Memories From the Past

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/41643081.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV)
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley &
Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley, Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Abby Clark, Eddie
Diaz (mentioned)
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz,
Married Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Christopher Diaz Has Two
Dads, Evan "Buck" Buckley is Christopher Diaz's Parent, Past Evan
"Buck" Buckley/Abby Clark, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Cemetery,
Mentioned Shannon Diaz
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-09-11 Words: 1,117 Chapters: 1/1
 Memories From the Past
by SourwolfSeblaine (smilingbuckley)

Summary

Buck heard that Christopher hasn't been to his mother's grave in a while, so he decides to take
him for a visit. He runs into a familiar face.

--

He hasn’t been here before. It’s a little weird, to share the same last name with someone you
barely knew. Shannon Diaz staring up at him, knowing his own will say Evan “Buck” Diaz.

He had dropped the name Buckley. In Marie Kondo’s words, it did not bring him joy.

A twig snaps, and he looks up. He expects maybe a cat staring at him with wide eyes. Not
Abby Clark staring at him. With wide eyes.

Notes

I have been writing non-stop in preparation for Whumtopber, which is why I haven't posted
much the last few days. I won't post much in September because I'm mostly focusing on
Whumptober (since I only decided to join at the beginning of this month so I need to catch
up) but after writing so much angst and hurt, I needed something fluffy. During my break
from writing I was rewatching some season 3 episodes, including Abby's return, and viola,
here we are.

See the end of the work for more notes

Buck parks the car, glancing in his rearview mirror to look at Christopher. “You ready? Your
dad said you haven’t been in a while.”

Christopher nods, “I’m ready.”

“Alright then.” Buck gets out and opens the door for Chris, letting him unbuckle as he grabs
his crutches from the trunk. He gives them to Chris and helps him down the car. Locking is as
they walk to the cemetery.

“Do you know anyone here?” Chris asks as soon as the asphalt turns into a sand path. Buck
keeps an eye on him in case it gets too difficult with the crutches.

“Yeah, one person. But I didn’t really know her that well.” He says, glancing in the direction
Patricia is buried. It looks like someone is standing there, but it’s probably just someone
searching for a grave. He turns back to Chris, missing the fact that a familiar woman turns
around to look at him.

One of Christopher’s crutches catches on a piece of rock, making him sigh in frustration.
“Can you carry me? I don’t like sand paths.”

“Sure, Buddy.” He picks him up easily, holding his crutches. “Ooh, you’re getting tall.”

Christopher giggles, “Never too tall for you, Pops.”

Buck’s heart feels like someone squeezes it. It’s been almost a year and he still feels like that
whenever Christopher calls him that, he knows he’s grinning way too much for being at a
cemetery.

They find Shannon’s grave and he puts Christopher down. “Want to sit down so we can talk
to her?”

“Yeah.” Buck sits down first, letting Christopher sit in his lap so he’s more comfortable than
sitting on the grass. “Hi, Mom. It’s me, Christopher. I’m here with Pops. Uh, you remember
him as Buck. He and Dad got married last year, so I stopped calling him Buck.”

He stops talking looking up at Buck, “Would she be okay with that?” He hears some
footsteps nearby and guesses it’s probably someone else visiting a grave.

“Of course, Buddy.” Buck runs his hand through Christopher’s curls, “She wants both of you
to be happy. She loves you both very much. And I’m not here to replace that, I know she
knows that.”

Christopher nods, turning back to the grave, “I made you a drawing. And I saw a flower,
Pops helped me dry it for you. So it can stay here longer.” He opens his backpack, pulling out
said drawing and flower. “It’s a sunflower. You love those.”

“I’m sure she’s very happy,” Buck tells him and helps place it underneath Shannon’s name.
He hasn’t been here before. It’s a little weird, to share the same last name with someone you
barely knew. Shannon Diaz staring up at him, knowing his own will say Evan “Buck”
Diaz.

He had dropped the name Buckley. In Marie Kondo’s words, it did not bring him joy.

A twig snaps, and he looks up. He expects maybe a cat staring at him with wide eyes. Not
Abby Clark staring at him. With wide eyes.

“Abby?” He doesn’t move up with Christopher in his lap, who also looks, squinting at the
unfamiliar woman. “What, uh, are you doing in LA?”

“I was visiting my mother.” She points back behind her towards Patricia’s grave. “I saw you
walking up and, uh, figured I’d say hi? It feels really inappropriate now that I’m actually
here.”

“Who is that, Pops?” Christopher looks up at him, one of his curls tickling his chin and he
gives into the reflex to kiss the crown of his head, ever since Chris started calling him his
father, he had been giving him the affection he had always wanted growing up.

“This is Abby, uh, a former friend of mine.” Buck tells him, “Abby, this is-“

“Christopher.” He uses his hold on Buck’s shoulder to stand up and holds out his hand, she
shakes it. “Buck’s my dad.”

“Oh!” She looks delighted. Maybe glad he had moved on. “Nice to meet you, Christopher.”
Buck gets up as well, placing his hands on his son’s, his son’s oh my god, shoulders. Abby
glances down and smiles at the sight of a ring around his finger, “You got married?”

Buck nods, “Yeah, uh, you met him briefly at the train crash. Before you saw me. Eddie.
Diaz.”

“Pops took Dad’s last name.” Christopher says proudly, “So now we all share the same
name.”

“Evan Diaz, nice.” She says. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“You and Sam get married?” Buck asks her.

She nods holding up her hand to show a ring on her finger, “Yeah. We had to postpone it.
First because of the train accident. Then the pandemic. But it happened a year ago.”

“Pops and Dad got married a year ago too. I got to bring them the rings!” Christopher beams.
Buck laughs at the happy memory, Christopher had been smiling so much, that he later
complained about muscle aches in his face.

He ruffles Christopher’s hair, “And you did a great job.”

“I also gave him a St. Christopher medallion as a wedding gift, cause my dad has one to
guide him home,” Christopher says, he reaches up. Buck knows what he’s about to do so he
reaches forward to let Christopher hold onto the medallion on his necklace.

“Wow! That looks great.” She smiles at them. Her phone rings and she frowns as she looks at
it, “Sorry, I promised Carla I’d have coffee with her.”

“You know Carla?” Christopher asks her, wide eyes.

“Oh, Abby is how I met Carla. She helped take care of her mom.” Buck explains to him.

“Like she takes care of me?” Christopher asks.

Buck smiles, “Similarly.”

Abby looks like she’s about to say something, but her phone rings again, “Sorry! It was really
nice to see you. And to meet you, Christopher.” She waves at them and walks away,
answering her phone. Glancing back once with a smile.

“Is she the Abby that Dad doesn’t like?” Christopher asks him, tugging on his hand.

Buck turns his full attention to him, his back towards where Abby left, “What do you
mean?”

Christopher shrugs, “Sometimes I hear him complaining to people about a woman named
Abby. Said she broke your heart. But she seems nice.”

Buck laughs at that, pulling his kid in a hug, “That’s the one. And she is nice. Sometimes we
don’t mean to break someone’s heart. I think your dad is just protective over me. Like, if
someone ever breaks your heart, we’ll hate them forever. And like I always tell you, hate is a
big word. Don’t use it lightly.”

“Okay, Pops.” Christopher says, then turns back to his mother’s grave, “Where were we?”
End Notes

I know most of you hate Abby, but I don't, so I didn't write her as a bad person. Though, I
have to say, while rewatching I liked her a lot less than the first time watching. Throwback to
when she was my favorite during my first watch of season 1 lol.

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