Chasing Chimney
Getting Sargeant Athens Grant to sit down and listen to them was harder said than done. He could not believe what he was hearing. Multiverse traveling and gender swaps. Crazy crazy crazy. Man he could really go for a drink right now.
“For you” Bobbi waved a glass of what smelled like scotch in front of his face and Athens could kiss this woman. Only if there wasn't a group of random people in his yard.
“Thank you dear” he grinned slightly and took a long sip. He took a good long look at Athena. This was him as a woman. He guessed he could see it. Strong physic, what seemed like a clear head, and he could tell that she took absolutely no bullshit from anyone. “...well shit.” He was going to need a much stronger drink.
…
Athens and his wife talked quietly as they pushed their living room furniture around. When they built this home they only put in three bedrooms. One for them obviously, an office that they shared when working from home that did contain a pullout couch, and lastly one for their kids in case they ever needed to come home for any reason. They could split the group up and squeeze them in each room but Athens expected that they wanted to stay together. He glanced towards the open door that led to the yard. If everything about them was the same then he knows that not all of them were religious but still they sat together closely as their Bobby was obviously saying a prayer, complete with the rosary that his Bobby gladly handed over. Athens shook his head and took the cushions off the couches, placing them neatly on the ground. They both went around to all the rooms, including theirs, grabbing every blanket, cushion, and pillow that they owned. It had been years since Athens attended a sleepover but he’d be damned if he left a group of random people sleeping in this house with no supervision. He didn't trust the looks of the Buckley boy. He grabbed his laptop when he stopped in his office. He had already showered and eaten dinner and now he needed to finish some leftover work. He’d put his full concentration on getting this group back once he finished writing up this report.
Bobby was leaned up against a pillow in the little sleepover pile they made. She had a biography about some fire captain in her hands and the light glow from the multiple lamps that decorated the room made her grey hair stick out against the brown and her reading glasses gleamed. She had never looked more beautiful to Athens than she did like this. Relaxed and growing old with him. He knew that this break from work was putting ideas in his wife's head and while they weren’t throwing money in the wind to waste, if his Bobby truly wanted to retire and live a simple housewife life for the rest of the time they have together, then who was Athens to get in her way. He’d support her in anything she wanted to achieve.
“Athens?” Bobby glanced over her glasses and left a soft smile gracing her aging face.
“Just immortalizing this picture in my memories.” He joined his wife in the pile and shoved his legs under a nearby blanket, protecting them from the wind wafting in from the open door.
“What picture? The one of me mentally spiraling from trying to figure out how to get these people home when the original girl is now a man and could be going by any name and be literally anywhere.”
“Exactly. It's beautiful.” They both chuckled lightly and Athens popped open his laptop to begin working. Bobby read and Athens worked silently as the night got later. They could live this forever and never get tired of it. They wanted to live like this forever.
…
The group slowly made their way in one by one around 11 pm. As one came out of the bathroom from getting ready for bed, and joined them on the pile, another would come in and repeat. They sat silently watching a random show that played low on the tv.
“We’re going to get you home.” Athens said gently, not wanting to wake his wife, whose head laid in his lap. He sat his own book to the side and gave a reassuring smile to the now complete group.
“We know,” Henreitta Wilson spoke. It was weird and kind of comforting to see his best friend. Weird because he was now a woman and comforting because it was clear that despite the swap they still remained best friends. “I just feel bad for Karen and Maddie.”
“Karen and Maddie?” He had a feeling he already knew who they were.
“Our Wives.” Chimney explained with a blanket wrapped around his head. It engulfed his whole body and the only thing Athens could see was Chimney's face. It was kind of funny. “They have no idea what happened to us and are stuck watching 4 kids. One of them a toddler and another two in their moody teenager phase. Not only that but Maddie is due any day now and now I might miss the birth of my son.”
“I’m sure they’re fine” Athens sighed as Chimney dramatically flopped to the side. “Congratulations on the new baby. I still have to drop some meals off at your house now that I'm thinking about it.”
“Thank you.” Chimney shot up quickly looking panicked. “I BIRTHED CHILDREN.”
“Oh” Eddie breathed, coming to the same realization.
If Christopher, Jee and baby Han still existed that means that Eddie and Chimney were the mothers, not Maddie and Shannon. If Eddie and Chimney were now the mothers, what about everything they had gone through. Maddies medical depression, her disappearance, her almost near death experiences. What about shannon? She doesn’t exist, not really. Did she still die? Is Christopher still the same child? Eddie needed to find his son.
“If something is that drastically different.” Buckley spoke as calm as he could even though he could feel every bone in his body screaming warnings at him to not continue his thought out loud. “Who’s to say that Montana even had the same life. Or worse, any life at all.”
“And if that's the case” Athena sighed “who’d make the traveling device to get us home?”
…
After their mind breaking realization, sleep didn’t come easy for anyone. Bobby had woken up around 6 am and joined her counterpart in the kitchen. She prepared coffee and they sat together at the table. Male Bobby filled her in and then sipped their coffees silently.
They had to reevaluate their plan of just finding Montana and getting the device again. Montana might not exist and if she doesn't exist then does the device also not exist? If it doesn't exist then they’ll have to make it and who knows how long it took to create. This wasn't just simple time traveling. Time traveling wasn't even simple so this was way out of anyone's depths. This was crossing over into a whole different universe. This was some Marvel level type shit. The only science person they knew of was Karen and she dealt with space not whatever the hell this was. The Bobby’s glanced at each other and groaned.
