Reading Time: 105 Minutes

Title: When I See You Again
Series: Nature Provides
Series Order: 7
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: 9-1-1, The Sentinel, Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, NCIS
Relationship: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz, OMC/Lou Ransone, OMC/OMC, OFC/OFC, Isabel Diaz/OFC, Bobby Nash/Athena Grant
Genre: Romance, Alternate Universe, Sentinel Fusion, Established Relationship
Warnings: Explicit sex, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Discussion-Murder, Discussion-Child Abuse, Discussion-Domestic Violence, Referenced-Rape, Discussion-Racism, Discussion-Police Brutality, Discussion-Serial Killer, Character Ascension, Ableism, Homophobia, Original Character Death
Word Count: 51,402
Author’s Note: The warnings encompass my entire series. Casting available on the series page. Also, as is my yearly custom, here is a present for you on my birthday.
Summary: Alpha Ascendant Sentinel Evan Buckley ascended on live national television, effectively outing the Stargate Program in a way no one had ever expected possible. Eight months later, a tsunami hits the Santa Monica pier, and Evan Buckley sets himself down right in the middle of it to save the life of his Guide and one of their children. Buck will do anything to keep his family safe. Not even ascension is going to stand in his way.

* * * *

Chapter 6

“Dr. Weir, I appreciate the fact that the IOA has questions,” Cristobal said carefully, and her gaze narrowed on him as he spoke. “But my son is not available to you indefinitely. He has no interest in answering questions about his ascension or the time he spent on the psionic plane as it was deeply painful for him.”

“I understand how difficult it was,” Elizabeth Weir said, and he wished that he’d accepted an in-person meeting because he’d really like to know what her emotional landscape was like. “But we have a duty to the rest of the world to understand what happened to the ancients, to whom we owe a great debt, and they need to be rescued from their circumstances.”

“You think we owe them a debt?” Cristobal questioned and shook his head. “I don’t consider leaving dangerous technology behind for us to find a favor, Dr. Weir. Moreover, their technology facilitated the slavery of our people and the murders of thousands of Sentinels and Guides.” Her cheeks flushed. “The alterans do not need to be rescued, and even if they did, my son has no idea where they are.”

“The IOA has already decided that we will be searching for them.”

“I have no estimate on how many planets in Pegasus are without a stargate, but I can assume that it would number in the thousands,” Cristobal said mildly. “The SGC doesn’t have the funding to undertake such a mission for even a month, much less the amount of time it would actually take to even search a hundred planets.”

“Oma Desala can find them easily,” Weir pointed out.

Cristobal laughed. “I don’t think you’ll get anything out of Oma Desala that she doesn’t want you to have. The alterans have nothing to offer the IOA or Earth at this point. They’ll never remember who they are or even what they were. It is also likely that the guardian of the plane would refuse to let you find them.”

“Do you trust that this guardian did as your son said?” she asked. “It’s difficult to imagine such an advanced species reduced to living primitively on a planet with no stargate. They’ve been deprived of the very technology they created. I believe they should’ve been at least returned to Atlantis, where they belong.”

“Then I suppose the Stargate Program is fortunate that the guardian has better judgment than you,” Cristobal said flatly. “As such a thing would’ve resulted in the loss of the city and the assured incursion of the wraith into this galaxy. We’re barely holding the line out there, and anything that threatens the balance the dangerous. The alterans have already proven they have no intention of fighting the wraith.”

Weir sat back and averted her gaze. “They are an advanced species that we need.”

“They’re nothing of the kind at this point,” Cristobal said. “They’ve been stripped of everything they were—they’re no better than primitive humans at this point. Evan was clear on that front.”

“The members of the IOA believe that this guardian exceeded its authority,” Weir said and exhaled slowly when he merely raised an eyebrow at her. “They’re serious about it and are interested in building another device like the one that the SGC tried to use against the ori.”

“They want to pick a fight with an entity that not only outright destroyed the ori but deascended the alterans en masse with no issues at all?” Cristobal questioned. “If that’s the case, then I will have no choice but to report that situation to the International Psionics Advocacy Center and the UN. They’ll need to know that your organization is attempting to court war with a being who has the power to reduce the Earth’s population to zero should she wish it.”

Weir paled. “Are you…threatening me, Dr. Salas?”

“No, Dr. Weir, I am not. I’m merely informing you of my intentions,” Cristobal said gently, and Lou shook his head from his place across from his desk. “And the ramifications of my reporting this matter to the proper people will be none of my concern. It’s above my pay grade, as it were. I feel as if most of this conversation is actually.”

“I’ve been informed the only way I’ll get access to your son is through you,” she said tightly. “Which many people have a problem with, I assure you. It’s my understanding you even told POTUS no.”

“Evan told the President of the United States no,” Cristobal corrected. “I’ve never made a single decision for my son—not as conservator and not as his adopted father. I know my place in his life, and I respect him too much to be as high-handed as you seem to think I am. He doesn’t want your attention, and he has no intention of answering any questions about his ascension. He’s already had the only meeting he wants to have about the matter.”

“A room full of Sentinels and Guides,” Weir said. “That was neither recorded nor observed by outside parties.”

“Are you accusing Generals O’Neill and Sheppard of lying to you about the content of that meeting?” Cristobal asked, and she shook her head.

“No, of course not, but surely you must understand the protests I’m having to deal with from the member countries. He’s a valuable resource, and he’s refusing to cooperate.”

“He’s an Alpha Ascendant Sentinel,” Cristobal said. “Not a resource, and he doesn’t have the security clearances to be in a room with a single member of the IOA, you included, since you’re all mundane and have no ability to shield your minds from him. He has good discipline and rock-solid ethics, but mistakes could be made on either side that would reveal secrets that are none of his business. POTUS accepted that circumstance without complaint once it was explained to him.”

“He was ascended and retains all of his memories of that time, correct? How are we to know what he now knows about governments around the world?” Weir asked.

“My son spent practically every single moment of his ascension watching over his family,” Cristobal said simply. “He’s said as much to several different Sentinels and was deemed to be entirely honest on the subject. His attention rarely wandered from us from the moment he ascended until the moment he returned. He can repeat, verbatim, entire conversations his Guide had with their children. Evan had no other concerns and actively avoided the alterans as much as he could due to their intrusive behavior and disgusting ethics.”

Weir stared at him in surprise. “I see.”

“Do you?”

“Do all Sentinels feel that way about the ancients?” she asked curiously. “General O’Neill has always refused to discuss them with me, and General Sheppard actively resents them for the situation in Pegasus. I thought, perhaps, he was an exception, not the rule.”

“They ran from a fight, refused to intervene even when they achieved a state so advanced that wiping out their mistake would’ve been the work of nothing, abused their own kind when they protested or acted against their obscene edicts, actively prevented those of their kind who would fight the wraith from doing so, and did nothing as humans were enslaved and murdered on distant worlds by the thousands because their technology allowed the spread and influence of the goa’uld,” Cristobal said. “Any Sentinel or Guide who knows all of that would have an immense problem with the alterans. Oma Desala admitted she was essentially held hostage by her own people when they couldn’t forcefully deascend her. Then they left her to a tortuous fight for over a decade that would still be going on if my son hadn’t freed her from it.”

“I see.” She cleared her throat. “That’s an unfortunate stance for your community to take considering how much the alterans have to offer us.”

“Well, they’d have never offered us anything of their own free will,” he said, and she frowned at him. “Their own rules would’ve prevented it, and now they’re reaping what they sowed for thousands of years. For their own sakes, I hope the wraith don’t find them.”

“Have a good day, Dr. Salas,” she said, and he nodded.

“You as well, Dr. Weir.” He ended the call with a click of his mouse and rocked back in his chair.

Cristobal focused on Randolph Rampart, who was sitting on the sofa with a cup of coffee across the room on the sofa. “Thoughts?”

“She’s single-minded,” Rampart said. “She and Sheppard butted heads a lot when they were in Pegasus. Eventually, the IOA pulled her off the city because they were petrified of the wraith, and she was interfering in the war effort. John finds her frustrating, and her political maneuvering has always put him off. It doesn’t bother me as she doesn’t have as much power as she thinks she does.”

“And the IOA’s search for the alterans?” Cristobal questioned.

“They won’t get anywhere on that front,” Tony DiNozzo said. “POTUS is preparing to meet with several other world leaders for a conversation about the IOA. The UN is going to reorganize the body, and that has been in the works since declassification. Now that everyone knows, a lot of people have questions about how the IOA has managed threats and resources. It’s unfortunate for them that they’ve actively prevented Sentinels and Guides from joining them as representatives. It’s put many off as it is generally accepted that it’s our job to protect the world.”

Cristobal stood and walked to the door of his office. “Just a moment.” He turned off the security dampening and opened the door to reveal his grandson.

Christopher glanced into the office. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”

“It’s fine,” Cristobal said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said and shrugged. “Papa’s making lunch, and you guys weren’t at breakfast. Bea was asking for you. I said I’d come get you and Grandpa.” Jarra appeared at his side, and he looked down at the wolf. “Oh, Daddy says you can bring your guests. It’s taco day.”

“I’m on board with taco day,” Rampart said, stood, and unbuttoned his uniform jacket.

Tony watched the wolf shimmer away and nodded. “Sounds great.”

“Cool,” Christopher said cheerfully and left.

Tony turned to Cristobal. “She acts as a messenger between father and son?”

“Yes,” Cristobal said in amusement. “I’m half convinced she considers herself a third parent. Her guidance of Christopher is quite stern on occasion as she knows exactly how vulnerable he will be in the future to influence.”

“Good,” Tony said. “A wolf Guide is a gift to us and should be treated with all due care. I’m glad he has the parents he has.”

“Nature provides, does it not?” Cristobal questioned, and Tony grinned.

“We should invite Blair here. Though getting them to come down from their mountain is difficult on the best of days.” Tony checked his watch. “I’m continuously surprised that Ellison hasn’t picked a planet in Pegasus to set up camp and kill wraith on.”

“You and me both,” Lou said. “Because the idea sounds like a great retirement plan.”

“Darling,” Cristobal said. “Surely you realize I’ll never live in a tent on an alien world in any galaxy, much less Pegasus.”

Lou sighed. “Eddie still appears to have no idea where Bea gets her high-maintenance ways.”

* * * *

“I can’t believe you invited Rampart and DiNozzo to taco night,” Buck tapped out in Morse Code on the top of Eddie’s hand, and his Guide laughed.

“It’ll be fine,” Eddie said and nudged him as he went to finish setting the table. “We made plenty.”

“Sure,” Buck said. “You insisted, and now I know why.”

Buck understood that having a good relationship with the national primes separately from his parents was important when it came to protecting his family. He even appreciated Eddie’s mercenary approach to the situation. Also, he really should’ve realized his Guide was up to something when he deployed Christopher to handle the task.

Everstar appeared at his side. “Dude.”

“I know.”

She huffed and hurried away.

“If you missed me, you won’t leave this suite,” he called out to her, and she huffed louder in an exaggerated fashion that Bea emulated from her highchair.

Carla laughed and tucked the last of the warmed tortillas into a basket. “How long will you milk that?”

“You mean the eight long, lonely months I spent being held hostage on the psionic plane?” Buck questioned. “Gosh, I don’t know.”

She laughed.

“Translation—three or more years,” Eddie said, and Buck shrugged.

Shortly, Buck found himself sitting at the large table with his family and the national prime pair. He knew, on a fundamental level, that he could trust Rampart and DiNozzo, and he found their personal dynamic comforting. They were clearly in love, and he’d always personally found, no matter his previous aversion to bonding, security in such pairings. A bond was one thing, but a bond built on love, carnal or not, was another thing altogether.

“What are you thinking?” Cristobal asked curiously.

“I….” Buck reached for the bowl of tortilla chips as he’d made himself a taco salad versus tacos and noticed that Lou had done the same, so he made sure to pass the basket in that direction once he had enough chips. “I was thinking about bonds and love.”

“Did ascension change how you look at bonding?” DiNozzo questioned.

“You mean considering my history?” Buck quirked an eyebrow when the older Guide glanced toward Christopher. “You can’t really keep secrets with a wolf Guide in the house, Alpha DiNozzo, no matter if they’re online or not.”

“Jarra tells me everything she thinks I need to know,” Christopher said. “Whether I want to know or not.”

DiNozzo laughed. “Please, call me Tony. And yes, due to your history.”

“Not specifically, no,” Buck said. “I spent my formative years around pairings that are clearly full of love and acceptance. Our pride is warm and content if that makes sense.”

“It does, and I’ve gotten that feeling from you all from the very beginning. Such atmosphere comes from your alpha pairing, of course. When you encounter prides that are militant and aggressive in nature, it is a result of the alpha pair that leads them. Each sort of pride serves a role, of course, for the tribe. It’s always a relief, however, when a regional alpha pair has a family vibe within their personal pride. It ensures their investment in the region on a different level.”

Buck nodded slowly. “You must be worried sick about the entire Southern region then.”

Rampart laughed. “The Pacific Northwest will always be more of a concern. Ellison and Sandburg are territorial, primal, and if there was ever a Sentinel made for war, it was Ellison.”

“Moreso than John Sheppard?” Buck questioned curiously.

“Ah, well, there are different kinds of war to be made,” Rampart said. “When I retire, I might move here and sneak into your dinner hour on a regular basis.”

“It must be hard to sneak around as a prime,” Christopher said, and they all laughed. “Everyone always knows exactly where you are. Lito says he can’t take a walk alone for love or money—not even when we go to Peru.”

Buck smiled when his dad laughed and focused on his food for a bit with a quick glance in Everstar’s direction. She was tucked between Carla and Lou. Since she looked exhausted, he let his senses spread a little and evaluated her.

“I’m fine, Buck,” she said and smiled when he shook his head. “Seriously.”

“You’re a hot mess,” Carla said cheerfully and patted Everstar’s arm. “Don’t worry, honey, I’m going to take care of it.”

“I don’t see how,” Everstar muttered and took a bite of taco with a frown.

“Is there a problem?” Rampart questioned.

“Several,” Lou said interjected smoothly and refocused the attention on himself. “But most of it will be fixed shortly. Our biggest issue right now is the travel arrangements for Isabel Diaz and Jetta Watney. They were on a retreat in Peru when the tsunami happened. I put them on a private plane as soon as I could, but they were diverted away from landing in LA due to relief workers coming in. All private and half a dozen commercial flights were diverted to San Diego. Ground traffic is a nightmare, of course, and Jetta refuses to get in a helicopter.”

“I don’t blame her,” Rampart said. “The last time I was in one—I felt like my insides were going to…shatter. It was bizarre. Frankly, it’s the only aircraft I can’t handle. If you can believe it, Sheppard can still fly them.”

Lou made a face. “Right. Well, I’ve met a few Sentinels here and there who can handle it. All the ones in SAR for LA County can handle it, but a few had to be trained specifically for it. If you consider it a personal issue you’d like resolved, there is a man who works for the LAFD who can help you.”

“I’d…like that,” Rampart admitted. “I consider it a weakness.”

“I’ll get you his contact information,” Lou promised and focused on Everstar. “And I’ve already arranged for Isla to have a talk with your roommate. She’s been asked to relocate because of Buck. We figured it would prevent the further deterioration of your friendship with her.”

“Well, it’s not fair to blame him,” Everstar said with a blush. “I should work on myself.”

“Everstar,” Cristobal said and shook his head. “She’s been intruding on me, and I assure my shielding is fine. There’s nothing wrong with your personal protections, and your mental discipline is excellent despite your latent status.”

“I don’t know the situation,” Tony began. “But you do have excellent mental discipline, Miss Bartlett.”

“Oh, please call me Everstar,” she said and flushed a little. “And thanks. My roommate is newly online and not…great at keeping herself to herself empathically. I only accepted her as a roommate because, as a latent, I shouldn’t be living on that particular property.”

