Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Magic existed in many forms. It gave abilities, gifts to those it finds worthy. Not everyone had the potential to hold the gifts nor were everyone worthy of it. This fact led to a lot of distrust and hate amongst those with magic and those without. Still, it was a part of the world that could not be ignored.

Evan Buckley better known as Buck was one such gifted. Bucks magic was typically passive. Giving pushes and nudges. Often large ones that caused him to travel the world. Where he both learned and explored magic in many forms or witnessed things that told him despite magic being a rarity and weakening as generations passed, it was still fighting to exist. Expand. To be. Buck accepted that readily and trusted the magic that he was given even as he kept quiet on its existence. He was not ashamed to be so gifted even though more and more with the pushing of religion, people tended to be both fearful and ashamed to hold the power. No, he wasn’t the sort to hate such an integral part of himself. Instead as those around him disparaged his gift, he just held it close. It felt like such a private thing. Magic was such an integral part of his life that he couldn’t imagine who he would have become without it.

Even more importantly, it also felt like people would abuse his gifts should he speak too heavily on it. Especially when he was younger, naïve and far easier to manipulate. Every day you could see the gifted being exploited in different way’s so it was a boundary he needed to learn and magic pushed that fact. It felt to him extremely important to keep that part of himself quiet even as he began to settle into a new life that felt so fitting for him. Being a firefighter seemed to fit so perfectly and even his magic seemed to feel that it was the right course to take. Still, he kept silent. It was not required to be admitted, it was illegal to demand someone out themselves as magical, so he kept it to himself.

He had had no intention of sharing what he was capable of to anyone however that choice was taken from him when his magic ousted itself rather spectacularly and in such a way it couldn’t be ignored any longer.

Nothing about this rescue was normal. A child in the pipe. At first, they thought it was so ridiculous and impossible, but they were required to check in on it either way. Then to find it to be true was even more horrifying than it being a prank or someone too high to think clearly. What sort of monster put a child in a pipe? From the first second they realized it was true Buck’s magic sparked violently and he barely kept it in control. Something about this felt even more off than just being horrified someone could do this to the innocent child.
He realized why something was off the moment the child fell into his arms. A part of him understood in such an integral way that Magic had brought them to this moment. To exist as is. He could feel the wild energy flare around them and bind them in a way he could barely comprehend. She was meant to be his. She wasn’t just meant to be his. She was his. As the magic flared around him tying them together.

While Buck was lost to the magic, those around him were shocked and unable to find the words to what they were witnessing. It took a moment for Bobby to even manage to get his name out, the magic they were witnessing feeling too overwhelming to speak. “Buck,” Bobby said but everyone had stepped back as if pushed away from the event taking place. Both a look of horror and amazement on their faces. Few got to see magic acting so obviously but it worried them as none of them had any idea the cause or reason it was happening.

Buck ignored him, his word barely a whisper within the magic surrounding them. “Its okay sweetness,” Buck said gently. The distressed baby calmed as magic pulsed around her. “No one will ever hurt you like this again, I won’t let them,” The magic pulsed taking his words as a vow. Buck knew that while magic was protecting the newborn, she needed medical care as well. The magic would wear down and the trauma she had suffered would rear its head. Normally he would be rushing down the stairs, but he just walked carefully. His entire focus on the child in his arms and the magic flowing around them.

The moment that he reached the bottom the magic pulse lessoned but was still there. The others rushed to following him after staring at the event in awe.
Unknowing of what just occurred, Athena brought the girl down reaching the ambulance just a moment after they did. She made out as if she was to put the teen inside, but Buck blocked her way. “She’s a direct threat to this child and she will not be permitted into its presence,” Buck said coldly.

“You don’t get to choose who we save.”

It seemed the magic was in agreement as it wouldn’t let Athena go forward towards the bus as Buck climbed in. If anything, the stretcher almost seemed to be pushed back away from it causing those who had no idea what was going on as they hadn’t been in the room to gape shocked. “She needs medical care,” he said to Hen barely acknowledging the sergeant or anyone else. “Drive. I can’t drive with her in my hands. As the victim she deserves complete focus. Another ambulance is on its way.” His voice was so unlike buck that everyone was left gaping but Hen decided to act. You did not mess around with magic. She knew that much.

“Right,” She said not arguing about getting orders from someone who had not even been a firefighter long. This was far too out of her knowledge base to have any idea how to respond. “Bobby you need to explain to her then the chief what is going on because the magic here is…we are going to…magic hospital or regular hospital Buck?”

As he seemed to know what he was doing she decided to follow his lead on this. “Magic,” he said after a second as the doors slammed shut. He barely paid any attention to the drive. His entire focus was on the baby in his arms. She was so perfect as she glowed with pulses of magic.

There was a magical hospital of sorts where they took people who were in some sort of magical distress. Hen wasn’t sure if it was the right hospital for a new-born who had an obviously traumatic experience. It wasn’t often set up for more dangerous injuries, more just for people with magic who needed help. Magic rarely caused harm and when it did, it wasn’t always in the same way. Still, she called ahead about a patient being delivered. The only information she had that she could give them was newborn infant and 25-year-old male centered in a magical event. She couldn’t even begin to describe what happened.

“Magical injury, people have been on edge,” a doctor said coming out in a rush at the arrival of the ambulance. “What are we looking at?” It was a different feel to most drop offs. No other ambos. No rushing and bustling of an ER. Hen was completely out of her element as she climbed out of the ambulance.

“Um…I don’t know,” Hen admitted opening the doors. She got a questioning look from the doctor. “We don’t deal with magical events. I’m not sure we are at the right hospital. We found a baby in a pipe in the wall, newborn attempted filicide by a mid to late teen mother. The moment one of our firefighters touched the baby, magic started…” She made a swirling motion with her hands not having any idea how to describe it. “And he started acting strange and magic was going and…so we have a newborn in distress in the middle of a high action magic event and we don’t know which of them is causing it but we are assuming the baby since I don’t think Buck has magic.”

Buck stepped down ignoring the doctors who were present as he went into the magical center which had a few hospital sections available. Aurora Nightree,” Buck said. “She is the only witchdoctor I trust near her.”

“Absolutely,” one of them said slightly amazed since anyone with any sensitivity could still see the magic flowing. Hen wanted to follow but she was pushed back at the doors.

Chapter Text

The next several hours were a blur. Buck was really weary about anyone touching the girl but luckily with a few checks she was deemed stable enough that there was nothing that they could really do for her. Especially as the magic still flowing roughly around them wouldn’t allow any normal machinery to get a read on either of them. Magic and machines did not typically go well together.

Aurora Nighttree arrived not even ten minutes after he asked for her. Once he asked for someone specific by name, it was acknowledged that he was likely magical in some form though he did not have a clear record with the center. Clearly he had magic in some form to have connections so they moved a bit more quickly. It also helped that the individual he asked for was one of the best in the magic field. A very well respected witchdoctor so she would likely have been who was called.

Once the initial checks were completed in both a magical and a physical sense, she had him sitting in a more comfortable room away from people who were too interested in the unique event occurring around them. He was glad the chairs were comfortable since he was exhausted. His arms were tired as well since the newborn, while very light did not want to be anywhere but in his arms. When she wasn’t in his arms, she was distressed and crying. He could feel his magic pulling at her, needing her to be close. It was more uncomfortable than having not put the child down in the 8 hours since they arrived. He had slept a bit, with the newborn on his chest but he knew co-sleeping wasn’t okay. He was just overwhelmed and tired and really wanted answers to what was happening. Luckily Aurora was quick to speak once they settled.

“What do you feel like just happened,” she asked taking a seat in the chair opposite of him. She had a clipboard of notes but wasn’t even glimpsing at it as she waited for a response.

Buck nearly rolled his eyes since that was a very typical question, she asked him. Both knew he had weird information about magic, and she liked testing him on it. “Aurora, are we really going to play what weird information Buck has game?”
She laughed lightly clearly slightly amused. “It is one of my favorite games,” she said easily. “What do you feel like the magic was doing when you held her.”

“Bonding us together. Making her mine. Connecting us at a stronger level then anything else,” Buck said bluntly. While he had never experienced anything of the sort before it was clear to him what magic was doing.

“Good so you’re not starting at zero knowledge on what occurred. Have you ever heard of magical adoptions?”

They were rare, unquestionable. Magic connecting someone an adult and child so thoroughly was not something many if any were witnessed to. A few cases every year or so. He didn’t know details. Just that there was always a strong cause. It was something of an unlikely event. “It is stronger than any legal adoption by law. In many countries, its more binding than blood and interference is considered a criminal act,” Buck said finally. “Usually in cases of a strong magical child right?”

“In a position where magic deems it necessary to interfere directly with parentage,” she returned nodding making it clear he was on the right track. “There are case studies of course. I’ve been looking them up, but it will take time for more concrete information. I am luckily one of the experts on the subject.”

“Why,” Buck asked. She was silent waiting for him to expand though it took a moment. “Magic doesn’t interfere like that. It gives nudges, visions, a boost where needed but this seems…more.” This was direct interference. A direct act that magic rarely did.

“It is a rare event,” She acknowledged. “They all tend to have some things in common. The child will be magically gifted with a recognisable gift. Not just that she has magic, but she’ll have a very strong gift. It could be healing. Could be foresight. Could be a nature-based gift. We have no way of knowing how her magic leans right now but there is a guarantee that she will have a clear gift. Which is rare. Only 1 in every 10,000 people have a defined gift that is strong enough to be considered a clear leaning of magic.” He knew that fact. In some areas it was even fewer. About 1 in 100 people had magic in a form. It was often directed in little ways. Maybe a healer with a strong calming presence. A doctor whose patients might heal better then average or feel less pain. These weren’t direct gifts. Their magic just took a form it fit best in their lives and often wasn’t recognisable or impactful. The people who were impacted might never realize what happened, nor the person completing it. There were, however, those who were very aware of how they were gifted. 1 in about 10,000 people had a gift strong enough that it was clear what they could do. Foresight. Magical site. Enhanced senses. The list was unending. So, the fact that shed have a clearly defined gift wasn’t the end of the world. There were plenty of people who would.

“Okay,” Buck said nodding since he had a fairly encompassing knowledge of the statistics regarding gifts. That didn’t seem like enough for interference though. “What else?”

“Their lives are typically in danger. Extremely abusive homes. Magic hating homes. Attempted parental homicide.”

She fell into that of course. Her mother did put her down a pipe. “Are all…homes magic hating.”

“No concrete answer in this. There are cases that magic binds them to a parent. But its typically a non biological, or more distantly biologically related individual who is connected. Sometimes a cousin. A few cases of stepparents. Some aunts or uncles. But 50% are essential strangers to the child. The younger the child, the more likely a stranger is who magic binds them to.”

That made little sense to him. Wouldn’t it be better to connect them to a relative. Seeing his distrust of that sentence made her expand. “A lot of these cases, the families are negligent or ignoring abuse or have similar views as the parents hence why the child is in danger in the first place. This is information on the child chosen though. The people they are…magically bound to have different statistics that are fairly relevant.”

“Okay why me. I was hardly the only one near by.”

“They always have above average magic. Not always gifted but all of them can be sensed as having strong magic themselves.” That fit him and he couldn’t deny it, he had to acknowledge giving a magically gifted child to someone entirely mundane held risks. “There is not one reported case the person is violent or abusive of the child. And that’s been sought out by people who disapprove of these adoptions. The person usually is very loving and parental, has a respect of magic and are a strong person capable of protecting the child. Physically protecting them but also confident enough to fight for them both legally and physically when needed.”

“That seems subjective.”

“It is,” she agreed. “A good amount of them are cops, firefighters, EMT’s doctors, soldiers,” she said. “Someone who is devoted to helping people. A couple cases of teachers or someone who steps in during a rescue or to protect the child. Why…well who are we to question magic. But they are typically strong characters.”

“So, a magically powerful child in a dangerous or deadly home situation who comes in contact with a magically powerful adult who is willing to take on the duty of protecting someone.”

“Its more then that,” she admitted causing him to groan slightly, this round about information was already irritating him especially after the long day that he had had. “In all the cases I know of. The person has admitted a strong desire to have a child. I know that you adore kids.” Buck blushed slightly but couldn’t deny it. He was only 25 which was young. But he always did want children. “I think that is a key aspect. Because otherwise it would be more common. Magic does not typically bond unwillingly.”

“So, what happens now,” Buck asked. “I mean the last days a blur. But your implying…no you’re outright saying I adopted her. But surely her parents’ family might protest.”

“They are actually probably in a lot of trouble themselves,” she admitted. “They’ll be looked into but it is actually in the US, against the law to remove your custody now. They could try…would have to go to the supreme court but with the history of what happens to those who try to forcibly break bonds magic has created, few would involve themselves or support the families attempt. They technically have no legal rights by our laws as of this moment. At the moment those marks appeared and magic declared you as her parent, she became legally your charge and under your protection by magics decree. Even the religious zealots who despise magic, would be hesitant to try to ignore such a proclamation.”

A breath of relief left him. The idea of someone taking the child in his arms from him made him sick. He was already falling in love with her. He knew he had no right, but it wasn’t something he could help. He ran a finger delicately over her cheek followed by the dark marks on her skin, left by the magical event. Marks matching his own. “So, she’s mine. I’m…” Shit he was really not equipped or ready to have a child. He had nothing prepared. He was living in a room share that wasn’t at all acceptable to bring a child into. He had nothing for her. The center had provided her with formula and a blanket that he wrapped her in. “I have absolutely nothing ready for a child.”

“And the center of Magic is at your disposal. Magic has decreed this necessary. We exist to insure that people don’t overstep, or attack people with magic and to help those in need with support. Whether its medical, training or just a deeper understanding. This sort of falls under our purview. Any help you need we can be here. Funding. Support. Lawyers.”

Buck was silent for a moment. This was a lot to take in and he wasn’t sure what he would need or even how to ask for help. “I need to plan, I think. I don’t even know where to start.” He countered that a second later as he was very aware of what needed to change first. “That’s a lie. I live in a room share situation which will not be acceptable for her. I’ll need a house. An apartment would work but I’ve been considering purchasing a house for a few months but never had a reason to settle.” He’d feel better about having his own home to raise her in. It felt almost like a magical nudge to have his own place and he had always trusted the magic he had to guide him in the right direction. “And she needs a name. I’ve just been calling her sweet girl.”

“She is yours, that names up to you to give her now,” Aurora said gently.

“And work…shit work.”

“Well, paternity leave will give you time and I have had your captain and a police sergeant demanding answers so we can set up a meeting. What is stated is up to you entirely, but you will have the support of the center.” And everyone knew that you did not pick a fight with the center which was built to insure no more slaughtering of the gifted was permitted but the protections changed as time did. Now they had one of the premiere law forces that had in history actually gotten rid of presidents who wished to ban magic. Magic was as loved as it was feared by the average population, so the center had a lot of power. “We’d like you to remain at least until we are sure the magic stabilized.”

“Can we…ensure that her and my name does not get out.” People could be strange with magic. He’d prefer to protect her from that backlash for as long as possible. An event like this would draw in the crazies, both the ones who hated magic as well as the fans. Her life would be awful if her identity got out and she wouldn’t be left alone.

“Absolutely.”

Buck nodded taking a breath. “I need some time to think, I’m going to return to the room with her.”

“Of course. And anything you need, just ask for it.”

Chapter Text

It was two days later before anyone was allowed in to see Buck. Which was unnerving to those involved. The center seemed to be on a sort of lockdown, and no one was given any information on what was occurring, even the police who were set to investigate what was happening. Bobby himself was shocked since his firefighter was put on immediate leave but no one contacted him to explain why. He had no way to reach the young man, and no one was giving him information. In fact, the higher ups ordered them all silent on what occurred and threatened consequences to anyone who leaked the information. Clearly something serious was happening and they weren’t being given any information on it.

Finally, they were asked to come in. Athena was brought in as she needed a report, but she was warned not to provoke him which was aggravating but the warning was extremely clear. Bobby was asked to attend as he was Bucks captain and the ranking firefighter during the event and Hen had requested to come and was allowed as she had been the one to bring them to the center. Chimney was busy but they had been the only ones present during the strange event. The others had been doing their jobs elsewhere and weren’t even aware of the event itself just that something serious occurred and even the gossip twins weren’t talking about it.

The three arrived together and they were guided to an office like room and asked to take a seat. All of them tense for different reasons and waiting for someone to come in and tell them what was going on. Clearly it was bigger than they thought as they were separated and brought to an out of the way room. They were startled as Buck walked in and they could see him holding the child that sparked the event.

“Buck,” Bobby said hesitantly. He couldn’t believe that the firefighter had the child in his arms considering she should have been in special care. She was a newborn, premature and had a traumatic experience so they had not been expecting to see her at all. It made some sense as to why they had been told Buck would be out of contact if he was still with the child, but she should probably be in some form of incubator. Not to mention what happened if she was still with an unrelated firefighter instead of family or a social worker.

Buck cringed slightly seeing the looks directed his way as he took a seat careful to set himself up to hold her properly. “Bobby,” he offered hesitantly nodding to him.
“Are you okay kid? That was...well quite the experience,” Bobby said gently seeing the cocky expression he had a tendency to wear was nowhere to be found. “We’ve been worried about you.”

Buck cringed feeling a bit guilty on that. He understood the need for zero contact but considering how much he respected his captain; he didn’t like to cause him unnecessary worry. “Sorry, for like, disappearing. Like I’d totally explain you know. I would but I don’t really know what happened between when Hen passed me the baby to when we got here.” It was a giant blur to him. He didn’t quite know how it happened or what they were told. Considering how Bobby felt about his firefighters going MIA, he felt sorry about it. He knew the center were very…private with the information and just said he was okay. That wouldn’t be enough for the captain but there was literally nothing at the time that he could do.

“What,” Bobby said startled. “What do you mean you don’t know what happened from when you held the baby to here?”

Maybe that hadn’t been the best way to start. “Wait what do you mean,” Hen demanded. “Were you hurt?”

“No,” Buck said quickly before the paramedic searched him. “No, I’m fine. The doc said that it was due to being so close to so much magic making my head foggy or some crap. Like I remember getting her to the ambo but its like…fog,” Buck said. Which was scary when he had woken up from it. Not realizing exactly what happening but a deep profound knowing of the child in his arms as no one could separate the two.

“You don’t remember,” Hen said the idea shocking her. “Like at all?”

“Nope,” Buck admitted. “I think I remember saying something to you or Sergeant Grant, but I couldn’t begin to tell you what it was. I also kind of, walked out of work I think.” That hadn’t concerned him until this moment, but it probably should have.

“Why do you still have the baby,” Bobby asked before he could stop himself.

Buck cringed expecting judgement since the team had this specific view of him from day one. Sure, he had a habit of feeding into that but right now, the way they viewed him wasn’t going to help matters. “Um…its complicated.”

“To do with the crazy magic shit that happened,” Hen asked.

“Sort of,” Buck admitted wondering how on earth he should explain this. “Aurora is going to be the one talking to…well Bobby since he’s my captain about it and a police presence, which I assume is Athena.”

