#sylvie brett fanfiction

[specialagentsoftie]

Home for the New Year | s.b.

Pairing: Sylvie Brett x Fem!Reader Requested: nopee jk yes kinda? Warnings: mentions death, previous bad relationship, angst Word count: 2.9k ish A/N: idk if anyone reads for Sylvie anymore but i had this written for ages (like... last new years) so might as well post it.

The flood of emotions hit Sylvie like a truck the second she got back to the firehouse. Her tears were uncontrollable as they streamed down her cheeks. Running into the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face to try and calm down.

She slumped back against the lockers in the changing room and let herself slide to the ground. The cold floor drove a chill up her spine. Her face was buried in her arms as the tragic events of the morning ran through her head.

The paramedic was in shock. The adrenaline was wearing off and what was left was only devastation. She knew she couldn’t save everyone, but she really thought she could save this one.

He was just 7 years old, a kid. He was somebody’s baby and they couldn’t help him.

The rest of the firehouse could tell how bad the shift was by the way the paramedics carried themselves out of their ambulance. There was an air of sadness around them, the kind of aura that could only mean a particularly devastating call.

Typically the she would have called you by now, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t.

She had no right to come running into your arms whenever she was sad, or hurt, or scared because you and Sylvie had been broken up for a few weeks. It felt like years, but things were different these days and you weren’t hers, not anymore.

Your impending departure had meant for an inevitable end to your relationship, but you had to go.

You had to go for the career you spent a better half of your life pursuing. There wasn’t anyone else who could do what you did and Sylvie didn’t want you to choose her over your job because there wasn’t a choice to be made. You worked so hard for it.

The two of you talked about long distance because what you had with Sylvie shouldn’t have to end, not like this… but she’d gone through the time differences and the conficting schedules before and it was hard. It was harder than anything she’d ever done.

As much as you loved each other, Sylvie wasn’t sure she could survive another round of that, only for it to end exactly like it would if everything just stopped now. That’s what happened last time, so who’s to say history wouldn’t repeat itself?

They called you at noon, after she'd been in the bathroom for half an hour already. Sev and Stella had both been giving you updates on how Sylvie was doing and you were more then grateful for it. Sylvie was the most resilient, capable person you knew, but you also knew her better than anyone.

You knew how she was when things got tough, not wanting to burden others with her problems. You also knew that she wasn’t going to tell you how much she was hurting, not after the breakup. Even so, she had friends and people who loved her at 51.

They were there for her when she needed it, but at her breaking point, what she needed was you.

“Hey, sunshine. You ok? ”

Sylvie’s eyes widened at the sound of your voice, her head snapped up and there was a wild look on her face as she looked around the room for you.

Hearing you use her nickname hurt more than she thought it would, but when she saw you standing there, leaning against the doorframe... Your arms were crossed and your head tilted with concern, it was almost enough to make her forget you were even broken up.

“Shoot, Y/N.” Sylvie stammered, standing up quickly and rubbing the tears from her face. She didn’t want you to see her like this. "What are you doing here?"

She had to take a deep breath to steel herself from the effect you had on her. It didn’t work. It never worked. You always broke through her walls and defenses.

“Kelly called me. He was worried about you, Syl.”

“I— He shouldn’t have done that, I’m so sorry for making you come down here and fuss over me.” Sylvie clasps her hands together to stop their shaking and it doesn’t go unnoticed by you. "I know you’re busy, you can go back to work. I’m fine."

“Everything is fine,” she mumbles, and it was almost like she was trying to convince herself of that instead of you.

“Syl…” Your voice was quiet as you took a step towards the blonde. She looked so small against and it broke your heart.

The closer you got to Sylvie, the harder it became for her to maintain her brave face. She wanted so badly to just fall into your arms and cry for the next 10 minutes. She wanted you to hold her like you always did and everything would be ok.

She could hardly breathe when you stop right in front of her and time stood still.

"Breathe," you whispered as you took her hands, pulling them apart and squeezing them with your own. Sylvie took such a shaky breath that it might as well been a gasp for air.

“Sweetheart, why didn't you call me?”

“You know why. I wanted to, but—” You watched as Sylvie dropped her head and avoided your gaze, stray strands of blonde hair falling in front of her face. One of your hands leaves hers to tuck them back behind her ear.

“Look at me, Sylvie.” Your hand returns back to your ex-girlfriend’s hands and you give them gentle tug. "Look at me.”

She does reluctantly, and you can’t help but admire how gorgeous she looked. Her eyes were rimmed with red, brows furrowed, a frown on her face, and just as beautiful as she was the day you first met.

“You can always come to me, always. Even if we’re not together anymore, if you need me, I’m here. That’s never going to change, ok?"

“I can’t do this anymore… being without you,” Sylvie admitted, her lip quivering as she spoke. Her eyes were glassy and you could tell that she was mere seconds from falling apart.

“Oh sweetheart, it’s ok,” you coo as you pulled her into your arms, her face burrowing into your neck. You feel her shake her head against you and tears began to wet your shirt. Things didn’t feel ok.

“We’ll be ok.” You’re peppering kisses to the side of Sylvie’s head as you held her, gently running your fingers through her soft hair.

“You still want to be with me?” Her voice was quiet, and weak. You knew how tired she was.

Sure, she was physically tired, but the turbulent relationships of her past had taken so much of her. Sylvie was beginning to think that she wasn’t cut out for love… and then she met you.

You, who grounded her and made her feel steady. You, the only one she had ever been sure of, but she wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe you didn’t love her like you used to.

The little voice in the back of her head was telling her that she couldn’t handle this kind of life, it was telling her that she was nothing without him — just like he’d said so many times before. It had been years since she left him and he couldn’t have been more wrong, but sometimes Sylvie fell into old habits. She was so strong, but everyone needs someone.

She usually had you to chase the intrusive thoughts away.

“Of course I do, sweetheart. Hey…” you murmured, lifting her chin so she’d look at you again. “I’m not him."

“I— I know, but… you don’t think I’m being crazy?” she stammered. “You don’t think I’m—"

“No, love. No, you’re not being crazy at all. I miss you too. I miss you so much that it hurts.”

“Really?”

“Really… I know long distance is hard— “

“Y/N…” Before she got another word out, your hands are cupping Sylvie’s face and pressing your lips to hers. You feel her tears on your cheeks as she moved impossibly closer to you.

“Hey...I love you so, so much. I really think we can do this,” you murmured as your forehead rested against hers. "We belong together." Sylvie nods ever so slightly, her eyes closed as she took deep breaths.

Before you broke apart to let the paramedic get back to work, you’re whispering in her hair. “I’m gonna come back to you. I promise.”

You and Sylvie made long distance work for three months before the holidays rolled around. Despite the many weeks of missed calls and conflicting schedules, you always tried to make time for your girl.

The blonde kept up a cheerful facade during work, making sure her personal life wasn’t getting in the way, but her weary sighs at the end of every shift… They meant she was going home to an empty apartment. Again.

The worst of it was learning that you weren’t going to make it home for Christmas. That in itself was utterly devastating for Sylvie. The holidays were the one thing she was looking forward to because she thought it meant she could see you. She offered to come fly out, but you were going to be so busy that it would be a wasted trip.

The news that you weren’t going to make it for New Year’s either was… just great. How much more could she take?

It hurt when every suggestion she made to visit was shot down by you, and Sylvie was beginning to wonder if it was even worth it.

What if the stars didn't align? What if they were never going to?

Little did she know, it was all because you had spent the last two months figuring out a way to come back to her.

After many meetings, phone calls, pitches, and business dinners, you were coming home. Starting January 10th, you would be the new liaison officer for both your district and another — headquartered in Chicago.

The plan was for Sylvie to spend Christmas and the New Year with her firehouse family this year. Typically, the two of you would cuddle up in front of the fireplace for a cozy night in, but you weren’t going to be able to make it back in time, no matter how hard you tried and you didn’t want your girlfriend to spend the day by herself.

That’s what you told her, at least.

All of 51 banded together to make this holiday season special at Molly's, but it was devastating for Sylvie that you weren’t going to be a part of it. It wouldn’t be the same. Nevertheless, she tried to enjoy the party as best she could. At least she was around people she loved and who loved her too.

They all did a wonderful job at keeping your secret and Sylvie was none the wiser. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Although she was going to return home alone that night, it made her heart lighter knowing that in a few days, she’d be in your arms.

At 11 pm on New Years Eve, after another party at Molly's, Sylvie unlocked her front door with a groan and stumbled inside. I am so exhausted, she thought to herself. Why the hell did I stay the entire time…

She almost didn’t see the object on her kitchen table that wasn’t there when she left for the bar a few hours earlier.

A chill shot through her spine as she walked closer to the table and she realized it was a package. A package from you.

Sylvie couldn’t stop her hands from trembling as she picked up the box, tearing up as she saw her name scribbled in the corner. The handwriting was yours, she’d recognize it anywhere.

Her heart pounded as she tore the delicate wrapping paper off of the package, the anticipation almost too much to bear.

Underneath was a box and a white business card resting on top of it, a golden ribbon tying everything together.

It took all of Sylvie’s control to undo the bow and hold the card steady enough to read the tiny text. There was your name, your district, and your position, but in the corner were two words that made her gasp out loud.

Chicago, Illinois

You were coming home.

A strangled sob escaped Sylvie’s lips as she let her head fall back to stare at the ceiling for a moment, taking everything in. This was all she wanted this year. She wanted you back, back where you belong.

There were tears pricking her eyes, but with a deep, shaky inhale, she pulled herself together enough to get through the rest of your gift.

The cream colored velvet box was all that was left. The gold lettering sparkled on the lid as Sylvie read what it said, running her fingers over the soft material.

Loving you is a wonderful way to spend a lifetime…

Her heart lurched at the words as she thought about you spending the holidays alone, in a new city. She missed you more than anything.

As Sylvie carefully removed the lid, her eyes widened upon seeing what was inside. It was a key. Her brow furrowed as the confusion set in — it couldn’t be a key to your apartment. You moved out of that apartment, she even helped you pack up your things.

“Wha—?” she whispered to herself, but a quiet voice from behind interrupted her thoughts.

“Move in with me.”

The world stood still. She knew that voice. The blonde gripped the box in her hand impossibly tight, worried she would drop everything in shock. She turned on her heels to see you standing at her doorway with a huge smile on your face. Not a moment later, she was running into your waiting arms.

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” Sylvie choked out as she pulled away to look at you again. She had to make sure you were real and she wasn’t dreaming. “I thought you said you couldn’t make it.”

“I had to surprise you, didn’t I?” You’re laughing as she squeezed you as hard as she could. Her jewelry was digging into your skin, but you didn’t care. “I missed you.”

“You’re here,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by your shirt.

"So? What do you say, Sylvie Brett? Will you move in with me?”

“I— Wait, where? What? You— “ Sylvie shook her head, trying to clear her jumbled thoughts. It brings a smile to your face and a chuckle falls from your lips. “You have a new place? Already? Since when?”

“Well… I was hoping it would be our new place. And as for when… it’s been a couple weeks in the making… 5 to be exact.”

“That was over a month ago, Y/N!” Sylvie gasped, not sure if she should be concerned or shocked as to why you didn’t tell her.

“I know, and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but it had to be a surprise. Plus, it's really damn hard to get a house these days. Let’s just say I was very determined to get this place in particular.”

You pulled something out of your pocket and handed it to your girlfriend.

“Wait, what is this?”

Sylvie stared at the key in her hand and then at the photo you just gave her. It was the house.

You had bought the house that Sylvie had fallen in love with on the outskirts of Chicago. She knew she loved it the second she saw it on the way to work one day, many years ago. You never forgot.

It was the house she’d always dreamed of having — one that was close enough to her job, cozy, and with a huge yard for kids or dogs. The two of you would often take the long way just to admire it before work.

Just when Sylvie thought she couldn’t love you any more than she already did, you always seemed to make her fall even harder.

Her hands were trembling as the reality of your surprise settled in and her eyes shined as she looked back up at you.

She just couldn’t believe what was happening. She couldn’t believe you were home and she definitely couldn’t believe that you had this big surprise all planned out for weeks. It was just like you, though, to completely change her life like this, again.

“So I take it that’s a yes?”

“Yes! Oh my god, I— yes. Sorry, I’m babbling,” Sylvie blushed as she let out a teary laugh. “I just love you so damn much Y/N Y/L/N."

“I love you more,” you cheesed, knowing that your plan had worked perfectly.

As the clock struck midnight, with Sylvie’s lips pressed against yours, everything was as it should be for the first time in months.

You told her you’d come back to her, and you did.

The rest of the night was one of the happiest you’d had in a very long time. You and Syl curled up together on the couch, catching up on your favorite shows and the episodes you’d missed while you were away.

“Hey… Y/N?”

“Yeah, babe?” you mused as your attention was pulled away from the TV.

”How did you break into my apartment?”

Sylvie Brett Taglist

@redhairedwolfwitch

[bellarkeselection]

Oh my, you're so right. There are not enough Will Halstead fics in the one chicago fandom. I would have an idea for this fine man. Maybe you like it.

It's the best fiends to lovers trope... I'm obsessed with this kind of stuff. They're both idiots in love but are too afraid to destroy their friendship when they would tell the other how they feel. Will is super protective of reader. Reader has a chronic illness (cause I NEED to see him in worried protective doctor mode) like a heart desase or asthma or epilepsy. So he always watches out for her helping her when she feels sick... One day he gets hit on at Molly's and reader sees him flirting with a girl. He starts to date the girl. The girl is super bitchy and is jealous of reader cause she's Wills best friend. So the girl tries to drive a wedge between reader and Will, maybe weave some lies, hurts reader mentally etc so that reader distance herself from Will cause she's hurt of what his girlfriend said to her or how she treats reader. That lead to huge emotional stress which flares up her illness. Reader is feeling bad both emotionally and physically. And it gets dramatic in some kind of way. Maybe Jay or another character notices reader getting worse and tells Will. And first he doesn't belive it, cause his best friend would tell him of she's super sick, wouldn't she? Until reader is admitted to Med or is found unconscious in her apartment or something else.

Sorry for my long rambling. This is just an idea maybe you like some parts of it.

❤️Love

Idiot Friends in Love

Okay so this is one of the longest requests I have gotten for Will so far. I honestly enjoyed writing this so so much and I truly hope I did as much as you asked for 🤗 🤗 🤗 🤗

@annieradcliff

When people talk about having a best friend you have to remember that no relationship is going to be the same as someone else’s. But when my friends think of a best friend duo they look at me and Will Halstead. We’ve been in the others life from the time we were five years old and haven’t left each other’s side since then.

He had went onto to become a doctor and I had persuade working in the same police department as his brother Jay had. Years ago when Will had a fight with his dad about wanting to go off to college I was there for the aftermath when Will stormed out. He told me the main reason he wanted to become a doctor was so that he could help people, especially people like me. I was born a few weeks earlier at the end of my mom’s pregnancy which gave me underdeveloped lungs and asthma.

Walking into Molly’s bar wearing some ripped blue jeans shorts and a white tank top I was looking for Will until I finally found him up at the bar. Striding over I was about to say something until I saw him with a blonde that I couldn’t really stand to be around. Her and I had gotten off to the wrong foot and she basically always made a point to lead my best friend away me. Heading to the bathroom I leaned my body into the wall just needing a minute to myself except to my surprise the very girl I didn’t want to see came up to me. “How long do you think he’s going to be there to babysit you hmm?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked her sensing some annoyance in her tone.

The blonde named Brooke snapped. “I mean he can’t babysit you and be your best friend forever. He is an ED doc and now spends most of his time with me.”

“Did he tell you this?” I questioned her knowing my friend was very busy as was I since I was doing everything I could to someday become a paramedic for Firehouse 51 with my friend Sylvie Brett who had recently joined the team.

Brooke rolled her eyes like I was an idiot or something. “He’s just spending time with you because he’s a doctor and feels it’s his sworn duty to protect you and make sure you’re well.”

“Will and I have been friends since we were five years old. So, I think you’ve got your thoughts mixed up.” Responding to the girl I had faith in my friend way before I would ever believe what this woman was saying.

She throws her hands away from her sides. “I’m just saying he clearly doesn’t have feelings for you like he does for me.”

“How would you know huh. Can you see what he is thinking inside his head cause I certainly can’t.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve seen your little asthma attacks the first time I met you at this bar. Do you seriously think that he’s gonna want to be with somebody with a disability.”

“I’m done talking to you.” I began walking away from her until she yanked me back by my forearm.

“Just face the facts and realize you’ll just be another patient to him and nothing else.”

Yanking my arm from her grasp I stomped away not bothering to talk to her or Will for the night. The next few weeks I had basically been avoiding Will’s phone calls or texts figuring that she was right that I would always be a patient in his eyes. I decided to take a walk and see Brett so headed to the firehouse seeing her stalking supplies inside the ambulance. “There’s my favorite paramedic.”

“Hey Y/n! I wasn’t thinking I would be seeing you today. How have you been?” She climbed down out of the ambulance coming over and embracing me in a hug.

I wrapped my arms around her hugging her back. “I’m good. How are you and Casey?”

“We’re doing good. I’ve been meaning to ask how are you and Dr. Halstead. I’ve been meaning to ask lately.”

I raised a brow at her question. “Me and Will. I – I don’t understand.”

“Oh please. There’s something clearly going on between you two.” Brett rolled her eyes like I just said something completely ridiculous.

I raised my hands waving them in front of my chest not believing that there was something going on between me and my friend. “I don’t think you understand the relationship that he and I exactly. We are just friends and nothing more. Besides I’m fairly certain he doesn’t think of me in that way.”

“Pfft I’m sorry but that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” She made a noise snorting out a laugh. “Have you missed the signs where he sends you those lovey doe eyes, looking out for you, and I’ve never seen you hanging around anyone else but him since the day I met you two.”