“I don’t mind taking the blame,” Buck said, and she focused on him. “Because I was going to request her removal, and don’t worry about the rules for the property. I’m going to buy the whole thing within the next year and the land next door as well. I sent Isla an email about it.”

“What are you going to do with the land next door?” Cristobal asked. “The Foundation bought that for administrative purposes last year, and they’re working on building permits.”

“The closest outdoor park is five miles away,” Buck said with a shrug. “The kids need some green space.”

“You’re going to turn three acres of prime beachfront property into a playground?” Lou questioned.

Buck grinned. “What? Do you think anyone will tell me no at this point?”

“Only you would leverage the social capital of saving thousands of people to get a playground next to your ridiculous beachfront condo that you still pretend you don’t want to live in,” Eddie said fondly and shook his head when everyone laughed.

Oma appeared at that moment. “Oh, you’re eating. Weird.”

Lou stood and pulled out the only empty chair at the table. “Sit and try it.”

Everstar hopped up and got a place setting with a wide-eyed glance in Buck’s direction. He realized they’d have to explain Oma’s circumstances to her and Carla later. He just gave her a quick nod as she set Oma’s place, and the younger woman relaxed.

“When’s the last time you ate food?” Eddie asked curiously as she hesitantly sat and started to make a taco on a soft tortilla.

“Thank you, Everstar,” Oma said warmly. “I haven’t eaten in at least 9,000 years. I used to travel around a bit and live amongst different peoples seeking companionship, but after the others started to ascend in larger numbers, it no longer had any appeal. I should certainly get used to eating.” She turned to Christopher. “Hi, I’m Oma Desala.”

“Hi,” Christopher said with flushed cheeks. “Jarra says that the resting spirit animals are going to help you save people in Pegasus from the bad guys.”

She smiled. “Yes, we’re going to be…exploring our options a bit when it comes to the aggressive protection of others.”

Buck dissected that and shared a look with Rampart, who was staring at Oma curiously.

“What do you mean by resting spirit animals?” Cristobal questioned.

“There are many spirit animals, far more than currently needed on Earth,” Buck said when Oma hesitated. “They rest on the plane until they’re needed. Some are already sort of assigned to latents, but not all latents need direct interaction with their spirit animals before they come online. Even those considered in reserve have assigned spirit animals that watch over them in a casual way.”

Cristobal nodded, and Buck realized he owed his father a long, private talk. The realization must have shown on his face because the older man smiled and inclined his head before focusing on his meal.

* * * *

“Dr. Elizabeth Weir is very intent on speaking with you,” Cristobal said as he settled onto the floor in front of Buck.

“She can fuck off,” Buck said frankly, and his father laughed. “I mean that. I don’t think she’s evil, but I don’t appreciate her leadership of the IOA, and I think she’s far too invested in the alterans for it to be healthy. It puts Oma off completely because it has an edge of worship attached to it, and she can feel that shit.” He tried to relax his shoulders as he was really tense, and physical discomfort would make meditation impossible.

The sliding door leading into the room opened, and Bea toddled in with Eddie following her.

“Sorry, she’s not going to be dissuaded,” Eddie said and leaned on the door as Bea crawled into Buck’s lap and slouched against his chest. “Unless I take her from the property entirely.”

Buck wrapped an arm around her to keep her steady and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “No, she’s fine. But thanks for trying.”

Eddie nodded and pulled the door shut.

“I resent how much this whole thing hurt you all,” Buck said. “I hope she doesn’t have attachment issues as a result. Do you think…she’s emotionally damaged by what happened?”

“No, we took great care with her emotional landscape, Evan,” Cristobal said gently. “She just missed you as much as we did. Perhaps more so because she couldn’t be made to understand what happened. From her perspective, you went away like you did often, but you didn’t come home.”

Buck blinked back tears and took a deep breath. “It’s hard.”

“I know,” Cristobal murmured. “Are you really open to being the new guardian at some point in your future?”

“It’s the deal I made, and I’m a man of my word,” Buck said simply. “Maybe I won’t do it for very long before I return to the reincarnation cycle. I think the guardian stayed too long and that it should be something that…changes hands more often in the future. It’s a decision I’ll make when the time comes with Eddie.”

“I’m relieved by the love you have with Eddie,” Cristobal said. “It’s exactly what I always hoped for you. I worried that your childhood would stand in your way for a very long time.”

“I need help protecting our relationship,” Buck said quietly. “My public profile is appalling, Dad. I need…everything to be back to normal. I just can’t figure out how to get back there. The nature of the press coverage of my ascension and return is lurid.”

“I know,” Cristobal murmured. “When do you want to go back to work? The LAFD hasn’t pressed the issue, but we were told to tell you that your job is waiting on you.”

“Can I even do my job at this point?” Buck asked and shifted Bea around in his hands when she slumped a little against him. He held her against his chest, and she pressed her face against his neck with a sigh and settled into a deep sleep. “Or would I end up creating a nuisance?”

“Did anyone act inappropriately when you were working with Eddie during the tsunami?”

“No, but the conditions can’t exactly be duplicated on a daily basis,” Buck said roughly. “I don’t want this kind of attention or focus on our family. I’ll speak with Weir if you think it will calm the situation down. I did want to speak with you about Colton Beauregard.”

“I’ve heard nothing from the family since they left.”

“Colton was dormant by the time he landed in El Paso,” Buck said and just shrugged when his father stared. “He shouldn’t have come here and tried to force his way into my Guide’s life the way he did. The guardian merely hurried that process along.”

“Would you have interfered if Eddie had ended your bond so he could move on?” Cristobal questioned.

“No, of course not,” Buck said quickly. “His consent is and will always be a concern for me. That asshole was stressing Eddie out, and it was the last thing he needed. I would have still come back. Even if Eddie had moved on—it would hurt, and I’d probably never bond again, but I wouldn’t have stayed gone.” He took a deep breath against Bea’s hair. “I never thought I’d have this much love in my life, you know.”

“I do know,” Cristobal said.

“I’m willing to do a lot to defend and keep it.” He cleared his throat. “So is Eddie. I knew from the start that he wouldn’t move on the way anyone would’ve wanted. He clung to our bond as much as I did. Part of me wondered if I should allow it, but holding on was…it was all I could do.”

“We’re glad you did,” Cristobal said. “Because I didn’t…losing you was difficult.”

“I’m sorry.” Buck cleared his throat and rubbed Bea’s back gently. “Fatherhood is a burden I honestly didn’t understand. I certainly never saw it in my biological father. It was always clear he didn’t love me. Maybe it was about my brother…or maybe he’s just so fucking corrupt that loving his own children is completely beyond him.”

“Speaking of your biological family,” Cristobal said. “Your sister reached out again and begged to come to LA to see you. She knows about your children now and was even more insistent that you’d want to see her and allow her to be in your life.”

“I’d never trust her with our kids,” Buck said. “She’s deeply emotional and doesn’t attempt to control herself in that regard in any single way. Even for a mundane, I remember her to be psionically noisy. Maddie does love me, you know? It’s just not a healthy love, and I can’t allow her to infiltrate our family with her bullshit.”

“Well, she won’t come here without your permission. She at least agreed to that. I told her that if you wanted to see her that you’d reach out. Her contact information is in your email, and I included all of the correspondence she sent to my office over the last two days.” Cristobal leaned back on his hands and took a deep breath. “Tell me about the spirit animals.”

Bea’s red panda appeared, flopped over his leg, and curled one paw around his knee.

“Hello,” Buck murmured and stared at the spirit animal. “Do you prefer your first name?” She blinked sleepily and lifted her paw to pat gently at Bea’s foot. “She’s asleep, as you well know.”

“What’s her first name?” Cristobal asked curiously.

“Neha,” Buck said, and Bea stirred in his arms. She stretched her whole little body and yawned before wiggling a little.

He sat her down, and she wrapped her arms around her spirit animal with a delighted laugh.

“Ne!” Bea said in delight and giggled as the panda tumbled around with her on the floor between them.

“Neha,” Buck repeated.

“Ne!” Bea crawled away, and the panda followed her with a little chittering noise.

Cristobal laughed. “Ne it is.”

Buck nodded and took a deep breath. “The spirit animals are manifestations created from the power bleed off of the psionic plane. In a way, they balance the scales, and their movements on Earth spread the energy around. They were little more than wispy little streams of psionic energy in the beginning, but gradually, they achieved sapience. Nova was the first.”

He focused on Bea, who was sprawled on her back playing with her own feet. Neha was mimicking her. “Jarra is a very old spirit as well. But Neha has only existed for a few hundred years.”

“So, they’re still manifesting?”

“Yes, and they will as long as the psionic plane exists as it does,” Buck said. “It’s a pressure release of sorts.”

“The IOA is concerned about the guardian, and Dr. Weir even mentioned trying to mitigate her power,” Cristobal explained. “Do you think that’s something we should worry about?”

Buck shook his head. “The psionic plane is deeply invested in the guardian and makes sure she knows exactly what she needs to know. Nothing those people try to do will be a secret from either of them.”

“And the plane will allow you to become the new guardian?” Cristobal questioned.

“I think the plane chose me,” Buck said and focused on his daughter, who had curled up with her spirit animal and gone to sleep. “I should take her to the crib.”

“She’s pretty content,” Cristobal said. “Just being near you is enough right now.”

“Do you think she’ll have a difficult time with me returning to work?”

“We’ll start creating stretches of time when you come and go from her during the day,” Cristobal said, and Buck nodded. “It will get her used to the idea.”

“I want to speak with Bobby and Chief Alonzo about returning to work.” Buck cleared his throat. “And see what they think the potential problems will be regarding the notoriety that I cannot control.”

“They aren’t going to want to part with a Sentinel at your skill level,” Cristobal said. “So, they’re probably already working on some sort of media campaign designed to mitigate the public’s response to you while you’re working. You’ve never been particularly unknown in LA due to your position in my life before and after I adopted you.”

“Yeah, but this is different, right?”

“Thousands of people directly owe their lives to you,” Cristobal said. “And that creates a special circumstance that isn’t exactly predictable. The people of this city might lean toward being protective and invested in you rather than interested in creating some kind of personal connection with you.”

Buck really didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. From his father’s facial expression, it was clear the older man wasn’t certain either.

 

 

Chapter 7

Eddie took a deep breath and let his body relax as he settled himself on a meditation mat. It was easier now that Buck was back, and he knew exactly where his Sentinel was. They’d returned to the condo when there didn’t appear to be any problems with the security. Lou had put down a very firm edict regarding press contact, and it had been adhered to without any sort of protest. The biggest shock had come from the fact that the governor of the state had tried to pressure Buck to accept a medal from his office again.

His grandmother took his hand, and Eddie focused on her. “I’m okay.”

“You’re more settled than you have been in months,” she murmured. “It’s good and to be expected considering Buck’s return.”

Eddie let his hearing spread out so that he could focus entirely on Buck for a moment. His Sentinel’s heartbeat was steady and so reassuring that tears welled in his eyes. Clearing his throat, he used his free hand to wipe his eyes.

“I feel like I’m grieving, and that makes no sense,” Eddie said quietly. “I’ve been given an immense gift. How many people get a second chance like this?”

“I’ve often felt devastated by my own happiness and relief,” Isabel said, and Eddie nodded. “It’s because such intense emotions are overwhelming and stressful in their own way. Moreover, for the first time in eight months, you’re processing your Sentinel’s emotions as well as yours. He must be in a deep state of grief over all the time he lost with his family. You need to work to separate your own feelings for his, and I know that will be difficult for some time to come, considering how deeply invested you currently are in being as close as possible to him.”

Eddie flushed at the very gentle rebuke. “I can’t help myself.”

“I know, nieto.” She squeezed his hand. “And no one could possibly expect anything different from you. Give yourself time to settle and process the emotions—both yours and his. Christopher’s emotional landscape is settling, and Bea is content with just seeing him. It’s enough to be in the same room with him.”

“How will that go when we return to work?” Eddie questioned. “Buck is invested in his calling as a first responder. He won’t stay idle long.”

“He’s not idle now,” Isabel said with a laugh. “When I went to hug him silly, he was on the treadmill, and Lou said he’d already run ten miles. He’s going to find me after his shower for a proper hug as he did not want to get his sweat all over my clothes.”

“That would probably be offensive to Jetta,” Eddie pointed out.

“Certainly not, since she glomped onto him and hugged him until he begged to be released,” Isabel said dryly. “Then she trotted off to take a shower herself. We were both quite unkempt from our extended travel.”

“I don’t mean to intrude, but…how is your bond going?”

“It took some time to settle,” Isabel acknowledged. “Retreating to Peru certainly helped her find her balance. Her bond with her previous Guide was very shallow, though she did not realize that until after we bonded. It threw her off stride for many weeks as a result. Jetta is still trying to find her place in our family.”

“I like her strength,” Eddie said. “And the kids are comfortable with her. Buck is good with her now that the bond fragment she had from before is gone.”

Isabel nodded. “Buck’s ascension changed the family dynamic, and that caused issues with all the Sentinels around us. It ebbed out around our family and impacted many of the local prides. The city even felt different.”

“One of the people we rescued…she said she was happy for me,” Eddie said. “It was nice.” He shifted his shoulders and let his hands rest on his thighs as his grandmother released him. “Do you think we can return to work?”

“I think that most people know that interfering with the duty of a Sentinel can have far-reaching consequences,” Isabel said. “There will be outliers, of course, and they’ll be dealt with as they happen. I think the people of the region will see your Sentinel for exactly what he is—a man deeply devoted to his family and Guide.”

* * * *

There was a mild burn along his muscles as he did pull-ups. It was so relieving that he could barely speak to it. When he’d been ascended, he’d clung to a mental image of himself and had worked hard to manifest a body. It had been a comfort of sorts to achieve some kind of normal in such a state.

“How does it feel?” Thomas questioned as he held a hand against Buck’s stomach. “Tighten up.”

Buck tightened his abs and lifted his legs as he continued to do pull-ups. “Just a little burn. I feel pretty much exactly like I did before the bombing. There’s probably a theory about the whole thing and how my brain just returned me to my pre-ascension state because it was seeking normalcy.”

Thomas nodded. “Heart rate is good. They’re probably going to make you pass a physical, at least. I don’t know about requalification.”

“I can do it easily if they need it,” Buck said.

“Granted,” Thomas said. “Give me one arm.”

Buck made a face but removed one of his hands from the bar and crossed the arm over his chest as he continued to do pull-ups. “This is so rude.”

Thomas laughed. “Muscle movement is great.” He ran a hand up Buck’s arm as he moved. “Any weakness?”

“No,” Buck said and changed arms. “Feels good.”

“Your form is solid,” Thomas acknowledged. “You did ten miles on the treadmill this morning, right? How’d that go?”

“A little winded near the end, like normal,” Buck said. “I did a jog, not a full-out run.”

Thomas nodded. “Want to lift some weights? Let’s test your limits.”

“Sure,” Buck dropped to his feet and stretched. “Let’s start with 300.”

Thomas nodded and headed for the weight bench. “We’ve got a thing.”

“A thing?” Buck questioned. “What kind of thing?”

“Cosmo has a cousin—pretty young. She had an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.”

“Ah, did she keep it?”

“Yeah, and gave birth about a week ago. She was going to give the baby to her sister, but the baby has latent S/G genes. The biological father is also adamantly child-free and didn’t know that kind of genetic legacy was possible. He was immediately put off by the idea of being responsible for a latent child.”

“So….” Buck waved a hand. “What’s the thing?”

“She’s asked Cosmo and I to adopt the baby.”

Buck focused on his best friend. “Seriously? Dude. What did you guys say?”

Thomas rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, we said yes. I mean, I’ve never had any drive to procreate for my own sake, but it’s kind of hard to say no to a baby. We’re going to drive down to San Diego in the next few days to take custody. Isla and Natalie are arranging the adoption.” He finished setting up the plates and motioned to the bench.