“I’m just here because I was worried,” Hen admitted before looking at the baby who whined slightly as Buck shifted. “She looks so healthy. I wasn’t even sure she was going to survive when we got her out.”

“Aurora says that the magic healed the damage from her trauma,” Buck said since he had the same concerns. “Or at least enhanced her strength so she is doing okay. There might be some deficits later in life but she’s going to be okay. They said I could name her. I’m thinking Evelyn Rose. Evelyn means life. Which she’s fought for it. She wanted to live so badly she made people notice her. It was my grandmother’s name.”

“She might not get to keep it. When she goes in foster care or to the biological family.”

Buck glared at Hen shocking her. “She is not going back to them,” he hissed.

“That’s not up to us, we leave the job at the doors,” Athena said wanting him to mitigate his expectations.

“Actually, in this case that’s not so easy,” Aurora Nighttree said entering. She had long white hair reaching a good way down her back. She was young to have white hair perhaps in her early fifties, but she did have a young ethereal appearance surprising the three guests. “Buck, breathe they don’t know why that statement would trigger…a response.” Buck took a breath understanding but the idea that his baby and already he was thinking of her as his baby, went back near the person who tried to kill her was intolerable to him. He understood, he was to them a rookie with little experience with the job and that was true, he was only just leaving his probationary period. But he did understand leaving the job at the door in a way they couldn’t really understand. With Evie it was different. “Why don’t we all come to my office. Sorry I was late I had paperwork to complete.”

Buck nodded following her into a similar room that was a bit more formal, and they all took a seat. “So, I am sure you were all informed that you were not to speak about the events surrounding baby Evelyn by your departments.” That hadn’t been a surprise. It was a big magical event, and it regarded a firefighter so that was always going to be a level of privacy required. Magic events were the purview of the center to make statements, not the firefighters. There were special PR representatives for events such as these. “As a child victim she has a right to extreme privacy and as a magical…well its just rude to share until she is old enough to make a decision on how open she wishes to be with that fact.”

“Of course, all my firefighters were informed after the events that it was not to be gossiped about especially as we still don’t know what occurred,” Bobby agreed.

“Good good,” she said pleased that it was understood at least in some manner. “Its not a problematic event you understand but as a child she is given a right to privacy that needs to be respected. Too often victims are revictimized and we just don’t wish that to occur in this case. Some information will of course be let known and statements will be given but that is already being discussed between the LAPD, LAFD and LAMC *Los Angeles Magical Center. However, for your reports you will need information and Mr. Buckley has permitted his medical reports used for a PRIVATE statement. He too is given a right to privacy as many do not wish to be known as being central to a magic event.”

“And what is so drastic that private is being repeated,” Athena questioned. It was always stated but she was being very direct here. “Is there something we should be concerned about.”

“Its nothing like that, however the media has a tendency to obsess over magic and those who have it. Mr. Buckley has requested privacy and as a child victim, Evelyn also has a right to privacy so we just wish to be direct here so there is no questioning later. Magic tends to bring out some unique individuals, either against it or obsessing over it so we need to be careful.”

“I get that,” Bobby said seriously. “But we still don’t understand what exactly happened. Buck doesn’t remember the events apparently, but it was quite…” he was trying to find a respectful word to use. “Flashy. It was obvious a magical event occurred but what happened because I’ve not been permitted information on MY firefighter for two days while he was sequestered here.”

Aurora was slightly amused by the possessive tilt to his tone but wasn’t one to be bothered by any show of authority. “I do apologize for that,” she returned seriously. “We never meant to keep you so out of the loop but it was a rare event, so we wished to make sure everything was handled carefully and Evelyn got the care she required for such a traumatic birth experience.”

“And did she, because frankly I’m surprised, she survived the experience,” Hen admitted.

“And if she did, I expected her to be in a NICU not…well in Bucks arms.”

“She is stable. She has been showing small signs of distress but no obvious health problems. She currently has around the clock care, but the magical event has helped insure she is not suffering from her birth experience. Large flares of magic such as the one that occurred tends to help strengthen those involved not harm them. Should she not be a magic blessed child, an incubator is the bare minimum that would be required. But right now, she is stable. There is also the fact that machines and magic tend not to always go well together so she is in better care right here.”

That made some sense but her being with Buck instead of doctors didn’t. “Right,” Hen said not truly understand. “With Buck not with doctors?”

“Why don’t we get to what actually happened,” Athena suggested. “What exactly caused the magical event and how did it effect the both of them?”

“Fair enough,” she said nodding. “What occurred was a profoundly magical child latching onto someone she deemed as a safe person. Magic viewed the situation as a clear threat to the child who is blessed. How she is blessed, we won’t know until she is much older but its already apparent that she is extremely magically blessed and will be a gifted child. This is not common; however, the situation was obviously dire. Not just the trauma she faced by being in the pipes but because the person who gave birth to her, her sole contact at that point in time, hated her so deeply murder felt like the only option.”

“She was young.”

Buck scoffed angrily surprising them. He had been kept fully up to date about everything that happened. “She is not that young, and I don’t care if your young doesn’t give you the right to try to murder a baby.”

“We don’t understand the circumstances yet,” Athena warned clearly not pleased. “We save people we don’t judge them.”

“She was 17, I don’t care how young you view that, at 17 she knew of other options besides murder. Safe drop sites being one. She was afraid yes, but she also hated this child to an unhealthy extent. She was interviewed and the extreme hatred she feels for this child, actually made one of the more empathic doctors who were present ill,” Aurora said shocking them. “Children with strong magical potential, are empathically gifted by nature in almost all cases. Their understanding while primitive is higher then a non magical of years older. Feeling that hatred would send a distressed empathically gifted child seeking a safe force. Which is what the magic sought out. Mr. Buckley has a magical aura that the child latched onto knowing in some way, it felt safety. The bond between them was purely as if the child sought safety and that is what most of us have managed to read into it.”

Something about what Athena said struck him. We save people. He knew that. It was part of the job. There was rules and restrictions on how to do so with multiple victim events but the way she said it sounded familiar. “I think…did I see her,” Buck asked unable to stay quiet. “The mother?” He seemed to remember hearing Athena protest about the child before. It was so blurry though. Like a shadow of a memory

“Yes, you refused to allow her to ride in the ambulance,” Hen said knowing that he had a point but it was also a bit harsh as you didn’t decide who to save and who not to.

“She felt like this…dark hole…like letting her near Evelyn would hurt her,” Buck said the memory like a dark shadow in his head. He held the child a bit tighter remembering the unease of the moment “Like this dark force.”

They were all startled. “What,” Bobby questioned.
Buck shook himself out of that. He hadn’t meant to say that. “Sorry I just…I don’t know. I just remember…I don’t even know if I saw a girl. I couldn’t tell you what she looked like. But I just remember that when we were by the ambulance, feeling like someone who was trying to get close was just this dark shadow of hate and anger.”

No one knew what to say to that as Buck had not shown any signs of being gifted and seeing the event from his perspective was shocking. “Are you…empathic that’s the word right,” Hen asked confused and a bit shaken by the description.

“No god no,” Buck said quickly, that was not something he wanted any connection to.
“Thank god. That’s a fucking awful gift to have. No, I’m not an empath. I’ve never felt like that near anyone before. I didn’t even think of it until now. Aurora I…”

A part of him wasn’t able to understand but it seemed that the older women understood and in part expected it. “It isn’t a surprise,” she said gently seeing that everyone was a bit spooked by the suggestion. “I can’t tell you exactly what you felt in that moment, and we will definitely discuss it later on however, I can guess the reasons. You were likely reading into Evelyn’s fear and distrust. You probably weren’t even aware of what you were doing. You were too connected to the magic and to the child to even be able to make any valid choices, but she shouldn’t have ever been in the same space and wont ever be again,” Aurora agreed. “It would have increased the trauma of the entire situation to both you and Evelyn.”

Buck held the child slightly tighter, and she blinked up at him. “Right, I guess that makes sense,” Buck admitted. “If magic wanted me to protect her then keeping her away from the person who tried to kill her was a good first start but if I saw her as just a kid in trouble, I might have made a different call and that could have hurt Evelyn so I guess it makes sense. Um…do I apologize cause protocol dictates that you don’t allow a victim of a crime and a perpetrator in the same immediate space keeping them separate and the victim of a crime has some level of priority also as a newborn she was a premier focus. I don’t really remember what I said.”

“You’re not wrong,” Hen said having not thought about that. Athena who had been angry about it went silent since, he truly wasn’t wrong and seeing his perspective, her annoyance about the young kid stopping her from saving a victim took a different light.

“So, I’m not sure I understand here,” Bobby admitted since this was a lot of information and it wasn’t making any sense to him. While that seemed like important information it wasn’t telling him why his firefighter was MIA for two days and no one was willing to tell him where the kid was. “So, the baby, a newborn at that sought him out to protect her. Or magic did. Since when does magic act like that and what does that mean?”

“Magic works in strange ways. In that moment he was not just the only choice but the best one. But magic also has a mind of its own. And seems very intent on insuring that this child is protected. It’s a rare phenomenon. Typically, only in cases where the child is in danger by birth parents, whether in abuse or attempted murder cases of a magically strong child. But the magic may bind them to someone not related in an attempt to ensure that the child can best meet whatever destiny that magic has given them. In other words, magic decided that what was occurring would lead directly to the death of the child and it acted binding the child with a safe person who also has some magic as only individuals with some magic can be bound in any way. There are about 1500 recorded cases through history of this phenomenon in the united states and it is truly a blessing and a curse to bare witness to. But one that has happened and is something that those of us who have studied it, know is not to be argued with. When magic acts so strongly, it is actually bordering criminal to even question it so things will occur quickly.”

“What things,” Bobby demanded worriedly. “Because this isn’t making a lot of sense. She is safe now, so what does this have to do with Buck?”

“I’m going to need leave,” Buck said speaking up.

“Why?”

“Because the magic bound us together,” Buck said bluntly. “As in technically and soon legally, I am considered her father. I actually for the moment can’t be more then a few feet away from her without magic protesting. Very rudely at that. And there’s actually like, magical bonds. Its all complex and irritatingly complicated. So, we are just going with I’m her new dad.”

“It’s called a magical protection adoption,” Aurora offered. “It has a legal precedence in most of Europe, the United States and Canada. Actually, Canada is crazy strict on it. Like the birth parents aren’t typically welcomed in the same city as the child after it occurs as they are deemed a magical accused threat which is inarguable.”

“So, wait, Buck doesn’t get a choice in this,” Bobby said surprised. “Are you okay kid?”

Buck could understand his worry, but one thing Buck understood was you don’t argue with magic in any form. “I’m a little overwhelmed,” Buck admitted. “But who am I to argue with a worldwide entity that has existed since the beginning of time. You’re a bit religious, with a Christian religious denomination but I’m more of a magical traditionalist viewpoint. I accept that which exists, and I don’t pretend to understand but I know intrinsically it acts only for the best even if its more then we can understand.” They were a bit shocked since he’d never spoken of being a believer in it before. “Besides, she’s perfect isn’t she,” Buck asked shifting slightly so they could get a better view of the child. “She’s perfect. How could someone hate something so amazing and innocent and perfect. How could someone try to kill something so perfect? She needs someone and I don’t think I’m enough but I’m at the very least better then the girl who put her in a pipe or a family that didn’t know or care that their teenager was pregnant. I hope that she wasn’t sexually abused or assaulted, and it was just an idiotic teenage accident that she got pregnant but then that doesn’t begin to explain how she could sentence a baby to die such a horrible death. Suffocating or even drowning or should she have done neither and she just not be found, starving to death in a pipe.” They shuttered at that possibility. “I can do better then that. Plus, I love kids.” He did which something they all noticed on the job. He was the first to try to comfort a child and absolutely loved getting children out of claw machines or out of trees. Always the first to volunteer.

“I’ll…I don’t know department policy on magical adoptions,” Bobby said. Truthfully, he didn’t know it was actually a thing. “But I will file it under paternity leave for a single parent, so you get the full time. Department offers eight weeks I believe. But due to extenuating circumstances if you need longer, we can work that out.” It seemed to be the right thing to say since Buck gave him a bright grin in response and the doctor was nodding her approval.
“Buck, you’ve never mentioned having magic before,” Bobby said. This part caused them both to freeze.

“Its not required to disclose,” Buck returned obviously hesitant. “And one percent of people have magic in some form. That might sound like a small percent but magnified by our population its actually a large amount and in California its actually closer to 3 % since it has the best facilities in the US for magic.

“Yeah, but I’m surprised you’ve not told us.” Did he not trust them? That part hurt a bit but he could understand that in a way. But he had been with them a year now and it did seem strange it never came up which brought about a worry to the captain as it could have come from a more dangerous place. The 118 he had worked hard on cleaning up but that didn’t mean that it was not still considered a problem house. “Is there a reason or just a choice. I just want to know if someone made it so you felt uncomfortable or unsafe to disclose the fact you have magic because I can’t guarantee it won’t get out because of the events and I’d rather know if there was a problem.”

Buck was silent for a moment, trying to figure the best way to phrase this. He had been thinking about the fact that it was coming out for a long time. He was one of the 1 in 10,000 with an obvious gift so it was a bit uncomfortable to discuss. At the same point it was coming out so he may as well explain a bit more properly so that it is delt with. “I’m not overtly magical. I’m no witch doctor and don’t plan to be.” That was a slight lie since he was quite powerful magically, he just didn’t feel like that was relevant. “I am not really obvious. I just have some slight precognition really. A push. Sometimes I know I need to do something; I don’t know why or how or even sometimes what I’m doing but I just go with it. Like taking a detour with the fire truck. On the way back from the shop with the truck, I felt an urge to change direction. I ended up where in that moment I needed to be. Sophia was going through something hard, her ex was stalking her and it gave her a way to get away from him.”

“You never said,” He had almost fired Buck over that detour and driving someone around. They had assumed it was to get laid but he never said.

“Her ex was a cop,” Buck said. “And that’s all I’m saying about it. She’s in a good place, pressed charges now. I knew someone. A lawyer who’s a total badass and made sure he was held accountable. He is being charged; she is in a safe place. He sort of lost it during the restraining order thing in court. So she’s okay. Anything else is her business. But like, I didn’t know why I needed to be there. Or how to help but I guess I did. Because I knew a scary ass shark of a lawyer who worked a lot with women’s protection groups, so I was in the right place. I didn’t even know she needed help really. Until it came out. But its not something that you can explain or talk about. Its just a feeling and no offence but I didn’t know you as well then and you freely admit to being semi religious. Which religion tends to hate magic or rather is 50/50, some adore it, some despise it. There's been like, wars fought over that shit. So, I didn’t know you well enough to know how you’d react to having someone who has some magic they can’t control and isn’t really relevant nine days out of ten on your shift. I mean I know you better now. You are respectful to all people and beliefs and don’t have a hateful bone in your body. But I didn’t know you then as well as I do now but to be honest, I still don’t know any of you that well. I mean it sort of came out either way, so disaster management is all I currently have, and I can see from there.”

“I’m sorry that you thought we wouldn’t be supportive. First your abilities are private from here unless you decide otherwise. Second, I want you to know, I know some people who are Christian tend to be very strict on the no magic thing but I’m a firm believer that all aspects should be respected. If you ever feel a push to something please let me know, even if you can’t explain it. I won’t begin to pretend to understand magic at any point, but I can’t deny its existence. And after the events of two days ago none of us can.”

“I wont lie, sometimes I don’t even know until I’ve done something,” Buck admitted. If he was going to go this far, he had best get it all out now and see what happens. People rarely understood how he was forced to do things due to magic. Even those who understood tended to be disapproving in ways. He was happy with his life and following magic, but it was hard for others to understand. “Its hard to explain but sometimes, I’ll act and only realize later, that something pushed me to do that.”

“Doesn’t it bother you, having something controlling your actions, not having a choice,” Hen asked. The idea horrified her. The fact that he said it as easily as he said his random facts, or the weather shocked her.

Buck shrugged, he could sort of understand her point but at the end of the day, it didn’t bother him at all. “Not really,” he said surprising everyone in the room. “I mean I’ve never hurt anyone else or even hurt myself while acting. Usually, it helps someone or me in some way. Magic’s not malicious. It has never made me do something without having a really really good reason for it. I figure if magics going to interfere in some way, it has to be super crazy important. So, I’d probably be willing to do it anyways. I mean its not an everyday thing, or even every month. I have gone years without magic caring about things. It only acts for really important things. And I mean, I sure as hell am not qualified to stop it. Like with Sophia, the ex is dangerous, violent. It was the sort of situation that leads to a dead victim of domestic violence real fast. Maybe Sophia's important or she has a child whose important enough that magic felt like they need to exist and live out of everyone who dies every single day. That they needed help. Maybe, her grandchild cures cancer or she does something really fantastic for the environment or maybe, maybe she is just a good person who needed help. Who am I to judge magics choices? If I took the time to overthink everything, then there is a good chance I could be too late or stress about it and not act in time. So no, the fact that sometimes my actions are influenced in a productive and helpful way doesn’t bother me at all.”

His comments left the people in the room gaping trying to wrap their heads around his statement or the fact that it came from easy going Buck. “That’s…deep,” Hen said shocked. “I mean I don’t understand it, but I mean…” She couldn’t even find the words to explain how she felt about what he said.

Buck shrugged knowing people who weren’t strong believers or trusting of magic really couldn’t comprehend. “I like helping people,” Buck said finally.

“That we do know,” she said since that had always been obvious.

“So, if it lets me help, I’m happy,” Buck said shrugging since there was no other way to explain it. “It just doesn’t bother me.”

Seeing that he was struggling to explain, and he had done the same in the past to her Aurora had enough of the questioning phase of this. Clearly, they mattered to Buck, but she was going to put some distance here for the time being. “We should get back to the point,” Aurora stated. “Do you all have any questions about Evelyn.”

There was a few from Athena about how she was health wise and promises to give her the necessary records for charges. Still, even with the change of subject, Hen started questioning Buck again.

“How will this work with your place, don’t you do a room share thing,” Hen asked. “Not to mention babies need things, a lot of things. Do you need help? Are you ready for all that seeing as this has literally been tossed at you with no warning.”

“Um, I’m buying a house,” Buck admitted. “I have really good credit. Or fairly good credit and enough money for a descent down payment. Auroras been good and apparently…well due to the uniqueness of the situation I get to get help from the center for things.”

“A house,” Hen said startled. He seemed young to be able to afford a house especially in LA.

“Yeah, good things about room shares is they’ve let me save a tone of money over the years and I’ve always worked and used the same vehicle since I was 18 so I have enough savings for a down payment and most of her things can be ordered online or some were fetched like, stuff she needs right now has already been gotten. I should be okay. I’ll be staying here for a few more days until everyone is sure that she’s okay.”

“If you need help let us know.”

Buck thanked her but the conversation was ended since Evelyn was getting extremely fussy. To be honest though, he was pretty glad that they had to end it there. He wasn’t sure how being honest with who he was should feel but to him it was uncomfortable.