“Look Brett, I appreciate you being hopeful. But there’s never going to be anything romantic going on with me and Will.” I felt my eyes beginning to water and I ran my fingers through my hair slowly feeling a tightening in my chest. I grabbed my chest gasping for air not expecting this to happen. “I mean why would he ever go for me. He has a girlfriend, regardless if she’s a bitch. But it’s fine – argh!”

Brett rushed forward catching my body before I could hit the concrete. “Y/n! Hey, hey, woah, woah. Kelly! Casey! I need some help out here.” She shouted before my eyes got heavy and I loosened my grip on her arms passing out on her.

I’m not sure how long I was out for by the time I slowly blinked my eyes opened and saw some bright lights that clearly looked like the hospital lights. I sucked in some breaths feeling a mask over my nose and mouth meaning asthma medicine was getting pushed into my body. The curtain drew open and I saw Rhodes enter the room carrying a chart underneath one arm. “Hey Y/n, you’re breathing seems to be doing better. I’ll just slowly take this off now.”

“Thanks Dr. Rhodes – uh where’s Brett – at?” I coughed after he pulled the mask down from my face and helping me sit upright more on the pillows.

He glanced towards the curtain answering my question. “She’s outside by the nurse desk. Will is actually with her too.”

“He is?” I asked leaning up feeling hopeful for a brief second.

He nodded walking out into the hallway waving them inside the room. Brett came in and smiled brightly hugging me and I hugged her back pulling away letting my best friend have my attention more than her. “I’ll let you two talk for a bit. Come talk with you afterwards.” She stepped outside the room back into the hallway leaving the two of us alone.

“I was so worried about you when I saw Brett bring you in like that. I mean I thought we had a better understanding going here. That – that we – “He stuttered out his words frantically running a hand through his auburn curls. “You’re my best friend so I thought you’d tell me if something bad was really going on with you.”

I did my best to lie, biting my lip unknowingly. “Will, I just had a small episode. You know flare ups can happen from almost anything.”

“I’m aware of that. But that’s not the point.”

I snapped. “The point doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does matter.”

Shaking my head I wished he wasn’t so argumentative like I was. “No it doesn’t. Look I’m fine now so we don’t have to have this conversation anymore.”

“Yes, enough of this. Okay I know you’re lying o me about something and I’m hurt that you didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk to me about it.” He raised his hands in the air.

I rolled my eyes wishing this wasn’t happening right now between us. “You don’t need to know all of my business, William!”

“We’ll excuse me. I thought us being childhood best friends meant we were much closer than you think we are!” He raised his voice at me in frustration.

Clutching my hands into fists punching the hospital bed sheets shouting up at my best friend with some tears falling down my face. “Gosh damn it Will just stop it. I don’t want to be your friend who is always a patient in your eyes. I know that’s all I’m ever going to be!”

“What. Who, who told you that?” Will made a confused face at me.

I scoffed. “That blonde girl named Brooke you’re dating. She told me facts that you clearly aren’t comfortable saying to my face.”

“Why would she say those things. We’re not together anymore.” He responded.

I parted my lips thinking he was joking. “You’re not. Why – why not?”

“She just liked the idea of dating an ED doc. I broke up with her last Friday. That’s what I was wanting to talk with you about in my multiple phone calls. But I guess I got my answer when you never answered.” His gaze lowered down to the floor and he went to leave.

I gently called his attention. “Will, wait a sec. What was the calls about?”

“They were about my feelings for you.”

Sucking in a shacky breath I wasn’t sure how to feel about what he was about to say. “Will, are you saying that you think of me more than a friend?”

Rather than giving me a verbal response he strides forward climbing up onto my bed with his legs on either side of mine. He gently grabs my face in his hands crashing his lips down onto mine not giving me a chance to say anything. It took me a minute before I ran my fingers up his arms wrapping my arms around his kissing him back.

Threading my fingers through his hair, tugging on it hearing him moan into the kiss. I thought this was a dream for a brief moment until he broke the kiss resting his forehead against mine. “You’ve always been more than a friend to me. I just - didn’t want to say anything and ruin what we have if you didn’t feel the same. And don’t ever think for a minute that you’re just a patient to me. You’re anything else but that Y/n.”

“It’s crazy that my reasoning for not telling you how I felt before now is the same reason as yours. It’s a relief we both come off as idiots in love.” I smiled chuckling resting my other hand on his cheek.

He sent me a cheecky grin. “Well can this idiot in love officially ask you out on a date tonight?”

“Yes, yes I’ll go on a date with you.” I leaned forward beginning the next kiss we shared. We were entirely too worried for nothing and it wasn’t too long after a few dates that Will was already working on having me become his Mrs. Halstead.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[cutielando]

Thanks a million♥️ So for the Brian ‘Otis’ Zvonecek requests I was thinking something along the lines of (reader aka y/n) is a new paramedic at firehouse 51 and everyone including Brian is shocked when she takes an immediate interest in him by flirting with him in front everyone… it’s not a perfect idea so pls feel free to adjust where you feel necessary, this is more of like a guideline than anything.

I was watching the episode where Terra Little joins 51 for a training shift and Otis is attracted to her but of course she chose Kelly Severide instead🥱 so I thought it would be a nice change if Otis is the guy she instantly gravitated towards because it’s very possible I mean he’s adorable common.

my masterlist

Pairing: Brian "Otis" Zvonecek x Female!Reader

"And that would be everything" Sylvie said as she finished giving you a tour of the firehouse.

Joining the 51 had been nerve-wrecking for you ever since you found out your transfer had gone through, mainly because you knew how tight everyone was and you didn't want to intrude on anything.

"Thank you for showing me around. This is much nicer than the last firehouse I was at" you said, admiring the trucks and the ambulance, which was so much nicer than your previous ones.

"How was your last firehouse?" she inquired, not having received much information about you from Chief Boden.

"Typical boy house. I was the only female in the entire house, so you can imagine the atmosphere. The only one who wasn't bothered by my presence was my partner, but we were the same age, so that helped a little" you explained, continuing to walk around.

"I can promise you that it's going to be different here. Our guys are the best, you're going to fit right in with everyone" she smiled and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, steering you in the kitchen direction.

You didn't say anything as you slowly walked towards everyone, each of them minding their own business in the kitchen.

"Guys, this is Y/N. She's the new paramedic I was telling you about" Sylvie announced as you stopped in your tracks where everyone could see you.

"Hi" you said and waved shyly, not used to having so many intimidating pairs of eyes on you at the same time.

Each of them got up and introduced themselves one at a time, wishing you a warm welcome.

"I'm Brian, but everyone here calls me Otis. Welcome to 51, I hope you'll feel at home here" the most handsome man you'd ever seen said as he stood before you, hand outstretched.

You slowly brought your hand up and shook his, electricity quickly spreading through your body when your skin touched his. You inhaled a deep breath, Otis doing the same, which made you smile because it only meant that he felt the connection too.

"Y/N, nice to meet you. I'm positive I'll feel more than welcome here, especially with you around" the words stumbled out of your mouth before you could even think about stopping them.

You saw a slight blush coat Otis' cheeks as he looked around at his colleagues, all looking at the interaction between the two of you with much interest.

Otis cleared his throat and made you snap back to reality, suddenly becoming aware of everyone staring at the two of you and your hands still holding onto each other.

"Otis, why don't you finish the rest of the tour? Show her where we sleep when on shift and the lockers and showers and everything" Sylvie spoke up, sneakily winking at the flustered firefighter.

"Um, ye-yeah, sure. This way" Otis said and motioned for you to follow him.

You turned around briefly to look at Sylvie, who winked at you and smiled, making you smile back.

"She did this on purpose, didn't she?" you asked him, trailing after him down the corridor.

"Sylvie? Yeah, she likes to think she's Cupid and her main goal in life is setting people up every chance she gets. I'm sorry about this" he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"You don't have to be sorry, I'm not complaining one bit" you smiled at him, trying to show him that you were enjoying the situation to the fullest.

"Oh, great. That's, um, that's good" Otis said, cursing under his breath at how awkward he sounded.

"You haven't done this in a while, have you?" you questioned, trying to ease the tension.

"Is it that obvious?" he laughed, the rigidness in his shoulder slightly lessening.

"Maybe just a little" you laughed with him.

"I'm just not used to women showing interest in me first. It's always Casey or Severide or anybody else that gets the girls. It's never me" he explained, which made you feel a little sad for him.

Otis was nothing short of hot and extremely handsome, you couldn't understand why women wouldn't approach him.

"Well, if you're asking me, you're way hotter than everyone else in this firehouse" you leaned in and whispered in his ear before walking away.

You heard Otis inhale a deep breath behind you, making you smile.

You had a feeling you were going to enjoy life at 51.

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[countrymusiclover]

14 - Getting some big news

Part 15

Dr. Redhead Neighbor

Tag list - send an ask to be added @annieradcliff @watermeezer @zaidatorcuatomorgado @kmc1989 @tallrock35 @melvia-ito @dreamgemini09

Shutting the fire truck door I ran a hand through my hair that was in a ponytail. Brett closed up the ambulance door coming over to me with a cheerful smile on her face. “So when’s the wedding future Mrs. Halstead?”

“We’ve been tossing around the idea of getting married at city hall and then doing a bigger then if I come back from deployment.”

Brett snapped back at me sharply. “You mean when you come back from deployment. I cannot have one of my closest friends dying on me now.”

“Trust me, Brett. It isn’t the way I’d like to go. “I nervously chuckled clasping my hands in front of my chest hearing my phone vibrating inside my jacket pocket. “Speaking of my soon to be husband, hey Will.”

He switched the phone call to video where I saw he was sitting in the locker room he stored his work bag in at the hospital. “Mal, I just called Jay and he said he can get all our friends together before tonight at Molly’s to tell them the big news.”

“Will, everyone pretty much already knew when I showed up to work wearing your mom’s wedding ring. I think you only have to tell your hospital work friends about the fact that we’re engaged.”

He slightly rolled his eyes at me. “Fine, fine, either way I am super excited for tonight. I only get so many more days with my favorite girl and her dog.”

“Don’t remind me, Halstead!” Brett shouted over my shoulder.

Shaking my head I put my focus back on my fiancés. “Anyway, where we’re we?”

“I just wanted to call you and say I miss and I love you. And I am having Connor come over after work to help move your stuff over into my apartment. I already talked with the landlord, and she said it was no problem that we combined into one apartment if we do not miss our payment.”

Throwing my head back I smirked knowing he had most of this figured out way before we had our last date. “You are the best. Is there something specific you want me to wear tonight at Molly’s?”

“How about that short black and red dress we got at the store the other day.” Will smirked back at me.

My face began to turn red at the thought considering what we had agreed upon when I wore said dress. “I thought that was only to be worn in the apartment when we – you know..”

“No I don’t know. You might have to say it.”

I glared at the ginger head. “No way.”

“Then I guess you won’t get to kiss me until tomorrow morning.” Will teased me with a cheeky smile across his face. He playfully chuckled trying to be all serious.

Brett grinned leaning her body against the side of the ambulance vehicle. “You two are going to make great parents one day.”

“I think we’re far beyond the discussion of babies, Brett.” I glanced back over at her.

She shrugged her shoulders before the call alarm went off meaning we had a case to get tend to. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

“I’m gonna miss you, Mal.” Will smiled seeing me glancing over my shoulder knowing we had a call to answer.

Leaning up on my toes I waved bye, finally climbing up inside the passenger seat of one of the fire trucks. Will watched the trucks pull out before his phone vibrates so he ends the video call. “We need to talk about something important. It may effect your soon to be wife and you. Meet me in the hospital parking lot after your shift.” – from Jay read the text message on his phone.

Two months later – Afghanistan

Running through buildings Maxon ahead of our unit tries leading us away from the firing squad. Bullets fly over our heads with my boots splashing in mud and blood. "Mallory, we're taking up heavy fire!" Luke called out as I fired a shot at an Afghanistan who jumped down from a window trying to kill us.

Maxon barks digging away a hidden room in the bottom of a hideout. I order the rest of my team inside but a bullet gets shot into Luke's leg. "Luke!" I pull him down into the room with Kyle jumping down last. Pulling the door closed with the attached rope between his teeth. Tearing a piece of my shirt off Luke tried to talk.

"Mal go, get the others out of here-" I cut him shacking my head no with my ponytail falling over my left shoulder.

"Stop talking Luke. I'm not leaving you. If I can help you in some way I'm sure as heck going too." Kyle suddenly tugged my shirt when Luke and I are on our feet, dragging us outside with the others. "What is it-" I cut myself off collapsing into the dust hearing rounds of gunfire and an explosion ringing in my ears.

The next time I opened my eyes I felt a cold wet rag being dabbed against my forehead mintues before I was able to realize that it was my former Doctor who treated my leg when I returned home the first time. He placed the rag down on the nearest table picking up the chart that he had been taking notes down on about something. “Ms. Easton, I have been waiting for you to get some more rest. I have news I need to talk to you about.”

“What are we talking about, Dr. Owen’s?” I questioned him still slowly regaining consciousness.

He flipped over another page from his chart. “After the explosion I ran some tests just to make sure you were alright and weren’t injured. And I found something when one of my female nurses suggested a change in the physical appearance of your stomach. I have to ask when was the last time you had your period?”

“Um – I know I had it before I was deployed out here. Why do you need to know?”

Dr. Owen’s lifted his gaze up from the clipboard. “It appears that you are two months pregnant, Ms. Easton. Given the circumstances I have called you Lieutenant and he’s decided that we’re sending you home. So congratulations are in order for you and the babies father.” My mouth hung opened in utter shock where I couldn’t believe what he had just told me. I knew Will and I had slept together but I didn’t think it would only take one time for that to happen. We couldn’t possibly be parents, we weren’t even married yet.

[collecting-stories]

Sylvie surprising Will after their shifts with some new lingerie? Just finished the episode with her in it, and Will would be absolutely floored 😏

Flexing my Will x Sylvie writing skills, hopefully this is something lol!!

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Midnight Surprise - Will Halstead x Sylvie Brett

Summary: What the ask said...Sylvie surprising Will with lingerie. Featuring a pep-talk by Violet.

A/N: First time writing Will Halstead and first time writing Will x Sylvie. I also still think I like Brettstead as a ship name the best. As always, banners by @saradika

One Chicago Masterlist

"Maybe...maybe this isn't a good idea," Sylvie mused, chancing another look in the mirror. She was wearing a thin mesh matching set: longline bralette and dolphin hotshorts with a ruffled edges, and applacay flowers (that left little to the imagination) in dark green. She didn't have much opportunity for lingerie between her schedule and Will's, half the time she was lucky if she even saw him at night, but she had off for the next two days and he was home at midnight and she had decided to throw caution to the wind and dress up. Or dress down...as a nice surprise. 

"It's a great idea!" Violet's voice came through the speaker on Sylvie's phone, far more enthusiastic than her blonde counterpart. 

"Well I thought it was a great idea but I almost just flashed the door dash guy," she replied. Sylvie had pulled one of Will's flannels on at the last moment, hand on the door knob when she remembered that she was literally hanging around her apartment in her underwear. The flannel woould have worked even better as a cover-up if she'd remembered to button it all the way but instead she was pretty sure that the door dash driver had gotten a fairly decent look at her chest before she grabbed the food and slammed the door in his face, "plus I was gonna tip him cash and I totally forgot."

"Oh, trust me, you tipped him enough," Violet laughed as Sylvie finished explaining exactly what had happened. 

"I just wanted it to be perfect," she groaned, tapping her phone screen to check the time. Ten minutes, give or take. "Will comes in, I'm drapped over the couch..." She trailed off, looking around the small apartment, "or should I be in the bedroom. No, that seems weird. That's like, oh come find me...in our apartment...that has two rooms."

"I think you're overthinking this whole situtation. Like, all you need to do is answer the door when you know Will is there, like as he's getting his keys to unlock the door, and then bam! Rip off the flannel. He's gonna have a heart attack. Literally, you will be performing CPR in the hallway!"

"Okay, I don't think that's the result I'm going for," Sylvie laughed, "if he wants to toss me over his shoulder and throw me down in bed..."

"Can he?" Violet asked, "like pick you up and toss you over his shoulder?"

"Oh yeah," Sylvie nodded even though Violet couldn't see her, her voice trailing off at the end as the very specific instance of Will doing just that popped into her head. Their first night in the apartment after moving in. Which was also probably the last time their days off had overlapped so perfectly. 

"Okay, bring it back down to earth Sylvie," Violet laughed. "What time does he get home?" 

Just as she asked Sylvie heard footsteps outside her apartment door and the distinct sound of Will's key in the lock. She grabbed her phone from where she'd left it laying on the arm of the couch, "he's here, bye!" She whisper-shouted, ending the call and tossing the phone. She glanced in the mirror for a split second, fixing her hair, before positioning herself in front of the door. So much for draping herself over the couch. 

Sylvie had mentioned going to Molly's tonight with Violet as a cover, knowing that Will was working late and wouldn't think anything of it, giving her time to plan the surprise. From the takeout that had arrived fifteen minutes ago (from Will's favorite place) to the dark green lingerIe set she was wearing. It had also given her time to have a minor panic attack and call Violet for reassurance that she was definitely, totally, doing something that Will would like. 

Finally, in what she felt like was hours later but was only a couple seconds, the lock clicked, door knob turning and Will came in. Looking down at his phone. 

Sylvie waited a beat, not want to scare him by just blurting out a hello, watching him drop his phone on the entry table and leave his backpack and shoes on the ground there too. He dropped his keys next to his phone and then finally looked up, jumping back slightly when he realized Sylvie was home and not at Molly's. 

"Shit!" Will exclaimed, putting his hand over his heart, "I thought you were out with Violet?"