“Boy or girl?” Buck asked as he lay down on the bench.

“Boy,” Thomas said. “Mateo Marshall Fuentes.”

“I’m really happy for you,” Buck said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. Do you guys need help rearranging your condo?”

“Nah, we’ve got an empty room we were using for storage. We went through it when we were busy angsting over your return because we were taken off-duty for mandatory rest.” He checked his watch. “We can’t take another shift for another twenty-four hours since I tested as sense-saturated when I came in for a rest period.”

“Are you evening out now?”

“Yeah,” Thomas assured with a casual shrug. “We meditated, slept, and fucked. I’m good to go.”

Buck laughed, wrapped both hands around the bar, and lifted. He stilled as Thomas checked his form. Then sighed when his friend grunted his approval.

“How does it feel?” Thomas questioned.

“Easy.”

“Give me twenty then,” his friend ordered and watched with a critical eye as Buck did as instructed. “Any weakness? Burning?”

“No, it’s fine,” Buck said. “Feels normal.”

“You’re going to pass a physical easily,” Thomas said. “On the sense front, anything weird?”

“No, Eddie helped me even out very quickly,” Buck said. “Our bond is as strong as ever. I’m worried about public attention, though.”

“Cos and I talked about it.” Thomas took the bar from him. “Want to add some more weight?”

“Yeah, let’s move up to 400,” Buck said and relaxed on the bench, then rolled his shoulders as Thomas added the weight. Then he grabbed the bar and started working again. “I’m looking forward to meeting your son.”

“Wow,” Thomas muttered. “That’s weird. I’ve got pictures.”

“I expect those pictures to be delivered to my phone immediately,” Buck said, then stopped lifting.

Thomas immediately grabbed the bar. “Something hurting?”

Buck shook his head with a laugh and sat up. “I just realized I have no idea where my cell phone is.”

“Bobby cleaned out your locker and Eddie’s,” Thomas said quietly. “And brought it here. I put the bags in your condo, and Eddie eventually sorted both of them. I’m sure he has your phone somewhere. I’m not sure if it’s active right now—it would’ve been a waste of money to keep paying for it.”

“Right,” Buck said. “It was just a weird realization. I’ve not had any possessions for months.” He rubbed his head with both hands and took a deep breath. “It’s even weird having a body.”

“It must have been beyond weird not to have one,” Thomas pointed out.

“I was so emotionally devastated that it took me months to process my circumstances, and the loss of a physical body was the least of it,” Buck admitted as he left the bench and picked up the towel he’d brought with him to the gym. He wiped his face, head, and chest. “I know that psionic harmony is supposed to be some great achievement, but it was agonizingly lonely.”

“I’m sorry for it,” Thomas said and put a firm hand on Buck’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you, and I’m glad you’re back. Nothing was really the same without you.”

“I might be a needy bastard for a while.”

Thomas laughed. “Dude, you’ve always been a needy bastard. It’s what I like about you most. Take a shower; you stink. Your man deserves better.”

Buck laughed and sighed. “Shut up.”

* * * *

“Papa!” Bea pushed the bedroom door open and toddled determinedly toward him.

Buck plucked her up off the floor. “What’s up, sweet Bea?”

She put both of her hands on his face. “Papa. Movie.”

“Movie night?” Buck questioned, and she nodded quickly. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s make some popcorn.”

“Pop pop!” She bounced in his arms in excitement, and he laughed as he left the bedroom then headed for the kitchen.

“Her Majesty has requested a movie night,” Buck said as he joined Eddie in the kitchen.

“Christopher sent her your way to ask,” Eddie said. “You’re going to have to endure Frozen, just FYI.”

“Go!” Bea said decisively.

“Sounds great,” Buck said and kissed Bea’s forehead when she giggled. “We can watch anything they want.”

“I’m not going to let you spoil them rotten,” Eddie warned and huffed when Buck just shrugged. “Yeah, you keep thinking that way. She’ll be watching that movie on repeat for the next week if we let her.”

“Maybe you need to learn to let it go,” Buck said in amusement and laughed when Eddie pulled out the pot they used to make popcorn on the stove. “Seriously.”

“We’re watching Finding Nemo next!” Christopher called out from the living room. “We got time for both before bedtime!”

Eddie just sighed and started making popcorn. Buck walked into the living room and dropped down onto the couch with Christopher. His son snuggled close to them both as Bea sprawled across his chest.

“Papa.”

He focused on Christopher. “What’s up, Superman?”

“Daddy was talking to me about me going to a Burton school. What do you think?”

“I think you’d be more comfortable amongst our own,” Buck murmured and rubbed Bea’s back. “The science one has a big STEM focus, which I know would appeal to you.

“Would it be more expensive?” Christopher asked.

Buck barely refrained from frowning. He knew that a teacher at the school his son was currently attending had made a comment about money because he’d observed the conversation that Eddie and Christopher had on the subject.

“You’d go to a Burton school for free,” Buck said. “Because you’re a latent Guide. Those schools are designed for us.” His son nodded. “And you never, ever have to worry about money, okay?”

“What do you mean?” Christopher asked curiously.

“Because your dad made out like a bandit in the Sentinel department,” Buck said wryly, and Eddie laughed from the kitchen. “Not only am I pretty, but I’ve got a lot of money.”

Christopher’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

“I inherited money from my maternal grandparent, and I’ve invested it very well since I turned eighteen. Your dad and I don’t have to work for money. We work because we love it.”

Christopher relaxed further against him and exhaled slowly. “Okay, so I don’t have to worry about that stuff?”

“Not at all.”

“What about college?”

“You can go anywhere you want,” Buck said. “And we’ll take care of it. Granted, we’d really prefer that you stay close to home, but if you want to go somewhere across the country and get accepted—then that will happen for you, okay?”

“Okay.” Christopher nodded. “I’d never go far from Grandpa’s territory, though.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’d never want to be that far from Bea.” He reached out and tugged on one of her curls. She caught his hand with a laugh. “I told her when you were gone that I’d always be here to take care of her. Family is the most important thing.”

Since he agreed, he’d just nodded.

* * * *

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” Buck murmured and turned his head slightly to stare at Eddie. The kids were asleep, sprawled across their laps. “You?”

“Great,” Eddie said and took his hand. “Thomas talked to you about their baby?”

“Mateo.” Buck nodded. “I’m looking forward to meeting him. I hope the whole disaster situation hasn’t derailed their schedule on that front. It’ll be cool to have another baby in the building.” He paused. “You don’t think they’ll move, right?”

“They might try if they find out about you buying the building,” Eddie said. “Or they’ll try to pay us rent.”

Buck huffed. “I wonder if I can keep it a secret.”

“No,” Eddie said, and Buck huffed again. “I’m sure you can guilt him into staying since he missed you so much.”

He watched his Sentinel consider that and nod in such a way that made Eddie want to laugh. Buck wasn’t remotely conniving and transparent as hell when he tried to get people to do what he wanted. It was kind of charmingly awkward.

“Let’s put these guys to bed.”

Eddie picked up Bea. “You can do the heavy lifting.”

Buck just grinned as Eddie quickly left, leaving him with Christopher, who muttered about swimming in his sleep. He picked up their son and carried him to his bedroom. Fortunately, he was already dressed for sleep and didn’t wake up when Buck tucked him into the bed. He took off Christopher’s glasses and put them on the nightstand. He lingered for a few moments, watching him sleep, but then forced himself to not be weird and go to bed himself.

In the bedroom, Eddie was already sitting on the bed with his cell phone in hand. He looked up when Buck entered.

“I got you a new phone when I replaced my own a few months ago.” He paused. “I ordered them online to avoid a discussion about me buying a phone for a suspended line on our plan. At any rate, I activated your line this morning.”

Buck nodded and shed his clothes easily since his Guide was naked, and that had the makings of a good time in his book. “That’s…good.”

“All of your data has already been transferred,” Eddie said and put aside his phone. “All of the shields are activated.”

“I felt them all activate.” He sat down on the bed and only glanced briefly at his phone before focusing on Eddie. “Hey.”

Eddie crawled across the bed and right into his arms. Buck tucked his face against Eddie’s throat and sucked in a deep breath. They lay down together and curled into each other without a word. Buck rubbed his fingers against Eddie’s skin and took another deep breath.

“Are we going to move him to a new school without complaining about the teacher?”

“Oh, we are definitely complaining about that teacher,” Eddie muttered. “She gave our kid fucking anxiety over money.”

“It’s frustrating,” Buck said. “And I think the teacher needs to be told to stay in their lane.”

“Surely,” Eddie said and pressed as closely as he could. “I’ll call the school and make an appointment. Or…we could ask Isla and Natalie to go over there.”’

Buck laughed. “I can’t say which visit would be more startling and stressful for the school, but just transferring him isn’t enough. I do think he needs a Burton property for various reasons, including security. I don’t know what I’d do if someone came at one of our kids, but it would be…the thought makes me furious.”

“You and me both,” Eddie said. “Though that kind of thing is honestly rare—people just simply know better than to make themselves a threat to the child of a Sentinel. It’s the makings of a feral homicide.”

“It feels weird to just jump back in and start dealing with the details of our lives,” Buck said. “But also relieving.”

“Then let’s just do that,” Eddie said. “We’ll contact Bobby about getting on the schedule, pester the academy about the training our future probie, berate a teacher for picking on our kid, and build a playground next door to the horror of everyone who understands how much that land is worth.”

Buck laughed and nuzzled against Eddie’s jaw. “You should have me.”

“I should,” Eddie agreed and prodded Buck completely onto his stomach after snagging the lube from the nightstand.

Buck let his head rest on his folded arms. A soft, sweet contentment settled on him as Eddie ran both hands down his back and over his ass. It was lovely to have his Guide’s hands on him in such intimate circumstances. Eddie’s touch was always perfect, but he especially enjoyed the soft, private moments when he had his partner’s attention.

Slick fingers pressed against his hole, and he spread his legs a little as Eddie pressed into him.

“How does it feel?” Eddie questioned.

“Great,” Buck said and exhaled slowly.

Eddie kissed his shoulder as he pressed two fingers inside. “Do you want it just like this?”

“Please.”

Eddie slipped over Buck, letting his full weight rest on him, and slowly pushed into him. With a slow roll of his hips, Eddie started to move. The pleasure was intense, and he adored every second of it.

“Don’t come yet,” Eddie said lowly against his shoulder. “I want to suck you off.”

“Yeah,” Buck agreed and groaned when Eddie lifted off his back and braced himself on both hands. “Fuck.”

Eddie held him against the mattress and thrust into him deeply. It was absolutely perfect and exactly what he needed. The grind against his prostate was driving him toward an orgasm quickly, and he didn’t know if he could maintain. Eddie groaned softly and stopped moving. He pulled free of his body and urged him over onto his back with eager hands.

Buck threw a hand over his head and braced it against the headboard as Eddie sucked his cock into his mouth. He was so worked up that he couldn’t help but come almost immediately. Eddie swallowed around the head of Buck’s cock, and he shuddered through the intense pleasure.

He caught Eddie’s hand in his own and pulled a little. “Come here.” Buck wrapped an arm around Eddie as he settled against his side. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Eddie questioned as he relaxed on Buck’s chest.

“For loving me,” Buck murmured. “For waiting on me.”

“Thank you for coming back to me.”

* * * *

Carla settled down at the table with a couple of folders. “I’ve done some research for Christopher.”

“Yeah?” Eddie smiled. “For what?”

“You mentioned that you were considering moving him to a Burton school,” Carla explained. “As you know, there are a few options. I figured I could gather some information to save you guys some time.”

“Thanks so much,” Eddie said and took a sip of coffee. “What are the options?”

“I’ve gathered info on the two local Burton schools that would be a fit for Christopher’s age and grade. Then there are two different schools that are on the foundation’s list of approved private schools for latents. The best of those two is Durand, a school specifically made for disabled children. The classes are small, the teachers are all master’s level or above, and they’re trained to deal with latent children.

“The Burton School for the Sciences is a big property. It’s fully compliant with accommodations for the disabled, and the staff is a mixture of mundane and sense-enhanced. There are a few online Guides and Sentinels, of course. The headmaster of the school is a Sentinel and has a Ph.D. in education. The STEM programs at Durand and the Burton school are top-notch, nationally recognized, and the small classes ensure that Christopher will receive hands-on instruction in engineering and various other science subjects that he’s keen on.”

“What about the arts?” Eddie questioned as he accepted the files and started to open them. “His interest in drawing and music is casual but consistent. He mentioned learning to play an instrument, and his current school has let him play several during class time. The violin interested him the most, and he mentioned private lessons several times. But then….” Eddie sighed. “He stopped. I think he must have looked it up and realized it would cost money.”

“We can speak to the school he ends up going to, and one of his teachers will guide him back into the idea if it really appeals to him,” Buck suggested as he joined them at the table. “How’s your tea?”

“Great,” Carla assured and opened a notebook. “Now, are there any issues that you want to address during an interview?”

“Thank you for helping us with this,” Buck said. “But you know…you don’t have to, right?”

Carla smiled at him. “We’re family, Buck. I’m pleased to help.” She patted his arm and uncapped her pen. “Now, security issues?”

“I’d like the property to be gated,” Eddie said. “The Burton schools are all gated, right? Is Durand gated?”

“Not all of it,” Carla said. “So that takes it off the list. The other Burton school is an elementary school that would take him through the fifth grade. It doesn’t have a specific STEM program, but the arts programs are robust. The Burton properties don’t have armed security, but they do have security guards—mostly young Sentinels who haven’t found their calling as yet.”

Buck nodded and accepted the pamphlet she offered him. “It looks nice. He’s very interested in science and engineering currently, but I wouldn’t want to see him pressured to continue that interest if it fades.”

“There is a high school funded by the foundation as well,” Carla said. “But the science academy has a well-rounded curriculum that will challenge him across many subjects all the way through the twelfth grade. He can pick and choose classes once he gets to junior high beyond the core subjects required by the state. It’ll allow him to tailor his education to a large degree and, of course, earn college credits in high school if that appeals.

“Are there any concerns regarding academics or extracurricular activities beyond music?”

“Socialization is important, of course,” Eddie said. “But I’m worried about the fact that his spirit animal will certainly appear more often if he’s surrounded by other latents. Jarra rarely appears around mundanes, and we could certainly ask her not to do it at the new school, but that feels intrusive.”

Buck spread the pamphlet out on the table and looked over the property photos. “It looks nice. What about the school medical staff?”

“They employ a registered nurse to run their health center,” Carla said. “You can tour that during the interview and meet them and their aid staff.”

“Class size?” Eddie questioned.

“The maximum class size for all Burton educational facilities is fifteen students,” Carla said. “If he needs a conservator in the future, they’ll be able to go to classes with him. All adults that work on the property are screened empathically, are subject to regular background checks, and the management of the school is as transparent as possible.”

“He mentioned wanting to go to a Burton school so he can scope out the situation for Bea,” Eddie said. “It’s pretty cute.”

“He’s a sweet boy,” Carla said. “And, of course, getting comfortable in the Burton system will certainly be to your benefit when it comes to figuring out the best environment for Bea. I can homeschool her, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the best choice for socialization. I wanted to speak with you about a playgroup.”

“We’re open to a playgroup,” Eddie said. “If the other parents don’t have a problem with it. I can see how there might be security concerns.”

“We can start with the established play period in the creche at the pride facility,” Carla suggested. “It’ll give her a chance to interact with both latent and mundane children, and you can meet other parents. Creating good connections with parents will increase socialization options for all your children.”

“Let’s set up an interview for the Burton Science Academy,” Buck suggested, and Eddie nodded. “We’ll see how the headmaster feels about being responsible for the grandchildren of the Alpha Sentinel Prime of the Pacific West.”

 

 

Chapter 8

“Colton Beauregard was listed as trauma dormant as of twenty-four hours ago,” Cristobal said as he sat down at the table. “He’s blaming you, specifically.”

