Chapter Text
Adelaide Gwynne was born, ironically enough, in Melbourne, Australia, rather than her namesake city. She grew up as a well-liked Life Guard at St Kilda Beach, before making her way up to Bondi Beach in New South Wales, before travelling to America in her early twenties on her great O.E (Overseas Experience)
It was in Seattle, on the beautiful west coast of America that she found the man of her dreams, fell in love, and got married. Adelaide joked that it was like the movie Sleepless in Seattle; her mother joked that Adelaide hadn’t actually seen the film.
It was difficult for her parents, but they were over the moon to see their daughter so happy.
In 2010, they flew over to Seattle, rushing to the hospital due to a late flight and a missed connection. They got there in time to see their daughter cradling her newborn baby.
"Mum, Dad, meet your new grandson, Ryan Blair Jameson," Adelaide announced with pride as she introduced her parents to the newest addition to their family. Name after both grandparents, Adelaide was absolutely glowing.
Adelaide's parents were disappointed that Ryan's father missed the birth due to a business call, given the significance of such a moment, the birth of his son.
However, Adelaide reassures her parents gently, holding their hands and laughing away their concerns. The nurse comes in to take Ryan away for some routine test, as he starts to cry Adelaide kisses him soft on the forehead “Ryan Blair Jameson, don’t cry, I promise you will always be safe, loved and cherished, mummy promises.”
It’s the last time Adelaide's parents see her.
The phone calls and emails get less frequent, and eventually, after a brief but worrying phone call, they’ll fly to Seattle and discover her gone, with no forwarding address.
**2014
Adelaide tells Ryan all sorts of weird stories about a country called Austria or Australia, Ryan gets them confused. In Australia, they speak proper English his mother tells him with a cheeky smile between kisses, “Pick up trucks are called utes; doesn’t that make more sense little one?” she says as they walk along the street.
Or they will stop outside a shopping center, and Adelaide will wave his favourite teddy in front of his face and say, “Center is spelt C-E-N-T-R-E, silly Americans aye Ryan.”
Australia has little tree bears called koalas and dangerous crocodiles, so dangerous there’s a show called The Crocodile Hunter - Adelaide promises him that Australia isn’t that scary.
She’ll make a weird white cake covered in whipped cream (hand-whipped, not from a can) and berries called Pavola and tell Ryan firmly that it was invented in Australia, no matter what those pesky Kiwis say. Ryan doesn’t understand why Fruit would start a fight with his mother over where the cake came from, but it tastes good, and she looks happy despite the bruise under her eye.
**2015
Ryan is four and a half when his mother kills herself in the bath; he remembers hearing her and his father yelling before sudden silence. His father stands in the doorway of the bathroom, covered in blood, before telling Ryan she did it because of him.
The police come and look at the suicide note and his mother's history of mental illness and false domestic violence phone calls and agree it's a closed case, suicide.
Ryan asks why colour is spelt without a u in the printed suicide note, and the detective smiles at him like he’s stupid, and his dad kicks him. Ryan doesn’t ask any more questions, but sometimes, when he’s home alone, he’ll sit in the bathroom and wait for her to come back.
He wonders why she did it when they had their bags packed, and their tickets for Australia paid for. He doesn’t bother asking his father, he’s too upset by the whole thing.
**2022
Ryan is 12 when he decides he’s going to be a fire fighter.
The man, who in his mind looks like a younger version of Buck is putting an oxygen mask on him and telling him he did a good job, as they wheel his father away.
He’s trying hard not to let the situation overwhelm him; his father hates it when he cries, but 10 minutes ago, they were in the midst of the raging inferno, and Ryan's heart had pounded with a mix of terror and determination. His father stumbled about, his movements clumsy and erratic, fueled by alcohol. "Dad, we have to get out of here!" Ryan had shouted urgently, trying to pull his father away from the flames licking at the furniture.
"Leave me alone, boy!" slurred his father, swatting weakly at Ryan's attempts to steer him towards safety. "This is my house!"
Ryan's eyes burned from the smoke as he realized fire cut off their escape routes. Panic gripped him as he struggled to think clearly. He knew they were trapped.
