I know nothing about adopting/fostering and have very little time/energy to do research. I will try my best not to butcher this and do what research I can. But for the most part, I'll be making lots of liberties. XD This idea is based off buckleydiaz's short fic about Buck adopting the episode 1 baby. I asked permission to steal the idea and make a longer chaptered fic of it. 8D Oh! And at the start, Buck and Abby already know each other. So the episodes are out of order.

Who I'm Meant to Be
Chapter 1: You Have My Heart

No one looked at Buck and saw a family man. No one would ever guess he loved kids and couldn't wait to become a father, that it was one of his biggest life goals. People looked at Buck and they saw his carefree attitude and his sex addict ways. They saw his actions and judged him for them. To be honest, though, the blame for that was on Buck. He hardly let people in, to see the real him. And he never really cared what people thought of him anyways. He was just living his life, as he wanted. And when he got the chance to become a dad, he was going to jump head first into it. His kid would become his whole life, and he'd be the best dad.

"You should have seen her, Abbs." He said into his phone. He leaned back in the chair, leaning his head back against it. There was a smile on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. He was taking a break, sitting in the kitchen and just relaxing after the day they had. And there was only one thing on his mind. One tiny, ray of sunshine that had stolen his heart.

Abby had been the 9-1-1 operator on a call they had a month ago, in which a little girl had been left alone when robbers showed up. Buck had been on the scene and met Abby when he answered the phone. They kind of just clicked and became fast friends. "You sound pretty smitten." She said with a laugh.

"I am." Buck breathed out. "She was just... so tiny and... perfect! A real little soldier, just fighting to live."

"Sounds like a real miracle." Abby said.

"It was." Buck nodded his head. "If that stoner kid hadn't heard her or if someone had flushed their toilet..." He trailed off and didn't finish his thought. Because it was a horrible thought. "She was just so small!"

Abby let out another laugh. "Newborns are pretty small, Buck."

"I know, I just..." He smiled, remembering when Bobby handed her over. She weighed nothing and was just so small! And then he'd held her to his chest and ran down the flights of stairs. And then they let him ride in the ambulance with her. "I've never held a newborn before." He said wistfully. He'd never forget it, too.

"Buck, I'd love to listen to you talk about the baby all day." Abby said with a sigh. "It's just so sweet. You're so cute."

Buck smiled again.

"But..." Abby continued. "My break is over."

"Okay, okay, okay." He leaned forward. "I'll let you go."

"I'm really glad you were able to save her, Buck." Abby said.

"Me, too." He breathed out. They said goodbye and he hung up. But he couldn't stop smiling and he couldn't stop thinking about the baby. He hoped she was doing okay. Bobby had stopped him from going in the hospital, saying their job stopped at the door. But Buck really wanted to know if she was okay. He sighed and checked the time on his phone. His shift was almost over. He wondered if visiting hours at the hospital counted towards newborn babies? Would he be able to walk in and have someone at least tell him if she were still alive?

An hour later, he was walking through the hospital. He went up to the entrance counter and explained that he was involved in the baby's rescue, and wanted to know how she was. He was directed to the hospital's social worker's office and told where to find it. He paused outside the door for a moment. He was slightly nervous. He wasn't completely sure why. He was terrified of being told the baby girl was sick or worse, died. Buck bit his lip as he knocked on the door.

The door opened and an older woman opened the door. "You Evan Buckley, the firefighter?"

Buck nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."

She eyed him for a moment, looking him up and down. "Hmm." She hummed and stepped out of her office. She pulled the door closed behind her. "Follow me." She said and turned down the hall. She didn't wait to see if he was following.

Buck blinked and stared after her for a moment. "Uh..." He hurried to catch up and fell in step with her. "Where we going?" He asked.

She glanced sideways at him. "To see the baby."

A smile spread across Buck's face. "Really? Is she okay?"

The woman nodded. "At the moment, yes."

"At the moment?" Buck repeated, frowning. He didn't like the sound of that.

She nodded again. "Her tests came back good. She seems fine. But you never know what can happen. Being in that pipe might have caused brain damage. Sometimes it's not evident at first." She turned the corner and they headed into the maternity wing. She lead him down another hall and then they stopped. They stood in front of the large viewing window of the nursery. The woman stepped closer to the window. She lifted her hand to point.

Buck ignored her for a moment as he pressed closer to the window. He recognized the little girl he carried instantly. She looked better, healthier and pinker and wrapped in the cutest little pink blanket. He could just make out the label on her bassinet. Baby Girl Jane Doe. Buck practically swooned against the glass. She was just the most previous little thing he'd ever seen. "She's just the sweetest." He said, sighing against the window. He glanced over at the woman and realized they'd never been introduced. "Oh uh... sorry." He pushed off the glass. "You know my name but..."