Eddie made a face. “Excuse me?”

“Specifically, he has declared that your repeated and callous rejections have caused him to go dormant—thus, you are responsible for his emotional trauma.”

Eddie only glanced briefly at Buck before he focused on Natalie Rutledge. “Traditionally, the genuine source of such trauma is sued. Is he filing a lawsuit?”

“Not yet, but they are seeking compensation. His father has stated he’s willing to allow for a private settlement due to your public profile,” she said with clear distaste.

“You can tell that redneck asshole he’s not getting a dime of our money,” Buck said roughly, and Natalie laughed. “We’re not going to set a precedent, not even in private, that a rejection by a Guide is cause for a lawsuit. That’s ridiculous, dangerous, and appalling.”

“I agree,” Natalie said. “I’m preparing a cease and desist letter to be passed to the family through the Alpha Sentinel Prime Rampart’s office. Alpha Guide Prime DiNozzo has already agreed to a sanction and is preparing it. It will cover Colton Beauregard and his immediate family. The rest of their personal pride will be warned to take great care with their travel to California going forward. They’ll also be warned to avoid direct interaction with our pride specifically.”

“Is that enough?” Eddie questioned. “Because I’m precariously close to accusing both Colton and Hamilton Beauregard with pair bond interference. They came here and demanded that I destroy a perfectly health bond with my Sentinel in order to serve their own selfish needs. Even if they didn’t believe that Buck would come back to me, they had no right to intrude on me during what is traditionally considered my mourning period. I wouldn’t have even been eligible to enter the search for a new Sentinel for another fourteen months.”

Natalie nodded. “Yes, I know. I didn’t agree with allowing them to meet with you in the first place.”

Cristobal sighed.

“I didn’t,” Natalie said hotly, and the older man laughed. “You should’ve let me come in here and tear out their souls. I had to watch remotely, and it was deeply unsatisfying and contrary to my nature. I’d like to sue half the people involved in that meeting just on general principle.” She crossed her arms. “You included.”

“I did agree to the meeting,” Eddie pointed out, and she scowled at him. “Seriously, I did. I just wanted to get it over with. I felt like confronting the situation would be the best.” He spread out his hands in a gesture of peace. “It’s just the way it is. Dealing with selfish people head-on is the best solution.”

“Right, fine.” She took a deep breath, clearly designed to steady herself, and picked up her pen. “The International Psionics Advocacy Center will engage in a worldwide campaign starting in a week that will focus on the idea that Sentinels and Guides should be allowed to do their jobs and attend their calling without interference. It will roll out everywhere all at once: online, on TV, and on the radio. The two of you have been asked to ignore the press, refuse interviews, and report any offenders involved with the media to your supervisor on the job. There will be policies put in place with the LAFD to protect working members of our community going forward.”

“So, this policy for the LAFD will apply to all of us, not just me,” Buck said, and she nodded.

“There will certainly be some blowback,” Natalie said. “And people will push your boundaries. When that happens, we need to be proactive with our response to set an example. There will be a protocol regarding regional, state, and city-specific sanctions. They’ll also be reiterating our zero-tolerance policy on stalking and invasion of privacy. Despite your fame, neither of you is considered to be a public figure. I won’t hesitate to sue the shit out of anyone who crowds either of you or tries to get close to you for some nefarious purpose.”

“Then I guess we’d like to meet with Chief Alonzo and Bobby Nash as soon as possible,” Buck said. “I think getting back into a routine is what is best for the kids.” He checked his watch. “We need to leave soon since we have an appointment with the headmaster of the Burton School for the Sciences. We’re going to transfer Christopher to the school if everything works out as it should.”

“And the issue at Morgan?” Lou questioned. “Would you like Cristobal and I to take care of that?”

Buck grinned. “It’d be really evil if we sent the two of you over there.” He shared a glance with Eddie, who shrugged. “So yeah, absolutely.”

Cristobal stood. “That’s great. I have a lot to fucking say. Natalie, can you make me an appointment for this afternoon.”

Natalie pulled out her cell phone. “Of course, with pleasure. Can I come, too?”

“Dios, please record this,” Eddie said and huffed a little when Lou laughed.

* * * *

The principal of the Morgan Academy for the Arts and Sciences was an icy blond with bright blue eyes, alabaster skin, and a flirty smile who offered her hand to Lou with flushed cheeks. Cristobal was used to such introductions as they were known to indulge in an occasional female lover together, even if such liaisons were always brief. They’d never take a permanent third, and that was also well-known.

“It’s a pleasure to you have both in my office,” she said warmly. “Please let us sit.”

“Thank you for taking the time, Principal Townsend.”

“Oh, please call me Jasmine.” She sat down at her desk. “I’ve spoken with Ms. Morris, and she tells me that Christopher is a sweet little boy and a great student. Also, I’m so pleased for your family that your son has been returned to…life.” She paused. “Is that the right term? I find the workings of ascension confusing no matter how much I read about it.”

“I’m much the same,” Lou admitted. “And thank you. We are relieved that our family is whole again. We’re here to talk about Christopher’s removal from your school.”

The woman’s face paled, and Cristobal wondered if he should lecture his Sentinel about his bluntness again.

“Ms. Morris met our granddaughter’s conservator, Carla Price, last month when his nanny was unable to pick him up from school,” Cristobal began. “Apparently, she was startled to discover that our family has two employees. She speculated about how much it must cost in front of Christopher and questioned how his father could afford it.” He paused when the woman’s mouth dropped open. “As you can imagine, it upset him and made him worry. In fact, he began to exhibit anxiety concerning money and being a burden for his parents.”

“I’m at a loss,” Principal Townsend said quietly. “Beyond the fact that her comments were inappropriate, everyone knows that the Burton Foundation pays for conservators. It’s really frustrating to find out I have a rude idiot on staff.”

Cristobal laughed sharply and shared a look with Lou. Amusement and a little curl of attraction was swirling around in his Sentinel. She picked up her phone and ordered someone to retrieve the teacher.

“Where will your grandson be going to school?” she asked as she put the phone down and picked up a pen. “I’ll prepare his records to be transferred.”

“His parents will be meeting with the headmaster of the Burton School for the Sciences in an hour,” Lou said. “I don’t think there will be a problem with his transfer. I’ve heard good things about Dr. Shaw.”

“Ashton Shaw is a lovely man,” she said with a smile. “A brilliant educator and a friend. I worked for him for over a decade before I took a job here.”

“It’s rare for a mundane to be employed by the Burton school system for that long,” Cristobal said. “You must be quite brilliant yourself.”

“Ah, well, I get by,” she said with a sly little smile and stood when there was a knock on the door. She opened it and motioned a woman into the room. “Kelly Morris, this is Alpha Sentinel Prime Lou Ransone and Dr. Cristobal Salas.”

The woman glanced between them and flushed when Lou glared at her. Cristobal put a hand on his Sentinel’s arm.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Ms. Morris said quietly. “Has something happened to Christopher? Was he injured during the tsunami? There hasn’t been any press coverage concerning him. I was worried when I was told he wouldn’t be in class this week.”

“The return of his other parent has, of course, been emotionally overwhelming for him,” Cristobal said neutrally. “He was uninjured during the event.”

“Good,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad he’s okay, and with the return of his second parent, I’m sure the financial strain the family has been laboring under will be eased.”

“Strain?” Cristobal questioned. “My son’s family suffered no sort of financial strain while he was ascended. In fact, we’re here to discuss your inappropriate comments about financial matters in front of Christopher.”

She frowned. “I’m sure it was very difficult for your son-in-law to provide for his family and two members of staff when he was alone.”

“Your assumptions are quite untoward, and we don’t appreciate your speculation regarding our family’s financial situation,” Cristobal returned. “Your ignorance and lack of social grace is appalling, madam.”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“I could spend several hours educating you on the workings of the Burton Foundation and the financial endowment that supports us due to our service to society, but that would be a waste of my time. I’d much rather return to my family as quickly as possible. We’re here to withdraw our grandson from this school and file a formal letter of complaint regarding your disgusting behavior on behalf of my son’s family.”

Lou pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and passed it to Principal Townsend. “You should know, Ms. Morris, that your behavior caused a minor latent Guide an immense amount of mental and emotional stress out of ignorance and inappropriate interest in the private lives of a child in your class. We’re considering our legal options. At the minimum, I will ensure that you’re no longer certified to teach minor latent children in this country.”

“What the….” She frowned when Jasmine Townsend cleared her throat. “That will prevent me from working as a teacher. I’m required to have a certification to teach latent children to be licensed to teach at all.”

“Perhaps you should’ve considered that before you asked a child in your care inappropriate questions and questioned the financial status of that student’s parent.” Principal Townsend stood and inclined her head toward the door. “You are suspended pending a meeting before the board of governors. Please let Stephanie know she should follow you to your classroom to monitor your class until I can make arrangements. You should leave the school grounds immediately.”

“I….” Ms. Morris stood and wiped tears from her face. “Of course.”

Cristobal watched Jasmine slouch in her chair a little as the teacher hurried from the office. She tilted her head a little and focused on him. He couldn’t help but smile at her because she was gorgeous and clearly so irritated that she could hardly breathe. Lou hummed under his breath.

“We should go,” Cristobal said and stood. He pulled a card from his pocket and put it on her desk. “As I’m sure you know, we keep it casual.” Jasmine nodded. “One night—dinner to breakfast. You won’t be disappointed.”

She picked up the card and tapped it gently against pretty pink lips. “Neither will you.”

Minutes later, he slid into the passenger seat of the SUV, and Lou started the engine.

“Should we feel guilty for pulling a woman during a grandparent-teacher-principal conference thing?” Lou questioned.

“Absolutely not,” Cristobal said immediately. “We just won’t tell Evan. He’d never let us live it down.”

“She’s going to call, right?” Lou glanced his way. “Because I’d like to fuck her brains out.”

“She’s definitely going to call,” Cristobal said and exchanged a fist bump with his Sentinel. “I’m glad we didn’t bring Natalie.”

Lou huffed. “She cockblocks us left, right, and center as a hobby. I never want to take her anywhere.”

* * * *

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Dr. Shaw said as he accepted Buck’s hand. “I’m happy that you were reunited.” He motioned them to the group of chairs near a pair of open French doors. “I keep an eye on the courtyard where we allow the younger years to have recess. I’m honored that you’re considering enrolling your son here, and I will answer any questions that I can.”

“The security seems solid, and I have to admit it’s a concern,” Buck said as he sat down and relaxed when Eddie took his hand. “How do you…deal with this many children under your direct care?”

“I can’t say it’s easy,” Shaw said with a smile. “As a Sentinel, I’ve always had a deep calling to protect and shelter children. I considered various paths when I was younger before I realized that going into education was the best choice for me. I’ve been a teacher for thirty-five years. My partners are also teachers here—my husband, and Guide, is a licensed psychologist, and our wife mainly runs the college prep center for our high school students.”

“I am concerned about the fact that all twelve grades are in the same facility,” Eddie admitted. “Are there ever problems with older kids being a problem for younger ones?”

“No, not at all. In fact, the older kids are very protective of the little ones. During the last earthquake, every single member of the senior class raced to the elementary wing of the school to make sure the smaller children were okay. The closer our kind gets to adulthood, the deeper our connection with the psionic plane is. Most latents are on the cusp of coming online from the age of seventeen to thirty, as you know, and really only need to be tipped over by an event of some kind. It’s my understanding that over a hundred people came online during the tsunami.”

“They’re thinking 143 currently,” Eddie said. “Intake is still happening, and reports are coming in from various hospitals. Plus, there will be those who merely don’t report coming online at all due to support from their family. They won’t need shelter or training from the Burton Foundation if they have a strong family pride.”

Shaw nodded. “Yes, I agree. But things could’ve been so much worse. We are very fortunate that you are a vigilant and courageous young man, Alpha Buckley.”

Buck shifted slightly as rarely anyone referred to him as an Alpha. It was true, of course, but it felt weird. “Have you had any problems with unauthorized visitors in the past?”

“Oh, no,” Shaw assured. “Though once, nearly ten years ago, a mundane parent tried to force his way into the school to remove his daughter. The parents were divorced, and he had lost all rights as a parent due to a domestic violence incident. I’m told he was quite apologetic concerning his behavior when he regained consciousness in the hospital. My wife bashed him over the head with her platform sandal. She had a habit, at the time, of wearing these ridiculously large shoes.” He made a gesture with both hands to indicate the size. “I had no idea she merely considered them a part of her personal arsenal until I came upon her smacking a man three times her size with a shoe.”

“I’d be too mortified to tell anyone I got taken out with a sandal,” Eddie admitted.

“Still, he did not make it past the reception area where we receive all guests. After that, I rearranged the security detail to ensure there is at least one member of our security team in the lobby at all times. If only to keep my wife from damaging her expensive shoes in her ongoing campaign to defend the school.”

Buck grinned. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Ah, I’m sure she’ll be equally thrilled to meet you,” Shaw assured. “We have a security team of six—all young, online Sentinels. There are cameras in the halls and classrooms. We have security alarms that can be activated in the bathrooms, stairwells, and classrooms. Every student is taught how and when to activate these alarms. They also have a safe word that every Sentinel on the property is conditioned to notice and respond to. It is considered bad form to say the word in casual conversation, so I won’t speak it aloud in this meeting. You’ll learn the word during orientation, which you’ll both be required to attend.”

“We work as firefighters, so there will be times when we can’t attend events at the school and will need to request consideration when it comes to such things as parent-teacher conferences,” Eddie said. “We have two employees that help us manage our childcare—they’re both authorized to act on our behalf concerning school matters when we’re on duty. And, of course, there was that the one time that Alpha Ransone decided it’d be perfectly reasonable for him to attend a PTA meeting to let them know how he was personally disappointed in the lack of candy bar fundraisers.”

“I have many students whose parents are first responders,” Shaw said smoothly with a grin. “It is the nature of our kind to serve in various ways. And the Alpha Primes are welcome to visit us at their leisure. I run a tight ship and would be proud to give them a tour. Additionally, we have at least one candy bar fundraiser a quarter.”

“They’ll certainly show up eventually,” Buck assured. “How heavy-handed is the STEM focus? We’d prefer to enroll both of our children in the same school for the time being. Bea is just eighteen months old at this time, but we’d like to know in advance if we need to consider other options for her. I don’t want her to feel pressured to pursue a scientific education if it does not appeal to her.”

“Oh, not heavy-handed at all,” Shaw said. “We offer grade-appropriate engineering and science classes starting in the third grade. However, many students are content with core science classes that the state requires we offer well into their junior high studies. We have a variety of classes focused on creativity, from painting to creative writing. The entire facility is on one level, fully accessible, and there are procedures in place during emergencies to ensure that our disabled students are taken care of appropriately.

“I request an inspection from the LAFD every six months to make sure that the school has no issues with fire safety. We conduct regular drills for earthquakes, severe storms, and fires. During our last fire drill, we evacuated the entire facility in ninety-two seconds. We’re going to work on tightening up that time.”

“It’s a big place,” Buck said. “The time is reasonable considering the population. You can have a fire marshal come in and work on your evacuation plan with you.”

“I’ll certainly investigate that,” Shaw said. “As to your daughter, her conservator would be welcome on the property during school hours. We would ask that she not interfere in classroom instruction and be as unobtrusive as possible. Conservators tend to be valuable assets to the school and help with creating a calm atmosphere.”

Nearly thirty minutes later, they were led into a hectic room where a tiny woman was cheerfully directing a bunch of teenagers through a pottery lesson. She waved them over. The conversation ground to a halt as the students noticed them.

“Holy shit,” one kid muttered.

“Mr. Sydney,” Dr. Shaw warned.

“Sorry, Headmaster,” a blond-haired boy said and waved at them. “But, seriously.”

“Be sure to tell your homeroom teacher that you owe her a two-page essay on the topic of her choice for your foul language,” Shaw said dryly, and the boy blushed before nodding quickly. “Orla, I’ve brought my guests to meet you.”