Acting on instinct, Ryan grabbed his father's arm and guided him towards the bathroom. If you asked him to explain why he felt safe there, he wouldn’t be able to, but it was the last place he ever saw his mother.
He soaked towels under the running faucet and pressed them against their faces, trying to shield them from the suffocating smoke. "Breathe through these, Dad," Ryan pleaded, his voice strained with fear and determination.
His father, now somewhat more aware of the danger, clumsily held the wet towels to his face, coughing harshly from the smoke inhalation. Ryan's mind raced, searching desperately for any way to escape the burning house, all the while keeping his father as safe as possible.
As they huddled together in the bathroom, the flames crept closer, casting eerie shadows on the walls a couple of figures appeared “LAFD” they had shouted and then they were safe.
**2025
At fifteen, Ryan had endured enough of his father's abuse. The car keys lay temptingly on the kitchen counter, his father passed out drunk in the living room. With heart pounding, Ryan snatched the keys, his hands trembling with a mix of fear and determination.
Outside, the night air was cool and quiet. He slid into the driver's seat, his pulse racing as he started the engine, trying to muffle the sound of his escape. Every nerve screamed with adrenaline as he pulled out of the driveway, casting one last glance at the darkened house behind him.
The road stretched out ahead, a path to freedom and uncertainty. Ryan gripped the steering wheel tighter, pushing down the fear and doubt that threatened to overwhelm him. He didn't know where he was going, but anywhere was better than the suffocating atmosphere of his father's home.
He had got halfway to San Francisco (at least that is what he tells himself) when a police cruiser pulled him over, and the cop torch blared down on him.
“Ryan Jameson, I assume, sadly for you, your joy ride is over, punk” The cop flung him on the bonnet of the car and hand-cuffed him before dragging him back to his father.
**2028
Ryan applies for the LAFD as soon as he’s 18. The recruitment officer looks over his paperwork, record, and school grades and smiles, “Good luck, kid, but I don’t think you’ll make it.” He's written off before the first day, but they don't understand how long he's waited for this chance.
Four months later, he passes the course and is on his way to becoming a probationary firefighter—except no firehouse wants to touch him.
An older, grey hair dude sits down next to him and introduces himself as “Bobby Nash, former captain of the 118" and offers him a job for Captain Evan Buckley at the 133
There are conditions (like a lot), but Ryan’s so grateful he hardly listens as he agrees. He would have sold his soul at a chance to prove to his father he could accomplish something meaningful.
**2028 8 months later
The reply from Buck was expected but still stung, five words that underlined the damage he had done. To a man who tried to protect him
Cap 133: Do not contact me again
Ryan stood in the driveway, his heart pounding as his father approached, his expression unreadable. The tension hung heavy in the air between them, thick with unspoken words and unresolved anger.
He had packed his bags, he had to flee before his father got home. Ryan had taken a gasoline can to everything in his life and set it alight. At least he had done the right thing, and cleared Buck’s name. He had felt sick lying to everyone, accusing Buck after all he had done to try and help him.
"Ryan," his father's voice was low and gravelly. Help me bring in somethings from the truck."
His father was home, getting out of the truck, parked on the street with a carefree smile on his face, beckoning Ryan to come with him.
Ryan glanced at the items laid out on the tailgate: a coil of rope, a bottle of bleach, a large tarpaulin, and a baseball bat. His mind mapped out possibilities; it could be a coincidence.
“Help me bring these items in” he had asked, and Ryan did so without question, knowing better than to make a scene.
In the lounge, Ryan’s father looked at him with that smile before gesturing to the tarpaulin “Can you help me lie this flat on the floor Ryan”
Once it was flat on the floor, his father instructed him to lie down on the tarpaulin, legs crossed and arms by his side. He glanced at the baseball bat resting against the wall, its presence suddenly menacing. His father's gaze bore into him. He looked pleased, but for some reason, it made Ryan more unsettled. Ryan knew deep down (not even that deep down to be honest) his father would never forgive him for betraying him by choosing Captain Buckley over him. For ruining their plan.