Chapter Text

Buck had known Aurora since he came to LA. He had been interested in the center in LA since California had a much larger center and research groups. He had honestly just been curious about different aspects of it. He had been long passed needing someone to help him with his magic but that didn’t mean there wasn’t things to learn. He knew what he could do, he trusted his foresight and had a very deep understanding of it but he was still curious about the center and looked forward to coming to such an accepting place where he could learn more about magic as a whole.

While he had been extremely excited about the idea of learning from a formal setting, he had gotten a bit of a run around by some of the conceited idiots there who thought they were amazing or super impressive and had little care about someone uneducated. They did their jobs but Buck didn’t have university degrees or completed studies and he didn’t brag about being a gifted, so he had been unimportant to them. His questions or interest seemed like a bother rather than something to help. The medical center was useful even if magical injuries were rare but when he had approached for anything else he was dismissed. He didn’t need help and was untrained by formal knowledge so clearly, he wasn’t worth their time. It had felt extremely upsetting as he had never had the chance to work closely with a setting like the center.

Meeting Aurora however was far different. She had been very excited to meet him as soon as they crossed each others path. When he came across her, she was very much able to see just what he was capable of unlike those who deemed themselves stronger and more educated. She was a high powered gifted who was bale to both manipulate and view magic making her a very skilled witchdoctor or healer. She also just adored learning new things. She could see that not only did Buck have strong magic that became a gift, but he also had good control and understanding of it. These facts interested her as he had no real records at any centers and his records were very empty which made her question, how did he learn?

The two despite a thirty-year age difference had become good friends and that is why he had asked to see her that day. He was glad to have had that connection when he returned to awareness after the magical adoption and the magic faded. Having someone he trusted as a touchstone was extremely comforting especially as a few others who once dismissed him as no one important suddenly wanted near him and Evelyn. They wanted to study the bond or just figure out facts with little care over what he wanted. One of them was a real arrogant ass named James. Buck had met him when he came by the center in the past and he had been extremely dismissive and disrespectful to him then.

He had been talking at Buck for the last fifteen minutes about how he was clearly the right person to help a magic blessed child. It was a lot of ranting but all he could hear was a whining and bitching about how he was better and more respected than Aurora who was sitting in the corner calmly sipping tea. A couple of others were interested in meeting Evelyn and were offering help, but James was on a roll…an arrogant idiotic one but he wasn’t stopping to give anyone else a chance to talk.

Buck was only listening with half an ear when he heard something that caused his magic to spike violently and all calm to fade. “I’m sorry what,” Buck said interrupting him. He could not have heard things correctly because he had made his opinions on this very clear.

“If you pass me the child I can do a proper reading on her,” he returned reaching for her. Repeating the phrase that made Buck tense further.

“Touch my child and I’ll break your hands,” Buck said with half a growl. The idea of that arrogant idiot touching his precious innocent baby made him ill. “If you read the file, I’ve only been able to let two people touch her and I am not handing over my baby for your curiosity then you’ve got another thing coming.”

Everyone in the room were now sitting up straighter and tense since Buck had not responded so violently to anything and they could feel the magic in the room shift in his anger. “I assure you; your magic will not react poorly. I too am very magically blessed and as such it wont cause any problems,” he said arrogantly reaching towards Evelyn.

Bucks glare caused him to freeze. “Back off,” he warned with a growl and there was no doubt to anyone in the room he’d carry through with his threat. “Or I’ll force you too. Aurora, who is this idiot because hearing him rant is giving me a headache.”

“Excuse me,” he demanded shocked that anyone would dare speak to him like that.

Buck was livid, this showing had annoyed him from the beginning, but this idiot just crossed a line. “I was willing to give this a go because Aurora thought it might be helpful to get a second opinion and to discuss what happened with other experts, but this idiot is an expert?” That question was clearly directed to everyone else in the room.

“I assure you I know what I’m talking about.”

Buck nearly laughed. He was no expert and had no idea what he was talking about. He just liked sounding superior. “You don’t remember me do you,” Buck asked dryly.

Aurora hid a laugh knowing full well he was thinking of their prior meeting. “Excuse me,” James questioned.

“We’ve met before. I believe you called me a lug headed neanderthal and suggested that it was impossible for me to be anywhere near magical enough to need a consultation.”

“Oh,” One of the others said curiously since it was obvious to each of them that he was very magical in nature not that that was the basis for a consultation in any form. Refusing someone a proper consultation was a fireable offence. “Please explain that.”

“Something about how no one with any gifts would wait until they were mid twenties to come to a center and if I didn’t have a file already then clearly, I was exaggerating my gifts. He said I barely read of magic and was wasting his time,” Buck said lightly knowing exactly how that would look to everyone else. He didn’t raise a stink before, and he could have but now this idiot thought he had the right to touch his child. That was not allowed in any form. “Of course, ignoring the fact that while every state has centers, most are underfunded and under appreciated and children from non supportive families have zero recourse in seeking assistance prior to their arrival in a major city. So, I wonder how many people seeking help you’ve sent away.”

He was clearly backtracking now, either remembering the meeting or knowing how it could affect his career. “Well, I had no way of knowing. You should have just stated your gifts if you wanted to be heard.”

“Aren’t you claiming to be able to read someone’s magic,” Buck challenged his tone mocking just as the mans had once been to him. If he could have read magic then, then there was no way he’d have been sent away as no one important. He knew he rated as high on the magic scale. So, he was clearly lying or at least boasting of skills he didn’t possess. “Now, frankly, your right. I don’t have a degree in magic studies. I’m far from an expert. Instead of studying at a school with outdated biased books. I’ve learnt a lot from people. I was taught to recognize and balance my magic from a shaman in Peru. I was taught to feel the magic in the earth in my surroundings by a gifted in Texas. I was taught ways to expand my visions and seek information from the imagery from another seer during my travels. See, I don’t need books. I learnt through life.”

People looked at his statement with interest. He knew what he was boasting. Learning from a shaman and learning to read the magic in the land were both rare but to have experience in both was unheard of. He continued anyways not bothered by the surprise or disbelief. “I know your not gifted and have above average but no shocking amount of magic. Your magically lazy despite claiming your better because your magic feels uncontrolled. Your also arrogant and rude and think your better because of who your connected to. You’re not touching my daughter and the next person who wishes to treat her as if she’s some science experiment or thing to study instead of a baby who didn’t ask for this, I’m going to toss out that window.”

He gaped and sputtered at the threat. “Are you threatening to kill me.”

“No stupid, this is the second story. Its highly unlikely it would kill you. Hurt like hell but it wouldn’t kill you,” Buck returned without hesitation not at all bothered by threatening someone with witnesses. Defending Evelyn was his priority. “Aurora, my baby is not a side show and I won’t allow her to be treated like one.”

“That’s not our intention,” Another person spoke up. “And while you have a unique view into magic, she will be powerful and need guidance you’re not qualified for.”

Buck turned his glare at him, and the man nearly backed up at the intensity of it. Buck rarely used his size to purposely intimidate people, but he cared little in this case. “And you are,” Buck demanded. “On a scale of magical you’re a two out of five with no obvious gifts. Why do you think your capable of guiding my child? And she is mine now. Magic declared it. No, you wish to be connected to her and plan on using her as a show piece of some form but end of the day, she’s an innocent baby who has suffered more then most should in a lifetime. She is going to have a normal life. Magic trusts me with her well being and I’m going to insure she has a nice normal life.”

“She is going to be extraordinary.”

“I don’t care. I care that she’s happy. I care that she’s healthy. I care that she’s safe. I honestly couldn’t care less if she had magic or if she’s extraordinary or gifted. End of the day, happy healthy and safe are the things that matter.”

“And that is why magic has chosen you as her guardian,” one of the silent people said. “Doctor Lucas Bradley. I believe that is in part why, magic has chosen you. That is all anyone would hope for their child and is what she deserves. Too often people, parents especially wish to use their children for the skills they develop. There are even television shows involving ‘raising gifted children’ which is pure exploitation. The fact that you could do the same but are more focused on the well being shows that magic has made a good choice. You have the support of the center as all magical individuals do however, please use it. I’d also at some point wish to discuss your experiences as truthfully it sounds fascinating. And I’d like to see the little princess growing up happy and healthy. I have no doubt with an understanding and supportive parent, she will someday do great things. Not just because magic chose her. Plus, her story…well it will be nice to see someone with such a hard start excel. As you’ve made your disinterest in some of those here clear, why don’t we go to Auroras office and see what sort of help you might need as the adoption was sudden and magic influenced.”

Buck agreed as the four of them, (Evie included) went to the office. He did hear protests from some of the idiots but a number of them gave very stern threatening warnings to them about interfering.

“So, what do you need from us,” Lucas asked as they sat down. “Blunt and to the point.”

“I have a trust fund and contacted a realtor by phone. A car since I think my jeep is still at work,” Buck said since this meeting instantly felt more productive and useful then the nonsense of a few minutes ago. “A car seat for Evie until I can purchase what I need. Possibly a lawyer, to make things go quicker.”

“That we can do,” Lucas said without hesitation. “Anything else?”

“Access to a computer so once I have a house, I can just order things online.”

“Done. What else? We can also have someone go get your vehicle for you no problem.”

Buck was silent thinking it over. He had begun planning. A house, baby things, furniture could wait. He had a bed. He just needed the house. He could rent but it wasn’t always easy, and he wanted something more permanent. He needed a bed for the baby but honestly, clothes, diapers, bottles, a soother, a bed and a car seat were the only immediate needs. The other stuff could come later there was no major rush. “Could…you said I could have someone assist me. If I asked could someone pick up some stuff from a baby store for me. I’d pay for it, but I need a good high end car seat. A crib or a pram of some sort. Some cloths. More diapers. Bottles. Formula. Just the necessities that I will need. I’d feel better if I had my own of those before I’m ready to leave here.”

“I love baby shopping,” Aurora said. “Make a list and I’ll happily get those things for you.”

“Thank you,” Buck said gratefully. “But beyond that I don’t think I need anything specific at the moment.” He waited a moment. “No. I will need to make a will. If something happens to me, I don’t want people like James trying to get access to my daughter or for her to go back to the birth family. So, I need to make sure there is a legal plan.” Who the hell would he put? He didn’t have family he’d trust with a pet let alone his daughter. Maddie maybe but that would mean Doug and that prick isn’t getting anywhere near his precious child. Aurora? Maybe for now. He’d have to think about it.

They quickly began writing a list of what he would need and promised to make it happen.

Chapter Text

Things happened quickly following the making of lists. Once he expressed what they needed a fair few jumped up to make it happen quickly. He got a hold of a real estate agent. Made his demands clear. He wanted a proper family home in a nice area with only a little work needed and someone who wants to settle fast. He wanted it within a week or two. He needed it that fast where possible, but he had the money for the majority and did get a quick agreement to a high amount at the bank for if he needed to pay more so people were very interested in moving quickly with money like that on the line. He wasn’t stupid, money talks and people were falling over themselves to make it happen as quickly as he wanted. It probably helped that the center lawyers were helping. Sometimes he hated being a trust fund baby but in this case, it was extremely useful.

He had seven to view within 24 hours of the call. None were bad options. He did say no to four near immediately though. They just felt off, trying to put it into words was difficult but he could tell they weren’t right. One was because he noticed some stress in the foundation or signs of shitty workmanship that would be a problem in the long term. If he could see it, then it was a danger. As a firefighter some things seemed more important than others to him and the foundation of a building and how it was built was extremely important. One was off because it had no yard. He had a child now. A yard was needed. He wanted to get a play place in the back for when she was older for days the park was not an option, or he was too tired from work, so she didn’t miss out. Hen preached the need of a yard for Denny on exhausting day’s, so it felt important. Growing up, Buck had had a yard but wasn’t really allowed to do anything that would make things look less pristine. He wanted it to be a place his daughter could be able to act wild and free.

He had Aurora who was more then interested in helping him find a place and was willing to drive the two of them around to get a read on an area. Even though the real estate agent was bending over backwards to help, Buck could find faults with every single place on offer. The last one was different, it felt right. It was bigger than he needed. Five bedrooms. The yard was perfect. Everything he could want for his child. It felt better then the smaller places he had been considering and seemed perfect excluding the size. It was huge and it seemed strange that it would instinctually feel right as if some guiding force wanted it. He knew that feeling. The instinctual feeling of going in a direction Magic approved but it didn’t make sense since they didn’t need a home that size.

“You like this one,” Aurora said amused seeing the indecision but also the fact that it was clear he wanted it.

“Its too big,” Buck said before glancing around the place once more it felt right. “Yeah, I really like it though but its just me and Evie. We don’t need five bedrooms.” Some of the others he could buy outright and not need a mortgage, so it seemed like a foolish plan. Impulsive. Something he needed to stop being to an extent as he had a child dependent on him now.

“What about it do you like, is it something you want to replicate in a smaller home or is it a feeling,” Aurora asked.

Buck cringed, being around someone else profoundly magical always felt strange in a way. Especially someone like Aurora who could read him so easily. He couldn’t pretend that it was just a flight of fancy to her since she knew him well enough to know that he was being pushed by something else. “A feeling,” Buck admitted.

“What do you mean, describe it for me. It always helps put things in words.”

Buck hesitated as he tried to realize what about it felt so right. He rarely had to explain to people his feelings, they were just a part of life he often hid so explaining it was never important for him. Finding the words was difficult. “The area appeals to me as a firefighter. No obvious or overt danger signs,” Buck offered. “Its not in a flood zone or a mudslide zone. Its well built clearly with earthquake protections, you can tell that someone put good money into insuring the house was made properly.”

“But that’s not what you mean is it?” She wasn’t stupid. If that was his criteria it was perfect.

“The size feels right to me,” Buck said which read true once he said the words. “But its ridiculously large for just me and Evie,” he said rocking the child. The yard would be perfect as she grew up. There was even an inground pool WITH appropriate protections in it. It would be ideal for a child…or rather a large family. “I’ve typically lived in big houses for like room shares but its just me and Evie. We don’t need five bedrooms.”

“Might not always be or maybe you in the future could rent out the rooms. Its easy enough to do safely even with a young child. But more importantly, does it feel like a compulsion?”

It did, that was the best word for it. He had always trusted feelings before so even if it seemed strange, he’d agree now. “I’ll put in a bid.” He could afford it. He hated the fact and how he was often treated for it, but he did have a trust fund that he got access to at 25. Or rather half at 25 and half at thirty. It was much larger than most people get, his grandmother had given him the same as Maddie for at 25 but more for when he got older since in her words, his parents would never pass on what he deserved. She had always said he should be paid for putting up with them.

The trust fund was enough to buy the house outright at the asking price and still have money left. That was without even counting his own savings which would be taking quite a hit with outfitting a house and buying all the needed baby thing., Now that he would soon have a house, he should start ordering everything a baby would need. He’d get a mortgage for some of the houses asking price even if that would be more money over time. He didn’t like the idea of all his money being in the property. What if they needed something or he needed more time off? Having a child would take time, money and care, especially as the adoption was fairly unique. “You have time to think,” Aurora offered seeing he was deep in thought. No one would blame you for remaining at the center for long periods of time.”
“I would,” Buck countered. Being their made him anxious. He wanted to get settled with his daughter.

“Then what are you thinking about,” Aurora asked.

“If I should get a mortgage or put it all down and have no debt but minimal savings,” Buck admitted finally. “I got preapproved for a large mortgage, but I could pay for it with my trust and savings. I don’t like the idea of not having an emergency nest egg though.”

She nodded seriously, “Want my advice?”

“Always,” Buck returned, he needed some guidance from someone real.

“Savings is always best option in case something happens. Debt sucks but the payments if you put a good down payment won’t be large, it will leave you with more disposable money then paying it straight off6. You make a good-sized paycheck but long term savings is harder to come by.”

He nodded having thought the same but was relieved to have someone who had been around longer having a similar thought. He could definitely put three quarters on and get a mortgage for the rest without a problem since he got preapproval for more then that.
“I think, we can get you with a financial rep, get it approved before any final decisions.”

“I want this house; I’m putting in a bid.”

She didn’t question him just agreed.

It took 24 hours before it was approved and in 48 hours, he could move in. Things went quickly when you had center lawyers working behind the scenes. His roommates agreed to move his bed and all his things. He didn’t have much to hide so it was no problem for them to pack it up. One of them had been wanting their brother to move in, and someone less of a nag.

That fact had felt insulting. He was a nag? They were also idiots who almost burnt the place down twice, so it was best for everyone. He had a feeling without the house ‘nag’ around, it was likely that they would succeed but it was no longer his problem. Aurora had gotten the baby things shipped and he ordered some necessities. It came with a full kitchen, so he didn’t need a fridge or a stove. He just needed food which he could get later and utensils for cooking. He did get some of his from the house, so he had enough for the beginning. It took an extra two days for power and hydro to be hooked up but a week and a half after coming into custody of his daughter, he was now moved into a house.

It was beyond fast but also so slow. They drew a lot of attention and even though the worst center offenders were removed, a few of the quieter ones were becoming an annoyance. Getting his daughter away from that was important to him. They were beyond helpful, but she deserved privacy and honestly, he did too. Suddenly his ‘gifts’ were intriguing and they wanted further documentation of it. This was something he wouldn’t allow. He worked with Aurora and Lucas who seemed to keep a respectful distance. The others he didn’t truly trust.
/p>

Chapter Text

Once he was no longer staying at the center, Hen asked to come see him and his new place. He was a bit hesitant but out of everyone to ask, he trusted her the most. There was still some uncomfortable distance between himself and his team, but she fell into the most comforting to him. On the other end of the scale was people like chimney who would rag on him for the trust fund. He had been happy never to touch that money, but things happened. He was grateful to have it and knew it was a blessing since it allowed him a lot of independence from the center. Something that felt important to him. Still, it was still uncomfortable with how some people would view him once it was known and he didn’t have the time nor patience to deal with that at the moment.

Hen was a bit more distant with the majority of jokes and would be a good testing point on how people would react, so he invited her over. She was obviously a bit surprised by the place as she viewed it wide eyed. The shock was likely about the size as it was much bigger than she had expected. It was a nice home in a wealthier than average neighborhood with a big yard in LA. She knew it would have to cost a fortune. “I know you said you had savings, but this is…wow Buckaroo,” she offered him.

It wasn’t completely judgmental but questioning. He knew the question would come up. “Um, I don’t like talking about it and I don’t want it out at work, but I know I mentioned a trust fund,” Buck admitted watching her carefully to see any reaction she might have. “My grandparents were fairly wealthy, almost to the point of obscenely wealthy. I never knew my grandfather really; he died when I was like ten. But my grandmother left everything to her grandchildren in there trusts which became accessible at 25. Which for me was two months ago. I don’t really like to mention it because people can be weird so I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet on it.”

“Don’t worry, its safe with me,” Hen promised understanding since there had been accusations before of him being some sort of trust fund brat. If they knew it was actually true, well she’d wish that hazing on no one. She didn’t quite understand why someone with a clearly large trust fund would choose such a difficult and dangerous job but then again, Buck confused her most days. “Empty though,” she said noticing that he had very little stuff. A couch and a pack in play. No tv as of yet. No tables or anything else in the living room. Beyond the lack of furniture, it was the lack of things. She didn’t see boxes of anything. Considering the cluttered mess her place could be she found it confusing.