The woman glanced around the ten stations spread out in front of her. “Everyone, mind your manners.” They all nodded and returned to their clay projects.

Buck liked the earthy smell of the room—it was oddly soothing.

“Sentinel Buckley, Guide Diaz, meet my lovely wife, Dr. Orla Perry-Shaw,” Shaw said.

She glanced between them and frowned. “You told them about the sandal incident.”

“Darling,” Shaw said as several students laughed. “I tell everyone about your valiant defense of our precious students with your sandal.”

She crossed her arms, focused on Buck, who was doing his best not to look at her feet. “Prada never served a better purpose.”

“I bet,” Buck said with a grin.

“Good Lord, you’re pretty,” she said, and Eddie laughed.

* * * *

“I finished the forms and submitted them,” Eddie reported as Buck sat down at the table with Bea slouched across his chest. “We need to go through his backpack, pull out the stuff he doesn’t need, and review the supply list we got from Dr. Shaw’s office to make sure he doesn’t need anything. Everstar offered to return the laptop he was using for Morgan to them tomorrow. She’ll also check to make sure he didn’t leave anything personal in his desk.”

Buck nodded and rubbed Bea’s back when she sniffled. “Carla said she did well without us this afternoon, but now she’s sad.”

“I know,” Eddie said. “But she needs to adjust, and while I’m not inclined to ever make her sad on purpose, we can’t be held hostage to her emotions in the long term. It would lead to some terrible behavior in the future.” Buck nodded. “So, we have to let her work through her emotions, and Carla is very adept at handling her.”

Christopher came into the kitchen at that point and sat down at the table with a yawn. “What’s for dinner?”

“What did you want?” Buck asked. “We have a few options.”

He shrugged. “Maybe seafood. Bea likes shrimp—it’ll probably make her happy. She also likes crab cakes.”

Eddie eyed their son. “Crab cakes, huh?”

“Well, I’m just saying it’d probably make her happy. And it’s just a coincidence that I love crab cakes.”

Eddie pushed a booklet Christopher’s way. “The headmaster of your new school sent you a guide for the school. He’d like you to go through it before you start on Monday, and you’re welcome to prepare questions for him. You’ll get a tour your first day and meet your teachers individually since you missed the orientation day due to the late start.”

He picked up the booklet and opened it. “Were there any problems at Morgan?”

“Your grandfathers went,” Buck said, and Christopher laughed. “What?”

“You let Grandpa and Lito go?” Christopher asked and giggled as he put the booklet down.

“What?” Eddie asked.

“You didn’t meet the new principal, did you?” Christopher asked with a grin. He snagged the iPad and made a FaceTime call before Eddie could respond. “Everstar. The grands went to Morgan to handle my transfer.”

Everstar burst out laughing.

“What?” Buck asked.

“I’ll text you a picture,” Everstar said and ended the FaceTime call when Christopher nodded.

Eddie’s phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up, opened the message, and blinked in surprise. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Principal Jasmine Townsend.” Eddie turned his phone so his partner could see the image he’d been sent. “She looks like Michelle Pfeiffer and Lena Headey had a love child.”

Buck huffed. “Chances they didn’t hit on her?”

“Zero,” Eddie said with a grin and put his phone down.

“Lito says that casual affection is totally okay as long as you’re honest about your intentions,” Christopher said earnestly.

Eddie shrugged when Buck looked his way. “Don’t look at me. He’s your father.”

Buck passed Bea to him as he stood with a sigh. “At least now I know why crab meat appeared on the grocery order.”

“Bea really likes shrimp, too,” Christopher said pointedly.

Buck grinned at him. “How does Bea like to eat it?”

“Probably grilled,” Eddie admitted. “But she’ll take them from the air fryer with no complaints as long as they aren’t overcooked.” He paused. “If you overcook it…she’ll spit it right out.”

Buck laughed and shook his head. “Our little diva.”

* * * *

Buck made an appointment to speak with Chief Alonzo and had deflected an offer for the man to come to him. He really didn’t like special treatment on the job and wasn’t interested in it being rumored that the chief of the LAFD was at his beck and call. He’d only ever met with the man once, shortly after Bea was born, when he’d been in seclusion with Eddie.

Eddie turned the truck off. “She’s fine.”

“She’s clearly upset,” Buck retorted and fiddled with his phone. “She feels like her world has come to an end.” He prodded the tether a little, and Bea seemed to clutch at it. “I know she has to get used to it, and we can’t be held hostage to her feelings, but maybe we don’t need to hurry back on the job.”

He pulled the keys out of the ignition and took a deep breath. “I think getting back into a routine is what is best for both of you because what we’re feeling right now isn’t just her, Buck.”

Buck cleared his throat. “I missed so much.”

“I know you did,” Eddie said and took his hand. “Look at me.”

Buck focused on him instantly. “I don’t want to cling to her in a way that will hurt her. It’s just…she doesn’t even smell the same.”

“I know,” Eddie said gently. “She’s going to change a lot as she grows. Puberty is going to drive you nuts.” Buck made a face at the thought. “But she’s not going to suddenly be unrecognizable to you if you spend the day away from her.”

Buck lowered his gaze and nodded. “I don’t want her to wear my anxiety around either, so I’ll work on it. I promise.” He focused on the building in front of them. “Let’s go and talk to the chief. Bobby’s here already.”

It took them a few minutes to navigate through the building and the layers of people between the front door and the chief. It was a pretty smooth process because they had an appointment. Shortly, the chief’s administrative assistant led them into a conference room where Gael Alonzo and Bobby Nash were seated at the table with a man that Buck didn’t know.

“Firefighters Diaz and Buckley, this is Captain Carl Adams from Professional Standards,” Chief Alonzo said easily. “Thank you for coming in so soon. Please, let’s sit. How are you two doing?”

“We’re fine, sir,” Eddie said as they sat.

“First, I’m told that you turned down a medal the governor wanted to give you, Firefighter Buckley.”

Buck made a face, and Chief Alonzo laughed. “I don’t need a politician patting me on the head for doing my duty, sir. Moreover, it’s crass to accept such a thing in the face of what all the first responders did that day in Santa Monica. We’re still finding bodies. The governor may need a photo op with me for his image, but I don’t. I absolutely will not participate in any such thing, and I’m totally willing to leverage my fathers to make sure he keeps his distance.”

“The mayor’s office contacted us and asked that we talk to you about changing your mind as it would reflect well on the LAFD,” Chief Alonzo admitted and shared a glance with Captain Adams.

“Sir,” Buck began and exhaled slowly. “I told your office years ago after my first high-profile rescue went viral that I had no interest whatsoever in being the poster boy for the LAFD.”

“Yes, my predecessor made that clear and also warned me against being pushy with Sentinels and Guides on the payroll due to how militant Lou Ransone is about his place as the regional prime,” Chief Alonzo said. “I’m not going to pressure you on the issue, as you already know. The mayor’s office asked, and I can honestly say that I did.” He focused on Captain Adams. “Carl?”

“Ah, yes. Do either of you believe that you’ll have a problem returning to active duty?” Captain Adams asked.

“No, but we can go through the requalification process if you think that’s best for the optics,” Eddie said.

“I think most people already know you’re more than ready for the job,” Bobby interjected. “There are videos of the two of you working the tsunami all over social media. You’re both clearly fit for work physically. Are there any other issues that we should be aware of?”

Buck shook his head. “No, none that I can think of.” Eddie cleared his throat. “Well, I’m kind of super attached to being as close as possible to our kids, but I’m working on it.”

“It’s understandable,” Bobby said. “Especially considering your empathic connection with the youngest.”

“We think getting back into the swing of things is best for the kids,” Eddie said. “But we are mindful that there are schedules in place and that we’ve been replaced at the 118.” He glanced toward Bobby. “So, we’re just looking for a timeline on returning to the 118 or what other options are available.”

“You haven’t been replaced,” Bobby said. “I’ve been rotating floaters in and out of the station since you were both…removed from the roster. Getting experience in a task force station is a good thing, after all. I can put you back on the schedule in a week.”

Buck took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, sounds good. We’re a bit concerned about the public response.”

“We’ve already started participating in the Let Them Work ad campaign that the International Psionics Advocacy Center has put together,” Chief Alonzo said. “It’s been received very well so far with the general public. There was some blowback from the press since you haven’t made any sort of statement to the public, and your fathers have refused several attempts to have a press conference.”

“I’m never having a press conference,” Buck said firmly, and Chief Alonzo laughed. “I get that people are curious about me and my circumstances, but I’d rather not have to explain to a bunch of people I don’t know and don’t care to know about the intimacies of my experience with ascension. It was painful, infuriating, and lonely. It’s obscene that people consider it some kind of goal or worse, entertainment.”

“I might do a press conference,” Eddie said casually. “But only because I wanted to curse out the whole planet.”

Bobby laughed.

“I’m just saying,” Eddie said. “As a head’s up, that if you ever hear of me doing something like that, then assume I’m really pissed off at basically everyone.”

 

 

Chapter 9

“The Beauregard family has been asked to leave El Paso,” Lou said and shrugged when Buck raised an eyebrow at him. “Wasn’t my doing. The local prides were so put off by Colton’s dormancy and his accusations against Eddie that they started asking questions and realized that Colton had tried to interfere in your bond. They don’t want to make enemies. A new alpha will rise for the city, and I’ve received an apology over the phone. They’re sending a formal, written one to you and your family.”

Buck made a face. “I don’t have any interest in platitudes, Lou. And we both know that the only ones who need to apologize won’t.”

“That’s usually how it works, and even when they do, it’s often deeply insincere,” Lou said, and Buck nodded.

Jetta sat down on the sand between them and leaned back on her hands. “I’ve just finished cursing out everyone I could for the defunct warning system in Santa Monica. There’s an investigation underway already to determine why the warning didn’t come in time to be helpful.”

“I did follow up on that issue for you,” Lou said. “And I was told the system had been updated. So, someone successfully lied to me, and I’ll be addressing that as soon as I can. The city is recovering, so I didn’t want to make a stressful and traumatic situation worse. But, still, some asshole out that way owes me an explicit conversation. Plus, there was grant money involved in that repair.”

“Want me to go over there and stick my whole foot in it?” Jetta questioned. “I can take Natalie and Isla with me.”

“I want to question as to whether or not they deserve that,” Lou said thoughtfully. “But I already know they do. So, sure, you ladies go out there in a few weeks and make everyone regret their life choices. Make sure to find out where the money went.”

“Oh, I’m good at finding money,” Jetta said and took a deep breath. “The water still smells off.”

“Agreed,” Lou said. “It’ll take a while for the area to return to what passes for normal.”

“It smells like the psionic plane,” Buck said quietly. “I must have used a lot of energy.”

“Really?” Lou questioned and inhaled slowly. “What is that?”

“The universe,” Buck murmured, and they both stilled. “It’s the best explanation that I can give. The plane is quiet but vivid. It’s teeming with intelligence and the sweet spirits that are waiting to manifest into guardian animals here on Earth. They watch over the souls that might be theirs on the off-chance they’re needed. It’s very charming.”

Buck focused his senses on Bea, who was toddling determinedly toward him from the patio. Eddie was standing still on the patio, clearly watching their daughter make her escape from the condo. He noted that neither Lou nor Jetta were looking back at her.

“If we let her sneak up on us, she’ll probably get the wrong idea,” Lou said, and Jetta laughed. “And she’s already demanding.”

“Well, a lady is entitled to be a little demanding in a world like the one we live in,” Jetta said dryly, and Buck laughed.

His daughter basically launched herself at his arm the moment she could, and he snagged her gently then dragged her around his body with an exaggerated gasp of shock. “I’ve caught a sweet Bea!”

“Papa!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Backen burgs.”

Buck stared at her.

She frowned. “Papa! Backen burgs.” She put her hands on his face and nodded seriously, and he laughed.

“She wants a bacon cheeseburger,” Lou said in amusement.

“You barely have any teeth,” Buck told her seriously. “Are ten teeth enough to eat a bacon cheeseburger?”

“Backen burgs.” She nodded again, squirmed down, and headed back to the patio where Eddie was still waiting. “Papa! Come on! Backen burgs!”

“Her Highness has spoken,” Buck said, stood, and dusted off his ass. “It’s too hot to grill.”

“Oh, no,” Jetta said as she stood up. “That little girl isn’t going to accept any burger you make. She wants one from a food truck.”

Buck’s mouth dropped open. “What?” His gaze narrowed. “Is that your fault?”

Jetta scoffed. “It’s Isabel’s fault.”

“Way to throw your Guide under the bus,” Lou muttered.

“Like you’d have done any differently,” Jetta retorted, and Lou laughed.

“I clearly didn’t pay enough attention to what you people were eating around here,” Buck muttered as he headed inside. “Edmundo! You’re letting these people feed her from a food truck?”

Eddie grinned as he picked Bea up. “Come on now, she’s a California girl. Navigating a food truck park is practically a right of passage in LA.”

“Backen burgs!” Bea demanded and made a face at him when he huffed.

Eddie kissed her cheek, and she giggled. “There’s a truck down the street that makes sliders—she’ll eat two if we let her.”

“I’m so disappointed,” Buck muttered, and Eddie shrugged.

A half-hour later, they were at a picnic table, and Bea had a bacon cheeseburger slider in both hands. She was chewing messily on it, clearly thrilled that her demands had been met. Christopher was doing the same, and Buck was left to assume that his son had actually gotten his sister to ask for the food truck park excursion.

The place was pretty crowded, but no one was paying them too much attention despite the fact that many people had recognized them. It was nice, even if Eddie was feeding their kids greasy cheeseburgers. But he could admit the little sliders were delicious. He had four before he even realized it.

“Are you okay, Papa?” Christopher questioned. “Is it too crowded?”

“I’m good, Superman,” Buck murmured. “It’s best I get used to it as quickly as possible. And the crowd isn’t so bad as long as no one invades our space.”

“People should know better than to do that,” Christopher said, and Buck grinned at him.

He nudged his son gently, and Christopher laughed.

“Hi, Buck.”

Buck nearly groaned aloud as he focused on Taylor Kelly. The reporter had been a pain in his ass for years, so he wasn’t surprised that she’d slide up on him the first chance she had. Fucking her was one of the worst choices he could’ve possibly made. The sex had been decent but not so good that it was worth the aggravation of her being comfortable enough to approach him.

Buck stood and shook his head when she tried to get closer. “Don’t come near our kids, Taylor.”

She flushed and exhaled like she was insulted. “I’m not a threat, Buck.”

“You’re toxic as hell,” Buck said frankly. “You reek of dishonesty and greed. I don’t want you leaking emotionally that all over our kids. How did you find me?”

Taylor crossed her arms. “I just saw you sitting here. It isn’t like I was following you around or anything. I don’t even know where you live.” She paused. “For certain.”

“Right,” Buck said and shared a glance with Eddie, who had Bea in his lap. “What do you want? I’ve made it clear through the Burton Foundation and through the Chief of the Fire Department’s office that I’m not giving interviews. I will never give an interview to a reporter. Period.”

She scrunched up her nose and glared at him. “I could give it a personal touch, you know. We used to be friendly.”

“Yeah, until you tried to leverage our brief association to get access to my parents,” Buck responded evenly. “For the record, they never want to talk to you at all for any reason due to your past unethical behavior. Please walk away, and don’t you dare film my kids.”

“I’m not working, so my cameraman isn’t here,” she snapped.

“Hey!”

They both turned to stare at a woman who’d stood up from her table.

“You should go away.” She crossed her arms. “You aren’t even eating.”

“Yeah,” a man from their left said. “Leave the man alone and let him be with his family. He’s been gone for fucking months. Sentinel Buckley doesn’t need some fan making things difficult.”

Taylor turned and left without a word. Buck sat down with a frown, and Eddie pointed at their food. “Eat some fries.”

