v. cognac
"THE old trail should be right up there. Park warden said they closed it down a few years back. Guess every once in a while they still get a thrill-seeker who ignored the signs." Bobby explained to his team.
"They haven't been able to ping the phone?" Eddie asked Bobby.
"Yeah, no contact since the call was dropped." Bobby informed as the crew headed to the top of the small mountain.
"Hey, Jaz." Buck called out to Jazmyn as the two of them lagged behind the group.
"Yes, Buck." Jazmyn glanced towards the man.
"I don't meant to pry, but I wanted to ask if you were okay?" Buck asked as Jazmyn raised an eyebrow. "You aren't there last shift." he added.
Jazmyn nodded in agreement. "Tim and I's shifts got messed up, so I had to stay home." she lied.
"You are lying, but I won't pry, anymore." Buck shook his head as the two of them finally caught up with the rest of the crew.
Eddie noticed the tripod with the phone and led the group towards it. Bobby commanded the 118 to gear up. Hen, Jazmyn, and Chimney were on standby as they watched Buck and Eddie stroll down the mountain. Eddie and Buck explained that there was a dead body and a live one, but the live one didn't call 9-1-1. The 118 managed to help the man and get him safely out of there.
☽
"BUGS are way scarier than rats and mice. Just saying, Chim."Jazmyn explained as she, Hen, and Chimney out there gloves on before they went to check in on the patients in the haunted house.
"I can't agree on that one, Jaz. But on another note, please don't tell me you are dressing the girls up at a policeman and a paramedic for halloween." Hen begged as Jazmyn laughed.
"We did that last year, for their first halloween. This year they insist on being unicorns, so there's that. And their 3rd birthday is coming up so I also didn't have time to pick them out an outfit." Jazmyn chuckled as Bobby signaled for them to come inside.
"Anybody back here?" Bobby called out as a woman ran and approached them.
"My boyfriend—when the bats spooked, he ran face first into the wall. He hit his head pretty hard." the woman explained as she showed them where her boyfriend was.
"Sir, can you sit up?" Hen asked as she and Chimney sat him up.
"Sir, do you know what year it is?" Chimney asked the man.
"Uh. 2018." the man groaned.
"Can you tell me who the president is?" Chimney asked the man as he shined a flashlight in his face.
The man chuckled, "Do I have to?"
"He'll be fine." Chimney chuckled as well.
☽
"TELL him it's ugly. Go ahead, Carla. I got your back!" Jazmyn announced as Eddie walked into the living room with his costume on.
"Is he some kind of pirate?" Carla asked Jazmyn.
"Snake Plissken? Escape from New York? Kurt Russel? John Carpenter's Masterpiece?" Eddie explained but he was getting upset that Jazmyn and Carla had no idea what he's talking about.
"Right, right. Well, I prefer Tango and Cash myself. But you look cute, so I approve," Carla smiled at him before she looked at Jazmyn. "Girl, that cat outfit is cute." she complimented Jazmyn.
"But Eddie, I am disappointed that costume didn't come with a smile." Carla placed a hand on her hip.
"I had a fight with Shannon. When I asked her to help with Christopher and the school, she asked to see Christopher first." Eddie admitted as he lifted up his eyepatch.
"And you said no? Okay, if you want her back in your life, you're gonna have to ease her back into it at some point." Carla encouraged.
"Who said I want her back in my life?" Eddie asked Carla.
"Girl boo. So you...we, left Texas and just magically found a job close to both our exes? I don't know about you, but I was intentional." Jazmyn stated as Eddie rolled his eyes at her.
"LAFD are the best in the country. In the world." Eddie argued.
"If she's gotten herself back together, you know what's best for your son. And that's for his mother to be back in his life. Sooner than later." Carla reminded him.
"What if she screws up again?" Eddie asked them.
"Both of you have grown up a lot over the years. And a boy needs his mama." Carla stated.
"Daddy? Aunt Jazzy?" Christopher called out as he walked into the living room with his wolverine costume.
"You know what, you're so cute, I could just rip you to shreds." Carla gushed when she saw Christopher.
"Mommy? Tio Eddie?" the twins called out from their room as they walked out with their unicorn costumes.
Jazmyn smiled as she bent down to get a good look at them. "Mommy's pretty girls," she complimented as she pulled out her phone. "Let me get a picture before we meet with your dad to trick or treat."
☽
"I WON'T come down until Norman sees me! And don't you try to force me down!" the woman yelled from the top of the highway's traffic signs.
"I can't tell if she's crazy or if she's crazy in love." Jazmyn stated to Chimney who helped her spread out the mat.
"There's a difference?" Chimney asked her as the two blocked out Lola's, the woman on the traffic sign, outburst to Athena.