His father clapped his hands together, causing Ryan to jump before suggesting they move into the kitchen. Picking up the baseball bat, his father looked him in the eye and said casually, “I don’t want to make a mess on the carpet.”
As they stood on the small kitchen's vinyl floor, his father gently tapped his hand with the baseball bat before looking over to him.
"Ryan," his father's voice broke the uneasy silence, "do you know how much damage a bat can do?"
** Present day
Eddie stood on Buck’s doorstep, pacing himself,torn between his loyalty to Buck and his sense of justice (or injustice in his mind). Finally, after a moment of tense silence in the cool LA air, he exhaled heavily and rang the door bell, punishing the poor buzzer for a crime it had not committed.
Any hope that Eddie might hold onto the burning rage was dashed as the door swung open abruptly, and Eddie was met not by Buck but by Ryan—his scowl etched deep as he eyed Eddie up and down. "Oh, it's you," Ryan sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "What do you want, f*ckface?"
Eddie froze, his jaw clenching as the insult hit him square in the chest. He had planned on having open conversation with Buck about Ryan and his false accusation against Buck. But now, standing face to face with Ryan, all of Eddie's already weak restraint threatened to crumble.
"You little..." Eddie began, his voice low and dangerous. He struggled to maintain his composure.
“Buck, f*ckface is here to see you” Ryan rolled his eyes, before turning his back on Eddie.Buck had jumped up off the couch and made his way to the hallway, passing Ryan as he made his way to Eddie.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.” Buck looks surprised. Clearly, Maddie hadn’t gotten ahold of him yet. Eddie feels a pang of guilt for catching Buck off guard, but also relief that Buck hadn't had a chance to come up with a defence of the indefendable
The words blurted out of Eddie's mouth before he formatted a plan, "Buck, how can you just sit there and act like nothing happened?"
Buck looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean, Eddie?"The look of confusion on Buck's face didn't fool Eddie, he had known Buck long enough and well enough to know that Buck had figured out that Eddie knew. He was playing dumb to try and avoid the coming conversation.
"You know damn well what I mean," Eddie shot back, his voice rising with frustration. "He accused you of sexual assault, Buck! That could have destroyed your career, your life!"
Buck looked like a deer caught in the headlights “How did you find out?”
“It doesn’t matter how I know, it’s true isn’t it?”
Buck's expression softened, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Eddie, I know it's hard to understand, but Ryan... he was in a bad place, okay, uh, it wasn’t his fault. He just needs someone to believe in him. Keep him on the right track"
Eddie scoffed, his temper flaring. "Believe in him? After what he did to you? Are you kidding me, Buck?"
Buck squared up, his own voice tinged with emotion. " Come on Eds, he's just a kid. He's been through hell, and he's trying to turn his life around. I couldn't just abandon him."
"Do you hear yourself Buck! You're damn kind for your own damn good, Buck!" Eddie snapped, pacing back and forth in agitation. "Do you not understand, Ryan could of ruined your life. What part of that is okay?!"
Buck's shoulders slumped slightly, hurt flashing across his face. "First, you don’t know the whole story Eddie okay, second Athena and Bobby had this exact same conversation and third, I don’t need whatever this is, I need you to trust me."
Eddie shook his head, unable to comprehend Buck's forgiveness. "I trust you, I always trust you Buck but I don’t trust him - He doesn't deserve your forgiveness, Buck. He doesn't deserve anything from you!"
Just then, Ryan reappeared, sensing the escalating tension. His presence only fueled Eddie's anger further. "And here he is, acting like nothing happened," Eddie spat, his eyes locked on Ryan.
Ryan clenched his jaw, his fists tightening at his sides. "I'm sorry, okay? I messed up. I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to any of this to happen, it just kind of . . . "
Eddie turned on Ryan, his voice laced with accusation. "Do you even understand what your accusation could have meant for him? Do you even care?"
“Eddie” Buck’s voice was low, a warning.
Ryan's expression faltered, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I do care, you gotta believe me, I... I didn't mean..."