“I’m going to be so miserable after eating all of this grease,” Buck said darkly as several people around them laughed and returned to their own eating. He shoved a few fries in his mouth.

“Backen burg.” Bea held out her half eaten slider. “Backen burg, Papa!”

“I’m sure it’s a great bacon cheeseburger, sweet Bea,” Buck said. “You eat it.”

She chomped down on it with tiny white teeth in clear delight.

* * * *

“I’ll file a complaint with the station manager, of course,” Lou said. “Ms. Taylor knows better than to approach you. She was warned if she did it again that, I’d respond with legal action. Since her behavior doesn’t meet the standard to be declared an unreasonable burden, I can’t sanction her, but we will be pursuing a restraining order.”

Buck nodded and took a sip of water as he slouched down in a chair in Lou’s home office. Most of the pride and regional business for the prime position happened in it despite having a public office in a foundation property downtown. Most often, Natalie and Isla ran their public office, which seemed to be how everyone preferred it.

“I’ve rarely regretted fucking someone more in my life,” Buck muttered, and Lou laughed. “Seriously. My dick led me totally astray. I mean, I knew she was an ambitious asshole.” He shrugged when his father laughed. He focused on Cristobal, who was sitting on the sofa with a tablet in hand. “It was hard to miss, but she’s also gorgeous, and fucking around was my goal at the time.”

“She’s attractive,” Cristobal acknowledged. “Superficially.”

“Gah, Dad, I know I was a shallow little jerk when I was younger.”

Cristobal laughed. “You’ve never been shallow, but you were free with yourself as young, attractive men often are. That doesn’t mean you deserve to have this woman trying to invade your space and your privacy in order to get ahead in her career.”

“Yeah.” Buck frowned and briefly gave his entire focus to his little family, who were going through the nightly routine without him. They’d done that far too many times at this point, and it hurt.

A big, warm hand settled on his shoulder, and his father joined him on the sofa. “Hey.”

“Sorry,” Buck said hoarsely.

“What’s made you so miserable suddenly?” Cristobal questioned.

Buck shook his head because there was too much all at once pressing down on him. Tears welled in his eyes, and he brushed them from his face with trembling fingers. “I can’t do this. It’s not fair to leak all over them empathically.”

For the first time since Cristobal had bonded with Lou Ransone, his empathic shields wrapped around Buck as he pulled the younger man into his embrace. Buck collapsed against his chest and shuddered at the warmth that seemed to surround him. The older man’s psionic touch was intuitive and strong without being intrusive. His bond with Eddie flexed slightly but wasn’t disturbed by the contact of another Guide. It spoke to Cristobal’s talent and experience as a conservator for so many years.

“Come now,” Cristobal murmured against his hair. “Everything is just the way it should be. You’re back with us, and that’s all we could’ve asked for.”

“I was gone too long,” Buck said.

“I think you returned at the exact moment you were supposed to,” his father said quietly. “Perhaps it was a bit of fate, and one of the lives you saved that day will go on to do something amazing because you gave them a chance to live. If you hadn’t been ascended, you and Eddie would’ve been on duty with the 118. You’d have both been safe, but over 14,000 people in Santa Monica could’ve died.”

“I don’t feel like I did enough,” Buck confessed. “On any front.”

“What more could anyone ask of you? You held back the ocean,” Cristobal said and brushed his fingers through Buck’s hair. “And you sacrificed something that many have avidly sought their entire lives. There is a commune of Guides in Peru who have dedicated themselves to achieving psionic harmony. Some of them have been seeking it for fifty years or more.”

“They need to stop,” Buck said quietly. “Such an existence is not meant for us.” He paused. “Most of us.”

“Can I take this duty on for you?” Cristobal asked.

“No.” Buck cleared his throat. “Absolutely not.”

“It doesn’t have to be up to you….” Cristobal trailed off when Buck pulled free of him. “Evan.”

“Listen, Dad,” Buck said quietly as he took the man’s hand. “There are some deeply spiritual people amongst our kind who are meant to move through our population across time and space forever. They provide balance for the psionic energy that pools here on Earth, and over the years, the guardian of the plane has learned to work with them in tandem to keep the psionics of the universe in check. Without them, the system with fail. The guardian calls them anchors.”

“Okay,” Cristobal murmured.

“You’re one of those anchors,” Buck said. “I think you kind of already knew that.”

“Bea is another,” Cristobal said, and Buck nodded. “And that’s why the psionic plane led you straight to her the morning she was born.”

“I think so, yes. Even as young as she is, she influences the balance. You all do it in one way or another. There are others all over the world. Well over a hundred currently, but never less than ninety if at all possible. The primes provide structure, order, and protection, but an anchor has a higher duty to both our world and the plane.”

Cristobal nodded. “Okay, I think maybe you need to make a statement about ascension and what it really means. People all over the world are essentially killing themselves trying to achieve it, Evan. Suicide rates are up, but there are cults popping up everywhere dedicated to it—led by charlatans who make insane promises that simply aren’t possible. The leading method for seeking ascension is what they’re calling quiet starvation. They exist on nothing but water and meditation for days on end.”

Buck nodded. “I already know about all of that, but I’m not sure I can say anything that will prevent what they’re doing. But maybe if it stops even one person from doing it, then it’s worth doing. I’m still not willing to do a press conference, but tell Alpha Rampart that I’ll do a video statement to put up on the Burton Foundation’s website and various media profiles that the foundation controls.”

* * * *

Buck paused in the entry of Christopher’s bedroom and watched for a moment as Eddie read from a thick hardcover book. It was a story about a little dinosaur on an adventure, but Buck didn’t know the actual title. Christopher nodded off between one sentence and the next. Eddie read a few more lines before slowly closing the book and putting it on the nightstand.

He stood, and Buck stayed where he was as Eddie adjusted Christopher’s covers and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Buck took the hand that Eddie offered and let himself be pulled down the hallway and into their own bedroom. He shut the door and turned on the privacy filters, then double-checked to make sure he could hear both children.

“You’re still upset,” Eddie murmured.

“I don’t know how to stop being upset,” Buck confessed. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Eddie said and tugged him toward the bed. “We’ll just have to take it one step at a time. Grief has no timeline, no matter what some people think.” He cupped Buck’s face and rubbed his mouth with his thumb. “Take your time with this. We’re all going to be here with you for every single hard moment you have.”

“Yeah, I know….” Buck trailed off as something shifted inside of him, and his heart started to race.

Eddie’s hand dropped from his face, and he turned his head slightly in a way that told him he was expanding his hearing. “What the….”

“What is that?” Buck questioned.

“It’s a military-grade dampener,” Eddie tapped out in Morse code against his Sentinel’s forearm.

Their gazes met as they both started to evaluate the circumstances that were unfolding around them. Buck backed up, taking Eddie with him, and released the filters with the panel as he rested against the door. On the top floor, Lou and Cristobal were sleeping, so he prodded the older men empathically. Both of his parents woke in an instant.

Thomas and Cosmo were at work. On the third floor, Everstar was taking a shower. Buck pulled his hearing back from that and focused on the seventh floor where Thomas and Mitchell Fields had moved so that Everstar could be closer to Eddie after the ladder truck bombing. The elderly couple was sleeping soundly. There were two security guards on the sixth floor in the admin area, which held private offices for his fathers. Jetta and Isabel were on the fifth floor, and Jetta was awake. The rest of the building was empty as Lou had cleared out the tenants after the bombing to provide more privacy for Eddie and the kids.

Buck inhaled slowly. The air was heavy with the scents of his family but also the ocean. The smell he associated with the plane was also wafting in the air, strangely stronger than it had been when he’d been brooding on the beach with Lou and Jetta.

Eddie was getting tenser by the moment, so Buck did something he rarely did and allowed his own empathy to spread out around them. Immediately, he encountered a feeling of furious grief. He understood that feeling well enough as he’d wallowed in it while he’d been ascended. Lou and Jetta were moving—down the stairs, and something told him they were both armed. He wondered if Jetta had a permit for whatever gun she’d armed herself with.

Glass broke to their left, and Eddie dragged him to the ground just as a bullet thumped against the heavy, shielded curtains they used on the windows of their condo.

“The kids,” Eddie whispered. “Get them.”

“What….”

“Go and stay low,” Eddie urged, and Buck reached up to open the door.

Lou was moving fast, but he wouldn’t be fast enough. Eddie sprung up and darted across the room toward the window even as Buck slid out of the room. More gunfire and shattered glass filled his hearing as Buck hurried down the hall. He wasn’t surprised to find Neha completely wrapped around Bea in her solid form. He plucked his daughter from her spirit animal’s protective grasp and hurried out of the room to get Christopher, who was in the next room down.

Christopher was on the floor, scowling at Jarra, who was holding a mouthful of his pajama top. He reached out and grabbed his glasses off the nightstand. “Papa, she pulled me out of the bed.”

“We’re in trouble,” Buck said and scooped him up.

“Is Daddy okay?”

There was a heavy thump from the main bedroom and a harsh groan of pain that sounded nothing like his Guide.

“He’s fine,” Buck assured. “Kicking ass and taking names.”

Christopher laughed sharply but clung tightly as Buck headed for the front of the condo. They had a plan when it came to intruders, and it was rather contrary to what anyone would expect. Eddie had the combat experience, and Buck would rather shoo a fly out of the house than kill it. So, when it came to such things, Buck was to take the kids and leave no matter how contrary it was to his instincts.

“I fucking told you that I’d kill you if you ever came near me again.”

Buck paused briefly at the fury in Eddie’s voice but then opened the front door of his unit just in time to receive Lou. “Our bedroom. Should I call 9-1-1?”

“Your father is handling that,” Lou said in a clipped tone. “Use the elevator to go up to him, please. Pick up Everstar. She’s waiting on her floor.”

Buck nodded and hurried to the elevator that Jetta was holding open. She had a 9mm in her hand. She inclined her head toward the elevator then rushed off at a pace that did not match her age to follow Lou. He went into the elevator and picked the third floor, where he could hear Everstar nervously pacing.

“Is Daddy still okay?”

“Yes, Superman, of course,” Buck said quietly as the elevator door closed. “He’s perfectly fine.”

* * * *

Eddie was kind of pissed off about the dead body in his bedroom. Moreover, the LAPD was taking their damn time getting it out of his house, which was infuriating. He realized that wasn’t exactly the appropriate attitude to take in the situation, so he was keeping the reason for his ire to himself.

Colton Beauregard had invaded his home with several weapons, an AR-15 amongst them. It was still on the floor in the bedroom where Eddie had tossed it after he’d taken it. He crossed his arms and slouched down on the sofa where he’d been put after Lou had secured the scene and the rest of the cops had arrived.

“So.”

Eddie looked up and focused on the LAPD detective, who had been staring at him in silence for a few moments. “What?”

The older man huffed a little under his breath and flipped open his notebook. “Can you tell me what happened, Mr. Diaz?”

“The intruder took a shot and broke the glass of the large window in the main bedroom. It’s not exactly bulletproof, but the glass is privacy grade and is designed to provide shelter for a Sentinel in distress. We also use heavy, shielded curtains on all the windows as part of the Faraday system that protects our youngest child from empathic trauma due to her online status.

“At any rate, the bullet didn’t actually get past the curtain and is probably a mangled bit of metal on the floor somewhere.” The cop nodded. “He fired a few more times and broke the window completely. He entered our home, I took his weapon from him, and killed him.”

The detective stared for a moment and shot a glance at Lou, who was sitting in a chair on his phone. “But you’re a Guide.”

“Yes,” Eddie said. “An Alpha Guide, if you want to put a fine point on it. I also have nine years of combat experience since I was in the Army until I injured out. My Sentinel is not a fighter.”

“I’ve seen him,” the detective said.

“And?”

“He looks like a prizefighter.”

“We got called to a bug collector’s house once because he set his own backyard on fire. Buck nearly cried because of the collector’s butterfly collection. He called that guy the Butterfly Murderer for a whole quarter and still would if you asked him about it,” Eddie said dryly. “Your skewed view of Sentinels and Guides aside, it is the family plan that if our territory is invaded, Buck takes the kids and seeks shelter while I deal with the threat.” He paused and let his shoulders relax. “I dealt with it.”

“Do you know the intruder?”

“Yes, his name is Colton Beauregard, and he’s from El Paso, Texas. He’s a dormant Sentinel, and we have a history where I rejected the opportunity to bond with him more than once. He was obsessed with me and refused to believe that I preferred someone else so he wouldn’t continue to search for a Guide. Eventually, because of his stubbornness and corruption, he went dormant. It’s my understanding that his father also lost his place as the Alpha of El Paso, and his immediate family was asked to leave the city. The family was also sanctioned and told not to return to California by Alpha Sentinel Prime Ransone.”

The detective glanced briefly toward Lou before focusing on Eddie. “Do you believe you could’ve contained the threat without killing him?”

“No.”

“Would you like to clarify that?”

Eddie focused on him and took in the man’s frustration and nervousness. “No, and if you want more, we’ll have to meet at the station with a lawyer. Do you need a card for Isla North?”

“No, sir, I don’t,” the detective said wearily. “We’ll contact her if we need a formal interview. The medical examiner is here and will be removing the body. Forensics is outside, and they’ll finish up shortly with the vehicle where we believe he was lying in wait. It was clear he waited for several hours, if not longer.”

“What about the masking tech he was wearing?” Eddie questioned.

“Masking tech?”

“He had a military-grade dampening system. He was also masking his heartbeat and scent. None of that tech is cheap, Detective Myers and Colton Beauregard has never held down a job in his life. He lives entirely off his parents and the Burton Foundation endowment.”

“I see.” Myers made a note with a frown. “Lt. Ransone, can you speak with me later about that tech?”

“I can take you to the pride facility and show you various examples to compare to whatever he’s wearing. But the crime lab is going to be able to identify all of it and give you prices,” Lou said. “But the low end on tech like that would be in the range of 50,000 dollars.”

Myers blinked in surprise and exhaled slowly as he shook his head. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It takes a lot to get past a Sentinel.”

“Clearly he didn’t,” Myers pointed out.

“We felt him,” Eddie interjected. “He didn’t bother with any sort of psionic or empathic masking. Probably because he believed that we wouldn’t pay attention to someone who felt like a mundane. But he didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” Lou asked.

“He didn’t feel like a mundane. Most mundanes have a pleasant or neutral psionic impression,” Eddie admitted. “Yes, they can throw their emotions around a bit when they’re worked up, but they don’t feel anything like someone who is dormant due to corruption. His felt disgusting. I think he believed that I wouldn’t notice him at all, despite my history, and that Buck wouldn’t notice him because most Sentinels depend on their physical senses to access threats. But Buck is an Alpha Ascendant Sentinel, which means he has a sixth sense—empathy specifically.”

“So, you both felt him empathically?” Myers questioned. “Could you discern his motivation?”

“He was furious and grieving,” Eddie admitted. “Colton was clearly very upset to have gone dormant, and he blamed us for his circumstances. Maybe I could’ve kept him from going dormant if I’d bonded with him, but I have my doubts.”

“What do you mean?”

“He was clearly mentally ill, Detective,” Eddie said. “And the mental resources it would’ve taken to shore him up and keep him online would’ve been immense. No Guide, not even an alpha, could’ve done it long-term. He was a lost cause, and I don’t know when that became his reality. I would’ve never bonded with him, and I made that clear more than once.” He waved a hand toward the bedroom where the body was. “Please get the body out of my Sentinel’s home. It’s making him furiously ill.”

* * * *

Bea was standing in front of the door when Eddie entered the penthouse condo that Lou and Cristobal had lived in since they’d bonded. She held out her arms and made grabby hands.

“Da!”

Eddie picked her up and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, Mija.”

Her little body was trembling, and that was more upsetting than the dead guy downstairs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sniffled. Eddie pushed deep into the empathic tether he shared with Buck and Bea so he could help her calm down. Most of her upset wasn’t even her own, but she wasn’t old enough to discern that.