"I'm surprising you," Sylvie replied, gesturing to her outfit.

"Yeah, yes, scared me half to death," Will pointed out. "Did you eat already?" He started to make his way into the kitchen, "I don't think I've eaten anything since lunch and that was...seven hours ago?"

"Will!" Sylvie groaned, following after him. Violet was wrong, he wasn't going to have a heart attack at the sight of her, he was going to be still on Med-brain and not even realize that she was standing in front of him in her underwear. She might as well have been naked, he would probably still be rummaging through the fridge. "There's take out, I put it in the oven to keep warm."

"Oh my god, amazing," he turned away from the fridge, letting the door swing shut and going straight for the pizza in the oven. 

"Will!" Sylvie tried again to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He asked, not turning around as he pulled the pizza out.

"Will."

"What?"

"Turn around!" She insisted. 

He turned, pizza box still in hand, "wha-"

"I'm surprising you," Sylvie repeated, dropping the flannel. 

Will's eyes went wide and he tossed the pizza box behind him onto the stove, "I'll say," his whole face lit up in a smile at the sight of her, Sylvie smiling back excitedly as he closed the distance between them to finally kiss her hello. 

[immeasurablesaladagere]

hi salad! Can i see little!matt standing up for little!kelly

Here you go! I thought this prompt idea was so cute dude! I had so much fun writing it :)

(also sorry to all waiting on requests atm, there's so many and I'm trying to chip away at a bunch at once. I appreciate your patience!)

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Word Count: 2324

Summery: Gabby and Sylvie walk away for two minutes and a regressed Matt and Kelly's trip to the zoo takes a turn for the worse.

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Matt had to stop himself from bouncing on his toes as Gabby paid for their admission. He loved the zoo and he loved it even more when he was small. But he had to stay calm and for Sevvy, he reminded himself, because being small out in public made him nervous. He felt ten years old, and Kelly was feeling six, which meant Matt had to be his responsible big brother for the day and look after him. With Gabby and Sylvie too, of course.

“And if you’re interested, there’s a giraffe feeding going on in the savannah today!” The worker said, pointing it out on the map. Matt perked up. “It started a few minutes ago, but if you go now you can probably still make it.”

Gabby smiled. “Thank you, we’ll have to check that out! C’mon guys.” She waved, and they all went through the spinning gates into the park.

“Gabby, Sylvie! We gotta go see the giraffes!” Matt whisper-shouted, “Please?”

“I think that sounds like fun,” Sylvie said. “What do you think, Kelly? Is that okay?”

“Pleease, Sev?” He begged, but Kelly looked uncomfortable and he felt a little bad for asking. He quickly added, “But only if you want to!” 

“…Will there be a lot of people there?” Kelly asked quietly. He didn’t like to talk in public when he was small because he said his voice was weird. Matt didn’t think it was weird, but Kelly was stubborn.

Gabby hummed. “Well, maybe. But I don’t think anyone’ll notice us, if that’s what you’re worried about. They’ll be too busy looking at the giraffes because they’re really tall, right?” Kelly shrugged. “We don’t have to go if you want. I can take Matt to see the giraffes and Sylvie can take you to the other exhibits, and then we can meet you guys somewhere.” She offered, but Kelly shook his head adamantly and inched closer to Matt.

“Mm, no. I wanna go with Matt. It’s okay.”

Matt grinned and took his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay really close the whole time.”

“That’s right, Big-brother Matt will look after you.” Gabby said, pulling out the map, “Now we better get going if we want to feed the giraffes. C’mon you two, this way!” 

-

There really was a big group of people at the giraffe exhibit. Matt saw all the people before he saw the giraffes, but then he saw one raise its big, long neck, chewing on some food. Giraffes! He was so excited, and he started walking a little faster. Kelly didn’t speed up, and Matt was basically dragging him until he let go and stopped walking. 

Matt frowned. He wanted to feed the giraffes before they had to leave and Kelly was being too slow. The worker said it had already started, and he didn’t want to miss it. “Come on! You’re so slow!”

“Sorry…” Kelly mumbled.

“Matt, remember what we talked about, hun?” Sylvie reminded in a warning tone that meant he said something wrong. “Kelly agreed to come with us, and that was very brave of him. You’re his big brother today, you’ve got to be patient with him, okay? We’re not going to miss the giraffes, they’re right there.”

“Oh…” Matt said sheepishly. He did it again. He was just excited! He wasn’t doing a very good job of being a big brother. “Sorry, Sevvy.”

Kelly shrugged. “S’okay. Let’s go, I wanna see ‘em too.” 

They kept walking, and Matt made sure to go slower this time. Kelly didn’t hold his hand again but he was still walking close, so hopefully he wasn’t too upset with him. They got to the pen, and through all the people Matt could see three giraffes; two adults and a baby one. He was glad that he and Kelly were really tall, so they wouldn’t have to get too close to see.

“Why don’t you two go up to the giraffes? Sylvie and I will get us some food for them.” Gabby said, pointing to a stand selling a bunch of little cups of giraffe food. What was in them? It looked like cereal. Did giraffes eat cereal? “Stick together, okay? Matt, keep an eye on Kelly. We’ll be right back.”

“‘Kay, Gabby!” Matt made sure to keep Kelly extra close as they weaved through the crowd of people. He had to be a good big brother, which meant he couldn’t let Kelly out of his sight. They managed to get closer to the pen, close enough that a giraffe could reach them with their long necks, but Matt kept looking away from them to make sure Kelly was still there. He didn’t look too upset, he just looked distracted by the giraffes.

There were a lot of people pushing and moving around them, trying to get up to the fence. It made him feel a bit nervous, because he couldn’t see Gabby and Sylvie anymore, but that was okay. They said they’d be right back! And if he got nervous, then Kelly would get nervous, and that wouldn’t be good at all, so he just scooted a little closer to Kelly.

But then the pushing behind them got rougher, like someone was trying to go through them. They both turned around to see a little boy pushing against their legs to go between them, whining to his mother, who stood behind him. The woman had an irritated look on her face. It was pretty dumb to be at the zoo if weren’t having any fun.

“Oh, excuse me!” The woman said loudly, and pointed to Kelly. “Would you be able to lift my son up onto your shoulders? So he can see the giraffes? We can’t get up to the front, and he really wants to see them.”

“Uh… m-me?” Kelly asked.

“Yes, you. You look big and strong! Just for a few minutes.”

Kelly stepped back. “Er… no, sorry, I can’t.” His voice sounded like a wobbly mix between his big voice and his little voice.

The child whined loudly and woman raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “What? Why not?”

Kelly shrunk back and didn’t say anything.

“Well?” She poked.

Kelly looked small. Well, he was, but he looked physically small. Scared. Matt felt a spark of protectiveness flare up in his chest. He was the big brother. He needed to help. He stepped in front of Kelly, and put on his best Big-Matt voice.

“He said no. Sorry, but he doesn’t want to pick him up.” Maybe the woman would leave if he offered to hold her son, but that didn’t feel safe. What if he dropped him? So he hoped she would just listen to his words and go find somewhere else to stand.

She did not, and the little boy’s whining escalated to crying. “Oh, come on! You’re both grown men, you can see just fine! He’s just a little boy! The least you can do for making him upset is pick him up so he can see the animals!” The woman was almost yelling now.

“Sorry, he said no.” Matt said firmly. He turned away from her and tried to get Kelly to look at the giraffes again, trying to ignore the tantrum being thrown by the woman’s son behind them. Arguing with the woman made him feel a bit bigger, closer to twelve, but that was okay. At least now he didn’t feel so bad about being away from their caregivers—

A sharp-nailed hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around forcefully. 

“Don’t ignore me!” The woman screeched, and for a split second he wasn’t at the zoo anymore, he being screamed at by his dad and he was scared, but then he felt the woman’s acrylic nails dig into his shoulder, and he felt angry. Hot, burning anger bubbling in his stomach.

She kept yelling. “Look what you’ve done! Look! You don’t know how hard it is being a mother and dealing with a screaming toddler all day because two grown bastards can’t get out of the way!”

The woman was screaming, her son was screaming, and now there were a bunch of people all looking at them. Then he heard Kelly whine weakly behind him, and he snapped.

“GET OFF ME!” He shouted, wrenching his shoulder out of her grip, “Go away! Leave us alone! We didn’t do anything!” The woman took a small step back when he clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. She didn’t know what, and for a second she looked as scared as he felt. Good, he thought.

“Oh my god, he’s going to hit me!” The woman cried, grabbing her wailing son by the wrist and dragging him close, “Help!”

Tears burned behind his eyes because his shoulder hurt, and she was still yelling, and he wasn’t protecting Kelly, and everyone was looking, and that’s not what happened!

He almost cried in relief when he saw two familiar faces pushing through the crowd towards them. Gabby! Sylvie!

“What’s going on here?” Gabby demanded in her I-mean-business voice. Her face looked worried when she saw them, then switched to angry when the woman started talking.

“Oh thank god, this man was going to hit me!” She pointed a sharp finger at Matt, “All I wanted was for them to let my son see the exhibit, and he lost it!”

“I have a hard time believing that, ma’am, especially when we watched you grab my friend.” Gabby got right up close to her face voice low and scary. “So step off.”

The woman gaped like a fish, face red, then turned and dragged her child away with a scoff. Matt watched her leave until she disappeared into the crowd, and then the shaking started back up again. 

“Matt, Kelly, let’s go.” Gabby said. She still sounded upset. Was she mad at them too? Matt reached back for Kelly’s hand. He didn’t care if people saw them anymore, they were already staring. Kelly took it and they followed Gabby and Sylvie quickly out of the crowd. They walked for a long time in silence, at least, it felt like a long time, trying their best to keep up because Gabby was walking fast, until they got to a bench in the middle of a little park area that was almost empty.

Once Matt and Kelly sat down, Gabby let out a long, frustrated sigh. “What happened?” She asked, “We were only gone for a second!”

Matt felt the tears try to come back and his fingers were shaking so hard they felt like jello. He squeezed them again. He didn’t want to be yelled at again. 

“Gabby.” Sylvie hissed, nodding towards him.

Gabby looked at him, and her face softened. “Oh Matt, baby, I’m not mad at you. Or Kelly.” She bent down and cupped his cheek in her hand, “I was mad about the woman treating you two like that, I’m sorry.”

“I-I’m sorry I wasn’t a good big brother…” He sniffled.

“What? Honey, what are you talking about?” Sylvie asked.

“S-She wanted Sevvy t-o pick up her kid, but he said no a-and she wouldn’t listen,” He explained, trying to keep his voice from wobbling, “So I told her no, b-but I couldn’t make her go away and she scared Sev! I didn’t keep him safe!” He was feeling big earlier, and brave, but now he didn’t feel so brave anymore. He felt so scared when the woman grabbed him, and what if someone believed he was gonna hurt her? What if Gabby and Sylvie hand’t come back and he got arrested? 

Gabby stroked the side of his cheek with her thumb. “Hey, hey, shh. It’s okay, Matt. You did a great job being big brother today. See?”

Matt looked at Kelly through blurry tears. He didn’t look scared and he wasn’t crying, he just looked worried. Worried about him.

“Yeah, m’okay! Look!” Kelly smiled big at him.

“Look at that smile. You did a great job, hun.” Sylvie said, and that was what finally broke the dam.

Matt tipped forward into Gabby’s shoulder and hugged her as tight as he could. He didn’t want to cry because they were still at the zoo and he was supposed to be a big boy, but a few tears slipped out anyway.

“Okay, it’s alright, Matt… You did so good.” Gabby soothed. After a few minutes, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. They hurt and were all burny.

Sylvie gave him a soft, knowing smile. “Hi there. Can I get an age check, sweetie?”

Little. Maybe even littler than Sevvy. “Dunno… small.”

Kelly gasped, “Does that mean I get to be big brother now?”

Gabby chuckled. “I don’t know, Matt. Does it?”

His cheeks flushed a little, but he nodded.

Kelly pumped his fist in the air. “Yes! Uh, I mean—“

Matt giggled. “S’okay. It’s fun being big brother.”

“How are you feeling, Matt? Do you want to keep going, or do you want to go home, maybe have a nap?” Gabby asked.

A nap did sound nice, but they didn’t even do one real exhibit! He wanted to see the aquarium still, and the gift shop! “Mm-mm. Wanna keep going.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded.

Gabby smiled. “Okay. But you let me or Sylvie know if you change your mind, okay? Where do you guys want to go next?”

“Casey gets to pick.” Kelly said.

Matt lit up. “The aquarium!”

“The aquarium it is.” Sylvie grabbed their map and handed it to him. “You can be our navigator, okay? Which way do we go?”

Matt studied the map and found the picture of the big glass building with the fishies on it. He looked around, then pointed. “That way!”

Before they could start walking, Kelly stuck out his hand. “I gotta hold your hand so you don’t get lost, remember?”

Matt looked at his hand, then sheepishly took it. Kelly smiled.

“To the aquarium!”

[torreshalstead]

a ring to prove it

Summary - She didn’t know if it was because of the wait since the last time they had been together or if it was the addition of the ring on her finger and the promises of a future together. Whatever it was, it had been hours and she was still tingling. She was back in Matt Casey’s arms and couldn’t be happier.

Notes - a little post 11x22 fic, happy reading! ❤️ AO3 Link

His breathing was steady, his heart rate had calmed from their exertions hours ago and he was peacefully asleep. But she was awake. Her head was resting on his chest, his arms tight around her even in his dreams, her fingers were tracing patterns in his skin remembering the expanses of muscle she had memorised those months before.

Being back in his arms was more than she had ever thought she would experience again. Somewhere along the line she had forgotten just how Matt Casey made her feel. What he made her feel by just being in his presence yes but also how he loved her. She had never fallen as hard off the proverbial cliff as she did when Matt had his hands or tongue on her, when he was inside her. She hadn’t been with anyone that way since she had ended them by a phone call. A phone call she both regretted and knew was the right thing at that moment.

Dylan was nice enough but he didn’t make her want to rip her clothes off the way Matt did. And any pleasure she had given herself even when they were together, it was Matt’s name that passed through her lips when she finished. It was his eyes she saw staring back at her when she closed her eyes.

And last night had been nothing short of mind blowing. She didn’t know if it was because of the wait since the last time they had been together or if it was the addition of the ring on her finger and the promises of a future together. Whatever it was, it had been hours and she was still tingling.

When she opened the door the day before and was greeted by the sight of Matt Casey on the other side, the last thing she had expected was for him to drop down on one knee and ask her to marry him.

‘Sylvie Brett, we were meant to be. Will you make me and three kids the luckiest family in the world and marry me?’

She had clutched at her chest, staring at the man she had wished for so long would do exactly what he was doing now and ask her to spend her life with him. She could see the ring shining in the box but her gaze was fixed directly on him, on his eyes, his smile.

She nodded, how could she do anything else but say yes. This was exactly what she had dreamed of.

‘Yes,’ she said, the tears spilling down her cheeks as Matt’s grin spread wider across his cheeks. She dropped to her knees in front of him, pulling his face to hers and melding their lips together. Her salty tears mingled in the kiss but she didn’t care, she had just said yes to marrying Matt Casey. They were going to be a family. Her, Matt, Ben, Griffin and Julia. Her family.

She let her fingers thread through his hair, it was slightly shorter than it had been at the wedding - the last time she had kissed him. His arms wound tightly around her waist, pulling her close to him from their slightly awkward position kneeling in front of each other.

‘Yes,’ she said in between kisses, ‘yes.’ She felt him grin against her lips and let herself get lost in the familiar sensation of his against hers. It was only when she felt her phone vibrating in the back pocket of her overalls she pulled away.

‘It’s Hermann,’ she said, her lips still swollen from the kiss but she hadn’t been expecting Hermann to call. ‘I better get this,’ Matt nodded, the smile not leaving his face and his arms didn’t relax his hold on her either. She didn’t make an attempt to move away from him as she swiped and answered the call.

Sylvie didn’t think either of them expected to be called to the hospital before Matt even had a chance to slide the ring onto her finger but he had pocketed the box as soon as she had ended the call having heard everything Hermann had said and said he would drive, wrapping her hand in his and leading her out to the car.

The car ride to the hospital was silent, the tears silently streaming down her face that had started as tears of joy were now ones of pain and worry. Matt kept a tight hold of her hand all the way to Med and she was grateful she had him to lean on as neither of them knew what to expect when they arrived. Hermann had sounded scared on the phone, he had tried to tell her he was sure Mouch would be okay but his voice had cracked and Sylvie’s heart had sunk. Mouch couldn’t be dying, she refused to even entertain the idea.

‘I think we shouldn’t tell them,’ she whispered into the silence of the car. ‘About us.’

Matt nodded. ‘I agree, this isn’t the moment.’ He held on a little tighter for the reminder of the journey, her own knuckles were going white at the pressure she was applying back on his.

He went to let go of her hand when they entered but Sylvie couldn’t bring herself to unlink their fingers, she needed him right now, needed the feeling of his warm skin against hers to ground her or else she might lose it. Her words to Matt had originally meant that she thought they should keep the fact they were back together underwraps but the further they walked into the hospital, she realised she just meant the engagement. She couldn’t let go of his hand right now. Wouldn’t let go of it.

No one commented on them walking in together hand in hand, no one said anything at all. The waiting room was eerily silent, their friends scattered around, heads in hands, staring at walls, silently crying. Matt and her joined them, finding two empty chairs and settling down next to Stella. Sylvie reached across and wrapped her other arm around the Lieutenant’s shoulder. No matter how many times they sat in hospital waiting rooms whilst one of their own was hurt - it never got any easier.

Sylvie didn’t know long they sat there, waiting for someone to bring them news. The waiting room was deep in the middle of the hospital with no windows, hours could have passed or it could have been mere minutes before a doctor in black scrubs came out and gave them the news they had been holding their breaths for.