"Yeah, definitely." Hen agreed with Jazmyn as they looked up to see what was going on, only to find out that Lola took her robe off and there was nothing under it.
"Maybe both." Chimney grimaced
"There's better ways of handling neglect." Jazmyn shook her head.
"Yeah, counseling." Hen stated.
"Therapy." Chimney added.
Jazmyn shook her head. "No, a trench coat." she answered and they looked at her puzzled. "With nothing under — like Olivia does in Scandal — y'all haven't watched Scandal?" Jazmyn asked them in shook.
"A trench coat?" Chimney asked.
"Quit talking to me." Jazmyn rolled her eyes as she looked up to see what else had happened. She noticed Buck and Eddie getting ready to try to de-escalate the situation.
"Okay, move Buck into position. Okay Chim." Bobby radioed his crew as Hen, Chimney, and Jazmyn pulled the inflatable under the traffic sign and Eddie helped Buck onto the traffic sign.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! What are you doing?! I told you!" Lola shouted when she saw the inflatable.
"It's just there for your safety, Lola." Athena announced from the police car radio.
Lola suddenly pulled out a gun and shot down the inflatable causing everyone to duck in panic. She then pointed the gun at Buck, who held up his hands in defense.
"Lola, listen to me very carefully. You now have every firearm in the Greater Los Angeles area pointe dat you. If you continue to threaten that man, they will fire. Do you understand? Do you?" Athena asked Lola.
Lola lowered the gun. "I don't want to hurt anybody. I just can't handle being ignored anymore." she announced but then she went silent. Buck was trying to talk her down.
"Lola, Lola, honey, it's me. I'm here. And I see you, just like the sign says." Norman called out to his wife after he arrived on the scene.
"Liar! You look right through me. You don't even notice me. I'm just around to...collect the mail." Lola shouted at him.
Jazmyn looked over to Norman, who was talking to Athena and Bobby. He appeared to be confused.
"Lola, honey. Honey, now, listen to me. I'm here, and I see you. And I need you to put down the gun, okay? Put down the gun and let them bring you to me. And then we can spend the rest of our lives together, and I can show you how much I love you." Norman admitted to Lola.
"I don't believe you, Norman. You don't know who I am anymore. I don't even know." Lola argued as she began to cry.
"I need a drink." Jazmyn sighed as Hen and Chimney nodded in agreement.
All of a sudden, Norman pulls out his phone and plays In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. He gave Lola a heart felt speech and the crowd cheered. Lola was about to jump off the traffic signs but Buck held her back. She finally realized Norman saw her, she wanted to go back to him.
☽
"MADDIE, how'd you even get my number?" Jazmyn asked as she walked into the bar with Maddie.
"Oh, Eddie." Maddie simply replied.
Jazmyn nodded, of course he did. "Why am I here, Maddie?" she asked as she looked at the table Maddie was leading her to, it was Chimney and Buck sitting there.
"Hi, sorry I'm late — we're late. Someone didn't want to come." Maddie greeted Chimney and completely ignored Buck.
"Jaz?" Buck asked as Jazmyn took the only open seat at the table, the one next to him.
"I'm just as surprised as you are. Maddie didn't tell me where we were going. Or who was going to be here." Jazmyn sent him a tight smile.
"Have they been going out?" Buck asked Jazmyn as the two of them glanced at Chimney and Maddie.
"Is it not obvious?" Jazmyn chuckled as the waitress handed them their drinks.
Buck leaned towards Jazmyn. "We got you a drink. Chimney for you a drink." he explained.
Jazmyn turned to him. "If they are on a date...then why are we here?" she asked him and Buck shrugged his shoulders. What were they doing there.
After a few drinks, Maddie and Chimney ended up doing karaoke, leaving Buck and Jazmyn alone.
"So, how was your halloween? I never had a chance to ask." Buck asked her. He decided it was best for him to try to make conversation instead of just sitting in silence.
"Pretty good, actually. Tim, Eddie, and I took the kids trick or treating." Jazmyn answered him.
"Good, good. How'd Maddie get you to come here anyway?" Buck asked her as the two naturally came closer together.
"Believe it or not. She called me and I was randomly down to go to a bar. I haven't been to one since I've had my kids." Jazmyn replied honestly.
"Why's that?" Buck asked her.
"Um, I didn't want to be wild anymore. Alcohol kinda does that to me. And I'm a mother now." Jazmyn sighed.
Buck nodded, "I get it. I get it. That's why I was hesitant about coming here. I didn't want to resort back to the old me. Abby helped me be a better man, but that relationship is over now. I'm actually thinking about dipping my toe back into the dating game, how about you?"