Eddie walked across the room and settled down on the couch with Buck, who was clearly trying to keep himself as calm as possible. Psionic energy was drifting around his Sentinel in a way that was a little horrifying because the last time he’d seen Buck that way—the man had ascended right in front of him.

Buck’s eyes snapped open, and he focused on Eddie. “I promise you that I won’t do it without you again.”

Eddie nodded and just leaned into Buck as his Sentinel wrapped an arm around him. “How long has Christopher been asleep?”

“About twenty minutes,” Buck said. “He and Everstar are conked out on the guest bed. Abuela was here most of the time and didn’t leave until he was asleep. She was nodding off sitting in a chair, so I begged her to go back to her own bed to get some sleep.”

Eddie nodded.

“How big of a problem is Hamilton Beauregard going to be after this?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Eddie said. “I warned them, as you know, and they still didn’t keep control of him. And there’s no way he bought that tech on his own.”

“Hamilton Beauregard loves his son,” Buck said. “And was desperate to keep him from going dormant, but I don’t think he was the one that influenced this mess. He’s a Sentinel, in the end, and a very strong one. His personal motivations aside—he did serve the tribe, and the guardian never had a problem with him on that level.”

“Colton’s mother is a mundane,” Eddie said. “She’s Hamilton’s wife. Charles Royce, Hamilton’s Guide, also has a wife and several children. As far as I know, Hamilton and Charles have a platonic fraternal bond. They bonded young and were, from all reports, the very best of friends from the start.”

Buck nodded. “So, you think Gloria Beauregard bought her son the equipment he needed to get revenge.”

“If Hamilton Beauregard and Charles Royce are still online and functional, then yes,” Eddie said. “I don’t think they could violate the covenant between us and keep their abilities intact. And this is definitely a violation of the covenant. We aren’t on different sides of a conflict, Buck, and I should be able to trust Sentinels and Guides from our own national tribe.”

“The psionic plane allows for conflict and understands war,” Buck said. “It understands that humans aren’t evolved enough to live in peace and that we aren’t one tribe. Fighting other tribes is to be expected, but betrayal from within a tribe is obscene.”

“We should tell the LAPD that Gloria Beauregard is probably here in LA with her son,” Eddie said. “He was a mama’s boy, and I doubt he came here without her.” He pulled out his phone and sent Lou a text asking for an opinion, as he knew the older man was listening to them.

Lou: I’ll tell Myers. I’ve already contacted Hamilton and he doesn’t know where either of them is. He moved his immediate family to property in Houston, TX after some negotiation with the alpha pair of Houston and the regional primes. He’s agreed not to seek any sort of leadership going forward.

Eddie: How did he respond to the death of his son?

Lou: Upset but resigned. I think he knew it would come to this even if he hoped for better and was prepared to be overbearing to prevent it. Don’t expect any sort of apology from their family as I’ve told them to never contact you again in any single way.

Eddie: Understood.

He put the phone aside as Christopher came into the room and crawled onto the couch between them. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Are you okay?” Christopher asked as he cuddled close.

“Of course,” Eddie murmured against his son’s curls. “Everything is just fine.”

 

 

Chapter 10

The bedroom was so clean that it smelled like nothing, which was off-putting but relieving all the same. It took a crew of people twenty-four hours to cleanse the whole area to the Sentinel standard. The window repair had been done a few hours after the police had wrapped up their scene analysis. Even the smell of gunpowder was gone. Buck was standing in the place where Eddie had left Colton’s body, and that was disconcerting.

He walked across the room, took his Sentinel’s hand, and pulled him away from the area in front of the windows. “We can get the floorboards replaced.”

“The new carpet is enough,” Buck said. “At least for my physical senses—there is a psionic impression left that is fading rapidly. It’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

“Do we need to move?” Eddie questioned.

“Not for me. You?” Buck focused on him and raised an eyebrow. “It still feels like our territory.”

“I agree on that point.” Eddie brushed over both of his children empathically and was relieved to find them asleep. “I feel good about my defense of our family and property, even if it’s weirded out a few people.”

“That dude really did murder like a hundred butterflies,” Buck muttered. “I mean, come on, a caterpillar works hard to become a butterfly, then that asshole just came along and murdered them to stick in a picture frame. How is that even a thing? He’s a butterfly serial killer, is what I’m saying, and someone should do something about him.”

Eddie grinned.

“Shut up,” Buck muttered.

“I didn’t say anything,” Eddie protested. “I agree—his behavior is awful, but your irritation around the whole thing is kind of charming. Did you want me to call the FBI?”

Buck huffed. “Don’t make fun of me.”

Eddie pulled him close and kissed his mouth gently. “I would never. Your tender heart is honestly one of the best parts of you, Evan.”

Buck sought another kiss, and his free hand settled on his hip. “Come here.”

Eddie released his hand and wrapped his arms around Buck’s neck as he was pulled close. The emotional ache flowing off his Sentinel was starting to feel like part of their circumstances, and he didn’t want that to be their new norm. Buck’s hands trailed down his back, cupped his ass, and he lifted. Eddie’s breath hitched as he wrapped his legs quickly around Buck’s waist.

Shortly, he was flat on his back on the bed, pressed between the mattress and Buck. Eddie cupped the back of Buck’s head as the kiss ended. “We’re going to be fine.”

“I know,” Buck murmured. “It’s just hard.”

“Well, nothing worth having has ever come easy for me,” Eddie admitted. “But we’re together again, and that’s everything.”

Buck lifted away, sat back on his knees, and he cupped Eddie’s hips. “In the mood?”

Eddie grinned. “Always. Plus, it’s the best way to reclaim the room.” He lifted his hips as Buck hooked his fingers into the waist of his pajama bottoms.

Buck pulled off the pants and boxers together and tossed them aside as Eddie pulled off his T-shirt to toss aside as well. He slid his hands down Eddie’s thighs as his Guide put his feet flat on the bed and spread his legs open.

“Is this the part where I confess to watching you jerk off every single time I could?” Buck questioned.

“I’d be a little irritated if you hadn’t,” Eddie said with a grin. He wrapped a hand around his cock. “After all, I was putting on a show for you.”

Buck pulled his shirt over his head quickly and seemed to briefly consider trying to take off his shorts without leaving the bed before sliding off the bed and shedding the rest of his clothes.

“It was a great show,” Buck murmured as he crawled up the mattress, nudged Eddie’s hand away, and licked up the length of his cock.

Eddie threw his hands over his head, wrapped them around the top of the mattress, and shuddered as Buck took his cock fully into his mouth. He reached out toward the nightstand, pulled open the top drawer, and rummaged briefly before connecting with the lube. He dropped it on the bed and hooked one leg over Buck’s shoulder when his Sentinel urged him to do so.

The pleasure was sweet, with a soft edge that felt like the start of something rather than a race to the finish. Slick fingers pressed against his asshole, and Eddie shuddered. Sex had always been easy for them as they’d both been very attracted to each other before they bonded. It had only gotten better as their bond had deepened when they fell in love.

Buck released his cock, slid on top of him, and pushed into his ass with one stroke.

“Fuck.” Eddie arched under Buck, body shaking with pleasure.

“You’re perfect,” Buck murmured against his jaw. “I love you.”

* * * *

“How are you?”

Eddie paused in his stretch as Lou joined him. “You know I’m fine.”

“I know you’re making the appearance of fine,” Lou said mildly. “And that you’re very good at compartmentalization. In fact, you’re probably better at it than any Sentinel I’ve ever known. You must freak out Guides that don’t know you all the time.”

“Eh.” Eddie shrugged when the older man laughed. “I am fine, promise. Honestly, I saw it coming, but I hoped for better. I did want to believe that his father could keep him contained, but that wasn’t likely. I heard his mother was arrested.”

“She’s been charged with conspiracy to commit murder,” Lou said roughly. “Gloria Beauregard immediately confessed that she helped her son buy the tech he used because he believed if he killed Buck, you’d be free to bond with him. She also honestly believes that you could’ve cured his dormancy and loathes you for killing him. I consider her a genuine threat to your life. She took a plea deal and will be returned to Texas to serve her prison term. She’ll also be monitored for the rest of her life after she’s released as part of that plea deal.”

Eddie nodded. “It’s the best I could hope for. Sometimes, people’s expectations are difficult to ignore. Gloria Beauregard’s ignorance is appalling, considering she spent decades married to a Sentinel. She had to have been told, more than once, that there was no curing Colton once he went dormant. She ignored it, maybe out of desperation, and now her son is dead.”

“He was using a transport van to hide out,” Lou said. “And it had an empathic shield in it. I suspect his mother spent upwards of 100,000 dollars enabling her son and his insanity. It’s galling he was so close for at least twenty-four hours before he made a move, and I didn’t know about it.”

“He’d been just background noise to you until he fired the weapon,” Eddie said, and Lou nodded. “None of us are superhuman, Lou, no matter what the movies like to tell mundanes about us.” Lou huffed under his breath. “Though I am kind of partial to those bonding movies.”

“I know,” Lou muttered. “You watched so many while Buck was ascended that I was considering an intervention.”

Buck left the treadmill and grabbed a towel. “He loves romance movies and books.”

Eddie huffed and glared at Buck. “Shut up.”

“Also, he offered to call the FBI for me about the butterfly serial killer from last year,” Buck continued, and Lou laughed. “Which was romantic as fuck.”

Eddie put his earbuds in and sent them both a dirty look before he started a brisk jog on the treadmill. Thomas and Cosmo came into the gym at that point and headed for a weight bench. The whole thing felt so normal that it was disconcerting. It was like the last eight months were slowly fading away from him, and that was relieving. Eddie didn’t want to live forever with the grief he’d carried while Buck had been gone.

The exercise was familiar to his body, and it allowed his mind to settle into a peaceful place as he worked. His phone chimed from the table where he’d left it with everyone else’s, and he just nodded when Buck motioned to it.

Buck leaned on the table as he answered the phone. “Hey, Hen. Eddie’s on the treadmill.” He grinned. “It’s great to hear your voice, too. We’re planning to return to work soon.”

Eddie slowed down on the treadmill and let his hearing stretch out so he could hear what Hen was saying.

“I hate to bother you at home, and I’m worried about going to an intake center while everything is still so chaotic because of the tsunami. And I’m not sure…like I said when I first saw the bird sitting on his hand…I didn’t know what the hell I was looking at it.”

Eddie left the treadmill as Buck sent him an alarmed look. “Is it Denny?”

Buck nodded. “We’ll come to you, Hen.”

“Actually, I think we want to come to you guys,” Hen admitted. “He’s a little upset because I overreacted, and I think seeing Christopher would make him feel better. They haven’t seen each other in a while because of everything that has happened.”

“Yeah, of course,” Buck said when Eddie nodded. “We’ll be waiting.”

* * * *

Cristobal shared a look with Eddie as he sat down on the coffee table in front of Denny Wilson. “Hi.”

“Hi, Dr. Salas,” Denny said and twisted his fingers together nervously. “I didn’t mean to touch a spirit animal without permission. I didn’t know what it was until it flew down from the tree and landed on my hand.” He exhaled slowly. “Do you think the person it belongs to will be mad?”

Cristobal smiled then. “He belongs to you, Denny.”

“Oh.” Denny’s eyes widened, and he looked toward his mothers, who both just gave him nods of support. “But…I don’t…my birth mother is….” He made a face. “She’s in prison and a drug addict. I don’t think she could be a latent anything.”

“I think you’d be surprised,” Cristobal said gently. “We can check, but it could very well be your biological father. Your DNA will be tested in the system, and if either of your biological parents were identified as latent, your mothers will be told.”

“I won’t get taken away, right? I don’t want to go.”

“You won’t have to go anywhere,” Cristobal said. “Many latent children are raised safely in mundane households all over the world, Denny. The Burton Foundation only interferes if their home isn’t a good one. We don’t have to worry about your moms. I know them very well.”

“Why did the bird show up?”

“Well, sometimes our spirit animals appear to us when we’re still latent because we need reassurance or to help guide us toward better circumstances. Recently, many have come online or have been revealed to be latent because of the tsunami. Where were you that day?”

“I was at home,” Denny said, and he frowned. “I saw the videos online of Buck and Eddie. When I saw Eddie, I realized that Christopher was with him. We’d Facetimed the night before, and he’d told me that his daddy was going to be off work. Eddie isn’t the sort to go to the pier by himself. He kind of hates the rides.”

He totally did hate the rides, Eddie thought, and just smiled when Denny looked his way.

“I couldn’t get ahold of him for a few days, but Mama Hen told me he was sequestered at the Burton estate because of Buck’s return. We talked yesterday on Facetime, though. He was telling me how he was going to go to the Burton School for the Sciences, and I sort of wished I could go too, but I know that school is only for latent children….” He paused. “Oh.”

Cristobal smiled. “Okay, so maybe your spirit animal gave you a little visit to let you know that you could go to the school if you wanted. Is he here?”

Denny glanced toward the arm of the couch, and a bird of prey appeared. “I don’t know what his name is.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Cristobal assured. “Do you know what kind of bird he is?”

“A peregrine falcon,” Denny said. “The fastest animal on the planet. His diving speed is close to 200 miles per hour.” He stroked the bird’s chest. “It makes them uniquely dangerous as hunters even if they’re smaller than other birds of prey. I always like going to see the birds at the zoo. Christopher is obsessed with penguins, which is weird. They can’t even fly. He has such weird opinions.”

“I think Clark Kent is a silly secret identity,” Cristobal said solemnly, and Denny laughed. “How did a pair of glasses fool anyone?”

“Also, with facial recognition these days, a reverse image search on Google would totally ruin it for him,” Denny said, and Eddie laughed. He looked at the falcon. “How about Kal?” The falcon clicked his beak and nodded before shimmering away. “Okay, so.” He clapped his hands together. “What kind of latent am I? Can you tell?”

Eddie noted that Karen and Hen Wilson shifted forward a little as Cristobal reached out a cupped Denny’s face. The boy stilled under his touch as blue light drifted around them. He sat back and inclined his head.

“What’s the last thing you do before you go to sleep at night, Denny?”

Denny hesitated and glanced toward his mothers. “If I’m at home, I check to make sure the door is locked.”

“And if you’re here?”

“I can relax,” Denny said. “I don’t have to worry about the locks.” He wet his lips. “Is that…that’s wrong, isn’t it?”

“No,” Cristobal said. “You never have to worry about the locks here. Why do you worry about the locks at home?”

“My moms are heavy sleepers, and they keep telling me I don’t need a security alarm,” Denny said with a frown. “And I don’t agree. We need an alarm and more locks.”

“Is there someone in your neighborhood that makes you nervous?” Lou questioned, and Denny focused on him. “You can tell us.”

“The man across the street looks at Mama Karen all the time, and it’s not a good look. I told her he’s creepy, and she said he’s harmless. But I don’t think he’s harmless at all.” His nostrils flared. “I can’t explain it.”

Lou stood and pulled out his keys. “How about I go get an explanation for you?”

Karen exhaled loudly. “It’s…he’s hit on me a few times. I’ve told him no repeatedly, and he knows I’m married to a woman. He just thinks that he can change my mind and told me I’d been led astray.”

Denny made a face. “Okay, yeah, but he’s not the first dude to hit on you. You’re really pretty, Mama.” He crossed his arms. “This is something else. Something is wrong with him.”

“I’ll go with you, Lou,” Buck said and shared a look with Eddie, who just nodded. “We’ll figure out what’s wrong with him.”

“That’s good,” Denny said. “It’s hard to sleep with him there in his house being a weirdo.”

“Do you ever hear more than you think you should?” Cristobal questioned. “Are your eyes sensitive to light?”

Denny shook his head. “Sometimes…my clothes make me itch, but it goes away if I ignore it.” He wet his lips. “I’m a Sentinel, then.”

“Certainly,” Cristobal said. “And I think you already knew that.”