‘He’s going to be okay,’ he said and Sylvie felt like the elephant that had been sitting on her chest constricting her breathing was finally removed. She leant into Matt’s side and let him wrap his arms around her pulling her safely into his chest.

Mouch was going to be okay. And she was going to marry Matt Casey.

——————————————————————————

On the way back to hers from the hospital, Mouch having kicked them all out saying he wasn’t having Chicago’s best sleeping in a waiting room if they didn’t need to, the air was lighter in the car.

‘Did you tell the boys?’ Sylvie wondered aloud.

‘Ben and Griffin?’ Matt clarified. ‘I did.’ He chuckled. ‘They were very excited at even the possibility of us getting back together. Pretty much pushed me out of the house to the airport when I said I was going to propose.’

Sylvie felt her cheeks redden. She had had no issues bonding with Griffin but it had taken time before Ben opened up to her but she had understood. His life hadn’t been easy and enough people had already let him down, he didn’t want to risk getting hurt again. The prospect of them both being back in her life, that they both wanted her back in their lives warmed her heart.

‘I told them about Julia too,’ Matt added with a small smile, glancing across at her as they pulled to a stop at a traffic light.

‘You did?’ Sylvie asked slightly shocked but pleasantly so.

‘Called them once you got the news, it felt right to let them know,’ Matt shrugged.

‘And they were happy about it?’ Sylvie was worried the addition of someone else into their family bubble could cause issues, especially for Ben.

‘Said they were going to spoil her rotten,’ Matt chuckled. ‘Ben said he would teach her how to mountain bike when she’s old enough - it’s his current favourite thing.’

They really were going to be a family, all of them together.

——————————————————————————

Matt stirred awake, groaning slightly as he was brought back into consciousness, his muscles contracting under Sylvie’s touch.

‘Morning,’ he said groggily, smiling down at where she had turned her focus to look up at him from her position on his chest.

‘Good morning,’ she whispered, reaching up to press her lips against his before relaxing back into his hold.

‘I could hear your mind working in my dreams,’ Matt said, stroking his fingers against the bare skin of her hip.

‘Mmm’ she hummed in response.

‘Want to share with the room?’ He asked and she smiled, pressing her face against his chest.

‘I was just thinking about our life,’ she admitted, with anyone else she would have blushed at her words but not with Matt. He always made her feel safe enough to speak truthfully, provided her the space to be exactly who she wanted to be without fear of judgement. She’d not always been so lucky in her past relationships.

Harrison hadn’t really wanted Sylvie Brett, he’d wanted the wife he thought he could mould Sylvie into being. He disliked everything about her that made her her. All the bright and caring aspects that made her who she was. He just wanted her to bend to his wishes and give up everything in her life that she cared about.

Antonio, goodness knows what he had wanted but it wasn’t what she had wanted. That was a relationship doomed to fail from the start, something she thought both of them had luckily realised before it got too late.

Kyle wanted a preacher's wife, he thought he was giving her what she wanted - space away from Chicago after her accident. But that wasn’t her either. She was a Chicago girl now, and that was where she belonged.

But Matt, Matt wanted her exactly how she was, all the blemishes and flaws along with the shiny and good. He supported her through everything, had been her number one cheerleader even before they had realised how they felt about each other. His heart was everything good and Sylvie loved him for it.

‘It's going to be a beautiful life,’ Matt said, bringing up the hand not wrapped around hers to run his fingers over the ring that now graced her left hand.

‘What time is your flight?’ She asked quietly. They’d spoken about him going back to Oregon in between rounds last night when their skin was still tacky with sweat, their legs refusing to untangle themselves.

‘I have to go back to Oregon tomorrow,’ he said into the quiet night air. ‘But only to wrap things up,’ he tightened his hold on her, one hand continuing to trail up and down her bare back. ‘It should only take a couple of weeks.’

‘Okay,’ Sylvie muttered. She knew he wanted to be back in Chicago as much as she wanted him back, he had shown her how much just a moment ago.

‘I agreed with CFD to start teaching at the academy in 6 weeks, they know I want back in the action but teaching will do until they can find me a house,’ he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

‘I’ll take you to the airport tomorrow,’ Sylvie said. This wouldn’t be like last time. They had a plan this time. He was coming back to her, he was going to marry her.

‘I think it’s just past midday,’ Matt said and Sylvie chuckled at his vagueness. ‘I’ll check when this beautiful woman lets me out of her bed,’ he said in mock offence at her laugh.

‘I can let you out now if you’d like,’ Sylvie sassed, making a move to untangle herself but Matt groaned and pulled her back against his chest.

‘Never,’ he murmured as he peppered her face with kisses and her soft giggles filled the room.

‘I’ll call you as soon as I land,’ he said as the pair settled back into their embrace, the covers pooling around their waists as his movements had shifted them slightly.

‘Okay,’ she said, resuming tracing patterns against his chest.

‘When will Julia arrive?’ He asked curiously.

‘I think a couple of days,’ Sylvie admitted. ‘Although Amber took back custody, there’s still papers to sign. You know how it is with the DFS.’

‘You’re going to give her the most beautiful life Sylvie,’ Matt murmured against her hair.

‘We are,’ Sylvie corrected him. Although technically she was doing this alone and it was her name on the paperwork, she wanted Matt by her side every step of the way. And she knew he was all in. ‘We are going to have the most wonderful family.’

‘We are,’ Matt said, his words reminiscent of when she had finally admitted her feelings to him in the middle of the night out on the North Apron.

‘We will have the most incredible life, all of us together.’

‘We will.’

‘And we have each other. Forever. We are it for each other.’

‘We are,’ Matt repeated.

Sylvie wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to him in just a few hours, but she knew this goodbye would be their last. When he returned, it would be for good. They would be together. She had a ring on her finger to prove it.

[brettsey-two-tts]

Sylvie Brett was no stranger to surprises. The last twelve years of her life were all about surprises: her sudden move to Chicago, meeting her birth mom and Scott, meeting her half-sister, Amelia, falling in love with Matt Casey, watching him move two thousand miles away, and then breaking up with potentially the love of her life.

She would’ve never guessed she would be adopting a blue-eyed blonde baby from Amber, a woman who was in a similar situation to her birth mom.

She also would’ve never guessed that Matt Casey would stop by, drop down on one knee, and ask her to marry him with a ring he bought a year and a half ago.

She froze in place from the suddenness but her heart kicked into overdrive the moment he bent his knee and revealed the most beautiful diamond ring. Matt’s softened blue eyes, glistening with love, adoration, and hope, never faltered and never left hers.

She wondered how she looked because a second ago she was practically crossing things off her list as she fought the dust bunnies in her apartment and then marked all of the spots that needed more baby-proofing. Her hair must’ve been a mess and there might’ve even been a little dust on her cheek.

She mentally grimaced when she remembered that she quickly threw on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of overalls when she got up. She was definitely not dressed for the occasion.

While her self-conscious and overly panicking thoughts clashed in her head, she saw Matt’s hopeful smile start to fade. Oh crap - she didn’t even answer him yet.

The small frown that formed on his face made her panic more.

“No– Matt–”

Oh for the love of – that wasn’t the right thing to say either. He definitely took it the wrong way because he immediately lowered his hands that encased the velvety box.

“No, not that. I mean, this is– Matt, you’re–”

She began to laugh at how nervous she sounded and how every word that came out of her mouth was another disaster after another.

The beaming grin on her face must’ve given him some resemblance of good news because his lips soon half curled into a smile.

He shook his head slightly and replied, “I’m sorry, Sylvie. I know this is really sudden–” He stopped when she began to kneel in front of him.

His heart felt full and so incredibly warm as he saw her lips form a small endearing smile. While she was glancing over the diamond ring in his hands, he was watching her, entranced by her effortless beauty, her overall goodness, and her obvious adoring excitement for the baby girl she was about to adopt. He couldn’t get the image out of his head when she told them that Amber was taking custody: her overly beaming grin and tear-filled eyes.

“You bought this a year and a half ago?” she asked, her gaze meeting his.

He blushed a little when he remembered he confessed as much. “Yes,” he replied shyly. “Ever since you visited me in Portland. I wanted to do it sooner but with Severide and Stella’s wedding, I… I could never find the right time.”

She frowned a little when she remembered their foreboding conversation as they slow-danced. 

“But, right now - right this second.” He dipped forward to emphasize how he was always able to read her thoughts and feelings. “This is the perfect time.” Her lips parted as he continued, “My time in Portland is coming to an end. Griffin is off doing his own thing and Ben is only a couple of months away from that.” He paused to take a moment to think about his next words. He’s recited it in his head before but he never thought he’d say it to her in person. “I never stopped loving you, Sylvie Brett. Even when we broke up and had to put some distance between us, I never stopped thinking about you. You were always on my mind and always will be. I was always positive that we’d get married, have a couple of kids, and buy an old and worn-out house so we could fix it up together. Maybe get a dog or a cat. Or both.” She let out a small laugh at the last part. He could see the tears welling at the corners of her eyes and it made him start to tear up as well. “I want to be there for you and Julia, just like you were there for me, Ben, and Griffin.”

A tear fell down her cheek as her lips curled into the widest and brightest smile. With her hands in her lap and her gaze lovingly holding onto his, she began, “Matt–”

Before she could give him her answer, she was cut off by the unmistakable sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket.

She almost looked embarrassed but then she realized Matt’s phone was vibrating in his pocket as well. Both of them looked concerned as such a coincidence was almost never a good thing. Matt must’ve had the same thought as her because he soon pulled out his phone to check who it was.

“Who is it?” Sylvie asked as she started to pull out her own.

“Herrmann,” Matt replied. His brows knitted together with concern. “You?”

She felt her stomach drop as she replied, “Violet.”

.

.

.

Matt quickly drove them to the hospital after a short call with both Herrmann and Violet. All of Firehouse 51 was in the waiting room when they arrived and only a few of them were sitting.

Sylvie quickly hugged Violet and then Herrmann. “Is Mouch okay? Have you guys heard anything yet?”

Violet solemnly shook her head. “No, not yet.”

Herrmann looked on anxiously as he grounded out, “I haven’t heard anything since they rushed Mouch into surgery.”

Sylvie frowned as she watched Herrmann cross his arms and start to pace. She felt Matt bump her shoulder.

“I’ll check with a nurse to see if I can a hold of Maggie.”

Sylvie nodded and watched Matt walk off toward the receptionist’s desk.

Waiting was the hardest and most grueling part. It felt like no time was passing.

Maggie eventually came out to greet them but even she said that she would have to check in with the surgeons since Mouch was still in there.

Matt sat down next to Sylvie after Maggie left. Ever since they heard about Mouch at her apartment, he could tell she was trying to keep it together and not think about the worst-case scenario. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

She shook her head and let out a long sigh. “This is the worst part. Not knowing if he’s okay and just waiting for an answer.”

“Hey. Mouch is tough. He’s been through hell and back multiple times. He’ll pull through.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “I know he will.”

His positivity and optimism, and the fact that he always had the ability to cheer her up - it was like no time had passed at all. She truly missed him - every single part of him.

She checked the clock on the wall and worriedly asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be on an airplane in an hour?”

“Yeah, but I can’t just leave while Mouch is in there. It wouldn’t feel right.” He and Sylvie shared a sweet smile but it only reminded him of what happened between them earlier. Did he jump the gun too soon? Should he have waited until he moved back to Chicago? No. No, no, no. His gut told him it was the perfect time. And it was. He was certain of it. “About before… I… I want you to know, Sylvie… You don’t have to give me an answer right away. I just want you to know that whatever happens, I’m here. If you need help taking care of her or feeding her or… anything - anything at all - I’m here. Always.”

Sylvie couldn’t contain her grin, both at Matt’s kind and encouraging words, and at the remembrance of his proposal.

“I know what my answer is, Matt, and I think I’ve known for a long time now.”

His eyebrows raised a little at her admittance but she didn’t say anything further. Her wide, toothy, and joyful grin was all he saw thereafter. His confusion started to dissolve as a pinkish hue dusted across her cheeks. But, as soon as she nodded ever so slightly, Maggie came back out through the double doors.

The entire firehouse turned their heads at the noise and immediately got up out of their seats. Maggie gave them the great news: Mouch was out of surgery and heading to the ICU for observation. There were no complications and he was expected to make a full recovery.

While everyone shared their relief through hugs and smiles, they heard the voice of an older lady behind them trying to get their attention. All heads turned and they saw a sweet old lady holding a light gray velvety box in her hands.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt. I didn’t want someone to leave with it. Did one of you drop this?”

It must’ve fallen out of Matt’s pocket in his jacket when he got up out of his seat to see Maggie. He must’ve been too caught up in the good news because he didn’t hesitate to claim it and then profusely thank her for finding it, nor did he notice the deafening silence as everyone stared at him with wide eyes and shocked expressions.

As soon as he turned around and caught everyone’s gaze, his mouth parted in a panicked realization. He looked to Sylvie for some guidance (and maybe even some help) but when he saw her beam brightly at him, he knew it was inevitable. There was no use keeping secrets from their Firehouse family.

Matt and Sylvie continued to endearingly smile at each other, even as their Firehouse family bombarded them with a hundred and one questions.

They were meant to be.

[herosofmarvelanddc]

Sol et Luna

A Brettsey Royalty AU

Summary: On the eve of her 21st birthday, Princess Sylvie reflects on the first time she met her true love six years ago and the events that led her to standing alone in the silent ballroom instead of being at the Kingdom festival with her family and the love of her life. Little does she know that sometimes the universe can be just as kind as it can be cruel. Notes: A non-linear storytelling from Sylvie's POV about the man she loves Tags: royalty AU, childhood friends, love letters, poetry, very sappy, emotional roller coaster, lots of tears, Princess Bride quotes, and many feelings Read on Ao3! Excerpt below

Sylvie ran her hand along the wooden banister of the grand staircase, gazing across the empty ballroom. She relished in the calm silence knowing that tomorrow the room would be electrified with music, laughter, and dancing during the annual ball which just happened to fall on her twenty-first birthday this year. The ball was always a joyous occasion for the kingdom, and it used to be for her too. 

Growing up as a child of the royal family wasn’t always glitz and glam with so many rules,duties, and social pressures, but the ball was certainly an exception. While most children had to wait until their fifteenth year for their invitation to be presented to the kingdom at the ball, Sylvie and her cousins were welcomed into the festivities from a much younger age. Though her first official ball was when she was eleven, her older cousins Kelly and Shay had been sneaking her into the balls since she was seven. She wouldn’t last long before her parents would spot them, her dad would treat her to a single dance, before her mother escorted her back to her room for bedtime. 

She couldn’t wait until she was finally granted attendance, to experience the full magic of the ball. And she wasn’t disappointed in the slightest when just a few years later she stood with her parents in a new, beautiful rose pink dress while watching Shay glide down the stairs during her official presentation to the kingdom as the daughter of the King and Queen. Sylvie could only dream of looking half as regal as her cousin who embodied grace and poise during her own presentation in four years time. Unfortunately, her big night didn’t turn out as well as she had wished.

~ 6 years ago ~

Breath. Step. Smile. Don’t fall.

The mantra repeated in her head over and over again as she slowly made her way down the grand staircase. Sylvie wasn’t known for being the most graceful young lady and the mere thought of falling made her stomach churn. She refused to let her clumsiness ruin the night she’d looked forward to for so long.

Luckily, between holding the banister and having her other arm locked with her escort’s, she made it to the bottom without tripping. She breathed a sigh of relief not knowing that her luck had just run out. 

Her escort, Harrison, a boy in her year, quickly led her over to his friends. She wanted to celebrate with her parents but decided to be a kind friend and indulge him by engaging with his friends first. Hellos were exchanged while someone handed her a glass of punch. Then, a series of unfortunate events occurred where someone made a joke while bumping into her shoulder, causing her to stumble in her heels, which resulted in her punch spilling all over her blush pink gown.

The boys all burst out laughing. “I knew Clutzy Sylvie would make an appearance sooner than later,” one of them mocked. Their laughs quickly got drowned out as the thumping of her heart roared in her head.

She quickly excused herself before letting a single tear fall. She had too much pride to let the boys see her cry while they laughed. Avoiding eye contact, she slipped out the back entrance to the gardens, sitting by the cherry blossom tree before letting out a sob. Her night was ruined minutes after it started.

“Sylvie?”

She turned away from the unknown voice, trying to stifle her crying. “Go away. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Because this is the first time I’ve ever seen you with a bright-as-sunshine smile on your face, so I’m not sure I believe that.”

Intrigued, Sylvie turned just enough to see who the mystery man was. Out of all the people to follow her, she hadn’t expected Matthew Casey. 

“Look, I’ll leave you alone if you really want me to,” he added, rubbing the back of his neck, portraying slight nerves despite his otherwise confident demeanor, “but I saw what happened in there. I couldn’t stand seeing you cry while those jerks laughed at your expense. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Sylvie was surprised by his kindness. She didn’t know him that well considering he was two years older. But he was her cousin, Kelly’s (or Severide as his friends dubbed him some years ago), best friend so he wasn’t a complete stranger. Still, her shock over his presence was enough to stop the flow of her tears.

“Matthew, right? Kelly’s friend?”

He smiled, nodding. “You can call me Matt. And yeah, Severide is like my brother. Don’t worry, he knows I followed you out here to make sure you were okay.” 

Sylvie smiled knowing how protective her cousin was of her. It was also intriguing to know that he let his friend come after her instead of him. He obviously trusted Matt, meaning that she could too. “How noble. Well Matt, as you can see, I’m okay. Just a ruined gown and a ruined night. I’ll probably just turn in early to save myself the embarrassment of returning to the ball and be grateful that I at least made it down the stairs before making a fool of myself.”