"Well, Tim and I have been separated for a year now. I guess I could try dating again but not a lot of men want to date a young woman with two kids." Jazmyn shrugged as she took the last sip of her drink.
Buck looked at her. "Well, you never know. I just want to take things slow and restrain myself." he stated.
"Same..." Jazmyn smiled at him.
One thing led to another and Buck and Jazmyn ended up hooking up in the bar bathroom. So much for restraint.
☽
"YOU, slept with Jazmyn. Our Jazmyn? I didn't know you two were seeing each other." Bobby asked Buck, who tried to keep his captain's voice down.
"Yeah, but can you keep it down. I don't think she told Eddie. And we are not seeing each other. Maddie and Chimney basically set us up. We were having a normal conversation and next sex in the bathroom. I kinda feel weird about it." Buck explained to his captain as the 118 began to get equipment out of the truck for the victim.
"Yeah, which part?" Bobby asked him.
"I thought I quit being that guy. I thought Abby changed me. I'm single for, like, a day, and I'm right back at it?" Buck explained.
"Buck, you have been single for months and I see the way you look at Jazmyn. Didn't you call her pretty?" Bobby asked as he walked into the gas station.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Buck asked.
"Saying what?" Eddie asked Buck who tried to give him an answer but he couldn't.
Once everyone got into the gas station, Jazmyn and Eddie checked over the male robber. "He seems fine. Pupils are dilated. Definitely high on something." Eddie announced to Athena.
"Stay strong, baby bear." Harley announced to his girlfriend as Jazmyn and Eddie stood him up.
"I'm not your baby bear! Men are the worst, right?" the female robber yelled at the man before she asked Hen a question.
"You're asking the wrong girl." Hen chuckled.
"I like Jazmyn. Like really like her. I want to date her. But now she going to think I'm only after one thing." Buck realized.
"Our Jaz? She slept with you?" Athena asked him in shock and Buck rolled his eyes.
"You slept with Jaz? C'mon Buck, we actually like her. Don't run her off." Hen scoffed.
"You are only after one thing, jerk." the female robber snapped at Buck.
Buck pointed to her. "You don't even know me."he stated in defense.
"You're a man. I know enough." the robber female argued.
Once Eddie and Jazmyn were outside alone. Eddie glared at Jazmyn. "You slept with Buck. And you didn't tell me." he asked.
"I was going to tell you eventually. I was under the influence." Jazmyn whispered at him.
"Look, sex isn't meaningless to Buck anymore. He's going to want to date you." Eddie rubbed his head down his face.
"No he's not. You are crazy." Jazmyn argued with him.
"Duraznos, would I lie to you?" Eddie asked her as she rolled her eyes.
"You gave Maddie my number. It's like you wanted this to happen. So I could fully get over Tim!" Jazmyn scoffed.
"I didn't tell you to sleep with him!" Eddie argued back.
"I went to a bar! You know how I am on alcohol." Jazmyn clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth.
"Is everything okay out here?" Athena and Bobby asked as they walked out of the station.
Eddie and Jazmyn glanced at each other before they looked at Bobby and Athena. "Peachy." they answered.
☽
"EDDIE, I got it," Jazmyn yelled from inside the house as she checked to see who knocked on her door. Once she opened the door, Buck was at her doorstep. "Ducky Quack Quack." she greeted.
"Hi, uh, Jaz," Buck scratched the back of his neck. "Look, the other night we were drinking. One thing led to another and I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel taken advantage of. I truly do — do respect you. That person the other night. He's not me. He used to be me. And I know you are on a better road now and I don't want you to fall back into old habits because of me." he apologized.
Jazmyn stepped outside her house and closed the door. "Kids are nosy," she gave him an explanation. "Look, I'm grown and I shouldn't have went in the first place. I know I get a little much of the liquor. And that's my bad." Jazmyn apologized.
"Jaz, I truly do like you...and I was wondering if you want to go out sometime." Buck offered with a smile.
Jazmyn deeply sighed, "Look, Buckley I don't think it's a good idea. I have kids, they come first. I can't just date around, you know?"
Buck's face fell, but he understood...ish. "I get it. You're a mom first. Uh, um, have a good night, Jazmyn." he sighed as he hugged Jazmyn and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Once Jazmyn walked back into the house, Eddie was standing there with his arms crossed. "I wouldn't lie to you." he reminded her of their argument earlier.
"I think I broke Buck." Jazmyn sent Eddie a tight smile.
ALOHA'S CORNER:
here's my thoughts,
one: not edited as usual
two: jaz and buck hooking up instead of buck and taylor 🫡
three: Athena and Bobby referring to Jaz as our Jazmyn 🫡
four: yk the drill by now, feedback is appreciated!