She smiled. "Olivia Jensen."

Buck held out his hand and she shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Jensen."

"Miss." She corrected.

Buck smiled and held up his hands. "Sorry. Miss, then." He turned back to the window and smiled at the baby again. "So her name's Jane?"

She shook her head. "Jane Doe like... John Doe. Names given to people without names."

Buck's mouth fell open. That was just horrible. He couldn't fathom that no one had named her. "So she doesn't have a name?"

Olivia shook her head again. "No, she doesn't."

Buck glanced back at the baby. "What's going to happen to her?" He asked softly.

Olivia sighed and crossed her arms. "She's set to go into foster care."

"Foster care?" Buck repeated, looking over at her.

She nodded. "The mother's being charged with child endangerment and abandonment. But she's just a child herself. She has no interest in the baby. No one in the family wants her, either. Small family, we've already contacted everyone."

No one wanted her? Buck couldn't understand that. He couldn't process that. "But she'll like... be adopted, right?" He asked hopefully. "She's tiny and cute. People like tiny and cute."

She shrugged slightly and tilted her head. "To be honest, her chances are slim." She said. "Prospective parents will want to know where she came from, what happened to her. And they'll hear the story and assume there's some lasting damage. Damaged kids are expensive and troublesome. A lot of people wouldn't take the chance."

Buck frowned. That wasn't right. Or fair. It wasn't the baby's fault. She couldn't help what her mother did to her. She shouldn't have to suffer because of it. "So... what... she never gets adopted and just bounces around the system?"

Olivia let out a sigh and nodded. "I've seen it many times before. There's a good chance she'll just end up a ward of the state and be dumped when she turns 18."

Buck turned to look at the baby again. He bit his lip as the thought occurred to him. It was crazy. He knew it was crazy. But the second it popped in his head, he knew it would never go away. "What would it take to adopt her?"

Olivia turned sharply towards him. "Who? You?"

Buck didn't look away from the baby as he nodded his head. "Yeah, me." He said. "I want her." And he did. With every fiber of his being. He'd never wanted anything in his life even half as bad.

Olivia stared at him. She crossed her arms again. "How old are you?" She asked slowly.

Buck turned to look at her. "26." He answered.

"That's young." She said, shaking her head.

Buck shook his head quickly. "Not really. Lots of people get married and have kids way younger than me. I'm realistically old enough to like have a 10 year old kid. Or maybe even older. Kids are having sex at younger ages nowadays. Babies having babies."

"Are you married?" She asked. "Girlfriend? Anyone?"

Buck frowned and tilted his head. "Single people can't adopt? Are you saying single parents can't raise healthy, productive kids?"

Olivia sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not saying any of that." She rubbed at her forehead for a moment. "But, Mr. Buckley..."

"Buck." He corrected.

"Buck." She said. "Children are a lifetime commitment. Financially, physically, mentally." She reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "You have a big heart, I'll give you that. But a fleeting thought about adoption..."

"It's not fleeting." He said quickly and shook his head. "I'm serious. I've been thinking about nothing but her since we got that call. I want her."

Olivia was silent. She studied him again, tilted her head back and squinted her eyes. Several long minutes ticked by. So many, that Buck feared the worst and started to squirm under his scrutiny. Finally, she nodded her head. "You start by petitioning to be a foster parent."

Buck nodded vigorously. "Okay." He could do that.

"The application process takes three to six months." She continued. "It's a lot of paperwork. You have to pass a criminal background test, you have to prove you have a steady source of income and adequate housing. That you can prove the care needed to raise a child and have a good support system. There will be many inspections and interviews. And if after all that, you get approved and get a license, then we can discuss you taking her in."

Buck nodded his head again. "Okay. I can do all that. You can put her on like... hold for me? Like layaway?"

Olivia stared at him and blinked, like she was trying to figure out if he was serious. After a moment she sighed and shrugged. "We have a starter foster house, that is equipped to handle newborns with potential problems. She's set to go there. Take a couple days and think this over. If you're still adamant, give me a call and I'll help you start the process. I will put your name in her file."

"I don't need to wait." He said, smiling. "I'm sure."

She sighed and shook her head. "Fine. Let's go back to my office."

Buck smiled widely and hurried after her. "So who gets to name her?" He asked as they went.

"If she gets adopted, the adoptive parents get to name her." Olivia answered. "Until then, the foster parent can use a placeholder name."

"So... I could name her?" Buck asked with a wide smile.

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Could you put a requested name in her file?"

"Fine." They reached her office and Olivia opened her door. "Have a seat and we'll get started."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: The first few chapters will be about Buck getting his baby girl. Then Eddie will come in. So it's an eventual Buck/Eddie. 8D