried tone his brother was radiating. "Yea.. no I'm not." His brother started. "Come to find out that I have lung cancer due to the debris on 9/11. AND THEN, TK finds out his ex-boyfriend was cheating on him, right before he was going to pop the question.. he relapsed Evan, he took enough that he OD'd.." Buck almost dropped his phone. "What?!" He whisper yelled, ignoring the way his voice depicted his emotions like an open book. "Yea, we're moving to Austin to rebuild the 126 and get a fresh start." Owen replied. "At least you're getting out of there Stitch…" He said, the familiar call sign slipping off of his tongue. "Yea, which brings me to my next point, would you like to come with us. We could use someone with your experience…" Buck pauses to contemplate the others words. He hadn't seen TK since he was around one year old, and it would be nice to get a fresh start somewhere else. "I'll talk to Cap." He finally settled on. He turned and glanced back at Bobby, he had been aware that most of A-shift had been eavesdropping on his conversation. Bobby nodded a head to his office. "That works with me." His brother responded as he walked into Bobby's office. "Would you like to talk to him?" Buck questions. "I would." Buck could almost hear the smile on Owen's face.

Buck sat down and put his phone on speaker before placing it on the table. Bobby nodded to bucl before he turned his attention towards his phone. "This is Captain Nash of LA's 118 speaking." He says. "Hello Captain Nash, I am Captain Strand, currently of New York's 252, and in the near future of Austin's 126." Owen greeted. Bobby smiled as he had realized that he was talking to someone in the same profession. "What can I do for you Captain Strand?" He had asked. Owen responded bluntly, "Well I'm looking to poach Firefighter Buckley from you." Bobby's eyes widened and he looked at Buck. Buck mouthed a 'he's my brother' and realization swept across his face. "That's up to him. We'll be sad to see him go. He's a damn good Firefighter." Bobby finally responded. "Well then, Firefighter Buckley?" Owen had asked. "I'll sign the transfer papers then make my way over to Austin." He agreed. "Alright, TK and I will be there sometime later this week. See you then." Owen responded before hanging up.

He looked over to Bobby after he has signed the appropriate papers. "It was nice working with you Bobby." The man in question sighed sadly. "Ditto, good luck." He nodded and left the station, his shift already being over. He started to pack up his things and called a moving company to out his things in storage. That process took two days. He packed his Jeep and took off. Early the next day he crashed at a hotel in Austin. He got up around 4:30 AM, his body still conditioned for the Navy. He did his morning routine and got ready to meet Owen and TK at the 126.

He pulled up at the station to see the two already there. He hopped out of his Jeep and greeted Owen. "Hey Stitch." He chuckled. "Ghost." The other said fondly before they both hugged each other. TK looked confused, and rightfully so, he wouldn't remember his uncle. Owen and Buck might not have been related by blood, but the Strands had adopted Buck when his own parents, the Buckley's, were blunt in their ways of not wanting him. Buck still saw Owen as his younger brother though. Owen turned to TK. "This," he said, gesturing to Buck' "Is my brother, and your uncle. Also a Firefighter." TKs eyes lit up, and he quickly enveloped Buck in a hug. After a while, and after they had finished looking around the abandoned 126, the group returned outside. Buck and Owen walked over to the memorial for the fallen members of the 126. Suddenly, they both stood at attention and saluted. After a few seconds, they fell to parade rest on muscle memory. They turned and shuffled back into their vehicles. Unbeknownst to them, the only 126 survivor was watching them. His respect for the two raising.

Owen, Buck, and TK knew that they would have to find the best and most diverse team of Firefighters. It would be a long journey.
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Word Count: 1188