He laughed realizing what she meant, “I lived in a room share. Figure I could take my time and fill it up. No point in rushing that. I just needed a house, and I got all the necessities for Evie so I’m taking a few days to breath before I worry about anything else.”

That she could understand since everything seemed to be going at super speed and she wasn’t even stuck in the middle of it. “No kidding, it’s been two weeks and you have everything done, that’s…”

“I had help,” Buck stated seriously.

She knew she couldn’t understand and had little knowledge of the center. She hadn’t even known this was something they were willing to help with, so she had to just shrug it off and accept that answer. “So, what’s your plan after your eight weeks,” Hen asked curiously taking a seat.

Buck cringed since that was super complicated in ways she probably didn’t understand. Getting a house was shockingly the easy part. Now he had bigger things to worry about, “I’m not sure,” he admitted wishing that he had even a slight plan for it. Normally he was happy to go with the flow of things but right now, the lack of surety was something that was making him tense. “Um, I sort of can’t leave the room without her.”

It took the words a minute to make sense to Hen. “What?”

“I don’t know its…I was told its fairly normal for the bond,” he admitted. “But also new parent anxiety too. But yeah, we get very very fussy when we aren’t together. Don’t, we sweet girl?” She cooed up at him adorably realizing she was being spoken to. “I also haven’t been able to let many people touch or hold her. Showering’s been a bitch so I got one of those seats so I can take her around with me but yeah. I need to get her a Nanny or a sitter for the hours I work since daycare wont work with our hours but I’m not good with letting others near her yet.”

“And that’s the bond,” Hen said unsure.

“Aurora mentioned it wasn’t an unusual side effect of the chaotic magic. Once it settles it will be easier but a part of it is, I’m her protector. Right now, she is 100% vulnerable. She can’t do anything for herself and is entirely dependent on me to protect her. That’s making me a bit overprotective. Poor kids going to need therapy for my helicopter parenting.” While it was said as a joke it clearly wasn’t one. Buck had no idea how long it would last and was making any planning extremely difficult.

“I suppose that isn’t too unusual, besides the magical influence bits,” Hen said though she wasn’t sure what she really thought about it. Magic seemed so foreign to her that she couldn’t really wrap her head around things. “When we adopted Denny, it was rough at times. Never knowing who we could trust. Especially since adoptions a bit different and instead of being able to enjoy the whole, I’m suddenly a parent, there is legal things you need to deal with and the birth family and other worries that if you just have a kid you don’t need to worry as much about.”

Buck let out a breath of relief since she wasn’t wrong. He knew no one could take her from him but that anxiety was still there. He was terrified that the girl’s family or the father or his family would come hunting for his baby. They had no more legal rights, but just because he knew that it didn’t take the anxiety away from him. “Thank you that’s exactly it. I know that I have full legal rights to her now. They made sure of that. And like no one messes with magical adoptions at all but I think a part of me is sort of worried that someone will come out of nowhere and snatch her from me and decide everything is a mistake. It might only have been two weeks, but I love her so much it actually scares me.”

A part of Hen wanted to coo at him. She knew Buck had it in him but seeing him take the role so seriously, it was shocking to see him grow up so fast. “Karen and I spent months worrying about Denny’s dad. Eva swore she didn’t know who it was, but our adoption could have been called into question if he came forward. Is that a worry with…I mean I know they said it was concrete adoption but what about the baby’s other family do they have any rights?”

“The centers been working with the police to investigate, and I’ve been told that a restraining order is likely,” Buck said.

“Your being kept up to date with it,” she said shocked as Buck nodded. She supposes it made some sense, but even Athena hadn’t had any information on what was going on with things. It had gone above her head and they were all ordered silent. That extra demand of secrecy made her even more curious. “Okay kid. Share the details because its definitely one of those cases that’s going to stick for a long time even if you didn’t have the baby. What’s the facts.”

He had been given all information as they found it out so responding was easy. He wasn’t bound to any rights of privacy though any talk about the baby was to be private with the LAFD’s ruling so telling her was fairly safe even if she has a history of being a gossip. “So, it was consensual. The baby dad wants nothing to do with her. He is just a typical 17-year-old douchbag of a kid who’s the fuck’em and leave ‘em sort. Cheated on her with her best friend.”

Hen cringed, high school was rough. To a teenager that would feel like the end of the world. “Ouch. Still not a reason to kill your own baby but damn that’s cold.”

“She’s far from innocent because there was a question of which guy was the dad,” Buck admitted not one to slut shame anyone but if she didn’t know it meant she cheated as well which made her a hypocrite for being angry, he cheated. He didn’t remember high school being so complicated. “I feel a bit bad for her. Her parents aren’t exactly the best parents. In and out of jail for drugs and domestic violence, drunk and disorderly, though no history of abuse. She just didn’t want the baby. Hated it because of the guy and tried to get rid of it. She wasn’t a scared kid in over her head. She was calculated. No one had to know in her mind or at least that’s the way it sounded. No one had to know she was ever pregnant and its not like babies had feelings.” Having heard that sent Buck near feral. The sort of callousness to think such a thing coming from such a young girl. It was horrifying.

Buck took a breath continuing since if he thought too much on that statement he might go after her and he was better then that. “The parents wanted the baby until magic was mentioned and then they were very they don’t want a demon child. Custody was always with me no matter what was found but their quick switch means that they won’t be given any form of visitation or connections. They don’t get my name and all legal rights were severed as soon as demon freak child was uttered. Luckily, California is very strong in protection for magically gifted children against obvious potential hate crimes. So, they won’t get near her.”

“Damn,” Hen said shocked unable to believe that they knew all that already and the reaction of the family. She didn’t understand magic but that was harsh. “How are you doing though. Beyond all that?”

“I love her so much,” Buck admitted glad for the subject change since the girl’s family still pissed him off. “I mean I didn’t know it was possible to love anyone this much Hen, this quickly but I do.”

“Is that like parental or something with the magic.”

It took a second to understand what she was asking as she sounded concerned. “Oh the magic can’t force feelings of love,” Buck said waving it off. “Protective feelings sure. But love no. It can’t influence you like that. I just love her. She is just so perfect. And she’s mine and I just…I didn’t think being a parent would feel like this. Like I thought love sort of would take time, but I just love her.”

Hen nodded smiling at him. “I think I loved Denny the moment he was placed in my arms,” Hen admitted thinking back to the first moment she held her son. “The feeling definitely scared me. Because the idea that I could lose him before the adoption was finalized terrified me. Karen was more hesitant since his birth mother is my ex and we really weren’t together that long, by we I mean me and Karen when we adopted him.”

“I can see why she’d be hesitant,” Buck admitted.

Hen gave him a surprised look since she hadn’t expected the comment. “What?”

“I mean, he sort of ties you to your ex and clean breaks are nice. Clearly that hesitance didn’t last long but I’d be worried about baby trapping…” this got him another surprised look. “Um, one of my friends in school, his ex got knocked up to baby trap him. They hooked up again at a party and she poked wholes in the condom. In her words, so he would have to be in her life and couldn’t really move on. People use kids for all sorts of reasons. I thought that was fucking cold when I found out and I always made sure to use my own condoms not one a girl offered because no one wants to be stuck to someone that crazy. Your situations obviously different but I can see why she’d be hesitant but I’m glad you guys adopted Denny. He is a cool kid and you both clearly adore him. Like he’s a super happy kid who loves his moms. Better then ending up somewhere else.”

Any compliment to her precious son melted her. “He is our world.”

“Your ex…she’s not in your lives or his at all is she? I’ve not heard you mention her.”

“She’s in jail, drugs.”

Buck cringed, “then you guys taking in Denny is absolutely the best. Otherwise, foster care which is awful.”

She hesitated because honestly, they knew so little about Buck before he came to LA excluding his previous jobs, they hadn’t ever asked if he had family. “Were you in foster care?”

“Oh no, god, no. But I had friends who’ve been in the system and had terrible times,” Buck said bluntly. Sometimes he thought he would have been better off in the foster system then stuck with his parents but he also knew magical children’s experiences often were worse than a mundane child’s when left in care. “Sorry about your ex. Even if you’ve moved on, having someone you once loved…well go like that’s awful. Drugs are horrible, seeing what they can do to people is awful.”

“They really are,” Hen agreed. “It gave me good reason to be more careful especially on the job.”

“My medical files are very clear, no narcotics,” Buck said before getting a look. “Um, drugs and magical abilities don’t tend to mix well. Its extremely dangerous to give a precog narcotics or any medications that can cause hallucinations and anyone who goes through the center with those sorts of gifts get like a list of drugs we need to avoid.”

She had never heard anything of that sort, and it scared her. If he had been injured badly and needed transportation, she would have had no idea he had restricted drugs. “That…I want that list,” Hen said. They had been taught nothing about that which made her anxious. “As the team paramedic I need that list.”

Buck nodded, “I will. Its not deadly or anything. I get it, I will be fine. It just messes with my magic and you can’t really tell hallucinations over visions so that can be a right mess if you think what your seeing is very real.”

“That would be trippy,” She offered. “I had no idea about drug issues. Is it that way for all magically gifted? We weren’t taught anything.”

“Most have warnings in their medical records,” Buck offered her. “Its rarely lethal but for a lot of people its more just uncomfortable. Since when ambulances are called, they are often conscious to say no to drugs or unconscious, so you’d probably not know they were magical, its probably not typically spoken about in training. I’ll get you the list though if it makes you feel better.”

“It will,” she said seriously hating the fact that her knowledge was lacking in such an important area. “So, you’re thinking a nanny?”

Buck acknowledged the subject change and went with it. “With our hours a nanny position would be best. Daycare doesn’t make much sense and a babysitter isn’t a good option for that number of hours and pretty much falls under a nanny position, doesn’t it?”

She couldn’t deny that fact. “Its going to be expensive.” She cringed realizing how that could sound, “which wasn’t a dig on the trust fund.”

Buck wasn’t offended and nodded since he knew it would be costly. “It will take a hit on my finances but won’t be undoable with my salary,” Buck offered. “The center is vetting people for me to have meetings with.”

“They do that?” It was another area she had no idea that the center handled. Since when did they vet babysitters or nannies?

“Vetting people who have a history of anti magic rhetoric is one of there jobs,” Buck returned seriously. He had once discussed it thoroughly with Aurora since he had been confused about the same thing. It seemed like such a weird area for the center to work with. “They vet a lot of traditional help sources, schools, nanny’s, doctors, hospitals, dentists. So, they have lists for people they can recommend for helping others in a variety of fields especially in relation to children. It’s a way they ensure there is less malpractice or neglect since historically, magical children were treated like outsiders and freaks. Its part of their mandate. They also have blacklists. Places that any respectable magical individual wont step foot in because they are sure to be treated second class to mundanes.”

Hen was shocked. She hadn’t realized any of this and hated being so behind in such a large area. “That’s good to know. I had no idea they did so much for people.”

“Most people who aren’t involved aren’t aware of it,” Buck returned unbothered by her lack of knowledge. “Hell, most magically gifted don’t have a clue everything that’s offered. LA is a bit of a metropolis for magicals as their centers amazing. They work hard to cover a lot of areas. But enough about me,” Buck said seriously. “How’s things at the station.”

They fell easily into a much simpler conversation which Hen was grateful for. Her mind was still reeling from all the information she had been given.<

Chapter Text

There was nothing wrong with the first five people, that Buck met for the Nanny position. He just didn’t feel comfortable leaving Evie with them. To be honest he couldn’t even bring himself to let them touch her which was a huge deal. There was nothing obviously wrong with them, but he was just uncomfortable with a stranger near his kid. The sixth turned him off so strongly that he put in a complaint through Aurora that she shouldn’t be recommended to anyone and that the center should investigate her. He didn’t have a particular reason for the dislike but clearly something in the situation was wrong. The seventh and eighth were fine but once again, he couldn’t bring himself to let any of them hold Evie. Right now, he had managed Aurora, Lucas and Hen holding Evie. The doctor out of pure necessity but they were the only ones he could let himself trust.

It was starting to look hopeless for him returning to work and a normal life which he admitted to Aurora as they decided to meet to discuss the next group on the list. “Perhaps we are going about this the wrong way,” Aurora offered seeing Bucks distrust being a bit of a problem. “A nanny might not be what we are looking for.”

“And there are other options?” Daycare wasn’t an option with his hours and truthfully, there was still concerns about her maybe being too fragile for lots of contact. Both with her magic and her traumatic birth experience. “Because right now I don’t know how I can go back to work.”

“She has special needs. Because of the magic but she’s also a newborn who went through a traumatic birth. She is still beneath weight, and I know there are future concerns about her health being impacted by her birth. Perhaps choosing a different form of care would work better. Someone who is better trained and perhaps magically gifted would make you and her more comfortable. While these…with the exception of Louisa have no real history of problems and are okay, perhaps having someone more in tuned with magic would make you trust them. Mostly so far, we have a few individuals who have magic but they aren’t extremely stable or well trained.”

“And you have someone who hits that qualification,” Buck questioned. “Since that’s a big ask. Someone trained to work with premature babies, work odd hours, stable with magic. This is a lot of requests for a job.”

“I can think of a few. I can set up meetings to see if you hit it off with any of them.”

“If they aren’t traditional nanny's, what exactly do they do?” He couldn’t think of any other options besides nanny's and daycare workers.

“Ones a home health aid…”

Buck glanced at his baby who was sleeping in the car seat on the floor. “She doesn’t need a home health aid though. That’s like a home nurse, right? People who work with the elderly or extremely sick so they can live at home. She’s neither of them.”

“Carla specializes with pediatrics though I believe she only has one full time client whose an adult with Alzheimer’s. She’s above average in magic so is trained to help children with chaotic and unstable magics and has worked closely with the center in the past.”

“But we wouldn’t qualify for a home health aid. She’d be way overqualified to take care of Evie. Don’t you need like legitimate health concerns to qualify.”

“Yes and no. Evie has legitimate health concerns that make traditional childcare not work. Even though her health is a concern until we can see how her traumatic birth affects her, her magic can be considered a qualifier. She needs someone adapt to magic to be sure she gets the care needed. A completely mundane caretaker is not an option since she might exhibit some strange characteristics depending on how her magic comes in. You need special concerns to qualify for financial aid for a full-time home health aid. With your financial stability that’s not a large concern though the center could definitely give aid as it has become apparent that its needed. Even though her home health care skills may not be needed for her care, she has a calming presence that I think would be a good fit.”

It sounded like a good option, and he was already leaning towards feeling like it was a correct course of action. “What about the other two?”

She gave him a brief description of them though the first mentioned definitely seemed like the right way to go. He agreed to meet with them all since he really didn’t have many options left. He was still curious about why someone with her skill set would agree to what was essentially a Nanny position. “So, I got to ask, why did you agree to meet me,” Buck asked once introductions were finished. He had best get the blunt questions out of the way. “Because your way overqualified for what is being asked of this position.”

She laughed a bit startled by the question. “As a favor to Aurora,” she said easily. “Now why are you thinking a home health aid for your sweet little princess there?”

“I don’t know,” Buck admitted. “A part of me is worried about any traditional nanny services, she’s extremely premature and had a really traumatic birth experience but overall, she is healthy. She does have some special feeding and special formula since she didn’t take the other one well. She’s healthy…very for her experience but is very small still. Its more…” He didn’t know how to explain it.

“Now is this a paranoid parent worry or something more,” Carla asked curiously. “Both is acceptable, but it feels like its something beyond health concerns that’s worrying you.”

“Something more,” Buck admitted finding that he was already more comfortable with her then he had been with any of the potential nanny’s he’s interviewed. “Your very easy to talk to.”

She gave him an easy smile, “well that’s good to hear. But what seems to be the problem sugar.”

“Evie’s adopted…magically. Have you ever heard of a magical protection adoption?”

She went silent for a moment, and it was very clear she knew exactly what it was. Buck was pleased that he wouldn’t be starting at zero information. He was getting tired of explaining what it was. “Well sugar, that’s awful, who would hurt a little angel like that? No wonder you’re a bit more paranoid then most.” That was instantly a nicer reaction. Most people got awestruck by the power they tended to have and ignored the reasons why the adoption was needed.

“I wish it was paranoia,” Buck said before stopping for a moment. “Just paranoia since I admit part of it is paranoia. I’ve interviewed eight nanny’s and you’re my second alternate potential child-care interviews. The last one was brief since they weren’t bad or anything, but they didn’t feel like a good fit. I’ve managed to let three people hold her without much stress from either of us. The doctors’ checks are hell because I don’t trust that man as far as Evie here could toss him. I mean he is a great doctor, great reviews but trusting anyone near her is very foreign. I’m having trouble due to the bond.”

“Ahh, I think I know why Aurora thought I would be a good fit. I have experience working with magically sensitive children. I won’t give names or identifying features, but I worked with a child whom, because of her magic wasn’t a fit for traditional childcare options. She had strong sensitivity to magic which caused her issues with crowds, so daycares were out. She had trouble connecting with people because some through off her sensitivity. Most children with strong magic are empathetic on some level.” That had been the worst growing up but something he was well versed in and knew that Evie was definitely sensitive to how others felt. “Or very strict on boundaries out of necessity. This was before I was a home health aid. I volunteered at the center with some of the meditative groups. Her parents weren’t very aware of how to help her, so I was assigned to work closer with her as I was comfortable in various techniques to help control or stabilize your magic. It allowed her to learn how to better function. My position was more of a nanny at that time. Do you know if its your distress, her distress, the bond, or both that’s causing the issues?”

Buck thought the question over. “I think it’s a mixture. She gets incredibly distressed when she is in contact with other people. But I do think that part of the reason she doesn’t near the few I’ve managed to be more open with their contact is because I trust them, so she is reading into my feelings. Lucas and Aurora both have incredibly calming presences, and their magic might help but Hen is very low to no magic however I trust her.”

“That makes sense,” she said. “I’m not sure about the little ladies’ experiences. Children of that age don’t retain many memories but its still short term. Do you mind me asking about her experience. Maybe a better understanding of the situation can help us figure out what we can do to make this more comfortable for you both.”

“Her mother, put her in a pipe and left her to die,” Buck said causing her to freeze. “When I saw the mother after the bond. She just seemed like a black whole of hate and disgust, and it was all targeted towards Evie. So, her first experiences in life, was traumatic.”

“And her first experiences with people, as a magically gifted child that sense memory may be influencing her comfort.”

Buck nodded, “That’s part of what Aurora and I think as well.”

“I do want to help, and I don’t mind taking a caretaker role in this or just helping with her over time,” Carla said. “Or until the bond settles. But I think the best way of you getting a nanny or caretaker is taking time to get to know them so perhaps she can feed off your trust of them.”

“Not many want to take that time for a job they aren’t sure if they are going to get,” Buck pointed out.

“Then their loss sugar,” She returned. “If they aren’t willing to put in that effort, then they aren’t in the right position to be her nanny.”

Okay, Aurora for the win. He really liked Carla. “Would you be willing to, because I can already tell you know your stuff and though you are way overqualified, I could see it working out for us,” Buck admitted.