Matt’s look was intense, like he was solving a complex problem mentally. That was one thing she had noticed about Matt from her distanced observations: he is much more thoughtful and reserved than most of Kelly’s friends.

“This is supposed to be your special night, Sylvie. Don’t let the likes of Harrison ruin your night.”

Sylvie’s fake smile fell as she looked back down on her ruined gown. “It wasn’t their fault.”

Matt scoffed. “Sure it wasn’t.” She could tell he wanted to say more but held his tongue. “My point still stands. You still look beautiful and deserve to remember your presentation ball fondly. Let me escort you back inside, Princess.”

There was no hiding her blush when he called her beautiful. Only her relatives had ever told her that, and yet here Matt was stating it like a well-known fact despite her punch covered dress.

“Honestly, I’m just happy I made it down the stairs in one piece. I wish I had made it through my first dance too but there will be many more balls to come. I promise I’m okay Matt.”

He tilted his head, thinking again. He then turned his head back towards the ballroom and she was sure he would ditch her. But when he turned back, he was smiling. He stepped closer to her, holding out his hand to her.

“Lucky for you, we can still hear the music out here and I happen to be a decent dancer courtesy of the lessons Sev’s mom made us take. It would be an honor to be your first dance partner. So what do you say, Princess Sylvie, will you treat me to a dance?”

Sylvie felt her stomach flutter, heart race, and cheeks flush (again). She held her hand out to him and let him pull her up. “On one condition. No more calling me Princess. That’s reserved for non-friends.” 

Matt grinned, placing an arm around her waist but keeping a respectable distance between them. “Deal. Just means I need a different nickname for you. It’s a friendship requirement in my circles.”

Sylvie smiled as he guided them in their dance around the tree. He wanted to be her friend too.

“Hmm I don’t know. Not many people dare give a princess a nickname. Just don’t ask my cousins for help because I will kill them for sharing any of the dreaded names they called me as a child.”

Matt’s grin widened even more. “Oh I’m definitely asking them now. But don’t worry Sunshine, your secrets are safe with me.”