“Don’t think too hard, we're going to figure this out together.” Athena mumbled, stalking in. Athens trailing in behind her, heading straight for the sink for some water.
“I know.” Bobby grabbed his wife's hand and gave a slight squeeze. The four of them chatted for a while before Athens started on breakfast. Male Bobby insisted on helping but the couple both shook their heads in protest.
“When we’re on the same schedule then Bobby makes dinner and I do breakfast. Don't try messing up my schedule lady. ” Athens argued, pointing his peeler at him. He raised his hands and surrendered and Athena gave a chuckle. Instead he went to go wake up his team and they were again provided clothes to change into and a nice warm meal. After they folded down all the blankets, no point in fully cleaning up as they weren't going anywhere anytime soon, they sat in a circle to discuss the plan.
“I think we should grab Chimney first.” Athens concluded “She had just gotten back from maternity leave when they were all put on leave again so I just know she’s crawling the walls to do something again.”
“I agree.” Chimney cut in quickly. “And not because it's me…ok fine yes because it's me but also I remember how Maddie was after three months on leave. I know myself pretty well and I wouldn't be surprised if I was bald from being surrounded by barf clothes and exhaustion by the time we got there.”
“Then it’s settled,” Buck grinned widely. “Let's go chase down Chimney.”
…
Chasing Chimney wasn't as hard as it has been the past couple of times they’ve had to chase him down. Maybe because she was taking care of 2 kids and trying to keep her eyes open while he had just been ill and almost killed. Who knows. All they had to do was show up at her doorstep. At the same house Chimney, himself owned.
“Bobby, Athens,” the small asian woman beamed at her fire captain standing before her. “What brings you by? I thought you’d be lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun, you know, being on the same day off and all. Totally jealous by the way, of the pool, not by being off since I'm off as well…unfortunately.”
“We should be,” Athens shot a glance at the curly headed boy at his side and the boy just grinned back at him. “We ran into a problem and need your help if you..”
“ABSOLUTELY” she bursts out before cringing and shooting a look behind her. “You could ask me to rob a bank and I’d drop the kids at a sitter in 5 minutes flat. Anything to get me away from these demons. Please come in…all of you I guess.”
They all shuffled in and she led them to the living room. They sat around in different spots as she headed to the kitchen, taking Athens prepped meals with her to stick in the fridge. She returned momentarily with a coffee cup and a blanket. She sat with them and didn't say anything. They sat awkwardly as she peered at them expectantly.
“Well,” she prodded, “are you going to explain why I’m staring at my male self or what?”
“Of course you know,” her captain chuckled, pinching the edge of her nose. “I’ll give you a short version.”
Harlow “Chimney” Han was the same in every universe. Loud, smiley, the life of a party. This version was all of those even though her hair was messy even though it was tied up tightly, her eye bags were dark and her shirt was covered in multiple white splotches. Chimney felt terrible for his own counterpart, he had it rough when Maddie was gone and while this Chimney wasn’t alone, she still had a toddler and a newborn. It sounded like hell and yet despite it all she was cracking up at Buck’s dumb choice in pressing the button. Every time she’d get the laughing under control she’d look at Buck and start all over again. She was practically crying and sliding onto the floor when a loud wail, stopped her mid laugh. She choked slightly and sat upright.
“Damn my own karma for laughing.” As she stood up a softer cry started up right behind the wailing and she sighed. “I love them, I can't drop them off at an orphanage. I love them, I can't...”
The mantra followed her all the way down the hall and ended at the sound of a door closing. The soft crying was muffled and by the time the door opened it was replaced by familiar giggles. Chimney spoke quietly as the wailing grew louder as another door opened. Chimney stared in awe as female Chimney entered back into the room. His baby girl was wrapped around her leg giggling away as she took dramatically huge steps towards them. The baby in her arms continued to wail but it didn't seem to phase either of them. She stopped in front of the group and proceeded to hold the baby out for them to see. As soon as he saw them the crying subsided, cooing taking its place.
“This is baby Buckley-Han,” Chimney explained calmly. She situated the baby in one hand and reached down. She soft but firmly grabbed Jee’s ankle and hoisted her upside down with one hand. She screamed giggling and the baby gargled along. “And this is toddler han. Say hello, toddler Buckly-Han.”
“Hello Todder Bucky-an” she shrieked.
“Close enough, hello Jee baby.” Athens laughed along. Jee wiggled until Chimney slowly laid her on the ground making sure Jee turned her head slightly to not break her neck. Once fully let go, Jee stood quickly and ran straight to Athens and he hoisted her up to his lap and tucked her under his chin. Next to him, Bobby cooed at her and ran her hand down the back of Jee’s hair gently.
“Did you want to hold him?” Chimney asked, sitting next to herself. “Also we have to call you something else because I'm not changing mine.”
“I’ll just go by my first name, I don't mind,” he replied, smiling at the baby. “And no thank you, I think I want to wait to hold him until my Maddie hands him to me herself.”
“Not me,” Hen cut in making grabs for the baby “I’ll take him.”
“What’s his name?” Eddie asked, wagging his fingers at Jee as she played with Bucks hands from his spot on the other side of Athens. “Or unless Chim-er Howie doesn't want to know.”
“No it's alright. Honestly I think it’ll be different. We're in a different place where things aren't exactly the same. I doubt it’s the exact same as ours. Plus it’s not like anything could make us change our original name.”
“His full name,” She grinned, putting her soul focus on Buckley. “Is Evan Lee Buckley-Han. After the most important people in his parents live.”
“...Ok maybe something could make us change it.”