“You mean spending time with a gorgeous younger man and his sweet princess, well my husbands going to be awful jealous, but I think that’s a great time,” she said causing Buck to grin. “How are you doing though. Seems like a lot of changes in your life really fast. How old is the little angel?”

“Five weeks,” Buck said. “I have three more weeks of paternity leave, but I already told my boss I’m going to be taking two more. Since…well the magical adoption thing happened at work they are being very accommodating. It’s a lot of changes considering I am single and used to live in a room share, but they are good changes. I don’t regret any part of it but I’m just trying to do the right thing for her.”

“Babies, they come in and completely change your world don’t they,” she said chuckling.

“Do you have children Carla?”

“A son,” she said easily. “He is 25 now. Enjoy these moments, they grow up too damn fast. I swear last time I looked he was only two years old.”

“Huh, we are the same age,” buck said surprised. “Should we talk about hours and things before hand, just to make sure its viable…if not I’m still taking you up on hanging out since I think your awesome.”

“Flirt,” she said as he grinned. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a firefighter,” buck said. “So, I usually work 56 hours a week which I know is a lot. Right now, I’m not sure if I’m going automatically back to full hours or…working up to that. Usually split into 12 hours, 24 hours or 8-hour shifts. So, overnights happen.”

“Now the good thing is, I’m used to strange hours. Right now, my main client is an older woman with Alzheimer’s whose daughter works at dispatch. So, I work with her hours, but she has other home health aids as well since her care is subsidized by the city. I’m not sure if there are grants you can get but I can look into it.”

“I’m well…inherited money from my grandparents and its enough that paying for good childcare is possible,” Buck said.

“Okay so we can work with those hours. We might need to work around some things but at the very least until your potentially comfortable with others it is very easy to do.”

Buck let out a breath of relief. “Carla, how many proposals do you get a day because you are a goddess.”

HHHH Page Break HHHH

“So,” Aurora asked curiously before Buck even sat down in her office. Her question made him near laugh. She was so sure of herself Buck almost wanted to say it went badly but honestly, he found he already adored Carla and she was definitely a good choice.

“Smug are you," Buck questioned getting a smirk. "Fine, you were right. Carla is a goddess and I think she is someone I could see myself trusting with Evie. We talked about it and we are going to meet in a few different settings so I can get to know her and see if Evie takes well to her but she is obviously ideal even if way over qualified.”

Aurora gave him a relieved and smug expression. “I’m so glad you feel comfortable with her. That’s a huge step. Do you still want to meet the third individual?”

Buck was silent for a moment thinking it over. “Yes, purely if maybe I need two people to work the hours out better. It might help me look a bit clearer into what I need too. Honestly though, she feels right.”

“And you should always trust those feelings,” Aurora said fondly. “Do you feel like meeting her helped your anxiety over going back to work a bit?”

“100%,” Buck agreed. “I’m still not ready but her understanding of the adoption and the bond helped a great deal. She seemed super accepting and willing to go the extra mile to help me even without the job. I think she’ll definitely be a good friend someday and honestly a huge help. She feels profoundly magical even though maybe not gifted. Just with a deep understanding and respect. Does that sound right?”

“It does.”

“I feel like that is a sort of environment I want for her. Someone understanding. She didn’t tell me congratulations or how amazing and exciting the adoption was. She was sorry that Evie had to be in such a situation that it was needed.”

Aurora nodded understandingly. “Peoples reaction to it seems to be a driving force on your acceptance of them.”

“People who only look for what it means are people who will probably exploit it. People who really understand what it means are more respectful and know to keep their distance. I love my daughter. Every part of her is perfect. I’d never want her to have experienced what she did even if it led me to being in her life. It just feels wrong to be crazy excited over it when the reasons for her adoption are negative. She experienced something so awful. She’ll have to live with that knowledge her entire life even if she doesn’t remember it. She’ll know her mother threw her away and her birth father wanted nothing to do with her. I can’t hide it from her because that would be betraying her if I lie, and she has questions. Plus, most magical are amazing lie detectors especially as children.”

“A built-in defense against being manipulated and used. Not always affective but a large boost for protection. She will also know how much you love her and want her.”

“Parental hatred is scarring Aurora,” Buck said seriously thinking of his own. “That knowledge that the two people in the world who are supposed to love you unconditionally and without reservation, hate you or don’t care about you is something that affects you your entire life.”

Aurora gave his hand a squeeze gently. “Then you must love her more for it,” she said seriously. “But her daddy does love her Buck. She’ll be raised with you not them. She will grow up loving herself because you love her. They will just be a page in her book. Not even worthy of a full chapter. It will be different then what you experienced because you grew up with them and had to feel that dislike, the lack of care in everything. She has you in her corner and that will make all the difference.”

Buck cringed but nodded. “I’m really fucking scared I’m going to screw up Aurora,” Buck admitted.

“You will,” Aurora said bluntly. “Every parent makes mistakes, but you will love her. That’s enough. After all, its more then you got, isn’t it? Frankly you turned out good despite them.”

Buck nodded glancing at his daughter. “So, are you sure you’re a witch doctor not a mind healer?”

“Brat,” She returned with a laugh as he grinned at her. “Mental stability and understanding are key to stable magic. So, I’m both as you damn well know. More importantly, I am also your friend.”

“I’m really glad you decided to stop me from leaving the center alone that day. Otherwise, I might be stuck working with some idiot like James.”

“No, you would have gotten annoyed five minutes in and told him to take a hike either way.”

Chapter Text

Buck appreciated the fact that Carla was willing to meet with him outside of the original interview since the more he got to know her, the more he began trusting her. This was the fourth meeting, and he was even able to let her hold Evie for a moment showing that the tactic worked fairly well. It took Evie a moment to settle into the new persons arms, but she handled it better then normally which was a huge relief. Leaving his daughter with the home health aid was still not an option but they were working up to that. At this point in time, it actually felt like a possibility.

While the meeting was a lot to handle, he still had to stop by the station with his daughter since he needed to talk to Bobby and fill out some paperwork. It made sense since he was already out of the house to do so now rather then later. Getting her ready for the outside world and psyching himself up to leave was a process so it was better to do as much as possibly at once. Luckily when he arrived, they weren’t out on a call. “Oh. she’s gotten so big,” Hen said amazed seeing her. “Damn Buckaroo, she’s adorable.”

“Seven weeks old,” Buck said grinning. He kept a bit of a distance with his daughter from the team and didn’t make any attempt to allow her closer to the those who were interested in the arrival. “And seven pounds. She’s almost doubled her birth weight.”

Hen made sure not to touch her having been told how hard it was for Buck to allow, but she did give Buck a quick side hug. “That’s fantastic. It seems tiny but doubling her birth weight is a good thing right?”

She had been a preemie and very beneath weight so the fact she doubled the weight in the first month had the doctors at the center pleased with her progress. “Yeah, she’s actually doing fantastic. We had a quick appointment the other day and they are extremely happy with her size,” Buck said pleased. He had been worried about the appointment, but she seemed to be doing good which was a relief. “She’s still super small for a baby almost two months old but they said that she’s progressing enough they aren’t worried.”

“Now what brings you this way, I’m sure we didn’t ask for recruits even if she’s the cutest,” Hen returned.

“I need to talk with Bobby and sign some paperwork,” Buck returned as Evie made a bit of a squawk at the strange noises. “Hey now sweetheart,” he said setting down her car seat and pulling her out. She calmed instantly though she did look around with wide eyed. “There we go sweet girl.”

“Damn Buckley, she’s adorable,” Mouse said coming over. “So tiny though.”

“That might be because she’s being held by a man whose arms are bigger than our heads,” Daisy offered.

Buck laughed, god he missed his team. It had been far too long since he popped around to see them. “Does that mean you have a small head,” Buck asked.

“Ass.”

“Language Daisy Duck. We have a baby present,” Mouse said causing her to punch his shoulder.

Buck laughed. “Hey kid,” Bobby said coming down. “You want to come up and sign the paperwork before we get a call?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Buck said rocking Evie who looked towards the voice.

“Nooo. You can’t take away the baby,” Daisy protested. “Baby Bobby.”

“Paperwork Daisy,” he returned easily. “Which actually you’re a bit behind on yours.”

This caused everyone else to laugh as she pouted. “Damn,” She muttered as Buck followed his captain to his office making Evie wave to them.

Bobby closed the door going to his seat as Buck got settled. “Okay, so first nosy questions then we will worry about paperwork. How’s it going Buck?”

“Good,” Buck said seriously. “I really like being a dad.”

It was easy to see that he was settled in a way that he hadn’t been before the adoption. “So, I know a week ago you said you weren’t sure of your plans and were trying different childcare options. Any luck on that?” The entire situation was strange, and Bobby didn’t really know what he was allowed to ask as his captain since those with magic were protected in various ways. The entire situation was difficult to manage, and he couldn’t wrap his head around the particular needs in this case though he was trying.

“I think I found someone I trust with Evie,” Buck admitted. It felt good to say it out loud. “I actually managed to let her hold her which is huge.”

Let her hold her? Bobby couldn’t help but be slightly confused with that statement and it clearly showed on his face. “The protecting part of the bond is pretty high strung at the moment,” Buck admitted. “Or maybe I’m high strung. I’ve managed to let a couple people hold her for short times but find it really uncomfortable. Children high in magic are really sensitive. Not in a bad way or anything. Its more that they can sort of feed off of the people around them. So, I’m working on it.”

“I won’t pretend to understand it,” Bobby admitted. “But is there anything I can help you with?”

Luckily Buck didn’t expect anyone to be able to understand the situation who wasn’t entrenched in it though he was glad Bobby was willing to try. “Not really,” Buck admitted. “I found someone who is very overqualified for childcare but willing to take the position, I’ve begun trusting her enough that I think its going to work out. We have a trial coming up in a couple days. Me leaving her with Evie to see how it goes. If it works, I was thinking of after the ten weeks coming back to work. I was wondering if I can come back partially instead of at full hours for a few months. I don’t think I could do 24 hours away from her right now. I honestly don’t think the bond would let us even if my anxiety and hers did.”

“So back on partial hours.”

“I know I mentioned it before but is that something that’s an option? Just for a few months until things are more settled?”

Bobby nodded glad that this part he could understand. A lot of new parents came back on modified hours and that was something he could work out for him, “Relax,” he said. “So what hours are you thinking? We can make it work. Its not an unheard-of request for new parents to slowly reintegrate into work. Not to mention this is a unique circumstance. We can use floaters during the times you can’t work. What hours are you thinking about?”

“Eight-hour shifts. I can even do up to five a week,” Buck said seriously. “It’s the away from home for longer periods that might cause me some issues. I want it to work out, but I just need to see how she handles staying with Carla.”

“Absolutely,” Bobby agreed glancing at the child who was near asleep in Bucks arms. “She seems really calm right now. Is she a quiet baby?”

“Yeah, she’s really good with it,” Buck said. “I actually have to wake her up for feedings not the other way around. I need to feed her every two hours to help with weight gain and she tries to sleep
through it.”

“Fatherhoods a good look on you kid,” Bobby said seriously grabbing the paperwork.

“W-would you mind holding her while I fill this out,” Buck asked before he could stop himself.

Bobby froze startled, “I thought you said that you didn’t like people holding her.”

“I’m working on it,” Buck said honestly. Bobby was one of the few people he felt comfortable with, and he had a feeling he’d manage to let him hold Evie. “I think…I think it will work out.” He carefully handed Bobby the baby who cried for a moment before settling as Bobby looked at her with amazement. Buck took a step back with a shaky breath before realizing that he was pretty comfortable with it going this way. Carla and Aurora were right. His comfort with the person made a huge difference in his ability to trust them holding his daughter. His magic wasn’t spiking violently at Bobby holding her meaning it was definitely the right choice. “Huh,” Buck said pleased.

“God Buck, she’s perfect,” Bobby said amazed. “Hi there sweetheart, you’re a little heartbreaker, aren’t you? Your daddy must have his hands full with you. You’re going to make him go grey once you’re a bit older. He’ll get to use that axe and chase away the boys. Maybe girls too. Who knows.”

Buck grinned taking his phone out snapping a picture of them. Bobby was so entranced he didn’t even notice.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Today was the day he was going to try to let Carla keep Evie alone. It was a big day and his return-to-work sort of depended on whether or not he could manage this. Even a short time now would be a huge change and a move forward. He needed it to work even as he really didn’t want to try.
Having seen him fighting instincts to do this Carla stopped his pacing. “We can wait to do this Buckaroo. There is no rush if you need more time.”

“I don’t have time though,” Buck admitted. “I need to go back to work. They won’t hold my position for me forever and I am already getting accommodations most don’t. I don’t want this to be a thing. He already had more weeks leave then most parents and Bobby was working at giving him modified hours which not only affected his shift but B and C. He didn’t like exceptions being made for his magic. In this case it was necessary, but he still struggled with the idea of it.

“This is a unique situation,” Carla said. “Forcing yourself will hurt you more then anyone else. If your magic is saying your not ready, we can’t push it.”

Buck took a breath sitting. “I know you wouldn’t hurt Evie or anyone. I know I can trust you,” Buck stated.

“I’m not offended by your unease. You and Aurora explained things to me pretty thoroughly. I’m not bothered if you’re not ready, but which part are you struggling with? If I was Aurora, would you still be struggling if so that means we need to spend a bit more time preparing or is it the idea of being away from Evie entirely that’s the issue?”

It took a minute to think and focus on his feelings since it felt complicated. “Leaving her entirely,” Buck said finally. “Its not because of you, you being here and the one I leave her with isn’t the issue. Its just being away from her.”

“Does it feel like a magical pull,” Carla questioned. “Like your magic forcing you to stay or is it more mental and you second guessing yourself?”

“The second I think,” Buck admitted after another moments thought.

Carla nodded, “Talk it over with me. What’s your concerns here? What are you afraid of happening that’s stopping you? Talking it out might help you through that block.”

“I’m afraid this isn’t going to work, and I’ll get halfway there, and magic will reject the idea strongly,” Buck admitted. “Or being away from her will cause her magic to react badly because she’s stabilizing off of me. I’m worried that if this goes badly, what it would mean for us long term. A lot of things are riding on this working. The bonds studied but its not fully known and all react differently. I’m worried that I can’t meet the needs of it to both of our detriment.”

“That’s a lot of worries,” Carla acknowledged. “Very valid ones too. Especially as we don’t know a lot about this bond. I can’t help with any of them because I don’t know how magic will react. I can promise that if she has any strange reactions or gets overly upset, I will make sure your back quickly and maybe a shorter trip will help us test those boundaries.”

Saying what was going through his head helped. “I can do this?”

“Of course you can,” Carla said.

Buck kissed Evie and promised to be back, thanking Carla for dealing with his antics and got into the jeep. It took him a moment to get the car started but he kept going even if every part of him wanted to turn back. He was only going to be gone half an hour. He drove to the grocery store and was so antsi he was pretty sure he was making the poor cashier antsy. He bought baby formula, diapers, milk, eggs…just the basics that he could grab quickly and that would make the trip worthwhile.

His magic didn’t push him to turn around though it did feel like it was seeking her out in a way he couldn’t quite explain. It still didn’t hurt him in any way and Carla didn’t contact him, so he hoped that Evie was okay. Once he got in the vehicle to turn back home a lot of the anxiety faded. It was really tough to do but he did it. He managed to leave his daughter with someone and do an errand.
Buck entered the house hearing Carla talking to Evie who wasn’t crying though she was a bit red in the face showing he had been at some point. When he stepped in though Evie’s entire face lit up and she began to wave her arms wildly.

It was heart melting. He had never had someone look so excited to see him and he could practically feel that excitement. Carla had her in his arms quickly and he hugged her tightly kissing her head telling her how proud he was of her. It was a few minutes of his magic checking her over before Buck looked to Carla. “How was she,” Buck asked as she fell asleep on his chest clearly exhausted from the experience.

“She was distressed,” Carla said causing Bucks heart to break. “But that is normal for most children being away from there parents for the first time. She calmed with a soother and rocking but over all she wasn’t the most upset a child could be. I think that it would be good to do it for a bit longer before you start going to work full shifts. Just to get her used to the distance. Now how did you handle it?”

“It was rough,” Buck admitted. “Really rough. I was worried about her, but I did trust that you’d have everything handled. I missed her but it wasn’t unbearable.”

“Good, that’s good,” she said. “Magically how did it feel? Should you talk to Aurora?”

“It felt…like my magic was seeking her out in a way but it wasn’t overly pushing me to return. There was no pushing or signs that I needed to return. It was only half an hour though, so I think that your right. We definitely need to do a few tests if you are still willing to work with me and my militant parenting.”

“Oh sugar, of course. I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I wasn’t willing to go all the way,” She returned. “Now why don’t you go lay down and get some cuddles in. You both had a hard day but the first time is always the hardest. You did just fine.”

“I’m so glad Aurora suggested you,” Buck said gratefully. She was exactly what he needed and a support system he didn’t expect to gain from any of the ones he interviewed for the position. It was a huge relief to have someone as knowledgeable AND personable take the position and he definitely appreciated her support and help. “I don’t know if I would have managed getting this far with anyone else.”

“It takes a village Buckaroo, and you’re growing one and that sweet little girl and her loving daddy deserve nothing but a village at your back.”

Chapter Text

It was incredibly rare to have one magical adoption, but Aurora was left with a surprise when she was contacted by the center and informed of a second such phenomenon. Considering she had extensive knowledge with her connection to Buck and his little girl, she was asked to meet with the individual seeking their help. She welcomed them into her office glancing them over. They had been bonded for long enough that the initial checks weren’t needed but clearly, they were hesitant. The father held the young boy in his arms and was looking at everyone through a judging gaze. She wasn’t put off about it as she knew how defensive the protector parent could be and the situation he had left.
She knew only the bare minimum from their file and preferred to get her information from the source so she was pleased they could meet. She introduced herself quickly. “Hello there, I’m Doctor Aurora Nighttree and you must be Eddie and Chris,” she said gently. “Please have a seat.”

The soldier was clearly hesitant but sat down, there was a second seat offered but he couldn’t bring himself to place his son into it, to let go of him even for a second. Aurora used to that exact reaction from Buck did not say anything from you. “What type of doctor are you,” Chris asked curiously. He seemed unbothered by his father continuing to hold him and just looked curiously around the room.

- “I’m a witch doctor,” she said causing the boys eyes to widen dramatically.

That fact clearly delighted him as he whispered “wow, like real magic.”

She much preferred the reaction of children then adults in these situations and he was clearly delighted to the idea. “Like real magic,” She agreed. “Though from rumors you have your own fair share of magic too.”

He nodded causing his blond curls to bob on his head. “The people in Texas said my magic wanted me to stay with daddy and so it made it so no one could take us away from each other ever again.”

“Magic is smart like that,” she offered gently. She hoped he continued to see that it was a good thing not something to be bothered by. She withdrew the focus from the boy and spoke to his father knowing he was the one who needed information. “So, you both have been referred to me as I am an expert in magical adoptions and bonds of protections. So why don’t you boys tell me what happened when the magic acted.”