Sunshine . That was the second time he called her that tonight. She honestly loved it - it made her heart flutter a little extra. Maybe tonight wasn’t so bad after all.

~~~

Read the rest on Ao3 and let me know what you think!

[tabbytabbytabby]

But then you found me and everything changed

Word Count: 637 words

Rating: Teen and Up

Fandom: Chicago Fire

Relationship: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey

Tags: Season/Series 11, Episode: s11e18 Danger Is All Around, Reunions, Getting Back Together, Light Angst, Confessions, Hopeful Ending

Summary: When Sylvie leaves Molly's, Matt goes after her.

Read on AO3

[bellarkeselection]

Hi

My requets is date night at a Blackhawks game with Jay Halstead where he proposes and they have the wedding at molly's where kelly severide is jay best man en Sylvie brett is yn maid of honor and they have a lovely wedding with a cake that is half coverd in a Police badge and a fire figther badge

With alot of fluff thank you

Molly's Wedding Celebration

FireFighters and Police Officers don’t have it easy. With the difficult situations, long hours and difficulty making relationships last. It all just comes with the job we've signed up for. The one thing that currently came with the job is that we all got a second family.

“So how's the future soon to be Mrs. Halstead?” Brett came over to me while we were getting ready at Will's apartment near Molly's.

Tucking hair behind my ear I chuckled with a bright smile. “I still can't believe he proposed to me at a Blackhawks game of all places.”

“You know you loved it. You've watched the video like ten times in the past two weeks.”

Whipping our heads around we both saw my soon to be husband Jay Halstead leaning in the doorway of the apartment with his arms crossed over his chest. “Jay!” I shrieked overjoyed to see him about to run up to him until Brett jumped in between us.

“What are you doing here? You can't be here. It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding!”

Jay shakes his head dangling a key in his fingers. “I have my brother’s spare key. Severide only took my car keys. So he doesn't know about this.”

“Well you don't get to keep them. Now get out of here.” Brett stomped forward, snatching the key from his fingers.

I gently grabbed her arm trying to stop her. “Brett, don't. He's okay.”

“But he's not supposed to see you-”

Jay raised his hands up slightly in surrender, shifting his gaze briefly over in my direction. “Technically we aren't doing an official formal wedding. So it shouldn’t be a big deal, Sylvie.”

“He’s right, Syl.” I touched her arm glancing towards the clock on the wall seeing it was almost time when we would be heading over to the bar everyone loved. I was wearing a knee length white dress, my light brown cowgirl boots and my hair was curled on the ends. “We're not doing an official ceremony. Speaking of, I think it’s time we make this happen, don't you say Jay?”

My fiancé smirked, holding his hand out for me to take. “Let's do this, Y/n.”

Jay and I headed over with Brett who held open the door letting us inside the local bar first before she ran over to her spit at the end of the bar that we had our own little ulter built at. Jay dropped his hand from mine going to stand up beside Kelly Severide who had been named his best man since we had allowed his brother Will to officiate the ceremony.

My father moved through the crowd of people offering me his arm once he had reached my side. “Your mother and I wouldn’t have minded to pay for a wedding venue but I must say this feels much closer than that probably would have felt.”

“Molly’s is home for me and Jay. It’s the first place we actually met. So it wouldn’t feel truly us if it was done anywhere else in Chicago.”

My father kissed the crown of my head before we paused at the edge of the stage. “Treat her well, Halstead or I’ll come after you.”

“I’ll treat her right, sir.” Jay held out his hand with my father placing my hand in his.

Stepping up onto the wooden stage with our hands intertwined together we kept our eyes focused on one another. Will came up to us smirking his dorky grin while shifting his gaze from me to his brother before he started performing the ceremony. “Growing up I always thought that I would be the one to get married first, but now I couldn’t be happier to see my little brother to be tying the knot. Y.n, you clearly love my brother enough to become his wife. You have the passion as we all do in this room and you both bring out the best in one another. So can I get the rings to marry these two?’

“We’ve got them.” Brett and Severide each held up one wedding ring, one for me and one for Jay handing them to the older Halstaed brother.

Will each handed us a ring shifting his focus onto me first. “Y/n, do you take this man to be your husband?”

“I do.”

He eyed his brother. “Jay, do you take this woman to be your wife?”

“I do.”

Will put a hand on each of our shoulders letting us slip the rings on the other hand. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Jay takes a step towards me cupping my face in his hands, deeply kissing me.

Wrapping my arms around his neck I deepened the already passionate kiss that he had started. Shortly afterwards we heard loud cheers and clapping from everyone in the crowd telling us that we needed to break the long kiss. Shifting my gaze over to the bar we saw Hermin and Gabby coming out of the back room carrying the wedding cake we had ordered. The cake had been designed to be half police badges and the other half was fireman badges.

“Wow. It turned out awesome.” I gasped in shock walking up to once they had sat it down on the main bar table letting everyone gather around.

Casey came through the crowd holding up my fireman jacket for me to see. “I figured you’d want your new last name on your uniform now.” The jacket was somewhat cleaned and Jay’s last name was now stitched on the back in big yellow letters in the spot where my last name had previously been.

“Thank you, Matt.” I slipped it on over my dress, sending Gabby a smirk since she was holding my bouquet of flowers. “Gabby, let’s do the toss now.”

She handed me my bouquet and dragged Brett over into the crowd with her and all the other single ladies. For a while most of us in both departments have been seeing the connection forming between Brett and Casey so now was the perfect time for them to finally tie the knot after so many years of working together. Turning around I gently tossed it up in the air and the bouquet appeared to be going into Gabby’s hands until she ducked down. “You’re the next Firehouse girl to get married, Sylivie Brett!” I squealed before the flowers got dropped into my maid of honor's hands.

“How long have you been planning for me and Casey to get married, Y.n?” She chuckled with Casey wrapping his arm around her waist.

Jay comes to stand beside me, sending the couple a smirk. “Basically since I asked this one to marry me.”

“Alright everyone, the first round of drinks are on me!” Severide announced to everyone and we all cheered overjoyed to know that everything we had planned had turned out as we wanted it to. Molly’s represented the same thing as our wedding cake did. That all first responders and medical professionals of Chicago have all become a large and loving family.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[ao3feed-chicagofire]

you drew stars around my scars

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/siratqD

by QuakeCanary

Sylvie Brett and Violet encounter a terrifying situation during a seemingly routine call.

Will they make it back home?

Brettsey fic.

Words: 1012, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Chicago Fire

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M

Characters: Sylvie Brett, Violet Mikami, Matthew Casey

Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett & Violet Mikami

Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff, (towards the end), Stabbing, Major Character Injury, Cute Ending, Help idk what this is, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, How Do I Tag, No Smut, Not Canon Compliant, My First Work in This Fandom, I don't really write fanfiction for a good reason, but i was bored, Hurt/Comfort, Title from a Taylor Swift Song, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, sorta - Freeform

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/siratqD

[countrymusiclover]

11 - Must Answer the Call

Part 12

Dr. Redheaded Neighbor

Comment your thoughts down below or in a reblog post

Tag list - send an ask to be added @annieradcliff @watermeezer @zaidatorcuatomorgado @kmc1989

One Year Later

Running as fast as my feet could carry me I abandoned the building that was on fire falling down onto the ground tripping on some wood that had fallen off the house because of the fire. I groaned blinking my eyes seeing Casey rushing to my aid where he yanked me up before our bodies got thrown forward by an explosion of flames. “Easton! Ugh – are you alright?”

“Yeah. I – I think so. How are you?” I forced myself to my feet as best as I could offering him my hand helping him off the ground. Brett and Dawson had already left in their ambulance with the patients that needed o go to East Mercy hospital.

Casey removed his firefighter helmet from his head running a gloved hand through his hair. “I’m okay. I’ve been in tougher situations than what we had today.”

“Hey chatty Kathy’s let’s get back to the house. Mill’s has food going in the oven and I’m hungry!” We turned our heads in the direction of the fire truck that Kelly was climbing in the backseat.

Casey and I made our way back over to the fire truck where we made our way back to the house. Climbing out of the passenger seat my boots hit the stone concrete floor. I hung up my firefighter gear just walking around in a fire house 51 shirt, some blue jeans and my brown boots about to go get some food until my phone rang off inside my locker when I walked past it. “Hey, Halstead. I wasn’t expecting to hear a call from you this early in the day.”

“Are you Ms. Mallory Easton?” A computer operator voice responded through the phone.

“Yes. This is she. Who is this?”

“You’re call is now being transferred.” The operator answered back.

“Ms. Easton, this is Lieutenant Griffin. I have been trying to reach you for a while now.”

I ran a hand through my hair nervous to hear his voice after all this time. “I apologize for that, sir. I have gotten a new job with Firehouse 51. So, I haven’t been seeing your phone calls recently. Um, what exactly do you need to tell me about?”

“I must inform you that we need you and Maxon back for deployment.”

Slowly lowering myself down onto the wooden bench in front of my open locker I couldn’t believe what he had just said to me. “Sir, I - I have no clue what to say. I thought I was done – that I had finished my tour.”

“When Dr. Owen sent you home we believed that we had cleared everything from here. Unfortunately we had some new information come in from one of our guys. Somebody is planning on attacking the US soil.”

Sucking in a breath I felt like I was frozen in some sort of nightmare. I was finally with my best friend. I had found some more friends and gotten a new job that I was beginning to enjoy here. Now it might all get taken away from me. “Sir, how soon would I have to be deployed out?”

“I’d give it would be three to four months at the most.” He responded through the phone with a very heavy sigh meaning he didn’t care for the answer he had given me either.

“Lieutenant Griffin, when do I need to let you know that I have everything squared away on my end?”

He corrected my statement. “You have to remember Ms. Easton. This is the military you don’t have to give us notice. If we need you you’ll just have to follow the orders you’ve been assigned.”

“Yes, I understand sir. I’ll figure this out.”

He hung up the phone without another word. “I’ll be in touch. Good day.”

Sitting my phone down beside me I hit the lock button on my phone then turned it back on to show the lock screen that Will and I had taken with Maxon on our one month anniversary where we had went and done the tilt at the John Hancock Building.

“Two tickets for the 360 tilt.” Will handed asked the cashier woman at the front desk the money.

I was standing behind Will and Maxon was sitting beside me while I held his leash attached to the collar loosely in my hands. “Oh, I’m sorry ma’am. But he can’t be up there unless he is a service dog.”

“He’s actually a former Army veteran K-9. I think he meets that criteria.” I corrected her statement with a smile.

She nodded seeing Maxon wagging his tail happily at her. “Ah I see. Have a good time.”

The three of us entered the elevator with a few other people who were going up with us. Once the doors opened I led Maxon forward until we reached one of the windows and he put his paws on the glass wagging his tail happily. “Pretty neat isn’t it, Max?” He barked in response to me.

Will joined us looking out the window seeing all the city buildings from this high up. “And here I thought the hospital balcony had a view.” He chuckled in awe never being up this high.

“This is the second time I have been able to enjoy being this high off the ground. When you look out the side of a helicopter it’s not the same since you’re going off to war.” I held my mouth opened just living in the moment with the building lights shining all over the nightly windy city.

An idea popped inside the ED doc’s head where he took out his phone nudging my arm. “Let’s do a picture up here.”

“Yeah but you’re getting in it too.” I told him bending down on a knee to be level with Maxon.

Will held the phone up wrapping one arm over my shoulder. “One, two, three. Got it.” He hit the camera button a few times showing me the picture of the three of us.

“We’re pretty good together. Happy anniversary, Mal.” Will leaned down kissing me softly on the lips with a smile.

I smiled into the kiss leaning up on my toes, wrapping my fingers around the tea shirt he was wearing. “Happy anniversary, Will.”

Hearing footsteps entering the locker room I bent my head down into my knees trying to still process that phone call. I wasn’t prepared to get deployed out after getting the leg brace. And now Will and I were in a really good place, so what was he going to think now. “Hey Mallory, Mills wants to know what type of pizza you want. Woah, hey what’s wrong?”

“Huh – oh it’s nothing Brett.” I attempted to lie hoping she wouldn’t pick up on it.

She slowly came and sat down to me. “If you’re crying then it’s clearly not fine. I’m you’re friend you can tell me anything.”

“I got deployed, Sylvie.”

She covered a hand over her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry. Are you going to tell Will?”

“I don’t have much of a choice in the matter. I just know I need to tell the truth of something we’re gonna have to deal with together.” I responded to my friend.

She noticed me slowly getting up and grabbing my normal gear to go home for the evening. “Where are you going, Mallory?”

“In case the Chief or Casey ask where I went. Just say I had an emergency come up but I’ll be back tomorrow.” Shrugging on my jacket I bolted out of the room and to my car needing to see my boyfriend sooner rather than later.

[specialagentsoftie]

As Long as I Have You | s.b.

*Gif doesn’t belong to me! Credits to the owner <3 Pairing: Sylvie Brett x Fem!Reader Requested: nopee Warnings: trapped in fire, angst, death (almost) Word count: 1.7k ish A/N: a whole mess this is, hopefully it makes more sense to you than it did to me while i was writing it 😬

You're woken up by kisses on your face from your sweet girlfriend who got tired of watching you sleep.

She often got up earlier than you for her shifts and seeing you so peaceful was her favorite part of the day.

A string of incoherent sleepy talk falls from your lips as Sylvie told you she loved you and that she would see you after work.

It should have been a normal, ordinary day. Your girlfriend would go to the firehouse and you'd stay at her apartment, typing away at your computer doing your own work. It should have gone how it usually did, but it didn't.

You weren't even supposed to be at your apartment. The only reason you were was because Sylvie asked you to move in with her and you needed to grab some of your things.

Neither of you could have predicted that someone's reckless actions trying to rewire his own electrical system would almost cost you your life.

Later that day, after a surprisingly quiet first half of shift, the firehouse speakers sounded the call and everyone was routed to an electrical fire at an apartment complex.

When Sylvie heard the familiar address that came over the speakers, her face pales and she stops in her tracks. An overwhelming feeling of dread rushes through her.

“Brett? Are you ok? What’s wrong?” Violet asked, worry painting her face. It wasn't often that she saw her partner that shaken up.

“That’s Y/N’s apartment…” Sylvie stammers, as a multitude of worst case scenarios ran through her head.

“Get in the rig, I’m driving”

As ambo 61 pulled out of the firehouse, Sylvie grabbed her phone out of her jacket and clicked on your name. It was always the first on the list.

The phone rang for what seemed like ages, until a cough comes through the other side.

"Y/N?"

You couldn't say anything. The ceiling had come crashing down minutes earlier and you were trapped in your apartment. You weren't sure how long you'd been breathing in the smoke, but it stung.

"There's a fire, I can't get out." Your voice comes through muted as you held a cloth over your mouth. "I can't breathe."

The coughing attack that overtakes you was enough to send Sylvie into a panic. You must have been there for a long time already.

“Y/N, stay on the phone ok? Stay with me, we’re almost there.” Sylvie pleads to you, looking frantically out the windows of the ambulance.

She listens as your line goes quiet. The only thing she could hear was your labored breathing. As you took in more and more smoke, your vision started to go in patches. A sharp, searing pain tore through your chest and you were losing hope that they'd find you in time.

“Sylvie…” you choke out despite the burning you feel in your lungs and the tightness you feel when you breathe. “I love you…”

“No, don’t— don’t do that, Y/N." Sylvie’s voice cracks as tears fill her eyes. “You’re gonna be fine." She was trying to keep you calm but it was more like she was trying to convince herself of that because she didn’t know what she would do if she lost you.

She can hear your gasps for air and it killed her that the only thing she could do was stand there outside your burning apartment building and just hope that the firefighters got to you before it was too late.

“Syl… I’m sorry…” you whisper, the pain becoming too much to bear. You felt yourself drifting in and out of consciousness, the only thing bringing you back was the sound of Sylvie’s voice.

“No no no no, Y/N, you stay with me, you hear me? You’re not allowed to give up,” she sobbed. Violet puts a hand on her shoulder, keeping her from losing it all together.

��Listen to me, okay? You’re going to be fine… we’re gonna get married, and buy a nice house, and have a bunch of kids just like you wanted, so you stay strong until the firefighters get to you, ok? You are NOT allowed to leave me, not now, not ever.” Sylvie's tone was desperate and even the chief was getting emotional from hearing her words.

Matt and his team were out first, everyone else in the building was evacuated before you were. Severide found you trapped in your upper level apartment, somewhat protected from the flames, but suffocating in smoke. He grabs the phone that was laying by your hand and yells into it that they got you.

Sylvie was a mess as she waited hopelessly for Severide to bring you out of there and even though they weren't together anymore, Matt couldn't help but want to comfort her.

He knew exactly how she was feeling because he'd been there before. Years ago, it was his fiancée that was stuck in the same position you were in right now, except Hallie didn't survive that fire. He knew how worried she was for you and hoped you didn't meet the same fate.

He took off his gear and made his way to Sylvie, putting his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"Hey, Y/N's a fighter, she's going to be fine," he reassures her as he brushed her hair out of her face. "You have to be strong for her. She'll be ok."

Sylvie nods silently as she stares at the entrance to the burning apartment building, tears streaming down her face.

As soon as she saw squad 3 carrying you out on a backboard, Sylvie tried to rush over to you but was stopped by Matt grabbing her arm and holding her back. She fought against him to no avail, trying to wrench herself out of his grasp but he was stronger than her.

Dropping her arm in defeat, she watched helplessly as Violet and the other EMTs worked on you.

A heartbreaking sob escapes her mouth when she hears them say you weren't breathing and had to be intubated. Her heart shatters when they have to start CPR on you and she feels her knees buckle beneath her, being held up only by Matt's strong arms.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening.

Mere seconds seemed like an eternity as the love of your life watched them do compressions on your chest and tried to resuscitate you. As if she had tunnel vision, she didn't even notice the hustle and bustle of the rescue around her, all she could see was you.

"We got a pulse!" Sylvie hears Violet call to the others, and just like that, she felt like she could breathe again.

You were alive.

Only then did Matt break his grip on her, nudging her towards the ambulance you were being loaded into and telling her to go with you.

When you wake up, the first thing you see as your eyes adjust to the bright lights of your hospital room is your girlfriend's blonde curls splayed over you. Her hand was holding yours tightly as she slept, as if you'd just disappear if she let you go.

With your free hand, you gently run through Sylvie's soft hair and she stirs. She's slow to wake, but she sits up quickly when she remembers where she was and the events of earlier that day.

"Y/N, you're awake," she breathes out, feeling a huge weight being lifted off her chest. Seeing you looking back at her as if nothing was wrong was overwhelming and Sylvie felt her eyes tearing up.

"Hi," you whispered hoarsely, bringing your hand up to stroke the face you adored more than anything.

"I thought I was going to lose you." Her voice was so quiet that you almost didn't hear her. Tears streak down her face as the emotional exhaustion takes over.

"Never. You're stuck with me forever." you murmured, but your words didn't seem to make Sylvie feel better. She needed to make sure that you were real and that you were ok.

You tug gently on her arm, encouraging her to stand, and you pull her towards you. Staring into her beautiful, sad blue eyes, you wrap a hand behind her neck and captured her lips with your own. You feel wetness on your face and you move to her cheeks, kissing away her tears.

When you break apart, your face cracks into a smile and for the first time that day, Sylvie's does as well.

When the doctor comes to check on you, letting you know you were going to make a full recovery, Sylvie was right there, standing protectively next to you making sure there was no funny business going on. She didn't leave your side even when visiting hours were over.

She would have raised hell if they made her leave without you.

You motion for her to join you on the hospital bed and despite some protests about not wanting to hurt you, she couldn't say no to your puppy dog eyes.

Carefully, as to not yank out your nasal cannula or your IV, Sylvie climbs in next to you, wrapping her arm around your shoulders as you lean into her. You intertwine your hand with hers when you're both settled comfortably against the pillow.

You feel Sylvie's lips against your forehead and you look up at her, noticing the worry carved on her face. She could never hide anything from you.

"Syl, I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Collapsed lungs and smoke inhalation isn't fine, Y/N," she sighs in frustration and you rub her thigh soothingly in an attempt to comfort her.

"Baby, even if I wasn't, I have the best EMT in Chicago looking after me and I'm head over heels in love with her."

Immediately, you see the worry disappear from Sylvie's eyes and she was melting at your words.

"I love you so much," she whispers, resting her forehead against yours.

"I know you do," you murmured, a smile breaking on your face. "Apparently you love me enough to wanna marry me."

"I wasn't sure you heard that," Sylvie mumbles, her face flushing red. You giggle at the sight, falling impossibly harder for the girl.

"Uh huh. You said we were going to get married...and buy a nice house... and have a bunch of kids just like I wanted," you tease, planting kisses on her lips between words.

"Can I let you in on a little secret though?" you ask as you tucked a blonde curl behind your girlfriend's ear. Sylvie nodded silently, still a bit embarrassed about her confession, but she meant every word.

"I don't need anything, as long as I'm with you."

Sylvie Brett Taglist

@sylvieshay

[immeasurablesaladagere]

Could I see a little!kelly and cg!matt where kelly slips during a call and matt right there to help his little squirt? And is it oki if kelly is trans ftm?

Yes! Hello fellow starved-for-agere-content Chicago Fire enjoyer! I haven't been able to find anything for this fandom, so here you go! Little warnings for some strong language and discussion of ovarian cysts and throwing up. Nothing super graphic, just as a concept and how painful they can be. Little!Kelly sickfic basically.

Also praying that the rest of the Chicago Fire fandom doesn't see this and get the wrong idea because there is literally no other agere content. Wish me luck 🥲

-----

Word Count: 1914

Summery: Kelly has an ovarian cyst rupture on him during a call, and overwhelmed by the pain, he slips. Matt and Gabby are there for him.

-----

“Fire department, call out!”

Mother and daughter, mother and daughter, mother and daughter. Where were they? Squad had already cleared the first floor of the townhouse, and they were almost through with the second floor with no victims in sight.

“Severide! I got these rooms here!” Cruz called, ducking into the office.

“I’ll take the bedrooms!”

The fire had almost completely engulfed the house by now, flames licking at his turnout coat, and he knew Boden would be calling for an evacuation any second. Come on, come on… Then, over the radio chatter and roiling flames he heard it. A woman’s voice calling for help, weak and raspy from the room at the end of the hall.

“Hang on! I’m coming!”

The door to the bedroom was closed with fabric jammed under the gap so tightly that he had to shoulder it open. The visibility inside was almost zero, and it took him a painfully long second to locate the mother and her little girl huddled in the corner. 

