"Highway to the danger zone, take it right into the danger zone." ~ "Danger Zone," Kenny Loggins In which Owen Strand gets the clearance for a new rig, brings his son along for the ride, and finds out said son adopted two siblings under his nose. AKA Owen suddenly has two dumbass sons and one daughter who has their single braincell. AKA the Austin 126 gets a new set of Three Musketeers when a firefighter from the Los Angeles 118 and a paramedic from the Chicago 51 join forces with the Austin 126's captain's son. Follows Season 2 of 9-1-1: Lone Star, Season 4 of 9-1-1, and Season 9 of Chicago Fire. First in The First Responders Files. Cover by DarkAngelGraphics

When Christopher asks to do "25 Days 'Til Christmas" this year, Buck says yes before he even knows what that means. Soon, there's a calendar on the fridge, glitter in the grout, hot cocoa permanently on the stove, and Eddie Diaz quietly realizing that somehow, somewhere between paper snowflakes and late-night movie marathons, Evan Buckley became his favorite holiday tradition. Twenty-five days. One house. A kid with a plan. Two idiots in love. By Christmas morning, something has to give.

After a bad fall on a call, Eddie Diaz wakes up in a hospital bed with a pounding headache, a foggy timeline... and one thing he's sure of: The man sitting at his side, fingers laced tight with his, is his husband. Evan Buckley knows that's not true. They're best friends, partners on and off the truck, tangled up in each other's lives but never quite brave enough to cross that last line. But when Eddie looks at him with raw, terrified eyes and whispers, "Buck?" like he's home, the correction dies on Buck's tongue. The doctors call it retrograde amnesia. Buck calls it a second chance he was never supposed to have. As Eddie pieces his life back together, his son, his job, the 118, he leans on the memories he thinks he has: late-night talks, shared vows, rings that never existed. Buck tries to hold the lie together without breaking under the weight of it, knowing every borrowed moment will hurt more when the truth finally comes out. Because Eddie may have forgotten everything else... but somehow, he never stopped loving Buck.

A stray dog's unexpected arrival brings Buck closer to Eddie and Christopher than ever before, and somewhere between shared walks, quiet nights, and unspoken glances, friendship turns into something that feels a lot like forever.

After surviving a lightning strike that stopped his heart, firefighter Evan "Buck" Buckley wakes to a strange new ability. He can hear the last thought of anyone he touches. But when a near-fatal rescue links him to Eddie Diaz's mind, Buck is haunted by the one thing louder than the thunder: Eddie's unspoken love for him.

After Bobby Nash's death, Buck inherits the tin of recipe cards that once kept the 118 fed and whole. Cooking his way through them becomes his grief therapy. Eddie keeps "forgetting" to leave before dinner, sometimes with Chris, other times without, and one meal at a time, they learn how to be a family.

A rash of arsons tied to L.A.'s underground races pulls Buck undercover as a driver. When the racers notice Eddie Diaz hovering nearby, Buck blurts the only cover that will keep him safe: boyfriend. Fake dating turns real as a firebug closes in, and one kiss in the smoke might be the only thing that keeps them both breathing.

Buck and Eddie are about to get married, but Buck's been feeling off lately. He goes to the doctor and it turns out that he's pregnant. He and Eddie are going to get married in two weeks and he's six weeks pregnant...he doesn't know what do to. If he should tell Eddie or not. Because he doesn't know if Eddie wants a baby or not. He's afraid Eddie's going to leave him if he tells him. Boy, he was so wrong. ~~~~~ This is their story of their first surprise baby. Idea brought to me by a reader who's credited in chapter 1. 🫶🏻 Texas storyline and Bobby's death does not occur in this story. Bc fuck no. ** = a Smut chapter :)

Life had finally settled into something close to perfect for Evan "Buck" Buckley and Eddie Diaz. Their twins were starting kindergarten, Christopher was thriving in high school, and their family, built through love, loyalty, and second chances, had found its rhythm... But peace never lasts forever. When a letter arrives in the mail accusing Buck of manipulating Eddie into marriage, everything they've built is suddenly on the line. With both of their estranged parents joining forces to fight for custody of the twins, Buck and Eddie must face the ghosts of their pasts and the fears that still linger in their hearts. As lies are told and old wounds are reopened, they'll have to prove what their family already knows: that love makes them stronger, not weaker. Because this time, they're not just fighting for their marriage. They're fighting for their always.

Buck and Eddie thought they had faced their hardest fight, surviving betrayal, fear, and the early arrival of their twins. But family doesn't end in the delivery room; it only begins there. Now, as they adjust to sleepless nights, endless feedings, and the beautiful chaos of raising twins, Buck and Eddie must also learn to navigate what it means to finally admit the truth of their love. Eddie struggles to balance recovery with fatherhood, while Buck discovers that being a partner and a dad brings challenges he never expected. Through laughter, tears, and the unwavering support of the 118, they learn that forever isn't just a promise, it's a choice they make every day. And when Buck takes a leap of faith with a question that could change everything, Eddie realizes that the life he once thought impossible has become the one thing he can't imagine living without. This is their forever, built on love, family, and the promise of never letting go.