"Believe you, what that it was a mistake, it accidentally slipped out of your mouth" Eddie shouted, his voice echoing in the hallway. "You didn't think about the consequences, about the damage you could have caused. And now you're here, living under his roof like nothing happened!"
Buck stepped in between them, his voice changing from warning to pleading. "Eddie, please... Not now, not here okay, I promised Ryan he would be safe here, we can discuss this tomorrow."
But Eddie had lost control of his temper. The ramifications Buck could have faced (for the rest of his life) because of Ryan's accusations, overwhelmed him. "You're lucky Buck's so forgiving," Eddie muttered bitterly, shaking his head “Because you sure as hell don’t deserve it, you little pathetic worm"
Ryan's face hardened, his resolve wavering. He turned and fled the house without a word, slamming the door behind him with a resounding crash.
Buck stood there in stunned silence, the room filled with an unbearable heaviness. Eddie's anger slowly ebbed, replaced by a hollow ache in his chest. He realised he had gone too far, letting his emotions cloud his judgment and some how, instead of defending that person he cared about the most, he had hurt him.
"I'm sorry, Buck," Eddie said quietly, his voice filled with regret. "I just... I couldn't stand seeing you hurt."
Buck nodded slowly, his gaze distant. "Eds, I was fine, I didn’t need you rushing over and attacking Ryan, look what you’ve done"
Eddie couldn’t understand how Buck could be concerned about the wellbeing of a teenager who had gone to the police and accused Buck of sexual assault. How was Ryan the victim here?
Buck looked older than Eddie had ever seen him, worry lines running across his face as he pulled out his phone and made a series of calls to Lena, Bobby and Chris.
“Chris? Why would Chris know where Ryan is?” Eddie demanded; the last thing he wanted was for his kid to get mixed up with Ryan but he had a feeling in his gut that Buck confirmed
“Chris comes to the 118 catch up BBQ’s with me sometimes, and well, I bring Ryan. I’m not going to tell him he’s family and then leave him behind, am I?”
Eddie's jaw tightened at Buck's response, his mind racing with concern and frustration. He hadn't expected Chris to be potentially influenced by Ryan's presence. The thought of his son getting mixed up with someone who had once accused Buck of such serious allegations sent a shiver down his spine.
"Buck, you know how I feel about this," Eddie said, his voice steady but edged with worry. "Chris is my kid. I don't want him getting caught up in any of this."
Buck nodded solemnly, understanding Eddie's concerns. "I get it, Eddie. But Chris and Ryan—they've formed a friendship - I really think it’s good for Ryan to hang out with people his own age who, you know, are good influences"
Eddie ran a hand through his hair, frustration knotting in his gut. He had always tried to protect Chris. The idea of Chris growing close to someone like Ryan just made him feel sick.
"I just... I don't want Chris to be influenced by Ryan's mistakes," Eddie admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "He's a good kid, Buck. He doesn't need this."
Buck placed a reassuring hand on Eddie's shoulder, his gaze steady. "I hear you, Eddie. And I'll do my best to keep an eye on things. But Ryan... Eddie, you don’t understand what that kid went through, okay, and once I know he’s safe, I’ll tell you the full story but for now I need to find my son"
Eddie sighed heavily, torn between his protective instincts and his trust in Buck's judgment. "I know you believe in him, Buck. But I still can’t see how he deserves a second chance, and Chris..."
Buck squeezed Eddie's shoulder gently. "Do you really think that I would let anything happen to Chris, Eddie? You have my word."
Buck's word was worth its weight in gold in Eddie's mind, and deep down, he knew if Ryan posed any harm to Chris, Buck would intervene, but he was still worried Buck had rose-tinted glasses on over the troubled teen.
Buck, feeling a mix of exhaustion, frustration, and anger, understood Eddie's misplaced (in his opinion) concern. Despite his own emotional state, Buck gave Eddie a straightforward choice: either leave or assist him in locating Ryan.
Eddie's brown eyes met his blue eyes as the shorter man promised him "Buck, I'm not leaving you again" Eddie exhaled, looking physically hurt by the following statement out of his mouth "Let's go bring your son home"