He leaned into his radio, “I found the mother and daughter! Master bedroom, need an assist in here!” 

The little girl was coughing and crying, but her mother looked worse for wear, head lolling to the side and barely conscious.

He rushed forward and gathered the mother into his arms to throw her into a fireman’s carry as Cruz followed close behind for the girl. “It’s alright, we’re gonna get you guys outta here!”

His abdomen ached as he hoisted the woman over his shoulders and stood up, and he grimaced. Stupid ovarian cysts. Stupid uterus. The tell-tale throbbing had been steadily creeping up on him for days, but it had reached a peak that morning. It hurt to bend over, to squat, hell, even taking a piss got him the familiar stab in the guts that used to accompany every period before he got on testosterone. The cysts had become so rare he usually forgot about them, but not today. Today, his body wouldn’t let him forget.

Come on, Kelly. Victim to save, job to do. He grit his teeth and made his way back down the hall behind Cruz as quickly as he could. As he began to descend the staircase, the pain only got worse. Every stair sent a shock up pain through his kidneys that continued to build as he moved, and combined with the heat it made stomach begin to churn with nausea. He just needed to get outside. Then shift would be over and he could go home and curl up with a hot water bottle. Almost there.

He took one last heavy step down onto the landing, and felt something inside him go pop. 

Pain exploded through his stomach and for a moment his vision went dizzyingly white. It was a small miracle he managed to keep his footing and stop both him and the woman from going headfirst into the wall.

“Ow, fuck!” 

“Lieutenant! You alright?”

Cruz’s voice was murky beneath the sound of blood rushing in his ears and his own laboured breathing. Get out, get out, just get out of the house. Wave after wave of throbbing agony threatened to buckle his knees as he shoved past Cruz and finally made it outside. Muffled grunts of pain crawled out of his throat as he staggered through the yard, dumped the patient on the gurney, and collapsed to the sidewalk.

“Kelly! Hey, are you okay!?” Someone was talking to him. He couldn’t tell if it was Dawson or Brett, but whoever it was, they needed to stop shaking him by the shoulder before he hurled. 

Too late. Sour bile pooled in his mouth and it was all he could do to wrestle off his mask before he was lurching forward and vomiting onto the pavement. He couldn’t help the embarrassing warble of misery that slipped out, because a hot knife was being driven into his abdomen and the retching was twisting the blade. 

His vision was blurry with tears as Brett’s face came into view. Her hands were holding firmly on his shoulders and he tried to force himself to focus on the feeling. “Kelly! Hey, Kelly, look at me! What happened?”

“Fuck, ah, it’s… cyst popped on me… fuck…” He knew this feeling. The first time was practically branded into his mind, how afraid he’d been, how he had laid on the bathroom floor crying in pain for hours before Benny agreed to take him to the hospital, and how the doctor hadn’t done much more than hand him two extra-strength ibuprofen and sent him home.

Voices, sirens, hands on his back, and the clattering of equipment rushed over him like a raging river. God, everything was fuzzy.

“A cyst? Where?” Brett’s hands fretted over him, stripping off his heavy turnout gear and shucking it onto the grass. The second he was free of the extra straps and gear he doubled over, desperate for any kind of relief. 

Throb. “Agh… ovaries.��� It hurt, his stomach hurt so bad. Sylvie and Gabby were paramedics, why weren’t they fixing it? Without thinking, he let out a whine. “Hurts, Sylvieee…”

Sylvie hissed through her teeth. “Okay, okay… It’s okay. Take a deep breath, hun. Can you do that for me?”

It was her child-victim voice; gentle and soft and encouraging. He should have felt embarrassed that she was talking to him like he was a little kid, but he was in pain, and his head was so fuzzy, and her voice was soothing and his mind latched onto it. He nodded.

Sylvie turned to someone behind him. “Someone grab Casey for me? Tell him we’ve got a little situation.” She opened up her bag, “Has this happened before, honey?”

“M-Mhm…”

She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm, then checked his heart with the stethoscope. “Aw, I’m sorry. I’ve had one myself, and I bet you’re in a lot of pain, huh? What do you usually do when this happens? Do you need to go to med?”

He didn’t wanna answer any more questions. He just wanted to go home, curl up in bed with a stuffy, and never have to move ever again. But one thing he was sure of, he didn’t wanna go to the hospital. They were gonna put him in a bright room for hours and doctors were gonna poke and prod him all over. “No doctor! Don’t wanna Sylvie, please…”

“Are you sure? It looks like you’re hurting pretty bad—“

Matt knelt down beside them and Kelly almost sobbed with relief. “Hey buddy, what’s going on?” 

Sylvie filled him in, rubbing a comforting hand on his knee. “He said an ovarian cyst ruptured. It made him a little sick and I think he might’ve slipped on me. Does that sound right, Kelly?”

Was he small? He didn’t mean to be, his tummy just hurt so bad and he was so tired. Was Boden gonna be mad at him? He wasn’t supposed to be small on shift. “I…M’sorry.”

“Oh honey, don’t be sorry…” Sylvie cooed, “It’s okay. Now, do you wanna take a ride in the ambulance, or go back home with Casey? It’s your choice sweetheart.”

“Casey.” He answered immediately. “‘Wanna go home.”

Matt patted him gently on the shoulder. “Alright squirt, we can go home. We’ll see if we can hitch a ride back in Boden’s car, huh?”

-

Kelly whimpered in the backseat as Matt’s truck drove over another pothole. He winced. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever seen Kelly rupture a cyst, he’d had at least two back in their academy days that Matt could remember, but it never got any easier to watch. And this time Kelly was regressed and barely understood why he was in so much pain. Hopefully Gabby beat them home and got a hot water bottle going.

“Easy, buddy… We’re almost back home. Remember it’s okay if you feel sick again, that’s why Brett gave you the bag.” He was glad she had thought to give them an emesis bag from the ambulance before they left. Every time he glanced back in the rearview mirror Kelly’s face was looking more and more grey, and he really didn’t feel like scrubbing puke out of the seats tonight.

The poor kid started retching right as they pulled into the apartment parking lot. Matt quickly got out of the car and opened Kelly’s door to help him sit up so he wouldn’t choke. “Just get it out, you’ll be okay…”

Kelly made a miserable sound between gags, and Matt rubbed a hand up and down his back to comfort him as best he could. After a few minutes of nothing coming up, it seemed to be over and Kelly sagged against him.

“Caseyyyy…” He whined.

“I know, I know… We’re just gonna go inside now, alright? And Gabby’ll have a nice warm water bottle for you, and we’ll get you your stuffy, and you can take a nap. Do you think you can walk all by yourself?” 

Kelly shook his head no with the saddest look Matt had ever seen. “‘Don’t wanna walk, Casey… hurts…”

“I’m sorry buddy, we have to go inside. Here, give me your arm, big guy, I’ll help you.”

Reluctantly, Kelly slung his arm around Matt’s shoulders and allowed himself to be pulled out of the car. Matt wished he could just pick Kelly up and carry him, but he was just barely able to lift him when he was strong enough to cooperate, and right now Kelly was basically dead weight.

“You’re being so brave, Sev. Just a little further…” He soothed. There were silent tears running down Kelly’s cheeks and he was shaking hard. 

They somehow managed to make it through the front door without any falls, and Matt wasted no time laying him down on the couch where Gabby had already laid out a pillow and blanket from Kelly’s bedroom. Once he was as comfortable as he could be, Matt knelt down and gently ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. “Hey, look at me, Sev. You made it, bud. You did such a good job today, saving that woman from the fire. We’re so proud of you.” Kelly gave him a watery half-smile.

“There you are!” Gabby came around the corner with her arms full of… everything. Extra blankets, a pillow, a few small toys, and held precariously in her free hand was a sippy cup of water. She knelt down in front of the couch and dumped the pile onto the carpet, and set the cup on the coffee table. “Are those painkillers I gave you working yet?”

Kelly shrugged and curled in on himself under the blanket. “A lil’…”

“Well I have something that should help some more, then. Here’s a nice warm water bottle… And, look who I found!” Gabby made a dramatic show of revealing Kelly’s favourite stuffy, a purple gorilla from the Lincoln Park Zoo he’d named ‘Chimp’, and tucked it under his arm.

“T’ank you, Gabby…” Kelly mumbled, holding Chimp tight.

“No problem, honey.” She stood up, “I’m gonna make us some soup, okay? And you can let us know when you feel ready for supper. Why don’t you and Matt pick a movie to watch?”

“M’kay.”

Matt gave Gabby a quick peck before she left, then sat cross-legged on the floor by Kelly’s head and grabbed the remote off the table. “What do you want to watch? Your choice tonight.” 

[torreshalstead]

Family means family

Summary - After Stella dies on a call, Kelly locks himself away and refuses to see anyone including his daughter. There was only person who could pull Kelly out of the spiral he was in, yet he was 2000 miles away. But a single phone call from the last person Matt Casey expected to hear from changes that.

Warnings - Major Character Death

Notes - this is a prequel to Memories Bring Back You. That fic goes against my own long held headcannon that Severide is the most likely character to die from a broken heart so it was interesting to delve into a situation where he can’t do that and how that would impact him. This came out with a lot more Brettsey in than I had originally planned but I’m not mad about it! You don’t have to have read MBBY for this to make sense, they are standalone. Hope you enjoy! AO3 Link

Matt Casey finally had a second to sit down after an incredibly busy shift. When he hadn’t been on a call, he was busy running drills trying to get a couple of new firefighters on his rig up to scratch. They weren’t quite the same as his Truck crew back in Chicago but he was determined to make them as good as they could possibly be. He did enjoy seeing them grow and develop but he was still tired and was looking forward to a quick lie down, if the bells would allow it.

It wasn’t the bells that hindered his sleep however, it was his phone ringing and a glance down at the screen showed it was possibly the last person he had expected to see calling him.

He swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

‘Hey,’ he said, unsure what tone he should be taking.

‘Hey Matt, I’m sorry to call but…’ Sylvie’s voice tailed off. It was quieter and shakier than he remembered. He knew her well enough to understand that this was not going to be a catch up call.

‘No, it’s okay, what’s up?’ He asked, his uncertainty turning to concern.

‘It’s not me, it’s Stella,’ he heard her sniff as she stifled a small sob. Matt sat up straighter.

‘What happened?’ He asked quietly, a lump growing in his throat knowing this couldn’t be anything good. He had spoken to Stella just last week. Lizzie had wanted to show him a painting she had done of him and Kelly, so Stella had video called him. She had seemed fine then. That meant that something must have happened on a call.

‘There was an accident’, Sylvie took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself but it came out shaky. ‘She didn’t make it out of a storage unit fire…’

Matt’s head dropped to his hands, it felt like a piece of his heart had been chipped off at his her words. He had known Stella for years, lived with her for a few. Watched her develop into the most incredible firefighter and leader. Been an incredible wife to his best friend and seen her become the most wonderful mother to Lizzie. That she had been taken from her family, both the one with her husband and daughter and the one at the firehouse. It wasn’t fair.

‘Kelly needs you Matt, I don’t want to ask or tell you what to do-’

‘No, I’m on the first flight.’ He interrupted with a small shake of his head. It was his best friend. There was nothing to keep him from Chicago at this point. ‘Thanks for calling Sylvie,’ he said softly, knowing it would have been hard for her to pick up the phone to call anyone and tell them about Stella, let alone call him.

‘They’re our family,’ she said quietly.

‘How are you doing?’ He asked, knowing that Sylvie always put everyone else's needs above her own and he doubted this time would be any different.

‘I.. I haven’t processed it yet. I don’t think any of us have. Just trying to hold it together for Severide’, she sniffed. ‘He’s in a bad way Matt’.

‘I wish I could say I would expect something else but he loves her with everything he has. Has he told Lizzie?’

‘That’s part of the problem. He hasn’t seen her since it happened yesterday. Sorry I didn’t ca-’

‘No no, it’s fine. I get it Sylvie, I do. Where is she then?’ He asked, knowing his best friend must be in an awful place if he was refusing to see his daughter.

‘She’s with Cindy and Hermann, she just thinks they are both working late I think. I’ll explain everything else when you get here. Let me know which flight you get on and I’ll pick you up.’

‘Okay. And thank you Sylvie, I’m glad it was you that called,’ he smiled softly, allowing himself a moment of comfort.

‘Of course, I’ll see you soon Matt’. And with that the call ended. And Matt was sitting alone in his office with the knowledge that one of his closest friends was no longer with them and his best friend was in agonising pain and he was almost 2000 miles away.

—————————————————————————

His chief had granted him the furlough immediately, no questions asked. He hadn’t even gone back home, just grabbed his station bag which had a couple of changes of clothes in it and headed straight to the airport. He had enough friends in Chicago that someone could lend him some clothes if needed. He didn’t want to waste any time.

Matt didn’t know what he would find when he touched down in Chicago but if Sylvie had called him, he knew it wouldn’t be anything good. Kelly had suffered loss before, more loss than one person should experience in their life and to have his wife taken away from him and leave him as a single parent, it was just cruel.

When Kelly had taken the OFI position after Stella had given birth, Matt wasn’t even a little bit surprised. He knew how much he loved his wife and Stella was just at the beginning of her career. She still had so much to give to the CFD. Severide had always been exceptional at arson investigation and if it meant he could be at home for his daughter then it made perfect sense.

However Matt knew his best friend, had known him and worked alongside him for years, so he knew that somewhere inside he would be questioning if he had been on the call if he could have helped, or even saved her. Without knowing the exact details of the call Matt couldn’t give a definitive answer but knew that if Kelly had been there, the likeness was that Lizzie would have lost both of her parents that day and Matt would be flying back to his home city for an even more heartbreaking reason.

Before he got on the flight, he dropped Sylvie a message to let her know when he was due to land, with a caveat to say she didn’t need to pick him up and he could get an Uber. He knew that she would be waiting for him at the arrivals gate though. He had also sent a message to Boden, Cruz, Hermann and Mouch to let them all know he was on his way back and that Sylvie had filled him in. He wished he was heading back to see his friends for a more positive reason but some small part of him was glad he would be around people experiencing the same grief he was. If he had had to go through losing Stella alone in Oregon, well, he’s not sure he could have.

—————————————————————————

As he had expected, Sylvie was waiting for him when he got through the arrivals gate. He could feel the nerves and the sense of uneasiness coming off of her as soon as he spotted where she was standing. She was tugging her sleeves over her hands, glancing around and nibbling her bottom lip. He hadn’t seen her since the morning after Kelly and Stella’s wedding, they had said goodbye at her apartment door as she had to go to shift and he had a flight to catch. They hadn’t spoken aloud the thought they were both sharing, that it might be the final time to see each other. They just held each other closely.

He walked over to her and before saying anything wrapped her tightly in his arms. He knew it had been the right decision when he felt her stiffness disappear and she melted into his embrace. He didn’t loosen his hold when he felt her shake and her tears wet his neck, he just let her cry in his arms. He felt the tears begin to spill from his own eyes but didn’t care enough to wipe them away. They were both sad, a horrible thing had happened and crying was a natural response, what onlookers thought didn’t matter right now.

‘Hi,’ he said softly when she eventually pulled back. He reached to wipe a stray tear from her cheek, not questioning how easy it was to fall back into simple physical contact with her.

‘Hi,’ she echoed. ‘That all you bring?’ she asked, nodding to the bag which was slung over his shoulder.

‘Yep, came straight from the firehouse, figured I could borrow some clothes off people if I need to’, he said as the pair started to walk towards the exit.

‘I still have a few of your things,’ Sylvie said quietly, a hint of embarrassment laced through her voice.

‘Then that’s perfect’, he said, smiling to dissuade her of those feelings. He still had a couple of her shirts in the back of his closet too. Getting rid of them had always felt too final. ‘Is Severide at the loft?’ He asked.

‘We think so’, she answered. ‘We haven’t seen him since the hospital. But that must have been where he went.’

‘Okay, so first stop is there? Then go see Lizzie?’ Sylvie nodded in agreement. First thing first, he had to see if he could coax his oldest friend out to see his one and only daughter, Matt knew it would be a challenge but knew he needed to succeed. For Kelly’s own sake.

—————————————————————————

The drive to the loft was bizarre. The air was thick with everything they weren’t saying. Matt was fighting the urge to reach across the centre console to hold Sylvie’s hand or rest his hand on her leg like they used to. What had brought them back together was something so tragic but the fact it could have been anyone who came to pick him up brought him an ounce of hope. Maybe it was wrong to feel this way considering where they were driving and what would be waiting for him but in the same breath he knew that Stella would want everyone to be happy.

When they pulled up to the loft, it was eerily quiet.

‘I’ll wait in the car for you. If you can get him out then I’ll drive you both to Hermann’s, I don’t imagine he’s in a fit state to drive,’ Sylvie said as she put her car in park.

‘Okay, I’ll leave you with my bag?’ he asked as he got out of the car, Sylvie nodded.

The walk up to the loft was bizarre, almost a sense of deja vu took over him, having walked this route for many years but not being back to visit in some time. Although he knew there was likely to be a spare key above the door frame, now was not quite the time to invade his friend's privacy. He would wait to see if he would be invited in, so knocked the door loudly and waited.

He couldn’t hear any movement inside but Kelly’s Mustang and Stella’s Jeep had been outside, along with his bike so Matt knew he was inside.

‘Kelly, it’s Matt, you going to let me in?’ He said loudly after a couple of moments, accompanying it with another loud knock. ‘I’m so sorry about Stella, Sylvie told me. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. Open up and we can talk about it?’ When he still received no response, he tried another tack. ‘Sylvie and I were going to go and see Lizzie, I’m sure she’d like to see her dad? You could come with us?’

After another few moments of silence, Matt decided today was clearly not the day. Grief worked in funny ways and if Severide needed another day of solitude then Matt was going to be the one to grant that.

‘I’m going to go now Kelly but if you need me I’m at the other end of the phone. I’ll give Lizzie your love and I’ll be back tomorrow. And I really am sorry mate’. He hung his head and rested his palm against the door, hoping for a moment that Kelly would open the door but when that didn’t occur, he turned around and walked back to the car and to Sylvie.

‘You tried’, Sylvie said solemnly when he climbed back into her car.

‘I guess, let’s go see Lizzie and we can try again later’, Matt said. He hadn’t seen Lizzie in person since she was a baby, when Stella and Kelly had surprised him with a visit, although he spoke on the phone with her a lot so he was excited to see her. A pang deep in his chest reminded him that she didn’t know her mother had died and her father had locked himself away from the world. Maybe that was best, he thought, to give her another day before her life was irrevocably changed forever.

—————————————————————————

When Matt knocked on the door to the Hermann residence, with Sylvie behind him, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep it together in front of the little girl but knew he had to.

Hermann opened the door and immediately pulled him into a hug. The older firefighter was not usually one to initiate physical contact but Matt held him tightly anyway.

‘Good to see you man’ he said when he finally pulled back. ‘Did you see him?’

Matt shook his head dejectedly, ‘wouldn’t open the door’.

‘Same for all of us. Come on in then, the little one is in the garden playing.’ He stood back to let them in, ‘hey there Brett’, he added when Sylvie passed him with a sad smile.

The house was devoid of its usual hubbub. There had always been kids running around, the smell of something delightful coming from the kitchen, but today it was void of all of that as they walked through to the backyard.

Lizzie Severide was sitting on the swing set, kicking her feet against the dirt but not attempting to swing any further than the couple of inches it was moving as a result of her motions. When the door opened and Casey and Syvlie stepped out, her head shot up and a sudden look of disappointment flickered across her young face when the people at the door were not the ones she was clearly waiting for. The excitement when she realised who it was took over quickly however and she squealed with excitement before jumping off the swing and running towards the pair, throwing herself at Matt’s legs.

‘Uncle Matt!’ she said excitedly as he knelt down and pulled her into a tight hug.

‘Hey kiddo,’ he said as he kept the little girl cradled against his chest, trying to pour all the love he had for her into it. ‘How are you?’ he said as he pulled back slightly, keeping his hands on the tops of her arms, squeezing lightly.

‘Good. Cindy made brownies,’ she said excitedly, tugging at the bottom of her shirt and bouncing from foot to foot. ‘But Mommy and Daddy are working,’ she said, pushing her bottom lip out. The pout he was sure could get his best friend to do anything his daughter asked.

‘They are, they have important jobs. But I know they love you lots and lots,’ Matt said and pulled a smile onto his face, shielding the pain.

‘I know,’ Lizzie said with a smile, clearly it was something her parents told her a lot. Good, Matt thought, she should be told it as often as possible.

‘Did you see who I brought with me?’ Matt asked, nodding his head up at Sylvie. Lizzie’s head spun around quickly to look where he was nodding, the smile widened on her face as she realised who had come to visit with her favourite Uncle.

‘Auntie Betty!’ Matt had to stifle a laugh at this and shot Syvlie a questioning look.

‘People were calling me both Sylvie and Brett and somehow Auntie Betty was born,’ she chuckled lightly.

‘I like it,’ Matt said with a wink.

‘Only I call Auntie Betty!’ Lizzie said firmly, the little girl clearly had her mothers fire within her.

‘Of course, only you get to call me Auntie Betty,’ Sylvie smiled and ran her hand over the girl's head, her curls were attempting to be restrained with some tight dutch braids but a few flyways were escaping.

‘Uncle Matt’, Lizzie said, turning back to Casey, an inquisitive look in her eyes.

‘Yes Lizzie’, he said, dreading the question that was coming next.

‘When Mommy and Daddy coming home?’ She looked down at the floor sadly. This had clearly been a question she had asked numerous times since she had arrived at the Hermann’s.

Sylvie had explained on the drive to the loft earlier what had happened. Kelly had brought Lizzie to the firehouse to celebrate her birthday and surprise Stella, that’s when the call to the storage facility came in. Kelly and Lizzie had stayed at the firehouse, assuming the call wouldn’t take too long and they could continue the birthday celebrations afterwards. When the worst had happened, Boden had called Kelly immediately knowing he would want, more accurately, would need to be there. Kelly left Lizzie at the firehouse with Stephanie, Kylie’s replacement, and Cindy had picked her up from there. Lizzie hadn’t seen her father since.

Kelly had pulled up to the scene and it had been worse than anyone had imagined. Cruz and Boden had to physically restrain him to stop him running into the building that was still burning. Sylvie’s eyes had filled with tears when she had been telling Matt how Kelly hadn’t stopped calling Stella’s name, his voice getting more hoarse with each yell.

When she had been brought out by the Truck crew, Kelly had attempted to resuscitate her himself, yelling at everyone that he could help her, he could bring her back. The rest of them had looked on in desperation, no one knowing when they should pull him back.

Finally, Boden had pulled him back. He had fallen to his knees and hadn’t said anything else. The tears stopped and he just watched them load her into the ambulance. Sylvie described it as seeing his soul disappear, it was like it was just Kelly’s body, he wasn’t in there anymore, his eyes had grown empty and he hadn’t said anything else.

Cindy and Hermann had expected Kelly to come and pick Lizzie up after leaving Med but he hadn’t shown. They had tried calling, Sylvie and Joe had gone round to the loft but there had been no answer. They hadn’t seen or heard from him since.

‘As soon as they can sweetie,’ Matt said, hoping the small white lie wouldn’t come back to haunt him. ‘How about we go inside and have one of those yummy brownies and you can tell me everything you’ve been up to since I’ve seen you last?’

Lizzie took a moment to contemplate before she nodded with a smile and tugged on Matt’s hand, pulling him towards the kitchen.