He just gave Lou and Buck a nod, and then both left. Eddie stood and cleared his throat. “Hey, kiddo. Why don’t you spend the night? Christopher is in his room—we had to bribe him to keep him in there.”

Denny laughed, shot up, and darted toward Christopher’s room.

Eddie motioned toward the kitchen. “Let’s have some tea, okay?”

Karen shared a look with Hen and nodded. They held hands all the way into the kitchen, and by the time they were seated, Karen was in tears.

“We shouldn’t have dismissed his concerns,” she blurted out and used her free hand to wipe tears from her face. “We’ve never had him tested either.”

“I thought….” Hen took a deep breath. “He was born in a prison. I didn’t even find out that Eva was pregnant until she was nearly due to deliver. She claimed not to know who his father was and asked me to adopt him. I only agreed if she surrendered all of her parental rights and she signed an agreement not to seek me out ever again. I knew she’d try to use the baby to work her way back into my life if I allowed it. In all honesty, I loved her more than I hated her addiction, and I knew I couldn’t trust myself to tell her no if she came back around after she got out of jail. It became a non-issue for me after I met Karen.”

Eddie busied himself with putting water in the electric kettle. “At his age, your adoption of him will hold as long as the father isn’t an online Sentinel himself.”

“And if he is?” Karen asked.

“He might insist on visitation,” Cristobal murmured. “Sentinels can be very territorial about their biological children, and it would be dangerous to butt up against paternal instinct. I don’t know that any Sentinel that would be willing to rip a happy child out of a secure and loving home. If he’s worried about Denny’s safety, then it would be a different matter altogether.”

“The best way to make a Sentinel feel better about security would be to move your family to a Burton property,” Eddie said. “And there is an empty condo on the fourth floor of this building.” He raised an eyebrow when their mouths dropped open. “And on the eighth but the fourth is between Everstar and my abuela’s place. So, it would create a buffer for him of people that he knows. The second floor is also empty, but it’s not open to occupation currently.”

“We’re renting,” Hen said. “So, I can’t deny that living on a Burton property for free wouldn’t be a help on the financial front. But, more importantly, I want him to feel safe and to sleep well.” She cleared her throat. “About the guy across the street, why is he reacting so negatively to him?”

“He’s not online and couldn’t even be considered on the cusp,” Cristobal assured, and both women visibly relaxed. “But Sentinels, online or not, have instinctual responses to the world around them. It is one of the many ways that the psionic plan protects our kind. He sees a threat, and he’s responding to it. In turn, the psionic plane is also responding to it by presenting his spirit animal. Though that might be more to do with his desire to go to the same school as Christopher.”

“He never mentioned wanting to go to Morgan,” Hen said and glanced toward Karen, who made a face. “What?”

“Well, he wouldn’t, Hen. Denny knows how much Morgan costs, and he rarely asks for anything expensive. I had to eavesdrop on him and Christopher last year to even know he wanted a Switch for his birthday,” Karen said. “He’s very focused on…our security on several fronts now that I think about it. He was really worried when JPL cut my hours and how it would impact our money situation. Plus, he asked me how much the in vitro process would cost and how we could save money up for a baby.”

“Do either of you have Sentinel/Guide genes?” Cristobal questioned. “Because if you do, the Burton Foundation will pay for fertility treatment and the in vitro process as well.”

“There are several Guides in my family background,” Karen said. “But I’m not latent. I was tested as a child.”

“You might still have the genetics,” Eddie said. “It’s worth checking, especially if you want a baby.” He looked up and focused on the doorway of the kitchen as his son started down the hall. “Denny fell asleep, by the way.”

“Really? It’s not his bedtime for hours,” Hen said worriedly and started to stand, but Karen put a hand on her arm.

“If he’s not been sleeping well at home, then he probably just needs to sleep,” Karen said gently.

“Daddy.” Christopher paused in the entryway of the kitchen. “I let Denny borrow some pajamas. He fell asleep. I checked his temperature—he didn’t seem too warm, but it’s not bedtime.”

“He’s been having a hard time sleeping, Mijo,” Eddie said and guided his son to a chair. “His spirit animal manifested today.”

“Kal,” Christopher said. “He introduced me. Jarra says that they’re a good match. Kal’s perched on the headboard of my bed, watching Denny sleep. Bea woke up for a little bit when Papa left but then went back to sleep. I stayed with her for a few minutes to make sure.” He focused on Cristobal. “Lito, is something wrong that his spirit animal is visible? He’s too young for it, right? Jarra said she came to me early because I needed extra bossing around. Does Denny need extra bossing? That seems unreasonable since Jarra already bosses him around, too.”

Cristobal grinned. “Denny is just at a point of transition, and he spends a lot of time with us. It’s influenced his connection to the psionic plane. It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“Denny said Grandpa and Papa went to check on the weirdo neighbor. I think that’s a good idea. I should’ve said something earlier, but Denny said I shouldn’t bother you guys with his paranoia. Except, he said I couldn’t come spend the night at his house anymore because of the weirdo, and he’s been coming over here instead.”

Eddie touched his son’s shoulder as he knelt. “Hey, listen. I need you to make me a really serious promise.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“From now on, I need you to tell us immediately if something like this happens. If someone makes you or Denny feel weird or unsafe or just suspicious—we really need to know. The thing is that latent children don’t normally get paranoid. So, if something concerns you, then you need to tell a trusted adult immediately—here or at school.”

“Okay, I promise,” Christopher said.

“What do you think about the weirdo?” Eddie asked.

“I only saw him once a few weeks ago, and Denny got really upset about it,” Christopher said. “But Jarra offered to go over there and take care of him, if needed, which calmed him down. Then we came back over here, and we watched a whole season of Batman: The Animated Series, which was a huge sacrifice on my part that he didn’t acknowledge.”

Eddie grinned. “I remember.” He kissed his son’s forehead even as the boy huffed. “I like that show, too.”

“Denny doesn’t like the weirdo because he doesn’t respect people’s boundaries,” Christopher said. “And boundaries are important to him. But he’s probably just a regular weirdo and not a dangerous weirdo, or Jarra would’ve gone over there and taken care of him. Can I have some milk?”

“Yeah, of course.”

* * * *

“Impressions?” Lou questioned.

Buck stared at the house across the street from the Wilsons’. “Well, he clearly jerks off a lot.”

Lou huffed. “And doesn’t clean up properly.”

“Granted,” Buck murmured. “He’s not having sex with anyone but himself in that house. The air smells stale and dirty as well, so he’s not house-proud. He personally feels frustrated, a little angry, and dissatisfied with practically everything. We could prod him a little on the subject of Karen if you want a more specific read on the situation.”

“It’s pretty offensive that he thought he could intrude on a marriage and seduce a professed lesbian,” Lou muttered. “The fact that he did it so aggressively that he prodded a latent child Sentinel is a matter worth reporting. Let’s start an email to Natalie, and she’ll send him a letter letting him know to leave the Wilson family alone. We’ll need to get Denny assessed by the foundation and registered as latent, so he has all the legal protections he’s entitled to.”

“It could just be a case of white dude entitlement,” Buck said as they watched the weirdo shuffle out to his mailbox in a pair of shorts and house shoes. “He’s fit enough and not hideous—so he’s probably used to getting what he wants from women. But it’s curious that there have clearly been no women in his house.”

Lou exhaled slowly. “Buck.”

“What?”

“He’s not…I think Karen is a tool for this guy.” He pulled out his cell phone. “We need to check to see if this guy is a registered sex offender.”

“Oh. You think he’s a pedo?” Buck’s hand fisted on his thigh as he glared at the house. “And Denny is the real goal.”

“Yeah,” Lou admitted.

“I’m going to dig in,” Buck said flatly and closed his eyes.

Lou’s hand settled on his fist, and after a moment, he relaxed his hand and let the older man take his hand. “Don’t go so deep that you hurt yourself. Your dad will never forgive me.”

Buck let his mind brush over the target, and the feeling of frustration deepened. “He’s…never acted on what he wants. But he clearly wants some truly profane and disgusting things.”

“Then let’s make sure he never does it,” Lou said and tucked his cell phone away. He pulled his keys from the ignition and opened the driver’s side door.

Buck hurried out of the SUV so he could prevent Lou from killing the guy if that became an option for the older man. Frankly, he figured that Lou always considered killing an asshole an option no matter how hard Cristobal worked to blunt his Sentinel’s rougher edges.

Shortly, Lou knocked on the door with a closed fist in a rapid fashion that just said cop. Buck wondered if they were taught to do it or if it was just something they picked up due to proximity. Then, he briefly went down a rabbit hole about the origin of the knock before he pulled himself back to the matter at hand.

The door opened.

“I’m Alpha Sentinel Prime Lou Ransone of the Pacific Northwest,” Lou said, and the man nodded dumbly. “Do you recognize me?”

“Yes, sir. I…. My name is Brad Smythe.” He reached out and snagged a T-shirt from the back of a chair near the door and pulled it on. “How can I help you?”

“What do you do for a living?” Lou questioned.

“I…. I’m in grad school.” He swallowed hard. “Education.”

“I hope you don’t intend on teaching children,” Lou said tightly with a glare.

“I…My focus is elementary education, yes.” Smythe wet his lips. “Is that a problem?”

“It is so much a fucking problem that I’ll make sure you’re never allowed to get a job teaching anyone under the age of 18 in this entire country,” Lou informed him. “And we both know why, don’t we?”

Smythe’s skin went ghostly pale. “I…. I’ve never done anything wrong.”

“I recognize the fact that you’re mentally ill,” Lou said. “And that you’ve done well so far to never give into your base and disgusting urges. That being said, you’ve been pursuing a married woman with a young child. It has upset that child so much that their latent status was revealed. Surely, you understand how dangerous it is to make yourself a threat to any child in my territory.”

“Denny is latent?” Smythe asked and took a step back when Lou cleared his throat. “I won’t…I would never. Karen’s a nice woman, and she deserves better than to be married to another woman. It’s not right for her to waste herself on that kind of relationship.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Buck muttered and crossed his arms. “Do you recognize me?”

“Christ, of course,” Smythe said. “Who wouldn’t?”

“If you ever lay a hand on a child, I’ll know,” Buck said flatly. “And I’ll tell my father so he can hunt you down and do whatever makes him feel better about you. Do you understand your circumstances?”

“Yes, sir,” Smythe said quickly. “I’ll…go back to therapy and seek medical castration if I feel like I can’t manage on my own.” He paused and swallowed hard. “And I’ll change my major.” He cleared his throat. “And I’ll sell the house and move to a neighborhood with no children in it.”

“It’s for the best for everyone,” Lou said. “It’s not my intention to ruin your life for what is essentially, at this point, a thought crime. But I need you to be careful, thoughtful, and under control at all times. I know many people with your mental disease never abuse another person in their lifetime. I expect you to be one of those individuals. You’ll send quarterly status reports to my office going forward, Mr. Smythe. Don’t try to hide from me. I want to know exactly where you are for the rest of your life. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And clean your house,” Buck muttered. “Thoroughly.”

“Yes, sir,” Smythe said hurriedly. “I’ll start right now.”

* * * *

The revelation that the weirdo was actually a pedophile had resulted in both boys getting a thorough discussion about predators and inappropriate touching from Cristobal, who had been the calmest of everyone involved. He’d been frank about the whole thing, maybe too frank in Buck’s opinion, as Denny and Christopher had stared at him open-mouthed for most of the conversation.

Hen had almost run away when the older man opened up the discussion to questions, and Denny had asked about public erections and how to deal with them properly. Buck didn’t blame her. He wanted to run, too. Also, he was really glad he’d been too old for a sex talk by the time he’d met his dad.

The situation had put the Wilsons off so much that they’d agreed to move into the building without much discussion at all, and Denny had been to an appointment for assessment under Isla’s supervision. Thomas and Cosmo had come on board the plan and arranged for the physical move over the week that followed. Thomas had also gone over to their house and set up camp on their front porch to stare at the house across the street for the few days it took to move to make sure the asshole didn’t follow them. It was all they could do to keep Jetta from joining him as she’d decided that it would be the perfect place to clean her gun.

Christopher and Denny were thrilled to be living in the same building. To ensure there were no issues, Denny was staying with them until the move was complete, and he seemed content with that. Eddie took having three kids in their space in stride, which Buck expected since the boys were close and often spent the night together.

Buck plugged his phone to charge and sat down on the bed. “Karen and Hen are both asleep. They’re really stressed out.”

“Well, we both know how stressful it can be to be where they are,” Eddie said. “They’ve got a lot of changes coming, and they’ll be put into a process they know precious little about. Fortunately, they have resources that many mundanes don’t have, and Denny already has a connection with a strong, politically powerful pride. Everything will be fine in the long term, but the stress will skew high for a while. Fortunately, Karen’s only working part-time right now, so she has the time to dig into the foundation and figure out how to make things work for them.”

Eddie sprawled on the bed and held out a hand for Buck. “Come here.”

Buck scooted across the bed and into his Guide’s arms. “I’m exhausted.”

Eddie cupped the back of his head. “I know.”

Buck pulled the blanket over them and let his senses evaluate each of the children in the condo before he spread out further and checked on everyone else. His fathers had their privacy filters on, so he skipped over them without trying to push past the mechanical devices that really wouldn’t be able to hold him back if he put some serious effort into it.

“I got an email from Oma.”

Eddie laughed.

“Seriously, I wonder if the people at the SGC are going to regret giving her a laptop sooner rather than later.”

“What did she say?”

“She set herself up on an abandoned alteran outpost out there and has launched a full-on campaign against the wraith. She’s letting Sheppard send her troops because he asked really nicely. Since she’s no longer fully ascended, she’s not as powerful as she once was and can actually get psionically exhausted. She estimates it’ll take her about three years to clean Pegasus out on the wraith front. But she’s already routed their homeworld, and she feels pretty good about it.”

“She…the whole planet?” Eddie questioned.

“Yeah, she said it taught her a valuable lesson about her personal limits, but at least wraith breeding is no longer possible on a large scale.” Buck yawned. “Moving is exhausting. Let’s never do it.”

“Well, you already decided to buy this building,” Eddie said in amusement. “Though I don’t know why exactly.”

“Well, I was thinking….” Buck turned and let his chin rest on Eddie’s chest so their gazes met in the semi-darkness of their bedroom. “I’d like to combine this floor with the second floor to make a bigger place for us to live.”

“Yeah?” Eddie questioned. “That’s a lot of work.”

“Yeah, sure, but…well. I figure once Bea’s fully potty trained, we’ll be in the right place for another—like we talked about before. I downloaded the application for a surrogate from the foundation’s website. They have a very good screening process, and….”

“And what?”

“I guess maybe some people will think we have enough on our plate with the two kids we have, but I’d really like more, and we can afford it in every single way. What do you think? Do you feel differently after everything that happened?”

“I would love nothing more than to have another baby or two with you,” Eddie murmured. “And I’ve never cared what anyone else thinks about the family we made together. Neither of our children are a burden to me, and I know you feel the same way. I knew the moment I saw you for the first time with Bea that you were going to be an amazing father, Evan. You clearly loved that little girl like your own from the moment you held her in your arms, and that kind of ability to love is priceless.”

Buck blinked back tears. “Really? I was a nervous wreck that whole time.”

“It showed,” Eddie admitted. “But you were also so intent on making sure she would thrive, not just survive. It was compelling and such an immense comfort. It made trusting you with Christopher so easy. Some people trust you merely because you’re a Sentinel. But for me—it was never about that.”

“What was it about?” Buck questioned in a whisper.

“I saw the quality of your heart and knew my son and I would be safe in your care. There is no price to be paid for the kind of devotion you offer so effortlessly and naturally to our family.” Eddie pulled him a little closer. “Let’s sleep. We have work in just ten hours.”

“It’s sad that I’m looking at going back to work like it’s a vacation, right?”

Eddie laughed.

The End

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