Eddie hesitated. He didn’t want to explain that was clear but Chris however, had no problems. “The mean man tried to take me from Daddy cause Grandma and Abuelo wanted to keep me, and daddy said no, so they made a mean man try to take me and the police men came cause daddy wouldn’t let them and they tried to take me away and then the magic made it, so we stuck together.”

While that was clearly a very precise explanation, the witch doctor knew it was probably much more complicated. “I see, that must have been really scary,” Aurora said gently.

“I didn’t want to go to grandma and abuelos. I don’t like visiting them,” Chris said stubbornly. “They are mean.”

This was getting them closer to the source of the problem at least from the child’s point of view and in this case, she knew his opinion on the matter was important to magic. “How are they mean Christopher?”

“They don’t let me do anything. They think I’m a baby. They tried to make me drink from a baby’s sippy cup. And won’t let me dress myself. Or or…anything.”

That caused the witch doctor to look surprised. He was definitely too old to be babied in that way. “How old are you Chris?”

“I’m six,” he said exasperatedly. “Six. I’m not a baby. I’m six.”

“And a very grown-up boy for six,” she said impressed.

“And they are really mean.”

“How are they mean,” she asked trying to build an understanding of just why magic chose to interfere here. Ableism perhaps. He’d never reach his potential in that sort of environment, but it wasn’t outright abusive or dangerous from what was said this far.

He was silent for a moment before whispering, “They are mean to Daddy,” he said seriously and very sad about the fact. “Cause Daddys special.”

This was clearly more closely corresponding to the reason magic interfered. “How is daddy special.”

“Cause he has magic,” Chris said seriously. “They said that makes him bad. But I got magic too.”

“Do you?”

“It likes me,” Chris said seriously. “It makes me happy.”

“That’s very good, I’m glad the magic makes you happy.” Sending a profoundly magical child to live with people who have a hatred of magic would perhaps be a pushing point. Especially as their own magic would have fought against the feelings being expressed. It was a rare form but possible.

Chris looked hesitant. “I asked the magic to not let them take me from Dad. Is that bad?”

Asked the magic seemed a surprising statement but definitely not a bad choice. “No Christopher, fighting so that you feel safe and secure with a parent who clearly loves you could never be bad. If it wasn’t needed, magic would never have acted. Eddie, do you mind me asking you a few questions about the events or them in your words.”

“My parents showed up at my door with a guy they were claiming was a social worker. But there’s…rules,” Eddie said. The entire situation had felt wrong from the beginning. “For social workers. They don’t come with your parents to take your child. He was talking about taking my son for the investigation I told him that he wasn’t touching Chris. He tried to force him from my arm’s, and I stopped him. Told him there has been no investigation. He said I was a danger to Chris.” Eddie hesitated a moment. “I don’t know when or how the cops arrived. But the moment the guy said he was from CPS doing a child removal. They took him from me. I don’t know what happened. There was lights and I just remember Chris back in my arms. A few of the cops tried again but they were thrown back. Eventually some other people showed up, we were taken separate, and they said no one could take Chris from me. That it was being investigated.”

That was of course fitting with the magical adoption and how they occurred and made a lot of sense. It was obviously a traumatic experience. “And how did you end up in Los Angeles?”

“Someone suggested it. That I leave Texas which isn’t overly known for its magical friendliness and that it would be better for Chris. The person who did, said that they couldn’t take him from me but that didn’t mean they couldn’t make my life difficult. The social worker lost his licence since he hadn’t followed protocol and no investigation or formal complaints occurred and he had no right to take my son. There was no proof I wasn’t fit. So, they couldn’t keep us in Texas.”

“Why LA specifically. WE do have a strong center but I’m just wondering why exactly you chose to move here.”

“My grandmother and aunt live here.”

She nodded. “I’m guessing they disagreed with your parents’ actions.”
Eddie nodded since his Abuela lost her mind when she found out and his tia was just as bad if not worse in her anger. Neither of them wished to ever speak to his parents again and he honestly was fairly sure he would be hiding a body if his abuela got a hold of his mother. “Completely.”

“That’s good, having a good support system is a great start. Could you explain to me a bit about why your parents tried to take your son?”

Instantly Eddie got defensive glaring at her. “I’d never hurt my son.”

She stopped him quickly since she had not meant to give him the belief, she thought that or was accusing him. “I don’t doubt that fact at all. I’m asking why they thought they had a right to him.”

“My mother has a tendency to set off my PTSD,” Eddie admitted. “I was invalidated home a year ago. A year and a half. Military. She’d smash pots, bang doors. As if trying to prove that I was mentally unfit. I had a PTSD episode a few days before. I never hurt Chris. I was stressed, my parents were being awful. Everything…All I did was when I thought I heard a gun go off, I grabbed Chris and covered him.”

“So…even in an altered state your first choice was to protect your son from what you deemed as potentially harmful. What went off.”

“Firecrackers. That make a snap and a pop sound but not the ones you light up. My mother gave them to my nephews. Which considering she hates those; I think she was trying to set me off.” How a parent could do that to him hurt him worse. “So, there was witnesses, a few of them. I think they did it so they had proof I wasn’t fit. I was told to come here, that if I had questions about this bond thing that happened you could help me. Can you?”

“Absolutely,” she said accepting the subject change since clearly the topic was upsetting him. “So, lets get straight to the facts. This bond, is considered an adoption bond enforced by magic. It has got a lot of names but the most common used is a magical protection adoption. It occurs when a profoundly magical child, is in an unsafe position and typically revolves around guardianship in some form. So, a child being heavily abused or potentially killed by a parent, a child being abandoned, or a child being abducted. Their magic latches onto someone with a magical core and ensures they cannot be separated. There is not any strict reasons why the person is selected as the situations differ in many ways. In one case, it was an aunt who was a person who protected the child or tried to. Another a firefighter involved with a rescue. There was an incident where it was a doctor who worked on saving an individual. One case it was a teacher whose students inherent magic reached out for protection and security. In each case, the similarities involve the person the bond pushes towards, has some level of magical potential and a protective caring role in the child’s life. It’s only been in I believe four recorded cases in the last 50 years, a parent.”

“How many cases have happened in the last fifty years.”

“Over 100 but this is worldwide,” she said explained. “Typically, in these cases, the child needs protection from a parent. In the four cases that mimic yours. Its always involved a custody dispute. Typically, the other parent holds a threat to the child on some level and magic reaches out to give them a secure unquestionable connection. In one of the four cases, it was a non biological stepparent who became the protector in this bond. Can you explain a bit more about your parents being anti magic.”

There was some hesitation, but he did respond. “They are religious,” Eddie said. “They believe magic is the devils work.”

“And you? Being raised in that household. I know even when you have magic sometimes that indoctrination is hard to fight.”

Eddie was silent for another moment and Aurora just waited for him to be ready to respond. “My Abuela, always taught me magic was a gift, it was everything. Always around us. It never held a large role in my life, except the short times I was allowed to see my grandmother. But I never really understood the distaste. When I was in the military, I met a precog. He was really good in a rough situation. I owed the man my life. What he could do, well it is quite obvious that magic exists even if some like to deny it.”

“Have you ever noticed how your magic formed, as I said everyone involved has some level of magic.”

“I should know,” Eddie noted because it bothered him that he never really understood the role magic played in his life. The people in Texas had insisted that he must know but he had no idea. “Shouldn’t I? But I don’t…I’ve been told I have some potential, but I don’t know.”

“That’s not unusual,” she said shocking him. “Some people merely have magic. Some learn to use it in a variety of ways, others merely exist with it. As a witch doctor, my magic is heavily oriented to reading and understanding the way magic acts and occasionally manipulating it. So, for example, I can tell you both are bonded, and it feels like a bond of safety, security. It is not causing either of you harm and is fairly settled. Its coming from Chris not you as it is always the case in these situations.”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise. “I…well that makes sense. I always wondered what a witch doctor did.”

“There are different forms but yes this is typical gifts you require to be able to learn how to help others with magic. Some peoples magic, makes them good nurses or doctors. It helps heals in ways. Some are obvious like precogs. Where they may have full visions or get pushes by magic in ways to act to help others. Magic, is in all cases, used to help in some form. Some people are good with plants. They can make anything grow. Do they need magic in those cases, no. But it is where their magic is most happy. You would be far from the first to not know how your magic feels or what it pushes you to. Sometimes its not overt, its just in little things.”

She clearly knew a lot more then the people he had spoken to previously which was a relief for him. It meant he would get answers and that would hopefully insure he could better protect his son. “What else…is known about these bonds.”

“Interference is never a good idea, magic has a tendency to protect these sort of bonds…viciously,” She admitted.

“What happens.”

“Well, in one case, they were separated, this was hundreds of years ago. By a church who wanted to protect the child from the evils of magic. They took the child from the parent. The parent was B-U-R-N-T at the stake to purify the child of the bond.” Eddie cringed since he knew there was a long history of magic users being hated but in reference to his son, he couldn’t stand the idea. “Well the reports…implied that those responsible burnt with him. Another case, they all got extremely ill until they chose to reverse the decision. In more severe instances the act led to the D-E-A-T-H of the child and the ones who were responsible followed and those who helped separate the bonded spent the rest of their days in agony.”

Eddies eyes widened in surprise. “Hence why no court system would ever willingly separate you both for fear of reprisals. Even those who hate magic, know enough to fear it in some ways. There are other connections during those acts but no proof of course. No one will succeed in taking your son from you by any legal means. There are protections for these bonds.”

“How many of them…happen a year. You said 100 in the last fifty worldwide.”

“Sadly, in the last year, you’re the second in the United States, another bond has occurred in California. I can tell you the bare bones of that case but no identifying details due to confidentiality rules. Though if you wish to discuss this with someone in a similar position, I’m sure the young man would love knowing another person in the same situation and I could attempt to get you both together to discuss it.”

Eddie couldn’t help himself but asked for the information she could give in this case.

“A teen parent gave birth and had a profound hatred of the child. When further investigation it was not a SAE but the boyfriend dumped her for another girl and she never told him she was pregnant. She chose filicide as a way out, but the little lady was quite the fighter. Rescue services was called, and she bonded to someone involved in her rescue. A delightful young man who dotes on her.”

“I…if he’s willing to I’d like to maybe talk to him at some point. Not right now. I think we need to go home. I have a lot to think about.”

“I’ll give you some booklets to get you started,” She offered which he accepted gratefully.

Chapter Text

When Aurora brought up that one of her patients was looking for a house share, Buck was surprised. It had been mentioned in passing but never actually confirmed that he was looking for someone to make the house feel less empty. Still, he was ready to hear them out because he trusted that Aurora wouldn’t lead him astray…and the house felt very empty and way too big for him and his daughter alone.

Finding the man exactly where Aurora said he’d be, sitting at the edge near a food truck, Buck approached him. “You must be Eddie,” Buck said offering his hand. “Doc Aurora said you might be looking into a housing thing, and I should definitely open myself up to the possibility and meet with you.”

Eddie looked slightly startled by the bluntness before nodding taking the offered hand and shaking it. “Nice to meet you,” he said before getting a good look at the child in his arms. “Is this your daughter?”

“This is Evelyn Rose…who’s a sleepy butt today,” Buck said with a chuckle since the girl didn’t move from where she was gripping tightly to his shirt.

“I’m Chris,” the young boy clinging to his dad’s side said brightly. He was young with blond curls and two canes helping support him and had a close hold on his father.

“Hi Chris, its nice to meet you,” Buck said offering his hand to the boy.

Chris glanced at his father who nodded before he happily shook it. “You feel nice,” he decided bluntly.

Buck blinked for a moment at the young boy trying to discern what he meant. It felt like a strong distinction and Buck had an idea what he was implying. “Thank you, Chris. Do you mean magically…” He nodded brightly. “You feel nice as well.” It was true, he gave Buck the feeling of happiness and sunshine if he had to put it into words. Curiosity seemed to play a large role too.

“What,” Eddie asked confused.

For a moment Buck had forgotten who he was actually here to see having focused on the boy who seemed so bright and happy. “Sorry I don’t understand the question” Buck admitted.

“What do you guys mean by feel nice.”
That meant despite clearly being connected to magic he wasn’t aware of the intricacies of how…well weird magic users could be with their feelings. “Well, some people feel…gross,” Buck offered trying to find the right word choices.
“You might not know why but something about them is extremely off putting.”

“Fair.”

“A lot of people believe it has to do with magic,” Buck said. “Or clashing or opposing magic should they have it. Or another belief is that your magic feels that they might be a threat or just wrong. So, I think Chris was saying that we could be buddies?”

The boy grinned brightly clearly happy about being understood. “Yeah,” he said excitedly. “That’s it.’

“Awesome,” Buck said offering a high five which was quickly reciprocated. “So, you’re looking for a rental for you and Chris right? And Aurora sent you, my way?” It was probably best that they get back on track to why they were there.

“LA prices are a bit…crazy,” Eddie admitted clearly a bit ashamed of that.

Buck laughed kindly understanding exactly what he meant, “Don’t I know it. I room shared for years all over the US while travelling but LA,” he let out a light whistle. “Friggen awful. I bought a house…or rather put a good down payment but it has kind of sapped my spare money and babies are expensive. So, I’ve been considering renting a couple of the rooms at my place but I’m also hesitant about it because…well baby.” Eddie nodded agreeing with him.
“But if Aurora sent you my way, she knows your good people.”

“Actually, seeing your arm I think it might be something else,” Eddie admitted raising his long sleeve where the black mark had seared itself into his skin. He could see the edge of Bucks which had startled him but he had a feeling that Aurora had set up the meeting so he could meet the other LA magical adoptive family.

Bucks’ eyes widened not having expected that. It was such a rare event that he hadn’t ever expected to meet anyone else who had this happen to them. “Well damn. Hey buddy, why don’t we get our food to go, and we can all go eat at the park, they got some great picnic tables.”

“Can we dad,” he said hopeful.

Buck wanted to be sure the man understood why he was suggesting it. “Nice quiet private area picnic tables away from any potential crowds or overhearing busybodies.”

Eddie agreed without hesitation as they bought snacks from the food trucks and went a good distance away so they could avoid people. “Private enough,’ Eddie asked wanting to be sure that his new acquaintance felt comfortable.

“More private then where we were,” Buck returned. “I’m sorry…for whatever caused that to be necessary. Like shit man. How long ago?” Buck internally cringed. Probably not the best start to this conversation but damn, he knew these events were rough and the last one who was magically adopted before Evie was a girl meaning it was either a long time ago or very recent…a large part of him felt it was recent. He didn’t have much reason for saying that and guessed it was more magical intuition then anything.

Eddie clearly relaxed slightly having someone who didn’t automatically jump at how it was a blessing or accuse him of something. He had a feeling the man understood a lot and the idea of talking to someone in the same situation as him was welcoming. “A month and a half,” he admitted.

Buck cringed. “Evie has been mine for five months now,” Buck offered glancing at his daughter. It was hard to believe that it had been so long.

“Chris…Chris has always been mine. He is my biological son. But um…some people tried to interfere with my custody of him. Which ended up…quite the scene. We pretty much left Texas a few weeks later,” Eddie admitted surprised at himself by just admitting that without being pushed.

Considering how bad it would have to be for magic to interfere, he was guessing it was more then just a minor interference. It was bad enough not knowing Evie before hand but to have someone try to take your child would be a hell he could only imagine. “I’m extra sorry then, cause that’s god awful,” Buck said bluntly. “So, about the room. I assume part of the worry is having strange people near your son.”

Eddie laughed glad he wasn’t pushing for more information, “Yeah. I was a bit overprotective before this but now, the idea of people near my son makes me so damn anxious.”

“I got the same issue,” Buck said. “I think the bond is very strong on that.” Eddie gave a slightly confused look. “A protector guardianship implies a strong need of protection. So, I think that the magic influences things a bit. Like I’m really picky about who I let watch her. I went through like nine potential nanny’s and babysitters before I found someone, I felt comfortable letting hold her, let alone settling on a caretaker for her. Like some of my coworkers…and I’m close to my coworkers, I can barely stand to let hold her. She’s going to seriously need therapy from my helicopter parenting.”

Eddie felt so good to have someone say the words though it also brought a new worry he hadn’t considered, “So that doesn’t fade?”

“It does, a lot. I mean its still there of course but it does fade. For the first month after the adoption, no one but Aurora could touch her without me wanting to punch them in the face,” Buck said seriously. “And I can now do overnights and 24-hour shifts without feeling an overwhelming need to be with her every moment. I think that it faded a lot when I stopped being so worried someone could take her. When the adoption went through it gave me a lot of reassurance but I’m still a bit picky about who I let near her. I’m sure in a year or two I’ll be a normal helicopter parent. Hopefully.” He was dreading if this feeling lasted into her teen years because there is no way she’d allow this sort of helicopter parenting as a rebellious teen.

“I can’t imagine if this happened without knowing Chris before hand,” Eddie admitted. “I didn’t really even realize how it would look to have to adopt legally too.”

“It was rough, but I mean, at least I had something to focus on. But seriously, it was a mess. I mean, dude I’m not made to stress this much. Its like, suddenly I had this kid in my arms and my heart and she’s my whole world…and people just trust me with her. Like they didn’t even check to see if I knew what I was doing. Seriously who just gives people babies…well frankly actually I think that’s just how it works but you should be trained for that. Instead, magic decided I was a good choice and now no one else had a say. Which is great because I love her, but parenthood is hard but this sort of adds a few extra layers of stress.”

“Don’t I agree.”

“They make you study math and friggen lit just to get a basic education and yet they just pass a human on to you with no prep.”

“And they become your whole world…even without magics influence,” Eddie said watching his son eating.

“I’d change it for nothing,” Buck admitted glad to have someone to talk to about this even if ti meant they got off track from the plan for the conversation. “I love her to death. I think this happening to me, was the best thing in my life but it’s a lot. I get that. And it’s a lot where people don’t get it. You don’t see a lot of people in the same boat so its hard-to-get advice or talk things through.”

“Have you met anyone else,” Eddie asked.

“Nope,” Buck said without hesitation. “Didn’t expect to meet you either. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I never met another person in this situation which…I’m glad that Aurora set this up because that was a rant which I would apologize for but…”

Eddie laughed, “Fair enough,” he agreed. “And no apology needed. I had been pretty relieved that Aurora knew what she was talking about, but I hadn’t even let myself hope I could honestly get a meeting with someone else in the same situation. Even if she sort of tricked us with the house offer.”

“Or maybe she just decided to kill two birds with one stone. I do have a house with extra space and you’re in need of one. So, the house has, five bedroom, five bathrooms. Its one story which I assume is important. And I was thinking of renting it for 1000 total for both of you a month, you can each have your own rooms for that…but of course I have a feeling if your anything like me, you’ll share for a bit. Got our own laundry and backyard.”

Eddie gave him a disbelieving look, “That’s below market value for two rooms isn’t it.”

“Its half the mortgage and what I’d assume half the utilities would be,” he said without hesitation. “Which frankly I think is fair. The whole point of room sharing is to make life affordable.”