——————————————————————————

‘Can you drop me off at the loft?’ Matt asked as the pair got back into the car having spent the last couple of hours hearing all about what Lizzie had been drawing or making or eating. Once you got the little girl talking, there’s no way to stop her. It was refreshing, Matt had thought, she was such a happy child, he really hoped she’d be able to keep that spark even when the awful news was broken to her.

‘Are you going to try and talk to him again?’ Sylvie asked curiously.

‘Figured I’d fill him in on how Lizzie is doing and hope that works, then I’ll kip on the couch’.

‘And if it doesn’t, you plan on sleeping in the hallway?’ She chuckled.

Matt ran his hand over his chin, his 5 o’clock shadow firmly adorning his cheeks. ‘Guess I hadn’t really thought that far’, he admitted bashfully.

‘Okay, well if you can’t get through to him, I’ll wait downstairs and you can crash with me,’ Matt’s head swivelled quickly towards her, ‘I have a perfectly good couch Matt, you know that.’

‘Guess I do’, he smiled. ‘Thanks Sylvie, that sounds like a plan’.

‘I’ll give you 20 minutes, if I don’t hear from you then I’ll assume you’re staying with Severide, okay?’ Matt nodded in agreement as they continued their way towards the loft.

The climb up to the loft felt less unusual this time, but Matt had less hope that his friend would open the door than he had had previously. He knew Kelly well enough to know that he would have gone completely into his shell and it would take a lot to get him out of it.

He had debated bringing Lizzie back with him, knowing that Severide would have to open the door to his daughter. But having no idea what state Kelly was in on the other side of the door, he didn’t want to subject Lizzie to that. He would give Kelly one more chance to let him in of his own volition before he resorted to more drastic methods.

He knocked the door slightly harder than he had done when he had been here a few hours ago, thinking maybe it was just that he had been in his bedroom and couldn’t hear him knocking.

‘Sev, hey. It’s me again. I’ve just come from seeing Lizzie. She misses you man, is asking about you and Stella. I just told her that you both loved her.’ Matt took a deep breath before continuing. ‘It can’t come from anyone else but you Kelly, and I know that’s awful and painful, but it has to. She can’t hear this when she hasn’t got you there to turn to. You’re all she’s got. She needs you.’

‘She’s grown so much man, and she’s the spitting image of Stella. She’s so smart too, took great pride in telling me all the things Hermann does wrong around the house that Cindy has to correct him. You must be so proud of her.’

‘I’m going to go now, give you a little bit more time. But I’ll be back first thing tomorrow. And Sev, I’m coming in whether you like it or not. And I really would prefer if you opened the door for me, don’t want to screw my shoulder up again by barging it down. But I will.’

As he turned to leave, he stopped and approached the door again.

‘We are all here for you. We love you, we love Stella and we love Lizzie. You’re not going through this alone man.’

—————————————————————————

‘Thanks for letting me stay Sylvie’, Matt said as he finished his takeout. They had ordered Chinese when they got back to her place, neither being in the mood to cook. Placing the empty container on the coffee table and he relaxed into the back of the couch.

It was odd being back here in her apartment. They had spent the majority of their time here when they were together. He had begun to think of it as much more of their apartment with the amount of time he spent there, sleeping in her bed more often than he slept in his own.

This is the place where they had spent their first night together, but he also knew this was the place where he had broken her heart, telling her he was leaving and going to Oregon. He knew he had had his reasons, knew that Sylvie understood them, but he still wished that they had stayed the course. He missed her, had spent a long time missing her before realising that it was futile. Until the thing keeping them apart stopped being an issue, then they would continue to stay apart.

It had stopped being an issue in the last couple of months, but Matt had still not made the final decision to come back to home. He did genuinely love his job in Oregon, fighting forest fires was something completely different and refreshing. He had spent a long time working with his crew to bring them up to the level he expected. But without the boys, there was nothing keeping him in Portland anymore.

He had contemplated coming back so often. Of calling up Boden and seeing if he could return, the likelihood of coming back to 51 was slim, he knew that, all the leadership positions had been filled. But even if he was back here, he would be around his family again.

Griffin had been accepted into the CFD and was now working as a candidate at a house across the city, although Matt knew his dream was to work on 81, the same truck as his father.

Ben was studying Maths over on the East Coast. He didn’t have the same pull back to Chicago as Griffin did but also had no inclination of staying in Portland. When he had applied to colleges on the East Coast and got accepted to a small school, he was incredibly excited and Matt was equally as proud of him.

He would be lying if he had said that Sylvie wasn’t a factor in his decision either. Both for the want to come back and the uncertainty about it. He didn’t expect them to be able to immediately fall back into what they had before, but at least without the physical distance between them, it could actually be a possibility again.

‘It’s no problem’, Sylvie said with the soft smile that Matt had been so fond of. It was different to the smile that Syvlie used the majority of the time, the one she dolled out to patients as easily as breathing. This was the smile she shared only with those she cared deeply about, the ones that she had let into her life and through her defences. Matt was grateful that he could still be included in that group. ‘You sure you’ll be okay out here?’ She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ‘We’ve shared a bed before, I don’t mind,’ she said softly.

Matt smiled warmly but shook his head. ‘It’s alright, I’ve stayed out here before. It’s perfectly comfortable. I don’t think either of us are in an emotionally stable state to be sharing a bed again, not yet,’ he added with a glance up at Sylvie and clocked how a blush started to spread across her cheeks. ‘But I’m here if you need me’, he said and she nodded in response.

‘Probably a smart idea,’ Sylvie said with a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. ‘I’ll get you some blankets then.’ She retrieved them, placed them on the coffee table and then smiled before retreating to her bedroom, leaving Matt standing alone in the living room wondering if he had just made the wrong choice.

At some point in the night however, he felt a small hand on his shoulder and awoke to see Sylvie standing over him, her eyes rimmed with red. He sat up quickly and she reached out a hand to him, he hesitated slightly before placing his hand in hers. She tugged him wordlessly towards her bedroom and he went willingly, following her without question.

She climbed into the bed, the side she had always slept on and held up the covers for him to slide under as well. When he had made himself comfortable, she curled herself into his chest, her body warm against his. He wrapped his arms around her in a familiar motion, allowing himself a moment to breathe in her usual vanilla shampoo scented hair. The pair fell asleep, awash in the comfort that being in each other's presence and arms provided and when they awoke in the morning they didn’t question it, they simply just smiled.

—————————————————————————

Sylvie was on the shift that day so Matt drove her to work and then headed straight over to the loft in her car. He wasn’t taking no for an answer today, he needed to see his friend and he needed Kelly to agree to go see his daughter. Keeping Lizzie in the dark any longer than necessary wasn’t the right thing to do but at the same time, the news had to come from Kelly.

Approaching the front door, he stretched out his shoulders. Matt hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d break down the door if he needed to. Feeling like he should probably give his friend a warning, he knocked on the door and announced his presence.

As with the previous times he had stood in this spot, there was no answer. So Matt took a couple of steps back, he knew the door was pretty heavy so might take a bit to get it down. Just as he began to take the first step forward it opened and a dishevelled looking Kelly stood before him.

He didn’t say anything as Matt took in his appearance. His hair, much greyer than it had been when Matt had left Chicago, was stood up in a myriad of directions, he was supporting at least 2 days worth of stubble on his cheeks and if Matt had to take a guess, the sweatpants and t shirt adorning his body were equally as old.

‘Hey,’ Matt said as he walked past his friend and into the apartment they had once shared. Just like Kelly, the apartment was also in a state. There were empty beer bottles littering the coffee table and the kitchen counters, containers of home cooked food no doubt brought over by Cindy and Donna, were sitting out of the fridge.

‘Didn’t want you breaking down the door,’ Kelly huffed as he walked over to the couch and threw himself down on it. Resuming the position that Casey assumed he had been in since he had returned here after the news broke. He reached out and grabbed one of the beer bottles off the table and took a swig, clearly one of the not completely empty ones.

‘I wouldn’t have to if you'd opened it yesterday when I knocked,’ Matt said, standing near the kitchen, unsure if his best friend would welcome him sat down near him at this point.

‘Thought you’d take the hint that I didn’t want company,’ Kelly said with a gruff laugh.

‘Well too bad, I’m here now so why don’t you get cleaned up and we can go see Lizzie. She’s asking for you.’

Kelly shook his head and lowered his gaze, picking at the label on the bottle.

‘I know it’s tough-’ Matt started to say before Kelly’s head shot up, his eyes rimmed with red.

‘You know?’ Kelly scoffed harshly. ‘You’ve had to tell your daughter that her mother is dead and won’t ever be coming home?’ He laughed coolly and took another draft from the bottle. ‘Didn’t think so’, he muttered and his gaze fell back down to the floor.

‘No, but I did lose a fianceé,’ Matt said calmly. ‘And I had to tell the Darden boys that their mother was in jail and couldn’t come home.’ Matt took a deep breath before continuing. ‘And I lost my father when I was a kid too, lost my mother at the same time as well in a manner of speaking.’ Matt swallowed, he wasn’t one to compare traumas but he hoped it would reinforce with Kelly that he was speaking from a place with a little knowledge on the subject.

Severide looked up, the tears that had been held back by his eyelashes before, were now silently making their way down his cheeks. ‘Sorry,’ he said quietly. ‘I didn’t mean it like that.’

‘I know you didn’t,’ Casey said as he made his way over to the living space and took a seat on the empty chair. ‘But Lizzie needs you Kelly.’

‘I know but how do I tell her? I haven’t even processed it myself yet,’ Kelly said, angrily wiping the tears away from his face as if they were a display of weakness.

‘You process it together,’ Matt said steadily. ‘I’m not saying it’ll be easy Severide, hell, it’ll be the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. But it’s the right thing to do.’

Kelly nodded, keeping his gaze firmly on the floor. ‘I keep thinking I’m going to see her, out here making dinner or coming in the door after a shift. Keep hearing her voice, talking to Lizzie, playing with her. And then I look over and there’s no one there.’ He sniffed and wiped away his continued stream of tears. ‘And if I’d have been there, I could have done something. I could have saved her.’ The final sentence was distorted by a sob and a thud as the beer bottle he had been holding fell to the floor and Kelly cradled his head in his hands.

‘If you’d have been there, Lizzie would have lost two parents that day.’ Matt said slowly. ‘There was a reason when you had her, you went to work at OFI. And you can say it was the hours of whatever, but I know you and Stella had the discussion about you both being on a call. When you’re a first responder and have kids, you have to think like that.’ Kelly nodded but kept his head buried in his palms.

‘I can’t do this without Stella,’ he whispered.

Matt had stayed strong until this point, had decided this was not the place for him to display his grief, he was here for his friend, but the heartbreak in hearing those words brought tears to his eyes.

‘You can’, he said, ignoring how his voice cracked. ‘You’re not alone in this Kelly. Your 51 family is here for you and we won’t let you go through this alone. We’ve got you and we’ve got Lizzie.’

‘She was the best mom’, he said, lifting his head out of his hands slightly to gaze across the room. Matt followed his line of sight and saw that his eyes had landed on a framed photo of Stella and Lizzie laughing. ‘She was scared about it when we found out we were expecting but she was incredible. The pregnancy, the birth, everything. I fell in love with her even more every day.’ He wiped a wayward tear but a hint of a sad smile was beginning to tug on his lips. ‘And then Lizzie came along and she’s the spitting image of Stella. A mini her if ever there was one. She talks like her, walks like her, has her eyes and her smile. Stella taught her everything she knew, and I know she’s so proud of her,’ his smile faltered but he continued. ‘I’m so proud of her. I’m proud of them both. They made me who I am but without Stella… it just feels like a piece of me is missing. And I don’t want to pass that hurt on to Lizzie. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s so perfect. Too perfect to be in pain.’

Matt sat silently, letting his friend get everything out that he needed to. It was breaking him to see Kelly in this much pain and for the first time he really understood why he had been avoiding seeing his daughter.

He was trying to protect her. To let her have a couple more hours, more days, before her life would be changed forever. He didn’t want to be the one that caused her pain.

‘Stella didn’t deserve to die.’ Kelly said into the silence. Matt didn’t know how to respond, he agreed of course but in their line of work unfortunately they could never guarantee they would walk out of every fire. Both he and Kelly understood that but he guessed the reality was something that couldn’t be completely comprehended until it happened.

‘Is she okay?’ Kelly said, turning his head quickly to look at Matt who looked stunned at the question. ‘Lizzie, I mean.’

Matt nodded. ‘She’s fine. She misses you and her mom and has been asking about you. Cindy and Hermann have just been saying you’re still at work which seems to have appeased her for now but it won’t for much longer.’

Kelly nodded, wiping his hands across his face and pressing his heels into his eyes. ‘Will you come with me?’ He asked as he stood up. ‘To tell her?’

Matt nodded in agreement, ‘I’m here for whatever you need. We’re family.’

—————————————————————————

Whilst Kelly showered and got himself cleaned up, Matt busied himself by tidying up around the apartment. Throwing out all the empty bottles and checking the contents of the food containers to see if anything could be saved and refrigerating what he could salvage. By the time Kelly came out of the bedroom, the loft was back to looking in a more inhabitable state.

‘You didn’t have to-’ but Matt shook his head before Kelly could finish his sentence.

‘Don’t. We’re family.’ He smiled, and Kelly returned it, albeit a smaller smile but it was genuine all the same. ‘I called Cindy to let her know we were coming over’. Kelly nodded. ‘You ready?’ Matt asked.

‘No, but I don’t think I ever will be.’

‘Come on then, let’s go’. Matt said, leading the way to the door. He turned around once he had reached it and saw Kelly rooted firmly to the same spot he had been a minute before. He opened the door and waited patiently. He knew his friend just needed another moment, he had said he was going to see Lizzie today and Matt believed him.

‘Okay’, Kelly said shakily as he ran his hand through his hair and walked through the door Matt was holding open for him.

—————————————————————————

The drive to the Hermann’s was tense, the air was thick. Everytime Matt glanced over Kelly he was bouncing his leg and wringing his hands. The old roommates sat in silence, this was going to be tough no matter which way you span it and if Kelly needed any help, Matt hoped he knew he could ask.

When they walked up to the door, Severide hesitated with his fist outstretched, an inch away from making contact with the wood. Matt rested his hand comfortingly on his shoulder and felt an ounce of tension drain from Kelly who knocked 3 times before taking a step back.

Cindy opened the door, a sad smile on her face as she pulled Kelly in for a hug.

‘I’m so sorry for your loss Kelly,’ she said quietly, holding him tightly before pulling back. ‘She’s in the garden.’

Kelly nodded and pulled his lips into a tight line.

‘I’ll stay with Cindy but we will be in here if you need us,’ Matt said, closing the front door behind them and gesturing to the living room.

Kelly nodded again and walked towards the backdoor. Matt heard the yells of ‘Daddy!’ when he opened it. It felt like a stab to his chest knowing that that excited voice would become the exact opposite in just a few moments.

He and Cindy sat side by side on the couch, neither knowing what to say or do, trying to give the Severide’s their privacy but at the same time being ready to jump in with support if it was needed.

After 15 minutes when neither Kelly or Lizzie had reappeared, Matt walked into the kitchen to peer out the window. What he was greeted with, shattered his heart even more.

Kelly was sitting on the swing, with Lizzie in his lap, her body curled tightly into his, his arms around her, a hand running over her hair. Matt could see the tears on Kelly’s face from here and could see how the little girl's body was shaking too. Severide was talking quietly to her whilst lightly pushing the swing back and forth. Matt stood there for a moment, before it felt like he was intruding on a private moment and returned to the living room. He smiled softly at Cindy and nodded at the unasked question.

A couple of minutes later, Severide appeared with a tired Lizzie still curled in his arms holding on tightly to her father.

‘Uncle Matt, is it alright if you take me and Lizzie home?’ He asked, his eyes were still red from the tears but he seemed lighter than when he had left the loft.

‘Of course’, Matt got up and smiled. ‘You okay?’ he mouthed, not wanting to ask anything else outright in front of Lizzie. Severide nodded with a sad smile.

Lizzie fell asleep in the back of Sylvie’s car as Matt drove them back to the loft so Severide carried her upstairs and tucked her in on the couch.

‘I don’t want to put her in her room in case she wakes up and doesn’t know where she is’, Kelly said as he leant against the kitchen island, with Matt on the other side.

‘Good idea. Do you want me to get you two anything?’ He asked but Kelly shook his head.

‘You’ve already done enough man, we appreciate it. And I know Stella would too’, he smiled sadly again. ‘When are you going back to Portland?’ he asked curiously, knowing his best friend must have had to drop everything quickly to make it out to Chicago as fast as he did.

‘Still got a few things to work out on that front, but I’ll let you know.’ Matt smiled as he picked up his jacket. ‘I’ll leave you to it, but call me if you need anything okay?’ Kelly nodded and followed Matt to the door.

‘Thanks again, not sure anyone else could have got me out that door today’.

Matt hesitated and then pulled Kelly into a hug, slapping him a couple of times on the back before pulling away. ‘Family means family’.

—————————————————————————

Matt used the remainder of the day visiting his sister who he hadn’t seen since he had left either. She hadn’t heard about Stella but had met her a few times so was still saddened by the news. She offered to let him stay there that night which he took her up on. Sylvie had said he could crash at hers again but it felt weird being there without her and he didn’t want to intrude on Severide’s time with his daughter.

He got up early the following morning, his flight was later that afternoon but he had a couple of things he wanted to get done before he headed to the airport.

First was to stop by 51. He was picking up Sylvie and a conversation with her was high on his list but first, he had a meeting with Boden.

He had called his old boss and mentor the previous afternoon when it became clear to Matt that he was needed back in Chicago. The same thing that had called him to leave for Potrland in the first place, was now calling him home. Family.

He wanted to speak to Boden about returning to the CFD. And specifically about returning to Boden’s district. He knew he wanted to return to 51 at some point but for now he would settle to being somewhere under Boden’s watchful eye.

He hadn’t expected the meeting to be as direct as it had been. Boden without hesitation offered him the command position back on Truck 81. It wasn’t the same company it had been when he had left but Boden was wary about putting a floater or someone from another house into the empty space. The whole house was grieving and that crew specifically had lost their leader. But if there was anyone who Boden felt comfortable being in charge of the truck, it was Matt Casey. He was grieving too and understood just what an important person's shoes he would be attempting to step into.

Matt had been shocked by the offer and let him know he would need to speak to Kelly about it. Although for years 81 had been his rig, it was Stella’s now and her husband should at least get a say about who would take over. He didn’t want anyone to feel like he was replacing her or usurping her position.

He was still deep in thought, when Sylvie walked onto the apron.

‘Penny for them?’ She asked with a smile, nudging him gently with her shoulder.

‘Not sure they’re worth that but I’ll tell you in a bit. Fancy a walk along the riverwalk? I missed it in Portland’.

—————————————————————————

Matt wasn’t sure what Sylvie’s response would be when he told her he was coming back to Chicago. He hadn’t expected her to jump into his arms immediately but he also hadn’t been expecting the stoney silence he was currently experiencing.

‘Say something Sylvie,’ he asked as they continued to meander next to the river.

‘Don’t come back just for me,’ she said quietly and abruptly stopped.

‘What?’ Matt asked, confused, turning around to face her.

‘I’ve moved for relationships before Matt, and felt stuck and I don’t want you to feel like that.’ She ran a hand through her hair, her expression difficult to read. ‘If you want to come back to Chicago for you, then please do. I know it’s your home. But if you’re only coming back for me, then please… please don’t’.

‘I’m coming back for a number of reasons,’ Matt started. ‘But I won’t lie to you and say that you aren’t included in that. But you’re not the only one.’ He added quickly as she opened her mouth to interrupt him.

‘There’s nothing holding me in Portland anymore. Griffin is in Chicago now and Ben’s off at college. And sure I like my job there but it’s got nothing on the CFD. And I need to be here for Severide. He won’t say he needs the help or even ask for it, but this is going to be so hard on him and Lizzie. I can’t abandon them.’

He reached out his palm, hoping Sylvie would take it. He squeezed her hand lightly when she did.

‘But the reason we didn’t work was because I wasn’t here. And I’m not saying we will get back together or everything would be simple again but if I’m here then at least there’s a chance, right?’ he smiled and Sylvie returned it warmly.

‘There’s a chance’, she echoed. ‘But what about work? Will the CFD have you back?’

‘Boden’s offered me the spot on 81. But I need to talk to Kelly before I take it. I don’t want him to think I’m erasing Stella’s legacy by going back to it. She deserves to be remembered and held in everyone’s memory.’

The pair continued to stroll along the riverwalk, taking in the early morning bustle of Chicago. And if they were still holding hands at the end of it, then neither of them mentioned it.

—————————————————————————

Sylvie dropped Matt off at the loft again, having called ahead to make sure it was alright for him to pop in.

‘Hey’, Kelly said as he welcomed Matt in through the door. A stark comparison to the last time he had opened the door for him. ‘Want breakfast?’ He gestured to the kitchen where the bacon was cooking in the pan.

‘Nah I picked something up with Sylvie’, Matt smiled and followed him over, taking a seat at one of the bar stools.

‘Interesting’, Kelly said with a smirk as he turned the bacon over.

‘Shush, but there is something I want to talk to you about’, he said, a sudden sense of apprehension filling him.

‘Shoot’, Kelly said, busying himself with some eggs.

‘I’m coming back to Chicago. And Boden offered me the command of 81’. He saw Kelly freeze, still facing away from him. After a couple of seconds of silence, Matt continued. ‘But I told him I needed to speak to you. 81 is Stella’s truck and I don’t want you to think I’m stepping in where I shouldn’t, or trying to take over from her.’

Kelly turned around and shook his head. ‘If anyone’s going to take over from Stella, I’m glad it’s you.’ He said with a smile, his eyes brimming with tears. ‘You understand how big of a task it is, to walk in her shoes. And I know the crew would respect you, unlike if someone new came along and tried to take her place. And I know Stella would be okay with it too.’

‘If you’re sure?’ Matt asked.

‘I’m sure, but you’re sure you want to come back to Chicago? You’re not just coming back because of me and Lizzie right?’ He gestured at himself and then down the corridor with the spatula in his hand. ‘Because we’ll be okay, it’ll be a tough road, but we will be okay’.

Matt chuckled lightly, ‘you sound just like Sylvie. No I’m not just coming back for you too, although it has factored into my decision. And no, before you ask, I’m not just coming back for Sylvie either. Chicago is my home and my family is here. And it’s time for me to come back to that’.

‘Okay then’, Kelly said, downing his tools and walking round to the other side of the island. ‘Welcome back to Chicago,’ he said as he pulled Matt into a hug.

‘I do have to go back to Portland first and actually resign,’ he chuckled as Kelly pulled back a smirk etched on his face. ‘But I’ll be back for the funeral in a couple of days, and then I’m staying. For good.’