It sounded beyond perfect to Eddie. A house with someone who was in the same boat, and he could hopefully get some advice from, a safe place for him and his son (and out of his Abuela’s house), affordable rent since his savings had taken such an impossibly large hit he couldn’t afford much more. “Just like that though,” Eddie asked confused, it seemed way too good to be true.

It felt right in a way Buck really couldn’t explain in detail. Perhaps the intent of the need he felt for the larger house. Helping out another gifted by magic could have been the driving force. “Dude, my magic has never led me astray before,” Buck said since that’s the only explanation he could really give. “I know most people can’t wrap their heads around the fact that that’s enough for me, I’m not sure how magical you both are but…if magic guides me to something, I usually follow.”

“Really,” Eddie asked.

Buck nodded. “People struggle a lot to understand because the idea doesn’t fit what they know or their experiences, but I learnt a long time ago to trust my instincts. You seem to be a good person. Trustworthy and not someone that makes me uncomfortable to have near my daughter. So, it seems like a good option. Plus, Aurora clearly got a good read on you so if there was something inherently wrong, one the bond wouldn’t take, two…she’d probably realize and kick your ass to the curb so fast your head would spin. She’d never have introduced us if she thought you were a danger to Evie.”

“You trust her a lot,” Eddie said surprised.

“Both as a friend and magically,” Buck offered. “Think on it. I know making any sort of decision with the bond is a struggle, there isn’t a rush. Also, I found the better I get to know someone, the more I can trust them near Evie so we can meet a couple times before you make any sort of decision.”

Eddie was a bit overwhelmed by being so understood. “That’s really generous of you,” he stated.

“Someone told me if people aren’t willing to put in a bit of effort with the bond and your needs with it, they aren’t worth your time,” Buck said. “I get what having your life thrown into chaos feels like so if you need a bit of time, well I’ve done the exact same.”

Eddie gave him a grateful look. “Mr. Bucky,” Chris said causing him to look over to the boy. “Do you think dogs know we aren’t dogs, or do they just think we are big hairless dogs?”

Buck grinned at him as they got to talking avoiding any more talk and just enjoyed the meal. Evie woke up a bit later and was excited to see another child and Chris was ecstatic at the baby, so they just relaxed for a bit.

Chapter Text

Eddie knew things were happening quickly, but he felt comfortable with Buck from the first moment he met him. It had been a long time since he was comfortable with anyone. He didn’t trust easily even before his parents tried to steal his son and used police and CPS to do so. They decided to do a walk through at the house so he could see what it would look like but to be honest, he knew he couldn’t turn down the price. 1,000 for two bedrooms in LA was a great price. He also couldn’t turn down the advice and understanding Buck offered so freely.

Still, he had to be a bit hesitant because this was going to be his son’s home if he agreed. Perhaps for just a short time until he got back on his feet, but it was still going to be his sons home. “Woah,” Chris said shocked looking out the window of the truck at the house. Eddie knew that he could repeat the sentiment. The house was huge, and he could already tell this was a very wealthy neighborhood. Far beyond his price range ever. He double checked the address, and it was the right one. “Daddy does Bucky live here,” Chris asked curiously as his dad turned off the truck.

“I think so,” Eddie admitted getting out so he could help unhook his son’s harnesses. He carried him even though prior to the incident with his parents his son would protest being carried around like a baby. At six he felt he was too old for such a thing, but Eddie was too worried about potential threats meaning he felt he was back in a war ground anytime his son was near people or in new places. It also said something about how events scared his son since he didn’t protest.

The door was open before Eddie reached it causing him to look startled. “Security system,” Buck offered nodding to the camera in response to the unasked question. “Again, helicopter parent with anxiety and a hyper fixation on keeping my daughter safe. Hey Chris.”

“Hi Bucky, do you live here,” He asked amazed. “Its bigger than grandmothers house.”

“Yeah, I do,” Buck admitted sheepishly. He knew he’d get a lot of hassle from some of the team for the size of it. “Sorry it’s a bit obnoxious but its in a really good safe neighborhood,” Buck knew it was extravagant, but he didn’t have much shame in it. He had at first, but he needed this place for a reason and part of that might be helping the two in front of him. He knew he was lucky to have what he did, so he didn’t mind sharing some of the good fortune. “My grandmother left me money, so I was able to put a good downpayment on it,” Buck offered. “But between mortgage, utilities, and baby bills it was adding up, hence the room share idea. Plus, its big and empty and quiet.” Buck looked as if the empty and quiet was personally completely offensive. “Evelyn is cute, but she is not a good conversationalist.”

Eddie chuckled easing up slightly. “Fair enough, babies aren’t known for that.”

“Its in a great area,” Buck offered.

“Low crime.”

“Well yes,” Buck acknowledged. “But also not in a mudslide area, flood zone and the structure is made to withstand extremely violent earthquakes. I mentioned I’m a bit paranoid right. Being a firefighter completely ruined me. I mean we don’t get a lot of flooding in LA to be honest but it has been a problem before and it seemed like a selling point to me.”

Eddie just laughed at his sheepish expression. “Most people when they say safe neighborhood they mean good HOA, no crime problems, good neighbors.”

“Try boring neighbors, I haven’t said two words to any of them,” Buck returned. “And I’m not crazy Eddie. A selling point was no HOA.”

Chris was getting impatient to look around and Buck laughed seeing him trying to be polite not to interrupt their conversation, so he got to showing them around. Eventually they showed the backyard which had an inground pool with a protective covering. “You don’t have to worry about him falling in. I replaced the pool covering the second I moved in,” Buck offered since it had been an insurance problem and fueled many nightmares about his daughter sneaking into it. “It is locked with a passcode and key which might be a bit paranoid but again, firefighter.”

Eddie nodded seeing that everything was definitely protected though he was still shocked at the size of the pool. “Will I be allowed swimming in it,” Chris asked hopeful

“If your dad lets you, there is a lower side but most of the pool will be over your head so it would only be okay when your dad says its okay. Its not safe to swim without adults.”

“Your serious about the rent because Buck, you’ve got a pool,” Eddie said, unable to believe that that was a potential option. A pool would drive the rent up thousands of dollars, even with a room share. “You could be making twice that easily. Maybe per room with where this place is and free pool access.”

“And finding someone I would trust with my kid is nearly impossible.”

“You hardly know me,” Eddie pointed out.

“I trust magics judgement that you’d not harm a child, even one not your own,” Buck said wanting him to understand that. “I’m good at reading people. Plus, I don’t need that much per room. If I couldn’t afford this place on my own, I wouldn’t have bought it. The bit of extra money will help but its not the biggest aim here. Having someone I can trust near my kid, is a selling point price wise.” He was pretty lonely and the idea of having adult company was welcome, but he wasn’t willing to have just anyone near his baby.

“I can’t swim but I really want to learn,” Chris admitted looking amazed at the pool. The rest of the conversation flying over his head and clearly unimportant in the face of a potential swimming pool.

“Swimming is a very important skill that every child should develop,” Buck agreed.

“Grandmother said that I wasn’t allowed learning because I’ve got CP,” Chris admitted looking a bit sad for a moment before perking up. “But Daddy says grandmothers not allowed saying nothing no more cause she’s mean.”

“I think learning to swim is very important,” Eddie agreed finally. He couldn’t rap his head around why someone would be willing to go this far from him, but he felt like Buck was a descent person and he really didn’t have a lot of options at the moment. Plus, it would probably break his son’s heart if he said no now that he had seen the amazing yard.

Chris cheered happily grinning causing Eddie to melt. It had been so long since his son was so clearly happy without hesitation. “When do you want to move in,” Buck asked seeing him agree.

“When works for you?”

“Well, I have work tomorrow then four days stretch off,” Buck said. “I can help move you guys in then if you’d like?”

“You’re sure,” Eddie asked just getting a look in return as Buck rocked his daughter who had fallen asleep in his arms.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Buck chose to leave Evie with Aurora as he went to Eddies grandmothers house to help pack the things he needed. He was startled when meeting the women as he could tell immediately, she was definitely magical in some form. “Its nice to meet you Ma’am.”

“None of that nonsense,” she said guiding him inside. “Its Abuela. Especially as you’ve already become my nieto’s friend. Come in please.”

“You are powerful,” Buck said seriously. The phrase slipped out, but it needed to be acknowledged. It definitely showed where Chris got enough power to need a magical adoption in place.

She just chuckled patting his arm. “As a young girl I was given a great gift but as I get older, the magic leaves me as it should. That sort of magic is for the young. You too are powerful. Gifted and blessed. A good man yes.”

“I try,” Buck offered her not sure how to respond to that statement. “Sometimes its harder than it should be.”

Eddie just looked between the two confused about what was occurring. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

“My Bucky’s magic likes Abuela’s magic,” Chris offered his dad with a giggle though that was only half an answer to Eddie clearly by his continued confused expression.

“Exactly,” Isabel said patting her great grandsons face amused.

“Alright Eds, you ready to pack your truck.”

He nodded leading him into the side room which was definitely too small for the two people who were staying in it. “I don’t have much,” Eddie admitted. “I left a fair bit in Texas and only brought the things well…”

Buck nodded understanding what was not said. Eddie was fleeing. He left to protect his son and nothing he was leaving behind could be important enough to take in response to that, “No judgement. I travelled for years with only a few bags.” Eddie gave him a startled look. “I took a gap year that turned into years finding myself. I left with a bag and a jeep and travelled. I learnt a lot. Did some interesting jobs and don’t regret a minute of it. You know your grandmothers a powerhouse, right?”

“A powerhouse?”

“Magically. And her magic is very stable meaning she knows what she’s doing.”

“I have no idea what your saying,” Eddie admitted sheepishly.

It was very clear the man had little training in magic which was a surprise since his grandmother was so powerful and he’d have to have a descent amount of magic for the adoption to take place as it did. “People who have strong discipline and understanding of there magic and how it works, have stable magic. It takes a lot of effort to gain that sort of control. Most people, their magic might feel a bit chaotic because they don’t have strong control over it or lack understanding in how to use it. Its hard to word it but she’s clearly well trained.”

“I had no idea, I mean I knew she had magic. She always spoke about it when I was a kid, and she was super understanding with what happened with Chris. She was actually one of the only people who seemed to accept things and not be pushy about being near him.”

“She’d know what she was reading off of you. She’d be a good person to trust and ask questions to,” Buck said seriously. “I know you mentioned a bit of hesitance with the center which I totally get but she’d have strong feelings I think you can trust. She probably feels pretty safe to you right?”

“She’s the only person who’s ever felt safe,” Eddie admitted. “Even before the adoption thing.” Eddie clearly hated that word. He was his father both blood and adoption it clearly didn’t sit well for him.

“She would probably be someone who feels comforting to you and your magic. I know you have some. She feels that way to me. One of the few people I clicked so well with was Aurora. She feels stable and safe.” Buck stopped. “Putting it to words is tough but I think you probably know how she feels to you. I’d love to pick her brain about how she learnt magic and what she knows about it.”

Buck realized he was ranting a bit. “Sorry, I Just love learning new things. What boxes are ready to be taken out?”

“The ones by the wall,” Eddie offered amused.

He had been right about their not being a lot. A dozen boxes most of them probably labelled since they were in Texas. Most of them had something about Chris written on them. ‘Chris’s baby things’ ‘Important paperwork for Chris’ ‘Chris’s Toys’ ‘Chris’s ornaments.’ Only two of the boxes had Eddies name on it. They also brought out the bed as it had been Eddies. It was easy to get everything on the truck.

A couple individuals came in and Eddie immediately scooped up Chris before obviously cringing knowing how that looked, and that people took offence to his action, but he couldn’t have it. “I can’t stand having anyone in the house without Evie in my arms, it takes about ten to twenty minutes for me to calm down and that’s only with those I completely trust. Don’t second guess yourself man,” Buck said gently. “The bond is new. Trust me. It will settle some but its just instincts.”

“Who’s the white boy,” one of them men asked jokingly.

Isabel gave him a light smack. “Be polite, I know your mother never raised you to be disrespectful.”

“Evan Buckley,” Buck offered with a nod.

“Mama mentioned that Eddie might need help packing up but seems you got things cleaned up. “Manuel Pedro and my brother Santiago, we are this one’s cousins. I got to ask where our cousin got the muscle.”

“We have a mutual friend,” Buck returned easily. “She knew that I was looking to rent out a couple rooms, he was interested in renting them and since we are both parents it works great.”

“Hey Christopher,” Manuel said going closer to him and it was clear Eddie tensed. Something Manuel saw. “Lo siento primo,” Manuel said. (Sorry cousin). “I forgot.”

“Its fine,” Eddie returned. “Sorry.”

“No, Abuela made it very clear you can’t help that and to not touch him, I just keep forgetting. How longs that going to last. Seems like a pain.”

Isabel smacked him again; it was light but a very clear warning causing the man who was at least a foot taller than her to cringe at the rebuke. “You do not question magic,” she warned. “Behave yourself.”

“Lo siento Abuela,” He returned easily.

Buck could see Eddies tension and unease. “Thank you very much for the iced tea, it was delicious Abuela. I should head home though, and we can unpack the truck before Aurora brings back my baby. She doesn’t do well too far from me, and I get a bit anxious away from her.”

She of course knew that it was both for himself and Eddie and just beamed at him in response. “Of course, of course. You take good care of my nieto and bisnieto.”

“I will,” Buck returned. “You have the address, right? You are welcome at any time so don’t be shy about stopping by. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about you and I still want that promised conversation. I look forward to picking your mind.”

She chuckled. “You’re a sweet boy,” she said easily.

“It was nice meeting all of you,” Buck offered as they went outside. Eddie the moment he was outside took a shaky breath. “You good man?”

“Sorry I don’t know why I freaked…”

“I have only two people I feel comfortable leaving my daughter with and I’m pretty far in. Aurora and her home health aid Carla. If I’m calm, I can stand for like three or four others to touch her,” Buck said seriously. “Doctors if necessary but you’ve only been aware of the magic for a short time. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“My cousins wouldn’t hurt him,” Eddie admitted. “I know that. They are family.”

“Your family is why you have those marks on your arm, that might make it a bit tougher than I have.”

Eddie was grateful for the supportive statement.

Chapter Text

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Buck offered Eddie a beer, the kids were in bed, he was settled and moved in everything in place, and they were both calm and at ease which was a good thing as it meant they instinctually trusted each other to leave their kids alone without protection. Perhaps it was because they were both chosen by magic since the idea of someone else in the house would normally put them on edge.

They settled into the sitting room just relaxing for a moment now that everything was settled. Eddie was rubbing the marks on his forearm absently trying not to think too much on it but this was one of the first times he had gotten with Buck alone. Normally Chris was around, and it was tough to talk about things with the young boy in hearing distance since he didn’t want his son to think he was upset by any means with what happened. He was extremely grateful to still have possession of his son, but he was curious and conflicted on the means of which it happened.
This was clearly noticeable, and Buck decided to interrupt the awkward silence since Eddie seemed to try to say something again and again but stopped mid sound. “What’s on your mind,” Buck asked. “You seem pretty conflicted. Was everything okay with the move or is this about something else?”

“I have no idea how to ask this without coming across like an asshole,” he admitted hesitantly.

Buck nearly laughed at the bluntness. “I don’t judge man, and I’m pretty sure there isn’t much you could say to me I haven’t heard before,” Buck returned easily. “What’s up? No point in beating around the bush.”

Eddie took a breath before speaking. “Does it ever worry you,” Eddie asked curiously. “About the magic bond thing?”

“Going to have to expand man. That’s a very broad thought. What about it is worrying you?”

“About what it means.” Eddie sighed tiredly. He was trying to find the words since he didn’t want to offend the man who was quickly becoming his good friend. Magic seemed like a huge part of his life so it was hard to know what would offend him. “A lot of it is concerning to me honestly. I just don’t know how to word it.”
“Bluntly,” Buck said easily. “What’s your biggest concern. Maybe I can help ease your worries a bit. I mean I’m no expert, but I’ve been dealing with it a bit longer.”

Buck was patient since it took Eddie a moment to bring himself to speak. “The moment the people in the center in Texas saw our markings, they looked at us differently and actively treated us completely different. It turned my stomach because I constantly felt on edge.”

“I can probably see where you’re going with this but obviously, Cali is a lot more open to magic then Texas is. We are on a fault line so it’s a lot more prevalent. I have a feeling our initial experiences were different,” Buck said. “But what about it bothered you?”

“The main thing is the way they looked at Chris differently. It was like they expected something from him. It was very obvious they thought its supposed to mean something, but no one would tell us what it should mean. They started making demands about what he could do. What sort of magic he had. What signs he showed before this. I couldn’t answer because he’s just a relatively normal, six-year-old. A few people that way seemed even shocked he had CP as if him having magic meant he shouldn’t be disabled. I don’t get it. Aurora was better, she didn’t look at him like he was some sort of science experiment. She was a lot better than the people in Texas. She was respectful about everything but in Texas it was very clear they expected something to happen.”

That was a lot to unpack but Buck was aware of how he felt. He had enough experience with the center to know how some people got. “Okay so, I’ve had longer to do research and deal with this bullshit so to my understanding, the reason they look at them strange is because magic deemed them so important, it interfered. Fate and Magic do not typically act in a way mundane individuals notice. It gives nudges, pushes, maybe visions to help influence what is to come or redirect things through magical individuals, but it does not typically act so overtly. In this case, it acted strongly in a way even those with zero magic can see. This means that their must be an extraordinary circumstance for it to act. The children involved in these adoptions are magically powerful which people take to mean that they must be extraordinary people and highly gifted. Some people take that in different ways. A lot of people have expectations of those who are that powerful to be able to…I don’t know preform miracles. People act weird with them.”

If anything, that statement made Eddie tense much more obviously. “He is a child,’ Eddie growled angry at the idea. His son was just a normal little boy. People with expectations like how it sounded didn’t seem the type to care about that. “How can they expect anything from him?”

“Your right, a lot of people don’t seem to see that, or care about the fact they are real people and not this gifted entity. Honestly, I don’t care for their opinions on it. Ignoring it can be tough sometimes when they are shrieking about the great extraordinary things people like them do. People expect extraordinary to be in your face, the way I see it though, is that it doesn’t have to be obvious and you can’t let people push you into thinking that’s the case, ” Buck said seriously trying to find the right words. “This person saves 20 people in an accident or just newsworthy amounts of extraordinary acts is rare and honestly what people think of as the sort of things these kids do. I think its ridiculous and wrong to put these ridiculous expectations on kids or magical people in general. I want my child to be happy and healthy, to follow her dreams and live a good life.”

“You want her to be happy and healthy, but people want her to be the next Mother Theresa,” Eddie said. “How do you deal with that? People kept pushing how important they were and how I had to guide him to his fate and future and a lot of bullshit, but no one told me anything about what that meant. Maybe I wasn’t listening all that great but how do you deal with that?”

“Fuck them,” Buck said causing him to nearly jump startled at the sudden statement. He looked to Buck wide eyed in surprise. “She doesn’t have to be anything but who she is. I guess,” Buck took a breath to focus his thoughts on what he wanted to say. “Frig this is hard to explain. But maybe its not big acts but small acts that will be enough. People expect these huge in your face miracles and actions with magic people. They expect magic to be very obvious but that’s not always the case. Why does great things have to be in your face or obvious? Maybe she’ll be a doctor and save someone important and no one will ever know that she’s the reason something a generation away from her happened, but it wouldn’t have happened without her existence. Maybe she’ll be a lawyer who helps influence a law that makes a difference. Maybe she’ll be a firefighter. We save people every day. Maybe one of the people we save is the next friggen president who actually does something descent for a change. Maybe that would be enough for magic to interfere. People have expectations but you don’t need to, and you don’t need to put up with them. I’ve decided we are just going to exist, and what happens will happen. Anything else is too much pressure for a child.”

“I get that,” Eddie said a bit relieved to have someone who knew to talk to. “I just don’t get how all this works. I don’t get what people want from us and its hard to know who to trust or what to listen to when people just seem intent on shouting things at me.”

“I don’t either,” Buck said bluntly. “And when people get in my face about getting her trained and she can’t even talk yet, I just laugh in their face. They want something spectacularly in your face but the way I see it, the little things tend to matter more. Maybe she’ll be a teacher and give a child a love of learning and this child will grow up to cure cancer. Why can’t my daughters smaller act, help make something big? How isn’t that a life with extraordinary meaning? Its none of their business what my daughter’s purpose is. Its hers and hers alone. Just living well, respecting magic, and giving life her best, will be enough I don’t care what people think. She doesn’t have to cure cancer. Hell, I have spent a good amount of my life, devoted to magic, listening to the nudges, respecting it. Maybe just for a moment I deserved something good in my life and she came along, and magic decided, hey, lets make them both grateful to me and respect me for protecting them and that’s enough. Sometimes the little acts are enough to make changes. And when people think otherwise, screw them. I’m going to raise her to know that she’s enough no matter what she does. I think that… maybe its not even magic making the call. We don’t know so end of the day, what people think doesn’t matter. You can’t let it matter, or you’ll drive yourself nuts.”

“What do you mean. About magic not making the call.”

“Evie was a newborn, but she was scared, in pain. Magical babies, babies with inherent noticeable magic, tend to be more advanced than non magical children. So, she sought safety, and her magic responded or magic itself responded. Some people have the idea that it is not that magic interfered in their lives, but they have enough magic to create the bond themselves. What’s known about these bonds is so minor in comparison to other magic, so no one knows exactly why it happens. I don’t know Chris’s circumstance so I can’t judge why or how you guys were bound together but I think worrying about what people will think about our kids is stupid. We just need to support them and all their endeavors. Not push them towards the extraordinary. Don’t let other people, especially nosy ones have a strong opinion.”

A part of that made a lot of sense to Eddie with what he had spoken to his son about. Everyone kept pushing that it was magics doing but it being the kids made a surprising amount of sense. “Chris says that he asked for help to stay with me. For something to stop them from taking him away. He reached out for me and magic listened,” Eddie said.

“See, a magically gifted child pushing their desire and needs seems more likely than magic itself forcing a bond. Either way, the kids are safe and happy. What people see can’t change how you see him.”

Eddie scoffed. “They were telling me at one point, in Texas how much these children do in their lives. For magic. Some of them were disgusted but others, they were almost revering him. It was…strange.”

“My opinion might not matter but I’m going to give it anyways. These children, our babies were in a bad situation, Magic answered them, magic got them out of that situation and saved them, connecting them to someone who has some inherent magic, and I assume respect for it. Whether magic made the bonds or their own magic made the bonds in desperation, it was still magic,” Buck offered. “So why wouldn’t these kids grow up with a deep profound respect for magic. And perhaps learn to respect it and maybe someday act for its continued existence. So that’s just basic cause and effect. Not that that was originally their purpose. I got rid of the idiots who wanted to treat Evie like a side show at the center. Its why I work with Aurora not idiots.”

“You know a lot about this magic stuff. I never really learnt. I respected it. My Abuela is very keen on it. She has never hidden the fact that she had it, though I wasn’t aware of how strong it was before you met her, but she’s been open about it. My parents are the opposite. They are very anti magic and would never hear of it in our home,” Eddie admitted. “I knew I had the potential since I was a child because apparently, it was obvious, but I’ve never really connected to it. But you seem very aware and knowledgeable on it. Were you trained or did a center help?”

“My parents despised magic,” Buck admitted surprising him. He assumed he grew up faithful to it with how he spoke. “Like crazy amount of hate for it. No idea why. They aren’t exactly religious which is usually the reason. They aren’t gifted really but they just really hate it.”

“If they hated it, how did you get so involved,” Eddie asked curiously. “I got a religious exemption which kept me from learning about it.”

“I…for me it was an experience that changed things,” Buck admitted. “The first time I realized that what I felt, what I saw was caused by magic, I might have been ten or so. I had seen or felt it before. I always had strange dreams, but I think that experience changed how I viewed it. I’m a prophetic dreamer. I have visions so my magic can be pretty in your face, hard to ignore.”

“What made you go against your parents’ views on it,” Eddie asked curiously.

“When I was in elementary school, I had a vision that terrified me,” Buck admitted. “I was so young I don’t even know if I really understood what was happening, but I was scared enough I couldn’t ignore it like I had been taught to. So, I went to my teacher and told her that one of my classmates brought his dads gun to school.”

Eddie inhaled sharply. It was hard to ignore the sort of things that happened in schools, and he could guess where this was going. Kids and guns never ended well. “Dios,” Eddie hissed shocked. “Buck that’s…”

“He didn’t plan to shoot people,” Buck said quickly. “He was just showing off. Or another kid dared him to bring the gun to school, just a stupid bad decision of a kid who didn’t know better. It didn’t matter the reason that it was there though, he would take it out at recess and this sweet girl in my class would get shot. It would go off and the EMT’s wouldn’t even get a chance to try to save her. I didn’t say that it was a waking dream until later because my parents never really listened when I said I had strange dreams. So, I just said I saw the gun and it scared me. My teacher listened and acted fast. Afterwards though, the cops had questions and while my teacher didn’t ask, he just acted, they needed the full story. So many questions. How I knew he had a gun in his bag being the main one since He had never taken it out. I wasn’t friends with him, I didn’t sit close to him, the video cameras since they followed him through the school day due to the investigation, showed he never once took it out. Eventually, I finally gave in, told the truth, I told them I saw a classmate die in a dream, but I wasn’t sleeping.”

Of anything he thought was going to be said, that hadn’t been part of it. “Shit Buck,” he said horrified. “That’s…shit.”

Buck took a breath and continued. “I mean magic and visions are well known so it was a clear reason how I found out. They of course told my parents,” Buck admitted. “Not to get me in trouble. But because it was a traumatising event. Laura didn’t die but, in my head, she died. I saw it happen. It was also because prophetic dreamers like me aren’t common but there are a lot of resources to help people with inherent magical gifts not just control them but grow them. Protocol dictated that my parents be told, the center gets involved to help me. Honestly, my parents had already been called a dozen times to come in while I was being spoken to and in the end the school had to call in a social worker to allow them to talk to me because of things so they had to be told what happened.”

“They didn’t react well I’m guessing. Even though you saved your classmate?”

Buck scoffed. The idea of his parents doing anything to help him was a joke. “They weren’t good parents even before this happened but afterwards, it was very clear that they hated me,” Buck admitted. “They treated me like I had the damn plague after that. Drilled into my head that I was never to tell anyone. That I wasn’t special. I wasn’t gifted. That I was a freak and I’d best pretend like it never happened.”

Eddie flinched, “I’m sorry.”

Buck hadn’t meant to say that much but he continued anyways. “But Laura was at school,” Buck said. “Even if the kid with the gun wasn’t. My teacher told me if I ever saw something that he’d always listen. It wasn’t spread around. Like the school and the cops handled the entire situation really well. Like all the respect for that school because they did things right back before school shootings were a huge thing. But it was also hard because…I didn’t understand exactly what was going on, I mean mentioning magic was forbidden in my house and its hard to wrap your head around it as an adult let alone a kid.”

“That’s fair.”

“Things went back to normal, except I had a word for it. Magic gave me a vision. And the teacher and principle all made it clear I did something good. Something fantastic. Even if my parents didn’t see it. My parents decided to change my schools since they didn’t want people to know. But a few years later, I saw Laura again. She’s just an all-around good person,” Buck admitted. “I might cyber stalk her a bit. She’s a good person. She never ever found out she should be dead. The boy with the gun, graduated the same year as we did. He has become a doctor. Would he have if he accidentally shot a classmate at ten. They wouldn’t charge him sure because he was so young. But how much would that have influenced his entire life. Would he have been allowed to stay with his parents? It was their gun, and they kept it locked up, but he still got it. Would the guilt…I don’t know make him a drug addict. Magic saved two lives. A little boy who wanted to show his friend he was cool. And a little girl who was playing on the slide when a bullet ripped through her chest. How can you not respect something that has that sort of power. So even if I was raised to hate magic…well I had an experience I couldn’t shake. How could something that could help my classmates and make a difference, be wrong.”

“So many people die each and every day I think is the standard reason people find fault with magic and visions,” Eddie pointed out.

“But so many people live,” Buck pointed out. “I don’t know. Sometimes it does my head in. Why did they deserve to live when the kid whose killed in a drive by while playing in the yard doesn’t. Why was Laura and Bradley so important? But maybe its just not all powerful. Maybe some people’s fates are set in stone and others are fluid enough it can act. Or maybe, it needs someone willing to be a conduit to act in its place and there’s just no one nearby in those situations to do so. I learnt I can’t save everyone. Long before I became a firefighter. But I can save some people. And hopefully, with there second chance, they do something meaningful in their life. Like the ripple effect. Maybe my small act can cause bigger and better ones…like a little boy becoming a doctor and saving lives, or a little girl, becoming an environmental major and helping fight climate change.”

“So, seeing that made you respect magic and go out to look for information since you didn’t get it from your parents.”

“A bit. I was also a very stubborn and angry kid,” Buck admitted getting a surprised look. “People always seem shocked when I say that. But I lived with cold sometimes cruel parents. My sister ran off with a husband who probably beats the shit out of her and refused to leave, repeatedly even as I bagged her. I sometimes saw horrible things that made me feel like a freak. Because I didn’t have enough awareness at 18 to see how what I saw was good. I had an ability I didn’t understand that my parents outright hated me for it. Life…didn’t seem fucking fair. So, I was a really angry kid. I left home, tried again to get my sister to leave Doug. She refused. I decided, to spite my parents. My love of magic came out of spite Eddie.”

He gave a startled laugh, “Jesus Buck, seriously?”

“I decided they didn’t want me to have this gift, they didn’t want me to respect it or learn to use it so fuck them. I was going to do it. So, I travelled, let magic nudge me wherever it wanted. I don’t get a lot of visions. But if I had a good feeling about a direction, I went there. I worked all sorts of jobs. I met all sorts of people who changed the way I saw the world, some with magic, some without. I got to see a world people often don’t. I worked on a ranch, one of the ranch owners was this woman who was 90 so she had a shit tone of life experiences. She used some of the horses for equestrian therapy, and the way she could relate to animals…was pure magic. She did such good work, but she’ll never go down in history as anyone important, a couple generations from now, no one will know her name. But what she did was amazing. She had such a profound respect for magic, she learnt it on her mother’s knee even if people around them often disliked it through different periods of time. It was just an acceptance and love for magic and a deep skill with animals that was a gift of magic. I went to Peru to work as a bartender, and I got to meet this tribe that’s native to the area who have a profound love and respect for magic in a way you will never see in the US. Even those who don’t have obvious gifts, still believe and love magic. They had a shaman there who had an amazing understanding of how magic existed, and I don’t think I could ever have as much faith as he did but learning from him was amazing and really helped me connect with my own magic. I worked in volunteering as search and rescue in Colorado.”

“What magic did you learn there?”

“None,” Buck said getting a startled laugh. “But I learnt I love helping people. And the amazing things they did while working Search and Rescue with or without magic was just inspiring. Without magics nudges or visions they saved so many lives or in some cases, brought closure to families who would never have to wonder what happened because they got given answers. It doesn’t have to be big like…a firefighter with visions. It can be smaller like a badass cowgirl who devoted her life to animals but also helping humans by using animals to help ease pain and give confidence. Small acts that have big effects on peoples lives. I started out, for spite. And learnt to respect and be grateful for the gifts I carry. Most people, there influence on the world is minor. Everyone has influence but I get to see how I can help people. Which makes me feel like my life matters, like I have purpose. Magic gave me that gift. Without it…with parents like mine, that opportunity was a gift. Someone once said they are shocked neither me or my sister ended up becoming drug addicts or murderers. Since people who have parents as cold hearted as we do…sort of get a bad start. Magic saved me, just differently then Laura and Bradley. I can’t…I’m off track but I didn’t grow up loving magic. I feared it during a good chunk of my life. But once you see the good it does, its hard not to believe in it, and have faith it is doing the best it can.”

“Magic never had a big part of my life before Christopher and I got bound…” Eddie admitted. “I saw it on occasion especially in the army, there was a psychic or a seer or whatever you call it. His gifts were different then yours but similar. They said I have magic but I’ve never…I don’t have gifts.”

“Which is common,” Buck offered. “Okay, basic stats. 1% of people have magic in some form. Of that, only 1 in every 10,000 people have obvious gifts or their magic has focused enough to have noticeable gifts. And those gifts might be a specific skill with animals, plants which may be overlooked as just an impressive skill, or noticeable like foresight. Which is actually only .001% of people. Like so unlikely. Magic doesn’t have a place in most peoples lives Eds. Not as a huge impact. More just an acknowledged existence.”

“Yet it chose me for Chris.”

“Or Chris chose you,” Buck said not completely convinced one way or the other. “Does it matter? I mean end of the day; he’s your son and you love him enough to fight for him. This is just protection people cannot ignore. Fuck everything else. From this point on, you have secure protection for your son. Its incredibly unlikely that anyone will ever try to take him from you. It doesn’t have to mean anything else.”

“You just accept it so readily. I wish I could just…be at peace with it but this bond scares the shit out of me,” Eddie admitted.

“The best thing that ever happened to me is Evie becoming my daughter, its different for you. You already had your son. You loved him and cared about him. I don’t have any family, Eddie. My grandparents died when I was a kid. My sister hasn’t spoken to me in three years, I haven’t seen her in eight. I haven’t spoken to my parents since I was 17 and moved out. I had friends and teammates, but I travelled a lot and while I’m still in touch with some people I was close with, I don’t really have family. Until Evie. She’s perfect. Not because of magic just because she is amazing. Like I didn’t know it was possible to love someone so much. And she reaches for me, out of everyone. She loves me right back. When I come home from work and see her, its like all the bad fades. She was a gift. I don’t know how anyone could throw her away, but I just am glad she could become mine. Adoption wouldn’t really be accepted if not for this. I was single. Worked really screwed up hours. No house because I bought this after. No support system. Adoption was very unlikely. Probably wouldn’t have even asked about it. But she’s mine now, and I am so unbelievably grateful to magic for letting me be in her life, that I can’t even explain it. So yeah, I accept it. All the happiness she gives me…whatever rough spots come, its worth it. Just to be her dad.”

“Losing Chris…it felt like I was dying, and considering I took three bullets in Afghanistan, I know what dying feels like. But it was like my entire world was ending. My parents were relentless, and I knew the way it was happening was wrong, so I wasn’t giving up without a fight but once cops got involved, they never asked for proof. Once the guy said he was a social worker, it was like the fact that he had no evidence or paperwork claiming that he had a right to take my son didn’t matter. And they ripped him from my arms.”

“Fuck man that’s…”

“And Chris was crying, bagging for me not to let them take him and I was fighting to get to my son even as they pinned me down and then it was just like this force…was letting us get together. And when I got to him, it was just us. A few still tried before those who realized magic was acting stopped them but God it was the worst moment in my life.”

“I’m sorry that’s awful.”

“When they said that no one could take my son, I didn’t care what caused it. I might have even injured a cop or two, so I was going to lose my kid even if they broke the rules, but it was like that was all erased. But its also feels like its not over. And I’m here but even with your crazy cheap rent my savings wont last forever. I just feel like even with this, I have him on borrowed time and I’m going to wake up and lose him. No idea where to start or go. I want to believe this bond is enough to let me keep my son, but I don’t trust magic and the centers have made it clear they expect something from us both. I don’t know how to stop feeling like this especially since I don’t understand what happened. Magic interfered or Chris did, but I understand neither and I don’t even know if you could claim I respected magic enough for it to act. I’d do anything to keep my son but…I don’t get how you can just trust this bond. I mean I get it a lot better now, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Buck hated the people he had never met for doing this to a good, devoted father. Cops wouldn’t be kind to a clearly aggressive man of Mexican descent being accused of child abuse. It was clear that it probably would have ended bloody. Magics interference saved that, but he could understand someone now living his life unable to trust in a force they couldn’t see as strongly as he did. “So, make a plan right,” Buck said. “The center will help.”

“Yeah, but at what cost,” Eddie countered. “No one does something for nothing.”

“That’s fair. I mean I’m hesitant enough about who I trust, and my circumstances were much different than yours. Aurora has never led me astray and I like Lucas who’s a descent guy and I find that he’s more interested in helping and amused by things than interfering or questioning me but theirs many more people that I don’t even remotely trust. Like one of the workers their named James, I almost punched him in the face because he aggravated me so much and I am not a violent person. So far, I’m going with trust your instincts. If a person feels wrong, trust that. For me, I trust that magic would help nudge me if I’m really trusting the wrong person with Evie because…hell if it did interfere obviously, it has some vested interest in me not fucking up. But use what they offer even if you feel like keeping them at a distance. Or Carla, who is Evie’s caretaker, she is a badass with red tape and getting shit done. She’d probably be willing to help get you on track. And should money actually be an issue…dude I don’t actually need to charge rent should you run low. I mean your kid always comes first.”

“Do you ever with this bond feel like you’re not drowning,” Eddie asked.

“A bit less by the day,” Buck offered him. “Otherwise, I just don’t know. I don’t know if anything I’ve said helped at all…”

“It let me know where your heads at with things and how you trust it. I can’t imagine that. I also never…well I guess I’ve been one of the people who think magics in your face but what you said made a lot of sense,” Eddie admitted.

“Its hard, trusting something you can’t see,” Buck said. “No judgement if you can’t. Don’t let people try to convince Chris he has to be something different. He’s pretty great as he is. Little things matter. I plan on making sure Evie knows that. I’ve been working on that speech for her if she has questions when she’s older, so she knows that she doesn’t have to let people push her into being something she’s not.”

Eddie grinned, “Thanks for giving me the speech.”

“I might have to work out some kinks. It felt a bit long and ranty,” Buck said sheepishly. “I might have gotten a bit off track but the point of it was, every act is important. Anything else you want to talk about?”

“No, I think you gave me enough to think about,” Eddie said with a laugh. “Another beer though? I’ll grab you one too?”

Buck nodded, “That would be great. We’ve both trauma dumped a fair bit, we deserve a second beer.”